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Title: Writing memory : a study of memory tools in invention
Creator: Whittemore, Stewart Neal
Date: 2008
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Writing on the factory floor
Creator: Garcia, Elena (Elena Adkins)
Date: 2013
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The study of writing within industrial workplaces has been taken up by many disciplines and focuses of study, such as technical writing, engineering, management, literacy studies, and literacy education, to name a few. Industrial workplaces are highly complex--with machinery, robots, floor workers, engineers, and managers all working together--making them fantastic locations for studies of power, authority, labor, and text. In addition, industrial workplaces like factories represent labor...
Show moreThe study of writing within industrial workplaces has been taken up by many disciplines and focuses of study, such as technical writing, engineering, management, literacy studies, and literacy education, to name a few. Industrial workplaces are highly complex--with machinery, robots, floor workers, engineers, and managers all working together--making them fantastic locations for studies of power, authority, labor, and text. In addition, industrial workplaces like factories represent labor histories as well as the changing economic environment of the U.S., often making them a locus for both research and nostalgia. My own interest in conducting writing study research in factories is this locus of scholarship and nostalgic memory, for factory work is part of my family's identity. I explored existing literature on factory workplaces and the writing that is done there, with the goal to merge an interest in writing with working-class upbringing. I found a gap in the literature that troubled me--where was the research that focused on the shop floor workers and their writing? Where were the studies that viewed such individuals not as people who do not and cannot write but as important knowledge makers (the way I view my dad)? Then I wondered, in the complex physical and social environment of factories, what kinds of texts do shop floor workers write and how do they develop those texts? This dissertation grew out of my desire to answer the questions of what and how factory workers write. I developed a research approach that I call "case-study with a phenomenological sensibility" to help me, and through this research methodology I was able to learn about the writing experiences of two factory machine operators at a Post Cereals plant in Battle Creek, Michigan. Through the interviews I conducted I learned that, in the cases of the two particular machine operators I worked with, their workplace writing practices and processes were shaped almost entirely by the time and resource regulations of the factory. I also discovered that because both operators were highly invested in their work already, they felt pride and a sense of being valued when they shared their knowledge through writing. What this dissertation offers, then, is a glimpse into the workplace writing lives of two factory machine operators. Turning the research gaze to writing that these operators did on the factory floor reveals how the changing nature of industry--a national and global issue--has influenced the everyday working activities of factory floor laborers. More specifically, my own research gaze has revealed the growing importance for collaboration in writing in traditionally hierarchical factories, benefits gained through writing about work practices, and the significance of personal investment in the workplace lives of two factory workers. Though the claims made in this work are narrow in focus, they provide strong evidence for a need to focus industrial workplace writing research on all hierarchical levels, including the blue-collar laborer.
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Title: Writing the archives : context, materiality, identity
Creator: Narayan, Madhu
Date: 2013
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In Writing the Archives: Context, Materiality, Identity, I develop a theoretical and methodological framework for studying archives as institutions that reproduce the rhetorics and identities of particular cultures. This framework includes four key arguments: 1) Archives are constituted through a selective and subjective process of appraisal; 2) What counts as "historical" or even "archival" depends on the attitudes and values of the cultures that create archives; 3)...
