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Gluconeogenesis And Colonization Of The Mouse Intestine By E. Coli Edl933 And E. Coli Nissle 1917, Silvia Anna Christina Schinner

Open Access Master's Theses

Previous studies in this laboratory have indicated that E. coli Nissle 1917 can act as a probiotic and is able to prevent the pathogenic E. coli EDL933 from growing to high numbers in the mouse large intestine. This study evaluated the influence of gluconeogenesis in E. coli Nissle 1917 and E. coli EDL933 to compete against each other and for their maintenance in the intestine. Knockout mutants of both strains were created for the analysis of the importance of gluconeogenesis in colonization experiments in the mouse large intestine. To knock out the ability to use gluconeogenesis and therefore metabolizing substrates …

Modification Of The Escherichia Coli Nissle 1917 EnvZ Gene To Improve Its Probiotic Potential, Jimmy Adediran

Open Access Master's Theses

The pathogenic Escherichia coli EDL933 is known to cause infection in the intestine. E. coli Nissle 1917 is used as a probiotic strain to prevent infection (63). When the mouse intestine is pre-colonized with E. coli Nissle 1917 it prevents E. coli EDL933 from growing up in the intestine. E. coli EDL933 is not eliminated from the intestine; it stays at the level in which it was fed to the mice. The P41L envZ missense mutation was previously shown to causes an increase in the level of phosporylated OmpR (OmpR~P) produced (67). E. coli MG1655 with the P41L missense …

Body Composition, Movement Phenology And Habitat Use Of Common Eider Along The Southern New England Coast, Joshua M. Beuth

Open Access Master's Theses

The nearshore and offshore waters of southern New England provide important winter habitat for many sea duck species including common eiders (Somateria mollissima). Sea ducks that inhabit these waters must contend with global climate change, disease, and anthropogenic disturbance including proposed offshore wind energy development; however, evaluating these potential impacts on sea ducks, in general, and eiders in particular is difficult because knowledge of their ecology during winter is limited. I conducted the first validation of a non-lethal method for estimating body composition (deuterium dilution) of eiders and then applied this method to assess changes in body composition …

Geospatial Analysis Of Denitrifying Septic Systems And Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations In Jamestown Shores, Rhode Island, Amy B. Parmenter

Open Access Master's Theses

High-density housing areas with onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) and domestic drinking water wells are susceptible to groundwater contamination from nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N). One solution is to install denitrifying OWTS, which are designed to reduce the effluent nitrogen by approximately half that of conventional OWTS. Geostatistical methods were used to analyze groundwater NO3-N data from the Jamestown Shores neighborhood of Jamestown, Rhode Island to determine if denitrifying OWTS have had an affect on water quality. Temporal trends were analyzed using NO3-N concentrations from sample events approximately 15 years apart, 1996-1997 and 2010-2011, between which a number of denitrifying OWTS were installed. …

The Ultrasonic Pulse-Echo Immersion Technique And Attenuation Coefficient Of Particulate Composites, Miguel Angel Goni Rodrigo

Open Access Master's Theses

This thesis comprises two main sections, namely a critical evaluation of the use of the Ultrasonic pulse echo immersion technique to measure attenuation and an application of the same to particulate composites. The former consisted of testing the main assumptions adopted by the different approaches developed to carry out the attenuation coefficient measurement. The first assumption states that a perfectly bonded interface between water and specimen exists. A second assumption requires consistent reflection coefficients every time the specimen is immersed. Finally, some existing methods assume equal reflection coefficients on either side of any specimen during a particular immersion. Herein, it …

Effects Of Position And Orientation On Pax6 Upstream Enhancers In Ciona Intestinalis, Thomas Andrew Bregnard

Open Access Master's Theses

The classical definition of genetic cis-regulatory modules such as enhancers identifies these elements as insensitive to changes in position and orientation relative to the transcription start site (TSS). While this theory is well supported, some recent studies have uncovered examples of constraint in the position or orientation of particular enhancers. This study examines the position and orientation sensitivity of two upstream enhancer elements found in the gene Pax6, which regulates development of the eyes and central nervous system in vertebrates. Late embryonic stages of the organism used in this study, Ciona intestinalis, show expression of Pax6 in …

Green Eating And Dietary Quality In University Students, Garrick Brown

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: To determine if environmentally conscious eating, also known as Green Eating (GE), was associated with dietary quality among university students.

Design: Non-randomized cross-sectional analysis at baseline.

