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2007

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Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Hormonal Regulation Of Plant Responses To Elevated Carbon Dioxide And Abiotic Stresses, Xiaolu Zou Jan 2007

Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Hormonal Regulation Of Plant Responses To Elevated Carbon Dioxide And Abiotic Stresses, Xiaolu Zou

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Global climate change due to elevated atmospheric [CO2] and abiotic stresses have a strong impact on the establishment, survival and reproduction of plants. The goal of my research is to understand the molecular mechanism by which hormones regulate plant responses to elevated CO2 and abiotic stresses. Abscisic acid (ABA) is well known as a stress hormone, which also promotes seed formation and dormancy, and inhibits seed germination. In contrast, another hormone, gibberellin (GA) breaks seed dormancy and promotes seed germination and post-germination growth including flowering. The focus of my research is to study the functions of a group of transcription …

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Handheld Computers: Do They Support Or Constrain Nursing Students At The Point -Of -Care?, Deborah I Carr-Warner Jan 2007

Handheld Computers: Do They Support Or Constrain Nursing Students At The Point -Of -Care?, Deborah I Carr-Warner

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Technology has made a significant impact within the healthcare system over recent years. As technology continues to evolve and becomes a major driving force within the healthcare system, so will the need for preparing technologically competent healthcare professionals. Also within the healthcare system, changes such as a decrease in the length of hospital stay, the aging population, and the multi-disease processes of the aging population, presents a challenge to nursing faculty to adequately prepare tomorrows' nurse. One of the most promising technological devices being used by healthcare professionals is the handheld computer or personal digital assistant (PDA). Although the current …

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Reading Bodies: A Case Study Analysis Of Adolescent Girls' Experiences In An After School Book Group, Marie A Lejeune Jan 2007

Reading Bodies: A Case Study Analysis Of Adolescent Girls' Experiences In An After School Book Group, Marie A Lejeune

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In this study, adolescent female readers participated in an after-school literature based discussion group or "Book Group" as we came to call it, reading contemporary young adult novels that deal with issues of the body. The purpose of this study was to examine the adolescent girls' experiences within the literature discussions, as most studies relating to literature circle discussions, book clubs, or book groups do not focus on the students' experiences. A related purpose of the study was to investigate how literature based discussion groups reflect and reveal readers' own identities as well as dominant social discourse about issues of …

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Why Does Passion Wane? A Qualitative Study Of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder In Married Women, Karen E Sims Jan 2007

Why Does Passion Wane? A Qualitative Study Of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder In Married Women, Karen E Sims

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is a prevalent and disabling condition for women and their partners. With one in three women experiencing a significant lack of interest in sexual activity, it is the most common female sexual dysfunction. It is also the most treatment resistant. Despite increased awareness of the problem, we have seen an increase in cases of low sexual desire over the past two decades. There is currently no standard treatment modality recommended for HSDD because of difficulties (1) defining the vague concept and (2) establishing what is "normal." Recently, clinicians have favored a treatment relational approach because …

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The Lived Experiences Of Four Overweight Hispanic Adolescent Females, Wanda Lee Rhodes Jan 2007

The Lived Experiences Of Four Overweight Hispanic Adolescent Females, Wanda Lee Rhodes

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of four overweight/obese Hispanic adolescents as individuals by utilizing Social Cognitive Theory's (SCT) (Bandura, 1977, 1986, & 1989) reciprocal interaction of the environment, personal factors and behaviors of the participants in order to investigate the health risk behaviors of the participants as they related to overweight and obesity. Additionally, the commonalities and differences across participants were examined; Four female Hispanic adolescents whose BMI measured at the 99th percentiles for age and gender were randomly chosen from students enrolled in a junior high school physical education intervention class. Experiences of …

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Finding The Other In Mother: Queering Social Scripts For Mothers And Teachers, Laura A Bower Jan 2007

Finding The Other In Mother: Queering Social Scripts For Mothers And Teachers, Laura A Bower

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined social scripts for mothers and teachers through the lens of queer theory. It employed the constructs of normal and deviant as a method for destabilizing these scripts as part of a larger project of promoting social justice around sexual difference. Participants consisted of eight lesbian mothers with school aged children; five women whose roles included mother, educator, and lesbian; and ten public school teachers. Data sources included one focus group interview with lesbian mothers and two focus group interviews with teachers, follow-up interviews with seven teachers and seven mothers, and two individual interviews with each mother/educator/lesbian. …

