Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular Characterization Of Dopamine Transporter Phosphorylation And Regulation, Balachandra Kumar Gorentla

Theses and Dissertations

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a presynaptic membrane phosphoprotein that terminates dopaminergic synaptic transmission by clearing dopamine (DA) back into presynaptic neuron by a reuptake process. DAT is also a molecular target for psychostimulants such as cocaine, amphetamine (AMPH) and methamphetamine (METH) that increase DA synaptic levels either by blocking reuptake or by inducing DA efflux. DAT phosphorylation and transport down regulation are best demonstrated with the treatment of Protein kinase C (PKC) activators such as (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) PMA. Serine(s) and threonine(s) are known to be involved in DAT phosphorylation.

Pretreatment with psychostimulant substrates such as AMPH and METH …

Interactive Visualization Of Information Hierarchies And Applications On The Web, Confesor Santiago Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The visualization of information hierarchies is concerned with the presentation of abstract hierarchical information about relationships between various entities. It has many applications in diverse domains such as software engineering, information systems, biology, and chemistry. Information hierarchies are typically modeled by an abstract tree, where vertices are entities and edges represent relationships between entities. The aim of visualizing tree drawings is to automatically produce drawings of trees which clearly reflect the relationships of the information hierarchy.

This thesis is primarily concerned with problems related to the automatic generation of area-efficient grid drawings of trees, interactively visualizing information hierarchies, and applying …

Extending The Information Partition Function: Modeling Interaction Effects In Highly Multivariate, Discrete Data, Paul C. Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the huge amounts of data made available by the technology boom in the late twentieth century, new methods are required to turn data into usable information. Much of this data is categorical in nature, which makes estimation difficult in highly multivariate settings. In this thesis we review various multivariate statistical methods, discuss various statistical methods of natural language processing (NLP), and discuss a general class of models described by Erosheva (2002) called generalized mixed membership models. We then propose extensions of the information partition function (IPF) derived by Engler (2002), Oliphant (2003), and Tolley (2006) that will allow …

Role Of Penicillin Binding Proteins And Amidases In Daughter Cell Separation In Escherichia Coli, Richa Priyadarshini

Theses and Dissertations

In the final stages of the bacterial growth cycle, daughter cells must be released from one another by cleaving the shared peptidoglycan cell wall that separates them. Although enzymes capable of cleaving bonds in the murein sacculus are ubiquitous among the bacteria, the physiological roles of only a few of these enzymes are clear. The peptidoglycan-specific amidases play an important role in cleaving the septum to release daughter cells after cell division in Escherichia coli. E. coli has three amidases dedicated to this task: AmiA, AmiB and AmiC. These enzymes remove side chains from the peptidoglycan by hydrolyzing the bond …

Professional Development And Participation In The Tri-City Middle Level Institute, Linda Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to gain educators' perspectives of the value of a professional development program designed for practicing middle school teachers, many who had not been prepared for teaching in the middle school. The intent was to determine if participation in the Tri-City Middle Level Institute contributed to educators' professional growth by providing the philosophical understanding, knowledge base, and instructional strategies required to fully implement middle level concepts. Further, this study sought to establish if the design of the professional development, which employed a train-the-trainer model with collegial study groups, resulted in more teacher engagement and a …

The Use Of Information Books In The Preschool Classroom: Possibilities For Nurturing The Young Scientific Mind, Pamela A. Langlie

Theses and Dissertations

The use of information books in the preschool classroom, and the potential of the books and the learning activities associated with the books for promoting science among young children are explored. The research was first conducted with four children at a university children's center, and then replicated in a whole class setting at a college child development lab school in another state. Using qualitative procedures the study produced several grounded theories which led to the assertion that preschoolers, independently of their teachers, select information books according to their developmental interests, and use the books for exploring scientific concepts, and to …

