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Georgia State University

Theses/Dissertations

2006

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Isolation And Characterization Of The Y32g9a.8 Promoter In C. Elegans, Rebecca Joy Schlisner Dec 2006

Isolation And Characterization Of The Y32g9a.8 Promoter In C. Elegans, Rebecca Joy Schlisner

Biology Theses

The over-expression of Down syndrome cell adhesion molecules (DSCAMs) is partially responsible for the mental retardation associated with Down syndrome. Previous work in our lab showed that a DSCAM homolog in C. elegans, Y32G9A.8, is expressed at all developmental stages and appears to be crucial for survival. In an effort to map the expression pattern, I used the Genome Sciences Centre’s primer design program (http://elegans.bcgsc.bc.ca/gfp_primers/) to design a GFP promoter fusion product that was used to monitor gene expression. The results indicate that Y32G9A.8 is expressed in the animal’s gut, suggesting that it may function in the worm’s innate immune …


The Role Of S7, A Subunit Of The 19s Proteasome, In The Transcriptional Regulation Of Mhc Ii., Dawson Gerhardt Dec 2006

The Role Of S7, A Subunit Of The 19s Proteasome, In The Transcriptional Regulation Of Mhc Ii., Dawson Gerhardt

Biology Theses

Induction of an adaptive, or antigen specific, immune response is critical for eliminating most infections. Pathogen clearance is accomplished primarily, by the actions of CD4+ T cells through their ability to recognize foreign antigens presented at the cell surface by major histocompatibility class II (MHC II) molecules. Consequently, the capacity to regulate expression of MHC molecules is essential to control the adaptive immune response. MHC molecules are regulated at the level of transcription by a master regulator, the class II transcriptional activator, CIITA. Thus, the expression of MHC II is directly related to proper CIITA activity. This thesis focuses on …


An Integrative Analysis Of Reproduction And Stress In Free-Living Male Cottonmouths, Agkistrodon Piscivorus, Sean Patrick Graham Dec 2006

An Integrative Analysis Of Reproduction And Stress In Free-Living Male Cottonmouths, Agkistrodon Piscivorus, Sean Patrick Graham

Biology Theses

I conducted an integrative field study on male cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus), a common pitviper of the southeastern United States, to investigate the evolution of contrasting mating patterns in North American pitvipers (bimodal and unimodal annual patterns) and resolve conflicting information about the pattern exhibited by the cottonmouth. I determined a unimodal late summer peak of testosterone (T) and a muted unimodal seasonal cycle of the sexual segment of the kidney (a secondary sexual characteristic), both of which were correlated with the single peak of spermatogenesis in late summer. I also conducted a study to determine diel and seasonal variation of …


Development Of A Studio Art Curriculum For The Concentration Section Of The Advanced Placement Drawing Portfolio, Bonnie R. Lovell Dec 2006

Development Of A Studio Art Curriculum For The Concentration Section Of The Advanced Placement Drawing Portfolio, Bonnie R. Lovell

Art and Design Theses

This thesis presents an Advanced Placement curriculum for the concentration section of the Drawing Portfolio. It is intended as a teaching tool to encourage and develop creative strategies related to idea generation and refinement based on creative problem solving, which is essential to the development of an effective concentration. One of the most difficult problems faced by Advanced Placement Studio Art students is idea generation for the artwork related to a central topic for the concentration section of their portfolios. This curriculum introduces lessons based on artist research, brainstorming, synectics, and SCAMPER techniques designed to foster creative idea generation for …


Getting By Gatekeepers: Transmen's Dialectical Negotiations Within Psychomedical Institutions, Elroi Waszkiewicz Dec 2006

Getting By Gatekeepers: Transmen's Dialectical Negotiations Within Psychomedical Institutions, Elroi Waszkiewicz

