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Development Of The Intelligent Graphs For Everyday Risky Decisions Tutor, Margo Woller-Carter

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Simple graphical visual aids have now been shown to be among the most effective means of quickly improving people’s ability to evaluate and understand risks (i.e., risk literacy), particularly for diverse and vulnerable groups (e.g., older adults, less educated, less numerate, minority and immigrant samples). Although well-developed theory and standards for user-friendly graph design exist, guidelines are often violated by designers faced with constraints like conflicts of interest (e.g., persuasion and marketing vs. informed decision making). Even when information is presented in well-designed graphs, many people struggle with appropriate data interpretation. Can basic computerized graph literacy training improve essential graph …

Donor Development In Challenging Circumstances: Addressing Economic Troubles And Donor-Held Stereotypes To Increase Nonprofit Giving By Individuals, Jessica A. Ueland

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to determine how a nonprofit organization can effectively increase its funding from individual donors, even when faced with two significant barriers to giving. One examined barrier to gaining individual donors is an economic recession and its potential impact on a donor's ability to give to an organization. The second examined barrier to increasing individual donations is stereotypes held by a potential donor that may prevent him or her from supporting the organization's mission and clients.

Research was done to help better understand the diverse needs of individuals in the Fargo, North Dakota area. The …

Intake And Digestibility Of Tall Fescue Supplemented With Co-Product Feeds, Omega J. Sanders, Kenneth P. Coffey, Ashley N. Young, Kristopher A. Bottoms

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Cows offered low quality hay require supplementation to meet their nutritional requirements. Our objective was to determine the impact of supplementation with soybean hulls (SH), distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), or a 50:50 mixture of each (MIX) at 0.5% of body weight on ruminal fermentation characteristics and in situ forage disappearance in lactating (n = 3) and non-lactating (n = 3) ruminally cannulated cows (679 ± 18.7 kg body weight). Tall fescue was offered free-choice from large round bales for 6, 21-d periods. Dacron bags containing ground fescue hay were placed into the rumen of each cow at specified …

The Effects Of Hibernation On The Hemostatic Properties Of The American Bullfrog, Rana Catesbeiana, Kiana Cullinan

Honors Program Theses

It is known that hibernating animals display a drastic reduction in metabolic rate, accompanied by reduced heart rate and rate of blood flow through vessels. Sluggish blood flow increases the risk for developing clots, yet it has been observed that hibernators conclusively display elongated clotting times. This observed impairment may be caused by the decrease in body temperature, due to a negative impact on the functioning of the enzymes involved in coagulation. Some hibernating endotherms, or “warm-blooded” animals, employ biological mechanisms as preventative means to prevent clotting during hibernation, such as the down-regulation of certain clotting factors or the production …

Effects Of Milk Replacer And Multivitamin-Mineral Supplementation On Performance Of Heat Stressed Dairy Calves, Steven Joseph Blair

LSU Master's Theses

Seventy-one Holstein calves were used to evaluate the effects of milk replacer (MR) feeding management alone or in combination with a multivitamin-electrolyte supplement on growth and mitigation of heat stress. Milk replacer treatments consisted of Land O’Lakes Herdmaker Supreme (20% CP, 20% fat) and Land O’Lakes Warm Front (27% CP, 10% fat). Calves received either 0 or 20 ml Palamountains Calf Boost® in MR once daily. Calves were offered treatments beginning on day 4. Calves on 27% CP : 10% fat MR were fed 2.72kg MR twice daily for the first three weeks of life, and 3.86kg twice daily until …

A Real-Time American Sign Language Word Recognition System Based On Neural Networks And A Probabilistic Model, Neelesh Sarawate, Ming Chan. Leu, Cemi̇l Öz

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The development of an American Sign Language (ASL) word recognition system based on neural networks and a probabilistic model is presented. We use a CyberGlove and a Flock of Birds motion tracker to extract the gesture data. The finger joint angle data obtained from the sensory glove defines the handshape while the data from the motion tracker describes the trajectory of the hand movement. The four gesture features, namely handshape, hand position, hand orientation, and hand movement, are recognized using different functions that include backpropagation neural networks. The sequence of these features is used to generate a specific sign or …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

