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Targeted Gene Replacement To Mimic Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Craig Alan Almeida

Doctoral Dissertations

The identification in invertebrates of genes homologous to human disease genes provides the possibility to broaden the spectrum of model organisms to include experimental invertebrates. The goal of this study is to test the possibility of using Caenorhabditis elegans as an animal model for the inherited human heart disorder familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In 10-30% of the affected families that have been studied, this disease is caused by mutations in the $\beta$-cardiac myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene. The most common of these mutations results in the replacement of an evolutionarily conserved arginine residue (R403) with glutamine (R403Q). While this information has …

Rocket Observations Of The Hf Heated Ionosphere, William James Peria

Doctoral Dissertations

Measurements of the ion distribution function, electron density, wave activity, and convection electric field have been made in situ by a sounding rocket flown through the artificially heated F layer ionosphere over Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The ion distributions show the effect of the HF heater through elevated effective temperatures, superthermal fluctuation level, and a plume-like population of energetic ions drifting out of the HF reflection region. The electron density, from a Langmuir probe, shows meter-scale depletions of $\sim$10% in the immediate vicinity of the reflection height, both above and below (Kelley et al., 1995). A shear in the convection electric …

Giving Voice To The Spirits: Storytelling In The Service Of Belizean Literacy, Gerald Joseph Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the participation of indigenous storytellers in a textbook project undertaken by Belizean educators. A qualitative study of these narrators, who contributed both traditional stories and personal narratives, extended from February 1991 until February 1996 in Belize's Toledo District. Featured narrators were interviewed and audio-taped by the author throughout this time period, as they contributed their oral lore to the project.

This investigation reveals the complex interrelationships of anthropological salvage and cultural renewal. Certain contemporary scholars decry what they perceive as the limited pastoral dimension of salvage, which may suggest that the true value of traditional stories lies …

Biped Dynamic Walking Using Reinforcement Learning, Hamid Benbrahim

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis presents a study of biped dynamic walking using reinforcement learning. A hardware biped robot was built. It uses low gear ratio DC motors in order to provide free leg movements. The Self Scaling Reinforcement learning algorithm was developed in order to deal with the problem of reinforcement learning in continuous action domains. A new learning architecture was designed to solve complex control problems. It uses different modules that consist of simple controllers and small neural networks. The architecture allows for easy incorporation of modules that represent new knowledge, or new requirements for the desired task. Control experiments were …

Meandering And Eddy Formation In Separating Western Boundary Currents, Ilson Carlos Almeida Da Silveira

Doctoral Dissertations

The dynamics of meandering and eddy detachment in separating western boundary currents are explored by considering inviscid, quasi-geostrophic current systems with both data analysis and modeling.

In chapter two, hydrographic and velocity observations of the North Brazil Current (NBC) retroflection region during the 1990-1991 Western Tropical Atlantic Experiment are examined. A three-layer quasi-geostrophic approximation to the NBC region is built. Stream function and potential vorticity (PV) fields are presented. The upper and middle layer flows simulate the retroflection of the NBC waters at surface and subthermocline levels, respectively. The deepest layer is represented by a meandering weak southward flow that …

Relationship Of Critical Photoperiod Of Short-Day Parents To Frequency Of Day-Neutral Progeny In Short-Day X Day-Neutral Crosses Of Fragaria X Ananassa, Christina Marie Cundari

Doctoral Dissertations

Critical photoperiod for flowering was determined for short-day (SD) and day-neutral (DN) genotypes of strawberry used in SD x DN crosses to investigate whether variation in critical photoperiod contributes to variation in frequency of DN progeny and, hence, may be an effective selection criterion for screening SD genotypes for use as parents in breeding regionally-adapted DN cultivars. Twelve SD and four DN genotypes were grown in controlled environments under eight photothermal regimes (four photoperiods (9, 11, 13, 15 hr) x two day/night temperatures (19/14 and 24/19$\sp\circ$C)). Among the SD genotypes, critical photoperiod varied more under cool than warm regimes. Under …

