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Theses and Dissertations

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Organellar Dna Polymerases Gamma I And Ii In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Jeffrey M. Brammer Jun 2010

Organellar Dna Polymerases Gamma I And Ii In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Jeffrey M. Brammer

Theses and Dissertations

Plants have two organelles outside the nucleus which carry their own DNA, mitochondria and chloroplasts. These organelles are descendants of bacteria that were engulfed by their host according to the endosymbiotic theory. Over time, DNA has been exchanged between these organelles and the nucleus. Two polymerases, DNA Polymerases Gamma I and II, are encoded in the nucleus and remain under nuclear control, but are transported into the mitochondria and chloroplasts. DNA polymerases gamma I and II are two organelle polymerases which have been studied through sequence analysis and shown to localize to both mitochondria and chloroplasts. Little has been done …


A Photogrammetry-Based Hybrid System For Dynamic Tracking And Measurement, Daniel P. Magree Jun 2010

A Photogrammetry-Based Hybrid System For Dynamic Tracking And Measurement, Daniel P. Magree

Theses and Dissertations

Noncontact measurements of lightweight flexible aerospace structures present several challenges. Objects are usually mounted on a test stand because current noncontact measurement techniques require that the net motion of the object be zero. However, it is often desirable to take measurements of the object under operational conditions, and in the case of miniature aerial vehicles (MAVs) and deploying space structures, the test article will undergo significant translational motion. This thesis describes a hybrid noncontact measurement system which will enable measurement of structural kinematics of an object freely moving about a volume. By using a real-time videogrammetry system, a set of …


Architectural Considerations For Single Operator Management Of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Gabriel T. Bugajski Jun 2010

Architectural Considerations For Single Operator Management Of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Gabriel T. Bugajski

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have become ubiquitous in military battlefield operations due to their intelligence collection capabilities. However, these unmanned systems consistently demonstrate limitations and shortfalls with respect to size, weight, range, line of sight and information management. The United States Air Force Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047 describes an action plan for improved UAS employment which calls out single operator, multi-vehicle mission configurations. This thesis analyzes the information architecture using future concepts of operations, such as biologically-inspired flocking mechanisms. The analysis and empirical results present insight into the engineering of single-operator multiple-vehicle architectures.


Perceptions Of The Long-Term Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Cynthia Mellitz Jun 2010

Perceptions Of The Long-Term Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Cynthia Mellitz

Theses and Dissertations

The perceptions of how Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) survivors perceive themselves and are perceived by others was evaluated. The aims of the study were to use Attribution Theory and the Traumagenic Model in evaluating whether perceptions were mediated by assertiveness, self-esteem, and interpersonal relationships. Additionally examining if CSA survivors differ in perceived levels of these attributes from non-CSA individuals within a college sample was of interest. 35% of the sample exhibited a variety of CSA experiences, with the majority being minimal contact experiences (i.e. sexual invitations or sexual hugging/kissing). Regression analyses indicated that CSA survivors did not differ in their …


The Effects Of Bfgf Treatment In The Aged Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Michael Zeigler Jun 2010

The Effects Of Bfgf Treatment In The Aged Brain Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Michael Zeigler

Theses and Dissertations

The mature mammalian brain continually generates new neurons in the subventricular zone and hippocampus throughout life. Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is associated with hippocampal-dependent learning and memory function. During aging, this endogenous neurogenic potential is reduced which is accompanied by decreased cognitive function seen in the aging population. We have previously found that the injured adult brain shows heightened levels of endogenous neurogenesis and this response is associated with innate cognitive recovery. We have also found that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent neurotrophic polypeptide, can enhance injury-induced hippocampal neurogenesis and improve cognitive recovery following TBI. In this …


Drink Me, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Blog, James Arthur Goldberg Jun 2010

Drink Me, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Blog, James Arthur Goldberg

