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Crowning The May Queen In Freshwater Place: Housing Reformers And The Uses Of Urban Nature, 1850-1914, Christine E. Regier Jan 2013

Crowning The May Queen In Freshwater Place: Housing Reformers And The Uses Of Urban Nature, 1850-1914, Christine E. Regier

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ideas about nature change over time, yet the term is often used as though its meaning were universal. This study of the uses of nature in working-class housing reform in Victorian and early twentieth-century London deconstructs concepts of nature to reveal the social and cultural norms on which these concepts rely. The first efforts to provide sanitary housing to replace the London slums began in the 1840s. Model dwellings companies built housing blocks designed to give the poor access to three natural resources important in sanitation: clean water, fresh air and sunlight. They operated on a model of commercial philanthropy, …

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Development Of A Synthetic Pathway Toward A Bowl-Shaped C 27h12 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Yang-Sheng Sun Jan 2013

Development Of A Synthetic Pathway Toward A Bowl-Shaped C 27h12 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon, Yang-Sheng Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bowl-shaped and basket-shaped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years. They are challenging targets for total synthesis due to the presence of substantial strain energy in the curved structures. A solution-phase synthesis of a bowl-shaped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon C27H12 was explored. The use of the casecade radical cyclization reactions of a benzannulated enyne-allene is a key feature of this synthetic pathway. The mild reaction conditions provide efficient and flexible designs for bowl-shaped and basked-shaped PAHs and their precursors. Our proposed synthesis strategy for the bowl-shaped C27H12 involves an initial synthesis of a benzannulated enediynyl propargylic alcohols …

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From Cellular Transport To Synthetic Biomimetic Transport Using Carbon Nanotube - Actin Hybrid Assemblies, Zahra Ronaghi Jan 2013

From Cellular Transport To Synthetic Biomimetic Transport Using Carbon Nanotube - Actin Hybrid Assemblies, Zahra Ronaghi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One of the many interesting materials that have emerged in the field of nanotechnology in the last quarter century is Carbon Nanotube (CNT). CNTs have been explored in a broad range of fields from electronic devices and biosensors, to bioimaging and tissue engineering. However, as stand-alone materials CNTs have limited capabilities in the field of biology and medicine unless they are combined with biological agents. Due to the similarity in diameters, CNTs can be combined with biomolecules such as enzymes, antibodies, antigens, DNA, etc. These "hybrid" assemblies will combine the properties of the CNTs with the recognition characteristics and functions …

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Healthcare Quality And Expenditure Benchmarks Along The Continuum Of Care: The Role Of Primary Care Use And Community Healthcare Resources, Tricia Lee Wilkins Jan 2013

Healthcare Quality And Expenditure Benchmarks Along The Continuum Of Care: The Role Of Primary Care Use And Community Healthcare Resources, Tricia Lee Wilkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objective: The current studies examined the relationship between lapses in quality (ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations and all cause 30-day readmissions) and patient-level, provider-level, and county-level healthcare resources. Specific attention is paid to the association between patient-level primary care use and provider-level care coordination. One of the studies also evaluated the association between chronic complex illness and lapses in quality after adjusting for individual-level, provider-level, and county-level characteristics within a longitudinal and unified framework. Yet another study evaluated whether avoiding poor quality outcomes can be achieved below an expected expenditure benchmark.;Study Design: The study used a retrospective cross-sectional as well as …

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The Role Of Tobacco Cessation Counseling In Physical Therapist Practice And Education, Rose M. Pignataro Jan 2013

The Role Of Tobacco Cessation Counseling In Physical Therapist Practice And Education, Rose M. Pignataro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this research was to promote the use of evidence-based TCC guidelines in physical therapist practice and education by applying principles of knowledge translation as defined by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). According to the NIDDR, research should be framed so that knowledge gained is ultimately applied in a manner geared towards improving the lives of people with disabilities.;Study 1 resulted in a perspectives paper which established a sound clinical rationale for the inclusion of TCC as a component of physical therapist practice. This rationale is based on the pathophysiologic effects of smoking on …

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Effect Of Electron Beam Radiation On Microbial Inactivation, Radio-Resistance And Nutritional Quality Of Food, Adiam Tsegai Tesfai Jan 2013

