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African Easterly Waves And Convection, Gareth James Berry Jan 2009

African Easterly Waves And Convection, Gareth James Berry

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this research the physical mechanisms relating synoptic scale African Easterly Waves (AEWs) and convection are explored using a variety of analysis techniques.


Interoceptive Fear Conditioning And Panic Disorder Ii : Clarifying The Role Of Cs-Us Discrimination, Dean Thomas Acheson Jan 2009

Interoceptive Fear Conditioning And Panic Disorder Ii : Clarifying The Role Of Cs-Us Discrimination, Dean Thomas Acheson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Despite the role afforded interoceptive fear conditioning in learning theory accounts of panic disorder, there exists little research demonstrating such learning in humans. A recent study by Acheson and colleagues (2007) was the first to successfully demonstrate interoceptive fear conditioning in humans. The authors employed a single-cue fear learning paradigm with 20% carbon dioxide-enriched air as interoceptive conditioned (CS) and unconditioned (US) stimuli. The current study had two aims: 1) to replicate the results of Acheson et al. (2007) while improving upon the methodology, and 2) to clarify the role of CS - US discrimination in fear learning and extinction. …


Almost Everywhere Convergence Of Weighted Ergodic Averages, Christopher Michael Wedrychowicz Jan 2009

Almost Everywhere Convergence Of Weighted Ergodic Averages, Christopher Michael Wedrychowicz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Let $(X,\mathcal{B},\lambda,T)$ be a dynamical system and $\mbox{Log}_{(n)}x$


Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Spp. In Environmental Settings, Stephen Shost Jan 2009

Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Spp. In Environmental Settings, Stephen Shost

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ninety staphylococci carrying the mecA gene, including 17 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), were isolated from environmental settings within New York State. Waterborne staphylococci harboring mecA were isolated from multiple sources: the Hudson River near a combined sewage overflow; urban streams; freshwater and marine beaches; a swimming pool; swimming pool decks; combined sewage; as well as wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) primary sewage influent, mixed liquor, aeration water, and final (unchlorinated) effluent. Environmental MRSA strains were isolated from beach water (n=3); swimming pool deck water (n=1); Hudson River water (n=2); combined sewage (n=3); as well as wastewater treatment plant mixed …


Progress Towards Critical Dimension Low Vacuum Scanning Electron Microscopy, Vasiliki Tileli Jan 2009

Progress Towards Critical Dimension Low Vacuum Scanning Electron Microscopy, Vasiliki Tileli

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Low vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM) is proposed and evaluated for next generation Critical Dimension (CD) metrology. Its ability to control charging artifacts and hydrocarbon contamination in order to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio, high resolution image data from insulating materials make the technology an excellent match for the increased use of high-k dielectrics and shrinking feature size in the semiconductor industry. The presence of a gas in the LVSEM chamber means that the probe characteristics and secondary electron amplification, detection, and signal-to-noise ratio differ significantly from conventional high vacuum tools. In order for low vacuum CD approaches to be viable, …


Genetically Engineered Repetitive Polypeptides : Design, Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications, Natalya I. Topilina Jan 2009

Genetically Engineered Repetitive Polypeptides : Design, Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications, Natalya I. Topilina

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This work is dedicated to the investigation of protein folding with the emphasis on the aggregation and amyloid fibrils formation. The focus of the research is to elucidate the relationship between polypeptide chain sequence and folding/aggregation properties. For this purpose, i) libraries of the de novo macromolecular repetitive β-sheet forming polypeptides were designed, and ii) the strategy for their rapid creation was developed. The strategy enables retention of a basic polypeptide core, yet allowing variations in the repetitive sequence, degree of polymerization and distribution of specific amino acids. The polypeptides were expressed in E. coli, purified, and characterized by various …


Raman Spectroscopy Of Body Fluids : A Nondestructive Identification Technique For Forensic Applications, Kelly Virkler Jan 2009

Raman Spectroscopy Of Body Fluids : A Nondestructive Identification Technique For Forensic Applications, Kelly Virkler

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The analysis of body fluid evidence during forensic investigations is a complicated process, yet it is a critical step in determining the key facts of a crime. There is no doubt that DNA analysis is an extremely useful tool that can identify a suspect or victim, but crime scene investigators must first locate and identify potential body fluid stains that can be collected for DNA analysis. Current screening tests are destructive to the sample and can give false positive results, so a nondestructive technique such as Raman spectroscopy, that can possibly confirm the presence of a particular fluid, could lend …


