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A Practical Guide To Meta-Synthesis Method For Identifying Professional Competencies Of Teachers In Teaching Nature Of Science, M. Mohammadi, M. Saberi, Gh. Salimi, Noushin Nouri

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Qualitative meta-synthesis is a new interpretive integration of qualitative findings that provide coherent descriptions or explanations of phenomena, events, or concepts. Considering the increasing rate of qualitative research, such interpretive synthesis is vital to provide a cohesive vision or a new theory with putting all scattered research together. Therefore, in the present study, the practical guide to the methodology, principles, steps, and other details of the meta-synthesis are explained using the six steps of meta-synthesis presented by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). Along with each step of the methodological description, the process of presenting a model for the professional competencies of …

Opioids Delay Healing Of Spinal Fusion: A Rabbit Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion Model, Nikhil Jain, Khaled Himed, Jeffrey M. Toth, Karen C. Briley, Frank M. Phillips, Safdar N. Khan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background Context

Opioid use is prevalent in the management of pre- and postoperative pain in patients undergoing spinal fusion. There is evidence that opioids downregulate osteoblasts in vitro, and a previous study found that morphine delays the maturation and remodeling of callus in a rat femur fracture model. However, the effect of opioids on healing of spinal fusion has not been investigated before. Isolating the effect of opioid exposure in humans would be limited by the numerous confounding factors that affect fusion healing. Therefore, we have used a well-established rabbit model to study the process of spinal fusion healing that …

Understanding Why Women Stay: Examining Persistence Factors Of Women Majoring In Science And Technology Programs In Public Ethiopian Universities Using A Mixed Methods Design, Meseret Hailu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amongst African nations, Ethiopia is a unique case in many respects. The country has the second largest population on the continent, is currently experiencing an economic boom, and is a relatively stable nation in the geopolitically volatile "Horn of Africa" region. In the past two decades, the higher education sector in Ethiopia has experienced rapid growth, as evidenced by an increase in both student enrollment and the number of universities. Amongst the various types of higher education institutions, public universities are especially important because they receive the greatest financial support from the Ministry of Education. Moreover, science and technology programs …

Opioid Addiction Litigation And The Wrongful Conduct Rule, Samuel Fresher

University of Colorado Law Review

The United States is facing an opioid addiction crisis. Can our civil courts help? This Comment explores obstacles to recovery for plaintiffs in tort suits against health care institutions and practitioners in opioid addiction litigation. It argues that defenses based on plaintiffs' wrongful conduct, which deny plaintiffs access to civil remedies due to their immoral or illegal conduct, should be eliminated or avoided in suits arising out of addiction. This Comment concludes that comparative fault principles adequately protect the interests of plaintiffs and defendants in drug addiction suits and advance important public policy goals. Finally, this Comment suggests that irrespective …

Ecotypes And Killer Whales: A Scientific Concept To Guide The Endangered Species Act's "Distinct Population Segment", Christopher Michael Johnson

University of Colorado Law Review

The Endangered Species Act protects threatened and endangered species, subspecies, and distinct population segments, with species listings guided by the best scientific information available. "Distinct population segment," however, is not a biological term. To date, there is still not a test based on evolutionary theory used to determine distinct population segments. This Comment attempts to change that by introducing the ecotype concept-a scientific theory that has existed for over one hundred years-into jurisprudence. This Comment begins by recounting how the distinct population segment terminology came to be. Next, it argues that the Endangered Species Act has been implemented contrary to …

Compact Compliance As A Beneficial Use: Increasing The Viability Of An Interstate Water Bank Program In The Colorado River Basin, Emily Halvorsen

University of Colorado Law Review

There is a looming problem facing the Colorado River Basin: an increasing likelihood of a compact call on the Upper Basin due to projected climate change and population growth stresses on the Colorado River. To address this problem, water resource managers and natural resource management organizations throughout the Upper Basin have proposed a leading approach of an interstate water bank program. There are three main shortfalls to this though, which do not make the program a viable approach in addressing the problem: (1) legal uncertainty regarding individual water rights; (2) concerns regarding speculation; and (3) lack of incentives for state …