Seed Priming With Cacl2 And Ridge Planting For Improved Drought Resistance In Maize, Muhammad Bismillah Khan, Mubshar Hussain, Abid Raza, Shahid Farooq, Khawar Jabran

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Drought-induced losses in crop output have forced the scientific community to develop efficient management strategies to cope with the adversities of drought stress. This field trial was done to assess the role of seed priming techniques and planting methods for improving drought resistance in Pakistani hybrid maize in 2011. Maize seeds were soaked in an aerated solution of CaCl2 (osmopriming; $\Psi$s -1.25 MPa) and distilled water (hydropriming), while untreated dry seeds were taken as controls. Primed and untreated seeds were sown on either ridges or a flat seedbed and were subjected to drought at vegetative and tasseling stages. Drought was …

Moth Bean Germplasm Screening Against Yellow Mosaic Virus, Ii. Developmentof Moth Bean High-Yielding Seed And Fodder Cultivars, Muhammad Yaqoob, Naqib Ullah Khan, Muhammad Mansoor, Samrin Gul, Ibni Amin Khalil, Khilwat Afridi

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Moth bean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal] susceptibility to yellow mosaic virus (YMV) purged the crop from the farming system. Therefore, genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) and biplot studies were undertaken to develop YMV-resistant moth bean cultivars from the germplasm. The germplasm was acquired from the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad and from the farm fields in two provinces, Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan. Two different groups of moth bean genotypes were screened for YMV versus seed yield (11 genotypes) and YMV versus fodder yield (10 genotypes) over three years (2006-2008) in three locations in Pakistan [D.I.Khan Agriculture Research Station (ARS), Serai Naurang …

Effect Of Ditylenchus Dipsaci Kühn, 1857 (Tylenchida: Anguinidae) On Onionyield In Karaman Province, Turkey, Eli̇f Yavuzaslanoğlu, Abdullah Di̇ki̇ci̇, İbrahi̇m Hali̇l Elekci̇oğlu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the stem and bulb nematode Ditylenchus dipsaci Kühn (Tylenchida: Anguinidae) on yield parameters of some onion varieties in Karaman Province, Turkey. Experiments were established in a naturally infested onion field during two consecutive years (2012-2013). Nematode population development was followed at the beginning and end of the experiment. The reproduction rate was also calculated. Onion yield and the representative average diameter and length of the onion cultivar bulbs were determined. Yield parameters of six onion varieties were compared on nematicide-treated and untreated control plots in the experiments. Nematode populations significantly decreased …

Insect-Resistant Transgenic Crops: Retrospect And Challenges, Allah Bakhsh, Saber Delpasand Khabbazi, Faheem Shahzad Baloch, Ufuk Demi̇rel, Mehmet Emi̇n Çalişkan, Rüştü Hati̇poğlu, Sebahatti̇n Özcan, Hakan Özkan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The advent of genetic engineering has revolutionized agriculture remarkably with the development of superior insect-resistantcrop varieties harboring resistance against insect pests.Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been used as a main source for insect-resistantgenes. In addition to Bt endotoxins, various plant lectins and other non-Bt genes from different sources have also been introduced incrop plants of economic importance. The insect-resistant crops have made a huge economic impact worldwide since their commercialrelease. The cultivation of insect-resistant cultivars has resulted both in increased crop productivity and in decreased environmentalpollution. Although insect-resistant crops have been allowed to be commercialized following proper biosafety guidelines and procedures,still …

Apomixis: New Horizons In Plant Breeding, Nejdet Kandemi̇r, İbrahi̇m Saygili

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Apomixis is seed formation without fertilization, commonly observed in wild plant species. It has the advantages of clonal reproduction and propagation by seeds. Although it has a complex inheritance, genes controlling apomictic reproduction are being identified. Transfer of apomixis to crop species through wide crosses has not been successful so far, but transgenic technology offers a more powerful way to introgress apomixis into crop species. When crop species acquire this trait, superior genotypes, including hybrids, will be fixed and seeds will be multiplied without segregation of superior gene combinations. In addition, it will make hybrid production possible in all crops, …

