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Omnis Determinatio Est Negatio: A Genealogy And Defense Of The Hegelian Conception Of Negation, Russell Newstadt

Dissertations

This dissertation explores a line of philosophical thought that accords negation a fundamental role in the determination of concepts and the kinds, universals and particulars to which concepts provide access. Though it takes the largely historical route of philosophical genealogy, focusing on Plato, Boethius and Hegel, the dissertation is also intended as a defense of the philosophical significance of negation itself, and of a principle Hegel famously attributes to Spinoza, omnis determinatio est negatio. I argue that in explaining negation as difference (to heteron) Plato reveals its originary function as the characteristic operation of cognition, and that this discursive role …

Isolation And Identification Of Bioactive Compounds From Conradina Canescens Gray, Noura S. Dosoky

Dissertations

Natural products have been used in traditional medicine throughout history. All drugs and medicinal agents were derived from natural substances or inspired by a natural product. The major source of these remedies is higher plants which are great sources for new compounds that have a wide variety of activity. Conradina canescens Gray (false rosemary) is a common evergreen shrub, endemic to a small area of west Florida and adjacent Alabama and southern parts of Mississippi, USA. There are very limited studies on the chemical composition of this plant species. According to the available literature, this species has not been tested …

The Expression Pattern Of Death Associated Protein Kinase1 In Normal Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons And Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Maryam Sulaiman Mohammed Al Saadi

Dissertations

Death-associated protein kinase1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin (Ca2+/CaM) regulated serine/threonine kinase. An increasing body of evidence supports the significance of DAPK1 protein in cancer and CNS diseases. The role of DAPK in peripheral nerve regeneration and neuropathic pain remains completely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression pattern of DAPK1 along with key proand anti-apoptotic cell signaling molecules (p53, Bax, Akt, ERK5, p38) and to verify the possibilities of DAPK1-NMDA NR2B relationship in dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRG) after 2 hours, 7 days and 14 days following a sciatic nerve injury. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry …

A Comparative Study Of The Concept Of Atonement In The Aboakyer Festival Of The Effutu Tribe In Ghana And The Yom Kippur Festival Of The Old Testament: Implications For Adventist Mission Among The Effutu, Emmanuel H. Takyi

Dissertations

Statement of Problem

History records that Christian missions have operated in Winneba since 1865 with various approaches being used to share the gospel with the Effutu. Though there have been successes, allegiance of the Effutu to their tribal gods, manifested especially during the Aboakyer festival, raises the need for a missiological bridge or intervention for an effective contextualized ministry among the Effutu of Winneba.

Purpose of Study

This research aims to develop a missiological model based on a comparative study of the OT Yom Kippur festival and the Effutu Aboakyer festival that will potentially facilitate more effective Adventist mission among …

Regulation Of Micrornas By 17Β-Estradiol In The Aging Female Brain, Yathindar Satya Giffin-Rao

Dissertations

Hormone Therapy (HT) is used to increase the 17β-estradiol (E2) levels in women who are going through the menopausal transition to alleviate the negative symptoms associated with menopause and decrease the risk of chronic diseases. Clinical and basic science research had previously shown that HT provided protection from cognitive decline and reduced the risk of dementia. However the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial demonstrated that HT had no beneficial effects for cognitive decline and, in some cases increased the risk of dementia in post-menopausal women. However, further analysis of WHI data showed that when HT was given to women …

Uncertainty Before And After Faith: The Dynamics Of Belief In Theology And Literature, Brent Little

Dissertations

Although there has been much interdisciplinary scholarship surrounding the influence of various novelists' Catholic beliefs upon their work, there has been relatively little discussion about the nature of faith that emerges in their novels. For instance, is faith portrayed primarily as assent to conceptual statements of belief?

