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2012

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Ngos In The Transnational Development Network: Exploring Relational Resources In The Promotion Of Food Security, Mariah Kraner, David Todd Kinsella Jan 2012

Ngos In The Transnational Development Network: Exploring Relational Resources In The Promotion Of Food Security, Mariah Kraner, David Todd Kinsella

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Programming decisions by international NGOs operating in the area of development are a function of both humanitarian and pragmatic concerns. Helping communities establish sustainable agricultural cooperatives to address problems of undernutrition, for example, motivates programs implemented by NGOs in the food security sector. But NGOs are strategic actors and must also be attentive to organizational imperatives in regard to funding. These concerns relate to donor preferences and the reality that aid projects must demonstrate tangible results. This paper examines the network of organizations responding to the needs of the one billion people worldwide who live in food insecure environments. We …

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Curriculum Change 2012-2013, Portland State University Jan 2012

Curriculum Change 2012-2013, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

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Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2012-2013, Portland State University Jan 2012

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2012-2013, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

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Expression Of Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 2 (Socs2) During Optic Nerve Regeneration In Xenopus Laevis, Rupa Priscilla Choudhary Jan 2012

Expression Of Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 2 (Socs2) During Optic Nerve Regeneration In Xenopus Laevis, Rupa Priscilla Choudhary

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The optic nerve and other central nervous system (CNS) axons tend to lose their capacity to regenerate following an injury in adult amniotes, but these axons are able to regenerate throughout life in anamniotes. The long-term goal of my study is to identify molecular mechanisms responsible for the retention of this regenerative capacity. Specifically, I will examine the role of the gene Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 2 (SOCS2) in the successful regeneration of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons of the South African claw-toed frog, Xenopus laevis, after injury.

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Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Spectroscopy For Characterization Of Rna Structure And Thermodynamics, Joseph Dustin Handen Jan 2012

Ultraviolet Resonance Raman Spectroscopy For Characterization Of Rna Structure And Thermodynamics, Joseph Dustin Handen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Raman spectroscopy is a technique well suited for the study of biological molecules such as proteins, peptides, or RNAs. By utilizing an ultraviolet resonance Raman (UVRR) instrument, we are afforded a tremendous increase in sensitivity because of resonance enhancement. Additionally, this technique does not require any labeling. Moreover, this technique is better suited for studying biological systems than infrared absorption due to reduced interference from water. In this study, we apply techniques we have developed for the study of protein and peptide fibrillation to a model RNA homodimer. We demonstrate that UVRR spectroscopy is uniquely suited to monitoring the free …

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The Role Of Pkr In Transducing The Ribotoxic Stress Response Elicited By Ricin, Lauren Rose-Boehnlein Jan 2012

The Role Of Pkr In Transducing The Ribotoxic Stress Response Elicited By Ricin, Lauren Rose-Boehnlein

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ribotoxins such as ricin and T-2 toxin bind to ribosomes and trigger cleavage of 28S rRNA and inhibition of protein synthesis. Upon detection of ribosomal alterations, the cell initiates a ribotoxic stress response (RSR), resulting in activation of the stress-activated protein kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase (SAPK/MAPK) signaling cascade, upregulated expression of both pro-and anti-apoptotic stress-inducible genes, increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines, and ultimately culminating in apoptosis. While it is not immediately clear the exact mechanism by which ribosomes induce the RSR, nor the exact cellular components involved upstream of MAPK activation, it has recently been proposed, in the case …

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Antibody Production During Ehrlichial Infection : Development And Specificity Of T Cell-Independent Igm, Derek Daniel Jones Jan 2012

Antibody Production During Ehrlichial Infection : Development And Specificity Of T Cell-Independent Igm, Derek Daniel Jones

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Historically, the role for antibodies in mediating protective immunity against intracellular pathogens was thought to be minimal. However, our previous studies demonstrated that antibodies were both necessary and sufficient to establish protective immunity against Ehrlichia muris, a tick-transmitted intracellular bacterium. The identification of a unique population of CD11c-expressing IgM-secreting plasmablasts in the spleen during early infection of mice led to the appreciation that IgM was a critical component of the humoral immune response, and that IgM was required for control of acute ehrlichial infection. Here, we addressed the generation of the IgM-secreting cells, as well as the properties of the …

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Health Disparities Among The U.S. Elderly, Heesoo Joo Jan 2012

Health Disparities Among The U.S. Elderly, Heesoo Joo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation examines health disparities related to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status among the U.S. elderly taking into account empirical challenges including: (1) self-selection and unobserved factors; (2) subjective and objective measures of disease; and (3) attrition bias.

