Digital Commons Network^™

An Alloy Of Steel And Information And Communication Technology (Ict): Does It Facilitate Trade?, Volodymyr Shemayev

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the last 20 years, particularly proliferation of the Internet, fixed-telephones, and mobile phones, have significantly reshaped the way modern firms do their business. The economic literature suggests that ICT could be a potential trade-enabler, given its ability to reduce costs of search and communication between trade partners. This research intends to examine whether ICT affects countries’ capabilities to export steel and its articles. To estimate the impacts of the Internet, mobile phones, and fixed-telephones on bilateral trade flows in the steel industry, I apply various gravity model specifications, including those capturing …

Juvenile Age Estimation Using Cranial Ratios, Rachel Lucille Fife

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Age estimation of juvenile crania can be accomplished with accuracy from dentition. In the absence of dentition there is not a sufficient substitute for reliably establishing age. I offer an alternative means of age estimation using cranial ratios, which are informative because of the differential growth rates of the orbits, facial bones, and cranial vault. I took 40 measurements from 76 crania and statistically analyzed ratio relationships among them to produce equations for age estimation. Accuracy of age estimation using cranial ratios increases with the number of measurements used. Ratios reduce the effect of size differences due to sex, but …

Public Power, Private Matters: The American Social Hygiene Association And The Policing Of Sexual Health In The Progressive Era, Kayla Blackman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 1914, a group of professionals chartered the American Social Hygiene Association (ASHA), a private reform agency dedicated to the eradication of venereal disease. Over the next several years, the ASHA formed partnerships with other reform organizations and championed education and legal reform. In 1917, during World War I, the ASHA partnered with the federal government to set standards of sexual health for all American citizens. Chapter One explores the origins of the ASHA, focusing on the organization’s attention to international issues surrounding prostitution as well as its organizational partnerships with like-minded domestic reform agencies. By placing itself in dialogue …

'This Disc Is Not For A Bird Bath, It's For My Tractor': Exploring Gender, Sustainable Agriculture, And Networks In Western Montana, Eva Kathryn Rocke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Women’s presence in agriculture as farmers, consumers, advocates, and activists has become ever more apparent over the last two decades as census data, popular media, and academic literature increasingly reflect their work. Many of the farmers in western Montana practicing sustainable agriculture are women and have built relationships with other women farmers in the region through existing agriculture-focused organizations like Homegrown and the Western Montana Growers’ Cooperative. Even with the strong presence of these organizations, some women farmers feel there is potential for the formalization of a women farmer network in western Montana that would increase the opportunities for socialization …

Aadej Comm 45 1&2 2014

AADEJ - The Communicator

The Communicator is the official journal of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ). It is published quarterly, distributed digitally via email to members, and posted on the Association's website, AADEJ.org. Each issue includes regular updates from the editorial team and AADEJ board, as well as feature articles on current issues in the field.

This is a combined issue for 2015, issue 1 and 2.

Aadej Comm 45 3&4 2014

AADEJ - The Communicator

The Communicator is the official journal of the American Association of Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ). It is published quarterly, distributed digitally via email to members, and posted on the Association's website, AADEJ.org. Each issue includes regular updates from the editorial team and AADEJ board, as well as feature articles on current issues in the field.

This is a combined issue for 2015, issues 3 and 4.

The Effects Of Estrogen In Atrazine-Mediated Foxp3 Induction And Inhibition Of Cd4+ T Effector Cells, Tiffany Emmons

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Atrazine (ATR) is a chlorotriazine herbicide that is heavily used in agricultural areas. Atrazine was banned in Europe in 2006 but it is still used in the United States. It is also the most common drinking water contaminant in the United States. Atrazine has been linked to adverse health effects and displays immunotoxicity. It is a potent phosphodiesterase inhibitor and has been shown to induce aromatase activity leading to elevated estrogen levels. Previous studies demonstrated that in vitro atrazine exposure inhibits CD4+ T cell activation and proliferation and increases the frequency of Foxp3+ CD4+ T cells with more severe phenotypes …

Interindividual Variability In The Cytochrome P450 3a4 Drug Metabolizing Enzyme: Effect Of The Cyp3a4*1g Genetic Variant, Kasse Jean Skagen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Researchers and clinicians are interested in how a patient’s individual genetic makeup could predict the appropriate medication and dose for that patient. One way to predict drug response, or efficacy, is by looking at enzymes within the liver that metabolize drugs. Many of these enzymes belong to a class called the Cytochrome P450s (CYPs). Specifically, two closely related enzymes, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, are involved in metabolizing 50% of drugs currently on the market (eg: statins, antiepileptics, anticancer agents, and antidepressants). There can be differences in the genetic code of these enzymes that can causes changes in drug metabolism. We completed …

