Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Biodegradability Characteristics Of Cellulose-Based Film As Per Is/Iso 14855-1, Narayan C. Saha Dr, Gaurav Madhu Dr, Diksha B. Kadu Ms

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Biodegradable polymers (especially those derived from plant sources) begin their lifecycle as renewable resources, usually in the form of starch or cellulose. In this paper, the evaluation of biodegradability of cellulose-based polymer film under controlled composting conditions as per the guidelines of IS/ISO 14855 (Part-1) standard has been described. Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder was taken as positive-control polymer. The apparatus used to analyse the degree and rate of biodegradation was developed indigenously. The validation of the biodegradability testing apparatus was also performed as per the prescribed test method given in IS/ISO 14855-1.

Electrophysiological, Neural, And Perceptual Aspects Of Pitch, Karl D. Lerud

Doctoral Dissertations

Pitch is a perceptual rather than physical phenomenon, important for spoken language use, musical communication, and other aspects of everyday life. Auditory stimuli can be designed to probe the relationship between perception and physiological responses to pitch-evoking stimuli. One technique for measuring physiological responses to pitch-evoking stimuli is the frequency following response (FFR). The FFR is an electroencephalographic (EEG) response to periodic auditory stimuli. The FFR contains nonlinearities not present in the stimuli, including correlates of the amplitude envelope of the stimulus; however, these nonlinearities remain undercharacterized. The FFR is a composite response reflecting multiple neural and peripheral generators, and …

Summer Commencement Program, August 9, 2019, Coastal Carolina University

Commencement Programs

Program of Commencement Exercises at Coastal Carolina University.

Relationship Between Dietary Furocoumarins And Melanoma Risk, Melissa Melough

Doctoral Dissertations

Furocoumarins are a class of photocarcinogenic and phototoxic compounds found naturally in numerous edible plants. Experimental evidence shows that when combined with UV radiation, furocoumarins may become photoactivated and induce DNA crosslinks, leading to DNA damage and carcinogenesis. Therefore, a link between dietary furocoumarins and melanoma has been proposed. This project aims to examine the relationship between dietary furocoumarins and melanoma risk through three specific aims. First, we examined the kinetics of dietary furocoumarins in healthy adults (Aim 1). As early as 15 minutes after consuming grapefruit, and for up to three or more hours after ingestion, furocoumarins were detectable …

Nebraska Residents’ Perceptions Of Drought Risk And Adaptive Capacity To Drought, Michelle L. Edwards

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of drought in certain regions, including Nebraska. While differences in ecological and social vulnerability impact drought response, scholars argue that perceptions of risk and adaptive capacity also play a role in predicting adaptation responses. Drawing on Grothmann and Patt’s model of private proactive adaptation to climate change, based on protection motivation theory, I examine Nebraska residents’ perceptions of drought risk and adaptive capacity to drought at two spatial levels, the community and the region, as well as the predictors of these perceptions. Multivariate analyses demonstrate that rural residence positively predicts …

A Comparison Of Drone Imagery And Ground-Based Methods For Estimating The Extent Of Habitat Destruction By Lesser Snow Geese (Anser Caerulescens Caerulescens) In La Pérouse Bay, Andrew Barnas, Brian J. Darby, Gregory S. Vandeberg, Robert F. Rockwell, Susan N. Ellis-Felege

Biology Faculty Publications

Lesser snow goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) populations have dramatically altered vegetation communities through increased foraging pressure. In remote regions, regular habitat assessments are logistically challenging and time consuming. Drones are increasingly being used by ecologists to conduct habitat assessments, but reliance on georeferenced data as ground truth may not always be feasible. We estimated goose habitat degradation using photointerpretation of drone imagery and compared estimates to those made with ground-based linear transects. In July 2016, we surveyed five study plots in La Pérouse Bay, Manitoba, to evaluate the effectiveness of a fixed-wing drone with simple Red Green Blue …

A Comparison Of Drone Imagery And Groundbased Methods For Estimating The Extent Of Habitat Destruction By Lesser Snow Geese (Anser Caerulescens Caerulescens) In La Pérouse Bay, Andrew F. Barnas, Brian J. Darby, Gregory S. Vandeberg, Robert F. Rockwell, Susan N. Ellis-Felege

Biology Faculty Publications

Lesser snow goose (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) populations have dramatically altered vegetation communities through increased foraging pressure. In remote regions, regular habitat assessments are logistically challenging and time consuming. Drones are increasingly being used by ecologists to conduct habitat assessments, but reliance on georeferenced data as ground truth may not always be feasible. We estimated goose habitat degradation using photointerpretation of drone imagery and compared estimates to those made with ground-based linear transects. In July 2016, we surveyed five study plots in La Pérouse Bay, Manitoba, to evaluate the effectiveness of a fixed-wing drone with simple Red Green Blue …

