Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Narrative Structure Of Animated Movies On Esl Learners' Recall And Comprehension Of Stories, Noriza Abu Hassan Shaari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study aimed at expanding the examination of a narrative structure by using short 2D short animated movies in an ESL learning (L2) environment. Employing an experimental design, this study investigated whether there was an effect of narrative structure that was sequenced in a linear, a simple non-linear and a complex non-linear manner on ESL learners' recall and comprehension of stories. The independent between-groups ANOVA yielded a statistically significant effect on recall and comprehension. As a summary, the result of this investigation found that there was an effect of narrative structure of animated movies on ESL learners' recall and comprehension …

Voluntary Wheel Running Improves Recovery From Muscle Disuse In Mice, Matthew J. Brooks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The reloading of atrophied muscles from weightlessness or disuse results in injury and prolonged recovery. Satellite cells, or muscle stem cells, have a key role in facilitating injury-induced muscle repair but have not been shown to be required in muscle remodeling following atrophy. However, it has been less clear if low-impact exercise, such as voluntary wheel running, could provide a sufficient stimulus to enhance muscle recovery from atrophy through satellite cell activation. This study aimed to determine if voluntary wheel running improved recovery from muscle disuse following hindlimb suspension unloading (HSU), and if the recovery was associated with exercise-induced satellite …

Physicochemical Modulation Of Huntingtin Aggregation On Lipid Membranes: Implications For Huntington's Disease, Maxmore Chaibva

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Huntington disease is a genetic, neurodegenerative disease caused by an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) in the first exon of the huntingtin (htt) protein, facilitating its aggregation, leading to the formation of a diverse population of potentially toxic aggregate species, such as oligomers, fibrils, and annular aggregates. Htt interacts with a variety of membranous structures within the cell, and the first seventeen amino acids (Nt17) of htt directly flanking the polyQ domain is an amphipathic alpha-helix (AH) lipid-binding domain. AHs are also known to detect membrane curvature. Nt17 also promotes diverse aggregate species of htt and undergoes a number of posttranslational modifications …

The Relationship Between Plasma Osmolarity And Feed Efficiency In Beef Cattle And Effect Of Feeding Cows Medicated Feed Through Mineral Containing Altosidrtm Igr On The Growth Of Beef Calves, Taylor Diane Harrison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dietary cation-anion modification in cattle has effects on productivity through various means. Alterations of dietary cation-anion balances has been shown to affect plasma osmolarity. Plasma osmolarity is directly related to renal function and metabolism in all animals. In a feeding operation with a single diet fed to a similar population of animals, plasma osmolarity should fall within a somewhat normal range (approximately 270-310 mOsm). However, subtle, yet very distinguishable differences will exist between animals. In theory, variances in osmolarity may reflect differences in metabolism and as such, efficiency of feed utilization. Many researchers believe that utilizing residual feed intake (RFI) …

Feeding Soy Protein Isolate Andor Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids On The Spleen-Liver Axis In A Female Rat Model Of Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease With Liver Steatosis, Lauren Gibson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT Feeding Soy Protein Isolate and/or Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on the Spleen-Liver Axis in a Female Rat Model of Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease with Liver Steatosis Lauren Brooke Gibson Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) is a congenital hepatorenal fibrocystic syndrome with a mortality rate of 30% during the first year of life. The most common extra-renal manifestation of ARPKD is liver disease with a greater rate in females due to their higher estrogen levels. Abnormal spleen enlargement (splenomegaly) has been found to occur in 60% of ARPKD patients. In the absence of effective medications to treat the …

Qualitatively Assessing Background Factors Of Criminal Captive-Takers, Erin E. Grinnan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Captive-taking is an inclusive category of criminal behavior that encompasses kidnapping, hostage situations, and certain acts of terrorism within both domestic and international contexts. To date, the existing research examining the individuals that commit captive-taking events and their backgrounds has been minimal. Gaining a deeper understanding of these individuals and their backgrounds may better prepare the individuals that are charged with intervening in captive-taking events including law enforcement, military personnel, and psychologists who assist in negotiation procedures.;This dissertation is drawn from a pilot study consisting of interviews with seven, incarcerated individuals convicted of captive-taking. The purpose of this dissertation was …

