Digital Commons Network^™

Intimate Relationships Of Adults Raised In Same-Sex Families, Thomas Roskos

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the close relationship experiences of adults raised by sexual minority parents. The study used a Grounded Theory (GT) method. Seven individuals that were either born to sexual minority parents or found out their parents were sexual minorities later in life participated in this present study. Each participant completed an over the phone, semi-structured interview. Specifically, questions were asked regarding their family history, relationships with their parents, peers, romantic partners, and others, their experiences with heterosexism, their experiences coming out, and their perspectives on sexuality and gender.

In accordance with GT, the data …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Self-Assembly Of Bi-Carbamates And Tri-Carbamates, Rajiv Kumar Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Recent decades have witnessed the discovery of a wide variety of nanomaterials. These nanomaterials vary from zero-dimensional nanodots to three-dimensional nanoflowers. However the properties of these nanomaterials have not been fully explored. A majority of the nonmaterials discovered so far are inorganic. There is little information about nanomaterials which are entirely based on organic compounds. Therefore this thesis focuses on the synthesis of two-dimensional nanosheets based on organic frameworks.

In this study, a number of two-armed and three-armed carboxamides and carbamates have been synthesized, characterized and self-assembly process was studied. The self-assembly of these amides and carbamates were studied in …

Professional Behaviors, Sense Of Belonging, And Professional Socialization Of Early Career Clinical Laboratory Scientists, Janna Marie Schill

Theses and Dissertations

Professional socialization is a process that individuals experience as members of a profession and consists of the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences that influence and shape their professional identity. The process of professional socialization has not been studied in the clinical laboratory science profession. Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession that is faced by a workforce shortage that has been caused by a decrease in new graduates, decreased retention of qualified professionals, and increased retirements. Other allied health professions such as nursing, athletic training, and pharmacy have studied professional socialization as a way to identify factors that may influence …

Role Of Gravin In Endothelial Wound Healing, Bhaskar Roy

Theses and Dissertations

Gravin (AKAP12), a 300 kDa AKAP, is widely distributed in cells and binds to several signaling molecules including PKA-RII subunits, PKCα, PDE4, β2 adrenoreceptor and actin cytoskeleton. Initial characterization of gravin has revealed that this protein is undetectable in endothelia in vivo but expressed at the periphery of cultured endothelial cell (EC). Although the precise role of gravin in human ECs is not yet known, the cortical distribution of gravin in EC suggests that it may be involved in cAMP regulation by targeting PKA and PDE4 to plasma membrane. Several studies indicate that localization of PKA activity by A-kinase anchoring …

Experiences Of Female Faculty With Maternity Leave At Four-Year Universities In An Upper Midwest State, Audra Dawn Myerchin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore female faculty members' experiences with maternity leave, while working as a career academic in higher education. Participants consisted of women currently employed in an upper Midwest state at six four-year institutions. An online survey was completed by 121 women, and 30 of these women also participated in face-to-face or telephone interviews. Survey participants completed both open and closed-ended questions. Face-to-face interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, then analyzed for codes, categories, and themes.

Four themes emerged from the analysis of the data: there was a lack of information on maternity …

Desire And Influence: Male Self-Realization And Film Progression Due To The Influential Women In The Films Of Wes Anderson, Erin Ann Meiers

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is an analysis arguing that the roles of women in three of Wes Anderson's films, Rushmore (1996), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and The Life Aquatic(2004), are vital in influencing the men that surround them to come to a self-realization and in the progression of the film as each character finds closure, despite critic's claims. Critics Jesse Mayshark and Greg Carlson examine Anderson's films to be basically about men stuck in arrested development that as they rival each other they grow and mature, and discount the roles of women as simply a side note. I build upon their analysis …

Multiphysics Modeling And Simulation Process To Develop Thin Piezoelectric Film Sensors To Measure The Vibration Of Structures With Complex Shapes And Boundary Conditions., Md. Razib Rahim

