Digital Commons Network^™

Spag16 Is A Bifunctional Gene Regulating Male Fertility, David R. Nagarkatti-Gude

Theses and Dissertations

SPAG16 is the murine orthologue of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii PF20, a protein known to be essential to the structure and function of the “9 + 2” axoneme. The “9 + 2” axoneme provides the cytoskeletal core of all eukaryotic motile cilia and flagella. In Chlamydomonas, the Pf20 gene encodes a single protein present in the central pair of the axoneme. Loss of Pf20 prevents central pair assembly and results in flagellar paralysis. The murine Spag16 gene encodes two proteins. While 71 kDa SPAG16L is found in all murine cells with motile cilia or flagella, 35 kDa SPAG16S transcript and protein are …

Gendered Production And Consumption In Rural Africa, Michael Kevane

Economics

Recent research underscores the continued importance of gender in rural Africa. Analysis of interactions within households is becoming more sophisticated and continues to reject the unitary model. There is some evidence of discriminatory treatment of girls relative to boys, although the magnitudes of differential investments in health and schooling are not large and choices seem quite responsive to changes in opportunity costs. Social norms proscribing and prescribing male and female economic behavior remain substantial, extending into many domains, especially land tenure. Gender constructions are constantly evolving, although there is little evidence of rapid, transformative change in rural areas.

Correlation Between Morphological, Optical And Electrical Properties Of Zno:Al/Zno Double Layers And The Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cell Efficiencies, Pd Nsimama

Tanzania Journal of Science

The morphological, optical and electrical properties of magnetron sputtered ZnO:Al/ZnO double layers are reported and their correlations with their respective Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cell efficiencies are presented. The ZnO:Al/ZnO double layers were produced by using the established baseline RF process and plasma emission monitoring (PEM) DC reactive sputtering. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were employed for the surface morphological measurements. The charge carrier concentrations, mobilities and AC resistivities were deduced from Drude’s model. The DC resistivities were determined from the four-point probe measurements. Transmittance and reflectance measurements were done by using the UV-VIS-NIR Lambda 900 …

Performance Of Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland For Domestic Wastewater Treatment, Jp Mairi, Tj Lyimo, Kn Njau

Tanzania Journal of Science

Constructed wetlands (CW) have recently emerged as efficient technology for secondary treatment of wastewater in developing countries because of its low cost, ease operation, maintenance and generally good performance. At present there are a number of small scale units of CW for wastewater treatment in Tanzania but information on their performance is scarce. This study investigated the removal efficiency of fecal bacteria indicators, inorganic nutrients and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) from wastewater by a CW at the University of Dar es Salaam. The CW received wastewater from a primary facultative pond and was a monoculture system planted with Phragmites mauritianus …

Design And Testing Of A Biological Microelectromechanical System For The Injection Of Thousands Of Cells Simultaneously, Gregory Herlin Teichert

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to inject DNA and other foreign particles into cells, both germ cells (e.g. to produce transgenic animals) and somatic cells (e.g. for gene therapy), is a powerful tool in genetic research. Nanoinjection is a method of DNA delivery that combines mechanical and electrical methods. It has proven to have higher cell viability than traditional microinjection, resulting in higher integration per injected embryo. The nanoinjection process can be performed on thousands of cells simultaneously using an array of microneedles that is inserted into a monolayer of cells. This thesis describes the needle array design requirements and the fabrication process …

Effects Of Leaf Litter Diversity On Nutrients And Mosquito Communities In Neotropical Artificial Tree Holes, Rachel Komosinski

Theses and Dissertations

Inputs from terrestrial habitats to aquatic habitats are important for structuring aquatic communities. Terrestrial producer diversity in the tropics may decline due to anthropogenic causes. I investigated how tree diversity affects aquatic communities. We used leaves from three timber-producing species (Dalbergia retusa, Pachira quinata, and Tectona grandis) to test the effects of leaf litter species composition and richness on invertebrate aquatic communities in Gamboa, Panama. We quantified macroinvertbrate species richness and abundances, leaf litter mass loss, and dissolved carbon to nitrogen ratios (C:N) after 4 weeks. We found that litter types differed in breakdown and C:N. Tectona grandis had lower …

A Technique For Identification Of Intrinsic Resistance Of Maize Varieties To Sitophilus Zeamais (Motsch.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestations, Cp Rugumamu

