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The Development Of 8-Ono-Adenosine Triplex Dna., Deepak D. Thakkar Jan 1998

The Development Of 8-Ono-Adenosine Triplex Dna., Deepak D. Thakkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Triplex DNA is a unique structure formed by the sequence specific interaction of triplex forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) with DNA, via hydrogen bonds, in its major groove. For this binding to occur base triplets like G(ON)-G:C(DNA), T(ON)-A:T(DNA), C+(ON)-G:C(DNA) must form, subsequent to the interaction of the TFOs with the DNA. TFOs directed to bind to the promoter or to the internal region of the oncogene, can prevent its transcription, and ultimately abolish oncoprotein production. This study has investigated the use of a novel modified nucleoside analog OdA (8-oxo-2{dollar}\\sp\\prime{dollar}-deoxyadenosine) for targeting the G:C rich regions of DNA to form OdA-G:C triplets with …


Estradiol Responsive Neural Systems Involved In Seasonal Breeding In The Ewe., Ivan Stefanovic Jan 1998

Estradiol Responsive Neural Systems Involved In Seasonal Breeding In The Ewe., Ivan Stefanovic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the ewe, seasonal anestrus results from a change in the hypothalamic responsiveness to estradiol (E2) negative feedback. Various studies have demonstrated a role of hypothalamic dopaminergic cell groups in this seasonally dependent E2 effect. However, these neurons do not possess α-estrogen receptors (ER), therefore suggesting existence of another neural system mediating E2 inhibition. In the first study, we attempted to identify these E2-responsive neurons, by screening hypothalamic areas known to contain ER to determine if E2 induced Fos/FRAs expression in any ER-containing neurons. Based on the results of this analysis, we next tested whether the activation of a specific …


The Ambassador Of Development: Aretas Brooks Fleming, West Virginia's Political Entrepreneur, 1839-1923., Jeffery Blane Cook Jan 1998

The Ambassador Of Development: Aretas Brooks Fleming, West Virginia's Political Entrepreneur, 1839-1923., Jeffery Blane Cook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aretas Brooks Fleming (1839–1923) businessman and Democratic party boss came from a prominent Fairmont family with extensive political connections throughout the region. He was not rich, but was well born, and able and followed the Virginia tradition of marrying well. He used an extensive kinship network, which was a community unto itself, to build a successful law practice and to start his climb up the political ladder. Fleming's dedication brought both political and business success, as he served in the West Virginia legislature and then judge of the second judicial circuit of West Virginia. Fleming's basic interest in politics, however, …


Inhibition Of Fibrogenic Tnf(Alpha) Gene Expression In Pulmonary Macrophages By Antisense Oligonucleotides., Weiwen Liang Jan 1998

Inhibition Of Fibrogenic Tnf(Alpha) Gene Expression In Pulmonary Macrophages By Antisense Oligonucleotides., Weiwen Liang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, we investigated the possibility of using antisense oligonucleotides directed against TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} mRNA to specifically inhibit TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} production in silica-exposed rats and to test whether this inhibition can provide any protection against silicosis. To optimize the length and sequence of antisense oligonucleotides against TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} mRNA, the effect of oligonucleotide length and different target sites on TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} mRNA on the antisense inhibitory activity of TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} production was investigated. The antisense oligonucleotides targeted to the cap site, the initial codon and the coding region of TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} mRNA was found equally effectively. The activity of antisense oligonucleotides against TNF{dollar}\\alpha{dollar} mRNA increased …


Placental Xenobiotic And Steroid Metabolism In Normal And Diabetic Patients., Donna Jean Mcrobie-Belle Jan 1998

Placental Xenobiotic And Steroid Metabolism In Normal And Diabetic Patients., Donna Jean Mcrobie-Belle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary function of the human placenta is to ensure an optimal environment for fetal growth and development. Nutrients, endogenous substances and xenobiotics enter the placenta via the maternal circulation. The placenta possesses the ability to metabolize a number of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds by processes (cytochrome P450 enzymes and/or glutathione conjugation pathways) similar to those in the liver. Although the metabolites produced are usually inactive, reactive or toxic metabolites may also be generated. Therefore, changes in placental enzymatic function could alter fetal exposure to these reactive/toxic metabolites. Animal and in vivo human studies suggest diabetes alters the liver's xenobiotic …


