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Commencement 2015

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Inhibited Synthesis And Erotic Transgression: Georges Bataille In Three Movements, Robin H. Fahy

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

This presentation examines the philosophy of Georges Bataille on three fronts: Part I deals with an examination of Claude Levi-Strauss’ theory on the prohibition of incest, which links the formation of political systems of patrilineal genealogy to the economic reduction of feminine identity at the level of proprietary wealth, defining an exchange "fundamental to the movement from nature to society." Bataille disagrees, arguing that the exchange of women is ceremonial, based in giving without expectation of return, claiming that political power is maintained through the sacrifice of wealth. Part II discusses the geopolitical implication of Levi-Strauss’ suggestion that at the …

Interdisciplinary Research-Based Learning In Organic Chemistry And Microbiology Laboratories: Synthesis And Biological Testing Of Novel Penicillin Derivatives, Kyle R. Rehberger

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

Interests in the mechanism that penicillin bestows on its target protein has driven the curiosity of its binding specificity towards the methicillin resistant strain of Staphylococcus areus, and its expression of a unique penicillin binding protein that has enabled its resistance. The ability of bacteria to gain antibiotic resistance has strengthened the ongoing need to synthesize and discover novel drugs to combat the diseases that follow infection. If it were not for the collaborations between scientific disciplines, the production of effective novel drugs such as penicillin would not be the same. To encourage undergraduate students to make real world …

Asymptotic Behavior Of Traveling Wave Solutions To Reaction-Diffusion Equations, Malley M. Nason

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

We will discuss travelling wave solutions to reaction-diffusion equations of the form:

u_t=u_xx+ u^p (1-u^q)

which can be used as a mathematical model for various biological phenomena, as well as to model problems in combustion theory. We identify conditions on the wave speed so that travelling wave solutions exist for the case p ≥1 and q ≥1. Moreover, we estimate the rate of decay of the travelling wave solutions. When p > 1 and q ≥1, this estimate requires center manifold theory because the typical linear methods fail to work. Through the mathematical analysis …

Measuring Charge Carrier Mobility Of Graphene, Christina A. Harmon

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

This research reports measurements of electron mobility in liquid-gated graphene. Graphene field-effect transistor (GFET) biosensors are more sensitive to changes in external fields when the mobility is high; therefore increasing mobility will improve sensitivity. Mobility can be calculated from the ratio of sheet conductivity to carrier density. Sheet conductivity was measured using van der Pauw geometry and carrier density was determined from measurements of the liquid-gate capacitance. It is shown that mobility improves after the graphene surface is cleaned by an annealing process.

"A Boy Told Me I Was Ugly." Voices Of At Risk Adolescent Girls On Gender Identity And Dating Roles, Mellinee Lesley Ph.D., Heather M. Kelley Ph.D.

MLET: The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas

Through an exploration of urban middle school girls’ Discourse, this study sought to investigate how at risk females defined their gendered identity. Based on an analysis of spoken and written Discourse in a Third Space writing group, we discovered that at risk girls’ notions of patriarchal dating roles, which were predicated upon ideas of physical attractiveness and “datability,” drove much of their perspectives about gender. This study reveals girls’ strong desire to conform and adhere to dating roles with boys despite their depiction of relationships as tumultuous, necessary, exciting, and inevitably painful. Implications for educators pertain to the importance of …

Figure-Ground Organization Emerges In A Deep Net With A Feedback Loop, Karl Zipser

MODVIS Workshop

We used a deep net to model how object-specific activation at the high levels of a hierarchical neural network could be fed back to modify representations at lower levels. We first identified a subset of nodes in the uppermost hidden layer that were preferentially activated by images of people. We then ran a procedure to recursively modify an image so as to increase activation of the 'person-selective' nodes. The image was modified by choosing a rectangular region (of random size and position) and reducing contrast in that region. The modification was kept if the activation of the 'person-selective’ nodes became …

Identifying A New Gene Required For Microrna-Mediated Gene Silencing In Drosophila Melanogaster, Michael W. Morin, Sean Bowden, Catherine Reinke

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

Mature microRNAs (miRNA) are ~22 nucleotide long single-stranded ribonucleic acids essential for gene silencing. Silencing occurs when miRNAs are processed via endonucleolytic cleavage and subsequently associate with the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC). miRISC binds via complementary base pairing to target mRNAs, and target mRNAs are silenced by either mRNA degradation, translational block, or both. Knowledge of all genes required for silencing is incomplete.

