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A New Look At Survivorship: Female Cancer Survivors' Experience Of Resilience In The Face Of Adversity, Christine Marie Valenti

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the lived experience of adult female cancer survivors to discover common protective resilience factors that enabled them to cope with their cancer experience and to identify potential barriers to resilience. Nine female cancer survivors, age 18 years and older whose cancer was in remission or currently active, who were members of a cancer support group and who volunteered to participate in this study were interviewed. They were asked open-ended questions regarding the biological, social, psychological and spiritual factors that helped them to cope with, heal and thrive with their cancer experience. The participants identified resilience protective …

Myth4 And Ferm Have Overlapping And Distinct Roles In The Function Of Myo1, A Class Xiv Myosin In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Michael Gotesman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

MyTH4 and FERM are conserved tail domains in myosin classes VII, X, XII, XIV, XV and in MyoG. Myo1, a class XIV myosin in Tetrahymena thermophila, contains MyTH4 and FERM. Previous studies have shown that Myo1 localizes to phagosomes, the cytoskeleton, and the macronucleus, and that phagosome trafficking and division of the macronucleus are affected in a MYO1 knockout. To investigate the roles for MyTH4 and FERM in the function of Myo1, GFP-tagged MyTH4, FERM, and truncated FERM were separately overexpressed in Tetrahymena. Actin antibody coprecipitated tubulin, GFP-MyTH4, and GFP-FERM. GFP-MyTH4 and GFP-FERM cosedimented with either exogenous microtubules or exogenous …

In Favor Of Teleosemantics: A Millikanian Treatment Of The Intentional Content Of Mental Representation, Pierre Faye

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Theoretical attempts to naturalize mental contents, that is, to explain how wholly physical organisms manage to represent the external world to themselves, are mostly conducted in accordance with causal-informational and/or functionalist approaches based on nomic physical correlations. In 1984, Ruth Millikan and David Papineau simultaneously, though independently, injected new life into the naturalist program by introducing a divergent approach known today as "teleosemantics."

In first approximation, teleosemantics purports to naturalize mental content by substituting for the former concept of nomic correlations found in causal and/or functionalist models, the biological concept of etiological functions resulting from natural selection. Since its introduction, …

The Effects Of Bilingual Instruction On The English Emergent Literacy Skills Of Spanish-Speaking Preschool Children, Zoila Tazi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Numerous studies have shown that early childhood education (ECE) contributes to educational attainment particularly for poor children. Nationally, ECE has gained considerable backing as a viable intervention to propel achievement. As ECE comes to the fore, census figures indicate that Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States. Latinos have persistently experienced greater rates of poverty and other risk factors that adversely affect educational attainment.

Multiple risk factors as well as a "cultural mismatch" with a school system poised to educate white, middle-class, English-speaking students, raise alarm for the educational trajectories of Latino children just entering schools. Racism …

Phosphorus Transport In The Bronx River: Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis, Jingyu Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Phosphorus (P) is the primary limiting nutrient for algal growth in freshwater systems. Excessive P from external inputs and release from sediments could accelerate primary productivity leading to eutrophication in the water column, and consequently degrading water quality. The objectives of this study were to predict P bioavailability and estimate spatial and temporal variations in P transport in the Bronx River, New York, USA. The Bronx River originates from the Westchester Davis Brook and Kensico Dam, flowing south through Westchester County (WC) and Bronx to the estuary area where it joins the East River. The total length is about 20 …

Moral Mental States: Four Methods In Metaethics, Christopher Alen Sula

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Metaethics has traditionally focused on the meaning of moral statements, the referents of moral terms, and the justification of moral claims. This dissertation focuses on the thoughts in virtue of which our moral statements have their meaning and our moral claims have their content. These "moral mental states," as I call them, are best understood as having both intentional and volitional aspects and, corresponding to each aspect, as having satisfaction conditions involving both correctness and success in action. Put simply, our moral mental states are not only responsible for changing the world; they are responsible for changing the world in …

Race To The Cure: Why Gene Patents Pave The Way For Breast Cancer Research, Nicole Boutros

American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law

No abstract provided.

Meanings Of Old Age: A Story In Three Voices, Rivka Tenenbaum-Precel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

As the population of the Western world grows older, the need to understand the meaning of this stage in life grows in importance. Psychological research into the meaning of old age is posing questions on diverse levels, from that of individual ontogenesis to those of the family, community and society at large. Traditionally, developmental psychology has investigated different aspects of aging using measures of cognition, emotion, self-concept and well- being. Other approaches have examined the meaning of old age as embedded in cultural and social relations.

