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Targeting The Sodium Iodide Symporter For In Vivo Detection And Characterization Of Mammary Tumors In The Murine Model Using A Novel Gamma Camera, Randall Eric Blue Jan 2009

Targeting The Sodium Iodide Symporter For In Vivo Detection And Characterization Of Mammary Tumors In The Murine Model Using A Novel Gamma Camera, Randall Eric Blue

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Enabling Technology For Non-Rigid Registration During Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Andriy Yuri Fedorov Jan 2009

Enabling Technology For Non-Rigid Registration During Image-Guided Neurosurgery, Andriy Yuri Fedorov

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In the context of image processing, non-rigid registration is an operation that attempts to align two or more images using spatially varying transformations. Non-rigid registration finds application in medical image processing to account for the deformations in the soft tissues of the imaged organs. During image-guided neurosurgery, non-rigid registration has the potential to assist in locating critical brain structures and improve identification of the tumor boundary. Robust non-rigid registration methods combine estimation of tissue displacement based on image intensities with the spatial regularization using biomechanical models of brain deformation. In practice, the use of such registration methods during neurosurgery is …


Anthropogenic Causes Of Copepod Mortality And Bacterial Decomposition Of Copepod Carcasses, Samantha L. Bickel Jan 2009

Anthropogenic Causes Of Copepod Mortality And Bacterial Decomposition Of Copepod Carcasses, Samantha L. Bickel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Although zooplankton carcasses can be quite prevalent within aquatic systems, they have largely been overlooked in most zooplankton population studies. Anthropogenic stressors can potentially increase the overall abundance of carcasses on a local scale. Once a carcass is present within a system, the fate of its biomass is of considerable interest as it may be remineralized within the water column or transported to depth. Through the collection of field samples I assessed the possibility of an anthropogenic stressor (boat-generated turbulence) as a potential source of nonconsumptive mortality. I also conducted a series of laboratory experiments to monitor the decomposition of …


Variability In Juvenile Growth, Mortality, Maturity, And Abundance Of American Shad And Blueback Herring In Virginia, Troy D. Tuckey Jan 2009

Variability In Juvenile Growth, Mortality, Maturity, And Abundance Of American Shad And Blueback Herring In Virginia, Troy D. Tuckey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Young-of-year (YOY) population dynamics of American shad and blueback herring in Virginia's rivers were examined with an emphasis on variability in growth and mortality rates. In addition, an analysis was conducted to relate juvenile abundance indices of American shad to adult indices to establish a stock-recruitment relationship. to accomplish the stock recruitment relationship, an additional study that examined maturation schedules and inter-annual variability in maturation schedules among stocks was performed. Results of population dynamics studies found that growth and mortality rates of American shad and blueback herring varied by river and year and that conspecific abundance was an important factor …


Environmental Analysis Of Selected Estrogens And Androgens: Applying Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography And Combating Matrix Interference, Stacie L. Rice Jan 2009

Environmental Analysis Of Selected Estrogens And Androgens: Applying Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography And Combating Matrix Interference, Stacie L. Rice

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Investigations of environmental hormone contamination commonly utilize solidphase extraction (SPE) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography / (electrospray ionization) tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/(ESI)MS2) in the detection of estrogens. Matrix interference is widely reported. In this study, androgens were targeted alongside estrogens as environmentally co-introduced endocrine disrupting chemicals. Analytical methods were developed in parallel for detection of several hormones from each class, with comparison of protocols and instrumental parameters. Ultraperformance LC (UPLC®), an emerging technology advertised for reduced retention times, was used in place of HPLC for hormone separation. Applicability to diverse aqueous samples was tested. Matrix interference was combated with two …


Effects Of Systemic And Intrabasalis Administration Of The Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonist, Sb-334867, On Attentional Performance In Rats, Karen Elizabeth Boschen Jan 2009

Effects Of Systemic And Intrabasalis Administration Of The Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonist, Sb-334867, On Attentional Performance In Rats, Karen Elizabeth Boschen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"Taking It Out!": Jayne Cortez's Collaborations With The Firespitters, Renee Michelle Kingan Jan 2009

"Taking It Out!": Jayne Cortez's Collaborations With The Firespitters, Renee Michelle Kingan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Comparative Sensory And Energetic Ecology Of Sciaenid Fishes And Their Competitors In Chesapeake Bay, Va, Andrij Z. Horodysky Jan 2009

