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2016

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Understanding Dna Condensation By Low Generation (G0/G1) And Zwitterionic G4 Pamam Dendrimers, Min An Jan 2016

Understanding Dna Condensation By Low Generation (G0/G1) And Zwitterionic G4 Pamam Dendrimers, Min An

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Cationic polymers have shown potential as gene delivery vectors due to their ability to condense DNA and protect it from cellular and restriction nucleases. Dendrimers are hyperbranched macromolecules with precisely defined molecular weights and highly symmetric branches stemming from a central core. The nanosize, tunable surface chemistries and ease of surface functionalization has made dendrimers an attractive alternative to conventional linear polymers for DNA delivery applications. The commercially available, cationic dendrimer poly(amidoamine) or PAMAM is the most widely studied dendrimer for use as a gene delivery vector. The aim of this dissertation is to provide an increased understanding of the …


Assessing The Compatibility Of Filth Fly Pesticides With Filth Fly Biological Control Parasitoids Through Toxicological And Behavioral Assays, Edwin R. Burgess Iv Jan 2016

Assessing The Compatibility Of Filth Fly Pesticides With Filth Fly Biological Control Parasitoids Through Toxicological And Behavioral Assays, Edwin R. Burgess Iv

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Filth flies are a significant pest at animal production facilities, leading to economic losses that include reductions in animal weight and milk production. Pesticides and biological control organisms are two important components of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs against filth flies. Biological control against filth flies frequently involves augmentative releases of pupal parasitoids. The compatibility of pesticides and the parasitoids Spalangia endius Walker and Urolepis rufipes Ashmead was examined using one of the most common filth flies, the house fly, Musca domestica L. The specific goals were to 1) assess the effects of the active ingredients of several house fly …


Behavioral And Chemical Ecology Of A Male-Produced Substrate-Borne Pheromone In Urolepis Rufipes, Tyler Wittman Jan 2016

Behavioral And Chemical Ecology Of A Male-Produced Substrate-Borne Pheromone In Urolepis Rufipes, Tyler Wittman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Use of chemical signals for sexual communication is found in a large proportion of insects. Pheromones may also act as honest signals of the sender's health and resources. Most research has focused on female-produced pheromones used for attracting mates over large distances or on the role pheromones play in species and mate recognition. Little work has been done exploring male produced pheromones, and how pheromones may be involved in mate assessment. Here I show that females of the parasitic wasp Urolepis rufipes discriminate for some aspects of male quality through the male's substrate-borne pheromones. In two-choice trials females spent more …


Beyond Adat : Transwomen Boldly And Innovatively Navigating Their Communities In Central Java, Indonesia, Laurence Anthonie Tumpag Jan 2016

Beyond Adat : Transwomen Boldly And Innovatively Navigating Their Communities In Central Java, Indonesia, Laurence Anthonie Tumpag

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the following thesis was to investigate how transwomen (otherwise known locally as waria) of Indonesia, navigate their gender identities within their specific locales in central Java. Particularly, I focus how my respondents do this within Yogyakarta, which I define as a cultural hub where local custom and law known as adat predominates and two other field sites located in the periphery of Yogyakarta. Due to the importance of local culture in the general central Javanese region, I hypothesized adat serves to help create space and belonging for my transwomen respondents within each locale. While previous research has …


"Anonymous" And Frame Construction In Social Media, Justin Yates Jan 2016

"Anonymous" And Frame Construction In Social Media, Justin Yates

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Social movement organizations operate and communicate using new mediums, such as the use of social media. Anonymous is a non-hierarchical online activist group with unidentified members that engages in exploiting technology toward politically motivated goals. This study examined how a group without formal structure or identifiable members frames its activities as "righteous." Specifically, this study examined the rhetoric of a non-hierarchical online activist group with unidentified members and how it frames its activities as just. This study explored the challenges in maintaining and creating righteous rhetoric for a group with online, non-hierarchical, and unidentified members. Using social movement framing theory …


