Digital Commons Network^™

Early Life Stress, Drug Abuse, Exercise Effects On Bdnf And Sex-Influenced Exercise Differences, Karissa Dold

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

In 2011, the U.S. reported 3 million child maltreatment cases, an uncomfortably high but recurring figure each year. Research shows exposure to early life stress (ELS) increases an individual’s susceptibility to substance abuse, specifically of nicotine, alcohol, and cocaine. Increased susceptibility may result from dysregulation of the HPA axis sustaining activation into adulthood after ELS. Hyperactivation of the HPA axis significantly reduces hippocampal BDNF, a neurotrophin involved in neuronal growth and plasticity. Reduced hippocampal BDNF may be a factor in substance abuse vulnerability. Additionally, research shows exercise protects hippocampal BDNF from stress induced down-regulation. To explore these relationships, this study …

The Effects Of Nickel Chloride Stress On Freshwater Cyanobacterium Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Brian Nohomovich

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Contestatory Democracy And The Interpretation Of Popular Initiatives, Glen Staszewski

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Open Source Synthetic Biology: Problems And Solutions, Ethan R. Fitzpatrick

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Acute Inflammatory Response In A Diabetic Alzheimer’S Disease Model, Krystal Courtney D. Belmonte, Jefferson Kinney

McNair Poster Presentations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 50 to 80 percent of all dementia cases. This neurodegenerative disease leads to neuronal death and tissue loss in the brain, resulting in the slow deterioration of memory, thinking skills, and eventually even the ability perform daily tasks. While it is not a normal part of aging, AD is mostly diagnosed in people over the age of 65; thus, the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is increased age, though it is most likely other additional factors also contribute (Heese & Akatsu, 2006). Neuropathological hallmarks of AD include …

Investigation Of The Protective Effects Of L-Carnitine And L-Arginine On Cardiovascular Changes Induced By Acth And Dexamethasone In Rabbits, Bi̇rkan Topçu, Metehan Uzun

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To determine the protective effects of L-carnitine on cardiovascular changes that may occur in rabbits treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and dexamethasone (DEX). Materials and methods: Rabbits of equal weight were divided into 7 groups with 6 animals in each. Blood samples were collected from all groups on days 1, 7, and 14, and blood pressure values and ECG monitoring were recorded. Nitric oxide (NO), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), and troponin I (TnI) levels were determined in blood samples. Heart rate, QT, and corrected QT (QTc) values were calculated from ECG records. Results: The QT and QTc times were prolonged …

Retrospective Evaluation Of 104 Tinea Capitis Cases, Ömer Çalka, Serap Güneş Bi̇lgi̇li̇, Ayşe Serap Karadağ, Sevda Önder

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Tinea capitis is a superficial scalp dermatophyte infection. Tinea capitis is particularly seen during childhood and is not usually seen after puberty. In untreated cases, it can be contagious and can progress to cicatricial alopecia. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate cases of tinea capitis. Materials and methods: We evaluated 104 tinea capitis patients presenting to our dermatology clinic between 2007 and 2011. Results: Of these patients, 38 (36.5%) were female and 66 (63.5%) were male. The median age was 6.41 ± 3.4 years (range: 1-18 years old). The clinical types appearing in descending order were tinea capitis profunda (88.5%), …

Seasonal Resource Selection, Site-Specific Brood Predictors, And Nest Characteristics Of Greater Prairie-Chicken Hens In Northwestern Minnesota, Nathaniel Emery

Theses and Dissertations

Greater prairie-chickens, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, are in decline across the majority of their already receding range due to changing land use patterns and habitat fragmentation. The Agassiz Beach Ridge region of northwestern Minnesota harbors one of the only sustained to increasing populations of prairie-chickens in the country due to the conversion of marginal agricultural lands to grasslands and through conservation entities securing tracts of land allowing for habitat stability and dispersal.

Nesting and brood-rearing habitats are the most limiting factors for population sustainability. Hens were marked with radio transmitters on booming grounds and at nest sites discovered by nest-dragging. Their …

The Influence Of Television And Film On Interest In Space And Science, Katrina Marie Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment media has the great potential to inspire interest in the topics it presents. The purpose of this study is to better understand how entertainment media contributes to people's interests in space and science. There is a huge variety of science communication topics in previous literature, some of which deals with television and film, but very little that specifically study how television and film can inspire interest. A historical review of pioneers in the space industry shows that many were inspired by entertainment media, which at the time consisted of science fiction novels and magazines. In order to explore the …

Role Of The Alzheimer's Amyloid Precursor Protein In High Fat Diet Induced Obesity And Regulating Macrophage Phenotype, Kendra L. Puig

