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Influence Of Stem Education And Technology In Selecting Food And Agriculture Careers, Joan Hegerfeld-Baker
Influence Of Stem Education And Technology In Selecting Food And Agriculture Careers, Joan Hegerfeld-Baker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Currently market forces identify a growing need for professionals in food safety related careers. The investigation studied influential factors guiding students to choose career paths. Careers connected to the safety of the food supply require professionals with undergraduate and graduate degrees related to science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). Preparing and attracting students to post-secondary institutions needs greater attention to meet the demands of the food and agriculture industry. The investigation focused on college students and high school teachers. Students in three colleges (Arts and Sciences, Agriculture and Biological Sciences, and Education and Human Sciences) offering STEM and non-STEM majors …
Development Of A Subunit Vaccine Against Bovine Diarrhea Caused By K99 Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli And Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus, Emad Hashish
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Bovine diarrhea is economically one of the most important problems in cattle industry. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), particularly strains expressing K99 (F5) fimbriae and heat-stable type I (STa) enterotoxin is the predominant bacterial cause of diarrhea in calves; whereas bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) causes diarrhea and other illness to cattle at all ages. A vaccine that prevents against both K99 fimbrial ETEC and BVDV could benefit greatly to cattle producers worldwide. We hypothesized that a novel multivalent vaccine composed of K99, STa and BVDV E2 antigens could induce immunity for broad protection against bovine diarrhea. In this study we …
Energy In The Corn Belt: Is Maize Production Sustainable?, Matthew Bernau
Energy In The Corn Belt: Is Maize Production Sustainable?, Matthew Bernau
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Technological and scientific innovation has transformed agricultural production. Corn production methods changed from a sustainable, nutrient recycling production system to one reliant on imported fossil energy inputs. Located in the Western Corn Belt, Union County, South Dakota was chosen as the study area. Changes in production methods are represented by four technological epochs: 1) The Draft Horse Epoch, 1890-1920; 2) The Tractor Epoch, 1920-1950; 3) The Fertilizer Epoch, 1950-1980; and 4) The Biotechnology and Precision Agriculture Epoch, 1980-2010. The energy budget method was used to measure the energy sustainability of corn production. The findings show that the volume of corn …
Protein Kinases: Structure Modeling, Inhibition, And Protein-Protein Interactions, Khaled M. Elokely
Protein Kinases: Structure Modeling, Inhibition, And Protein-Protein Interactions, Khaled M. Elokely
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human protein kinases belong to a large and diverse enzyme family that contains more than 500 members. Deregulation of protein kinases is associated with many disorders, and this is why protein kinases are attractive targets for drug discovery. Due to the high conservation of the ATP binding pocket among this family, designing specific and/or selective inhibitors against certain member(s) is challenging. Several studies have been conducted on protein kinases to validate them as suitable drug targets. Although there are numerous target-validated protein kinases, the efforts to develop small molecule inhibitors have so far led to only a limited number of …
The Design, Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Aplysinopsin Analogs As Potential Neuromodulators, Kevin Lewellyn
The Design, Synthesis, And Biological Evaluation Of Aplysinopsin Analogs As Potential Neuromodulators, Kevin Lewellyn
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Aplysinopsins are tryptophan-derived natural products that have been isolated from a variety of marine organisms and have been shown to possess a range of biological activities. Initial synthesis of a library of 50 aplysinopsin analogs revealed that of the 12 serotonin receptor subtypes and 34 other CNS receptors, aplysinopsin analogs shoa high affinity for the 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptor subtypes, with selectivity for 5-HT2B over 5-HT2C. Bromination at C-4 and C-5 of the indole ring resulted in greater binding affinities, with Ki's as low as 35 nM. In addition, biological evaluation of the MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitory activities of these …
The Role Of Disgust In Eating Disorders, Eun Ha Kim
The Role Of Disgust In Eating Disorders, Eun Ha Kim
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Disgust, a basic emotional response, which influences approach/avoidance behaviors, has been studied in various psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. The current study employed exploratory correlations and hierarchical linear regressions (controlling for race, anxiety, and depression) in order to be able to observe the relationships among three traditional domains of disgust (i.e., core, animal-reminder, contamination) and eating disordered behaviors. Results revealed significant correlations between core disgust and dieting behaviors, in addition to contamination disgust and bulimia and symptoms of food preoccupation as well as behaviors concerning self-control around food-related stimuli (i.e., oral control). More importantly, disgust sensitivity was …