Sociology Theses

Transsexuality remains grounded in pathologizing discourses. Mental health professionals largely classify transgender experiences as disorders, and transgender people seeking to alter their bodies typically must obtain authenticating letters from therapists verifying such diagnoses. Physicians usually require these letters to perform transition-related services, and sometimes require additional legitimization. In these ways, psychomedical professionals impose gatekeeping measures that withhold and confer services to transsexuals who desire medical transition. Using qualitative interview data and grounded theory methods with 20 female-to-male transsexuals, this study demonstrates that transmen typically represent informed consumers whom carefully research psychomedical protocol and anticipate providers’ adherence to professional standards. When …


The Rhetoric Of Volunteerism: Strategies To Recruit And Retain Volunteers In Nonprofit Organizations, Terry Bell Woods Dec 2006

The Rhetoric Of Volunteerism: Strategies To Recruit And Retain Volunteers In Nonprofit Organizations, Terry Bell Woods

Communication Theses

This study analyzes the rhetorical strategies of an international public service organization. Drawing upon narrative criticism, volunteer related literatures of the Continental Societies, Inc. were studied in order to gauge their rhetorical efficacy in light of the existing literature on nonprofit organizations and volunteerism. By analyzing the organization’s literatures – their “story” – it was discovered that part of it was missing. In an attempt to fill this void, more effective materials related to volunteer recruitment and retention have been created to exemplify greater narrative fidelity, along with recommended organizational transformations that create a better fit between these “stories” and …


Excellence In Incompetence: The Daily Show Creates A Moment Of Zen, Megan Turley Hodgkiss Dec 2006

Excellence In Incompetence: The Daily Show Creates A Moment Of Zen, Megan Turley Hodgkiss

Communication Theses

Jon Stewart, the anchor and purveyor of “fake news,” has catapulted television's The Daily Show into prominence. The show functions as both a source of political humor and a vehicle for political commentary. This thesis explores how the program visually and rhetorically problematizes the hegemonic model of traditional television news, and how it tips the balance between what is considered serious news and what has become cliché about the broadcast industry.


Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt Dec 2006

Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt

Sociology Theses

Country music, considered a uniquely American musical genre, has been relatively under-researched compared to rock and rap music. This thesis proposes research into the topic of country music, specifically the ways which country music songs portray gender. The thesis uses Billboard chart data to determine commercially successful songs, and performs a content analysis on the lyrics of these songs. I will select songs from a fifty year period ranging from 1955 to 2005, so as to allow for a longitudinal study of potential changes in presentation. Attention will be focused on the lyrical descriptions of men and women and how …


Investigating The Utility Of The Film War Zone As A Component Of A Street Harassment Prevention Program, Doyanne A. Darnell Dec 2006

Investigating The Utility Of The Film War Zone As A Component Of A Street Harassment Prevention Program, Doyanne A. Darnell

Psychology Theses

Street harassment, the sexual harassment by strangers in public places, is a common experience shared by many women and has been linked with other forms of sexual victimization. The negative impact of street harassment, such as fear and behavior to avoid being harassed, points to the need for preventing the behavior. This study sought to determine whether the documentary-style film War Zone may be effective in impacting men’s attitudes toward street harassment, and whether the effectiveness of the film would depend on men’s hostility toward women and level of peer acceptance for street harassment. Findings do not support the effectiveness …


Janine Antoni: Finding A Room Of Her Own, Stacie M. Lindner Dec 2006

Janine Antoni: Finding A Room Of Her Own, Stacie M. Lindner

Art and Design Theses

Janine Antoni's object- and performance-based works draw from multiple influences including feminism and conceptualism, and in these works the artist has fashioned an investigation of the self through the examination of the mother/child dyad, creating a more than fourteen-year body of work about these relationships that explore the implications of feminine imagery. Antoni’s works are an effort to distinguish her body as a feminine subject-object, but also to identify with as well as separate herself from the mother. While she is a conceptual artist, Antoni puts great emphasis on materiality. For her, the concept defines itself within the materials, and …


The Association Of Hypertension Diagnosis With Smoking Cessation: Application Of Multiple Logistic Regression Using Biostatistical And Epidemiological Methods, Latonia Clay Dec 2006

The Association Of Hypertension Diagnosis With Smoking Cessation: Application Of Multiple Logistic Regression Using Biostatistical And Epidemiological Methods, Latonia Clay

