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Long-Term Growth And Monitoring Of The Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus A. Alleganiensis) In Eastern West Virginia, Douglas Charles Horchler

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian declines have been well documented, specifically in the last few decades. The Hellbender, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, one of North America’s largest salamander species, has suffered dramatic declines throughout much of its range, with estimated declines of up to 77 percent recently documented in some populations. With diurnal and nocturnal searches and mark-recapture techniques, I collected data on the status of Eastern Hellbender populations in Eastern West Virginia. We re-sampled a study site on the West Fork of the Greenbrier River that was first examined in 1998 by Jeff Humphries. Long-term growth and survivorship data were collected and compared to 1998 …

Potential Of Urban Habitats As Reptile And Amphibian Refuges In West Virginia, Scott Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Urban herpetology is a relatively new field, examining how reptiles and amphibians survive in areas that have been altered by humans. This study sought to add data on urban habitats to the knowledge within West Virginia. I studied six sites: two urban parks (Ritter Park and Barboursville Park), a nature area near an art museum (Huntington Museum of Art), two wildlife management areas (Green Bottom WMA and Chief Cornstalk WMA), and a state park (Beech Fork State Park). The state park and two wildlife management areas were considered non-urban habitats because they are more removed from developed areas than the …

The Expression And Function Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1Α In Human Melanoma, Sandeep S. Joshi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) protein, a key regulator of oxygen homeostasis, is stabilized under hypoxia and degraded under normal oxygen tension. Here, the human melanoma cells were found to express an elevated amount of HIF-1α mRNA and protein relative to normal human melanocytes under normoxic conditions. The amount of HIF-1α expressed is roughly correlated with the stage of melanoma from which the cell line was established. In addition, a splice variant mRNA of HIF-1α785 is expressed at higher levels than full-length HIF-1α mRNA in the more aggressive melanoma cells. This splice variant lacks part of the oxygen regulation domain. Ectopic …

Electrospun Nanofibers For Neural Tissue Engineering, Jingwei Xie, Matthew R. Macewan, Andrea G. Schwartz, Younan Xia

MIIR Faculty Research

Biodegradable nanofibers produced by electrospinning represent a new class of promising scaffolds to support nerve regeneration. We begin with a brief discussion on electrospinning of nanofibers and methods for controlling the structure, porosity, and alignment of the electrospun nanofibers. The methods include control of the nanoscale morphology and microscale alignment for the nanofibers, as well as the fabrication of macroscale, three-dimensional tubular structures. We then highlight recent studies that utilize electrospun nanofibers to manipulate biological processes relevant to nervous tissue regeneration, including stem cell differentiation, guidance of neurite extension, and peripheral nerve injury treatments. The main objective of this feature …

Fluprostenol-Induced Mapk Signaling Is Independent Of Aging In Fischer 344/Nniahsd X Brown Norway/Binia Rat Aorta, Kevin M. Rice, Ernest M. Walker, Sunil K. Kakarla, Satyanarayana Paturi, Miaozong Wu, Sumit Narula, Eric R. Blough

MIIR Faculty Research

The factors that regulate vascular mechanotransduction and how this process may be altered with aging are poorly understood and have not been widely studied. Recent data suggest that increased tissue loading can result in the release of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2α) and other reports indicate that aging diminishes the ability of the aged aorta to activate mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in response to increased loading. Using ex vivo incubations, here we investigate whether aging affects the ability of the aorta to induce phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK½-MAPK), p38-MAPK, and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK-MAPK) activation following stimulation …

Methane Emission From A Tropical Wetland In Ka'au Crater, O'Ahu, Hawai'i, Maxime Grand, Eric Gaidos

Faculty Publications

Natural tropical wetlands constitute an important but still poorly studied source of atmospheric methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. We measured net methane emission, soil profiles of methane generation and oxidation, and related environmental parameters in a tropical wetland occupying the Ka'au extinct volcanic crater on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. The wetland has a fluctuating water table with dynamics that can be reproduced using precipitation data and a simple model. Median net methane flux was 117 mg m-2 day-1 and is consistent with measurements at other tropical sites. Net methane flux in the Commelina diffusa—dominated vegetation pattern (honohono) was significantly …

