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The Use Of Non-Traditional Technologies To Improve The Efficiency And Sustainability Of Modern Poultry Production, Christopher Pixley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, major driving factors for the animal agriculture industry have been efficiency and profitability. As demand for efficient food production has increased, the industry has focused research efforts on ways to improve the rearing process. Current market demands are requiring the industry to abandon some of the traditional tools it has used to maximize productivity. However, developing alternative technologies are available which may fill the void. Unfortunately, these alternatives are less well-described and the beneficial impacts they can have are not fully understood. As the animal agriculture industry matures it is becoming evident that consumers will continue to demand methods …

The Children Of Amarna: Disease And Famine In The Time Of Akhenaten, Kathleen Kuckens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What is now known as Amarna, Egypt there once stood a grand city. Hastily built and quickly abandoned, this once capital city of Egypt was the brainchild of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. In 2002 the final resting place of the inhabitants who populated this ancient city were discovered. Since excavations began at the South Tombs Cemetery an unusual high number of individuals aged 3-25 have been excavated. Out of the 278 individuals excavated thus far, 45% of them fall to the adolescent and sub-adult category. Under normal circumstances this portion of the population tends to be the most robust and resilient, …

Algae To Propellants: Biosynthesis Of 1,2-Propanediol From Algal Derived Sugars, Lauren Rachelle Merriman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Propylene glycol dinitrate (PGDN) is an important component used in the formulation of energetic materials. A renewable, environmentally-friendly and effective production technique for the production of 1,2-propanediol, an important precursor to PGDN, is desired. While fermentation of 1,2-propanediol has been achieved, it suffers from major limitations such as expensive feed sugars and relatively low yields. It is hypothesized that algae sugars could serve as a feedstock for the microbial synthesis of 1,2-propanediol, thereby reducing production costs and enhancing sustainability.

Algal biomass produced from an Algal Turf Scrubber® has proven to have significant potential as a source of fermentable materials. However, …

An Evaluation Of Teaching Methods Based On Cognitive Achievement, Ryan Patrick Siebenmorgen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any significant differences (p < .05) in cognitive achievement between different instructional techniques on students enrolled in high school agricultural science classes in Northwest Arkansas. Lesson content covered the

production, uses, and performance of biodiesel fuels in compression engines. Treatments were different instructional techniques including lecture, demonstration, and a combination of lecture and demonstration. Cognitive achievement was measured on low level cognition and high level cognition. In addition, this study sought to find any correlation between student perceptions of lecture versus demonstration and tinkering self-efficacy on student achievement.

A true experimental pretest-posttest design (#2) was used to conduct this research (Campbell & Stanley, 1996). The population consisted of all students enrolled in high school …

Relationship Of Childhood Activity To Leisure Time Activities And Recreation Specialization Among College Students, Alexandra Sandoval

Theses

Leisure time and outdoor recreation are participated in during childhood, which allows for children to being able to learn about different recreation activities, whether they may be indoor or outdoor oriented. Children begin to learn about the world around them, having significant life experiences and beginning to understand the concept of recreation specialization. As a child moves into adulthood, specifically as college students, their leisure time activities being to change; this may be due to the fact that their time is limited for both indoor and outdoor recreation, but could also be due to the fact that technological advances have …

Effect Of Celebrity Endorsements On Treatment Choices Made By Professionals And Parents With Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jenika Karnik

Theses

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that one in 50 children are diagnosed with Autism in the U.S. Now, parents out there not only have to face a doctor's diagnosis, but also a flood of confusing promises for recoveries and miracle cures. Parents have to sift through recommendations made by media, celebrities, professionals, and many, many more. The purpose of this study is to examine what influences the choices parents make involving treatment for their children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Influences Of The Misuse Of Social Media On The Evolution Of Adolescent Cyberbullies, Marguerita Geralyn Circello

Education Doctoral

The purpose of the study is to understand the reasoning behind the evolution of cyberbullies through the misuse of social media sites. The study addressed research questions concerning the reasons why middle school adolescents turn to social media sites to bully their peers. Cyberbullying is increasing due to the overwhelming use of the Internet by adolescents. The Pew Internet and American Life Project (2008) reports that 89% of boys and 95% of girls have sent or received email, 56% of girls, and 55% of boys have visited chat rooms while three fourths of teenagers reported spending 30 to 60 minutes …

A Comparative Analysis Of Emergency Management Decision-Making Skills Of School Officials: The Impact Of Training On Perspectives And Performance, Matthew Miraglia

