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Essays On Environmental Economics, John Alexander Gomez Mahecha

AYSPS Dissertations

This dissertation discusses the results of new empirical evidence in two topics of significant importance in the environmental economics field, both of them also an essential part of my research agenda. First, carbon pricing is one of the most significant contributions of Economics to the ongoing climate crisis. Based on the Pigouvian tax, carbon pricing is expected to be a major tool for achieving the required reductions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases efficiently. On the other hand, the effect of air quality on health outcomes, and therefore human welfare, has been one of the major …

From Morphogens To Monogamy: The Wnt Pathway’S Role In Monogamy, Demira Jakupovic

Biology Honors Theses

The fish species Amatitlania nigrofasciata, convict cichlids, exhibit the behavior of serial monogamy. Dopamine has been linked to the success of pair bonding and monogamy. Dopaminergic (DA) neurons, the receptors of dopamine, are the reason the reward feeling of dopamine is felt by organisms. These neurons are housed in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA). The Wnt morphogen, which works through the Wnt pathway, has been previously shown to be a key player in the formation of the midbrain, the area where the VTA resides. This thesis delves into comparing gene expression related to the Wnt morphogen between convict cichlids and …

Role Of Dna Methylation In Sexual Differentiation Of Neurochemical Phenotype In The Brain, Laura R. Cortes

Neuroscience Institute Dissertations

Sex differences in the brain underlie sex-specific behaviors and physiological processes, and may help to explain male- or female-biased neuropsychiatric disorders. Some of the best-studied neural sex differences depend on differential cell death in males and females, but other sex differences persist even if cell death is prevented. These include sex differences in stable patterns of gene expression, or what we refer to as the differentiation of neurochemical phenotype. The mechanisms contributing to sex differences in neurochemical phenotype are unknown, but epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, control cell phenotype “decisions” throughout the body in developing animals. We recently discovered …

Factors Impacting Resiliency And Susceptibility To Social Stress, Anna M. Rosenhauer

Neuroscience Institute Dissertations

Social stress is implicated in the etiology and persistence of neuropsychiatric disorders in humans and is investigated using social defeat models in animals. Multiple factors influence how social stress impacts the brain and behavior, either reducing or enhancing susceptibility to maladaptive responses. The overarching goal of this project was to identify factors that promote resiliency to social defeat stress throughout the lifespan. In Aim 1, we investigated the effects of social defeat during development and found that a brief, pubertal social defeat increases susceptibility to adult social stress. In Aim 2, we tested whether epigenetic changes, namely histone deacetylation (HDAC), …

Behavioral, Cognitive, And Genetic Factors Underlying Socio-Communicative Development In Bonobos, Sara Skiba

Psychology Dissertations

Although it is clear that behavioral, cognitive, and genetic factors all contribute to socio-communicative development in humans, it remains a significant challenge to disentangle the contribution of each to the emergence of socio-communicative abilities. Recent research has demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are linked to social behavior and cognition in humans and nonhuman mammals. Bonobos, one of the species most closely related to humans, exhibit complex socio-communicative behavior and cognition, and exhibit similar connections between genetic factors and individual-level social behavior to those observed in humans. This study is the first comprehensive assessment of the behavioral, cognitive, and genetic …

Relationships Between Cerebello-Cortical Functional Connectivity And Executive Functioning Across Childhood And Adolescence, Sarah V. Clark

Psychology Dissertations

The cerebellum is a modulator of both motor and cognitive functions, helping to make these behaviors both coordinated and efficient. It is structurally and functionally connected to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) through multisynaptic, closed-loop circuits. Neuroimaging studies have established that the posterior lobules of the cerebellum are active during executive function (EF) tasks and are functionally connected to cortical regions of EF-associated networks such as the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON). Despite much evidence that the developmental timecourses of EF and cerebello-cortical connectivity are similar, and early damage to the cerebellum can cause numerous cognitive deficits, relationships between …

Financial Literacy And Victimization, Mecca Samaria Muhammad

Criminal Justice and Criminology Theses

This paper examines the relationship between financial literacy (FL) and susceptibility to economic victimization. Susceptibility to victimization functions as a proxy variable for victimization. It employs a modified, quasi-experimental case study approach and pulls from survey and interview data. It measures changes to FL and susceptibility to victimization after a FL workshop was delivered to a sample of refugees based in a city in southeastern US. Results demonstrate that FL seemed to increase for those within the treatment group. Subsequent changes to susceptibility to victimization indicated a decrease. The study also notes some evidence of a multiplier and reverse multiplier …

Examining The Association Between Well Child Care And Developmental And Behavioral Health Conditions In Children, Alison M. Meyn

Public Health Theses

Background: Well child care visits (WCC) are critical preventive care visits that start at infancy. Currently, little is known about the association between WCC and parent report of developmental and behavioral health conditions in children. The purpose of this research was to examine if WCC contributes to developmental/behavioral health conditions reported by parents.

