Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Age And Sex Of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nelson) On Follicle Counts From Rectal Mucosal Biopsies For Preclinical Detection Of Chronic Wasting Disease, Terry R. Spraker, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Tom L. Gidlewski, Randy D. Munger, W. David Walter, Aru Balachandran Walter

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To determine if the number of rectal lymphoid follicles decreases with respect to age and sex relative to diagnosis of chronic wasting disease (CWD), rectal biopsies (n = 1,361) were taken from captive Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) at 4 ranches in the western United States between 2005 and 2008. Rectal tissues were stained with a monoclonal antibody (F99/97.6.1), which selectively stains the abnormal isoform of the prion protein associated with CWD of elk. The number of lymphoid follicles obtained from typical biopsy tissues decreased with the age of the animal. The acceptable number of lymphoid follicles …

Evaluation Of An Epitope-Blocking Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For The Detection Of Antibodies To Influenza A Virus In Domestic And Wild Avian And Mammalian Species, Heather J. Sullivan, Bradley J. Blitvich, Kaci K. Vandalen, Kevin T. Bentler, Alan B. Franklin, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) was developed for the detection of antibodies to influenza A virus in taxonomically diverse domestic and wild vertebrate species. In contrast to the bELISAs published previously that require reagent production, manipulation by the end-user, or have not been evaluated for use with both mammalian and avian species, this assay is performed using commercially available recombinant nucleoprotein antigen and corresponding nucleoprotein-specific monoclonal antibody and has been shown to work with multiple avian and mammalian species. The efficacy of the bELISA as a serum screening assay was compared to the agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) assay using …

Threshold Concentrations Of An Anthraquinone-Based Repellent For Canada Geese, Red-Winged Blackbirds, And Ring-Necked Pheasants, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, Shelagh K. Tupper, Michele M. Santer, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife repellents provide a non-lethal alternative for managing the monetary impacts of agricultural depredation. For the purpose of developing of an effective avian repellent, we established repellency thresholds of an anthraquinone-based repellent for Canada geese (Branta canadensis), red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), and ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in captivity. We conducted a concentration–response experiment with Canada geese offered cornseeds treated with six concentrations of Avipel repellent (a.i. 50% 9,10-anthraquinone). Based upon our laboratory efficacy data, we used non-linear regression to predict a threshold concentration of 1450 ppm anthraquinone for geese offered treated corn seeds (i.e., …

Options For The Control Of Disease 3: Targeting The Environment, Alastair Ward, Kurt C. Vercauteren, W. David Walter, Emmanuellle Gilot-Fromont, Sophie Rossi, Gareth Edwards- Jones, Mark S. Lambert, Michael R. Hutchings, Richard J. Delahay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management of wildlife disease can be targeted at pathogens, hosts or vector populations, but may also focus on the environment. As constituent elements of any given environment, resident wildlife populations, and their pathogens, may be profoundly influenced by environmental change, in terms of their abundance, distribution and behavior. Hence, it is reasonable to expect that incorporation of environmental manipulation into a program to control wildlife diseases may potentially result in outcomes as effective as direct intervention aimed at hosts, pathogens and vectors.

Crop, Native Vegetation, And Biofuels: Response Of White- Tailed Deer To Changing Management Priorities, W. David Walter, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jason Gilsdorf, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The expansion of the cellulosic biofuels industry throughout the United States has broad-scale implications for wildlife management on public and private lands. Knowledge is limited on the effects of reverting agriculture to native grass, and vice versa, on size of home range and habitat use of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We followed 68 radio-collared female deer from 1991 through 2004 that were residents of DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) in eastern Nebraska, USA. The refuge was undergoing conversion of vegetation out of row-crop agriculture and into native grass, forest, and emergent aquatic vegetation. Habitat in DNWR consisted of …

Improving Follow-Up Of Abnormal Cancer Screens Using Electronic Health Records: Trust But Verify Test Result Communication, Hardeep Singh, Lindsey Wilson, Laura A Petersen, Mona K Sawhney, Brian Reis, Donna Espadas, Dean F Sittig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Early detection of colorectal cancer through timely follow-up of positive Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBTs) remains a challenge. In our previous work, we found 40% of positive FOBT results eligible for colonoscopy had no documented response by a treating clinician at two weeks despite procedures for electronic result notification. We determined if technical and/or workflow-related aspects of automated communication in the electronic health record could lead to the lack of response.

