Digital Commons Network^™

Does Foot Have A Leg To Stand On?: A Dilemma For An Attempt To Ground Evaluative Judgment In Biological Teleology, Emalee Popoff

Theses

In Natural Goodness, Philippa Foot aims to give an account of goodness and badness in action in terms of natural goodness and defect. In this paper I argue that Foot’s account of natural goodness fails as an attempt to ground the evaluation of living things in their life forms, even before its extension to moral evaluation. Foot’s overall project depends on her characterization of a life form, and she gives an account of life forms in terms of a theory of biological teleology. Teleological propositions, for Foot, give an answer to the question “What part does it play in the …

Dissolution Testing Of Prednisone And Salicylic Acid Calibrator Tablets At Different Tablet Locations, Anandhavalavan Arulmozhi

Theses

Dissolution testing is routinely carried out in the pharmaceutical industry to determine the rate of dissolution of solid dosage forms. This test is one of the several tests that pharmaceutical companies typically conduct on oral dosage formulations (e.g., tablets) to determine compliance. The USP Dissolution Testing Apparatus 2 is the most common of the apparatuses listed in the USP. However, it has been shown previously that the dissolution profile of a tablet undergoing dissolution in the USP Dissolution Apparatus 2 can be affected by the tablet location in the apparatus.

In this work, the dissolution rates of both non-disintegrating tablets …

Investigation Of The Potential Catalytic Activities Of Several Metal Organic Framework (Mof) Materials, Guangyu Zhang

Theses

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising porous materials due to their high porosities, large apparent surface areas, tunable pore properties and selective uptake of small molecules. Many researches have been focused on developing new MOF structures and exploring their use in gas storage and separation. Only few studies investigated the catalytic properties of MOFs. In this study, catalytic properties are explored over several MOFs including zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), Ni(FA) and Zn(FA). These MOFs are used as catalyst supports for iron or platinum nanoparticles. The catalysts are prepared using incipient wetness impregnation method and characterized with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), pulse chemisorption, X-ray …

Synthesis Towards Synthetic Adenosine Receptor, Rajni Gupta

Theses

Adenosine is a biologically important molecule as it acts as local modulator with cytoprotective function in the body. Adenosine accumulates in the extracellular space in response to metabolic stress and cell damage, and elevations in extracellular adenosine level are found in conditions like myocardial ischemia, hypoxia, inflammation and trauma. Its abnormal concentration therefore could be a marker of many diseases. Therefore determining its concentration can help understand the physiological state of the body. However its selective detection by synthetic receptors is not possible till date.

Efforts have been made here to design molecular tweezer for adenosine. Multistep synthesis was done …

Biomechanical Analysis Of Asymmetric And Dynamic Lifting Task, Xiaopeng Jiang

Theses

Lifting tasks is one of the leading causes of occupational lower back disorders (LBD). Aimed at deriving internal forces of human musculoskeletal system during lifting, biomechanical models are utilized to address this problem. This thesis provides an indepth literature review of such modeling, and the results of experiments used to address LBD issues.

An isometric pulling experiment was conducted to study the correlation between electromyography (EMG) and predicted muscle forces by AnyBody Modeling System™ with increasing hand loads. An infinite order polynomial (min/max) optimization criterion predicted percentage of maximum muscle forces, which achieved 98% correlation with normalized EMG. In a …

Fast Program For Sequence Alignment Using Partition Function Posterior Probabilities, Meera Prasad

Theses

The key requirements of a good sequence alignment tool are high accuracy and fast execution. The existing Probalign program is a highly accurate tool for sequence alignment of both proteins and nucleotides. However, the time for execution is fairly high. The focus is therefore, to reduce the running time of the existing version of Probalign, maintaining its current accuracy level.

The thesis conducts a detail analysis of the performance of Probalign to bring down the running time of the existing code. A modified version of Probalign, Version 1.4 is released. A new program for sequence alignment with faster computation is …

Ranking Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms With Support Vector Regression In Continuous Phenotypes, Seif Shahidain

Theses

Support vector machines (SVM) have been used to improve the ranking of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) over traditional chi-square tests in disease case studies [2]. In this investigation, ranking SNPs with support vector regression (SVR) was compared to the Wald test in predicting continuous phenotypes. SVR-ranked SNPs consistently outperformed the Wald test-ranked SNPs to provide a more accurate prediction of the phenotype with fewer SNPs across several methods of prediction.

