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High Frequency Of The D Allele Of The Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene In Arabic Populations, Abdel Halim Salem, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Background. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene in humans has an insertion-deletion (I/D) polymorphic state in intron 16 on chromosome 17q23. This polymorphism has been widely investigated in different populations due to its association with the renin-angiotensin system. However, similar studies for Arab populations are limited. This study addresses the distribution of the ACE gene polymorphism in three Arab populations (Egyptians, Jordanians and Syrians). Findings. The polymorphisms of ACE gene were investigated using polymerase chain reaction for detection of an I/D mutation. The results showed a high frequency of the ACE D allele among the three Arab populations, Egyptians (0.67), Jordanians …

Temperature-Dependent Development Of The Cycad Aulacaspis Scale, Aulacaspis Yasumatsui (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), Ronald D. Cave, Cora Sciacchetano, Rodrigo Diaz

Faculty Publications

Egg duration period, immature development time, and pre-oviposition period of the cycad aulacaspis scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi, were measured at 9 constant temperatures in the laboratory. Egg duration period ranged from 15 d at 20°C to 7 d at 30°C. First instar development time was 30 d at 18°C but only 4 d at 35°C. No first instars completed development below 18°C or above 35°C. Development time of second instar females ranged from 19 d at 18 and 20°C to 9 d at 30°C. Development time of male second instar + pupa ranged from 15 d at 20°C to 910 …

The Effect Of Plant Source Location On Restoration Success: A Reciprocal Transplant Experiment With Winterfat (Krascheninnikovia Lanata), Melanie G. Barnes

Biology ETDs

It is increasingly important that plant propagules used in revegetation projects are from a location that is geographically or ecologically similar to the planting site. To better understand the consequences of using non-local plant materials, I chose to study the population biology of the widespread shrub winterfat (Krascheninnikovia lanata, Chenopodiaceae) among five populations in New Mexico, USA. Winterfat plant morphology among the five populations was compared, and the rate of emergence and floral onset was measured in a greenhouse common garden. A reciprocal transplant experiment was planted in which individuals from different locations were planted in replicate common gardens. Transplant …

The Role Of Spatial And Genetic Modeling To Biogeography, Dolly Lyne Crawford

Biology ETDs

One of the most persistent challenges in biology is explaining the distribution of animal taxa. Quantitative explanations for the distribution of organisms are challenged by the complexity of factors that potentially limit a species range, including topography, ecology, climate and biology. Because of limits on data and approaches, early biogeographers were hampered in their ability to explain patterns. Here, I benefit from two primary developments in biogeography. My research draws from the accumulation of data across several scientific disciplines and advances in spatial and statistical approaches to examine the distribution of animal taxa within an integrative biogeography framework. I combine …

Simulation, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Hydrogels And Nanocomposite Gels., Kamleshkumar J. Suthar

Dissertations

Stimuli-responsive gels are three-dimensional, cross-linked polymeric materials that undergo large physical change in response to the environmental stimuli, like temperature, pH, electrical potential, and irradiation. Ferrogels are colloidaldispersion of magnetic nanoparticles in the hydrogel network. The magnetic nanoparticles are attached to the polymeric network by different adhesive forces; as a result, it becomes sensitive to the applied magnetic field.

The main objective of this research is the simulation, synthesis, and characterization of the hydrogel and ferrogel. Simulation of the hydrogel response was performed for various environmental stimuli using a multiphysics finite element analysis software, COMSOL. The pH and electrical response …

Metaevaluation Of Hiv/Aids Prevention Intervention Evaluations In Sub Saharan Africa With A Specific Emphasis On Implications For Women And Girls, Tererai Mafukidze Trent

Dissertations

Despite numerous attempts by international agencies to halt the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), nowhere has the impact of HIV/AIDS been felt more acutely than among women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). SSA women account for 59% of adults over the age of 15 living with HIV/AIDS and 76% of those 15-24 who are infected (United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS [UNAIDS], 2007).

