Digital Commons Network^™

Preparation Of Novel Steroidal Conjugates As Potential Diagnostic And Therapeutic Agents With An Emphasis On Quinoid And Halogenated Moieties, Nuha Obaid Juma Alsoom

Theses

Steroids bonded to pharmaceutically active molecules are interesting candidates as therapeutic agents. In this work, a number of potentially bioactive residues, which include the quinoid moiety, have been synthesized as a simple steroid quinone hybrid, where the steroid component will be estradiol derived or the steroid cholesterol derived. For this purpose, two novel reactions have been explored namely, the modification of the APPEL reaction to connect residues by using PPh3/BrCCl3 for amidation and esterification of carboxylic acids. Another one is the hydrogenation reaction of alkenes by using NaBH4, AcOH, Pd/C and toluene or benzene in the presence of benzyl groups …

Effects Of Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes On Gene And Protein Expression In Sinoatrial Node Of Rat Heart, Zannatul Ferdous

Theses

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders and its global prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate. Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients. In addition to defects in contraction, the diabetic heart also frequently suffers from disturbances to the electrical conduction system. This study investigates the effects of diabetes on the sinoatrial node (SAN) of the rat heart. Previous in vivo and in vitro experiments have demonstrated reduced heart rate, longer SAN action potential duration, prolonged pacemaker cycle length and Sino-atrial conduction time in streptozotocin (STZ) - induced diabetic rat …

A Case Study Of An Intervention Program For Students With Dyslexia In A Primary School In The Uae, Elazab Mohamed Elazab Elshazly

Theses

The study aims to investigate the impact of an iPad programme on the performance of students with dyslexia on reading, writing and spelling skills in two classes of a public primary school in Al -Ain, UAE. The study follows a mixed method approach (questionnaire; face-to-face interviews; pre-posttests). Twenty (20) 3rd graders male students with dyslexia, attending English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes were the participants of the study. Students’ performance on spelling, reading and writing skills were tested after instructed through an iPad intervention programme with multisensory applications. The experimental group’s performance (10 students with dyslexia) was compared to …

Aggression Dynamics And Hormone Fluctuations In Black And White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata), Alicia N. Marty

Theses

Black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) are critically endangered primates from the Northeastern rainforests of Madagascar. This species shows clear female dominance in both feeding and social contexts. In captivity, this dominance hierarchy can lead to heightened aggression between females during the breeding season, which can result in animal separation or group reconfiguration. The objectives of this study are to determine the scope of this species-specific management strategy throughout AZA-accredited zoos, determine the influence of two types of feeding enrichment on aggression levels, and determine the effect of aggression on stress levels by measuring fecal glucocorticoids (fGC). Understanding aggression …

Horrendous Evils And The Problem Of Representation, William Bell

Theses

Marilyn McCord Adams’s work on the problem of evil offers one of the most creative and sophisticated religious theodicies. Adams relies upon specifically Christian resources to explain how God is able to defeat horrendous evils within the context of an individual’s life by integrating the participant’s experience of suffering into their relationship with God. This strategy rests upon the claim that God has participated in a representative sample of human horrors. I argue that traditional interpretations of the relevant Christian beliefs do not support the idea that Christ experienced the disintegration of his meaning-making capacities characteristic of horrendous evils. I …

Same In The Sea And Other Stories, Mary Grace Buckley

Theses

This thesis is comprised of five novel chapters and two short stories that explore individuals’ interactions with their families and with the world around them. These interactions are not limited to physical interactions and verbal exchanges; they also include meditations on how the individual fits within the family and within the world at large. These stories also include interactions with the quirky, strange, and borderline fantastical as a way of displaying and relating to the individual’s feeling of personal strangeness by finding a similar strangeness in the outside world.

Urmson's Art, Tyler Ryan

Theses

The most fundamental problem in the philosophy of art is finding an adequate definition for the term ‘art’. One common criterion is that a definition of art should be able to accommodate future, avant-garde works, as well as acknowledge the many accepted works from the past, which in all likelihood these newer additions do not resemble. Some philosophers also believe that a definition of art should align reasonably well with our intuitions about what counts as art. I would agree, except my intuitions about what counts as art are apparently off from what most other people think qualifies as art. …

Anti-Metastatic And Anti-Tumor Growth Effects Of Carnosol On Breast Cancer, Halima Ali Mohammed Salem Al Samri

Theses

Our lab has previously showed that carnosol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, exhibits anti-cancer activity by promoting cell cycle arrest at G2 phase, and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent apoptosis and beclin-1 independent autophagy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line (MDA-MB-231). Here, we extended our study by investigating the potential effect of carnosol on migration, invasion and tumor growth of these cells. Our findings demonstrated that carnosol, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, exerted a potent anti-metastatic and anti-tumor growth activity against the highly invasive TNBC cell line, MBA-MB-231. Carnosol inhibited the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, carnosol suppressed …

