Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Putative Roles For The Ccr4-Not Deadenylase-Complex Subunit Regena (Not2) In Microrna-Mediated Gene Silencing In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jasper Erickson, Colleen Gillmore, James D. Knox, Catherine A. Reinke

Science and Social Sciences

microRNAs (miRNAs) are one class of small non-coding ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules essential to development and homeostasis in plants and animals. miRNAs silence gene expression through complementary base pairing with target gene messenger RNAs and association with the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). The identification and characterization of cellular factors required for miRNA-mediated gene silencing is incomplete. A forward genetic screen was carried out in Drosophila melanogaster to generate flies defective for gene silencing. Silencing was assayed by expression of a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) reporter fused to the Brd gene 3’ UTR, which is regulated by miRNAs. Genetic analysis revealed …

An Examination Of Gender And Race In Newspaper Coverage Of Olympian Gabby Douglas, Stephanie K. Raso

Humanities and Creative Projects

This study investigates the representation of Gabby Douglas in the newspaper media, focusing on the time frame after Douglas won the individual and all-around women’s gymnastic gold medals in the summer 2012 Olympics. The hypothesis proposed that the representation of gendered and racial biases would be evident in the newspaper coverage of Douglas. This led to the argument that the way the media marketed Douglas could affect a reader’s perception of her, as well as an overall perception of gender and race. The method employed to analyze the proposed questions was cluster criticism focusing on the intensity and frequency of …

Language, Desire And Identity In Shipwrecked Body, Leticia Espinoza

The Hilltop Review

Cuerpo náufrago (Shipwrecked Body, 2005) is a novel by Ana Clavel, a Mexican female writer. In this work many questions about identity are explored, but gender identity is central.

Youths’ Access To Public Space: An Application Of Bernard’S Cycle Of Juvenile Justice, Amanda Marie Smith

The Hilltop Review

Since the late 1800s youth have been controlled in various ways. As argued in this paper, one of the ways policymakers have used to control youth throughout has been through controlling youth‘s access to public spaces. When youth do not have access to public space, adult society is able to breath a collective sigh of relief hoping that youth cannot crime crimes while out of sight. In this article, I will argue that policymakers have limited youth access to public space in a cyclical fashion. I will demonstrate this argument by discussing the issues of juvenile curfew, juvenile use of …

Bronchoscopy-Derived Correlates Of Lung Injury Following Inhalational Injuries: A Prospective Observational Study, S. W. Jones, H. Zhou, S. M. Ortiz-Puiols, R. Maile, M. Herbst, B. L. Joyner, H. Zhang, M. J. Kesic, I. Jaspers, K. A. Short, A. A. Meyer, D. B. Peden, B. A. Cairns, T. L. Noah

Physician Assistant Program

No abstract provided.

2013 Commencement Program, Whittier College

Commencement Programs

Whittier College's One Hundred Tenth Commencement, May 17, 2013

Supplement files include Honors Convocation, April 12, 2013 and the Baccalaureate: Living Gratitude Program, May 16, 2013

First Steps Towards Minimizing Lead Exposure In An At-Risk Community In Mitrovica, Kosovo, Maxwell Scott

Theses

The city of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, has historically been a heavily contaminated city due to its lead mining industry. The long history of heavy metal mining and processing, combined with the violent break-up of Former Yugoslavia, has created a slew of human health, environmental, and social impacts. High levels of lead exposure in the minority communities (Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian) of Mitrovica has arisen as one of the greatest health issues in the area. There have been a number of studies conducted by governmental and non-governmental organizations, many international, to assess the severity of the issue. There have also been …

168th University Of Notre Dame Commencement Program, University Of Notre Dame

Commencement Programs

168th Commencement Program, May 17-19, 2013.

2013 Commencement Program, State University Of New York College At Cortland

Commencement Programs

May commencement. Graduate ceremony.

