Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Cortisol In Modern Society: Linking Psychosocial Stress And Health, Logan Dwayne Fair

Honors Theses

Glucocorticoids are a class of steroid hormones, which can act on almost all cells in vertebrate tissue through binding to glucocorticoid receptor. Cortisol, which falls into this class, is released in response to stress and provides our bodies with the necessary energy to cope with a wide variety of stressors. This function of cortisol is brought about through its action on numerous metabolic and immunological pathways. However, when cortisol levels remain elevated for extended periods of time, many of these acute effects of cortisol can bring about long-term health problems, including many associated with metabolic S5mdrome, such as obesity and …

Diurnal Time-Activity Budgets Of Schoolmaster Snapper (Lutjanus Apodus) In South Water Caye Marine Reserve (Belize), Catherine Filley Howe

Honors Theses

Diurnal time-activity budgets from a sample of 588 schoolmaster snapper (Lu^'anus apodus. Family Lutjanidae) were recorded over a period of two and a half weeks in the South Water Caye Marine Reserve (Belize) during May and June of 2010. Each fish was observed for a 20-second time period, and the amount of time they spent swimming, stationaiy (resting), foraging, and performing “other” (less common activities) behaviors was recorded. The specific objectives of my study were to: (1) quantitatively describe the behavior of schoolmaster with time-activity budgets, (2) assess differences in schoolmaster size distribution by location (habitat type), and (3) analyze …

Conditioned Place Preference As A Means To Measure Analgesic Drug Effects On Cancer Pain In Murine Models, Hannah Elizabeth Burson

Honors Theses

Pain associated with cancer is unpredictable and may reflect an inability to quantify it in animals. We hypothesize that Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) testing is sensitive to pain relieving drugs in animal models of cancer pain and that CPP scores will reflect varying degrees of pain relief To test this, mice were assigned to one of four groups: tumor or non-tumor groups conditioned to saline or morphine during preference testing. After baseline preference testing in the CPP apparatus, animals received either saline or morphine in the S+ chamber (initially non-preferred chamber). All animals received saline in the S- chamber (initially …

‘The Triple Bottom Line’: Examining Eu Support For Organic Agriculture With Examples From Italian Wine Producers, Kimberly M. Biagini

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal Of Southern Identity, Elizabeth Myhr Lynch

Honors Theses

Celebratory Activism: A Media Portrayal of Southern Identity (Under the Direction of Dr. Mark Dolan)

The objective ofthis paper is to investigate the media's role in portraying southern identity and to determine the media's effect on the surrounding communities. It specifically addresses the three media institutions of Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, and The Southern Foodways Alliance and determines how they represent and celebrate southern culture. The methodology of the paper consists of the assessment of existing literature in the field of the media's depiction of the South followed by case studies on Thacker Mountain Radio, The Oxford American, …

Plume Dispersion Modeling Of Chlorine Gas Released Due To Ballistic Attack On Chlorine-Carrying Railway Tanker, Anna Claire Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hazardous dense gases such as chlorine are often transported throughout the United States in their liquid form in pressurized railway tankers. These tankers can hold up to 90 tons of liquid chlorine. A high-powered, ballistic attack on a chlorine-carrying tanker could cause devastating outcomes for the surrounding population and environment. This particular terrorist attack was modeled and analyzed by varying a large number of weather parameters and by varying terrain in order to provide specific concentration data at different distances from the source. Data was compiled to provide first responders with a reliable reference for such an emergency so that …

Preformulation Characterization And Formulation Development Of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Prodrugs For Potential Treatment Of Glacuoma, Tushar Hingorani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relationship between smoking marihuana and a drop in intraocular pressure (IOP) was first reported in 1971. Research efforts since then have identified a number of constituents that could be linked to this observation. Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was one of the ingredients identified. However, four decades and numerous research efforts since the first observation, it has still not been concluded whether THC is effective in the treatment of glaucoma or not. Current therapy for IOP control in glaucoma, though effective, cannot prevent vision loss completely. Thus, identification of agents that can lower IOP as well as protect the retinal ganglion cells from …

