Digital Commons Network^™

Data Completion Methods For Improved Developmental Stage Annotation Of Drosophila Embryos In Images, Chitsanu Janyalikit

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Drosophila melanogaster is a dominant model organism for studying the function of animal genes in initial stages of embryogenesis. Usually, images containing Drosophila gene expression patterns are captured at different developmental stages to study the interconnection of animal genes. To achieve most biologically meaningful results, gene expression images from a similar stage should be compared. Currently, biologists manually classify embryos in images into different stages, which is time intensive and infeasible for current massively produced gene expression images. Therefore, there is a need to develop an automatic system for the annotation.

Gene expression information in embryo images usually appears as …

Predation Thresholds In Marine Microbial Communities Applied To Environments With Low Prey Abundances, Bonnie Bailey

OES Theses and Dissertations

Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) comprise the largest component of biomass in the world's oceans. Their abundances are controlled by resource availability, viral infections and protist grazing. Many pico- and nano-eukaryotic predators grow almost as quickly as their prey, and greatly increase in numbers as soon as their prey do, leading in tum to depletion in prokaryotes. It is still unclear however, as to what extent microbial predators are able to feed in low prey environments, most prominently in the largest biome on Earth, the deep sea (below l 000 m depth). It has been hypothesized that in low prey environments, …

The Role Of Chemical Attractants In The Use Of Tick Traps For Life Stages Of Tick Species Ixodes Scapularis, Dermacentor Variabilis And Amblyomma Maculatum, Pamela C. Kelman

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Amblyomma maculatum, Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis are three of the hard-bodied ticks found in the United States. This study explored three aspects of the appetence process of these tick species: attraction, desiccation survival, and locomotive activity. The first portion of this work was to improve one of the standard methods used for collecting ticks from the environment, the tick trap. To determine the attractants needed to capture all life stages of the three chosen species of ticks in the field using tick traps, a series of experiments were conducted using laboratory-reared larval, nymphal and adult A. maculatum, I. scapularis …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Barriers Toward Evidence-Based Practice Among Oral Health Professionals In Saudi Arabia, Sukainah Abdulwahab Almeedani

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Evidence -based decision making enables oral health professionals to make clinical practice decisions by utilizing the best available and most current scientific evidence. In combination with patients' values and circumstances, oral health professionals' experience and judgment are equally considered with scientific evidence in evidence-based decision making. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge and attitudes of evidence-based practice (EBP) among oral health professionals in Saudi Arabia and to determine the obstacles and barriers to implementation. Using a descriptive survey design, classrooms and clinics of 258 oral healthcare professionals were randomly selected from King Saud University, College of …

Regulatory Capture, The Chesapeake Bay, And Hampton Roads: What's On Your Plate, Ronnie David Gannon

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The Chesapeake Bay and its 64,000 square mile watershed are both severely impacted from excessive amounts of nutrient pollution, which contributes to a growing presence of dead zones in the Bay. What causes nutrient pollution? What are dead zones? In addition, many of the Bay's commercially valuable species of marine life have been/ are overexploited to the point of collapse / verge of collapse. Despite all of these facts, management agencies continue to weakly enforce regulations. Why?

Not to mention, much of the Bay's marine life is unsustainably caught in the contaminated waters of Hampton Roads. How, and for what? …

The Pioneer, Vol. 19, No. 2, Fall 2014, Illinois State University, College Of Education

The Pioneer (alumni newsletter)

Alumni Newsletter for University High School, College of Education

Enrollment Report, Fall 2014, Planning, Research, And Policy Analysis

Enrollment Reports (2004-2019)

Enrollment Report for Fall 2014 for Illinois State University

Metal Contamination Of Sediment By Paint Peeling From Abandoned Boats, With Particular Reference To Lead., Aldous B. Rees, Andrew Turner, Sean Comber

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Fragments of flaking paint have been sampled from eighteen boats (including sailing barges, houseboats, a trawler and a ferry) abandoned on the intertidal mudflats of two estuaries in eastern England and analysed for Cu, Pb and Zn by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. Median concentrations of Pb on each boat ranged from about 350 to 35,000 μg g(-1), with individual concentrations exceeding 200,000 μg g(-1) in several cases. Median concentrations of Cu and Zn ranged from about 50 to 1900 μg g(-1) and 50 to 10,000 μg g(-1), respectively, with respective maxima of 172,000 μg g(-1) and 239,000 μg g(-1). Because …