The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf Jan 2009

The Effects, Brain Targets, And Mechanisms Of Estradiol For Affective Behavior, Alicia Ann Walf

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although estradiol (E2) has numerous effects in the central nervous system, this review will focus on addressing the effects of E2 on behaviors related to mood in women and animal models and include recent findings from our laboratory related to this topic. E2's anti-anxiety and anti-depressant-like effects may depend upon many factors (e.g. age, reproductive history/status, time in E2 deficient state before initiation of E2 therapy, regimen and dosing of E2, neuropsychiatric/stress history). First, evidence of how factors may alter responses to E2 in people and in animal models will be discussed. Second, interactions of E2 with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis/stress …


A Multidimensional Analysis Of The Relationship Between Leader-Member Exchange And Organizational Citizenship Behavior With An Alternative Measure Of Leader-Member Exchange, Yann-Jang Wu Jan 2009

A Multidimensional Analysis Of The Relationship Between Leader-Member Exchange And Organizational Citizenship Behavior With An Alternative Measure Of Leader-Member Exchange, Yann-Jang Wu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory proposed that a leader will develop a unique exchange pattern with each subordinate (Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell, 1993). Empirically, LMX has shown significant associations with many work outcomes (Gerstner & Day, 1997). One of these valued outcomes is organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), which is defined as action enacted beyond one's assigned duties on the job (Farh, Podsakoff, & Organ, 1990). Positive correlations between LMX and OCB have been demonstrated in previous research (Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, & Bachrach, 2000). Both LMX and OCB were proposed to comprise several sub-factors; nevertheless, correlations between LMX and OCB have always …


The Effects Of Intercollegiate Athletic Participation On Student Academic Achievement And Leadership Performance In A Selective Institution, Craig A. Yunker Jan 2009

The Effects Of Intercollegiate Athletic Participation On Student Academic Achievement And Leadership Performance In A Selective Institution, Craig A. Yunker

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of various intensity levels of athletic participation on academic and leadership performance in a selective institution. For the purpose of this study a retrospective analysis of existing admissions and student performance data was conducted. The continuous dependent variables were academic and leadership performance scores. The categorical independent variables were the three intensity levels of athletic participation (high commitment athletes, moderate commitment athletes, general population students), gender and race. The subjects for this study included 4977 of the 4998 students that graduated from a selective institution from 1992 through 1996. Results …


Role Of Cyp2a5 In Drug Metabolism, Chemical Toxicity, And Maintenance Of Steroid Hormone Homeostasis : Insights From Studies On A Novel Cyp2a5-Null Mouse Model, Xin Zhou Jan 2009

Role Of Cyp2a5 In Drug Metabolism, Chemical Toxicity, And Maintenance Of Steroid Hormone Homeostasis : Insights From Studies On A Novel Cyp2a5-Null Mouse Model, Xin Zhou

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The central hypothesis is that CYP2A5 plays an important role in the metabolism of xenobiotic substrates, and in the toxicity induced by over-exposure to drugs, as well as in the metabolism of endogenous compounds and regulation of steroid hormone homeostasis. The specific aims are: 1) to generate and characterize a Cyp2a5-null mouse; 2) to determine the role of CYP2A5 in the systemic clearance of nicotine and cotinine; and 3) to explore the mechanisms underlying the resistance of the lateral nasal gland (LNG) of male Cyp2g1-null/Cyp2a5-low mouse and Cyp2a5-null mouse to acetaminophen (AP) toxicity.


Biotechnology For Immune Cell Detection And Evaluation : Devices Specifically Designed To Capture, Detect Or To Evaluate Alterations In Leukocyte Structure And Function, Thomas Joseph Zieziulewicz Jan 2009

Biotechnology For Immune Cell Detection And Evaluation : Devices Specifically Designed To Capture, Detect Or To Evaluate Alterations In Leukocyte Structure And Function, Thomas Joseph Zieziulewicz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The advent of Nano-biotechnology has opened a whole new area of biological study that has allowed us to pattern, manipulate, separate, evaluate and detect biological structures and functions that were previously not possible. This dissertation will describe different types of micro-fabricated devices that were designed to quantify and/or evaluate the functional activities of cells of the immune system. The micro-fabricated devices were developed in collaboration with our colleagues at Princeton University as part of our Cellular Micro-dynamics Program of the Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC) at Cornell University.


