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Articles 2311 - 2340 of 3744
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Understanding The Patterns Of Distribution And Abundance Of Lyme Disease Carrying Ticks And Their Hosts, Julio Ruiz
Understanding The Patterns Of Distribution And Abundance Of Lyme Disease Carrying Ticks And Their Hosts, Julio Ruiz
Honors Theses
Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgodorferi and spreads to their hosts by the bites of infected Ixodes scapularis ticks. In the United States, Lyme disease is typically found in the northeast but in recent years the disease has begun to be found further south and west than previously before. Yet, today, little information can be found about the patters of distribution and abundance of ticks and their host. The main goal of this research work was to expand the knowledge of the abundance and distribution of ticks and host. Based on tick collection data obtained from Maikis …
Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth
Lethal Effects Of The Non-Native Invasive Shrub Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera Maackii) On A Model Aquatic Organism (Hyalella Azteca), Eric B. Borth
Honors Theses
The invasive plant Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) has had a variety of ecological effects as it continues to spread through the eastern United States including the loss of plant biodiversity and alterations in ecosystem function in forests. Streams meander through many forests where Amur honeysuckle is present and recent evidence suggests that this terrestrial invasion has consequences for stream biology. Leaves of Amur honeysuckle have been shown to have strong negative effects on terrestrial insects and we hypothesized that these negative effects may also occur in aquatic macroinvertebrates. In this set of experiments we used a sequence of microcosm assays …
Synthesis Of Bis(Quinoxalino) Ligand For The Removal Of Transition Metal Contamination, Alexander J. Farmer
Synthesis Of Bis(Quinoxalino) Ligand For The Removal Of Transition Metal Contamination, Alexander J. Farmer
Honors Theses
Transition metal contamination is a constant concern both in the environment and in chemical reaction mixtures. One proposed solution, is the use of peraza-crown macrocycles to selectively bind and remove transition metals. The aim of our project is to determine the novel synthesis of bis(quinoxalino) peraza-crown macrocycles for use as ligands to bind to transition metals. Our proposed molecules incorporate the rigid quinoxaline subunit into an aza-crown macrocycle which can improve binding properties. The synthesis route is novel and overcomes several limitations of the existing methods of aza-crown macrocycle preparation. We have designed the synthesis in such a way that …
The Effects Of Structural Modification Of The Wing Helix Domain Of Pria On Bacterial Dna, Erich Auer
The Effects Of Structural Modification Of The Wing Helix Domain Of Pria On Bacterial Dna, Erich Auer
Honors Theses
During a cell’s life it must copy itself or face death. For the cell to form a new copy it must replicate its DNA, this DNA is the blueprint for the essential components of the cell. The replication process does not always go to completion, which is necessary for the cell to survive, so there are mechanisms to keep the replication process running smoothly. In bacteria, PriA is used to restart replication after damage to the DNA. By looking at the structure of PriA we can start to determine how exactly it works with the damaged DNA and restart the …
Mothers As Career Leaders: Do Maternity Leave Laws Make A Difference?, Briar Rose Smith
Mothers As Career Leaders: Do Maternity Leave Laws Make A Difference?, Briar Rose Smith
Honors Theses
On a national level, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 is the only law that provides certain qualifying individuals with 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected maternity leave, although some states and private firms have implemented forms of paid maternity leave. Previous research indicates that female employees, regardless of their parental status, receive fewer promotions due to information asymmetry after the FMLA (Thomas 2015). In addition, some research finds that particular industries are more family friendly due to access to flexible work schedules for mothers (Goldin 2014). This thesis expands on both findings using data from the …
Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama
Effectiveness Of A Novel Porphyrin Exhibiting Dark Toxicity Against The Model Organism Mycobacterium Smegmatis, Marissa C. Jama
Honors Theses
