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Waste-To-Energy Decision Support Method For Forward Deployed Forces, Daniel C. Amack Mar 2014

Waste-To-Energy Decision Support Method For Forward Deployed Forces, Daniel C. Amack

Theses and Dissertations

Solid waste is generated in mass quantities at forward deployed locations due to their temporary nature. Current handling practices are inefficient and wasteful, and do not reuse the energy inherently available in the waste. This research identifies potential energy, convoy, and casualty reductions that can be realized through the use of waste-to-energy (WTE) at contingency locations. It identifies typical variance expected in the solid waste stream and illustrates decision factors for determining the type of WTE technology that is best suited for a particular situation. A statistical analysis was conducted on the waste streams of five contingency bases to determine …

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Artificial Neural Network Prediction Of Chemical-Disease Relationships Using Readily Available Chemical Properties, Edward J. Brouch Mar 2014

Artificial Neural Network Prediction Of Chemical-Disease Relationships Using Readily Available Chemical Properties, Edward J. Brouch

Theses and Dissertations

The natural environment is burdened with a broad range of toxic chemicals, and there is a need to develop a tool that can accelerate the pace at which we learn how chemicals impact disease. This work developed an artificial neural network (ANN) based model that constructed chemical-disease relationships for chemicals found in the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database. A new chemical classification system, based on the molecular weight, hydrogen donors, and hydrogen acceptors, was created to identify chemicals with a unique number that is directly related to these structural properties of the chemical. Diseases were grouped into 27 categories and the chemical-disease …

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Using Sensor-Based Demand Controlled Ventilation To Realize Energy Savings In Laboratories, Mark B. Chinery Mar 2014

Using Sensor-Based Demand Controlled Ventilation To Realize Energy Savings In Laboratories, Mark B. Chinery

Theses and Dissertations

The building sector in the United States accounted for 41% of domestic and 7% of global energy consumption in 2010, with heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) activities consuming approximately 41.4% of the total facility energy consumption. Within the HVAC system, the parasitic energy accounts for one-third of the total energy consumed while heating and cooling accounts for the balance. The fan energy is approximately 85% of the total parasitic energy in the HVAC system. In a laboratory, energy related to ventilation can account for nearly half of the electrical energy demand. A carbon dioxide (CO2)-based demand controlled ventilation (DCV) strategy …

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Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode Use In Advanced Oxidation Processes, Kelsey L. Duckworth Mar 2014

Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode Use In Advanced Oxidation Processes, Kelsey L. Duckworth

Theses and Dissertations

Cleanup from a hazardous chemical release can result in large volumes of water containing hazardous materials, such as organophosphates. Unfortunately, this water cannot be treated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant without adversely affecting the performance of the plant. A known method for pretreating this water to prepare it for processing in a traditional treatment plant includes the addition of hydrogen peroxide, followed by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure to form reactive hydroxyl radicals which oxidize the chemical. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are explored as a UV source as they are durable; compact; can be powered by low voltage, direct current …

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Detecting Industrial Chemicals In Water With Microbial Fuel Cells And Artificial Neural Networks, Scott T. King Mar 2014

Detecting Industrial Chemicals In Water With Microbial Fuel Cells And Artificial Neural Networks, Scott T. King

Theses and Dissertations

Water quality monitoring is critically important in efforts to both limit human exposure to toxic chemicals and to protect ecosystems. This study integrates artificial neural network (ANN) processing with MFC-based biosensing in the detection of three organic pollutants that have relevance to DoD operations: aldicarb, dimethyl-methylphosphonate (DMMP), and bisphenol-A (BPA). Overall, the use of the ANN proved to be more reliable than direct correlations with raw data in the prediction of both chemical concentration and type. The ANN made no errors in the identification and quantification of all chemicals in three concentration ranges. Additionally, chemical mixtures and chemicals dissolved in …

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Integrating Uas Flocking Operations With Formation Drag Reduction, Jacob L. Lambach Mar 2014

Integrating Uas Flocking Operations With Formation Drag Reduction, Jacob L. Lambach

Theses and Dissertations

Craig Reynolds, in the seminal research into simulated flocking, developed a methodology to guide a flock of birds using three rules: collision avoidance, flock centering, and velocity matching. By modifying these rules, a methodology was created so that each aircraft in a flock maintains a precise position relative to the preceding aircraft. By doing so, each aircraft experiences a decrease in induced aerodynamic drag and increase in fuel efficiency. Flocks of semi-autonomous aircraft present the warfighter with a wide array of capabilities for accomplishing missions more effectively. By introducing formation drag reduction, overall fuel consumption is reduced while range and …

