Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Important Marine Mammal Area Criteria: Learning From Ecologically Or Biologically Significant Areas And Key Biodiversity Areas, Collenn M. Corrigan, Jeff A. Ardron, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Erich Hoyt, Giuseppe Notarbartolo Di Sciara, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. This paper explores how criteria to identify important marine mammal areas (IMMAs) could be developed, and nested in existing global criteria. This process would consider 134 species of marine mammals. 2. Particular attention is given to two suites of global criteria to identify areas important for the persistence of marine biodiversity: Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) developed through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in revision through the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are seen as mutually complementary in the development of IMMAs. 3. The specificities necessary for identifying …

Ehrlichia And Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae Surveillance In Amblyomma Americanum In Virginia Through Use Of A Novel Six-Plex Real-Time Pcr Assay, David N. Gaines, Darwin J. Operario, Suzanne Stroup, Ellen Stromdahl, Chelsea Wright, Holly Gaff, James Broyhill, Joshua Smith, Douglas E. Norris, Tyler Henning, Agape Lucas, Eric Houpt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The population of the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum has expanded in North America over the last several decades. It is known to be an aggressive and nondiscriminatory biter and is by far the most common human-biting tick encountered in Virginia. Few studies of human pathogen prevalence in ticks have been conducted in our state since the mid-twentieth century. We developed a six-plex real-time PCR assay to detect three Ehrlichia species (E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, and Panola Mountain Ehrlichia) and three spotted fever group Rickettsiae (SFGR; R. amblyommii, R. parkeri, and R. rickettsii …

Prevalence Of Ehrlichia Chaffeensis And Ehrlichia Ewingii In Amblyomma Americanum And Dermacentor Variabilis Collected From Southeastern Virginia, 2010-2011, Chelsea L. Wright, Holly D. Gaff, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Amblyomma americanum is the most commonly-encountered tick species in southeastern Virginia, representing approximately 95% of the human-biting tick population in this area. Here we investigated the prevalence of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii in questing Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected from multiple sites in southeastern Virginia from 2010–2011. Although both Ehrlichia species were detected in Amblyomma americanum, no evidence of either pathogen was found in Dermacentor variabilis. Prevalence of E. chaffeensis varied by location, ranging from 0 – 5.08% among Amblyomma americanum populations. Ehrlichia ewingii prevalence was slightly higher, ranging from 0 – 8.20% among A. …

Single-Tube Real-Time Pcr Assay For Differentiation Of Ixodes Affinis And Ixodes Scapularis, Chelsea L. Wright, Wayne L. Hynes, Breanna T. White, Mindy N. Marshall, Holly D. Gaff, David T. Gauthier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes affinis Neumann (1899) and Ixodes scapularis Say (1821) are tick vectors of the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto. Ixodes affinis and I. scapularis are morphologically very similar, and as they are sympatric in the mid- and south-Atlantic U.S. coastal states, their accurate identification is crucial to studies of disease and vector ecology in this area. This work describes a rapid, single-tube SYBR® Green-based real-time PCR assay for differentiation of I. affinis and I. scapularis at all life stages. The assay employs 2 pairs of species specific primers directed against the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) …

Ticks And Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae Of Southeastern Virginia, Robyn M. Nadolny, Chelsea L. Wright, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes, Holly D. Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The incidence of tick-borne rickettsial disease in the southeastern United States has been rising steadily through the past decade, and the range expansions of tick species and tick-borne infectious agents, new and old, has resulted in an unprecedented mix of vectors and pathogens. The results of an ongoing 4-year surveillance project describe the relative abundance of questing tick populations in southeastern Virginia. Since 2009, more than 66,000 questing ticks of 7 species have been collected from vegetation in a variety of habitats, with Amblyomma americanum constituting over 95% of ticks collected. Other species represented included Ixodes scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis …

Advancements In The Diastereoselective Synthesis Of Acyl Pyrrolidines Via The Tandem Aza-Cope—Mannich Cyclization Pathway, Danielle St. Germaine

