Digital Commons Network^™

Response Of Riparian Areas Of The Shortgrass Steppe To Anthropogenic Disturbance And Assessment Of Students' Changed Understanding Of Ecosystem Reclamation Through Experience, Michael Henry Schiebout

Dissertations

Most vegetation communities are in some way impacted by humans. This dissertation is composed of a series of studies aimed at understanding how the shortgrass steppe in northeastern Colorado responds to human disturbance. Specifically, it addresses the impact of gravel mining on a riparian area of the shortgrass steppe and its response to reclamation efforts. In addition, the impact of cattle grazing on the shortgrass steppe was investigated using exclosures. Studies concerning competition of noxious weeds present at the reclamation site were also conducted, both in the field and greenhouse. Finally, a qualitative study was completed addressing how student understanding …

Social Involvement, Existential Awareness, And Perceived Vulnerability In Older Adults, Maria Zarlengo

Dissertations

The current study explored perceptions of old-age vulnerability by seniors as well as separate and combined effects of social involvement and existential awareness on the level of perceived vulnerability to aging. Two hundred and forty four seniors participated in the study. The data were collected with the use of a 101-question survey based on three published measures plus demographic questions. The dependent (criterion) variable was the vulnerability to old age measured by the Perceived Vulnerability Scale (PVS). The explanatory (predictor) variables included the degree of social involvement measured by the Social Provisions Scale (SPS) and the level of existential awareness …

Beta-2-Adrenergic Receptor Regulates Insulin Signaling To Reduce Cell Death In Müller Cells, Robert Jason Walker

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Investigations Of Pharmacokinetic Challenges In Premature Infants, Yi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Premature infants (gestational age less than 37 weeks) are considered a vulnerable patient population due to their immaturity at birth. Currently, off-label prescribing is common in younger pediatric populations, especially in premature neonates and infants, which is a primary group receiving intensive care. Unique pharmacokinetic (PK) challenges—such as limited blood volume and frequency of blood sample collections, rapid growth and continuous developmental changes, complexity of pediatric studies as well as scientific, practical, and ethical concerns— lead to the current lack of PK information and empirical dosing in premature neonates and infants. In this research, several approaches were investigated to overcome …

Cloning, Expression, And Biochemical Characterization Of Recombinant Putative Glucosyltransferases Clone 3 And 8 From Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi), Deborah Hayford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The grapefruit plant, Citrus paradisi, tends to accumulate high levels of flavonoid glycosides such as flavanones and flavones. Flavonoids have a vast array of important functions in plants and also in humans. Glucosyltransferases (GTs) are enzymes responsible for glucosylation reactions. In our pursuit to study the structure and function of flavonoid GTs, we have used molecular approaches to identify, clone, express, and functionally characterize the enzymes. This research was designed to test the hypothesis that PGT3 is a flavonoid glucosyltransferase and is subject to biochemical regulation. PGT3 has been tested for GT activity with compounds representing subclasses of flavonoids …

Insecticidal Control Of Bemisia Tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Transmitting Carlavirus On Soybeans And Detection Of The Virus In Alternate Hosts, Difabachew K. Belay, Randy M. Huckaba, Axel M. Ramirez, Jose C. V. Rodrigues, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A Carlavirus transmitted by Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is an important disease of soybean nurseries in Puerto Rico causing substantial germplasm losses. Insecticide bioassay experiments were conducted at Dow AgroSciences (DAS) Research Station, Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, either by spraying insecticides on B. tabaci infested soybean leaves or introducing B. tabaci adults onto insecticide-sprayed soybean leaves. Moreover, host plants were surveyed to detect the virus in overwintering hosts that serve as a source of inoculums. The direct spray experiment showed that Nuprid 2F (Imidacloprid), Capture 2 EC (Bifenthrin), Thionex (Endosulfan), Lannate LV (Methomyl), and Dimethoate gave good level ( …

Exploratory Results For A Mission Specialist Interface In Micro Unmanned Aerial Systems, Joshua M. Peschel, Brittany A. Duncan, Robin R. Murphy

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

This paper presents a human-robot interaction (HRI) exploratory study of a dedicated Mission Specialist interface for micro unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Current HRI findings from the micro UAS literature suggest that a Mission Specialist role requires a small, mobile, and visual interface that is dedicated and software-based. A literature survey of humanrobot team modeling, human-machine interaction technologies, and interaction principles applicable to micro UAS, resulted in an identified HRI investigation framework, five synthesized design guidelines, and a system architecture for a dedicated Mission Specialist interface. The interface was implemented and evaluated through an exploratory field study involving 16 specialized emergency …

Synchronous Climatic Change Inferred From Diatom Records In Four Western Montana Lakes In The U.S. Rocky Mountains, Brandi Bracht-Flyr, Sherilyn C. Fritz

