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The Role Of Protein Disulfide Isomerase (Pdi) In Oxidative Folding, Veronica Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protein Disulfide Isomerase is a highly evolved oxidoreductase enzyme that has the capability of oxidizing, reducing, and isomerizing disulfides in substrate. PDI is organized into several domains denoted a, b, b', a' and c. These domains are believed to have different functions but all must be present for full PDI activity. In this manuscript we recorded the ability of PDI b' to catalyze oxidative folding in fully reduced RNase A. We also examined competition between thiol-disulfide shuffling and conformational folding by PDI. This competition creates a rough effect of a highly efficient enzyme in two different substrates: RNase A and …

The Affective, Behavioral, And Cognitive Correlates Of Club Drug Use Among Hispanic College Students, Brenda Sue Hanson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Limited information exists about club drug use among minorities. This study examined potential affective, behavioral, and cognitive correlates of club drug use in a Hispanic college student sample. Participants (N = 321) completed multiple measures assessing demographic information, acculturation, depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, alexithymia, polysubstance use, sensation seeking, need for cognition, and prospective memory. Primary analyses included logistic regression models assessing the impact of affective, behavioral, and cognitive correlates on club drug use, while secondary analyses included moderation analyses exploring potential relationships between variables of interest, as well as assessment of univariate relationships between club drug use …

Motherhood:Portrayals In American Literature, Christine J. O'Leary

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this Thesis is to illustrate five categories of motherhood in American literature. The five categories chosen are: the self-absorbed mother, the self-martyred mother, the child-sacrificing mother, the self-sacrificing mother, and the substitute mother. I chose these five categories because they appear frequently in texts written by people of multiple ethnicities who represent several larger American cultures.

1. The self-absorbed mother lives for her personal pleasures. Her children are a burden. She prefers her happiness over the day to day care of the children.

2. The self-martyred mother believes that she is responsible for all the difficulties …

Assessment Of Human Muscle Fatigue From Surface Emg Signals Recorded During Isometric Voluntary Contractions By Using A Cosine Modulated Filter Bank, Cristhian Mauricio Potes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Human muscle fatigue involves both a decrease in the frequency and increase in the amplitude of a surface electromyographic (EMG) signal. Muscle fatigue is also related to a decrease of the force impeding to reach the same initial level of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). To determine muscle fatigue indices, a method is proposed by decomposing a surface EMG signal into 32-subbands. This decomposition was attained by using a cosine modulated filter bank. The

surface EMG signals analyzed during this research were recorded during isometric voluntary contractions. Both the instantaneous mean frequency (IMF) and the instantaneous amplitude (IA) are estimated …

Giardia Lamblia: Genomic And Molecular Analyses Of Flippase, Diana Leticia Villazana-Kretzer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Giardia lamblia, is an intestinal protozoan parasite responsible as a major cause of water-borne intestinal infection in humans (giardiasis). It has been proposed earlier that Giardia has limited lipid synThesis ability and therefore relies on preformed lipid molecules from outside sources. It has also been proposed that lipids are taken up through passive and active transport, and giardial flippasse play a significant role in this process. This study describes the identification and characterization of a putative homologue of flippase gene from Giardia. Flippase is an enzyme that functions as a trans-bilayer transport system facilitating the flip flop diffusion of phospholipids …

Jon D. Levenson, Resurrection And The Restoration Of Israel: The Ultimate Victory Of The God Of Life, Alan Lenzi

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Numerical Analysis Of Respiratory Aerosol Deposition: Effects Of Exhalation, Airway Constriction And Electrostatic Charge, Samir C. Vinchurkar

Theses and Dissertations

The dynamics of particle laden flows are integral to the analysis of toxic particle deposition and medical respiratory aerosol delivery. Computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) can play a critical role in developing a better understanding of particle laden flows, especially in a number of under-explored areas. The applications considered in this study include both the numerical aspects and the physical phenomena of respiratory aerosol transport. Objective I: Considering the effects of mesh type and grid convergence, four commonly implemented mesh styles were applied to a double bifurcation respiratory geometry and tested for flow patterns and aerosol deposition. Results indicated that the …

Jules, Emily Oye

Theses and Dissertations

The short play Jules is a response to August Strindberg's Miss Julie and Patrick Marber's After Miss Julie. Jules is the story of a wealthy young woman celebrating her Sweet 16 birthday at a lavish "Juicy Couture" theme party in Orange County, California. At the party, her best friend tries to disuade her from falling for a young Mexican immigrant who is catering the party. Jules explores the tensions between rich and poor, the attitude of the privilaged towards the working class, the consequences of relationships, and the attitude that characterizes our "girls gone wild" era.

