Digital Commons Network^™

In The Words Of Another : On The Promises And Paradoxes Of Rhetorics Of Empathy., Eric Wallace Leake 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Empathy has been commonly evoked within rhetoric and composition as a way to understand audiences and as a classroom ethic. This dissertation goes further in defining rhetorics of empathy, analyzing the uses of rhetorics of empathy in political and social discourse, and proposing how rhetorics of empathy might inform the ways we teach reading and writing. The first chapter defines rhetorics of empathy through a survey of empathy's place in the rhetorical tradition, including Aristotle's theories of emotion, ideas of compassion in the Scottish Enlightenment, and Kenneth Burke's concept of identification. This rhetorical history is combined with contemporary understandings of …

Geochemical Analysis Of Long Island Sound Sediments, Jaroslaw W. Slusarczyk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

As one of the largest estuarine systems in the northeastern United States, Long Island Sound (LIS) has been exposed to human activities for many centuries. Human settlement and population growth in the last 200 years has caused heavy pollution in LIS through inland and shore industrial and municipal releases. The geochemistry of one sediment core and numerous surface sediment samples were analyzed using environmental forensic techniques. This study employed use of pyrolysis gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) in conjunction with previously analyzed geochemical and radiometric data to study contamination sources and patterns though LIS. Geochemical analysis of samples was focused …

Sci-Tech Book News Reviews, Susan Fingerman

Sci-Tech News

No abstract provided.

Urinary Nitrate Might Be An Early Biomarker For Pediatric Acute Kidney Injury In The Emergency Department, Asad Mian, Yue Du, Harsha K Garg, Chantal Caviness, Stuart L Goldstein, Nathan S Bryan

Department of Emergency Medicine

NO is involved in normal kidney function and perturbed in acute kidney injury (AKI). We hypothesized that urinary concentration of NO metabolites, nitrite, and nitrate would be lower in children with early AKI presenting to the emergency department (ED), when serum creatinine (SCr) was uninformative. Patients up to 19 y were recruited if they had a urinalysis and SCr obtained for routine care. Primary outcome, AKI, was defined by pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of function, End-stage renal disease (pRIFLE) criteria. Urinary nitrite and nitrate were determined by HPLC. A total of 252 patients were enrolled, the majority (93%) of …

Farmland Leasing In South Dakota 2011: Emphasis On Share Lease Arrangements, Nelly Bourlion, Larry Janssen, Burton Pflueger

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

Farmland leasing is an important source of capital and method of controlling land resources in production agriculture allowing land owners and tenants flexibility to enhance, maintain or expand their income-generating capacity. In this report, we (1) provide information on the importance of farmland leasing in South Dakota, and (2) update information on crop-share leasing and hay-share leasing arrangements in South Dakota, based on a survey conducted in 2011. Farmland leasing is important in South Dakota where over 70% of farm operators are involved in farmland leasing and nearly two-fifths of agricultural land acres are leased. Leased farmland acres comprise even …

Mercury Deposition In Southern New Hampshire, 2006–2009, M. A. S. Lombard, J. G. Bryce, Huiting Mao, R. Talbot

Earth Sciences

The atmospheric deposition of mercury (Hg) occurs via several mechanisms including wet, dry, and occult processes. In an effort to understand the atmospheric cycling and seasonal depositional characteristics of Hg, event-based wet deposition samples and reactive gaseous Hg (RGM) measurements were collected for approximately 3 years at Thompson Farm (TF), a near-coastal rural site in Durham, NH, part of the University of New Hampshire AIRMAP Observing Network. Total aqueous mercury exhibited seasonal patterns in Hg wet deposition at TF. The lowest Hg wet deposition was measured in the winter with an average total seasonal deposition of 1.56 μg m^{−2 …}

Influence Of Natural Organic Matter On Plutonium Sorption To Gibbsite, Laura Simpkins

All Theses

Understanding plutonium geochemical behavior is imperative to the development of schemes for remediation of plutonium environmental contamination and accurate assessment of risks posed by the disposal of plutonium bearing wastes. The primary mechanism of plutonium mobility in the environment is subsurface transport. The mobility of plutonium is significantly influenced by redox and complexation reactions. Although the effects of surface mediated redox reactions on plutonium's subsurface mobility have been previously documented, little has been done to determine the impact of organic materials on sorption behavior and oxidation states. To adequately predict the behavior of plutonium in the environment, the influence of …

Ecology, Daisy Wang, Yipsel Ramos

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Goals/TEKS:

(10) The student knows that biological systems are composed of multiple levels. The student is expected to:

(C) analyze the levels of organization in biological systems and relate the levels to each other and to the whole system.

