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Application Of Short Tandem Target Mimic (Sttm) Technique For Functional Analysis Of Micro-Rna396 In Transgenic Poplar Trees, Surattana Boonsai

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Short Tandem Target Mimic (STTM) is a commonly technique used for functional studies of a number of genes in several plant model systems. However, very little is known about application of STTM technique in tree species. In this study, STTM was applied to knock down microRNA396 (miR396) in transgenic poplar trees for the first time. STTM396 expression resulted in dramatic decrease in miR396 expression levels leading to taller plants with larger leaves and larger leaf cell size. Additionally, an expression analysis of growth regulating factor genes (GRFs) that are members of miR396 target gene family showed up-regulation of GRF07 gene …

Establishment And Characterization Of Erastin-Resistant Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Models, Morgan Charbonneau

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Breast cancer is a collection of heterogeneous diseases and the most common cancer in females worldwide. Breast cancer is often categorized by the distinctive expression of membrane biomarkers including estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (Her2). Breast cancer has four main subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, basal-like, and HER2-positive. Of all breast cancer types, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive metastatic subtype, accounting for 15~20% with the basal-like and claudin-low features, and lack of effective targeted therapies due to the absence of cell membrane receptors. In recent research, metabolic dysregulation has been …

Pathogen And Indicator Organism Inactivation And Quantification For Low-Cost Low-Tech Biosolids Treatment, Karina Eyre

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Biosolids are a by-product of municipal wastewater treatment which, when treated to reduce pathogens, can be land applied as a fertilizer. Class A biosolids must contain low pathogen levels and are unrestricted in their use. This thesis describes methods to identify pathogen and indicator organism (PIO) inactivation mechanisms and PIO inactivation rates for use in low-cost low-tech Class A processes. Procedures to control the levels of spiked bacteria and viruses, total solids, volatile fatty acids, pH, and temperature in biosolids are described for their use in laboratory experiments. Methods for coliphage in biosolids as a surrogate for total enteric viruses …

The Role Of Ephemeral Stratification, Anoxia, And Entrainment In Mediating Spatiotemporal Trophic State Dynamics In A Lake Michigan Drowned River Mouth System (Mona Lake, Mi), Hayden Henderson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Mona Lake, MI (a drowned river mouth system) has become eutrophic as result of cultural eutrophication. The integrated monitoring effort and subsequent modeling (LAKE2K) reported on here has shifted the management focus to internal phosphorus loads (60 percent of annual load, 90 percent of load during the stratified and anoxic period) as a necessary precursor to trophic state change. Sediment phosphorus release can yield extreme elevations (> 1 mgSRP/L) of bottom water soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), with blooms of potentially toxic cyanobacteria (largely Microcystis) occurring annually. Such blooms are ascribable to stochastic mixing and phosphorus entrainment to the surface waters, …

Community Detection In Complex Networks And Application To Dense Wireless Sensor Networks Localization, Sakineh Yazdanparast

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Complex network analysis is applied in numerous researches. Features and characteristics of complex networks provide information associated with a network feature called community structure. Naturally, nodes with similar attributes will be more likely to form a community. Community detection is described as the process by which complex network data are analyzed to uncover organizational properties, and structure; and ultimately to enable extraction of useful information. Analysis of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) is considered as one of the most important categories of network analysis due to their enormous and emerging applications. Most WSN applications are location-aware, which entails precise localization of …

A Broadly Protective Thermostable Next Generation Hpv Vaccine Based On A Concatemer Peptide And A Consensus Peptide Of L2 Displayed On Bacteriophage Virus-Like Particles, Lukai Zhai

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Current human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil-9) are highly immunogenic and derived from the major capsid proteins (L1) of different HPV types. L1 is not conserved among different HPV types. Thus, these L1-based vaccines protect mostly against the HPV types included in the vaccines with minimal cross-protection against non-vaccine HPV types. In addition to this, the vaccines require refrigeration during transportation and storage. To broaden protection against diverse HPV infection, we targeted epitopes (17-31, 69-86, and 108-122) on the major capsid protein (L2) of HPV, which are conserved among different HPV types for vaccine design. We explored the display …

Characterizing The Physicochemical Properties Of Tdp-43 Protein And Acetylated Amyloid Β Peptides To Discern Its Role In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Rashmi Adhikari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Proteins are the biological macromolecules central to most cellular functions. The native structure of protein determines its function and any perturbations such as mutation, changes in pH, macromolecular crowding, oxidative stress, may promote protein misfolding and/or aggregation. Protein misfolding or aggregation can contribute to diseases either through loss of proteins’ critical function or by gain of toxic function. Among the various proteins associated with neurodegeneration, trans-active response (TAR) DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) has sparked interest in researchers due to its diverse role in several neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Frontotemporal Lobar degeneration (FTLD), Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s …

