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The Role of MED12 in Adipogenesis
Get PDFIn order for any function to occur within a cell, transcription factors must be able to interact with genes. When this occurs, genes are expressed, and ultimately, proteins are translated and perform the specific function that needs to be done within the cell. In order for this to occur, genes must interact with transcription machinery. The Mediator complex recruits transcription factors to genes in order to promote cell-type specific gene expression. The Mediator complex is a multi-protein complex consisting of four modules: head, middle, tail, and kinase. The kinase module is known to dissociate from the rest of the complex in order to phosphorylate other proteins for the purposes of propagating signals. MED12 of the kinase module has been shown to mediate CDK8 function by binding to Cyclin C, allowing for phosphorylation and propagation of signals. Throughout this thesis, I demonstrate MED12’s role in allowing CDK8 function in promoting cell-type specific gene expression. Through the use of siRNA-mediated knockdowns of MED12, it is evident that MED12 plays a role in the initiation of adipogenesis. qRT-PCR and staining confirm this assumption, as there is significantly less adipogenesis occurring in hASCs when MED12 is knocked down. This is further evidenced by reduced expression of early adipogenic markers, most notably, PPAR-γ. If MED12 initiates cell type-specific gene expression of differentiating adipocytes, then it may be used as a target to direct fat formation to reduce the effects of obesity
Hello, I am Jon Michael Judice
No full textJon Michael Judice is a senior sociology major. The title of Jon\u27s project is: Initiation Into Sisterhood: An Examination of Transgender Women Doing and Undoing Gender in an American Sorority
Hello, I am Faith Scott
No full textFaith Scott is majoring in Animal Science, with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. The title of her presentation is: Halloysite Animal Hair Coating Optimization for Efficient Anti-lice Protection
Hello, I am Stevie Iseral
No full textStevie Iseral is a senior interdisciplinary studies major. The title of her research project is: Knowing from Within: Using Autoethnography as a Lens to Examine Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Hello, I am Martha Pennywell
No full textMartha Pennywell is majoring in Dietetics and Nutrition. The title of her project is: Relationship among Sleep, Food Security Status, Financial Factors During the Early COVID-19 Experience
05. Examining the use of the DMAIC process on the operational plan improvement for UPS Personal Vehicle Drivers
No full textUPS has recently incorporated temporary seasonal personnel that deliver packages out of their personal vehicles, named Personal Vehicle Drivers (PVDs). Being able to deliver at a low cost while providing additional capacity makes them an important resource to the company, but without a guideline in place, they are being used inefficiently at some delivery centers. By utilizing the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) process and tools included in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 13503, the goal of this project was to analyze how PVDs are currently being dispatched in creating a cost-effective plan to be used for future implementation. With the DMAIC method, interviews with employees directly involved in working with PVDs were first conducted and key metrics of PVD efficiency were identified. Based on delivery data collected from November 29th through December 24th, 2019, a statistical multiple regression analysis was then performed to give a predictive equation of PVD performance. This equation was then validated with the delivery data collected from the same period in 2020. These efforts in combination with two other teams’ approaches to the problem led to the creation of an operational plan and interactive tool to pinpoint the most productive areas for PVD routes. These solutions, if used, will result in betterment of UPS package delivery process by PVDs. The process and findings of this project can serve as a research model for other organizations who have an introduced resource that is being used without efficient direction and want to create a methodical guideline
14. The Effect of Leaf Species on Insect Oviposition Preference and Colonization
Get PDFSome insects are known to be common vectors of disease, which is an important public health issue. As such, diverse studies on the ecology of vectors are needed for effective management. Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) is the 2nd most important vector of human diseases, and is a common carrier for dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis viruses. It is commonly found in most areas of the central and eastern U.S., can have oviposition sites that occur close to human settlements (e.g., buckets, tires), and is an invasive species in the U.S. Our study aims to examine the influence of vegetation in deterring insect oviposition in a neighborhood landscaping environment, which is a breeding ground for this insect when standing water is present. This experiment used 18 buckets filled with water in a suburban neighborhood in Ruston, LA as available oviposition sites. Leaf treatments of loblolly pine, post oak, and southern magnolia were added to the buckets. Twice a week in May and June, we collected immature insects, which were preserved, counted and identified. Preliminary results using Poisson regression showed no significant differences in numbers of A. albopictus or other immature insects among leaf litter treatments, though this data set included a very limited time period during the experiment. Continued analyses will be conducted to provide more robust results
Money, Money, Money... All the Things I Could Do: Three Essays on Prosocial Venturing and Financial Resource Acquisition
Get PDFProsocial entrepreneurship refers to simultaneously creating profitability and positive impact for others through entrepreneurial venturing. There are many uncertainties regarding how these firms approach financing and resource acquisition. This dissertation addresses mechanisms of financial resource acquisition through three different stages of prosocial venture formation: nascent, early, and growth stage. It is important to understand how these ventures raise capital and what challenges they face in doing so. In commercial capital markets, the key motivation is company profitability and earning an attractive return on investment.
Fewer financial institutions are willing to enter into financial obligations with prosocial entrepreneurial ventures because prosocial ventures often require long-term investment, which increases the opportunity cost of investors. Secondly, prosocial ventures possess added complexity due to their dual objective, which complicates the assessment of their performance and increases investment risk. Nascent firms often acquire a particular type of resource through accelerator programs that substantially aid and accelerate new venture development. A new accelerator called the social impact accelerator (SIA) selects startups that can generate financial returns and social impact. Little is known about how SIAs make admission decisions.
While the entrepreneurship literature has examined prosocial microlending through crowdfunding, little is known about equity crowdfunding for prosocial ventures. Essay 1 addresses this uncertainty by examining signal qualities of prosocial ventures that influence selection into SIAs. Next, early-stage ventures use crowdfunding to attract a diverse set of investors, some following traditional value-optimizing thinking by investing strategically on signals of quality, while others might be more ethically driven and follow altruistic motives.
