Digital Commons Network^™

Diet Of Lesser Scaup Wintering On Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, Clay M. Stroud, Claire E. Caputo, Michael A. Poirrier, Kevin M. Ringelman

Faculty Publications

The lesser scaup Aythya affinis has been a species of conservation concern since continental breeding populations began declining in the 1980s. The causes of this decline are likely multifaceted, but cross-seasonal effects are believed to play a prominent role: females unable to acquire sufficient nutrient reserves during winter and spring migration have poor survival and breeding success. Understanding scaup diet composition and prey selection can help managers not only diagnose mechanisms underlying wintering scaup distributions, but may also help direct management actions to increase forage availability and quality. We evaluated the diet of 60 scaup collected from a major wintering …

Calibrating A Taper Model For Oriental Spruce In Turkey, Ramazan Özçelik, Quang V. Cao, Hakkı Yavuz

Faculty Publications

In this study, Max and Burkhart (1976)’s segmented taper model was used to describe stem profile and predict stem volume of oriental spruce in Turkey. Thirty procedures were evaluated, which include five fitting methods and six adjustment strategies. The fitting methods resulted in parameters that were optimized for (1) taper, (2) cumulative volume, (3) taper and cumulative volume, (4) taper and total volume, and (5) taper, cumulative volume, and total volume. The adjustment strategies are (1) unadjusted, and adjusted to match (2) DBH, (3) predicted total volume, (4) DBH and predicted total volume, (5) a combined estimator, and (6) DBH …

A Method To Derive A Tree Survival Model From Any Existing Stand Survival Model, Quang V. Cao

Faculty Publications

This study addresses a situation in which a forest manager has been using a whole-stand model that seems to predict well for their stands and now wants to derive an individual-tree model from it to form an integrated system that can perform well at both stand and tree levels. A simple method was developed to derive tree survival models from three existing stand-level survival models. The derived tree survival models were based on the difference between the diameter of a given tree and the diameter at which tree and stand survival probabilities are equal. For stand survival prediction, each stand …

Sweetpotato Cultivar Trials On Hawai‘I Island, Susan C. Miyasaka, Marisa Wall, Don Labonte, Alton Arakaki

Faculty Publications

Twelve sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas var. batatas) accessions/cultivars/ landraces (entries) were evaluated for yield, resistance to pests, and quality in five field trials planted at Pepe‘ekeo, Hawai‘i Island, and replicated over time with blocks planted on May and Oct. 2014, Feb. and July 2015, and Jan. 2016. Plots were harvested at 4.5 to 6 months after planting. In the first two field trials, local entries planted were ‘Okinawan’, ‘Mokuau’, and ‘Kona B’, as well as PI 531094, ‘Beauregard’, PI 573309, PI 573330, ‘Darby’, ‘Pelican Processor’, and ‘Picadito’. Yields of ‘Mokuau’ and ‘Kona B’ were low and were replaced in the latter …

Ictv Virus Taxonomy Profile: Endornaviridae, Rodrigo A. Valverde, Mahmoud E. Khalifa, Ryo Okada, Toshiyuki Fukuhara, Sead Sabanadzovic

Faculty Publications

The family Endornaviridae includes viruses with linear, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genomes that range from 9.7 to 17.6 kb and have been reported infecting plants, fungi and oomycetes. The family consists of two genera, Alphaendornavirus and Betaendornavirus, into which viruses are classified based on their genome size, host and presence of unique domains. Alphaendornavirus includes species whose members infect plants, fungi and oomycetes, while the genus Betaendornavirus includes species whose members infect ascomycete fungi. This is a summary of the ICTV Report on the family Endornaviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/endornaviridae.

Progesterone Alters The Bovine Uterine Fluid Lipidome During The Period Of Elongation, Constantine A. Simintiras, José M. Sánchez, Michael Mcdonald, Pat Lonergan

Faculty Publications

Successful bovine pregnancy establishment hinges on conceptus elongation, a key reproductive phenomenon coinciding with the period during which most pregnancies fail. Elongation is yet to be recapitulated in vitro, whereas in vivo it is directly driven by uterine secretions and indirectly influenced by prior circulating progesterone levels. To better understand the microenvironment evolved to facilitate this fundamental developmental event, uterine fluid was recovered on Days 12–14 of the oestrous cycle – the window of conceptus elongation initiation – from cycling heifers supplemented, or not, with progesterone. Subsequent lipidomic profiling of uterine luminal fluid by advanced high-throughput metabolomics revealed the consistent …

Aspects Of Embryo-Maternal Communication In Establishment Of Pregnancy In Cattle, José M. Sánchez, Constantine A. Simintiras, Patrick Lonergan

