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Prevalence And Distribution Of Periapical Lesions Submitted For Histopathologic Analysis By Endodontists, Gerhard Claire Siegel Apr 2014

Prevalence And Distribution Of Periapical Lesions Submitted For Histopathologic Analysis By Endodontists, Gerhard Claire Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

The current understanding of the distribution and frequency of periapical pathoses include biopsies submitted by all specialists and general dentists. As a result, they do not accurately reflect the distribution seen by endodontists. This retrospective chart review aims to determine the prevalence of periapical pathoses and associated demographics from biopsies submitted by endodontists over 30 years. All biopsy reports submitted to the Virginia Commonwealth University Oral Pathology Diagnostic Service from January 1, 1983 to December 31, 2012 were reviewed. Only reports submitted by verified endodontists and those with a periapical location were included. The following data was recorded from each …

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Clinical And Radiographic Evaluation Of Mta Pulpotomies: A Retrospective Study, Claudia Colorado Apr 2014

Clinical And Radiographic Evaluation Of Mta Pulpotomies: A Retrospective Study, Claudia Colorado

Theses and Dissertations

Vital pulp therapy is the group of procedures indicated to maintain pulp vitality allowing for continued root development and apical closure in the presence of pulp exposure due to caries or trauma. Complete maturation results in stronger tooth structure that is more able to withstand occlusal forces. Historically, calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) was the material of choice for a vital pulpotomy. Recently mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) has been used as a pulp sealing material because of its biocompatibility and its ability to induce hard tissue barrier formation. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcome …

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The Roles Of Krüppel-Like Transcription Factors Klf1 And Klf2 In Mouse Embryonic And Human Fetal Erythropoiesis, Divya Vinjamur Apr 2014

The Roles Of Krüppel-Like Transcription Factors Klf1 And Klf2 In Mouse Embryonic And Human Fetal Erythropoiesis, Divya Vinjamur

Theses and Dissertations

Hemoglobinopathies are some of the most common monogenic disorders in the world, affecting millions of people and representing a growing burden on health systems worldwide. Although the pathophysiology of sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia, two of the most common hemoglobinopathies, have been the focus of much research over the last century, patients affected by these diseases still lack a widely applicable and easily available cure. Sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia are caused by defects in the structure and production of the beta-globin chains that, along with the alpha-globin chains make up the heterotetrameric hemoglobin molecule. Studies geared towards re-expression of …

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Drug Use And Social Support Outcomes In Probationers: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis, Anne Rhodes Apr 2014

Drug Use And Social Support Outcomes In Probationers: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis, Anne Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the social networks of probationers, who comprise the largest segment of the criminal justice population in the United States, but about whom there are few studies of network processes. It provides information on how elements of a probationer’s social network change over time and can affect drug use. This study employs longitudinal analysis of the social networks for 251 substance abusers on probation to examine how these networks are influenced by an intervention designed to increase pro-social behaviors and how network changes impact drug use. Baseline drug use of the probationers was examined according to the …

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Studies On Rationally Designed, Allosteric, Coagulation Inhibitors, Rio Boothello Apr 2014

Studies On Rationally Designed, Allosteric, Coagulation Inhibitors, Rio Boothello

Theses and Dissertations

Heparin is a natural allosteric modulator, with numerous structural and conformational variations leading to many reports of bleeding complications and variations in anticoagulant effects. A flurry of research has been directed towards understanding this puzzle. This work entails the utilization of three unique strategies to further our understanding of this complex issue. Traditional synthetic, biosynthetic and biophysical approaches have failed to conquer the GAG-protein complexity. Computational analysis however could serve as a powerful approach to decipher this dilemma. A dual filter algorithm was incorporated to identify unique hexasaccharide sequences for HCII and AT. Our experimental studies exhibit a good correlation …

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Comparing Tooth Enamel Disturbances In A Pediatric Population That Had Received Prior Chemotherapy Treatment To Age-Matched Controls From The Virginia Commonwealth University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic., Marcela Mujica Apr 2014

