Digital Commons Network^™

Reasons For Dieting And The Relation To Body Image And The Media, Naomi Hovendick

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles : Fundamental Study And Application, Song Liang

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing-Based Study Of Land-Cover Changes Related To Mining And Its Impacts On Marine Fauna : A Case Study In Goa, India, Lisa M. Kuchy

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Protein Electrophoresis Gel Images, Yassin Labyed

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Amphibian Reproduction In Restored Wetland Habitat In Northwestern Minnesota, Jessica A. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

In The Footsteps Of Vincent De Paul: A Guide To Vincentian France, John E. Rybolt C.M.

Vincentian Digital Books

A lavishly illustrated, full color guidebook authored by noted historian John E. Rybolt, C.M., created to help lead visitors on pilgrimage to the France of Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac and the members of their religious families.

Vincentiana Vol. 51, No. 3 [Full Issue]

Vincentiana

No abstract provided.

Vincentiana Vol. 51, No. 5 [Full Issue]

Vincentiana

No abstract provided.

Eliminative Materialism And The Distinction Between Common Sense And Science, Nada Gligorov

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

It is one of the premises of eliminative materialism that commonsense psychology constitutes a theory. There is agreement that mental states can be construed as posited entities for the explanation and prediction of behavior, and that the nature of those states is dependent on the theory that features them. Disputes arise when it comes to the range of the commonsense theory of mental states. In chapter one, I review major arguments concerning the span and nature of folk psychology. In chapter two, relying on arguments by Quine and Sellars, I argue that the precise scope of commonsense psychology cannot be …

Pldb, A Putative Phospholipase D Homologue, Mediates Quorum Sensing In Dictyostelium Discoideum Development, Yi Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Quorum sensing, the ability to measure the local cell density, is required for animal cells to achieve proper cell growth, differentiation and development. However, because of the genetic intractability of mammalian cells, we study quorum sensing in the genetically pliable unicellular eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum. D. discoideum cells live as individual cells under vegetative conditions. Starvation sets off development to a multicellular organism. But cells won't develop unless enough cells are under starvation conditions. Approximately 10⁵ cells are needed to form a fruiting body, the final stage of the development. When starved, cells are able to calculate the concentration …

Art And Persuasion: A Communication Study Of Contemporary Documentary Film, Lauren Elizabeth Freeman

Honors Theses

The focus of this study is defining and determining the area of communication in contemporary documentary films. In examining the structure and aesthetic composition of documentary film, this study will compare the film genre to the areas of journalism. persuasion and propaganda through secondary and primary research defining the elements that constitute these specific areas of communication. Secondary research involved text, newspaper articles, online journals and websites, and the viewing of documentary film. The primary research was conducted through personal interviews with documentary filmmakers. Research findings resulted in a wide range of views on the definition and uses for documentary …

Blood Assays In The Freshwater Turtle, Trachemys Scripta, With Emphasis On Methemoglobin Levels, Erin Melissa Floyd

Honors Theses

Confined Animal Feeding Operations pollute water supplies with excess animal wastes containing different sources of nitrogen. How can we measure the damage being done? Methemoglobin percentages give the degree of toxicity of nitrates and nitrites in the environment. Methemoglobin is a variant of hemoglobin in which the ferrous ion has been oxidized to the ferric state. In this state, oxygen can no longer be transported by hemoglobin which is detrimental to the organism affected. Blood assays were conducted on the freshwater turtle, Trachemys scripta. In addition to methemoglobin analysis other assays including oxyhemoglobin saturation, red and white blood cell counts, …

Growth And Immunocomptence In Parasitized Domestic Turkeys( Meleagris Gallapavo): Is There A Trade-Off?, Virginia Austin Harrison

Honors Theses

Parasitic infection can prove to be detrimental to the condition, reproductive fitness, and survival of the host organism. During infection, an organism experiences trade-offs between functions such as growth, reproduction, and immunological activity as a result of limited resources. When challenged by infection, wild turkeys, adapted for survival, should fight the infection rather than invest in growth. Because domestic turkeys have been artificially selected to grow rapidly, I hypothesized that they would invest in growth rather than immunocompetence. To test this hypothesis, I infected domestic turkeys with coccidia and measured components of growth and immunocompetence. Turkeys were infected with the …

Genetic Variation And Immune Response In The Wolf Spider: Rabidosa Rabida, Patrice Louise Jones

