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Morphological Variation Among Populations Of Uca Rapax In The Gulf Of Mexico And Northern Caribbean, Amanda L. Brase

Honors Program Theses

This study explores the relationship between phenotypic variation in the carapace morphology and the geographic distribution of Uca rapax population in the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Northern Caribbean Sea. Carapace or body shape in 37 populations is analyzed quantitatively and correlated with two habitat variables: salinity and location. Although there is morphological overlap among populations grouped by habitat, they are significantly different when sorted by geographic region. Populations from the northern and western Gulf of Mexico diverge from those in Florida, the Yucatan and the northern Caribbean implying restricted larval dispersal and/or differential habitat selection.

Bird Use Of Heterogeneous Prairie Biofuel Production Plots In Black Hawk County, Iowa, Jarrett Pfrimmer, Mark C. Myers, Benjamin Hoksch, Drew Miller

Undergraduate Student Work

Agricultural intensification has driven the loss of >90% of native grassland habitats in the Midwest. Consequently, grassland birds have declined more drastically than any other North American guild. Current biofuel production systems rely on high input monoculture crops that provide little habitat value to most grassland birds. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center is exploring the feasibility of growing and harvesting diverse mixes of native prairie vegetation for use as a sustainable biofuel in a manner that also provides high quality bird habitat. In 2009, we seeded 48 research plots on three soil types with one of four …

Genetic Structure And Disease Prevalence Of Boreal Toads (Bufo Boreas) In Glacier National Park, Brett Rebekah Addis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Amphibians are more threatened than any other vertebrate group, with 41% of species experiencing declines. The causes of most declines are not well understood, though many declines have been linked to the emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis. Additionally, amphibians are physiologically constrained to moist habitats and considered poor dispersers; thus, they may suffer genetic consequences of population isolation. To address threats to the persistence of boreal toads (Bufo boreas) in Glacier National Park, USA, I genotyped 551 individuals at 11 microsatellite loci and used spatially independent (STRUCTURE) and spatially explicit (GENELAND) Bayesian methods to describe population genetic structure and identify barriers …

Ice Slurry And Cold Drink Reduces Exercise Induced Physiological Strain In The Heat, Cory Emil Kaufman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Purpose: To determine the effects of an ice slurry beverage on heat strain and thermoregulatory responses during prolonged exercise in the heat. Methods: Twenty males consumed slurry (ICE, -1.4 ± 0.2 °C), cold drink (COLD, -0.7 ± 0.2 °C), or room temperature drink (RT, 21.5 ± 1.0 °C), while walking at 50% of VO2max for 90 minutes in the heat (43.3 °C and 40% humidity). Heart rate (HR), core temperature (Tc), skin temperature (Ts), physiological strain index (PSI), sweat rate, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded. Results: Tc was lower at minutes 30, 60, and 90 during ICE …

Magis: Creating A Sustainable, Educational And Economic Partnership In Belize, Don Bush, Karl Dakin, Marilynn Force, Luka Powanga

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

In December of 2010, a Regis University student from Belize and a Regis University faculty member launched an entrepreneurial adventure by planting 1,000 teak trees on one acre of land near the town of Punta Gorda in southern Belize. The trees survived four months of drought, and in June of 2011 another 1,000 trees were planted. In June of 2012, the student and professor will do a third planting of 1,000 trees, bringing the grand total to 3,000 trees. Two full-time Mayan Indians are employed; they trim, fertilize, and water the trees. Future expansion will require hiring additional workers. The …

Men In Black, Martin Munoz

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

At almost every Catholic university you will undoubtedly find old photographs of a sepia colored world, grainy artifacts steeped in tradition with narratives all but forgotten, like clouds passing in a blue sky. These photographs are but a moment in time, only the instruments that captured these moments may exist, a reminder of how science has permanence in a world ruled by the machine while stories pass on like ghostly figures in an indifferent province. The stories within these photos that once were filled with hope, promise and faith are now silent; only the reverberations of their memory remain.

Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks In High Elevation Whitebark Pine Forests: The Effects Of Tree Host Species And Blister Rust Infection Severity On Beetle Productivity, Edith Mary Dooley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent years, the mountain pine beetle (MPB, Dendroctonus ponderosae) has caused dramatic levels of mortality of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis). This keystone and foundation tree species is also being killed by the exotic fungus, Cronartium ribicola, which causes the disease white pine blister rust (WPBR). This study examines MPB productivity in whitebark pine compared to that in lodgepole pine, and also in whitebark pine of varying WPBR infection severities to determine if either of these host factors contributes to the current, dramatic MPB outbreaks in whitebark pine. To evaluate host tree effects on MPB, I tracked attack densities, emergence …

Northern River Otter Population Assessment And Connectivity In Western Montana, Darin Edward Newton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are elusive and difficult to monitor, and little is known about their movement patterns or how populations are structured on the landscape. Otters are sensitive to degradation of aquatic systems, mostly due to loss of prey. This is evident in the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR), Montana, which has been polluted from decades of mining activity. My objectives for this project were to determine otter population substructuring and connectivity in western Montana and Idaho, and produce a habitat assessment and population estimate for otters in the UCFR. I used genotypic data from otter tissue samples …

Collaborative Conservation Of Taimen (Hucho Taimen)Through Education And Awareness Khovsgol Aimag Mongolia, Daneil H. Bailey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bailey, Daniel, M.S., December 2012 Resource Conservation COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION OF TAIMEN THROUGH EDUCATION AND AWARENESS KHOVSGOL AIMAG MONGOLIA Chair: Dr. Keith Bosak ABSTRACT: Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen) populations in northern Mongolia (the state of Khovsgol aimag) are threatened by illegal poaching, habitat loss, mining and recreational fishing. Taimen are the world’s largest salmonid, historically reaching lengths of 6.5 ft. and weighing as much as 200 lbs This unique species of fish is incredibly slow-growing, long-lived (up to 40 years) and late to reach sexual maturity (5-7 years). These characteristics -- coupled with overuse and habitat loss -- have resulted in …

Site Fidelity, Associations And Long-Term Bonds Of Short-Finned Pilot Whales Off The Island Of Hawai`I, Sabre D. Mahaffy

Dissertations and Theses

Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) are the most frequently sighted odontocete in a long-term study in Hawaiʹi (representing 23.8% of all odontocete sightings from directed research efforts), yet little has been published on this species in Hawaiian waters. Studies elsewhere have suggested that short-finned pilot whales travel in stable mixed-sex groups composed of strongly associated individuals; however temporal analyses of social structure are lacking. To examine site fidelity, association patterns and temporal relationships, I analyzed data from 267 directed research and opportunistic encounters of short-finned pilot whales off the island of Hawai`i from 2003 through 2007. Sightings occurred year-round. Analysis …

On The Effect Of Heterogeneity On The Dynamics And Performance Of Dynamical Networks, Alireza Goudarzi

Dissertations and Theses

The high cost of processor fabrication plants and approaching physical limits have started a new wave research in alternative computing paradigms. As an alternative to the top-down manufactured silicon-based computers, research in computing using natural and physical system directly has recently gained a great deal of interest. A branch of this research promotes the idea that any physical system with sufficiently complex dynamics is able to perform computation. The power of networks in representing complex interactions between many parts make them a suitable choice for modeling physical systems. Many studies used networks with a homogeneous structure to describe the computational …

Pig (Sus Scrofa) Exploitation At Hallan Çemi, Southeastern Anatolia: Proposing An Alternative Model, Ximena Lemoine

University Honors Theses

Hallan Çemi presents itself as a unique site to study the transitional period before the onset of agriculture in the Near East. The site fails to fit nicely into demographic or environmental models that have widely been accepted for the region. Hallan Çemi thus represents the potential to study innovative human strategies for subsistence, and to provide insight into the processes that led to the eventual adoption of agriculture only a few millennia later. Richard Redding and Michael Rosenberg presented one such innovative strategy for pig exploitation at this site with their New Guinean model (Redding and Rosenberg 1998; Rosenberg …

