Digital Commons Network^™

Estrogen Promotes Neurite Outgrowth In Olfactory Epithelial Explant Cultures Through The Estrogen Receptor, Apryl E. Pooley

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Functional Genomics Approach To Analyze Two Methionine-[Gamma]-Lyase Orthologs In "Ferroplasma Acidarmanus" Using In Vitro Enzyme Assays, Md. A. Wadud Khan

Masters Theses

Functional genomics predicts that ferl genome has two candidate genes for the production of two methionine-y-lyase (MGL) orthologs, which are thought to be pivotal for the production of methanethiol. These orthologs show a high level of protein sequence identity ( ~ 3 5%) and similarity (~60%) when compared to known MGLs. In addition, ClustalW2 alignment of ferl MGL orthologs and other known MG Ls showed a high level of similarity in amino acid residues, which are involved for the stabilization of 3D structure of MGL and in forming active site for the substrates. To confirm the predictive functions of these …

The Evolution Of Leaf Anatomy In Badiera (Polygalaceae), Laura Brauer

Masters Theses

Leaf samples from Polygalaceae: nine species of Badiera, two species of Bredemeyera, three species of Hebecarpa, and two species of Polygala were taken from herbarium specimens for anatomical observations. Several methods of rehydration were compared to a control of fresh material fixed in the field for four species of Badiera. Soaking in concentrated ammonium hydroxide proved to be the best overall means of rehydrating leaves of the genus Badiera and related genera. All leaves were embedded in paraffin for sectioning and cleared in 5% aqueous sodium hydroxide for examining epidermal features. Twelve anatomical characters were mapped onto a molecular phylogeny …

Method Developments To Analyze Caffeine And Acesulfame-K Concentrations In Natural Waters In And Around Charleston, Il, Usa, Laleen Bodhipaksha

Masters Theses

Analytical methods using batch solid phase extraction were developed for two chemical markers, caffeine and acesulfame-K, to assess anthropogenic water contamination of natural water bodies in and around Charleston, Illinois.

Measurements were conducted on 12 different extracted samples using reverse phase HPLC. Two creek samples showed the presence of acesulfame-K (0.45 ± 0.10 and 0.25 ± 0.06 ppb) and two creek samples showed the presence of caffeine (3 .1 ± 1.2 and 1.6 ± 0.6 ppb ). Effluent from the Charleston waste water treatment plant showed an acesulfame-K concentration of 0.67 ± 0.15 ppb.

These results indicate measurement of both …

Synthesis Of Molecular Containers Based On Modifications Of Resorcin(4)Arene And Calix(4)Arene, Anupama Makineni

Masters Theses

This research work was mainly focused on the synthesis of molecular containers based on modifications ofresorcin[4]arene and calix[4]arene.

The modifications of resorcin[ 4 ]arene include the attempts to attach a phthalimide featured linker onto the phenol hydroxyl groups of resorcin[4]arene. A few halogen leaving groups were used, including fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. The substitution with tetraflorophthalimide resulted in a mixture of regio-isomeric products, whereas for 4,5-dichloro- and 4,5-dibromophthalimides, no desired substitution product was formed. It was, however, discovered that both 4,5-dichloro- and 4,5-dibromophthalimides forms monoclinic crystals. The second modification of resorcin[4]arene focused on functionalizations of both upper and lower rims …

The Influence Of Taking High School Physics As [A] Junior On Act Science Scores, Bartholomew T. Frey

Masters Theses

In recent years, policymakers, parents, and business leaders have expressed concern about the lack of student success on standardized tests in science. While the consensus is that the problem needs to be addressed, there is little agreement about how to achieve the increased test scores. This study examines the role of the specific science sequencing of biology, chemistry and physics completed by the junior year and increased ACT science test scores. This study compared the achievement of students who took physics as a junior with students who took physics as a senior on the ACT science test. This study continued …

Happiness And Me: An Exploratory Study Of Parental And Romantic Attachments And Self-Esteem And Their Effects On Adulthood Body Image Dissatisfaction, Stephanie Kibble

Masters Theses

In this study, the author investigated parental attachments, self-esteem, and romantic satisfaction as they related to the cognitive and affective components of the selfconcept when represented through Body Image Dissatisfaction (BID). The study was a within-subject design with 70 participants. They participants were instructed to report their feelings about each of these variables through 4 questionnaires. Individuals with low self-esteem identified as having increased BID as compared to those individuals with high self-esteem. Compared with those who reported supportive parental attachments, individuals with a highly overprotective mother reported higher BID. Multiple regression analysis indicated that gender had no significant impact …

Does Quantitative Or Qualitative Data Lower Stigma Of Those Suffering From Schizophrenia?, Fred A. Washburn