Design And Development Of Drug Delivery Systems For Immediate And Sustained Release Utilizing Hot Melt Extrusion, Abhilasha Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymers have indispensable role in pharmaceutical formulation development. Polymer choice is a critical factor to obtain the desired drug-release profile during formulation development for HME (Hot melt extrusion). Many commercially available, pharmaceutical-grade polymers can be used in HME formulations. The suitable polymer choice facilitates processing in the extruder. When choosing a polymer to use in a formulation, processing conditions and processing attributes of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) should be considered. The physicochemical and the mechanisms of drug release from drug delivery systems prepared by utilizing HME with various polymeric carriers were investigated. Amorphous forms of API can have as …

Antimalarials From Plant Pathogenic Fungi, Mallika Kumarihamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover antimalarial compounds from necrotropic plant pathogenic fungi. Various phytotoxins released by necrotropic plant pathogenic fungi may inhibit the plant-like metabolic pathways in the apicoplast, a chloroplast-like organelle, essential for the survival of apicomplexan parasites, such as Plasmodium which cause malaria in humans. This dissertation describes the isolation, characterization, and biological evaluation of secondary metabolites of eight fungal strains. In addition to the antiplasmodial assay, all the extracts were subjected to phytotoxic, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic bioassays. Isolation of metabolites was performed by chromatographic methods and identification was carried out by spectroscopic and spectrometric …

Outings In The Queer South: Representations Of Male Homosexuality In The Short Fiction Of Eudora Welty, Ramona Wanlass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates Welty's four short story collections and treats the stories as separate entities that are intimately connected to each other by a theme that evolves over and yet transcends the forty odd years that seem to separate them--namely Welty's theme of male homosexual desire. I will examine Welty's story collections using a theoretical framework that incorporates a history of homosexuality in the South and investigates such themes as travel, identity, reactions to heterosexual coupling, and traces Welty's own experiences through the experiences of her fictional male characters. Welty's work spans several decades but in a discussion of her …

Encountering The Marvelous In Marie De France, Robert Edward Mccain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an examination of the marvelous encounter in the Lais of Marie de France, a collection of twelve short narratives attributed to the twelfth century. Four of the lais – Guigemar, Bisclavret, Lanval, and Yonec - were selected for close analysis of the marvelous motifs and themes that are central to each story. Beginning with a summary of some of the proposed sources of the lais, many of which are Celtic in origin, the analysis subsequently examines the language of the text that describes the encounters between the feudal and "Other" world. In particular, the words poür, pensis, …

My Higher Self: Elizabeth Bishop And The Endurance Of Emerson, Joshua Andrew Mayo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While there exists some scholarship affirming the aesthetic and intellectual connections between transcendentalism and the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, there is to date no substantial study of what role Ralph Waldo Emerson singularly played in the inheritance of that tradition. This essay seeks to validate Emerson as Bishop's literary parentage, an influence that, though not immediately identifiable, greatly shaped her creative process. In so doing, it addresses the critical mistakes which have prevented a thorough discussion of Emerson's relevance and, moreover, negatively dominated the imagination of Bishop scholarship. As an exploration of the writers' shared iconography, their mutual metaphors, the …

Design And Synthesis Of Hiv-1 Integrase Inhibitors, Sarah Chajkowski Scarry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, HIV-1 integrase (IN) has emerged as an attractive target for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the causative pathogen of acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Several classes of IN inhibitors are known but many of these compounds are toxic, do not show antiviral activity or display decreased potency. Therefore, new classes of potent IN inhibitors are desperately needed. The b-diketo (b-DK) class of compounds has emerged as one of the most successful classes of IN inhibitors. Although several b-DK inhibitors with potent antiviral activity are known, compounds containing b-DK motifs have limitations in drug development. …

How Do The Perceived Barriers, Attitudes, And Knowledge Of Grocery Store Personnel Affect Availability Of Organic Food Products?, Rachel Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organic food is one of the fastest-growing segments of food production and consumption in the U.S. Even though organic foods are becoming more widely available, some studies suggest they may not be equally available to all populations because people in some areas are being excluded from the organics market either geographically or financially. The purpose of this study was to examine how individual and local characteristics affect the attitudes of grocery store personnel toward organic food products and how these attitudes affect availability. Grocery store personnel were surveyed about their attitudes toward organic foods, their perceptions of the barriers to …

