Digital Commons Network^™

Style And Substance: Isabel Archer As A New Type Of "Lady", Sandra Gulbicki

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Influence Of High School Academics On Freshman College Mathematics And Science Courses At Suny Oswego, Tolga Hayali

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Gastropods In Lower Snake River And Three Of Its Tributaries And The Effects Of Competition With The New Zealand Mud Snails (Potamopyrgus Antipodarum), Michele Larson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the lower Snake River and three tributaries and to determine if this invasive snail is competing with native gastropods. Potamopyrgus antipodarum is a successful invader in much of the Western United States and has been shown to impact nutrient cycling and community structure in invaded ecosystems. This study is divided into two chapters: the first chapter focuses on the current density and genera richness of native gastropods and the distribution of P. antipodarum in the Lower Snake River and three tributaries near …

Improving Water Quality Antidegradation Policies, Sandra B. Zellmer, Robert L. Glicksman

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of Performance Indices For The Planning Of Sustainable Transportation Systems, Alexander Paz, Pankaj Maheshwari, Pushkin Kachroo, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

In the context of sustainable transportation systems, previous studies have either focused only on the transportation system or have not used a methodology that enables the treatment of incomplete, vague, and qualitative information associated with the available data. This study proposes a system of systems (SOS) and a fuzzy logic modeling approach. The SOS includes the Transportation, Activity, and Environment systems. The fuzzy logic modeling approach enables the treatment of the vagueness associated with some of the relevant data. Performance Indices (PIs) are computed for each system using a number of performance measures. The PIs illustrate the aggregated performance of …

Open Source Synthetic Biology: Problems And Solutions, Ethan R. Fitzpatrick

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Biogeography And Phylogeny Of Aigarchaeota, A Novel Phylum Of Archaea, Gisele Braga Goertz, Brian P. Hedlund

McNair Poster Presentations

‘Aigarchaeota’ is a candidate phylum of Archaea known only by 16S rRNA gene fragments from cultiva­tion-independent microbial surveys and a single composite genome from Candidatus ‘Caldiarchaeum sub­terraneum’, an inhabitant of a subterranean gold mine in Japan. Gene sequences associated with ‘Aigarchaeo­ta’ have been found in a variety of geothermal habits, however a comprehensive analysis of the phylogeny and distribution of ‘Aigarchaeota’ has not yet been done. Public databases were mined for 16S rRNA gene sequences related to known ‘Aigarchaeota’ and a combination of approaches were used to rigorously define the phylogenetic boundaries of the phylum, investigate its distribution, and …

Are Incomplete Denitrification Pathways A Common Trait In Thermus Species From Geothermal Springs In China?, Julienne J. Paraiso, Brian P. Hedlund

McNair Poster Presentations

Temperature has strong impacts on ecosystem function and biogeochemical cycles, particularly within extreme environments such as geothermal springs above 60 °C. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the denitrification pathways of Thermus (Bacteria) isolates from geothermal springs from Tengchong, China. This study tested the hypothesis that incomplete denitrification is a common characteristic of the genus Thermus, regardless of geographic origin or species affiliation, which would implicate them in the efflux of nitrous oxide (a strong greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere. In this study, we cultivated 25 isolates, including six known Thermus species, and measured the stoichiometry …

An Acute Inflammatory Response In A Diabetic Alzheimer’S Disease Model, Krystal Courtney D. Belmonte, Jefferson Kinney

McNair Poster Presentations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. This neurodegenerative disease leads to neuronal death and tissue loss in the brain, resulting in the slow deterioration of memory, thinking skills, and eventually even the ability perform daily tasks. While it is not a normal part of aging, AD is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65; thus, the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is increased age, though it is most likely other additional factors also contribute (Heese & Akatsu, 2006). Neuropathological hallmarks of AD include …

Evolution Of The Human Diet: What We Can Learn From Hunters And Gatherers, Kara Osborne, Alyssa Crittenden

McNair Poster Presentations

The study of hunter-gatherer populations around the world can greatly inform our understanding of the evolution of the human diet. Ethnographic research of modern hunter-gatherers has been used to infer the possible food consump­tion and acquisition patterns of our ancestors. Hunter-gatherers provide the in­formation necessary for the understanding of the past human diet, due to these populations living similar lifestyles in similar environments, therefore procuring similar foods.

