Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Regional Cold Fronts And Localized Weather Phenomena On Autumn Migration Of Raptors And Landbirds In Southwest Idaho, Robert A. Miller, Jay D. Carlisle, Gregory S. Kaltenecker

Intermountain Bird Observatory Publications and Presentations

Weather has a significant effect on avian migration, but whether the influence is similar across diverse geographic regions and across all species remains to be determined. We evaluated the effect of regional cold fronts and localized weather phenomena on the timing of autumn migration of multiple species of landbirds and raptors in southwest Idaho. The focus of the analysis was on total landbirds and the ten most common landbird species, along with total raptors and the eight most common raptor species. Using 13 years of data from the Idaho Bird Observatory in southwest Idaho (1997–2009), including standardized mist-net captures of …

A National Plan For Assisting States, Federal Agencies, And Tribes In Managing White-Nose Syndrome In Bats, Jeremy Coleman, Anne Ballmann, Les Benedict, Eric Britzke, Kevin Castle, Walter Cottrell, Paul M. Cryan, Thomas Deliberto, Anthony Elliot, Rebecca Ewing, Alan Hicks, Richard Reynolds, Jessica Rubado, Brooke Slack, Lisa Williams

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007, and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America. As WNS spreads, the challenges for understanding and managing the disease continue to increase. Given the escalating complexity of these challenges, a highly coordinated effort is required for State, Federal, and Tribal wildlife agencies, and private partners to respond effectively to WNS and conserve species of bats. The plan proposed herein details the elements that are critical to …

Vital Signs, Summer 2011, Boonshoft School Of Medicine

Vital Signs

A forty-eight page newsletter created by the Boonshoft School of Medicine to document the current affairs of the school. This issue includes a variety of feature articles, a research spotlight, alumni notes, and more.

Ga-Doped Zno Grown By Pulsed Laser Deposition In H-2: The Roles Of Ga And H, David C. Look, T. C. Droubay, J. S. Mccloy, Z. H. Zhu, S. A. Chambers

Physics Faculty Publications

Highly conductive thin films of ZnO doped with Ga were grown by pulsed laser deposition with 10 mTorr of H₂ in the growth chamber. Compared with a more conventional method of producing conductive films of ZnO, i.e., growth in O₂ followed by annealing in forming gas (5% H₂ in Ar), the H₂ method requires no postgrowth anneal and also produces higher carrier concentrations and lower resistivities with better depth uniformity. As an example, a 65-nm-thick sample had a room-temperature mobility of 32 cm²/V s, a concentration of 6.8×10²⁰ cm⁻³, and a …

Commencement 2011, Sacred Heart University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Graduate and Undergraduate ceremonies held May 14-15, 2011.

The Comparison Of The Antibacterial Effect Of Various Mouth Rinses Towards Common Oral Bacteria, F. Alias

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the antibacterial effect of the commercially available mouth rinses containing 0.12% w/v chlorohexidine (CHX), 0.05% w/w cetylpiridinium chloride (CPC) and alcohol base mouthwash containing thymol (THY) towards mixed three common oral bacteria ,')'treptocoCClIS mutans, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus sanguis. The effect of these compounds will be used to suggest the mechanism of action of these mouth rinses as antibacterial agent in any mouth rinses product. Material and method: The mouth rinses were tested for sensitivity using Kirby-Bauer susceptibility test with principle of agar disc diffusion while broth micro-dilution assay was …

The Effect Of Video Based Mobile Learning On Students’ Writing Skill, A. Bandung, A. Siregar, Saedah Siraj, S.A. Hashim Ali

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

Mobile learning is the acquisition of any knowledge or skill in the process of learning and teaching through accessing communications and multimedia, such as video, as the main tool and mobile technologies can be used anywhere, anytime. Mobile technology has helped the activity of teaching, especially the teaching of English in secondary schools. It has facilitated learning and accelerated acceptance by students. A study conducted to find out the effects of video-based mobile learning on students’ writing skills in Indonesia examined limits on content and mechanics in writing based on a module used in the English book at Grade 10. …

You Belong Here: An 'Interpellative' Approach To Usability, Alicia Hatter

All Dissertations

Given the participatory, immersive Web 2.0 culture that characterizes digital experiences today, what is traditionally understood as 'usability' is insufficient to drive the engagement Web 2.0 audiences both crave and have come to expect from best-in-class interfaces. Thus, this dissertation presents a 'constructivist' vision of usability that helps designers 'speak' to audiences who demand excellence, and who will leave when confronted with mediocrity. The constructivist practice of usability occurs through what I call 'interpellative design.'
Interpellative design is both a complement to, and a critique of, 'accommodationist' approaches to usability (Howard, 2010a) which tend to be associated with technical problem …

Intermediate Filaments Regulate Tissue Size And Stiffness In The Murine Lens, Douglas S. Fudge, John V. Mccuaig, Shannon Van Stralen, John F. Hess, Huan Wang, Richard T. Mathias, Paul G. Fitzgerald

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

PURPOSE. To define the contributions of the beaded filament (BF), a lens-specific intermediate filament (IF), to lens morphology and biomechanics.

