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An Assessment Of The Methods That Are Used To Recruit College Students Into The Turkish Hezbollah., Tuncay Unal Jun 2010

An Assessment Of The Methods That Are Used To Recruit College Students Into The Turkish Hezbollah., Tuncay Unal

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to identify tactics used by the Turkish Hezbollah to recruit college students into joining their terrorist organization. This study based on the assumptions that social networks and institutional structures are two main tools that are used effectively by the Turkish Hezbollah to recruit college educated students. In this sense, the researcher claims that Social Learning theory and Social Control Theories can be used to provide theoretical explanation to the Hezbollah’s recruitment strategy. Parallel to these theories assumptions, while having militants within social networks increases the likelihood of being recruited through social learning theory assumptions, college students who …


Utilization Of Phylogenetic Systematics, Molecular Evolution, And Comparative Transcriptomics To Address Aspects Of Nematode And Bacterial Evolution, Scott M. Peat Jun 2010

Utilization Of Phylogenetic Systematics, Molecular Evolution, And Comparative Transcriptomics To Address Aspects Of Nematode And Bacterial Evolution, Scott M. Peat

Theses and Dissertations

Both insect parasitic/entomopathogenic nematodes and plant parasitic nematodes are of great economic importance. Insect parasitic/entomopathogenic nematodes provide an environmentally safe and effective method to control numerous insect pests worldwide. Alternatively, plant parasitic nematodes cause billions of dollars in crop loss worldwide. Because of these impacts, it is important to understand how these nematodes evolve, and, in the case of entomopathogenic nematodes, how their bacterial symbionts evolve. This dissertation contains six chapters. Chapter one is a review of DNA markers and their use in the phylogenetic systematics of entomopathogenic and insect-parasitic nematodes as well as a review of phylogenetic, co-phylogenetic, and …


Novel Mechanism In Astrocyte Gene Regulation And Function, Sandeep Singh Jun 2010

Novel Mechanism In Astrocyte Gene Regulation And Function, Sandeep Singh

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sheds light on several novel mechanistic findings in astrocyte specific gene regulation and function by the NFI-X transcription factor which can be further extrapolated to astrocyte differentiation and glial tumor invasion. First, we cloned and analyzed human NFI-X3, a novel splice variant of the nfix gene, which contains a unique transcriptional activation (TA) domain completely conserved in primates. In contrast to previously cloned NFI-X1, overexpression of NFI-X3 potently activates NFI reporters, including GFAP reporter, in astrocytes and glioma cells. The expression of NFI-X3 is dramatically upregulated during the differentiation of neural progenitors to astrocytes and precedes the expression …


Ex Vivo Expansion Of Tumor-Specific T Cells With Sequential Common Gamma Chain Cytokines Render Them Refractory To Mdsc Upon Adoptive Immunotherapy., Debasmita Basu Jun 2010

Ex Vivo Expansion Of Tumor-Specific T Cells With Sequential Common Gamma Chain Cytokines Render Them Refractory To Mdsc Upon Adoptive Immunotherapy., Debasmita Basu

Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are heterogeneous population of immature cells at various stages of differentiation, characterized by the presence of CD11b and Gr1 in mice. They are major contributors of the tumor-induced immune suppression against the tumors. So far, various strategies have been introduced to overcome the endogenous MDSCs. Most of these approaches rely on the elimination of MDSCs and it is not clear whether tumor-reactive T cells may be differentiated towards phenotypes that are refractory to MDSCc. Our laboratory has previously shown that high affinity T cells derived from tumor-sensitized wild-type FVB mice and expanded ex vivo with …


Optical Measurement Of Environmental Uranium Using Porous Silica Materials, Chien-Cheng Chen Jun 2010

Optical Measurement Of Environmental Uranium Using Porous Silica Materials, Chien-Cheng Chen

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research is on the optical measurement of uranyl in a solid matrix using fluorescence spectroscopy. Nanoporous silica-based materials were used to extract uranyl from contaminated soil and to enhance the fluorescence intensity and lifetime. The fluorescence lifetime and intensity of uranyl ions adsorbed on porous silica-based materials of varying pore size was measured as a function of pH and in the presence of fluoride. The feasibility of uranyl fluorescence detection on the top of soil by silica gel is carried out by four types of natural soil. The results show that the uranyl fluorescence intensity can …


