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2008

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Mississippi Sandhill Crane Conservation Update, 2003–2005, Scott G. Hereford, Tracy E. Grazia Jan 2008

Mississippi Sandhill Crane Conservation Update, 2003–2005, Scott G. Hereford, Tracy E. Grazia

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Mississippi sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pulla) is an endangered non-migratory subspecies found on and near the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Mississippi. From 2003 to 2005, conservation efforts for the recovery of this population included management activities such as protection and law enforcement, restocking, predator management, farming, prescribed burning, mechanical vegetation removal, hydrological restoration, pest plant management, and education. To maintain open savanna, 1842 hectares were burned annually, with 38% during the growing season. To restore open savanna, 506 hectares of woody vegetation were removed using mechanical methods. To bolster the population, we released 17-25 captive-reared …

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Voter Information Guide For 2008, General Election Jan 2008

Voter Information Guide For 2008, General Election

Propositions

No abstract provided.

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Characterization Of Changes In Hyaluronan Following Epidermal Barrier Injury In An Organotypic Model, Gati Ajani Jan 2008

Characterization Of Changes In Hyaluronan Following Epidermal Barrier Injury In An Organotypic Model, Gati Ajani

ETD Archive

The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis of skin, provides a functional permeability barrier that is essential for our survival and must be rapidly repaired after injury. Of interest to us, a ubiquitous matrix molecule called hyaluronan (HA) has come to the forefront in wound healing research because it is induced after epidermal injury and may be crucial for barrier repair. This thesis examines the role of HA during recovery from the most fundamental form of skin injury, i.e. selective damage to the stratum corneum. The overall question is whether this form of stratum corneum injury can lead …

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A Retrospective Study Between The Relationships Of Gender, Age Of Onset, And Frequency Of Problematic Behaviors In Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, Miriam Mimi Becker Jan 2008

A Retrospective Study Between The Relationships Of Gender, Age Of Onset, And Frequency Of Problematic Behaviors In Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, Miriam Mimi Becker

ETD Archive

This retrospective study examined adult individuals between 18-40 years of age who self-reported or were formally diagnosed with a bipolar disorder during their adolescent years. This study examined the relationship between gender, age-of-onset of bipolar disorder, and problematic behaviors in the early-onset bipolar disordered population. The relationship between satisfaction with treatment and the perception of quality of treatment received during adolescence were also examined. T-tests and another statistical test were conducted with the two independent variables and the dependent variables comprising the frequency of problematic behaviors. Significance was found between the younger the age-of-onset of bipolar disorder and high-risk behaviors, …

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A Case In Kinase 2 Inhibitor Is A Potent Anti-Cancer Drug Candidate, Alieta Ciocea Jan 2008

A Case In Kinase 2 Inhibitor Is A Potent Anti-Cancer Drug Candidate, Alieta Ciocea

ETD Archive

Cancer is so widespread and lethal that it can be considered the biggest health problem of our century. Cancer drug development is a real challenge. Efforts outlined in this work were directed towards showing solid evidence that casein kinase 2 inhibitors can be used as a starting point for the development of potential cancer therapy. We first studied the effect of a specific CK2 inhibitor, DMAT, in a malignant megakaryoblastic leukemia cell line (MEG-01). Treated cells grew at a significantly lower rate than non-treated cells. Apoptosis was induced by DMAT in MEG-01 cells, dose and time dependent. When stimulated with …

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A Hybrid Reconfigurable Solar And Wind Energy System, Sagar A. Gadkari Jan 2008

A Hybrid Reconfigurable Solar And Wind Energy System, Sagar A. Gadkari

ETD Archive

We study the feasibility of a novel hybrid solar-wind hybrid system that shares most of its infrastructure and components. During periods of clear sunny days the system will generate electricity from the sun using a parabolic concentrator. The concentrator is formed by individual mirror elements and focuses the light onto high intensity vertical multi-junction (VMJ) cells. During periods of high wind speeds and at night, the same concentrator setup will be reconfigured to channel the wind into a wind turbine which will be used to harness wind energy. In this study we report on the feasibility of this type of …

