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Columbia Chronicle (05/09/2011), Columbia College Chicago

Columbia Chronicle

Student newspaper from May 9, 2011 entitled The Columbia Chronicle. This issue is 52 pages and is listed as Volume 46, Number 30. Cover story: "Elections bring new beginnings" Editor-in-Chief: Spencer Roush

The Cpd Celebrates Graduation 2011, Center For Persons With Disabilities

Blog Posts

No abstract provided.

Development Of Free-Label Sensing In Plastic Microfluidic Platforms Using Pulsed Streaming Potentials (Psp), Vera Fernando Luna

Theses and Dissertations

This work deals with the development of a new label-free detection technique called Pulsed Streaming Potential (PSP). Its novelty relies on the adaptation of a classical electrokinetic phenomenon (streaming potential) into a tool which can evaluate molecular interplay in label-free fashion. Implementation of PSP to microfluidic platforms allowed the label-free sensing of binding events to plastic (modified and unmodified) surfaces. It was demonstrated the use of real time PSP in plastic microfluidic platforms for determination of kinetic parameters of the interaction of proteins and plastic surfaces. Moreover, initial change of PSP after adsorption of proteins showed to be proportional to …

Executive Cabinet Minutes May 9, 2011, Executive Cabinet

NCSA Minutes

No abstract provided.

Social Support Received Online And Offline By Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer, Jessye Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

Life after treatment for cancer has become a primary focus for health service provider communities as the number of individuals living longer grows. The medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors have been prominent in the popular and scientific literature. A major focus for psychologists has been the relationships and social support networks of individuals diagnosed with cancer. The current study explored a recent phenomenon within this realm, the use of Internet resources for online support. The purpose of this study was to compare social support received online and social support received offline among people diagnosed with cancer who use …

Mustang Daily, May 9, 2011

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

A Framework For Digital Emotions, Meghan Rosatelli

Theses and Dissertations

As new media become more ubiquitous, our emotional experiences in digital space are increasing exponentially as well. While there is much talk of “affective” computing and “affective” new media art, a disconnect exists between networked emotions and the popular media that they inhabit. This research presents a theoretical framework for assessing “digital emotions”—a term that describes the feedback process between digital technologies and the body with respect to short, networked inscriptions of emotion and the (re)experience of those inscriptions within the body and through digital space. Digital emotions display five basic characteristics that can be applied to a variety of …

The Superfund Program Past And Present Funding Implications, Nicole Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

The present research examines the impact of not reauthorizing the Superfund taxes on the operations of the program. EPA NPL site status data were obtained from the EPA CERCLIS database for analysis in this study. Data were selected for the fiscal years 1981 to 2009 in four NPL listing status categories: proposal to the NPL, final NPL listing, deletion from the NPL, and achievement of construction completion. Since the Superfund tax expired in 1995, data from the 1981 to 1995 fiscal years and data from the 1996 to 2009 fiscal years were analyzed to determine if there were mean differences …

Application Of Pharmacometric Methods To Improve Pediatric Drug Development, Mallika Lala

Theses and Dissertations

Pharmacometrics is a quantitative science that is rapidly changing the landscape of drug development, and particularly so for the pediatric population. The motivation behind the research underlying this dissertation is to contribute towards the improvement of pediatric drug development by the astute application of pharmacometric methods. Two distinct research areas have been focused upon: 1- improving pediatric pharmacokinetic (PK) trial design and 2- improving pediatric dosing of warfarin by using a genetics-based dosing regimen. The first project examined in detail the feasibility of and simulation-based methodology for implementing a recent regulatory PK quality standard. The focus was on designing pediatric …

Craft Cyborg, Laina Seay

Theses and Dissertations

By merging the ancient associations that clay has with the human form and prosthetic science I question the relevancy and role of the human body in the future. As prosthetics heighten the awareness of the body through absence these additive limbs further this relevancy by presence. With greater advances in genetic engineering and plastic surgery biology will no longer dominate and these ridged clay extensions could become flesh.

