Digital Commons Network^™

Age And Marital Satisfaction In Couples With Cancer, Elizabeth Day

CFS Honors Program Undergraduate Theses

This study was a secondary analysis of seventy-seven couples dealing with breast cancer and examined the relationship between age and marital satisfaction. The couples’ marital satisfaction was measured using the Satisfaction and Cohesion Subscales of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale. In analyzing age and marital satisfaction, husbands and wives were evaluated individually, using their age at the time of their entrance into the study. A correlation analysis was used to determine any significance between age and marital satisfaction. Then, a multiple regression with age stratified into high and low was used with an interaction term of age X perceived criticism …

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Regulation Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Vegf), Prolyl Hydroxylase (Phd), And Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (Hif-1) In Mammary Epithelial Cells With Erb2 Expression, Erin Harpenau

CFS Honors Program Undergraduate Theses

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer among American women. Vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, in part by preventing the formation of new blood vessels (termed angiogenesis) within tumors.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic factor, has been shown to be regulated by the active form of vitamin D, 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D). It has been proposed that 1,25(OH)2D does not directly decrease the expression of VEGF, but rather acts indirectly through Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α), a direct transcriptional regulator of VEGF. 1,25(OH)2D may impact HIF-1α …

Differences In Response To “No Bones About It!” Between Boys And Girls, Amy Conklin

CFS Honors Program Undergraduate Theses

Early adolescence is a critical time for skeletal development, as this is when maximal bone growth occurs (1). Development of bones mass during adolescence can help reduce the risk for childhood fractures and osteoporosis later in life. Low calcium intakes can contribute to poor bone health and can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis (2). An adequate intake of 1300 milligrams per day of calcium was set for both male and female adolescents by the Institute of Medicine (3). Unfortunately, most adolescents do not attain this recommendation. Thus, researchers have aimed to investigate various effectively reaching young people to adopt …

Beyond The Chemistry Web, Bob Buchanan

Sci-Tech News

Using humor in science, particularly chemistry.

Teacher Evaluation Practices And Student Achievement, Lucy Kay Lyon

Dissertations

Extensive research has been conducted on improving student academic achievement and techniques to improve student learning. There has been little research that addresses the relationship between student achievement and teacher performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between performance-based teacher evaluation practices and increased student achievement. This study was conducted using the Top Ten Performing School Districts on the Missouri Assessment Program communication arts and mathematics tests and performance-based teacher evaluation systems. A relationship was found to exist between the inclusion of criteria specific to student achievement in the performance-based teacher evaluation program and ranking in …

Preliminary Investigation Into Single Stage Enzyme Free Hydrolysis Of Hardwood Sawdust., Kyle William Dunaway 1985-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most common method of producing fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. Limitations to this step include the high cost of enzymes, and the time required to process the biomass. To increase the throughput and decrease catalyst cost, the preliminary development of a continuous concentrated sulfuric acid process is explored. The process requires two distinct steps. The first step involves hydrolyzing lignocellulose to fermentable sugars, glucose and xylose. The second step consists of glucose and xylose removal from the concentrated acid stream. The separation of sugars decreases the production of reaction byproducts and allows for the recycle of …

An Analysis Pipeline For The Processing, Annotation, And Dissemination Of Expressed Sequence Tags., Joseph P. Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the complex nature of interactions at the genomic level as well as the large number of proteins present in an organism, understanding the functions of various genes that are expressed is essential. Creating an analysis pipeline for Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) is one way to accomplish this, allowing a researcher to quickly take a set of sequences, perform all necessary analysis operations, and publish the data in a database with a graphical user interface (GUI). This pipeline falls into several steps. First, the data must be preprocessed to remove any extraneous sequence data, low-complexity regions, and regions that …