A Microfluidic Culture For Two Populations Of Dorsal Root Ganglia For Differential Staining, Ishnoor Sidhu

Theses

The goal of this study was to design and fabricate a microfluidic system that can be used to visibly distinguish the two populations of dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) by differential staining. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer, and is particularly known for its wide spread use in microfluidics. Various methods have been employed to pump fluids in these channels for applications ranging from patterning of cells and biomolecules to control of local environment factors such as temperature, which requires external pumping or other applied forces. We demonstrated a pump-free device that exploits the surface energy stored …

Transdermal And Transbuccal Delivery Of Lidocaine And Nicotine : Combined Effects Of Iontophoresis And Chemical Enhancers, Ran Wei

Theses

This study focused on the effects of iontophoresis and chemical enhancers on drug release. The transport of Lidocaine HCl (LHCl) and Nicotine Hydrogen Tartrate (NHT) through the skin and mucosa was evaluated for potential clinical applications. These two potential delivery routes have the advantage of avoiding first-pass effect. Samples were pretreated with enhancer solutions for one hour before the experiments. Passive or 0.3 mA iontophoresis-assisted drug diffusion was conducted for 8 hours to monitor the cumulative amount of drug released. Graphical methods and mathematical optimization techniques were implemented to analyze the data. The effects of chemical enhancers on the delivery …

Thermochemical Properties, Bond Energies And Internal Rotor Potentials In Methyl Ethyl Sulfide And Oxygenated Sulfur Hydrocarbons Intermediates For Modeling Its Combustion And Atmospheric Chemistry, Guanghui Song

Theses

Small (1 to 4 carbon) hydrocarbon sulfides and thiols are formed in the biosphere by microorganisms and subsequently emitted into the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. In the atmosphere they are oxidized by photochemical and radical reactions to intermediate hydrocarbon and to sulfur oxides. The oxides of these sulfur compounds and the intermediates from the oxidation process are known to form aerosols that can counteract the global warming green house effect. Recent studies also suggest that some aerosols can also contribute to global warming. Sulfur oxides are also major contributors to acid rain as the results of the atmospheric chemistry oxidation …

Spherical Distance Metrics Applied To Protein Structure Classification, James Defelice

Theses

Observed protein structures usually represent energetically favorable conformations. While not all observed structures are necessarily functional, it is generally agreed that protein structure is closely related to protein function. Given a collection of proteins sharing a common global structure, variations in their local structures at specific, critical locations may result in different biological functions. Structural relationships among proteins are important in the study of the evolution of proteins as well as in drug design and development. Analysis of geometrical 3D protein structure has been shown to be effective with respect to classifying proteins. Prior work has shown that the Double …

Scaling-Up In Estuaries: The Feasibility Of Using Small Scale Results To Draw Large Scale Conclusions, Christopher Scheiner

Theses

Estuarine ecosystems are dynamic, heterogeneous ecosystems that are increasingly impacted by human activities, particularly excess nutrient loading and the resulting eutrophication. Much of the descriptive research investigating large-scale eutrophication is performed using field surveys and small-scale, manipulative microcosm experiments. To investigate confounding effects of scale and heterogeneity, we conducted a large-scale field survey of benthic conditions in West Falmouth Harbor (WFH), Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and compared our results to those observed in microcosm studies that utilized sediments and macrofauna from WFH. We used geographic information systems to estimate field condition heterogeneity and design an appropriate sampling strategy, and geostatistical interpolation …

Comparison Of Geochemical And Biological Characteristics Of Natural And Constructed Wetlands In Western Ny, Katrina Scheiner

Theses

To protect wetlands and the critical ecosystem functions and services they provide, federal law mandates creation of new wetlands for wetlands that are destroyed. However, we don't yet fully understand if created wetlands are functionally equivalent to their natural counterparts. In this study of two natural (N1, N2) and two created (C1, C2) wetlands in western New York state, interdependent biological and geochemical characteristics were measured to assess equivalency of ecosystem function. With the exception of Typha sp, all wetlands contained unique vegetation zones. We sampled within these vegetation zones during the growing season of 2010. Overall cover of plant …

The Werewolf Pride Movement: A Step Back From Queer Medieval Tradition, Caitlin B. Giacopasi

Theses

No abstract provided.

