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The Relationship Between Patterns Of Relating And Academic Self-Concept, Ji Woong Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between patterns of relating to both parents and academic self-concept. Also, this study examined the differences between academically high-achieving college students and academically at-risk college students in patterns of relating and academic self-concept. One hundred sixty one college students participated in this study. Of the 161 participants, 90 were recruited from an academic support program and 71 were recruited from an honors college. Participants completed a research packet including the Adult Scale of Parental Aattachment (Snow et al., 2007), Self Description Questionnaire III (Marsh, 1992), and the Demographic Questionnaire. Results …

Natural Products Chemistry Of Leads Acting On Mrsa, Hcv, Malaria, And Depression Disorders, Mohamed Ali Mohamed Ali Ibrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nature has proven to be an endless source of abundant diversity of chemical entities with varying biological activities. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the world's population depends on traditional medicine for treating their everyday health problems. According to Gordon Cragg, former director of the natural products branch of the NCI, ″Nature has produced wonderfully complex molecules that no synthetic chemist could ever dream up.″ Moreover, he emphasized that over 60% of cancer therapeutics have been derived from nature whether directly through isolation or indirectly through semi-synthesis. Various examples have been reported such as extracts from Catharanthus …

Quantification Of An Ultrasound Test Apparatus And Its Potential Use To Control Nuisance Species In Commercial Aquaculture Settings, Bradley T. Goodwiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As one step in the investigation of using acoustics to improve aquaculture production, work was pursued on the possible use of ultrasound to control the Bolbophorus trematode in commercial catfish ponds. The trematode population can be controlled by eliminating the host ram's horn snail via exposure to high amplitude ultrasound. Initial laboratory tests indicated that a commercially available sonicator (operating at 20 kHz) is capable of killing individual snails in fish tanks. More thorough testing indicated efficiency rates of approximately 35% on batches of 10 snails. In addition to the snails killed immediately, there was evidence that the sonication technique …

Exploring Patterns Of Genetic Diversity Of A Malagasy Ant Species: Anochetus Madagascarensis, Nicole Annette Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Madagascar is extremely diverse and imperiled. Close to 90% of all land dwelling species are endemic to Madagascar (plants, reptiles, mammals and amphibians). Understanding patterns of genetic diversity for species can aid in better conservation efforts. In this study, I focus on the endemic Malagasy ant species, Anochetus madagascarensis. By employing a broad geographic sample of this species from throughout its distribution and a multilocus genetic data set, I explored population structure and historical factors that affected these patterns. I tested hypotheses proposed to be responsible for generating population structure, and by extension the process of speciation in Madagascar, including …

Comorbid Depression And Anxiety As Predictors Of Adolescent Substance Use In A Rural And Ethnically Diverse Community Sample, Michael James Mcdermott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug use among adolescents is one of the nation's most significant public health concerns, with an estimated 47% to 56% of adolescents engaging in illicit substance use before completing high school. Negative consequences often associated with adolescent substance use frequently result in severe emotional and physical problems and serve to illustrate the growing importance of identifying associated risk factors. It is likely that psychological risk factors play an important role in the initiation and continued use of drugs among adolescents. In particular, mood and anxiety disorders have emerged as two such psychological risk factors. Unfortunately, studies examining this relationship have …

Market Response To Food And Drug Administration's Safety Warnings: A Case Study Using An Interrupted Time Series Analysis Of The Medicare Database For 2006-2008, Hafiz Oko-Osi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a safety warning on the utilization rates of thiazolidinedione oral anti-diabetes medication using an interrupted time series analysis. Methods: We extracted data from a five percent national sample of Medicare Part D beneficiaries for the periods between January 2006 and December 2008. Beneficiaries with Part D claims for thiazolidinediones were classified into appropriate-use, at risk, and contraindicated groups based on certain comorbid conditions. We assessed the effects of the May 2007 FDA safety warning about an ongoing safety review of rosiglitazone's potential to increase cardiovascular risks on thiazolidinedione utilization rates using an interrupted time …