Faculty Publications

Establishment of pregnancy in mammals requires reciprocal molecular communication between the conceptus and endometrium that modifies the endometrial transcriptome and uterine luminal milieu to support pregnancy. Due to the small size of the early embryo and elongating conceptus relative to the volume of the uterine lumen, collection of endometrium adjacent to the developing conceptus is difficult following conventional uterine flushing methods in cattle. Use of endometrial explants in culture can overcome this challenge and reveal information about the dialogue between the developing embryo and the uterus. The aim of this short review is to summarize some of our recent findings …

Attachment Strength And On-Farm Die-Off Rate Of Escherichia Coli On Watermelon Surfaces, Vijay Singh Chhetri, Kathryn Fontenot, Ronald Strahan, Veerachandra K. Yemmireddy, Cameron Cason, Karuna Kharel, Achyut Adhikari

Faculty Publications

Pre-harvest contamination of produce has been a major food safety focus. Insight into the behavior of enteric pathogens on produce in pre-harvest conditions will aid in developing pre-harvest and post-harvest risk management strategies. In this study, the attachment strength (S R ) and die-off rate of E. coli on the surface of watermelon fruits and the efficacy of aqueous chlorine treatment against strongly attached E. coli population were investigated. Watermelon seedlings were transplanted into eighteen plots. Prior to harvesting, a cocktail of generic E. coli (ATCC 23716, 25922 and 11775) was inoculated on the surface of the watermelon fruits (n …

An Actin-Depolymerizing Factor From The Halophyte Smooth Cordgrass, Spartina Alterniflora (Saadf2), Is Superior To Its Rice Homolog (Osadf2) In Conferring Drought And Salt Tolerance When Constitutively Overexpressed In Rice, Sonali Sengupta, Venkata Mangu, Luis Sanchez, Renesh Bedre, Rohit Joshi, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Niranjan Baisakh

Faculty Publications

Actin-depolymerizing factors (ADFs) maintain the cellular actin network dynamics by regulating severing and disassembly of actin filaments in response to environmental cues. An ADF isolated from a monocot halophyte, Spartina alterniflora (SaADF2), imparted significantly higher level of drought and salinity tolerance when expressed in rice than its rice homologue OsADF2. SaADF2 differs from OsADF2 by a few amino acid residues, including a substitution in the regulatory phosphorylation site serine-6, which accounted for its weak interaction with OsCDPK6 (calcium-dependent protein kinase), thus resulting in an increased efficacy of SaADF2 and enhanced cellular actin dynamics. SaADF2 overexpression preserved the actin filament organization …

Food-Burying Behavior In Red Imported Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Wenquan Qin, Xuan Chen, Linda M. Hooper-Bùi, Jiacheng Cai, Lei Wang, Zhaohui Sun, Xiujun Wen, Cai Wang

Faculty Publications

The food-burying behavior has been reported in many mammals and birds, but was rarely observed in invertebrates. The red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is an invasive pest in many areas of the world that usually performing food-burying during the foraging processes. However, the impacted factors and measureable patterns of this behavior is largely unknown. In the present study, food-burying vs food-transport behaviors of Solenopsis invicta were observed under laboratory and field conditions. When starved (no food was provided for 37 days) in the laboratory, food (sausage) was consumed by large numbers of ants, and few burying behaviors were …

Comparative Functional And Phylogenomic Analyses Of Host Association In The Remoras (Echeneidae), A Family Of Hitchhiking Fishes, C. P. Kenaley, A. Stote, W. B. Ludt, P. Chakrabarty

Faculty Publications

The family Echeneidae consists of eight species of marine fishes that hitchhike by adhering to a wide variety of vertebrate hosts via a sucking disc. While several studies have focused on the interrelationships of the echeneids and the adhesion performance of a single species, no clear phylogenetic hypothesis has emerged and the morphological basis of adhesion remains largely unknown. We first set out to resolve the interrelationships of the Echeneidae by taking a phylogenomic approach using ultraconserved elements. Then, within this framework, we characterized disc morphology through μ-CT analysis, evaluated host specificity through an analysis of host phylogenetic distance, and …

Inferring The Mammal Tree: Species-Level Sets Of Phylogenies For Questions In Ecology, Evolution, And Conservation, Nathan S. Upham, Jacob A. Esselstyn, Walter Jetz

Faculty Publications

Big, time-scaled phylogenies are fundamental to connecting evolutionary processes to modern biodiversity patterns. Yet inferring reliable phylogenetic trees for thousands of species involves numerous trade-offs that have limited their utility to comparative biologists. To establish a robust evolutionary timescale for all approximately 6,000 living species of mammals, we developed credible sets of trees that capture root-to-tip uncertainty in topology and divergence times. Our “backbone-and-patch” approach to tree building applies a newly assembled 31-gene supermatrix to two levels of Bayesian inference: (1) backbone relationships and ages among major lineages, using fossil node or tip dating, and (2) species-level “patch” phylogenies with …