Show moreIn Writing the Archives: Context, Materiality, Identity, I develop a theoretical and methodological framework for studying archives as institutions that reproduce the rhetorics and identities of particular cultures. This framework includes four key arguments: 1) Archives are constituted through a selective and subjective process of appraisal; 2) What counts as "historical" or even "archival" depends on the attitudes and values of the cultures that create archives; 3) Archivists depend on communicative processes such as writing in order to organize and frame the materials in their care. These processes are culturally-situated and are not the same across all archival spaces; 4) Archives are material spaces that bear very little resemblance to the metaphorical notions of "The Archive" developed by theorists such as Thomas Richards, Diana Taylor, Michel Foucault etc. Central to this framework is the idea that all archives are different since they are constituted by communities whose experiences in the world are unique and different. I argue that my framework for understanding archives would allow us to create better archival research methodologies and also help us better train students who are interested in archival research at the graduate and undergraduate level.I employ a mixed method approach for understanding the role of archives in the constitution of communities and identities. These methods include oral history interviews with archivists who have worked at sites such as the archives as the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and the Lesbian Herstory Archives. A close analysis of these interviews and these sites reveals that archives are built in order to produce particular kinds of communityengagement. Decisions pertaining to the materials collected by these archives and access to these materials depend on the communal and identity politics of these institutions.Additionally, I closely analyze finding aids from the above archives in order to show how they communicate the original context surrounding the production and circulation of archival records. I argue that that the contextual information offered by archival finding aids is always partial in nature. As such, finding aids are rhetorical artifacts because they build histories and identities for archival materials that affect the way in which these materials are read and interpreted by researchers. Finding aids frame researchers' knowledge of archival collections since they provide contextual information about how and where records were produced. I further demonstrate how western models of archival finding aids have been complicated by GLBTQ communities and indigenous communities; these communities argue for more egalitarian finding aids that acknowledge multiple record creators and stakeholders.Lastly, I analyze the digitization practices of two digital archives, namely the Digital Archives of Literacy Narratives and the Blake Archive. I draw from the work of digital humanists and archivists to argue that in the context of digital archives, digitization of records is a cultural process. The manner in which we choose objects to be digitized reflects our biases, and it is never an "objective" process. As such, I argue that digitization is a rhetorical process because it creates culturally-mediated representation of a material object. I also point out that digitization does not necessarily mean that an archival record has been "preserved." All digitized records have unique identities and histories that need to be preserved as well. Therefore, I argue that archival digitization should attempt to connect records with their material counterparts in order to create a holistic representation of the original context in which records were produced and circulated.
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Title: Written evaluation at Justin Morrill College : implementing an organizational innovation
Creator: Cullen, Neil Henderson, 1942-
Date: 1942
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of Escherichia coli branching enzyme in complex with maltooctaose and rice branching enzyme I in complex with dodecaose
Creator: Fawaz, Remie
Date: 2016
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: ABSTRACTX-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI BRANCHING ENZYME IN COMPLEX WITH MALTOOCTAOSE AND RICE BRANCHING ENZYME I IN COMPLEX WITH DODECAOSEByRemie FawazBranching enzyme plays a key role in determining the final structure of glycogen or starch; this outcome structure is unique to every species, therefore the diversity of branching enzymes structures. While the biosynthesis of the polymers constitutes of three major steps, the last reaction of the pathway catalyzed by...
Show moreABSTRACTX-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF ESCHERICHIA COLI BRANCHING ENZYME IN COMPLEX WITH MALTOOCTAOSE AND RICE BRANCHING ENZYME I IN COMPLEX WITH DODECAOSEByRemie FawazBranching enzyme plays a key role in determining the final structure of glycogen or starch; this outcome structure is unique to every species, therefore the diversity of branching enzymes structures. While the biosynthesis of the polymers constitutes of three major steps, the last reaction of the pathway catalyzed by branching enzyme embodies the cleavage of the α-1,4 glycosidic bond and the transfer of the produced oligosaccharide to the specific α-1,6 position creating an α-1,6 branch point. This process results in highly branched polymeric structures, which represent major carbon sources and carbohydrate storage compounds in living organisms, and are essential both in nature and industry. The structure of Escherichia coli glycogen branching enzyme has been solved both in the apo and holo forms. Binding to linear and cyclic oligosaccharides has been studied and showed seven external binding sites, but binding in the active site was not seen. Oligomers longer than previously used were investigated in an attempt to see binding in the catalytic center, only to discover more peripheral binding sites seemingly independent of each other. Examining the binding sites’ locations and sugars’ orientations indicates that these sites probably cooperate together in order to hold the long sugar polymer on the surface of the protein during the branching reaction. Hypotheses regarding the mode of binding between E. coli branching enzyme and the sugar during the reaction, and the roles for key binding sites and residues in the mechanism are proposed.Rice branching enzyme I, a starch branching enzyme, was also previously crystallized and the structure of the truncated version was solved. Binding attempts on this protein showed surface binding sites as well. In an effort to better understand the mechanism of action of this enzyme, we crystallized the protein and soaked it in a 12-unit oligomer, which bound to the enzyme hanging over the active site without reaching into the groove. Two new binding sites were discovered for this protein and the residues involved were identified. There are several hydrogen bonds and aromatic stacking interactions within the binding sties. Hypotheses for the binding mode and reaction mechanism are proposed.In addition, we have worked on ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases that catalyze the first step in the biosynthesis pathway. The small subunit of the protein expresses as a homotetramer that is highly active. Although the potato tuber form was previously expressed in a collaborating laboratory at extremely small levels, and the protein was crystallized in the inactive form in the Geiger lab, our intensive attempts only succeeded in purifying the protein of interest, but the enzyme would precipitate instead of concentrating.
