Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Geoscience Pedagogy At The Undergraduate Level, Kelsey Warden

Open Access Theses

This investigation used constructivist pedagogical methods within the framework of an introductory level undergraduate geoscience course to gauge both the changes in attitude and cognition of students. Pedagogy was modified in the laboratory setting, but maintained in the lecture setting and homework. Curriculum was also maintained in the lecture, but was changed in the laboratory to emphasize the large concepts and systems stressed in Earth Science Literacy Principles. Student understanding of these concepts and systems was strengthened by factual knowledge, but recall and memorization were not the goal of the laboratory instruction. The overall goal of the study was to …

Computer Animation For Learning Building Construction Management: A Comparative Study Of First-Person Versus Third-Person View, Jun Yu

Open Access Theses

In this paper, we have explored the effect of perspective view in educational animations on students' learning of building construction management tasks and on students' preference of perspective views. We conducted a pre-test and post-test and found no significant advantages of computer animation presented in different perspective views across three different groups. Results showed that although students have preference on perspective views, perspective views did not influence learning outcome. The study also investigated the efficacy of animation as a teaching/learning tool in comparison to the traditional textbook. Findings showed that animation enhanced student learning, although the difference was not statistically …

Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory Integrator July 2014

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Area 4 SCD Cooperative Research Farm: Celebrating 30 Years of Collaborative Research - 1

Message from Matt - 2

Friends & Neighbors Day - 3

Al Black in ND Ag Hall of Fame - 4

Efficient bale collection strategies - 5

Crop residue harvest economics - 6

Soil changes in long-term grazing - 7

Retirements - 7

Brief For Eighteen Criminal Law Professors As Amici Curiae In Support Of Petitioner, Steffen N. Johnson, Andrew C. Nichols, Eric M. Goldstein, Eric T. Werlinger, Richard W. Garnett, Stephen F. Smith

Court Briefs

No. 13-7451
John L. Yates v. United States of America

On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

From the Summary of Argument

The modern federal criminal code is vast and unwieldy: some 4,500 laws criminalize conduct ranging from stockpiling biological weapons (18 U.S.C. § 175) to falsely representing oneself as a 4-H Club representative (id. § 916). Moreover, a host of these laws are redundant. Indeed, some federal crimes—notably fraud and false statements—are independently prohibited by over two hundred different statutes. Combined with over 300,000 federal criminal regulations, the canon …

Field Documentation Of Summer And Fall Diet In Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels, Ictidomys Tridecemlineatus, Trevor Zimmerman, H. Thomas Goodwin

Posters, Presentations, and Papers

Prior work has shown a shift in stable carbon isotope values of Ictidomys tridecemlineatus incisors and fecal pellets late in the active season (Jang et al., 2012 and Chacko, 2013).

The purpose of this study was to find out if the diet of I. tridecemlineatus shifts from C3 to C4 plants during the late part of the active season through direct observation of feeding activities. Observations were made at the Andrews University Airpark in SW Michigan from July to late September, 2013.

Representative samples of plant and insect material fed on were collected and analyzed for stable carbon and nitrogen …

Dilution Of Dipolar Interactions In A Spin-Labeled, Multimeric Metalloenzyme For Deer Studies, Mahesh Aitha, Timothy K. Richmond, Zhenxin Hu, Alyssa Hetrick, Raquel Reese, Althea Gunther, Robert Mccarrick, Brian Bennett, Michael W. Crowder

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

The metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs), which require one or two Zn(II) ions in their active sites for activity, hydrolyze the amide bond in β-lactam-containing antibiotics, and render the antibiotics inactive. All known MβLs contain a mobile element near their active sites, and these mobile elements have been implicated in the catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes. However little is known about the dynamics of these elements. In this study, we prepared a site-specific, double spin-labeled analog of homotetrameric MβL L1 with spin labels at positions 163 and 286 and analyzed the sample with DEER (double electron electron resonance) spectroscopy. Four unique distances were …

Provocation Of The Battered Women: Normalization Of The Women's Expetience Through Syndrome, Radhika Chitkara

National Law School Journal

No abstract provided.

