Dissertations / Theses: 'The Black Protests' – Grafiati (2024)

Abstract:

Beginning in October 2015, student protests erupted at many U.S. colleges and universities. This wave of demonstrations prompted an ongoing national debate over the following question: what caused this activism? Leveraging existing theoretical explanations, this paper attempts to answer this question through an empirical study of the 73 most prominent college protests from October 2015 to April 2016. I use an original data set with information collected from U.S. News and World Report to determine what factors at these 73 schools were most predictive of the protests.My findings strongly suggest that the probability of a protest increases at larger, more selective institutions. I also find evidence against the dominant argument that the marginalization of minority students exclusively caused this activism. Using my empirical results, this paper presents a new theoretical explanation for the 2015-2016 protests. I argue that racial tensions sparked the first demonstration. However, as the protests spread to other campuses, they were driven less by racial grievances and more by a pervasive culture of political correctness. This paper concludes by applying this new theoretical framework to the budding wave of 2017 protests.

Abstract:

Urban Education
Ph.D.
This research examines Black educators' professional experiences in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) over forty years, through six superintendents and a state takeover. Using critical race theory, this research uncovers how Black educators' perceptions of SDP, based on district leadership, combined with their interpretations of the historical, social, and political contexts, influenced how they defined their professional situations, interpreted the culture of the District, and how they performed their roles. A phenomenological, historical ethnography approach is employed to investigate person to institution interactions interpreted through the historical record and educators' narratives. This research explores power relations and disjuncture between the goals, assumptions, and rhetoric of the School District of Philadelphia as expressed through its policies, politics, and practices, juxtaposed against the narratives of Black educators. This research found that SDP is peculiar, particular, unforgiving, and deeply politically entrenched. Its politics are complicated by issues of race and insider-outsider tensions and are compounded by state politics and the national political landscape. The politics within SDP were also influenced by the interpretation of the contemporary political narrative by the superintendent and his or her epistemological beliefs and ontological bent within that narrative.
Temple University--Theses

Abstract:

This thesis investigates US state level politics framing of the BLM protests during 2020, by inductively identifying frames and then proceeding to study if and on what grounds securitization occurs in these. Press statements, interviews and documents from eight Mayors and Governors in six of the states where the protests have been the most prominent are analyzed. From this material, four frames have been identified: the alienated outsider frame, the constructive rage frame, the limited guardian frame, and the desecuritizing frame. Recent developments in securitization theory investigate human life and dignity as a reference object, making a case for integrating humanitarianism in terms of grounds for justifying extraordinary measures. Three grounds for securitization are investigated empirically in the identified frames: state, social and humanitarian security. The study concludes that whilst both state security and to a lesser degree humanitarian security are detected in the identified frames, societal security seems to be the most prominent. This suggests that large-scale identities are the most common reference objects in the treated context. Further research is encouraged, especially in terms of distinguishing potential frame alignment processes by looking at a greater number of states over a longer period of time.

Abstract:

The main purpose of this study is to understand the mobilization dynamics and impacts of the environmental opposition movement against the Black Sea Coastal Road Project in Turkey. The study is original in the sense that for the first time an opposition movement against a national road project was realized in Turkey. The Black Sea Coastal Road Project is one of the main infrastructure investments in Turkey. It covers a large geographical area, Eastern Black Sea Region, and some districts/provinces in the region formed an opposition movement against the project which objected to sea-filling method and destruction of coasts. The fieldwork of the study was conducted in seven districts/provinces of Eastern Black Sea Region. They were investigated in terms of their mobilization dynamics, tactics and the outcomes of the opposition movement. The main analysis is based on an evaluative approach and qualitative research. The fieldwork of the study was conducted in the periods of March 16, 2002 to March 24, 2002 and April 13, 2006 to April 20, 2006. In-depth-interviews and focus groups with local activists are used as data collection techniques. The seven cases-regions displayed some differences in their opposition movement in terms of the mobilization, tactics and the outcome. In the districts, most crucial for mobilization were the political party affiliation and the economic opportunity structures. The project being a part of governmental policy and the perception by the public, living in the region that the road is needed strongly affected dynamics, tactics and outcomes of the movement.

Abstract:

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
This dissertation is the result of empirical monitoring of political demonstrations where young people expressed through the Black Bloc tactic. It is a participant observer report. Seeks, in acts of street protests and social networking sites, how is the construction of knowledge and realities of these young people. Seeks to understand the political forces opposing the idea of autonomous organization that tracks youth social movements and collective action close to the fans of tactical Black Bloc. Analyzes the pages of Brazilian mass media, the dispute the meaning of the 2013-2014 protests among the ultra-liberal discourse, government supporters and revolutionaries. This research follows the steps of how was built the historical image of the Black Bloc in the national press and proposes a historical script to its spectacular appearance in Brazilian media in June 2013. The research seeks to understand the contemporary scene of street protests across narratives gathered in demonstrations against the FIFA World Cup 2014 and interviews marked the tactical fans in their living spaces. Part of this work an audiovisual documentary, edited with scenes observed in fieldwork.
Esta dissertação é resultado do acompanhamento empírico de manifestações políticas onde jovens se expressavam através da tática Black Bloc. É um relato observador participante. Procura, nos atos de protestos de rua e nos sites de rede social, como se dá a construção de saberes e realidades destes jovens. Busca compreender as forças políticas contrárias a ideia de organização autonomista que acompanha a juventude dos movimentos sociais e ações coletivas próximos aos adeptos da tática Black Bloc. Analisa, nas páginas da mídia de massa brasileira, a disputa do significado dos protestos de 2013-2014 entre os discursos Ultraliberais, Governistas e Revolucionários. Esta pesquisa segue os passos de como foi construída a imagem histórica da Black Bloc na imprensa nacional e propõe um roteiro histórico até de seu aparecimento espetacular nas mídias brasileiras em junho de 2013. A pesquisa procura compreender o cenário contemporâneo dos protestos de rua através de narrativas recolhidas nas manifestações contra a Copa do Mundo da FIFA 2014 e em entrevistas marcadas com adeptos da tática em seus espaços de convivência. Faz parte deste trabalho um documentário audiovisual, editado com cenas observadas no trabalho de campo.