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An Examination Of Vegan's Beliefs And Experiences Using Critical Theory And Autoethnography, Christopher A. Hirschler Jan 2008

An Examination Of Vegan's Beliefs And Experiences Using Critical Theory And Autoethnography, Christopher A. Hirschler

ETD Archive

This qualitative study uses critical theory, autoethnography, and in-depth interviews with vegans to explore and analyze the initial impetus to become vegan, the sustaining motivation to persist, the impact the diet and associated practices have had on the participant, and vegan's assessment of omnivore's eating practices. In-depth interviews with three vegans in each of the following professions were conducted: medical doctor, registered dietitian, farmer, professional animal activist, and philosophy professor. Participants were asked to reflect on "narratives of experience" (Caelli, 2001), the story created from their interview. Interviews were analyzed using critical theory to critique the Western approach to diet …

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A Cross-National Comparison Of Corporate Web-Site Communications; An Examination Of The Services Sector, Richard J. Larosa Jan 2008

A Cross-National Comparison Of Corporate Web-Site Communications; An Examination Of The Services Sector, Richard J. Larosa

ETD Archive

Despite the trend toward increased marketing in the electronic medium, there is still a lack of comprehensive research. Especially noteworthy is the lack of research on equivalence of electronic information across both industries and national boundaries. The literature is replete with findings from studies surrounding consumer and B2B goods advertising promoted through print and TV mediums however, this study suggests that previous findings and methods may not be directly transferrable to service advertisers in an electronic medium. The specific design characteristics inherent with the web medium combined with the inherent limitations surrounding cultural indices suggest that new methods and measures …

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Inhibition Of The Nf-Kb Signaling Pathway And Its Effects On Apoptosis And Cancer, Joseph A. Lupica Jan 2008

Inhibition Of The Nf-Kb Signaling Pathway And Its Effects On Apoptosis And Cancer, Joseph A. Lupica

ETD Archive

The Rel/NF-kB family of inducible transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved structurally and functionally, from insects to humans. They are ubiquitously expressed in a number of mature cell types, playing a pivotal role regulating cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Under normal circumstances, the proliferation of new cells is tightly regulated, as is the programmed lifespan of most cells, occasionally however cells loose their responsiveness to growth control mechanisms, resulting in a tumor or neoplasm. Sustained or chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of pathological conditions that destroy tissue and facilitate neoplastic growth. NF-kB in part mediates the opposing signals …

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Mass Spectrometry-Based High Throughput Approach For Identification Of Molecular Modification Of Oxidative Process In Respiratory Diseases, Wei Song Jan 2008

Mass Spectrometry-Based High Throughput Approach For Identification Of Molecular Modification Of Oxidative Process In Respiratory Diseases, Wei Song

ETD Archive

Eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) have been implicated in generating reactive species and promoting oxidative modifications in numerous diseases. The detection and identification of potential pathways has been proven extremely challenge due to evanescence nature of these reactive species. An alternative approach to study the involvement of oxidative modification is to detect and quantify the stable molecular fingerprints, like oxidized tyrosine species, in biological matrices. Previously reported analytical methods for quantifying oxidized amino acids have typically been limited by: low sensitivity, specificity and the failure of detection potential oxidation products generated during sample handling. Using GC/MS in combination with …

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Catharine Macaulay And The Liberal And Republican Origins Of American Public Administration, Lisa Thomas Jan 2008

Catharine Macaulay And The Liberal And Republican Origins Of American Public Administration, Lisa Thomas

ETD Archive

This dissertation utilizes the history of ideas to explore the philosophy of Catharine Macaulay, an eighteenth-century historian and philosopher, for application to contemporary American Public Administration. Macaulay's view of human nature is paradoxical. Her characterization of man as corrupt and seduced by power is countered by her view that man is perfectible and capable of good works. The darker side of Macaulay's vision supports government that checks power through the expansion of democracy, advocates the separation of powers, and adheres to the rule of law. In this respect she resembles a Lockean liberal. The more magnanimous side of Macaulay reveres …