Discovery Of An Allosteric Site On Furin, Contributing To Potent Inhibition: A Promising Therapeutic For The Anemia Of Chronic Inflammation, Andrew Jacob Gross

Theses and Dissertations

Release Date: October 2017

Anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI) is a condition that develops in a setting of chronic immune activation. ACI is characterized and triggered by inflammatory cytokines and the disruption of iron homeostasis. Hepcidin, a small peptide hormone, is the master regulator of iron homeostasis, and rapidly responds to iron supply and demand. Under conditions of chronic inflammation, hepcidin is elevated, and alters the way that iron is absorbed and disrupted throughout the body, resulting in disrupted iron homeostasis through inhibition of the iron exporter protein ferroportin. Anemia arises when insufficient erythropoietic activity combined with inadequate iron supply …

Bioinformatic Solutions To Complex Problems In Mass Spectrometry Based Analysis Of Biomolecules, Ryan M. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Biological research has benefitted greatly from the advent of omic methods. For many biomolecules, mass spectrometry (MS) methods are most widely employed due to the sensitivity which allows low quantities of sample and the speed which allows analysis of complex samples. Improvements in instrument and sample preparation techniques create opportunities for large scale experimentation. The complexity and volume of data produced by modern MS-omic instrumentation challenges biological interpretation, while the complexity of the instrumentation, sample noise, and complexity of data analysis present difficulties in maintaining and ensuring data quality, validity, and relevance. We present a corpus of tools which improves …

Barriers To Native American Women Veterans’ Health Care Access On Tworeservations: Northern Cheyenne And Flathead, Luma Issa Al Masarweh

Theses and Dissertations

Little research has addressed the needs of Native American veterans. This study aims to provide a better understanding of Native American women veterans’ experiences using data from the Veteran Administration and Indian Health Services. Fifteen interviews were conducted with special attention to quality and quantity of health and mental health care services available to veterans, the barriers and local contextual factors in accessing and utilizing services, and potential solutions to service gaps for women veterans from two Montana reservations, the Northern Cheyenne and Flathead Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. American Indians and Alaska Natives serve at a higher rate in …

Becoming An Altruistic Learner, Aaron W. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

This master’s thesis is a qualitative research project that explored the transformation of multiple individuals who initially learned for self-interested purposes, but later had a shift in their desire to learn so as to benefit others. The author collected rich narratives that described this phenomenon and provided insight into the following question: what is the experience of a learner who transitions from learning out of self-interest to learning out of altruistic purposes? The author found the following five major themes across six participants as they transitioned to more altruistic learning: humility, self-efficacy, resources, success and agency. These themes give insight …

The Dominance Concept Inventory: A Tool For Assessing Undergraduate Student Alternative Conceptions About Dominance In Mendelian And Population Genetics, Joel K. Abraham, Kathryn E. Perez, Rebecca M. Price

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Despite the impact of genetics on daily life, biology undergraduates understand some key genetics concepts poorly. One concept requiring attention is dominance, which many students understand as a fixed property of an allele or trait and regularly conflate with frequency in a population or selective advantage. We present the Dominance Concept Inventory (DCI), an instrument to gather data on selected alternative conceptions about dominance. During development of the 16-item test, we used expert surveys (n = 12), student interviews (n = 42), and field tests (n = 1763) from introductory and advanced biology undergraduates at public …

Influence Of Different Concentrations Of Salt Stress On In Vitro Multiplication Of Some Fig (Ficus Carcia L.) Cultivars, Emr Metwali, Ias Hemaid, Hs Al-Zahrani, Sm Howlader, Mp Fuller

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

This work aimed to establish in-vitro plant formation from Ficus carica L. cultivars (i.e., Black Mission, Brown Turkey and Brunswick) and investigate their salt tolerance using different concentrations of NaCl. Plant growth regulators BAP, Kinetin, 2iP and NAA were evaluated during proliferation, elongation and rooting stages. Murashige and Skoog (MS) was the most superior medium for increasing explant development in most tissue culture techniques for all cultivars. BA was the best cytokinin for enhancing proliferation in cvs. Brown Turkey and Brunswick, while Kinetin was more effective in improving growth and greening parameters of cv. Black Mission. Shoot elongation of cv. …

Definition Of Periprosthetic Joint Infection, Javad Parvizi, Md, Frcs, Thorsten Gehrke, Md

Rothman Institute Papers

Diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains challenging as no “gold standard” for diagnosis exists [3]. The challenge is then what test(s) or criterion (ia) can be used to define PJI. In an effort to standardize the definition of PJI, Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) convened a workgroup in 2011 to issue diagnostic criteria for PJI [1]. The MSIS definition of PJI consists of two major criteria, when the presence of either criterion would indicate PJI, and six minor criteria, when the presence of four or more would indicate PJI.

Investigations Of Synthetic Models Of Mononuclear Nonheme Iron Dioxygenases, Michael Bittner

Dissertations (1934 -)

Ring cleaving dioxygenases, such as o-aminophenol dioxygenase (APDO) and extradiol catechol dioxygenases (CatD), play an important role in human metabolism and the degradation of aromatic pollutants, yet questions still remain concerning the enzymatic mechanisms. One area of the catalytic cycle that remains controversial is the geometric and electronic structure of the intermediate formed after O₂ binding to the Fe(II) centers. Synthetic model systems can be useful for studying enzyme active sites, as they are easier to modify and characterize than the enzymes themselves. However, synthetic models of APDOs have been relatively rare thus far. We prepared several monoiron(II) complexes …

From Pastorals To Paterson: Ecology In The Poetry And Poetics Of William Carlos Williams, Daniel Edmund Burke

Dissertations (1934 -)

Modernist poet William Carlos Williams died in 1962 - a landmark year in the history of the modern environmentalist movement. He did not live to see contemporary culture come to the deeper appreciation of humanity's place in the world which we now know as ecology. This dissertation will argue, however, that supporting his entire oeuvre of poetry are philosophical and poetic underpinnings which resonate strongly with - and usefully anticipate - our modern understanding of the interpenetrative relationship between natural and culture, human and nonhuman. I begin by tracing the roots of Williams's "ecopoetics" back to the father of Williams's …

Armstrong State University Faculty Handbook, Armstrong State University

About Armstrong (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Division Of Rheumatology New Frontiers, Debra Bergman, John Keenan

New Frontiers

Table of Contents

• Nebraska Arthritis Outcomes Research Center puts UNMC on cutting edge
• Medical education: A fresh perspective
• The reader
• Lupus study becomes international affair
• The puzzle of ‘the loss of self-tolerance’
• An icon in rheumatology
• Registry, research offer insights into RA risk factors
• On the RISE
• RAIN man
• A top-tier team player
• Faculty Publications & Research Awards

Sleep Quality And Alcohol Risk In College Students: Examining The Moderating Effects Of Drinking Motives, Shannon R. Kenney, Andrew P. Paves, Elizabeth M. Grimaldi, Joseph W. Labrie

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Objective

Sleep problems and alcohol misuse are common issues experienced by college students that can have detrimental effects on overall health. Previous work indicates a strong relationship between poor sleep quality and alcohol risk in this population. This study explored the moderating effect of drinking motives in the relationship between global sleep quality and experience of alcohol-related negative consequences.

Participants

College students (N = 1,878) who reported past-month drinking.

Methods

Participants completed online surveys assessing sleep and alcohol-related behaviors.

Results

Poorer sleep quality and higher drinking motives (coping, conformity, and enhancement) predicted greater alcohol-related consequences, controlling for drinking. Further, …

Stereotype Threat Among Black And White Women In Health Care Settings, Adam W. Fingerhut, Cleopatra M. Abdou

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The first of its kind, the present experiment applied stereotype threat-the threat of being judged by or confirming negative group-based stereotypes-to the health sciences. Black and White women (N = 162) engaged in a virtual health care situation. In the experimental condition, one's ethnic identity and negative stereotypes of Black women specifically were made salient. As predicted, Black women in the stereotype threat condition who were strongly identified as Black (in terms of having explored what their ethnic identity means to them and the role it plays in their lives) reported significantly greater anxiety while waiting to see the doctor …

Choice Tests: Application And Relevance In Terms Of Improving Husbandry Methods And Welfare Of Captive Animals, Emma Mellor

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Choice tests have been widely used across numerous species for a variety of reasons, including environmental enrichment preference, food and its presentation, enclosure and enclosure furniture preference, and mate choice. Choice tests can entail a cost to the animal, for example by making it work for access to a resource. The harder an animal is willing to work for a resource, or the higher the price it is willing to pay for it can reflect the importance of that particular resource to that individual. The use of choice tests can be useful in establishing what an animal wants or prefers …

