Digital Commons Network^™

The Word And The World: Exploring World Views Of Monolingual And Bilingual Chinese Through The Use Of Proverbs, Li Ma

Open Access Dissertations

Many thinkers argue that major differences among languages lead to major differences in experience and thought. Each speech community possibly embodies a distinct world view. The purpose of this study was to explore, through the use of proverbs, the relationship between acculturation and world views among monolingual and bilingual Chinese, with proficiency in Chinese and/or English used a proxy for level of acculturation. Data were collected through questionnaires and qualitative interviews regarding attitudes to English and Chinese proverbs. Data were analyzed by means of SPSS and modified grounded theory methodology. The statistical and qualitative findings contradicted each other: the former …

Effects Of Bulimia Nervosa On The Voice: A Guide For Voice Teachers, Juanita Marchand Knight

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this essay is to compile a list of symptoms to aid voice teachers in the early detection of vocal problems resulting from bulimic behavior. Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder characterized by bingeing and purging and has a high rate of occurrence among the college population. Entertainers form a high risk group for development of BN yet the effects of BN on the voice are largely ignored in vocal literature. The study begins with a literature review which links several factors that can influence the development of BN with "the singer’s personality." The two main character …

The Role Of Sox9 In Heart Valve Development And Disease, Jacqueline D. Peacock

Open Access Dissertations

Heart valve structures open and close during the cardiac cycle to provide unidirectional blood flow through the heart, critical for efficient cardiovascular function. Valve dysfunction results in either incomplete opening or incomplete closure of the valve. Both types of valve dysfunction decrease efficiency of blood flow, increasing the load on the myocardium and leading to secondary heart disease such as pathological hypertrophy and heart failure. There are currently no effective treatments to prevent or slow the progression of valve disease, and there are no pharmacological treatments for advanced valve disease. Although most valve disease is associated with aging, increasing evidence …

Context-Dependent Behavior, Reproduction And Brain Structure In Newly-Established Colonies Of The Primitively Eusocial Wasp, Mischocyttarus Mexicanus, Floria Mora Kepfer

Open Access Dissertations

Reproductive division of labor is the most distinctive characteristic of the social Hymenoptera; some individuals reproduce and others forego their own reproduction to raise non-descendant offspring. In species where females are reproductively totipotent and lack morphologically distinct castes, there is potential for reproductive conflict because more than one female in a colony may attempt direct reproduction. I focused my dissertation research on a subtropical population of the primitively eusocial paper wasp, Mischocyttarus mexicanus, to investigate the initiation, establishment, and development of the colony before the emergence of adult offspring. Female M. mexicanus exhibit variation in behavior and task performance, and …

Engineering An Optimal Bioartificial Pancreas For Islet Transplantation Using Bioactive Scaffolds, Eileen Pedraza

Open Access Dissertations

Clinical islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes. It involves the transplantation of pancreatic islets, isolated from a donor, into the portal vein of a recipient in order to replace his/her dysfunctional islets. Though promising, islet implantation into the liver is greatly hindered by numerous problems, including mechanical stresses, inflammatory responses, exposure to high drug and toxin loads, as well as irretrievability. In order to address these concerns, investigation into alternative implant sites, such as the subcutaneous site, has intensified. Transplantation of islets within these extrahepatic sites is commonly met with three primary obstacles: 1) inadequate spatial …

The Effects Of Climatic And Geographic Events On The Cotton Mouse (Peromyscus Gossypinus), Sean M. Beckmann

Open Access Dissertations

Climatic and geographic events such as glaciations, island formation, river formation, and urbanization strongly affect habitat specialist species. By contrast, it is traditionally assumed that these events have little effect on habitat generalists but few studies have tested this assumption. In this study I sought to identify the effects of historic and contemporary biogeographic events on the genetic structure of a habitat generalist, the cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus). This species is distributed throughout the southeastern United States, a region that has experienced dramatic geographic changes associated with both historic Pleistocene glacial cycles, as well as contemporary anthropogenic forces. In analyzing …

