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Immigration, Organization-Based Resources, And Urban Violence : An Analysis Of Latino Neighborhoods In Chicago, Rodrigo Dominguez-Martinez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Latino paradox of crime suggests that relative to other groups with similar rates of economic disadvantage, Latinos fare a lot better in a wide array of social indices, including the propensity to violence and crime. While previous studies tend to overestimate the role of community members in creating the conditions under which violent crime occurs, very few have examined the direct role of the 'disorganizing' or 'organizing' factors that result from political turf wars. This study will examine the ways in which the mobilization of resources and organizational infrastructures affect the immigration-crime nexus. In an effort to better understand …

L-Tryptophan Hydroxamic Acid Derivatives As Burkholderia Pseudomallei Ispf Inhibitors, Chante Ashley Muller

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause a severe and potentially deadly infection called melioidosis. Typically found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, this bacterium is considered a Tier 1 Select Agent by the CDC. A Tier 1 Select Agent can pose a severe threat to plants, animals, and humans. This bacterium utilizes the isoprenoid biosynthetic route called the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate, or MEP, pathway. This pathway is used by most bacteria, plants, and apicomplexan protozoa to produce two isoprenoid precursors, isopentyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP), which are used by the bacterium to synthesize molecules …

Metagenomic Analysis Of Deep-Branching Firmicutes And New Representatives Of Known Genera From The Calumet Wetlands, A Highly Alkaline Environment, Jay T. Osvatic

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Calumet Wetlands, located in southern Chicago, Illinois, USA, is a historical steel waste site that was created through the dumping of steel mill slag waste, which was used until the middle of the 20th century to turn the wetlands into buildable land. The weathering of the steel slag has led to a highly alkaline (up to pH 13.4), non-saline environment due to the release of Ca(OH)2 into the groundwater flow. While there are many chemical similarities to natural alkaline systems, such as serpentinizing sites, Calumet is distinct in that its extreme pH is a result of anthropogenic processes. Preliminary16S …

Microbial Community Dynamics In Tallgrass Prairie Soil Affected By Native Grazer Feces (Bison Bison), Karley Chantos

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Tallgrass prairies have been reduced in area by over 90% and are therefore one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Efforts to restore these native lands from agriculture are ongoing throughout the North American Midwest. Changes in the microbial community and ecosystem properties that follow conversion of agriculture to restored tallgrass prairies are poorly understood. In this work we sought to characterize how nutrient influx and microbial communities from reintroduced native grazer feces affected the microbial community of prairie soil during restoration. Nachusa Grasslands, located in Franklin Grove, IL, USA, is a successful long-term effort of restoring agricultural …

The Role Of Gln146 To The Stability And Activity Of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase, Ting Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Gln146 is a highly conserved outer-sphere amino acid residue at the active site of MnSOD. It serves as a hydrogen bond donor to both the solvent molecules at the active site and Tyr 34, the conserved “gateway” amino acid residue. This dissertation develops our understanding of the effect of amino acid Gln146 at the second shell of the active site of metalloprotein MnSOD in facilitating metal binding, the modulation of redox potential, and the optimization of catalytic activity and structure stability. Different from the wild-type MnSOD, Q146E is always purified as a completely apo-protein with zero active metal ion and …

Application Of High-Resolution Accurate Mass (Hram) Mass Spectrometry For Analysis Of Lignin Model Compounds And The Post-Pretreatment Products, Fan Huang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignin, one of main components in the woody cell walls, is a complex heterogeneous biopolymer, which provides structural support and transportation of water in plants. It is highly recalcitrant to degradation (both chemically and environmentally) and protects cellulose from being degraded/hydrolyzed. Due to the structural complexity of native lignin, complete characterization and elucidation of lignin’s structure remains very challenging. The overarching goal of this work is to develop mass spectrometry based analytical methods to contribute to a better understanding of lignin structures.

This dissertation will focus on the development and application of High-Resolution Accurate-Mass (HRAM) Mass Spectrometry (MS) as main …

Towards The Total Synthesis Of 7-Epi-Clusianone, Shubhankar Dutta

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs) are plant- (Guttiferae) derived natural products. They have fascinating bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-trione or [3.2.1]nonane-2,4,8-trione cores decorated with prenyl or geranyl groups. More than 200 PPAPs have been isolated, but only a few of them have been synthesized, although most of the synthesized PPAPs are of type A and have an exo substituent at C (7). Here, we are trying to make a type B 7-endo PPAP, 7-epi-clusianone. The synthetic plan involves an alkynylation–aldol strategy to construct the bicyclic core. Having established the bicyclic core, the synthesis presents a new challenge: the oxidation of a very hindered …

Illuminate The Pathway Of Membrane Protein Association And Degradation, Zhaoshuai Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Escherichia coli transporter protein AcrB and its homologues are the inner membrane components of the Resistance-Nodulation-Division (RND) family efflux pumps in Gram-negative bacteria. It is well accepted that soluble proteins are only marginally stable, but such insight is missing for membrane proteins. The lack of stability data, including thermodynamic stability and oligomer association affinity is a result of intrinsic difficulties in working with membrane proteins. In addition, the degradation of soluble proteins in E. coli has been extensively studied whereas the degradation process of membrane proteins remains unclear. A focus of my thesis is the validation and development of methods …

