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Traditional versus Non-traditional Teaching: Perspectives of Students in Introductory Statistics Classes
No full textYet to have that, thanks.masters, M.S., Statistical Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
HARNESSING MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS AND CD200 TO FABRICATE IMMUNE-EVADING BIOMATERIALS FOR THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS
No full textMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells derived from bone-marrow. Antioxidants such as ascorbic acid and have been supplemented into the medium of MSCs to enhance the proliferation and differentiation of MSCs. In this study, astaxanthin, is a highly potent and lipid soluble antioxidant extracted from green algae Haematococcus pluvialis, was encapsulated by methoxy polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone (mPEG-PCL) polymeric micelles to increase its aqueous solubility. Astaxanthin encapsulated mPEG-PCL was supplemented in the culture medium and chondrogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation medium to enhance the proliferation and differentiation of human MSCs. A thermo-sensitive polymer poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) surface was then used to culture and harvest MSCs with a simple temperature switch. As a result, astaxanthin not only enhanced the proliferation of MSCs, but also promoted the differentiation of MSCs. MSCs can be harvested from PNIPAAm surface without using trypsin. Due to the intrinsic tumor-tropic feature of MSCs, MSCs are used in cancer therapy for drug and gene delivery. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are used in photothermal therapy because they can absorb near infrared (NIR) radiation and release heat. In this study, CNTs were anchored on the surfaces of human MSCs as a cell-based tumor-targeted system for potential application in photothermal therapy. As a result, CNT-tagged MSCs were able to migrate toward the chemoattractant SDF-1α when the amount of CNT on MSCs was no more than the threshold value 4.26 ng CNT per cell. MSCs also possess immunosuppressive properties. CD200 is an anti-inflammatory transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on MSC surfaces. The interaction between CD200 and its receptor CD200R has known to reduce macrophage activation and chronic inflammation. In this study, CD200 was appended on the surface of nano- and micro-sized polystyrene particles with CD200 to reduce macrophage phagocytosis. A polyethylene glycol (PEG)/CD200 co-immobilized biomaterial surface was also fabricated for reduced macrophage attachment. The results demonstrated that CD200 modification decreased macrophage phagocytosis activities for both nano- and micro-sized particles. PEG/CD200 co-immobilized surface showed delayed macrophage attachment as well as reduced interleukin-6 and TNF-α secretion from macrophages.doctoral, Ph.D., Biological & Agricultural Engineering -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
Fire Effects Following the Egley Fire Complex (OR, USA) in a Dry Ponderosa Pine Forest
No full textLand managers have been using mechanical treatments to reduce fuels in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests to mitigate high severity fire effects. Before the 2007 Egley Fire Complex, mechanical thinning, slash and pile burns, and understory burns were implemented as fuel reduction treatments in the dry ponderosa pine-dominated Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon. To compare post-fire vegetation recovery between mechanical treatments and untreated control areas, 35 treated and untreated paired plots were sampled in 2016. Sites were stratified by elevation, aspect, and the remotely sensed burn severity gradient represented by the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR). Post-fire vegetation recovery was assessed at the 35 paired field sites by measuring tree density, seedling regeneration, understory plant response, and fuel loads. The intent of this study was to document to what extent tree density, seedling regeneration, understory plant community composition, and fuels change across the burn severity gradient and to quantify to what extent pre-fire fuel treatments affect burn severity and long term (9 years) vegetation recovery. Estimated site recovery time and other implications for management of dry coniferous forests are discussed.masters, M.S., Natural Resources -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
The growth, diet, and consumption of a lentic caddisfly, Nectopsyche albida, in Coeur d’Alene Lake, Idaho
No full textUnderstanding the role of an invasive species and its interactions with native species can be difficult. Invasive Eurasian milfoil has become established in the southern end of Coeur d’Alene Lake, also known as Chatcolet Lake, Idaho, and has become a nuisance for lake managers and the public. Managers with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe observed herbivory damage to the milfoil and native macrophyte species, but the cause was unknown. Nectopsyche albida larva, a native caddisfly, has been observed concurrently with herbivory. To uncover this possible connection, I examined three facets of its ecology; life history development, diet, and feeding rate and preference of N. albida larva. I collected samples in the summers of 2017 and 2018. Overall, the combined results reveal that caddisfly larva are univoltine, with adult emergence and a new generation hatching in mid-summer each year, though the exact timing is variable. The larva progress through five instars, and they consume mainly macrophytes. Their consumption is seemingly without species preference and the diet composition and feeding rate are dependent on season and life cycle development. The larva also use macrophytes to build their cases. It is highly likely that the caddisflies contribute to the observed herbivory damage of macrophytes. However, because N. albida larva do not appear to target any specific macrophyte species and the timing of their life-cycle poorly matches that of milfoil, they will unlikely be a significant component of management strategies for milfoil in Chatcolet Lake, Idaho.masters, M.S., Natural Resources -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
Science Transcending Boundaries: The Roles of Gender, Power, and Place in Community-Based Research and Adaptive Capacity
No full textThe civil conflict in Liberia, in West Africa, caused significant social, infrastructural, and ecological changes across the country (1989-2003). Reconstructing the agricultural sector, with attention to the needs of women farmers, has been one of the government’s priorities for national recovery and development. In light of this initiative, a transdisciplinary study in north-central Liberia was conducted to investigate smallholder farmer challenges, access to resources, and household agency. Further, the study explores the potential for agricultural extension services to address the identified limitations toward greater farmer adaptive capacity and gender equality. Lastly, an adapted version of the Feminist Systems Thinking framework is used to carry out an introspection and process reflection of the Liberia project. The results of this dissertation advance knowledge of how extension services can improve connection between rural and urban populations, transform local gender contracts, and build farmer adaptive capacity in the Liberian study area, with lessons for other post-conflict settings. It also provides guidance for researchers, especially working in remote or post-conflict settings, to plan for and adapt to challenges that arise in inter and transdisciplinary research processes.doctoral, Ph.D., Water Resources -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-1
