Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2011

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 421 - 450 of 23672

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Educating Mexico In Emilio Fernández's Río Escondido And Rosario Castellanos's Balún Canán, David Scott Dalton Dec 2011

Educating Mexico In Emilio Fernández's Río Escondido And Rosario Castellanos's Balún Canán, David Scott Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

Following the bloody Revolution of 1910-1917, Mexican leaders took a great interest in rebuilding their devastated, war-torn country. In an attempt to further national unity, the post-Revolutionary regime sought to construct a unified, national identity. Many officials, such as José Vasconcelos, Mexico's first Secretario de Educación, viewed education as one of the keys to redeeming the nation. These government officials, empowered by their ideals and their sense of civic duty, worked to extend educational benefits to even the most overlooked segments of Mexican society. This thesis will examine two fictional texts that consider these efforts to transform and unify …


“The Reputation Of The Queen And Public Opinion: The Case Of Isabeau Of Bavaria”, Tracy Adams, Glenn Rechtschaffen Dec 2011

“The Reputation Of The Queen And Public Opinion: The Case Of Isabeau Of Bavaria”, Tracy Adams, Glenn Rechtschaffen

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

This essay takes issue with a still common tendency to read contemporary criticisms of powerful women as straightforward evidence of their “unpopularity,” using as a cast study Isabeau of Bavaria (1371-1435), who was generally imagined to have suffered the scorn of her contemporaries. In part one of the essay we argue that the two sources that scholars have relied upon prove not that public opinion turned against Isabeau in 1405-1406, but only that her political enemy Jean of Burgundy was planting negative propaganda about her in hopes of damaging her reputation during those years. In part two we consider whether …


Biophotonic Imaging As A Novel Approach To Study Infectious Diseases In The Bovine, Jaime E. Curbelo Rodríguez Dec 2011

Biophotonic Imaging As A Novel Approach To Study Infectious Diseases In The Bovine, Jaime E. Curbelo Rodríguez

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional bacteriological methods to establish bacterial burden and distribution in infected tissues in vivo animal models typically require extensive bacteriological procedures and therefore are time consuming. An alternative approach has been suggested to use optical markers, such as luciferases, to labeled pathogens and monitor their progress and distribution in real time. The objective of the work presented in this document was to validate the use of Biophotonic Imaging (BI) through in vitro studies as a first step toward the development of in vivo models to study infectious disease in the bovine. For example, the feasibility of detecting bioluminescent Escherichia coli …


Assessing The Effects Of Toxic Synthetic Organic Compounds On Activated Sludge Communities, Kristopher Michael Lightsey Dec 2011

Assessing The Effects Of Toxic Synthetic Organic Compounds On Activated Sludge Communities, Kristopher Michael Lightsey

Theses and Dissertations

The recent technological advances in environmental monitoring coupled with the increasingly stringent effluent requirements being placed on waste treatment systems makes it vital to have a more complete understanding of how specific compounds in waste streams can impact wastewater treatment processes. Since activated sludge processes are recognized as one of the most often applied technologies in wastewater treatment, this study assesses the impacts of select toxic synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) on the activated sludge communities in two types of wastewater treatment reactors: a completely-mixed activated sludge reactor (CMAS) and a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Commonly applied activated sludge monitoring parameters, …


The Beacon - Vol 10 No. 7 - December 9, 2011, Merrimack College Dec 2011

The Beacon - Vol 10 No. 7 - December 9, 2011, Merrimack College

The Beacon

The Beacon - the student newspaper of Merrimack College. Volume 10, Number 7 - December 9, 2011. 12 pages


Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In Stormwater From The Pajarito Plateau, Northern New Mexico., Marwin Shendo Dec 2011

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In Stormwater From The Pajarito Plateau, Northern New Mexico., Marwin Shendo

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are distributed throughout the globe and represent an environmental threat to wildlife and human health. The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission has established surface water standards for Wildlife Habitat and the Human Health of 14,000 and 640 pg/L respectively. Preliminary studies identified elevated levels of PCBs in stormwater samples collected from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) watersheds draining the Pajarito Plateau in northern New Mexico, including the Los Alamos County town site. PCB samples were collected at 59 stormwater runoff Site Monitoring Areas (SMAs) from 1996 to 2008 at LANL. PCB Aroclor concentrations ranged from 218,070 …


Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Activities At Two Plazas In Cobá, Mexico, Eric G. Coronel Dec 2011

Geochemical Analysis Of Ancient Activities At Two Plazas In Cobá, Mexico, Eric G. Coronel

Theses and Dissertations

Two plazas at Cobá, Mexico, may have been the place of market activity during the classic Maya period. The intense decomposition in the warm, moist soils of the Yucatan Peninsula precludes the identification of organic artifacts in archaeological contexts, but phosphorus and trace elements accumulation in soils may provide evidence of marketing activities. The spatial patterns of P and trace element concentrations were used to elucidate the types of ancient Maya activities that took place in those plazas. Phosphorus concentrations are highly correlated (p-value <0.01) with Fe, Mn, and Zn levels in both Plaza B and D. Although the soil geochemistry of Plaza B does not show a marketplace pattern in comparison with previous studies, the elemental concentrations and distributions within Plaza D join other lines of evidence to support the premise that marketplace activities took place at that location. Soil samples were analyzed using DTPA extraction, Mehlich II, Olsen, and Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF). Experiments were performed to study the suitability of PXRF for field studies. Aspects that were studied include granule size, soil moisture content, protective plastic films that could interfere with the X-Ray signal when placing the samples on top of the analyzer, and a comparison of certified soil standards to the PXRF elemental concentration readings. The results suggest that a field laboratory could be set up to air-dry and sieve soil samples to a minimum mesh size of #10 (> 2 mm).


The Bg News December 9, 2011, Bowling Green State University Dec 2011

The Bg News December 9, 2011, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. December 9, 2011. Volume 102-Issue 50.


Neuromechanical Alterations Due To Induced Knee Pain And Effusion During Functional Movements, Jihong Park Dec 2011

Neuromechanical Alterations Due To Induced Knee Pain And Effusion During Functional Movements, Jihong Park

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Examine neuromechanical alterations due to isolated and/or combined knee pain and effusion in functional movements. Methods: A 4X3 randomised controlled laboratory study with repeated measures was used. Nineteen, healthy volunteers (age: 22.4 ± 2.4 years) underwent four different treatments (control, effusion, pain, and pain/effusion) with a week wash out period. Ten near-infrared cameras with 43 reflective markers, 12 surface EMG electrodes, and two ground-embedded force platforms were used to record neuromechanical changes during functional movements (walking and drop landing). To induce pain, 5% sodium chloride (1 ml) was injected into the infrapatellar fat pad. To induce effusion, 0.9% sodium …


The Effects Of Whole Body Vibration On Dorsiflexion In Chronic Ankle Instability, Lesley Abigail Thalman Dec 2011

The Effects Of Whole Body Vibration On Dorsiflexion In Chronic Ankle Instability, Lesley Abigail Thalman

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Whole body vibration (WBV) platforms are currently used as adjunctive training devices for exercise programs, and have been shown to facilitate flexibility. One of the biggest contributing factors to chronic ankle instability (CAI) is the lack of dorsiflexion after lateral ankle sprains and WBV may be an effective way to increase range of motion in this population. PURPOSE: Determine if WBV done concurrently with static stretching (SS) is more effective then SS alone in improving dorsiflexion ROM in subjects with CAI. METHODS: Subjects were divided into 3 groups (control, static stretch, and static stretch and vibrate). Subjects stretched 4 …


A Framework For Studying The Physical Degradation Characteristics Of Dvds And Their Relationship To Digital Errors, Brian K. Saville Dec 2011

A Framework For Studying The Physical Degradation Characteristics Of Dvds And Their Relationship To Digital Errors, Brian K. Saville

Theses and Dissertations

The methods used to store data on DVD-R discs have been proven to work over the last 15 years. However, there has been a growing concern that these discs will be outlasted by the paper records they were meant to replace. The data on a DVD-R is stored as optical contrasts which have the potential to be misread and even damaged. This damage may occur either on the surface or internally to the disc, especially on the recording layer itself. The literature is saturated with studies attempting to determine the time period in which discs may fail and what the …