Low Secondary Risks For Captive Coyotes From A Sodium Nitrite Toxic Bait For Invasive Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Katherine E. Horak, Simon T. Humphrys, Linton D. Staples, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An acute toxic bait is being developed to deliver micro‐encapsulated sodium nitrite (SN) to stimulate severe methemoglobinemia and humane death for invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa), thereby providing a new tool for reducing their populations. During April 2016, we evaluated sensitivity to SN and outcomes of secondary consumption in the ubiquitous mammalian scavenger, coyote (Canis latrans), to determine secondary risks of consuming carcasses of wild pigs that died from consuming the SN toxic bait. At the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, we first evaluated whether coyotes fed carcasses of domestic pigs killed by consumption of SN …

Current And Future Trends On Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Glioblastoma: From Molecular Biology To Proteomics, Artemiy S. Silantyev, Luca Falzone, Massimo Libra, Olga I. Gurina, Karina S. Kardashova, Taxiarchis K. Nikolouzakis, Alexander E. Nosyrev, Christopher W. Sutton, Panayiotis D. Mitsias, Aristides Tsatsakis

Neurology Articles

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive malignant tumor of the central nervous system. Due to the absence of effective pharmacological and surgical treatments, the identification of early diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers is of key importance to improve the survival rate of patients and to develop new personalized treatments. On these bases, the aim of this review article is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the application of molecular biology and proteomics techniques for the identification of novel biomarkers through the analysis of different biological samples obtained from glioblastoma patients, including DNA, microRNAs, proteins, small molecules, circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles, …

Social Interactions Do Not Drive Territory Aggregation In A Grassland Songbird, S.K. Winnicki, S.M. Munguia, E.J. Williams, W.A. Boyle

United States National Park Service: Publications

Understanding the drivers of animal distributions is a fundamental goal of ecology and informs habitat management. The costs and benefits of colonial aggregations in animals are well established, but the factors leading to aggregation in territorial animals remain unclear. Territorial animals might aggregate to facilitate social behavior such as (1) group defense from predators and/or parasites, (2) cooperative care of offspring, (3) extra-pair mating, and/or (4) mitigating costs of extra-pair mating through kin selection. Using experimental and observational methods, we tested predictions of all four hypotheses in a tallgrass prairie in northeast Kansas, United States. Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) males …

Nuclear Organization And The Epigenetic Landscape Of The Mus Musculus X-Chromosome, Alicia Liu

Doctoral Dissertations

X-linked imprinted genes have been hypothesized to contribute parent-of-origin influences on social cognition. A cluster of imprinted genes Xlr3b, Xlr4b, and Xlr4c, implicated in cognitive defects, are maternally expressed and paternally silent in the murine brain. These genes defy classic mechanisms of autosomal imprinting, suggesting a novel method of imprinted gene regulation. Using Xlr3b and Xlr4c as bait, this study uses 4C-Seq on neonatal whole brain of a 39,XO mouse model, to provide the first in-depth analysis of chromatin dynamics surrounding an imprinted locus on the X-chromosome. Significant differences in long-range contacts exist between X^M and X …

Reparation Of Dignity: A Literature Review Of Trauma-Informed Addiction Treatment With Expressive Arts Therapy, Courtney R. Battistelli

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Substance Use Disorder is a public health problem that impacts society and individuals on many levels. In 2016, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) documented 64,000 deaths in America due to overdose (NIDA, 2017). The economic burden related to substance abuse is estimated at $740 billion annually in the United States (Priddy et al., 2018). High rates of relapse, approximately 60% in the first year after treatment, (Priddy et al., 2018, p.103), suggest the need for more effective treatment. A combination of trauma-informed practice and creative therapies in the treatment of substance use disorders show promising results. This literature …

Comparison Of Play Frequency In Four Sympatric Monkey Species In Kibale National Park, Uganda, Sara G. Lucci

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes play in red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus), grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena), black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), and redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) to test Instinct-Practice Theory. Solitary locomotor play was different among the species. Rough-and-tumble play was different between male and female redtail monkeys. These results partially support Instinct-Practice Theory.

Adult And Juvenile Rats Differentially Express Mpfc Glua2 Following Traumatic Memory Retrieval, Edgar Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

To advance our understanding of how traumatic memories are modulated between adults and juveniles, we characterize the AMPAr subunits, GluA1, GluA2, GluA3 in the mPFC of rodents following traumatic memory retrieval.

