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Utpa Commencement – Summer 2014, University Of Texas-Pan American

Edinburg Archives - Legacy Commencement Programs

2014 Summer Commencement - August 16, 2014 9:00 a.m.

2014 Summer Commencement - August 16, 2014 1:00 p.m.

Population And Metapopulation Ecology Of Childhood Diseases, Christian E. Gunning

Biology ETDs

Researchers have long used mathematical models and empirical data to explore the population ecology of childhood diseases such as measles and whooping cough. These diseases have proven ideal model systems for studying population dynamics over space and time. Here we present a novel dataset of weekly measles and whooping cough case reports in pre-vaccine era U.S. cities and states, along with a previously- studied dataset of measles in England & Wales. We first estimate per-population disease reporting probabilities. We find that disease reporting is highly variable over space and between diseases, and correlated with socioeconomic covariates including ethnic composition and …

The Microbiome Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Liam T. Lowrey

Biology ETDs

Commensal organisms are an integral part of all vertebrates, contributing heavily to development, pathogen defense, and metabolism. Commensals reside at different body sites within vertebrate animals creating unique and distinct communities that vary between locations. The human microbiome project has revealed distinct bacterial community compositions at the diverse range of body sites that have been sampled, providing evidence for different functional purposes of each microbiome. Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, serves as a model organism for the study of mucosal physiology and immunology. Teleost fish are evolutionarily important as one of the first jawed vertebrates with a dedicated adaptive mucosal immune …

Defining The Complexities Of Mef2 Function And Regulation In Drosophila, Tyanna L. Lovato

Biology ETDs

The development of cardiac and somatic muscle is coordinated by many factors that are highly conserved across species. Mutations in the coding or regulatory sequences of a gene can alter the structure, function or levels of expression of the protein it encodes. We have identified the genetic mechanism underlying the temperature sensitive mutation in MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2), which is required for the differentiation of all muscle lineages. In addition, we have identified a regulatory element upstream of the Mef2 gene that directs its expression from stage fourteen through the end of embryogenesis which is activated by the NK-homeobox …

Living On The Edge: A Comparative Phylogeographic Study Of Refugial And Insular Fragmentation, Yadéeh Escobedo Sawyer

Biology ETDs

Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles resulted in population isolation that led to inter- and intra- specific genetic divergence in many North American species. The magnitude of isolation also influenced species response to these climatic changes and set the stage for contemporary gene flow. We can refine our understanding of species response to historical climate change by identifying regions of ice-free persistence and refugia during glacial maxima, and geographic locations and genetic dynamics of post-glacial secondary contact. This dissertation examines the role of glacial cover, geographic barriers, habitat fragmentation as a result of changes in sea level, and insularity on the contemporary genetic …

Establishment Of Larrea Tridentata At The Northern Edge Of The Modern Mojave Desert: Insights From Neotoma Paleomiddens, Clare E. Steinberg

Biology ETDs

Shifting climates affect the composition of biological communities. If environmental conditions change sufficiently, new species can invade, leading to large-scale community turnover. Understanding how and why such shifts occur is crucial in this era of anthropogenic global change. Paleontological studies provide a valuable long-term perspective of the dynamics of community turnover. Here, we examine changes in the plant community over the past 34 thousand years in what is now the northern Mojave Desert. This time period includes the last glacial maximum as well as numerous smaller climatic fluctuations in the Holocene and the end of the Pleistocene. We quantified plant …

A New Species Of Chiasmocleis (Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae) From The Atlantic Forest Of Espírito Santo State, Brazil, João Filipe Tonini, Maruicio Forlani, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Among Neotropical microhylids, the genus Chiasmocleis is exceptionally diverse. Most species ofChiasmocleis were described in recent years based on external morphology, but recent studies using molecular data did not support the monophyly of the species groups clustered based on feet webbing. Furthermore, a phylogeographic study of C. lacrimae estimated high genetic divergence and low gene flow among populations across small geographic ranges. Increasing the molecular and geographic sampling, and incorporating morphological data, we identified new cryptic species. Herein, we used novel genetic and morphological data to describe a new species of Chiasmocleis.

Problems Associated With A Lipofuscin Extraction Method Used To Age Blue Crabs Callinectes Sapidus Cultured In Florida, Usa, Claire E. Crowley, Ryan L. Gandy, Kendra L. Daly, Edward S. Van Vleet

Marine Science Faculty Publications

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is an ecologically and economically important component of marine and estuarine ecosystems of the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Current stock assessments lack a clear understanding of the age structure of blue crab populations in Florida (USA). Blue crabs and other crustaceans are especially difficult to age because of the complex nature of their discrete, rather than continuous, growth patterns. Chesapeake Bay researchers developed a method of aging blue crabs by assaying the aging pigment lipofuscin extracted from eyestalk nerve tissue. Here we investigated the usefulness of that method in determining the age of …

Perspective Volume 2: Number 2, Summer-Fall 2014, College Of Health Care Sciences

Perspectives

No abstract provided.