Three Seniors Recognized With The Tillman Award For Academic Achievement, Winthrop University

Winthrop News 2011

• The Tillman Award is the university’s highest academic honor.
• The three were among 644 students given their degrees at the May 7 ceremony.

Selective Oxidations Of Alcohols And Indoles Using The Oxammonium Cation, Joseph Qiu

Honors Scholar Theses

A general procedure for the oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids, via an aldehyde intermediate, has been developed that supplements a general procedure for the oxidation of alcohols to either aldehydes or ketones. The mechanism of the oxidation of alcohols to generate aldehydes and ketones, as well as the oxidation reaction to generate acids, was explored in a series of relative rate studies. These studies have shown selectivity in the oxammonium cation oxidations, which was demonstrated by sequential, selective oxidation of a compound possessing two different primary alcohol functionalities.

The reactions of the oxammonium cation with nitrogen heterocycles, specifically …

Quorum Sensing In Archaea, Charles Mackin

Honors Scholar Theses

Bacteria coordinate cell density dependent behaviors by communicating through chemical intermediaries in a process called quorum sensing. In a bacterial culture, individual cells will constitutively produce signal molecules, termed autoinducers, and export them into the environment. When the concentration of autoinducers reaches a threshold, the cells sense that they are in a specific situation, which requires the upregulation of certain genes. This upregulation causes the bacteria to produce proteins that allow them to take part in a coordinated population-wide behavior.

In bacteria that are naturally competent, or capable of importing DNA from the environment, the expression of competence genes is …

Motivation To Train For Creativity, Nina Sacco

Honors Scholar Theses

Creativity among Unites States citizens is on a steady decline despite the overwhelming evidence that creativity is a crucial skill in the professional world (Zacko-Smith, Puccio, Mance, 2010). Educational organizations, such as the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) and other non-profit educational organizations, have been dedicated to increase the presence of creative problem solving and innovation through STEM-based learning and inventions in various schools in Connecticut. To promote the existence of these organizations in hopes of countering the current nations lack of focus on creativity, this thesis examines teacher's motivation to be involved in their programs and to train their students …

Analyzing Sexual Expression: Marriage, Prostitution, And The Law, Leah Christiani

Honors Scholar Theses

Marriage and prostitution laws solidify and propagate norms about sexual expression. Marriage law functions positively to dictate the kind of expression that is acceptable, normal, and natural while prostitution law frames the illegal, deviant, and unnatural. The legal benefits offered to those who marry function as an endorsement of a particular type of sexual expression: monogamous, faithful, loving, long term, and procreative. Equally, the criminalization of prostitution solidifies norms about the wrong, illegal unnatural kind of sexual expression; one focused on pleasure and money, not monogamy, fidelity, love, or procreation. These valuations of sexual expression solidified by the law impact …

Design And Bio-Production Of A Nanoparticle Avian Influenza Vaccine, Kashif N. Ather

Honors Scholar Theses

Influenza is one of the most common diseases in the world and the cause for numerous deaths every year. The primary method of combating the disease is the influenza vaccine, which is produced by inoculating chicken eggs with inactivated virus. An emerging solution is to use Self-Assembling Polypeptide Nanoparticles (SAPN) to elicit an immune response in the body, rather than using inactivated viruses. This project focuses on the synthesis, purification, and refolding of two peptide constructs, BN5C and S43, which are specific protein sequences that under the right conditions will refold into the 3-dimensional structures necessary for producing an immune …

Individualized Healthcare And Health Disparities: An Examination Of Health Disparities Related To Short-Term Response To Food Insecurity In Low-Income, Urban Communities, Valen R. Diaz

Honors Scholar Theses

The U.S. has seen a spike in chronic diseases along with worsening health outcomes. There are many factors at play to create these circumstances, especially regarding the social determinants of health, like socioeconomic status, access to food, and geographic location. Another concern is health disparities, particularly regarding obesity, and the fact that food access and neighborhood food environments contribute to these disparities. This paper gives a broad overview of American food culture and then focuses on the local food environment in urban, low-income communities, regarding both food deserts and food swamps. There is also a discussion about the response of …

