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Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines Dec 2010

Spidroin N-Terminal Domain: A Ph Sensor In The Spider Silk Assembly Process, William Gaines

All Dissertations

Spider silks are protein-based fibers with remarkable mechanical qualities. Perhaps even more impressive is the spinning process in which the spider silk proteins (spidroins) are assembled from a highly soluble storage state into a well-ordered and insoluble fiber. Indeed, the ordered arrangement of spidroins, which is endowed by the spinning process, is the basis of fiber strength. However, the forces driving fiber assembly and the mechanisms by which spidroins respond those forces are only poorly understood. Spidroins have a tripartite domain architecture consisting of a large and repetitive central domain flanked by small, non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains. Both terminal …


Understanding Gafp, A Plant Lectin With Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Activity, Alexis Nagel Dec 2010

Understanding Gafp, A Plant Lectin With Broad Spectrum Inhibitory Activity, Alexis Nagel

All Dissertations

South Carolina and Georgia are the largest peach producing regions in the Southeastern United States, generating about $60 million worth (~90,000 tons) of fruit per year on average. Peaches and other stone-fruits (Prunus sp.) can be afflicted by a variety of root-associated diseases which negatively impact annual yield and long-term tree mortality. An engineered Prunus rootstock with enhanced resistance to soil-borne pathogens would therefore be of great benefit to the Southeastern peach industry. The Gastrodia anti-fungal protein (GAFP) is a monocot mannose-binding lectin which is able to inhibit the growth of multiple species of plant pathogenic fungi. Previous findings from …


The Genetics Of Metal Uptake In Caulobacter Crescentus: Characterization Of Regulators And Identification Of Receptors, Leah Howell Dec 2010

The Genetics Of Metal Uptake In Caulobacter Crescentus: Characterization Of Regulators And Identification Of Receptors, Leah Howell

All Dissertations

Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic, Gram negative bacterium with a dimorphic lifecycle. It is a model system for cell cycle regulation and cellular development. Since C. crescentus resides primarily in freshwater, this microorganism can also serve as a model system for nutrient uptake by oligotrophic freshwater species. This study focused on TonB-dependent receptors and metal-dependent regulators in C. crescentus.
To maintain appropriate levels of iron within the cell, bacteria have evolved mechanisms to control iron uptake, storage, and use. In microbes, there are two protein families possessing members that accomplish this: Fur and Rrf2. In the C. crescentus genome, there …


Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In Porcine Gametes And Pre-Implantation Embryos, Erin Curry Dec 2010

Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In Porcine Gametes And Pre-Implantation Embryos, Erin Curry

All Dissertations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short ribonucleic acids that ultimately affect the production of proteins. Although miRNAs are involved in nearly every biological process examined to date, little is known of the identity or function of miRNA in porcine reproductive tissues or their potential involvement in reproductive processes in pigs or other species. The objective of this dissertation research was to determine the presence of miRNAs in porcine gametes and both in vivo- and in vitro- produced pre-implantation embryos and to identify differences in miRNA expression between normal and aberrant samples. Using a heterologous RT-PCR approach, we demonstrated the presence of a …


Resistance And Dna Repair Mechanisms Under Nitrosative Stress In Mammalian And Microbial Systems, Hyun-Wook Lee Dec 2010

Resistance And Dna Repair Mechanisms Under Nitrosative Stress In Mammalian And Microbial Systems, Hyun-Wook Lee

All Dissertations

Living organisms are exposed a nitrosative stress mediated by reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that can cause DNA damage and mutation. DNA base deamination is a typical damage occurred under nitrosative stress, which results in conversion of cytosine (C) to uracil (U), adenine (A) to hypoxanthine (I), and guanine (G) to xanthine (X) or oxanine (O). Base excision repair (BER) is an important pathway to remove deaminated DNA lesions in mammalian and microbial systems. My dissertation work concerns with genes and enzymes involved in resistance to nitrosative stress and DNA glycosylases in the BER pathway. In chapter one, I will briefly …


Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park Dec 2010

Nitrosative Stress And Dna Repair In Microorganisms, Sung-Hyun Park

All Dissertations

DNA can be damaged by reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI) and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) from both endogenous and exogenous sources. Under nitrosative stress conditions, DNA may be modified through base deamination or crosslinking. Uracil (U), xanthine (X) and oxanine (O), hypoxanthine (I), and thymine (T) are the corresponding deamination products derived from cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), and 5-methylcytosine, respectively. To remove DNA damage, cells are equipped with a variety of DNA repair enzymes which participate in different repair pathways.
My dissertation work involves studies of genes and enzymes in nucleotide excision repair (NER) and base excision repair (BER) …