The Adaptive Significance Of Vocal Performance In Songbird Communication, Adrienne L. Dubois

Open Access Dissertations

The question of how honesty is maintained in animal communication is a perplexing one, especially in the context of aggressive communication, in which the interests of signalers and receivers are opposed. Relevant information for receivers in aggressive interactions includes the fighting ability of the signaler and its likelihood of attack. Signalers may, however, benefit from manipulation of signals to exaggerate this information. To address questions of signal honesty, this dissertation investigates the use of a performance signal in the song of swamp sparrows (Melospiza georgiana). Performance signals are ones that are physically demanding to perform and that therefore reveal the …

Critical Kinases Required For The Proliferation And Survival Of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Julie M. Matthews

Open Access Dissertations

Abstract unavailable.

Fluorescence Switching With Photochromic Oxazines, Erhan Deniz

Open Access Dissertations

Fluorescence microscopy offers the opportunity to image noninvasively biological samples in real time. However, the phenomenon of diffraction limits the resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopes to submicrometer dimensions in both the horizontal and vertical directions. This limitation can be overcome by photoswitchable fluorescent probes able to undergo reversible saturable optically linear fluorescence transitions (RESOLFT). In this study, firstly, a photoswitchable fluorescent probe based on BODIPY fluorophore and Spiropyran photochrome were designed and its photophysical and photochemical properties were investigated in organic and aqueous environments. Also, its imaging with patterned illumination was showed by trapping them in PMMA matrix. Secondly, photochromic …

The Role Of Habitat In Crocodilian Communication, Vladimir Dinets

Open Access Dissertations

Crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials) have a particular category of signals used for long-distance communication of location and status. These signals are composed of acoustic and non-acoustic components with different physical properties, such as vocal sounds, slaps, infrasound, odor and postures. A survey of extant species and a comparative study of allopatric conspecific populations inhabiting different habitats show that the composition of these signals is adjusted to optimize their ability to carry information in each habitat. Studies of animals living in changing habitats and of animals inhabiting different habitats within the same geographical areas show that these adaptations are …

American Women And The Modern Summer Olympic Games: A Story Of Obstacles And Struggles For Participation And Equality, Cecile Houry

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on American women and the modern summer Olympic Games. It retraces the history of women's participation in this significant and global sporting event to study the obstacles generated by social, economic, political, and cultural gender patterns while providing a forum for female Olympians to give voice to their journeys and how they dealt with and eventually overcame some of these obstacles. The findings herein support other scholarly works, arguing that despite progress, the Olympic Games, and by extension the institution of sport in general, is and will remain a hegemonic space that allows men to maintain and …

Role Of Mechanical Strain On The Cardiomyogenic Differentiation Of Periodontal Ligament Derived Stem Cells, Daniel Pelaez

Open Access Dissertations

The application of cellular therapies for the treatment of myocardial infarction has provided encouraging evidence for the possibility of cellular therapies to restore normal heart function. However, questions still remain as to the optimal cell source, pre-conditioning methods and delivery techniques for such an application. Here I propose the use of a unique population of stem cells arising from the embryonic neural crest. These cells were shown to express neural crest markers as well as pluripotency-associated markers. Furthermore, the cells were shown to express proteins essential to the formation of gap junctions and to possess a cardiomyogenic differentiation potential by …

Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Early Life History Stages Of Caribbean Scleractinian Corals, Rebecca Albright

Open Access Dissertations

Ocean acidification (OA) refers to the increase in acidity (decrease in pH) of the ocean’s surface waters resulting from oceanic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Mounting experimental evidence suggests that OA threatens numerous marine organisms, including reef-building corals; however, few studies have focused on the effects on early life history stages. Coral recruitment is critical to the persistence and resilience of coral reefs and is regulated by several early life processes, including: larval availability (gamete production, fertilization, etc.), larval settlement, post-settlement growth, and survival. Environmental factors that disrupt these early life processes can result in compromised or failed recruitment …

