Digital Commons Network^™

Low-Density Static Granular Media Filter Bed Turbidity Removal Model, Matthew Louque

LSU Master's Theses

The scattering of light within a fluid, referred to as its turbidity, was investigated against the presence of suspended solids. A linear regression analysis was conduced against turbidity and the total count, combined surface area, and combined volume of the suspended particles for various surface water sources (lakes, rivers, indoor aquaculture systems). It was found that the total combined surface area of suspended particles had the best linear correlation to turbidity, with an adjusted R² of 81.79%. This correlation was integrated with a current theoretical model for predicting solids removal across a granular bed to yield an Integrated Turbidity …

Effects Of Red Raspberry Polyphenols And Metabolites On Biomarkers Of Inflammation And Insulin Resistance In Prediabetes And Type 2 Diabetes, Reynaldo Moreno Ucles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Berry fruits are rich sources of polyphenolic compounds (PCs), which can promote health benefits. Anthocyanin concentrations of red raspberry (RR)(Rubus idaeus) extracts were determined to be a total of 887.6 ± 262.8 μg/g cyanidin-3-sophoroside (C3S) equivalents with C3S being the most prevalent. Ellagitannin analysis by MALDI-TOF indicated sanguiin H-6 and lambertianin C were the major ellagitannins present in RR. To explore the efficacy of RR in modulating diabetes, seven type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and two pre-diabetic patients were given drinks delivering one RR serving (123 g) per day in a smoothie for two weeks. Blood samples were …

Plastics, Degradability, And The Environment, Peter Strom

Sustainability Seminar Series

Harmful environmental effects of plastics have long been condemned by activists, and some of these problems are well documented. However, in seeking to substitute other materials or make changes in the properties of the plastics themselves, it is important that the policies implemented do not worsen existing or create new environmental problems. This seminar will discuss some of the general concerns associated with this issue, such as the environmental impacts of using other materials instead of plastics, and then focus on degradable plastics. What is degradability, when might it be valuable, and will these products in fact degrade? Results of …

The Effects Of Beetroot Juice On Vo2max And Blood Pressure During Submaximal Exercise, Jose M. Perez, John Dobson, Amy Jo Riggs, Greg Ryan

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 332-342, 2019. Beetroot juice (BR) has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) at rest and improve several performance parameters during exercise. However, the effect of BR on BP during submaximal exercise has not been investigated and its effects on VO₂max are inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BR on VO₂max and BP during submaximal exercise. 20 healthy, recreationally trained volunteers (age 21.8±2.35 years, weight 75.10±10.62 kg, height 177.4±6.39 cm) participated in this study, which had a double-blind placebo controlled randomized crossover design. Participants …

4-O-Methylhonokiol Influences Normal Cardiovascular Development In Medaka Embryo, Santu K. Singha, Ilias Muhammad, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, Mei Wang, Nicole M. Ashpole, Zia Shariat-Madar

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2019 The Author(s). With an increasing number of antimicrobial stewardship-related articles published each year, attempting to stay current is challenging. The Southeastern Research Group Endeavor (SERGE-45) identified antimicrobial stewardship-related peer-reviewed literature that detailed an actionable intervention for 2018. The top 13 publications were selected using a modified Delphi technique. These manuscripts were reviewed to highlight the actionable intervention used by antimicrobial stewardship programs to provide key stewardship literature for teaching and training as well as to identify potential intervention opportunities within one's institution.

Warming Seas Increase Cold-Stunning Events For Kemp’S Ridley Sea Turtles In The Northwest Atlantic, Lucas P. Griffin, Curtice R. Griffin, John T. Finn, Robert L. Prescott, Mark Faherty, Brett Matthew Still, Andy J. Danylchuk

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

Since the 1970s, the magnitude of turtle cold-stun strandings have increased dramatically within the northwestern Atlantic. Here, we examine oceanic, atmospheric, and biological factors that may affect the increasing trend of cold-stunned Kemp’s ridleys in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, United States of America. Using machine learning and Bayesian inference modeling techniques, we demonstrate higher cold-stunning years occur when the Gulf of Maine has warmer sea surface temperatures in late October through early November. Surprisingly, hatchling numbers in Mexico, a proxy for population abundance, was not identified as an important factor. Further, using our Bayesian count model and forecasted sea surface …

Pharmacological Properties Of Chromobacterium Violaceum Violacein At The Human Serotonin 2c Receptor, Letimicia S. Fears, Mary E. Curtis, Terrance L. Johnson, Hugh M. Fentress