Animal Property Rights, Karen Bradshaw

University of Colorado Law Review

The animal rights movement largely focuses on protecting species whose suffering is most visible to humans, such as pets, livestock, and captive mammals. Yet, we do not observe how unsustainable land development and fishing practices are harming many species of wildlife and sea creatures. Fish and wildlife populations have recently suffered staggering losses, and they stand to lose far more. This Article proposes a new legal approach to protect these currently overlooked creatures. I suggest extending property rights to animals, which would allow them to own land, water, and natural resources. Human trustees would manage animal-owned trusts managed at the …

Identity Harm, Sarah Dadush

University of Colorado Law Review

In September 2015, the world learned that Volkswagen had rigged millions of its "clean diesel" vehicles with illegal software designed to cheat emissions tests. Contrary to what had been advertised, the vehicles are anything but clean. When affected owners learned that their cars were toxic, what were they most upset about? Was it that their cars were now worth fewer dollars? Or that they had been deceived into being hyperpolluting drivers, when they thought they were being green? Coverage of the emissions scandal strongly suggests that affected car owners experienced both kinds of disappointment, economic and noneconomic, and in heavy …

Holding The Harmful Harmless: Lessons From Gold King Mine, Timbre Shriver

University of Colorado Law Review

The disaster at Love Canal focused the nation's attention on hazardous waste sites left behind by years of corporate recklessness and mismanagement. To fill the regulatory gap and prevent future incidents like Love Canal, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The statute not only empowers the EPA to retroactively hold parties responsible for the mismanagement of hazardous waste, but it also provides a funding mechanism-Superfund-to ensure that the most dangerous sites are cleaned up even when responsible parties cannot be found or, more likely, are insolvent. However, an often-overlooked provision in the CERCLA framework grants …

Semantic Hygiene For The Law Of Regulatory Takings, Due Process, And Unconstitutional Conditions -- Making Use Of A Muddy Supreme Court Exactions Case, Zygmunt J.B. Plater, Michael O'Loughlin

University of Colorado Law Review

An unfortunate amount of semantic confusion currently burdens the constitutional process of balancing private property rights and governmental public welfare protections. The Fifth Amendment contains both a general requirement of "due process," and a corollary protection against unconstitutional "taking" of property. These are two separate protections, not just one. More than a century after the Takings Clause was drafted, an enigmatic decision, Pennsylvania Coal, expanded the clause to say that government regulations could cause such a diminution of private property value that they could unconstitutionally take that property, even with no physical appropriation (which is how the Framers had understood …

The Influence Of Social Identities On Civic Identity, Audrey Hudgins, Gina M. Lopardo

Educational and Organizational Learning and Leadership Dissertations

There is a growing societal need for civic-minded leaders, and undergraduate students are poised to become the future leaders and decision makers for a global society. This dissertation explores the demographics and experiences of undergraduate students and their perceived civic-mindedness at a predominantly White, urban, Jesuit-Catholic, liberal arts university in the Northwest United States. It also examines the relationship between the students’ social and civic identities, suggesting that an identity-neutral Civic- Minded Graduate (CMG) construct fails to account for the role of social identities. This examination of the personal and social identities of gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on the …

Breathing Air With Heft: An Experiential Report On Environmental Law And Public Health In China, Erin Ryan

Scholarly Publications

This article explores the gritty intersections of daily life and environmental law in modern China, an industrial powerhouse still struggling to reconcile economic opportunity with breathable air, clean water, healthy food, and safe products. With comparative perspective on analogous challenges in the United States, the article reports on these critical domestic challenges for China at a pivotal moment in its reemergence as a dominant world power. China’s continued geopolitical rise may well hinge on its ability to respond successfully to the environmental causes of growing social unrest. In 2011, in the midst of this maelstrom, I brought my husband, young …

The Food Babe Fearmonger: Transcending Spheres Of Argument Through The Dual Use Of Personal And Pseudo-Technical Expertise, Abigail Shew

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis examines the public figure Vani Hari, aka The Food Babe, and her influence on public dialogue about food, nutrition, and diet. Using the theoretical framework of spheres of argument as originally described by G. Thomas Goodnight, this thesis analyzes Food Babe as an expert within the personal, technical, and public spheres. Both verbal and visual arguments will be considered throughout the analysis of Food Babe as both a personal sphere rhetor and pseudo-technical expert. This thesis argues that Food Babe simultaneously uses personal sphere evidence and argumentative strategies to legitimize herself as a pseudo-technical expert within the technical …

Voltage Regulation Of Unbalanced Distribution Network With Distributed Generators Through Genetic Algorithm, Islam Ali

