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Urea: A Natural Cryoprotectant In The Freeze-Tolerant Wood Frog (Rana Sylvatica), Elizabeth A. Fincel

Masters Theses

The wood frog (Rana sylvatica) is one of only a few vertebrates that are able to withstand freezing of their body fluids. Various organic osmolytes play a central role in physiological adaptation to freezing and other osmotic stresses in diverse taxa, but in R. sylvatica only one cryoprotectant, glucose, has been identified. The objective of this study was to determine whether urea, an osmolyte that naturally accumulates in the tissues of overwintering R. sylvatica, also functions to limit freeze/thaw injury. Secondly, it was investigated whether hyperuremia is associated with increased osmolyte concentration to counteract any negative effect of urea.

Using …

Seedling Development N Stylisma Pickeringii Var. Pattersonii (Convolvulaceae), An Endangered Illinois Species, Jason B. Cunningham

Masters Theses

Stylisma pickeringii (Torr.) Gray var. pattersonii (Fern. & Schub.) Myint (Convolvulaceae) is listed as an endangered plant species in Illinois and is commonly known as Patterson bindweed or Patterson dawnflower. It is a prostrate vine that occurs in well-drained sand prairies and sandy open woods. High temperature, low moisture holding ability and blowing sand in these prairies create a harsh environment for seedling establishment.

Seedlings of Stylisma pickeringii show a unique pattern of development, which may enhance their ability to become established. Following radicle and cotyledon emergence, an enlarged ring encircling the radicle, referred to as the transition zone, develops. …

Spatial And Temporal Differences In Fish Assemblages In The Sangamon River, Illinois: Methods For Community Comparisons And Documentation Of Species' Range Expansion, Mark J. Fincel

Masters Theses

Anthropogenic disturbance has been recognized as having adverse effects on native flora and fauna in an environment. One such disturbance that has received increasing attention in recent years is the effects of water altering structures such as reservoirs, dams, dykes, and levees. For the past 6 years, Eastern Illinois University has conducted an intensive sampling program in an effort to document spatial and temporal heterogeneity of an 8.5 km reach of the Sangamon River beginning just below Lake Decatur Dam in Decatur, Illinois. My objective has been to characterize stream habitat and to assess differences in stream fish assemblages above …

Role Of Apoe In Regeneration, Maturation And Synaptogenesis Of Olfactory Receptor Neurons In Mice, Salina Gairhe

Masters Theses

Previous studies have shown that apolipoprotein E (apoE), a lipid transporting protein, is involved in the growth and regeneration of injured neurons. apoE is a key molecule involved in lipid transport system associated with compensatory sprouting and synaptic remodeling after neuronal injury. Also, transport of cholesterol and phospholipids in brain is regulated by the coordinated expression of apoE and its main Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) receptors during the different phases of the neuronal reinnervation processes. The discovery of apolipoprotein E4 genotype, a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is suggestive of involvement of dysfunctional apoE lipid transport system in …

Defining Edge Gradients Using Plant Species Composition In Oak-Hickory Forest Patches, Elise M. Tulloss

Masters Theses

Forest conservation is greatly enhanced with an increased understanding of the transitional nature of edges. Edge characteristics control ecological flows into the forest that may influence its structure and composition. Most forests in east-central Illinois exist as small patches, making the region an ideal location for studying edge effects. The objectives of this study were to identify the mechanisms and processes that determine gradients of plant composition and to develop a predictive model of edge effects using plant species composition as an indicator of edge influence. A data set was gathered to relate understory forest species composition to several environmental …

Expression Of Apoe In The Mouse Olfactory System During Development And Post Injury, Sreenivas Nannapaneni

Masters Theses

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), a prominent player in transporting cholesterol and metabolizing plasma lipoproteins, has emerged as a major risk factor in causing Alzheimer's disease (AD). ApoE, extensively expressed in the primary olfactory pathway, binds to its low-density lipoprotein receptor and related receptors to play a role both in development and in control of the immune system. Previous studies have shown that apoE is expressed at high concentrations in the olfactory nerve (ON) and around the glomeruli of the olfactory bulb (OB) and that the apoE levels in these regions increase substantially following lesioning of the olfactory epithelium (OE). Studies from …

The Effects Of Apoe On Olfactory Neuron Plasticity In Mice, Ikemefuna T. Nwosu

Masters Theses

Apolipoprotein E (apoE), a lipid transporting protein, is a major risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous studies have shown that apoE is expressed at high concentrations in the olfactory nerve (ON) and around the glomeruli of the olfactory bulb (OB) and that the apoE levels in these regions increase substantially following lesioning of the source of the olfactory nerves, the olfactory epithelium (OE). However, the mechanism(s) underlying the contribution of apoE to neuronal functioning and developing AD are not clearly understood. To investigate and better clarify the role of apoE in nerve regeneration, I examined the presence and …

The Effects Of Remnant Seed Source Size On Plant Performance In A Prairie Restoration, William L. Stewart

Masters Theses

Tallgrass prairies have been drastically reduced to a few remnant areas that are both small and isolated. As a result, species within these areas may be exposed to a significant level of inbreeding depression and loss in genetic diversity, which can cause an overall loss of fitness in the population, increasing the chance of local extinction. In many cases, prairie restorations rely on seed collections from these small, isolated populations, which may lead to many of the same problems in the restored areas. This study specifically addressed the question: Does the dependence on seed collections from small, isolated remnants lead …

A Comparative Study Of The Perceptions And Roles Of Male And Female Sweethearts Of Greek Letter Organizations, Jenesha Lynn Penn

Masters Theses

This present study was designed to explore the phenomenon of Sweethearts in contemporary Greek Letter Organizations. Due to the paucity of scholarly literature on the topic of Sweethearts, the present study may be the first to capture the stories of these men and women and illustrate their experiences for those inside and outside Greek organizations.

Her Violated Body: Sexual Violence And The Limits Of Political Allegory In Post-Apartheid South African Fiction, Jennifer Mishaela Fuhler

Masters Theses

In post-apartheid South Africa, writers continue to use political allegory to critique the democratic transition, racial tensions, and the reconcilation process. This use of allegory, although effective at times, often includes the sexual violation of the female body, further inhibiting gender equality as women continue to exist as secondclass citizens both in fiction and reality. This thesis analyzes three post-apartheid texts - Zakes Mda's The Madonna of Excelsior (2002), J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace (1999), and Marlene van Niekerk's Triomf (1994, translated into English 1999) - and moves beyond the allegorical representation of the figure of the raped woman to a critique …

The Relationship Between Coronary Calcium And Traditional Cardiac Risk Factors In Men And Women With No Known Cardiac Disease, Tasha Thursby

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the coronary calcium score and traditional cardiac risk factors in men and women with no known cardiac disease. A second purpose was to determine if there were gender differences in the risk factors that best predict high coronary calcium scores. It was hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between the coronary calcium score and traditional cardiac risk factors in men and women with no known cardiac disease. It was also hypothesized that there would be gender differences in the risk factors that best predict high coronary calcium …

The Slave Trade, The Constitutional Convention, And The Compromises That Let To Union: A Reinterpretation, Ryan Ervin

Masters Theses

At the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, abolitionist and anti-slavery delegates were faced with a direct choice: they could either explicitly end the institution, or they could allow for it to continue. If they had decided to push for abolition, the confederation would almost certainly have dissolved into two or three separate sovereign confederacies or countries. If they chose not to endorse abolition within the text of the Constitution, they could still restrain the facilitator of slavery, the slave trade, and continue to endorse the institution's end, while also maintaining the Union.

Because they did not abolish slavery outright, these abolitionist and …

Coping Strategy Use And Resilience Among Children Reporting Victimization, Julie K. Gepner

Masters Theses

Prior studies have established the negative implications of peer victimization; additional literature has focused on how children cope with the negative effects of peer bullying. However, no current research has examined the specific coping strategies, which may result in resiliency to the negative effects of peer victimization. The present study examined victimization, coping strategies, and resilience in a sample of 143 third through sixth grade students. The results indicated that the coping strategy of seeking social support was associated with resiliency among victims of aggression. In contrast, coping using externalizing behavior was associated with significantly lower levels of resiliency. The …

Beaver Home Ranges And Movement Patterns On The Embarras River Watershed In East Central Illinois, Randall P. Havens

Masters Theses

The beaver (Castor canadensis) is an ecologically and economically important species that has been much studied and exploited during its long association with humans (Bradt 1938, Hodgdon 1978, Novak 1987, Muller-Schwartze and Schulte 1999). Beavers have been described as ecosystem engineers and a keystone species because of their ability to physically modify, maintain, or create wetlands thereby controlling resources used by other organisms and altering the physical state of the environment (Jones et al. 1994). They are capable of impacting the local environment through dam construction, selective tree harvest, and den construction. For example, beaver dams impact stream hydrology, nutrient …

A Survey And Developmental Biology Of Iliamna Remota Greene (Malvaceae), An Endangered Species In Illinois, April Lyn Mcdonnell

Masters Theses

Iliamna remota Greene (Malvaceae), or Kankakee mallow, is an endangered species in Illinois that is limited to Langham Island in the Kankakee River, Kankakee County. Plants are herbaceous and perennial with a racemose inflorescence consisting of showy, slightly fragrant flowers ranging in color from almost white to lavender. Leaves are alternate and shallowly palmately lobed and stems and leaves are coarsely pubescent.

December 16, 2005, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 12, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

December 9, 2005, College Of Science Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee

No abstract provided.

December 6, 2005, Council On Graduate Studies

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 06, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 05, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

December 2, 2005, College Of Science Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 02, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

December 1, 2005, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

November 30, 2005, Library Advisory Board

Booth Collaborative Advisory Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 29, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 18, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

November 17, 2005, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: November 14, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

November

No abstract provided.

November 11, 2005, College Of Science Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee

No abstract provided.