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Microbial Fuel Cell Transformation Of Recalcitrant Organic Compounds In Support Of Biosensor Research, Marc P. Sylvander Mar 2014

Microbial Fuel Cell Transformation Of Recalcitrant Organic Compounds In Support Of Biosensor Research, Marc P. Sylvander

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to be used as low-cost, real-time biosensors for drinking water sources. MFCs have been shown to produce current through oxidation of readily degradable organic substrates and the current can be correlated to the substrate concentration. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the transformation of recalcitrant organic compounds, such as aldicarb, in MFCs and to determine if the current generation and current metrics are related to the transformation, through the measured concentrations, of these recalcitrant organic compounds. Partial transformation of aldicarb was observed over two days in the presence of aerobic bacteria …

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Applying Kam Theory To Highly Eccentric Orbits, Adam B. Dunk Mar 2014

Applying Kam Theory To Highly Eccentric Orbits, Adam B. Dunk

Theses and Dissertations

This research applies KAM theory to highly eccentric orbits for earth orbiting satellites by using spectral methods to find the three basis frequencies resulting from earth's geopotential. Once a torus is created from these frequencies, its dynamics data can be compared to the position data of an integrated data set over multiple orbit types, specifically, orbits with varying eccentricity. The analysis shows that many eccentric orbits are actually KAM tori when the only perturbation is the earth's geopotential. The residuals agree to 10s of meters in most cases. This research also outlines many of the limitations of the current method …

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Experimental Characterization Of Wings For A Hawkmoth-Sized Micro Air Vehicle, Zachary R. Brown Mar 2014

Experimental Characterization Of Wings For A Hawkmoth-Sized Micro Air Vehicle, Zachary R. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable prior research has been conducted on many aspects of Hawkmoth-sized, piezo-driven FWMAVs, but the majority utilized a common structural wing to conform with a biomimetic design. In this research, six alternate wing designs with the same planform and size, but different structures were built and explored. FEA code was used to determine the location of maximum stress, and then mass was removed from minimally stressed areas, under the premise that equal force production with a lighter wing would improve the MAV design. The main metric for this research was vertical force generation per mass; high speed video provided complementary …

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Process Development For The Fabrication Of Spheroidal Microdevice Packages Utilizing Mems Technologies, Ryan M. Dowden Mar 2014

Process Development For The Fabrication Of Spheroidal Microdevice Packages Utilizing Mems Technologies, Ryan M. Dowden

Theses and Dissertations

Sub-mm3 spherical microrobots are being researched as a path towards reconfigurable wireless networks and programmable matter. The microrobot design requires a spheroidal microdevice package compatible with solar energy collection, wireless sensing, and electrostatic actuation mechanisms to be developed. Throughout this research, a variety of MEMS fabrication techniques were evaluated with regards to their applicability to the packaging process. SF6-based plasma was determined to be a preferable alternative to wet HNA etching when producing repeatable bulk isotropic etches in silicon. The effect of silicon crystal orientation on etch variance and anisotropy was also investigated. HNA polishing was demonstrated as an …

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Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging: Instrumentation, Optimization And Capabilities, Manan Dhunna Mar 2014

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging: Instrumentation, Optimization And Capabilities, Manan Dhunna

Theses and Dissertations

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass spectrometry Imaging (DESI-MSI) is an area of great interest and a promising tool in the field of chemical imaging. It is a powerful, label-free technique, which can determine, map and visualize different molecular compounds on a sample surface. The amount of information acquired in a single DESI-MSI experiment is enormous compared to other techniques, as it can simultaneously detect different compounds with their spatial distribution on the surface. The experiment can be used to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional images. Chapter 2 focuses on the design and optimization of the setup for performing DESI-MS imaging on various …

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Facile Synthesis And Characterization Of A Thermally Stable Silica-Doped Alumina With Tunable Surface Area, Porosity, And Acidity, Maryam Khosravi Mardkhe Mar 2014

Facile Synthesis And Characterization Of A Thermally Stable Silica-Doped Alumina With Tunable Surface Area, Porosity, And Acidity, Maryam Khosravi Mardkhe

Theses and Dissertations

Mesoporous γ-Al2O3 is one of the most widely used catalyst supports for commercial catalytic applications. The performance of a catalyst strongly depends on the combination of textural, chemical and physical properties of the support. Pore size is essential since each catalytic system requires a unique pore size for optimal catalyst loading, diffusion and selectivity. In addition, high surface area and large pore volume usually result in higher catalyst loading, which increases the number of catalytic reaction sites and decreases reaction time. Therefore, determination of surface area and porosity of porous supports is critical for the successful design and optimization of …

