Digital Commons Network^™

Breeding And Post-Breeding Forest Bird Community Dynamics In Regenerating Clearcuts And Two-Age Harvests In The Central Appalachians, Molly Erin Mcdermott

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two-age harvesting has been used more frequently in the management of Central Appalachian hardwood stands as an alternative to clearcutting, but long-term responses of avifauna to these harvests have not been investigated during the breeding season. No studies have examined post-breeding bird communities in these harvests; recent research concerning post-breeding use of early-successional habitats has only examined clearcuts. Greater cover from predators and increased food resources in young seral forests are suspected factors behind the attraction of mature-forest birds post-breeding, and one goal was to test these hypotheses. In addition to microhabitat characteristics, avian habitat use of forest fragmented by …

Management Perceptions Of Off-Highway Vehicle Use On National Forest System Lands In Appalachia, Katherine A. Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Because of recent changes in the USDA Forest Service (USFS) travel management regulations, all National Forests are required to create a travel management atlas that includes a motor vehicle use map by 2009. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of OHV use, issues, and management among USFS District Rangers on National Forests in the Appalachian region, and to determine the differences in perceptions of those District Rangers based on the level of OHV recreation opportunities provided on their Districts. Having this information available will help managers make decisions about how to update their travel management plans. …

Biolayer Modeling And Optimization For The Sparrow Biosensor, Ke Feng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biosensor direct detection of molecular binding events is of significant interest in applications from molecular screening for cancer drug design to bioagent detection for homeland security and defense. The Stacked Planar Affinity Regulated Resonant Optical Waveguide (SPARROW) structure based on coupled waveguides was recently developed to achieve increased sensitivity within a fieldable biosensor device configuration. Under ideal operating conditions, modification of the effective propagation constant of the structure's sensing waveguide through selective attachment of specific targets to probes on the waveguide surface results in a change in the coupling characteristics of the guide over a specifically designed interaction length with …

Integrating Participatory Gis And Political Ecology To Study Flood Vulnerability In The Limpopo Province Of South Africa, Nthaduleni S. Nethengwe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation research examines differential flood vulnerability in the Thulamela municipality of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study employs a triangulation of methods within a Participatory GIS methodology. Political ecology is the conceptual framework. The main premise of this research is that household flood vulnerability is socially constructed in that it is mediated by locally contingent political, socio-economic and environmental factors. As a result, conventional solutions that focus mainly on the physical event are ineffective and costly because they ignore local knowledge about flood hazards and flood coping mechanisms that have been disrupted or destroyed. The study integrates …

Optimal Scheduling Of Generator Maintenance Using Modified Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization, Yusuf Yare, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a modified discrete particle swarm optimization (PSO) based technique for generating optimal preventive maintenance schedule of generating units for economical and reliable operation of a power system while satisfying system load demand and crew constraints. While GA and other analytical methods might suffer from premature convergence and the curse of dimensionality, heuristics based swarm intelligence can be an efficient alternative. PSO is known to effectively solve large scale multi-objective optimization problems. Here, a modified discrete PSO approach is proposed for the GMS optimization problem in order to overcome the limitations of the conventional methods and come up …

Segmentation Of Images With Low-Contrast Edges, Matthew J. Madden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A vast amount of the current research in medical image analysis has aimed to develop improved techniques of image segmentation. Of the existing approaches, active contour methods have proven effective by incorporating edge or region information from the image into a level set formulation. However, complications arise in images containing regions of low-contrast due to noise, occlusions, or partial volume effects, which are often unavoidable in practical applications. Incorporating prior shape information into the segmentation framework provides a more accurate and robust solution by constraining the evolving contour to resemble a target shape. Two methods are presented to incorporate a …

Carbon Promoted Water Electrolysis To Produce Hydrogen At Room Temperature, Sukanya Ranganathan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of the work was to conduct water electrolysis at room temperature with reduced energy costs for hydrogen production. The electrochemical gasification of carbons consumes only 9.6 kcal/mol H2O compared to 56.7 kcal/molH 2O for conventional water electrolysis. In this work, carbon-assisted hydrogen production and the reaction energetics/kinetics at applied potentials |E0| between 0.1 and 1.8 V are studied. The carbon promoted water electrolysis could be performed at applied potentials as low as |E0|=0.21 V as opposed to conventional water electrolysis which requires |E0|>1.25 V. The study reveals that the H2 produced per W h is higher at …

Modified Active Site Coordination In A Clinical Mutant Of Sulfite Oxidase, Christian J. Doonan, Heather L. Wilson, K. V. Rajagopalan, Robert M. Garrett, Brian Bennett, Roger C. Prince, Graham N. George

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

The molybdenum site of the Arginine 160 → Glutamine clinical mutant of the physiologically vital enzyme sulfite oxidase has been investigated by a combination of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. We conclude that the mutant enzyme has a six-coordinate pseudo-octahedral active site with coordination of Glutamine O_ε to molybdenum. This contrasts with the wild-type enzyme which is five-coordinate with approximately square-based pyramidal geometry. This difference in the structure of the molybdenum site explains many of the properties of the mutant enzyme which have previously been reported.

