Digital Commons Network^™

Projected Loss Of A Salamander Diversity Hotspot As A Consequence Of Projected Global Climate Change, Joseph Milanovich, William E. Peterman, Nathan P. Nibbelink, John C. Maerz

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Significant shifts in climate are considered a threat to plants and animals with significant physiological limitations and limited dispersal abilities. The southern Appalachian Mountains are a global hotspot for plethodontid salamander diversity. Plethodontids are lungless ectotherms, so their ecology is strongly governed by temperature and precipitation. Many plethodontid species in southern Appalachia exist in high elevation habitats that may be at or near their thermal maxima, and may also have limited dispersal abilities across warmer valley bottoms.

Regeneration Of New Neurons Is Preserved In Aged Vomeronasal Epithelia, Jessica H. Brann, Stuart Firestein

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

During normal and diseased aging, it is thought the capacity for tissue regeneration and repair in neuronal tissues diminishes. In the peripheral olfactory system, stem cell reservoirs permit regeneration of olfactory and vomeronasal sensory neurons, a unique capacity among neurons. Following injury, a large number of new neurons can be regenerated in a young animal. However, it is unknown whether this capacity for renewal exists in aged proliferative populations. Here, we report that neuronal replacement-associated proliferation continues in the vomeronasal organ of aged (18-24 months) mice. In addition, the potential for the aged stem cell to yield a mature neuron …

The Trpc2 Channel Forms Protein-Protein Interactions With Homer And Rtp In The Rat Vomeronasal Organ, Thomas G. Mast, Jessica H. Brann, Debra A. Fadool

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

BACKGROUND: The signal transduction cascade operational in the vomeronasal organ (VNO) of the olfactory system detects odorants important for prey localization, mating, and social recognition. While the protein machinery transducing these external cues has been individually well characterized, little attention has been paid to the role of protein-protein interactions among these molecules. Development of an in vitro expression system for the transient receptor potential 2 channel (TRPC2), which establishes the first electrical signal in the pheromone transduction pathway, led to the discovery of two protein partners that couple with the channel in the native VNO. RESULTS: Homer family proteins were …

A New Species Of Boubou (Malaconotidae: Laniarius) From The Albertine Rift, Gary Voelker, Robert K. Outlaw, Sushma Reddy, Michael Tobler, John M. Bates, Shannon J. Hackett, Charles Kahindo, Ben D. Marks, Julian C. Kerbis Peterhans, Thomas P. Gnoske

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

We describe Laniarius willardi, a new species of boubou shrike (Malaconotidae) from the Albertine Rift of Africa. The most conspicuous, distinguishing morphological feature of the species is a gray to blue-gray iris. This and external morphometric data indicate that L. willardi is diagnosable from other black or sooty boubous. Further, L. willardi is genetically diagnosable, and its closest relative is the Mountain Sooty Boubou (L. poensis camerunensis) from Cameroon. The Crimson-breasted Bush-shrike (L. atrococcineus) and the Lowland Sooty Boubou (L. leucorhynchus) are together the sister clade to L. willardi—L.p. camerunensis. Laniarius willardi and …

Farming Practices (Chapter Two Of Walking Gently On The Earth), Lisa Graham Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

Excerpt: "My mother and her siblings grew up raising sugar beets . in Fort Morgan, Colorado- on one of the six million family farms that provided food for the rest of the nation. Grandma sold eggs from their chickens and cream from the dairy cow to buy fabric to make school dresses for Mom and her sisters. Grandma also tended the large vegetable garden that fed her family along with the chickens and cows they raised."

Sustainability Education As A Catalyst For University And Community Partnerships, Shane Lishawa, Adam Schubel, Alison Varty, Nancy Tuchman

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Universities are uniquely positioned to lead society toward sustainability and their collaborations with community organizations are essential to this transition. The Biodiesel Program at Loyola University Chicago Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy provides a case study of course-based service-learning projects facilitating synergies between the university and the community while concomitantly fostering urban sustainability. This article discusses the program’s design andstructure, and describes specific examples of community partnerships that havebenefited the university, the community, and the environment

Undergraduate Music Student Stress And Burnout, Helen Jane Orzel

Master's Theses

Burnout is fatigue and diminished interest caused by long-term stress. It is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment. In the university music atmosphere, stress and burnout are prevalent and accepted as part of the culture. Symptoms and causes of general stress and burnout have been well researched, but much less has been presented on college musicians' burnout, let alone how to deal with it. This study examines the sources of stress, burnout, and ways of coping for undergraduate music students.