Synthesis And Development Of Zwitterionic Pei (Zpei) For Optimized Delivery Of Nucleic Acids, Joseph Raleigh Duke Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Gene therapy holds promise for the treatment a wide range of diseases ranging from cystic fibrosis to cardiovascular disease to cancer. The need for safe and efficient gene delivery methods remains the primary barrier to human gene therapy. Non-viral vector materials, including polymers, can be designed to be biocompatible and non-immunogenic, but lack the efficiency to be clinically relevant. Gene therapy awaits the development of new materials that are both safe and efficient. Here, we have synthesized a series of modified zwitterionic polymers based on the common transfecting agent polyethylenimine (PEI). Using a variety of biochemical and biophysical methods we …

Optimizing Bolus Calculator Sensitivity Setting Using Self-Organizing Map Neural Network, Eric Johnson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that affects millions of people around the world. This disease, which has no cure, is treated by injecting insulin into the body. This is done to balance out the body's blood glucose level to help it stay within a healthy range. Blood glucose outside this range can cause many complications and can lead to death if left untreated. In order to maintain a healthy blood glucose level, many technologies have been developed, including a bolus calculator equipped insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor. The monitor takes blood sugar readings and passes them …

Prevalence And Transmission Of Cryptosporidium And Giardia Infections Amongst Lemurs, Humans, Domestic Mammals And Invasive Rats In Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar, Laurie Spencer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are ubiquitous enteric protozoan pathogens that infect humans, domestic animals, and wildlife worldwide. These pathogens are known to cause gastroenteritis in their hosts, often being fatal in immunocompromised individuals. Both parasites are zoonotic and cross-species transmissions have occurred between humans, wildlife and domestic animals. Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections are reported in young children in Madagascar; however, the extent of these infections throughout the Malagasy population is relatively unknown and unstudied. The rainforest of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar, contains areas with pristine forests as well as fragmented forests which have been created by human encroachment and deforestation. Since protozoan parasites …

A Battle Over Statutory Interpretation: Title Vii And Claims Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Discrimination, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

Having Graduated, Gavin Grimm Amends Complaint, Arthur S. Leonard

Other Publications

No abstract provided.

Fundamental Components Of Life: The Science Of Animal Rights, Bailey-Michelle Collins

Student Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Can Multilingualism And Positive Visualizations Influence Resilience?, Grisel Lopez-Escobar

Student Publications and Presentations

The ability to overcome life's challenges and to thrive as a result is humanity's number one desired outcome. Resilience leads to happiness, prosperity, peace and inner equilibrium. Studies about individuals demonstrating resilience are therefore of great utility. An experiment was undertaken to find out whether multilingualism and positive visualizations of having overcome stressful events could positively influence resilience, as measured by the dependent variable of heart rate increases in beats per minute. This experiment involved 120 female 18- and 19-year old undergraduate volunteers recruited from a prestigious American undergraduate university. Items from the Holmes and Rahe Stress Inventory (Christie-Seeley, 1983) …

The Left- And Right-Brain Myth, Jaimee Marcus

Student Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Large But Uneven Reduction In Fish Size Across Species In Relation To Changing Sea Temperatures, Itai Van Rijn, Yehezkel Buba, John Delong, Moshe Kiflawi, Jonathan Belmaker

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Ectotherms often attain smaller body sizes when they develop at higher temperatures. This phenomenon, known as the temperature size rule, has important consequences for global fisheries, whereby ocean warming is predicted to result in smaller fish and reduced biomass. However, the generality of this phenomenon and the mechanisms that drive it in natural populations remain unresolved. In this study we document the maximal size of 74 fish species along a steep temperature gradient in the Mediterranean Sea and find strong support for the temperature size rule. Importantly, we additionally find that size reduction in active fish species is dramatically larger …

The Clarion, 2017, University High School

Yearbooks

The Clarion of University High School, Normal, Illinois, vol. 89, 2017.

Mech 350: Introduction To Dynamics And Controls Of Engineering Systems—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Benjamin S. Terry

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

There are two purposes of this portfolio. The first purpose is to outline and explain my approach to teaching this classic and fundamental course. I highlight in detail the purpose and curricula, the desired outcomes, and the goals and objectives. I also describe how the course activities and my teaching methodology support the course objectives. The second purpose of this portfolio is to describe a simple course modification—the introduction of a recitation session—and to test in a preliminary way the effect of this change on students’ attitudes towards the examples worked out in class. The results show that in the …

Vmed 646: Animal Physiology Ii—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Renee M. Mcfee

