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2008-2009 Che Newsletter, Department Of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Chemical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Department
• Faculty
• Research
• Alumni & Friends
• 2008 Industrial Advisory Board
• Convocation
• Student News

Swarms, Schools, Flocks, And Colonies: Exploring The Ontology Of Collective Individuals, Brian G. Henning

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

From Despot To Steward: The Greening Of Catholic Social Teaching, Brian G. Henning

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Spectrogenetic Translation In Arundhati Roy's The God Of Small Things And Elsewhere, Puspa Damai

English Faculty Research

South Asians, in their attempts to articulate post-colonial subjectivity, have themselves only reinscribed various aspects of colonial exoticism in their work. South Asian author Arundhati Roy’s rendering of untouchability in terms of godliness in The God of Small Things resonates with colonial ideologies that read “subalterns” as objects, not as subjects. Roy’s invocation of colonial methods of translation envisions untouchability in “absolutist terms”—a strategy that may ultimately mitigate against a recognition of the highly varied experiences, social agencies, and subjectivities of dalits living in South Asia and abroad.

Proteins In Silico-Modeling And Sampling, Parimal Kar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Proteins are linear chain molecules made out of amino acids. Only when they fold to their native states, they become functional. This dissertation aims to model the solvent (environment) effect and to develop & implement enhanced sampling methods that enable a reliable study of the protein folding problem in silico.

We have developed an enhanced solvation model based on the solution to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation in order to describe the solvent effect. Following the quantum mechanical Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM), we decomposed net solvation free energy into three physical terms– Polarization, Dispersion and Cavitation. All the terms were implemented, analyzed …

An Investigation Of Phenolic Glycoside And Condensed Tannin Homeostasis In Populus By Salicyl Alcohol Feeding To Cell Cultures And By Transgenic Manipulation Of The Sucrose Transporter, Ptsut4, In Planta, Raja Sekhar Payyaula

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Secondary metabolites play an important role in plant protection against biotic and abiotic stress. In Populus, phenolic glycosides (PGs) and condensed tannins (CTs) are two such groups of compounds derived from the common phenylpropanoid pathway. The basal levels and the inducibility of PGs and CTs depend on genetic as well as environmental factors, such as soil nitrogen (N) level. Carbohydrate allocation, transport and sink strength also affect PG and CT levels. A negative correlation between the levels of PGs and CTs was observed in several studies. However, the molecular mechanism underlying such relation is not known. We used a …

Optimization Of Ethanol Production By Yeasts From Lignocellulosic Feedstocks, Stephanie Lee Groves

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Ethanol from lignocellulosic feedstocks is not currently competitive with corn-based ethanol in terms of yields and commercial feasibility. Through optimization of the pretreatment and fermentation steps this could change. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate, characterize, and optimize ethanol production from lignocellulosic feedstocks by the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain Ethanol Red, ER) and Pichia stipitis CBS 6054.

Through a series of fermentations and growth studies, P. stipitis CBS 6054 and S. cerevisiae (ER) were evaluated on their ability to produce ethanol from both single substrate (xylose and glucose) and mixed substrate (five sugars present in hemicellulose) fermentations. …

Analysis And Performance Of A Upc Implementation Of A Parallel Longest Common Subsequence Algorithm, Bryan M. Franklin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

An important problem in computational biology is finding the longest common subsequence (LCS) of two nucleotide sequences. This paper examines the correctness and performance of a recently proposed parallel LCS algorithm that uses successor tables and pruning rules to construct a list of sets from which an LCS can be easily reconstructed. Counterexamples are given for two pruning rules that were given with the original algorithm. Because of these errors, performance measurements originally reported cannot be validated. The work presented here shows that speedup can be reliably achieved by an implementation in Unified Parallel C that runs on an Infiniband …

Micro-Fabrication Of Bio-Mems Based Force Sensor To Measure The Force Response Of Living Cells, Varun Gouthaman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Understanding how a living cell behaves has become a very important topic in today’s research field. Hence, different sensors and testing devices have been designed to test the mechanical properties of these living cells. This thesis presents a method of micro-fabricating a bio-MEMS based force sensor which is used to measure the force response of living cells. Initially, the basic concepts of MEMS have been discussed and the different micro-fabrication techniques used to manufacture various MEMS devices have been described. There have been many MEMS based devices manufactured and employed for testing many nano-materials and bio-materials. Each of the MEMS …

Arrangement Of Gene Pairs, Retrotransposon Insertions, And Regulation Of Gene Expression In Plants, Nicholas D. Krom

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Plant genomes are extremely complex. Myriad factors contribute to their evolution and organization, as well as to the expression and regulation of individual genes. Here we present investigations into several such factors and their influence on genome structure and gene expression: the arrangement of pairs of physically adjacent genes, retrotransposons closely associated with genes, and the effect of retrotransposons on gene pair evolution.

All sequenced plant genomes contain a significant fraction of retrotransposons, including that of rice. We investigated the effects of retrotransposons within rice genes and within a 1 kb putative promoter region upstream of each gene. We found …

Biology Department To Honor Larry Hinck, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Arkansas State University Students Examine Calif. Seal, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Some Things About Love, Magic, And Hair, Chris Kammerud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Molecular- Targeted Bioactive Natural Products, Hong Jia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ozark Cavefish Aka Amblyopsis Rosae, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Marine Mammals Laboratory Manual, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Kristen Irwin

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Blind Cave Fish Found In Northern Ar. Lake, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Michel Conner

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Self-Similar Nested Sequences On A Chaotic Attractor For Traveling-Wave Electrophoresis, Boyd F. Edwards

