Digital Commons Network^™

Attitudes Among Legal Professionals: Measuring For A Difference In Attitudes Towards Science, Jonathen N. Gates

University Honors Theses

Media provides an image of science, as used by law, in an unflattering light. Scientific experts are portrayed as misrepresenting and obscuring the truth of research to support a position at the behest of lawyers and their clients. This research examines the occurrence of "junk science" in courts and relates doctrinal and values theories to explain its presence. An investigation of attitudes towards science is conducted using General Social Survey data to test whether legal professionals hold more negative views towards the scientific community than peers in other fields. The regressions suggest that legal professionals may in fact have more …

Self-Infantilizing Women: Paternalism In Abortion Lawmaking And Legislator Gender, Cherie H. Martin

University Honors Theses

Mainstream feminist political science discourse primarily focuses on abortion as an issue of male dominance over female individuals, and little research has been conducted to determine whether female lawmakers, too, are complicit in paternalism in anti-abortion rhetoric and lawmaking, and the implications of such self-infantilization. The present thesis surveys the existence of paternalistic language in state-level anti-abortion bills for the 2016 legislative session, and analyzes the results by legislator gender. The data conveys that both male and female legislators employ paternalistic language in anti-abortion legislation, which implies there is more to the abortion debate than gender differences. This paper explores …

"Like A Parasite Dozing In The Gut": Idleness And Tending In J.M. Coetzee's Life And Times Of Michael K, Patrick Barrett

University Honors Theses

This paper will attempt to articulate how idleness functions in J.M. Coetzee’s 1983 novel Life and Times of Michael K, and to analyze how it might be undermining or commenting on the idea of idleness which was discursively produced in South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries. Coetzee develops a commentary on the European representation of idleness in his book White Writing: On the Culture of Letters in South Africa, which for my purposes will serve as a jumping off point for a reading of Michael K. Furthermore, I will seek to examine the ways in which idleness does …

Cofactor Binding Determinants In The Nadph-Dependent Nitrile-Oxidoreductase Quef, Spencer William Cohen

University Honors Theses

The NADPH-dependent nitrile-oxidioreductase, QueF is the only known enzyme capable of reducing a nitrile group to an amine. This ability makes it an attractive alternative to conventional industrial nitrile reduction. Understating how QueF binds NADPH may lead to the development of an enzyme capable of using the less expensive reductive cofactor NADH. A cofactor docking model indicates that key residues, Q60 and Y21, interact with the ribose phosphate moiety unique to NADPH. Mutants of these residues (Q60A, Q60N, Q60E, Y21A and Y21F) were developed for steady-state kinetic analysis. Modification to either residue resulted in a decrease in binding and catalytic …

Fetal Stress And Neurogenesis In Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis, Kalera Stratton

University Honors Theses

Little is currently known about normal brain development and the growth of new nerve cells, known as neurogenesis, in most species, let alone how exposure to prenatal stress affects these processes. Using red-sided garter snakes as our animal model, we have a unique opportunity to study the impact of exposure to elevated maternal glucocorticoids, commonly known as "stress hormones", on brain development. This species is viviparous, with a proto-placental structure through which developing fetuses receive nutrients from the dam. Adult snakes also exhibit high rates of seasonal changes in neurogenesis. We captured mated female snakes and treated one-third of them …

Review: A Novel Multiple Sclerosis Model Utilizing Cuprizone And Rapamycin, Mara Bahri

University Honors Theses

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system leading to debilitating long-term neurologic damage, primarily due to the limited ability of remyelination in the adult human brain. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the combined administration of Cuprizone (CPZ) and rapamycin as a novel animal model for MS. Utilization of CPZ induces non-immune mediated demyelination, therefore bypassing complexities of the immune system and allowing analysis of de-/remyelination. Furthermore, remyelination occurs simultaneous with demyelination due to ongoing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes (OLGs).

The immunosuppressive agent, rapamycin inhibits the regulatory pathway Akt/mTOR, …

Following The Flat Hat: What Leads People To National Park Service Interpretive Careers?, Avarie Fitzgerald

University Honors Theses

National Park Service interpreters around the United States are dedicated to connecting people to their parks and historical sites. While these interpretive rangers have an important mission of preserving the landscape and stories of our nation’s most treasured places, a gap in the research of significant life experiences and environmental education professions exists in understanding the motivations behind following a career in the park service. Through semi-structured phenomenological interviews, the significant life experiences of interpretive park rangers were investigated as to their degree of influence on their choice of career. The findings indicate that quality time spent outdoors, family involvement, …

