Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Lexical Coherence In Novel Word Learning, Ashlee Shaw

Doctoral Dissertations

The Lexical Quality Hypothesis suggests that the difficulties exhibited by poor readers cascade from deficient representations of phonological, semantic, and orthographic dimensions in lexical memory. This invites questions of what kinds of individual differences in cognitive abilities might lead to differences in lexical quality. In this dissertation, I used artificial lexicon learning studies and individual differences measures of language- and memory-related skills in an effort to understand how differences in component abilities assumed to be important for novel word learning might lead to differences in lexical quality.

I manipulated relationships between phonological, orthographic, and/or semantic features of the artificial lexicon …

The Importance Of Ambient Temperature To Growth And The Induction Of Flowering, C. R. Mcclung, Ping Lou, Victor Hermand, Jin A. Kim

Dartmouth Scholarship

Plant development is exquisitely sensitive to the environment. Light quantity, quality, and duration (photoperiod) have profound effects on vegetative morphology and flowering time. Recent studies have demonstrated that ambient temperature is a similarly potent stimulus influencing morphology and flowering. In Arabidopsis, ambient temperatures that are high, but not so high as to induce a heat stress response, confer morphological changes that resemble the shade avoidance syndrome. Similarly, these high but not stressful temperatures can accelerate flowering under short day conditions as effectively as exposure to long days. Photoperiodic flowering entails a series of external coincidences, in which environmental cycles of …

Reactivity And Recovery Among Oif/Oef/Ond Combat Veterans: Do Those With Subthreshold Ptsd Differ From Veterans With And Without Ptsd?, Paula Castro-Chapman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study expanded the current literature by assessing PTSD in relation to reactivity and recovery from negative emotional arousal among OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. Cardiac impedance was employed during a speech task and a trauma imagery procedure. Those in the PTSD-S group displayed lower SBP and higher TPR reactivity relative to the PTSD- and PTSD+ groups; lower CO reactivity relative to the PTSD+ group; and more CO recovery than those in the PTSD+ group to the trauma task. For speech task, Veterans in the PTSD-S group exhibited lower HR reactivity for both speech preparation and delivery than those in the PTSD- group. …

The Role Of Sumo And Coilin In The Cajal Body, Shanya Whitehorse, Mario Izaguirre-Sierra, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Our lab is solely based on learning about the molecular biology of the cell nucleus using basic model organism such as plants and flies. We focus on the study of the Cajal Body (CB) and specifically, we are interested to know how nuclear bodies can be formed without a membrane. The CB and the nucleolus are conserved nuclear bodies in all eukaryotic cells. CBs contain multiple proteins and RNA species involved in many pathways such as splicing, ribosome biogenesis and telomere maintenance.

Coilin is one of the main proteins in the nucleus and it is known to be required for …

In Search Of Young American Indian/Alaska Native Scientists, Carolee Dodge Francis, Edd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Antibacterial Activity Of Extracts From Physalis Peruviana (Poha Berry), Rachel Higaki, Leng C. Chang, Phd, Mayuramas Sang-Ngern

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Physalis Peruviana (Pp) L., a member of Solanaceae family, has been used traditionally since Columbian times, particularly to treat various diseases. It is native to Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. Pp is known for its high amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fibers. Several species in Solanaceae have been shown to exhibit antibacterial properties against gram-positive and gram­negative bacteria.

In Hawai'i, Poha berry fruits are eaten fresh and used for jams. For this experiment, Physalis peruviana whole plants and fruits were collected and further extracted. Both crude methanol extract of aerial (PpA) and 70% ethanol extract of fruits (PpF) from Pp …

Igniting Passion For Science Across A Vast Ocean: Nurturing A New Generation Of Pacific Island Scientists, George Hui, Danielle Clements

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii.