Reduction In Wick Drain Effectiveness In Typical Utah Clays, Gabriel M. Smith Dec 2011

Reduction In Wick Drain Effectiveness In Typical Utah Clays, Gabriel M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Consolidation theory states that decreasing the spacing of prefabricated vertical drains will decrease the time required to achieve primary consolidation. Previous field tests have shown that there exists a "critical" drain spacing, which is the point at which further spacing decrease does not decrease the time of primary consolidation. This "critical" spacing is thought to be due to disturbance effects from installation of the drains. Previous studies have found that the "critical" drain spacing may be dependent upon soil layering and drain and mandrel dimensions. Thin, interbedded clay layers have been found to be affected greatly due to the smear …


Investigating How Equating Guidelines For Screening And Selecting Common Items Apply When Creating Vertically Scaled Elementary Mathematics Tests, Maria Assunta Hardy Dec 2011

Investigating How Equating Guidelines For Screening And Selecting Common Items Apply When Creating Vertically Scaled Elementary Mathematics Tests, Maria Assunta Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

Guidelines to screen and select common items for vertical scaling have been adopted from equating. Differences between vertical scaling and equating suggest that these guidelines may not apply to vertical scaling in the same way that they apply to equating. For example, in equating the examinee groups are assumed to be randomly equivalent, but in vertical scaling the examinee groups are assumed to possess different levels of proficiency. Equating studies that examined the characteristics of the common-item set stress the importance of careful item selection, particularly when groups differ in ability level. Since in vertical scaling cross-level ability differences are …


Traces Of Existence, Jayna Brown Quinn Dec 2011

Traces Of Existence, Jayna Brown Quinn

Theses and Dissertations

This project report accounts for my final MFA project, Traces of Existence. This body of work began as an exploration, partially borne of the love of genealogical research translated into visual art by exploring the things my ancestors touched, be it ephemera, the soil they lived on, or artifacts they left behind, and partly as a pathway through which I could learn to understand more about my own identity, all the while finding beauty in the mundane. Although the works are personal, it is my hope that the viewer will respond to them in his/her own way, and that …


Strength Of Concrete Masonry Prisms Constructed With Non-Traditional Grout And Type-M Mortar, Scott Michael Watterson Dec 2011

Strength Of Concrete Masonry Prisms Constructed With Non-Traditional Grout And Type-M Mortar, Scott Michael Watterson

Theses and Dissertations

The Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada in conjunction with Brigham Young University devised a masonry prism testing scheme to aid in the determination of whether prisms constructed with grouts possessing high levels of supplemental cementitious materials could meet minimum masonry compressive strength requirements. ASTM standards, identical to that of concrete, place restrictions on quantities, by weight, of supplemental materials that can replace ordinary Portland cement. For an all fly ash replacement, up to 40% of Portland cement can be replaced while up to 70% can be replaced by a fly ash-slag combination. Research is focused on class F …


Regulation Of Selective Delignification In The White-Rot Decay Fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Leslie Anne Parker Dec 2011

Regulation Of Selective Delignification In The White-Rot Decay Fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Leslie Anne Parker

Theses and Dissertations

To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the white-rot decay fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium regulates selective delignification versus simultaneous decay, differential gene expression of its two key enzymes were measured over the course of aspen and birch wood decay tests. The type of decay was determined by differential staining and scanning electron microscopy. Real-time qPCR assessed gene expression of four lignin peroxidase genes and two manganese peroxidase genes at each stage of decay. Differential expression was significant in the mnp2 gene between aspen and birch decay tests during incipient decay; abundant expression of mnp2 in aspen corresponded to …


Research Universities As Engines Of Economic Growth: How Do Research Universities Impact Regional Economic Growth?, Stephanie Arnette Pink Dec 2011

Research Universities As Engines Of Economic Growth: How Do Research Universities Impact Regional Economic Growth?, Stephanie Arnette Pink

