Digital Commons Network^™

Hydrologic Niches Explain Species Coexistence And Abundance In A Shrub-Steppe System, Andrew Kulmatiski, Peter B. Adler, Karen M. Foley

Ecology Center Publications

1. Differences in vertical root distributions are often assumed to create resource uptake tradeoffs that determine plant growth and coexistence. Yet, most plant roots are in shallow soils, and data linking root distributions with resource uptake and plant abundances remain elusive.
2. Here we used a tracer experiment to describe the vertical distribution of absorptive roots of dominant species in a shrub‐steppe ecosystem. To describe how these different rooting distributions affected water uptake in wet and dry soils across a growing season, we used a soil water movement model. Root traits were then correlated with plant landscape abundances.
3. Deeper root distributions extracted …

Testing Predictability Of Disease Outbreaks With A Simple Model Of Pathogen Biogeography, Tad Dallas, Colin J. Carlson, Timothée Poisot

Faculty Publications

Predicting disease emergence and outbreak events is a critical task for public health professionals and epidemiologists. Advances in global disease surveillance are increasingly generating datasets that are worth more than their component parts for prediction-oriented work. Here, we use a trait-free approach which leverages information on the global community of human infectious diseases to predict the biogeography of pathogens through time. Our approach takes pairwise dissimilarities between countries’ pathogen communities and pathogens’ geographical distributions and uses these to predict country–pathogen associations. We compare the success rates of our model for predicting pathogen outbreak, emergence and re-emergence potential as a function …

Structure Of The 5′ Untranslated Region Of Enteroviral Genomic Rna, Bejan Mahmud, Christopher M. Horn, William E. Tapprich

Biology Faculty Publications

Enteroviral RNA genomes share a long, highly structured 5= untranslated region (5= UTR) containing a type I internal ribosome entry site (IRES). The 5= UTR is composed of stably folded RNA domains connected by unstructured RNA regions. Proper folding and functioning of the 5= UTR underlies the efficiency of viral replication and also determines viral virulence. We have characterized the structure of 5= UTR genomic RNA from coxsackievirus B3 using selective 2=-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) and base-specific chemical probes in solution. Our results revealed novel structural features, including realignment of major domains, newly identified long-range interactions, and …

Loss Of Vimentin Enhances Cell Motility Through Small Confining Spaces, Alison E. Patteson, Katarzyna Pogoda, Fitzroy J. Byfield, Kalpana Mandal, Zofia Ostrowska-Podhorodecka, Elisabeth E. Charrier, Peter A. Galie, Piotr Deptuła, Robert Bucki, Christopher A. Mcculloch, Paul A. Janmey

Physics - All Scholarship

The migration of cells through constricting spaces or along fibrous tracks in tissues is important for many biological processes and depends on the mechanical properties of a cytoskeleton made up of three different filaments: F-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. The signaling pathways and cytoskeletal structures that control cell motility on 2D are often very different from those that control motility in 3D. Previous studies have shown that intermediate filaments can promote actin-driven protrusions at the cell edge, but have little effect on overall motility of cells on flat surfaces. They are however important for cells to maintain resistance to repeated …

Wish Granted: Leukemia Survivor Becomes A Cheerleader, Michael Newsom

University of Mississippi News

Through Ole Miss Wish, 4-year-old leukemia survivor becomes honorary member of UM cheer squad

Historical Overview Of Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, Kentucky Library Research Collections

Research Collections

This footnoted paper provides historical and cultural information about Red Boiling Springs, Macon County, Tennessee from its beginnings to 2019.

Psychedelics For The Management Of Anxiety In Adults With Life-Threatening Diseases, Taylor J. Solak

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Anxiety is common psychiatric symptom secondary to life-threatening disease. Conventional pharmacological treatment of anxiety in this population is ineffective, subsequently paving the way for studies exploring alternative treatment options. A literature review is conducted exploring the efficacy of psychedelics in the treatment of anxiety in adults with life-threatening diseases.

