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2012

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Fatigue And Fracture Of Foam Cores Used In Sandwich Composites, Elio. Saenz Jan 2012

Fatigue And Fracture Of Foam Cores Used In Sandwich Composites, Elio. Saenz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study focused on the fracture and fatigue crack growth behavior in polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyethersulfone (PES) foams. A new sandwich double cantilever beam (DCB) test specimen was implemented. Elastic foundation and finite element analysis and experimental testing confirmed that the DCB specimen is appropriate for static and cyclic crack propagation testing of soft polymer foams. A comprehensive experimental mechanical analysis was conducted on PVC foams of densities ranging from 45 to 100 kg/m3 and PES foams of densities ranging from 60 to 130 kg/m3. An in-situ scanning electron microscope study on miniature foam fracture specimens showed that crack propagation …

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Fractal Analysis Applied To Ancient Egyptian Monumental Art, Jessica. Robkin Jan 2012

Fractal Analysis Applied To Ancient Egyptian Monumental Art, Jessica. Robkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The study of ancient Egyptian monumental art is based on subjective and qualitative analyses by art historians and Egyptologists who use the change in stylistic trends as Dynastic chronological markers. The art of the ancient Egyptians is recognized the world over due to its specific and consistent style that lasted the whole of Dynastic Egypt. This artwork exhibits fractal qualities that support the applicability of applying fractal analysis as a quantitative and statistical tool to be used in this field. In this thesis, I show the fractality of ancient Egyptian monumental art by analyzing black and white line drawings of …

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Functional Constraints On Young Children's Object Problem Solving, Sarah Bidmead Jan 2012

Functional Constraints On Young Children's Object Problem Solving, Sarah Bidmead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Although some research has suggested that very young children are "immune" to functional fixedness (FF), other work has shown that young children form robust associations between objects and their prescribed functions. Across two studies, I investigated (a) the developmental trajectory of FF and (b) its relationship with executive function components (inhibitory control and working memory) in 3- to 6-year old children. Both older and younger children experience FF, but older children use familiar tools more flexibly than younger children (3- and 4-year olds). Furthermore, inhibitory control was related to overcoming FF, indicating that it may be an important cognitive capacity …

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Gaze To Discover, Tabitha. Pennekamp Jan 2012

Gaze To Discover, Tabitha. Pennekamp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Gaze to discover is the approach a viewer should take as s/he encounters the work within this exhibition. The main idea is that the work should be interactive. Developing this interaction is the objective of each piece. To engage viewers to interact with a piece of art coincides with the ability to acquire their undivided attention. The realization that it is difficult for a viewer to have a tangible interaction with artwork in a gallery setting leads to asking the viewer to interact visually, "to look fixedly" - to gaze (Webster's Dictionary). Gazing at the work will direct the viewer …

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Generating Narratives, Samuel. Greene Jan 2012

Generating Narratives, Samuel. Greene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In order to facilitate the development, discussion, and advancement of the relatively new subfield of Artificial Intelligence focused on generating narrative content, the author has developed a pattern language for generating narratives, along with a new categorization framework for narrative generation systems. An emphasis and focus is placed on generating the Fabula of the story (the ordered sequence of events that make up the plot). Approaches to narrative generation are classified into one of three categories, and a pattern is presented for each approach. Enhancement patterns that can be used in conjunction with one of the core patterns are also …

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Habitat Location And Selection By The Sargassum Crab Portunus Sayi, Lorin E. West Jan 2012

Habitat Location And Selection By The Sargassum Crab Portunus Sayi, Lorin E. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The Sargassum community consists of a unique and idverse assemblage of fauna critical to pelagic food chains. Associated organisms presumably have adaptations to assist in finding Sargassum. This study investigated cues used for habitat location and selection by the Sargassum crab, Portunus sayi. Chemical detection trials were conducted with a two-chamber choice apparatus with Sargassum spp. and Thalassia testudinum as source odors. Visual detection trials (devoid of chemical cues) and habitat selection trials were conducted in which crabs were given a choice of habitats. Results showed that P. sayi respoded to chemical odors from Sargassum spp. Crabs visually located habitats …

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Habitat Selection Among Fishes And Shrimp In The Pelagic Sargassum Community, Chelsea Bennice Jan 2012

Habitat Selection Among Fishes And Shrimp In The Pelagic Sargassum Community, Chelsea Bennice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Pelagic Sargassum was used to determine the effects of habitat architecture for one species of shrimp (Leander tenuicornis) and two species of fish (Stephanolepis hispidus and Histrio histrio). Inter-thallus spacing (low, medium, and high) and depth (shallow versus deep) were manipulated independently to test whether the spatial components of habitat architecture. Two differing habitats (Sargassum versus seagrass species) were tested for the structural component of habitat architecture. There were no significant results for inter-thallus spacing experiments for L. tenuicornis and S. hispidus. H histrio selected habitats with medium inter-thallus spacing in two treatments. Large individual H. histrio contributed mostly to …

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Heaven's Fertile Soil, Ashley. Santy Jan 2012

Heaven's Fertile Soil, Ashley. Santy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This thesis explores W.P. Kinsella's emphasis on love for land, family, and baseball in discussing relationships between characters in his short story "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa". Chapter I introduces the characters, their role in establishing this as a tale of conservation through agrarianism, and how Kinsella's choice to write a positive story creates unique potential for healing. Chapter II establishes similarities between the father's war experiences and Jackson's exile from baseball, underscoring its mythic importance. Chapter III examines the relationship between the protagonist and his wife, and how their relationship symbolically fosters love for nature through farming, and …

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Highwire's Characterization And Signaling Roles In Drosophila Central Synapse Formation, Kimberly Diane Rowland Jan 2012

Highwire's Characterization And Signaling Roles In Drosophila Central Synapse Formation, Kimberly Diane Rowland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The assembly and maintenance of central synapses is a complex process, requiring myriad genes and their products. Highwire is a large gene containing a RING domain, characteristic of ubiquitin E3 ligases. Highwire has been shown to restrain axon growth and control synaptogenesis at a peripheral synapse. Here I examine the roles of Highwire at a central synapse in the adult Drosophila Giant Fiber System (GFS). Highwire is indeed necessary for proper axonal growth as well as synaptic transmission in the GFS. Differences arise between the central synapse and the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), where highwire was initially characterized : expresion from …

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History Of Kakawangwa, Kristen. Mcnair Jan 2012

History Of Kakawangwa, Kristen. Mcnair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Trapped in the hurricane of a changing cultural landscape, the young women of Kakawangwa, Florida must choose to clutch tradition or side with the times. Pearl and Jasmine are two sisters who come of age after being raised by a single mother in a religious household. Whitney, born a hermaphrodite, must determine her gender and sexuality, despite being married to her husband, Joe. Celeste, a college dropout, returns home to Kakawangwa in disgrace. Blackie, who lives life without inhibition, must cope with the consequences of the choices she makes. Filled with language that is pithy, abrupt, direct, and melodious, The …

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Home On The Range, Bethany. Augliere Jan 2012

Home On The Range, Bethany. Augliere

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

I examined summer home range use of Altantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas from 1991-2004. Home ranges for 86 dolphins using the 95% Fixed Kernel Density (FKD) estimator averages 62.o km2+=22.96 km2 and ranged from 24.8 km2 to 148.4 km2. Older animals and males had the largest ranges. Home range size did not vary with female reproductive status. core areas were defined by the 50% FKD contour and averaged 10.32 km2 +=5.47 km2. Habitat use was different between reproductive states for females. Non-reproductively active (NRA) females used deeped habitat. Behavioral use of the home range varied spatially. The core area …

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Hominin Endocast Topography, Melissa. Boas Jan 2012

Hominin Endocast Topography, Melissa. Boas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This study examined the topography of prefrontal molds of human endocasts using three-dimensional laser scanning and geographic information systems (GIS) in order to carry out intra-species comparisons. Overall brain topography can indicate when major reorganizational shifts in brain structure happened in our evolutionalry history, and these shifts may indicate major shifts in cognition and behavior. Endocasts are one of the sole sources of information about extinct hominin brains ; they reproduce details of the brain's external morphology. Analysis of endocast morphology has never been done using GIS methodology. The use of GIS helps to overcome previous obstacles in regards to …

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Hope On The Horizon, Valorie. Ebert Jan 2012

Hope On The Horizon, Valorie. Ebert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This project considers the future, and the hope for humanity within three dystopian science fiction works : Mordecai Roshwald's Level 7, Cordwainer Smith's "The Dead Lady of Clown Town," and James Tiptree, Jr.,'s "The GIrl Who Was Plugged In". There are many aspects and different manifestations of hope in science fiction, even in authors who show readers the darkest side of human nature and what will become of humans, and by default earth, if an effort is not made to change the world's direction. Though some dystopian stories show horrible possible futures, there is an underlying hope within these stories …

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Humdrum Aha!, Dana Odwazny Pell Jan 2012

Humdrum Aha!, Dana Odwazny Pell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Following the work of Sara Houghton-Walker and Edward Strickland, this thesis theorizes the "mundane sublime" as encountered in romanticist John Clare's poetry. Instead of being oriented upward, as with Longinus's elevatory sublime, Clare's mundane sublime brings the subject downward to earth. While the sublime of the Burkean tradition begins with terror, I claim that the mundane sublime emerges out of love for that which is commonplace. Still revelatory, it may be further characterized by an engagement with ecosystems, eternity, divinity, and nature as a whole. Clare's style scaffolds images resulting in a profusion of detail that arrests the mind and …

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Hypoxia-Regulated Glial Cell-Specific Gene Therapy To Treat Retinal Neovascularization, Manas Ranjan Biswal Jan 2012

Hypoxia-Regulated Glial Cell-Specific Gene Therapy To Treat Retinal Neovascularization, Manas Ranjan Biswal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Diabetic retinopathy is an ischemic retinal neovascular disease causing vision loss among adults. The studies presented involve the design and testing of a gene therapy vector to inhibit retinal revascularization, similar to that found in diabetic retinopathy. Gene therapy has proven to be an effective method to introduce therapeutic proteins to treat retinal diseases. Targeting a specific cell type and expression of therapeutic proteins according to the tissue microenvironment should have an advantage over traditional gene therapy by avoiding unwanted transgene expression. Hypoxia plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of many retinal ischemic diseases. Retinal Mèuller cells provide structural …

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Identification Of Others Using Biological Motion, Sara. Manuel Jan 2012

Identification Of Others Using Biological Motion, Sara. Manuel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The literature regarding biological motion suggests that people may accurately identify and recognize the gender of others using movement cues in the absence of typical identifiers. This study compared identification and gender judgments of traditional point-light stimuli to skeleton stimuli. Controlling for previous experience and execution of actions, the frequency and familiarity of movements was also considered. Watching action clips, participants learned to identify 4 male and 4 female actors. Participants then identified the corresponding point-light or skeleton displays. Although results indicate higher than chance performance, no difference was observed between stimuli conditions. Analyses did show better gender recognition for …

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Impact Of Stress On Elementary School Principals And Their Effective Coping Mechanisms, Joyce. Krzemienski Jan 2012

Impact Of Stress On Elementary School Principals And Their Effective Coping Mechanisms, Joyce. Krzemienski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In today's era of high stakes testing and accountability, school principals are confronted with many difficult challenges in addition to those traditionally experienced by principals given the advent of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the many mandates each school principal must report on annually. With mandated curriculum standards and widespread demand to improve student achievement, principals face a multitude of administrative tasks. As the school accountability deadline to meet the 2014 federal objective of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 rapidly draws closer for the majority of states, this federal legislation has created increasingly high stress levels, …

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Inflammatory Response In Stress And The Role Of Autophagy In Breast Cancer, Lillian C. Onwuha-Ekpete Jan 2012

Inflammatory Response In Stress And The Role Of Autophagy In Breast Cancer, Lillian C. Onwuha-Ekpete

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

We attempted to understand the molecular regulators that impact inflammation using a rat model of human sensation-seeking/risk-taking trait for drug and stress vulnerability, based on their exploratory behavior displaying high rates (HRs) or low rates of locomotor reactivity (LRs) to environmental stress. We found that HRs have a pro-inflammatory phenotype as indicated by increased protein expression of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-(Sa(B. Furthermore, we found that HRs have a lower gene expression of the glucocorticoid receptor and histone deacetylase 2 which are known to play an immunosuppressive role. Autophagy (macroautophagy) is a homeostatic process needed for cell maintenance, growth and proliferation …

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Information-Theoretics Based Technoeconomic Growth Models, Raef Rashad Yassin Jan 2012

Information-Theoretics Based Technoeconomic Growth Models, Raef Rashad Yassin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This research is concerned with algorithmic representation of technoeconomic growth concerning modern and next-generation telecommunications including the Internet service. The goal of this study thereof is to emphasize efforts to establish the associated forecasting and, the envisioned tasks thereof include : (i) Reviewing the technoeconomic considerations prevailing in telecommunication (telco) service industry and their implicating features; (ii) studying relevant aspects of underlying complex system evolution (akin to biological systems), (iii) pursuant co-evolution modeling of competitive business structures using dichotomous (flip-flop) states as seen in predator evolutions ; (iv) conceiving a novel algorithm based on information-theoretic principles toward technoeconomic forecasting on …

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Intestinal Autophagy Activity Protects Against Salmonella Typhimurium Infection In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Alexander L. Curt Jan 2012

Intestinal Autophagy Activity Protects Against Salmonella Typhimurium Infection In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Alexander L. Curt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway present in eukaryotes that allows a cell to break down cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to maintain homeostasis. The autophagy pathway has been shown to play a significant role in the immune systems protective response against various bacterial pathogen infections, such as the intestinal pathogen Salmonella typhimurium, in Caenorhabditis elegans and in mammals. This study investigated if the autophagy pathway acts in a tissue-specific manner to protect against S. typhimurium infection in C. elegans. Wild type C. elegans and worms where the autophagy gene bec-1 was inhibited in different tissues by RNAi treatment were infected …

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Predicting Removal Efficiency Of Reverse Osmosis Membranes With Respect To Emerging Substances Of Concern Using A Discriminant Function Analysis, Herrera Fernando J Pleitez Jan 2012

Predicting Removal Efficiency Of Reverse Osmosis Membranes With Respect To Emerging Substances Of Concern Using A Discriminant Function Analysis, Herrera Fernando J Pleitez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

This paper presents the results of the spike tests performed in the alternative water supply pilot testing program for the City of Pembroke Pines. It establishes the effectiveness of a protocol that can be used to gain further insight on the rejection capacities of RO membranes. An in-depth study of the molecular descriptors affecting rejection by RO membranes is presented and used in the development of a discriminant function analysis. This analysis proved to be an effective way to predict the passage of Emerging Substances of Concern (ESOCs) through RO membrane. Further, a principal component (PC) analysis was performed to …

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Population Distribution, Habitat Selection, And Life History Of The Slough Crayfish (Procambarus Fallax) In The Ridge-Slough Landscape Of The Central Everglades, Der Heiden Craig Van Jan 2012

Population Distribution, Habitat Selection, And Life History Of The Slough Crayfish (Procambarus Fallax) In The Ridge-Slough Landscape Of The Central Everglades, Der Heiden Craig Van

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Understanding where and why organisms are distributed in the environment are central themes in ecology. Animals live in environments in which they are subject to competing demands, such as the need to forage, to find mates, to reproduce, and to avoid predation. Optimal habitats for these various activities are usually distributed heterogeneously in the landscape and may vary both spatially and temporally, causing animals to adjust their locations in space and time to balance these conflicting demands. In this dissertation, I outline three studies of Procambarus fallax in the ridge-slough landscape of Water conservation Area 3A (WCS-3A). The first section …

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Product Placement Within Violent Media, Johanna D. Berger Jan 2012

Product Placement Within Violent Media, Johanna D. Berger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

Despite extensive research into memory and violence, relatively little is known about the relationship between violent media and memory of advertised products. Research has yielded contradictory evidence ; some scholars have found a negative relationship, others a nonexistent one... This research investigated the role of emotion in the relationship between violent media and product placement memory. This study creates insight into inconclusive previous findings by providing evidence that violence influences product memory. Specifically, participants were significantly worse at remembering products placed within violent clips (e.g., free recall, cued recall, recognition. Participants' emotional responses to the violent clips also appeared to …

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Proposed Expanded Green Space Plan Using Gis For Natural Areas In Palm Beach County, Corrie. Rainyn Jan 2012

Proposed Expanded Green Space Plan Using Gis For Natural Areas In Palm Beach County, Corrie. Rainyn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

In the past 25 years, Palm Beach County has acquired more than 31 million acres of public preserves consisting of numerous native habitats that are home to threatened and endangered flora and fauna. Both endemic habitats and plant species benefit from expansion and connectivity through the adoption of native plants in surrounding areas. The next step in conserving these protected, larger areas is to identify ways to connect them in order to reduce their isolation and improve their likelihood of continued ecosystem health. This study aims to perform an analysis using a GIS database of Palm Beach County's Eastern urban …

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Quantifying The Energetic Cost Of Disorientation In Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtle Hatchlings, Sean. Williams Jan 2012

Quantifying The Energetic Cost Of Disorientation In Loggerhead (Caretta Caretta) And Green (Chelonia Mydas) Sea Turtle Hatchlings, Sean. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019

The photopollution of beaches caused by artificial light sources can interfere with sea turtle hatchlings' ability to orient properly towards the sea. Exhaustion due to extended disorientation crawling may then increase hatchling mortality. This study evaluated the energetic consequences of long-distance crawls in green and loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings. Turtles crawled for 200 m or 500 m on a treadmill, followed by a 30 minute evaluation of swim performance. Metabolic activity was quantified via measures of blood glucose, blood lactate, and oxygen consumption. No significant changes in metabolism resulted from long-distance crawling activity in loggerheads ; however, loggerheads rested for …

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Neurofibromatosis 2011: A Report Of The Children's Tumor Foundation Annual Meeting., Michel Kalamarides, Maria T. Acosta, Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, Olli Carpen, Karen Cichowski, Dg Evans, Filippo Giancotti, Co Hanemann, David Ingram, Alison C. Lloyd, Debra A. Mayes, Ludwine Messiaen, Helen Morrison, Kathryn North, Roger Packer, Duojia Pan, Anat Stemmer-Rachamimov, Meena Upadhyaya, David Viskochil, Margret R. Wallace, Kim Hunter-Schaedle, Nancy Ratner Jan 2012

Neurofibromatosis 2011: A Report Of The Children's Tumor Foundation Annual Meeting., Michel Kalamarides, Maria T. Acosta, Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic, Olli Carpen, Karen Cichowski, Dg Evans, Filippo Giancotti, Co Hanemann, David Ingram, Alison C. Lloyd, Debra A. Mayes, Ludwine Messiaen, Helen Morrison, Kathryn North, Roger Packer, Duojia Pan, Anat Stemmer-Rachamimov, Meena Upadhyaya, David Viskochil, Margret R. Wallace, Kim Hunter-Schaedle, Nancy Ratner

Peninsula Medical School

The 2011 annual meeting of the Children's Tumor Foundation, the annual gathering of the neurofibromatosis (NF) research and clinical communities, was attended by 330 participants who discussed integration of new signaling pathways into NF research, the appreciation for NF mutations in sporadic cancers, and an expanding pre-clinical and clinical agenda. NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis collectively affect approximately 100,000 persons in US, and result from mutations in different genes. Benign tumors of NF1 (neurofibroma and optic pathway glioma) and NF2 (schwannoma, ependymoma, and meningioma) and schwannomatosis (schwannoma) can cause significant morbidity, and there are no proven drug treatments for any form …

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Using Problem-Based Learning To Foster Student Development, Shannon Chance Jan 2012

Using Problem-Based Learning To Foster Student Development, Shannon Chance

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

At the University of Michigan, professors Marshall, Shtein, and Daubmann (2011)have developed a “multidisciplinary hands-on think tank” (p. 1). Their SmartSurfaces course is offered to students majoring in engineering, art, and architecture as part of the university’s Multidisciplinary Learning Team Teaching Initiative (MLTT). The course provides insight into the efficacy of hands-on, Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A follow-up survey conducted by Bierwert, Olds, and Barber (2010) on behalf of the university’s Center for Research on Learningand Teaching (CRLT) revealed high levels of student learning through this course. Students reported developing strong skills related to critical thinking, oral communication, and creative thinking. …

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Does A Ketogenic Diet Infer Neuroprotection In A Rat Model Of Neurotrauma, Ryan Lange Jan 2012

Does A Ketogenic Diet Infer Neuroprotection In A Rat Model Of Neurotrauma, Ryan Lange

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

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Is Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor A Central Nervous System Alarmin?, Anthony Johnson Jan 2012

Is Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor A Central Nervous System Alarmin?, Anthony Johnson

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

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Fractured Literature, 21st-Century Consciousness, And Postmodern Exhaustion In The Novel, Joshua Brorby Jan 2012

Fractured Literature, 21st-Century Consciousness, And Postmodern Exhaustion In The Novel, Joshua Brorby

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

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