Digital Commons Network^™

Synoptic Drivers Of Storm Surge In Kotzebue Sound, N/A N/A

Atmospheric Sciences

"Coastal flooding due to storm surge is a serious danger for communities and industry in western Alaska. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of which storm tracks lead to the greatest surge, whether certain areas are more vulnerable than others due to local scale features, and what currents are associated with surge events. Kotzebue Sound was chosen as the area of focus on the basis of physical and social factors. Physically, its bathymetry, topography, and coastal orientation make it particularly susceptible to surge. Socially, this region possesses a range of affected coastal groups, including heavy industry …

Dissolution And Sorption Of Hexahydro-1, 3, 5-Trinitro-1, 3, 5-Triazine And 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Residues From Detonated Phyllosilicate Mineral Surfaces, Ashley Marie Jaramillo

Chemistry and Biochemistry

"Military training and testing exercises using explosive ordnances has resulted in training range surface soil becoming contaminated with high explosive (HE) residues. Composition B (Comp B) is a commonly used military formulation composed of 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and hexahydro-1, 3, 5-trinitro-1, 3, 5-triazine (RDX), two toxic HE materials. The potential risk of human exposure to these compounds and the efficacy of remediation efforts depend on the fate and transport of each compound in the environment. Numerous investigations of the temporal fate of HE compounds in soil materials have been conducted, however, most of these studies relied on the application …

Evaluation Of The Loss Of Functionality Of Xanthan Gum Based Drill-In Fluid And Its Impact On Coiled Tubing Drilling, Idowu Dosunmu

Engineering

"A challenge that has recently arisen in coiled tubing drilling is the loss of functionality of xanthan gum drill-in fluid with drilled depth in the well. The overall objective of this study is to analyze and assess the causes for this loss of optimal functionality. Twenty-four field samples from two field cases and five laboratory prepared samples were tested to study the changes in theological parameters, salinity effects and compatibility with shale formations. It was observed that the fluid's functionality was directly related to low shear rate viscosity, which is affected by xanthan gum concentration and the ionic strength of …

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Georgia Southern University Salutes Outstanding Faculty

Science Education In Rural America: Adaptations For The Ivory Tower, Gregory S. Van Doren

Indigenous Studies

This thesis illustrated what can happen when academic culture disconnects from the cultures surrounding it. It showed that formal school environments are not always the best places to learn. A discussion of the debate between coherence and fragmentation learning theories illustrated academic chasms and a mindset that science education must originate from within ivory towers to be valued. Rationales for place-based science education were developed. Two National Science Foundation initiatives were compared and contrasted for relevance to Native Science education (a) Informal Science Education and (b) Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities. A National Science Foundation instrument, known …

The Relationship Between Rainbow Trout Stocking Success And Habitat Variables In Interior Alaska Lakes, Kelly A. Mansfield

Fisheries

"Fish are stocked for a variety of reasons, including the providence of diverse angling opportunities. Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss are the most widely stocked sport fish species in North America. In Interior Alaska, over 90 of the 137 lakes chosen for stocking are stocked with rainbow trout. To optimize fish stocking programs, managers require a better understanding of the lake characteristics associated with success in meeting program objectives, for assessment of potential lakes proposed for stocking, and to address angler inquiries. For my project, I used a model-selection process with lake morphometric and biotic data from 36 stocked lakes in …

Examination Of Gear Type Efficacy, Tagging Methodology, And Population Structure For Establishing A Directed Enteroctopus Dofleini Fishery, Patrick D. Barry

Fisheries

"In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in a directed fishery for North Pacific giant octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini. This species continues to be managed as a bycatch only species through the use of commisioner's permits primarily due to the lack of information on the basic ecology of E. dofleini and the logisitics of management. In the summer of 2007, we completed a survey in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, to determine the efficiency of different gear types for targeting E. dofleini, compared different methods of tagging individuals for movement and abundance estimates, and collected tissue samples for use in a …

A Remote Sensing-Gis Based Approach To Identify And Model Spawning Habitat For Fall Chum Salmon In A Sub-Arctic, Glacially-Fed River, Lisa South