Effect Of Electron Beam Radiation On Microbial Inactivation, Radio-Resistance And Nutritional Quality Of Food, Adiam Tsegai Tesfai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A non-thermal food processing method, Electron beam radiation efficiently inactivates foodborne pathogens. However, foodborne pathogens may develop resistance in response to sublethal stresses. Thus it is important to study the response of food microorganisms to e-beam and understand the mechanism underlying their survival abilities. The overall objective of this study was to examine the inactivation of foodborne microorganisms by electron beam radiation at sublethal levels, understand the radio-resistance development to this processing method and also to determine the effects of e-beam on chemical changes of nutrients in infant formula.;Four independent studies are included in this dissertation, in the first study, …

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Parents' Perceptions Of Children's Emotions: Relations With Meta-Emotion Philosophy And Adult Attachment., Jennifer N. Morey Jan 2013

Parents' Perceptions Of Children's Emotions: Relations With Meta-Emotion Philosophy And Adult Attachment., Jennifer N. Morey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate how parents’ perceptions of, feelings toward, and anticipated responses to children’s emotions related to parents’ meta-emotion philosophy (MEP) and attachment. Parents (mothers and fathers) completed an online research study where they viewed photographs of children (aged 10-14 years) displaying varying intensities of happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and neutral expressions. Parents labeled the emotion and identified the emotion’s intensity, their own emotion, and their anticipated responses. They also completed measures assessing their MEP and attachment. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model for MEP predicting happiness did not fit well, but …

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Application Of Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry Techniques To Forensic, Environmental And Clinical Analyses., Lucy Sian Oldfield Jan 2013

Application Of Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry Techniques To Forensic, Environmental And Clinical Analyses., Lucy Sian Oldfield

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is a powerful technique offering superior selectivity, sensitivity and flexibility for a diverse range of applications. This document describes the application of LC-MS/MS to analytical problems in environmental, clinical and forensic fields. LC-UV and LC-MS/MS methods were implemented and compared for the analysis of nitroaromatics, nitramines and nitrate esters in soil. Analysis of soils collected at detonation sites showed the presence and concentration of contaminants to be a function of parameters such as: time since detonation, type of charge employed, nature of detonation and size of charge used. Multi-increment (MI) sampling strategies recommended …

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Effects Of Varying Levels Of Caclium Lignosulfonate, Mixer-Added Fat And Feed Form On Feed Manufacture And Broiler Performance, Alina M. Corey Jan 2013

Effects Of Varying Levels Of Caclium Lignosulfonate, Mixer-Added Fat And Feed Form On Feed Manufacture And Broiler Performance, Alina M. Corey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Feed manufacture accounts for approximately 60--70% of the costs required for commercial broiler chicken production. Increased costs resulting from manufacturing high quality pellets can be problematic for commercial poultry production. However, these costs can be justified by improved broiler performance attributed to high quality pellets. In Experiment 1 pellets were manufactured by utilizing varying levels of a commercial Calcium lignosulfonate (CaLS) pellet binder inclusion (0, 0.5, or 1%), mixer-added fat (MAF) (1 or 3%), and feed form (pellet or ground pellet) in order to create 12 dietary treatments. In Experiment 2 diets were fed and broiler performance and digesta viscosity …

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Beaumont Glass Site In Morgantown, Wv. Sustainable Urban Redevelopment Through Interpretive Design, Brownfield Reclamation And Mixed Uses., Maria Juliana Lloreda Jan 2013

Beaumont Glass Site In Morgantown, Wv. Sustainable Urban Redevelopment Through Interpretive Design, Brownfield Reclamation And Mixed Uses., Maria Juliana Lloreda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis project consists of a design approach to the former Beaumont Glass site and the adjacent sites, a total of 14.6 acres. The city of Morgantown and its downtown area are in need of demonstrations of sustainable development practices and mixed use design. The project design and development focus on site inventory and analysis, historic quality of the site, needs of the community, and stakeholder expectations. The applied design strategies are based on sustainable development, interpretive design, brownfield reclamation, phytoremediation technologies, and stormwater management. The vision of this project is the creation of an overall conceptual masterplan based on …