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (Mbsr) As An Alternative Therapy For Chronic Pain, Kayla Ohlgren

University Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the possibility of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as an alternative therapy for chronic pain in contrast to traditional medical care. It examines 18 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and identifies benefits for chronic pain patients in terms of pain severity, quality of life, psychological distress, and duration of benefits. This thesis also identifies practical benefits of MBSR such as cost, implementation, no negative side effects, and the creation of life-long skills to be used after treatment has ended. In conclusion, there is a significant gap in the current academic literature pertaining to chronic pain patients who are minorities, men, …

The Politics Of Water In Mexico City, Richelle Van Dusen

University Honors Theses

The privatization of water in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area is a long and complex process that continues today. The city’s greatest privatization effort, the National Water Law of 1992, was imposed by the federal government with assurances of improvement in accessibility, quality and sustainability. The resulting system that exists today has been largely ineffective in achieving these initial goals. Despite some progress in infrastructure, the partially-private system has aggravated the very social inequalities it aimed to alleviate, further marginalizing the poorest citizens through their water’s high costs, far-reaching inaccessibility, and poor quality. In the decentralized water system, contradictions become …

Perceived Addiction To Pornography, Level Of Distress And Their Correlates, Paul Grimes

University Honors Theses

Negative psychological states such as distress, shame and depression have been linked to problematic porn use. This is a proposal for a study that seeks to identify if perceived addiction to pornography and stress are correlated. In addition to this perceived addiction to porn, other perceived addictions (food, sex, alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes) will be tested to determine the level of comorbidity of addictions in people. The hypothesis of this study is: People that perceive themselves as having pornography addiction will have higher rates of other perceived addictions than those who do perceive themselves to be addicted to pornography; in …

Victims With Responsibilities: Requiring Male Victims Of Statutory Rape To Pay Child Support With No Escape, Jessica Persaud

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of Activity Levels In African Americans With Mild Cognitive Impairment., Barry W. Rovner, Md, Robin J. Casten, Phd, Benjamin E. Leiby, Phd

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Engaging in cognitive, social, and physical activities may prevent cognitive decline. In a sample of older African Americans with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; N=221), we investigated the cross-sectional relationships between activity levels and participants' demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological characteristics. The average age of participants was 75.4 years (SD, 7.0); 177 (80.1%) were women. Participation in cognitive/social activities was positively associated with education, depression, literacy, mobility, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), verbal learning, and subcomponents of executive function. A linear regression identified IADLs, education, depression, and verbal learning as independent predictors. Participation in physical activities was positively associated with sex, …

Diabetes And Physical Activity, Jameela Banu

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Diabetes has been on the rise globally. Although many factors contribute to the increasing risk and manifestation of this disease lack and decreased physical activity/ exercise stands out as one of the major factors. Treatment interventions for prediabetic and diabetic patients include diet and lifestyle changes with enhanced physical activity/ exercise. Several types of physical activity are available for these patients but, recommendations have to be made on an individual basis after giving due consideration to the comorbidities and other risks and barriers. Implementation of progressive resistance therapy may be successful in maintaining glucose homeostasis in diabetic patients.

Impact Of The Biological Control Agent Tetramesa Romana (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) On Arundo Donax (Poaceae: Arundinoideae) Along The Rio Grande River In Texas, John A. Goolsby, Patrick J. Moran, Alexis Racelis, Kenneth R. Summy, Maricela Martinez Jimenez, Ronald D. Lacewell

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Five years post-release of the arundo gall wasp, Tetramesa romana, into the riparian habitats of the lower Rio Grande River, changes in the health of the invasive weed, Arundo donax, or giant reed, have been documented. These changes in plant attributes are fairly consistent along the study area of 558 river miles between Del Rio and Brownsville, TX, and support the hypothesis that the arundo wasp has had a significant impact as a biological control agent. Plant attributes were measured prior to release in 10 quadrats at each of 10 field sites in 2007, and measured again …

Publications Trends In Nuclear Physics: A Global Perspective, Ramiah Santha Kumar Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper attempts to highlight the publication status and growth of nuclear physics research across the world by way of analyzing various features of research output based on Web of Science database. A total of 32286 publications were published on nuclear physics during the period 2004-2013. It was found that the number of published articles was higher in USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, France, China and Russia, etc. The highest number of publications 5,407 (16.75%) was published in 2012. The average number of publications published per year was 3228.6. The highest growth rate (64.90%) was observed in 2012. Out of the …

