Digital Commons Network^™

Individualistic Response Of Piñon And Juniper Tree Species Distributions To Climate Change In North America's Arid Interior West, Jacob R. Gibson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Piñon and juniper tree species have species-specific climatic requirements, resulting in unique distributions and differential responses to climate change. Piñons and junipers co-dominate the arid woodlands of North America as groups with widespread hybridization. Two piñons, Pinus edulis; P. monophylla, and four junipers, Juniperus deppeana var. deppeana; J. monosperma; J. occidentalis; J. osteosperma, are endemic to the midlatitude interior west and form three groups of hybridizing sister species, P. edulis-P. monophylla; J. deppeana var. deppeana-J. monosperma; J. occidentalis-J. osteosperma. Recent droughts have caused widespread mortality among piñons, but have had less impact on …

Behavioral Responses Of Willow Flycatchers, Empidonax Traillii, To A Heterogeneous Environment, Amanda V. Bakian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spatial heterogeneity impacts population and community-level dynamics including species-level dispersal patterns, the use and availability of refugia, predator/prey dynamics, and reproductive fitness. Understanding how wild animal populations respond to environmental heterogeneity is essential for their proper management and conservation. In this study, I examine the responses of Willow Flycatchers to spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of their food and habitat resources. Over the course of three breeding seasons, I radio- tracked Willow Flycatchers at Fish Creek in Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah, recorded detailed behavior data at each radio location, and collected fecal, feather and insect samples. I formulated …

Habitat Characteristics And Occupancy Rates Of Lewis's Woodpecker In Aspen, Amy M. Vande Voort

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lewis‘ woodpeckers (Melanerpes lewis) are generally associated with open ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), open riparian, and burned pine habitats in the West; however, this species has recently been found to nest in aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands in Utah. This study describes the habitat characteristics of Lewis‘ woodpecker nest sites in aspen and investigates how well aspen stand characteristics predict Lewis‘ woodpecker occupancy. I surveyed for Lewis‘ woodpeckers at previously occupied nesting locations in aspen and took habitat measurements at nest sites. In addition, nest-centered Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA)-type plots provided stand-level habitat characteristics. I used logistic regression to …

Characterization And Application Of Dynamic In Vitro Models Of Human Airway, Hemangkumar J. Patel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, respiratory diseases have emerged as a leading cause of mortality across the globe. In the United States alone respiratory diseases are the fourth leading cause of deaths annually. Moreover, with the rapid increase of industrialization and urbanization, the occurrences of respiratory diseases are expected to remain high with strong chances of increasing in the future. To ameliorate the epidemic of respiratory disease, it is first important to understand its underlying mechanisms.

Respiratory research studies in animals have elucidated the chronological order of the pathological events and systemic responses inside the lung, but understanding the response of individual …

Sound Image And Organic Form In Höller's "Regen-Kanon" (Sphären, Iv)., Adriana Guzman 1977-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Regen-Kanon" is the fourth of six pieces or "sound images" in the orchestral cycle Spharen, composed by York Holler between 2001 and 2006. The first four movements, namely "Wolkengesang" ("Song of the Clouds"), "Windspiel" ("Wind Chimes"), "Erdschichten" ("Layers of Earth"), and "Regen-Kanon" ("Rain Canon") are related to Holler's experiences of particular landscapes and consequently to associated impressions of nature, whereas the fifth and sixth movements, "Feuerwerk" ("Fireworks") and "Spharentrauer" ("Sorrow of the Spheres") convey different kinds of images. Holler cites the influence of the philosophers Empedocles, Henri Bergson, and Peter Sloterdijk on his musical language and on Spharen in particular. …

How Collaborative The Collaboration? : Assessing The Collaboration Of Services For Juvenile Offenders., James G. Dickerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile delinquency with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders has become an increasing problem within the United States. In part this can be attributed to the excessive number of delinquent youth entering the juvenile justice system with untreated substance abuse and/or mental health disorders-thus requiring juvenile justice to become a default system for substance abuse and mental health intervention and treatment services. In an effort to combat this problem, governmental, mental health, social support agencies, and school systems have formed interagency collaborations to provide more effective treatment services. One such interagency collaboration is the JETS Program, a court diversion …

Enigmatic Ornamentation Eases Male Reliance On Courtship Performance For Mating Success, Eileen Hebets, Jay A. Stafstrom, Rafael L. Rodriguez, Dustin J. Wilgers

