Digital Commons Network^™

Optimal Body Size With Respect To Maximal Speed For The Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard (Varanus Panoptes; Varanidae), Christofer J. Clemente, Philip C. Withers, Graham Thompson

Research outputs 2012

Studies of locomotor performance often link variation in morphology with ecology. While maximum sprint speed is a commonly used performance variable, the absolute limits for this performance trait are not completely understood. Absolute maximal speed has often been shown to increase linearly with body size, but several comparative studies covering a large range of body sizes suggest that maximal speed does not increase indefinitely with body mass but rather reaches an optimum after which speed declines. Because of the comparative nature of these studies, it is difficult to determine whether this decrease is due to biomechanical constraints on maximal speed …

A Theoretically Grounded Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Transition To Secondary School, Stacey Waters, Leanne Lester, Elizabeth Wenden, Donna Cross

Research outputs 2012

Adolescent development involves a complex interplay between genetics, biology, and social and emotional relationships within multiple contexts of home, school and the broader community. The transition from primary to secondary school, coupled with the onset of puberty, can therefore be a difficult period for young people to negotiate at a critical period of their developmental pathway. Using a social ecological perspective, this article examines the impact of the transition experience on adolescent social and emotional health, both immediately following transition to secondary school and at the end of the first year in this new school environment. This 1-year prospective study …

Maternal Work Hours In Early To Middle Childhood Link To Later Adolescent Diet Quality, Jianghong Li, Therese O'Sullivan, Sarah Johnson, Fiona Stanley, Wendy H. Oddy

Research outputs 2012

Objective: Previous studies on maternal work hours and child diet quality have reported conflicting findings possibly due to differences in study design, lack of a comprehensive measure of diet quality and differing ages of the children under investigation. The present study aimed to prospectively examine the impact of parental work hours from age 1 year to age 14 years on adolescent diet quality.

Design: Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine independent associations between parents' work hours at each follow-up and across 14 years and adolescent diet quality at age 14 years. A diet quality index was based on …

Drift Algae, An Invasive Snail And Elevated Temperature Reduce Ecological Performance Of A Warm-Temperate Seagrass, Through Additive Effects, H Hoffle, Thomas Wernberg, Mads Thomsen, M Holmer

Research outputs 2012

Seagrasses are under pressure from multiple concurrent threats, including rising temperatures, invasive species and nutrient-driven algal accumulations. We quantified the abundance of drift algae and the invasive snail Batillaria australis in 3 Halophila ovalis seagrass beds in the Swan River Estuary (Perth, Western Australia), and tested in an aquarium experiment for interactive effects of temperature (21 vs. 27°C), cover of drift algae Chaetomorpha linum (0 vs. 1.4 kg fresh wt m -2) and presence (0 vs. 120 snails m -2) of B. australis on the ecological performance of H. ovalis. The survey showed that drift algae varied considerably between sites …

Altered Expression Of Alzheimer's Disease-Related Proteins In Male Hypogonadal Mice, Eleanor S. Drummond, Ralph Martins, D J Handelsman, A R Harvey

Research outputs 2012

Age-related depletion of estrogens and androgens is associated with an increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology and diminished cognitive function. Here we investigated AD-associated molecular and cellular changes in brains of aged hypogonadal (hpg) male and female mice. hpg Mice have a spontaneous, inactivating genetic mutation in the GnRH gene resulting in lifelong deficiency of gonadotropins and gonadal sex hormones. Western blot analysis revealed low levels of amyloid precursor protein and high levels of presenilin 1, amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment, and β-amyloid 42 in brains of aged male, but not female, hpg mice. Changes were confined to the …

Clinical And Biomarker Changes In Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease, R J Bateman, C Xiong, T L Benzinger, A M Fagan, A Goate, N C Fox, D S Marcus, N J Cairns, X Xie, T M Blazey, D M Holtzman, A Santacruz, V Buckles, A Oliver, K Moulder, P M Aisen, B Ghetti, W M Klunk, E Mcdade, Ralph Martins, C M Masters, R Mayeux, J M Ringman, M M Rossor, P M Schofield, R M Sperling, S Salloway, J M Morris

Research outputs 2012

Background: The order and magnitude of pathologic processes in Alzheimer's disease are not well understood, partly because the disease develops over many years. Autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease has a predictable age at onset and provides an opportunity to determine the sequence and magnitude of pathologic changes that culminate in symptomatic disease.

Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal study, we analyzed data from 128 participants who underwent baseline clinical and cognitive assessments, brain imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood tests. We used the participant's age at baseline assessment and the parent's age at the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease to …

The Hippo Pathway Member Yap Plays A Key Role In Influencing Fate Decisions In Muscle Satellite Cells, Robert Judson, Annie Tremblay, Paul Knopp, Robert White, Roby Urcia, Cosimo De Bari, Peter Zammit, Fernando Camargo, Henning Wackerhage

Research outputs 2012

Satellite cells are the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle. Mitotically quiescent in mature muscle, they can be activated to proliferate and generate myoblasts to supply further myonuclei to hypertrophying or regenerating muscle fibres, or self-renew to maintain the resident stem cell pool. Here, we identify the transcriptional co-factor Yap as a novel regulator of satellite cell fate decisions. Yap expression increases during satellite cell activation and Yap remains highly expressed until after the differentiation versus self-renewal decision is made. Constitutive expression of Yap maintains Pax7+ and MyoD+ satellite cells and satellite cell-derived myoblasts, promotes proliferation but prevents differentiation. In …

Shall We Play A Game? [Journal Article], Craig William Caulfield, Stanislaw Maj, J C Xia, David Veal

Research outputs 2012

This paper presents the results of a qualitative research project that used a simple game of a software project to see if and how games could contribute to better software project management education, and, if so, what features would make them most efficacious. The results suggest that while games are useful pedagogical tools and are well-received by players, they are not sufficient in themselves and must be supplemented by other learning devices.

"Some Of My Children Are Worth More Than Others": Perceptions Of Nonresidential Fathers With Second Families As To The Fairness Of The Australian Child Support Agency's Handling Of First Family Child Support Financial Arrangements, Donna Stambulich, Julie Ann Pooley, Natalie Gately, Myra Taylor

Research outputs 2012

One in three Australian marriages end in divorce, and over half of such divorces involve children. Research indicates that men tend to repartner within 1 to 2 years of a divorce and women within 3 to 5 years. A significant issue for repartnered men is the provision of financial support for children from both their first and second families. Although only 6% of all Australian first family children spend near/equal time (shared care) after divorce with both parents, fathers in Australia are mandated under child support legislation to provide financial support for their first family children, whether they reside with …

The Role Of Eugenics In The Restoration Of The Nuclear Family Post-Wwii, Amanda Jurczak

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Insulin-Like Growth Factors Signaling In Merlin-Deficient Human Schwannomas., Sylwia Ammoun, M. Caroline Schmid, Natalia Ristic, Lu Zhou, David Hilton, Emanuela Ercolano, Camille Carroll, C. Oliver Hanemann

Peninsula Medical School

Loss of the tumor suppressor merlin causes development of the tumors of the nervous system, such as schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas occurring spontaneously or as part of a hereditary disease Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2). Current therapies, (radio) surgery, are not always effective. Therefore, there is a need for drug treatments for these tumors. Schwannomas are the most frequent of merlin-deficient tumors and are hallmark for NF2. Using our in vitro human schwannoma model, we demonstrated that merlin-deficiency leads to increased proliferation, cell-matrix adhesion, and survival. Increased proliferation due to strong activation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is caused by overexpression/activation …

Control Of Interneuron Dendritic Growth Through Nrg1/Erbb4-Mediated Kalirin-7 Disinhibition., M. E. Cahill, K. A. Jones, I. Rafalovich, Z. Xie, C. S. Barros, U. Müller, P. Penzes

