Digital Commons Network^™

A Feasibility Analysis For The Development Of A Facility Utilizing Olive Oil Mill Production Waste As A Carbon Substrate In Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production In Morocco, Catherine Hansen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a market study and economic feasibility analysis on developing a facility utilizing olive oil production waste as a carbon substrate in polyhydroxyalkanoate production. Three underlying questions will be explored within this thesis: (1) Can olive oil mill effluents be utilized to produce an environmentally friendly polyhydroxyalkanoate bio-plastic?;, (2) Is there potential for the bio-plastic polyhydroxyalkanoate to enter Morocco's plastic market?;, (3) Is it likely that a bio-plastic facility utilizing olive oil mill production waste to create polyhydroxyalkanoate would have long term profitability? This research provides a pathway toward a new solution to a pervasive environmental concern facing …

Discovery Of A Novel Oocyte-Specific Krab-Containing Zinc Finger Protein Required For Early Embryogenesis In Cattle, Jacqelyn M. Hand

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much of the loss of potential offspring in cattle is concentrated in the early embryonic period. Maternal mRNAs that accumulate in the oocyte during oogenesis have important functional roles during the initial stages of embryonic development, before embryonic genome activation. It is well regarded that the oocyte plays an active role in regulation of key aspects of the reproductive process required for fertility. What is more, oocyte-specific transcription factors seem to be the controlling feature influencing germ cell success throughout oogenesis, fertilization, and early embryonic development. Of the remarkably diverse array of transcription factors encoded by mammalian genomes, about two-thirds …

Does This Have Gluten? Comparison Of Gluten-Free And Unrestricted Diets In Intestinal Bacterial Populations And Diversity, Bradshaw Hammond

Honors Theses

As different diets continue to grow in popularity within the United States, the effect of these diets upon bacteria in the intestines is only beginning to be understood. This study focused on the effect that a shift to a gluten-free diet has on the human gut microbiome. Three genetically close subjects were selected for observation over a six month time period. One subject observed a consistent gluten-free diet. A second subject started on an unrestrictive diet, switched to a gluten-free diet for three months, then returned to an unrestricted diet for an additional three months. The third subject left an …

A Study Of The Impact Of Ph On The Structure And Stability Of Epithelial Cadherin, Catherine Abadie

Honors Theses

Epithelial (E-) cadherin is a transmembrane protein whose function lies in cell-to-cell adhesion. It is a transmembrane component of adherens junctions of epithelial tissues, thereby connecting the actin cytoskeletons of adhered cells. It has five extracellular domains, a small transmembrane portion, and a cytoplasmic tail. The molecule must bind calcium in order to form an adhesive dimer with a cadherin molecule emanating from an adjacent cell. Cancer of the epithelial tissue, carcinoma, is accompanied by acidification of the tissue and a loss in cell adhesion. The long-term goal of this project is to determine the effect of a decrease in …

How Police Brutality Harms Mothers: Linking Police Violence To The Reproductive Justice Movement, Arneta Rogers

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

The recent and highly publicized killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old African American and the subsequent grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri police officer who killed him, evoked mass social protest, and highly emotional and politically charged social commentary on the racialized effects of police brutality. While the crisis of systemic police violence has historically centered on the harm inflicted on victims of police brutality and, more generally, on the communities where they are from, an agitated group of feminist scholars and reproductive justice advocates have offered a more nuanced appraisal of the harm …

Exonerated, But Not Free: The Prolonged Struggle For A Second Chance At A Stolen Life, Newton N. Knowles

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

It is impossible to imagine being accused of a crime you did not commit. Worse, it is even harder to imagine a jury sentencing you to death or to life in prison when you know you are innocent. Since the rise of DNA evidence, the criminal justice system has been stunned by the newly exposed cases of wrongful conviction. Sadly, in most cases innocent exonerees are released with nothing more than an apology, if even that. Postexoneration compensation varies drastically among the several states and reentry resources are even more scarce or unavailable. Each compensation scheme on its own, however, …

