Digital Commons Network^™

Reliability And Credibility Of Progress Test Criteria, Developed By Alumni, Faculty, And Mixed Alumni-Faculty Judge Panels, H. Glenn Anderson Pharmd, Arthur A. Nelson Phd

Pharmacy Practice & Administration

Objective. To compare the reliability and credibility of Angoff-based, absolute criteria derived by faculty, alumni, and a combination of alumni and faculty judge panels.

Methods. Independently, faculty, alumni, and mixed faculty-alumni judge panels developed pass/fail criteria for an 86-item test. Generalizability and decision studies were performed. Root mean square errors (RMSE) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for reliability and credibility assessment. School graduate performance upon the North American Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) was the comparator for credibility assessment.

Results. RMSEs were 1.06%, 1.42%, and 2.32% for the alumni, faculty, and mixed judge panels respectively. The school's NAPLEX pass rate was …

Reproducible Hairy Root Transformation And Spot-Inoculation Methods To Study Root Symbioses Of Pea, Scott R. Clemow, Lindsey Clairmont, Lene H. Madsen, Frédérique C. Guinel

Biology Faculty Publications

Pea has lagged behind other model legumes in the molecular study of nodulation and mycorrhizae-formation because of the difficulty to transform its roots and its poor growth on agar plates. Here we describe for pea 1) a transformation technique which permits the complementation of two known non-nodulating pea mutants, 2) a rhizobial inoculation method which allows the study of early cellular events giving rise to nodule primordia, and 3) a targeted fungal inoculation method which allows us to study short segments of mycorrhizal roots assured to be infected. These tools are certain to advance our knowledge of pea root symbioses.

Does Weather Or Site Characteristics Influence The Ability Of Scavengers To Locate Food?, Rebekah E. Ruzicka, Michael R. Conover

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Olfactory predators and scavengers rely on odors to locate food, and they forage primarily at night. We hypothesized that weather (e.g. wind speed, humidity, and temperature), vegetation, and landscape features affect the dissipation of odors in the atmosphere and, thus, impact the foraging efficiency of olfactory predators. We tested this hypothesis by assessing what conditions were correlated with the persistence of bait along the dike surrounding Willard Bay Reservoir, Utah. We distributed 124 chicken eggs and 199 dead European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) as bait over 21 separate occasions spanning from May 21, 2009, to August 18, 2009. We used timers …

Discrimination And Aggregative Patterns Among And Between Populations Of Entamoeba Spp., Katelyn M. Higgins

Honors Senior Capstones and Theses

Kin recognition facilitates the evolution of cooperation in animals, but its relevance in microorganisms and their behavior toward relatives remains unclear. The Entamoeba lineage constitutes an ideal model to determine the behavioral and signaling cues needed for aggregative preference. Chemical cues have been reported for E. histolytica but not E. dispar, suggesting cell-communication between con-specifics and behavioral differences with relevance for disease. Entamoeba varieties have been reported as ‘morphologically undistinguishable’. Two strains of E. invadens have been isolated from different hosts (VK-1: NS - Varanus komodoensis and IP1- serpentes) but were classified within the same ‘species’. Trophozoites …

Male And Female Differences In Communicating Conflict, Jessica Cinardo

Honors Theses

Research suggests that males and females communicate using different styles of interaction. Men and women are biologically different, but evidence also demonstrates a social difference. The patterns displayed in cross- sex communication often reveal how men and women interact interpersonally. In conflict situations the contrasting behaviors between the sexes become more evident. This is a collection of research defining and explaining the differences which exist between males and females and how those differences develop within communication. Conflict is a prevalent element of all relationships and the manner in which it is handled is crucial to the survival of those relationships. …

The Female Experience: Study Abroad Students In Egypt, Heather Raquael Walsh

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the experiences of female students on study abroad programs, with the aim of answering the following questions: do they face unique challenges as female students (including harassment or assault), how do they avoid or cope with any negative experiences, and can we as language departments better prepare our students to have the best experiences possible? The participants for the study were primarily 12 of 50 students involved in the Brigham Young University Study Abroad to Cairo, Egypt during Spring and Summer terms 2010. Data include participant observation, student journals, and ethnographic interviews conducted during the last …

Westernization And Muslims In Western Europe, Sean Manahan

Honors Theses

Many scholars argue that as a whole, Muslims in Europe are not successfully integrating into European society. The reasons why are debated and still far from understood. It is clear, however, that many Muslim communities are negatively affected by many socioeconomic factors, leaving them poor and viewed as outcasts. Given these circumstances, scholars have suggested that some individuals join radical Islamist groups to give meaning to their lives and secure a sense of inclusion because they do not feel a part of the country in which they live. However, this fails to explain the numerous cases of highly educated, middle …

