Digital Commons Network^™

The Process Of Reclaiming Tribal Sovereignty Through Healthcare Autonomy, Karolina A. Serhan

Honors Theses

This honors thesis explores the complex interplay between health status, healthcare, and tribal sovereignty among native communities in the United States. These relationships are explored through analyzing the paradoxical and condescending nature of the Federal Trust Responsibility in relation to government-organized healthcare programs for natives. In establishing this relationship, the thesis goes on to illustrate how native communities have effectively fought to regain sovereignty through reclaiming autonomy of their healthcare systems through the use of the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The impact of tribal-led healthcare systems is further explored through an in-depth case study conducted regarding the …

Social Class Identity Development And Elite Schools, Sarah Peck

Honors Theses

This project explores the ways in which students’ identities are shaped and created at an elite school in a large metropolitan city in Chile, called Croft School. The project focuses on the ways in which privilege is reproduced at this elite institution and how the school inadvertently and purposefully teaches its students lessons about social class. In order to examine these lessons, interviews with students, alumni, teachers, and administrators as well as a site visit to Croft’s campus were conducted. These methods were used to analyze the students’ understandings of themselves and the ways that the school attempted to shape …

Small Town, Big Future: Preparing Rural Maine Students For College, Elizabeth C. Huber

Honors Theses

While the need for a college degree has increased in the knowledge economy era, acquisition of this degree has remained difficult for low-income and first-generation students. At the same time, college preparatory programs designed for this demographic of student tend to be clustered in urban centers while very little focus is given to disadvantaged students in rural communities. The academic prospects of rural students in regards to higher education are the focus of this project. More specifically, this project explores the ways in which college-cultured programs may address the educational needs of students living in rural communities. By doing in-depth …

Vein Patterning During Juvenile Wing Development In Oncopeltus Fasciatus And Jadera Haematoloma, William R. Simmons

Honors Theses

Wings are a defining characteristic of all pterygote insects and are agreed to originate from a single common winged ancestor. However, essentially nothing is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate wing development and patterning outside of Endopterygota, and the vast majority of this knowledge comes solely from Drosophila melanogaster. There is reason to suspect that the drastic developmental differences that exist between Endopterygota and Exopterygota have resulted in changes in the mechanisms, timings, or even genes that govern wing development. This study examined the roles of several genes known to be involved in D. melanogaster wing development and patterning …

Protein Kinase Activity Toward Taabf1 In Imbibing Grains, Taylor P. Enrico

Honors Theses

The hormones gibberellin and abscisic acid are essential for plant responses to changing environmental conditions, and can send opposing signals. In wheat, the transcription factor TaABF1 plays an important role at the intersection of a gibberellin-induced/abscisic acid-suppressed pathway. When gibberellin dominates, the GA-induced gene, Amy32b, is transcribed. When abscisic acid is dominant, TaABF1 is active and it downregulates GA-induction of Amy32b, while promoting ABA-induced transcription of the gene HVA1. The activity of TaABF1 is thought to be regulated by post-translational phosphorylation at key serine residues. In this study, to determine TaABF1 phosphorylation by wheat kinases, we purified recombinant …

Constructing (Hu)Man Nature: A Feminist Critique Of Western Ir Theory, Liberal Economics And U.S. Foreign Policy, Nadia Stovicek

Honors Theses

Feminism in general exposes the fundamental folly of Western political theorists’ view of human nature, which is based on Western, decently well-off, white men’s experiences and privilege. This view of human nature, which is not human nature at all, but rather a socially constructed definition of what men’s human nature is, is replicated in neoclassical economics and perpetuated in mainstream Western International Relations theory. Understanding the social construction of norms exposes how what is conceived in conventional theory as human nature and state behavior is unnecessarily limiting. The U.S. is the greatest benefactor from the worldview of Western political theorists, …

It’S Not You, It’S— Hookup Culture And Sexual Subjectivity, Anne Vetter

Honors Theses

A semi-fictionalized ethnography that interrogates how students at Colby College use hookup culture as a way to make sense of themselves and others. This thesis is about systems, about social power and norms, and the very real ways that they are experienced in and enacted by the bodies of individual students. In other words, this thesis is a naming of what many students on this campus already know without words, a linking of story to story to story, a marking of patterns that underlie the forms of sexual subjectivity driving participation in hookup culture. Ultimately, by making visible the systems …

