Digital Commons Network^™

Cryptic Diversity And Conservation Of Gopher Frogs Across The Southeastern United States, Stephen C. Richter, Eric M. O’Neill, Schyler O. Nunziata, Andrew Rumments, Emily S. Gustin, Jeanne E. Young, Brian I. Crother

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

Identifying cryptic biodiversity is fundamental to evolutionary biology and to conservation efforts. This study investigated range-wide genetic diversity of Gopher Frogs, Lithobates capito, across the southeastern United States coastal plain to determine implications for taxonomy and conservation. We collected data for two mtDNA regions in 21 populations to identify genetic structure across the geographic distribution of the species. Based on population genetic, phylogenetic, and genealogical analyses, we recovered three reciprocally monophyletic mtDNA lineages corresponding to mainland coastal plain populations and two lineages within peninsular Florida. Breakpoints for these lineages did not occur in previously identified hotspots of amphibian phylogeographic breaks …

Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia) Provide A 21st-Century Perspective On Infraspecific Ranks And Interspecific Hybrids: A Modest Proposal* For Appropriate Recognition And Usage, Aaron M. Ellison, Charles C. Davis, Pat Calie, Robert F. C. Naczi

Biological Sciences Faculty and Staff Research

The taxonomic use of infraspecific ranks (subspecies, variety, subvariety, form, and subform), and the formal recognition of interspecific hybrid taxa, is permitted by the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants. However, considerable confusion regarding the biological and systematic merits is caused by current practice in the use of infraspecific ranks, which obscures the meaningful variability on which natural selection operates, and by the formal recognition of those interspecific hybrids that lack the potential for inter-lineage gene flow. These issues also may have pragmatic and legal consequences, especially regarding the legal delimitation and management of threatened and endangered …

Ice-Binding Proteins That Accumulate On Different Ice Crystal Planes Produce Distinct Thermal Hysteresis Dynamics, Ran Drori, Yeliz Celik, Peter L. Davies, Ido Braslavsky

Physics Faculty Research

Ice-binding proteins that aid the survival of freeze-avoiding, cold-adapted organisms by inhibiting the growth of endogenous ice crystals are called antifreeze proteins (AFPs). The binding of AFPs to ice causes a separation between the melting point and the freezing point of the ice crystal (thermal hysteresis, TH). TH produced by hyperactive AFPs is an order of magnitude higher than that produced by a typical fish AFP. The basis for this difference in activity remains unclear. Here, we have compared the time dependence of TH activity for both hyperactive and moderately active AFPs using a custom-made nanolitre osmometer and a novel …

Pharmacy Matters - June 2014, University Of Mississippi. School Of Pharmacy

Pharmacy Matters Newsletters

Featured stories: "Student demonstrates a selfless spirit," "UM search for antifungal antibiotics marks 30th year," "New award honors faculty member and student," "Departments reorganized to support research enterprise," "Ross garners third medal for scientific collaboration," "Scholarship created to honor alumnus’ 60-year reunion"

Cpaf Updates Vol. 15 Issue No. 6, Stella Concepcion R. Britanico, Cristeta A. Foronda, Stoix Nebin S. Pascua, Catherine M. Punzalan

CPAf Updates

In this Issue:

• CISC forum tackles post-2014 CARP scenario, 1
• USAID BAWP gears for final year, 2
• Social Sciences in UPLB revisited, 3
• CPAf participates in ICRAF workshop on property rights
• Baconguis, Gasmen present studies on organic agriculture,5
• Pintor awarded best paper, 6
• Serrano awarded on T’boli paper, 6
• Salvacion, et al. research published in Elsevier journal, 8

Optical Properties Of De Vries Liquid Crystals And A Look At Ultra Thin Freely Suspended Smectic Films, Joshua P. Fankhauser

Physics

Liquid crystals exist as a fourth state of matter. They are anisotropic and due to this order, they affect light that passes through them, making them ideal candidates for optical study. By employing a basic technique for measuring a liquid crystal's birefringence and tilt angle, one is able to study a number of other properties such as the electroclinic effect. In addition, smectic liquid crystals have been studied intently because of their ability to create stable ultra-thin films of quantized layer thickness. These thin films have been studied due to the fact that they are an ideal system for investigating …

Scott Family, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

Research from birth and death records, deeds, newspaper references, directories, census records and the Hoopa agency census concerning the Scott Family. Earliest date mentioned: 1826, latest date mentioned: 2006, bulk dates 1890-1940.

