Digital Commons Network^™

Hydraulic Conditions Required To Not Move Unconsolidated Surface Material Located Within Feedlots, John E. Gilley, Gregory D. Boone, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Beef cattle feedlots contain unconsolidated surface material that accumulates within feedlot pens during a feeding cycle. Runoff from feedlot surfaces is diverted into settling basins. The storage capacity of the settling basins will be substantially reduced if large quantities of solid material are transported in runoff from the feedlot surfaces. The objective of this study was to identify the hydraulic conditions that will not move unconsolidated surface material located within feedlots in order to minimize sediment transport. Selected sizes and a composite sample of unconsolidated surface material were placed within 0.75 m wide by 4.0 m long metal frames. Flow …

Two-Dimensional Blood Flow Velocity Estimation Using Ultrasound Speckle Pattern Dependence On Scan Direction And A-Line Acquisition Velocity, Tiantian Xu, Gregory R. Bashford

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

We have previously investigated the change of apparent lateral speckle size caused by the direction and spatial rate of scanner A-line acquisition (scan velocity). An algorithm which measures the lateral component of blood flow velocity was developed based on the increase in speckle size resulting from relative motion between moving scatterers and the scan velocity. In this paper, the change of the apparent dominant angle of the speckle pattern in a straight vessel was investigated and a new method of two-dimensional blood flow velocity estimation is introduced. Different scan velocities were used for data acquisition from blood flow traveling at …

A Cell Simulator Platform: The Cell Collective, Tomáš Helikar, B. Kowal, J. A. Rogers

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Diseases are often a result of multiple malfunctions in complex, nonlinear biological/biochemical networks. As such, these processes are far more complicated to understand because they tend to give rise to functions that are emergent in nature, i.e., higher-level (mal)functions that are more than the sum of their parts. Systems biology provides a new approach to understanding biological systems and diseases from a holistic perspective.

Literature Review Of Early And Precocious Puberty In Girls, Denise R. Tate

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Water As A New Matrix For Global Assessment Of Hydrophilic Pops, Derek Muir, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

With the addition of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), chlordecone, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers and endosulfan to the Stockholm Convention, the list of chemicals addressed by the Convention no longer consists solely of hydrophobic organics. Water has become a widely used environmental matrix for monitoring POPs, particularly for the chlorinated pesticides, despite challenges related to collecting samples and determining trace levels. Here we review the sampling and analytical considerations for water sampling of POPs in general, and the hydrophilic POPs in particular, with the goal of identifying and recommending best approaches particularly for assessment of spatial and temporal trends on a global scale. Methods …

Scaling In The Immune System, Soumya Banerjee

Computer Science ETDs

How different is the immune system in a human from that of a mouse? Do pathogens replicate at the same rate in different species? Answers to these questions have impact on human health since multi-host pathogens that jump from animals to humans affect millions worldwide. It is not known how rates of immune response and viral dynamics vary from species to species and how they depend on species body size. Metabolic scaling theory predicts that intracellular processes are slower in larger animals since cellular metabolic rates are slower. We test how rates of pathogenesis and immune system response rates depend …

Modeling The Zimmer Fitmore And Ml Taper Implantation, Tyler Kazuo Franklin

Master's Theses

With more young adults requiring total hip

arthroplasties the need for bone saving implants becomes

more important. The Zimmer Fitmore is a new bone saving

implant that utilizes an implantation technique that

reduces the damage to the muscle tissue allowing for

patients to have a short recovery time as well as a new

design that allows it to rest on the medial cortex. There

has been anecdotal evidence that this device leads to early

revision within six months of implantation due to failures

occurring in the medial cortex. The main goal of this

study was to computationally model the Zimmer …

Teacher Perceptions Of Working With Children With Specific Special Education Exceptionalities In The General Education Classroom, Kimberly Geneva Fisher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which general education teachers in elementary schools believe they are prepared to teach children/students with specific special education exceptionalities in the general education classroom. The study addresses the exceptionalities of: autism, speech/language disorder, specific learning disability, and emotional disability and using a multiple method quasi-experimental design that yielded quantitative and qualitative data. The study used an original instrument entitled the General Educators Preparedness for Inclusive Education (GEPIE). The instrument used a vignette/scenario design to assess levels of perceived preparedness. Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers in South Mississippi were …

Tactile Behavior In A Group Of Captive Rough-Toothed Dolphins As A Function Of Opportunities To Play With Objects, Kelly Ann Caffery