Given: F(A Great Love + A Missing Body), Emily Anne Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given: f(A great love + A missing body) is a collection of poems in four sections that takes love and mathematics at its core. The lyric and narrative poems navigate an affair between a female narrator and her lover. The math is positioned with the verse in the way an ekphrastic poem might be positioned next to the art upon which it is based. The connection and alienation of the form fractures the poem, but it also serves as a metaphor for the competing forces of two people in love. And the goal of each is pursuit of the sublime. …

Design Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Non-Peptide Neuropeptide Ff Ligands, Jessica Valentinas Mankus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuropeptide FF is an endogenous RF-amide with two receptor subtypes originally described as having anti-opioid characteristics. While peptide work helped to elucidate key features for targeting the subtypes of the neuropeptide FF receptor, non-peptide small molecules offer a more refined tool to discover features that affect selectivity and affinity. Improvements in small molecule ligands for neuropeptide FF support lead development and offer a clearer understanding of the binding pocket of each receptor subtype. Previous work on the lead 4–anilindopiperidine structure clarified a key feature between agonist and antagonist behavior. Early modifications of substituents of the piperidine nitrogen were tolerated and …

Discovery, Isolation, And Identification Of Antimalarials From Fungal Endophytes, Andrekeus Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We examined fungal endophytes for their ability to inhibit bacterial, fungal and protozoal pathogens. Once antimalarial activity was discovered and confirmed, we sought to isolate and identify the active constituent(s) of our extracts. Bioassay-guided fractionation techniques were used to isolate our active compound, the structure of which was elucidated using 1H- and 13C-NMR. 2D-NMR and LC-MS analyses helped confirm that our endophytes were indeed producing artemisinin. Growth versus production studies were conducted to optimize our growth and extraction conditions while several other variables, like temperature and culture medium, were evaluated in an effort to improve our yields. Artemisinin production under …

Discovery Of Small-Molecule Natural Products That Target Cellular Bioenergetics, Sandipan Datta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Molecular-targeted antitumor therapy has found favor in antitumor drug discovery programs. Hypoxia (< 5% oxygen) is a comfeature of solid tumors and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) represents an important antitumor target. Bioenergetic homeostasis is typically altered in tumor cells and HIF-1 plays an important role to produce a glycolytic phenotype. Glycolysis inhibitors are an emerging class of potential tumor-selective adjuvant therapeutic agents. Natural product aerobic glycolysis inhibitors may enhance the effectiveness of current therapies. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors in botanical dietary supplements (BDS) possess a potential health hazard which should be identified and appropriately regulated. Chapter one briefly reviews the molecular-targeted natural product antitumor drug discovery process. Descriptions of tumor hypoxia, HIF-1, HIF-1 regulatory pathways and the effect of HIF-1 on tumor cell bioenergetics are presented. Cellular bioenergetic pathways and natural products that inhibit HIF-1 by interfering with cellular bioenergetics are discussed. Mitochondriotoxic small-molecule natural products reported previously are further reviewed. Chapter two discusses the effect of chromatographic media on molecular-targeted antitumor drug discovery. A panel of crude extracts was eluted through columns of various chromatographic media using a step gradient method. Total recoveries from the various columns and various elution protocols were compared and statistically analyzed. The crude extracts and column eluates were evaluated for HIF-1 inhibitory activity. Chapter three discusses the development of a bioenergetics-based screening method to screen crude extracts for glycolysis inhibitors. Crude extracts (10,648) were screened and seven hits (hit rate 0.72%) were identified. Bioassay-guided isolation of Moronobea coccinea crude extract resulted in isolation of a protonophoric compound moronone (1) (false positive). The structure of 1 was determined by a combination of spectroscopic and spectrometric means. The protonophoric compounds must be rapidly dereplicated for successful discovery of glycolysis inhibitors. Chapter four discusses the screening of BDS products and pure compounds for mitochondrial uncouplers or electron transport chain inhibitors. The blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) extract and three saponins cauloside A (3), saponin PE (4) and cauloside C (5) permeabilize the mitochondrial membrane. Sesamin (6) and guggulsterol III (7) and guggul (Commiphora wightii) extract inhibit mitochondrial complex I. These extracts and compounds are cytotoxic in nature.

