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High-Performance Polymer Monoliths For Capillary Liquid Chromatography, Pankaj Aggarwal

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on improving the chromatographic efficiency of polymeric organic monoliths by characterizing and optimizing the bed morphology. In-situ characterization techniques such as capillary flow porometry (CFP), 3-dimensional scanning electron microscopy (3D SEM) and conductivity measurements were developed and implemented to quantitatively characterize the morphology of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) monoliths. The CFP measurements for monoliths prepared by the same procedure in capillaries with different diameters (i.e., 75, 150, and 250 μm) clearly showed a change in average through-pore size with capillary diameter, thus, certifying the need for in-situ measurement techniques. Serial sectioning and imaging of PEGDA monoliths using …

Novel Role Of Pancreatic Differentiation 2 In Facilitating Self-Renewal And Drug Resistance Of Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells., Arokia P. Vaz, Moorthy P. Ponnusamy, Satyanarayana Rachagani, P Dey, Apar Kishor Ganti, Surinder K. Batra

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) contribute towards disease aggressiveness and drug resistance. Specific identification of CSC maintenance genes and targeting can improve the efficiency of currently available treatment modalities. Pancreatic differentiation 2 (PD2) has a major role in the self-renewal of mouse embryonic stem cells. In the present study, we investigated the role of PD2 in pancreatic CSCs.

METHODS: Characterisation of CSCs and non-CSCs from mouse models, pancreatic cancer cells and human tissues by CSC and self-renewal marker analysis using confocal assay. Effect of PD2 knockdown in CSCs (after gemcitabine treatment) was studied by immunoblot and apoptosis assays.

RESULTS: A …

Analyzing Archival Intelligence: A Collaboration Between Library Instruction And Archives, Merinda Kaye Hensley, Benjamin Murphy, Ellen D. Swain

Communications in Information Literacy

Although recent archival scholarship promotes the use of primary sources for developing students' analytical research skills, few studies focus on standards or protocols for teaching or assessing archival instruction. Librarians have designed and tested standards and learning assessment strategies for library instruction and archivists would do well to collaborate with and learn from their experience. This study examines lessons learned from one such collaboration between an instructional services librarian and archivist to evaluate and enhance archival instruction in the University Archives' Student Life and Culture Archival Program (SLC Archives) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. Based on evaluative …

Integrating An Information Literacy Quiz Into The Learning Management System, M. Sara Lowe, Char Booth, Natalie Tagge, Sean Stone

Communications in Information Literacy

The Claremont Colleges Library Instruction Services Department developed a Quiz that could be integrated into the consortial learning management software to accompany a local online, open-source IL tutorial. The Quiz is integrated into individual course pages, allowing students to receive a grade for completion and improving buy-in at the faculty and student level. Piloted in nine first-year classes in Fall 2012 then revised and launched in Spring 2013, the Quiz has given the Library valuable assessment data on first-year student IL skills and enhanced the ability of teaching librarians to tailor their instruction to student performance.

Life Role Salience In African American Men: The Impact Of Race Related Stress, Hypermasculinity, And Sexual Self-Concept, Archandria Colette Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

No abstract provided.

The Perceived Quality Of Parent-Child Relationships And Dating Violence Experiences Among A Predominantly Heterosexual, Female, And Hispanic-Identified Sample Of Emerging Adults, Amanda M. Cummings

Open Access Dissertations

Dating violence has been identified as a serious public health problem among adolescents and emerging adults. Recently, there has been an increase in research focused on identifying risk and protective factors for dating violence across the individual-, relationship-, community-, and societal-levels, yet studies exploring associations between parent-child relationships and dating violence have been lacking. The present study examined the associations between the perceived quality of mother-child relationships and father-child relationships and dating violence victimization and perpetration experiences among a sample of emerging adults. A cross-sectional sample of 454 undergraduate men and women from three universities were assessed at one time …

Offshore Aquaculture Economic Modelling And Site Selection Protocols, Tyler Sclodnick

Open Access Theses

The offshore marine aquaculture industry has shown slower growth than other regions and sectors of the industry despite ample spatial opportunities. A primary cause for this is the nature and perception of aquaculture investment opportunities which are less attractive relative to alternatives in the tropical regions of the Americas. Two consulting tools were built to facilitate the progression of potential projects beyond the planning stage. An economic model projects capital costs and cash flows based on industry supported fish performance and market assumptions which gives an early indication of the financial viability of a proposal. Remote site selection protocols use …

07-28-2014 Swosu Announces Summer Semester Graduates, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2014

A total of 147 students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University complete requirements for either associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees this summer on the Weatherford campus.

