Digital Commons Network^™

An Examination Of Factors And Perceptions Related To Steroids/Human Growth Hormone In College Baseball, Benjamin D. Riegle

Masters Theses

This study examined the role modeling effect from professional baseball through an anonymous survey aimed at the prevalence, potential precursors, and deterrents of steroid use among 173 intercollegiate baseball players. Results indicated that 2.3% of participants admitted to using steroids, but this low incidence was not due to low access as 58.4% said they knew how to obtain steroids and 37.8% had previously been offered steroids. Just over one-third (34.1%) agreed that performance enhancement was a precursor to steroid/HGH use and a mean score of 2.53 (SD = 1.46) indicated that it was a greater precursor than improving appearance (19.7%, …

Effects Of Food Deprivation, Body Size, And Egg Load On The Mating Behavior Of Female Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Natasha Tigreros

Masters Theses

Female condition may play an important role in the mating frequency of species that mate at foraging areas. For example, in species where feeding females are more easily encountered or less resistant to mating than females that are performing other activities, low energy levels could increase mating activity. We studied the relationship between female condition and mating activity in the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a laboratory study. We altered condition by depriving some females of food for one day and comparing their mating behavior to well-fed females. Our results showed that the effect of condition on mating …

The Proper Focus For Fda Regulations: Why The Fundamental Right To Self-Preservation Should Allow Terminally Ill Patients With No Treatment Options To Attempt To Save Their Lives, Alissa Puckett

SMU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Giant Pandas Balance Energy Budgets With Metabolic Depression: Insights From Radar Detection Of Heart Rates, Tommy Gene Finley

Theses and Dissertations

Giant pandas ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) are flagship species for conservation because of their endangered status and charismatic nature. Giant pandas are placed in the bear family (Urisidae) within the order Carnivora. They specialize on a diet of bamboo, yet retain a typical carnivore gastrointestinal tract. Low energy digestive efficiency (9.5–34%) was calculated from bamboo-only digestibility trials conducted on captive giant pandas. Huge amounts of bamboo are consumed to overcome inefficient extraction and thus obtain sufficient energy and nutrients. I designed this study to gain insights into giant panda energy balance by measuring heart rates during sleep, their primary means …

The Abc's Of Early Intervention: Assessing The Arkansas Better Chance For School Success Pre -School Program, Lisa Walker Todd

Theses and Dissertations

Early intervention programs have long been associated with increased cognitive benefits for disadvantaged poverty children. The Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program (ABCSS) was implemented in select counties in Arkansas as an early intervention strategy for Arkansas' poverty children. The core rationale behind the implementation of the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program was the belief that it is much easier not to be left behind if you do not start behind. The study assessed the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success Pre-school Program on the impact of sustained benefits on third grade children who previously …

Stabel Isotope Turnover Rates And Diet-Tissue Discrimination In The Skin Of West Indian Manatees: Implcations For Evaluating Their Feeding Ecology And Habitat Use, Christy Alves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) is an herbivorous marine mammal that occupies freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats. Despite being considered endangered, relatively little is known about the feeding ecology of either of the two recognized subspecies, the Florida manatee (T.m. latirostris) and Caribbean or Antillean manatee (T.m. manatus). A better understanding of their respective feeding preferences and habitat use is essential to establish criteria on which conservation plans can be based. The present study expands on previous work on manatee feeding ecology by both assessing the application of stable isotope analysis to manatee tissue and providing critical baseline parameters …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Counseling Self-Efficacy And Counselor Wellness Among Counselor Education Students, Jennifer Curry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research in counselor training has focused on the difficulties and challenges facing counseling practitioners that result in high stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and counselor impairment. The American Counseling Association's (ACA) Code of Ethics has addressed the ethical issues inherent in counselor impairment. Further, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) has focused on the development of counselors that will assist them in being resilient to workplace stressors. Wellness is a theoretically based construct that holds much promise for bolstering the resilience of pre-service counselors. In addition, counselor self-efficacy has been linked to greater …