Symbolic Misery And Aesthetics- Bernard Stiegler, Noel Fitzpatrick

Articles

In this article I will deal with the development of a theory of aesthetics within the work of the French contemporary philosopher Bernard Stiegler with particular reference to his concept of symbolic misery. Rather than give an extensive account of Bernard Stiegler’s aesthetics this article will focus on some key concepts mobilized in the definition and analysis of symbolic misery. Firstly, I will argue that Stiegler’s understanding of the aesthetic comes from an expanded notion of aesthesis, where the political and the aesthetic are mobilized together. In this regard I will interrogate some key concepts in his work Symbolic Misery …

Genotypes Frequencies Of Rs9923231 And Rs7294 Snps In The Vkorci Gene Among Emiratis And Their Implications For Warfarin Dosage, Hayat Saad Al-Jaibeji

Theses

Warfarin is the most commonly used oral anticoagulant medication given as a prophylaxis and/or treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolic disorders. Warfarin doses vary up to 10-fold among patients due to pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics factors. In addition, Warfarin has a low therapeutic index with the risk of developing serious side effects such as severe bleeding or failure of therapy. Therefore, the main challenge to achieve the therapeutic goal in warfarin treatment is estimating the appropriate dose for each patient. It is estimated that pharmacogenomics factors contribute to more than 60% of dose variability. The gene encoding for the target …

Genotypes Frequencies Of Rs9923231 And Rs7294 Snps In The Vkorc1 Gene Among Emiratis And Their Implications For Warfarin Dosage, Hayat Saad Al-Jaibeji Al-Jaibeji

Theses

Warfarin is the most commonly used oral anticoagulant medication given as a prophylaxis and/or treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolic disorders. Warfarin doses vary up to 10-fold among patients due to pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics factors. In addition, Warfarin has a low therapeutic index with the risk of developing serious side effects such as severe bleeding or failure of therapy. Therefore, the main challenge to achieve the therapeutic goal in Warfarin treatment is estimating the appropriate dose for each patient. It is estimated that pharmacogenomic factors contribute to more than 60% of dose variability. The gene encoding for the target …

Utilizing Repurposed Materials To Construct Utility Buildings And Small Animal Shelters, C. Kim Chapman

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes how to use repurposed materials such as shipping pallets, scraps from construction sites or other building projects, to construct utility buildings and small animal shelters.

Shear Inducing Device For The Testing Of Cell Fragility, Ramnath Raghunathan

Theses

Most blood pumps are designed to boost the pumping abilities of the heart by mechanical energy transfer using a rotor. Due to the nature of blood contacting devices, the various components of blood are subjected to shear stresses caused by the device. The accurate analysis and prediction of blood damage during the design phase of a device has been difficult to achieve. This has been complicated by both the inaccuracy of computer tools used to model the blood flow and the large uncertainty in the reported values of stress that damage blood components. Different components of blood, such as red …

The Movement: A Performance Venue, Matthew J. Burke

Theses

The aim for the thesis project is to design a concert venue for the City of Saint Albans, Vermont. The venue will serve as an entertainment hotspot, an educational tool, a set of rehearsal spaces, and performance halls with recording capabilities. The goal is to create a welcoming entertainment and educational environment, open to use by all, to show that music is more than entertainment, but also a hobby, an educational medium, a skill-set, and a tool.

The driving theme behind the project is the concept of "movement." Its first representation is in music. Sound itself is movement; it is …

A Lonely Faith: Lessons In Spiritual Resiliency Learned From The Isolated, Captive, And Rescued, Jeff Schlenz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Americans have always traveled abroad whether as merchants, military service members, missionaries, reporters, or simply, "tourists." Most return safely, but some have been taken captive by foreign governments, terrorists and criminal organizations. Though many have studied their struggles, no wide-scale attempt has been made to understand the role religious faith played in enduring their captivities. If understood, such information could be used in training those who may be exposed to similar circumstances in the future, and may have devotional value for others enduring crises. In this study, one hundred seventy-eight international travelers are surveyed, assessing their expectations of and preparation …

The Emergence Of Digital Libraries Services In Northwest Nigerian Universities: Challenges And Prospects, Esther Gani, Joshua Sani Magoi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper highlights the development of University education vis-à-vis the emergence and development of digital libraries in Nigeria Universities with specific reference to Northwest Nigeria. The concepts of digital library and as well its objectives in a university system, and services provided such as network services, digital preservation and quick reference were discussed. In addition prospects and benefits of digital library services like digitization of local content, access wide range of services and scholarly publishing among others were identified. The paper highlighted funding, infrastructure and technology as challenges facing the application of digital libraries in northwest Universities and concludes that, …