Finding A Link Between The Hormones Of The Somatotropic Axis And Growth Rate Of Juvenile Steller Sea Lions, Katherine Denise Hebert

Honors Scholar Theses

The decline of the Western population (144 degrees west longitude) of Steller sea lions is hypothesized to be the result of impaired nutritional status and decline of growth rate, especially in juveniles and subsequent natality. Because changes in components of the somatotropic axis can be predictive of nutritional status and growth rate in this species, 2 groups of free-ranging juvenile Steller sea lions were captured in Prince William Sound, AK. Group 1 (n = 30) was initially captured at 5 mo and recaptured at 10 mo of age, whereas group 2 (n = 9) was captured at 7 and 8 …

Characterizing The Role Of The Bacterial Metallothionein, Smta, In Mammalian Infection, Stephanie R. Davis

Honors Scholar Theses

Mammalian metallothioneins (MT) are induced by various immunomodulatory molecules and are involved in a spectrum of immune processes such as essential metal homeostasis, detoxification of certain heavy metals, inflammation, and immune cell trafficking [1-3]. A bacterial metallothionein, SmtA, shares some sequence homology with mammalian MT as well as its metal-binding capabilities [4]. In addition to its ability to sequester heavy metals, eukaryotic MT has also been shown to scavenge free radicals such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS, RNS), interfering with their toxic effects on cells and potentially influencing their regulatory roles in cell proliferation and differentiation [5, 6]. …

Expression Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Non-Structural Protein 12 In Escherichia Coli, Ariann Boylan

Honors Scholar Theses

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus in the family Arteviridae, order Nidovirales. PRRSV began circulating in the U.S swine population in the 1980's and since then becoming the most economically significant disease of swine herds. PRRSV is now disseminated worldwide causing great economic losses to pork industries. PRRSV single-stranded RNA genome is15 kb in length. The genome encodes 9 open reading frames (ORF1a, ORF1b,

ORF2a, ORF2b and ORFs 3 through 7). ORFs 1a and 1b encode for 13 non-structural proteins (nsp) that are suggested to be involved in transcription and viral genome replication. The …

Biomarker Signature Classification Of Various Stress Forms, Chana L. Rich

Honors Scholar Theses

Various types of stressful conditions can have unique and important effects on immunity and can lead to dramatic consequences to health. For my University Scholar project, the characteristic biomarker signatures produced from a set of diverse stressors (e.g. psychological, biological and chemical) are being investigated. A biomarker signature is a distinctive biological indicator of a specific condition. High-throughput tools for the measurement of different cellular products have the potential to further our understanding of human disease and facilitated the identification of new biomarkers in all areas of medicine. The hypothesis that each form of stress, psychological, chemical and physical, will …

The Technocratic Birthing Model As Seen In Reality Television And Its Impact On Young Women Age 18-24, Michelle Elizabeth Farber

Honors Scholar Theses

In the Western ethnomedical tradition, childbirth follows the technocratic model, a concept developed by Davis-Floyd (1992). Within such a system, the woman’s body produces a fetus, much like a machine produces and product, and is delivered unto society by the physician (mechanic) in the proper manner and time. This cultural conception of birth has lead to a society in which maternal and child health has suffered, as many of the practices employed by a physician during a managed labor and delivery are not backed by evidence-based medicine. This thesis argues that reality television shows, specifically A Baby Story enable the …

Moving United States Health Care Forward, Thomas R. O'Neill

Honors Scholar Theses

Substantive Health Care reform poses one of the greatest current challenges to the American political system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 marks the most recent attempt at approaching this daunting task. Charged with expanding coverage while controlling costs, it pursues a sundry number of legislative solutions to achieve these seemingly incompatible goals. Despite the strides the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made, lingering educational, pharmaceutical, and legal concerns stand to derail progress made on fixing the health care system. If these goals are to be successful, a number of additional measures are needed to …

Characterization Of Arginine-82 Mutants With Non-Native Chromophores, Vivek Alaigh