METHODS: Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, we evaluated positive FOBT communication in the electronic health record of a large, urban facility between May 2008 and March 2009. …

Taxonomy Development And Knowledge Representation Of Nurses' Personal Cognitive Artifacts, Sharon Mclane, James P Turley

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Nurses prepare knowledge representations, or summaries of patient clinical data, each shift. These knowledge representations serve multiple purposes, including support of working memory, workload organization and prioritization, critical thinking, and reflection. This summary is integral to internal knowledge representations, working memory, and decision-making. Study of this nurse knowledge representation resulted in development of a taxonomy of knowledge representations necessary to nursing practice.This paper describes the methods used to elicit the knowledge representations and structures necessary for the work of clinical nurses, described the development of a taxonomy of this knowledge representation, and discusses translation of this methodology to the cognitive …

Ontology Driven Integration Platform For Clinical And Translational Research, Parsa Mirhaji, Min Zhu, Mattew Vagnoni, Elmer V. Bernstam, Jiajie Zhang, Jack W. Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Semantic Web technologies offer a promising framework for integration of disparate biomedical data. In this paper we present the semantic information integration platform under development at the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) as part of our Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program. We utilize the Semantic Web technologies not only for integrating, repurposing and classification of multi-source clinical data, but also to construct a distributed environment for information sharing, and collaboration online. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is used to modularize and distribute reusable services in a …

The Germination Ecology And Composition Of The Indigenous Seeds Of Cyprus Conglomeratus: A Sand Dune Binder, Sheikha Saeed Amer Al Neyadi

Theses

Cyperus conglomeratus is among few species that tolerate the instability of sand dunes and its low nutrients. This species tolerates grazing animals and sand burial. It is considered as a good fodder for both domestic and wildlife animals. It has the potential to fix sand dunes. In addition, a preliminary observation indicated the presence of high contents of oil in the seeds. Despite the ecological importance of C. conglomeratus, little information is available about germination behaviour and seed composition. The present study assessed the dormancy, germination requirement, tolerance to salinity and drought during germination stage, the impact of dormancy regulation …

Malignant Melanoma Metastatic To The Thyroid Gland: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature., Brian Kung, Md, Saba Aftab, Bs, Moira D. Wood, Md, David Rosen, Md

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

The thyroid gland is a relatively uncommon site for a secondary malignancy; even less common is a case of malignant melanoma metastatic to the thyroid. We describe the case of a 68-year-old man who presented with a neck mass in the posterior triangle. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) identified the mass as a malignant melanoma. The patient had had no known primary skin melanoma. He underwent a left modified radical neck dissection, and the mass was discovered to be a positive lymph node. Postoperatively, he declined to undergo radio- and chemotherapy. Eighteen months later, he returned with a diffusely enlarged thyroid. …

Developing Sustainable Spacecraft Water Management Systems, Evan A. Thomas, David M. Klaus

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well recognized that water handling systems used in a spacecraft are prone to failure caused by biofouling and mineral scaling, which can clog mechanical systems and degrade the performance of capillary-based technologies. Long duration spaceflight applications, such as extended stays at a Lunar Outpost or during a Mars transit mission, will increasingly benefit from hardware that is generally more robust and operationally sustainable overtime. This paper presents potential design and testing considerations for improving the reliability of water handling technologies for exploration spacecraft. Our application of interest is to devise a spacecraft wastewater management system wherein fouling can …

2009-2010 Graduate Catalog, Morehead State University

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2009-2010 graduate catalog for Morehead State University.

2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog, Morehead State University

Morehead State Catalog Archive

2009-2010 graduate catalog for Morehead State University.

Flocking In The Time-Dissonance Plane, Adam James Wilson

Publications and Research

This paper describes a technique for the sonification of an idealized model of the flocking behavior of birds, fish, and insects. Flocking agents are represented by pitches that move through time to produce chords of variable dissonance. The objective of each agent is to move toward more consonant chord formations with other agents. The output of the sonification is intended to provide material for use in musical composition.

A Symbolic Sonification Of L-Systems, Adam James Wilson

Publications and Research

This paper describes a simple technique for the sonification of branching structures in plants. The example is intended to illustrate a qualitative definition of best practices for sonification aimed at the production of musical material. Visually manifest results of tree growth are modelled and subsequently mapped to pitch, time, and amplitude. Sample results are provided in symbolic music notation.

