Digital Commons Network^™

Niche Modeling For The Genus Pogona (Squamata: Agamidae) In Australia: Predicting Past (Late Quaternary) And Future (2070) Areas Of Suitable Habitat, Julie E. Rej, T. Andrew Joyner

ETSU Faculty Works

Background: As the climate warms, many species of reptiles are at risk of habitat loss and ultimately extinction. Locations of suitable habitat in the past, present, and future were modeled for several lizard species using MaxEnt, incorporating climatic variables related to temperature and precipitation. In this study, we predict where there is currently suitable habitat for the genus Pogona and potential shifts in habitat suitability in the past and future. Methods: Georeferenced occurrence records were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, climate variables (describing temperature and precipitation) were obtained from WorldClim, and a vegetation index was obtained from AVHRR …

Forum Magazine, Summer 2018

Forum Magazine

No abstract provided.

“Aux Mères Heureuses”: Zola’S Compassion For Working Mothers, Elizabeth Emery

Department of World Languages and Cultures Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Zola's letter of support for La Société maternelle parisienne, published in a three-column letter to Le Figaro 1891, serves a point for reassessing his fictional depictions of women, particularly the working mothers of Les Rougon-Macquart, Les Trois Villes, and Les Quatre Evangiles.

The Relationship Of Location And Educational Achievements To Vision Impairment In Asians, Sonali Trivedi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Introduction: Increasing incidence of vision impairment in the United States reinforces the urgent need for research and public health awareness. Eye diseases are of common concern in Asian and other ethnic groups globally. Glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, myopia, and retinitis are types of eye diseases and common causes of vision impairment in Asians. This study addressed the current gap in knowledge regarding vision impairment prevalence among Asian-Americans by geographical location and level of education. Socio-ecological theory was used as the theoretical foundation.

Method: A cross-sectional secondary dataset from U.S. Census Bureau included 3,916,947 participants' survey responses from 2011 through 2015 …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Gun Violence Perpetrated By Young Men, Birda Garrett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In three low socioeconomic urban communities of Greenwood (pseudonym), young men's lack of education provides dim prospects of employment, possibly causing the young men to turn to gun violence. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of concerned clergy, law officials, and members of a Neighborhood Watch organization regarding the factors that contribute to gun violence in the southern communities in the United States. The conceptual framework for this study was Bandura's modeling theory. The central research question addressed how the community stakeholder groups described their perceptions regarding gun violence among young male adults. For this qualitative …

The Influence Of School Discipline Approaches On Suspension Rates, Donna Christy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A free and appropriate public education is promised to every child in the United States. However, zero tolerance school discipline policies have broken that promise, pushing students out of the classroom and into the school-to-prison pipeline. Despite the growing body of research demonstrating negative social and economic impacts of exclusionary discipline, public school administrators have been slow to adopt innovative policies that provide rehabilitative alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare, using the consequences of innovations application of Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory, the impact of various school district approaches to school discipline on suspension rates while controlling …

Association Between Body Mass Index And Depression On Hbaic Control Among Veterans, Opokua Osei-Yeboah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and depression based upon glycated hemoglobin levels (HBA1C) among United States veterans. Based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, a cross-sectional analysis examined the association between BMI and depression on HBA1C regulation, and if the interaction between BMI and depression affects HBAIC regulation among veterans. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the multivariate associations between depression and BMI on the outcome variable of HBA1C. Linearity, normality, and homoscedasticity were assessed using normal probability plots and residual analysis. Durbin-Watson statistics were used to test for autocorrelations, and variance inflation factor was …

Educating Primary Care Nurses On Phosphorus Management In Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, Lilian Somuah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Fifteen percent of adults in the United States have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD is the slow, progressive, and irreversible loss of kidney function. The most effective means of controlling CKD is by managing dietary phosphorus intake. It is important that staff nurses be educated about effective patient education tools to improve dietary phosphorus management. The purpose of this project was to educate primary care nurses about phosphorus management in CKD patients through the introduction of the phosphorus pyramid as a visual tool. The project sought to understand if an educational intervention regarding phosphorus management in CKD …