Comparing Tooth Enamel Disturbances In A Pediatric Population That Had Received Prior Chemotherapy Treatment To Age-Matched Controls From The Virginia Commonwealth University Pediatric Dentistry Clinic., Marcela Mujica

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test whether children who have undergone cancer chemotherapy have a higher prevalence of enamel abnormalities of the second mandibular premolars than age matched controls. Methods: This study was a case-control design where the case group involved 26 subjects that had received chemotherapy treatment between the ages of 2 to 6 and at the time of the study were between the ages of 9 to 18. The control group consisted of 26 subjects matched for age and sex to the case group that had not received chemotherapy. The second mandibular premolars were assessed …

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The Effect Of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase On The Epigenetics Of Human Mitochondrial Dna, John Strang Apr 2014

The Effect Of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase On The Epigenetics Of Human Mitochondrial Dna, John Strang

Theses and Dissertations

Aberrant metabolism has become an increasingly interesting area of cancer biology. In many cancers including lower grade glioma, glioblastomas and some leukemias, a mutation in the metabolic enzyme Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (IDH), has been found in more than 70% of cases and has been shown to lead to a distinct hypermethylator phenotype. IDH commonly converts isocitrate to alpha-ketoglutarate in normal cell metabolism. Three isoforms of this enzyme are found in humans: IDH1, IDH2 and IDH3. Studies on IDH1, the cytosolic isoform, have revealed that mutations in the enzyme’s binding site lead to a novel gain of function: the synthesis of an …

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Causes And Consequences Of Algal Blooms In The Tidal Fresh James River, Joseph Wood Apr 2014

Causes And Consequences Of Algal Blooms In The Tidal Fresh James River, Joseph Wood

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes 3 chapters which focus on algal bloom of the tidal fresh James River. The first chapter describes nutrient and light limitation assays performed on algal cultures and draw conclusions about long-term patterns in nutrient limitation by comparing results with a previous study . This chapter also describes the influence of riverine discharge upon nutrient limitation in a point-source dominated estuary. This chapter was published in Estuaries and Coasts (Wood and Bukaveckas 2014). The second chapter presents the first comprehensive assessment of the occurrence of the cyanotoxin Microcystin in water and biota of the James River. Data presented …

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The Occurrence And Consequences Of Conspecific Brood Parasitism In The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea), Anna Tucker Apr 2014

The Occurrence And Consequences Of Conspecific Brood Parasitism In The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea), Anna Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Brood parasites avoid costs associated with raising young by adding eggs to another individual’s clutch and providing no parental care. When conspecific brood parasitism occurs in species with high parental investment, we expect hosts to suffer costs for raising an enlarged brood. Here I describe conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) in the prothonotary warbler using maternal exclusion analyses of 333 family groups. I found that 23.4% of clutches contained at least one offspring that was not matched to the social mother and determined that parasitism seems to be an opportunistic tactic. Hosts had lower average annual reproductive success than non-hosts, but …

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The Role Of Adam10 In The Immune System: Maintenance Of Lymphoid Architecture, Mdsc Development And Function, B Cell Derived Exosomal Antigen Presentation, And B1 Cell Ige Production., Rebecca Martin Apr 2014

The Role Of Adam10 In The Immune System: Maintenance Of Lymphoid Architecture, Mdsc Development And Function, B Cell Derived Exosomal Antigen Presentation, And B1 Cell Ige Production., Rebecca Martin

Theses and Dissertations

ADAM10 is a zinc-dependent metalloprotease. ADAM10 has emerged as a key regulator of cellular processes by cleaving and shedding extracellular domains of multiple transmembrane receptors and ligands. In this study, we examined the role of ADAM10 in the immune system. Here, we show that knocking out ADAM10 on the mature B2 cell causes a defect in the development of secondary lymphoid architecture that becomes more severe post-immunization. We also show that overexpression of ADAM10 leads to a defect in hematopoiesis, which eliminates B2 lymphocyte development. This defect additionally induces accumulation of myeloid derived suppressor cells, MDSCs. ADAM10Tg MDSCs function synonymous …