Analysis Of Host Responses Against The Plague, Deanna O'Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is endemic to most of the world. Y. pestis' potential threat as a biological warfare agent has drawn increased attention to pathogenesis and vaccine research for the plague. A number of characteristics related both to the host response to, and bacterial pathogenesis of, Y. pestis were examined. To investigate the potential role of MHC Class II antigen presentation during the plague, HLA-DQ8αβ transgenic mice were infected with Y. pestis. DQ8 mice demonstrated a greatly enhanced age-dependent resistance to Y. pestis infection with females more resistant than males, mimicking gender differences in human plague, …

Preparation Of Divalent And Trivalent Antigens For Immunogical Studies On Degranulation Of Mast Cells And Preparation Of Ceragenins For Antiviral Studies Against Vaccinia Virus., Dianliang Geng

Theses and Dissertations

CHAPTER 1

Aggregation of receptors for IgE (Fc RI) causes mast cells and basophils to release preformed contents of granules, including histamine and a variety of enzymes. This process, called degranulation plays a central role in allergic reactions. Methods to study this process are to create multivalent ligands which can interact with the receptors and, in turn, lead to aggregation of the receptors. We prepared a series of fluorophore-labeled divalent and trivalent antigens to study the degranulation of mast cells. Trivalent antigens proved to be much better stimulators for degranulation of mast cells than divalent antigens. These results indicate that …

Forensics Image Background Matching Using Scale Invariant Feature (Sift)Transform And Speeded Up Robust Features (Surf), Paul N. Fogg Ii

Theses and Dissertations

In criminal investigations, it is not uncommon for investigators to obtain a photograph or image that shows a crime being committed. Additionally, thousands of pictures may exist of a location, taken from the same or varying viewpoints. Some of these images may even include a criminal suspect or witness. One mechanism to identify criminals and witnesses is to group the images found on computers, cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices into sets representing the same location. One or more images in the group may then prove the suspect was at the crime scene before, during, and/or after a crime. …

Pyridinium Bisretinoids: Synthesis And Photoactivated Cytotoxicity, Junping Gao

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses pyridinium bisretinoid compounds (PBRs), which were prepared for two purposes: 1) to use them as standards for detection of novel fluorophores in human RPE cells, which may be involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and 2) to use them in the development of a targeted and triggered drug delivery system for cancer therapy. We prepared a selection of PBRs using a one-pot biomimetic method; synthesis, mechanisms for formation, and characterization of these compounds is described. We also explored the photoreactivity of three novel PBR compounds and found that these PBRs form oxidation products under blue-light irradiation. The …

A Unified Framework For Solving Multiagent Task Assignment Problems, Kevin Cousin

Theses and Dissertations

Multiagent task assignment problem descriptors do not fully represent the complex interactions in a multiagent domain, and algorithmic solutions vary widely depending on how the domain is represented. This issue is compounded as related research fields contain descriptors that similarly describe multiagent task assignment problems, including complex domain interactions, but generally do not provide the mechanisms needed to solve the multiagent aspect of task assignment. This research presents a unified approach to representing and solving the multiagent task assignment problem for complex problem domains. Ideas central to multiagent task allocation, project scheduling, constraint satisfaction, and coalition formation are combined to …

Electrical Activation Studies Of Silicon Implanted Aluminum Gallium Nitride With High Aluminum Mole Fraction, Elizabeth A. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

This research demonstrates a method for producing highly conductive Si-implanted n-type aluminum gallium nitride (Al_xGa_1-xN) alloys, and represents a comprehensive analysis of the resulting material's electrical and optical properties as a function of Al mole fraction, anneal temperature, anneal time, and implantation dose. Highly conductive alloys are critical to the fabrication of devices operating in deep UV, high-temperature, high-power, and high-frequency environments, and thus this research is significant in regard to the application of such devices. The Al_xGa_1-xN wafers of this study, with Al concentrations of 10 to 50%, were implanted at …

Intelligent Placement Of Meters/Sensors For Shipboard Power System Analysis, Sandhya Sankar