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Individual And Family Correlates Of High And Low Achievement Among Children In A Head Start Program, Millah Musungu Jan 2012

Individual And Family Correlates Of High And Low Achievement Among Children In A Head Start Program, Millah Musungu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Preschool children living in poverty are at risk for not attaining the required pre-academic and social-emotional skills that predict successful transition to kindergarten. The present study investigated individual and family correlates that were hypothesized to predict and classify children in high, average, and low achievement groups in a Head Start Program. The study was based on analyses of archival data from 745 children who attended the Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP) Head Start during the period encompassing the 2005-2010 academic years. The study used a combination of binary logistic regression analysis, independent-samples t-test, and qualitative survey results to address research …

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A Study Of Birth Weight As A Predictor Of Cognitive Ability In Childhood : Applications Of Loess Regression And Generalized Propensity Score Methods, Xiaoyuan Tan Jan 2012

A Study Of Birth Weight As A Predictor Of Cognitive Ability In Childhood : Applications Of Loess Regression And Generalized Propensity Score Methods, Xiaoyuan Tan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study applied nonparametric loess regression to describe the predictive association between birth weight and cognitive ability in childhood and generalized propensity score methods to control the confounding of multiple covariates that summarize prenatal differences.

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Transracially Adopted Korean Adults' Experiences With Racism : A Qualitative Investigation, Katy Dorsheimer Jan 2012

Transracially Adopted Korean Adults' Experiences With Racism : A Qualitative Investigation, Katy Dorsheimer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Compared with other racial minority groups, Korean transracial adoptees (KTAs) face a unique experience with racism and race-based stress. In addition to the undue distress that racism causes, most KTAs in the U.S. are raised by white, middle class parents. Given this unique family structure, it is important to gain an understanding of how Korean adoptees respond to racism and race-based stress. The purpose of the present study was to understand KTAs' experiences with racism, including their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional reactions, as well as how these reactions may have changed over time.

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Assessing Delta Oxygen-18 In The Coral Genus Isopora For Reconstructing Indo-Pacific Regional And Seasonal Climate, Gavin Lemley Jan 2012

Assessing Delta Oxygen-18 In The Coral Genus Isopora For Reconstructing Indo-Pacific Regional And Seasonal Climate, Gavin Lemley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Paleoclimate reconstructions often utilize coral reefs with very long time spans such as the genus Porites and Diploastrea, because of their potential to provide centuries of continuous climate records via geochemical signatures. Smaller corals, such as the genus Isopora, have been essentially unexplored as climate archives because their small skeletons (<1 m) and short lifespans (years to decades) do not provide such continuous geochemical records. There has not been a practical application for such corals until recently. In early 2010, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Leg 325 (IODP-325) cored drowned fossil reefs off the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) with the objectives of reconstructing sea level and surface ocean conditions since the Last Glacial Maximum. Out of 213 massive fossil corals that were recovered, most were massive Isoporan colonies. A 30-specimen subset of these fossils range in age from ~32,000 to ~11,500 years before present with even temporal spacing, based on preliminary U/Th dating of core catcher samples. This age distribution is excellent for meeting IODP-325 objectives, but the suitability of Isopora for paleoclimate analyses remains unknown.

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Spaces Of Healing : Clinical Effects On Indigenous Cosmology In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Fotini Constantina Spero Jan 2012

Spaces Of Healing : Clinical Effects On Indigenous Cosmology In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Fotini Constantina Spero

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this paper I hope to explain the levels of power at play between the Ecuadorian State and the indigenous of the Amazon. The indigenous in Ecuador, not only in the Amazon, though that is where my work takes place, attempt to maintain their separate identities from the Ecuadorian State. The main way they do this that I will be focusing on in this paper is their utilization of witchcraft and healing practices. These practices help to maintain the relationship between the indigenous and their land. These mechanisms clash with the state agenda of remaking autonomous indigenous people into state …

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Generality In Nanotechnologies And Its Relationship To Economic Performance, Fernando Gomez Baquero Jan 2012

Generality In Nanotechnologies And Its Relationship To Economic Performance, Fernando Gomez Baquero

