Digital Commons Network^™

Executive Function Profiles In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Erik Nelson Ringdahl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traumatic brain injury is a common cause of disability and death among children in the United States. Insult to the frontal and temporal lobes are frequent in closed head brain injury. Cognitive deficits in a variety of domains are common sequelae of brain trauma. In many cases, trauma to the frontal and temporal lobe regions engender prominent deficits in higher-order cognitive processing, memory, and attention.

Higher-order cognitive processing, or Executive Functions are the grouping of cognitive processes necessary for organization of thoughts and activities, attending to the activities, prioritizing tasks, managing time efficiently, and making decisions (Alvarez & Emory, 2006; …

Maternal Smoking As A Predictor Of Infant Health, Gabrielle Dibella

Economics

No abstract provided.

Modification Of Pathways With Pseudomonas For The Extraction And Subsequent Conversion Of Algae To Butanol, Danielle Frechette

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the demand for alternative fuels steadily increases, algae continue to be an excellent source for the development of biofuels. While algae have exhibited substantial potential for butanol production, there are limitations when it comes to the extraction process-its inability to withdraw oils and sugars usable for fermentation from cell walls. The genes of two bacteria were combined, creating a new organism that can both extract sugars and oils from algal cell walls and create butanol, simplifying the fermentation process while increasing efficiency. Pseudomonas flourescens, an obligate aerobe, has been shown in literature to degrade these cell walls to make …

Generation Of Human Ips Cells Using Direct Reprogramming Proteins, Nick Blazic

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells present the opportunity to advance tissue engineering and regenerative medicine for treating many diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and cancer. In recent years, stem cell research has made progress in advancing cell therapy techniques. Similar to human embryonic stem (hES) cells, hiPS cells can differentiate into the three germ layers, which include mesorderm, ectoderm, and endoderm. Thus, they have the potential of being differentiated into all types of cells that are required for tissue repair and regeneration. The advantage that hiPS cells have over hES cells is that they can …

Development Of An Inverse Liquid Chromatographic Technique To Measure Adsorption Of Amino Acid Sorbates Onto Chitosan, Yamama Hafeez

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Drug delivery is described as the localized sustained delivery of a pharmaceutical agent to the systemic blood circulation and hence to the site of action to produce a desired pharmacological effect [1]. There are three principle ways of drug delivery, first being the injection of the drug loaded on microspheres in this method of drug delivery, microspheres are formed using a combination of ink-jet technology and single emulsion-solvent evaporation techniques. Microspheres of a certain size are produced such as to administer the desired route of administration and the rate of the drug release [1]. Another form of drug delivery commonly …

Enhancing The Differentiation Efficiency Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells Into Insulin-Secreting β-Cells, Katherine Rutledge

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Recent studies have shown that human embryonic stem cells possess the ability to differentiate into almost any cell type in the bod and they can self-renew in culture conditions (Baetge, D'Amour et al. 26). As the number of Americans with Type 1 Diabetes continues to increase, innovative methods of treating this chronic illness must be developed in order to improve the quality of life for the affected individuals. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have shown the potential to differentiate successfully into insulin-secreting β-cells, and these cultured β-cells can be used for cell-treatment therapies to replace the deficient β-cells in diabetes …

Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Family Perspectives On Home-School Connections And Family Engagement: A Case Study Of Four Middle Class Latin American Families, Janet Elizabeth Pierce Clark

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The purpose of this case study was to explore the context, perceptions, and understandings of school-home connections and family engagement of four middle class Latin American families who have children in U.S. public schools. Because family engagement with schools correlates with student success, the participants’ perspectives were examined in depth. The study was guided by two major research questions and associated sub questions:

1. How do four middle class families from Latin America perceive that their child’s school makes efforts to connect with them?
a. What factors contribute to the development of connectedness between home and school for four middle …

An Examination Of The Discourse In A Graduate Mathematics Methods Course, Rako Morrissey

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Mathematics reform efforts advocate the use of discourse as a method toward mathematical learning. Research also suggests that attention be placed on prospective teachers’ development of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. One way to develop teacher knowledge and discourse skills of prospective teachers is to engage them in purposeful discourse that focuses on mathematical knowledge for teaching. The purpose of this study was to examine the discourse of prospective mathematics teachers in a graduate mathematics methods course. Theories of communication developed a framework for analyzing discourse. Theories on teacher knowledge formed a framework for analyzing the types of teacher …