Eileen Hebets Publications

Female preferences are frequently invoked to explain the widespread occurrence of elaborate male ornaments, yet empirical data demonstrating such preferences are sometimes equivocal or even contradictory. In the wolf spider Schizocosa stridulans, despite evidence of strong female choice, prior research has been unable to link the conspicuous sexually dimorphic foreleg ornamentation of males to their mating success. We conducted three experiments aimed at determining the function of this previously enigmatic ornamentation. Our first two experiments used males with phenotypically modified foreleg phenotypes in simple and complex mating environments in order to examine the relationship between the presence/absence of ornamentation …

Dating Solo, Alec Synnestvedt

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Robot Dog, Logan Dibiase

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of State-And-Transition Model Development For Ecological Sites In Northern Utah, Jamin K. Johanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecological sites and state-transition models (STMs) have become the preferred means of summarizing plant community dynamics on distinctive types of rangeland. Ecological sites classify rangeland types based on soil-geomorphic and climatic conditions capable of producing a known plant community, while a STM depicts the vegetation dynamics of an ecological site. STMs are usually based on expert opinion rather than site-specific data; however, if they are to gain credibility, STMs must accurately describe the processes that drive plant community dynamics. This study examined three ways of developing process-based STMs using three levels of commonly collected field data. We began by taking …

Effect Of Heavy Metals Found In Flue Gas On Growth And Lipid Accumulation For Green Algae Scenedesmus Obliquus, Reece Butler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years there has been a growing interest within the United States to replace fossil fuels with biofuels for environmental and national security reasons. Algal feedstocks have the potential of producing significantly higher yields of oil for biofuels than any other source. It is well known that high concentrations of CO₂ can increase algal yields. Flue gas from coal fire power plants is an obvious source of CO₂. The flue gas, however, will contain other chemicals besides CO₂ that may not be beneficial to the algae. The research objectives for this study were to determine …

Prize-Based Contingency Management: A Vehicle Miles Of Travel Reduction Intervention, Joshua D. Marquit

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the past 50 years, air pollution has become a growing problem throughout the Intermountain West because of increases in personal vehicle ownership and usage. Scientists continue to design interventions to improve air quality by encouraging people to reduce their personal vehicle miles of travel (VMT). However, results of these interventions have only seen modest reductions in VMT because of some methodological and measurement issues. To address these limitations, a 14-week driving reduction intervention was conducted in Cache County, Utah. This intervention employed a prizebased contingency management system within a single-subject, A-B-A withdrawal research design that rewarded participants with prizes …

Microbiological, Thermal Inactivation, And Sensory Characteristics Of Beef Eye-Of-Round Subprimals And Steaks Processed With High-Pressure Needleless Injection, Laura Kahealani Jefferies

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

High-pressure needleless injection (HPNI) is a process where small-diameter, high-velocity burst of liquid, penetrate foods at pressures ≤ 10,000 psi. The potential of HPNI as an enhancing technique for meat was studied. In study 1, HPNI translocated surface E. coli O157 into the interior of beef eye-of-round subprimals with an incidence of 40 (±7), 25 (±8), and 25 (±8)% for meat that had been surface-inoculated with a four-strain cocktail at 0.5, 1, and 2 log₁₀ CFU/cm², respectively. Run-off water contained 2, 2, and 3 log₁₀ CFU/ml and was used for HPNI of additional subprimals, which resulted …

Temperature Increase Effects On Sagebrush Ecosystem Forbs: Experimental Evidence And Range Manager Perspectives, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush plant communities are among the most threatened in North America. This project had two goals: to test how increased temperature affects native and nonnative forb species common to the Western sagebrush region and to evaluate land manager beliefs about changes in their ecosystems, including those affecting forb species.

Native forbs Sphaeralcea munroana, Crepis acuminata, Linum lewisii, Penstemon palmeri, and Oenothera pallida and non-natives Erodium cicutarium and Lactuca serriola were each subjected to two treatments: experimental warming using open-top chambers and a control. Knowing how forbs used in restoration might respond to future conditions is both …

Expression And Purification Of Recombinant Hemoglobin In Escherichia Coli, Chandrasekhar Natarajan, Xiaoben Jiang, Angela Fago, Roy E. Weber, Hideaki Moriyama, Jay F. Storz

Jay F. Storz Publications

Background: Recombinant DNA technologies have played a pivotal role in the elucidation of structure-function relationships in hemoglobin (Hb) and other globin proteins. Here we describe the development of a plasmid expression system to synthesize recombinant Hbs in Escherichia coli, and we describe a protocol for expressing Hbs with low intrinsic solubilities. Since the alpha- and beta-chain Hbs of different species span a broad range of solubilities, experimental protocols that have been optimized for expressing recombinant human HbA may often prove unsuitable for the recombinant expression of wildtype and mutant Hbs of other species.