Population Variability Of Rotylenchulus Reniformis In Cotton Agroecosystems, Megan Leach Dec 2010

Population Variability Of Rotylenchulus Reniformis In Cotton Agroecosystems, Megan Leach

All Dissertations

Rotylenchulus reniformis, reniform nematode, is a highly variable species and an economically important pest in many cotton fields across the southeast. Rotation to resistant or poor host crops is a prescribed method for management of reniform nematode. An increase in the incidence and prevalence of the nematode in the United States has been reported over the last two decades. However it is not clear whether the observed increase is related to the emergence of novel populations that are more aggressive or have a higher fitness or shifts in host availability or susceptibility. The objectives of this research were to determine …


Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller Dec 2010

Sequencing And Functional Analysis Of A Multi-Component Dioxygenase From Pah-Degrading Sphingomonas Paucimobilis Epa505, Renuka Miller

All Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic organic compounds consisting of two or more fused benzene rings. PAHs derive from many different sources including petroleum refining, wood treatment, and coal coking industries. Because of their structural stability and water insolubility, PAHs are extremely resistant to degradation. These compounds are also believed to have mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic effects. Therefore, there are currently 16 PAH compounds on the EPA's list of priority pollutants.
Many species of bacteria have the ability to breakdown these persistent pollutants. However, bioremediation strategies using these organisms have many unresolved issues. While laboratory experiments can easily demonstrate the …


Biofuel Ethanol Production By Saccharomyces Bayanus, The Champagne Yeast, Kristen Miller Dec 2010

Biofuel Ethanol Production By Saccharomyces Bayanus, The Champagne Yeast, Kristen Miller

All Theses

The importance of biofuel ethanol is growing as the demand for clean, renewable fuels produced from non-food sources increases. The United States relies mainly on corn and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the production of ethanol. A shift to cellulosic feedstocks, as the main source of biomass for ethanol production, would alleviate the pressure on farmers to produce corn for both the food industry and the ethanol industry. Example cellulosic feedstocks include switchgrass, sorghum, and canary grass. The cellulosic feedstocks are typically grown on land that cannot support economic food production, and thus lay unused.
For cellulosic feedstocks to be …


Bovine Colostrum, Mary Hayes Dec 2010

Bovine Colostrum, Mary Hayes

All Theses

Colostrum is the first milk produced by mammals within a 24 to 72 hour period after parturition. Bovine colostrum is sold commercially as a nutraceutical product and its manufacturers purport numerous health benefits of the product for treating gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory tract disorders, viral and bacterial infections, and promoting tissue repair.
Four commercially available colostrum products, two whey, and one non-fat dry milk were obtained on separate days. These products were analyzed for fat, protein, ash, moisture and dry matter content. One colostrum product did not adhere to label claims in that it contained a mean of 19.1% fat whereas …


In Vitro Boosting And Expansion Of Tumor Infiltrating Killer T Cells, Chunlei Mei Dec 2010

In Vitro Boosting And Expansion Of Tumor Infiltrating Killer T Cells, Chunlei Mei

All Theses

Immune cell tumor infiltration represents one of the mechanisms that the immune system responds to tumor cells. The tumor infiltrated immune cells include lymphocytes (TIL), dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and natural killer (NK) cells. Although TILs have been extensively studied in order to develop adoptive transfer based immunotherapies, how to effectively isolate, culture, and in vitro boosting the killer cells from TILs remains a challenge. Meanwhile, OK-432, a heat and penicillin-treated lyophilized preparation of the low-virulence strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, has been shown to exhibit immunomodulatory activities and potential antitumor therapeutic function, including the activation of DCs, neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, …


Two-Year Growth And Mortality Of Sub-Canopy Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum [L.] Rich.) In Artificial Canopy Gaps In A North Carolina Swamp, William Degravelles Dec 2010

Two-Year Growth And Mortality Of Sub-Canopy Baldcypress (Taxodium Distichum [L.] Rich.) In Artificial Canopy Gaps In A North Carolina Swamp, William Degravelles

All Theses

Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum, [L.] Rich.) -tupelo (Nyssa spp.) swamp forests are a major component of the total area of southeastern U.S. forested wetlands which provide valuable ecosystem services related to water quality, stormwater catchment, and wildlife habitat. Historically, baldcypress has also been an important source of wood products, and clearcutting the principal method of harvesting and regenerating the species. However, anthropogenic alterations to flows of many rivers and the associated flood patterns of alluvial wetlands have prevented the establishment of new baldcypress cohorts in many swamps. Regular, extended growing season flooding could prevent germination and/or establishment of baldcypress seedlings if …


Measuring Menu Performance By Plate Waste Analysis: An Evaluation Of An Acute Care Facility's Spoken Word Liberalized Menu, Megan Sargeant Dec 2010

Measuring Menu Performance By Plate Waste Analysis: An Evaluation Of An Acute Care Facility's Spoken Word Liberalized Menu, Megan Sargeant

All Theses

The Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown Hospital has recently changed their menus to offer meals in which the entrŽes are liberalized when possible. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a newly introduced menu cycle in an acute-care facility foodservice system featuring a spoken word liberalized menu. Plate waste analysis was done by weighed measurements, using visual measurements when absolutes were observed (all or none). Performance of the menu was assessed with weighed plate waste analysis to determine weight of food consumed, energy consumed, and cost of food wasted. Meal consumption averaged 56% of the meal …


Femoral Loading Mechanics In Virginia Opossums (Didelphis Virginiana): Torsion And Mediolateral Bending In Mammalian Parasagittal Locomotion, William Gosnell Dec 2010

Femoral Loading Mechanics In Virginia Opossums (Didelphis Virginiana): Torsion And Mediolateral Bending In Mammalian Parasagittal Locomotion, William Gosnell

All Theses

Studies of limb bone loading in terrestrial mammals have typically found anteroposterior bending to be the primary loading regime, with torsion contributing minimally. However, previous studies have focused on large, cursorial eutherian species in which the limbs are held essentially upright. Recent in vivo strain data from the Virginia opossum Didelphis virginiana, a marsupial that uses a crouched rather than upright limb posture, have indicated that its femur experiences moderate torsion during locomotion as well as strong mediolateral bending. The elevated femoral torsion and strong mediolateral bending observed in opossums (compared to other mammals) might result from external forces such …


Development Of A Carbohydrate Microarray System And A Microcantilever-Based Biosensor For Detection Of Target Bacteria, Yunyan Cheng Dec 2010

Development Of A Carbohydrate Microarray System And A Microcantilever-Based Biosensor For Detection Of Target Bacteria, Yunyan Cheng

All Theses

The increasing number of disease outbreaks results in a demand for novel pathogen detectors. Carbohydrates serving as receptors for pathogen lectins have become the focus of such research. Two primary sugars, ‡-D-mannose and ‡-L-fucose, as receptors for Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively, are of great interest to researchers due to their high affinity. These interactions can be studied using carbohydrate microarrays, which are also suitable platforms for detecting bacterial pathogens. In addition, carbohydrates have the potential to act as sensing molecules in microcantilever-based biosensors. The goal of this research was to design a carbohydrate microarray system to study the …


Development, Characterization, And Technical Applications Of An Atlantic Killifish Ahr-2 Specific Monoclonal Antibody (Mab 5b6), Josephine Wojdylo Dec 2010

Development, Characterization, And Technical Applications Of An Atlantic Killifish Ahr-2 Specific Monoclonal Antibody (Mab 5b6), Josephine Wojdylo

All Theses

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) functions as a ligand-activated transcription factor normally found in the cytoplasmic compartment of cells held by chaperones and immunophilin-like proteins. Ligand binding dissociates the AhR/ligand from chaperone proteins, allowing translocation to the nucleus with subsequent transcription of a suite of responsive genes, most notably Phase I, II, and III drug metabolism genes. Select environmental contaminants such as co-planar PCBs, planar polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) are potent AhR agonists, with 2,3,7,8 -tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) being one of the most potent. Adverse effects of exposure to these potent environmental AhR ligands include immune suppression, …


A Re-Examination Of Diplectrona Modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Using Morphological And Molecular Techniques, Lauren Harvey Dec 2010

A Re-Examination Of Diplectrona Modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Using Morphological And Molecular Techniques, Lauren Harvey

All Theses

Diplectrona modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) is a common inhabitant of streams across eastern North America. This species is well known and used often in biomonitoring studies. Experts in the field have long noted the morphological variation in larval head color and patterns as well as the species presence in many different types of habitats, such as springs, seeps, streams, and some small rivers. This study examines the species both morphologically and molecularly using mitochondrial and nuclear genes in order to determine if the species is a complex of several species or one highly variable species. DNA sequencing using the …


Isolation, Characterization And Application Of Bacteriophage To Treat Hydrogen Sulfide Producing Bacteria In Raw Animal Materials Destined For The Rendering Process, Chao Gong Dec 2010

Isolation, Characterization And Application Of Bacteriophage To Treat Hydrogen Sulfide Producing Bacteria In Raw Animal Materials Destined For The Rendering Process, Chao Gong

All Theses

In the United States, billions of pounds of animal by-products are generated by the food processing industry every year. Hydrogen sulfide producing bacteria (SPB) can utilize the sulfur-containing proteins and amino acids in the raw animal materials destined for the rendering process to produce harmful hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas rapidly under the ambient conditions, resulting in hazardous working environments and inferior quality of finished products. In this study, the application of bacteriophage was explored as an effective solution for the elimination of H2S production in the rendering industry. The objectives of this study were to: 1) isolate and characterize strains …


Shelf Life Studies On Processed Peaches, Divija Unhale Dec 2010

Shelf Life Studies On Processed Peaches, Divija Unhale

All Theses

A series of experiments were conducted on the preservation of fresh peaches using freezing and heat (hot-filled packaging). In the first experiment, the effects of four calcium salts (calcium chloride, calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium phosphate) on the texture of processed peach slices were determined. Peach slices were immersed in solutions containing dissolved calcium salts at levels of 0.5, 1 and 2 % for 1 minute then stored at 4 ¡C for 3 days. Treatments with calcium salts were firmer than non calcium treated peach slices at all levels. Calcium lactate at 2 % level was best in terms of …


Response Of Warm Season Turfgrasses To Reduced Light Environments, Jeffrey Atkinson Dec 2010

Response Of Warm Season Turfgrasses To Reduced Light Environments, Jeffrey Atkinson

All Theses

Shade or low light tolerance is an increasingly important issue to turf managers as they are often expected to grow turf in less than ideal agronomic conditions. As permanent structures such as residential buildings add to already problematic shade caused by trees, and other barriers, new solutions are needed to help turf managers provide acceptable turf conditions. The plant growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl (TE) can lessen negative responses of turfgrass to shade.
Two experiments were conducted during the summers of 2008 and 2009 to evaluate various grasses under a reduced light environment (RLE). In the first study, performance of `Diamond' zoysiagrass …


Evaluation And Adjustment Of Usda Wasde Cotton Forecasts, David Tysinger Dec 2010

Evaluation And Adjustment Of Usda Wasde Cotton Forecasts, David Tysinger

All Theses

The dynamic and volatile nature of agricultural markets causes individuals to rely on forecasts in their decision-making. WASDE cotton forecasts are shown to be especially volatile as cotton is one of the most trade dependent commodities in the world. Therefore, its evaluation requires us to look beyond U.S. WASDE categories and evaluate forecasts for China and the World.
This study will use data from monthly WASDE balance sheets for upland cotton for the U.S, China and World over 1985/1986 through 2008/2009 including unpublished price forecasts. The results of this study will provide information that can be used to improve the …


Chemical Composition And Antioxidant Properties Of Maya Nut (Brosimum Alicastrum), Hatice Kubra Tokpunar Dec 2010

Chemical Composition And Antioxidant Properties Of Maya Nut (Brosimum Alicastrum), Hatice Kubra Tokpunar

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Maya nut was investigated in term of its moisture, ash content, antioxidant activities, phenolic components by high pressure liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) and fatty acid composition by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results showed that Maya nut was mainly composed of 55.06% linoleic acid (C18:2 n6), 27.2% palmitic acid (C16:0), 6.26% stearic acid (C18:0), 9.9% linolenic acid (C18:3 n3), and 3.36% Cis-11-Eicosenoic (C20:1). Maya nut possesses a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (linoleic and linolenic acid), but lower content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) than canola oil and olive oil. The antioxidant capacities and total phenolic …


Characterization Of Transgenic Plum Lines Expressing Gastrodia Antifungal Protein (Gafp)-1, Hetalben Kalariya Dec 2010

Characterization Of Transgenic Plum Lines Expressing Gastrodia Antifungal Protein (Gafp)-1, Hetalben Kalariya

All Theses

The Gastrodia antifungal protein (GAFP-1) is a mannose-binding lectin originating from the Asiatic orchid Gastrodia elata. It has potential for conferring resistance to fungal and non-fungal pathogens in other plants which is currently being investigated. The goals of this research project were to determine (i) the potential movement of GAFP-1 protein from transgenic rootstocks into the non-transgenic scion of chimeric-grafted trees (ii) the levels of GAFP-1 protein in lines of the cultivar Bluebyrd expressing the gene gafp-1 under the control of the polyubiquitin promoter bul409, and (iii) the susceptibility of selected lines to the root pathogens Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands and …


Effect Of Crust Freezing On The Quality And Survival Of Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Typhimurium In Raw Poultry Products, Byron Chaves-Elizondo Dec 2010

Effect Of Crust Freezing On The Quality And Survival Of Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Typhimurium In Raw Poultry Products, Byron Chaves-Elizondo