Masters Theses

This study examines social tolerance and support for legal coercion for people suffering from schizophrenia. Mental illness, defined as a biomedical illness, has decreased stigma and support for legal coercion for other mental illnesses but has the inverse relationship with schizophrenia (Phelan, Yang, Cruz-Rojas, 2006; Schnittker, 2008). This increase in stigma may be linked to scientific quantitative data that places the illness in control of the person. The study examines Eastern Illinois University students' (N=130) level of social tolerance and support for legal coercion for people suffering from schizophrenia after they have been exposed to qualitative data, quantitative data, or …

Evaluation Of College Counseling Websites Regarding Suicide Prevention/Depression Referral Services, Heather L. Zike

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to (1) determine if the 12 public colleges and universities within the state of Illinois contained information on their counseling websites in regards to topics of depression and suicide (2) examine if the websites contained self-evaluations for depression (3) determine if the website contains external links that are highly regarded informative links for depression and suicide among college students, (4) information for faculty/ staff to make referrals, and (5) information for family and loved ones to make referrals.

De Anima, Dna: A Modified Stump/Aquinas Hylomorphic Model, The Soul And The Identity Of Human Persons, Resurrected, Matthew Grant Mcdaniel

Masters Theses

In contemporary metaphysics, there are two popular options for personal numerical identity (NID) over time: substance dualism and materialism. According to recent arguments by some Christian philosophers, both options conflict with the Christian doctrine of the bodily resurrection. Substance dualism trivializes the physical body for NID (when it has some kind of role in the bodily resurrection), and also is seen to conflict with modern neuroscience. But NID and mind cannot be continued solely by the material body, as versions of the Replacement Argument (from Richard Swinburne and Alvin Plantinga) show. There are good aspects to both options, especially with …

Fear Of And Fascination With The Foreign In Arthur Conan Doyle’S Sherlock Holmes Adventures, Mae Leigh Cooke

Masters Theses

Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes is infamous for his uncanny ability to detect and capture criminals from minimal clues. Doyle’s inclusion of Victorian England’s fascination with and fear of foreign elements within his detective stories made Holmes an instant success. By including Holmes’s stories in The Strand, circulation doubled, resulting in the public’s adoration of this eccentric hero spanning across decades. Doyle’s inclusion of developments in science at the time captivated the audience even further. The character became timeless because of his dual nature; he, like his readers, had personal flaws and unhealthy habits, but was able to …

Transcriptional Regulation Of M1 Cells In Response To Il-6, Il-10 And Lps, Lyna Goto

Masters Theses

Jun/Fos and Jun/BATF heterodimers are capable of binding the TRE site to regulate gene transcription, which in turn amongst other functions, could be involved in the regulation of inflammation. Studies have shown that in contrast to Jun/Fos, the Jun/BATF heterodimers result in a reduced transcriptional activity and thus inhibit the expression of AP-1 target genes. The inflammatory response is composed of a vast array of mediators, including cytokines such as IL6 and IL10. The balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, in part, determines whether the inflammatory response persists or is resolved. Macrophages are a key cell type involved in the …

Blueprints Of Friendship: The Influence Of Personality On Perceived Intimacy And Comfort Level Of Disclosure In Friendship, Elizabeth Ann Briggs

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to establish whether a connection exists between Myers-Briggs personality type and friendship. Participants completed the Jung Typology Test to identify personality type as well as a survey regarding their friendship. Social penetration theory and Myers-Briggs personality theory were used as a framework for this study. All participants were from a private east coast university with ages ranging from 18-28 years. Completed surveys resulted in 32 pairs of self-identified close friends. The author analyzed the results to identify any patterns that emerged between personality and perceived intimacy and comfort level of self-disclosure within friendship. Results …

Hues, Tresses, And Dresses: Examining The Relation Of Body Image, Hair, And Clothes To Female Identity In Their Eyes Were Watching God And I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Alisha Priolo Castaneda

Masters Theses

Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings convey powerful relations between body image, hair, and clothes. Because a proper understanding of the theory of womanism provides a basis for comprehending the African American female's relation to herself and the world around her, a working definition and description of the term and its general significance to African American critical theory is provided in chapter two. The third chapter focuses on the general topic of body image in relation to black female identity and includes a more specific analysis of the …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Intellectual Property Rights On Chinese Students, Bing Yang

Masters Theses

This study examined foreign Chinese students' adaptation to American intellectual property rights (IPR) in the perspective of Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT). Previous studies focused on historical, legal and cultural difference between China and the U.S., while Chinese students' cognition remained to be explored. Ten Chinese students from both undergraduate and graduate programs with different lengths of staying in the U.S. were interviewed individually, and interview questions were created according to the three stages of CDT. Results showed that Chinese students had eliminated their cognitive dissonances in the U.S., and some demographic and cultural factors that influenced Chinese students' cognition regarding …

