Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2015

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 21091 - 21120 of 27528

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Understanding The Determinants For Substrate Recognition, Regulation Of Enzymatic Activity And The Development Of Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors Of Coronavirus 3-Chymotrypsin-Like Proteases, Sakshi Tomar Jan 2015

Understanding The Determinants For Substrate Recognition, Regulation Of Enzymatic Activity And The Development Of Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors Of Coronavirus 3-Chymotrypsin-Like Proteases, Sakshi Tomar

Open Access Dissertations

Coronaviruses include lethal human pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the recently emerged Middle-east respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Coronavirus also impact global economy by infecting farm animals like pigs (porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, PEDV), cows (bovine coronavirus, BCoV) and poultry (avian infectious bronchitis virus, IBV). Moreover, the global distribution of bats that naturally harbor one or more coronavirus strains heightens the likelihood of emergence of a novel highly pathogenic coronavirus in the near future. To combat infections of existing and emerging coronaviruses, it is important to identify coronavirus drug targets that can be utilized for the development of …

Go to article

Native Chromatin Extraction And Its Structure Analysis, Zhongwu Zhou Jan 2015

Native Chromatin Extraction And Its Structure Analysis, Zhongwu Zhou

Open Access Dissertations

Structure determines function. Properly ordered chromatin organization is fundamental for accurate regulation of gene expression inside eukaryotes. A native chromatin extraction method is developed based on solid phase reversible immobilization (SPRI) using magnetic nanoparticles as carriers. This method provides a quick, simple, inexpensive and an environmental-friendly means of chromatin extraction, and preserves the native structure of chromatin. The purified chromatin consists of DNA, histones, chromatin associated RNAs (CARs) and other non-histone proteins. Using the purified chromatin as a source, we developed a biotin-streptavidin mediated enzyme-based immunosorbent assay for simultaneous detection of epigenetic modifications on DNA and histone proteins. In order …

Go to article

Characterization Of Mitotic Regulators Acm1 And Cdc14, Michael Melesse Jan 2015

Characterization Of Mitotic Regulators Acm1 And Cdc14, Michael Melesse

Open Access Dissertations

Mitotic exit and cytokinesis are driven by a complex set of processes that serve to

Go to article

Effects Of High-Protein And High-Fiber Breakfasts On Preschoolers' Feelings Of Fullness, Diet Quality And Memory, Mary Catherine Brauchla Jan 2015

Effects Of High-Protein And High-Fiber Breakfasts On Preschoolers' Feelings Of Fullness, Diet Quality And Memory, Mary Catherine Brauchla

Open Access Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Go to article

Advancement Of 31p Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Grappa Reconstruction On A 3d Volume, Tony Clevenger Jan 2015

Advancement Of 31p Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Using Grappa Reconstruction On A 3d Volume, Tony Clevenger

Open Access Dissertations

The overall objective of this research is to improve currently available metabolic imaging techniques for clinical use in monitoring and predicting treatment response to radiation therapy in liver cancer. Liver metabolism correlates with inflammatory and neoplastic liver diseases, which alter the intracellular concentration of phosphorus- 31 (31P) metabolites [1]. It is assumed that such metabolic changes occur prior to physical changes of the tissue. Therefore, information on regional changes of 31P metabolites in the liver, obtained by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging (MRSI) [1,2], can help in diagnosis and follow-up of various liver diseases. Specifically, there appears to be an immediate …

Go to article

Design And Characterization Of Biomimetic Adhesive Materials, Mary Jane Brennan Jan 2015

Design And Characterization Of Biomimetic Adhesive Materials, Mary Jane Brennan

Open Access Dissertations

When we engineer new materials, nature provides us with a wealth of inspiration, often in the form of proteins. The blue mussel Mytilus edulis and sandcastle worm Phragmatopoma californica produce adhesive proteins that help them to adhere in wet, turbulent environments. The frog Notaden bennetti secretes a sticky, proteinaceous emulsion that helps it defend against predators; the velvet worm bombards a similar protein onto its prey to prevent its escape. Mammals and insects produce remarkably elastic proteins to support highly repetitive motions. This work describes the design, production, and characterization of several biomimetic materials inspired by natural adhesive proteins.

Go to article

Synthesis, Characterization, And Kinetic Evaluation Of Planar And Supported Heterogeneous Catalysts, Michael D. Detwiler Jan 2015

Synthesis, Characterization, And Kinetic Evaluation Of Planar And Supported Heterogeneous Catalysts, Michael D. Detwiler

Open Access Dissertations

An integrated approach for biomass upgrading to fuels requires catalyst synthesis, characterization, and kinetic evaluation. The work was divided in three areas, 1-preparation and characterization of model catalysts containing metal oxide overcoats and metal nanoparticles synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a gas-phase material deposition technique, 2-the study of structure sensitivity for formic acid decomposition on planar Pt catalysts, and 3-characterization of bimetallic Pt-M (M = Re, Mo) catalysts using surface sensitive techniques and theory.

