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Pages News, Volume 20, No. 2, December 2012, Takeshi Nakatsuka, Ryuji Tada, Kenji Kawamura

PAGES

Contents: Inside PAGES -- PAGES calendar -- Special Section: Japanese Paleoscience Editorial -- Japanese paleoscience on past climate and environmental changes -- Science Highlights -- Ocean circulation in the North Pacific during the last glacial termination -- North Pacific - North Atlantic linkages during the Last Glacial Termination -- Teleconnection between Asian Monsoon and the North Atlantic -- Latent 1500-year climate oscillation in the Holocene -- The history of Lake Biwa drilling -- Lake Suigetsu 2006 Varved Sediment Core Project -- Monsoon in subtropical Asia from oxygen isotope ratios of tree-ring cellulose -- Hydroclimate reconstruction in Indonesia by stalagmite isotopic …

Assessment And Treatment Of Anxiety And Problem Behavior In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Intellectual Disability, Lauren Jill Moskowitz

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

The relationship between anxiety and problem behavior has not been systematically investigated in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although there are numerous studies demonstrating successful treatment of anxiety in neurotypical populations, there is little research on the functional assessment and treatment of anxiety in children with ASD and intellectual disability (ID). Thus, the present study evaluated a multimethod strategy for the assessment and treatment of anxiety and problem behavior in three children with comorbid ASD and ID. In Study 1, anxiety was operationally defined, a functional analysis of problem behavior was conducted in High-Anxiety versus Low-Anxiety conditions, and heart …

Characterization Of Outer Membrane Vesicles And Nanotubes In Francisella, William Daniel Mccaig

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

Francisella spp. are highly infectious and virulent bacteria that cause the zoonotic disease tularemia. The identification of virulence factors and mechanisms of virulence factor secretion by Francisella spp. are not well understood. Gram-negative bacteria constitutively release vesicles from their cell surface, and these outer membrane vesicles (OMV) may function in the delivery of virulence factors to host cells. In addition, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have been shown to produce membrane-enclosed projections, termed nanotubes (NT), which appear to function in cell-cell communication and exchange of molecules. Examination of Francisella bacteria revealed the presence of NT extending out from the bacterial surface, …

Fas-Activated Serine Threonine Kinase 4 Is A Mitochondrial Protein, Johnna St Clair

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

Mitochondria play an essential role in eukaryotic cells, supplying energy levels which vastly exceed those available to prokaryotes. They rely heavily on the import of nuclear encoded proteins for their function. The FAST family of proteins which are synthesized in the cytoplasm and imported into mitochondria are an example of this. The FAST family has not been well characterized, and next to nothing is known about several FAST family members. In the following I have reviewed what is known about each member of the FAST protein family including conserved domains, structures, including roles in cellular function, apoptosis and disease. Additionally, …

Interactive Software Systems For Planar Parallel Manipulator- And Spherical Four-Bar Linkage- Design, Kartik Thakkar

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

Dimensional Synthesis is of crucial importance in robotics for trajectory planning, task specication in Mechanism Synthesis,CNC tool path planning as well as in micro and nano systems, where kinematics plays an important role. This thesis presents an interactive software for the dimensional synthesis of planar parallel manipulators (PPMs) and spherical four bar motion approximation from a given set of displacements. For PPMs, a user friendly and interactive graphical software has been developed for the synthesis using C++,OpenGL and Qt. The software is designed and implemented using an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) architecture. This architecture naturally maps mathematical formulation of the …

The Role Of Dystroglycan In Differentiating Oligodendroglia And Cns Myelination, Christopher Edward Eyermann

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

During central nervous system (CNS) development, individual oligodendrocytes myelinate multiple axons, thus requiring the outgrowth and extensive branching of oligodendroglial processes. Extrinsic cues including the extracellular matrix (ECM) molecule laminin regulate oligodendrocyte maturation; indeed, laminin-deficient mice have fewer myelinated axons, which may indicate a defect in the ability to properly extend and branch processes. It remains unclear, however, to what extent ECM receptors contribute to oligodendroglial process remodeling itself. Here I report that the ECM receptor dystroglycan is necessary for laminin enhancement of filopodial formation, process outgrowth, and process branching in differentiating oligodendroglia. During early oligodendroglial differentiation, the disruption of …

Contemporary Manhattan Cartographies: Ephemeral Public Projects In New York, Andrew Wasserman

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

This dissertation considers the emergence of a cartographic public practice in both contemporary art and contemporary cities, attending to the ways in which ephemeral public projects create map-like objects that diverge from official urban projections. Rather than marking a single location, such projects structure networked connections between several sites, transforming undifferentiated urban spaces into legible urban places. Evaluation of this recent cartographic turn entails the triple consideration of placemaking, placemakers, and placemarkers as constructing spatialized identities for different neighborhoods and setting forth wayfinding strategies within these same neighborhoods. Focusing on Manhattan, the dissertation surveys how the borough has served as …

