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Different Expression Of Placental Pyruvate Kinase M2 In Normal, Preeclamptic, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies, Brigham L. Bahr Mar 2014

Different Expression Of Placental Pyruvate Kinase M2 In Normal, Preeclamptic, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies, Brigham L. Bahr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will be organized into two chapters discussing the placental expression of two proteins, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP 27), in human placentas. Understanding the mechanisms of placental metabolism in healthy and diseased placentas helps us understand how placenta disorders occur and how we can treat these disorders. The goal is to investigate these proteins to gain an understanding of their roles in placental disorders and help decrease maternal and fetal mortality rates. Chapter one covers the background of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in cancer and embryonic tissues, and the expression of PKM2 in …


English Composition 100: Best Practices For Online Instruction, David Paschal Narendra Makhanlall Mar 2014

English Composition 100: Best Practices For Online Instruction, David Paschal Narendra Makhanlall

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the process of teaching English Composition in the asynchronous online format and to make recommendations for the best possible approach for continued student success. The teaching of English Composition is a complex subject and no two teachers will have the same approach. This matter is further complicated when online instruction is explored. An instructor cannot transplant an in-class course into the online format and expect the same results. This dissertation explores the best possible approach to teaching English Composition in an online environment with the use of multimedia applications. This exploration will …


Fire Severity And Size Alter Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Regeneration And Defense Against Ungulate Herbivory, Ho Yi Wan Mar 2014

Fire Severity And Size Alter Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Regeneration And Defense Against Ungulate Herbivory, Ho Yi Wan

Theses and Dissertations

Human activities and rapid global climate change are altering fire regimes with potential threat to the stability of aspen ecosystems in North America. Aspen is an early successional species that plays an important role in post-fire forest reestablishment, but chronic browsing on juvenile aspen by large ungulate herbivores after fire can be detrimental and lead to regeneration failure. Although larger and more severe fires are expected to become more prominent, whether and how this may influence aspen and ungulate communities remains unclear. The objective of this research was to examine how the relationship between aspen and ungulate communities might be …


Parturition Of Mule Deer In Southern Utah: Management Implications And Habitat Selection, Eric D. Freeman Mar 2014

Parturition Of Mule Deer In Southern Utah: Management Implications And Habitat Selection, Eric D. Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are an ecologically, economically, and socially important species across much of the western United States. As such, populations and habitat are intensely managed by state game agencies. However, populations have been declining in recent decades and several factors have been implicated (e.g., climate, predation, competition, and habitat availability). Population dynamics of mule deer are driven by a combination of survival of adults and juveniles and reproductive rates. While adult female mule deer typically have consistently high annual survival rates (85% annually), juveniles are more easily affected by stressors (biotic and abiotic conditions) and therefore …


Achilles Tendon Changes In Downhill, Level And Uphill Running, Katy Andrews Neves Mar 2014

Achilles Tendon Changes In Downhill, Level And Uphill Running, Katy Andrews Neves

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we examined how hill running affects the Achilles tendon, which is a common location for injuries in runners. Twenty females ran for 10 min on three randomly selected grades (-6%, 0%, +6%). Achilles tendon (AT) cross-sectional area (CSA) was imaged using Doppler ultrasound and peak vertical forces were analyzed using high-speed (240 Hz) videography. A metabolic cart and gas analyzer ensured a similar metabolic cost across grades. Data were analyzed using a forward selection regression. Results showed a decrease in AT CSA from pre-run to post-run (p = .0001). Peak vertical forces were different across grades (p …


Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes Mar 2014

Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes

Theses and Dissertations

Current models for predicting the environmental fate of munitions constituents (MC) in soils are based mostly on chemical distribution parameters and neglect the larger considerations of other soil parameters. We are working towards a new approach based on the whole soil activity for predicting the long-term residence time and fate of MC in soils with connection to agronomic soil fertility concepts. These relationships are demonstrated by correlating experiments involving full physical and chemical characterization of eight taxonomically distinct soils, with batch reactor studies determining MC degradation potential. Soils were incubated in a slurry for 10 days in a closed reactor …


Wet-Thermal Time And Plant Available Water In The Seedbeds And Root Zones Across The Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem Of The Great Basin, Nathan Lyle Cline Mar 2014

