Digital Commons Network^™

Interview: Dale Whittaker, Paul J. Sliker

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

An interview with A. Dale Whittaker, professor in Purdue's College of Agriculture and vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs. At Purdue, he leads undergraduate education, admissions, enrollment management, academic planning, program evaluation, and general academic policy development and implementation. Dr. Whittaker has been involved in numerous college- and university-wide committees. He has worked with the state and other state-supported universities to develop courses that introduce college-bound students to the science of agriculture. And he has collaborated with Ivy Tech, Vincennes University and the Commission for Higher Education to develop associate programs in agriculture that transfer to Purdue or meet work …

Solving The Mystery Of The Atacama Nitrate Deposits: The Use Of Stable Oxygen Isotope Analysis And Geochemistry, Ji-Hye Seo

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

The Atacama Desert, Chile, one of the oldest and driest deserts on Earth, is unique because it contains the largest known nitrate deposits in the world. The origin of these nitrate deposits has been a mystery since their discovery in the 1800s. There are two possible sources of natural nitrate: microbiological processes and photochemical reactions. The majority of material on Earth follows mass-dependent fractionation between stable oxygen isotopes with the abundance of ¹⁷Ο (denoted by δ) as half that of ¹⁸O. This relationship is quantified by Δ¹⁷O = δ¹⁷O – ½ δ¹⁸O, …

3d Picture Of The Syk-Vav1 Protein Complex: Tracking The B-Cell Signal One Complex At A Time, Dan I. Piraner

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Protein signaling is the key method by which cells recognize a stimulus from their environment and convert it into a response. Signaling occurs in many forms: hormones, growth factors, and even proteins may act as signals from the environment. The response to their detection must be carried from the cell surface, where the signal is detected, to the nucleus, where the cell alters its DNA expression. This study analyzes one component in the signaling pathway of Spleen Tyrosine Kinase (Syk). The Syk protein receives a signal from B-cell receptors and amplifies it, resulting in an adaptive immune response and the …

Combating Bioterrorism: Purification And Structural Analysis Of The E3 Proteins Of The Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus And The Chikungunya Virus, Tyshia Gwin

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Outbreaks of the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV) and the Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) continue to emerge in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia, but there are currently no vaccines or anti-virals for these viruses. Given their ease of transmission, debilitating symptoms, and genetic alterability, VEEV and CHIKV have great potential for development into biological weapons. Therefore, there is an urgent need to determine possible methods of treatment or prevention. One possibility of prevention lies in determining the structure and biological function of the E3 protein that plays a key role in the infectivity of the viruses. In this research, …

Investigation Of In-Package Ozonation: The Effectiveness Of Ozone To Inactive Salmonella Enteritidis On Raw, Shell Eggs, Austin Donner

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Food production, handling, and distribution practices pose a constant threat to the quality and safety of food products. The objective of this research is to evaluate an innovative in-package ozonation process to reduce Salmonella enteritidis on raw, shell eggs. Previous research has shown that in-package ozonation eliminates contaminants from outside sources, reduces pathogens, and extends shelf life. In this study, raw, shell eggs were inoculated with Salmonella enteritidis and exposed to ozonation treatment. Microbial recoveries were then tested to determine bacterial reductions. Measurements included: relative humidity (34 percent at 5^oC), surface temperatures (^oC), ozone concentrations, bacterial …

Fitness Dependent Dispersal In Intraguild Predation Communities, Daniel P. Ryan

Open Access Dissertations

A model of a three species intraguild predation community is proposed. The model is realized as a system of cross-diffusion equations which allow the intraguild prey species to adjust its motility based on local resource and intraguild predator densities. Solutions to the cross-diffusion system are shown to exist globally in time and the existence of a global attractor is proved. Abstract permanence theory is used to study conditions for coexistence in the ecological community. The case where the intraguild prey disperses randomly is compared to the case where the intraguild prey disperses conditionally on local ecological fitness and it is …

Advancement And Application Of Gas Chromatography Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry Techniques For Atmospheric Trace Gas Analysis, Brian M. Giebel