Biology Faculty Research

The monoamine neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) plays a role in many physiological responses by interacting with various receptor subtypes. The 5-HT_2C receptor subtype is a 7-transmembrane, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is involved in neuronal excitability, spatial learning, mood, and appetite. The microorganism Chromobacterium violaceum produces a purple pigment, violacein, which can be extracted and purified. Violacein has antibiotic, antileishmanial, antifungal and antitumoral properties in various cancer cell lines. Violacein is derived from the amino acid tryptophan as is 5-HT and therefore, the two have similar chemical structures. However, no one has reported the activity of violacein at 5-HT receptors. …

The Prospector, January 29, 2019, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Stalking Awareness Month

The Utah Statesman, January 29, 2019, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Understanding Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Transition Metal Oxide Catalytic Systems For Partial Oxidation Reactions, Ehsan Moharreri

Doctoral Dissertations

Transition metal oxide-based systems as catalysts for oxidative reactions are studied. Utilizing aerobic oxygen as a cost-efficient and benign oxidant is explored for alcohol oxidation reactions. A detailed magnetic study is performed to understand the active phases of manganese oxide catalysts. The role of a well-known homogeneous copper oxide catalyst in an oxidation reaction is explored for making alcohols from aliphatic hydrocarbons. Finally, virtual screening techniques are explored in a preliminary study for materials discovery.

In chapter I, aerobic transformation of alcohols is studied by mesoporous manganese oxide and cobalt oxide species. Catalyst optimization, characterization and substrate scope experimentation is …

Cytisine-Linked Isoflavonoid Antineoplastic Agents For The Treatment Of Cancer, Chunming Liu, David S. Watt, Mykhaylo S. Frasinyuk, Vitaliy M. Sviripa, Wen Zhang, Svitlana P. Bondarenko

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Patents

Cytisine-linked isoflavonoids, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof or pharmaceutically acceptable compositions thereof, are useful for the treatment of conditions in which cells have a reliance on peroxisomal HSD17B4 to degrade very long chain fatty acids and provide necessary energy for cell proliferation, such as is seen in colorectal cancer and prostate cancer, for example.

Gwu Team Prepares To Compete In Eighth Annual Ncicu Ethics Bowl, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

A team of four students from Gardner-Webb University is preparing to compete in the eighth annual Ethics Bowl hosted by North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU). The event will be held Feb. 8-9 at the North Carolina Legislative complex in Raleigh. The topic this year is “Ethics and the Environment.”

Predatory Hymenopteran Assemblages In Boreal Alaska: Associations With Forest Composition And Post-Fire Succession, Alexandria Wenninger, Teresa Hollingsworth, Diane Wagner

Aspen Bibliography

Changes to the fire regime in boreal Alaska are shifting the ratio of coniferous to deciduous dominance on the landscape. The increase in aspen and birch may have important effects on predatory hymenopteran assemblages by providing a source of extrafloral nectar and increasing prey availability. Furthermore, fire-induced changes in successional age alter habitat structure and microclimate in ways that may favor ants. This study is the first to characterize the influence of fire-related vegetation changes on boreal predatory hymenopteran assemblages. We compare the abundance, species richness, and composition of predatory hymenopteran assemblages among forests at different stages of succession and …

Evaluation Of An Educational Campaign To Improve The Conscious Consumption Of Recreationally Caught Fish, Corey A. Krabbenhoft, Susan Manente, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Consumption guidelines are a common way of improving conscious consumption behaviors in areas where game fish are known to contain contaminants. However, guideline information can be difficult to distribute, and effectiveness difficult to measure. To increase the distribution and effectiveness of guideline information for the Detroit River, an educational campaign was launched in 2010, which included distribution of pamphlets with consumption information, posting of permanent signs at popular fishing locations, and hiring River Walkers to personally communicate with anglers. In 2013 and 2015, we conducted in-person surveys of active shoreline anglers to determine the effectiveness of education and outreach efforts. …

Exposure To Environmental Radionuclides Associates With Tissue-Specific Impacts On Telomerase Expression And Telomere Length, Jenni Kesaniemi, Anton Lavrinienko, Eugene Tukalenko, Zbyszek Boratynski, Kati Kivisaari, Tapio Mappes, Gennadi Milinevsky, Anders Pape Moller, Timothy A. Mousseau, Phillip C. Watts

Faculty Publications

Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, can be shortened when individuals are exposed to stress. In some species, the enzyme telomerase is expressed in adult somatic tissues, and potentially protects or lengthens telomeres. Telomeres can be damaged by ionizing radiation and oxidative stress, although the effect of chronic exposure to elevated levels of radiation on telomere maintenance is unknown for natural populations. We quantified telomerase expression and telomere length (TL) in different tissues of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an environment heterogeneously contaminated with radionuclides, and from uncontaminated control sites …

