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Evaluating The Effects Of The Phytohormone Indole-3-Acetic Acid In The Response Of Green Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) To Nanoscale Cuo Exposure In Soil, Loren Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The response of plants to copper oxide nanoparticles (nCuO) in presence of the phytohormones such as IAA, is unknown. In this study, green pea (Pisum sativum) plants were cultivated to full maturity in soil amended with nCuO, CuO bulk (bCuO), and CuCl2 at 50 and 100 mg/kg and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) at 10 and 100 µM. Several analytical techniques were used to evaluate the effects of treatments in the agronomical, physiological, and biochemical effects of treatments. Results showed that only CuCl2 reduced root length and number of leaves. Root copper (Cu) increased in plants exposed to nCuO without IAA; however, …

Animating Composition: 3d Computer-Generated Imaging And Technical Communication Classes, Nikki Ann Agee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This project examines the rhetorical nature of 3D computer-generated imaging (CGI) and investigates how technical communication instructors can integrate it into their classrooms to foster rhetorical awareness of digital and multimodal composing practices; to foster technical communication competencies; and to teach technical communication genres. To justify 3D CGI's study and use in technical communication classes, the Dissertation first overviews 3D CGI's complex, interdisciplinary history; discusses how professionals across disciplines rhetorically use it; and reviews the lack of scholarship on 3D CGI in Rhetoric and Writing Studies. 3D CGI is next conceptualized as a rhetorical information ecology with micro-, meso-, and …

High Fidelity Localization And Sensing For Cattle Analytics, Luis Carlos Bañuelos Chacon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Global beef production is projected to reach approximately 60 million tons in 2015 and opportunities to increase efficiencies are significant with recent advancements in remote sensing. By economically monitoring the location and conditions of a herd such as feeding patterns, body temperature, heart rate, and other biometric information, the herd performance can now be enhanced through data-driven optimization. Next generation sensors provide high fidelity data on a wide range of measurable properties, and simultaneously, the wide adoption of these sensor systems in many consumer applications is leading to commoditization and reduced cost due to the associated economies of scale. Deploying …

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An Overview Of Production And Development Of Ceramic Membranes, Shereen Kamel Amin, Heba Mohamed Abdallah, Mai H. Roushdy, Chakinaz Aly El-Sherbiny

Chemical Engineering

Ceramic membranes became one of the most important ceramic products because of their numerous benefits. Many attempts have been made by researchers to produce ceramic membranes with modified properties by varying their raw materials. Some of these attempts included incorporating wastes into their production process. Examples of such waste are fly ash wastes, glass waste, mud resulting from the hydro cyclone laundries, cortical bone animal, coal gangue, sawdust, construction waste and rice husk. An ideal waste would be priceless waste while at the same time assisting minimizing pollution. Such a situation deals with a dual economic and environmental aspect. This …

Use Of Anti-Mullerian Hormone To Select For Fertility In Beef Heifers, Hannah Newberry, Beth Kegley, Charles Rosenkrans, Rick Rorie

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

A study was conducted to determine whether concentration of serum Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) at weaning and/or breeding could predict subsequent fertility in beef heifers. Frequency distribution was used to assign serum AMH concentration measured at weaning, breeding, and the change from weaning to breeding into quartiles. Comparison of heifers based on serum AMH quartiles at weaning failed (P ≥ 0.35) to detect any effect of AMH on subsequent heifer cyclicity at breeding, estrous response after synchronization, artificial insemination (AI) pregnancy rate, overall breeding season pregnancy rate, or estimated estrous cycle of the breeding season when conception occurred. Based on AMH …

Crime In The Nfl: Does An Arrest History Lead To Better Performance?, Austin D. Crist

CMC Senior Theses

Teams in the National Football League will do whatever it takes to win football games, even if that means having players with a criminal arrest history on their roster. However, does being arrested result in improved performance? Do NFL players with an arrest history perform better than those without one? I examine the effect a criminal arrest record has on player performance in the NFL from 2000-2014, using the top 30 ranked players within each position group. The position I chose to analyze were: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Defensive Linemen, Linebackers, and Defensive Backs. My findings show that having …

A Comparative Examination Of International Carbon Trading Mechanisms, Allison Moors

CMC Senior Theses

A Comparative Examination of International Carbon Trading Mechanisms

Nietzschean Ethics: One's Duty To Overcome, Emmanuel Hurtado

CMC Senior Theses

Abstract

In this paper, I will analyze Nietzsche’s argument for a moral error theory and examine the implications of his view. In order to arrive at the best possible interpretation I will heavily incorporate many passages from Nietzsche’s original works so that I can delve into a textual analysis of Nietzsche. Because Nietzsche is notoriously vague at times and often contradictory, I recognize that this is far from the only appropriate interpretation. However, I hope that it is one which has at least some intuitive appeal. Eventually, I hope to prove that despite his rejection of moral truths, Nietzsche’s theory …