Theses and Dissertations

Piezoelectricity was discovered in 1880 by Jacques and Pierre Curie. Its application has since been extended to actuators and sensors, widely used in industry, automotive, and aerospace applications. The last two decades have seen intensive research in piezoelectric theory in an effort to effectively capture and control the distinctive coupling of electricity and elasticity. However, due to the complexity of the theory involved, finite element and numerical methods are often used in the process. Limited analytical exact solutions are also found in literature. The objective of this work is to devise a multiphysics modeling and simulation process to develop thin …

Sex Determination And Differentiation In The Common Snapping Turtle - A Reptile With Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination, Anthony Loren Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) was first discovered in an African lizard over 40 years ago. TSD has since been shown to be exhibited by many vertebrates including some fish and amphibians, numerous lizards, turtles, and all crocodilians studied to date. Although numerous questions surround TSD, a major question focuses on understanding the genetic, physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying this process. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TSD are not well known and the gene(s) that transduces a signal for ovary or testis development is not known in any species. Furthermore, it is well established that sex steroid hormones, androgens and estrogens, …

Theoretical Circular Dichroism Of Lysozyme, Myoglobin And Collagen And Experimental Circular Dichroism Of Myoglobin And Pea Lectin, Boris Anyangwa Sango

Theses and Dissertations

The need to understand protein structure and interaction is ever-growing and this has led to scientist and investigators utilizing numerous different techniques in order to obtain substantial insights and explanation to these structures and their interactions. Circular dichroism (CD), which is one of these techniques, is a powerful structural biology technique used to study protein and nucleic acid structures and their dynamics. This technique is important because it identifies the secondary, tertiary and even quaternary structures in proteins and can be used to study folding patterns in proteins. Theoretical and experimental methods are used to better understand and teach the …

Roles Of Ccaat/Enhancer-Binding Protein [Beta] And [-Delta] In Immunoglobulin G Immune Complex-Induced Inflammation, Chunguang Yan

Theses and Dissertations

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) &beta and C/EBP&delta are known to participate in the regulation of many genes associated with inflammation. However, little is known about the activation and function of C/EBP&beta and -&delta in inflammatory responses elicited by Fc&gamma receptor (Fc&gammaR) activation. Here I showed that C/EBP&beta and -&delta activation were induced in immunoglobulin G immune complex (IgG IC)-treated macrophages by using gel shift assays. The increased expression of C/EBP&beta and -&delta occurred at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, induction of C/EBP&beta and -&delta was mediated, to a large extent, by activating Fc&gammaRs. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown as …

Factors Impacting Clinical And Counseling Psychology Students Conducting Research With Lgbt Populations, Daniel Walinsky

Theses and Dissertations

Although a large body of literature exists on training clinical and counseling psychology researchers, scant empirical work has been published that looks at the unique needs of students working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. This study explores researcher development experiences of those students.

Two hypotheses are tested with a sample of 59 doctoral students in APA-accredited clinical and counseling psychology program. The first hypothesis posits that Exploration and Commitment Factors of the Measure of Sexual Identity Exploration and Commitment (MoSIEC) will account for variance on the Research Outcome Expectations Questionnaire (ROEQ) beyond that accounted for by social …

Radioactive Counts And Sentinel Node Positivity In Breast Cancer Patients; A Single Surgeon’S Longitudinal Experience, Daniel F. Barnas Md, Aaron D. Bleznak Md, Facs

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Warfarin Use And 30-Day Hemorrhage In Bariatric Surgery, Amanda M. Curry, Richard Boorse Md, Peter J. Bechtel Md, Cathy Fuhrman Rn, Msn, Cathleen Webber Rn, Mshs, Suzanne L. Smith Mba, Rrt, Tas

Department of Surgery

No abstract provided.

Genome Sequence Of Strain Himb30, A Novel Member Of The Marine Gammaproteobacteria, Megan Huggett, Michael Rappe

Research outputs 2012

Strain HIMB30 was isolated from coastal Hawaii seawater by extinction culturing in seawater-based oligotrophic medium. It is a phylogenetically unique member of the class Gammaproteobacteria that is only distantly related to its closest cultured relatives. Here we present the genome sequence of strain HIMB30, including genes for proteorhodopsin-based phototrophy and the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle.

