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The Guinea Pig Model For Organophosphate Toxicology And Therapeutic Development, Christopher Daniel Ruark

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Organophosphates (OPs) are highly toxic insecticides and nerve agents that have been designed to inhibit the hydrolysis of acetylcholine by binding to the serine active site of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). They are one of the most common causes of human poisoning worldwide and are frequently intentionally used in suicides in agricultural areas. For this reason, there is a need for therapeutics to rescue those from intoxication. Obvious ethical concerns prevent humans from being subjected to OP exposure for therapeutic efficacy and safety testing. Therefore, animal surrogates for humans must be appropriately selected. A new paradigm, described herein, incorporating both in silico …

Cip10 Optimization For 4,4-Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate Aerosol Sampling And Field Comparison With Impinger Method, Silvia Puscasu, Simon Aubin, Yves Cloutier, Philippe Sarazin, Huu Van Tra, Sébastien Gagné

Études primaires

4,4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) aerosol exposure evaluation in spray foam insulation application is known as being a challenge because the spray foam application actually involves a fast-curing process. Available techniques are either not user-friendly or are inaccurate or not validated for this application. To address these issues, a new approach using a CIP10M was developed to appropriately collect MDI aerosol in spray foam insulation while being suitable for personal sampling. The CIP10M is a commercially available personal aerosol sampler that has been validated for the collection of microbial spores into a liquid medium. Tributylphosphate with 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine (MOPIP) was introduced into …

Bacterial Expression Of Plant Pyruvate Kinase, Kristina Fuller

STAR Program Research Presentations

Pyruvate kinases serve an important role in regulating glycolysis pathways. Different pyruvate kinase isozymes can dictate which of several different products will be formed during the final step of glycolysis. Being able to reliably copy active pyruvate kinases (PK) would allow study of the different isozymes, with the goal of eventually creating plants that are more nutritionally beneficial for humans. This study focused on improving the protocol for replicating each of two isolated PK isozymes from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Previous attempts had resulted in the PK denaturing and consequently precipitating out of solution and so we manipulated the …

Focus Paddocks Trial Report - Benchmarked Result Summary 2010 - 14, Martin Harries, Geoff Anderson

Grain and other field crops published reports

This report was co-funded by GRDC through project no. DAW00213 - Putting the Focus on Profitable Crop and Pasture Sequences in WA.

Crop and pasture sequences in south-western Australia have changed in the past decade. These survey results from the Focus Paddock project provide data to help growers employ profitable and sustainable crop and pasture sequences. The project compiled information on the nature, suitability and productivity of crop and pasture sequences from 184 paddocks over five years. The results of the analyses of chemical and physical attributes of the soil, weed counts and disease management are presented here.

The survey …

The Ecology Of Lianas In Tropical Forests, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Editors' Note, Laura B. Regassa, Delena Gatch

Biology: Faculty Publications

Dear colleagues,

The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is undergoing some major changes.

• The layout of the journal has been overhauled, giving it a look that better aligns with the quality of the content. As we continue to struggle with SoTL “counting” as scholarship at some institutions, it is important to package our work in a way that reinforces its value. We hope you enjoy the new look!

• Articles are being assigned DOI (digital object identifier) numbers. All articles, past and present, will be tagged and linked to metadata as indexing is completed over the next …

Red China's "Capitalist Bomb": Inside The Chinese Neutron Bomb Program, Jonathan Ray

China Strategic Perspectives

This paper examines why China developed an enhanced radiation weapon (ERW) but did not deploy it. ERWs, better known as “neutron bombs,” are specialized nuclear weapons with reduced blast effects and enhanced radiation, making them ideal tactical and antipersonnel weapons. Declassified U.S. intelligence and Chinese press reports indicate the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was interested in an ERW in 1977 and successfully tested a device on September 29, 1988. To date, however, these sources provide no evidence of deployment. This study exploits primary source documents to reconstruct the ERW program’s history, assesses drivers behind decisions throughout the program, and …

Vitis Gene Expression Profiling Using Mixed Models, Yin Yin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze gene expression in grapevine under different treatments using a mixed linear statistical model. The experiment involves two Vitis species (V. vinifera Cabernet sauvignon and V. aestivalis Norton) and applies two different treatments to them (inoculation with Erysiphe necator conidiospores and mock inoculation). There are three biological replicates measured at each of the following six assigned time points: 0, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours. By setting up split-plot model for the data, statistical hypotheses concerning gene expressions, especially gene expressions in terms of treatment effect, are tested. The result of the …

