Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Metabolism Of Benzo(A)Pyrene By Ovarian Microsomes Of Various Species, Deacqunita L. Harris, Ashley C. Huderson, Mohammad S. Niaz, J. Joe Ford, Anthony E. Archibong, Aramandla Ramesh

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Knowledge of the ability of the female reproductive system to metabolize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is critical to the diagnosis and management of female infertility and for risk assessment purposes. The PAHs are a family of widespread pollutants that are released into the environment from automobile exhausts, cigarette smoke, burning of refuse, industrial emissions, and hazardous waste sites. In exposed animals, PAHs become activated to reactive metabolites that interfere with target organ function and as a consequence cause toxicity. The extent of susceptibility to PAH exposure may depend on the ability of animals to metabolize these chemicals. The present study …

Protocol For Indicator Scoring In The Soil Management Assessment Framework (Smaf), Brian J. Wienhold, D. L. Karlen, S.S. Andrews, D. E. Stott

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Assessment tools are needed to evaluate agronomic management effects on critical soil functions such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and water partitioning. These tools need to be flexible in terms of selection of soil functions to be assessed and indicators to be measured to ensure that assessments are appropriate for the management goals. The soil management assessment framework (SMAF) is being developed to meet this need. The SMAF uses soil physical, chemical and biological indicator data to assess management effects on soil function using a three-step process for (1) indicator selection, (2) indicator interpretation and (3) integration into an index. …

Advances In Artificial Neural Networks – Methodological Development And Application, Yanbo Huang

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

© 2009 by the authors

Open access

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States.

doi:10.3390/algor2030973

Isolation Of Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Reactive Cd4 T Cells From Intestinal Biopsies Of Crohn’S Disease Patients, Ingrid Olsen, Stig Tollefsen, Claus Aagaard, Liv J. Reitan, J. P. Bannantine, Peter Andersen, Ludvig M. Sollid, Knut E.A. Lundin

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic granulomatous inflammation of the intestine. The etiology is unknown, but an excessive immune response to bacteria in genetically susceptible individuals is probably involved. The response is characterized by a strong Th1/Th17 response, but the relative importance of the various bacteria is not known.

Methodology/Principal Findings: In an attempt to address this issue, we made T-cell lines from intestinal biopsies of patients with CD (n = 11), ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 13) and controls (n = 10). The T-cell lines were tested for responses to various bacteria. A majority of the CD patients …

Ursinus Magazine, Winter 2009, Wendy Greenberg, Kathryn Campbell, Joe Joyce, Jon Volkmer, Kyle Veazey, John Strassburger

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

Letters to the Editor • Ursinus: One of top ten liberal arts colleges for best degree value • French and Gaines bring classical saxophone into the limelight • Transitions • Garden takes root at Hillel house • Preparation for Pfeiffer Wing allows peek at curatorial process • Art at the Museum of Archaeology • Faculty expertise: Jonathan Marks, "Lincoln's Democratic Statesmanship" • An ocean of uncertainty: Navigating the new financial reality • More than words: Spanish-speaking workers find fellowship at ESL class • From Bears to Bulldogs: Dan Mullen 1994 • Rebecca Heyl 1994 • Homecoming 2008 • Class notes …

Evaluation Of Β-Glucosidase Activity As A Soil Quality Indicator For The Soil Management Assessment Framework, D. E. Stott, S. S. Andrews, M. A. Liebig, Brian J. Wienhold, D. L. Karlen

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was developed to assess conservation effects on soil, and uses multiple soil quality indicator measurements to compare soil functioning. Our objective was to develop a SMAF compatible scoring equation for soil β-glucosidase (BG) activity using published data sets representing different soils and management. The resulting equation was an S-shaped curve: y = a/[1 + bexp(−cx)], where x is the measured BG activity (mg p-nitrophenol [PNP] released kg⁻¹ soil h⁻¹), a and b are constants, and c is a factor modified by soil classification, texture, and climate. …

Effects Of Maternal Nutritional Plane And Selenium Supply On Cellularity Estimates Of Neonatal Lamb Jejunal Mucosa, Heart, And Skeletal Muscle, T. L. Neville, A. M. Meyer, J. J. Reed, J. B. Taylor, L. P. Reynolds, D. A. Redmer, K. R. Maddock Carlin, K. A. Vonnahme, J. S. Caton

