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The Role Of T-Box Proteins In Vertebrate Germ Layer Formation And Patterning, Sushma Teegala

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

All of the tissues in triploblastic organisms, with the exception of the germ cells, arise from the three germ layers, ectoderm, mesoderm and the endoderm. The identification of the genes that underlie the differentiation of these layers is crucial to our understanding of development. T-box family proteins are DNA-binding transcriptional regulators that play important roles during germ layer formation in the early vertebrate embryo. Well-characterized members of this family, including the transcriptional activators Brachyury and VegT, are essential for the proper formation of mesoderm and endoderm, respectively. To date, T-box proteins have not been shown to play a role in …

Post-Natal Development Of Some Lymphoid Organs Of West African Dwarf (Wad) Goats: A Histological Perspective, Anietie Francis Udoumoh, Clifford Nwabugwu Abiaezute

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The study evaluated the developmental changes in the mesenteric lymph nodes, thymus and spleen of West African Dwarf (WAD) goat using histological techniques. Twenty-seven WAD goats of 1 day, 2 weeks and 1 to 7 months old were used for this study. Results showed that the mesenteric lymph node of the WAD goats had poorly organized cortical and medullary areas at 1 day postnatum, and dense infiltration of lymphocytes in the cortex with a few primary lymphoid follicles at 2 and 3 months. At 1 day old, the thymus exhibited thin cortical parenchyma and extensive medullary areas. The thymic parenchyma …

Ontogeny Of Myosin Isoform Expression And Prehensile Function In The Tail Of The Gray Short-Tailed Opossum ( Monodelphis Domestica), Dylan R. Thomas, Brad A. Chadwell, Gary R. Walker, Julio E. Budde, John L. Vandeberg, Michael T. Butcher

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

Terrestrial opossums use their semiprehensile tail for grasping nesting materials as opposed to arboreal maneuvering. We relate the development of this adaptive behavior with ontogenetic changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression from 21 days to adulthood. Monodelphis domestica is expected to demonstrate a progressive ability to flex the distal tail up to age 7 mo, when it should exhibit routine nest construction. We hypothesize that juvenile stages (3-7 mo) will be characterized by retention of the neonatal isoform (MHC-Neo), along with predominant expression of fast MHC-2X and -2B, which will transition into greater MHC-1β and -2A isoform content …

Understanding And Optimizing Growth And Development Of California Yellowtail (Seriola Dorsalis) In Aquaculture Using Physiological Tools, Laura Schwebel

Theses

Physical fitness metrics were used to assess the health and development of California Yellowtail, Seriola dorsalis, in an aquaculture environment during two grow-out experiments. The first experiment sought to evaluate the effects of a common aquaculture deformity (an improperly inflated swim bladder) that has been hypothesized to impact energy allocation, growth, and development. Metrics including metabolic rate, critical swimming speed, feed conversion ratio, and growth rate, were monitored over a 32-week period in three groups of California Yellowtail: wild-caught (“wild”), healthy hatchery-reared (“inflated”), and hatchery-reared with uninflated swim bladders (“uninflated”). At the start of the grow-out period, wild fish …

Improving The Longitudinal Assessment Of Adhd In Pediatrically And Psychiatrically Referred Samples, Jun He

Dissertations - ALL

The assessment and diagnostic process for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is beset with complications relating to the subjectivity of symptom reporting, the nonspecific and dimensional nature of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities, and the shifting expression of symptoms and impairment due to developmental changes from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Actual diagnostic practices may also differ from recommended best practices. These challenges have led to the proliferation of several clinical guidelines, many of which recommend various diagnostic practices and assessment instruments. Nonetheless, relatively little is presently known about the diagnostic efficiency of these various instruments used …

Stability, Development, And Function Of A Symbiotic Bacterial Community Associated With The Reproductive System Of The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid, Euprymna Scolopes, Allison H. Kerwin

Doctoral Dissertations

Many aquatic organisms deposit their eggs into an environment where successful embryogenesis depends on minimizing biofouling. The female Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, harbors a diverse bacterial community within the accessory nidamental gland (ANG), a symbiotic reproductive organ. This community is hypothesized to be environmentally transmitted, and to be deposited from the ANG into the egg jelly coat (JC). Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 gene region demonstrated that the ANG bacterial community (n=29) and that of the JC (n=35) were composed primarily of members of the Rhodobacteraceae and Verrucomicrobia, which together comprised on average 86% of …