Consider The Source : The Effects Of Adult Sources Of Human Immunodefciency [Sic] Virus And Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention Information On Teen Risk Behaviors For Sexually Transmitted Infection, Janet E. Flores

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), are major health problems for adolescents, who represent over 26% of new cases of STIs diagnosed annually in the United States. Half of all HIV cases in people under age 25 result from sexual transmission during adolescence. Adolescent STI prevention is a national priority for the United States, and parents, schools, and medical providers, among others, are expected to have the greatest impact on adolescent STI risk reduction in teens.

This study used secondary Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBS) data to explore the prevalence of high school students with …

Impact Of An Exotic Parasitoid On Plutella Xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) Population Dynamics, Damage And Indigenous Natural Enemies In Kenya, B. Löhr, R. Gathu, C. Kariuki, J. Obiero, G. Gichini

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Diadegma semiclausum (Hellén) (Hymenoptera: lchneumonidae), an exotic diamondback moth parasitoid, was released in two pilot areas (Werugha in Coast Region and Tharuni in Central Province) in Kenya. Fifteen month before release, observations on the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus), and local natural enemy population dynamics and pest damage were initiated in both areas and continued for three years after release. The P. xylostella population was bimodal with higher records during dry seasons. At Werugha, the peak population of P. xylostella was 16.8 per plant (October 2001); at Tharuni it was 12.8 (February 2002). Populations at Werugha declined from three months …

Idiopathic Epilepsy Of Childhood And Potassium Ion Channels, Alper I. Dai, Mohammad Wasay

Department of Medicine

Potassium can affect the development of common seizure type and can be defined seizure susceptibility allele. The existence of inward-rectifying potassium (Kir) channels was first recognized half a century ago. The biophysical fingerprint of Kir channels is inward rectification in the current-voltage relationship , which limits potassium efflux at depolarizing membrane potentials. Kir channels are essential in the control of resting membrane potential, coupling of the metabolic cellular state with membrane excitability, and maintenance of potassium homeostasis. The critical interval contains several candidate genes, one of which, KCNJ10, exhibits a potentially important polymorphism with regard to fundamental aspects of seizure …

The Link, Vol. 1, No. 8, August 2007, Illinois State University, Center For Integrated Professional Development

The Link

Newsletter for the Illinois State University Center for Integrated Professional Development

The Textbook Adoption Process In The State Of Nevada: The Teacher's Perspective, Dwight Bellard, Rebecca Coates, Tamara Hicks

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The textbook adoption process for the State of Nevada is outlined in Chapter 390 of Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) and Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). When a teacher is interested in purchasing a textbook for use in the classroom, he or she must check the eligibility list of adopted books on file with the Department of Education. If the book is not on the list, they must begin the process of having the book adopted before being able to purchase it.

Control Of A Swept Wing Tailless Aircraft Through Wing Morphing, Richard W. Guiler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inspired by flight in nature, work done by Lippisch, the Hortens, and Northrop offered insight to achieving the efficiency of bird flight with swept-wing tailless aircraft. Tailless designs must incorporate aerodynamic compromises for control, which have inhibited potential advantages. A morphing mechanism, capable of changing the twist of wing and that can also provide pitch, roll and yaw control for a tailless swept wing aircraft is the first step to a series of morphing techniques, which will lead to more fluid, bird-like flight. This research focuses on investigating the design of a morphing wing to improve the flight characteristics of …

Evaluating The Effective Peak Capacity Of A Saw-Tooth Gradient For Reverse-Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography Separation Of Proteins And Peptides, Guimei Cai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The performance of saw-tooth gradient for comprehensive proteome analysis is evaluated using model proteins and a low molecular weight human serum by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The peak splitting and number of peptides detected is used to characterize the effective peak capacity of the saw-tooth gradient as a function of solvent strength change (Delta&phis;). Peak splitting demonstrated in experimental result as one single peptide or protein detected in more than one saw-tooth step. No peak splitting is observed directly from chromatograms for two model proteins by decreasing the solvent strength change (Delta&phis;) from 5.0%, 1.0%, to 0.1%. The numerical …