Determining the mechanism of the recessive resistance to Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) conferred by the bc-1 and bc-2 recessive genes in common bean, and biological and molecular characterization of a new strain of BCMV
No full textBean common mosaic virus (BCMV) is an important pathogen affecting common bean and other legumes. BCMV is an aphid-transmitted virus, which can also be seed-transmissible in common bean with efficiencies of up to 80%, depending on virus strain and bean cultivar. The virus belongs to the genus Potyvirus (family Potyviridae), having an approximately 10-kb single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome. BCMV resistance in common bean is governed by one dominant (I) gene and four recessive (bc-u, bc-1, bc-2, and bc-3) genes which are deployed by breeders in different combinations to protect commercial bean cultivars against the virus. The dominant I gene confers extreme resistance or immunity against all strains of BCMV when the temperature stays below 30°C, and variable types of local and systemic necrosis when temperature exceeds 30°C. The bc-3 gene was identified as an eIF4E translation initiation factor gene mediating resistance through disruption of the interaction between this protein and the VPg protein of the virus. The mode of action of bc-1 and bc-2 in expression of BCMV resistance was unknown until this work. To investigate the possible role of both bc-1 and bc-2 genes in replication, cell-to-cell, and long distance movement of BCMV in P. vulgaris, we tested virus spread of eight BCMV isolates representing pathogroups I, IV, VI, VII, and VIII, in a set of bean differentials expressing different combinations of six resistance alleles including bc-u, bc-1, bc-12, bc-2, bc-22, and bc-3. The data suggest that bc-1 and bc-2 recessive resistance genes have no effect on the replication and cell-to-cell movement of BCMV, but affect systemic spread of BCMV in common bean. The BCMV resistance conferred by bc-1 and bc-2 and affecting systemic spread was found only partially effective when these two genes were expressed singly. The efficiency of the restriction of the systemic spread of the virus was greatly enhanced when the alleles of bc-1 and bc-2 genes were combined together. Beside common bean, there are other crop legumes that are susceptible to BCMV, such as peanut, soybean, and azuki bean. In this thesis, I described a new strain of BCMV from lima bean with distinct biological and molecular characteristics found in Honolulu, HI. This new BCMV strain, BCMV-A1, was able to partially overcome resistance to the virus conferred by bc-1 and bc-2 alleles in common bean, establishing an asymptomatic systemic infection in some common bean cultivars. Later, two BCMV isolates were found in commercial common bean samples in Idaho exhibiting 99% identity to BCMV-A1 in partial genome sequence. This new BCMV strain from lima bean, BCMV-A1, may present a threat for the common bean production.masters, M.S., Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
Over the Rim: Why Faithful Latter-day Saints Would Engage in Mass Murder
No full textOn 11 September 1857, fifty plus priesthood holders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended a five day siege of a California bound wagon train. They lured surviving members out with a story of protecting them from an on-going Indian attack and a promise of safety back in Cedar City. Just a short distance outside their wagon fort, all the survivors except for the children under the age of eight years old were murdered brutally in cold blood, buried in shallow graves, and their living children were distributed among Mormon families along with possessions and livestock from the Fancher wagon train. What would make members of the LDS church, whose beliefs include murder being the unforgivable sin, participate in a massacre of 140 plus men, women, and children who were simply trying to pass through Utah Territory to California? In this thesis, the social, political, economic, and religious considerations that drove this event and allowed the killers on the ground to act in apparent contravention of a deeply held faith are examined. Wagon train captain, Alexander Fancher is used to give us a lens into mainstream American pioneers and as emblematic of his wagon train. John D. Lee, the man in command of the massacre participants on the ground and the only man tried for the crime is used to give us a lens into the lives of the killers, the LDS church as a whole, and the conditions in Utah Territory in the 1850s.masters, M.A., History -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-0
Effects of abscisic acid on life history traits and malaria parasite infection in the Indian malaria mosquito Anopheles stephensi Liston
No full textLarval conditions of holometabolous insects can have a substantial impact on adult life history traits including mortality, fecundity, and pathogen infection. For example, in Anopheles stephensi, overcrowded larval environments has been shown to reduce adult size, decrease fecundity, and increase Plasmodium berghei development. Presently, we are interested in the carryover effects of larval exposure to abscisic acid (ABA) on A. stephensi. ABA was first described as a plant hormone, but is now known for its effects as a stress hormone across animal taxa. We have previously shown ABA transiently alters adult mosquito metabolism through phosphorylation of metabolic mediators in the midgut following a supplemented blood meal. In this study, A. stephensi larvae were exposed to ABA for the entirety of their development and adult females derived from treated or control larvae were evaluated for fecundity, nutrient stores, and life span. Treatment of ABA in larval water significantly increased their development speed, while increasing pupal mortality. We also found that ABA supplementation during larval development has significant carryover effects on adult females, reducing their reproductive output and shortening their lifespan through reduced nutrient acquisition of larvae. Adult mosquitoes exposed to ABA during larval development also have reduced expression of insulin-like peptides (ilps), thus supporting our findings of reduced fecundity and nutrient storage. These findings suggest larval exposure to ABA has the capacity to affect numerous adult life history traits related to vector biology, which could benefit areas with endemic mosquito-borne diseases.masters, M.S., Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences -- University of Idaho - College of Graduate Studies, 2019-1