Theses and Dissertations

As a result of the 2008-2010 economic crisis as well as continuing efforts to redevelop and revitalize local economies, public administrators across America are challenged with the task of developing methods to sustain their economies. According to Florida (2002) economic growth today is contingent upon a locality’s ability to attract a certain group of people, particularly those of the “creative class”. Furthermore, Florida et al., (2006), assert that universities are key contributors to regional development in their ability to attract creative class individuals into a community. Contrary to the assertion that the creative class is a prerequisite for economic growth, …


Creating Resilient, Sustainable Local Governments: Merging Human Resource Management And Emergency Management, Stacey Cole Mann Dec 2011

Creating Resilient, Sustainable Local Governments: Merging Human Resource Management And Emergency Management, Stacey Cole Mann

Theses and Dissertations

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Goodman and Mann (2008) found that many locales along the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not have plans that addressed human resources (HR) issues in the aftermath of a disaster, and many vital employees were not included in the emergency planning process. The authors concluded that if involved in planning, HR managers could address typical HR issues such as compensation, retention, recruitment, and task re-orientation that become more difficult following a disaster. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of involvement of HR departments in the emergency planning process as well as …


Essential Oils Reduce Listeria Monocytogenes From Biofilm Surfaces And Fresh Catfish Fillets, Monil Ajitbhai Desai Dec 2011

Essential Oils Reduce Listeria Monocytogenes From Biofilm Surfaces And Fresh Catfish Fillets, Monil Ajitbhai Desai

Theses and Dissertations

The present work examines the antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oils of thyme, oregano and carvacrol against L. monocytogenes biofilms produced on stainless steel coupons and for control of L. monocytogenes growth on raw catfish fillets stored at 4°C for 10 days. At 0.5%, all three essential oils were highly effective in completely eliminating L. monocytogenes cells from stainless coupons within 24 h as compared to the untreated control yielding ~7 log CFU/cm2 L. monocytogenes. When catfish inoculated with L. monocytogenes were dipped for 30 min at 4°C in essential oil solutions of thyme and oregano at 1%, 2% and …


Advancing Li/Cfx Battery Chemistry: A Study On Partially Reduced Cfx As A Primary Li/Cfx Cell Cathode Material, Martin Mathews Dec 2011

Advancing Li/Cfx Battery Chemistry: A Study On Partially Reduced Cfx As A Primary Li/Cfx Cell Cathode Material, Martin Mathews

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional primary Li/CFx batteries employ graphite and polyvinylidene fluoride additives in the cathodes. These additives usher in some un-desired side-effects, such as lower battery capacities (mAh/g) and smaller current densities (mA/g). An innovative pretreatment was developed in this research in which CFx was subject to a “solvated electron” reduction to obtain a thin layer graphitic carbon coating on the CFx particle surfaces. Resistivity tests revealed that these partially reduced CFx particles have a higher conductivity at comparable graphitic carbon contents. Electrochemical discharge reactions demonstrated that batteries made from the reduced CFx were superior to the conventional batteries with higher current …


An Economic Analysis Of Health, Savings, And Labor In Relation To Gender, Comfort Febisola Ricketts Dec 2011

An Economic Analysis Of Health, Savings, And Labor In Relation To Gender, Comfort Febisola Ricketts

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is divided into five chapters consisting of three short essays that concentrate on economic analysis of health, savings and labor. The first essay is aimed at investigating the influence of increased work hours on individuals’ health and how this may differ between males and females. It is expected that increased hours of work will have a negative impact on health but this impact may be stronger for females. In the second essay, the relationship between individuals’ health and savings behavior is analyzed. Healthy individuals are expected to be more productive, earn higher incomes, and have lower medical expenditures …


Understanding Consumer Responses To Endorser Failures, Lauren Allyn White Dec 2011

Understanding Consumer Responses To Endorser Failures, Lauren Allyn White

Theses and Dissertations

Celebrity endorsements are a widely used marketing strategy, through which a popular celebrity is paired with the brand in order to enhance brand meaning in the eyes of consumers. However, endorsement strategies are not without risk, as evidenced by popular media revealing celebrities’ negative behavior. While much research has addressed factors enhancing endorsement effectiveness, limited research exists that examines the effects of negative celebrity information on consumer responses to the endorser and brand. The current research seeks to understand the potential differentiating effects of failure type (functional vs. nonfunctional) on related consumer attitudes and intentions. Three experiments (between subjects factorial …


