Digital Commons Network^™

Polymer Surface Engineering Via Thiol-Mediated Reactions, Ryan Matthew Hensarling

Dissertations

Synthesis of polymer brushes to decorate a surface with desired functionality typically involves surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) of functional, but non-reactive monomers. This approach suffers major drawbacks associated with synthesizing sufficiently thick polymer brushes containing surface-attached polymer chains of high molecular weight at high grafting density (i.e. cost, synthetic effort and functional group intolerance during polymerization). The research herein seeks to circumvent these limitations by the decoration of surfaces with polymer chains bearing specific pendent functional groups amenable to post-polymerization modification (PPM). In particular, this dissertation leverages PPM via a specific class of click reactions – thiol-click – that 1) enables …

Seeing The Chemistry Around Me – Helping Students Identify The Relevance Of Chemistry To Everyday Life, Tracy Lynn Moore

Dissertations

The study attempted to determine whether the use of a series of reading and response assignments decreased students’ perceptions of chemistry difficulty and enhanced students’ perceptions of the relevance of chemistry in their everyday lives. Informed consent volunteer students enrolled in General Chemistry II at a community college in the southeastern United States during the Spring 2012 semester participated in this study. Students were assigned to read a series of short articles that connect chemistry to a specific aspect of everyday life and then answer a series of questions for each article. Open-response research instruments (initial questionnaire and final questionnaire) …

Fluorescence And Size Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Riverine And Sea Waters In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Zhengzhen Zhou

Dissertations

Riverine export of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important component in marine carbon budget but the composition and phase partitioning are poorly quantified. Monthly water samples were collected from the lower Mississippi and Pearl rivers between January 2009 to August 2011 for DOM characterization using the fluorescence excitation emission matrix (FluoEEM) technique, coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), and flow field-flow fractionation technique. DOM in the Pearl River showed higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, temporal fluctuation, and aromaticity, reflecting instantaneous inputs of DOM from local soil and plant litter. In contrast, DOM in the Mississippi River exhibited lower …

The Role Of The Cysteine/Glutathione Regulatory Genes Cdo1, Gsh1, And Gsh2 In Yeast-Mold Dimorphism Of The Pathogenic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Melissa Anne Adams

Dissertations

The dimorphism of Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) from a mold to yeast is regulated by many environmental factors such as temperature and thiol concentrations. Histoplasma exists in the soil (or in vitro at 25ºC) as a multicellular saprophytic mold. In the lungs of an infected host (or in vitro at 37ºC), a shift to the unicellular parasitic yeast occurs. Sulfhydryl groups (-SH), especially cysteine, are necessary in the culture medium for the mold to yeast transition. Cysteine is the precursor for the synthesis of glutathione. Enzymes involved in the cysteine metabolism pathway are being studied in order to evaluate …

First Choice For A Second Chance: Factors Supporting Temporary Dropouts Who Re-Enroll In High School, Ralph Costen

Dissertations

The purpose was to identify what factors supported students reengaging in high school by correcting patterns of chronic absenteeism or re-enrolling in order to achieve the status of high school graduate. To identify these factors, the researcher relied on the qualitative approach of Grounded Theory as a guide to evaluate the results of the study. Nineteen students attending a traditional high school, a digital academy, or an adult education program were randomly selected from a pool of selected students who met the criteria for participation in the study. The selected students were interviewed by the researcher with questions focusing on …

Reification: A Process To Configure Java Realtime Processors, John Huddleston Heath

Dissertations

Real-time systems require stringent requirements both on the processor and the software application. The primary concern is speed and the predictability of execution times. In all real-time applications the developer must identify and calculate the worst case execution times (WCET) of their software. In almost all cases the processor design complexity impacts the analysis when calculating the WCET. Design features which impact this analysis include cache and instruction pipelining. With both cache and pipelining the time taken for a particular instruction can vary depending on cache and pipeline contents. When calculating the WCET the developer must ignore the speed advantages …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Continuous Progress Curriculum On Student Achievement, Jessica Larae Ladner Taylor

Dissertations

There has been an emphasis on educators to improve student achievement, particularly in low socioeconomic schools. The latest research encourages educators to use student data to drive instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine if using data to arrange students by academic performance improves academic achievement. A middle school in Mississippi has implemented Continuous Progress Curriculum to group students based on multiple data points. Throughout the school year, data from tests and assignments are analyzed by teachers and administrators. Based on the data, students are moved to the most appropriate performance level that will address the skills and …

