Digital Commons Network^™

Geomorphic Analysis Of Lackman Tributary, Lenexa, Ks, Robert T. Pavlowsky, Marc R. Owen

OEWRI Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Council On Academic Affairs Minutes, Dec 17, 2009, Eastern Kentucky University

Council on Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Cnn Analyst Roland Martin To Deliver Message Of Inspiration

News Releases

No abstract provided.

The Transformational Learning Associated With Training For And Completing A Marathon, Timothy John Gillum

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine if transformational learning is an outcome of the experiences of training for and completing a marathon. Transformational learning has gained visibility and greater acceptance in the learning community in recent years due in large part to the efforts of Jack Mezirow and associates. This visibility and acceptance has catalyzed research studies to better understand the theory and its application, but none have linked the use of endurance racing to transformational learning. The design of this study was a phenomenological case study. The research included four participants who had previously completed marathons, …

Um Educator Honored For Work To Advance Science, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

The Doctor, The Publisher And The Curmudgeon: How Personalities, Politics And The Press Set The Stage For Alaska Statehood, Lynne M. Snifka

Arctic and Northern Studies

"Much has been written about Alaska's struggle for statehood in 1959. But before there was a unified push for statehood, before World War II changed the face of Alaska forever and people such as Bob Atwood, Bill Egan and Bob Bartlett fought the good fight, there was a "perfect storm" of personalities, politics and press coverage that prepared Alaska for what would become its greatest triumph. This thesis examines the lives, motives and politics of Territorial Governor John Troy, Territorial Governor Ernest Gruening and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. Their individual vendettas, drive and quests for power …

A Storm Like No Other: Changes That Shaped Seward Peninsula Communities At The Turn Of The 20th Century, Amy Russell

Arctic and Northern Studies

"This thesis explains how four events at the turn of the twentieth century--the start of an American administration, the introduction of schools and missions, the introduction of reindeer, and the 1918 influenza epidemic--brought sweeping changes to Inupiat on the Seward Peninsula, and contributed to the decline of two formerly-prominent Seward Peninsula communities: Kingegan and Kauwerak"--Leaf iii

Uab Researchers Link Calorie Intake To Cell Lifespan, Cancer Development, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Ecological Linkages Between Headwater Streams And Riparian And Downstream Habitats In The Eastern Cascade Range, Washington, Usa, Elizabeth C. Green

Biological Sciences

"I examined how headwater streams are ecologically linked with the terrestrial environment and upstream waters. I examined relationships between fish (rainbow and cutthroat trout), invertebrates, and habitat in 15 headwater streams in two ecoregions (wet, dry) and timber harvest scenarios (logged, unlogged) in the Wenatchee River sub-basin in the eastern Cascade Mountain Range, Washington state, USA. Fish biomass, density, and size were not related to ecoregion or to logging history. Invertebrate drift manipulations in 13 streams influenced fish movement (fish moved downstream in sites that were not supplemented with food) and diet (fish consumed less prey when drifting invertebrates were …

Taking Back The Knife: The Ulu As An Expression Of Inuit Women's Strength, Patricia Hansen Gillam

Rural Development

The ulu is an enduring object in the lives of Inuit women which has multiple meanings as both a tool and symbol of traditional subsistence activity. While it continues to be recognized as a symbol of identity for Inuit women across the Arctic, it has received little attention by Western scientists and academics. Following the twists and turns of both de-colonizing and engendering the ulu encourages a comprehension of the profoundly symbolic meaning of the ulu with respect to Inuit women's identity. The collecting phase of the Smithsonian in Alaska and the classifying impulse of archaeological reports are examined for …

Secrecy In Committed Relationships Due To Career: A Communication Perspective, Amanda Lassiter Brander

Communication

"Professional secrecy, which is mandated in certain careers, seems to affect partners in their committed relationships. Partners of those with work-mandated secrecy may perceive that they enact certain behaviors based upon how they communicate around the imposed secrecy. The communication privacy management theory (CPM) aids in understanding how partners make decisions about how they communicate around secrecy within their relational culture and how they manage dialectical tensions due to work-mandated secrecy. This Human Science study is grounded in constructionism, informed by the theory of social construction of reality, guided by narrative inquiry, and used conversational interviewing and thematic analysis to …