Setting: A northeastern university.

Participants: University students (n=26) aged 18-24 years, with a campus meal plan, and a body mass index (BMI) greater than 18.5 kg/m².

Main Outcome Measures: Healthy Eating Index (HEI) - 2005 score.

Analysis: GE Stage of Change (SOC) was assessed by an online survey administered to first and second year students. Subjects were eligible if they were in the precontemplation SOC (PC) (n=18) or …

Factors Of Different Management Of Northern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), Patrick Samuel

Open Access Master's Theses

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) comprised of over fifty cooperating states and fishing entities. It manages Northern Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Due to overfishing and ineffective management, the stock abundance of this species has declined to about thirty percent of its unfished biomass in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Publications point to this poor stock status as evidence of a fisheries management failure; it is commonly repeated that ICCAT’s mismanagement of the resource amounts to an international …

Relationship Between Land-Use And Water Quality In Spring-Fed Streams Of The Ozark National Forest, A. Smartt, S. Ganguly, M. A. Evans-White, B. E. Haggard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Spring-fed streams are abundant in karst topographic regions such as the Ozarks, providing an important and valuable water resource. Many of these spring-fed streams presently receive agriculture runoff, but few studies have examined the impacts of this runoff on water quality. We examined water quality in Ozark spring-fed streams surrounded by either agricultural (N=3) or primarily forested land (N=3) in the riparian zone. We hypothesized that agricultural sites would have greater dissolved nutrient concentrations and conductivity than forested sites and that water quality would fluctuate with distance from the spring source. Conductivity (p

Perch-Type Characteristics Of Overwintering Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), A. J. Worm, M. M. Bobowski, Thomas S. Risch

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are primarily sitand-wait predators that rely on perches to forage most efficiently. Overwintering Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels use available perches (e.g., utility poles and wires, trees, fences, gates, etc.) to hunt for prey items in agricultural fields in northeast Arkansas. Observations were made from December 2011-March 2012 and November 2012-March 2013 in three representative cover-types (short rice stubble, soybean stubble, and fallow areas including roadsides) to determine which perch-types were used by Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels. Utility pole crossbeams at an average height of 6.3 m were the main …

Morphometric Analysis Of Dinosaur Tracks From Southwest Arkansas, R. Shell, Stephen K. Boss

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Dinosaur trackways were discovered in Cretaceous De Queen Limestone strata in Howard County, Arkansas, in June 2011. Multiple trackways with variably sized tridactyl tracks were exposed in a commercial quarry, suggesting multiple theropod species or adult and juvenile tracks of a single species. Results of morphometric analyses of 32 plaster casts from selected trackways are reported in an effort to identify the specific track-making dinosaurs and differentiate large and small tracks. Track measurements included length and width of each track, the lengths and widths of each digit impression, and the angular spread (divarication) between digit impressions. Twenty-nine plaster casts were …

Initial Survey On Black-Spot Disease (Digenea: Strigeoidea: Diplostomidae) In Select Arkansas Fishes, C. T. Mcallister, R. Tumlison, H. W. Robison, S. E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Additional Vertebrate Records And Natural History Notes From Arkansas, M. B. Connior, C. Renn Tumlison, H. W. Robison, J. S. Placyk Jr., C. T. Mcallister

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Although vertebrates are a commonly studied group of animals, the distribution and natural history of many species within Arkansas is still not well understood or documented. However, recently several new distribution and natural history notes have been published in a continuing series regarding Arkansas’s vertebrates (e.g. Tumlison and Robison 2010; Connior et al. 2011, Connior et al. 2012). Thus, we continue to augment current literature with new records of distribution and provide notes on the natural history of selected vertebrates from Arkansas. All voucher specimens (physical or photographic) are deposited in the vertebrate collections at either Arkansas State University (ASUMZ), …

New Host Records For The Fish Leech Cystobranchus Klemmi (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) On Cyprinid Fishes From Arkansas And Oklahoma, Dennis J. Richardson, R. Tumlison, J. W. Allen Jr., W. E. Moser, C. T. Mcallister, S. E. Trauth, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

New Records Of The Eastern Small-Footed Bat (Myotis Leibii) In Arkansas, D. Blake Sasse, Thomas S. Risch, David A. Saugey, Michael J. Harvey, J. D. Wilhide, R. K. Redman, J. J. Jackson, T. Klotz, P. R. Moore

