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Upper Body Characteristics Related To Double Pole Performance In Female Cross Country Skiers, Karmen M. Whitham

All NMU Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study was to correlate upper body (UB) lean mass (UBLM), UB maximal strength (UBMS), and average power production during a 3-min ski ergometer (SERG) test to predict the dependent variable, a one-kilometer uphill double pole time trial (DPTT) on snow. We hypothesized UBLM would be most important to performance. All tests were conducted within four weeks of completing the championship phase of a Division I cross country (XC) ski season. Skiers (n=10; all females) performed the mass-start DPTT on snow (i.e., criterion measure), SERG, and UBMS separated by at least a few days recovery. Lastly, …

Review Of Fluorescence Guided Surgery Systems: Identification Of Key Performance Capabilities Beyond Indocyanine Green Imaging, Alisha V. Dsouza, Huiyun Lin, Eric R. Henderson, Kimberley S. Samkoe

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is growing interest in using fluorescence imaging instruments to guide surgery, and the leading options for open-field imaging are reviewed here. While the clinical fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) field has been focused predominantly on indocyanine green (ICG) imaging, there is accelerated development of more specific molecular tracers. These agents should help advance new indications for which FGS presents a paradigm shift in how molecular information is provided for resection decisions. There has been a steady growth in commercially marketed FGS systems, each with their own differentiated performance characteristics and specifications. A set of desirable criteria is presented to guide the …

Gamma-Radiation Exposure Alters The Cardiovascular Extracellular Matrix., Nicholas Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ionizing radiation has been associated with various cardiovascular complications; however, the associated molecular changes from radiation exposure still remain largely uncharacterized. Alterations to the cardiovascular tissue microenvironment, i.e. the extracellular matrix (ECM), directly affect the function of integrated vascular cells, including cell adhesion, potential to form vessels, and endothelial permeability, which can promote cardiovascular pathologies. The ECM is constantly remodeled in response to stimuli, such as TGF-β1, which leads to excessive ECM accumulation. We hypothesize that radiation exposure will alter the cardiovascular ECM. Human Cardiac Fibroblasts (HCFs) were utilized to produce ECM as an in vitro model to study changes …

About The Concept Of "Gnosticism" In Fiction Studies, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

I In his article "About the Concept of 'Gnosticism' in Fiction Studies" Fryderyk Kwiatkowski notices that in the twentieth-century humanities the concept of Gnosticism has become a popular term for labelling tendencies in modernity and postmodernity. Kwiatkowski argues that the majority of scholars in fiction studies base their research on outdated methodologies. In consequence, Kwiatkowski presents an overview of contemporary approaches in Gnostic studies and discusses how they can be adapted in studies of literature, film, video games, comic books, etc. By outlining advantages and disadvantages of methodological approaches, Kwiatkowski posits that in studies of fiction with Gnostic components it …

Dental Applications Of Natural-Origin Polymers In Hard And Soft Tissue Engineering, Hossein E. Jazayeri, Mina D. Fahmy, Mehdi Razavi, Brett E. Stein, Aatif Nowman, Radi Masri, Lobat Tayebi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Clinical advances in the treatment of dentoalveolar defects continue to evolve with the introduction of new innovations in regenerative medicine and tissue bioengineering. Recent developments in tissue engineering are aimed at safely and effectively regenerating a damaged or necrotic area by replenishing its cells and increasing surrounding gene expression. Various techniques have successfully given rise to porous scaffolds being used by clinicians to treat the defect and initiate the repair process. Tissue reconstruction using bioengineered scaffolds is advantageous over traditional autografting, since it prevents the instigation of pain and donor site morbidity while ultimately creating both the environment and machinery …

Mechanical Properties Of Natural Chitosan/Hydroxyapatite/Magnetite Nanocomposites For Tissue Engineering Applications, Fatemeh Heidari, Mehdi Razavi, Mohammad E. Bahrololoom, Reza Bazargan-Lari, Daryoosh Vashaee, Hari Kotturi, Lobat Tayebi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Chitosan (CS), hydroxyapatite (HA), and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) have been broadly employed for bone treatment applications. Having a hybrid biomaterial composed of the aforementioned constituents not only accumulates the useful characteristics of each component, but also provides outstanding composite properties. In the present research, mechanical properties of pure CS, CS/HA, CS/HA/magnetite, and CS/magnetite were evaluated by the measurements of bending strength, elastic modulus, compressive strength and hardness values. Moreover, the morphology of the bending fracture surfaces were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an image analyzer. Studies were also conducted to examine the biological response …

College Of Health Professions Assessment Plan, Developed Spring 2016, College Of Health Professions

News, Magazines and Reports

The assessment plan was developed to assess the College of Health Professions (CHP) student learning outcomes (SLOs). The SLOs were developed by CHP Dean and then revised by the Dean’s Administrative Council, and the CHP Academic Affairs Committee. They were approved by the CHP faculty in spring 2015. The student learning outcomes were developed based on the CHP mission statement and core values. The mission statement, core values, and student learning outcomes are included below.

