Digital Commons Network^™

A 1,461-Year Growing Season Precipitation Reconstruction For The Carolina Coastal Plain, Kathryn Perkins Wolff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A recollection and dating of ancient cypress trees and subfossil logs was performed at Black River, North Carolina, and the separate Black River, South Carolina. The new updated and expanded chronologies date from AD 365 to 2010 and 549 to 2010, respectively. Baldcypress ring-width chronologies are dominated by high inter-annual to decadal variability and do not tend to capture century scale fluctuations in tree-ring growth that could be associated with centennial scale change in climate. The tree-ring chronologies were standardized with a technique designed to preserve low frequency variance known as regional curve standardization. The two chronologies were averaged into …

Happily Ever After Take Two: Rewriting Femininity In Hybridization Fairy Tale Films, Megan Estelle Troutman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The tradition of fairy tales has evolved drastically over the past five hundred years. At the beginning of the 20th century, fairy tale cartoons became widely popular as an independent medium, as well as introductions to larger films. In 1937, Walt Disney started the tradition of fairy tale cinema with the release of Snow White. Since that time, Disney has released and re-released eleven princess fairy tale films. Critics and parents alike ridicule Disney for its depictions of women as submissive and subservient. Recent films have used fairy tale tropes, without referring to a specific classic tale, in order to …

An Experimental Test Of Trauma-Relevant Cue Exposure And Desire For Alcohol Among Adolescents, Heidemarie Blumenthal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A burgeoning literature suggests a linkage between adolescent traumatic event exposure and problematic alcohol use. Research conducted with adults indicates that exposure to trauma-relevant cues elicits a desire to drink; however, no work has examined this association among adolescents. The current study was designed to build upon and extend this line of work. Participants were 72 community-recruited adolescents (Mage = 16.19; 34.7% girls). Trauma-exposed (n = 47) and non-exposed (n = 25) youth were assigned to either a 3-minute experimental (voluntary hyperventilation) or control task (low-arousal picture viewing). Desire to drink was assessed (1) prior to task assignment, and (2) …

Growth Promoting Implants And Nutrient Restriction Prior To Feeding: Effect On Carcass Composition, Carcass Quality, And Consumer Acceptability Of Beef, Jessica Ann Robinette

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Implant strategy and nutrient restriction prior to finishing may alter feedlot performance, as well as carcass characteristics and consumer acceptability of beef. The objectives of these studies were to determine the effect of prefinishing implant strategy and plane of nutrition on prefinishing and feedlot performance, carcass characteristics and quality, and consumer acceptability of beef. In 2 experiments, spring-born calves were weaned in the fall (Exp. 1, n =120; and Exp. 2, n = 96) and were either finished as calves (CALF-FED) or placed on a growing program with a target ADG of 0.45 kg/d (RSTR) or 0.91 kg/d (UNRSTR) before …

Colic In Infancy As An Indicator Of Subsequent Sensory Processing Development, Terri Anne Pohlenz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper attempted to find a link between infantile colic and subsequent sensory processing development. Literature research turned up very few studies linking colic with later development of sensory processing disorder. Ten hypotheses, based on literature research, linked colic in the first year with later indications of sensory processing disorder, whether formally diagnosed or anecdotally reported. None of the 10 hypotheses were proven.

A Family Affair: The Pre-Kansas Saga Of James Henry Lane, James Robert Bird

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historian Craig Miner suggests that territorial Kansas between 1854 and 1861 was "a nursery of weird and manic figures." Foremost among the weird and manic figures of Kansas history stands James Henry Lane, formerly a U.S. congressman from Indiana, and destined to become one of Kansas' first pair of senators. Writing at the midpoint of the twentieth century, Albert Castel pronounced Jim Lane "the most colorful and fascinating personality in the history of Kansas," adding that "Very likely, too, he was mentally unbalanced and paranoid."

