Digital Commons Network^™

The Household Poverty Dimensions Infuencing Forest Dependence In Protected Area Neighboring Communities In Africa And The Mitigation Potential Of Tourism: The Case Of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, Ian Munanura

All Dissertations

Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Rwanda is one of the important protected areas for conservation in the Albertine Rift ecoregion. It inhabits some of the most rare and endemic wildlife species including mountain gorillas. Despite such importance, it continues to be threatened by forest dependence practices of local residents such as, poaching for bush meat and the harvest of non-timber forest products. These practices have been attributed largely to high levels of poverty among park neighboring residents. It is believed that poor residents rely on forest resources to supplement their subsistence livelihoods. The relationship between poverty and forest dependence behavior …

Factors Affecting The Surface-Mediated Reduction Of Plutonium In The Presence Of Pure Mineral Phases, Amy Hixon

All Dissertations

The overall objective of the research is to investigate the mechanistic and kinetic aspects of the surface-mediated reduction of plutonium. The first chapter is a critical review of plutonium sorption to pure mineral phases. The objective is to study if and how the mechanisms by which plutonium interacts with mineral surfaces are connected to mechanisms for the surface-mediated reduction of plutonium. The main conclusion of the review is that advanced spectroscopy, microscopy, and molecular modeling are needed to fully understand not only the surface structure of pure mineral phases, but also the coordination and bonding environment of plutonium surface complexes. …

Predicting Surgical Flow Disruption Recovery In Cardiothoracic Operating Rooms, Gary Palmer Ii

All Dissertations

Disruptions are common occurrences in a variety of healthcare settings and early research has shown that they are likely contributors to medical errors. For this reason, healthcare researchers have focused on studying and understanding the nature of Surgical Flow Disruptions (SFDs) to increase patient safety and quality of care within the operating room (OR). Many researchers have used simplistic taxonomies to collect and categorize the types of SFD that occur within the OR. Others have gone further to study SFD recovery and have link unrecovered and recovered SFD to minor and major adverse events experienced by patients. This dissertation, focused …

Validation Of Thermal Destruction Of Pathogenic Bacteria In Rendered Animal Products, Mary Hayes

All Dissertations

This study tested enumeration techniques for high fat food matrices and determined thermal death times in rendering animal products. Standard Class O phosphate/magnesium chloride dilution buffer series (Dilution Series A) and a modified (pre-warmed to 32oC) lecithin phosphate dilution buffer series (Dilution Series B) were used to enumerate a Salmonella cocktail from both poultry and beef rendering materials. Results of this study indicate use of a modified lecithin buffer did not improve Salmonella enumeration accuracy from rendering materials. Instead, the results suggested use of xylose lysine deoxycholate agar (XLD) with either buffer system accurately enumerated Salmonella from rendering materials. The …

Development Of A 16s Rrna Gene Sequence As A Biomarker Specific To The Gastrointestinal Tract And Feces Of Swine Based On Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization, Autumn Sayre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fecal contamination of water bodies causes environmental issues and human health risks. Swine are a major contributor of fecal inputs to environmental waters due to their importance in American agriculture. Water quality currently is regulated using fecal coliforms, which have natural reservoirs in the environment and may not correlate with pathogens. In recent years there has been a shift towards microbial source tracking (MST). MST employs microbiological, genotypic, phenotypic and chemical methods to determine the source of fecal pollution in water bodies. Previous studies aimed at developing swine fecal biomarkers have had limited success. The overall objective of this research …

A Critical Spatial Econometric Counter Analysis Of The Impact Of New Toxic Facilities On Local Wages, Clinton E. Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hegemonic assumptions and industry claims regarding the benefits of new toxic industrial facilities on local wages are tested and challenged. Analysis is performed by applying GIScience and Spatial Econometric methods within a critical framework. A call is made to develop more broadly the practice of Counter Analysis, which is presented as an analogue of Counter-Mapping that repurposes Spatial Analytic methods for the pursuit of critical research agendas.

