Digital Commons Network^™

Overpopulation And The Impact On The Environment, Doris Baus

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this research paper, the main focus is on the issue of overpopulation and its impact on the environment. The growing size of the global population is not an issue that appeared within the past couple of decades, but its origins come from the prehistoric time and extend to the very present day. Throughout the history, acknowledged scientists introduced the concept of “overpopulation” and predicted the future consequences if the world follows the same behavioral pattern. According to predictions, scientists invented the birth control pill and set population control through eugenics. Despite that, population continued to increase and fight with …

Removal Of Organic Micro-Pollutants From Water Using Sewage Sludge Based Composite Adsorbents, Rui Ding

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Millions of tons of sewage sludge, waste oil sludge and fish waste are produced annually, and improper treatment/disposal of these wastes have resulted in numerous environmental issues. On the other hand, these wastes are rich in organic materials, metals, and inorganic minerals and could be sustainable resources if utilized properly. The main purpose of this dissertation study was, therefore, to convert these wastes into composite adsorbents, and then use these adsorbents to remove various types of organic pollutants, emerging organic contaminants in particular, from wastewater and drinking water sources.

It is hypothesized that a hydrophobic carbon phase in the composite …

Development Of Authoring And Agency In Early Childhood Through Play, Pi-Chun Grace Ho

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The recent national focus on universal early childhood education programs has drawn attention to the challenges of organizing learning contexts and practices in which children can thrive as learners and community members. Preparing children for school and improving the quality of early childhood education face limits, however, when the role of play is dismissed or reduced to merely instrumental activity. Framed in Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory, Bakhtin’s dialogic approach, and Stetsenko’s transformative activist stance, I reframe play as a process of authoring that fuels children’s passion for being agentive actors in the world and their own lives. This approach addresses how …

By Beauty Damned: Millennial Feminism And The Exploitation Of Women's Empowerment In Pop Culture And Corporate Advertising, Maria L. Carreon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Feminism has become a trendy cultural identity, leaving it open to exploitation by capitalists. Notions relating to “women’s empowerment” are used by capitalists to sell products to women, and yet many of those capitalists fund political campaigns that directly seek to quash or inhibit the advancement of women’s rights. With a little effort, any consumer can find out who their big purveyors are supporting politically. For example, Procter Gamble, who makes many products bought by women, gives the majority of its political contributions to republicans who oppose women’s reproductive rights. The same is true of McAndrews & Forbes, the parent …

Effects Of A Computer-Based Simulation On Chemistry Self-Efficacy, Yolanta V. Kornak-Bozza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Self-efficacy (SE) is a measure of belief in a person’s own ability to complete a task and reach a certain goal (Bandura, 2006). It is a significant area in the field of educational psychology because it can be used to predict performance in the area being measured. Chemistry represents a challenging field of study although the skills learned from it are necessary to move forward in STEM (Luzzo, Hasper, Albert, Bibby, Martinelli, 1999). It is not uncommon for students to enter this course with feelings of low SE. Increasing SE could result in improved educational outcomes and have a long- …

Design Of Collagen-Mimetic Peptides, Parminder Jeet Kaur

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Collagen is the major component of the extracellular matrix and is involved in a wide range of cellular functions during tissue development and action. At the core of the diverse functions of this versatile protein is its remarkable ability to form supramolecular structures through self-assembly and/or through interactions with other biomolecules. One typical example of such supramolecular structure is the fibrils of collagen types I, II and III of the connective tissues. These fibrils have staggered arrangement of the laterally associated collagen triple helices – the structural unit of collagen – to form long, smooth fibrils with a characteristic 67 …

A Normative Account Of Political Representation, Kenneth R. Courtney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The phrase “political obligation” has rarely suggested for theorists what it might for the person in the street, namely, the kinds and magnitudes of obligations held by our political representatives, as opposed to obligations held by citizens. In a related way, despite the existence of widespread expectations of political representatives, a theoretical account of these expectations and their normative import are subjects that have received surprisingly little attention. In what follows I develop an account of obligations and duties specifically belonging to political representatives. I argue that the relevant obligations derive in the first instance not from particular political or …

Dopamine D1 And D3 Receptor Polypharmacology In Cocaine Reward And Cocaine Seeking, Ewa J. Galaj

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: In the search for efficacious pharmacotherapies to treat cocaine addiction much attention has been given to agents targeting D1 or D3 receptors because of the involvement of these receptors in cocaine-related behaviors. D1 and D3 receptor partial agonists and antagonists have been shown to reduce cocaine reward, reinstatement of cocaine seeking and conditioned place preference (CPP) in rodents and non-human primates. However, translation of these encouraging results with selective D1 or D3 receptor agents has been limited due to a number of factors including toxicity, poor pharmacokinetic properties and extrapyramidal and sedative side effects.