Assessing Soil Compaction Following A Winter Timber Harvest In The Western Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Rafia Rahman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Harvesting during winter is encouraged as a best management practice to protect soil during logging operations. The western Upper Peninsula of Michigan typically experiences early and persistent snowfall, which insulates the forest floor and prevents soils from freezing. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of slash volume, snow depth, overstory treatment, and machine traffic intensity on soil bulk density following a winter harvest of a northern hardwood forest on cobbly silt-loam soils. The harvest was conducted at the Ford Forest in Alberta, Michigan using cut-to-length harvest systems (i.e. harvester and forwarder) during which the soil remained …

Design Of A Viability Test For Freshwater Prawn Aquaculture Of Two Different Macrobrachium Species In Aneityum, Vanuatu, Cameron Koizumi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

There is a unique opportunity for freshwater prawn aquaculture on the island of Aneityum in the Republic of Vanuatu. Aneityum has an abundance of fresh water, the streams and rivers on Aneityum are the natural habitat for a freshwater prawn species, Macrobrachium lar, and the people on Aneityum regularly work on projects using communal labor for the benefit of the community. Aneityum also hosts 40 – 120 cruise ships a year, bringing hundreds of thousands of tourists to Aneityum and the nearby islet Mystery Island which creates a readily available market in which to sell freshwater prawns.

The objective …

Misexpression Of Cancer/Testis (Ct) Genes In Tumor Cells And The Potential Role Of Dream Complex And The Retinoblastoma Protein Rb In Soma-To-Germline Transformation, Sabha M. Alhewati

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Misexpression of germline genes like Cancer Testis (CT) genes, called a soma-to-germline transformation, is a phenomenon linked to tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. A soma-to-germline transformation in Caenorhabditis elegans occurs due to the loss function of the highly conserved DREAM (Dp, Retinoblastoma (Rb)-like, E2F, and MuvB) transcriptional repressor complex. In mammalian cells, the DREAM complex (Muvb core complex, E2F4/5, DP1/2, and p130/p107 proteins), as well as the Retinoblastoma protein (pRb), are implicated in transcriptional repression of cell cycle genes in quiescence or G0. We hypothesize that the expression of CT genes in malignant cells occurs …

Biogeochemical Response To Vegetation And Hydrologic Change In An Alaskan Boreal Fen Ecosystem, Danielle L. Rupp

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Boreal peatlands store approximately one third of the earth’s terrestrial carbon, locked away in currently waterlogged and frozen conditions. Peatlands of boreal and arctic ecosystems are affected increasingly by shifting hydrology caused by climate change. The consequences of these relatively rapid ecosystem changes on carbon cycling between the landscape and the atmosphere could provide an amplifying feedback to climate warming. Alternatively, the advancement of terrestrial vegetation into once waterlogged soils could uptake carbon as a sink. Previous work suggests that fens will become an increasingly dominant landscape feature in the boreal. However, studies investigating fens, their response to hydrologic and …

The Implications Of Science And Technology For Chinese Women: A Cultural Study Of The Chinese Era Of Reforms, Wenjing Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the gendered implications of science and technology in the era of reforms. It argues that in this era, which began in 1978 and continues today, science and technology are highly romanticized as nearly omnipotent. This results in its being embedded not only into ordinary Chinese people’s lives, hoping to bring them positive changes, but also into the Chinese government’s political practices, hoping to achieve its political purposes through science and technology. It also points out that in the era of reforms, Chinese women’s lived experiences are full of tensions, struggles, and conflicts, as evidenced by the …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

No abstract provided.

$N$-Acylazole Mediated Stereoselective And Regioselective Synthesis Of $N$-Substituted Azole Acrylonitriles, Osman Aydin, Şule Kökten, Hakan Ünver, İlhami̇ Çeli̇k

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Regio- and stereoselective synthesis of $N$-substituted azole acrylonitriles has been achieved smoothly in $N,N$-dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of potassium carbonate (K$_{2}$CO$_{3})$ as a base catalyst. $N$-Substituted azole acrylonitriles were obtained in moderate to good yields (39%-87%) with a one-pot reaction between readily available $N$-acetylazoles and Baylis-Hillman nitriles. The structural determinations were accomplished by NOESY $^{1}$H NMR and X-ray crystallography.

Apply Now!: Utilizing Application Date To Predict College Enrollment, Jennifer Leigh Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using Perna’s (2006) college choice model as the conceptual framework, the researcher utilized two data analyses to complete this study. First, multiple regressions were performed on three groups of variables: entrance examination, core high school gpa, and cumulative high school gpa; gender, ethnicity, and residency; and first-generation status and Mississippi congressional district. Second, a chi square test was completed to discover how likely it is that a student’s application date is related to the acceptance rate (likelihood of acceptance) and yield rate (likelihood of matriculating) of the University of Mississippi freshman class.