Abstract:

This study explores the crisis of representation in black South African protest and ‘post’-apartheid literature. Conversant with the debates on the crisis of representation in black South African protest literature from the 1960s to the late 1980s, the dissertation proposes a re-reading of the ‘crisis’ by locating it in the black writer’s struggle for an aesthetic with which to express the existential crisis of blackness. I contend that not only protest but also contemporary or ‘post’-protest black South African literature exhibits a split or fractured mode of writing which is characterised by the displacement/unheimlichheid produced by colonialism and apartheid, as well as by the contentious nature of that which this literature endeavours to capture – the fraught identity of blackness. In my exploration of the split or double narratives of Mongane Serote’s To Every Birth Its Blood, K. Sello Duiker’s Thirteen Cents, and Kopano Matlwa’s Coconut, I examine the representation of blackness through the themes of violence, trauma, powerlessness, failure, and unhomeliness/unbelongingness – all of which suggest the lack of a solid foundation upon which to construct a stable black identity. This instability, I ultimately argue, suggests a move beyond an Afrocentric perspective on identity and traditional tropes of blackness towards a more processual, fluid, and permeable post-black politics.

Abstract:

Nesta dissertação, investigo o processo de institucionalização do Movimento Negro no Brasil contemporâneo. Este fato social tem requerido uma progressiva profissionalização dos militantes, a formalização e burocratização das organizações, bem como novas estratégicas de mobilização de recursos e especialização do ativismo. Em grande medida, essa institucionalização está ligada ao modo pelo qual o movimento se apropriou das oportunidades políticas oferecidas pelo Estado e pelo ambiente civil a partir da redemocratização brasileira. A dinâmica das organizações e o estilo dos protestos negros, objetos empíricos deste trabalho, expressam o modo como a ação coletiva negra se insere no cenário político atual.
In this dissertation I analyse the institutionalization of black movement in Contemporary Brazil. This social fact have been imply progressive professionalization of militants, more formal and bureaucratic organizations, new strategies to resource mobilizations and specialization of activism. The institutionalization is related to the way through the movement used the political opportunities offered by state and environment civil since the emergency of Brazilian democracy in the 1980s. The dynamic of organizations and the style of black protest, empiric objects of this work, express how the collective actions inside nowdays political context.

Abstract:

Magister Artium - MA
The legacy of apartheid is one that has left traces of racial oppression and inequitabledistribution of state resources across the landscape of the country. Cape Town in particular isa city of many contrasts with grand residential estates often tucked far away from decayingtownships and forgotten slums outside of the CBD. One particular domain that epitomizes thecontinuing inequality between racial groups is that of education.Even though South Africa officially achieved independence in 1994, little is known aboutchanges in the status quo at many formerly white schools. The all-girls high school of SansSouci Girls High School (SSGHS) in Cape Town recently came to light as a site of conflictand tension with learners taking to Twitter to voice their anger towards what they deemed asunfair and racialized practices at the school.This thesis investigates the protest of young black learners at SSGHS, with particular focus onthe languages used, videos and images uploaded as well as the complementary andcontradictory online press releases. The study further explores the ways in which racializedand gendered practices are resemiotized and (re)contextualised through the protest.The use of online platforms such as Twitter and the emergence of protests at institutions acrossSouth Africa has become a regular feature of South African media reports. Under the bannerof decolonizing education, many of these anti-establishment movements have become quiteeffective in getting their voices heard, both locally and internationally. Of interest to this studyis whether and how the protest at Sans Souci fits into a larger paradigm of decolonizingeducation and furthermore, what these protests contribute to a larger conversation regardinggender, racial tensions and naturalised racialized discourses and practices at formerly whiteschools. It is hoped that a multimodal discourse analysis of images, videos and commentsonline will provide much-needed information about the semiotics of protest andtransformation at the school as they emerge on the internet.

Abstract:

Spider dragline silk is a biomaterial with outstanding material properties, possessing high-tensile strength and toughness. In nature, dragline silk serves a central role during spider locomotion and web construction. Today, scientists are racing to elucidate the molecular machinery governing silk extrusion, attempting to translate this knowledge into a mimicry process in the laboratory to create synthetic fibers for a wide range of different applications. During extrusion, it has been established that biochemical and mechanical forces govern spidroin folding, aggregation, and assembly. In black widow spiders, at least 7 different proteins have been identified as constituents of dragline silk fibers. These represent the major ampullate spidroins, MaSp1 and MaSp2, and several low-molecular weight cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family members that include CRP1, CRP2, and CRP4. Molecular modeling studies have predicted that CRPs contain a cystine slipknot motif. To advance scientific knowledge regarding CRP function, we expressed and purified recombinant CRP1 and CRP4 from bacteria and investigated their secondary structure using circular dichroism (CD) under different chemical and physical conditions. We demonstrate by far-UV CD spectroscopy that CRP1 and CRP4 contain similar secondary structural characteristics in solution, displaying substantial amounts of random coil conformation, followed by lower levels of beta sheet, alpha helical and beta-turn structure. Additionally, we show that native structures of CRP1 and CRP4 have high thermal stability and are resistant to conformational changes under acidic pH conditions. Taken together, the chemical and thermal stability of CRP1 and CRP4 are experimentally consistent with biochemical properties of cystine slipknot proteins.

Abstract:

In a time of decreasing participation in party politics across Europe, both protests and deliberation can be studied as means of expressing political opinion that have not seen the same decline. Traditionally, protests and deliberation have been considered mutually exclusive. This notion has later been challenged, indicating that these factors coexist in democratic societies.The aim of this thesis is to get a better understanding of the complex causal relationship between protests and deliberative democracy in 30 European countries. This is investigated through the following research question: Do countries with high levels of protest activity also have high levels of deliberative democracy? Two contradicting hypotheses are established, where one considers protests and deliberation to be mutually exclusive while the second hypothesisconsiders them to be coexisting factors in democratic countries. To test the hypotheses, correlation matrices and regression analysis are used, adding relevant control variables (GDP per capita, population and income distribution) to the model. The results imply that protests and deliberation are not mutually exclusive, instead countries with higher levels of protest activity also have higher deliberation. However, this does not appear to be because protests itself drive deliberation, but rather that a confounding variable, measuring the percentage of national income that the bottom 40% holds, drives both protests and deliberation positively. The implications underline the importance of a more even income distribution to foster both more protests and higher deliberation. Further research to continue investigating these findings is encouraged.