Mission Assurance: A Review Of Continuity Of Operations Guidance For Application To Cyber Incident Mission Impact Assessment (Cimia), Brian L. Hale Jun 2010

Mission Assurance: A Review Of Continuity Of Operations Guidance For Application To Cyber Incident Mission Impact Assessment (Cimia), Brian L. Hale

Theses and Dissertations

Military organizations have embedded information technology (IT) into their core mission processes as a means to increase operational efficiency, improve decision-making quality, and shorten the sensor-to-shooter cycle. This IT-to-mission dependence can place the organizational mission at risk when an information incident (e.g., the loss or manipulation of a critical information resource) occurs. Non-military organizations typically address this type of IT risk through an introspective, enterprise-wide focused risk management program that continuously identifies, prioritizes, and documents risks so an economical set of control measures (e.g., people, processes, technology) can be selected to mitigate the risks to an acceptable level. The explicit …


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.


Use Of Negation In Search, Kristen M. Lancaster Jun 2010

Use Of Negation In Search, Kristen M. Lancaster

Theses and Dissertations

Boolean algebra was developed in the 1840s. Since that time, negation, one of the three basic concepts in Boolean algebra, has influenced the fields of information science and information retrieval, particularly in the modern computer era. In Web search engines, one of the present manifestations of information retrieval, little use is being made of this functionality and so little attention is given to it in the literature. This study aims to bolster the understanding of the use and usefulness of negation. Specifically, an Internet search task was developed for which negation was the most appropriate search strategy. This search task …


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 …


Hostility In Marital Interaction, Depressive Symptoms And Physical Health Of Husbands And Wives, Stanley D. Hall Jun 2010

Hostility In Marital Interaction, Depressive Symptoms And Physical Health Of Husbands And Wives, Stanley D. Hall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how hostility from either partner in a marital interaction affected marital partners' perceived general physical health, while investigating for indirect effects of partners' depression. A total of 296 married couples who participated in Waves 1 and 2 of the Flourishing Families Project were videotaped while completing a marital discussion task. Their interaction was coded for hostile behaviors using the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales, IFIRS. Structural equation modeling was used to examine how hostility in marital interactions at Wave 1 was related to partners' self-reports of physical health as measured by the …


Language As A Predictor Of Reticence In Children With Language Impairment, Patricia Anne Moses Jun 2010

Language As A Predictor Of Reticence In Children With Language Impairment, Patricia Anne Moses

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between language skills and reticence in 37 children with language impairment (LI) and 37 typically developing peers matched for age (ranging from 6;11 to 10;1 years) and gender. Subtests of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (E. Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) were used to evaluate language ability. The Teacher Behavior Rating Scale (C. H. Hart & C. C. Robinson, 1996) was used to evaluate reticence. The current study replicated previous research by documenting significantly higher levels of reticence in children with LI when compared to typical peers. Significant group differences were also found in paragraph comprehension, syntax …


Infrageneric Relationships Within Collomia (Polemoniaceae), Eric Stewart Green Jun 2010

Infrageneric Relationships Within Collomia (Polemoniaceae), Eric Stewart Green

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional evolutionary models depict evolution as a bifurcating pattern with a single ancestor diverging to form two lineages. However, reticulate species resulting from hybridization and recombination have unique histories shared with two independent lineages, not one. Accounting for the genetic histories of reticulate species increases the power and ability to recover biologically meaningful relationships. The genus Collomia (Polemoniaceae) is used to explore issues of reticulation and the importance of accounting for gene histories in a phylogenetic analysis. The issue of reticulation within species trees is discussed with a multilabeled, network approach being explored to better represent the genus's evolutionary history. …


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 …


Investigating Executive Functions In Men Seeking Help For Hypersexual Behavior Using Neuropsychological Testing, Rory C. Reid Jun 2010

Investigating Executive Functions In Men Seeking Help For Hypersexual Behavior Using Neuropsychological Testing, Rory C. Reid

Theses and Dissertations

Patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior often exhibit features of impulsivity, cognitive rigidity, poor judgment, deficits in emotion regulation, and excessive preoccupation with sex. Some of these characteristics are also common among patients presenting with neurological pathology associated with executive dysfunction. These observations led to the current investigation in which differences across scores on objective neuropsychological tests of executive functioning were explored in a group of hypersexual male patients (n = 30) compared with a non-hypersexual community sample (n = 30) of men. Using multivariate statistics, differences between the groups were examined yielding significant differences on measures of hypersexuality. However, …