Emotional Hijacking Versus Safe Behavior., Christopher Monteressi Jan 1998

Emotional Hijacking Versus Safe Behavior., Christopher Monteressi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigated the types of reasoning used by coal mine employees when exposed to potentially dangerous situations. Information was gathered through interviews of coal miners who related actual experiences in the coal mines. The information in the interviews and in the review of the literature was used to develop and implement an experiential program that promoted an individual's responsibility for their safety and the safety of co-workers. The experiential program addressed safe work behaviors from the perspectives of emotional and cognitive memories and the functions of the human brain. This program had three overall objectives of assisting miners to …


Interactive Television Instructors' Perceptions Of Students' Nonverbal Responsiveness And Effects On Distance Teaching., Timothy Patrick Mottet Jan 1998

Interactive Television Instructors' Perceptions Of Students' Nonverbal Responsiveness And Effects On Distance Teaching., Timothy Patrick Mottet

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between interactive television instructors' perceptions of students' nonverbal responsiveness and their perceptions of distance students, teaching effectiveness, teaching satisfaction, teacher-student interpersonal relationships, and their preferring to teach in the interactive television classroom versus the traditional face-to-face classroom. The sample included 157 interactive television instructors who currently teach or have recently taught in both the traditional face-to-face and interactive television classrooms. All participants were mailed two identical surveys. One was to be completed on students in the traditional face-to-face classroom and the other in the interactive television classroom. The surveys contained …


Burnout Among Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers In West Virginia., Ronald H. Hudson Jr. Jan 1998

Burnout Among Secondary Agricultural Education Teachers In West Virginia., Ronald H. Hudson Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to provide information to West Virginia University and State Department of Education personnel that may be useful in developing a program whose purpose would be to educate educators on the effects of burnout. Data were collected via 92 questionnaires mailed to current agricultural teachers in West Virginia. Of these, 63 usable questionnaires were returned. The return rate was 68%. The survey consisted of three parts: (a) General Demographics, (b. Personal Self Evaluation; and (c) Maslach Educators Survey. Forty six percent of the respondents are between the ages of 41 and 50. Over 92% were …


Organizational Culture And Leadership At Berea College: An Historical Inquiry Into Saga Development And Underlying Cultural Assumptions., Gerald Emerson Wood Jan 1998

Organizational Culture And Leadership At Berea College: An Historical Inquiry Into Saga Development And Underlying Cultural Assumptions., Gerald Emerson Wood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Culture is a pervasive concept that is not easily encompassed in any one definition. Culture within an organization is both process and product. It is both a dynamic agent of influence within the temporal and spatial context of organizational life and an object of study approached from the actor's point of view and thickly described. My general interest is in the cultural context of colleges, and more specifically in the part that culture has played in the formation and transformation of the mission and role of Berea College as it has sought to educate marginalized people for nearly 150 years. …


The Effects Of Cocaine And Morphine On Avoidance Responding At Different Levels Of Food Deprivation., Michael Phillip Layng Jan 1998

The Effects Of Cocaine And Morphine On Avoidance Responding At Different Levels Of Food Deprivation., Michael Phillip Layng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Three rats deprived to 80% of free-feeding weight pressed a bar to avoid electric shock in a Sidman avoidance procedure (20 s R-S interval, 5 s S-S interval). Once responding became stable, two of the rats were reduced to 70% of free feeding weight and one rat’s weight was increased to 95%. Cocaine (10.0, 17.0, 30.0, 40.0 mg/kg), morphine (5.6, 10.0, 17.0, 30.0, 40.0) and saline were tested in a random series with multiple determinations. Rate of responding and avoidance proficiency were recorded. When the injection series was completed the rats were free-fed and their weights redetermined so that the …


