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Seasonal Differences In Diet Of Two Predatory Fishes In Relation To Reef Type In The Inshore Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Brinton Thomas Barnes

Master's Theses

Relationships of various structural features between reefs and their developing benthic and fish communities have an immense biological and ecological importance for reef restoration and rehabilitation. Therefore, objectives of this study were to establish how abundance (CPUE) and diet composition (%IRI) changes seasonally within Spotted Seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, and Sand Seatrout, Cynoscion arenarius, to view which trophic levels are interacting in relation to different reef type (high relief profile vs. low profile relief). A Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA was performed on non-normal abundance data and determined no significant differences for reef type and season for both piscivorous species. Both …

Refocusing Ecocriticism: Going Deep With Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, Ivan Anderson Philippoff

Master's Theses

The field of scholarship known as ecocriticism is growing rapidly. Members of the field must endeavor to define ecocritism’s goals and parameters to prevent fragmentation and lack of focus. While most professed ecocritics agree that increased awareness and respect for the environment must be of paramount importance, some disagreement exists concerning the best methods to achieve this goal. One of the issues that requires clarification involves whether proponents of ecocriticism should adopt a more ecocentric or anthropocentric perspective of the environment. The former views humanity as part of a worldwide community and views nature as valuable in its own right. …

Propagation Of Oligomeric Α-Synuclein And Amyloid-Β: Implications For Parkinson's And Alzheimer's Diseases, Matthew Stephen Planchard

Master's Theses

The aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins is a critical event in the pathology of a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The proteins α-synuclein (αS) and amyloid-β (Aβ) are involved in the formation of amyloid lesions observed in PD and AD, respectively. Both PD and AD exhibit a significant amount of co-pathology in clinical settings, and the αS and Aβ proteins have been shown to interact in vitro. Recent experimental consensus has shown oligomeric species to be significant, if not primary, sources of toxicity in these diseases. …

The Effects Of Stocking Density And Feeding Frequency On Aggressive And Cannibalistic Behaviors In Larval Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Cynosion Nebulosus, Christopher Burton Manley

Master's Theses

The Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline fish that inhabits coastal regions from Massachusetts to Texas. Due to its predaceous nature and proximity to coastal shorelines it is the most important marine finfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of this importance, Spotted Seatrout has been identified as a possible candidate for stock enhancement. Stock enhancement is the practice of releasing hatchery-reared juveniles to increase local recruitment beyond existing levels. However, raising enough Spotted Seatrout in an intensive aquaculture system has proven difficult due to aggression and cannibalism during the larval stages.

The manipulation of stocking density …

The Effects Of Olfactory Stimuli On The Behavior Of The Far Eastern/Amur Leopard (Panthera Pardus Orientalis) In Captivity, Marks Stimson Mcwhorter

Master's Theses

Two Amur leopards from the Jackson Zoological Park were observed under continuous surveillance while on exhibit over 21 days to better understand the activity budget of leopards in captivity, and what effects olfactory stimuli may have on those activity patterns. Behaviors were observed through surveillance systems located around their enclosure and scored using an ethogram, and proportions of behaviors shown were calculated for each day, and by 15-minute increments throughout the day. Over the course of this study, leopards received three olfactory stimuli on separate occasions, where we then compared behaviors before stimuli presented to behaviors expressed during and after …

Taxonomy, Diversity, And Distribution Patterns Of Portunid Crab Megalopae In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico During Fall Of 2003, Carley Rain Knight

Master's Theses

The field of zooplankton biology contributes to more accurate stock assessments as well as to a greater understanding of the marine food web. However, adequate information for the invertebrate component of zooplankton is lacking compared to the ichthyoplankton component. In this thesis, identification of Portunidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) megalopae collected during the fall of 2003 from a NOAA SEAMAP cruise revealed 7 species and 11 morphs with 90% of the total density comprised of Callinectes sapidus, Achelous gibbesii, Callinectes similis, Achelous spinicarpus, and Achelous sp.I. Keys and detailed descriptions are provided along with photographs and morphological drawings for each morph to …

Altered Regional And Circuit Resting-State Activity Associated With Unilateral Hearing Loss, Xingchao Wang, Yang Fan, Fu Zhao, Zhenmin Wang, Jianqiao Ge, Kai Zhang, Zhixian Gao, Jia-Hong Gao, Yihong Yang, Jin Fan, Qihong Zou, Pinan Liu

Publications and Research

The deprivation of sensory input after hearing damage results in functional reorganization of the brain including cross-modal plasticity in the sensory cortex and changes in cognitive processing. However, it remains unclear whether partial deprivation from unilateral auditory loss (UHL) would similarly affect the neural circuitry of cognitive processes in addition to the functional organization of sensory cortex. Here, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate intrinsic activity in 34 participants with UHL from acoustic neuroma in comparison with 22 matched normal controls. In sensory regions, we found decreased regional homogeneity (ReHo) in the bilateral calcarine cortices in UHL. …

Cohort Efficacy Study Of Natural Family Planning Among Perimenopause Age Women, Richard J. Fehring, Qiyan Mu

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: To determine the efficacy of using natural family planning (NFP) methods to avoid unintended pregnancy among women of perimenopause age (i.e., age 40-55 years).