Musculoskeletal Disorders And Health Behaviors Among U.S. Workers, Alberto J. Caban-Martinez

Open Access Dissertations

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are comprised of a wide range of pathological states including inflammatory and degenerative conditions affecting the muscles tendons, ligaments, joints, central and peripheral nerves, and supporting blood vessels of the human body. In addition, they constitute a significant proportion of all reported and/or compensable work-related diseases contributing to substantial numbers of lost work days and medical care utilization in the United States. MSDs have multiple and inter-connected risk factors, both occupational and non-occupational such as repetitive trauma, obesity, smoking, drinking, and physical activity. At the present time, the associations between US worker occupation/industry, health behaviors, health-related quality …

An Analysis Of The Capacity Of Coastal Management Practitioners To Develop Coastal Ecosystem‐Based Management Plans, Tiffany Catherine Smythe

Open Access Dissertations

Ecosystem‐based management (EBM) is an integrated, collaborative resource management strategy that is widely touted as the preferred approach to coastal and environmental management. Yet coastal management decisions largely occur through a fragmented system of governance, whereby coastal management practitioners act somewhat autonomously to make land‐ and water‐use decisions that can have tremendous impacts on entire ecosystems. There are relatively few examples of coastal ecosystem‐based management in practice; one possible reason is that a truly EBM approach, considering both the social and ecological aspects of an ecosystem, places extreme demands on coastal management practitioners. To effectively develop coastal EBM plans, practitioners …

A New Maritime Archaeological Landscape Formation Model: Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Alicia Lynn Caporaso

Open Access Dissertations

Archaeology should strive to explore and seek to improve our understanding of human behavior. Underwater archaeology, especially shipwreck archaeology, tends to be particularistic focusing on the human activities associated with a ship or shipwreck itself. Human behavior and its resultant material remains exist on a physical and cultural landscape and cannot be separated from it. Studying known archaeological sites within the landscape reveals patterns of human behavior that can only be identified within that context.

This research explores the relationship between the social and natural world and the archaeological landscape at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve. The …

Examination Of The Diatom-Bound Nitrogen Isotope Proxy: Nitrate Consumption In The Polar Ocean, Matthew G. S. Horn

Open Access Dissertations

The ratio of stable nitrogen isotopes (δ¹⁵N) is used to infer nitrogen utilization in nutrient replete surface waters through time. Typically, the isotopic composition of bulk sedimentary nitrogen (δ¹⁵N_bulk) is measured. However the isotopic composition of this fraction is known to shift due to alteration during sinking and early burial. More recently, the nitrogen bound within silica microfossils (δ¹⁵N_DB) has been targeted. This fraction is hypothesized to be protected from alteration during sinking and early burial by the biominerals encapsulating it, thus preserving the surface nitrate utilization signal through time. …

Diversity And Distributon Of Vibrio Parahaemolyticus, A Bacterioplankton Species Of Concern For Human Health, In Rhode Island, Annie M. Cox

Open Access Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a naturally occurring bacterium in coastal marine environments, can cause a severe gastrointestinal illness in humans when contaminated raw or undercooked seafood is consumed. Because of their potential for human illness, V. parahaemolyticus pose a threat to aquaculture through loss of business due to unfavorable publicity. Very little is known about V. parahaemolyticus in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island); the only recently published study found a low concentration of total V. parahaemolyticus in Narragansett Bay water in the 1980s, and no pathogenic (Kanagawa-positive) strains were isolated. Thus far, illnesses due to V. parahaemolyticus in Rhode Island and the …

Exposures To Multiple Environmental Chemicals (Lead, Methylmercury And Polychlorinated Biphenyls) Among Childbearing-Aged Women In The U.S., Marcella Remer Thompson

Open Access Dissertations

It is estimated that 5 to 20% of neurodevelopmental disabilities in children are caused by environmental toxic exposures. Lead, methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are known to have neurobehavioral and neurodevelopmental consequences in animal models and human population studies. Bioaccumulation and exposures during gestation transfer from mother to fetus via the placenta and to an infant and young child through lactation. Little is known about multiple environmental chemical exposures, especially among childbearing-aged women.