From Simple Healer To Doctorally Educated Clinician, Lindsey Decampos-Stairiker

University Honors Theses

The profession of physical therapy today is the culmination of various techniques, approaches, and knowledge sources from many different disciplines and philosophies. It is a highly dynamic and progressive field which focuses on incorporating new knowledge and techniques into the established practice: while some aspects can be traced back several millennia, others are the product of evolution and modernization within the field due to discoveries and advances in medical science as well as the needs and demands of the ever changing general population. In order to trace the evolution of the field, this review considered not only the direct progression, …

Defining Ccl20’S Role In Carcinogenesis, Melanie Schafer

University Honors Theses

It has become widely accepted that chronic inflammation is correlated with cancer. An important aspect in this relationship is the microenvironment established by inflammation and characterized by the production of small molecules known as cytokines and chemokines. One such chemokine, CCLZO, is a Th17 specific chemokine essential for Th17 activation. Although the contribution of Th1 and Th2 in carcinogenesis have been well established, Th17's role in cancer development has yet to be identified. In this study, we provide first experimental evidence regarding the functional role of CCL20 in turmorigenesis that can shed light onto Th17's function in cancer. We generated …

Lay Versus Medical Analysis: A Conflict Centered On The Disciplinary And Professional Identity Of Psychoanalysis, Sam Yoder

University Honors Theses

The psychoanalytic conflict surrounding lay and medical analysis was a prominent conflict within both the European and American psychoanalytic communities. This thesis is an analysis of that conflict from the time period of 1900-1940. I argue that this conflict is an expression of two conflicting ideas for the disciplinary identity of psychoanalysis. Lay analysts believed that psychoanalysis should be a distinct discipline and be used in a multidisciplinary context. Medical analysts believed that through aligning psychoanalysis with medicine it would obtain professional legitimacy. This thesis also covers concepts of professionalization in disciplines.

A Proposal For A Track-Ii Coalition In The Middle East: Creating The Conditions For Regional Dialogue, Public Engagement, And Security Cooperation, Mart Stewart-Smith

University Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the state of Middle East Track-II projects since the 1990s, the failure of the ACRS working group, and how a better understanding of security norms and public opinion can improve Track-II collaboration and produce long-term results. The first section of the paper provides a summary of NGO activities, and how their work relates to the development of a regional security regime. The projects featured in this paper are by no means exhaustive, but are intended to represent the variety of forms and objectives Track-II efforts have traditionally taken in the region. The second section provides a review …

The Regulation Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 By Growth Hormone Via Stat5b, Tiffany Morrison

University Honors Theses

The growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like factor 1 (IGF-1) growth axis is integral to growth, metabolism and tissue repair. This pathway involves binding of GH to the GH receptor and activation of the transcription factor, Stat5b, leading to nuclear transclocation, interaction with DNA binding sites in chromatin and stimulation of IGF-1 transcription. Stat5b binding sites have been determined experimentally by previous research but are all found far from the IGF-1 promoters and the mechanism by which Stat5b binding initiates IGF-1 gene transcription is currently unknown. Since no system for studying this process currently exists, the goal of this project is …

Finding A Forum For North Korea, Morse Tan

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

North Korea’s gross and systematic violations of human rights violate international law, including contravention of the treaties that North Korea itself has ratified (i.e., the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). Nevertheless, a surprising dearth of legal scholarship exists with respect to arguably the worst human rights situation in the world. This Article analyzes possible tribunals to provide a measure of redress for the victims of these heinous violations …

Legal Paternity (And Other Parenthood) After Lehr And Michael H., Jeffrey A. Parness, Zachary Townsend

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Actual genetic ties do not always establish, or even help to establish, legal paternity of children born of consensual sex, that is, male parental rights and/or duties as of the time of birth. Paternity status, typically governed by state law, is often dependent upon the marital status of the mothers, or the nonsex acts of men preconception, prebirth, or shortly after birth. For example, husbands of mothers are often deemed parents at birth because genetic ties are presumed. Thus, for nonmarital children born to certain married women, legal paternity is not founded on actual genetic ties. Similarly, actual male genetic …