Open Access Dissertations

The use of gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) for compound specific stable isotope analysis is an underutilized technique because of the complexity of the instrumentation and high analytical costs. However stable isotopic data, when coupled with concentration measurements, can provide additional information on a compounds production, transformation, loss, and cycling within the biosphere and atmosphere. A GC-IRMS system was developed to accurately and precisely measure δ13C values for numerous oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) having natural and anthropogenic sources. The OVOCs include methanol, ethanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, 2-pentanone, and 3-pentanone. Guided by the requirements for analysis of …

Mobilization Of Endocrine‐Disrupting Chemicals And Estrogenic Activity In Simulated Rainfall Runoff From Land‐Applied Biosolids, Ben D. Giudice, Thomas M. Young

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Municipal biosolids are commonly applied to land as soil amendment or fertilizer as a form of beneficial reuse of what could otherwise be viewed as waste. Balanced against this benefit are potential risks to groundwater and surface water quality from constituents that may be mobilized during storm events. The objective of the present study was to characterize the mobilization of selected endocrinedisrupting compounds, heavy metals, and total estrogenic activity in rainfall runoff from land-applied biosolids. Rainfall simulations were conducted on soil plots amended with biosolids. Surface runoff and leachate was collected and analyzed for the endocrinedisrupting compounds bisphenol A, 17a-ethynylestradiol, …

The Medical Science Liaison: An A To Z Guide, Second Edition, Erin Albert, Cathleen Sass

Butler University Books

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) has been reported as one of the best jobs over six figures for healthcare professionals, yet is relatively unknown, even to the medical community. What is a medical science liaison, and what do they do? In this comprehensive must-have guide to the role, the functions of the role are explored, along with interviews with several MSLs, those that work around them, and most importantly, the customers of the MSL, academic thought leaders. Every healthcare professional, from a pharmacist, to a PhD, to a MD, should learn more about one of the greatest jobs that blend …

Na/K-Atpase Mimetic Pnaktide Peptide Inhibits The Growth Of Human Cancer Cells, Zhichuan Li, Zhongbing Zhang, Joe X. Xie, Xin Li, Jiang Tian, Ting Cai, Hongaun Cui, Hanfei Ding, Joseph I. Shapiro Md, Zijian Xie

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Cells contain a large pool of non-pumping Na/K-ATPase that participates in signal transduction. Here, we show that the expression of α1 Na/K-ATPase is significantly reduced in human prostate carcinoma as well as in several human cancer cell lines. This down-regulation impairs the ability of Na/K-ATPase to regulate Src-related signaling processes. Supplement of pNaKtide, a peptide derived from α1 Na/K-ATPase, reduces activities of Src and Src effectors. Consequently, these treatments stimulate apoptosis and inhibit growth in cultures of human cancer cells. Moreover, administration of pNaKtide inhibits angiogenesis and growth of tumor xenograft. Thus, the new findings demonstrate the in vivo effectiveness …

Bayesian And Meta- Analyses Of Cell-Cycle Gene Expression Data, Mehmet Kocak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Gene expression experiments conducted under a variety of conditions can allow for concurrent tests of more than one hypothesis. It is common for such experiments to be conducted independently by different researchers, using possibly different microarray platforms. In the second and fourth chapter of this thesis, we propose a differential meta-analytic procedure to pool the data from various sources and test the relative significance of the hypotheses under consideration. The specific application made in this thesis is to 10 time-course cell-cycle experiments on fission yeast S. Pombe (Oliva et al., 2005; Peng et al., 2005; Rustici et al., 2004), and …

Discontinuities: Predicting Invasions And Extinctions, Aaron Lotz

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this dissertation, I explore multiple tenets of the textural discontinuity hypothesis, which states that hierarchical landscape structures with scale-specific pattern entrain attributes of animals inhabiting the landscape. Landscapes form hierarchies that are structured by vegetative, geomorphological and contagious disturbance processes. The spatial and temporal patterns inherent in landscapes reflect numerous processes, interacting on distinct scales, which shape the assembly of animal communities. Analysis of body mass patterns and functional group distributions has been suggested as methods to provide insight about these underlying hierarchical processes. Scientists have posited that species at the edges of body mass aggregations may be exposed …