Alendronate And Pth Differentially Modulate Bone Quality And Reduce Adiposity In An Ovx Rat Model, Andrea Trinward Kwaczala

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

Post-menopausal osteoporosis is defined by a reduction in bone quantity and quality. Bone quality is an accumulation of factors including bone mass, structure, geometry, microarchitecture, tissue mineral density and chemistry. Currently, osteoporosis is treated with pharmaceuticals such as anti-catabolic bisphosphonates such as alendronate (ALN) which maintains bone mass by blocking bone resorption, or anabolic drugs such as parathyroid hormone (PTH) which increases bone mass by increasing bone formation. Due to their different modes of preserving bone, there may be differential drug-driven alterations to bone tissue quality which affect bone strength. Additionally, osteoporosis is associated with increased body mass and abdominal …

Screening For Steroid-Derived Immunomodulatory Metabolites Biosynthesized By Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (M. Tuberculosis), Xiaoqian Jin

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

Tuberculosis (Tb) is a serious worldwide threat to human health killing 1.4 million people every year. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), the causative agent for Tb, has infected 30% of the world's population. The emergence of multidrug, extensively drug, and total drug resistant organisms (MDR/XDR/TDR TB) creates an urgent demand to develop new drugs with novel mechanisms to be effective against both sensitive and drug-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis. The cholesterol metabolism pathway in M. tuberculosis is important for mycobacterial survival in the host macrophage. We proposed that cholesterol serves as a starting material for biosynthesis of steroid-derived immunomodulators that down-regulate …

The Confessions Of Augustine's Flesh: Counter-Conducts Overwhelming To Pastoral Power In Christian Conversion, Darla Senami Migan

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

In his 1978 lectures at the College de France, Security Territory Population, Michel Foucault shifts his analysis of power by arguing for pastoral power as both the prelude to governmentality and as the decisive moment in the constitution of the Western subject. If the history of the Christian pastorate involves " the entire history of procedures of human individualization in the West (184)," then, Foucault argues, there has never been a revolt against pastoral power because such a revolt would be a revolt against the constitution of the self, that is to say against self-consciousness. If the revolt against pastoral …

A Gay Neoclassical Movement, Robert E. Diamond

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

In anticipation of a larger project, I propose a broad view of the Neoclassical period. The question of gay culture, and, particularly, where it exists before the emergence of the modern internal gay subculture in the 20th century, is a pertinent art historical topic, since the very evidence for gay communities comes in large part from visual culture. The Neoclassical period offers a rich repository of homoerotic art that is, in fact, based on self-conscious artistic expression emerging from an underground but bourgeoning homosexual community. This expression includes not only the movement's important theorist, Winckelmann, but also many of the …

Benchmarks 2012, December 14, The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks 2012

BenchMarks. Friday, December 14, 2012

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

Sexuality In The 21st Century: A Look At Contemporary Religious Sexual Mores, Timar Long

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Pepsin And Salivary Amylase Biomarkers Of Microaspiration In Oral And Tracheal Secretions Of Intubated Patients, Aurea Middleton

HIM 1990-2015

Introduction: The presence of an endotracheal tube (ETT) increases the risk for microaspiration of secretions around the ETT. Biomarkers of pepsin and salivary amylase may be used to identify microaspiration in intubated patients because of their naturally occurring presence in the stomach or oral cavity and non-occurrence in the respiratory tract. Microaspiration may be difficult to detect until pulmonary complications, such as lung injury or infection, occur. This study assessed the presence of pepsin and salivary amylase in oral and tracheal secretions of ventilated adults. Method(s): This is a secondary analysis of data collected from 11 critically ill, adult patients …

From The "War On Poverty" To Reagan's "New Right," What's In A Name? : The Symbolic Significance Of The "Welfare Queen" In Politics And Public Discourse., Kem Roper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a rhetorical analysis of the political discourse surrounding the role of poor African American women within the American social and political economy beginning in 1965 with Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty initiatives and extending to the early 1980s with Ronald Reagan and the "religious right." I argue that an ideology of whiteness permeates both the Johnson and Reagan administrations even though each worked towards different ends. In Chapter 1, I begin by discussing how America's establishment as a capitalist society made it a nation ill-fitted for government-funded social programs. In particular, I discuss the impact of distinctions …

Hyperhomocysteinemia Alters Sinoatrial And Atrioventricular Nodal Function : Role Of The Cardiac Nmda Receptor., Chirag V. Soni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is a pathological condition characterized by excessive levels of plasma homocysteine (Hcy). Patients with HHcy are reported to be at risk for arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death (SCD); however, the causative mechanisms remain unknown. The effects of HHcy on sinus node function, atrioventricular conduction and ventricular vulnerability were investigated by in vivo electrophysiological (EP) analysis, and the role of the cardiac N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) in promoting Hcy-induced conduction abnormalities was explored. Materials and Methods: Anesthetized wild-type control mice (WT), mice receiving Hcy in the drinking water for 12 weeks (DW), and heterozygous cystathionine-ß-synthase knockout …