Heterogeneity In Mobile Cloud Computing: Taxonomy And Open Challenges, Zohreh Sanaei, Saeid Abolfazli, Abdullah Gani, Rajkumar Buyya

Research Publications (2011 to 2015)

The unabated flurry of research activities to augment various mobile devices by leveraging heterogeneous cloud resources has created a new research domain called Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC). In the core of such a non-uniform environment, facilitating interoperability, portability, and integration among heterogeneous platforms is nontrivial. Building such facilitators in MCC requires investigations to understand heterogeneity and its challenges over the roots. Although there are many research studies in mobile computing and cloud computing,convergence of these two areas grants further academic efforts towards flourishing MCC. In this paper, we define MCC,explain its major challenges, discuss heterogeneity in convergent computing (i.e. mobile …

Cellular Mechanisms Of Pathogenesis Of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Omar Jorge Castillo

Biology Theses

Epithelial permeability is distorted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase (PE) and changes in barrier function are caused by disruption of tight junction (TJ) proteins occludin, zonula occludens (ZO)-1 and alterations of the cytoskeleton. Increase in paracellular permeability is caused, in part, by activation of cellular signaling transduction pathways. The exact signaling mechanisms that lead to epithelial disruption are not yet fully understood. I sought to evaluate whether PE exposure can activate the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and whether, PE-induced TJ disruption was dependent upon activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) arm of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. My …

Gp Representation Space Reduction Using A Tiered Search Scheme, John Joseph Aleshunas

Dissertations

The size and complexity of a GP representation space is defined by the set of functions and terminals used, the arity of those functions, and the maximal depth of candidate solution trees in the space. Practice has shown that some means to reduce the size or bias the search must be provided. Adaptable Constrained Genetic Programming (ACGP) can discover beneficial substructures and probabilistically bias the search to promote the use of these substructures. ACGP has two operating modes: a more efficient low granularity mode (1st order heuristics) and a less efficient higher granularity mode (2nd order heuristics). Both of these …

Teach For America Chooses Two Uab Biology Scholars, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

The Investigation Of Iron(Ii) Complexes And Their Catalytic Applications, Matthew Joseph Lenze

Dissertations

Several new η5-indenyl (Ind) complexes of iron featuring phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligands were synthesized and spectroscopically characterized and in a few cases structurally. The complexes were synthesized using phosphinooxazoline ligands and the corresponding iron precursor [Fe(η5-Ind) I(CO)2], yielding novel piano-stool iron complexes of the general formula [Fe(η5-Ind)(CO)(PHOX)]+ in 73% to 81% isolated yields. The complexes were tested for their efficacy in a carbon-carbon bond formation known as the Mukaiyama aldol reaction. The [Fe(η5-Ind)(CO)(PHOX)]+ complexes were capable of activating the carbonyl of aromatic aldehydes towards by attack 1-(tertbutyldimethylsilyloxy)-1-methoxyethene to form the expected silyl protected β-hydroxyesters. In these complexes, the η5-η3 haptotropic shift …

Spatial Resilience And The Incorporation Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Mapping Sitka Herring, James W. Shewmake

Natural Resources

This project assesses the utility of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in conducting research on herring stocks within Sitka Sound. By considering ethnographic data of the marine environment it is possible to identify key spatial attributes associated with the resource. This information was used to construct a social-ecological systems model (SES) for analysis within a spatial resilience framework. From this SES model, resilience surrogates were identified to analyze effort and success within the fishery. These indicators provided valuable insight into how subsistence users relate to the marine environment when they participate in the harvesting of herring spawn. To collect TEK data, …

A Model Of Downward Abusive Communication: Exploring Relationships Between Cognitive Complexity, Downward Communicative Adaptability, And Downward Abusive Communication, Elizabeth Adeline Wallace

Communication

A model was proposed to understand the antecedents of abusive supervision. Relationships were explored between cognitive complexity, downward communicative adaptability, and downward abusive communication. Superiors from various organizations were asked to take an online survey which measured superiors' cognitive complexity, downward communicative adaptability and abusive supervision. There was no evidence to support H1, which linked cognitive complexity to downward communicative adaptability, but there was evidence for H2, which stated that downward communicative adaptability was negatively correlated with downward abusive communication. The RCQ proved to be reliable but its validity was questioned in the present study which is why H1 may …

Linked Disturbance Interactions In South-Central Alaska: Implications For Ecosystems And People, Winslow D. Hansen

Forest Sciences

Communities and ecosystems in the Alaskan boreal forest are undergoing substantial change. People contribute to this change. They are also impacted by the consequences. For example, wildfire and spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) outbreaks have increased in frequency and severity due to warming trends, affecting the ecosystem and services important to people. I conducted a study to explore the social and ecological implications of changing natural disturbances. I evaluated how the occurrence of spruce bark beetle outbreak has altered the probability of wildfire between 2001 and 2009 on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Modeling the effects of bark beetle outbreak on …