Tanzania Journal of Science

A new technique used to identify resistant maize varieties to the maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch.) infestations is presented. It applies Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate- Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS - PAGE) of the insect fat body to determine the levels of fat body vitellogenin (FVg) in the vitellogenic S. zeamais females which were reared on different maize varieties. Results on levels of FVg varied and ranged from 83.33% to 43.33% in insects raised in different varieties ANOVA of FVg, maize weight loss and F1 numbers showed significant differences among the varieties at P<0.05. Maize weight loss and F1 numbers were positively correlated with FVg, r = 0.74 and 0.98, P< 0.05. The revealed amounts of FVg in S. zeamais obtained from the varieties indicated varying intrinsic resistance of the varieties to the insect pest. The varieties exhibited resistance in descending order: ZM 621>H 622> H 511> Situka 1> Situka M1 …

Plains Gerbils (Gerbilliscus Robusta) As Food Of The Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) In The Serengeti Plains (Tanzania): Thirty-Six Years Later, Rbm Senzota

Tanzania Journal of Science

The barn owl (Tyto alba (Blyth 1862) roosts and nests in crevices and caves of kopjes (rock outcrops) of the Serengeti plains. Its major food in the 1970’s was found to be Gerbilliscus robusta (Cretschmer 1826) which inhabits the expansive grasslands surrounding the kopjes. In October 2012, pellets of the owl were collected from one of its roosting cave in the Gol Kopjes at the plains; the roosting cave was the same as one where a 1976 pellet collection was made. Collected intact and disintegrated pellets were weighed and sorted to identify and enumerate their contents. Morphometrics of sorted out …

Trophy Hunting And Trophy Size In Ugalla Game Reserve, Western Tanzania, P Wilfred

Tanzania Journal of Science

The present paper explores trends and variations in trophy size among wildlife species hunted in the Ugalla Game Reserve (UGR) of western Tanzania, in relation to hunting success (animals shot species-1 quota-1). Data on trophy hunting from 2006 – 2010 were obtained from the UGR office in Tabora Region. Forty-seven species were targeted by trophy hunters. Hunting success differed significantly across the species (Generalised Linear Model [GLM] with a binomial error structure: deviance chi-square [X2] = 9.64, d.f. = 44, p<0.001). Twenty-eight species had trophy size measurements, but only 6 species had measurements taken consistently throughout the data period. Although most of the shot animals were above their minimum trophy size limits (official trophy limits below which animals could not be removed) there was significant variation among species (GLM with normal errors: F5,201 = 509.12, p<0.001). Time (years) had no significant effect on trophy size, but the trend over time in trophy size differed significantly among species (F5,194 = 5.42, p<0.001). Of the trophy species, greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) had the largest mean trophy size, whereas warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) had  the lowest trophy size and showed a considerable decline. The majority of the animals had trophy sizes hovering just above their minimum limits. This should be monitored rigorously to avoid removing large numbers of actively breeding animals.

Jccc Storm-Water Treatment System: An Analysis And Botanical Review, Michael Bartmess

JCCC Honors Journal

This paper presents how Johnson County Community College (JCCC) uses plants as part of a naturally sustainable storm-water treatment system to manage the quality and quantity of the storm runoff leaving the campus. As the essay is intended for public education, background information about the water cycle, watersheds, the contamination of water resources and biological water treatment are presented. Additionally, information specific to the JCCC system is provided, including project funding, individual system components and botanical information about the plant species and families used in the treatment process. Data analysis from many sources reveals that biotic treatment systems are effective, …

The Influence Of Cosmopolitan Values On Environmental Attitudes: An International Comparison, Lauren Contorno

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

Many recent environmental politics and environmental behavior studies have attempted to explain the variation in individuals’ environmental attitudes by means of their personal values. This piece enters into the recent debate that has developed around the dichotomous ideologies of cosmopolitanism and patriotism and their relationship to environmentalism, arguing that individuals with cosmopolitan values are more likely to exhibit concern for environmental issues than those with patriotic values. Through an analysis of regression models for seven Western industrialized nations, this study confirms a positive correlation between cosmopolitan values and environmentalism. The explanatory power of cosmopolitanism was greater than that of social …

Book Reviews, Criticism Editors

Criticism

The Use and Abuse of History: Recent Developments in Feminist Theory

• Uneven Developments: The Ideological Work of Gender in Mid-Victorian England (Mary Poovey) (Reviewed by Rita Felski, Murdoch University, Western Australia)
• "Am I that Name?": Feminism and the Category of ''Women'' in History (Denise Riley) (Reviewed by Rita Felski, Murdoch University, Western Australia)
• Feminist Literary History (Janet Todd) (Reviewed by Rita Felski, Murdoch University, Western Australia)

• Sor Juana or, The Traps of Faith (Octavio Paz) (Reviewed by Electa Arenal, College of Staten Island, C.U.N.Y.)
• A Sor Juana Anthology (Alan S. Trueblood) (Reviewed by Electa Arenal, College of Staten …