(11) The student knows that biological systems work to achieve and maintain balance. The student is expected to:

(B) investigate and analyze how organisms, populations, and communities respond to external factors;

(C) summarize the role of microorganisms in both maintaining and disrupting the health of both organisms and ecosystems

*(D) describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can …

Does A Link Exist Between Examination Performance And Lecture Attendance For First Year Engineering Students ?, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

The objective of this study is to examine if a link exists between lecture attendance and examination performance of Level 7, Year 1, Electrical Engineering students at Dublin Institute of Technology in the Electrical Systems subject. Lecture attendance was monitored and analysed over four academic years (2007-8, 2008-9, 2009-10 and 2010-11). The average lecture attendance for students in the three academic years from 2007-10 was 55%, increasing noticeably in the 2009-10 academic year. A statistically significant weakly positive correlation between lecture attendance and examination performance was established. Each 10% increase in student attendance at lectures improved both Module 1 examination …

An Annotated List Of The Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae, Romaleidae) Of The Southeastern United States, Jovonn G. Hill, M. E. Dakin

Midsouth Entomologist

An annotated list, based on literature records, of the grasshopper species currently known from the southeastern United States is presented.

Observations On Development Of Cutaneous Lesions From Bites By The Common Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius L., J. Goddard, K. T. Edwards, R. D. De Shazo

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Extraction Of Super Colonies Of Crazy Ants From Soil And Wood, D. Aguillard, R. M. Strecker, L. M. Hooper-Bùi

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Identification And Analysis Of Proteins And Genes Responsible For Microbial Anaerobic Nitrate-Dependent Iron Oxidation And Overexpression In E. Coli Of Perchlorate Reductase, Ming Gao

Dissertations

SECTION 1 Iron is the fourth most abundant element on the earth crust as well as an essential nutrient for all living organisms. The cycling of iron between the environment and biological systems and the microbial-mediated transformation between Fe2+ and Fe3+ has a significant impact on the biogeochemistry of the environment. The recently discovered microbially-mediated anaerobic nitrate-dependent oxidation of Fe2+ has been shown to play an important role in global iron biogeochemical cycling. Furthermore, the formation of iron oxide from anaerobic nitrate-dependent Fe2+ oxidation results in the adsorption and precipitation of soluble toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from surrounding environment. …

White Americans' Affect Toward African Americans: Predictive Power On Political Behavior And Measurement Problems, Paul Gerard Gottemoller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact white affect toward African Americans has on whites' racial policy opinions. The study also identifies the difficulty of measuring affect in the traditional feeling thermometer. Moreover, the study introduces and tests a new method for measuring affect that improves interpersonal comparability of reported affect by anchoring the respondents' self-placements. The study investigates the changes in the relationship between white affect toward African Americans and racial policy opinions of presidential election years between 1964 and 2008. Furthermore, the study tests a new method for measuring affect by having respondents rate where …

Impacts Of Different Forest Tree-Harvest Methods On Diets And Populations Of Insectivorous Forest Bats, Megan K. Caylor

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) in central Indiana presents an excellent opportunity to study species reactions to different forestry practices: clearcutting, shelterwood cutting, and single tree selections. This project focuses on the differences in the populations and diets of the various insectivorous bat species in the HEE management units. Bats studied were Myotis septentrionalis, Lasiurus borealis, Eptesicus fuscus, Perimyotis subflavus, Myotis sodalis, Myotis lucifugus, and Lasionycteris noctivagans. Since insectivorous bats do not simply eat whatever is available, and I hypothesize that the diets of these bats will not change despite their changing environment and changing populations. To test these ideas, …

Adam10 And Adam17 Regulate Various Stages Of Pancreatic Disease, Christine Marie Ardito

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

The almost universal lethality of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has led to intense study to identify the genetic mutations and molecular abnormalities responsible for its formation and progression. The initiation of PDA is definitively linked to activating mutations in the KRAS oncogene. However, PDA mouse models show that universal pancreatic expression of mutant KRas alone is insufficient to initiate tumorigenesis, and requires secondary events, such as tissue damage or changes in molecular signaling pathways, to augment its transformation potential. Our lab studies how chronic inflammation, with or without oncogenic KRas, contributes to tumor formation by the epithelial changes it induces …