Senior's Health Information Website: Technology Acceptance Related To Information Retention, Jane Madsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The formative study investigated health information for seniors on the Internet with consideration of usability of the selected system, user's perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, system use, and performance, i.e. information retention. A theoretical model was developed by the researcher, i.e. JAM's Senior Health Information Technology Acceptance Model, as an enhanced version of the traditional Davis Technology Acceptance Model. The new model provided the critical relationship between the senior health information system and other technology acceptance components. Computer self-efficacy was added to the hypothetical model to better explain the seniors' technology usage and performance. The hypotheses and the research …

Postmodern Feminism, Hypertext, And The Rhetoric Of Cooking Websites, Heather Eaton Mcgrane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the ways cookbooks and their rhetorical dimensions have been re-imagined using hypertext and Web technology. Using the tenets of postmodern feminist rhetoric and Web design theory, the study considers how commercial cooking hypertexts construct users' identities. Although hypertext is a potentially empowering technology, democratizing rhetoric and knowledge making practices, commercial hypertext often circumscribes agency formation and prohibits participation. Participatory, constructive hypertexts are difficult to design and costly to maintain. Of the three sites studied, Epicurious.com, BettyCrocker.com, and FoodNetwork.com, only Epicurious.com encourages meaningful communication between users and between users and designers. In many ways, Epicurious.com conceives of its …

The Influence Of Goal Orientation On Trainee Learing Strategies And Outcomes Of A Work Readiness Program, Charyl Staci Singleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Goal orientation is a construct that has been used to explain individuals' focus in achievement situations. Three subcomponents of this construct have been linked to a number of training-related processes and outcomes. Those higher on avoid performance goal orientation withdraw from situations in which they may appear incompetent to others. Those higher on prove performance goal orientation approach situations in which they can demonstrate their competence to others. Finally, those high on learning goal orientation approach situations in which they can continually grow and master new skills. Prior research has consistently found that effective learning strategies and outcomes are positively …

The Effects Of A Structured Lifestyle Intervention Program In Conjunction With Dietary Supplementation On Weight Loss And Risk F, Linda Zukley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a structured weight loss program that included hypocaloric diet, exercise and dietary supplementation, on weight loss, metabolic syndrome risk factors and antioxidant levels in healthy overweight and obese females. Thirty-seven healthy overweight and obese women (BMI 29.5 ± 2.3 kg/m2, 41.1 ± 7.1 yrs) participated in this study. The subjects were randomized into one of two groups: an exercise, hypocaloric diet and antioxidant supplement (LifePak®; LSANT group, n=20) or an exercise, hypocaloric diet and appetite suppression supplement (HTP Complex® and TēGreen®; LSAS group, n=17). A significant weight loss occurred …

Who Decides: Institutional Choice In Determining A Performance Enhancing Drug Policy For The Nfl, Scott B. Shapiro

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biliary Tract Obstruction In Chronic Pancreatitis, Abdallah Abdulkarim, Jake E. J. Krige, Philippus C. Bornman

General Surgery, East Africa

Bile duct strictures are a common complication in patients with advanced chronic pancreatitis and have a variable clinical presentation ranging from an incidental finding to overt jaundice and cholangitis. The diagnosis is mostly made during investigations for abdominal pain but jaundice may be the initial clinical presentation. The jaundice is typically transient but may be recurrent with a small risk of secondary biliary cirrhosis in longstanding cases. The management of a bile duct stricture is conservative in patients in whom it is an incidental finding as the risk of secondary biliary cirrhosis is negligible.

Initial conservative treatment is advised in …

The Role Of Zinc And Reactive Oxygen Species In The Regulation Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase, Jason Michael Wilham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is a very serious disease affecting nearly 5 in 1000 newborns each year. The development of PPHN has been linked to a decrease in the activity and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Thus, it is critical to understand the mechanisms by which eNOS is regulated to identify new pathways and novel therapies for PPHN. eNOS is dynamically regulated at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, post-translational, and developmental levels, however mechanisms of this regulation are unresolved. Our data indicates that increases in eNOS expression and activity correlate with increased cellular levels of labile zinc …

Reducing Dental Mercury Discharge In Missoula, Montana: Collaborative Opportunities, Jamie Elaine Silberberger

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this paper is to provide assistance in developing a program to control the release of dental mercury amalgam in Missoula, Montana. To do this, three research components were carried out. The first consisted of a survey to determine whether Missoula dentists are following the American Dental Association’s (ADA) recommended Best Management Practices (BMPs) for mercury amalgam waste. The second component involved interviewing local dentists in an effort to include their voice in the process, as well as to determine what may motivate them to comply with a dental mercury control program. The final component of research involved …