Evidence For A Hierarchy Within Breast Cancer Stem Cells: Relevance To Metastasis And Therapy, Diana J. Azzam

Open Access Dissertations

Accumulating evidence over the past decade has established the existence of a cancer stem cell (CSC) subpopulation within breast cancers that is responsible for tumor initiation, progression and drug resistance. However, few models have characterized phenotypically distinct subsets of cells within CSC populations that may underlie the heterogeneity of tumor responses to standard chemo and radiation therapies. Similarly, despite the widely accepted postulate that CSCs generate metastasis, few studies have demonstrated experimentally the existence of heterogeneity within the CSCs with regard to metastatic potential. The work in this thesis was undertaken to identify whether such discrete subsets exist among CSCs …

Subspace-Based Semantic Concept Detection And Retrieval For Multimedia Information Systems, Chao Chen

Open Access Dissertations

The prevalence of digital recording devices, the cheap cost of data storage as well as the convenience provided by the widely accessible Internet have created the demand to retrieve information according to users' requests from multimedia data sources. However, the multimedia information retrieval task has several challenges that need to be addressed, such as bridging the semantic gap, modeling from imbalanced data sets, and utilizing inter-concept relationships to enhance the retrieval performance of an individual concept. To respond to the challenge of bridging the semantic gap, subspace modeling methods are proposed to address this issue as a classification task. The …

Class Of 2012 Fulfilling Their Dreams After Graduation, Winthrop University

Winthrop News 2012

• Everett Johnson, a McNair Scholar and dance performance major, was selected as one of 15 $50,000 national winners of the Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Arts Award for those with artistic or creative promise.
• Matt Horn, a soccer player and a biology major and chemistry minor, was selected as one of 51 $5,000 national winners of the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship.
• From 1920-2000, six Winthrop chemistry graduates earned Ph.Ds. Since 2003, 14 chemistry graduates will have earned Ph.Ds. by the end of 2012.

Interview With Chris Wells, Professor Of Environmental Studies, Chris Wells

Environmental Studies Department Oral Histories

No abstract provided.

Beyond Suffering - Commentary On Clare Palmer, Gordon M. Burghardt

Between the Species

None needed?

07-30-2012 Swosu Student Wins Best Poster At Summer Research Symposium, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2012

Southwestern Oklahoma State University biology student Nathan Bernhardt of Thomas recently won the best poster presentation at the Oklahoma IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (OK-INBRE) summer research symposium held at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.

A Comparison Of Individual Versus Community Influences On Youth Smoking Behaviours: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study, Anna M. Adachi-Mejia, Heather A. Carlos, Ethan M. Berke, Susanne E. Tanski, James Sargent

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objectives: To compare individual with community risk factors for adolescent smoking. Design: A cross-sectional observational study with multivariate analysis.Setting: National telephone survey.Participants: 3646 US adolescents aged 13–18 years in 2007 recruited through a random digit-dial survey.

Chanticleer | The 2012 Abstract, Jacksonville State University

Chanticleer

No abstract provided.

Development Of Patterned Self-Assembled Monolayers Toward The Study Of Axonal Differentiation, Dawn Marie Johnson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The following work discusses the development of several techniques and new methods for the production of patterned surfaces for protein and cell confinement. These well-defined substrates allow us to study the mechanism of axonal differentiation in neurons confined to a two-dimensional starburst pattern. We utilize self-assembled monolayer: SAM) chemistry in conjunction with microcontact printing to create stable patterned substrates for cell culture. Photolithography is employed in the fabrication of patterned masters, which are used to create elastomeric stamps for microcontact printing.

Initially, trichlorosilanes were employed in our patterned SAMs because they react rapidly with glass. These patterned surfaces confined protein …

The Effect Of A Navigational Aid On Training Of A Minimally Invasive Surgery Camera Task, Ketan Vidwans

Theses and Dissertations

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) differs from Open Surgery as surgeons view the surgical site indirectly on a monitor. The view shown is typically from an angled endoscope off to one side of the surgery (i.e., uncollocated with the view of the hands). This makes camera navigation a challenging ability to learn. MIS thus requires longer training periods, more practice and mental effort to achieve proficiency. Current training setups and Operating Room (OR) environments lack appropriate real-time visual cues for navigation and other perception related information that could help with learning and performance in the OR. The purpose of this research …

The Spatial Signature Of Biotic Interactions Of A Clonal And A Non-Clonal Palmetto In A Subtropical Plant Community, Mizuki Takahashi, Toshiro Kubota, Liana M. Horner, Nathan A. Keller, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

