Computer-Based Versus Paper-Pencil Modes Of Administration United States Government End Of Course Exams: Student Cumulative Grade Point Averages As Predictors Of Success, Barbara A. Ryan

Dissertations

Beginning with the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, states were required to use data to monitor and improve student achievement. For high schools, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education chose End of Course Exams (EOC) to demonstrate levels of student achievement. The policy changed from school choice of paper-pencil or computer-based testing to mandated computer-based testing. This study examined whether this decision best demonstrates the level of student mastery. Using high school EOC test scores for United States Government exams as the independent variable and high school cumulative grade point average (CGPA) as the dependent variable, the …

Effect Of Egf-Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor On Rab5 Function During Endocytosis, Ivan Jozic, Samar C. Saliba, M. Alejandro Barbieri

Biology Faculty Articles

Tyrosine autophosphorylation within the cytoplasmic tail of EGF-receptor is a key event, which in turn recruits several factors including Shc, Grb2 and Rin1 that are essential activities for receptor-mediated endocytosis and signaling. In this study, we demonstrated that treatment with AG1478, an EGF-receptor kinase inhibitor, blocked the formation of Rab5-positive endosomes as well as the activation of Rab5 upon addition of EGF. We also found that EGF-receptor catalytically inactive mutant failed to activate Rab5 upon EGF stimulation. Additionally, endosomal co-localization of Rab5 and EGF-receptor was inhibited by AG1478. Interestingly, AG1478 inhibitor did not block the formation of enlarged Rab5-positive endosomes …

A New Prescription To Balance Secrecy And Disclosure In Drug-Approval Processes, Gerrit M. Beckhaus

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

To obtain approval to market a drug, a manufacturer must disclose significant amounts of research data to the government agency that oversees the approval process. The data often include information that could help advance scientific progress, and are therefore of great value. But current laws in both the United States and Europe give secrecy great weight. This Article proposes an obligatory sealed-bid auction of the sensitive information based on the experience with similar auctions in mergers and acquisitions, to balance manufacturers' interest in secrecy and the public interest in disclosure.

Functional Analysis Of Three Arabidopsis Argonautes Using Slicer-Defective Mutants, Alberto Carbonell, Noah Fahlgren, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz, Kerrigan B. Gilbert, Taiowa A. Montgomery, Tammy Nguyen, Josh T. Cuperus, James C. Carrington

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In RNA-directed silencing pathways, ternary complexes result from small RNA-guided ARGONAUTE (AGO) associating with target transcripts. Target transcripts are often silenced through direct cleavage (slicing), destabilization through slicerindependent turnover mechanisms, and translational repression. Here, wild-type and active-site defective forms of several Arabidopsis thaliana AGO proteins involved in posttranscriptional silencing were used to examine several AGO functions, including small RNA binding, interaction with target RNA, slicing or destabilization of target RNA, secondary small interfering RNA formation, and antiviral activity. Complementation analyses in ago mutant plants revealed that the catalytic residues of AGO1, AGO2, and AGO7 are required to restore the defects …

Testing An Empathy Model Of Guest-Directed Citizenship And Counterproductive Behaviours In The Hospitality Industry: Findings From Three Hotels, Violet Ho, Naina Gupta

Management Faculty Publications

This research proposes and tests an empathy model of guest-directed discretionary behaviors (i.e., citizenship and counterproductive behaviors) using two studies conducted in three hotels. Building on the two-stage model of empathic mediation, we examined the mediating role of empathic concern in the relationship between perspective taking and both forms of discretionary behaviors in Study 1. Support for this mediated model was found in relation to citizenship behaviors but not for counterproductive behaviors. Study 2 was conducted to extend these findings using peer-reports of discretionary behaviors, and to apply an interactional psychology perspective to predict guest-directed counterproductive behaviors. We drew upon …

Resource‐Based Habitat Associations In A Neotropical Liana Community, James W. Dalling, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Claire Baldeck, Kyle E. Harms, Robert John, Scott A. Mangan, Elena Lobo, Joseph B. Yavitt, Stephen P. Hubbell

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Summary

1. Lianas are a conspicuous element of many tropical forests, accounting for up to 40% of woody stem density and 20% of species richness in seasonal forests. However, lianas have seldom been surveyed at sufficiently large spatial scales to allow an assessment of the importance of habitat variables in structuring liana communities.

