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Articles 3661 - 3690 of 8975
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
The Effects Of Stressors And Stress Hormones On Behavior, Physiology, And Disease Susceptibility In Terrestrial Salamanders, Christopher Fonner
The Effects Of Stressors And Stress Hormones On Behavior, Physiology, And Disease Susceptibility In Terrestrial Salamanders, Christopher Fonner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Amphibians are exposed to numerous environmental stressors, which may contribute to population declines being experienced by amphibians worldwide. Upon exposure to stressors, animals will release the glucocorticoid hormone, corticosterone (CORT), which typically mediates physiological and behavioral responses for resisting or coping with the stressor. Additionally, amphibians are at risk from a chytrid fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). After Bd infection, amphibians may develop the potentially fatal disease chytridiomycosis. To better understand how CORT mediates responses to different stressors, and possible immunosuppressive effects of CORT on Bd susceptibility, I performed several experiments. First, I tested the predation stress hypothesis in terrestrial …
Non-Traditional Therapeutic Interventions For At-Risk Youth & Students With Complex Support Needs: Equine Therapy, Erin J. Grimm
Non-Traditional Therapeutic Interventions For At-Risk Youth & Students With Complex Support Needs: Equine Therapy, Erin J. Grimm
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The increased need for effective interventions and the challenge of working with children and youth with complex support or at-risk needs such as emotional disorders, physical and mental health needs as well as autism; have resulted in the design of many non-traditional therapeutic interventions, such as various experiential therapies, animal-assisted therapy, expressive therapies, wilderness therapy, and adventure-based therapy (Suarez, 2005). For the purpose of this dissertation, the researcher will explore the non-traditional therapeutic intervention of equine therapy and its effect on the social and emotional development of three diverse families who reside in Western Pennsylvania. The researcher will also investigate …
Development Of Extraction Method For Persistent Organic Pollutants In Water And Dietary Supplement Using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction And Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, Weier Hao
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in drinking water and dietary supplements can be sources of xenobiotic pollutants in human body and cause detrimental impacts on human health. In this study, an accurate, precise, sensitive, reproducible, and green method was developed to quantify POPs in water and dietary supplements using stir bar sorptive extraction- gas chromatography- mass spectrometry and isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Different analytical parameters were tested for method optimization. Based on efficiency as well as recovery of the analytes, stirring at room temperature for one hour with water and methanol as solvent was selected as the optimal method. After validation, …
Increasing The Number Of African American Students In Undergraduate Level Classes Of Chinese: A Call To Action, Huiwen Li
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Chinese language is the only ideographic language remaining in the world (Osaka, 1976). It conveys affluent Chinese culture and has great influences on the East Asian countries (Miyake, 2013). In the economic globalization of the world, China's economy and international influence are expanding. For these reasons and many more the Chinese language is widely accepted as one of the major world languages. It makes sense then Chinese language classes are experiencing popularity and growth with United States undergraduates. Despite this growth, however, the enrollment of African American students is constantly low in college Chinese language classrooms (Li, Wen, & Xie, …
Well Water Quality In Southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, Scott Mayes
Well Water Quality In Southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, Scott Mayes
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The increase in unconventional shale gas extraction in Pennsylvania has resulted in an increased number of groundwater contamination claims. Well water quality was investigated in southern Butler County, PA where 387 unconventional gas wells have been drilled since 2006. A total of 121 households participated in a survey and 238 well water samples were tested. Specific conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen in these samples were measured in the field and seven anion concentrations and thirty metal concentrations were measured in the lab. A subset of 91 water wells was also tested for light hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, ethylene, propylene, propane, butane). …
Sin And The Story Of Salvation: The Theology Of Atonement In Light Of Biblical Narrative Theology, Mark Ortwein
Sin And The Story Of Salvation: The Theology Of Atonement In Light Of Biblical Narrative Theology, Mark Ortwein