Tumour Inflammasome-Derived Il-1b Recruits Neutrophils And Improves Local Recurrence-Free Survival In Ebv-Induced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Lih-Chyang Chen, Li-Jie Wang, Nang-Ming Tsang, David M. Ojcius, Chia-Chen Chen, Chun-Nan Ouyang, Chuen Hsueh, Ying Liang, Kai-Ping Chang, Chiu-Chin Chen, Yu-Sun Chang

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Inflammasomes sense infection and cellular damage and are critical for triggering inflammation through IL-1β production. In carcinogenesis, inflammasomes may have contradictory roles through facilitating antitumour immunity and inducing oncogenic factors. Their function in cancer remains poorly characterized. Here we show that the NLRP3, AIM2 and RIG-I inflammasomes are overexpressed in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and expression levels correlate with patient survival. In tumour cells, AIM2 and RIG-I are required for IL-1β induction by EBV genomic DNA and EBV-encoded small RNAs, respectively, while NLRP3 responds to extracellular ATP and reactive oxygen species. Irradiation and chemotherapy can further activate AIM2 …

Effect Of Voxel Size On The Accuracy Of 3d Reconstructions With Cone Beam Ct., Delphine Maret, Norbert Telmon, Ove A. Peters, B. Lepage, J. Treil, J. M. Inglèse, A. Peyre, Jean-Luc Kahn, Michel Sixou

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

OBJECTIVES: The various types of cone beam CT (CBCT) differ in several technical characteristics, notably their spatial resolution, which is defined by the acquisition voxel size. However, data are still lacking on the effects of voxel size on the metric accuracy of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions. This study was designed to assess the effect of isotropic voxel size on the 3D reconstruction accuracy and reproducibility of CBCT data.

METHODS: The study sample comprised 70 teeth (from the Institut d'Anatomie Normale, Strasbourg, France). The teeth were scanned with a KODAK 9500 3D® CBCT (Carestream Health, Inc., Marne-la-Vallée, France), which has two voxel …

Reversible Inhibition Of Chlamydia Trachomatis Infection In Epithelial Cells Due To Stimulation Of P2x4 Receptors, Matthew A. Pettengill, Camila Marques-Da-Silva, Maria Luisa Avila, Verissa W. Lam, Ikechukwu Ollawa, Ali Abdul-Sater, Robson Coutinho-Silva, Georg Hacker, David M. Ojcius, Suellen D'Arc Dos Santos Oliveira

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

Bacterial infections of the mucosal epithelium are a major cause of human disease. The prolonged presence of microbial pathogens stimulates inflammation of the local tissues, which leads to changes in the molecular composition of the extracellular milieu. A well-characterized molecule that is released to the extracellular milieu by stressed or infected cells is extracellular ATP and its ecto-enzymatic degradation products, which function as signaling molecules through ligation of purinergic receptors. There has been little information, however, on the effects of the extracellular metabolites on bacterial growth in inflamed tissues. Millimolar concentrations of ATP have been previously shown to inhibit irreversibly …

The Supremacy Clause Preemption Rationale Reasonably Restrains An Individual State Pursuing Its Own Separate But Unequal Immigration Policy., L. Darnell Weeden

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

The U.S. Supreme Court's Disability In Statutory Construction: The Debate Over The Interpretation Of The Definition Of Disability Under The Americans With Disabilities Act (Ada) & The Ada Amendments Act Of 2008., Laura C. Hoffman

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

Religious Treatment Exemption Statutes: Betrayest Thou Me With A Statute., Shirley Darby Howell

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

Mexican Children Of U.S. Citizens: Viges Prin And Other Tales Of Challenges To Asserting Acquired U.S. Citizenship., Lee J. Teran

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Mexican children with a U.S. parent face both historic and current challenges in acquiring U.S. citizenship. Following changes in U.S. immigration law, the number of individuals removed from the United States has swelled dramatically. This campaign against non-citizens has led to the removal of United States citizens, particularly individuals who were born abroad but claim citizenship through a U.S. citizen parent. Citizens are caught in the middle of conflicting goals between government efforts to adjudicate claims to acquired U.S. citizenship and the focus on crime and national security interests. Even though many U.S. parents and their children born abroad are …

Singing Songs In A Strange Land: The Plight Of Haitian Children In The Space Of International Adoption., Glenys P. Spence

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

The best interests of children are not served by severing the familial bonds contemplated by international adoption law. Nonetheless, because of the high costs of the international adoption process, efforts to adopt their Haitian orphan relatives are ignored. In attempts to guarantee the “best interests of the child” are met, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children Co-Operative Respect of Intercountry Adoptions (Adoption Convention) were created as the two governing bodies of international adoption law. Global South countries, including Haiti, however, have not ratified the Adoption Convention. …