The Hadza, a group of nomadic hunters and gatherers living in Tanzania, East Africa, are one of the primary populations that nutritional anthropologists study to infer what possible foods our ancestors acquired and …

Mean Platelet Volume As A Fibrosis Marker In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C, Hati̇ce Karaman, Çi̇ğdem Karakükcü, Ahmet Karaman, Tuba Kayman, Samet Yalçin, Erdem Arzu Taşdemi̇r, Gökmen Zararsiz, Orhan Kürşat Poyrazoğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

We designed this study to evaluate the role of mean platelet volume (MPV) as a fibrosis marker in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Materials and methods: The study was designed at Kayseri Education and Research Hospital. Ninety-five patients with CHC were enrolled retrospectively into the study. The control group comprised 33 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Hepatitis C virus-RNA level, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, prothrombin time (PT), platelet count (PC), serum albumin, histological activity index (HAI), liver fibrosis score (LFS), and MPV were obtained from the patients' files and a computerized database. Results: Statistically significant differences …

Significant Features Of Basal And Maximal Energy Expenditure Parameters In Obese Adults, Emi̇ne Uygur, Kağan Üçok, Abdurrahman Genç, Ümi̇t Şener, Ramazan Uygur, Ahmet Songur

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To compare body composition, resting metabolic rate, and maximal aerobic capacity parameters in obese adults and healthy controls, as well as to investigate the associations among these parameters. Materials and methods: A total of 120 participants, 60 obese participants (30 male, 30 female) with body mass indexes (BMIs) over 30 kg/m^2 and 60 healthy controls (30 male, 30 female) with BMIs of 18-25 kg/m^2, were included in the study. BMI was calculated as body weight divided by the square of the height (kg/m^2). Body fat percentage, total body fat, and lean body mass were established with bioelectric impedance analysis. Resting …

Effect Of Mental Stress On Cardiovascular Function At Rest And After Ingestion Of Fructose Or Sucralose In Healthy, White European Males, Muhammad Memon, Ian Macdonald, Terence Bennett

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Ingestion of fructose and mental arithmetic can increase blood pressure (BP); the present study assessed the effect of fructose ingestion on cardiovascular (CV) response to mental stress. Effects were compared with sucralose used as a control. Materials and methods: Ten healthy, white European males were studied twice. A Finometer recorded CV parameters, noninvasively, throughout the study period. After the 30-min baseline, a mental arithmetic task (MAT), a series of arithmetic questions displayed as PowerPoint slides, was presented. Subjects, while resting on a bed, answered 20 questions in 2 min; 15 min after MAT-1, volunteers consumed 500 mL of lemon-flavoured drink …

Josephson Currents In Two-Gap Superconductor-Insulator- Superconductor Junctions, Ladan Bahrainirad

Theses and Dissertations

As a way to investigate the transport property of superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junction with two-gap superconductors such as MgB2 and iron superconductors, we study the microscopic structure of the Josephson current in a tunnel junction with a very narrow quasi-classical barrier. Also, the possibility of mid-gap states in two-gap superconductor is investigated, and their effects on the current-phase relation as well as the current density characteristics are studied. In the SIS break junction, mid-gap states appear at the Superconductor-Insulator interfaces due to an abrupt change in the superconducting order parameter, indicating that the two-gap superconductor SIS junction can yield a rich …

Comparison Of Denitrification Potential Around A Tile Drain And In Aquifer Sediments: Oakes, Nd, Chase Christenson

Theses and Dissertations

Denitrification, the microbial reduction of nitrate (NO₃-) in groundwater, has three requirements: limited oxygen, bacteria capable of mediating the reaction, and electron donors for the bacteria to use in the redox reactions. The critical factor for aquifer denitrification is the concentrations of electron donors. Without an adequate supply of electron donors, bacteria cannot reduce concentrations of either oxygen or NO₃-.

Artificial drainage within agricultural areas may allow contaminants to bypass, or increase conveyance through, reduced areas in which denitrification is likely to occur. This contributes to elevated NO₃- yields as it is discharged directly …

Seasonal Resource Selection, Site-Specific Brood Predictors, And Nest Characteristics Of Greater Prairie-Chicken Hens In Northwestern Minnesota, Nathaniel Emery

Theses and Dissertations

Greater prairie-chickens, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, are in decline across the majority of their already receding range due to changing land use patterns and habitat fragmentation. The Agassiz Beach Ridge region of northwestern Minnesota harbors one of the only sustained to increasing populations of prairie-chickens in the country due to the conversion of marginal agricultural lands to grasslands and through conservation entities securing tracts of land allowing for habitat stability and dispersal.