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Different Expression Of Placental Pyruvate Kinase M2 In Normal, Preeclamptic, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies, Brigham L. Bahr Mar 2014

Different Expression Of Placental Pyruvate Kinase M2 In Normal, Preeclamptic, And Intrauterine Growth Restriction Pregnancies, Brigham L. Bahr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will be organized into two chapters discussing the placental expression of two proteins, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP 27), in human placentas. Understanding the mechanisms of placental metabolism in healthy and diseased placentas helps us understand how placenta disorders occur and how we can treat these disorders. The goal is to investigate these proteins to gain an understanding of their roles in placental disorders and help decrease maternal and fetal mortality rates. Chapter one covers the background of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in cancer and embryonic tissues, and the expression of PKM2 in …

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You Are That: An Upanishadic Approach To Empathic Writing Instruction In A High School Social Science Course, Andrew Otto Davis Mar 2014

You Are That: An Upanishadic Approach To Empathic Writing Instruction In A High School Social Science Course, Andrew Otto Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports the results of a qualitative research project investigating an approach to composition instruction in a high school social studies course that is based on the Upanishadic concept of tat tvam asi (you are that). Research for this study was conducted while I taught a section of Non-West History to high school juniors and seniors. This dissertation addresses the issues involved in the teaching of writing in a high school social science course. Specifically it focuses on the issues involved when a teacher attempts to construct a class that engages students to read and write in ways that …

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The Relationship Between Partner Perceptions Of Marital Power And Sexual Satisfaction As Mediated By Observed Hostile Interaction, Amanda Claire Christenson Mar 2014

The Relationship Between Partner Perceptions Of Marital Power And Sexual Satisfaction As Mediated By Observed Hostile Interaction, Amanda Claire Christenson

Theses and Dissertations

Using a sample of 322 married couples (644 spouses) from The Flourishing Families project, this study examined the relationship between marital power and sexual satisfaction as mediated by observed hostile interaction. More specifically, an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used in which husband and wife perceptions of their partner's power were hypothesized to be related to husband and wife self-report of sexual satisfaction, with husband and wife observed hostile interaction as possible mediating variables. Results showed that husband and wife perceptions of power were positively related to their respective husband and wife sexual satisfaction and positively related to their respective …

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United States Women Marines’ Experiences And Perspectives About Coping With Service Life: A Phenomenological Study, Beth-Ann Vealey Mar 2014

United States Women Marines’ Experiences And Perspectives About Coping With Service Life: A Phenomenological Study, Beth-Ann Vealey

Theses and Dissertations

Women are expanding their numbers and roles in the United States military. This new generation of military women is exposed to unique factors related to their gender that contribute to challenges for psychosocial well-being and optimal performance. In support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), researchers have identified unique factors for military women, including increased combat exposure, continued military sexual trauma and harassment, and conflicting dual roles. These factors may create obstacles that inhibit help-seeking behaviors and support for military women, and remain an under-researched topic of study. Gender-specific research on military women is limited; current …

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Romantic Relational Aggression In Parents And Adolescent Child Outcomes, Jennifer Nicole Hawkley Mar 2014

Romantic Relational Aggression In Parents And Adolescent Child Outcomes, Jennifer Nicole Hawkley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine marital romantic relational aggression in parents and its impact on adolescent relational aggression, adolescent romantic relational aggression, internalizing, and school engagement with self-regulation as a potential mediator. Gender differences were also examined. Adolescents were from 328 two-parent families in a large north-western city in the United States and were between 12 and 17 years of age (M=14.24, SD=1.00, 51% female) at time 4. All independent variables except adolescent self-regulation were measured at wave 4, and all adolescent variables were measured at wave 5. Results indicate that higher levels of romantic relational aggression …

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Tammy Rae Carland's Queer Riot Grrrl Zine"I ( Heart ) Amy Carter": A World Of Public Intimacy, Annah-Marie Rostowsky Mar 2014

Tammy Rae Carland's Queer Riot Grrrl Zine"I ( Heart ) Amy Carter": A World Of Public Intimacy, Annah-Marie Rostowsky

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes Tammy Rae Carland's queer Riot Grrrl zine I (heart) Amy Carter as a counterpublic sphere engendered by acts of public intimacy that make visible the intersectional complexities of gender, sexuality, class, and race that insidious traumas continually work to conceal. It looks to Ann Cvetkovich's inquiries into the positive aspects of public cultures in the book An Archive of Feelings: Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures (2006) as well as Mimi Thi Nguyen's investigation of the Riot Grrrl race crisis in the article "Riot Grrrl, Race, and Revival" (2012) as frameworks to critique Carland's visual and textual …