Effecr Of An Enriched Environment On Morphine Conditioned Place Preference In Rats, Gina E. Difeo

Theses

No abstract provided.

" Friends Abroad: Transnational Cooperation And Women's Organizations In Early Twentieth Century Chile.", Julie M. Porterfield

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Cell Biology Of Multi-Nucleated Giant Cell Formation, Johnathan L. Bartee

Theses

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An Investigation Of The Composition, Microbial Digestion And Potential Applications Of An Industrial By-Product Of Seaweed Extraction, Juncal Nogales Esteban

Theses

Commercial preparation of seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum, for use as fertilizer and soil improver, produces a residue which requires remediation. This residue is rich in nutrients and offers potential for other added-value products. The residue’s composition and microbial flora were studied, a microbial digestion system was developed, and extracts were screened for anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase activities.

The residue had a pH of 8.61±0.39, 16% (w/w) TS which comprised 40.6% minerals, 29.5% fibre, 20.9% lipid, 4.9% protein and 0.48% polyphenols. The microbial digestion included an initial 3-day anaerobic phase during which pH decreased from 9.12 to 7.89. At day 3, …

Multiple Scale Landscape Pattern Index Interpretation For The Persistent Monitoring Of Land-Cover And Land-Use, Alvin Spivey

Theses

Mapping land-cover land-use change (LCLUC) over regional and continental scales, and long time scales (years and decades), can be accomplished using thematically identified classification maps of a landscape--a LCLU class map. Observations of a landscape's LCLU class map pattern can indicate the most relevant process, like hydrologic or ecologic function, causing landscape scale environmental change. Quantified as Landscape Pattern Metrics (LPM), emergent landscape pat- terns act as Landscape Indicators (LI) when physically interpreted. The common mathematical approach to quantifying observed landscape scale pattern is to have LPM measure how connected a class exists within the landscape, through nonlinear local kernel …

Distribution Patterns Of River Otters, Lontra Canadensis, Within Monroe County, New York, Darren Doherty

Theses

River Otters, Lontra canadensis were reintroduced to western NY after being extirpated in the early 1900's. The goal of this project was to understand what environmental variables influence habitat selection of river otters, within Monroe County, New York. Water chemistry and the use of benthic macroinvertebrates were investigated to assess the water quality and human impacts. The research area included three tributaries of the Genesee River: Black, Honeoye, and Oatka Creeks. At identified latrine sites, I collected macroinvertebrates at 9 sites and water chemistry at 30 sites to provide an index of the water quality. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was …

Development Of Cerium Dioxide Coated Alumina Adsorbent To Study The Removal Of Arsenic From Ground Water, Laura Herder

Theses

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a major problem in both developing and developed countries as it is quite dangerous at extremely low concentrations and prevalent in many water supplies. Although there are many removal techniques for arsenic, the most promising for developing countries appears to be adsorption, since it is relatively low in cost, is easy to implement, requires no electricity, and can remove trace amounts of materials from solutions. Current adsorbents that have a high affinity for arsenic, but are costly because they have slow adsorption rates, low capacities, limited pH ranges, are affected adversely by competing ions, and …

Characterization Of Two Distinct Hfq Genes In Burkholderia Cenocepacia Hi2424, Samantha Sue Sellers

Theses

Species in the genus Burkholderia are found in a wide variety of environments ranging from plant rhizospheres to the human respiratory tract. Even though they have great biotechnological and bioremediative potential in preventing some plant diseases, promoting crop production, and degrading toxic compounds, some species of Burkholderia can be serious pathogens to those who have compromised immune systems, particularly those with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Many Burkholderia species have two distinct copies of the hfq gene, a rare phenomenon in bacteria studied to date. As a global regulatory protein, Hfq has been shown to act as an RNA chaperone involved in …

Explaining Volition In The Ta'aliqat: Avicenna's View Of Free Will, Anthony Ruffus

Theses

While a great deal of work has been produced on the free will debate amongst medieval Latin philosophers, very little has been generated in regards to the medieval Arabic world. As a prominent medieval Aristotelian, Avicenna’s Neoplatonically inspired philosophy greatly influenced his contemporaries. Accordingly, Avicenna’s contribution to the dialogue concerning free will deserves special attention. The ultimate purpose of this investigation is to enter into the academic discourse in hopes of advancing a broader understanding of Avicenna’s view of free will. Those few scholars who have presented Avicenna’s position on free will in the past have done so in one …