Women Leaders In Information Technology: A Phenomenological Study Of Their Career Paths, Michelle Newsome

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, women remain underrepresented in senior level positions in the information technology (IT) field. Despite this challenge, a few women have successfully ascended into senior leadership in IT. Using the social cognitive theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of senior women leaders in the IT field. The research question explored the lived personal and professional experiences of senior women leaders in IT to gain an understanding of their career advancement into senior leadership positions. Through the use of the modified Van Kaam method of …

Successful Strategies For Implementing Health Information Technology In Primary Care Practice, Samuel O. Otoo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Health information technology (HIT) owner-practitioners who adopt effective strategies for HIT implementation can improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. However, some HIT owner-practitioners have ineffective implementation strategies, so they have not realized the total revenue increases of more than 8%. Grounded in general systems theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore successful strategies primary care practitioners (PCPs) use to implement HIT to improve primary facility care delivery and profitability. The participants included 6 owner-practitioners located in Queens County, NY, who successfully implemented HIT to improve facility care delivery and profitability. Data were collected through face-to-face …

Examining Family Hierarchy Through The Eyes Of Former Mac Baller Gang Members, Jerome Lee Rice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Criminal gang membership is growing, which corresponds to a continued breakdown of the family unit in the United States. Most of the young people who form gangs come from broken families or single-parent-headed households. This study explored the role of family hierarchy on gang membership. A qualitative case study approach was used to gather information on what motivates young people to join criminal gangs. A random sampling technique was used to recruit seven former members of the Mac Baller Brim gang. Ethical concerns were addressed to minimize the risks to the participants. The collected data from interviews were analyzed using …

Socioeconomic Determinants Of Physical Activity Among Adult Arab Immigrants In Edmonton, Alberta, Samer Kobrosly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Little is known about leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) habits of Arab immigrants in Canada. Leisure-time physical activity has been linked to decreased risks for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all causes mortality and increased life expectancy. Socioeconomic status has been recognized as a significant factor affecting health and wellbeing due to its impact on individuals’ attitudes, experiences, and exposure to several risk factors. The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to explore the levels of participation in LTPA among adult Arab immigrants in central Alberta, Canada, to examine the socioeconomic determinants of LTPA, and to investigate which individual, social, and …

Affordable Care Act And Racial Inequity In Breast Cancer Survival Rates, Nadine Terry-Lawrence

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are more likely than White women to be diagnosed with breast cancer after the disease has progressed to advanced stages. Further, African American women experience higher breast cancer mortality rates than White women at all stages of cancer diagnosis. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine differences between implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and 5-year breast cancer survival rates among African American and White women. The independent variable was African American women and White women who were survivors of breast cancer after the ACA implementation; the dependent variables were breast cancer survival …

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption, Physical Activity, And Colorectal Cancer Among African Americans, Stella Francoise Nanga Ndzana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a deadly and costly cancer, especially among African Americans. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective, cross-sectional study was to examine African Americans' health behaviors that may have an association with CRC. The Health Belief Model was used to guide this study. The study addressed whether there is a statistical association between fruit intake, vegetable intake, and physical activity, and the occurrence of CRC while controlling for confounders, such as body mass index, smoking status, and income level. After conducting an overall analysis, the final research question examined if the association varied by race. In this study, …

Engaging The Framework For Information Literacy For Higher Education As A Lens For Assessment In Eportfolio Social Pedagogy Ecosystem For Science Teacher Education, Wesley Pitts, Alison Lehner-Quam

Publications and Research

This article highlights a case study that assesses how graduate-level, in-service science teachers engage in an ePortfolio social pedagogy ecosystem to document their growth in knowledge practices and dispositions in information literacy. The ePortfolio social pedagogy ecosystem and this study are situated within the context of the Catalyst Framework. The three modes of interrelated social learning activities include: (1) authoring the written ePortfolio in an online ePortfolio digital media platform, (2) presenting the ePortfolio in the webinar platform, and (3) presenting the ePortfolio in- person in a physical setting. We used case study methodology to systematically investigate how each participant …

Slow Lawyering: How Law Practitioners Can Slow Down In A High-Speed World And Why It Matters, Susan Greene

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Literacy Coach: Where We Were And Where We’Re Going, Adam Ulenski, Jennifer Van Allen

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Monarch, Philip Walzer (Editor)

Monarch Magazine

Winter 2019 issue of Monarch, the Old Dominion University Magazine.