An Activity Theoretical Perspective On Inter-Organizational Collaboration In Instructional Technology Development And Implementation, Robin Angela Medley Jan 2016

An Activity Theoretical Perspective On Inter-Organizational Collaboration In Instructional Technology Development And Implementation, Robin Angela Medley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the collaborative aspects of instructional technology development and implementation on the P.R.I.D.E. Digital Curriculum (PDC). The multimedia PDC training product was developed through an inter-organizational collaboration amongst several agencies and organizations. An increase in globalization and decentralization of organizations is changing how instructional designers communicate with the design and development teams. Cultural differences between institutions is significant when designing and developing collaborative material. This study utilized activity theory and activity systems analysis to examine communication practices, cultural influences, and synergy of the partners with a developer's perspective on instructional design and development. The findings revealed cultural differences …


An Analysis Of The Great Melting Pot In American World War Ii Propaganda : Germans, Japanese, And Italians Need Not Apply, Crystal Sturgeon Jan 2016

An Analysis Of The Great Melting Pot In American World War Ii Propaganda : Germans, Japanese, And Italians Need Not Apply, Crystal Sturgeon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research studied the implications of the metaphor of the American melting pot and how those implications can be seen even today. The main artifacts are propaganda from World War II, specifically The Ducktators, Der Fuehrer's Face, and a propaganda poster. I also consider the modern day image of the salad bowl and examine how a great deal of the xenophobia and ethnic prejudice in World War II is still alive and well, although perhaps in a slightly different form and focused on different groups. I also examine the rhetorical devices used in World War II propaganda and how they …


Do Folivores Deplete Patches? : Foraging Behavior And The Dynamics Of Resource Use In The Costa Rican Mantled Howler (Alouatta Palliata), Jessica Ritsche Jan 2016

Do Folivores Deplete Patches? : Foraging Behavior And The Dynamics Of Resource Use In The Costa Rican Mantled Howler (Alouatta Palliata), Jessica Ritsche

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Two general assumptions have often been made about folivorous primates: first, that feeding competition is low or absent because leaves are a superabundant and evenly dispersed resource, and as a result, that feeding competition does not constrain the size of folivorous groups. However, many folivorous primates maintain smaller group sizes. In this study, I aimed to examine this 'folivore paradox' by testing the hypothesis that mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) deplete localized patches of young leaves and therefore experience feeding competition. One group of 8 adult individuals was studied July and August 2015 at Piro Research Station in the Osa …


Educational Videogame Design Strategies Used To Improve Motivation In Engineering Students, Thomas Abdul Rasheed Jan 2016

Educational Videogame Design Strategies Used To Improve Motivation In Engineering Students, Thomas Abdul Rasheed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The use of traditional textbooks in engineering education is uninspiring and unrewarding for engineering students, resulting in many such students' low motivation and lack of interest in their schoolwork. In contrast, the American culture's ubiquitous factor of computer technology devices contributes to effective communication and entertainment. Today, computer videogames are owned and played by 80% of American children between the ages of 8 and 18. Plus, research studies have proven that computer videogame technology can motivate students in learning environments. The use of videogames in education is therefore a user-centered strategy because most youth today are familiar with the technology …


Enhancement Of Vicarious Stress Through Prior Established Bond : Determining The Role Of The Arginine Vasopressin 1a Receptor, Joshua Jonathan Wardwell Jan 2016

Enhancement Of Vicarious Stress Through Prior Established Bond : Determining The Role Of The Arginine Vasopressin 1a Receptor, Joshua Jonathan Wardwell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The experience of stress can have profoundly negative effects on overall psychological and physiological health. It is also true that in social species, interactions with others can have the power to either ameliorate or potentiate these effects. As both stress levels and social interconnectedness rise within our world, it becomes imperative for science to better understand the interactions between stress and the social environment. In support of this goal, the purpose of the current study was to investigate whether a prior established bond between two social animals enhances the physiological and behavioral response to stress in a bonded partner that …