Design, Construction, And Experimentation Of A Heat Pipe Augmented Solar Wall., Nicholas E. Chmielewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The heat pipe augmented solar wall operates much more efficiently for domestic air heating than alternative passive solar technologies. The thermal diode effect of heat pipes reduces the insulating losses of the unit during nighttime and adverse solar conditions. The exceptionally high conductivity of heat pipes allows for much greater heat gains, and significantly reduces the response time of the unit. The response time is also reduced by a smaller thermal mass of preheating components, which allows the system to passively alternate between insulating and heating conditions much more quickly. By separating the thermal mass of the system from external …

The Acrocallosal Syndrome: A Case Report And Literature Survey, Brian D. Hodgson, Lindsey Davies, Cesar Gonzales

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Acrocallosal syndrome (ACS) is a rare, genetically transmitted disorder characterized by facial deformities. These include a large forehead, large anterior fontanelle, broad nasal bridge with increased intercanthal distance, partial or complete agenesis of the corpus callosum, polysyndactyly, polydactyly, and mental retardation. Limited information concerning the dental development and treatment has been published. In addition to the classic facial deformities aforementioned, the other most commonly reported oral findings are: short philtrum/upper lip (30%); high-arched palate (30%); cleft lip/palate (20%); micro/retrognathia (13%); open mouth (15%); thin lips (11%); and 1 report of over-retained primary teeth. Seizure disorders are also a common finding …

Analyzing The Binding Of Co(Ii)-Specific Inhibitors To The Methionyl Aminopeptidases From Escherichia Coli And Pyrococcus Furiosus, Sanghamitra Mitra, George Sheppard, Jieyi Wang, Brian Bennett, Richard C. Holz

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) represent a unique class of protease that is capable of the hydrolytic removal of an N-terminal methionine residue from nascent polypeptide chains. MetAPs are physiologically important enzymes; hence, there is considerable interest in developing inhibitors that can be used as antiangiogenic and antimicrobial agents. A detailed kinetic and spectroscopic study has been performed to probe the binding of a triazole-based inhibitor and a bestatin-based inhibitor to both Mn(II)- and Co(II)-loaded type-I (Escherichia coli) and type-II (Pyrococcus furiosus) MetAPs. Both inhibitors were found to be moderate competitive inhibitors. The triazole-type inhibitor was found to …

Survey Of Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients And Parents Of Cystic Fibrosis Patients On Nutrition Education, Dixie Lea Durham

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disorder affecting more than 30,000 Americans, primarily Caucasians (CF Foundation, n.d.a). A defective gene on the seventh chromosome is inherited from the mother and the father. This gene causes the body to produce an abnormal protein that leads to thick, sticky mucus that is secreted by the lungs, pancreas, liver, sweat glands, and reproductive organs. The pancreas normally excretes enzymes that aid in the digestion of food, however this function is impaired in CF, and therefore CF patients must ingest replacement enzymes (CF Foundation, n.d.a). Despite advances in treatment, including replacement enzymes, under-nutrition and …

Yolk Androgens And Development In American Kestrel Nestlings, Melanie Dawn Berg

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Maternally derived yolk androgens affect many aspects of phenotypic development. To explore this phenomenon I injected clutches of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) with one of three different dosages of testosterone + androstenedione or with vehicle. Morphological measurements taken from nestlings 26 days after hatching showed no significant treatment effect. In 2007, nestlings with more yolk androgens had lower hatching mass and higher hematocrit levels 15 days after hatching than nestlings with less yolk androgens, but the effects disappeared by day 26. In 2008, there were no effects of androgens on mass or hematocrit. Because the results were not …

Rational Drug Design: An Information Driven Approach To The Design Of An Anthracycline Analog, Charlene Rebecca Young

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Over the past fifty years anthracyclines have been used to treat a wide variety of cancers. Combination therapies with anthracyclines have the potential to greatly increase treatment success. Despite the great potential of anthracyclines in the treatment of cancer, their use has been limited due to the risk of chronic cardiotoxicity. The reduction of anthracyclines to an alcohol metabolite has been linked to the development of cardiotoxic side effects. One of the principal enzymes responsible for catalyzing the formation of the anthracycline alcohol metabolite is human carbonyl reductase 1(HCBR). Controlling the reduction of anthracyclines by HCBR may offer a means …