Wet-Thermal Time And Plant Available Water In The Seedbeds And Root Zones Across The Sagebrush Steppe Ecosystem Of The Great Basin, Nathan Lyle Cline

Theses and Dissertations

Following wildfires, plant materials are direct-seeded to limit erosion and annual weed invasion. Seedlings often fail to establish because selected plant materials are not always well adapted to local soil moisture and temperature conditions. In an effort to help improve plant materials selection and to evaluate sites potential revegetation, we have worked toward developing methodology to predict germination and root growth based on site specific soil moisture and temperature conditions. First, we characterized the seedbed environment of 24 sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe sites throughout the Intermountain West to determine the wet-thermal time of five temperature ranges relevant to germination …


Post-Den Emergence Behavior And Den Detection Of Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) In Northern Alaska And The Southern Beaufort Sea, Rusty Wade Robinson Mar 2014

Post-Den Emergence Behavior And Den Detection Of Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) In Northern Alaska And The Southern Beaufort Sea, Rusty Wade Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnant polar bears (Ursus maritimus) construct maternal dens out of snow in the autumn where they give birth to and raise altricial young. In recent years, there has been a decrease in polar sea ice extent and thickness, which has led to changes in denning behavior. One such change in the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) is that polar bears are selecting maternal den sites on land, rather than on unstable sea ice. This change, coupled with expanding petroleum exploration along Alaska's North Slope, heightens the likelihood of bear-human interactions at maternal den sites. The purpose of this research …


The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman Mar 2014

The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic regulator, acts in opposition to many of the effects of aging and may provide insights into the development of sarcopenia. However, the effect of aging on AMPK activation is unclear. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) clarify the controversy concerning the activation of AMPK in response to endurance-like exercise in aged skeletal muscle; 2) address mechanisms for the age-associated alterations in AMPK activation; and 3) address the known benefits of chronic AICAR treatment in aged skeletal muscle. First, to clarify the effect of age on AMPK activation, young adult (YA) (8 mo.) …


Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill Mar 2014

Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipophilic signals that are produced by postsynaptic neurons in an activity-dependent manner, and signal in a retrograde fashion to modulate neurotransmitter release. As such, eCBs are highly involved in synaptic plasticity, a process that strengthens or weakens synapses. eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity is involved in many brain processes including learning, short-term memory, and adaptive reward, which are processed in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA), respectively. However, the expression of eCB biosynthetic enzyme mRNA within hippocampal and VTA neurons, as well as the relationship between these mRNA species and the occurrence of synaptic plasticity, remains unclear. The …


Accumulation Of Divine Service, Blaine Lee Atwood Mar 2014

Accumulation Of Divine Service, Blaine Lee Atwood

Theses and Dissertations

Accumulation of Divine Service is a ceramic installation referencing the sublime attribute of service, and how it relates to our temporal existence. Many aspects of the sublime are implemented into the contemporary art world today. The sublime can refer to ideas from terror to joy, and all across the spectrum of human emotions. The unifying element that seems to tie them together is a quality of awe-inspiring greatness, or the metaphysically divine. These attributescan inspire the mind and often lead one to dwell on the existence of a Supreme Being or Deity,what His purposes are, and how we as mortals …


Inhibition Of Pim And Axl Kinases As Potential Treatments For A Variety Of Hematological Malignancies And Solid Tumors, Kent James Carpenter Feb 2014

Inhibition Of Pim And Axl Kinases As Potential Treatments For A Variety Of Hematological Malignancies And Solid Tumors, Kent James Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is divided into three chapters. In each case, the goal is to achieve inhibition of a growth kinase (PIM or AXL) and subsequent arrest of cell growth and induction of apoptosis (in vitro cell culture models) or decrease in tumor volume (in vivo xenograft studies). Chapter one and chapter two discuss inhibition of proviral integration site for Moloneymurine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases. The three PIM kinases, PIM-1, PIM-2, and PIM-3, are a subfamily of serine/threonine kinases that are known to be involved in signaling pathways as downstream effectors of signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 (STAT5) signaling and …


Hydroxocobalamin Treatment For Carbon Monoxide Exposures: Characterizing Hemoglobin Changes And Testing For Neurological Sequelae, Leonardo Somera Feb 2014