We aim to determine the molecular mechanism of silencing by identifying and characterizing genes required for silencing. A forward genetic screen was performed using EMS mutagenesis of Drosophila melanogaster to generate mutant lines with disrupted gene silencing …

The Effects Of Bace And Its Targets On Age-Related Seizures In Drosophila, Trey Anthony Chiu, Dana Gibbon

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

The presence of Beta-Amyloid (Aβ) containing plaques in the brain is one of the histological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease. β-secretase (BACE) is the enzyme responsible for producing this Aβ cleavage product and has also been shown to affect myelination and general neuronal activity. Observations from geriatric medicine suggest that there may be an increase in seizure activity associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Preliminary data suggests that both over- and under-expression of BACE contributes to mechanically stimulated seizures in Drosophila. In vertebrates, seizure activity has been correlated with many factors including Neuregulin production and Na+ Pump activity. Both of these proteins …

A Molecular Probe Finds Evidence Of Nix Pathogen In Pacific Razor Clams (Siliqua Patula) In Oregon, Mitchell Vandenberg, Andrew Carlston

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

The Pacific razor clam, Siliqua patula, is an important recreational fishery species that lives in the intertidal zone of sandy beaches from Alaska to central California. Populations have had periodic, but significant, declines over the past 30-40 years. These declines have correlated with an increase in the presences of an unidentified, intranuclear bacterial parasite known as Nuclear Inclusion X (NIX). NIX, which was first identified in 1986, has generally been screened using a histological approach. We developed a PCR-based screen to reduce both the time and cost of identifying infected clams. Use of this screen resulted in amplified sequences …

How Changes In Plant Community Structure Affect Terrestrial Invertebrate Food Webs, Chad Tillberg, Dillon Alegre, Henry Simons, Casey Thein

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

We investigated how change in plant community composition and vegetative structure brought about by annual grass-specific herbicide application affects terrestrial arthropod communities, with special emphasis on the potential mutualists and predators of the endangered Fender’s blue butterfly, Plebejus icarioides fender (Family: Lycaenidae). Larvae of this species form facultative protective mutualisms with ants, and they may be preyed upon by numerous invertebrate predators. We used pitfall trapping to compare terrestrial invertebrate community structure between control and herbicide-treated plots through time. The extent to which major changes in plant community composition affect the rest of the invertebrate community may have relevance for …

Performing Gender: A Study Of Gender Fluidity, Nicholas Jkmk Coney

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

The subjective quality of identity and the relativistic nature of gender are subjects that continue to bemuse and attract social scientists. In this study I examine gender fluidity – an inconsistent gender identity – within the framework of Western ontology. By analyzing narratives, I note that my informants recognize this gender identity as fluctuating feelings (which I call the feelings of gender) that influence how they perceive and interact with their bodies. Furthermore, I examine other important elements that may have influenced my informants' understanding of their gender identities and bodies: upbringing, previous relationships and interactions, communities, and language.

The Gendered Image : An Art And Literature Based Curriculum For High School Audiences, Emily Erwin-Mcguire

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This curriculum uses images, artwork, literature and media to facilitate conversations to build knowledge and understanding about feminism and self-identity. It is designed to be used by educators of high school students in school, museum or after school settings.

An Exploration Into The Gender-Based Achievement Gap In Literacy: Deficiency, Difference, And Teacher, Researcher And Measurement Bias, Theresa Orlandi

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper provides a review of the research pertaining to various explanations and causes for boys' underachievement in literacy.