Perceptions Of Race And Privilege: An Examination Of Intercultural Competence And Service-Learning In The Mississippi Delta, Laura Antonow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods constructivist case study was to examine how college students process issues of race and privilege when participating in service-learning in a predominantly minority, underserved region, and if that experience impacts their intercultural competence. The participants were University of Mississippi students (N=20) conducting service in the Mississippi Delta. The qualitative research included pre-service focus groups and post-service in-depth interviews, and syllabi and class written reflections were analyzed. The quantitative research included pre- and post-tests using the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS) that assessed participants’ awareness of and attitudes about racial inequities and privilege before and …

The Spectroscopic Characterization Of Newly Developed Emissive Materials And The Effects Of Environment On Their Photophysical Properties, Louis Edward Mcnamara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of new materials capable of efficient charge transfer and energy storage has become increasingly important in many areas of modern chemical research. This is especially true for the development of emissive optoelectronic devices and in the field of solar to electric energy conversion. The characterization of the photophysical properties of new molecular systems for these applications has become critical in the design and development of these materials. Many molecular building blocks have been developed and understanding the properties of these molecules at a fundamental level is essential for their successful implementation and future engineering. This dissertation focuses on …

Variation In Microbiome Composition And Stability For A Vancomycin Treated Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Patient With Ulcerative Colitis Compared With Controls, Alanna Dubrovsky

Biological Sciences

The bacterial composition of the human intestines contributes to much more than just digestion. In the inflammatory, autoimmune conditions primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and ulcerative colitis (UC), the microbiome may be, in some cases, a factor. To gain a better understanding of the composition and stability of the microbiome in a patient treated with vancomycin for PSC, terminal restriction fragment (TRF) analysis was performed on 13 controls and 1 patient, and 16s rRNA microbiome composition analysis was performed on 1 patient and 3 controls. Results showed similar levels of stability, with surprising differences in composition.

Why Do Caterpillars Whistle? Acoustic Mimicry Of Bird Alarm Calls In The Amorpha Juglandis Caterpillar, Jessica Lindsay

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Caterpillar species possess a range of anti-predator defenses, from regurgitation to sonar jamming. The North American walnut sphinx caterpillar (Amorpha juglandis) produces a variety of whistling noises when pinched. Limited observations indicate that this causes avian predators to retreat, leaving the caterpillar alone. However, it is unknown why this whistle is such an effective deterrent. Interestingly, the A. juglandis whistle is acoustically similar to the “seet” alarm call that many bird species produce in response to their own predators. We propose that the A. juglandis whistle is a form of acoustic mimicry, in which the caterpillar protects itself …

Toward A General-Purpose Heterogeneous Ensemble For Pattern Classification, Loris Nanni, S. Berlin Brahnam, Stefano Ghidoni, Alessandra Lumini

College of Business

We perform an extensive study of the performance of different classification approaches on twenty-five datasets (fourteen image datasets and eleven UCI data mining datasets). The aim is to find General-Purpose (GP) heterogeneous ensembles (requiring little to no parameter tuning) that perform competitively across multiple datasets. The state-of-the-art classifiers examined in this study include the support vector machine, Gaussian process classifiers, random subspace of adaboost, random subspace of rotation boosting, and deep learning classifiers. We demonstrate that a heterogeneous ensemble based on the simple fusion by sum rule of different classifiers performs consistently well across all twenty-five datasets. The most important …

Analysis Of Interactions Of Nitric Oxide And Polyamine Under Cadmium Stress In Wheat, Fatma Mutlu, Füsun Yürekli̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

Wheat cultivars chosen for their cadmium (Cd) tolerance (Sönmez-2001) and sensitivity (Quality) were grown in Hoagland solution for 20 days and then they were treated with 100 μM 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylylimidazoline-1-oxyl (cPTIO), a nitric oxide (NO) scavenger, or with 100 μM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, with and without 9 mM Cd. NO, free polyamines, and Cd levels were analysed by using leaf and root samples taken 24 and 72 h after treatment. There was a significant increase in NO level in the Cd+SNP treatment in cv. Quality cultivars at 24 and 72 h. The NO level recorded in cv. Quality …