Hydroxocobalamin Treatment For Carbon Monoxide Exposures: Characterizing Hemoglobin Changes And Testing For Neurological Sequelae, Leonardo Somera

Theses and Dissertations

Prior work in our lab has indicated that reduced Hydroxocobalamin (B12r) can be added to human blood and is able to convert carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon dioxide. This has great potential as a direct antidote to mitigate the toxic effects of CO poisoning which is a public health risk. In the first part of our work, we use highly specific wavelengths of light and Raman spectroscopy to study changes in Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) between blood treated with oxygen and blood treated with oxygen and B12r in a flowing circuit of blood. Using Raman spectroscopy, we found that the addition of …


Development Of Tailsitter Hover Estimation And Control, Jason M. Beach Feb 2014

Development Of Tailsitter Hover Estimation And Control, Jason M. Beach

Theses and Dissertations

UAVs have become an essential tool in many market segments, particularly the military where critical intelligence can be gathered by them. A tailsitter aircraft is a platform whose purpose is to efficiently merge the range and endurance of fixed-wing aircraft with the VTOL capabilities of rotorcraft and is of significant value in applications where launch and recovery area is limited or the use of launch and recovery equipment is not desirable. Developing autopilot software for a tailsitter UAV is unique in that the aircraft must be autonomously controlled over a much wider range of attitudes than conventional UAVs. Assumptions made …


The Effect Of Sleep-Dependent Consolidation On Pattern Separation And Pattern Completion In Delayed Retrieval, Jesse Ray James Feb 2014

The Effect Of Sleep-Dependent Consolidation On Pattern Separation And Pattern Completion In Delayed Retrieval, Jesse Ray James

Theses and Dissertations

While people sleep, the brain replays the same neural firings that resulted from waking activities that day. This results in greater memory strength following a sleeping delay than a waking delay. The current project built upon this fact in a series of three experiments. Experiment 1. Although previous research has demonstrated a benefit of sleep to memory strength, the literature has not established the impact of sleep on memory specificity. Computational models of medial temporal lobe function posit that discrimination and generalization across similar memories are accomplished through processes known as pattern separation and pattern completion, respectively. To discover whether …


Beyond Aristotelianism: Al-Farabi On Revelation, Humans And Animals In His On The Perfect State, Michael William Stark Feb 2014

Beyond Aristotelianism: Al-Farabi On Revelation, Humans And Animals In His On The Perfect State, Michael William Stark

Theses and Dissertations

In modern times, Aristotelian influence on Islamicate philosophical writing is exaggerated. Al-Fārābī did more than just copy Aristotle, he was an original thinker, and he may have sourced aspects of his thought and writing style from the Qurʾān. Consideration of al-Fārābī’s biography, works and historical context demonstrates his disinclination to base his writings on those of Aristotle. Al-Fārābī’s thoughts in the key area of revelation in al-Madīna al-fāḍila demonstrate his departure from ancient Greek belief in this area, although his use of individual reasoning also shows clearly his occasional disagreement with Islamic doctrine. Differences and commonalities between animals and humans …


Identification Of T-Cell Epitopes In The Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 4 Proteome: A Step Towards Epitope-Driven Vaccine Development, Karim Mohamed Ali Abdel-Hady Feb 2014

Identification Of T-Cell Epitopes In The Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 4 Proteome: A Step Towards Epitope-Driven Vaccine Development, Karim Mohamed Ali Abdel-Hady

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatitis C is an inflammatory infectious disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). It is a global pandemic, chronically inflicting 150 million people worldwide, with millions of new infections arising annually. The standard therapy of HCV is expensive, associated with severe side effects, and has variable success rates. Thus far, no HCV vaccine has been developed, owing to the challenges that faced and still face its development. Despite these challenges, several attempts have been taken to develop a vaccine, some of which have progressed to phase II clinical trials. Most of these attempts, however, have focused …


Ta-W-O Nanostructured Photoanodes For Enhanced Solar Fuel Production: Experimental And Density Functional Theory Investigation, Ramy Nashed Feb 2014

Ta-W-O Nanostructured Photoanodes For Enhanced Solar Fuel Production: Experimental And Density Functional Theory Investigation, Ramy Nashed