Using Green Roofs To Mitigate The Effects Of Solar Energy On An Unconditioned Building In The Southern United States, Jason Lee Arnold Dec 2011

Using Green Roofs To Mitigate The Effects Of Solar Energy On An Unconditioned Building In The Southern United States, Jason Lee Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is a phenomenon that results in cities being warmer than the surrounding rural areas, due to a large amount of impervious surfaces. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of green roofs to mitigate the effects of solar energy on a building in the southern United States. In order to test the green roofs, temperatures were monitored inside and on top of unconditioned model buildings with green and with traditional roofs. Over the course of the study, the data collected showed that green roofs provided a significant benefit for the buildings …


The 3d Dynamics Of The Cosserat Rod As Applied To Continuum Robotics, Charles Rees Jones Dec 2011

The 3d Dynamics Of The Cosserat Rod As Applied To Continuum Robotics, Charles Rees Jones

Theses and Dissertations

In the effort to simulate the biologically inspired continuum robot’s dynamic capabilities, researchers have been faced with the daunting task of simulating—in real-time—the complete three dimensional dynamics of the the “beam-like” structure which includes the three “stiff” degrees-ofreedom transverse and dilational shear. Therefore, researchers have traditionally limited the difficulty of the problem with simplifying assumptions. This study, however, puts forward a solution which makes no simplifying assumptions and trades off only the real-time requirement of the desired solution. The solution is a Finite Difference Time Domain method employing an explicit single step method with cheap right hands sides. The cheap …


Functional Characterization Of The Ocfc Gene And Optimization Of Medium Components And Culture Condition For Occidiofungin Production By Burkholderia Contaminans Strain Ms14, Kuan-Chih Chen Dec 2011

Functional Characterization Of The Ocfc Gene And Optimization Of Medium Components And Culture Condition For Occidiofungin Production By Burkholderia Contaminans Strain Ms14, Kuan-Chih Chen

Theses and Dissertations

he 56-kb ocfC gene cluster is required for occidiofungin production by Burkholderia contaminans strain MS14. However, the function of the ocfC gene remains unknown. Sequence analysis showed the putative protein encoded by ocfC shares significant identities to glycosyltransferase. Plate bioassays showed that occidiofungin production by the ocfC mutant (ocfC::nptII) was significantly reduced as compared with strain MS14. The occidiofungin produced by the ocfC mutant is xyloseree, which suggests the ocfC gene encodes a xylosyltransferase to add a xylose to the peptide backbone. Single variant optimization of culture condition and medium compositions was also performed in this study. The results indicated …


Hydrolysis Of Organophosphate And Model Substrates In African American And Caucasian Southerners By Serum Paraoxonase-1 (Pon1) And Its Relationship To Atherosclerosis, Ryan Hunter Coombes Dec 2011

Hydrolysis Of Organophosphate And Model Substrates In African American And Caucasian Southerners By Serum Paraoxonase-1 (Pon1) And Its Relationship To Atherosclerosis, Ryan Hunter Coombes

Theses and Dissertations

Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a high density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated enzyme displaying esterase and lactonase activity. PON1 hydrolyzes the oxons of several organophosphorous insecticides (e.g. paraoxon, diazoxon and chlorpyrifos-oxon) and metabolizes lipid peroxides of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and HDL. As such, PON1 plays a relevant role in determining susceptibility of organophosphate toxicity and cardiovascular disease. The objective of this study was to determine associations of PON1 status (i.e. genotype and activity levels) with atherosclerosis (ATH) in individuals from the Southeastern United States. An additional objective was to determine whether PON1 genotype and/or PON1 activity levels influence the capacity of PON1 to …


Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council Dec 2011

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.


December Agenda, Wku Graduate Council Dec 2011

December Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.


A Letter To Christian Ministers, Donna Nofziger Plank Dec 2011

A Letter To Christian Ministers, Donna Nofziger Plank

Leaven

No abstract provided.


Editors' Notes, Stuart Love, D'Esta Love, Chris Doran Dec 2011

Editors' Notes, Stuart Love, D'Esta Love, Chris Doran

Leaven

No abstract provided.