Frequency Of Aeromonas Spp. Detection In Rainbow Trout And Recirculation Aquaculture Systems And The Storage Stability Of Fillets, Tabetha Marie Littler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recirculating aquaculture systems enable increased fish production per volume of water. Unfortunately, recirculation systems also provide conditions for bacterial growth. Aeromonas, a genus of bacteria ubiquitous in the environment, contains fish pathogens, human pathogens, and/or spoilage organisms. Of the salmonid species, rainbow trout are the most susceptible to Motile Aeromonad Septicemia (MAS), the fish disease caused by Aeromonas spp. In humans, illnesses such as gastroenteritis, septicemia, and wound infections are caused by ingestion or exposure to Aeromonas spp. The objective of this study was to survey Aeromonas spp. present in the production system, on the fish, and on the butterfly …

Cereal Leaf Beetle, Erin W. Hodgson, Edward W. Evans

All Current Publications

Cereal leaf beetle, Oulema melanopus, is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. These beetles are native to Europe and have been considered pests of small grains since 1737. In 1962, cereal leaf beetle was first detected in the United States in a Michigan grain field. Since the 1960s, this insect has spread throughout much of the United States and Canada; now at least 30 states have confirmed cereal leaf beetle populations.

Pear Psylla (Cacopsylla Pyricola), Diane Alston, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

Pear psylla (Cacopsylla pyricola), a western Europe native, is a very small sap-feeding insect and is considered the most serious insect pest of pear in the United States. Serious infestations can stunt, defoliate, and even kill trees. Psylla feeding produces copious amounts of sticky honeydew that can cause fruit russetting.

University Of San Diego News Print Media Coverage 2007.08, University Of San Diego Office Of Public Relations

Print Media Coverage (1947-2009)

Printed clippings housed in folders with a table of contents arranged by topic.

Inducible Caspase 9 Suicide Gene To Improve The Safety Of Allodepleted T Cells After Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation, Siok-Keen Tey, Gianpietro Dotti, Cliona M. Rooney, Helen E. Heslop, Malcolm K. Brenner

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Addback of donor T cells following T cell-depleted stem cell transplantation (SCT) can accelerate immune reconstitution and be effective against relapsed malignancy. After haploidentical SCT, a high risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) essentially precludes this option, unless the T cells are first depleted of alloreactive precursor cells. Even then, the risks of severe GVHD remain significant. To increase the safety of the approach and thereby permit administration of larger T cell doses, we used a suicide gene, inducible caspase 9 (iCasp9), to transduce allodepleted T cells, permitting their destruction should administration have adverse effects. We made a retroviral vector encoding …

Modified Fenton Oxidation Of Hydrocarbon Contaminated Soils With Cao2: Microbial Survival And Surfactant Production, Abraham Matthew Northup

Dissertations

The efficacy of CaO₂ for use in modified Fenton's (MF) reactions was investigated in this study, with the goal of developing a CaO₂-based MF oxidation technology for use in in situ chemical oxidation. Traditionally, liquid H₂O₂ (HP) is used, and is injected into the subsurface in excess to ensure a sufficient radius of influence. CaO₂ was investigated as an alternative source of H₂O₂ for MF reactions.

First, the rate of dissolution of powdered CaO₂ and the yield of HP was investigated. Our results showed that the rate of dissolution …

An Artificial Immune System Based Approach For English Grammar Correction, Akshat Kumar, Shivashankar B. Nair

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Grammar checking and correction comprise of the primary problems in the area of Natural Language Processing (NLP). Traditional approaches fall into two major categories: Rule based and Corpus based. While the former relies heavily on grammar rules the latter approach is statistical in nature. We provide a novel corpus based approach for grammar checking that uses the principles of an Artificial Immune System (AIS).We treat grammatical error as pathogens (in immunological terms) and build antibody detectors capable of detecting grammatical errors while allowing correct constructs to filter through. Our results show that it is possible to detect a range of …

A Lateral Symmetry Approach To Percentage-Based Hybrid Pattern (Php) Training, Sheng-Uei Guan, Kiruthika Ramanathan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we investigate the application of lateral symmetry to supervised learning using genetic algorithms. The hypothesis is motivated by the presence of symmetry in the animal brain and by research results showing approximately equal task division between the two hemispheres of the brain. In this paper, each training pattern is considered a task. By applying the concept of lateral symmetry, we use global training (a typically right brained activity) to learn half the tasks and local training (a left brained activity) to learn the rest of the tasks. We verified the use of this Percentage-based Pattern (PHP) training …