Sex- And Mode-Specific Responses To Eccentric Muscle Fatigue, Ethan C. Hill, Terry J. Housh, Cory M. Smith, Josh L. Keller, Richard J. Schmidt, Glen O. Johnson

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of the present investigation was to examine sex-related differences as a result of fatiguing eccentric muscle actions on torque, muscle blood flow, electromyography, and mechanomyography. Eighteen men and 18 women performed peak torque trials prior to (pretest), immediately after (posttest), and 5-min after (recovery) completing 50 submaximal (60 % of eccentric peak torque), eccentric, isokinetic (180 ° · s ⁻ 1) muscle actions of the elbow flexors. Electromyographic and mechanomyographic responses were simultaneously recorded from the biceps brachii muscle, and muscle blood flow was measured at pretest, posttest and recovery. There were sex- and mode-specific responses for …

Red Pepper Seed Water Extract Inhibits Preadipocyte Differentiation And Induces Mature Adipocyte Apoptosis In 3t3-L1 Cells, Hwa-Jin Kim, Mi-Kyoung You, Young-Hyun Lee, Hyun-Jung Kim, Deepak Adhikari, Hyeon-A Kim

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Reducing the number of adipocytes by inducing apoptosis of mature adipocytes as well as suppressing differentiation of preadipocytes plays an important role in preventing obesity. This study examines the anti-adipogenic and pro-apoptotic effect of red pepper seed water extract (RPS) prepared at 4°C (RPS4) in 3T3-L1 cells.

MATERIALS/METHODS: Effect of RPS4 or its fractions on lipid accumulation was determined in 3T3-L1 cells using oil red O (ORO) staining. The expressions of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and adipogenic associated proteins [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins α (C/EBP α), sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and …

Profile Of Genetically Modified Plants Authorized In Mexico, Mayra Teresa Garcia Ruiz, Aaron N. Knapp, Hernan Garcia Ruiz

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Mexico is a center of origin for several economically important plants including maize, cotton, and cocoa. Maize represents more than a food crop, has been declared a biological, cultural, agricultural and economic patrimony, and is linked to the national identity of Mexicans. In this review, we describe the historic and current use of genetically modified plants in Mexico and factors that contributed to the development of the biosafety regulation. We developed a database containing all permit applications received by the government to release genetically modified plants. A temporal and geographical analysis identified the plant species that have been authorized for …

Scholarly Communications Of Nephrology By Indian Scientists In Science Citation Index Expanded: A Scientometric Profile, Chandran Velmurugan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Objectives: Nephrology is one the complicated diseases of the human body. This study tries to focus the scholarly communications of Nephrology which were indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) from the Web of Science (WoS) bibliometric database and to observe various elements in terms of yearly growth, author productivity, document, language, institution, geographical, most productive keywords, collaborative index (CI), degree of collaboration (DC) and many more characteristic features during the study period.

Method: The data were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database by using the keywords as topic ‘Nephrology’ and refined by ‘countries /Territories’ (India) and …

Association Between Vitamin D Status And Testosterone And Cortisol In Ice Hockey Players, John S. Fitzgerald, Joanna Orysiak, Patrick B. Wilson, Joanna Mazur-Różycka, Zbigniew Obinski

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The identification of the vitamin D receptor in tissues related to testosterone and cortisol production, in conjunction with the observed correlations between vitamin D levels and these hormones in the general population, suggest vitamin D may influence testosterone and cortisol concentrations in athletes. A crosssectional study design was used to evaluate the association between 25(OH)D and testosterone and cortisol concentrations in young male ice hockey players (n = 50). All athletes were recruited during October from the Sosnowiec area, Poland (50° N). Commercially available ELISA kits were used to determine total serum 25(OH)D, testosterone and cortisol concentrations. Serum 25(OH)D …

Spring/Summer 2018

University of Richmond Magazine

No abstract provided.

Improving Subtropical Grass Pastures On The South Coast Of Western Australia, Paul Sanford, Ron Master, Eric Dobbe

Bulletins 4000 -

This bulletin reports on the findings of a research project funded by DPIRD and MLA that investigated methods to improve legume content and increase production of both kikuyuand panic-based pastures on the south coast of WA.