Investigation Of Root-Knot Nematode (Meloidogyne Spp.) Resistance In Almond Rootstocks With Dna Markers, Sultan Bay Türkoğlu, Nergi̇z Çoban, Ali̇ Özkan, Hali̇t Seyfetti̇n Atli, Canan Can

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Seven almond varieties, Ferragnes, Nemaguard, AB3 (Amygdalus orientalis Mill.), GN22, GF677, Myrobalan(Prunus cerasifera),and Pissardi nigra, and F1 crossbreed almonds, Ferragnes × Pissardi nigra, Ferragnes × Myrobalan, Ferragnes × GN22, Nemaguard × GF677, Myrobalan × AB3 (Prunus dulcis Mill.), Myrobalan × Ferragnes, Pissardi nigra × AB3, and GF677 × Myrobalan, were used to determine resistance against root-knot nematode (RKN) (Meloidogyne spp.) using DNA markers. Parental lines and 316 F1 plants were tested with SSR (plgms8, plgms9, and plgms19) and STS (STS-OPS14a, STS-834b) markers. It was found that plgms19 exhibited 76%, 77.01%, 73.13%, and 86.6% inheritance of resistance in the Ferragnes × …

Effects Of Atp And Atp Inhibitors On The P2x7 Receptor, Holly Marie Salzbrenner

Honors Program Theses

Extracellular ATP has been shown to increase the permeability of cells via the P2X7 receptor. This relationship could be important in understanding the physiology of the inflammation that occurs in bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC). My research involved testing to see if this relationship between ATP and the P2X7 receptor is present. Then, potential inhibitors of ATP were tested so they can be used in further research involving ATP and BRDC. To test bovine cells, Mac-T cells were treated with ATP and incubated for various periods of time before Yo-Pro (a fluorescent molecule) was added. The percent change in fluorescence …

The Role Of Salience In Second Language Acquisition, Ian South Comeaux

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract Cues to the actor role such as word order, noun animacy, case inflection and verb agreement vary in strength across languages. The competition model (CM; MacWhinney, 2005) suggests that adult L2 acquisition is difficult due to differences in cue strength between the native and target languages. Using a paradigm inspired by the CM, the present study examines whether salience plays a role in facilitating adjustments of cue strength during L2 learning. Native English speakers were exposed to an artificial language (via an actor-assignment task) which utilized four different cues: verb agreement, case marking, animacy, and word order. Word order, …

Earthworm Populations In A Wheat-Soybean Double-Crop System Under Seven Years Of Established Residue Management Practices, Jill Thomason, Mary Savin, Kristofor Brye, Donn T. Johnson

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Earthworms improve soil structure, distribute litter and microbes, stimulate microbial activity, facilitate decomposition, and increase nitrogen (N) availability for plant growth. Earthworm density is often reduced in low organic matter soils that are intensively managed to grow row crops. This study was designed to relate earthworm density and community composition to residue management after seven years of established management practices in a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) double-crop system maintained in Marianna, Ark. Residue management practices included conventional tillage (CT) and no-tillage (NT), N fertilization to produce high and low wheat residue amounts left in the field, …

Analysis Of Ipomoea (Morning Glory) Leaf Mutants, Abigail Anne Lee

Honors Program Theses

Ipomoea (morning glory) is the largest genus in the family Convolvulaceae. Cultivation of morning glory plants began in the late Edo period in Japan, and this horticultural success resulted in thousands of plants with varying floral displays. In addition to the different flower morphologies, leaf shape is highly variable within this family making it an ideal group in which to study leaf development. We selected four mutants that vary in lobe number and lobe depth: 1) Tokyo Standard (TKS1065; wild-type; 3 lobes), yellow maple (ym1018; 5 lobes), delicate maple (dlm620; 5 deep lobes), and maple willow …

Pericyte Nf-Κb Activation Enhances Endothelial Cell Proliferation And Proangiogenic Cytokine Secretion In Vitro, Katherine E. Labarbera, Robert D. Hyldahl, Kevin S. O'Fallon, Priscilla M. Clarkson, Sarah Witkowski