Mathematics Theses

The Association of Hypertension Diagnosis with Smoking Cessation: Application of Multiple Logistic Regression Using Biostatistical and Epidemiological Methods by LaTonia A. Clay Under the Direction of Yu-Sheng Hsu, PhD. ABSTRACT Hypertension and smoking are two major issues threatening the nation’s health. Previous studies examining their relationship have resulted in conflicting reports. The aim of this study is to determine if a relationship exists between smoking cessation and hypertension diagnosis. Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) were used in this investigation. Physical examination measurements of blood pressure and self-reported diagnosis and smoking behavior were used …


Characterizations In Domination Theory, Andrew Robert Plummer Dec 2006

Characterizations In Domination Theory, Andrew Robert Plummer

Mathematics Theses

Let G = (V,E) be a graph. A set R is a restrained dominating set (total restrained dominating set, resp.) if every vertex in V − R (V) is adjacent to a vertex in R and (every vertex in V −R) to a vertex in V −R. The restrained domination number of G (total restrained domination number of G), denoted by gamma_r(G) (gamma_tr(G)), is the smallest cardinality of a restrained dominating set (total restrained dominating set) of G. If T is a tree of order n, then gamma_r(T) is greater than or equal to (n+2)/3. We show that gamma_tr(T) is …


Communicating Cosmopolitanism:An Analysis Of The Rhetoric Of Jimmy Carter, Vaclav Havel, And Edward Said, Rasha I. Ramzy Dec 2006

Communicating Cosmopolitanism:An Analysis Of The Rhetoric Of Jimmy Carter, Vaclav Havel, And Edward Said, Rasha I. Ramzy

Communication Dissertations

This project explores how cosmopolitan personas rhetorically negotiate the space between local and global, discursively tying people to the national as well as to the global or transnational. It examines the possible co-existence of cosmopolitanism and nationalism while identifying how each is articulated in response to the other. As global networks become increasingly complex, rethinking borders and how they are articulated is essential. Can a quintessential cosmopolitan also be a public nationalist? Are cosmopolitan discourses compromised by their presumed lack of attachment to the local? To what extent and with what success are cosmopolitanism and nationalism siultaneously articulated? In order …


Shankara: A Hindu Revivalist Or A Crypto-Buddhist?, Kencho Tenzin Dec 2006

Shankara: A Hindu Revivalist Or A Crypto-Buddhist?, Kencho Tenzin

Religious Studies Theses

Shankara, the great Indian thinker, was known as the accurate expounder of the Upanishads. He is seen as a towering figure in the history of Indian philosophy and is credited with restoring the teachings of the Vedas to their pristine form. However, there are others who do not see such contributions from Shankara. They criticize his philosophy by calling it “crypto-Buddhism.” It is his unique philosophy of Advaita Vedanta that puts him at odds with other Hindu orthodox schools. Ironically, he is also criticized by Buddhists as a “born enemy of Buddhism” due to his relentless attacks on their tradition. …


The X-Ray Variability Of Seyfert Galaxies, Kevin Marshall Dec 2006

The X-Ray Variability Of Seyfert Galaxies, Kevin Marshall

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Strong and variable X-ray emission has long been known to be a universal property of active galaxies. However, despite years of study, the exact nature of the variability remains relatively unknown. We present here results of a multi-year monitoring campaign of a sample of Seyfert galaxies (3C 120, Mkn 509, 3C 390.3, and Akn 120), carried out using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). For Mkn 509, we also present results of optical monitoring. Mkn 509 shows a strong correlation between X-ray and optical variations, with the optical leading the X-ray by 25 days. We also investigate the rms-flux relationship …


Threshold Extension Of Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Terahertz Detectors And Switching In Heterostructures, Mohamed Buhary Rinzan Dec 2006

Threshold Extension Of Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide Terahertz Detectors And Switching In Heterostructures, Mohamed Buhary Rinzan

