Digital Commons Network^™

Vascular Consequences Of Metabolic Syndrome Related Shifts In Cyclooxygenase Mediated Arachidonic Acid Metabolism, Adam G. Goodwill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The metabolic syndrome is a multi-faceted disease state in which the initial pathology of obesity leads to the development of a cadre of comorbidities including, but not limited to, atherogenic dyslipidemia, a prothrombotic state, a proinflammatory state, a pro-oxidant state, hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus. The prevalence of obesity is drastically increasing both nationally and globally, indicating that understanding obesity related disease is more relevant now then ever before. The metabolic syndrome has been demonstrated to result in numerous deleterious consequences for afflicted individuals, not the least of which is peripheral vascular disease. While the study of peripheral vascular …

A Legislative Review Of U.S. Aquaculture: A State Analysis Relating To West Virginia, Ryan M. Benninger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This case study was designed and presented to allow a "reader-friendly" environment for aquaculture industry inquiry, specifically to pertain to West Virginia's recent surge in industry development. The sample for this thesis consisted of aquaculture producing states located within the continental U.S. The research design was qualitative descriptive that evaluated the legislative environments for each state aquaculture industry to ultimately pass recommendations for West Virginia. Of the states surveyed, it was found that 26 states enacted development acts for respective industries; 19 states were found to further develop with strategic plans. The greatest constraint discovered during this project was a …

Community Leadership Motivation: Factors That Influence Individuals Holding Leadership Roles In West Virginia Communities, Kelly Nix

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Community organizations play a vital role in a community's quality of life. Many organizations must count on volunteers to provide core services (Clary, Snyder & Ridge, 1992). Over the years, the volunteer rate has declined in West Virginia (Volunteering in America, 2010). The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence individuals holding volunteer leadership roles in communities. The population for the study was 577 members of the West Virginia Regional Planning and Development Council and the West Virginia Economic Development Council. The participants received a mailed survey that included 89 questions. Seventy of the 89 questions …

Hawks' Herald -- December 1, 2011, Roger Williams University

Hawk's Herald

No abstract provided.

Administrative Law, Martin M. Wilson, Jennifer A. Blackburn

Mercer Law Review

The difficult economic times and resulting budget cuts to many state agencies were evident in the reduced number of high-level administrative law cases brought before the courts during this survey period. It seems in tough times such litigation is often not pursued to the degree it is in a more comfortable economic climate. As the economy begins to recover, we will likely see an increase in the number and complexity of administrative law cases brought before the appellate courts.

This Article is a survey of cases from the Georgia Supreme Court and Georgia Court of Appeals from June 1, 2010 …

Wills, Trusts, Guardianships, And Fiduciary Administration, Mary F. Radford

Mercer Law Review

This Article describes selected cases and significant legislation from the period of June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011 that pertain to Georgia fiduciary law and estate planning.

Degradation Of Atrazine By White Rot And Soil Fungi, Gerald Presley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The widespread use of atrazine in agriculture has lead to an abundance of this toxic chemical in the environment. Fungi that have the ability to degrade atrazine into less toxic products have been identified and used in the remediation of atrazine. In this study atrazine degradation in a defined liquid media was characterized in a diverse group of white rot basidiomycete and deuteromycete soil fungi. Atrazine did not have an effect on fungal growth although each species produced a different amount of biomass in culture. Statistical analysis showed that biomass production was an important factor in determining the amount of …

Interacting Stochastic Processes: From Viciousness To Caging To Force Chains, Shiliyang Xu

Physics - Dissertations

This thesis documents a quest to develop and study several novel interacting stochastic processes. As for the first example, we generalize a system of vicious random walkers in which the only interaction between any two random walkers is that when they intersect, both walkers are annihilated. We define a system of N vicious accelerating walkers with each walker undergoing random acceleration and compute the survival probability distribution for this system. We also define and study a system of N vicious Levy flights in which any two Levy flights crossing one another annihilate each other. The average mean-squared displacement of a …

Supplementing Distillers' Grains In Extensive Beef Cattle Systems, Kelsey Rolfe

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A 3-yr study evaluated effects of supplementing modified wet distillers grains with solubles during summer grazing and subsequent feedlot sorting on long yearling steers. During summer grazing, supplemented steers had greater ADG and were more profitable than non-supplemented steers. At feedlot entry, supplemented steers were 48 kg heavier than non-supplemented steers. Feed efficiency and DMI were not different between supplementation treatments during finishing. Supplemented steers were fed 24 fewer days to reach a similar 12^th rib fat thickness, had greater LM area, and lower marbling compared to non-supplemented steers. Overall profitability favored supplementing steers because less expensive summer gains …