The Carboxyl-Terminal Segment Of Apolipoprotein A-V Undergoes A Lipid-Induced Conformational Change, Kasuen Mauldin, B. L. Lee, M. Oleszczuk, B. D. Sykes, R. O. Ryan

Faculty Publications

Apolipoprotein (apo) A-V is a 343-residue, multidomain protein that plays an important role in regulation of plasma triglyceride homeostasis. Primary sequence analysis revealed a unique tetraproline sequence (Pro293-Pro296) near the carboxyl terminus of the protein. A peptide corresponding to the 48-residue segment beyond the tetraproline motif was generated from a recombinant apoA-V precursor wherein Pro295 was replaced by Met. Cyanogen bromide cleavage of the precursor protein, followed by negative affinity chromatography, yielded a purified peptide. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis verified that apoA-V(296-343) solubilizes phospholipid vesicles, forming a relatively heterogeneous population of reconstituted high-density lipoprotein with Stokes’ diameters>17 nm. At …

Congregational Health And Wellness Ministry Using Locus Of Control To Develop Teaching Methods, Theresa Lee Trivette

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Faith communities have a unique opportunity to help congregational members modify health-seeking behaviors in order to reduce modifiable health risk factors. Health researchers have increased their use of health locus of control as a preferred method for studying health promotion and sick-role behaviors. Targeted education and activities designed from the context of the subjects' health locus of control may provide an effective method to influence people to make positive healthy behavior modifications with a higher likelihood of success because locus of control beliefs have been shown to have direct relationships with healthy behavior choices. The health locus of control theory …

Stimulating Our Food Environment, Katharine Masciocchi

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This thesis argues that architecture must be more than just the physical creation of space and become involved in the design of policies and sustainable systems, which support local food systems providing healthy food for all people regardless of income or race, helping to restore the environment rather than destroy it."

An Extraordinary Example Of Photokarren In A Sandstone Cave, Cueva Charles Brewer, Chimantá Plateau, Venezuela: Biogeomorphology On A Small Scale, Joyce Lundberg, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Charles Brewer-Carias

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

A distinctive suite of small-scale erosional forms that are oriented towards the light occur close to the entrance of Cueva Charles Brewer, a large cave in a sandstone tepui, in SE Venezuela. These are the third example of photokarren ever studied in the world, the other two being from Borneo and Ireland. They are the only photokarren ever described from sandstone, and the only example from a non-carbonate environment. The host rock is a poorly-lithified unit of the Precambrian quartz arenite of the Roraima Supergroup. The forms are all oriented towards the light at 30° regardless of rock surface orientation. …

A Unique Population Of Cave Bears (Carnivora: Ursidae) From The Middle Pleistocene Of Kents Cavern, England, Based On Dental Morphometrics, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Martin Sabol, Joyce Lundberg

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

The ‘breccia’ stratum from Kents (we follow local tradition in using the form ‘Kents’, without an apostrophe) Cavern, England, has been well known for its rich yield of cave-bear material since excavations began in the mid-19th century. Recent work has established that the bears are of latest MIS 12 or earliest MIS 11 age. A life table based on a collection of 67 molariform teeth is consistent with the use of the cave as a hibernaculum. Univariate and morphological assessment of the teeth shows an unusual range of primitive and more derived characters. Multivariate morphometric analysis of cave-bear teeth from …

A Geographic Information Systems Approach To The 19th Century Excavation Of Brixham Cavern, Devon, England, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg, Warren Roberts

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

The oldest known spatially-explicit archaeological excavation, conducted in Brixham cave, Devon, in 1858, is reconstructed using geographic information systems technology. Two dimensional plots of individual fossil taxa and flint artefacts demonstrate the utility of the technique for elucidating taphonomy and palaeobiology. The cave served as a den for hibernating brown bears, as a den for hyena and cave lion, and as a reliquary for their prey.