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

We have developed a Lewis-acid catalyzed, diastereoselective aza-Cope rearrangement— Mannich cyclization to form acyl pyrrolidines from conformationally mobile substrates. In earlier studies from our lab, Brønsted acid-catalyzed reactions to form the same acyl pyrrolidines resulted in diastereoselectivities of 8:1 trans to cis at elevated temperatures (60 °C) over the course of 150 minutes. We have demonstrated an improvement in our method yielding exclusively the trans isomers at ambient temperature with substoichiometric amounts of BF₃•OEt₂ within 3 minutes. Catalyst loadings as low as 0.05 equivalents of BF₃•OEt₂ initiate this transformation. Our synthetic method employs the …

Phylogeography Unplugged: Comparative Surveys In The Genomic Era, Brian W. Bowen, Kartik Shanker, Nina Yasuda, Maria Celia Malay, Sophie Von Der Heyden, Gustav Paulay, Luiz A. Rocha, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Paul H. Barber, Suzanne T. Williams, Harilaos A. Lessios, Eric D. Crandall, Giacomo Bernardi, Christopher P. Meyer, Kent E. Carpenter, Robert J. Toonen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In March 2012, the authors met at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, North Carolina, USA, to discuss approaches and cooperative ventures in Indo-Pacific phylogeography. The group emerged with a series of findings: (1) Marine population structure is complex, but single locus mtDNA studies continue to provide powerful first assessment of phylogeographic patterns. (2) These patterns gain greater significance/power when resolved in a diversity of taxa. New analytical tools are emerging to address these analyses with multi-taxon approaches. (3) Genome-wide analyses are warranted if selection is indicated by surveys of standard markers. Such indicators can include discordance between …

Employee Wellness, Health Risk Assessment, Modifiable Health Risk, Pen-3 Model, Worksite Culture, Worksite Envirmonent, Stephanie R. Keteyian-Stacy

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study used an online Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) to assess individual employee health and eight additional statements to assess the worksite health "culture" of Eastern Michigan University. It was hypothesized there will be a relationship between EMU employees’ levels of self-reported health risk and their perceptions of supportiveness of the worksite environment and health culture. The results indicated the relationship between health risks of participants and perception of supportiveness of the worksite culture was not significant (p >.05). Of the employees that participated, the top three risk factors identified were body weight (20%), stress (14%), and blood pressure (10%). …

Basin Isolation And Oceanographic Features Influencing Lineage Divergence In The Humbug Damselfish (Dascyllus Aruanus) In The Coral Triangle, J. M. Raynal, E. D. Crandall, P. H. Barber, G. N. Mahardika, M. C. Lagman, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Coral Triangle is a hotspot for marine species diversity as well as for intraspecific genetic diversity. Here, we used nuclear RAG2 and mitochondrial D-Loop genes to identify deep genetic divergence among Dascyllus aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) populations across relatively short scales within the Coral Triangle. Mitochondrial clades different by >20 mutational steps were completely isolated from one another across the distance between Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands, and also showed frequency differences in the eastern and western Philippines. Evidence for population structure in the Sulu Sea and at the Lesser Sunda Islands was also identified. Our results suggest that …

Comparison Of Phenology And Pathogen Prevalence, Including Infection With The Ehrlichia Muris-Like (Eml) Agent, Of Ixodes Scapularis Removed From Soldiers In The Midwestern And Northeastern United States Over A 15 Year Period (1997-2012), Ellen Stromdahl, Sarah Hamer, Sarah Jenkins, Lynne Sloan, Phillip Williamson, Erik Foster, Robyn Nadolny, Chad Elkins, Mary Vince, Bobbi Pritt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Since 1997, human-biting ticks submitted to the Department of Defense Human Tick Test Kit Program (HTTKP) of the US Army Public Health Command have been tested for pathogens by PCR. We noted differences in the phenology and infection prevalence among Ixodes scapularis ticks submitted from military installations in different geographic regions. The aim of this study was to characterize these observed differences, comparing the phenology and pathogen infection rates of I. scapularis submitted from soldiers at two sites in the upper Midwest ( Camp Ripley, MN, and Ft. McCoy, WI) and one site in the northeastern US (Ft. Indiantown …

Recruiting, Engaging, And Retaining Low Income Parents In Community Parenting Programs: A Phenomenological Study, Jane Elyce Fuqua Glasgow