Comparative Sensory And Energetic Ecology Of Sciaenid Fishes And Their Competitors In Chesapeake Bay, Va, Andrij Z. Horodysky

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Coastal fishes of the western North Atlantic, such as sciaenids and their competitors, support substantial commercial and recreational fisheries in waters that may vary widely in temperature, salinity, light intensity and spectral distrubution, and dissolved oxygen levels, yet their ecophysiological abilities to cope with such variability have received little attention. I therefore applied multidisciplinary comparative techniques to investigate aspects of the sensory and energetic ecophysiology of several sciaenid fishes and non-sciaenid competitors common in the western North Atlantic. Auditory brainstem response experiments demonstrated that sciaenid fishes have greatest auditory sensitivity at low frequencies that match their vocalizations. Based upon both …


Continental Shelf Sediment Transport And Depositional Processes On An Energetic, Active Margin: The Waiapu River Shelf, New Zealand, Yanxia Ma Jan 2009

Continental Shelf Sediment Transport And Depositional Processes On An Energetic, Active Margin: The Waiapu River Shelf, New Zealand, Yanxia Ma

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Waiapu River drains a small mountainous basin, characterized by steep terrain, heavy rainfall, and unconsolidated soft Tertiary mudstone and siltstone. These factors, combined with heavy deforestation over the past 100 years have created one of the world's highest sediment yields. Water discharge of the Waiapu River is very episodic over both inter- and intra-annual timescales, and almost all of the discharge is associated with floods brought by cyclonic storms. The Waiapu River drains an active margin that has a narrow shelf and steep slope. Marine conditions on the Waiapu continental shelf are very energetic, with strong waves as well …


Laser Desorption From A Room Temperature Ionic Liquid, Peter Ronald Harris Jan 2009

Laser Desorption From A Room Temperature Ionic Liquid, Peter Ronald Harris

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

We report laser desorption from a Room Temperature Ionic Liquid (RTIL) as a novel source for time of flight mass spectrometry. We use the 2nd harmonic of an Nd:YAG laser to deposit intensities of 1-50 MW/cm2 via backside illumination onto our RTIL desorption sample. A microstructured metal grid situated on top of a glass microscope slide coated with RTIL serves as our desorption sample. The RTIL we use, 1-Butyl, 3-Methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate, remains liquid at pressures below 10-8 torr. The use of liquid desorption sample allows for improved surface conditions, homogeneity and sample life as compared to Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption …


The Effects Of Adolescent Nicotine Exposure On Adult Learning, Andrea Marie Spaeth Jan 2009

The Effects Of Adolescent Nicotine Exposure On Adult Learning, Andrea Marie Spaeth

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Flame Retardants In Birds Of Prey From The U.S. And China, Da Chen Jan 2009

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Flame Retardants In Birds Of Prey From The U.S. And China, Da Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are widely used as non-reactive additives in textiles, polyurethane foams, plastics, furnishings, and electronic products. as a result of substantial, long-term usages, PBDEs have contaminated humans, wildlife, air, water, soil, and sediment, even in remote areas. Although the North American and Asian (particularly Chinese) markets have consumed the majority of global PBDE production, knowledge about PBDE contamination is limited in these two regions. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate PBDE contamination in some Chinese and North American areas by examining the birds of prey that have been considered as sensitive monitoring species for organochlorine …


Function Of Seed-Bank Ecology In Mid-Atlantic Semi-Annual And Perennial Zostera Marina Beds, Jessie C. Jarvis Jan 2009

Function Of Seed-Bank Ecology In Mid-Atlantic Semi-Annual And Perennial Zostera Marina Beds, Jessie C. Jarvis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The effects of water quality and sediment composition on mid-Atlantic semi-annual and perennial Zostera marina reproductive success, seed-bank viability, and seed germination were elucidated using laboratory and in situ experiments, quantitative field observations, and ecological model simulations. The sediment seed-bank was found to play a large role in the recovery of perennial Z. marina beds in the Chesapeake Bay and in the yearly re-establishment of beds in North Carolina which were determined to have a semi-annual life history. However, the resiliency provided by sediment seed-bank for both semi-annual and perennial Z. marina beds was limited as seeds remained viable for …