Secondary Metabolites Isolated From Perovskia Atriplicifolia And Their In Vitro Binding Affinity For Human Opioid And Cannabinoid Receptors, Ashli Fitzpatrick

Honors Theses

Plants and their natural products have been utilized for thousands of years in the treatment of many human diseases. Because of their structural diversity, natural products are ideal lead compounds for drug development. In this thesis, the natural products of the plant Perovskia atriplicifolia were investigated, specifically their in vitro binding affinity to receptors in opioid and cannabinoid classes. Extracts that demonstrated good selective opioid and cannabinoid receptor binding were subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation. Four active compounds were identified from the crude extract in Perovskia atriplicifolia: 1) 5-hydroxy-3',4',6,7-tetramethoxy flavone, 2) 5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6,-trimethoxy flavone, 3) 5-hydroxy-4',6,7-trimethoxy flavone, and 4) 5,7-dihydroxy-4',6,-dimethoxy flavone. Each …

The Effects Of Testosterone On Calling Behavior In Green Treefrogs, Hyla Cinerea, Brandon Bunol

Honors Theses

Circulating androgen levels can have a profound effect on the expression of elaborate male traits and courtship behaviors that are important in attracting females. For example, elevated androgens are necessary for the expression of vocal displays used by male anurans (frogs and toads) to attract mates. However, the nature of the relationship between androgen levels and the extent, or magnitude, of vocalization in male anurans is unclear. For example, androgens may have a threshold effect on vocalization wherein elevation in androgens is required for vocal expression, but elevations above threshold do not mediate an increase in the magnitude or extent …

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 …

Modernizing The Marianne: The French Feminist Movement And Its Effects On Gender Equality, Hallie Grace Haines

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Non-Covalent Ineteractions Of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (Tmao) And Urea In Water, John Prather

Honors Theses

TMAO and urea are important osmolytes. Osmolytes help maintain cell volume with their presence inside and outside cells. Urea is used by kidney cells to neutralize strong osmotic gradients caused by excretion of hypertonic waste. Although urea is for volume- maintaining purposes, it is also known to be a strong denaturant of cellular proteins. The method by which urea destabilizes folded proteins is a debated topic. There is evidence that urea binds directly to amino acid side chains to make protein folding less thermodynamically favored. It has also been suggested that urea acts indirectly to denature proteins by destabilizing the …

The Lasting Effects Of History On African American Attitudes And Beliefs Towards The American Healthcare System, Kendra Redding

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the effects that a history of medical exploitation has had on the African American community's likelihood of seeking healthcare. The thesis first delves into prominent historical instances that have had an impact on the way that the African American community views the medical community; next, the thesis explores institutional barriers to seeking healthcare that African Americans have faced; then, the thesis discusses the current health status of African Americans; lastly, the thesis discusses current improvements in healthcare relations, and explores future implications of the research.

Red, Blue, And Green: Determining Environmental Orientation On The University Of Mississippi Campus, Kendall Lane Mcdonald

Honors Theses

The goal of this research was to identify and begin to understand the environmental attitudes and behaviors of students, faculty, and staff at the University of Mississippi. This study employed a quantitative survey approach. The survey consisted of the Revised New Ecological Paradigm scale to measure environmental attitudes, and a lifestyle questionnaire to gauge self-reported sustainability behaviors and relationship with the natural world. This survey was broadcasted to all within the University of Mississippi's email listserv. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, means comparisons, and independent samples t-tests. Major findings included: women reported more pro-ecological responses than men in all …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Psychological Stress And Anxiety On Physical Activity And Physical Fitness, Lydia Makepeace

Honors Theses

In this study multiple measures of psychological stress, anxiety, physical fitness and physical activity were collected from 25 subjects in order to examine the relationships between stress, anxiety and fitness and between stress, anxiety and physical activity levels. It has long been hypothesized that levels of physical activity and physical fitness are moderators of psychological stress (Da Silva, et al., 2012). It has also been suggested that there is a bidirectional relationship between stress and physical activity and fitness levels (Da Silva, et al., 2012). This study intended to consider the ways that psychological stress may influence physical fitness and …

Method Development For The Detection And Quantitation Of Illicit Drugs In Fingerprints Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Madison Roussel

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to develop a method for the detection and quantitation of caffeine and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol in fingerprints using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The matrix used was 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB). The presence of the analytes was confirmed by analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol was chosen as the drug of interest because it is the major metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of marijuana. Marijuana's popularity as a recreational drug continues to increase with its legalization and decriminalization across the country. It is critical to establish methods for the quantification …