Genome Sequence Of Strain Himb55, A Novel Marine Gammaproteobacterium Of The Om60/Nor5 Clade, Megan Huggett, Michael Rappe

Research outputs 2012

Strain HIMB55 is a phylogenetically unique member of the OM60/NOR5 clade of the Gammaproteobacteria isolated from coastal seawater of Kaneohe Bay on the northeastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii, by extinction culturing in seawater-based oligotrophic medium. Here we present the genome sequence of strain HIMB55, including genes for bacteriochlorophyll-based phototrophy.

Altered Expression Of Alzheimer's Disease-Related Proteins In Male Hypogonadal Mice, Eleanor S. Drummond, Ralph Martins, D J Handelsman, A R Harvey

Research outputs 2012

Age-related depletion of estrogens and androgens is associated with an increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain pathology and diminished cognitive function. Here we investigated AD-associated molecular and cellular changes in brains of aged hypogonadal (hpg) male and female mice. hpg Mice have a spontaneous, inactivating genetic mutation in the GnRH gene resulting in lifelong deficiency of gonadotropins and gonadal sex hormones. Western blot analysis revealed low levels of amyloid precursor protein and high levels of presenilin 1, amyloid precursor protein C-terminal fragment, and β-amyloid 42 in brains of aged male, but not female, hpg mice. Changes were confined to the …

Clinical And Biomarker Changes In Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease, R J Bateman, C Xiong, T L Benzinger, A M Fagan, A Goate, N C Fox, D S Marcus, N J Cairns, X Xie, T M Blazey, D M Holtzman, A Santacruz, V Buckles, A Oliver, K Moulder, P M Aisen, B Ghetti, W M Klunk, E Mcdade, Ralph Martins, C M Masters, R Mayeux, J M Ringman, M M Rossor, P M Schofield, R M Sperling, S Salloway, J M Morris

Research outputs 2012

Background: The order and magnitude of pathologic processes in Alzheimer's disease are not well understood, partly because the disease develops over many years. Autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease has a predictable age at onset and provides an opportunity to determine the sequence and magnitude of pathologic changes that culminate in symptomatic disease.

Methods: In this prospective, longitudinal study, we analyzed data from 128 participants who underwent baseline clinical and cognitive assessments, brain imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood tests. We used the participant's age at baseline assessment and the parent's age at the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease to …

The Hippo Pathway Member Yap Plays A Key Role In Influencing Fate Decisions In Muscle Satellite Cells, Robert Judson, Annie Tremblay, Paul Knopp, Robert White, Roby Urcia, Cosimo De Bari, Peter Zammit, Fernando Camargo, Henning Wackerhage

Research outputs 2012

Satellite cells are the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle. Mitotically quiescent in mature muscle, they can be activated to proliferate and generate myoblasts to supply further myonuclei to hypertrophying or regenerating muscle fibres, or self-renew to maintain the resident stem cell pool. Here, we identify the transcriptional co-factor Yap as a novel regulator of satellite cell fate decisions. Yap expression increases during satellite cell activation and Yap remains highly expressed until after the differentiation versus self-renewal decision is made. Constitutive expression of Yap maintains Pax7+ and MyoD+ satellite cells and satellite cell-derived myoblasts, promotes proliferation but prevents differentiation. In …

Shall We Play A Game? [Journal Article], Craig William Caulfield, Stanislaw Maj, J C Xia, David Veal

Research outputs 2012

This paper presents the results of a qualitative research project that used a simple game of a software project to see if and how games could contribute to better software project management education, and, if so, what features would make them most efficacious. The results suggest that while games are useful pedagogical tools and are well-received by players, they are not sufficient in themselves and must be supplemented by other learning devices.