Development Of A Storm Surge Model Using A High-Resolution Unstructured Grid Over A Large Domain, Tao Shen Jan 2009

Development Of A Storm Surge Model Using A High-Resolution Unstructured Grid Over A Large Domain, Tao Shen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A quasi-3D storm surge modeling system was developed for forecasting the storm surge and inundation in the Chesapeake Bay. The system was constructed with one large unstructured grid covering the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia to Florida and a smaller, limited domain unstructured grid covering the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia Beach, Hampton Roads and the adjacent continental shelf regions. It was demonstrated that, with the large domain grid, the model could simulate the hurricane induced storm surge reasonably well using astronomical tide at the open boundary condition and in turn, provide boundary condition for the limited domain model. Since the difficulty …


Measurement Of The Strange Quark Contribution To The Vector Structure Of The Proton, Sarah Katherine Phillips Jan 2009

Measurement Of The Strange Quark Contribution To The Vector Structure Of The Proton, Sarah Katherine Phillips

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The goal of the G0 experiment is to determine the contribution of the strange quarks in the quark-antiquark sea to the structure of the nucleon. to this end, the experiment measured parity-violating asymmetries from elastic electron-proton scattering from 0.12 ≤ Q2 ≤ 1.0 (GeV/ c)2 at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These asymmetries come from the interference of the electromagnetic and neutral weak interactions, and are sensitive to the strange quark contributions in the proton. The results from the forward angle measurement, the linear combination of the strange electric and magnetic form factors GsE + etaGsM, suggest possible non-zero, Q …


Recipe For Citizenship: Professionalization And Power In World War I Dietetics, Kathleen Marie Scott Jan 2009

Recipe For Citizenship: Professionalization And Power In World War I Dietetics, Kathleen Marie Scott

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This dissertation is an analysis of the professionalization tactics of white, native-born, Protestant, middle-class women who served with the U.S. armed forces as dietitians during World War I. Through the overlapping rubrics of maternalism, citizenship, and professionalism, I examine the ways in which dominant race, class, and gender ideologies inflected their quest for professionalization. I specifically examine the way hospital dietitians infused their expertise with rhetoric of race betterment and national security to acquire distinct status and authority in relation to other female medical/health practitioners. In this study, I locate the ideological origins of Public Law 36, 80 th Congress, …


Computational Applications In Stochastic Operations Research, William H. Kaczynski Jan 2009

Computational Applications In Stochastic Operations Research, William H. Kaczynski

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Several computational applications in stochastic operations research are presented, where, for each application, a computational engine is used to achieve results that are otherwise overly tedious by hand calculations, or in some cases mathematically intractable. Algorithms and code are developed and implemented with specific emphasis placed on achieving exact results and substantiated via Monte Carlo simulation. The code for each application is provided in the software language utilized and algorithms are available for coding in another environment. The topics include univariate and bivariate nonparametric random variate generation using a piecewise-linear cumulative distribution, deriving exact statistical process control chart constants for …


Prey Utilization And Energy Demand Of A Breeding Peregrine Falcon (Falco Peregrinus) Population, Elizabeth Claire Long Jan 2009

Prey Utilization And Energy Demand Of A Breeding Peregrine Falcon (Falco Peregrinus) Population, Elizabeth Claire Long

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Identification And Quantification Of Polycyclic Musks And Methyl-Triclosan In Unknown Freshwater Fish Tissue Samples, Elizabeth Mara Jacobs Jan 2009

Identification And Quantification Of Polycyclic Musks And Methyl-Triclosan In Unknown Freshwater Fish Tissue Samples, Elizabeth Mara Jacobs

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Talent Process Of Successful Academic Women Scientists At Elite Research Universities In New York State, Lisa M. Kaenzig Jan 2009

The Talent Process Of Successful Academic Women Scientists At Elite Research Universities In New York State, Lisa M. Kaenzig

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Relationship Between Cultural/Ethnic Identity And Individual Protective Factors Of Academic Resilience, Dale E. Weaver Jan 2009

The Relationship Between Cultural/Ethnic Identity And Individual Protective Factors Of Academic Resilience, Dale E. Weaver

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Pamunkey Pottery And Cultural Persistence, Ashley Atkins Jan 2009