Discovering The Vision In Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Message: Applying Bormann's Fantasy Theme Analysis To Evaluate The Message, April Nicole Pressley

Masters Theses

Beth Moore, Christian speaker and author, has become a prominent figure in Christian circles. She ministers to over a million people a year with her messages. Breaking Free is her "life message." This project analyzes 6 of 11 messages from Breaking Free. Using Bormann's Fantasy Theme Analysis, seven fantasies emerged from the messages, which yielded a rhetorical vision that describes what Beth Moore believes a woman should be like after hearing her message. After that analysis, the fantasies where compared to evangelical Christian doctrine. That analysis determined that Moore's underlying message is valid and acceptable to the Christian audience she …

Bat Habitat Use And Roost Tree Selection For Northern Long-Eared Myotis (Myotis Septentrionalis) In North-Central Ohio, Timothy J. Krynak

Masters Theses

Understanding roosting behavior and habitat use of bats is an important component when unraveling life histories and their ecology. Ohio remains under-represented in published information of bats compared to surrounding states. This large scale survey in 2002–2003 and Myotis septentrionalis radio telemetry study in 2005 is one of the few conducted within the state and is the first in Ohio’s North-Central region. It is also the first study conducted where net sites were chosen randomly and spatially distributed to adequately survey bat populations within Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland Metroparks. This survey documented seven species (n = 668), with …

It's Not Catharsis, It's Cognition: A New Approach To Emotion In Composition, Caronia (Nia) Klein

Masters Theses

Therapeutic writing, or writing as a method of emotional healing, seeks to facilitate psychological healing through self-discovery as a result of analyzing, interpreting, and making conclusions about challenging life experiences. Likewise, in composition theory, expressivist, feminist, and collaborative pedagogies advocate the empowerment of students through discovery and articulation of voice as a way to make meaning and develop as persons and students. Both approaches to writing foreground the use of personal experience as a way to process the external world through the emotional landscape of the writer, yet critics ofemotionally expressive writing decry its usefulness to composition pedagogy because of …

Genre Awareness In The Writing Center, Ashok Bhusal

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how genre theory is represented in writing center scholarship and practice by analyzing tutor training textbooks and also doing a case study of the EIU Writing Center to examine how genre awareness is perceived by writing consultants. This study concludes that increased awareness of genre features should influence the practice of writing consultants and writing centers. Based on the two surveys from my case study, the EIU Writing Center consultants did not appear to have a strong understanding of genre theory since their practicum course (English 5500) and tutor training textbooks have not explicitly provided them with …

War And The Sentimental Past: Memory And Emotion In The Aftermath Of The Franco-Prussian War, Chad R. Cussen

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that the Franco-Prussian War provoked strong emotional responses that were encoded in the memory of the war. The management of this emotional response represented an important aspect for the establishment of the Third Republic's legitimacy. By uniting French citizens through a public memory of the warby means of commemorations, funerals, and narratives among others-the Third Republic fostered an intense national consciousness that emerged as a feature of French identity. In contrast to Eugen Weber's influential work Peasants Into Frenchmen, which emphasizes the development of "Frenchness" through interactions in social institutions such as the military and the educational …

Gender Identity Development In Male Student Leaders At A Midwestern University, Kolin R. Straub

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning that college male student leaders make of their gender development. Grounded theory methodology was used to gather information through in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed to form a working model of the data found. Participants were males in elected leadership positions. The study took place at a comprehensive mid-size Midwestern Public University.

Findings indicated participants felt an increased sense of responsibility from being in a leadership positions. They believed that respect, responsibility, and accountability were key factors in leadership. The participants constructed an ideal male that included breadwinning for a household, …

Examining Industry Concentration In The Plant Biotechnology Sector, Heather Renee Williams

Masters Theses

The core focus of this research is to recognize industry concentration in the plant biotechnology sector. The literature review examines institutional dynamics affecting the industry - discussing the importance of innovation, and how the government can influence the industry to remain competitive. An examination of a few key firms' history and evolution helps explain the structure of the plant biotech industry. The research also provides examples of what crops are being altered using biotechnology, and why companies are willing to spend money to gain the rights to this research. This article compiles plant biotechnology US field trial data from 2000 …

The Seasonality Of Parasites In Illinois House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus): Effect Of Stress On Infection Parameters, Tiffany C.M. Gibson

Masters Theses

Parasitism often shows seasonal variation in their hosts and has been associated with host densities, host stress levels or transmission strategies (Moller et al 2003, Andersen and May 1982 ). This study was designed to evaluate the role of direct versus indirect life cycle transmission strategies, using Isospora and haemosporidians; and the impact of proposed ecological (winter) and physiological (breeding) stresses on parasitism levels. Coccidia have direct life cycles and infect gut tissues and are passed by fecal-oral transmission. Haemosporidians are blood parasites with an indirect life cycle that requires blood-feeding insects for transmission. If parasitemias are influenced by host …

