Digital Commons Network^™

Cosleeping: A Universal Human Phenomenon, Sarah E. Nasatir-Hilty

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Biomedical And Biocultural Approach To The Hispanic Paradox, Tess Wianecki

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Nutrition Transition In California: Examination Of The Nutrition Profile, Desiree Rodriguez

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Design Analysis Of An Air Force Fuel Cell Maintenance Hangar, Andrew Carmean

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

A Fuel Cell Maintenance Hangar (FCMH) was constructed in 2013 based on a 2012 design; Figure 1.1.1 is a rendering shown below. This report evaluates the design for life safety, and property protection systems. The facility was designed based on Air Force standard prescriptive methods; the resultant design is compared to minimum prescriptive methods and to as-built drawings. In addition, the property protection design criteria were evaluated by simulating the maximum expected design fire in a hangar bay 1 using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Section 1 consists of a general overview of the FCMH including descriptions of the facility and …

Fully Accessible Raised Garden Beds, Ethan Lockwood

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

The Ranch, a local nonprofit that is a community gathering location for recreation and education, providing outdoor employment opportunities for area residents with developmental disabilities and a unique experience for volunteers and visitors., was lacking a farming and gardening environment that was fully accessible for all people including those in wheelchairs. This project provided substantial background research for the mission of The Ranch, demonstrated sustainable design, secured material donations, CAD modeled raised beds, and provided meaningful employment during the construction of the raised beds. The project resulted in three different raised bed designs that are all in use by The …

Insect Visitation Of Peduncular And Petiolar Extrafloral Nectar Glands On Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis L.) Plants In Southern California, Victor D. Carmona-Galindo, Taylor Waters, David Chirikian

Biology Faculty Works

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a myrmecophytic plant species with specialized extrafloral nectar (EFN) glands that serve to attract predatory insects, which in return defend plant-tissues against herbivores. The EFN glands on castor bean plants are located along the leaf petioles as well as on the peduncles of its imperfect (unisexual) flowers. This field-project evaluates the richness, diversity, and species assemblage of insects visiting EFN glands located on (female and male) flower peduncles and leaf petioles on castor bean plants growing in a Southern California coastal landscape. We detected that EFN glands on female-flower peduncles were visited by …

Chlorovirus Skp1 And Core Ankyrin-Repeat Protein Interplay And Mimicry Of Cellular Ubiquitin Ligase Machinery, Eric Andrew Noel

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a common target of several unrelated viruses that have evolved convergent strategies to redirect host ubiquitin machinery to serve their own needs. Members of the genus Chlorovirus, a group of large dsDNA viruses that infect certain freshwater chlorella-like green algae, encode a conserved Skp1 homolog and ankyrin-repeat (ANK) proteins, some of which contain C-terminal domains characteristic of cellular F-boxes or related viral PRANC domains. These observations suggested that this unique combination of chlorovirus proteins either interact with or imitate the key components of the SCF (Skp1-Cul1-F-box) ubiquitin ligases. Using mass spectrometry, we identified two functional …

The Role Of The N-Terminus On The Enzymatic Activity Of Dutpase From Dictyostelium Discoideum, Kyle C. Varon

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The enzyme deoxyuridine triphosphatase (dUTPase) (EC 3.6.1.23) converts dUTP to dUMP, thus shifting the dUTP to dUMP ratio in the cell. The molecule dUTP is subject to mis-incorporation into DNA due to lack of distinguishing by DNA polymerase. Uracil incorporation can be repaired with base excision repair mechanisms but may create overwhelming DNA strand breaks proving to be detrimental to the cell. Most dUTPases of eukaryotes are homotrimeric and contain five highly conserved motifs responsible for catalysis and substrate binding. Many dUTPases of eukaryotes possess a leading and core region in their sequence. The core region is composed of the …

The Elements Of Effective Program Design: A Two-Level Analysis, Michael Howlett, Ishani Mukherjee, Jeremy Rayner

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Policy and program design is a major theme of contemporary policy research, aimed at improving the understanding of how the processes, methods and tools of policy-making are employed to better formulate effective policies and pro-grams, and to understand the reasons why such designs are not forthcoming. However while many efforts have been made to evaluate policy design, less work has focused on program designs. This article sets out to fill this gap in knowledge of design practices in policy-making. It outlines the nature of the study of policy design with a particular focus on the nature of programs and the …

Identifying The Impact Of Universal College Testing On State Academic Testing At The Eleventh Grade, Kristi N. Thompson-Gibbs