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A Novel Cardiac Pacing Paradigm For Atrial Fibrillation And Heart Failure Patients, George Emanuel Yanulis Jan 2008

A Novel Cardiac Pacing Paradigm For Atrial Fibrillation And Heart Failure Patients, George Emanuel Yanulis

ETD Archive

It has been estimated that 4.6 million persons have heart failure, and 400,000 to 700,000 new cases develop each year and the U.S. Hospital discharges for HF rose from 399,000 in 1979 to 1,099,000 in 2004 according to the National Hospital Discharge Survey. Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in the United States. Recent studies have demonstrated that ventricular rate control is a viable treatment strategy for patients in atrial fibrillation. In a number of cases, despite the electrical resynchronization of the ventricles using biventricular pacing (cardiac resynchronization therapy), heart failure patients in sinus rhythm do not …

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Biocompatibility Of Osteoblast Cells On Titanium Implants, Dilip Ayyala Somayajula Jan 2008

Biocompatibility Of Osteoblast Cells On Titanium Implants, Dilip Ayyala Somayajula

ETD Archive

Adhesion and proliferation of UMR 106-01 osteoblast cells were studied on various surface modified titanium materials such as polished, sandblasted, anodized and alkaline treated. Anodization of polished surface in Hydrofluoric acid developed nano-tubes, while NaOH treatment produced spongy microporous morphology. Test samples were coated with non-adhesive protein bovine serum albumin and compared with fibronectin coated specimens. The adhesion study lasted for 4 hrs, where osteoblast cells were cultured in serum free medium. Polished titanium, anodized titanium and NaOH titanium have shown similar percentages of cell adherence. The proliferation study lasted for 48 hrs, where cells were initially allowed to adhere …

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Old Beginnings: The Re-Inscription Of Masculine Domination At The New Millennium In Margaret Atwood's Oryx And Crake, Lacie M. Semenovich Jan 2008

Old Beginnings: The Re-Inscription Of Masculine Domination At The New Millennium In Margaret Atwood's Oryx And Crake, Lacie M. Semenovich

ETD Archive

This essay analyzes the role of masculine domination in the twenty-first century as portrayed in Margaret Atwood's 2003 novel of speculative fiction, Oryx and Crake. I argue that Atwood's uncharacteristic choice of male primary characters highlights the masculine/feminine and the human/nature binaries in order to critique the destructiveness of a continued masculine domination of nature and the feminine. I utilize Donna Haraway's theory of speculative fiction as an alternative space in which we can begin to explore new relationships with nature to critique Atwood's novel. In my first chapter, I posit that Atwood utilizes Judeo-Christian allusions to situate the novel …

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Sex, Gender, And Androgyny In Virginia Woolf's Mock-Biographies "Friendships Gallery" And Orlando, Sarah Hastings Jan 2008

Sex, Gender, And Androgyny In Virginia Woolf's Mock-Biographies "Friendships Gallery" And Orlando, Sarah Hastings

ETD Archive

This is an examination of sex, gender, and androgyny in Virginia Woolf́⁰₉s ́⁰₋Friendships Gallerý⁰₊ and Orlando. These texts, written twenty years apart, highlight Woolf́⁰₉s development as a feminist who seeks to obliterate the assumed sex and gender binary. She accomplishes this through a mock biography format. Her first attempt highlights the androgynous nature of the main character Violet, whereas in Orlando her message of the constrictive nature of an assumed link between sex and gender is far more emphatically proven though the utilization of the titular character undergoing a biological sex change that ultimately leaves his/her gender unaffected

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Prion Protein As An Infectious Agent Of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Wioleta Cyranek Jan 2008

Prion Protein As An Infectious Agent Of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, Wioleta Cyranek