The Impact Of Service Learning On Leadership Skills Of Students Who Are Gifted And Talented In The Middle School, Patricia Anne Coon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This investigation relates to the impact of service learning on leadership skills of students who are gifted in the middle school while the students plan the project in-school and execute their goals out-of-school for their yearlong service learning project called Community Problem-Solving, or CmPS. Based on surveys, observations, and interviews from 25 students identified as gifted in the middle school, this study describes the student responses and observations from the researcher and teacher of the gifted. Findings show that most of the students in the study felt that their yearlong service learning project positively impacted their leadership skills. The data …

Association Of Individual And Combined Metabolic Risk Factors With Cancer, Ruchi Bhandari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The prevalence of metabolic risk factors (MRFs), individually and in the aggregate, is growing rapidly. There is limited biologic and epidemiologic evidence indicating an association between MRFs and cancer. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the association between individual and combined MRFs with subsequent risk of overall and site-specific cancers of the breast, digestive system, and lung.;Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis on the association between metabolic syndrome (a cluster of MRFs) and breast cancer was conducted. In addition, associations between MRFs and risk of overall and site-specific cancers were assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression …

Influence Of Weight Loss On Metabolic And Mitochondrial Function In The Mature Horse, Jennie L. Zambito

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Obesity causes a multitude of metabolic issues in the horse, yet stepwise alterations in glucose and lipid metabolism, mitochondrial capacity and oxidant status during weight loss have yet to be analyzed. Skeletal muscle contains subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM) mitochondria, which respond differently to physiological stimuli, impacting tissue and whole body oxidant status. We hypothesized that 8 light-type horses would display improvements in skeletal muscle mitochondrial subpopulation function and decreases in circulating oxidant status markers during weight loss from an obese (7 to 8) to moderate (5) body condition score (BCS). Additionally, we hypothesized improvements in morphometric measurements, circulating metabolic …

Exploring The Mechanism Of Shp2 And Egfr/Her2 Cooperation In Breast Cancer Cell Signaling, Zachary Raymond Hartman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Src homology 2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) has been established as a critical mediator of cancer-related cell signaling downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases like EGFR and HER2. As such, targeting of SHP2 is being recognized as a potentially viable therapeutic option in HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers. In this report, I employed molecular and cellular biology techniques to further elucidate the role of SHP2 downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases in breast cancer cell lines. In this way, I was able to contribute knowledge to how SHP2 controls triple-negative cell motility. In addition, the mechanism of SHP2 control of …

American Indian Adolescents Access To And Involvement In In-School Extracurricular Activities In Relation To Substance Use Frequency And Risk Behaviors, Elizabeth A. Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis looks at the protective benefits that involvement in adult-led in-school extracurricular activities had on the use of drugs and alcohol by 8th, 10th, and 12th grade American Indian adolescents in Arizona. This population has been chosen because they have a history of oppression, substance abuse, and prejudice. These adolescents represent an extremely at-risk population due to historical trauma and the present-day responses to this trauma. The researcher used data previously collected by the Arizona Youth Survey in 2010 and looked at it through the lens of Hirschi's Social Control Theory and the protective model of resilience. Hirschi's theory …

The West Virginia Friends Of Firewood Network: Engaging With And Exploring The Practices Of Firewood Producers, Elizabeth Basham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Firewood is the oldest source of energy for cooking and home heating and remains a primary heating source for half of the world's population, yet the industry remains relatively undocumented and immature both in developing and technologically advanced countries. Firewood is an environmentally friendly and renewable resource that is becoming popular once again in U.S. homes, 2.5 million of which utilize it as a primary heating source. However, firewood is also a proven vector for invasive insects and pathogens that are threatening the health of U.S. forests. In order to address the increasing trend of firewood use and prevent further …