METHODS. Wild-type and congenic CP49 knockout (KO) mice were compared by using electrophysiological, biomechanical, and morphometric approaches, to determine changes that occurred because of the absence of this cytoskeletal structure.

RESULTS. Electrophysiological assessment established that the fiber cells lacking the lens-specific IFs were indistinguishable from wild-type fiber cells. The CP49 KO mice exhibited lower stiffness, and an unexpected higher resilience than the wildtype lenses. The absence of these filaments resulted in lenses that were smaller, and exhibited a higher ratio …

Induction Of Mucosal Immunity Using Virus-Like Particle Based Vaccines, Zoe Hunter

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Many viral structural proteins are capable of spontaneously self-assembling into structures that resemble virus particles. These structures, called virus-like particles (VLPs), have multivalent, highly repetitive structures which are capable of inducing robust and enduring immune responses, and, therefore, can serve as the basis for effective vaccines. VLPs can be used as stand-alone vaccines targeting the viruses from which they are derived and also as platforms for presenting heterologous antigens; their ability to evoke strong antibody responses against even poorly immunogenic targets makes them an attractive model for future vaccine and drug delivery vehicle designs. Our lab developed display technologies that …

Fish Oil Concentrate Delays Sensitivity To Thermal Nociception In Mice, Jyothi M. Veigas, Paul J. Williams, Ganesh Halade, Mizanur M. Rahman, Toshiyuki Yoneda, Gabriel Fernandes

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Fish oil has been used to alleviate pain associated with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The anti-inflammatory property of fish oil is attributed to the n-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. Contrarily, vegetable oils such as safflower oil are rich in n-6 fatty acids which are considered to be mediators of inflammation. This study investigates the effect of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids rich oils as dietary supplements on the thermally induced pain sensitivity in healthy mice. C57Bl/6J mice were fed diet containing regular fish oil, concentrated fish oil formulation (CFO) and safflower oil (SO) for 6 …

Joule Heating Effects On Electrokinetic Transport In Constriction Microchannels, Sriram Sridharan

All Theses

Microfluidic technology involving multidisciplinary studies including MEMS, chemistry, physics, fluids and heat transfer has been developed into a promising research field in the recent decade. If offers many advantages over conventional laboratory techniques like reduced reagent consumption, faster analysis, easy fabrication and low chemical waste. Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip devices have been used to manipulate cells and particles like sorting, separating, trapping, mixing and lysing. Microfluidic manipulation can be achieved through many methods and insulator based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) is one of the highly used method in the recent years. In iDEP, both DC and AC voltages can be applied to the remote …

Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells In Response To Gold Nanoparticles, William Mcallister

All Theses

In this master's thesis we look at elucidating the interactions between nanoparticles and cells. Specifically, we looked at how the cell mechanics are affected, cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles, and shifts in cell phenotypes. There has been much research looking into whether nanoparticles are cytotoxic, but limited amounts looking at their effect on mechanics especially with vascular smooth muscle cells. This cell type has two distinct phenotypes of synthetic and contractile that each serve different purposes physiologically.
The first experiments we did were cytotoxicity assays to see if the cells could survive the treatment with nanoparticles. If the cells died within …

The Role Of Planning Tools As Strategies For Combating Childhood Obesity, Jacquelyn Coats

All Theses

The failure of traditional health models to successfully combat childhood obesity is apparent when considering its sustained prevalence in the United States. Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past three decades and health officials recognize the need for integrative strategies in order to reverse the trend (CDC, 2010). The historical roots of planning and public health offer a potential venue for collaborative strategies to address the macro level factors that affect community health. This thesis examines how planning tools have been adapted to incorporate health strategies, whether or not such methods are sustainable, and what relationships are essential for …

Microbiological Safety Of Organic Fertilizers Used For Produce Production, Cortney Miller

All Theses

Over the last few decades there has been an increase in the use of organic fertilizers due to the rise in popularity of organic food production. However, if the fertilizers are not adequately sanitized there is the possibility of contamination of agricultural crops by foodborne pathogens from the spreading of organic fertilizers onto the crops. This is especially important for animal waste-based fertilizers since animals frequently carry foodborne pathogens. Furthermore, antibiotic use in food animal production may induce antimicrobial resistance in gut bacteria which can be spread to crops and the environment through fertilizer use. The objectives of this study …

May 2011, Lori Gwyn, Berva Pool

SWOSU OSP

No abstract provided.