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Succession In A Native Monterey Pine Forest And Its Potential Influence Upon Forest Population Dynamics, Kristopher Jordan Hennig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ectomycorrhizal fungi are plant symbionts influential to the growth and survival of many plant species found within forest ecosystems throughout the globe. The succession of ectomycorrhizal communities during forest maturation has been observed in a number of systems; however, though it is generally assumed that this process is important for forest dynamics, we do not fully understand the causes of succession and whether it strongly influences metrics of plant population dynamics such as population growth rates or size class structure. I studied a secondary successional chronosequence to test the hypothesis that ectomycorrhizal fungal succession occurs within a native Monterey pine …

Purification And Characterization Of Blue And Green Chromoprotein Pigments From The Integument Of Male Darters In The Genus Etheostoma, Katelyn Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unlike most other vertebrates, many species in the genus Etheostoma do not utilize structural refraction to display blue or green color. Instead, blue and green mating coloration exhibited by male rainbow darters (E. caeruleum) and male greenside darters (E. blennioides) results from the presence of true chromoprotein pigments. This study was conducted in order to extract, purify, characterize, and compare these novel pigments. Pigments were extracted in aqueous buffer and partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and gel filtration chromatography. Final purification consisted of preparative non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for E. caeruleum and hydroxyapatite chromatography for E. blennioides. Isolation of …

Linking Developmental Working Memory And Early Academic Skills, Janice Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Brain-based initiatives and school readiness mandates in education have prompted researchers to examine the biological mechanisms associated with learning in the hope that understanding empirical evidence can maximize learning potential. Current research has examined working memory skills in relationship to early learning. The function of working memory is best examined in the context of childhood developmental theory using the framework of Baddeley and Hitch's model. Understanding developmental working memory components in regards to early reading and math skill acquisition is important to designing appropriate interventions. This study represents an initial effort to analyze kindergarten developmental screening results in conjunction with …

Neurosis Or Perversion? A Lacanian Psychoanalytic Diagnostic And Clinical Approach To The Treatment Of Paraphilia At A Forensic Outpatient Setting: A Case Study And Exegetical Method, Stephanie Swales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The work of Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) provided clinicians with three main diagnostic ontological structures: neurosis, psychosis, and perversion. All three diagnostic structures indicate fundamentally different ways of solving the problems of alienation, separation from the primary caregiver, and of castration, or having limits set by the law on one's jouissance. Of the three, perversion remains by far the least understood and least discussed. To date, Lacan's diagnostic system--not to mention his corpus in general--has been largely ignored by psychotherapists in the United States. Where Lacan has been taken up within psychotherapeutic discourse, discussions are often restricted to the field of …

Application Of Speciated Isotopes Dilution Mass Spectronmetry To The Assessment Of Human Health And Toxic Exposure, Timothy Fahrenholz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work by our research group demonstrated that quantitative chemical analysis of analytes, such as mercury and chromium species, in environmental matrices could be successfully carried out without using calibration curves and with correction for species interconversion by using EPA Method 6800A. This method encompasses isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) and speciated isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SIDMS), both of which are described in detail in chapter 1. Research described in this dissertation expands upon our earlier work by applying the method to the speciation of mercury in biological matrices, the speciation of glutathione in red blood cells and whole blood, …

Inter-Grade And Inter-Batch Variability Of Pharmaceutical-Grade Sodium Alginate, Shao Fu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymeric excipients are generally the least well-characterized components of pharmaceutical formulations. The aim of this dissertation work is to facilitate the quality-by-design (QbD) approach to pharmaceutical formulation and manufacturing by evaluating the inter-grade and inter-batch variability of pharmaceutical-grade polymeric excipients. Sodium alginate, a widely used polymeric excipient, was selected for evaluation using appropriate analytical methods and test conditions, especially rheological methods. The materials used were six different grades of sodium alginate and an additional ten batches of one of the grades.

