Digital Commons Network^™

Trans Enough : Trans/Gender Identities And (Mis)Representation In Social Work, Christopher C. Hamann

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study critically examines the current discourse in social work on transgender individuals in an attempt to be a starting point for those seeking to gain a better understanding of the ways in which the profession has conceptualized and served this population over the last 25 years. Queer theory and critical discourse analysis were used to analyze a final sample of 30 social work articles that focus on the transgender subject. Analytical focus was aimed at the production and reproduction of social norms, particularly those that function through heteronormativity, as well as forces of power operating within the discourse. Through …

Perceived Stress Levels Of Individuals Who Practice Yoga In Comparison To Individuals Who Participate In Other Forms Of Exercise, Chelsey R. Silveria

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored if the perceived stress levels of individuals was influenced by the activity they engaged in, yoga or other forms of exercise. Additionally, factors of practicing yoga or another from of exercise were examined to determine their influence on perceived stress such as length of time, frequency, form, and longevity of the activity. The sample was found using a nonpropability convince sample in addition to snowball sampling. Participants consisted of 85 individuals (75% white), however only 50 participants qualified as well as completed all questions on the Perceived Stress Scale and thus were the only individuals considered. Participants …

Integrated Effect Of Different N-Fertilizer Rates And Bioslurry Application On Growth And N-Use Efficiency Of Okra (Hibiscus Esculentus L.), Muhammad Shahbaz, Muhammad Javed Akhtar, Wazir Ahmed, Abdul Wakeel

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Bioslurry obtained from biogas plants has the potential to reduce the use of expensive chemical fertilizers and increase yields. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the growth response and yield production of okra fertilized with various combinations of bioslurry and nitrogen fertilizer. The experiment was planned according to randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Bioslurry was analyzed for its composition and was applied at the rate of 600 kg ha^{-1} along with 50%, 75%, and 100% of the recommended dose of N fertilizer for the production of okra. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were added according to recommended rates …

Growth And Nodulation Of Alfalfa-Rhizobia Symbiosis Under Salinity: Electrolyte Leakage, Stomatal Conductance, And Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Lahbib Latrach, Mohamed Farissi, Mohammed Mouradi, Bouchra Makoudi, Abdelaziz Bouizgaren, Cherki Ghoulam

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The present work was a study on the adverse effects of salinity on growth, nodulation, and some physiological parameters in 4 symbiotic combinations involving 2 Moroccan alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) populations (Demnate and Tata) and 2 rhizobial strains (rhLAr 1 and rhLAr 4). The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse at 32/22 °C day/night, 50%-80% relative humidity, and a photoperiod of 16 h. The seedlings were separately inoculated with suspensions of 2 rhizobial strains and grown under 2 NaCl treatments, 0 mM (control) and 100 mM (salt stress), in plastic pots filled with sterile sand and peat at 9/10 and …

Microbiological, Steady, And Dynamic Rheological Characterization Of Boza Samples: Temperature Sweep Tests And Applicability Of The Cox-Merz Rule, Muhammet Arici, Nevruz Berna Ersöz, Ömer Sai̇d Toker, Mustafa Tahsi̇n Yilmaz, Hasan Cankurt, Muhammed Zeki̇ Durak, Osman Sağdiç

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Boza is a beverage produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast, which affects rheological properties. In the present study, boza samples collected from a local market were characterized with reference to microbiological and rheological approaches. The boza samples were characterized with respect to their microbiological population, i.e. the numbers of LAB and yeast. The numbers of LAB and yeast were found to range from 2.88 × 10^6 to 2.06 × 10^{10} CFU/mL and from 3.71 × 10^3 to 9.40 × 10^5 CFU/mL, respectively. Their steady and dynamic rheological properties were investigated within the temperature range of 0-50 °C. Apparent …

Somatic Embryogenesis And Encapsulation Of Immature Bulblets Of An Ornamental Species, Grape Hyacinths (Muscari Armeniacum Leichtlin Ex Baker), Bahti̇yar Buhara Yücesan, Feri̇de Çi̇çek, Ekrem Gürel

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

An efficient in vitro regeneration system was developed for the ornamental Muscari armeniacum on Linsmaier and Skoog basal medium (LS) supplemented with benzyladenine (BA) at varying concentrations (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/L) alone or in combination with 0.5 mg/L alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The highest mean number of direct somatic embryo formations was observed on LS medium containing 2.0 mg/L BA and 0.5 mg/L NAA, with a mean of 7.9 somatic embryos per explant after 10 weeks of culture. Green nodular calli induced on LS medium containing 5.0 mg/L BA alone or in combination with 0.5 mg/L NAA were transferred …