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The Effect Of Concomitant Ecstasy-Marijuana Use On Auditory Verbal Learning And Memory Performance, Kimberly M Cramer Jan 2007

The Effect Of Concomitant Ecstasy-Marijuana Use On Auditory Verbal Learning And Memory Performance, Kimberly M Cramer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previous research indicates that ecstasy users exhibit deficits of verbal learning and memory. This research has not considered polydrug use in ecstasy users, especially marijuana. Marijuana is an important confound because 90 percent of ecstasy users also use marijuana. Several studies have suggested that marijuana use alters verbal memory functioning; consequently, it is difficult to ascertain whether the observed memory deficits in ecstasy users are attributable to ecstasy, marijuana, or other drug use. The present study examined the effects of marijuana and ecstasy on verbal memory function. Marijuana use was accounted for by recruiting concurrent ecstasy-marijuana users' and ecstasy-naive marijuana-only …

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Seven Cs Of Reading Comprehension Strategy/Graphic Organizer, Michele Frances Farmer Jan 2007

Seven Cs Of Reading Comprehension Strategy/Graphic Organizer, Michele Frances Farmer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The intervention was Seven Cs/graphic organizer, comprised of seven steps (connect, clarify, consider, collect, converse, conclude and cite) in a graphic organizer format. It is completed as the reader works through the reading process (pre, during, and after-reading) in a nonfiction reading selection. The purposes of this study were as follows: (a) to determine if the use of the Seven Cs strategy/graphic organizer increased nonfiction reading comprehension scores for middle school students with learning disabilities, (b) to determine if the use of the Seven Cs strategy/graphic organizer in other content areas increased reading comprehension for the participants when measured through …

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An Examination Of Inner Experience: Anxiety, Lessel Lyle Hutchins Jan 2007

An Examination Of Inner Experience: Anxiety, Lessel Lyle Hutchins

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) is used to examine the inner experience of seven individuals who have been diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder and four control individuals. Idiographic results for each of the 11 participants are provided, including a description of frequent and rare/unique experiences of each participant. These results are followed by between participant nomothetic comparisons. Among the results, it was found that anxious participants experienced more indefinite figure-ground and concrete experiences when compared to controls. Anxious participants are also more likely than controls to engage in negative valence self-evaluations and rate moments as being anxious. There is …

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Modulation Of Thioredoxin Reductase By Selenium And Sulforphane, Peter D. Leary Jan 2007

Modulation Of Thioredoxin Reductase By Selenium And Sulforphane, Peter D. Leary

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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Improved Parameterization To Invert Rayleigh-Wave Data For Shallow Profiles Containing Stiff Inclusions, Carlos Calderon-Macias, Barbara Luke Jan 2007

Improved Parameterization To Invert Rayleigh-Wave Data For Shallow Profiles Containing Stiff Inclusions, Carlos Calderon-Macias, Barbara Luke

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Inversion of shear-wave velocity profiles from phase-velocity measurements of Rayleigh-wave energy for sites containing stiff layers can be erroneous if such layers are not characterized in the starting or reference model. Incorporation of a priori knowledge then is key for converging upon a realistic or meaningful solution. Resolving soil profiles in desert regions where stiff layers cemented with calcium carbonate are intermixed with softer, uncemented media is an application for which locating shallow stiff inclusions has important implications. Identification of the stiff layers is critical for foundation design and cost estimating of excavations. A parameterization that seems adequate for this …

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Episiotomy And Obstetric Trauma In Nevada: Evidence From Linked Hospital Discharge And Birth Data, Gulzar H. Shah, Joseph A. Greenway, Wei Yang Jan 2007

Episiotomy And Obstetric Trauma In Nevada: Evidence From Linked Hospital Discharge And Birth Data, Gulzar H. Shah, Joseph A. Greenway, Wei Yang

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Based on the perception that episiotomy prevents obstetric trauma, the procedure is liberally performed in U.S. Hospitals. Using linked Nevada Birth Registry and Nevada Impatient Hospital Discharges (2000 to 2005), we applied descriptive analyses and logistic regression to examine the status of Nevada episiotomy practice and its impact on birth trauma for mothers. Of 106,461 vaginal live births, 26,383 (24.8%) episiotomies were conducted. Obstetric trauma rate declined from 5.2% of vaginal deliveries in 2000 to 4.4% in 2005. After statistically controlling for the effect of other risk factors, zero parity, episiotomy, other instrument assisted deliveries, non-MDs as birth attendants, rural …

