Digital Commons Network^™

Study Of The Fundamental Chemical And Physical Interactions Between Chitosan And Hydroxyapatite, Abigail Washispack

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydroxyapatite and chitosan are widely used in biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Various studies show that composites made of hydroxyapatite and chitosan exhibit desirable properties for applications in bone tissue engineering. When creating a composite it is important to understand the interfacial chemistry and physical interactions between the composite materials. An understanding of these properties gives more insight into the resulting structure of the composite on multiple levels (nano- micro- macro). This structure affects the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the material, thus analysis of these properties gives a better understanding of how a material will …

Structural Dna Origami: Engineering Supermolecular Self-Assembly For Nanodevice Fabrication, Craig Marshal Onodera

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Two challenges encountered in nanotechnology are the ability to create nanostructures inexpensively and the ability to arrange nanomaterials with a precision commensurate with their size. In nature, nanostructures are created using a bottom-up approach, whereby molecules hierarchically self-assemble into larger systems. Similarly, structural DNA nanotechnology harnesses the programmability, specificity, and structural integrity of DNA to engineer synthetic, self-assembled materials. For example, during scaffolded DNA origami, a long single stranded DNA polymer is artificially folded into nanostructures using short oligonucleotides. Once folded, two- and three-dimensional nanostructures may be decorated with proteins, metallic nanoparticles, and semiconductor quantum dots. Using gold nanoparticles and …

Multifunctionality In U.S. Rice Production: A Logit Analysis In Farmers Participation, Juan Tur Cardona

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Multifunctional agriculture is particularly fundamental to some working lands conservation policies and programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), Conservation Security Program (CSP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP). Farmers can also be engaged in providing recreational and agri-tourism services such as hunting, fishing, bird-watching, farm tours, petting zoos and hospitality services. Using the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) we analyze factors associated with participation in conservation, recreation and agri-tourism activities as a function of farm structure, farm financial measures, production practices, and socio-demographic characteristics of the farm operator. To estimate the functional relationships we estimate a binary …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Identification And Phylogenetic Analysis Of Pan Troglodytes Using Mitochondrial Dna Coding Region Sequences, Amanda Faris

Biological Sciences

Despite the close relationship humans share with chimpanzees, the evolutionary history of this species is relatively unknown. Due to its high copy number and high mutation rate, population genetic analyses of chimpanzees have focused on a 1.1 kilo-­‐base segment of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) known as the control region. Earlier work based on analyses of the hypervariable region 1 (HVR-­‐1), one of two fragments that make up the control region, support the separation of Upper Guinea and Gulf of Guinea chimpanzees into a monophyletic group separate from Central and East African chimpanzees. I aimed to compare and contrast the chimpanzee mtDNA …

Sweetgum Bark: Extraction, Purification, And Determination Of Antioxidant Activity, Shiloh Hurd

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) is a native tree species that grows as a volunteer in the understory of managed pine forests in Arkansas. Sweetgum, as well as other volunteer species, must be removed before the pines can be harvested. Sweetgum wood can be converted to hemicellulosic and cellulosic sugars by dilute acid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. These wood-derived sugars can then be fermented into cellulosic ethanol. Usually, the bark is not deconstructed into sugars, but transformed into thermal energy via a combustion process. Interestingly, the bark of the sweetgum contains value-added products that could be recovered prior to thermal processing. …

Inside Earth, Volume 15, No. 1, Spring 2012, Andrea Croskrey, Cave And Karst Program (U.S.)

Inside Earth

Contents: Program Overview -- New Interagency Agreement -- Surveying Leandras Cave, Longest in Arizona -- The Evolution of Winter Bat Survey Methodology at Lava Beds, NM -- Bighorn Sheep Paleontological Survey at Lava Beds, NM -- New Fly Species Announced -- The Wind Cave Resurvey Project -- White Nose Syndrome Overview, A National Perspective -- White Nose Syndrome and the National Park Service -- Park Updates

A Virtual Tour Of Wku’S Main Campus, Zachary Ryle

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

In my WKU Honors College Capstone Experience entitled “A Virtual Tour of WKU’s Main Campus,” my task was to create a virtual tour students across the state, country and even around the world could use to view WKU’s campus without ever setting foot in Bowling Green. Throughout this experience, I filmed myself giving individual tour of over 60 different locations on WKU’s campus, with a total of 72 buildings and locations earning markers on the campus map. This virtual tour was created during the summer of 2011 and was completed by November of that same year. Once completed, Admissions Counselors …