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

In this work, homojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HIWIP) detectors based on GaAs, and heterojunction interfacial workfunction internal photoemission (HEIWIP) detectors based mainly on the Gallium Arsenide/Aluminum Gallium Arsenide material system are presented. Design principles of HIWIP and HEIWIP detectors, such as free carrier absorption, photocarrier generation, photoemission, and responsivity, are discussed in detail. Results of p-type HIWIPs based on GaAs material are presented. Homojunction detectors based on p-type GaAs were found to limit their operating wavelength range. This is mainly due to band depletion arising through carrier transitions from the heavy/light hole bands to the split off band. Designing …


What Meaning Means For Same And Different: A Comparative Study In Analogical Reasoning, Timothy M. Flemming Dec 2006

What Meaning Means For Same And Different: A Comparative Study In Analogical Reasoning, Timothy M. Flemming

Psychology Theses

The acquisition of relational concepts plays an integral role and is assumed to be a prerequisite for analogical reasoning. Language and token-trained apes (e.g. Premack, 1976; Thompson, Oden, and Boysen, 1997) are the only nonhuman animals to succeed in solving and completing analogies, thus implicating language as the mechanism enabling the phenomenon. In the present study, I examine the role of meaning in the analogical reasoning abilities of three different primate species. Humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus monkeys completed relational match-to-sample (RMTS) tasks with either meaningful or nonmeaningful stimuli. For human participants, meaningfulness facilitated the acquisition of analogical rules. Individual differences …


Empowering Senior Females By Utilizing Each Female Person's Voice To Create Desired Lifestyle Options, Icydor Aldale Mohabier Dec 2006

Empowering Senior Females By Utilizing Each Female Person's Voice To Create Desired Lifestyle Options, Icydor Aldale Mohabier

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

Interviews of senior females ranging in age from 55 through 72 were conducted between September 2004 and April 2005, in order to determine what lifestyle options this group would like made available to them. The participants represented a sample of senior females who had different backgrounds, including culture, education level, and economic circumstance. Although all the participants had very different lifestyles at the time of their interviews, most were satisfied with their current lifestyles but wanted to change something about it. The research results indicate that there are three desired lifestyle options that senior females want: socializing, improving their health, …


A Limited Review On The Condition Of Multicultural Art Education Over The Past Decade, Gao Yang Dec 2006

A Limited Review On The Condition Of Multicultural Art Education Over The Past Decade, Gao Yang

Art and Design Theses

The articles that recorded multicultural art lessons in the US P-12 classrooms in School Arts during the past decade revealed the condition of US multicultural art education from three aspects. First, the teachers’ interest in multiculturalism has been stable in the past decade. Second, the lessons covered multiple cultures unequally. Among pluralistic US cultures, Native American culture was favored while Asian-American, Arab-American, and Muslim-American cultures were neglected. Among global cultures, Mexican and African cultures were represented most often. Only 12.4% of world countries were represented. Third, most multicultural art projects were stereotyped, though some innovative projects emerged. Many art teachers …


Religion And Party Realignment: Are Catholics Realigning Into The Republican Party?, Patrick Lee Burns Dec 2006

Religion And Party Realignment: Are Catholics Realigning Into The Republican Party?, Patrick Lee Burns

Political Science Theses

This thesis examines the influence of religion on party realignment in the United States focusing on Catholic voting behavior. A statistical analysis utilizing bivariate analysis and logistical regressions examines if religion and party realignment is an ecumenical trend expanding beyond Evangelicals to Catholics. It measures scientifically the party trends of the Catholic voter. With data pooled from the National Election Studies from 1960 to 2004, it tests the hypothesis that church attending Catholics are realigning over time into the Republican Party both in vote choice and party identification, because of their pro-life position on abortion. The analysis shows that church …


Kripke, Chalmers And The Immediate Phenomenal Quality Of Pain, Jessica Rae Owensby-Sandifer Dec 2006

Kripke, Chalmers And The Immediate Phenomenal Quality Of Pain, Jessica Rae Owensby-Sandifer