Determining A Total Dissolved Solids Release Index From Overburden In Appalachian Coal Fields, Jessica L. Odenheimer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Appalachian coal industry has been very successful in developing technologies to identify, handle, treat and isolate potentially acid-forming overburden materials at coal mines in the region. However, the techniques to predict acid mine drainage potential may not adequately predict the release of total dissolved solids (TDS). High concentrations of TDS have been linked to a decrease in survival of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Our objective was to determine the effect of different solutions on overburden dissolution, and to develop a TDS release index. Forty-one overburden samples were collected from surface mines in West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. Samples were grinded to …

Evaluation Of Arsenic And Selenium Quantitation In Marcellus Shales And Flowback Saline Waters Using Thiol Cotton Fibre-Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy And Diffusive Gradient In Thin Film Techniques, Ronald S. Balaba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trace levels of arsenic and selenium can be toxic to living organisms yet their quantitation in high ionic strength or high salinity aqueous media is difficult due to the matrix interferences which can either suppress or enhance the analyte signal. The objective of this proposed study has been to apply and/or modify inexpensive, simple, and interference-free analytical methods for the sub-ppb to ppb quantification of both inorganic and bioavailable arsenic and selenium fractions in highly saline/salty waters such as flowback wastewater produced from natural gas well drilling sites in the Marcellus shale and/or simulated or artificial high-salinity prepared from deionized …

Liquid Chromatography -- Tandem Mass Spectrometry Techniques For Drugs Of Abuse As Applied To Bacterial And Forensic Toxicology, Stephanie Marie Martindale

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ability of bacterial species to transform complex chemical substances has been well documented. Some of these species are native to the human gastrointestinal tract and play an active role in the postmortem decomposition process. These species have potential to cause biotransformations that affect compound-to-metabolite ratios within the human body, especially after death. Postmortem changes such as these have rarely been evaluated or taken into consideration but they have potential to supply valuable information, especially concerning compound identification and confirmation.;The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Escherichia coli, Bacteroides fragilis, and Clostridium perfringens on drugs of …

Differences In Interpersonal Problems Among Bereaved Vs. Non-Bereaved College Students: The Impact Of Loneliness And Social Inhibition, Adam M. Moller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explored the differences in loneliness and social inhibition between parentally bereaved and non-bereaved college students. Participants from West Virginia and Montana State universities were recruited through flyers, newspaper advertisements, and Craigslist.com. Those who volunteered were directed to a website to complete an online survey that included basic demographic information, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Socially Inhibited subscale of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-64. Bereavement status (bereaved vs. non-bereaved) and gender of participant (male vs. female) were the independent variables in the study. Loneliness and social inhibition were the dependent variables. A MANOVA was conducted to explore the …

Characterizing Peripheral Cellular And Humoral Immune Responses To Haemonchus Contortus In Sheep, Jesica Rae Jacobs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is the most widely reported health concern among sheep producers worldwide. The most concerning of which is Haemonchus contortus; a blood-sucking nematode found in the abomasum of sheep. Worldwide anthelminthic resistance has prompted exploration of alternative methods of parasite control. Many studies have shown St. Croix hair sheep posses an immunologically mediated resistance to H. contortus infection, however no studies have utilized a true parasite naive animal for immune characterization. In this study, development of peripheral immune response was characterized in parasite resistant St. Croix lambs and parasite susceptible Suffolk crossbred Lambs. Lambs were separated into three …

The Effects Of Artificial Photoperiod On Age At Puberty In Fall-Born Ewe Lambs, Matthew Lewis Deacon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A study, conducted in two replicates, examined the effects of an artificial photoperiod on puberty in fall-born ewe lambs. Replicate I was initiated in December 2011 with prepubertal Dorset ewe lambs (n = 44). Replicate II was initiated beginning in December 2012 and included prepubertal Dorset, Suffolk x Dorset and Texel x Dorset ewe lambs (n = 52). All lambs were weighed at the initiation of each replicate and randomized to one of two treatments, control or treated, based on age, weight, breed and type of birth and rearing. Control ewe lambs were housed in a barn with exposure to …

