Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing An Individual With Coexisting Disabilities: Traumatic Brain Injury, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, & Substance Use, Kimberly T. Heard

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Business Plan For U.S. Based Soup And Salad Franchise Restaurant In Beijing, China, Xin Xu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose:

The purpose of this paper is to build a business plan for American soup and salad buffet style restaurant franchisors who want to expand their business in Beijing, China. It will focus on analyzing the potential consumers, menu, price, location, and local competitors for such a restaurant.

Comparison Of Soil Chemistry And Microbial Communities That Inhabit The Rhizosphere Of Native And Non-Native Grasses Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Jacqueline Valencia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Non-native grasses can modify the soils they invade. This study investigated microbial variation among native and non-native grasses in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. We hypothesized that rhizospheres of non-native grasses would support a higher density of microorganisms; therefore microbial communities of invasive plants would exploit more carbon sources than those of native plants. A second hypothesis stated that Streptomyces bacteria from the rhizosphere of non-native grasses would be better competitors. Samples of grasses, and soil from their respective rhizospheres were obtained in Arroyo City, TX. Results indicated a higher bacterial colony density, total activity and number of substrates utilized …

Phylogeography Of The Reef Fish Cephalopholis Argus(Epinephelidae) Indicates Pleistocene Isolation Across The Indo-Pacific Barrier With Contemporary Overlap In The Coral Triangle, Michelle R. Gaither, Brian W. Bowen, Tiana-Rae Bordenave, Luiz A. Rocha, Stephen J. Newman, Juan A. Gomez, Lynne Van Herwerden, Matthew T. Craig

Fisheries Research Articles

Background

The Coral Triangle (CT), bounded by the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, and New Guinea, is the epicenter of marine biodiversity. Hypotheses that explain the source of this rich biodiversity include 1) the center of origin, 2) the center of accumulation, and 3) the region of overlap. Here we contribute to the debate with a phylogeographic survey of a widely distributed reef fish, the Peacock Grouper (Cephalopholis argus; Epinephelidae) at 21 locations (N = 550) using DNA sequence data from mtDNA cytochrome b and two nuclear introns (gonadotropin-releasing hormone and S7 ribosomal protein).

Results

Population structure was significant …

Seroprevalence Of 2 Zoonotic Diseases In Southwestern Saudi Arabia. Rift Valley Fever And Brucellosis., Abuelyazeed A. Elsheikh, Elsayed E. Masoud, Mahmoud F. Mostafa, Mohamed M. Elkhawanky

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Youth Sailing Participation And Market Segment Profiles For Plymouth (Uk), Philip Timings

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The study aimed to identify and quantify different sailing participation styles for Plymouth youths and to investigate if determinants of wider sports participation can be used to segment the market based on product usage. This was investigated through the use of questionnaires, interviews and secondary data. Four different sailing participation styles for Plymouth youths were quantified; those that have tried sailing, those that have continued to sail, those that have become members of sailing clubs and those that have not tried sailing but would like to. Secondary data and retrospective interviews were then used to compare and explain results. In …

Aquaculture Of Octopus Species: Present Status, Problems And Perspectives, Elisabeth Berger

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The aquaculture of Octopus species is currently an active field of research around the world, but economic viability is not yet achieved. Here, the current state of knowledge with respect to Octopus water quality and nutritional requirements, reproduction, juvenile and adult stages in culture systems, which comes mainly from just one species, Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797), is reviewed. Some critical considerations are addressed and new research lines are proposed.

The Physiological And Physical Response To Capture Stress In Sharks, Laila Hassan Hassanein

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Exhaustive exercise leads to severe metabolic, acid-base, ionic and hematological changes in sharks. It has been shown that these changes are species-specific and are affected by the magnitude of the cumulative effects of physiological and physical trauma associated with capture. Blood lactate, glucose and pH levels are reliable indicators of the shark stress response and have been extensively studied. Several shark species have been reported to be able to survive physiological stress unless severe physical trauma occurs. As comprehensive information about post release mortality is missing, future investigations should focus on the relationship between physiological disruption and survival rates of …

What Do We Know About The Causes And Consequences Of Salmonid Social Hierarchies From Laboratory Experiments?, Lewis Eaton