Looking Into The Past: The Diversification Of Amphibians In The Neotropical Savannas, Ísis Da Costa Arantes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aim: Reveal the evolutionary processes that contributed to biotic diversification in the Cerrado savanna using amphibians as a model. Evolutionary patterns were investigated by comparing the phylogeographic and biogeographic history of biome-specific yet widely distributed amphibian species (Chiasmocleis albopunctata, Dendropsophus rubicundulus and Physalaemus nattereri). Location: Cerrado region, central South America. Methods: I sampled thousands of loci randomly distributed throughout the genomes of all three species. I applied phylogenetic, phylogeographic, demographic, and coalescent species delimitation methods to these molecular data, in combination with species distribution modeling for the past, in order to resolve questions of evolutionary history, taxonomic diversity, …

Impact Of Quality Attributes Of Topical Products On Their Performance, Purnendu Kumar Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Topical drug delivery such as creams and emulsions are most widely used in the treatment of skin diseases. It offers advantages such as non-invasiveness, direct drug delivery at the site of action, patient compliance and lower cost of treatment. However, topical formulation development faces challenges in the market in terms of critical evaluation parameters for understanding the effect of manufacturing process variables, the role of excipients and the effect of its compositions and skins buffering capacity. The main objective of the first project was to investigate the effect of different manufacturing process variables which can influence the microstructure thereby understanding …

Story Reading As A Method For Cognate Vocabulary Learning In Preschool Children, Patricia Thomasio Quinelato

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative experimental study aims to investigate the learning outcomes of foreign-language cognate vocabulary in preschool children with the use of story reading; more specifically, how the frequency of appearance of the words in children's stories affect the learning outcomes of foreign-language cognate vocabulary and how the children's retention of highly similar cognates compares to that of partial cognates. Stories are believed to be an authentic and credible source of knowledge; they make information more memorable and promote active meaning making (Rossiter, 2002). The procedure includes six sessions with the children for each story: 1. a vocabulary pre-test before each …

Neural Circuits Underlying Rodent Sociality: A Comparative Approach, Nicole S. Lee, Annaliese K. Beery

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

All mammals begin life in social groups, but for some species, social relationships persist and develop throughout the course of an individual’s life. Research in multiple rodent species provides evidence of relatively conserved circuitry underlying social behaviors and processes such as social recognition and memory, social reward, and social approach/avoidance. Species exhibiting different complex social behaviors and social systems (such as social monogamy or familiarity preferences) can be characterized in part by when and how they display specific social behaviors. Prairie and meadow voles are closely related species that exhibit similarly selective peer preferences but different mating systems, aiding direct …

Communication Training’S Higher Calling: Using A Civic Frame To Promote Transparency And Elevate The Value Of Services, Don Waisanen

Publications and Research

Communication trainers can make a greater case for their work by positioning all of their training, at its highest level, within a civic frame. A civic frame raises the stakes for training components such as listening or diversity and puts the benefits of corporate social responsibility and similar efforts into practice in training contexts. This chapter details why and how trainers can use this frame to create transparency and elevate the value of their services.

Inequality In Education, Judith R. Kafka

Publications and Research

This chapter reviews research on the history of inequality in education. Across the globe and since the advent of formal schooling, children from wealthier families have had access to more education, and more costly education, than their less affluent peers. More physically and intellectually advantaged children have also, on average, had greater educational opportunities than their less fortunate peers. Yet within this general historic truth lies considerable variation in terms of how, to what extent, and by what political justification educational inequalities have existed and persisted. Historians have sought to explain variations in inequality in education across time and place …

Traces: The Realities Surrounding The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis, 2019, University Of Montana--Missoula. School Of Journalism. Native News Honors Project

Native News Honors Project, 1992-2026

An annual publication that is reported, photographed, edited, and designed by students in the University of Montana’s School of Journalism.

Identification Of Active Component In Red Pomegranate (Punica Granatum L.) Seeds Ethanolic Extract, Riani Setiadhi, Irna Sufiawati, Wahyu Hidayat

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Genotoxic And Cytotoxic Effects Of Oral Mucosa In Smokers And Non-Smokers After Exposed To Digital Intraoral Radiography, Dwi P. Wulansari, Aryadi Arsyad, Irene E. Rieuwpassa, Nurlindah Hamrun, Rafikah Hasyim

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

No abstract provided.