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Late-Holocene environmental and climatic conditions were reconstructed from diatom assemblages in sediment cores from four western Montana lakes: Crevice Lake, Foy Lake, Morrison Lake, and Reservoir Lake. The lakes show synchroneity in timing of shifts in diatom community structure, but the nature of these changes differs among the lakes. Two of the sites provide highly resolved records of hydrologic balance, while the other two stratigraphic sequences primarily record temperature impact on lake thermal structure. All four lakes show significant change in five discrete intervals: 2200–2100, 1700–1600, 1350–1200, 800–600, and 250 cal yr BP. The similarities in the timing of change …

Fluidized-Bed Gasification Of Dairy Manure By Box–Behnken Design, Hanjing Wu, Milford A. Hanna, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Application of excessive animal manure to the land may cause some environmental problems such as eutrophication of surface waters, degradation of ground water quality, and threats to human health. This paper reports an experimental study on the technology of biomass gasification to treat animal waste by analyzing the effects of key operating parameters on gasification. In this research, dairy manure from the University of Nebraska dairy farm was first collected and dried, and then gasified in a fluidized-bed, laboratory-scale gasifier to generate syngas. The effects of three parameters, namely temperature, steam to biomass ratio (SBR) and the equivalence ratio (ER), …

Mapping Spatially Interpolated Precipitation, Reference Evapotranspiration, Actual Crop Evapotranspiration, And Net Irrigation Requirements In Nebraska: Part I. Precipitation And Reference Evapotranspiration, Vivek Sharma, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Precipitation and reference evapotranspiration are two important variables in hydrologic analyses, agricultural crop production, determining actual crop evapotranspiration and irrigation water requirements, and irrigation management. Both variables vary in space and time, and the weather networks that measure or quantify and report both variables are too sparse for practical applications by water resources planners, managers, and irrigators. Long-term (1986- 2009) average annual (January to December), seasonal (growing season, May to September), and monthly (May, June, July, August, and September) precipitation and Penman-Monteith-estimated alfalfa-reference evapotranspiration (ET_ref) were spatially interpolated and mapped for all 93 counties in Nebraska using the …

Effect Of Ultrasonic And Osmotic Dehydration Pretreatments On The Color Of Freeze-Dried Strawberries, Juan Garcia-Noguera, Francisca I. P. Oliveira, Curtis Weller, Sueli Rodrigues, Fabiano A.N. Fernandes

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The effect of pre-treatments on the color of freeze-dried strawberries was studied. Strawberries were subjected to different ultrasound and osmotic dehydration conditions followed by freeze-drying. Two concentration levels of sucrose solution (25 and 50 % w/w) and four levels of processing time (from 10 min to 45 min) were studied. Also, ultrasound application without using an osmotic solution was studied. Color was quantified with a colorimetric analysis (CIE LCh). Sonicated strawberries presented higher lightness (L) and lower hue (h) than fresh and non-treated strawberries (control samples). The sonicated and osmo-sonicated strawberries have presented a more reddish and vivid color then …

Nutrient Losses In Runoff From Feedlot Surfaces As Affected By Unconsolidated Surface Materials, John E. Gilley, Jason R. Vogel, Roger A. Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Beef cattle feedlots contain unconsolidated surface materials (loose manure pack) that accumulate during a feeding cycle. The effects of varying amounts of unconsolidated surface materials on runoff nutrient losses are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare runoff nutrient losses from feedlot surfaces containing varying amounts of unconsolidated surface materials, (2) determine if differences in runoff nutrient losses exist among rainfall simulation runs, (3) relate runoff nutrient losses to selected feedlot soil characteristics, and (4) identify the effects of varying runoff rate on nutrient loss rates from feedlot surfaces. This study was conducted on 0.75 …

Activation Of The Carbon Concentrating Mechanism By Co2 Deprivation Coincides With Massive Transcriptional Restructuring In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Andrew J. Brueggeman, Dayananda S. Gangadharaiah, Matyas F. Cserhati, David Casero, Donald P. Weeks, Istvan Ladunga

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

A CO₂-concentrating mechanism (CCM) is essential for the growth of most eukaryotic algae under ambient (392 ppm) and very low (ppm) CO₂ concentrations. In this study, we used replicated deep mRNA sequencing and regulatory network reconstruction to capture a remarkable scope of changes in gene expression that occurs when Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells are shifted from high to very low levels of CO₂ (£100 ppm). CCM induction 30 to 180 min post-CO₂ deprivation coincides with statistically significant changes in the expression of an astonishing 38% (5884) of the 15,501 nonoverlapping C. reinhardtii genes. Of these genes, …

