Digital Commons Network^™

Cross Mating Studies Among Five Fruit Fly Parasitoid Populations: Potential Biological Control Implications For Tephritid Pests, Maxwell K. Billah, Susan W. Kimani-Njogu, Robert A. Wharton, William A. Overholt, David D. Wilson, Millicent A. Cobblah

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The reproductive compatibility between four different species/populations of the tephritid parasitoid Psyttalia (Walker) species from Kenya and individuals of the morphologically identical Psyttalia concolor (Szépligeti) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from a laboratory culture in Italy used in augmentative biological control of olive fly, Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) was assessed through cross mating tests using single-pair and group mating methods. Reciprocal crosses among the species resulted in the production of viable offsprings up to the second generation. In spite of the successful production of viable offspring in the laboratory, Psyttalia species are known to have specific host fruit and/or host fly preferences …

The Visual Analysis Of Heterogeneous Sex Role Interactions: A Content Analysis Of Popular Music Videos, Deanna Niccole Kimbrel

Theses

Hip Hop cultured music videos have raised concern among our nation’s leaders, parents and communities. Since the introduction of music videos in the early 1980s the medium has crossed cultural, regional and ethnic boundaries (Rose, 1994). This medium has been well researched since the 1980s. The focus of this study is Hip Hop cultured music videos from years 1989-2006. The uniqueness of this study is that it focuses on nonverbal sex role interactions in this genre of music videos. This study found many useful trends. For example, men were portrayed as more dominant and/or vertical than women in the sampled …

The Effects Of Acute Stress On Human Prefrontal Working Memory Systems, Anthony J. Porcelli, Daniel Cruz, Karen Wenberg, Michael D. Patterson, Bharat B. Biswal, Bart Rypma

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

We examined the relationship between acute stress and prefrontal-cortex (PFC) based working memory (WM) systems using behavioral (Experiment 1) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Experiment 2) paradigms. Subjects performed a delayed-response item-recognition task, with alternating blocks of high and low WM demand trials. During scanning, participants performed this task under three stress conditions: cold stress (induced by cold-water hand-immersion), a room temperature water control (induced by tepid-water hand-immersion), and no-water control (no hand-immersion). Performance was affected by WM demand, but not stress. Cold stress elicited greater salivary cortisol readings in behavioral subjects, and greater PFC signal change in fMRI …

I Consented To Do What?: Posthumous Children And The Consent To Parent After-Death, Amanda Horner

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

This Comment advocates the implementation of a bright line test to establish paternity or maternity for children born posthumously. The Comment does not address whether posthumous children should inherit from intestate estates or receive social security benefits, but rather focuses on the current consent requirements nationwide and the revisions needed to help parents plan for the birth of their children long after their death.

Look Beyond And Rejoice : A Spiritual Intervention For Patients With Life-Threatening Illness Or Chronic Pain, Jung H. Park

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Recently, the study of religious coping has increased dramatically. Researchers have recognized that cognitive-behavioral interventions imbued with spiritual dimensions may have greater impact when they incorporate a persons’ belief system. Based on scientific literature and Christian coping methods in the Bible, the Look Beyond & Rejoice [LB&R] Healing Model was developed to provide a theoretical framework for an intervention aimed at improving spiritual, mental, and physical health. The model includes: (a) positive reframing of illness that may change a patient’s perception from a threat to challenge and hope, and (b) daily transcendent visualization and verbalization, through looking beyond adversity and …

The Development Of Genetic Algorithm For The Prediction Of Ship Motion From Wave Radar Data, Sumanth Tirumala Vangipuram

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Genetic Algorithms represent a model of natural process based on the Darwinian principle of evolution. Genetic algorithms are used to solve optimization problems by generating a set of possible solutions and determining which of these solutions most closely match the desired result. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) initially generates a random set of possible solutions, or populations, determines which members of the population are most desirable, and calculates better solutions by implementing genetic operations such as reproduction, cloning, and mutation. Problems where the evaluation of a solution is computationally simple enable the GA to search a vast search space. One of …

