Copyright (c) 2013 Grand Valley State University All rights reserved. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects Recent documents in Honors Projects en-us Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:36:50 PST 3600 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/185 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/185 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:58 PDT Stephan Bodnar http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/184 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/184 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:57 PDT Renal arteries supply blood to the kidneys and at any given moment receive 20-25% of the cardiac output. This high rate of blood flow is critical to renal function and is directed by changes in blood vessel diameter (7). In this experiment, different gases were used within a hyperbaric chamber to treat arteries obtained from porcine kidneys. Hyperbaric therapy involves breathing or administering gases while in a sealed chamber that has been pressurized up to 1.5 times atmospheric pressure to deliver more gases to the tissues of the body. It has been studied and used for a number of health-related applications such as carbon monoxide poisoning, severe anemia, burn injuries, skin grafts and organ storage. This study aims to characterize the changes in renal artery vascular reactivity following acute hyperbaric treatment. In order to evaluate the treatment’s effectiveness, porcine segmental renal arteries were dissected, exposed to 26 psi of hyperbaric gases, and then mounted in isolated, oxygenated hot water baths coupled to force transducers. Changes in vascular reactivity (i.e. the ability of blood vessels to change diameter as a means of regulated blood flow) will be measured in response to phenylephrine, a vasoconstrictor, and sodium nitroprusside, a vasodilator. It is hypothesized that the results of this study will provide insight into the effects of hyperbaric treatment on segmental arteries.

]]> Carly Bruns http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/183 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/183 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:56 PDT Cassandra O’Brien http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/182 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/182 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:54 PDT Claire S. Liang http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/181 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/181 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:53 PDT David Ossim http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/180 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/180 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:52 PDT Emily Buonodono http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/179 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/179 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:50 PDT Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy can be used to investigate molecular dynamics on short timescales, but cannot give an atomistic view on its own or assign dephasing dynamics to particular atomic motions. Computational techniques such as molecular dynamics can complement ultrafast studies by providing an atomic level of detail of protein motions. Mixed quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical calculations were done on carbonmonoxy myoglobin (MbCO). Although quantum mechanical methods can require days to weeks of computational time, a less computationally demanding method was developed herein, which requires only a few seconds to complete. The coordinates, contributions to the electric field, and normal modes of several key atoms were correlated to the CO stretch frequency with a correlation coefficient of 0.87. Previous calculations on the Nδ-H tautomer of MbCO resulted in a distribution of CO stretch frequencies that was too narrow and offset by ~200 cm-1 from the experimentally observed spectrum. The current work on the Nε-H tautomer greatly improves upon the broadening, although problems remain with the center line frequency.

]]> Eric Hansen et al. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/178 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/178 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:49 PDT Signal transduction begins with a signal binding to receptors on the membrane of the cell. This causes a cascade of protein interactions within the cell, ending in transcription of targeted genes. The Wnt pathway is a well studied protein system that plays an important role in the proliferation and adhesion of cancerous cells. When signaled, the Wnt pathway results in a buildup of β-catenin, which leads to transcription of certain genes. An excess of β-catenin can cause cells to divide unnecessarily resulting in tumors. Other factors in the pathway, such as Axin and APC, help regulate β-catenin buildup. In order to sift through the various protein interactions to determine the most influential, we analyze the response of a state variable to a change in the parameter, also known as sensitivity functions. Solving for sensitivity functions analytically in large models such as the Wnt Pathway is not practical because it requires computing a large number of partial derivatives. In this project, we use automatic differentiation to compute the partial derivatives related to sensitivity functions. We were interested specifically in β-catenin and Axin because of their important role in the system, but also investigated other factors. Through our sensitivity analysis of the Wnt pathway, we were able to determine the most influential protein interactions.

]]> Kelly Blake et al. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/177 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/177 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:48 PDT Jamin Littell http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/176 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/176 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:47 PDT Jason P. Thompson http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/175 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/175 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:45 PDT This paper examines the role of popular media in terms of country of origin effect between France and the United States from the 1900s to 2005. Popular media, such as newspapers and magazines, have played a significant role in shaping people’s perceptions about people, products, and ideas for years; perceptions of countries are no exception. Popular media is a leading force in cultural education regardless of whether the information is entirely accurate. As the American economy becomes increasing global it is important for marketers and others interested in international business to take into account the effects of popular media on the positioning of their products and services abroad. By analyzing historical import and export data between France and the United States in addition to researching the relationship status between the two countries at significant periods in history, this paper shows that country of origin and popular media portrayal have yet to have a significant impact on the sales of products between the two despite the political agitations that bring produce tension between the two entities. However, this study proves that it is something to continue to monitor as consumers become more educated and take on a more active role in politics through their purchase decisions. This is a contribution to the country of origin effect research that is being more widely explored as international markets continue to integrate.

]]> Andrea Jones http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/174 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/174 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:44 PDT Joshua Strait http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/173 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/173 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:43 PDT Katherine Schulhoff http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/172 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/172 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:42 PDT Kate Weir http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/171 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/171 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:41 PDT Kimberly Walker http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/170 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/170 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:40 PDT The formal study of the International Political Economy did not exist before World War II. In this report the origins of this study are explained. There is also a detailed history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the subsequent creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Along with the creation of the World Trade Organization the WTO’s Dispute Settling Body was created. This Body helps to settle disputes between member nations and helps clarify and regulate the link between a nation’s political and economic agenda and the impact those have on the global community. Finally there is a discussion of United States Trade Policy with China and the impact of illegal Chinese subsidies on the United States’ domestic market. The United States Trade Representation (USTR) Office of China Affairs is responsible for filing disputes with the WTO Dispute Settling Body in order to ensure that Chinese policies and subsidies follow WTO trade regulations. In the global community it is important to understand the interconnectedness of domestic policies and economy with the global marketplace.

]]> Kristen O’Hare http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/169 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/169 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:39 PDT Kristin Repucci http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/168 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/168 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:38 PDT Lauren Vignali http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/167 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/167 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:37 PDT Nathan Marculis http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/166 http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/166 Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:09:36 PDT Megan Greenfelder