Spectator 2019-11-13, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Design And Applications Of Charge-Separated Metal-Organic Frameworks, Sheela Thapa

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Ionic tetrapodal ligands with colinear coordinating arms are very effective for designing hybrid porous materials with unusual structure and properties. The novelty of this research work lies in the utilization of a unique borate ligand that leads to charge-separated MOF structure with tailor designed properties. Borate ligands being tetrahedral afford 3D materials and the negative charge of borate anion can compensate the positive charge of metal ion in the framework. The borate ligands designed in this research consists of quaternary ammonium cation and anionic borate with four pyridine arms. These ligands upon coordination with Cu(I), Cu(II), Ag(I) and Co(II) metal …

Biointerfacial Studies Of Nitrifying Biofilms On Physically And Chemically Modified Surfaces, Philip Marley Roveto

Civil Engineering ETDs

Interactions between bacteria and surfaces during the initiation of biofilm formation are complex phenomena with significant and wide-ranging implications for nutrient cycling, ecosystem and human health, and the remediation of anthropogenic pollutants. Nitrifying biofilms are currently used for ammonia removal in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) systems. As well-studied biofilms, they can serve as models towards understanding crucial aspects of biofilm engineering. The overall objective of this research was to better understand how variations in specific surface chemistries and topographical features affect nitrification rates and microbial populations in an effort to develop technologies for improved productivity. The experimental approach was to …

Implementation Of Steadi Toolkit Of Cdc For Preventing Falls Among Community Dwelling Older Adults, Jill Varughese

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Implementation of the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Death and Injury guidelines of Center for Disease Control to prevent falls and falls related injuries among community dwelling adults under the care of home health services.

Two Forms Of Formalism, Dan Priel

All Papers

In this paper I argue that what is called ‘formalism’ is actually two very different views: I call one ‘conceptualism’ and the other ‘doctrinalism’. The former is deductive and ‘philosophical’ whereas the latter is inductive and ‘pragmatic’. While the two views have sometimes been aligned in opposition to certain views they were both in opposition to, they are actually fundamentally at odds with each other. I demonstrate this by identifying eight parameters on which the two are opposed. After presenting the two views, I turn to evaluating the two views. I first argue that conceptualism is indefensible, and that though …

Evaluation Of A Global Spring Wheat Panel For Stripe Rust: Resistance Loci Validation And Novel Resources Identification, Ibrahim Elbasyoni, Walid M. El-Orabey, Sabah Morsy, P. S. Baenziger, Zakaria Al Ajlouni4, Ismail M. Dweikat

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Stripe rust (incited by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) is airborne wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) disease with dynamic virulence evolution. Thus, anticipatory and continued screening in hotspot regions is crucial to identify new pathotypes and integrate new resistance resources to prevent potential disease epidemics. A global wheat panel consisting of 882 landraces and 912 improved accessions was evaluated in two locations in Egypt during 2016 and 2017. Five prevalent and aggressive pathotypes of stripe rust were used to inoculate the accessions during the two growing seasons and two locations under field conditions. The objectives were to evaluate the panel for …

Comparison Of Montage With Conventional Stereoscopic Seven‑Field Photographs For Assessment Of Etdrs Diabetic Retinopathy Severity, Nam V. Nguyen, Erin M. Vigil, Muhammad Hassan, Muhammad S. Halim, Sean C. Baluyot, Hugo A. Guzman, Rubbia Afridi, Diana V. Do, Yasir J. Sepah

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: The ETDRS stereoscopic seven-field (7F) has been a standard imaging and grading protocol for assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity score in many clinical trials. To the best of our knowledge, the comparison between montage and stereoscopic 7F has not been reported in the literature. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to compare agreement between montage and stereoscopic seven-field (7F) photographs in the assessment of DR severity.