Collagen Iv Assembly: Production Of A Recombinant Construct For Mechanistic Studies, Kennedy Harris, Billy Hudson, Phd, Isi Ero-Tolliver, Phd, Kyle Brown, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Basement membranes, specialized extracellular matrix, provide mechanical support for epithelial cells and shape cell behavior by interacting with cell receptors. Collagen IV, the predominant component of basement membrane, comprises six genetically distinct alpha chains (α1 to α6) that assemble to form protomers, which associate to form hexamers, in the scaffold. Non-assembly due to mutations within alpha chains give rise to kidney diseases. Yet, the mechanism of assembly is poorly understood.

Preliminary data in our lab indicated that amino acid 78 of collagen IV α2 NC1 (non-collagenous) domains may play a role in a chloride-dependent switch that supports hexamer formation. We …

Preparing Underrepresented High School Students To Increase Diversity In The Research And Health Professions, Dolores E. Caffey-Fleming, Ms, Mph, Christopher Reid, Md, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This article introduces the work that was done through the Coordinating Center at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

Teen Pregnancy Among Latinas: A Literature Review, Kathleen E. Keogh

21st Century Social Justice

The overall decline of teen birth rates in the U.S. is problematized by persistent racial disparities in these rates. Latina teens are especially affected, as they have the highest teen birth rate of any racial or ethnic group. High teen birth rates among Latinas even persist in locales where the overall teen birth rate is below the national average, such as Suffolk County, NY. Socioeconomic, racial, and cultural factors contribute to the birth rate for Latina teens. Traditional strategies for teen pregnancy prevention, such as comprehensive sexuality education and increased healthcare access, inadequately address Latino cultural values that normalize teen …

Joint Action Effects Of Emamectin Benzoate And Cypermethrin On The Marine Copepod Tigriopus Californicus, Lindsay Schultz, Michael Kelly

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

This project examined the effect of two pesticides on the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus. The pesticides are emamectin benzoate and cypermethrin, which are commonly used in salmon aquaculture to treat the salmon for sea lice, a type of parasitic copepod. The results of this study indicate that these pesticides are toxic to the free-living T. californicus at very low dosage levels when used individually. When the pesticides are used in combination, the mortality rate is similar to when they are used individually, but there is an additional paralytic effect on the animals. All animals exposed to any of the pesticide …

The Farm Newsletter, Usu Student Organic Farm

USU Student Organic Farm Newsletter

A Note on Carrots

Included in your shares with the carrots are the carrot greens. Though usually discarded, carrot tops are actually edible and highly nutritious. They can been eaten raw in salads, cooked into soups, or used in a variety of other ways. Important to note however is that due to the natural biological processes in the plant, if your carrot tops are left attached to the roots for an extended time they will make your carrots soft. This is because the plant is still alive and the leaves are still pulling moisture from the roots.

Mechanisms Of Particle Retention And Selection In Suspension-Feeding Bivalves, Maria Rosa

Doctoral Dissertations

Suspension-feeding bivalve molluscs are among the most important groups of benthic organisms in coastal ecosystems, and have evolved a highly effective mucociliary feeding mechanism to process the particulate material to which they are exposed. These selective capabilities are well documented, but the underlying mechanisms remain undefined. This thesis assessed pre- and post-capture particle processes to better understand passive and active selection mechanisms of bivalves. Several questions were posited, including: 1) How do physicochemical interactions affect particle capture and selection; 2) Why are some particles more likely to be rejected or ingested than others; and 3) Is a chemosensory response mechanism …

Development Of Novel Biological Nanomaterials Through Protein Chemical Modification, Bobbi S. Stromer

Doctoral Dissertations

Enzymes are capable of catalyzing many different reactions, some of which are not possible through conventional organic chemistry methods. However, their sensitive nature to environmental conditions such as pH, temperature, solvents, and denaturants limits their applications. One method of stabilizing protein against denaturing conditions is to adsorb them onto the surface of nanomaterials such as 3D nanoparticles, 2D inorganic nanodisks or even creating carrier free protein nanoparticles with no support system present. However, even these methods have drawbacks of low enzyme loadings, loss in activity and cost of production.

The object of this dissertation was to develop novel nanomaterials. First, …

Current, August 22, 2016, University Of Missouri-St. Louis

Current (2010s)

No abstract provided.