Impulsivity, Offending, And The Neighborhood : Investigating The Person-Context Nexus, Gregory M. Zimmerman Jan 2009

Impulsivity, Offending, And The Neighborhood : Investigating The Person-Context Nexus, Gregory M. Zimmerman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A key assumption of the traditional trait-based approach to the study of crime is that personality traits cause people to act similarly across a wide array of contexts. This approach has been challenged for its failure to acknowledge differences in the social environments to which individuals are exposed. Similarly, community-level explanations of crime have been criticized for failing to acknowledge that there are important individual differences between criminals and non-criminals. Ultimately, a full understanding of crime requires the consideration of both individual and environmental differences, perhaps most importantly because they may interact to produce offending behavior. In particular, the influence …


Molecular Evolution Of Genes Underlying Phenotypic Differences Between Humans And Chimpanzees, Santhoshi Bandla Jan 2009

Molecular Evolution Of Genes Underlying Phenotypic Differences Between Humans And Chimpanzees, Santhoshi Bandla

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (P. paniscus) are often used as models to study the genetic and morphological changes on the lineage leading to the modern humans (Homo sapiens). Results of this dissertation suggest that, in comparison to other hominoids, chimpanzees and bonobos are more derived in their relative testes sizes and promiscuous mating systems. Phylogenetic analysis of genes that might underlie increased testes size revealed that, in addition to being a sex-determining gene, SRY displays Pan-specific amino acid replacements that make it a compelling candidate as a testes-size determining gene. Strikingly, SRY and another candidate gene, DMRT3, display patterns …


Socio-Technical Processes In Interorganizational Emergency Response And Recovery Process At The World Trade Center, Bahadir Akcam Jan 2009

Socio-Technical Processes In Interorganizational Emergency Response And Recovery Process At The World Trade Center, Bahadir Akcam

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This research explores the socio-technical processes in interorganizational collaboration by extending and elaborating a generic dynamic theory. The existing generic dynamic theory offers dynamic hypotheses about causal relationships between social processes and social accumulations based on a study of interagency information integration initiatives. The current study expands this theory and elaborates upon it using interview dataset from interagency collaboration during the response and recovery process following the World Trade Center (WTC) attack on September 11, 2001. Researchers at the Center for Technology in Government interviewed 29 responders in 2002 and 2003 to explore interagency collaboration in the context of information, …


The Effects Of Professional Development On Early Reading Skills : A Comparison Of Two Approaches To Word Solving, Kimberly L. Anderson Jan 2009

The Effects Of Professional Development On Early Reading Skills : A Comparison Of Two Approaches To Word Solving, Kimberly L. Anderson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract


Geochemical Fingerprinting Of Volcanic Airfall Deposits : A Tool In Stratigraphic Correlation, Soumava Adhya Jan 2009

Geochemical Fingerprinting Of Volcanic Airfall Deposits : A Tool In Stratigraphic Correlation, Soumava Adhya

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Chemical fingerprints of volcanic airfall deposits obtained from high-precision electron microprobe analysis of glass and phenocrysts phases provide geochemical correlations with temporal precision unattainable by other methods. In this research electron microprobe analysis (EMA) techniques, to fingerprint chemically and correlate fresh and altered volcanic airfall deposits, have been utilized to test the value of this tool for future research on stratigraphic correlation. The following samples were chosen from within a variety of sedimentary rocks widely separated spatially and temporally:


Ghanaian Immigrant Children In The Bronx : A Case Study In Acculturation, James Baffour Asare Jan 2009

Ghanaian Immigrant Children In The Bronx : A Case Study In Acculturation, James Baffour Asare

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The aim of the current study was to examine the cultural adaptation process of the children of Ghanaian immigrants living in the Bronx, New York City. To this end, twenty-five Ghanaian immigrant children were interviewed. In an attempt to ascertain the extent to which these children have become acculturated to the host society and integrated into mainstream American culture, the focus of the interviews was on the impact of American culture on language, food, discipline, dress, religion, mate selection, and education. Interview participants were selected via snowball sampling. Employing a qualitative approach, I conducted face-to-face interviews consisting of open-ended questions …