Carbon Assimilation Of Oak Seedlings In Response To Canopy Thinning Treatments At The Morton Arboretum In Lisle, Illinois, Usa, Mary Rebecca Moses Jan 2016

Carbon Assimilation Of Oak Seedlings In Response To Canopy Thinning Treatments At The Morton Arboretum In Lisle, Illinois, Usa, Mary Rebecca Moses

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

White and bur oak savanna was once the dominant vegetation type in the Midwestern United States prior to European settlement. Within the oak savanna biome were pockets of oak-hickory closed forested sites, usually occurring in mesic areas and on the east side of rivers. Restoration efforts to restore the land back to savanna and closed canopy oak dominated forests are met with varying success. There is a need for understanding canopy openness requirements, and ideal forest floor light levels for successful oak regeneration. The purpose of this study is to determine success of oak seedlings growing under varying canopy treatments. …


Choosing Sustainability : The Relationship Between Personal Standards And Environment Responsive Behavior, Bridget Denise Stuckey Jan 2016

Choosing Sustainability : The Relationship Between Personal Standards And Environment Responsive Behavior, Bridget Denise Stuckey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated Personal Standards as a psychological determinant of Environment Responsive Behavior. This was a quantitative study that used questionnaire data collected from community college students in Northern Illinois. This study was guided by three research questions: What is the relationship between Personal Standards regarding the environment and Environment Responsive Behavior? What is the relationship between utility value, personal affect, and outcome expectancy regarding the environment and Environment Responsive Behavior? Are Environment Responsive Behavior and Personal Standards regarding the environment related to gender, childhood locale, field of study, number of semesters completed in college, age, and ethnicity? The data …


Conditions Affecting Biomass Productivity, Lipid Production, And Harvesting Of The Microalga Monoraphidium Sp. Dek19 Grown In Wastewater, Adam Ralph Hage Jan 2016

Conditions Affecting Biomass Productivity, Lipid Production, And Harvesting Of The Microalga Monoraphidium Sp. Dek19 Grown In Wastewater, Adam Ralph Hage

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to investigate the culture conditions necessary to promote high cell densities, lipid productivities, and harvesting yields from the locally endemic microalgae Monoraphidium sp. Dek19 in a wastewater environment. The alga was inoculated in final effluent acquired from a local wastewater treatment facility in DeKalb, Illinois. The alga was cultivated in 1L Erlenmeyer flasks at 10°C, 70 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ light, 14:10 light:dark cycle. Culture agitation was found to be an important condition for algal growth and nutrient removal. Increased culture turbulence through aeration correlated with improved phycoremediation and biomass production. Cultures in stagnant conditions …


The Effects Of Different Multimedia Learning Environments On The Learning Outcomes Of Second Language Learners : An Assessment Of Mayer's Redundancy Principle, Araya Ramsin Jan 2016

The Effects Of Different Multimedia Learning Environments On The Learning Outcomes Of Second Language Learners : An Assessment Of Mayer's Redundancy Principle, Araya Ramsin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This quasi-experimental quantitative study examined the effects of different multimedia learning environments on the learning outcomes of second language learners. The study was designed to specifically assess Mayer's redundancy principle by investigating whether there was a difference in performance outcomes of second language learners participating in two different multimedia learning environments: 1) images with audio only and 2) images with audio and on-screen text. A repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to evaluate change in comprehension performance from pretest to posttest, mean differences in comprehension performance between the two groups, and group differences in comprehension growth from pretest to …


The Food Pyramid : Mexicans, Agribusiness, Governments And Communities In The Midwest Migrant Stream, Katie Sutrina-Haney Jan 2016

The Food Pyramid : Mexicans, Agribusiness, Governments And Communities In The Midwest Migrant Stream, Katie Sutrina-Haney