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Objectives were to investigate the effects of maternal nutrition and Se supply during gestation on lamb jejunal mucosa, heart, and skeletal muscle RNA, DNA, and protein. Rambouillet ewe lambs (n = 84) were allotted to a 2 x 3 factorial design including dietary factors of Se [adequate Se (ASe; 11.5 μg/kg BW) or high Se (HSe; 77.0 μg/kg BW)] and nutritional plane [60% (RES), 100% (CON), or 140% (HIGH)]. At breeding Se treatments were initiated followed by nutritional treatments on d 40 of gestation. At birth, lambs (n = 13, …

Popular Constitutionalism, Civic Education, And The Stories We Tell Our Children, Thomas G. Donnelly

Law Faculty Publications

This Note analyzes a set of constitutional stories that has not been the subject of focused study—the constitutional stories we tell our schoolchildren in our most widely used high school textbooks. These stories help reinforce a constitutional culture that is largely deferential to the Supreme Court, limiting references to popular resistance to the Court and often linking such popular resistance to the actions of self-interested politicians, at best, and historical villains, at worst. Our textbooks are especially critical of blunt institutional checks on the Court (like judicial impeachment and “court-packing”), but are sometimes receptive to subtler, longer-term checks (like social …

The Undergraduate 2009, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Undergraduate Spectrum

No abstract provided.

The Unexceptionalism Of Evolving Standards, Corinna Barrett Lain

Law Faculty Publications

Conventional wisdom is that outside the Eighth Amendment, the Supreme Court does not engage in the sort of explicitly majoritarian state nose-counting for which the "evolving standards of decency" doctrine is famous. Yet this impression is simply inaccurate. Across a stunning variety of civil liberties contexts, the Court routinely-and explicitly--determines constitutional protection based on whether a majority of states agree with it. This Article examines the Supreme Court's reliance on the majority position of the states to identify and apply constitutional norms, and then turns to the qualifications, explanations, and implications of state polling as a larger doctrinal phenomenon. While …

Race And Health Behaviors: A Study Of Diabetes Among African American Adults., Tangela Towns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project assesses the effects certain variables have on African American adults that suffer from diabetes. These include behaviors of African Americans that contribute to diabetes such as; diet behavior and physical activity. Thus, the focus of this study is to examine the effects of these health behaviors on the likelihood of having diabetes among African Americans. This assessment will be used to provide insights as they pertain to African Americans and diabetes.

Social Norms And College Dating Violence Among Gay Bisexual Transgender And Queer (Gbtq) Students, Lashawn Rivera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is minimal research on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GBTQ) dating violence on college campuses. This qualitative study was facilitated using focus groups that included students that identified as being GBTQ at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The focus group questions were open ended in a discussion format. Participants were recruited from student organizations like the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Student Union (GLBSU) and Knight Allies on campus. There were a total of 10 students that participated in 2 different focus group sessions. Student's attitudes, thoughts and opinions about dating violence on college campuses in GBTQ relationships were …

Brain Activation During Anticipation Of Sound Sequences, Amber M. Leaver, Jennifer Van Lare, Brandon Zielinski, Andrea R. Halpern, Josef P. Rauschecker

Faculty Journal Articles

Music consists of sound sequences that require integration over time. As we become familiar with music, associations between notes, melodies, and entire symphonic movements become stronger and more complex. These associations can become so tight that, for example, hearing the end of one album track can elicit a robust image of the upcoming track while anticipating it in total silence. Here, we study this predictive “anticipatory imagery” at various stages throughout learning and investigate activity changes in corresponding neural structures using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Anticipatory imagery (in silence) for highly familiar naturalistic music was accompanied by pronounced activity in …

Esther Bubley’S Interiors, Julie Wittes Schlack

Yalobusha Review

No abstract provided.

Predicting Children's Emotional And Behavioral Functioning: An Examination Of Coparenting And Parental Satisfaction, Samantha Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To examine the interplay among shared parenting, coparent support, parental satisfaction, and child behavior problems, the current study examines the responses of mothers and fathers who have children between the ages of 3- and 6-years. As part of this study, 107 parents (i.e., 80 mothers and 27 fathers) completed a questionnaire packet including measures of coparenting, parental satisfaction, and child behavior problems. Results are examined using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses. Correlational analyses suggest that coparent support and parental satisfaction are related positively and that coparent support and parental satisfaction are related negatively with children's behavior problems. Unique relationships are …

Opal Pannell, Oral History Index, Part Two Of Two, Opal Pannell, James Conrad, Converging Literacies Center (Clic), Shannon Carter

All Oral Histories

This is part two of a two part index of an oral history interview with Opal Pannell. The exact date of the interview is not known, but it was conducted between 2009-2010. The interviewers are Shannon Carter and James Conrad.