Using Food Flow Data To Assess Sustainability: Land Use Displacement And Regional Decoupling In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Marco Millones, Benoit Parmentier, John Rogan, Birgit Schmook

Geography

Food flow data provide unique insights into the debates surrounding the sustainability of land based production and consumption at multiple scales. Trade flows disguise the spatial correspondence of production and consumption and make their connection to land difficult. Two key components of this spatial disjuncture are land use displacement and economic regional decoupling. By displacing the environmental impact associated with food production from one region to another, environmental trajectories can falsely appear to be sustainable at a particular site or scale. When regional coupling is strong, peripheral areas where land based production occurs are strongly linked and proximate to consumption …

Bee Natural History, Diversity, And Management In West Virginia, Matthew Mckinney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The value of bees as providers of pollination, an incredibly important ecosystem service, is well understood. Since the detection of colony collapse disorder, the concern over the health of both managed and naturally occurring bee populations has been in the limelight, sometimes being discussed nearly as much in popular media as it is in scientific research. While an ideal situation may be the complete recovery of Apis mellifera populations, the causes of colony losses are not fully understood. Therefore, we must also consider our alternative options such as managing areas to better support natural bees and utilizing alternative managed species, …

Effects Of Pristine And Nitrogen-Doped Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes On Human Lung Epithelial And Fibroblast Cells, Amy Mihalchik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) were first described by Iijima in 1991 as "needle-like tubes" made up of concentric sheets of graphene lattice composed of hexagonal carbon units. MWCNT have been reported to be extremely strong, light-weight, and durable, thus making them a highly valued nanomaterial commercially. In order to improve their electrical conductivity and dispersibility for industrial and biomedical uses, materials scientists began functionalizing CNT in the mid-1990s. One type of functionalized MWCNT, nitrogen doped-MWCNT (ND-MWCNT), have nitrogen directly incorporated into the carbon lattice, disrupting sp2 bonding and decreasing the crystallinity of MWCNT. Nitrogen-doping significantly increases the brittleness, chemical reactivity, …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Various Modalities To Improve Arterial Stiffness, Corey Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular (CV) mortality, partially due to arterial stiffening, which can be measured non-invasively via pulse wave velocity (PWV). Arterial stiffness is a clinically relevant CV marker of mortality, an increase in PWV by only 1 SD is associated with an increased CV risk of 15%. Land based aerobic exercise, both chronic and acute, has previously been identified as an effective method for improving arterial health. Unfortunately, land based aerobic exercise is not feasible for all populations, therefore a more effective treatment modality must be elucidated. Aquatic exercise has previously been shown …

Depositional And Diagenetic History Of The Triassic Redbeds And Evaporites From The Mercia Mudstone Group In The Carnduff 02 Core Of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Anna Sofia Andeskie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Triassic Mercia Mudstone Group from the Carnduff 02 core from County Antrim, Northern Ireland was deposited by shallow perennial saline lakes and associated environments such as saline mudflats, dry mudflats, siltflats, sandflats, and desert soils. This setting contained shallow acid brines that underwent flooding and evapoconcentration cycles in an arid climate. The redbeds and evaporites of the group have a complicated diagenetic history.;The Mercia Mudstone Group is composed of five main lithologies: mudstone, siltstone, displacive halite, bedded halite, and bedded gypsum. Other less abundant lithologies include sandstone, mud/halite conglomerate, and igneous intrusive rocks. The mudstone and siltstone are composed …

Signaling Changes In Reinforcer Ratios Facilitates Adaptive Forgetting In Pigeons, Daniel Bell-Garrison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forgetting is often characterized as maladaptive, but if a cue no longer signals the consequences of a response, then forgetting the previously learned stimulus-response discrimination is adaptive. Pigeons pecked for food in concurrent schedules of reinforcement. The relative frequency of food delivery on each key changed pseudorandomly across sessions with an overnight break in the middle of each session. New sessions began immediately after the last food delivery in the previous session. When the change from one session to the next was not signaled, responses remained under the control of the previous session's ratio of reinforcement. When the session change …

Endothelial Cells Expressing Endothelial And Mesenchymal Cell Gene Products In Lung Tissue From Patients With Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease., Fabian A. Mendoza, Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez, John L. Farber, Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Sergio A. Jimenez

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether lung endothelial cells (ECs) from patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) express mesenchymal cell-specific proteins and gene transcripts, indicative of the occurrence of endothelial-to-mesenchymal phenotypic transition (EndoMT).