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Contemporary atonement theology offers three general conceptions of the cross: objective, subjective, and dramatic, which corresponds to Gustaf Aulén's classic tripartite typology. Although these different views are important since they contribute to a rich soteriology, when addressing the topic of atonement, or reconciliation proper, the objective type, promoted in satisfaction and penal substitution theories, are by comparison more compatible with Scripture when considering its larger narrative structure. This compatibility is attributable to the seriousness with which they construe the problem of sin that alienates humanity from God and places them in a predicament from which they are unable to extricate …
Spinoza's Ethology: Recognizing Dynamic Transitions Between Imagination, Reason, And Intuition, Christina Rawls
Spinoza's Ethology: Recognizing Dynamic Transitions Between Imagination, Reason, And Intuition, Christina Rawls
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Seventeenth Century lens grinder and Dutch philosopher, Benedict de Spinoza, illuminates a rigorous and dynamic theory of knowledge and action in his major system the Ethics. What we learn by adequately learning Spinoza's epistemology is that within it is a proto-physics of ideational force between the three kinds of knowledge expressed by the attribute of thought and, simultaneously, expressed as ratios of motion and rest, speed and slowness, intensity and transformation by the attribute of extension. Such dynamic processes or ways lead to one's capacity for increased rational thought and action, increased uses of creativity, and the enhanced ability to …
Macrophage Cox-2 As A Target For Imaging And Therapy Of Inflammatory Diseases Using Theranostic Nanoemulsions, Sravan Kumar Patel
Macrophage Cox-2 As A Target For Imaging And Therapy Of Inflammatory Diseases Using Theranostic Nanoemulsions, Sravan Kumar Patel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Personalized medicine can be an approach to address the unsatisfactory treatment outcomes in inflammatory conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. A common feature of chronic diseases is the infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages at the disease loci. Infiltrating macrophages have been previously utilized for disease diagnosis. These features suggest that macrophages can be broadly applicable targets for simultaneous therapy and diagnosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of a lipid inflammatory mediator, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), is over expressed in macrophages infiltrating the pathological site. Inhibition of PGE2 leads to reduced inflammation, pain and macrophage infiltration. To utilize …
Severely Stressed Astrocytes Adapt To Injury And Still Protect Neighboring Neurons, Amanda Marie Gleixner
Severely Stressed Astrocytes Adapt To Injury And Still Protect Neighboring Neurons, Amanda Marie Gleixner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease are projected to affect 15.14 million people by the year 2050. All neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by protein-misfolding stress, or proteotoxicity, in both neurons and glia. However, the impact of proteotoxicity on glia is less well understood than in neurons. Astrocytes are an abundant type of glia and play an essential role in brain homeostasis by supporting neuronal functions. Therefore, one of the major goals of the present study was to identify ways to reduce the impact of proteotoxicity in astrocytes. In Aim 1, we examined natural adaptations to proteotoxic stress in …
En Route To Communicative Praxis: Understanding Natural Law And Several Communicative Implications, Rachel Ann Kosko
En Route To Communicative Praxis: Understanding Natural Law And Several Communicative Implications, Rachel Ann Kosko
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This work claims communicative praxis is necessary and becomes increasingly more promising by introducing discussions that integrate explicit knowledge of natural law as a precursor for conversations regarding communication ethics. Taking a hermeneutical approach of returning to a text [book, person, place, etc.] with different questions develops new insights for identifying obstacles to understanding, functioning as barriers in preventing praxis. Some existing obstacles include errors, irrelevant information, misunderstandings, and implicit or omitted topics like natural law found lacking throughout the philosophical discourse. Therefore, this dissertation defines key terms, unveils the lineage of the law, reviews texts by Roman Catholic scholars …
Cytokine Dynamics, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Neuroinflammation In Chronic Constriction Injury Rat Model, Kiran Vasudeva
Cytokine Dynamics, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Neuroinflammation In Chronic Constriction Injury Rat Model, Kiran Vasudeva
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Chronic neuropathic pain is a serious, worldwide health problem leading to life-long treatment and the possibility of significant disability. In this study, neuropathic pain was modeled using the chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. The CCI rats exhibited hypersensitivity (typical neuropathic pain symptom) to mechanical stimulation of the affected paw 11 days post-surgery, at a time when sham surgery animals did not. It is known that immune cells play a role in the development of neuropathic pain and to further explore the relationship between neuropathic pain and immune cells, we hypothesized that the infiltration of immune cells into the affected …
A Constructive Account Of Children's Moral Agency Drawing On Thomas Aquinas's Theory Of Emotions, Ann Vinski