Education Doctoral

School officials are responsible for preparing schools to meet students’ needs while facing the complex security challenges of the 21st century. In the event of a disaster, school officials, despite not being emergency management professionals, must make appropriate decisions and lead effectively in order to maintain safety and ensure educational continuity at their schools. The actions of school officials before, during, and after a disaster will likely play a key role in the safe and effective delivery of education in the future. This study was a comparative analysis of school officials in the New York City Metropolitan Region. The study …

Effects Of Habitat Enrichment On The Stress Level Of The Sit-And-Wait Predator Sand Boa (Gongylophis Colubrinus), Jose Manuel Cantu Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Conditions in which the animals are housed vary according to animal use. Conditions unfamiliar or unsuited to organisms usually induce stress. Stress is mirrored by a hormone cascade resulting in glucocorticoids. Of the glucocorticoids corticosterone is regarded as the most important. The corticosterone levels of sand boas (Gongylophis colubrinus) were measured under enriched and barren soil and cage features. Enriched soil consisted of enough dirt to allow borrowing. Enriched cage featured consisted of a wooded ball. Barren soil consisted of newspaper as substrate. Barren cage features consisted of plane newspaper. Snakes were subject to treatment for two weeks. No significant …

Weight Gain In Pregnancy And Pre-Menopausal Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study, Arash Ardalan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: The risk of breast cancer increases transiently after pregnancy and then falls to a lower level than for age-matched nulliparous women. Higher levels of estrogen are known as the primary reason. Several pregnancy characteristics are thought to be confounding the above link; however, except for the age at first pregnancy no other pregnancy-related factor has been proved to be significant. Specifically, it has not been established that an excessive weight gain in pregnancy is linked to the maternal risk of breast cancer.

Objectives: To identify independent influence of weight gain in pregnancy on the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer …

Harding School Of Theology 2013-2014 General Catalog, Harding University

Harding Academic Catalogs

Academic catalog for the graduate program in Bible and religion.

Failed Species, Innominate Forms, And The Vain Search For Species Limits: Cryptic Diversity In Dusky Salamanders (Desmognathus) Of Eastern Tennessee, Stephen G. Tilley, Joseph Bernardo, Laura A. Katz, Lizmarie López, J. Devon Roll, Renáe L. Eriksen, Justin Kratovil, Noëlle K.J. Bittner, Keith A. Crandall

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Cytochrome B sequences and allozymes reveal complex patterns of molecular variation in dusky salamander (Desmognathus) populations in eastern Tennessee. One group of allozymically distinctive populations, which we refer to as the Sinking Creek form (SCF), combines morphological attributes of Desmognathus fuscus with cytB sequences characteristic of Desmognathus carolinensis. This form is abruptly replaced by D. fuscus just north of Johnson City, TN with no evidence of either sympatry or gene exchange. To the south, allozymic markers indicate a broad zone of admixture with populations characterized by distinct cytB sequences and that may or may not be ultimately referable to Desmognathus …

Solving Categorization Problem Using Two Models Of Machine Learning, Lubna Zaghlul, Nada Mahdi

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

The ability to recognize quickly and accurately which we encounter is fundamental to normal intelligent human behavior. However, how the learning of categories which objects in the world fit into takes place is still an unanswered question. One thing is certain though; much of the learning that takes place allows humans to cope with the changing they encounter. One of the most important aspects of human intelligence is its flexibility which has allowed humans to prosper in a dynamic world. Humans do not suffer from the ills of old fashioned hard rule based artificial intelligence. The study tested six cubes. …

Impact Of Early-Exposure Environmental Education On A Child's Selection Of Words And Creativity, Reid Fisher

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Environmental education researchers have long identified a connection between formative play experiences in nature settings and pro-environmental behaviors (i.e., career paths) of their subjects later in life. Most studies have been post-hoc retrospective looks that have not had the ability to assess causation. As more children are removed from free-play wilderness opportunities, some schools are seeking means to create those formative experiences within the educational setting, but research has not been done to address the impact that this approach has on developing particular environmental behaviors. To address that gap in the literature, this study seeks to identify the impacts that …

Student Attitudes Toward Blended And Online Courses: A Comparison Of Students In Traditional Classroom Writing Environments And Students In Blended Writing Environments, Rowan Farrington Johnson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study presents a mixed methods investigation of student attitudes toward blended and online courses. Specifically, the study compares two groups of university freshmen writing students. These groups respectively took writing classes in traditional classroom environments (without individual computers for each student in the classroom) and in blended classroom environments (with individual computers for each student in the classroom). The research questions were the following: RQ1: What are some of the general prevailing student attitudes toward blended classroom environments and online classroom environments? RQ2: If students take writing courses in a blended environment, will their attitudes toward blended and online …