Effects Of Preemptive Parenting On Misbehavior, Negative Affect, Praise, Overreactive And Lax Discipline, Carey Bernini Dowling

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

The effects of preemptive parenting (i.e. | a form of preventive parenting that occurs prior to child misbehaviors and is comprised of strategies the parent uses to prevent or avoid undesirable child behaviors) on child misbehavior and negative affect and maternal praise and overreactive and lax discipline were examined while mothers were on the phone and children were to play independently. Forty-four mothers and their 24- to 47-month-old toddlers were randomly assigned to either a basic group or an enhanced group. Mothers learned either a basic set of preemptive strategies (setting up the task in a firm and confident manner …

Variants Of Monoacylglycerol Lipase (Magl) And An Assessment Of A Spectrophotometric Assay For Magl Activity, Nadine Ulloa

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

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is the principal enzyme responsible for hydrolysis of the endocannabinoid, 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG). MAGL is universally expressed as a ~33 kDa protein. However, a ~35 kDa form of MAGL is also expressed in brain and testes while being absent in other tissues. Interestingly, the MAGL mRNA sequence contains two putative translation initiation sites upstream of the start codon originally used for MAGL cloning, which may explain the ~35 kDa form. Examination of whole mouse brain and brain region cDNA revealed the presence of three MAGL transcript sequences. These sequences were isolated and characterized in neuronal and non-neuronal cell …

Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy Investigation Of Phosphorus Incorporation In Calcium Carbonate, Laura Marie Kubista

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

Phosphorus is an essential element to Earth's ecosystems its availability to organisms can depend on precipitation as a stable phosphate mineral, alone, as well as within other minerals as trace chemical or structural defects. Of these, calcium carbonate minerals are among the most reactive and abundant in many low temperature geochemical settings and often contain significant amounts of phosphorus. The concentration in which phosphorus is found in natural samples such as speleothems, corals and marine sediments has been used to create paleohydrology and paleonutrient proxies. Through the use of highly sensitive instrumental techniques it is now possible to identify individual …

Study Of Recognition Step And Repair Efficiency In Human Nucleotide Excision Repair, Jungeun Yeo

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

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is the main DNA repair pathway dealing with bulky adducts formed by UV irradiation and environmental carcinogens. The importance of NER is underscored by the inherited disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) caused by defects in NER genes and characterized by an enhanced predisposition to skin cancer. Of over 30 proteins involved in NER, XPC-RAD23B is responsible for the recognition of diverse substrates, binding the non-damage strand of DNA and probing for the thermodynamic destabilization induced by the lesion. The helicase subunits in TFIIH are likely candidates to scan DNA to confirm the existence of a damage on …

Potential Landscape Of Adiabatic And Non-Adiabatic Non-Equilibrium Networks, Bo Han

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

We study the origin of robustness of yeast cell cycle cellular network through uncovering its underlying energy landscape. This is realized from the information of the steady steady probabilities by solving a discrete set of kinetic master equations for the network. We discovered that the potential landscape of yeast cell cycle network is funnelled towards the global minimum, G1 state. The ratio of the energy gap between G1 and average versus roughness of the landscape termed as robustness ratio (RR) becomes a quantitative measure of the robustness and stability for the network. The funnelled landscape is quite robust against random …

The Motivated Formation Of Economic Preferences, Christopher David Johnston

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

Recent research has argued that ideological orientations in the American mass public are, to a large extent, rooted in psychological dispositions related to differential needs for social order, epistemic certainty, and existential security. Citizens high in such needs tend to be conservative in their political outlook, as conservative policies offer institutional stability and a justification of the status quo, while those low in such needs, in their comfort with ambiguity and change, find liberalism appealing. In its focus on a single ideological dimension, however, such work fails to provide a full account of ideology in the American mass public, which, …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Late Transition Metal Complexes As Models For The Active Site Of Hydrogenases, Daniel Amarante

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

Researchers have turned to biological systems that utilized hydrogen in order to develop new catalysts that do not require platinum. In nature, hydrogen is oxidized or reduced with certain efficiency by using metalloenzymes called hydrogenases. Currently there are three types of hydrogenases: [NiFe], [FeFe], and [Fe]-hydrogenase. These hydrogenases have shown unusual structures, such as having carbonyl and cyanide ligands bound to the active site. The synthesis of the potentially tridentate ligands, bis-(2-thiophenyl)phenylphosphine (H2PS2) and bis-(2-thiobenzyl)benzylamine (H2NS2), has been optimized. These ligands contain the rich sulfur environment that is found in the metalloenzyme and have shown prior success in making stable …

