Digital Commons Network^™

New Game Physics - Added Value For Transdisciplinary Teams, Andreas Schiffler

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This study focused on game physics, an area of computer game design where physics is applied in interactive computer software. The purpose of the research was a fresh analysis of game physics in order to prove that its current usage is limited and requires advancement. The investigations presented in this dissertation establish constructive principles to advance game physics design. The main premise was that transdisciplinary approaches provide significant value. The resulting designs reflected combined goals of game developers, artists and physicists and provide novel ways to incorporate physics into games. The applicability and user impact of such new game physics …

The Value Of Marine Conservation, Sian Rees

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The marine environment provides essential ecosystem services that are critical to the functioning of the earth’s life support system and the maintenance of human well-being. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are recognised as being the mechanism though which marine natural capital may be conserved. This thesis focuses on the value associated with marine conservation in a case study area, Lyme Bay, England where a ‘closed area’ was created in 2008. A review of literature spanning 20 years shows that despite sound ecological knowledge of a marine area, the reliance on traditional neo-classical economic valuations for marine spatial planning can obscure other …

The Evaluation Of Novel Bio-Ethanol Derived Co-Products As Potential Feed Ingredients For Carp Cyprinus Carpio And Tilapia Oreochromis Niloticus, Samd Sofy Omar

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The evaluation of novel Bio-ethanol derived co-products as potential feed ingredients for carp Cyprinus carpio and Tilapia Oreochromis nilitocus Samad S. Omar Abstract The nutritional value of novel yeast products were evaluated for warmwater fish species. A yeast co-product (yeast protein concentrate unrefined (YPCU)) obtained from a bio-ethanol process using wheat was tested using iso-nitrogenous (38% crude protein) and iso-lipidic (8%) diets for juvenile mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio). The fishmeal (FM) protein component of a basal diet was replaced by (YPCU) at 7.5, 15, 20, and 50% of total dietary protein. After an 8 week feeding trial, all fish fed …

Characterization Of Cholinesterase Activities For Pesticide Exposure In Food Animals, Kasim Sakran Abass Askar

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The primary aim of the work described in this thesis is to establish a foundation for the applicability of a biochemical biomarker, cholinesterase (ChE) activity in food animal species, as an instrument for evaluating exposure to pollutants as well as predicting high-level effects on public health. Secondary aims are to increase the awareness of pesticide users of anti-ChE exposure, to decide whether poisoning episodes involve anti-ChE by measuring residual effects in tissues, and to identify sources of contamination in food animal tissues. The ChE are specialized carboxylic ester hydrolases that break down esters of choline. They are classified as either …

Non-Transferrin-Bound Iron And Protein Glycation In Type 2 Diabetes, Desley White

School of Health Professions Theses

Background and Methods The involvement of iron in the risk for, and complications of, type 2 diabetes has generated substantial interest over the past 15 years, initially sparked by an association with raised serum ferritin, and the observation that people with iron overload diseases frequently develop diabetes. Considerable advances have since been made in understanding the effect glucose has on molecules, cells, and tissues; and the role that oxidative stress plays in the development of the pathologies of long-term diabetes. Poorly liganded iron is potentially both a contributor to, and consequence of, these complications. In vitro experiments with glucose-incubated transferrin …

Integrated Biomarker And Molecular Responses In Marine Bivalve Following Exposure To Environmental Contaminants: Implications For Human And Environmental Health, Yanan Di

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Environmental genotoxicants/carcinogens in the aquatic environment induce complex detrimental impacts on aquatic organisms. Integrated approach is required to comprehensively assess such impacts in terms of animal and environmental health. Biomarkers at different levels of biological organisations, including clearance rates (at individual level), histopathological alterations (at tissue level), DNA strand breaks using comet assay (at cellular level) and transcriptional alterations of key genes determined by real-time quantitative PCR (at molecular level), were designed and applied to analyse the impacts in marine bivalve: Mytilus sp., a classic bio-indicator species for environmental health monitoring, following exposure to selected environmental contaminants (i.e. Benzo(α)Pyrene (B(α)P), …

Landscape-Scale Population Dynamics: Field Observations And Modelling Of Puya Hamata, A Flagship Plant From The Andes, Paola M. García-Meneses

