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Does Sabp2 Exist As A Dimer?, Mir Ashad Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Salicylic acid binding protein 2 (SABP2) is one of the key enzymes in salicylic acid-dependent plant defense pathway. SABP2 is a 29 kDa protein present in extremely low abundance in plants and it catalyzes the conversion of signaling molecule methyl salicylate into salicylic acid. Although it has been shown that 6x His-tagged SABP2 over expressed in E. coli is a homodimer, its exact conformation in planta is still unknown. Therefore, we proposed to determine if SABP2 exist as a dimer and/or monomer under natural condition. To verify the exact conformation of native SABP2 protein in plant, SABP2 was purified from …

Impact Of Agricultural Profitability, Productivity And Interest Rate On Farmland Value For Selected U.S. And Slovak States, Maria Majerhoferova

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines agricultural factors which may have impact on agricultural land values. Based on theory, three primary factors are considered to have an impact on land value: agricultural productivity, agricultural profitability and interest rate. The study is of two countries: the US, where data are from 16 states and Slovakia with 6 states. The ten-year period from 2000 until 2009 is used in the analysis. A capitalization model is used to estimate the relationship between agricultural productivity, profitability and interest rate and land value. Three types of agricultural land are used: cropland and its value in relationship with crops, …

The Effect Of Exercise On Cardiac Function And Doxorubicin Accumulation In Left Ventricular Tissue Of Rats, Brock Thomas Jensen

Dissertations

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic that has cytotoxic actions. The therapeutic use of DOX to treat a wide array of cancers is limited by a dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Although DOX is known to have several adverse side-effects, acute and chronic cardiotoxicity have received the most attention as both may eventually lead to heart failure. While exercise has been shown to protect against DOX cardiotoxicity, a clear and consistent mechanism to explain its cardioprotective effects is lacking. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a valuable instrument that can be used to evaluate cardiac DOX accumulation. We hypothesized that a reduction in …

Power Dynamics And Questioning In Elementary Science Lessons, Lori Ann Reinsvold

Dissertations

Discourse interactions between a teacher and students in an inquiry-based fourth-grade science classroom were analyzed to investigate how power dynamics and questioning strategies within elementary science lessons help support students in building their science understanding. Five inquiry-based classroom sessions were observed; verbal interactions were audio- and video-recorded. Research data consisted of observation transcripts, teacher interviews, student work, and instructional materials. Analyses were conducted on the frequencies of utterances, participation roles, power categories, and questioning categories. Results revealed that when students used more frequent power, (a) no significant differences were noted between frequencies of teacher and student talk, (b) the teacher …

Five Key Recommendations For A Korean Protestant Pastor Concerning Understanding And Applying Biblical Ethics In Finances: John Chrysostom As A Model For Ministry, Jung Suk John Yang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this project is investigating the biblical view of the principle of economics and also study of the South Korean pastors' role concerning the poverty and the wealthy. This project utilizes the New Testament first and foremost, and I will read avidly John Chrysostom's sermons on the indigent and the wealthy, as well as many books about clergy ethics and statistical information from the church ministry in Korea. The author writer hopes that through this dissertation a pastor who is longing for a frugal life will gain new insight about biblical economic perspectives and desire to constantly transmit …

Zeolite‐Based Algae Biofilm Rotating Photobioreactor For Algae And Biomass Production, Ashton M. Young

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alkaline conditions induced by algae growth in wastewater stabilization ponds create deprotonated ammonium ions that result in ammonia gas (NH₃) volatilization. If algae are utilized to remediate wastewater through uptake of phosphorus, the resulting nitrogen loss will hinder this process because algae generally require a stoichiometric molar ratio of N₁₆P₁. Lower ratios of N/P due to loss of ammonia gas will limit the growth and yield of algae, and therefore will reduce phosphorus removal from the water phase into the algae phase. In order to reduce nitrogen loss through volatilization, an ammonium selective zeolite, …

Going Solo With Roald Dahl: Life Rewritten Through Memory, Jeannine Huenemann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Roald Dahl does not easily fit into a category as a writer, contributing fiction and nonfiction to both children and adult audiences. Faced with this ambiguity, the literary community has mostly ignored his contributions since he is mainly viewed as a children‘s author. Late in life, Dahl created two autobiographies, Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984), and Going Solo (1986), as venues for sharing his many embellished, personal stories. This thesis focuses on Going Solo, the second of these two books which explores Dahl‘s three-year departure from England, including his enlistment in the Royal Air Force during World War II. …

Effect Of Adjunct Cultures, Sodium Gluconate, And Ripening Temperature On Low-Fat Cheddar Cheese Flavor, Rebekah M. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Low-fat Cheddar cheese flavor is different from full-fat Cheddar cheese and is not acceptable to many consumers. This 2-part experiment was designed to examine effects adjunct cultures have on low-fat Cheddar cheese flavor as determined through descriptive analysis and consumer feedback.