Celogentin C And Thioviridamide: Synthetic And Structural Studies, Dmitry Nikolayevich Litvinov Jun 2010

Celogentin C And Thioviridamide: Synthetic And Structural Studies, Dmitry Nikolayevich Litvinov

Theses and Dissertations

Project I Celogentin C, isolated by Kobayashi from the seeds of Celosia argentea in 2001 exhibits strong inhibitory behavior towards polymerization of tubulin – globular protein, which plays crucial role during the cell division cycle. We have attempted synthesis of the left-hand ring of celogentin C via the intramolecular alkylation and the Knoevenagel condensation strategies. Utilizing synthetic methodologies in the field of nitroacetyl chemistry, developed by Kornblum and Rajappa we have successfully prepared the intermolecular Knoevenagel condensation product – the late-stage precursor to the left-hand ring of celogentin C. Synthesis of this key intermediate subsequently led to the preparation of …


The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity And Depression: The Influence Of Schemas And Coping Style On Depression Course, Jessica Childress Jun 2010

The Relationship Between Childhood Adversity And Depression: The Influence Of Schemas And Coping Style On Depression Course, Jessica Childress

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explored the relationship between childhood adversity and depression course, and the influence of Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) and coping on this relationship. A sample of participants in a small-scale university study (n=100) provided information through retrospective assessment of adverse childhood experiences. Information through self-report assessment of coping style, Early Maladaptive Schema (EMS), and depressive symptoms was also obtained. Seventy-three percent of the sample reported experiencing at least one of the adversities assessed. Childhood adversity was a predictor of acute symptoms of depression, and general negative affect, indicating that experiencing childhood adversity leads to acute and chronic symptoms of …


Teacher Perception Of At-Risk Students, Luanna E. Fisketjon Jun 2010

Teacher Perception Of At-Risk Students, Luanna E. Fisketjon

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Prediction Of Cognitive Sequelae And Ecological Validity In Critically-Ill Adult Patients, Fu Lye Woon Jun 2010

Prediction Of Cognitive Sequelae And Ecological Validity In Critically-Ill Adult Patients, Fu Lye Woon

Theses and Dissertations

Survivors of critical illness have a high prevalence of long-term cognitive and psychiatric morbidity and poor quality of life years after hospital discharge. Data are lacking regarding whether cognitive screening tests predict which critically ill patients may be at risk to develop long-term cognitive sequelae and whether cognitive sequelae predict the patients everyday functioning. This study sought to determine whether cognitive screening tests, including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Mini-Cog, predict long-term cognitive sequelae and everyday functioning in survivors of critical illness 6-month post-hospital discharge. A second purpose was to investigate whether cognitive sequelae are associated with poor everyday …


Tomorrow's Doctors And Today's Changes: Neo-Liberal Discourses And The Daily Practices Of Medical Interns At A State University Hospital In Cairo, Salma Shokralla Jun 2010

Tomorrow's Doctors And Today's Changes: Neo-Liberal Discourses And The Daily Practices Of Medical Interns At A State University Hospital In Cairo, Salma Shokralla

Theses and Dissertations

As the State shifts towards liberalization policies in the health sector, debates surrounding the outcomes of medical encounters came to the core of public debate. To understand changes that are influencing medical encounters and their outcomes, this study focused on the socialization process medical students go through to become practicing physicians. A public university hospital (Al Kasr Al Ainy) where medical students get their practical training was the focus of this study. Courses on physician-patient encounters, newly implemented under the government's education reform plan, were analyzed as an example of how discourses are produced to shift the responsibility of public …


Time-Cost-Quality Trade-Off Analysis For Construction Projects, Mahmoud Elbassuony Jun 2010

Time-Cost-Quality Trade-Off Analysis For Construction Projects, Mahmoud Elbassuony

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of construction projects is to finish the project according to an available budget, within a planned schedule, and achieving a pre-specified extent of quality. Therefore, time, cost, and quality are considered the most important attributes of construction projects. The purpose of this study is to incorporate quality into the traditional two-dimensional time-cost trade-off (TCT) in order to develop an advanced three-dimensional time-cost-quality trade-off (TCQT) approach. Time, cost, and quality of construction projects are interrelated and have impacts on each other. It is a challenging task to strike a balance among these three conflicting objectives of construction projects …