Fisheries

"At northern extremes, fish habitat requirements are often linked to thermal preferences and the presence of overwintering habitat. The goal of this study was to identify spawning habitat for fall chum salmon Oncorhynchus keta and model habitat selection from spatial distributions of tagged individuals in the mainstem Tanana River, Alaska. I hypothesized that the presence of groundwater, which provides thermal refugia for overwinter incubation, would be most important for fall chum salmon. Models included braiding, sinuosity, open water surface area (indicating significant groundwater influence), and open water persistence (consistent presence of open water for a 12 year period according to …

Reproductive Biology And Movement Patterns Of Humpback Whitefish And Least Cisco In The Minto Flats-Chatanika River Complex, Alaska, Aaron Wayne Dupuis

Fisheries

"Humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian and least cisco C. sardinella are two species of coregonids common to the interior of Alaska and are a food resource for rural and urban communities. These fishes exhibit variation in life-history characteristics throughout their range, and many basic life-history questions remain unanswered. My objectives were to describe the spawning movements and identify the current distribution of putative spawning areas for humpback whitefish, and to assess the reproductive biology of humpback whitefish and least cisco in the Minto Flats-Chatanika River complex. Observed movement patterns indicated that humpback whitefish exhibited complex dispersals to putative spawning areas. Two …

Weighted Saw Reflector Gratings For Orthogonal Frequency Coded Saw Id Tags And Sensors, Donald Malocha, Derek Puccio

UCF Patents

Weighted surface acoustic wave reflector gratings for coding identification tags and sensors to enable unique sensor operation and identification for a multi-sensor environment. In an embodiment, the weighted reflectors are variable while in another embodiment the reflector gratings are apodized. The weighting technique allows the designer to decrease reflectivity and allows for more chips to be implemented in a device and, consequently, more coding diversity. As a result, more tags and sensors can be implemented using a given bandwidth when compared with uniform reflectors. Use of weighted reflector gratings with OFC makes various phase shifting schemes possible, such as in-phase …

Excitation Band-Gap Tuning Of Dopant Based Quantum Dots With Core-Inner Shell-Outer Shell Div, Swadeshmukul Santra, Soumitra Kar

UCF Patents

A composition and method for fabricating and tuning a dopant based core-shell semiconductor having a quantum dot core composed of an alloy of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and zinc sulfide (ZnS) as semi-conductor materials include a dopant of maganese (Mn) added to the core and outer shell of zinc sulfide (ZnS). The dopant based core/shell quantum dot semiconductor of the present invention allows the fine tuning of an excitation band-gap, covering a wide range (from 2.4 eV to approximately 4 eV). When doped with Mn, these alloy Qdots emit bright yellow/orange light. Tuning of the exicitation band is accomplished by changing …

Growth Rates Of Juvenile Scolelepis Squamata (Polychaeta: Spionidae) From The Chukchi Sea Fast Ice, Brenna Mcconnell

Marine Biology

"Arctic coastal fast ice supports high densities of sea ice algae, and is thermally stable at the ice-water interface at around the freezing point of sea water, providing a suitable environment for sympagic meiofauna feeding on the sea ice algae during spring months. Changes in water temperature due to seasonality and climate change may affect physiological processes of these organisms. We tested the hypothesis that juvenile growth rates of a common sympagic polychaete, Scolelepis squamata (Polychaeta: Spionidae), would be significantly faster at typical spring sea ice algal concentrations compared to concurrent phytoplankton concentrations and at open water summer versus winter …

Larval Transport Of Brachyuran Crab In Kachemak Bay, Alaska, Megan M. Murphy

Marine Biology

"This study's primary goal was to understand the oceanographic effects on larval crab transport and distribution between an estuarine inner and more oceanic outer bay in the subarctic estuary of Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Plankton tows and hydrographic measurements (temperature and salinity) were taken along the boundary between the two bay parts from March - October on spring and neap tides. Summer water flow and in Kachemak Bay is predominantly freshwater-driven and density patterns vary inter-annually with the amount of freshwater supplied to the inner bay. Larvae of seven crab species occurred in a seasonal sequence and the crab larval assemblage …

Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae) Numbers And Distribution On Their Summer Feeding Grounds Of The Eastern Aleutian Islands, Heather Riley

Marine Biology

"In summer, Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) of the North Pacific stock feed in Alaska's nearshore waters. My research focused on the Bering Sea between Unimak and Samalga Pass with the objectives: 1) Estimate the number of humpback whales using the study area from 2001 through 2006; 2) Determine to what extent humpback whales exhibit site fidelity; 3) Describe the distribution of humpback whales and determine if depth, slope, and chlorophyll-a can predict the humpback whale presence. To investigate the degree to which whales return to the Eastern Aleutian summer feeding ground, 1,985 whale photographs were collected and an identity matrix …