The Ecological Roles Of Podostemum Ceratophyllum And Cladophora In The Habitat And Dietary Preferences Of The Riverine Caddisfly Hydropsyche Simulans, Brenna Tinsley

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The net-spinning caddisfly Hydropsyche simulans can be a common inhabitant of shallow reaches in riverine systems, and is easily the most common hydropsychid in the upper Green River, Kentucky. This study was performed in summer 2011 and focused on two main questions: 1. Do the larvae of the riverine caddisflies H. simulans and Cheumatopsyche preferentially inhabit dense patches of P. ceratophyllum compared to bare substrates in the upper Green River?, and 2. Do larvae of H. simulans and Cheumatopsyche consume the filamentous alga Cladophora during the annual late summer algal bloom in the upper Green River? Densities of both hydropsychid …

Biomass Assisted Synthesis Of Antibacterial Gold Nanoparticles And Commentary On Its Future Potential And Applications In Medicine, Chad Willis

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Xylose is a natural monosaccharide found in biomass such as straw, pecan shells, cottonseed hulls, and corncobs. Using this monosaccharide, we report the green synthesis and characterization of biocompatible, biodegradable xylose encapsulated gold nanoparticles (Xyl-GNPs) with potential antibacterial activity. GNPs were synthesized using the bioreduction property of xylose on the chloroaurate anions in an aqueous solution at room temperature and at atmospheric pressure. The characterization of synthesized GNPs was examined by UV-vis spectroscopy; transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results indicate that the particles were stable; near spherical in shape with an …

Florentine Palaces, Costly Signaling, And Lineage Survival, Michael K. Church

Anthropology ETDs

My dissertation evaluated whether the palaces built in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance are a form of costly signaling. Costly signaling theory was developed to explain why organisms have attributes and behaviors that appear to defy basic Darwinian logic by having costs that are not offset by obvious benefits. The theory proposes that such attributes and behaviors persist because they are reliable signals of information about the signalers. Signal audiences use the information content of signals to rank signalers and to modify their interactions with signalers in ways that benefit signalers. These interactions can involve mate choice, predation avoidance, status …

Interactions Of Nitric Oxide And Superoxide Pathways In Hyperglycemic Endothelial Cells, Steven Clay Rogers

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular complications arising from diabetic hyperglycemia represents one of the leading causes of death and greatest public health challenges of modern societies. Despite state-of-the-art glucose control, diabetic patients remain at a markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The loss of endothelial function (the development of diabetic endothelial dysfunction) has been implicated in the development of numerous diabetic cardiovascular diseases. The endothelial cell produces many vasoactive substances, hormones and cytoprotective biological factors. Endothelial cells are also involved in and affected by the initiation of inflammatory responses through the release and interaction of cytokines and other immune system molecules. Therefore, regulation of …

Do At-Risk Students Benefit When Novanet Is Used For Credit Recovery?, Rebecca Lynn Volkerding

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if it is effective and appropriate to place all students needing credit recovery in computer-based classes regardless of age, risk ratio, and their previous failing grade. Driven by the NCLB mandate for schools to produce greater gains and graduate all students in 4.5 years, districts are now using online credit recovery programs to help at-risk students gain promotion and put students back on-track for graduation without placing these students back in the traditional classroom setting where they failed the class the first time. Although there is an adequate knowledge base about the …

Surface Modifications Of Capillary-Channeled Polymer (C-Cp) Fibers For Applications In Highly Selective Separations, Jennifer Pittman

All Dissertations

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is a key component in the purification and separation of biological samples. Stationary phases in HPLC are generally silica based porous particles or monoliths designed with high surface area and high capacities in mind. However, in the field of macromolecule separations, specifically proteins, the porous based stationary phases have inherent issues that include slow mass transfer, high operating back pressures, and analyte carryover. Recent research has looked to non-porous polymeric materials as stationary phases in HPLC to overcome these challenges. Specifically, fibrous based polymer stationary phases exhibit significant benefits for macromolecules that include improved mass …

The Ncaa And The Student-Athlete: Reform Is On The Horizon, Mary Grace Miller

Law Student Publications

This comment examines the NCAA's rules and regulations of student-athletes and explores the possibility that the NCAA's existence, under its current bylaws and manual, is at least immoral and likely unlawful. Additionally, this comment analyzes the idea that the NCAA needs not only internal restructuring but judicial and possibly congressional intervention in order to truly protect young athletes' financial, academic, and basic human interests. Part II of this comment explores the historical development of the NCAA and the current relationship between the NCAA and the student-athlete. Part III discusses the fundamental unfairness in the NCAA's bylaws, which results in the …

Exitus: An Agent-Based Evacuation Simulation Model For Heterogeneous Populations, Matthew T. Manley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Evacuation planning is important for businesses given the continuing occurrence of both natural and human-caused disasters throughout the world. Unfortunately, the traditional fire-drill approach is impractical for many large organizations but especially those responsible for airports and sports arenas. The purpose of this research was to develop a new computer program capable of simulating large scale evacuations in such buildings. The program, called Exitus, is different from other evacuation simulators in the way it considers the physical, psychological, and social characteristics of individuals with disabilities during emergency situations.