Quality Of Early Childhood Development Services Across Contexts : Experience With The Sithuthukile Trust, South Africa, Rachel Warren

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this paper is to understand how the quality of early childhood development (ECD) programs is determined within two different contexts: western and South African.

Romps, Riots, And Revels In The Land Of Make-Believe : Imaginative Play As A Prerequisite For Social And Emotional Development In Early Childhood Through Adolescence, Shoshana Balk

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper explores the impact of imaginative play on child development, as well as its educational benefits when incorporated into the learning environment.

Climate-Driven Change In Himalayan Rhododendron Phenology, Robert Evan Hart

Dissertations

Phenology – the seasonal timing of life-history events – is a critical dimension of natural history. It is also one of the earliest and most noticeable traits by which organisms respond to climate change. However, these responses are complex, and only beginning to be understood, especially in the montane and alpine environments that are among the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate change. Drawing from diverse data sets and employing multiple methodologies, I examined how climate affects phenology in Himalayan Rhododendron spp. Comprehensively monitoring flowering phenology over gradients of season and elevation on Mt. Yulong, China – home to a diverse …

2015 Commencement Program, Whittier College

Commencement Programs

Whittier College's One Hundred Twelfth Commencement, May 15, 2015

Commencement Address: Eric M. Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles

Genomic And Experimental Evidence For Multiple Metabolic Functions In The Rida/Yjgf/Yer057c/Uk114 (Rid) Protein Family, Thomas D. Niehaus, Svetlana Gerdes, Kelsey Hodge-Hanson, Aleksey Zhukov, Arthur J L Cooper, Mona Elbadawi-Sidhu

NYMC Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: It is now recognized that enzymatic or chemical side-reactions can convert normal metabolites to useless or toxic ones and that a suite of enzymes exists to mitigate such metabolite damage. Examples are the reactive imine/enamine intermediates produced by threonine dehydratase, which damage the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate cofactor of various enzymes causing inactivation. This damage is pre-empted by RidA proteins, which hydrolyze the imines before they do harm. RidA proteins belong to the YjgF/YER057c/UK114 family (here renamed the Rid family). Most other members of this diverse and ubiquitous family lack defined functions.

RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis divided the Rid family into a …

170th University Of Notre Dame Commencement Program, University Of Notre Dame

Commencement Programs

170th University of Notre Dame Commencement Program

Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 And The Young Adult, S. K. Reid

Graduate Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Supporting The Threads Of The Family Tapestry : The Role Of Child Life In Adoption, Rachel N. Werner

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Explores the developmental, cultural and health related impacts of adoption along with effects of early adversity. The goal of this paper is to utilize existing research on adoption to argue the necessity for a child life specialist in the life of an adopted child and their family.

A Study Whether Humans Can Produce Free Fatty Acids For Tasting, Emily Bacher

Student Scholarship

A growing concern throughout the world, especially the United States, is the health of our population. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) performed in 2009-2010, approximately 35% of both men and women in the United States are obese (Flegal, 2012). In 2005, more than 300,000 deaths in the United States were attributed to obesity. However, the World Health Organization listed obesity as one of ten most preventable health risks (Wilborn, 2005).
Why, then, do we as a society struggle so much with our weight? Some, such as Swinburn, believe this trend of obesity can be attributed …

Environmental Stimuli And Intragenerational Epigenetics, Nicholas J. Napier

Student Scholarship

Epigenetics is the study of any change in gene expression that is not mediated by DNA sequence. The effects of environmental stimuli on epigenetic changes have been studied extensively in recent years. Multiple reviews have provided comprehensive summations of the effects of environmental stimuli on transgenerational epigenetic changes, but few reviews have focused upon environment-induced intragenerational epigenetic changes. This review will summarize current knowledge of the intragenerational epigenetic changes that are induced by two groups of well-studied environmental stimuli: nutritional deficiencies and carcinogens. This survey of intragenerational epigenetic changes will focus upon the mechanisms behind them, the disorders associated with …

Cindy Hanson, Phd Student Received An Education Scholarship From Spie | Biological Engineering | Biological Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Cindy Hanson PhD Student has been awarded an SPIE Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship

BELLINGHAM, Washington, USA – 15 May 2015 – Cindy Hanson has been awarded a 2015 Optics and Photonics Education Scholarship by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics for her potential contributions to the field of optics, photonics or related field.