A Review On Effects Of Aloe Vera As A Feed Additive In Broiler Chicken Diets, Darabighane Babak, Samuel N. Nahashon

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Prohibition of application of antibiotic growth promoters in broiler chicken diets has resulted in increased use of herbs as natural additives in broiler feeds over the recent years. Researchers particularly look for herbs that can affect such parameters as growth performance, immune response, or treatment of certain diseases. Aloe vera is a well-known herb characterized by properties such as anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, wound-healing, anti-oxidant, and anti-diabetic effects. During the past years, attention has shifted toward Aloe vera as a natural additive to broiler diets, and studies have shown that Aloe vera can improve immune response and growth …

The Utah Statesman Presents: Aggie Guide 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

A special supplemental magazine provided by The Utah Statesman to take a closer look at some of the services and departments available at Utah State University.

An Exploration Of Fern Genome Space, Paul G. Wolf, Emily B. Sessa, D. Blaine Marchant, Fay-Wei Li, Carl J. Rothfels, Erin M. Sigel, Mathew A. Gitzendanner, Clayton J. Visger, Jo Ann Banks, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Kathleen M. Pryer, Joshua P. Der

An Exploration of Fern Genome Space

Ferns are one of the few remaining major clades of land plants for which a complete genome sequence is lacking. Knowledge of genome space in ferns will enable broad-scale comparative analyses of land plant genes and genomes, provide insights into genome evolution across green plants, and shed light on genetic and genomic features that characterize ferns, such as their high chromosome numbers and large genome sizes. As part of an initial exploration into fern genome space, we used a whole genome shotgun sequencing approach to obtain low-density coverage (1X to 2X) for six fern species from the Polypodiales (Ceratopteris …

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Hatchling Disorientation In Broward County, Florida, Allison Durland Donahou

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Hatchling disorientation after emergence is a major factor impacting sea turtle populations. This study utilized data from over 1,200 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Marine Turtle Disorientation Report forms from years 2006 to 2011 to assess changes in the severity and locations of disorientation events and the impact of municipal beach lighting ordinances. While the FWC forms were completed for all sea turtle species observed, this study focused only on loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). A Disorientation Severity Index (DSI) was derived from the number of hatchlings and the direction of their tracks leaving the nests …

Anthocyanin Characterization, Total Phenolic Quantification And Antioxidant Features Of Some Chilean Edible Berry Extracts, Anghel Brito, Carlos Areche, Beatriz Sepúlveda, Edward J. Kennelly, Mario J. Simirgiotis

Publications and Research

The anthocyanin composition and HPLC fingerprints of six small berries endemic of the VIII region of Chile were investigated using high resolution mass analysis for the first time (HR-ToF-ESI-MS). The antioxidant features of the six endemic species were compared, including a variety of blueberries which is one of the most commercially significant berry crops in Chile. The anthocyanin fingerprints obtained for the fruits were compared and correlated with the antioxidant features measured by the bleaching of the DPPH radical, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), the superoxide anion scavenging activity assay (SA), and total content of phenolics, flavonoids and anthocyanins …

Alexander V. Stibal Appellant's Brief Dckt. 41604

Idaho Supreme Court Records & Briefs, All

No abstract provided.

Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria And Archaea Under Continuous Maize: The Influence Of Tillage, N Input And Aggregation On Abundance And Community Composition, Lauren Segal

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nitrification involves the oxidation of ammonium (NH₄⁺) and is an important component of the overall N cycle. Nitrification occurs in two steps; first by oxidizing ammonium to nitrite, and then to nitrate. The first step is often the rate limiting step. Until recently ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were thought to be the sole contributors to this process; however, the discovery of crenarchaeota, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), in marine environments has led to further study of their role in nitrification. Current literature supports the dominance of AOA over AOB in terrestrial ecosystems; however, little is known about what drives their …

The Gps Craze: Six Questions To Address Before Deciding To Deploy Gps Technology On Wildlife, A. David M. Latham, M. Cecilia Latham, Dean P. Anderson, Jen Cruz, Dan Herries, Mark Hebblewhite

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

GPS and satellite technology for studies on wildlife have improved substantially over the past decade. It is now possible to collect fine-scale location data from migratory animals, animals that have previously been too small to deploy GPS devices on, and other difficult-to-study species. Often researchers and managers have formatted well-defined ecological or conservation questions prior to deploying GPS on animals, whereas other times it is arguably done simply because the technology is now available to do so. We review and discuss six important interrelated questions that should be addressed when planning a study requiring location data. Answers will clarify whether …

Development And In Silico Evaluation Of Large-Scale Metabolite Identification Methods Using Functional Group Detection For Metabolomics, Joshua M. Mitchell, Teresa W-M Fan, Andrew N. Lane, Hunter N. B. Moseley