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Important ecological processes happen over long periods of time and at the landscape scale. Effective conservation of biodiversity and management of natural resources and ecosystem services requires an understanding of these processes. Unfortunately, it is often impractical to conduct appropriate long-term, landscape-scale studies. Modelling offers an alternative approach. Complete ecosystems are too complex to model practically, but simulations of simplified systems provide useful insights of practical value. LandBaSE-P is an individual-based model for Puya hamata that provides information about impacts of fire on ecological processes in the páramo of the Reserva Ecológica El Ángel, Ecuador. Puya hamata is a flagship …

The Effects Of Lactobacillus Plantarum Ncimb 41607 On Salmonella Infection And The Microbial Population In The Gastrointestinal Tract Of The Chicken, Nabil Ali Wali

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Salmonellosis is a foodborne disease, poultry and poultry products are the main source of the disease. Many countries including Iraq still use antibiotics to control Salmonella. The increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria putatively caused by the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture has provided the incentive to look for alterna-tives to antibiotic to control diseases in livestock. Lactic acid bacteria with probiotic characteristics have the potential to beneficially affect the gut microflora of chick-ens and help reduce the incidence of Salmonella infection. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 41607 was examined in vitro for in-hibitory effects against Salmonella and in vivo …

Relating Genotoxicity To Dna Repair And Reproductive Success In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Exposed To Environmental Toxicants, Helena C. Reinardy

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The potential for environmental toxicants to cause genetic damage (genotoxicity) in organisms is a prominent concern because effects on DNA can compromise reproductive success and survival in organisms. Genotoxicity in male germ cells is of particular concern because damage to DNA in sperm may not be repaired and the consequences of damaged genetic material may be transgenerational (from parent to offspring). An integrated approach across multiple levels of biological organization is necessary to establish linkages between exposure to genotoxicants and subsequent effects at molecular and higher levels of biological organization. This thesis addresses the relation between toxicant-induced genotoxicity and reproductive …

Coconuts And The Emergence Of Violence In Sulu: Beyond Resource Competitionpparadigms, Yancey Orr

Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Oliver Twist And Inklings Of ‘Grotesque’, Ehsan Hafezi Kermani, Roshanak Fazli

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Oliver Twist is a novel in which the society of pilfers and felons were reconnoitered uninvited by a young boy whose name is Oliver in the Victorian period. He as an orphan faces with dissimilar circumstances that are concealed to the eyes of the conventional people. Dickens, as the narrator of the story, has logged those absurdities and clumsiness in his novel. Dickens uses the idea of grotesque to display the conditions and the scenes to alert people in forms of comic and tragic. Dearth, poverty, lives of thieves, and whatever ensued in his time are dexterously exhibited in this …

Characterization Of The Clostridium Difficile Biofilm, Michelle Laning

Master's Theses

Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore forming bacterium and an opportunistic gastrointestinal pathogen. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common nosocomial infection. Upon antibiotic treatment, patients can be colonized with C. difficile from ingestion of spores. After colonization, cells produce toxins creating symptoms from diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis, and many patients develop recurrent infections. Interactions between host epithelium and the bacteria is a critical step in infection, yet the interaction is not well understood. It is not known how C. difficile evades host immune responses. These are important mechanisms to answer in advancing CDI treatment. A biofilm could contribute to …

Resveratrol + Ethanol Preconditioning And Neuroprotection, Nastaran Khodaie

Master's Theses

Our lab established that moderate ethanol preconditioning (MEP) for 6 days blocked the Aâ25-35 toxicity in cerebellar mixed cell cultures and It has been shown that MEP cause the up regulation of the pre-survival enzymes such as proxiredoxin2 (PRX2), which suggests MEP can activate the cell survival pathways against upcoming toxins.