A questionnaire with both quantitative and open-ended questions was administered during the 2009 spring semester. Participants …

In Situ Detection Of Tbx5 Expression In Developing Chick Embryonic Heart, Vaishali Agarwal

Master's Theses

The Tbx 5 gene codes for a highly conserved transcription factor containing a DNA-binding motif called the T box (or T-domain). Tbx 5 is expressed in the posterior sinoatrial segment of the heart along with the developing forelimb buds. Mutations in Tbx 5 gene are associated with Holt Oram Syndrome (HOS), which is characterized by heart septal defects and forelimb abnormalities. Tbx 5 expression was examined during various stages of heart development in chick embryos using both a double stranded digoxygenin-labeled DNA probe and a single stranded digoxygenin-labeled anti-sense RNA probe (riboprobe). Due to the presence of homology in the …

An Epidemiologic Study Comparing The Health Environment Of Honduras And The United States., Martha Magee Mangum

Honors Theses

The content of this project investigates the deficit that exists within the area of healthcare in the Central American country of Honduras. It is a descriptive epidemiologic study, describing and comparing the demographics, health statistics, and healthcare system infrastructure of Honduras and the United States in hopes of bridging the gap between the statistics found through research and a firsthand experience in the country of Honduras.

O2 Micro Int'l Ltd. V. Beyond Innovation Tech. Co.: Confirmation That Claim Construction Is The Duty Of The Court, Jessica L.A. Marks

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Computational Fluctuating Fluid Dynamics, Alejandro Garcia, J. B. Bell, S. Williams

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the extension of a recently developed numerical solver for the Landau-Lifshitz Navier-Stokes (LLNS) equations to binary mixtures in three dimensions. The LLNS equations incorporate thermal fluctuations into macroscopic hydrodynamics by using white-noise fluxes. These stochastic PDEs are more complicated in three dimensions due to the tensorial form of the correlations for the stochastic fluxes and in mixtures due to couplings of energy and concentration fluxes (e.g., Soret effect). We present various numerical tests of systems in and out of equilibrium, including time-dependent systems, and demonstrate good agreement with theoretical results and molecular simulation

Seasonal Distribution Of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon And Net Community Production On The Bering Sea Shelf, J. T. Mathis, J. N. Cross, N. R. Bates, S. Bradley Moran, M. W. Lomas, C. W. Mordy, P. J. Stabeno

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

In order to assess the current state of net community production (NCP) in the southeastern Bering Sea, we measured the spatio-temporal distribution and controls on dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations in spring and summer of 2008 across six shelf domains defined by differing biogeochemical characteristics. DIC concentrations were tightly coupled to salinity in spring and ranged from ~1900 μmoles kg⁻¹ over the inner shelf to ~2400 μmoles kg⁻¹ in the deeper waters of the Bering Sea. In summer, DIC concentrations were lower due to dilution from sea ice melt, terrestrial inputs, and primary production. Concentrations were found to …

An Investigation Into Sustainable Forest Policies And Practices In Syria, Rim Rateb Al Berni

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Appreciation of how forest land can be managed in a sustainable way in arid and semi-arid zones (ASAZs) of centralized countries is limited. Accordingly, this thesis seeks to analyse the role of government and communities, including women, in the formulation and implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) policy and practices in the semi-arid environment of Syria where such land is limited in extent (e.g. 3% forest and 57% rangeland) and yet where its high biodiversity value is of international significance. The thesis employs a variety of methods: a case study approach (Syria); a questionnaire (i.e. 142 respondents); face-to-face interviews (i.e. …

Aqueous And Solid Phase Interactions Of Radionuclides With Organic Complexing Agents, Estela Reinoso-Maset