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As recent scholarship and even popular works and documentaries demonstrate, the United States public is largely unaware how our food ends up on our table. While some popular works found in bookstores explore where our food comes from, these works rarely analyze the role of labor and specifically the system of the migrant farmworker stream. Workers in the field make possible the complex process from the growth of produce to the selling of food to consumers. By the 1960s, communities and states in the Midwest reacted to editorialized and documented condemnation of the living and working conditions of migrant farmworkers …


The Gendered Superhero : An Examination Of Masculinities And Femininities In Modern Age Dc And Marvel Comic Books, Jennifer Volintine Jan 2016

The Gendered Superhero : An Examination Of Masculinities And Femininities In Modern Age Dc And Marvel Comic Books, Jennifer Volintine

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines American gender concepts of masculinity and femininity depicted in six Modern Age superhero comic books. Specifically, it examines how the American gender concepts of hegemonic masculinity, hypersexualized masculinity, emphasized femininity, and hypersexualized femininity are depicted in three Marvel and three DC comic books. This examination found that despite gender differences defined by biological essentialism that legitimates gender inequality, female and male superheroes are much more alike than different through what I term "visionary gender". Also, it examines indicators of gender not previously examined in American superhero comic books. In particular, it examines the text of superhero comic …


Robbed : Exploring The Role Of The Dcs In Spatial And Temporal Processing, Philip A. Blankenship Jan 2016

Robbed : Exploring The Role Of The Dcs In Spatial And Temporal Processing, Philip A. Blankenship

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Spatial orientation, or an animal's ability to navigate through space, is dependent on multiple specialized neural processes. Spatial disorientation, or loss of the ability to navigate through one's environment, often stems from damage to one or more of the neural systems that sustain these processes. Limited research has investigated the role of the dorsocentral striatum (DCS) in relation to spatial orientation. The current study evaluated the role of the DCS in egocentric processing (processing information relative to the self). Long-Evans rats received unilateral NMDA lesions of the DCS followed by testing in the food protection task. Performance in this task …


Situating The Humanistic Paradigm In Clinical Dental Hygiene : Empathic Understanding, Thoughtfulness And Tact, And Pedagogical Influence, Mary B. Jacobs Jan 2016

Situating The Humanistic Paradigm In Clinical Dental Hygiene : Empathic Understanding, Thoughtfulness And Tact, And Pedagogical Influence, Mary B. Jacobs

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Humanistic teaching endeavors are gaining a renewed focus in dental education as a result of the sustained number of oral health disparities in the United States. The accrediting body for dental education calls for institutions to provide a humanistic environment characterized by respect, tolerance, understanding, and concern for others: one fostered by mentoring, advising, and small group interaction. The voices of dental educators are absent from the literature on humanistic pedagogy; therefore, dental educators are unable to share or access teaching knowledge regarding what humanistic pedagogy looks like. The central research question of this study is, "In what ways do …


Skeletal Indicators Of Hyperpronation In Australopithecus Sediba And Extant Primates, Deanna Goldstein Jan 2016

Skeletal Indicators Of Hyperpronation In Australopithecus Sediba And Extant Primates, Deanna Goldstein

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Habitual bipedal striding locomotion is a distinctive feature of hominins. The human fossil record, however, shows diversity in lower limb anatomy suggesting functional-mechanical differences in locomotion across these fossil taxa. Different forms of bipedality appear in the skeleton of australopithecines such as Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus afarensis, and Australopithecus sediba. This study seeks to test the hypothesis that australopithecine lower limbs exhibit a mechanically different form of bipedality relative to modern humans, a character that is evident in lower limb flexibility; it is likely that leg flexibility allowed australopithecines to climb trees as well as walk bipedally. In order to test …


Survivor Memory, Collective Narrative : Producing The "Remembering The Killing Fields" Exhibit At The National Cambodian Heritage Museum And Memorial In Chicago, Illinois, Alexxandra E.A. Salazar Jan 2016

