Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Deer Hunter Demographics, Perceptions, And Factors Influencing Satisfaction And Success During A Time Of Statewide Deer Population Decline, Kristen Elizabeth Black

Theses and Dissertations

North Dakota’s white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (O. hemionus) populations have declined significantly since their peak in 2008-2009. This may be due to heavy harvest pressure in an effort to reduce deer depredation on agricultural crops, a series of harsh winters, habitat fragmentation or loss, predation, and disease. In 2009, about 144,400 deer gun hunting licenses were allocated through a lottery system by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF). Interest in deer hunting in North Dakota is high, with more than 69,700 resident and non-resident hunters applying for the 43,275 licenses available for the 2015 deer-gun …

Intergenerational Effects Of Embryonic Cocaine Exposure In Zebrafish, Cody Adam Boyle

Theses and Dissertations

Cocaine addiction has both genetic and environmentally driven components. Relatively recently several groups have suggested that epigenetic regulation of gene expression might be the mechanism linking environmental influence and inheritance in drug addiction. We have shown previously that embryonic cocaine exposure increases physiological and behavioral sensitivity to the drug in longitudinal adults. In this study, we provide evidence that the effects of embryonic pre-exposure to cocaine are intergenerational in zebrafish. In addition, we show how gene expression in the zebrafish telencephalon, which includes the teleost equivalent of the nucleus accumbens, changes during acute cocaine treatment during behavioral testing. These experiments …

A Comparison Study Of American Indian And Caucasian Sex Offenders On Trauma And Selected Trauma Effects, Regina Sioux Ertz

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) have a long history of documented trauma experiences. In addition, AI/AN individuals are likely to have fewer economic resources and are faced with increased traumatic experiences in comparison to the general population. Further, the American Indian population is also affected by overrepresentation with incarceration rates in federal and state government detention centers. These data support the need to address non-sexual recidivism issues in the American Indian population. Little research has examined trauma experiences, selected trauma effects, and unique differences for American Indian sex offenders. Treatment employed for American Indian sex offenders is conducted based on data …

Impact Of Wetlands Loss On The Long-Term Flood Risks Of Devils Lake In A Changing Climate, Sergey Gulbin

Theses and Dissertations

Endorheic (terminal) lakes with no water outlets are sensitive indicators of changes in climate and land cover in the watershed. Since 1990 Devils Lake watershed in North Dakota experienced a dramatic change of local climate: wet phase. This change yielded in a 10-m water level rise in just two decades. The Lake’s water level increase caused flooding of adjacent areas, including towns, agriculture fields and houses of Native Americans, costing over $1 billion in mitigation.

While the climate change contribution to flooding has been established, the role of large scale land conversion to agriculture has not been researched. The purpose …

Precipitation Of Synthetic Dolomite At Low Tempearures With The Influence Of Microbes, Sreeram Jambulapati

Theses and Dissertations

New approaches in carbonate geochemistry are aiding geoscientists in

understanding dolomite formation. Dolomite is largely absent in modern depositional

environments but is present in ancient rocks. The current problem is the inability to

synthesize it under low-temperature conditions in the laboratory. Until recently

laboratory preparation of dolomite required elevated temperatures (<100oC) to overcome

kinetic barriers. One novel approach involves using bacteria to overcome the kinetic

barriers that have frustrated efforts to synthesize dolomite at near surface temperatures.