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Dementia Caregivers: An Exploration Of Their Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behavior Regarding Advance Care Planning For End-Of-Life Care, Mariette Klein Mar 2014

Dementia Caregivers: An Exploration Of Their Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behavior Regarding Advance Care Planning For End-Of-Life Care, Mariette Klein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore what knowledge dementia caregivers have about advance care planning (ACP), how they learn to execute formal advance directives (ADs) or have engaged in an informal ACP process, and how they understand their roles as decision makers for the patients. Factors that contribute to the completion of an ACP process such as demographic, psychosocial, and situational factors are identified. From the grounded theory data analysis, a theory emerged about how ACP is accomplished and used by caregivers. Findings reveal that caregivers understand ACP as having the power to shape the dying process for …

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Fire Severity And Size Alter Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Regeneration And Defense Against Ungulate Herbivory, Ho Yi Wan Mar 2014

Fire Severity And Size Alter Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides) Regeneration And Defense Against Ungulate Herbivory, Ho Yi Wan

Theses and Dissertations

Human activities and rapid global climate change are altering fire regimes with potential threat to the stability of aspen ecosystems in North America. Aspen is an early successional species that plays an important role in post-fire forest reestablishment, but chronic browsing on juvenile aspen by large ungulate herbivores after fire can be detrimental and lead to regeneration failure. Although larger and more severe fires are expected to become more prominent, whether and how this may influence aspen and ungulate communities remains unclear. The objective of this research was to examine how the relationship between aspen and ungulate communities might be …

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Parturition Of Mule Deer In Southern Utah: Management Implications And Habitat Selection, Eric D. Freeman Mar 2014

Parturition Of Mule Deer In Southern Utah: Management Implications And Habitat Selection, Eric D. Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are an ecologically, economically, and socially important species across much of the western United States. As such, populations and habitat are intensely managed by state game agencies. However, populations have been declining in recent decades and several factors have been implicated (e.g., climate, predation, competition, and habitat availability). Population dynamics of mule deer are driven by a combination of survival of adults and juveniles and reproductive rates. While adult female mule deer typically have consistently high annual survival rates (85% annually), juveniles are more easily affected by stressors (biotic and abiotic conditions) and therefore …

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Achilles Tendon Changes In Downhill, Level And Uphill Running, Katy Andrews Neves Mar 2014

Achilles Tendon Changes In Downhill, Level And Uphill Running, Katy Andrews Neves

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we examined how hill running affects the Achilles tendon, which is a common location for injuries in runners. Twenty females ran for 10 min on three randomly selected grades (-6%, 0%, +6%). Achilles tendon (AT) cross-sectional area (CSA) was imaged using Doppler ultrasound and peak vertical forces were analyzed using high-speed (240 Hz) videography. A metabolic cart and gas analyzer ensured a similar metabolic cost across grades. Data were analyzed using a forward selection regression. Results showed a decrease in AT CSA from pre-run to post-run (p = .0001). Peak vertical forces were different across grades (p …

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Sense Of Community In A Blended Technology Integration Course: A Design-Based Research Study, John Buckley Harrison Mar 2014

Sense Of Community In A Blended Technology Integration Course: A Design-Based Research Study, John Buckley Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

This design-based research study explored whether Sense of Community was maintained while flexibility in the course was increased through an adoption of a unique blended learning model. Data collected in this study show a significant drop in the sense of connectedness score from a mean of 50.8 out of 66 to a mean of 39.68 in the first iteration. The score then began to gradually increase, reaching 50.65 in the third iteration. Results indicate that transitioning to a blended learning environment may be a suitable option to increase flexibility while maintaining a Sense of Community in a project-based course. Future …

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Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes Mar 2014

Soil Fertility Status And Degradation Of 2, 4, 6-Trinitrotoluene Contaminated Soils, Chelsea Kae Katseanes

Theses and Dissertations

Current models for predicting the environmental fate of munitions constituents (MC) in soils are based mostly on chemical distribution parameters and neglect the larger considerations of other soil parameters. We are working towards a new approach based on the whole soil activity for predicting the long-term residence time and fate of MC in soils with connection to agronomic soil fertility concepts. These relationships are demonstrated by correlating experiments involving full physical and chemical characterization of eight taxonomically distinct soils, with batch reactor studies determining MC degradation potential. Soils were incubated in a slurry for 10 days in a closed reactor …

