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The Evolution Of Leaf Anatomy In Badiera (Polygalaceae), Laura Brauer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Elucidating The Biochemical Wizardry Of Triterpene Metabolism In Botroycoccus Braunii, Thomas Daniel Niehaus

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

B. braunii is a green alga that has attracted attention as a potential renewable fuel source due to its high oil content and the archeological record of its unique contribution to oil and coal shales. Three extant chemotypes of B. braunii have been described, namely race A, race B, and race L, which accumulate alkadienes and alkatrienes, botryococcene and squalene and their methylated derivatives, and lycopadiene, respectively. The methylated triterpenes, particularly botryococcenes, produced by race B can be efficiently converted to high quality combustible fuels and other petrochemicals; however, botryococcene biosynthesis has remained enigmatic.

It has been suggested that botryococcene …

Molecular And Chemical Dissection Of Cellulose Biosynthesis In Plants, Darby M. Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Plant cell walls are complex structures that must not only constrain cellular turgor pressure but also allow for structural modification during the dynamic processes of cell division and anisotropic expansion. Cell walls are composed of highly glycosylated proteins and polysaccharides, including pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose. The primary cell wall polysaccharide is cellulose, a polymer composed of high molecular weight !- 1,4-glucan chains. Although cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on Earth, there is still a lot to learn about its biosynthesis and regulation. This research began by applying a variety of analytical techniques in an attempt to understand differences in …

Functional Characterization Of Wd Repeat Proteins, Atcstf50 And Atfy In Cleavage And Polyadenylation, Lavanya Dampanaboina

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Polyadenylation is an essential post-transcriptional modification resulting in a mature mRNA in eukaryotes. Three cis-elements the Far Upstream Element (FUE), Near Upstream Element (NUE), and Cleavage Site (CS) - guide the process of cleavage and polyadenylation with the help of multi-subunit protein complexes cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF), cleavage stimulation factor (CstF) along with cleavage factors and poly(A) polymerase. Protein-protein interactions play an important role in the cleavage and polyadenylation process. WD repeat proteins play an important role in protein-protein interactions and have diverse functions in plant system. In the present study WD repeat proteins AtCstF50 and AtFY were …

The Relationships Between Optimism And Pessimism And Burnout In Youth Soccer Players, Brandy A. Rentz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sport related burnout has become a concern for many athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists. Although burnout in sport is receiving more attention, the research still remains relatively limited (Capel, 1986; Dale & Weinberg, 1990; Fender, 1989; Gould, Udry, Tuffey, & Loehr, 1996). Dale and Weinberg (1990) indicated a need for future research concerning the identification of characteristics that may predispose athletes to burnout. No past research was found that investigated the relationship between optimism/pessimism and sport burnout. The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationships between optimism and pessimism with burnout. A secondary purpose was to determine …

Evaluation Of A Biopesticide Against Invasive Species For Native Species Restoration, Denise Ann Mayer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since their introduction in the 1980s, dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis) rapidly spread throughout North America and have had severe impacts on the ecology of freshwater ecosystems. A project was initiated in the early 1990s at the New York State Museum's Field Research Laboratory to discover and develop natural products to control industrial biofouling by dreissenid mussels. A strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf-CL145A), isolated from the sediment of a North American river, was found to be effective at killing dreissenids. The strain was patented for this use.

Advanced Statistical Methods For Biochemical And Forensic Applications Of Raman Spectroscopy, Vitali Sikirzhytski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This work is dedicated to the development and application of advanced statistical methods for biochemical and forensic applications of Raman spectroscopy. We developed a new concept of multidimensional Raman signatures for forensic identification of body fluid traces, which was successfully applied to the study of dried blood, semen, saliva, sweat and vaginal fluid stains. Several alternative advanced chemometric techniques were also successfully tested for the problems of pure body fluids discrimination and mixture analysis. Studies of body fluid mixtures with low blood and semen concentrations indicated that the detection limit of a minor contributor was as low as a few …

Cloning, Expression Analysis, And Transformation Vector Construction Of Dam Homologs In Peach And Poplar, Yuhui Xie

All Theses

Genetic fine mapping and sequencing of the EVG locus in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] identified six tandem arrayed Dormancy-Associated MADS-box (DAM) genes as candidates for regulating growth cessation and terminal bud formation in the non-dormant evergrowing (evg) mutant. Since the mutant is lacking expression of six genes in the mapped locus, further functional analysis is needed to narrow the list of gene candidates for the non-dormant evg phenotype. Here I report three sets of experiments designed to functionally test DAM genes in peach and their homologs in a model tree, hybrid poplar.
First I constructed overexpression and knockdown vectors …

The Effect Of Core Strength On Long Distance Running Performance, Megan A. Cleveland

WWU Graduate School Collection

Training the core has become a topic of interest to athletes, health professionals, coaches and researchers. Core training may be an important supplementation to exercise programs. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an eight week core exercise program on core function and half marathon run time in long distance runners. METHODS: Twenty-four well-trained distance runners were recruited from local running clubs to participate in this training study. Participants ran an average of 20 miles per week and were randomly assigned to the treatment group, receiving core exercises or the control group. McGill's four core …

Changes In Macromoth Community Structure Following Deforestation In Western Washington State, Matthew R. Fisher

WWU Graduate School Collection

Timber management, especially clear-cut logging, dramatically alters forest ecosystems. In temperate conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, succession following deforestation is a slow process, lasting several decades for early and mid-successional stages and several hundred years for late maturity and old growth stages. Despite the history of logging in the region and the importance of these forests to wildlife, it is not well understood how animal communities respond to forest disturbance, particularly over successional gradients. In this study, I examined the response of macromoth communities to habitat change in western Washington State by sampling moths along a chronosequence of previously-logged …

Iron And Manganese Reduction In Bering Sea Shelf Sediments, Margaret E.S. Esch

WWU Graduate School Collection

The southeastern Bering Sea is known for high levels of primary productivity, which is iron-limited in off-shore waters. The sedimentary reduction of iron and manganese oxides can be significant pathways of organic matter oxidation in marine sediments, and may influence patterns of primary production in surface waters. The goal of this research was to investigate patterns of Fe and Mn reduction rates across the shelf of the southeastern Bering Sea, and to assess the relative importance of these pathways in sedimentary organic matter remineralization. During the spring and summer of 2009, sediment samples were collected from 36 locations across the …

The Effects Of A Goal Setting Program On The Exercise Commitment And Fitness Levels Of University Students, Rahmin Buckman

WWU Graduate School Collection

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects a goal setting program had on exercise commitment and aerobic fitness among university students. Obesity and a lack of sufficient physical activity continue to be a problematic and increasing epidemic in the United States. Some theorists have utilized goal setting as an intervention to increase commitment effectiveness of exercise participants. In the current study, a two-way between-within experimental design was utilized involving two separate physical education activity classes (beginning jogging) at Western Washington University. One of the classes (experimental group) underwent a goal setting program consisting of educational, constructive, …

Leadership Characteristics Of Successful Ncaa Division I Track And Field Head Coaches, Brian M. (Brian Matthew) Zuleger

WWU Graduate School Collection

The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership characteristics of successful NCAA Division I track and field head coaches through specific elements of leadership and coaching. The elements include integrity, communication, understanding of human behavior, knowledge of sport, commitment, styles, team building, team cohesion, and gender differences and the role they play in contributing to the development of a student-athlete's athletic and academic performance. This study utilized an inductive content analysis of coach case interviews. The in-depth interviews of 10 successful NCAA Division I track and field head coaches consisted of probing questions regarding the coaches' perception, insights, …

Postactivation Potentiation: Predictors In Ncaa Division Ii Varsity Track And Field Power Athletes, Alexander Harrison

WWU Graduate School Collection

Postactivation potentiation (PAP) is the phenomenon in which a highly trained power athlete may be able to obtain a higher rate of force development (RFD) and greater power performance following a heavy muscular loading stimulus. Research on the mechanisms of PAP indicate that it may be caused by myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation due to intramuscular calcium saturation during intense contraction. For PAP to be used effectively in actual performances, guidelines for its use need to be developed. This study examined the predictors of PAP, hypothesized as relative strength (REL), absolute strength (ABS), initial reactive strength index (PreRSI), and initial …

Biodiversity And Emerging Biogeography Of The Neutrophilic Iron-Oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria, Sean M. Mcallister

WWU Graduate School Collection

Members of the neutrophilic iron-oxidizing candidate class "Zetaproteobacteria" have predominantly been found at sites of microbially mediated iron oxidation in marine environments around the Pacific Ocean. Eighty-four full-length (>1,400 bp) and forty-eight partial-length Zetaproteobacteria small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequences from five novel clone libraries, one novel Zetaproteobacteria isolate, and the GenBank database were analyzed to assess the biodiversity of this burgeoning class of the Proteobacteria and to investigate its biogeography between three major sampling regions in the Pacific Ocean: Loihi Seamount, the Southern Mariana Trough, and the Tonga Arc. Sequences were grouped into operational taxonomic units …

The Effects Of A Life Skills Program On The Social And Academic Performance Of Freshman Student-Athletes, Catherine N. (Catherine Nicole) Rasnack

WWU Graduate School Collection

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in a Life Skills program for freshman student-athletes on academic and social performance. Subjects (n = 38) were freshman student-athletes participating in varsity athletics at Western Washington University during Fall Quarter 2010. The treatment group (n = 21) met for one hour, twice a week and completed a Life Skills Seminar Course (LSSC) designed and taught by the researcher. Subjects completed both the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) and the College Self-Efficacy Inventory (CSEI) at the beginning and conclusion of the course. A two-way ANOVA between-within was …

The Effects Of Inspiratory Muscle Training On Anaerobic Power In Trained Cyclists, Courtenay Mcfadden

WWU Graduate School Collection

The current study was conducted to determine if inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has an effect on anaerobic power during the final sprint phase of a time trial in trained cyclists. Twenty three trained cyclists were included in the data and were randomly assigned to one of two groups, a training or placebo group. Each group performed IMT, but the training group performed at 85% of their maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) while the placebo group trained at 15%. MIP was measured pre and post training. One 15 km time trial was performed pre and post IMT. Heart rate (HR), ratings of …

The Effects Of Environmental Stressors On Oxidant Accumulation By Ulvoid Algae And The Impacts Of Hydrogen Peroxide On Larval Metacarcinus Magister Survival And Development, David H. Van Hees

WWU Graduate School Collection

Current global conditions are leading to increased numbers of harmful macroalgal blooms, which have detrimental effects on the ecosystems in which they occur. Macroalgae produce harmful chemicals such as ROS (reactive oxygen species) and dopamine. These chemicals may be produced in high quantities in response to environmental stresses, such as increasing water temperature, emersion, hypoxia, and then subsequently introduced into the aquatic environment. In Washington State, little work has been done to quantify ROS accumulation by macroalgae, or investigate oxidant impacts on invertebrates. This project investigated the impacts of environmental (emersion, water temperature, hypoxia) and chemical (dopamine) stressors on oxidant …

Mathematical Modeling Of Clostridium Thermocellum’S Metabolic Responses To Environmental Perturbation, Bless Adotey

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic anaerobe that is capable of producing ethanol directly from lignocellulosic compounds, however this organism suffers from low ethanol tolerance and low ethanol yields. In vivo mathematical modeling studies based on steady state traditional metabolic flux analysis, metabolic control analysis, transient and steady states’ flux spectrum analysis (FSA) were conducted on C. thermocellum’s central metabolism. The models were developed in Matrix Laboratory software ( MATLAB^® (The Language of Technical Computing), R2008b, Version 7.7.0.471)) based on known stoichiometry from C. thermocellum pathway and known physical constraints. Growth on cellobiose from Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) and Metabolic …

Comparing The Effects Of Ten Weeks Of Equipped Vs. Non-Equipped Training On Performance In Collegiate Powerlifters, Travis Michael Godawa

LSU Master's Theses

Advances in powerlifting equipment have enabled athletes in that sport to achieve lifts once thought impossible. The effect of training using specialized powerlifting gear on performance has not yet been studied. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of powerlifting equipment on performance measures before and after 10 weeks of training. It was hypothesized that equipped lifters would achieve higher total training volumes and greater performance gains in the squat, bench press, and deadlift. METHODS: Eighteen powerlifters between the ages of 18 and 26 were randomized into either a group that trained and competed in equipment (Eq), or trained and competed without …