Bordetella pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough which is a worldwide acute respiratory disease that predominantly involves infants. Whooping cough is one of the ten most common causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide. The increased coverage of the primary pertussis vaccination (DaBT-IPA-Hib) decreased the incidence of disease in Turkey dramatically. However, in spite of the incidence decline, the circulation of B. pertussis has not yet been eliminated, and a change in the clinical spectrum and age-related incidence of the disease has been observed. On the other hand, in view of the moderate changes that have been observed in the genomic sequences of certain virulance factors over time, there are concerns about the gradual loss of the efficacy of the current pertussis vaccines as a result of antigenic drift and continuous selection of the least vaccine-sensitive clones. Proteomics deals with whole protein content (proteome) of cells as a function of space and time. Gel-based approach in proteomics involves two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) employing matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-mass spectrometry (MS). Immunoproteomics which is a combination of gel based proteomics and Western blot analysis determines tumor-specific antigens as well as immunoreactive proteins of pathogens by combining proteomics with Western blot technique. Although immunoproteomics is a rather new research tool, it has been quite effective to determine the virulence factors of various pathogenic microorganisms. The present study aims at comparing immunoproteome of the standard B. pertussis strain &ldquo / Tahoma I&rdquo / with those of two other strains, namely &ldquo / Saadet&rdquo / and &ldquo / Nursel&rdquo / , which are the local isolates that have been preferred as the vaccine strains for many years in our country for their ability to provide a better protection. Of a total of 38 immunogenic proteins identified, 14 were shown to be the novel antigens for B. pertussis. Among 14 proteins, one was detected as immunogenic in only Tohama I strain where two proteins were specific for Nursel strain. Among the strains compared, Saadet strain had the highest antigenic variety, than the others.

Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 102 p. Includes bibliographical references.

This research is grounded in my observation that we live in a society that is racist, sexist, classist, heterosexist, able-ist, and oppressive in other ways for a variety of groups and individuals outside of the dominant norm. Schools functions as sites of reproduction that work to maintain the status quo through the reproduction of racist, sexist, classist, and heterosexist language and discourse (among others) that maintain the normalcy of oppressive behaviour. However, in as much as schools may reproduce inequalities, they could equally well produce possibilities for equal and just relations in society. In many ways, schools are contradictory places where the dynamics of reproduction and production are simultaneously at work. The question becomes one of how to encourage and nurture the possibility of schools to become sites of struggle over oppressive relations in society. Critical multicultural theory has been proposed as one possible answer to this question. While critical multicultural education understands schooling as a site of social reproduction, it is also believed that schools can work to challenge the inequality engendered by the process of social reproduction by educating students about the dynamics of oppression and privilege. Schools are, thus, understood as sites of possibility, where the normative and common sense understanding of society’s current oppressive relations are deconstructed and critiqued. In this work, I use critical multicultural theory to focus on the role of teacher education in the creation of new possibilities for schooling. The purpose of this research is to examine new possibilities for teacher education by making problematic the normative discourse of a university teacher education program and its implication for critical multicultural teaching. As such, this research will deconstruct the dominant discourse in a Faculty of Education at a mid-size Canadian university through an examination and analysis of the perspectives of current teacher candidates; examine how the discourses in teacher education work to constrain and limit the possibility of critical multicultural education; consider the pedagogical challenges of a critical approach to multicultural education; and provide new possibilities for teacher education and, in particular, critical multicultural teacher education. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-12 09:21:57.648

This study explores how warmth and competence perceptions affect hireability of a female job candidate. The mixed model of stereotype content identifies warmth and competence as the two basic dimensions of person-perception, and research has shown a compensatory relationship between these two dimensions, especially for women. This study explores this compensatory effect for women in a hiring situation. Two samples, one of college students (n = 301) and another of MTurk participants (n = 256), read a description of a female job candidate of either high or low competence and either high, low, or no mention of warmth, and then rated her hireability. Candidates had the greatest hireability when high in competence, and competence had a greater effect on hireability than warmth. Warmth and competence perceptions were positively related, reflecting a halo effect, such that higher warmth was inferred from higher competence. Implications for hiring decisions of female professionals are discussed.

Concerns over the way in which judicial campaigns are conducted have been voiced since the 1970s. Judicial elections are thought to have become rough and tumble contests, featuring increasing campaign expenditures and controversial campaign speech. With the widespread deregulation of judicial candidate campaign speech in the early 2000s, scholars have become increasingly concerned with how judicial candidates campaign. This dissertation examines the role of the media in judicial elections, campaign communication methods used by candidates, how candidates develop campaign messages, controversial campaign speech, the consequences of campaigning, and candidates’ attitudes toward judicial selection reform. Data gathered from a survey of judicial candidates who ran for election in 2012 (n = 490) and follow-up interviews with candidates (n = 35) were used to address the research questions posed by this investigation. Findings reveal a number of areas of concern with judicial elections beyond campaign speech, including lack of media coverage, lack of access to adequate communication channels, and concerns over external group involvement in judicial elections. Controversial speech is rare in judicial campaigns and few candidates favor strong speech regulations, which are viewed as barriers between the office and the public.

Hillary Clinton faced gendered discrimination by news media sources during her presidential campaign in 2008. However, there is almost no research concerning the ways Clinton was portrayed on political blogs. Because blogs typically attract consumers who have similar ideologies, this paper explores if Clinton faced more gender bias on conservative blogs than liberal blogs, utilizing two well-established political blogs. Specifically it looks at three biases that exist in traditional sources of news media: appearance-based discrimination, an emphasis on domesticity, and analyses of femininity. This paper found that, in general, bloggers on a conservative website presented more instances of gender bias and bloggers on the liberal website presented fewer. The analysis indicates that while gendered stereotypes existed throughout the blogosphere during the Democratic Primaries, they were more pronounced on conservative websites.

Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-95).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 47 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-44).

These (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2007. / Title from PDF title page. Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-74). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universität Tübingen. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-148).