Purpose: Given the …

Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of The Drosophila Anterior Determinant, Bicoid, John Mclaughlin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In a wide variety of biological contexts, messenger RNA (mRNA) is known to have a complex and dynamic life cycle. In particular, the localization and translational control of mRNA are essential for proper development in eukaryotes. The fly Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model for studying these processes. During D. melanogaster oogenesis, several mRNAs are trafficked and localized within the developing egg chamber, and regulated at the translational level to enable embryo patterning. One such mRNA, bicoid, is localized at the anterior of the oocyte and translated in the early embryo, where its encoded protein directs formation of the fly's …

Porous Magnesium-Based Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering, Mostafa Yazdimamaghani, Mehdi Razavi, Daryoosh Vashaee, Keyvan Moharamzadeh, Aldo R. Boccaccini, Lobat Tayebi

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Significant amount of research efforts have been dedicated to the development of scaffolds for tissue engineering. Although at present most of the studies are focused on non-load bearing scaffolds, many scaffolds have also been investigated for hard tissue repair. In particular, metallic scaffolds are being studied for hard tissue engineering due to their suitable mechanical properties. Several biocompatible metallic materials such as stainless steels, cobalt alloys, titanium alloys, tantalum, nitinol and magnesium alloys have been commonly employed as implants in orthopedic and dental treatments. They are often used to replace and regenerate the damaged bones or to provide structural support …

International Law And Transboundary Aquifers, Gabriel Eckstein

Faculty Scholarship

Although international law applicable to transboundary aquifers is still in an early stage of development, ground water resources on nation’s frontiers are now garnering growing international attention. This article examines the chief formal and informal mechanisms that have been proposed or implemented for the assessment, use, allocation, and protection of transboundary aquifers and identifies the legal trends and priorities emerging from these instruments. It also considers gaps and shortcomings in the emerging administrative regime and offers recommendations for the further development of the law.

Terminate Lung Cancer (Tlc) Study—A Mixed-Methods Population Approach To Increase Lung Cancer Screening Awareness And Low-Dose Computed Tomography In Eastern Kentucky, Roberto Cardarelli, David Reese, Karen L. Roper, Kathryn Cardarelli, Frances J. Feltner, Jamie L. Studts, Jennifer R. Knight, Debra Armstrong, Anthony D. Weaver, Dana Shaffer

Family and Community Medicine Faculty Publications

For low dose CT lung cancer screening to be effective in curbing disease mortality, efforts are needed to overcome barriers to awareness and facilitate uptake of the current evidence-based screening guidelines. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed to design a screening campaign utilizing messages developed from community focus groups, followed by implementation of the outreach campaign intervention in two high-risk Kentucky regions. This study reports on rates of awareness and screening in intervention regions, as compared to a control region.

Cesa-Ces Newsletter- February 2017, Cesa Staff

Counselor Education Student Association Newsletter

No abstract provided.

And They Were There-Reports Of Meetings, Sever Bordeianu, Ramue K. Kubilius

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Environmental Mental Models Of College Students, Melissa R. Wuellner, Leslie Vincent, Brandi Felts

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Primary and secondary students in the United States are provided environmental education in their curricula due in part to national legislation, but higher education, for many U.S. citizens, is the last opportunity to educate young adults about the environment and humans’ role in it in a formalized setting. Pre-college education and other life experiences or ways of learning can shape a student’s mental model of the environment. While some previous research has focused on understanding environmental mental models of primary and secondary students, only one study to date has evaluated models of college students. Further, no study has evaluated potential …

Facies Analysis, Sedimentary Petrology, And Reservoir Characterization Of The Lower Triassic Sinbad Limestone Member Of The Moenkopi Formation, Central Utah: A Synthesis Of Surface And Subsurface Data, Kristopher Michael Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Lower Triassic strata in the Wellington Flat and Tully cores reflect a lateral transition from shallow water strata (Wellington Flats core) to strata that indicate deposition on a relatively more distal, storm-dominated ramp (Tully core). The Sinbad Member, along with the upper part of the underlying Black Dragon Member and the lower part of the overlying Torrey Member (Moenkopi Formation), are composed of ten carbonate, siliciclastic and mixed carbonate/siliciclastic facies deposited on a west-facing ramp/shelf that reached maximum flooding during Smithian time. Individual beds and facies display a large degree of lateral homogeneity and regional persistence in the study area. …

Future Of Innovation In Medicine: Incentives For New Medical Treatments And Global Health, Anon

Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

A transcript of the symposium's proceedings.

