Digital Commons Network^™

Designing Molecular And Nanoscale Materials For Environmental Chemistry Processes, Wen Guo

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on fundamental studies to identify materials that detect and degrade common organic environmental pollutants. Chapter 1 represents the overview of two widespread ground water contaminants: organohalides and organophosphorous compounds. Due to continuous usage of these compounds as well as their toxicity, reliable and sensitive methods for their detection and degradation are urgently needed. In Chapter 2 a description of molecular sensors designed with high sensitivity and selectivity to detect and distinguish between three organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are described. These sensors provide dual optical and electrochemical signals for detection, which minimizes false-positives. The signal transduction occurs in real …

The Once And Future King: A New Approach To Ancient Maya Mortuary Monuments From Palenque, Tikal, And Copan, Elizabeth Drake Olton

Art & Art History ETDs

This dissertation examines the Temple of the Inscriptions, Temple I, and Temple 26 and explores what could have motivated the Maya to construct these large monuments and how they might have been meaningful. Traditional art historical methods of comparative and formal analyses are employed as tools for discussing patterns of meaning among these temples. The structural and decorative programs shared by all three temples signal that they are part of a separate genre of architecture that is specifically mortuary and interactive. Furthermore, these features are also a mode of communication. Messages depicted in the offerings, sculpture, and spaces of the …

Be Careful What You Wish For, Little Girl, Scott Yarbrough

Forces

No abstract provided.

Untitled #3, Stephanie Kelly

Forces

No abstract provided.

2010 Forces, Scott Yarbrough

Forces

No abstract provided.

Preventing The Sixth Plague: Microbial Forensics In The War Against Terrorism, Amanda Mickley

Honors College Theses

Bioterrorism utilizes viruses, bacteria, fungi and toxins to cause mass sickness or death in people, animals, or agriculture. The use of bioterrorism may be ideal for terrorists, because these agents are difficult to detect, and people may not become sick for a few hours or even days, allowing for the ability to cover their trail. Microbial Forensics is an up and coming field which utilizes the basic concepts of forensic biology in the application of pathogens. Some of the current technologies include rapid response hand-held bioassays, and genomic sequencing of the pathogens. Advanced technologies in the field are currently being …

Where Preparedness Meets Opportunity: A Look At Breaking Into The Performing Arts Profession, Bridget Riley

Honors College Theses

I always knew I wanted to be a performer. My pre-school teacher actually pulled my mom aside one day explaining that I had been singing Jean Val Jean’s songs from Les Misérables in the block center. I used to put on shows in my basement, creating costumes, scripts and songs. I would ask my mom to hold a flashlight on me, in lieu of a spotlight, and perform for an audience of teddy bears and stuffed animals. I have always loved performing and always knew that I wanted to pursue it.

Though I loved performing and knew I could only …

The Impact Of Linking Ethanol And Beef Production On Economics, Carbon, And Nutrient Budgets, C. G. Carlson, D. E. Clay, C. Wright, K. D. Reitsma

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

This publication uses a case-study approach to investigate the impacts of linking corn production, ethanol, and backgrounding calves on economics and soil sustainability. The purpose of the paper is to initiate a dialog and provide an example of how the three industries can be integrated to enhance profitability. Conclusions drawn from this case study should not be extrapolated beyond the scope of this publication.

La Enfermedad Respiratoriaen Los Terneros Lecheros, Alvaro Garcia, Russ Daly

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

La enfermedad respiratoria es la segunda causa de muerte (diarrea es la primera) en las terneras lecheras no destetadas. Los problemas respiratorios han aumentado en un 34 por ciento en los últimos 20 años, causando cerca de 21 por ciento de la mortandad de los terneros (NAHMS 2007). Las terneras que sobreviven continúan con un des¬empeño pobre al convertirse en vacas adultas. Para prevenir este problema, es importante tener en cuenta tanto causas predisponentes como determinantes.