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In the history if economic analysis there is perhaps no more important question than the one of how economic development is achieved. For more than a century, economists have explored the role of technology in economic growth but there is still much to be learned about the effect that technologies, in particular emerging ones, have on economic growth and productivity. The objective of this research is to understand the relationship between nanotechnologies and economic growth and productivity, using the theory of General Purpose Technology (GPT)-driven economic growth. To do so, the Generality Index (calculated from patent data) was used to …

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The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids Knowledge And Condom Use Among Reproductive Age Women In Georgia, Lia Gvinjilia Jan 2012

The Relationship Between Hiv/Aids Knowledge And Condom Use Among Reproductive Age Women In Georgia, Lia Gvinjilia

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: To assess changes in HIV/AIDS knowledge over a decade with substantial educational efforts and reported condom use.

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A Study Of The Effects Of Inosine Incorporation Into Dna Due To Defects In Purine Biosynthesis In Escherichia Coli, Jonathan Spence Church Jan 2012

A Study Of The Effects Of Inosine Incorporation Into Dna Due To Defects In Purine Biosynthesis In Escherichia Coli, Jonathan Spence Church

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Deamination of purine bases can result in the formation of xanthine and hypoxanthine which can be miscoding and mutagenic in DNA. There are several mechanisms for the introduction of deaminated bases into DNA including simple hydrolysis, nitrosative chemistry and through the action of deaminase enzymes. A fourth method was recently presented which describes how deaminated purines can be incorporated into DNA due to defects in purine biosynthesis. Using fluctuation analysis, spontaneous mutation rates were studied in bacterial mutants that were deficient in specific genes involved in purine biosynthesis and dNTP precursor pool maintenance, including purA (adenylosuccinate synthetase), guaA (GMP synthetase), …

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Anthropometric Correlates Of Reproductive Success, Facial Configuration, Risk Taking And Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous And Western Populations : The Role Of Hand-Grip Strength And Wrist Width, Jeremy Andrew Atkinson Jan 2012

Anthropometric Correlates Of Reproductive Success, Facial Configuration, Risk Taking And Sexual Behaviors Among Indigenous And Western Populations : The Role Of Hand-Grip Strength And Wrist Width, Jeremy Andrew Atkinson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Correlating a sexually dimorphic trait with reproductive success (RS) remains the `gold standard' in evolutionary psychology research. Within each sex, if more dimorphic individuals have increased RS then this is strong evidence that the trait is an important phenotypic fitness marker and potentially used as a same-sex and/or mate-assessment criterion. Many studies have investigated some of these traits, like shoulder to hip ratio (SHR) in males and waist to hip ratio (WHR) in females and have found that a more sex-typical body configuration does indeed indicate higher phenotypic quality and is used in mate assessment. However these traits are aggregate …

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Al/Cuxo/Cu Memristive Devices : Fabrication, Characterization, And Modeling, Nathan Mcdonald Jan 2012

Al/Cuxo/Cu Memristive Devices : Fabrication, Characterization, And Modeling, Nathan Mcdonald

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Memristive devices have become very popular in recent years due to their potential to dramatically alter logic processing in CMOS circuitry. Memristive devices function as electrical potentiometers, allowing for such diverse applications as memory storage, multi-state logic, and reconfigurable logic gates.

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Factors Related To Cue Reactivity In Gamblers, Cheryl Ann Seifert Jan 2012

Factors Related To Cue Reactivity In Gamblers, Cheryl Ann Seifert

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

For regular gamblers, physiological arousal and subjective excitement are known to occur in response to gambling-related cues. The present study seeks to use a cue exposure paradigm to explore two factors related to cue reactivity in gambling. The first is to examine the utility of a behavioral economics measure of cue reactivity. The second goal is to explore the effects of beliefs about the availability of gambling on cue reactivity. In the current study, regular lottery ticket scratch-off gamblers were exposed to both a gambling cue (a scratch-off ticket and coin) and a control cue (paper and marker). Cue reactivity …

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Borders That Matter : Trans Identity Management, Reese C. Kelly Jan 2012

Borders That Matter : Trans Identity Management, Reese C. Kelly

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation presents the responses, strategies, and meaning-making processes that forty trans (transgender) people engaged in when confronted with or when preparing for the possibility of encountering two different types of identity checkpoints, or what I regard as "borders": situations where sexed bodies and presentations of self would be matched against identity documents or records, and the use or attempted use of sex-segregated facilities. The project addresses the questions: In what ways do trans people prepare for and respond to identity inspections in border crossing scenarios? What strategies do they employ in order to successfully border cross? What effect does …