Implementation Of A Cartesian Grid Incompressible Navier-Stokes Solver On Multi-Gpu Desktop Platforms Using Cuda, Julien C. Thibault

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Today’s Graphics Processor Units (GPU) are powerful computation platforms used not only for graphic rendering but also for multi-purpose computation. Now reaching a teraflops of peak performance and over a 100 GB/sec of bandwidth, GPUs outperform the latest CPUs and provide a new high-performance computing platform. New languages such as CUDA and Brook+ allow developers to target the programmable unit of the GPUs without a graphics programming background. Scientists and engineers in various fields have started benefiting from the last generations of GPUs. In this thesis, the implementation of a Navier-Stokes solver for incompressible flow around urban-like domains is presented. …

Investigating Raptor Migration Behavior Using Orientation Cages And Wing Measurements: A Comparison Of The Flammulated Owl And Northern Saw-Whet Owl In Southwestern Idaho, Rhonda F. Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) are long-distance migrants, while Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) exhibit more variable migration tendencies. I investigated the migratory behavior of these species using orientation cages and tested hypotheses concerning (1) the presence of migratory restlessness and orientation, (2) inter-specific differences in migratory restlessness and orientation, and (3) correlates of migratory restlessness and orientation. Only four of 16 Flammulated Owls displayed activity consistent with migratory restlessness although all four owls exhibited significant directionality in their movements. Alternatively, 59 of 97 Northern Saw-whet Owls exhibited activity consistent with migratory restlessness with most of these 59 owls showing preferred …

Household And Property Relations In Tuva, Tayana Arakchaa

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the transformation of households and property relations in one of the remote provinces of Southern Siberia - Tyva Republic. The thesis identifies continuities and developments in land tenure during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods and tests various theoretical propositions in Economic Anthropology. Land tenure and resource management is a central issue in Tyva.

Particular attention is paid to the segment of Tyvan people who have continued a traditional style of life – the herders and hunters who are now living in new political and economical conditions. Even though their number is not big, the people in the …

Improving Success Of Translocating Southern Idaho Ground Squirrels (Spermophilus Endemicus), Katie Lea Busscher

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Populations of the southern Idaho ground squirrel (Spermophilus endemicus; SIDGS), a federally listed candidate species, have declined in the last 30 years mainly because of habitat degredation, loss, and fragmentation. As a management tool, translocation is commonly used to augment, establish, or re-establish wildlife populations, although translocation has historically not been the most successful conservation strategy for species that are threatened or endangered animals as a result of habitat loss. I employed various techniques to improve translocation success of southern Idaho ground squirrels. To establish new populations, I relocated SIDGS to areas within their native range not already occupied by …

New Species And Expanded Geographic Ranges Of Gut Fungi And Their Symbiotic Relationship With Insect Hosts, Molly Elizabeth Bench

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Trichomycetes from suitable immature aquatic lower dipteran, mayfly and stonefly hosts (Baetidae, Capniidae, Chironomidae, Nemouridae, and Simuliidae) were collected and identified biweekly over a twelve month period, from an ephemeral system, Cottonwood Creek, in Boise, Idaho. The abundances of eight species of obligate endosymbionts from the genera Genistelloides, Harpella, Lancisporomyces, Paramoebidium, Smittium, and Zygopolaris were evaluated with host abundance for potential correlative relationships. The abundances of all of the examined species of gut fungi, except Smittium elongatum and S. megazygosporum, were positively correlated with the abundances of the hosts. The two species with non-significant relationships with their hosts' abundance were …

Opium Use In Victorian England: The Works Of Gaskell, Eliot, And Dickens, Jessica Rae Henderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

England’s opium trade with China in the nineteenth century, often conjures up images of a powerful nation, for financial gain and heedless of the damage caused, nefariously thrusting addictive drugs on an unwitting Chinese people and unwilling Chinese government. But this image hides the English side of the story, i.e. England’s own problem with opium. The English imported thousands of pounds for domestic use each year in the 19^th century, and until the late 1860s its sale was completely unrestricted. It was used as a veritable cure-all for various diseases, as well as a relief for any kind of …