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Interpreting Invisibility: In Defense Of Regan, Brittany Ginder Apr 2014

Interpreting Invisibility: In Defense Of Regan, Brittany Ginder

Theses and Dissertations

Most scholarship regarding Shakespeare’s King Lear rests on the analysis of Lear and Cordelia, with the odd reference to the eldest daughter, Goneril, and brief homages to the Gloucester subplot. Lear’s middle daughter, Regan, is rarely mentioned at all, unless it is in conjunction with one of her more scholastically popular sisters. Within these marginalized moments of notice, Regan is routinely simplified as being just another sinful sister, fitting nicely into the accepted binaries of good and evil outlined within the play. Despite the fact that most binaries, like characters, are flawed, Regan has been given little to no chance …

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Lung Alveolar And Tissue Analysis Under Mechanical Ventilation, Trenicka Rolle Apr 2014

Lung Alveolar And Tissue Analysis Under Mechanical Ventilation, Trenicka Rolle

Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical ventilation has been a major therapy used by physicians in support of surgery as well as for treating patients with reduced lung function. Despite its many positive outcomes and ability to maintain life, in many cases, it has also led to increased injury of the lungs, further exacerbating the diseased state. Numerous studies have investigated the effects of long term ventilation with respect to lungs, however, the connection between the global deformation of the whole organ and the strains reaching the alveolar walls remains unclear. The walls of lung alveoli also called the alveolar septum are characterized as a …

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Forest Edges Enhance Mate-Finding In The European Gypsy Moth, Lymantria Dispar, Lily Thompson Apr 2014

Forest Edges Enhance Mate-Finding In The European Gypsy Moth, Lymantria Dispar, Lily Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding movement capabilities of individuals within a landscape is essential to identifying the effects of habitat boundaries on species abundances, ranges, and spread rates. Movement barriers due to habitat fragmentation may reduce mate-finding ability in some species, particularly in heterogeneous landscapes containing low-density populations. This study focuses on the effects of habitat type and edge on mate-finding in an invasive defoliator, the European gypsy moth. Adult European gypsy moth males locate mates by following pheromones released by flightless females. Reduced mate-finding was expected in fields and near forest edges based on geographic variation in invasion rates and pheromone plume dynamics. …

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Hcpr Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Utilizes Heme To Bind No, Benjamin Belvin Apr 2014

Hcpr Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Utilizes Heme To Bind No, Benjamin Belvin

Theses and Dissertations

The obligate anaerobe Porphyromonas gingivalis is the etiological agent responsible for periodontal disease. It must withstand high levels of reactive nitrogen species in the oral cavity generated by the host and other oral flora. The mechanisms allowing for protection against such stress remain poorly understand. HcpR is an FNR-CRP family regulator that has been implicated in regulation of the nitrosative stress response. In this study we characterize the biochemical properties of HcpR. It is a homo-dimer that is composed of 3 domains – a heme-binding domain, dimerization helix, and a DNA-binding domain. Our studies show that HcpR binds the heme …

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Irradiation Of Hs578t Breast Tumor Cells Induces Non-Cytoprotective Autophagy, Aisha Alhaddad Apr 2014

Irradiation Of Hs578t Breast Tumor Cells Induces Non-Cytoprotective Autophagy, Aisha Alhaddad

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US. The most frequently observed cancer type in women is breast cancer. A special type of breast cancer is triple negative (TNBC) cancer that is characterized by lacking three receptors: estrogen, progesterone and human epithelial growth factor (HER 2). The HS578t breast cell line is a model of TNBC that also has a mutation of the p53 protein. Ionizing radiation is used widely in the clinic to debulk tumors before surgery as well as post-surgery to eliminate residual tumor cells outside the surgical field. Previous studies from our laboratory …