Epigenetic Silencing Of Nucleolar Rrna Genes In Alzheimer's Disease, Maciej Pietrzak, Grzegorz Rempala, Peter T. Nelson, Jing-Juan Zheng, Michal Hetman

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Ribosomal deficits are documented in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which often represents an early stage Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as in advanced AD. The nucleolar rRNA genes (rDNA), transcription of which is critical for ribosomal biogenesis, are regulated by epigenetic silencing including promoter CpG methylation.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To assess whether CpG methylation of the rDNA promoter was dysregulated across the AD spectrum, we analyzed brain samples from 10 MCI-, 23 AD-, and, 24 age-matched control individuals using bisulfite mapping. The rDNA promoter became hypermethylated in cerebro-cortical samples from MCI and AD groups. In parietal cortex, the rDNA promoter …

Ebsco Library Of Congress Classification Report 2011, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

This report lists all periodicals subscribed to in 2011 through EBSCO Subscription Services by the University Libraries, University of Rhode Island. Information provided includes title, ISSN, Library of Congress Classification number and name, and subscriber (URI, Pell, or CCE). The list is sorted by LC Classification to better show the journals that support each discipline/subject area. Not included here are titles available through online journal packages and reference databases, which now comprise the majority of the Libraries' subscriptions. The journals listed here are those to which the Libraries subscribe to individually, title-by-title.

Helper Phage Capsid Size Redirection By Staphylococcal Pathogenicity Island Sapi1 Involves Internal Scaffolding Proteins., Priyadarshan Damle

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of nosocomial and community acquired infections. Many of the virulence factors are encoded on staphylococcal mobile genetic elements. Members of the SaPI family of S. aureus mobile elements encode superantigens and are mobilized at high frequency by specific helper bacteriophages. One remarkable feature of helper phage exploitation by SaPIs is remodeling of the normal T=7 bacteriophage capsid to produce smaller T=4 phage-like particles. These particles, composed entirely of helper phage proteins, can accommodate the smaller SaPI genome while excluding that of a complete helper phage. This study was designed to understand the …

Hiv-1 Matrix Protein Binding To Rna, Ayna Alfadhli, Henry Mcnett, Seyram Tsagli, Hans Peter Bachinger, David H. Peyton

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The matrix (MA) domain of the HIV-1 precursor Gag (PrGag) protein plays multiple roles in the viral replication cycle. One essential role is to target PrGag proteins to their lipid raft-associated phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2) assembly sites at the plasma membranes (PMs) of infected cells. In addition to this role, several reports have implicated nucleic acid binding properties to retroviral MAs. Evidence indicates that RNA binding enhances the binding specificity of MA to PI(4,5)P2-containing membranes, and supports a hypothesis in which RNA binding to MA acts as a chaperone that protects MA from associating with inappropriate cellular membranes prior to PrGag delivery …

July 20-22, 2011 - Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, Annual Planning Retreat, Regular And Special Meetings, Board Of Trustees, Central Washington University

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes for the Regular and Special Sessions of the Annual Planning Retreat of the Board of Trustees at Central Washington University, July 20-22, 2011.

Ebsco Historical Price Analysis Report 2011, Andree J. Rathemacher

Technical Services Reports and Statistics

This report lists all periodicals subscribed to in 2011 through EBSCO Subscription Services by the University Libraries, University of Rhode Island. This report analyzes prices over a five-year period. Information provided includes title, frequency, price in each of the last five years, and percent changes in price over five years. The list is sorted by LC Classification to better show the price changes in each discipline/subject area. The associated spreadsheet includes additional information such as ISSN, Library of Congress Classification number, country of origin, publisher name, and title format (print or online). The spreadsheet may be downloaded and sorted by …

Modeling Particle Filtration And Caking In Fibrous Filter Media, Seyed Alireza Hosseini