Dissertations

Cetaceans live in complex physical and social environments that are frequently changing. In contrast, the captive environment for marine mammals is often lacking in stimulation. As a result, enrichment is often used to increase species-typical behaviors and enhance the well-being of the animals. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of enrichment objects on the social behavior of a group of seven captive rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Observations of this species in the wild suggest it may have a particular affinity for tactile and object play behaviors. Therefore, these behavior categories were a primary focus …

Dialogue As A Tool For Meaning Making, Angela Suzanne Dudley Bruni

Dissertations

In order to empower citizens to analyze the effects, risk, and value of science, a knowledge of scientific concepts is necessary (Mejlgaard, 2009). The formal educational system plays a role in this endeavor (Gil-Perez & Vilches, 2005). One proposed constructivist practice is the use of social learning activities using verbalized, shared cognition among learners. In an effort to investigate the effects of verbally shared cognition, this project sought to determine if social learning opportunities affect the mastery of content in gateway biology courses and to identify the types of dialogue students engage in during cognitive collaboration. Fifty-seven students enrolled in …

Biological And Biologically Inspired Polymers For Interface Modification, Lea Clayton Paslay

Dissertations

Naturally occurring macromolecules are produced for a specific function and have the selectivity to accomplish objectives with little waste in energy. The scientific community strives to develop smart, efficient molecules on an economical scale, thus lessons can be learned from nature and applied to cost effective synthetic systems. First, the mimicry of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) will be described. AMPs show great potential as alternatives to conventional antibiotics as they can selectively bind and eliminate pathogenic bacteria without harming eukaryotic tissues. Aqueous reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization was utilized to prepare primary and tertiary amine containing AMP polymer …

Spatial Model Of Grazing In Southeast Utah, Tyler Allen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The goal of this study is to model potential grazing values in southeast Utah and to provide a framework for others to follow in creating their own analysis. Grazing is a vital part of the community and history of southeast Utah. With new technology and new information, there is greater potential for more efficient grazing practices. The intention of this project is to provide a systematic approach to the modeling of grazing in southeast Utah on the Colorado Plateau and provide a base from which others may develop more comprehensive models in the future.

Understanding The Relationship Between Livestock Disturbance, The Protocols Used To Measure That Disturbance And Stream Conditions, Lindsey M. Goss

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Understanding and managing the effects of livestock grazing on stream systems is of particular concern on federal lands throughout the Interior Columbia River Basin. Land managers monitor three short-term indicators of livestock disturbance (streambank alteration, stubble height, and woody browse) seasonally to ensure livestock grazing does not degrade the long-term health of stream and riparian systems. There are multiple methods for evaluating these indicators; one concern is that different monitoring approaches may have different results. In this research I evaluated three short-term disturbance indicators and compared four different protocols for monitoring streambank alteration at the end of the grazing season. …

No Child Left Inside Week: Pilot Program, Jamie C. Clark

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This program evaluation assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a free No Child Left Inside (NCLI) week-long outdoor program to coincide with the Utah state-designated No Child Left Inside Week. The pilot program was implemented at the community level in Cache Valley, Utah, in 2012. Families attended eleven activities throughout the week that included hands-on experience and participation. A community BioBlitz was also planned as a conclusion to the week. Survey results demonstrate increased excitement and desire to spend more time outdoors exploring and learning, accomplishing NCLI goals of laying groundwork for an environmental literacy foundation in America’s children.

Race, Power, And White Womanhood: The Obsessions Of Tom Watson And Thomas Dixon Jr., Tara Nicole Kowasic

Theses and Dissertations

Thomas Dixon Jr. (1864 -1946) and Thomas E. Watson (1856-1922), two controversial and radical figures, are often credited with the second coming of the Ku Klux Klan. Dixon, writer of novels and plays such as The Leopard’s Spots (1902) and The Clansman (1905), and Watson, politician, prolific writer, and publisher of Watson’s Magazine and The Jeffersonian, reached the masses and saturated popular culture with their racial agenda. As each of these men had especially long careers, this thesis focuses on particular times and specific issues. With Dixon, the writing of The Clansman (1905) and production of The Birth of a …

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Versus Amino Terminal Pro-B Type Natriuretic Peptide: Selecting The Optimal Heart Failure Marker In Patients With Impaired Kidney Function, Lena Jafri, Waqar Kashif, Javed Tai, Imran Siddiqui, Iqbal Azam, Hira Shahzad, Farooq Ghani

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: The effect of impaired kidney function on B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) is vague. This study was performed to examine the effect of kidney dysfunction on the afore-mentioned markers and determine appropriate cutoffs for systolic heart failure (SHF).