An Eco-Philosophical Ecofeminist Critique Of Victimology: Examining The Anthropocentric And Speciesist Borders And Boundaries Of Victimology, Angela K. Simon

Masters Theses

This work is a critique of the anthropocentric and speciesist borders and boundaries of victimology. Essentially I challenge victimology for failing to incorporate the victimizations of non-human animals and the environment, and instead focusing narrowly on only specific forms of human victimization. I do this by examining the history of victimology and exploring how its boundaries became what they are today. Focusing on the role criminology has had in the general development of victimology. I then go on to juxtapose the limited presence of animals and the environment within criminology with their relative absence in victimology. In conjunction with this …

Baseline Hbv Dna Level Is The Most Important Factor Associated With Virologic Breakthrough In Chronic Hepatitis B Treated With Lamivudine., Hee Bok Chae, Hie-Won Hann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Aim: To identify the factors associated with virologic breakthrough and to select a subgroup of patients who respond well to lamivudine without developing virologic breakthrough (VBT).

Methods: Of 79 patients who had received lamivudine therapy for 9-57 mo, 34 were HBeAg-positive and 45 were HBeAg-negative, 24 developed virologic breakthrough and 55 did not. Clinical and virologic factors were compared between the two groups.

Results: The median duration of therapy was 25 (9-57) mo. Virologic breakthrough was defined as a > 1 log HBV DNA increase following initial suppression. When several factors, including gender, duration of infection, baseline HBV DNA, and baseline …

Shift Work In The Long-Termcare Industry : An Examination Of Organizational And Individual Factors That Influence Employee Outcomes, Kristin Elizabeth Charles

Dissertations and Theses

The long-term care (LTC) industry provides medical and social services in facility-based settings to the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. With the aging of the United States population, the need for LTC workers is expected to drastically increase in the next decade. However, the industry faces a significant staffing shortage. One potential cause of staffing problems in LTC is working non-standard work schedules. Because of the need to provide around the clock care, LTC employees often work non-standard shifts, long hours, night work, and over weekends and holidays. Although many studies have examined health and sleep-related outcomes associated with non-standard …

A Second Large Plasmid Encodes Conjugative Transfer And Antimicrobial Resistance In O119:H2 And Some Typical O111 Enteropathogenic Escherichia Coli Strains, Adaobi I. Nwaneshiudu, Tania Mucci, Derek J. Pickard, Iruka N. Okeke

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

A novel and functional conjugative transfer system identified in O119:H2 enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strain MB80 by subtractive hybridization is encoded on a large multidrug resistance plasmid, distinct from the well-described EPEC adherence factor (EAF) plasmid. Variants of the MB80 conjugative resistance plasmid were identified in other EPEC strains, including the prototypical O111:NM strain B171, from which the EAF plasmid has been sequenced. This separate large plasmid and the selective advantage that it confers in the antibiotic era have been overlooked because it comigrates with the virulence plasmid on conventional gels.

Time For An Active Antiviral Therapy For Hepatitis B: An Update On The Management Of Hepatitis B Virus Infection., Hee Bok Chae, Hie-Won Hann

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Significant advances in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) have been made over the past decade. During this period we have witnessed improvements in survival as well as reduction of disease progression in CHB patients due to the introduction of effective antiviral therapy. The need for effective antiviral therapy is underscored by the results of the REVEAL-HBV study in which 3653 hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers were followed over 12 year period. This study demonstrated that a persistently elevated serum HBV DNA level was the most important risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The ultimate goal …

Re-Analysis Of "Plutonium In Autopsy Tissue": A Case/Control Examination Of Nuclear Weapons Sites And Civilian Lung Burden, Carolina Peace Resource Center, Rita A. Fellers

Carolina Peace Resource Center

This research uses advanced statistical techniques to re-analyse the plutonium burden in lung tissue data from “Plutonium in Autopsy Tissue: A Revision and Updating of Data Reported in LA-4875” by McInroy et al. (1979).1 The use of a general linear model has produced new preliminary findings whose potential was not apparent in the findings of the earlier work. Regions surveyed included Los Alamos National Laboratory (NM), Nevada Test Site (NV), Rocky Flats Plant (CO), and Savannah River Site (SC). This model specified a gamma distribution and linked an exponential function to the dependent variable, plutonium burden in lung, controlling for …

07-31-2007 2007 Swosu Summer Graduation Lists, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2007

A total of 198 students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University completed requirements for either associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees this summer on the Weatherford and Sayre campuses.