Theses and Dissertations

Real time monitoring of the shipboard power system is a complex task to address. Unlike the terrestrial power system, the shipboard power system is a comparatively smaller system but with more complexity in terms of its system operation. This requires the power system to be continuously monitored to detect any type of fluctuations or disturbances. Planning metering systems in the power system of a ship is a challenging task not only due to the dimensionality of the problem, but also due to the need for reducing redundancy while improving network observability and efficient data collection for a reliable state estimation …

Comparing The Performance Of Heterogeneous And Homogeneous Swarms, Jason Alexander Hales

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the performance of heterogeneous and homogenous swarms. Swarms are defined as particles or agents which react to their environment and fellow particles or agents according to social rules. The weights of three attributes of an individual agent were varied for these experiments: Collision Avoidance with individual agents in the swarm, Center of Mass of the swarm and the parameter that controls Velocity Matching in the swarm. In homogenous swarms, all individuals had the same attribute weights while in heterogeneous swarms weights for one attribute were taken from a normal distribution for the population. These swarms were then …

Development Of Bio-Photonic Sensor Based On Laser-Induced Fluorescence, Chan Kyu Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) has been shown to be potentially useful for identifying microorganisms in real time. It is a selective and sensitive technique because the excitation is performed at one wavelength while the emission is monitored at longer wavelengths so that background from the excitation source can be eliminated. This specialized optical property of LIF can be applied to development of an optical sensor capable of quickly, non-invasively, and quantitatively probing complex biochemical transformations in microorganisms. Various bio-photonic optical fiber sensors based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy were developed as diagnostic tools for microorganisms. In the first phase, the enhancement …

Dielectrophoretic Characterization Of Abo Blood Type, Frequency And Ac Field Strength Of Erythrocytes, Prashant Reuben Daggolu

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the role of ABO blood type of erythrocytes in their dielectrophoretic response. The dielectrophoresis of erythrocytes of positive ABO blood types was studied at 5 V (peak to peak) and 1 MHz frequency AC field. The study revealed that the ABO blood type had an influence on the dielectrophoretic motion of the erythrocytes, particularly separating AB+ and O+ blood types. This is of particular significance since AB+ is a universal acceptor and O+ is a universal donor for blood transfusion purposes. The influence of field parameters, namely field strength and frequency of the AC field, was also …

Biomechanical And Molecular Characteristics Of 'Hyperelastosis Cutis' In Quarter Horses, Jesse Glennan Grady

Theses and Dissertations

The biomechanical and molecular characteristics of equine hyperelastosis cutis (HC) are not fully known. This study sought to better characterize HC by analysis of ultimate tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, toughness, and thickness of skin from 23 affected and unaffected horses. In addition total soluble collagen and glycosaminoglycan concentrations of skin were analyzed from 26 affected and unaffected horses. Affected horses' skin proved to be significantly weaker at five of seven sample locations (p<=0.05). The modulus of elasticity proved to be significantly different at three of seven sample locations and toughness at two of seven locations (p<=0.05). No significant difference was proven to exist between HC affected and unaffected horses for skin thickness or total soluble collagen and GAG concentrations. Collectively this data demonstrates that HC animals' reduced skin tensile strength is not due to a deficit of either collagen or GAG, but likely a result of altered collagen micro-architecture.

Birds And Small Mammals, Intensively Established Pine Plantations, And Landscape Metrics Of The Coastal Plain, Brice Bond Hanberry

Theses and Dissertations

I evaluated effects of 5 treatments for pine plantation establishment on breeding and wintering birds and small mammals during years one through 5 post-treatment in the Lower Coastal Plain of Mississippi. I modeled relationships between 8 vegetation variables and avian abundance to identify influential habitat components in pine plantations. At the landscape scale, I compared avian abundance of regionally important species with land class variables in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. In pine plantations, species richness, total abundance, and 2 conservation bird metrics generally decreased with increasing intensity of stand establishment. Thus, this study suggests that increasing standmestablishment intensity can …