Subtitled: Treasures in the Barry Art Museum

Celebrating Writers And Writing In Our Communities

Celebrating Writers and Writing in our Communities

No abstract provided.

Developing Food Quality Standards For Distiller’S Dried Grains – Evaluating Composition Quality And Safety, Tanvee Deshpande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Distillers Grains represent a major co-product of corn ethanol production. At the production rate of 44 million tons/year and a price of $95/ton, this co-product has potential as a food ingredient (solvent-treated dried products) owing to its high protein content (38%) and high fiber content (40%TDF). The aim of the research was to determine the composition, quality and safety of several initial moisture types of distiller’s grains – distiller’s grains without solubles (DG) and distiller’s grains with solubles (DGS) in wet and freeze-dried form (FrD) from 2017 and 2018.
Method: Processing methods were optimized for raw DG & DGS …

Role Of Microglial Α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator In Animal Model Of Major Depressive Disorder, Sami Alzarea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, affecting about 10% of the global population and is the leading cause of disability in USA. Nearly one-third of depressed patients fail to respond to conventional antidepressant therapies. Therefore, novel therapies are needed, and require a new target and molecular mechanisms underlying MDD. Brain glial mechanisms, specifically, microglial α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have been proposed as an important target for MDD associated with neuroinflammation. We hypothesized that microglial α7 nAChRs positive allosteric modulator (PAM) has an important role in the regulation of behavioral, cellular, biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Foliar Insecticide And Soybean Seed Treatment In South Dakota, Cole Dierks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of cover crops and no-till practices are important for the conservation of both soil and moisture in South Dakota. However, it is unknown if these practices impact the efficacy of insecticide seed treatments. In soybean, insecticide seed treatments are used prophylactically to prevent potential crop losses from early season insect pests. The prophylactic use of any management strategy increases the likelihood for selection pressure and also represents unnecessary input costs. The purpose of the research conducted for Chapter 2 was to determine the impact that tillage systems, cover crops and planting populations have on the efficacy of insecticide …

Flexure Properties Of 3d Printed Nylon Carbon Fiber Composite And Stiffness Of 3d Printed Modified Cuttlefish Bone Structure, Shashikanth Reddy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Flexure strength is one of the most widely used mechanical properties to represent the mechanical behavior of the composite. Fiber reinforcements increase the flexure strength of a composite. Specifically, there has been tremendous growth in the use of Carbon Fiber (CF) in the manufacturing industry due to its significant contribution to enhance the mechanical properties of a composite. Fiber orientation, void content, bonding between the layers (delamination), and fiber distribution are some of the factors that affect the flexure strength of a reinforced composite. The laminate (composite with reinforced layers) composites, has been a focus of study by researchers from …

Using Social Network Analysis To Examine The Connections Within A Noyce Community’S Facebook Group, Amanda Jensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the successes of the Rural Enhancement of Mathematics And Science Teachers (REMAST) Scholarship Program at South Dakota State University is the community we have built. This community has been built through a summer conference and a closed Facebook group. As we near the end of our Phase II Noyce funding, we are using social network analysis to examine the connections within the REMAST Facebook group. What we learn in this research project will be useful to other Noyce projects as it is a model for developing a strong professional learning community. In order to determine information about the …

Undoing Gender: An Analysis Of How Women Communicate Within The Agricultural Industry, Shala R. Larson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent history, women have entered more business-like positions in the agricultural industry. This thesis seeks to understand how women in agriculture describe their workplace communication and whether they feel they are part of a muted group. Twelve women were interviewed regarding their experiences as women in agriculture and were asked whether they feel valued in their positions and how they communicate with their male co-workers. Specifically, interviewees were asked if they ever felt the need to alter their communication to complement, emulate, or otherwise adjust to masculine communication styles. The majority of women interviewed reported having to strategically choose …

Advanced Analysis Of Compounds Of Toxicological Importance By Ice Concentration Linked With Extractive Stirrer (Icecles) Gc-Ms And Rp-Hplc-Esi-Ms-Ms, Joseph K. Dzisam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyanide and nitrosoamines (NAs) are ubiquitous compounds, found in our food and water, either by natural process or through man-made activities. The toxicity of cyanide is exerted by its ability to inhibit metalloenzymes such as cytochrome c oxidase, causing concomitant cascades of biochemical effects such as lactic acidosis, inhibition of ATP production, respiratory seizure, and potential death. Nitrosoamines, on the other hand, undergo biotransformation (metabolic activation in cytochrome P450) in the body to produce unstable intermediates that alkylate DNA, causing mutations, and leading to carcinogenesis. In order to further the advancement of a promising cyanide, cobinamide (Cbi), an LC-MS-MS method …