Digital Commons Network^™

An In Situ Assessment Of Local Adaptation In A Calcifying Polychaete From A Shallow Co 2 Vent System, Noelle M. Lucey, Chiara Lombardi, Maurizio Florio, Lucia Demarchi, Matteo Nannini, Simon Rundle, Maria Cristina Gambi, Piero Calosi

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Ocean acidification (OA) is likely to exert selective pressure on natural populations. Our ability to predict which marine species will adapt to OA and what underlies this adaptive potential is of high conservation and resource management priority. Using a naturally low-pH vent site in the Mediterranean Sea (Castello Aragonese, Ischia) mirroring projected future OA conditions, we carried out a reciprocal transplant experiment to investigate the relative importance of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in two populations of the sessile, calcifying polychaete Simplaria sp. (Annelida, Serpulidae, Spirorbinae): one residing in low pH and the other from a nearby ambient (i.e. high) …

Mitochondrial Involvement In Skeletal Muscle Insulin Resistance – A Case Of Imbalanced Bioenergetics, Charles Affourtit

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.

Assessing Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Acid-Extractable Organics In Oil Sands Process-Affected Waters, Richard A. Frank, Craig B. Milestone, Steve J. Rowland, John V. Headley, Richard J. Kavanagh, Sabine K. Lengger, Alan G. Scarlett, Charles E. West, Kerry M. Peru, L. Mark Hewitt

More Faculty of Science and Engineering Research

The acid-extractable organic compounds (AEOs), including naphthenic acids (NAs), present within oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) receive great attention due to their known toxicity. While recent progress in advanced separation and analytical methodologies for AEOs has improved our understanding of the composition of these mixtures, little is known regarding any variability (i.e., spatial, temporal) inherent within, or between, tailings ponds. In this study, 5 samples were collected from the same location of one tailings pond over a 2-week period. In addition, 5 samples were collected simultaneously from different locations within a tailings pond from a different mine site, as well …

Combined Effects Of Exogenous Enzymes And Probiotic On Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Growth, Intestinal Morphology And Microbiome, Daniel Merrifield

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Stable Isotopes And Mtdna Reveal Niche Segregation But No Evidence Of Intergradation Along A Habitat Gradient In The Lesser Whitethroat Complex (Sylvia Curruca; Passeriformes; Aves), Stephen C. Votier, Simon Aspinall, Stuart Bearhop, David Bilton, Jason Newton, Per Alström, Paul Leader, Geoff Carey, Robert W. Furnes, Urban Olsson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Comparative Proteomics And Functional Analysis Reveal A Role Of Plasmodium Falciparum Osmiophilic Bodies In Malaria Parasite Transmission, P Suárez-Cortes, Vikram Sharma, Lucia Bertuccini, Giulia Costa, Naa Lamiley Bannerman, Anna Rosa Sannella, Kim Williamson, Michael Klemba, Elena A. Levashina, Edwin Lasonder, Pietro Alano

School of Biomedical Sciences

An essential step in the transmission of the malaria parasite to the Anopheles vector is the transformation of the mature gametocytes into gametes in the mosquito gut, where they egress from the erythrocytes and mate to produce a zygote, which matures into a motile ookinete. Osmiophilic bodies are electron dense secretory organelles of the female gametocytes which discharge their contents during gamete formation, suggestive of a role in gamete egress. Only one protein with no functional annotation, Pfg377, is described to specifically reside in osmiophilic bodies in Plasmodium falciparum. Importantly, Pfg377 defective gametocytes lack osmiophilic bodies and fail to infect …

Increased Peptide Yy Blood Concentrations, Not Decreased Acyl-Ghrelin, Are Associated With Reduced Hunger And Food Intake In Healthy Older Women: Preliminary Evidence., Mary Hickson, Charlotte Moss, Waljit S. Dhillo, Jeanne Bottin, Gary Frost

School of Health Professions

With ageing there is frequently a loss of appetite, termed anorexia of ageing, which can result in under-nutrition. We do not know how appetite control alters with ageing. The objective of this study was to investigate whether differences in the release of, and response to, gastrointestinal appetite hormones is altered in young compared to old healthy volunteers. We hypothesised that an increase in PYY and GLP-1 or a decrease ghrelin may result in a decreased appetite. A comparative experimental design, using a cross-sectional sample of ages from a healthy population, matched for sex and BMI was used. The study compared …

Cottontails And Jackrabbits, S. Nicole Frey

All Current Publications

This fact sheet explains the difference between rabbits and hares and describes their conflicts with humans, methods to prevent damage including excluding, repelling, or removing, and population control. It also describes Tularemia, a disease caused by infection of a bacteria Franisella tularenis.