This study presents preliminary results of experiments in which three strains of bacteria

were used to inoculate a magnesium deficient amorphous calcium carbonate (Mg-ACC)

medium …

Mechanistic Insights Into Neutrophil Turnover During Gram-Negative Pneumonic Sepsis, Christopher Jondle

Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is one of the oldest and most elusive syndromes in medicine. It is characterized by a systemic inflammatory response leading to acute organ dysfunction. In the United States alone there are over 750,000 cases of sepsis each year, with a mortality rate between 20-50%. Sepsis is the second leading cause of death in the ICU and the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States. Over half of all ICU resources are consumed in the treatment of sepsis. There are currently no effective therapies available against sepsis, all attempts to develop an effective therapy have failed. Respiratory …

Functionalization Of Cyclopalladated Ligands Using Secondary Phosphines And Meta-Chloroperoxybenzoic Acid, Jonathan Kukowski

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclopalladation of organic ligands followed by reactions at the C–Pd bond with MPR2 (M = Li, K, or H) or other reagents (e.g. oxidants) is a desirable strategy for the synthesis of hemilabile bidentate ligands due to the large library of known cyclopalladated complexes (CPCs). This dissertation is composed of three projects on the functionalization of cyclopalladated ligands.

In the first study, a new method for (sp3)C–P bond formation using diphenylphosphine was studied. Conditions for the synthesis of aminophosphines were optimized for the reactions of dinuclear chloro-bridged (sp3)C–Pd CPCs and HPPh2. The best yields were obtained with 9 equivalents of …

Contextual Factors Related To Stereotype Threat And Student Success In Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Education: A Mixed Methods Study, Lindsey Leker

Theses and Dissertations

Stereotype threat is a widely researched phenomenon shown to impact performance in testing and evaluation situations (Katz, Roberts, & Robinson, 1965; Steele & Aronson, 1995). When related to gender, stereotype threat can lead women to score lower than men on standardized math exams (Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999). Stereotype threat may be one reason women have lower enrollment in most science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors, hold a smaller number of STEM careers than men, and have a higher attrition rate in STEM professions (Hill, Corbet, & Rose, 2010; Picho & Brown 2011; Sorby & Baartmans, 2000). Most research …

The Impact Of The 340b Drug Pricing Program On Post-Launch Drug Prices, Bryan Temples Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Government mandated drug-pricing policies are an understudied—but potentially significant—factor in the price of drugs. The 340B program is one of the more controversial government-mandated prescription drug discount programs. Proponents argue that the program helps health care systems cover the cost of care they provide for low-income patients. Critics argue that the program unfairly benefits certain health care systems by assuring them lower drug prices, drives consolidation and reduces competition in the health care market, and drives up the cost of drugs. Despite this last claim, there is very little evidence that the 340B program actually impacts post-launch drug prices (i.e., …

The Role Of Α-Synuclein In Brain Lipid Metabolism And Inflammation, Drew R. Seeger

Theses and Dissertations

Alpha-synuclein (Snca) is a small cytosolic protein that is ubiquitously expressed in the nervous system and comprises 0.5-1% of all cytosolic protein, but its biological function is poorly understood. Although Snca function has been studied in lipid metabolism, the function of Snca in brain lipid metabolism under inflammatory conditions is yet to be elucidated. We utilized several model systems including primary cultured astrocytes and microglia, Snca deficient and mutant knock-in mice, and a radiolabeled free fatty acid steady state-kinetic mouse model to determine Snca role in neuroinflammation. Herein, we have determined several major roles of Snca during inflammation: (i) dBcAMP …

Epigenetic Remodeling As A Mediator Of Environmental Toxicant Exposure In The Brain, Christopher David Walden

Theses and Dissertations

Natural toxins and artificial toxicants are abundant throughout our environment and may play an integral role in remodeling our epigenome and in the development of neural diseases. Exposure to heavy metals and organic pollutants, such as DDT and its derivatives, have been linked to neural disease. Additionally, there are links between direct exposure, in both adults and children, to short-lived pesticides and neural diseases. While the link has been established, understanding the root cause has yet to be elucidated. One increasingly relevant field offering promise in achieving this goal is epigenetics. Epigenetic remodeling is one potential mechanism by which environmental …

Relationships Among Health Counseling Training Experiences And Time Engaged In Counseling, Percentage Of Patients Counseled, Practitioner Confidence, And Perceived Importance, Stephen Edward Lupe