2. We compare the association patterns of 82 liana species and an equivalent sample of tree species on the 50 ha Forest Dynamics Project plot on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, with topographic habitat variables (high and low plateau, slope, swamp and streamside), and thirteen mapped soil chemical …

Studies Of Drought Tolerance Of Hard Red Winter Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Cultivars In Nebraska, Sumardi Bin Abdul Hamid

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In Nebraska, about 75% of the wheat production is in the western half of the state, and about 92% of the winter wheat acreage is in dryland production, where productivity is limited by low and/or uncertain rainfall. We have investigated the effects of water stress on few established winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) cultivars, which are known for their superior adaptation to either rainfed or irrigated wheat production systems in western Nebraska. We also began a study to investigate the variation in the root system architecture to confer drought tolerance in winter wheat. The objectives of this study were …

Chronic Exercise Modifies Age-Related Telomere Dynamics In A Tissue-Specific Fashion, Andrew T. Ludlow, Sarah Witkowski, Mallory R. Marshall, Jenny Wang, Laila C.J. Lima, Lisa M. Guth, Espen E. Spangenburg, Stephen M. Roth

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

We evaluated the impact of long-term exercise on telomere dynamics in wild-derived short telomere mice (CAST/Ei) over 1 year. We observed significant telomere shortening in liver and cardiac tissues in sedentary 1-year-old mice compared with young (8 weeks) baseline mice that were attenuated in exercised 1-year-old animals. In contrast, skeletal muscle exhibited significant telomere shortening in exercise mice compared with sedentary and young mice. Telomerase enzyme activity was increased in skeletal muscle of exercise compared with sedentary animals but was similar in cardiac and liver tissues. We observed significant age-related decreases in expression of telomere-related genes that were attenuated by …

Narratives Of Loss And Order And Imaging The Belgian Landscape 1900-1945, Bruno Notteboom, David Peleman

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their article "Narratives of Loss and Order and Imaging the Belgian Landscape 1900-1945" Bruno Notteboom and David Peleman analyze a number of publications on landscape, focusing on narratives constructed by means of landscape images published in Belgium. With the work of Jean Massart and Emile Vanderwelde as a point of departure, Notteboom and Peleman discuss popularizing publications in the fields of botany, agricultural education, and tourism, as well as an urban planning. They address the three realms of landscape narratives defined by Matthew Potteiger and Jamie Purinton as story, context/intertext, and discourse. Notteboom and Peleman distinguish three recurrent operations …

Toward The Printed World: Additive Manufacturing And Implications For National Security, Connor M. Mcnulty, Neyla Arnas, Thomas A. Campbell

Defense Horizons

This paper looks at the rapid advancement of additive manufacturing (3D printing) and its implications for national security. As the technology becomes more affordable and widely accessible, it enables the production of complex components ranging from industrial materials to biomedical applications. Additive manufacturing can enhance military effectiveness by reducing production time, cost, weight, and logistical burdens while enabling on-demand, customized manufacturing. At the same time, the proliferation of this technology presents challenges, as adversaries and non-state actors may gain access to similar capabilities, raising legal, regulatory, and security concerns. The paper stresses the need for policymakers to anticipate both the …

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Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Foraging Ecology Of Fall-Migrating Shorebirds In The Illinois River Valley, Randolph V. Smith, Joshua Stafford, Aaron P. Yetter, Michelle M. Horath, Christopher S. Hine, Jeffery P. Hover

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Populations of many shorebird species appear to be declining in North America, and food resources at stopover habitats may limit migratory bird populations. We investigated body condition of, and foraging habitat and diet selection by 4 species of shorebirds in the central Illinois River valley during fall migrations 2007 and 2008 (Killdeer [Charadrius vociferus], Least Sandpiper [Calidris minutilla], Pectoral Sandpiper [Calidris melanotos], and Lesser Yellowlegs [Tringa flavipes]). All species except Killdeer were in good to excellent condition, based on size-corrected body mass and fat scores. Shorebird diets were dominated by invertebrate taxa from Orders Diptera and Coleoptera. Additionally, Isopoda, Hemiptera, …

Homoeopathic Medicines In The Management Of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Multicentric Prospective Observational Study, Praveen Oberai, Varanasi Roja, D Ramesh, D Arya, G Reddy, S Sharma, Chaturbhuja Nayak, Vikram Singh, Hari Singh

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Objectives:The primary objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic usefulness of a group of predefined trial medicines in benign prostatic hyperplasia. The secondary objective was to check the progression of disease by evaluating changes in prostate volume (PV), post-void residual urine (PVRU) and peak urine flow rates (Qmax and Qavg in ml/sec). Methods:In a multi-centric observational study, 231 patients suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) having prostate volume > 20 mL and prostate specific antigen (PSA) ≤ 4 ng/mL were enrolled at 5 Institutes/Units under Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH). Symptoms were analyzed using the American Urological …