Methods: Stereoscopic 7F photographs were captured from subjects with DR. Montages of monoscopic 7F images were created using Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended©. The best quality image of each stereo pair …

Using Webgis To Develop A Spatial Bibliography For Organizing, Mapping, And Disseminating Research Information: A Case Study Of Quaking Aspen, Ryan G. Howell, Steven L. Petersen, Christopher S. Balzotti, Paul C. Rogers, Mark W. Jackson, Anne E. Hedrich

Ecology Center Publications

On the Ground

• Spatial data is valuable to researchers for locating studies that occur in a particular area of interest, or one with similar attributes.

• Without a standard in publishing protocol, spatial data largely goes unreported, or is difficult to find without searching the publication.

• Assigning location data and displaying points on a public web map makes locating publications based on spatial location possible.

The Winonan, Winona State University

The Winonan - 2010s

No abstract provided.

The Potential Of Radium-224 As A Tracer Of Timescales Of Gulf Of Mexico Crude Oil Exposure To The Marine Environment, Matthew T. Kurpiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Petroleum pollution in the marine environment can be deleterious to coastal and marine ecosystems and can have sustained effects for years. While oil slicks on the surface of the ocean are tracked with relative ease using satellite-based technology, deep sea, neutrally-buoyant hydrocarbon plumes remain exceedingly difficult to track. We provide evidence for the utility of Ra-224 as a potential hydrocarbon tracer to determine the marine exposure time of crude oil. We employed time course incubations to constrain a time dependent Ra-224 release signature and tested a variety of timescales, temporal resolutions, oil sources, seawater, and experimental treatments to determine potential …

Detection Of Preble's Meadow Jumping Mice (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) Following Low-Severity Fire, Nicole L. Bjornlie, Joel Thompson

Western North American Naturalist

Wildfire activity in the western United States has increased in recent decades and is predicted to continue increasing. As wildfires cause landscape-level habitat modifications, understanding how wildlife respond to these disturbances is crucial. The Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) is listed as federally threatened, but little information is available on population responses to wildfire. We conducted live-capture surveys prior to and following a natural low-severity fire in eastern Wyoming. Although we did not detect jumping mice in the year following wildfire, we documented a breeding population both immediately prior to and 2 years following fire. Captures …

Development Of Α-Aa Peptides As Peptidomimetics For Antimicrobial Therapeutics And The Discovery Of Nanostructures, Sylvia E. Singh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For decades it has been convention to use antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Due to the overuse and misuse of these drugs, bacteria are becoming resistant to these treatments. This phenomenon has led to the search for alternative antibiotics, and in the study of Host Defense Peptides (HDPs). HDPs are the body’s innate immune response to infection. They are known to modulate immune system response and kills bacterial using various methods causing them to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance. The method by which we can mimic these biological peptides is called peptidomimetics. Various research shows the use …

The Role Of Secreted Proteases In Regulating Disease Progression In Staphylococcus Aureus, Brittney D. Gimza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a highly successful pathogen capable of producing a wealth of virulence factors in the human host. Of note, ten extracellular proteases are produced alongside these virulence factors and play a multifaceted role during infection. They not only cleave host proteins to promote bacterial invasion, immune evasion and survival, but also control disease progression by modulating the stability of self-derived pathogenic determinants. The importance of the secreted proteases modulating virulence factor stability is evidenced by our groups previous finding that a protease-null strain has a substantially increased infectious capacity in a murine model of sepsis; resulting from the …

Understanding Employee Engagement: An Examination Of Millennial Employees And Perceived Human Resource Management Practices, Danielle J. Clark

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Actively disengaged employees cost the United States an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity per year. When employees are engaged, organizations experience less turnover, fewer safety incidents, and increased profitability. An important employee segment is Millennials, who are predicted to comprise as much as 75% of the workforce by 2025.