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The main focus of this review will be to examine the current understanding of the causes and consequences of salmonid hierarchies as well as the implications to wild populations and aquaculture. Salmonid dominance hierarchies readily form under laboratory conditions, this has allowed extensive research into social structures. There is limited research into the causes of social status, however, the cause is likely to be a combination of standard metabolic rate, body size and prior competitive experience. A wide range of research outlines the consequences of social status from behavioural changes in aggression and submission to physiological changes in disease resistance, …

Red And Green Carcinus: How Different?, Jennifer Lewis

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Carcinus maenas is, arguably, the most extensively studied intertidal crab in the world and can be found in a variety of habitats, from rocky intertidal, subtidal, in many areas of the world. Because of its range of habitats, it can tolerant a wide range of salinities and other environmental stressors like hypoxia and desiccation. Some individuals go into a prolonged state of intermoult when they reach a certain size, and turn red in colour. This means that C. maenas exhibits colour polymorphism, there being a green colour morph and a red colour morph due to different levels of expression in …

The Effects Of Stocking Density On Fish Welfare, Louise Baldwin

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The welfare of intensively farmed fish is a subject of increasing interest and one of the principal areas of concern is stocking density. Several studies have examined the effects of density on the welfare of farmed fish, and have found it to be a source of chronic stress with commonly reported effects including reduced growth rates, alterations in the physical condition and health of fish, and the activation of stress responses. Such changes in the biological and physiological systems of fish are indicative of a reduced welfare status. However due to pronounced interspecies variations in behavioural and physiological requirements, the …

Environmental Controls And Distributions Of Surface Foraminifera From The Otter Estuary Salt Marsh, Uk: Their Potential Use As Sea Level Indicators, Stephen Allen

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Fifty-six surface samples were collected from the Otter estuary salt marsh, Devon, UK. Previous work from temperate salt marshes have shown the vertical distribution of foraminifera is primarily controlled by the duration of tidal flooding, whilst working on the general assumption that the elevation of the intertidal zone controls the variations of any environmental parameters affecting foraminifera distributions. Cluster analysis identifies three foraminifera assemblage zones, and a clear vertical distribution of species within the high and low marsh zones is present. However Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) identifies that within the middle marsh elevation has less of a control over the …

Attachment Theory: In Search Of A Relationship Between Attachment Security And Preschool Children's Level Of Empathy, Rebecca Knight

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The ability to empathise has frequently been advocated as the driving force behind pro-social behaviour. The tender and nurturing environment inherently provided by mothers of securely attached children, constructs an ambience which promotes the development of empathy and implicates the role of attachment theory in explaining individual differences in empathy. Investigated in 58 preschool children, using 8 pictorial scenes portraying four emotions – happiness, sadness, anger and fear, children were invited to rate emotions elicited for both the character and self. Results supported the main prediction that securely attached children would be more empathic than insecurely attached children (p < .001), thus indicating that the route for increasing pro-social behaviour may lie within the realms of attachment theory.

Functional Macroautophagy Induction By Influenza A Virus Without A Contribution To Major Histocompatibility Complex Class Ii-Restricted Presentation., Joseph D Comber, Tara M Robinson, Nicholas A Siciliano, Adam E Snook, Laurence C Eisenlohr

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-presented peptides can be derived from both exogenous (extracellular) and endogenous (biosynthesized) sources of antigen. Although several endogenous antigen-processing pathways have been reported, little is known about their relative contributions to global CD4(+) T cell responses against complex antigens. Using influenza virus for this purpose, we assessed the role of macroautophagy, a process in which cytosolic proteins are delivered to the lysosome by de novo vesicle formation and membrane fusion. Influenza infection triggered productive macroautophagy, and autophagy-dependent presentation was readily observed with model antigens that naturally traffic to the autophagosome. Furthermore, treatments that enhance or …

High Genetic Diversity And Significant Population Structure In Cedrus Brevifolia Henry, A Narrow Endemic Mediterranean Tree From Cyprus, Nicolas George Homer Eliades, Oliver Gailing, Ludger Leinemann, Bruno Fady, Reiner Finkeldey

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Endemic island plant species with a narrow distribution are often, but not always, linked to low genetic variation within populations and a lack of differentiation among populations. Cedrus brevifolia is a narrow endemic island tree species of Cyprus. Its range is restricted to a single forest, divided into five neighbouring sites. This study, using biparentally inherited nuclear microsatellites and paternally inherited plastid (chloroplast) microsatellites, assessed the genetic variation of C. brevifolia within its sole population and the level of genetic differentiation among formed sites. The results from both markers showed high diversity (nuclear HT = 0. 70; plastid HT = …