Spatial analyses of plant-distribution patterns can provide inferences about intra- and interspecific biotic interactions. Yet, such analyses are rare for clonal plants because effective tools (i.e., molecular markers) needed to map naturally occurring clonal individuals have only become available recently. Clonal plants are unique in that a single genotype has a potential to spatially place new individuals (i.e., ramets) in response to intra- and interspecific biotic interactions. Laboratory and greenhouse studies suggest that some clonal plants can avoid intra-genet, inter-genet, and inter-specific competition via rootplacement patterns. An intriguing and yet to be explored question is whether a spatial signature of …

Path Integration: Effect Of Curved Path Complexity And Sensory System On Blindfolded Walking, Panagiotis Koutakis, Mukul Mukherjee, Srikant Vallabhajosula, David J. Blanke, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Path integration refers to the ability to integrate continuous information of the direction and distance traveled by the system relative to the origin. Previous studies have investigated path integration through blindfolded walking along simple paths such as straight line and triangles. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the role of path complexity in path integration. Moreover, little is known about how information from different sensory input systems (like vision and proprioception) contributes to accurate path integration. The purpose of the current study was to investigate how sensory information and curved path complexity affect path integration. Forty blindfolded participants had to accurately …

Prediction Of Human Systemic, Biologically Relevant Pharmacokinetic Properties Based On Physicochemical Properties Of Calcium Channel Blockers, Tafif Abdullah Al

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored quantitative relationships (QSPKR) between different molecular descriptors and pertinent, systemic PK properties for 14 calcium channel blockers (CCB). Physicochemical properties (PC) such as molecular weight (MW), molar volume (MV), calculated logP (clogP), pKa, calculated logD7.4 (clogD), % ionized at pH 6.3 and pH 7.4, hydrogen bond donors (HBD), hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA), and number of rotatable bonds (nRot) were chosen as possible predictor variables for systemic PK properties for CCB, obtained from pertinent literature, assessing the PK of CCB after intravenous administration to healthy humans. All PC properties and molecular descriptors were computed using ACD-solubility/DB 12.01. Total …

Finding A Way Out Of The Ethnographic Paradigm Jungle, Subhadip Roy, Pratyush Banerjee

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a hybrid ethnographic paradigm, taking the best points from the different approaches of ethnographic research. The pioneering proponents of ethnography differed in their conceptualization of the method, resulting in the development of three distinct schools of thought-holistic, semiotic and behavioristic. These three ethnographic paradigms have their respective benefits and shortcomings. Following any one of these approaches may lead to only partial comprehension of the phenomenon by the ethnographer. This study wished to address this issue by developing a best practice approach, which will have the virtues of all the three …

Asian Diaspora And East-West Modernity, Sheng-Me Ma

Comparative Cultural Studies

Drawing from Anglo-American, Asian American, and Asian literature as well as J-horror and manga, Chinese cinema and Internet, and the Korean Wave, Sheng-mei Ma's Asian Diaspora and East-West Modernity probes into the conjoinedness of West and East, of modernity's illusion and nothing's infinitude. Suspended on the stylistic tightrope between research and poetry, critical analysis and intuition, Asian Diaspora restores affect and heart to the experience of diaspora in between East and West, at-homeness and exilic attrition. Diaspora, by definition, stems as much from socioeconomic and collective displacement as it points to emotional reaction. This book thus challenges the fossilized conceptualizations …

Propagation And Scattering Of Optical Light Beams In Free Space, In Atmosphere, And In Biological Media, Serkan Sahin

Open Access Dissertations

With their first production implemented around 1960’s, lasers have afterwards proven to be excellent light sources in building the technology. Subsequently, it has been shown that the extraordinary properties of lasers are related to their coherence properties. Recent developments in optics make it possible to synthesize partially coherent light beams from fully coherent ones. In the last several decades it was seen that using partially coherent light sources may be advantageous, in the areas such as laser surface processing, fiber and free-space optical communications, and medical diagnostics. In this thesis, I study extensively the generation, the propagation in different media, …

Hall Joins Dominican As First Yin Endowed Professor, Sarah Gardner, Dave Albee

Press Releases

Dr. Hall’s research interests and areas of expertise include computer simulation; the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics; simulation and theory of glasses; structure of materials; kinetics and thermodynamics of gas and surface free radical reactions. Dr. Hall uses computer simulations to study materials including nano-particles implicated in production of airborne toxins, hydrogen storage materials, and flame retardant/polymer mixtures used to manufacture a variety of plastic materials.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - July 29, 2012, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the July 29, 2012 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

• USA College of Medicine Welcomes Dr. Wilburn Bolton
• USA Physician Featured on FOX10
• USA College of Medicine Alum Inducted into Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame
• Dr. Meyer Selected President of the Alabama Orthopaedic Society
• USA College of Medicine Mourns Loss of Dr. Valentina Grishko