Induction Of Pluripotency In Human Keratinocytes Through Mrna Transfection, Robert Leone

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

INDUCTION OF PLURIPOTENCY IN HUMAN KERATINOCYTES THROUGH mRNA TRANSFECTION. Robert D. Leone, Peter M. Rabinovich, Eugenie Cheng, Efim Golub, and Sherman M. Weissman. Department of Genetics, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are epigenetically reprogrammed somatic cells that exhibit developmental and proliferative characteristics of embryonic stem (ES) cells. Other than alterations made during the reprogramming process, iPS cells are genotypically identical to donor tissue, giving them significant potential in regenerative medicine, basic biology of genetic disease, and drug development. Presently, iPS cell derivation largely relies on the introduction of reprogramming factors (eg, OCT4, …

Art Major Earns Academic Credit At Art And Design School In Belfast, Ireland, Admin

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Maladaptive Schema On Disordered Eating: A Collective Case Study, Susan Hurley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study is based on the reality that disordered eating such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive overeating resulting in obesity represent a major and growing problem in community health. Treatment models using cognitive behavioral therapy suggest that those diagnosed with an eating disorder tend to judge themselves in terms of their body shape, weight, and eating habits. However, the recovery rate for those treated for an eating disorder that only addresses those three issues identified above is less than 60%. A number of quantitative studies have provided evidence that other maladaptive schema may contribute to bulimic and …

Relationships Between Ecosystem Metabolism, Benthic Macroinvertebrate Densities, And Environmental Variables In A Sub-Arctic Alaskan River, Emily R. Benson

Biological Sciences

The aim of this study was to investigate the environmental drivers of river ecosystem metabolism and macroinvertebrate density in a sub-arctic river. Ecosystem metabolism is the combination of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration within a river. Aquatic macroinvertebrates link primary producers at the base of the food web with secondary consumers. The extent to which photosynthetically active radiation, discharge, and nutrients influence metabolism rates and how primary production and river discharge rates influence benthic macroinvertebrate densities in sub-arctic rivers is not clear. These processes ultimately help regulate prey resources available for upper level consumers such as juvenile salmon. I …

Oxidative Stress Is Transient And Tissue-Specific During Cold Acclimation Of Threespine Sticklebacks, Aaron R. Kammer

Biological Sciences

We sought to determine if oxidative stress occurs in liver, oxidative muscle or glycolytic muscle of threespine sticklebacks during cold acclimation. Fishes were held at 20°C for 12 wks and then acclimated to 8°C for 9 wks or held at 20°C for an additional 9 wks. Animals were harvested during the first four days of cold acclimation, and at wk 1, 4 and 9. Protein carbonyls were quantified as an indirect measure of the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), levels of SOD mRNA, and glutathione levels were quantified as indices of protection against …

The Case Of Technology In Senior Secondary Mathematics: Curriculum And Assessment Congruence?, David Leigh-Lancaster

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

No abstract provided.

Conversation With A Keynote, Paul Ernest

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

No abstract provided.

Winthrop Awarded $1.2 Million Grant To Help Train Math And Science Teachers, Winthrop University

Winthrop News 2010

• Winthrop will undergo a new initiative with a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant to train teachers for high needs areas.
• The Winthrop Initiative for STEM Educators (WISE) will award 34 potential math and science educators $10,000 a year each for two years.

Surrogate Screening Models For The Low Physical Activity Criterion Of Frailty, Sandrah P. Eckel, Karen Bandeen-Roche, Paulo H.M. Chaves, Linda P. Fried, Thomas A. Louis

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Background and Aims. Low physical activity, one of five criteria in a validated clinical phenotype of frailty, is assessed by a standardized questionnaire on up to 20 leisure time activities. Because of the time demanded to collect the interview data, it has been challenging to translate to studies other than the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), for which it was developed. Considering subsets of activities, we identified and evaluated streamlined surrogate assessment methods and compared them to one implemented in the Women’s Health and Aging Study (WHAS).