Crops And Controversy: Industry’S Role In The Gmo Debate, Carina Wallack

Honors Theses

The use of genetically modified crops (also called GM crops, genetically modified organisms, or GMOs for short) has become a highly contested issue. New genetic modification technologies offer a variety of advantages for improving agricultural efficiency. However, some scientists argue that the safety testing conducted thus far does not provide enough information and worry about possible health and ecological risks. Private industry sponsors a great deal of research on genetically modified crops. As the international controversy regarding the use of GMOs has unfolded, the very companies responsible for commercializing genetically modified crops have gained substantial influence in the resulting scientific …

Tying The Knot: Applications Of Topology To Chemistry, Tarini S. Hardikar

Honors Theses

Chirality (or handedness) is the property that a structure is “different” from its mirror image. Topology can be used to provide a rigorous framework for the notion of chirality. This project examines various types of chirality and discusses tools to detect chirality in graphs and knots. Notable theorems that are discussed in this work include ones that identify chirality using properties of link polynomials (HOMFLY polynomials), rigid vertex graphs, and knot linking numbers. Various other issues of chirality are explored, and some specially unique structures are discussed. This paper is borne out of reading Dr. Erica Flapan’s book, When Topology …

America's National Parks And The Anthropocene: Addressing The Present To Accommodate The Future In Acadia National Park, Sophie A. Swetz

Honors Theses

In 2000, atmospheric chemist, Paul J. Crutzen, and limnologist, Eugene Stoermer, formally proposed the idea of “the Anthropocene,” a new geologic epoch in which humans are the dominant force shaping the Earth. To claim the Anthropocene's existence is to declare that human actions have altered the Earth in such a way that geologic indicators render it a distinct epoch in the stratification of geologic time. This new epoch emerges as a consequence of increased technological development employed to accommodate an anthropocentric human existence. That is, rapid advancements in technology have driven the transformation from a primarily naturally controlled planet to …

Relations Between Downy/Powdery Mildew Diseases Andsome Phenolic Compounds In Vitis Spp., Ari̇f Atak, Zeki̇ye Göksel, Hüseyi̇n Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Powdery mildew and downy mildew are among the most important diseases of grapevine. The relationship between these diseases and phenolic components has become increasingly important in recent years. This study evaluated changes of total phenolics, total antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds (gallic acid and rutin hydrate) in some Vitis species. Vitis labrusca cultivars or genotypes, Vitis vinifera cultivars, interspecies hybrids, and a Vitis rotundifolia cultivar's healthy and infected leaves were examined. The contents of healthy material and of samples of plant material infected with both microorganisms (Uncinula necator (Schw.) Burr and Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Berl & De …

Variation In Damage Levels By Codling Moth To Ten Applecultivars In An Organic Orchard In Poland, Witold Danelski, Dorota Kruczynska, Pawel Bielicki, Elzbieta Rozpara

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This study was conducted in an experimental ecological orchard in central Poland in 2011-2013. The experiment assessed the variation in damage to the fruit of ten apple cultivars by the codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.) under an organic system of apple cultivation. The cultivars were divided into two groups according to their susceptibility to apple scab Venturia inaequalis (Cooke) Wint. The first group of apple trees (A) consisted of cultivars resistant to scab (Enterprise, Gold Milenium, Rajka, Rewena, and Topaz), while the second group (B) consisted of cultivars with reduced susceptibility to scab (Delbard Jubile, Ligolina, Pinova, Piros, and Szampion). …

Change Of Arginine Content And Some Physiological Traits Under Midseason Drought In Peanut Genotypes With Different Levels Of Drought Resistance, Chorkaew Aninbon, Sanun Jogloy, Nimitr Vorasoot, Suporn Nuchadomrong, Corley Holbrook, Craig Kvien, Aran Patanothai

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Peanut production areas frequently suffer from drought, which can cause severe yield losses, increased aflatoxin, and compositional changes in seed. Midseason drought is generally the most detrimental to seed yields and in altering seed protein composition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of midseason drought on arginine content in peanut genotypes with different levels of drought resistance. The experiment was conducted under field conditions for 2 years. Two water regimes (well-watered conditions and no irrigation during 30-60 days after planting) were assigned as main plots, and five peanut genotypes were arranged in subplots. Arginine content of …