Theses and Dissertations

In the current healthcare system, the need for collaborative care is higher than ever. With current reforms in reimbursement and healthcare policies, it is becoming increasingly necessary for psychologists and other practitioners to break ranks with their traditional roles and to participate as a part of a multidisciplinary team that works in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. This study aims to look at the health counseling behaviors of psychologists and graduate psychology students from an APA accredited clinical psychology graduate program. It aims to examine the relationships among health counseling training variables and time spent engaging in health counseling, highest …

Neural Networks In Strategic Marketing: Exploring The Possibilities, Kristen Bell Detienne, David H. Detienne

Faculty Publications

A review of the literature indicates that few studies have used artificial neural networks (ANNs) for data analysis in business and marketing research, even though there are many benefits to the use of ANNs. Therefore, this article discusses neural networks (NNs) that can be used in addition to or as an alternative to linear regression for data analysis in strategic marketing. The function and layout of NNs make them ideal for research dealing with nonlinear, incomplete, unspecified, or ‘fuzzy’ data and offer several advantages over linear regression. Unfortunately, in many marketing studies, the information being modeled is far from flawless …

Dynamic Behavior Analysis Of Android Applications For Malware Detection, Latika Singh, Markus Hofmann

Conference papers

Android is most popular operating system for smartphones and small devices with 86.6% market share (Chau 2016). Its open source nature makes it more prone to attacks creating a need for malware analysis. Main approaches for detecting malware intents of mobile applications are based on either static analysis or dynamic analysis. In static analysis, apps are inspected for suspicious patterns of code to identify malicious segments. However, several obfuscation techniques are available to provide a guard against such analysis. The dynamic analysis on the other hand is a behavior-based detection method that involves investigating the run-time behavior of the suspicious …

Modeling Beta-Traces For Beta-Barrels From Cryo-Em Density Maps, Dong Si, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has produced density maps of various resolutions. Although ά-helices can be detected from density maps at 5-8 angstrom resolutions, β-strands are challenging to detect at such density maps due to close-spacing of β-strands. The variety of shapes of β-sheets adds the complexity of β-strands detection from density maps. We propose a new approach to model traces of β-strands for β-barrel density regions that are extracted from cryo-EM density maps. In the test containing eight β-barrels extracted from experimental cryo-EM density maps at 5.5 angstrom-8.25 angstrom resolution, StrandRoller detected about 74.26% of the amino acids in the β-strands …

An Effective Computational Method Incorporating Multiple Secondary Structure Predictions In Topology Determination For Cryo-Em Images, Abhishek Biswas, Desh Ranjan, Mohammad Zubair, Stephanie Zeil, Kamal Al Nasr, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

A key idea in de novo modeling of a medium-resolution density image obtained from cryo-electron microscopy is to compute the optimal mapping between the secondary structure traces observed in the density image and those predicted on the protein sequence. When secondary structures are not determined precisely, either from the image or from the amino acid sequence of the protein, the computational problem becomes more complex. We present an efficient method that addresses the secondary structure placement problem in presence of multiple secondary structure predictions and computes the optimal mapping. We tested the method using 12 simulated images from alpha-proteins and …

Comparing An Atomic Model Or Structure To A Corresponding Cryo-Electron Microscopy Image At The Central Axis Of A Helix, Stephanie Zeil, Julio Kovacs, Willy Wriggers, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Three-dimensional density maps of biological specimens from cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can be interpreted in the form of atomic models that are modeled into the density, or they can be compared to known atomic structures. When the central axis of a helix is detectable in a cryo-EM density map, it is possible to quantify the agreement between this central axis and a central axis calculated from the atomic model or structure. We propose a novel arc-length association method to compare the two axes reliably. This method was applied to 79 helices in simulated density maps and six case studies using cryo-EM …

Homeomorphic Tetrahedral Tessellation For Biomedical Images, Jing Xu, Andrey N. Chernikov