Theses and Dissertations

The demand on energy is now increasing at an unprecedented rate due to the high technology revolution. Unfortunately, we can no longer depend on the current energy resources, which is mainly fossil fuels, since they are limited and have dangerous impacts on the environment. Hydrogen has recently received a great attention as an alternative fuel because it is a renewable, clean fuel and its energy content is three times that of gasoline. Photoelectrochemical water splitting is a very attractive method of producing hydrogen due to its simplicity and low cost. However, the semiconductor material used as the photoanode still needs …


Spatial Temporal Measures: A New Parameter For Planning, Abdel Hady Hosny Feb 2014

Spatial Temporal Measures: A New Parameter For Planning, Abdel Hady Hosny

Theses and Dissertations

With the increase complexity and competition in the construction market, contractors are forced to deliver larger scale projects in shorter durations. In order to do so, more concurrent activities are scheduled durations are crashed. Having a large number of concurrent activities with various crews increases the risk of workspace conflicts on sites, eventually affecting the productivity, time, cost and quality. Thus, there is an increasing attention to identify measures that are able to detect and analyze the possible workspace conflicts that would occur in a project in the planning stage before execution. Currently, practioners perform workspace analysis via expert judgment …


Drilling Tools And Stone Vessels Of Heit El-Ghurab, Emmy Adel Malak Ayad Feb 2014

Drilling Tools And Stone Vessels Of Heit El-Ghurab, Emmy Adel Malak Ayad

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


The Unlawful Combatant: Humanitarian Law's Other, Hussein Salama Feb 2014

The Unlawful Combatant: Humanitarian Law's Other, Hussein Salama

Theses and Dissertations

The war on terror triggered a debate over the treatment of members of Al Qaeda captured by US forces. The central point of the paper is that this debate is merely the most recent iteration of a dialectic constitutive of international humanitarian law. Non-state combatants in warfare have always been the object of conflicting desires. The history of international humanitarian law could be seen as the history of different attempts to engage (by excluding or including) with an other, outside the combatant/civilian distinction. The Paper focuses on two contrasting approaches to engaging with this other, namely, the inclusive approach of …


Pure Ones: The Wˁb And Wˁbt From The Old Kingdom To The End Of The Middle Kingdom, Amy Wilson Feb 2014

Pure Ones: The Wˁb And Wˁbt From The Old Kingdom To The End Of The Middle Kingdom, Amy Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the development of the wˁb-title from the Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom. During the Old Kingdom, 59% of title-holders are linked to the royal mortuary cult, many of whom were promoted to the upper-ranking office of ḥm-nṯr. Of all of the known title-holders of the Old Kingdom, 46% were promoted to ḥm-nṯr. Although some wˁb.w continue to be linked to the royal mortuary cult in the Middle Kingdom, the majority of title-holders are now linked to the cult of a deity. Few wˁb-priests were promoted to (or served within) other priestly grades, e.g. …


Re-Examining The Myth Of Dionysos: A Study Of Euripides, Ibsen, And Duras, Nada Ghazy Nasser Feb 2014

Re-Examining The Myth Of Dionysos: A Study Of Euripides, Ibsen, And Duras, Nada Ghazy Nasser

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the conflict between the Dionysian, considered as a principle of heightened excess, and social constraint as demonstrated in three different texts from distinct time periods. I will demonstrate how patriarchal and repressive social norms can demolish the sense of individuality that is assumed to be central to society as a whole. The conflict between these two tendencies as expressed in Euripides’s The Bacchae continues to resound in the modern world and explains how a disregard for the Dionysian can lead to destruction and chaos. In this thesis, this conflict, rather than the …


The Effectiveness Of The European Union As An International Security Actor Limits And Opportunities, Elena Deola Feb 2014

The Effectiveness Of The European Union As An International Security Actor Limits And Opportunities, Elena Deola

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this project is to understand what factors make the European Union a more effective and decisive security actor. Following the analysis of the process that led to the current Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), three main arguments are proposed and supported by making reference to the missions debated, initiated and concluded under the Union’s flag. In particular, it is argued that European action is more likely to take place if a United Nations Security Council Resolution exists and other third parties and international organisations have deployed presence to the crisis …


Law Is Discourse. Discourse Is Rhetoric. Therefore, Law Is Rhetoric. A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Responsibility To Protect, Dina El-Kassaby Feb 2014

