Digital Commons Network^™

Biological Metaphors For Whiteness: Beyond Merit And Malice, Brant T. Lee

Akron Law Faculty Publications

The problem of persistent racial inequality is grounded in a failure of imagination. The general mainstream conception is that unfair racial inequality occurs only when there is intentional racism. Absent conscious racial malice, no racism is seen to exist. The only generally available alternative explanation for racial inequality is the meritocratic system. Viewing the distribution of resources as a product of a generally fair meritocratic system provides a defense against any charge of racism, and justifies the status quo.

But in economics, business, computer science, and even biology, observers of complexity are coming to understand how dominant systems can prevail …

La Ola Verde: Female, Hispanic Consumers And The Green Movement, Stefanie Ann Ramirez

LSU Master's Theses

Due to their impact on the environment, apparel companies have gradually begun to change manufacturing and production processes and provide consumers with environmentally responsible apparel product options. Among these consumers are Hispanics, a consumer group which research has shown to have a strong purchasing power and astounding population increase. Between 2000 and 2010, the total population in the United States increased by 23.7million people, with Hispanics accounting for over 50% of that total increase (Humes, Jones, & Ramirez, 2011). It is estimated that by 2125 Hispanics will account for 50% of the total U.S. population (Day, 1996). Additionally, between 1990 …

Mechanical Evaluation Of Aluminum Oxide Roughened Screws In Equine Third Metacarpal Bone, Petrisor Baia

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Objectives – To compare the osseointegration of roughened and electropolished 5.5 mm cortical screws used to secure a 4.5 mm broad dynamic compression plate (DCP) in equine third metacarpal (MC3) bones. Study Design – In vivo study Animals – 5 Adult thoroughbred horses (2-7 years old). Methods – For each horse one MC3 was randomly assigned to secure a 4.5 mm broad DCP with 4aluminum oxide (Al2O3) roughened screws on the dorsal mid diaphysis. Four regular electropolished screws used to secure a similar plate on the contralateral limb served as control. They were removed at 12 weeks and the …

Marriage In Seventeenth-Century French Theater, Adam Michael Babin

LSU Master's Theses

In seventeenth-century France, social and political confusion abounded. Absolute monarchy, which was principally created by Richelieu and glorified by Louis XIV, began gradually replacing the medieval feudalism that remained popular among the nobles. Likewise, préciosité, a proto-feminist literary and cultural movement that was not in line with official political ideals, emerged in France during this century. The institution of marriage was an important element of the complicated sociopolitical tapestry of seventeenth-century France. Through the depiction of marriage in Pierre Corneille’s Le Cid (1636), Jean-Baptiste Poquelin de Molière’s L’École des femmes (1662), and Jean Racine’s Andromaque (1667), three works of the …

Inhibitory Effects Of Berry Anthocyanins On Palmitic Acid- Or Lipopolysaccharide- Induced Inflammation In Human Preadipocytes, Chenfei Gao

LSU Master's Theses

Obesity is an inflammatory disease associated with the development and progression of chronic degenerative diseases including insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cancer. Circulating free fatty acid (FFA) are known risk factors promoting inflammation that can lead to CVD. Pre/adipocytes are known storage of low grade inflammatory biomarkers associated with obesity. However, the effects of dietary anthocyanins on inflammatory biomarkers in preadipocytes have not been reported. Berries are rich sources of naturally occurring antioxidant polyphenolics. There is increasing interest in the ability of berry anthocyanins to provide health benefits against obesity. Anthocyanins were isolated from …

Modeling The Population Effects Of Hypoxia On Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias Undulatus) In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Sean Brandon Creekmore

LSU Master's Theses

The northwestern Gulf of Mexico currently experiences a large hypoxic area (“dead zone”) during the summer. While the local effects of hypoxia on organisms have been documented, the population-level effects are largely unknown. I developed a spatially-explicit, individual-based model to analyze how hypoxia effects on Atlantic croaker reproduction, growth, and mortality in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico could lead to population-level responses. The model follows the hourly growth, mortality, reproduction, and movement of individuals on a 300 x 800 spatial grid of 1 km2 cells for 100 years. Chlorophyll-a concentration, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen were specified daily for each …

