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Pathology Of An Unusual Lumbar Condition In A Young Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) From The Big Bend Region Of Trans-Pecos Texas, Frederick B. Stangl Jr., Dana R. Mills, Michael W. Haiduk

Western North American Naturalist

The skeleton of a young American black bear (Ursus americanus) possessing asymmetrical distortions of the 5 caudalmost lumbar neural spines was recovered from west Texas. We attribute this abnormality, presumed to be congenital, to the absence or atrophy of the right multifidus muscle straddling L3 and to the series of compensatory muscle adjustments required to maintain spinal alignment. This finding may have important management implications for black bears in Texas, given the possibility that our specimen originates from a partially isolated population.


El esqueleto de un oso negro juvenil (Ursus americanus) con distorsiones asimétricas de las …

Front Matter, Vol. 70 No. 4

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Vol. 70 No. 4

Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Mate Sampling In A Natural Population Of Pecos Gambusia, Gambusia Nobilis, John K. Leiser, Kimberly Little, Murray Itzkowitz

Western North American Naturalist

Much research has been conducted on the mating systems of poeciliid fish in aquaria; however, there are fewer studies that examine mate sampling of these fish in the wild. In general, male poeciliids are characterized as being unselective in their mate choices and will attempt to copulate with seemingly all available females. Females are selective, copulate infrequently, and are often pursued by “ardent” males who may force copulations. To avoid male harassment, females in aquaria will often shelter from males among other females in shoals. Here, we examined the mate-sampling behaviors of male and female Pecos gambusia Gambusia nobilis by …

Considerations For Wood River Sculpin Conservation: Historical Occurrence And Sampling Efficiency, Donald W. Zaroban

Western North American Naturalist

Records of Wood River sculpin (Cottus leiopomus) from 1893 to 2003 were examined and new data were gathered in 2004 and 2006 to estimate the species’ historical range and to search for evidence of changes in its occurrence. Detections of Wood River sculpin were reported in 49 subwatersheds, primarily in the Idaho Batholith ecoregion. The remainder of the Wood River basin was classified as either potential historic range or unknown. Mark-recapture sampling was conducted to estimate the efficiency of electrofishing as a method to detect this sculpin. Sampling efficiency was calculated for 1 upstream pass and 1, 2, …

Faith Based Environmental Stewardship: Practices And Attitudes Of Christian Churches On Virginia’S Northern Neck And Eastern Shore, Paoula Sehannie

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the relationship between religion and the environment. The purpose of this project is to explore the environmental practices and attitudes of Christian churches in two Virginia Communities. The two communities; the Northern Neck and Eastern Shore are located on the Chesapeake Bay and have a shared history of dependence on the Bay. The results of the dissertation demonstrate the prevalence of environmental programs in the population, the nature of these programs and the respondents’ attitudes towards a host of environmental issues. These results can be used by environmental professionals and …

Obituary; 2010-12-19; Leonard, Charles Qmay, Hopewell Baptist Church

Hopewell Baptist Church

No abstract provided.

A Landscape Assessment Study Of The South Gozo Fault Area, Mariella Xuereb

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The South Gozo Fault region features a heterogeneous landscape which extends from Ras il-Qala on the east, to „Mgarr ix-Xini‟ on the south-eastern littoral. In recent decades, parts of this region have experienced substantial levels of development while others remain untouched. This study seeks to explore the impact of existing and proposed development projects on the character and value of the South Gozo Fault landscape. A landscape character assessment, together with an assessment of the value of the landscape will be conducted, with the aim of analyzing the present character and value of the landscape, and comparing this with the …

Fall Commencement [Program], December 18, 2010, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

Low Endemism, Continued Deep-Shallow Interchanges, And Evidence For Cosmopolitan Distributions In Free-Living Marine Nematodes (Order Enoplida), Holly M. Bik, W. Kelley Thomas, David H. Lunt, P. John D. Lambshead

Hubbard Center for Genome Studies (HCGS)

Background: Nematodes represent the most abundant benthic metazoa in one of the largest habitats on earth, the deep sea. Characterizing major patterns of biodiversity within this dominant group is a critical step towards understanding evolutionary patterns across this vast ecosystem. The present study has aimed to place deep-sea nematode species into a phylogenetic framework, investigate relationships between shallow water and deep-sea taxa, and elucidate phylogeographic patterns amongst the deep-sea fauna. Results: Molecular data (18 S and 28 S rRNA) confirms a high diversity amongst deep-sea Enoplids. There is no evidence for endemic deep-sea lineages in Maximum Likelihood or Bayesian phylogenies, …

From Seed To Harvest: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Conventional Vs. Organic Cotton Agriculture, Rebecca Hoehn

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Conventional and organic cotton farming practices both have benefits and detriments to each type. Cotton agriculture is responsible for the use of a third of the agriculture industries’ pesticide use. In order to help alleviate the use of pesticide dependency the following study reviews the use of pesticides as well as other stressors of both systems and hopes to decide how sustainable agriculture in the cotton industry can be attained. Evaluations of both systems have been compared in order to reach the decisions of sustainability.

