Probing synthesis of L-ascorbic acid in Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes

L-Ascorbic acid (L-AsA), also known as vitamin C, is a crucial vitamin for both plants and animals due to its antioxidant properties and abilities to scavenge harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, some animals such as humans lost the ability to synthesize their own L-AsA and must therefore fulfill their nutrient requirements via dietary uptake. With increasing global demand for food, studies into methods of increasing L-AsA in crops and determining how environmental stressors can affect the biosynthesis and pool size of L-AsA represent an important and growing field. Herein, quantitative enzymatic UV/Vis measurements and qualitative 13C NMR studies are used with A. thaliana plant tissues to explore biosynthesis of L-AsA. First, studies were done to adapt procedures established within the L-AsA research community for our uses. These experiments resulted in our experimental method of analyzing L-AsA in leaf tissue of leaves 6 -- 13 in 7.5-week-old A. thaliana plants of three genotypes: wt, vtc1-1, and MIOX4. Using this, the L-AsA content of A. thaliana leaves of three genotypes was investigated to provide a baseline for feeding experiments. Then, endogenous L-AsA was measured following individual leaf feeding studies of solutions of L-AsA or its precursors, L-gulono-1,4-lactone (L-GulL) and L-galactono-1,4-lactone (L-GalL), with preliminary tests being done with 13C-labeled L-AsA and L-GulL. Lastly, MIOX4 leaves were discovered to possess elevated L-AsA content beyond a certain developmental stage. This suggests developmental stage as a contributing factor to why certain groups do not see elevated content while others see significant increases.Includes bibliographical references

Motivation of ninth grade English

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

“But, I Didn’t Mean to Hurt You”: Why the First Amendment Does Not Require Intent-to-Harm Provisions in Criminal “Revenge Porn” Laws

Free speech protection under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is arguably one of the most essential rights that U.S. citizens hold. Since the founding of this country, a tension has existed between the government’s protection of free speech and an individual’s right to privacy. The Internet exacerbated this tension by providing an accessible avenue for the dissemination of private images for all to see. Nonconsensual pornography and “revenge porn” are at the epicenter of this issue. Today, one in twelve adults in the United States will become a victim of nonconsensual pornography during their lifetime. Despite the pervasive role of nonconsensual pornography in modern society, most existing state criminal laws are narrowly drawn and, as a result, fail to protect most victims from these devastating attacks. State efforts to pass statutes that provide more comprehensive protections to victims’ privacy are routinely frustrated by constitutional challenges under the First Amendment. This Note discusses the two most prominent types of criminal nonconsensual pornography laws—harassment-based statutes and privacy-based statutes— and explores the intersection between these laws and the First Amendment. This Note argues that, to sufficiently protect all victims of nonconsensual pornography, states must adopt privacy-based laws with no intent-to-harm provisions. Finally, this Note argues that these privacy-based statutes do not violate the Constitution, because they make permissible content-neutral restrictions on speech that should survive intermediate scrutiny when challenged under the First Amendment

Patterns of Social Affiliation and Group Composition for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in San Luis Pass, Texas

Group sizes, group composition, and association patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were investigated in the San Luis Pass area (Sep. 1995- Aug. 1996) of the Galveston Bay Estuary to examine differences in community structure of individuals inhabiting different portions of the estuary. Group sizes (n = 83) ranged from 1 to 29 (x̄ = 10.6) and were seasonally variable, with the largest groups occurring in spring (x̄ = 16.3) and the smallest groups during the fall (x̄ = 6.3). Seventy-one individuals were identified using photoidentification, and the sex of six dolphins (three males, three females) was determined. At least 31 (48.4%) groups were of mixed sex. Twenty-nine dolphins that were identified five or more times were used to calculate half-weight coefficients of association (COAs), which ranged from 0.00 to 0.83 (x̄ = 0.46). Coefficients of association for male pairs were higher than COAs for female and mixed-sex pairs. Permutation tests were performed to test for nonrandom associations and presence of preferred or avoided companions. The null hypothesis of random association was rejected, indicating that dolphins preferentially associated with some individuals and avoided others. In all replicates, three known-male pairs had significantly large COAs. These preliminary results suggested that, excluding mother-calf pairs that were not examined, male pairs formed the most stable social bonds

Promotional Strategies of Local Nonprofit Organizations

This study is about the promotional efforts of nonprofit agencies in the Southern Illinois region. Nonprofits have to cater to three target audiences which are clientele, donors and volunteers. An in depth interview was conducted with key personnel at six different rural non-profit organizations about their marketing strategies and how they allocate funding for promotion. Based on the results, most effective form of promotion proved to be grassroots efforts and the most popular source of capital came from government funding. This study concludes that agencies should use their promotional efforts to attract volunteers and donors. The study recommends that in order to further their marketing efforts, non-profit organizations should employ more nontraditional methods that are low in cost and effectively communicate the agencies goals