In Part 1, low-fat (5%) Cheddar cheese was produced in duplicate, using 6 combinations of DVS850, LH32, CR540, CRL431, Emfour, and CR319 bacterial cultures. Due to a previously observed positive effect by sodium gluconate on low-fat cheese flavor, each replicate was split into treatments of 0.0% and 0.8% sodium gluconate. Each of these treatments was then split into ripening …

Evaluation Of Levulinic Acid For Topical Decontamination Of Meat Surfaces, Jeffrey V. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of wash treatments, consisting of hot water, 2% lactic, 2% acetic, or 2% levulinic acid, for decontamination of pathogenic bacteria previously inoculated onto meat surfaces, to inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria inoculated onto previously washed meat surfaces, and on the organoleptic quality of sliced turkey roll and beef trim. Acid washes were no more effective at reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef plate, Listeria monocytogenes on sliced turkey roll, and Salmonella on pork belly than was water wash. Only lactic acid treatment was more effective than water at reducing Salmonella on chicken skin, …

Burmese Muslim Refugee Women: Stories Of Civil War, Refugee Camps And New Americans, Karen Hunt Lambert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis includes the narratives of three Burmese Muslim refugee mothers who made their homes in Logan, Utah, within three years of locating in the United States. Each woman’s life is written about in a different style of writing – journalism, ethnography and creative nonfiction –and is then followed by analysis looking at each piece in terms of representation

Studies Of The Distinguishing Features Of Nadph:2-Ketopropyl-Coenzyme M Oxidoreductase/Carboxylase, An Atypical Member Of The Disulfide/ Oxidoreductase Family Of Enzymes, Melissa A. Beighley-Kofoed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The metabolism of propylene in Xanthobacter autotrophicus occurs via epoxypropane formation and subsequent metabolism by a three-step, four-enzyme pathway, utilizing the atypical cofactor Coenzyme M (CoM) to form acetoacetate. The last step in the epoxide carboxylase pathway is catalyzed by a distinctive member of the disulfide oxidoreductase (DSOR) family of enzymes, NADPH:2-ketopropyl CoM oxidoreductase/carboxylase (2-KPCC). 2-KPCC catalyzes the unorthodox cleavage of a thioether bond and successive carboxylation of the substrate. The focus of the research presented in this dissertation aims to elucidate the details of 2-KPCC that allow it to perform chemistry unconventional for typical DSOR members. Sitedirected mutagenesis was …

Ecologically-Based Manipulation Practices For Managing Bromus Tectorum-Infested Rangelands, Beth Fowers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive annual grass common in several semiarid plant communities in the western U.S. B. tectorum presence increases fire frequency and size, reducing species diversity, and leading to annual species-dominated systems with inconsistent livestock forage potential and degraded wildlife habitat value. Most efforts to manage B. tectorum-dominated rangelands have focused on controlling the plant itself rather than addressing the causes of vegetation change. An alternative approach, ecologically-based invasive plant management (EBIPM), identifies treatments that can alter factors associated with the causes of succession, leading to a more desirable vegetation state. This study utilized …

Ungulate Damage To Safflower In San Juan County, Utah, Michael J. Haney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Utah, farmers are concerned that ungulates are damaging safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) fields. I examined elk (Cervus elaphus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) damage to safflower production in San Juan County, Utah during 2009 and 2010. Data on damaged safflower plants were collected within 28 fields, totaling 1,581 ha (13 fields totaling 963 ha during 2009; 15 fields totaling 618 ha during 2010). I compared 3 methods to assess losses: ungulate-proof exclosures, adjacent plant compensation method, and counting the number of damaged plants in 50-m transects (safflower count method). Exclosures were of limited use …

A Proposal To Make Grain Storage Financially Feasible, David L. Garrett

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The United States has a National Oil Reserve but not a food reserve. Just as the oil reserve is designed to buffer unforeseen disruptions in the critical supply, the nation should also have a food reserve for the same purpose.

The United States and other developed nations have little or no food reserve beyond the typical demands between growing seasons. Marvelous production achievements in agriculture beginning in the early 1960s and known as the “Green Revolution” are now leveling off. Food production, suffering from such negative side effects as reduced water tables, is being outstripped by population growth (Bourne, 2009).