The Last Of The Rephaim: Conquest And Cataclysm In The Heroic Ages Of Ancient Israel, Brian R. Doak

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

This dissertation explores the role of giants in the narrative and historiographic worlds of symbol, geography, and religion in ancient Israel. The Nephilim, Anaqim, Rephaim, Emim, Zamzumim/Zuzim, some Gibborim, and other individuals (e.g., Goliath) can all be classified as “giants”—not only with respect to their height and other physical properties, but also with respect to the negative moral qualities assigned to giants in antiquity. Previous interpreters have treated giants as merely a fantastical prop against which God’s agents emerge victorious. I argue that giants are a theologically and historiographically generative group, through which we gain insight into central aspects of …

Between Morality And Myth: A Parodic Visual Manifesto, Patricia J. Quilichini

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Acting on the belief that art communicates, that an image speaks all languages, these works were created as a visual manifesto responding satirically to the absurd way in which myths are elevated to the status of moral values. The photographic works created for this thesis challenge long held beliefs and emotions that associate sex with shame and guilt, and that grow out of the moral traditions we have inherited. Judeo-Christian traditions and religious beliefs have created widely unchallenged social/moral constructs, which regard sexuality and sexual awareness as sinful and woman as subservient to the moral authority constructed by men. I …

The Chains Of Hidden And Invisible Power: An Understanding Imperative For Societal Transformation, Leanne Baker Hotek

Honors Program Theses

This thesis addresses the hidden and invisible aspects of power in an effort to understand the effects these types of power have on the individuals who are unaware of their presence. It then questions if this power is hidden and invisible, how is effective resistance possible? I focus on the research and conceptions of a few political theorists including Steven Lukes, John Gaventa, and Michel Foucault that form the basis for much of the work on power. I then analyze and critique these previous works in order to form a new argument and suggestions for the recognition and possible resistance …

Associative Color Learning And Age In Heliconius Butterflies, May 2011, Emily Hollenbeck

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Flower color is an important attractant and many pollinators show distinct color preferences. This study determines if color preference and its lability differ between experienced and naïve Heliconius butterflies. Butterflies were offered nectar in Lantana camara inflorescences, which naturally have flowers of two colors (yellow and red) on a single inflorescence. Butterflies visited yellow flowers more frequently, with 76% of visits to yellow flowers when both flower colors offered nectar. When nectar was offered only by red flowers, yellow preference decreased significantly over time. Newly enclosed butterflies, offered inflorescences where only red flowers rewarded, showed a 56% yellow visitation rate …

Combination Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid With Fish Oil Prevents Age-Associated Bone Marrow Adiposity In C57bl/6j Mice, Ganesh V. Halade, Md M. Rahman, Paul J. Williams, Gabriel Fernandes

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

The inverse relationship between fat in bone marrow and bone mass in the skeleton of aging subjects is well known. However, there is no precise therapy for the treatment of bone marrow adiposity. We investigated the ability of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and fish oil (FO), alone or in combination, to modulate bone loss using 12 months old C57Bl/6J mice fed 10% corn oil diet as control or supplemented with 0.5% CLA or 5% FO or 0.5% CLA+5% FO for 6 months. We found, CLA-fed mice exhibited reduced body weight, body fat mass (BFM) and enhanced hind leg lean mass …

Asymmetric Synthesis Of Novel Fluorine-Containing Β-Lactams For Application To Unnatural Β-Amino Acid Synthesis, Wen Chen

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

β-Lactams are four-membered cyclic amides which can be found in many biologically active compounds. β-Lactams may possess two stereocenters. In enantiopure form, β-lactams can be used as chiral building blocks for the synthesis of various biologically relevant compounds, such as antibacterial drugs, antitumor agents, peptides, peptidomimetics and enzyme inhibitors. In addition, fluorine-containing β-lactams have drawn substantial interests among bioorganic and medicinal chemists. Studies have shown that the incorporation of fluorine efficiently blocks metabolism of the drug molecules, especially by cytochrome P-450 family of enzymes, providing improved pharmacokinetic properties. Different diastereomers of fluorine-containing β-lactams with high enantiopurity were synthesized utilizing a …

A Light-Sharing Approach To High-Resolution 3d Gamma-Ray Detection For Positron Emission Tomography, Srilalan Krishnamoorthy

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Positron emission tomography (PET), on account of its non-invasiveness, exquisite sensitivity, and ability to perform longitudinal studies is becoming a very popular tool in both clinical and preclinical imaging. The increasing role of PET however, has placed increased demands on both spatial resolution and gamma-ray detection efficiency (sensitivity). Developing an efficient, yet high-resolution PET detector has been a fundamental challenge and most attempts to improve resolution make use of smaller scintillation crystals that sacrifice sensitivity. This dissertation aims to study and investigate in detail, the potential of a novel gamma-ray detector in providing a cost-effective alternative for high performance PET. …