Wastewater Disinfection With Hydroflow Technology, Christopher Blazo

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Disinfection is the final and very important step of wastewater treatment to maintain healthy ecosystems. Although chlorination is the most prevalent wastewater disinfection method, there are serious safety concerns and ecological problems associated with its use. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of using a HydroFLOW 60i unit for wastewater disinfection, as an alternative to chlorination. The study was performed using two different reactors, namely, a bench-scale laboratory batch reactor, and a continuous flow, pilot unit. Using the batch reactor, it was found out that the HydroFLOW 60i unit is effective to kill bacteria; however, modifications …

Risk, Oil Spills, And Governance: Can Organizational Theory Help Us Understand The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill?, Evelyn Cade

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico awakened communities to the increased risk of large-scale damage along their coastlines presented by new technology in deep water drilling. Normal accident theory and high reliability theory offer a framework through which to view the 2010 spill that features predictive criteria linked to a qualitative assessment of risk presented by technology and organizations. The 2010 spill took place in a sociotechnical system that can be described as complex and tightly coupled, and therefore prone to normal accidents. However, the entities in charge of managing this technology lacked the …

Characterization Of Cpey And Cpez Mutants In Fremyella Diplosiphon Strain Utex 481, Christina M. Kronfel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Phycoerythrin (PE) present on the outer phycobilisome (PBS) rods in Fremyella diplosiphon contains covalently attached phycoerythrobilin (PEB) chromophores for efficient photosynthetic light capture. Chromophore ligation on phycobiliprotein subunits occurs through bilin lyase catalyzed reactions. The cpeY and cpeZ genes in F. diplosiphon were shown to attach PEB on alph-82 of PE. To better understand the individual functions of cpeY and cpeZ in native cyanobacteria, we characterized PBS and PE purified from cpeY and cpeZ deletion mutants and compared them with wild type (WT). Both cpeY and cpeZ mutants generated much less PE than WT as well as assembling much less …

Predicting Distributions Of Estuarine Associated Fish And Invertebrates In Southeast Alaska, Katharine Bollinger Miller

Marine Biology

Estuaries in Southeast Alaska provide habitat for juveniles and adults of several commercial fish and invertebrate species; however, because of the area's size and challenging environment, very little is known about the spatial structure and distribution of estuarine species in relation to the biotic and abiotic environment. This study uses advanced machine learning algorithms (random forest and multivariate random forest) and landscape and seascape-scale environmental variables to develop predictive models of species occurrence and community composition within Southeast Alaskanestuaries. Species data were obtained from trawl and seine sampling in 49 estuaries throughout the study area. Environmental data were compiled and …

The Objectives, Design And Implementation Of The Intergrowth-21st Project, Villar J, Altman D. G, Purwar M, Noble J. A, Knight H. E, Ruyan P, Ismail L. Cheikh, Barros F. C, Lambert A, Papageorghiou A. T, Maria Carvalho, Jaffer Y. A, Bertino E, Gravett M. G, Bhutta Z. A, Kennedy S. H

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

INTERGROWTH-21st is a multicentre, multiethnic, populationbased project, being conducted in eight geographical areas (Brazil, China, India, Italy, Kenya, Oman, UK and USA), with technical support from four global specialised units, to study growth, health and nutrition from early pregnancy to infancy. It aims to produce prescriptive growth standards, which conceptually extend the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) to cover fetal and newborn life. The new international standards will describe: (1) fetal growth assessed by clinical and ultrasound measures; (2) postnatal growth of term and preterm infants up to 2 years of age; and (3) the relationship …

Isolation, Characterization And Synthesis Of Asthma Inducing Fungal Glycolipid And Analytical Method Development For Novel Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics, Vinod Chaudhary

Theses and Dissertations

NKT cells are an important part of human immune system and recognize a specific set of antigens called glycolipids. Only a handful of "natural" NKT cell antigens are known till date. Although NKT cells play a protective role against pathogenic organisms, imbalances in NKT cell functions are implicated in many diseases including asthma. Allergic asthma, a Th2 driven inflammation of airways, is primarily caused by inhalation of environmental allergens. In the last decade, inhaled allergen Aspergillus fumigatus has been under scrutiny for the presence of NKT cell antigens that might trigger asthma. We successfully isolated, characterized and synthesized a "natural" …