Intraluminal Occluding Catheter, Jaime Eduardo Sanchez, Michael Eric Dolberg, Sowsan Heidar Rasheid

USF Patents

An intraluminal occluding catheter and method for preventing the loss of gas insufflation from a physiological lumen during a medical procedure is presented. The intraluminal occluding catheter is generally comprised of a catheter shaft having a flexible balloon affixed on a distal intraluminal end and a plurality of independent channels extending through the catheter shaft from the external proximal end to the distal intraluminal end. Once inserted into a physiological lumen such as the bowel, the intraluminal occluding catheter controls the loss of insufflation proximally thereby improving the safety and efficiency of TAMIS as well as allowing for more controlled …

Self-Replicating Cell Selective Gene Delivery Compositions, Methods, And Uses Thereof, Hana Totary-Jain

USF Patents

Described herein are cell-selective mRNA constructs that can contain a RNA of interest and one or more miRNA targets. The cell-selective mRNA constructs described herein can be used to express an RNA of interest to a cell in a cell-selective manner.

Predator Water Balance Alters Intraguild Predation In A Streamsidefood Web, Israel L. Leinbach, Kevin E. Mccluney, John L. Sabo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Previous work suggests that animal water balance can influence trophic interactions, with predators increasing their consumption of water-laden prey to meet water demands.But it is unclear how the need for water interacts with the need for energy to drive trophic interactions under shifting conditions. Using manipulative field experiments, we show that water balance influences the effects of top predators on prey with contrasting ratios of water and energy, altering the frequency of intraguild predation. Water-stressed top predators (large spiders) negatively affect water-laden basal prey (crickets), especially male prey with higher water content, whereas alleviation of water limitation causes top predators …

Speak Up Culture And The Academic Nursing Environment: The Junior Faculty Perspective, Margaret (Betsy) Babb Kennedy, Abigail Parish, Cynthia Brame

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

This presentation describes a unique development opportunity for exploring the perspectives of junior faculty regarding incivility and supporting a speak up culture in the academic setting.

Suitability Of Cultivated Forms Of Native Shrubs To Support Pollinators, Jacob Gordon Ricker

Master's Theses

There is increased interest in native plants for landscaping to support pollinators. The majority of native plants sold by nurseries are cultivars. Some consumer and conservation groups question the suitability of native cultivars to support pollinators. This work evaluated insect pollinator visitation for six native shrub species, and one or more cultivars of each species. The following species were installed in a full sun field behind the University of Connecticut Floriculture Greenhouse Facility in a randomized complete block design with three replicates: Aronia melanocarpa, A. melanocarpa ‘UCONNAM012’ Ground Hog®, A. melanocarpa ‘UCONNAM165’ Low Scape Mound®, Clethra alnifolia, C. …

Mitochondrial Fusion Supports Increased Oxidative Phosphorylation During Cell Proliferation, Cong-Hui Yao, Rencheng Wang, Yahui Wang, Che-Pei Kung, Jason D. Weber, Gary J. Patti

Open Access Publications

Proliferating cells often have increased glucose consumption and lactate excretion relative to the same cells in the quiescent state, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. Despite an increase in glycolysis, however, here we show that non-transformed mouse fibroblasts also increase oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) by nearly two-fold and mitochondrial coupling efficiency by ~30% during proliferation. Both increases are supported by mitochondrial fusion. Impairing mitochondrial fusion by knocking down mitofusion-2 (Mfn2) was sufficient to attenuate proliferation, while overexpressing Mfn2 increased proliferation. Interestingly, impairing mitochondrial fusion decreased OXPHOS but did not deplete ATP levels. Instead, inhibition caused cells to transition from excreting …

Knowledge And Practice Of Sexual Education Teacher Of Special Needs Students, Siti Khadijah Johan, Mohd Hanafi Mohd Yassin

Journal of ICSAR

The problem of sexual behavior among Special Needs Students can be overcome by the effectiveness of teaching or presentation in Sexual Education lesson. In this regard, the study aims to identify the relationship between knowledge level and Sexual Education practice of Special Needs Students Special Education teacher. This study was based on cognitive theory that emphasizes internal mental processes. The model used in this study was the Model of Cognitive Response. This quantitative study conducted cross-sectional surveys on 86 special education teachers in Kulai, Johor, Malaysia. The sample was selected through stratified random sampling technique to balance the number of …

Implementation Of Solutions-Focused Counseling (Sfc) To Improve Student Motivation: A Single Subject Research, Lintang Setiono, Marjohan Marjohan, Marlina Marlina

Journal of ICSAR

This research aims to examine the effectiveness of solution-focused counseling to improve student learning motivation. The research is conducted using Single Subject Research design. The research subjects were five eight-grade students who have very low learning motivation. The instruments for data collection are learning motivation scale, interview, and observation. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The findings indicated that the counseling effectively improves student learning motivation. Based on the research findings, it is suggested that counselors apply SFC in counseling both in individuals and in groups.