Exploring Dialectics In Grandparent Grief: Communication With Family And Friends Following The Death Of A Grandchild, Ashley Nicole Duchow-Moore

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A relational dialectics perspective was adopted for this study in order to better understand the tensions and contradictions bereaved grandparents experience following the death of a grandchild. The interviews of eleven grandmothers and five grandfathers were analyzed using a qualitative/interpretive method, leading to implications regarding the nature of grandparent grief. Grandparents experienced tensions in their own grief and in their multiple roles within the family structure after a grandchild died. Grandparents expressed contradictions in their role as a stable supporter versus griever, as well as balancing the need for protection and privacy. Grandparents negotiated these tensions through conscious communicative choices …

Improving Data Freshness To Enhance The Quality Of Observations In Wireless Sensor Networks, Ramya Bala Ammu

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are used to achieve either continuous monitoring or event-detection in the area of interest. In continuous monitoring applications, each sensor node transmits its sensed data to the sink node (base station) periodically; while in event-detection driven applications, nodes report to the sink node once an event occurs. Continuous monitoring applications require periodic refreshed data at the sink node. Data reaching the sink node after a certain threshold is not useful for processing or analysis because it is stale. Data freshness along with reliable data delivery is critical in such applications. Current protocols in this area measure …

School Choice Decisions: A Naturalistic-Constructivist Inquiry Into Parents’ Perceptions On School Choice And School Improvement At A Pedagogically Progressive Charter School, Emily Louise Gibson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Politicians and educational leaders often cite school choice as a sound mechanism for improving public education. However, education theorists and researchers call for more research to verify whether and how choice has an impact on what happens in public schools for all learners, and suggest that there is a need for more naturalistic-constructivist studies to examine the realities inherent in school choice contexts. Missing from the research literature are in-depth perspectives of those on the front lines of school choice decision: parents.

This naturalistic-constructivist inquiry used grounded theory and mixed methods to examine parents’ recollections of their own elementary education …

Formation Of Intercellular Junctions During Secondary Neurulation In The Tail Bud Region Of Developing Chick Embryos, Selena Mae Losee

Honors Program Theses

During secondary neurulation, the tail bud of the developing chick embryo undergoes a transition from unorganized mesenchymal cells to a structured epithelial tube. Cells undergoing this process must polarize and then assemble specific molecules that allow them to create intercellular junctions. Intercellular junctions contribute to the cells' ability to adhere, communicate with each other, or block the movement of molecules between neighboring cells. Previous studies have suggested cell-to-cell junctions play an important role in cavitation of the tail bud and in organizing the lumina that form. This study aimed to determine if tight junctions and gap junctions develop in this …

Optimisation Of Accelerated Solvent Extraction Of Antioxidant Compounds From Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.), Marjoram (Origanum Majorana L.) And Oregano (Origanum Vulgare L.) Using Response Surface Methodology, M. Hossain, Catherine Barry-Ryan, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, N. Brunton

Articles

The present study optimised the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) conditions (Dionex ASE® 200, USA) to maximise the antioxidant capacity of the extracts from three spices of Lamiaceae family; rosemary, oregano and marjoram. Optimised conditions with regard to extraction temperature (66–129 °C) and solvent concentration (32–88% methanol) were identified using response surface methodology (RSM). For all three spices results showed that 129 °C was the optimum temperature in order to obtain extracts with high antioxidant activity. Optimal methanol concentrations with respect to the antioxidant activity of rosemary and marjoram extracts were 56% and 57% respectively. Oregano showed a different response to …

Homocysteine: A Potential Molecular Link Between Alzheimer's Disease And Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Cyndel Carreau

Biological Sciences

In order to elucidate some of the mechanisms through which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) are linked, this study investigated the effects of elevated plasma homocysteine levels – a risk factor for AD – in a rat model of T2DM. Both elevated plasma homocysteine levels and T2DM are associated with cognitive deficits and are recognized as strong risk factors for the development of AD. The present experiment examined the effects of diet-induced hyperhomocysteinemia on the development of cognitive impairments and insulin-resistance, as well as on the insulin signaling cascade, in a diet-induced obese rat model of …

Report, Faculty Library Satisfaction Survey 2010/11, May 2011, Kaya Van Beynen, Carol G. Hixson, Tina M. Neville

Library Faculty Assessments

A report with the results of a survey of University of South Florida St. Petersburg faculty about their satisfaction with the library.