Systems Biology In The Frontier Of Cancer Research: A Report Of The Second International Workshop Of Cancer Systems Biology, Juan Cui, Yan-Chun Liang, Ying Xu

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

The report summarizes the Second International Workshop of Cancer Systems Biology held on July 5-6, 2012 in Changchun, China. The goal of the workshop was to bring together cancer researchers with different backgrounds to share their views about cancer and their experiences in fighting against cancer, and to gain new and systems-level understanding about cancer formation, progression, diagnosis, and treatment through exchanging ideas.

Protein Timing And Its Effects On Muscular Hypertrophy And Strength In Individuals Engaged In Weight-Training, Judith Lukaszuk, Matthew Stark, Aimee Prawitz, Amanda Salacinski

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

The purpose of this review was to determine whether past research provides conclusive evidence about the effects of type and timing of ingestion of specific sources of protein by those engaged in resistance weight training. Two essential, nutrition-related, tenets need to be followed by weightlifters to maximize muscle hypertrophy: the consumption of 1.2-2.0 g protein.kg -1 of body weight, and ≥44-50 kcal.kg-1 of body weight. Researchers have tested the effects of timing of protein supplement ingestion on various physical changes in weightlifters. In general, protein supplementation pre- and post-workout increases physical performance, training session recovery, lean body mass, muscle hypertrophy, …

Health Effects Associated With Foreclosure: A Secondary Analysis Of Hospital Discharge Data, Nancy N. Menzel, Sheniz Moonie, Melva Thompson-Robinson

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the health effects of high home foreclosure rates in an area of the United States of America and the utility of hospital discharge data for this purpose.

Methods: We analyzed hospital discharge data from three postal zip codes using the principal diagnosis for 25 Diagnostic Related Groups associated with stress. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize hospital discharge rates for each condition by year and zip code. To test for differences across time, the Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed.

Results: Most conditions did not demonstrate a statistical change between 2005 and …

A Study Of The Management Of Opioid Prescriptions Among Patients With A History Of Substance Abuse, Kara G. Veeder

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Prescription opioid abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States and has been declared an epidemic by the U.S. White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Immediate release (IR) opioids, especially hydrocodone and oxycodone, are abused or misused most commonly. Dentists are only second to family physicians in the number of IR opioid prescriptions written. Just under ten percent of the population in the United States in 2010 were classified with substance dependence or abuse in 2009. This study poses the following questions: 1. Do patients with a personal or family history of substance abuse manage prescription …

Ethanol Interactions With Dl-Methylphenidate Versus D-Methylphenidate In Humans, Owen Reeves

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects~ 4.4% of the adult population, and patients with this disorder frequently have comorbid substance abuse disorders. Methylphenidate (MPH) is considered a first line pharmacotherapy agent in the treatment of ADHD, and is commonly used or co-abused with alcohol. Hydrolysis of oral racemic methylphenidate (dl-MPH) by carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) limits the bioavailability of the pharmacologically active d-MPH isomer to approximately 30% and that of the inactive 1-MPH isomer to only 1-2%. Co-administration of dl-MPH with ethanol results in elevated d-MPH plasma concentrations, as well as CES1 mediated enantioselective transesterification of 1-MPH to 1-ethylphenidate (EPH). The present …

Quantitative Analysis Of Some Important Metals And Metalloids In Tobacco Products By Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (Icp-Ms), Syed Ghulam Musharraf, Muhammad Shoaib, Amna Jabbar Siddiqui, Muhammad Najam-Ul-Haq, Aftab Ahmed

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: Large scale usage of tobacco causes a lot of health troubles in human. Various formulations of tobacco are extensively used by the people particularly in developing world. Besides several toxic tobacco constituents some metals and metalloids are also believed to pose health risks. This paper describes inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) quantification of some important metals and metalloids in various brands of smoked, sniffed, dipped and chewed tobacco products.