Nutrient Management In Beef Feedlots And Forage Replacement With Byproduct And Crop Residues, Annie J. Doerr

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Finishing cattle performance and mass balance was evaluated with Micro-Aid was fed in diets containing wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) at 35% (DM basis). Micro-Aid is a feed ingredient derived from a Yucca extract which contains saponins, and was included in the treatment diet at 1 g/hd daily in the supplement. There was no difference in performance and carcass characteristics between treatments. In the winter experiment, cattle fed Micro-Aid had a greater amount of OM and DM removed from the pen surface. Micro-Aid in the diet increased the amount of manure N and decreased N lossis in the winter. …

Evaluation Of Condensed Distillers’ Solubles And Field Peas For Feedlot Cattle, Anna C. Pesta

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Limited previous research has investigated feeding high levels of condensed distillers solubles (CDS) as an energy source for feedlot cattle. As an energy dense and relatively inexpensive by-product feed from ethanol production, CDS may provide another opportunity to replace high priced corn in finishing diets. Two feedlot studies and one metabolism study were conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding CDS in both corn-based diets, and in combination with other by-product feeds on cattle performance and carcass characteristics. Inclusion of up to 36% CDS, providing 9.4% dietary fat improved performance relative to a corn-based control, with the optimum level of …

Prevention And Imminence, Pre-Punishment And Actuality, Gideon Yaffe

San Diego Law Review

In a variety of circumstances, it is justified to harm persons, or deprive them of liberty, in order to prevent them from doing something objectionable. We see this in interactions between individuals--think of self-defense or defense of others--and we see it in large-scale interactions among groups--think of preemptive measures taken by countries against conspiring terrorists, plotting dictators, or ambitious nations. We can argue, of course, about the details. Under exactly what conditions is it justified to inflict harm or deprive someone of liberty for reasons of prevention? But in having such arguments we agree on the fundamental idea: there are …

Dangerous Psychopaths: Criminally Responsible But Not Morally Responsible, Subject To Criminal Punishment And To Preventive Detention, Ken Levy

San Diego Law Review

How should we judge psychopaths, both morally and in the criminal justice system? This Article will argue that psychopaths are often not morally responsible for their bad acts simply because they cannot understand, and therefore be guided by, moral reasons.

Scholars and lawyers who endorse the same conclusion automatically tend to infer from this premise that psychopaths should not be held criminally punishable for their criminal acts. These scholars and lawyers are making this assumption (that just criminal punishment requires moral responsibility) on the basis of one of two deeper assumptions: that either criminal punishment directly requires moral responsibility or …

Identification Of Soybean Seed Oil Qtls With Little Or No Impact On Seed Protein, Yu-Kai Sun

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) is chromosomal location of a gene controlling a specific phenotypic characteristic (trait). This trait might be governed by two or more genes and may be affected by environmental interaction. The USA soybean seed composition, when averaged over years and states, is 18.7% oil and 35.3% protein. Soybean seed provides cooking oil for humans and protein for livestock. Concurrent genetic improvement of seed protein (pro) and oil content has been difficult to achieve due to the negative genetic correlation of the two traits. This negative correlation could be due to a pair of tightly linked protein …

Epitope Characterization Of Sero-Specific Monoclonal Antibody To Clostridium Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A., Cindi R Corbett, Erin Ballegeer, Kelly A Weedmark, M D Elias, Fetweh H Al-Saleem, Denise M Ancharski, Lance L Simpson, Jody D Berry

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are extremely potent toxins that can contaminate foods and are a public health concern. Anti-BoNT antibodies have been described that are capable of detecting BoNTs; however there still exists a need for accurate and sensitive detection capabilities for BoNTs. Herein, we describe the characterization of a panel of eight monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) generated to the non-toxic receptor-binding domain of BoNT/A (H(C)50/A) developed using a high-throughput screening approach. In two independent hybridoma fusions, two groups of four IgG MAbs were developed against recombinant H(C)50/A. Of these eight, only a single MAb, F90G5-3, bound to the whole BoNT/A protein …

Securing Sovereign State Standing, Katherine Mims Crocker

Faculty Scholarship

There are three main categories of interests upon which states can premise standing to sue as plaintiffs in federal court - proprietary, sovereign, and quasi-sovereign interests. Proprietary and sovereign interests, this Note contends, are held independently by states qua states, whereas quasi-sovereign interests are derivative of citizens’ collective welfare interests. This Note attempts to correct the pervasive confusion clouding the boundary between sovereign and quasi-sovereign interests, arguing that they are meaningfully distinct and should be treated differently.