Imaginary Companions In Preschool-Aged Children: A Theoretical Examination, An Exploration Of The Role Of Parents, And A Study Of The Relationship Between A Child And Her Imagination, Joy Lyn Bryan

Doctoral Dissertations

Two theories about why children create imaginary companions were examined, the void-stress and the psychoanalytic theories. The relationship between children and their imaginary companions, the role of parents, and fantasy choice were also examined. To these ends, children completed measures of loneliness, moral reasoning, locus of control, stress, and self-perceived competence. If they had an imaginary friend they also completed a perceived competence scale from the point of view of their imaginary companion. Children with imaginary companions also completed two measures of the relationship between themselves and their imagined friend: relationship circles and the Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience. All …

Effects Of Cultural Factors On Mental Health Care For American Indians Living In New York State, Kathleen Alison Earle

Doctoral Dissertations

The literature suggests that American Indians need a unique mental health approach based on different cultural norms. Yet research supporting the existence of cultural differences among American Indian mental health clients is rare.

The hypothesis of this study was that American Indian and White, non-Hispanic mental health care recipients have differences in demographic characteristics, services received, and attitudes which may necessitate an alternative therapeutic approach for American Indians. Research methods were an analysis of a secondary data base and a field study using a questionnaire.

Preliminary analysis identified a difference in rate of mental health services received between all American …

The Purification And Characterization Of An Extrapallial Fluid Protein From The Mollusc, Mytilus Edulis, Stephen Joseph Hattan

Doctoral Dissertations

Shell deposition within the bivalve mollusc Mytilus edulis is regulated by the macromolecules of the extrapallial fluid (EP fluid). These mineralization regulating macromolecules are thought to be responsible for the nucleation, growth regulation and growth cessation of the CaCO$\sb3$ mineral crystals that will inevitable constitute $\geq$95% of the mature shell.

This dissertation presents the results of the purification and characterization of the major EP fluid protein of the bivalve Mytilus edulis. The major EP fluid protein was determined to comprise 56% of the total fluid protein and to consist of 7.25% by weight carbohydrate. The protein was purified though a …

Formation And Fate Of Methyltin Compounds In The Great Bay Estuary (New Hampshire), Anne M. Falke

Doctoral Dissertations

Methyltin compounds (MeSn), which are not of anthropogenic origin, are common in estuaries, particularly in the marsh grass Spartina alterniflora. During the 1989 growing season, S. alterniflora leaves collected from three locations in the Great Bay Estuary were analyzed for MeSn and inorganic tin by hydride generation/atomic absorption spectrophotometry (HG-AAS). Total MeSn concentrations showed a sharp increase early in the season, reaching a maximum on May 23, then gradually decreased. Statistical calculations verified that date was a significant contributor to the observed variance, while location was not.

Two years later the seasonal study was expanded to include below ground portions …

Photometric Studies Of Cygnus X-1 From 322-473 Kev With The Solar Maximum Mission, Benjamin Vaughn Augustine Hersh

Doctoral Dissertations

We present results from three years of observations from Cygnus X-1 and the Crab Nebula using the Gamma Ray Spectrometer onboard the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. We show that using a neural network based background model, it is possible to predict the terrestrial component of the gamma-ray background to a $<$1% level. We also show that the flux from the Crab is steady over a three year period at level of 0.024 $\pm$ 0.002 $\gamma$ cm$\rm\sp{-2}\ s\sp{-1}\ MeV\sp{-1}$. Similarly, the flux from Cygnus X-1 was consistent with the flux measured in 1979 with HEAO-3 and in 1991 with BATSE. We measured a flux of 0.013 $\pm$ 0.003 $\gamma\rm\ cm\sp{-2}\ s\sp{-1}\ MeV\sp{-1}$. We discuss the electron lifetimes within the Crab Nebula and limits on temperature variations from the Cygnus X-1 accretion disk.

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Funding Levels And Expenditure Patterns In New Hampshire High Schools, 1985-1986 To 1993-1994, Thomas J. Carroll

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if there was a relationship between the level of funds available and the pattern of expenditure in New Hampshire high schools. For example, was there a relationship between the percentage of its budget a high school spends on regular education programs and its overall per pupil cost? The hypothesis was that there would be less than a moderate correlation between each of eight variables and per pupil expenditure. A Pearson r value of 0.30 or greater was defined as indicating a moderate correlation.