Nesting and brood-rearing habitats are the most limiting factors for population sustainability. Hens were marked with radio transmitters on booming grounds and at nest sites discovered by nest-dragging. Their …

The Influence Of Television And Film On Interest In Space And Science, Katrina Marie Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment media has the great potential to inspire interest in the topics it presents. The purpose of this study is to better understand how entertainment media contributes to people's interests in space and science. There is a huge variety of science communication topics in previous literature, some of which deals with television and film, but very little that specifically study how television and film can inspire interest. A historical review of pioneers in the space industry shows that many were inspired by entertainment media, which at the time consisted of science fiction novels and magazines. In order to explore the …

A Comparison Of Online And Offline Gamblers: An Experimental Manipulation Of Escape, Kevin Steven Montes

Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have examined differences between online and offline gamblers, with no study to date enlisting the participation of online gamblers in a laboratory-based study. Moreover, research indicates that there is a link between escape and problem gambling, however, no study to date has examined this relationship in online gamblers using an experimental design. The current study is the first to address these gaps in the literature. All 420 participants participated in the non-experimental phase of the study, and 50 participants participated in the experimental phase. All participants completed a demographics form, SOGS, PGSI, GFA-R, BDI-SF, discounting task, and a …

Turning Stealth Liposomes Into Cationic Liposomes For Anticancer Drug Delivery, Vijay Gyanani

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Targeting the anticancer agents selectively to cancer cells is desirable to improve the efficacy and to reduce the side effects of anticancer therapy. Previously reported passive tumor targeting by PEGylated liposomes (stealth liposomes) have resulted in their higher tumor accumulation. However their interaction with cancer cells has been minimal due to the steric hindrance of the PEG coating. This dissertation reports two approaches to enhance the interaction of stealth liposomes with cancer cells. First, we designed a lipid-hydrazone-PEG conjugate that removes the PEG coating at acidic pH as in the tumor interstitium. However, such a conjugate was highly unstable on …

Virtualization Of Teams And Group Sustainability, Valerian Eshelman

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Corporations today are looking for ways to cut costs as well as generate additional revenue. One of the most popular methods is to virtualize your employees. Computer mediated communication (CMC), which is propagated through information and communication technology (ICT), enables virtual interaction through email, instant messaging, teleconferences. But what is the impact on team cohesion and individual citizenship in an organization when members never interact face-to-face? This thesis leverages the results of five previous studies which reached the collective conclusion that when team members simply exchange information using CMC it has a corrosive effect on cohesion and team member's job …

The 21st Century Educator: An Exploration Of The Communication Practices Of An 'Architect Of Learning', Darlene Leslie Wilson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The 21st century has driven many changes in the classroom and to the teacher of yesterday. Existing teacher identities are in limbo as educational systems morph from dominant beliefs and ideologies to meet the new demands of a knowledge economy. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of their communication practices as 21st century educators. In particular, research focuses on teachers’ views of the province of Alberta’s vision of “teacher” as an architect of learning, and is explored via semi-structured personal interviews and classroom observations. Although there is ample research on teacher identity and issues related to …

The Demand/Withdraw Communication Pattern And The Success Or Failure Of Marriage Where One Partner Is From A Traditionally Non-Confrontational Culture, Marty Ray Rush

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research is to take foundational theories on demand/withdraw, StellaTing-Toomey’s Face Negotiation Theory, and conflict management, and analyze how these factors impact a relationship when one partner is from a traditionally non-confrontational culture such as Japan, Korea, or the Philippines. Through the use of online surveys and interviews with couples in intercultural relationships, this study seeks to breakdown the successes and failures in exogamous relationships and how the cultural eccentricities can help or hinder marital satisfaction. This research merely scratches the surface of the issue of demand/withdraw, but opens the door to more focused studies dealing with …

The Power Of Shame: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Social And Cultural Expectations Communicated In Media, Sarah Tovah Matz

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Shame is an inescapable human feeling, and its impacts on human interaction are well documented. This thesis focuses on the power of symbolic shame in media and presents a critical discourse analysis (Machin & Mayr, 2012) of three recent public service announcements. As a theoretical basis, the study examines shame from point of view of ritual communication, framing theory, and the symbolic communication of stigma. Although shame is often regarded as an effective means to communicate social and cultural expectations and a tool for balancing behavior in society, shame may also be used to create structures of power and agendas …