Office Of Grants And Research Services Annual Report 2010, Office Of Grants And Research Services, Seton Hall University

Office of Grants and Research Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

" Lu-Li-Lunacy And Sorrow:" The Grotesque In John Irving's The World According To Garp, Nicole J. Homer

Theses

No abstract provided.

" Poisoned By A Book": Aesthic Decadence And Plagiarism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Jill C. Veltri

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Insulin And Glutathione On In Vitro Spermatogenic Cyst Maturation, Peta-Gay A. Ricketts

Theses

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Poly (C) Binding Protein 1-Interact Proteins By Screening Cdna Library, Hamidah N. Sultan

Theses

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Open Reading Frames 58 And 27, Jennifer L. Quiceno

Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Intimate Partner Violence On Pregnancy Trauma And Placental Abruption, Sandra D. Lane, J. Leone, E. H. Koumans, K. Demott, M. Wojtowycs, J. Jenson

Falk College Research Center

No abstract provided.

Center For Grassland Studies, Winter-Spring 2010, Volume 16, No. 1

Center for Grassland Studies: Newsletters

Contents:

Biodiversity Maintenance with the Healthy Farm Index

From the Director

Record-breaking Cold and Snow: What’s that Mean for Turf in the Spring?

Flawed Turfgrass Research Report Gets Mass Media Attention . . . Now What?

2010 Nebraska Youth Range Camp

Nebraska Grazing Conference Celebrates 10th Anniversary

CGS Associates and Staff

The Nebraska Range Shortcourse

NRCS/SCS Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Bending, Like The Reed In The Wind: A System To Restore Northwestern Forests, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Silviculture is the study, cultivation, and management of forest trees. It is rooted in science, but often is an art based on the experience of the forester. This story explores free-selection, a silvicultural system developed by scientists that allows managers and stakeholders greater fl exibility in growing new forests. By using this system for applying treatments, managers craft a vision of the desired short- and long-term conditions of the forest. The focus is placed on how the remaining forest components will function, rather than focusing on stand structure guidelines that dictate stand treatments and tree removal.

Naked Eyes And Hyperspectral Images Build Fuel Maps In The Southern Appalachian Mountains, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

With the limited knowledge previously available about the types of fuels, and how they are distributed in the southern Appalachian Mountains, managers have faced diffi culties in developing fi re plans for the region, including whether or where to apply prescribed fi re. For this study, the scientists took a two phase approach to determine fuel loads on the land—by ground surveys, and by remote sensing technology using hyperspectral images. Examining over 1,000 study plots in diverse topographic locations affected by various disturbances (or no disturbance) across four states, the researchers found few differences in undisturbed plots regardless of topographic …

Nature In A Name: Paulownia Tomentosa—Exotic Tree, Native Problem, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

While awareness of fire’s importance in dry Appalachian forests, and the application of fire as a restoration tool have increased over the last two decades, so too has the post-fire invasion of Paulownia tomentosa (Princess tree). For the last ten years, managers have witnessed Paulownia invasion grow following fi re events. To understand this better, the team studied five life history transitions for the species: seed dispersal, seed germination, seed survival over time through incorporation in the seed bank, initial habitat requirements, and seedling persistence to maturity. Paulownia seeds were found to disperse over two miles from their source tree. …

The Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition: A Citizen-Agency Partnership That Works, Bruce Shindler

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

With the urgency of wildfi re near every community’s door, federal agencies have sought a middle ground between the extremes of timber-industry and environmental positions, one that would enable active management to reduce fuels and create safer communities. At the same time, citizen groups have organized themselves to protect important community values connected with their neighboring forests. These developments have set the stage for increasingly successful multi-stakeholder partnerships. The collaborative processes facilitated by these partnerships require considerable patience and perseverance at the outset, but the result can be a healthier forest, reduced fi re risk, more stable planning processes, and …