Honors Theses

Genetic variation has been shown to positively correlate with the strength of the immune response, especially in vertebrates. Smaller populations have less genetic diversity than larger populations as a result of random genetic drift. We estimated heterozygosity levels for six populations, which were known to vary significantly in size^ using 15 microsatellite loci. We wished to see if generalized loss of genetic variation, as measured by a random sample of neutral loci, would correlate with levels of immune response to a physical challenge (needle prick). Experiments were performed using the wolf spider species Rabidosa rabida. Immune response was measured as …

The Bonds They Form: An Analysis Of Women's Relationships In Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle, Cat's Eye, And The Robber Bride, Kimberly Elizabeth Debrock

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Veterans: Short Stories, James George Cajoleas

Honors Theses

Barry Hannah one time told me a story of mine “lacked heart.” I was in Barry’s undergraduate workshop, already scared to death at having Barry Hannah, my living hero Captain Maximus himself, critiquing my work, and he told me my story lacked heart. I can honestly count that as one of the lowest moments of my life. My kindhearted (but stem) advisor Tom Franklin had cautioned me time and time again about letting voice overwhelm my story, about neglecting plot, about a certain tendency to be glib. I took all of those criticisms to heart, and I was making great …

Phthalate-Induced Liver Protection Against Deleterious Effects Of The Th1 Response: A Potentially Serious Health Hazard, Mostafa Z. Badr, Alexander A. Shnyra, Mikhail Zoubine, Maxim Norkin, Betty Herndon, Tim Quinn, Roberto N. Miranda, Michael L. Cunningham, Agostino Molteni

Faculty and Staff Publications

Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) induces pulmonary immunopathology mediated by classical Th1 type of acquired immunity with hepatic involvement in up to 80% of disseminated cases. Since PPAR agonists cause immune responses characterized by a decrease in the secretion of Th1 cytokines, we investigated the impact of activating these receptors on hepatic pathology associated with a well-characterized model of Th1-type pulmonary response. Male Fischer 344 rats were either maintained on a drug-free diet (groups I and II), or a diet containing diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), a compound transformed in vivo to metabolites known to activate PPARs, for 21 days (groups III and …

The Effect Of Teacher Confirmation On Student Communication And Learning Outcomes., Alan K. Goodboy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Teacher confirmation research has suggested that students form positive perceptions of confirming instructors and report increases in learning (Ellis, 2000, 2004). However, actual student communication behaviors resulting from teacher confirmation in the college classroom has received little attention. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effects of teacher confirmation on both student communication behavior and learning outcomes in the college classroom. A live lecture experiment was conducted where teacher confirmation was manipulated (i.e., not confirming, somewhat confirming, confirming) across three college courses. After the live lecture, students completed a post test assessing both positive (i.e., student communication motives, …

A Comparative Study Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And The United Methodist Church With A Strategy For Enhanced Adventist Membership Growth In Cote D'Ivoire, Elie Weick-Dido

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Seventh-day Adventists first reached the French colony of Cote d’Ivoire around 1920. In 1946 the Church was organized with only 17 members. By 1985, the membership was 2,057 and in 2000, there were 7,215 members. By comparison, the Methodist Church of Cote d’Ivoire was established in 1924 and in 2000 had 1,350,000 members. Both Seventh-day Adventists and Methodists have conducted with mission in the same context where 20.8 percent of the population was Roman Catholic in 2000, Muslims represented 38.7 percent, and the French cultural influence was strong. Yet, Seventh-day Adventists have experienced a much slower church growth than …

Of Pirates And Puffy Shirts: A Comment On ‘The Piracy Paradox: Innovation And Intellectual Property In Fashion Design, Randal C. Picker

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Sex Differences In Cardiovascular Reactivity: Influence Of The Gender Relevance Of A Social Task., Matthew C. Whited

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated sex differences in cardiovascular response to interpersonal stressors in an attempt to determine whether the match or mismatch between sex of participant and genderorientation of the interpersonal stressor resulted in greater cardiovascular reactivity. Twenty-six men and 31 women engaged in two tasks, a masculine oriented task previously used in investigations of cardiovascular reactivity that involved interpersonal conflict and a feminine task, a newly developed interpersonal task that required comforting of another. Results did not support either the match or the mismatch hypothesis. Instead, women exhibited greater heart rate reactions across both tasks than men. In addition, the …