This dissertation will argue that faith, as portrayed by various Catholic novelists, is fundamentally a person's imaginative orientation to trust and hope in the presence of God's grace in creation and human life. I will approach this issue through the category of uncertainty, specifically uncertainty's relationship to faith, as this relationship emerges in …

Study Of Escherichia Coli Adp-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase Catalysis: Investigating Critical Roles Of Conserved Arg32 And Lys42 Residues, Angela Lynn Mahaffey

Dissertations

Carbohydrates have been most notable as energy sources for mammals, bacteria (glycogen) and plants (starch) – and in many other species. As such the biosynthesis of carbohydrates is essential to the sustainability of many forms of life, on earth. Adenosine-‘5-diphosphate glucose pyrophosphate (ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase; ADP-Glc PPase) is the allosterically controlled “first committed step” in both the biosynthetic pathways of starch (~25% amylose and ~75% amylopectin, in plants and algae) and glycogen (in bacteria), preceding the starch/glycogen synthase reaction. By catalyzing the following reaction, ATP + α –D-Glc-1P ADP-Glc + PPi , ADP-Glc PPase functions as the primary enzyme in the …

Theology And Ideology Critique, Silas M. Morgan

Dissertations

In modern philosophy, the concept of ideology has been a problem for the relationship of theology to politics. Especially in its Marxist usage, “ideology” refers to a specific effect that theology has in modern society so as to conceal or hide the material facticity that shapes human life and practical activity. This is one of the many reasons why theology, even in its political form, has not taken up “ideology” as a matter inherent to its critical form. The absence of theoretical attention to ideology in theology itself has led to the deficit of immanent critique, especially in political theology. …

Emergent Literacy Skills In Print And Electronic Contexts: The Influence Of Book Type, Narration Style, And Attention, Kathryn Joyce O'Toole

Dissertations

Preschoolers can learn words and story content from traditional print books, but there has been no direct comparison of their learning from print and e-books while controlling for narration style. Additionally, very little empirical work has utilized a tablet e-book as the majority of research has examined learning from computer e-books. The current project examined how 4-year-olds (N = 100) learned words and story content from four different book reading contexts: a print book read aloud by a live adult, a print book narrated by an audio device, a tablet e-book read aloud by a live adult, or a tablet …

Mandated Reporting: An Examination Of Training And Practice Of School Psychologists, Katie Nicole Bradshaw Sears

Dissertations

This study sought to explore the training opportunities, knowledge, confidence in intervening, reporting behaviors, and types of supervision received and given in the areas of child maltreatment and mandated reporting by practicing school psychologists. Little is known about school psychologists' knowledge of child maltreatment and specific mandates about reporting suspicions of abuse or how to appropriately respond to disclosures of abuse (Arbolino et al., 2008). Given school psychologists' unique role in schools working directly with children, it is not uncommon for school psychologists to either suspect maltreatment is occurring or to hear a disclosure of maltreatment directly from a student. …

Amyloid Precursor Protein (App) Regulates G0/G1 Transition And Cell Growth, Anna Sobol

Dissertations

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) originates in the epithelia of the lung and persists as the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Many studies have shown that hypoxia is prevalent in NSCLC tissue and negatively influences treatment outcome.

In previous studies, we investigated the efficacy of gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) treatment in an orthotopic mouse NSCLC model. Analysis of hypoxic areas of tumors from GSI treated animals showed reappearance of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation at threonine 37/46 residues (T37/46). 4E-BP1 phosphorylation is primarily mediated by mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC-1), a major cell integrator of growth factors stimulation, …

Motivation For Seeking A Nurse Manager Position: A Qualitative Study, Judy L. Jarnigan White

Dissertations

By the year 2020, it is estimated there will be a need for 3.45 million bedside nurses – at least 1.2 million more than the projected supply (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2011). In addition to the lack of bedside nurses, nurse manager vacancy rates are estimated to be as high as 8.3% nationwide. There is limited empirical data available on a nurse’s motivation to choose a nurse manager role. This qualitative research study’s purpose was to explore the factors influencing nurses’ motivation to seek a nurse manager role and to articulate a grounded theory of decision-making. The …

A Structural Equation Model Of The Influence Of Personal, Behavioral, And Environmental Factors On The Writing Performance Of First-Year Students At A Selected Michigan Community College, Thula I. Norton Lambert

Dissertations

Problem.