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

Saudi Medical Journal

Due to its extreme density, depleted Uranium (DU) has recently entered the warfare industry and became a major pollutant to the biosphere. Although DU is less radioactive than natural Uranium, it still retains all its chemical toxicity. Limited data exists regarding the long-term hazards of DU on humans, however, it is suspected to be a major toxic and mutagenic agent. Literature review reveals the scarcity of the World Health Organization9s knowledge regarding related DU-malignancies. Battlefield reports documented a steady rise of malignancies and newborn malformations after war, that is, leukemia in the Balkans, and congenital anomalies and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) …

Association Of Cluster Of Differentiation 36 Gene Variant Rs1761667 (G>A) With Metabolic Syndrome In Egyptian Adults, Nervana M. Bayoumy, Mohamed M. El-Shabrawi, Hamdi H. Hassan

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between cluster of differentiation (CD)36 gene variant rs1761667 (G>A) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in Egyptian patients. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on MetS patients attending Suez Canal University Hospital, Egypt from November 2010 to October 2011. Peripheral blood was collected from 100 patients and 100 healthy controls for DNA extraction. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) CD36 gene rs1761667 (G>A) was genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and allele discrimination technique. RESULTS: Distribution of CD36 genotypes in the patient group was AA (n=25), AG (n=70), and GG (n=5) while in …

Vitamin D Deficiency In Rheumatoid Arthritis. Prevalence And Association With Disease Activity In Western Saudi Arabia, Suzan M. Attar

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of low serum vitamin D level (25[OH]D) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared with healthy controls, and to analyze the association between 25(OH)D and disease activity. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 100 RA patients (85% women) and 100 controls, not on vitamin D supplements from January 2010 to December 2011 at a tertiary care center at the Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Disease activity was measured using the disease activity score index (DAS28). According to the DAS28 score, RA patients were divided into 3 groups …

Mass Spectrometry Based Free Radical Induced Fragmentation Study Of Chemically Modified Cysteine Containing Peptides, Veronika Vitalyevna Dubniakova

Master's Theses

Modification of cysteine containing peptides by the thiol group of cysteine with radical precursors allows a simple and localized generation of radical species in the collision cell of mass spectrometer. The proof of principle and the analysis of the radical derived fragments of a set of different model peptides are described further in the manuscript as well as the importance and potential applications of the method.

Cross-Cultural Contact On Ship Island, Mississippi: An Analysis Of The French Warehouse Site Ceramic Assemblage From An Aboriginal And Engendered Perspective, Barbara Thedy Hester

Master's Theses

This thesis is a study of the Aboriginal ceramics recovered from the French Warehouse site (22HR638 or GUIS 98) located on Ship Island, a barrier island in the Mississippi Sound. The goals of the thesis are to determine both the regional source(s) of the pottery and date(s) of site occupation by identifying temper agents and ceramic types and varieties. It also seeks to determine the nature of site use by analysis of vessel form and function. Two scenarios are explored. If the ceramic vessels are of homogeneous forms, then they are likely products of trade alone. However, if they are …

Efficiency Of Using Commercial Dna Extraction Kits And The Organic Extraction Method In Removal Of Polymerase Chain Reaction Inhibitors, Brandi Jo Payne

Master's Theses

The first step in the determination of a perpetrator of a crime using DNA profiling is obtaining good quality DNA. The substrate on which the body fluid is located may contain substances that can co-extract with DNA and may inhibit subsequent PCR analysis. In this study, the efficiency of the removal of such contaminants were tested using three different methods, namely the PrepFiler DNA extraction kit, DNA IQ DNA extraction system, and the organic DNA extraction protocol. One, two, five, and ten μl of whole blood were deposited on soil, wood chips, and cotton swatches treated with bleach. DNA was …

Ph-Responsive Polymers For Biosurfaces: An Investigation Of Solution Properties And Surface Modifying Performance, Yuhong Wei

Master's Theses

Gantrez® copolymers are used widely in the personal care industry, but their mechanisms of interaction with dental surfaces are poorly understood. In this study, we determined a number of the solution and polymer properties that control deposition, adsorption and adhesion in Gantrez® polymer aqueous solutions to model dental surfaces. QCM studies specifically showed that polymer adsorption to model hydroxyapatite surfaces occurred only in solutions with polymer concentration above c*. Adsorption and adhesion was greater in solutions of higher pH, where greater charge density along the polymer backbone was expected. For films prepared via spin-coating onto mica surfaces, addition of surfactants …

Development And Evaluation Of A Mouse Neocortical Cells Neurodevelopment Assay To Assess The Effects Of Pyrethroids, Stephanie I. Savino

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Pyrethroid insecticides have been used for more than 40 years and account for 25% of the global insecticide market with household, agricultural and public health applications. With increasing use of pyrethroids over recent years, human exposure to these chemicals is likely. The acute toxicity of pyrethroids to mammalian adults has been documented as moderately toxic by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, little evidence is available regarding the potential toxicological effects of pyrethroids on mammalian neurodevelopment. In this study, a neurodevelopment assay was developed for future investigation of potential pyrethroid effects on the neuronal development of Mus musculus neocortical cells.