People And Nature: Toward An Ecological Model Of Health Promotion, Daniel L. Dustin, Kelly S. Bricker, Keri Schwab

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Striving for a healthier relationship among individuals, families, communities, nations, and the environment is imperative at a time in history when humankind can change the face of the earth in monumental ways. This dynamic health relationship, with an emphasis on the contributions of parks, recreation, and tourism to health promotion, is the subject of this article. A broader conception of health that moves beyond human physical and mental health to include familial, communal, national, international, and global ecological health is called for, and a more comprehensive ecological model of health promotion, including consideration of health from a holistic ecological perspective, …

Student Affairs Administrator And Faculty Perceptions Of Distance Education As Preparation For Employment In Student Affairs, Mary Christina Charlton

Theses and Dissertations

A sequential, mixed-method study was conducted to investigate student affairs administrators and faculty perceptions of distance education as preparation for employment in student affairs. An online survey was administered to both administrators (N = 754) and faculty (N = 69) in order to collect data for quantitative analysis. Variables included participant rating of importance and acquisition of competencies, professional experience, experience with distance education, and philosophical orientation. A one-way ANOVA was used to examine relationships between differing variables, while a MANOVA was used to examine relationships between the two participant groups and corresponding variables. Results from quantitative data informed the …

Controlled Synthesis Of High Quality Carbon Nanotubes And Their Applications In Transparent Conductive Films, Enkeleda Dervishi

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exceptional electrical, mechanical and electronic properties which make them attractive for numerous applications. Catalytic chemical vapor deposition (cCVD) is one of the most promising methods for large-scale production of high-quality CNTs at a relatively low cost. Synthesis conditions such as catalyst composition, reaction temperature, hydrocarbon type and flow rate, have an enormous influence on the morphological properties of nanotubes. This research presents a thorough study of the parametric conditions affecting the growth properties of single-wall and multi-wall carbon nanotubes. High quality single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were synthesized on different catalytic systems, using the inductive radio frequency …

Total Serum Immunoglobulin Y In Steller's Eiders And A Surrogate Species As A Marker Of Humoral Immune Status And Viral Response, Maryann Bozza

Marine Biology

"Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) and other sea duck species have undergone population declines in recent decades, and the causes for the declines remain largely unknown. As part of a study to investigate the role of disease in sea duck population declines, I further characterized Steller's eider humoral immunity by quantifying total serum immunoglobulin Y (IgY). Baseline values of total serum IgY were determined for a captive flock of Steller's eiders housed at the Alaska SeaLife Center using species-specific assays. There were no significant differences in total serum IgY between males and females or between seasons (molt and winter) for captive …

Worland Student Receives Um Scholarship, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Transparency And City Government Communications, Jennalande Oswald

Theses and Dissertations

This study expresses the need for a communications model created specifically for government communications that is centered on the concept of transparency. However, it also recognizes the previous research done pertaining to government communications and public relations. Importantly, the study recognizes the lack of trust in American government at city, state and federal levels and the need to improve trust, which is very closely related to transparency. The study focuses primarily on a model created in 2007 called the three-dimensional model for government communications. The model has four parts: the base of the model is the need to value transparency; …

Survey Indicators For Pygmy Rabbits: Temporal Trends Of Burrow Systems And Pellets, Dana M. Sanchez, Janet L. Rachlow, Andrew P. Robinson, Timothy R. Johnson

Western North American Naturalist

Obtaining estimates of absolute abundance for rare or cryptic species can be challenging. In these cases, methods using indirect indicators such as sign might offer useful indices of population size. Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) are small, burrowing lagomorphs for which methods for population assessment and monitoring are needed. Current tools for estimating relative abundance rely on detecting and assessing fecal pellets and burrow systems. We evaluated temporal changes in each of these indicators to gauge their potential usefulness as indicators of relative and absolute abundance of pygmy rabbits. Pellet persistence was strongly influenced by environmental exposure, and based …

Application Of 3d Zernike Descriptors To Shape-Based Ligand Similarity Searching., Vishwesh Venkatraman, Padmasini Ramji Chakravarthy, Daisuke Kihara

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

The identification of promising drug leads from a large database of compounds is an important step in the preliminary stages of drug design. Although shape is known to play a key role in the molecular recognition process, its application to virtual screening poses significant hurdles both in terms of the encoding scheme and speed.