The Role Of Quality Labels In Farming Diversification And Rural Development, Eman Vella

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The European Union promotes marketing of quality food products through a quality labelling scheme having three labels known as PDO, PGI and TSG. Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) are two labels that protect products with an association to a particular region. Such products need to have a traditional link with the area as well as unique attributes (known as specifications) that make the product different from the customary. PDO labels designate a product that is linked with an area in every aspect, while PGI labels indicate that the product has a unique geographical link in …

A Heuristic For Local Land Planning: Linking Ecological Function And Policy-In Context To Charlotte, North Carolina-, Kimberlee Robertella

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Ecological systems and services are foundational to human well-being, and in recent years have received increasing scholastic attention. The functional ability of these systems is influenced however, by human-induced land transformation related to conventional patterns of growth and development. Such land transformations, which commonly occur as single-family residential development, are criticized as being wasteful and inefficient, leading to issues like air and water pollution, diminished forests and wetlands, and habitat loss and fragmentation. In the United States a patchwork of policy exists aimed at addressing such ecological concerns. Despite best efforts, most local governments and planning offices still miss the …

Exploring Sustainable Environmental Management Practices For Golf Courses In Semi-Arid Environments, Angelica V. Gurule

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

For the past several years NM government officials have been working to increase economic growth via tourism in NM. As a result several dozen golf courses have popped up around the state. Golf courses are conceived to be problematic as they consume large quantities of water and typically use lots of harmful pesticides to manage turfgrass. Water scarcity has already shown its face in NM: there are drought plans in place and growing evidence that illustrates the decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperatures, which will further reduce water resources. The scope of this paper is to analyze the …

Assessing Vulnerability To Coastal Hazards Case Study: Gozo, Jonathan Portelli

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

All coastal areas around the globe are vulnerable to a series of potential hazards at different degrees depending on location, altitude above sea level, geomorphological features and socio-economic factors, including demography, human settlement and infrastructural development. Since the 1990s a major effort in developing appropriate methodologies and guidelines to assess coastal vulnerability has been made. Of significant importance, the coast of Gozo embraces both natural and anthropogenic features that occupy a relatively small area. Consequently, coastal vulnerability by multiple coastal hazards is a fact due to the topography of the island, overpopulation in some coastal locations, and intensive coastal development …

Extraction And Determination Of A Selected Polyphenol From Selected Red And Black Grapes By High Performance Liquid Chromatography., Summer Nicole Niles

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Polyphenols are a group of compounds found naturally in plants and they provide much of the flavor, color, and taste to fruits, vegetables, seeds, and other parts of the plants They also act as antioxidants which provide numerous health benefits by protecting cells against damage caused by free radicals. Their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties have also contributed to the prevention of degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers by slowing the rate of oxidative stress on cells. This study was aimed at the identification and quantitation of a specific polyphenol, quercetin, found in grapes commonly purchased at grocery …

A Profile Of Rural Southern Appalachian Hiv Patients: Vamc Versus Com., Lauren Brooks

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Although the AIDS epidemic in America began approximately three decades ago, much remains to be learned about the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in rural America. This study compared profiles of HIV patients at the James H. Quillen Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Mountain Home, TN to those seen at a university-based community HIV care clinic (COM) in Johnson City, TN.

An Investigation Of How Surface Coal Mining Affects Water Quality., Sara Moore

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Surface coal mining has become the ideal method for extracting coal from the Appalachia Mountains. However, surface coal mining generates large amounts of waste which may decrease the water quality in central Appalachia. This research is an attempt to determine whether surface coal mining negatively impacts water quality. This research consists of a literature review in addition to an analysis of data obtained through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. This data was analyzed at three separate locations along the Clinch River, VA to determine trends and cycles in pH, temperature, total hardness, and chloride, sulfate and metal concentrations. After …

161st Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Citizen Satellites: Tiny, Standardized Spacecraft Are Making Orbital Experiments Affordable To Even The Smallest Research Groups, Robert J. Twiggs, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

An article written by Bob Twiggs and Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and published in the Scientific American titled "Citizen Satellites: Tiny, standardized spacecraft are making orbital experiments affordable to even the smallest research groups" from 2010.

Commencement Convocation Exercises - December 2010, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

2010 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Commencement on December 18.