Survivor Memory, Collective Narrative : Producing The "Remembering The Killing Fields" Exhibit At The National Cambodian Heritage Museum And Memorial In Chicago, Illinois, Alexxandra E.A. Salazar

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In 2011, the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial (NCHM) opened an exhibition titled, Remembering the Killing Fields (RKF). The exhibit was formed from the collection and curation of survivor memory in the form of life history interviews and documentary objects representing the period of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia (1975-1979). This research examines the development process of the RKF exhibit, looking particularly at the negotiations, challenges, and decisions that occurred behind-the-scenes between multiple groups involved in the exhibit's design, including first-generation Cambodian survivors, 1.5/2.0-generation Cambodian Americans, as well as non-Khmer museum professionals and scholars. How did …


Solar Photovoltaic (Pv) Array Under Partial Shading Conditions, Belqasem Aljafari Jan 2016

Solar Photovoltaic (Pv) Array Under Partial Shading Conditions, Belqasem Aljafari

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The need for renewable energy sources is growing day by day because of the severe energy crisis in the world today. Renewable energy sources play a significant role in electricity generation. Several renewable energy sources (like solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) can be used for generation of electricity and for meeting our daily energy demands. Solar energy is the most viable option for electricity generation because it is available everywhere and is free to utilize. Solar Photovoltaic (PV) arrays convert the solar energy into electrical energy. With the current concentration on greener and cleaner sources of power, PV arrays are …


Reconciling Naturalism And Theology In The Political Thought Of Bernard Mandeville, Lewis Hoss Jan 2016

Reconciling Naturalism And Theology In The Political Thought Of Bernard Mandeville, Lewis Hoss

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The paradoxical nature of Bernard Mandeville's The Fable of the Bees has led a number of scholars to offer competing interpretations of his social and political thought. In particular, his rigoristic definition of moral virtue, which juxtaposes a version of Christian asceticism with Enlightenment rationalism, has allowed for competing portrayals of Mandeville as either a Christian moralist or a Hobbesian empiricist. Contributing to this perplexity is the fact that his writings are also characterized by repeated appeals to Christian ethics, despite the fact that he is making a case for the benefits to be derived from vice. In this paper, …


The Outermost Court : Gentiles In Mormon Zion, 1831-1869, Christopher W. Anderson Jan 2016

The Outermost Court : Gentiles In Mormon Zion, 1831-1869, Christopher W. Anderson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the lives of the non-Mormon minority that lived within early Mormon communities. Understanding the nature of community formation and the role of passive religious dissent on the frontier of antebellum America problematizes monolithic narratives of religious conflict. A more localized exploration of Mormon/non-Mormon interaction provides insight into how these communities changed over time and how economic issues were central to their viability. Other studies of these relationships have focused on the conflict that arose between Mormon communities and their neighbors. By framing this investigation in terms of the opportunities for collaboration, I argue that these communities were …


The Pressure Of Society On Water Quality : A Land Use Impact Study Of Lake Ripley In Oakland, Wisconsin, Kyle Whalley Jan 2016

The Pressure Of Society On Water Quality : A Land Use Impact Study Of Lake Ripley In Oakland, Wisconsin, Kyle Whalley

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Eutrophication of lakes occurs naturally over time but with the influence of humans, mainly through the process of non-point source pollution, the eutrophication rate can be accelerated. Agriculture and residential land use along with the presence of impervious surfaces can negatively impact water quality of lakes due to nutrient pollution. This research investigates the impacts of land use on the water quality of Lake Ripley in Oakland, Wisconsin from 1993 to 2011 using a regression, correlation, and trophic state index (TSI) trend analysis. The regression analysis incorporates four years of National Land Cover Database (NLCD) data, eight spatial categories created …


The Presuppositions Of Freedom : Kant And The Social Contract, Christopher Weaver Jan 2016

The Presuppositions Of Freedom : Kant And The Social Contract, Christopher Weaver