Civil Society And State Fragility In Angola, Salma Essam El Refaei

The Undergraduate Research Journal

State fragility is becoming increasingly alarming as an epidemic in our world today. It breeds crippling crises and can have irrevocable effects. According to Robert I. Rotberg, fragile states are hubs for both: local and international crimes, human and drug trafficking, terror and human rights violations amongst other problems acting as a social menace to the globe (Rotberg, 2003, p.6). One of the main reasons why fragile states are alarming is that the problems they bring about are rarely contained. They automatically overspill due to the complexity of some of the problems as well as the interdependence of the world’s …

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 …

Protecting The Environment: Awareness And Responsibility, Susan E. Mason, James J. Winkelman

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Protecting the environment is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, in terms of both short-term and long term business goals. Green businesses can realize immediate financial benefits from environmental sustainability and energy conservation, and there are branding benefits associated with developing and maintaining a reputation for integrity and social responsibility. All participants first answered demographic questions and then responded to a ten-item questionnaire, which was a modified version of Simpson’s (1998) environmental awareness questionnaire. In conclusion, the study revealed gender, age, and political affiliation difference in environmental awareness.

Layers Of Estrangement: Social-Emotional And Educational Implications Of Homelessness On K–12 Students, Rajni Shankar-Brown

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Journal

This qualitative case study examines and illuminates the social-emotional and educational experiences of children ages 5 to 18 residing in an urban, family emergency housing shelter located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Data were collected and triangulated through participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Findings revealed deep educational estrangement and adverse impacts on the social-emotional development of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The study suggests an urgent need to provide high-quality educational preparation to public school administrators and teachers working with children living in poverty and experiencing homelessness in the U.S. With persistent and rising child …

Novel Species-Specific Glycoprotein On The Surface Of Mytilus Edulis And M. Trossulus Eggs, Fiona M. Harper, Kasandra J. Riley, R. D. Rawson

Faculty Publications

Protein–protein interactions play a central role in the gamete attraction, binding, and fusion stages of gamete interactions and fertilization for broadcast spawning species, such as marine mussels in the Mytilus edulis species complex. Although assortative gamete interaction has been implicated in the level of reproductive isolation among the three species in this complex, the molecular basis of these interactions has not been elucidated. Using mass spectrometry peptide sequencing, cDNA sequencing, and bioinformatics approaches, we have investigated species-level variation in the proteins expressed on the surface of mussel eggs. We herein describe an extracellular protein, MESP-1, from the surface of the …

Engendering Agency: The Differentiated Impact Of Educational Initiatives In Zambia And India, Monisha Bajaj, M Pathmarajah

Monisha Bajaj

Efforts to interrupt the reproduction of unequal gender relations in schools involve alternative practices and pedagogies intended to transform students’ notions of gender and gender relations. Beyond the protective environments where such educational initiatives take shape, however, students must rely on their own sense of agency to reenact newly developed gender roles, behaviors, and understandings. This article examines how human agency is differentially experienced and acted upon by boy and girl students responding to educational nongovernmental initiatives in Zambia and India. Two case studies are reviewed, offering evidence from participants in educational programs that seek to deliberately disrupt gender inequality, …

Intrinsic Frontolimbic Connectivity And Associated Patterns On Reported Mood Symptoms In Young Adult Cannabis Users, Skyler Gabriel Shollenbarger

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Recent legislation changes regarding cannabis in the United States highlights the importance of investigating the impact of regular cannabis use on populations, such as emerging adults, that will likely drive the market given their greater daily use (see Johnston et al., 2014). The endocannbinoid system plays a role in neurodevelopment (see Bossong & Niesink, 2010) and has been implicated in behavioral and emotional processing (see Moreira & Lutz, 2008; see Solinas et al., 2008; see Covey et al., 2014). The current study utilized a multisite functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset of intrinsic (a.k.a. no task/resting state) frontolimbic connectivity …

Addressing Behavioral Deficits In Early Childhood Education: Promoting Positive Socio-Emotional Development Through Dramatic Play, Abbi Strobbe

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This paper investigates the detrimental effects behavior can have on a child’s social-emotional development and the vital role dramatic play opportunities have in overcoming these developmental deficits. A child’s trajectory for success in school begins in early childhood. Children experience meaningful connections to learning, as well as higher teacher and peer approval, when they are capable of maintaining positive interactions in the classroom. For this to occur, children must have a solid foundation in socio-emotional skills such as expression, understanding, and regulation. Behavioral deficits impede development and reduce the likelihood of academic achievement. However, application of early behavioral and social …