Genome Snapshot And Molecular Marker Development In Penstemon (Plantaginaceae), Rhyan B. Dockter

Theses and Dissertations

Penstemon Mitchell (Plantaginaceae) is one of the largest, most diverse plant genera in North America. Their unique diversity, paired with their drought-tolerance and overall hardiness, give Penstemon a vast amount of potential in the landscaping industry—especially in the more arid western United States where they naturally thrive. In order to develop Penstemon lines for more widespread commercial and private landscaping use, we must improve our understanding of the vast genetic diversity of the genus on a molecular level. In this study we utilize genome reduction and barcoding to optimize 454-pyrosequencing in four target species of Penstemon (P. cyananthus, …

What Do Indexes Of Consumer Confidence Tell Us?, Marta Lachowska

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Employment Research, Vol. 18, No. 3, July 2011

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Scaling Up Deliberative Democracy As Dispute Resolution In Healthcare Reform: A Work In Progress , Carrie Menkel-Meadow

Law and Contemporary Problems

No abstract provided.

Composition And Christology, Brian Leftow

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Rolfe King, Obstacles To Divine Revelation: God And The Reorientation Of Human Reason, William J. Wainwright

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Reading For Idea Advancement In A Grade 4 Knowledge Building Community, Jianwei Zhang

Educational Theory and Practice Faculty Scholarship

This study looks into the reading practice in a Grade 4 knowledge building community that involved 22 students and a veteran teacher. The students investigated light over a threemonth period supported by Knowledge Forum, a networked collaborative knowledge-building environment. The classroom designs encouraged the students to take on high-level responsibility for advancing the community’s knowledge, as represented in their online discourse in Knowledge Forum. The tracing of student conversations in Knowledge Forum and content analysis of their portfolio notes demonstrate productive advancement of scientific understanding. Qualitative analyses of classroom videos, online discourse, and the teacher’s reflection journal characterize student reading …

Environmental History Of A Closed-Basin Lake In The Us Great Plains: Diatom Response To Variations In Groundwater Flow Regimes Over The Last 8500 Cal. Yr Bp, William O. Hobbs, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Jeffery R. Stone, Joseph J. Donovan, Eric C. Grimm, James E. Almendinger

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sediment records from closed-basin lakes in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) of North America have contributed significantly to our understanding of regional paleoclimatology. A high-resolution (near decadal) fossil diatom record from Kettle Lake, ND, USA that spans the last 8500 cal. yr BP is interpreted in concert with percent abundance of aragonite in the sediment as an independent proxy of groundwater flow to the lake (and thus lake water level). Kettle Lake has been relatively fresh for the majority of the Holocene, likely because of the coarse substrata and a strong connection to the underlying aquifer. Interpretation of diatom assemblages …

Polyanhydride Microparticles Enhance Dendritic Cell Antigen Presentation And Activation, Maria P. Torres, Jennifer H. Wilson-Welder, Senja K. Lopac, Yashdeep Phanse, Brenda Carillo-Conde, Amanda E. Ramer-Tait, Bryan H. Bellaire, Michael J. Wannemeuhler, Balaji Narasimhan

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The present studies were designed to evaluate the adjuvant activity of polyanhydride microparticles prepared in the absence of additional stabilizers, excipients, or immune modulators. Microparticles composed of varying ratios of either 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane (CPH) and sebacic acid (SA) or 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane (CPTEG) and CPH were added to in vitro cultures of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs). Microparticles were efficiently and rapidly phagocytosed by DCs in the absence of opsonization and without centrifugation or agitation. Within 2 h, internalized particles were rapidly localized to an acidic, phagolysosomal compartment. By 48 h, only a minor reduction in microparticle size was …

Generation Of A Kupffer Cell-Evading Adenovirus For Systemic And Liver-Directed Gene Transfer, Reeti Khare, Shannon M. May, Francesco Vetrini, Eric A. Weaver, Donna Palmer, Amanda Rosewell, Nathan Grove, Philip Ng, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