ETD Archive

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases of human, animal and yeast caused by an infectious agent designated prion. The "protein only" hypothesis proposed more than three decades ago suggests that the prions are small, infectious pathogens composed of aggregated, abnormal forms of a protein encoded in the host genome. PrPC plays primary role in neurite outgrowth, synaptic function, oxidative stress defense and long term survival of cerebellar neurons. The key event in prion disease is the conversion of the Îł-helical, cellular isoform of the prion protein to the insoluble, Îø-sheet-rich disease- causing isoform. Aggregation of misfolded prion protein …

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Pop-Culture Artifacts, Ellyn M. Stepanek Jan 2008

Pop-Culture Artifacts, Ellyn M. Stepanek

ETD Archive

In dealing with literary work such as Neil Gaiman's, fiction that both inhabits and defies conventions of genre and medium and thus easy definition, it is clear that an examination of such work benefits from as eclectic a style as Gaiman's own approach to story-telling. While this essay attempts no summary of the author's entire literary corpus, an analysis of the underlying influences of the novel American Gods is necessary to map the details of its territory. A survey of the convergence of the various genres and allusions within this one text, and the ways in which Gaiman measures Old …

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Catching The Video Virus, Trupti Guha Jan 2008

Catching The Video Virus, Trupti Guha

ETD Archive

In the process of computer-mediated exchange, some online videos travel from one person to another resulting in the process of diffusion of the video. However, there are very few empirical investigations of the audience involved in the process. This exploratory research employs Rogers' diffusion of innovations as a theoretical framework to study online video users. Theories from social networks on tie strength and homophily are applied to create an integrated diffusion model. Based on survey data from college students, online video audience was profiled in two ways: one based on individual characteristics and another on activities with video content. Participants …

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Employing Strategy In Measures Of Executive Functioning, Amanda A. Yocum Jan 2008

Employing Strategy In Measures Of Executive Functioning, Amanda A. Yocum

ETD Archive

Although various dementia-related executive deficits have been identified, the functional state of the frontal lobe during healthy aging remains unclear (Raz et al., 2005). The proposed study examines the use of strategy in measures of executive functioning in younger and older adults. Specifically, the strategy types of a nonverbal fluency task are shown to differentially correlate with the actual output generated by participants. The strategies employed here are compared between the two age groups, illustrating that older adults use the best strategy significantly less than younger adults, even when controlling for output differences, which may support the frontal lobe hypothesis …

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Optimization Of The Conditions Necessary To Show Binding Of The Plasmodium Yoelii Rhop-3 Rhoptry Protein To Mouse Erythrocytes, Latoya T. Myrie Jan 2008

Optimization Of The Conditions Necessary To Show Binding Of The Plasmodium Yoelii Rhop-3 Rhoptry Protein To Mouse Erythrocytes, Latoya T. Myrie

ETD Archive

The Plasmodium Rhop-3 rhoptry protein is an erythrocyte binding protein that is secreted into the RBC membrane during merozoite invasion. Anti-Rhop-3 antibodies inhibit merozoite RBC invasion. The C-terminus of the Rhop-3 protein is highly conserved among Plasmodium species and antisera from endemic areas reacts with recombinant C-terminus of Rhop-3. The binding domain of the Rhop-3 protein is hypothesized to be within the C-terminal region of the protein. In the present study I investigated the conditions necessary for binding of the Rhop-3 protein to RBC by expressing recombinant proteins made from partial fragments of the Rhop-3 gene using the vector pDisplayTM. …

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Minority Student Perceptions Of The Veterinary Profession: Factors Influencing Choices Of Health Careers, Evan M. Morse Jan 2008

Minority Student Perceptions Of The Veterinary Profession: Factors Influencing Choices Of Health Careers, Evan M. Morse

ETD Archive

The lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the profession of veterinary medicine is widely recognized. Despite this recognition, minority representation in veterinary colleges remains very low. No demographic data shows exactly how many minority veterinarians exist however, Elmore (2003) extrapolated numbers from recent graduates and suggested that about 91 of all veterinarians in the United States were white, 5 were Hispanic, 2 were African American, 1 were Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1 were American Indian/Alaskan Native. For minority groups, these percentages are significantly lower than the racial distribution in the population of the United States. Limited progress has …