Peninsula Medical School

Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is a secreted trophic factor that activates the postsynaptic erbB4 receptor tyrosine kinase. Both NRG1 and erbB4 have been repeatedly associated with schizophrenia, but their downstream targets are not well characterized. ErbB4 is highly abundant in interneurons, and NRG1-mediated erbB4 activation has been shown to modulate interneuron function, but the role for NRG1-erbB4 signaling in regulating interneuron dendritic growth is not well understood. Here we show that NRG1/erbB4 promote the growth of dendrites in mature interneurons through kalirin, a major dendritic Rac1-GEF. Recent studies have shown associations of the KALRN gene with schizophrenia. Our data point to …

Profiling Plasma Peptides For The Identification Of Potential Ageing Biomarkers In Chinese Han Adults, Jiapeng Lu, Yuqing Huang, Youxin Wang, Yan Li, Youjun Zhang, Jingjing Wu, Feifei Zhao, Shijiao Meng, Xinwei Yu, Qingwei Ma, Manshu Song, Naibai Chang, Alan H. Bittles, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2012

Advancing age is associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and cancer, and shows significant inter-individual variability. To identify ageing-related biomarkers we performed a proteomic analysis on 1890 Chinese Han individuals, 1136 males and 754 females, aged 18 to 82 years, using weak cation exchange magnetic bead based MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. The study identified 44 peptides which varied in concentration in different age groups. In particular, apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA1) concentration gradually increased between 18 to 50 years of age, the levels of fibrinogen alpha (FGA) decreased over the same age span, while albumin (ALB) was significantly degraded in middle-aged individuals. In addition, …

Diversity Among Macroalgae-Consuming Fishes On Coral Reefs: A Transcontinental Comparison, Adriana Verges, Scott Bennett, David R. Bellwood

Research outputs 2012

Despite high diversity and abundance of nominally herbivorous fishes on coral reefs, recent studies indicate that only a small subset of taxa are capable of removing dominant macroalgae once these become established. This limited functional redundancy highlights the potential vulnerability of coral reefs to disturbance and stresses the need to assess the functional role of individual species of herbivores. However, our knowledge of species-specific patterns in macroalgal consumption is limited geographically, and there is a need to determine the extent to which patterns observed in specific reefs can be generalised at larger spatial scales. In this study, video cameras were …

Global Warming And Heat Stress Among Western Australian Mine, Oil And Gas Workers, Joseph Mate, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2012

The earth is currently experiencing a change in its climate which in some areas is resulting in warmer ambient temperatures. Globally the frequency and severity of heat waves have increased over the last few decades leading to an associated increase in the burden of morbidity and mortality associated with heat waves. Global temperatures are predicted to rise even further in the foreseeable future....

Graph Theory For Survivability Design In Communication Networks, Daryoush Habibi, Quoc Viet Phung

Research outputs 2012

Design of survivable communication networks has been a complex task. Without establishing network survivability, there can be severe consequences when a physical link fails. Network failures which may be caused by dig-ups, vehicle crashes, human errors, system malfunctions, fire, rodents, sabotage, natural disasters (e.g. floods, earthquakes, lightning storms), and some other factors, have occurred quite frequently and sometimes with unpredictable consequences. To tackle these, survivability measures in a communication network can be implemented at the service layer, the logical layer, the system layer, and the physical layer.