Design And Synthesis Of Sigma-1 Probe For Positron Emission Tomography (Pet) Imaging, May Ly

Honors Theses

Sigma-1 receptor radioligands have the potential to detect and monitor various neurological diseases. Because sigma-1 receptors are believed to be associated with numerous psychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative diseases, radioligands for sigma-1 receptors have the potential to serve as novel diagnostic tools and may be useful in assessing treatment effectiveness. A benzothiazolone 18F-labeled sigma-1 receptor ligand, CM304, has demonstrated promise as a specific positron emission tomography radiotracer for visualizing sigma-1 receptors in living subjects. Based on CM304, backup molecules were created to improve the overall drug profile, including half- life and bioavailability.

Understanding The Implications Of Climate Change For Birds Of The Family Phasianidae: Incorporating Fleshy Structures Into Models Of Heat Dissipation Capacity, Megan L. Smith

Honors Theses

Though widespread acceptance of global warming has generated a plethora of studies evaluating the potential responses of species to increased temperatures, until recently, species and genus-specific studies were not common and for many taxa such studies have yet to be completed. One particularly understudied group in this regard is the avian order Galliformes. In this study, I focus on the tribe Phasianidae. Furthermore, most studies evaluating the potential range changes of species in response to a changing climate fail to account for the ability of organisms to adapt to the changing climatic conditions, either via plastic adaptations or genetic adaptations. …

Para-Interface: A Novel Interface For Para-Aeh Software Suite, Michael Ginn

Honors Theses

Para-AEH is a software suite designed to the Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization method. This method is commonly used to model structures by using differential equations to represent larger structure from a smaller structure input. In order to facilitate the University of Mississippi's Department of Mechanical Engineering's research purposes the software needed to be installed. A novel interface was designed to remove the overhead of interacting with the software on a command line based level. The software allows the management of users that can access the software and jobs that package several commands together for asynchronous execution without manual intervention.

Characterization Of Epithelial Cadherin Domain 1, Molly Edmondson

Honors Theses

Cadherins are a family of cell-surface glycoproteins that aid in cell adhesion between two proximal cells. The characteristic cadherin extracellular structure consists of five ~100 amino acid domains connected by seven-residue linker regions. Cadherins mediate adhesion via adherens junctions by forming a strand-swapped structure between identical protomers from apposing cells. Upon calcium binding, the swapping of the N- terminal strands between protomers allows for the symmetrical docking of a conserved tryptophan residue in the N-terminal strand into the hydrophobic pocket of its partner protomer. The two most-well-studied members of the classical cadherin family are Neural- (N-) and Epithelial- (E-) cadherin. …

A Computational Comparison Of The Hydrophobic Pocket Of Neural And Epithelial Cadherins For The Purpose Of Identifying A Selective Inhibitor, Ross E. Straughan

Honors Theses

Classical cadherins are a subfamily of calcium-dependent cellular adhesion molecules that play an important role in the formation of cellular junctions in many tissues. The extracellular portion of cadherins consists of five tandem-repeated domains (EC1-EC5). The critical first step in cadherin-mediated cellular adhesion occurs at the interface between two adjacent EC1 domains in which the transition from monomer to dimer is accomplished by docking the W2 residue of the N-terminal β-strand of one EC1 domain into the hydrophobic pocket of its partner domain. Cancer and many other diseases have been linked to the aberrant expression of Epithelial (E-cad) and Neural …

Effects Of Soil Environment On Abundance, Diversity And Community Structure Of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi In Pinus Radiata, Sarah C. Steele

Honors Theses

Balanced and sustained nutrient cycles are critical to the success of the world's forest ecosystems. Research has shown ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECM) play a vital role in regulating these systems, as they store and mobilize cycled nutrients for the trees they colonize. Not all species of ECM allocate essential nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and carbon) to their host with the same efficiency. Studies have shown the soil environment is important for determining fungal distribution. To better understand the ECM fungal community of Pinus radiata, I explored the effects of soil characteristics (percent silt, percent clay, percent sand and soil water content) on …