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilizing porphyrins has emerged as a possible ancillary treatment against antibiotic resistant bacteria. Porphyrins, such a novel zinc containing porphyrin designated ZnP, create reactive oxygen species that are toxic to bacterial cells utilizing light by a mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Previous experiments have shown ZnP to be able to kill microorganisms in the dark which is unique to few porphyrins. The aim of this research is to understand the effect ZnP has on Mycobacterium smegmatis, a model organism for the pathogenic bacterium Mycobacterium tuburculosis which causes the lung infection tuberculosis. Further experimentation is …
Ambiguous Pleasure(Ers): Negotiating The Bodies Of Falstaff And Moll, Lauren Van Atta
Ambiguous Pleasure(Ers): Negotiating The Bodies Of Falstaff And Moll, Lauren Van Atta
Honors Theses
The British Early Modern Period was a time of shifting social ideologies where class as well as gender were mapped onto bodies and embedded in the very material conditions of life. But class and gender were not discreet categories with dichotomous definitions like ‘male’ and ‘female’, or ‘nobility’ and ‘peasant’. They had many inbetweens, and the theater was perhaps the most glaring inbetween of all. The theater necessarily complicates definitions and ways of viewing bodies as no body is what they seem. And at the heart of these ambiguous identities lay the fat body. It is consumptive, it is transgressive, …
The Impact Of A Dynamic Environment On Deposition And Cellular Response To Silver Nanoparticles, Robert F. Uhrig
The Impact Of A Dynamic Environment On Deposition And Cellular Response To Silver Nanoparticles, Robert F. Uhrig
Honors Theses
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are utilized in many different applications, such as an antibacterial agents or as protective coating against ultraviolet light. However, these AgNPs are known to cause potentially harmful biological effects, including toxicity, induction of stress, and immune activation. In this study, the effects of AgNPs on a human lung cell model were examined within both a static and dynamic environment. Most NP-based research is carried out in static environments, but do not accurate reflect dynamic physiological conditions. Dynamic fluid movement was introduced to the cell culture through the use of a multi-channel peristaltic pump. To further characterize the …
Zebrafish As A Model For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Bernadette Johnson
Zebrafish As A Model For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Bernadette Johnson
Honors Theses
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder with limited treatment options. Molecular mechanisms that cause PTSD remain unclear due to a lack of viable animal models. Considering the behavioral similarities between zebrafish (Danio rerio) and humans, their social nature, and functional parallels between select brain regions, we hypothesized that zebrafish can demonstrate PTSD and that antioxidant treatment will prevent PTSD induction. To test this hypothesis, adult zebrafish were exposed to a traumatic event then were tested immediately and three weeks after the event. Traumatized fish exhibited non-social behavior, spending 7000 fold less time interacting with tank mates then their …
Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne
Effects Of Ultrasound On Amyloid Beta 42 (Aβ42) Mediated Neurodegeneration, Sarah Byrne
Honors Theses
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age related progressive neurodegenerative disease. The exact mechanisms that lead to cell death are not entirely understood. It has been shown that accumulation of amyloid-beta-42 (Aβ42) plaques generated by mis-cleavage of amyloid-precursor-protein is the cause of neurodegeneration seen in AD. This is due to the hydrophobic nature of Aβ42 due to extra two amino acids added to the typical and naturally occurring Aβ40 in the body. These Aβ42 plaques trigger neuronal death because of the toxic nature and stress they exert on the neurons. In this study, Drosophila melanogaster transgenic model where human Aβ42 coding …
Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum
Pravastatin™ Suppresses Venous Shear Stress Dependent Induction Of Aquaporin 1 Protein Expression In Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells In Vitro, Raphael J. Crum
Honors Theses
Background: Aquaporins (AQPs) are transmembrane water channels that facilitate osmotically-driven transmembrane water flux. AQP1 is abundantly expressed in vascular endothelium, where it functions in endothelial cell migration, wound healing, and cell volume regulation in response to mechanical stimuli. AQP1 protein abundance is enhanced in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in response to fluid shear stress. Statins, a pharmacological class of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, suppress the early development of vein graft intimal hyperplasia by improving endothelial cell function, most likely by affecting endothelial response to arterial shear stress. Statins may also differentially regulate the expression of specific AQPs by …