Role Of Sodium Arsenite In Atherogenesis, Flavia Elias Pereira

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Epidemiological studies as well as controlled animal studies have associated exposure to arsenic through drinking water with the development of atherosclerosis. In this study, we have shown for the first time that low and environmentally relevant concentrations of arsenic accelerate atherogenesis. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanisms of arsenic-induced atherosclerosis by (1) characterizing the time- and concentration-dependent effects of sodium arsenite [As(III)] on the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- /LDLr-/- mice, (2) determining whether As(III)-induced peroxynitrite activates protein kinase C (PKC) isotypes, α and β, in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) and (3) determining the effects …

A Return To Descartes: Property, Profit, And The Corporate Ownership Of Animals, Darian M. Ibrahim

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Maternal Effects And Sexual Selection In The Heliconia Bug, Leptoscelis Tricolor (Hemiptera: Coreidae), Christine Whitney Miller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The early environment experienced by organisms can have significant phenotypic effects that persist throughout life. Parents, mothers in particular, commonly determine these early environments. Maternal effects, or the influence of maternal phenotypes on offspring phenotypes, are therefore likely ubiquitous in natural populations. However, the frequency and evolutionary consequences of maternal effects are largely unknown. Here I show that maternal phenotypes can have large effects on offspring morphology, fecundity, and behavior. I theoretically explore the potential for these effects to resolve the long-standing "lek paradox" in the field of sexual selection. I also empirically investigate these effects in the heliconia bug, …

Action-Oriented Sustainable Agriculture Education: Attitudes Towards Nutrition And Agricultural Practices In Guaimaca, Honduras, Sarah Lynne Potenza

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Agricultural policies and global economic forces negatively affect many small-scale farmers in developing countries, resulting in widespread micronutrient malnutrition and environmental degradation. This study explores the connections between these issues, and the efficacy of using participatory education on sustainable agriculture to address them at a local level. Specifically, it evaluates an action-oriented education and sustainable agriculture program in Honduras, from the perspective of the participants and my own participation, as a means to improve agricultural practices and rural nutrition among subsistence farmers. As in many developing countries, access to land, poor soil conditions, steep hillsides, adverse climatic conditions, and limited …

Conservation Of Leopards In Ayubia National Park, Pakistan, Asad Lodhi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Lodhi, Asad M.S. May 2007 Wildlife Biology Conservation of leopard in Ayubia National Park, Pakistan Committee Chair: Dr. Daniel H. Pletscher Large carnivores are important for biodiversity and ecosystem function, yet are very difficult to conserve because of their large home ranges and conflicts with humans. I examined human-leopard conflicts in and near Ayubia National Park, Pakistan, to provide management recommendations for the conservation of leopards. Persecution of leopards by humans has been on the rise primarily due to depredation on livestock and risk to human lives. Since 1989, 16 humans have either been killed or injured in and around …

A Modern Examination Of Marcus Goldstein’S Mexican Immigrant Population Data: Comparisons Of Mexican-Born And U.S.-Born Children And Adults Living In 1930’S America And Mexico, Amanda Katelin Gango

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Modern statistical methods were employed in order to test the statistical validity and conclusions of Marcus Goldstein’s (1943) original data consisting of nineteen different anthropometric measurements on two different groups of individuals, Mexican immigrants and their children residing in the San Antonio, Texas area and Mexican natives living in central and northern Mexico. Using independent samples T-tests, an analysis of covariance, and an RMET analysis, significant differences among variables compared between Mexican natives and Mexican immigrants and their U.S. born children were identified and interpreted. Variation was attributed to geographical location and length of time spent in the United States. …

Free Living Nitrogen-Fixation In Ponderosa Pine/Douglas-Fir Forests In Western Montana, Tricia Burgoyne

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Nitrogen (N) is a primary limiting nutrient in all ecosystems. Therefore, a thorough understanding of N cycling processes in forest ecosystems is required to minimize N losses to fire, harvesting, and other forms of land management. The influence of fire, fire exclusion and forest restoration treatments on non-symbiotic N-fixation in the forest ecosystem has been poorly studied. Over the past 100 years, fire has been greatly excluded from low elevation, fire maintained forests as a result of active fire suppression as well as land management activities that create discontinuities in landscape fire patterns. Previous studies have shown this activity to …