This argument is especially important in the context of the jurisdictional bar instituted by the Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. Mellon, which prohibits …

Land-Grant University Employee Perceptions Of Extension: A Baseline Descriptive Study, Kathleen D. Kelsey, Eric T. Stafne, Lance Greer

Journal of Extension

eXtension was publicly launched in 2008 as an online resource; however, adoption rates have been disappointing. The research reported here measured adoption of eXtension, willingness to participate in a Community of Practice, and adoption barriers among Oklahoma Extension employees. The adoption rate was 49%, and 43% of employees were willing to join a CoP. Lack of time and knowledge of eXtension were key barriers to adoption. Recommendations include training employees how to use eXtension and become a member of a CoP. Adopting scholarship guidelines to reward faculty and educators for contributing to eXtension may facilitate adoption of this innovation.

An Assessment Of Current Feeding Practices In Louisiana Dairy Farms, C Leonardi, Vr Moreira, Rd Bardwell, Me Mccormick, M. Autin, B. Perez, M. C. Martinez

Journal of Extension

A survey of producers was conducted to determine feeding practices on Louisiana dairy farms. A 38.5% response rate among dairy farmers was obtained. Declared herd size averaged 108 Holstein milking cows producing 15,613 lbs/cow/year. Most producers relied on pastures as primary forage source for the cows. Pastures were supplemented with concentrates offered twice daily. Most farmers formulated rations and reported knowing dietary protein, but less than 20% of the respondents acknowledged dietary P content. Producers and company nutritionists should be targeted by Extension programs intended to inform about P feeding recommendations and environmental effects of excess P.

Class-Wide Respect And Social Support Skill Training To Increase Peer Interactions Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Melanie Orton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand for effective social skills interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders is a pertinent issue for school-based professionals. One approach to increase appropriate social skills is to involve peer support by training a few socially competent children to positively interact with a student with an ASD. Potentially, training larger groups of children could result in increasing the number of different peers who would actively support positive interactions with their classmates with ASD. Thus, the present study investigated the effect of a class-wide peer-training strategy on the percentage of positive social interaction and number of peer contacts for three …

Effects Of Dietary Supplementation Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid In Horses, Shannon Headley

All Theses

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces inflammation via the inhibition of cyclooxygenase II , thus reducing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. Conjugated linoleic acid has a suggested osteoclast-suppressive role in bone remodeling and osteoarthritis, which are dependent on bone resorptive stimulator PGE2. Bone resorption marker, deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and bone formation marker, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), have been modulated by CLA supplementation in other species. Recent research in equine exercise physiology investigated dietary supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids as a possible prevention and treatment for osteoarthritis, but CLA supplementation has putative effects on skeletal function or inflammation in horses has not been reported. …

Modeling Impacts Of Foothills Parkway Construction On Stream Water Quality Using Real-Time Remote Monitoring, Clark Chewning

All Theses

ABSTRACT
The need to monitor surface water quality has been increasingly recognized in recent years in environmental and natural resource management. The advent of real-time remote monitoring technologies has accelerated and enhanced this process. Field observations of water quality data are able to be conducted and analyzed in ways that were previously unavailable.
The objectives of this research were to deploy and test a real-time remote monitoring system for three small watersheds (Hembree, Dunn, and Rudd Hollows) in the Great Smoky Mountains. The watersheds ranged in size from 12 to 19 ha. Real-time remote monitoring stations were established in three …

Abundance, Overload, And Excess, Kristina Falotico

All Theses

As a middle class American, I have become aware of my culture's inclination and capability to accumulate goods. Through relocations, my life in recent years has been a transient one; relying mostly on possessions to constitute a home. At the same time these
possessions begin to become a burden, weighing me down as they constantly get packed and unpacked. It is through these experiences that I've become more aware of what we surround ourselves with and which represent our lives. My prints explore the notion of
everyday household goods and how much we have amassed as a culture. My observation …

Robust Design And Monitoring Tools For Sustainable And Resilient Structural Design And Infrastructure Management, Sarah Dalton

All Theses

Structural systems are subject to inherent uncertainties due to the variability in many hard-to-control `noise factors' that include but are not limited to external loads, material properties, and construction workmanship. Two design methodologies have been widely accepted in the practicing engineering realm to manage the variability associated with operational structures: Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). These traditional approaches explicitly recognize the presence of uncertainty; however, they do not take robustness against this uncertainty into consideration. Overlooking this robustness against uncertainty in the structural design process has two drawbacks. First, the design may not satisfy …

