Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-122). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-95).

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Technology)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Orin Marvel, Curt Schleher. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-74). Also available online.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN, 2001. / This is an electronic reproduction of TREN, #046-0053. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 248-259).

In this dissertation, we study the following two topics, i.e., the union closed set conjecture and the maximum edges cut in connected digraphs. The union-closed-set-conjecture-topic goes as follows. A finite family of finite sets is {\it union closed} if it contains the union of any two sets in it. Let $X_{\mathcal{F}}=\cup_{F\in\mathcal{F}}F$. A union closed family of sets is {\it separating} if for any two distinct elements in $\mathcal{F}$, there is a set in $\mathcal{F}$ containing one of them, but not the other and there does not exist an element which is contained in every set of it. Note that any union closed family $\mathcal{F}$ is a poset with set inclusion as the partial order relation. A separating union closed family $\mathcal{F}$ is {\it irreducible} ({\it normalized}) if $|X_{\mathcal{F}}|$ is the minimum (maximum, resp.) with respect to the poset structure of $\mathcal{F}$. In the part of dissertation related to this topic, we develop algorithms to transfer any given separating union closed family to a/an normalized/irreducible family without changing its poset structure. We also study properties of these two extremal union closed families in connection with the {\it Union Closed Sets Conjecture} of Frankl. Our result may lead to potential full proof of the union closed set conjecture and several other conjectures. The part of the dissertation related to the maximum edge cuts in connected digraphs goes as follows. In a given digraph $D$, a set $F$ of edges is defined to be a {\it directed cut} if there is a nontrivial partition $(X,Y)$ of $V(D)$ such that $F$ consists of all the directed edges from $X$ to $Y$. The maximum size of a directed cut in a given digraph $D$ is denoted by $\Lambda (D)$, and we let $\mathcal{D}(1,1)$ be the set of all digraphs $D$ such that $d^{+}(v)=1$ or $d^{-}(v)=1$ for every vertex $v$ in $D$. In this part of dissertation, we prove that $\Lambda (D) \geq \frac{3}{8}(|E(D)|-1)$ for any connected digraph $D\in\mathcal{D}(1,1)$, which provides a positive answer to a problem of Lehel, Maffray, and Preissmann. Additionally, we consider triangle-free digraphs in $\mathcal{D}(1,1)$ and answer their another question.