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This Peer Review of Teaching Project portfolio focuses on the Animal Physiology II course which is required for first year veterinary medicine students. Weekly quizzes assess baseline knowledge and had been administered individually and in groups. I hypothesized the discontinuation of group quizzes would increase student effort when preparing for quizzes. Unit exams involve scenario-based questions and require students to apply information. I hypothesized the implementation of group exams would help under-performing students improve their ability to apply information they had learned. Exams were still taken individually prior to being taken in groups to encourage adequate preparation. Student impacts were …

The Holocaust At Nuremberg: What The Record Reveals, Michael Bazyler

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Teaching Is Damn Hard Work: Advice For Those Considering Education As A Career, Vincent A. Aleccia

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This article is addressed to undergraduates considering teaching as a career. After explaining what personal indicators students should have when deciding whether to enter a teacher-preparation program and examining the complexity of intentional classroom teaching, the author lists some suggestions potential teachers can adopt to prepare for future classroom practice. The author closes with some final thoughts about choosing education as a career.

Assessing The Optimized Precision Of The Aircraft Mass Balance Method For Measurement Of Urban Greenhouse Gas Emission Rates Through Averaging, Alexie M F Heimburger, Rebecca M. Harvey, Paul B. Shepson, Brian H. Stirm, Chloe Gore, Jocelyn Turnbull, Maria Obiminda L. Cambaliza, Olivia E. Salmon, Anna-Elodie M. Kerlo, Tegan Lavoie, Kenneth J. Davis, Thomas Lauvaux, Anna Karion, Colm Sweeney, W Alan Brewer, R Michael Hardesty, Kevin R. Gurney

Physics Faculty Publications

To effectively address climate change, aggressive mitigation policies need to be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Anthropogenic carbon emissions are mostly generated from urban environments, where human activities are spatially concentrated. Improvements in uncertainty determinations and precision of measurement techniques are critical to permit accurate and precise tracking of emissions changes relative to the reduction targets. As part of the INFLUX project, we quantified carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) emission rates for the city of Indianapolis by averaging results from nine aircraft-based mass balance experiments performed in November-December 2014. Our goal was to assess the …

Changes In Appetite, Energy Intake, Body Composition And Circulating Ghrelin Constituents During An Incremental Trekking Ascent To High Altitude, Jamie Matu, John O'Hara, Neil Hill, Sarah B. Clarke, Christopher Boos, Caroline Newman, David Holdsworth, Theocharis Ispoglou, Lauren Duckworth, David Woods, Adrian Mellor, Kevin Deighton

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Updated Extinction Risk Assessments Of Madagascar’S Freshwater Decapod Crustaceans Reveal Fewer Threatened Species But More Data Deficient Species., N Cumberlidge, J. Rasamy Razanabolana, C H. Ranaivoson, H H. Randrianasolo, M Sayer, L Máiz-Tomé, D Van Damme, W R T Darwall

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Problems With Pooling Poop: Confronting Sampling Method Biases In Wolf (Canis Lupus) Diet Studies, T. Gable, S. Windels, John G. Bruggink, S. Barber-Meyer

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

The Treadmill Of Destruction In Comparative Perspective: A Panel Study Of Military Spending And Carbon Emissions, 1961-2014, Alex Stoner, John H. Bradford

Journal Articles

This article analyzes a unique panel data set to assess the effect of militarism on per capita carbon dioxide emissions. We extend previous research examining the effects of military expenditures on carbon emissions by including in our analyses over 30 years of additional data. In addition, we compare our preliminary results to those obtained from other estimation procedures. Specifically, we report and visually illustrate the results of 54 cross-sectional models (one for each year) and 36 unique panel regression models on both balanced and unbalanced panels. We assess how this relationship has changed over time by testing for interactions between …

Effects Of Injectable Progestogen Contraception Versus The Copper Intrauterine Device On Hiv Acquisition: Sub-Study Of A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial, G. Justus Hofmeyr, Mandisa Singata-Madliki, Theresa A. Lawrie, Eduardo Bergel, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Evidence from observational studies suggests an increased risk of HIV acquisition among women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) contraception.

Methods: Within the context of a South African programme to increase women's access to the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD), we conducted a pragmatic, open-label, parallel-arm, randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the IUD versus injectable progestogen contraception (IPC) at two South African hospitals. The primary outcome was pregnancy; secondary outcomes included HIV acquisition. Consenting women attending termination of pregnancy services were randomised after pregnancy termination between July 2009 and November 2012. Condoms were promoted for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. …

Gender Equality And Authenticity: A Study Of Women In It Leadership, Samantha L. Dewalt

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this dissertation is to understand how women senior leaders in the information technology (IT) industry experience leading with authenticity in the context of a male-dominated work environment. The IT industry has been unsuccessful in attracting and retaining women in leadership positions. For decades, women have faced challenges with gender biases in the workplace. Research has shown that in some predominantly male work environments, women experience pressures to conform to long-established norms in order to advance up the corporate ladder. Using a phenomenological methodology, this study examines how women describe their present perceptions of leading with authenticity in …

Frost: Frequently Asked Questions, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grain and other field crops published reports

Frequently asked questions regarding frost from the National Frost Initiative.