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Oxonitriles: Cyclizations In Total Synthesis, Pravin Iyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oxonitriles are versatile synthetic intermediates. The thesis provides a survey of the synthesis and reactions of cyclic oxonitriles followed by an approach to Kuehneromycin A that features oxonitrile chemistry. The discussion presents a synthetic route to the sesquiterpenoid, Kuehneromycin A, using oxonitrile-based methodology. A key feature is a new oxidative cyclization reaction that has been developed as a method for assembling functionalized trans-decalins. The mechanism of this reaction is presented to explain the excellent stereoselectivity. Similarly, a mechanistic analysis of a novel isomerization of quarternary centers is presented in detail.

Cloning And Characterization Of A Git1 Homolog Gene From Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, Christi Nolder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) deacylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae results in the formation and excretion of glycerophosphoinositol (GPI). This is a predominant route of PI turnover and is not unique to S. cerevisiae. Released GPI can be transported back into the cell through a membrane permease encoded by the GIT1 gene, Git1p. Maximum transport is achieved in low inositol/low phosphate conditions at pHs below 7, and the addition of a protonophore to the GPI transport assay abolishes transport activity. These findings suggest that Git1p is a proton symporter. An excess of unlabeled glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) inhibits the transport of radiolabeled GPI into S. cerevisiae. …

Living With Life-Threatening Illness: An Inquiry Into Children's Experience Of Cancer, Kristy Novinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies concerning children living with illness have been limited by (a) a narrow focus on the child's cognitive development, (b) reliance on sources outside of the child's experience, (c) reliance on methods based on the language and quantitative modes of measuring used by adults rather than the experience of the child, (d) models that emphasize methods of control in coping, and (e) a tendency to pathologize the responses of the child.

In contrast, the current study involved speaking directly with school-aged children living with a diagnosis of cancer. The qualitative method developed for this study involved a two-fold approach, …

How Do Undergraduate Mathematics Faculty Learn To Teach Online?, Margaret Mcdonough Pankowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the training that faculty receive to teach undergraduate mathematics courses online and the effectiveness of that training. An online survey was distributed to 64 faculty who taught undergraduate mathematics courses online. In responding to the survey, faculty supplied information about the duration, topics, and types of training they received both before and after beginning to teach online, about their use of best practices for online education, and about their attitudes toward online education. Subsequent to completion of the survey, four focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 14 of the survey respondents. During focus group …

Transformation Of Arsenic Oxyanions In Bacterial And Model Systems, Ganna Polshyna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The HPLC-UV-Vis method with 7.5 mM sulfuric acid as a mobile phase and 195 nm wavelength detection was used for the separation and quantification of As(III) and As(V) in bacterial media used for growing of Clostridium sp. Strain OhILAs bacteria. In this method, the arsenic species were eluted in order As(V) > As(III), and the retention time were not affected by bacteria media matrix. It has been shown that the shape of the curve of increasing of the As(III) concentration is similar to that of bacteria growing. The main disadvantage of the present method is its failure to separate As(III) ions …

Factors Effecting Uptake And Visualization Of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Particles By Macrophages: Relevance For Use In Mri Plaque Imaging, Walter John Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease kills nearly 1 million Americans each year. While treatment at all levels has made significant advances over the past 3 decades, diagnosis is still limited to structural or hemodynamic changes associated with advanced disease. More than 60% of myocardial infarctions (MI) result from the rupture and associated acute thrombosis of atherosclerotic plaque that reduce lumen size by less that 50%. Ultra small superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (USPIO) have recently been proposed as a macrophage targeted magnetic resonance contrast agent. The goal of the present study was to determine if, and the extent to which, molecules known to alter …