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Evaluation Of The Prevalence And Clinical Characteristics Of Intrapulpal Cracks Utilizing A Novel Classification System, Matthew Detar Apr 2014

Evaluation Of The Prevalence And Clinical Characteristics Of Intrapulpal Cracks Utilizing A Novel Classification System, Matthew Detar

Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have investigated cracks involving the pulp chamber walls or floor. The purpose of this study was to create a classification system for intrapulpal cracks and analyze associated clinical characteristics. Retrospective analysis included 52 teeth confirmed to have an intrapulpal crack. The classification system describes the crack based upon its location within the pulpal walls and floor. Documentation consisted of demographic, subjective and objective examination data. Chi-squared analysis tested associations with the intrapulpal crack classifications. Ninety-two percent of intrapulpal cracks run M-D, 75% involve one pulp chamber wall, and 84% terminate at the floor-wall junction or extend into an …

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The Role Of Vitamin D Deficiency In Early Childhood Caries, Tiffany Williams Apr 2014

The Role Of Vitamin D Deficiency In Early Childhood Caries, Tiffany Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This is a pilot study to determine if there is a relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the development of early childhood caries (ECC). Methods: Serum 25(OH) vitamin D, parathyroid hormone and calcium were measured from children with ECC, who presented for dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia. Samples were obtained from caries free controls examined during a well-child medical check. Parents from both sample sizes filled out a questionnaire consisting of 22 questions regarding the child and parent’s medical and dental history as well as socioeconomic background. Results: ECC patients were found to have deficient serum levels of 25(OH) …

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The Republic Of The Philippines: Epidemiology And Epigenetics, Alexander A. Burkard Apr 2014

The Republic Of The Philippines: Epidemiology And Epigenetics, Alexander A. Burkard

UROP Posters

A brief, yet concise investigation was conducted on the Republic of the Philippines, with a keen interest in the epidemiology of the current urban areas of the nation (+150,000 inhabitants), as well as possible epigenetic change that may be induced from disease or environmental stressors upon these same groups of people. G6PD deficiency, a common disorder among persons in urban dwellings within the Republic of the Philippines (Hsia 1993) was found to have a strong correlation of incidence with members of other nations in localized proximity to the equator. Additionally, low birth weight in infants has been identified as a …

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Frailty And Depression: A Latent Trait Analysis, Matthew Lohman Apr 2014

Frailty And Depression: A Latent Trait Analysis, Matthew Lohman

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Frailty, a state indicating vulnerability to poor health outcomes, is a common condition in later life. However, research and intervention progress is hindered by the current lack of a consensus frailty definition and poor understanding of relationships between frailty and depression. Objectives: The goal of this research is to understand the interrelationships between frailty and depression among older adults. Specifically, this project aims 1) to examine the construct overlap between depression and three definitions of frailty (biological syndrome, medical burdens, and functional domains), 2) to determine the degree to which this overlap varies by age, gender, race/ethnicity and other …

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Increased Circulatory Lipopolysaccharide From A High Fat Diet Aggravates Inflammation And Exacerbates Renal Failure, Samuel Righi Apr 2014

Increased Circulatory Lipopolysaccharide From A High Fat Diet Aggravates Inflammation And Exacerbates Renal Failure, Samuel Righi

Theses and Dissertations

Kidney failure is frequently associated with the risk factors linked to metabolic syndrome. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent inflammatory molecule, which has increased absorption from the gut into blood circulation following a high fat and high-energy diet. We hypothesized that LPS from a high fat diet can amplify inflammation, thereby exacerbating chronic kidney disease and associated disorders. We have found that adding a high fat diet to renal insufficient mice significantly progressed their kidney disease as well as associated disorders, compared to both a high fat diet and renal insufficiency alone. Additionally, we were able to demonstrate in vitro that …