Against Normative Nationalism, Ashish George

Theses

Normative nationalism is the view that national boundaries represent more than an accumulation of tradition and history. Borders are morally significant insofar as the communities they create may appropriately be construed as composed of individuals with particular obligations to one another that they do not have to people outside the communities. I reject normative nationalism in this paper and seek to highlight the defects in criticisms of cosmopolitanism that presume or defend the legitimacy of normative nationalism. I utilize a distinction between demands of activity and demands of justification to point to some flaws in the normative nationalist framework preferred …

Turing Instability In Discrete Replicator Systems, Alex Bryce

Theses

When analyzing a discrete reaction-diffusion dynamical system, one primary area of interest is locating where in the parameter space Turing instabilities occur. It will be shown that Turing instabilities cannot occur in the react then diffuse equations if all diffusion coefficients are equal. The replicator dynamic is a system of equations that is used in evolutionary game theory applications to study behavior types in animal populations. Conditions for a Turing instability in first order discrete replicator systems will be discussed and illustrated with computer simulations of the results.

On Thomson's Normativity, Michael James Vossen

Theses

Are non-attributive uses of ‘good’ meaningful? Judith Jarvis Thomson, in her book, Normativity, argues that such uses are not. I argue that Thomson is mistaken, but in a way which improves on her basic account of the evaluative and directive judgments central to normative thought. Relations among kinds, and not just relations between kinds and individuals, can be understood as ethically relevant. Such kind-kind relations can provide a semantic basis for non-attributive uses of good. Accounting for such non-attributive uses allows Thomson to address three significant problems with her account. First, this account allows Thomson to make a more nuanced …

Shakespeare Wrote No Characters, Alexander Patrick Detmering

Theses

The purpose of my research was to answer a simple question: “What can be said about Hamlet's character?” When analyzing any Shakespearean play, it is commonplace to begin (and end) with the characters that inhabit it. But is this sort of analysis appropriate for Renaissance plays? Freud's famous interpretation of Hamlet operates in this fashion, determining the meaning of the play through the vehicle of Hamlet's character—specifically, the psychology of Hamlet's character. Such a reading assumes, however, the interiority of character: that fictional characters have mental landscapes, complete with pasts that lead to the present as related in the events …

Representation And Recruitment: A Three-Part Analysis Of The Police Hiring Process Within New York State, Michelle Comeau

Theses

This thesis consists of three separate analyses, each of which examines the representation of women, African Americans, and Latinos in the police organization in some form. The initial study compares department representation to that of the community in regards to race or ethnicity and gender. This is followed by the second study, which looks at the hiring process of one department within a mid-sized city (Rochester, NY) in detail, noting attrition by majority/minority status at each hurdle applicants' face. The study portion of this thesis concludes by utilizing data from the second study to create a model of attrition for …

Environmental Impact Analysis Of Alternative Pallet Management Systems, Ainoa Mazeika Bilbao

Theses

Pallets, the most common unit-load platform, allow the transportation of goods in an efficient and reliable way. Every year, 700 million new pallets are manufactured and become part of the approximately 2 billion pallets that are in circulation in the U.S. The total life-cycle environmental impact of pallets depends on materials, manufacturing, handling processes, and the disposal practice (end-of-life). Plastic pallets can be lighter and might last longer but their manufacturing processes are energy intensive and could contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On the other hand, wooden pallets can be cheaper and easily repaired but present a shorter …

Mourning, Melancholia, And The Possibility Of Transformation: Comparing Julia Kristeva's Black Sun And Judith Butler's The Psychic Life Of Power, Kristina Marie Darling

Theses

In this paper I compare Julia Kristeva's Black Sun and Judith Butler's The Psychic Life of Power, focusing on their treatment of melancholia. The two works prove similar as they appropriate this Freudian concept for feminist ends, suggesting that the mourning, loss, and personal renewal associated with melancholia afford unique opportunities for self-discovery. With that said, the two philosophers present fundamentally different assessments of melancholia as it relates to cultural discourses. Throughout Black Sun, Kristeva suggests that the process of articulating personal loss—whether through psychoanalysis, art, or literature—allows the individual to re-imagine his or her perceived identity. Kristeva envisions this …