Investigating The Mechanical And Physical Properties Of Wood Plastic Composites (Wpc), Mokhtar Aly Nour El-Din Kamel Jun 2010

Investigating The Mechanical And Physical Properties Of Wood Plastic Composites (Wpc), Mokhtar Aly Nour El-Din Kamel

Theses and Dissertations

Wood and plastic wastes have been a major environmental concern not only in Egypt but also worldwide. Plastic wastes are classified as recyclable plastic such as bottles and non-recyclable plastic such as plastic bags especially contaminated bags (rejected plastic). Plastic waste is a non biodegradable material calling for an appropriate method of disposal; however, the current approach adopted in Egypt relies mainly on throwing away in dumpsites. Therefore, it is a costless raw material which needs to be invested. In this thesis, the wood waste and the rejected plastic were recycled to produce new useful product; Wood Plastic Composite (WPC), …


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.


Investigation Of Science Education Attitudes In Alternative High School Settings, Sarah Jane Rogers May 2010

Investigation Of Science Education Attitudes In Alternative High School Settings, Sarah Jane Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the attitudes of administrators, teachers and students in school settings for at-risk students. Students are considered at-risk if they are not academically successful. Teacher and student science education attitudes were analyzed by survey data and categorization of teaching practices. Additionally, data from classroom videotapes and teacher interviews was collected to support and triangulate survey data. Study participants were selected from two school settings for at-risk students 1) public alternative schools (PAS) and 2) private residential treatment centers (RTC). When the survey questions were analyzed by school type and teacher classification several differences were found between 1) teacher …


An Empirical Approach To Evaluating Sufficient Similarity: Utilization Of Euclidean Distance As A Similarity Measure, Scott Marshall May 2010

An Empirical Approach To Evaluating Sufficient Similarity: Utilization Of Euclidean Distance As A Similarity Measure, Scott Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals are exposed to chemical mixtures while carrying out everyday tasks, with unknown risk associated with exposure. Given the number of resulting mixtures it is not economically feasible to identify or characterize all possible mixtures. When complete dose-response data are not available on a (candidate) mixture of concern, EPA guidelines define a similar mixture based on chemical composition, component proportions and expert biological judgment (EPA, 1986, 2000). Current work in this literature is by Feder et al. (2009), evaluating sufficient similarity in exposure to disinfection by-products of water purification using multivariate statistical techniques and traditional hypothesis testing. The work of …


Role Of Capsule In The Interaction Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis With Host, Amrita Singh May 2010

Role Of Capsule In The Interaction Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis With Host, Amrita Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is a chronic oral disease that is triggered by bacteria. One of these bacteria is Porphyromonas gingivalis. Some strains of P. gingivalis produce capsule, however, so far the role of capsule in the interactions with host cells in P. gingivalis is not well understood. Here, we investigated the contribution of capsule to triggering host response as well as its protective role on bacterial internalization by host cells with subsequent killing. qRT-PCR analysis showed more upregulation of expression of various groups of genes in macrophages challenged with the non-capsulated strain than in those challenged with the capsulated one with …


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 Association Between Teen Parenthood And Marital Status Among Women, Amy Feinberg May 2010

The Association Between Teen Parenthood And Marital Status Among Women, Amy Feinberg

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Teen pregnancy and teen parenting are prevalent and significant public health issues. Teen parenting also has many social and economic consequences for mother and family. Single parenthood is associated with increased financial, work and child care strains compared to a more traditional family type. Therefore, the impact of teen pregnancy on marital status needs to be investigated. This study examines the association between teen parenthood and future marital status. Methods: The 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6 was analyzed. This study included 12398 women age 20 – 44 years who had children. Teen parenthood was defined as …


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 …


Design And Analysis Of A Compliant Mechanism Spinal Implant, Eric M. Stratton May 2010

Design And Analysis Of A Compliant Mechanism Spinal Implant, Eric M. Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces and presents the modeling of a novel compliant spinal implant designed to reduce back pain and restore function to degenerate spinal disc tissues as well as provide a mechanical environment conducive to healing the tissues. The initial objectives for this device development and the focus of this work are modeling and validation of the force-deflection relationships and stress analysis. Modeling was done using the pseudo-rigid-body model to create a 3 degree of freedom mechanism for flexion-extension (forward-backward bending) and a 5 degree of freedom mechanism for lateral bending (side-to-side). These models were analyzed using the principle of …