Virulence Factors, Clonality, Antibiotic And Disinfectant Resistance Of Enterobacteriaceae Isolated In The Arabian Peninsula, Noora Esmaeel Al Zarooni

Theses

The emergence and rapid spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae is one of the most challenging problems we currently faced. However, locally, no details on the strains causing outbreaks are available. Furthermore, globally, we still do not understand what makes certain clones capable of spreading widely while others are only confined to sporadic cases. Aim: Our aim was to characterize the virulence factors, antibiotic and disinfectant susceptibilities of local clonal and sporadic Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains and to analyze the data to reveal which particular feature might be responsible for the outbreak potential of clonal isolates. Methods: Escherichia …

Sustainable Management Of Food Supply-Chain Resources In New York State, Jacqueline H. Ebner

Theses

A sustainable food supply chain (FSC) is at the nexus of several critical global challenges including hunger, resource scarcity, climate change, poverty, energy security and economic growth. However, managing FSC resources in a sustainable manner is complex and data to support this goal is lacking. This dissertation addressed four knowledge gaps by applying a variety of analytical and experimental tools to the New York State FSC.

First, a cradle-to-grave analysis of the New York State FSC was conducted. Resources leaving the FSC from primary production (post-harvest) through to consumption were defined and characterized. Surveys and literature were used to estimate …

Effects Of Aspirin On Metabolic Alterations In Type 2 Diabetic Rats, Layla Ishaq Hussain Rahmatalla Amiri

Theses

Background: Increased oxidative stress, inflammatory responses and mitochondrial dysfunction have been implicated in diabetes, obesity (diabesity) and cardiovascular diseases. Type 2 diabetes is the most common metabolic disorder, characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic islet β-cell failure. The most common complications associated with type 2 diabetes are hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia/dyslipidemia, increased inflammatory and reduced insulin response. Aspirin (ASA) and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been associated with the prevention of diabetes, obesity and related cardiovascular disorders. Aspirin has been used in many clinical and experimental trials for the prevention of diabetes and associated complications.

Aims and hypothesis: Since inflammation, …

Web Of Life, Zhenwei Chu

Theses

The inspiration for my artwork comes from the emotional relationships that people have with family, friends and their social environment. In addition, the ecological food chain influences my art forms. After research, analysis and development, the triangle shape has become the main element in my thesis work. The triangle form helps me to ideate the infinite cycles, connections and links that create a complex web.

This thesis work includes jewelry, installation and sculpture. Different forms of this work emphasize distinct themes about the relationships. In terms of the techniques, along with utilizing traditional techniques such as soldering, painting and stitching, …

Determination Of Multiple Pesticides Residues In Imported Tea In Uae Using Liquid And Gas Chromatography And Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Sarra Ali Mohammed Hassan Almulla

Theses

An accurate, rapid and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of 48 pesticide residues in United Arab Emirates imported tea (Green and Black) by liquid and gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry LC–ESI (+) - MS/MS and GC-EI-MS/MS. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used in which two transitions for each compound for pesticide identification and quantification in the presence of internal standards. Modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe (QuEChERS) method was used for sample clean up and preparation for chromatographic analysis. The performance of the newly developed analytical method was validated in accordance with EU SANCO guidelines …

Study Of The Seasonal And Interannual Variability Of Phytoplankton Bloom In Arabian Gulf Using Modisdata, Malik Mutasim Malik Gasim

Theses

The Arabian Gulf is a semi enclosed large water body that experiences seasonal

variations and reversal of it water currents flow circulation. The Gulf waters are characterized by having high primary productivity and strong phytoplankton blooms at particular seasons within the year. Phytoplankton is a base of the food chain for marine species, providing an essential food resource for aquatic life. Marine phytoplankton affects the diversity of any marine ecosystem and drives its functioning and is strongly correlated with fishery yields. The primary

objectives of this research study are to answer key research questions related to phytoplankton blooms in the …

A Comparative Study Of Aromatic Pollutants Degradation Using Two Different Peroxidases, Aysha Hamad Muftah Ai Neyadi

Theses

Enzyme based degradation of organic pollutants is a promising new remediation approach due to the promiscuous nature of the technique, the wide range of available enzymes, and the scalability of the process. Oxidoreductases, specifically, peroxidases are the most popular class of enzymes that have been used for the degradation of organic pollutants. It is generously assumed that all peroxidases behave similarly and produce similar degradation products. Our main objective was to test the hypothesis that related peroxidases may act differentially towards the degradation of aromatic pollutants. Therefore, in this study, we have carried out detailed degradation studies on three model …

