The Cultural History and Future of Sheep Farming in the High Country

From agricultural development theories, literature research, and interviews with community members that raised sheep, I have attempted to piece together a cultural history surrounding sheep in the High Country. By describing the past during the height of sheep production during the 1930s and 1940s, one can view the community structure and reasons why sheep production was so popular. Reasons for the decline in sheep are discussed. I seek to determine the viability of raising sheep in the High Country today, applying lessons from the past and encouraging the use of new alternative and emerging markets in innovative ways

A Geographic Ontology and GIS Model for Carolina Bays

Carolina bays are a unique geomorphologic entity located along the Atlantic coastal plain. Even without the benefit of an overhead view, they have been noted as a distinct feature of the coastal plain as first described by the South Carolina Geological Survey of South Carolina in 1848. The first aerial photographs in the 1930 coastal South Carolina region revealed that the unique depression wetlands were more than just a strange local phenomenon. Aerial photos enabled observers to see qualities in addition to their relative distribution that make them unique: their oval shape, northwest to southeast orientation and the presence of raised sand rims along their eastern and southeastern edges in many instances. Being such a distinctive surface feature and recognized for their ecological value, it would seem that Carolina bays would have been defined within their own map coverage across the Atlantic Coastal plain. However, just two statewide inventories have been completed for South Carolina and Georgia, and one for North Carolina has never been conducted. While previous inventories have employed onscreen digitization with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to inventory bays, researchers have raised concerns over how individuals define Carolina bay as a geographic entity. The differences in human perception make the classification of geographic entities that exist on a continuum such as Carolina bays a challenge and may have contributed to widely varying estimates of their numbers. In order to explore the classification issues related to Carolina bays, and the usefulness of geographic ontology and cartographic modeling for inventory, a cartographic model was constructed for use within the Ocean Bay quad in Francis Marion National Forest in Berkeley and Charleston Counties, South Carolina. To test the model’s selective ability, a comparison was made between Carolina bay features that a researcher selected and bays identified by a cartographic model. The model positively identified 76 percent of Carolina bays that a researcher identified in an image within a single quadrangle. The approach used in this model showed that the initial identification rule of any pixel within a bay’s border counted as a positive identification was inadequate. Other aspects not accounted for, including false positive identification, neither researcher nor model being able to identify a bay, or bays that the model was able to select that the researcher was not were added into a subsequent model. Results from the amended model show fewer researcher identified instances of Carolina bays, but a slightly higher rate of mutual identification by the model and the researcher. With these complications in mind, a similar approach was taken with Bladen County North Carolina, but with significant revisions. A cartographic model was created for Bladen County North Carolina in which bay characteristics were selected from the North Carolina Gap Analysis Program (GAP) land use/landcover dataset, the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) and National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). The predictive ability of the model was assessed by manually selecting Carolina bays from a high resolution image and comparing the manually selected bays with the model identifications. In order to remedy the issue of forcing all instances of bays into one of two categories (either an object is a bay or it is not), a ranking system was developed that was based upon a core/radial cognitive model, and the approach taken with the Savannah River Ecology Lab (SREL) inventory. The rule for positive identification was changed from a single pixel to a visual estimation of 50 percent coverage of a Carolina bay. As a whole, the predictive model identified 57 percent of the features also identified manually by the researcher, but the bay ranking system gives a different breakdown of how well the model worked within each category: exemplar (86 percent), less distinct (79 percent), bay-like (53 percent), and destroyed (19 percent) show significant differences. In addition to the ranking system, other attributes were assessed, such as the presence or absence of a sand rim, water visibility, overlap, diverging, long axis length and orientation. The analysis shows that the model has the potential to identify well defined bays with at least 50 percent areal coverage, and as such offers the first iteration of a computational ontology for the Carolina bays of Bladen County, North Carolina. Results from this research may provide a basis for modeling the entire range of Carolina bays, defining one of the most curious features of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and uniting differing definitions under one digital concept

Advances and challenges in targeting FGFR signalling in cancer.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors (FGFRs) regulate numerous cellular processes. Deregulation of FGFR signalling is observed in a subset of many cancers, making activated FGFRs a highly promising potential therapeutic target supported by multiple preclinical studies. However, early-phase clinical trials have produced mixed results with FGFR-targeted cancer therapies, revealing substantial complexity to targeting aberrant FGFR signalling. In this Review, we discuss the increasing understanding of the differences between diverse mechanisms of oncogenic activation of FGFR, and the factors that determine response and resistance to FGFR targeting

Next Generation Sequencing Assay for Detection of Circulating HPV DNA (cHPV-DNA) in Patients Undergoing Radical (Chemo)Radiotherapy in Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ASCC).

Background: Following chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for human papilloma virus positive (HPV+) anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC), detection of residual/recurrent disease is challenging. Patients frequently undergo unnecessary repeated biopsies for abnormal MRI/clinical findings. In a pilot study we assessed the role of circulating HPV-DNA in identifying "true" residual disease. Methods: We prospectively collected plasma samples at baseline (n = 21) and 12 weeks post-CRT (n = 17). Circulating HPV-DNA (cHPV DNA) was measured using a novel next generation sequencing (NGS) assay, panHPV-detect, comprising of two primer pools covering distinct regions of eight high-risk HPV genomes (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, and 58) to detect circulating HPV-DNA (cHPV DNA). cHPV-DNA levels post-CRT were correlated to disease response. Results: In pre-CRT samples, panHPV-detect demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for HPV associated ASCC. PanHPV-detect was able to demonstrate cHPV-DNA in 100% (9/9) patients with T1/T2N0 cancers. cHPV-DNA was detectable 12 weeks post CRT in just 2/17 patients, both of whom relapsed. 1/16 patients who had a clinical complete response (CR) at 3 months post-CRT but relapsed at 9 months and 1/1 patient with a partial response (PR). PanHPV-detect demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity in predicting response to CRT. Conclusion: We demonstrate that panHPV-detect, an NSG assay is a highly sensitive and specific test for the identification of cHPV-DNA in plasma at diagnosis. cHPV-DNA post-treatment may predict clinical response to CRT

Factors influencing the occupational aspirations of low-income Southern youth : a longitudinal study

The present longitudinal study investigated the changing importance of factors influencing the occupational aspirations of low-income Southern youth over a 10-year span. Utilizing the status attainment modelling efforts of Blau and Duncan (1967) and Sewell et al. (1969), the present study attempted to determine the explanatory power of their model when applied to the occupational aspirations of a sample of youth over time as well as the changing influence of the designated independent variables. Subjects for the study consisted of a sample (N = 544) of low-income Southern youth from rural and urban settings, who had been followed for 10 years. The total group from six Southern states (Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia) included 91 black males, 97 black females, 150 white males, and 206 white females. The basic model was examined by race and sex for each period in the study (i.e., in the preadolescent, adolescent, and post-high-school years). The basic path model included three exogenous variables (sex, family background, and race) and five intervening variables (mental ability, significant others' influence, academic motivation, and educational goals). The dependent variable, occupational aspirations, was measured in terms of the NORC (National Opinion Research Center) status continuum rating

Studies examining the anti-aging effects of fullerenes

Research on aging has been invigorated by recent findings suggesting certain mutations in various invertebrate models (yeast, worms, and flies) can slow down aging and improve healthspan. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production and manipulation of the nutrient-sensing [mammalian (originally) or mechanistic target of rapamycin] mTOR signaling pathway have all been linked to aging and age-related diseases. Thus, identifying ways to interfere in these pathways may represent a promising avenue to increase longevity and improve healthspan in mammals. Fullerenes are a class of nanomaterials best known for their ability to significantly extend mammalian lifespan and cognitive function as shown in both mice and rats. Thus, the goal of this proposal is to determine possible mechanisms of how fullerenes extend lifespan focusing on mTOR signaling pathways and anti-oxidant capabilities to slow down aging and improve healthspan

Isolation of fungal secondary metabolites: leporin B, benzoisoquinoline and related compounds

Natural products have proven to be a good source of anticancer drugs since the 1940’s. In fact, they have influenced the creation of 65% of all 246 anticancer drugs since that time. Fungi in particular provide an almost untapped source of compounds with promising bioactivity. To access compounds from natural products, an extraction and purification process using flash chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography is needed. Characterization of those compounds is done using high-resolution mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. These methods were used to isolate and characterize six known compounds that were added to an in-house database. Leporin B, leporin C, austdiol and 7-epi-austdiol were all isolated from Scytalidium cuboideum strain 68345. Leporin B has specifically proven to be effective in different aspects of research including, its effect on hexokinase II and it has shown potential as a cytotoxic compound towards cancer cells. The re-isolation of leporin B has increased the in-house supply for use in future experimentation. Through the re-isolation of leporin B, leporin C was found. Leporin C is new to natural product; however, the compound has been previously synthesized, and it only differs from the structure of leporin B by one oxygen atom. Austdiol and 7-epi-austdiol were also isolated during the search for leporin B. Fungal strain MSX74367 was also studied, and yielded, 9-O-methylbostrycoidin and 8-O-methylfusarubin. The benzoisoquinoline structure, the core structure of 9-O-methylbostrycoidin and 8-O-methylfusarubin, is new to the current in-house database of over 300 compounds isolated from fungi. Mass defect analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry were used in an effort to isolate other benzoisoquinoline type compounds through mass guided fractionation; however, the process was unsuccessful in finding additional analogues. In total, six compounds were found from two different strains of fungi, all of which were new to an in-house database. The fungus Scytalidum cuboideum, in particular, produced leporin B and leporin C, which was isolated for the first time from a natural source

Comparing two appraisal models of interest

"Interest is an emotion associated with curiosity, exploration, and knowledge-seeking (Fredrickson, 1998; Izard, 1977; Silvia, 2005a, 2005b, 2006; Tomkins, 1962). The first researchers to propose an appraisal structure of interest were Smith and Ellsworth (1985). An alternative appraisal structure of interest was proposed by Silvia (2005a, 2005b). Experiment 1 tested these competing models. Participants viewed copies of calming and disturbing classical and contemporary paintings, rated each picture for appraisals, and reported their experienced interest, pleasantness/enjoyment, and disturbingness. Experiment 2 aimed to replicate the appraisal structures for the emotion of interest and measured viewing time. Results showed (1) interest and pleasantness were unrelated; (2) novelty-complexity positively predicted interest; (3) disturbing pictures were highly interesting; (4) and viewing time positively predicted interest."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Back to the future: how future choices impact current satisfaction

Experiment 1 tested whether the number of solutions to a proposed policy that did or did not have a direct impact on participants would influence their current satisfaction. Diverse relative to limited future choices enhanced current satisfaction when they had relevance for participants; there was, however, only a tendency for the number of future choices to influence current satisfaction when the choices did not have relevance for participants. Experiment 2 further explored the influence of choice on satisfaction, tested potential underlying processes, and the influence of individual differences. Results showed that (1) people did not show a preference for diverse over limited relevant choices when the policy had a direct effect on them (relevant condition); (2) when the policy did not have a direct effect (nonrelevant condition), people did not show a preference for diverse over limited options; and (3) participants simulated a future alternative world when considering future choices

Geophysical remote sensing of North Carolina’s historic cultural landscapes: studies at house in the Horseshoe State historic site

This dissertation is written in accordance with the three article option offered by the Geography Department at UNC Greensboro. It contains three manuscripts to be submitted for publication. The articles address specific research issues within the remote sensing process described by Jensen (2016) as they apply to subsurface geophysical remote sensing of historic cultural landscapes, using the buried architectural features of House in the Horseshoe State Historic Site in Moore County, North Carolina. The first article compares instrument detection capabilities by examining subsurface structure remnants as they appear in single band ground-penetrating radar (GPR), magnetic gradiometer, magnetic susceptibility and conductivity images, and also demonstrates how excavation strengthens geophysical image interpretation. The second article examines the ability of GPR to estimate volumetric soil moisture (VSM) in order to improve the timing of data collection, and also examines the visible effect of variable moisture conditions on the interpretation of a large historic pit feature, while including the relative soil moisture continuum concepts common to geography/geomorphology into a discussion of GPR survey hydrologic conditions. The third article examines the roles of scientific visualization and cartography in the production of knowledge and the presentation of maps using geophysical data to depict historic landscapes. This study explores visualization techniques pertaining to the private data exploration view of the expert, and to the simplified public facing view