Abstract:

Using performance and cultural study lenses, this dissertation employs a case study methodology to explore how embodied Black male political voice was used during the 1968 Summer Olympic medal stand protest in Mexico City, Mexico. Creative moral protest is a "hallmark of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience" The art of moral protest, (Jasper, 1997). By the late 1960s, several innovative expressions of political activism, involving Black men, had been set forth in the United States. However, on October 16, 1968 in Mexico City, the world witnessed one of history's most memorable and iconic protests. Using a brazen and unprecedented style, two Black US college athletes expanded socio/economic discourse relating to Black Americans. Epitomizing innovation in moral protest and cultural representation, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, with raised Black-gloved fists, furthered international awareness to the struggle for equal rights in America. Collectively, the track stars fashioned an unprecedented cultural discourse using imagery and symbolism as their political voice during the 1968 Olympic medal stand awards ceremony.

Grappling with political forces of White supremacy and institutional racism, the two Olympians combined social aptitude with academic and political consciousness. In doing so, the San Jose State University students used a visual protest language that aided in how the world defined politically conscious Black masculinity. Their display during the 1968 Summer Olympic medal stand ceremony helped to introduce many to the disenfranchised voice of Black America, still echoing against the backdrop of the ideology of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Following the deaths of King and Malcolm X. The two Olympians sought to expand upon the successful use of symbolic boycotts and protest marches to challenge an American meta-narrative about Black citizenship and identity. Black males, in particular, were involved in highly visible groups such as: The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and, SNCC. The two met Professor Harry Edwards, leader of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), while students at San Jose State University. They later joined OPHR. According to Edwards, author of the book The Struggle That Must Be, (Edwards, 1980), an Olympic boycott protest was intended to "set forth the imagery of intelligent Black men who were socially conscious" (Edwards, 1980,p.28).

Abstract:

Living cells and their components play a key role within biotechnology industry. Cell cultures and their products of interest are used for the design of vaccines as well as in the agro-alimentary field. In order to ensure optimal working of such bioprocesses, the understanding of the complex mechanisms which rule them is fundamental. Mathematical models may be helpful to grasp the biological phenomena which intervene in a bioprocess. Moreover, they allow prediction of system behaviour and are frequently used within engineering tools to ensure, for instance, product quality and reproducibility.

Mathematical models of cell cultures may come in various shapes and be phrased with varying degrees of mathematical formalism. Typically, three main model classes are available to describe the nonlinear dynamic behaviour of such biological systems. They consist of macroscopic models which only describe the main phenomena appearing in a culture. Indeed, a high model complexity may lead to long numerical computation time incompatible with engineering tools like software sensors or controllers. The first model class is composed of the first principles or white box models. They consist of the system of mass balances for the main species (biomass, substrates, and products of interest) involved in a reaction scheme, i.e. a set of irreversible reactions which represent the main biological phenomena occurring in the considered culture. Whereas transport phenomena inside and outside the cell culture are often well known, the reaction scheme and associated kinetics are usually a priori unknown, and require special care for their modelling and identification. The second kind of commonly used models belongs to black box modelling. Black boxes consider the system to be modelled in terms of its input and output characteristics. They consist of mathematical function combinations which do not allow any physical interpretation. They are usually used when no a priori information about the system is available. Finally, hybrid or grey box modelling combines the principles of white and black box models. Typically, a hybrid model uses the available prior knowledge while the reaction scheme and/or the kinetics are replaced by a black box, an Artificial Neural Network for instance.

Among these numerous models, which one has to be used to obtain the best possible representation of a bioprocess? We attempt to answer this question in the first part of this work. On the basis of two simulated bioprocesses and a real experimental one, two model kinds are analysed. First principles models whose reaction scheme and kinetics can be determined thanks to systematic procedures are compared with hybrid model structures where neural networks are used to describe the kinetics or the whole reaction term (i.e. kinetics and reaction scheme). The most common artificial neural networks, the MultiLayer Perceptron and the Radial Basis Function network, are tested. In this work, pure black box modelling is however not considered. Indeed, numerous papers already compare different neural networks with hybrid models. The results of these previous studies converge to the same conclusion: hybrid models, which combine the available prior knowledge with the neural network nonlinear mapping capabilities, provide better results.

From this model comparison and the fact that a physical kinetic model structure may be viewed as a combination of basis functions such as a neural network, kinetic model structures allowing biological interpretation should be preferred. This is why the second part of this work is dedicated to the improvement of the general kinetic model structure used in the previous study. Indeed, in spite of its good performance (largely due to the associated systematic identification procedure), this kinetic model which represents activation and/or inhibition effects by every culture component suffers from some limitations: it does not explicitely address saturation by a culture component. The structure models this kind of behaviour by an inhibition which compensates a strong activation. Note that the generalization of this kinetic model is a challenging task as physical interpretation has to be improved while a systematic identification procedure has to be maintained.

The last part of this work is devoted to another kind of biological systems: proteins. Such macromolecules, which are essential parts of all living organisms and consist of combinations of only 20 different basis molecules called amino acids, are currently used in the industrial world. In order to allow their functioning in non-physiological conditions, industrials are open to modify protein amino acid sequence. However, substitutions of an amino acid by another involve thermodynamic stability changes which may lead to the loss of the biological protein functionality. Among several theoretical methods predicting stability changes caused by mutations, the PoPMuSiC (Prediction Of Proteins Mutations Stability Changes) program has been developed within the Genomic and Structural Bioinformatics Group of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. This software allows to predict, in silico, changes in thermodynamic stability of a given protein under all possible single-site mutations, either in the whole sequence or in a region specified by the user. However, PoPMuSiC suffers from limitations and should be improved thanks to recently developed techniques of protein stability evaluation like the statistical mean force potentials of Dehouck et al. (2006). Our work proposes to enhance the performances of PoPMuSiC by the combination of the new energy functions of Dehouck et al. (2006) and the well known artificial neural networks, MultiLayer Perceptron or Radial Basis Function network. This time, we attempt to obtain models physically interpretable thanks to an appropriate use of the neural networks.