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Analysis Of Iodide And Iodate In Soil And Water, James W Dorman Jan 2007

Analysis Of Iodide And Iodate In Soil And Water, James W Dorman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Halide anions such as iodide have important roles in biological and environmental sciences. Environmental iodine is useful in oceanography and atmospheric studies as well as studies of soils and mineral deposits. The fission product, Iodine-129, is a major concern to the Department of Energy because it is a radiation hazard to the public. Consequently, there is great potential value in examining patterns of iodine migration and sorption near weapons test sites and nuclear waste facilities. Traditional iodide analyses, such as by ion chromatography or ion selective electrode, are generally limited to ppm concentrations. Electrochemical methods are very sensitive but vulnerable …

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Piscivory By Non-Native Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis Aureus ) In Clark County, Nevada, Shawn C Goodchild Jan 2007

Piscivory By Non-Native Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis Aureus ) In Clark County, Nevada, Shawn C Goodchild

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Fish communities that share an evolutionary history typically have mechanisms to offset impacts presented by other species. Fish, especially non-game species, which are intermingled with non-native species for which they lack a shared history, are often poorly adapted to offset these impacts. Non-native fish affect native fish through predation, competition, displacement, and disease, affects which are often synergistic. Native fish within the Muddy River system (Clark County, Nevada) experienced a precipitous decline in numbers following an illegal introduction of blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) during the 1990's. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if tilapia were directly predating upon …

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Cervical Cancer: Knowledge And Behaviors Of African American Women, Clark County, Nevada, Cecilia Fleming Jan 2007

Cervical Cancer: Knowledge And Behaviors Of African American Women, Clark County, Nevada, Cecilia Fleming

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Numerous studies have revealed that African American women are at an increased risk for the development of cervical cancer. The purpose of this study was to assess the cervical cancer knowledge and disease prevention behaviors of African American women. This descriptive study utilized the Health Relief Model, which proposes that knowledge serves as a predictor of disease prevention behaviors. Fifty-two African American women were surveyed. Results revealed that 25.5% of respondents were cognizant of the fact that Pap smears screen for cervical cancer specifically. But, only 25.0% of study participants were able to identify HPV as the major cause of …

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A Diagram Of The Whole New World, Caleb D Mammen Jan 2007

A Diagram Of The Whole New World, Caleb D Mammen

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

My creative thesis, a diagram of the whole new world, is a book of poems that explores and discovers what it means to write in a native tongue and also what it means to lose nativity all together. Travel is a treated theme, literally, as most of the poems were written across the world, as well as metaphysically, in the sense of making and erasing new boundaries of perception; Each poem aims to exhibit its own form as it itself is made. So, I have not written them in the shadow of any particular formal constraint(s). Rather, I have borrowed …

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Building The Ark, Jessica Kruse Jan 2007

Building The Ark, Jessica Kruse

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Building the Ark is a reference to the Biblical story of Noah's and the Ark. I became fascinated with this story a few years ago after realizing that, like many females mentioned in the Bible, the wife of Noah has no name and is simply a peripheral figure. This title poem, which attempts to uncover the story of a modern-day nameless wife of Noah, soon became central to the focus of the entire manuscript. Like the title poem, the manuscript as a whole focuses on physical and emotional displacement, with an emphasis on the search for a geographical and psychological …

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Parsing Neurocognitive Heterogeneity In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian D Leany Jan 2007

Parsing Neurocognitive Heterogeneity In Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Brian D Leany

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur quite frequently in children and adolescents. One difficulty in understanding and treating TBI lies in the heterogeneous nature of its acquisition and mechanism of injury, and the resulting neurocognitive impairment. While there are instruments that exist to identify such impairment, they typically are divided into very broad domains of academic performance. Tests such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Woodcock Johnson are helpful in identifying impairment within the realm of academic aptitude, but have thus far not provided specific enough information as to the impairment of the underlying neurocognitive process that …

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Applying Of Mechanical Failure Criteria Of Brittle Material To The Design Of High Temperature Heat Exchanger, Taha Mohamed Jan 2007

Applying Of Mechanical Failure Criteria Of Brittle Material To The Design Of High Temperature Heat Exchanger, Taha Mohamed

