Digital Commons Network^™

Insights Into The Ecology, Genetics And Distribution Of Lucanus Elaphus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), North America's Giant Stag Beetle, Michael D. Ulyshen, Louis G. Zachos, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas N. Sheehan, Ryan C. Garrick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Little is known about the biology or conservation status of Lucanus elaphus Fabricius in North America despite well-documented declines of a related species, Lucanus cervus (L.), in Europe. This study provides information critical to developing conservation plans for L. elaphus including the species’ larval substrate requirements, genetic data and range-wide estimates of habitat suitability. 2. In Mississippi floodplain forests, larval L. elaphus were recovered from a wide range of log sizes and rot types and were either found tunnelling within the wood or feeding beneath logs at the soil–wood interface. The species appears to require 1–2 years to complete …

Examining Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Technology Self-Efficacy: Impact Of Mobile Technology-Based Physics Curriculum, Deepika Menon, Meera Chandrasekhar, Dorina Kosztin, Douglas Steinhoff

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

While iPads and other mobile devices are gaining popularity in educational settings, challenges associated with teachers’ use of technology continue to hold true. Preparing preservice teachers within teacher preparation programs to gain experience learning and teaching science using mobile technologies is critical for them to develop positive beliefs and self-efficacy for future technology integration. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in preservice elementary teachers’ technology self-efficacy during their participation in a specialized science content course that utilized a mobile technology-based physics curriculum, Exploring Physics. The Exploring Physics curriculum is available as a hybrid online-offline application running on …

Students’ Out-Of-School Experiences, Job Priorities, And Perceptions Toward Themselves As A Scientist: A Cross-Cultural Study, Hunkar Korkmaz, Julie Anna Thomas, Nilgun Tatar, Serpil Altunay

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ out-of-school experiences related to science, priorities related to their future job, and perception toward themselves as a scientist. One intact school was assigned randomly from each country. The study involved 479 students (363 Turkish students; 116 American students), aged between 11 and 13. It used the survey instrument “Relevance of Science Education” developed by an international team. Results show that for this sample there continue to be significant gender and cultural differences in science experiences and perceptions toward scientists and of careers. It is thought that the findings of …

College Catalog, 2017-2018, Graduate, Buffalo State College

Academic Catalogs, 1871-2018

No abstract provided.

Cadmium Exposure And Residence-To-Road Proximity In Eastern Kentucky, Ellen Flora

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Background and Objectives

Cadmium is a carcinogenic and toxic metal. The general population can be exposed to cadmium from multiple sources. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of urinary cadmium and residence distance-to-road by performing landscape analyses in eastern Kentucky, a region where smoking prevalence is high, coal production has been a primary industry, and the landscape is predominantly undeveloped. Composite dust samples were also collected and analyzed for Cadmium (Cd), Manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn). The primary objective of this study is to ascertain if there is an association between participants with elevated accumulated cadmium …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Open Burning Activity In Kentucky, Jeffrey Scott Blakeman

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Objectives: To 1) summarize open burning activity observed by the Kentucky Division for Air Quality for a 12-month period and to 2) Identify distinguishing factors of areas having “high” levels of observed open burning compared to areas with “low” levels of open burning.

Methods: Data was collected by performing a records review of open burning investigation documents for the 554 investigation site visits performed by KY DAQ for the time period of January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015.

Results: The average number of site visits per county was 4.66 visits. The source material with the highest …

Risk Factors For Self Reported Health Status In The National Health Interview Survey, Kayla Rhea Talbott

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how individuals view and analyze their health by evaluating the relationship between self-reported health (SRH) status and several variables representing health and lifestyle characteristics. Assessing the ability of self-reported health status to measure overall health was an additional objective of the study.

Methods: A secondary, cross-sectional study was conducted using information from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey for adults 18 and older. Data were stratified and compared based on a self-rated health status of either excellent or very good, good, or fair and poor, …

Seed Dispersal For The Unusual Inflated Berries Of Burmeistera (Campanulaceae), Diana Gamba, N. Rossana Maguiña, Camilo A. Calderón-Acevedo, Karina Torres, Nathan C. Muchhala

Neotropical Biodiversity

Examining dispersal is critical for understanding the diversity of Andean-centered plant lineages, like Burmeistera (Campanulaceae). One-third of its species present an unusual inflated berry. Unlike the bright colors of non-inflated fruits in the genus, these fruits are typically dull-green; however, the fact that the seeds are loosely held in the placenta and easily removed when touched seems to suggest adaptation to animal dispersal. We studied two inflated-baccate species, Burmeistera glabrata and B. borjensis, with the aim of testing the non-exclusive hypotheses that their seeds are dispersed by (1) small mammals, (2) slugs, or (3) adult flies that develop inside the …