Gper-Mediated Regulation Of Nuclear Akt/Foxo3a Signaling, Erin Zekas

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

17β-estradiol (estrogen) has been demonstrated to regulate survival in breast cancer cells, which is partially mediated by its nuclear receptors ERα and ERβ and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER). We previously established that estrogen can activate the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Kinase) prosurvival pathway via GPER stimulation resulting in PIP3 generation within the nucleus of breast cancer cells; the mechanism for this is still unclear. PIP3 generation results in Akt activation, which is known to inactivate FOXO3a, a proapoptotic transcription factor that translocates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm upon inactivation resulting in a decrease in proapoptotic gene expression and consequently …

Survey Of Illinois Law: Family Law, Rebecca J. O’Neill

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Yale University Faculty Handbook July 1, 2014, Yale University Office Of The Provost

Faculty Handbooks

No abstract provided.

Louisiana Agriculture Summer, 2014, Lsu Agcenter

Louisiana Agriculture

No abstract provided.

Chronic Stress Alters Concentrations Of Corticosterone Receptors In A Tissue-Specific Manner In Wild House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus), Christine R. Lattin, L. Michael Romero

Faculty Publications

© 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. The physiological stress response results in release of glucocorticoid hormones such as corticosterone (CORT). Whereas short-term activation of this response helps animals cope with environmental stressors, chronic activation can result in negative effects including metabolic dysregulation and reproductive failure. However, there is no consensus hormonal profile of a chronically stressed animal, suggesting that researchers may need to look beyond hormone titers to interpret the impacts of chronic stress. In this study, we brought wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus) into captivity. We then compared glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor concentrations in sparrows exposed …

Lawrence, Volume 95, Number 2, Summer 2014, Lawrence University

Alumni Magazines

No abstract provided.

2014 - 2015 University Catalog, Loma Linda University

University Catalog (2005 - present)

This is a one-year Catalog, effective beginning Summer Quarter 2014.

Volume 104, Number 1, July 2014

A Filtration System That Greatly Reduces Aluminum In Calcium Gluconate Injection, Usp Used To Prepare Parenteral Nutrition Solutions, Robert A. Yokel, Wesley R. Harris, Christopher D. Spilling, Vasiliy P. Abramov, Jason M. Lone, Robert J. Kuhn

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE: The study objective was to reduce aluminum (Al) in Calcium Gluconate Injection, US Pharmacopeia (USP) used in the preparation of parenteral nutrition (PN) solutions.

METHODS: A flow-through filter containing an immobilized chelator that complexes Al from Calcium Gluconate Injection, USP as it flows through the filter was designed, refined by design modifications, and extensively tested. When a small-volume parenteral vial containing 100 mL of Calcium Gluconate Injection, USP is connected on the inlet side of the filter, and the outlet side is connected to an evacuated receiving vial, the filtered solution is drawn into the receiving vial. This constitutes …

The Effect Of Antecedent Mood On Customer Loyalty Intentions: A Mood By Gender Interaction, Michael L. Thomas, Lindsay Levine, Linda Mullen

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This study suggests that induced antecedent moods may, in a systematic manner, influence subsequent levels of loyalty intention within consumer scenarios. Furthermore, this research finds that there exists differential responses to induced mood states by gender, which fall in line with research on the underlying gender differences in cognitive processing, levels of risk aversion, motivation, and the experience of emotion while shopping. Past studies in this area have shown only a mild connection between induced antecedent mood state and loyalty intentions, which may be due in part to the issue of an emotion by gender interaction. This paper reinforces previous …

Andrews Academy Students Visit Guatemala, Steven Atkins

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

The Civilian Cyber Battlefield: Non-State Cyber Operators' Status Under The Law Of Armed Conflict, Logan Liles

North Carolina Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Whole-System Agricultural Certification: Using Lessons Learned From Leed To Build A Resilient Agricultural System To Adapt To Climate Change, Mary Jane Angelo, Joanna Reilly-Brown

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article proposes a novel approach to addressing global climate change's impacts on agricultural production and food security. The climate change crisis is the most significant environmental issue facing our planet. The changes predicted to occur as the earth's climate warms include significant impacts to agriculture. At the same time that the planet is undergoing dramatic climatic changes, the global population is increasing, and economic development in many parts of the world is exerting increased demand for a greater and more diverse supply of food.

The relationship between climate change and agriculture is a close and complex one, as the …

A Framework Of Effective Debris Management For A Resilient Community, Jooho Kim

Open Access Theses

Natural disasters have an enormous physical impact on communities and generate a huge volume of debris. The amount of debris is almost five to ten times higher than the annual solid waste volume in a community, and slow debris removal can hinder both emergency response and proceeding with the tasks of recovery. The cost of debris management also can reach more than 27% of the total disaster recovery costs. Therefore, debris management teams have considerable challenges in removing disaster debris. ^ This thesis introduces a framework for an effective debris management plan based on the interrelationship between critical infrastructure systems …

The Combined Effects Of Anthropogenic And Environmental Stressors On Fundulus Grandis Development, Christopher Jacob Klinkhamer