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Constant Jugglers- Single Mothers Amidst Patriarchy And University, Christopher Bordon Goldsmith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This case study juxtaposes feminist literature with an examination of single mothers pursuing an undergraduate degree in teacher education. The Patriarchy and the English language emerged as definers of cultural norms that are oppressive to outsiders. Three single mothers living on the U.S.-Mexico border were interviewed. Their stories were compared to the literature of the Patriarchy. The status quo was examined in its roles as lawmaker and as rights taker. Patriarchy and the English language emerged as definers of cultural norms that are impacting and controlling the choices of these women. Themes that emerged from the data are dependence vs. …

Un/Commonplaces: Redirecting Research And Curricula In Rhetoric And Writing Studies, Brian J. Mcnely

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Un/Commonplaces is guided by a broad and fundamental question of inquiry regarding writing and disciplinary research: how can some of the predominant ways that our discipline has approached writing be retheorized to better approximate the complexity of contemporary rhetorical knowledge work? A corollary inquiry explores the resonances with English Studies that persist--and seeks to uncover how they persist--in our field. I argue that we can negotiate such issues by tracing and troubling some of our core disciplinary commonplaces, those commonsense notions and practices too frequently and easily adopted from English Studies and perpetuated within the often tumultuous and hegemonic relationship …

What Teachers Should Know About Racism, Prejudice, And Privilege: A Literature Review, Karie Mize

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

Although racial groupings are not biologically determined, socially constructed racial categorizations greatly influence an individual’s material conditions and lived experiences. Social, economic, political, and educational realms are stratified as a result of racism, or the racist structures embedded in institutions and policies that allow whites to control the majority of resources. The extent to which the dominant group is collectively privileged in the United States’ society is difficult for whites to fully comprehend due to their social position. Teacher candidates need to understand the ways in which economic and social manifestations of racism affect educational institutions, which in turn perpetuates …

Seasonal Changes In Bacterial Communities In Magnolia (Magnolia Grandiflora) Leaf Phyllosphere, William Craig Denney

Honors Theses

What is currently known about bacterial diversity of the phyllosphere has largely come from studies of plants involved in commercial agriculture. With very few studies dedicated to examining phyllosphere bacterial communities of natural forests, the issue of seasonal changes in bacterial communities in Magnolia gvandifloi'a leaf phyllosphere was investigated. In order to examine the issue, 16S rRNA sequencing techniques were used to identify and compare bacterial communities between leaf samples collected in February, May, August and December of 2008. When M. grandiflora DNA samples were examined with denaturing gel electrophoresis (DGGE), similarities between the bacterial communities of each leaf could …

Productive Replication Of Malacosoma Neustria Nucleopolyhedrovirus (Manenpv) In Md203 Cell Line, İsmai̇l Demi̇r, Nurten Gürel, Remzi̇ye Nalçacioğlu, İkbal A. İnce, Zi̇hni̇ Demi̇rbağ

Turkish Journal of Biology

A plaque-purified genotypic variant, derived from a field isolate of the Malacosoma neustria nucleopolyhedrovirus (ManeNPV) from Turkey was characterized based on in vitro replication properties in a cell line, Md203 derived from Malacosoma disstria. The life cycle of ManeNPV was studied based on the cytopathic effects (CPEs), polyhedral inclusion body (PIB) formation, budded virus (BV) production, viral DNA replication and polyhedrin protein expression in ManeNPV-infected Md203 cells. Infection of Md203 cells with ManeNPV resulted in cytopathic effects within 24 and 36 h post infection and most cells detachted from the bottom of the culture plate on the fourth day. Typical …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Biology

No abstract provided.

Genetic Repairing Through Storage Of Gamma Irradiated Seeds In Inbred Maize (Zea Mays L.), Girjesh Kumar, Prashant Kumar Rai

Turkish Journal of Biology

Gamma irradiation can induce beneficial as well as deleterious impacts on chromosome behavior in crop plants. The cytogenetic changes occurring due to the storage of inbred seeds after gamma irradiation in the somatic and gametic cells of Zea mays L. were investigated in this study. A wide spectrum of chromosomal anomalies was encountered in somatic and gametic cells of maize that are gamma irradiated, stored (aged), and treated with a combination of both of these treatments. Gamma rays and ageing treatments induced a number of chromosomal anomalies independently, but a combination of the 2 treatments suppressed the frequency of chromosomal …

The Effect Of The Interaction Between Genotypes And Drought Stress On The Superoxide Dismutase And Chlorophyll Content In Durum Wheat Landraces, Mohammad Zaefyzadeh, Rauf Alakbar Quliyev, Sevda Mashalla Babayeva, Mehraj Ali̇ Abbasov

Turkish Journal of Biology

Free radicals and other active derivatives of oxygen inactivate enzymes and important plant cellular components. Superoxide dismutases (SODs) have been identified as essential components in an organism´s defence mechanism. This study was devoted to the investigation of SOD activity in 13 durum wheat landraces from Iran and Azerbaijan under 2 (drought and normal) conditions. The effect of drought stress on SOD, chlorophyll content index (CCI), and chlorophyll degradation were studied. Significant differences between genotypes and the genotype × environment interaction among SOD and CCI content were identified. The mean comparison showed that the contents of SOD and CCI decreased in …

An Investigation Of The Perceptions Of Clergy And Laity On Race-Based Organizational Segregation In The Southern Union Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists, David K. Penno

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States maintains a racially segregated organization in a society that has intentionally dismantled segregation in most of its organizations. The church needs to evaluate its current conference organization in light of this reality. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of Seventh-day Adventist clergy and members in two conferences in the Southern Union concerning race-based organizational segregation in the church.

Method

This study used a mixed method and was descriptive in design. Four focus groups were conducted to explore the dimensions of the research problem. This step was followed …

Inside Front Cover, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

37_1_Masthead.Pdf, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Inside Back Cover, Marine Ornithology

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.