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We present a novel algorithm for generating three-dimensional unstructured tetrahedral meshes for biomedical images. The method uses an octree as the background grid from which to build the final graded conforming meshes. The algorithm is fast and robust. It produces meshes with high quality since it provides dihedral angle lower bound for the output tetrahedra. Moreover, the mesh boundary is a geometrically and topologically accurate approximation of the object surface in the sense that it allows for guaranteed bounds on the two-sided Hausdorff distance and the homeomorphism between the boundaries of the mesh and the boundaries of the materials. The …

An Iterative Bézier Method For Fitting Beta-Sheet Component Of A Cryo-Em Density Map, Michael Poteat, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) is a powerful technique to produce 3-dimensional density maps for large molecular complexes. Although many atomic structures have been solved from cryo-EM density maps, it is challenging to derive atomic structures when the resolution of density maps is not sufficiently high. Geometrical shape representation of secondary structural components in a medium-resolution density map enhances modeling of atomic structures. We compare two methods in producing surface representation of the β-sheet component of a density map. Given a 3-dimensional volume of β-sheet that is segmented from a density map, the performance of a polynomial fitting was compared with that …

A Marine Heat Wave Drives Massive Losses From The World’S Largest Seagrass Carbon Stocks, Ariane Arias-Ortiz, Oscar Serrano, Pere Masqué, Paul Lavery, Ute A. Mueller, Gary A, Kendrick, Mohammad Rozaimi, Alba Esteban, James W, Fourqurean, Núrià N. Marbà, Miquel-Angel Mateo, Kathy Murray, Michael Rule, Carlos M. Duarte

Research Datasets

The database compiles published data (in Arias-Ortiz et al., 2018) on biogeochemical characteristics (density, organic carbon, stable carbon isotopes and sediment grain size) of soils underneath seagrass meadows in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Pb-210 concentrations of the first 20 cm are included along with C-14 raw ages. The dataset compiles data for a total of 49 cores, 25 - 300 cm-long (11 cores with Pb-210 and C-14 data).

Metagenomic Analysis Of The Complex Microbial Consortium Associated With Cultures Of The Oil‐Rich Alga Botryococcus Braunii, Christine Sambles, Karen Moore, Thomas M. Lux, Katy Jones, George R. Littlejohn, João D. Gouveia, Stephen J. Aves, David J. Studholme, Rob Lee, John Love

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

AbstractMicroalgae are widely viewed as a promising and sustainable source of renewable chemicals and biofuels. Botryococcus braunii synthesizes and secretes significant amounts of long‐chain (C30‐C40) hydrocarbons that can be subsequently converted into gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel. B. braunii cultures are not axenic and the effects of co‐cultured microorganisms on B. braunii growth and hydrocarbon yield are important, but sometimes contradictory. To understand the composition of the B. braunii microbial consortium, we used high throughput Illumina sequencing of metagenomic DNA to profile the microbiota within a well established, stable B. braunii culture and characterized the demographic changes in the microcosm …

Uncovering The Protological Hermeneutics Of George Mccready Price And Benjamin Warfield, Sergio L. Silva

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this dissertation addresses is the protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over whether biblical protology should be interpreted literally or symbolically in response to the evolutionary theory.

Method

To identify, compare, and contrast the protological hermeneutics of George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield, this dissertation adopts an interdisciplinary methodology that seeks to integrate historical theology, systematic theology, and exegetical-biblical theology.

Conclusions

The protological hermeneutical impasse between George McCready Price and Benjamin Warfield over the interpretation of biblical protology was caused by how they applied their views on epistemology. On the hermeneutical level (where …

Critique Of A Dual-System Model Of Category Learning, C E R Edmunds

School of Psychology Theses

Some researchers have argued that the category learning literature is conclusive: people learn to generalise from past experiences to novel ones using multiple learning systems (Ashby & Maddox, 2011). To the extent that this claim is true, it is due in no small part to work investigating the predictions of the dual-system model COVIS (COmpetition between Verbal and Implicit Systems; Ashby, Alfonso-Reese, Turken, & Waldron, 1998). The work presented here investigates the evidence for this model. In Chapter 1, I describe the main features of the COVIS model and briefly review some of the evidence that supports this model. This …

