Digital Commons Network^™

The Amazing Adventures Of The Princesses From Planet Stem, Erin Albert, Pam Frazier

Butler University Books

On Planet STEM, all girls are princesses-rare, unique and one-of-a-kind. One day, a plague hits the planet-the dark plague of Ignorance. After 20 princesses rally to ask their fairy godfather for help and he doesn't deliver, learn how the princesses save themselves and Planet STEM by putting their strengths, talents and passions to work in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with 100% girl power!! This book is for girls ages 5-9, and their parents. Included is a list of resources for girls on planet Earth to engage more in STEM!

Nova Southeastern University 2014 Annual Report, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Gdnf Content And Nmj Morphology Are Altered In Recruited Muscles Following High-Speed And Resistance Wheel Training, Amy Morrison Gyorkos, John M. Spitsbergen

Biological Sciences Faculty and Graduate Student Research

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) may play a role in delaying

the onset of aging and help compress morbidity by preventing motor unit

degeneration. Exercise has been shown to alter GDNF expression differently in

slow- and fast-twitch myofibers. The aim was to examine the effects of different

intensities (10, 20, ~30, and ~40 m.min^-1) of wheel running on GDNF expression

and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) plasticity in slow- and fast-twitch

myofibers. Male Sprague-Dawley Rats (4 weeks old) were divided into two

sedentary control groups (CON4 week, n = 5 and CON6 week, n = 5), two

involuntary running …

2014-15 Series Brochure - Healing Arts, University Center For The Humanities

University Center for the Humanities Events

In our 2014-15 series “Healing Arts,” the University Center for the Humanities celebrates Kalamazoo’s rich history as a community dedicated to health and well-being. From W.E. Upjohn to Homer Stryker, medical scientists in our community have contributed to the health of people in our state, the nation, and indeed the world. And that commitment to health has led directly to strong support for the arts and humanities in Kalamazoo, endowing the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, as well as the Black Arts & Cultural Center, the Kalamazoo Institute of Art, the …

Santa Clara Review, Vol. 101, No. 1, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Review

No abstract provided.

Disability, Laura L. Ellingson, Margaret M. Quinlan

Gender and Sexuality Studies

People with disabilities (PWD) are the fastest growing minority social group in the world. Moreover, this group is one in which many, if not all individuals, will eventually join due to accidents, injuries, illnesses, wear and tear on aging bodies, and genetic factors. Disabilities can be physical, cognitive, social, and/or emotional. The disability community overlaps with people of all races, ethnicities, age groups, genders, sexual orientations/ expressions, and socioeconomic statuses, although PWD are overrepresented among people who are economically disadvantaged and under-served in health care, environmental safety, nutrition, and other basic needs. While the proportion of people with disabilities increases …

2014-2015 Catalog, Wku Graduate School

Graduate School

Graduate School catalog regarding admissions, curriculum and policies.

Ua66/5 Department Of Agriculture 2014 Newsletter, Department Of Agriculture And Food Science

Agriculture Department Publications

Sections include:

Alumni

In Memory of Dr. David M. Coffey

Outstanding Agriculture Students

J Dominique Gumirakiza– Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics

Students from the Department of Agriculture Study Developmental Issues in Andean Agriculture in Ecuador

Viticulture News

Turfgrass Management News

Internships at the Baker Arboretum

Southern Forages Authors Visit WKU

Agricultural Ambassadors

Agricultural Education News

Agriculture Students Striving for Effective Tomorrows (ASSET) Conference

WKU Dairy Challenge Team participates in 8th Annual Southern Regional Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge® Contest

WKU Dairy Challenge Team participates in 8th Annual Southern Regional Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge® Contest

Student Research– Assessment of Stress in Therapy Horses

Agronomy …

Protecting Health Privacy In An Era Of Big Data Processing And Cloud Computing, Frank Pasquale, Tara Adams Ragone

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Mammalian Cyclin C In Stress Response And Thyroid Disease Progression, Kun Wang