All Theses

Industry has widely used freezing as a strategy to halt pathogen growth and more recently, crust freezing has been suggested as a means to improve mechanical operations, quality, and safety of poultry products. Two separate studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of crust freezing (20 min, -85 ¡C) on the survival of Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium and on quality and shelf life of raw chicken breasts, with or without skin. For the first study, ampicillin-resistant E. coli JM 109 and nalidixic acid-resistant S. Typhimurium were used in the experiments. A set of cultures was subjected to cold-shock stress …


Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle Dec 2010

Successional Vegetation In The Jocassee Gorges, South Carolina, Maxwell Boyle

All Dissertations

Multifactor ecosystem classification systems provide a three-pronged approach to identifying site units across the landscape based on repeating patterns of vegetation, soil, and geomorphology. Ecosystem classification models have been developed for a diversity of forest landscapes throughout North America, and are beneficial as an ecosystem management tool because the outcome yields data models that can be utilized by scientists and natural resource managers alike. In contrast to the enormous amount of classification studies undertaken in relatively stable, older-aged forests in eastern North America, there have been few studies that have employed multifactor classification techniques across a successional gradient, or heavily …


Development And Characterization Of Novel Sub-Coatings With Polymorphic Brookite Titania Nanoparticles: Enhanced Uv/Vis Photocatalytic Antibacterial And Anticancer Properties, Donna Weinbrenner Dec 2010

Development And Characterization Of Novel Sub-Coatings With Polymorphic Brookite Titania Nanoparticles: Enhanced Uv/Vis Photocatalytic Antibacterial And Anticancer Properties, Donna Weinbrenner

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Nosocomial and community infections and biofilm formation from bacteria has increased significantly through adaptation combined with overuse of broad spectrum antibiotics. Because the world population continues to escalate, hospitals and long-term managed care will also escalate, thereby increasing transmission of infections, lowering patients' quality of health. Another disease on the rise throughout the world is skin cancer. A treatment modality that would cause less deleterious effects on the patient would be ideal. These two seemingly different issues could be solved with one product. First an inexpensive, safe, and non-selective antimicrobial surface coating would enhance the hospital arena and a …


Genomic Tools Development For Aquilegia: Construction Of A Bac-Based Physical Map, Guang-Chen Fang, Barbara P. Blackmon, David C. Henry, Margaret E. Staton, Christopher Saski, Scott A. Hodges, Jeff P. Tomkins, Hong Luo Nov 2010

Genomic Tools Development For Aquilegia: Construction Of A Bac-Based Physical Map, Guang-Chen Fang, Barbara P. Blackmon, David C. Henry, Margaret E. Staton, Christopher Saski, Scott A. Hodges, Jeff P. Tomkins, Hong Luo

Publications

The genus Aquilegia, consisting of approximately 70 taxa, is a member of the basal eudicot lineage, Ranuculales, which is evolutionarily intermediate between monocots and core eudicots, and represents a relatively unstudied clade in the angiosperm phylogenetic tree that bridges the gap between these two major plant groups. Aquilegia species are closely related and their distribution covers highly diverse habitats. These provide rich resources to better understand the genetic basis of adaptation to different pollinators and habitats that in turn leads to rapid speciation. To gain insights into the genome structure and facilitate gene identification, comparative genomics and whole-genome shotgun …


2009 South Carolina Water Use, Alexander P. Butler Oct 2010

2009 South Carolina Water Use, Alexander P. Butler

S.C. Water Resources Conference

2010 South Carolina Water Resource Conference. Informing strategic water planning to address natural resource, community and economic challenges.


Ground-Water Availability In The Atlantic Coastal Plain Of North And South Carolina, Bruce Campbell, Matt Petkewich, Alissa Coes, Jason Fine Oct 2010

Ground-Water Availability In The Atlantic Coastal Plain Of North And South Carolina, Bruce Campbell, Matt Petkewich, Alissa Coes, Jason Fine

S.C. Water Resources Conference

2010 South Carolina Water Resource Conference. Informing strategic water planning to address natural resource, community and economic challenges.


Investigation Of Water Quality In The Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (Ace) Basin Nerr: A Gis Approach, Jordan Felber, Larissa M. Brock, Derk Bergquist, Dianne Greenfield, Charles Keppler Oct 2010

Investigation Of Water Quality In The Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (Ace) Basin Nerr: A Gis Approach, Jordan Felber, Larissa M. Brock, Derk Bergquist, Dianne Greenfield, Charles Keppler

S.C. Water Resources Conference

2010 South Carolina Water Resource Conference. Informing strategic water planning to address natural resource, community and economic challenges.