An Eigenanalysis And Synthesis Of Unitary Operators Used In Quantum Computing Algorithms, Steven Randall Hutsell

Dissertations and Theses

In this work we tackle the challenge of designing quantum unitary operators which represent solutions to optimization problems. We start with a novel method which combines an evolutionary algorithm known as an Evolution Strategy (ES) with a method to randomly generate unitary operators. With this new method, a quantum operator is represented for the first time using real-valued vectors and can be "evolved" or designed to meet certain target criteria. This criteria could be the solution to an optimization problem. With the ability to evolve quantum operators, we attempt to evolve various known single and multi-qubit quantum gates as well …

Silent Subjects: Silence In Theories Of Subjectivity, Nikki Ann Agee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Postmodern theories describe human subjectivity as fragmented. (Faigley 12). Unlike Enlightenment thinkers, who theorized the Cartesian subject as an autonomous, stable, rational self with "privileged insight into its own processes" (111), postmodern theorists "decisively [reject] the primacy of consciousness and instead [have] consciousness originating in language, arguing that the subject is an effect rather than a cause of discourse" (Faigley 9).

The idea that language constructs who subjects are, how they are, and who they may and may not become is very powerful, for it suggests subjects cannot consciously know themselves apart from language. Self-knowledge results from social, institutional, and …

Hybrid Method: Algebraic/Inverse Radon Transform For Region Of Interest Reconstruction Of Computed Tomography Images, Marco A. Barrera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Computed tomography is one of the most rapidly advancing method in modern medical imaging, because of is relatively low cost and outstanding quality. The main shortcoming of the method is the relatively high dose of radiation used. Consequently, considerable efforts have been made to obtain good image reconstructions from fewer projections or from using lower intensity beams (hence, noisier data). It has been known for decades that a scan with high intensity beams and large number of projections (typically, 180-360 for a planar image) will lead to a very good image reconstruction via an Inverse Radon Transform (IRT), but the …

Temperature-Induced Phenomena In Systems Of Magnetic Nanoparticles, Abdul Wazed Bhuiya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticle ensembles have received a lot of attention, stemming in part from their current and potential applications in biomedicine and in the development of high-density magnetic storage media. Key to the functionality of these systems are microscopic structures and mechanisms that make them exhibit unique properties and behave differently from their bulk counterparts.

We studied microscopic structures and processes that dictate macroscopic properties, behavior and functionality of magnetic nanoparticle ensembles. As the temperature T strongly influences the magnetic behavior of these systems, we studied temperature dependent magnetic properties using AC-susceptibility and DC-magnetization measurements carried out over a broad range …

Two-Dimensional Gravity Modeling Of The Rattlesnake Springs Watershed, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, Nikolay D. Boykov

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A series of non-invasive geophysical investigations at the Rattlesnake Springs part of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, were performed in an effort to better delineate the watershed of the springs. The goal of this project is to determine possible locations of fractures and faults that may control the distribution of groundwater that feeds Rattlesnake Springs. Once the water flow paths are identified, the park will be able to better protect Rattlesnake Springs from environmental hazards, such as oil and gas drilling, as well as from upstream water development. As part of this effort I conducted a precision gravity survey …

An Investigation Of Cognitive And Non-Cognitive Variables That Affect Student-Athlete Graduation And Retention, Lisa Diana Campos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Colleges and universities continue to be held to accountability measures typically related to student graduation rates. Intercollegiate athletic programs are not immune to such accountability measures. For instance, in recent years the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted the Academic Progress Rate, which holds institutions accountable for the graduation, retention, and eligibility status of its student-athletes. It is the moral obligation of intercollegiate administrators to ensure student-athletes are receiving a quality education culminating in graduation. The recent climate of higher education makes it critical to examine the variables which influence graduation and retention of student-athletes.

This study examined student-athletes who entered …

“In The Shadow Of A Concrete Forest”: Transportation Politics In Portland, Oregon, And The Revolt Against The Mount Hood Freeway, 1955-1976, Val C. Ballestrem

Dissertations and Theses

In 1955, The Oregon State Highway Department helped usher in the freeway building era in Portland by publishing its plan for 14 modern freeways designed to crisscross the city. A major component of that report was the Mount Hood Freeway, a route designed to pass through southeast Portland, connecting the city to its expanding eastern suburbs. Other freeway routes in the Portland area were given precedence over the Mount Hood Freeway and by 1969, when the route obtained federal interstate status, urban freeways across the nation had become highly controversial. Over the next seven years a struggle ensued pitting those …

Health Prognisis Of Electronics Via Power Profiling, Jonathan Amilcar Cervantes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research is to investigate a new approach for the early detection of latent defects in electronic devices in the field. Reliability is assessed through the non-traditional approach of recording and evaluating the power profile of electronic devices within a deterministic state of operation. Traditionally, measuring the quiescent current (Iddq) of a device has been employed in manufacturing tests to detect defective parts prior to deployment to the field. However, the monitoring of the deterministic power signature (i.e. boot up or during a self-test routine) has never been exploited to monitor the health of a device in …