Son Maintains Accurate Splicing For A Subset Of Human Pre-Mrnas, Alok Sharma, Michael P. Markey, Keshia Torres-Munoz, Sapna Varia, Madhavi P. Kadakia, Athanasios Bubulya, Paula A. Bubulya

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Serine-arginine-rich (SR) proteins play a key role in alternative pre-mRNA splicing in eukaryotes. We recently showed that a large SR protein called Son has unique repeat motifs that are essential for maintaining the subnuclear organization of pre-mRNA processing factors in nuclear speckles. Motif analysis of Son highlights putative RNA interaction domains that suggest a direct role for Son in pre-mRNA splicing. Here, we used in situ approaches to show that Son localizes to a reporter minigene transcription site, and that RNAi-mediated Son depletion causes exon skipping on reporter transcripts at this transcription site. A genome-wide exon microarray analysis was performed …

Student Loses Her Family; Uab Steps In And Becomes Just That, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Protocol For The Modeling The Epidemiologic Transition Study: A Longitudinal Observational Study Of Energy Balance And Change In Body Weight, Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Amy Luke, Pascal Bovet, Terrence E. Forrester, Estelle V. Lambert, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Dale A. Schoeller, Lara R. Dugas, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, David Shoham, Richard S. Cooper, Soren Brage, Ulf Ekelund, Nelia P. Steyn

Faculty Publications

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased in societies of all socio-cultural backgrounds. To date, guidelines set forward to prevent obesity have universally emphasized optimal levels of physical activity. However there are few empirical data to support the assertion that low levels of energy expenditure in activity is a causal factor in the current obesity epidemic are very limited. Methods/Design. The Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS) is a cohort study designed to assess the association between physical activity levels and relative weight, weight gain and diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk in five population-based samples at different stages of economic …

Photocatalytic Activity Of Zinc Oxide Thin Films Prepared By Dc Sputter Deposition And Thermal Oxidation, Robert Louder

Honors Theses

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with a broad range of applications, such as photocatalysis. The photocatalytic properties of ZnO result from the highly oxidizing holes and reducing electrons that are induced on the ZnO surface by ultraviolet (UV) light. The efficiency of electron-hole pair formation is therefore critical for photocatalysis, and thus the optical quality of the films in the UV region is of critical importance. ZnO thin films have been fabricated using DC sputter deposition of Zn-metal films followed by thermal oxidation at different temperatures (300, 600, and 900°C). Characterization of the optical properties of the resulting …

Social Distance As A Function Of Mental Health Status And Gender Of College Student Peers, Kaitlyn A. Zuilkowski

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine college students' general preference for social distance from individuals who have mental disorders, as well as their preference for social distance from a peer with a specific diagnostic label of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), or a Stuttering Disorder. College students (N = 180) enrolled at a Southeastern liberal arts university completed the Modified Social Distance Scale which assessed general preference for social distance from people with mental disorders and subsequently read a short vignette describing a male or female college student who had been diagnosed with and …

Mechanism Of G Protein Beta-Gamma Assembly Mediated By Phosducin-Like Protein 1, Chun Wan Jeffrey Lai

Theses and Dissertations

G-protein coupled receptor signaling (GPCR) is essential for regulating a large variety of hormonal, sensory and neuronal processes in eukaryotic cells. Because the regulation of these physiological responses is critical, GPCR signaling pathways are carefully controlled at different levels within the cascade. Phosducin-like protein 1 (PhLP1) can bind the G protein βγ dimer and participate in GPCR signaling. Recent evidence has supported the concept that PhLP1 can serve as a co-chaperone of the eukaryotic cytosolic chaperonin complex CCT/TRiC to mediate G βγ assembly. Although a general mechanism of PhLP1-mediated G βγ assembly has been postulated, many of the details about …

Hydrological Parameter Estimations From A Conservative Tracer Test With Variable-Density Effects At The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, B. Dafflon, Warren Barrash, Michael Cardiff, T. C. Johnson

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Reliable predictions of groundwater flow and solute transport require an estimation of the detailed distribution of the parameters (e.g., hydraulic conductivity, effective porosity) controlling these processes. However, such parameters are difficult to estimate because of the inaccessibility and complexity of the subsurface. In this regard, developments in parameter estimation techniques and investigations of field experiments are still challenging and necessary to improve our understanding and the prediction of hydrological processes. Here we analyze a conservative tracer test conducted at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site in 2001 in a heterogeneous unconfined fluvial aquifer. Some relevant characteristics of this test include: variable-density …