Seasonal Changes In Physical, Chemical, And Biotic Factors In Silver Lake, Ohio, Jacob J. Clancy
Seasonal Changes In Physical, Chemical, And Biotic Factors In Silver Lake, Ohio, Jacob J. Clancy
Honors Theses
The chemical makeup of a body of water can vary greatly depending on what kind of lake it is, the time of year and what kind of runoff enters the water. There are many abiotic factors that make up the water chemistry of a lake such as nutrient availability (Nitrogen and Phosphorous), pH, temperature, oxygen content and conductivity. Each of these factors plays important roles in the successes of many organisms that reside in the lake. The many species of zooplankton and phytoplankton thrive in different water chemistry conditions. Silver Lake is a unique lake in Ohio, because it was …
Undergraduate Men's Perceptions Of Consent In College Campus Acquaintance Rape, M. Colleen Mcdaniel
Undergraduate Men's Perceptions Of Consent In College Campus Acquaintance Rape, M. Colleen Mcdaniel
Honors Theses
One in five women on college campuses have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2015). About 98% of sexual violence perpetrators are men (Greenfield, 1997). The present study seeks to examine whether a range of individual difference characteristics, including endorsement of masculine gender norms, endorsement of modern myths about sexual assault, and self-reported sexual behavior, predict participants’ evaluations of a hypothetical acquaintance rape scenario. One hundred fifty college men completed a survey consisting of the Male Role Norm Inventory (MRNI), followed by the Acceptance of Modern Myths about Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) and the Sexual …
Behind The Stigma: The Impact Of Gender And College Adjustment On Attitudes Towards Mental Health Disorders, Maggie Inman
Behind The Stigma: The Impact Of Gender And College Adjustment On Attitudes Towards Mental Health Disorders, Maggie Inman
Honors Theses
The topic of stigmatization of mental health disorders and use of psychological services has been widely researched. Gender differences have been found in attitudes regarding acceptability and treatability of mental illness, with adherence to gender roles influencing these attitudes. Past research has not explored non-traditional gender roles or the influence of social factors, like college adjustment. This study tested three hypotheses: that men and women with more feminine gender roles will display more accepting attitudes, that men and women with poorer college adjustment will also display more accepting attitudes, and that the relationship between college adjustment and attitudes towards mental …
Does Riparian Forest Invasion By The Exotic Shrub Amur Honeysuckle Influence Nutrient Dynamics In Headwater Streams?, Charlotte Anne Shade
Does Riparian Forest Invasion By The Exotic Shrub Amur Honeysuckle Influence Nutrient Dynamics In Headwater Streams?, Charlotte Anne Shade
Honors Theses
Lonicera maackii (Amur honeysuckle) invasion is extensive in forests across much of Ohio and the Midwest. Amur honeysuckle has been shown to influence headwater streams and its organisms, which depend on a certain water chemistry to survive. Little has been done to understand how honeysuckle affects water chemistry and nutrient cycling. As honeysuckle canopies prevent native organic matter from entering the streams below, while also adding its own organic matter that is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, and low in lignin, the amount and types of nutrients present in both forests and streams may be significantly altered. Over a one-year …
Characterization Of Pyridostatin And Its Interactions With C-Myc G-Quadruplexes, Zachary G. Cuny
Characterization Of Pyridostatin And Its Interactions With C-Myc G-Quadruplexes, Zachary G. Cuny
Honors Theses
No abstract provided.
Understanding The Effects Of Propionic Acid On Listeria Monocytogenes Growth, Survival, And Virulence, Elizabeth A. Abrams
Understanding The Effects Of Propionic Acid On Listeria Monocytogenes Growth, Survival, And Virulence, Elizabeth A. Abrams
Honors Theses
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes illnesses with a high fatality rate immunocompromised and elderly individuals. It colonizes the human intestine, which contains low levels of oxygen but high levels of fermentation acids. This work investigates how that environment affects various aspects of Listeria pathogenesis. Based on these results, we can ascertain whether propionate supplementation can be explored as an effective method of protecting individuals from Listeria infection.