Revisiting Adaptations Of Neotropical Katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) To Gleaning Bat Predation, Hannah Ter Hofstede, Silke Voigt-Heucke, Alexander Lang, Heinrich Römer, Rachel Page, Paul Faure, Dina Dechmann

Neotropical Biodiversity

All animals have defenses against predators, but assessing the effectiveness of such traits is challenging. Neotropical katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) are an abundant, ubiquitous, and diverse group of large insects eaten by a variety of predators, including substrate-gleaning bats. Gleaning bats capture food from surfaces and usually use prey-generated sounds to detect and locate prey. A number of Neotropical katydid signaling traits, such as the emission of ultrasonic frequencies, substrate vibration communication, infrequent calling, and ultrasound-evoked song cessation are thought to have evolved as defenses against substrate-gleaning bats. We collected insect remains from hairy big-eared bat (Micronycteris hirsuta) roosts in Panama. …

Bryde’S Whales (Balaenoptera Brydei) In An Area Of Upwelling Off Isla San Cristóbal, Galápagos, D.C. Biggs, S.M. Durkacz, L.M. Martin, M. Narvaez, A. De La Garza, Z. Lombraña, M. Santos

Neotropical Biodiversity

Bryde’s whales aggregate in the Galápagos Archipelago in an area off the north coast of Isla San Cristóbal during periods of upwelling. Seasonally, these whales are locally abundant off San Cristóbal between May and November, except in years when El Niño conditions occur. Field surveys were performed in summers 2013, 2014, and 2016 around San Cristóbal to search for the presence of Bryde’s whales, and to document their spatial relationship with 20 °C isotherm topography. Our surveys found that most sightings of these whales occurred in locations within 3–6 km of shore (water depths 70–300 m), where the 20 °C …

The Importance Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Agroecological Systems In Peru, Christina R. Saylor, Kamal Alsharif, Hannah Torres

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

This study argues that a critical element in the success of an ecosystem service (ES) approach at any level is the higher qualitative valuation of local traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). As such, the objectives of this research were to illustrate the role of TEK in agroecological systems in Peru and to develop recommendations about this type of knowledge acquisition. The data were gathered using interviews and focus groups with subsistence farmers along with key informant interviews to elicit TEK at local and regional scales in five provinces in the Lake Titicaca region of Puno, Peru. Qualitative analysis revealed dominant themes …

Writing In Geology To Reduce Math Anxiety, Victor Ricchezza, H. L. Vacher

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Students in GLY 4866: Computational Geology at the University of South Florida learn to solve mathematical problems in a geologic context. Quantitative literacy – a fundamental set of skills and habits of mind – is essential to geologists in any of a variety of occupations, and this course helps prepare students for those careers.

Based on suggestions from prior interviews with alumni, we introduced a detailed reading and writing assignment into the course for fall 2016. Students submitted a general written statement about how the felt about math, and then read The Math Instinct: Why you're a Mathematical Genius (along …

Hair Cortisol-A Biomarker For Chronic Stress And Predictor Of Disease, Abigail J. Burns

Honors College Theses

Chronic stress is an ongoing and increasing harmful problem to millions of American’s today. Each year younger generations are increasingly being affected by stress. This chronic stress has been connected statistically to the increase in mental health problems among American’s especially younger generations. Stressors directly affect the equilibrium of bodily functions. When stress takes effect in the body, it stimulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal -axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system which increase the release of glucocorticoids and catecholamine. When there is chronic stress, both systems can deregulate and cause and overproduction or underproduction of the hormones. In the past, researchers have focused on …

Justice, Interrupted: The Effect Of Gender, Ideology, And Seniority At Supreme Court Oral Arguments, Tonja Jacobi, Dylan Schweers

Faculty Articles

Oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court are important—they affect case outcomes and constitute the only opportunity for outsiders to directly witness the behavior of the Justices of the highest court. This Article studies how the Justices compete to have influence at oral argument, by examining the extent to which the Justices interrupt each other; it also scrutinizes how advocates interrupt the Justices, contrary to the rules of the Court. We find that judicial interactions at oral argument are highly gendered, with women being interrupted at disproportionate rates by their male colleagues, as well as by male advocates. Oral argument …