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The cellular response to stress involves changes in gene expression programs as well as the remodeling of subcellular organelles including the mitochondria. Important for this study, the mitochondria undergo extensive fragmentation when the cell is exposed to a variety of stressors. The cyclin C-Cdk8 kinase is a highly conserved transcription factor that associates with the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme. Using cyclin C knockout (CCNC^-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells, I revealed that cyclin C is required for the extensive mitochondrial fragmentation following treatment with pro-oxidants or the anti-cancer drug cisplatin. However, Cdk8 is not required for this process …

The Education Lorenz Curve: Exploring Education And Social Mobility In A Lorenz Curve Framework, Nichole D. Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within any society the level of social mobility, the distribution of income, and equality of opportunity work together to determine the ease with which a child born into poverty can make it to the middle class during his or her lifetime. Education plays a large part, if not the largest part, in the analysis of these areas within a given society. Therefore, an equal distribution of education among those born into all income levels is one key ingredient to ensuring that all children who are born into poverty get the same chance of succeeding in the workforce as their more …

Social Support And Affectionate Communication In Animal-Assisted Interventions: Toward A Typology And Rating Scheme Of Handler/Dog Messages, Amy Mccullough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are a treatment modality that incorporates a trained animal into a person's healing and learning process in order to benefit the person physically, emotionally and/or socially (Delta Society, 1996). From an interactional perspective, two mechanisms that may contribute to these health benefits are social support and affection exchange. Although there is growing evidence of the health and well-being benefits of AAIs, there remains a need for scientific research to understand more precisely the communicative and behavioral components that constitute a therapeutic intervention involving an animal (Kazdin, 2010). Additionally, there is a need to develop a means of …

Design And Evaluation Of A Propulsion System For Small, Compact, Low-Speed Maneuvering Underwater Vehicles, Florence M. Mbithi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Underwater vehicles used to perform precision inspection and non-destructive evaluation in tightly constrained or delicate underwater environments must be small, have low-speed maneuverability and a smooth streamlined outer shape with no appendages. In this thesis, the design and analysis of a new propulsion system for such underwater vehicles is presented. It consists primarily of a syringe and a plunger driven by a linear actuator and uses different inflow and outflow nozzles to provide continuous propulsive force. A prototype of the proposed propulsion mechanism is built and tested. The practical utility and potential efficacy of the system is demonstrated and assessed …

Long-Term Changes In Four Plant Communities Along An Elevational Gradient In The Front Range Of Colorado, Gregory J. Sproull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We surveyed four plant communities along an elevational gradient in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for long-term overstory and understory changes. Our results were compared to those found in 1981 and 1996. We evaluated changes in succession, elevational species migration and range expansion, community diversity, and composition. We related temporal floristic shifts to prior literature on disturbance history at each site. Over time, all communities changed significantly, though in different manners. This analysis shows that plant communities are changing in dynamic and idiosyncratic ways that correspond to individualistic distribution shifts. Moreover, we exhibit the necessity of comprehensively …

Clues From Early Spanish Chronicles: Reconstructing Marriage And Family In The Pre-Hispanic Philippines, Olivia Anne Habana

History Department Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Water Quality During Two High-Flow Years On The Lower Missouri River: The Effects Of Reservoir And Tributary Contributions, D M. Morris, T R. Gemeinhardt, N.J C. Gosch, D E. Jensen

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Complex socioeconomic and ecological issues, ranging from impaired streams to Gulf of Mexico hypoxia, have made nutrient management an increasingly important issue across the USA. High flows during 2010 and 2011 provided a unique opportunity to investigate trends in discharge, total nitrogen, nitrate/nitrite, total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, suspended sediment and total suspended solids during two distinct high-flow years on the Missouri River. We compared collections taken during 2010 and 2011 at 12 lower Missouri River locations (river kilometers 1212 to 71) and 22 Missouri River tributary locations. During 2011, average concentrations for all sampled parameters were significantly lower, despite significantly higher …

Wildlife Of The Caribbean [Book Review], Kevin Mcdonough

Book Reviews

No abstract provided.

