Digital Commons Network^™

Can We Say More Now? A Closer Look At Online Public Opinion Change In China, Ran Duan

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study examined the pattern of online public opinion change in China by investigating the top one hit blog and its following commentaries of every day from July 2009 to March 2012 on a famous Chinese website, and then discussed potential factors that affected the formation of online public opinion. The extent of freedom of online public opinion during this period presented regular fluctuations. Whether criticisms were registered by commentators was influenced by four factors. First and most important, the negative tone of bloggers increased criticism and the positive tone decreased criticism, which shows that the news that flows from …

Examination Of The Use Of Online And Offline Networks By Housing Social Movement Organizations, Jessica N. Kropczynski

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Resource mobilization theory and political opportunity theory are often used to describe separate portions of social movements. This dissertation proposes a combined model of these two theoretical perspectives which describes how social movement organizations effectively engage in social marketing both online and offline. The field of social marketing highlights the utility of standard commercial marketing practices to achieve non-commercial goals. I argue that, while commercial marketing practices may benefit social movement organizations and are more cost effective given emerging technology, momentum for gathering resources, will be stifled unless a political opportunity presents itself. Guided by theory about the ways that …

Natural Treatment Systems As Sustainable Ecotechnologies For The Developing Countries, Qaisar Mahmood, Arshid Pervez, Bibi Saima Zeb, Habiba Zaffar, Hajra Yaqoob, Muhammad Waseem, Zahidullah, Sumera Afsheen

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The purpose of natural treatment systems is the re-establishment of disturbed ecosystems and their sustainability for benefits to human and nature. The working of natural treatment systems on ecological principles and their sustainability in terms of low cost, low energy consumption, and low mechanical technology is highly desirable. The current review presents pros and cons of the natural treatment systems, their performance, and recent developments to use them in the treatment of various types of wastewaters. Fast population growth and economic pressure in some developing countries compel the implementation of principles of natural treatment to protect natural environment. The employment …

Critical Events In Human Metapneumovirus Infection: From Entry To Egress, Brent A. Hackett

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory pathogen in Paramyxovirus family that demonstrates extremely high morbidity in the population, with most individuals having been infected by the age of five. Despite the prevalence of this negative-sense RNA virus in the population for decades, it was only identified in 2001. As such, there is currently no specific treatment for HMPV and the potentially severe consequences of infection for elderly and immunocompromised individuals and particularly infants make development of antivirals targeting HMPV of high significance. HMPV constitutes a quarter of all respiratory hospitalizations among infants, placing it second only to RSV, in addition …

A Novel Selective Lipid Uptake Pathway Contributing To Ldl-Induced Macrophage Foam Cell Formation, Jason M. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by cholesterol-rich plaques within the intima of medium and large arteries. Cholesterol deposition is thought to occur by infiltration of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) into lesions followed by uptake into macrophages, generating lipid-loaded “foam cells.” Foam cells can also be generated in vitro by treatment of macrophages with LDL or oxidized LDL (oxLDL). The purpose of the current investigation was to determine the contribution of selective cholesteryl ester (CE) uptake versus whole-particle uptake during LDL-induced foam cell formation in cultured macrophages. Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) exhibited significant cholesterol accumulation when treated with LDL as indicated …

Examination Of Hippocampal N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors Following Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Exposure In Vitro, Anna R. Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure (CIE) is associated with degeneration of hippocampal neurons. The present study used hippocampal cultures to examine the loss of NeuN immunoreactivity, a relaible marker or neuronal density, after 1, 2, or 3 cycles of 5 days EtOH exposure (50 mM), followed by a 24-hour period of EWD or continuous EtOH exposure. NeuN immunoreactivity was decreased by 13%, 19%, and 16% in the CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus after 3 cycles of CIE respectively; thionine staining confirmed significant cellular losses within each hippocampal subregion. Two cycles of CIE in aged tissue cultures resulted in significant decreases in …

Change In Envy As A Function Of Target Likeability, Chelsea M. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Envy is a painful emotion that can negatively impact one’s self-worth. It is also a shameful, socially undesirable emotion, implying both inferiority and hostility. Some scholars suggest that these features of envy lead to a need to cope with the emotion. Thus, over time, envy tends to be transformed into more socially acceptable responses such as resentment or dislike. The present study tested this claim. First, envy was manipulated by asking participants to read an article containing an interview with either a high- or low-envy target. The second article manipulated the likeability of the target by varying whether or not …

The Cellular Nucleic Acid Binding Protein In Aging And Disease, Robin Webb

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

The ZNF9 gene on chromosome 3 encodes the cellular nucleic acid binding protein (CNBP), a ubiquitously expressed, 177 amino acid (≈19.5kDa) protein that is highly conserved among vertebrates. The function of the protein is largely unknown, however an expansion in the first intron of the protein results in myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), a multisystemic disease featuring cardiac arrhythmia, muscle wasting, cataracts, and a range of neuropathologies. Remarkably, we recently discovered that CNBP is involved in regulating the activity of β-secretase, the enzyme that produces the first cleavage event in the generation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ). The progressive fibrillization …

Characterization Of G-Patch Motif Contribution To Prp43 Function In The Pre-Messenger Rna Splicing And Ribosomal Rna Biogenesis Pathways, Daipayan Banerjee

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The DExD/H-box protein Prp43 is essential for two biological processes: nucleoplasmic pre-mRNA splicing and nucleolar rRNA maturation. The biological basis for the temporal and spatial regulation of Prp43 remains elusive. The Spp382/Ntr1, Sqs1/Pfa1 and Pxr1/Gno1 G-patch proteins bind to and activate the Prp43 DExD/H box-helicase in pre-mRNA splicing (Spp382) and rRNA processing (Sqs1, Pxr1). These Prp43-interacting proteins each contain the G-patch domain, a conserved sequence of ~48 amino acids that includes 6 highly conserved glycine (G) residues. Five annotated G-patch proteins in baker’s yeast (i.e., Spp382, Pxr1, Spp2, Sqs1 and Ylr271) and with the possible exception of the uncharacterized Ylr271 …

Growth Of Silver Nanoparticles On Transparent Substrates From Liquid Precursors: Improvements And Applications, Carlos Andrés Jarro Sanabria

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Interest in controlling the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in colloidal solutions has increased during the last two decades. There is also growing interest in forming layers of silver nanoparticles on substrates, particularly for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy applications. However, methods to grow silver nanoparticles directly on substrates have not been studied extensively, and there are few techniques for controlling the size, shape, density, and location of the particles. This work presents a simple and reliable method to photodeposit silver nanoparticles onto transparent substrates. The size, shape and deposition density of the nanoparticles are influenced by the precursor solution, light intensity, and …

Multi-Mode Self-Referencing Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors, Jing Guo

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) sensors are widely used in biological, chemical, medical, and environmental sensing. This dissertation describes the design and development of dual-mode, self-referencing SPR sensors supporting two surface-plasmon modes (long- and short-range) which can differentiate surface binding interactions from bulk index changes at a single sensing location. Dual-mode SPR sensors have been optimized for surface limit of detection (LOD). In a wavelength interrogated optical setup, both surface plasmons are simultaneously excited at the same location and incident angle but at different wavelengths. To improve the sensor performance, a new approach to dual-mode SPR sensing is presented that offers improved differentiation …

An Update On Vitamin D: The Role In Chronic Disease, Clinical Practice Implications, And The Current Status Of Nurse Practitioner Knowledge, Sara E. Robertson

DNP Projects

The discovery that a large portion of the United States population is vitamin D deficient, has led to hundreds of studies in the last decade which aim to discover the role of vitamin D in overall health and to determine what clinical consequences occur in a deficient state. The current clinical knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency is reviewed, including the definition of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency and its correlation to chronic disease states; the risk factors and epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency; and appropriate clinical screening and treatment of vitamin D deficiency. A research study completed in 2012 to …

Nitrate Reduction Coupled To Iron(Ii) And Manganese(Ii) Oxidation In An Agricultural Soil, Stephanie Pyzola

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

New evidence shows iron(II) oxidation is strongly coupled to nitrate reduction under anaerobic conditions in freshwater sediments and agricultural soils. However, the contribution of iron(II) oxidation to nitrate reduction is unknown. Furthermore, oxidation of manganese(II) by nitrate has been largely overlooked. This study investigated nitrate-dependent iron(II) and manganese(II) oxidation in an agricultural soil (Sadler silt loam) using stirred-batch kinetic techniques with native soil organic carbon (SOC) as the electron donor and included addition of amendments (hydrogen gas and wheat residue). In the presence of native SOC, nitrate-dependent Fe(II) and Mn(II) oxidation occurred at early stages of the reaction while organic …

Calendula Officinalis Growth And Production Of Secondary Compounds In Greenhouse And Soil-Based Herbal Organic Production Systems, Victoria M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Calendula officinalis is a useful model crop because calendula flowers are used both ornamentally and medicinally. Organic production systems have many challenges; among these is the synchrony of nitrogen mineralization with the requirements of the crop. Organic greenhouse substrates have significantly different initial nitrogen levels which influence the performance of calendula, the highest initial N and plant performance was found in the organic compost peat substrate (OCP). The addition of supplemental nitrogen improved performance, but only OCP performed as well as the conventionally fertilized peat-based substrate. The nitrogen mineralization patterns in a soil-based greenhouse pot experiment showed that highly processed …

Control Of Erwinia Tracheiphila In Cucumis Melo, John R. Caudle

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Currently there is no control of bacterial wilt disease, Erwinia tracheiphila, in susceptible cucurbit crops, once infection of the plant occurs. Conventional and organic production systems rely on insecticide applications to kill the vectors, striped and spotted cucumber beetles, Acalymma vittatum and Diabrotica undecimpunctata, respectively, prior to transmission of the pathogen which indirectly controls the disease to some extent. Physical barriers such as row covers are used to exclude the vectors from plants prior to flowering; however, pollination requirements expose plants to potential infection. Experimental field plots were developed to test various enhanced organic production systems in an …