This interview focuses on Opal Pannell's memories of growing up in Neylandville, Texas and her experiences as a student and cafeteria worker at East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Opal Pannell grew up in Neylandville, Texas, an all-Black community near Greenville, Texas. Her parents Artie and Vivian Brigham were farmers. Pannell attended high school at St. Paul High …

Paper Waste In Mckillop Library, Kristina Lowe, Charles "Ben" Parrish, William Pearce, Sarah Petro, Allison Smith, Sarah Tolman

BIO140 Carbon Footprint Project

The goals of our project were to determine the amount of the library’s paper waste. In order to do this we decided to focus on the total sheets of paper used, the recycling that occurs in the library, the use of recycled paper, and the discarding of books. The methods that were used were talking to library staff about the amount of paper used and the discarding of books, surveying the students who use the library about their recycling practices, and hanging educational flyers about the benefits of recycling. After researching the amount of paper waste in McKillop Library, the …

Efficiency And Establishment Of Three Introduced Parasitoids Of The Mealybug Paracoccus Marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Catharine M. Mannion, Nancy D. Epsky

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Three introduced parasitoids Acerophagus papayae, Anagyrus loecki, and Pseudleptomastix mexicana of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus have been released in Miami-Dade and Broward counties (Florida) in 2003. Efficiency and establishment of these previously introduced parasitoids to control P. marginatus were measured in 2005 and 2006, at three locations in Homestead (Miami-Dade). Mealybug populations were initially established on three branches (per plant) of 10 hibiscus plants inside closed-sleeve cages. The three treatments, closed, open, and no-cage environments were applied to the three established mealybug populations on each plant. The number of mealybugs and natural enemies was monitored in all treatments. …

Flight Phenology Of Male Cactoblastis Cactorum (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) At Different Latitudes In The Southeastern United States, Stephen D. Hight, James E. Carpenter

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Long term trapping studies of the invasive moth Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) were conducted at various latitudes from Puerto Rico to South Carolina. Three flight periods per year were identified at the 5 temperate sites studied, which covered the majority of the infested range on mainland United States. In general, the 3 flight periods across a latitudinal gradient from south Florida to central, coastal South Carolina were a spring flight during Feb-May, a summer flight during Jun-Aug, and a fall flight during Sep-Nov. At any 1 site, each flight period lasted about 2 months. In the tropical areas of the Florida …

An Exploratory Study On Reaction Time To Valenced Memories: The Importance Of Individual Differences, Emrah Ates

Theses : Honours

It is commonly accepted that valence has influences on long-term memory, but there are diverse results concerning methodology and the effect size. The literature is mixed with some authors reporting evidence consistent with negativity bias, others reporting evidence consistent with positivity bias and still others reporting no effect of valence on certain types of memory. This review argues that while there are divergent results for recall rate studies, reaction time studies and emotional Stroop task studies showed predominant negativity bias in long term memory. Moreover, many of the studies reviewed were solely concerned with group effects, rather than individual differences. …

The Impact Of Centre Based Respite On Occupational Performance For People With Dementia, Kristy Ness

Theses : Honours

Dementia affects occupational performance by restricting one's ability to carry out valued roles and activities. Centre based respite has been described as one intervention to maintain or improve occupational performance and prevent or delay institutionalisation for people with dementia. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of centre based respite on occupational performance components as outlined by the Occupational Performance Model (Australia) for people with dementia. Five spousal caregivers, recruited through Alzheimer's Australia WA, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using framework analysis techniques. Findings revealed centre based respite attendance can positively influence marital relationships, mood, …

A Qualitative Exploration Of Women Firefighters' Experience In The Western Australian Volunteer Bushfire Service, Cindy Branch-Smith

Theses : Honours

Recent events have shown how invaluable Australia's volunteer firefighters are to communities, for example, Black Saturday. Volunteer numbers appear to be declining nation-wide and a majority of volunteer fire services report under-representation of women in operational roles. To ascertain an understanding of experiences and issues faced by women in volunteer fire services, the aim of the current study was to explore female volunteer firefighters' experience, and how their experiences impact on their perceptions of themselves as firefighters. A qualitative research methodology was employed, which enabled investigation of issues and challenges related to the firefighting experience. A total of 12 women …