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

First Record Of The Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene Ornata Ornata) From The Grand Prairie Ecoregion Since 1981, C. T. Witsell, Michael D. Warriner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Title Of A Paper Prepared For The Arkansas Academy Of Science Journal [Instructions For Prospective Authors], Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Microsatellite Analysis Of Trophy Largemouth Bass From Arkansas Reservoirs, K. A. Lamothe, Ronald L. Johnson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) has introduced Florida largemouth bass (FLMB; Micropterus salmoides floridanus) to water bodies historically containing the northern largemouth bass (NLMB; Micropterus salmoides salmoides) subspecies since the late 1970s in an attempt to produce a trophy LMB fishery. Since 2006, the AGFC has been biannually sampling reservoirs stocked with FLMB to determine levels of admixture. Here, total sampling efforts between 2006 and 2011 have been combined, and LMB heavier than 2,268 g (5 lb) were analyzed in an effort to investigate distribution of bass by their genetic composition designated as trophy LMB by the AGFC. …

Indoor Coarse Particulate Matter: Evaluating Exposures And Health Effects In Asthmatic Children, Marcy Lynn Mcnamara

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The primary aim of the ARTIS study (Asthma Randomized Trial of Indoor Wood Smoke) is to improve the quality of life of asthmatic children living in wood stove homes by reducing in-home fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In the original project, characterizing exposure to the coarse fraction of particulate matter (consisting of particles <10 μm and >2.5 μm; PMc) was not proposed. The coarse fraction has been shown to elicit increased pulmonary inflammation compared to PM2.5. This may be due to biogenic constituents of PMc such as endotoxin, a component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. Scientific interest in the coarse fraction is …

Structurally Diverse Hamigerans From The New Zealand Marine Sponge Hamigera Tarangaensis: Nmr-Directed Isolation, Structure Elucidation And Antifungal Activity, A. Jonathan Singh, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum, Jessica J. Field, Zlatka Smart, Ethan F. Woolly, Jacqueline M. Barber, Rosemary Heathcott, John H. Miller, Peter T. Northcote

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The NMR-directed investigation of the New Zealand marine sponge Hamigera tarangaensis has afforded ten new compounds of the hamigeran family, and a new 13-epi-verrucosane congener. Notably, hamigeran F (6) possesses an unusual carbon–carbon bond between C-12 and C-13, creating an unprecedented skeleton within this class. In particular, the structural features of 6, hamigeran H (10) and hamigeran J (12) imply a diterpenoid origin, which has allowed the putative biogenesis of three hamigeran carbon skeletons to be proposed based on geranyl geranyl pyrophosphate. All new hamigerans exhibited micromolar activity towards the HL-60 …

Dog Ownership And Physical Activity: A Review Of The Evidence., Hayley E. Christian, Carri Westgarth, Adrian Bauman, Elizabeth Richards, Ryan E. Rhodes, Kelly R. Evenson, Joni A. Mayer, Roland J. Thorpe Jr

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background:

Dog walking is a strategy for increasing population levels of physical activity (PA). Numerous cross-sectional studies of the relationship between dog ownership and PA have been conducted. The purpose was to review studies comparing PA of dog owners (DO) to non-dog owners (NDO), summarize the prevalence of dog walking, and provide recommendations for research.

Methods:

A review of published studies (1990-2010) examining DO and NDO PA and the prevalence of dog walking was conducted (N=29). Studies estimating the relationship between dog ownership and PA were grouped to create a point-estimate using meta-analysis.

Results:

Most studies were conducted in the …

Development And Psychometric Testing Of The Dogs And Walking Survey (Dawgs), Elizabeth Richards, Meghan H. Mcdonough, Nancy E. Edwards, Roseann M. Lyle, Philip J. Troped

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: Dog owners represent 40% of the population, a promising audience to increase population levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a new instrument to assess social cognitive theory (SCT) constructs related to dog walking. Methods: Dog owners (N=431) completed the Dogs and WalkinG Survey (DAWGS). Survey items assessed dog walking behaviors, and self-efficacy, social support, outcome expectations, and outcome expectancies for dog walking. Test-retest reliability was assessed among 252 (58%) survey respondents who completed the survey twice. Factorial validity and factorial invariance by age and walking …