Noise, Delays, And Resonance In A Neural Network, Austin Quan

HMC Senior Theses

A stochastic-delay differential equation (SDDE) model of a small neural network with recurrent inhibition is presented and analyzed. The model exhibits unexpected transient behavior: oscillations that occur at the boundary of the basins of attraction when the system is bistable. These are known as delay-induced transitory oscillations (DITOs). This behavior is analyzed in the context of stochastic resonance, an unintuitive, though widely researched phenomenon in physical bistable systems where noise can play in constructive role in strengthening an input signal. A method for modeling the dynamics using a probabilistic three-state model is proposed, and supported with numerical evidence. The potential …

Enhancing Self Efficacy In The Hispanic High School Biology Student: Getting Students To Believe In Their Ability To Master Science Curriculum, Ashley Marie Merian

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Many high school Hispanic students display passivity and a lack of confidence with regards to their abilities to master science curriculum, setting them up for failure with both current course grades and future success in a healthcare field. The purpose of this study is to determine more effective techniques a high school biology teacher could use to eliminate passivity and establish self confidence in Hispanic student's abilities to master science curriculum. Literature overwhelmingly suggests that incorporating Hispanic culture into the science curriculum and having more cooperative learning activities in class will help to improve the confidence of Hispanic students. Experimental …

Cost Efficient Method Of Pumping Water For Small, Remote Rural Communities, James Hudson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many technologies are used for water disinfection. Chlorine, iodine, and ozone are some chemical methods of water disinfection. Filtration, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis, is used to remove bacteria. In addition to chemical and filtration technologies, one can disinfect water using UV irradiation, ultrasonic treatment, electrolysis, solar disinfection, and slow sand filtration.
Currently, there are few solutions being employed in third world settings for communities. The current solutions are either for one household or are part of an existing infrastructure and therefore are not portable. Slow sand filtration is used successfully to provide potable water for individual households. Tablet …

Fighting For Fairness: The History Of Kentucky’S Local Movements To Enact Fairness Ordinances In 1999, Micah Bennett

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This CE/T project explores the histories of the local movements for fairness ordinances which transpired in Kentucky in the year 1999. Fairness ordinances expand local civil rights protections on the basis of ‘sexual orientation’ and sometimes ‘gender identity’ to include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) peoples and usually protect in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations. Four communities in the state considered such laws in 1999: Greater Louisville, Lexington-Fayette, the City of Henderson, and the City of Bowling Green. This thesis takes a holistic approach towards the history of these movements, exploring the procession of chronological events, …

The Geozoic Supereon, M. Kowalewski, J. L. Payne, F. A. Smith, Steve C. Wang, D. W. Mcshea, S. Xiao, P. M. Novack-Gottshall, C. R. Mcclain, R. A. Krause, A. G. Boyer, S. Finnegan, S. K. Lyons, J. A. Stempien, J. Alroy, P. A. Spaeth

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

How To Remain Childlike, Billy Ray Middleton

Dissertations

How to Remain Childlike examines themes of place and identity, focusing on how regionalism impacts the individual’s perception of self. The stories herein, set in the post-millennial South, focus on characters with a worldly recognition of prevailing misconceptions that cast Southerners as unsophisticated and anti-intellectual. Though these characters recognize the beauty of the South, they possess ambivalence toward the region, a desire to be less insular and more cosmopolitan. This ambivalence, a love for the South coupled with a longing to escape it, highlights the importance of place in the process of self-definition.

Application Of Nanotechnology For Targeted Delivery Of Antibacterial Enzymes And For Enzyme-Based Coatings On Medical Devices And Implants, Rohan Satishkumar

All Dissertations

The frequency of S. aureus infection and subsequent biofilm formation associated with vascular catheterization has been increasing in recent years and often begins as a local colonization at the site of the catheter insertion. Antimicrobial enzymes and peptides, which are effective against a broad range of pathogens and low rates of resistance, have attracted attention as promising alternative candidates in treatment of infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. The use of nanoparticles as carriers for enzymes, in addition to their size, charge, high surface area per volume etc. offers targeted delivery of enzymes to pathogenic bacteria. We proposed to use …

Open For Trouble: Amending Washington's Open Public Meetings Act To Preserve University Patent Rights, Vladimir Lozan

Washington Law Review

Times have changed. Science is no longer “a perfect working model of democracy,” so transparent that it does not need supervision by outsiders. Instead, science is now regulated at the federal and state level. At the federal level, laws and regulations require peer review meetings for research at state public universities to ensure compliance with federal funding mandates. At the state level, the Washington Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) requires that peer review meetings at state universities be open to the public. When a scientist presents during one of these peer review meetings, the state university may lose patent rights …

Journal Of Food Law & Policy - Spring 2011, Journal Editors

Journal of Food Law & Policy

No abstract provided.