A Novel Dlx3–Pkc Integrated Signaling Network Drives Keratinocyte Differentiation, Paul W. Bible, Elisabetta Palazzo, Megan D. Kellett, Christophe Cataisson, Shrea Bhattacharya, Hong-Wei Sun, Et Al.

Computer Science Faculty publications

Epidermal homeostasis relies on a well-defined transcriptional control of keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, which is critical to prevent skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis or cancer. We have recently shown that the homeobox transcription factor DLX3 and the tumor suppressor p53 co-regulate cell cycle-related signaling and that this mechanism is functionally involved in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma development. Here we show that DLX3 expression and its downstream signaling depend on protein kinase C α (PKCα) activity in skin. We found that following 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol13-acetate (TPA) topical treatment, DLX3 expression is significantly upregulated in the epidermis and keratinocytes from mice overexpressing …

Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (Inos) Is A Novel Negative Regulator Of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cell Trafficking, Mateusz Adamiak, Ahmed Abdelbaset-Ismail, Joseph B. Moore Iv, J. Zhao, Ahmed Abdel-Latif, Marcin Wysoczynski, Mariusz Z. Ratajczak

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous free radical molecule involved in several biological processes related to inflammation, tissue damage, and infections. Based on reports that NO inhibits migration of granulocytes and monocytes, we became interested in the role of inducible NO synthetase (iNOS) in pharmacological mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from bone marrow (BM) into peripheral blood (PB). To address the role of NO in HSPC trafficking, we upregulated or downregulated iNOS expression in hematopoietic cell lines. Next, we performed mobilization studies in iNOS^−/− mice and evaluated engraftment of iNOS^−/− HSPCs in wild type (control) animals. Our …

Obesity: Current And Potential Pharmacotherapeutics And Targets, Vidya Narayanaswami, Linda P. Dwoskin

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Obesity is a global epidemic that contributes to a number of health complications including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and neuropsychiatric disorders. Pharmacotherapeutic strategies to treat obesity are urgently needed. Research over the past two decades has increased substantially our knowledge of central and peripheral mechanisms underlying homeostatic energy balance. Homeostatic mechanisms involve multiple components including neuronal circuits, some originating in hypothalamus and brain stem, as well as peripherally-derived satiety, hunger and adiposity signals that modulate neural activity and regulate eating behavior. Dysregulation of one or more of these homeostatic components results in obesity. Coincident with obesity, reward mechanisms …

Pneumocystis Infection Alters The Activation State Of Pulmonary Macrophages, Jessica M. Deckman, Cathryn J. Kurkjian, Joseph P. Mcgillis, Theodore J. Cory, Susan E. Birket, Linda M. Schutzman, Brian S. Murphy, Beth A. Garvy, David J. Feola

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Recent studies show a substantial incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization and infection in patients with chronic inflammatory lung conditions. However, little is known about the impact of Pneumocystis upon the regulation of pulmonary immunity. We demonstrate here that Pneumocystis polarizes macrophages towards an alternatively activated macrophage-like phenotype. Genetically engineered mice that lack the ability to signal through IL-4 and IL-13 were used to show that Pneumocystis alternative macrophage activation is dependent upon signaling through these cytokines. To determine whether Pneumocystis-induced macrophage polarization would impact subsequent immune responses, we infected mice with Pneumocystis and then challenged them with Pseudomonas aeruginosa 14 …

Praying About Forgiveness In Japanese, English, And Beyond Words: Bilingualism As An Underexplored Resource For Christian Spiritual Formation, Andrea Lundquist Johnson

Doctor of Ministry

Prayer understood as a form of communication and communion with the Deity is a nearly universal human activity and a core Christian practice. Christian prayer may take many shapes including colloquial, petitionary, ritual, and meditative, and may be practiced alone or with others. Prayer regarding forgiveness is both the example and command of Jesus, yet forgiveness is multidimensional, complex, and culturally conditioned in addition to being difficult because it involves change in self identity.