Design And Study Of The Efflux Function Of The Egfp Fused Mexab-Oprm Membrane Transporter In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Using Spectroscopy, Feng Ding, Kerry J. Lee, Ardeschir Vahedi-Faridi, Hiroshi Yoneyama, Christopher J. Osgood, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Multidrug membrane transporters (efflux pumps) can selectively extrude a variety of structurally and functionally diverse substrates (e.g., chemotoxics, antibiotics), leading to multidrug resistance (MDR) and ineffective treatment of a wide variety of diseases. In this study, we have designed and constructed a fusion gene (egfp-mexB) of N-terminal mexB with C-terminal egfp, inserted it into a plasmid vector (pMMB67EH), and successfully expressed it in the Δ MexB (MexB deletion) strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosato create a new strain that expresses MexA-(EGFP-MexB)-OprM. We characterized the fusion gene using gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, and determined its expression in live …

Shadow Dwellers: The Underregulated World Of State And Local Dna Databases, Stephen Mercer, Jessica D. Gabel

Faculty Publications By Year

No abstract provided.

Super Soldiers: The Ethical, Legal And Operational Implications (Part 2), Patrick Lin, Max Mehlman, Keith Abney, Shannon French, Shannon Vallor, Jai Galliott, Michael Burnam-Fink, Alexander R. Lacroix, Seth Schuknecht

Philosophy

This is the second chapter of two on military human enhancement. In the first chapter, the authors outlined past and present efforts aimed at enhancing the minds and bodies of our warfighters with the broader goal of creating the “super soldiers” of tomorrow, all before exploring a number of distinctions—natural vs. artificial, external vs. internal, enhancement vs. therapy, enhancement vs. disenhancement, and enhancement vs. engineering—that are critical to the definition of military human enhancement and understanding the problems it poses. The chapter then advanced a working definition of enhancement as efforts that aim to “improve performance, appearance, or capability besides …

Health And Human Rights, Jonathan Todres

Faculty Publications By Year

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Damaged Bases On The End Joining Of Dna Double Strand Break Ends, Duaa Bafail

Theses and Dissertations

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs ) are extremely toxic to cells because they can lead to genomic rearrangements and even cell death. Two main pathways can repair DSBs: the homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway and the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathway. NHEJ is the primary repair pathway in mammalian cells. HRR repairs single strand breaks (SSBs) or DSBs, mostly during late S phase and G2 phase of the cell cycle, by using an undamaged copy of the DNA sequence, and is therefore largely error-free, while the NHEJ pathway repairs DSBs without the requirement for sequence homology, may be error-free or error-prone, …

The Role Of Authoritative Parenting In Type 1 Diabetes Adolescent Outcomes, Zach Radcliff

Theses and Dissertations

Due to psychosocial and hormonal changes, adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) are at risk for poorer regimen adherence, quality of life (QOL), and glycemic control (HbA1c). Authoritative parenting (AP) supports youth development during the transition into adolescence. To date, the mechanisms behind authoritative parenting and better HbA1c are yet to be examined. Parent-youth dyads completed measures of authoritative parenting, adherence, and QOL. As hypothesized, more authoritative parenting related to higher socioeconomic status (SES; β = -.13, p = .04) rather than ethnicity. Further, more authoritative parenting related to better glycemic control via the mechanisms of higher youth QOL (β …

Accommodation, Establishment, And Freedom Of Religion, Richard W. Garnett

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

Ethics Consultations And Conflict Engagement In Health Care, Charity Scott

Faculty Publications By Year

This article explores the intersection of two professional fields - bioethics and clinical ethics consultation in health care on one hand, and alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") and conflict management on the other - which until recent years remained relatively unknown to each other. It marries the literatures and lessons of these two fields in order to promote the quality of ethics consultations in hospitals and other health care organizations. * Increasingly, health care ethics committees and consultants acknowledge the need to employ the frameworks, approaches, and tools of good conflict management to do their work effectively. Similarly, conflict specialists and …

Undoing Race? Reconciling Multiracial Identity With Equal Protection, Lauren Sudeall Lucas

Faculty Publications By Year

The number of multiracial individuals in America, many of whom define their racial identity in different ways, has grown dramatically in recent years and continues to increase. From this demographic shift a movement seeking unique racial status for multiracial individuals has emerged. The multiracial movement is distinguishable from other race-based movements in that it is primarily driven by identity rather than the quest for political, social, or economic equality. It is not clear how equal protection doctrine, which is concerned primarily with state-created racial classifications, will or should accommodate multiracialism. Nor is it clear how to best reconcile the recognition …

