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Hormone Influence On The Mesocortical Dopaminergic System: An Integrated Behavioral, Anatomical And In Vivo Physiological Characterization In Adult Male Rats, Teresa Marie Aubele

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The prefrontal cortices (PFC) are linked to highest-order executive functions such as working memory, planning and decision making. These complex constructs are strongly dependent on local signaling via the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA). Stimulated by male over female sex differences in PFC function and especially by the significantly greater vulnerability of males to symptoms of PFC dysfunction in disorders such as schizophrenia, the experiments of this dissertation explored behavioral and biochemical effects of gonadal hormones on PFC DA systems using adult male rats that were gonadectomized (GDX) and supplemented with either androgens or estrogens as animal models. The first studies extended …

The Moral Public: Moral Judgment And Political Attitudes, Pazit Ben Nun

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Notwithstanding the vast political philosophy literature on morality, empirical political scientists have shied away from studying the extent to which people use moral judgment in forming political attitudes. Currently, morality is either altogether neglected, or is integrated in an a-theoretical manner. This project builds on literature from philosophy and psychology to conceptualize moral judgment as bi-dimensional, and experimentally tests this conceptualization by varying the accessibility of harm cues and the moral emotion of disgust prior to moral appraisal of politics. Next, the moderating effect of ideology and the role of moral judgment in attitude strength, political engagement and political intolerance …

A Resilient Actuation Attack On Wireless Sensor Networks, Aneeta Bhattacharyya

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Wireless sensor networks are built using tiny wireless sensor devices which have limited computational power and energy resources, as a result of which they can be subjected to various security compromises, including denial-of-service attacks. A particularly detrimental active denial-of-service attack that damages the sensing fidelity of wireless sensor networks is known as the Actuation attack, where hostile actuator (or actor) nodes belonging to a foreign network directly perturb or distort the environmental conditions being monitored. In this thesis we explore the loss of availability and reliability of wireless sensor networks ensuing from a proposed resilient Actuation attack which uses randomness …

Genetic Diversity And Gene Flow In Zostera Marina Populations Across The Long Island Sound And South Shore Estuaries, Sterling James Brisbin

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The dominant species of seagrass in NY, Zostera marina, has experienced several historical die-offs and is currently under heavy stress due to water quality and other anthropogenic problems. The consequences of these events on the genetic diversity and population structure of the remaining grass beds are unknown. This thesis addresses questions regarding the genetic diversity of extant populations, and how this information can aid current conservation and restoration efforts. Plant morphometrics and genetic samples of Zostera marina were collected at sites across Great South Bay, Shinnecock Bay, Peconic Bay and the Long Island Sound. Each individual was genotyped at 8 …

Coevolution At The Population Level: Empirical Studies In An Insect-Plant Interaction, Rodrigo Cogni

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Coevolution, the reciprocal evolutionary change in interacting species driven by natural selection, has an enormous importance on ecological and evolutionary theory. However, there are very few empirical studies demonstrating coevolution. In particular for plant-herbivore interactions, even though there are many adaptations that seem to be the result of the interaction, just a few empirical evidences on the processes leading to these adaptations exist. I used a highly integrative approach to study coevolution in an ideal plant-herbivore system: the alkaloid bearing legume Crotalaria pallida and its seed predator, the arctiid moth Utetheisa ornatrix. To unravel coevolutionary dynamics and to demonstrate reciprocal …

Effects Of Blood Glucose Elevation On The Structure And Function Of Microvascular Networks Of Skeletal Muscle In Mice, Melissa Katherine-Barrell Georgi

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Diabetes Mellitus and its precursor, pre-diabetes, are metabolic disorders that are characterized by high levels of elevated blood glucose. This work addresses the effects of these diseases on the microvasculature of the peripheral cardiovascular system including endothelial dysfunction and capillary rarefaction, which lead to circulation problems and secondary complications. The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the arteriolar network architecture and function in peripheral skeletal muscle in the normal mouse and to investigate the effects of alterations in blood glucose. We demonstrate that only two hours of elevated glucose concentration decreases dilatory responses in both endothelium …

Physiological And Pathological Roles Of Class Ia Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases P110alpha And P110beta., Chia-Yen Wu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are enzymes that phosphorylate the 3'-OH of the inositol moiety of the membrane lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. These enzymes are divided into subclasses IA and IB. Class IA PI3Ks play essential roles in regulating cell growth, survival and metabolism. They are also strongly implicated in the development of human cancers. There are three class IA PI3K catalytic isoforms, p110alpha, p110beta and p110delta. Currently, it is unclear what are their distinct biological functions. For my thesis research, I used genetically engineered mice to study the roles of p110alpha and p110beta in the regulation of heart contraction, the …