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Structural And Functional Characterization Of Dna Polymerase Ss Mutator Mutants, Sneha Rangarajan Jan 2012

Structural And Functional Characterization Of Dna Polymerase Ss Mutator Mutants, Sneha Rangarajan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

DNA Polymerase ß (polß) plays a crucial role in repairing damaged DNA in a process called Base Excision Repair (BER). BER is a major pathway of DNA repair, making this system absolutely vital for maintaining genomic integrity. Recent studies estimate 30% of human tumors to contain polß variants that led us to believe that there is a high degree of association between mutations in polß and cancer. In this pathway, after recognition and excision of the damaged base, the DNA is cleaved at an apurinic (AP) site by AP endonuclease leaving behind a 3' hydroxyl and 5' deoxyribose phosphate (dRP). …

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Virus Capsids As Nanoscale Delivery Vessels Of Photoactive Compounds For Site-Specific Photodynamic Therapy, Brian Alexander Cohen Jan 2012

Virus Capsids As Nanoscale Delivery Vessels Of Photoactive Compounds For Site-Specific Photodynamic Therapy, Brian Alexander Cohen

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The research presented in this work details the use of a viral capsid as an addressable delivery vessel of photoactive compounds for use in photodynamic therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that involves the interaction of light with a photosensitizing molecule to create singlet oxygen, a reactive oxygen species. Overproduction of singlet oxygen in cells can cause oxidative damage leading to cytotoxicity and eventually cell death. Challenges with the current generation of FDA-approved photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy primarily stem from their lack of tissue specificity. This work describes the packaging of photoactive cationic porphyrins inside the MS2 bacteriophage capsid, followed …

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Predictors Of Depressive Symptomatology, Substance Use, And Delinquency Among Sexually Maltreated Youth : The Roles Of Socioenvironmental Risk, Social Support, And Peer Rejection, Melissa Ramrattan Jan 2012

Predictors Of Depressive Symptomatology, Substance Use, And Delinquency Among Sexually Maltreated Youth : The Roles Of Socioenvironmental Risk, Social Support, And Peer Rejection, Melissa Ramrattan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Drawing upon multiple waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), the present study sought to examine the longitudinal relations among socioenvironmental risk, social support, peer rejection, and various mental health outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, substance use, and involvement in delinquent acts) in a sample of 269 sexually maltreated youth between the ages of 10 and 14 at Wave 1. Research has demonstrated relationships among child sexual abuse, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms. However, much of what is known about the association between child sexual abuse and psychopathology has come from studies in which child …

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Influenza In The 21st Century : Assessment Of The 2009 H1n1 Pandemic Severity, Enhanced Surveillance Methods, And Pediatric Influenza-Associated Deaths, Dina M. Hoefer Jan 2012

Influenza In The 21st Century : Assessment Of The 2009 H1n1 Pandemic Severity, Enhanced Surveillance Methods, And Pediatric Influenza-Associated Deaths, Dina M. Hoefer

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Influenza is among the most important of the endemic, epidemic, and pandemic diseases infecting humans. In June 2009, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1).1 The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic presented a unique opportunity and provided resources to monitor and study influenza in a way that would and could not be supported during a `typical' influenza season. Research objectives included: 1) characterizing the severity of illness among hospitalized patients infected with pH1N1; 2) assessing the utility of hospital discharge …

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Selection Of Chemically Modified Rna Aptamers Against The Glua2q Flop Ampa Receptor, Hyojung Seo Jan 2012

Selection Of Chemically Modified Rna Aptamers Against The Glua2q Flop Ampa Receptor, Hyojung Seo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The á-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors play an important role in neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. Excessive activity of these receptors has been implicated in some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, ischemic stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AMPA receptor inhibitors are therefore drug candidates for potential treatment of these neurological disorders and diseases. The objective of my MS thesis work is to develop a stable aptamer so that it can be tested and used in vivo where the aptamer must be exposed to ribonucleases. To do this, I prepared a library containing RNAs with 2'-Fluoro …

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Impulsivity, Criminogenic Opportunity Structures, And Delinquency, Matt Vogel Jan 2012