Solace In St. Louis: A Case Study In Heroic Cultural Nostalgia, Amanda J. Pinney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis examines the response of American popular culture to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. By utilizing the September 17, 2001 pre-game ceremony, held at Busch Stadium as a case study example, larger generalizations are made about the role popular culture played in the days following the tragedy. In order to analyze this example, I have developed heroic cultural nostalgia, a framework that combines elements of myth, nostalgia and national identity. Heroic cultural nostalgia provides an explanation of how popular culture plays a role in crisis response. The framework highlights the role of individuals with heroic characteristics in …

Bacillus Cereus And Bacillus Anthracis Germination Kinetics: A Michaelis-Menten Approach, Helen Luu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bacillus species are rod-shaped, gram-positive bacteria that are capable of producing endospores. In this dormant stage, the endospores can persist in hostile physical and chemical environments. Once conditions become favorable, the spores germinate into actively dividing cells, vegetative cells. Germination is a crucial step for the pathogenicity of the Bacilli in affecting a host organism.

Our study applies mathematical approaches to spore germination to determine whether the binding of one germinant will affect the binding of another germinant. We pursued this approach with two different species, B. cereus and B. anthracis, both pathogenic organisms. B. cereus is a widely known …

Incidental Music: Enhancing The Emotional Experience Of The Audience, Daniel Edward Nelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Environmental psychologists, like Robert Gifford who study transactions between individuals and their physical settings, maintain that as an individual's environment is changed, the environment also changes his/her behavior and experience. (Gifford, 2002) Like other segments of a theatrical setting, manipulation of the environment can enhance or constrain a broad range of audience actions from traditional theatre audiences to shoppers in a mall or guests at a wedding. Physical elements, as well as other ambient factors such as lighting, color, and quality of materials, set design, music, fragrance, and room temperature are a sample of the dramatic elements used to orchestrate …

The Effects Of An Inquiry-Based Earth Science Course On The Spatial Thinking Of Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Education Students, Kevin Douglas Weakley

Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two geography courses at improving student spatial thinking skills. Spatial thinking is an important cognitive skill in the sciences and everyday life. A taxonomy of spatial thinking was constructed by Gersmehl (2008) in geography education which included core modes assessed in this study: comparison, region, transition, analogy, pattern, and association. Two additional modes related to space over time, change and movement, were also assessed. The central research question in this study is: What are the effects of a pre-service teacher education earth science content course (Geography 1900) that is conceptually designed and inquirybased on …

Reproductive Failure And The Stress Response In American Kestrels Nesting Along A Human Disturbance Gradient, Erin Hennegan Strasser

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Human disturbance may be an influential environmental stressor that affects birds across life stages. I examined whether external and endogenous factors including habitat type, habitat quality and individual quality (hereafter quality), or human disturbance affect American Kestrel reproductive success in southwestern Idaho. Specifically, I was interested in how these factors lead to nest failure or abandonment. I also investigated whether elevated corticosterone (CORT) concentrations mediate the relationships among explanatory variables and nest failure. As nestling kestrels may respond to stressors differently from adults, I examined whether conditions experienced during the nestling stage affected nestling American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) hypothalamic pituitary …

Exploring Brain-Based Instructional Practices In Secondary Education Classes, Constance Darcy Jack

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Research on how the brain perceives, processes, stores, and retrieves information is important to guide pedagogy, yet many schools continue to promote practices that are inconsistent with practices suggested by brain research. Brain-based teaching practices promote a more holistic approach to teaching that acknowledges the interconnectedness of the brain and how it naturally learns.

In order to explore brain-based teaching practices, this study focused on a high school (grades 9-12) in southwestern Idaho to determine whether teachers’ perceptions of their use of brain-based teaching strategies are consistent with the strategies they demonstrate in the classroom. Data included two original instruments: …

A Culture Of Divisions: Cultural Representations Of La Bruja And La Curandera In Nuevo Mexicano Folklore And Literature, Annemarie Lynette García

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

La bruja and la curandera are recurring, important figures in New Mexican culture, folkloric history, and literature and they carry with them the fear of the unknown that the Spanish surely encountered upon entering the American southwest in the late 1500s to early 1600s. La bruja is a part of the emergence of the culture of divisions that inhabits New Mexico, thus her image as a resistor to the effects of colonization have been transformed over time to be synonymous with evil and the devil. She has been ostracized from her indigenous culture and forced to fall in line with …

