Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Relationship Between Preadmission Factors And Dental School Student Success, Nadege J. Dady

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This quantitative study assessed the preadmission factor relationship to success at a graduate dental school. Preadmission factors are used nationally to assess student ability. There are concerns about the reliability of these factors in measuring URM student ability. 1,275 records were collected and assessed for those admitted between the years 1998-2009. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship of the pre admission variables to the continuous variable Dental School GPA. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the relationship of the pre admission variables to the dichotomous categorical variables of Licensure Obtainment and Degree Awarded Status. Based …

Towards An Effective And Efficient Service Delivery To Today's Iskolar Para Sa Bayan: Understanding Uplb Student Organization Members And Their Use Of Interactive Communication Platforms, Mark Lester M. Chico

Professorial Chair Lecture

The study pioneers the profiling and understanding of the nature of UPLB student organizations. It generally aimed to synthesize the communication process involved in the development and use of interactive communication platforms for the effective and efficient service delivery to student organization members.

Data were gathered through online survey, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with selected student leaders and key informants. Records containing data on student organizations and their members from 2012 to 2014 were also consulted.

The professorial lecture described the student organizations based on their nature and types of projects and activities. Majority of student organization members …

The Impact Of Communication Impairments On The Social Relationships Of Older Adults, Andrew Demetrius Palmer

Dissertations and Theses

Communication forms the foundation of social interaction. For older adults, however, there is known to be an increased risk of developing conditions that interfere with the ability to communicate. These conditions may occur for a variety of reasons, including age-related changes in physical or sensory functioning, injury, and disease. It is estimated that 55% of all Medicare beneficiaries have a communication impairment of some kind. Social contact is known to be vital for older adults' mental and physical health but, because communication impairments often co-occur with other types of disability, it is difficult to generalize about the relative impact of …

Salve Regina University Sixty-Fifth Annual Commencement Program, 2015, Salve Regina College

Commencement Programs

The Commencement program details the order of exercises, academic honors, and graduates.

A Shifting Paradigm: Teachers' Beliefs And Methods For Fostering Ecological Literacy In Two Public Charter Schools, Evan P. Sterling

Education

Ecological literacy is measured by a person's ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible and how to live in accordance with those systems. The emergence of the pedagogies of place- and community-based education during the past two decades provides a possible avenue for fostering ecological literacy in schools. This thesis explores the following research questions: 1) How is ecological literacy fostered in two Alaskan public charter schools? 2) What are teachers' beliefs in these two schools about the way children and youth develop ecological literacy? 3) What are effective teaching methods and what are the …

Commencement Program [Spring 2015], Clark University

Commencement Programs

Annual Commencement Program for graduation ceremonies at Clark University, held on May 17th, 2015.

Novel Methods Of Disease Surveillance In Wildlife, Cristina M. Hansen

Biological Sciences

Both infectious and noninfectious disease agents in wildlife impact human health and accurate research, monitoring, and diagnostic methods are necessary. The objectives of the research reported here were to develop and implement novel methods for bacterial and toxicological disease agent surveillance in wildlife. This dissertation begins with a review of tularemia, an important zoonotic disease to the state of Alaska and the Northern hemisphere. In chapter two, I show the development and implementation of broad-based PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) surveillance methods for bacterial DNA in tissue samples; 1298 tissue samples were assayed, numerous potential bacterial pathogens were identified and …

Invasive Plants And Pollination Of Alaskan Berry Species: Integrating Ecology And Education, Katie Villano Spellman

Biological Sciences

A rapidly changing climate and human disturbance patterns have accelerated the spread of invasive plants species in Alaska. Non-native plant invasions can disrupt pollinator services to native plants and have the potential to impact the pollination and fruit set in berry species important for subsistence harvest. My dissertation aims to address the dual need for greater understanding of the impacts of invasive plants on pollination of berry species in boreal ecosystems and the need for research on education strategies that best prepare Alaskans to respond to the issue. I integrate an ecological field experiment, a citizen science program where data …

Detecting The Effects Of Environmental Change On Alaska's Small Mammal Fauna Using Machine-Learning-Based Geographic And Isotopic Niche Modeling, Andrew P. Baltensperger

Biological Sciences

As anthropogenic climate change continues to alter biomes, ecosystems, and wildlife communities, determining how the niche spaces of species will respond is vital for determining appropriate conservation policy that promotes biodiversity and species persistence. In Alaska, quantifications of dietary patterns and geographic distributions of small mammals (rodents and shrews) are incomplete. As a result, wildlife managers are often ill-equipped to adequately account for these ecologically important taxa. I used stable isotopes, open-access occurrence records, and machine learning methods to model the dietary and geographic niche spaces of 17 species of small mammals in mainland Alaska. I also calculated the degree …