Adverse Metabolic Response To Regular Exercise: Is It A Rare Or Common Occurrence?, Claude Bouchard, Steven N. Blair, Timothy S. Church, Conrad P. Earnest, James M. Hagberg, Keijo Häkkinen, Nathan T. Jenkins, Laura Karavirta, William E. Kraus, Dabeeru C. Rao, Mark A. Sarzynski, James S. Skinner, Cris A. Slentz, Tuomo Rankinen

Faculty Publications

Background: Individuals differ in the response to regular exercise. Whether there are people who experience adverse changes in cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors has never been addressed.

Methodology/Principle Findings: An adverse response is defined as an exercise-induced change that worsens a risk factor beyond measurement error and expected day-to-day variation. Sixty subjects were measured three times over a period of three weeks, and variation in resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and in fasting plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), in insulin (FI) was quantified. The technical error (TE) defined as the within-subject standard deviation derived from these measurements was computed. An …

Syntaxin 6- And Microtubule- Mediated Intracellular Trafficking Contributes To Golgi And Nuclear Translocation Of Egfr, Yi Du

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Receptor-mediated endocytosis is well known for its degradation and recycling trafficking. Recent evidence shows that these cell surface receptors translocate from cell surface to different cellular compartments, including the Golgi, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and the nucleus to regulate physiological and pathological functions. Although some trafficking mechanisms have been resolved, the mechanism of intracellular trafficking from cell surface to the Golgi is not yet completed understood. Here we report a mechanism of Golgi translocation of EGFR in which EGF-induced EGFR travels to the Golgi via microtubule (MT)-dependent movement by interacting with dynein and fuses with the Golgi through syntaxin 6 …

Abstracts 2012: Highlights Of Student Research And Creative Endeavors, Columbus State University

Abstracts: Highlights of Student Research and Creative Endeavors

No abstract provided.

Coercion Resistance In Authentication Responsibility Shifting, Payas Gupta, Xuhua Ding, Debin Gao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Responsibility shifting, a popular solution used in the event of failure of primary authentication where a human helper is involved in regaining access, is vulnerable to coercion attacks. In this work, we report our user study which investigates the helper’s emotional status when being coerced to assist in an attack. Results show that the coercion causes involuntary skin conductance fluctuation on the helper, which indicates that he/she is nervous and stressed. This response can be used to strengthen the security of the authentication system by providing coercion resistance.

Improving Women And Family’S Health Through Integrated Microfinance, Health Education And Promotion In Rural Areas, Kahabi Isangula

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

While increasing number of women enjoys more freedom and power in urban areas, women in rural areas are at a disadvantage in almost all aspects of life when compared to men. Investing in economic empowerment of women particularly in rural areas by supporting them to implement local context based business ideas and basic finance capacity and skills development may reverse these trends, however, when combined with heath education and promotion through trainings focusing on preventive health yields greater impact. This paper is a systematic review of the peer - reviewed research papers and project reports in English language on how …

The Effects Of Berberine And Nitroxl (Hno) On The Glucose Uptake In L929 Fibroblast Cells, Jude Terver-Jeremiah Chenge

Masters Theses

Berberine, which has a long history of use in Chinese medicine, has recently been shown to have efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. While the hypoglycemic effect of berberine has been clearly documented in animal and cell line models, such as 3T3-L1 adipocytes and L6 myotube cells, the mechanism of action appears complex with data implicating activation of the insulin signaling pathway as well as activation of the exercise or AMP kinase-mediated pathway. There have been no reports of the acute affects of berberine on the transport activity of the insulin-insensitive glucose transporter, GLUT1. Therefore, we examined the acute effects …

Hypertension: Lifestyle Modifications In The Prevention And Treatment, Natalie J. Gustafson

Theses and Dissertations

Serious health consequences related to hypertension are amenable to lifestyle modifications. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the literature to determine evidence-based lifestyle recommendations in the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Searches were completed through Pub Med and CINAHL. Search terms included "blood pressure," "hypertension," "behavior modifications," and "lifestyle changes." Initial searches lead to the following primary topics of research: alcohol intake, food habits, sodium reduction, weight loss, exercise and behavior therapy. The findings of this literature review indicate that in the prevention and treatment of hypertension; alcohol intake should be reduced, a DASH style dietary pattern …

Unlv 101, Unlv Communications

UNLV 101

No abstract provided.

Wasteful Food Consumption: Consumer Trends In Food And Packaging Waste, Alexis Jade Levy

Graphic Communication

No abstract provided.