Digital Commons Network^™

Recommended Management Strategies To Limit Anthropogenic Noise Impacts On Greater Sage-Grouse In Wyoming, Gail L. Patricelli, Jessica L. Blickley, Stacie L. Hooper

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Recent research has demonstrated that noise from natural gas development negatively impacts sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) abundance, stress levels, and behaviors. Other types of anthropogenic noise sources are similar to gas-development noise and, thus, the response by sage-grouse is likely to be similar. The results of research suggest that effective management of the natural soundscape is critical to the conservation and protection of sage-grouse. The goals of this review are to discuss current approaches in the management of new and existing noise sources in Wyoming and recommend research priorities for establishing effective noise management strategies. We make 4 interim …

Response Of A Small Population Of Greater Sage-Grouse To Tree Removal: Implications Of Limiting Factors, S. Nicole Frey, Rachel Curtis, Kevin Heaton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In Utah, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) range has been reduced to 50% of what is considered historical availability due to habitat degradation and loss. In an effort to improve sage-grouse habitat in southern Utah, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted a tree-removal treatment in 2005. We conducted a study to determine if (a) the tree-removal treatment was effective at creating new sage-grouse habitat, and (b) if characteristics of used habitat were similar to those reported in previous literature. The treatment resulted in increased abundance of grasses and forbs. Additionally, shrub percentage cover and height …

A Targeted Enrichment Strategy For Massively Parallel Sequencing Of Angiosperm Plastid Genomes, Gregory W. Stull, Michael J. Moore, Venkata S. Mandala, Norman A. Douglas, Heather-Rose Kates, Xinshuai Qi, Samuel F. Brockington, Pamela S. Soltis, Douglas E. Soltis, Matthew A. Gitzendanner

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Premise of the study: We explored a targeted enrichment strategy to facilitate rapid and low-cost next-generation sequencing (NGS) of numerous complete plastid genomes from across the phylogenetic breadth of angiosperms.

Morphology, Structure, Function And Evolution Of Infrastaminal Scales In Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae), Stephanie Riviere

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cuscuta (dodder, Convolvulaceae) is a genus of about 200 species of obligate stem parasites of cosmopolitan distribution. Infrastaminal scales (IFS) are staminode-like formations that surround the ovary in the flowers of dodders. Their morphological diversity has historically provided some of the most useful taxonomic diagnostic characters at the species-level, however, their function had not been determined. I performed a comparative study of the IFS in 147 taxa using light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and results were analyzed in relation to a Cuscuta phylogeny obtained from a combined analysis of rbcL and 26S rDNA gene sequences. To test the hypothesis …

Determination Of Copper Speciation, Bioavailability And Toxicity In Saltwater Environments, Tara N. Tait

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The speciation of copper plays a strong role in determining bioavailability and toxicity upon copper exposure in marine environments. Specifically, natural organic matter (NOM) can complex with copper, influencing speciation and decreasing bioavailability. The aim of this research was to determine accurate copper speciation values using literature and new techniques and applying the techniques that reflect the most accurate speciation values to investigate the influence of NOM quantity and quality on copper speciation and toxicity. The results from this study will have implications on the development of a marine Biotic Ligand Model (BLM). Free copper was measured using a flow-through …

An Investigation Of Alternative Oxidase Presence, Expression, And Regulation In The Moss Physcomitrella Patens, Karina I. Neimanis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Alternative oxidase (AOX) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein that introduces a branch point at ubiquinone within the respiratory electron transport system (ETS). The AOX protein bypasses two sites of proton translocation within the ETS and as a result the yield of ATP per oxygen consumed is significantly reduced. Although AOX appears to be energetically wasteful, recent studies have revealed that AOX has a wide taxonomic distribution. AOX multigene families, transcripts, protein levels, and enzymatic activity have been most thoroughly characterized in many angiosperm (flowering) plants. Given the data available for angiosperm AOXs, evidence of non-angiosperm AOXs in the primary …

Does Ecosystem Disturbance Alter The Capacity Of Dissolved Organic Matter To Mitigate The Impact Of Copper To Hyalella Azteca?, Kelly Livingstone

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The potential for aquatic ecosystem recovery as a result of dissolved organic matter (DOM) protecting against metal toxicity has become a significant area of research in environmental toxicology. It is a well-characterized relationship that DOM binds free metal ions in a concentration-dependant manner, making them unavailable for toxic action and a reduction in toxicity is seen. Less understood is source variability and how the upland terrestrial environment influences the protective quality of DOM. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of land disturbance (logging, fire, smelter emissions) on DOM quality by comparing the protective capacity of different …