Lastly, the scope of prosocial venturing encompasses corporate social responsibility (CSR), especially when CSR is seen as going beyond statutory compliance by aligning core business activities with corporate activity. Although CSR fits within the dialogue of prosocial venturing, its examination has been limited to large established firms while remaining underexplored in young entrepreneurial firms. Essay 2 addresses this gap by examining how early-stage prosocial entrepreneurs create favorable impressions to signal venture attractiveness through a linguistic representation of their prosocial objectives and investment potential. Understanding how prosocial ventures in the growth stage raise capital during an initial public offering (IPO) may offer insights into how traditional capital markets react to firms that pursue both social and economic aims.
Essay 3 addresses this gap by examining CSR within young entrepreneurial ventures and their ability to raise financial resources through initial public offerings (IPO)
Factors Affecting the Success and Failure of CRM Implementations
Get PDFThis study investigates the issue of the high failure rate of customer relationship management (CRM) systems. By collecting data from different groups of users and experts, this study aims to reveal factors that both affect the success of CRM systems and those that make up the success of CRM systems. The main goal is to deliver an individual-level perspectives\u27 CRM success model that is based on perspectives of individuals from different functional groups. To do so, this paper will take a qualitative approach in an attempt to divulge what CRM success is and what contributes to this success. In order to collect data and analyze the data in a way that paves the way for inducing a mid-range theory, this study utilizes a grounded theory method. The grounded theory method allowed researchers to have three stages of data collection, which facilitated changing interview questions to probe more into the phenomenon. After collecting data, interviews were transcribed and coded. This yielded a theoretical model incorporating a novel second order dependent variable and other variables along with relationships between these variables. The induced model is a unique model that features perspectives of both researchers and practitioners, after collecting data from operations, commercial, and IT managers, and project management and information systems success researchers. Another unique feature of the model is that it incorporates both early implementation and continuance factors that affect the success of CRM system. A third interesting finding is the nature of CRM success construct. CRM success was induced as a second order construct which is made up of four components (project management success, overall success, bottom-line success, and system success) that represent CRM success from different individual perspectives. The theoretical model is considered to be a breakthrough step towards understanding the success of CRM systems. By integrating agile software development methodologies with IS continuance and proposing how both these constructs are related to the success of CRM systems, this study offers a holistic process view of CRM success that is strictly based on individual perspectives. The biggest contribution this research makes is offering a new success model for researchers to test in different contexts and under different conditions
An Assessment of On-Campus Food Pantry Management and Nutrition Environment at Louisiana Colleges and Universities
Get PDFThe use of the Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT) along with an examination of food pantry management systems will fill a needed gap in the understanding of the effectiveness of college on-campus food pantries. This descriptive, exploratory research study is designed to assess 4-year and 2-year higher education food pantries in the state of Louisiana. Specifically, food pantry management, nutrition education provided, and available food items will be assessed using the validated Nutrition Environment Food Pantry Assessment Tool (NEFPAT). This study assessed: (1) the characteristics of the food pantry management system, including the presence of nutrition professionals; (2) the on-campus food pantry using the NEFPAT’s objectives of a) increasing client choice for nutritious options; b) establishing marketing of more healthful products; c) increasing provision of various forms of fruits and/or vegetables; d) increasing provision of various types of fruits and/or vegetables; e) promoting additional resources; and f) planning for alternative eating patterns. Food pantries served as subjects of this study; managers, volunteers, or sponsors of the on-campus food pantries were asked to provide information about the pantry’s management. Researchers conducted observations at the pantry locations. The inclusion criteria for the colleges and universities were: (1) 4-year college/university or 2-year community college in the state of Louisiana with a physical address; and (2) colleges/universities who were found to have a food pantry on the college’s/university’s website. Those excluded from this study were: (1) colleges/universities who refuse to participate in the study or do not respond to recruitment efforts; (2) those whose website do not identify a pantry being in existence or who post “food pantry is coming soon”; (3) those institutions classified as “other” or as “trade schools.” Twenty-three of 54 eligible institutions clearly identified having a campus food pantry on their website. Sixteen of the 23 eligible institutions agreed to be a part of the study. This was a response rate of 69.6%. Descriptive statistical analysis, scaled/continuous data, categorical data, relationships among the variables, and non-parametric tests were all used for statistical analyses. Of the 16 institutions assessed, 12 were classified as a 4-year university and four were classified as a 2-year community college; additionally, 14 were considered public institutions and two were considered private institutions. Five institutions offered a nutrition/food science/dietetics degree. The majority of food pantries were managed by student affairs/student services (62.5%) departments, and only one institution was managed by their nutrition and dietetics department. The majority of institutions were sponsored by their university/college foundation (31.3%). One institution had an unmanned food pantry on campus that was managed by an external organization not affiliated with the institution. Of the 16 food pantries, 37.5% were members of the Feeding America nonprofit organization, or they had an established partnership with a food bank that was part of the Feeding America nonprofit organization. As a whole all 16 institutions assessed need to work on providing resources to clients who use the services of on campus food pantries. For those five institutions that have a nutrition/food science/dietetics degree, they should consider assessing their nutrition students to create materials and assessing their nutrition faculty to sit on advisory boards or councils to provide advisement regarding nutrition environment. Recommendations for increasing marketing efforts of the on-campus food pantry should be considered. Additionally, pantries have the opportunity to explore ways to increase monetary donations and grant funding to purchase items targeted to healthy food items. Providing food pantry volunteers with nutrition education needs improvement. Focusing on these improvements will help increase the overall NEFPAT score and nutrition environment