Research Trends In Medical Physics: A Global Perspective, Ramiah Santha Kumar Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper presents an analysis of 11181 global publications in medical physics, indexed in Web of science database during 2000-2013; the average number of publications published per year was 798.64. Out of 11181 publications, maximum of 5014 (44.84%) publications have been contributed by mega authors, followed by multi authors with 3588 (32.09%) publications. The value of co authorship index for mega authored publications is the highest. The highest value of collaboration coefficient is 0.67 in 2013. The Degree of collaboration of publications of the medical physics is 0.96. Hendee, W R, Medical college Wisconsin, USA is the most productive author …

Assessing The Information Needs And Information Sources Of Urban And Peri-Urban Livestock Keepers In Kinondoni And Morogoro Urban Districts, Tanzania., Consolata Angello 1, Jangawe Msuya 2, Doris Matovelo 3

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper discusses the information needs of urban and peri-urban livestock keepers and the various information sources used and their effectiveness in disseminating livestock information. Mixed method approach was the methodology used in the study whereby quantitative data was gathered using questionnaires while qualitative data was gathered using in-depth interviews and participant observations. Findings from this study revealed that livestock keepers had various information needs such as disease control (95.3%), nutrition and feeds (62.2%), markets (56.3%), housing techniques (29.1%) and loans (20.1%). Urban livestock keepers also used different sources of information to access information including veterinary shops (77.2%), extension services …

Make The Children Read: Participatory Rural Approach In School Libraries In Umueri, Nigeria., Ngozi P. Osuchukwu Mrs, Nelson Edewor Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

School library is desirable because it provides a wide range of reading and multimedia resources. The essence is to support teaching and learning, fostering reading culture and lifelong learning. The rural schools and the children are part of this proposition. It also behooves on the rural dwellers to participate and contribute in community development to ensure learning and literacy sustainability. This study examines the rural school libraries with regards to participatory rural appraisal for community driven development. It is a qualitative study that involved physical assessment of rural schools with community based monitors. Techniques for data collection were focus …

Research Priorities Setting For The National Library And Archives Of The Islamic Republic Of Iran, Farzaneh Shadanpoor, Amir Moghadami, Reza Khanipour

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Research priorities setting process for the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran is reported in this paper. Mixed methods of research have been used to collect and process the data. Producing of research topics and prioritizing them have been done by a Delphi panel of 46 experts that was formed via a targeted sampling. Using a content analysis method and ABC prioritization system, a two part list including 74 "important and urgent" and "important without urgency" research topics have been resulted. Analysis of the "Important and urgent" research priorities indicate the need-orientedness of topics that are …

Library Information Resources And Services Utilization As Correlates Of Creativity Of Senior Administrative Staff Of Polytechnics In South West, Nigeria, Ganiyu Idowu Buhari

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Preliminary investigation into our institutions of higher learning revealed an ugly situation characterized by regular students’ unrest and even unnecessary labour agitations resulting in occasional closure of the institutions, polytechnics inclusive.

This unhealthy situation provides an important background for undertaking a research on the effect of library information resources and services utilization on the creativity of the people in charge of the institutions’ affairs. This study therefore looked into the library information resources and services utilization as correlates of creativity of senior administrative staff of polytechnics in South-west, Nigeria. A single stage random sampling technique was adopted to draw a …

The Intellectual Patterns Of Management Information System Research: A Bibliometric Study On International Journal Of Management Reviews, Basudev Mohanty, Jyotshna Sahoo

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study is modeled with the purpose to explore the quantitative and qualitative assessment of global Management Information System (MIS) research by using various bibliometric indicators on International Journal of Management Reviews (IJMR) journal literature. It examines and presents an analysis of 180 research communications published during the period 1999-2009 in the area of MIS. The present study significantly examines the various bibliometric dimensions of the journal literature such as growth of literature, authorship pattern, degree of collaboration, authors’ productivity, geographical distribution, citation pattern, length of articles, institution-wise distribution of articles, journal matrix, discipline-wise distributions of articles, productive institutions …

Leveraging On Organizational Culture For Innovative Services: A Case Study Of Prof. Kenneth Dike State Central Elibrary, Awka, Nkem Ekene Osuigwe Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The accepted way duties are performed, processes are patterned and problems are solved make up the organizational culture of a workplace. A healthy organizational culture provides opportunities for realization of full potentials of staff, moves leaders in the workplace to develop strong strength of purpose and direction in performing their duties, also encourages enthusiasm about new ideas and adaptation to change. The 21^st century public library needs to embrace changes in order to remain relevant in its community by leveraging on its organizational culture which could be adapted to promote innovative services. Non-traditional SMS information services to People Living …