Moving Boxes Closer To Home: The Role Of Sysco Corporation In Food System Localization, David Scott Kennedy

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Increasing demand for local food by foodservice establishments creates new opportunities and challenges for the local food movement. While there is considerable potential for local suppliers to sell more product volume closer to home, the business needs of foodservice establishments may not be compatible with direct marketing approaches that have fueled the growth of the movement. Foodservice establishments typically rely on distributors to provide them with the majority of their food. Drawing on the success of direct marketing, new indirect marketing approaches that link producers and consumers through intermediaries are increasingly advanced within food system localization. The dominance of SYSCO …

Multi-Partner Mutualisms: Interactions Among The Mountain Pine Beetle And Two Ophiostomatoid Fungal Associates, Katherine Patricia Bleiker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

I investigated interactions between the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and its two main ophiostomatoid fungal associates,Grosmannia clavigera and Ophiostoma montium, as well as interactions between the two fungi. The main research questions were: What drives bark beetle fungal interactions? What is the nature of the interaction between the two species of fungi? I tested the hypothesis that the fungi provide nutritional benefits to the bark beetles. Evidence suggests a nutritional role of fungi in the diet of bark beetles because beetles emerging from attacked trees carrying G. clavigera were larger than beetles carrying O. montium, which in turn were …

No Simple Tradeoffs: Centaurea Plants From America Are Better Competitors And Defenders Than Plants From The Native Range, Wendy Margaree Ridenour

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses for invasive success have important evolutionary implications. The 'natural enemies' hypothesis posits that exotic invaders explode in abundance because they are not suppressed by specialist herbivore consumers in their invaded range. The 'novel weapons' hypothesis posits that exotic invaders explode in abundance because they possess biochemicals that are more effective against evolutionarily naïve plants, microbes, and generalist herbivores than against those species that have evolved tolerance in their communities of origin. I explored the potential for novel allelopathic or herbivore defense biochemicals as a potential alternative mechanism to tradeoff-driven evolution of increased competitive ability in invasive …

Then And Now, Gustav T. Durrer

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The first big event of my life was on the 26th of September 1911, at two

in the afternoon, when I first saw the light of the world. I was entered in the

civil register of the city of Luzern as Gustav Theophil Durrer, Luzern, son of

Dr. Gustav Durrer, senior; citizen of Dallenwil (Nidwalden) and Luzern. My

parents and sisters (aged 2 and 4) lived in the Lowen-Platz in Luzern.

Predictors Of Adl Disability In Culturally Diverse Older Adults, Fernanda Holton

LSU Master's Theses

Almost 42% of adults over 65 years of age live with at least one disability. Further, people of lower socioeconomic status and Blacks have greater risks for disability than Whites and individuals at higher socioeconomic status. The consequences of disability include loss of independence, decreased quality of life, increased chances of depression, consumption of health care services, and institutionalization. The purpose of this study was to utilize the disablement process framework to examine the contribution of physical function, dyspnea, and pain to disability in activities-of-daily-living (ADL) in culturally diverse older adults (i.e., diverse according to race, income, and education). Participants …

Quantitative And Spatial Analysis Of The Microscopic Bone Structures Of Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Dog (Canis Familiaris), And Pig (Sus Scrofa Domesticus), Zoe Hensley Morris

LSU Master's Theses

Structure and morphology of bone tissue are variable by species. The influence of different factors on structure and morphology is still debated. Qualifying and quantifying these differences are necessary in the evaluation of fragmentary bones in order to identify specific species. To understand the influence of species of origin on the microscopic structure of bone tissue, the influence of developmental and biomechanical forces specific to a skeletal element must also be assessed. This research is a preliminary analysis of the histological bone structures in terms of their area, density and spatial organization. To achieve this research goal, the cross-section of …

Beyond Enron: Regulation In Energy Derivatives Trading, Alexia Brunet, Meredith Shafe

Publications

No abstract provided.

Love Your Enemies: Toward A Christoform Bioethic, M. Therese Lysaught

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.