De Novo Transcriptome Assembly And Ssr Marker Development In Apricot (Prunus Armeniaca), Muhammed Ali̇ Köse, Necati̇ Çeti̇nsağ, Kahraman Gürcan

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is an important fruit crop worldwide. We have performed a de novo transcriptome assembly for 7 apricot accessions (`Stark Early Orange' (SEO), `Hacıhaliloğlu' (HH), `Perfection', `Iğdır', `Roxana', `Esen1', and `Esen2'), which yielded a total number of transcripts ranging from 30,363 for `SEO' to 59,751 for `Iğdır'. The pool of the reads produced from 7 accessions were assembled into 85,766 transcripts, with an average of 1165.69 nt. Functional annotation (Gene Ontology- GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes- KEGG) was performed successfully for the transcripts. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were searched in the transcript pool and 14,722 …

Evaluation Of Disease Intensity And Molecular Identification Of Zymoseptoria Tritici Causing Septoria Leaf Blotch On Wheat In The Eastern Mediterranean Region Of Turkey, Gülsüm Ünal, Mukaddes Kayim, Tahsi̇n Ay, Amin Mohammed Yones

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Wheat is one of the most important crops in Turkey. Production of this crop is constrained by the disease Septoria leaf blotch, which is a major bottleneck in wheat production in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. In this study, 260 different wheat fields were surveyed for the estimation of prevalence and severity of Septoria leaf blotch. Out of 100% of the total wheat crop fields, 58.91% were infected with this disease. The mean value of Septoria leaf blotch virulence was 11.62%. Out of 142 diseased wheat crop samples, 74 isolates were used for the pathogenicity test. Forty-seven isolates from …

Évaluation Des Bioaérosols Et Des Composés Gazeux Émis Lors Des Compostages De Résidus Agroalimentaires Et Résidentiels, Geneviève Marchand, Laetitia Bonifait, Marc Veillette, Carole Pépin, Yves Beaudet, Éric Légaré, Jacques Lavoie, Caroline Duchaine, Yves Bernard, Yves Cloutier

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Au cours des dernières années, la conscientisation écologique des populations a stimulé de façon importante l’intérêt qu’elles portent à la protection de l’environnement. Des comportements favorisant le développement durable et permettant la préservation à long terme de l’environnement comme le compostage sont maintenant répandus. De par sa nature, le compostage nécessite l’action des microorganismes. À chaque phase de compostage correspondent des populations de microorganismes caractéristiques et, par conséquent, des émissions de bioaérosols qui leur sont propres. Plusieurs gaz peuvent également être présents dans l’air ambiant lors des activités de compostage. Les travailleurs de ces milieux peuvent donc être …

The Effect Of Post-Translational Modifications On Icer's Function And Localization, Dina H. Edani

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER) is an endogenous repressor of cAMPresponsive element (CRE) with antiproliferative properties that acts as a potential suppresser for tumors especially melanoma. ICER activity and cellular localization are orchestrated by the performance of the post-translational modifications (PTMs). Ubiquitination and sumoylation are two of the most important types of PTMs that control diverse groups of biological processes for ICER protein. The goal of this project is to study how post-translational modifications alter the function of the transcriptional repressor Inducible cAMP Early Repressor (ICER) in melanoma cells. Since ICER ubiquitination and sumoylation processes take place on the interaction …

Evaluation Of Ecto-Mycorrhizae As A Determinant Of Chestnut Growth And Stress Response, Pabitra Aryal

Masters Theses

Although agriculture focuses on row crops throughout much of the Midwest, chestnut (Castanea spp.) appears to be an agroforestry crop well suited as a sustainable alternative to row crops in areas prone to erosion. As ectomycorrhizal (ECM) colonization is often crucial for tree establishment and production, I addressed the importance of ECM colonization on chestnut performance by assessing 1) natural ECM colonization in an established chestnut orchard and 2) the effect of experimental ECM inoculation on seedling establishment and drought response in a greenhouse. In the established orchard, I selected 50 Chinese-American hybrid chestnuts (C. mollisima x C. dentata …

Metabolic And Morphologic Shifts In Neuro2a Cells Cultured In Galactose Medium, Leah Welker