Methods: The 2016 National Health Interview Survey data were used for this research. Weighted estimates were calculated to assess the relationship between the receipt of WCC (yes or no response to receiving WCC in past 12 months) and presence of developmental/behavioral conditions; a Pearson’s chi square was …

Essays On Gender And Microfinance, Shagata Mukherjee

Economics Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays exploring the heterogeneity of gender differences in behavior across contrasting societies. Are women naturally wired to behave differently than men or is it the social context in which the gender roles operate that motivate their behavior? I study this question in the contexts of risk, trust, and trustworthiness, moral hazard and repayment behavior in microfinance. I use the approach of conducting controlled field experiments in neighboring matrilineal and patrilineal societies in rural India. The two societies differ in gender roles but are comparable otherwise. Understanding the societal and cultural factors that drive gender differences …

Transcriptional Regulation Of The Caenorhabditis Elegans Gabaergic Terminal Selector, Unc-30, Michael Nunneley

Biology Theses

Understanding gene regulatory networks (GRN) that lead to the differentiation of individual neuron classes and the assembly of these neurons into functional cellular networks is critical to the development of the nervous system. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the 19 GABAergic motor neurons (MNs) are divided into two sub-classes that arise at different developmental stages with different lineages: the embryonic DD and post-embryonic VD MNs. The terminal selector gene unc-30, activates a battery of genes leading to the terminal differentiation of both sub-classes to give the DD and VD MNs the GABAergic fate. A candidate gene approach was …

Roles Of Gaseous Neuromodulators No And Co In Determining Neuronal Electrical Activity And Growth Cone Motility, Stephen Estes

Biology Dissertations

Throughout neuronal development, bouts of spontaneous electrical activity are critical for the proper wiring of neuronal connections. Alterations in firing activity can affect growth cones, which tip developing and regenerating neurites and are responsible for the integration of extracellular guidance cues into pathfinding behaviors. While growing evidence implicates gaseous signaling molecules, nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), as modulators of neuronal firing activity, less is understood about how they affect growth cone motility. Therefore, in this dissertation, I focus on how NO and CO affect electrical activity of developing and regenerating neurons and how these effects translate into changes …

Early Life Cold Exposure Decreases Global Methylation Levels In Juveniles And Attenuates The Corticosterone Response After Restraint In Adult Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia Guttata), Anne Kristel Yu Tiamco Bayani

Biology Theses

Cold exposure, especially early in life, can be stressful. We examined if cold exposure affects HPA axis sensitivity and global DNA methylation in the brain in Australian zebra finches (Taenopygia gutta). We hypothesized that cold exposure during the first two weeks post-hatch alters HPA sensitivity and global brain DNA methylation levels in juveniles and adults. Control birds showed the predicted elevation in plasma corticosterone (Cort) after restraint stress in adulthood, however cold exposed birds exhibited a blunted Cort response. There was no significant difference in global methylation levels between treatments. Juveniles showed no significant difference between baseline and …

Mobile Phones And Gender Inequality: Can We Hear Her Now?, Kari An Mackey

Political Science Theses

Are mobile phones the best vehicle for reducing gender inequality in the developing world? ICT experts champion the use of mobile phones to improve women’s lives, and various stakeholders have invested millions of dollars to launch mobile phone programs for women. Yet, given high female illiteracy rates, patriarchal societies, and other structural and cultural barriers in developing countries, many scholars contend that limited access to ICTs can perpetuate gender inequality. Rooted in the theory that women’s empowerment and equality are inseparable and necessary components for the realization of sustainable economic and social development, this paper aims to determine if stakeholders …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Risk For Gentrification In Atlanta's Pittsburgh Neighborhood, David C. Holmes

Geosciences Theses

The 2008-2010 foreclosure crisis and the Beltline project present two significant forces shaping neighborhoods throughout Atlanta. Both the high foreclosure rates and the promise of public and private investment create conditions for the displacement of existing residents and for the gentrification of the southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Pittsburgh in particular. Through qualitative analysis, including interviews with residents, community leaders, and government officials, the development of overlay analysis maps of Pittsburgh, as well as studying the various stakeholders' perception of risk for gentrification in Pittsburgh, this research examines how and why these stakeholders' perception of the risk of gentrification in Pittsburgh …

Examining The Impact Of Development, Tobacco Taxation, And Tobacco Prices On Global Adult Male Smoking Prevalence, Michael Brandon Talley

Public Health Theses

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Nevertheless, the global tobacco epidemic continues to spread throughout much of the world, particularly in developing countries. Previous research suggests that smoking status may be associated with a variety of social, economic, and cultural factors. This study examines the impact of development, tobacco taxation, and tobacco prices on estimates of global adult male smoking prevalence. Data for this study was obtained from the United Nations’ Human Development Indices: A Statistical Update, 2008 and the World Health Organization’s Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2009: Implementing Smoke-free Environments. Global …

Stories Of Lynwood Park, Veronica Menezes Holmes

History Dissertations

History of African American underclass community in northwestern DeKalb County, Georgia, from its settling in the late-1920s to its present displacement through gentrification. Thesis is that black underclass communities are the result of America's historic racism and subordination of blacks, whose members are left little choice but to engage in illegality as survival strategies. The work reveals the hard-work routines of people relegated to the bottom of American society, as well as their fun-loving leisure activities and embracing of vice as pleasurable. Established during Jim Crow segregation, Lynwood Park cultivated a reputation for danger and toughness to keep out outsiders, …

Development Of Visual-Verbal Integration In Working Memory During Childhood And Its Relation To Language And Reading, M. Katrina Smith

Psychology Dissertations

Research has demonstrated working memory improves during childhood and supports vocabulary, grammar, and reading development (Adams & Gathercole, 1995, 1996; Bowey, 1996; Gathercole & Baddeley, 1989, 1990). Prior to the addition of the episodic buffer in Baddeley’s model of working memory (2000a), auditory and visual aspects of working memory were often treated separately without evaluating contributions from the ability to integrate the two forms of information. The present study was designed to investigate the development of visual-verbal integration in working memory and its role in language and reading development. Tests of receptive vocabulary, receptive grammar, and decoding ability were administered …