Adaptive Tolerance To Ocean Acidification In The Marine Sponge: Chondrilla Nucula, Sylvester Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dramatic increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution has led to a 30% increase in ocean acidification over pre-industrial levels. Although most ocean acidification research thus far has focused on calcifying organisms such as corals, the potential of this increase in acidity (H+ ions) to cause acid-base imbalances in soft-bodied animals such as sponges has been grossly overlooked. Furthermore, many studies on ocean acidification have not considered the elevated temperatures that are predicted to accompany future climate change conditions. Sponges are crucial components to coral reef systems, providing food, nutrients, structure, and support. The sponge Chondrilla nucula …

The Applicability Of Video Self-Modeling For Adults With Developmental And Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren Elizabeth Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video Self-Modeling (VSM) has shown to be an effective intervention in modifying maladaptive behaviors in children, particularly those with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD). Although the effectiveness of VSM with children with ID/DD has been well established in the extant literature, considerably fewer studies have addressed the applicability of VSM with adults of the same population. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine the utility of VSM with three adults with ID/DD, specifically targeting table manners as the behavior of interest for the intervention. Two aspects of table manners were measured utilizing a multiple baseline design: food …

15md158: Excavations And Lithic Analysis Of A Late Archaic/Early Woodland Lithic Workshop Site In Meade County, Kentucky., Lee Michael Creswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes archaeological investigations carried out at 15Md158, a prehistoric lithic workshop site in Meade County, Kentucky. Although there has been a wide range of diagnostic projectile points as well as some late radiocarbon dates recovered from the site had been identified as a mostly Late Archaic special purpose site where mostly late-stage lithic reduction took place. The goals of this project were to develop a more secure chronology for the site, document a change in the use of the site in order to relate it to changes in mobility patterns of those who utilized the site, and document …

Six Days Of Twenty-Four Hours: The Scopes Trial, Antievolutionism, And The Last Crusade Of William Jennings Bryan, Kari Lynn Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The academic study of the Scopes Trial has always been approached from a traditional legal interpretation. This project seeks to reframe the conventional arguments surrounding the trial, treating it instead as a significant religious event, one which not only altered the course of Christian Fundamentalism and the Creationist movement, but also perpetuated Southern religious stereotypes through the intense, and largely negative, nationwide publicity it attracted. Prosecutor William Jennings Bryan's crucial role is also redefined, with his denial of a strictly literal interpretation of Genesis during the trial serving as the impetus for the shift toward ultra-conservatism and young-earth Creationism within …

Functional Morphology Of The Sphyrnid Shark Cephalofoil: An Assessment Of The Hydrodynamic Lift Hypothesis Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Matthew K. Gaylord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hammerhead sharks (Family: Sphyrnidae) are all characterized by a conspicuous lateral expansion and dorsoventral flattening of the head forming a structure known as a cephalofoil, however, there is substantial morphological variation within the clade. Many theories have been proposed regarding the functional aspects of this structure. One of these is that it may produce beneficial dynamic lift as the shark swims (in similar fashion to the cambered wings found on many modern-day aircraft). As sharks do not possess a swim bladder, part of their energy intake is expended on simply maintaining vertical station in the water column. If indeed …

The Impact Of The User-It Artifact Interaction On Technology Implementation And Value: Mobile Social Networking And Mobile Social Capital, Donghyun Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite investment and cutting-edge features, the majority of new mobile phone subscribers have adopted low-cost handsets instead of the latest mobile devices (Karjaluoto et al., 2005). According to the U.S. Census Bureau report, only 37% of cell phone users selected a smartphone in 2007. The Census Bureau forecasted the figure would increase by less than 10% in 2008. However, only 24% of cell phone users owned a smartphone in 2010, 27 % in 2011 and 30% in 2012. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model of the impact of mobile social capital on mobile networks …