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Rehabilitation And Field Evaluation Of Discarded Timber Railroad Ties Using Thermoset Gfrp Composites, Amir Hossein Houshmandyar Jan 2013

Rehabilitation And Field Evaluation Of Discarded Timber Railroad Ties Using Thermoset Gfrp Composites, Amir Hossein Houshmandyar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study presents the effectiveness of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite thermoset shells in strengthening discarded timber railroad ties. In this work, a total of 18 composite shell-timber ties were manufactured through GFRP wrapping of discarded wood ties at the Constructed Facilities Center in West Virginia University (CFC-WVU) and tested under three-point bending to evaluate their properties such as Young’s modulus, rupture modulus and bending strength. Elastic moduli of all the 18 ties were measured before and after wrapping. Following laboratory testing, composite ties were field installed and evaluated at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) Pueblo, Colorado. The composite …

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The Production, Value, And Reduction Responsibility Of Carbon Emissions Through Electricity Consumption Of Manufacturing Industries In South Korea And Thailand, Medhawin Kitikun Jan 2013

The Production, Value, And Reduction Responsibility Of Carbon Emissions Through Electricity Consumption Of Manufacturing Industries In South Korea And Thailand, Medhawin Kitikun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation provides a new method of measuring efforts by manufacturing industries to reduce their emissions by curtailing electricity consumption. Employing comprehensive firm-level data from the National Manufacture Annual Surveys of South Korea and Thailand, I construct the measure from estimates of revenue functions by industry. The data consists of firms from more than 20 industries in each year from 1982 to 2005 for Korea and from 2001 to 2008 for Thailand. With a total of more than two million observations, I estimate revenue functions for each industry and year. Here, I use three inputs: number of employees(L), fixed asset …

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Characterizing Runoff Responses In A Mountaintop Mine Impacted And Forested Catchment In The Coalfields Of West Virginia, Andrew J. Miller Jan 2013

Characterizing Runoff Responses In A Mountaintop Mine Impacted And Forested Catchment In The Coalfields Of West Virginia, Andrew J. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mountaintop mining (MTM) represents the largest land cover/landuse change in the Central Appalachian region. By 2012, the U.S. EPA estimates that MTR will have impacted approximately 6.8% of the predominately forested Appalachian Coalfield region of West Virginia (WV), Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia with nearly 4,000 miles of headwater streams buried under valley fills (VF). In spite of the scale and extent of MTM, its hydrologic impacts are poorly understood. Several devastating floods in the region have been attributed to MTM, but there is little evidence to either confirm or refute this belief. Existing research on the hydrologic impacts of MTM …

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Investigation Of Truckload Prices In The U.S: Exploratory Analysis, Forecast Methods, And The Influences Of Unemployment On Freight Prices, Alex M. Sanchez Jan 2013

Investigation Of Truckload Prices In The U.S: Exploratory Analysis, Forecast Methods, And The Influences Of Unemployment On Freight Prices, Alex M. Sanchez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Truckload (TL) pricing is a major factor that influences the manufacturing and retail costs of products. In the U.S., trucks accounts for more than 90% of freight shipped based on value, and it is expected to grow in the following years. TL price setting is a very complex task for logistic companies as it depends on a number of factors including the logistics carriers' business strategies and other social and economic variables. Understanding TL patterns across the U.S. is important not only for logistic companies, but also for policy makers. TL prices are commonly provided on a dollar per mile …

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Water Chemistry And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Ecology In Response To Acid Mine Drainage, Brian Carlson Jan 2013

Water Chemistry And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Ecology In Response To Acid Mine Drainage, Brian Carlson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Benthic macroinvertebrates, especially aquatic insects, are documented indicators of environmental quality, and often respond predictably to changes within a freshwater system. Within West Virginia, acid mine drainage (AMD) forms as a result of oxidizing sulfide rich minerals which occur alongside coal. The resulting effluent is acidic and laden with heavy metals. As a result, valued services and ecological functions provided by freshwater resources are lost. Treatment of AMD is expensive and therefore studies documenting their effect on aquatic resources are valuable. Benthic macroinvertebrate and stream water samples are often used as the deciding factors for the condition of a stream …