Next Generation Dna Sequencing Technology Delivers Valuable Genetic Markers For The Genomic Orphan Legume Species, Bituminaria Bituminosa, M Pazos-Navarro, Mercedes Dabauza, Enrique Correal, Kelly Hanson, Natasha L. Teakle, Daniel Real, Matthew Nelson

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Background
Bituminaria bituminosa is a perennial legume species from the Canary Islands and Mediterranean region that has potential as a drought-tolerant pasture species and as a source of pharmaceutical compounds. Three botanical varieties have previously been identified in this species: albomarginata, bituminosa and crassiuscula. B. bituminosa can be considered a genomic 'orphan' species with very few genomic resources available. New DNA sequencing technologies provide an opportunity to develop high quality molecular markers for such orphan species.

Results
432,306 mRNA molecules were sampled from a leaf transcriptome of a single B. bituminosa plant using Roche 454 pyrosequencing, resulting in an …

Co-Crystallization And Polymorphism Of Naturally Occurring Peptide Derivatives, Kevin Crowley

Honors Theses

Carnosine is a dipeptide compound that is found in many dietary supplements and food products. Carnosine has many functions in the body, such as alleviating oxidative stress on tissues by acting as an antioxidant compound. Carnosine, therefore, has important anti-aging properties. Carnosine is also capable of forming protective sequestration structures around heavy metal ions; this process of chelating metals ions in solutions is very beneficial for maintaining the well-being of cells in the body. Thus, carnosine could be useful in pharmaceutical products for creating anti-aging drugs that would reduce tissue stress and promote a healthy cellular environment. I attempted to …

Selectivity Of Prey Capture Based On Prey Size In The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea Muscipula Ellis), Jessica Humenik

Honors Theses

Venus fly traps (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) are carnivorous plants that live in nutrient poor soils and must digest insects to supplement their diets. When a Venus fly trap captures an insect, the plant's traps do not fully close for several minutes, which may allow small prey to escape. It would be beneficial for the plant to consume a large, nutrient-rich prey item as opposed to a small prey item. We tested the hypothesis that Venus fly traps select larger prey by offering plants small and large crickets. A Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to test significance …

Lesson Not Learned: Deepwater Horizon Research And Media Coverage Exposes Gaps In Knowledge And Risky Protocol Within The Oil Industry, Lauren Haller

Honors Theses

An insatiable thirst for oil has led poorly coordinated, risk-prone megasystems deeper into the ocean in search of new oil reserves. Profit-driven agendas at the corporate level have a top-down effect within these megasystems. Cost-cutting and risk-downplaying leaves the field employees unprepared to handle emergencies. A series of costly mistakes led to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which caused extensive damage to an already fragile ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. The wealth and political influence of the oil industry overpowers lax regulatory agencies and legislation-even though media and research has exposed frustrating parallels between the Deepwater Horizon …

Is It Safe?

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Age Predicted Heart Rate Max Equations In College-Aged Students, Jessica Benchley

Honors Theses

Many clinicians use heart rate to tell how fit an individual is and how healthy they are. They can prescribe exercise based on heart rate and other medical conditions to help clients get better through exercise. Instead of running a client through a graded exercise test each time there is a problem, it would be much more effective to find an accurate equation to predict a max heart rate value and prescribe exercise using that value. The purpose of this experiment is to see which equation tends to predict the most accurate max heart after.

An Analysis Of The Dietary Behaviors Of Coastal Carolina University's Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes, Alyssa Markowitz

Honors Theses

It is common knowledge that practice is the key to becoming better at something. This theory holds true with almost anything, from tying shoelaces to becoming a professional athlete. Elite athletes say that what has made them reach the top in their sports today is an incredible amount of dedication to repeatedly practicing their skills. As competition in sports becomes fiercer and starts at an increasingly younger age, practicing gains emphasis, but this is not the only aspect of achieving optimal performance that is extremely important. There is another factor that plays into how well one performs that is not …

Western Culture And The Spread Of Serial Murder, Angela Pilson

Honors Theses

Serial murders may have occurred in non-Western cultures, like Japan, South Africa, and Pakistan, before the introduction of Western ideals. These murders would have gone unnoticed and unreported if the populace did not know or understand the significant differences between serial murder and other types of violence and death. The people and authorities in non-Western cultures would not know of these differences unless they were made known to them or if they started to investigate the murders more closely. People from Western cultures who move to non-Western areas or communicate with non-Western natives may introduce these differences and familiarize the …