Commencement Speaker: Roy Reaves

An Exploration Into How Physical Activity Data-Recording Devices Could Be Used In Computer-Supported Data Investigations, Victor R. Lee, Maneksha Dumont

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

There is a great potential opportunity to use portable physical activity monitoring devices as data collection tools for educational purposes. Using one such device, we designed and implemented a weeklong workshop with high school students to test the utility of such technology. During that intervention, students performed data investigations of physical activity that culminated in the design and implementation of their own studies. In this paper, we explore some of the mathematical thinking that took place through a series of vignettes of a pair of students engaged in analyzing some of their own activity data. A personal connection to the …

Von Willebrand Factor Expression In Vascular Endothelial Cells Of Cage Control And Antiorthostatic Cage Suspension Golden Hamster Ovaries., Kristan Provchy

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The hamster estrous cycle lasts four days and is considered to be a physiological model for angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is the formation of new capillaries from preexisting vessels, and it occurs extensively during corpus luteum formation in the estrous cycle. Von Willebrand Factor (vWF) is a glycoprotein that is secreted uniquely in endothelial cells and megakaryocytes. It is frequently used as an endothelial cell marker and it is able to detect vessels within tissues when it is used in immunohistochemical staining techniques. This study explores von Willebrand Factor expression within Golden Hamster ovarian tissue. In particular, this study uses cage control …

Recommendations For Terminating With Child Clients Diagnosed With Reactive Attachment Disorder, Rebecca Katherine Greiner

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Clients diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder have mental health struggles which originate from the quality of significant relationships. Therefore the ending of the therapeutic relationship with these clients presents notable risk and opportunity. This thesis contains an extensive literature review that covers reactive attachment disorder treatment recommendations and termination recommendations. A journal article manuscript follows which provides suggestions and considerations for terminating counseling with child clients diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder.

Sensitivity And Exposure Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Habitat To Climate Change, Bradly Allen Trumbo

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Predicting coldwater fisheries distributions under various climate scenarios is of interest to many fisheries managers and researchers. Larger scale models have been useful in highlighting the potential large scale threat. However, the error associated with these models makes predictions of the persistence of individual cold water fisheries problematic. Most of this error is associated with predicted air and water temperatures which typically are simple elevation and location (latitude/longitude) models with simple caveats such as 1°C increase in air temperature equals 0.8°C increase in water temperatures. I directly measured paired air and water temperatures in watersheds containing reproducing populations of brook …

Identifying Landscape Quality Objectives For Gozo, Stephanie Farrugia

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The study of landscape quality has not been researched to a significant degree in Malta to date. This qualitative study explores different viewpoints in relation to perceptions of landscape quality, at present and in the future, on the island of Gozo, based on provisions of the European Landscape Convention. The latter, to which Malta is a signatory state, calls for the identification of landscape quality objectives, which should reflect public aspirations. Primary data collection methods, comprising community focus groups and key informant semi-structured interviews were used, together with an extensive document analysis, to understand a range of perceptions of present …

Studies On The Preparation And Luminescence Properties Of Cadmium Selenide Quantum Dots, Their Immobilization, And Applications., Travis Justin Heath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantum dots are semiconductive particles whose properties are highly influenced by the presence of at least one electron. Cadmium selenide quantum dots were synthesized via colloidal synthesis. Contrary to previous preparations, more focus was placed on the temperature rather than the duration of time at which they form. A series of colored solutions were obtained because the excited quantum dots of various sizes emitted specific wavelengths of light. The emission spectra showed that the temperature-dependent quantum dots were successfully synthesized. The quantum dots were also immobilized on various surfaces, and the luminescence properties were examined. The quantum dots that were …

Perceptions Of Maternal Stress And Neonatal Patient Outcomes In A Single Private Room Versus Open Room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Environment., Lisa M. Smithgall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Limited clinical evidence exists regarding whether the single private room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environment of care delivery has a positive, negative, or neutral impact on health outcomes for the high risk neonate and on maternal stress as compared to the open room design. The study purpose was to examine whether a difference exists in health outcomes in the open room versus single private room NICU environment. The factors considered were weight gain, ventilator days, hospital length of stay, incidence and grade of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), the number of parental visits, and perceptions of maternal stress. Infants hospitalized in …

An Analysis Of Monitoring The Future: A Look At The Relationship Between Juvenile Delinquency And Involvement In School., Thomas Theodore Zawisza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between juvenile delinquency and involvement with various school activities. In order to do so data from the Monitoring the Future survey of high school seniors in 2008 were used. Univariate measures included descriptive statistics of the variables, while bivariate analysis determined if a relationship exists between the dependent and independent variables. Results of the analysis suggested mixed support for the relationship between adolescent delinquency and involvement in school activities.