Legal Consciousness And Contractual Obligations, Kojo Yelpaala

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Social Economics: An Introduction And A View Of The Field, John B. Davis, Wilfred Dolfsma

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Ecological Landscaping: A Holistic Description And Framework To Guide The Study And Management Of Urban Landscape Parcels, Loren B. Byrne, Parwinder Grewal

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Urbanized ecosystems and urban human populations are expanding around the world causing many negative environmental effects. A challenge for achieving sustainable urban social ecological systems is understanding how urbanized landscapes can be designed and managed to minimize negative outcomes. To this end, an interdisciplinary Ecological Landscaping conference was organized to examine the interacting sociocultural and ecological causes and consequences of landscaping practices and products. This special issue of Cities and the Environment contains a diverse set of articles arising from that conference. In this introductory paper, we describe the meaning of ecological landscaping and a new conceptual framework that helps …

Ecosystem Properties Of Urban Land Covers At The Aboveground-Belowground Interface, Loren B. Byrne, Mary Ann Bruns, Ke Chung Kim

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding of ecological differences among urban land covers can guide the sustainable management of urbanized landscapes for conservation of ecosystem services. The objective of our study was to compare ecosystem properties at the aboveground–belowground interface of three land cover types commonly found in residential landscapes: lawns, bark mulch, and gravel mulch. Using unmowed vegetation as a reference land cover, we measured surface soil variables (to 5 cm depth), CO2 fluxes, and ground temperatures in experimental field plots within 3 years after their creation. Each land cover had a distinctive set of ecosystem properties. Mulched plots had significantly warmer soil and …

Medusan Morphospace: Phylogenetic Constraints, Biomechanical Solutions, And Ecological Consequences, John H. Costello, Sean Colin, John O. Dabiri

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Medusae were the earliest animals to evolve muscle-powered swimming in the seas. Although medusae have achieved diverse and prominent ecological roles throughout the world's oceans, we argue that the primitive organization of cnidarian muscle tissue limits force production and, hence, the mechanical alternatives for swimming bell function. We use a recently developed model comparing the potential force production with the hydrodynamic requirements of jet propulsion, and conclude that jet production is possible only at relatively small bell diameters. In contrast, production of a more complex wake via what we term rowing propulsion permits much larger sizes but requires a different …

Evolutionary Physiology: The Extent Of C4 And Cam Photosynthesis In The Genera Anacampseros And Grahamia Of The Portulacaceae, Lonnie J. Guralnick, Amanda Cline, Monica Smith, Rowan F. Sage

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The Portulacaceae is one of the few terrestrial plant families known to have both C(4) and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species. There may be multiple origins of the evolution of CAM within the Portulacaceae but the only clear evidence of C(4) photosynthesis is found in members of the genus Portulaca. In the Portulaca, CAM succulent tissue is overlaid with the C(4) tissue in a unique fashion where both pathways are operating simultaneously. Earlier reports have shown that the clade containing the genera Anacampseros and Grahamia may also contain C(4) photosynthetic species similar to the Portulaca, which would indicate multiple origins …

The Protect America Act Of 2007: A Framework For Improving Intelligence Collection In The War On Terror, Jeffrey F. Addicott, Michael T. Mccaul

Faculty Articles

The most important weapon in the War on Terror is intelligence. The Protect America Act of 2007, a modification of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), was favored by Congress for providing a positive framework for ensuring the proper rule of law kept pace with changes in technology. FISA closed the intelligence gaps that had arisen because of the application of the Act to foreign persons in foreign countries.

FISA codifies in federal law the procedures associated with how electronic surveillance and searches of acquisition of foreign intelligence is conducted. In order to conduct electronic surveillance, a court order must …

Fetal Positions: Unraveling The Influence Of Religion On Premarital Pregnancy Resolution, Amy Adamczyk, Jacob Felson

Publications and Research

This study illustrates the ways religiosity and denominational affiliation influence the probability that a young woman will have an abortion.

Magnetic Nanoparticles Based On Iron: Synthesis, Characterization, Design, And Application, Michael David Shultz

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles are of great interest for a wide range of applications. This work has focused on three primary forms of iron based nanoparticles and combinations thereof: α-iron, iron oxide, and iron carbide or cementite. The synthesis of several core-shell particles including cementite-iron oxide, α-iron-cementite, and α-iron-iron oxide was accomplished through reverse micelle routes and high temperature decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl in various media. Structural analysis to confirm the structures was performed using extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques. A rapid characterization technique was developed utilizing a correlation between Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and EXAFS to determine the full …

Investigation Of Inosine And Hypoxanthine As Biomarkers Of Cardiac Ischemia In Plasma Of Non-Traumatic Chest Pain Patients And A Rapid Analytical System For Assessment, Don E. Farthing

Theses and Dissertations

Each year in the U.S., approximately 7-8 million patients with non-traumatic chest pain visit hospital emergency departments (ED) for medical evaluation. It is estimated that approximately 2-5% of these patients are experiencing acute cardiac ischemia, but due to the shortcomings of current test methods, they are incorrectly diagnosed and discharged without appropriate treatment provided, thus leading to poor patient outcome and potential medical malpractice litigation.The goals of this research were to evaluate plasma samples for potential biomarker(s) of acute cardiac ischemia prior to heart tissue necrosis, and to ultimately develop a rapid method for detection of the potential biomarker(s) in …

Qtl Analysis Of Ray Pattern In Caenorhabditis Elegans Recombinant Inbred Lines, Adam Joseph Guess

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Ray pattern is the most divergent morphological character among rhabditid nematodes. The ancestral ray pattern of Elegans group nematodes is commonly referred to as a 2(1)3+3 pattern, with rays 1 and 2 located anterior of the cloaca, ray 3 positioned at the cloaca, and rays 4-6 and 7-9 grouped in two clusters posterior of the cloaca. C. elegans males primarily exhibit the 2(1)3+3 pattern; however some isolates display variant patterns at a low frequency. The Hawaiian strain CB4856 exhibits a 3/3+3 pattern at a frequency of 0.09. In this pattern, ray 3 is located anterior of the cloaca in a …

The Response Of Vascular Dermal Enodethial Cells To House Dust Mite Extracts, Aaron Mathew Newman

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House dust mites are microscopic arthropods that can trigger moderate allergic symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, itching, and wheezing in sensitized individuals. People with more serious allergies to house dust mites can develop allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis and asthma. The effects of house dust mites on allergy sufferers make house dust mites and the study of their effects on the human body of great medical and economic importance. A majority of the research that has been done on house dust mite's effects on humans has dealt with the lungs and relevant disease like asthma. Little work has been …

Dissolution Kinetics Of Sulfate Minerals: Linking Environmental Significance Of Mineral-Water Interface Reactions To The Retention Of Aqueous Cro42- In Natural Waters, Sweta Bose

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Dissolution as a function of solution undersaturation (Ω) was studied on both celestite and barite (001) by the aid of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Both the sulfates exhibited non-linear reactivity trends showing increasing dissolution rates with decreasing Ω. In the case of celestite, the dissolution rate non linearity was attributed to a changeover in reaction mechanism. At higher undersaturations below a critical saturation state of Ω_crit ~ 0.1, dissolution occurred both along the existing step edges and also via the creation of new steps. At conditions near saturation states dissolution took place exclusively by removal of ions from existing …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Select Sites For Wetland Restoration In West Central Ohio's Agricultural Areas, Janice M. Hartkorn

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The Mississippi River Basin, includes a major part of Ohio has encountered increasing phosphorus and nitrogen loads from agricultural fields since the 1800's when intensive agriculture moved into the Midwest. Agriculture has drained ninety percent of Ohio's native wetlands. A portion of those drained wetlands can be restored to functional wetlands to intercept excess nutrients from non-productive or low yield agricultural fields to improve overall water quality. Little is known about finding potential restoration sites, partly because of the difficulty in locating sites capable of supporting successful restoration.