Yet, James H. Lane never set foot on Kansas soil until he was well into …

Aptamer-Based Spr Biosensor For Detection Of Avian Influenza Virus, Hua Bai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid and specific detection of avian influenza (AI) virus is urgently needed with the concerns over the outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in animal and human infection. Aptamers are artificial oligonucleic acid that can specifically bind to target molecules. They show comparable affinity for target virus and better thermal stability than monoclonal antibodies. Those advantages make aptamers promising candidates in diagnostic and detection applications. The goal of this research was to use DNA&ndashaptamer as the specific recognition element in a portable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for detection of AI H5N1 virus in poultry.

A SPR biosensor was …

Electrospun Polycaprolactone Nanofiber Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering, Andreas Haukas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Stem cell and tissue engineering offer us with a unique opportunity to research and develop new therapies for treating various diseases that are otherwise incurable using traditional medicines. However, development of these new therapies replies upon the establishment of in vitro cell culture and differentiation systems that mimic in vivo microenvironments required for cell-cell and cell-ECM interaction. The development of these cell culture systems depends upon the identification of appropriate biomaterials and cell sources. Biomaterials should be carefully selected and fabricated into scaffolds for supporting cell growth and differentiation. In this study, we explored the fabrication of 3D electrospun nanofiber …

Effect Of Water-Deficit Stress On Cotton During Reproductive Development, Dimitra Loka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water deficit is a major abiotic factor limiting plant growth and crop productivity around the world. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is considered to be relatively tolerant to drought and the effects of water stress on leaf physiology and metabolism have been extensively documented. However, information is lacking on the effect of water-deficit stress on the cotton flower. It was hypothesized that water-deficit stress would impair gas exchange functions which consequently would result in perturbation of carbohydrates of cotton reproductive units. To investigate this hypothesis growth room studies and field studies were conducted with the objectives being to document the physiological …

Eastern, Spring/Summer 2012, Eastern Washington University. Division Of University Relations.

Alumni Publications

This issue contains articles about: 2012 Alumni Awards Gala debuts, honors EWU graduates who reflect qualities and commitment of the university, award winners were Gordon Budke, Libby Hein, Lance Kissler, Brigadier General Gary Volesky, Spokane Teachers Credit Union, and Travis Denton, PHD, and Rewarding Service, Gilbert Family gives back to Eastern through John Gilbert Family Veterans Scholarship, and Picture Perfect, EWU photo contest winners are Tom Peacock, Doug Kelly, and Brenda Hall-Howe, and Monster Success, Ken Hudgens drives Feld Motor Sports, a multi-million dollar entertainment conglomerate as Chief Operating Officer

Twenty Years After: Armenian Research Libraries Today, D. Aram Donabedian, John Carey, Arshak Balayan

Publications and Research

Since achieving statehood in 1991, Armenia has faced major economic and political obstacles which have significantly affected the nation’s research libraries. This research paper will quantitatively and qualitatively examine the challenges facing Armenian research libraries just over twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Specifically, the authors analyze their interviews with five library administrators at five major institutions, respectively. These include Yerevan State University Library, the National Library of Armenia, the Fundamental Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, the Republican Scientific-Medical Library of Armenia, and the Papazian Library of the American University of Armenia. …

Increasing Subsurface Water Storage In Discontinuous Permafrost Areas Of The Lena River Basin, Eurasia, Detected From Grace, I. Velicogna, J. Tong, T. Zhang, John S. Kimball

Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group Publications

We use monthly measurements of time-variable gravity from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite mission to quantify changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) in the Lena river basin, Eurasia, during the period April 2002 to September 2010. We estimate a TWS increase of 32 ± 10 km³/yr for the entire basin, equivalent to an increase in water thickness of 1.3 ± 0.4 cm/yr over a basin of 2.4 million km². We compare TWS estimates from GRACE with time series of precipitation (P) minus evapotranspiration (ET) from ERA-Interim reanalysis minus observational river discharge (R). We …