Comparative Development And Evolution Of Two Lateral Line Phenotypes In Lake Malawi Cichlids, Jacqueline F. Webb, Nathan C. Bird, Lauren Carter, Juleen Dickson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A comparison of the pattern and timing of development of cranial lateral line canals and canal neuromasts in three species of Lake Malawi cichlids, Labeotropheus fuelleborni and Metriaclima zebra (narrow lateral line canals), and Aulonocara baenschi (widened lateral line canals) was used to test the hypothesis that the evolution of widened canals (thought to be an adaptive phenotype in the lateral line system) from narrow canals is the result of heterochrony. Using histological analysis and scanning electron microscopy, this study has provided the first detailed and quantitative description of the development of widened lateral line canals in a teleost, and …

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid In The Eastern United States: What Have We Learned?, Evan L. Preisser, Kelly L.F. Oten, Fred P. Hain

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Adelges tsugae (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid) is a small piercing-sucking insect that feeds on hemlock trees (Tsuga spp.). Native to Asia and the Pacific Northwest, the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is invasive in the eastern United States where it attacks Tsuga canadensis (Eastern Hemlock) and T. caroliniana (Carolina Hemlock). It is currently found in 19 eastern states and has caused extensive mortality to hemlock forests. The ecological and economic impacts of this pest are significant, widespread, and often difficult to quantify. As the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid continues to disperse throughout the range of Eastern and Carolina Hemlocks, management techniques aimed at …

Predation-Associated Modulation Of Movement-Based Signals By A Bahamian Lizard, David S. Steinberg, Jonathan B. Losos, Thomas W. Schoener, David A. Spiller, Jason J. Kolbe, Manuel Leal

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Signaling individuals must effectively capture and hold the attention of intended conspecific receivers while limiting eavesdropping by potential predators. A possible mechanism for achieving this balance is for individuals to modulate the physical properties of their signals or to alter the proportion of time spent signaling, depending upon local levels of predation pressure. We test the hypothesis that prey can alter their visual signaling behavior to decrease conspicuousness and potentially limit predation risk via modulation of signal properties or display rate. To do so, we conducted a manipulative experiment in nature to evaluate the possible effect of predation pressure on …

Combining Experiment And Theory To Elucidate The Role Of Supercritical Water In Sulfide Decomposition, Yuko Kida, Caleb A. Class, Anthony J. Concepcion, Michael T. Timko, William H Green

Scholarship and Professional Work – COPHS

The cleavage of C–S linkages plays a key role in fuel processing and organic geochemistry. Water is known to affect these processes, and several hypotheses have been proposed, but the mechanism has been elusive. Here we use both experiment and theory to demonstrate that supercritical water reacts with intermediates formed during alkyl sulfide decomposition. During hexyl sulfide decomposition in supercritical water, pentane and CO + CO2 were detected in addition to the expected six carbon products. A multi-step reaction sequence for hexyl sulfide reacting with supercritical water is proposed which explains the surprising products, and quantum chemical calculations provide quantitative …

Arkansas Game & Fish Comm'n V. United States: When A Taking By Any Other Name Is Still A Taking: Why International Government-Induced Temporal Floods Should Be Governed By Takings Analysis, William C. Wollander

Duquesne Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dr. James E. Conyers: Trailblazer, Crystal Mikell Reynolds

Student Diversity Histories

Dr. James E. Conyers is an educator, researcher, writer, and noted sociologist. His remarkable career spans over fifty years, from humble beginnings in South Carolina, to service to his country, through his years in Atlanta as a mentor to some of the most noted civil rights activists of our time, to his tenure at Indiana State University. This Renaissance man continues to light fires and to inspire people wherever he goes.