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Energy demand has rapidly increased since the manufacturing revolution in the 19th century. One of the higher energy demands is electricity. The great majority of devices in the manufacturing field run on electricity. The vertically integrated grid paradigm has to be changed to supply the increase in the electrical demand residentially and commercially. Distributed generators (DG) such as Photovoltic (PV) is used to supply the increase in the electrical demand. Photovoltaic (PV) is one of the fast growing distributed generators (DG) as a renewable energy source. However, installing many PV systems to the distribution system can cause power quality problems …

The Moral Motivations Of Negative Attitudes Toward Transgender People, Hailey Annette Hatch

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Transgender individuals are at higher risk for experiencing sexual assault and police brutality than the general population (National Coalition for Anti-Violence Programs, 2013). These brutal acts are likely the result of negative attitudes. Negative attitudes toward transgender people are related to individual differences in psychological authoritarianism, political conservatism, religiosity, and low personal contact with sexual minorities (Norton & Herek, 2013). This study explored underlying moral mechanisms that may also contribute to negative attitudes toward transgender people – specifically mechanisms involving generalized disgust (i.e., purity) and harm. Moral foundations theory (Haidt & Graham, 2007) suggests that disgust is the underlying mechanism …

The Family Ismaridae Thomson (Hymenoptera, Diaprioidea): First Record For The Afrotropical Region With Description Of Fourteen New Species, Chang Jun Kim, Robert S. Copeland, David G. Notton

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The family Ismaridae Thomson, 1858 is reported from the Afrotropical region for the first time. A total of 15 species are recognised, 14 of which are described as new: Ismarus africanus sp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa; I. apertus sp. n. from Kenya; I. bicolor sp. n. from Cameroon, Kenya; I. goodrichi sp. n. from Kenya; I. kakamegensis sp. n. from Kenya; I. kenyensis sp. n. from Kenya; I. laevigatus sp. n. from South Africa; I. madagascariensis sp. n. from Madagascar; I. minutus sp. n. from Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe; I. nigrofasciatus sp. n. from Malawi, Uganda; I. notaulicus …

Diapause Disruption In Cirina Butyrospermi Vuillet (Lepidoptera, Attacidae), The Shea Caterpillar, In Burkina Faso, H. B. Bama, R. A. Dabire, D. Ouattara, S. Niassy, M. N. Ba, D. Dakouo

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The shea caterpillar Cirina butyrospermi is an important insect, highly valued as a human food item in Burkina Faso. However, its appearance is seasonal due to its univoltine cycle. This study therefore investigated the possibilities of breaking the nymphal diapause by changing the environmental factors and through the hormonal treatment of prepupae and pupae using bovine insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone. Changes in humidity and temperature did not result in emergence, suggesting a mandatory nature of the diapause in C. butyrospermi. Injection of 20-hydroxyecdysone between 20 and 40 ng on 20 C. butyrospermi pupae resulted in 15.24 and 47.5% emergence, respectively. The …

Relationship Between New Farming Practices And Chemical Use And The Consumption Of Giant Cricket (Brachytrupes Membranaceus Drury, 1770), F. O. Miantsia, F. Meutchieye, S. Niassy

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The current work is aimed at generating information on giant crickets and the impact of commonly used pesticides on the natural population of these crickets. Data was collected based on interviews and complemented with field observations. Out of 319 respondents surveyed, 290 were aware of the use of the giant cricket as a food source, and 161 were active consumers. Regarding the availability of the giant cricket, respondents reported that the crickets' populations were diminishing because of farming practices. About 219 persons reported that commonly used herbicides harm giant crickets at different stages. This could be attributed to the scarcity …

Enzymatic Activity Of Endophytic Bacterial Isolates From Selected Mangrove Plants In Kenya, Regina M. Ntabo, Anthony Kebira Nyamache, Wilber Lwande, James Kabii, James Nonoh

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Introduction: Microorganisms are a preferred source of enzyme production due to their high production capability and low cost of production. Bacterial endophytes occupy unexplored sites hence they represent a new source of enzymes with diverse applications. Mangrove plants in Kenya have traditionally been used as medicinal plants due to their bioactive metabolites. However the enzymatic activity of mangrove plants associated endophytes has not been studied. Aims & Objectives: The study is aimed at bioprospecting for enzymes with potential biotechnological applications from mangrove ecosystems. Methods & Materials: Forty-two bacterial isolates were cultured and isolated from the leaves and roots of six …