Philosophy Theses

One common element of Kripke’s and Chalmers’ reactions to physicalist theories of mind is their reliance upon the intuition that concepts about conscious experiences are essentially identified by the “immediate phenomenal quality” of the conscious experience, how the experience feels from the subjective point of view. I examine how Kripke’s and Chalmers’ critiques require that concepts about conscious experiences be identified by their subjective feel and then move on to provide some ways in which this intuition about concepts of conscious experience could be wrong. Specifically, the intuition is not consistent with our intuitions about unusual cases reported by pain …


Synthesis Of Boronic Acid Based Sensors For Glucose And Sialic Acid And Synthesis Of Novel And Selective Pde4 Enzyme Inhibitors, Gurpreet Kaur Dec 2006

Synthesis Of Boronic Acid Based Sensors For Glucose And Sialic Acid And Synthesis Of Novel And Selective Pde4 Enzyme Inhibitors, Gurpreet Kaur

Chemistry Dissertations

The boronic acid functional group is known to bind compounds with the diol group tightly and reversibly in aqueous environment and has been used as a recognition moiety for the design of carbohydrate sensors. The first chapter of the dissertation studies the synthesis and substitution effect on the affinity and selectivity of a known boronic acid-based glucose sensor. In such a sensor design effort, the availability of a signaling event, whether it is fluorescence or UV, is crucial. The second chapter studies the detailed mechanism on how a well-known fluorescent boronic acid compound changes fluorescent properties upon binding. A new …


Museums In The Age Of Neoliberalism: A Multi-Sited Analysis Of Science And Health Museums., Taren Laine Dailey Dec 2006

Museums In The Age Of Neoliberalism: A Multi-Sited Analysis Of Science And Health Museums., Taren Laine Dailey

Anthropology Theses

In this thesis, I explore the variety of ways museums operate in a neoliberal, global economy. I describe interactions between museums, people, governments and money. These articles examine the different dimensions and connections between these discursive relationships, such as the ways in which museums work for and also work with governments, schools, tourists and local citizens in their communities. Additionally, I discuss my experiences as an anthropologist who is studying institutions controlled by elites. I use Larua Nader's (1969) theory of "studying up," to describe how anthropolotists must be increasingly flexible when researching museums in the age of neoliberalism. I …


Insights Into Sulfonated Phthalocyanines; Insights Into Anionic Tetraaryl Porphyrins; Irradiation Of Cationic Metalloporphyrins Bound To Dna, Anila Fiaz Gill Dec 2006

Insights Into Sulfonated Phthalocyanines; Insights Into Anionic Tetraaryl Porphyrins; Irradiation Of Cationic Metalloporphyrins Bound To Dna, Anila Fiaz Gill

Chemistry Dissertations

Sulfonated porphyrins and phthalocyanines have been under consideration as microbicides, compounds which, when used in a topical formulation, can prevent transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. Our studies have been directed toward the characterization of members of these classes. For the sulfonated phthalocyanines, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry was helpful in determining the extent of sulfonation. We present the first report of spectroscopic characterization of a pentasulfonated phthalocyanine. Capillary electrophoresis data were sensitive to the concentration of the compounds (Chapter 1). Mass spectrometry was also very useful for establishing the extent of sulfonation in series of sulfonated porphyrins. Capillary …


Syntheses And Dna Interactions Of Acridine And Phenothiazine Based Photosensitizers, Beth Wilson Dec 2006

Syntheses And Dna Interactions Of Acridine And Phenothiazine Based Photosensitizers, Beth Wilson

Chemistry Dissertations

Photosensitizing molecules and/or metal complexes that interact with DNA via intercalation and groove binding have potential applications as molecular structural probes, as footprinting reagents and in photodynamic therapeutics. To this regard, small molecules that bind to DNA and the energetics involved in these interactions, acridine-based therapeutics, photosensitization, photodynamic therapy, phenothiazine-mediated photosensitization, DNA photocleavage reaction mechanisms and photosensitizing metal complexes are introduced in Chapter I. Next, in Chapter II, the synthesis of a photonuclease consisting of a 3,6-acridinediamine chromophore attached to four metal-coordinating imidazole rings is described. The DNA photocleavage yields, emission quantum yields, and thermal denaturation studies by this acridine-imadazole …