Glucansucrases são enzimas que atuam em reações de síntese de polissacarídeos e oligossacarídeos. Para que esses biocatalisadores sejam aplicados em escala industrial, é desejável ótimas estabilidades térmica e operacional, o que pode ser alcançado com a imobilização de enzimas. Como alternativa aos suportes sólidos amplamente estudados, está a quitosana, polímero que não apresenta toxicidade e possui alta biocompatibilidade e alta afinidade com proteínas. Outra possibilidade promissora na imobilização de enzimas, é a síntese dos agregados enzimáticos entrecruzados (CLEAs), os quais apresentam alta atividade catalítica e alta estabilidade. Contudo, uma peculiaridade das glucansucrases quando produzidas em meio contendo sacarose é a camada de polímero que as envolve, e que bloqueia o acesso aos grupos reativos na superfície da proteína. No caso da expressão heteróloga das glucansucrases em Escherichia coli essa dificuldade pode ser contornada. Além disso, o uso da mutagênese sítio-dirigida pode proporcionar modificações de aminoácidos na superfície da enzima, tais como os resíduos Lys, Cys, His, com o intuito de que melhorias na imobilização sejam alcançadas. Sendo assim, na primeira etapa desse trabalho, uma extensa discussão é apresentada em relação às metodologias de imobilização de dextransucrase encontradas na literatura. A seguir, estudos referentes à imobilização da dextransucrase de Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 F em esferas de quitosana ativadas com glutaraldeído foram realizados. Esse imobilizado apresentou alta atividade catalítica (197 U/g) quando utilizada a carga de proteína de 400 mg/g de suporte. Além disso, observou-se que a imobilização covalente e os açúcares maltose e glicose promoveram proteção à enzima em temperaturas de 40 ºC e 50 ºC. Na etapa seguinte, a produção e a caracterização de CLEAs de dextransucrase de L. mesenteroides B-512 F foram investigados. Demonstrou-se que o tratamento com a dextranase foi essencial para a imobilização da glucansucrase e que o isopropanol foi o melhor agente precipitante. Os CLEAs apresentaram pH e temperatura ótimos de 3,0 e 60 ºC, respectivamente, enquanto que a dextransucrase imobilizada nas esferas de quitosana funcionalizada com glutaraldeído apresentaram os valores de 4,5 e 20 ºC. Ambas formas imobilizadas apresentaram boa estabilidade operacional na síntese de oligossacarídeos uma vez que após 10 ciclos, 40 % de atividade residual foi observada. Por fim, estão apresentados estudos sobre a modelagem das estruturas tridimensionais e a mutagênese sítio-dirigida das glucansucrases DSR-S vardel Δ4N and ASR C-APY del. Os modelos preditos demonstraram boa qualidade e a mutagênese sítio-dirigida não promoveu perdas significativas na atividade enzimática dos mutantes. Somente o mutante DSR_S326C mostrouse inativo. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a imobilização da dextransucrase foi satisfatória e que cada técnica possibilita diferentes características ao imobilizado. Além disso, os imobilizados foram adequados para síntese de dextrana e oligossacarídeos. / Glucansucrases are enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of polysaccharides and oligosaccharides. In order to assure continuous processing and reuse of the biocatalyst in industrial applications, enzyme immobilization techniques are required to promote good thermal and operational stabilities. Among the several solid supports for enzyme immobilization, chitosan shows interesting properties because it is non-toxic, it is biocompatible, and it has high protein affinity. Other possibility is the production of cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs), which presents high catalytic activity and good stability. However, glucansucrases have a particularity when produced in sucrose medium, since a polymer layer surrounds the protein, blocking the access to reactive groups on the enzyme surface. To overcome this problem, it is possible to make the heterologous production of glucansucrases in Escherichia coli. Likewise, the site-directed mutagenesis may promote changes in the amino acids located on the surface to improve immobilization parameters. Therefore, this work aimed to discuss the several techniques applied for dextransucrase immobilization, and to design new immobilized biocatalysts. In a first step, it is presented a review about the distinct immobilization methodologies for dextransucrase. In a second study, an investigation about dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 F immobilized on glutaraldehyde-activated chitosan particles was carried out. The novel immobilized biocatalyst showed 197 U/g (400 mg/g dried support) of catalytic activity. The covalent immobilization promoted protection against enzyme damages at 40 ºC and 50 ºC, whereas maltose and glucose acted as stabilizers. Furthermore, it was studied the production and characterization of CLEAs dextransucrase from L. mesenteroides B-512 F. It was demonstrated that dextranase treatment was crucial for immobilization. Isopropanol was chosen as the best precipitant agent. CLEAs presented optimal pH and temperature of 3.0 and 60 ºC, respectively, whereas it was found values of 4.5 e 20 ºC for dextransucrase immobilized on glutaraldehyde-activated chitosan particles. Both immobilized biocatalysts showed good operational stability in the oligosaccharides synthesis, exhibiting 40 % of residual activity after 10 cycles. Finally, the study concerning the homology modeling and site-directed mutagenesis of glucansucrases DSR-S vardel Δ4N and ASR C-APY del is presented. The predicted models showed good quality and it has been demonstrated that the site-directed mutagenesis did not promote significant losses in the variant enzyme activities. Only one mutant (DSR_S326C) had shown no dextransucrase activity. The results obtained in this work suggest that the immobilization of dextransucrase was satisfactory, also showing that each technique promotes different characteristics to the immobilized biocatalyst. Besides, these immobilized enzymes were feasible for the synthesis of dextran and oligosaccharides.

Service-learning helps students experience the practical applications of learning to write well; it also offers opportunities for students to develop a sense of civic responsibility. Although service-learning is growing in popularity, this pedagogy is not prevalent in English departments. Additionally, service-learning courses across all disciplines typically do not empower students to make their own project decisions. Given these tendencies, it is useful to consider whether service-learning is an effective pedagogy for writing, whether students should be designing their own projects, and what writing instructors could do to facilitate students' growth as writers while completing projects in the community. This is a qualitative case study, incorporating quantitative data, of two technical writing courses. I reviewed the students' answers to surveys developed for this research, plus their course evaluations, individual reflective writing, and collaborative project documents, and then I compiled and collated the students' references to what they were learning and what they were struggling with. The references fall within the following themes: student decision-making; the role of the instructor; the rhetorical tenets of audience and purpose; service; collaboration with peers and community members; written expression; and professionalism and motivation. Relying upon the students' comments in regard to these themes, I suggest that service-learning can help students become invested in the outcome of their written expression, motivating them to learn how to address audience and purpose through strong writing. Students learn to work collaboratively and develop their own individual voices as they discover, reflect upon, and express their ideas and shared knowledge. Instructors should ask students to design their own projects, allowing them to engage with and learn how to contribute to the community: through self-directed experiential projects, students become more likely to understand the power of writing and to transfer their new knowledge to later situations. I conclude with a discussion of the need for targeted research and suggestions for teaching writing through community-based pedagogy to enhance civic engagement.