The Thirteenth Amendment Won't Help Free Willy., Sheri Flannery

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Orcas are not afforded any relief under the Thirteenth Amendment. Animal rights advocates, namely People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), alleged animals have the right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude as guaranteed by the Thirteenth Amendment. Although the Thirteenth Amendment has been extended beyond African slavery, its protections have never been granted to anything other than human beings. The United States Supreme Court’s examination and interpretation of the Thirteenth Amendment concluded that animals are not afforded such protections under this amendment. The Court reasoned that the Thirteenth Amendment only applied to humans and not animals. …

Modeling The Distribution Of Meadows In Arid And Semi-Arid Patagonia, Argentina: Assessing Current Distribution And Predicting Response To Climate Change, Ramiro Daniel Crego

Theses

Meadows are critical in arid and semi-arid Argentinean Patagonia because of their importance for regional biodiversity. Despite this, little information on the spatial distribution of meadows is available and no analysis of the potential effect of climate change on meadows has been performed, which hampers conservation planning. In this study, I modeled the spatial distribution of meadows and investigated how climate change may affect the current distribution of meadows in arid and semiarid Patagonia by 2050. In addition, I investigated conservation status and areas of desertification vulnerability of those areas predicted to contain meadows. I used high-resolution imagery available in …

A Multicentric, Double-Blind Randomized, Homoeopathic Pathogenetic Trial Of Caesalpinia Bonducella, Rajpal Rajpal, Vinay Singh, V Siddiqui, C Nayak, A Majumdar, P Chandra, J Singh, S Pathak, G Rakshit

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Objective:To elicit the pathogenetic response of Caesalpinia bonducella in homoeopathic potencies on healthy human volunteers. Methodology:The drug Caesalpinia bonducella was proved by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) through randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. The proving was conducted at three centres. The drug was proved in 6 & 30 centesimal potencies on 50 apparently healthy volunteers, declared eligible after their pre-trial medical examinations by the medical specialists and routine laboratory investigations. In first phase of proving, provers were given 56 doses of placebo divided in 04 doses per day for 14 days. In next two phases, 56 doses of …

"Sí Se Puede" Latino Students Can Succeed In School: A Success Case Method Study, Manuel J. Brenes

Dissertations

In public schools about one fourth of the students identify themselves as Latinos or of Hispanic origin. Unfortunately of those Latino children who began at the elementary level, only 40% of them will graduate from high school and about 11% of high school graduates will go on to postsecondary school. In order to improve these numbers, educators and policymakers cannot ignore the needs of this marginalized population.

This study focused on protective and risk factors that influence Latino student’s academic success and continuation into postsecondary school. This study furthermore explored how the Success Case Method (SCM), an evaluation technique used …

The Continuing Vitality Of Ravin V. State: Alaskans Still Have A Constitutional Right To Possess Marijuana In The Privacy Of Their Homes , Jason Brandeis

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Your Papers, Please: Police Authority To Request Identification From A Passenger During A Traffic Stop In Alaska, Patricia Haines

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Note From The Editor, Nick Passarello

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Journal Staff

Alaska Law Review

No abstract provided.

Making The Most Of United States V. Jones In A Surveillance Society: A Statutory Implementation Of Mosaic Theory, Christopher Slobogin

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Journal Staff

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Getting Juvenile Life Without Parole “Right” After Miller V. Alabama, Doriane L. Coleman, James E. Coleman Jr.

Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Metropolitan Report - December 2012, Division Of Business And Economic Research, College Of Business Administration, University Of New Orleans

UNO Metropolitan Report (1986-2017)

No abstract provided.

Vol 56 #3, Judy Zelenski

MPLA Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Arts Center: A Case Study Of A Nonprofit Arts Organization, Meredith Harper

Arts Administration Master's Reports (1984-2016)

The following paper documents Meredith Harper’s internship from May 2012 to August 2012 at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, LA as part of the degree requirements for the Master of Arts in Arts Administration. The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is the only non-collecting, multi-disciplinary arts center in New Orleans, and has worked to present the very best of the "art of now" to the New Orleans community since 1976.

This paper is written from the point of view of an arts administrator observing the organization as an outsider. This paper will discuss the responsibilities and duties of the …

A Report On An Internship With The New Orleans Opera Association, Danqian Liu

Arts Administration Master's Reports (1984-2016)

This paper is based on my internship at the New Orleans Opera Association, which took place from May 16th to October 31st, 2012. The primary activity of the New Orleans Opera Association is to produce three to four mainstage operas each season. The Opera Association is a vital part of the cultural and economic life of the City. The New Orleans Opera Association is governed by a Board of Directors and a General and Artistic Director heading a staff of eight.

This report includes detailed information about the organization's history and current programs. It also includes a description of my …