Theses and Dissertations

Language itself is a technology, and the advent of each major technology of language transmission (from the alphabet to the printing press to the Internet) has changed the range of speaker-audience dynamics which are the starting point for all creative writing. In this thesis, a writer, armed only with his blog archives and a smattering of John Tenniel illustrations, guides the curious reader through various issues raised by creative writing in the blog form. Topics discussed include self-presentation, the juxtaposed brevity and expansiveness of online texts, nonlinear reading, alternative models for revision, the literary possibilities of the hyperlink, speaker-audience-time relationships …


The Evolution Of Birkat Al-Fil (From The Fatimids To The Twentieth Century), Nadia Fouad Younes Jun 2010

The Evolution Of Birkat Al-Fil (From The Fatimids To The Twentieth Century), Nadia Fouad Younes

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will be exploring in depth the urban fabric of the area formerly known as Birkat al-Fil, or Elephant Pond, and its modern day transformation into areas such as Hilmiyya and Hilmiyya al-Jadida. Though the pond was eventually filled in the middle of the nineteenth century, the area will still be discussed in terms of its development within the modern era. I have defined the pre-twentieth century area of Birkat al-Fil by historical landmarks such as Bab al-Khalq to the north, the Mosque of Sultan Hasan to the east, and Sayyida Zaynab to the west. The pond area that …


Fatimid Woodwork In Egypt: Its Style, Influences And Development, Fatema Alsulaiti Jun 2010

Fatimid Woodwork In Egypt: Its Style, Influences And Development, Fatema Alsulaiti

Theses and Dissertations

Fatimid Woodwork


The Design Integration Of An Animal Shelter Into Martin Luther King Middle School, Anna Givens May 2010

The Design Integration Of An Animal Shelter Into Martin Luther King Middle School, Anna Givens

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the design integration of an animal shelter into an existing school in an at-risk neighborhood. The connection between at-risk students and homeless animals is valuable to the design. A large central courtyard located within Martin Luther King Middle School serves as a connection between both students and animals. Because the animal shelter is located in a central location within the school, students and animals have a greater ability to form a connection necessary for the program to work. This thesis is about the interaction between both animals and students through the process of design.


Inhomogeneity-Induced Spin Current In Atomic And Condensed Matter Systems, Bailey Hsu May 2010

Inhomogeneity-Induced Spin Current In Atomic And Condensed Matter Systems, Bailey Hsu

Theses and Dissertations

I derive and apply quantum propagator techniques to atomic and condensed matter systems. I observe many interesting features by following the evolution of a wavepacket. In atomic systems, I revisit the Stern-Gerlach effect and study the spin dynamics inside an inhomogeneous magnetic field. The results I obtained are not exactly the same as the textbook description of the effect which is usually a manifestation of a perfect space and spin entanglement. This discovery can provide insight on more reliable quantum computation device designs. In condensed matter systems, the doping concentration inhomogeneity leads to the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. This makes it …


A Case Study Of Network Design For Middle East Water Distribution, Rachel Bullene May 2010

A Case Study Of Network Design For Middle East Water Distribution, Rachel Bullene

Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Eastern region encompassing Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza) is an arid region with fast growing populations. Adequate and equitable access to water for all the people of the region is crucial to the future of Middle East peace. However, the current water distribution system not only fails to provide an adequate and equitable allocation of water, but also results adverse impacts on the environment. This project involves building a mathematical model to aid decision-makers in designing an optimal water distribution network. A new method for incorporating uncertainty in optimization that is based on …


The Lived Experience Of Faith Community Nurses Living The Call To Health Ministry, Deborah Mobley May 2010

The Lived Experience Of Faith Community Nurses Living The Call To Health Ministry, Deborah Mobley

Theses and Dissertations

Faith community nursing is one of the newest specialized practices of professional nursing. A faith community nurse is an actively registered professional nurse, who serves as a paid or volunteer staff member in a faith community. The faith community nurse promotes health and wholism of the faith community, its groups, families, and individual members. A faith community, as in a church, synagogue or mosque, is an organization of individuals and families who share common beliefs, values, religious doctrine, and faith practices that influence their lives. The faith community functions as a client system for the faith community nurse. The purpose …


Signaling Pathways Coupled To Melatonin Receptor Mt1 In Gastric Smooth Muscle, Rashad Ahmed May 2010