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

More than 200 years after his death, scholars continue to struggle with the works of Immanuel Kant and how to systematize it within the larger agglomerate of intellectual history. Among these struggles is a debate over Kant's political philosophy and its relationship with the social contract theory. In this study, I suggest more scrutiny should be given to what exactly Kant meant when he used the word freedom throughout his writings on politics and the importance this has for better understanding Kantian thought. Freedom presupposes a lot of things for Kant, but within the context of his politics, it includes …


Finding Meaning Through Video Chat Communication In Longdistance Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Johnson Jan 2016

Finding Meaning Through Video Chat Communication In Longdistance Romantic Relationships, Rebecca Johnson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored meaning making through visually based computer-mediated communication in long-distance romantic relationships using Relational Dialectics Theory. Data was collected through 35 qualitative individual interviews. Contrapuntal analysis was conducted to answer the two research questions posed in the study. In answer to RQ1, two proximal tensions were discovered from the data. Those tensions include independence versus connection and certainty versus uncertainty. In response to RQ2, two distal tensions were gleaned from the data including "out of sight, out of mind" versus "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and private versus public. Based on the research presented in this study, …


I'M Licensed. What Do I Do Now? : A Qualitative Study Of The Learning Journeys Of Newly Licensed Real Estate Agents, Kristine A. Brown Jan 2016

I'M Licensed. What Do I Do Now? : A Qualitative Study Of The Learning Journeys Of Newly Licensed Real Estate Agents, Kristine A. Brown

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the learning journeys of eight newly licensed real estate agents in Illinois. It examined how these agents viewed the real estate industry, how they learned the business, and how they developed their professional identities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted monthly with each participant for a six-month period during their first year in the business.


Impacts Of Tourism On Water Quality In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Katelyn Kane Jan 2016

Impacts Of Tourism On Water Quality In Quintana Roo, Mexico, Katelyn Kane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Yucatan Peninsula is the world's second largest underwater karst cave system. The highly fractured limestone and scarce soil allows precipitation to rapidly infiltrate to the groundwater system identified as the Yucatan Aquifer. The geology of the area also prevents the accumulation of surface water; as such, groundwater is the only source of fresh water on the peninsula and can become easily contaminated due to anthropogenic activities on the surface from tourism. The state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, is economically dependent on the tourism industry. This study focuses on an assessment of eleven locations throughout the Cancun and Riveria Maya …


Individual Variation In Maternal Behavior In Spider Monkeys At El Zota Research Station, Costa Rica, Agnieszka Magdalena Sukiennik Jan 2016

Individual Variation In Maternal Behavior In Spider Monkeys At El Zota Research Station, Costa Rica, Agnieszka Magdalena Sukiennik

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Predation risk is a significant survival problem for immature primates, but only a few studies have examined the risk of predation on immatures in ateline primates. This study examined whether spider monkey mothers changed their interactions with their infants due to a perceived change in predation risk while foraging in different sized groups. I proposed that a mother's proximity to her infant/juvenile varied depending on whether she was alone with her offspring, with one other adult female, or with a larger group of adults. Because group living potentially reduces predation risk, I suggested that mothers would be in closer proximity …


Machiavelli And Manhood : A Study Of Effeminacy In The "Discourses On Livy" And "Mandragola", Alyssa Morren Jan 2016

Machiavelli And Manhood : A Study Of Effeminacy In The "Discourses On Livy" And "Mandragola", Alyssa Morren

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the linkages between effeminacy and women in Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy and Mandragola. In the Discourses, Machiavelli creates a masculine ideal without sufficiently articulating the prerequisites necessary to fulfill that ideal. However, he does not hesitate to deem things that do not meet those standards as effeminate. Effeminacy is a trait that can be ascribed to things as well as people, and appears to be the antithesis of the behavior Machiavelli wants to encourage. While effeminacy typically connotes a disparagement of men as well as women, it is difficult to tell if that is indeed what Machiavelli …