Masters Theses

It has been observed that highly-proliferating cells, such as cancer cells, rely mainly on glycolysis for ATP production, regardless of presence of oxygen. This effect, however, can be reversed by changing the main energy substrate in the medium from glucose to galactose. The oxidation of galactose in glycolysis yields less net ATP, presumably forcing the cell into OXPHOS. This has been established in many cell lines, including HeLA, HepG2, and skeletal muscle cells. As of yet, this has not been reproduced in neuronal cells. Using Neuro2a, a murine neuroblastoma cell line, this study exposes neuronal cells to galactose medium, and …

Red Emissive Bodipy Dyes As Sensitizers For Near-Infrared Emission Of Lanthanide Complexes & Structural & Spectroscopic Studies Of Quinoline-Functionalized Bodipy Dyes, Adedayo Ayodeji Kukoyi

Masters Theses

Bioimaging has become a significant tool for the visualization of biological events and the detection of numerous biomarkers. However, detection sensitivity is compromised by background signal from the biofluid which interferes with signals from the probes that usually emit in the visible region Alternative probes such as those that emit in the near-infrared (NIR) region are necessary to overcome these shortcomings. Lanthanide ions have demonstrated efficiency with sharp characteristic emission in the visible and (NIR) region. Emission however is mostly achieved by indirect sensitization process in which energy from the triplet state of a sensitizer is transferred to the excited …

Comparative Leaf Anatomy Of C3 And Cam Species In Oncidiinae (Maxillarieae, Orchidaceae), Samuel A. Eident

Masters Theses

The subtribe Oncidiinae is a diverse group of mostly epiphytic orchids within the tribe Maxillarieae, consisting of 55 genera and 1700 species. In this group, there have been many studies examining morphological and anatomical variation as well as metabolic pathways of carbon fixation, but most have not integrated morphological and anatomical variation with a physiological aspect of inquiry. The objective of my research was to establish a suite of anatomical characteristics that can be used to distinguish between C₃ and CAM species. Secondarily, I hoped to use that suite of characteristics in determining whether intermediate CAM species (those that …

Morphology And Variation In The Gargle Call In A Chickadee Hybrid Zone In Central Illinois, Shannon Marie Regan

Masters Theses

Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina Chickadees (P. carolinensis) have distributions that span the northern and eastern portions of the United States. The areas where these distributions meet are called contact zones and extend from Kansas to New Jersey. Contact zones often have a narrow range of hybridization and usually within these zones of hybridization we will see a mixture of genetic, morphological, and cultural traits. One focus of this project was to compare morphology and genetics of chickadees within and near the largest Illinois contact zone, which has not been done previously. This contact zone was …

Expression, Purification, And Characterization Of An Intrinsically Disordered Late Embryogenesis Abundant (Lea) Protein From Artemia Franciscana Utilizing Escherichia Coli And Nicotiana Tabacum, Md Fazlul Karim

Masters Theses

Anhydrobiosis is an astounding strategy that allows certain species (both animals and plants) to survive severe environmental conditions such as desiccation, extreme cold, or heat in the habitat. Despite the occurrence of several different molecular strategies, expression of highly hydrophilic polypeptides termed LEA proteins has been most conclusive identified as a requirement for the survival of plants and animals during periods of water stress such as freezing and drying. Several classification schemes for LEA proteins have been proposed and the brine shrimp, Artemia franciscana, is the only known animal that naturally expresses LEA proteins from three different classification groups …

Motivation Behind Male Undergraduate Students' Decision To Participate In A Study Abroad Program, Rachel Ann Lindhart

Masters Theses

This study sought to explore the motivating factors behind a male students' decision to study abroad during their undergraduate career at a mid-sized Midwestern university. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used understand the factors that influenced their decision to participate in a study abroad program. Five male undergraduate students in their third year or higher that had participated in a semester-long or summer independent study abroad program were interviewed one-on-one. The results demonstrated that the participants committed to study abroad during their sophomore year of college. The students' decisions were influenced by a variety of factors, including academics, people, their …

Perceptions Of Transgender Students In Social Fraternities And Sororities, Stacy Rowan