The Face Of Extinction: Are Charismatic Species More Vulnerable To Endangerment?, Andrée M. Brisson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Conservationists have suggested extinction is non-random; some species are more prone to extinction than others. Multiple traits (e.g., large bodied, long-lived, slow-reproducing, migratory, habitat and/or dietary specialists) have been cited as contributing to the endangerment of species. Due to global anthropogenic demand for wild species (e.g., sport, trade, fashion, medicine, religion, food), I propose charisma as an additional trait of endangerment. This predicts charismatic species are more often targets of direct exploitation than less charismatic species, and that global demand will continue to increase with world population and development. These species represent our most iconic and animated organisms. I quantified …

The Effect Of Climate Change On The Distributions Of Invasive Plants And Their Associated Biological Control Agents In North America, Caroline A. Curtis

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Climate change has the potential to alter the size, shape, and location of species’ distributions. As a result, the interactions between species are also likely to be impacted as novel species encounter each other and historical community assemblages are broken apart. To quantify the impact of distributional changes as a result of climate change on interacting species, distribution maps were produced for three species of invasive plant and their associated biological control agent at three time periods: current, 2050, and 2080. For each of the future time periods, two distribution maps were created for each species, representing the minimum and …

Using Landsat Thematic Mapper Satellite Imagery Assessing And Mapping Trophic State In Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, Dingnan Lu

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Eutrophication is a major inland water problem that is researched by many environmentalists and hydrologists. A eutrophic inland water body can cause many negative water problems, such as taste and odor, biotoxin, and low dissolved oxygen. Many previous studies were effective based on using remote sensing to evaluate water body trophic state. In this study, the Cheney Reservoir is selected as an object to test the performance of using remote sensing, specifically the Landsat Thematic Mapper sensor, to evaluate the trophic state of a reservoir. Based on Landsat TM imagery, the chlorophyll a concentration is estimated to be used to …

Survey Of The Freshwater Gastropods Of Southeastern Kansas With Emphasis On The Distribution And Habitat Use Of The Delta Hydrobe (Probythinella Emarginata), Bryan Sowards

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The status of many aquatic gastropods in North America is not well understood. Many are exposed to threats similar to those that affect bivalves and other aquatic macroinvertebrates. The delta hydrobe (Probythinella emarginata) is a gill-breathing (prosobranch) snail that occurs in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. It is 1 of only 5 species of prosobranchs in Kansas and is highly sensitive to changes in water quality within watersheds. Probythinella emarginata is presumed to be a Pleistocene relic in the state; it was first collected alive in Kansas in 2001 within Cedar Creek, Chase County, Kansas. I surveyed 13 …

Spatial Conservation Prioritization Of Kansas For Terrestrial Vertebrates, Megan R. Rohweder

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Biological diversity is being threatened by the encroachment of humans, which limits the habitat available for conservation and strains resources allocated for conservation efforts. However conservation goals have to be achieved within these limitations. Conservation priorities can ensure that habitat and resources are used effectively and efficiently. I developed a conservation prioritization plan for the terrestrial vertebrates of Kansas. I used modeled distributions of every terrestrial vertebrate species found in Kansas to build three biodiversity indices; species richness, vulnerability, and endemicity. Kansas was divided into a grid of planning units, 34.5 km2. For each taxonomic group the planning units were …

Societal And Spiritual Orientation: How People Interpret Ambiguous Situations, Joshua Tanguay

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

In the middle part of the twentieth century, Allport (1950) stated that the study of religion had “gone into hiding” (p.1). However, due largely to Allport’s seminal work in field, the study of religion blossomed. Batson and Ventis (1982) created a measure entitled the Religious Life Inventory based on their interpretation and critique of Allport and Ross (1967). The inventory categorized people as extrinsically, intrinsically, or quest oriented to their religion. These three orientations propose different ways that people use their religion. However, spirituality is not an inherent value system in everyone’s life (Allport, 1950). Therefore, the current study created …