Behavioral Interactions Of Breeding Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus Luecocephalus) At Lake Cascade, Idaho, Scott Allen Kimball

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

During the 2000 and 2001 breeding seasons I studied the behavioral inter- and intra-specific interactions of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) breeding at Lake Cascade, Idaho. In the first chapter, I describe the relationships between an increase in population density and home range and foraging habitat use by Bald eagles. In the second chapter, I describe the relationship between aggressive interactions and reproductive success, as measured by number of nestlings fledged and nestling weight.

Because home range and foraging habitat use show temporal variability, I compared breeding home ranges and foraging habitat use of Bald Eagles at Lake Cascade, Idaho in …

Biology-Inspired Adaptive And Nonlinear Robust Control Of Bauv Using Pectoral-Like Fins, Subramanian Ramasamy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Aquatic animals have splendid ability to move smoothly through water using variety of oscillating fins. Presently researchers are involved in developing biorobotic autonomous underwater vehicles (BAUVs) which have the ability to swim like marine animals. Multiple oscillating fins (dorsal, caudal, pectoral, pelvic, etc.) can be mounted on BAUVs to generate control forces for propulsion and maneuvering. In this research work, control of the BAUVs using pectoral fins alone is considered. The oscillating pectoral fins produce unsteady periodic forces. The control of motion of an BAUV in yaw and dive planes are considered.

Quest For Quotidian: A National Survey Of Non-Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Marriage, Troy A. Mcginnis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Marriage equality remains a legal impossibility for same-sex couples in most states, and opponents are concerned that expansion of marriage to include gays and lesbians would radically redefine the institution. Findings from an online survey of lesbians, gays and bisexuals— a non-random sample of 466 adult men and women age 18 to 74 in 37 states— strongly suggest that many non-heterosexuals' attitudes reflect neither a radical departure from core definitions of marriage, nor a rejection of traditional "family values," but instead signal an assimilationist position favorable to traditional marriage norms rather than a liberationist position critical of the institution.

Predictors Of Hpv Knowledge And Awareness In Rural America, Melanee Dulfon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prior research has shown that overall awareness of HPV is low among women in America. Yet limited research exists as to the awareness of HPV among rural U.S. women. The goal of this study was to determine the factors that predict women's knowledge and awareness of HPV in rural America. Secondary data was utilized from the National Cancer Institute Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) of 2005. The sample consisted of 788 adult women over the age of 18 from rural areas of the U.S. Results indicated younger age, increased education, receipt of a Pap exam in over three years, …

State Infant Mortality: An Ecologic Study To Determine Modifiable Risks And Adjusted Infant Mortality Rates., David A. Paul. Md, Amy Mackley, Rnc, Robert G. Locke, Do, John L. Stefano, Md, Charlan Kroelinger, Phd

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors contributing to state infant mortality rates (IMR) and develop an adjusted IMR in the United States for 2001 and 2002. DESIGN/METHODS: Ecologic study of factors contributing to state IMR. State IMR for 2001 and 2002 were obtained from the United States linked death and birth certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Factors investigated using multivariable linear regression included state racial demographics, ethnicity, state population, median income, education, teen birth rate, proportion of obesity, smoking during pregnancy, diabetes, hypertension, cesarean delivery, prenatal care, health insurance, self-report of mental illness, and number of in-vitro fertilization …

The Role Of Trna Modification Systems In The Cellular Stress Response, Margaret Daly

Biological Sciences

Transfer RNA(tRNA) is a small chain of nucleotides that participates in protein synthesis by pairing its anticodon with an mRNA codon and transferring an amino acid to a growing polypeptide chain. tRNA methyltransferases are a group of enzymes that can modify nucleosides in or around the anticodon, as well as at other parts of the tRNA. Recently, some of these modifications have been reported to enhance the translation of proteins that help the cell respond to and/or repair DNA damage. We hypothesize that the modifications catalyzed by some of the tRNA methyltransferases (Trms) stabilize the interaction between the mRNA codon …