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

This study examined factors that impact recruitment, engagement, and retention of low-income parents in community parenting programs. Using a traditional qualitative phenomenological approach, this research sought to develop an understanding of the difficulties that program providers often encounter in engaging low-income parents. Participants included program stakeholders (providers, policy-makers, and funders) and low-income parents with children under the age of five from urban areas. A series of focus groups were held in order to capture the voices and develop a textural description of the lived experiences of participants. Results revealed that a combination of factors impact engagement, including the important role …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Sugar Based Low Molecular Weight Gelators And The Preparation Of Chiral Sulfinamides, Hari Prasad Reddy Mangunuru

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) have received considerable attention in the field of chemistry from last few decades. These compounds form self-assembled fibrous networks like micelles, cylindrical, sheets, fibers, layers and so on. The fibrous network entraps the solvent and forms gel, because of the self-assembly phenomenon and their demonstrated potential uses in a variety of areas, ranging from environmental to medicinal applications.

Sugars are good starting materials to synthesize the new class of LMWG's, because these are different from some expensive materials, these are natural products. We have synthesized and characterized the LMGS's based on D-glucose and D …

The Effect Of Mentoring On The Academic Success Of College Sophomores, John C. Lee

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A review of the higher education literature indicates that the majority of retention research has focused on first-year students and that additional research is needed for other class levels – particularly sophomores (Graunke & Woosley, 2005). However, the reality is that sophomores benefit from a minimal number of special programs, minimal contact with faculty and others in leadership positions, and minimal attention from student affairs personnel (Anderson & Schreiner, 2000). An unintended consequence of this reduced attention is higher than expected rates of sophomore attrition.

This exploratory research study employs a quasi-experimental quantitative research design to evaluate the results of …

Reducing Intrinsic Cognitive Load In Complex Learning Such As Flight Training That Involves Both Cognitive And Psychomotor Tasks, Adil Aslan

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Flying an aircraft requires processing or considering great number of inputs and an ability to link these data to a massive amount of information in order to interpret them. As a result, flight training imposes a high intrinsic cognitive load. The focus of this research was to investigate the effect of decreasing intrinsic cognitive load for complex tasks such as flight training that involves both cognitive and psychomotor tasks. Participants ( n = 38) completed an instruction unit on how to conduct a simulated Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) and were asked to report perceived cognitive load in addition to tests …

Educational Policy Decisions Effect Upon Same-Gender Public Education, Richard Gerard Catoire

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, with emphasis on greater choice and flexibility for parents and students in public education, to include the provision for same-gender public schools and classrooms, led to a resurgence in same-gender public education in the United States. With the results of the research on same-gender education presenting conflicting evidence and mixed-perspectives on the outcomes of same-gender education in improving academic achievement or attainment, there are still questions to be answered, not only to the effectiveness of same-gender education, but also to policy decisions to establish same-gender public education programs. While proponents of …

Characterization Of Shear Wave Velocity And Its Anisotropy In Uniform Granular Materials, Xin Kang, Bate Bate, Louis Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Small strain stiffness of granular materials is important to many engineering applications, such as earthquake engineering, pavement, machine foundation, embankment subjected to tidal impacts, and foundations for structures under wind loads. Shear wave velocity, which is an indicator of stiffness, was measured with a newly developed bender element testing system. Test data supported that this testing system is effective in evaluating the shear wave velocity and its anisotropy of uniform spherical granular materials, including glass beads, uniform medium, and fine sands. Influencing factors on the Vs such as grain size and applied stress were studied. Two components of the soil …

Effects Of Chemical Stabilizers On An Expansive Clay, Honghua Zhao, Louis Ge, Thomas M. Petry, Yi Zhen Sun

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Expansive clays exhibit a high potential for the volume change behavior when the soil moisture changes. The estimated annual cost of the damage to the facilities built on expansive clay in the United States exceeds 9 billion dollars. Because of the physicochemical nature of the expansive clay, the use of chemical agents to improve their engineering properties is common. This research investigated the effects of chemical agents on an expansive soil from Texas through a laboratory injection method. The agents used in this study included lime, potassium-based agents, and a group of ionic agents. Swelling tests, chemical tests, and soil …