Climate Change And Animals, Cass R. Sunstein, Wayne Hsiung

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

Climate change is already having adverse effects on animal life, and those effects are likely to prove devastating in the future. Nonetheless, the relevant harms to animals have yet to become a serious part of the analysis of climate change policy. Even if animals and species are valued solely by reference to human preferences, inclusion of their welfare dramatically increases the argument for aggressive responses to climate change. We estimate that, even under conservative assumptions about valuation, losses to nonhuman life might run into the hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Whatever the precise figure, the general conclusion is clear: …

Completely Theorized Agreements In Constitutional Law, Cass R. Sunstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

How is constitutionalism possible, when people disagree on so many questions about what is good and what is right? This essay, written for a special issue of Social Research on Difficult Decisions, explores the role of two kinds of incompletely theorized agreements amidst sharp disagreements about the largest issues in social life. The first consist of agreements on abstract formulations (freedom of speech, equality under the law); these agreements are crucial to constitution-making as a social practice. The second consist of agreements on particular doctrines and practices; these agreements are crucial to life and law under existing constitutions. Incompletely theorized …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Without Analyzing Costs Or Benefits: Reasonable Accommodation, Balancing, And Stigmatic Harms, Cass R. Sunstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

Is an accommodation "reasonable," under the Americans with Disabilities Act, if and only if the benefits are roughly proportional to the costs? How should benefits and costs be assessed? Should courts asks about how much disabled employees are willing to pay to obtain the accommodation, or instead how much they would have to be paid not to have the accommodation? How should stigmatic or expressive harms be valued? This essay, written for a symposium on the work of Judge Richard A. Posner, engages these questions in a discussion of an important opinion in which Judge Posner denied accommodations involving the …

Successful Use Of Neck Snares To Live-Capture Red Foxes, S. Nicole Frey, Michael R. Conover, Gary Cook

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Box traps and foot-hold snares are common methods to live-capture study animals. However, these methods are frequently ineffective due to factors such as weather constraints, food availability, and target animal behavior. During a study of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) behavior, we examined the use of neck snares to live-trap study animals. We modified the neck snare using swivel cam-locks, deer stops to minimize damage to the animal. Additionally, we utilized our knowledge of red-fox behavior to set traps in a way that would reduce trauma to the captured animals. We snared 21 red foxes during the 3-year study …

Comparison Of Sampling Strategies To Estimate Abundance Of Double-Crested Cormorants In Western Mississippi, Aaron T. Pearse, Brian S. Dorr, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Richard M. Kaminski

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We compared 2 sampling strategies designed to estimate abundance of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus, hereafter cormorants) on aquaculture ponds in western Mississippi. Cormorants are a major predator of cultured channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in this region; thus, estimating cormorant abundance is needed to better determine their economic impact. We independently designed a species-specific survey (i.e., cluster sampling) and a general survey (i.e., transect sampling) based on robust probability sampling theory to estimate abundance of this target population. During winters 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, we conducted 8 pairs of surveys and compared estimates of cormorant abundance and associated …

Drive-By Netting: A Technique For Capturing Grebes And Other Diving Waterfowl, Joe N. Caudell, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We describe a new method (drive-by netting) for capturing grebes (Podiceps spp.) and other birds that dive under water to escape capture. We used a floating gill net to capture 203 eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) in 20 days in 1999 on the Great Salt Lake (GSL), 652 eared grebes in 41 days on the GSL in 2000, and 409 grebes in 20 days in 2001. Other species captured during the 2000 and 2001 fi eld seasons included 1 western grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), 9 ruddy ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis), and 1 Canada goose (Branta …

Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a federally listed threatened species, causes damage to agricultural operations, yet little incentive exists for private landowners to conserve them. Therefore, we surveyed Utah residents to identify stakeholder attitudes regarding prairie dog management. We assessed how perceptions of wildlife damage affect respondent attitudes regarding conservation among agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents. Higher levels of perceived wildlife damage were reported for agriculture respondents (79%) than for urban (20%) or rural (45%) respondents. Compensation for damage caused by Utah prairie dogs was supported by those engaged in agricultural production but not by …

In Memory

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

The Soap Box Birth Control Is Not For Everyone (Or Everything), Elizabeth Bingham

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.