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Development of a Gel Assay for Analysis of Bovine Milk Casein
Get PDFThe main purpose of this research was to develop a gel assay for analysis of casein samples for
ultimate application for studies of in vitro models for stomach and intestinal processing of dairy
products in adults and infants. It is proposed that casein completely dissolves and is digestible in
simulated gastric, and is somewhat soluble and digestible in simulated intestinal environments of
adults and infants. The following experimental methods were devised to thoroughly examine
behavior and properties of casein originating from different sources in range of solvents and
varying pH values. First, casein was enriched in comparison to soluble materials by centrifugation
from skim and whole milk samples, and then SDS-PAGE was utilized to analyze and compare skim
milk casein, enzymatic hydrolysate casein, and whole and skim milk samples in a range of solvents
to validate casein extraction. We found that skim and whole milk caseins are structurally the same
and not influenced by fat content in milk, and that both experimental and commercial caseins
dissolve well in urea binding buffer, SDS, and sodium hydroxide, and not well in acetic acid. Casein
bands corresponded to values in the literature. We found that the SDS-PAGE results were highly
dependent upon the initial solubility of casein. In acidic solutions, the casein formed curds,
intractable material for the purpose of gel analysis. Subsequently, SDS-PAGE analysis and
comparison was done on skim and whole milk caseins and casein standard solutions which were
dissolved in sodium hydroxide to determine resolution of the gel in highly basic solution, a
condition which would quench protease activity in our in vitro assay of pepsin and trypsin activity
Effects of Emotion and Construal Level on Obesity Stigma
Get PDFWe conducted the present study to determine how emotion and construal level contribute to obesity bias. Specifically, we examined if different emotions, such as disgust, sadness,
and happiness, played a role in several different judgments of an obese versus thin individual: 1) general impressions, 2) supporting a friend, and 3) endorsing personal versus biological/environmental causes for weight. We also investigated whether a self “me” construal or collective “we” construal influenced these judgments. We additionally
considered whether emotion and these construal levels would interact to influence such judgments. The current work found that emotion and construal level did not interact to
influence judgments about obese or thin individuals, but an overall obesity stigma was demonstrated for general impressions. Emotion influenced whether obese targets were
given friend support, as happy (vs. sad) participants were more likely to support their obese friend. Construal level influenced whether more personal attributions for weight
were given for obese targets, as those with a self construal endorsed personal attributions over biological/environmental ones to a greater extent than those using a collective
construal
Spain’s Rapid Transition: A Case Study of Late Modernization
Get PDFThroughout the mid-twentieth century, Spain was under the control of dictator Francisco Franco. Under Franco’s rule, while the rest of the world was modernizing, Spain was a very conservative and traditional society, with many of its traditions and ideals centered on the Catholic Church. As time went on, Franco was forced to loosen his control on Spain ever so slightly, allowing Spain the freedom to begin the process of modernization. However, it was not until after the death of the dictator that the modernization process in Spain was able to fully take off. Spain is a unique case of modernization, as it modernized very rapidly and much later than most of its European neighbors. Using qualitative data such as books and scholarly articles, as well as quantitative data in the form of surveys from the World Values Survey, in addition to comparing Spain with other countries, this thesis examines the validity of Spain as a modern state and attempts to understand the process of modernization that Spain underwent after Franco’s death in 1975. Special attention is paid to the three separate modernization spheres: the economic sphere, the social/cultural sphere and the political sphere. Although the three go hand-in-hand this thesis shows that the economy of Spain modernized first, bringing the social/cultural modernization and eventually political modernization with it. Additionally, through the analysis of surveys, and comparison with other countries, it illustrates that Spain is in fact a modern nation by most standards
Purkinje Cell Morphology and Display Complexity in Manakins (Pipridae)
Get PDFManakins are a suboscine, lekking bird of the tropical and subtropical regions of South and Central America that perform complex mating displays shaped by sexual selection. The complexity of the mating display varies greatly across species of manakins. Some manakins only perform a limited number of different motor elements, whereas others have elaborate displays that consist of acrobatic movements and mechanical sound production. The complexity of these displays has been found to be positively related to brain weight, brain volume, arcopallium volume, body weight, and tarsus size but shows no relationship to the nucleus rotundus or nucleus taeniae. The volume of the cerebellum is also positively related to display complexity. The cerebellum is a neural structure that functions in coordinating motor control and motor learning. The cerebellum is made up of the cerebellar cortex and the deep cerebellar nuclei. The cerebellar cortex is divided into major layers: the molecular layer, granular cell layer, and Purkinje cell layer. Cells within these layers are homogeneously distributed across the cerebellum and perform distinct functions in cerebellar signal processing. We hypothesized that the output cells of the cerebellum, the Purkinje cells, may play a prominent role in driving the positive relationship between overall cerebellar volume and display complexity. We quantified Purkinje cell number and cell volume in 6 manakin species, and Purkinje cell layer volume in 12 species of manakins and used the closely related ochre-bellied flycatcher as an outgroup. We found a positive relationship between Purkinje cell number and display complexity within manakins upon exclusion of the flycatcher outgroup. Neither Purkinje cell layer volume nor cell volume was related to display complexity. Purkinje layer data was analyzed alone and in the context of a larger data set showing other brain region and body size measurements that are positively associated with display complexity in these individuals. Results are discussed in this context as well as in relationship to Purkinje cell and cerebellar function
An Examination of Mississippi Teachers’ Likelihood to Report Child Sexual Abuse and the Potential Effect on the Rates of Victim Disclosure