This descriptive and exploratory study involved analysis of existing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a national probability sample. Lead, methylmercury and the …

Selective Translocation Of Cell-Impermeable Toxins Into Cancer Cells: Phlip Mediated Delivery Of Phallotoxins Inhibits Cancer Proliferation, Dayanjali Diluka Wijesinghe

Open Access Dissertations

Most drug molecules cannot freely diffuse across a cellular membrane because of the energetic barrier for transition across a hydrophobic lipid bilayer of a membrane is very high for polar molecules. Recently it was discovered that a moderately hydrophobic, water-soluble membrane peptide called pHLIP (pH (Low) Insertion Peptide) can insert into membranes and translocate molecules in a pH-dependent manner. This opens a unique opportunity to develop a novel concept in drug delivery, which is based on the use of a pH-sensitive single peptide molecular transporter. The main goal of this investigation is to elucidate mechanism of cargo translocation across a …

An Analysis Of Marine Reserve Co-Management Within The Caribbean: Factors Influencing Stakeholder Participation, Sarah Lindley Smith

Open Access Dissertations

The goal of the research is to critically analyze co-management as a tool for sustainable marine resource management through improved understanding of stakeholder participation in co-management. This critique is based on the underlying hypothesis that co-management will lead to greater representation and participation of stakeholders in management and that successful co-management is that which encompasses a wide range of stakeholder perspectives in the decision-making process. This study investigates variability in the involvement of stakeholders in selected examples of existing co-management arrangements developed to manage marine reserves within the wider Caribbean. An understanding of the factors contributing to and dynamics of …

Theatre Of The Arts: Caribbean Intertextuality And The Muse Of Place, Lara B. Cahill-Booth

Open Access Dissertations

Theatre of the Arts: Caribbean Intertextuality and the Muse of Place is a literary geography that explores how specific environments shape imaginative interventions into history and language. I begin by examining the unity of Derek Walcott's vision of the sea, tracing its ties to oral history, literary canon, and personal reveries of emplacement in Omeros and other epic-minded poems. I follow the sea to its continental origins, examining the Guyanas, an Amazonian bioregion on the borderlands of Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela, as a place imaginatively remapped by twentieth-century novelists Alejo Carpentier, Wilson Harris, Mario de Andrade, and Pauline Melville. I …

A Comparative Analysis Of Changes In Postural Control Following Training Using The Wii Balance Program And Standardized Falls Prevention Programs, Alessandra Pluchino

Open Access Dissertations

Declines in balance and postural control are believed to be the major neuromuscular factors that contribute to an increased risk of falling with age. Balance training has been reported to be an effective tool for increasing these parameters in older fallers, but its effectiveness in improving balance in higher-functioning, independent-living elders is uncertain. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of two formal balance-training interventions (Tai Chi and standardize balance exercise program [SBEP]) and an activity-promoting video game, the Wii Fit balance program. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy, independent seniors (72.10 ± 7.80) were randomly assigned to eight …

Phosphorylation Of Cdk2 At Threonine 39 By Akt Facilitates Cyclin-Cdk2 Activation, Thiago Bezerra Gaspar Carvalho Da Silva

Open Access Dissertations

Cdk2 importantly regulates G1 progression. Cdk2 activation requires cyclin binding and phosphorylation at T160 by CAK. Here we describe a novel Cdk2 site whose Akt dependent phosphorylation appears to facilitate cyclin-Cdk2 assembly Cdk2 bears a Akt consensus motif containing threonine 39 (T39) immediately preceding the PSTAIRE helix. Cellular Cdk2 co-precipitated with Akt and Akt phosphorylated Cdk2 in vitro. Treatment of quiescent cells with serum leads to activation of the Akt pathway, followed by phosphorylation of Cdk2T39. This phosphorylation preceded the formation of cyclin-Cdk2 complexes and the phosphorylation at Cdk2T160. PI3K inhibition caused cyclin E dissociation from Cdk2, loss of CAK …

