Halorhodospira halophila photoactive yellow protein (PYP) is a promising candidate to act as a photoswitching domain in engineered proteins due to the structural changes that occur during its photocycle. Absorption of a photon of wavelength 446 nm triggers trans to cis isomerization of its 4-hydroxycinnamic acid chromophore leading to large structural perturbations in the protein, particularly in the N-terminus. In the dark, a slower cis to trans reisomerization of the chromophore restores the protein’s native fold. The fusion of proteins to PYP’s N-terminus may therefore enable photomodulation of the activity of the attached protein. To test this hypothesis, this thesis descibes genetically encoded photoswitchable DNA-binding proteins that were developed by fusing the prototypical leucine-zipper type DNA-binding protein GCN4 bZIP to the N-terminus of PYP. Five different fusion constructs of full length or truncated GCN4 bZIP and full length PYP as well as fusion constructs of full length GCN4 bZIP and N-terminally truncated PYP mutants were designed in a structure-based approach to determine if the dimerization and DNA binding activities could be controlled by the PYP photocycle. Extensive biophysical characterization of the fusion constructs in the dark and under blue light irradiation using electronic absorption, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques were performed. As all the fusion proteins could complete photocycles, the DNA binding abilities of the dark and light-adapted states of the proteins were characterized using spectroscopic techniques as well as by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay. All the fusion constructs maintained DNA-binding abilities, however they each differed in their affinities and the extent to which they were activated by blue light irradiation. The reasons for these differences in DNA-binding abilities and photoactivation are explored. Using the results from the characterization of these constructs, proposals are also made to develop more robust genetically encoded photoactivatable DNA-binding proteins of the same type.

Photographic realism is an effective framework for communicating meaning. In other words, the purpose is to convey an idea--not, for example, to depict a landscape. Misuse of photographic images may arise from a photographer's deliberate attempt to imbue an image with the meaning he or she desires. Thus, we might question photography's objective nature, although this should not be confused with realism. The latter refers to the imitative or representational quality of the subject, the former refers to scientific validity or truth. The issue of objectivity suggests useful concepts for art education. First, this paper considers photographic realism--technique is not a primary concern. Second, procedures that can alter realism are made evident. By understanding and using these methods, a student can more successfully comprehend and alter the photographic message.

ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV / In this paper, we present our research on using computer-vision analysis for vehicular safety applications. Our research has potential applications for both autonomous vehicles and connected vehicles. In particular, for connected vehicles, we propose three image analysis algorithms that enhance the quality of a vehicle's on-board video before inter-vehicular information exchange takes place. For autonomous vehicles, we are investigating a visual analysis scheme for collision avoidance during back up and an algorithm for automated 3D map building. These algorithms are relevant to the telemetering domain as they involve determining the relative pose between a vehicle and other vehicles on the road, or between a vehicle and its 3D driving environment, or between a vehicle and obstacles surrounding the vehicle.

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The purpose of this phenomenological enquiry was to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be an adolescent living with a sibling who has a chronic illness. Children’s chronic illness has an impact on well siblings and research findings have been inconsistent as to what effect this has on them. Semi-structured interviews using photo-elicitation were conducted with eight adolescents who had siblings with a chronic illness. Through the use of interpretive phenomenology, three themes emerged: Making Sense over Time, Getting Away from It All, and Creating Common Ground with Siblings and Family. The adolescents were able to make sense of chronic illness over time by asking parents questions about the illness and attending support groups. Siblings found normalcy in their lives by getting away to spend time alone or connecting with friends.

Kindergarten was originally conceived as a place for young children to playfully participate in self-initiated investigation and creative work to facilitate their development (Froebel, 1967a). However, over time, curricular mandates have shifted from Froebel’s original conception of kindergarten to prescriptive outcomes that have resulted in a more academically oriented curriculum that emphasizes skills and content in segregated subject areas (Russell, 2011; Stipek, 2004). These expectations and the accompanying accountability have led to the development of a different kind of kindergarten driven by a different set of goals (Stipek, 2004). There has been much discussion concerning the impact of shifting expectations on teacher practice (e.g., Goldstein, 2007b). Much of this research has surrounded a singular debate: the tension between the use of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) and the obligation to teach prescribed curricular goals (e.g., Einarsdottir, 2008). However, this debate focusses solely on two dichotomous instructional logics and, thus, belies the complexities of the kindergarten classroom (Goldstein, 2007a). To gain a deeper understanding of how kindergarten is enacted in the evolving curricular landscape, this research looks beyond the challenges of integrating competing perspectives and into the interconnected factors at play in a classroom. Accordingly, in this study, I use a conceptual lens informed by Schwab’s conception of the eclectic (1971) and the four commonplaces (1973) to examine the multiple factors that contribute to the development of a kindergarten classroom environment. I re-envision the four commonplaces – subject matter, teacher, milieu, and learner – to align them with contemporary conceptions of educational purposes, practical theory, classroom climate, and childhood. Acknowledgement of kindergarten as an eclectic space provides a framework to explore the concurrent inclusion of both academic and developmental orientations. Using an ethnographic approach that integrates data from classroom observations, teacher interviews, and photo elicitation interviews with the students, I robustly describe learning in three full day kindergarten classrooms in Ontario. The data demonstrate that a successful, albeit different, balance between academic learning and developmentally appropriate practices is present in each of these classrooms. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-28 23:45:55.34

Just like reading a good novel, photographs can allow us to see things differently. I have seen photographs that I will never forget, and I have seen photographs that have helped me to open my mind. In a world that has such a narrow perception of beauty, I have been able to find beauty in many unexpected forms. Beauty, I have found can be found in nature, in the simple in the unusual, in the grotesque, and in the aged. This realization of unconventional beauty, coupled with my curiosity, is what brought me to the focus of my recent artwork: decay and death. This subject matter is universal, yet few people take the time to observe whatever truths may be had regarding the process.