Assessment Of Aging Structures And Recruitment Of Walleye Sander Vitreus In Cedar Bluff Reservoir, Weston L. Fleming

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Most walleye Sander vitreus populations in Kansas are supplemented or sustained with stocking. In 2006, gamete collection for hatchery production was initiated at Cedar Bluff Reservoir because the walleye population has a high abundance of potential brood fish and has been sustained by natural reproduction since 2001. However, no quantitative index has been developed to assess walleye recruitment in this fishery. Accordingly, from July through November 2010, I evaluated catch-per-unit-effort (overnight sets) of age-0 walleye in 19 and 25-mm mesh gill nets biweekly and at random and standard sites. There was not a significant difference in catch-per-unit-effort between site types …

Elucidating The Igfbp2 Signaling Pathway In Glioma Development And Progression, Kristen M. Holmes

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Diffuse gliomas are highly lethal central nervous system malignancies which, unfortunately, are the most common primary brain tumor and also the least responsive to the very few therapeutic modalities currently available to treat them. IGFBP2 is a newly recognized oncogene that is operative in multiple cancer types, including glioma, and shows promise for a targeted therapeutic approach. Elevated IGFBP2 expression is present in high-grade glioma and correlates with poor survival. We have previously demonstrated that IGFBP2 induces glioma development and progression in a spontaneous glioma mouse model, which highlighted its significance and potential for future therapy. However, we did not …

Carbon-Sulfur Bond Formation/Cleavage Reactions Of Metal-Stabilized Thiyl Radicals By Electrochemical And Chemical Methods., Kagna Ouch Sampson 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The oxidation of metallothiolates is complicated by "non-innocence" or potential redox activity of sulfur to yield thiyl (RS•) radicals. In some instances, the one-electron oxidation of metal thiolates yields a product with the unpaired electron nearly equally delocalized between metal and sulfur such that, a specific site of oxidation cannot be defined. We refer to these complexes as metal-stabilized thiyl radicals. This dissertation explores reversible carbon-sulfur bond formation between metal-stabilized thiyl radicals and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Oxidation of the metal thiolate precursors [Ru(DPPBT)3]- Ru-l, and Re(DPPBT)3, Re-l, (DPPBT = diphenylphosphino-benzenethiolato), generates reactive species add with alkenes, alkynes, and dienes to yield …

Emotional Distress In Older Adults With Cancer : A Multilevel Longitudinal Study., Tara J. Schapmire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used to examine factors that influence emotional distress in older adults with cancer, arid to learn whether these distress trajectories are different from older adults without cancer. The model investigated the influence of life course factors, internal, external and health-related resources on distress over eight years among a nationally representative sample of older adults ages 50-91. Methods: This longitudinal panel study tested a multilevel random intercept multinomial ordered categorical model with a two-nested-Ievel structure using empirical Bayes Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation. The model examined individual differences in distress over …

Driving Microfluidic Flows With Three Dimensional Electrodes., Yehya Mohamed Senousy 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most of the structures in submillimeter-scale engineering are created from thin films, making them essentially two-dimensional (2D). Significant work has been done to fabricate 3D structures using self-folding, a deterministic form of self-assembly, and three dimensional lithographic and non-lithographic patterning. The objective of this work is to propose different fabrication and patterning strategies of 3D structures used as pumping electrodes for micro fluidic applications. 3D electrodes drive flows over the whole channel height while 2D electrodes stay near one wall. The first application of the 3D electrodes is mixing chemical or biological samples with reagents for chemical analysis which is …

Influence Of Male Mating Behavior On Wing Morphology In Brassolini Butterflies, Susan E. Frichter

Senior Honors Theses

The influence of male mating behavior on wing morphology in two genera of the tribe Brassolini, Caligo and Opsiphanes, was examined. This study consisted of fieldwork and laboratory components. During fieldwork, male and female butterflies from each genus were flown through a flight tunnel and recorded with a video camera for further analysis of flight speed in the laboratory. In addition, male and female butterflies were observed in their natural environment, and the differences in their mating and flight behavior were noted. In the laboratory, photographs of previously captured Brassolini butterflies were taken and edited. Each image was adjusted …

