Antimicrobial Properties of Isomers of Benzofuranylethanol

A biotransformaDon reacDon is a chemical conversion of a substance into a desired product with the aid of whole, living cells containing the necessary enzymes. In addiDons to living cells, other substances, such as vegetable strips, will also catalyze biotransformaDon reacDons. Advantages of biotransformaDon reacDons include the following: the ability to recycle material, the use of less hazardous chemicals, the ability to compost vegetable strips, the use of inexpensive materials that are locally available, and the ability to produce a single isomer. The biotransformaDon reacDon for the conversion of benzofuranyl methyl ketone (BMK) to (-)-benzofuranylethanol (BMA) using carrot strips as the catalyst has been characterized. The reacDon is known to produce a single isomer of the BMA. Some isomers, called enanDomers, are molecules that are mirror images of each other. The two mirror image molecules of this type are known to react in biological systems in different ways. Carrots strips have been used to produce only one of the mirror image molecules, and this molecule of BMA has been shown to have anDmicrobial properDes. Currently, we are exploring the use of other vegetable strips to determine if the other mirror image molecule of BMA can be synthesized. The goal is to determine if the other isomer has similar or different anDmicrobial properDes than the isomer produced by carrots. The anDmicrobial properDes of the two mirror image molecules will be compare

Comparison of life history parameters for landed and discarded fish captured off the southeastern United States

Commercial fisheries that are managed with minimum size limits protect small fish of all ages and may affect size-selective mortality by the differential removal of fast growing fish. This differential removal may decrease the average size at age, maturation, or sexual transition of the exploited population. When fishery-independent data are not available, a comparison of life history parameters of landed with those of discarded fish (by regulation) will indicate if differential mortality is occurring with the capture of young but large fish (fast growing phenotypes). Indications of this differential size-selective mortality would include the following: the discarded portion of the target fish would have similar age ranges but smaller sizes at age, maturation, and sexual transition as that of landed fish. We examined three species with minimum size limits but different exploitation histories. The known heavily exploited species (Rhomboplites aurorubens [vermilion snapper] and Pagrus pagrus [red porgy]) show signs of this differential mortality. Their landed catch includes many young, large fish, whereas discarded fish had a similar age range and mean ages but smaller sizes at age than the landed fish. The unknown exploited species, Mycteroperca phenax (scamp), showed no signs of differential mortality due to size-selective fishing. Landed catch consisted of old, large fish and discarded scamp had little overlap in age ranges, had significantly different mean ages, and only small differences in size at age when compared to comparable data for landed fish

The effects of a social-emotional skills training program on optimism in elementary students

Research has supported the impact of social-emotional skills on learning and on a student’s ability to access classroom instruction, including the presence of a positive association between optimism and academic success. Students with disabilities are likely to experience high levels of negative experiences in school during social interactions and academic instruction. This study endeavored to build upon the previous research supporting the benefits of administering the Strong Kids curriculum in addition to specifically assessing the utility of the program’s use by teachers working with students with learning disabilities. However, this study was not implemented as originally proposed with fewer sessions of the program and younger participants included. Analysis of the results showed a slight increase between the overall mean of pre-intervention optimism scores (M = 3.20, SD = 3.63) and post-intervention optimism scores (M = 3.60, SD = 3.5). Analysis showed a decrease between the overall mean of pre-intervention classroom performance scores (M = 41.40, SD = 1.52) and post-intervention classroom performance scores (M = 37.80, SD = 2.95); t(5) = 4.13, p = 0.01. Results suggest the importance of implementing the Strong Start curriculum with fidelity to the original design of the program

Sexual Pleasure and Enhancement: Implications for College Sexuality Education

The purpose of this study was to determine what sexual activities and behaviors college students are participating in, including the use of sexual enhancement products during both partnered and solo sexual activities. Pleasure and sexual satisfaction remain largely absent from today\u27s sexuality education curricula, resulting in most young adults not being aware of the importance of sexual pleasure, including autoeroticism, as a source of physical, psychological, intellectual and spiritual well-being (WAS, 1994).This study looked at college students and their the use of sexual enhancement products during partnered and solo sexual activities, in order to provide a set of baseline measures from which improvements to currently sexuality education can be made. In particular, this study aimed to inform education regarding positive sexual health benefits including pleasure and sexual satisfaction. Methods . A sample of 956 college students completed a cross-sectional survey on sexual pleasure and enhancement. The survey examined students\u27 current and past sexual behaviors, sexual satisfaction, sexual comfort, use of sexual enhancement products, motivation, and beliefs and attitudes associated with sexual enhancement products. Results . Findings indicated that age was associated with solo product use (p \u3c .001) and partnered product use (p \u3c .001). Participants over the age of 25 are more likely to use products during their solo and partnered sexual activities than 18-24 years olds. Results suggest that individuals who use products are more sexually satisfied in regard to masturbation, (p = .001), solo sexual activities (p = .004), partnered masturbation (p = .002), partnered sexual activities (p = .002), ability to have orgasms during solo sexual activities (p \u3c .001), and partnered sexual activities (p = .003), than individuals who do not use products. Results indicate that college students are participating in product use during their solo and partnered sexual activities, and there is a lack of education in college sexuality curricula to educate students on products and pleasure. This study aimed to better educate health professionals on the need for new innovative venues that may be appropriate for the delivery of sexual health education on college campuses