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Characterising the geochemistry and speciation of major contaminant radionuclides is crucial in order to understand their behaviour and migration in complex environmental systems. Organic complexing agents used in nuclear decontamination have been found to enhance migration of radionuclides at contaminated sites; however, the mechanisms of the interactions in complex environments are poorly understood. In this work, radionuclide speciation and sorption behaviour were investigated in order to identify interactions between four key radionuclides with different oxidation states (Cs(I) and Sr(II) as important fission products; Th(IV) and U(VI) as representative actinides), three anthropogenic organic complexing agents with different denticities (EDTA, NTA and …

Sex Representation On The Bench: Legitimacy And International Criminal Courts, Nienke Grossman

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay examines the relationship between legitimacy and the presence of both male and female judges on international criminal court benches. It argues that sex representation – an approximate reflection of the ratio of the sexes in the general population – on the bench is an important contributor to legitimacy of international criminal courts. First, it proposes that sex representation affects normative legitimacy because men and women bring different perspectives to judging. Consequently, without both sexes, adjudication is inherently biased. Second, even if one rejects the proposition that men and women "think differently", sex representation affects sociological legitimacy because sex …

Marine Benthic Habitat Mapping Of Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve, Alaska With An Evaluation Of The Coastal And Marine Ecological Classification Standard Iii, Luke D. Mitchell, Guy R. Cochrane, Lisa Etherington, Ross D. Powell, Larry A. Mayer

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Seafloor geology and potential benthic habitats were mapped in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, using multibeam sonar, ground-truth information, and geological interpretations. Muir Inlet is a recently deglaciated fjord that is under the influence of glacial and paraglacial marine processes. High glacially derived sediment and meltwater fluxes, slope instabilities, and variable bathymetry result in a highly dynamic estuarine environment and benthic ecosystem. We characterize the fjord seafloor and potential benthic habitats using the Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) recently developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NatureServe. Substrates within Muir Inlet …

Pah Mineralization And Bacterial Organotolerance In Surface Sediments Of The Charleston Harbor Estuary, Michael T. Montgomery, Thomas J. Boyd, Christopher L. Osburn, David C. Smith

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in estuarine waters can adversely affect biota but watershed sources can be difficult to identify because these compounds are transient. Natural bacterial assemblages may respond to chronic, episodic exposure to SVOCs through selection of more organotolerant bacterial communities. We measured bacterial production, organotolerance and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mineralization in Charleston Harbor and compared surface sediment from stations near a known, permitted SVOC outfall (pulp mill effluent) to that from more pristine stations. Naphthalene additions inhibited an average of 77% of bacterial metabolism in sediments from the more pristine site (Wando River). Production in sediments nearest …

Toward Linking Ocean Models To Fish Population Dynamics, Lawrence J. Buckley, Lauren B. Buckley

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

We discuss Lehodey et al.’s (2009) approach to linking ocean models to population dynamics of large marine predators, consider its benefits and limitations, and outline alternative approaches. We advocate a middle ground between Lehodey et al.’s pragmatic, phenomenological approach and the detailed mechanistic approach common to most individual based models. These models should capture the essence of critical processes controlling recruitment and dynamic density-dependent and environmental effects.

Resilience Against Death Anxiety In Relationship To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Psychiatric Co-Morbidity, Mark Hoelterhoff

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Research was conducted examining death anxiety from existential, psychodynamic, cognitive and sociological perspectives. The intent was to consider the role of death anxiety on well-being; four studies were conducted to examine how death anxiety influenced PTSD and mental health among people who have experienced a life-threatening event. These studies were conducted using undergraduate university students in Lithuania. The first study used a mixed-method design and in phase 1, participants (N=97) completed self-report questionnaires that gathered information on demographics, death anxiety, trauma and well-being. Results indicated a significant correlation between death anxiety and PTSD, but not psychiatric co-morbidity. Phase 2 attempted …

Effects Of Oil Exposure And Oil-Related Compounds On The Immune System Of The Arctic And Temperate Scallops, Chlamysislandica And Pecten Maximus, Marie Lyn Lynhannam