While previous writing performance studies have examined a range of motivational variables such as self-efficacy or writing apprehension, certain contextual variables and variables related to current writing pedagogy and practice have not been included, which has resulted in gaps in the research literature.

Method.

A non-experimental, correlational, cross-sectional, ex post facto, survey research design was used to examine the personal, behavioral, and environmental factors that had been identified as being of potential influence to students’ writing performance. A census was conducted among the 233 students enrolled in English Composition on the two campuses of a small two-year college in …

Cleansing The Common: A Narrative-Intertextual Study Of Mark 7:1-23, Eike Arend Mueller

Dissertations

The conflict story of Mark 7:1–23 between Jesus and the religious leaders over the issue of defilement is the meeting point of a variety of disciplines: Purity studies, Jewish studies, exegetical studies, Historical Jesus studies, and studies on Jesus and the law. The crux of the passage, the meaning of the parable in v. 15 and the ensuing “cleansing” in v. 19, has been interpreted very differently. Scholars doing exegetical studies and studies on the relationship between Jesus and the law have maintained that the Gospel writer correctly reflects in 7:19 the meaning of Jesus’ parable (7:15), abrogating the clean/unclean …

An Analysis And Response To The Fear Of Evil Spiritual Forces Among Kamba Christians In The Light Of Biblical And Ellen G. White Teachings, Joseph Mutune Ndisya

Dissertations

This research aimed to discover whether there are any reasons from the Scriptures and writings of Ellen G. White regarding fear of evil spiritual forces. Thus research aims to understand the historical, cultural and religious reasons Kamba Christians frequently live in fear and dual allegiance. Biblical solutions will be suggested to permanently eliminate that fear. Fear is often so great that born-again Christians carry protective devices and practices which they believe will ward off the invading evil spiritual forces.

The Old Testament writings were examined to see how God wanted His people to relate to any evil power. The Old …

Under-Represented Students' Engagement In Secondary Science Learning: A Non-Equivalent Control Group Design, Joy J. Vann-Hamilton

Dissertations

Problem.

A significant segment of the U.S. population, under-represented students, is under-engaged or disengaged in secondary science education. International and national assessments and various research studies illuminate the problem and/or the disparity between students’ aspirations in science and the means they have to achieve them. To improve engagement and address inequities among these students, more contemporary and/or inclusive pedagogy is recommended. More specifically, multicultural science education has been suggested as a potential strategy for increased equity so that all learners have access to and are readily engaged in quality science education. While multicultural science education emphasizes the integration of students’ …

Clarification Of The Systematics Of The Haploporoidea (Trematoda) With Descriptions Of New Genera And Species, Michael Jay Andres

Dissertations

The superfamily Haploporoidea Nicoll, 1914 comprises two families, the Atractotrematidae Yamaguti, 1939 and the Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914, and the subfamily Cadenatellinae Gibson et Bray, 1982. All members are parasites of the alimentary tract or gall bladder of marine, estuarine, and freshwater herbivorous fishes. Overstreet and Curran (2005a) provided a review of the Haploporidae and recognized four subfamilies, the Chalcinotrematinae Overstreet et Curran, 2005, Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914, Megasoleninae Manter, 1935, and Waretrematinae Srivastava, 1937. In a series of five publications, Blasco-Costa et al. (2009a-e) revised the Haploporinae and erected a fifth subfamily, the Forticulcitinae Blasco-Costa, Balbuena, Kostadinova, et Olson, 2009. The …

Pre-Service Teachers: A Study Of Self-Theories Of Intelligence And Attitudes About Web 2.0, Lee Ann Smith

Dissertations

This study examined the relationship of pre-service teachers’ self-theories of intelligence (mindset) and their attitudes about Web 2.0. The research questions evaluate: (a) Whether a significant correlation exists between pre-service teachers’ mindsets and attitudes about Web 2.0 (social media), and (b) Whether significant differences exist between demographic groups (e.g., age, certification area, gender) and their attitudes about Web 2.0 (social media). Results of the study indicate that a weak correlation between pre-service teachers’ perceived mindsets and perceived attitudes about Web 2.0 was statistically significant. In addition, significant differences were found based upon certification area, gender, and age with the sample’s …