Vulnerability And Inevitable Inequality, Martha Albertson Fineman

Faculty Articles

The abstract legal subject of liberal Western democracies fails to reflect the fundamental reality of the human condition, which is vulnerability. While it is universal and constant, vulnerability is manifested differently in individuals, often resulting in significant differences in position and circumstance. In spite of such differences, political theory positions equality as the foundation for law and policy, and privileges autonomy, independence and self-sufficiency. This article traces the origins and development of a critical legal theory that brings human vulnerability to the fore in assessing individual and state responsibility and redefining the parameters of social justice. The theory arose in …

Addressing The Retirement Crisis With Shadow 401(K)S, Deepa Das Acevedo

Faculty Articles

The United States has been juggling a handful of socio-economic crises lately. The subprime mortgage crisis, the auto industry crisis, the education crisis, the obesity crisis—the list isn’t short and shows no signs of becoming so. Within this group of economically and socially disruptive developments, the “retirement crisis”—the idea that most Americans will lack the financial resources to be secure and relatively satisfied in their golden years—seems somewhat banal because, for the most part, it has yet to hit. Even though baby boomers first started to age out of the workforce in 2011,the real cost of underfunded retirement is far …

The Chloroplast Rna Helicase Ise2 Is Required For Multiple Chloroplast Rna Processing Steps In Arabidopsis Thaliana, K Bobik, T Mccray, B Ernest, J Fernandez, K Howell, T Lane, M Staton, T Burch-Smith

Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

INCREASED SIZE EXCLUSION LIMIT2 (ISE2) is a chloroplast-localized RNA helicase that is indispensable for proper plant development. Chloroplasts in leaves with reduced ISE2expression have previously been shown to exhibit reduced thylakoid contents and increased stromal volume, indicative of defective development. It has recently been reported that ISE2 is required for the splicing of group II introns from chloroplast transcripts. The current study extends these findings, and presents evidence for ISE2’s role in multiple aspects of chloroplast RNA processing beyond group II intron splicing. Loss of ISE2 from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves resulted in defects in C-to-U RNA editing, altered accumulation of …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Abraham Bordon

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer. It is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the buildup of toxic amyloid plaque and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, which results in the progressive loss of cognitive function and memory. Since its discovery, the disease has become a growing health concern, particularly in the developed world, where the ageing demographics have contributed to an increase in its prevalence and incidence. The earliest research into the disease focused on neurochemical analyses and resulted in the formulation of the cholinergic hypothesis. The mechanism of disease was explained as the degeneration of the cholinergic system …

Possible Causes Of Alzheimer’S Disease Related Amyloid-Β Plaques And Neurofibrillary Tangles, Rochelle Rubenstein

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease is a major cause of dementia in the elderly and is a global health concern. However, researchers are not sure what causes the characteristic amyloid-β plaque accumulation and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Several model mechanisms have been proposed to answer this question. This paper examines three of these possibilities. Research suggests that a particular allele of the apoE gene is responsible for the neurodegeneration found in Alzheimer’s disease. Another hypothesis is that the mechanism of Alzheimer’s is related to prion-mediated protein misfolding. Other studies indicate that certain environmental factors can cause the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s. Specifically, this …

Are Contact Lenses An Effective Vehicle For Ocular-Disease Drug Delivery?, Chana Haimowitz

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Due to numerous drawbacks with current modes of treatment for various ocular diseases, researchers are synthesizing drug dispensing contact lenses. The lenses will contribute to greater bioavailability of the drug, the minimization of negative side effects, and increased patient compliance. As treatment for glaucoma, in vivo studies have been conducted with latanoprost, timolol maleate, and brimonidine tartrate-eluting lenses, and have succeeded in reducing intraocular pressure to desired values (Ciolino et al., 2016), (Schultz and Mint, 2002). As treatment for fungal keratitis, in vitro studies prove that econazole and natamycin-eluting contact lenses have been successful in killing 100% of fungi for …

Possible Mechanisms That Protect The Fetus From Maternal Rejection, Adina Ziemba-Goldfarb

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

There is no other foreign tissue transplant that has such a strongly parasitic relationship with its human host as the fetus. Although the fetus contains paternal genes, is completely tolerized by its maternal host in almost all pregnancies. This presents an immunological paradox and has generated a lot of attention from leading researchers in the reproductive and immunology fields. This paper reviews the leading explanations for this paradox; that it is attributed to a detailed mechanism of the maternal and fetal immune system in which tryptophan suppresses T-cells from attacking specific paternal cells, while maintaining a strong immune response against …