Diversity And Innovation: The Effects Of Diverse Creator Teams On Video Game Characteristics And Sales, Jill C. Rosok

CMC Senior Theses

I analyze the effects of gender diversity on video game production teams. I hypothesize teams with greater gender diversity produce more games with uncommon characteristics than less diverse teams, and the games these teams develop generate higher revenue and unit sales compared to games developed by less diverse teams. I find teams with more women disproportionately develop games that are non-violent and have playable female leads. I examine whether there is an optimal ratio of women to hire for each game genre in order to maximize revenue by analyzing the relationship between the percentage of women on a team in …

Poetic Labor: Meaning And Matter In Robert Frost's Poetry., Lina Pan

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines Frost’s conception of poetry as the labor of human value. It investigates how Frost consciously shaped his notions of “sound of sense” and metaphor, which he deemed fundamental elements of poetic labor, in contradistinction to the Modernist poetics of Eliot and Pound. The author closely examines a representative sample of Frost’s poetry and prose as critiques of Modernist poetic theory and its implications for what Frost deemed the essential human function of poetry. The thesis will interest scholars studying strains of English poetic thought that developed concurrently with and against Modernist poetic thought. More broadly, it will …

Consumer Neuroscience: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach To Marketing Leveraging Advances In Neuroscience, Psychology And Economics, Bridget E. Blum

CMC Senior Theses

For decades, neuroscience has greatly contributed to our foundational understanding of human behavior. More recently, the findings and methods of neuroscience have been applied to study the process of decision-making in order to offer advanced insights into the neural mechanisms that influence economic and consumer choices. In this thesis, I will address how customized marketing strategies can be enriched through the integration of consumer neuroscience, an integrative field anchored in the biological, cognitive and affective mechanisms of consumer behavior. By recognizing and utilizing these multidisciplinary interdependencies, marketers can enhance their advertising and promotional mix to elicit desired neural and affective …

Playing God: An Analysis Of Video Game Religion, Joshua K. Boren

CMC Senior Theses

Video games offer a liberating, virtual-community building and meaning-making out-of-body experience for those that wholeheartedly engage in them. The lore and backstory of some of the most popular games (League of Legends, Kingdom Hearts, and World of Warcraft) are heavily influenced by all types of religion. In addition, and contrary to popular perception, a growing number of video games offer a global medium for instilling positive morals in society. As a result, video games become a religious placeholder or pseudo-religion for many of the most devoted gamers, because they offer many of the same experiences that religions do. …

Escaping The Poverty Trap: Formal Savings And Asset Accumulation In Rural Malawi, Audrey Breitwieser

CMC Senior Theses

Formal savings accounts can be an effective device for households to accumulate assets over time and thus have more funds available to better afford an expensive one-time payment, in the form of either addressing an economic shock or paying for an important life event. I explore this relationship using a field experiment in rural Malawi conducted from 2008-2010, and find that adoption of a formal savings account has no effect on the frequency of economic shocks that a household experiences, nor does it affect how households respond to shocks. However, I find that account adoption does significantly increase the frequency …

Ethical Considerations Facing The Regulation Of Self-Driving Cars In The United States, Richard Mancuso

CMC Senior Theses

Self-driving cars are here. Once an advanced technology that seemed futuristic, they are now closer than most believe. Many of the largest automobile manufacturers are working on autonomous vehicle technology of their own. Perhaps most well-known, though, are the cars being developed by Tesla and Google. Both companies have well-developed prototypes of fully autonomous vehicles, meaning they require no human input or supervision, and Tesla has promised widespread, consumer availability of this technology in the next one to two years.

Along with the availability of this technology to the public and transportation companies like Uber and Lyft, comes a need …

The Effects Of Musical Intervals From Consonant To Dissonant On The Neural Activity Of Earthworms, Charley L. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Music is generated through vibrations of a medium creating what is perceived as tone. Two frequencies played simultaneously create intervals, and those ratios of frequencies determine what is consonant and dissonant. Studies have shown a greater neural response in human participants to consonant intervals (Bidelman and Heinz 2011, Bidelman and Krishnan 2009). In this study, the ventral nerve cord of Lumbricus terrestris was exposed to six dichotic intervals in the form of vibrations through a bass actuator. Nerve activity was recorded for amplitude (mV), duration (ms), and maximum depolarization (mV) of the action potential. There was no significant difference in …