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Nascent Peptides That Induce Translational Arrest, Christopher J. Woolstenhulme Mar 2014

Nascent Peptides That Induce Translational Arrest, Christopher J. Woolstenhulme

Theses and Dissertations

Although the ribosome is a very general catalyst, it cannot synthesize all protein sequences equally well. Certain proteins are capable of stalling the ribosome during their own synthesis. Stalling events are used by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to regulate gene expression. Characterization of natural stalling peptides shows that only a few strategically placed amino acids are needed to inactivate the ribosome. These motifs share little sequence similarity suggesting that there are more stalling motifs yet to be discovered. Here we use two genetic selections in E. coli to discover novel stalling peptides and detail their subsequent characterization. Kinetic studies …

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A Modified Approach To The Implementation Of Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback, Brooke Elizabeth Eddington Mar 2014

A Modified Approach To The Implementation Of Dynamic Written Corrective Feedback, Brooke Elizabeth Eddington

Theses and Dissertations

Grammatical accuracy in second language (L2) writing is one of the key issues that English as a Second Language (ESL) learners struggle with, both in intensive English language programs and continuing after their university matriculation. Numerous instructional methodologies exist that center around the concept of error correction—how can or should ESL instructors correct grammatical errors in L2 students' writing to best facilitate improvements in written linguistic accuracy? Error correction in L2 writing has been a controversial issue for over a decade (e.g., Ferris, 1999; Truscott, 1996), and in an effort to contribute to an understanding of this controversial topic, this …

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Post-Den Emergence Behavior And Den Detection Of Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) In Northern Alaska And The Southern Beaufort Sea, Rusty Wade Robinson Mar 2014

Post-Den Emergence Behavior And Den Detection Of Polar Bears (Ursus Maritimus) In Northern Alaska And The Southern Beaufort Sea, Rusty Wade Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Pregnant polar bears (Ursus maritimus) construct maternal dens out of snow in the autumn where they give birth to and raise altricial young. In recent years, there has been a decrease in polar sea ice extent and thickness, which has led to changes in denning behavior. One such change in the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) is that polar bears are selecting maternal den sites on land, rather than on unstable sea ice. This change, coupled with expanding petroleum exploration along Alaska's North Slope, heightens the likelihood of bear-human interactions at maternal den sites. The purpose of this research …

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The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman Mar 2014

The Effects Of Aging On Skeletal Muscle Ampk Activation And An Analysis Of Chronic Aicar Treatment On The Aging Phenotype, Shalene E. Hardman

Theses and Dissertations

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic regulator, acts in opposition to many of the effects of aging and may provide insights into the development of sarcopenia. However, the effect of aging on AMPK activation is unclear. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) clarify the controversy concerning the activation of AMPK in response to endurance-like exercise in aged skeletal muscle; 2) address mechanisms for the age-associated alterations in AMPK activation; and 3) address the known benefits of chronic AICAR treatment in aged skeletal muscle. First, to clarify the effect of age on AMPK activation, young adult (YA) (8 mo.) …

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Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill Mar 2014

Endocannabinoid Biosynthetic Enzyme Mrna: Patterns Of Expression In Hippocampus And Ventral Tegmental Area And Effects On Synaptic Plasticity, Collin Brutch Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) are lipophilic signals that are produced by postsynaptic neurons in an activity-dependent manner, and signal in a retrograde fashion to modulate neurotransmitter release. As such, eCBs are highly involved in synaptic plasticity, a process that strengthens or weakens synapses. eCB-mediated synaptic plasticity is involved in many brain processes including learning, short-term memory, and adaptive reward, which are processed in the hippocampus and ventral tegmental area (VTA), respectively. However, the expression of eCB biosynthetic enzyme mRNA within hippocampal and VTA neurons, as well as the relationship between these mRNA species and the occurrence of synaptic plasticity, remains unclear. The …

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Comparative Analysis Of Reconstructed Image Quality In A Simulated Chromotomographic Imager, Ryan L. Tervo Mar 2014

Comparative Analysis Of Reconstructed Image Quality In A Simulated Chromotomographic Imager, Ryan L. Tervo

Theses and Dissertations

A hyperspectral chromotomographic instrument has been developed to determine the spatial and spectral distribution of a target. It does this by recording the dispersed images produced by a rotating direct vision prism with a high speed camera. The recorded images are processed through a tomographic reconstruction algorithm to produce a reconstructed hypercube. A physics-based system model was developed to investigate three areas. The first was how the prism angle selection and range of angles used impacted the reconstructed image quality. The second was an assessment of a new iterative reconstruction algorithm developed to remove artifacts produced in the Back Projection …

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