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A River Continuum Analysis Of Relationships Between Bioassessment, Land Use, And Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, Casey Michael Hanley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable management of stream systems and the development of bioassessment standards are important for the preservation of natural habitats. Maintaining biodiversity in the face of encroaching human disturbance has received much attention in recent years. Bioassessment of habitats is becoming commonplace for many state and federal agencies. This research attempts to answer two questions based on this observation. First, there are currently numerous bioassessment protocols available for use. Recent research has shown no significant difference in aquatic assessment results based on expensive, labor-intensive, quantitative sampling versus more cost-efficient, less defined, qualitative methods. This verifies these findings on a linear river …

Experimental Implementation Of Formation Control Algorithm On Uav Testbed, Boakye Dankwa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Less Is More: Stepping Away From Cookbook Labs And Moving Towards Self-Written Labs To Effectively Portray The Nature Of Science, Ben Herman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Incorporating accurate and explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction throughout the school year is important for overcoming long engrained student misconceptions regarding what science is and how it works. This can be challenging when addressing abstract content such as microscopy and cells. I developed an inquiry based lab that accurately portrays aspects of the NOS while also teaching cell microscopy. The teacher's role in encouraging students to reflect on the NOS is also described. This article addresses National Science Education Standards A, C, and G and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Continuum: Selecting Inquiry-Based Experiences To Promote A Deeper Understanding Of The Nature Of Science, Matthew D. Bannerman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Whether explicitly or implicitly, science teachers constantly convey an image of the nature of science (NOS) in their classrooms. The actions of the teacher, how the class is run, and the instructional patterns all convey an image of what authentic science is like. As such, significant attention to inquiry-based instructional practices is required to accurately portray the NOS. However, even teaching through inquiry, while necessary, is insufficient for NOS understanding. This article presents four factors that teachers should consider when teaching the NOS. This article addresses National Science Education Content Standards A and G, and Iowa Teaching Standards 3, 4, …

Nos: Integrating The Nature Of Science Throughout The Entire School Year, Jerrid Kruse

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Secondary school students possess many significant misconceptions regarding the nature of science (NOS). Accurately portraying the NOS throughout the school year is necessary for promoting desired conceptual change. However, few teachers devote more than an isolated unit to the NOS, and rarely explicitly raise NOS issues while teaching science content during the rest of the year. This practice is problematic considering the implicit inaccurate NOS messages generally present within the science classroom. This paper discusses how to explicitly integrate accurate NOS instruction through the entire school year, and provides examples illustrating how to do so. This article promotes National Science …

Painting An Accurate Picture Of The Nature Of Science, Jesse Wilcox, Elizabeth Potter

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Understanding the nature of science (NOS) is an essential part of scientific literacy (McComas, 1998; Robinson, 1969; Shamos, 1995; Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman, 2000). When the NOS is taught in context-related inquiry activities and historical examples all school year, students show improvement in NOS understanding (Kruse, 2008; Khishfe & Abd-El-Khalick, 2002) that persists into the next academic year (Clough, 1995). Even so, educators often struggle with how to accurately and explicitly incorporate the NOS in an already packed curriculum. This article presents an activity that explains how science content and the NOS can both be effectively taught at the same time. …

Are Questions Enough?: An Action Research Investigation To Analyze The Effect Of Questions And Non-Verbal Behaviors On Student Responses With Suggestions For Improving Practice, Ben Herman

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Action research has been advocated as an effective way to improve teaching practice. I conducted action research to determine the effect of question type and non-verbal behaviors on students' responses. Question type in conjunction with non-verbal behaviors are crucial considerations when motivating quality responses from students in science classrooms. This article addresses National Science Education Standards A and G and Iowa Teaching Standards 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

2007-2008 Survey Of Student Opinion, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Assessment Center Reports

Survey of Student Opinion produced by the SWOSU Assessment Center.