Performing Communication Without Words: A Dramaturgical Exploration Of Communication Between Caregivers And Children Who Are Nonverbal, Sara Mcgerald

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Recognizing that human communication is highly expressive and it does not cease to exist if an individual is not able to produce spoken language, this thesis is an exploratory ethnographic study which seeks to utilize a dramaturgical perspective in identifying the function and structure of communication between children who are nonverbal (with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy) and their caregivers (Brissett & Edgley, 2009). The main informants for this study were two sets of parents with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, who agreed to participate in twenty hours of engagement, which included direct interviews, observation, and personal interaction. The study …

Parents' Perceptions Of Children's Emotions: Relations With Meta-Emotion Philosophy And Adult Attachment., Jennifer N. Morey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate how parents’ perceptions of, feelings toward, and anticipated responses to children’s emotions related to parents’ meta-emotion philosophy (MEP) and attachment. Parents (mothers and fathers) completed an online research study where they viewed photographs of children (aged 10-14 years) displaying varying intensities of happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and neutral expressions. Parents labeled the emotion and identified the emotion’s intensity, their own emotion, and their anticipated responses. They also completed measures assessing their MEP and attachment. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model for MEP predicting happiness did not fit well, but …

Ion Transport Across Nano-Microchannel Interfaces., William Albert Booth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Finite element numerical simulations are used to examine the effects of various parameters on synthetic charge-selective nanochannel systems in series with microchannels. In particular the origins of uidic ionic current rectification and the transient development of such systems in response to electric potential biases is explored. The origin of current rectification is these systems is found to be asymmetric concentration polarization. This leads to diffusion layers that form in response to an applied bias . The asymmetric diffusion layers may have 1D and higher dimensional origins. The systems are found to change over three time scales each associated with a …

A Thomistic Understanding Of Happiness, Christian Stephens

Theses

Imagine that extra-terrestrial researchers land on Earth with the mission of studying humanity. As part of their expedition they wish to sit in on one University Degree, but are unsure of which degree to choose. So they decide to carry out a survey, asking each individual human what it is they want in life. Based on the results, the aliens will then study the appropriate field. After conducting the survey and processing the data, they come to the conclusion that humans highly regard this thing called happiness.1 The Head Researchers unanimously decide that a ‘degree in happiness’ is in order. …

Characterization Of Immune Responses To Repeated Aspergillus Fumigatus Exposures, Amanda Dawn Buskirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Personal exposures to A. fumigatus are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including invasive aspergillosis, allergic sensitization, and asthma. Due to the high rate of mortality associated with invasive disease in immunocompromised patients, most studies of A. fumigatus have aimed to characterize the immune responses in immunocompromised murine models. However, a larger portion of the population is affected by fungal-induced allergies and asthma and the immune mechanisms associated with exposure have rarely been studied in an immunocompetent model. These models do not accurately reflect the natural method of exposure to environmental sources of conidia, and may significantly impact …

Effectiveness Of A Theory Based Comprehensive Sexual Education Program At A Baltimore City High School, Darlene Hinds

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background Sexual activity among adolescents can have lifelong consequences including teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS), reported 13.8% of high school students grades 9-12 admitted to having intercourse with four or more people and 34.2% report being sexually active (CDC, 2010b). Baltimore City has disproportionately high rates related to teen pregnancy, chlamydia and gonorrhea when compared to national statistics. In 2006, the rate of teen births among girls ages 15-19 in Baltimore City was 66.4 per 1,000, compared to Maryland's teen birth rate of 34.4 per 1,000 (Maryland Department of Health and Mental …

Network Dynamics, Synchronization, And Self-Propelled Particles In Chemical Systems, Hua Ke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neural networks are a class of biological networks of great importance. They are a key component of the central nervous system that coordinates body functions. The exploration of the detailed mechanism of biological neural networks remains extremely active. Inspired by the structure of biological neural networks, artificial neural networks have been designed to solve a variety of problems in pattern recognition, prediction, optimization and control. However, few studies have been reported that explore the dynamics of biological neural networks using chemical systems. As part of this thesis, an experimentally trainable network based on the photosensitive Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction is developed, where …