Clonal Propagation And Synthetic Seed Production From Nodal Segments Ofcape Gooseberry (Physalis Peruviana L.), A Tropical Fruit Plant, Bahti̇yar Buhara Yücesan, Ali̇yu Mohammed, Merve Arslan, Ekrem Gürel

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Physalis peruviana L. contains polyphenols and carotenoids with antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities used against diabetes. To establish an efficient regeneration system using nodal segments excised from 4-week-old germinated seedlings, direct plant regeneration, without additional rooting stage, was achieved on LS medium containing 0.5 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (KIN), thidiazuron (TDZ), or gibberellic acid (GA3), alone or in combination with 0.25 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) or indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), after 2 weeks of incubation. The highest mean numbers of shoots and well-developed roots were obtained on LS medium containing solely 0.5 mg/L TDZ, producing 5.3 shoots and 3.3 roots per explant …

Hyperology: The Age Of Chimera, RóIsíN Lally

Leadership Studies Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Synthesis, Characterization, Biological Studies, And Molecular Modeling Of Mixed Ligand Bivalent Metal Complexes Of Schiff Bases Based On $N$-Aminopyrimidine-2-One/2-Thione, Hati̇ce Gamze Soğukömeroğullari, Tuğba Taşkin Tok, Feyza Yilmaz, İsmet Berber, Mehmet Sönmez

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

New mixed Schiff bases, Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Mn(II) complexes, were synthesized derived from 5-chloro-2-hydroxyacethophenone and 1-amino-5-benzoyl-4-phenyl-1H-pyrimidine-2-one/thione. These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic measurements, molar conductivity, IR, electronic, NMR, and mass spectral studies. All the complexes showed nonelectrolytic behavior. Moreover, the newly synthesized mixed ligand complexes were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial efficiency against bacteria and yeast. The compound named Co(L$_{1}$L) had good antifungal activity against Candida species, but no profound antibacterial effect against bacterial strains. In addition, the ground state geometries of the complexes were optimized using a semi-empirical method at PM6 level, which is a …

Simultaneous Analysis Of Losartan, Its Active Metabolite, And Hydrochlorothiazide In Human Plasma By A Uplc-Ms/Ms Method, Priyanka A. Shah, Primal Sharma, Jaivik V. Shah, Mallika Sanyal, Pranav S. Shrivastav

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A selective and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous determination of losartan (LOS), EXP-3174, which is an active metabolite LOS carboxylic acid, and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in human plasma. Solid-phase extraction was carried out on Oasis HLB cartridges with 100 $\mu $L of plasma to give an extraction recovery in the range of 88.5%-102.5% for the three analytes. Chromatography on a BEH C18 column afforded baseline separation of all the analytes within 2.4 min using 1.0% formic acid in water and acetonitrile (15:85, v/v) as the mobile phase. Quantitation was performed with multiple reaction …

Synthesis Of Novel 1,2,4-Triazoles And Triazolo-Thiadiazines As Anticancer Agents, Thoraya Abd El-Reheem Farghaly, Magda Ahmad Abdallah, Huda Kamel Mmahmoud

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

A new series of 7-arylazo-5$H$-3-(trifluoromethyl)-6-methyl-1,2,4-triazolo-[3,4-$b$]-1,3,4-thiadiazines was prepared by reaction of 4-amino-3-trifluoromethyl-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazoles with $N$-aryl-2-oxo-propane hydrazonoyl chloride in dioxane under reflux in the presence of triethylamine. Furthermore, Schiff bases of 4-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole derivatives were reacted with a variety of hydrazonoyl chlorides and gave the respective hydrazonothioates. In addition, the novel \textit{bis}-(1,2,4-triazole-3-thione) was reacted with the appropriate hydrazonoyl chloride in dioxane under reflux in the presence of triethylamine to give the corresponding \textit{bis}-(1,2,4-triazolethiohydrazonoate). The structures of the new compounds were established based on elemental and spectral data. The mechanism of the studied reaction was also discussed. Moreover, some of the new products were screened …