Using Pc12 Cells And Rat Cortical Neurons To Evaluate Poly(Caprolactone) And Collagenous Microcarriers For Applications In Nerve Guide Fabrication, Rebecca Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tissue-engineered nerve guides can provide mechanical support as well as biochemical stimulation for nerve regeneration. PC12 cells and rat cortical neurons were used to test poly(caprolactone) (PCL), collagenous microcarriers (CultiSphers), and a novel composite of the two materials as an initial step in the fabrication of multi-channeled nerve guides. PC12 cells were found to attach, proliferate and differentiate on laminin-coated PCL and on CultiSphers. When the initial concentration of PC12 cells was increased, the percentage of CultiSphers with cells attached increased as well. Changing the cell culture conditions from static to dynamic, however, had the opposite effect on cell attachment. …

Propensity To Engage In Interracial Dialogue On Race: A Descriptive Study Of Participants And Contributing Factors, Rebecca Willow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This hermeneutic inquiry examines factors that contribute to the self-selection of participants in interracial dialogue on race and the implications of the findings. This study was conducted within the socio-cultural context of race relations in the United States where the problem of racism has defined the national character, has arguably been the most divisive force in the country's consciousness, and remains its central social problem. Throughout U.S. history, a great deal of national energy has been generated and invested in racially influenced movements followed by efforts to make amends for such movements (e.g., slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil …

Health Practices Of Homeless Women, Margaret Chaney Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Homeless women and female-headed families represent the fastest growing subgroups of homeless individuals. To expand the body of knowledge and provide further insight into the complex area of homelessness and health, health practices of homeless women were investigated using a cross-sectional, descriptive, and non-experimental design using Pender's Health Promotion Model as the theoretical framework. Homeless women (N=137) were recruited from five shelters in northeastern Indiana. Homeless women in this study were found to be highly educated, mostly unemployed, and primarily single. A greater number of African Americans than represented in the local population were found to be shelter residents. Health …

Principles Of Chemical Reactivity On The Diels-Alder Reaction In Ionic Liquids And Lewis Acid Catalysis Using Large-Scale Computations, Orlando Acevedo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My Ph.D. dissertation describes three different external influences on pericyclic reactions: (1) ionic liquids, (2) Lewis acids and (3) bis(oxazoline)-Cu(II) complexes. (1) Ionic liquids deliver enhanced rates and endo/exo selectivities on the Diels-Alder reaction. The goal is to establish a firm understanding of the molecular interactions that give rise to the observed rate and selectivity enhancements. In order to accomplish our goal, we have used density functional theory methodology, specifically the Becke three parameter with Lee, Yang and Parr corrections at the 6-31G(d), to describe short-range effects, and have created new force field parameters using CHARMM to allow faster classical …

Socratic Encounters: Plato's Alcibiades, Andre Archie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to situate our reading of the Platonic dialogue Alcibiades Major among both ancient and modern readings of the dialogue. Since the nineteenth century the issue of authenticity has preoccupied most modern commentators of the dialogue, but from all reasonable evidence, commentators from the ancient world had no such qualms about attributing the authorship of Alcibiades Major to Plato. Our reading of Alcibiades Major is in line with modern commentators who take both the dialogue's dramatic features and educative value seriously, while not ignoring that in some quarters Alcibiades Major's authorship is still in dispute. …

Cloning And Expression Of Dazl In Rana Pipiens, Jamie Boorech

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The DAZ gene on the human Y chromosome has been implicated in male fertility. Humans and other animals possess an autosomal version of this gene, referred to as DAZ-like or Dazl, which functions in gametogenesis and fertility. In order to expand our knowledge of Dazl, I cloned Dazl from the northern leopard frog Rana pipiens. To obtain the clone, I screened a R. pipiens ovary cDNA library with a RpDazl-specific PCR-generated radioactive probe. RpDazl, as determined by sequencing, is 3.5kb in length, with an 843 nucleotide open reading frame (ORF) and a 3' untranslated region (UTR) of 2635 nucleotides. At …

Child Care In The United States: Assessing Parental Preferences In The Selection Of Nonparental Care, Andrea Castiglione

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between child, respondent, parent/guardian, and household characteristics and the preferences of the availability of sick care, a small group size, a reasonable cost, and a caregiver who shares similar beliefs about raising children in the selection of nonparental arrangements. SPPS was used to obtain bi-variate analyses of the categorized independent variables and their relationship to each of the four dependent variables regarding parental preferences of nonparental arrangements. Those who have a lower level of education, a lower total household income, rent their home, and have received welfare benefits within the past three years are more …