The Periclean Diamond: Linking College Classrooms, Campuses, Communities, And Colleagues Via Social And Civic High Engagement Learning, Ben Berger

Political Science Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Collecting To The Core-Youth Sports, Mila Su, Anne Doherty

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

English Architectural Landscapes And Metonymy In Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child, Bart Eeckhout

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "English Architectural Landscapes and Metonymy in Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child" Bart Eeckhout analyzes Alan Hollinghurst's novel in light of Hollinghurst's interest in architectural representation. Eeckhout analyzes the novel's principal scenario of architectural change in the course of the twentieth century and postulates that Hollinghurst employs unconventional genre codes and queers the social realist novel, the family saga, and the country house novel. Eeckhout analyzes The Stranger's Child as a comedy of metonymies which impresses upon its readers the structural necessity of diverse perspectives, labyrinthine metonymical constructions, and the dynamics of place. Further, Eeckhout argues that Hollinghurst …

Data-Informed Collection Management At The Ncsu Libraries, Hilary Davis, Annette Day

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Profile-Hilary Davis

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Tell-Tale Landscapes And Mythical Chronotopes In Urban Designs For Twenty-First Century Paris, Bart Keunen, Sofie Verraest

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their article "Tell-tale Landscapes and Mythical Chronotopes in Urban Designs for Twenty-first Century Paris" Bart Keunen and Sofie Verraest outline a methodology for the examination of narrative structures projected onto landscapes and exemplify it by analyzing four urbanist projects submitted for the international workshop for Greater Paris launched by President of France Nicholas Sarkozy in 2009. Keunen and Verraest focus on phantasmagorical urban spaces considered to be profane remnants of what Ernst Cassirer referred to as "mythical thought." Since the spatiotemporal structure of these phantasmagorical places is understood as fundamental to their affective appeal and seductiveness, they are treated …

Competitive Abilities In Experimental Microcosms Are Accurately Predicted By A Demographic Index For R*, Ebony G. Murrell, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Resource competition theory predicts that R*, the equilibrium resource amount yielding zero growth of a consumer population, should predict species' competitive abilities for that resource. This concept has been supported for unicellular organisms, but has not been well-tested for metazoans, probably due to the difficulty of raising experimental populations to equilibrium and measuring population growth rates for species with long or complex life cycles. We developed an index (R-index) of R* based on demography of one insect cohort, growing from egg to adult in a non-equilibrium setting, and tested whether R-index yielded accurate predictions of competitive abilities using mosquitoes as …

Predicting Driving After Drinking Over Time Among College Students: The Emerging Role Of Injunctive Normative Perceptions, Joseph W. Labrie, Lucy E. Napper, Tehniat M. Ghaidarov

Heads Up!

Objective:

Despite prevention efforts, driving after drinking (DAD) is a prevalent high-risk behavior among college students and is a leading cause of death and injury. Examination of factors predicting future DAD behavior is necessary to develop efficacious targeted interventions to reduce this behavior among college students. The current study evaluated demographic, social cognitive, and behavioral predictors of DAD using longitudinal data.

Method:

Participants were 655 nonabstaining college students (67.2% female; 60.3% White; Mage = 19.3 years) who completed online surveys at two time points 12 months apart.

Results:

Results revealed that participants consistently overestimated their peers’ approval (injunctive norms) …

Non-Photoperiodic Regulation Of Reproductive Physiology In The Flexibly Breeding Pine Siskin (Spinus Pinus), Heather E. Watts, Thomas P. Hahn

Biology Faculty Works

In order to time reproduction to coincide with favorable conditions, animals use environmental cues to up- and down-regulate the reproductive axis appropriately. Although photoperiodic cues are one of the best studied of such environmental cues, animals also attend to others such as temperature, food availability, rainfall and social cues. Such non-photic cues are expected to be particularly important for tropical species and temperate-zone species that exhibit flexible or opportunistic breeding schedules. In this study, we investigate the use of non-photic cues, specifically food availability and social cues, to time the initiation of reproductive development in the pine siskin (Spinus …

Homeopathy Emerging As Nanomedicine, Rajendra Upadhyay, Chaturbhuja Nayak

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Background:Homeopathy is a time-tested two-century old empirical system of healing. Homeopathic medicines are prepared through a characteristic process known as potentization, where serial dilutions are performed with strong strokes at each step of dilution. Homeopathy is controversial because most medicines do not contain one single molecule of the corresponding starting-substance. Aim:To investigate a possible nanoscience mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines. Methodology: Ultra-pure samples were prepared and were examined under scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) along with selected area nanodiffraction (SAD) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Also trace element analysis (TEA) for silicon was performed. Results:Homeopathic medicines showed …