The present study uses a narrative approach to elicit the particular voices and interpretations …

The Vocal Behaviors Of North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis) Individual Differences And Shared Repertoires, Carla Almonte

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The current information on the vocal repertoire of the North American River Otter is very limited. To date there have been no direct studies conducted on their repertories. In this study, I examined the vocal behavior of 12 captive river otters. The discriminant function analysis suggests that river otters have 4 distinct call types with 7 sub-call types and one call the whistle is unique to one group of pups. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis comparing acoustical structures shows strong evidence for the presence of individuality with some individuals showing greater differences in comparison to the others. I also examined …

Teaching And Learning Of Proof In The College Curriculum, Maja Derek

Master's Theses

Mathematical proof, as an essential part of mathematics,

is as difficult to learn as it is to teach. In this thesis, we

provide a short overview of how mathematical proof is understood

by students in K-16. Furthermore, we answer questions about

mistakes students usually make in the transition period from high

school to college in understanding mathematics and mathematical

proof. Through a case study, we learned that deduction mistakes

characteristic for early mathematical education, such as arguing

from an example, can be abandoned very easily as students begin to

understand the inadequacy of one, or finitely many, examples when

arguing …

Understanding Guatemala’S Cultural Heritage: Extending Protection To Colonial Art In The Memorandum Of Understanding Between The United States And Guatemala, Jennifer Anglim Kreder, Xavier Beteta

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

A'S From Zzzz's? The Causal Effect Of School Start Time On The Academic Achievement Of Adolescents, Scott E. Carrell, Teny Maghakian, James E. West

Economics

Recent sleep research finds that many adolescents are sleep-deprived because of both early school start times and changing sleep patterns during the teen years. This study identifies the causal effect of school start time on academic achievement by using two policy changes in the daily schedule at the US Air Force Academy along with the randomized placement of freshman students to courses and instructors. Results show that starting the school day 50 minutes later has a significant positive effect on student achievement, which is roughly equivalent to raising teacher quality by one standard deviation. (JEL I23, J13)

Work-Life Integration Issues For Parents Raising Children With Adhd. Community, Work And Family, Eileen M. Brennan, Judy Kendall, Gail M. Houck, Michael Charles Leo

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at Community, Work and Family: IV International Conference Actors, Structures, and Theories. Tampere, Finland, May 2011.

Reforming Intestate Inheritance For Stepchildren And Stepparents, Terin Barbas Cremer

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article advocates for reforming intestate inheritance laws to better address the needs of blended families, particularly stepchildren and stepparents, arguing that current laws fail to reflect the prevalence of such families. It proposes a factors test to determine inheritance rights based on the quality of the stepparent-stepchild relationship, aiming to align legal frameworks with modern family dynamics and better effectuate the decedent's intent.

The Relationship Between Diversity And Performance In Major League Baseball Teams: Conflict's Mediating Effect, Michelle Maureen Campion

Master's Theses

Diversity in the workplace is a growing reality around the world as the globalizing economy has prompted the growth of work teams comprised of individuals from diverse backgrounds with different values, experiences, knowledge, and skills. Researchers have been investigating the way diversity impacts organizational outcomes, including performance. However, it is not clearly understood how diversity impacts performance. Using data from 30 Major League Baseball teams over a two-year period, this research proposed that conflict might mediate the relationship between diversity and performance. Both diversity and performance were measured using multiple indicators. Although results did not indicate that conflict mediated the …

Cold Exposure Reveals Two Populations Of Microtubules In Pulmonary Endothelia, Cristhiaan D. Ochoa, Troy Stevens, Ron Balczon

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Microtubules are composed of α-tubulin and β-tubulin dimers. Microtubules yield tubulin dimers when exposed to cold, which reassemble spontaneously to form microtubule fibers at 37°C. However, mammalian neurons, glial cells, and fibroblasts have cold-stable microtubules. While studying the microtubule toxicity mechanisms of the exotoxin Y from Pseudomonas aeruginosa in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, we observed that some endothelial microtubules were very difficult to disassemble in the cold. As a consequence, we designed studies to test the hypothesis that microvascular endothelium has a population of cold-stable microtubules. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and HeLa cells (control) were grown under regular cell culture …

The Enforceability Of Exacted Conservation Easements, Jessica Owley

Articles

No abstract provided.

Metals In Sediments And Clams From The Indian River Lagoon, Florida: 2006–7 Versus 1992, John H. Trefry, Robert P. Trocine

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A 1992 survey of metal concentrations in sediments and clams from the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, was repeated during 2006–7. Concentrations of Cr, Ni, Se and V in sediments were at background values during both surveys with no indication of anthropogenic inputs. Average values for Ag, Cd and Zn in sediments, normalized to Al, were unchanged, but contamination was identified at several locations during both surveys. The proportion of sites with elevated values for sediment Cu, Hg and Pb increased between 1992 and 2006–7 from 22 to 65%, 9 to 35%, and 13 to 39%, respectively, with highest values near …

Improving Gene Expression Data Interpretation By Finding Latent Factors That Co-Regulate Gene Modules With Clinical Factors, Tianwei Yu, Yun Bai

PCOM Scholarly Works

Background: In the analysis of high-throughput data with a clinical outcome, researchers mostly focus on genes/proteins that show first-order relations with the clinical outcome. While this approach yields biomarkers and biological mechanisms that are easily interpretable, it may miss information that is important to the understanding of disease mechanism and/or treatment response. Here we test the hypothesis that unobserved factors can be mobilized by the living system to coordinate the response to the clinical factors.Results: We developed a computational method named Guided Latent Factor Discovery (GLFD) to identify hidden factors that act in combination with the observed clinical factors to …

Metals And Metal Oxides Particles Produced By Pulsed Laser Ablation Under High Vacuum, Khurram Siraj, Yasir Sohail, Aasma Tabassum

Turkish Journal of Physics

A pulsed KrF Excimer laser (248 nm, 15 mJ) was utilized to synthesize different particles on (111) Si substrate under vacuum \sim 10^{-6} torr using Aluminum (Al), Platinum (Pt), Tungsten (W), Molybdenum (Mo), Cadmium Oxide (CdO), and Yttrium Oxide (Y_2O_3) targets. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study particle size distribution on silicon substrate. The size of individual metal particles was found to be ranging from 71 nm to 2 \mu m whereas metal oxides particles were found in the range of 71 nm to 1.1 \mu m. The particles below 100 nm are formed by gas phase condensation …

The Role Of Co-Infection In The Spread Of Hiv In Sub-Saharan Africa, Diego Fernando Cuadros

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The cause of the high HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa is incompletely understood, with heterosexual penile-vaginal transmission proposed as the main mechanism. Heterosexual HIV transmission has a very low probability; further, a single estimation of heterosexual probability of HIV transmission fails to reproduce the variation associated with important biological cofactors. In particular, studies of HIV incidence suggest that co-infection with other infectious diseases influence the HIV transmission, and therefore might substantially vary the pattern of the spread of the infection. To assess the effect of co-infection on the spread of HIV, I developed and analyzed several mathematical and statistical models …

Culture, Creativity, & Copyright, David A. Simon

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

Recent literature in copyright law has attacked the traditional theory that economic incentives motivate people to create. Although the onslaught of criticism has come from different directions, it all shares a similar goal. to move copyright law in a direction that reflects actual creative processes and motivations. This Article adds to and diverts from these accounts, arguing that creativity may be a product of memes: units of culture, analogous to genes, that replicate by human imitation.

A memetic theory of creativity focuses on memes as the reference point for thinking about creativity. Under this view, the creator is a brain …

Fragment Based Lead Discovery Of Inhibitors Of Urokinase Type Plasminogen Activator, Li Qiu

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Simulation And Control Of A Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Michael David Schmidt

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The ANGEL project (Aerial Network Guided Electronic Lookout) takes a systems engineering approach to the design, development, testing and implementation of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle. Many current research endeavors into the field of quadrotors for use as unmanned vehicles do not utilize the broad systems approach to design and implementation. These other projects use pre-fabricated quadrotor platforms and a series of external sensors in a mock environment that is unfeasible for real world use. The ANGEL system was designed specifically for use in a combat theater where robustness and ease of control are paramount. A complete simulation model of …

Joining Or Changing The Conversation - Catholic Social Thought And Intellectual Property, Frank Pasquale

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Nonbelievers, Nelson Tebbe

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Using Case Study Multi-Methods To Investigate Close ( R ) Collaboration: Course-Based Tutoring And The Directive/Nondirective Instructional Continuum, Steven J. Corbett

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Healing Healthcare Design For Adolescent Patients: Promoting Holistic Quality Of Life, Eun Young Kim

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This study examined environmental preferences for adolescent patients in hospital patient rooms and activity rooms to determine age-appropriate healing design elements. The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) concept was adapted to this study as a theoretical framework. In order to develop an age-appropriate healing design, a comprehensive understanding of adolescents‘ cognitive developmental stages and their expectations in hospital settings needs to be recognized. Thirty-two adolescent outpatients aged 15 to 18 participated in the survey. Data collection consisted of three different instruments: Emotional state survey with demographics, Photo analysis with semantic differentials, and environmental preference value survey. Comfort, sadness and stress …

Influence Of Tissue Absorption And Scattering On Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy Blood Flow Measurements, Daniel Irwin

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This investigation evaluates the influences of optical property assumptions on nearinfrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) flow index measurements. Independent variation is induced in optical properties, absorption coefficient (μ_a) and reduced scattering coefficient (μ_s’), of liquid phantoms with concurrent measurements of flow indices. A hybrid instrument is incorporated consisting of a dual-wavelength (785 and 830 nm) DCS flow device to obtain flow indices and a frequency-domain tissue-oximeter for optical properties. Flow indices are calculated with measured μ_a and μ_s’ or assumed constant μ_a and μ_s’. Inaccurate μ_s’ assumptions produced …

Participation In Agricultural Governmental Cost Share Programs In The Kentucky River Watershed, Pedro Miguel Fernandes Da Costa

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to review existing literature of factors that influence farmers’ decision to participate in conservation programs. This study is also intended to collect county data and information on conservation programs and participation in the Kentucky River watershed region, which can be analyzed and used to draw differences in characteristics of the region that would suggest willingness to participate in a trading scheme for improvements in water quality.

The results suggest that more participation in a trading scheme from some counties than others should be expected. Counties with more farms and larger farms will probably have …