Caterpillar Pests Of Brassica Vegetables, Cami Cannon, Bonnie Bunn, Diane Alston, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes three common caterpillar species that are pests to cabbage and mustard plants in Utah, including their life history, type if injury they cause, and management options.

Insight Into The Molecular Pathophysiology Of Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Targets For Novel Therapy, Mohammad Faizan Zahid, Mrinal M. Patnaik, Naseema Gangat, Shahrukh K. Hashmi, David A. Rizzieri

Medical College Documents

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by abnormal cellular differentiation and maturation with variable progression to acute leukemia. Over the last decade, scientific discoveries have unraveled specific pathways involved in the complex pathophysiology of MDS. Prominent examples include aberrations in cytokines and their signaling pathways (such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, SMAD proteins), mutations in genes encoding the RNA splicing machinery (SF3B1, SRSF2, ZRSR2, and U2AF1 genes), mutations in genes disrupting the epigenetic machinery (TET2, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, EZH2, ASXL1). In addition, abnormalities in regulatory T-cell dynamics and atypical interactions between the bone marrow microenvironment, stroma and …

Building Inclusive University Culture By Gameful Design Of Teaching, Szymon Machajewski

College of Computing Scholarly Publications

Inclusive learning environments with active learning are well supported in peer reviewed research. STEM industries require graduates, but students are not engaged and stereotype threat prevents academic success. Campus cultures often reinforce silent desperation of creative minds. Gameful design can promote the building of empathy between participants, which is a start of grassroots support for inclusive culture in the classroom, online, and campus wide. Session Objectives: (1) Analyze research in active learning and inclusive teaching. (2) Analyze the connection between gameful design and inclusive campus culture. (3) Evaluate case studies in gameful design of teaching and learning.

Fulcrum, Newsletter Of The Furman University Libraries. Issue 09, Kathy Hamlin, Jenny Colvin

Libraries Institutional Records

In this issue, learn about:

• The Libraries’ newly redesigned website
• Dr. Lane Harris’ use of the Center for Research Libraries in his scholarship.
• The Open Access Fund which may pay Furman authors up to $3,000 in APCs for publishing in certain open access sources.
• The 2016 Library Student Advisory Group.
• News from the Stacks, Special Collections and Archives, the Digital Collections Center, and more!

Factor Analysis Of The Milwaukee Inventory For Subtypes Of Trichotillomania-Adult Version, Jennifer R. Alexander, David C. Houghton, Michael P. Twohig, Martin E. Franklin, Stephen M. Saunders, Angela M. Neal-Barnett, Scott N. Compton, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The Milwaukee Inventory for Subtypes of Trichotillomania-Adult Version (MIST-A; Flessner et al., 2008) measures the degree to which hair pulling in Trichotillomania (TTM) can be described as “automatic” (i.e., done without awareness and unrelated to affective states) and/or “focused” (i.e., done with awareness and to regulate affective states). Despite preliminary evidence in support of the psychometric properties of the MIST-A, emerging research suggests the original factor structure may not optimally capture TTM phenomenology. Using data from a treatment-seeking TTM sample, the current study examined the factor structure of the MIST-A via exploratory factor analysis. The resulting two factor solution suggested …

Trauma And Trichotillomania: A Tenuous Relationship, David C. Houghton, Abel S. Mathew, Michael P. Twohig, Stephen M. Saunders, Martin E. Franklin, Scott N. Compton, Angela M. Neal-Barnett, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Some have argued that hair pulling in trichotillomania (TTM) is triggered by traumatic events, but reliable evidence linking trauma to TTM is limited. However, research has shown that hair pulling is associated with emotion regulation, suggesting a connection between negative affect and TTM. We investigated the associations between trauma, negative affect, and hair pulling in a cross-sectional sample of treatment seeking adults with TTM (N=85). In the current study, participants’ self-reported traumatic experiences were assessed during a structured clinical interview, and participants completed several measures of hair pulling severity, global TTM severity, depression, anxiety, experiential avoidance, and quality …

Role Of Vascular Reactive Oxygen Species In Regulating Cytochrome P450-4a Enzyme Expression In Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rats, Kathleen M. Lukaszewicz, Mahesh P. Paudyal, John R. Falck, Julian H. Lombard

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

The potential contribution of CYP4A enzymes to endothelial dysfunction in Dahl salt-sensitive rats was determined by comparison to SS-5^BN consomic rats having chromosome 5 carrying CYP4A alleles from the BN rat introgressed into the SS genetic background.