Simplifying Methods For In Vitro Metamorphosis Of Glochidia, Morgan A. Kern

MSU Graduate Theses

Captive culture of Unionoid mussels is complicated by the parasitic larval stage, which normally requires a host fish for metamorphosis. Alternatively, some mussel species can metamorphose in vitro, i.e. in an artificial medium in Petri dishes. Most workers have used 5% CO₂ atmosphere and bicarbonate to stabilize pH, requiring a specialized incubator. In the present study, in vitro metamorphosis success of Anodonta oregonensis and other species were higher or similar in air than in 1%, or 5% CO₂. The nutritional role of the medium was tested by substituting physiological saline without nutrients at varying intervals before …

A Moment Became The Season: An Exploration Of Trauma Narrative Within The Community Development Context, Lydia Berry

Sustainability and Social Justice

This research explores current methods of psychological trauma intervention within the community development context, namely the understandings that bound the clinical and diagnostic side of trauma, and the more recent victim centered approach: the trauma informed care method. The shortcomings of these approaches is that they individually lack the ability to establish the victim back into their sense of self or community, accordingly. This research argues that a narrative approach, a process by which a survivor of trauma has full agency to express their experience, used in conjunction with existing practices can rectify the shortcomings of both methods. The researcher …

Decoding Nonverbal Ability: A Theoretical Model For The Acquisition Of Nonverbal Decoding Skill, Julia Berger

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Nonverbal communication adds multiple layers of meaning to social interaction above that conveyed by words. The comprehension of these nonverbal messages depends on individual ability which varies greatly between individuals. Variation in nonverbal communication ability and the variables of influence that have been associated with it over decades of research are the topic of this research project. Variables that have been correlated to nonverbal communication skill were used to develop a theory for the development of this skill and construct an evidence-based theoretical model that provides an explanation for nonverbal skill acquisition and variability. This model was also analyzed for …

Commercialization Report, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

The University of Maine's Commercialization Report

The Roles Of Anxious Rearing, Negative Affect, And Effortful Control In A Model Of Risk For Child Perfectionism., Nicholas William Affrunti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our understanding of perfectionism and its developmental trajectory and impact on children has experienced a recent growth. Research has shown that child perfectionism is associated with a number of negative outcomes including anxiety and depressive disorders, hopelessness, poor psychosocial treatment outcomes, and researchers have not found it to be associated with actual achievement. As such, research has begun to examine the developmental risk factors that predict for its development. The current study proposes utilizing a developmental psychopathology approach, one that purports a complex interaction among internal, external, risk and protective processes in the developmental of perfectionism. Specifically, the study examined …

Developmental Trajectories Of Executive And Verbal Processes In Children With Phenylketonuria, Zoe Hawks

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a recessive disorder characterized by disruption in the metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine. Using a verbal fluency task, previous studies demonstrated that word production is reduced in individuals with PKU relative to controls. Beyond word production, verbal fluency output can be scored for clustering and switching, which enable characterization of verbal and executive processes, respectively. The present study is the first to evaluate clustering and switching in PKU within a longitudinal design, thereby elucidating the developmental time course of core cognitive processes. To this end, semantic (animals, food/drink) and phonemic (S words, F words) fluency data …

Supplemental Trace Minerals (Zn, Cu, And Mn) As Sulfates Or Hydroxy Trace Mineral Sources For Beef Heifers, Randy Hunter Burnett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Crossbred heifers (n = 286, 255 ± 4.5 kg initial BW, 295 ± 16.5 d of age) were used over a 2-yr period to determine the effects of mineral source on beef heifer development at 2 locations (n = 71 and n = 72, Fayetteville, blocks 1 and 4; n = 72 in each of 2 breeding groups, Batesville, blocks 2 and 3). Heifers were stratified based on initial BW, age, health, prior research projects, and sire, and then assigned to 6 groups of 12 heifers, that were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 trace mineral treatments. The 2 treatments …

Infant Object Recognition: Two- And Three-Dimensional Visual Processing, Alexandra Chelsea Romano