The study also examined each high school's spending pattern …

Nitrogen Oxide Decomposition By Barrier Discharge, Christopher Rob Mclarnon

Doctoral Dissertations

Nitrogen oxides have been linked to numerous air pollution problems including the production of ozone in the troposphere and acid rain. Annual nitrogen oxides emissions in the United States exceed 21 million tons and are primarily a result of the high temperature combustion of fossil fuel. Recent regulations in the U.S., both federal and state, require that nitrogen oxides emissions be reduced over the next several years.

Control of nitrogen oxide emissions is difficult in combustion exhaust gases because of their low concentration and reactivity. Numerous technologies have been developed to reduce emissions but the costs are generally high and …

Foliar And Soil Nutrient Relationships In Red Oak And White Pine Forests, Richard A. Hallett

Doctoral Dissertations

Red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and white pine (Pinus strobus L.) forests on sandy soils of the northeastern U.S. may have been depleted of nutrient cations by acid precipitation and intensive land use. Foliar Ca in oak was 5257 mg Ca kg$\sp{-1}$ matter, or over 3 times the amount of Ca in white pine foliage. Red oak also has more Mg, K, and N than white pine. Foliar Al concentration for white pine, 132 mg Al kg$\sp{-1}$ dry matter, is twice that of red oak foliage. Foliar Ca and N are correlated with basal area increment. Foliar Ca:Al ratios and …

Cross-Tail Current Carriers In A Two-Dimensional Equilibrium Magnetotail Model, Douglas Johnston Larson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to gain physical insight into how charged particles, that violate the guiding center approximations, contribute to cross-tail current in a self-consistent plasma sheet. A technique to generate self-consistent two-dimensional (2D) current sheets is described. Groups of monoenergetic protons are followed in a model magnetic field. The sample current sheets are characterized by resonant quasiadiabatic and stochastic orbits. Several ion and electron groups are combined to produce a plasma sheet in which the charged particles carry the currents needed to generate the magnetic field in which the orbits are traced. An electric field also is …

The Relationship Between Intellectual Development Using Hunt's Paragraph Completion Method And Buczynski's Ways Of Knowing Inventory And Collaboration In Full-Year Student Intern And Cooperating Teacher Supervisory Pairs, Mildred H. Struck

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a correlation between Hunt's (1971) Paragraph Completion Method (PCM) and Buczynski's (1992) Ways of Knowing Inventory (WOKI) and to examine the relationship between intellectual development and collaboration. The sample for the research included student interns in a five-year Master of Education program who were interning to gain their teaching certification. Also in the sample were cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Each of 74 women participants completed the PCM and the WOKI; the results were tabulated, a Pearson r correlation and significance levels were calculated, and a multiple regression was …

Critical Thinking: A Voyage Of The Imagination, David Glenn Hodgdon

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation I contend that there is a strong connection between critical thinking and the imagination, a connection which increases the dynamism and vitality of critical thinking. By acknowledging a role for the imagination, we are able to form a more coherent and complete critical thinking conception, which leads to the positing of a new theory of critical thinking. This new conception has pedagogical implications demanding that we alter or augment current approaches to critical thinking instruction.

Employing a conceptual analysis, I first focus on critical thinking conceptions found on a continuum from traditional conceptions, which focus on logic …

"There Is No School Like The Family School": Literacy, Motherteaching, And The Alcott Family, Lisa Margaret Stepanski

Doctoral Dissertations

By the mid nineteenth century, Americans were increasingly recognizing the need for public education and literacy for all citizens if the United States was to survive, if not thrive. In addition, new industries and technologies were developed that would slowly transform the agrarian New England landscape into a terrain of mill towns and manufacturing sites. The industrialization of New England altered family life, as well, and lead to the rise of the "motherteacher" ideology, a cultural paradigm that profoundly influenced discussions of childrearing and public education in the United States.