Influence Of Prolonged Dietary Experience During The Larval Stage On Novel Odour Preferences In Adults Of Noctuid Stem Borer Moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Christophe Petit, Peter Ahuya, Bruno Le Ru, Laure Kaiser-Arnauld, Myriam Harry, Paul André Calatayud

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

In Lepidoptera, larval dietary experience of volatile cues can induce adult preference for these cues. However, such induction may require several generations, depending in part on the degree of specialization of the insects. In a previous study, using species of noctuid stem borers with different diet breadths, namely the polyphagous Sesamia nonagrioides, the oligophagous Busseola fusca and monophagous Busseola nairobica, it was shown that in S. nonagrioides, one generation was enough to induce a preference for vanillin in the resulting gravid females, whereas even two generations failed to induce a response in adults of Busseola spp. In this study, we …

Effects Of Waste Stream Combinations From Brewing Industry On Performance Of Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia Illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), Shaphan Y. Chia, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Isaac M. Osuga, Samira A. Mohamed, Fathiya M. Khamis, Daisy Salifu, Subramanian Sevgan, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Saliou Niassy, Joop J.A. Van Loon, Marcel Dicke, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: In recent years, there has been a rapidly growing demand for readily accessible substrates for mass production of Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens Linnaeus. Beer production results in various by-products that typically end up in uncontrolled dumpsites constituting pollution problems, which merits urgent attention. The present study investigated whether the 12 formulated diets composed of brewers’ spent grains (BSGs), brewers’ yeast and cane molasses can serve as substrate for H. illucens production. Methods: Four different BSGs were selected and formulated into 12 diets, aiming at varying protein and net energy levels. The diets were offered to newly hatched (∼1 …

Uncovering The Lost Knowledge Of The Imagination In Films, Seda, Daniel A.

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Films have forever changed the way in which humans perceive reality and have provided significant opportunities to spread knowledge in ways that are both entertaining and deceptive. Uncovering the lost knowledge of the imagination shifts an individual’s perceptions of a shared experience and exposes film’s persuasive power to penetrate the psyche. This paper explores the constitutions of reality and how humans are able to tap into other realms of consciousness through mediums of creative expression. Topics such as the origins of life, the hidden knowledge of secret societies, and the burgeoning full disclosure movement for truth are discussed as a …

Saturation Mutagenesis Reveals Manifold Determinants Of Exon Definition., Shengdong Ke, Vincent Anquetil, Jorge Rojas Zamalloa, Alisha Maity, Anthony Yang, Mauricio A. Arias, Sergey Kalachikov, James J Russo, Jingyue Ju, Lawrence A. Chasin

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

To illuminate the extent and roles of exonic sequences in the splicing of human RNA transcripts, we conducted saturation mutagenesis of a 51-nt internal exon in a three-exon minigene. All possible single and tandem dinucleotide substitutions were surveyed. Using high-throughput genetics, 5560 minigene molecules were assayed for splicing in human HEK293 cells. Up to 70% of mutations produced substantial (greater than twofold) phenotypes of either increased or decreased splicing. Of all predicted secondary structural elements, only a single 15-nt stem-loop showed a strong correlation with splicing, acting negatively. The in vitro formation of exon-protein complexes between the mutant molecules and …

Suitability Of Egg Hatching Conditions And Commonly Available Food Plants For Rearing The Long-Horned Grasshopper Ruspolia Differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), G. Ssepuuya, C. M. Tanga, I. Yekko, F. Sengendo, C. T. Ndagire, K. K.M. Fiaboe, J. Karungi, D. Nakimbugwe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Efforts to promote sustainable production and processing of Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) as a viable agribusiness model for enhancing food and nutrition security have gained momentum. However, the inexistence of rearing techniques adapted to this insect creates uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of up-scaling production. This study evaluated the effect of five temperatures (26, 28, 30, 32 and 34 °C) on egg development time, percentage hatchability and nymphal weight at hatching. It also evaluated the average weekly wet weight attained by R. differens and percentage survival during growth when reared at 30 °C on four different food plant diets. The …

Ingredients For Understanding Brain And Behavioral Evolution: Ecology, Phylogeny, And Mechanism, Stephen H. Montgomer, Adrian Currie, Dieter Lukas, Neeltje Boogert, Andrew Buskell, Fiona R. Cross, Sarah Jelbert, Shahar Avin, Rafael Mares, Ana F. Navarrete, Shuichi Shigeno, Corina J. Logan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Uncovering the neural correlates and evolutionary drivers of behavioral and cognitive traits has been held back by traditional perspectives on which correlations to look for-in particular, anthropocentric conceptions of cognition and coarse-grained brain measurements. We welcome our colleagues' comments on our overview of the field and their suggestions for how to move forward. Here, we counter, clarify, and extend some points, focusing on the merits of looking for the "best" predictor of cognitive ability, the sources and meaning of "noise," and the ways in which we can deduce and test meaningful conclusions from comparative analyses of complex traits.