The evidence on gender disparities in infection rates is indisputable; there is an urgent need to identify what is missing in HIV/AIDS prevention interventions: What is the evidence based upon …

The Ethnic Identity Of Returning Immigrants To A Pueblo In Yucatan, David Piacenti

Dissertations

This study seeks to understand: 1) motivations for leaving and, if applicable, racialized, segregated environment, which is represented by the returned cholo, whose "urban gangbanger" mentality confronts the traditional, rural ethnic identity. San Francisco also affects the overall perception of immigration and desire for permanent U.S. residence. Of the San Francisco cohort, 42% say immigration is "positive overall." Conversely, 62% of the Kalamazoo cohort says that immigration is "positive overall." Only 29% of the San Francisco cohort desire permanent residence in the U.S. while 54% of the Kalamazoo cohort desire permanent U.S. residence. Therefore, the suburban context of Kalamazoo may …

Theoretical Study Of Localized Surface Plasmons Of Metal Nanoparticles, Clusters And Embedded Metal Nanoparticles In Matrices, Masoud Shabani Nezhad Navrood

Dissertations

Localized surface plasmons resonances (LSPRs) in metallic nanoparticles (NPs) arise from the interactions between incident light and conduction electrons and have attracted enormous research interest in recent years both for their fundamental nature as well as applications in interdisciplinary areas of sciences such as biological imaging, plasmonic photo-thermal therapy, photovoltaics, and plasmonic sensors. LSPRs are strongly localized and depend on the shape, size, the composition of the NPs, the polarization direction of the incident light, refractive index (RI) of the surrounding medium as well as on the chemical environment that surrounded NPs. Although significant research has progressed both theoretically and …

The Physiological Ecology And Evolution Of Freezing Tolerance In Diploid Larrea Sp., Juliana Sibylla Medeiros

Biology ETDs

A basic understanding of vegetation responses to temperature and precipitation variability is paramount to the understanding of ecological adaptation, and comparisons across warm deserts are needed to increase our understanding of the controls on establishment in warm desert ecosystems. At the high latitude edges of warm deserts drought and freezing lower plant performance due to xylem dysfunction, as freeze-thaw embolism reduces stomatal conductance, or damage to leaf photosynthetic apparatus, as tissue desiccation reduces photosynthetic efficiency. Variation in these physiological responses can be observed across life-history stages, genetic background, climate gradients, and species, and this variation may be acted on by …

Statistical Methods In Microarrays And High-Throughput Flow Cytometry, Osorio Meirelles

Biology ETDs

Abstract-I

Background: Heterogeneous cell populations have previously been described as noisy. However, recent studies have demonstrated that heterogeneity can be biologically significant. We present here an approach for rapid and complete identification of heterogeneous cell populations from high-throughput flow cytometry data. We have developed a novel measure Slope Differentiation Identification (SDI) using flow cytometry-based protein expression, quantifying the rate of change in protein expression between two conditions (exponential and stationary phase) of yeast cells, as a function of cell size or cell granularity.

Results: SDI had superior Gene Ontology enrichment when compared with other approaches such as k-means clustering and …

Anomaly Detection Techniques For Ad Hoc Networks, Chaoli Cai

Dissertations

Anomaly detection is an important and indispensable aspect of any computer security mechanism. Ad hoc and mobile networks consist of a number of peer mobile nodes that are capable of communicating with each other absent a fixed infrastructure. Arbitrary node movements and lack of centralized control make them vulnerable to a wide variety of unknown and known attacks from inside as well as from outside. In this dissertation we propose two efficient statistical techniques for anomaly detection for these networks.

In order to take into account incomplete testing samples and the interaction among multiple features, we present BANBAD •- a …

Spatial Frequency Localization In Mammograms Using Wavelets, Tomislav Bujanovic

Dissertations

Microcalcifications are residual calcium deposits that are often the first signs of developing breast abnormalities that may lead to breast cancer. Up to 30% of cancerous lesion in diagnosed breast cancer cases could have been detected earlier through mammogram screenings if the right tools were available. While the detection of calcifications may be easier in fatty backgrounds, it is challenging in dense parenchyma, suggesting the need for more sensitive tools for accurately identifying suspicious regions in mammograms and propping a computer-aided system for further target classification. Therefore, the objective of the research work in this dissertation is to develop a …