A Quantitative Analysis Of Whether Elementary Teachers’ Science Kit Usage And Beliefs Can Predict State Science Assessment Scores, Tony E. Rice

Dissertations

The purpose of this survey was to describe and analyze the perceptions of elementary school teachers’ in a Midwestern state concerning their use of a science kit program, including to what extent a school’s state science assessment scores can be predicated from the level of science kit usage.

Prior research indicates that elementary school teachers lack the confidence in teaching science primarily because of their weak undergraduate training in inquiry-based instruction and the lack of a strong science background. Authors such as Dickerson et al. (2006) and Riggs and Enochs (2006) argued that science kits and the materials included in …

Spatial, Roadway, And Biotic Factors Associated With Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) Mortality And Characteristics Of Mortality Hotspots Along Interstates 84 And 86 In Idaho, Erin Melissa Arnold

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

One of the world’s highest roadway mortality rates for barn owls (Tyto alba) occurs along Interstate 84/86 (I-84/86) in southern Idaho. Although mortality occurs in numerous portions of the I-84/86 corridor, there are segments where relatively much higher numbers of owls are killed (in total comprising >20% of the corridor total, hereafter “hotspots”). My objectives were to 1) identify areas of greatest mortality (hotspots), 2) understand the spatial, roadway, and biotic factors potentially contributing to barn owl-vehicle collisions and 3) assess how mortality hotspots have changed over time. If factors contributing to barn owl mortality along highways can …

Gang Behavior At Carcasses In Wintering Striated Caracaras (Phalcoboenus Australis) In The Falkland Islands, Anna Rose Autilio

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Avian scavengers perform vital ecosystem services by removing waste and by slowing disease. Yet few details are known about the purpose or purposes of social interactions near carcasses and their role in the physical depletion of carcasses (Gangoso et al. 2013). The globally Near-Threatened Striated Caracara is a social scavenging falconid that relies on seabird colonies for food during the breeding season in the Falkland Islands, a principal stronghold in its range. The birds have been persecuted as livestock pests since the late 1800s. Although the population is now protected and remains stable, it does not appear to be growing. …

Switchgrass Cultivar And Intraspecific Diversity Impacts On Nitrogen Use Efficiency, Aislinn Johns

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Bioenergy feedstock production is an important component of the national renewable energy strategy, which is based on biomass supply. Biofuels for ethanol production may be produced in high-input crop production systems, but the efficacy of these systems for increasing net energy yields over its full life-cycle compared to traditional fuels is under debate, because it is now evident that the benefits of feedstock production are maximized only when biofuels are derived from feedstocks produced with much lower life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions than traditional fossil fuels. To this end, the reduction of agricultural inputs is key to developing an effective biofuel feedstock …

The Proteolysis Of Apolipoprotein E In Alzheimer's Disease, Julia Love

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Harboring the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele is the greatest genetic risk factor associated with late-onset (sporadic) Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however the mechanism by which apoE4 contributes to the pathology of AD is unknown. The proteolysis of apoE4 has been suggested to contribute to AD pathology due to a possible toxic gain, or loss of function. In order to determine if apoE4 is being cleaved, we designed and characterized a site-directed cleavage antibody directed at position D151 of full length human apoE4. The antibody (nApoECFp17) detected a predicted ~17 kDa fragment following incubation with the proteases Type-1 collagenase, and …

Gyrfalcon Diet During The Brood Rearing Period On The Seward Peninsula, Alaska, In The Context Of A Changing World, Bryce W. Robinson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As climate change impacts increase so does our need to understand their effects on ecosystem dynamics. I studied Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) diet during the brood rearing period to improve our knowledge on dietary habits during nesting, and provide necessary information for understanding climate change impacts to Arctic ecosystems. I studied diet over two breeding seasons on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, using two methods: motion-activated cameras and the collection of prey remains. I observed three important dietary shifts: the proportion of ptarmigan in the diet declined significantly throughout the season, the proportion of large prey items declined significantly throughout …