The Effects Of Toothbrush Design On Bacterial Retention And Viability: A Preliminary Study., Heidi Lynn Dahmer Jan 1998

The Effects Of Toothbrush Design On Bacterial Retention And Viability: A Preliminary Study., Heidi Lynn Dahmer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

It is known that toothbrushes can harbor microorganisms. Researchers suggest replacing toothbrushes immediately following illness to reduce the possibility of microorganisms causing disease.1 The continuous use of a microbial-contaminated toothbrush may be potentially harmful to its user, especially if the user is medically compromised or immunosuppressed. Gingival irritation created during improper toothbrushing technique may result in portals of entry for bacteria to be introduced into the systemic circulation. This tissue damage is characterized by a break in the mucosal integrity permitting microbial invasion.1 Toothbrush bristle composition (i.e., texture, size, treatment, and placement) can also affect the amount of oral tissue …


Dynamic Response Of The Human Skull-Brain Complex To Impact: Points Of Maximum Stress And Pressure., Rinitha Palkamsetty Jan 1998

Dynamic Response Of The Human Skull-Brain Complex To Impact: Points Of Maximum Stress And Pressure., Rinitha Palkamsetty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study addresses the transient dynamic response of a human skull-brain complex under impact loads. Three cross-sections; sagittal, transverse and coronal of the brain are considered to perform the transient dynamic analysis that describes the kinematics and stress wave patterns of the internal motions in the skull and brain mass. The models include cerebral spinal fluid and meningi membrane along with the skull and the viscoelastic brain tissue. The analysis is performed using the program LS-DYNA3D for the analysis of frontal, lateral and top impact. The results produced include the loci of points that carry the maximum stresses as the …


The De/Re-Territorialization Of Struggle In Appalachia: The Legacy Of "Coal And Class" And The Cultural Politics Of Community., Stuart Lorkin Jan 1998

The De/Re-Territorialization Of Struggle In Appalachia: The Legacy Of "Coal And Class" And The Cultural Politics Of Community., Stuart Lorkin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Appalachia is a region that continues to represent a paradoxical place in the geographical imagination of its residents, scholars and popular writers. There is a long and well documented history of the often violent exploitation of its land and people, and a marginalized tradition of protest. The geography of economic, social and political development in the central core region is highly uneven, the product of tensions between raw material extraction such as coal, by capital, political control through an elite-state class, and variously organized social struggles. Studies of social movements within a cultural political framework provided a powerful mechanism of …


A Cognitive Developmental Approach To Racial Stereotyping, Empathy And The Relationship Between The Development Of Empathic Understanding And Racial Stereotyping In Euro-American Children., Z. Nilufer Bilgesu Jan 1998

A Cognitive Developmental Approach To Racial Stereotyping, Empathy And The Relationship Between The Development Of Empathic Understanding And Racial Stereotyping In Euro-American Children., Z. Nilufer Bilgesu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In countries where population consists of the members of different ethnic and racial groups, it is important to use a multicultural approach in education. The goal of the present research is to explain the connection between age, cognitive abilities, empathic understanding and their relationship with the social attitude of racial stereotyping. It is possible to see the effect of cognitive limitations of the children in their reasoning about others, and consequently in their empathic understanding and in their racial stereotyping behavior. In this study it was predicted that while the age (maturation) of the children increases, their cognitive abilities would …


The Relationships Among Hypermedia-Based Instruction, Cognitive Styles And Teaching Subject-Verb Agreement To Adult Esl Learners., Fuqiang Zhuo Jan 1998

The Relationships Among Hypermedia-Based Instruction, Cognitive Styles And Teaching Subject-Verb Agreement To Adult Esl Learners., Fuqiang Zhuo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the relationships among hypermedia-based instruction, cognitive styles, and teaching subject-verb agreement to adult ESL learners in order to find an effective approach to teach grammar which is a very thorny issue in the field of second and foreign language instruction and learning. Therefore, the effect of hypermedia on grammar instruction and learning is the main focus in this study. The treatment was the employment of hypermedia creating a new learning environment in which the adult ESL learners could be benefited from the advantages of new technology. Based on the current methodologies, approaches, and principles of second and …