Afro-Ecuadorian Educational Movement: Racial Oppression, Its Origins And Oral Tradition, Ethan Johnson

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, three objectives are presented, first, to describe the socio-historical context of Afro-Ecuadorians generally and specifically related to education. Here, it is demonstrated how colonial and nation building practices and processes have attempted to silence and make absent the contributions people of African descent have made to development of the nation. Second, the Afro-Ecuadorian social movement is considered within the local, regional and global socio-historical context, and it is argued that the Afro-Ecuadorian Etnoeducación is part of a continuous struggle for freedom and inclusion in the nation as full citizens. The third area of analysis focuses on one …

Pixel-Based Absorption Correction For Dual-Tracer Fluorescence Imaging Of Receptor Binding Potential, Stephen C. Kanick, Kenneth M. Tichauer, Jason Gunn, Kimberley S. Samkoe, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Ratiometric approaches to quantifying molecular concentrations have been used for decades in microscopy, but have rarely been exploited in vivo until recently. One dual-tracer approach can utilize an untargeted reference tracer to account for non-specific uptake of a receptor-targeted tracer, and ultimately estimate receptor binding potential quantitatively. However, interpretation of the relative dynamic distribution kinetics is confounded by differences in local tissue absorption at the wavelengths used for each tracer. This study simulated the influence of absorption on fluorescence emission intensity and depth sensitivity at typical near-infrared fluorophore wavelength bands near 700 and 800 nm in mouse skin in order …

Large-Scale Identification Of Chemically Induced Mutations In Drosophila Melanogaster, Nele A Haelterman, Lichun Jiang, Yumei Li, Vafa Bayat, Hector Sandoval, Berrak Ugur, Kai Li Tan, Ke Zhang, Danqing Bei, Bo Xiong, Wu-Lin Charng, Theodore Busby, Adeel Jawaid, Gabriela David, Manish Jaiswal, Koen J T Venken, Shinya Yamamoto, Rui Chen, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Forward genetic screens using chemical mutagens have been successful in defining the function of thousands of genes in eukaryotic model organisms. The main drawback of this strategy is the time-consuming identification of the molecular lesions causative of the phenotypes of interest. With whole-genome sequencing (WGS), it is now possible to sequence hundreds of strains, but determining which mutations are causative among thousands of polymorphisms remains challenging. We have sequenced 394 mutant strains, generated in a chemical mutagenesis screen, for essential genes on the Drosophila X chromosome and describe strategies to reduce the number of candidate mutations from an average of …

Prevalence And Effectiveness Of Technology Use Among Family & Consumer Sciences Agents, Stephanie C. Toelle, Victor W. Harris

Journal of Extension

Extension agents are encouraged to use new technologies to reach and teach their clientele. To uncover the prevalence and effectiveness of technology use, a survey was conducted among family and consumer sciences agents in the southern region of the United States. The results show that there is not much deviation from PowerPoint presentations, though some additional multimedia is incorporated. Barriers and advantages of using educational technology are discussed.

Nectar Yeasts In The Tall Larkspur Delphinium Barbeyi (Ranunculaceae) And Effects On Components Of Pollinator Foraging Behavior, Robert N. Schaeffer, Cody R. Phillips, M. Catherine Duryea, Jonathan Andicoechea, Rebecca E. Irwin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Microorganisms frequently colonize the nectar of angiosperm species. Though capable of altering a suite of traits important for pollinator attraction, few studies exist that test the degree to which they mediate pollinator foraging behavior. The objective of our study was to fill this gap by assessing the abundance and diversity of yeasts associated with the perennial larkspur Delphinium barbeyi (Ranunculaceae) and testing whether their presence affected components of pollinator foraging behavior. Yeasts frequently colonized D. barbeyi nectar, populating 54–77% of flowers examined depending on site. Though common, the yeast community was species-poor, represented by a single species, Metschnikowia reukaufii. …

Extension Community Development: Building Strong, Vibrant Communities, Lionel J. Beaulieu, Sam Cordes

Journal of Extension

Extension community development (CD) became part of the work of the Cooperative Extension Service in the mid-1950s, but the seeds of the CD program were planted with the release of the Country Life Commission in 1909. This article traces a brief history of Extension CD, along with the current priorities of this program area. Key issues that the Extension system and the CD program must address in the years ahead are discussed, as well.