An Investigation Of Herbivory And Seed Predation On Slickspot Peppergrass, Michelle I. Jeffries

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This study was completed during the summers of 2014 and 2015 to continue research on the relationship between harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex salinus) and slickspot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum). Slickspot peppergrass is a rare mustard endemic to south western Idaho. Over the past century, the species has declined in abundance, largely as a result of habitat degradation and fragmentation. In addition to these reasons for decline, seed foraging by harvester ants and plant destruction by harvester ants and small mammal herbivores have been recently indicated as potential factors. This study confirmed that harvester ants remove large numbers of …

Influences On Off-Highway Vehicle (Ohv) Recreation Use Patterns Within A Complex Trail System In Southwest Idaho, Eric Charles Frey

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation on public lands provides participants with the opportunity to experience positive connections with nature; however, like all outdoor recreation activity, OHV use can have impacts on the environment. In order to maintain the health of the landscape and wildlife while also providing recreational opportunities, managers must make decisions based on sound biological and social science data. We hope this research provides knowledge that may aid in the implementation of sound management strategies that are successful in fulfilling these goals.

In the first chapter, in order to gain knowledge on OHV recreationists and their distributions across a …

Genetic Analysis Of Eurasian Populations Of Taeniatherum Caput-Medusae Subspecies Asperum: Biogeography Of An Invasive, Self-Pollinating, Annual Grass In Its Native Range, Peter Guerdan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species’ distributions provides a comprehensive biogeographical framework with which to evaluate theoretical and applied ecological and evolutionary questions. To date, few studies have used amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) to assess the biogeographical patterns of a broadly distributed grass species, and none that I have found used AFLPs to specifically study biogeographical patterns of an invasive annual grass in its native range. The overall objective of my study was to assess the biogeographic pattern of the invasive, self-pollinating, annual grass Taeniatherum caput-medusae subspecies asperum (medusahead) in its native range in Eurasia using AFLPs. Seventy populations of medusahead from 13 …

Earlier Nesting By A Predatory Bird Is Associated With Human Adaptations To Climate Change, Shawn Heath Smith

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Advancing growing seasons and prey abundance drive earlier breeding in dietary specialists because, ultimately, consumers benefit by timing their reproduction to coincide with peak prey abundance. The selective pressure to breed earlier may be lower for species that forage on diverse prey items that vary in abundance both spatially and temporally. The selective pressure may be reduced further if predators have access to a mosaic of habitats, each of which having different shifts in growing seasons. We studied whether earlier breeding of a predatory generalist, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nesting in a mosaic of habitat types was …

The Father Motive: Predicting The Impact Of Father Attitudes On Involvement, Nathan Lovell Robbins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects that a man's attitudes towards fathering have on the level of involvement with his children. Of particular interest was whether fathering attitudes moderated some of the more consistent predictors of involvement, such as relationship quality, maternal gatekeeping, mother's and father's employment hours, a man's history with his own father, family structure, and child characteristics. A sample of 2300 men was used to evaluate the effects of fathering attitudes on engagement and warmth among children ages 2 to 8 and 9 to 11. Results indicate an inconsistent main effect between fathering …

Explaining Unexplained Pain To Fibromyalgia Patients: Finding A Narrative That Is Acceptable To Patients And Provides A Rationale For Evidence Based Interventions, Michael E. Hyland, Claire Hinton, Charlotte Hill, Ben Whalley, Rupert C.M. Jones, Anthony F. Davies

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

Complex Traffic Network Modeling & Area-Wide Hierarchical Control, Saumya Gupta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis presents a novel methodology to divide a traffic region into subregions such that in each subregion a Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) can be used to determine the state of that subregion. The region division is based on the theory of complex networks. We exploit the inherent network characteristics through PageRank centrality algorithm to identify the most significant nodes in the traffic network. We use these significant nodes as the seeds for a Voronoi diagram based partitioning mechanism of the network. A network wide hierarchical control framework is then presented which controls these sub regions individually and the network …

The San1 Ubiquitin Ligase Functions Preferentially With Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme Ubc1 During Protein Quality Control, Rebeca Lea Ibarra

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Protein quality control (PQC) is a critical process wherein misfolded or damaged proteins are cleared from the cell to maintain protein homeostasis. In eukaryotic cells, the removal of misfolded proteins is primarily accomplished by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). In the UPS, ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes and ubiquitin ligases append poly-ubiquitin chains onto misfolded protein substrates signaling for their degradation. The kinetics of protein ubiquitylation are paramount since a balance must be achieved between the rapid removal of misfolded proteins versus providing sufficient time for protein chaperones to attempt refolding. To uncover the molecular basis for how PQC substrate ubiquitylation rates are controlled, …