Protocol For Culturally Responsive Organizations, Ann Curry-Stevens, Marie-Elena Reyes, Coalition Of Communities Of Color

Center to Advance Racial Equity Publications and Reports

Communities of color have long been marginalized in mainstream service delivery – invisible in terms of their access to resources and services, the adequacy of such services, and in the types of interventions available to members of the community. When available, organizations have been ripe with inequitable outcomes. Today, greater attention to racial equity exists, with local leaders of color having been able to leverage influence to ensure that stronger accountability exists among mainstream organizations in terms of how well communities of color are served, with heightened emphasis on the cultural responsiveness of the entire organization. At the request of …

Digital Media, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Students produce a short (3 to 4 minute) group (4/group) video production, detailing a biochemistry concept. The group decides the choice of content during the initial meetings and storyboarding of the idea(s). The content must address, in some way, a biochemical concept related to TFBC2001. This concept could be the basis of an important biochemical experiment, a creative explanation of a biochemical hypothesis, addressing a biochemical misconception, or exploring a biochemical model. The video can contain any form of multimedia (video, sound, audio, animation etc.) but it must be visual, engaging and creative.

2-Acylamido Analogues Of N-Acetylglucosamine Prime Formation Of Chitin Oligosaccharides By Yeast Chitin Synthase 2, Jacob Gyore, Archana R. Parameswar, Carleigh F.F. Hebbard, Younghoon Oh, Erfei Bi, Alexei V. Demchenko, Neil P. Price, Peter Orlean

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Works

Background: Chitin synthases are stimulated by N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Results: GlcNAc and 2-acylamido analogues of GlcNAc stimulate formation of chitin oligosaccharides by yeast chitin synthase, and GlcNAc is transferred to the 2-acylamido analogues. Conclusion: Chitin synthases use GlcNAc analogues as primers and transfer one GlcNAc at a time. Significance: Results are new insights into polysaccharide synthase mechanism and suggest ways of synthesizing novel modified polysaccharides. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Anthropology, 2014-2015, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

Academic Learning Compacts

The Academic Learning Compact for 2014-2015 for the Bachelor's of Arts in Anthropology.

Make Me A Sandwich: A Cultural History Of Domestic Kitchens In 19th Century America, Carter Goffigon

American Studies Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Circadian Rhythms Using A Non-Insulin-Dependent Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Mouse Model, Danielle Amaral

Undergraduate Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that affects the lives of millions. A type 2 diabetic is unable to properly produce insulin, a hormone that helps glucose enter the cells. As a result, there are high levels of glucose in the bloodstream, which can lead to heart disease, kidney and nerve damage and loss of eyesight. It is well known that some individuals are genetically prone to the disease, and studies have shown that a disrupted sleep/ wake cycle can increase an individual’s chance of developing diabetes. Insulin is secreted in a predictable daily (i.e., circadian) pattern from …

Size-Frequency Distribution Of Orbitolina Texana Foraminifera, Jeremy Foote

Undergraduate Review

This study examined size-frequency distributions for an extinct Cretaceous-age benthic foraminifera called Orbitolina Texana in order to determine the health of this foram community during the time of accumulation. Forams were collected from limestone outcrops of the Glen Rose Formation in central Texas. Based on paleontological and sedimentological evidence, Orbitolina Texana are interpreted to be a shallow water (<10 m) benthic organism that was most abundant in back-reef environments. Sizefrequency distributions were generated from the diameters of 4,245 Orbitolina Texana fossils. The results indicate that the Orbitolina Texana population is characterized by a Gaussian (normal) size distribution. Size-frequency distributions of fossilized foraminifera in the stratigraphic record are controlled by two principle variables; environmental controls that affect the biology of the organisms (e.g., environmental stressors, like food availability and ambient conditions) and sedimentological controls that affect how the organisms are distributed (e.g., hydrodynamic parameters, like waves and currents). Based on a sedimentological characterization of the host limestone including lack of high-energy sedimentary structures, high mud content and back-reef position on the depositional profile, hydrodynamic parameters are interpreted to not have exerted a significant effect on the distribution of the forams preserved in the rock record. As such, the biological controls are interpreted to be the dominate control on the foram sizefrequency distribution. Therefore, the Gaussian (normal) size distribution suggests that the mortality rate is independent of size/age, which is classified as Type II survivorship. As this result is consistent with similar taxon, the results indicate that this Orbitolina Texana population was a healthy biologic community, despite the low biologic diversity observed in the Glen Rose Formation.