Effects Of Superficial Heating And Insulation On Walking Speed In People With Hereditary And Spontaneous Spastic Paraparesis: A Randomised Crossover Study., Amanda L. Denton, Alan D. Hough, Jennifer A. Freeman, Jonathan F. Marsden

School of Health Professions

OBJECTIVES: Cooling of the lower limb in people with Hereditary and Spontaneous Spastic Paraparesis (pwHSSP) has been shown to affect walking speed and neuromuscular impairments. The investigation of practical strategies, which may help to alleviate these problems is important. The potential of superficial heat to improve walking speed has not been explored in pwHSSP. Primary objective was to explore whether the application of superficial heat (hot packs) to lower limbs in pwHSSP improves walking speed. Secondary objective was to explore whether wearing insulation after heating would prolong any benefits. METHODS: A randomised crossover study design with 21 pwHSSP. On two …

A Professional Project In The South Pacific: Regionalism And Reforming Solomon Islands' Legal Profession, Francesca Bartlett

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Lost Generation: Syrian Refugees And The Right To Education In Turkey, Tyler J. Smith

Fordham International Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Blood Pressure And Lipids Levels Among African Americans, Frank Lanor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African Americans disproportionately develop cardiovascular disease risk factors including high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels in comparison to European Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of diet quality and physical activity with blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels among African Americans. The social ecological model was the theoretical foundation for the study. Research questions were designed to examine the extent to which diet quality and physical activity predict blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels. The research design was quantitative cross-sectional secondary analysis of 959 participants. After controlling for demographic factors, body mass index, and …

Stress In College Students: Associations With Anxiety And Perfectionism, Emory Hamblin

Honors Theses

Psychosocial stressors are prevalent in the workplace and academic environment largely due to emotional responses from rising conflict, unattainable demands, or a decreased sense of control. An individual's perception of stress is interrelated to the characteristic of perfectionism and the level of anxiety one possesses. Stress is commonly associated with adverse circumstances, and perfectionism is characterized by the setting of unrealistically high standards accompanied by a personal and social standard, attitude, or philosophy. Anxiety is characterized by increased physiological arousal, inhibition of ongoing activities, and a change in individual priorities. Previous studies have examined anxiety's relation to stress-invoking stimuli, but …

Targeting Metastatic Breast Cancer With Statin Drugs And Coq10, Jacob Thrasher

Honors Theses

Statin drugs are commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol levels in patients, but recently statins have been under investigation as a potential anti-cancer drug. Statins are HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and subsequently inhibit the mevalonate pathway and cholesterol synthesis. Since cholesterol trafficking is vital in the growth and metastasis of cancer, statin drugs are being studied to explore their effects on cancer cells. CoQ10, one of the products from the mevalonate pathway, also has shown some potential anti-cancer properties, but its use to combat cancer is controversial. While some studies have shown that CoQ10 supplements can be synergistic with other cancer treatment …

Abortion Access And Child Maltreatment: A Cross-National Analysis, Alexandra Gersdorf

Honors Theses

This thesis has examined the impact of restricted abortion access on different indicators of child maltreatment. Drawing from literature linking unwanted pregnancies to child maltreatment, I posited that given the proposed relationship between unintended pregnancies and child maltreatment, we should expect to see increased instances of maltreatment within countries that allow less of forbid women from accessing abortions. For this purpose, I created an index of abortion access to numerically rate a country's level of liberality or restrictiveness. Then, using data from 49 countries, this thesis examined the potential linkage across a variety of measures that indicate child maltreatment while …

Cm-Dii And Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Responses To Chemotherapeutic Agents, Ashten M.C. Anderson

Honors Theses

CM-DiI is a lipophilic, red fluorescent dye used for staining and tracking the migration of cells. CM-DiI makes it possible to visualize cells in histological regions and can therefore be very useful for the tracking of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis in vivo. The ability to track and quantitate cancer cell proliferation in vivo is essential for cancer drug discovery. If CM-DiI labeled cancer cells respond to chemotherapy agents similar to unlabeled cancer cells, it facilitates screening of potential anti-cancer compounds using CM-DiI labeled cells in a xenotransplanted, transgenic zebrafish model (Danio rerio). To investigate whether CM-DiI labeling would affect …