Hydrogenation And Hydrogenolysis Of Furan Derivatives Using Bipyridine-Based Electrophilic Ruthenium(Ii) Catalysts, Anitha Shankaralinge Gowda

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The catalytic activity of ruthenium(II) bis(diimine) complexes cis-[Ru(6,6′-Cl₂bpy)₂(OH₂)₂](Z)₂ (2, Z = CF₃SO₃; 3, Z = (3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃)₄B ,i.e. BArF), cis-[Ru(4,4′-Cl₂bpy)₂(OH₂)₂](Z)₂ (4, Z = CF₃SO₃; 5, Z = BArF) and cis-[Ru(bpy)₂(PR₃)(OH₂)](CF₃SO₃)₂ (7, bpy = 2,2’-bipyridine, PR₃ = P(C₆H₄F)_{3 …}

Understanding Multidrug Resistance In Gram-Negative Bacteria -- A Study Of A Drug Efflux Pump Acrb And A Periplasmic Chaperone Sura, Meng Zhong

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Multiple drug resistance (MDR) has been a severe issue in treatment and recovery from infection.Gram-negative bacteria intrinsically exhibit higher drug tolerance than Gram-positive microbes. In this thesis, two proteins involved in Gram-negative bacterial MDR were studied, AcrB and SurA.

Resistance-nodulation-cell division pump AcrAB-TolC is the major MDR efflux system in Gram-negative bacteria and efficiently extrudes a broad range of substances from the cells. To study subtle conformational changes of AcrB in vivo, a reporter platform was designed. Cysteine pairs were introduced into different regions in the periplasmic domain of the protein, and the extents of disulfide bond formation were …

Characterization Of And Controlling Morphology Of Ultra-Thin Nanocomposites, Guy C. Laine

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Ultrathin film nanocomposites are becoming increasingly important for specialized performance of commercial coatings. Critical challenges for ultrathin film nanocomposites include their synthesis and characterization as well as their performance properties, including surface roughness, optical properties (haze, refractive index as examples), and mechanical properties. The objective of this work is to control the surface roughness of ultrathin film nanocomposites by changing the average particle size and the particle volume fraction (loading) of monomodal particle size distributions. This work evaluated one-layer and two-layer films for their surface properties. Monodispersed colloidal silica nanoparticles were incorporated into an acrylate-based monomer system as the model …

Influence Of Surface Modification On Properties And Applications Of Complex Engineered Nanoparticles, Binghui Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Complex engineered nanoparticles (CENPs) are being used on various applications. Their properties are different from those of neat nanoparticles. The dissertation explores these differences from four aspects: 1) Modify carbon nanomaterials’ inert surfaces and investigate the effect on thermal and rheological behavior of their dispersions; 2) Generate self-assembly bi-layer structure of oxide nanoparticles via surface modification; 3) Study interaction between lysozyme and different surface-charged ceria nanoparticles; 4) Investigate the biodistribution and transformations of CENPs in biological media.

An environment-friendly surface modification was developed to modify surfaces of carbon nanomaterials for increasing their affinity to non-polar fluid. It can offset formation …

Application Of Pyrolysis-Gc/Ms To The Study Of Biomass And Biomass Constituents, Anne E. Ware

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Fast pyrolysis, the rapid thermal decomposition of organic material in the absence of oxygen, is a process that can be used to convert biomass into liquid fuels and chemicals. When performed at the micro-scale, pyrolysis is useful for characterizing biomass structure, as well as determining the pyrolysis products that can be generated from specific biomass feedstocks. Indeed, microscale pyrolysis coupled with on-line analysis of the pyrolysis vapors by GC/MS, so-called pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS), is a technique that can be used to characterize the structure and composition of the various components of lignocellulosic and microalgal biomass based on their pyrolysate distributions. Pyrolysates …

Overcoming The Unfortunate Legacy Of Haditha, The Stryker Brigade "Kill Team," And Pantano: Establishing More Effective War Crimes Accountability By The United States, Alan F. Williams

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents For Volume 101, Issue 4, Kentucky Law Journal

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

He Said, She Said, Let's Hear What The Data Say: Sexual Harassment In The Media, Courts, Eeoc, And Social Science, Joni Hersch, Beverly Moran

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

White Collar Overcriminalization: Deterrence, Plea Bargaining, And The Loss Of Innocence, Lucian E. Dervan

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Kàn Bú Tài Dong: The Fair Housing Act, Language Discrimination, And Chinese Classifieds, R. Ian Forrest

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Watching The Watchmen: Drone Privacy And The Need For Oversight, Ben Jenkins

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Apa Deference After Independent Living Center: Why Informal Adjudicatory Action Needs A Hard Look, Brietta R. Clark

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Framework To Evaluate Pharmaceutical Pay-For-Delays: A Balancing Test Based Upon Reasonableness, Jessica Hudson Bechtel

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Voter Ignorance And Judicial Elections, Dmitry Bam

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Pot's Right: It's Time For Congress To Go "All In" For Online Poker, Jeffrey S. Moad

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.