War, Gender, And The Polarization Process: Gender As An Intervening Variable In Attitude Formation Toward Outgroups, Kristen Kay Dawson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

War and the consequences of war have long been a subject of study in the field of political science. In addition, much debate and disagreement has centered around which factors are most important in determining the onset of war. Based on previous literature that has established fairly consistent gender differences with respect to the gendered role of warfare (Goldstein, 2001; Marini, 1990), I speculate that gender may also influence polarization attitudes, which are thought to act as precursors to war. Whenever the attitudes of ingroups rapidly polarize and their members become extremely fearful of an outgroup, begin to dehumanize outgroup …

Incorporating Music, Literature, And Culture In Communities Of Second Language Learners, Michael Rhinehart

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a collection of papers that relate to the field of second language teaching. The papers include the author’s teaching philosophy, three artifacts, and an annotated bibliography. The subjects covered include: the use of literature to teach a second language, the importance of having a community of learners in the classroom, and the incorporation of culture into the second language classroom. The author also includes an annotated bibliography of articles and books that shaped his teaching philosophy.

Reducing Reliance On Supplemental Winter Feeding In Elk (Cervus Canadensis): An Applied Management Experiment At Deseret Land And Livestock Ranch, Utah, Dax L. Mangus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wildlife managers have fed elk in North America for nearly 100 years. Giving winter feed to elk can compensate for a shortage of natural winter range and may boost elk populations while also helping prevent commingling with livestock and depredation of winter feed intended for livestock. In contrast to these benefits of supplemental feeding, there are economic and environmental costs associated with feeding, and elk herds that winter on feeding grounds have a higher risk of contracting and transmitting disease. Brucellosis is of primary concern now, and Chronic Wasting Disease may be in the future. Many see the discontinuation of …

Impact, Fall 2011, San Jose State University, Connie L. Lurie College Of Education

Impact (College of Education)

No abstract provided.

Regulation Of Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (Bhv-1) Productive Infection By Cellular Transcription Factors, Aspen M. Workman

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) is a significant viral pathogen of cattle responsible for a variety of disease conditions, including: conjunctivitis, pneumonia, genital disorders, abortions, and shipping fever, a serious upper respiratory tract infection. Following acute infection in mucosal epithelium, BHV-1 establishes a lifelong latent infection in sensory ganglionic neurons. During latency, transcription is restricted to the latency related (LR) gene. Elevated corticosteroid levels due to stress and/or immune suppression can initiate reactivation from latency, resulting in virus shedding and spread to susceptible cattle. Additionally, administration of dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic corticosteroid, to calves latently infected with BHV-1 reproducibly leads to …

2011 Exhibitors, Deja J. Waymer

Small Satellite Conference

Listings and Descriptions of 2011 Small Satellite Conference Exhibitors

Expression And Characterization Of Protein Chimera With Embedded Activated Protein C Generation, Minjeong Schneider

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increasing demand of medical implants has lead researchers to develop biomaterial surfaces that offer improved performance and lower thrombogenecity. There have been attempts to model biomaterial surfaces after the native endothelium as it represents an optimal non-thrombotic surface. Typically, when biomaterials are contacted with blood, they often invoke the activation of clotting cascades. Thus, to overcome surface mediated thrombotic events, proteins and molecules with anticoagulant attributes of the endothelium have been immobilized onto biomaterial surfaces. Protein C (PC) plays a main role in blood coagulation and acts as an anticoagulant when it is converted into activated protein C (APC). Activation …

Lipid Metabolism In Trypanosoma Brucei: Molecular Characterization Of Fatty Acid Synthesis And Uptake, Patrick Vigueira

All Dissertations

My doctoral studies focused on the fatty acid metabolism of the deadly protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. Fatty acid metabolism in T. brucei can be broadly divided into two pathways, synthesis and uptake. In Chapters 2-4 I describe experiments investigating the parasite's fatty acid synthesis pathway. Chapter 2 contains the initial characterization of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) in T. brucei. Knockdown of TbACC by RNA interference (RNAi) reduced parasite virulence in a mouse model, suggesting that TbACC has the potential to be utilized as a drug target. Chapters 3 and 4 explore the effects of two known ACC inhibitors, the …

Zoos As Experiment Environments: Biology Of Larval And Adult Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), Holly Tuten

All Dissertations

Zoos are a unique environment where humans and animals are in close daily contact, potential mosquito habitats exist, exotic plants and animals are introduced regularly, and wild animals roam. Studies of mosquito behaviors in zoos will lead to a better understanding, both within and outside zoos, of disease transmission routes and mosquito biology. To investigate whether the unique assemblage of habitats in zoos affects mosquito behavior, I sampled larvae and adults in the Greenville Zoo and the Riverbanks Zoo, South Carolina, USA, from March 2008 to January 2011. The objectives of my study were to investigate mosquito oviposition behavior, blood-host …