Masters Theses

Recently, a total of ten social fraternities and sororities have published statements inclusive of transgender individuals, while others have remained silent on their inclusive policies. Currently, there is no published research on the inclusion of transgender students in social fraternities and sororities, though many institutions of higher education have started taking steps toward including transgender students. This qualitative study was designed to identify the perceptions of individual social fraternity and sorority members, the perceptions of their chapters, and how their chapters recruit and welcome transgender students into their organizations. The participants belonged to five different social fraternities and sororities at …

Dna Markers Identify Genetic Heritage Between Chickadees Near A Contact Zone In Illinois, Fahad M. Alshammari

Masters Theses

I studied the genetic interactions of Black-capped (Poecile atricapilus) (BCCH) and Carolina (P. carolinensis) (CACH) Chickadees in and near the largest hybrid contact zone in Illinois. Biologists have assumed Carolina and Black-capped Chickadees hybridize in their large contact zone in Bond and Fayette Counties, based on intermediate morphological measurements, plumage characteristics and the production of aberrant vocalizations. In determining hybridization, however, diagnostic genetics may be more useful than any other criterion. The genetic and environmental factors that have contributed to the survival of this chickadees hybrid zone have underscored the genetic integrity of both species. We …

The Effects Of Belief, Gender, And Setting On A Psi Task, Alan Jeffrey Hinman

Masters Theses

The current study was designed to explore how the variables of belief, gender, and experimenter effects regarding setting influence participants' results on a psi task. Small groups of research assistants and participants acted as senders and attempted to telepathically transmit one of four target locations to individual receivers. Sender and receiver groups were divided by gender, and answered a question on a seven-point scale regarding their belief in the existence of mental telepathy. One run of 16 trials was completed by 53 receivers over six data collection sessions, utilizing a new website designed for the task. It was hypothesized that …

Effects Of Asiatic Acid On Neurite Outgrowth In Neuro-2a Cells, Aishah Asiri

Masters Theses

Recently, medicinal plants from ancient Ayurvedic medicine have provided clues to the discovery of novel therapeutics for various diseases. In Ayurvedic medicine, a common Indian plant, Centella asiatica is highly regarded as a "rasayana" or nerve tonic. The Centella extract is used to ward off age-related dementia and to increase memory and intelligence. The mechanism by which Centella improves memory and learning and reduces the risk of dementia is unclear.

We recently tested the effects of asiatic acid, the main active component of Centella, on neuronal growth. We hypothesized that asiatic acid will promote neuronal growth and neurite network …

A Transdisciplinary Approach To The Initial Validation Of A Single Cell Protein As An Alternative Protein Source For Use In Aquafeeds, Michael Tlusty, Andrew L. Rhyne, Joseph T. Szczebak, Bradford D. Bourque, Jennifer L. Bowen, Gary Burr, Christopher J. Marx, Lawrence Feinberg

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

The human population is growing and, globally, we must meet the challenge of increased protein needs required to feed this population. Single cell proteins (SCP), when coupled to aquaculture production, offer a means to ensure future protein needs can be met without direct competition with food for people. To demonstrate a given type of SCP has potential as a protein source for use in aquaculture feed, a number of steps need to be validated including demonstrating that the SCP is accepted by the species in question, leads to equivalent survival and growth, does not result in illness or other maladies, …

Enhancement Of The Physicochemical Properties Of Pt(Dien)(Nucleobase) (2+) For Hivncp7 Targeting, S. D. Tsotsoros, P. B. Lutz, A. G. Daniel, E. J. Peterson, R. E. F. De Paiva, E. Rivera, Y. Qu, C. A. Bayse, N. P. Farrell

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Physicochemical properties of coordination compounds can be exploited for molecular recognition of biomolecules. The inherent π-π stacking properties of [Pt(chelate)(N-donor)]²⁺([PtN₄]) complexes were modulated by systematic variation of the chelate (diethylenetriamine and substituted derivatives) and N-donor (nucleobase or nucleoside) in the formally substitution-inert PtN₄ coordination sphere. Approaches to target the HIV nucleocapsid protein HIVNCp7 are summarized building on (i) assessment of stacking interactions with simple tryptophan or tryptophan derivatives to (ii) the tryptophan-containing C-terminal zinc finger and (iii) to the full two-zinc finger peptide and its interactions with RNA and DNA. The xanthosine nucleoside was identified …