The Economic Impact Of Ocean Acidification On Pacific Oysters, Gary A. Eaton

Economics

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, our atmosphere has continued to experience increased levels of CO₂ concentrations and with it, changes in seawater carbonate chemistry. These changes in the carbonate chemistry of seawater, a process known as ocean acidification (OA), threaten some species upon which some economies are largely dependent for economic activity. This thesis uses the best available data to summarize the Washington State shellfish economy and estimate potential impacts of OA on Pacific oyster demand. The analysis evaluates the economic impact of OA on demand using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model approach to estimate short-run and …

Effects Of Methylmercury Exposure On 3t3-L1 Adipocytes, Theresa Vertigan

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Mercury-containing compounds are environmental pollutants that have become increasingly consequential in the Arctic regions of North America due to processes of climate change increasing their release and availability at northern latitudes. Currently, the form of mercury known to be most detrimental to human health is methylmercury, CH₃Hg⁺, which is found in the environment primarily accumulated in the tissues of predatory fish, including those consumed by Alaska Natives through subsistence gathering. Much is known about the neurotoxicity of methylmercury after exposure to high concentrations, but little is known about toxicity to other tissues and cell types, particularly for long-term exposure and …

Sablefish After The Individual Fishing Quota Program: An International Economic Market Model, Stephanie Warpinski

Economics

Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) are distributed from Baja California to western Japan. Alaska is the world's principal supplier of sablefish with the majority of commercial landings occurring in the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. This demersal, long-lived fish is harvested in one of Alaska's highest valued commercial fisheries, primarily with fixed gear. The total value of the sablefish fishery is comparable to that of the Pacific halibut fishery, which is managed under the similar programs such as the federal IFQ program and various state programs. Although sablefish came to be managed under IFQs at the same time as halibut, …

A Comprehensive Bycatch Market: Investigating Pricing Mechanisms For Ecosystem Accountability, Erik O'Brien

Economics

This report takes an ecosystem approach to managing targeted and non-targeted species in the Bering Sea Aleutian Island commercial fisheries. The current regulatory environment sets biological harvest limits across fish stock's entire range, although the individual components of managing fisheries within a stock may lead to economic inefficiencies and difficulties in accounting for social costs due to blunt incentives. The research presented here outlines a model for scenario analysis and pricing mechanisms at each level of harvest across a species range. Due to the modeled indifference of harvesting in targeted or non-targeted fisheries, designations are made for degrees of ownership …

A Sensitivity Analysis Of A Biological Module Discovery Pipeline, James Long

Computer Science

Gene expression is the term applied to the combination of transcription, the process of copying information stored in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) into a transcript, and translation, the process of reading a transcript in order to manufacture a cellular product. Cellular products are typically proteins, which can combine either structurally or in concert to accomplish one or more tasks. Cooperating protein combinations are called modules, and it is thought that groups of transcripts with high correlation between their respective concentrations may indicate such modules. An open-source version of the CODENSE algorithm was developed with improved correlation methods to computationally test this …

Evapotranspiration In A Subarctic Agroecosystem: Field Measurements, Modeling And Sustainability Perspectives, Watcharee Ruairuen

Natural Resources

Northern latitudes are known to be the most vulnerable regions already witnessing the impacts of climate change. These impacts have not only affected a broad spectrum of ecological conditions but also physical and socio-economic functions and activities across the region. Uncertainties in climate change and its progression exposes agroecosystem development and sustainability to a great risk. Yet, not fully understood, climate feedbacks and influencing factors such as human population growth and consumption imposes economical and financial stress in the sustainability of agroecosystem activities. On the opposite direction, trends in this activity can drive regional modifications to climate to an extent …

Conceptualization And Application Of Arctic Tundra Landscape Evolution Using The Alaska Thermokarst Model, W. Robert Bolton, Vladimir Romanovsky, A. David Mcguire, Mark Lara

Research Posters

Thermokarst topography forms whenever ice-rich permafrost thaws and the ground subsides due to the volume loss when excess ice transitions to water. The Alaska Thermokarst Model (ATM) is a large-scale, state-and-transition model designed to simulate transitions between [non-]thermokarst landscape units, or cohorts. The ATM uses a frame-based methodology to track transitions and proportion of cohorts within a 1- km2 grid cell. In the arctic tundra environment, the ATM tracks thermokarst related transitions between wetland tundra, graminoid tundra, shrub tundra, and thermokarst lakes. The transition from one cohort to another due to thermokarst processes can take place if seasonal thaw of …

Density And Distribution Of Meiofauna In The Northeastern Chukchi Sea, Marissa Hajduk

Marine Biology

Meiofaunal communities in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (Alaska) are poorly known and were investigated to determine coarse taxonomic composition, distributional patterns, and density and biomass. Core samples were taken in August through October 2012 from van Veen grabs at depths of 20-45 m, in order to assess meiofauna community structure and associations with environmental and biological variables. Overall, density and biomass were dominated by nematodes, harpacticoid copepods, and foraminifera. Total meiofaunal density (9-13 ind. cm-2) was lower than in some deeper polar regions (e.g., Yermak Plateau and Nansen Basin), but generally fell within the range of published estimates for the …

The Influence Of Terrestrial Matter In Marine Food Webs Of The Beaufort Sea Shelf And Slope, Lauren Bell

Marine Biology

Terrestrial organic matter (OMterr) can function as a food source for Arctic marine consumers, though the relative contribution of OMterr to the structure and efficiency of marine food webs compared to marine production is unclear. Forecasted increases in OMterr inputs to the Arctic Beaufort Sea necessitate a better understanding of the proportional contribution of this organic matter source to the trophic structure of marine communities. This study investigated the relative ecological importance of OMterr across the Beaufort Sea shelf and slope by examining differences in community trophic structure concurrent with variation in terrestrial versus marine organic matter influence. Hydrogen stable …

Using Otolith Strontium Isotopes To Elucidate Population Structure And Movements Of Bering Cisco (Coregonus Laurettae), Andrew John Padilla

Marine Biology

Methods for stock discrimination and tracking the movements and distribution of fishes have often involved expensive field logistics, a problem compounded in remote regions such as Alaska. An alternative approach is to use the chemical signatures preserved in otoliths, or ear bones, of teleost fishes to discriminate stocks or to track the movement history of fish. Currently, a commercial fishery targeting the anadromous Bering cisco Coregonus laurettae is occurring in the Yukon River, Alaska. There are only three known Bering cisco spawning rivers worldwide, the Yukon, South Fork Kuskokwim (Kuskokwim), and Susitna rivers. Managers and researchers believed that two of …

Population Dynamics Of Steller Sea Lions, Eumetopias Jubatus, In The Eastern Gulf Of Alaska, John Michael Maniscalco

Marine Biology

Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) were listed as endangered following a collapse of the western population beginning in the late 1970s. Low juvenile survival and reduced reproductive rates (natality) have been implicated as important factors in the decline. I conducted separate mark-recapture analyses to estimate juvenile survival and natality in an area of the western population where Steller sea lions have begun to show signs of recovery since the early 2000s. I then used these vital-rate estimates in a population matrix to estimate the strength of the recovery and assess which rates pose the greatest threats to recovery. First year …

Biogeochemistry Of A Glaciated Fjord Ecosystem: Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, Stacey Reisdorph

Marine Biology

The burning of fossil fuels, coupled with land use and deforestation practices, has resulted in CO₂ being emitted into the atmosphere. As much as one third of the anthropogenic, or man-made, CO₂ that ends up in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans and has led to increases in marine dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations and a decrease in ocean pH, a process referred to as ocean acidification (OA). Increased concentrations of DIC can reduce saturation states (Ω) with respect to biologically important calcium carbonate minerals, such as aragonite. However, CO₂ may not be the only factor in seasonal changes …

Spring Beauty (Claytonia, Montiaceae) In Beringia: New Evidence On Species Delineation From Morphometrics And Phylogenetic Analysis Of Plastid And Nuclear Dna Sequence Data, Stephany Jeffers

Biological Sciences

The genus Claytonia L. (Spring Beauty) is well known for its attractive flowers and can be found throughout the state of Alaska. Although the genus is a highly recognizable member of Alaska flora, there is much confusion over species delimitation in Claytonia. This research provides additional evidence on species delineation and sectional divisions within the genus Claytonia. I address species delineation in Claytonia from Beringia using two separate and commonly adhered to species concepts. I first look at morphological species delineation using a digital approach to traditional morphometrics. I use the program ImageJ and high-resolution digital herbarium images from the …

Trophic Pathways Supporting Arctic Grayling In A Small Stream On The Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, Jason John Mcfarland

Biological Sciences

Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) are widely distributed on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska, and are one of the few upper level consumers in streams, but the trophic pathways and food resources supporting these fish are unknown. Grayling migrate each summer into small beaded streams, which are common across the landscape on the ACP, and appear to be crucial foraging grounds for these and other fishes. I investigated prey resources supporting different size classes of grayling in a beaded stream, Crea Creek, where petroleum development is being planned. The specific objectives were to measure terrestrial prey subsidies entering the …

Trophic Dynamics Of Boreal Lakes In A Changing Northern Landscape: Impacts Of Lake Drying And Forest Fires, Tyler L. Lewis

Biological Sciences

The abundant lakes of northern latitudes are the primary breeding grounds for many waterbird species. In recent decades, temperatures in the north have increased by twice the global average. This substantial warming has caused lake drying and increased wildfires, both of which may impact waterbird habitats. Fires release nutrients locked in terrestrial resources, making them available for transport to lakes, while lake drying concentrates nutrients and other solutes into smaller water volumes. Increased nutrients may fundamentally alter ecosystem processes of lakes by changing the timing and abundance of phytoplankton blooms, which in turn affects the abundance of aquatic invertebrates - …

Retrogressive Thaw Slumps And Active Layer Detachment Slides In The Brooks Range And Foothills Of Northern Alaska: Terrain And Timing, Andrew W. Balser

Biological Sciences

Permafrost degradation is widespread throughout the circumpolar north, occurring by multiple modes and mechanisms on many types of landscapes. The pan-Arctic rate of permafrost degradation is reportedly increasing, and permafrost carbon and nitrogen release are likely to be major contributors to global atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations in coming decades. Locally, liberation of previously frozen substrates, organic materials, and nutrients alters the ecology of receiving streams, causes ecological and hydrobiogeochemical impacts in lake ecosystems, and impacts vegetation through disturbance, nutrient release, and succession on altered surfaces. Understanding the diverse modes of permafrost landscape response to climate, within time and space, is …

Exploring Supportive And Defensive Communication Behavior And Psychological Safety Between Supervisors And Their Subordinates, Mary E. Strehl

Communication

This project explores the relationship between supportive and defensive communication behavior and psychological safety in the organizational setting. A paper and pencil survey measuring team psychological safety and supportive and defensive communication behaviors was administered to participants in the northwestern region of the United States. Supervisor use of supportive communication behavior was hypothesized to be positively correlated with employee psychological safety. Support was found for the hypothesis. This research sought to expand the scope of our understanding of psychological safety in an organizational setting while highlighting the benefits of using supportive communication behavior.

Detection Of Hcmv Viral Il-10 (Vil-10) In Healthy Blood Donors, Vivian P. Young

Master's Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is widespread in the general population and can establish lifelong latency with expression of a limited subset of viral genes. The UL111A gene is expressed during both lytic and latent infection, and at least two protein isoforms are produced. During lytic infection, the full length transcript yields cmvIL-10, a potent immunosuppressive viral ortholog of human IL-10 (hIL-10). Alternative splicing of the UL111A transcript yields a truncated protein, LAcmvIL-10, which is expressed during both lytic and latent infection but with a limited range of immunosuppressive functions. The two viral cytokines, collectively termed viral IL-10 (vIL-10), are identical in …

Dispersal Patterns And Summer Oceanic Distribution Of Adult Dolly Varden From The Wulik River, Alaska, Evaluated Using Satellite Telemetry, Michael B. Courtney

Fisheries

In Arctic Alaska, Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma is highly valued as a subsistence fish; however, little is known about oceanic dispersal or ecology. This study addresses this knowledge gap, by using a fisheries independent method, pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs). In spring of 2012 and 2013, we attached 52 PSATs to Dolly Varden in a river in northwestern Alaska, which flows into the Arctic Ocean, to examine the marine dispersal, behavior and habitat occupancy of this species. Tagged Dolly Varden demonstrated two types of dispersal, including offshore and nearshore dispersal. The offshore type was the first documented northwesterly dispersal and …

Comparisons Of Arctic Cod, Arctic Staghorn Sculpin, And Shorthorn Sculpin Diets Throughout The Northeastern Chukchi And Western Beaufort Seas, Benjamin P. Gray

Fisheries

Diet information for Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida), Arctic Staghorn Sculpin (Gymnocanthus tricuspis), and Shorthorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) in the northeastern Chukchi and western Beaufort seas is mostly descriptive. In this study, I examined diet variability due to region, depth, and body size by quantitatively comparing these fishes' diet compositions. To accomplish this, I analyzed the stomach contents of 1,620 fishes collected over three summers in the northeastern Chukchi Sea (2010-2012) and one summer in the western Beaufort Sea (2011). In general, body size and region accounted for most differences in diets. As body size increased, each species consumed a more …

Examining Sources Of Primary Production And Bottom-Up Limitations In Nearshore Ecosystems Of The Northeast Pacific Ocean Using Fish Based Indicators, Vanessa Rebeca Biela

Fisheries

Our ability to forecast the fate of ecosystems and species hinges on an understanding of how biological systems respond to their environment. In this dissertation, natural indicators of diet (stable isotopes) and production (otolith growth increment width) in two common fishes were used to investigate energy pathways and biophysical relationships in nearshore kelp forests spanning two large marine ecosystems with contrasting oceanography, the upwelling system of the California Current and the downwelling system of the Alaska Coastal Current. Stable isotope analysis indicated high proportions of kelp-derived carbon in two common predatory fish, pelagic-feeding Black Rockfish and benthic-feeding Kelp Greenling. Routinely …