Methods: In this cross sectional study adults with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)/min for ≥3 months were identified in consulting clinics from June 2009 to March 2010. SHF was defined as documented by a cardiologist with ejection fraction of < 40% and assessed by New York Heart Association classification (NYHA). Plasma was assayed for creatinine (Cr), BNP and NT-proBNP.

Results: A total of 190 subjects were enrolled in the study, 95 with and 95 without SHF. The mean …

Development Of Ecologically-Based Invasive Plant Management Curriculum For University Audiences, Halley Kartchner

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Great Basin is considered one of the most endangered ecoregions in the United States. One threat facing Great Basin rangelands is the invasion of harmful, non-native plants. These invasive weeds outcompete native plants, degrade wildlife habitat, decrease valuable forage for livestock, and cost millions every year in weed control efforts. In order to restore degraded ecosystems of the Great Basin, it is essential that effective weed management programs are integrated in rangeland management strategies. Traditional management approaches have focused on killing invasive weeds with limited regard to the underlying processes that contributed to the invasion.

Ecologically-based invasive plant management, …

Students Rise To The Challenge Of Modeling Yeast Growth Despite Sour Hiccups From Imperfect Data, Alicia Caldwell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Students rarely receive the opportunity to experience a learning activity involving mathematical modeling. This paper describes a lab in which students in an Applied Mathematics in Biology course observe the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a yeast strain, in differing sugar concentrations for use in learning modeling. They parameterized the logistic equation and an alternate model, which they themselves constructed, based on the data they collected. I participated in this lab as a student in 2012 then observed and reviewed the work of other students involved. I found that students gained a deeper understanding of limiting factors and the role of …

The Varied Roles Of Induced Plant Responses In Species Interactions, Justine B. Roths Ms

All Student Scholarship

In this review, I will discuss indirect species interactions that occur as a result of herbivore-induced trait changes in plants. Species interactions are at the very core of the field of ecology. In particular, plant–insect herbivore interactions are of central importance as these two groups together consist of over 75% of the macroscopic diversity on earth. Historically, research has focused on pair-wise direct interactions however, more recently, the importance of indirect interactions has been widely acknowledged. Indeed, indirect interactions may be as strong and as common as direct interactions. Indirect interactions have been actively investigated in plant–insect systems, which are …

Witnessing Reconciliation Reduces Arousal Of Bystanders In A Baboon Group (Papio Hamadryas Hamadryas), Peter G. Judge, Katherine A. Bachmann

Faculty Journal Articles

Reconciliation is the occurrence of friendly behaviour between opponents shortly after an aggressive conflict. In primate groups, reconciliation reduces aggression and post-conflict arousal. Aggression within a group can also increase arousal of bystanders (e.g. increase bystanders’ rates of self-directed behaviour). Since reconciliation reduces aggression between opponents, we tested whether it also reduces self-directed behaviour in bystanders. Following aggression in a captive group of hamadryas baboons, one observer conducted a focal sample on one of the combatants to document reconciliation and a second observer simultaneously conducted a focal sample on a randomly selected bystander. Matched control observations were then collected on …

Raising Sasquatch, Trisha M. Cowen

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Abstracts 2013: Highlights Of Student Research And Creative Endeavors, Columbus State University

Abstracts: Highlights of Student Research and Creative Endeavors

No abstract provided.

A Network View On Neurodegenerative Disorders, Sreedevi Chandrasekaran

Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegeneration is a chronic, progressive and debilitating condition that affects majority of the World's elderly population who are at greater risk. Numerous scientific studies suggest that there could be a common underlying molecular mechanism that promotes the degeneration and the subsequent neuronal loss, however so far the progress in this direction is rather limited. Abnormal protein misfoldings, as well as protein plaque formations in the brain, are some of the hallmark characteristic features of neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs). Genetic and environmental factors, oxidative stress, excessive reactive oxygen species formation, mitochondrial dysfunction, energy depletion and autophagy disruption etc. are some of the …

Myelin Is Not Required For Maintenance Of The Axon Initial Segment, Anna Josephson