Against An Age Of Legibility: Reading, Vision, And Embodiment In Twentieth-Century American Literature, Amy Elizabeth Falvey

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation gathers twentieth and twenty-first century literary texts that contest conceptions of purity and readability that have dominated approaches to the body over the past century in the United States. In an age reputed to premise knowledge not on the visible - but on the genomic, the biological - the visible nonetheless remains absolute signifier of truth and knowledge. Beginning with a reading of George S. Schuyler's 1931 novel Black No More, I argue that a fixation on bodily and facial features as unalterable signs of otherness grew in response to the movement of bodies with both the second …

Exploring Dna Damage And Repair Through Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Arthur John Campbell

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Everyday our cells are exposed to various forms of endogenous and exogenous DNA damaging agents. One of the most cytotoxic forms of endogenous damage comes from Reactive Oxygen Species. Oxidative DNA damage has been linked to a number of human diseases, including cancer. The most common oxidative lesion found in DNA is 8-oxo-guanine, or 8-oxo-G. It is known that formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) distinguishes between undamaged guanine bases and damaged 8-oxo-G, however, the mechanism by which this discrimination is carried out is currently under debate. There are a number of X-ray crystallographic structures available that highlight Fpg's damage recognition and …

The Role Of Laminin A2 In Oligodendrocyte Development And Cns Myelination, Jenne Liza Villaranda Relucio

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The myelin-producing oligodendrocytes of the central nervous system are critical to normal brain function and physiology. The molecular mechanisms that influence oligodendrocyte development and CNS myelination, however, remain poorly understood. One potential factor that may regulate these processes is the extracellular matrix (ECM) molecule laminin. Children with mutations in one type of laminin - the alpha 2 subunit (LAMA2) - have defects in the size and shape of the forebrain and cerebellum, along with white matter abnormalities. However, it is not clear whether laminin a2 modulates oligodendrocytes in vivo, and if so, through which cellular signaling pathways. In this dissertation, …

Photo Cleavable Polymers For Tissue Engineering, Monica Apostol

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

We have found that P4VP and PMMA thin films can be etched with UVA radiation. Furthermore, we also found that dermal fibroblasts could be cultured successfully on the P4VP polymer, with a doubling time comparable to tissue culture Petri dish standards. Consequently we were able to grow tissue on P4VP substrates which could easily be lifted using UVA radiation. The cells that were removed were then re-plated at a lower density and a series of assays was performed at 3 and 6 days. While only a small amount of damage was discernable at day 3 nearly complete recovery was observed …

Requirement Of Ssdelseed-Motif Of Escherichia Coli F1FO Atp Synthase In Antimicrobial Peptide Binding., Junior Kom Tayou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

F₁F_O ATP synthase is a membrane bound enzyme capable of synthesizing and hydrolyzing ATP. Lately, α-helical cationic peptides such as melittin and melittin related peptide (MRP) were shown to inhibit E. coli ATP synthase. The proposed but unconfirmed site of inhibition is βDELSEED-motif formed by the residues 380-386, located at the interface of α/β subunit of ATP synthase. This project was a mutagenic analysis of βDELSEED-motif residues to understand the binding mechanism and mode of action of peptide inhibitors. The study addressed 2 main questions: Are the antibacterial/anticancer effects of these peptides related to their inhibitory action …

A Study Of Habitat Selection And Fluctuating Asymmetry Of Amybstoma Tigrinum At Henderson Island Wildlife Management Area In Jefferson County Tn., Christopher Scott Ogle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies were conducted on a population of tiger salamanders, Ambystoma tigrinum, at Henderson Island Wildlife Management Area in Jefferson County, TN. Tests were conducted to locate the nonbreeding habitat of the salamanders and to detect any difference in fluctuating asymmetry (FA) between larval populations in a large, permanent pond and an ephemeral wetland. Drift fences were installed with pitfall traps at selected locations around each pond to determine nonbreeding habitat use by adults. Most adult salamanders were found using a blackberry (Rubus sp.) dominated old-field, a grassy field, and a shrub-grass mix field, which were all adjacent …

Spatial Ecology Of The Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum During The Nonbreeding Season., Dale Patrick Ledford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum, are a widely distributed pond-breeding amphibian that spends an estimated 95% of its life in woodlands surrounding breeding ponds. Their terrestrial ecology remains poorly understood. Few studies have tracked the movement patterns of Spotted Salamanders, and they have given limited information on fine scale patterns. Studies of distribution around vernal pool environments have brought increased attention to their terrestrial ecology. To this end I tracked a sample of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagged animals with a Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID). Quadrat-variance methods and a Poisson distribution were used to analyze spatial distribution patterns over …