The Transformation Of The U.S. Government Publishing Office: A Strategic Analysis From An Intergovernmental Perspective, Glenn Mcguigan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

An intergovernmental relations perspective is important to understand challenges facing the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). National library related programs exist as intergovernmental networks tasked with gathering, preserving, and disseminating government information produced at the national level. This paper begins with an overview of the work of the GPO and a discussion of what is meant by an intergovernmental perspective. In reviewing the scholarly literature that has been produced within the last twenty years regarding the work of the GPO, focusing upon organizational dimensions of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the author addresses intergovernmental trends that are impacting these …

Promoting Sexuality Education In Tertiary Institutions: Expected Roles Of Women Librarians In Nigeria, Nkechi N. Amaechi Dr. (Mrs.), Linda I. Anyalebechi, Ifeyinwa Aidah Ariole

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper aimed at x-raying the expected roles of women librarians in promoting sexuality education on within the Nigerian context. The study adopted the desk-research approach where extensive literature review was used in generating data for the study. The findings reveals that women can organize talks for women and young people in the rural areas, organize sex education seminars in collaboration with students Affairs Division in tertiary institutions, use social media platform to disseminate information relating to sexuality education among others. Challenges relating to cultural, religious factors, low literacy level among rural women were identified in the paper. The paper …

The Performance Of Circulating Biomarkers In The Prediction Of Response To Neoadjuvant Therapy In Patients With Oesophago-Gastric Cancer, David Mark Bunting

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Introduction The prognosis in oesophago-gastric cancer is poor with less than 15% patients surviving beyond 5 years after diagnosis. The addition of neoadjuvant therapy has been shown to increase survival in patients suitable for curative surgery. However, the additional gains are modest and the majority of patients do not respond sufficiently from therapy to gain any benefit. There is an urgent need to identify markers that can predict response to neoadjuvant therapy in order provide safer, more effective, individualised treatment regimes. Methods A prospective, multi-centre, collaborative study was undertaken in patients with oesophago-gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant therapy and potentially curative …

Current Challenges In Atrial Fibrillation Ablation, Edward John Davies

Peninsula Medical School Theses

The ablative management of atrial fibrillation, despite a number of landmark discoveries, remains one of the most challenging fields in interventional electrophysiology. It is generally accepted that successful isolation of the pulmonary veins is a highly effective way of managing paroxysmal forms of AF. However, despite almost a decade of research into alternative lesion patterns, the solution to persistent AF remains beyond our grasp. A variety of strategies have been proposed to target key areas in the atria; these use various complex mapping systems, usually based on tailored lesion sets to try and improve outcomes. None have proven to be …

Applying Utaut In Clinical Informatics Research, Kehinde Abayomi Owolabi Mr, Evans Neil Dr, Patrick Thokozani Mhlongo Prof

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The paper discussed unified theory of acceptance and use of technology UTAUT as theoretical foundation for clinical informatics research. Highlighting the efforts to promote the use of clinical informatics in sub-Sahara Africa cannot be over-emphasized. UTAUT theory has evolved to become a key model in understanding factors that influence human behaviors toward acceptance and rejection of technology.

Qualitative content analysis through conceptual and literature analysis was used to explore previous studies in the research domain. Research has been conducted on application of UTAUT in various fields such as internet use, mobile banking and e-learning. But not much has been done …

Gras-Fed Americans: Sick Of Lax Regulation Of Food Additives, Martha Dragich

Faculty Publications

Americans are “GRAS-fed” because of a “loophole” in the strict regime Congress provided for the regulation of food additives. Additives - and food products containing them - are exempt from this strict regime if they are accorded GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status. The guidelines Congress provided for achieving that status by scientific evidence of safety are no longer observed. Most additives are determined by the producer alone to be GRAS. At the same time, Americans’ consumption of highly processed foods continues to rise, giving rise to long-term health problems that are increasingly tied to diet. The average American’s diet …

Planned Parenthood In Crisis: Social Media Strategies And Frames, Lauren Hudel Goodman

LSU Master's Theses

Planned Parenthood entered crisis mode in the summer of 2015 with the release of videos alleging sales of fetal tissue by the Center for Medical Progress. Its crisis communication strategy was implemented to manage its reputation and influence public opinion regarding the organization and potential defunding by Congress. Through the use of women’s health and abortion framing, Planned Parenthood was able to prime its public’s attitudes towards the organization and potential negative outcomes of removing federal funding from the organization. As discovered through a content analysis, Planned Parenthood specifically addressed the crisis in its press releases, allowing the organization to …

Ethj Vol-54 No-1

East Texas Historical Journal

No abstract provided.