Methodology/Principal Findings: As a test case …

Effectiveness Of Subglottic Suctioning In The Prevention Of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia, Cody Winston Amato

HIM 1990-2015

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the leading healthcare-acquired infection among ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU). VAP is a serious patient complication that results in increased hospital length of stay, cost, morbidity, and mortality. The accumulation of subglottic secretions above the endotracheal tube (ETT) cuff increases the risk of VAP, as these secretions may leak around the cuff of the ETT resulting in aspiration and an increased risk for infection. An in depth literature review was done to determine the effectiveness of subglottic secretion aspiration (by means of specialized ETT tubes with intrinsic suction lumens) in decreasing the incidence rate …

Survey Of Pediatric Residents Regarding Communication Disorders And Augmentative And Alternative Communication., Karen J. Coulter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with general communication impairments as well as complex communication needs rely on pediatricians to prescribe the services of speech language pathologists. In light of this continuing and increasing need, it is important to ascertain whether medical residents are receiving the necessary training in their educational program to fulfill their role. We need to understand how pediatric residents perceive their current level of abilities particularly within the framework of the current ACGME competencies. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify possible differences across pediatric resident levels regarding competence within three constructs, Medical Education, Medical Knowledge and Professional Practice, with …

Perception And Action: Sympathy, Charity And Ideal Communities In Eliot's Middlemarch And Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Katherine Ruth Curtis

Masters Theses

The desire to know and be known is one of the driving forces of the human condition that seems to have been repeatedly examined to the point of cliché, and yet literature has the power to continue reinventing the same question of whether humans can actually understand one another on a deep level or whether they simply learn to coexist, never breaking out of the shell of self-interested perception. In the late nineteenth century as national and smaller communities seemed to be experiencing major upheavals, Fyodor Dostoevsky and George Eliot sought on different sides of Europe to communicate how novels …

Forage News [2011-05], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Alfalfa Conference Photos
• 32nd Kentucky Alfalfa Conference Date Set
• Grazing Conference set for Bowling Green
• American Forage & Grassland Council Annual Meeting
• Grazing School
• Mob Grazing Misconceptions
• Letter to the Editor
• Kentucky Land Values and Rental Rates
• Economic Study Proves Value of Legumes & Non-toxic Fescue in Pastures
• Low Soil pH Reduces Fertilizer Efficiency
• Terminology for Grazing Lands and Grazing Animals

Aristotle On Mind, Rachel R. Adams

HIM 1990-2015

The mind as it is found in Aristotle's great work De Anima is a special capacity of the soul. It has both active and passive properties that work together to allow discursive thinking and moral ethical behavior to emerge. This work will look at Aristotle's philosophy of mind, and I will forward a new interpretation of the mind as he understood it: what I call the active and passive mind property dualism. Aristotle's four causes allow for a unique application of a form of dualism that accounts for the ontological status of the mind and the emergence of rational thinking. …

Engaging Scripture Through Dwelling In The Word At The Newmarket Church Of Christ, Nathan Pickard

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the lack of a meaningful engagement with Scripture at the Newmarket Church of Christ. I have defined “meaningful” as an engagement with Scripture that allows experiences and contexts to be a component of interpretation. The purpose of the project is to provide a means of reading whereby the importance of Scripture will be kept at the forefront, while allowing context and experience to be part of the reading of Scripture. The method of reading Scripture employed in this project is “dwelling in the Word.” Dwelling in the Word is a practice that involves a deep-listening process. Participants …

Fruit Presentation And Its Discovery And Removal By Frugivorous Bats (Phyllostomidae), May 2011, Emily Shelley

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Vegetation may obstruct echolocation signals bats use to forage. To compensate, frugivorous bats may use olfaction to locate fruits from a distance, saving echolocation to pinpoint fruits at close range. I observed how discovery time and total fruits taken by bats were impacted by foliage cover. Flight cage experiments found a significantly greater number of ripe fruits taken from feeding stations free of vegetation. Of 511 ripe fruits removed in total, uncovered fruits were taken 70 percent of the time. Also, fruits from uncovered stations were found significantly faster than fruits from covered stations. On average, uncovered fruits were discovered …

Plants With Specialist Relationships Show Higher Rates Of Asexual Reproduction From Fragments, May 2011, Christine R. Isabella