Evaluation Of Selected Plant Products As Dietary Protein Sources For Florida Pompano (Trachinotus Carolinus), Gregory Lech

LSU Master's Theses

Profitability of aquaculture enterprises worldwide has been affected by rising fish meal prices. Plant proteins are promising replacements for fish meal because of their lower cost and worldwide availability. The goal of this research was to provide nutritional information for the development of all-plant diets for Florida pompano by evaluating growth of fish fed soy-based, fish-meal-free diets and assessing the nutritional value of several plant protein sources. In the first experiment, juvenile Florida pompano were fed five, soy-based, fish-meal-free diets containing graded levels of soybean meal (SBM, or M) at 0, 20, 25, 30, or 35%, with the remaining protein …

Antarctic Plant And Phytoplankton Response To The First Phase Of The Mid Miocene Climatic Optimum At South Mcmurdo Sound, Lee Foersterling

LSU Master's Theses

The Antarctic Drilling Program (ANDRILL) recovered 1138.54 m of sub-seafloor marine sediments with 98% core recovery at the AND2-2A drill site in South McMurdo Sound. Biostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and isotopic dating (Acton et al., 2008) indicated that an Early to Middle Miocene section (223-1138.54 mbsf) was recovered. This study focuses on an interval with high concentrations of palynomorphs, located between 460.57 and 403.48 mbsf and dated to 16.7 Ma to 16.2 Ma according to the updated Acton et al. (2008) ANDRILL SMS age model. Palynological results show a pronounced increase in organic microfossils between 434.01 and 431.91 mbsf, compared to levels …

The Effects Of Myd88 Inhibition On Bovine Lung Endothelial And Epithelial Cell Cytokine Expression, Cassandra Kay Hayne

Honors Program Theses

Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) has major economical implications on the beef industry due to the severe health problems it produces in calves. Although several organisms are associated with it, Mannheimia haemolytica induces the severest amount of damage to the lungs. It has previously been demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced by this bacterium causes significant permeability increases and cell apoptosis in bovine lung endothelial cells (BPMEC) but not bovine lung epithelial cells (TBPE). The purpose was to determine whether the main signaling pathway for cells that respond to LPS signaling, the Myeloid Differentiation 88 Pathway (MYD88), is present and functional …

The Effects Of Hypergravity On Xenopus Embryo Growth And Cardiac Hypertrophy, Bryce Joseph Duchman

Honors Program Theses

All life on earth has developed and evolved in a 1 G environment. Therefore, any deviation below or above unit gravity will likely have an effect on the development of organisms, including the migration of cells and the dispersion of nutrients. The purpose of this research project is to analyze the effects of hypergravity on the overall body length and cardiac growth of Xenopus laevis embryos. I predict that cardiac hypertrophy will occur in embryos subjected to hypergravity because of the increased force required from the heart to adequately circulate blood and, thus, disperse nutrients. Upon reaching early gastrulation, embryos …

Implementing A Natural Language To Structured Query Language Translator, Kevin J. Shannon

Honors Program Theses

Since the beginning of computing, humans have been trying to make computers understand each other more completely. Humans have always had difficulties encoding their thoughts and computational problems and in tum, computers have had difficulty understanding the subtle nuances of the human mind. The first computers were nothing more than large calculators, but as time went on, they became become more sophisticated. Various technologies and techniques have been created that add features and capabilities to modern computer systems, and many of these will be discussed in this paper.

This paper describes my Honors Thesis project to design and implement a …

Water-Soluble Cuii And Mnii Bis-Phenanthroline Octanedioate Complexes With Unprecedented Nano And Picomolar In Vitro Cytotoxicity As Promising Leads For Chemotherapeutic Drug Development, Andrew Kellett, Mark O'Connor, Malachy Mccann, Orla L. Howe, Alan Casey, Pauric Mccarron, Kevin Kavanagh, Mary Mcnamara, Sean Kennedy, Donald D. May, Philip S. Skell, Denis O'Shea, Michael Devereux

Articles

Dinuclear Cu^II and Mn^II bis-phenanthroline octanedioate complexes exhibit rapid, unprecedented nano and picomolar in vitro cytotoxicity against colorectal cancer lines and are less toxic than cisplatin when examined in vivo. The complexes are potent generators of cellular reactive oxygen species, avid DNA binders and induce O₂ dependent cleavage of DNA. The Cu(II) complex was found to have self-cleaving nuclease activity.