Local Hero: The Journey To Malloryville Bog, Coalition For Education In The Outdoors

Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

This article reports an interview with Robert M. Beck author of The Journey at Malloryville Bog. Like the book, it shares an illuminating and intimate chronicle of environmental challenge and success. It is Robert Beck’s personal narrative about the collective effort to protect his cherished home and ecologically unique adjacent bog from destruction. Beck’s account of glacier-formed eskers, kames, and kettles, of diverse woodlands, swamps, fens, and bog, of mining applications and recurring environmental reviews, of uncertainty and long struggle, and of diligence, awesome teamwork, and phenomenal land deals is highly instructive for those who might also become involved in …

New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center Annual Technical Report Fy 2013, New Hampshire Water Resources Research Center (Nh Wrrc)

NH Water Resources Research Center Scholarship

No abstract provided.

2014 Summer - Schedule Of Classes, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

Registration Resources

No abstract provided.

The 24th Annual Research Conference Abstract Booklet, Nikki Lynn Rogers

University of Gondar Research Conferences

Staff members, postgraduate and senior undergraduate students of the University, invited guests and speakers participated in the conference. The annual conference of the University is meant to share experiences in research activities among juniors and seniors, staff and students, and invited guests. It is also meant to motivate students and young faculty to engage in research and also to initiate and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations. The findings of the studies and the resulting recommendations are expected to be used in solving the diverse societal problems we have been facing.

Research activities at the University of Gondar are primarily aimed at solving …

New A*Star-Smu Centre Combines High-Powered Computing And Behavioural Sciences To Study People-Centric Issues, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) will establish a Centre for Technology and Social-Behavioural Insights (CTSBI) to tap on high performance computing technology, big data analytics and behavioural sciences to study people-centric issues and human behaviour including how people think, feel and act in different settings. Such information can be used to enhance planning and address issues in different areas such as retail, logistics, urban planning, education and community development.

Reducing Black Carbon From Wood Burning In Fairbanks, Alaska, Kristine J. Beaudoin

Alaska Law Review

Fairbanks, Alaska has been home to air quality concerns for years. Heat sources like wood boilers emit black carbon, a pollutant akin to soot. In Fairbanks's harsh winters, black carbon is trapped close to the earth and creates health problems for residents. Black carbon has a more global effect as well, however, and climate scientists have recently begun to consider reducing black carbon emissions as a viable way to slow the pace of climate change. Fairbanks is uniquely situated to react to this call for action. Reducing black carbon emissions from wood burning in Fairbanks would not only contribute to …

Participatory Water Quality Assessment Through The Nh Lakes Lay Monitoring Program, Jeffrey Schloss

NH Water Resources Research Center Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Review Of The Institute Of Medicine’S Analysis Of Using Chimpanzees In Biomedical Research, Robert C. Jones, Ray Greek

Biomedicine and Animal Models in Research Collection

We argue that the recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine’s 2011 report, Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research: Assessing the Necessity, are methodologically and ethically confused. We argue that a proper understanding of evolution and complexity theory in terms of the science and ethics of using chimpanzees in biomedical research would have had led the committee to recommend not merely limiting but eliminating the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research. Specifically, we argue that a proper understanding of the difference between the gross level of examination of species and examinations on finer levels can shed light on important methodological …

Junf2014, Robert Kelly

Robert Kelly Manuscripts

From June 2014 Robert Kelly Archive

Fabrication And Testing Of Arabinan Cellulose Nanocomposites, Ross Johnson, Austin Rosso, Nick Semansky

Materials Engineering

Inspired by the structure and composition of cactus spines found in nature, arabinan-cellulose nanocomposites were fabricated into thin films and tested for mechanical stiffness. The composites consisted of varying amounts of nanocrystalline cellulose reinforcement suspended in an arabinan matrix. Both materials are polysaccharides and are known to be biodegradable and food safe. The thin film samples were tensile tested using a dynamic mechanical analysis machine both as-cast and after a heat-treatment. The heat treatment of the arabinan itself resulted in an order of magnitude increase in stiffness, while the cellulose reinforced composites increased roughly six fold. The arabinan-50 wt% cellulose …

Agriview, Summer 2014

AGRIVIEW

No abstract provided.