Open Access Theses

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in the release of ~ 5 million barrels of crude oil from the Macondo wellhead into the Gulf of Mexico. Oil from the spill was documented on 1,772km of shoreline with 847km of shoreline remaining oiled a year after the spill, and 687km of shoreline remaining oiled two years after the spill. Currently, there are few data available concerning long-term, sublethal effects associated with chronic exposure to crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the anthropogenic-induced stress of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure, aquatic organisms living in estuarial areas of …

Perceptual Compensation In Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Elizabeth Anne Langston

Open Access Theses

Compensation for coarticulation is the extent in which an individual perceives the contextual variations of speech. When presented with an ambiguous consonant-vowel segment (e.g., a consonant halfway between /sa/ and /∫a/) research illustrates that a listener is likely to compensate for coarticulation with the following vowel. Therefore, a listener will be more likely to report an ambiguous speech sound as /s/ when it occurs before [u] than before [a]. Previous results have suggested that, within neurotypical individuals, the degree to which individuals compensate for coarticulation may be related to their Autism Quotient (AQ; Yu, 2010). However, this research did not …

Using The Microsoft Kinect To Assess Human Bimanual Coordination, Joshua James Liddy

Open Access Theses

Optical marker-based systems are the gold-standard for capturing three-dimensional (3D) human kinematics. However, these systems have various drawbacks including time consuming marker placement, soft tissue movement artifact, and are prohibitively expensive and non-portable. The Microsoft Kinect is an inexpensive, portable, depth camera that can be used to capture 3D human movement kinematics. Numerous investigations have assessed the Kinect's ability to capture postural control and gait, but to date, no study has evaluated it's capabilities for measuring spatiotemporal coordination. In order to investigate human coordination and coordination stability with the Kinect, a well-studied bimanual coordination paradigm (Kelso, 1984, Kelso; Scholz, & …

Physical And Chemical Attributes Of A Genetically Modified Fruit Pectin, Carl Patrick Littrell

Open Access Theses

Pectin is an important polymer used in the food industry as a thickening and gelling agent. Though pectin is ubiquitous in plants, chemical and structural differences among pectin molecules prevent most from being viable for industrial use. Enzymes found naturally in fruit cell walls during the ripening process impair many desirable attributes of fruit pectins, rendering them unsuitable for industrial applications. Pectin methylesterase (PME) is one such enzyme whose expression can be altered during ripening through the use of recombinant genetic engineering. Reduction in levels of PME results in increased degree of methylation and molecular size of pectin, greatly increasing …

A First Generation Digital Soil Map Of A Portion Of The Uasin Gishu Plateau, Kenya, John A. Lomurut

Open Access Theses

The western Kenyan highlands are among the most highly populated and productive areas in Kenya's "breadbasket" regions. It is important, therefore, to make optimal use of available land to enhance food security. The objective of this project was to develop a first generation digital soil map of a portion of the Uasin Gishu Plateau to be used for both teaching and extension. To support digital map production, we sampled five representative pedons and analyzed them for organic matter, pH, extractable K⁺, Ca ²⁺, Mg²⁺, Al⁺³, and P, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), base …

Investigation Into The Control Of Melittin Secondary Structure And Antimicrobial Activity, Zachary B. Molinets

Open Access Theses

Antimicrobial resistance has been an exponentially growing problem since the discovery of antibiotics. Antibiotics have been misused for many years and this misuse has grown into a real problem for the medical community. While there are countless safeguards to prevent infection by a resistant strain of bacteria, there are still many plagued by it and must be treated with sometimes dangerous antibiotics. Melittin, along with many other peptides, contain potent antimicrobial properties, but are also toxic toward enthrocytes. The control of the secondary structure of peptides provides the key to adjusting their activity.

Changes In Tundra Plant And Soil Organic Geochemical Composition In Response To Long-Term Increased Winter Precipitation In N. Alaska, Olivia Miller

Open Access Theses

Tundra ecosystem soils store half of the global soil organic carbon (SOC) pool and have the potential to release large amounts of greenhouse gases, primarily CH₄ and CO₂. As climates warm and permafrost thaws, the emissions of these gases as organic matter decomposition rates increase may become increasingly important to the chemistry of the atmosphere. Increases in precipitation that accompany warming, may shift tundra vegetative composition from moss/graminoid- to shrub-dominated systems. These vegetation shifts may result in important feedback effects as altered plant and litter chemistry may affect SOC storage in soils. Questions investigated include: 1) How …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Crystalline Iron Nanoparticles From Zerovalent Iron Sandwich Complexes, Anh Tue Nguyen

Open Access Theses

In this project we present a systematic study on the synthesis of crystalline iron nanocubes by thermal decomposition of an iron sandwich complex, ( π-C₅H₅)Fe⁰(π-C ₆H₇), in the presence of oleylamine and oleylamine.HCl as surfactants and n-decane as a solvent. The presence of oleylamine.HCl is essential for the reproducible formation of crystalline iron cores.^ Reaction parameters such as temperature, surfactant concentration, effect of counterion, and organoiron reagent structure were investigated in order to obtain iron nanoparticles with uniform size and shape. The nanoparticles, which were characterized by …