Theses and Dissertations

Axonal pathology is a major contributor to impaired motor, sensory and cognitive dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis particularly with the progressive forms of the disease. However, the early pathologic events responsible for axonal deterioration remain unclear. It is well recognized that maintaining proper axonal function is intimately related to proper establishment and maintenance of axonal domains such as the node of Ranvier and the axon initial segment (AIS). Numerous laboratories, including ours, have investigated the mechanisms that regulate node of Ranvier formation and maintenance. These studies have shown that node of Ranvier formation and maintenance require myelin contact. Interestingly, many …

The Impact Of Medicaid Reform On Dental Practice Setting, Barrett W. R. Peters

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the impact of dental Medicaid reform in Virginia on dental practice settings (private practice, corporate practice and safety net clinics). Methods: This retrospective cohort study of 16.2 million dental claims is from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, which included claims for providers participating in Virginia’s Medicaid program during a 10-year period (2002-2012). The dividing date for the reform was July 1, 2005. The outcome measure was mean claims per participating provider. A Poisson regression model was used to predict the mean number of claims per provider with the following predictors: reform period, practice setting, provider …

An Inquiry Into How Ipads Are Used In Classrooms, Phu Hoang Vu

Dissertations

This mixed method study combined the paradigms of quantitative and qualitative research to examine how iPads are used from teachers' perspectives. In the first phase, the researcher collected and analyzed the quantitative data from classroom observations. The second phase consisted of collecting and analyzing the qualitative data to help explain, or elaborate on the quantitative results in the first phase. The researcher utilized a convenient sample of 21 elementary and secondary working teachers who had been using iPads in their classroom at their school in southern Illinois. The findings showed that the majority of teachers did not have any iPad …

Phylometagenomics: A New Framework For Uncovering Microbial Community Diversity, Christopher J. Friedline

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities are recognized as major drivers of global biogeochemical processes. However, the genetic diversity and composition, as well as processes leading to the origin and diversification of these communities in space and time, are poorly understood. Character- ization of microbial communities using high-throughput sequencing of 16S tags shows that Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) abundances can be approximated by a gamma distribu- tion, which suggests structuring around small numbers of highly abundant OTUs and a large proportion of rare OTUs. The current methods used to characterize how communities are structured rely on multivariate statistics, which operate on pair-wise distance matrices. …

Unexpected Phylogenetic Positions Of The Genera Rupirana And Crossodactylodes Reveal Insights Into The Biogeography And Reproductive Evolution Of Leptodactylid Frogs, Antoine Foquet, Boris Leonardo Blotto, Maximiliano Manuel Maronna, Vanessa Kruth Verdade, Flora Acuña Juncá, Rafael O. De Sá, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues

Biology Faculty Publications

Despite major progress in deciphering the amphibian tree of life by molecular phylogenetics, we identified two questions remaining to be answered regarding relationships within Hyloidea, the clade of South American origin that comprises most extant anuran diversity. A few genera like Rupirana and Crossodactylodes have enigmatic phylogenetic positions, and relationships among major lineages within some families like Leptodactylidae remain ambiguous. To resolve these specific questions we used two approaches (1) a complete matrix approach representing >6.6 kb, including most major Hyloidea lineages (61 terminals) combining different methods of phylogenetic reconstruction and measures of node support; and (2) a supermatrix approach …

Αvβ8 Integrin Interacts With Rhogdi1 To Regulate Rac1 And Cdc42 Activation And Drive Glioblastoma Cell Invasion, Steve Reyes

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

As an interface between the circulatory and central nervous systems, the neurovascular unit is vital to the development and survival of tumors. The malignant brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) displays invasive growth behaviors that are major impediments to surgical resection and targeted therapies. Adhesion and signaling pathways that drive GBM cell invasion remain largely uncharacterized. Here we have utilized human GBM cell lines, primary patient samples, and pre-clinical mouse models to demonstrate that integrin αvβ8 is a major driver of GBM cell invasion. β8 integrin is overexpressed in many human GBM cells, with higher integrin expression correlating with increased invasion …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Vascular Disease In Patients With Rare Variants In Myh11, Callie Kwartler

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAAD) are the primary disease affecting the thoracic ascending aorta, with an incidence rate of 10.4/100,000. Although about 20% of patients carry a mutation in a single gene that causes their disease, the remaining 80% of patients may also have genetic factors that increase their risk for developing TAAD. Many of the genes that predispose to TAAD encode proteins involved in smooth muscle cell (SMC) contraction and the disease-causing mutations are predicted to disrupt contractile function. SMCs are the predominant cell type in the ascending aortic wall. Mutations in MYH11, encoding the smooth muscle …