Go to article

Modelling And Measurement Of The Response Of A Beam Interacting With A Polyurethane Foam Foundation, Udbhau I. Bhattiprolu Jan 2015

Modelling And Measurement Of The Response Of A Beam Interacting With A Polyurethane Foam Foundation, Udbhau I. Bhattiprolu

Open Access Dissertations

Buildings, railway tracks, drill strings and off-shore pipelines are all modeled as structures on elastic foundations in order to study their response behavior under different conditions. Flexible polyurethane foams used for cushioning in the furniture and automotive industries also serve as foundations, but they exhibit even more complex nonlinear and viscoelastic behavior. It is challenging to develop models that can be used to predict the behavior of these material-structural systems over a wide range of loading conditions. The solution techniques are also computationally expensive, making it difficult to use the models to do iterative design of these types of systems. …

Go to article

Homecoming Festivals: The Re-Accentuated Image Of Don Quixote In Western Novel, Tatevik Gyulamiryan Jan 2015

Homecoming Festivals: The Re-Accentuated Image Of Don Quixote In Western Novel, Tatevik Gyulamiryan

Open Access Dissertations

The publication of Don Quixote (1605, 1615) impacted significantly the dynamics of Western literature. The renowned novel, which builds upon a considerable number of characters and episodes, is considered one of the most read and most analyzed pieces of literature in the world. This novel opens a wide platform for socio-political criticism, religious and cultural discussions, and literary analyses. For these reasons, critics read and study, and writers mention and imitate Cervantes’ novel up until today. A multitude of significant novels written by a variety of eminent authors share characteristics with Don Quixote, and thus become “quixotic.”

Go to article

Stress Granules Modulate Syk To Cause Microglial Dysfunction In Alzheimer’S Disease, Soumitra Ghosh Jan 2015

Stress Granules Modulate Syk To Cause Microglial Dysfunction In Alzheimer’S Disease, Soumitra Ghosh

Open Access Dissertations

Microglial cells in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients are recruited to amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and exhibit an activated phenotype, but are defective for plaque removal by phagocytosis. To explore the molecular basis for these phenomena, I hypothesized that defects in the functions of the protein-tyrosine kinase SYK, which is important both for macrophage activation and phagocytosis, might underlie much of this pathology. Recent evidence from our lab indicates that SYK can associate with stress granules, ribonucleoprotein particles that form in stressed cells and contain inactive translation initiation complexes. I found that microglial cell lines and primary mouse brain microglia, …

Go to article

The Determination Of The Half-Life Of Si-32 And Time Varying Nuclear Decay, Jordan Heim Jan 2015

The Determination Of The Half-Life Of Si-32 And Time Varying Nuclear Decay, Jordan Heim

Open Access Dissertations

The aim of this work is to make an accurate determination of the half-life of $^{32}$Si as well as to investigate reported variations in nuclear decay rates. Primarily, we focus on a previous experiment at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) \cite{BNL}, which measured the ratio of interwoven $^{32}$Si and $^{36}$Cl decays over a 4 yr period and reported unexplained annual periodicities. Utilizing the very same sources and shuffling apparatus, we have observed the decay of $^{32}$Si and $^{36}$Cl for more than 6,000 hours each, over the last $\sim 2$ yr, while recording $\sim 5\times 10^6$ individual environmental readings. The half-life of …

Go to article

Multi-Scale Modeling Of High-Shear Granulation, Daniel A. Pohlman Jan 2015

Multi-Scale Modeling Of High-Shear Granulation, Daniel A. Pohlman

Open Access Dissertations

High shear wet granulation is a particle design process used to increase the size of a primary powder material through the addition of liquid binder. This thesis focuses on the multi-scale nature of high-shear granulation in order to understand behavior changes due to coupled consolidation and coalescence as well as operational changes that occur during the scale up of horizontal ploughshare mixer granulators. The methodology relied on a micro-scale model for coalescence, a meso-scale model to describe flow within the granulator and a macro-scale population balance to describe the whole system.