Honors Scholar Theses

Bacteriorhodopsin, found in most halobacteria, is an integral protein that contains seven transmembrane alpha helices and an organic chromophore, all-trans retinal. Light energy is captured by the protein and results in a series of spectrally discrete intermediates that conclude with a proton being pumped across the membrane from the cytoplasmic side to the extracellular milieu. The most blue-shifted photo-intermediate, the M state, has been of interest for protein-based holographic memory storage devices. Bacteriorhodopsin mutants were prepared with either a 4-hydroxy retinal or 3,4-dihydro retinal analog: R82A, R82C, R82H, R82K, R82N and R82Q. The objective of this research was to investigate …

Near Infrared Imaging System, Barbara Adu-Baffour

Honors Scholar Theses

This senior project is to design and fabricate a near infrared imaging system using laser diodes for imaging biological tissues. The device will have three major sections comprising the signal source, detection and data analysis sections.

In the source signal section, a circuit would be designed and built which will contain two laser diodes with different wavelengths (780nm and 830nm). Each of the two laser diodes will modulated at different frequencies to enable a spatial coding system. The detection section of the device will have an optical detector channel which will be designed to detect signals from all the laser …

Characterization Of Differentiation Of Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells, Amanda C. Lopez

Honors Scholar Theses

In American society, dairy products are vital for nutrition and the economy. Optimizing the process of producing milk can benefit the consumers, producers, and the animals involved. Understanding the mechanisms of the development of the mammary gland can increase the efficiency of milk production, as well as improve animal health.

Mammary epithelial cells (MEC) are the functional unit of the mammary gland. Although, there is a well-established MEC cell line, known as MAC-T, the use of a primary cell line is preferred because it more closely mimics an in vivo model. To better understand how mammary cell differentiation is regulated, …

Expression Of The Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Non-Structural Protein 3 (Nsp 3) In Escherichia Coli, Lidia Beka

Honors Scholar Theses

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) is single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus in the family Arteriviridae, order Nidovirales. PRRSV is the most economically significant viral infection of swine herds in the United States. The single-stranded RNA genome is 15 kb in length and encodes 9 open reading frames (ORF1a, ORF1b, ORF2a, ORF2b and ORFs 3 through 7). ORFs 1a and 1b encode for 13 non-structural proteins (nsp) that are suggested to be involved in transcription and viral genome replication. The exact role of non-structural proteins in PRRSV cycle is still unknown. Moreover, there is a limited availability of reagents such …

Modeling Human Immune Response To The Lyme Disease-Causing Bacteria, Yevhen Rutovytskyy

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this project is to develop and analyze a mathematical model for the pathogen-host interaction that occurs during early Lyme disease.

Based on the known biophysics of motility of Borrelia burgdorferi and a simple model for the immune response, a PDE model was created which tracks the time evolution of the concentrations of bacteria and activated immune cells in the dermis. We assume that a tick bite inoculates a highly localized population of bacteria into the dermis. These bacteria can multiply and migrate. The diffusive nature of the migration is assumed and modeled using the heat equation. Bacteria …

University Of Richmond Commencement Exercises Program - 2011

Commencement Programs

University of Richmond Commencement Exercises Program, 2011. Including Conferring of Degrees to School of Arts and Sciences Graduate School: Master of Arts, and Master of Science; The E. Claiborne Robins School of Business The Richard S. Reynolds Graduate School: Master of Accountancy, and Master of Business Administration; School of Arts & Sciences: Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Science; The E. Claiborne Robins School of Business: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration; Jepson School of Leadership Studies: Bachelor of Arts.

Faith Versus Reason: A Discourse Analysis, Eric M. Hengstebeck

Rollins Undergraduate Research Journal

The debate between reason and faith has grown to a fever pitch in recent years. My paper aims to make a contribution to this debate by suggesting a way beyond the trap of reason, by offering narrative rationality as an alternative to the epistemological terms of rationality established by reason. To do this I apply discourse analysis to a debate between Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan with the aim of showing how narrative rationality might offer a productive response to reductive accounts of reason.