Mother's Experience Of Social Media: Its Impact On Children And The Home, Abe Van Hatch

Theses : Honours

With the prevalence and accessibility of social media within the last 15 years it has become possible for children to have constant access to their friends and social networks. It is relatively unknown what impact adopting social media has on children and how mothers interpret this. There are gaps in the literature investigating the pervasive effects of modern technology and what meaning mothers ascribe to their children using social media as a method of connecting with the world. The present research aims to explore this phenomenon by investigating the experiences of mothers who have children that have recently adopted social …

Graphene-Like 2-D Nanomaterials And Their Properties, Diana Daikie Aggudey

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Graphene, unlike other carbon allotropes has recently been the subject of interest in the field of nano material research. Graphene is being utilized as the building block for graphitic materials such as the 0-D fullerenes, 1-D nanotubes and 3-D graphites. Graphene is a single layer material, made up of interconnected hexagons of sp bonded carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb crystal lattice. Graphene and its derivatives have been shown in previous studies/research to exhibit exceptional high electronic and thermal conductivity, optical transparency and high specific surface area additional to outstanding mechanical flexibility and environmental stability. Graphene is amongst the most …

Technical And Structural Experimentation In Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius And Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, Samantha Branin

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis discusses the experimental writing techniques of two contemporary American authors, Dave Eggers and Jonathan Safran Foer, in their works A Heartbreaking Work o f Staggering Genius and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, respectively. These authors’ narrative experiments are examined and contextualized through the lens of trauma theory, a practice of literary analysis that relies upon studies of the effects of trauma, most specifically the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Branin posits that Eggers’ and Foer’s experimental narrative choices—e.g. shifts in form and narrator, the use of circuitous and non-chronological narratives, typographical experiments, and the use of images instead …

Effects Of Ph On Glia Proliferation And Apoptosis, Jodie Lee Kunkel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the highest-grade glioma and the most malignant form of astrocytoma (Brat and Mapstone, 2003; Hjelmeland and others). Diagnosis of GBM carries a prognosis of less than 14 months after diagnosis, despite surgical intervention, radiation, and chemotherapy (Hjelmeland and others). Unfortunately, the prognosis of GBM has remained unchanged over the last thirty years, even with abundant resources devoted to research (Barres, 2008). GBM tumors have a low intracellular pH that results in increased levels of proliferation and decreased levels of apoptosis. As a result, astrocytes, the cell type responsible for GBM, have been cultured and evaluated to …

Behavioral Response Of N. Spring Peepers (Pseudacris Crucifer) To A Common Road De-Icer, Nacl, Kara Lindstrom

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Amphibians are highly susceptible to environmental degradation in the form of pollution and are therefore considered an indicator for pollutants. Amphibian populations have been on the decline in recent years and possible causes have been subject of much recent research. One possible contributor to the decline is the effect of the use of road de-icing salts on the availability of viable habitat choices. Road salt, primarily NaCl, is one of the leading contributors of chloride in aquatic environments in northern climates. Salt from road run-off has the ability to affect amphibians directly by causing a reduction in offspring fitness, resulting …

Antioxidant Effects Of Selenium Upon Exposure To Zinc And World Trade Center Particulate Matter In Prokaryotic And Eukaryotic Systems, Jagruti Patel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The antitoxic effect of selenium on zinc has been evaluated in different levels of living organisms. The growth was observed under various concentrations of zinc chloride as well as zinc chloride (ZnCl₂)/Selenium dioxide (SeO₂) using direct count and turbidity method while morphology and DNA is studied by performing DAPI stain. In prokaryotic Synechococcus sp. IU 625 (SIU 625), the growth was very similar to the control at the concentrations of lOmg/L, but reduced at 25mg/L while 50mg/L ZnCl₂ was lethal dosage and hence inhibited the growth completely. Morphological study indicated that the cells become longer …

High-Level Expression Of The Brugia Malayi Protein Kinase, Bm-Mpk 1, In Insect Sf9 Cells, Arti Rana

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Lymphatic Filariasis (elephantiasis) is a neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematodes Brugia malayi (B. malayi), Brugia timori, and Wuchererici Bancrofti (1,8). These parasites are present in over 83 counties in the tropics and sub-tropics where more than 1.4 billion people are at risk of infection and 130 million people are presently infected (1,7). Previous work from our lab has led to the identification and expression of a B. malayi stress-activated protein kinase, Bm-MPKl (a human p38/C. elegans PMK-1 ortholog). Bm-MPKl plays an important role in the parasites’ protection against oxidative stress (1), and as such is a potential …