Risk Perceptions For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among College Students, Seth Simmons

Honors Theses

With the number of cases of Type 2 diabetes mellitus on the rise among the world's adolescent population, there is an increasing need for more information concerning the adolescent perceptions of risk to acquire diabetes. While there is an abundance of available data on adult risk perceptions for developing this disease, the research on younger individuals' risk perceptions is scarce. Therefore, this study examines data of risk perceptions of students between the ages of 18 and 25 that are undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi. The specific goal of the survey is to examine which groups of individuals feel …

An Introduction To Case Reports: The Fundamentals Of Accounting, William C. Kemp

Honors Theses

This document is a culmination of twelve case reports completed over the 2016-2017 school year under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. The cases were assigned in relation to the current topics covered in ACCY 303 and ACCY 304 and were prepared under GAAP and other generally accounting standards. Several cases were a set published by Cambridge Business Publishers, LLC and can be found online. Other cases were provided by Dr. Dickinson. Each case was a series of questions that related to a separate accounting topic, and information in each is not dependent on previous cases. Journal entries, ratios, financial …

Soybeans To Chemicals: A Case Study For Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Education, Kaitlyn Myers

Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to develop a case study to reinforce the concepts that are required knowledge for chemical engineers in their sophomore year of curriculum, continuing through all of their education. The process that will be examined is the production of soybean oil, protein powder, and succinic acid from the harvest of soybeans. Further, this process will be used to align with the objectives of the chapters from the required textbook for the material balances class. The soybean industry is one of the largest in the United States agricultural sector, so it is an important real-world example …

Women In The Chilean National Identity: How Futbol And Consumption Cultures Affect The Public Sphere, Madeleine Hall Carpenter

Honors Theses

In the past thirty years, Chile has experienced dramatic political, social, economic, and cultural changes. A constant source of national identity, pride, and comfort through this tumultuous period was (and continues to be) fútbol. Chileans follow the sport relentlessly and it is a key part in the construction of local, regional, and national identities. My thesis work aims to answer the following question: how do the relationships between consumption cultures and football create/delineate/eliminate space for women in the overarching social public sphere of national belonging? In order to answer this question, I utilize a mixed methods approach to investigate how …

Attitudinal Changes In Experiential Learning Via Poverty Simulation, Madison E. Bandler

Honors Theses

More than 10% of people living in the United States are impoverished. These human beings are subjected to poor living conditions, experience increased mental and emotional stress, lack basic necessities, and are more susceptible to many health conditions. Lack of poverty awareness and understanding has contributed to the spread of misconceptions, the majority of which are damaging to the impoverished community. These misconceptions affect how impoverished individuals are viewed by health care professionals and influence the quality of medical treatment they receive. The Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) is an experiential learning tool that requires participants role-play a low-income …

Abortion: Drawing A Line Of Moral Permissibility In Fetal Development, Madison Elizabeth Nash

Honors Theses

The goals of this thesis are to first examine prominent arguments in philosophical and religious ethics regarding the morality of induced abortions, and then to create my own moral argument regarding induced abortion by drawing a line during fetal development. I will first discuss the biological stages of fetal development, the effects of pregnancy on a pregnant woman, and the mechanics of common induced abortion procedures. Next, I will present and analyze renowned philosophical arguments regarding the morality of abortion. Then, I will present and analyze arguments regarding the morality of induced abortions drawn from two religious traditions - Roman …

Wintering American Black Duck Ecology Of Central Appalachia, Sara E. Yannuzzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The American black duck (Anas rubripes) is a species of dabbling duck found only in the northeastern part of North America, and widely hunted until its decline. Since the 1950s, the total population has decreased by 53%. Habitat degradation and decline of wintering and breeding wetlands, historic overharvest, and interactions with the mallard (A. platyrhynchos) are attributed as some of the main causes of the black duck population’s decrease. Many policies and taxa- and habitat-specific joint ventures have since been created to aid in studying and improving North American wetlands and black duck populations throughout both their breeding and wintering …