Nutrient Cycles And Marine Microbes In A Co2-Enriched Ocean, David A. Hutchins, Margaret R. Mulholland, Feixue Fu

OES Faculty Publications

The ocean carbon cycle is tightly linked with the cycles of the major nutrient elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon. It is therefore likely that enrichment of the ocean with anthropogenic CO2 and attendant acidification will have large consequences for marine nutrient biogeochemistry, and for the microbes that mediate many key nutrient transformations. The best available evidence suggests that the nitrogen cycle may respond strongly to higher CO2 through increases in global N2 fixation and possibly denitrification, as well as potential decreases in nitrification. These trends could cause nitrification to become a nitrogen cycle "bottleneck," by increasing the flux of N2 …

Exploring Formation And Distribution Of Halonitromethanes In Drinking Waters, Jia Hu

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Nine halonitromethanes (HNMs) were among the more than fifty unregulated high-priority disinfection by-products (DBPs) that were monitored for and detected in drinking waters in a 2000-2002 nationwide occurrence study funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The toxicology studies conducted in recent years have shown that HNMs are one of the most cytotoxic and genotoxic classes among the emerging DBPs, with orders of magnitude higher cytotoxicity and genotoxicity than any of the regulated organic DBPs. Furthermore, brominated HNMs were found to be more toxic than their chlorinated analogs, with dibromonitromethane being the most cyto- and genotoxic. Today, our …

Educational Innovation In Thailand: A Case Study, Kristan Morrison

International Education

The Ministry of Education in the country of Thailand recently announced the establishment of two distinct educational tracks – a conventional/ traditional track and an unconventional/ progressive/ alternative track. This decision was perhaps guided by the success of innovative pilot education programs in the country, collectively called “the Lighthouse Project.” This article is concerned with one program in this project – the Darunsikkhalai School for Innovative Learning (DSIL) –detailing what it has accomplished and the challenges it faces in attempting to bring about new definitions of learning and teaching in Thailand. In this article, a detailed description of the school, …

A Particle Swarm Optimization Using Random Keys For Flexible Flow Shop Scheduling Problem With Sequence Dependent Setup Times, Vinodh Sankaran

All Theses

In this research, a particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) using random keys is developed to schedule flexible flow lines with sequence dependent setup times to minimize makespan. The flexible flow line scheduling problem is a branch of production scheduling and is found in industries such as printed circuit board and automobile manufacturing. It is well known that this problem is NP-hard. For this reason, we approach the problem by implementing a particle swarm optimization (PSO), a metaheuristic which is inspired by the motion of a flock of birds or a school of fish searching for food. The proposed PSO has …

Life History Characteristics Of The Turquoise Darter (Etheostoma Inscriptum) In The Upper Piedmont Of South Carolina, Stephan Irwin

All Theses

ABSTRACT
The intention of this study was to estimate population density, time of spawning, and fecundity of the turquoise darter (Etheostoma inscriptum) in Six Mile creek of the Clemson SC experimental forest. Population density estimates were conducted on 18 riffles within the lower 1,524 m of the creek starting 304.8 m above its confluence with Lake Issaqueena from January to April 2008. Density was determined using the Leslie Depletion method, and darters/m2 was calculated. Random point collection was performed From October 14 to November 13, 2008, and 301 specimens were measured and released to determine length frequency of the population. …

Structures Serving The Visibly Homeless: An Emergency Shelter Response In Charleston, South Carolina, Ellen Martin

All Theses

This thesis is an architectural exploration into how to partially address the housing crisis affecting the visibly homeless population of Charleston, South Carolina. Thousands of men, women, and children in the United States are homeless in Charleston there is a significant and increasing number of visibly homeless. Those who sleep outside shelters are generally known as the 'visibly homeless' or street homeless. The visibly homeless is the most underserved group within the entire homeless population and is composed of those who sleep in places not intended for human habitation, such as bus stations, subway trains, automobiles, doorways, and abandoned buildings. …

Roost Selection By Rafinesque's Big-Eared Bats, Corynorhinus Rafinesquii, In Congaree National Park - A Multiscale Approach, Jessica Lucas