A Constructive Account Of Children's Moral Agency Drawing On Thomas Aquinas's Theory Of Emotions, Ann Vinski
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation makes the case that children are moral agents engaged with the morality of their communities without being morally accountable as adults. Contemporary Christian theological anthropology holds that children are fully human and in the image of God, and that they are already encountering good and evil in the world. Childhood is viewed as an essential part of human life and as something that perdures throughout a person's existence. Through their emotions, children are able to engage with, make meaning of, and respond to their surroundings, and these early emotional experiences help to shape each person for the whole …
Monoamine Transporter Photoaffinity Ligands Based On Methylphenidate And Citalopram: Rational Design, Chemical Synthesis, And Biochemical Application, Nageswari Yarravarapu
Monoamine Transporter Photoaffinity Ligands Based On Methylphenidate And Citalopram: Rational Design, Chemical Synthesis, And Biochemical Application, Nageswari Yarravarapu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Monoamine transporters (MATs) are a family of proteins that include the dopamine transporter (DAT), serotonin transporter (SERT), and norepinephrine transporter (NET). Specifically, dysregulation of MAT function is associated with a host of disease states including drug abuse, major depressive disorder, and anxiety. Additionally, several drugs acting as MAT inhibitors are clinically available to treat multiple disorders. However, details regarding the transport inhibition mechanism created by these drugs, as well as their discrete ligand-binding pockets within their target MAT proteins, remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap in turn hinders rational development of novel therapeutics for numerous MAT-associated disorders. The objective of …
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pilin Glycosylation: The Role Of The Pilin Glycan In Pilus Solubility, Function, And Assembly Blank, Tara Allison
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pilin Glycosylation: The Role Of The Pilin Glycan In Pilus Solubility, Function, And Assembly Blank, Tara Allison
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains producing group I type IVa pili comprise over 50% of the clinical isolate population. The pilus lateral surface of these strains is characterized by the attachment of an O-antigen repeating unit to each pilin monomer. O-antigen (glycan) structural analysis provided information on two possible characteristics, charge and size. Solubility experiments of fully, partially, and non-glycosylated P. aeruginosa 1244 pili showed that a full length glycan was required for maximum pilus solubility. Reduced solubility suggested an increased pilus surface hydrophobicity which was supported by protein modeling. While having no effect on the wild type strain, ionic strengths found …
Rethinking Multiplicity After Deleuze And Badiou, Becky Vartabedian
Rethinking Multiplicity After Deleuze And Badiou, Becky Vartabedian
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation is built around two questions. The first concerns a structure for analyzing Gilles Deleuze's (1925-1995) work with multiplicity and Alain Badiou's (1937- ) presentation of the same concept: On what grounds is it possible to understand the relationship between Badiou's and Deleuze's work on multiplicity and its ontological significance? I answer with Deleuze's mechanism of the problem-solution couple, a framework that accommodates the affirmation of diverse solutions to any philosophical or ontological problem. Using the problem-solution couple as a framework for organizing the relationship between Deleuze and Badiou provides an alternative to the traditional positioning of these programs …
Method Development For Mass Spectrometric Characterization Of Ultra-Small Nanomolecules And Mass Spectrometry Imaging Of Selected Biomolecules, Nuwan K. Kothalawala
Method Development For Mass Spectrometric Characterization Of Ultra-Small Nanomolecules And Mass Spectrometry Imaging Of Selected Biomolecules, Nuwan K. Kothalawala
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
High sensitivity, selectivity and remarkable identification capabilities facilitate the applicability of mass spectrometry (MS) in diverse fields. This dissertation outlines how this cutting edge technology is used to determine the chemical composition of the ultra-small nanomolecules (NMs) to atomic precision and obtain spatial resolution of selected biomolecules using mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). Chapter I includes introduction to electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) MS used in my PhD research. Chapter II explains how high resolution ESI-MS methods were developed to analyze the polar water-soluble NMs. These new methods express how ESI-MS parameters need to be optimized …
Systems Biology Approach To Understanding The Control Of Glucose Metabolism In Healthy And Apoptotic Neurons, Hoda Gebril
Systems Biology Approach To Understanding The Control Of Glucose Metabolism In Healthy And Apoptotic Neurons, Hoda Gebril
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Apoptosis plays a crucial role in sculpting the developing central nervous system (CNS) but can, under certain conditions, contribute to neurodegeneration in the mature CNS. Metabolic disturbances have long been associated with apoptosis-inducing agents, however, the mechanism underlying such changes remains controversial. In this study, our hypotheses was that decreased ATP turnover may bring about other metabolic changes in apoptotic neurons. Accordingly, change in metabolic reactions other than ATP turnover may not be important in the study of apoptotic mechanism. In a living cell, metabolic reactions are highly connected and thus are highly sensitive to kinetic change in one or …
Carbon Dioxide Capture With Amine Functionlized Graphene Oxide, Renee Zeleszki
Carbon Dioxide Capture With Amine Functionlized Graphene Oxide, Renee Zeleszki
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Abstract: amine functionalized graphene oxide was used as sorbent in order to achieve carbon dioxide capture. In this study, micro size graphite flakes was prepared according to modified hummers method and "hummers' method with additional kmno4." Graphene oxide was then functionalized with ethylenediamine (eda). Different purification methods for graphene oxide were studied as well as different functionalization method times. Graphite oxide and functionalized graphene oxide has been analyzed with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ftir) for chemical structure. Thermal gravimetric analysis (tga) was used to test co2 capture capacity. Functionalized graphene oxide that has been purified with 30 washes via centrifuge …
Empirical Modeling Of Piping Along Mississippi River Levees In Southwestern Illinois, Rebecca F. Shields
Empirical Modeling Of Piping Along Mississippi River Levees In Southwestern Illinois, Rebecca F. Shields
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Speaking In Wild Tongues: The Borderlands Of Eudora Welty And Alice Walker, Sara Gabler Thomas
Speaking In Wild Tongues: The Borderlands Of Eudora Welty And Alice Walker, Sara Gabler Thomas
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In Borderlands/La Frontera Gloria Anzaldúa describes her experience undergoing a dental procedure as a battle between her wild tongue and the dentist. Beginning with a discussion of Anzaldúa’s concept of the wild tongue, this project asks how writers across the US South depict unruly tongues and infelicitous speech. Methodologically, this thesis inverts the comreading model in literary studies of reading Third World writers through First World theorists. Instead, beginning with Anzaldúa, I propose to reverse this process and assert a new reading methodology of reading First World writers through Third World theorists. The trope of the wild tongue will mobilize …
Is This Fire, Gregory Sherl
Is This Fire, Gregory Sherl
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Is This Fire is a collection of poems dealing with the themes of faith and loss. In one section, "The Third Testament," parts of the Bible have been reimagined. There are poems about Joan of Arc, as well as poems that touch on miscarriages, as well as the Columbine massacre. There are, of course, also love poems.
Evaluation Of Novel Ligands For Opioid Receptors, Amer Hussien Tarawneh
Evaluation Of Novel Ligands For Opioid Receptors, Amer Hussien Tarawneh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
No abstract provided.
Design, Synthesis And Cannabinoid Receptor Activity Of Benzofuran Ligands, Eric William Bow
Design, Synthesis And Cannabinoid Receptor Activity Of Benzofuran Ligands, Eric William Bow
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The endocannabinoid system is a complex homeostatic signaling system controlled through the actions of two g-protein coupled receptors, cannabinoid receptor 1 (cb1) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (cb2). Significant neuronal expression and distribution of cb1 throughout the brain establishes its function as a major synaptic signaling receptor, and in regards to the actions of cannabis sativa, it is the primary mediator of the psychotropic effects of marijuana. Conversely, cb2 expression is confined to microglial cells in the brain and predominantly peripheral immune cells. The expression of cb2 provides a pharmacological basis for the well-documented immunomodulatory effects of cannabis, providing a potential …
Biomolecular Folding Rates As Understood From Single-Reaction-Coordinate Langevin Dynamics And Kramers’ Theory, Md Adnan Kabir
Biomolecular Folding Rates As Understood From Single-Reaction-Coordinate Langevin Dynamics And Kramers’ Theory, Md Adnan Kabir
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Langevin dynamics was used to model the folding and unfolding of simple, hairpin-like biomolecules whose ends are attached to laser-trapped beads, as occurs in optical tweezers experiments. The Langevin process was evolved numerically, using parameters motivated by real experimental systems. Folding trajectories were generated and analyzed to extract the folding rate as a function of the force applied to the beads. The observed rate was compared to the analytical predictions of Kramers' theory. Strong discrepancies were noted. The failure of the Kramers' theory was attributed to the slow dynamical response of the beads, which it does not account for. The …
The Dead Rise The Dead And Walk Among The Living: An Examination Of The Haunting South, Queerness, And Grotesqueries In Truman Capote's "Other Voices, Other Rooms" And "Local Color", Jordan Alexis Savage
The Dead Rise The Dead And Walk Among The Living: An Examination Of The Haunting South, Queerness, And Grotesqueries In Truman Capote's "Other Voices, Other Rooms" And "Local Color", Jordan Alexis Savage
