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Analysis of Five Track Event Performances at the Drake Relays by Age and Gender, 1978-2008
No full textAdvisor: David S. SenchinaWe analyzed gender and age differences in Drake Relays performance times for 2 team (4x1OO and 4x400 m relays) and 3 solo (400 m hurdles, 800 m, 10K) track events for 31 years (1978-2008). The top 10 performances were taken each year for 4 groups: high school (HS) boys, HS girls, college/university (CIU) men, CIU women. Our data set included 4583 performances total, because not all ages/genders competed in all events or for the same number of years. HS athletes of both genders showed overall improvements in performance times. HS boys improved in 2 of their 3 events (4x1OO and 400 m hurdles) and showed no change in 4x400. Similarly, HS girls improved in 3 of their 4 events (4x1OO, 400 m hurdles, 800 m) and showed no change in 4x400. C/U athletes showed very different trajectories. Like the HS athletes, CIU women improved in 3 of their 5 events (4x1OO,
4x400, 400 m hurdles), showed no change in 800 m, and declined in 10K. By contrast, CIU men
demonstrated statistically significant declines in running times for 4 of their 5 events except for 800 m where they demonstrated no change. Despite the improvements in female performance times,
males were faster than females in all events for all years regardless of age. As the Drake Relays includes athletes from across the country, these differences likely reflect national trends and are possibly explained by forces such as increased pressure for youth sport specialization, declining popularity
of track-and-field, and Title IX.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology ; College of Pharmacy and Health Science
Analysis of Five Field Event Performances at the Drake Relays by Age and Gender, 1978-2008
Get PDFAdvisor: David S. SenchinaWe analyzed gender and age differences in Drake Relays performance distances for 2 jumping (long jump and triplejump) and 3 throwing (discus, javelin, shotput) field events for 31 years (1978-2008). The top 10 performances were taken each year for 4 groups: high school (HS) boys, HS girls, college/university (C/U) men, C/U women. Our data set included 4403 performances total, because not all ages/genders competed in all events or for the same number of years. Generally, females significantly improved their jumping or throwing distances whereas males showed no improvements or significantly
declined in performance. HS girls showed statistically significant improvements in all 3 of their events (discus, shotput, long jump), and C/U women showed improvements in 4 of their 5 events (discus, javelin, shotput, triplejump) and demonstrated no change in long jump performance. In comparison, HS boys showed no changes in 2 of their 3 events (discus and shotput) and significantly
shorter distance in long jump, and C/U men demonstrated significantly shorter throwing or jumping distances in 4 of their 5 events (javelin, shotput, long jump, triplejump) and no change in discus. Despite the improvements in female performance distances, males threw or jumped further than females in all events for all years except for discus, where C/U women were out-throwing HS boys by 2008.
As the Drake Relays includes athletes from across the country, these differences likely reflect national trends and are possibly explained by forces such as increased pressure for youth sport specialization, declining popularity of track-and-field, and Title IX.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology ; College of Pharmacy and Health Science
Solvent Effects on the Spectroscopy of Dyes
No full textAdvisor: Mark F. VithaLinear solvation energy relationships (LSERs) were used to quantify the intermolecular interactions between solvents and two organic dyes - di-8-ANEPPS and RH-237. LSERs evaluate the sensitivity of a dye's wavelength of maximum absorbance or emission to solvent acidity (alpha), basicity (beta), polarity/polarizability (pi*), and excess polarizability (delta). The quantification of the sensitivity of a dye to
these parameters (alpha, beta, pi*, and delta) allows for the characterization of the dye's ability to interact through dipole-dipole, dispersion, and hydrogen bonding interactions. To develop these relationships required the use of UV -visible and fluorescence spectroscopy to measure the wavelengths of maximum absorbance and emission of the dyes. The results of di-8-ANEPPS show that solvent basicity, acidity and polarity/polarizability affect the spectroscopy of the dye, meaning di-8-ANEPPS is polar and can accept and donate hydrogen bonds in solution. Similar results were found for RH-237. The results, however, are difficult to interpret because nonpolar solvents could not be incorporated in the
LSERs due to solubility limitations. Work is currently in progress on Coumarin 30. The long-term goal of the research is to use the dyes to study surfactants in order to enhance oil recovery from reservoirs.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistr
Glucose to Fuel: Investigating Renewable Resources for Glucose Production
No full textAdvisor: Charisse Buising ; Chad Paavola of NASACellulose is a key component in plant cell walls, and is the most abundant biopolymer in the world. Enzymes can be used to break cellulose down into glucose, which can then be fermented to ethanol fuel. Avicel (a purified form of cellulose), corn stover, acid treated corn stover, and paper pulp were tested using a commercially available enzymes to determine the effectiveness of the enzyme and which substrate was the most efficiently converted to glucose. Results indicate that paper pulp produces the highest glucose concentration, yielding 854.4Ug total sugar per ml of reaction in the form of glucose and trace amounts of xylose. Differences could be seen between the untreated and the pretreated
stover, with pretreatment leading to more sugar production in the form of xylose. These commercial enzymes were then compared to a set of enzymes being isolated from Clostridium Thermocellum (CelFKRS) with and without a chaperonin-like ring structure attached (SC151). A new enzyme (CelA) was added into the existing mixture and a pilot experiment was done to determine ratios that would maximize glucose production. While the CelA addition showed promise, no considerable
increase in glucose production could be obtained. Comparatively, the enzymes being isolated still fell short of commercially available enzymes in glucose production. These results demonstrate the current state of the art in commercial conversion of cellulose to fermentable sugars, and set the benchmark
for the continuing investigation toward maximizing glucose yields.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program ; NASA Ames Research Center--Exploration Systems Mission Directorat
Tracking Water Contamination Through Identificaton of Adenovirusese by PCR
No full textAdvisor: Marie Nguyen of Des Moines UniversityContamination by fecal matter leads to potential transmission of diseases through water and food. This is a major concern to many water treatment plants as well as the general population. Adenoviruses make up a family of different viruses which may be excreted in feces and urine. These viruses
are non-enveloped and contain a double stranded DNA genome. Adenoviruses are resistant to ultraviolet inactivation and chlorination which makes them more stable than other viruses found in fecal matter. Human Adenovirus, HAdV, has been identified as a good indicator of human viral contaminants
because of its prevalence and how easily it is detected in sewage and river water. Diseases associated with adenoviruses include respiratory diseases. Using real-time PCR, a source-tracking method was developed in order to provide information on whether the contamination originates from humans or animals. Human adenovirus and Bovine Adenovirus samples were used to develop the method of identifying the main contaminant of the Des Moines River and Beaver Creek water. Conventional and Real-time Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect which type of adenovirus was present in the samples using different dilutions. This therefore allowed us to determine the source of the contamination.
About two-thirds of the water samples tested showed that Human Adenovirus was present,
thus indicating human contamination as the main source. Using PCR, it was possible to detect up to 10,000 fold dilution of the human adenovirus genome. Experiments done using Bovine adenovirus showed the detection by PCR to be less sensitive.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program ; Des Moines Water Works ; Des Moines Universit
Caspase-Dependent Cleavage of an Immediate Early Herpes Simplex Virus Protein
Get PDFAdvisor: Marie Nguyen of Des Moines UniversityHerpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) is a member of the Herpesviridae family. All herpesviruses cause life-long infections that shift between latent and lyticand have many treatments but no cures. HSV-1 has a double-stranded, linear DNA genome, stages icosahedralcapsid, and envelope. HSV-1 can cause infections in humans ranging from encephalitis (brain Inflammation) to cold sores. Previous studies have determined that apoptosis is triggered early during HSV-1 infection. A necessary event in the induction of apoptosis is the activation of a specific set of cellular proteases called caspases. The goal of this study was to determine whether specificviral proteins were cleaved by these caspases. During the course of infection the virus expresses different proteins classified as Immediate Early, Early, and Late proteins. These experiments focused on the Immediate Early proteins, ICPO, ICP4 and
ICP27, that regulate expression of the early and late viral genes and are required for virus replication. A late viral protein, VP22, was also analyzed. Human carcinoma Hep-2 cells were used for infection and western blots were used to detect the viral protein. Here, we identify the presence of a low molecular