Methods

The following experiments were performed in cerebral arteries from HS-fed SS and SS-5^BN rats ± the SOD inhibitor DETC and/or the superoxide scavenger Tempol: (i) endothelial function was determined via video microscopy ± acute addition of the CYP4A inhibitor DDMS or Tempol; (ii) vascular oxidative stress was assessed with DHE fluorescence ± acute addition of DDMS, l-NAME, or PEG-SOD; …

Effects Of Auditory Vection Speed And Directional Congruence On Perceptions Of Visual Vection, Isabella Alexis Gagliano

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Spatial disorientation is a major contributor to aircraft mishaps. One potential contributing factor is vection, an illusion of self-motion. Although vection is commonly thought of as a visual illusion, it can also be produced through audition. The purpose of the current experiment was to explore interactions between conflicting visual and auditory vection cues, specifically with regard to the speed and direction of rotation. The ultimate goal was to explore the extent to which aural vection could diminish or enhance the perception of visual vection. The study used a 3 × 2 within-groups factorial design. Participants were exposed to three levels …

Impact Of Generation Membership On Job Satisfaction Of Financial Aid Administrators, Joseph Martin Dobrota

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The United States workforce is experiencing a shift in age composition due to the aging and retirement of the baby boomer generation. The work of this study will examine the impact generational membership has on the job satisfaction of financial aid staff at American colleges and universities. Through use of the Job Descriptive Index an examination of job satisfaction of staff members of the Rocky Mountain Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (RMASFAA) and Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA) is conducted. Using the concept of generation theory popularized by research team Strauss and Howe (1991), the study …

Thermo-Mechanical System Identification Of A Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Mechanism, Cody Alexander Wright

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators paired in an antagonistic arrangement can be used to produce mechanisms that replicate human biomechanics. To investigate this proposal, the biomechanical articulation of the elbow by means of the biceps brachii muscle is compared with that of a SMA actuated arm. This is accomplished by parametric analysis of a crank-slider kinematic mechanism actuated, first, with an experimentally characterized SMA wire and then an idealized musculotendon actuator based on actuation properties of muscles published in the literature. Next, equations of motion for the system dynamics of the SMA actuated mechanism are derived and phase portrait analysis …

Effects Of Surrounding Water Table On A Forested Wetland Habitat In East Coast Of Virginia, Lane Stokes

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Exchanges into and out of a wetland, including surface water flow, groundwater flow, and constituents in the flows, usually determine the wetland physicochemical characteristics and biodiversity. To date, of these three exchanges, groundwater flow is the least studied, particularly in the United States of America. In this thesis, field observations were conducted at a forested non-tidal wetland, located on a flat hilltop. The position of the wetland is such that groundwater outflow is the only significant exchange that could be impacted by the surrounding land use. In addition, a spatially variable steady-state model was set up to extrapolate the observations …

A General Theory Of Emergence In Engineered Systems, John J. Johnson Iv

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Engineered systems are designed to satisfy specific needs and produce explainable/predictable results. But despite this intent, engineered systems don’t always do what they are designed to do once they are implemented. Some engineered systems produce properties and behaviors that are not clearly explainable or predictable by the properties of their components. This is a problem recognized in government and private sectors as having broad ranging financial and security consequences. It is also the essence of the emergence phenomena. A review of the literature reveals two significant gaps in the current body of knowledge on emergence as it pertains to engineered …

Reconceptualizing Women's Stem Experiences: Building A Theory Of Positive Marginality, Valerie N. Streets

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1980s, disciplines such as psychology and sociology have discussed the construct of positive marginality. Positive marginality describes the perception that belonging to a non-dominant cultural or demographic group can be advantageous rather than oppressing. To date, research on positive marginality has explored the construct in a qualitative manner across a number of demographic groups (e.g., Jewish women in social sciences, African American women in predominantly Caucasian workplaces). Because women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, the current research examined positive marginality in a STEM context. This research advances the existing understanding of positive …

Gender Awareness Training: A Comparison Of U.S. Military Units To Nato/Pfp Military Units, Elizabeth Owens Lape

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (UN, 2000), initially adopted on 31 October 2000 and updated with a resolution in 2009 (UN, 2009), proclaimed all peacekeeping personnel – military, police and civilian, will receive training on the protection of women. The purpose of this research was to review and compare how the U.S. military and forces of NATO/Partnership for Peace countries educate and train their military on the overall use of gender as a planning factor in support of this resolution. The researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study that consisted of interviewing 12 personnel regarding their country’s National Action …

Perceived Transformational Teacher Leadership And Students’ Motivation, Academic Performance, And Intent To Persist In Stem Education At A Community College, Stacy Lynn Waters-Bailey

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The transformational teacher leadership style has been identified as having a positive impact on student motivation, academic performance, and persistence. This study served to determine if there is a relationship between perceived transformational teacher leadership and student motivation, academic performance, and STEM persistence intentions for students in transferable general education biological science courses offered at community colleges.