Perceptions Of Urban High School Teachers Transitioning From Traditional Instruction To Blended Learning, Michael Wayne Hamilton

Dissertations

Increasing demands for technology integration at the K-12 level have led school districts to explore blended learning as an option for sustaining productive instructional strategies while increasing technology integration in the classroom. Furthermore, Disruptive Innovation Theory (Christensen, 1997) offers insights as to the potential impact of blended learning on the field of education. This phenomenological study attempted to capture the lived experiences of urban high school teachers who were transitioning to a blended learning instructional strategy. In addition, this study utilized the Stages of Concern (SoC) component of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to isolate the phenomenon and provide …

The Effect Of Functional Fixation In Problem Solving Among Preschool, Second Grade, And Ninth Grade Children, Michael Kenneth Nehring

Dissertations

Functional fixedness is a cognitive function whereby an individual becomes fixated on a given function of an object, which prevents the individual from using the object in an alternative fashion to solve a problem (Duncker, 1935/1945). The current study analyzed the effect of functional fixedness on 36 children from three different age groups, preschool, second grade, and ninth grade. The children were presented with a problem solving activity based on a problem used by German and Defeyter (2000), in which they concluded that young children are immune to the effects of functional fixedness. Research conducted by Chrysikou (2006) indicated using …

Relationships Between Wellness-Related Behaviors And Academic Performance, Helene M. Alfano

Dissertations

This study investigated possible relationships between specific wellness-related behaviors and academic achievement by using self-reported data from the 2009 Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS). Participants were students from 50 public high schools in Michigan in grades 9 through 12 (N = 3,411). Survey responses were analyzed with an ordinal logistic regression procedure using SPSS software. Beyond the control model, the block of variables on (a) diet explained 9.3% of the variance in the outcome measure, an additional amount of variance that was statistically significant and practically important. Each of the remaining blocks, including (b) physical activity, (c) self-perception of …

Characterization And Role Of Msaabcr In Biofilm Development And Virulence In Staphylococcus Aureus, Gyan Sundar Sahukhal

Dissertations

Community-acquired, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains often cause localized infections in immune-compromised hosts, but some strains show enhanced virulence leading to severe infections even among healthy individuals with no predisposing risk factors. The genetic basis for this enhanced virulence has yet to be determined. S. aureus possesses a wide variety of virulence factors, the expression of which is carefully coordinated by a variety of regulators. Several virulence regulators have been well characterized, but others have yet to be thoroughly investigated. Previously, the msa gene as a regulator of several virulence genes, biofilm development, and antibiotic …

Ancestor Worship In The Middle Sicán Theocratic State, Go Matsumoto

Dissertations

The major focus of this dissertation is the ancestor worship that is inferred to have been practiced in the multiethnic Middle Sicán theocratic state (AD 950-1100) that prospered on the northern North Coast of Peru. The major objective is twofold: (1) demonstrating by archaeological means that ancestors were indeed worshipped in the Middle Sicán society and (2) elucidating the nature and role of the inferred ancestor cult and associated rituals and ceremonies. Ancestor (and the veneration of it) is one of the themes that have the deepest roots in the anthropological thoughts; nevertheless, many archaeologists have uncritically invoked ancestor veneration …

Factors Determining Habitat Selection By Spring Migrating Waterfowl Along The Wabash River, Illinois, Ryan O'Shaughnessy

Dissertations

The main proponent of management of any animal species is habitat management. The ability of habitats to maintain species communities will depend on the variation in both habitat structure and composition. While spatial variation in habitat resources plays a critical role in determining the distribution of species, an equally important consideration that must be accounted for is temporal variation in the needs of the target species. Nutritional requirements, and thus the habitats used to fulfil those nutritional needs, will be different depending on if the individual is breeding, migrating, molting, enduring winter, or establishing a new range. For waterfowl, we …