Three Essays On Co-Management In A Fishery, Mihoko Tegawa

Open Access Dissertations

Co-management has been recognized as an important scheme in successfully governing common-pool resources (Ostrom, 1990, 2002). Contrary to Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons (1968) or Olson’s Logic of Collective Action (1965), empirical research has found many long-lasting self-governing communities through extensive case studies (Baland & Platteau, 1996; Ostrom, 1990; Wade, 1989). This is no exception in fishery (Pinkerton, 1994). Fishery cooperatives, where fishermen collectively manage the fishery, have been garnering much attention from both regulators and academics (Costello, 2012; Deacon, 2012; Townsend, Shotton, & Uchida, 2008). In fact, Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery in US has implemented a sector management system, …

Synthesis & Hypercest Testing Of Ctv Derivatives: A Bowl Shaped Compound That Encapsulates Xenon, Joseph D. Brown

Open Access Dissertations

The primary focus of this dissertation is the synthesis and testing of cyclotriveratrylenes (CTV) as potential biomedical molecular imaging contrast agents. CTVs are bowl shaped molecules that have a hydrophobic pocket capable of reversibly binding Xenon-129 (¹²⁹Xe) gas, a spin ½ noble gas, which is diamagnetic and produces a signal when a strong magnetic field is applied to it. These CTVs then create two pools of ¹²⁹Xe which produce distinct signals in an NMR scan. The creation of the two pools of ¹²⁹Xe is necessary for the application of an imaging technique named HyperCEST, Hyperpolarized Chemical …

Exploring The Experiences Of Adolescents Participating In Interpersonal Group Psychotherapy, Francine Rose Bianca Pingitore

Open Access Dissertations

Given the number of adolescents who present with mental health issues, it is important to explore the best treatment options for this population. Group psychotherapy has been described in the literature as the ideal choice for adolescents who engage in mental health treatment. It is considered a “natural” fit, as adolescents are focused on their peer group during this developmental period. There has been an abundance of research examining behavioral oriented group psychotherapy with adolescents suggesting positive clinical benefits and outcomes. However, process oriented group psychotherapy research with adolescents has been lacking. In particular, the “voice” and perspectives of adolescents …

Automated Essay Evaluation And The Computational Paradigm: Machine Scoring Enters The Classroom, Catherine M. Barrett

Open Access Dissertations

Grading papers is a "tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming" undertaking, one that invites the sort of sympathies one might receive upon the "death of a pet' (Baker, 2014, p. 36). Perhaps, though, the only thing more distasteful for an English professor than having to grade hundreds of essays each semester is having to hand the job over to the likes of a mindless software program. Automated Essay Evaluation (AEE), the process of scoring essays by computer, was developed in the 1960s but has mostly aroused suspicion and derogation from the composition community.

The parable of the blindfolded villagers describing the same …

Breastfeeding: Physiological And Cultural Influences, Alison R. Cegielski

Honors Theses

Within a biological perspective, breasts are indisputably for the use of nourishment of the young. This can be seen by how mammary glands are used by every other species other than humans. Humans are the only species that also looks at breasts within a cultural perspective, and that perspective is where the debate of breastfeeding occurs. There is really no debate that if given the option to breastfeed, breastfeeding is the best choice for the development of infants due to the fact that breast milk has been adapted for the human physique. In spite of the health benefits associated with …

Analytical And Computational Methods For The Assessment Of Biological Molecules And Their Binding Interactions: Case Studies In Dna Aptamer-Target Binding And P450-P450 Dimerization, Katherine M. Hickey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A DNA aptamer against atrazine, a small molecule target, was computationally predicted using mfold and RNA fold to generate secondary structure from sequence, and NAB and RNA Composer to subsequently generate tertiary structure, subsequently relaxed, and the most-representative structures docked (AutoDock) with atrazine and simazine. According to analysis with X3DNA, the best predicted structure had the majority of its base-pairing sugars in the 2'-endo conformation, contained multiple helical regions in the B-form. Constrained docking revealed no preference for the target molecule (atrazine) over a negative target (simaxine), in contrast to in vitro binding results, thus more calculations are needed to …

Evaluation Of Age, Growth And Diet Of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In Cheat Lake, West Virginia, Corbin D. Hilling

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis describes population characteristics of Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) in Cheat Lake, West Virginia in two chapters. The first chapter is comprised of a literature review on the ecology, diet and growth of Channel Catfish, as well as the influence of water level fluctuations on biota. The second chapter examines the age, growth and fall diet of Channel Catfish in Cheat Lake, West Virginia. Acidification has historically impaired Cheat Lake's fish community, but recent mitigation efforts within the Cheat River watershed have improved water quality and species richness. Presently, Channel Catfish are abundant and attain desirable sizes for …