Zooplankton In Freshwaters : Potential Responses To Global Warming, Nutrient Enrichment, And Exotic Jellyfish., Allison S. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic ecosystems face major transformations as humans increasingly alter their environment by introducing exotic species and changing the temperature regime and nutrient availability of freshwater systems. The impacts of such alterations of conditions, resources and species composition on zooplankton are important to consider because zooplankton link primary producers to higher trophic levels. Among recent exotic invaders of freshwater systems in Europe and the Western Hemisphere is Craspedacusta sowerbii. This freshwater cnidarian can impact zooplankton abundance and community composition, thus altering ecosystem energy transfer to higher trophic levels. In experiments described in chapters 2 and 3 of this dissertation, C. sowerbii …

Ibrida., Dawn N. Struck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of my current body of work, both formally and conceptually. It begins with an Introduction, explaining the origin of the term hybrid and the distinct advantages as well as disadvantages hybridization has on a species. It also discusses the effects incurred by the environment on plants and humans. Chapter II, A Curious Collection of Biomorphic Forms, provides an overview of the concepts and interplay between the surface treatments of the forms and their sculpted interior elements and how certain forms reveal, while other forms hide themselves from the viewer. It also confers the motivations behind …

Integrin Inhibitor Cyclorgdfv Blunts Enhanced Lps-Induced Liver Injury Caused By Ethanol In Mice., Veronica L. Massey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. Progression of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is associated with an increase in fibrin extracellular matrix (ECM) and inflammation. Previous studies have shown that this accumulation of fibrin in ALD is mediated by impaired fibrinolysis. Additionally, it is known that fibrin(ogen) interacts with the av~3 integrin of endothelial cells. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that hepatic inflammation caused by alcohol is mediated, at least in part, by activation of integrin av~3 by fibrin(ogen). To test this hypothesis, a study was designed to determine the effect of cycloRGDN, a peptide inhibitor of integrin av~3, in a …

Intracellular Delivery Of Nanomaterials For Sub-Cellular Imaging And Tracking Of Biomolecules., Krishna Kiran Medepalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanomaterials have many intriguing applications in biology and medicine. Unique properties such as enhanced electrical properties, increased chemical reactivity and resistance to degradation, novel optical properties and comparable size to that of biological systems have led to their use in various biomedical applications. The most important applications of nanomaterials for medicine are in drug delivery and imaging. This research focuses on utilizing the biocompatibility of single walled Carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and optical properties colloidal quantum dots (QDs) for cellular drug delivery and imaging of biomolecules. The first part of this research deals with single walled carbon nanotubes which are excellent …

Incorporating Nanomaterials With Mems Devices., Evgeniya V. Moiseeva 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation demonstrates an elegant method, known as 'micro-origami' or strain architecture to design and fabricate three-dimensional MEMS structures which are assembled using actuation of a metal-oxide bilayer with conventional planar lithography. Folding allows creating complex, robust, three-dimensional shapes from two-dimensional material simply by choosing folds in the right order and orientation, small disturbances of the initial shape may also be used to produce different final shapes. These are referred to as "pop-up structures" in this work. The scope of this work presented the deposition of colloidal gold nanoparticles (GNPs) into conformal thin films using a microstenciling technique. Results illustrated …

Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 (Aldh2) Activation Protects Hepatocytes From Mitochondrial Damage And Death Caused By 4-Hydroxynonenal., Keegan J. Baldauf 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) ranks among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the world and effects millions of patients each year. Progression of ALD is well characterized and is actually a spectrum of liver diseases, which progresses from steatosis, to inflammation and necrosis, to finally fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, the underlying mechanism(s) of ALD are not as well understood, and as a result there is no FDA-approved therapy to prevent or reverse the disease. With a better understanding of the mechanism(s) and risk factors that mediate the initiation and progression of ALD, a targeted therapy can be developed …

Ecological Interactions Affecting The Role Of Mosquito Larvae On Dengue Virus Transmission., Jeffrey J. Bara 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the course of their life cycle, mosquitoes undergo an ontogenetic niche shift; immature larval development occurs within an aquatic habitat from which adult mosquitoes subsequently disperse into the terrestrial environment. While adult female mosquitoes transmit dengue to humans, the larval stage influences dengue virus transmission significantly in several ways. The biotic and abiotic conditions in which larvae develop influence epidemiologically important aspects of adult life history and influence the geographic distribution of mosquito species. Through vertical transmission, mosquitoes may serve as reservoir hosts for dengue during periods that are unfavorable for transmission to humans. For my dissertation, I conducted …