Methods. Using data on men and women ages 65 and older from the CHS, …

In Appreciation Of The Kind Of Rhetoric We Learn In School: An Institutional Perspective On The Rhetorical Situation And On Education, Kathleen F. Mcconnell

Faculty Publications

Theoretical discussion of the rhetorical situation has been dedicated largely to questions of its ontology and of how it is constituted. Where this ontological orientation has inclined theorists to treat the concept as a theoretical premise, an institutional orientation would instead frame constructivist accounts of the rhetorical situation as a political-pedagogical commitment and treat the ethical obligations that arise from any given situation as bound to specific institutional forms. From an institutional perspective, the rhetorical situation is to conscience as the institution of school is to education. The distinction of both rhetorical situations and schools lies not in their contrivedness …

Welcome To New Faculty Members, John M. Dunn

WMU President John Dunn

No abstract provided.

Current, August 16, 2010, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Current (2010s)

No abstract provided.

Survival Associated Pathway Identification With Group Lp Penalized Global Auc Maximization., Zhenqiu Liu, Laurence S Magder, Terry Hyslop, Li Mao

Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Faculty Papers

It has been demonstrated that genes in a cell do not act independently. They interact with one another to complete certain biological processes or to implement certain molecular functions. How to incorporate biological pathways or functional groups into the model and identify survival associated gene pathways is still a challenging problem. In this paper, we propose a novel iterative gradient based method for survival analysis with group Lp penalized global AUC summary maximization. Unlike LASSO, Lp (p < 1) (with its special implementation entitled adaptive LASSO) is asymptotic unbiased and has oracle properties 1. We first extend Lp for individual gene identification to group Lp penalty for pathway selection, and then develop a novel iterative gradient algorithm for penalized global AUC summary maximization (IGGAUCS). This method incorporates the genetic pathways into global AUC summary maximization and identifies survival associated pathways instead of individual genes. The tuning parameters are determined using 10-fold cross validation with training data only. The prediction performance is evaluated using test data. We apply the proposed method to survival outcome analysis with gene expression profile and identify multiple pathways simultaneously. Experimental results with simulation and gene expression data demonstrate that the proposed procedures can be used for identifying important biological pathways that are related to survival phenotype and for building a parsimonious model for predicting the survival times.

Shear Stress Modulation Of Smooth Muscle Cell Marker Genes In 2-D And 3-D Depends On Mechanotransduction By Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans And Erk1/2, Zhong-Dong Shi, Giya Abraham, John M. Tarbell

Publications and Research

Background During vascular injury, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and fibroblasts/myofibroblasts (FBs/MFBs) are exposed to altered luminal blood flow or transmural interstitial flow. We investigate the effects of these two types of fluid flows on the phenotypes of SMCs and MFBs and the underlying mechanotransduction mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings Exposure to 8 dyn/cm2 laminar flow shear stress (2-dimensional, 2-D) for 15 h significantly reduced expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), smooth muscle protein 22 (SM22), SM myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), smoothelin, and calponin. Cells suspended in collagen gels were exposed to interstitial flow (1 cmH2O, ∼0.05 dyn/cm2, 3-D), and after 6 …

Chronic Pain And Pain Management Among Older Veterans, Juyoung Park

Florida Public Health Review

The aim of the study was to examine chronic pain in older veterans (65+) and the pain treatment that they received at the Veteran Medical Center. Using a cross-sectional research design, a survey was administered to 107 older veteran participants with self-reported chronic pain recruited from outpatient centers of the Veterans Administration Medical Center: Pain Management Center, Geriatric Clinic, Arthritis Treatment Center, Mental Health Clinic, and Primary Care Clinic. Severity of pain, functional status, depression, spirituality, social support, and social network were assessed, and demographic data were collected. A majority of the participants (92.5%, n = 99) reported having had …

Prevalence Of Staphylococcus Aureus And Staphylococcus Intermedius Among Pet Industry Employees And Transfer Of Erm Genes From S. Aureus To S. Intermedius Colonizing Healthy People, Xing Fu

Student Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen carried by humans. Staphylococcus intermedius is a zoonotic pathogen showing a potential to infect humans. Transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacteria accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance. In this project, biochemical tests combined with PCR were employed to identify the colonization rates of S. aureus and S. intermedius in pet industry employees and the transfer of erythromycin rRNA methylase genes, ermA and ermC, between them. The colonization rates of S. aureus and S. intermedius were 24% and 2% respectively, which were low and indicates daily contact with animals may not facilitate the …