Characterization Of The Inflammatory Cells In Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms In Patients With Marfan Syndrome, Familial Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms, And Sporadic Aneurysms, Rumin He, Dong-Chuan Guo, Wei Sun, Christina L Papke, Senthil Duraisamy, Anthony L Estrera, Hazim J Safi, Chul Ahn, L Maximilian Buja, Frank C Arnett, Jingwu Zhang, Yong-Jian Geng, Dianna M Milewicz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to characterize the inflammatory infiltrate in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm in patients with Marfan syndrome, familial thoracic aortic aneurysm, or nonfamilial thoracic aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic aortic aneurysms are associated with a pathologic lesion termed "medial degeneration," which is described as a noninflammatory lesion. Thoracic aortic aneurysms are a complication of Marfan syndrome and can be inherited in an autosomal dominant manner of familial thoracic aortic aneurysm.

METHODS: Full aortic segments were collected from patients undergoing elective repair with Marfan syndrome (n = 5), familial thoracic aortic aneurysm (n = 6), and thoracic aortic aneurysms (n …

Synthetic Studies Directed Toward Amphidinol 2: Elucidation Of The Relative Configuration Of The C1–C10 Fragment, Praveen Kommana, Seung Won Chung, William A. Donaldson

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Model compounds (11 and 12) for the C1–C10 tetrahydropyran fragment of amphidinol 2 were prepared from (2S)-benzyloxypropanal in 9 steps. The synthetic route relied on diastereoselective diene-aldehyde cycloaddition, stereoselective C-allylation, and reagent based enantioselective aldehyde allylation. Comparison of the NMR spectra for models 11 and 12 with that for amphidinol 2 indicated that the C1–C10 segment of the natural product possesses the 2R^*,4R^*,6R^*,7S^*,8R^*,10S^* relative configuration.

Investigating Sense Of Community And Academic Success In First Year College Students In The Department Of Natural Resources Management, Kenneth Michael Hackman

Master's Theses

This study explored the relationship between sense of community, factors that influence sense of community, and the effect of academic success of first year students in the Natural Resources Management Department at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. An adapted version of the sense of community index was used to collect data from first year students (n=90) in the Natural Resources Management Department. Linear regression was used to determine which variables had a significant influence on sense of community and academic success. The results of the study indicated that there was not evidence that grade point average (GPA) had …

Unf Journal Fall 2008, University Of North Florida

UNF Journal

A university periodical for alumni and friends of the University of North Florida.

Chain-Type Wireless Sensor Network For Monitoring Long Range Infrastructures: Architecture And Protocols, Chang Wen Chen, Yu Wang

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

We present in this paper an investigation of a special class of wireless sensor networks for monitoring critical infrastructures that may extend for hundreds of miles in distances. Such networks are fundamentally different from traditional sensor networks in that the sensor nodes in this class of networks are deployed along narrowly elongated geographical areas and form a chain-type topology. Based on careful analysis of existing sensor network architectures, we first demonstrate the need to develop new architecture and networking protocols to match the unique topology of chain-type sensor networks. We then propose hierarchical network architecture that consists of clusters of …

Canonical Correlation Feature Selection For Sensors With Overlapping Bands: Theory And Application, Biliana S. Paskaleva, Majeed M. Hayat, Zhipeng Wang, J. Scott Tyo, Sanjay Krishna

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The main focus of this paper is a rigorous development and validation of a novel canonical correlation feature- selection (CCFS) algorithm that is particularly well suited for spectral sensors with overlapping and noisy bands. The proposed approach combines a generalized canonical correlation analysis framework and a minimum mean-square-error criterion for the selection of feature subspaces. The latter induces ranking of the best linear combinations of the noisy overlapping bands and, in doing so, guarantees a minimal generalized distance between the centers of classes and their respective reconstructions in the space spanned by sensor bands. To demonstrate the efficacy and the …