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A Wrapper-Based Approach To Sustained Time Synchronization In Wireless Sensor Networks, Dheeraj Reddy Bheemidi Jan 2008

A Wrapper-Based Approach To Sustained Time Synchronization In Wireless Sensor Networks, Dheeraj Reddy Bheemidi

ETD Archive

Time synchronization is an important service for wireless sensor network applications. Nodes in the network stay synchronized by exchanging periodic messages that carry local timestamps. Several algorithms have been proposed in the literature that are suited to different kinds of application scenarios. A common problem across these time synchronization algorithms is that the energy cost of message exchange is high. In fact, the cost of radio communication far outstrips the cost of performing local operations on the processor. If the message exchanges were stopped, nodes will fall out of sync, and may no longer be able to meet application requirements. …

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Neural Correlates Of Déjà Vu And Dissociation: The Roles Of The Amygdala And Hippocampus In The Prevalence Of Deja Vu Used As An Indicator For The Severity Of Dissociation And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, James R. Pontau Jan 2008

Neural Correlates Of Déjà Vu And Dissociation: The Roles Of The Amygdala And Hippocampus In The Prevalence Of Deja Vu Used As An Indicator For The Severity Of Dissociation And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, James R. Pontau

ETD Archive

The phenomenon of déjà vu is one that is poorly understood while posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex diagnosis and presentation of symptoms. Both of these presentations are influenced by amygdala and hippocampus regions of the brain. As such, this study demonstrated through correlational analyses that there are significant relationships between components of each that can be utilized to aid in determining the likely-hood of PTSD and dissociative symptoms. A unique negative relationship was also presented between deǰa vu and PTSD and dissociative assessment scores. Discussion of these relationships and future investigations are also discussed

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The Effect Of Wetland Size And Surrounding Land Use On Wetland Quality Along An Urbanization Gradient In The Rocky River Watershed, Marilyn S. Gunsch Jan 2008

The Effect Of Wetland Size And Surrounding Land Use On Wetland Quality Along An Urbanization Gradient In The Rocky River Watershed, Marilyn S. Gunsch

ETD Archive

An intensive floristic evaluation of 17 Cleveland Metroparks (CMP) wetlands in the Rocky River Watershed (RRW) was undertaken to determine whether wetland size or anthropogenic disturbance in the surrounding landscape is a better predictor of wetland quality in this protected parkland. Wetland study sites were selected in three reservations, Hinckley, Mill Stream Run, and Rocky River. My research adds valuable information to the CMP wetland database and will contribute to its wetland management policies. Wetland quality was determined using the following floristic indices: species richness, non-native species, wetland species, mean coefficient of conservatism (C of C), floristic quality assessment index …

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Effect Of Adding A Regenerator To Kornhauser's Mit "Two-Space" Test Rig, Praveen Gidugu Jan 2008

Effect Of Adding A Regenerator To Kornhauser's Mit "Two-Space" Test Rig, Praveen Gidugu

ETD Archive

A 3-space solution domain (gas spring + heat exchanger + regenerator) is adapted from the 2-space solution domain (gas spring + heat exchanger) in Kornhauser MIT test rig [25] by modifying the heat exchanger space to include a porous regenerator system. A thermal non-equilibrium porous-media model is employed for the regenerator. Extensive numerical simulations of the fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena under conditions of oscillating pressure and oscillating fluid flow inside the 3-space solution domain were performed using 1-D Sage and 2-D Fluent numerical codes. 3-space results of temperature, pressure and surface heat transfer variations, pressure-volume diagrams, energy conservation …

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Experimental Testing And Performance Analysis Of "Room Air Cleaners", Pavan Kumar Mudiya Jan 2008

Experimental Testing And Performance Analysis Of "Room Air Cleaners", Pavan Kumar Mudiya