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This project is conceptualized through a multitude of intersecting and overlapping theories that work together to allow an examination of circulations and intersections of queerness, grotesqueries, and the haunting South. Throughout this reading of Truman Capote’s Other Voices, Other Rooms and Local Color I want to think through the ways in which images and moments in the text can be queer and grotesque while also lending themselves to the images and eruptions that make up the haunting South. My reading of grotesqueries and the haunting South purposefully moves away from the Southern Gothic, rooting itself instead in a space that …
Overexpression Of Human Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase In Mice; The Effect Of Increase Superoxide Scavenging On Autonomic Control Of The Heart., Jeffrey Hatcher
Overexpression Of Human Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase In Mice; The Effect Of Increase Superoxide Scavenging On Autonomic Control Of The Heart., Jeffrey Hatcher
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Dysregulation of the autonomic cardiovascular control is a complication of diseases including diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and aging. A common factor in these conditions is an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) in neural, cardiac, and endothelial tissues. Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is an intracellular anti-oxidant enzyme that catalyzes dismutation of the superoxide anion (O2.-) to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Expression and function of this enzyme are diminished in pathologies that impair cardiovascular autonomic control. This study employed mice overexpressing a transgene for human SOD1 (hSOD1) to determine if its overexpression would alter autonomic regulation of BP, HR, and BRS in …
Exploring Social Identity Through Stable Isotope Analysis In The Kellis 2 Cemetery, Kaitlin East
Exploring Social Identity Through Stable Isotope Analysis In The Kellis 2 Cemetery, Kaitlin East
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The material remains of ancient Egypt provide extensive and wide ranging data about the empire throughout its history. However, little evidence is available from ancient Egypt, or any past culture, with which to rebuild an image of social identity or individual experiences. This is especially problematic when the dominant narrative ignores experiences of minorities and minimizes the variation existing throughout the empire. Stable isotope analysis has the potential to reveal variability in lived experience of past peoples by acting as a proxy for behavior that can be analyzed from bone. Such an approach has been applied on individuals from the …
Nano And Nanostructured Materials For Optical Applications, Panit Chantharasupawong
Nano And Nanostructured Materials For Optical Applications, Panit Chantharasupawong
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Nano and nanostructured materials offer unique physical and chemical properties that differ considerably from their bulk counterparts. For decades, due to their fascinating properties, they have been extensively explored and found to be beneficial in numerous applications. These materials are key components in many cutting-edge optic and photonic technologies, including photovoltaics, waveguides and sensors. In this dissertation, the uses of nano and nanostructured materials for optical applications are investigated in the context of optical limiting, three dimensional displays, and optical sensing. Nanomaterials with nonlinear optical responses are promising candidates for self-activating optical limiters. In the first part of this study, …
Urban Agriculture Within The Valley Of Oaxaca: Investigations And Implications Of Agricultural Terracing At Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Anthony Tricarico
Urban Agriculture Within The Valley Of Oaxaca: Investigations And Implications Of Agricultural Terracing At Monte Alban, Oaxaca, Anthony Tricarico
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The implementation of geographic information systems for the analysis of Late Classic (500-800 C.E.) terraces at Monte Albán, reveals a spatial pattern not visible through prior pedestrian site surveys. The Valley of Oaxaca Settlement Pattern Project concluded that nearly all of the 1,464 Late Classic terraces at Monte Albán were used for residential purposes. Spatial analysis tools reveal a greater human-ecological complexity. The goal of this study was to use ArcGIS to map the 1,273 terraces near Monte Albán's ceremonial center and combine them with individually identifiable data sets. Analysis of each terrace, particularly based upon water availability, ceramic distribution, …
Black Skies And Gray Matter, Jacquelyn Bennett
Black Skies And Gray Matter, Jacquelyn Bennett
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Black Skies and Gray Matter is a collection of stories thematically centered on characters that are lonely or lost in the world. These stories explore the characters' personalities through their interactions with others (strangers, family, friends, and spouses) and the difficulties they face being misunderstood. Their journeys are ones of trying to find happiness and their place in society (or rejecting it). As they face alienation, they must endure the trials of everyday life (some more extreme than others) and, at the same time, search for kindred spirits, a sense of belonging. Some stay true to themselves while others conform …