Eelgrass Distribution In The Great Bay Estuary For 2014, Frederick T. Short

PREP Reports & Publications

See also: "Eelgrass/Macroalgae Discussion Primer for TAC Activities 2016-2017" http://scholars.unh.edu/prep/355

Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) is an essential habitat for the Great Bay Estuary (GBE) because it is the basis of an estuarine food web that supports many of the recreationally, commercially and ecologically important species in the estuary and beyond. Eelgrass provides food for ducks, geese and swans, as well as food, nursery habitat, and shelter for juvenile fish and shellfish. Eelgrass filters estuarine waters and improves water clarity, removing both nutrients and suspended sediments from the water column; its roots and rhizomes bind and hold sediments in place, thereby …

Global Opportunities Team Experiences The Athens Food System, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

How Did The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impact Deep-Sea Ecosystems?, Charles R. Fisher, Paul A. Montagna, Tracey T. Sutton

C-IMAGE Publications

Approximately 90% of the volume of the Gulf of Mexico is contained in water deeper than 200 m, a region where the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout had more impact on ecosystems than any previous oil spill. The remoteness and relative inaccessibility of the deep sea makes documenting even acute impacts to the animals that live in this realm difficult. This article reviews Natural Resource Damage Assessment studies and follow-up work funded as part of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative that targeted deepwater pelagic and benthic fauna. Oil was incorporated into the pelagic food web, and a reduction in planktonic …

Responses Of Microbial Communities To Hydrocarbon Exposures, Samantha B. Joye, Sara Kleindienst, Jack A. Gilbert, Kim M. Handley, Pamela Weisenhorn, Will A. Overholt, Joel E. Kostka

C-IMAGE Publications

The responses of microbial communities to hydrocarbon exposures are complex and variable, driven to a large extent by the nature of hydrocarbon infusion, local environmental conditions, and factors that regulate microbial physiology (e.g., substrate and nutrient availability). Although present at low abundance in the ocean, hydrocarbon-degrading seed populations are widely distributed, and they respond rapidly to hydrocarbon inputs at natural and anthropogenic sources. Microbiomes from environments impacted by hydrocarbon discharge may appear similar at a higher taxonomic rank (e.g., genus level) but diverge at increasing phylogenetic resolution (e.g., sub-OTU [operational taxonomic unit] levels). Such subtle changes are detectable by computational …

Examining The Effects Of Chromatic Aberration, Object Distance, And Eye Shape On Image-Formation In The Mirror-Based Eyes Of The Bay Scallop Argopecten Irradians, Daniel Isaac Speiser, Yakir Luc Gagnon, Raghav K. Chhetri, Amy L. Oldenburg, Sönke Johnsen

Faculty Publications

The eyes of scallops form images using a concave spherical mirror and contain two separate retinas, one layered on top of the other. Behavioral and electrophysiological studies indicate that the images formed by these eyes have angular resolutions of about 2°. Based on previous ray-tracing models, it has been thought that the more distal of the two retinas lies near the focal point of the mirror and that the proximal retina, positioned closer to the mirror at the back of the eye, receives light that is out-of-focus. Here, we propose three mechanisms through which both retinas may receive focused light: …

Examining The Effects Of Chromatic Aberration, Object Distance, And Eye Shape On Image-Formation In The Mirror-Based Eyes Of The Bay Scallop Argopecten Irradians, Daniel Isaac Speiser, Yakir Luc Gagnon, Raghav K. Chhetri, Amy L. Oldenburg, Sönke Johnsen

Faculty Publications

The eyes of scallops form images using a concave spherical mirror and contain two separate retinas, one layered on top of the other. Behavioral and electrophysiological studies indicate that the images formed by these eyes have angular resolutions of about 28. Based on previous ray-tracing models, it has been thought that the more distal of the two retinas lies near the focal point of the mirror and that the proximal retina, positioned closer to the mirror at the back of the eye, receives light that is out-of-focus. Here, we propose three mechanisms through which both retinas may receive focused light: …