Concordant Phylogenetic Patterns Inferred From Mitochondrial And Microsatellite Dna In The Giant Clam Tridacna Crocea, Timery S. Deboer, Ma Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toba, Paul H. Barber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The boring giant clam, Tridacna crocea Lamarck, 1819, is a CITES-listed bivalve that is declining due to overharvest and environmental degradation. Previous molecular studies in the Coral Triangle using mitochondrial DNA indicated the presence of deep phylogenetic divergence and strong phylogeographic structure across this region, suggesting the possibility of multiple cryptic species. In the present study, we compare data from non-recombining mitochondrial (mtDNA; cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, COI) and eight microsatellite loci to better understand patterns of genetic structure and species boundaries in T. crocea populations across Indonesia and the Philippines. Microsatellite loci and mtDNA data from 618 individuals representing …

Community College Vice Presidents' Perceptions Of Academic Partnerships, Gloria Jean Savage-Early

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Partnerships have a very important place among two- and four-year institutions as they allocate limited resources to continue to give higher education students a quality education. Community college vice presidents desire to give students options of completing degrees while maintaining jobs and supporting families along with options of pursuing advanced degrees. This qualitative study, which uses a phenomenological approach, will explore the perceptions of higher education community college vice presidents regarding the factors that affect partnerships between two- and four-year institutions of higher education. The main research question and sub-questions, to be explored are as follow: How do vice presidents …

Global And Criteria Based Judgments Of An Undergraduate Exit Writing Examination, Katrice Alexandria Hawthorne

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The effect of a calibration strategy requiring students to predict and postdict their scores on a writing exam was investigated. The utility of rubric-referenced calibration and the interaction between achievement and self-efficacy on calibration accuracy were also explored. Five hundred ninety six undergraduate students enrolled in an urban, comprehensive, public university participated. Students were assigned to one of three calibration conditions: (1) a global condition (overall judgments only), (2) a global and criteria condition (a general rubric), or (3) a global and detailed criteria condition (a detailed rubric). Students in all three conditions provided global calibrations before and after the …

Ionizing Radiation Detection Using Microstructured Optical Fiber, Stanton Dehaven

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Ionizing radiation detecting microstructured optical fibers are fabricated, modeled and experimentally measured for X-ray detection in the 10-40 keV energy range. These fibers operate by containing a scintillator material which emits visible light when exposed to ionizing radiation. An X-ray source characterized with a CdTe spectrometer is used to quantify the X-ray detection efficiency of the fibers. The solid state CdTe detector is considered 100% efficient in this energy range. A liquid filled microstructured optical fiber (MOF) is presented where numerical analysis and experimental observation leads to a geometric theory of photon transmission using total internal reflection. The model relates …

An Instrument To Assess Individual Capacity For System Thinking, Ra'ed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and deploy a new systems thinking instrument to assess individual capacity for systems thinking using an inductive research design. While technology has been increasing exponentially, the corresponding methods to harness those technological advances, and the problems they have spawned, is lagging. While there is a broad collection of systems based methods, techniques, technologies, and tools that can be used in dealing with complex problems, these are predicated on an individual's capacity for engaging a level of systems thinking commensurate with their effective, deployment. Research based methods to determine individual capacity for systems …

Photoproduction Of Π0 On Hydrogen With Clas From 1.1 Gev - 5.45 Gev Using E+E –Γ Decay, Michael C. Kunkel

Physics Theses & Dissertations

Photoproduction of the π⁰ meson was studied using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility using tagged incident photon energies spanning the range E_γ = 1.1 GeV - 5.45 GeV. The measurement is performed on a liquid hydrogen target in the reaction γp → pe ⁺e^–(γ). The final state of the reaction is the sum of two subprocesses for π⁰ decay, the Dalitz decay mode of π⁰ → e ⁺e^–γ and conversion mode where one photon from π⁰ → γγ decay is converted into a …

From Viva La Revolutión-Ish To The Free Space: Toward A Theory Of Guerrilla Rhetoric, Cheri Lemieux Spiegel

English Theses & Dissertations

This project addresses the need for a rhetorical theory that is appropriate to the unique needs of certain groups who "write" (in a broad sense of the word) from a position of desperation that results from some kind of tension between their needs or values and the dominant culture. These rhetors demonstrate a suspicion toward mainstream channels through which they might have their voices heard, are often subversive, and tend to be community-oriented.