Effect Of Egg-Incubation Temperature On Growth And Selected Temperature Of Apalone Spinifera, The Spiny Softshell Turtle, Amy L. Klopfenstein

Honors Program Theses

In order to survive, turtle hatchlings must be able to choose optimal thermal locations that promote growth and activity through thermoregulation. In some softshell turtle species, embryonic incubation conditions may influence post-hatching phenotypic characters, such as growth rates and temperature preference. I tested the effect of egg-incubation temperature on growth and thermal preferences of Apalone spinifera hatchlings, from Butler County, Iowa. Eggincubation temperature did not affect growth of 10 juvenile Apalone spinifera (Reptilia: Testudines: Trionychidae). After 5 months, hatchlings incubated at 30°C did not differ in size from the turtles incubated at 25°C. In an aquatic thermal gradient from 14-34°C, …

I'M A Laycockian! (For The Most Part), Jay D. Wexler

Faculty Scholarship

You know you’ve made it, scholarly-wise speaking, when a major publishing house and a preeminent university approach you to ask whether they could publish a four-volume set of your collected works. Such is the situation of Douglas Laycock (DL), long-time Professor at the University of Texas School of Law, now moving from the University of Michigan to the University of Virginia and most certainly on just about everyone’s short list of greatest church–state scholars of the past quarter-century. Volume One of the collection was published in 2010; it is subtitled “Overviews & History” and contains roughly forty pieces written by …

Psychopathy: Correlates Of The Mmpi-2-Rf And Ppi-R, Katherine Achsah Lisa Hall

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The present study sought to examine the utility of the MMPI-2-RF (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008) in assessing psychopathic personality traits. In past studies, the Restructured Clinical scales (RC4, RC9, RC7, and RC2) have been positive predictors of psychopathic characteristics. The aim of this study is to validate and build upon the previous research by re-examining the Restructured Clinical scales (RC4, RC9, RC7, and RC2) and investigate the MMPI-2-RF fear scales (Behavioral-Restricting Fears & Multiple Specific Fears), High-Order Scale (Behavioral/Externalizing Dysfunction), Externalizing Scale (Juvenile Conduct Problems and Substance Abuse) and the Personality Psychopathology Five scales (Negative-Emotionality/Neuroticism-Revised & Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-Revised). It …

Metadata Analysis Of The Montana Department Of Environmental Quality's Reference Stream Project Datasets, Jonathan Samuel Leiman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This Master’s Thesis examines certain aspects of the frequently incongruous relationship in the State of Montana between the natural science of water quality measurement and the actual practices to which water quality management research is put. These discordances can be the source of misunderstandings about the purposes and uses for which data were collected. Moreover, miscues regarding the sharing of information among stakeholders have become more significant as adaptive and shared management programs continue to expand. At the core of this study are assessments of the value of water quality data generated by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) …

Multiscale Effects Of Forest Roads On Black Bears (Ursus Americanus), Benjamin S. Jimenez

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As the vast network of roads continues to expand across the continent, so too does the necessity to understand the associated ecological effects. To appropriately assess the impacts of these roads on wildlife it is necessary to evaluate how they affect ecological processes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. In particular, where hunting is associated with road access, roads may induce heightened behavioral responses. I assessed the effects of forest roads on habitat selection and activity patterns of a population of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains of northern Idaho, USA. This black bear population is exposed …

Efficacy Of Riparian Revegetation Projects In The Inland Pacific Northwest, Susan Wall