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Inkjet Printing Retinal Cells Vs. Gene Therapy In The Treatment Of Glaucoma, Shirley Yu Apr 2014

Inkjet Printing Retinal Cells Vs. Gene Therapy In The Treatment Of Glaucoma, Shirley Yu

UROP Posters

The neurodegenerative disease glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness and accounts for over ten million visits to physicians for treatment. Unfortunately, there is yet to be a concrete accepted approach to alleviating the effects of glaucoma. This dissertation examines recent studies and reports on the specifics of viral vectors, non-viral vectors, piezoelectric inkjet printing, heat inkjet printing, and glaucoma. A few of the studies involve the progression of an experiment while others combine and discuss the results of multiple experiments. Using these articles I compared the effectiveness of gene therapy to the use of inkjet printing to …

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Vigs (Virus Induced Gene Silencing), Cameron Winn Apr 2014

Vigs (Virus Induced Gene Silencing), Cameron Winn

UROP Posters

ABSTRACT Virus induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an efficient technique to quickly evaluate gene functions. VIGS utilizes the mechanism(s) of RNA interference (RNAi), which the virus vector carrying the gene of interest will be silenced through posttranscriptional gene silencing. Agrobacterium is used to carry the constructed vectors to infect the plants . Here, I summarized several inoculation methods have been reported recently to infect the plants. We are working on evaluating the efficiency with these different methods in our study system. Our lab uses Nicotiana obtusifolia (desert tobacco) as a model to studygene regulating plant development. I report the result …

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Ampk Activators Regulate Contractile Function Of Mesenteric Arteries, Victoria Locke Apr 2014

Ampk Activators Regulate Contractile Function Of Mesenteric Arteries, Victoria Locke

Theses and Dissertations

Vasoconstrictor tone in the splanchnic circulation redistributes blood flow during hemorrhage and resuscitation. A metabolic sensor, 5’adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), has been proposed to relax arteries by inhibiting myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK) and rho kinase (ROCK) activities. Because AMPK activation might be beneficial in re-establishing splanchnic blood flow during resuscitation, we sought to explore the relative ability of AMPK activators (AICAR, A769662, berberine (BBR) and simvastatin (SIMV)) to relax mesenteric artery (MA) contraction. Our data revealed that these drugs caused vasorelaxation when tissues were stimulated either with KCl (producing primarily a Ca2+ dependent contraction) or phenylephrine (PE; …

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Synthesis Of Cisplatin & Biological Testing Of The Complex, Compared To Triplatin (Bbr3464), Heba Dawood Apr 2014

Synthesis Of Cisplatin & Biological Testing Of The Complex, Compared To Triplatin (Bbr3464), Heba Dawood

UROP Posters

Two chemotherapeutic drugs were studied; one of them is Cisplatin that is currently used to fight cancer and the other is Triplatin (BBR3464) that was developed by Dr. Farrell. Cisplatin was synthesized and many different experiments were conducted such as: Recrystallization, Infrared Spectroscopy, UV-VIS, Melting Point, and Fluorescence experiment. After synthesizing the drug, it was tested in biology lab; we tested the effects of the drug on ovary cancer cells and its ability to kill cancer cells. A Cisplatin MTT ASSAY experiment was done and another MTT for Triplatin was done. Results from both of the experiments were compared and …

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Comprehensive Review On The Existence Of Genomic Imprinting In Aves, Derek Gygax Apr 2014

Comprehensive Review On The Existence Of Genomic Imprinting In Aves, Derek Gygax

Theses and Dissertations

Genomic imprinting results in monoallelic parent-of-origin gene expression. Therian mammals show conclusive evidence for imprinting, while the evidence in Aves is conflicting. It’s unclear if Aves have the proteins necessary for establishment and maintenance of imprinting loci. Every examined avian orthologue to mammalian imprinted genes shows biallelic expression providing evidence for a lack of imprinting in Aves. While the known parent-of-origin quantitative trait loci in chicken do not overlap with differentiated methylated regions, further analysis with a larger sample size is required. No transcript in the chicken transcriptome at incubation day 4.5 shows parent-of-origin expression, providing strong evidence for a …