Megaherbivores And Cattle Alter Edge Effects Around Ecosystem Hotspots In An African Savanna, Lauren M. Porensky, Solveig Franziska Bucher, Kari E. Veblen, Anna C. Treydte, Truman P. Young

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Wild mammalian herbivores and cattle are fundamental drivers of African savanna ecosystems and have strong impacts on woody vegetation. However, few experimental studies have investigated the separate and combined influences of different large herbivores on spatial vegetation patterning. In East Africa, temporary cattle corrals (bomas) develop after abandonment into productive, treeless 'glades' that attract both domestic and wild herbivores. Edges of glades exhibit unusually high densities of large trees. We used a long-term, broad-scale manipulative experiment to test whether megaherbivores (elephants and giraffes), wild meso-herbivores (15–1000kg), or cattle caused shifts in woody plant abundances in glate edges. We also examined …

The Brutal Reality Of Bringing Kids Up To Level: Are Critical Thinking And Creativity Lost In The World Of Standardized Testing?, Jamie M. Carroll

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Since the passage of No Child Left Behind, the output of education has been measured through student achievement on standardized tests. School ratings, student graduation, teacher jobs and school charters are all tied to these tests. This study analyzes the extent to which math and science public high school teachers in New Orleans focus on critical thinking and creativity, skills needed to be successful in the future. Through a framework of Richard Paul’s model of critical thinking and Theresa Amabile’s social psychology of creativity, this study evaluates support for critical thinking and creativity through classroom observations, analysis of instructional materials …

Glasgow And Other Stories, Hannah Choi

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Patriot, Pet, And Pest: America Debates The Dog's Worth During World War I, Alison G. Laurence

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

During World War I, dogs held a contradictory place in American society. These animals functioned simultaneously as patriots, pets, and pests. This essay surveys the ways in which dogs either contributed to the war effort or seemed to subvert it through their uselessness as companion animals and their predation as feral ones. Ultimately, even worsening conditions on the homefront could not cause the American public as a whole to consider surrendering its affection for these animals, including the worthless ones. In the face of impending legislation that threatened to eliminate man’s best friend as a war measure, the American people …

Nanomaterials For Biological Applications: Drug Delivery And Bio-Sensing, Hui Ma

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The idea of utilizing nanomaterials in bio-related applications has been extensively practiced during the recent decades. Magnetic nanoparticles (MPs), especially superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been demonstrated as promising candidates for biomedicine. A protective coating process with biocompatible materials is commonly performed on MPs to further enhance their colloidal and chemical stability in the physiological environment. Mesoporous hollow silica is another class of important nanomaterials that are extensively studied in drug delivery area for their ability to carry significant amount of guest molecules and release in a controlled manner.

In this study, different synthetic approaches that are able to produce …

Factors Associated With School Counselors' Use Of A Family Systems Perspective, Dorothy M. Martin

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Six hundred fifty-seven (657) members of the American School Counseling Association responded to the researcher-developed survey, the School Counselors Perceptions of Family Systems Perspectives Questionnaire (SCP-FSPQ). The instrument assessed school counselors’ perceptions of preparedness, competency, importance and frequency of use of family systems perspectives when working with youth in the school setting. The purposes of this quantitative study were to understand school counselors’ perceptions of their educational preparation in family systems perspectives; whether school counselors are using family systems strategies and, if so, how often; and how important school counselors believe those strategies are when implemented. This study also explores …

Occurrence And Genetic Diversity Of Lemon Sharks (Negaprion Brevirostris) At A Nursery Ground At The Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana., Jonathan F. Mckenzie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Anecdotal evidence suggested that immature lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) occur at the Chandeleur Islands in southeastern Louisiana. From May 2009 to August 2011, the Nekton Research Laboratory at the University of New Orleans regularly sampled habitats at the Chandeleur Islands to confirm the presence of immature individuals of this species. During these efforts, 147 immature lemon sharks (neonates, young-of-the-year, and juveniles) were collected. Each shark was PIT tagged and a tissue sample was taken for genetic analyses. Sizes ranged from 56 – 177 cm total length. Sharks showed a preference for sandy substrate and smaller individuals showed significant preference …