This quantitative research study was conducted in two phases at one campus of a large, multi-campus community college in a major urban area in a Mid-Atlantic state. In the initial phase, the researcher administered the survey to students who volunteered to participate in …

A Preliminary Study Investigating The Factors Influencing Stem Major Selection By African American Females, Tiffany Monique Ray

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the significant factors influencing STEM major selection by African American females. A quantitative research design with a qualitative component was employed. Ex post facto survey research was conducted utilizing an online questionnaire to collect data from participants. African American undergraduate females that had declared a major in STEM comprised the target population for the study. As a basis for comparison, a second data collection ensued. All non-African American undergraduate females majoring in STEM also received the survey instrument to determine if there was a significant difference between factors that influence STEM major …

An Evaluation Of Pathways To Community College Student Success In Anatomy And Physiology I, Staci Brooke Forgey

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The demand for healthcare workers is increasing nationwide. Higher education is responding by examining various interventions designed to increase completion (Abele, Penprase, & Ternes, 2011). Anatomy and Physiology is often identified as a gatekeeper course for students, since many withdraw or fail this course (Hopper, 2011). Within the VCCS, two colleges have implemented a prerequisite course, NAS 2, for Anatomy and Physiology. This study analyzed student data from before and after NAS 2 implementation, and examined General Biology to determine if it was a predictor of success in Anatomy and Physiology.

When NAS 2 was a significant predictor of grade …

Development Of A Dsm-Based Model For Managing The Design Of Complex Systems Considering The Impact Of Technological Obsolescence, Gershom Kwaku Obeng

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Obsolescence has been a constant issue for process planners and designers and if not properly accounted for, obsolescence can become an expensive issue. As systems become more complex, interconnected, and nonhomogeneous, separate studies of single groups of equipment are no longer sufficient in modeling the obsolescence of the systems that they make up. The purpose of this dissertation is to model the likelihood of a process's design becoming obsolescent given the obsolescent behavior of the equipment used to complete the process. The methodology discussed in this work is based on a combination of using a systems engineering tool called the …

Distributions Of Euphausia Superba, Euphausia Crystallorophias, And Pleuragramma Antarcticum With Correlations To Environmental Variables In The Western Ross Sea, Antarctica, Linnea Brynn Davis

OES Theses and Dissertations

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), crystal krill (Euphausia crystallorophias), and Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) are key mid-trophic level species in the Ross Sea food web that provide connectivity between primary production and the upper trophic levels. Distributions of these species were constructed from net-based and acoustic observations collected in the western Ross Sea from 1988-2004. Distributions of environmental conditions in the Ross Sea were obtained from a high-resolution circulation model (temperature, mixed layer depth, surface speed) and satellite-derived observations (chlorophyll, sea ice cover). These distributions were analyzed with a range of statistical methods to determine …

Novel Genetic Loci Underlying Human Intracranial Volume Identified Through Genome-Wide Association, Hieab Hh Adams, Derrek P. Hibar, Vincent Chouraki, Jason L. Stein, Paul A. Nyquist, Miguel E. Rentería, Stella Trompet, John Blangero, Joanne E. Curran, Ravi Duggirala, Harald Hh Goring

School of Medicine Publications

Intracranial volume reflects the maximally attained brain size during development, and remains stable with loss of tissue in late life. It is highly heritable, but the underlying genes remain largely undetermined. In a genome-wide association study of 32,438 adults, we discovered five novel loci for intracranial volume and confirmed two known signals. Four of the loci are also associated with adult human stature, but these remained associated with intracranial volume after adjusting for height. We found a high genetic correlation with child head circumference (ρgenetic=0.748), which indicated a similar genetic background and allowed for the identification of four additional loci …

The Complexities Of Text Recycling In Professional Scientific Discourse And Implications For Plagiarism Prevention In Higher Education, Cary A. Moskovitz

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Within higher education, guidelines for plagiarism almost always state that whenever a writer uses the exact words from a source, that material must be identified by quotation marks or block indentation, and the source of the reused material must be identified and attributed to the source. Nevertheless, text recycling--the unacknowledged reuse of previously published material—is common practice in STEM fields within the world of professional practice. Further complicating matters, the rise of online plagiarism detection tools by journals in recent years has spurred confusion and debate about the practice of text recycling even in the scientific community—as a quick web …

Back Matter

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.