Go to article

The Experience Of Men After Miscarriage, Stephanie Dianne Rose Jan 2015

The Experience Of Men After Miscarriage, Stephanie Dianne Rose

Open Access Dissertations

Miscarriage is a relatively common event that occurs in approximately 15 to 20 percent of identified pregnancies (Maker & Ogden, 2003). Men and women often view miscarriage as a real and meaningful loss (Johnson & Puddifoot, 1996; McCreight, 2004). The vast majority of research focused on the experience of miscarriage has emphasized the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of women (Conway & Russell, 2000; McCreight, 2004). However, minimal research exists focused on men’s experience after miscarriage (Rinehart & Kiselica, 2010). The present phenomenological study examined the experience of men after miscarriage including aspects such as responses (e.g., emotions and behaviors), coping, …

Go to article

Dietary And Exercise Effects On Neural Responses To Visual Food Stimuli In Overweight And Obese Adults, Richard Sayer Jan 2015

Dietary And Exercise Effects On Neural Responses To Visual Food Stimuli In Overweight And Obese Adults, Richard Sayer

Open Access Dissertations

Results from human neuroimaging studies consistently demonstrate that obesity is associated with altered neural reward processing of food-relevant cues. These observations have caused some investigators to question whether behavioral interventions such as dietary manipulations or physical activity might modulate processing of food cues in reward-related brain regions. The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure neural responses to visual food stimuli is a commonly utilized paradigm for assessing neural reward responses relating to ingestive behavior of foods in humans. Using this study design, limited evidence suggests that increases in dietary protein and participation in acute and chronic aerobic …

Go to article

Scaffolding Early Engineers' Design Learning With A Videogame: Investigating The Influence Of Minecraft As A Platform For Design Ideation, Corey Schimpf Jan 2015

Scaffolding Early Engineers' Design Learning With A Videogame: Investigating The Influence Of Minecraft As A Platform For Design Ideation, Corey Schimpf

Open Access Dissertations

In this manuscript a modified commercial game, Minecraft, was used to assist early engineering students' learning the design process. More specifically, a designed-based research approach was employed utilizing a concurrent mixed methods to investigate the use of Minecraft for learning about the concept generation stage of design. Survey instruments measuring understanding of the design process, in-depth interviews on students’ interactions with the platform and iterations of students’ virtual artifacts were captured for analysis. Although no learning gains were detected from pre to post instrument, several analytical methods including visual content analysis of students’ artifacts, discourse analysis of students’ framing of …

Go to article

Scaling Up Network Analysis And Mining: Statistical Sampling, Estimation, And Pattern Discovery, Nesreen Kamel Ahmed Jan 2015

Scaling Up Network Analysis And Mining: Statistical Sampling, Estimation, And Pattern Discovery, Nesreen Kamel Ahmed

Open Access Dissertations

Network analysis and graph mining play a prominent role in providing insights and studying phenomena across various domains, including social, behavioral, biological, transportation, communication, and financial domains. Across all these domains, networks arise as a natural and rich representation for data. Studying these real-world networks is crucial for solving numerous problems that lead to high-impact applications. For example, identifying the behavior and interests of users in online social networks (e.g., viral marketing), monitoring and detecting virus outbreaks in human contact networks, predicting protein functions in biological networks, and detecting anomalous behavior in computer networks. A key characteristic of these networks …

Go to article

A Comparison Of First-Semester Organic Chemistry Students’ Experiences And Mastery Of Curved-Arrow Formalism In Face-To-Face And Cyber Peer-Led Team Learning, Sarah Beth Wilson Jan 2015

A Comparison Of First-Semester Organic Chemistry Students’ Experiences And Mastery Of Curved-Arrow Formalism In Face-To-Face And Cyber Peer-Led Team Learning, Sarah Beth Wilson

Open Access Dissertations

The cyber Peer-Led Team Learning (cPLTL) workshops are a synchronous online adaptation of the educational intervention PLTL, in which students, under the guidance of undergraduate peer facilitators, collaboratively solve problems in small groups. The purpose of this parallel convergent mixed methods study was to assess the impact of implementing cPLTL in an organic chemistry course on students’ workshop experiences, performance, and development of curved arrow formalism skills. Statistical analyses revealed comparable attendance rates, distribution of course grades, and achievement on American Chemical Society First-semester Organic Chemistry Exams. However, plotting workshop grades by AB, C, and DFW grade groupings revealed that …

Go to article

Probing Cellular Mechano-Sensitivity Using Biomembrane-Mimicking Cell Substrates Of Adjustable Stiffness, Yu-Hung Lin Jan 2015

Probing Cellular Mechano-Sensitivity Using Biomembrane-Mimicking Cell Substrates Of Adjustable Stiffness, Yu-Hung Lin