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Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of MIP synthase
Creator: Stein, Adam Joshua
Date: 2002
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of RNA polymerase III transcription factor TFIIIB and 1L-myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase
Creator: Jin, Xiangshu
Date: 2002
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of SNAP190RcRd (Small Nuclear RNA Activating Protein) complex and E. Coli glycogen synthase
Creator: Sheng, Fang
Date: 2008
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of branching enzyme/polysaccharide complex and RNA polymerase III transcription facotor TFIIIB complex
Creator: Feng, Lei
Date: 2009
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of cellular retinoic acid-binding protein II mutants designed as rhodopsin mimics
Creator: Jia, Xiaofei
Date: 2008
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of cytochrome c oxidase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides
Creator: Qin, Ling
Date: 2005
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray crystallographic studies of mutants of cellular retinoic acid binding protein (II) toward designing a mimic of rhodopsin
Creator: Vaezeslami, Soheila
Date: 2006
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray diffraction analysis of fabrication deformities in metals
Creator: Skinner, Martin Joseph
Date: 1948
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray diffraction of common silica minerals
Creator: Pollack, Sidney Solomon
Date: 1953
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of CdTe substrates
Creator: Hines, Daniel Ray
Date: 1985
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray imaging of superconducting radio frequency cavities
Creator: Musser, Susan Elizabeth
Date: 2006
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray studies in Phaseolus vulgaris
Creator: Genter, Clarence Frederick
Date: 1939
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: X-ray studies of layer rigidity and c-axis expansion in intercalated layered solids
Creator: Lee, Soonil
Date: 1989
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: XRCC4-XLF complexes facilitate DNA double-strand break repair in cells by bridging broken DNA ends
Creator: Roy, Sunetra
Date: 2015
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The classical non-homologous end-joining (c-NHEJ) pathway is largely responsible for repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in mammalian cells. Absence of c-NHEJ causes genomic instability in mice and leads to deficiencies in V(D)J recombination. XLF, (the last bona fide c-NHEJ factor discovered) is known to stimulate ligation by the core ligation complex: XRCC4-Ligase 4. However, the precise mechanism by which XLF stimulates XRCC4-Ligase 4 mediated DNA ligation is not well understood....
Show moreThe classical non-homologous end-joining (c-NHEJ) pathway is largely responsible for repairing DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in mammalian cells. Absence of c-NHEJ causes genomic instability in mice and leads to deficiencies in V(D)J recombination. XLF, (the last bona fide c-NHEJ factor discovered) is known to stimulate ligation by the core ligation complex: XRCC4-Ligase 4. However, the precise mechanism by which XLF stimulates XRCC4-Ligase 4 mediated DNA ligation is not well understood. Recent structural studies have shown that XLF can interact with XRCC4 to form filaments of alternating XRCC4 and XLF dimers; these filaments mediate DNA end bridging in vitro, providing a potential mechanism by which XLF might stimulate ligation. Here, we show that disrupting the interaction between XRCC4 and XLF by XRCC4 mutation, thereby abolishing filament formation, affects V(D)J recombination in cells and hinders the ability of cells expressing these mutants to survive in response to zeocin, a radiomimetic drug. Furthermore, we characterize an XLF mutant (L115A) that does not interact with XRCC4, and thus does not form filaments or bridge DNA in vitro. However, this mutant is fully sufficient in stimulating ligation of either blunt or cohesive DNA ends by X4/Lig4 in vitro. This separation of function mutant fully complements the zeocin sensitive phenotype and V(D)J recombination deficits of some XLF deficient cell strains but not others, suggesting a variable requirement for DNA bridging in different cell types. To determine whether lack of XRCC4/XLF bridging might be compensated for by other factors, candidate repair factors were disrupted in XLF or XRCC4 deficient cells. Loss of either ATM or the newly described XRCC4/XLF like factor, PAXX accentuates the cellular requirement for XLF. In the case of ATM/XLF loss, the increased cellular requirement can be attributed to its bridging function; however in case of PAXX/XLF loss the increased requirement for XLF is independent of bridging.
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Title: Xanthomonas pathovars identification through a neural network-based genomic fingerprint classification system
Creator: Tuang, Fei Ni
Date: 1998
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

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