In this research, Exitus was used to simulate evacuations of three buildings …

Evaluating Complementary And Alternative Medicine (Cam) Utilization In A College Sample: A Multisite Application Of The Sociobehavioral Model Of Healthcare Utilization, Kimberly M. Pratt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among U.S. college students and the general public is substantial and growing; however, research on the characteristics of college students who use CAM and the factors that influence their decision to use CAM is scarce. Even fewer studies have explored such factors within the framework of an empirically supported theory. The college years are seen as an important time for developing long-lasting health behaviors and in many ways college students play an important role in setting the foundation for future healthcare. Thus, it is important for healthcare practitioners to have a clear …

Intellectual Property, Traditional Knowledge, And Biodiversity In The Global Economy: The Potential Of Geographical Indications For Protecting Traditional Knowledge-Based Agricultural Products, Teshager W. Dagne

PhD Dissertations

The relationship between international regimes regulating intellectual property, traditional knowledge and biodiversity has received much attention in recent times. Of the many complex and controversial issues in contemporary international legal discourse on this matter, the protection of traditional knowledge (TK) stands out as a significant challenge. Choices abound in the search for modalities to regulate rights to use and control TK systems and their underlying biodiversity. In recent times, the protection of geographical indications (GIs) has emerged as an option for protecting TK. Despite the considerable enthusiasm over it, there is appreciable research dearth on how far and in what …

Structure Of The Catalytic Chain Of Methanococcus Jannaschii Aspartate Transcarbamoylase In A Hexagonal Crystal Form: Insights Into The Path Of Carbamoyl Phosphate To The Active Site Of The Enzyme, Jacqueline Vitali, Aditya K. Singh, Alexei S. Soaresb, Michael J. Colaneri

Physics Faculty Publications

Crystals of the catalytic chain of Methanococcus jannaschii aspartate transcarbamoylase (ATCase) grew in the presence of the regulatory chain in the hexagonal space group P6₃22, with one monomer per asymmetric unit. This is the first time that crystals with only one monomer in the asymmetric unit have been obtained; all known structures of the catalytic subunit contain several crystallographically independent monomers. The symmetry-related chains form the staggered dimer of trimers observed in the other known structures of the catalytic subunit. The central channel of the catalytic subunit contains a sulfate ion and a K⁺ ion as …

The Monastic Ideal And The Glorified/Spiritual Resurrection Body: An Exercise In Speculative Theology, Aaron Raverty Osb

Obsculta

An imaginative exploration of the possible attributes of the glorified, spiritual, postresurrection human body in the Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:35-50), by integrating Scripture, gender studies, monastic spirituality, and patristic theological sources.

K-12 Virtual Schools, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Autism In Tennessee, Part 3-Health, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Misappropriation And Patenting Of Traditional Ethnobotanical Knowledge And Genetic Resources, Maxim V. Gubarev

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Four-fifths of all pharmaceuticals have been developed from natural plant resources, and native plant resources similarly play a significant role in the development of new and improved crops.

Cows V. Capitalists: Visions Of A Post-Carbon Economy, Alison Peck

Journal of Food Law & Policy

I was tempted to entitle this book review something like, "Why the Farm Bill Is the Key to Our Energy Future (Hint: It's Not About Ethanol, Methane Emissions, or Carbon Sinks)." But in addition to being too long to fit across the header of a law review page, such a title would have been slightly misleading. Actually, in Simon Fairlie's view, our future is about ethanol, methane emissions, and carbon sinks - but not in the way our current agricultural policies understand and deal with these subjects.