As much as 90% of an intravenously (i.v.) injected dose of adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) is absorbed and destroyed by liver Kupffer cells. Viruses that escape these cells can then transduce hepatocytes after binding factor X (FX). Given that interactions with FX and Kupffer cells are thought to occur on the Ad5 hexon protein, we replaced its exposed hypervariable regions (HVR) with those from Ad6. When tested in vivo in BALB/c mice and in hamsters, the Ad5/6 chimera mediated >10 times higher transduction in the liver. This effect was not due to changes in FX binding. Rather, Ad5/6 appeared to …

An Enzymatic Treatment Of Soil-Bound Prions Effectively Inhibits Replication, Samuel Saunders, Jason C. Bartz, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie can be transmitted through indirect environmental routes, possibly via soil, and a practical decontamination strategy for prion-contaminated soil is currently unavailable. In the laboratory, an enzymatic treatment under environmentally relevant conditions (22°C, pH 7.4) can degrade soil-bound PrPSc below the limits of Western blot detection. We developed and used a quantitative serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) protocol to characterize the amplification efficiency of treated soil samples relative to controls of known infectious titer. Our results suggest large (104- to >106-fold) decreases in soil-bound prion infectivity following enzyme treatment, demonstrating that a mild enzymatic …

The Effect Of Oral Administration Of Carum Carvi On Weight, Serum Glucose, And Lipid Profile In Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats., Fatemeh Haidari, Neda Seyed-Sadjadi, Mohammad Taha-Jalali, Majid Mohammed-Shahi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of oral administration of caraway (Carum carvi) on the blood glucose level, lipid profile, and the weight of diabetic rats. METHODS: This investigation was carried out in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran between April and June 2010. Twenty-four male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were randomly divided into 3 groups: normal, diabetic, and caraway treated diabetic groups and were studied for 3 weeks. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg body weight streptozotocin. Caraway was given orally at a dose of 1g/kg body weight daily, and the body weight of animals …

Hypolipidemic Effects Of Alismatis Rhizome On Lipid Profile In Mice Fed High-Fat Diet., Hong Dan, Juan Wu, Min Peng, Xuefeng Hu, Chengwu Song, Zhiwen Zhou, Shanggong Yu, Nianbai Fang

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of Alismatis rhizome (AR) extract on lipid profile in mice fed high-fat diet. METHODS: The study was performed in Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Resource and Compound Prescription (Hubei University of Chinese Medicine), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China, between December 2009 and June 2010. Forty male Kunming mice (8-week-old) were randomly divided into 4 groups and were treated for 4 weeks: Group 1: normal control, Group 2: high-fat control, Group 3: positive control and Group 4: AR 2.26 g/kg. The hypolipidemic effects of AR were evaluated by serum lipids, liver lipids, and reverse transcriptase polymerase …

Phytosterol Stearate Esters Elicit Similar Responses On Plasma Lipids And Cholesterol Absorption But Different Responses On Fecal Neutral Sterol Excretion And Hepatic Free Cholesterol In Male Syrian Hamsters, Mark M. Ash, Jiliang Hang, Patrick Dussault, Timothy P. Carr

Patrick Dussault Publications

The dietary impact of specific phytosterols incorporated into phytosterol fatty acid esters has not been elucidated. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that phytosterol esters containing different sterol moieties (sitosterol, sitostanol, or stigmasterol) but the same fatty acid moiety (stearic acid) produce different effects on cholesterol metabolism. Male Syrian hamsters were fed sitosterol, sitostanol, and stigmasterol stearate esters (25 g/kg diet) in an atherogenic diet containing cholesterol (1.2 g/kg) and coconut oil (80 g/kg). The phytosterol stearates produced no decrease in cholesterol absorption or plasma non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol despite a reduction in liver free cholesterol in hamsters fed both sitosterol and …

Managing An Invasion: Effective Measures To Control Wild Pigs, Bill Hamrick, Tyler A. Campbell, Billy Higginbotham, Steven Lapidge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A few years back, wild pigs ran mostly unchecked on Ossabaw Island, a 25,000-acre barrier island of maritime forests and marshlands just off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Pigs wreaked havoc on island wildlife, feasting on the eggs of snowy plovers and eating turtle hatchlings as they made their way from the beaches to the water. Managers estimated that hogs were depredating over 30 percent of Ossabaw Island’s sea turtle nests each year (Mississippi State University 2011). Something had to be done.

In 2001, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources launched the Wild Pig Removal Program on Ossabaw Island, an …