The Involvement Of 26s Proteasome Complex In Selenium Toxicity, Melissa Sabbagh

Honors Theses

Plants that hyperaccumulate elements like selenium to potentially toxic levels may use proteasome complexes to reduce toxicity. The 26S proteasome complex may be a pathway that these plants take to rid themselves of selenium toxicity by destroying damaged proteins caused by selenium. A method to test this hypothesis is to use a hyperaccumulator of selenium Stanleya pinnata and nonhyperaccumulators Populous tremula and Arabdopsis thaliana to evaluate their proteasome abundance without and with selenium. To compare these species western blots were made to show the differences in proteasome abundance. Also to compare the amount of oxidized and an ubiquinated protein in …

Using Pen Source Data Inputs To Map Food Insecurity In Cumberland County, Maine, Daniel Wallace

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In 2010, Mapping Food Insecurity’s Project Director (PD) participated in “The Campaign to Promote Food Security in Cumberland County, Maine.” The Campaign drew together a 60 member coalition to address rapidly increasing food insecurity challenges in the county. It produced a report with a series of recommendations grouped under six strategic community goals. One of the recommendations called for the use of ‘mapping and connectivity software to determine location of vulnerable populations and services in order to plan best future delivery and use of food access services in Cumberland County

Raina J. Two Lance V. Wanda Brave Mccauley, Frank Pommersheim

Tribal Court Opinions Authored by Emeritus Professor of Law Frank Pommersheim

No abstract provided.

A 2d Chaos-Based Visual Encryption Scheme For Clinical Eeg Signals, Chin-Feng Lin, Boa-Shun Wang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In this paper, we have developed a two-dimensional (2D) chaos-based encryption scheme that can be applied to signals with transmission bit errors in clinical electroencephalography (EEG) and mobile telemedicine. As opposed to one-dimensional (1D) chaos-based encryption, the proposed 2D schemes uses the concept of parallel processing to increase the encryption speed. An essential feature of the proposed scheme is that signals mapping of a 2D chaotic scrambler and a permutation scheme are used to obtain clinical EEG information that requires high-level encryption. Simulation results show that when the correct deciphering parameters are inputted, EEG signals with a transmission bit error …

Synergistic Roles Of Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factors 1bγ And 1a In Stimulation Of Tombusvirus Minus-Strand Synthesis, Zsuzsanna Sasvari, Lara Izotova, Terri Goss Kinzy, Peter D. Nagy

Plant Pathology Faculty Publications

Host factors are recruited into viral replicase complexes to aid replication of plus-strand RNA viruses. In this paper, we show that deletion of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1Bgamma (eEF1Bγ) reduces Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) replication in yeast host. Also, knock down of eEF1Bγ level in plant host decreases TBSV accumulation. eEF1Bγ binds to the viral RNA and is one of the resident host proteins in the tombusvirus replicase complex. Additional in vitro assays with whole cell extracts prepared from yeast strains lacking eEF1Bγ demonstrated its role in minus-strand synthesis by opening of the structured 3' end of the viral …

Impact Of Indigenous Language On Achievement And Emotional Conditions: A Case Study Of East European Students In Utah, Natalya Georgiyeva

Theses and Dissertations

The importance of using an indigenous language as a medium of school instruction has been discussed in world education for a long time. This study focuses on the influence of the presence of a native language in the learning process of the students and the impact on their academic achievement, emotional conditions, and post-school lives. A qualitative method of research was used in the study, comprising 12 interviews among Ukrainian/Russian adopted and nonadopted students who attended Utah schools. Information obtained through interviews presented language levels of students (both native and English), academic achievement, and emotional conditions of students during the …

A New Locality Of Mesobuthus Eupeus Thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In East Kazakhstan, Alexander A. Fomichev

Euscorpius

A new locality of Mesobuthus eupeus thersites (C. L. Koch, 1839) is reported, found during the fieldtrip to East Kazakhstan, one of the most northern areas where scorpions are found in Asia. Notes on the habitats, map and photographs of specimens are given.

A General Model For Continuous Noninvasive Pulmonary Artery Pressure Estimation, Robert Anthony Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) is a significant healthcare risk. Continuous monitoring for patients with elevated PAP is crucial for effective treatment, yet the most accurate method is invasive and expensive, and cannot be performed repeatedly. Noninvasive methods exist but are inaccurate, expensive, and cannot be used for continuous monitoring. We present a machine learning model based on heart sounds that estimates pulmonary artery pressure with enough accuracy to exclude an invasive diagnostic operation, allowing for consistent monitoring of heart condition in suspect patients without the cost and risk of invasive monitoring. We conduct a greedy search through 38 possible …