Mounds In The Landscape: A Comparative Study Of Landscape Archaeology In English-Speaking Northwest Europe And North America, Jennifer Ann Rich
Mounds In The Landscape: A Comparative Study Of Landscape Archaeology In English-Speaking Northwest Europe And North America, Jennifer Ann Rich
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Humans have been intrigued by their surrounding landscape for centuries. Sometimes intrigue has led to particular manipulations of the land by groups of people, such as the building of mounds and other monuments. Thus, the study of past landscape use is an important part in understanding our own interests. Over the years, developments in archaeology have come to include various perspectives on how past landscapes should be interpreted. This thesis will examine the changes within the theoretical perspectives in landscape archaeology through the decades. Within the regions of English-speaking Northwest Europe (including Britain and Ireland) and North America, I will …
Interpreting Ambiguity In Sexual Dating Encounters: Social Information Processing Differences In Men And Women, Carrie Ambrose
Interpreting Ambiguity In Sexual Dating Encounters: Social Information Processing Differences In Men And Women, Carrie Ambrose
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Research has shown date/acquaintance rape to be the most prevalent type of rape. Dating and social interactions provide a context influenced by social factors (e.g., relationship with perpetrator, relationship expectation, peer influences) and personal factors (e.g., social perceptions, goals, learning history), many of which have been suggested to complicate decision making in reference to communicating sexual boundaries. Social Information Processing Theory (SIP) suggests individuals follow successive cognitive stages in determining how to respond to social stimuli. These stages are influenced by biological predisposition, environment, and learning history. The SIP model involves 6 stages: encoding of cues, interpretation of cues, goal …
Impact Of Time-Varying And Time-Invariant Measures Of Adherence To Secondary Prevention Therapies Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction: An Application Of Marginal Structural Models (Msms), Tasneem Taher Lokhandwala
Impact Of Time-Varying And Time-Invariant Measures Of Adherence To Secondary Prevention Therapies Post-Acute Myocardial Infarction: An Application Of Marginal Structural Models (Msms), Tasneem Taher Lokhandwala
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between patient adherence to secondary prevention therapies post an initial episode of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and subsequent risk of cardiovascular events by using time-invariant and time-varying measures of adherence. The effectiveness of both measures in predicting a (i) recurrent AMI, and (ii) mortality using various mathematical models and statistical techniques was compared. Time dependent confounding was accounted for by using marginal structural models (MSMs). A longitudinal cohort observational study design was employed using the retrospective Medicare 5% random national sample claims data from January 1st, 2006 to December 31st, …
Stress, Social Support, And Psychological Well-Being In College Students Attending Majority And Minority Institutions, Bianca Marie Crudup
Stress, Social Support, And Psychological Well-Being In College Students Attending Majority And Minority Institutions, Bianca Marie Crudup
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
High stress levels can have profound physical and emotional effects. College students frequently experience high levels of stress. While it has been noted that college students frequently report elevated stress levels, it may be that African-American college students are at exceptionally high risk for experiencing high stress levels. This observation is said to be the result of the added burden of minority status stressors. The current study examined stress levels in African-American college students attending majority (Predominantly White Institutions or PWIs) and minority (Historically Black Colleges and Universities or HBCUs) institutions. Participants completed an online survey that consisted of measures …
The Darker Angels Of Our Nature: The South In American Horror Film, Steven Clayton Saunders
The Darker Angels Of Our Nature: The South In American Horror Film, Steven Clayton Saunders
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
How does one make a region horrific? For well over half of a century, the American South has functioned as a site for national anxieties over race and modernization. This study uses an inter-disciplinary approach in order to understand the various forces involved in the construction of the South in American horror cinema. Particular attention is paid to the influence that images of the civil rights movement have had on the development and evolution of the South as a horrific and terrifying space for the rest of the nation. It focuses on four main subcategories of the genre: the white …
A Neurophysiological Examination Of Stress Control In Martial Artists, Jack Pemment
A Neurophysiological Examination Of Stress Control In Martial Artists, Jack Pemment