Effects Of Larval Exposure To Bacterial Species In Three Genera On Life History Traits And Oviposition Behavior In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Jonathan Gravgaard

All Theses

The biofilm is the most common niche for microorganisms living in aquatic environments. Forming a biofilm provides the means to resist shear forces, adverse osmolarity, chemical agents, and other environmental stressors. Biofilms also provide a major food source for aquatic arthropods like mosquito larvae. Culex quinquefasciatus larvae are found in freshwater pools with high organic content, and have the ability to graze on bacterial biofilms. To study how C. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes interact with bacteria in their environment I developed an experimental system that allows mosquito larvae to freely graze on bacteria in either the planktonic or biofilm state. The efficacy …

Magic Meat, Adam Stewart

All Theses

Have you ever been really secure in what it means to be? If not, it's ok. If so,
don't be delusional. Either way, I have created a series of devices that present the
challenges of self-division and fluctuation, and reveals this complicated human
characteristic not as a product of being broken, fractured, and dysfunctional, but as an
advantageous ability to adopt complex multiple perspectives, sometimes simultaneously.
These devices can be thought of as 'gym equipment' to exercise the more
immaterial, invisible portions of ourselves. Strengthening the connections between
physicality and the mental/emotional aspects of our bodies demonstrates an ability to …

Discovery Through The Art Of Making, Andrew Daly

All Theses

Between growing up on a farm, and working in a saddle shop, I have been conditioned to understand my environment in an empirical and experiential manner. There is a certain kind of education that can only be achieved through working with your hands, and the knowledge obtained in that fashion cannot be sufficiently translated through the written word, or with the use of technology. It is important to me to keep this type of education alive.
I have disciplined myself to learning the traditional printmaking techniques of engraving and lithography for their laborious hands on qualities so that I can …

Sensory Spaces, Thomas Schram

All Theses

We are all products of our environments and simultaneously have the ability to shape and change those environments. Physical environments obviously influence how we perceive and understand ourselves in relation to our surroundings, but non-physical environments have an ever-increasing effect as well. Changing technologies and increased use of online networks pose new questions about how we understand and relate to the settings we inhabit. Inspired by the work of Sherry Turkle, my work examines the tension in the transition many people experience as they incorporate more internet-ready, globally connected technology into their daily lives. I examine the intersection between virtual …

Judicial Training In Turkey In Light Of Constitutional Traditions And Europeanization, Simone Benvenuti

Journal of Civil Law Studies

In recent years, the strengthening in Turkish constitutional culture of the rule of law and pluralism appeared as a further breach of the Kemalist ideology of “sacralization” of the State. Nevertheless, the principle of statehood, characterizing the Republic of Turkey since its creation in 1923 and now affirmed in art. 1 of the Constitution still influences Turkish institutions. With regard to judicial system, while Euro-driven reforms and the application of the conditionality principle led to its modernization, the Constitution sketches an organization based on both institutional dependence and corporatism. These features are reflected also in judicial education, notwithstanding the establishment …

Can Antioxidant-Rich Berries Improve Risk Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Disease In Postmenopausal Smokers?, Jordan Alaine Teeple

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of smoking on risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and determine the efficacy of antioxidant-rich berries in ameliorating these risk factors in postmenopausal smokers. Menopause and cigarette smoking have been identified as major risk factors for CVD due to a decrease in antioxidant protection, increase in inflammation and oxidative stress, and adverse changes in serum lipids. Antioxidants, specifically flavonoid compounds found in blackberries and blueberries, have been shown to prevent low-density lipoprotein cholesterol oxidation and thus prevent downstream inflammation and oxidative stress. Healthy, postmenopausal nonsmokers (n=14) and smokers (n=31) …

Drosophila Piwi Functions Downstream Of Pirna Production Mediating A Chromatin-Based Transposon Silencing Mechanism In Female Germ Line, Sidney Wang, Sarah C.R. Elgin

Biology Faculty Research

Transposon control is a critical process during reproduction. The PIWI family proteins can play a key role, using a piRNA-mediated slicing mechanism to suppress transposon activity posttranscriptionally. In Drosophila melanogaster, Piwi is predominantly localized in the nucleus and has been implicated in heterochromatin formation. Here, we use female germ-line-specific depletion to study Piwi function. This depletion of Piwi leads to infertility and to axis specification defects in the developing egg chambers; correspondingly, widespread loss of transposon silencing is observed. Germ-line Piwi does not appear to be required for piRNA production. Instead, Piwi requires Aubergine (and presumably secondary piRNA) for proper …