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Sexual reproduction increases genetic variation and allows offspring to be transported away from their parent plant. However, many plants in tropical forests are capable of reproducing from fragments, leading to a high density of clones in close proximity to the parent plant. Most plants require animals for pollen and seed transport, and in some cases plants have a specialist relationship with an animal, relying exclusively on them for successful reproduction. Other plants have generalist relationships with pollinators and dispersers with many animals able to complete reproductive tasks for the plant. This is the first study to examine the relationship between …

Sex, Size And Behavior In Wolf Spiders (Araneae, Lycosidea), May 2011, Nina Koroma

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Lycosids, or Wolf spiders, are widespread in many habitats and are important predators on leaf litter arthropods. They are highly territorial yet roam to forage. When they encounter another wolf spider they may fight, flee or court them. To determine whether Wolf spider size or sex determined agonistic or courting behavior, thirty spiders were captured and placed in pairs of male-male, female-female, and male-female for a short period of time. Size was not found to be a determining factor. However, female-female interactions elicited significantly more aggression than either male-female or male-male encounters. Additionally, avoidance was seen as the primary response …

Tropical Birds As Native And Exotic Seed Dispersers In Monteverde, Costa Rica, May 2011, Katherine M. Johnson

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

In Monteverde the practice of using non-native garden ornamentals is widespread. This practice could be economically and ecologically costly in the future if these non-native species escape gardens. Because many non-native invasive fruits are dispersed by birds, this study assesses non-native and native fruit species and tropical birds as non-native and native fruit dispersers. To determine whether fruits from an introduced species or a native species were preferred by dispersers and more frequently visited by birds, fruits from, Rubus rosifolius, a common roadside non-native, and Acnistus arborescens a common native garden ornamental were monitored for presence or absence and levels …

Ectoparasite Richness And Abundance On Three Species Of Neotropical Bats, May 2011, Roxanne Reiter

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Ectoparasitic arthropods can decrease the fitness or survival of their hosts by increasing host energy expenditure. Bats harbor many species of ectoparasites; host biology, grooming, and roosting habits can affect intensity of parasite infestation. This study assessed ectoparasitism on three species of Neotropical bats by Streblid batflies (Streblidae) and bat mites (Order: Acari). Bats were netted and ectoparasites identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Host species had a significant impact on ectoparasite richness and abundance (Two Way ANOVA, F = 41.25, df = 2, p < 0.0001). Anoura geoffroyi suffered the most intense overall parasitism and parasitism by Streblids, but Hylonycteris underwoodi hosted more mites and had a greater richness of mites per bat (Tukey’s HSD tests, p < 0.05). Carollia perspicillata suffered very low parasitism rates by all measures. Host sex did not appear to impact ectoparasitism across species or between males and females of the same species. Ectoparasitism is likely impacted by roosting dynamics, grooming habits, and density of individuals in the colony.

The Adaptive Function Of Leaf Fenestrations In Monstera Spp (Araceae) A Look At Water, Wind, And Herbivory, May 2011, Cassie Lubenow

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

A very important component of biodiversity in tropical forests is the vast variation in leaf morphology among different plant species. Leaf morphology is often a result of adaptations to the specific environmental conditions of a particular ecosystem or habitat. The Monstera genus of tropical plants in the Araceae family has very unique morphological leaf characteristics; it has large, deeply incised leaves with holes along the primary veins. There are many hypothesized adaptive functions of these holes, but no direct experimental studies have been completed to determine the functions they actually serve. This study directly tests the functional significance of the …

The Promethean, Volume 19, Number 02, Forbidden, Spring 2011, English Department, Concordia University-Portland

The Promethean

This year, The Promethean Staff wanted to encourage a large variety of entries. We wanted to get all sorts of submissions from all sorts of people. We didn't want to limit anyone. We also could not decide on a theme. So, we, the group of indecisive English majors, did what no literary journal staff has ever done before. That statement may or may not be true, but we did something pretty rare. We chose two themes. We decided we would have a double book, with two covers. One theme would be Wonderlings, the other Forbidden. The book would be able …

Table Of Contents

Mercer Law Review

No abstract provided.

Transcript: The Brain Sciences In The Courtroom

Mercer Law Review

Morning Session featuring Oliver Goodenough and Richard Elliott, Moderated by Morris Hoffman; Abigail Baird and Theodore Blumoff, Moderated by Linda Hensel; Neal Feigenson and Francis Shen, Moderated by Stephen Morse

Afternoon Session featuring Julie Seaman, Edward J. Imwinkelried; Susan Bandes and Amanda Pustilnik, Moderated by Sarah Gerwig-Moore; Kathryn Kase and Emily Paavola, Moderated by Tim Floyd; Stephen Morse and Morris Hoffman, Moderated by Gary J. Simson