Mexican Technological Universities : Pursuing Reform And New Public-Private Funding Mixes In A Non University Sector, Jorge Gamaliel Arenas-Basurto Jan 2009

Mexican Technological Universities : Pursuing Reform And New Public-Private Funding Mixes In A Non University Sector, Jorge Gamaliel Arenas-Basurto

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although unstable funding of Mexico's public universities is a critical problem faced each year by these institutions that struggle to negotiate increments in their fiscal revenues, most public universities have still not been able to increase sizably their share of self generating revenues to mitigate, to some degree, the impact of public shortages. Different paths to financial reforms have been encouraged by Mexican authorities in order to modify the pervasive statist tradition in the funding of public universities. In the last decades, authorities have promoted funding tools aimed at modifying the incremental budgeting of most universities, encouraging them to diversify …


Opportunism And Diversity In The Lifestyle Of A Group Ii Intron, Arthur R. Beauregard Jan 2009

Opportunism And Diversity In The Lifestyle Of A Group Ii Intron, Arthur R. Beauregard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Group II introns are mobile retroelements. They invade the cognate intron-minus gene in an efficient process known as retrohoming. They can also retrotranspose to ectopic sites at low frequency. Retrohoming occurs by the intron RNA reverse-splicing into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) through an endonuclease-dependent pathway. However, in retrotransposition in Lactoccocus lactis, the intron inserts predominantly into single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), in an endonuclease-independent manner. Unlike in L. lactis, in Escherichia coli the Ll.LtrB intron retrotransposes frequently into dsDNA, and the process is dependent on the endonuclease activity of the intron-encoded protein. Further, the endonuclease-dependent integrations preferentially occurred around the origin and terminus …


Collaboration As Paradox : The Case Of The Patuxent River, Md Nutrient Control Strategy, Morris Bidjerano Jan 2009

Collaboration As Paradox : The Case Of The Patuxent River, Md Nutrient Control Strategy, Morris Bidjerano

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Collaboration has increasingly emerged in recent years as a new paradigm in public management. This collaborative trend, however, has contradicted the longstanding American political tradition of conflictual contestation of competing interests and adversarial legalism. Consequently, it has presented public managers with the challenge of dealing in reality with the "tensions between alternative forms of management practice" (Huxham and Vangen 2005, 245). In most accounts, watershed management has recently become a particularly active arena for that clash of opposing collaborative and conflictual managerial practices.


On The Fence Of Legitimacy : A Framework For Understanding And Assessing The Legitimacy Of New Academic Disciplines In U.S. Higher Education, Karin Diann Bump Jan 2009

On The Fence Of Legitimacy : A Framework For Understanding And Assessing The Legitimacy Of New Academic Disciplines In U.S. Higher Education, Karin Diann Bump

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Legitimacy is a concept frequently employed but rarely discussed in more than vague terms (Suchman1995, Hybels 1994). Consequently, this research seeks to develop a clearer understanding of the ways new disciplines become established within a sociological framework of legitimacy. Two theoretical models are used in this study through an approach that melds key aspects of each; the presence of three levels (Suchman 1995) and six sources (Boulding 1971) of legitimacy. Unique to Boulding's model is the purposeful inclusion of internal views of legitimacy as most discussions of legitimacy focus on external views.


A Descriptive Analysis Of The Problems And Interventions Observed In Care Planning For Nursing Home Residents With Dementia, Dennis Gordon Chapman Jan 2009

A Descriptive Analysis Of The Problems And Interventions Observed In Care Planning For Nursing Home Residents With Dementia, Dennis Gordon Chapman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract


Organizational Learning And Nursing Home Quality Of Care In New York State, Ting-Wei Chiang Jan 2009

Organizational Learning And Nursing Home Quality Of Care In New York State, Ting-Wei Chiang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The primary purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between organizational learning (OL) and nursing home quality of care (NHQC). The present study addresses OL through both descriptive and prescriptive approaches. The descriptive approach proposes a prism model that defines OL from psychological perspectives, structural perspectives, and cultural perspectives. The prescriptive approach illustrates how each dimension of OL can be improved by its corresponding organizational learning mechanisms (OLMs).