weight form of the ICP27 protein in HSV-1 infected cells. The levels of this small form of ICP27 are undetectable when infections are performed in the presence of pan-caspase inhibitors. Together, these results suggest that ICP27 is cleaved in a caspase-dependent manner during infection. Future studies are aimed to confirm this result and elucidate the biological relevance of ICP27 cleavage.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Department ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Des Moines Universit
List Learning in Children
Get PDFAdvisor: Karyl L. SwartzDrake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psycholog
Establishing a Vocal Repertoire for a Population of Bonobos (Pan Paniscus)
No full textAdvisor: Robert SchumakerDrake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Progra
Cultural Assimilation : Case Studies of the Experiences of Post-War G.I. Brides
Get PDFvi, 243 leavesProblem: English women who met and married American servicemen during the postwar
period of 1950s–1960s experienced understandable cultural and conceptual
assimilation as G.I. brides. English immigration, however, provided its own set of
arduous cultural challenges that have been generally disregarded due to cultural
similarities and common language that would appear to promote a seamless absorption
into U.S. culture. British post-war brides confronted unique immigrant experiences as
“silent immigrants” (Strauss & Howe, 1991) arriving in America as impressionable
young women. Transitions such as to cultural change, assimilation, emotional and
psychological adjustment were issues faced by these women. There is a dearth of
literature exploring how these women intellectually, culturally, and emotionally adapted to cultural change in America.
Procedures: The initial phase of this qualitative multicase feminist study focused on
survey responses from 23 women from 10 states belonging to the Transatlantic Brides
and Parents Association (TBPA), a national organization for English people living in
America. From this population five women were selected to share their individual
experiences through semistructured interviews. Emergent data from codification of
interview verbatim transcriptions and field notes produced a holistic portrait of their
unique experiences and common factors that enhanced or inhibited cultural and
conceptual assimilation.
Findings: These women told unique stories of personal truths about early life in England,
expectations of life in America, realization of those expectations, and the degree to which
skills and educational experiences advanced the assimilation process. Friendship, TBPA
membership, military life, church, and work were identified as factors contributing to
successful assimilation. Although the five women presented different perspectives of the
assimilation process, common themes of resilience and flexibility were central to their
adjustment to a new way of life and acculturation.
Conclusions: The women showed remarkable openness to new experiences in the
assimilation process. They embraced citizenship, pursued further education, and were
generally absorbed into the mainstream American population, although some reported ethnic pluralism continues to exist.
Recommendations: Further research with existing 1,931 members of the TBPA organization should be conducted to corroborate findings of this study. A longitudinal study may show the extent to which cultural pluralism continues to exist in subsequent generations of British families
Ejected-Electron Angular Distribution in Multi-Photon Ionization of Atomic Hydrogen by Ultrashort High-Intensity Laser Pulses
No full textAdvisor: Klaus BartschatWe have studied the multi-photon ionization of atomic hydrogen by an intense attosecond laser pulse. We numerically integrate the time-dependent Schrodinger equation by propagating the initial H(1s) state after the onset of the laser pulse using the Crank-Nicolson algorithm. When the pulse is over, we
extract the angular distribution of the ejected electrons from the time-propagated wavefunction. For few-cycle 800 nm laser pulses of peak intensities ranging between 1013 and 1015 W/cm2, the photoelectron
spectrum is dominated by a set of above-threshold resonances, with the lowest resonance
around 0.35 eV corresponding to the nine-photon ionization of the hydrogen atom. In contrast to the standard single-photon ionization process, where the angular distribution is a simple cos2(0) function,
many more anisotropy parameters need to be accounted for to describe the ejected photo-electrons. Corresponding experiments are currently being performed in Brisbane (Australia) on hydrogen and Heidelberg (Germany) on Li. Where possible, comparison with experimental data will be made.Drake University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy ; Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State Universit