Printing Functional Electronic Circuits And Components, Ahmed Tausif Aijazi

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges in printing reliable multilayer flexible circuits, devices and components. Gravure was used as the primary printing process for this work, but due to some limitations of gravure, other printing methods were also investigated. At first a systematic study was done to determine the optimum parameters for the gravure printing of sub 50 micron lines. Commercially available silver nanoparticle inks were printed on a lab scale gravure printer, Accupress®. The highest resolution line that was electrically conductive was 36μm wide. The 9μm, 18μm and 27μm lines were printed but were not …

Magnetic Nickel Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Environmental Lmplications And Potential Role As Drug Carriers, Setare Tahmasebi Nick

Dissertations

The design and synthesis of well-defined magnetic particles with nanoscale dimensions is opening new avenues in understanding their fundamental chemical and physical properties. Our work describes a novel facile procedure for the synthesis of homogenous isotropic and anisotropic magnetic nickel nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were produced using a wet-chemical process and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Magnetic measurements were acquired using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. While there is significant interest in using magnetic nanoparticles for biological …

Aminoglycoside-Induced Otoneurotoxicity: Analysis Of Inner Hair Cell Synaptic Plasticity Following Drug Exposure, Matthew M. Abernathy

Dissertations

Aminoglycoside antibiotics are powerful drugs for combating bacterial infections, but are limited in use due to their ototoxicity. This class of drug targets the auditory hair cells of the cochlea, causing cell death, which leads to a decline in auditory function. In spite of much research aimed at revealing a mechanism of damage, there are no co-therapies available to diminish the ototoxic liability of aminoglycosides. Existing research does show that there may be a neurodegenerative process that contributes to the observed toxicity. In an effort towards clarifying present understanding of issue, this dissertation project was conducted to characterize the neurodegenerative …

Probing The Unfolding And The Stability Of The Last Four Metal Binding Domains Of Wilson Disease Protein Using Circular Dichroism And Novel Spectroscopic Techniques, Ibtesam Yaseen Alja’Afreh

Dissertations

Wilson disease protein is a copper-transporting P_1B type ATPase. It has large N-terminal copper binding domain which is composed of six homologous sub-domains. Each of these six domains is ~72 residues and connected to one another by linking regions of various lengths. They all possess similar ferrodoxin fold, and metal-binding motif, MXCXXC.

The need of having six metal binding domains and the manner in which they are communicating with each other is not well understood. To better understand how the last four metal binding domains function, I pursued a detailed biophysical characterization of these domains. Using molecular biology I …

The Neurobehavioral Consequences Of Gestational And Chronic Atrazine Exposure In Male And Female Sprague Dawley Rats, Jennifer L. Walters

Dissertations

The adverse health risks of exposure to the herbicide, atrazine, in humans are not fully understood. Although numerous studies have demonstrated atrazine to be an endocrine disrupter, the neurobehavioral consequences of atrazine exposure have not been thoroughly examined. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of environmentally-relevant levels

of gestational followed by continued chronic atrazine exposure on motor function, learning and memory, anxiety, and striatal dopamine content in rodents. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were treated by gavage with 100 µg/kg atrazine (ATZ low), 10 me/kg atrazine (ATZ high), or vehicle on

gestational day l through postnatal day …

Evaluation Of Novel Κappa Opioid Agonists Alone And In Combination With D-Amphetamine On Locomotor Activity In Sprague-Dawley Rats Evaluation Of Novel Κappa Opioid Agonists Alone And In Combination With D-Amphetamine On Locomotor Activity In Sprague-Dawley Rats, Mary Melissa Peet

Dissertations

Stimulant abuse is a widespread problem that often leads to detrimental health and social consequences. Currently, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies available as a treatment option for stimulant abuse or the prevention of relapse. Drugs targeting kappa opioid receptors (KOR) are under investigation as a potential pharmacotherapy. KOR agonists have been shown to modulate dopamine levels within brain reward pathways, thereby producing anti-addictive effects. Traditional KOR agonists unfortunately tend to produce untoward side effects, including sedation, limiting their therapeutic utility. Structurally different from traditional KOR agonists, salvinorin A (salvA) may produce less sedating effects while still exerting anti-addictive properties. SalvA …