To develop an appropriate rhetorical lens for studying these groups, I bring notions of guerrilla warfare from a precise point in the historical narrative of the guerrilla …

Plastic Deformation Investigation Of High Energy Input Friction, Tao Yan

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation, plastic deformation of friction surfaces under high energy input is investigated. The plastic deformation of the friction surface and subsurface was studied and models were established to estimate deformation.

In order to calculate the plastic deformation at friction surface, an algorithm based on Ramberg-Osgood relationship was generated, and a single material model was developed based on this algorithm. Work hardening caused by plastic deformation and thermal softening caused by elevated temperature were considered in the model. To validate the model, an apparatus was designed to perform friction tests under different conditions. A special steel specimen with a …

Ventral Tegmental Area Regulation Of Stress-Induced Reinstatement Of Cocaine-Seeking Behavior, Jordan Michael Blacktop

Dissertations (1934 -)

No FDA approved medications currently exist for the prevention of drug craving, drug seeking, and relapse to cocaine use. Stress is a major factor in causing relapse in cocaine dependent individuals. Cocaine use is positively correlated with stress-induced craving and relapse outcomes. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a 41-amino acid neuropeptide that plays an important role in the stress response and in the reinstatement rodent model of stress-induced relapse. CRF is released during stress in brain regions associated with the effects of drugs of abuse, notably the ventral tegmental area (VTA). This dissertation addresses key unknown mechanisms behind drug-induced neuroplasticity and …

Determination Of Correlations Induced By The Sense And Grappa Pmri Models With An Application To Mri Rf Coil Design, Iain Peter Bruce

Dissertations (1934 -)

Functional connectivity MRI is fast becoming a widely used non-invasive means of observing the connectivity between regions of the brain. In order to more accurately observe fluctuations in the blood oxygenation level of hemoglobin, parallel MRI reconstruction models such as SENSE and GRAPPA can be used to reduce data acquisition time, effectively increasing spatial and temporal resolution. However, the statistical implications of these models are not generally known or considered in the final analysis of the reconstructed data. In this dissertation, the non-biological correlations artificially induced by the SENSE and GRAPPA models are precisely quantified through the development of a …

I Cheat Because I Can: Power, Sexism And Approval Of Infidelity, Teni Davoudian

Dissertations (1934 -)

This study examined the moderating role of ambivalent sexism in the relationship between power and approval of infidelity. College students were randomly assigned to high- and low-power conditions and completed measures assessing their perceived power, endorsed sexism toward men and women, and approval of their own possible infidelity. It was hypothesized that the association between perceived power and permissive attitudes toward infidelity would vary according to participants' endorsement of hostile and benevolent sexism. The hypotheses were partially supported, and the results revealed the importance of both participant gender and sexism as predictors of attitudes toward infidelity. Hostile sexism toward men …

Generation Of Diverse Molecular Complexity From Cyclooctatetraene, Mohamed Fawzy El Mansy

Dissertations (1934 -)

ABSTRACT

GENERATION OF DIVERSE MOLECULAR COMPLEXITY

FROM CYCLOOCTATETRAENE

Mohamed F. El Mansy, B.Sc, M.Sc.

Marquette University, 2014

The use of simple hydrocarbons as starting materials for the synthesis of complex molecules relies on efficient methods for oxidation, functionalization or rearrangement. For example, various researchers have explored cyclopentadiene or cycloheptatriene as precursors for the preparation of a wide variety of drug candidates, natural products and synthetic products. The purpose of this research is to explore methods to transform the simple hydrocarbon, cyclooctatetraene (COT) into complex target molecules.

Tricarbonyl (cyclooctatetraene)iron, readily prepared from COT, reacts with a variety of electrophiles to form …

Dangerous Knowledge? Morality And Moral Progress After Naturalism, Daniel Diederich Farmer

Dissertations (1934 -)

From the perspective of at least some of our valuing practices, the advance of the sciences can seem to constitute a threat. The question I take up in this dissertation is whether or not naturalism--understood as the picture of the world and of ourselves bequeathed to us by the sciences--should be understood as a threat to our moral practices, to moral living. On the account I defend, the knowledge we gain from empirical inquiry need not undermine moral living in toto, although a naturalistic mindset does raise some possibly dangerous questions for particular inherited moral norms and ideals.

In defense …