Creative Love: Eros And Agape In Whitehead And Pierce, Brian G. Henning

Philosophy Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Reasons To Believe: 2014-15 Report Of The President, Office Of The President, Gonzaga University

Office of the President Publications

Each year, Gonzaga University's Office of the President produces an annual Report of the President. This publication that highlights just a few of the many accomplishments over the previous academic year, and is intended to convey gratitude to our Trustees and Regents, benefactors, and many supporters.

Phytoremediation Potential Of Landoltia Punctata On Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Özlem Erteki̇n, Taylan Kösesakal, Vesi̇le Selma Ünlü, Sönmez Dağli, Volkan Peli̇tli̇, Hüma Uzyol, Yasemi̇n Tuna, Oktay Külen, Bayram Yüksel, Selma Onarici, Bi̇rsen Cevher Keski̇n, Abdülrezzak Memon

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, the potential of Landoltia punctata for petroleum phytoremediation was evaluated. L. punctata was treated with different concentrations of Batman crude oil (BCO). The plants were grown in nutrient solutions containing 0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 3% BCO by volume in a growth chamber for 7 days. The fresh weight of the plants in the presence of BCO at a concentration of 0.5% v/v increased by 60% relative to the initial fresh weight. Furthermore, in comparison to the control, plant growth was retarded by 72% and 91% at concentrations of 2% and 3%, respectively. When plants were grown in …

Synecological Structure Of The Lichen Synusiae Within Forest Natural Reserves From The Moldavian Plateau (Romania), Ioana Vicol

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study describes and assesses the influence of the particular features of microhabitats on the abundances of lichen species. The research was performed in 4 natural reserves: Seaca-Movileni, Badeana, Harboanca-Brahaşoaia, and Balteni (all within Vaslui county). The distribution of lichen species abundances was investigated in 20 cm × 20 cm sampling units at a height of 1 m above the ground. In the studied area 27 lichen species were sampled in 81 sampling units. Cluster analysis indicated both similarities and dissimilarities between the natural reserves investigated. Kruskal-Wallis tests pointed out significant differences regarding tree girths, depth of rhytidome crevices, and …

Dealing With Economic Sustainability Challenges Evolving From Declining Oil Production In Saudi Arabia, Mazen Aboudah

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The objective of this research is to examine how Saudi Arabia can effectively deal with economic sustainability challenges arising from declining oil production. The methodology for the paper involved examining the background of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in regard to present production patterns, the role of the country’s oil industry in the economy and the significance of governmental efforts in attempting to remove Saudi Arabia’s excessive dependence on the oil sector. In recognizing that Saudi Arabia’s current circumstances clearly require the government to implement measures that allow the economy to become less dependent on oil, it was felt necessary to …

Investigating The Role Of Polyploidy In The Response Of Chamerion Angustifolium To Increased Soil Nitrogen Availability And Insect Herbivory, Alex Bales

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Human activities have more than doubled the input rate of nitrogen to terrestrial ecosystems. Increased soil nitrogen availability is associated with increased plant productivity, changes in plant resource allocation strategies, and changes in interactions between plants and their associated insect herbivores. For example, nitrogen-rich conditions can alter the physiological and chemical properties of plants in ways that increase their ability to deter herbivore attack (resistance) and maintain fitness following herbivore attack (tolerance). The ecological tolerance of plants to such abiotic and biotic environments is thought to be influenced by autopolyploidy, a commonly occurring phenomenon in plants in which individuals have …

Blind Area Target Aiming System And Preference Selection Training System Design, Zhine Kang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a system of leveraging computational elements controlling physical entities that is widely applied in our daily life for all kinds of purpose. It helps us build smart devices and make life become much easier. In this report, two projects were designed to show the idea that how cyber-physical system works in human daily life. The first project is designed for personal security, especially for one of the most dangerous job: security service. It helps user defend his back while he/she is in a tough situation while he or she is alone. First there will be …

Can Community Connection Be Learned? A Case Study, Carrie L. Karvakko

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which a sample of fifteen Michigan Technological university students who participated in civic engagement research projects enhanced their attachment to a community.