The History And Future Of Genetically Modified Crops: Frankenfoods, Superweeds, And The Developing World, Brooke Glass-O'Shea

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In a 1992 letter to the New York Times, a man named Paul Lewis referred to genetically modified (GM) crops as "Frankenfood," and wryly suggested it might be "time to gather the villagers, light some torches and head to the castle." Little did Lewis know that his neologism would become the rallying cry for activists around the world protesting the dangers of genetic engineering. The environmental activist group Greenpeace made great use of the "Frankenfood" epithet in their anti-GM campaigns of the 1990s, though they have since backed away from the word and the hardline stance it represents. But genetically …

Capturing Low Probability Of Disease Dynamics In Coupled Populations, Jackson Burton

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Researchers using mathematical models have made significant contributions to the field of epidemiology in recent years. These models have both explanatory and predicative power to describe disease dynamics. More recent work has considered multi-population models and the effects vaccinations have on the population as a whole. One such example can be seen in the West African country of Cameroon, which has two distinct patterns of measles outbreaks. By considering Cameroon as two subpopulations, a deterministic model is developed that includes the effect of vaccinations. Stability analysis is then performed on the model over a range of coupling and vaccination rates …

Behavioral Aversion Of Two Ranid Frogs To Road Deicers : Does Terrestriality Influence Sensitivity?, Erika Koelmel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Amphibian decline has been a global phenomenon in recent decades due in part to negative human effects on the environment. Sensitivity of amphibians to environmental degradation makes them good indicators of environmental change, attesting to the importance of amphibian inventory and population monitorings De-icing salts, such as sodium chloride, are applied to roads during the winter months and may accumulate in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The exposure of amphibians to high salt concentrations can impair their physiological functioning due to their highly permeable skin. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the behavioral tolerance threshold for road salt (NaCl) …

The Juxtaposition Of White Racial Identity Development In Teachers And African American Racial Identity Development In Middle School Students, Idonia M. Owens

Education Doctoral

Early adolescence marks the time when African American students begin to develop their racial identity (Phinney & Tarver, 1988; Roberts, Phinney, Masse, Chen, Roberts & Romero, 1999; Tatum, 1997). With school being an important context for this process, it is suggested that a teacher’s racial identity developmental status might play a role in assisting African American students with this progression (Helms, 1990, 1994; Howard, 2006; Tatum, 1997). Missing from the research is an examination of White teacher and African American student interactions through the lens of the racial identity development of both. Using a survey design, this quantitative study focused …

Role Of Baca In Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis, Peptide Transport, And Nodulation By Rhizobium Sp. Strain Ngr234, Silvia Ardissone, Hajime Kobayashi, Kumiko Kambara, Coralie Rummel, K. Dale Noel, Graham C. Walker, William J. Broughton, William J. Deakin

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

BacA of Sinorhizobium meliloti plays an essential role in the establishment of nitrogen-fixing symbioses with Medicago plants, where it is involved in peptide import and in the addition of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) to lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We investigated the role of BacA in Rhizobium species strain NGR234 by mutating the bacA gene. In the NGR234 bacA mutant, peptide import was impaired, but no effect on VLCFA addition was observed. More importantly, the symbiotic ability of the mutant was comparable to that of the wild type for a variety of legume species. Concurrently, an acpXL mutant of NGR234 …

An Empirical Investigation Of Consumer Resistance To Green Product Innovation, Marius Claudy

Doctoral

Responding to the sustainability imperative has emerged as a key challenge and opportunity for businesses. Developing and marketing innovative ―green‖ products in particular can be a vital strategy for businesses to increase productivity, develop new markets, improve corporate image and ultimately attain competitive advantage. But despite consumer sensitisation towards environmental issues, many sustainable products face slow rates of diffusion in mainstream markets as consumers‘ green preferences regularly fail to translate into adoption behaviour. In this thesis we take a consumer resistance perspective to investigate empirically the so-called attitude–behaviour gap in the context of green product innovation. The aim of this …