Get PDFWithin the last year alone, hundreds of news reports have swept the United States about the experiences of sexually abused children, shocking citizens with chilling accounts from both perpetrators and victims. Once their initial reaction plays out, many people resume their daily lives with little thought to the details or repercussions of the abuse; after all, incidents of that nature only befall other peoples’ children. How does this secondary response affect child victims? Are children more or less likely to divulge their abuse with a societal response such as this? These are questions that the researcher sought to answer within the context of teachers and students in the state of Mississippi. The researcher distributed a survey to middle and high school teachers and undergraduate junior and senior education majors at the University of Mississippi to measure their attitudes and beliefs towards reporting child sexual abuse. Participants’ responses showed a willingness to report child sexual abuse but an ignorance concerning the details of the legislation about professionals’ duty to inform and immunity for reporters; the survey revealed how the difference in amount of experience between pre- and in-service educators influenced each groups’ answers. Using the results of the survey and a review of the existing literature surrounding data on rates of victim disclosure, the researcher concluded that low victim-to-teacher disclosure rates is a result of both the relationships between teachers and students and the amount of child sexual abuse prevention and intervention training the educator has had
Preparing a Trumpet Recital
Get PDFThe following thesis presents a discussion of the elements that went into preparing a senior solo trumpet recital. This discussion is divided into eleven sections, of which the first five contain general performance challenges and information about the types of pieces performed on the recital and the instruments used to perform those pieces. The remaining six sections discuss why the performer chose to showcase each composer and their compositions, the specific performance challenges he encountered with each piece, and the techniques he used to overcome these challenges. The historical information used to produce this thesis comes from articles written by specialists in each type of piece, instrument, period, style, composer, or composition. The information regarding performance challenges and the techniques used to overcome them comes from journals, notes, and recordings the performer kept while preparing for the recital. The performer found that preparing for, performing, and writing about the recital increased his knowledge of the history and importance of his primary instrument, developed his ability to collaborate, and allowed him to consider how he could teach the techniques he utilized to overcome performance challenges as a future music educator
Lost Cause Textbooks: Civil War Education in the South from the 1890s to the 1920s
Get PDFThis thesis analyzes the origins, creation and implementation of Lost Cause history textbooks in the South in the decades following the Civil War and Reconstruction. Directed by secondary source material relating to the topic, primary source materials—magazines, newspapers, board minutes, etc.— were explored to find evidence for the motives of rewriting a history of the Civil War more favorable to the former Confederate states. These motives included the positive reflection of former Confederates by future generations of white Southerners and the advancement of white supremacy in the Jim Crow era. Several textbooks from both northern and southern authors, published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were compared differentiate the Lost Cause narrative of the war from that of the victorious North. The Lost Cause narrative in these history textbooks promoted the following: the constitutionality of southern secession, the benevolence of the institution of slavery, the belligerency of Abraham Lincoln, and the heroism of Confederate soldiers and officers during the war. Primary source material was also discovered that showed how Confederate organizations like the United Confederate Veterans, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans worked with state governments to expel textbooks deemed unfriendly to the South in favor of history books which promoted the Lost Cause. As a result of this educational movement, students throughout the South, both black and white, were taught the inferiority of the African race, the injustices done against the Confederacy by the North, and that the Southerners were right in all their actions for several decades to come
The Role Of Automatic Mood On Risk Appetite
Get PDFNumerous studies over the past few decades have indicated links between subtle psychological influences and decision-making. It is often thought that individuals make conscious choices based on their preferences regardless of whether those preferences are optimal or not. However, it has been shown that most of our behaviors, judgements, and decisions are often a product of unconscious influences. These influences are significant in both simple and complex life situations, including the realm of financial decision making. In this experiment, participants primed with positive evaluative stimuli reported a more positive mood while those primed with negative evaluative stimuli reported a more negative mood. Further, a positive mood significantly increased risk appetite in a tower game, while a negative mood decreased risk appetite, although insignificantly. Lastly, although there were links between unconscious evaluation and mood, and between mood and risk appetite, the unconscious evaluation did not seem to affect risk appetite
The Impact of Expectations on Student Perceptions
Get PDFThe impact of expectations on student achievement has been researched for decades. My study began with the intention of researching and recording the impact of my own expectations on low-achieving students. However, the focus of my research evolved after meeting and building relationships with my students. After observing the exceedingly low standards my students held for themselves, my interest shifted to how expectations impacted students’ self-perceptions. I recorded my observations of their attitudes, behaviors, and work ethic throughout the year; I also gave them an anonymous survey at the end of the year questioning them about their aspirations for the future and their perceptions of themselves and the expectations of their parents/guardians and teachers. Additionally, I kept a daily journal containing specific interactions with individual students that provided me insight on their academic growth and transformations of their self-perceptions. The results of this research revealed a direct positive correlation between the expectations of both parents/guardians and teachers on students’ self-perceptions. Specifically, when there was room for my students to improve their grades, and both their parents/guardians and teachers had high expectations of them (expected them to improve), my students, too, felt they were capable of improving. Moreover, building meaningful relationships with my students strengthened the impact of my expectations on their self-perceptions
A Case Study on the Design and Optimization of an Ethylbenzene Production Plant
Get PDFThis thesis will detail two goals of my capstone design project. The first goal is to simulate a given base case of a vapor phase reaction ethylbenzene production facility in PRO/II simulation software and discretely optimize the process in order to increase the profitability of the plant. The second goal is to develop a base case process flow diagram, stream tables, utility tables, and equipment tables for an ethylbenzene facility with liquid phase reactions. The base case simulation and optimization is a group task with my assigned group members in Ch E 451. The first part of this study looks at the plant during startup and the first twelve years of its operation. Both the vapor and liquid phase models of the ethylbenzene facility contain appropriate stream, equipment, and utility tables. The vapor phase model also includes an analysis of the plants profitability and a comparison of the optimized plant to the base case model. The base case for the liquid phase reaction ethylbenzene plant was modeled using Microsoft Excel