Bioengineering Tissue Constructs Using Elastic Alginate Hydrogels, Barbana A. Graham

Biological Sciences

Bioengineered 3-D tissue constructs have great potential for understanding tissue development and tissue repair in patients lacking functional organs. One of the major challenges faced in the field, however, is to build functional tissue constructs that resemble tissue found in vivo. Cells and tissues in the body are organized into three-dimensional architectures, which interact with fibrillar extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins at a nanoscale. Both the topology and elasticity of the ECM play critical roles in regulating tissue formation. Alginate, a naturally occurring polysaccharide, is a good candidate to use as a biomaterial to mimic the topography and elasticity of the …

Body Part Words In Copala Triqui And A Brief Spatial Sketch, Ann Weiner

Linguistics

No abstract provided.

No Patent For You! How Ksr V. Teleflex's Nonobviousness Test Conflicts With The Scientific Method And Removes The Incentive To Innovate, Rebecca Greendyke

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Crop Size, Ripening, And Fruit Removal In Solanum Umbellatum (Solanaceae) By Phyllostomid Bats, May 2010, Eleanor Caves

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Effective seed dispersal is of primary importance to most plants. Maximum dispersal should result from a larger fruit crop, since large fruit crops are more obvious to frugivores; however, producing too many fruits can be detrimental to dispersal as it satiates the frugivore. Thus, plants must strike the proper balance to maximize dispersal. I examine the effects of ripe fruit density, ripe fruit number, and fruit crop size within infructescences on fruit removal probabilities (FRPs) of wild Solanum umbellatum in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Further, I examine preferences of frugivorous Phyllostomid bats for various proportions of ripe fruits. Each day, the …

Responses To Prey Size In Metabus Gravidus (Araneae: Araneidae) Provide Evidence For Optimal Foraging, May 2010, Sunjana Supekar

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Foraging strategy is a critical factor in the fitness of many organisms. The optimal foraging theory states that animals optimize their fitness by selecting food that will provide the most amount of nutrition for the least amount of time and energy spent obtaining food. By minimizing energy spent on foraging, organisms can focus on other activities that benefit them, such as watching for predators, looking for mates, or caring for offspring. Because spiders have a very unique method of predation, they are a useful model organism for the study of optimal foraging. Metabus gravidus (Araneae: Araneidae) is a species of …

The Wag-Display Of The Blue-Crowned Motmot (Momotus Momota) As A Predator-Deterrent Signal, May 2010, Elise Nishikawa

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The blue-crowned motmot (Momotus momota) is a large, omnivorous, Neotropical bird. Momotus momota demonstrates a variety of life history traits that could make the bird more vulnerable to ambush predators as well as adaptations to signal to, and deter attack by, ambush predators. Like other motmots, M. momota performs an exaggerated tail-wagging motion when presented with a visual predatory stimulus. I studied the different reactions elicited by four treatments to examine the importance of the signal receiver as a predator that had been visually located by the motmot. I presented either an avian model or an avian call played back …

Importance Of Environmental Education And Knowledge Comparing Grades 9-12 In Monteverde, Costa Rica And Middleton, Wisconsin, Usa, May 2010, Katie Wipfli

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Environmental education is not always a part of school curricula, particularly in the developing world, where population growth and environmental degradation are increase most rapidly. This study takes place in Monteverde, Costa Rica where three local schools with varying levels of environmental education were surveyed. I compared them to a high school in Middleton, Wisconsin to see how Costa Rica and the United States compare. A 20-question survey was used to measure environmental knowledge of students at each school. I found that environmental education is important. Environmental education was an important determinant of environmental awareness and knowledge. Environmental Education, as …

Herbivory And Alkaloid Concentration In Cecropia Obtusifolia (Cecropiaceae) Trees With And Without Ants, May 2010, Katherine A. Riha