Results

In this study, we have examined the efficacy of the alignment independent three-dimensional Zernike descriptor (3DZD) for fast shape based similarity searching. Performance of this approach was compared with several other methods including the statistical moments based ultrafast shape recognition scheme (USR) and SIMCOMP, …

Influence Of Soil Water Repellency On Post-Fire Revegetation Success And Management Techniques To Improve Establishment Of Desired Species, Matthew D. Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of soil water repellency (WR) on vegetation recovery after a fire is poorly understood. This dissertation presents strategies to broaden opportunities for enhanced post-fire rangeland restoration and monitoring of burned piñon and juniper (P-J) woodlands by: 1) mapping the extent and severity of critical and subcritical WR, 2) determining the influence of WR on soil ecohydrologic properties and revegetation success, and 3) evaluating the suitability of a wetting agent composed of alkylpolyglycoside-ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymers as a post-fire restoration tool for ameliorating the effects of soil WR and increasing seedling establishment. Results indicate that:

• Post-fire patterns …

Reproductive Patterns In King Eiders, Rebecca L. Bentzen

Biological Sciences

Mammalian predation, avian predation, female body condition and food availability on the breeding ground are likely the main factors influencing nesting success in tundra-nesting waterfowl. These driving factors are mediated by the primary life history characteristics; incubation behavior, female body size, nesting associations, and nest site selection. I created a conceptual model illustrating how these factors are interrelated and how they impact nest success through a variety of pathways to better understand the evolution of a species' nesting strategy and patterns observed in the field. The importance of the driving factors likely varies between sites and with the species nesting …

The Eastern Echo, December 17, 2009, Section B, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Student Newspaper: The Normal News & The Eastern Echo

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Sea Kayak Tourism And Recreation On Harbor Seal Behavior In Kenai Fjords National Park: Integrating Research With Outreach, Education, And Tourism, Caroline M. Jezierski

Marine Biology

"Increasing numbers of sea kayakers in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska prompted a study to evaluate human disturbance on harbor seals. Harbor seal behavior recorded during the molt from 2004-2006 via remotely controlled cameras and direct field observations were used to evaluate effects of human activities. Behaviors of the seals observed in the presence and absence of kayakers/walkers were contrasted by method of collection, year, presence of humans, presence of a guide, and guide training. Results demonstrated that harbor seals abandoned the ice and were more alert when kayakers were present than when humans were absent. Harbor seals became progressively …

Heat Transfer Performance Of Nanofluids In Facility Heating Applications, Roy T. Strandberg

Engineering

"Nanofluids are a class of fluids comprised of a base fluid with nanoparticles in a colloidal suspension. These fluids have been shown to exhibit substantially higher thermal conductivity than their corresponding base fluids. Investigation is required to determine if this property may be exploited for the purpose of improving the performance of systems employing liquid heat transfer. Detailed analyses of CuO/60% ethylene glycol and Al₂O₃/60% ethylene glycol nanofluids' heat transfer properties were conducted to determine if they provide a net benefit in commercial facility heating systems. The analyses employed previously developed correlations for nanofluid thermophysical, fluid dynamic and heat transfer …

Deliberation Versus Dispute: The Impact Of Argumentative Discourse Goals On Learning And Reasoning In The Science Classroom, Mark Felton, Merce Garcia-Mila, Sandra Gilabert

Faculty Publications

Researchers in science education have converged on the view that argumentation can be an effective intervention for promoting knowledge construction in science classrooms.However, the impact of such interventions may be mediated by individuals’ task goals while arguing. In argumentative discourse, one can distinguish two overlapping but distinct kinds of activity: dispute and deliberation. In dispute the goal is to defend a conclusion by undermining alternatives, whereas in deliberation the goal is to arrive at a conclusion by contrasting alternatives. In this study, we examine the impact of these discourse goals on both content learning and argument quality in science.