Effects Of Time Specific F-Strain Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Inoculation Overlays On Pre-Lay Ts-11-Strain Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Inoculation On Performance, Egg, Blood, And Visceral Characteristics Of Commercial Egg Laying Hens, Elizabeth Anne Middleton Vance

Theses and Dissertations

Vaccination programs using live whole cell vaccines are presently being used to control outbreaks and to help protect flocks from field strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the effects of a ts11-strain M. gallisepticum inoculation alone, and in conjunction with F-strain M. gallisepticum overlays at 22 or 45 weeks of age during lay. In this study, it was shown that a pre-lay ts11 vaccination had a broad range effect on the physiology of the commercial layer without affecting overall performance. The timing of an overlay vaccination using F-strain M. gallisepticum during lay …

Adjuvant Effects On Herbicide Absorption And Translocation, Darrin Matthew Dodds

Theses and Dissertations

Bispyribac-sodium is an acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicide introduced for control of grasses, broadleaves, and sedges in rice and turf. However, Mississippi and Arkansas rice producers have reported inconsistent barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv.) control with bispyribac-sodium. Experiments were conducted to determine if inconsistent barnyardgrass control with bispyribac-sodium could be alleviated through adjuvant technology. Absorption of 14C-bispyribac-sodium was greatest with a proprietary blend of methylated seed oil/organosilicone (MSO/OSL) (0.37 L ha-1) plus urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) (2% v/v) and the proprietary blend of MSO/OSL/UAN (2% v/v) at 80 and 74% of applied 14C-bispyribac-sodium, respectively. The addition of 32% UAN to MSO/OSL …

Non-Equilibrium Surface Growth For Competitive Growth Models And Applications To Conservative Parallel Discrete Event Simulations, Poonam Santosh Verma

Theses and Dissertations

Non-equilibrium surface growth for competitive growth models in (1+1) dimensions, particularly mixing random deposition (RD) with correlated growth process which occur with probability $p$ are studied. The composite mixtures are found to be in the universality class of the correlated growth process, and a nonuniversal exponent $\delta$ is identified in the scaling in $p$. The only effects of the RD admixture are dilations of the time and height scales which result in a slowdown of the dynamics of building up the correlations. The bulk morphology is taken into account and is reflected in the surface roughening, as well as the …

Evaluation Of A Low Profile Cascade Aerator, Chukwukelue Kenneth Monwuba

Theses and Dissertations

The aeration potential of a low profile cascade aerator was studied under varying operational conditions in accordance with the ASCE Standard for Measurement of Oxygen Transfer in Clean Water [ASCE 2-06, 2007]. Operational parameters delved into included the channel slope (2.50, 4.50 and 6.50); water flow rate (465.75 L/min.m (37.5 gpm/ft), 931.45 L/min.m (75 gpm/ft) and 1397.20 L/min.m (112.5 gpm/ft)); and weir geometry (rectangular-shaped, inverted T-shaped, W-shaped and inverted Cross shaped weir). The oxygen transfer coefficient, KLa, was derived by use of a FORTRAN-based nonlinear regression analysis computer program and served to assess the effectiveness of various combinations of operational …

Disease Management Strategies For Controlling Spring Dead Spot And Frequency Of Occurrence Of The Causal Organism Ophiosphaerella Korrae On 'Tifway' Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon X C. Transvaalensis), Hunter D. Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Spring dead spot (SDS) is the most destructive disease of bermudagrass and its hybrids, affecting intensively managed bermudagrass turf that is at least three years old. This bermudagrass disease is most prevalent in the United States where winter temperatures become cold enough to induce dormancy. The symptoms of SDS appear as sunken, necrotic patches of turf ranging from several centimeters to greater than 0.5 m in diameter. Field studies were conducted at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, MS on a Tifway bermudagrass fairway beginning January of 2005 and concluding December of 2006 to determine the frequency and the …