Genotoxicity Studies Of Roofing Asphalt Fume Condensates In Mammalian Cells., Hongwei Qian Jan 1998

Genotoxicity Studies Of Roofing Asphalt Fume Condensates In Mammalian Cells., Hongwei Qian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The specific aims of the present investigation were to determine the genotoxicity and potential carcinogenicity of WFC of Type I and Type III roofing asphalt by using different genetic endpoints in mammalian cells in vitro and in rat in vivo. Morphological transformation studies in cultured BALB/c-3T3 cells indicated that at concentrations that allow less than 50% survival, neither of the WFC, with or without the hamster liver S9 activation system, significantly increased foci formation in BALB/c-3T3 cells. The conventional and immunofluorescent staining MN assays showed that both types of WFC caused a significant increase in the frequency of MNC and …


The Nature Of Semantic Memory Deficits In Alzheimer's Disease: Semantic Degradation Or Working Memory Deficits., Staci Robyn Jan 1998

The Nature Of Semantic Memory Deficits In Alzheimer's Disease: Semantic Degradation Or Working Memory Deficits., Staci Robyn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The nature of semantic memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been subject to controversy. It is unclear whether semantic memory is impaired because of degradation of semantic knowledge or due to information processing deficits. This study compared 18 patients with AD to 18 control participants who did not differ significantly in age, education, or gender on three working memory tasks. Three variations of the Self Ordered Pointing Task (SOPT) which varied in the degree of ability to utilize semantic processing skills were administered. Results indicated that patients with AD demonstrated working memory impairments compared to control participants. However, patients …


Immunotoxic Effects Of Pulmonary Exposure To Isobutyl Nitrite In The Murine Macrophage., Avijit Roy Jan 1998

Immunotoxic Effects Of Pulmonary Exposure To Isobutyl Nitrite In The Murine Macrophage., Avijit Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Isobutyl nitrite (IBN) is a volatile compound that causes vasodilation and smooth muscle relaxation. A history of abuse of this compound by HIV positive homosexual men has been associated with an increased incidence of Kaposi's Sarcoma, a tumor whose growth is responsive to cytokines. Previous work with the murine pulmonary model has demonstrated that exposure to IBN can suppress cytotoxic T cell ability, reduce the production of nitric oxide by macrophages and impair their ability to kill P815 targets. The overall aim of this project was to further characterize the nature of the immune alteration in the murine macrophages. In …


Searching For Evidence Of Transfer Between Drug Facilitators., Mark Aaron Miller Jan 1998

Searching For Evidence Of Transfer Between Drug Facilitators., Mark Aaron Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Four experiments were conducted to test whether transfer of stimulus control could be obtained between two drug facilitators, a drug and non-drug facilitator, and two non-drug facilitators. In the first experiment, the presence of methadone signaled which of two key lights would be followed by grain. In the absence of methadone, the contingencies were reversed. Concurrently, the presence of phencyclidine (PCP) signaled which of two additional key lights would be followed by grain. In the absence PCP, the contingencies were also reversed. During transfer tests in which each conditioned stimulus (CS) was presented following administration of each drug facilitator, only …


Relationship Between Habitat And Ant Communities In Oak-Dominated Appalachian Forests Treated With Microbial Pesticides., Changlu Wang Jan 1998

Relationship Between Habitat And Ant Communities In Oak-Dominated Appalachian Forests Treated With Microbial Pesticides., Changlu Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ants in the George Washington (Augusta Co. VA, USA) and Monongahela National Forests (Pocahontas Co. WV, USA) were studied using pitfall traps and bait traps to assess the effect of Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki (Foray 48F) and gypsy moth nuclear polyhedrosis virus (Gypchek) application on ant communities and the association of habitat characteristics with ants. Ant samples were also compared by forest, sampling year and season, sampling method, and sampling micro-habitat. Pitfall traps were operated for 45 weeks during summers of 1995 to 1997. Bait traps were set up and collected 42 times during the same period. A total of …