Assessing The Impact Of Seasonal Variations On The Density Structure Of A Weak Freshwater Plume, Daniel Kelsey-Wilkinson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Freshwater plumes are features of periodically intense salinity stratification created by an ebbing tide. The dynamics of these features are important for biological events, such as the spring bloom. Using an undulating towed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) probe with a fluorometer attached, repeated sections were completed beyond Plymouth breakwater to a moored scientific station 9.6km offshore. These data were then gridded using linear interpolation and a density ratio was calculated at 3 positions: behind the plume, plume front and in front of the plume. The ratios of influence which thermohaline properties contribute to the density structure of a water column under seasonal …

Synthesis Of H-Branch Alkanes, Michael Wilde

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The complex composition of petroleum and the chromatographic challenge it presents has led to its study becoming a key field in contemporary scientific research. Rising concerns over the impact of petroleum within the environment have spurred the need to fingerprint and identify individual oils in order to understand its fate within the environment. The complexity of petroleum lies solely in its origins and thermal processes it undergoes during formation, resulting in it containing hundreds of thousands of different, unknown organic compounds. The majority of petroleum is observed in GC analysis as a ‘hump’ of unresolvable peaks; this characteristic hump is …

The Effects Of Spatial Variance, Temperature And Ph On Bacterial Community Composition In The Sea Anemone, Anemonia Viridis., Daniel Gilbert

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Marine organisms are well known to have associations with microorganisms and little is known about the specific nature of the microorganism host interactions. This study investigates the bacterial community composition in the sea anemone Anemonia viridis using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis; bacterial community composition was assessed for spatial variance. The results show that there was no significant variation within a location or between the locations. These results are concordant with previous studies and suggest that bacterial populations are stable in Anemonia viridis.

A Review Of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Focusing On Cardiac Involvement, Sophie Wright

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal x-linked recessive disorder, characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, accompanied by cardiac and smooth muscle dysfunction. Although the main cause of death in DMD used to be respiratory problems caused by deterioration of the diaphragm, developments in respiratory care means that cardiac failure is now the major cause of death, despite the introduction of cardio-protective treatment such as angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers. Once affected, the heart progressively deteriorates over time, with the main problem being due to the death of cardiomyocytes. A loss of dystrophin makes the sarcolemma more susceptible to damage, leading …

The Application Of Ecosystem Thresholds In The Management Of Tropical Coral Reefs: A Review And Synthesis, Alexandra Leeper

The Plymouth Student Scientist

A review and synthesis was carried out on the extensive literature concerned with ecosystem thresholds on tropical coral reefs to collate research carried out globally, and highlight gaps in the existing knowledge. This study aims to inform the future management of ecosystem thresholds of tropical coral reefs. Information was gathered from existing literature concerning ecosystem thresholds at named tropical coral reef locations and the distribution of studies was mapped in order to draw conclusions about the state of threshold research on coral reefs, and to make recommendations for future research and management. The synthesis highlighted the negative influence of removing …

Immunomodulatory Effects Of Lactobacillus Casei Shirota, Sarah Chorley

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are present in the intestine and the beneficial role played by these microorganisms in humans has been extensively reported. They are frequently used as probiotics to improve some biological functions in the host and various studies have found that probiotic bacteria provide a beneficial effect on gut mucosal function, suggesting their potential effect in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. LAB have been shown to activate both systemic and secretory immune responses via many complex interactions among the different components of the intestinal ecosystem, such as microflora, epithelial cells and other immune cells (Perdigon et al., …

The Impacts Of Tuna Fisheries On The Pelagic Ecosystem In The Central West Pacific Ocean, Charlotte Reid

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Poster submission

Do Microplastics Affect The Bioavailability Of Harmful Pollutants?, Vicky Sleight

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Poster presentation

Variation In Avian Egg Size And The Consequences For Offspring Fitness, Jennifer Grigg

The Plymouth Student Scientist

In oviparous species such as birds, the investment in egg size is thought to represent a strong mechanism through which maternal effects can influence components of offspring fitness. Within several avian species egg size varies significantly and is often positively correlated with hatchling phenotype, growth and survival. However, there is little direct evidence for strong positive effects of egg size on offspring quality. This review aims to evaluate the current understanding of the effects of egg size on offspring fitness and assess the factors which confound many of the studies investigating egg size effects. It is concluded that despite extensive …