Developing critical thinking in early childhood is vital especially in Western culture since it improves an individual’s skills in creative thinking and enhances a person’s sense of responsibility. This is the fundamental contention of this thesis. These skills assist in developing and implementing a state of mind of not accepting negative situations and instead directs the individual towards trying to resolve and improve it. These issues have not yet been fully explored in Arab-Palestinian society in Israel. The development and application of notions of personal responsibility, critical thinking, and kindergarten-age children’s involvement in learning has yet to emerge as a reality in this community. This is needed because existing theory and practice involving these aspects of learning within the Palestinian system is problematic. Moreover, the development of a new approach to teaching and parenting of kindergarten-age children that fosters critical thinking and personal responsibility may not be a reality that is immediately achievable, but it is a possibility. This study aims to investigate how educational leaders can help kindergarten children aged 3-5 years to develop critical thinking and personal responsibility skills. The research focuses on Arab (Palestinian) children in Israel as these skills are not traditionally taught in the home or in educational settings in this culture. The literature shows that there is a marked disparity between the educational achievements of Arab and Jewish children in Israel, making the implications of this study salient not only to practitioners, but also to policymakers and educational institutions. In order to examine these goals, a case study involving qualitative research approaches of a kindergarten classroom has been conducted. The context of this study is an important and complex set of factors determining and shaping the content and form of the thesis and of the research that is embodied in the text. This study has been conducted in a kindergarten belonging to an Arab Municipality located in Northern Israel that was established in 2010 and is situated in a rural area in the north of the country. Lesson plans following the National Curriculum for Kindergarten Education were infused with teaching activities designed to facilitate the acquisition of critical thinking skills. The findings of the project showed that the presence of a strong educational leader had a positive impact on facilitating kindergarten children’s development of personal responsibility and critical thinking skills. This was especially the case if the leader played an active role in facilitating a learning environment at home and in school in which children were acknowledged and given greater autonomy and access to opportunities in which they could engage openly with parents and peers. This study calls attention to the need to further explore educational leadership in the context of early childhood education, as its implications for childhood development, particularly regarding critical thinking and personal responsibility, have not been sufficiently examined. This study claims to open possibilities for doing this in at least the Palestinian Kindergarten communities in Israel and perhaps beyond.

Retinoblastoma Binding Protein 6 (RBBP6) is a 200 KDa protein shown to play a role in 3'- polyadenylation of mRNA transcripts, as well as to function as an E3 ligase catalysing ubiquitination of cancer-associated proteins. RBBP6 has been previously reported to localise to nuclear speckles, which are thought to play a role in mRNA splicing, presumably as a result of its RS domain, which is known to target mRNA splicing factors to nuclear speckles. However recent studies in our laboratory have shown that isoform 3 of RBBP6, consisting mainly of the DWNN domain, also localises to speckles in resting cells, but more strongly in cells subjected to various stresses, suggesting that the DWNN domain may be the speckle-targeting domain. / Magister Scientiae - MSc (Biotechnology)

Purpose: To appraise and synthesize the available evidence from previous systematic reviews concerning the impacts of goal setting on engagement in the rehabilitation process and on outcomes of participation and occupational performance for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Material and method: Systematic review of systematic reviews. From a total of 175 hits in the search which was conducted in two parts, 16 full text articles were assessed for eligibility, from which four were selected to be included in the review. Results: Four systematic reviews of moderate quality consisting of variety of methodologies were included. The empirical evidence was limited but supportive that goal directed interventions may contribute to better engagement in rehabilitation and better outcomes of occupational performance. Limited evidence suggested that goal setting improved adherence to the treatment regimens and that patient’s active participation in goal setting had positive impact on patients and their engagement in the process. Findings suggested that goal-directed interventions, particularly in outpatient rehabilitation, may improve patients’ occupational performance. Findings related to participation outcomes were minimal. Conclusion: Goal setting is a complex and multidimensional process. Goal setting may contribute to improved engagement in rehabilitation and occupational performance outcomes for patients with ABI. / <p>Presentation was completed via Adobe Connect</p>