Results: A microwave-assisted digestion method was used for sample preparation. The method was validated by analyzing a certified reference material. Percentage relative standard deviation (% R.S.D.) between recovered …

A New, Simple, Green And One-Pot Four-Component Synthesis Of Bare And Poly(Α, Γ, L-Glutamic Acid) Capped Silver Nanoparticles, Magdalena Stevanović, Igor Savanović, Vuk Uskoković, Srečo D. Škapin, Ines Bračko, Uroš Jovanović, Dragan Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

A simple and green chemical method has been developed to synthesize stable bare and capped silver nanoparticles based on the reduction of silver ions by glucose and capping by poly(α,γ,Lglutamic acid) (PGA). The use of ammonia during synthesis was avoided. PGA has had a dual role in the synthesis and was used as a capping agent to make the silver nanoparticle more biocompatible and to protect the nanoparticles from agglomerating in the liquid medium. The synthesized PGA-capped silver nanoparticles in the size range 5–45 nm were stable over long periods of time, without signs of precipitation. Morphological examination has shown …

Attenuation Of Corneal Myofibroblast Development Through Nanoparticle-Mediated Soluble Transforming Growth Factor-Β Type Ii Receptor (Stgfβrii) Gene Transfer, Ajay Sharma, Jason T. Rodier, Ashish Tandon, Alexander M. Klibanov, Rajiv R. Mohan

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: To explore (i) the potential of polyethylenimine (PEI)-DNA nanoparticles as a vector for delivering genes into human corneal fibroblasts, and (ii) whether the nanoparticle-mediated soluble extracellular domain of the transforming growth factor–β type II receptor (sTGFβRII) gene therapy could be used to reduce myofibroblasts and fibrosis in the cornea using an in vitro model.

Methods: PEI-DNA nanoparticles were prepared at a nitrogen-to-phosphate ratio of 30 by mixing linear PEI and a plasmid encoding sTGFβRII conjugated to the fragment crystallizable (Fc) portion of human immunoglobulin. The PEI-DNA polyplex formation was confirmed through gel retardation assay. Human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs) were …

A Greener Synthesis Of 2-Aminochromenes In Ionic Liquid And Evaluation Of Their Antiproliferative Activities, M. Sudershan Rao, Bhupender S. Chhikara, Rakesh Tiwari, Amir Nasrolahi Shirazi, Keykavous Parang, Anil Kumar

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

An improved simple and facile synthesis of chromene derivatives by employing threecomponent one-pot condensation reaction of β-naphthol, aromatic aldehydes, and malononitrile in ionic liquids is described.

Mild Cognitive Impairment: Statistical Models Of Transition Using Longitudinal Clinical Data, Erin L. Abner, Richard J. Kryscio, Gregory E. Cooper, David W. Fardo, Gregory A. Jicha, Marta S. Mendiondo, Peter T. Nelson, Charles D. Smith, Linda J. Van Eldik, Lijie Wan, Frederick A. Schmitt

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to the clinical state between normal cognition and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD), but persons diagnosed with MCI may progress to non-AD forms of dementia, remain MCI until death, or recover to normal cognition. Risk factors for these various clinical changes, which we term "transitions," may provide targets for therapeutic interventions. Therefore, it is useful to develop new approaches to assess risk factors for these transitions. Markov models have been used to investigate the transient nature of MCI represented by amnestic single-domain and mixed MCI states, where mixed MCI comprised all other MCI subtypes based on …

Reflections On Intellectual Hybridity, Kimala Price

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Drawing from the growing literature on interdisciplinarity and my own experiences as an intellectual hybrid, I discuss the personal and institutional challenges inherent in crossing disciplinary boundaries in the academy. I argue that boundary crossing is a natural occurrence and that the issue of (inter)disciplinarity is a matter of degree and of determining who gets to define the boundaries. Defining boundaries is not merely an intellectual enterprise, but also a political act that delineates what is, or is not, legitimate scholarship. This issue is especially salient to women's and gender studies during times of economic distress and educational budget cuts.