Effects Of Carbachol And Vitamin C On Submandibular Salivary Gland Branching Morphogenesis, Nasiratu Larry

Biological Sciences

The Submandibular Salivary Gland (SMG) is formed by iterative branching of epithelial cells into secretory acinar endbuds and branched ducts that are extensively innervated by parasympathetic nerves which can influence gland development. Carbarrylcholine or carbachol, (an acetylcholine neurotransmitter analog), is a drug that binds to and activates the acetylcholine receptor. Previous research has suggested that carbachol on SMGs might delay ductal differentiation and affect actin localization in cells lining the lumen of ducts. Vitamin C has been shown to enhance matrix protein synthesis, which may accelerate cell differentiation. My goal was to test whether and how carbachol or modulation of …

Contribution Of Organic Cation Transporter 2 (Oct2) To Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity, Kelly K. Filipski

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Cisplatin is the most widely used anticancer agent; however, the cellular pharmacokinetics are poorly understood. Cisplatin is predominantly eliminated through the urine via active secretion and is associated with nephrotoxicity. Currently, prehydration therapy is employed to prevent toxic renal side effects; however it has not been completely ameliorated. The studies described herein aim to determine the mechanism in which cisplatin enters the kidney cell from the blood and how it is subsequently secreted into the urine. Organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2) and ABCC2 are highly expressed in the kidney on the basolateral and apical membrane, respectively. We determined the contribution …

Effect Of Methamphetamine On Gingival Fibroblast Production Of Matrix Metalloproteinase (Mmp)-2 And -9 And Tissue Inhibitor Of Metalloproteinase (Timp)-1 And -2 In Vitro, Owais Ali Farooqi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is associated with "METH mouth" characterized by rampant caries and periodontitis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) produced by gingival fibroblasts degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and play an important role in periodontitis and oral cancer metastasis. There is no information on effects of METH on fibroblast MMP production, or its role in periodontitis or tumor metastasis.

Objective: Determine effect of METH on gingival fibroblast MMP production and activity.

Methods: A human gingival fibroblast cell line was used. METH cytotoxicity was determined by measuring its effects on activity of a mitochondrial enzyme. Cells were cultured ± METH (1x10^-6- …

Generation And Characterization Of A Knock-In Allele Of Eklf: Probing The In Vivo Role Of The Chromatin Remodeling Domain In Definitive Hematopoietic Cells, Valerie Malyvanh Jansen

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The zinc finger-encoding transacting factor EKLF, or erythroid Krüppel-like factor, binds key regulatory elements of many erythroid-specific genes, and is essential for definitive erythropoiesis. Mice lacking this factor die of anemia by E15.5 of gestation, failing to activate β-globin gene transcription, and demonstrating a block in the erythroid differentiation program at the primitive erythroblast stage. In contrast, megakaryocytic progenitors are amplified in EKLF-null embryos, with increased Fli-1 gene expression, a marker of early megakaryocytic differentiation. These observations are consistent with the idea that EKLF modulates the megakaryocytic-erythroid (M-E) differentiation switch.

Our laboratory has previously demonstrated that an amino terminal sequence …

Studying The Specificity Of Hpxr Antagonists Using A Panel Of Cell-Based Assays, Fang Lei

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The pregnane X receptor (PXR or SXR; NR1I2) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. It activates the transcription of a large network of genes including cytochrome P450 (CYP) and Mdr1 which play critical roles in chemicals metabolism and transportation. Induction of CYPs contributes to adverse drug-drug interactions. Non-toxic, PXR-specific antagonists will be valuable in attenuating the adverse drug-drug interaction which is the cause of many treatment failures in clinic. However, few hPXR antagonists were reported particularly the specific ones. In this thesis a reporter gene assay was used to study the specificity of hPXR antagonists from a panel …