Celiac disease, an autoimmune response triggered by the consumption of seed storage proteins of cereals, affects an estimated 1% of the human population. In the case of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), one of the world’s most consumed cereals, alcohol-soluble proteins, the gliadins, have been identified as the allergy-eliciting agents. Previous...
Temperate evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest support big huckleberries (Vaccinium membranaceum) despite their nutrient impoverished soils. Acquisition of nitrogen and phosphorous are the major nutrients limiting V. membranaceum. The plant’s access to these resources is linked to their mycorrhizal symbiosis. To learn more about the symbionts of eriaceous plants...
Winter hardiness in barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a trait targeted by breeding programs in order to expand the potential area of adaptation of fall-sown cereals. Vernalization requirement is an important factor in winter hardiness. A vernalization requirement is an extended period of low temperature required for transition from the vegetative...
The prey consumption rates of two estuarine crab species were compared: the introduced Carcinus maenas and the native Cancer magister. Similar sized crabs of each species were placed into individual perforated plastic boxes and then placed in a seawater table. Each crab was offered 50 Mytilus trossulus mussels (15-25mm) per...
Clostridium perfringens type A isolates produce the spore-specific enterotoxin, CPE, upon sporulation in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. Spo0A is a response regulator representing the major transcription factor for sporulation initiation in C. perfringens. In Bacillus subtilis, a multicomponent phosphorelay involving five histidine kinases (KinA-KinE), the intermediate response...
The purpose of this essay is to explore the dynamics of social movements, and better understand why some populations succeed when others fail. This topic was motivated by travels across the United States and Europe. In these journeys, minority groups and their unequal treatment by society were a constant feature,...
Chilean society has been changing rapidly for the last few decades during a time of rapid economic growth. Some sociological and economical analyses state that when a nation grows, inequality between the rich and poor grows too, leaving the poor behind. The Chilean economy is the most rapidly growing in...
Biological introductions may considerably alter the composition and community dynamics of invaded areas thereby changing many ecosystem processes including productivity, decomposition, nutrient cycling and hydrology. The effects on native species may be obscured by a lack of information on distribution and abundance patterns. The Japanese eelgrass, Zostera japonica, was introduced...
The AhR is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the potent immunosuppressive effects of TCDD. AhR-dependent changes in gene expression appear to alter the differentiation of CD4+ T cells to induce a population of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) that suppress the immune response. Ascertaining if and how the AhR...
Mammary tumors are the third most common tumor in cats after cutaneous neoplasia and lymphosarcoma. More than 80% of feline mammary tumors are adenocarcinomas, which are similar to human mammary adenocarcinomas in their biologic behavior and histologic characteristics. Despite treatment with radical mastectomy, feline mammary adenocarcinoma is associated with a...
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White muscle disease (WMD), a degenerative muscle disease brought on by a deficiency of the essential trace nutrient selenium, is thought to be mediated by the protein Selenoprotein W (SeW). In its relationship with WMD, SeW, like many selenoproteins, binds to glutathione, serving some purpose in redox mechanisms...
The purpose of this essay is to examine the reasons for why the political, economic
and social merging of East and West Germany has been difficult, and to better understand
the factors that could lead one day to the development of one unified political culture.
In order to explain different...
Youth who are at-risk of homelessness are placed into jeopardizing situations because
they are often pushed toward the outer edges of society, disconnected from healthy support
networks, involved in illegal activities, and their chances of having successful futures are, in turn, diminished. The goals of this project were to: review...
This thesis examines the current state of the publishing industry in Tunisia in order to understand the nature of writing and publishing in an international context. In discovering the publishing procedure, I have included information on how books are used in education, homes, and libraries as well as the roles...
Since 1935, France has introduced a set of strict national wine rules and regulations, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC). The AOC limits fraud and oversees quality control by basing the rules on terroir. High quality from terroir comes has both physical and cultural factors. Before 1935, France produced a variety...
This study examined how different urbanization patterns in France and the United States influenced the development of their respective housing markets. More specifically, the study analyzed the evolution of housing size in France and the United States during the 20th century. Descriptive statistical analysis and regression models were used to...
Kabuki theatre, popular entertainment in Edo Period Japan, is a colorful and lively genre that has thrived in the island nation for the past four centuries. Influenced by Japan’s other theatre arts—noh, kyogen, and bunraku—kabuki grew up from simple (if not sordid) origins, and worked for decades to create for...
The issue of immigration is at the forefront of all national policy discussions in the industrialized world. In recent years, the globalization of communication, international travel and job opportunities has rekindled this historically long and complex debate. This text attempts to explore the inadequacies of immigration policy and practice in...
The bovine blastocyst is composed of a one-celled layer of trophectoderm
surrounding a fluid filled sac called the blastocoel and a ball of cells called the inner cell
mass (ICM). On Day 8 (Day 0=fertilization) in bovine embryos, endodermal cells leave
the ICM, migrate over the extracellular matrix (ECM) on...
Chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents are used in a variety of industrial processes and as a consequence, they have become environmental contaminants as well. Because of this, they lead to both occupational and environmental exposures. Exposure to these compounds can potentially result in various forms of neurological damage with a wide...