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

Pericytes are skeletal muscle resident, multipotent stem cells that are localized to the microvasculature. In vivo, studies have shown that they respond to damage through activation of nuclear-factor kappa-B (NF-κB), but the downstream effects of NF-κB activation on endothelial cell proliferation and cell– cell signaling during repair remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine pericyte NF-κB activation in a model of skeletal muscle damage; and use genetic manipulation to study the effects of changes in pericyte NF-κB activation on endothelial cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. We utilized scratch injury to C2C12 cells in coculture with human primary …

Troubadours, Taxidermy, And Transcendence: Reading Flaubert’S “Un Cœur Simple” With Sand’S “Les Ailes De Courage”, Kate Bonin

Modern Languages and Cultures Faculty Work

Gustave Flaubert’s famous tale “Un cœur simple” (1877) is in very close dialogue with a recent tale of his friend George Sand’s: “Les ailes de courage” (1872). Both works share an interest in the “éducation littéraire” and in the moral development of their illiterate main characters. Drawing on the eighteenth-century Rousseauistic concept of “l’enfant de la nature,” both Sand and Flaubert ask how a naïve or unschooled protagonist, attempting to make sense of his or her experience, responds to the weight of received culture: an intertextual relationship that merits more detailed study than it has previously received.

The Implications Of Climate Change For Nebraska: Summary Report Of Sector-Based Roundtable Discussions (September-October 2015), Donald A. Wilhite, Kimberly Morrow

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Introduction ... iv

Roundtable Reports: Overview ... iv

Rural Nebraskans Poll: Summary of Key Outcomes on Climate Change ... vi

Summary of Roundtable Discussions ... 1

Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on Ecosystems and Wildlife in Nebraska ... 1

Implications of Climate Change on Human Health in Nebraska ... 11

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Forests and Fire ... 21

Implications of Climate Change on Nebraska’s Agriculture, Food and Water ... 27

Implications of Climate Change on Energy Availability, Use and Management in Nebraska ... 31

Climate Change in Nebraska: What Does it Mean for our Faith Communities? …

Hspa12b: A Novel Facilitator Of Lung Tumor Growth, He Ma, Ting Lu, Xiaojin Zhang, Chuanfu Li, Jingwei Xiong, Lei Huang, Ping Liu, Yuehua Li, Li Liu, Zhengnian Ding

ETSU Faculty Works

Lung tumor progression is regulated by proangiogenic factors. Heat shock protein A12B (HSPA12B) is a recently identified regulator of expression of proangiogenic factors. However, whether HSPA12B plays a role in lung tumor growth is unknown. To address this question, transgenic mice overexpressing HSPA12B (Tg) and wildtype littermates (WT) were implanted with Lewis lung cancer cells to induce lung tumorigenesis. Tg mice showed significantly higher number and bigger size of tumors than WT mice. Tg tumors exhibited increased angiogenesis and proliferation while reduced apoptosis compared with WT tumors. Interestingly, a significantly enhanced upregulation of Cox-2 was detected in Tg tumors than …

Perinatal Manganese Exposure And Hydroxyl Radical Formation In Rat Brain, Michał Bałasz, Ryszard Szkilnik, Ryszard Brus, Jolanta Malinowska-Borowska, Sławomir Kasperczyk, Damian Nowak, Richard M. Kostrzewa, Przemysław Nowak

ETSU Faculty Works

The present study was designed to investigate the role of pre- and postnatal manganese (Mn) exposure on hydroxyl radical (HO•) formation in the brains of dopamine (DA) partially denervated rats (Parkinsonian rats). Wistar rats were given tap water containing 10,000 ppm manganese chloride during the duration of pregnancy and until the time of weaning. Control rat dams consumed tap water without added Mn. Three days after birth, rats of both groups were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine at one of three doses (15, 30, or 67 µg, intraventricular on each side), or saline vehicle. We found that Mn content in the brain, …

Molecular And Physiological Factors Of Neuroprotection In Hypoxia-Tolerant Models: Pharmacological Clues For The Treatment Of Stroke, Thomas I. Nathaniel, Julius O. Soyinka, Adekunle Adedeji, Adebobola Imeh-Nathaniel