Nebraska's Wetlands: Their Wildlife And Ecology, Paul A. Johnsgard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

1 An Overview of Nebraska's Wetlands

2 The Missouri Valley • Natural History Profiles of Some Missouri Valley Wetland Species • The Missouri Valley Wetlands

3 The Niobrara Valley Region • Natural History Profiles of Some Niobrara Valley Wetland Species • The Niobrara Valley Wetlands

4 The Platte Valley Region • Natural History Profiles of Some Platte Valley Wetland Species • The Central Platte Valley Wetlands • The North Platte Valley Wetlands

5 Other River Valley Wetlands • Natural History Profiles of Some Typical Riverine Species • The Elkhorn Valley Wetlands • The Loup Valley Wetlands • The Republican Valley …

Dermatofibroma: A Curious Tumor., Lawrence Parish, Shideh Yazdanian, W Clark Lambert, Peter C Lambert

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

A tumor, such as a dermatofibroma, causes consternation among many patients, but it rarely creates problems on its own. Also called a histiocytoma, it remains one of the most common mesenchymal growths. Its etiology is unknown with the previous theory that it is a dermal response to injury, such as an insect bite, being challenged. As much as patients like to blame spiders or other arthropods for traumatizing an arm or leg, no definitive explanation is available for its etiology.

Zoonotic Parasites Of Bobcats Around Human Landscapes, Scott Carver, Andrea V. Scorza, Sarah N. Bevins, Seth P. D. Riley, Kevin R. Crooks, Sue Vandewoude, Michael R. Lappin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We analyzed Lynx rufus fecal parasites from California and Colorado, hypothesizing that bobcats shed zoonotic parasites around human landscapes. Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium, Ancylostoma, Uncinaria, and Toxocara cati were shed. Toxoplasma gondii serology demonstrated exposure. Giardia and Cryptosporidium shedding increased near large human populations. Genotyped Giardia may indicate indirect transmission with humans.

Rosette Iron Deficiency Transcript And Microrna Profiling Reveals Links Between Copper And Iron Homeostasis In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Brian M. Waters, Samuel A. Mcinturf, Ricardo J. Stein

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Iron (Fe) is an essential plant micronutrient, and its deficiency limits plant growth and development on alkaline soils. Under Fe deficiency, plant responses include up-regulation of genes involved in Fe uptake from the soil. However, little is known about shoot responses to Fe deficiency. Using microarrays to probe gene expression in Kas-1 and Tsu-1 ecotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana, and comparison with existing Col-0 data, revealed conserved rosette gene expression responses to Fe deficiency. Fe-regulated genes included known metal homeostasis-related genes, and a number of genes of unknown function. Several genes responded to Fe deficiency in both roots and rosettes. …

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura In Children From The Eastern Province Of Saudi Arabia, Amer A. Lardhi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiological and clinical profile of children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) in eastern Saudi Arabia during a 15-year period. METHODS: The medical records of children discharged with a diagnosis of HSP from King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, between January 1996, and December 2010, were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of 78 patients, 46 (59%) were boys, with a male to female ratio of 1.4:1. The patients9 ages ranged from 22 months to 12 years, with a mean of 6.3 years. Approximately 60% of cases were presented during autumn and winter. Upper respiratory tract infection preceded …

Depleted Uranium. Is It Potentially Involved In The Recent Upsurge Of Malignancies In Populations Exposed To War Dust?, Hamad A. Al-Fahaad, Hamdi H. Shelleh

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Evolutionary History Of Assassin Bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Reduviidae): Insights From Divergence Dating And Ancestral State Reconstruction, Wei Song Hwang, Christiane Weirauch

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Assassin bugs are one of the most successful clades of predatory animals based on their species numbers (~ 6,800 spp.) and wide distribution in terrestrial ecosystems. Various novel prey capture strategies and remarkable prey specializations contribute to their appeal as a model to study evolutionary pathways involved in predation. Here, we reconstruct the most comprehensive reduviid phylogeny (178 taxa, 18 subfamilies) to date based on molecular data (5 markers). This phylogeny tests current hypotheses on reduviid relationships emphasizing the polyphyletic Reduviinae and the blood-feeding, diseasevectoring Triatominae, and allows us, for the first time in assassin bugs, to reconstruct ancestral states …