Investigating Medicinally Important Portein-Protein And Protein-Ligand Interactions : A Computational Approach, Cooper Ashley Taylor
Investigating Medicinally Important Portein-Protein And Protein-Ligand Interactions : A Computational Approach, Cooper Ashley Taylor
Honors Theses
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and computational chemistry allow for an atomistic understanding of protein-protein and protein-ligand binding motifs. Through the use of MD, medicinally relevant complexes can be examined in detail unattainable by experimental methods. Within this work, systems pertinent to both Alzheimer’s Disease and HIV-1 are probed and thoroughly sampled to help elucidate potential therapeutic pathways. We used molecular dynamics and free energy estimations to gauge the affinity for the binary and ternary complexes of KLC1, APP and JIP1, three proteins all believed to be involved in the propagation of Alzheimer’s Disease. Two areas of thought exist suggesting that …
The College Admissions Problem: Effects Of Income And Ability Of Postsecondary Education Outcomes, Martha Whamond
The College Admissions Problem: Effects Of Income And Ability Of Postsecondary Education Outcomes, Martha Whamond
Honors Theses
This paper examines the effects of students’ pre-college income on student outcomes and college admissions decisions. Under the assumption that colleges maximize utility by maximizing student outcomes, a two-stage regression model for student outcomes is building using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the 1997 National Youth Longitudinal Survey (NLSY97). The first stage estimates a model for college quality using the IPEDS dataset. The college quality estimates are then used as independent variables in the second stage. The second stage estimates student outcomes as a function of pre- college income, ability, college quality, and demographic characteristics …
Devising From A Distance: A Study Of The Difference In Process, Composition, And Audience Response Between In-Person And Digitally-Mediated Choreographic Collaborations, Kathryn Butler
Honors Theses
This paper argues that dance devising shares a value system with that of the digital age, justifying the use of a virtual choreographic site to facilitate geographically distributed collaborations. The presence of technology in our social lives, working environments, and creative practices is steadily increasing. Before we passively let technology digitize and make virtual the choreographic process, or before we expedite this seemingly inevitable trajectory, we need to know what the consequences and opportunities might be. Through use of a controlled empirical investigation, this study analyzed the process experience, composition, and post-performance audience response between in-person and remote choreographic collaborations. …
Shifts In Thermal Habitats In The Gulf Of Maine Under Climate Change: A Case Study On American Lobster, Xinyi Zheng
Shifts In Thermal Habitats In The Gulf Of Maine Under Climate Change: A Case Study On American Lobster, Xinyi Zheng
Honors Theses
The rapid ocean warming observed in and predicted for the Gulf of Maine (GoM) raises uncertainties in the future distribution of American lobster (Homarus americanus). The location of lobsters is crucial to the long-term sustainability as well as management of Maine lobster fishery. This study provides a literature review of lobsters’ thermal preferences in the summer lobstering season and analyzes high-resolution sea surface temperature data in Geographic Information System in order to predict the changes in thermal habitats in the GoM under different climate change scenarios. The results show a projected decrease in cooler thermal habitats (11-15 °C) …
Examining Interactions Between Opsins And Carotenoid Biosynthetic Proteins In Halophilic Archaea, Alexandru M. Plesa
Examining Interactions Between Opsins And Carotenoid Biosynthetic Proteins In Halophilic Archaea, Alexandru M. Plesa
Honors Theses
Organisms have evolved numerous specialized molecules for constantly responding to environmental changes. Examples of such molecules are the light-driven proton-pump rhodopsins, such as bacteriorhodopsin (BR) and cruxrhodopsin (cR), and the carotenoid pigments, such as retinal and bacterioruberin. In halophilic Archaea, retinal can covalently bind bacterioopsin (BO) and cruxopsin (CO) to form the corresponding protein complexes, and its biosynthesis is indirectly controlled by the activity of the lycopene elongase (Lye) enzyme, which converts lycopene, a retinal precursor, to a form of bacterioruberin. Interestingly, opsins were shown to inhibit the activity of Lye, thereby promoting retinal biosynthesis and indirectly regulating the apoprotein-cofactor …
The Process Of Reclaiming Tribal Sovereignty Through Healthcare Autonomy, Karolina A. Serhan
The Process Of Reclaiming Tribal Sovereignty Through Healthcare Autonomy, Karolina A. Serhan
Honors Theses
This honors thesis explores the complex interplay between health status, healthcare, and tribal sovereignty among native communities in the United States. These relationships are explored through analyzing the paradoxical and condescending nature of the Federal Trust Responsibility in relation to government-organized healthcare programs for natives. In establishing this relationship, the thesis goes on to illustrate how native communities have effectively fought to regain sovereignty through reclaiming autonomy of their healthcare systems through the use of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The impact of tribal-led healthcare systems is further explored through an in-depth case study conducted regarding the …
Social Class Identity Development And Elite Schools, Sarah Peck
Social Class Identity Development And Elite Schools, Sarah Peck
Honors Theses