Magnitude Of Right-Lateral Offset On The Southern Death Valley Fault Zone From Miocene Volcanic Assemblages, Sabrina Michelle Canalda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this study correlation of Miocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks in southern Death Valley is used to constrain the total amount of slip on the southern Death Valley fault. The tertiary volcanic section near Ibex Pass is correlated to rocks ~35 km to the northwest, in the Wingate Wash region (Luckow et al., 2005). Geochronology by Luckow et al. (2005) in Wingate Wash and the Owlshead Mountains has the region divided into two basic periods: an early interval (~14-13.4Ma), and a later phase (~13-12.5Ma). One date from the volcanic sequence in Ibex Pass has been reported (Calzia, 2000) suggesting that …

The Effectiveness Of Fba-Based Interventions On Social Goals And Behaviors Of A Student At Risk Of E/Bd, Hsin-Ju Chen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) based interventions for improving prosocial goals and behaviors and reducing problem behaviors of a student at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). Specifically, this study was interested in whether the behavioral intervention plans based on the function of behavior had an impact on the student's thought processes impacting prosocial decision making. There was one 11-year-old student who was placed in the behavior intervention class (BIC) participating in this study. Results showed that overall, the student's problem behaviors seemed to decrease during the classroom universal …

Does Type Of Stimulus Influence Task-Irrelevant Evaluative Categorization Processes?, Guadalupe Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effect of stimulus type on task-irrelevant evaluative categorization was examined in two separate studies by using the P3 component from event-related brain potentials. The first study presented idiosyncratic stimuli consisting of individuals that were rated by participants as either positive or negative within sequences of pictorial and verbal stimuli. The second study presented sequences of novel and familiar stimuli consisting of previously normed unattractive and neutral individuals. It was hypothesized that pictures would elicit task-irrelevant evaluative categorization processes and so would novel stimuli (relative to words and familiar stimuli, respectively). Task-irrelevance was examined by assessing P3 peak amplitude to …

It's Bigger And Hip-Hop: Richard Wright, Hip-Hop, And Masculinity, Marcos Julian Del Hierro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In Native Son, Richard Wright presents a view of the impoverished, inner-city from an insider's perspective, which reflects the anger and hate brewing towards the rest of the nation as a result of living under harsh, isolating conditions. Wright's main character, Bigger Thomas serves as an archetypal ghetto figure both in his attitudes and the treatment he receives from Anglo Americans. Additionally, the reception of Native Son by a majority white reading audience also reflected the voyeuristic thrill of the bourgeoisie when consuming cultural products by African Americans. The selection of Wright's novel into the Book of the Month …

The Pluvial Lake Palomas - Samalayuca Dunes System, Miguel Dominguez Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A lacustro-aeolian system formed by the Pluvial Lake Palomas (PLP), the Samalayuca Dunes (SMD) and a connecting aeolian corridor is found in the central Chihuahuan Desert of North America approximately 50 km upwind (SW) of the binational Paso del Norte metroplex. The system is described by its three individual components. They comprise one of the largest paleo-lacustrine (Pleistocene) environments in the Chihuahuan Desert (PLP), one of the largest and least-studied sand seas of North America (SMD), and a newly described and geomorphically heterogeneous aeolian corridor connecting the two.

The Chihuahuan Desert has been a major and underappreciated dust production region …

Characterization Of A Mems Accelerometer For A Highway Health Monitoring Ultra-Low Power Sensor, Karla Cecilia Enriquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, government officials recognized the need to implement automated methods that reduce the cost of assessment projects and provide a long-term solution to monitor the structural health of bridges and highways. Although important research exists in the area of non-destructive evaluation, current road health monitoring efforts continue to be costly and time consuming. This Thesis focuses on the characterization of a MEMS accelerometer intended to be the basis of a novel ultra-low power sensing system to remotely asses the condition of highways. The architecture of a sensor prototype built to validate an algorithm …

Appropriate Prosodic Variation Is Valued By Users, Rafael Escalante-Ruiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Spoken dialog systems today do not vary the prosody of their utterances, although prosody is known to have many useful expressive functions. In a corpus of memory quizzes, I identified eleven dimensions of prosodic variation, each with its own expressive function. I identified the situations in which each was used, and how to detect these situations from the dialog context and the prosody of the interlocutor's previous utterance. I implemented the resulting response rules and had 21 users interact with two versions of the system. Overall they preferred the version in which the prosodic forms of the acknowledgments were chosen …