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

With the current expansion of offshore oil activities in Arctic regions, there is an urgent need to establish the potential effects of oil-related compounds on Arctic organisms. The scallop Chlamys islandica is distributed throughout the sub-Arctic and has been proposed as a sentinel species for this region. In addition, the temperate scallop Pecten maximus occurs in regions of oil activity and, with increasing sea temperatures, the limit of its distribution may extend further into sub-Arctic regions. P. maximus also accumulates contaminants to a greater extent than the current temperate sentinel Mytilus edulis. A hierarchical approach, similar to that adopted to …

The Development Of Reasoning Heuristics In Autism And In Typical Development, Kinga Ella Morsanyi

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Reasoning and judgment under uncertainty are often based on a limited number of simplifying heuristics rather than formal logic or rule-based argumentation. Heuristics are low-effort mental shortcuts, which save time and effort, and usually result in accurate judgment, but they can also lead to systematic errors and biases when applied inappropriately. In the past 40 years hundreds of papers have been published on the topic of heuristics and biases in judgment and decision making. However, we still know surprisingly little about the development and the cognitive underpinnings of heuristics and biases. The main aim of my thesis is to examine …

Factors Controlling The Quality And Safety Of Fish Using Mackerel (Scomber Scombrus) Shelf-Life Model In The Context Of Sanitary And Phytosanitary (Sps) Measures For The Gambian Fisheries., Bamba A.M. Banja

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Food quality, including safety, is a major concern facing the food industry today. The effects of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures in the fisheries sector of The Gambia including the factors affecting the safety and spoilage of fish were investigated. Effects of SPS measures are important impediments for exporting fish and fishery products originating from The Gambia to the international food commodity trade. The inadequate scientific and technical expertise in addition to the general lack of information and finance are the major contributing factors to these impediments. The Government must build capacity, improve infrastructure and increase the number of trained …

Communicating Marine Environmental Health: Connecting Science, Social And Policy Values, Rebecca Louise Jefferson

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Human activities are degrading marine ecosystems and undermining the ecological functions and processes which provide valued goods and services. European and UK marine policy developments aim to implement the Ecosystem Approach to support better management of activities and maintain the health of regional seas. Current public perceptions of the UK marine environment are overwhelmingly negative, creating a barrier to engaging society with marine environmental issues and policy. This thesis conducts a study of the attributes of a suite of 72 UK marine species to identify those which contribute most to marine ecological health. The findings show that structurally complex species …

Amergent Music: Behavior And Becoming In Technoetic & Media Arts, Norbert F. Herber

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Technoetic and media arts are environments of mediated interaction and emergence, where meaning is negotiated by individuals through a personal examination and experience—or becoming—within the mediated space. This thesis examines these environments from a musical perspective and considers how sound functions as an analog to this becoming. Five distinct, original musical works explore the possibilities as to how the emergent dynamics of mediated, interactive exchange can be leveraged towards the construction of musical sound. In the context of this research, becoming can be understood relative to Henri Bergson’s description of the appearance of reality—something that is making or unmaking but …

Participation As Media: A Compositional System For Staging Participation With Reflective Scenography, Karin Sondergaard

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The practice-led research develops a compositional system for staging participation within reflective scenographies, and suggests an artistic concept of 'participation as media', which propose the participatory involvement as compositional material in itself. The research takes a starting point in the author's expert practice as a performer and director, and identifies key compositional problems from analysis of previous productions of participatory artworks. The practice-led research processes were organised into two laboratory events, a series of method investigations, and the production of two participatory installation artworks Mirror-Zone-Site and Zen- Sofa Arrangement. The approach is to rethink theatre as a complex communicational system …

Inter-Continental Patterns In The Fine-Scale Spatial Ecology Of Rain Forest Termites, Olivia Ingrid Scholtz