Open Access Dissertations

It is increasingly recognized that mechanical properties of substrates play a pivotal role in the regulation of cellular fate and function. However, the underlying mechanisms of cellular mechanosensing still remain a topic of open debate. Traditionally, advancements in this field have been made using polymeric substrates of adjustable stiffness with immobilized linkers. While such substrates are well suited to examine cell adhesion and migration in an extracellular matrix environment, they are limited in their ability to replicate the rich dynamics found at cell-cell interfaces. To address this challenge, we recently introduced a linker-functionalized polymer-tethered multi-bilayer stack, in which substrate stiffness …

Go to article

Probing The Mechanism Of Oxalate Decarboxylase, Wen Zhu Jan 2015

Probing The Mechanism Of Oxalate Decarboxylase, Wen Zhu

Open Access Dissertations

Oxalate decarboxylase (EC 4. 1. 1. 2 OxDC) from Bacillus subtilis is a manganese-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of the chemically inactive C-C bond in oxalate to yield formate and carbon dioxide. A mechanism involving Mn(III) has been proposed for OxDC, however no clear spectroscopic evidence to support this mechanism has yet been obtained. In addition, a recent study has shown that N-terminal metal binding site loop variants of OxDC were able to catalyze the oxidation of oxalate to yield hydrogen peroxide and carbon dioxide, which makes OxDc function as another oxalate degradation protein in the cupin superfamily, oxalate …

Go to article

Thiol-Disulfide Exchange In Human Growth Hormone, Saradha Chandrasekhar Jan 2015

Thiol-Disulfide Exchange In Human Growth Hormone, Saradha Chandrasekhar

Open Access Dissertations

The biopharmaceutical industry has been growing at a tremendous rate, with sales of $63.6 billion 2012 in the US [1]. Nevertheless, the successful development of many protein drugs has been impeded by physical and chemical instabilities arising from their inherent chemical complexity and often leading to protein aggregation. The formation of non-native disulfide bonds is a common route to covalent aggregation of therapeutic proteins and other biologics [2, 3]. Disulfide bonds participate in hydrolytic and oxidative degradation reactions that form non-native disulfide bonds and other reactive species. The mechanisms responsible for protein aggregation are poorly understood and formulations are currently …

Go to article

Race. Nation. Zombie: Imperial Masculinities Gazing At The Undead, Adryan Glasgow Jan 2015

Race. Nation. Zombie: Imperial Masculinities Gazing At The Undead, Adryan Glasgow

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation argues that zombie narratives have always been about white masculinity and that colonialism is the true living dead monster. The zombie is not the load-bearing signifier in these stories. It is the white men who act as representatives of empire that embody tropes and evolve. This dissertation examines the survivor masculinity in zombie films over time to see how hegemonic masculinity has adapted to a range of national crises. I argue that the failure of white masculinities in these films and novel is rooted in the limited ways of knowing inherent in the Imperial Gaze. Starting in the …

Go to article

Climate Change Impacts On The Soil Erosion And Nutrient Losses In The Great Lakes Region, Wang Lili Jan 2015

Climate Change Impacts On The Soil Erosion And Nutrient Losses In The Great Lakes Region, Wang Lili

Open Access Dissertations

Pollutants from non-point sources (NPS) have become the primary reason for water quality degradation in the Great Lakes region after great progress has been made in reducing point source pollution through the enforcement of total maximum daily loads (TMDL). Climate change may impact NPS pollutant transportation processes through influencing runoff

Go to article

Tick-Flavivirus Interactions: Discovery Of Host Proteins That Are Affected In Virus Infection, Jeffrey Michael Grabowski Jan 2015

Tick-Flavivirus Interactions: Discovery Of Host Proteins That Are Affected In Virus Infection, Jeffrey Michael Grabowski

Open Access Dissertations

Grabowski, Jeffrey M. Ph.D., Purdue University, August 2015. Tick-Flavivirus Interactions: Discovery of Host Proteins That Are Affected in Virus Infection. Major Professors: Catherine A. Hill and Richard J. Kuhn.

Go to article

Synthesis, Characterization, In Vitro Evalution, And Preclinical Profiling Of Β-Cyclodextrin Polyrotaxane Families For Use As Potential Niemann-Pick Type C Therapeutics, Christopher James Collins Jan 2015

Synthesis, Characterization, In Vitro Evalution, And Preclinical Profiling Of Β-Cyclodextrin Polyrotaxane Families For Use As Potential Niemann-Pick Type C Therapeutics, Christopher James Collins

Open Access Dissertations

Niemann-Pick Disease Type C (NPC) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic disorder featuring a loss of proteins responsible for unesterified cholesterol (UC) trafficking through the late endosomes/lysosomes (LE/LY) of every cell of the body. Disruption of this pathway leads to abnormal accumulation and storage of UC and other lipids. A broad range of visceral and neurological symptoms result from this accumulation exhibiting a variable age of onset and a disease progression that is ultimately fatal. The disease has an incidence of approximately 1 in 120,000 live births and has no known effective treatment.