A Likert-scale survey was utilized to assess participants’ dispositions toward attachment to a place. Overall the results showed that the students agreed there was an attachment to a place and that they identified with a place. Additional methods, reflection papers and interviews, were used to assess what factors enhanced the participants attachment and the impact of the course. Through these measurements it was determined that place attachment …

Academic Feminist Activism On A Traditional Stem Campus: The Case Of A Feminist Newspaper At Mtu, Katie Snyder

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study addresses the problem of gender hostility on a STEM-focused university campus. I engage with current debates over the definition and purpose of feminism, in order to argue for the necessity of feminist activism in engineering education, with a particular focus on applications for Michigan Tech. Theoretically, I locate gender hostility in a long-running rejection of “the feminine” in STEM-based ways of knowing, curricula, and academic institutions. Drawing on Dorothy Smith’s conceptualization of “ruling relations,” I trace the discursive construction of femininity and the masculine/feminine dichotomy as seen in institutional forms, web pages, and student writing on social media. …

An Assessment Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Contamination In Fish From The Inland And Great Lakes Of Michigan, Emily Sokol

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Fish within the Great Lakes region of North America are an invaluable resource with economic and cultural significance. While these fish are vital, they contain chemical pollutants that are hazardous to human health. One such man-made group of chemicals, polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), continue to be a problem long after the ban on production (1979).

The objective of this research thesis was to assess PCB contamination in fish within the Great Lakes Region. This objective was completed by determining the sources of PCB contamination, defining the ecosystem characteristics that significantly affect fish contamination, predicting when it will be safe to …

Computational Study Of Microstructure-Propertymechanism Relations In Ferroic Composites, Fengde D. Ma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Ferroic materials, as notable members of smart materials, have been widely used in applications that perform sensing, actuation and control. The macroscopic property change of ferroic materials may become remarkably large during ferroic phase transition, leading to the fact that the macroscopic properties can be tuned by carefully applying a suitable external field (electric, magnetic, stress). To obtain an enhancement in physical and/or mechanical properties, different kinds of ferroic composites have been fabricated. The properties of a ferroic composite are determined not only by the properties and relative amounts of the constituent phases, but also by the microstructure of individual …

Synthetic Oligodeoxynucleotide Purification Via Catching By Polymerization, Suntara Fueangfung

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Large quantities of pure synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are important for preclinical research, drug development, and biological studies. These ODNs are synthesized on an automated synthesizer. It is inevitable that the crude ODN product contains failure sequences which are not easily removed because they have the same properties as the full length ODNs. Current ODN purification methods such as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP HPLC), anion exchange HPLC, and affinity purification can remove those impurities. However, they are not suitable for large scale purification due to the expensive aspects associated with instrumentation, solvent demand, and high …

Investigating Within-Canopy Variation Of Functional Traits And Cellular Structure Of Sugar Maple (Acer Saccharum) Leaves, Adam P. Coble

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Patterns of increasing leaf mass per area (LMA), area-based leaf nitrogen (N_area), and carbon isotope composition (δ13C) with increasing height in the canopy have been attributed to light gradients or hydraulic limitation in tall trees. Theoretical optimal distributions of LMA and N_area that scale with light maximize canopy photosynthesis; however, sub-optimal distributions are often observed due to hydraulic constraints on leaf development. Using observational, experimental, and modeling approaches, we investigated the response of leaf functional traits (LMA, density, thickness, and leaf nitrogen), leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C), and cellular structure to light availability, height, and leaf water …