Do Antibiotics In Early Life Contribute To Obesity?, Shimon Kadosh

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

In recent years, science has made great strides in its understanding of the microbiome, discovering that it plays a role in regulating many body processes. One area of study is the microbiomes interaction and influence on host metabolic processes. Studies using both mice and humans have established a clear correlation between obesity and the composition of the microbiome, identifying a microbiome unique to obese individuals. Furthermore, experiments with germ-free mice have shown that the microbiome effects host metabolism, causing germ free mice to increase in mass when inoculated with normal microbiota. Inoculation with microbiota from obese mice yielded greater increases …

Repurposing Diabetes Drugs To Treat Insulin Resistance In Alzheimer’S Disease‌, Yael Lazarus

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition which results in a significant decline in cognitive status. Novel treatment approaches for Alzheimer’s are sorely needed, as current medications for the disease offer only marginal clinical benefit. Research has discovered a connection between the pathology of Alzheimer’s and Type 2 Diabetes, two serious and seemingly unrelated disorders. Clinical studies have shown that Alzheimer’s disease is associated with brain insulin resistance similar to the pathology of Type 2 Diabetes. This observation has led to the notion that drugs developed for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes may be beneficial in modifying the cognitive function …

Mechanical Factors Affecting Heart Morphogenesis, Moshe Fenster

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

For years, the genetic element of heart morphogenesis has been studied. This review focuses on a relatively new area of study, namely, mechanical factors influencing heart morphogenesis. To understand the context of the role of mechanical factors in heart development, an extensive review of the stages of heart morphogenesis is provided. It is found that shear stress, surface tension, fluid forces, and contractions of certain cells play a role in various stages of heart development. Numerous studies have shown that in cases where these mechanical forces were modified, abnormal heart defects were produced. These studies prove that the mechanical forces …

The Impacts Of Childhood Obesity On Adult Health And Quality Of Life‌, Miriam Weinstock

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Obesity has emerged as one of the most preeminent concerns of the modern era. Thirty six percent of our country’s citizens are classified as obese and six percent qualify as extremely obese. Developing obesity as an adult is fairly common, but countless studies have shown a direct correlation between childhood obesity and remaining severely overweight as an adult. Aside from the physical and aesthetic discomfort of maintaining superfluous girth, the health hazards threatening the obese population are extremely discomfiting. The enormity of the issue requires extensive study so that society can educate themselves of the dangers and how to prevent …

The Effects Of Sports Drinks On Teeth, Gabriel Kaye

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

With a push towards a more active lifestyle, the sports drink industry has grown substantially in recent years. However, despite their popularity, sports drinks contain acid, giving them extremely low pHs, which can cause erosion. There have been many studies, including self-administered surveys, studies in vitro, and studies in situ that have shown sports energy drinks cause dental erosion, leading to permanent loss of tooth volume and a softening of the outer layer of the tooth.

Is Tooth Bleaching Really Safe?, Yehoshua Krasnow

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The field of cosmetic dentistry emerged when people began to realize the importance of a good smile. Stains on teeth were no longer deemed acceptable with the advent of cheap and safe procedures like tooth bleaching. This new procedure replaced the older, more costly and invasive method of laminated veneers and crowns. The chemistry behind this bleaching occurs via unstable hydroxyl radicals and thus the question arose as to how safe this accepted procedure really is. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the negative ramifications of tooth bleaching and to determine if it’s truly safe. The null hypothesis …

Vitamin D Deficiency And Suicide, Miriam Salamon

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Vitamin D deficiency, in an increasingly modernized world, is a major global health issue and so is major depressive disorder (MDD) and its high fatality risk. Studies suggest that there may be a connection between the two. Several studies have found a connection between low levels of vitamin D and higher rates of major depressive disorder, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Specifically, lower concentrations of vitamin D was seen in the subgroup of patients with suicidal thoughts when comparing with non-suicidal depressed patients. A likely reason for this may be the well- researched role vitamin D plays in regulation of …

An Analysis On Whether Or Not Baldness Can Be Reversed, Spencer Waldman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Many men experiencing hair loss often wonder: is there a cure? Can I get my hair regrown? This thesis addresses these very issues, the anatomy of the pilosebaceous hair, the hair growth cycle, and the suggested causes of male pattern hair loss are examined. Finally, the various drugs that have been suggested to reduce hair loss and even cause hair regrowth are reviewed. After examining the various treatments, it can be concluded with reasonable certainty that hair loss can be halted and often reversed by using FDA approved drugs finasteride and minoxidil. Other drugs such as ketoconazole and dutasteride have …

Full Issue: Volume 10, Number 2

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

No abstract provided.