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The Association Between Aggressive Behaviors And Academic Self-Esteem Of Preschool Children, Chrische' Marie Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The intent of this study was to investigate the association between preschooler's aggressiveness behavior and their academic self-esteem in the classrooms. The participants in this study consisted of 63 preschoolers who attended the West Virginia University Laboratory Nursery School or the Pierpont Christian Preschool during the school year of 2005-2006. The preschoolers were rated by their teachers at each school on their student initiative, social attraction, success/failure, social attraction, self-confidence on the Behavioral Academic Self-Esteem Scale (BASE) and their aggressiveness with peers on the Child Behavior Scale (CBS).;Results of the study indicated that the preschooler's academic self-esteem and aggressive behaviors …

A Socioeconomic And Spatial Analysis Of Obesity In West Virginia: Policy Implications, Anura Kumara Amarasinghe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation integrates both theoretical and empirical insights to facilitate understanding of the current obesity epidemic in WV given heterogeneity in socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics of the state. In meeting this objective, county-level and individual-level health demand analyses using secondary data sources were conducted. County-level obesity differences were studied using spatial and non-spatial random and fixed effects frameworks under a panel data structure. Individual health demand was investigated by recursive estimation of individual health responses to ordered self-assessed health (SAH) in terms of lifestyle choices, socioeconomic, demographic and built environment characteristics using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) …

Child Distress During Immunization: The Influence Of Child And Parent Individual Difference Variables, Melissa Demore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Routine childhood immunization injections result child distress, which may have lasting negative effects on children, parents, and staff, and impact adherence to schedules of immunization. Aims of the current study were to (a) examine the role of child and parent individual difference variables in relation to child immunization distress, and (b) determine whether child distress predicts future immunization schedule adherence.;Parents of 50 children (aged 12--18 months) attending a visit to a pediatric medical clinic for purposes of immunization completed measures of child temperament, parent psychopathology, immunization beliefs, and prior medical distress of the child. Child distress during the immunization injection …

The Effects Of Age, Instructions, And Problem Content On Everyday Problem -Solving Outcome Using Two Scoring Procedures, Tara L. Neely

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prior literature has relied on varied methodology to infer conclusions about adult problem solvers; possibly leading to erroneous assumptions about everyday problem-solving performance in adulthood. The present study examined everyday problem-solving performance of 133 younger, middle-aged, and older adults. The goal of the study was to investigate whether different scoring procedures (number vs. strategy type) or participant instructions (self target vs. others target) affected how adults performed on two types of open-ended problem-solving vignettes (home vs. friend problem domains). Differential age patterns were found when comparing the number and types of strategies reported. When assessing total number of solutions generated, …

The Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway In Aged Skeletal Muscle: Roles Of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha And Interleukin-15, Emidio E. Pistilli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Apoptosis is implicated in the loss of skeletal muscle mass following periods of reduced activity (i.e.-disuse) as well as during the normal aging process (i.e.-sarcopenia). Aging is also characterized by elevations in circulating cytokines, specifically TNF-alpha, which has been associated with the sarcopenic process. The specific signaling components that participate in the pro-apoptotic pathway downstream of the type I TNF receptor (i.e.-extrinsic apoptotic pathway) within skeletal muscle have not been clarified. Additionally, few studies have been performed with the aim of disrupting this apoptotic pathway, and thereby sparing muscle mass in the aged. Therefore, the purposes of this dissertation were …

Personality Profiles Of Experienced U.S. Army Rotary-Wing Aviators Across Mission, Robert Grice

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Numerous studies have attempted to identify a relationship between personality traits and workplace performance. Workplace performance in this study was construed as including perceptions of congruence with the type of work and performance on the job. The Five-Factor Model (FFM) has been used to predict workplace performance across a number of vocations including aviation and the Revised NEO Personality Instrument (NEO-PI-R) is the most widely used FFM-based instrument. The NEO-PI-R has been used with commercial and military aviators to identify personality trait levels that are distinct from the general public and to predict performance in cockpit situations such as during …

The Integration Of Church And Home: A Strategic Partnership For Spiritual Formation, Michael B. Haynes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The American family is deteriorating according to current research. This deterioration stems from the church’s inability to develop Christians who practice life according to the principles of the Bible. In a culture characterized by an atomic worldview, the church and family must work together to develop Christians who live according to the relational worldview of Scripture. This project describes how one church developed and implemented a strategy partnering the church and family for the spiritual formation of the next generation. This project is designed as a model for churches seeking to impact the culture one home at a time.