This three-article dissertation examines employee engagement, focusing on how Millennials experience employee engagement and the impact of perceived human resource management (HRM) practices on employee engagement. The first article is a generational workplace engagement paper focused on Millennials. It introduces a variety of academic and practitioner information …

Collaborative Proposal: Msa: Predicting The Effects Of Nitrogen Deposition On The Soil Carbon Sink With A Continental-Scale Experiment, Bonnie G. Waring, John M. Stark

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Promoting Healthy Sleep Practices Among Parents Of Young Children: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial, Kristin Lynn Edwards

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the most significant and underrecognized public health concerns in young children is related to the consequences of inadequate sleep. Inadequate sleep may result in problems related to behavioral regulation, executive functioning, and academic performance. ‘Sleep hygiene’, a term that describes consistent daytime and nighttime practices that promote healthy sleep, has been found to significantly increase sleep duration and improve sleep quality in the pediatric population. Researchers have found that many parents have a poor understanding of sleep hygiene. The purpose of this study was to determine if an educational intervention increased parental knowledge and practices of sleep hygiene …

Education In The Settler Colony: Displacement, Inequality, And Disappearance Via Charter Schools, David R. Fisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The encroachment of market-based practices on public education has resulted in the creation of vouchers, charter schools, virtual schools, home schools, and other forms of educational choice. While there has always been choice in education in the United States for the wealthy and White, the current conception of school choice, in theory, allows equal access to education for all. Undergirding the neoliberal practice of school choice is a connection to a troubling past of capitalist oppression and settler colonialism. Like settler colonialism, the practice of school choice has resulted in the displacement of educators, families, and students, inequality between different …

Health-Promoting Behaviors And Subjective Well-Being Among High School Students, Nicholas David W. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In positive psychology, a greater emphasis is placed on the presence of indicators of both physical and mental health. This study examined the relationship between 12 health-promoting behaviors and subjective well-being (SWB; e.g., happiness) in a sample of 450 high school aged youth from five high schools in two states. Participants reported on their dietary habits, physical activity, abstinence from tobacco products, abstinence from alcohol, and sleep hygiene (i.e., 8 unique components) as well as a multidimensional assessment of SWB (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). It was hypothesized that increased engagement in each of the health-promoting behaviors …

November 13, 2019, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Social Media Usage On The Information Behaviour Of Undergraduate Students In Selected Universities In Kwara State, Nigeria, Ismaila Aliyu Yahaya, Hadi Abdul Ayodeji

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Today, information has been seen as heavily stressed factor that shapes the society, particularly the introduction of social media technology. This study therefore examined the influence of social media usage on the information behaviour of undergraduate students in selected universities in Kwara State, Nigeria. Five (5) research objectives were formulated for this study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population for this study comprised of undergraduate students in Al-Hikmah University, Kwara State University and University of Ilorin. Israel (2003) sample size model was used to calculate the sample size with precision levels of 5% and confidence level …

Bio-Mechanical Characterization Of Adherent Cell Layers With A Pdms Cantilever, Merrel Truly Holley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the last few decades, the mechanical characteristics of human cells has been linked to many physiological processes and pathological conditions, illustrating the importance as effective biomarkers. Mounting research has shown the mechanical force between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a vital role in cellular processes such as tissue homeostasis, wound healing, cancer metastasis, and the progression of various diseases. This mechanical force, or the force that a cell produces on its surroundings, is termed as the cellular traction force (CTF). Precise characterization of the CTF can expand our knowledge of these important cellular processes as well as …

Targeted Removals Of Invasive Species In Marine Protected Areas, P Kleitou, Jason Hall-Spencer, Sian Rees, Demetris Kletou, I Savva, C Antoniou, C Jimenez, L Hadjioannou, V Andreou

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Invasive species are proliferating in the Mediterranean basin and affect Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Targeted removals offer potential to control invasive fish populations. Society needs information on their cost -effectiveness to assess whether costs are proportionate to the expected impacts on the environment. This study provides insights into the cost -effectiveness and potential of using targeted removals to manage lionfish invasion in priority habitats of the Mediterranean Sea.

Montana Kaimin, November 13, 2019, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.