All Theses

Little is known about natural roost selection of Rafinesque's big-eared bats, Corynorhinus rafinesquii , throughout their range. The objectives of this study were to determine roost use and selection of big-eared bats in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina at multiple spatial scales and test whether roost use and selection differed between maternity colonies and solitary individuals. The study was conducted May-August 2006 and 2007 in Congaree National Park which contains extensive areas of old-growth bottomland forest. Roost trees were located via tree searches and radio-telemetry and I used univariate tests and multiple logistic regression to compare tree, stand, …

Microsphere Based Protease Assays And High Throughput Screening Of Bacterial Toxin Proteases, Matthew J. Saunders

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Proteases, proteins which cleave peptide bonds in other proteins, are a large and varied group of proteins which regulate a variety of physiological processes. Methodologies to study proteases are often protease specific and often differ greatly from the roles proteases play in vivo. In vitro protease assays often use peptide based substrates, which do not take into account highly specific interactions distal from the proteolytic site of peptide cleavage on protease substrates. In the work described here we have developed a microsphere based protease assay, capable of using full length protease substrates, and have successfully measured proteolytic activity via loss …

Inducible Heat Shock Protein 70 Enhances Human Papillomavirus Type 31 Genome Replication, Viral Capsid Protein Nuclear Localization And Progeny Virion Morphogenesis In Human Keratinocytes, Hebin Song

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small, non-enveloped double stranded DNA viruses that demonstrate a strict species and cell type tropism for human epithelial cells. The association between high-risk HPV types and cervical cancer is well established. Additionally, HPVs have been implicated as causes in development of several other epithelial cancer types. Increasing data indicate heat shock proteins (HSPs) including inducible HSP70 (HSP70i) are involved in the replicative cycles of different viruses including adenoviruses, polyomaviruses (PyV), and some RNA viruses. Cell-free system studies implicate HSP70i in HPV11 genome replication with E1 and E2 proteins, and there is evidence that HSP70 is involved …

Medicinal Plants Used In The Health Care System Practiced By Traditional Vaidyas In Alaknanda Catchment Of Uttarakhand, India, P. C. Phondani, R. K. Maikhuri, N. S. Bisht

Ethnobotanical Leaflets

The present study documents the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used in the Alaknanda catchment of Uttarakhand state in India. Ethnomedicinal uses of 100 medicinal plant species along with botanical name, vernacular name, family, habit, part used and folk medicinal uses are presented. They belong to 91 genera and 51 families. These plants have been used to cure 60 types of different ailments out of the 58 plant species used to cure more than one disease. The most widely sought after plant parts in the preparation of remedies are the underground parts such as root, tuber, bulb, rhizome etc. Most …

Major Religious Plants Of Rudraprayag District (Garhwal), Uttarakhand (India), Balwant Kumar

Ethnobotanical Leaflets

The Himalayas are one of the richest sources with respect to the occurrence of religious plants. These plants contribute to religious activities and are also important as food, fodder and medicine. Presented here are the descriptions of 21 religious plants which are traditionally used by local people in the Rudraprayag district (Garhwal) for various religious activities.

Traditional Medicinal And Economic Uses Of Gymnosperms Of Dir Kohistan Valleys, Nwfp, Pakistan, Gul Jan, Mir Ajab Khan, Farzana Jan

Ethnobotanical Leaflets

The ethnobotanical data of four families of gymnosperms with 11 species were collected from Dir Kohistan Valleys. These are Cupressaceae, Ephedraceae, Pinaceae and Taxaceae. A complete list of the plants is given with their name, family and ethnobotanical use, distribution and occurrence. Indigenous knowledge of local inhabitants about the use of native plants were collected during field trips through questionnaire. The inhabitants of the area have to use the medicinal plants for various purposes and have for a long time been dependent on surrounding plant resources for their food, shelter, fodder’s, health, care and other cultural purposes. Pinus roxburgii, P. …

Pot1 Proteins In Green Algae And Land Plants: Dna-Binding Properties And Evidence Of Co-Evolution With Telomeric Dna, Eugene V. Shakirov, Xiangyu Song, Jessica A. Joseph, Dorothy E. Shippen

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Telomeric DNA terminates with a single-stranded 3′ G-overhang that in vertebrates and fission yeast is bound by POT1 (Protection Of Telomeres). However, no in vitro telomeric DNA binding is associated with Arabidopsis POT1 paralogs. To further investigate POT1–DNA interaction in plants, we cloned POT1 genes from 11 plant species representing major branches of plant kingdom. Telomeric DNA binding was associated with POT1 proteins from the green alga Ostreococcus lucimarinus and two flowering plants, maize and Asparagus. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that several residues critical for telomeric DNA recognition in vertebrates are functionally conserved in plant POT1 proteins. However, the plant proteins …

A Conversation With Philippe Descola, Eduardo Kohn

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

The distinguished anthropologist Philippe Descola has worked among the Jivaroan Achuar in Ecuador’s Amazon region, since the mid-1970s. Author of numerous influential books and publications, he holds a professorship at the Collège de France and is also Directeur d’études and Directeur du Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Sociale at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

The Structure And Peroxidase Activity Of A 33-Kda Catalase-Related Protein From Mycobacterium Avium Ssp. Paratuberculosis, Svetlana Pakhomova, Benlian Gao, William E. Boeglin, Alan R. Brash, Marcia E. Newcomer

Faculty Publications

True catalases are tyrosine-liganded, usually tetrameric, hemoproteins with subunit sizes of ∼55-84 kDa. Recently characterized hemoproteins with a catalase-related structure, yet lacking in catalatic activity, include the 40-43 kDa allene oxide synthases of marine invertebrates and cyanobacteria. Herein, we describe the 1.8 Å X-ray crystal structure of a 33 kDa subunit hemoprotein from Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (annotated as MAP-2744c), that retains the core elements of the catalase fold and exhibits an organic peroxide-dependent peroxidase activity. MAP-2744c exhibits negligible catalatic activity, weak peroxidatic activity using hydrogen peroxide (20/s) and strong peroxidase activity (∼300/s) using organic hydroperoxides as co-substrate. Key amino …

How Do Animal Mitochondria Tolerate Water Stress?, Michael A. Menze, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Publications

The vast majority of animal species do not tolerate severe water stress, but the encysted embryo of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana is an exceptionally useful organism to investigate physiological mechanisms for enduring extreme environmental insults. Any substantial reduction in cellular water poses a threat to survival. Nevertheless anhydrobiotic animals survive virtually complete loss of cellular water. The mechanisms that govern " life without water" (anhydrobiosis) are still not well understood. With certain exceptions, it seems that a recurring strategy for tolerating severe water loss involves the accumulation of both low molecular weight solutes (e.g., trehalose or other polyol) and …

Allele Frequencies Of The Human Platelet Antigen-1 In The Egyptian Population, Abdel Halim Salem, Kyudong Han, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

Background. The human platelet alloantigen system HPA-1 in the Egyptian population was examined by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the allele frequency of HPA-1a and -1b in healthy Egyptian individuals and compare these with the international literature. Human platelet antigen (HPA) systems are associated with alloimmunization and organ transplantation rejection as well as the development of cardiovascular disease. Of the various HPA systems, HPA-1 specifically has been considered to be the most important antigenic system implicated in the Caucasian population. No study has yet examined this system in the Egyptian …

Impact Of Reproductive Effort On Survival Of Rio Grande Wild Turkey Meleagris Gallop Intermedia Hens In Texas, Bret A. Collier, Kyle B. Melton, Jason B. Hardin, Nova J. Silvy, Markus J. Peterson

Faculty Publications

The southeastern portion of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, historically a stronghold of Rio Grande wild turkeys Meleagris gallopavo intermedia, has seen the numbers of turkeys declining since the 1970s. Because hen survival is a key parameter affecting turkey population dynamics, we monitored radio-tagged Rio Grande wild turkey hens on the Edwards Plateau during 2001-2007 to compare survival during the breeding season in areas where turkey abundance has declined vs areas with stable populations. Breeding season survival was best predicted by a model that allowed variation during different periods of the reproductive season (initial nesting during 25 March 21 April, …