Phylogenetic Analyses Of Andean And Amazonian Tree Communities In Ecuador, Samantha J. Worthy

Theses and Dissertations

The forests of Ecuador are known for their high levels of diversity and endemism, classifying the country as a biodiversity hotspot. Both the western Amazon and Andean montane forests are richly populated with tropical tree species that have been little studied in a community phylogenetic context. The implementation of elevational transects and trait based analyses having proven useful in gaining a better understanding of how environmental factors are affecting the tree community structure in these habitats. The goal of this research was to evaluate the magnitude ofDNA barcode diversity among Amazonian and Andean tree species. Specifically, the objectives were to …

Environmental Variables Associated With Invasive Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula Alnus Mill.) And Indirect Control Strategies For Forest Managers, Joshua Glidden Kozikowski

Master's Theses and Capstones

Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus Mill.) is one of the most prominent non-native invasive plant species affecting New England forests. It quickly invades a forest and can create a dense understory effectively altering the species composition and dynamics of that forest. To gain a better understanding of the environmental variables associated with glossy buckthorn density we sampled forests across New Hampshire with varying degrees of buckthorn invasion. The effect on tree regeneration was analyzed with measurements of height and abundance of glossy buckthorn and native regeneration. Glossy buckthorn was found to be at its highest densities in disturbed softwood forests that …

Combination Of Vatalanib And A 20-Hete Synthesis Inhibitor Results In Decreased Tumor Growth In An Animal Model Of Human Glioma, Adarsh Shankar, Thaiz F. Borin, Asm Iskander, Nadimpalli R. S. Varma, Bhagelu R. Achyut, Meenu Jain, Tom Mikkelsen, Austin M. Guo, Wilson B. Chwang, James R. Ewing, Hassan Bagher-Ebadian, Ali S. Arbab

Radiation Oncology Articles

BACKGROUND: Due to the hypervascular nature of glioblastoma (GBM), antiangiogenic treatments, such as vatalanib, have been added as an adjuvant to control angiogenesis and tumor growth. However, evidence of progressive tumor growth and resistance to antiangiogenic treatment has been observed. To counter the unwanted effect of vatalanib on GBM growth, we have added a new agent known as N-hydroxy-N'-(4-butyl-2 methylphenyl)formamidine (HET0016), which is a selective inhibitor of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) synthesis. The aims of the studies were to determine 1) whether the addition of HET0016 can attenuate the unwanted effect of vatalanib on tumor growth and 2) whether the treatment …

A Floristic Study Of The Oak Leaf Lake Unit Of The Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area In Nicollet County, Minnesota, Heidi Rauenhorst

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Prairies play an integral ecological role, protecting biodiversity and providing habitat for fauna. The number of prairie acres has significantly declined in Minnesota, making the existing prairies that much more valuable. The Oak Leaf Lake Unit of the Swan Lake Wildlife Management Area in Nicollet County, Minnesota (latitude 44.311050, longitude -94.015577) was purchased by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 1994 and is being managed as tallgrass prairie. Floristic surveys were performed during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons to gather baseline data. These data were used to assess the quality of the site through calculation of various indices …

Effects Of Hydrology On The Growth And Recruitment Of Stream Fish In The Eastern Broadleaf Province Of Minnesota, Eric J. Krumm

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Agricultural practices and urban development have altered streamflows within the Eastern Broadleaf Province of Minnesota. Stream-flow alteration can produce significant changes in native freshwater communities. Therefore, knowledge of streamflow effects on representative freshwater populations and communities within the province are needed to maintain ecological integrity. Fish community and population dynamics often display predictable responses to flow regimes, which can make fishes model organisms for examining flow-ecology relationships.

In lotic systems, annual variation in streamflow can influence the annual growth and recruitment of fishes. Understanding the growth and recruitment of fish populations is essential for management and conservation efforts. Growth can …

Development And Evaluation Of A Habitat Suitability Model For White-Tailed Deer In An Agricultural Landscape, Eric Anstedt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an ecological, economical, and socially significant species that occupy a variety of ecoregions. White-tailed deer are mobile habitat generalists that prefer habitats containing woody cover. Deer have successfully adapted to habitat-fragmented, agricultural landscapes. As a result, deer are not uniformly distributed across intensively cultivated areas, which make field surveys difficult with often highly variable spatial data. To increase sampling efficiency (deer observed / sampling effort), the landscape can be stratified based upon preferred habitat types. Habitat suitability models (HSI) have been used to represent hypothesized wildlife-habitat relationships, and therefore the likelihood of deer being observed …

Effects Of Computer Program Visualization Tools On Student Populations, Meghan Jayne Peterson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined how program visualization tools affect Advanced Placement Computer Science students' understanding of abstract programming concepts. A literature review was conducted to determine if program visualization is effective and which students benefit from it the most. The findings were used to design a causal comparative study in which students would experience instruction with and without program visualization. The study took place in an AP Computer Science course during the first challenging unit about an abstract concept: loops. Participants (n = 24) were selected using convenience sampling and were assessed before, during, and after the study took place. While …

Job Shop Misconceptions: Making The Case For Lean, Renee Held

White Papers

In today's competitive business environment, a focus on continuous improvement through Lean can make a big difference in the financial success and growth of a business.