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Universal American College Test (ACT) administration as part of a required high school assessment program on eleventh-grade students’ achievement on state level assessments. The study focused on four groups of eleventh-grade students. The first group, eleventh-graders who scored met on the 2010 NeSA Reading assessment and did not participate in the district implementation of the Universal ACT but took the 2010 ACT (n = 103). The second group, eleventh-graders who scored exceed on the 2010 NeSA Reading assessment and did not participate in the district implementation of the …

Quantifying Differences In Habitat Use Between Anglers And Large Bluegills, Eric J. Weimer, Michael L. Brown, Brian G. Blackwell

The Prairie Naturalist

We compared the habitat use of large (>200 mm) bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) to the locations of anglers targeting bluegills in a South Dakota glacial lake to determine whether habitat use was similar between anglers and bluegills. Eighty- five bluegills (mean total length = 213 mm) collected in September 2002 and May 2003 were affixed with external radio transmitters and subsequently relocated three to four times per week from October 2002 through October 2003. Bluegill angler locations were recorded during bluegill tracking sessions and roving creel surveys. Habitat variables (water depth, vegetation density and height, and substrate type) were measured …

Making Nature Whole: A History Of Ecological Restoration. William R. Jordan Iii And George M. Lubick., Daryl D. Smith

The Prairie Naturalist

Ecological restoration—the process of assisting the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed—is being incorporated into the fabric of our society. The practice of ecological restoration of natural areas developed and grew in the twentieth century in response to widespread human disturbance of natural communities. Undoubtedly, this type of restoration will continue to increase in importance in the coming decades given the extensive alteration of ecosystems that is occurring and that is showing no signs of abating.

As indicated in the promotional material for Making Nature Whole, Jordan and Lubick have provided a seminal publication for the …

Mammals Of North Dakota. First Edition. Robert Seabloom., Erin H. Gillam

The Prairie Naturalist

As a mammalogist living in the Great Plains, I was excited to hear about the publication of The Mammals of North Dakota by Robert Seabloom. No such field guide has been compiled since the late 1920s, leaving nature lovers and researchers alike without a modern source of information about the mammals of the state. Despite my enthusiasm, I will admit that I was originally expecting a standard (i.e., boring) field guide with dry facts about the taxonomic groups of interest. Much to my surprise, this book was not a mere list of relevant information, but an engaging work providing extensive …

Diurnal Raptors Of Buffalo County, Nebraska, Thomas L. Freeman

The Prairie Naturalist

Diurnal birds of prey are apex predators, which often are utilized as indicators of potential environmental change (Newton 1979, Rodriguez-Estrella et al. 1998). While the Platte River Valley of Nebraska and the central plains are recognized as important winter habitat for numer- ous bird of prey species (United States Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1981, Root 1988), there are few published studies describing the distribution and abundance of raptors in Nebraska (Mathisen and Mathisen 1968, Craighead and Craighead 1969, USFWS 1981). In addition, studies summarizing the long-term distribution or density of Falconi- formes in Nebraska are limited due to the …

Book Review: The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: A Century Of Discovering The Nature Of Nature. Michael J. Lannoo., Bonnie S. Bowen

The Prairie Naturalist

Iowa Lakeside Laboratory (a.k.a. Lakeside Lab) is one of several biological field stations that were established in the early 1900s and that have active educational and research programs today. Michael Lannoo’s account of the history of Lakeside Lab was initiated at the centennial celebration of the lab in 2009. Lannoo’s own connection with Iowa Lakeside Laboratory began as a student at Iowa State University and continues today as a member of the Lakeside Lab summer faculty and as Associate Director of Academics and Research. In his book, Lannoo describes field stations, and Lakeside Lab in particular, as educational institutions that …

Book Reviews: Video Surveillance Of Nesting Birds. Edited By Christine A. Ribic, Frank R. Thompson Iii, And Pamela J. Pietz., Marissa A. Ahlering

The Prairie Naturalist

Observations and studies of nests have been a central component of ornithology since its inception. Until recently, studies of nesting ecology were limited to human observation, making some types of information nearly impossible to obtain, such as nocturnal behavior, or difficult to study with adequate sample sizes, such as provisioning behaviors or cause of nest failure. The use of video photography to study the nesting biology of birds has exploded in the past decade, and the most recent volume of Studies in Avian Biology, Video Surveillance of Nesting Birds, has done a nice job of summarizing the history of camera …