Anti-Breast Cancer Effect Of Rhus Coriaria Extract, Khawlah Najib Athamneh

Theses

Plants have been shown to be an excellent source of new drugs, including anticancer agents. Rhus coriaria, commonly known as sumac, a plant that is known to possess different therapeutic values including anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities. Here, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of R. coriaria on triple negative MDA-MB-231 cell line. We demonstrated that Rhus coriaria ethanolic extract (RCE) inhibits the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cell line in a time- and concentration dependent manner. RCE induced senescence and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Moreover, no proliferative recovery was detected after RCE removal. Annexin V staining and PARP cleavage analysis revealed …

Anticonvulsant And Procognitive Properties Of Novel Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonists In Male Adult Rats, Ali Kassem Saad

Theses

To determine the potential of histamine H3 receptor (H3R) ligands as new antiepileptic and procognitive drugs, aromatic ether derivatives (1-12) belonging to the nonimidazole class of ligands, with high in-vitro binding affinity at human H3R, were tested for their in-vivo anticonvulsive activity in maximal electroshock (MES)-, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-, and strychnine (STR)-induced seizure models in male adult rats having phenytoin (PHT) and valproic acid (VPA) as the reference antiepileptic drugs, pitolisant (PIT) as the standard H3R antagonist/inverse agonist, and donepezil (DOZ) as a reference procognitive drug. Among the H3R ligands (1-12) tested in the current project, H3R …

Dynamics And Power Generation Potential From A Tethered Kite Moving In A Horizontal Flightpath, Glenn Romo Gavi

Theses

Tethered-wing power systems are a viable possibility for collecting energy from stronger, more consistent winds found in the upper regions of the atmosphere where conventional wind turbines are incapable of reaching. To date, all of the tethered-wing systems fly with the tether oriented down-wind of the ground attachment point. Examined here are the dynamics and performance of a novel system where the tether is oriented both upwind and downwind of the ground attachment point during normal operation of the device. Certain prototypes built by Makani and Ampyx Power are considered to have motions analogous to the motions of the blade …

An Artificial Neural Networks Based Temperature Prediction Framework For Network-On-Chip Based Multicore Platform, Sandeep Aswath Narayana

Theses

Continuous improvement in silicon process technologies has made possible the integration of hundreds of cores on a single chip. However, power and heat have become dominant constraints in designing these massive multicore chips causing issues with reliability, timing variations and reduced lifetime of the chips. Dynamic Thermal Management (DTM) is a solution to avoid high temperatures on the die. Typical DTM schemes only address core level thermal issues. However, the Network-on-chip (NoC) paradigm, which has emerged as an enabling methodology for integrating hundreds to thousands of cores on the same die can contribute significantly to the thermal issues. Moreover, the …

Personalities Of The Chinese Zodiac, Tang-Hsuan Liu

Theses

3D animation has been trending for many years now. Many stories and the characters in those stories are being re-designed and represented by 3D.

Stories I grew up with in Taiwan are so different from those popular in Western culture. While I enjoyed Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mickey Mouse, I also loved many classic Chinese stories, one of them being that of the Chinese Zodiac.

This story is about animals having a race to decide who will be the only 12 animals that represent each year. They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog …

Shape Representation Using The Helmholtz Equation, Laura A. Rolston

Theses

Image classification uses a learning procedure to predict class labels based on quantitative characteristics of an image. Typical approaches involve first extracting features from a set of labeled images and using a subset of those images and their features as a "training set" to train a classifier. The classifier is then applied to the test images to predict their labels. In this thesis, we focus on shape classification and propose new features to be used for classifying binary images. Specifically, we propose new features based on the hitting time distribution of a Brownian motion process defined on the shape.

It …

A Study Of Kinematics And Kinetics In Time-Constrained Arm Movements, Oyindamola Owoeye

Theses

Several studies such as the equilibrium point hypothesis (EPH) purport that the motor signals that descend from the brain instead of encoding muscle torques, influence an existing relationship between muscle torque and body configuration.

In the present study, the possibility of torque depending explicitly on position was tested using a task in which subjects (N=5) moved a simulated weightless frictionless mass through a small (<8 degree) elbow extension in order to move a cursor on a screen to a target location. Each subject completed 720 trials. On ~10% of trials the simulated mass was increased unknown to the subject. The relationship between the cursor’s position and the torque applied to the system was held constant even when the simulated mass was increased. Thus, any change in torque produced was neither due the subjects’ perception of the mass nor due to their perception of the cursor. The time at which the subjects torque changed direction was seen to be significantly different (p<0.005) during trials which the mass changed. This change in torque is concluded to be position-dependent. However the possibility of this being a merely mechanical effect could not be ruled out by due to poor EMG collection.