Reproductive Cycle Of The Lizard Sceloporus Mucronatus With Comments On Intraspecific Geographic Variation, Maricela Villagrán–Santa Cruz, Oswaldo Hernández-Gallegos, Fausto R. Méndez–De La Cruz

Western North American Naturalist

Sceloporus mucronatus is a viviparous lizard that inhabits high altitudes in central México. Lizards from Tecocomulco, Hidalgo, México, were collected monthly at 2500 m throughout one year. Macro- and microscopic evidence of gonads showed that both sexes reproduce synchronously during the fall. In males, after a short testicular quiescence in December, the recrudescence begins in winter (January) and continues through spring and summer (July), with maximum activity occurring from late summer to early fall (August–September). Regression takes place simultaneously with copulation during the fall (October–November). In females, vitellogenesis occurs during summer and fall (August–November), with ovulation in the fall (November–December). …

The Flight Periodicity, Attack Patterns, And Life History Of Dryocoetes Confusus Swaine (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), The Western Balsam Bark Beetle, In North Central Colorado, José F. Negrón, John B. Popp

Western North American Naturalist

Dryocoetes confusus Swaine, the western balsam bark beetle, is an important bark beetle associated with Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. (subalpine fir) in western North America. Little information is available on the life cycle and ecology of this insect in Colorado. In this study in north central Colorado, we examined its flight periodicity, attack patterns, and life cycle in downed trees. Flight season, as indicated by pheromone-trap catches, began in early June. Peak flight was observed during early to mid-July. A second peak in flight was observed in some years, but its occurrence was not consistent. Preferred attack sites on downed …

Estimating Root Biomass And Distribution After Fire In A Great Basin Woodland Using Cores And Pits, Benjamin M. Rau, Dale W. Johnson, Jeanne C. Chambers, Robert R. Blank, Annmarie Lucchesi

Western North American Naturalist

Quantifying root biomass is critical to an estimation and understanding of ecosystem net primary production, biomass partitioning, and belowground competition. We compared 2 methods for determining root biomass: a new soil-coring technique and traditional excavation of quantitative pits. We conducted the study in an existing Joint Fire Sciences demonstration area in the central Great Basin. This area is representative of a shrub (sagebrush) ecosystem exhibiting tree (pinyon and juniper) encroachment. The demonstration area had a prescribed burn implemented 4 years prior to our study, and we sampled both control and burned plots. The samples were stratified across 3 microsites (interspace, …

Differential Phytosociological Interactions Involving Male And Female Atriplex Bonnevillensis, Jordan Sinclair, John M. Emlen, Matthew Rinella, Jessica Snelgrove, D. Carl Freeman

Western North American Naturalist

Wind-pollinated dioecious plants often exhibit spatial segregation of the sexes. This partial niche separation has most often been explored using abiotic niche axes. However, if the sexes are truly separated in space, then they are apt to encounter different plant species that may heavily affect growth and reproduction. Also, to the extent that their niches differ, the sexes may respond differently to the same co-occurring species. Here we examine interspecific interactions that influence male and female reproductive potential in Atriplex bonnevillensis. Using Emlen's interaction assessment, a technique which assesses species interactions based on cover classes, we show that Salsola species …

Grassland Bird Associations With Introduced And Native Grass Conservation Reserve Program Fields In The Southern High Plains, Thomas R. Thompson, Clint W. Boal, Duane Lucia

Western North American Naturalist

We examined relative abundances of grassland birds among Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields seeded with 2 monocultures of introduced grass species and 2 mixes of native grasses in the Southern High Plains of Texas. We assessed bird compositions among these 4 cover types and between the cover types pooled into categories of introduced and native fields. Breeding season bird diversity and total abundance did not differ among cover types or between introduced and native fields. Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), Cassin's Sparrows (Aimophila cassinii), and Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta) accounted for more than 90% of …