A Submodular Optimization Framework For Never-Ending Learning : Semi-Supervised, Online, And Active Learning., Wael Emara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The revolution in information technology and the explosion in the use of computing devices in people's everyday activities has forever changed the perspective of the data mining and machine learning fields. The enormous amounts of easily accessible, information rich data is pushing the data analysis community in general towards a shift of paradigm. In the new paradigm, data comes in the form a stream of billions of records received everyday. The dynamic nature of the data and its sheer size makes it impossible to use the traditional notion of offline learning where the whole data is accessible at any time …

The Use Of Mathematical And Computational Models To Define The Role Of Mutation And Infection In Colorectal Cancer., Chandler D. Gatenbee 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research over the past twenty five years has led to the development of the hypothesis that colorectal cancer is caused by the accumulation of mutations in tumor suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes. The last ten years has also revealed that the common JC Virus (JCV) is frequently found in colorectal tumors. This has led to the hypothesis that the virus, which is known to cause tumors in the lab, may playa role in colorectal cancer. However, the presence of JCV in colorectal tumors does not necessarily indicate a cause-effect relationship. Unlike in vivo and in vitro studies, mathematical and computational modeling …

The Art Of Natality : Virginia Woolf's And Kathe Kollwitz's Aesthetics Of Becoming., Jennifer Brooke Goldberg 1973-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though Virginia Woolf’s and Kathe Kollwitz's personal histories and specific cultural circumstances were quite different, their aesthetics share fundamental qualities. This dissertation demonstrates that both artists affirm memory, the maternal, and creativity as coalescent, and through doing so assert a principle of connectivity that counters the turmoil of their times. Through this constellation, Woolf’s and Kollwitz's aesthetics exude faith in the continued viability of beauty and of possibility, faith that a commitment to becoming will undermine the sources of hopelessness that enshroud the modem world. Channeling their losses into their creative endeavors, Woolf and Kollwitz appropriated crises from their pasts …

Ridge Preservation Comparing The Clinical And Histologic Healing Of An Intrasocket Allograft Vs. A Facial Overlay Xenograft Using A Bioresorbable Barrier Membrane., Evmenios Poulias

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aim. The efficacy of ridge preservation procedures using grafting materials and barrier membranes has been well established in the literature. However, the loss of horizontal width even with the utilization of intrasocket only guided bone regeneration procedures can lead to loss of soft and hard tissue contour or even compromise implant placement. The primary aim of this study was to compare ridge preservation using an intrasocket mineralized particulate cancellous allograft to an intrasocket mineralized particulate cancellous allograft plus a facial overlay with a particulate bovine xenograft, both covered with a bioresorbable barrier membrane. Clinical and histologic data was used to …

Gain And Loss Of Functional Locomotor Recovery Following Contusive Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Krista Layne Caudle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Activity-based rehabilitation in the form of overground or body weight-supported treadmill (BWST) locomotor step training has become the most widely accepted therapy translated from preclinical animal research to spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. However, locomotor training does not provide the level of functional locomotor recovery that animal models are interpreted to promise because preclinical studies have used complete spinal cord transections that do not sufficiently mimic the clinical presentation. Furthermore, animal models do not include the same standard of care, immobilization with stretch/range-ofmotion manual therapies, SCI patients receive. Therefore, we have developed an experimental animal model that includes aspects of …

Morphological Comparison Of Visual Pathway Projections To The Temporal Lobe From Cortical Area Vi And The Tectorecipient Zone Of The Pulvinar Nucleus In The Tree Shrew (Tupaia Belangeri)., Donna Dillihay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The secondary visual pathway, from the retina through the superior colliculus and pulvinar nucleus has been linked to spatial attention (Snow et aI., 2009; Arend et aI., 2008) movement planning and motor response to visual stimuli (Wilke et aI. 2010; Grieve et aI. 2000). The tree shrew temporal cortex receives input from the tecto-recipient pulvinar nucleus, composed of the dorsal (PD) and central (PC) subdivisions (Lyon et al. 2003a). We looked at the projections from this pathway to the temporal cortex and compared them to the VI projections to the temporal cortex in the tree shrew. Our focus was to …

Integrated Modeling And Analysis Methodologies For Architecture-Level Vehicle Design., Rostyslav Lesiv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to satisfy customer expectations, a ground vehicle must be designed to meet a broad range of performance requirements. A satisfactory vehicle design process implements a set of requirements reflecting necessary, but perhaps not sufficient conditions for assuring success in a highly competitive market. An optimal architecture-level vehicle design configuration is one of the most important of these requirements. A basic layout that is efficient and flexible permits significant reductions in the time needed to complete the product development cycle, with commensurate reductions in cost. Unfortunately, architecture-level design is the most abstract phase of the design process. The high-level …