METHODS: Lung tissue from 6 patients with SSc-associated pulmonary fibrosis was examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Confocal laser microscopy was utilized to assess the simultaneous expression of EC and myofibroblast molecular markers. CD31+CD102+ ECs were isolated from the lung tissue of 2 patients with SSc-associated ILD and 2 normal control subjects, and the expression of EC and mesenchymal cell markers and other relevant genes was analyzed …

Reaction Kinetics Of Hydroxyl Radical With Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Precursors, Juddha Thapa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The incomplete combustion of fuels inside of an internal combustion engines generates unwanted byproducts such as soot. Because of health and environmental concerns, soot formation has been a very active area of research in combustion chemistry. However, the mechanism of formation of soot is still not well understood. It has been proposed that the soot formation is initiated by the reaction of small free radicals with abundant hydrocarbon fuel molecules producing aromatic ring structures at high temperatures. These aromatic ring structures further react to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are stable at the high temperatures of combustion environments. These …

A Feasibility Study For The Automated Monitoring And Control Of Mine Water Discharges, Christopher R. Vass

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The chemical treatment of mine-influenced waters is a longstanding environmental challenge for many coal operators, particularly in Central Appalachia. Mining conditions in this region present several unique obstacles to meeting NPDES effluent limits. Outlets that discharge effluent are often located in remote areas with challenging terrain where conditions do not facilitate the implementation of large-scale commercial treatment systems. Furthermore, maintenance of these systems is often laborious, expensive, and time consuming. Many large mining complexes discharge water from numerous outlets, while using environmental technicians to assess the water quality and treatment process multiple times per day. Unfortunately, this treatment method when …

A Conspiracy To Resurrect Life And Social Justice In Science Curriculum With Henrietta Lacks: A Play, Dana Compton Mccullough

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a theoretical inquiry into alternative pedagogies that challenge current standardized practices in the field of science education. Building upon a wide array of work, such as philosophy and history of science (Haraway, 1989, 1991,1997, 2000, 2007; Harding 1991, 1998; Latour, 1987, 1991/1993, 1991; Rheinberger, 1992, 2010; Serres, 1982/2007,1991/1997, 2010/2012), curriculum studies and science curriculum (Appelbaum, 2001, 2010; Barone, 1990, 2000; Blades, 1997, 2001; Calabrese-Barton, 2003, 2011; Cartwright, 1999; Doll, 1993; Grumet, 1999; He, 2003,2008, 2009,2013; Lather, 1997,2007,2010; Schubert, 1986, 2009; Schwab, 1978; Weaver, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015); and playwriting (Brody, 2011; Innes, 2002; and Mighton, 1987, 1988), …

Practice And Precedent In Historical Gloss Games, Joseph Blocher, Margaret H. Lemos

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Posthuman Curriculum And The Teacher, John P. Cook

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this document is to explore education through a posthumanist lens. More specifically, elements of posthumanism will be used to better understand today’s teachers, to provide several overarching educational goals and curricular imperatives, and to inform pedagogical practice. Several posthumanist themes in particular will serve to unify this rather broad consideration of education at varying levels. One such theme is that of blurring boundaries, calling into question distinctions that have been the source of declines in the health of our bodies, our species, and the life systems of which we are constitutive parts. Distinctions too often lead to …

Proof They Were There, Holly Lavecchia

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

An Apology For The Lies I Tell About My Character, Jess L. Bryant

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Millions Of Names For Empty Space, Andrew Koch

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Chemically-Mediated Prey Responses: Invasive Brook Stickleback Induced Changes In Behavior And Life History Of Larval Long-Toed Salamanders, Renae K. Reed

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The purpose of this research was to assess the predator-induced responses of a larval amphibian to its natural predators and to an unfamiliar fish. Amphibians express chemically-mediated antipredator defenses in behavior, morphology and life history, and are currently threatened with predation by invasive fish. To investigate this issue, we first initiated a behavioral assay to test the null hypotheses that predator type and diet have no effect on long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) behavior. We exposed individual replicate A. macrodactylum to chemical cues (kairomones) from garter snakes (Thamnophis elegans), tiger salamanders (A. tigrinum) and brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans), which had been …

A Molecular Characterization Of The Fungal Endophytes Within The Needles Of Ponderosa Pine (Pinus Ponderosa), Amy E. Gray

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Fungal endophytes (microbial fungi that live in plant tissues without causing disease) are ubiquitous in plants studied to date. Many conifers host endophytes that produce important bioactive secondary metabolites. While the endophytes in Pinus ponderosa roots have been studied, the endophyte communities within the needles are not well characterized by molecular means: thus, the goal of this study was to do so. Needles were sampled at two sites located five kilometers apart along a slight precipitation gradient in Eastern Washington State. Fungal DNA (along with pine DNA) was isolated directly from needles of two ages. Internal transcribed spacer regions of …

Impacts Of The Invasive Brook Stickleback (Culaea Inconstans) On Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis Elegans Vagrans) Fitness, Feeding Behavior And Diet, Adam C. Gilles

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

There are multiple examples of Natricine snakes not only changing their diet to utilize an invasive fish, but deriving a fitness benefit from the new and often abundant prey item as well. To investigate a potentially similar scenario arising on the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (Spokane Co., Wash.), we analyzed the morphometrics, fitness, feeding behavior, and diet of wandering garter snakes from three study sites: invaded, historically invaded (recent but not present invasion) and uninvaded. We used mass and snout-vent length (SVL) measurements to infer fitness using a scaled mass index, recorded garter snakes feeding on brook stickleback in the …

New Grand Narratives—The Metaphysical Worldview Of Avatar And Cloud Atlas, Josef Früchtl

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Referring to the films Avatar (2009) and Cloud Atlas (2012), the author will demonstrate that a new era of metaphysical holism follows Postmodernism. These films celebrate a resurrection of the flesh with 3-D technology and a reincarnation of souls with the aesthetic technique of morphing. However apocalyptic their visions of the future might be, and however much they might seem to worship technical megalomania, they are also and again conveying a resounding ethical message and a taste of Utopia.

Ontology And The Aesthetics Of Cinematographic Bodies, Jean-Yves Heurtebise

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

If it is true, as Bergson claimed, that the universe is the sum of images (less than “objective” things but more than “subjective” representations), and if it is correct, as Deleuze said, that this hypothesis bears direct consequences for our understanding of the cinematographic art, then the analysis of cinematographic images and, especially, of the cinematographic images of the body (this living part of matter, this incarnated form of consciousness) can provide not only interesting aesthetic comments about specific directors and films, but also a philosophical understanding of the diverse modes of the sensible incarnation of human bodies. Interestingly enough, …

"Can The Audience Want?" On The Artistic Status Of Contemporary Tv-Series, Angela Keppler

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This paper takes up a question that Theodor W. Adorno posed in 1963 relating to television. The aim is to situate the new TV series, which are part of so-called Quality TV, against the backdrop of the tradition, and to analyze the forms in which the medium is being used. An inspection of pertinent sequences leads to the conclusion that the enjoyment we experience when watching these series stems from the very type of active-passive involvement that Adorno described as being essential only for objects of high culture.

The Behavioral Ecology And Population Characteristics Of Striped Skunks Inhabiting Piper Plover Nesting Beaches On The Island Of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Luanne Johnson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

We studied coastal striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA to gather information on the population characteristics of this mesopredator on Atlantic coast beaches with nesting piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). From 2004 – 2008, we captured and marked 138 skunks and fitted 51 adults with VHF radio-collars. Capture rates ranged from 1 – 7 individuals/100 trap nights (TN) in the spring and 4 – 21 individuals/100 TN in the fall. Spring capture rates were highest at Dogfish Bar (DB), a beach with abundant wrack in the intertidal zone in close proximity to low-density housing, where …

Biology Ii Lab, Todd Schraw

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

Things I (Say And Don't) Mean, Caitlyn Lee Finger

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.