Bridging Formal And Informal Learning Environments, Bradley S. Barker, Kim Larson, Michelle Krehbiel

Journal of Extension

Out-of-school time programs that provide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational content are promising approaches to develop skills and abilities in students. These programs may potentially inspire students with engaging hands-on, minds-on activities that encourages their natural curiosity around STEM content areas. However, it is also important to align out-of-school time learning activities with what is being taught in the formal classroom so that the experiences are congruent. Two examples of congruent programs are described in this article.

Introduction To The Focus Section: 2013 Catholic Higher Education Collaborative (Chec) Conference On Catholic School Financing, John Schoenig, John Staud

Journal of Catholic Education

Introduction to the Focus Section.

Analytical Results For How Flexibility Affects Flapping Propulsion, Matthew Nick J. Moore

Society of Engineering Science 51st Annual Technical Meeting Archive

Wing or fin flexibility can dramatically affect the performance of flying and swimming animals. Both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations have been used to study these effects, however useful analytical results are notably lacking. Here, we develop a small-amplitude theory to model a flapping wing that pitches passively due to a combination of wing compliance, inertia, and fluid forces. Remarkably, we obtain a class of exact solutions describing the wing’s emergent pitching motions, along with expressions for how thrust and efficiency are modified by compliance. The solutions recover a range of realistic behaviors and shed new light on how flexibility …

2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Contents:

Cow/Calf

Effect of Pubertal Status and Number of Estrous Cycles Prior to the Breeding Season on Pregnancy Rate in Beef Heifers .5

Comparison of Long-term Progestin-based Synchronization Protocols on Fixed-time AI pregnancy Rate in Beef Heifers . 8

Androgen Excess in Beef Cows Results in Altered Theca Cell Gene Expression and Fertility 11

Follicular Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A Expression Before and After the LH Surge . 14

Evaluation of Genomic Predictors for Red Angus Cattle . 17

Preconception Distillers Grains Supplementation Improves Mature Beef Cow Return to Estrous . 19

Impact of Supplemental Protein Source on Pregnant Heifers …

The Utah Statesman, September 30, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Warming, Competition, And Bromus Tectorum Population Growth Across An Elevation Gradient, Aldo Compagnoni, Peter B. Adler

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is one of the most problematic invasive plant species in North America and climate change threatens to exacerbate its impacts. We conducted a two‐year field experiment to test the effect of warming, competition, and seed source on cheatgrass performance across an elevation gradient in northern Utah. We hypothesized that warming would increase cheatgrass performance, but that warming effects would be limited by competing vegetation and by local adaptation of cheatgrass seed sources. The warming treatment relied on open top chambers, we removed vegetation to assess the effect of competition from neighboring vegetation, and we reciprocally …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 90, No. 11, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Brown, Leah. Regents Committee Approves Psychology Program
• Allen, Whitney. Remembered: Fraternity Celebrates Life of Brother – Sigma Phi Epsilon, Cory Beavin
• Mudd, Aaron. Sorority Uses Football to Fight Autism – Alpha Xi Delta
• Voorhees, Jessica. Convenience Stores’ Hours Change – Housing & Residence Life
• Harney, LaShana. Chinese Culture Comes to Bowling Green – Confucius Institute
• Crumbie, Trey. Two WKU Films to Be Screened at Film Festival
• Pettway, Shantel. WKU Sisterhood Grant Finalists Prepare for Award Presentations
• Parker, Jacob. Fall Break Allows Students Chance to Unwind, Catch Up
• Cole, Tanner. …

High Activity Mutants Of Butyrylcholinesterase For Cocaine Hydrolysis, Chang-Guo Zhan, Fang Zheng, Wenchao Yang

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) polypeptide variants of the presently-disclosed subject matter have enhanced catalytic efficiency for (−)-cocaine, as compared to wild-type BChE. Pharmaceutical compositions of the presently-disclosed subject matter include a BChE polypeptide variant having an enhanced catalytic efficiency for (−)-cocaine. A method of the presently-disclosed subject matter for treating a cocaine-induced condition includes administering to an individual an effective amount of a BChE polypeptide variant, as disclosed herein, to lower blood cocaine concentration.