The question of whether the language of prayer matters for bilinguals, specifically Japanese/English speaking bilinguals, has not been researched. Neither has the area of bilingual prayer …

The Association Between Body Mass Index And Academic Performance, Khaled A. Alswat, Abdullah D. Al-Shehri, Tariq A. Aljuaid, Bassam A. Alzaidi, Hassan D. Alasmari

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To examine the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the academic performance of students from Taif city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using the grade point average (GPA). Method: A cross-sectional study that includes students from intermediate and high schools located in Taif city, KSA between April 2014 and June 2015. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Related risk factors including dietary habits, activity, parent’s education, sleeping pattern, and smoking were recorded. Result: A total of 14 schools included 424 students. 24.5% were either overweight or obese. The mean age was 15.44 year, 74.8% of the …

Migratory And Winter Activity Of Bats In Yellowstone National Park, Joseph S. Johnson, John J. Treanor, Michael J. Lacki, Michael D. Baker, Greg A. Falxa, Luke E. Dodd, Austin G. Waag, Elijah H. Lee

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

A substantial body of work exists describing timing of migration and hibernation among bats in eastern North America, but less is known about these events among bats inhabiting the Rocky Mountain region. Yellowstone National Park is a geothermally influenced landscape comprised of diverse habitats, creating the opportunity for unique behaviors to develop among local bat populations. We identified the timing of migration for the local bat community and determined if bats overwinter in Yellowstone. To accomplish this, we radiotracked 7 little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), 5 western long-eared myotis (M. evotis), 4 big brown bats ( …

Revisions To Graduate Faculty Executive Committee Bylaws 2017, State University Of New York At Cortland

Minutes

Memorandum dated February 21, 2017 from Jena Curtis (Chair, Graduate Faculty Executive Committee) to Kathleen Lawrence (Chair, Faculty Senate) regarding revisions to graduate faculty executive committee bylaws.

The Diet Of The Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon Kentucki) In An Old Growth Forest Of Southeastern Kentucky, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price, Stephen C. Richter

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Terrestrial lungless salamanders are known to reach very high densities in forested ecosystems of the United States.

They can be important for the top down regulation of invertebrates

Diets of 57% (31 of 54) Plethodon salamanders are still poorly known

The Cumberland Plateau Salamander (Plethodon kentucki) is a large plethodontid common in the Central Appalachians, however, its diet is only known from West Virginia

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18118.47682

Beta-Glucosidase From Streptomyces Griseus: Nanoparticle Immobilisation And Alkyl Glucoside Synthesis., Barry Ryan, Gary Henehan, Prabhash Kumar

Articles

A novel β-glucosidase from Streptomyces griseus was cloned and overexpressed in E. coli. The purified β-glucosidase (44 kDa) had a K_m of 8.6±0.5 mM and a V_max of 217±5.0 μmoles^-1min^-1mg at 37 °C, pH 7.2 with p-nitrophenyl-β-D glucopyranoside as substrate. The enzyme was characterised in terms of pH optimum (pH 6.9), temperature optimum (69 °C) and the influence of solvents and effectors. Purified S. griseus β-glucosidase was successfully immobilised, by simple absorption, onto zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles without covalent modification. It remained tightly bound even after extensive washing and could be reused …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma Dissipation Efficiency Of Agrochemicals On Blueberries, Chaitanya Sarangapani, Grainne O'Toole, Paula Bourke, Patrick J. Cullen

Articles

Cold plasma has emerged as a potential bio-decontamination technology for microbial and chemical risks associated with food products such as fruits and vegetables. This study investigated the efficacy of cold plasma treatment for the degradation of pesticides (boscalid and Imidacloprid) on blueberries in tandem with the need to retain critical quality attributes of a fresh high value berry product post treatment. An in-package high voltage dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor was employed for this study. The degradation efficacy of pesticides after 80 kV and 5 min of cold plasma treatment were found to be 80.18% for boscalid and 75.62% for …

Facilities Forum, Georgia Southern University

Auxiliary Services (2013-2021)

• Interdisciplinary Academic Building Ground Breaking
• Trees are Simply Amazing!
• Safe Haven Gift Drive
• RecycleMANIA!
• A Job Well Done!
• February 2017 Safety
• March Safety Training
• Facilities Services Customer Service Survey

The Gep: Crowd-Sourcing Big Data Analysis With Undergraduates, Sarah C.R. Elgin, Charles Hauser, Teresa Holzen, Christopher Jones, Adam Kleinschmit, Judith Leatherman

Biology Faculty Research

The era of 'big data' is also the era of abundant data, creating new opportunities for student-scientist research partnerships. By coordinating undergraduate efforts, the Genomics Education Partnership produces high-quality annotated data sets and analyses that could not be generated otherwise, leading to scientific publications while providing many students with research experience. Keywords: CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience); bioinformatics; crowd-sourcing science; science education; undergraduate research.