Pqqd Is A Novel Peptide Chaperone That Forms A Ternary Complex With The Radical S-Adenosylmethionine Protein Pqqe In The Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Biosynthetic Pathway, John A. Latham, Anthony T. Iavarone, Ian Barr, Prerak V. Juthani, Judith P. Klinman

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a product of a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified pathway consisting of five conserved genes, pqqA-E. PqqE is a radical S-adenosylmethionine (RS) protein with a C-terminal SPASM domain, and is proposed to catalyze the formation of a carbon-carbon bond between the glutamate and tyrosine side chains of the peptide substrate PqqA. PqqD is a 10-kDa protein with an unknown function, but is essential for PQQ production. Recently, in Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp), PqqD and PqqE were shown to interact; however, the stoichiometry and KD were not obtained. Here, we show that the PqqE and PqqD interaction transcends …

Saponin-Permeabilization Is Not A Viable Alternative To Isolated Mitochondria For Assessing Oxidative Metabolism In Hibernation, Katherine E. Mathers, James F. Staples

Biology Publications

Saponin permeabilization of tissue slices is increasingly popular for characterizing mitochondrial function largely because it is fast, easy, requires little tissue and leaves much of the cell intact. This technique is well described for mammalian muscle and brain, but not for liver. We sought to evaluate how saponin permeabilization reflects aspects of liver energy metabolism typically assessed in isolated mitochondria. We studied the ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Mitchell), a hibernating mammal that shows profound and acute whole-animal metabolic suppression in the transition from winter euthermia to torpor. This reversible metabolic suppression is also reflected in the metabolism of isolated liver …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 37, No. 2, Spring 2015, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of Regiospecifically Fluorinated Conjugated Dienamides, Mohammad Chowdhury, Samir K. Mandal, Shaibal Banerjee, Barbara Zajc

Publications and Research

Modular synthesis of regiospecifically fluorinated 2,4-diene Weinreb amides, with defined stereochemistry at both double bonds, was achieved via two sequential Julia-Kocienski olefinations. In the first step, a Z-α-fluorovinyl Weinreb amide unit with a benzothiazolylsulfanyl substituent at the allylic position was assembled. This was achieved via condensation of two primary building blocks, namely 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylsulfonyl)-2-fluoro-N-methoxy-N-methylacetamide (a Julia-Kocienski olefination reagent) and 2-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylthio)acetaldehyde (a bifunctional building block). This condensation was highly Z-selective and proceeded in a good 76% yield. Oxidation of benzothiazolylsulfanyl moiety furnished a second-generation Julia-Kocienski olefination reagent, which was used for the introduction of the second olefinic linkage via DBU-mediated condensations with …

Video: Board Certification: Reaching The Pinnacle Of Practice, Steven S. Farbman, Donna Litman, Sheryl A. Moore, Todd A. Weicholz, William A. Snyder

NSU Law Seminar Series

Course Outline & Timeline

Registration & Continental Breakfast:

7:30 to 7:55 am

Atrium & Lecture Room

Welcome & Introduction:

7:55 to 8:00 am

Elena Rose Minicucci, J.D., Director of Alumni Relations, NSU Shepard Broad Law Center 

• Welcome
• Introduce Professor Donna Carol Litman, and attorneys Sheryl Moore, Steven Farbman, Todd Weicholz, and William Snyder, LL.M.

Seminar Presentation

8:00 am to 9:15 am

Professor Donna Carol Litman - Moderator

Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Florida Bar Board Certified in Tax Law

Professor Litman will lead the discussion among the other Board Certified attorneys listed above.

The …