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have suggested using a ceramic high temperature heat exchanger as a sulfuric acid decomposer for hydrogen production within the sulfur iodine thermochemical cycle. The decomposer was manufactured using fused ceramic layers that allow the creation of channels with dimensions below one millimeter. The heat exchanger is expected to operate in the range of 950°C. Thermal stresses are however induced in the heat exchanger ceramic components. In this study, proper failure criteria are selected to evaluate the safety level of the ceramic components. A three-dimensional computational model is developed to investigate the fluid flow, heat transfer, stresses and chemical …

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A Study Of Sprt Algorithm And New-Guard For Radiation Detection, Venkatachalam Palaniappan Jan 2007

A Study Of Sprt Algorithm And New-Guard For Radiation Detection, Venkatachalam Palaniappan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A novel and efficient radiation detection algorithm combined with a measuring unit will produce an ideal detector to battle field radiation measurement problems. Studies of Sequential Probability Ratio Test (SPRT) for radiation detection are essential towards developing efficient and accurate radiation detection algorithms. In this study, the performance of the classical Single-Threshold-Test (STT) and the SPRT First-In-First-Out (FIFO) algorithms is considered. Next, improvements made by the Last-In-First-Elected-Last-Out (LIFELO) algorithm are analyzed. Further, enhancements to the LIFELO algorithm, using the Dynamic Background Updating and Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), are performed; The thesis also provides detailed requirements for an innovative hand-held radiation …

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The Thermal Ecology Of The Red-Spotted Toad, Bufo Punctatus, Across Life History, Candice Marie Rausch Jan 2007

The Thermal Ecology Of The Red-Spotted Toad, Bufo Punctatus, Across Life History, Candice Marie Rausch

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Compared with other terrestrial vertebrates, amphibians are generally less tolerant of thermal extremes. The Mojave Desert has ambient temperatures outside the proposed thermal tolerance zone of its mort abundant amphibian, the Red-spotted toad (Bufo (Anaxyrus) punctatus). Few data have been presented regarding the thermal ecology of these animals, including their thermal histories and proposed strategies to avoid temperature extremes. Previous studies suggest B. punctatus avoids extreme thermal exposure and adult toads experience body temperature (Tb) below a proposed critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of 35°C, and can maintain Tb at 25°C during the winter. Further, previous studies indicate a CTmax for …

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Cultural Implications Of Architectural Mortar And Plaster Selection At Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, Shane David Rumsey Jan 2007

Cultural Implications Of Architectural Mortar And Plaster Selection At Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, Shane David Rumsey

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The research presented here utilizes both mineralogical and elemental analyses to examine prehistoric architectural mortar and plaster samples from kivas at two Pueblo III period cliff house sites in Mesa Verde National Park. In order to provide a thorough geochemical characterization of mortar and plaster samples analytic techniques including x-ray diffractometry (XRD), inductively coupled plasma---mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and analytical electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) have been utilized. Similarities and differences in mortar selection among those sites and kivas sampled are then discussed in terms of cultural implications. The most significant result is a temporal trend in mortar selection from early to late …

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What Are Friends For?, David Eric Surratt Jan 2007

What Are Friends For?, David Eric Surratt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

As social beings, nearly all of us find that the development of individual identity requires an acceptance of others' influence, whether good or had. The specifics of self-concept, as we typically understand the term, can only exist relative to one's perceptions of outside selves, in all their likeness and, more importantly, dissimilarity to our own. To know what we are is to know what we are not; These eight, highly disparate works of short fiction all seek, in some way, to describe the evolution of individual identity that results when separate paths cross, with a broad emphasis on the by-products …

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Psychological Correlates Of Adherence To Femininity Ideology In Hispanic And European-American College Women, Carolina Villar-Mendez Jan 2007

Psychological Correlates Of Adherence To Femininity Ideology In Hispanic And European-American College Women, Carolina Villar-Mendez

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Submission to the desires of others and an objectified relationship to one's body have been identified as two major components of femininity ideology. Research suggests that over-adherence to feminine ideals may result in reduced well-being, the extremes of which can be depression, anxiety, eating disordered behavior, low self-esteem and academic performance deficits. This study examined the (1) extent to which adherence to femininity ideology, as defined by the aforementioned two components, was related to well-being and academic performance and, (2) ethnic differences in adherence to femininity ideology and its correlates in 162 college women, 80 of which self-identified as Hispanic …

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The Home Use Of Antibacterial Hand Soap Among Women In Clark County, Nevada, Rachel Marie Walker Jan 2007

The Home Use Of Antibacterial Hand Soap Among Women In Clark County, Nevada, Rachel Marie Walker