Signaling Pathways Coupled To Melatonin Receptor Mt1 In Gastric Smooth Muscle, Rashad Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

The Melatonin, a close derivative of serotonin, is involved in physiological regulation of circadian rhythms. In the gastrointestinal (GI) system, melatonin exhibits endocrine, paracrine and autocrine actions and is implicated in the regulation of GI motility. Generally, melatonin actions oppose the stimulatory actions of serotonin on motility. However, it is not known whether melatonin can also act directly on GI smooth muscle cells. The aim of the present study was to determine the expression of melatonin receptors in smooth muscle and identify their signaling pathways. Muscle cells were isolated from rabbit distal stomach by enzymatic digestion, filtration and centrifugation and …


The Clinical Utility Of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing In Patients With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia, Sherry Pinkstaff May 2010

The Clinical Utility Of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing In Patients With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia, Sherry Pinkstaff

Theses and Dissertations

Heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States with coronary artery disease (CAD) representing more than half of all cardiovascular events. Stable patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of CAD are likely to undergo either an exercise ECG and/or imaging study as a first line diagnostic assessment. A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) is an ECG stress test plus ventilatory gas analysis. Recently CPX has been used to detect exercise-induced myocardial ischemia suggestive of underlying CAD. Currently there are a number of diagnostic tests available for the identification of CAD with the most widely used being …


Opioid Addiction And Pregnancy: Potential Effects Of Substitution Therapies On Developmental Myelination, Andrew Eschenroeder May 2010

Opioid Addiction And Pregnancy: Potential Effects Of Substitution Therapies On Developmental Myelination, Andrew Eschenroeder

Theses and Dissertations

While most cells of the central nervous system (CNS) express opioid receptors, the role of the endogenous opioid system in CNS development remains poorly understood. Identification of opioid functions during brain maturation is particularly crucial in light of the increasing trend in opioid abuse and the use of opioid drugs during pregnancy. New substitution therapies in pregnant opioid addicts include buprenorphine, a mu opioid receptor partial agonist and kappa opioid receptor antagonist. However, while clinical studies demonstrated buprenorphine efficacy in reducing neonatal withdrawal symptoms, there is a lack of information on the potential effects of this drug on brain development. …


Identification And Characterization Of A Second Wolfram Syndrome Gene, Sami Amr May 2010

Identification And Characterization Of A Second Wolfram Syndrome Gene, Sami Amr

Theses and Dissertations

Wolfram Syndrome (WFS) is a debilitating autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by juvenile onset insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (DM) and optic atrophy (OA) as well as a number of neurological and endocrine complications that result in early death due to respiratory complications. Previous research has mapped Wolfram syndrome to chromosome 4p16.1 and the disease has been attributed to mutations in the WFS1 gene affecting the WFS1 protein (wolframin), an ER membrane glycoprotein that plays an important role in the unfolded protein response (UPR) and in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. An additional locus for WFS on chromosome 4q22-24 was identified by linkage …


Graphic Design As Projection, Bret Hansen May 2010

Graphic Design As Projection, Bret Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

I imagined a world where designing is projecting and where the entire design field is called projection. My research into what it means to be a projector culminates in a participatory creative project that embodies concepts of projection taken from a range of disparate subjects.


Student Content Knowledge Increases After Participation In A Hands-On Biotechnology Intervention, Amber L. Bigler May 2010

Student Content Knowledge Increases After Participation In A Hands-On Biotechnology Intervention, Amber L. Bigler

Theses and Dissertations

Hands-on learning is at the heart of science learning. This study examined increased changes of student content knowledge in biology, particularly biotechnology, after a hands-on biotechnology intervention was implemented into a secondary school. A traditional learning school was selected for a control. Both teachers had participated in a biotechnology professional development program called Project Crawfish. Students from both schools took the same assessment before and after their respective units (biotechnology intervention and genetics unit), and the classroom was the unit of analysis (n=5, n=6, respectively). The assessment was compared as a whole and then divided into five components, eight questions …