Doctorat en sciences appliquées
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Abstract:

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.
Thesis research directed by: Material Science and Engineering. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Abstract:

Although numerous spider fibroins have been reported, no known silk coating peptides have been discovered. We provide the first biochemical evidence for a spider coating peptide, called SCP-2, found on gumfooted lines, scaffolding joints and egg cases. The presence of this spider coating peptide on the fibers is supported by MS/MS analysis. Using quantitative real-time PCR analysis, we also demonstrate that SCP-2 has a flagelliform-restricted mRNA pattern of expression. Molecular modeling of the SCP-2 amino acid sequence predicts it adopts an alpha-helical structure that is amphipathic in nature. SCP-2, which can be extracted from fibers using water, is hypothesized to influence the mechanical properties of the silk fibers as well as serve a protective function for the threads. Based upon the restricted pattern of expression of SCP-2, our findings reveal novel insight regarding the glandular function of the flagelliform gland in . cob weaving spiders, suggesting it produces aqueous coating materials that are deposited on a wide range of different silk types. In addition, in an attempt to advance our understanding regarding silk gene transcription, our lab has developed the first antibody against the bHLH factor SGSF. SGSF has been implicated as a potential transcriptional regulator of silk gene transcription in spiders. Development of the anti-SGSF antibody was accomplished via the overexpression and purification of a fusion protein in bacteria, which consisted of the C-terminal region of SGSF fused to thioredoxin. Purified SGSF fusion proteins were injected into rabbits and the polyclonal antiserum was collected and tested by western blot analysis to determine the specificity of the immunological reagent. Western blot analyses revealed the anti-SGSF antiserum was capable of recognizing bacterially expressed SGSF in an efficient manner. Collectively, these studies lay the groundwork for future investigations involving the use of the antibody to determine the role of SGSF in silk transcription.

Abstract:

Spiders are capable of producing a variety of silk types, each with their own unique protein composition and function. Dragline silk in particular, has been of great interest due to its high tensile strength and extensibility. In the past, synthetically produced dragline fibers have not been able to match the superior properties of natural silk. A recent discovery in the western black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus, might be the missing link between the current state of synthetic silks and naturally produced fibers. Our research is centered around the discovery a new family of five low-molecular-weight cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) and their potential function within dragline silk. This study focuses on the characterization of recombinantly expressed CRP1, CRP2, and CRP4. Through structural analysis using circular dichroism, it has been determined that the CRP family members have mostly alpha-helical secondary structure and exhibit small differences in their ability to maintain their structure in the presence of changing environmental conditions. The study also covers the effects of temperature and pH on the folding and unfolding of the CRPs. It appears that pH is the dominant influence on protein unfolding within the major ampullate gland.

Abstract:

Focusing on the United States and South Africa from 1945 to 1960 this thesis examines how African American and black South Africans navigated internationally organised state repression during the Cold War. Through a close alliance based around shared anticommunist and white supremacist ideologies, the United States and South African governments sought to actively prevent black international criticism of their racial practices in this period. This work engages with and builds upon existing 'Cold War civil rights' historiography by individuals such as Mary L. Dudziak, Brenda Gayle Plummer and Thomas Borstelmann. Through extensive archival research in South Africa as well as the United States, it will provide a truly transnational account of how black activists and government forces in South Africa shaped Cold War discourses on race. This research also contributes to broader theoretical discussions relating to black international history. Through a gendered analysis of global black protest this thesis addresses historiographical gaps that have failed to account for the way in which specific constructions of black masculinity and femininity shaped black international solidarities. This thesis will argue that through carefully orchestrated international campaigns for racial justice, African Americans and black South Africans continued to place pressure on white governments throughout the height of anticommunist oppression during the early Cold War. While not wanting to downplay the damaging influence state repression had on the lives of African Americans and black South Africans, it will examine how black activists in both countries managed to maintain their political agency when operating in an increasingly hostile environment. By examining the considerable amount of time, money and effort invested into restricting black international protest, I will demonstrate how the U.S. and South African governments were forced to respond, reshape and occasionally reconsider their racial policies in the Cold War world. Whilst this did not result in the dismantling of apartheid, or immediately bring an end to U.S.-South African Cold War alliance, this determination of African Americans and black South Africans to protest globally provides a transnational example of how, to paraphrase Stuart Hall's famous phrase, hegemonizing was hard work.

Abstract:

This thesis argues that Claudia Rankine's two American lyrics destabilize the subject-object dialectic underwriting American lyricism. First, I consider Don’t Let Me Be Lonely’s rejection of spectatorship, insofar as spectatorship objectifies the suffering of the Other. Second, I analyze Citizen’s subversion of the lyric “I”, particularly as it vocalizes the “you”-position traditionally relegated to poetic object. I suggest that both works, by returning power to the object, manifest an aesthetic disruption to the racially-based power dialectic underpinning American lyric tradition. Eventually, I propose that Rankine mobilizes the poem as a future-space for the realization of an ideal politics.

Abstract:

Os elevados custos atribuídos à nutrição na piscicultura ligam a eficiência alimentar ao sucesso da atividade e à redução do impacto ao meio ambiente. Estudos sobre a nutrição e determinação de exigências nutricionais em aminoácidos são, portanto, ferramentas importantes para a consolidação da piscicultura comercial racional e com viabilidade econômica. A determinação da exigência em lisina para o “black bass” Micropterus salmoides foi feita em ensaio de dose-resposta e os dados coletados foram analisados por meio de três modelos estatísticos: regressão polinomial, regressão segmentada e modelagem matemática específica, para estimar a utilização e exigência dos aminoácidos. Foi utilizada a relação A/E = [(aminoácido essencial ÷ total de aminoácidos essenciais + cistina + tirosina) x 1.000], para estimar as exigências nutricionais dos demais aminoácidos essenciais em relação à lisina determinada no experimento dose-resposta. As unidades experimentais foram constituídas por lotes de 25 alevinos de black bass (1,29 ± 0,03 g; 4,35 ± 0,17 cm) condicionados a aceitar ração seca, alojados em gaiolas de PVC atóxico (abertura de malha 5 mm) com capacidade de 60 L e instaladas em caixas de polipropileno com capacidade de 1.000 L, com troca parcial de água num sistema fechado de recirculação e aeração. Os tratamentos correspondiam aos níveis crescentes de lisina: 1,0; 1,5; 2,0; 2,5; 3,0 e 3,5% na dieta n=4), num delineamento inteiramente aleatorizado (DIA). O modelo estatístico da regressão segmentada foi o modelo mais apropriado para determinação da exigência dietética de lisina para os alevinos de black bass em experimento dose-resposta. A exigência dietética em lisina para peso final, ganho de peso e taxa de crescimento específico foi de 2,1% da dieta ou 4,9% da proteína dietética. A exigência dietética de 1,69% de lisina na dieta ou 3,9% de lisina na proteína condicionou o melhor índice de conversão alimentar. O uso do perfil de aminoácidos corporais do black bass foi adequado como referência para estimar as exigências nutricionais de aminoácidos.
Adequate nutrition of fish stocks interconnects fish feeding efficiency, profitability and mitigation of environmental impact of fish farming. Knowledge on amino acids requirement of farmed fish boosts rationalization and profitability of fish farming systems. This study compares estimation of amino acids requirements of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides from data of lysine dose-response trials, analyzed through different statistical models: polynomial regression, broken-line analysis and specific mathematical modeling. Amino acids requirements were estimated through the A/E relationship [A/E = (essential amino acid ÷ total essential amino acids + cystine + tyrosine) x 1.000]. Groups of 25, feed-conditioned largemouth bass fingerlings (1.29 ± 0.03 g; 4.35 ± 0.17 cm), were stocked in 60-L cages (5 mm mesh) placed in 1,000-L plastic, indoor tanks, closed circulation system, and fed diets containing 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, or 3.5% lysine, in a totally randomized experimental design trial (n = 4). The broken-line analysis method yielded more reliable and precise estimations of lysine requirements – 2.1% of diet or 4.9% dietetic protein – for final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate. Best feed conversion ratio was attained with 1.69% lysine in the diet or 4.9% lysine in dietetic protein. Body amino acids profile was an adequate reference for estimation of largemouth bass amino acids requirements.

Abstract:

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly malignant pediatric cancer that is the most common form of soft tissue tumors in children. RMS cells have many features of skeletal muscle cells, yet do not differentiate. Thus, our studies have focused on the molecular defects present in these cells that block myogenesis. We have found MEF2D is absent in RMS cell lines representing both major subtypes of RMS and primary cells derived from an embryonal RMS mice model. We have shown that the down regulation of MEF2D is a major cause for the failure of RMS cells to differentiate. We find MEF2D cannot bind to muscle specific gene promoters. Exogenous expression of MEF2D activates muscle specific luciferase constructs, upregulates p21 expression and increases muscle specific gene expression including the expression of myosin heavy chain, a marker for skeletal muscle differentiation. Restoring expression of MEF2D also inhibits proliferation, cell motility, anchorage independent growth in vitro, and tumor growth in vivo by xenograft assay. We also have found MEF2C is deregulated in rhabdomyosarcoma with the aberrant alternative splicing. We have shown that exon α in MEF2C is aberrantly alternatively spliced in RMS cells, with the ratio of α2/α1 being highly downregulated in RMS cells compared with normal myoblasts. We find that MEF2Cα1 is the ubiquitously expressed isoform which exhibits no myogenic activity and that MEF2Cα2, the muscle specific MEF2C isoform, is required for efficient differentiation. Compared with MEF2Cα2, MEF2Cα1 more strongly interacts with and recruits HDAC5 to myogenic gene promoters to repress muscle specific genes. Overexpression of the MEF2Cα2 isoform in RMS cells increases myogenic activity and promotes differentiation in RMS cells. We have also identified a serine protein kinase, SRPK3, which is downregulated in RMS cells and found that expression of SRPK3 promoted the splicing of the MEF2Cα2 isoform and induced differentiation. Restoration of either MEF2Cα2 or SPRK3 inhibited both proliferation and anchorage independent growth of RMS cells. The NAC complex performs many diverse biological functions, and the deregulation of its subunits has been correlated with many cancers. We sought to understand the function of the NAC complex in normal myogenesis and tumor progression in rhabdomyosarcoma cells. We found that the muscle specific subunit of the NAC complex, skNAC, which is the alternatively spliced isoform of NACα, was induced in normal cells and downregulated in RMS cells, while BTF3, also known as NACβ, was induced in normal cells and severely downregulated in RMS cells. We also showed that skNAC associated with muscle specific promoters together with BTF3 in differentiated normal cells, and this association was dependent on the expression of BTF3. We further investigated the involvement of skNAC in RMS progression. We found that the muscle specific expressed methyltransferase Smyd1 was nuclear localized in RMS cells and its interaction partner skNAC was switched with corepressors (HDAC1 and TBX2). We also confirmed the expression of skNAC was regulated by the splicing factor kinase SRPK3 and overexpression of SPRK3 induced skNAC expression and muscle differentiation in RMS cells. We also confirmed the overexpression of BTF3 in patient RMS tumors and depletion of BTF3 induced apoptosis in RMS cells and decrease RMS cell survival. BTF3 depletion also sensitized TRAIL induced cell apoptosis in RMS cells. However, BTF3 played a different role in normal cells. Deletion of BTF3 in C2C12 cells does not induce cell apoptosis, which suggests BTF3 functions as an anti-apoptosis factor in RMS cells and could be used as a cancer specific therapeutic target in RMS cells.

Abstract:

History
M.F.A.
The school district of Philadelphia built up its security program along a very distinct pathway that was largely unrelated to any real needs protection. This program played out in two distinct phases. In the late 1950s, black and white students clashed in the neighborhoods surrounding schools over integration. Black parents called upon the city to provide community policing to protect their children in the communities surrounding schools. As the 1960s progressed and the promised civil rights gains from city liberals failed to materialize, students turned increasingly to Black Nationalist and black power ideology. When this protest activity moved inside their schoolhouses as blacks simultaneously began moving into white neighborhoods, white Philadelphians began to feel threatened in their homes and schools. As black student activism became louder and more militant, white parents called upon the police to protect their children inside the school house, as opposed to the earlier calls for community policing by black parents. White parents, the PPD, and conservative city politicians pushed the district to adopt tougher disciplinary policies to ham string this activism, to which black parents vehemently objected. The district resisted demands to police the schools through the 1960s until finally caving to political pressure in the 1970s.
Temple University--Theses

Abstract:

Thesis advisor: Davarian Baldwin
The multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1936-1978) was one of the most thrilling jazz performers of the Sixties and Seventies, wowing audiences with his lively blend of musical styles and his unique ability to play multiple saxophones at once. Still, one particularly exciting aspect of his life is unfamiliar to most, jazz fans included. In 1970, Kirk formed an activist group which he dubbed the Jazz and People’s Movement (JPM), with the purpose of lobbying television networks to broadcast more jazz and black musicians. And in order to ensure the networks took the call seriously, the JPM seized the television studios by storm – during the taping of major prime-time programs! The JPM was one among many self-help collectives working in New York and Chicago at the time, all seeking to mediate the material and cultural stresses facing musicians following jazz’s sharp decline in the 1960s. Kirk’s movement was unique, however, in identifying mainstream culture industries as a key site of struggle in the politics of production, documentation, and dissemination. And the JPM’s dynamic public disturbance tactics contrasted with the quieter, inward-looking programs of other collectives. Its aesthetic inclusivism also set it apart from most other jazz community groups which heavily favored avant-garde music. Under Kirk’s leadership, the JPM demonstrated that the mass production and consumption of art and culture had important political relevance and power for the liberation of black music specifically, and of black America more generally. Although the movement was short-lived and did not achieve many of its stated goals, it provides a visible intersection of music, race, and society, and is thus a highly valuable historical subject. This thesis explores the impact of Kirk’s political and aesthetic ideals on his conception of the JPM; the consistently interconnected material and cultural underpinnings of the movement’s agenda; the group’s protest actions, and the accompanying reactions in the music community and the press; the causes of the JPM’s dissolution; and the movement’s broader impact and legacy
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2008
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: History
Discipline: College Honors Program

Abstract:

A review of contemporary South African and European critical approaches 'to "Soweto poetry" is undertaken to evaluate their efficacy in addressing the diverse and complex dynamics evident in the poetry. A wide selection of poetry from the 1970's and early 1980's is used to argue that none of the critical models provide an adequate methodology free from both pseudo-cultural or ideological assumptions, and "reader-grid"(imposition of external categories upon the poems).From this point of entry, three groups of critics with similar approaches are assessed in relation to Soweto poetry. The second chapter illustrates the deficiency in critical method- ology of the first group of critics, who rely on a politicizing approach. Their critique presupposes a coherent shift in the nature of Black Consciousness poetry in the 1970's, which is shown to be vague and problematic, especially when they attempt to categorize Soweto poetry into "consistently thematic" divisions. In the third chapter, it is argued that ideological approaches to Soweto poetry are impressionistic assessments that depend heavily on the subordination of aesthetic determinants to materialistic concerns. The critics in this second group draw a dubious distinction between bourgeois and "worker poetry" and ignore the inter- play between the two styles. Pluralized mergings within other epistemological spectrums are also ignored, showing an obsessive materialist bias. The fourth chapter examines the linguistic approach of the third group of critics. It is argued that they evaluate the poetry in terms of a defined critical terminology which assumes an established set of evaluative criteria exist. This is seen to be empiricist and deficient in wider social concerns. In the final chapter, it is submitted that each of the critical approaches examined foregrounds its own methodology, often ignoring the cohabitation of different systems of thought. In conclusion it is argued that a critical approach can only aspire to the formulation of a "black aesthetic" if it traces the mosaic of cultural borrowings, detours and connections that permeate Soweto poetry. Michel Serres, with his post-deconstructionist "approach", is presented as the closest aspirant. Bibliography: pages 117-123.

Abstract:

Silks from araneoid spiders have become an active area of research for material scientists, biochemists, and molecular biologists. Mechanical properties of spider silk such as elasticity, tensile strength, and toughness make the manufacturing of silk for medical sutures, body armor, ropes and other synthetic material applications great possibilities. The difficulties of having a black widow spider farm to harvest silk, due to their cannibalistic nature, make recombinant expression of silk proteins a fundamental goal of spider silk research. In order to express silk fibers, cDNAs encoding the corresponding silk fiber products must first be isolated and identified. One of the first steps in gene identification relies on the identification of the proteins in the silk fibers.No previous study has demonstrated the molecular constituents of gumfooted lines. In the course of this research, the core fibroins in the gumfooted lines were identified to be members of the Major Ampullate Spidroin family (MaSp), using mass spectrometry. This research was the first to identify the core fibroins of the gumfooted lines.Novel peptide fragments from solubilized gumfooted lines were acquired from manual de novo MSIMS sequencing after in-gel tryptic digestion. These peptide fragments showed post-translational modifications consistent with glycosylation, which aligns with the reported chemical properties of glue proteins.Novel peptide sequences were also acquired from the attachment discs as well as novel scanning electron microscopy images and reveal, for the first time, the physical attributes and molecular properties of threads attached to the surface of an immobilized structure. This study was the first to identify the molecular constituents of the attachment discs.

Abstract:

African American Studies
M.A.
This thesis is an ethnographically-informed case study that uncovers the history of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements in the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s in Dallas, Texas and surrounding cities. These movements were said to have been nonexistent. This study utilizes the methods of conducting interviews conducted with integral participants of both movements and the researching of archived newspaper articles, court records, and cultural media (flyers, posters, leaflets, etc) to provide a concise, critical view of this period in Dallas.
Temple University--Theses

Abstract:

Thesis (MSc Food Sc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The microbial growth, colour stability and pH changes for black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) meat under chilled (4.2±0.8°C) vacuum storage were investigated. The investigation centred on the role of ultimate muscle pH on shelf life of the meat. Although bacterial growth was observed over time for both DFD (pH >6) and Normal (pH <6) meat, DFD meat exhibited higher growth rates for lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total viable counts (TVC) and total coliforms. This was attributed to the combination of high pH and possibly the depletion of glucose in the DFD muscles. On the other hand, the growth rate of total coliforms was less than what was observed for the other microorganisms tested. It was assumed that chilled vacuum storage in combination with the high levels of LAB inhibited the growth of total coliforms. Salmonella was not detected in any of the samples analysed. There were no changes in pH during the 12 days storage period for DFD meat whereas pH for Normal meat decreased towards the end of storage possibly due to lactic acid production by LAB. The colour changes were more noticeable in Normal meat (more browning) than in DFD meat after blooming for 30 min. The conclusion for this study was that DFD meat spoiled faster than Normal meat. The meat was further subjected to preservation by oregano essential oil (1% v·v-1). In this case, there was an initial inhibition of TVC, LAB and total coliforms. Furthermore, the growth rates for TVC and LAB were lower (p<0.05) in the oregano oil treatment group than in the control. For total coliforms however, there was only an initial inhibition observed and no effect on the growth rate. Addition of oregano essential oil also resulted in a significant lowering of meat pH. This may have added to the microbial inhibition observed. Based on TVC values, addition of oregano essential oil extended the shelf-life of black wildebeest meat by 3 days. At the beginning of the study, the lipid oxidation (TBARS) values were above the threshold for detection. Also, the percentage of metmyoglobin had exceeded the levels at which browning becomes visible. Therefore, conclusions on the effects of oregano essential oil on the colour and lipid oxidations were not made in this study. However, oregano essential oil inhibited microbial growth and stabilised TBARS throughout the 9 day storage period. Therefore there is potential to use oregano essential oil as a preservative for black wildebeest meat, although more research is needed.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie word die mikrobiese groei, stabiliteit en pH kleur verandering ondersoek vir swartwildebeestevleis onder verkoelde (4.2 ± 0.8 ° C) vakuum berging. Die ondersoek is spesifiek gefokus op die rol van die eind-spier pH op die raklewe van die vleis. Alhoewel mikrobiese groei vir beide DFD (pH >6) en Normal (pH <6) vleis waarneembaar was met verloop van tyd, het die DFD vleis hoër groeitempo vir melksuurbakterieë (MSB) en totale lewensvatbare tellings (LVT) getoon. Dit was as gevolg van die kombinasie van hoë pH en die moontlikheid van die vermindering van die glukose in die DFD spiere. Aan die ander kant was dit waargeneem dat die groeikoers van die totale kolivormig bakterieë minder was, teenoor die ander mikro-organismes wat getoets was. Dit was aangeneem dat die verkoelde vakuum stoor die groei van die totale kolivormig bakterieë geïnhibeer het. Salmonella was nie opgespoor in enige van die geanaliseerde monsters nie. Daar was geen verandering in pH tydens die stoor tydperk vir DFD vleis nie, maar die pH vir normale vleis het tydens die einde van die stoor tydperk afgeneem. Die kleur verandering onder vakuum stoor was meer waarneembaar in die normale vleis as wat dit was in die DFD vleis. Die gevolgtrekking van hierdie studie was dat DFD vleis baie vinniger bederf teenoor normale vleis. Maar daar was variasie op die gewig van die oorspronklike mikrobiese lading en dit kon die bakteriese groeitempo van die normale vleis beïnvloed. Die vleis is verder behandel met oregano essensiële olie ( 1 % v·v-1) vir preservering . In hierdie geval, was daar 'n aanvanklike inhibisie van LVT, MSB en totale kolivormig bakterieë. Verder was die groeitempo vir LVT en MSB aansienlik laer (p<0.05 ) in die behandelings groep teenoor die in die kontrole . Vir die totale kolivormig bakterieë was daar egter net 'n aanvanklike inhibisie waargeneem en geen effek op die groeikoers nie. Die byvoeging van oregano essensiële olie het ook gelei tot 'n beduidende verlaging van die pH. Dit kon gelei het tot die mikrobiese inhibisie wat waar geneem was. Gebaseerd op die LVT, het die byvoeging van oregano essensiële olie gelei tot die verlenging van die swartwildebeeste vleis se raklewe met 3 dae. Aan die begin van hierdie studie was die lipied oksidasie (TBARS) waardes bo die drumpel van opsporing. Ook, die persentasie van metmyoglobin het die vlakke waarop verbruining sigbaar word, oorskry. Daar is potensiaal vir die gebruik van oregano essensiële olie as n middel vir die verlenging van swartwildebees vleis, maar nog navorsing is nodig.

Abstract:

Spider silk from the female black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus, is made of extraordinary biomolecules of nature. Efforts of the scientific community to commercially synthesize silks have become a collaborating, yet competitive race, to characterize the proteins that contribute to its intriguing biomechanics. Little has been reported on aqueous silk molecules in black widow spider silk, which are quite different from the large water insoluble core fibroins. In this study, a novel, aqueous aggregate gland derived silk factor (AgSF 1) was investigated using proteomics and immunological approaches. Western blot analyses of whole tissue lysates and solublized silk fibers revealed high levels of AgSFl in the aggregate gland, in the web scaffolding junctions, and in wrapping silk. MS/MS analyses of tryptic digest products from solubilized wrapping silk and aggregate gland whole cell lysate also confirmed the presence of AgSFl in these samples. Possible post-translational modifications were also analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and MS/MS analysis. AgSFl was localized in the web scaffolding junctions and our data supports a role as an adhesive silk protein that serves as a center for connecting scaffolding fibers that functions to reduce the tensile strength of scaffolding fibers, which facilitates capture of aerial insects.

Abstract:

Little is actually known about the transcriptional regulation of spider silk as most studies have focused on the material properties of silks. We isolated and mapped the TuSp1 core promoter from the black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus. Using a genomic DNA walking strategy, we have isolated an upstream segment (581 bp) of genomic DNA containing the promoter as well as the first exon of the TuSp1 gene. This upstream regulatory element was able to initiate transcription in insect cells when placed upstream the promoterless firefly luciferase reporter gene. Initiation of transcription was orientation dependent, as insertion of this upstream regulatory module in the reverse orientation led to inefficient transcriptional initiation. Only 170 bp of upstream sequence was required for strong transcriptional initiation, showing that core promoter resides within the first 170 bp of upstream 5' -flanking DNA. We also demonstrate the bHLH factor SGSF1 can repress gene transcription of the TuSp1 core promoter, implying SGSF I might participate in the transcriptional regulation of the TuSp1 gene in vivo.

Abstract:

The broader technical objective of this work is to contribute to the development of enzymefunctionalized nanoporous membranes that can function as autonomous and target selective dynamic separators. The scientific objective of the research performed within this thesis is to elucidate the parameters that control the mixing of proteins in organic host materials and in block copolymers templates in particular. A “biomimetic” membrane system that uses enzymes to selectively neutralize targets and trigger a change in permeability of nanopores lined with a pHresponsive polymer has been fabricated and characterized. Mechanical and functional stability, as well as scalability, have been demonstrated for this system. Additional research has focused on the role of polymeric ligands on the solubility characteristics of the model protein, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA). For this purpose BSA was conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) ligands of varied degree of polymerization and grafting density. Combined static and dynamic light scattering was used (in conjunction with MALDI-TOF) to determine the second virial coefficient in PBS solutions. At a given mass fraction PEG or average number of grafts, the solubility of BSA-PEG conjugates is found to increase with the degree of polymerization of conjugated PEG. This result informs the synthesis of protein-conjugate systems that are optimized for the fabrication of block copolymer blend materials with maximum protein loading. Blends of BSA-PEG conjugates and block copolymer (BCP) matrices were fabricated to evaluate the dispersion morphology and solubility limits in a model system. Electron microscopy was used to evaluate the changes in lamellar spacing with increased filling fraction of BSA-PEG conjugates.

Abstract:

Syftet med denna studie är att, genom närläsning av opinionsartiklar, se hur skribenter på Dagens Nyheter och Svenska Dagbladets ledar- och kultursidor argumenterade kring Black Lives Matter-protesterna 2020. Uppsatsen ämne har valts baserat på att opinionsjournalistik, och dess påverkan på samhällsdebatten är ett, generellt sett, underutforskat område trots att opinionsartiklar är bland de mest delade digitalt. (Bolin, Strömbäck och Hinnfors 2016) I arbetet med texterna har ett frågeschema använts, grundat på argumentationsanalys, retorisk analys, medieretorisk analys samt metaforanalys för att spåra teser, typ av argumentation, metaforer och värderingar. Teoretiskt har uppsatsen utgått från diskursteori samt teorier om andrafiering och identitetspolitik. De teser som drivs om Black Lives Matter-protesterna 2020 är främst kopplade till våld, intolerans, coronapandemin och identitetspolitik. Skribenterna tenderar att tillskriva demonstranterna egenskaper, syften och mål med demonstrationerna som skapar en social maktobalans och en känsla av andrafiering. Jag har funnit att i de undersökta artiklarna ställs grupper mot varandra där de som tillskrivs handling agerar för att skada andra grupper, i det fallet både rörelsen och samhället i allmänhet. Artiklarna skapar ett "vi och de" där "de" använder våld och intolerans mot kritiker medan "vi" är skribenten, läsaren och alla fredliga vita och svarta som inte ingår i Black Lives Matter-protesterna. Många texter pekar också ut andra sociala identitetspolitiska grupper som kontrast till “vi”. Jag kunde också se att Svenska Dagbladet intar en mer kritisk och konservativ ställning till protesterna och rörelsen i både USA och Sverige och att Dagens Nyheter har en mer liberal inställning till rörelsen men kritiserar våldet under protesterna. Detta stämmer också väl med deras politiska beteckning som obunden moderat (Svenska Dagbladet) och oberoende liberal (Dagens Nyheter).

Abstract:

Belonging to the diverse order Araneae, the black widow spider Latrodectus 4 hesperus produces high-performance silks with a broad range ofbiological functions and mechanical properties. The cob weaver spider spins different fibers by using seven specialized glands located in its abdomen. Egg case silk originates from the tubuliforrn gland and to date, no proteins that participate in the assembly process of egg case silk proteins have been identified. The goal of this project was the expression, purification, and characterization of such protein products.De novo sequencing of peptides from in-solution tryptic digestion of black widow spider dragline silk, the most studied type of silk, identified a novel cysteine-rich nonfibroin- like peptide that we named cysteine-rich component or CRC- 1. Further analysis of a large pool of nucleic acid sequences deposited in our custom eDNA database revealed 4 additional sequences with similarities to each other at the amino acid level called CRC-2, CRC-3, CRC-4, and CRC-5, suggesting a new family of proteins.Specifically, Q-PCR analysis revealed that the CRC-5 mRNAs were predominantly expressed in the tubuliform and aggregate glands. Since the aggregate gland manufactures a more complex aqueous solution compared to the tubuliforrn gland, we focused these studies on the tubuliform gland and resultant egg case fibers. Westem blot analysis using a cross-reactive polyclonal anti-CRC-1 antiserum conoborated the presence of CRC-5 in the tubulifmm gland and egg case silk, supporting the colocalization ofTuSpl, a tubuliform gland-specific protein, and CRC-5. Thus, we have demonstrated that these two proteins are present within tubuliform silks. In vitro studies suggested that recombinant CRC-5 displayed enzymatic activity similar to a sulfhydryl oxidase. Collectively, our findings provide new insights into novel proteins that have a potential role in the silk assembly and extrusion pathway of egg case silk fibers.

Abstract:

Spider silk displays a unique balance of high tensile strength and extensibility, making it one of the toughest materials on the planet. Dragline silk, also known as the lifeline of the spider, represents one of the best studied fiber types and many labs are attempting to produce synthetic dragline silk fibers for commercial applications. In these studies, we develop a minifibroin for expression studies in bacteria. Using recombinant DNA methodology and protein expression studies, we develop a natural minifibroin that contains the highly conserved N- and C-terminal domains, along with several internal block repeats of MaSp1. We also characterize a family of small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) and demonstrate that these factors are present within the spinning dope of the major ampullate gland using MS analysis. Biochemical studies and characterization of one of the family members, CRP1, demonstrate that this factor can self-polymerize into higher molecular weight complexes under oxidizing conditions, but can be converted into a monomeric species under reducing conditions. Self-polymerization of CRP1 is also shown to be independent of pH and salt concentration, two important chemical cues that help fibroin aggregation. Overall, our data demonstrate that the polymerization state of CRP1 is dependent upon redox state, suggesting that the redox environment during fiber extrusion may help regulate the oligomerization of CRP molecules during dragline silk production.