This study investigated the utility of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a …

Immunomodulation Of Human Skin Cells By Extracts Of The Scabies Mite, Sarcoptes Scabiei, Jeremi Stevan Mullins

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Sarcoptes scabiei infests its host through burrowing into the stratum corneum layer of skin. Keratinocytes and fibroblasts responding to the burrowing mite(s) and/or mite products produce inflammatory and immune activating cytokines and chemokines. The purpose of this study was to determine if an extract of S. scabiei can modulate cytokine and chemokine expression from keratinocytes and fibroblasts in vitro. Normal human keratinocytes and fibroblasts were exposed to an extract of S. scabiei var. canis with or without various pro-inflammatory stimuli. Cytokine and chemokine expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Scabies extract increased expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), growth-related oncogene-α …

Comparison Of Two Methods Of External Scatter Dose Contributions To The Contralateral Breast, James Cutlip

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The treatment outcomes of many forms of breast cancer have become very favorable. The usual standard of successful treatment of five years without a recurrence is not adequate any longer for breast cancer. Many patients live well beyond this time interval only to have a second malignancy develop in the contralateral breast ten or twenty years later. Boice et al (1992) found that there was a correlation between the amount of dose to the contralateral breast and the likelihood of a secondary malignancy forming.

The normal practice today is to use multi-leaf collimators (MLC) to modulate the photon beam in …

A Descriptive Study Of Parenting Styles, Parental Feeding Behaviors And Bmi Percentiles In School-Age Children And Adolescents, Stephanie Jane Smith

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The rising rate of obesity in the pediatric population has demanded further investigation from members of the health care community. Numerous exercise and nutrition programs have been developed to help combat the growing rate of obesity within the pediatric population but many lack the family-centered approach needed to achieve increased compliance with the prescribed plan of care. Both parenting styles and parental feeding behaviors have been shown to play a contributing role in the weight of children. According to previous research, the authoritarian parenting style often leads to an increased BMI in children. Research examining parental feeding behaviors indicates that …

Effects Of Sepsis On Nerve Evoked Responses, Kevin Richard Novak

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Sepsis and SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) have become two expensive and complicated problems seen in the intensive care unit (ICU). These two illnesses have been known to cause dysfunction with excitable tissues in the body. Encephalopathy, neuropathy, and myopathy are the three biggest. In this paper we discuss the development of an animal model of sepsis and the neurological complications sepsis brought about. Nerve conduction studies showed increased durations on compound muscle action potential, and decreased amplitude as well as increased duration and latency on sensory nerve action potentials. These results were not consistent with the two most common …

An Assessment Of The Allelopathic Potential Of Alliaria Petiolata, Eulondia Kathryn Barto

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Garlic mustard (GM), Alliaria petiolata, a European biennial herb invasive in North America, produces secondary metabolites that may contribute to its invasive success by allelopathically inhibiting growth of native plants. I tested this hypothesis by determining the levels, and stability, of these compounds in field soils. I also explored differences in the phytochemical profiles of GM and closely related North American species, and biogeographic differences in allelopathic effects on North American and European arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Furthermore, I exposed a North American annual herb, pale jewelweed (Impatiens pallida), and its AMF, to GM extracts in order …

A Framework To Support Spatial, Temporal And Thematic Analytics Over Semantic Web Data, Matthew Steven Perry

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Spatial and temporal data are critical components in many applications. This is especially true in analytical applications ranging from scientific discovery to national security and criminal investigation. The analytical process often requires uncovering and analyzing complex thematic relationships between disparate people, places and events. Fundamentally new query operators based on the graph structure of Semantic Web data models, such as semantic associations, are proving useful for this purpose. However, these analysis mechanisms are primarily intended for thematic relationships. This dissertation proposes a framework built around the RDF data model for analysis of thematic, spatial and temporal relationships between named entities. …

Global Optimization Of An Aircraft Thermal Management System Through Use Of A Genetic Algorithm, Christopher T. Allen

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Optimization algorithms utilize known information about the system to identify solutions that are more efficient and meet the requirements of the user. The algorithms require an objective function, or formula (linear or nonlinear) that models what the user is looking to optimize, in order to begin the search for a more feasible solution. Because optimization problems can involve either linearor non-linear functions, various algorithms have been created that can locate optimum solutions faster depending on the type of objective function being optimized.

This research focuses on optimizing an aircrafts thermal management system by using one such algorithm. This was performed …

Modeling Training Effects On Task Performance Using A Human Performance Taxonomy, Douglas P. Meador

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There is little argument that modern military systems are very complex, both in terms of the resources in time and money to develop them and the infrastructure that is required to produce trained operators. To properly execute human systems integration during the acquisition process, systems built to train operators must be developed that optimize training. Consequently, the training system community would benefit from simulation models that provide the ability to make accurate predictions of training processes, and allow the decision maker to specify an optimum combination of operator performance after training and the cost of that training. The goal of …