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2011 Summary Report On Institutional Effectiveness, Clemson University Aug 2011

2011 Summary Report On Institutional Effectiveness, Clemson University

Institutional Effectiveness Reports

No abstract provided.

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Influence Of Natural Organic Matter On Plutonium Sorption To Gibbsite, Laura Simpkins Aug 2011

Influence Of Natural Organic Matter On Plutonium Sorption To Gibbsite, Laura Simpkins

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Understanding plutonium geochemical behavior is imperative to the development of schemes for remediation of plutonium environmental contamination and accurate assessment of risks posed by the disposal of plutonium bearing wastes. The primary mechanism of plutonium mobility in the environment is subsurface transport. The mobility of plutonium is significantly influenced by redox and complexation reactions. Although the effects of surface mediated redox reactions on plutonium's subsurface mobility have been previously documented, little has been done to determine the impact of organic materials on sorption behavior and oxidation states. To adequately predict the behavior of plutonium in the environment, the influence of …

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Thermal Destruction Of Geobacillus Stearothermophilus In Rendered Animal Co-Products, Yubo Zhang Aug 2011

Thermal Destruction Of Geobacillus Stearothermophilus In Rendered Animal Co-Products, Yubo Zhang

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The non-pathogenic, heat stabile organism Geobacillus stearothermophilus was used during thermal death time testing of rendered poultry materials from three different rendering plants. G. stearothermophilus is an endospore–forming, Gram positive, thermophilic bacterium that is commonly used in the canning industry. A modification of the method of Kim and Naylor (1966) was used to prepare a G. stearothermophilus spore suspension. Uninoculated and inoculated rendering samples containing 50% fat and rendered crax were prepared. Lecithin and 2,3,5–triphenyl–2H–tetrazolium chloride (TTC) were used during sample enumeration to emulsify the high fat samples and to aid in detection of colonies, respectively. Commercial rendering cookers are …

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An Investigation Into Segmenting Traffic Images Using Various Types Of Graph Cuts, Jonathan Dinger Aug 2011

An Investigation Into Segmenting Traffic Images Using Various Types Of Graph Cuts, Jonathan Dinger

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In computer vision, graph cuts are a way of segmenting an image into multiple areas. Graphs are built using one node for each pixel in the image combined with two extra nodes, known as the source and the sink. Each node is connected to several other nodes using edges, and each edge has a specific weight. Using different weighting schemes, different segmentations can be performed based on the properties used to create the weights. The cuts themselves are performed using an implementation of a solution to the maximum flow problem, which is then changed into a minimum cut according to …

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Determination Of Freshwater Algal Biomass And Sulfolipid Content As Functions Of Inorganic Carbon Treatment, Melissa Morella Aug 2011

Determination Of Freshwater Algal Biomass And Sulfolipid Content As Functions Of Inorganic Carbon Treatment, Melissa Morella

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Cultures of mixed freshwater algae were grown in open batch reactors made up of modified BG-11 media that contained 0, 25, 50 or 100% of the suggested inorganic carbon content (0, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.2 g/L Na2CO3) to assess the subsequent production of the high-value product, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG). After 25 days of growth, the reactors were composed of primarily Oscillatoria growth. All four reactors exhibited a trend of increasing biomass and alkalinity with time, and an initial increase then decrease in pH. The total inorganic carbon (TIC) in all reactors exhibited a mirrored, opposite trend …

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Influence Of Environmental Conditions On Biofilm Formation Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Jing Li Aug 2011

Influence Of Environmental Conditions On Biofilm Formation Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Jing Li

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L. monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium, ubiquitously distributed in the environment. It is the etiologic agent of listeriosis, a food-borne disease affecting humans and a variety of vertebrates. L. monocytogenes can form biofilm which is a multi-cellular layer of adherent bacteria surrounded by an extracellular polysaccharide matrix. Biofilm bacteria are extremely resistant to sanitizers and are difficult to be eradicated, therefore posing a big challenge to food processing industry and food service department.
In this work, we tested the biofilm formation in a number of L. monocytogenes serotypes under different environmental conditions, such as temperatures, pH and media (BHI, LB, …

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Combining Procedural And Hand Modeling Techniques For Creating Animated Digital 3d Natural Environments, Hubert Smith Aug 2011

Combining Procedural And Hand Modeling Techniques For Creating Animated Digital 3d Natural Environments, Hubert Smith