Gothic Servants : Mothering Power Under The Guise Of Servility, Valerie Jean Santo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this paper I challenge many of the previous readings and analysis of the Gothic servant and mother figures found in the American Gothic works of Henry James and Edith Wharton. Much of the Gothic tradition focuses on moral and social transgressions and their impact on morality and status. Because so many critics chose to focus on the impact of social hierarchies and the horrifying impact of the lower class abducting the role of the upper-class of whom they serve, often times those women in the role of the caretaker and nurturer are painted as social climbers concerned only with …

The Group Iva Cytosolic Phospholipase A2/C1p Interaction And Its Role In Eicosanoid Synthesis And Inflammation, Jennifer A. Mietla

Theses and Dissertations

In the presented study, we demonstrate that the interaction of group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 and ceramide-1-phosphate is crucial for production of eicosanoid synthesis in inflammation. Inflammation is a critical component of many disease states including anaphylaxis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and asthma. Eicosanoids are well established mediators of inflammation, and the initial rate limiting step in the production of eicosanoids is the liberation of arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids by a phospholipase A2 (PLA2). The major phospholipase involved in this liberation of AA during the inflammatory response is group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α). Previous studies …

Assessing Resilience In Stressed Watersheds, Kristine T. Nemec, Joana Chan, Christina Hoffman, Trisha L. Spanbauer, Joseph A. Hamm, Craig R. Allen, Trevor Hefley, Donald Pan, Prabhakar Shrestha

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Although several frameworks for assessing the resilience of social-ecological systems (SESs) have been developed, some practitioners may not have sufficient time and information to conduct extensive resilience assessments. We have presented a simplified approach to resilience assessment that reviews the scientific, historical, and social literature to rate the resilience of an SES with respect to nine resilience properties: ecological variability, diversity, modularity, acknowledgement of slow variables, tight feedbacks, social capital, innovation, overlap in governance, and ecosystem services. We evaluated the effects of two large-scale projects, the construction of a major dam and the implementation of an ecosystem recovery program, on …

Power And Governance In Patent Pools, Michael Mattioli

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The recent influx of patent pools, research consortia, and similar cooperative groups led by companies at the vanguard of American innovation has raised a pressing question: How does collective action influence the incentive to innovate? This question hinges on how patent pools are internally governed — a topic that has not been deeply examined by legal scholars. Through an original study of fifty-two private agreements, this Article pulls back the veil on patent licensing collectives to examine whether such organizations are designed to encourage long-term innovation.

This study draws on collective patent license agreements spanning the years 1856 to 2013 …

Area Based Fan Beam Projection Model For Computed Tomography, Phillip J. Stevens

Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium (Archived)

Computed tomography (CT) is image reconstruction of objects using computer processed transmission or reflection data, usually referred to as projection data, from x-ray scanning. This projection data is often modeled using line integrals, but x-rays are of finite width in reality, so the accuracy of the projection data can be improved if an area based approach is used instead. In addition emitter beam shapes affect the reconstruction effectiveness and data collection efficiency, with the two main types of beam choice for 2-D scanning being fan beam and parallel beam. Fan beam scanning offers some advantages over parallel beam, such as …

Armstrong State University 2014 Fact Book, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Office of Institutional Research: Armstrong Fact Books (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Applying Spiking Neural Network Simulation To Neuromodulatory Autonomous Robot Control, Cameron Muhammad

Phi Kappa Phi Research Symposium (Archived)

In this paper, simulation of the brain based on an artificial spiking neuron model is used to create a self-learning algorithm. The spiking neuron simulation is used to demonstrate a neuromodulation program in which the reward seeking properties of dopamine, the risk-adverse effects of serotonin, and the attention-focusing effects of the cholinergic and noradrenergic systems are applied to a mobile robotic platform as it moves autonomously throughout an environment. External stimuli is recorded by the program as spiking “events” that result in corresponding amounts of dopamine and serotonin influenced spiking patterns. These spiking patterns affect how the robot adapts to …

A Professional Learning Community Activity For Science Teachers: How To Incorporate Discourse-Rich Instructional Strategies Into Science Lessons, Elizabeth Lewis, Dale Baker, Nievita Bueno Watts, Michael Lang

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this article we describe current educational research underlying a comprehensive model for building a scientific classroom discourse community. We offer a professional development activity for a school-based professional learning community, providing specific science instructional strategies within this interactive teaching model. This design activity provides a quick and practical means of transforming science lessons to be more engaging for students. Through this activity teachers can redesign any science lesson by focusing on each of the five core components of a scientific classroom discourse community: (a) scientific inquiry, (b) oral discourse, (c) written discourse, (d) academic language development, and (e) learning …