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The philosophies behind many martial arts often claim that by practicing martial arts individuals can gain better control over stress. We tested this idea by using controlled physical stressors to elicit an acute stress response from martial artists (n=15) and non-martial artists (n=18). To measure the extent of the stress response, we looked at changes in heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and galvanic skin level. These three measures explore both parasympathetic and sympathetic responses, and changes in these variables continue to be explored in studies of stress and reactive aggression. In addition to our physical stressors we also exposed individuals …
Astronomy Week: An Investigation Of The Implementation And Identity Formation Of Participants, Carl Matthew Dewitt
Astronomy Week: An Investigation Of The Implementation And Identity Formation Of Participants, Carl Matthew Dewitt
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Abstract: our society has a great need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals and educational institutions are currently having difficulty keeping up with society's demand (Carnevale, 2011). Outreach efforts are a key strategy to encouraging young people to pursue STEM careers and evaluation methods need to be used to ensure that this outreach is efficient and effective in helping young students see themselves as prospective STEM professionals (Moskal, 2011). The purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate the implementation of an astronomy week supported by the center for mathematics and science education (CMSE) and its impact on …
Male Reproductive Strategies And Mating Displays In The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris Ocellata), Edward Merrill Hanlon
Male Reproductive Strategies And Mating Displays In The Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris Ocellata), Edward Merrill Hanlon
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Animal mating systems are often characterized by intense competition for mates and resources. Despite how comthis conflict is, mating systems exist in which some adult males of breeding age seem to not participate. These apathetic males may be exhibiting alternative reproductive strategies, or simply delaying maturation to conserve resources for future breeding attempts. In populations of the poorly studied, near-threatened Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata), males have been reported to be either "breeding" or "non-breeding," apparently irrespective of age, although empirical data are scarce. This thesis has three main objectives for establishing a better understanding of the Ocellated Turkey's mating system. …
Molecular Considerations In The Design Of Novel Alpha/Beta Hydrolase Inhibitors, Shana Victoria Stoddard
Molecular Considerations In The Design Of Novel Alpha/Beta Hydrolase Inhibitors, Shana Victoria Stoddard
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Alpha/beta hydrolases (ABHs) are a superfamily of hydrolytic enzymes that process a wide variety of substrates. A subfamily of ABHs called carboxylesterases (CEs) are important enzymes that catalyze biological detoxification, hydrolysis of certain pesticides, and metabolism of many esterified drugs. The chemotherapy drug irinotecan used for treatment of colorectal cancer is metabolized to SN-38, the active drug metabolite, by two CE isozymes CES1 (localized in the liver) and CES2 (localized in the small intestines). CES2's ability to activate irinotecan at a faster rate than CES1 creates a localization of activated SN-38 in the gut epithelium, resulting in the dose limiting …
Modeling Software Product Lines Using Feature Diagrams, Hazim Husain Shatnawi
Modeling Software Product Lines Using Feature Diagrams, Hazim Husain Shatnawi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The leading strategies for systematic software reuse focus on reuse of domain knowledge. One such strategy is software product line engineering. This strategy selects a set of reusable software components that form the core around which software products in a domain are built. Feature modeling is a process that enables engineers to identify these core assets, in particular the com(e.g., shared) and variable features of products. The focus of this thesis is to give an overview of the feature modeling process by introducing feature diagrams. Feature diagrams capture and represent comand variable properties (features) of the software products in a …
Mechanical Properties Of Portland Cement And Its Constituents At The Nano-Level, Brent French
Mechanical Properties Of Portland Cement And Its Constituents At The Nano-Level, Brent French
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The following is a summary of research for a portion of the project titled Nano to Continuum Multi-Scale Modeling Techniques and Analysis For Cementitious Materials Under Dynamic Loading in association with North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and the US Army. This research investigates several attempts at creating a better Portland cement model at the atomistic level through molecular dynamics simulations. These models are modified to simulate damage to the basic cement structure, and are simulated using several combinations of forcefields and molecular dynamics tools. Experimental techniques such as nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction are applied to …
Pedagogy And Identity In "The Night Lessons" Of Finnegans Wake, Zachary Paul Smola
Pedagogy And Identity In "The Night Lessons" Of Finnegans Wake, Zachary Paul Smola
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores chapter II.ii of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (1939)—commonly called "The Night Lessons"—and its peculiar use of the conventions of the textbook as a form. In the midst of the Wake's abstraction, Joyce uses the textbook to undertake a rigorous exploration of epistemology and education. By looking at the specific expectations of and ambitions for textbooks in 19th century Irish national schools, this thesis aims to provide a more specific historical context for what textbooks might mean as they appear in Finnegans Wake. As instruments of cultural conditioning, Irish textbooks were fraught with tension arising from their investment …