The Effects Of Solid Substrates On Thermodynamics Of Lipid Membranes, Asma Poursoroush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The phase behavior of lipid membrane next to solid substrates isinvestigated numerically using molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse- grained implicit-solvent model. We particularly investigated the effect of the strength of the adhesion of the lipids on the substrate on the gel-fluid phase transition. The behavior of the proximal leaflet of the lipid bilayer can be dramatically different from that of the distal leaflet, particularly for large adhesion strengths. In the gel phase, the lipids of the proximal leaflet are uniformly in the gel phase while the lipids of the distal leaflet are spatially distributed in coexisting gel and fluid …

Crow's Nest, August 22, 2016, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The August 22, 2016, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Influence Of Mentors Of Female Development Among Higher Education Administrative Professionals, Courtney Van Leuvan

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership is a socially constructed concept that has been seen as a masculine quality; because of this women struggle reaching leadership positions and face many challenges when holding leadership positions. This study investigated the development of leadership styles and qualities of selected female administrative leaders at Rowan University through survey and interview data. The study specifically looked at the influence of these women’s mentors on their leadership development. The findings of the study showed that the women reported no negative experiences with male mentors, however several with female mentors. The interviews also revealed that there were differences among qualities and …

The Driver Of The Carbon Isotope Minima During The Last Deglaciation: A Weakened Biological Pump Or Enhanced Southern Ocean Circulation?, Melissa C. Cote

Master's Theses

The cause of the initial rise in atmospheric CO₂ during the last deglaciation remains unknown. Coincident with the rising atmospheric CO₂, the δ¹³C of atmospheric CO₂ decreased by ~0.3‰ during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1: 14.5-17.5 kyr BP), which requires the input of carbon from an isotopically light reservoir. The light carbon signal in the atmosphere occurred concurrently with the carbon isotope minimum, or a decrease in surface ocean δ¹³C of ~0.5‰, suggesting the two phenomena are related. The leading hypotheses explaining the δ¹³C minimum are (1) enhanced ventilation of ^{13 …}

Perceived Self-Efficacy And Financial Incentives: Factors Affecting Health Behavior And Body Weight In Individuals With Overweight And Obesity, Julia Ann Simon

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Association And Regulation Of Protein Factors Of Field Effect In Prostate Tissues, Kristin N. Gabriel, Anna C. Jones, Julie P.T. Nguyen, Kresta S. Antillon, Sara N. Janos, Heidi N. Overton, Shannon M. Jenkins, Emily H. Frisch, Kristina A. Trujillo, Marco Bisoffi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Field effect or field cancerization denotes the presence of molecular aberrations in structurally intact cells residing in histologically normal tissues adjacent to solid tumors. Currently, the etiology of prostate field‑effect formation is unknown and there is a prominent lack of knowledge of the underlying cellular and molecular pathways. We have previously identified an upregulated expression of several protein factors representative of prostate field effect, i.e., early growth response‑1 (EGR‑1), platelet‑derived growth factor‑A (PDGF‑A), macrophage inhibitory cytokine‑1 (MIC‑1), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) in tissues at a distance of 1 cm from the visible margin of intracapsule prostate adenocarcinomas. We have …

August 22, 2016

The Gavel Gazette

No abstract provided.

Chromosomer: A Reference-Based Genome Arrangement Tool For Producing Draft Chromosome Sequences, Gaik Tamazian, Pavel Dobrynin, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Aleksey Komissarov, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: As the number of sequenced genomes rapidly increases, chromosome assembly is becoming an even more crucial step of any genome study. Since de novo chromosome assemblies are confounded by repeat-mediated artifacts, reference-assisted assemblies that use comparative inference have become widely used, prompting the development of several reference-assisted assembly programs for prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes.

Findings: We developed Chromosomer – a reference-based genome arrangement tool, which rapidly builds chromosomes from genome contigs or scaffolds using their alignments to a reference genome of a closely related species. Chromosomer does not require mate-pair libraries and it offers a number of auxiliary tools …

Understanding Students’ Experiences Of Professionalism Learning: A ‘Threshold’ Approach, Hilary Neve, Helen Lloyd, Tracey Collett

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.