"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores male nurses’ negotiation of masculine gender identities in the nontraditional work of registered nursing. Few registered nurses in the United States are men, and men leave the profession within the first four years after graduation at twice the rate of women. This study builds on previous work by seeking to understand why male nursing graduates of an institution formerly for women only, made the decision to become nurses, how they decided to attend a women’s college over a more gender balanced campus experience, and in what ways they negotiate gender identities in the configuration of nursing …

Effects Of Soil Region, Litter Size, And Gender On Morphometrics Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns, Amy Castle Blaylock

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research documented that white-tailed deer body mass and antler size varied across physiographic regions of Mississippi. Deer from regions with greater soil fertility had greater body mass and antler size; however, this information is known only for individuals 6 months of age and older. I monitored birth mass and skeletal size of fawns produced by bred, adult, female white-tailed deer transplanted from the Delta, Thin Loess (Loess), and Lower Coastal Plain (LCP) soil regions to fawn in the Mississippi State University Rusty Dawkins Memorial Deer Unit. I evaluated the effect of soil region of origin, litter size, and fawn …

Demonstration Of Scale-Down Dynamic Light Scattering And Determination Of Osmotic Second Virial Coefficients For Proteins, Arun Kumar Parupudi

Theses and Dissertations

Protein aggregation is a phenomenon that plays a major role in protein crystallization and in protein formulation. In protein crystallization, aggregation is the prerequisite step; however, in protein formulation it has to be suppressed to assure therapeutic efficiency of the product. Light scattering techniques are the most promising methods to study the hydrodynamic properties of macromolecular solutions, which directly measures protein aggregation. Unfortunately, the normal dynamic light scattering technique is regarded as expensive because of the amount of protein used for these experiments. In order to address this problem, a scale down dynamic light scattering device has been designed. The …

A Multi-Scale Approach To Evaluate The Effect Of The Invasive Aquatic Plant Hydrilla (Hydrilla Verticillata) On Littoral Zone Habitat Of Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides), Alexander James Perret

Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the hypothesis that exotic macrophytes alter littoral zone habitat and impact fish that inhabit these areas. The pond experiment was conducted to explore impacts of exotic invasive plants on growth and condition of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The second experiment was conducted at a smaller scale in aquaria to simulate an invasion of hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) and its influence on juvenile bass foraging. Fish experienced slower growth in the hydrilla treatment than in the diverse, and the ability of bass to capture prey fish was impeded in hydrilla. Juvenile bass growth decreased in …

Integrated Management Tactics For The Control Of Cogongrass [Imperata Cylindrica (L.) Beauv.], Matthew Thomas Myers

Theses and Dissertations

Cogongrass has become a major problem in many parts of the southern United States for several years. Hundreds of studies have been conducted upon this species with varying results. Management of cogongrass can be grouped into five major areas of control: preventive, cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical. Each of these methods provides a certain level of control, but an integrated management strategy is the key to success. Three field studies were conducted from 2004 to 2006 in southern Mississippi to evaluate the most effective integrated management programs for cogongrass control. Results indicated that foliage removal either by fire or mowing …

Integrated Management Techniques Used For Cogongrass Control, Zackary B. Chesser

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive weeds are becoming a greater problem throughout the southeastern United States, which calls for drastic means of location, classification, and management in order to halt these undesirable invasions. Three experiments were initiated in 2005 and 2006, two of which were to examine the effects of additives, NIS, Dyne-a-Pak, AMS, and Valor used in cogongrass [Imperata cylindrica L. Beauve] control and the other to evaluate the effectiveness of a ropewick applicator applied to established cogongrass in juvenile longleaf pine stands. Through these experiments, it was found that Dyne-a-Pak can provide greater enhancement in cogongrass control compared to non ionic surfactant, …

Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that most influence African Americans to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1890 and 1862 Land Grant universities. This study used a quantitative approach in researching the problem of identifying the factors that led minorities to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. A survey instrument was designed which collected the factors, demographics, and attitudes that influenced minority enrollment in agricultural sciences at 1890 and 1862 universities. The setting for the data collection in this study is 1890 and 1862 land grant universities in the southern …