The Cultural Landscape Of Perth's Cemeteries, Daniel J. Mcdonald

Theses : Honours

All communities face the issue of what to do with the bodies of the deceased and a wide variety of methods have been employed around the world. Since Perth was founded, the use of cemeteries to fulfil this function was made mandatory by authorities. Although this function has not changed, the form and appearance of cemeteries shows dramatic change over time. Old, traditional cemeteries with their regulated grid layouts and rows of large monumental works have been replaced with new park-like cemeteries with neither religious demarcation nor headstones. This research investigated these changes to the form and spatial organisation of …

Investigating Data Mining Techniques For Extracting Information From Alzheimer's Disease Data, Vinh Quoc Dang

Theses : Honours

Data mining techniques have been used widely in many areas such as business, science, engineering and more recently in clinical medicine. These techniques allow an enormous amount of high dimensional data to be analysed for extraction of interesting information as well as the construction of models for prediction. One of the foci in health related research is Alzheimer's disease which is currently a non-curable disease where diagnosis can only be confirmed after death via an autopsy. Using multi-dimensional data and the applications of data mining techniques, researchers hope to find biomarkers that will diagnose Alzheimer's disease as early as possible. …

Memory For Music And The Implications Of Expertise For Music Recall: A Review ; Memory For The Recall Of Popular Songs: A Comparative Study Of Musicians And Nonmusicians, Simon Maclachlan

Theses : Honours

How people remember music is not only a practical concern for musicians, it also poses an interesting challenge for psychological theory (Wallace, 1994). One question that has often been overlooked is what occurs during the time that elapses between the stimulus onset (hearing music) and the generation of a response (an indication that the song has been remembered). While there is evidence to show that memory for song may be biased in a forward direction (Sibma, 2003), the role of expertise on memory for song may provide a deeper understanding of the nature of our memory for music. This review …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Leading To Volunteer Facilitation Of Postnatal Depression Peer Support Groups, Tracey Parker

Theses : Honours

In recent years literature regarding peer support recovery services has been more prominent. However, little attention has been paid to how these services are used to treat postnatal depression and questions regarding what informs a consumer's decision to become a support person to others remain. The aim of this study was to explore women's postnatal depression and how their experience and recovery informed a decision to become a peer support group facilitator. Participants were eight women who were past or current facilitators with the Post Natal Depression Support Association Inc. (PNDSA). In-depth conversational style interviews were conducted with participants and …

The Role Of Resilience In Second Year University Students, Sarah M. Barbas

Theses : Honours

Around one third of all first year University students will not continue their studies in second year. Students who incur difficulties transitioning from one context to another have been found to withdraw due to an inability to cope with the challenges and adversity in their new environment. On the other hand, many students are able to effectively overcome significant difficulties they are faced with during the transition to or through university. This concept may be referred to as resilience. Few studies have investigated the role of resilience in the success of university students with no research currently focusing on second …

Structural Characteristics Of Banksia Woodland Along An Ecohydrological Gradient, Western Australia, Rebecca Thomas

Theses : Honours

Water availability (the defining feature of a 'hydrological habitat') has a major effect on plant growth, and the physiological and structural characteristics of plants often reflect the availability of this resource. In relation to development of vegetation structural characteristics as a consequence of a given hydrological habitat, it is important to understand whether self-organisation of plant cover (productivity, structure and function) interacts with water availability and if adjustment to water limitation exists ('ecohydrological optimization' or establishment of a 'hydrological equilibrium'). This study tested, through three hypotheses, whether structural and functional attributes of Banksia woodland vary with water availability, i.e. whether …

Fuel Characteristics And Dynamics In Shrublands Of The Transitional Rainfall Zone, Western Australia, Sarah Dalgleish

Theses : Honours

Within the Mediterranean shrublands, fires are particularly intensive and widespread. In the Transitional Rainfall Zone in Western Australia, these large fires bum in areas with high conservation value, and present risks to human lives and infrastructure on properties in the region. The concern for the effect fires have on anthropocentric and ecological values in these shrublands makes it a priority in management to reduce the risks. Of the environmental and biotic factors that influence a fire, fuel is one of the most significant as it has the capacity to determine fire prope1iies such as the intensity, extent, bum pattern within …

An Analysis Of Use Of Equipment And Respite Services By Families With A Daughter With Rett Syndrome, Anna Urbanowicz

Theses : Honours

Purpose: This literature review examines the body of knowledge concerning the use of respite services and assistive products and technology, child and family characteristics, and parental well-being among families with a daughter with Rett syndrome or with a child with another developmental disability. Method: Literature published in the time period 1983-2009 was searched. Studies were included in this review if they reported use of respite services or assistive products and technology among families with a daughter with Rett syndrome or with a child with another developmental disability. Child and family characteristics and parental well-being were also considered. Results and conclusions: …