This dissertation examines the motherteaching of three famous nineteenth-century figures, …

Performance Management Within Cooperative Extension: Perceptions Of Extension Educators In The Northeast Region, John Edward Pike

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine Cooperative Extension educator perceptions regarding performance management. Performance management is defined as a system comprised of an ongoing process of planning and appraising which includes the establishment of goals and expectations through performance planning; continuing year round performance feedback and coaching; and a formal performance appraisal at the end of the performance period.

This research was intended to provide a better understanding of how extension educators perceived the performance management process within their respective state Cooperative Extension organization. An assumption of this study was that extension educator attitudes toward performance management are …

Development Of Q-Band Epr/Endor Spectrometer And Epr/Endor Studies Of Dinitrosyl Iron Model Complexes, Wenge Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

A robust yet sensitive Q-band (35 GHz) cavity has been designed for routine variable temperature EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) and ENDOR (electron nuclear double resonance) measurements down to 2 K. It consists of an aluminum or brass (plain, silver or gold plated) ribbon imbedded in a cylindrical epoxy or epoxy/quartz composite with a tunable piston at the bottom. The cavity has all the advantages of the traditional silver wire-wound cavity often used for Q-band measurements but is much more robust and easier to construct. The cavity suppresses degenerate resonant modes and minimizes wall eddy currents induced by field modulation. With …

The Relation Between Media Exposure And Body Satisfaction: An Examination Of Moderating Variables Derived From Social Comparison Theory, Shelley Rae Strowman

Doctoral Dissertations

The relation between media exposure and body satisfaction was investigated using correlational and experimental approaches. Several variables were examined as potential moderators of this relation (perceived similarity to magazine models, self-relevance of weight, perceived control over weight, tendency to compare to models, and body mass). These variables were derived primarily from past research on Festinger's (1954) social comparison theory. In Study 1, male and female subjects reported the amount of time they spent reading magazines pre-coded as having a body image or non-body image emphasis. Body image magazine exposure was unrelated to body satisfaction and self-esteem when correlations were computed …

Snow And Ice Chemistry Study Of The Greenland Ice Sheet, Qinzhao Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

The Greenland ice sheet preserves high resolution records of environmental and climate change spanning seasons to hundreds and thousands of years. In this study, we utilize major chemical species measurements of surface snowpit samples and ice cores collected at GISP2, 20D, Mount Logan, and Sentik Glacier to investigate major chemical species spatial distribution, temporal variations, and possible sources for the major chemical species in these ice cores.

A two-sided t-distribution test (a = 0.05) was applied for the study of major chemical species spatial distribution over a portion of central Greenland. The results suggest that concentrations of major chemical species …

Illusions Of Change: An Analysis Of The Fatherhood Discourse In "Parents Magazine", 1929-1994, Candice Leonard

Doctoral Dissertations

This project explores the question of women's expectations and experience across the transition to parenthood. Specifically, the source of women's unmet expectations about the genderedness of household division of labor and familywork are examined, bridging the literatures on expectation formation and information-seeking behavior.

The centerpiece of the study is a comprehensive, context-sensitive analysis of the fatherhood discourse in Parents Magazine from 1929 through 1994, which uses both quantitative and qualitative methods. Importance is placed on the fact that this is primarily a male-produced discourse that defines fatherhood for women. It was found that there are significant differences by author sex …

Student Satisfaction With Faculty Advisors: Influences On Retention In Higher Education, Susan Carole Wyckoff

Doctoral Dissertations

This study sought to expand existing research focusing on factors contributing to student retention in higher education institutions. The study examined the impact of students' levels of satisfaction with the faculty advising process on student retention from first year to sophomore year. The research sought to answer the question, "Are students' decisions to remain at a college following their freshman year influenced by their satisfactory or unsatisfactory experiences with their academic advisors?".