GluA2 was differentially expressed in adults but not juveniles rats. There were no changes in GluA1 or GluA3 expression

Judging Facial Expressions Of Emotion: Effects Of Gender, Raine Palladino

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how quickly people recognize happy, neutral or angry emotional expressions on faces that varied in gender presentation and femininity/masculinity of facial features. Facial features influenced judgments of emotion more for women than men. Neutral expressions were more likely seen as angry on a woman’s face.

The Effect Of Dopamine Blockade On Sensorimotor Gating In Social Phenotypes Of The African Cichlid Fish Astatotilapia Burtoni, Raymond A. Turco

Theses and Dissertations

We asked if blocking dopamine could improve implicit sensory gating deficits in a socially-defeated fish of a naturally-agonistic species. This study investigated the effects of dopamine D2R receptor antagonist metoclopramide on sensorimotor gating using a prepulse inhibition (PPI) paradigm in social phenotypes of male A. burtoni African cichlid fish.

Weak Social Support As An Indicator For Worse Trauma Related Symptoms, Michael B. Sugarman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between social support and trauma related symptoms in trauma exposed participants. Using the SCID and CAPS, weak family support factors were found to be associated with a greater number and severity of trauma related symptoms; suggesting that family support is important for trauma exposed people.

Behavioral Hypervigilance In A Normative Population, Karly Weinreb

Theses and Dissertations

Hypervigilance is conceptualized as a symptom of trauma-related disorders, however it can also occur in a normative population. To distinguish normative hypervigilance from trauma-related hypervigilance, 372 participants (123 trauma-exposed and 249 non-trauma-exposed) completed a questionnaire assessing hypervigilance in contexts. Trauma-exposed participants reported greater levels of hypervigilance in 3 contexts.

Sudden Aspen Decline: A Review Of Pattern And Process In A Changing Climate, Jack A. Singer, Rob Turnbull, Mark Foster, Charles Bettigole, Brent R. Frey, Michelle C. Downey, Kristofer R. Covey, Mark S. Ashton

Aspen Bibliography

The American quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and its close relative, the Eurasian quaking aspen (Populus tremula L.), cover a realm that is perhaps the most expansive of all tree species in the world. In North America, sudden aspen decline (SAD) is a growing concern that marks the rapid decline of quaking aspen trees leading to mortality at the stand and landscape scale. Research suggests that drought and water stress are the primary causes of SAD. Predisposing factors (age, structure, and landscape position), as well as associated stressors (i.e., pests and pathogens), have been linked to mortality in affected stands. …

Who Is My Neighbor? The Importance Of Global Education For Kinesiology Students, Jessica D. Ventura

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

The parable of the Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke illustrates that helping others requires both the ability to reach out to any person and the humility to receive mercy from any person. This active love requires a basic understanding of culture and the ways in which it may affect the values and actions of others. As believers seeking to express God in careers that bring them in contact with any person, kinesiology students have a specific need to understand their global neighbors. This paper first explores the importance of multicultural education as illustrated in the book of …

Midwifery And Society: A Comparative Analysis Of The Uk And Ussr From 1920-1950, Melissa Scott

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to analyze the changes made in midwifery policy and practices in the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom from 1920-1950. The changes made were essentially the following in both countries: required state certification, standardization of pay and schooling, and combating tradition in rural areas. Although they made similar changes, their political ideology and rhetoric was significantly different from one another. The rhetoric used in the Soviet Union in discussing midwifery policies and responsibilities was nationalistic while the rhetoric used in the United Kingdom was much more functionalistic. There were also additional political and societal …

Integrated Pest Management In The Academic Small Greenhouse Setting: A Case Study Using Solanum Spp. (Solanaceae)., Daniel S. Hayes, Ingrid E. Jordon-Thaden, Jason T. Cantley, Angela J. Mcdonnell, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

Premise

Botanical faculty and staff at academic institutions are often tasked with establishing and/or caring for plant collections held in small greenhouse facilities. Once plants are in place, an especially acute challenge is managing plant pest/pathogen populations. Integrated pest management (IPM) approaches are an excellent option, but few examples exist in the literature of successful programs that have been developed in academic small greenhouse settings.

Methods and Results

Over several years, we developed an IPM program for two small research greenhouses on the campus of a primarily undergraduate institution where hundreds of plants have been grown for studies in the …

The Effectiveness Of Registered Dietitians In Diabetes Case Management, Meghan C. Mclarney

Theses & Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of diabetes education provided by registered dietitians (RD) in a diabetes case management (DCMs) model, compared to diabetes education provided by RDs in the usual care model (UCM) at an outpatient endocrinology clinic in Omaha, Nebraska. This study hypothesizes that education by RD DCMs will be equal or more efficacious in regards to primary outcomes of A1C and BMI and secondarily, lipid results and adherence (total encounters) when compared to outcomes of UC.

METHODS: This is a cross sectional retrospective review of patients with diabetes (n=946), receiving traditional RD …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Long-Acting Rilpivirine Prodrugs, James R. Hilaire

Theses & Dissertations

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires lifelong daily dosing to suppress viral replication, restore or maintain immune function and improve quality of life. As an alternative, long-acting (LA) antiretrovirals (ARVs) aim to deliver therapeutic drug concentrations over an extended period, ultimately requiring monthly or even more extended dosing intervals. Specifically, the success of recent clinical trials examining LA cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB and RPV LA) highlight the advent of these novel HIV-1 therapeutics. Further optimization of LA dosage forms are required and rests upon improving dosing frequency, injection volumes and tissue distribution to viral compartments. To this end, we report the synthesis …

Perception Of Bone Mineral Loss On Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (Cbct) & Digital Periapical (Pa) Film: An Ex-Vivo Comparison, David P. Hamm

Theses & Dissertations

Using micro computed tomography (micro-CT) as a reference standard, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influences of bone mineral loss and radiographic contrast in digital periapical (PA) film and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Seven dog and human mandibles were sectioned, followed by modification via cortical bone drilling to create 248 lesions and/or trabecular bone acid demineralization to create 96 coronal slice pairs. Pretreatment and post-treatment radiographs (PA, CBCT, and/or micro-CT) were taken for lesion rating/perception in addition to two-dimensional (area) and three-dimensional (volumetric) measurements of 50 drilling lesions and 20 coronal slice pairs. 4-7% bone mineral loss …

Relationship Between Empathy And Language Proficiency In Adult Language Learners, Mika Sakai

Dissertations and Theses

This study reviews concepts and the mechanism of empathy, and the relationship between empathy and language proficiency, focusing on the aspect of cognitive empathy. It also discusses whether empathy levels could be developed by learning language to a highly proficient level. I compared the empathy levels between high and low proficiency second-language learners to determine if there was correlation between empathy and other factors such as gender, studying abroad, education background, and usage of a second language. I found that there was no relationship between empathy level and language proficiency level; however, there was one between empathy and gender. For …

Biofilm Formation And Physiological Heterogeneity Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Yue-Jia Lee

Theses and Dissertations

A contributing factor in recurrent Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) food contamination is that this bacterium produces biofilms on surfaces to persist in food-processing environments. Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication system utilized by bacteria within biofilms to collaborate and adapt to environmental stresses. However, the details of how the QS-dependent network contributes to biofilm development of L. monocytogenes have yet to be well understood. By comparing the transfer rates of planktonic and biofilm (sessile) L. monocytogenes from stainless steel blades to bologna slices, we found that sessile bacteria had reduced transferability onto a single slice but caused the increase …

Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) Occurring In Mississippi, And Their Medical, Veterinary, And Economic Impacts, Tina M. Nations

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about black fly pest species in Mississippi, other than research from the 1930s. A better understanding of the pest species that occur in Mississippi is important for human and animal health. My research focused on what species of black flies occur in Mississippi, their seasonality and distribution, and a detailed systematic survey of the primary pest species. Lastly, I attempted to quantify nuisance effects and economic impacts of black flies on people, backyard poultry, and livestock. I examined scientific literature and records of black flies occurring in the southeastern U.S., and particularly Mississippi. This search revealed several …

Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter And Determination Of Its Biogeochemical Significance In Coastal And Inland Water Bodies, Sankar Manalilkada Sasidharan

Theses and Dissertations

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major component of natural waters and provides essential nutrients for aquatic organisms. However, excess DOM in the water results in water quality issues and affects the aquatic life negatively. The present research evaluated the source, composition, reactivity, dynamics, and the spatial distribution of DOM in diverse water bodies using spectrofluorometric methods in tandem with multivariate statistics. The study was conducted in the inland and coastal water bodies of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama over a period of three years (2016 to 2018). Surface water samples were collected from spatially separated waterbodies with diverse land use …

Characterization Of Xylaria Sp., The Causal Agent Of Taproot Decline In Mississippi Soybean, Hope Becton

Theses and Dissertations

Taproot decline (TRD), caused by an undescribed species of Xylaria, is an emerging root disease of soybean in Mississippi. Xylaria sp. isolates were collected from soybean roots and used to characterize TRD distribution as well as optimal growth temperature, pathogenicity, alternative host range, in vitro pathogenicity, and fungicide sensitivity. The 24 selected Xylaria sp. isolates from the 2016 collection had a mean optimal growth temperature of 26.7°C, and were pathogenic to soybean; however, differences in virulence occurred among isolates. Five selected Xylaria sp. isolates produced stroma on six hosts: corn, cotton, peanut, rice, sorghum, and wheat. Xylaria sp. colonized corn, …