Design: A secondary analysis of subset data from two prospective observational cohort studies.

Setting: A university based in-person and online NFP service program.

Participants: One hundred and sixty couples who used either a website or an in-person NFP service to learn how to avoid pregnancy from January 2001 to November 2012.

Methods: A prospective 12-month effectiveness study among 160 women (between ages 40-55) who used NFP to avoid pregnancy. The …

Inkjet Printing Of Three-Dimensional Vascular-Like Constructs From Cell Suspensions, Changxue Xu

All Dissertations

Inkjet printing has found an increasing number of biofabrication applications, specifically organ printing, which has been emerging as a promising solution to the organ donor shortage. While some studies have been conducted to investigate various engineering problems associated with DOD inkjet printing of biological material-based fluids, the pinch-off, the cell-laden droplet formation, the effects of electric field on droplet formation, and challenges in 3D vascular-like construct fabrication haven't been systematically investigated. The objective of this study is to investigate the pinch-off, the cell-laden droplet formation, the effects of electric field on droplet formation, and manufacturing challenges during fabrication using DOD …

The Contagion Of Sharing: Rhetorics Of Community In An Age Of Digital Media, Jared Colton

All Dissertations

This dissertation, entitled 'The Contagion of Sharing: Rhetorics of Community in an Age of Digital Media,' interrogates the relationship between rhetoric, ethics, and politics in community building, practice, and critique in an age of online communities and new media writing. I focus on how rhetoric and composition scholars overemphasize the role inclusion plays in communal phenomena and that not enough attention is paid to understanding how community practices and processes require both sharing and protection, identity and difference, and thus, inclusion and exclusion. I argue that, as teachers of rhetoric and writing, if we intend to help students write for, …

Cardiovascular Tissue Engineered Constructs For Patients With Diabetes, James Chow

All Dissertations

Clinical translation of cardiovascular tissue engineering (CVTE) is rapidly shifting from concept to application, granting a myriad of opportunities for the treatment of cardiovascular disorder (CVD). There remains, however, a critical hurdle to overcome: the application of tissue engineering to a comprised patient - more specifically, a patient with diabetes mellitus (DM). The alarming prevalence of DM is of great concern due to its duel threat as both a risk factor for CVD and a predictor of biomedical device failure. Elevated levels of inflammation and impaired wound healing are hallmarks of DM contributing to cardiomyopathy, atherosclerosis, and valve disease. The …

Range Limits, Range Shifts, And Lower Thermal Tolerance In The Tropical Barnacle Megabalanus Coccopoma, Samuel Crickenberger

All Dissertations

Climate change and species introductions are leading to shifts in marine species' geographic distributions. However, few studies have examined range limits and range shifts in tropical marine species. The barnacle Megabalanus coccopoma is native to shorelines from Baja California to Peru and has been introduced to a number of locations worldwide including the Atlantic US SE coast, where its current introduced range extends from Ft. Pierce, FL to Cape Hatteras, NC with seasonal populations as far north as Kitty Hawk, NC. In order to understand the potential poleward range limit of M. coccopoma in the US SE under modern day …

Nonparametric And Semiparametric Group Testing Regression Models, Dewei Wang

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three projects in the area of group testing. The method of group testing, through the use of pooling, has proven to be an efficient method of reducing the time and cost associated with screening for a binary characteristic of interest, such as infection status. The salient feature of group testing that provides for these gains in efficiency is that testing is performed on pooled specimens, rather than testing specimens one-by-one. In Chapter 1, we present a general introduction of group testing. Typically, the statistical literature surrounding group testing has investigated the implementation of pooled testing for …

Public School Credits For Devotional Courses In Religion: The Evangelical Reconceptualization Of Released Time, Benjamin James Bindewald

All Dissertations

Released time is an arrangement through which students are excused from public schools, during regular hours, to participate in devotional lessons conducted by local religious organizations. The courts have upheld this practice as long as classes are held off public school premises, with parental permission, and without government aid. South Carolina has become the center of operations for a movement of evangelical Christians to expand proselytizing released time programs throughout the United States. As a result of the movement’s lobbying efforts, in 2006 South Carolina became the first state to enact legislation allowing public schools to award graduation credits for …

Impact Of Physical And Psychosocial Workplace Hazards On Employee Health: An Irish T Ale Of Civil Servant Workers, Kyle R. Stanyar

All Dissertations

Obesity, mental health problems, and absenteeism are both economic and health burdens for employers and employees. Research suggests that physical and psychosocial hazards in the workplace contribute to health risks and health problems among employees. There is a need for researchers to examine how exercise, diet, and age interact with the negative effects of workplace hazards upon health. Hypotheses 1a through 3b predicted that physical and psychosocial workplace hazards would negatively impact body mass index (BMI), general mental health, and sickness absences. Further, hypotheses 4a through 9b predicted that exercise and diet would buffer stress from occupational hazards upon BMI, …

The Effects Of Indirubin-3’-(2,3 Dihydroxypropyl)-Oximether (E804) On Inflammation Profile In Macrophages, Amy Lauren Anderson

All Dissertations

Indirubin is a deep-red bis-indole isomer of indigo blue, both of which are biologically active ingredients in Danggui Longhui Wan, an ancient Chinese herbal tea mixture used to treat neoplasia and chronic inflammation, and to enhance detoxification of xenobiotics. Multiple indirubin derivatives have been synthesized and shown to inhibit cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and glycogen-synthase kinase (GSK-3β) with varying degrees of potency. Several indirubins are also aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists, with AhR-associated activities covering a wide range of potencies, depending on structure-activity-relationships (SAR). In this study, the effects on indirubin-3’-(2,3 dihydroxypropyl)-oximether (E804), a novel indirubin derivative with potent effects on …

Feasibility Of Oral Prenatal Probiotics Against Maternal Group B Streptococcus Vaginal And Rectal Colonization, Lisa Hanson, Leona Vandevusse, Megan Duster, Simone Warrack, Nasia Safdar

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To examine the effect of an oral prenatal probiotic on group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonization and to demonstrate the feasibility of a larger randomized controlled trial.

Design

This pilot study was an open‐label, two‐group quasi‐experiment.

Setting

An urban central city nurse‐midwifery and wellness center serving a diverse population.

Participants

Ten pregnant participants received the oral probiotic (Florajen3) taken once daily, and 10 participants served as controls.

Methods

A questionnaire on dietary practices, vaginal cleansing, sexual history, and symptoms and GBS colony count samples were taken at 28‐, 32‐, and 36‐weeks gestation.

Results

Participants in the probiotic group reported no …

Evaluation And Development Of Nisin-Containing Packaging For Ready-To-Eat Meats, Utilizing Methods Feasible For Future Commercialization, Angela Morgan

All Dissertations

Antimicrobial food packaging may extend shelf life, reduce spoilage, maintain food quality and eliminate foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat (RTE) deli meat. Nisin is a polypeptide with natural antimicrobial activity against gram-positive microorganisms. This food additive is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the United States. In order to combat Listeria monocytogenes, continued good manufacturing practices, continued proper handling by food workers, and additional secondary safety measures such as antimicrobial packaging are necessary. However, current research for antimicrobial packaging is in preliminary stages and is primarily based on theoretical lab scale testing. Antimicrobial coatings containing nisin were developed and studied. Diffusion …

Optically Active And Stimuli-Responsive Macromolecules: Photophysics, Morphology And Sensor Applications, Ashley A. Buelt

All Dissertations

Conjugated polymers are of particular interest for many device applications, especially those involving optoelectronics. Not only is there a potential for π-conjugated organic materials to replace inorganic materials in applications such as solar cells and light emitting diodes, but there is also the possibility for these materials to serve as key components of cheaper, more environmentally-friendly, lighter and more flexible materials. For over thirty years, researchers have been striving to understand the morphology, electrochemical and photophysical properties of this new class of organic materials. The work presented herein advances the field through synthetic design and morphological studies. In addition, several …

Can Very Rapid Adaptation Arise Without Ancestral Variation? Insight From The Molecular Evolution Of Herbicide Resistance In Genus Amaranthus, Kristin Elizabeth Beard

All Dissertations

In this dissertation I investigate the source and spread of adaptive resistance to the herbicide glyphosate by the weedy species Amaranthus palmeri. This is an ideal system for furthering scientific understanding of the dynamics of evolution because the adaptation is in response to a well understood selection pressure and is happening on an extremely short time scale. The plant genus Amaranthus contains several agriculturally important weeds, but is not closely related to any current model systems—the closest model system is Beta vulgaris(sugar beet). In the first part of this work I seek to determine the relationship between extant species of …

Basic Needs Satisfaction In Birthplace Choice Of Rural Banyankole Women In The Kashongi Sub-County Of South Western Uganda, Annah Kamugizire Amani