Opening Up The Box: Exploring The Scaling Out Of The Good Food Box Across Canada, Stephanie Lentz Laporte Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Good Food Box (GFB) program holds a great deal of promise to expand our understanding of Community Food Security (CFS). CFS represents a vision for solving hunger and other problems with the food system through an integrated approach that improves access to good and appropriate food for all while at the same time building community, strengthening local agricultural economies, and maximizing social justice. The GFB, one type of CFS program, is a community-based initiative found across Canada that provides a box of healthy food to customers at near wholesale prices; it has the potential to increase access to healthy …

The Brave Heart Society: An Oral History Of An Indigenous Women's Society, Brook Spotted Eagle

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study examines the Brave Heart Society and the ways in which Brave Heart women collectively approaches trauma-healing outside of the programmatic structures of federally funded tribal systems. National statistics speak to the contemporary struggles impacting most US Indigenous populations in the present-day. Such struggles are residual symptoms rooted in a long history of domination and US imperialism. These data indicate that most tribes have not fully recovered from federally imposed systems of deprivation. Within the context of the Ihanktonwan Dakota community in southeastern South Dakota, the nuanced ways in which trauma impedes development and community wellness is both realized …

Biomaterial-Induced Osteogenesis Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells By Surface Roughness And Functionalization, Pongkwan Sitasuwan

Theses and Dissertations

For tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, it is important to understand factors directing the stem cell fate, including self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and smooth muscle cells. Specifically, in the field of bone tissue engineering, BMSCs are commonly used for in vitro osteogenesis studies. However the mechanisms and signaling pathways that these cells recognize material surface and utilize to differentiate are still unclear. This dissertation focuses on investigating the effect of surface nanotopography and functionalization on the promotion of osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Surface …

Experimental Study On Piping Failure Of Earthen Levee And Dams, Yusuf Ahmed Sharif

Theses and Dissertations

Piping in an earthen levee, one of the main causes of failure, is a complex phenomenon. Most of the available research on piping failure has been on non-cohesive sandy soils. Jet Erosion Test and Hole Erosion Test have been conducted to study piping failure in an indirect manner. However, no general purpose formula is presently available to describe the erosion process due to complex erosion characteristics of cohesive soils in earthen levees.

Experimental investigations in a flume to understand the piping erosion process in an earthen levee are conducted in this research. One of the sidewalls and the bottom of …

Uncovering The Structures In Ecological Networks: Multiple Techniques For Multiple Purposes, Peng Gao

Theses and Dissertations

Ecosystem structure and function are the product of biological and ecological elements and their connections and interactions. Understanding structure and process in ecosystems is critical to ecological studies. Ecological networks, based on simple concepts in which biological and ecological elements are depicted as nodes with relationships between them described as links, have been recognized as a valuable means of clarifying the relationship between structures and process in ecosystems. Ecological network analysis has benefited from the advancement of techniques in social science, computer science, and mathematics, but attention must be paid to whether the designs of these techniques follow ecological principles …

A Preliminary Study Exploring Racial Differences In Triage, Hospitalization Status, And Discharge Medication In An Emergency Department In Graniteville, Sc, Clare Pollock

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose

This study seeks to identify any racial differences present in assigned triage scores, hospitalization status and discharge medications in a rural hospital likely experiencing a surge after a mass casualty incident involving chlorine gas as a result of a train derailment. Differences were examined between Non-Hispanic White and African American adults who were moderately ill and who presented to the emergency department of the closest hospital to the accident site within 24 hours of the incident.

Methods

Non-Hispanic White and African American adults who presented to the emergency department of the closest hospital to the accident site and who …

Into A Wild New Yonder: The United States Air Force And The Origins Of Its Information Age, Robert Howard Lass

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force is an organization operationally focused on gathering, processing, and utilizing vast quantities of information, so much so that it added "cyberspace" to its core missions of air and space in 2005. Service leaders have argued that a USAF information revolution - its entrance into the "Information Age" - began as early as the first computers in the 1940s or as late as the proliferation of networks in the 1990s. Upon close inspection, however, it becomes clear that such assertions overlook decades of information operations and management, and overemphasize the concept of a single information age. …

I Can Be Silent And Be Saying A Lot: Teachers' Racial Literacy In A Southern Elementary School, Kimberly J. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

In order to better understand how teachers make sense of race in schools today, this ethnographic study explores the following research question: How do teachers in this school make sense of race, and how does the spatiality of the school inform this process? The study was conducted over a 14-month period in a southern elementary school and is presented as a poetic, narrative, and thematic analysis of the connections between the geographic location of this particular school and the teachers' practices, pedagogies, and conversations about race both inside their classrooms and in other school spaces. This study demonstrates how teachers' …