A Day Long To Be Remembered : The Battle Of Champion Hill And The Fall Of Vicksburg / By William Brian Risher, William Brian Risher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Victorian Governesses And The Deconstruction Of The Ideal Of Ladyhood / By Sommer M. Sneed, Sommer M. Sneed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Rolling Down Like Thunder : Will Davis Campbell And Wendell Berry Call For The Redefinition And Redemption Of The World, Sharron Eve Sarthou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Tie That Binds : Maternal Influence In The Works Of Charles Reade, Rachel Crawford Mckee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Defenders Of Liberty : The Mississippi States Righters, 1832-1834, Matthew R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Shared Lessons : How Post-Process Ideologies Might Benefit Both The News Writing And The Composition Classrooms, Eric Cash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Glass Trade Beads Among The Early Historic Chickasaw, Donna Jean Courtney Rausch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Light Design Process For Twelfth Night, Erin Elizabeth Alberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Hemingway, Bullfight, Code, Man, Nathan Henton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Mulatto In Black Literature, Tiffany C. Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Making Of The Homoerotic Body : Southern Evangelicals And The Fight For Gay And Lesbian Rights, Courtney E. Chartier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Separate Schools Shall Be Maintained For The White And Colored Races : The Progression Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities In Mississippi, Kianca Latrelle Guyton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Fourteen Stations Of The Cross / By Susan Day Woodard, Susan Day Woodard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Statistically Designed Spheronization And Scale-Up Of Ibuprofen Microparticulates Using The Rotor Disk Fluid-Bed Technology: Coating For Prolonged Release And Hard Gelatin Encapsulation Of Microparticulates, Beatrice Chukwumezie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim was to develop uncoated and coated ibuprofen microparticulates in a one-step fluid-bed machine with rotor-disk insert, for immediate and prolonged drug delivery. Feasibilty studies using ibuprofen: Avicel (RC-581; 50:50), sodium lauryl sulfate (1%) as surfactant and water as binder in FLM-15 Vector Flo-coater with 12" stainless-steel and waffle-disk inserts showed that amount of binder, plate type and the presence of surfactant affected most of spheroid characteristics. These variables were used in a 2x2x3 full factorial (replicated) experiment. Blocking was used to study batch-to-batch reproducibility of the process and product variables. Our results confirmed that the binder amount, plate-type …

Regulation Of Vitellogenin And Other Serum Proteins By Estrogen And Xenobiotic Estrogens In Salamanders, Lisa Marie Nespoli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental estrogens pose potential health risks to humans and wildlife by disrupting physiological and developmental processes; therefore, our laboratory has been designing in vivo bioassays on induction of the egg-yolk precursor protein vitellogenin. I have provided information on vitellogenin induction by estrogens in tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum), spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), Morelet's crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii), and developed vitellogenin immunoassays in these species. Salamanders were estrogen-injected; blood was collected at intervals. Estrogen exposed male salamanders of all species, produced substantial quantities of a 200-kDa protein, the approximate size of vertebrate vitellogenins. Sequencing of estrogen-induced proteins showed substantial homology …

Isolation Of Intragenic Suppressor Mutations Of A Dominant-Negative Ftsz Allele, Carla Ciccone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streptomyces coelicolor, a gram-positive bacterium containing division genes that are dispensable for growth and viability. ftsZ encodes the earliest acting cell division protein in prokaryotes. In S. coelicolor a mutation at codon 275 in ftsZ (ftsZ25), changes an alanine to a valine causing a block in division. Using a homology model of the crystal structure of FtsZ, I hypothesized that changing another amino acid having direct interaction with amino acid 275 might restore function. The structure-directed mutation changed a leucine to a valine at codon 259. The double mutation did not restore division to the organism; this change alone also …

Frederick Douglass And The Gospel Of Zarathustra / By Neil Segars, Neil Segars

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.