Pregnancy Outcomes Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease At Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana: Retrospective Cohort Study, Winston Anderson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Pregnancy in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients is associated with increased risk of maternal and fetal mortality. This study determines pregnancy outcomes among women with SCD delivering at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana. Nine hundred sixty (960) medical records of pregnant women (131 HbSS, 112 HbSC, and 717 comparison group) from 2007 to 2008 were reviewed. The HbSS women were at increased risk of eclampsia (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 10.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.60-30.96, P < 0.001), intrauterine growth restriction (AOR = 4.00, 95% CI = 1.38-11.64, P = 0.011), and placenta previa (AOR = 22.03, 95% CI = 9.87-49.14, P < 0.001) compared with the comparison group. The HbSC women had increased risk for intrauterine fetal death (AOR = 3.38, 95% CI = 1.15-9.96, P = 0.027) and decreased risk of delivering low birth weight babies (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.06-0.73, P = 0.014). Women with SCD in Ghana are at a greater risk of morbidity and mortality in pregnancy compared with women without hemoglobinopathies. Improved maternal and fetal outcomes in Ghanaian women with SCD can be achieved through effective intervention by health care providers with thorough knowledge about predisposing factors toward adverse outcomes.

Serving Two Masters : A Study Of Quantitative Literacy At Small Colleges And Universities, Jodie Ann Miller

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The past twenty years have seen a growing interest in promoting quantitative literacy (QL) courses at the college level. At small institutions, financial realities impose limitations on faculty size and therefore the variety of courses that may be offered. This study examined course offerings below calculus at four hundred twenty-eight small colleges to gain a thorough understanding of the approaches to developing QL among the general population of undergraduate students. Using a three-phase model of examining progressively narrower subsets of QL programs at small institutions, document-based data from college catalogs and communication with mathematics program chairs were studied to summarize …

Movement Is Medicine: The Effect Of A Structured Mobility Program On Functional Decline In Hospitalized Older Adults, Marie J. Bell

Education Doctoral

Abstract Functional decline is defined as the consequence of physiological changes of aging resulting in the inability to perform self-care activities independently. Hospitalized older adults are more likely to decline in functional status resulting in longer length of stay. Hospital care is often focused on treating acute illness while functional status is overlooked. Low mobility and bedrest are common occurrences during hospitalization. The most predictable and probably most preventable cause of functional decline is deconditioning from bedrest and reduced mobility. The purpose of this study was to determine if an early ambulation program can maintain functional levels for hospitalized older …

Sex Estimation From The Clavicle: A Discriminant Function Analysis, Megan Kathleen Cleary

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF MEGAN K. CLEARY, for the Master of Arts degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on MARCH 28th at 8am, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale TITLE: SEX ESTIMATION FROM THE CLAVICLE: A DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Gretchen R. Dabbs The development of methods for sex estimation using postcranial remains other than the os coxa is imperative for physical anthropology to improve the reliability of biological profile estimates in cases of incomplete and/or fragmentary skeletal remains. As the last skeletal element to complete fusion, the clavicle has the longest period of time to develop sexually dimorphic …

Novel Forests Maintain Ecosystem Processes After The Decline Of Native Tree Species, Joseph Mascaro, R. Flint Hughes, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The positive relationship between species diversity (richness and evenness) and critical ecosystem functions, such as productivity, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling, is often used to predict the consequences of extinction. At regional scales, however, plant species richness is mostly increasing rather than decreasing because successful plant species introductions far outnumber extinctions. If these regional increases in richness lead to local increases in diversity, a reasonable prediction is that productivity, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling will increase following invasion, yet this prediction has rarely been tested empirically. We tested this prediction in novel forest communities dominated by introduced species (~90% basal …

And It's Also The Smell Of Laundry, Rachel Miranda

HIM 1990-2015

This collection of poems brings to life the idea that in a poet's world, every day life and every single occurrence is a possible subject. Included are works brought on from the worst of circumstances, the youngest of memories, the happiest moments, and even the simplest of thoughts. The collection is autobiographical and reflective, a re-creation of the events taken place with the addition of present knowledge. The work here gives proof to the idea of cohesion between content and art form--it proves the notion that how something is being said is just as, if not more, important than what …

Samphire A Novella, Hillary Casavant

HIM 1990-2015

Engulfed by the tumultuous 1960s, seventeen-year-old Katherine Dayes conceals her pregnancy from the conservative seaside community of Samphire, her hometown. The novella traces a year in Katherine's life, from her summer of love through a winter stained by blood and moonlight. Throughout the story, Katherine endures the push and pull of a culture torn between tradition, represented by community leader Margaret Blythe, and modernism, embodied by the free spirit Evelyn Partridge. Inspired by the life of an actual eighteenth-century woman, Samphire explores the complexities of the 1960s feminist movement. Using vivid imagery of natural elements, it examines opposing views of …