Sexual Harassment In Public Schools : Policy Design, Policy Implementation, And The Perceptions Of Employees Participating In Investigations, Katrina Lynn Bratge Jan 2009

Sexual Harassment In Public Schools : Policy Design, Policy Implementation, And The Perceptions Of Employees Participating In Investigations, Katrina Lynn Bratge

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study of two cases of sexual harassment investigates employee perceptions and organizational characteristics associated with policy and implementation procedures in two public school districts in New York State which experienced different outcomes to litigation in response to formal complaints of sexual harassment.


A Survey Of School Psychology Faculty Members' Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes Regarding Distance Education And Distance Education Technologies, Tonya C. Chacón Jan 2009

A Survey Of School Psychology Faculty Members' Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes Regarding Distance Education And Distance Education Technologies, Tonya C. Chacón

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Research suggests that availability and use of distance education (DE) and distance education technologies (DET, i.e., technological applications) are growing at a prolific rate. Excitement over new technologies stems from their potential to develop new ways of teaching and learning. Yet, whereas the infrastructure necessary to support DE and DET exists, pedagogical applications have not kept pace. A major reason cited in the literature for limited use of DE and DET is mainstream faculty leadership and willingness to adopt these applications. While faculty members have expertise in content and pedagogy, DE and DET adoption may require greater technological competence. In …


Live-Cell Studies On Mitotic Slippage In Humans, Daniela A. Brito Jan 2009

Live-Cell Studies On Mitotic Slippage In Humans, Daniela A. Brito

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Checkpoints are regulatory pathways that control the order and timing of specific cell-cycle events. In the presence of unattached/weakly-attached kinetochores, the mitotic checkpoint (MC) arrests cells in mitosis by inhibiting the degradation of cyclin B, the regulatory subunit of Cdk1 (cyclin dependent kinase 1). Checkpoints do not arrest cells permanently, and escaping mitosis with an unsatisfied MC requires cyclin B/Cdk1 inactivation. In yeast, this occurs through an “adaptation” mechanism involving inhibitory phosphorylations and/or Cdk1-inhibitors. To determine how vertebrate cells escape mitosis when the MC cannot be satisfied I conducted live-cell imaging and immunofluorescence studies on nocodazole-treated rat kangaroo (PtK) and …


Observations Of The Transient Characteristics Of The Hydrological Balance, Matthew Czikowsky Jan 2009

Observations Of The Transient Characteristics Of The Hydrological Balance, Matthew Czikowsky

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The impact of transient input events on the hydrological balance components are studied over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. First, interception evaporation and energy-balance changes during and following precipitation events are examined at the site spatial and event temporal scale. Second, the hydrological response to spatial and seasonal changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration due to land cover changes are examined on the small-to-large watershed scale, covering the event to seasonal time scales.


Critical Mass Or Critical Acts? : An Empirical Test Of The Relationship Between The Presence Of Women In State Legislatures And Their Policy Impact On Agenda Setting And Legislative Success In Fifty Sates, 1995 And 2005, Angela Chen Dalton Jan 2009

Critical Mass Or Critical Acts? : An Empirical Test Of The Relationship Between The Presence Of Women In State Legislatures And Their Policy Impact On Agenda Setting And Legislative Success In Fifty Sates, 1995 And 2005, Angela Chen Dalton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Research on gender and politics often invokes Kanter's (1977) critical mass theory to draw a linkage between women political leaders' descriptive representation and substantive representation. Using the 50 state legislatures as the unit of analysis, I empirically tested the validity of the critical mass theory by investigating the relationship between women's share of legislative seats within lower chambers of state houses and their impact on legislative agenda setting and legislative success in 1995 and 2005. Based on the findings, I argue that the critical mass theory is of limited value in explaining women's policy impact and the field of gender …


Party System Stability In Latin America : A Comparative Study, Luis F. Clemente Jan 2009

Party System Stability In Latin America : A Comparative Study, Luis F. Clemente

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

It has been argued that party systems should always be on "working order" because stable party systems correlate with stable democracies, and whenever party systems become dysfunctional, democracy becomes dysfunctional as well. In Latin America, there is legitimate concern for party system stability precisely because of such outcome. Political parties in the region not only face internal and external challenges, but also the added pressure of being part of democratic consolidation. Most importantly, Latin American politics currently present a great challenge: how to restore citizen trust in political parties and party systems.