Filling In Knowledge Gaps In North Carolina, Elise Lequire

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

North Carolina is divided into three broad physiographic regions, from the low-lying Atlantic Coastal Plain, to the midelevation foothills—the Piedmont Plateau—to the higher elevation Blue Ridge and Appalachian zone. Understanding the behavior of fire in these widely different regions, as in much of the southeastern United States, presents challenges that differ sharply from those common in the West, where the emphasis on fire science research has been greater. An ambitious project has helped fill in local and regional knowledge gaps, as researchers gathered data and assessed the relevance and limitations of existing tools, including remote satellite sensing, weather station information, …

Sink Or Source? Fire And The Forest Carbon Cycle, Christina Frame

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

As the size and severity of fires in the western U.S. continue to increase, it has become ever more important to understand carbon dynamics in response to fire. Many subalpine forests experience stand-replacing wildfires, and these fires and subsequent recovery can change the amount of carbon released to the atmosphere because subalpine forests store large amounts of carbon. Stand-replacing fires initially convert ecosystems into a net source of carbon as the forest decomposes—a short-term effect (decades) that will likely be important over the next century if fire frequency increases as a result of climate change. Over the long term (centuries), …

The Good Earth: Run-Off, Erosion, And Recovery In The Post-Fi Re Chaparral Steeplands Of Southern California, Lisa-Natalie Anjozian

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

In September 2002, the Williams Fire burned 38,184 acres of chaparral steeplands, including more than 90 percent of the San Dimas Experimental Forest. The 1960 Johnstone Fire had burned many of the same watersheds some forty years earlier, thus providing opportunities to compare post-fire watershed response coupled with management efforts that had converted some native chaparral areas to grassland. With scant studies on soil water repellency, plant recovery, and their effects on watershed hydrology, managers face diffi culties in planning for erosion/run-off problems. The researchers delivered quantifi ed data on changing soil properties, the character and structure of regenerating plants, …

To Thin Or Not To Thin: Assessing The Consequences Of Fuel Reduction Treatments For The Non-Coniferous Ecosystems Of Southwestern Oregon, Shari Anstedt

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Over time, fire exclusion has caused the accumulation of fuels and changes in vegetation structure and composition in many western ecosystems. This is commonly assumed to have also occurred in the oak woodlands, shrub lands and grasslands of southwestern Oregon. As a result, land managers of the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have sought to reduce fuel-loads using a variety of thinning methods including mechanical mastication and hand-cutting, piling and burning. As of the mid-1990s, these treatments have been used on thousands of acres annually of the Ashland Resource Area (ARA) of the BLM. Since non-coniferous …

Using Lidar To Validate And Strengthen A Long-Range Smoke Transport Model For Air Quality Forecasting, Joy Drohan

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Researchers have explored the potential and limitations of using lidar, the remote sensing instrument, to provide information on smoke plume dynamics and optical properties. They used a scanning lidar in the smoke-polluted atmospheres near wildfires and prescribed fires to measure the height, dynamics, and three-dimensional dispersion of smoke plumes and the temporal and spatial variations of the optical properties of the smoke particulates. The team has developed and refi ned a measurement methodology and data processing techniques for analysis of data collected from smoky atmospheres by lidar and auxiliary instruments within the smoke-polluted area. They developed, validated, and improved lidar …

Frequencies, Lasers, And Wavelengths: A Quest For Affordable, Landscape Scale Remote Sensing, Marjie Brown

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

New developments in high-resolution remote sensing systems have demonstrated the potential for generating direct, more accurate, and efficient estimates of fuels and the vegetation characteristics that influence fire behavior at the landscape scale. Two of these direct measurement tools are operated from aircraft and known by their acronyms LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and IFSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar). IFSAR is less costly than LIDAR, and unlike LIDAR, IFSAR sees through clouds and smoke. This project sought to evaluate the utility of IFSAR data for characterizing vegetation structure in the chaparral-dominated landscapes typical over much of southern California. The researchers …