To compare the six grades, steady shear measurements were conducted on solutions at 1, 2, and 3% w/w, consistent …

The Liturgical Theology Of Aidan Kavanagh, Osb: Synthesis And Critique, Michelle Gilgannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the liturgical theology of the late Aidan Kavanagh, OSB. His particular approach to liturgy helped to shape the implementation of the liturgical changes instituted by the Second Vatican Council. His early published works were instrumental in explaining the goals of these liturgical changes, while his later works offered a not-so-subtle critique of how the changes had begun to impact the American Church. Fr. Kavanagh based the importance of liturgy on several unique and potentially controversial subjects. To Fr. Kavanagh, liturgical theology is theologia prima and the foundation of all other secondary theology. Participation in the liturgy and …

Adult Students' Perception Of The Congruence Of Hybrid Courses With Their Adult Learning Needs And Their Satisfaction, Rubina Iqbal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall purpose of the study was to examine adult students' perception of the congruence of hybrid courses with adult learning needs and to examine adult students' level of satisfaction with hybrid courses. The study collected data through pre and post surveys, administered at the beginning and near the end of the hybrid courses, of adult students' perceptions. The pre survey questionnaire sought quantitative responses only. The post survey sought quantitative and qualitative responses. The quantitative data was analyzed by utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Benzimidazoles And Aminothiazoles As Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Cdk5/P25, Prashi Jain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel CDK5/p25 small molecule inhibitors. Cyclin dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is a proline directed serine/threonine kinase which plays an important role in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). CDK5/p25 has been implicated in hyperphosphorylation of tau protein which forms neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), a contributing factor to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on the deposited X-ray crystal structure of CDK5/p25 with a non-selective CDK inhibitor R-Roscovitine (PDB ID: 1UNL), eight series of novel compounds with a benzimidazole core were designed, synthesized and tested as inhibitors of CDK5/p25. An efficient …

P,P' Dde Regulated Gene Expression And Possible Mechanisms Of Action In Breast Tumor, Nakpangi Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: The synthetic insecticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) has been speculated to increase breast cancer risk due to its environmental persistence, levels of bioaccumulation in breast adipose tissue, and endocrine disrupting actions. Epidemiological studies have had inconsistent findings, however a study in MMTV-neu mice determined that localized, developmental exposure to the reported anti-androgen p,p' DDE accelerated mammary tumor development. This study tested the potential cancer-promoting actions of p,p' DDE, the most prevalent and persistent DDT metabolite.

Objectives: To identify and characterize the expression of p,p' DDE -regulated genes to determine how developmental exposure may influence mammary tissue to promote tumor formation. Methods: …

The Contribution Of Foundational New Testament Theological Themes To The Meaning Of Basic Bioethics Principles, R. Dennis Macaleer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beauchamp and Childress' Principles of Biomedical Ethics is a well accepted approach to contemporary bioethics. Those principles are based on what Beauchamp and Childress call the common morality. This dissertation employs New Testament theological themes to enhance the meaning of contemporary principles of bioethics. Beginning with the incarnation in the New Testament, the invitation-response hermeneutic is developed as a hermeneutic to use in studying the New Testament. The primary New Testament text for this study is the twin commands from Jesus to love God and love one's neighbor. Three theological themes are developed from this study and these three themes …

Cyanate Formation Following 2-Chloroacrylonitrile Exposure And The Role Of Cytochrome P-450, Paul Malichky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

2-Chloroacrylonitrile (2-CAN) is a volatile, toxic chemical used as a raw material to manufacture pesticides. Although the toxic mechanism is not fully understood, the hypothesis in the literature is that 2-CAN may be metabolized to cyanide. An understanding of the mechanism of 2-CAN toxicity will permit more appropriate treatments in the event of an accidental exposure.