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The use of antibacterial products in the home is increasing. The broad-based use of these products may lead to antibiotic resistance and adverse health effects of the user due to exposure to the active ingredient(s). A cross-sectional study of Clark County, Nevada women was conducted to examine the relationship between the use of antibacterial soap in the homes of women who reside in Clark County and their knowledge regarding the negative side effects that could result from the use of antibacterial products, especially those containing triclosan; A survey was used to determine: (1) the reason women are using antibacterial products …

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Targeted Gene Expression As A Means Of Killing Specific Glial Cells In Drosophila Embryos, Ryan Anthony Yates Jan 2007

Targeted Gene Expression As A Means Of Killing Specific Glial Cells In Drosophila Embryos, Ryan Anthony Yates

Honors Theses

Complex nervous systems require both neurons and glial cells for proper functioning. While neurons have been the primary focus of neuroscience research, much more attention is now being demanded by the glia, whose numerous unknown functions become clearer. Studies on Drosophila melanogaster have been key to our understanding of the nervous system, as the development of both neurons and glia has been well characterized in this organism. In Drosophila, the effects of manipulating the nervous system can be readily observed using immunostaining of different cell types. This study examined the consequences of expressing reaper {rpr) in the most medial cell …

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The Protective Potential Of Paste Containing Casein Phosphopeptide-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate As Measured By Confocal Microscopy: An In Vitro Study., Spencer Hodnett Jan 2007

The Protective Potential Of Paste Containing Casein Phosphopeptide-Amorphous Calcium Phosphate As Measured By Confocal Microscopy: An In Vitro Study., Spencer Hodnett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study utilized 30 extracted human third molars. The teeth were sectioned into buccal and lingual halves. The samples were divided into three treatment groups (MI Paste; MI Paste/Fluoridated toothpaste; MI Paste/Enamel Care toothpaste) and one control. The samples were then subjected to cycling in a demineralizing solution (pH=4.46) and a remineralizing solution (pH=7.00) with treatment rendered between cycles. Cycling continued for 14 days. Lesion depth, lesion area, fluorescence and total fluorescence were measured using confocal microscopy. Results were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer analyses. No significant differences were found between or among the groups for lesion depth, lesion area …

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Effects Of The Common Pesticide Methoxychlor On Ovarian Steroidogenesis, Yucel Akgul Jan 2007

Effects Of The Common Pesticide Methoxychlor On Ovarian Steroidogenesis, Yucel Akgul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Methoxychlor, an organochlorine pesticide, is released into the environment as a result of its agricultural, home and veterinary use. Following in vivo administration, it is quickly metabolized by liver to the proposed active agent, HPTE. Both methoxychlor and HPTE have been shown to exhibit weak estrogenic and antiandrogenic activities, and they are thought to exert their effects through estrogen and androgen receptors. In vivo exposure to methoxychlor in laboratory animals causes ovarian atrophy and impaired ovarian steroid production. The effect of methoxychlor and its mechanism(s) of action on ovarian steroidogenesis are not clearly defined. The central hypothesis of these studies …

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Participatory Gis Approaches To Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case Study Of The Appalachian Corridor H Transportation Project., Ram Alagan Jan 2007

Participatory Gis Approaches To Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case Study Of The Appalachian Corridor H Transportation Project., Ram Alagan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores the strengths and weaknesses of Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) approaches to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with a specific focus on the potential contribution of Geo-visualization (GVIS) in this process. The approach draws heavily on concepts developed under the broad umbrella of GIS and Society and Critical GIS. PGIS recognizes the political economy of GIS in terms of data access, data representation, structural knowledge distortion, and community empowerment as being legitimate and significant issues in the application of GIS in community projects. EIA has been adopted as one of several important environmental practices that seek to engage …

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Transcriptional And Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Gadd45Α In Response To Arsenic., Deepak Bhatia Jan 2007

Transcriptional And Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Gadd45Α In Response To Arsenic., Deepak Bhatia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previously, publications from our lab had demonstrated that arsenic can regulate Gadd45α through p53-dependent and -independent manner where we explored the regulation of Gadd45α by various transcription factors, including Foxo3a, NF-κB and through stress signaling pathways such as JNK. Here we analyzed whether arsenic has any impact on the biosynthesis of Egr-1, since Egr-1 has also been reported to regulate Gadd45α in keratinocytes in response to UVB. Our results show arsenic can induce Egr-1 synthesis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. To determine the regulatory sequence responsible for Egr-1 induction, we created deletion constructs in the Egr-1 promoter and found …

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