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Large-scale identification of metabolites is key to elucidating and modeling metabolism at the systems level. Advances in metabolomics technologies, particularly ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) enable comprehensive and rapid analysis of metabolites. However, a significant barrier to meaningful data interpretation is the identification of a wide range of metabolites including unknowns and the determination of their role(s) in various metabolic networks. Chemoselective (CS) probes to tag metabolite functional groups combined with high mass accuracy provide additional structural constraints for metabolite identification and quantification. We have developed a novel algorithm, Chemically Aware Substructure Search (CASS) that efficiently detects functional groups within …

Response Of Beta Diversity To Pulses Of Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction, Simon A.F. Darroch, Peter J. Wagner

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ecologists are increasingly using the fossil record of mass extinction to build predictive models for the ongoing biodiversity crisis. During mass extinctions, major depletions in global (i.e., gamma) diversity may reflect decrease in alpha diversity (i.e., local assemblages support fewer taxa), and/or decrease in beta diversity (such that similar pools of taxa are common to a greater number of local areas). Contrasting the effects of extinction on alpha and beta diversity is therefore central to understanding how global richness becomes depleted over these critical events. Here we investigate the spatial effects of mass extinction by examining changes in alpha, beta, …

Effect Of Temperature Changes On Competitive And Predator-Prey Interactions In Coastal Epi-Benthic Communities, Joshua P. Lord

Doctoral Dissertations

Changes in temperature with global warming can facilitate biological invasions, cause species range shifts, alter community composition, and affect the growth rates and competitive abilities of many marine and terrestrial species. However, few studies take into account latitudinal variability in thermal responses or interactions between species. This dissertation focuses on the impact of temperature on predator-prey and competitive relationships in coastal epibenthic marine communities. Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are economically and ecologically important, but their relationship with a major predator, the oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea, is not well understood. Three chapters of this dissertation quantify the effect …

Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Imaging To Characterize Structural And Chemical Changes In Energy Materials, William M. Harris

Doctoral Dissertations

The development of increasingly complex, multiphase, and micro-scale composite materials has led to a simultaneous increase in the demand for characterization techniques capable of examining and evaluating the quality of these material systems. These types of composites, which can include such devices as fuel cell and battery electrodes and dense gas separation membranes, display an intimate link between the microstructural arrangement of the various constituent phases and the device performance. This connection is often manifested through coupled transport, reaction, and degradation processes occurring at the micro-scale and conformal to the detailed phase distribution. Therefore, direct examination of the microstructure is …

Limitation, Subversion, And Agency: Gendered Spaces In The Works Of Margaret Mahy, Cynthia Voigt, And Dia Na Wynne Jones, Elizabeth Ann Pearce

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that adolescent literature featuring female protagonists often illustrates complicated relationships between gender and space. My contention is that because of their gender, these protagonists are uniquely constrained to the home, which creates a literary pattern that has serious ideological implications. While I argue that the dominant discourse of these novels implies that girls should adhere to specific cultural norms, some of these works, however, provide room for subversion and agency, including new ways of looking at patriarchal constructions. To demonstrate these issues at work, I use the novels of three female authors from three different …

Genome-Wide Screening For Dna Variants Associated With Reading And Language Traits, A. Gialluisi, D. F. Newbury, E. G. Wilcutt, R. K. Olson, J. C. Defries, W. M. Brandler, Bruce F. Pennington, S. D. Smith, T. S. Scerri, N. H. Simpson, M. Luciano, D. M. Evans, T. C. Bates, J. F. Stein, J. B. Talcott, A. P. Monaco, S. Paracchini, C. Francks, S. E. Fisher

Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

Reading and language abilities are heritable traits that are likely to share some genetic influences with each other. To identify pleiotropic genetic variants affecting these traits, we first performed a genome-wide association scan (GWAS) meta-analysis using three richly characterized datasets comprising individuals with histories of reading or language problems, and their siblings. GWAS was performed in a total of 1862 participants using the first principal component computed from several quantitative measures of reading- and language-related abilities, both before and after adjustment for performance IQ. We identified novel suggestive associations at the SNPs rs59197085 and rs5995177 (uncorrected P ≈ 10-7 for …

Alternating Current And Infrared Produce An Onset-Free Reversible Nerve Block, Emilie H. Lothet, Kevin L. Kilgore, Niloy Bhadra, Narendra Bhadra, Tina Vrabec, Yves T. Wang, Michael W. Jenkins, Hillel J. Chiel

Faculty Scholarship

Nerve block can eliminate spasms and chronic pain. Kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) produces a safe and reversible nerve block. However, KHFAC-induced nerve block is associated with an undesirable onset response. Optical inhibition using infrared (IR) laser light can produce nerve block without an onset response, but heats nerves. Combining KHFAC with IR inhibition [alternating current and infrared (ACIR)] produces a rapidly reversible nerve block without an onset response. ACIR can be used to rapidly and reversibly provide onset-free nerve block in the unmyelinated nerves of the marine mollusk Aplysia californica and may have significant advantages over either modality alone. …