Matrices Of Disorder: Class, Race, And The Policing Of Normative Southern Femininity In William Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, And Requiem For A Nun, Claire B. Mischker
Matrices Of Disorder: Class, Race, And The Policing Of Normative Southern Femininity In William Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury, As I Lay Dying, Sanctuary, And Requiem For A Nun, Claire B. Mischker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In this project, I apply Judith Butler's late twentieth century theory of gender performance, outlined in her book Gender Trouble , to three major novels from William Faulkner's early career, The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, and Sanctuary, and to one novel from his later period, Requiem for a Nun. This project examines the main female characters of these novels: Caddy Compson, Addie and Dewey Dell Bundren, Temple Drake, and Nancy Mannigoe, respectively, to reveal how race and class are indelible to the performance of gender in the literature of the early twentieth century South. The focus …
The Impact Of Dietary And Exercise Habits On College Students' Life Satisfaction, Megan L. Marsh
The Impact Of Dietary And Exercise Habits On College Students' Life Satisfaction, Megan L. Marsh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A majority of college students do not maintain healthy lifestyle practices. Few college students achieve recommendations for adequate nutrition and instead typically consume diets high in fat, sodium, and sugar and low in fruits and vegetables. In addition, few college students meet current physical activity recommendations, and 40-50% do not exercise at all. Life satisfaction is associated with low levels of stress, academic achievement, goal progression, and personal growth initiative, all of which contribute to success in college as well as the transition from college into the working world. Exercise, fruit and vegetable intake, and avoidance of fat intake are …
Improving Qualitative Assessment In Higher Education, Chad Woodson Russell
Improving Qualitative Assessment In Higher Education, Chad Woodson Russell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation considers in turn the role education plays in civil, democratic society; the role assessment plays in education; and the role theoretical constructs and cultural contexts play in assessment. Then, through literature review, document analysis, and interviews, the analysis investigates, identifies, and recommends grounded-theory-derived practices for improving qualitative assessment in higher education settings. The process of qualitative assessment is understood as being heuristic and continual, requiring re-examination and revision to maintain both its validity and reliability. To this end, rubrics are essential to efficiently and reliably assessing everything qualitative, whereas the realities of institutional culture and politics require adroit …
Synthesis Of Natural Product-Based Sphingosine Derivatives, Zarana Daksh Chauhan
Synthesis Of Natural Product-Based Sphingosine Derivatives, Zarana Daksh Chauhan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Marine sponges represent an excellent source of sphingolipids and their metabolites, especially sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P plays an important role in cell differentiation, survival, proliferation and the immune response. The enzyme sphingosine kinase (SK) is critical for the phosphorylation of sphingosine to S1P and has been examined as a druggable target for the treatment of hyper-proliferative diseases, inflammation, cancer and other pathological conditions. Natural products that consist of an azetidine ring represents an interesting class of conformationally constrained scaffolds that may serve as effective lead compounds for SK inhibitor development. Hence, the goal of this thesis research was to synthesize natural-product …
Metabolic Stability And Pharmacokinetics In Lead Optimization Of Potential Anti-Psychostimulant Pharmacotherapies, Seshulatha Jamalapuram
Metabolic Stability And Pharmacokinetics In Lead Optimization Of Potential Anti-Psychostimulant Pharmacotherapies, Seshulatha Jamalapuram
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Drug addiction is a chronic disorder characterized by obsessive and uncontrollable drug-seeking behaviors. It is a major public health problem globally as well as in the United States. Apart from causing severe medical complications it also leads to several socioeconomic problems like healthcare expenditures, lost earnings and increase in drug-related crime. The discovery and development of potential pharmacotherapies to treat cocaine dependence has been a high priority for more than two decades but still there is US-FDA approved medication. This illustrates the need for the development of effective medication to treat cocaine and methamphetamine abuse. Sigma receptors have recently been …
Dual Targeting Ligands Of Sigma Receptors And Dopamine Transporters As Potential Pharmacotherapy For Cocaine Abuse, Shivangi Awasthi
Dual Targeting Ligands Of Sigma Receptors And Dopamine Transporters As Potential Pharmacotherapy For Cocaine Abuse, Shivangi Awasthi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Backscatter And Attenuation Properties Of Mammalian Brain Tissues, Pushpani Vihara Wijekularatne