Go to article

Habit Formation In A Rodent Model Of Alcoholism: Genetic Susceptibility, Alcohol-Specific Effects, And Pharmacological Manipulation, David Scott O'Tousa Jan 2015

Habit Formation In A Rodent Model Of Alcoholism: Genetic Susceptibility, Alcohol-Specific Effects, And Pharmacological Manipulation, David Scott O'Tousa

Open Access Dissertations

Habit formation is a well-characterized process involving a shift from response-outcome as the leading driving force underlying action to a stimulus-response mechanistic process. It is hypothesized that a transition from goal-directed behavior to habitual behavior is driven by a transition of the bulk of cognitive load from neocortical toward lower neurological mechanisms. While many neurotransmitter systems have a demonstrated involvement in this process, the dopamine system is particularly implicated. Habit formation is assessed through the maintenance of extinction responding for an undesired, or devalued, outcome.

Go to article

Microbial Controls On The Environmental Fate Of Carbon Nanomaterials, Timothy Dale Berry Jan 2015

Microbial Controls On The Environmental Fate Of Carbon Nanomaterials, Timothy Dale Berry

Open Access Dissertations

Since the synthesis of the first carbon nanomaterials (CNM) 30 years ago, researchers and manufacturers have recognized the potential of these materials to transform the world. The unique physical properties and incredible resilience of these materials gives them countless applications and has led to significant increases in their production over the last decade. However, despite their growing prevalence, the properties and processes controlling the degradation of CNM in the environment remain poorly understood. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of environmental microorganisms in degrading CNM and to elucidate which CNM properties and environmental processes represent …

Go to article

Impacts Of Land-Atmosphere Interactions On Regional Convection And Rainfall, Yue Zheng Jan 2015

Impacts Of Land-Atmosphere Interactions On Regional Convection And Rainfall, Yue Zheng

Open Access Dissertations

High resolution (1-10 km) numerical weather prediction (NWP) models face major challenges trying to improve representation of moist processes. In particular, simulating the interaction between the land surface and regional convection and rainfall is a source of uncertainties and presents three main barriers: (i) NWP models generally have simple land surface schemes, (ii) land-atmosphere coupling is not properly represented in models, and (iii) many assumptions made in deriving the theory of convective parameterizations are no longer valid at “gray scales” (e.g., 1-10 km). In this dissertation, interactions between land-surface heterogeneities, land-atmosphere coupling, and moist convection and related mesoscale circulations were …

Go to article

Cultural Considerations In Forensic Science In The United States, Suzanna K. Taylor, Wayne P. Bergeron Jan 2015

Cultural Considerations In Forensic Science In The United States, Suzanna K. Taylor, Wayne P. Bergeron

Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy

Does the cultural context of any criminal justice element, ranging from the crime victim to the forensic science expert, have any impact on the pursuit of justice? Is forensic science completely free of cultural adulteration? Two dimensions of the cultural consideration variable this paper focuses on are (1), what areas of forensic analysis need to be considered to prevent, or at least, diminish cultural offenses in processing crime scenes and forensic evidence, and (2) the need of forensic science professionals and organizations to adopt a consistent scientific culture in processing and analyzing evidence (particularly in DNA analysis). While many empirical …

Go to article

First Graders As Sensitive Social Partners And Skilled Readers, Zaira R. Arvelo Alicea Jan 2015

First Graders As Sensitive Social Partners And Skilled Readers, Zaira R. Arvelo Alicea

Open Access Dissertations

This mixed methods dissertation is guided by a sociocultural framework and a pragmatist stance to contribute to early literacy scholarship about minority children. In particular, I explore the relationship between low socioeconomic status Puerto Rican children’s reading experience and their social cognition by: (1) assessing them through quantitative and qualitative measures that reveal their capacities in these areas at the end of their first grade year, and (2) documenting their reading experiences at home and at school through ethnographic qualitative methods. The analyses revealed significant positive correlations between the tests of reading and social understanding, a scarcity of conventional reading …

Go to article

Creation And Validation Of The Critical Thinking About Sustainability Scale, Vivian Gregory Alexander Jan 2015

Creation And Validation Of The Critical Thinking About Sustainability Scale, Vivian Gregory Alexander

Open Access Dissertations

Alexander, Vivian G. Ph.D., Purdue University, December 2015. Creation and Validation of the Critical Thinking about Sustainability Scale. Major Professor: Yukiko Maeda.

Go to article

First Prev Next Last