Agency Or Agencies? Catalysts Of Resilience In Drop-In Participants, Andy D. Bayer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis, the factors that contribute to resilience are explored in a sample of participants who attend a food bank/clothing bank drop-in program in North Hamilton, Ontario. Resilience is defined as obtaining positive outcomes despite a level of risk to development. This thesis expands on the literature clarifying the concept of resilience. This thesis also contributes importantly to the smaller amount of literature on resilience in adults and older adults. Purposive sampling was used to obtain participants from the drop-in program at which the researcher volunteers. Phenomenology was utilized for this research, semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, …

Ogwehoweneha: A Hodinohsonih Research Methodology, Darren Thomas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Critical pathways for the liberation of Indigenous populations will come from “re-membering” our Indigenous ways of knowing, “decolonizing” the Indigenous mind and “re-building” our Nations. Indigenizing the academy allows our original ways of knowing to create space, for Indigenous scholarship to reclaim Indigenous knowledge and reality. By visiting with Hodinǫhśǫ:nih knowledge holders, this MA thesis translates the nature of Hodinǫhśǫ:nih reality, ways of knowing, values, and methods of acquiring knowledge into an Indigenous research methodology. By the ongoing introduction of Indigenous knowledge into a theoretical positioning within the academy, creates opportunity for continued Indigenous knowledge-generation through Indigenous methodologies. Indigenous research …

Niklas Luhmann's Theory Of Autopoietic Legal Systems, Hugh Baxter

Faculty Scholarship

Between 1984 and his death in 1998, German sociologist Niklas Luhmann developed a comprehensive theory of what he called autopoietic or self-referential systems.He worked out this approach both at the level of a social system as a whole and at the level of various social subsystems, such as state, economy, science, religion, education, art, family, and — the concern of the present article — law. My particular topics in this critical introduction to Luhmann’s theory are (a) its relation to more standard legal theory, (b) foundational or self-referential problems in law, and (c) the problem of law’s relation to other …

A Discourse Analysis Of Ontario's Family Health Teams, Rachelle Ashcroft

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Inspired by critical social work practice, this study engages in a discourse analysis of Ontario’s Family Health Team (FHT) model. The purpose for this study is threefold; namely, a) to deepen our understanding of health discourses promoted by Ontario’s FHT model; b) to explore how Ontario’s FHT model compares to Haggerty, Burge, Lévesque, Gass, Pineault, Beaulieu, & Santor’s (2007) conceptual model of PHC; and c) to promote critical reflection in order to help inform decisions on how to improve quality of care and enhance health equity in FHTs. This study is guided using the overarching question: What health care practices …

Revisiting Mary Ann Glendon: Abortion, Divorce, Dependency, And Rights Talk In Western Law, Margaret F. Brining, Linda C. Mcclain

Faculty Scholarship

This essay revisits Mary Ann Glendon’s comparative law study, Abortion and Divorce in Western Law and her subsequent book, Rights Talk: The Impoverishment of Political Discourse. Glendon’s comparative study actually included a third topic: “forms of dependency which are connected with pregnancy, marriage, and child raising.” The topic of dependency has obvious relevance to consideration of intergenerational obligations and the interplay between family responsibility and societal responsibility for addressing dependency needs.

A central claim Glendon made in both books is that the U.S. legal tradition is “libertarian,” views individuals as “lone rights bearers,” and exalts the “right to be let …

A Mathematical Model Describing The Dynamics Of Hiv Virions And Cd4+T Cells In The Human Immune System, Matthew Chacko

Honors Theses

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an intracellular parasite that attacks cells of the immune system called CD4+T cells. In ecology the Lotka-Volterra models, a classical set of differential equations, describe three interactions between species in ecosystems: predator/prey, mutualism, and competition. The human body is also an ecosystem with HIV and T cells exhibiting the three Lotka-Volterra interactions with each other. I pose a mathematical model that predicts T cell/HIV dynamics by incorporating the three Lotka-Volterra interactions and other salient biological phenomena that influence the dynamics, such as T cell senescence and the presence of viral reserviors.

Photocatalysis Using Cdse Quantum Dots, Luis K. Garibay

Honors Theses

In this project, we synthesized water soluble CdSe quantum dots (QDs) that photocatalyzed the reduction of reazurin to resorufin. Absorption spectra of the CdSe QDs in water solution is the same as in the toluene suspended QDs solution. The retention of optoelectric properties implies tht the QDs retain their chemical properties upon water solubilization. Absorption spectra also showed photoreduction of resazurin to resorufin after a period of light exposure only in the presence of quantum dots. These preliminary results suggest that CdSe quantum dots could be viable photocatalyst for productoion of hydrogen gas through the wate splitting reaction.

Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys Imbricata Nesting Environment And Population Study In Cuero Y Salado Wildlife Refuge On The Coast Of Northern Honduras, Ariana Emily Cunningham

Honors Theses

This report outlines my contributions to ProTECTOR's Hawksbill turtle conservation project along the beachfront at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge of Honduras. Observation-focused nightly beach patrols were conducted so as to census numbers of turtles nesting in this location presently and beach characteristic surveys were undertaken to create a map of environmental factors relevant to Hawksbill nesting along this beach. Resulting environmental maps were correlated with known factors contributing to Hawksbill nest site choice in order to assess the suitability of this beach for Hawksbill nesting, and thus determine its value for preservation efforts and ongoing funding. Of the 10 …

Spatial And Seasonal Variation In The Stable Isotopic Composition Of Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel Fecal Pellets As An Estimate Of Variation In Diet, Allie Chacko

Honors Theses

We performed stable isotope analyses of fecal pellets to investigate temporal and spatial patterns in the diet of free-ranging, thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). Samples were collected opportunistically from a population in SW Michigan from May to September 2012. We found a statistically significant increases in d13C values throughout the study period, possibly correlating to a late-season flush of C-4 plants. Also, samples collected within 25 m of a cornfield had a mean d13C value of -20.470%, a value significantly higher than those outside the 25 m border (mean=26.192%). This patternmay be indicative of a C-4 rich diet probably due …

Spatial And Seasonal Signals In Stable Isotopes Of Incisor Enamel From Free-Ranging, Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels, Jacob Andrew Brassington

Honors Theses

From early May through late September, 2012, we captured, tagged, and collected body masses from multiple, free-ranging thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) in southwestern Michigan, with 14 individuals recaptured 1 or more times through the season. Beginning in mid-June, we captured and euthanized 12 or these individuals (on average, about 1 per week) to allow study of their lower incisors. We serially micro-sampled enamel along squirrel incisors using laser ablation and determined stable isotope ratios (d13 and d18 O) with gas chromatography-isotope-ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS). The resulting values fell into two spatial groups. Specimens collected within 25 m of a …

Cyanide Production By Pseudomonas Putida Ath2-1ri/9 Under Biofilm Conditions, Ranita Campbell

Honors Theses

The genus Pseudomonas is a group of gram-negative bacteria having great ecological diversity. Some species produce HCN which may harm plants. The purpose of this research is to determine whether a plant-associated strain o Pseudomonas putida has the ability to produce cyanide under biofilm conditions. Bacterial production of HCN could prove useful in weed control strategies. To obtain these results the experiment involved a six-day experimental scheme. My findings indicate that Pseudomonas putida does produce cyanide under biofilm conditions providing valuable information concerning cyanogenic bacteria especially in the Pseudomonas group.

Variation In The Calling Song Of The Cricket Gryllus Pennsylvanicus Across Geographic Longitudinal Change, Ioana Danci

Honors Theses

Variation of cricket calling songs can be attributed to environmental factors, including temperature, humidity, vegetation, season, solar elevation, and geographic location. Recent studies found that latitudinal position affects the calling song of male Gryllus pennsylvanicus. My project evaluates whether longitudinal position influences the calling song of G. pennsylvanicus. Using the predicted values of 4 song features based on a mathematical model (Burden 2009), I evaluated data from 6 locatons along a longitudinal axis. I calculated R2 values to determine how well the model predicted the values in my sample populations. The model was found to be a poor predictor.

Light Intensity And Time Of Day Influence Female Acheta Domesticus Phonotaxis, John Hyun-Sik Ahn

Honors Theses

Positive phonotaxis occurs when a female cricket walks toward the source of an auditory stimulus. This study tested the effects of light intensity and time of day on phonotaxis of female Acheta domesticus. First, females were tested at four times of day; second, under three light intensities; and third, under four combinations of light intensity and time of day. Our results show that these two factors combined exert a more pronounced effect on female A. domesticus selectivity than either factor individually, and subsequent research will test these factors against the current neuronal model for SP-selective phonotaxis.

Localization Of Carboxypeptidase O In Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells, Donnel Dockery

Honors Theses

Carboxypeptidases are enzymes that trim the carboxy-terminal ends of proteins. Carboxypeptidase O (CPO) is a recently discovered enzyme that was proposed to be associated with lipid droplets. Lipid droplets are organelles found in the cytosol of the cell that carry out different roles like storing metabolic energy and protein degradation. To test if CPO and lipid droplets were associated, we used immunocytochemistry and lipid droplet staining of Madin-Darby canince kidney (MDCK) cells. Our data shows that lipid droplets can be detected with both BODIPY 493/503 and Nile Blue dye. CPO is associated with lipid droplets, but CPO does not affect …

Effect Of Latrunculin B On Phonotaxis In Induced Selective Crickets Treated With Jhiii (Acheta Domesticus), Jerome Martin

Honors Theses

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of the actin kinase inhibitor, latrunculin B, on previously unselective crickets. We expected the injecion of a mixture of latrunculin B and juvenile hormones (JHIII) into the prothoracic ganglion would cause a reduction in the affect of JHIII in older crickets, causing them to remain unselective. Based on the results we can conclude that latrunculin B reduces the effect of JHIII, which indicates that creating new synapses is at least a partial effect of JHIII.