The sample (N = 269), drawn from three higher education institutions in New Hampshire, included fulltime, traditional-aged sophomore (non-transfer) students seeking a bachelor degree with 30-60 credits completed …

Life History And Reproductive Biology Of The Estuarine Nudibranch Tenellia Adspersa (Nordmann, 1845), Charles Morgan Chester

Doctoral Dissertations

Tenellia adspersa is a small (5-7 mm) estuarine nudibranch. Tenellia lives in a highly variable environment and feeds on many gymnoblastic and calyptoblastic hydroids. I undertook a field study at four sites in the Great Bay Estuary (Durham, New Hampshire) to assess the amount of variability in abiotic and biotic factors. Environmental parameters (temperature and salinity) and the availability of hydroid prey (Cordyolophora lacustris and Obelia spp.) varied within the generation time of Tenellia and could affect its life history.

Laboratory studies compared the growth rate of the hydroid, Cordylophora to the growth rate and predation rate of Tenellia. The …

The Effects Of Primary Olfactory Cortical And Thalamic Lesions On Olfactory Continuous Non-Matching To Sample And Discrimination In The Rat, Yueping Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Forty-two male rats were pretrained on the olfactory continuous delayed non-matching to sample (CDNMTS) task. They were then matched for performance and randomly assigned to one of the following six treatment groups: excitotoxic lesions of pyriform cortex, later entorhinal cortex, lateral internal medullary lamina (L-IML), mediodorsal nucleus (MDn), nonspecific nuclei, and sham control. After recovery from surgery, the rats were retrained on the olfactory CDNMTS. Delay effects were examined by manipulating retention intervals (RI), with five RIs (4, 6, 9, 13.5, and 20.25 s) randomly mixed within each session. The number of odor stimuli used in each session varied from …

Ecophysiology Of Metal-Reducing Aeromonas And Shewanella Strains From Great Bay Estuary, Victoria Knight

Doctoral Dissertations

The seasonal abundance and distribution of mesophilic aeromonads at seven sites in Great Bay Estuary, NH were monitored over a 24 month period. Total heterotrophic bacteria, total and fecal coliforms, salinity, temperature, pH, total suspended solids, and chlorophyll were also measured in the samples. Aeromonads were isolated at each site throughout the year with the highest incidence and population density in the late summer to early fall. Aeromonad abundance correlated positively with the incidence of coliforms, temperature, and salinity.

Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966 grew anaerobically by using NO$\sb3\sp-$, fumarate, Fe (III), Co (III), or Se (VI) as terminal electron acceptors. …

Beyond The Postmodern Impasse Of Contemporary Composition: The Non-Foundational Alternative Of Deweyan Pragmatism, Donald Crosby Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

In their critique of the autonomous individual of foundationalism, postmodernists have rejected the epistemological assumption that a knower directly perceives reality in thought then expresses these perceptions through language. Yet as these theorists have asserted the influence of language upon an individual's thinking, they have been unable to explain an individual's agency--the ability to create, assert, examine, and maintain/or modify a belief. Once considered to be situated in prior discourses, the individual has been conceived as a postmodern subject dominated by language. Yet the subject's ability to influence as well as be influenced by discursive practices has not been explained …

Structural Inequalities, Family And Cultural Factors, And Spousal Violence Among Anglo And Hispanic-Americans, Jana Lynn Jasinski

Doctoral Dissertations

There is some evidence that rates of spousal assault are higher among Hispanic Americans compared to Anglo Americans, however, very little empirical research has focused extensively on Hispanic Americans and their risks for spousal violence. There is even less research that considers different Hispanic groups. This study used the 1992 National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey to examine the relationships among structural inequalities, family relations, and spousal assault among a sample of 1,768 Anglo and Hispanic Americans.

The results indicated that Hispanic Americans were more likely to use minor or severe physical violence against their spouses, however, there were also …

Variation In Transposable Element Sequence And Activity In The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans, Jeremy David Glasner

Doctoral Dissertations

Eukaryotic genomes are replete with transposable elements. The nematode C. elegans will be the first multicellular organism to have its genome completely sequenced. This sequence will allow identification of all the transposon and transposon-related sequences from a single genome. In anticipation of the complete genome sequence I have initiated a series of analyses of sequences from the C. elegans genome database that share significant similarity to known families of transposons. Several members of known transposon families were observed along with a plethora of sequences related to these known transposons. Cladistic analyses were used to describe the relationships among transposons and …