Theses and Dissertations

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) derived amyloid beta peptides have been extensively investigated in Alzheimer's disease pathology of the brain. However, the function of full length APP in the central nervous system remains unclear. Even less is known about the behavior of this ubiquitously expressed protein and it metabolites outside of the central nervous system. Therefore, we sought to broaden our understanding of the expression and function of APP and its proteolytic fragments in specific non-neuronal tissues. Although the majority of research effort is currently focused on neuronal amyloid beta production and its effects on cells, prior work in our lab …

Information Overload: The Effects Of Advertising Avoidance On Brand Awareness In An Online Environment, Gregory David Salyer

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

When information overload occurs, an individual consumes information at the expense of other information. Advertising avoidance, or banner blindness, is a protective mechanism that can be triggered when an individual receives too high an informational load. This study uses methods developed from information overload theory, selective attention studies, information entropy and information redundancy to seek the connection between information overload and banner blindness. In aiming to measure the overall effect that these two phenomena have on brand awareness and individual’s ability to recall an ad from a web browsing session, this study relies on prior work in the area of …

Diplomatic Communication In Response To Religious Conflict, Kim Alba

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a strategy for diplomatic dialogue in response to religious conflict. Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramatism provides a means of rhetorical evaluation on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s response to the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that were widely seen as caused in some way by an anti-Islam video published online on YouTube. The study discusses how Clinton’s use of identification and division is used in diplomatic dialogue in order to resolve the differences caused by religious conflict, specifically in a speech at the U.S.-Morocco Strategic Dialogue on September 13, …

Part One: An Instructional Module Template For Orientation To The Situated Practice Of Oral Communication Online In The Community College, Martha A. Lane

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

The community college serves a diverse student population with numerous programs and degrees designed to complete general education requirements and prepare students for job placement. As these students enter their anticipated occupation, most are unprepared for the oral skill requirements of their new job. They lack confidence to navigate any number of scenarios demanding interpersonal poise, teamwork, conflict resolution, presentation skills, and other occupation-specific speaking tasks. Since many of these degrees and certificates are offered partially or completely online, this Project presents a practical means of introducing speaking skills into the coursework of the growing online learning environment. The research …

Empathy During Times Of Crisis And Corporate Reputation, Ann T. Gallagher

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

How an organization responds to victims is central to crisis communication management and protecting organizational reputation. While there is significant literature about best practices for crisis response, one area which has not been explored is the relationship of empathic communication and corporate reputation during times of conflict. This study examined this relationship through a study of the British Petroleum Gulf Oil crisis of 2010. The qualitative study used focus groups with working professionals and personal interviews with communication experts. The research is grounded in Coombs’ (1998) Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT), and Benoit’s (1977) image restoration theory, which is used …

African-American Communication Within Corporate America: Challenges In Leadership, Jade D. Johnson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on African-American communication and the role that it plays in the gap in African-American leadership within the corporate America environment. The thesis evidences numerous former studies around African-American communication practices and the impacts within the corporate sphere. Furthermore, the literature review includes the philosophical foundations that the larger body is based on. For instance, the thesis is using the egalitarianism philosophy of thought. From this perspective, the recommendations are examined through the lens that “basic institutions of society are charged with the task of advancing the interests of all members of society equally” (Christiano, 2008, p. 12). …

Multitasking And Communication In The Organization, Cayla A. Stephenson

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Because communication is an intricate part of how an organization works, and because organizations and employees alike are stressing the importance of multitasking on the job, studying the interaction of communication and multitasking is increasingly important. Studies relating to multitasking have revealed primarily negative impacts: doubling task completion time, overstimulating our brains to the point of dysfunction, generally diminishing our productivity, and extinguishing our stimuli filters and damaging our memories. Other studies show that we can use multitasking in a positive way by utilizing task trainings and practicing focused task completion. The study here completed two focus groups with 12 …

The Power Of Shame: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Social And Cultural Expectations Communicated In Media, Sarah Tovah Matz

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Shame is an inescapable human feeling, and its impacts on human interaction are well documented. This thesis focuses on the power of symbolic shame in media and presents a critical discourse analysis (Machin & Mayr, 2012) of three recent public service announcements. As a theoretical basis, the study examines shame from point of view of ritual communication, framing theory, and the symbolic communication of stigma. Although shame is often regarded as an effective means to communicate social and cultural expectations and a tool for balancing behavior in society, shame may also be used to create structures of power and agendas …

You Really Like Me: Dialogic Social Media Use In Organizational Communication, Heidi Lee Keller

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Social media is an interactive communication tool with the potential to strengthen organization-member relationships and contribute toward the achievement of organizational goals. Yet many nonprofit organizations use social media for one-way information delivery and do not take advantage of its dialogic potential. This study aims to contribute to the business case for investing in dialogic social media. