Digital Commons Network^™

Family Profile Of Victims Of Child Abuse And Neglect In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Maha A. Almuneef, Linah A. Alghamdi, Hassan N. Saleheen

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To describe the family profile of child abuse and neglect (CAN) subjects in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively between July 2009 and December 2013 from patients’ files, which were obtained from the Child Protection Centre (CPC) based in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Four main sets of variables were examined: demographics of victim, family profile, parental information, and information on perpetrator and forms of abuse. Results: The charts of 220 CAN cases were retrospectively reviewed. Physical abuse was the most common form of abuse (42%), followed by neglect (39%), sexual abuse (14%), and emotional abuse …

Errors Spell Checkers Do Not Correct And Style Sheet: 5 Years Later, Charles J. Higgins

Finance Faculty Works

This updated listing of words that are often confused by spell checkers is the most downloaded article among my works and those at my university. After 5 years, it has been frequently revised and added to with more than a thousand new words.

Data Driven Modeling And Simulation About Carp Aggregation, Chao Wu

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Asian carp is notorious as one of the most severe aquatic invasive species (AIS) threats to the waters of the Mississippi River Region. The devastating effect of Asian carp calls for desperate measures to decrease the spread of Asian carp and prevent possible invasion into the Great Lake. This work presents an agent-based mathematical model to simulate the aggregation of Asian carp which would provide valuable help in fish removal or control. The referred mathematical model is derived from the following assumptions: (1) the aggregation results from a completely random and spontaneous physical behavior of numerous independent carp rather than …

An Analysis Of Human-Coyote Relationship In Metropolitan Atlanta, Ga, Jeremy W. Hooper

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Human-coyote interactions are an increasing challenge for North American wildlife managers. My objectives were to: 1) provide data on the types and general spatial distribution of human-coyote interactions in metropolitan Atlanta; 2) identify landscapes associated with human-coyote interactions; and 3) investigate the validity of claims of coyote-pet attacks and the potential effects of assuming a coyote attacked a pet. Human-coyote interactions were positively correlated with open space landscapes. A change in scale led to differences in both how correlated a variable was with interactions and relationships among variables. Sixty-four percent of individuals who reported that a coyote attacked their pet …

The Social Brain In Human And Religious Evolution: Elucidating The Role Of Theory Of Mind In (Non)Religious Belief, Thomas J. Coleman Iii

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary theorists of religion have argued that religious beliefs are “natural” because they arise from normally functioning social cognitive capacities, especially Theory of Mind (ToM). Hence, attempts to explain atheism have relied heavily on the assumption that nonbelievers may have a malfunctioning ToM and other traits associated with the autism spectrum continuum (ASC). However, few studies currently address this topic and the evidence either way remains ambiguous. The current research narrows this empirical gap, addressing these claims with a two-fold approach. First, a near comprehensive review of ToM is provided. Second, this study is exploratory, employing a unique methodology and …

Exploring Relationships Between Stress And Olfaction As Mediated By Neuropeptide Y, William J. Heaton

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The negative correlation between olfactory sensitivity and depression has been well documented, but the biological processes underpinning the relationship are not understood. This study explored a potential relationship between olfactory sensitivity, stress, and resilience to stress, specifically examining neuropeptide y (NPY) as a mediator. In phase I, 197 UTC students participated in a survey measuring stress and resilience among other factors. Of this sample, 25 students volunteered for phase II, in which they took an olfactory threshold test and gave blood. Serum levels of cortisol and NPY were analyzed from blood samples. Correlational analyses suggest a positive effect of stress …

On The Uncertainty Quantification And Non-Linear Hyper Elastic Simulation Of Biological Tissues, Behrouz Shamsaei

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, a computational structural mechanics capability is developed for the simulation of biological tissues. These tissues may exhibit either linear or nonlinear material responses and, therefore, the resultant theory and computational implementation are presented. Various discretization methods of the systems of equations are possible, and in the current work Continuous Galerkin (CG) and the Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) approaches are employed. Additionally, due to natural variations in biophysical properties from person to person, uncertainty quantification may be used to ascertain the impact on deterministic simulation results when assuming mean values of these properties. To this end, a hyper elastic …

Library Instruction And Information Literacy 2015, Latisha Reynolds, Samantha Mcclellan, Susan Finley, George Martinez, Rosalinda H. Linares

Works by Oberlin College Libraries Staff

Purpose: This paper aims to highlight recent resources on information literacy (IL) and library instruction, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and IL published in 2015.

Findings: This paper provides information about each source, describes the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain either unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value: The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and IL.