"Intrinsically interesting": The racialized experiences of multiracial women students at a predominantly White institution

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, School of Education, 2015The purpose of this research was to explore the racialized experiences of 10 multiracial women undergraduate students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) located in the midwestern United States. This study focused on how multiracial women experienced and responded to their encounters with race on campus. Additionally, the intersections of race and gender in the lives of multiracial women students were examined. The study also explored the ways in which the institutional context impacted multiracial women students' experiences with race. Critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) were used as the analytical tools in this research and allowed for a focus on the intersections of race and gender in the lives of 10 multiracial women undergraduate students. These theoretical frameworks guided the decision to use critical qualitative inquiry and narrative inquiry to investigate the racialized experiences of the multiracial women student participants. Three qualitative interviews were conducted with each of the 10 women and made up the crux of the data collection process. The first and third interviews were more "traditional" and took place sitting down in an office on the Midwestern University (MU) campus. The walking method was utilized for the second interview. The walking interview provided in-situ information concerning the 10 multiracial women's lives and experiences with race on campus. Four themes emerged from a thematic analysis of the data and were analyzed using a CRT and CRF framework. These four themes included (a) "Should I order fried chicken?": multiracial women and racial stereotypes, (b) "I am biracial so it may not hit me the same way": multiracial microaggressions, (c) "Terrible for your self-esteem": manifestations of Whiteness, and (d) "Just get yourself involved, girl": coping with racialized experiences. Findings suggest that the 10 multiracial women experienced race and racism in college. Participants' narratives challenge dominant ideology and expose how America is not in a post-racial era and that multiraciality does not transcend racism. Findings from this study guide future research and practice that concerns higher education and multiraciality

INVESTIGATIONS INTO MODULATION OF BRAIN OXIDATIVE STRESS BY VARIOUS INTERVENTIONS

In this thesis study we examined glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and its effects over Nrf2 and Pin 1 as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a prolonged high oxidative environment. Transcription factor Nrf2 is vital in the brain’s defense against oxidative insults through its up-regulation of over 100 antioxidants. Depletion of the brain’s antioxidant defense system results in intolerance to an oxidative environment, contributing to the progression of AD. The regulatory Pin 1 protein promotes cellular homeostasis, and when down-regulated results in increased deposits of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, the two pathological hallmarks of AD. Using aged SAMP8 mice treated with antisense oligonucleotide (AO) directed at GSK-3β and random AO, the data presented here demonstrate decreased oxidative stress and increased Nrf2 transcriptional activity and Pin 1 levels as a result of the down-regulation of GSK-3β. Collectively, these results implicate GSK-3β activity in the increased oxidative stress of AD and support its inhibition as a possible therapeutic treatment for the disease. Further, we elucidate a possible mechanism connecting GSK-3β to the loss of tolerance to an oxidative environment and increased deposits of NFTs and Aβ plaques observed in AD

Lengua Latina: Representations of Sex and Gender in Latina Literature

An exploration of the influence of Spanish language on gender, sexuality, and sisterhood in various aspects of Latina/o literature. In Chapter I, I examine Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s film, Chicana playwright Josefina Lopez\u27s Real Women Have Curves, and Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/La Frontera as a tool for analyzing conceptions of “Other” and the ways these issues intersect with one another. In Chapter II, I look at La Virgen and La Malinche dichotomy and the ways stereotypes appear in Latina poetry. In Chapter III, I discuss hermanas and comadres and their importance outside the intimacy of romantic relationships. Throughout this project, I examine works by Gloria Anzaldua, Sandra Cisneros Julia Alvarez, Ana Castillo, and Judith Ortiz Cofer; with each of these women speaking of their relationship with heritage, familia, sexuality, and gender in ways that connect to the divided world