Backscatter And Attenuation Properties Of Mammalian Brain Tissues, Pushpani Vihara Wijekularatne
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a comcategory of brain injuries, which contributes to a substantial number of deaths and permanent disability all over the world. Ultrasound technology plays a major role in tissue characterization due to its low cost and portability that could be used to bridge a wide gap in the TBI diagnostic process. This research addresses the ultrasonic properties of mammalian brain tissues focusing on backscatter and attenuation. Orientation dependence and spatial averaging of data were analyzed using the same method resulting from insertion of tissue sample between a transducer and a reference reflector. Apparent Backscatter Transfer Function …
Butch, Femme, Dyke, Or Lipstick, Aren't All Lesbians The Same?: An Exploration Of Labels And "Looks" Among Lesbians In The U.S. South, Danielle Kerr
Butch, Femme, Dyke, Or Lipstick, Aren't All Lesbians The Same?: An Exploration Of Labels And "Looks" Among Lesbians In The U.S. South, Danielle Kerr
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis is an exploratory qualitative sociological analysis of gender, sexuality, and race among "out" lesbians in the U.S. south. In this thesis, I explore the following questions: (1) what labels are self-identified lesbians in the south using and/or applying to themselves, and how do they use them? (2) how do they talk about and experience their dress as a part of their identity? (3) how are lesbians doing gender and sexuality in both private and professional environments? (4) how does southern location influence lesbians' conceptualization of their gender and sexuality? This research expands current understandings in the literature regarding …
Chinese Female Graduate Students' Academic Socialization Across Disciplines - Perspectives On Language, Culture, And Gender, Sheng Bi
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
From the mid-1950s, international education in the United States has witnessed stupendous growth. China boasts the largest number of English language learners in the world, and contributes to an increasingly large share of the global international student market. Being informed by a community of practice perspective and poststructuralist conceptualization of identity, the present study aims to explore the academic socialization experience of three female Chinese graduate students in the United States. The ethnographic case study collected data from various sources such as classroom observations, open-ended questionnaires, interviews with participants and with their course instructors, and written documents. The findings revealed …
Part A: Antimalarial Agents Modified At The C-16 Position Of Artemisinin; Part B: Lead Optimization Of Falcipain-2 And Falcipain-3 Inhibitors, Yunshan Wu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Part A: Antimalarial Agents modified at the C-16 position of Artemisinin. Malaria is a widespread tropical and subtropical parasitic disease which is caused by malarial parasites and transmitted by the infected anopheles mosquitoe. The natural product artemisinin and its derivatives are currently considered the most effective drugs against drug resistant plasmodium falciparum. However, its undesired physicochemical proprieties have limited its usage. In order to improve its effectiveness, scientists around the world have developed novel methodology to synthesize artemisinin derivatives on different positions of the artemisinin skeleton. Previous work in our group has shown that many analogues modified at the C-16 …
Role Of The Endocannabinoid System In Cardiac Remodeling, Monica Gole
Role Of The Endocannabinoid System In Cardiac Remodeling, Monica Gole
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The endocannabinoid system and CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors have been implicated in cardiac remodeling with CB1 inhibition and CB2 activation reported to be beneficial. However, the role of these receptors in cardiac remodeling secondary to hypertension is not known. Moreover, the functions of the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in cardiac ventricular fibroblasts and their downstream fibrotic pathways has not yet been elucidated. This study was designed to determine the temporal myocardial expression pattern of CB1 and CB2 receptors in cardiac remodeling secondary to pressure overload (PO) induced hypertension at 3, 5, 14 and 28 days. The expression of …
Sustainability Of Water And Wastewater Infrastructure: Using A Public-Private Partnership Model For Project Financial Assessment, Rebecca Werner Trotter
Sustainability Of Water And Wastewater Infrastructure: Using A Public-Private Partnership Model For Project Financial Assessment, Rebecca Werner Trotter
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
To supplement current and future budget shortfalls for improvements to water and wastewater infrastructure, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs or P3) are being advocated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and others as a practical mechanism to ensure financial sustainability. A PPP involves a partnership between a government entity and a concessionaire--consisting of one or more private companies acting as a single, private incorporation--who make an agreement on funding, building, and operating a usually government-provided service, such as drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. This is different from a traditional contract between a government entity and a contractor because the concessionaire …