The combined effects of habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation pose a serious threat to Earth's biodiversity, imperiling even relatively common species. 'Habitat' is necessarily a species-specific concept, and investigations of bird diversity relationships and subsequent efforts to prioritize conservation areas, are challenged by the difficulty of estimating complex habitat gradients...
This thesis consists of five chapters: a general introduction, two manuscripts, a collection of published lesson plans, and a general conclusion. The works collected herein are united by the common theme of practical applications in plant breeding. The first manuscript reports a study performed on five malting barley lines grown...
The primary goal of my study was to evaluate the effects of high dietary vitamin E on the rodent skeleton. The outcomes from my study assess the impact of high intakes of vitamin E and increased concentrations of its metabolite, carboxy ethyl hydroxy chromanol (CEHC), on bone turnover and skeletal...
For decades, sexual violence has been a persistent crisis and challenge for universities and colleges across the United States. In order to address this problem and adhere to the strict legal obligations that require post-secondary institutions to prevent sexual violence on their campuses, universities and colleges have implemented a range...
Use of solid compensators is a very effective means of implementing IMRT on any linear accelerator. The standard practice has been IMRT delivery using accelerators equipped with multi-leaf collimators (MLC’s). Truth is the addition of MLC’s to an accelerator is quite expensive. Previous studies have shown solid compensators to have...
Arachidonic acid (ARA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are polyunsaturated fatty acids required for proper embryonic development, specifically neurodevelopment. However, little is known regarding their conversion to other metabolites during embryogenesis. The oxidation of ARA gives rise to the biologically active eicosanoids and the oxidation of DHA gives rise to the...
Rising energy costs coupled with the diminishing incomes associated with rural economic restructuring leave an increasing proportion of rural households faced with the heat or eat dilemma--where families must choose between meeting one basic need over another, such as putting food on the table or keeping the heat on. Effective...
Pre-med attrition is the loss of students participating in academic pre-medical programs over time. Attrition in medical school has been the subject of many studies, but pre-med attrition is less researched, despite its relevance to the emergence and performance of future medical professionals. Interviewing former pre-med students who chose other...
Linear M-mode (1D) and later 2-dimensional (2D) measurements of the left atrium (LA) are commonly been used to assess LA size in veterinary studies despite the fact that studies in human subjects have shown that LA volume (LAV) more accurately reflects LA size than linear measurements due to the complex...
The following pages set out to document the German far-right since 1945, along with the responses from the German government and the experience of minorities that extremists tend to target. This study finds that the German government’s heavy-handed response to visible far-right political parties as early as the 1950s consequently...
Clear and unbiased question wording is important to obtaining consistent and accurate survey results. However, if the goal is not to obtain accurate results but instead to obtain a specific result, then altering question wording may be effective. To examine this possibility, we created a survey with 9 different versions...
Purpose: This study examines the relationship between community-based fitness class participation and risk for falls in adults aged 55 or older. Our aim was to compare scores on fall risk factors between community-based Better Bones & Balance® (BBB) participants and active peers who engage in other (non-BBB) community-based fitness classes....
Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) breaks are a common and cost-effective physical activity (PA) promotion strategy at elementary schools. Nevertheless, there is limited research examining how teacher-level factors such as value for PA and perceived support to deliver CBPA breaks influence teacher implementation of CBPA breaks. In addition, to date no...
In this dissertation, I qualitatively examined the meaning of mothering a child with autism in two countries: the United States and South Korea. The overarching research question focused on how sociocultural ideas about mothering and disability, particularly autism spectrum disorders, shape women’s understanding of themselves and their children with disabilities....
Better Bones and Balance (BBB) is a community-based exercise program to improve bone health and reduce fall risk among older adults. Prior research has shown that when the program is delivered by researchers under controlled conditions, participants improved strength and balance, and maintained bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip....
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Katherine B. Gunter
Better Bones and Balance (BBB) is a community-based exercise program to