Observations On The Distribution And Status Of Western Sand Darter, Spotted Gar, And Skipjack Herring In Iowa Rivers, Travis E. Neebling, Michael C. Quist

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

This paper describes new records of western sand darter (Ammocrypta clara), spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), and skipjack herring (Alosa chrysochloris) in Iowa's interior rivers. A western sand darter was collected from the Cedar River, Benton County, in 2007. Western sand darters are occasionally collected from the upper Mississippi River (UMR), but have not been sampled in interior rivers since 1958. Two spotted gar were collected from the Des Moines River, Polk and Wapello counties, in 2007. Two spotted gar were sampled from the UMR in 2000, but no spotted gar have been previously recorded from Iowa's interior rivers. A skipjack …

An Argument For The Basic Legal Rights Of Farmed Animals, Steven M. Wise

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

The most abused beings in the United States are those whom we raise and kill for food. The numbers of dead are staggering. Most are victims of the severe and almost entirely unregulated practices that Americans permit on their factory farms. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, in 2007, a total of 10.4 billion land-based animals were killed by the American food industry. These included 9.4 billion broiler chickens, 450 million laying hens, 317 million turkeys, 121 million pigs, 39 million bovines, 28 million ducks, 10 million rabbits, and 4 million sheep and goats—fifty …

A Quest For Acceptance: The Real Id Act And The Need For Comprehensive Gender Recognition Legislation In The United States, Jason Allen

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

This Article maintains that the Real ID Act highlights the need for U.S. federal gender recognition legislation in the mold of the GRA. Part II offers background into the psychology of transgender people, explaining how the medical community views and treats this "condition." Part III illustrates the fundamental value of gender recognition rights and examines the inadequacy of U.S. statutory and case law. This discussion then traces the evolution of the GRA in the United Kingdom as the culmination of a mandate from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Part IV argues that the United States should adopt a …

Chaos, Law, And God: The Religious Meanings Of Homosexuality, Jay Michaelson

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

This Article argues that the religious meaning of homosexuality cannot be explained merely in terms of homophobia, "church and state," or traditional values versus progressive ones. Rather, the regulation of sexuality has a particular religious meaning: sexuality is a primary site in which religious law is engendered, where the lawfulness of religion meets the chaos beyond it. Whether in Biblical times or today, changing the way sexuality is regulated is a threat to the notion of order itself, as construed by Jewish and Christian religion. Arguments about gay rights, same-sex marriage, and related issues are not merely arguments informed by …

Research Tool Patents After Integra V. Merck - Have They Reached A Safe Harbor, Wolrad Prinz

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

The saga surrounding the Integra v. Merck cases has rekindled a heated debate about the proper scope of both common law exemption and the safe harbor provision, causing significant concern for owners of research tool patents. This Article will argue that the next judicial decision addressing the question of research tool patents should clarify that they are in a safe harbor because none of the two exemptions from infringement referenced above extends to the use of research tools in experiments in order to preserve the necessary incentives for their creation in the first place. Allowing access to research tools under …

A System For Automating The Interpretation Of Analytical Ultracentrifuge Data, Bradley W. Langhorst

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to accelerate the development of knowledge about protein associations, further improvements to acquisition, sharing, and analysis of Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AU) data must be made. XML data formats have been defined to allow complete exchange of the information associated with an AU experiment. Extensible formats to record solution identity, instrument setup parameters, acquired data, and analysis of that data have been developed. A normalized relational database to allow storage and searching of this data has also been created. A computer program called PANDaS (Protein Association Network Data Server) was built to interact with any software conforming to the data …

Sustainable Development Of Maritime Cultural Heritage In The Gulf Of Maine, Stefan Claesson

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study the principles of sustainable development and ecosystem-based management are applied to develop a conservation policy for maritime cultural heritage in the Gulf of Maine. This dissertation first examines the effectiveness of existing laws, policies and preservation programs available for the protection and conservation of maritime historical and archaeological resources in the region, and provides an assessment of the diversity and abundance of these resources. Then the principles of sustainability and ecosystem-based management, including inter- and intra-generational equity, precaution, system interconnectedness, and diversity, are applied to form a theoretical framework upon which policies and cultural resource management techniques …

Differentially Expressed Genes In Aortic Cells From Atherosclerosis-Resistant And Atherosclerosis-Susceptible Pigeons, Janet Lynn Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) was used to identify genes that were differentially expressed between White Carneau (WC) and Show Racer (SR) pigeon aortic smooth muscle cells. The gene(s) responsible for atherosclerotic resistance in cultured SR smooth muscle cells (SMC) were hypothesized to be silent or down regulated in the WC. In the reciprocal experiments, it was hypothesized that the gene(s) contributing to the spontaneous atherosclerotic phenotype in cultured WC SMC would not be expressed in the SR.

Total RNA was extracted from primary cultured cells of each breed, converted to cDNA, and compared in four reciprocal RDA experiments. Seventy-four transcripts …

Negotiating For Nature: Conservation Diplomacy And The Convention On Nature Protection And Wildlife Preservation In The Western Hemisphere, 1929--1976, Keri Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1941, as the United States entered the Second World War, leaders from twenty American nations signed into effect a broad-based treaty for the protection of migratory wildlife at the Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. This dissertation examines the unique set of questions, problems, and concerns framers of the Convention dealt with in the development of a conservation program to ensure the protection of migratory wildlife as it crossed political borders. Although it provided no solid system of enforcement, the provisions of the Convention opened the door for new, more specific conservation treaties …

Dynamics Of Phytoplankton Community Composition In The Western Gulf Of Maine, Timothy S. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is founded on the importance of phytoplankton community composition to marine biogeochemistry and ecosystem processes and motivated by the need to understand their distributions on regional to global scales. The ultimate goal was to predict surface phytoplankton communities using satellite remote sensing by relating marine habitats--defined through a statistical description of environmental properties--to different phytoplankton communities. While phytoplankton community composition is governed by the interplay of abiotic and biotic interactions, the strategy adopted here was to focus on the physical abiotic factors. This allowed for the detection of habitats from ocean satellites based on abiotic factors that were …

Understanding Polyamine Metabolism Through Transgenic Manipulation In Poplar Suspension Cultures, Sridev Mohapatra

Doctoral Dissertations

Polyamines are low molecular weight aliphatic amines that are obligatory requirements for cell survival and growth. The commonly occurring polyamines in plants are putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Suspension cultures of poplar (Populus nigra x maximowiczii), transformed with a mouse ornithine decarboxylase gene (under the control of a 2X 35S CaMV promoter) were used to study the impact of up-regulation of putrescine biosynthesis (and consequent enhanced catabolism) on several aspects of cellular metabolism. The transgenic cells were compared with a control cell line that was transformed with the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene.

It was observed that enhanced putrescine metabolism resulted in: (i) …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Dechlorination With Palladized Magnesium - Development Of A Sediment Remediation Technology, Emese Hadnagy

Doctoral Dissertations

PCB contamination in sediments remains a significant problem in many rivers, harbors, and estuarine areas in the US and around the world. In this work, PCB dechlorination by palladium-coated magnesium (Mg/Pd, 0.01% by weight Pd) has been demonstrated in PCB-contaminated marine and freshwater sediments from New Bedford Harbor (NBH), MA; and the Housatonic River (HSR), MA. Experiments were also conducted in pure solvent systems (10% methanol in distilled water). In addition, the performance of an in-situ sediment remediation system capable of delivering and mixing chemical amendments into sub-aqueous sediments and at the same time providing enclosed conditions was evaluated by …

Evaluation Of An Enhanced Magneto-Chemical Process For The Removal Of Pathogens In Wastewater, Christine N. Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

New wastewater treatment technologies are a necessity as a result of increasingly stringent discharge standards, particularly concerning viruses. The traditional approach to wastewater treatment consists of biological treatment, such as trickling filters, biofilms, and activated sludge. Although these biological processes have been an adequate means of wastewater treatment, they are intrinsically limited by their biological nature. A magneto-chemical process, known as CoMag(TM), has been developed to improve coagulation and solids separation and expand upon conventional wastewater treatment techniques.

The research objective of this project was to develop and evaluate a bench-scale model of the CoMag(TM) process for the removal of …

A Fundamental Analysis Of Means Of Producing And Storing Energy, Michael S. Briggs

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to examine some of the most promising non-fossil means for producing electricity and storing energy for transportation, to provide a thorough and (hopefully) unbiased assessment of which hold the most promise, and therefore warrant further research focus. Additionally, recommendations are made for potential means for improving proposed or existing technologies, in particular the technology of a new subcritical reactor design using an electronuclear driver and thermal transmutation of transuranic actinides.

The high energy density of liquid hydrocarbon fuels is ideal for transportation applications, but our ability to sustainably produce such fuels (i.e. biofuels) is …

Systematics And Taxonomy Of Polyclad Flatworms With A Special Emphasis On The Morphology Of The Nervous System, Sigmer Y. Quiroga

Doctoral Dissertations

In a first survey of the Colombian polyclad fauna, a total of 25 species were collected from the rocky littoral of the Tayrona National Park, Santa Marta, Colombia and deposited at the Museo de Historia Natural Marina del INVEMAR. Six species represented first records for Caribbean region. Furthermore, a new combination Phrikoceros mopsus nov. comb, was proposed, and a possible new species of Pleioplana Faubel, 1983 was found. In addition, a new polyclad family Anocellidae was erected and four deep-sea species were described; two species from the North Pacific Ocean, Anocellidus profundus gen. nov. sp. nov. and Oligocladus voightae sp. …

Biomonitoring Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers In Lactating Women, Rebecca L. Dunn

Doctoral Dissertations

Breast milk is a valuable biological specimen for biomonitoring lipid-soluble polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The goal of this project was to determine the levels of PBDEs in breast milk of lactating women from the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and to examine potential relationships between PBDE levels in breast milk and stage of lactation, maternal characteristics, living environment and dietary intake. Forty women, ages 22 to 40, provided up to three breast milk samples at the end of their first, second and third month of breastfeeding for evaluation of day-to-day and month-to-month variation in PBDE levels. Participants were asked to …

Comparative Embryology And Muscle Development Of Polyclad Flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Rhabditophora), Diana Marcela Bolanos

Doctoral Dissertations

Polyclads belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes, lineage Rhabdotophora, are simple Bilateria, and represent an interesting and useful group for research in developmental biology. Although polyclads, together with catenulids and macrostomids, have been argued to be most closely related to the ancestral flatworm and hold the key to understand the relationship between development and evolution, knowledge of their embryonic development is still scarce and most of the work on spiralian development has focused on mollusks and annelids. In view of polyclad embryonic significance, a comparative study of their embryonic development including several species of direct and indirect developers was performed.

Developing …

Biologically Inspired Composite Image Sensor For Deep Field Target Tracking, Pavlo Melnyk

Doctoral Dissertations

The use of nonuniform image sensors in mobile based computer vision applications can be an effective solution when computational burden is problematic. Nonuniform image sensors are still in their infancy and as such have not been fully investigated for their unique qualities nor have they been extensively applied in practice. In this dissertation a system has been developed that can perform vision tasks in both the far field and the near field. In order to accomplish this, a new and novel image sensor system has been developed. Inspired by the biological aspects of the visual systems found in both falcons …

Identification And Characterization Of Protein Phosphatase 2a Mutants In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Enhua Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Reversible protein phosphorylation is a highly regulated process that affects almost all cellular activities. Phosphorylation involves two groups of enzymes: protein kinases and protein phosphatases. Considering the central role of these enzymes in cells, elucidating their function is extremely important. My research focuses on protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) C subunits. PP2A is one of the most abundant types of serine/threonine phosphatases in all eukaryotic cells. Compared with animals, PP2A function is not well known in plants. Early studies using protein phosphatase inhibitors are not useful to demonstrate the function of individual PP2A subunits. A reverse genetic approach can be helpful …

Survival Strategies Of Eelgrass In Reduced Light, Caroline A. Ochieng

Doctoral Dissertations

Light reduction due to anthropogenic impacts is the most widespread cause of worldwide decline of eelgrass, an ecologically important marine angiosperm whose role in supporting overall coastal ecosystem productivity has been widely recognized. Understanding eelgrass plant and meadow responses to light reduction has therefore received significant research interest over the last 30 years, while managers have sought tools to identify critical thresholds for light availability and predict impacts of human-induced disturbances in order to prevent further eelgrass loss. In the present thesis, a review of some of the literature on light reduction and its effects on eelgrass (i) summarized the …

The Effect Of Component Recognition On Flexibility And Speech Recognition Performance In A Spoken Question Answering System, Mike Dalton

Doctoral Dissertations

A spoken question answering system that recognizes questions as full sentences performs well when users ask one of the questions defined. A system that recognizes component words and finds an equivalent defined question might be more flexible, but is likely to have decreased speech recognition performance, leading to a loss in overall system success. The research described in this document compares the advantage in flexibility to the loss in recognition performance when using component recognition.

Questions posed by participants were processed by a system of each type. As expected, the component system made frequent recognition errors while detecting words (word …

The Development Of A Modular Integrated Recirculating Aquaculture System Using Porphyra (Nori) For The Bioremediation Of Marine Finfish Effluent, Jennifer Pauline Day

Doctoral Dissertations

It is crucial for the development of the fish aquaculture industry to be managed in a way that provides a reliable, long term source of products without negatively impacting the environment. The simplest form of integrated multi-tropic aquaculture (IMTA) uses a fed component (e.g. finfish) and an extractive component (e.g. seaweed) to remove the inorganic metabolites from finfish aquaculture effluent. In IMTA systems metabolic wastes become nutrients for the other cultured organisms and are incorporated into potentially valuable biomass. A demonstration-scale Modular Integrated Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (MIRAS) was constructed in a greenhouse adjacent to Great Bay Aquaculture, LLC (GBA), Newington, …