This project explores the ways in which students’ identities are shaped and created at an elite school in a large metropolitan city in Chile, called Croft School. The project focuses on the ways in which privilege is reproduced at this elite institution and how the school inadvertently and purposefully teaches its students lessons about social class. In order to examine these lessons, interviews with students, alumni, teachers, and administrators as well as a site visit to Croft’s campus were conducted. These methods were used to analyze the students’ understandings of themselves and the ways that the school attempted to shape …
Small Town, Big Future: Preparing Rural Maine Students For College, Elizabeth C. Huber
Small Town, Big Future: Preparing Rural Maine Students For College, Elizabeth C. Huber
Honors Theses
While the need for a college degree has increased in the knowledge economy era, acquisition of this degree has remained difficult for low-income and first-generation students. At the same time, college preparatory programs designed for this demographic of student tend to be clustered in urban centers while very little focus is given to disadvantaged students in rural communities. The academic prospects of rural students in regards to higher education are the focus of this project. More specifically, this project explores the ways in which college-cultured programs may address the educational needs of students living in rural communities. By doing in-depth …
Vein Patterning During Juvenile Wing Development In Oncopeltus Fasciatus And Jadera Haematoloma, William R. Simmons
Vein Patterning During Juvenile Wing Development In Oncopeltus Fasciatus And Jadera Haematoloma, William R. Simmons
Honors Theses
Wings are a defining characteristic of all pterygote insects and are agreed to originate from a single common winged ancestor. However, essentially nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate wing development and patterning outside of Endopterygota, and the vast majority of this knowledge comes solely from Drosophila melanogaster. There is reason to suspect that the drastic developmental differences that exist between Endopterygota and Exopterygota have resulted in changes in the mechanisms, timings, or even genes that govern wing development. This study examined the roles of several genes known to be involved in D. melanogaster wing development and patterning …
Protein Kinase Activity Toward Taabf1 In Imbibing Grains, Taylor P. Enrico
Protein Kinase Activity Toward Taabf1 In Imbibing Grains, Taylor P. Enrico
Honors Theses
The hormones gibberellin and abscisic acid are essential for plant responses to changing environmental conditions, and can send opposing signals. In wheat, the transcription factor TaABF1 plays an important role at the intersection of a gibberellin-induced/abscisic acid-suppressed pathway. When gibberellin dominates, the GA-induced gene, Amy32b, is transcribed. When abscisic acid is dominant, TaABF1 is active and it downregulates GA-induction of Amy32b, while promoting ABA-induced transcription of the gene HVA1. The activity of TaABF1 is thought to be regulated by post-translational phosphorylation at key serine residues. In this study, to determine TaABF1 phosphorylation by wheat kinases, we purified recombinant …
Constructing (Hu)Man Nature: A Feminist Critique Of Western Ir Theory, Liberal Economics And U.S. Foreign Policy, Nadia Stovicek
Constructing (Hu)Man Nature: A Feminist Critique Of Western Ir Theory, Liberal Economics And U.S. Foreign Policy, Nadia Stovicek
Honors Theses
Feminism in general exposes the fundamental folly of Western political theorists’ view of human nature, which is based on Western, decently well-off, white men’s experiences and privilege. This view of human nature, which is not human nature at all, but rather a socially constructed definition of what men’s human nature is, is replicated in neoclassical economics and perpetuated in mainstream Western International Relations theory. Understanding the social construction of norms exposes how what is conceived in conventional theory as human nature and state behavior is unnecessarily limiting. The U.S. is the greatest benefactor from the worldview of Western political theorists, …
It’S Not You, It’S— Hookup Culture And Sexual Subjectivity, Anne Vetter
It’S Not You, It’S— Hookup Culture And Sexual Subjectivity, Anne Vetter
Honors Theses
A semi-fictionalized ethnography that interrogates how students at Colby College use hookup culture as a way to make sense of themselves and others. This thesis is about systems, about social power and norms, and the very real ways that they are experienced in and enacted by the bodies of individual students. In other words, this thesis is a naming of what many students on this campus already know without words, a linking of story to story to story, a marking of patterns that underlie the forms of sexual subjectivity driving participation in hookup culture. Ultimately, by making visible the systems …
Crops And Controversy: Industry’S Role In The Gmo Debate, Carina Wallack
Crops And Controversy: Industry’S Role In The Gmo Debate, Carina Wallack
Honors Theses
The use of genetically modified crops (also called GM crops, genetically modified organisms, or GMOs for short) has become a highly contested issue. New genetic modification technologies offer a variety of advantages for improving agricultural efficiency. However, some scientists argue that the safety testing conducted thus far does not provide enough information and worry about possible health and ecological risks. Private industry sponsors a great deal of research on genetically modified crops. As the international controversy regarding the use of GMOs has unfolded, the very companies responsible for commercializing genetically modified crops have gained substantial influence in the resulting scientific …