Four groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections. Group 1 was a control that received only saline. Group 2 received 40 mg/kg of 2-CAN. Group 3 received 100 mg/kg of 5-phenyl-1-pentyne (5P1P) an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450. Group 4 received 100 …

Measuring Prosocial Behavior Through The Implementation Of A Violence Prevention Intervention, Erin Lindsey Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood aggression is the best-known behavioral predictor of future social adjustment difficulties. Children with early onset aggression are likely to engage in aggressive behavior throughout the life course (Hester, Baltodano, Gable, & Tonelson, 2003). Early aggressive behavior is also strongly associated with later criminal behavior and deviant peer relations, poor school achievement, school dropout, and unemployment (Haemaelaeinen & Pulkinnen, 1996; Hay & Pawlby, 2003; Kokko, Tremblay, Lacourse, Nagin, & Vitaro, 2006; Scourfield, John, Martin, & McGuffin, 2004). Recently, researchers have focused on determining the positive behaviors that could potentially stop aggressive situations from progressing. These helping behaviors are defined broadly …

Attachment And Anxiety In Aggressive Children And Adolescents, Erinn Obeldobel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is rising concern among the general public regarding childhood aggression and its impact on society. This study sought to further the understanding of childhood aggression by examining the variables of anxiety and current attachment in an aggressive population of youth. There is a substantial body of research that relates poor attachment to aggressive-related behaviors (e.g., Allen, Hauser, Borman-Spurrell, 1996; Gacono & Meloy, 1994; Meesters & Muris, 2002; NICHD-ECCRN, 2006; Simons, Paternite, & Shore, 2001). In comparison to the research on the relationship between attachment and aggression in children and adolescents, the relationship between anxiety and aggression is more contradictory …

Optimization Of Calcium Aluminate For Use As A Bone Scaffold Material Through Physical And Chemical Surface Modification, Rachelle Nicole Palchesko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calcium aluminates were tested as biomaterials and show promise as bone scaffolds. Initial concerns of biocompatibility led the field to focus on calcium phosphates. Here, the work focused on improving the biocompatibility and creating an optimized calcium aluminate biomaterial. To accomplish this, the physical and interfacial properties of the material were varied. The physical properties of the calcium aluminate were varied through the room temperature casting procedure and five different mixtures were created and evaluated for mechanical strength and biotolerability. The results showed that the optimal mixture had an average pore size of approximately 100 µm and that autoclaving the …

Private Reader, Public Redactor: Narrative Strategies Of The Nineteenth-Century Female Revisionist, Amy Criniti Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the vital role of the private female reading experience in the creation of the mid-Victorian British woman writer's authorial persona. In particular, I examine the role of the female redactor, a woman writer who revises a particular text, genre, or convention within a patriarchal literary tradition. The public and private contexts of the female redactor become imperative to the text that she creates, for the final narrative product is not only a public revision but also a series of private, gendered negotiations that define the woman writer and determine her contribution to female authorship.

With a specific …

Parent-Child Interaction In The Formation Of Emotional And Social Competence: The Impact Of Individual Differences And Cultural Variability, Kristin Rispoli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The capacity to regulate one's emotions and engage in prosocial behavior is vital to personal development, from infancy through adolescence. Substantial research suggests that early difficulties with emotion regulation often place children on a developmental trajectory leading to some degree of functional impairment and poor social skills. However, little is known about how interactions between parents and their children, as well as individual child and parent characteristics, impact early social and emotional development. The current study aimed to address this gap, and sought to extend the current knowledge base by also investigating how these processes vary across cultures. The study …

Essential Rna-Rna Interactions Within The Hepatitis C Virus Genome As Potential Targets For Peptide Nucleic Acid Based Therapeutic Strategy, Sumangala Shetty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hepatitis C, a life threatening disease, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) currently affects over 170-200 million people worldwide (~3% of global human population), more than five times the percentage of total HIV infections. HCV infection has been shown to be a major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma and is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the U.S. HCV has escaped every therapeutic target to date by means of its error-prone RNA polymerase, which allows it to mutate prolifically. The current standard anti-HCV therapy, which is pegylated interferon a combined with ribavirin, is difficult …