Personality Style And Hiv Risk Behavior Among Adolescent Substance Abusers, Stephanie E. Diamond

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between four personality styles and two important indications of HIV risk behavior, at intake and 3-month follow-up, among a sample of adolescents participating in court-mandated substance abuse treatment in conjunction with an HIV prevention intervention. This study involved a secondary analysis of data from a NIDA funded project (1R01DA011875-01, R. Malow, PI). Predictor variables included levels of antisocial (unruly), dependent(submissive), avoidant (inhibited), and borderline (borderline tendency) personality styles drawn from scales of the Million Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI). Criterion variables included number of sexual partners and percentage of sex acts unprotected, …

Psychophysiological Responses To Disgust: Cardiovascular And Facial Muscle Patterns Associated With Different Functional Domains, Robert Oum

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the distinguishing physiological characteristics of the disgust reaction across different domains. According to an evolutionary analysis, disgust is a heterogeneous emotion with features that are specific to three distinct domains: pathogens, sex, and morality. Each domain is predicted to take as input information specific to the adaptive problem it evolved to solve and regulate behavior accordingly. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether there are any adaptive physiological differences associated with the disgust response across domains. Participants were asked to imagine acts that elicit pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust. It was hypothesized that there …

Population Structure And The Mating System Of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta Caretta), Janne Thoft Nielsen

Open Access Dissertations

Studies of the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) demonstrate that females are philopatric, returning to nest in the region where they hatched. Eleven genetic stocks of maternal lineages have been identified in the Atlantic Ocean. An analysis of the conventionally-used 380 bp of the mitochondrial control region of a sample of individuals from the genetic stock of loggerheads in Mexico (N = 175) revealed 13 haplotypes. When a longer sequence read of 815 bp was analyzed, 17 haplotypes were uncovered. In the genetic stock of loggerheads in northwestern Florida (N = 25), three haplotypes were …

Caregiver Behaviors As Moderators Of The Relation Between Children's Joint Attention Skills And Subsequent Language In An At-Risk Sample, Dolores Farhat

Open Access Dissertations

The positive link between children's joint attention skills and subsequent language outcomes is well established. There is also abundant evidence that responsive caregiver behaviors lead to optimal language outcomes. Though directive behaviors are generally considered detrimental to children's growth, specific types of directive behaviors which extend or build upon a child's behavior are thought to promote children's learning. No study has examined how caregiver behaviors interact with children's joint attention skills to affect subsequent language. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to examine how three different caregiver behaviors (Responsiveness, Supportiveness, and Intrusiveness) measured at 18 months moderated the …

Information Integration In A Grid Environment Applications In The Bioinformatics Domain, Ahmed M. Radwan

Open Access Dissertations

Grid computing emerged as a framework for supporting complex operations over large datasets; it enables the harnessing of large numbers of processors working in parallel to solve computing problems that typically spread across various domains. We focus on the problems of data management in a grid/cloud environment. The broader context of designing a services oriented architecture (SOA) for information integration is studied, identifying the main components for realizing this architecture. The BioFederator is a web services-based data federation architecture for bioinformatics applications. Based on collaborations with bioinformatics researchers, several domain-specific data federation challenges and needs are identified. The BioFederator addresses …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Self-Renewal In Marrow Stromal Stem Cells, Carmen I. Rios

Open Access Dissertations

Adult stem cells currently represent the most promising cell type for cell therapy approaches in regenerative medicine. To obtain a thorough understanding of their properties is essential for successful stem cell therapy approaches. We previously identified a unique population of human marrow-isolated adult multilineage inducible (MIAMI) cells isolated from males and females 3 to 72 years of age. Although their numbers decrease with age, their molecular profile is sustained, suggesting that these cells self-renew during the lifetime of the individual. Understanding the mechanisms of in vitro self-renewal will allow us to expand these cells to numbers suitable for cell therapy …