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Comparing U.S. And International Medical Graduates' Treatment Of Chronic Diseases: Utilization Of Psychosocial Interventions., Susan E. Jarquin Jan 2013

Comparing U.S. And International Medical Graduates' Treatment Of Chronic Diseases: Utilization Of Psychosocial Interventions., Susan E. Jarquin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic disease care places significant pressure on healthcare provider resources, often requiring the hiring of physicians trained abroad to meet these demands. International medical graduates are on trend to become the primary suppliers of chronic disease care in the U.S. Consequently, there is a need to assess how physicians trained abroad care for patients with chronic diseases. The purpose of this exploratory survey study was to determine whether international and U.S. medical graduates differ in their use of three specific psychosocial interventions when caring for patients suffering from chronic diseases. Medical residents in U.S. allopathic family medicine and internal medicine …

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A Study Of Brian Bevelander's "Synthecisms No. 2" For Piano And Pre-Recorded Tape., Wei Tuck Chan Jan 2013

A Study Of Brian Bevelander's "Synthecisms No. 2" For Piano And Pre-Recorded Tape., Wei Tuck Chan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The mid-twentieth century marks an important time for electroacoustic music. The availability and commercialization of reel-to-reel magnetic tape changed the broadcast and recording landscape. Accessibility to magnetic tape gave composers easier means to edit pre-recorded sounds by employing various new compositional procedures. Interest in electroacoustic music in America grew after the introduction of works by Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening in 1952. After that, electroacoustic music studios began being established throughout the country. Works for live instruments plus pre-recorded sounds began appearing in the late 1950s. Many of the works written for piano and pre-recorded sounds showcase various performance settings, …

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Effects Of Gradual And Rapid Variable-Interval Schedule Thinning On Concurrent Schedule Performance In Pigeons, Stephanie L. Kincaid Jan 2013

Effects Of Gradual And Rapid Variable-Interval Schedule Thinning On Concurrent Schedule Performance In Pigeons, Stephanie L. Kincaid

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Schedule thinning procedures are usually implemented with the goal of maintaining behavior despite decreasing reinforcement. The effectiveness of these procedures appears to depend largely at the rate at which reinforcement is decreased, with thinning procedures that decrease reinforcement too rapidly resulting in response elimination. Despite the importance of schedule thinning rate in determining the efficacy of these procedures, different rates of thinning are seldom compared directly in terms of their effects on the elimination of the response. The present study examined the effects of different rates of thinning on response elimination in the context of alternative reinforcement. Pigeons responded on …

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Monumento Piece For Symphonic Orchestra, 8'30", Rafael Langoni Smith Jan 2013

Monumento Piece For Symphonic Orchestra, 8'30", Rafael Langoni Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Monumento is a piece for symphonic orchestra finished in November, 2012 under the guidance of Dr. John Oliver Beall. It asks for piccolo, 2 C flutes, 2 oboes---with the second oboe player doubling on English Horn---2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons; 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba; 4 timpani, first percussionist with snare and tenor drums, second percussionist with bass drum, triangle, large gong and suspended cymbals; strings. Monumento has an approximate duration of 8 minutes and thirty seconds.

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A Survey Of Journalism Schools' Online Publication Of Student Content, Sarah E. Moore Jan 2013

A Survey Of Journalism Schools' Online Publication Of Student Content, Sarah E. Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Journalism in the digital age has changed dramatically as the needs and demands of journalism consumers have changed. In turn, the institutions preparing journalists to enter the field must adapt their methods. How can a school of journalism effectively integrate the web into their daily practices and equip students for post-graduation employment through the publication of an online magazine? This paper explores the broadly divergent methods and philosophies of three journalism schools and offers suggestions for schools developing their own online publication based on these observations.