Water Source Partitioning For Shrubland Transpiration In A Mixed Phreatophytic Plant Community, Amanda Jean Wagner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Groundwater in the basins of east central Nevada (Great Basin Desert, NV) has been permitted for export to southern Nevada. These basins are also vulnerable to changes in climate that could lead to declining recharge. Any decline in groundwater levels no matter the driving force could significantly impact phreatophytes (deep rooted shrubs), which utilize water from both the vadose zone and the capillary fringe to meet plant water needs, to support growth, and for overall health. A reduction in groundwater due to these forces could have a significant impact on the decoupling of phreatophytes from what is normally a reliable …

Effects Of Human Maternal Placentophagy On Postpartum Maternal Affect, Health, And Recovery, Sharon Marie Young

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Postpartum ingestion of the afterbirth by the mother, or maternal placentophagy, is a common behavior among eutherian mammals, including non-human primates, with humans as a rare exception. Despite the conspicuous absence of placentophagy in the cross-cultural ethnographic record, the practice appears to be gaining popularity among a small but growing number of advocates in various industrialized contexts who claim that the practice provides benefits to the postpartum mother, namely the relief and prevention of postpartum blues and depressive symptoms, improved breast milk production, and enhanced bonding with their infant. Because the placenta serves as an endocrine organ throughout pregnancy and …

New Insight Into The Protrusions And Paddles That Link Lens Fiber Cells., Sue Menko

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Agricultural Policy In The Dairy Sector In Kosovo And Efficiency Analysis At The Farm Level, Egzon Bajrami

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two studies on the dairy sector in Kosovo. The first study evaluates the effect of the Subsidy per Head Scheme (SPHS) on increasing production, land use, gross income and number of dairy cows on dairy farms in Kosovo. Results from the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach using four alternative matching algorithms revealed that SPHS has not had any impact on increasing land use, gross income or the number of dairy cows per farm. Furthermore, SPHS had a negative impact on decreasing land use and number of cows for the participating dairy farmers in the program. In …

Comparison Of Three Techniques To Identify And Count Individual Animals In Aerial Imagery, Pat A. Terletzky, Robert Douglas Ramsey

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Whether a species is rare and requires protection or is overabundant and needs control, an accurate estimate of population size is essential for the development of conservation plans and management goals. Current wildlife surveys are logistically difficult, frequently biased, and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need to provide additional techniques to improve survey methods for censusing wildlife species. We examined three methods to enumerate animals in remotely sensed aerial imagery: manual photo interpretation, an unsupervised classification, and multi- image, multi-step technique. We compared the performance of the three techniques based on the probability of correctly detecting animals, the probability …

Using Plant-Soil Feedbacks To Predict Plant Biomass In Diverse Communities, Andrew Kulmatiski, Karen H. Beard, Josephine Grenzer, Leslie E. Forero, Justin Heavilin

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1890/15-2037.1/abstract

The Roles Of Nuclear Receptor Nr4a1 In Cancer Cell Proliferation And Skeletal Muscle Differentiation, Alexa Farmer

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Nuclear receptors (NRs) constitute a major class of drug targets in the treatment of various cancer types. NRs respond to cellular signals and become activated upon ligand binding to transcriptionally modulate expression of target genes. NR4A1 (Nur77) is a member of the NR4A family of nuclear receptors and displays an oncogenic profile in many cancer models. It is often upregulated in adult solid malignancies and is known to promote cell proliferation and survival. Knockdown studies of NR4A1 in cancer cell lines results in decreased cell growth and angiogenesis and increased apoptosis, suggesting NR4A1 is an oncogenic protein. Due to the …

The Hidden Psychology Of Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Jesse-Justin Cuevas, Tonja Jacobi

Cardozo Law Review

There is extensive empirical evidence establishing the difference in men's and women's speech patterns, conduct, and perceptions of, and responses to, police authority. Yet these differences are rarely reflected in constitutional criminal procedure law, despite many of its rules hinging on a person's manner of expression or subtleties of behavior. Similar evidence exists for the systematic impact of juvenile status and intellectual disability, but only modest and ad hoc consideration has been given to these factors. The result is that the "reasonable person" is actually implicitly white, male, adult, and able-minded. His speech and conduct are treated as normal, and …

B. R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies 2015, R. J. Norman, K.A. K. Moldenhauer

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.