Effectiveness Of Continuous Glucose Monitoring In Children, Adolescents And Young Adults With Poorly Controlled Type 1 Diabetes, Kevin R. Lewis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Type 1 diabetes is the second most common chronic illness seen in children. Children, adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes are provided care in programs with diabetes educators, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, dietitians, and many other specialists. Even though children, adolescents and young adults receive care from many providers, their diabetes is often not in good control. In the last 10 years a new device called a continuous glucose monitor has been developed for use with people with diabetes. This new device documents the blood sugar levels in people with diabetes between finger stick blood sugar tests.;Objectives: …

Relationships Between Recreational User Perceptions And The Biological Condition Of West Virginia Watersheds, Jennie M. Franks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Limitations in bioassessments of stream condition should be recognized and a need exists to broaden our approach to identify and solve knowledge gaps in scientific data. Combining collection methods based upon biological data and social perceptions may provide an effective way to identify gaps and involve local stakeholders in river conservation strategies. Our research objectives were to: 1- describe recreational users and their perceptions of water quality; 2- quantify relationships between recreational user perceptions and biological condition; 3- examine if perceptions vary spatially across watersheds; and 4- determine if recreational users' values and perceptions can be used to complement bioassessment …

Analyzing The Impact Of Wireless Multi-Hop Networking On Vehicular Safety, Rudhir Upretee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One of the core challenges of Intelligent Transportation System is the dissemination of timely and accurate vehicle information (e.g. speed, position) to geographically large distances without compromising data supply rates from immediate neighbors. This feature is critical for the design of vehicle safety and navigation applications. Single hop broadcasting is often inadequate to ensure vehicle safety when the platoon size is arbitrarily large due to its upper bound on rate and range of wireless message transmission. Existing wireless multi-hop protocols do not ensure reliable message delivery while avoiding network congestion in the shared channel. In this thesis, we make two …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Creep Behavior Of An Underground Coalmine Roof With Shale Formation, Priyesh Verma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stability of the roof in an underground coalmine is imperative for safe and efficient mining. Mining of the coal seam disturbs the natural equilibrium of the in-situ stresses in the surrounding rock. Because of the opening, the surrounding stratum deforms to fill the opening and return to the pre-mining stress state. Such deformation, if allowed to continue, will lead to failure of the strata, which creates an unsafe work environment. Therefore, supports are used to reinforce the deforming strata and help prevent any further deformation in the rock.;However, various mines have reported failures in the supported entries (MSHA, 2013). These …

Effects Of Trauma Induced Stress On Attention, Executive Functioning, Processing Speed, And Resilience In Urban Children, Antoinette Welsh

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Brain development, and particularly structures involved in executive functioning, occurs at different rates in children, leading to differential performance in school. Due to neuroanatomical changes secondary to the stress response, children who have experienced stress as a result of poverty and traumatic events may be at increased risk for cognitive difficulties, including attention, executive functioning, and processing speed (Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005; DeBellis, Hooper, & Sapia, 2005). Prevalence rates among urban children suggest that 70-100% have been exposed to trauma (Dempsey, Overstreet, & Moely, 2000; Macy, Baryry, & Noam, 2003). Some of these children develop posttraumatic stress disorder and …

Effects Of Exposure To Abuse And Violence In Childhood On Adult Attachment And Domestic Violence In Women’S Same-Sex Relationships, Dawn M. Beatty

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

ABSTRACT

There is an abundance of previous research proving that childhood abuse and adult domestic violence is an increasingly serious problem (Smith Slep, & O’Leary, 2005). However, while studies have shown that lesbian intimate battering occurs as frequently, if not more than, heterosexual domestic violence (Gosselin, [ARF1] 2003; Niolon, 2002), it remains understudied. Therefore, this study not only examines the relationship between childhood abuse and intimate lesbian violence but also secure and insecure attachment styles. Children who witness domestic violence or who are victims of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse are likely to repeat or engage in violent relationships later …

Latinos In Massachusetts Selected Areas: Taunton, Phillip Granberry, Mayara Fontes