Mate Replacement And Alloparental Care In Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo Regalis), Shubham Datta, Will M. Inselman, Jonathan A. Jenks, Kent C. Jensen, Christopher C. Swanson, Robert W. Klaver, Indrani Sasmal, Troy W. Grovenburg

The Prairie Naturalist

Alloparental care (i.e., care for unrelated offspring) has been documented in various avian species (Maxson 1978, Smith et al. 1996, Tella et al. 1997, Lislevand et al. 2001, Literak and Mraz 2011). A male replacement mate that encounters existing broods has options, which include alloparental care or infanticide. Infanticide may be beneficial in some species (Rohwer 1986, Kermott et al. 1990), but in long-lived avian species, like the ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) that do not renest within a season, infanticide might be detrimental. Adoption and rearing success likely provide direct evidence of competence of replacement mates as potential parents for …

Separation, Regulation, And Bio-Power In The West Bank, Farah Najjar

Theses and Dissertations

Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1993 following the Oslo Accords, Israel supposedly handed its duties of safeguarding the economic and social interests of the West Bank’s Palestinian population to the Palestinian Authority. In doing so, it allegedly followed a separation strategy and granted the Palestinian people the right to self-determination by allowing them to govern themselves. This essay uses Foucault’s ideas on power and governmentality to investigate whether Israel has truly ceased governing the Palestinian population and whether the PA is properly equipped to serve as a state apparatus. The essay’s central thesis is that, despite the …

Biological Surveys Of Selected Lower Grand River Streams: Ionia, Kent, Muskegon, And Ottawa Counties, Michigan, August-September 2014, Michigan Department Of Environmental Quality Water Resources Division

Faculty and Professional Research

The biologic integrity and physical habitat conditions of the lower Grand River (Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 04050006) and selected tributaries were surveyed during August and September 2014 by staff of the Surface Water Assessment Section (SWAS), Water Resources Division (WRD). The objectives of this study were to: 1. Evaluate the attainment status of the other indigenous aquatic life and wildlife (OIALW) designated use. 2. Identify and investigate effects of nonpoint sources (NPS) of pollution. 3. Satisfy monitoring requests submitted by internal and external customers.

Early Song Discrimination By Nestling Sparrows In The Wild, Daizaburo Shizuka

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Songs play an important role in premating isolation in birds. However, when songs are learned, expe- rience with both conspecific and heterospecific songs in early life could lead to the development of both mixed songs and mixed preferences. One way that such learning errors can be prevented is if birds can discriminate between songs of different species prior to learning and preferentially memorize conspe- cific songs. Prior captive studies have shown that white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys, are able to discriminate songs early in the process of song memorization, after about 10 days since hatching. I studied early song discrimination in …

Cathy Trask, Monstrosity, And Gender-Based Fears In John Steinbeck’S East Of Eden, Claire Warnick

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the concept of monstrosity has received renewed attention by literary critics. Much of this criticism has focused on horror texts and other texts that depict supernatural monsters. However, the way that monster theory explores the connection between specific cultures and their monsters illuminates not only our understanding of horror texts, but also our understanding of any significant cultural artwork. Applying monster theory to non-horror texts is a useful and productive way to more fully understand the cultural fears of a society. One text that is particularly fruitful to explore in this context is John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, …

Prioritizing Non-Marine Invertebrate Taxa For Red Listing, Neil Cumberlidge, Justin Gerlach Phd

Journal Articles

The IUCN Red List of threatened species is biased towards vertebrate animals, a major limitation on its utility for overall biodiversity assessment. There is a need to increase the representation of invertebrates (currently 21 % of species assessed on the List;\1 % of all invertebrates). A prioritisation system of terrestrial and freshwater groups is presented here, categorising taxa by species richness, assessment practicality, value for human land use and bioindication, and potential to act as conservation flagships. 25 major taxonomic groupings were identified as priorities, including the Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca and Onycophora. Of these, the high-level taxa that emerge as …

Ways Of Knowing In A Blended Learning Cohort, Dawn Michele Mcwilliams

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The following is a report on the content analysis of threaded discussion boards from three blended learning cohorts. The purpose of the content analysis was to determine whether an individual’s way of knowing (WoK), or epistemology, could be perceived through a content analysis of historical data in the form of online threaded discussion boards. The research question in this content analysis was “What ways of knowing emerge from online discussion threads within a yearlong university cohort?”