Production And In Vitro Investigation Of Vitamin B12-Based Bioprobes, Amy Rabideau

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Vitamin B₁₂ (B₁₂)-based bioprobes were produced and investigated in vitro for studying the B₁₂ uptake pathway in certain cancer cell lines and their target-specific capabilities as imaging and/or contrast agents in vivo. An intrinsic factor (IF)-bound B₁₂ conjugate (B₁₂-ReBQBA) was produced containing rhenium(I) for in vitro analysis of the cubilin-expressing placental choriocarcinoma cell line. B₁₂-ReBQBA has millimolar toxicity in vitro and excitation and emission wavelengths in the visible region, 488 nm and 560 nm, respectively. The rhenium metal in this bioprobe can be readily exchanged for the metastable radioactive metal technetium-99m …

Benchmarks 2010, May 14, The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks 2010

BenchMarks. Friday, May 14, 2010

The community newsletter of The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks is published monthly and is distributed on the campus of The Rockefeller University. It produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Equilibrium Studies And Kinetics Mechanism For The Removal Of Basic And Reactive Dyes In Both Single And Binary Systems Using Edta Modified Rice Husk, Siew-Teng Ong, Weng-Nam Lee, Pei-Sin Keng, Yung-Tse Hung, Sie-Tiong Ha

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The potential of using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid modified rice husk (ERH) to remove different types of dyes, namely basic and reactive dyes were studied. Sorption characteristic of ERH showed that it was pH dependent. The kinetics of sorption for both dyes was rapid within the first 60 min regardless of its initial concentration. Using the pseudo-second order kinetics model, the predicted uptakes of Methylene Blue (MB) and Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) agreed closely with experimental values obtained. Three isotherm models were used to fit with equilibrium data, namely Langmuir, Freundlich and BET models. It was found that the equilibrium fitted …

An Adult Accelerated Degree Program: Student And Instructor Perspectives And Factors That Affect Retention, Cindy K. Manjounes

Dissertations

This was a blended qualitative and quantitative study, which investigated adult student and instructor perspectives, motivators, factors and life events that have affected adult students as they pursue their degrees. This study also examined the environment, format, and course content of accelerated degree programs. This study focused solely on undergraduate degree programs. The null hypothesis of this study was that accelerated degree programs for adult students will not result in higher retention rates than traditional day programs. The null hypothesis was rejected. This study is significant because, as pointed out in Stephanie Armour’s June 12, 2003, USA Today article, adults …

Behavioral And Reproductive Plasticity In Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia Holbrooki) In Response To Predatory Cues, Carolyn Vanzwoll

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Olfaction in fishes can be an important mechanism in determining the level of predation risk. Many fishes possess alarm signaling systems, wherein an individual can detect injured conspecifics via olfaction and respond behaviorally to the presence of a predator. The superorder Ostariophysi exhibits a fright reaction to injured conspecifics, characterized by specialized cells and alarm substances. I tested if a live-bearing non-ostariophysan, Gambusia holbrooki, exhibited a similar behavioral response to its injured conspecifics. I also examined the effects of exposure to this and other predatory cues during a single pregnancy cycle. I hypothesized that immediate exposure to the cues would …

Size Correlations Between Sucking Lice And Their Hosts Including A Test Of Harrison's Rule, Sherri M. Cannon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Ectoparasite size can be influenced by many factors; one is host size. Harrison's rule states that larger hosts typically have larger parasites. In this study, sucking lice (Insecta: Anoplura) were used to test this rule. Sucking lice should provide a good test for this rule because they are generally host-specific and because, as a group, they parasitize hosts of different sizes. Also, sucking lice use their tibio-tarsal claws to grasp host hairs, therefore, correlations between claw size and host hair diameters were also tested. Raw analyses including 206 species of slide-mounted sucking lice from throughout the world, followed by analyses …

Predictors Of Depression In African American Men And Their Implications For Community And Individual Focused Interventions., Michael A. Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: In any given year depression affects as many as 121 million people worldwide and 20 percent or 19 million people in the U.S. suffer from at least one episode of depression during their lifetime. In the U.S., depression has a substantial impact on the economy. It is estimated that $17 billion dollars in salary and/or equivalent compensation is lost due to missing work days, caused by major depression. Depression is considered a highly prevalent condition that can lead to significant functional impairments, such as absenteeism and work productivity and problems with activities of daily living. This study focuses on …

Comparison Of Clinically Projected And Radiographically Optimal Implant Fixture Placement., William Shane Vaughn 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Potential dental implant site assessment is initially determined clinically. Subsequent radiographic assessment also provides information about the quantity of available bone. It was hypothesized that the use of radiographic markers in mandibular stents to project the clinically derived placement of implant fixtures would not correspond to the optimal trajectory of the fixture based on acceptable implant placement criteria applied on Cone Beam Computed Tomography images. A retrospective audit of patients with edentulous mandibles scanned with a surgical guide was completed. A total of 218 potential implant sites in 77 patients were evaluated utilizing an implant planning software package (EZ Guide …

3d Cbct Analysis Of Cranial Base Morphology And Its Relationship To Skeletal Malocclusion., Russell M. Weaver 1973-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Determining the etiology of skeletal malocclusion is an important diagnostic step in treatment planning patients with maxillofacial anomalies. Aims: To describe cranial base morphology using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images and correlate with the Antero-posterior (AP) jaw discrepancy. Methods: With IRB approval, retrospective analysis was performed on CBCT scans for 40 adult subjects. Cranial flexure and cranial deflection angle were analyzed in relation to three AP variables using linear regression analysis. Results: There were no significant correlations between the cranial base and AP variables. This study can neither confirm that there is a correlation between the cranial base morphology …

Reduced Hyperbf Networks : Practical Optimization, Regularization, And Applications In Bioinformatics., Rami Nezar Mahdi 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A hyper basis function network (HyperBF) is a generalized radial basis function network (RBF) where the activation function is a radial function of a weighted distance. The local weighting of the distance accounts for the variation in local scaling and discriminative power along each feature. Such generalization makes HyperBF networks capable of interpolating decision functions with high accuracy. However, such complexity makes HyperBF networks susceptible to overfitting. Moreover, training a HyperBF network demands weights, centers and local scaling factors to be optimized simultaneously. In the case of a relatively large dataset with a large network structure, such optimization becomes computationally …

Generalized Multi-Stream Hidden Markov Models., Oualid Missaoui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For complex classification systems, data is usually gathered from multiple sources of information that have varying degree of reliability. In fact, assuming that the different sources have the same relevance in describing all the data might lead to an erroneous behavior. The classification error accumulates and can be more severe for temporal data where each sample is represented by a sequence of observations. Thus, there is compelling evidence that learning algorithms should include a relevance weight for each source of information (stream) as a parameter that needs to be learned. In this dissertation, we assumed that the multi-stream temporal data …

Ribosome Maturation In Yeast Models Of Diamond-Blackfan Anemia And Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome., Joseph Brady Moore 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS) encompass a heterogeneous collection of rare disorders characterized by hematological abnormalities, generalized growth delays, and an increased incidence of malignant transformation. These disorders include: Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS), cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH), and dyskeratosis congenita (DC). Despite sharing overarching similarities, each of these disorders manifests distinct clinical phenotypes. Similar to their clinical features, the molecular underpinnings of the IBMFS have characteristics that are both shared and distinctive. Aberrations in ribosome synthesis have been associated with each of the IBMFS providing a common molecular target for pathogenic mutations in disease related genes. In …

Predictors Of Risk For Child Neglect Among Expectant First-Time Mothers And Their Partners., Bertha M. Mucherera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study purpose was three-fold: finding a point of entry for primary prevention of child neglect, assessing for child neglect risk level for both first-time mothers and their partners, and individuals opinions about establishing and administering a multi-dimensional family assessment tool prior to birth. This study utilized a non-experimental, cross-sectional design to survey 250 first-time expectant mothers and their partners, attending Lamaze Classes at a public hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Participants completed a 97-item questionnaire comprised of eleven different measures identifying individual personal (Attachment Theory) and situational characteristics (Ecological Theory). Results indicated that this particular population was predominately White Caucasian …

Health Promotion Self-Efficacy Of Belizean Nurses : Variables Influencing Condom Use Promotion To Women To Prevent Hiv/Aids., Whitney A. Nash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a descriptive, correlational study that explores how a nurse's personal sexual relationship power, vicarious experience, and other interpersonal and socio-cultural variables are related to her self-efficacy to promote and teach condom use to women to reduce the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. How these variables are related among a specific subset of nurses with lower sexual relationship power is also examined. Self-efficacy theory, specifically portions of Dr. Albert Bandura's work is used to guide this exploration. Chapter 1 introduces the problem of HIV/AIDS in Belize; the role of power, and selected issues surrounding women and HIV/AIDS. Chapter 1 …

A Phase Ii Two Stage Clinical Trial Design To Handle Latent Heterogeneity For A Binary Response., Christopher Noel Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phase II clinical trial are generally single arm trial where a homogeneity assumption is placed on the response. In practice, this assumption may be violated resulting in a heterogeneous response. This heterogeneous or overdispersed response can be decomposed into distinct subgroups based on the etiology of the heterogeneity. A general classification model is developed to quantify the heterogeneity. The most common Phase II trial design used in practice is the Simon 2-stage design which relies on the assumption of response homogeneity. This design is shown to be flawed under the assumption of heterogeneity with errors exceeding the target trial errors. …

Reading Aloud In The Writing Center : A Comparative Analysis Of Three Tutoring Methods., Rebecca Ryan Block 1979-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading aloud in writing center sessions is a common practice, one that is both under-studied and under-theorized. In an attempt to begin to address this gap, this dissertation conducts an empirical analysis of three different methods of reading aloud in the writing center: client-read, tutor-read, and point-predict. Client-read and tutor-read are traditional approaches to reading in writing centers; point-predict was adapted into a tutoring method from a peer-review method by Barbara Sitko. In order to examine these methods, a study of 24 writing center sessions—eight of each method—was conducted. Sessions were recorded, transcribed, and coded for initiator and writing issues …

Bum Hunters : The Simulations And Neutralizations Of Negative Actions Taken Against The Homeless On Youtube., Elizabeth Anne Griffith 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to of the rise in numbers of persons experiencing homelessness, communities are working to restrict access that homeless individuals have to public spaces. Many cities across the nation have criminalized aspects of homelessness in attempts to 'beautify' the areas. Starting in 2001, four videos were created and sold illustrating "bum fighting" in which homeless people were depicted fighting or performing stunts in return for alcohol and/or drugs (NCH, 2007). The National Coalition for the Homeless directly links the release of these videos to the increase of attacks against the homeless, many videotaping the ordeal, imitating the original videos. In …

Difference As Identity In "The Other Story" And The 1993 Whitney Biennial., Vanessa Faye Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores issues of identity and difference in art and its institutions through a historiographic study of two landmark exhibitions, "The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain" (1989) and the 1993 Whitney Biennial. These exhibits intended to bring recognition to a marginalized group of artists, but were largely seen in critical literature to have perpetuated the binary distinctions and terms of difference that originated and maintained that marginalization. In order to fully understand the historical significance of these two exhibitions, in terms of their critical aims and reception, this thesis examines the specific social contexts in which they …

Context Matters : A Multilevel Analysis Of Patterns Of Mobility To Non-Poor Neighborhoods For Poor Renter Households., Stacy M. Deck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this longitudinal, multilevel study was to develop a better understanding of poor renter households' mobility patterns by identifying the relative importance of individual and contextual variables. Variability in neighborhood poverty rates (NPR) was analyzed for 1564 poor, renter households living in 179 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across the continental U.S. during the 1990s. Household heads were typically black (73%), middle age (mean=37 years) females (59%) who had 12 or fewer years of education (77%). Each household completed three to nine Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) surveys. Using geocodes, census data were linked with survey data to …

Virtual Crime Scene Reconstruction Laboratory, Demos Athanasopoulos

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

The Scarf Club, Mari Ramler

All Theses

A novel comprises this creative thesis, which has been submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Arts in English literature. This manuscript is the story of Lucy Merdock and how two major losses during her senior year of high school change the way she sees herself.

Plutonium - Humic Acid Stability Constant Determination And Subsequent Studies Examining Sorption In The Ternary Pu(Iv) - Humic Acid - Gibbsite System, Trevor Zimmerman

All Theses

Plutonium has been released to the environment through a variety of intentional and unintentional mechanisms, including atmospheric testing, disposition from weapons manufacturing processes, and subsurface disposal. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the chemical, physical, and biological processes affecting plutonium transport is imperative. It has been shown that humic acid (HA) (a refractory component of natural organic matter (NOM)) can effectively solubilize plutonium (Santschi et al., 2002). Increased solubility may result in enhanced subsurface transport, due to the higher concentration of Pu in the aqueous phase. In contrast, the formation of ternary surface complexes may hinder actinide transport. Solution pH is …

Biodegradable Polymer Blends And Composites From Proteins Produced By Animal Co-Product Industry, Bernice Nzioki

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Development of new green materials from by-products of animal rendering industries would provide a substantial economic return to animal rendering processors. Meat and bone meal (MBM), one of the products of the rendering industry, has potential for numerous bio-based applications. This research focuses on fabrication of plastics blends made of MBM (Meat and bone meal) and UHMWPE (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene). We investigated thermal, morphological, water absorption and mechanical properties of the plastics. The plastics were compression molded and their properties were examined.
DSC thermographs of the blends indicated that the thermal properties of UHMWPE did not change …