Farmers’ Perception And Control Practices Against The Invasive Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus Evansi Baker & Pritchard) In Benin, G. Y. Azandémè-Hounmalon, H. D. Affognon, F. Assogba-Komlan, M. Tamò, K. K.M. Fiaboe, S. Kreiter, T. Martin

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Tetranychus evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an important pest of solanaceous plants in Benin where it damages tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.; Solanaceae), African eggplant (S. macrocarpon L.; Solanaceae), purple amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.; Amaranthaceae). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the intensity of T. evansi damage and impact of farmers’ control practices in Benin. Two surveys were conducted between 2013 and 2016. The first survey revealed Tetranychus evansi as the only mite, causing production losses of 65% for African eggplant, 56% for tomato and 25% for purple amaranth. To protect the infested crops, growers sprayed various synthetic pesticides …

Haematology Of N’Dama And West African Shorthorn Cattle Herds Under Natural Trypanosoma Vivax Challenge In Ghana, Ebenezer Yaw Ganyo, Johnson N. Boampong, Daniel K. Masiga, Jandouwe Villinger, Paa Kobina Turkson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Animal trypanosomosis is a major cause of economic loss in livestock production in Africa. A suggested control measure is to use breeds with traits of trypanotolerance. The study examines the effect of natural Trypanosoma vivax challenge on haematological parameters in two trypanotolerant cattle [N’Dama and West African Shorthorn (WASH)] herds. Methods: Trypanosoma vivax-specific primers were used to diagnose T. vivax infection in an N’Dama herd at Cape Coast in southern Ghana and a WASH herd at Chegbani in northern Ghana from May to July 2011 in a cross-sectional study. Levels of haematological parameters comprising packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin …

Genotypic Responses Of Brachiaria Grass (Brachiaria Spp.) Accessions To Drought Stress, Duncan Cheruiyot, Charles Aura Odhiambo Midega, Johnnie Van Den Berg, John Anthony Pickett, Zeyaur Rahman Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background and Objective: Brachiaria, a warm season C4 grass, is rapidly gaining popularity as fodder crop in Africa where it is also used as a component of a habitat management strategy for maize stem borers. However, increasing drought limits productivity of this grass species. The aim of this study was to evaluate and select high yielding brachiaria genotypes under simulated drought conditions. Materials and Methods: The morphological and physiological performance of 18 apomictic accessions of brachiaria in simulated drought conditions in a screen house were evaluated. Plants were exposed to different watering regimes. Well-watered (control) plants were watered every 48 …

A Holistic Framework For Measurement Of Entrepreneurial Church Planting, Samuel Lee

Great Commission Research Journal

For too long in missions, financial stewardship (Business as Mission) or conversions (Tentmaking) has sufficed as a measuring tool for mission endeavors. However, Fresh Expressions of Church (FXC), such as a “café church,” have enlightened us to the need not only to be governed by the quantifiable elements of reconciliation or financial flourishing, but also to evaluate outcomes of transformation, i.e., to be accountable. The purpose of this article is to provide specific historical examples as a basis for Entrepreneurial Church Planting (ECP) and develop a systematic way to evaluate ECP through the creation of a holistic framework for metrics …

Emotional Relevance In Outreach Ministry, George Hunter

Great Commission Research Journal

In Western history, the Enlightenment sold the idea that humans are essentially rational creatures who need to graduate from their primal emotions. Leaders like Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley knew better, commending Christianity as a faith of “the heart” and leading a Great Awakening. Nineteenth century evangelical leaders, however, drank too much of the Enlightenment Kool-Aid and took an excessively left-brained approach to pre-Christian people. The religious tracts of the time expose this turn. This article invites church leaders to rediscover a more biblical (and Reformation) understanding of human nature and to pioneer in “emotionally relevant ministry” once again.