ETSU Faculty Works

The naked mole-rat possesses several unique physiological and molecular features that underlie their remarkably and exceptional resistance to tissue hypoxia. Elevated pattern of Epo, an erythropoietin (Epo) factor; c-fos; vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF-1α) contribute to the adaptive strategy to cope with hypoxic stress. Moreover, the naked mole-rat has a lower metabolic rate than any other eutherian mammal of comparable size that has been studied. The ability to actively reduce metabolic rate represents a strategy widely used in the face of decreased tissue oxygen availability. Understanding the different molecular and physiological factors that induce metabolic suppression …

Factors Associated With Philanthropic Giving And Their Correlation With Donation Amount: A Case Study Of The Indianapolis Zoo 2014 Donor Survey, Ashley N. Marcum

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Indianapolis Zoo, located in the heart of Indianapolis, is a staple of the community. Celebrating its 50th year anniversary in 2014, the Indianapolis Zoo is known worldwide for both its excellence in animal care and its dedication to local and international conservation efforts. The intent of this paper is to provide the Indianapolis Zoo Institutional Advancement Department with an in depth analysis of its 2014 Donor Survey. Understanding the factors that can affect donor motivation to give philanthropically and the correlation these factors may have with gift amount will help the development team hone their soliciting practices.

It is …

The Implication And Evaluation Of Participant Surveys For 4-H Teen Summit, Zack Turner

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

4-H Teen Summit is a unique and popular youth development program that does not currently utilize formally structured participant feedback as a part of its internal program evaluation. I designed and proposed the administration of a survey to begin the program evaluation process for 4-H Summit. The survey was administered to participants and the results were shared with me for analysis.

Stakeholder Perception Of The Ethics Of An Industry: The Case Of Organic Food In South India, Jubin Jacob-John, Navin Veerapa

School of Economics and Business Administration Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Reconstruction After Genocide: An Analysis Of The Justice System For The Women Victims Of Genocidal Rape In Post-Conflict Bosnia, Hannah E. Gardenswartz

Scripps Senior Theses

In the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the critical elements of the ethnic cleansing regimes was rape and impregnation of women. When the international justice system was created to criminally try the perpetrators of the atrocities, including the rape victims was a new development. Looking at the tribunals and court system from a gendered perspective reveals that the efforts to include rape victims have not taken into account their specific needs, stemming from their trauma. A critical look the ICTY and other criminal courts are presented, as well as recommendations for improving inclusivity and reconciliation.

#Flawless: The Intersection Of Celebrity Culture And New Media In The Modern Feminist Movement, Laurel Schwartz

Scripps Senior Theses

People have organized around gender equality in modern America for the last century. However, with the advent of new technology, people largely organize in around social movements in online spaces. This thesis explores the ways in which new media expands a popular understanding of the Feminist movement.

A Comprehensive Selection Of Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr Analysis In A Predatory Lady Beetle, Hippodamia Convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), Huipeng Pan, Xiaowei Yang, Blair D. Siegfried, Xuguo Zhou

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a reliable, rapid, and reproducible technique for measuring and evaluating changes in gene expression. To facilitate gene expression studies and obtain more accurate RT-qPCR data, normalization relative to stable reference genes is required. In this study, expression profiles of seven candidate reference genes, including β-actin (Actin), elongation factor 1 α (EF1A), glyceralde hyde-3-phosphate dehydro-genase (GAPDH), cyclophilins A (CypA), vacuolartype H+-ATPase (ATPase), 28S ribosomal RNA (28S), and 18S ribosomal RNA (18S) from Hippodamia convergens were investigated. H. convergens is an abundant predatory species in the New World, and has been widely used as a …

Catullus And Urbanitas: Ancient Roman Sophistication Through The Eyes Of A Multi-Faceted Poet, Marcus A. Vu

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Our culture seems to be fascinated with the lives of celebrities or high-society, but this fascination has not come about recently. Throughout time, we as humanity have always been curious and captivated by these individuals, especially when they make faux pas. Let us take Catullus for instance. He is considered the poetic “playboy” of the late Republic in Rome traveling through the social circles of Roman high-society and displaying atrocious behavior the whole time. He is linked to the most salacious indiscretions such as his relationship with Clodia Metella, a much older married Roman noble woman who was thought to …