Gastón Institute Publications

This report provides a descriptive snapshot of selected economic, social, educational, and demographic indicators pertaining to Latinos in Taunton. It reflects a commitment by UMass Boston’s Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy to provide periodic updates on the growing Latino population in Massachusetts. The report on Taunton is part of a larger series that covers cities and towns with a population between 35,000 and 100,000 residents in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a significant Latino population. Each report analyzes data from the American Community Survey (ACS) conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau. We obtained the …

Evaluation Of A Nurse-Led Intervention To Improve Palliative Care For Select Medical Intensive Care Patients, Lori A. Constantine

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Body: Twenty percent of all Americans die in an intensive care unit (ICU) or shortly thereafter. For most of these patients, relentless and distressing symptoms are commonplace. Review of local data reveals opportunity for improvement in the palliative care offered to hospitalized patients. To address this need for improved palliative care, the Volunteer Hospital Association's (VHA) Communication and Care Bundle will be implemented in a local medical ICU, using Roger's (2003) diffusion of innovations (DOI) as the theoretical base.;Evaluation: Communication and Care Bundle within a given time frames, for select medical ICU patients. ICU length of stay and patient mortality …

Mapping Vegetation Productivity Dynamics And Degradation Trends Over East Africa Using A Decade Of Medium Resolution Modis Time-Series Data, Tobias Landmann, Olena Dubovyk

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This paper aims to characterize spatial and temporal vegetation productivity trends that could be related to land degradation in East Africa. A decade of AQUA/TERRA-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite observations on vegetation chlorophyll activity, or Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, and 25-km rainfall data from the TRMM passive radar instrument were used for the same observation period of 2000-2011. Linear trends in land cover based Rain Use Efficiencies (RUE) corrected NDVI and cumulative differences of RUE between consecutive years from 2000 to 2011 (that is amplitudes) were derived and investigated for their robustness. The trend maps were overlaid …

Human Action Switching In Hiv, Chinonyere Nzerem

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

We evaluated switching in human action/verb fluency to examine how it associates with other measures of executive functioning and with difficulties in the performance of IADLs in a HIV+ sample. Our sample was comprised of 29 HIV+ participants. All the participants completed measures of phonetic fluency (FAS) and semantic fluency [Animals, Human Actions (HA)] in addition to the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Stroop Color-Word Test (Stroop), Trail-making Test Part B (TMT B), Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Boston Naming Task (BNT). The first regression model with phonetic and semantic switching produced R2 = .260, …

Caveolins And Njks Influence Brain Endothelial Permeability After Juvenile Tbi, David Olufemi Ajao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a key secondary event that exacerbates brain damage following traumatic brain injury (TBI). BBB disruption is particularly damaging to the developing brain – which is highly vulnerable to various stress stimuli, resulting in increased brain swelling, disrupted cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation, long-term disabilities and death following TBI in young demographic. Unsurprisingly, BBB disruption and the resultant cerebral edema have emerged as therapeutic targets in juvenile TBI. It is therefore important to understand the molecular players and mechanisms involved in TBI-induced BBB disruption in the juvenile brain. To this end, the endothelial caveolins and …

Bacterial Causes Tonsillitis In Children, Study The Resistance To Antimicrobials And The Effect Of Clove Extracts On Selected Isolated Bacteria., Esam J. Alkalifawi

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study Isolated Pathogenic bacteria which causes Tonsillitis in Children with ages between 3-17 years. They are admitted to Central Children Hospital (Al-Karch) and Ebn-Albalady Hospital (Al-Rusafa). 200 cases were collected which include 120 Male and 80 Female. The result of the recent study shows that the isolation percentage was 40% from Male and 35% from Female. In this study Fifty six isolated were Identified, 20 were β-hemolytic Streptococcus which was Streptococcus pyogenes, formed (36%) from all isolated.6 Pathogenic bacteria wereβ- hemolytic Streptococcus which was Streptococcus pneumoniae formed (11%). The number of Moraxella catarrhalis bacteria was 12 formed (21%), …