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The Eleven Nocturnes For Solo Piano Of Lowell Liebermann: A Field-Chopin-Faure Lineage, Martin Harvey Jan 2013

The Eleven Nocturnes For Solo Piano Of Lowell Liebermann: A Field-Chopin-Faure Lineage, Martin Harvey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since 1987, Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961) has composed eleven piano Nocturnes, making him the most significant recent contributor to the genre. This research analyzes these Nocturnes, six of which have no previously published analysis. This paper also considers Liebermann's Nocturnes as a continuation of the tradition of nocturne-writing, initiated in the nineteenth century by composers like John Field and continued by Fryderyck Chopin and Gabriel Faure. Numerous composers have written Nocturnes since Faure's opus 119 in 1921; however no one did so with an interest as marked as Liebermann's. Moreover, Liebermann shares with Faure many stylistic features. Liebermann is therefore …

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Evaluating Biodegradable Containers As Alternatives To Plastic Pots, Renee L. Conneway Jan 2013

Evaluating Biodegradable Containers As Alternatives To Plastic Pots, Renee L. Conneway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Marked improvements in the sustainability of the horticulture industry have occurred over the last few decades. Movement towards better management practices in areas such as pesticide (IPM), fertilizer application and water usage characterizes today's industry. However, several obstacles have to be overcome for true long-term sustainability of the ornamental horticulture industry. One of these obstacles is the abundant use of plastics in the horticulture industry. This research focused on reducing the industry's plastic waste stream by evaluating the effects of biodegradable pots on plant growth parameters and substrate chemistry, as well as characteristics of biodegradable pots such as strength and …

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Analysis Of Gps Abnormal Conditions Within Fault Tolerant Control Laws, Gahssan Al-Sinbol Jan 2013

Analysis Of Gps Abnormal Conditions Within Fault Tolerant Control Laws, Gahssan Al-Sinbol

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Global Position System (GPS) is a critical element for the functionality of autonomous flying vehicles. The GPS operation at normal and abnormal conditions directly impacts the trajectory tracking performance of the autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) controllers. The effects of GPS parameter variation must be well understood and user-friendly computational tools must be developed to facilitate the design and evaluation of fault tolerant control laws.;This thesis presents the development of a simplified GPS error model in Matlab/Simulink and its use performing a sensitivity analysis of GPS parameters effect under system normal and abnormal operation on different UAV trajectory tracking …

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The Association Of Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Biomarkers And Markers Of Inflammation, Diabetes Mellitus And Cardiovascular Disease, Omayma Alshaarawy Jan 2013

The Association Of Urinary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Biomarkers And Markers Of Inflammation, Diabetes Mellitus And Cardiovascular Disease, Omayma Alshaarawy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are potent atmospheric pollutants, released into air during incomplete combustion of fuel, industrial or domestic coal, wood, cigarette smoke and other organic materials. In addition to being carcinogenic, several animal studies have reported positive associations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and inflammation, oxidative stress and the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Occupational studies have reported positive associations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Moreover, there is evidence that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may cause disruption of the endocrine system. It is still not clear if lower background exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, independent of the adverse …

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The Effects Of Student Behavior Alteration Techniques On Student Motives To Communicate, Student Talk, And Student Learning, Christopher J. Claus Jan 2013

The Effects Of Student Behavior Alteration Techniques On Student Motives To Communicate, Student Talk, And Student Learning, Christopher J. Claus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation addressed the effects of students' perceived effectiveness of and likelihood to use student behavior alteration techniques (BATs) on students' motives to communicate with their instructors, student talk (i.e., willingness to talk, out-of-class communication), and student learning (i.e., cognitive learning, affective learning, state motivation, and student communication satisfaction). Results revealed that student perceived effectiveness of, and likelihood to use, student BATs did not influence, student talk or student learning, but indicated some significant relationships with the students' motives to communicate with their instructors. Specifically, the relational, functional, participatory, and sycophancy motives were generally related to the perceived likelihood to …

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The Inhibition Of Splicing Of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Mrna During Starvation By Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein K, Travis Cyphert Jan 2013

The Inhibition Of Splicing Of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Mrna During Starvation By Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein K, Travis Cyphert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Splicing of nascent RNA transcripts is an essential step in gene expression and a target of nutrient regulation. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a lipogenic gene whose expression is regulated exclusively at this posttranscriptional stage. Expression of G6PD mRNA increases 15- to 17-fold during refeeding and is inhibited 80-90% by starvation and the addition of polyunsaturated fat to the diet. The large changes in the accumulation of G6PD mRNA are due to changes the rate of pre-mRNA splicing and not changes in its transcription. In this regard, dietary carbohydrate enhances intron removal, which increases the accumulation of G6PD mRNA. Starvation alters …