An Indecent Obsession, Aaron Mcintosh May 2010

An Indecent Obsession, Aaron Mcintosh

Theses and Dissertations

The title of my thesis is appropriately borrowed from a romance novel title, as my work proposes to mine the content, design and culture of romance novels and other erotic texts in order to excavate my own queer romance narrative. The body of work includes large-scale drawings of “stand-in boyfriends” stolen from romance novel covers, pieced fabric text works based on the titles of erotic texts, and a couch covered in erotic reading material. Drawing attention to the ubiquity of heterosexualized images and texts by deconstructing them, my work critically questions larger social constructions of normality and deviance, pleasure and …


A Behavioral Comparison Of Four Inbred Strains Of Mice, Erin Wood May 2010

A Behavioral Comparison Of Four Inbred Strains Of Mice, Erin Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Isogenic, or inbred, mouse strains are currently the experimental subjects of choice in laboratory studies focused on genetics, pharmacology, and psychological issues. Understanding phenotypic differences in isogenic strains is important in order to interpret experimental results obtained from inbred mouse strains. Four commonly used inbred strains, C57BL/6NHsd (C57), DBA/2NHsd (DBA), 129S2/SvHsd (129), and Balb/cAnHsd (Balb/c), are investigated in this study using four different behavioral tasks that measure locomotor activity and cognitive behavior (Morris Water Maze (MWM), T-maze, and operant autoshaping procedures). In the locomotor activity task 129 mice showed significantly less horizontal ambulation than any other strain, while differences in …


Duality And The Parallel Lives, Hiromi Takizawa May 2010

Duality And The Parallel Lives, Hiromi Takizawa

Theses and Dissertations

My engagement with making is a metaphor that contains the interior landscapes of my mind. I continue to explore it by comparing and contrasting exterior and interior, investigating surface and depth, covering and exposing, and taking apart and putting together. I work to translate my individual experiences and emotions into a tangible form. The visual dialogues that I engage in with my work explore a range of aspects that are inherent and specific to my Japanese cultural heritage. It often springs from my daily encounters with the subtle nuances and observable oddities of living in the “West”. These experiences have …


Sweet Briar, 1800-1900: Palladian Plantation House, Italianate Villa, Aesthetic Retreat, Harriet Christian Carr May 2010

Sweet Briar, 1800-1900: Palladian Plantation House, Italianate Villa, Aesthetic Retreat, Harriet Christian Carr

Theses and Dissertations

Sweet Briar House is one of the best documented sites in Virginia, with sources ranging from architectural drawings and extensive archives to original furnishings. Sweet Briar House was purchased by Elijah Fletcher, a prominent figure in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1830. Thirty years later it passed into the possession of his daughter Indiana Fletcher Williams, and remained her home until her death in 1900. In her will, Williams left instructions for the founding of Sweet Briar Institute, an educational institution for women that exists today as Sweet Briar College. This dissertation examines Sweet Briar House in three distinct phases, while advancing …


Effect Of Hyaluronidase Treatment On The Structural Integrity Of The Endothelial Glycocalyx Layer, Kristin Simmons May 2010

Effect Of Hyaluronidase Treatment On The Structural Integrity Of The Endothelial Glycocalyx Layer, Kristin Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

The endothelial glycocalyx plays an important role as part of the permeability barrier between the blood and the interstitium. In this study, we used different sized fluorescently labeled dextran molecules to determine the size of the macromolecular exclusion zone in capillaries. The width of the exclusion zone was calculated as one half the difference between the anatomic luminal diameter, as determined by transillumination, and the width of a fluorescent dextran column. During the first hour after systemic injection of labeled dextrans, neither 70 kDa dextran (Dextran 70) nor 500 kDa dextran (Dextran 500) labeled with the anionic fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) …


Neuroprotective Effects Of Postinjury Lithium Treatment: Determining The Optimal Dosing Paradigm And Assessing Potential Mechanisms Of Action, Katharine Eakin May 2010