Homosexuality And The Formation Of Conscience: An Examination Of Traditional Catholic Anthropological, Theological, And Ethical Evaluations In Light Of Contemporary Moral Markers, John Slovikovski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The question of homosexuality remains a daunting task to be addressed by the Church as well as theological ethicists. Lively, and often biased opinions have been presented in the last two centuries; however, use of traditional sources, such a Scripture, Natural Law, empirical data, and Tradition result in a doubt of fact, which, according to the established tradition of the Catholicism, requires the Church to follow the safest course of action, i.e., upholding the traditional heterosexual norm. Given that some individuals experience an irreversible homosexual orientation coupled by a lack of a vocation to a celibate lifestyle, which in turn …

Understanding The Effect Of Cation And Solvation On The Structure And Reactivity Of Nitrile Anions, Michael Zeigler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Ph.D. dissertation is focused on the investigation the structure of nitrile anion containing molecules and how the structure and reactivity of those molecules are affected by solvation and counter ion. A systematic approach was employed in this investigation, beginning with an evaluation of the accuracy of three commonly used model chemistries (Hartree-Fock (HF), Second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), the Becke three-parameter exchange functional coupled with the nonlocal correlation functional of Lee, Yang, and Parr (B3LYP), all paired with the 6-31+G(d) basis set). A series of complexes of various cations with a number of explicit molecules of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and …

Understanding The Effect Of Cation And Solvation On The Structure And Reactivity Of Nitrile Anions, Michael Ziegler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Ph.D. dissertation is focused on the investigation the structure of nitrile anion containing molecules and how the structure and reactivity of those molecules are affected by solvation and counter ion. A systematic approach was employed in this investigation, beginning with an evaluation of the accuracy of three commonly used model chemistries (Hartree-Fock (HF), Second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), the Becke three-parameter exchange functional coupled with the nonlocal correlation functional of Lee, Yang, and Parr (B3LYP), all paired with the 6-31+G(d) basis set). A series of complexes of various cations with a number of explicit molecules of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and …

Molecular Details Of The Catalytic Activity Of Carboxylesterases, Xiaozhen Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carboxylesterases (CEs; EC 3.1.1.1) are ubiquitous enzymes responsible for the detoxification of xenobiotics. CEs hydrolyze carboxyl esters into their corresponding alcohol and carboxylic acid. Because of their biological functions, especially their roles in converting inactive prodrugs, such as the anti-cancer drug CPT-11, to their active metabolites, a good understanding of the mechanism of the hydrolysis reaction will give us a better direction for drug design. In this study, we used a multidisciplinary approach (computational simulation, molecular biology techniques and enzyme kinetic methods) to study the dynamic motions of CEs and the potential role of these motions in the catalytic mechanism …

Influence Of Vegetation On Sediment Bacterial Community Structure, Microbial Enzyme Activities And Phosphorus Retention In Constructed Freshwater Wetlands, Rani Menon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural activities are major sources of non-point pollutants causing eutrophication. Constructed wetlands are used as a best management practice for sequestration of nutrients from agricultural runoff. This dissertation focuses on the influence of vegetation on bacterial community structure, microbial enzyme activities, and phosphorus retention capacity of constructed wetland systems. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using unvegetated or vegetated mesocosms with Juncus effusus, Carex lurida or Dichanthelium acuminatum var. acuminatum in monoculture or mixed culture.

To study the influence of vegetation on the bacterial community structure and microbial enzyme activities, sediment samples were taken from monoculture mesocosms in the greenhouse. β-1,4-glucosidase, …

Part A: Studies Towards Total Synthesis Of An Anticancer And Antifungal Natural Product, Pseudolaric Acid B; Part B: Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Berkeleyamide A And Its Derivatives, Swapnil Jayant Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Part A: Studies towards total synthesis of an antifungal and anticancer agent, Pseudolaric acid B. Marked by the uncontrolled cell proliferation, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases, accounting for about 7.0 million deaths in 2007. Cancer is second leading cause of death worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer chemotherapy has evolved through many years of painstaking research, and as a result, today we are able to cure at least some of cancers. One of the major impediments in the development of new drugs for treating cancer is that most of the approved drugs are themselves toxic and …