ETD Archive

HMI industries are the manufacture of the air cleaners and vacuum cleaners, in which a solution is adapted for the current model of the volute to the new design of the volute in order to calculate the "Clean Air Delivery rate" and qualify for the "Energy Star requirements". For the above model to be employed as a Energy Star certificate, a test rig was made in which "air velocity" and "flow rate" was calculated for the three different air cleaners in two cases i.e. (i) three different air cleaners with different filters and different rpm's (ii) three different air cleaners …

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Fish & Wildlife News: Winter 2008 Jan 2008

Fish & Wildlife News: Winter 2008

Fish and Wildlife News

Contents:
Director’s Corner / 1
News / 3
Field Journal / 9
Landscape of Change / 10
Canine Companions / 18
The Battle for One House / 20
Miracle in the Berkshires / 22
Trading Places / 24
Around the Service / 28
Fish Tales / 39
Our People / 40
Transitions / 40
Honors / 41
In Memoriam / 44

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Adaptation Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoproteins To New World Monkey Receptors, Beatriz Pacheco, Stephane Basmaciogullari, Jason A. Labonte, Shi-Hua Xiang, Joseph Sodroski Jan 2008

Adaptation Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Glycoproteins To New World Monkey Receptors, Beatriz Pacheco, Stephane Basmaciogullari, Jason A. Labonte, Shi-Hua Xiang, Joseph Sodroski

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection encounters an early block in the cells of New World monkeys because the CD4 receptor does not efficiently support HIV-1 entry. We adapted HIV-1(NL4-3) and HIV-1(KB9), two HIV-1 variants with different envelope glycoproteins, to replicate efficiently in cells expressing the CD4 and CXCR4 proteins of the common marmoset, a New World monkey. The HIV-1(NL4-3) adaptation involves three gp120 changes that result in a specific increase in affinity for the marmoset CD4 glycoprotein. The already high affinity of the HIV-1(KB9) envelope glycoproteins for marmoset CD4 did not significantly change as a result of the …

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A High Throughput Live Transparent Animal Bioassay To Identify Non-Toxic Small Molecules Or Genes That Regulate Vertebrate Fat Metabolism For Obesity Drug Development, Kevin Jones Jan 2008

A High Throughput Live Transparent Animal Bioassay To Identify Non-Toxic Small Molecules Or Genes That Regulate Vertebrate Fat Metabolism For Obesity Drug Development, Kevin Jones

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The alarming rise in the obesity epidemic and growing concern for the pathologic consequences of the metabolic syndrome warrant great need for development of obesity-related pharmacotherapeutics. The search for such therapeutics is severely limited by the slow throughput of animal models of obesity. Amenable to placement into a 96 well plate, zebrafish larvae have emerged as one of the highest throughput vertebrate model organisms for performing small molecule screens. A method for visually identifying non-toxic molecular effectors of fat metabolism using a live transparent vertebrate was developed. Given that increased levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) via deletion of CD38 …

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Moderate Zinc Restriction Affects Intestinal Health And Immune Function In Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Mice, Daniel G. Peterson, Angus G. Scrimgeour, James P. Mcclung, Elizabeth A. Koutsos Jan 2008

Moderate Zinc Restriction Affects Intestinal Health And Immune Function In Lipopolysaccharide-Challenged Mice, Daniel G. Peterson, Angus G. Scrimgeour, James P. Mcclung, Elizabeth A. Koutsos

United States Army: Publications

Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient that affects immune function, especially within the digestive system, although the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study examined the effects of short-term moderate Zn restriction on intestinal health and immune function in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged mice through plasma cytokine profiling and histological evaluation of intestinal tissue sections. Adult male mice were fed with a Zn-adequate (40 ppm) or a Zn-marginal (4 ppm) diet for 4 weeks, and then a bacterial challenge was simulated by intraperitoneal injection of LPS (10 μg/g body weight [BW]) or saline (control). BW was recorded weekly, and feed intake …

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