Theses and Dissertations

This study is aimed at developing modeling methodologies for simulating the flow of air and aerosol particles through fibrous filter media made up of micro- or nano-fibers. The study also deals with modeling particle deposition (due to Brownian diffusion, interception, and inertial impaction) and particle cake formation, on or inside fibrous filters. By computing the air flow field and the trajectory of airborne particles in 3-D virtual geometries that resemble the internal microstructure of fibrous filter media, pressure drop and collection efficiency of micro- or nano-fiber filters are simulated and compared with the available experimental studies. It was demonstrated that …

University-Community Partnerships For Environmental Safety And Sustainability, John W. Vick, Carol Norton

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Outdoor Classroom And Wildlife Habitat Development, Patricia Sowell, Deborah Sherfey, Kandy Fear

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Global Climate Change International Collaborations Through Stem And Ee, Teddie Phillipson-Mower, Laurie A. Henry

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Education For Sustainability As A 21st Century Literacy, Nancy Givens

Education for Sustainability Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Innovative Methods To Determine Material Properties Of Cartilaginous Tissues And Application For Tissue Engineering, Tai-Yi Yuan

Open Access Dissertations

Low back pain is one of the major health concerns in the US. It affects up to 80% of the population at some time during their lives. It not only causes discomfort to patients and affects their physical ability but also has a huge economic impact on society. Although the cause of low back pain is still poorly understood, it is implicated that degeneration of the intervertebral disc is the primary factor. Currently, researchers are trying to use tissue engineering approaches to develop new treatments capable of removing the degenerated disk and replacing it with a biological substitute. However, to …

Effects Of Changes In The Everglades On Two Indicator Species: Sigmodon Hispidus And Oryzomys Palustris, Miguel Fernandes

Open Access Dissertations

The Everglades, a wetland ecosystem unique to southern Florida has been degraded by the loss of nearly half of its area to urban and agricultural development as well as by alterations to Florida’s hydrology. Modifications to the flow of water to the Everglades have altered the remaining portion of the Everglades. Most prominent among these changes in the remaining Everglades is the loss of tree islands with a disproportionately greater loss of larger tree islands. Despite their significance as “keystone habitats”, our understanding of how changes to Everglades tree islands will affect fauna is poor. In the work presented, 16 …

Megan Hookey V. Morrosa Lomas

2011 Decisions

USDC for the Middle District of Pennsylvania

Hydraulics And Mixing Efficiency Of Small Public Water Disinfection Systems, J. M. Wilson, S. K. Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The research presented in this study focuses on the evaluation of flow and scalar transport characteristics of small disinfection systems, primarily through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and physical conservative tracer studies overcoming the traditional "black box" approach of disinfection tank design based on theoretical detention time (TDT). Original research was performed on a series of pressurized tanks systems and on two differing open surface tank systems. CFD allowed for evaluation of the systems' respective flow characteristics which govern the transport of any quantity. Residence time distribution (RTD), or flow-through, curves measuring the effluent concentration of a passive scalar or conservative …

When To Pay Attention?: Asynchrony Requires A Trigger, Siminder Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

LIDA is an integrated, comprehensive control architecture for autonomous agents capable of making complex decisions in dynamic environments. LIDA’s computational architecture consists of various modules that each operate asynchronously. However, the Global Workspace (GW) module, responsible for conscious attention, transfers information serially. There can be several computational techniques used to initiate the broadcast of content from the GW. The present study evaluated four techniques called “triggers” to start the GW broadcast under four different conditions. A parameter search was performed to find the optimum trigger parameters, followed by an investigation to identify the trigger(s) which were most useful for an …

Student Centered Homogeneous Ability Grouping: Using Bronfenbrenner's Theory Of Human Development To Investigate The Ecological Factors Contributing To The Academic Achievement Of High School Students In Mathematics, Karla Denise Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the interconnectedness of the environment, human development, and the factors that influence students' academic achievement in a homogeneous ability grouped mathematics classroom. The study consisted of four African American urban high school juniors, 2 male and 2 female. During the 12 week data collection period, the participants engaged in a focus group interview, photo elicited interview, and a member check interview. The interviews were recorded and later transcribed, analyzed, and coded for codes, categories, and emerging themes. In order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the interconnectedness of students enrolled in …

Decoding Genetic Switches

News Releases

No abstract provided.