Sexual Objectification, Self-Objectification, Self-Efficacy, And Female Identity Development: A Preliminary Study, Kathleen Reilly Coffers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sexual and self-objectification, self-efficacy and identity status were investigated using data collected from undergraduate and graduate classes from West Virginia University. Subjects were 267 females, ages 18--23. The four variables were measured as follows: (a) Cultural Sexual Objectification Questionnaire, (b) Self-Objectification Questionnaire, (c) Self-Efficacy Scale and (d) Extended Version of the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status. Cronbach's Alphas were performed on all measures with good to adequate reliabilities (.69 through .89), with the exception of the identity diffusion subscale which resulted in marginal reliability (.57). Chi-square analyses performed for sexual and self-objectification in each of the four identity statuses …

Differential Binding Of Hnrnp K, L And A2/B1 To An Exonic Splicing Silencer Element Located Within Exon 12 Of Glucose -6 -Phosphate Dehydrogenase Mrna, Brian Nelson Griffith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The expression of most lipogenic enzymes is regulated through the effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on transcription. However, we have observed that the regulation of Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) by polyunsaturated fatty acids occurs through a novel posttranscriptional mechanism. RNA reporter assays were used to map the cis-acting element by measuring the regulation of each RNA reporter construct transfected into primary rat hepatocytes. All RNA reporter constructs were regulated by polyunsaturated fatty acids with the exception of RNA reporter constructs lacking exon 12. Therefore, polyunsaturated fatty acids regulate the constitutive splicing of G6PD mRNA through a cis-acting element located within …

Genetic Resolution Of The Enigmatic Lesser Antillean Distribution Of The Frog Leptodactylus Validus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), Keneth Yanek, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Leptodactylus validus has an unusual distribution, inhabiting Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles, but not the mainland of South America. This distribution is inconsistent with other distribution patterns observed for these islands. Although slight variation in adult morphology has been observed among the different island populations of L. validus, call data suggest the presence of a single species. Calls of L. pallidirostris from Venezuela and Brazil suggested that this taxon might be conspecific with L. validus. Sequence data from the 12S and 16S mt rDNA genes indicate that L. validus represents a single species throughout its distribution and is conspecific …

A Comparison Of The Amely Gene Sequence In Argali (Ovis Ammon) And Domestic (Ovis Aries) Sheep, Kimberly Elwood

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Amelogenin (AMEL) is a gene responsible for tooth bud development. It is located on the X-chromosome, thus called AMELX, in mammals. AMEL has been shown to be present in fish, amphibians, and reptiles, though the exact location on the chromosome has not been determined. Amelogenin-like gene (AMELY), an AMEL homolog encoded on the Y-chromosome in some mammals, including sheep, cattle, deer, bears, humans, and some primates, is shorter than the sequence on the X-chromosome. It is unknown whether AMELY is transcriptionally active, but it has been found to be useful for human sexing purposes in forensics, archaeology and prenatal diagnosis, …

Outsiders As Innovators In The Life Sciences, Michael Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

An introduction to the book Outsider Scientists: Routes to Innovation in Biology edited by Oren Harman and Michael Dietrich

Multiscale Habitat Associations Of Three Primary Burrowing Crayfish, Shane Welch

All Dissertations

The distribution and habitat associations of three primary burrowing crayfish species were examined at the landscape and patch scales. GIS based predictors were used to model the species occurrence across the study landscapes and vegetation structure data were used to model crayfish abundance within landscape patches. Distocambarus crockeri, a species endemic to the piedmont physiographic region of South Carolina was a terrestrial habitat specialist at broad because of its association with well drained ridge-top soils. Within these soils D. crockeri were dependent on open treeless habitats. The species habitat was consistent with early descriptions of the region and suggested that …

The Role Of Prolactin And Its Antagonist In Her2/Neu Tumorigenesis, Michele Scotti

All Dissertations

Purpose: To study the role of prolactin (PRL) and its antagonist, G129R, in HER2/Neu tumorigenesis. Specifically, to investigate the interaction between the oncogene HER2 and the PRL receptor (PRLR) signaling pathways for designing effective combinational therapeutics for breast cancer.
Experimental Design: The combination effects of G129R and an anti-HER2 antibody, Herceptin, were tested against HER2-overexpressing human breast cancer cell lines, T-47D and BT-474, using cell based assays and xenografts established in athymic mice. Furthermore, four different bitransgenic mouse lines co-expressing the murine version of HER2 and PRL or G129R were generated. The mammary tumor incidence, characterization of mammary gland development, …

Finding A Length-Constrained Maximum-Sum Or Maximum-Density Subtree And Its Application To Logistics, Hoong Chuin Lau, Trung Hieu Ngo, Bao Nguyen Nguyen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We study the problem of finding a length-constrained maximum-density path in a tree with weight and length on each edge. This problem was proposed in [R.R. Lin, W.H. Kuo, K.M. Chao, Finding a length-constrained maximum-density path in a tree, Journal of Combinatorial Optimization 9 (2005) 147–156] and solved in O(nU) time when the edge lengths are positive integers, where n is the number of nodes in the tree and U is the length upper bound of the path. We present an algorithm that runs in O(nlog2n) time for the generalized case when the edge lengths are positive real numbers, which …

The Proteomics Of N-Terminal Methionine Cleavage, Frédéric Frottin, Aude Martinez, Philippe Peynot, Sanghamitra Mitra, Richard C. Holz, Carmela Giglione, Thierry Meinnel

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Methionine aminopeptidase (MAP) is a ubiquitous, essential enzyme involved in protein N-terminal methionine excision. According to the generally accepted cleavage rules for MAP, this enzyme cleaves all proteins with small side chains on the residue in the second position (P1′), but many exceptions are known. The substrate specificity of Escherichia coli MAP1 was studied in vitro with a large (>120) coherent array of peptides mimicking the natural substrates and kinetically analyzed in detail. Peptides with Val or Thr at P1′ were much less efficiently cleaved than those with Ala, Cys, Gly, Pro, or Ser in this position. Certain residues …

Spatial And Seasonal Variation In Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions, Jonathan M. Conard, Philip S. Gipson

The Prairie Naturalist

To understand seasonal variation in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and the influence of land cover type on collision distribution we counted road-kill carcasses for 84 weeks along a 40 km route on two state highways in northeastern Kansas. We noted land cover type adjacent to each road-kill and tested the null hypothesis that road-kills were distributed randomly with respect to land cover type. Wildlife-vehicle collisions were not distributed randomly in relation to land cover availability. Instead, collisions occurred more often then expected adjacent to riparian areas and less often than expected adjacent to agricultural fields. Wildlife-vehicle collisions varied seasonally …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, 2006: Reviewers, Author Index, And Subject Index, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The list of reviewers, author index, and subject index for volume 38 (2006) of The Prairie Naturalist published by the Great Plains Natural Science Society out of Fort Hays State University in Kansas, United States.

Amphibians And Reptiles In A Mixed-Grass Prairie In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, Patricia K. Moore

The Prairie Naturalist

There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km² Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected.

December 2006 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

North Dakota Dual Credit: Initial Impact 1997-2004, Anita K. Decker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of enrollment in North Dakota’s dual credit program on the students who had been enrolled from Fall 1997 through Spring 2004. Participants are identified by gender, by year in school, by courses taken for dual credit, and by high school size. Analysis of post-high school college entry data by matriculation, graduation, and grade point average are included.

Dual credit students took over 12,000 courses from the eleven public colleges in the North Dakota University System and from five nonpublic or out-of-state colleges. Students were divided between seniors, who took 9836 …

Integration Of Art And Environmental Education: The Centro De Educación Creativa In Monteverde, Costa Rica, December 2006, Veronica Harried

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Population growth and deforestation are negatively affecting biodiversity in the Tropics, necessitating environmental education for local populations. Arts education increases the ability to comprehend complex information, enhance creativity and provide problem solving skills (Longley 1999, Siegesmund 1998). Together, environmental education and Arts education can enhance ecological processes and conservation themes in students’ minds so they are retained well into their adulthood. This increases the likelihood that these individuals will make environmentally informed decisions throughout their lives (Gurevitz 2000). In this project, I incorporate current Arts curriculum guidelines from the United States into the Costa Rican environmental curriculum used at the …

Oviposition Preference And Larval Growth Rates Of Caligo Memnon (Nymphalidae: Brassolinae), December 2006, Emily Webb

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Caligo memnon caterpillars specialize on plants in three families, Heliconiaceae, Marantaceae, and Musaceea. These families are in the Order Zingiberales. Heliconiaceae and Marantaceae are native to the Neotropics, but Musaceae is an introduced family. I studied oviposition preference and larval performance of C. memnon on four host plants: Heliconia latispatha and Heliconia stricta (Heliconiacea), Calathea insignis (Marantaceae), and Musa acuminata (Musacea). Results showed that preferred host plants for oviposition did not correspond to the host plant that provided the fastest growth rate for caterpillars. Females preferred to oviposit on M. acuminata even though larval growth was lowest on this species, …

Changes In Bird Species Distribution In Four Altitudinal Zones In Monteverde, Costa Rica, December 2006, Grant Connette

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The impact of climate change on ecosystems has been demonstrated by studies of upper elevation amphibians (Pounds 1997). In spite of this, the degree to which climate change affects birds is not as clear. Two previous studies have found the upward movement of many species of birds in the Monteverde area (Donnelly 1998, Palm 2003). I surveyed birds in four altitudinal zones on the less studied Atlantic slope of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve and compared my findings to the bird distributions reported by Michael Fogden in 1993. I found significant upward movement of bird species (sign test, p < 0.05) as well as a general decline in the abundances of certain bird species (x2 = 27.65, df = 3, p < 0.001). The majority of these declines are probably linked to the reforestation of the Peñas Blancas valley but climate change is likely responsible for the upslope movement and increased abundance of higher elevation birds.

Nineteenth Century Review Of Mental Health Care For African Americans: A Legacy Of Service And Policy Barriers, Tony B. Lowe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The need to focus on service and policy barriers to mental health service delivery for African Americans remains critical. The purpose of this article is to review nineteenth century care as a method for understanding contemporary service and policy barriers. A case study strategy is used to compare the efforts of Pennsylvania and South Carolina using primary and secondary sources to document these developments through a political economy perspective. These findings suggest that the prevailing social, political and economic realities have created mental health disparities along racial lines. Existing barriers are likely rooted in this same reality.

"Seen And Not Heard" Sociological Approaches To Childhood: Black Children, Agency And Implications For Child Welfare, Mekada Graham, Emily Bruce

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, the authors consider the socio-historical conceptions of childhood in relation to Black children and their unique relationship with child welfare institutions. Against this background we apply models of childhood to issues of race and social agency and argue that these elements have been inadequately addressed in developmental models of childhood. Following these concerns, we present a social model of childhood and consider how these distinct and different ways of understanding children might be applied to child welfare practice. This child centered approach presents a unique opportunity to incorporate the differential positioning of Black children in the wider …

Ethiopian Language Policy And Health Promotion In Oromia, Begna Dugassa

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the time of HIV/AIDS, epidemics for which we have no vaccination or cure, public health is bound entirely to depend on the traditional health education strategies to stop or contain this disease. This reality demands that we travel extra miles and thoroughly employ every health promotion tool at our disposal. The Ottawa Charter for health promotion stressed the need for public policy to create supportive social conditions for health. This necessitates a commitment to enduring social conditions for health and raises topics that have been neglected by the traditional public health scholars. A close examination of the colonial language …

Review Of What's Wrong With Children's Rights. Martin Guggenheim. Reviewed By Dorinda N. Noble., Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Martin Guggenheim, What's Wrong with Children's Rights. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005. $27.95 hardcover.

Portrayal Of Mathematicians In Fictional Works, Daniel Dotson

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Portrayal of Mathematicians in Fictional Works," Daniel Dotson explores how people with mathematical abilities -- including mathematicians, mathematics teachers, mathematically-inclined youths, cryptographers, and more -- are portrayed in novels, films, television programs, and a play. A summary table of the characters gives a short description of each of them, the title of the work in which they appeared, and the format of the work. Characters were analyzed to see if they possessed any of ten personality traits: obsessive, having major mental health problems, withdrawn, brave, timid, socially inept, arrogant, uses math to escape reality, out of touch, …

Mosquitos Associated With Equine West Nile Virus Cases In Southeastern Georgia, Calvin William Hancock

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mosquito populations associated with equine and avian cases of West Nile Virus infections in five counties in southeastern Georgia were sampled in 2003 and 2004. More than 10,500 mosquitoes representing over 20 species were collected at 25 sites using light traps and vacuum aspirators. Of these, 8,500 mosquitoes were tested for the presence of West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, and Saint Louis Encephalitis Virus in 411 separate pools of 1-50 mosquitoes. No virus positive mosquitoes were detected. Blood meals from 377 engorged specimens caught at these sites were identified as of mammalian, avian, or reptile/amphibian origin using serological …