Mock Trials And Real Justices And Judges, Richard A. Posner

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Story As Sermon And Seduction, Ellen Waldman

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Amyloid Β Peptides Modify The Expression Of Antioxidant Repair Enzymes And A Potassium Channel In The Septohippocampal System, Jorge Duran-Gonzalez, Edna D. Michi, Brisa Elorza, Miriam G. Perez-Cordova, Luis F. Pacheco Otalora, Ahmed Touhami, Pamela Paulson, George Perry, Ian V. Murray, Luis V. Colom

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by extracellular accumulations of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides, intracellular accumulation of abnormal proteins, and early loss of basal forebrain neurons. Recent studies have indicated that the conformation of Aβ is crucial for neuronal toxicity, with intermediate misfolded forms such as oligomers being more toxic than the final fibrillar forms. Our previous work shows that Aβ blocks the potassium (K(+)) currents IM and IA in septal neurons, increasing firing rates, diminishing rhythmicity and firing coherence. Evidence also suggests that oxidative stress (OS) plays a role in AD pathogenesis. Thus we wished …

Role Of Msa In Immune Evasion, Persistence, And Protease Regulation In The Human Pathogenic Strains Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Maria Deepa Basco

Dissertations

Opportunistic pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus on entering the host can stay colonized at the foci of infection or evade the immune system to disseminate to other sites. In this study we investigated the regulatory influence of the modulator of sarA (msa) on immune evasion and host persistence, employing the hospital-acquired strain S. aureus UAMS-1 and community-acquired strain S. aureus USA300 LAC. In the murine sepsis model, mutation of the msa gene in LAC showed no change in dissemination of infection; however, in UAMS-1 a decrease in microbial load was observed in the lungs. Differential regulation by the msa gene was …

Effects Of Check In/Checkout With A Fading Procedure On The Academic Engagement And Problem Behavior Of Elementary School Students, Leila Mullooly Miller

Dissertations

Though preliminary research indicates Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) is an effective intervention for improving problematic behavior in a variety of populations, the literature is limited in several ways. Several studies have relied on indirect measures of behavior, such as office discipline referrals (ODRs) and teacher ratings, to determine the effectiveness of CICO. However, indirect measures are not always reliable indicators of student behavior change, whereas direct observation is known to be an accurate tool for behavioral measurement. Therefore, the current study evaluated the effects of CICO on levels of problem behavior and academic engagement for a group of four elementary school students …

“Unmistakably Clear” Coercion: Finding A Balance Between Judicial Review Of The Spending Power And Optimal Federalism, Dale B. Thompson

San Diego Law Review

This Article proposes a new tier of scrutiny, “unmistakably clear,” for conducting judicial review of congressional authority under the Spending Clause. Under this standard, a condition would be unconstitutional only if it is unmistakably clear that it is coercive. In order to develop this proposal, this Article traces the debate over the spending power from the Federalist Papers up through the decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, finding strong arguments for granting significant deference to Congress’s Spending Clause authority. Careful analysis of the opinions in the case yields not only the name for the new standard of …

From Fandom To Franchise: Generational Discourse Among Fans And Producers, Nicholas C. Benson

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

Generational discourse surrounding fandom has been an understudied area of media studies. Using Disney's TRON franchise as a case study, this thesis looks at that discourse as it exists in two areas. The first chapter draws on interviews with several actual TRON fans and looks at how the concept of generation is imagined within the TRON fan community. The second chapter draws from promotional interviews done with TRON creator Steven Lisberger to analyze the way the concept of generation functions within the decision making practices and formation of career capital within Hollywood. Ultimately, this paper concludes that the concept of …

Riskvis: Supply Chain Visualization With Risk Management And Real-Time Monitoring, Rick S. M. Goh, Zhaoxia Wang, Xiaofeng Yin, Xiuju Fu, Loganathan Ponnanbalam, Sifei Lu, Xiaorong Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With increased complexity, supply chain networks (SCNs) of modern era face higher risks and lower efficiency due to limited visibility. Hence, there is an immediate need to provide end-to-end supply chain visibility for efficient management of complex supply chains. This paper proposes a visualization scheme based on multi-hierarchical modular design and develops a supply chain visualization platform with risk management and real-time monitoring, named RiskVis, for realizing better Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). A Supply Chain Visualizer (SCV) with a graphical visualization platform is mounted as a part of a SCRM management decision-making dashboard and it provides senior management a …