Low-Resolution Vision For Autonomous Mobile Robots, Vidya Nariyambut Murali

All Dissertations

The goal of this research is to develop algorithms using low-resolution images to perceive and understand a typical indoor environment and thereby enable a mobile robot to autonomously navigate such an environment. We present techniques for three problems: autonomous exploration, corridor classification, and minimalistic geometric representation of an indoor environment for navigation.
First, we present a technique for mobile robot exploration in unknown indoor environments using only a single forward-facing camera. Rather than processing all the data, the method intermittently examines only small 32X24 downsampled grayscale images. We show that for the task of indoor exploration the visual information is …

Monumental-It: A 'Robotic-Wiki' Monument For Embodied Interaction In The Information World, Tarek Mokhtar

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Conventional monuments are concrete manifestations of memories without the capacity to reflect individual interpretations of history. In an increasingly digital society, however, there is a need for configurable monuments reflecting our contemporary, open and complex community. “Monumental-IT” reflects the dynamic and inclusive character of our time. Rather than static, Monumental-IT is a dynamic, robotic, intelligent environment reconfigured or “retuned” by citizens and by historical information accumulating on the World Wide Web. This information is periodically “coded,” altering the multi-sensorial physical-digital “Robotic-Wiki” components of Monumental-IT. Monumental-IT is designed to embody a new form of human-robotic interaction evolving from the monument …

Virtual Tourism: Identifying The Factors That Affect A Tourist's Experience And Behavioral Intentions In A 3d Virtual World, Yu-Chih Huang

All Dissertations

Given the increase in the use of technologies within the tourism industry, particularly the rising interest in virtual worlds such as Second Life, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors related to the 3D virtual tourism experience and behavioral intentions after visiting a virtual tourism destination. Two theories, the Technology Acceptance Model and Self-Determination Theory, were used to guide this study, both of which were found to be useful frameworks. Basecamp Maasai Mara in Second Life was selected as the research site, designed and developed through a collaborative effort at Clemson University. The results revealed that technological …

Characterizing Textural Attributes Of Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus Mykiss, Fillets As Affected By Age, Sterility, And Storage Regimen, Aunchalee Aussanasuwannakul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trout fillets, subjected to refrigeration (4°C; 3 or 7 d) by frozen storage (-25°C; 0 or 30 d) combinations, were cooked; texture, determined by a novel, variable-blade (VB) attachment, was compared with a widely-used Allo-Kramer shear (AK) attachment to determined its sensitivity in detecting variation in fillet texture. Instrumental texture was related to sensory measurements to determine attachments' accuracy in assessing cooked fillet texture. Weight of raw fillets decreased after 30-d frozen storage. Fillet weight further decreased after cooking. Moisture content decreased while fat content remained constant. The AK attachment detected differences in energy of shear, which decreased after 30-d …

Characterization And Genetic Manipulation Of Ergot Pathway Inefficiency In Fungi, Prashanthi Mulinti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids are mycotoxins that negatively affect humans and animals but also have useful pharmaceutical properties. Ergot alkaloids have been extensively studied in Claviceps purpurea, and also have been reported in other fungi, such as certain Penicillium spp., Aspergillus fumigatus, and several Neotyphodium spp. that are endophytes of grasses. There is a high degree of variation in the production of ergot alkaloids within an individual species and among producers from different taxa, which means different fungi accumulate different profiles of ergot alkaloids rather than a single pathway end product. These varied profiles result, in part, from inefficiency in the pathway …

Effects Of Age And Early Life Ozone Exposure On The Developmental Dynamics Of Afferent Airway Neurons In Postnatal Rats, Leor C. Zellner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The environmental irritant ozone (O3) plays a role in airway inflammation and is known to cause airway hyperresponisiveness especially in susceptible populations such as asthmatics and young children. O3 exposure increases nerve growth fact (NGF) mRNA and protein levels in the airways, and alters the expression of substance P (SP) in nodose and jugular afferent airway neurons and in sensory nerve fibers in the airways. The growth and development of vagal afferent neurons is in part regulated by NGF, and because these sensory neurons continue to develop throughout postnatal life O3 exposures during this period may adversely affect their development. …

Relationships Among Fish Assemblages, Hydroperiods, Drought, And American Alligators Within Palustrine Wetlands Of The Blackjack Peninsula, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Darrin M. Welchert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following thesis contains two chapters. In Chapter 1, I have reviewed and summarized literature pertaining to fishes and habitats of palustrine wetlands, the influence of hydroperiods on wetland fishes, the impacts of drought on wetland fishes, the importance of American alligators as ecological engineers of fish habitats within wetlands, and fish sampling within wetland habitats. Chapter 2 is a manuscript representing my thesis research. In this study, primary focus is placed on how fish diversity and how fish abundances of palustrine wetlands are influenced by drought conditions within the Blackjack Peninsula of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern …