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Ethanol Exposure During Synaptogenesis In A Mouse Model Of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Acute And Long-Term Effects On Gene Expression And Behaviour, Morgan L. Kleiber

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Alcohol is a neuroactive molecule that is able to exert variable and often detrimental effects on the developing brain, resulting in a broad range of physiological, behavioural, and cognitive phenotypes that characterize ‘fetal alcohol spectrum disorders’ (FASD). Factors affecting the manifestation of these phenotypes include alcohol dosage, timing of exposure, and pattern of maternal alcohol consumption; however, the biological processes that are vulnerable to ethanol at any given neurodevelopmental stage are unclear, as is how their disruption results in the emergence of specific pathological phenotypes later in life.

The research included in this thesis utilizes a C57BL/6J (B6) mouse model …

The Role Of Connexins And Pannexins In Mammary Gland Development And Tumorigenesis, Michael K. G. Stewart

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The identification of key regulators of breast cancer onset and progression is critical for the development of targeted therapies. Connexins and pannexins are characterized by their ability to form large-pore channels and are frequently dysregulated in cancer. However, their role in breast cancer progression remains poorly understood due to a lack of in vivo models capable of assessing the proposed and opposing roles of connexins and pannexins as both tumor suppressors and/or facilitators in multiple stages of the disease. Using 2 previously uncharacterized genetically-modified mice, connexin43 (Cx43) and connexin26 (Cx26) were evaluated for their role in normal mammary gland development …

Eyetracking Of Coarticulatory Cue Responses In Children And Adults, Alexandra M. Cross

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Studies examining sensitivity to coarticulatory cues during spoken word recognition have typically examined children and adults separately. The present thesis compared sensitivity to coarticulatory cues in school-aged children and adults using eyetracking. Children and adults listened to words containing congruent and incongruent coarticulatory cues while looking at a two-picture display. Contrary to theories positing weakened attention to phonetic detail in children, we observed equal or greater sensitivity to coarticulatory cues in children compared to adults. This effect was related to predictors of reading and language proficiency, and was also modulated by phoneme contrasts such that children were overly sensitive to …

Multi-Method Exploration Of The Economic Sustainability Of Probiotic Yoghurt Kitchens In Mwanza, Tanzania, Emily Eyles

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research aimed to examine the economic and locational aspects of a probiotic yoghurt kitchen development project facilitated by Western Heads East in Mwanza, Tanzania. This study is based upon 41 semi-structured interviews with 57 participants in three groups: kitchen group members, customers, and staff of the African Probiotic Yoghurt Network. This research contributes to the literature on development geography, specifically on the ins and outs of the everyday of the kitchens, as well as proposing a new approach to multicriteria evaluation using qualitative data, and the ‘researcher as instrument’ approach. The results demonstrate that while there are problems in …