This study was performed to verify the possible combinatory effect of ethanol and resveratrol against Aâ25-35 toxicity. Both ethanol and resveratrol sub-protective concentrations were detected against Aâ25-35 in cerebellar mixed cell cultures. The combination of sub-protective levels of ethanol and resveratrol showed the significantly reduction in number of Aâ25-35 …

Muppets Abroad: Globalization Of Multiculturalism And The International Co-Productions Of Sesame Street, Julianna Carlson Palm

Master's Theses

In recent years globalization has been cited as the cause or force changing our world, making it more interdependent and "smaller" through new means of technology and communication. As such a force, globalization is seen as pervasive in all aspects of contemporary life. Sesame Street has been used as an educational tool in the United States since 1969 and since that time, the producers of the program have created a presence in various countries throughout the world, using the technology of television to communicate with preschool audiences. In particular in the last decade, new productions have begun and been funded …

Kv7 K+ Channels In Airway Smooth Muscle Cells As Target For Asthma Therapy, Priyanka Prakash Kakad

Master's Theses

Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is an important etiological feature of asthma, the molecular mechanisms of which are poorly understood, thus preventing development of specific and effective therapies. We investigate the role played by Kv7 voltage-activated potassium channels in the pathophysiology of AHR and evaluate the significance of their regulation in treatment of asthma. Our studies provide the first evidence for expression of multiple Kv7 channels in guinea pig and human airways and demonstrate that the expression of Kv7 channels is reduced in allergen-sensitized guinea pig airways. Our ex vivo functional studies reveal that clinically available Kv7 channel activators attenuate the bronchoconstrictor …

The Influence Of Adult- Versus Child-Directed Television Programs On Distractibility In Preschoolers, Kathryn Joyce O'Toole

Master's Theses

Research in the field on children's attention to television has suggested that discerning between two different types of programming is crucial for understanding how children attend to TV. Child-directed television consists of programs designed with the purpose that children are the intended viewers. In contrast, adult-directed television is not designed for children; these programs are directed toward an older audience. The current study investigated how children divided their attention between cognitive tasks and a distractor. The distractor was either an adult-directed TV program, a child-directed TV program, or there was no distractor. The results revealed that the both distractors reduced …

Five Nuclear Loci Resolve The Polyploid History Of Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L.) And Relatives, Jimmy K. Triplett, Yunjing Wang, Jinshun Zhong, Elizabeth A. Kellogg

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Polyploidy poses challenges for phylogenetic reconstruction because of the need to identify and distinguish between homoeologous loci. This can be addressed by use of low copy nuclear markers. Panicum s.s. is a genus of about 100 species in the grass tribe Paniceae, subfamily Panicoideae, and is divided into five sections. Many of the species are known to be polyploids. The most well-known of the Panicum polyploids are switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and common or Proso millet (P. miliaceum). Switchgrass is in section Virgata, along with P. tricholaenoides, P. amarum, and P. amarulum, whereas P. miliaceum is in sect. Panicum. We have …

Salmon People In An Era Of Depleting Salmon: The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’S Climate Adaptation Action Plan As A Manifestation Of Tribal Sovereignty, Kelly Davis

Tribal Law Journal

Climate change presents novel challenges to indigenous peoples striving to maintain their place-based subsistence cultures. Climate change is altering physical environments, tribes are experiencing detrimental impacts, and adaptation is necessary to preserve indigenous lifestyles. The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, a Coast Salish tribe in northwestern Washington State, has taken the initiative in tribal climate change adaptation efforts.

In 2010, the Swinomish Office of Planning and Community Development issued a thorough Climate Adaptation Action Plan, which delineates strategies the vulnerable coastal, salmon-dependent tribe must take. Resilient social systems, like American Indian tribes, are capable of anticipating and planning for the future. …

Cultivating Teachers’ Morality And The Pedagogy Of Emotional Rationality, Minkang Kim

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers are expected to act ethically and provide moral role models in performing their duties, even though teacher education has often relegated the cultivation of teachers’ ethical awareness and moral development to the margins. When it is addressed, the main theoretical assumptions have relied heavily on the cognitivist developmental theories of Piaget and Kohlberg. A major pedagogical problem in adopting these theories of moral reasoning is that they may not help teachers to act as moral agents in real-life classrooms. This paper argues that one underlying difficulty is the insufficient attention given to the role of emotion in moral reasoning, …

Sweet Fruit Or Poisoned Apple? The Ipad's Effect On Newspapers, Janna Fischer

Colorado Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Nonfiction With Early Childhood Aged Children, Lacy J. Rose

Graduate Research Papers

Many children enter upper elementary unprepared to effectively read and write nonfiction. Some researchers suggest that children's lack of developmentally appropriate experiences with nonfiction during the early childhood years is in part to blame for this later school difficulty. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate the appropriateness of nonfiction for young children, as well as potential benefits and drawbacks of its inclusion in early childhood classrooms. This review of research is followed by the review of the implications current research has had on practice. In addition, suggested ways to increase early exposure to nonfiction are examined.