Hockey Australia Survey Report 2022

Hockey Australia conducted their 2022 National membership survey. The SPRINTER group at the University of Sydney were engaged to analyse responses and help to inform strategic decisions within Hockey Australia that aim to achieve the organisations strategic directions; increase initiation and retention within the Hockey community. • In 2022, growth in Hockey Australia memberships was observed, from 93,923 members in 2021 to 95,798 members in 2022. • Hockey is successfully engaging new and re-engaging lapsed members, with 27,237 (28%) of their members new in 2022. • More than one in four hockey members (n=25,362; 27%) members who participated in 2021 but did not return for the 2022 hockey season. Retention was lowest for members aged 0-6 years and 18-25 years, females, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders, and members living in regional and remote areas. Continue recruiting new members, but also develop and implement evidence-based strategies to increase retention in members aged 18-25 years, females, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders, and members living in regional and remote areas. • Excellent survey response from members, providing confidence in the findings and these findings are likely to represent the broader Hockey community. However, response rates are lower than 2021 (Returning members ↓5.8%, new members ↓5.4%, and lost members ↓2.1%). Taking time to thank participants, feedback results and articulate how Hockey Australia have listened to the insights will promote long term engagement with the annual survey • Overall, members are satisfied with their hockey experience. Since 2020, returning member satisfaction has increased and remained high during 2021 and 2020. In 2022, 89% of returning members and 56% of lost members were satisfied with their hockey experience. • Fun was the overwhelming motivator for new, returning, and lost members. Prioritising having fun within the hockey community culture, for players and non-players, is essential to keep members engaged. • New members reported that improving skills was more important for them. Providing skill development opportunities should be prioritised among new members, 0–17-year olds, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander members. • Maintaining opportunities for playing competitively is more important for returning members, males, and members living in major cities. • Providing opportunities to socialise at hockey is more important for older members (55+ years), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander members, and members living in the most 3 disadvantaged areas. It is important to identify the target audience for specific hockey programs and strategically design programs that align with their motivations and meets their needs. • Top reasons for lost members not returning included other, medical, injury, age, cost, and no time. The membership survey should allow members to provide more details on these ‘other’ reasons. • For groups with the highest risk of being not returning, the top reason for 0-6 years was starting another sport, for 18-25 years was no time, for females was medical, specifically injury, and for members living in regional and remote areas was medical, specifically injury. Research recommends that children aged 0-12 should be encouraged to try multiple sports and avoid specialisation in one sport. Strategies to improve retention should be targeted towards members 12 years and above. Injury prevention and management information could be integrated into routine hockey communication. Members need a clear understanding of the factors that increase the risk of injury, and how to effectively manage injuries that do occur. • Top strategies to encourage more people to engage with hockey were reducing the cost for returning and lost members, and nothing for new members. • ‘Other’ strategies revolved around engaging young children in the school environment. Continue and increase promotion through schools – i.e., Hockey school roadshows and Sporting School programs. • Word of mouth is the most effective way to get new people to engage with hockey, with two thirds of new members hearing about hockey from friends and family. Create innovative approaches to encourage current members to invite friends and family to engage with hockey. For example, Hockey could encourage existing members to post about their hockey experiences on social media. • The quality of registration data has improved, and this is the first-year survey data analysis could be done for members with a disability and members who identified as Aboriginal. Continue the high-quality evaluation and making it ‘the hockey way’ is encouraged for future strategy and program developmen

On the Acquisition of an Indefinite Determiner: Evidence for Unselective Binding

This paper investigates the contrast between quantificational and referential properties of the English indefinite determiner during the course of first language acquisition. · Various syntactic, semantic and pragmatic knowledge related to indefinites has previously been probed in the acquisition literature. (See Brown 1973, Maratsos 1976, Warden 1976, Emslie and Stevenson 1980, Zehler and Brewer 1982, Pine and Martindale 1986, Valian 1986, Gerken, Landau and Remez 1990, Philip 1995, Bohnacker 1997, and Burns and Soja 1997, among others.) However, to date, the contrast between referential-type and quantificational/variable-type interpretations of indefinites has not been extensively studied in first language acquisition. In this paper, we investigate the acquisition of knowledge of the indefinite determiner in a context that allows both of these alternative interpretations: the context of VP ellipsis