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

In this thesis I describe fine-scale spatial patterns in rain forest termites, from the colony to the assemblage level, sampled from one hectare plots in Central African and South East Asian lowland rain forest. By so doing the ecological interactions that structure this functionally important and abundant soil community were identified. The African termite assemblage, dominated by soil-feeding termites, saturated the upper soil profile (collected from 90% of soil pits). In contrast termites were collected from <50% of soil pits in Asia, with this difference reflecting the lower species densities and abundances of soil-feeding termites in Asian forests. Territoriality and inter-specific competition was shown to be important between colonies of soil-feeding species in the African plot. The termite assemblages were spatially associated with several environmental properties. However these could not explain the spatial patterns in the functional components of the assemblages. Wood-feeding termites were highly patchily distributed, due to the heterogeneous nature of their food material, but also due to possible competitive interactions for this. Humus-feeding termites were homogenously structured, due to the continuous nature of soil as their feeding and nesting material. True soil-feeding termites, unique to the African assemblage, were heterogeneously distributed despite the equally continuous nature of their feeding and nesting material. This structure may arise from facilitative interactions, such as co-operative defence against ant predation which may be intense in African systems, or through the transfer of soil material at different stages of decomposition. Competition for space is apparent in both regions, both at the colony level among soil-feeding genera, and between aggregations of functional groups. Positive and negative biotic interactions, operating at various spatial and functional scales, appear to be important in influencing how assemblage composition is spatially structured. If indeed facilitation is important in maintaining the taxonomic and functional diversity in termite assemblages, it would be valuable to confirm the mechanism(s) that drives this (i.e. predation and/or food transfer), as these may then influence ecosystem stability.

The Physiological And Molecular Characteristics Of Chemically Induced Abiotic Stress Resistant Mutants Of Cauliflower (Brassica Oleracea Var. Botrytis), Fazal Hadi

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

N-nitroso-N-ethyleurea (NEU) and N-nitroso-N-methyleurea (NMU) induced mutants and control plants had been maintained in in-vitro condition for 3 years by continuous sub-culturing and screened 2 generations for resistant mutants selection. In this study highly resistant mutants were regenerated and assessed by leaf discs assay for drought, salt and frost resistance to confirm the persistence of mutation over generations of subculture. Assessment was carried out using mannitol (drought stress), NaCl (salt stress) and freezing (frost stress). Cold-acclimated and non-acclimated leaves were assessed for frost resistance. Results confirmed the persistence of mutations in clones with enhanced tolerance levels to stresses over control …

An Evaluation Of The Relative Influences Of Elevated Temperature And Ocean Acidification On Processes Influencing The Distribution Of Intertidal Barnacles, Helen Sarah Findlay

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Ocean acidification and climate change are occurring as a result of anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide (C02) into the atmosphere. Changes in climate and ocean chemistry are occurring concomitantly and at a faster rate than previously recorded in Earth's history, yet little is understood about how they will influence the population dynamics and ecology of many marine organisms. The barnacle Semibalanus balanoides is a major space occupier on rocky shores in northern Europe and hence changes in its population ecology can have a broad influence on other species. An intertidal high CO2 microcosm system was developed in order to determine …

A Biophysical Model Of The Role Of The Outer Hair Cell In Cochlear Nonlinearity, Beibei Jiang

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

It has been observed that the response characteristics of the basilar membrane in normal living cochleae are both frequency and level-sensitive (Robles & Ruggero 2001). The quality factor of the tuning curve is large at low sound levels and decreases as the sound level increases, and the peak of the tuning curve moves towards lower frequencies as the sound level increases. The current study proposes a nonlinear cochlear model that responds adaptively to the incoming sounds via feedback control arising from the mechanical attributes of the cochlear partition. These attributes are dependent on the membrane potential of the outer hair …

In Momentum: The Navigation, Narration, And Negotiation Of Continuing Professional Development By Mid-Career Artists In South West England, Karen Mary Smith

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis explores the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of mid-career artists in England and the South West of England in particular during 2000 to 2010. It identifies what their needs are and asks what CPD means to them; how they navigate their careers through their practice; how they articulate their needs; and how they negotiate to fulfil those needs. It examines to what extent the providers’ thinking about, and provision of, CPD in the region is aligned with the needs of the artists themselves. The individual narratives of artists are represented at the centre of this research. The research was …