A Statistically Significant Determination From Pretest To Posttest In Knowledge Of Electrophoresis Concepts, Parker Megehee Nelson

Dissertations

The statistical significance from pretest to posttest of 109 high students constructing an electrophoresis chamber or not was explored. The students tested were from six intact biology classrooms. Three classes were treatment groups and three were control groups. The three biology teachers each taught a control and treatment group classroom. Except for building the electrophoresis chamber, students in both groups received identical instruction and testing. Pre- and posttest data was examined by means of a content valid test constructed by the researcher and biology teachers. In order to examine the statistical significance from pretest to posttest in knowledge of electrophoresis …

Analysis Of The Intricacies Of Substrate Recognition Of High Mobility Group Proteins And Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetases Using Non-Cognate Substrates, Douglas Van Iverson Ii

Dissertations

The studies presented in section 1 (Chapters I-IV) focus on the design and development of nucleic acid four-way junctions (4WJs) to target a member of the high mobility group (HMG) proteins, the proinflammatory cytokine high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1). In the present study, hybrid PNA-DNA 4WJs based on a model DNA 4WJ were constructed to improve the thermal stability of 4WJs while maintaining strong binding affinity toward HMGB1. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was used to examine the binding affinity of an isolated DNA binding domain of HMGB1, the HMGB1 b-box (HMGB1b), toward a set of PNA-DNA …

Seeing Is Believing, But Is It The Truth? Reality Vs. Representation Of Men In Contemporary Magazine Advertisements, 1980-2010, Dana Ann Lopez Coleman

Dissertations

McQuail (1994) observed, “The entire study of mass communication is based onthe premise that the media have significant effects” (p. 327). Many of these studies in mass communication have focused specifically on the various consequences that are believed to be a result of advertising. These images and perceptions can also become an individual’s reality which serves to shape society and their day-to-day environment. As Rudy, Popova, and Linz (2010) wrote, “Extensive media exposure leads audience members to adopt media reality as their own, and these altered conceptions of reality can in turn influence behavior” (p. 708). Understanding these visual representations, …

South Padre Island Beach Management: Assessment Of Dune Restoration, Shelby Rose Bessette

Theses and Dissertations

Dune restoration is a common method of increasing coastal resilience. A dune restoration program was initiated by the City of South Padre Island, TX in 2010 consisting primarily of plantings of Sea Oats, Uniola paniculata, and Bitter Panicum, Panicum amarum and has continued approximately annually thereafter. These restoration efforts were evaluated in this study by comparing dune ecological structure and function among reference sites and restoration plots ranging in age from 2 to 5 years. Plant and animal communities were examined using a combination of quadrat sampling, funnel traps, pit-falls and sweep nets. Soil organic content and soil electric …

Analysis Of Artificial Neural Networks In The Diagnosing Of Breast Cancer Using Fine Needle Aspirates, Janette Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Artificial Neural Networks can be used to classify a set of samples from a fine needle aspirate dataset. The dataset is composed of various different attributes, each of which are used to come to the conclusion as to whether a sample is benign or malignant. To automate the process of analyzing the various attributes and coming to a correct prediction, a neural network was implemented. First, a Feedforward Neural Network was trained with the dataset using a Backpropagation training method and an activation sigmoid function with one hidden layer in the architecture of the network. After …

Perceptual Determinants Of Consumption Philanthropy Donation Intentions: Consumption Or Philanthropy?, Nese Nasif

Theses and Dissertations

Consumption philanthropy is the concurrent consumption of self-interested products while contributing to a charitable cause. Although this overarching notion has been widely investigated in the context of cause-related marketing, there has been little work done in marketing or other disciplines in its alternative context of donor giving behavior. Thus, the current research conceptually develops and empirically investigates a model of consumption philanthropy donation intentions (CPDI) where a potentially valued gift is offered in return for a monetary donation by an individual consumer. The conceptual model integrates three fundamental frameworks from marketing and psychology, as well as incorporates a multi-disciplinary body …

Randomness, Information Encoding, And Shape Replication In Various Models Of Dna-Inspired Self-Assembly, Eric M. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Self-assembly is the process by which simple, unorganized components autonomously combine to form larger, more complex structures. Researchers are turning to self-assembly technology for the design of ever smaller, more complex, and precise nanoscale devices, and as an emerging fundamental tool for nanotechnology.

We introduce the robust random number generation problem, the problem of encoding a target string of bits in the form of a bit string pad, and the problem of shape replication in various models of tile-based self-assembly. Also included are preliminary results in each of these directions with discussion of possible future work directions.

Learning Styles Of Physical Therapy And Physical Therapist Assistant Students In Accredited Physical Therapy Programs, Margaret A. Lowdermilk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students and associate degree Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students and identify any association between their learning styles and examine the association between gender and age by learning style.

Participants included 337 DPT and PTA students attending CAPTE accredited institutions with doctoral DPT or associate PTA programs in Tennessee and southwest Virginia. The Felder (1996) and Soloman Index of Learning Styles (ILS) was used to determine learning style preferences within 4 learning style dimensions (active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal, and sequential-global).

Demographics included program of study, …

Radiography Students: Factors Contributing To Their Stress And Methods Of Coping, Kayla A. Rosenbaum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students experience high levels of stress, especially those in health care programs. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors contribute to Tennessee radiography student stress levels and the methods by which they cope with stress. Additionally, do demographic factors affect radiography student stress levels? The research was conducted February 4 to March 30, 2016. A survey was distributed to students in a radiography program at two and four year colleges in Tennessee. Participants were asked questions on factors that influence their stress levels, coping strategies, and health issues experienced in the past year. Descriptive statistics, independent …

Long-Term Supplementation With Leucine Does Not Prevent Development Of Obesity In Rats Fed A High-Fat Diet, Dameon Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Excess dietary fat consumption has been implicated in the development of obesity and diabetes. Obesity can be characterized by a disproportionate increase in fat mass compared to lean body mass. However, if muscle mass can be increased or maintained in obesity, this may facilitate weight loss by increasing the body’s overall metabolic capacity. Historically, supplementation with the branched-chain amino acid leucine has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis via the protein kinase mTORC1. Recent studies suggest that supplementation with leucine also has the potential to reduce weight gain and fat deposition in high-fat fed, obese mice. The objective of …

Funeral Home Or Ritualistic Edifice? An Assessment Of An Enigmatic Structure At The Late Pre-Hispanic Site Of Panquilma, Central Coast Peru, Alysia Ashley Leon

Theses

Mortuary remains within an archaeological context can illuminate the social and political aspects not only of the individual(s) buried, but also of the living who interred them. Although this is so, a consensus has not been reached in regard to the following questions: how can we determine the social identity of the living that interred the dead? What are the implications of the living-dead interaction, and how do mortuary practices alter social memory in order to fit political needs? This thesis constitutes an initial attempt to answer these questions while examining pre-internment mortuary practices, and associated ideologies regarding the afterlife …

The Effects Of Starter Fertilizer On Soybean Infected With Fusarium Virguliforme Or Rhizoctonia Solani, Jesse Alan Miller

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF JESSE MILLER, for the Master of Science degree in PLANT, SOIL, and AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, presented on May 13, 2016 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE EFFECTS OF STARTER FERTILIZER ON SOYBEAN INFESTED WITH FUSARIUM VIRULIFORME OR RHIZOCTONIA SOLANI MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Jason Bond Fusarium virguliforme (Aoki), the fungus that causes sudden death syndrome of soybeans (SDS), is prevalent in most of the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) production regions throughout the United States. Sudden death syndrome management has been limited to cultural practices and host resistance. Rhizoctonia solani (Kühn) is a fungus responsible …

Social Comparison Processes As Contributors To Consistent Physical Activity., Holly M. Knight

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the impact that attention to social comparison (SC) information may have on consistency in physical activity (PA) behaviors across genders. SC factors, including SC frequency, SC direction and trait tendency to compare (SCO) were assessed within the Dynamic Relapse Model (DRM) as markers of PA consistency within men and women. Participants were N=200 individuals engaging in physical activity at YMCA gym facilities. Data collection utilized cross-sectional methods including anthropomorphic data collection at the point of recruitment and online selfreport measures post-recruitment. High adherence to regular physical activity was observed, with participants reporting infrequent slips in PA …

Molecular Characterization Of Human Papillomavirus In Head And Neck Tumors., Sujita Khanal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. An increasing incidence of subsets of HNCs is due to human papillomavirus (HPV). Other subsets are associated with tobacco and alcohol use. Determination of differential biomarkers and molecular mechanisms distinguishing HPV-associated and unassociated HNCs should improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This study was designed to identify potential biomarkers for HPV detection, and to evaluate viral and host genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in HPV-associated HNCs. Overexpression of a cellular protein, p16INK4a, which is widely used as a surrogate marker for HPV-positive HNC, is non-specific because some HPV-negative cancers …

Determining Mechanisms Of Response To Polo-Like Kinase 1 Inhibition In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Ruchitha Goonatilake

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The discovery of genetic alterations in some patients (~15%) has made it possible to use targeted therapies without the use of chemotherapy. To identify potential therapeutic targets in NSCLC, we systematically evaluated two cancer cell line databases with sensitivity data for a broad range of drugs. We identified polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) as the most promising target for further investigation based on a subset of sensitive cell lines and inhibitors that were in advanced clinical development. To identify potential biomarkers of response and mechanisms of Plk1 inhibitor-induced …

Regulation Of Breast Cancer Initiation And Progression By 14-3-3zeta, Chia-Chi Chang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

14-3-3ζ is a ubiquitously expressed family member of proteins that have been implicated to have oncogenic potential through its interactions and involvement in cancer initiation and progression. 14-3-3ζ belongs to the highly conserved 14-3-3ζ protein family and modulates numerous pathways in cancer. Overexpression of 14-3-3ζ is an early event, occurs in more than 40% of human breast cancer cases, and is associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis. Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer. Cancer cells elevate aerobic glycolysis to produce metabolic intermediates and reducing equivalents, thereby facilitating cellular adaptation to the adverse environment and sustaining fast proliferation. Interestingly, …

Active Parental Care, Reproductive Performance, And A Novel Egg Predator Affecting Reproductive Investment In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, J. Antonio Baeza, Lunden Simpson, Louis J. Ambrosio, Nathalia Mora, Rodrigo Guéron, Michael J. Childress

Publications

Background

We used the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, one of the largest brooding invertebrates in the Western Atlantic, to test for the presence/absence of active parental care and to explore reproductive performance in large brooding marine organisms. Given [i] the compact and large embryo masses produced by P. argus, [ii] the expected disproportional increase in brooding costs with increasing embryo mass size, and [iii] the theoretical allometry of egg production with increasing body size, we predicted that parental females in this large species will engage in active brood care. We also predicted that larger broods from larger …

Cytoplasmic Dynein Binding, Run Length, And Velocity Are Guided By Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions, Lin Li, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov

Publications

Dyneins are important molecular motors involved in many essential biological processes, including cargo transport along microtubules, mitosis, and in cilia. Dynein motility involves the coupling of microtubule binding and unbinding to a change in the configuration of the linker domain induced by ATP hydrolysis, which occur some 25 nm apart. This leaves the accuracy of dynein stepping relatively inaccurate and susceptible to thermal noise. Using multi-scale modeling with a computational focusing technique, we demonstrate that the microtubule forms an electrostatic funnel that guides the dynein’s microtubule binding domain (MTBD) as it finally docks to the precise, keyed binding location on …

Molecular Docking, Synthesis And Evaluation Of Pyrrolo[2,1-C][1,4]Benzodiazepines Derivatives As Non-Β-Lactam Β-Lactamases Inhibitors, Joseph Osamudiamen Osazee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our research aim was to design, synthesize, and study the competitive enzyme inhibition kinetics of pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine (PBD) derivatives as potential non-²-lactam ²-lactamase inhibitors. All compounds (1-13) passed the Lipinski’s rule of 5 test and were docked into the active site of TEM-1 ²-lactamase. PBD derivatives 1-7 were synthesized in high yields and tested for their potency against TEM-1 and P99 ²-lactamases. Kinetic data showed that compounds 1, 4, 5, and 7 possessed inhibitory activity against TEM-1 ranging from 4-34 %. Docking results revealed significant interactive spanning of the active site of TEM-1 by PBDs. …

Synthesis, Characterization And Biological Evaluation Of Pyrrolo[2,1-C][1,4]Benzodiazepines For Cytotoxicity And Serine Β-Lactamases Inhibition, Joel K. Annor-Gyamfi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine (PBD) derivatives possess cancerostatic and anti-infective properties thus making them candidates of possible antibacterial agents. ²-lactam antibiotics are vital weapons for the treatment of bacterial infections, but their existence and effectiveness has been faced with resistance from ²-lactamases. Therefore, the need for new effective antimicrobial drugs is very crucial. In this work, we synthesized in high yields, PBD analogs 1−3, 5 and 7−9 in three to four synthetic steps from commercially available L-proline and isatoic anhydride. MTT Assay was employed to test the in vitro cytotoxicity of PBD analogs 1, 2, 5 …

Multilevel Models For Longitudinal Data, Aastha Khatiwada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Longitudinal data arise when individuals are measured several times during an ob- servation period and thus the data for each individual are not independent. There are several ways of analyzing longitudinal data when different treatments are com- pared. Multilevel models are used to analyze data that are clustered in some way. In this work, multilevel models are used to analyze longitudinal data from a case study. Results from other more commonly used methods are compared to multilevel models. Also, comparison in output between two software, SAS and R, is done. Finally a method consisting of fitting individual models for each …

Characterization Of Sip470, A Family 1 Lipid Transfer Protein And Its Role In Plant Stress Signaling, Timothy Ndagi Audam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

SIP470, a putative tobacco lipid transfer protein, was identified in a yeast two-hybrid screen to interact with SABP2. SABP2 is a critical role in SA-mediated signaling in tobacco and other plants. In vitro studies using purified recombinant SIP470 confirmed that it is a lipid binding protein. In an attempt to determine its role in mediating stress responses, Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion knockout lines lacking SIP470 homolog were used for the analysis. These mutant plants were defective in basal resistance against microbial pathogens. Expression of defense gene PR-1 was also delayed in these mutant plants. Interestingly, these mutant plants were not defective …