Why Should Law And Policy Makers Understand Extremist Beliefs? The Islamic State (Isis) As A Case Study: Past, Present, And Future, Ali Rod Khadem

Lewis & Clark Law Review

The overarching argument in this Article is that inadequate comprehension of extremist doctrines undermines efforts in law and policy. Selecting the Islamic State (ISIS) as a case study, this Article attempts to resolve three legal and policy dilemmas by exposing internal ISIS doctrine (i.e. by considering the perspectives of the movement itself). This focus on ISIS is justified, for despite the movement’s recent territorial decline, it is precisely its doctrine and ideology that will persist and enable the rise of 2.0 and 3.0 movements modeled after the prototype. In considering ISIS, the aim here is to demonstrate the general need …

Ischemic Stroke Alters Immune Cell Niche And Chemokine Profile In Mice Independent Of Spontaneous Bacterial Infection, Breanne Y. Farris, Kelly L. Monaghan, Wen Zheng, Courtney D. Amend, Heng Hu, Amanda G. Ammer, James E. Coad, Xuefang Ren, Edwin C. K. Wan

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Background

The aim of this study is to report the long-term efficacy and safety of thoracoscopic epicardial left atrial ablation (TELA) in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods

This was a retrospective review of medical records. We included all patients diagnosed with paroxysmal AF who underwent TELA at our institution between 04/2011 and 06/2017. TELA included pulmonary vein isolation, LA dome lesions and LA appendage exclusion. All (n = 55) patients received an implantable loop recorder (ILR), 30 days post-operatively. Antiarrhythmic and anticoagulation therapy were discontinued at 90 and 180 days postoperatively, respectively, if patients were free of …

Can Religiosity Be Explained By ‘Brain Wiring’? An Analysis Of Us Adults’ Opinions, Sharan Kaur Mehta, Christopher P. Scheitle, Elaine Howard Ecklund

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Studies examining how religion shapes individuals’ attitudes about science have focused heavily on a narrow range of topics, such as evolution. This study expands this literature by looking at how religion influences individuals’ attitudes towards the claim that neuroscience, or “brain wiring,” can explain differences in religiosity. Our analysis of nationally representative survey data shows, perhaps unsurprisingly, that religiosity is negatively associated with thinking that brain wiring can explain religion. Net of religiosity, though, individuals reporting religious experiences are actually more likely to agree that brain wiring can explain religiosity, as are individuals belonging to diverse religious traditions when compared …

Controlling The Transverse Proton Relaxivity Of Magnetic Graphene Oxide, Bibek Thapa, Daysi Diaz-Diestra, Dayra Badillo-Diaz, Rohit Kumar Sharma, Kiran Dasari, Shalini Kumari, Mikel B. Holcomb, Juan Beltran-Huarac, Brad R. Weiner, Gerardo Morell

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The engineering of materials with controlled magnetic properties by means other than a magnetic feld is of great interest in nanotechnology. In this study, we report engineered magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) in the nanocomposite form of iron oxide nanoparticles (IO)-graphene oxide (GO) with tunable core magnetism and magnetic resonance transverse relaxivity (r2). These tunable properties are obtained by varying the IO content on GO. The MGO series exhibits r2 values analogous to those observed in conventional single core and cluster forms of IO in diferent size regimes—motional averaging regime (MAR), static dephasing regime (SDR), and echo-limiting regime (ELR) or slow …

Water‐Borne And Plasma Corticosterone Are Not Correlated In Spotted Salamanders, Alice R. Millikin, Sarah K. Woodley, Drew R. Davis, Ignacio T. Moore, James T. Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Water‐borne hormone measurement is a noninvasive method suitable for amphibians of all sizes that are otherwise difficult to sample. For this method, containment‐water is assayed for hormones released by the animal. Originally developed in fish, the method has expanded to amphibians, but requires additional species‐specific validations. We wanted to determine physiological relevance of water‐borne corticosterone in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) by comparing concentrations to those taken using established corticosterone sampling methods, such as plasma. Using a mixture of field and laboratory studies, we compared water‐borne corticosterone levels to other traditional methods of sampling corticosterone for spotted salamander larvae, …

Soil And Tree Nutrient Status Of High Elevation Mixed Red Spruce (Picea Rubens Sarg.) And Broadleaf Deciduous Forests, Phillip M. Crim, Louis M. Mcdonald, Jonathan R. Cumming

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: Anthropogenic and industrial emissions have resulted in historically high levels of acidic deposition into central Appalachian forests. Despite the reduction in acidic inputs due to legislation curbing industrial emissions in the United States, continued N deposition may impact forest ecosystems. Soil and foliar samples were collected from four high elevation red spruce sites along a modeled gradient of historic N deposition. The three most abundant tree species at all sites, Acer rubrum L., Betula alleghaniensis Britt., and Picea rubens Sarg., were sampled. Bulk soil beneath the canopies of individual trees were collected from the top 15-cm and separated into …