Examination Of The Alpha(1)-Adrenoceptor Signal Transduction Cascade In Salt-Sensitive Hypertension., James M. Culhane Jan 1998

Examination Of The Alpha(1)-Adrenoceptor Signal Transduction Cascade In Salt-Sensitive Hypertension., James M. Culhane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of these studies were to identify the sites of changes in the {dollar}\\alpha\\sb1{dollar}-adrenoceptor signal transduction cascade responsible for a specific supersensitivity to norepinephrine (NE) that develops in the mesenteric arterial vascular bed from Dahl salt-sensitive rats (DS) maintained on a high salt diet (HS) for five days or three weeks as compared to Dahl salt-resistant rats (DR). Perfusion studies using the isolated perfused superior mesenteric arterial vascular bed from five day DSHS and DRHS rats and nifedipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker, were performed to assess tissue reliance on extracellular calcium for contraction. This study demonstrated that in …


The Relation Between Cardiovascular Reactivity To Stress And Family History Of Hypertension: Examination Of Overt And Covert Responses To Stressors., Nicole Lynn Frazer Jan 1998

The Relation Between Cardiovascular Reactivity To Stress And Family History Of Hypertension: Examination Of Overt And Covert Responses To Stressors., Nicole Lynn Frazer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has suggested that cardiovascular reactivity to stress may be a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disorders (Manuck, 1994). Offspring of hypertensives have been hypothesized to be at greater risk for developing cardiovascular disorders through these exaggerated cardiovascular responses to stress, and therefore have been the focus of much research. Little empirical attention has been paid to the relation between other overt (e.g., verbal behavior) or covert (e.g., self-reported anger) responses exhibited during the laboratory session and family history status or cardiovascular reactivity to stress. The purpose of this investigation was to examine differences in overt and covert …


The Construction Of "The Student Perception Of Teacher Health Scale"., Steven Craig Koehn Jan 1998

The Construction Of "The Student Perception Of Teacher Health Scale"., Steven Craig Koehn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to construct a student perception of a teacher's health scale. The rationale for the study was the severe lack of research on the effects of a teacher's health in the classroom environment. In addition, the tremendous dropout rate in the teaching profession due to burnout, stress and other health related factors was a key ingredient. Scale construction was deemed an important beginning component in investigation of an area with little prior investigation. The original scale was designed using student focus group participation. A sample of 54 undergraduate subjects were interviewed and audio-taped. Analysis of …


The Value Orientations And Perceptions Of Caring Of Ethiopian Nuers., Connie Ann Hall Jan 1998

The Value Orientations And Perceptions Of Caring Of Ethiopian Nuers., Connie Ann Hall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to systematically describe and analyze differences in value orientations and perceptions of caring of the Ethiopian Nuer. The study addressed the meaning of caring and its most important elements to the Nuer. The study also endeavored to identify relationships between value orientations and perceptions of caring and the demographic characteristics of the sample. The demographic characteristics that were considered included: sex, generation, literacy, place of residence, and religion. The convenience sample for this study was comprised of 54 subjects. They were interviewed in order to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Caring Questionnaire, and the …


Isolation And Characterization Of The 22 Kd Subunit Of Gluconate Dehydrogenase Derived From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pao1., John David Gordon Jan 1997

Isolation And Characterization Of The 22 Kd Subunit Of Gluconate Dehydrogenase Derived From Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pao1., John David Gordon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Approximately 95-99% of soil phosphorous is unavailable to plants, with {dollar}\\sim{dollar}90% of phosphate fertilizers also being rendered unavailable upon application. 2-Ketogluconate (2KG) has been shown to solubilize insoluble phosphates in vitro. If plants themselves could solubilize the insoluble phosphate in the soil, this would greatly reduce the need for phosphate fertilizers. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to examine in vitro and in situ solubilization of insoluble phosphates (calcium phosphate, RP, and iron phosphate, IP) with increasing concentrations of 2KG, as seen through plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) growth and Pi uptake. In the first experiment (in situ solubilization), water alone showed a …


Stimulus Control Of Human Punished Behavior: Testing For Generalization., Jennifer Marie O'Donnell Jan 1997