Comparisons Of Cultural Identities In Relation To Poverty, Amanda A. Corea

Honors Theses

This research focuses on how one's cultural identity relates to their attitudes towards those in poverty and what they attribute to be the causes of poverty. Correlation and difference tests were run on data collected from questionnaires completed by a convenient sample. Beliefs about poverty and patterns of attitudes demonstrated in various culture groups were analyzed. The hypothesis that cultural identity relates to attributions and attitudes toward poverty based on learned cultural attitudes was partially supported. Significant differences were found between different cultural identity groups for both attributions and attitudes.

Taphonomic Effects Of Fire On Ostrich And Emu Eggshell, Shelley J. Mclarty

Honors Theses

Dinosaur eggshell and evidence for wildfires are common in the fossil record. The effects of fire on ostrich and emu eggshell, modern analogs for dinosaur eggshell, were examined by burning fragments in flames of two different temperature ranges for a series of time intervals. Percent mass loss increased directly with both time and temperature. Different treatment conditions also displayed regular patterns of change in color and curvature. Exposure of eggshell to flame results in dramatic physical changes, knowlegde of which could be useful to paleontologists studying dinosaur nesting ecology.

What Women Want: Masculine Images And Gender Construction In The Old Spice And Dos Equis Ad Campaigns, Ashley Meyer

Honors Theses

The award-winning Dos Equis "The most interesting man in the world" and Old Spice "the man your man could smell like" campaigns are unique not only for their creativity and humor, but also for their portrait of ideal men. These campaigns propose idealized images of masculinity which engage societal conceptions of manhood in the 21st century. Using rhetorical criticism, we can identify underlying ideologies in these campaigns, which combine the traditional and modern masculine constructs to present a new identity that aims but ultimately fails to be universally pleasing. The campaigns also reinforce sexist views of women as childlike and …

The Prevalence Of Encysted Toxoplasma & Sarcocystis In Consumer-Grade Pork, Beef, And Lamb In Michiana, Ross Trecartin

Honors Theses

Commonly present in the muscle of animals are the tissue cysts of Toxoplasma and Sarcocystis. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and levels of Toxoplasma/Sarcocystis tissue cysts in retail pork, beef, and mutton throughout the Michiana area. A total of 36 samples from the three species of interest were exposed to a digestive solution mimicking stomach conditions. The solution consisted of 0.75% pepsin, 0.86% NaCl, and HCl adjusted to a pH of 1-2. The digested samples were then strained through several layers of cheesecloth, centrifuged, and examined for the presence of parasites. Toxoplasma/Sarcocystis were detected in …

Structure And Mission Effectiveness: A Study Focused On Seventh-Day Adventist Mission To Unreached People Groups Between 1980 And 2010, Abraham Guerrero

Dissertations

The present study examines the impact of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's structure on mission effectiveness in taking the gospel to unreached people groups between 1980 and 2010. A historical descriptive study, this dissertation's theory base includes structure from an anthropological perspective; structure, mission, and effectiveness from an organizational perspective; and church structure and mission effectiveness in Christian history.

The impact of structure on mission effectivenessis evaluated in the present work by looking for patterns in history in which the structure has been either a facilitator or a hindrance for establishing churches among those who have not been reached with the …

Book Review Of The Integrated Church: Authentic Multicultural Ministry, By Tracy M. Lewis Giggetts (2011), David Penno

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Finding Faithful Elders And Deacons, By Thabiti M. Anyabwile (2012), David Penno

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Features Of Copulation And The Copulation Call In Glaucous-Winged Gulls (Larus Glaucescens), Amanda Sandler

Master's Theses

Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) breed along the Pacific Northwest coast where they perform highly stereotypical behavior patterns, including associated vocalizations. Early studies suggested the copulation call functions in maintaining pair bonds. Recent studies, however, challenge the idea that strengthening pair bonds is the only function of this call. I described the spectral and temporal features of the copulation call and investigated whether copulation behaviors varied over the course of the 2012 nesting season. During continuous observations from a blind in daylight hours, I documented the start and stop time for every copulation in a sample area of a nesting colony …