Infant Literacy, Tera Weber

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this project is to share the importance of reading to infants with their caregivers and teachers. This project will highlight what the research says regarding reading, what the infants gain from reading, and ideas on how to incorporate reading into group settings with infants through a professional development project. Participants in this professional development opportunity will be able to see recorded examples of teachers reading to infants, infants interacting with text, and materials that teachers may take back to their classrooms.

Keep Your Hands Off My Nuts - Airlines, Peanut Allergies, And The Law, John G. Browning

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Get Off My Plane: The Need For Extreme Deference To Captains And Crews On International Flights Under The Tokyo Convention Of 1963, Jordan Campbell

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Measuring Depth Of Understanding When Using Smartphones As Cognitive Tools In The Elementary Classroom, Lisa Westcott Schaa

Graduate Research Papers

The intent of this research was to measure how students' depth of understanding was affected by using smartphones in an elementary classroom, and what effects these cognitive tools had on students' abilities to express their level of understanding of the unit on Earth Changes. This empirical research took place for six weeks in the fall of 2011 with a class of eighteen Caucasian boys and girls of middle to low income economic status in a small town in Iowa. Students were a given a pre-test using traditional paper and pencil. Participants were split into two groups-with one group using traditional …

Concept-Based Picture Books For Mathematics, Miranda E. Kral

Graduate Research Papers

New picture books are published every year. Teacher librarians continuously search for new titles to add to their collections through collection development. A resource was not available that provided a list of children's picture books that include a conceptual approach to mathematics. The purpose of this project was to develop an annotated bibliography of children's picture books which, after analysis by the researcher, included materials that take a conceptual approach to mathematics learning for upper elementary students.

The project was completed by selecting children's picture books, meeting selection 13 criteria, found in WorldCat that included multiplication or division concepts. The …

What About The Girls? The Female Fantasy Protagonist In Contemporary Young Adult Literature, Christine M. Tomlinson

Graduate Research Papers

Most are familiar with the Hero archetype as he's been seen from The Odyssey to Star Wars. However, rarely is a female seen in that role. This study attempted to discern the characteristics and the journey of the female hero in Young Adult contemporary fantasy literature. The researcher attempted to answer the following questions:

1. Are contemporary female heroines in fantasy young adult literature more typically Earth Mother/Temptress in nature than Hero?

2. Do contemporary female heroines' journeys significantly differ from the traditional archetypal hero's journey?

3. Is there a new archetype emerging, and if so, what are its characteristics? …

The New Literacies: Transitioning The Secondary Writing Workshop Classroom, Laura Schafer

Graduate Research Papers

The New Literacies are an important aspect of education in the 21 st Century. As with any educational reform, there is some confusion surrounding the terminology of this movement. This paper will review the major components of the new literacies as well as examining the increased use of technology within the secondary writing workshop classroom. With the advancement of technology, students are incorporating more computer use both in and out of the classroom. ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) literacy skills must begin to transition into all classrooms; teaching includes the use of technology as part of instruction rather than a …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity And Academic Achievement, Annie M. Stoessel

Graduate Research Papers

The relationship between physical activity, physical education and academic achievement has gained increased attention in recent years. The nation's obesity rates keep rising and the nation's students continue to be less active than needed to maintain their health. Complicating the issue is the added pressure that schools have felt to cut physical education and physical activity from the school day in order to include more time for the core curriculum. Recently, new research has been added to the conversation that focuses on the relationship of physical activity and its impact on the brain and specifically student cognition. The focus of …

An Assessment Of Phosphorus Recovery From Dairy Wastewater, Éanna Kelleher

Theses

Phosphorus is an important nutrient for plant and animal life. It is one of the three essential nutrients required for plant growth; Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. It plays a vital role in the quality and structure of plants. In animals it is essential for the transfer of energy around the body and for the development of the skeleton. Phosphorus is mined from deposits of phosphate rock and is mainly used to produce fertiliser which is applied to agricultural land to improve plant growth. However, phosphorus is a finite resource and, similar to oil, is expected to peak during this century. …