Impulsivity, Criminogenic Opportunity Structures, And Delinquency, Matt Vogel

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Impulsivity has emerged as a strong predictor of delinquency. A growing body of research suggests that neighborhood disorganization moderates the association between impulsivity and delinquency. However, there are several competing perspectives on the direction of this moderation, and the empirical research has generated a small body of discordant findings. This dissertation addresses the research linking impulsivity, neighborhood disorganization, and delinquency in two ways. First, I propose that the inconsistent findings to date might be attributed to variation in measurement and modeling strategy across earlier studies. Second, I argue that the mechanisms underlying the differential effect of impulsivity on delinquency across …

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Identification Of Epitopes On Ricin Toxin's Enzymatic Subunit (Rta) Critical For Eliciting Neutralizing Antibodies And Protective Immunity, Joanne Marie O'Hara Jan 2012

Identification Of Epitopes On Ricin Toxin's Enzymatic Subunit (Rta) Critical For Eliciting Neutralizing Antibodies And Protective Immunity, Joanne Marie O'Hara

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ricin toxin's enzymatic subunit (RTA) is a 267 amino acid RNA N-glycosidase that selectively depurinates eukaryotic ribosomal RNA and arrests protein synthesis. The crystal structure of RTA revealed that the protein assumes three distinct folding domains (FD). Residues within FD1 and FD2 form RTA's active site pocket and are proposed to interface with ribosomal proteins, while FD3's primary function is to associate with ricin's B subunit (RTB). In this study I sought to identify the regions of RTA that are important in eliciting toxin-neutralizing antibodies (TNA), as this information is critical for current efforts to develop RTA-based subunit vaccines. I …

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Characterization Of The Calmodulin-Ryanodine Receptor Interaction By Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Xiaojun Huang Jan 2012

Characterization Of The Calmodulin-Ryanodine Receptor Interaction By Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Xiaojun Huang

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ryanodine receptor (RyR) is a key player in excitation-contraction coupling (E-C coupling). Calmodulin (CaM) is one of the important regulatory factors of RyR. Two mammalian RyR isoforms, RyR1 and RyR2, are highly enriched in skeletal and cardiac muscle, respectively. Apo-calmodulin weakly activates RyR1 but inhibits RyR2, whereas Ca2+-calmodulin inhibits both the isoforms. Previous cryo-electron microscopy studies showed distinctly different binding locations on RyR1 for the two states of calmodulin. However, recent studies employing fluorescence resonance energy transfer appeared to challenge these findings. In chapter 1, using cryo-electron microscopy, we have determined that a mutant calmodulin, which is incapable of binding …

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The C. Elegans Rna-Binding Protein Gld-1 Recognizes Sequence, Structure And Context Information To Repress Translation Of Its Mrna Targets, Jung Hoon Doh Jan 2012

The C. Elegans Rna-Binding Protein Gld-1 Recognizes Sequence, Structure And Context Information To Repress Translation Of Its Mrna Targets, Jung Hoon Doh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Considering the general suppression of transcription during late oogenesis and early embryo development, post-transcriptional control of maternal mRNAs by RNA binding proteins emerges as an important mechanism in controlling late oogenesis and early embryo development. The C. elegans germline offers an ideal system to understand such processes. GLD-1 (GermLine Development defective) is a maxi-KH motif containing RNA binding protein, which controls many different stages during the C. elegans germline development from decision over germ cell proliferation vs. meiosis entry to production of mature gametes, suggesting that GLD-1 likely controls many mRNA targets. gld-1 mutants have variable germline defects, the major …

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The Relationship Of Age, Gender, Temperament And Cumulative Risk To Psychopathology In Children And Adolescents, Nancy Kumari Gajee Jan 2012

The Relationship Of Age, Gender, Temperament And Cumulative Risk To Psychopathology In Children And Adolescents, Nancy Kumari Gajee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Several factors have been associated with psychiatric problems in children and adolescents. There is mounting evidence that intrinsic factors such as age, gender and temperament interact with environmental factors in ways that may result in psychopathology. Few studies have examined these factors together to determine how well they predict diagnostic category in a clinic-referred population. This study investigated the roles of three broad temperament dimensions--effortful control (EC), negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA)--along with gender, age, and cumulative risk in the prediction of psychiatric diagnosis in children and adolescents. Psychopathology was examined categorically, across four categories as outlined in …

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