The Development Of Guidance Counselling Program Through Teaching And Learning Activities For Improving Self-Determination Of Students With Intellectual Disability, Jon Efendi

Journal of ICSAR

The autonomy of mild intellectually disabled children is their capabilities to help themselves (self-help). The result of this research is a teacher program which guides autonomy for the mild intellectually disabled students. The research was conducted through the action research approach resulting in “Autonomy Guidance Program” which was arranged collaboratively with teachers of SPLB-C YPPLB Cipaganti Bandung, and then was examined through a seminar. Autonomy guidance that is provided to mild intellectually disabled students are introduction to their characteristics, self-care, plan their daily activities, guidance to do activities consequently, guidance to make a decision, and practice to think positively. The …

Multiancestry Genome-Wide Association Study Of Lipid Levels Incorporating Gene-Alcohol Interactions, Paul S. De Vries, Yun J. Sung, Karen Schwander, Aldi T. Kraja, Mary F. Feitosa, Lisa De Las Fuentes, Renee De Mutsert, C Charles Gu, Yize Li, Treva K. Rice, Lihua Wang, Christine Williams, Mary K. Wojczynski, Michael A. Province, Dabeeru C. Rao, Et Al

Open Access Publications

A person's lipid profile is influenced by genetic variants and alcohol consumption, but the contribution of interactions between these exposures has not been studied. We therefore incorporated gene-alcohol interactions into a multiancestry genome-wide association study of levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. We included 45 studies in stage 1 (genome-wide discovery) and 66 studies in stage 2 (focused follow-up), for a total of 394,584 individuals from 5 ancestry groups. Analyses covered the period July 2014-November 2017. Genetic main effects and interaction effects were jointly assessed by means of a 2-degrees-of-freedom (df) test, and a 1-df test …

Wounded Heroes And Heroic Vocations: Heroism And The Storied Lives Of Therapists, Peter Bray

Heroism Science

For many the world can be a dangerous place. Life is random. Survival is conditional, and individuals inevitably sustain physical and psychological wounds along the way. Challenged by change, human beings seek meaning in the making and remaking of personal myths that acknowledge both failure and the heroic achievement to endure and flourish. Revealing the heroic character of their creators, this impulse to make and share stories also elevates prosaic, day-to-day struggles into inspirational tales that can transcend context and speak into others’ lives. The sharing of stories permits others to purposefully consider their own struggles and can inspires them …

Sampling Related Individuals Within Ponds Biases Estimates Of Population Structure In A Pond‐Breeding Amphibian, Kyle A. O'Connell, Kevin P. Mulder, Jose Maldonado, Kathleen L. Currie, Dennis M. Ferraro

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Effective conservation and management of pond‐breeding amphibians depends on the accurate estimation of population structure, demographic parameters, and the influence of landscape features on breeding‐site connectivity. Population‐level studies of pond‐breeding amphibians typically sample larval life stages because they are easily captured and can be sampled nondestructively. These studies often identify high levels of relatedness between individuals from the same pond, which can be exacerbated by sampling the larval stage. Yet, the effect of these related individuals on population genetic studies using genomic data is not yet fully understood. Here, we assess the effect of within‐pond relatedness on population and landscape …

Lancaster, Lennie Young, 1893-1980 - Letters To (Sc 3325), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3325. Letters to Dr. L. Y. Lancaster, professor of biology at WKU and creator of its pre-med program, from friends, colleagues and former students. They write of their health, travel and activities, and congratulate Dr. Lancaster on the naming of a clinic at WKU in his honor. Some reference a shared interest in wildlife and the outdoors.

Professional Development Series For Teachers On Locating, Accessing, Editing, Storing, And Aligning Open Educational Resources To The Middle Grades Science Curriculum, Heather M. Morin

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the College of Education at Morehead State University by Heather M. Morin on January 28, 2019.

The Statesman, V. 62, I. 16, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 62, i. 16;