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Riparian areas have been severely damaged by the combined impacts of grazing, river regulation, development and other types of land use, so that many no longer provide key ecosystem functions and services. Revegetation is a common riparian restoration practice, but there is little information available on whether revegetation projects are effective. I reviewed the efficacy of riparian revegetation projects conducted in the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW) between 1984 and 2007 based upon the Pacific Northwest Salmon Habitat Project (PNHSP) database. I found that 10% of the stream restoration projects in the iPNW included riparian revegetation (1,340 projects), and 11% of …

Experimental Litterfall Manipulation Effects On Soil Bacterial Community Structure And Soil Carbon Cycling In A Wet Tropical Forest, Jonathan Winston Leff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Global changes such as increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations or climate change are likely to drive shifts in plant-derived carbon (C) inputs to terrestrial ecosystems via changes in litterfall and plant net primary production (NPP). However, the effects of shifting detrital C inputs on belowground microbial community function, C cycling and fluxes remain largely unknown, especially in tropical forest ecosystems. To investigate how shifts in bacterial community composition resulting from differences in C availability affect organic matter decomposition and how soil C pools and fluxes respond to shifts in C inputs, I utilized an in situ litter manipulation experiment …

Ethical Allocation Of Preexposure Hiv Prophylaxis, Lawrence O. Gostin, Susan C. Kim

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Civil society-led movements transformed global AIDS action from deep skepticism about extending anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment in low and middle-income countries to an historic scaling up of treatment towards universal access. The AIDS movement, however, is at an inflection point due to the interplay of key health and economic determinants—the global financial downturn, tight foreign aid budgets, and intense resource competition. Policy makers will now have to consider implementation of a new intervention—pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which could mean a diversion of ARVs from treatment to prevention. The principle underlying PrEP is that ARVs could prevent HIV infection among people who are …

Prediction Of Soil Layer R-Value Dependence On Moisture Content, Ziyang Liu

Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on how green roof thermal performance is affected by the soil moisture in summer condition. It aims to determine whether moist soil is a better insulator during the summer months than dry soil. A soil model is developed to predict simultaneous conduction, convection, and surface evaporation for a layer of moist soil representing a green roof. It used to analyze evaporation process and its affect on the soil resistance. The model considers only bare soil without vegetation on the roof. The model predicts the soil surface temperature as it is affected by soil moisture content, which can …

Countering Structural Violence: Cultivating An Experience Of Positive Peace, Carrie E. Stiles

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis considers some conflicts involving indigenous peoples that arise from the universal standardization of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) over Plant Genetic Resources (PGR). My study presents the research problem of how to include indigenous peoples in dialogue as a prerequisite for conflict transformation. To better understand this problem, and potential solutions, I conducted participatory action research (PAR) through an ethnographic case study of Himalayan farmers working with the grassroots network Navdanya. The study explores the research question: how do Garhwali farmers experience grassroots mobilization for biodiversity and indigenous knowledge (IK) conservation? This question is intended to generate data for …

High Mobility Group Protein 1 (Hmgb1) And Its Role As A Global Transcription Regulator In Response To Temperature Fluctuations In The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Victoria Martin Alla

Dissertations and Theses

As a study organism, annual killifish (Austrofundulus limnaeus) provide a well suited study system for examining the effects of environmental temperature fluctuations at the cellular level. A. limnaeus persist in the harsh high desert climate of the Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela where they live in small, ephemeral freshwater pools. Temperatures in these waters can vary as much as 20 degrees C daily and reach maximums of over 40 degrees C due to the semi-arid climate. Previous cDNA microarray studies on killifish revealed the mRNA pattern for High Mobility Group Protein 1 (HMGB1) to be strongly affected by temperature perturbations. Specifically, peaks …

Self-Efficacy And Drinking With Friends: An Investigation Into The Drinking Behaviors Of Japanese College Students, Staci Jean Wendt

Dissertations and Theses

Recent studies have documented an alarming rate of alcohol use in Japan (Eisenback-Stangl et al., 2005; Milne, 2003; Shimizu, 2000). Indeed, permissive social and cultural norms for alcohol use exist within Japanese culture (Shimizu, 1990, 2000). Japanese college-students may be at further risk due to their developmental time period, where increases in alcohol use are typically seen. Furthermore, drinking habits formed during this time period may be difficult to alter later in life (Frone, 2003). Thus, social, developmental, and cultural factors exist to influence drinking among Japanese college students. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the drinking …

Marginalized Characters In Contemporary American Short Fiction, Timur Shishkin

Dissertations and Theses

The focus of the present research work is the contemporary American short stories that bring up issues of compulsory norm and the conflict between marginalized characters and their environment. This research was based on those short stories that seemed to represent the idea of being "different" in the most complex and multilayered way, and its goal was to unfold new aspects of the conflict between "normal" and "abnormal"/"different". Variations of norm as well as diversity within the marginalized raise a number of questions about the reasons for their inability to coexist peacefully. The close reading and the analysis of the …

Genetic Substructure Of Pacific Harbor Seal (Phoca Vitulina Richardsi) Populations Along The Coasts Of Oregon And Washington, Diana Lynn Dishman

Dissertations and Theses

It has been assumed that the considerable dispersal ability of many marine species would prevent genetic divergence in the absence of geographic isolation. However, recent work has shown that many marine species often develop differentiation among areas within their known dispersal range. This 'paradox' of marine divergence is particularly important among marine mammal species where behavior can restrict gene flow. To investigate genetic substructure within such a species, I used tissue samples collected from 63 stranded Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi) in Washington and Oregon between 2006 and 2010 for population stock analysis. DNA was extracted from frozen tissues, …

Investigating Student Understanding Of The Law Of Conservation Of Matter, Shirley Lynn Tremel

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to gather information about how students learn the foundational concept of conservation of matter during a non-chemistry unit on the rock cycle. The unit covered the rock cycle, rock types, and the law of conservation of matter and took place in a sixth grade classroom of 30 students. A mixed methods, quasi-experimental, pre-post, delayed post design was used to measure student understanding of the concept of conservation of matter as it relates to the rock cycle. Students made significant learning gains from pre-test to post-test and showed mastery in less complex subject areas, but …

Ce-Qual-W2 Water Quality And Fish-Bioenergetics Model Of Chester Morse Lake And The Cedar River, Vanessa I. Wells

Dissertations and Theses

Many communities are currently seeking to balance urban water needs with preservation of sensitive fish habitat. As part of that effort, CE-QUAL-W2, a hydrodynamic and temperature model, was developed for Chester Morse Lake and the lower Cedar River, WA. Chester Morse Lake is approximately 10 km long with a maximum depth at full pool of 40 m. The Cedar River model started immediately downstream of the Chester Morse dam and ended 21 km downstream at Landsburg, where drinking water is diverted for the City of Seattle. This water quality model was coupled with a fish habitat and bioenergetics model for …

Polymer-Based Photoactive Surface For The Efficient Immobilization Of Nanoparticles, Polymers, Graphene And Carbohydrates, Jing Yuwen

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis focuses on developing a new photocoupling surface, base on polyallyamine (PAAm), to increase the efficiency of the photocoupling agent perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA) in the immobilization of nanoparticles, carbohydrates and graphene. Extensive studies have been carried out in our lab on the covalent immobilization of polymers and graphene using PFPA-functionalized surfaces. Here we show that PAAm-based PFPA surface can be used to efficiently immobilize not only graphene and polymers but also nanomaterials and small molecules. This was accomplished by first silanizing silicon wafers with PFPA-silane followed by attaching a thin film of PAAm by UV radiation. Treating the PAAm …

Calcium And Redox Control Of The Calcium Release Mechanism Of Skeletal And Cardiac Muscle Sarcoplasmic Reticulum, Laura Jean Owen

Dissertations and Theses

The sarcoplasmic reticulum is an internal membrane system that controls the Ca²⁺ concentration inside muscle cells, and hence the contractile state of both skeletal and cardiac muscle. A key protein that that regulates the Ca²⁺ concentration in this membrane is known as the calcium release channel (CRC). The effects on Ca²⁺ dependent activation is of major importance in the study of CRC since other channel modifiers cannot effect the channel in the absence of Ca²⁺, or they require Ca²⁺ for maximum results. In this study of the high-affinity Ca²⁺ binding site, expected increases in total binding and shifts in the …