Stakeholder Education About The Designation Of Coastal Zones For The Protection Of The Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris): The Manatee Awareness And Protection Resource (Mapr) Web Site, Robert Swett, Alisa Coffin, Charles Sidman, David Fann

Journal of Extension

In Florida, boaters often have close encounters with Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a protected marine mammal. Manatee protection zones are established to regulate boating traffic in coastal areas where manatees may be at risk of injury. Public debate over the demarcation of the zones is acrimonious. The Boating and Waterways Management Program of Florida Sea Grant created the Manatee Awareness and Protection Resource (MAPR) Web site to promote stakeholder education and awareness surrounding the designation of manatee protection zones. The Web site includes an interactive map that allows visitors to visualize some of the factors involved in delineating manatee …

Nf‐Κb, But Not P38 Map Kinase, Is Required For Tnf‐Α‐Induced Expression Of Cell Adhesion Molecules In Endothelial Cells, Suja Rajan, Jianiming Ye, Shashan Bai, Faqing Huang, Yan-Lin Guo

Faculty Publications

In response to inflammation stimuli, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) induces expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in endothelial cells (ECs). Studies have suggested that the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and the p38 MAP kinase (p38) signaling pathways play central roles in this process, but conflicting results have been reported. The objective of this study is to determine the relative contributions of the two pathways to the effect of TNF‐α. Our initial data indicated that blockade of p38 activity by chemical inhibitor SB203580 (SB) at 10 µM moderately inhibited TNF‐α‐induced expression of three types of CAMs; ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1 and E‐selectin, indicating that …

Loss Of Mediterranean Marine Biodiversity In A High-Co2 World, Jm Hall-Spencer, R Rodolfo-Metalpa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Small Acreage Low Flow (Micro Or Drip) Irrigation System Design And Installation, Ronald Patterson

All Current Publications

Irrigation has been an essential part of Utah’s agriculture since pioneer days. Over half of Utah’s 1.3 million irrigated acres are watered using surface methods such as flood, furrow, border, or basin irrigation.

The Antelope, University Of Nebraska At Kearney

The Antelope

No abstract provided.

Yellow Sac Spiders, Ryan S. Davis

All Current Publications

Most Utahn’s are familiar with the hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis) and its potentially harmful bite. However, most Utahn’s don’t know that there is another spider commonly entering homes that may have a similar, but less toxic bite than the hobo—the yellow sac spider Chiracanthium inclusum).

An Examination Of The Removal Of Federal Meat And Poultry Inspection, Moynul Chowdhury

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is one of the largest federal agencies in the U.S. It has many different subdivisions. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is one of them. FSIS is responsible for ensuring that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products is safe, healthy, and correctly labeled and packaged. Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced an enormous bill called the Food and Energy Security Act of 2007. Nutrition, conservation, energy, producer income protection, rural development, trade, forestry, and livestock are the major provisions that are part of this massive farm …

The Changing Face Of Family Law: Global Consequences Of Embedding Physicians And Biotechnology In The Parent-Child Relationship, George J. Annas

Faculty Scholarship

Sexual reproduction, also known as making babies the old-fashioned way, has always brought with it significant challenges for family law, especially regarding protecting the best interests of children, and the identification of parents with the right and responsibility to rear them. But these challenges often seem mundane in the face of what has evolved since physicians have been injected into baby making and thus into novel parent-child relationships. The addition of physicians and their "new" medical technologies, sometimes called Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), have forced the law to reconsider the very definition of motherhood and have radically altered society's view …

Heme Induces Endothelial Tissue Factor Expression: Potential Role In Hemostatic Activation In Patients With Hemolytic Anemia, Yamaja Setty, Suhita G. Betal, Jie Zhang, Marie J. Stuart

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Objectives: We explored the possibility that heme, an inflammatory mediator and a product of intravascular hemolysis in patients with hemolytic anemia including sickle cell disease, could modulate hemostasis by an effect on endothelial tissue factor (TF) expression.

Methods: Levels of TF mRNA, protein and procoagulant activity were measured in heme-treated endothelial cells. Results: Heme induces TF expression on the surface of both macrovascular and microvascular endothelial cells in a concentration-dependent manner, with 12-fold to 50-fold induction being noted (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) between 1 and 100 μm heme (P < 0.05). Complementary flow cytometry studies showed that the heme-mediated endothelial TF expression was quantitatively similar to that of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Heme also upregulated the expression of TF mRNA (8-fold to 26-fold), protein (20-fold to 39-fold) and procoagulant activity (5-fold to 13-fold) in endothelial cells in a time-dependent manner. The time-course of heme-mediated TF antigen expression paralleled the induction of procoagulant activity, with antibody blocking studies demonstrating specificity for TF protein. Interleukin (IL)-1α, and TNF-α are not involved in mediating the heme effect, as antibodies against these cytokines and IL-1-receptor antagonist failed to block heme-induced TF expression. Inhibition of heme-induced TF mRNA expression by sulfasalazine and curcumin suggested that the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB is involved in mediating heme-induced TF expression in endothelial cells.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that heme induces TF expression by directly activating …

Sensitivity Of The Human Circadian System To Short Wavelength (420 Nm) Light, George C. Brainard, David Silney, John P. Hanifin, Gena Glickman, Brenda Byrne, Jeffrey M. Greeson, Samar Jasser, Edward Gerner, Mark D. Rollag

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

The circadian and neurobehavioral effects of light are primarily mediated by a retinal ganglion cell photoreceptor in the mammalian eye containing the photopigment, melanopsin. Nine action spectrum studies using rodents, monkeys, and human for these responses indicate peak sensitivities in the blue region of the visible spectrum ranging from 459 nm to 484 nm, with some disagreement in short wavelength sensitivity of the spectrum. The aim of this work was to quantify the sensitivity of human volunteers to monochromatic 420 nm light for plasma melatonin suppression. Adult female (N=14) and male (N=12) subjects participated in two studies, each employing a …

Predicting Length Of Treatment For Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome In Methadone-Exposed Neonates., Neil S. Seligman, Nicole Salva, Edward J. Hayes, Kevin C. Dysart, Edward C. Pequignot, Jason K. Baxter

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify maternal variables predicting length of treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of infants treated for NAS during 2000-2006 whose mothers were on methadone maintenance at delivery. Mixed-effects linear regression was used to examine the interaction of maternal and neonatal variables with length of treatment.

RESULTS: Of 204 neonates born to methadone exposed mothers, the average dose at delivery was 127 mg daily (25-340 mg) with median length of treatment 32 days (1-122 days). Trimester of initial exposure (P = .33), methadone dose at …

Phosphatidylserine-Positive Erythrocytes Bind To Immobilized And Soluble Thrombospondin-1 Via Its Heparin-Binding Domain, Suhita G. Betal, Yamaja Setty

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Phosphatidylserine (PS)-dependent erythrocyte adhesion to endothelium and sub-endothelial matrix components is mediated in part via thrombospondin (TSP). While TSP exhibits multiple cell-binding domains, the PS-binding site on TSP is unknown. Since a cell-binding domain for anionic heparin is located at the amino-terminus, we hypothesized that PS-positive red cells (PS+ve-RBCs) bind to this domain. We demonstrate that both heparin and its low-molecular-weight derivative enoxaparin (0.5-50u/ml) inhibited PS+ve-RBC adhesion to immobilized TSP in a concentration-dependent manner (21-77% inhibition, P<0.05). Pre-incubation of immobilized TSP with an antibody against the heparin-binding domain blocked PS+ve-RBC adhesion to TSP. Antibodies that recognize the collagen- and the carboxy-terminal CD47-binding domain on TSP had no effect on this process. While pre-incubation of PS+ve-RBCs with TSP-peptides from the heparin-binding domain containing the specific heparin-binding motif KKTRG inhibited PS+ve-erythrocyte adhesion to matrix TSP (P<0.001), these peptides in the immobilized form supported PS-mediated erythrocyte adhesion. A TSP-peptide lacking the binding-motif neither inhibited nor supported PS+ve-RBC adhesion. Additional experiments show that soluble-TSP also interacted with PS+ve-RBCs via its heparin-binding domain. Our results demonstrate that PS-positive erythrocytes bind to both immobilized and soluble TSP via its heparin-binding domain and that both heparin and enoxaparin, at clinically relevant concentrations, block this interaction. Other studies have shown that heparin inhibited P-selectin- and soluble-TSP-mediated sickle erythrocyte adhesion to endothelial cells. Our results taken together with the previously documented findings provide a rational basis for clinical use of heparin or its low-molecular-weight derivatives as therapeutic agents in treating vaso-occlusive pain in patients with sickle cell disease.

The Next “Great Dissenter”? How Clarence Thomas Is Using The Words And Principles Of John Marshall Harlan To Craft A New Era Of Civil Rights, Hannah L. Weiner

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews

East Texas Historical Journal

No abstract provided.

Modeling The Daily Activities Of Breeding Colonial Seabirds: Dynamic Occupancy Patterns In Multiple Habitat Patches, Andrea L. Moore, Smruti P. Damania, Shandelle M. Henson, James L. Hayward

Faculty Publications

We constructed differential equation models for the diurnal abundance and distribution of breeding glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) as they moved among nesting and non-nesting habitat patches. We used time scale techniques to reduce the differential equations to algebraic equations and connected the models to field data. The models explained the data as a function of abiotic environmental variables with R2=0.57. A primary goal of this study is to demonstrate the utility of a methodology that can be used by ecologists and wildlife managers to understand and predict daily activity patterns in breeding seabirds.

The Relationship Between Ethnic Identity And Psychological Health: A Meta-Analytic Review, Julie Hewatt Grant

Open Access Dissertations

Ethnic identity, or one's feelings of belongingness and affirmation with one's ethnic group, has been postulated to be related to one's psychological health. Specifically, it is thought that stronger ethnic identity is related to better psychological health. In order to fully investigate this relationship, a meta-analytic review and analysis was conducted utilizing all previous research on the relationship between ethnic identity and psychological health. This study sought to examine this relationship in more detail by dividing psychological health into two areas: 1) psychological functioning, and 2) psychological dysfunction. Both of these categories were examined and analyzed separately utilizing a random …

Transcriptional Regulation In The Peripheral Nervous System And The Role Of Stat3 In Axon Regeneration, Robin P. Smith

Open Access Dissertations

Several factors contribute to the failure of the central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate after injury. These include inhibition of axonal growth by myelin and glial scar associated molecules, as well as the intrinsic inability of adult CNS neurons to grow long axons in environments that are permissive for younger neurons. Neurons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) display a much higher capacity to regenerate after injury than CNS neurons, as shown by conditioning lesion experiments and by microtransplantation of dorsal root ganglia neurons into CNS white matter tracts. Our central hypothesis is that neurons of the PNS express specific …

Characteristics Of Oxygen-18 And Deuterium Composition In Waters From The Pecos River In American Southwest, Fasong Yuan, Seiichi Miyamoto

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

The Pecos River, situated in eastern New Mexico and western Texas, receives snowmelt from winter storms in the headwater region of the southern Rocky Mountains and runoff from warm-season monsoonal rainfall in the lower valley. The isotopic composition of the two water sources differs from each other due to their different geographical origins in the Pacific North and the Gulf of Mexico. To better assess the physical features of the Pecos River, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions (δ¹⁸O and δD), major ion concentrations, and other physical variables (e.g., water temperature and electrical conductivity) were measured on water samples …