Masters Theses

Visual attention and recognition memory in infancy are highly dependent on the type of stimulus the infant is familiarized to and the conditions of familiarization. For example, in studies that initially exposed infants to test stimuli in laboratory settings (e.g., Courchesne, Ganz, & Norcia, 1981; Reynolds & Richards, 2005), the Negative Central (Nc) event-related potential (ERP) component associated with infant visual attention has shown greater amplitude for novel compared to familiar stimuli. Conversely, when initial stimulus exposure occured outside of the laboratory and the stimulus was highly familiar, studies have shown greater amplitude Nc to familiar compared to novel stimuli …

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 …

Gender As A Determining Factor In The Family History And Development Of The Mcgee Family, Thomas Daniel Knight

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines how gender shaped the family of Nancy Hood McGee, who belonged to one of Georgia’s antebellum planter families, across four generations. The McGee family had joined the planter class late in the antebellum period, and after the American Civil War they continued to be prosperous farmers in the former cotton belt. The essay proposes that women in the McGee family played a determining role in the family’s economic success during this time period. As such, it relates to scholarship on women in the nineteenth-century American South as well as to the role of women within southern families. …

Developmental Origins Of The Human Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, Mariann A. Howland, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: The developmental origins of disease or fetal programming model predicts that intrauterine exposures have life-long consequences for physical and psychological health. Prenatal programming of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is proposed as a primary mechanism by which early experiences are linked to later disease risk.

Areas covered: This review describes the development of the fetal HPA axis, which is determined by an intricately timed cascade of endocrine events during gestation and is regulated by an integrated maternal-placental-fetal steroidogenic unit. Mechanisms by which stress-induced elevations in hormones of maternal, fetal, or placental origin influence the structure and function …

Candid: A Framework For Linking Executive Function And Education, Niki H. Kamkar, J. B. Morton

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The close association between executive functions (EFs) and educational achievement has led to the idea that targeted EF training might facilitate learning and goal-directed behavior in the classroom. The evidence that training interventions have long-lasting and transferable effects is however decidedly mixed (Melby-Lervåg and Hulme, 2013; Simons et al., 2016). The goal of the current paper is to propose a new CanDiD framework for re-thinking EF and its links to education. Based on findings from basic EF research, the proposed CanDiD framework highlights dynamic and contextual influences on EF and emphasizes the importance of development and individual differences for understanding …

Tallahassee Central City Planning Study, Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department

City and Regional Planning -- Florida

Study on Developing Downtown Tallahassee

Differential Requirement For Satellite Cells During Overload-Induced Muscle Hypertrophy In Growing Versus Mature Mice, Kevin A. Murach, Sarah H. White, Yuan Wen, Angel Ho, Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden, John J. Mccarthy, Charlotte A. Peterson

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background: Pax7+ satellite cells are required for skeletal muscle fiber growth during post-natal development in mice. Satellite cell-mediated myonuclear accretion also appears to persist into early adulthood. Given the important role of satellite cells during muscle development, we hypothesized that the necessity of satellite cells for adaptation to an imposed hypertrophic stimulus depends on maturational age.

Methods: Pax7^CreER-R26R^DTA mice were treated for 5 days with vehicle (satellite cell-replete, SC+) or tamoxifen (satellite cell-depleted, SC-) at 2 months (young) and 4 months (mature) of age. Following a 2-week washout, mice were subjected to sham surgery or 10 day …

A Morphology Of Liberalism, Development And Trusteeship: Some Implications For South East Asia, Trevor Parfitt

Asian Review

This paper will apply Freeden's morphological approach to the analysis of liberalism and development to explore the centrality of trusteeship (as defi ned by Cowen and Shenton) in both modes of thought. There is an intellectual kinship between development as an idea and liberalism in that both emerged from a Western Enlightenment context that emphasized progress and the prospects for human development through the growing influence of rationalism and the application of scientific method to human endeavor. Both development thinking and liberalism bear the imprint of these influences, one of them being that of trusteeship. The morphological approach will be …

Hegel And The Problem Of The Multiplicity Of Conflicting Philosophies, Matthew M. Peters

Dissertations (1934 -)

As Hegel notes in his long Introduction to the Lectures on the History of Philosophy, the problem of the multiplicity of conflicting philosophies presents a particularly urgent problem to the very discipline of philosophy itself. For, from the viewpoint of what Hegel would refer to as “ordinary consciousness”, the fact that there are so many different philosophies which seem constantly to disagree can only lead to one conclusion: philosophy itself is a futile enterprise. Hegel, perhaps more than any previous philosopher, was sensitive to this charge of futility levelled against philosophy. In response, he provided an explanatory account of the …