Manufacture And Mechanical Testing Of Thin Film Composites Composed Of Poly-Lactic Acid And Nanocrystalline Cellulose, Catherine E. Mohan

Materials Engineering

Society’s overuse of petroleum-based plastic products has created a waste problem that is threatening environments around the world. New efforts have been made to find a suitable replacement derived from a renewable source. Poly-lactic acid has become one of the front-runners in this search. It is derived from starches found in potatoes, corn, and other grains. There are many factors that make Poly-lactic acid-based polymers a suitable replacement for petroleum-based ones, but it still suffers from low mechanical strength due to low crystallinity percentages. Doping the polymer with nanocrystalline cellulose provides more nucleation sites for the crystallization of the polymer …

Micro-Irrigation Design For Avocado Orchard In California, Michael C. Meyer

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project encompasses the design and recommendations for a micro-irrigation system on an avocado orchard owned by Underwood Family Farms in Somis, California. The main objective of this report is to improve the existing irrigation system’s efficiency and uniformity with the new design and recommendations. The analysis includes information about good irrigation practices, irrigation system design and all the processes herein. Although there are many opinions on growing, irrigating and maintaining an avocado orchard, all of the methods, procedures and suggestions must be based on accurate data to provide reliable information to the grower. Evaluating the irrigation system and suggesting …

Sustainability: An Examination Of Trends In The Floral Industry, Emily Gaul

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Sustainability in the floral industry is a constantly changing subject. As more products are created for florists to use in their designs, sustainability will evolve and be redefined. The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainable trends in growing, designing, and marketing within the floral industry. As seen in the companies analyzed, each business plan constitutes a different set of practices that are utilized for the benefit of that company. An applied best practices analysis was conducted on the floral industry’s trends in sustainability. In the floral industry, businesses are shifting away from importing and focusing on local …

Literature For Girls And The Preadolescent Novel: A Historical Analysis And Recommendations For Challenging The Status Quo, Molly K. Pim

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Children’s literature has long been an influential historical, social and cultural discursive site of gender identity and gender appropriate behavior. Currently, there is great deal of research and analysis of children’s literature and young adult fiction, examining literature’s role in children’s and young adults’ process of identity formation, as well as their conceptualizations about gender identity and gender appropriate behavior. There is little research and interrogation, however, of the presence of traditional binary gender roles and representations of gender appropriate behavior in girls’ preadolescent novels, aimed at 8- through 12-year-olds. For much of the existing research, preadolescent novels are lumped …

Transcending Pathology, Transforming The Thinkable Transperson: Young Transpeople, The Law And Gender Self-Determination, E. L. Hunter

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

While contemporary attitudes, laws and policies in the U.S. toward lesbian, gay and bisexual people are increasingly more humane and just, transgender and gender nonconforming people continue to experience widespread structural oppression, discrimination and physical and psychological violence. Through a close analytic reading of fourteen contemporary court decisions involving young transgender and gender nonconforming people, this paper examines the seemingly neutral institutions of law and medicine and exposes how access to institutional resources hinges on a medically authorized diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder. It explores the harm caused by this pathology, its erasure of socialization, and its normalization of gender …

Metal Release From Serpentine Soils In Sri Lanka, Meththika Vithanage, Anushka Upamali Rajapaksha, Christopher Oze, Nishanta Rajakaruna, C. B. Dissanayake