Authentic Digital Representation Of Creative Works For Assessment, Christopher Newhouse

Research outputs 2012

This paper reports on the first stage of a three-year project to investigate the representation of student portfolios in digital forms for the purpose of summative assessment. In a number of senior secondary courses in Western Australia, such as Visual Arts and Design, students submit a physical portfolio for summative assessment that takes various forms dependent on the chosen context. The collection and judging/marking of these portfolios has increasingly been considered to be problematic by assessors, teachers and probably many students. While it should be feasible to digitize these portfolios and apply a similar method of marking, the digitization process …

The Nutritional Regulation Of Hepatic Fibroblast Growth Factor 21: A Novel Anti-Diabetic Hormone., Holly Ann Cyphert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous studies have shown that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is partially regulated by the activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARα) following starvation or the consumption of a high fat, low carbohydrate (HF-LC) ketogenic diet. To understand the nutritional regulation of FGF21, I employed the use of primary rat hepatocytes and screened for factors that could potentially mediate the nutritional regulation of FGF21 mRNA and protein secretion. In preliminary experiments, I discovered that bile acids enhance FGF21 mRNA expression and protein secretion. Bile acids are known ligands for the farnesoid X receptor, a nuclear receptor. Activation of FXR by …

Effects Of Exotic Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera Morrowii) On Migratory Songbirds., Holly Merredith Mcchesney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In much of the eastern United States, bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.) threaten the integrity of old-fields used as songbird habitat. From 2007–2009, we studied old-field systems in two areas of southwestern Pennsylvania: Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Ohiopyle State Park. Old fields at Fort Necessity consisted of a dense cover of Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii), whereas those at Ohiopyle were relatively free of this shrub species. We captured birds in mist nets during the breeding and post-breeding seasons to assess species composition at both locations and found that the species composition of breeding birds was correlated with the presence of …

Assessment Of Pulmonary Fibrogenic Potential Of Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes In Vitro., Anurag Mishra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) have many applications due to their unique mechanical and electrical properties. However, these fiber shaped materials have been shown to possess unusual fibrogenic activity in vivo and are currently the focus of intense toxicological investigations. To date very few detailed mechanistic studies on the fibrogenic activity of CNT have been reported. The aim of this series of studies is to determine fibrogenic potential of well dispersed MWCNT in human lung cell culture models and develop a novel platform for understanding the cellular mechanisms of MWCNT-induced lung fibrosis. Dispersion of large agglomerates of MWCNT in suspension to …

Biology Ii Lab, Todd Schraw

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

General Genetics Lab, Steelman Library, Todd D. Schraw Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Dispositional Attachment And Caregiving Styles, Values, And Prosocial Personality And Behavior, Robert Scott Dubois

Dissertations (1934 -)

A growing body of descriptive and experimental research evidence and theoretical analysis suggests that attachment security, an inner confidence or sense that one's self and others are reliably available, sensitive, responsive and effect sources of support through difficult times, may prompt compassionate thoughts, feelings, values and behavior consistent with the Golden Rule. The current research contributes to this important body of scientific research by positing, testing, and as appropriate revising a theoretically and empirically meaningful structural model that outlines justifiable direct and indirect paths through which dispositional attachment security, developmentally transmitted in part across and within generations by one's caregivers, …

Plant-Soil Feedbacks Provide An Alternative Explanation For Diversity-Productivity Relationships, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Justin Heavilin

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Plant–soil feedbacks (PSFs) have gained attention for their role in plant community dynamics, but their role in productivity has been overlooked. We developed and tested a biomass-specific, multi-species model to examine the role of PSFs in diversity–productivity relationships. The model predicts a negative relationship between PSFs and overyielding: plants with negative PSFs grow more in communities than in monoculture (i.e. overyield), and plants with positive PSFs grow less in communities than in monoculture (i.e. underyield). This effect is predicted to increase with diversity and saturate at low species richness because the proportion of ‘self-cultivated’ soils rapidly decreases as species are …

An Analysis Of High Impact Scholarship And Publication Trends In Blended Learning, Lisa R. Halverson, Charles R. Graham, Kristian J. Spring, Jeffrey S. Drysdale