The Archaeology Of Mortuary Ritual As Rite Of Passage In Prehistoric Europe, Jacquelyn Mary Roberts Kyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the ways in which mortuary ritual functioned as a rite of passage at three sites in prehistoric Europe: Wor Barrow on Cranborne Chase, Tumulus 17 in the Speckhau Mound Group at the Heuneburg, and the Hochdorf tomb in southwestern Germany. The sites were selected with diversity among the dimensions of mortuary practice, including the presence and types of grave goods, the structure of the grave, and the treatment of the corpse, as a priority. By examining the ways in which cemeteries functioned as spaces of personal and group separation and transformation, I seek to clarify the role …

Preprocessing Of Biomass Using Mechanical, Chemical And Microbial Techniques, Swetha Mahalaxmi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomass-derived fuels have acquired a lot of attention recently due to increasing emphasis on energy independence, efforts to utilize abundance of green resources and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Grasses, agricultural residues, animal residues and waste, used oils, etc., can be used as starting materials in the production of biofuels. Various preprocessing techniques used in the preprocessing of biomass, such as microbial preprocessing, mechanical preprocessing and chemical pretreatment, are used for enhancing the digestibility of biomass to sugars for ethanol production. In this work, studies were conducted to improve the microbial, chemical and mechanical preprocessing of switch grass by decreasing …

Virethics And The Problem Of Aging, Robert Edward Mongue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It seems wrong that a theory of a good life, well-being, or flourishing would be unable to accommodate those normal changes that distinguish natural aging and dying processes from external forces which truly do impede life. I argue in this paper that several versions of contemporary virethics, which depend heavily on a theory of the good life, suffer from this very defect. I examine the difficulties experienced by contemporary Aristotelian-based virethics in accommodating natural aging into well-being and flourishing lives, and ask whether those difficulties are intrinsic to Aristotle's theory itself. I examine Aristotle's theory in the context of its …

Admicellar Polymerization To Compatibilize Calcium Carbonate With Oil-Based Drilling Mud, Olugbenga Samuel Ojo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weighting agents like calcium carbonate (CC) are added to drilling mud to improve mud properties and performance during oil and gas drilling operations. Oil-based mud (OBM), a more preferred drilling mud, being hydrophobic is particularly non-compatible with hydrophilic CC. This work explored an economically viable admicellar polymerization technique to surface-modify the high energy hydrophilic CC surface to a low energy hydrophobic surface by polymerizing organic styrene monomer within an admicelle of nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 adsorbed on the CC surface. BET N2 particle size analysis, Soxhlet extraction of the coated polymer, Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) spectra analysis, and …

Effects Of Hydrologic Connection On Physicochemical Conditions And Algal Properties In Backwaters Of The Lower Mississippi River, Orathai Pongruktham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last 50-100 years, the Mississippi River has been extensively engineered for flood control and navigation purposes. These modifications have substantially decreased the frequency of flooding and degree of contact of the river with its historical floodplain. However, in many areas within the current levee system there remain numerous secondary channels and other backwater sites with which the river is hydrologically connected on a seasonal basis. In this study, the relationships of surface hydrologic connection with the main channel of the Lower Mississippi River to limnological properties and development of phytoplankton biomass in three backwater sites having different patterns …

Valproic Acid-Induced Teratogenesis In Japanese Rice Fish (Oryzias Latipes) Embryogenesis, Mengmeng Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Valproic acid (VPA) was introduced as an antiepileptic in 1967 in France and it has become the most prescribed anticonvulsive drug therapy worldwide since then. In the clinic, valproic acid is selected to treat absence seizures, myoclonic seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, atonic attacks and partial seizures. Epilepsy is the second most comneurologic disorder that affects pregnant women (0.5%–1%). Approximately 1 out of 250 pregnant women are taking antiepileptic drugs. Valproic acid is designated as a human teratogen, which induces major congenital anomalies, facial dysmorphic features, and autistic-like behaviors, which affect verbal, cognitive, communicative, and social abilities of affected children. We …