All Dissertations

Introduction: This study is a testing, translation and cross-cultural domain specific adaptation of the Basic Psychological Needs Scale to assess basic needs satisfaction in birthplace choice of rural women in the Kashongi Sub-county of South Western Uganda. The purpose of this study is to test adapted quantitative survey tools that examine basic psychological needs factors and how they influence birthplace choice. Methods: The theoretical framework is Ryan and Deci’s Self- Determination Theory (SDT), a theory of human motivation. SDT is concerned with support for basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness to motivate behavior that is healthy and effective. …

Treatment Of Abscessed Primary Molars Utilizing Lesion Sterilization And Tissue Repair: Literature Review And Report Of Three Cases, David Burrus, Lori Barbeau, Brian D. Hodgson

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this report was to review an emerging alternative treatment to pulpectomies and extractions for nonvital primary teeth called lesion sterilization and tissue repair (LSTR) and provide the results of three clinical case applications. LSTR is a noninstrumentation endodontic treatment that involves a triantibiotic mixture in a propylene glycol vehicle, which is used to disinfect root canal systems. This concept was developed by the cariology research unit of the School of Dentistry, Niigata University, Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. This article reviews the development of the technique, clinical procedures required for the technique, three clinical applications and radiographic …

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Calcium, And Calcium-Regulating Hormones In Preeclamptics And Controls During First Day Postpartum, Ahmed Dalmar, Hershel Raff, Suneet P. Chauhan, Maharaj Singh, Danish S. Siddiqui

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The evidence for a link between vitamin D and preeclampsia is conflicting. There is a paucity of studies reporting simultaneous 25-hydroxyvitamin D (inactive form) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (biologically active form). We investigated if levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium-regulating hormones (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone), and calcium differ significantly between preeclamptics and controls. On postpartum day one, 98 subjects (44 with preeclampsia, 54 controls) were recruited among women admitted to the postdelivery unit, and their serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, and serum albumin levels were prospectively measured. The majority of participants (70 %) had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D …

Increasing Emergency Department Nurses Confidence With Potentially Violent Patient Care Situations, Jane Mattila

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace violence is increasing in the healthcare and emergency department (ED) violence is escalating to the point where nurses experience violent assaults at 12 times the national average (U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008). The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) conducted a survey of over 3,000 emergency nurses and found 86% of those surveyed had encountered physical violence within the last three years (Emergency Nurses Association [ENA], 2008) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (2011) and the Joint Commission (2010) require healthcare facilities to organize a plan to provide for the safety and security of employees and …

Suicide Curriculum For American Indian Youth, Rose Gaikowski

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a national public health concern which can result in emotional and physical devastation for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide leads to unanswered questions for families and communities directly impacted by suicide. There are approximately 30,000 suicidal deaths nationally in the United States; however in the American Indian population the suicide rate is 1.7 times higher than all races in the United States (Wexler & Gone, 2012). Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 15-24 age groups in the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AVAN) population. Some American Indian communities experience suicidal clusters which results when one suicide …

Depression In Diabetes, Deborah Marie Dubois Byrd

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Social Media Implementation In Nurse Education, Leeann Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Technological advances are present in every aspect of our life and higher education is no exception. Today's college students, also known as the millennial generation, are the most technologically advanced generation. Nurse educators need to think about the technological possibilities that can be utilized in the classroom to engage the students in active learning and to improve the student outcomes. This independent project explores what is known about social media in nurse education and discusses areas for further research. Social media is being used in the nursing classroom, but many have not been researched based. This independent project discusses how …

A Spiking Self-Organising Map Combining Stdp, Oscillations And Continuous Learning, Timothy Rumbell, Susan L. Denham, Thomas Wennekers

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Prioritized Optimal Control, A Del Prete, F Romano, L Natale, Et Al

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper presents a new technique to control highly redundant mechanical systems, such as humanoid robots. We take inspiration from two approaches. Prioritized control is a widespread multi-task technique in robotics and animation: tasks have strict priorities and they are satisfied only as long as they do not conflict with any higher-priority task. Optimal control instead formulates an optimization problem whose solution is either a feedback control policy or a feedforward trajectory of control inputs. We introduce strict priorities in multi-task optimal control problems, as an alternative to weighting task errors proportionally to their importance. This ensures the respect of …

Profiles Of Teachers In Selected Curriculum Areas: Further Analyses Of The Staff In Australia’S Schools 2013 Survey, Paul R. Weldon, Julie Mcmillan, Glenn Rowley, Phillip Mckenzie

School and system improvement

This report was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Education (formerly the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). It was designed to analyse the characteristics and profiles of the teachers teaching in selected learning (or curriculum) areas in primary and secondary schools. The intent was to use the data collected through the Staff in Australia’s Schools 2013 (SiAS) project to provide a more detailed analysis of the teachers concerned than was provided in the main survey report (McKenzie et al., 2014 ) . The SiAS project was designed to provide a detailed picture of the Australian teacher workforce, …