The researcher used a priori coding scheme based on the literature surrounding WoK to explore the online threaded discussions of three blended learning cohorts. …

Reporting Risk, Producing Prejudice How News Reporting On Obesity Shapes Attitudes About Health Risk, Policy, And Prejudice, Abigail C. Saguy, David Frederick, Kjerstin Gruys

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

News reporting on research studies may influence attitudes about health risk, support for public health policies, or attitudes towards people labeled as unhealthy or at risk for disease. Across five experiments (N = 2123) we examined how different news framings of obesity research influence these attitudes. We exposed participants to either a control condition, a news report on a study portraying obesity as a public health crisis, a news report on a study suggesting that obesity may not be as much of a problem as previously thought, or an article discussing weight-based discrimination. Compared to controls, exposure to the public …

Working Women And The Lilly Ledbetter Act: A Case Study On Misleading Rhetoric Of Equal Pay, Celia A. Deboer

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Since the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the wage gap in the United States has only decreased by eighteen cents; signaling that the battle over fair pay for women has gone on for too long. I argue that the neoliberal rhetoric around equal pay has to change to an intersectional approach where women can make legal claims based on many experiences of discrimination. I use the Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act as a case study to examine the history of equal pay in the United States and to provide recommendations on the future of equal pay.

Russian Women And Belly Dancing: Body Work, Fun And Transformation, Galina Khartulari

College of Communication Theses and Dissertations

The study explores how Russian women’s socio-cultural experiences can be understood through belly dancing and transformed in belly dance classes. The study findings are based on the analysis of eleven interviews with Russian women of various ages and occupations, engaged in belly dancing for an extended period of time. Drawing on belly dancing as an embodied practice within the Russian context, the findings demonstrate that initial expectations of Russian women regarding belly dancing mutated over time, and new meanings were attached to this bodily practice. The emergent meanings are broadly conceptualized within the following dimensions: (1) remedial effects of belly …

Racial Classifications, Biomarkers, And The Challenges Of Health Disparities Research In The African Diaspora., Latrica E. Best, John Chenault

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Current scholarly research, both sociologically and biologically based, continues to be inundated with notions of race operating as a biological construct and as a proxy for poor health outcomes. Medical research and practice have fostered an environment where diagnostics, treatment, and the creation and dissemination of drug regimens often are influenced by a patient’s skin color and ethnicity. The emergence of biological markers in social science-based surveys has fueled recent health disparities research that is shaping the meaning, interpretation, and policy of the health of people of color. Using hypertension as an example, this paper focuses on ways in which …

Do Trust-Based Beliefs Mediate The Associations Of Frequency Of Private Prayer With Mental Health? : A Cross-Sectional Study., Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Annie C. Bjerg, Benjamin D. Jeppsen, Don T. Wooldridge

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Significant associations of private prayer with mental health have been found, while mechanisms underlying these associations are largely unknown. This cross-sectional online study (N = 325, age: 35.74, SD: 18.50, 77.5% female) used path modeling to test if trust-based beliefs (whether, when, and how prayers are answered) mediated the associations of prayer frequency with the Anxiety, Confusion, and Depression Profile of Mood States-Short Form (POMS) scales. The association of prayer and Depression was fully mediated by trust-based beliefs; associations with Anxiety and Confusion were partially mediated. Further the interaction of prayer frequency by stress was association with Anxiety.

Life Challenges Among Ex-Offenders:A Needs Assessment, Ashley Williams-Queen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study explored the perceived needs of ex-offenders. Empirical research reports that individuals who have been incarcerated are at risk of recidivism. This study used a qualitative research design and the data was collected from in-depth interviews with ten participants. The study found that lack of income and education has impacted the number of individuals who are failing to successfully reintegrate into society. This study also revealed that the lack of employment, housing, community resources, correctional rehabilitation, and vocational training have the ability to challenge successful reintegration. This study recommends that an increase in transitional services be rendered to …

Healthy And Maladaptive Coping Strategies Among Master Of Social Work Students, Jody D. Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore healthy and maladaptive coping strategies among MSW students. The data was collected using self‑reported questionnaires. A total of 47 students participated in this study. Using the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping as a theoretical framework, this study assessed stress levels using the Perceived Stress Scale. The Brief COPE instrument measured coping strategies. The study found relationships between stressors and maladaptive coping and perceived stress. The study recommends that future research on coping strategies among MSW students include greater attention to training MSW students how to deal with stress during their MSW …