The Clathrin Adaptor Protein Eps15 Is Recruited To Endosomes In A Ubiquitin-Dependent Manner, Azad Lisa Gucwa

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

Downregulation of receptor tyrosine kinases and growth factor signaling is imperative for the prevention of malignancy formation. Eps15 is a ubiquitin-binding endocytic adaptor protein essential for clathrin-dependent endocytosis and this process. Although it has been well-studied at the plasma membrane, Eps15 has also been found at low levels on early endosomes. However, the basis of this localization is currently unknown. Thus, determining why Eps15 is recruited to different membranes is important for understanding its involvement in the attenuation of downstream signaling. Using geldanamycin (GA), we induced the internalization and ubiquitination of ErbB2, a member of the EGF family of growth …

The Molecular Basis Of Diatomic Molecule Binding By H-Nox Domains, Zhou Dai

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

Heme-Nitric oxide and/or OXygen binding (H-NOX) proteins are a family of recently discovered heme-based sensor proteins for diatomic molecules. Crystal structures of the H-NOX domain from Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis (Tt H-NOX) have greatly aided the study of the molecular basis of diatomic molecule sensing by H-NOX proteins. In our work, we employ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) to study the local electrostatic and structural properties of the heme-iron center in H-NOX proteins. XAS spectra of various ligands bound to H-NOX have been analyzed. The iron K-edges indicate effective charges on the iron center and report on the electronic environment of heme iron. …

Quantifying 20th Century Glacier Change In The Sierra Nevada, California, Andrew G. Fountain, Hassan J. Basagic

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous small alpine glaciers occupy the high elevation regions of the central and southern Sierra Nevada, California. An inventory based on 1:24,000 topographic maps revealed 1719 glaciers and perennial snowfields for a total area of 39.15 +/- 0.13 km(2). The number of 'true' glaciers, versus non-moving ice, is estimated to be 122 covering 14.89 +/- 0.08 km(2) or 38% of the ice-covered area. Historic photographs, geologic evidence, and field mapping were used to determine the magnitude of area change over the past century at 14 glaciers. The area change between 1903 and 2004 ranged from -31% to -78%, averaging -55%. …

Plant Diseases, Jay W. Pscheidt, John R. Hartman

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Every gardener has put in plants with hopes for wonderful flowers, fruits, or vegetables, only to have those hopes dashed as the plants get sick and die. Plants that die are considered diseased. Many things can cause plants to become diseased, including living agents, other factors (nonliving), or a combination of the two. This chapter focuses only on living agents—fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, and parasitic plants. Nonliving factors, such as nutrient deficiencies, lack of water, temperature stress, and these problems in combination as they relate to specific types of plants, are discussed elsewhere.

Single-Step Biofriendly Synthesis Of Surface Modifiable, Near-Spherical Gold Nanoparticles For Applications In Biological Detection And Catalysis, Vivek D. Badwaik

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

There is an increased interest in understanding the toxicity and rational design of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for biomedical applications in recent years. Such efforts warrant reliable, viable, and biofriendly synthetic methodology for GNPs with homogeneous sizes and shapes, particularly sizes above 30 nm, which is currently challenging. In the present study, an environmentally benign, biofriendly, singlestep/ single-phase synthetic method using dextrose as a reducing and capping agent in a buffered aqueous solution at moderate temperature is introduced. The resulting GNPs are near-spherical, stable, catalytically active, place exchangeable, and water-soluble within the size range of 10-120 nm. The added advantage of …

A Dragon Eyes The Top Of The World: Arctic Policy Debate And Discussion In China, David Curtis Wright

CMSI Red Books

The Chinese are increasingly interested in the effects of global climate change and the melting of the Arctic ice cap, especially as they pertain to emergent sea routes, natural resources, and geopolitical advantage. China seems to see the overall effect of Arctic climate change as more of a beckoning economic opportunity than a looming environmental crisis. Even though it is not an Arctic country, China wants to be among the first states to exploit the region’s natural resource wealth and to ply ships through its sea routes, especially the Northwest Passage.

Adoptive Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Open Versus Closed Adoptions, Begum Nebol

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The author presents a research study on adoptive parents’ perceptions of their own open versus closed adoptions. The main research interest behind this study was to identify similarities and differences between open versus closed adoption methods. Thus, this paper offers description and exploratory analysis of the adoption literature as well as discussion of the findings of this research study