Faculty Publications

Blended learning is a diverse and expanding area of design and inquiry that combines face-to-face and online modalities. As blended learning research matures, numerous voices enter the conversation. This study begins the search for the center of this emerging area of study by finding the most cited scholarship on blended learning. Using Harzing’s Publish or Perish software (http:// www.harzing.com/pop.htm), we determined the most frequently cited books, book chapters, and articles on the subject of blended learning, as well as the journals in which these highly cited articles appeared. Through these findings we offer some conclusions about where the conversations about …

Formative Research On Perceptions Of Biobanking: What Community Members Think, John S. Luque, Gwendolyn P. Quinn, Francisco A. Montel-Ishino, Mariana Arevalo, Shalanda A. Bynum, Shalewa Noel-Thomas, Kristen J. Wells, Clement K. Gwede, Cathy D. Meade, Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network Partners

Community Health: Faculty Publications

Preparing healthy community members with timely communications prior to engaging them in a request to donate biospecimens promises to improve the experience of biobanking participation. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted to assess community member knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and informational needs about cancer-related biospecimen collection in a large metropolitan area in southwest Florida. The study utilized purposive sampling techniques to recruit a total of 95 participants to participate in 12 focus groups, segmented by race/ethnicity and language preference (mixed race, African American only, and Spanish speaking) and age (18–29, 30–54, and 55 and older). Focus group interviews were …

Geostatistical Spatiotemporal Modelling With Application To The Western King Prawn Of The Shark Bay Managed Prawn Fishery, Ainslie M. Denham

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Geostatistical methodology has been employed in the modelling of spatiotemporal data from various scientific fields by viewing the data as realisations of space-time random functions. Traditional geostatistics aims to model the spatial variability of a process so, in order to incorporate a time dimension into a geostatistical model, the fundamental differences between the space and time dimensions must be acknowledged and addressed. The main conceptual viewpoint of geostatistical spatiotemporal modelling identified within the literature views the process as a single random function model utilising a joint space-time covariance function to model the spatiotemporal continuity. Geostatistical space-time modelling has been primarily …

Uncertain Surrenders: The Coexistence Of Beauty And Menace In The Maternal Bond And Photography, Toni Wilkinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This creative inquiry is grounded in my maternal experiences and situated within a feminist approach to photography that develops a discussion of maternal passion and acknowledges the conflicting dynamics of the maternal relationship. The research includes a book of photographs of my children, Georgia and Henry, titled Uncertain surrenders, and a written component explicating the theoretical imperatives that motivated the project. I suggest that the coexistence of beauty and menace within the photographic portraits exquisitely represents the complexity of maternal passion. Julia Kristeva (2005) says, “we lack a reflection on maternal passion” in Western culture because it is an ambiguous …

Yin Yang Bipolar Atom - An Eastern Road Toward Quantum Gravity, Wen-Ran Zhang

Computing: Faculty Publications

Based on bipolar dynamic logic and bipolar quantum linear algebra, a causal theory of YinYang bipolar atom is introduced in a completely background independent geometry that transcends spacetime. The causal theory leads to an equilibrium-based super symmetrical quantum cosmology of negative-positive energies. It is contended that the new theory has opened an Eastern road toward quantum gravity with bipolar logical unifications of particle and wave, matter and antimatter, relativity and quantum entanglement. Information recovery after a black hole is discussed. It is shown that not only can the new theory be applied in physical worlds but also in logical, mental, …

Beyond Spacetime Geometry – The Death Of Philosophy And Its Quantum Reincarnation, Wen-Ran Zhang

Computing: Faculty Publications

Contrary to the “end” and “death” assertions on philosophy, this paper predicts an equilibrium-based and harmony-centered scientific reincarnation of philosophy. Logically, the reincarnation is backed by a formal system and a background independent geometry that transcends spacetime. Physically, it is supported by definable quantum causality and bipolar logical unifications of matter and antimatter, particle and wave, big bang and black hole, relativity and quantum entanglement. Philosophically, it is distinguished from Western metaphysics and dialectics as well as the Dao of Laozi. It is named a quantum reincarnation for its central claim that YinYang bipolar quantum entanglement is the source of …