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Herbivore damage greatly impacts a plant’s fitness, and because of this, plants have evolved various defenses. Cecropia obtusifolia has a facultative mutualism with Azteca ants. Selection could favor plants without ants to compensate in some way, like increasing concentrations of secondary compounds. In this study, percent herbivory and alkaloid concentration were measured in C. obtusifolia trees with and without ants in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Herbivory levels were low in both occupied (mean ± sd = 2.702 ± 2.139) and unoccupied (3.029 ± 3.662) trees, and no significant difference was found in the concentration of alkaloids (mean ± sd with ants …

Habitat Preference Of Leptonema Sp. (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) On Tropical Waterfalls, May 2010, Aaron Hamm

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

According to Wiggins & Mackay (1978), most Trichoptera live in cases that they have made; there are several species that attach their cases to rocks and feed from the current and others that live in the gravel of the stream. Still, there are others that are located in the areas behind rocks where there is not as much current; most Trichoptera are restricted to cool lotic waters (Wiggins & Mackay 1978b). With such variability in habitat choices available for Trichoptera, it is evident that wherever a habitat is chosen it needs to be the right one. In this study a …

Polyethism In Eciton Burchellii Army Ants: A Look At Task Specializations Of Worker Castes, May 2010, Colleen Nell

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Insect societies, specifically Eciton burchellii army ants have had high ecological success due to polyethism within the colony. This division of labor within the colony increases efficiency and therefore fitness of the colony, which has selected four morphologically and behaviorally defined castes; majors, submajors, media, and minims. Samples of these castes show strong division of labor and roles throughout the colony. Majors are shown to restrict themselves to the column and bivouac where defense is of highest necessity. Submajors have morphologically evolved to carry large prey and maintain column flow. Media are found to be generalists, reinforcing essential functions of …

Preparing California Public Middle School Students For Scientific Inquiry Into Environmental Issues, Gretchen L. Thompson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Skilled scientists in all fields of study are critically needed to begin resolving ecological problems resulting from human impact. Time is an essential element in creating a proper conceptual foundation and training should begin early in a student’s education. As of 2010, the California State Standards for Science for grades six through eight do not sufficiently address the importance of inquiry-based studies, limiting the scope of possibilities in public education. Studies show that middle school students build a deeper understanding of conceptual science and its application if they have opportunities to apply their knowledge through empirical activities. Multiple benefits, both …

Identifying Obstacles To Incorporating Ocean Content Into California Secondary Classrooms, Jennifer Stock

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The ocean is the dominant feature on this planet that makes all life on Earth possible. Marine educators and scientists across the country have identified essential principles and concepts that define what an “ocean literate” person should know, but there is a lack of comprehensive ocean content coverage in secondary classrooms across the United States. In California, limited ocean content standards exist in the primary grades, and diminish in the secondary grades. The main purpose of this study was to examine obstacles for secondary (grades 6-12) teachers to teach about the ocean in California public schools. Interviews were conducted with …

Development Of A Spatialy Explicit Habitat Patch Model (C-Pan) And Comparative Analysis Of Patch Modeling Techniques: The Crafting Of A New Tool For Conservation Planners, Ryan Perkl

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Ecological theories including island biogeography, intermediate disturbance, metapopulation and metacommunity all suggest that habitat patches of larger size and those comprised of substantial configurations of interior or core habitat possess the greatest potential for long-term species viability. As a direct means of mitigating edge encroachment and fragmentation's other adverse effects, there is a growing consensus among conservation planners that assembling larger, more cohesive tracts with substantial core area is of ecological value in conservation planning. Larger and more cohesive patches are believed to sustain larger and more viable local populations, enhance overall biodiversity, incorporate a wider array of natural …

Influence Of Clay Mineralogy On Soil Dispersion Behavior And Water Quality, Jessique L. Ghezzi

Master's Theses

Currently, there is very little research available on nonpoint source pollution from rural watersheds. Government regulatory agencies are desperate for information regarding the causes of nonpoint source pollution, which includes the relationship between suspended soil particles and dispersion. Since soil dispersion is dependent on clay mineralogy, knowing the clay mineralogy of the soil in an area can help predict sediment loads entering the surrounding surface waters. This information is necessary to protect the resource value of our rivers, lakes, and estuaries, as well as to protect recreational activities such as fishing or hunting; but most importantly, this information is necessary …