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A Study Of The Relationship Between Childhood Body Size And Adult Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Structure And Function, Yangyang Deng Apr 2014

A Study Of The Relationship Between Childhood Body Size And Adult Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Structure And Function, Yangyang Deng

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Little is known of the effects of obesity, body size and body composition, and blood pressure (BP) in childhood on hypertension (HBP) and cardiac structure and function in adulthood due to the lack of long-term serial data on these parameters from childhood into adulthood. In the present study, we are poised to analyze these serial data from the Fels Longitudinal Study (FLS) to evaluate the extent to which body size during childhood determines HBP and cardiac structure and function in the same individuals in adulthood through mathematical modeling. METHODS: The data were from 412 males and 403 females in …

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Using Metabolic Engineering To Make Cheaper Biofuels, Pooja Nanjannavar Apr 2014

Using Metabolic Engineering To Make Cheaper Biofuels, Pooja Nanjannavar

UROP Posters

This paper attempts to find if metabolic engineering can be applied to more than one aspect of the biofuel production process and significantly reduce costs enough to make biofuels a viable replacement for petroleum. To explore this possibility, this paper analyzed three meta-analysis reviews on decreasing lignin in plant biomass, one meta-analysis on the prospects of changing the structure of lignin in plant biomass, two meta-analyses suggesting consolidated bioprocessing, and two experimental papers on increasing substrate range and efficiency. Based on these analyses, metabolic engineering can make biofuel production most cost effective by changing the biosynthetic pathways of the actual …

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The Fluidity Of Human Intimacy: A Look At Relationship Orientation And Identity With A Focus On Polyamory, Briana Spangler Apr 2014

The Fluidity Of Human Intimacy: A Look At Relationship Orientation And Identity With A Focus On Polyamory, Briana Spangler

UROP Posters

Polyamory (or “Poly”) is an alternative way that people conduct their relationships. My research was aimed at discovering what role relationship structure has to an individual’s identity. In this presentation, identity is defined as characteristics, beliefs and behaviors that make up a person’s self-image. To answer this question, I conducted a small case study involving personal interviews to find out how personal relationship structure played a role to their individual identities, particularly in the case of Polyamorous relationships. According to my findings, it seems that relationship structure has its own orientation, separate from sexual or gender orientation. The importance of …

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Characterization Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Nitrous Oxide, Kellianne J. Richardson Apr 2014

Characterization Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of Nitrous Oxide, Kellianne J. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a widely used anesthetic adjunct in dentistry and medicine that is also commonly abused. N2O alters the function of several receptors in vitro and ex vivo, however, the receptors systems underlying its abuse-related intoxicating effects are poorly understood. The goals of this dissertation were to (1) establish N2O as a discriminative stimulus, (2) characterize the temporal properties of the discriminative stimulus, (3) determine the degree of similarity between N2O and other inhalants and (4) explore the neurochemical effects responsible for the stimulus properties of N2O. Twenty-four mice were trained to discriminate 10 minutes exposure to 60% …

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Poiesthetic Play In Generative Music, John Priestley Apr 2014

Poiesthetic Play In Generative Music, John Priestley

Theses and Dissertations

Generative music creates indeterminate systems from which music can emerge. It provides a particularly instructive field for problems of ontology, semiotics, aesthetics, and ethics addressed in poststructuralist literary theory. I outline how repetition is the ultimate basis of musical intelligibility and of memory in general. The extension of these abstractions beyond tonal music to sound in general is afforded by the concrete iterability of audio recording media. Generative systems delineate a music that is repeatable in principle and in certain qualities, though not in specific forms; a music that produces emergent complexities from novel combinations, retaining the potential to surprise. …

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