Restoration As Caring Practice: A Relational Perspective On Ecological Recovery, Daniel Avery Congdon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Ecological restoration is defined by the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) as “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed” (9). In practice, restoration typically involves the removal of pollution, human-made structures (like dams or roads), invasive species, and other impediments to ecological health. Removing the sources of ecological impairment is coupled with the reintroduction of flora, fauna, and the physical structures that are necessary for healthy ecosystem function. The potential for restoration to dominate nature is a concern of environmental ethicists. In theory, domination might stem from the technology used in …

Downstream Spatial And Temporal Response To Dam Removal, White Salmon River, Wa, Erika J. Colaiacomo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Condit Dam breach on the White Salmon River (WSR) in Washington provided a unique opportunity to study how a bedrock-confined, gravel-bed river responds to a large influx of fine reservoir sediment. On October 26, 2011, a dynamite explosion breached a hole in the base of the 38 m tall dam, causing rapid reservoir erosion and downstream transport of fine sediment through the 5,300 m of channel separating the reservoir from the mouth of the WSR, where it flows into the Columbia River. In my research, I combined field data, aerial photographs, and LiDAR surveys to measure pre-breach and post-breach …

Modeling Northern Goshawk (Accipiter Gentilis) Nesting Habitat On The Lewis And Clark National Forest Using Eigenvector Filters To Account For Spatial Autocorrelation, Morganne Marie Lehr

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Habitat suitability modeling has become a valuable tool for wildlife managers to identify areas of suitable habitats for management and conservation needs. The Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been the focus of many modeling efforts, however, the current models guiding goshawk management on the Lewis and Clark National Forest may not fully capture the unique habitat characteristics that the goshawk is actually selecting for nesting habitat. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to explore the use of Maxent for modeling suitable goshawk nesting habitat on the Lewis and Clark National Forest in central Montana. However, goshawk territoriality and …

An Adaptive Hybrid Method For Link Prediction In Multi-Modal Directed Complex Networks Using The Graph Traversal Pattern, William Lyon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The paper examines the link prediction problem for directed multi-modal complex networks. Specically, a hybrid method combining collaborative filtering and Triadic Closeness methods is developed. The methods are applied to a sample of the GitHub network. Implementation details are discussed, with a focus on design of a scalable system for handilng large data sets. Finally, results of this new method are discussed with no significant improvement over current methods.

Developing Strategies To Initialize Landscape-Scale Vegetation Maps From Fia Data To Enhance Resolution Of Individual Species-Size Cohort Representation In The Landscape Disturbance Model, Simpplle, Jacob Muller

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The ability of forest resource managers to understand and anticipate landscape-scale change in composition and structure relies upon an adequate characterization of the current forest composition and structure of various patches (or stands), along with the capacity of forest landscape models (FLMs) to predict patterns of growth, succession, and disturbance at multiple scales over time. Comprehensive vegetation maps, which classify patch polygons or raster cells into forest cover types, can be developed from available inventory data (e.g., FIA Grid) in combination with remotely sensed data, but a simple categorical forest type, even one incorporating average size, may not provide adequate …

Supplementing Society: A Sociocultural Analysis Of Recreational Drug Use And Supplement Consumption Within The American Collegiate Environment, Kelli M. Bradley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the United States, reports within the last decade indicate college students are using dietary supplements at rates well above those reported for adult populations. Despite this prevalence, however, there continues to be a dearth of information examining behaviors related to this health phenomenon. This is problematic for many reasons, but especially because some research has found associations between use of these products and use of recreational drugs among this population.

Employing an integrated theoretical approach utilizing concepts from critical-interpretive medical anthropology (CIMA) and emerging adulthood, this research examined the ways in which supplement use related to sociocultural factors present …

Understanding Traditions And Practices Of Medicinal Plant Use In Carhuamayo, Junin, Peru, Anastasia Orkwiszewski

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding and preserving Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Practices (TEKP) are essential for the continued resilience and cultural diversity of humanity. TEKP faces a multitude of threats from habitat loss, growth of the market economy, globalization, and acculturation. Medicinal plant use in the high Andean town of Carhuamayo, Junín, was studied to assess the vibrancy of that particular branch of TEKP in that area, in what parts of the population it was held, and what factors influence its loss or growth. Gender, age, migrant status, and acculturation levels were not found to be statistically significant in predicting medicinal plant knowledge. Analysis …

The Comet Mine: An Engendered Study Of Victorian Consumption Practices And Material Culture On A Small Mining Landscape, Ryan E. Wendel

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Comet mine is an early 20th-century, largely undocumented mining

community that existed along the periphery of the Coloma Mining District in the Garnet Range of western Montana. During the summer of 2010, archaeological excavations occurred at multiple features at the site. Through an analysis of cultural material found in deposits at the Comet, this study interprets the way in which patterns of refuse can reveal information about consumption behavior and evolving gender roles in mining communities in Montana, during late Victorian era.