A post-hoc analysis of different position-dependent motor control models, was done. Particularly, an exponential spring model, a linear spring model, and a linear spring with relative damping model were each tested to see how well …

Moths Fight Back: Arms Race In The Cloud Forest, Diana Pamela Rivera

Theses

Moths and bats engage in a coevolutionary arm race, where the same signals bats use to find moths are being used by moths to avoid bats. Moths evolve not only behavioral but acoustic responses to avoid predation by bats. This research examines one small component of a complex, multispecies arm race between moths and bats. In this study we found that the moth Amastus hyalina displayed both flight and acoustic responses to ultrasonic stimuli.

In tethered flight the tiger moth Amastus hyalina (Arctiinae) exhibits a complex array of reactions to ultrasonic tones that includes changes in flight and production of …

Comparison Of Muscle Synergies Elicited From Transcranial Meganetic Stimulation (Tms) And Voluntary Movements, Yifei Wei

Theses

A key question in motor control is the redundancy of musculoskeletal elements involved. This problem refers to as the degree of freedom problem. The Muscle Synergy Hypothesis is one of the hypotheses that aim to resolve the problem which defines that a muscle synergy is a combination of a small set of muscles activated at different levels, serving as a building block that constructs motor behaviors. A recent study (Overduin et al. 2012) demonstrated that muscle synergies decomposed by Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) from EMG patterns evoked by intra-cortical microsimulation (ICMS) in the monkey remarkably matched ones observed in naturalistic …

Shock Wave Interaction With A Fluid Filled Cylinder Experimental Methods, Praveen Kumar Baba Siddabattuni

Theses

In the recent wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, many soldiers sustained bTBI (blast-induced traumatic brain injury). The blasts are created by extensive use of improvised explosive devices (IED’s). Whether pure blast-shock waves cause TBI or what is the mechanism of injury are not fully known. Research efforts are underway to find answers to these questions.

The primary objective of this project is to understand how the shockwave interacts with a fluid-filled cylinder of different thicknesses. Here, the cylinder is idealized as head and the fluid filled inside it as the brain material. The primary interest here is, how the pure …

Rodent Testing Device Surrogate For Shockwave Blast Testing, Anthony C. Misistia

Theses

Many laboratories around the world are conduct shockwave blast injury tests on rodents to simulate blast traumatic brain injury (TBI). Each of these laboratories has different techniques for creating the shockwave blasts as well as positioning the rats. There is no device to determine whether or not the rodent animal models actually experiences a true blast wave in a given set up. This device was developed as a method for verifying rodents undergoing true shockwave blasts through biometrics, instrumentation and the basic biomechanical responses a rodent experiences during such tests. Since the goal of shockwave blast testing is to replicate …

Oh Deer! Analyzing The Impact Of Rit Expansion And Development On White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) And Vehicle Collisions From 1993-2014, Gina De Naples

Theses

Increases in both human and deer populations, combined with habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and decreased predation, have led to increases in deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs). The development of RIT over the past 20 years mimics typical urban/suburban development patterns, with documented deer-vehicle collisions. This research examines deer-vehicle collisions in regards to campus development, notably Park Point, to determine whether collisions are increasing or decreasing and to evaluate landscape variables that might be contributing factors. Data from 1993-2014, contributed by the RIT Campus Safety Office and the Monroe County Sheriff Office are modelled using ArcGIS software. This research builds on a previous …

Visualization Of Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders, Tim Fitzgerald

Theses

It is widely known that human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) can cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), but treatments to prevent the virus from escalating to that severity have come a long way since the virus was first described in the 1980s. The medications, combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), keep the virus from replicating, thus stopping its progression to AIDS. However, this treatment does not seem to ultimately benefit the brain, in part because cART does not uniformly penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and in part because HIV-1 seems to permanently turn on the part of the immune system that causes …

Effect Of Substrates In The Resistivity And Adhesion Of Copper Nanoparticle Ink, Pritam Poddar

Theses

Printed electronics processes have the potential to make electronics manufacturing more flexible by providing a wider choice of materials and easier processing steps. In traditional electronics manufacturing techniques, corrosive etching steps limit the choice of materials and also require advanced infrastructure for process implementation. High speed low cost printing processes (e.g. inkjet) can be used, and the printed tracks can then be cured to conductive circuits that meet the needs of electronic devices like radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, sensors, etc.

In this work, intense flashes of broad spectrum light from Xenon lamps are used to cure inkjet printed metal …

Vascular Endothelial Cell Markers And Serum Ferritin In Platelet And Blood Donors, Frances Duggan

Theses

Background and Objectives. The effects of anti-coagulated extracorporeal circulation on plasma levels of haemostatic proteins in plateletpheresis donors, using whole blood donors as a control group was investigated. Also, a prospective analysis of iron status in plateletpheresis donors, using whole blood donors as a control group, was investigated to assess the haematinic effects of regular anti-coagulated extracorporeal circulation and platelet collection. Materials and Methods. Blood samples from 31 regular male plateletpheresis donors and from 14 first time male whole blood donors were taken immediately before and immediately after donation, and also immediately prior to the next donation. These samples were …