"Some Of My Children Are Worth More Than Others": Perceptions Of Nonresidential Fathers With Second Families As To The Fairness Of The Australian Child Support Agency's Handling Of First Family Child Support Financial Arrangements, Donna Stambulich, Julie Ann Pooley, Natalie Gately, Myra Taylor

Research outputs 2012

One in three Australian marriages end in divorce, and over half of such divorces involve children. Research indicates that men tend to repartner within 1 to 2 years of a divorce and women within 3 to 5 years. A significant issue for repartnered men is the provision of financial support for children from both their first and second families. Although only 6% of all Australian first family children spend near/equal time (shared care) after divorce with both parents, fathers in Australia are mandated under child support legislation to provide financial support for their first family children, whether they reside with …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Childfree Choice In A Sample Of Australian Women, Joanne Doyle, Julie Ann Pooley, Lauren Breen

Research outputs 2012

Choosing not to have children is considered a deviation from cultural norms, particularly the dominant pronatalist discourse; this is especially so for women. However, little research has documented the experience of Australian women who have consciously chosen to remain childless. Ten voluntarily childfree women participated in unstructured interviews about their choice and its ramifications. The data analysis revealed three broad themes – the experiences and processes of making the choice; the ongoing effects of their choice, ranging from support and acceptance to pressure and discrimination; and no regret as the women described engaging in meaningful, generative activities that contributed to …

Nature Is Ordinary Too: Raymond Williams As The Founder Of Ecocultural Studies, Rodney Giblett

Research outputs 2012

In a recent article in Cultural Studies, Jennifer Daryl Slack called for the jettisoning of ecocultural studies as an add-on to Cultural Studies and the revitalizing of Cultural Studies with the eco as integral to it. One way I propose of doing so in this article is to revalue and re-establish the beginnings of Cultural Studies, and of ecocultural studies, in the work of Raymond Williams in which both were integral to the other. I call Williams both a founder of Cultural Studies and the founder of ecocriticism and ecocultural studies, though of course he did not use these terms, …

Inhibition Of Protein Translocation At The Endoplasmic Reticulum Promotes Activation Of The Unfolded Protein Response, Craig Mckibbin, Alina Mares, Michela Piacenti, Helen Williams, Peristera Roboti, Marjo Puumalainen, Anna Callan, Karolina Lesiak-Mieczkowska, Stig Linder, Hanna Harant, Stephen High, Sabine Flitsch, Roger Whitehead, Eileithyia Swanton

Research outputs 2012

Selective small-molecule inhibitors represent powerful tools for the dissection of complex biological processes. ESI (eeyarestatin I) is a novel modulator of ER (endoplasmic reticulum) function. In the present study, we show that in addition to acutely inhibiting ERAD (ER-associated degradation), ESI causes production of mislocalized polypeptides that are ubiquitinated and degraded. Unexpectedly, our results suggest that these non-translocated polypeptides promote activation of the UPR (unfolded protein response), and indeed we can recapitulate UPR activation with an alternative and quite distinct inhibitor of ER translocation. These results suggest that the accumulation of non-translocated proteins in the cytosol may represent a novel …

Fire Suppression And Burnt Sediments: Effects On The Water Chemistry Of Fire-Affected Wetlands, David Blake, Hoa Lu, Pierre Horwitz, Mary Boyce

Research outputs 2012

Preventing fire from entering wetland areas during seasonal or prolonged drought, or suppressing fire once it has entered a wetland, requires consideration of the consequences of the fire-management action on water quality. Two approaches can be taken to suppress such fires: chemical fire retardants or the flooding of sediments. We determine a lack of information relating to the effects of these approaches for water quality within fire-affected wetlands. The aim of this study was to gain a preliminary understanding of the effects of three treatments: two chemical treatments and saturation. Microcosms were established to test sediments from a wetland on …

Association Between The G-Protein Β3 Subunit C825t Polymorphism With Essential Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis In Han Chinese Population, Jaipeng Lu, Q Guo, Ling Zhang, Wei Wang

Research outputs 2012

We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the G-protein β3 subunit C825T (GNB3-C825T) polymorphism to essential hypertension (EH) in Han Chinese population by performing meta-analysis. A meta-analysis was performed in 12 case–control genetic association studies including 3,020 hypertension patients and 2,790 controls from MEDLINE (PubMed) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platforms. The STATA 10.0 software was used in analysis. Overall, there was no significant association between the GNB3-C825T polymorphism and EH in neither additive [TT vs. CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.11 (0.74–1.69), P = 0.61; TC vs. CC: OR (95 % CI) = 1.08 (0.89–1.31), P = …