Multiple Endpoints Of Endocrine Disruption In Gravid Watersnakes (Colubridae:Nerodia) As A Function Of Ingestion Of A Common Herbicide, Lorin Anne Neuman-Lee

Masters Theses

Ecotoxicological studies that focus on a single endpoint might not accurately represent the true ecological effects of a contaminant. Exposure to atrazine, a widelyused herbicide, disrupts endocrine function and sexual development in amphibians, but studies involving reptilian species are lacking. This study examines several effects of atrazine ingestion on gravid females and neonates exposed in utero of the Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Twenty-five gravid N. sipedon were collected and kept in the lab for the entirety of their gestation period. Each snake received one of four doses of atrazine: control, 2, 20, or 200 ppb. Blood samples were drawn each …

A Spatially Explicit Model To Predict Radiocesium Body Burdens In White-Tailed Deer On The Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Christopher W. Bobryk

Masters Theses

A spatially explicit exposure model was developed to interpolate and predict radiocesium (137Cs) body burdens found in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS) in west-central South Carolina. Since 1965 hunting has been allowed from permanent stands as a mechanism to manage the herd and all animals have been monitored in the field for gross beta/gamma activity levels providing a long-term spatially explicit dataset. Until now no study has attempted to model deer 137Cs at the hunt-stand level, but rather at the compartment level (1,000 - 5,200 ha). The models described here use …

The Spatial Distribution Of Japanese Beetles, Popillia Japonica, In Soybean Fields, Stacey A. Sara

Masters Theses

The Japanese beetle, Popilliajaponica Newman, is a serious pest of many agricultural and horticultural plants. Little is known about the distributions of Japanese beetles in agricultural fields which makes pest managyment more difficult. We studied the spatial distribution of Japanese be~tles in soybean fields. In particular, we examined how distance from an edge, edge direction, and edge type affected the distribution and abundance of beetles. Twenty-five soybean fields were transected parallel with the field edges at varying distances from the field edges and sampled for beetles. An edge effect for density was discovered; beetle numbers decreased significantly with increasing distance …

Prey Preference As A Function Of Feeding Experience And Prey Type In Neonate Gartersnakes (Colubridae: Thamnophis), Kathryn B. Hale

Masters Theses

Several species of potential prey have been introduced into the geographic range of the Two-striped Gartersnake, Thamnophis hammondii. Some of these prey species possess defenses that present novel challenges to the snake predator. Despite novel predator defense mechanisms (including secretions from skin glands), adult T. hammondii ingest several of these prey species without adverse effects. Although ~dult T hammondii are dietary generalists, almost nothing is known about prey preferences in newborn individuals that lack feeding experience. My study determined whether or not T. hammondii innately exhibits a preference among native and introduced prey types. Furthermore, I compared the degree of …

A Model Cost Analysis Comparing Solar, Wind And Geothermal Energies, Including Alternatives To Changing Energy Sources, Using Texas Households And Weather, Kimberly Speed

Masters Theses

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of2008 (P.L. 110-343) provides several incentives and tax credits for Americans interested in investing in alternative energy resources. Solar, wind, and. geothermal systems receive the most tax credits due to their low carbon output, but a determination must be made as to which resource is the most accessible and economically feasible. The State of Texas was used as a model for comparing the three renewable energy resources through analysis of weather variables, geological features, resource availability, amount of energy harvested in relation to equipment, and installation and maintenance costs.

All three energy systems have positive …

The Best Predictors Of Self-Reported Depressed Mood In Adolescents, Melissa H. Wineberg

Masters Theses

The present study examined multiple predictors of depression simultaneously in order to determine which variables best predict self-reported depressed mood in adolescents. Although the current literature has identified several individual variables and their relationship to depression in adolescents, few studies have investigated multiple variables at the same time in relation to depression. Participants included 4,693 high school students from a Midwestern state. Of these students, 4 7% were girls, 4 7% were boys, and 6% did not indicate their gender. These students attended various high schools across seven counties and were recruited for a health prevention program called I Sing …

Behavioral Mediators And Moderators Of Adolescent Victimization And Suicidal Behavior, Brett J. Litwiller

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between victimization and suicide in adolescents. It was hypothesized that substance use, violent behavior, and risky sexual behavior would all increase adolescent suicide risk and mediate the relationship between adolescent victimization and suicide. It was further hypothesized that parental support, dietary nutrition, and physical activity would decrease suicide risk and moderate the relationship between adolescent victimization and adolescent suicide. To test these hypotheses, selfreport surveys were administered to 4,700 public high school students. Regression analyses of data indicated that the amount of victimization significantly predicted the amount of suicidal behavior reported. Similarly, substance use, violent …