Repositioning Of Drugs Using Open-Access Data Portal Dtome: A Test Case With Probenecid (Review), Mohammad U. Ahmed, Dylan J. Bennett, Tze-Chen Hsieh, Barbara B. Doonan, Saba Ahmed, Joseph M. Wu

NYMC Faculty Publications

The one gene-one enzyme hypothesis, first introduced by Beadle and Tatum in the 1940s and based on their genetic analysis and observation of phenotype changes in Neurospora crassa challenged by various experimental conditions, has witnessed significant advances in recent decades. Much of our understanding of the association between genes and their phenotype expression has benefited from the completion of the human genome project, and has shown continual transformation guided by the effort directed at the annotation and characterization of human genes. Similarly, the idea of one drug‑one primary disease indication that traditionally has been the benchmark for the labeling and …

Characterization Of Foreign-Born Vs. U.S. Native-Born Worker Fatalities In Kentucky, 2001-2014, Yailet Cruz Galardy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background: Foreign-born workers may be more vulnerable to fatal and nonfatal work injuries. Available information on the differences that exist between foreign-born and U.S. native-born worker fatal injuries is scarce. This study aims to describe and characterize occupational fatal injuries in foreign-born and U.S. native-born workers in Kentucky.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis of foreign-born vs. U.S. native-born worker fatalities was performed over a 14-year period from 2001-2014 using Kentucky Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) program worker fatality surveillance data.

Results: From 2001-2014, there were a total of 87 foreign-born and 1,361 native-born worker fatalities. The average age of …

A Controversial Bill (H.R. 897) To Mosquito Control Programs: A Policy Analysis, Charles Guissou

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The primary purpose of this paper was to analyze the legal, financial, and administrative burdens of the Pesticides General Permit on mosquito control programs from a policy perspective. Mosquito control is often highly controversial, particularly when it involves the use of pesticides that have their own potentially serious health and environmental impacts. In 2009, the Environment Protection Agency issued the permit to be obtained by pesticide applicators before pesticides could be discharged into waterways in addition to existing Federal Insecticides, Fungicides, and Rodenticides Act (FIFRA) regulations. Some provisions of the permit could impact mosquito control activities. Therefore, in response to …

Social Network Analysis Of Cellphone Surveillance Data For Ebola In Sierra Leone, Jia B. Kangbai

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Aim: To explore and visualize the connectivity of suspected Ebola cases and surveillance callers who used cellphone technology in Moyamba District in Sierra Leone for Ebola surveillance, and to examine the demographic differences and characteristics of callers who make more calls as well as more likely to make at least one positive Ebola call.

Methods: Surveillance data for 393 suspected Ebola cases (192 males, 201 females) were collected from October 23, 2014 to June 28, 2015 using cellphone technology. UCINET and NetDraw were used to explore and visualize the social connectivity between callers and suspected Ebola cases. Poisson and logistic …

Her Strongholds Unvanquishable: Tracing The Contours Of A Female Interiority In The “Shrine Of The Virgin” And Teresa Of Ávila’S Interior Castle, Sara Mahan

Theses & ETDs

This study traces themes of embodiment, containment and enclosure in what I understand as two historical representations of female interiority: the late medieval devotional object of the Vierge ouvrante and the early modern mystic Teresa of Ávila's Interior Castle. My thesis explores these historical entities through the lenses of feminist inquiry and demonstrates the utility of listening for silence and looking for absence in the representations and creations of women at these times in history.

“Making, Remaking, And Reclaiming The Witch: Constructing Witches In American Fiction”, Sydnie Petterway

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the process of constructing the identity of “witch” in American fiction by delving into the historical implications of labeling a character a “witch” throughout American history. The designation “witch” is used throughout English and American literature to construct a repository for communal anxiety by singling out a community member to embody those fears. I begin by analyzing two seventeenth-century English plays, The Witch of Edmonton and The Late Lancashire Witches, where early modern English beliefs still held that magic was real and possible. Next, I look at two canonical American texts from the twentieth century, The Scarlet …