Law Is Discourse. Discourse Is Rhetoric. Therefore, Law Is Rhetoric. A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Responsibility To Protect, Dina El-Kassaby

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that the yearly cost of containing and responding to conflict worldwide is nearly US$10 trillion. Meanwhile, the level of global peace and security is on the steady decline and gross violations of human rights and massive loss of human life are not yet an issue of the past. As such, contemporary international legal doctrines like The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) have emerged in an effort to prevent and react to global conflict. This thesis performs an atypical study of R2P by performing a rhetorical analysis of the doctrine through the lens of Orientalism and post-colonial theory. In …


Competing Models Of The Modern Islamic State: Wahhabi Vs. Muslim Brotherhood Ideologies, Mohammad Affan Feb 2014

Competing Models Of The Modern Islamic State: Wahhabi Vs. Muslim Brotherhood Ideologies, Mohammad Affan

Theses and Dissertations

n the aftermath of the Arab Spring, with the success of the Political Islam movements to seize power in some countries, such as Egypt and Tunisia, the problematic of the Islamic state was raised and ignited serious conflict between Islamists and seculars. Nevertheless, another hidden conflict seems to begin simultaneously in the camp of the Islamists itself between the Wahhabism and the Muslim Brotherhood, the two major Sunni Islamic movements. Each of them calls for a different model of the Islamic state. The Wahhabi ideology adopts a traditional state model, based on traditional legitimacy, centralized hierarchical power, and patriarchal form …


Cloning, Expression And Preliminary Characterization Of A Novel Nitrilase From The Red Sea, Atlantis Ii Deep Brine Pool Using A Metagenomic Approach, Sarah Ali Sonbol Feb 2014

Cloning, Expression And Preliminary Characterization Of A Novel Nitrilase From The Red Sea, Atlantis Ii Deep Brine Pool Using A Metagenomic Approach, Sarah Ali Sonbol

Theses and Dissertations

With the abundance of hazardous nitrile compounds in nature and with the extensive use of them in industries of fine chemicals, the attention towards nitrilases has profoundly increased as biocatalysts in different industries and in bioremediation. The use of nitrilases, which hydrolyze nitriles into carboxylic acids and ammonia, was introduced as a biological method superior to conventional chemical means. In contrast to conventional microbiological techniques using cultured microorganisms, and with the loads of genomic sequences available in the databases, identification of novel nitrilases using metagenomic approaches seems more promising. In this study, a nitrilase was isolated from the microbial metagenomic …


Investigation Of Reinforced Foam Waste With Natural Or Synthetic Fibers, Riham Abdel Mohsen Feb 2014

Investigation Of Reinforced Foam Waste With Natural Or Synthetic Fibers, Riham Abdel Mohsen

Theses and Dissertations

The production of plastics has reached about 300 million tons globally each year. The use of energy resources, the health problem and the impacts on the environment from its disposal phase trigger overriding concerns on plastic recycling which can both save energy consumption in production phase and achieve green end-of-life approach for plastics. Polystyrene is hardly biodegradable. It takes at least 500 years to decompose. It is estimated that by volume, it takes as much as thirty percent of landfills worldwide. It is also flammable subject to risk of accidental ignition and cause of huge fires. Polystyrene is not recycled …


Incorporating Construction And Demolition Waste Into Non-Load Brearing Bricks., Neveen Samy Talaat Soliman Feb 2014

Incorporating Construction And Demolition Waste Into Non-Load Brearing Bricks., Neveen Samy Talaat Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt faces serious solid waste management challenges. Currently, waste is either burned or dumped along roads and canals. Not only do these wastes cause health problems, but they also contribute significantly to soil, air, and water pollution. Solid waste can be categorized as residential, industrial, institutional, municipal, manufacturing, and construction and demolition waste (C&DW). The construction industry threatens the environment in three main ways: during the production of raw materials in the process of cement and aggregate production; during the construction process itself due to high consumption of energy; and, in the final stages of the construction process due to …


Risky Bodies Offshore: Spatialisation, Securitisation And Visual Regimes Of Migration, Angela Smith Feb 2014

Risky Bodies Offshore: Spatialisation, Securitisation And Visual Regimes Of Migration, Angela Smith

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.