Joining ``The Mathematician's Delirium To The Poet's Logic'': Mathematical Literature And Literary Mathematics, Rita Capezzi, Christine Kinsey

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper describes our team-taught interdisciplinary mathematics and literature course, Mathematical Literature and Literary Mathematics, which invites students to consider Raymond Queneau's challenge: "Why shouldn't one demand a certain effort on the reader's part? Everything is always explained to him. He must eventually tire of being treated with such contempt.'' We study works by Berge, Borges, Calvino, Perec, Queneau, Robbe-Grillet and Stoppard, among others. From a literary critical perspective, the course highlights the play of language rather than the primacy of meaning. We choose texts where mathematical concepts are subjects or structuring elements of the literature, and ideally both. …

Some Effects Of The Human Genome Project On The Erdős Collaboration Graph, Chris Fields

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The Human Genome Project introduced large-scale collaborations involving dozens to hundreds of scientists into biology. It also created a pressing need to solve discrete mathematics problems involving tens of thousands of elements. In this paper, we use minimal path lengths in the Erdős Collaboration Graph between prominent individual researchers as a measure of the distance between disciplines, and we show that the Human Genome Project brought laboratory biology as a whole closer to mathematics. We also define a novel graph reduction method and a metric that emphasizes the robustness of collaborative connections between researchers; these can facilitate the analysis of …

The Importance Of Access To Benefits Under The Family Medical Leave Act For Low-Income Families For Bonding And Attachment Facilitation With A Fragile Infant And The Role Of The Social Worker, Theresa Stewart Moran

21st Century Social Justice

Lack of universal family leave discriminates against low-income families with infants who require care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Birth complications tend to occur more frequently in families living with low socioeconomic status, placing a disproportionate burden on an already vulnerable population. Parents in this group tend to be employed in jobs that do not include the benefit of parental leave. Considering that attachment relationships form as the result of bonding transactions during a critical time in development, limiting contact curtails secure attachment. This, combined with other risk factors, increase the odds of lifelong negative outcomes. Family leave policy …

Interactive Visualization Systems And Sensor-Based Interfaces For Robotics And Medical Data Analysis, Justin W. Stoecker

Open Access Dissertations

Scientific visualization enables researchers to extract understanding from data through visual representations. Interactive visualizations are particularly powerful for exploration of data, but they require that representations can be built and manipulated in real time; this is especially difficult for large or complex data. Advances in human-computer interfaces also provide for new ways to engage with visualizations. This dissertation covers visualization systems that address challenges in visual representation, real-time rendering, and natural interaction. The first domain we consider in this dissertation is robotics. In particular, we focus on the topics of motion and autonomous behavior for robots. We cover three projects …

Infrared Thermal Image For Assessing Animal Health And Welfare, Irenilza Alencar Nääs, Rodrigo Garófallo Garcia, Fabiana Ribeiro Caldara

Assessment of Animal Welfare Collection

Infrared thermal imaging is a non-destructive testing technology that can be used to determine the superficial temperature of objects. This technology has an increasing use in detecting diseases and distress in animal husbandry within the poultry, pig and dairy production. The process can identify changes in peripheral blood flow from the resulting changes in heat loss and; therefore, have been a useful tool for evaluating the presence of disease, edema, and stress in animals. This paper reviews the current literature related to the use of infrared technology and discusses their results and implications in animal welfare issues, poultry, pig and …

Relationship Between Dehydration Tolerance Of California Ferns And The Mechanical Strength Of Their Stipes, Helen I. Holmlund, Stephen D. Davis

Biology

In recent years, experts in plant physiology have begun to explore the functional traits of ferns, especially in regards to their tissue-water relations. However, to our knowledge, no scientist had yet examined the relationship between fern biomechanics and physiology. We examined the mechanical properties of fern stipes (stems) and attempted to relate those properties to ecological and physiological traits. Based on our knowledge of fern anatomy, we hypothesized that stipe mechanical strength would not correlate with water-stress resistance as it does in seed-bearing plants.

We assessed mechanical strength using Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) and tissue-water relations using pressure-volume curves. Water-stress …

Understanding The Effects Of Blast Wave On The Intracranial Pressure And Traumatic Brain Injury In Rodents And Humans Using Experimental Shock Tube And Numerical Simulations, Aravind Sundaramurthy

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blast induced neurotrauma (BINT) has been designated as the “signature injury” to warfighters in the recent military conflicts. In the past decade, conflicts in Iraq (operation Iraqi freedom) and Afghanistan (operation enduring freedom) as well as the increasing burden of the terrorism around the world resulted in an increased number of cases with blast Traumatic Brain Injury (bTBI). Recently, a lot of research has been done to study the neurological and neurochemical degenerations resulting from BINT using animal models especially rat models. However, it is not clear how and whether the biological outcomes from animal models can be translated to …