Selective Recognition Of Quadruplex Dna By Small Molecules, Elizabeth W. White Dec 2006

Selective Recognition Of Quadruplex Dna By Small Molecules, Elizabeth W. White

Chemistry Dissertations

Structure-specific recognition of nucleic acids is a promising method to reduce the size of the recognition unit required to achieve the necessary selectivity and binding affinity for small molecules. It has been demonstrated recently that G-quadruplex DNA structures can be targeted by organic cations in a structure-specific manner. Structural targets of quadruplexes include the planar end surfaces of the G-tetrad stacked columns as well as four grooves. The significant structural differences between quadruplex DNA and duplex DNA make quadruplex DNA a very attractive target for highly selective, structure-specific drug design. We have used a variety of biophysical techniques including circular …


Spatial Analysis Of Substantiated Child Maltreatment In Metro Atlanta, Georgia, Yueqin Zhou Dec 2006

Spatial Analysis Of Substantiated Child Maltreatment In Metro Atlanta, Georgia, Yueqin Zhou

Geosciences Theses

Identifying high-risk areas for child maltreatment to ultimately aid public health agencies for interventions is necessary for protecting children at high risk. Rates of substantiated neglect and physical/emotional abuse in 2000-2002 are computed for the census tracts in the urban area of five counties in Metro Atlanta, Georgia, and analyzed using spatial regression to determine their relationships with twelve risk variables computed from the Vital Records births and the 2000 Census data. After accounting for multicollinearity among risk variables and spatial autocorrelation among observations for neighboring locations, it is found that high percentages of (1) births to non-married mothers, (2) …


Predicting Support For Government Action To Reduce Inequality, Adam James Darnell Dec 2006

Predicting Support For Government Action To Reduce Inequality, Adam James Darnell

Psychology Dissertations

The current degree of economic inequality in the US is the largest it has been since prior to the Great Depression and growing. Economic inequality is linked to mortality, social capital, interpersonal trust, and democratic participation, beyond the effects of poverty. Two main constructs are reviewed as predictors of support for efforts to reduce inequality: 1) distributive justice norms (equity and equality of outcome), and 2) causal attributions (individual and structural). Justification of the unequal status quo is often driven by reference to dominant cultural values personal responsibility and just deserts, which are likened to individual attributions and equity, respectively. …


Two Laureates And A Whore Debate Decorum And Delight: Dryden, Shadwell, And Behn In A Decade Of Comedy A-La-Mode, Patricia Ann Chapman Dec 2006

Two Laureates And A Whore Debate Decorum And Delight: Dryden, Shadwell, And Behn In A Decade Of Comedy A-La-Mode, Patricia Ann Chapman

English Theses

The comedies of John Dryden, Thomas Shadwell, and Aphra Behn were equally well-received by Restoration audiences, yet each dramatist professes divergent dramatic theories and poetic goals. In prefatory material to their plays, Shadwell insists a dramatist’s duty is to depict virtue rewarded and vice punished, Behn rejects the idea that comic drama might influence morals or manners, and Dryden maintains that his only goal is to please the audience, despite his dull conversation and lack of wit. A comparison between the playwrights’ dramatic theory and their most popular comedies of the 1668-77 decade indicates that none of them represent with …


Melville's Quest For Certainty: Questing And Spiritual Stability In Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Damien Brian Schlarb Dec 2006

Melville's Quest For Certainty: Questing And Spiritual Stability In Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Damien Brian Schlarb

English Theses

This paper investigates Herman Melville’s quest for spiritual stability and certainty in his novel Moby-Dick. The analysis establishes a philosophical tradition of doubt towards the Bible, outlining the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes, Benedict de Spinoza, David Hume, Thomas Paine and John Henry Newman. This historical survey of spiritual uncertainty establishes the issue of uncertainty that Melville writes about in the nineteenth century. Having assessed the issue of doubt, I then analyze Melville’s use of metaphorical charts, which his characters use to resolve this issue. Finally, I present Melville’s philosophical findings as he expresses them through the metaphor of whaling. Here, …