Modeling Of Low Coherence Interferometry Using Broadband Multi-Gaussian Light Sources, Paul Jansz, Steven Richardson, Graham Wild, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs 2012

Using a low coherence interferometry (LCI) model, a comparison of broadband single-Gaussian and multi-Gaussian light sources has been undertaken. For single-Gaussian sources, the axial resolution improves with the source bandwidth, confirming the coherence length relation that the resolution for single Gaussian sources improves with increasing spectral bandwidth. However, narrow bandwidth light sources result in interferograms with overlapping strata peaks and the loss of individual strata information. For multiple-Gaussian sources with the same bandwidth, spectral side lobes increase, reducing A-scan reliability to show accurate layer information without eliminating the side lobes. The simulations show the conditions needed for the resolution of …

Development And Promotion In Translational Medicine: Perspectives From 2012 Sino-American Symposium On Clinical And Translational Medicine, Mengjia Qian, Duojiao Wu, Ena Wang, Francesco Marincola, Wei Wang, William Rhodes, Michael Liebman, Chunxue Bai, Ching-Wan Lam, Gyorgy Marko-Varga, Thomas Fehniger, Roland Andersson, Xiangdong Wang

Research outputs 2012

Background Clinical translational medicine (CTM) is an emerging area comprising multidisciplinary research from basic science to medical applications and entails a close collaboration among hospital, academia and industry. Findings This Session focused discussing on new models for project development and promotion in translational medicine. The conference stimulated the scientific and commercial communication of project development between academies and companies, shared the advanced knowledge and expertise of clinical applications, and created the environment for collaborations. Conclusions Although strategic collaborations between corporate and academic institutions have resulted in a state of resurgence in the market, new cooperation models still need time to …

Optimal Body Size With Respect To Maximal Speed For The Yellow-Spotted Monitor Lizard (Varanus Panoptes; Varanidae), Christofer J. Clemente, Philip C. Withers, Graham Thompson

Research outputs 2012

Studies of locomotor performance often link variation in morphology with ecology. While maximum sprint speed is a commonly used performance variable, the absolute limits for this performance trait are not completely understood. Absolute maximal speed has often been shown to increase linearly with body size, but several comparative studies covering a large range of body sizes suggest that maximal speed does not increase indefinitely with body mass but rather reaches an optimum after which speed declines. Because of the comparative nature of these studies, it is difficult to determine whether this decrease is due to biomechanical constraints on maximal speed …

A Theoretically Grounded Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Transition To Secondary School, Stacey Waters, Leanne Lester, Elizabeth Wenden, Donna Cross

Research outputs 2012

Adolescent development involves a complex interplay between genetics, biology, and social and emotional relationships within multiple contexts of home, school and the broader community. The transition from primary to secondary school, coupled with the onset of puberty, can therefore be a difficult period for young people to negotiate at a critical period of their developmental pathway. Using a social ecological perspective, this article examines the impact of the transition experience on adolescent social and emotional health, both immediately following transition to secondary school and at the end of the first year in this new school environment. This 1-year prospective study …

Anxiety, Depression And Comorbid Anxiety And Depression: Risk Factors And Outcome Over Two Years, Osvaldo Almeida, Brian Draper, Jane Pirkis, John Snowdon, Nicola Lautenschlager, Gerard Byrne, Moira Sim, Nigel Stocks, Ngaire Kerse, Leon Flicker, Jon Pfaff

Research outputs 2012

Background: This study aimed to determine: (1) the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and depression associated with anxiety (DA); (2) the risk factor profile of depression, anxiety, and DA; (3) the course of depression, anxiety, and DA over 24 months. Methods: Two-year longitudinal study of 20,036 adults aged 60+ years. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety subscale to establish the presence of depression and anxiety, and standard procedures to collect demographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, and clinical data. Results: The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and DA was 4.7%, 1.4%, and 1.8%. About 57% of depression …