A Sense Of The Cycling Environment: Felt Experiences Of Infrastructure And Atmospheres, Paul Simpson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This paper explores how cyclists gain a sense of the environments they move through by considering their felt experiences of the affective atmospheres that emerge in and through their movements. More specifically, the focus falls upon how various forms of transport infrastructure choreograph bodies in their movements through the city and so contributes towards the co-production of various affective atmospheres between differently mobile bodies. Drawing on video interviews with 24 commuter cyclists in Plymouth, UK, the roles that such infrastructures and atmospheres play in shaping the experience of cycling through shared forms of transport space are considered. Based on this, …

The Effect Of Wastewater Effluent Derived Ligands On Copper And Zinc Complexation, C. Constantino, S. D.W. Comber, M. D. Scrimshaw

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Coupled Changes Between The H-Print Biomarker And Delta N-15 Indicates A Variable Sea Ice Carbon Contribution To The Diet Of Cumberland Sound Beluga Whales, T. A. Brown, E. Chrystal, S. H. Ferguson, D. J. Yurkowski, C. Watt, N. E. Hussey, T. C. Kelley, S. T. Belt

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Resolving Discrepancies Between Field And Modelled Relative Sea-Level Data: Lessons From Western Ireland, Robin Edwards, W. Roland Gehrels, Anthony Brooks, Ralph Fyfe, Katie Pullen, Joseph Kuchar, Kieran Craven

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Singles' Ministry Project At The Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Riverside, California, Ekele Nwankwo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The purpose of this study was to discover, develop, evaluate, and implement a supportive singles’ ministry at the Mt. Rubidoux Seventh-day Adventist church by way of planned activities and educative programs designed to serve the needs of singles in that congregation. The study was designed to determine the impact the singles’ ministry has on the church and how to shape the ministry in the future. Although society has viewed singles in different ways, depending on time and place, in traditional societies, women and men who did not marry were viewed as imperfect and lacking. Singles battle with strong expectations …

Region Of Smooth Functions For Positive Solutions To An Elliptic Biological Model, Joon Hyuk Kang, Timothy Robertson

Faculty Publications

The non-existence and existence of the positive solution to the generalized elliptic model ∆u+g(u v) = 0 in Ω, ∆v+h(u, v) = 0 in Ω, u=v= 0 on∂Ω, were investigated.

Novel Use Of Field-Portable-Xrf For The Direct Analysis Of Trace Elements In Marine Macroalgae., Annie Bull, Murray T. Brown, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Samples of dried marine macroalgae (Fucus serratus, Palmaria palmata and Ulva lactuca) have been analysed for trace elements by a novel, non-destructive approach involving a Niton field-portable-X-ray fluorescence (FP-XRF) spectrometer configured in a low density plastics mode with thickness correction. Detection limits for a 200-s counting time ranged from <5 μg g(-1) for As and Pb in F. serratus and As in P. palmata to several tens of μg g(-1) for Cd, Sb and Sn in all species tested. Arsenic, Cu, Pb and Zn were detected by the XRF in samples collected from a protected beach (n = 18) and in samples therefrom that had been exposed to additional aqueous elements in combination (n = 72) with concentrations returned (in μg g(-1)) ranging from 3.9 to 39.7 for As, 13.0 to 307 for Cu, 6.1 to 14.7 for Pb and 12.5 to 522 for Zn. Independent measurements of trace elements in the macroalgae by ICP-MS following nitric acid digestion revealed a direct and significant proportionality with concentrations returned by the XRF, with slopes of the XRF-ICP relationships (As = 1.0; Cu = 2.3; Pb = 2.4; Zn = 1.7) that can be used to calibrate the instrument for direct measurements. The approach shows potential for the in situ monitoring of macroalgae in coastal regions that is currently being investigated.