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Characterization Of Immune Responses To Repeated Aspergillus Fumigatus Exposures, Amanda Dawn Buskirk Jan 2013

Characterization Of Immune Responses To Repeated Aspergillus Fumigatus Exposures, Amanda Dawn Buskirk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Personal exposures to A. fumigatus are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes, including invasive aspergillosis, allergic sensitization, and asthma. Due to the high rate of mortality associated with invasive disease in immunocompromised patients, most studies of A. fumigatus have aimed to characterize the immune responses in immunocompromised murine models. However, a larger portion of the population is affected by fungal-induced allergies and asthma and the immune mechanisms associated with exposure have rarely been studied in an immunocompetent model. These models do not accurately reflect the natural method of exposure to environmental sources of conidia, and may significantly impact …

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Finite Element Modeling Of Geosynthetic Soil Reinforcement Over Shallow Buried Pipes, Andrew L. Dietz Jan 2013

Finite Element Modeling Of Geosynthetic Soil Reinforcement Over Shallow Buried Pipes, Andrew L. Dietz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Buried pipes serve an important role in many engineering applications and are vital to the infrastructure of our everyday life. It is imperative that, once in place, these pipes last as long as possible to avoid failure and costly replacement. Advancements in technology and understanding of soil-pipe interactions can extend the service life of these pipes. In this study, a new approach is taken to increase buried pipe performance.;The purpose of this research work is to explore the potential improvements of pipe performance under surface loading by using a geosynthetic reinforcement in the soil layer above a buried pipe. Various …

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Contact Lenses In Iris Recognition, Gizem Erdogan Jan 2013

Contact Lenses In Iris Recognition, Gizem Erdogan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent research in iris recognition has established the impact of non-cosmetic soft contact lenses on the recognition performance of iris matchers. Researchers in Notre Dame demonstrated an increase in False Reject Rate (FRR) when an iris without a contact lens was compared against the same iris with a transparent soft contact lens. Detecting the presence of a contact lens in ocular images can, therefore, be beneficial to iris recognition systems. This study proposes a method to automatically detect the presence of non-cosmetic soft contact lenses in ocular images of the eye acquired in the Near Infrared (NIR) spectrum. While cosmetic …

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Connectivity And Spanning Trees Of Graphs, Xiaofeng Gu Jan 2013

Connectivity And Spanning Trees Of Graphs, Xiaofeng Gu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation focuses on connectivity, edge connectivity and edge-disjoint spanning trees in graphs and hypergraphs from the following aspects.;1. Eigenvalue aspect. Let lambda2(G) and tau( G) denote the second largest eigenvalue and the maximum number of edge-disjoint spanning trees of a graph G, respectively. Motivated by a question of Seymour on the relationship between eigenvalues of a graph G and bounds of tau(G), Cioaba and Wong conjectured that for any integers d, k ≥ 2 and a d-regular graph G, if lambda 2(G)) < d -- 2k-1d+1 , then tau(G) ≥ k. They proved the conjecture for k = 2, 3, and presented evidence for the cases when k ≥ 4. We propose a more general conjecture that for a graph G with minimum degree delta ≥ 2 k ≥ 4, if lambda2(G) < delta -- 2k-1d+1 then tau(G) ≥ k. We prove the conjecture for k = 2, 3 and provide partial results for k ≥ 4. We also prove that for a graph G with minimum degree delta ≥ k ≥ 2, if lambda2( G) < delta -- 2k-1d +1 , then the edge connectivity is at least k. As corollaries, we investigate the Laplacian and signless Laplacian eigenvalue conditions on tau(G) and edge connectivity.;2. Network reliability aspect. With graphs considered as natural models for many network design problems, edge connectivity kappa'(G) and maximum number of edge-disjoint spanning trees tau(G) of a graph G have been used as measures for reliability and strength in communication networks modeled as graph G. Let kappa'(G) = max{lcub}kappa'(H) : H is a subgraph of G{rcub}. We present: (i) For each integer k > 0, a characterization for graphs G with the property that kappa'(G) ≤ k but for any additional …

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