Pamunkey Pottery And Cultural Persistence, Ashley Atkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Analyzing Anticipatory Muscle Tensing As A Measure Of Prospective Action, Kristin Michelle Reardon Jan 2009

Analyzing Anticipatory Muscle Tensing As A Measure Of Prospective Action, Kristin Michelle Reardon

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Mortality Of Diamondback Terrapins In Blue Crab Traps: Population Changes And Conservation In Southeastern Virginia, Megan Ann Rook Jan 2009

Mortality Of Diamondback Terrapins In Blue Crab Traps: Population Changes And Conservation In Southeastern Virginia, Megan Ann Rook

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Synthesis And Spectroscopic Study Of A Spirooxazine-Functionalized Poly(Phenylenevinylene), Jordan Thomas Walk Jan 2009

The Synthesis And Spectroscopic Study Of A Spirooxazine-Functionalized Poly(Phenylenevinylene), Jordan Thomas Walk

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Cyclization Reactions Catalyzed By Bi(Iii) Compounds, Jia Liu Jan 2009

Cyclization Reactions Catalyzed By Bi(Iii) Compounds, Jia Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Quantifying The Overwash Component Of Barrier Island Morphodynamics: Onslow Beach, Nc, Amy C. Foxgrover Jan 2009

Quantifying The Overwash Component Of Barrier Island Morphodynamics: Onslow Beach, Nc, Amy C. Foxgrover

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A quantification of the role that barrier island overwash plays in the evolution of Onslow Beach, a barrier island located on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is presented. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and sediment vibracores provide an estimate of the relevant-sand prism above a silty/peat contact underlying the island. The average thickness from the surface, as determined from lidar, to this geologically-defined base, is less than 1 m and equates a total volume of approximately 1.8 ± 1.1 × 106 m3 over the 4.8 km stretch of Onslow Beach from 1 km north of the New River Inlet to …


Self -Efficacy Beliefs Of Elementary General Education Teachers In Inclusive Classrooms And The Role Of Professional Development, Sheila S. Ashley Jan 2009

Self -Efficacy Beliefs Of Elementary General Education Teachers In Inclusive Classrooms And The Role Of Professional Development, Sheila S. Ashley

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In an effort to provide greater access and progress in the general education curriculum and higher levels of standards proficiency for students with disabilities, school districts across the nation have substantially increased placements in inclusive classroom settings. This thrust has significantly challenged and frustrated general educators due to their perceptions of incompetence related to meeting the needs of students with disabilities in the absence of appropriate training and support.;This study used mixed-methods research to explore differences in general educators' self-efficacy beliefs based on IEP-identified students' learning or behavioral challenges; variation in classroom practice between high and low self-efficacy teachers relative …


Situatedness: The Interrelation Of Factors Impacting The Educational Pathway To Degree Attainment Among Black And White Doctoral Students, Candice P. Baldwin Jan 2009

Situatedness: The Interrelation Of Factors Impacting The Educational Pathway To Degree Attainment Among Black And White Doctoral Students, Candice P. Baldwin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Given the absence of a comprehensive theory of doctoral student persistence within the current literature base, the purpose of this study was to propose and test a model that would predict doctoral degree completion using an integrated scheme of background, financial support, and experience variables between Black and White students. The impact and interaction of these variables was explored individually and collectively to describe a concept defined as situatedness. The situatedness model illustrates that a student's background is related to the financial support they receive in doctoral programs; in turn, these factors are connected to a student's departmental and personal …


The Impact Of Organizational Culture On The Academic Success Of Historically Black College And University Athletes: A Case Study, Ralph Charlton Jan 2009

The Impact Of Organizational Culture On The Academic Success Of Historically Black College And University Athletes: A Case Study, Ralph Charlton

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Increasing the graduation rates of student athletes is one of the more visible NCAA academic goals. Overall student-athlete graduation rates have improved significantly among many institutional members. However, Historically Black College and University (HBCU) student-athlete graduation rates lag considerably behind. Although the NCAA claims that a causal relationship exists between lack of economic resources and lower student-athlete graduation rate for HBCUs, analysis within Division I HBCUs indicates no relationship between per student academic spending and the student-athlete graduation rates. Seeking an additional explanation for graduation rates, this case study examined the organizational culture of an HBCU athletic department with an …