Disease Ecology Of A Microsporidian Parasite And Its Effects On Mottled Sculpin, Jared Joseph Homola

Masters Theses

Infectious disease can influence organisms at all levels of ecological organization, from individuals to ecosystems. Likewise, the ecosystems where pathogens exist directly influence their success. Recent theoretical studies have tied disease prevalence to biotic factors such as genetic diversity, biodiversity, and host behavior, and abiotic factors that include temperature and increased nutrient concentrations. Parasites included in the phylum Microspora are increasingly recognized for being ubiquitous in nature, although their ecological roles are generally unknown. This study examined several environmental, community, and host-related metrics to compare the biotic and abiotic aspects of 16 small streams; 6 with mottled sculpin (Cottus …

Examining The Inner Experience Of Left-Handers Using Descriptive Experience Sampling, Aadee Mizrachi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research suggests there are anatomical asymmetries of the human brain associated with right-hand or left-hand preference. In addition, left-handedness has been related to a wide range of psychological and physical problems. Despite these relationships, little is known about the inner experience of left-handers.

The present study, a replication of Mizrachi (2010) using a larger sample, used Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) with three objectives: 1) examine the inner experience of left-handers; 2) compare the results of the present study to the results of Mizrachi (2010); and 3) compare the inner experience of left-handers to that of the general population as reported …

Timeflies: Push-Pull Signal-Function Functional Reactive Programming, Edward Amsden

Theses

Functional Reactive Programming (FRP) is a promising class of abstractions for interactive programs. FRP systems provide values defined at all points in time (behaviors or signals) and values defined at countably many points in time (events) as abstractions. Signal-function FRP is a subclass of FRP which does not provide direct access to time-varying values to the programmer, but instead provides signal functions, which are reactive transformers of signals and events, as first-class objects in the program. All signal-function implementations of FRP to date have utilized demand-driven or "pull-based" evaluation for both events and signals, producing output from the FRP system …

Watering The St. Katherine Landscape: Exploring The Nexus Between Socio-Economic And Hydro-Cultural Change, Joshua D. Lohnes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The town of St. Katherine is located in the mountainous and most water rich region of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. This relative water abundance was a critical factor to the historical and cultural landscape that emerged there over the centuries. Past human settlements have left an intricate network of catchments, conduits and wells. Much of this infrastructure is still in use today across the hundreds of orchards that dot valley floors around this growing urban center. A pipeline has recently linked this community to the Nile River hundreds of miles away restructuring water consumption patterns throughout the area and reinforcing a …

Column Flotation Of Subbituminous Coal Using The Blend Of Trimethyl Pentanediol Derivatives And Pico-Nano Bubbles, Jinxiang Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Subbituminous coal, a low rank of coal, is difficult-to-float using the conventional flotation process by a single frother such as MIBC and a single collector such as kerosene or fuel oil. The froth flotation of the fine coal separation process is based on the differences of wettability between coal and mineral particles. The formation of oxygenated functional groups on coal surface can reduce its hydrophobicity. This result makes the coal more difficult to float by oily collector alone. Previous work shows that the surfactant can be used to activate the oxygenated surface, by selecting the group of such as fatty …

Effects Of A Gonadotropin Mixture On Reproductive Success In Progesterone- Treated Non-Lactating Anestrous Ewes, Kellie Nicole D'Souza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using exogenous gonadotropins as part of an estrous induction protocol can have beneficial effects on fertility in ewes bred out-of-season. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of P.G. 600RTM, a mixture of gonadotropins with FSH-like and LH-like activity, to increase fertility in anestrous ewes and, in particular, following pre-treatment with progesterone delivered via controlled internal drug releasing (CIDR) devices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of P.G. 600RTM on reproductive success in progesterone-treated non-lactating anestrous ewes. Ewes, which had been separated from rams for at least one month prior to the beginning of the experiment, received …

Absorption Of Marine Vs Non-Marine Sources Of Epa And Dha, John S. Ketz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from algae oil has been incorporated into tissues at a lower level and has been less effective than fish oil (FO) at reducing body fat. Our objective was to determine fecal excretion of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and DHA from different dietary sources. Male mice (n=100) were fed a 12% lipid diet containing soy oil (SO), FO, yeast oil (YO) algae oil (AO), or AO+YO. The AO diet was fed to contain amounts of DHA equal to the FO diet, and the YO diet was fed to contain amounts of EPA equal to the FO diet. To measure …