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This thesis focuses on a systematic solution for rendering 3D photorealistic natural environments using Maya's procedural methods and ZBrush. The methods used in this thesis started with comparing two industry specific procedural applications, Vue and Maya's Paint Effects, to determine which is better suited for applying animated procedural effects with the highest level of fidelity and expandability. Generated objects from Paint Effects contained the highest potential through object attributes, texturing and lighting. To optimize results further, compatibility with sculpting programs such as ZBrush are required to sculpt higher levels of detail. The final combination workflow produces results used in the …

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Nr1l: A Novel Nuclear Receptor Group Activated By Juvenile Hormone Analogs, Yangchun Li Aug 2011

Nr1l: A Novel Nuclear Receptor Group Activated By Juvenile Hormone Analogs, Yangchun Li

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Annotation of the Daphnia pulex nuclear receptors revealed a novel group of three receptors designated NR1L, and named HR97a/b/g because of their similarity to the HR96 receptors involved in xenobiotic detection. We cloned and sequenced the three receptors from a related species often used in aquatic toxicology studies, Daphnia magna, and then analyzed their genomic structure and conducted phylogenetic studies. Phylogenetic studies confirmed that the HR97s do form a distinct group with HR97g being the precursor of HR97a and b. They also confirmed that the HR97 receptors are related to the HR96 (NR1J) receptors, and the VDR/CAR/PXR (NR1I) group. Mining …

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Risks Posed To Drinking Water Aquifers Due To Leakage Of Dissolved Co2 In Improperly Abandoned Wellbores, Kirk Ellison Aug 2011

Risks Posed To Drinking Water Aquifers Due To Leakage Of Dissolved Co2 In Improperly Abandoned Wellbores, Kirk Ellison

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In order to ensure safe long-term storage of carbon dioxide in geologic formations, the risks posed by improperly abandoned wells must be understood and minimalized. In addition to supercritical and gaseous CO2, brine containing dissolved CO2 poses a leakage risk. CO2 dissolution in brine leads to denser brine and better long-term storage security, but its leakage risk is not zero. Under specific circumstances with formation overpressure or overlying aquifer drawdown, dissolved brine can flow up improperly abandoned wells where it can potentially enter and contaminate drinking water aquifers. The possibility that depressurization in the wellbore may cause CO2 exsolution from …

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The Dark Continent: Europe's Encroachment Upon English Identity In Jane Eyre And Villette, Derek Williams Aug 2011

The Dark Continent: Europe's Encroachment Upon English Identity In Jane Eyre And Villette, Derek Williams

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ABSTRACT
Although there has been a deafening critical silence regarding Charlotte Bront‘'s representation of Continental identity in Jane Eyre (1847), this thesis argues that the Continental identity, as it appears in Jane Eyre, is a collection of negative cultural traits stereotypical of the Latinate countries and Germany. By creating associations between characters that embody English national identity and those that are an emblem of Continental identity, Bront‘ de-legitimizes the notion of national identity. Furthermore, her novels, specifically Jane Eyre and Villette (1853) highlight the fact that both France and Germany, elements of the Continental identity, are a central presence in …

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Substrate Topography Design And Fabrication For Osteoblast And Dental Pulp Stem Cells Studies, Gloria Chen Aug 2011

Substrate Topography Design And Fabrication For Osteoblast And Dental Pulp Stem Cells Studies, Gloria Chen

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Research for cell guidance based tissue engineering has rapidly grown due to the increasing interest in tissue engineering and reconstructive medicine applications, such as cranial reconstruction. Many research teams have begun the process of identifying what factors influence cell behavior (including cell growth, proliferation, alignment and spreading). Published studies have pointed to the influence of the cell medial pH, substrate stiffness, chemistry and topography. Conclusive results are often hard to identify since researchers often vary many of these factors simultaneously and it is hard to decouple individual factor influence. These reports also points out that the cellular response can be …

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Assessing The Influence Of Hemlock Mortality On Streams Due To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation, Celestine Che Aug 2011

Assessing The Influence Of Hemlock Mortality On Streams Due To Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Infestation, Celestine Che

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For the past 30 years eastern hemlock forests in the US have been declining rapidly due to damage caused by a destructive exotic insect pest, the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Homoptera: Adelgidae), a native of the Far East. The impact of the loss of hemlocks, which occur naturally in cool hillside and ravine environments along streams, is poorly understood. The loss of these trees has the potential to cause significant environmental disturbance by changing energy inputs into streams, stream microclimates, and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities.
In May 2009, after hemlock mortality due to A. tsugae was already severe, I …

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Analysis Of Dna Methylation Differerences Between High And Low Chill Peach (Prunus Persica [L. Batsch]), Sherri Hughes-Murphree Aug 2011

Analysis Of Dna Methylation Differerences Between High And Low Chill Peach (Prunus Persica [L. Batsch]), Sherri Hughes-Murphree

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Chilling requirement is a critically important phenological trait that controls the timing of vegetative bud break and floral bloom, and impacts the climatic distribution of temperate tree species. However, the molecular basis of the chilling requirement trait is not well understood. Analysis of chilling requirement QTL from peach and apricot has detected numerous genes known to modulate DNA and histone methylation pathways. Evidence from other plant systems suggests these types of epigenetic mechanisms may play a role in temperature-modulated plant developmental responses.
For this study, DNA from vegetative buds of overwintering peach trees was examined for changes in methylation status …

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Evaluating Nature Of Expenditures And Economic Impact Of Tourism Spending On Nature-Based Activities In South Carolina Coastal Economies, Alexis Imler Aug 2011

Evaluating Nature Of Expenditures And Economic Impact Of Tourism Spending On Nature-Based Activities In South Carolina Coastal Economies, Alexis Imler

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The general goal of this study is to better understand South Carolina coastal tourism. The region of study includes the coastal counties of Horry, Charleston, and Beaufort (and Georgetown, Berkeley, Dorchester, and Jasper counties for the economic impact analysis). This study includes two types of analyses: a regression analysis of visitors' expenditures and an economic impact analysis of tourist spending.
The empirical visitors' expenditure models are specified using economic consumer demand theory. The regression analysis of the model is conducted using data from a tourist survey of 818 South Carolina visitors (conduced in fall 2008 and summer 2009). The activity …

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Repression Of Multiple Cyp2d Genes In Mouse Using A Single Sirna Construct, Omaima Elraghy Aug 2011

Repression Of Multiple Cyp2d Genes In Mouse Using A Single Sirna Construct, Omaima Elraghy

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The CYP2D subfamily is the second most important subfamily of hepatic drug metabolizing CYPs. In mouse, there are nine CYP2D subfamily members, while humans have only one highly polymorphic CYP2D member, CYP2D6. siRNA was used to repress the expression of multiple isoforms of mouse CYP2D in primary mouse hepatocytes with one siRNA construct. Successful knockdown of CYP function by RNAi may allow for further study of CYP2D function. Q-PCR demonstrated that male CD-1 mouse primary hepatocytes express Cyp2d10, Cyp2d11, Cyp2d22, and Cyp2d26; however the male specific and growth hormone-dependent, Cyp2d9, was not detected. Four different siRNAs were designed; Cyp2d-KD1 and …

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Social And Spatial Relationships Driving Landowner Attitudes Towards Aquatic Conservation, Samuel Chambers Aug 2011

Social And Spatial Relationships Driving Landowner Attitudes Towards Aquatic Conservation, Samuel Chambers

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Because of a gap between the science and practice of conservation planning, it has been suggested that there is a need for better understanding of the social systems within which conservation projects are embedded. Given that more than half of the land in the United States is privately owned and that private land covers the majority of the mapped endangered species habitat, understanding attitudes of private landowners towards biodiversity conservation may help to bridge the science-practice gap. Aquatic biodiversity is particularly imperiled throughout the world; in the United States headwater streams and small, isolated wetlands receive little protection through regulations …

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Integrating Pixologic Zbrush Into An Autodesk Maya Pipeline, Micah Guy Aug 2011

Integrating Pixologic Zbrush Into An Autodesk Maya Pipeline, Micah Guy

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The purpose of this thesis is to integrate the use of the relatively new volumetric pixel program, Pixologic ZBrush, into an Autodesk Maya project pipeline. As ZBrush is quickly becoming the industry standard in advanced character design in both film and video game work, the goal is to create a succinct and effective way for Maya users to utilize ZBrush files. Furthermore, this project aims to produce a final film of both valid artistic and academic merit.
The resulting work produced a guide that followed a Maya-created film project where ZBrush was utilized in the creation of the character models, …

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A Technique For Art Direction Of Physically Based Fire Simulation, Ashwin Bangalore Aug 2011

A Technique For Art Direction Of Physically Based Fire Simulation, Ashwin Bangalore

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This thesis presents an innovative way to art direct individual flames in a physically based fire simulation. Fire, due to its warm colors and constant movement, often becomes the main attraction to the viewer's eye in a scene. This technique provides control over this chaotic natural phenomenon at a microscopic level, enabling the artist to add character to flames and create highly stylized visuals. The fire system itself is a fully physics based two gas system with fuel gas and heat, with flames advected along convection currents generated by combustion. The technique is applied to examples of highly stylized flame …

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A Design Framework For Sustainable Infrastructure, Jacqualyn Blizzard Aug 2011

A Design Framework For Sustainable Infrastructure, Jacqualyn Blizzard

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Aristotle theorized, 'The whole is more than the sum of its parts.' Design engineers often overlook this simple philosophy. We employ a reductionist approach when designing the built environment: engineering solutions for the individual parts rather than the system as a whole, creating and exacerbating problems in the process. A whole system, interdisciplinary approach that considers the interrelatedness of global issues is increasingly recognized as essential to finding truly sustainable engineering solutions (NSB, 2007). However, both the precise nature of this whole systems approach, and the best ways to incorporate it in engineering education remain undefined. To address this gap …

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C.Elegans Host Cell Factor (Cehcf) Associates With Sir-2.1 To Mediate Target Specificity Of Daf-16 And Lifespan, Yao Yao Aug 2011

C.Elegans Host Cell Factor (Cehcf) Associates With Sir-2.1 To Mediate Target Specificity Of Daf-16 And Lifespan, Yao Yao

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The programmed aging process, controlled by a complex gene network, exists in all living organisms. In past decades, studies on the model organism, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), have revealed some highly conserved molecular pathways involved in lifespan regulation. After entering nucleus, DAF-16 cooperates with corresponding cofactors to achieve its specificity and triggers the transcription of certain subsets of its targets. Here we report that a novel DAF-16 co-factor CeHCF (C.elegans Host Cell Factor) mediate lifespan by regulating NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase, SIR-2.1.
Lifespan assay using Cehcf RNAi revealed that the lifespan extension caused by loss of Cehcf could …

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Bridging The Gap Between Structures And Properties: An Investigation And Evaluation Of Students' Representational Competence, Sonia Underwood Aug 2011

Bridging The Gap Between Structures And Properties: An Investigation And Evaluation Of Students' Representational Competence, Sonia Underwood

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The heart of learning chemistry is the ability to connect a compound's structure to its function; Lewis structures provide an essential link in this process. In many cases, their construction is taught using an algorithmic approach, containing a set of step-by-step rules. We believe that this approach is in direct conflict with the precepts of meaningful learning. From a sequential, mixed methods study, we found that students have much difficulty constructing these structures and that the step-by-step rules do not make use of students' relevant prior knowledge. This causes students to develop 'home grown' rules when unsure of how to …

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A Rhetorical Approach To Cultural Literacies Across Media, Randy Nichols Aug 2011

A Rhetorical Approach To Cultural Literacies Across Media, Randy Nichols

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ABSTRACT
A Rhetorical Approach to Cultural Literacies Across Media finds exigency in the challenges presented to students and teachers by the growing emphasis on globalization, and by the increasing demands for literacy in new media. My research develops a theoretical model for a rhetorical reading of cultural ―texts‖ in the context of cross-cultural learning experiences. This model is built on the metaphor of ―stolons,‖ those botanical strands that serve to propagate plants across wide areas into a single woven organism, i.e., a lawn. Approaching ―culture‖ as a complex organic system of a multiplicity of sources, this model of literacies evaluates …

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Population Genetics And Species Interactions: From Theory To Agro-Ecosystems, Cynthia Climer Aug 2011

Population Genetics And Species Interactions: From Theory To Agro-Ecosystems, Cynthia Climer

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Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distributions and changes due to evolutionary processes such as selection, adaptation, genetic drift and gene flow to understand how these processes impact populations over space and time. Population genetics theory can be utilized to understand not only population level interactions, but also interactions among closely related species. In this dissertation I have utilized population genetics in three conceptually related projects. Utilizing genome-wide gene coding markers, I have tested the impact of population size changes on the genetic diversity of coding genes in a model system (Arabidopsis lyrata subsp. petraea). This study tests …

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Biological And Ecological Responses To Carbon-Based Nanomaterials, Tatsiana Ratnikova Aug 2011

Biological And Ecological Responses To Carbon-Based Nanomaterials, Tatsiana Ratnikova

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Nanotechnology has been undergoing tremendous development in recent decades, driven by realized perceived applications of nanomaterials in electronics, therapeutics, imaging, sensing, environmental remediation, and consumer products. Along with these developments there have been increased evidences that engineered nanomaterials are often associated with hazardous effects they invoke in biological and ecosystems through intentional designs or unintentional discharge. Consequently there is a crucial need for documenting and understanding the interactions between nanoparticles and biological and ecosystems. This dissertation is aimed at bridging such a knowledge gap by examining the biological and ecological responses to carbon nanoparticles, a major class of nanomaterials which …

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Persuasive Packaging: An Eye-Tracking Approach To Design, Rupert Hurley Aug 2011

Persuasive Packaging: An Eye-Tracking Approach To Design, Rupert Hurley

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This dissertation details the development of a consensus-centered strategy for managing packaging design projects that enables designers from various fields to participate (seriously play) in the development process. The Work/Flow developed was quantified though a series of empirical eye-tracking experiments to determine if objects produced through the system resulted in longer fixation durations than the control. It was determined that packages developed through the Work/Flow were significantly more persuasive than the control (P < 0.0005).
The second experiment observed the effectiveness of designs produced through the Work/Flow in respect to the competitive retail array. Out of three product categories tested, one package …

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Lentiviral-Mediated Rnai Knockdown Yields A Novel Mouse Model For Studying Cyp2b Function, Basma Damiri Aug 2011

Lentiviral-Mediated Rnai Knockdown Yields A Novel Mouse Model For Studying Cyp2b Function, Basma Damiri

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The Cyp2b subfamily contains five members (Cyp2b9, Cyp2b10, Cyp2b13, Cyp2b19, and Cyp2b23) of which three (Cyp2b9, Cyp2b10, Cyp2b13) are hepatic enzymes involved in xenobiotic detoxification. In this study, we made a Cyp2b-knockdown mouse using lentiviral-promoted shRNA homologous to all five Cyp2b subfamily members in FVB/NJ mouse to characterize Cyp2b's role in xenobiotic detoxification. We assessed the in vivo function of Cyp2bs in the toxicity from pesticides (i.e. parathion) and drugs (i.e. zoxazolamine). We demonstrated that Cyp2b isoforms play a key role in parathion and Zoxazolamine metabolism and toxicity. In addition, we in partially phenotyped and characterized Cyp2b-KD model and assessed …

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Effect Of Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) On Bacterial Multi Drug Resistant Efflux Pumps, Jyothi Rangineni Aug 2011

Effect Of Goldenseal (Hydrastis Canadensis) On Bacterial Multi Drug Resistant Efflux Pumps, Jyothi Rangineni

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Multi-Drug Resistance (MDR) efflux pumps have been increasingly reported in Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria. These efflux mechanisms pump out a wide variety of structurally unrelated antimicrobials thus leading to a low susceptibility due to lowered intracellular concentrations. The activity of such antimicrobials can be restored by the inhibition of the multi drug efflux pumps. Several MDR pump inhibitors which inhibit the efflux mechanisms in bacteria have been identified. Reserpine and verapamil are two such inhibitors, showing considerable effect on the MDR pumps. But the concentrations required to achieve these effects are too high to be clinically relevant. Reserpine …

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Biohydrogenation Of Docosahexaenoic Acid, Catherine Klein Aug 2011

Biohydrogenation Of Docosahexaenoic Acid, Catherine Klein

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Pathways of docosahexaenoic (DHA) biohydrogenation are not known; however, DHA is metabolized by ruminal microorganisms. The addition of DHA to the rumen alters the fatty acid profile of the rumen and milk and leads to increased trans-18:1 isomers, particularly trans-11 18:1 and 22 carbon fatty acids. This study included four in vitro experiments to identify if these are produced from DHA or if they come from other sources that are affected by DHA. In each experiment, ruminal microorganisms collected from a lactating Holstein cow were incubated in batch cultures for 0, 6, 24, and 48h and a uniformly 13C DHA …

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Complex Organizations: A Cultural Analysis Of A Christian College, Daniel Bennett Aug 2011

Complex Organizations: A Cultural Analysis Of A Christian College, Daniel Bennett

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The purpose of this study was to understand the emergent dynamics that shape the organizational culture of a faith-based college incorporating a comprehensive network approach. The study adapted Martin's (2002) Three Perspective Theory of Culture utilizing the Dynamic Network Analysis methodology. To understand the cultural manifestations of the organization, several networks of beliefs and agent interactions were examined.
The results demonstrated that religious values are deeply embedded in the institution and there is a rich diversity of beliefs within the institution and its subcultures. The role of resources was examined, and financial resources emerged as a crucial element that stresses …

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Anticancer Effects Of Red Raspberries On Immune Cells And Blood Parameters, Jannet Romero Aug 2011

Anticancer Effects Of Red Raspberries On Immune Cells And Blood Parameters, Jannet Romero

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There is an abundance of research correlating diets rich in fruits and vegetables to the reduction or prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Plants extracts have also been claimed to possess antiviral, antibacterial, and immunological properties. This study focused on the in vitro and in vivo effects of a water extract from lyophilized Meeker red raspberries on tumor cell viability and immune parameters. A large number of studies have demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of different fruit juices and extracts against tumor cell lines in vitro. However, studies also show that the blood plasma levels of berry …

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