Neuroprotective Effects Of Postinjury Lithium Treatment: Determining The Optimal Dosing Paradigm And Assessing Potential Mechanisms Of Action, Katharine Eakin

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a dramatic impact on our society in terms of mortality, morbidity, and inherently high financial costs. Formidable research efforts are being addressed to the identification of neuroprotective agents capable of ameliorating the neurological outcome after TBI. Preclinical studies have recently demonstrated lithium to be a promising neuroprotective agent for both acute ischemic brain injury and chronic neurodegenerative disease. In light of these encouraging data, we designed a lateral fluid-percussion injury (FPI) study aimed at investigating the role of early post-traumatic administration of lithium as a strategy for reducing TBI-induced motor and cognitive deficits. The optimal …


Awesome, Hannah Walsh May 2010

Awesome, Hannah Walsh

Theses and Dissertations

Opinions about Linguistics and Phonetics extrapolated to think about art and object-making, followed by an exposition of titles of recent work, including discussions about: stunting in All Star Cheerleading, rainbows, offset halo patterns, the common corn disease Crazy Top, failure, humility and the profound.


Eighteen Hundred And Froze To Death, Cognets Nicholas Des May 2010

Eighteen Hundred And Froze To Death, Cognets Nicholas Des

Theses and Dissertations

Essay to accompany MFA thesis exhibition for the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media.


Eternal September, Benjamin Jurgensen May 2010

Eternal September, Benjamin Jurgensen

Theses and Dissertations

A series of digitally inflected texts – September that never ends, some French belles, 1950/1986/1996, Ted Turner, being SO FUCKING FUTURE, The Gilmore Girls, Fic, FanFic, Sapphic, ctrl-c/v, “falsehood”, memes, Robert Gober, INTP, thought control, a “line of flight”, speed, and light refracting on all of it


A Computational Biology Approach To The Analysis Of Complex Physiology: Coagulation, Fibrinolysis, And Wound Healing, Nathan Menke May 2010

A Computational Biology Approach To The Analysis Of Complex Physiology: Coagulation, Fibrinolysis, And Wound Healing, Nathan Menke

Theses and Dissertations

The birth of complexity research derives from the logical progression of advancement in the scientific field afforded by reductionist theory. We present in silico models of two complex physiological processes, wound healing and coagulation/fibrinolysis based on two common tools in the study of complex physiology: ordinary differential equations (ODE) and Agent Based Modeling (ABM). The strengths of these two approaches are well-suited in the analysis of clinical paradigms such as wound healing and coagulation. The complex interactions that characterize acute wound healing have stymied the development of effective therapeutic modalities. The use of computational models holds the promise to improve …


Domination In Benzenoids, Nisreen Bukhary May 2010

Domination In Benzenoids, Nisreen Bukhary

Theses and Dissertations

A benzenoid is a molecule that can be represented as a graph. This graph is a fragment of the hexagon lattice. A dominating set $D$ in a graph $G$ is a set of vertices such that each vertex of the graph is either in $D$ or adjacent to a vertex in $D$. The domination number $\gamma=\gamma(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the size of a minimum dominating set. We will find formulas and bounds for the domination number of various special benzenoids, namely, linear chains $L(h)$, triangulenes $T_k$, and parallelogram benzenoids $B_{p,q}$. The domination ratio of a graph $G$ is …


Spinal Cord Injury: Exploring The Histology Of Electrospun Implants In Vivo, Charles Lin May 2010

Spinal Cord Injury: Exploring The Histology Of Electrospun Implants In Vivo, Charles Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury results in loss of motor function and sensory perception. A myriad of obstacles prevent axonal regeneration and ultimately functional recovery in those afflicted with spinal cord injury. Combinatorial strategies addressing many of these obstacles simultaneously have shown promising results. Laboratories investigating contusional spinal cord injuries must overcome the formation of a fluid filled cyst, a physical gap that axons must traverse, at the injury epicenter. To fill the cyst, our lab has generated a 3-D electrospun matrix that is capable of directing neurite outgrowth, delivering neurotrophic support, and reducing the activity of neuroinhibitory compounds. These electrospun matrices …