Biological Sciences

Ultramafic rocks and their related soils (i.e., serpentine soils) are non-anthropogenic sources of metal contamination. Elevated concentrations of metals released from these soils into the surrounding areas and groundwater have ecological-, agricultural-, and human health-related consequences. Here we report the geochemistry of four different serpentine soil localities in Sri Lanka by coupling interpretations garnered from physicochemical properties and chemical extractions. Both Ni and Mn demonstrate appreciable release in water from the Ussangoda soils compared to the other three localities, with Ni and Mn metal release increasing with increasing ionic strengths at all sites. Sequential extraction experiments, utilized to identify “elemental …

Neuronostatin Inhibits Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion Via Direct Action On The Pancreatic Α-Cell, Alison S. Salvatori, Mollisa M. Elrick, Willis K. Samson, John A. Corbett, Gina L.C. Yosten

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Neuronostatin is a recently described peptide hormone encoded by the somatostatin gene. We previously showed that intraperitoneal injection of neuronostatin into mice resulted in c-Jun accumulation in pancreatic islets in a pattern consistent with the activation of glucagon-producing α-cells. We therefore hypothesized that neuronostatin could influence glucose homeostasis via a direct effect on the α-cell. Neuronostatin enhanced low-glucose-induced glucagon release in isolated rat islets and in the immortalized α-cell line αTC1-9. Furthermore, incubation with neuronostatin led to an increase in transcription of glucagon mRNA, as determined by RT-PCR. Neuronostatin also inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from isolated islets. However, neuronostatin did …

Pparγ Negatively Regulates T Cell Activation To Prevent Follicular Helper T Cells And Germinal Center Formation, Hong-Jai Park, Do-Hyun Kim, Jin-Young Choi, Won-Ju Kim, Ji Yun Kim, Ali Senejani, Soo Seok Hwang, Lark Kyun Kim, Zuzana Tobiasova, Gap Ryol Lee, Joseph Craft, Alfred L.M. Bothwell, Je-Min Choi

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a transcription factor that regulates lipid and glucose metabolism. Although studies of PPARγ ligands have demonstrated its regulatory functions in inflammation and adaptive immunity, its intrinsic role in T cells and autoimmunity has yet to be fully elucidated. Here we used CD4- PPARγ KO mice to investigate PPARγ -deficient T cells, which were hyper-reactive to produce higher levels of cytokines and exhibited greater proliferation than wild type T cells with increased ERK and AKT phosphorylation. Diminished expression of IκΒα, Sirt1, and Foxo1, which are inhibitors of NF-κΒ, was observed in PPARγ-deficient T cells that …

Strengthening Nyc Middle-Grades Learning In & Out Of School: Five Recommendations To The Mayor, Partnership For After School Education, Ford Foundation, Bank Street College Of Education

Books

A paper urging Mayor de Blasio and his team to consider insights and recommendations about middle-grades learning in New York City. Moving away from outdated assumptions about adolescence and schooling, this work suggests and expands upon the following:

1. Reframe middle-grades learning as a community responsibility.

2. Focus accountability on student learning and development in and out of school.

3. Strengthen middle-grades schools as centers of youth development.

4. Incentivize innovative designs.

5. Prepare and support a range of adults to foster middle-grades learning in and out of school.

West Coast Rock Lobster Harvest Strategy And Control Rules 2014 - 2019, Western Australian Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

The Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (the Act) provides the overarching legislative framework for management of the West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery (the Fishery). The objects of the Act are: (a) to develop and manage fisheries and aquaculture in a sustainable way; and (b) to share and conserve the State’s fish and other aquatic resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations.

West Coast Rock Lobster Harvest Strategy And Control Rules : 2014 – 2019, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

A Narrative Study Of Novice Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Science Instruction, Roberta Harrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is hoped that, once implemented, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will engage students more deeply in science learning and build science knowledge sequentially beginning in Kindergarten (NRC, 2013). Early instruction is encouraged but must be delivered by qualified elementary teachers who have both the science content knowledge and the necessary instructional skills to teach science effectively to young children (Ejiwale, 2012, Spencer, Vogel, 2009, Walker, 2011). The purpose of this research study is to gain insight into novice elementary teachers’ perceptions of science instruction.

This research suggests that infusion of constructivist teaching in the elementary classroom is beneficial …