Localization Of Ime4 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Jenisha Ghimire

Senior Honors Theses

One lesser-known but universal post transcriptional modification carried out in yeast and higher eukaryotes is the methylation of mRNA, as mediated by the Ime4 protein and its orthologs. Ime4 protein is essential for sporulation in yeast cells and for viability of higher eukaryotic cells. The precise locations of the Ime4 protein and the functions of the methylated mRNA are still largely unknown. Whereas Ime4 protein is believed to be exclusively nuclear in higher eukaryotes, we have observed the yeast Ime4 protein in the nucleus, in the cytosol and within cytosolic particles. These observations suggest that Ime4 could be a shuttling …

The Horizon Of Happiness, Benjamin D. Gilbert

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is not intended for those who regard practical problems as something to be talked about. It is not for those who believe that every question has an objective, absolute, or interpretable answer. It is not intended for the individual who knows what happiness is, in that the very definition of happiness is not to be found; at best only suggested. It is not intended solely for Eastern thought. It is not intended solely for Western thought - it is intended for both. Most importantly, this thesis attempts to exclude the esoteric language common in the philosophical discipline. Arthur …

Perception Versus Reality: Assessing The Academic Experiences Of The Uno Immigrant Community, Fahret Muminovic

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of my study is to compare the academic experiences of international students with those of domestic students at the University of New Orleans (UNO). Specifically, I aimed the study towards determining international students’ perceptions and expectations of UNO, and assessing whether or not UNO’s ability to meet their expectations had an impact on student success or failure at UNO. To test this, I asked various international and domestic students to respond to a survey consisting of both open-ended and multiple choice questions. The open-ended questions were designed to capture the student experiences on expectations, academic atmosphere, and overall …

Characterization Of Ubiquitin/Proteasome-Dependent Regulation Of Hap2/3/4/5 Complex In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Arielle Ruth Hunter

Senior Honors Theses

The Hap2/3/4/5 complex is a heme-activated, CCAATT binding, global transcriptional activator of genes involved in respiration and mitochondrial biogenesis in the yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Hap4 is the regulatory subunit of the complex and its levelsdetermine the activity of the complex. Hap4 is known to play a signaling role in response toenvironmental conditions; however, little is known about the regulation of Hap4 levels or how it responses to a cell’s functional state. The activity of the Hap2-5 complex is known to be reduced in respiratory-deficient cells. In Liu Lab, it has previously been found that a link between Hap4 stability, …

Gender Differences In Autonomic Nervous System Reactivity To Stress, Brittany Verret

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to disentangle the psychobiological mechanisms and social-evaluative conditions that mediate the process by which the Autonomic Nervous System reacts in male and female humans. We used the original Trier Social Stress Test, as well as two modifications to this original social stressor: a punishment modification and a reward modification. We obtained measures of autonomic (heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia; HR and SA respectively) reactivity before, during and after the stress test. To distinguish the contribution of the different modifications and any additional difference in reactivity due to gender, the participants were randomly separated …

Integrated Management Of Common Reed Along The Platte River In Nebraska: Control, Timing, Water Use, And Economic Analysis, Ryan E. Rapp

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

There are two biotypes of common reed, which includes the native common reed (Phragmites australis subsp. americanus) and non-native (invasive) common reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis).The non-native biotype of common reed has invaded wetland habitats in many states of the US, including Nebraska.

Three studies, disking followed by herbicide, mowing followed by herbicide, and herbicide followed by mechanical treatment were initiated in 2008 in Nebraska. The objective was to evaluate common reed control along the Platte River using an integrated management. Herbicide followed by mechanical treatment had excellent control (≥92%) with all treatments except glyphosate applied …