Stimulus Control Of Human Punished Behavior: Testing For Generalization., Jennifer Marie O'Donnell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Punishment may decrease the rate of unpunished behavior (i.e., punishment effects may generalize). Only a few studies with animals (e.g., Honig & Slivka, 1964) have investigated the stimulus generalization of punishment effects, or how they vary systematically with physical properties of stimuli. In a recent study with humans (O'Donnell & Crosbie, in press), each response in the presence of one horizontal line was punished, and generalization of punishment was tested in the presence of nine other lines that differed only in length. Generalization gradients were not obtained, most likely because the punisher became the discriminative stimulus for punishment conditions, thus …


A Unique Astrocyte Morphological Plasticity., Joanna B. Bobak Jan 1997

A Unique Astrocyte Morphological Plasticity., Joanna B. Bobak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Morphological plasticity of astrocytes has been hypothesized as vital to ongoing plasticity in the adult central nervous system. However, it has yet to be demonstrated directly that astrocytes are capable of gross morphological changes under non-pathological circumstances in the adult nervous system. In our studies, we have investigated this issue in the glial limitans associated with a well-known model of neuronal plasticity, the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus. The activity of the neuroendocrine cells comprising this region was stimulated in rats by substitution of 2% saline for drinking water for 2 or 9 days. Light and electron microscopic morphometry revealed that by …


Molecular Mechanisms Involved In The Expression And Regulation Of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase By Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids., Deborah Lynne Hodge Jan 1997

Molecular Mechanisms Involved In The Expression And Regulation Of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase By Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids., Deborah Lynne Hodge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this work was to determine how polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) affect gene expression at the molecular level. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a member of the family of lipogenic enzymes known to be inhibited by dietary PUFAs. Addition of PUFAs to diet causes a 70-80% decrease in G6PD enzyme activity and mRNA accumulation in liver with no change in transcriptional activity of the gene, indicating that regulation occurs at a posttranscriptional step. Similarly, regulation of G6PD by starvation and refeeding results in a 12- to 15-fold increase in G6PD activity and mRNA accumulation but no change in transcriptional …


Retrovirus Variation And Rt Template Switching During Retroviral Reverse Transcription: Development Of Novel Retroviral Vectors For Gene Therapy., John George Julias Jan 1997

Retrovirus Variation And Rt Template Switching During Retroviral Reverse Transcription: Development Of Novel Retroviral Vectors For Gene Therapy., John George Julias

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The low processivity of retroviral reverse transcriptase and the lack of exonucleolytic proofreading by retroviral reverse trascriptase contribute to the emergence of virus variants in infected hosts. A result of the low processivity of reverse transcriptase is the high frequency deletion of direct repeats in retroviral genomes and vectors. We determined that direct repeats of 383, 788, and 1333 base pairs delete at rates of 28-40, 85, and 93%, respectively, in one round of retroviral replication. Also, we demonstrated that the propensity of reverse transcriptase to switch templates could be used to reconstitute the neomycin resistance gene and delete the …


Effect Of Hydrous Oxide Coatings On Adsorption Of Oxyanions By Clay Minerals., Swarn S. Dhaliwal Jan 1997

Effect Of Hydrous Oxide Coatings On Adsorption Of Oxyanions By Clay Minerals., Swarn S. Dhaliwal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Five clay minerals (Well Crystallized Kaolinite (KWC), Poorly Crystallized Kaolinite (KPC), Illite, Attapulgite, and Montmorillonite) with a range of surface characteristics were selected to investigate the adsorption of three oxyanions (molybdate, selenite, and selenate). The minerals were coated with five different levels of each of Fe and Al hydrous oxides. The charge characteristics were determined using potentiometric titration. Adsorption was studied by batch experiment at 11 different concentrations of each of the oxyanions at three different pH levels. Coating with both Fe as well as Al hydrous oxide coatings raised the pH{dollar}\\sb{lcub}\\rm o{rcub}{dollar} (condition where mineral surface is electrically neutral) …