Regulation Of Silica-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation, Rupa Biswas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Inhalation of crystalline silica for an extended period of time results in inflammation in the lungs, which plays a pivotal role in the development of silicosis, a progressive, inflammatory and fibrotic pulmonary disease. Inhaled silica particles are encountered by alveolar macrophages (AM) in the lungs. Previous studies have indicated the role of scavenger receptors in binding of environmental particles and also demonstrated that AM recognize and bind silica particles through class A scavenger receptors (SRA) expressed on their surface. MARCO (Macrophage Receptor with Collagenous Structure) is a SRA family receptor and the predominant receptor for recognition and binding of silica …

Virtual Screening And Discovery Of Lead Compounds As Potential Dna Methyltransferase 1 Inhibitors And Anticancer Agents, Ogar Ofuka Ichire

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Epigenetic changes consist of DNA methylation, histone modification, micro RNA and genome imprinting. DNA methylation of the CpG islands is one of the main methods of epigenetic inactivation of genes and aberrant methylations at promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes can alter gene expression and play an important role in cancer development. DNA methyltransferase I (Dnmt1) is the enzyme responsible for maintaining methylation patterns during cell division and it is overexpressed in many cancers. Thus, Dnmt1 is a promising therapeutic target for development of novel anticancer agents and epigenetic modulators. We have developed two promising class of lead candidates, compounds …

A Study Of Hydroclimatic Dynamics In Mountain Landscapes, Nicholas Loren Silverman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The hydroclimatic regime of mountain landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, USA plays a large role in collecting, storing, and distributing water throughout the greater United States. The complexities of the landscape, vegetation, and anthropogenic impacts within this region form a dynamic web of interactions that create unique challenges when quantifying hydrologic variables. This dissertation focuses on these challenges and introduces a new way of deciphering the driving mechanism of streamflow trends. The first project examines the differences between modeling techniques in mountain terrain. In this project, we use a physically-based regional climate model to dynamically downscale global climate estimates for …

Characterization Of Nipah Virus Pathogenicity In Vitro And In Vivo And Protection From Disease Using A Single Dose Recombinant Vaccine, Blair Lynn Debuysscher

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen that infects a wide species range including humans. It was first discovered in Malaysia in 1998 during a large outbreak, but since has spread to Bangladesh and India causing almost yearly outbreaks in the region since 2001. The distinct geographic locations have led to two genetically varied strains. Infection of humans by Nipah virus leads to respiratory distress and acute encephalitis. Pathology caused by the virus is characterized by vasculitis, necrosis, and edema of small vessels of the lung and brain primarily. This work investigates differences of pathology and clinical signs in the hamster …

P115-Snare Interactions Reveal A New Model Of Function For The Tethering Factor P115, Ting Wang

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The endomembrane system consists of several connected yet distinct compartments, constantly exchanging material via the flow of membrane-enclosed vesicles. Protein transport between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi is one of the most fundamental trafficking pathways in eukaryotic cells, as well as the first step in the secretory pathway. The fusion between vesicles and target membranes requires the orchestration of tethers, Rabs, SM proteins and SNAREs. Tethering factors regulate the targeting of membrane-enclosed vesicles and enhance the efficiency as well as specificity of membrane fusion. P115, a Golgin family tether, has been shown to participate in multiple stages of …

Development Of Traffic Safety Zones And Integrating Macroscopic And Microscopic Safety Data Analytics For Novel Hot Zone Identification, Jaeyoung Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic safety has been considered one of the most important issues in the transportation field. With consistent efforts of transportation engineers, Federal, State and local government officials, both fatalities and fatality rates from road traffic crashes in the United States have steadily declined from 2006 to 2011.Nevertheless, fatalities from traffic crashes slightly increased in 2012 (NHTSA, 2013). We lost 33,561 lives from road traffic crashes in the year 2012, and the road traffic crashes are still one of the leading causes of deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In recent years, efforts to incorporate traffic …

The Impact Of Race And Ethnicity On Sexual Violence: A Case Study On Underserved Populations In Minnesota, Lindsay Bolstad

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Sexual violence in Minnesota impacts hundreds of thousands of lives and costs billions of dollars each year. This qualitative case study describes how victims that are people of color experience sexual violence at disproportionately high rates and face additional barriers when seeking legal, medical, and mental health and crisis advocacy services in Minnesota. The methodology employed includes secondary data collection using books, scholarly articles, and archival data. Individual interviews and a focus group interview were used to collect primary research. The voluntary interview participants were advocates that provide services for victims of sexual violence in Minnesota. The interviews were audio-recorded …

Climate And Landscape Controls On Seasonal Water Balance At The Watershed Scale, Xi Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation is to develop a seasonal water balance model for evaporation, runoff and water storage change based on observations from a large number of watersheds, and further to obtain a comprehensive understanding on the dominant physical controls on intra-annual water balance. Meanwhile, the method for estimating evaporation and water storage based on recession analysis is improved by quantifying the seasonal pattern of the partial contributing area and contributing storage to base flow during low flow seasons. A new method for quantifying seasonality is developed in this research. The difference between precipitation and soil water storage …

The Effect Of Interpersonal Relationships On The Body Image Of First Year, Women Of Color Studying At Predominately White Undergraduate Institutions, Lauren Kross

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

"The Effect of Interpersonal Relationships on the Body Image of First Year, Women of Color Studying at Predominately White Undergraduate Institutions" by Lauren Kross, a 2014 graduate student in the Gender and Women's Studies Department at Minnesota State University Mankato, focuses on how relationships and peer groups positively or negatively impact the body image of first year women of color studying at Minnesota State University Mankato, a predominately white undergraduate institution. The first year of college is a time that students experience many changes in their environment, academics, interests, and identity development. Their previously formed and newly formed relationships play …

Pursuit Of Empowerment: The Evolution Of The Romance Novel And Its Readership In Fifty Shades Of Grey, Amy Elizabeth Quale

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the new-adult romance work Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James and the novel's readership to identify the evolution of the romance genre and the ways in which the genre is used as a tool for empowerment. As the genre evolves, subgenres develop with the new "empowering" characteristics. As new technologies present themselves to readers, readers have more opportunities to participate with one another and affect the genre's evolution. I assert that Fifty Shades of Grey and the romance community are limited by the patriarchal values traditionally portrayed by the genre; however, the nature of the …

Recreating Paris In Les Miserables, Joel Schiebout

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre. It is a detailed account of author Joel Schiebout's technical process in the construction of the set for Minnesota State University, Mankato's production of Les Misérables in the fall of 2013. The thesis chronicles the author's technical process from pre-production through post-production in five chapters: an early production analysis, a historical and critical perspective, a construction process journal, a post-production analysis and a process development analysis. Appendices and works cited are included.

Testing The Fertility And Allelopathic Abilities Of Arctotheca Prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae, Arctotideae), A South African Plant Species That Has Naturalized In California, Jordy Veit

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Arctotheca prostrata is a perennial plant species native to South Africa that reproduces vegetatively by long runners. In South Africa it also reproduces sexually, producing fruits with fertile seeds. The species was brought to California to serve as a ground cover but fruits had not been reported. Historically, it has been said to be infertile. This study tested the fertility of A. prostrata in California by crossing plants from California with each other and with plants grown from imported South African seeds. Pollen viability was tested and morphological measures were made on heads, leaves, and pollen. Mean Californian and South …

[Implied Depth]*, Hope Thier

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

While snooping through my great grandmother's belongings, I found late 19th and early 20th century photographs and stories of untold familial histories, from that of my own family and others. I have taken to adopting these families, and I am attracted to these almost forgotten narratives and developing these incomplete truths about past relatives into fictionalized characters and false histories. I strive to develop a chaotic but structured quality in my work. While doing so, I explore relationships. The relationships evolve between myself and the material, myself and the characters, and the characters and the material. By observing and learning …

All Things In All Ways, Amanda Nicole Crary

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis highlights our obliviousness to nonhuman nature and how this ignorance severs a great connection to the earth and our senses. My work explores this important connectedness. The natural world is filled with fleeting revelations that shatter habitual ways of seeing and experiencing; my paintings act as record of such moments. The exhibition was held at the Conkling Gallery in Nelson Hall from February 24th to March 5th, 2014. It consisted of twenty-two works including paintings, drawings, and prints. All works were produced during my time within the M.A. program, 2012-2014. Postcards and a brochure advertised the exhibition. The …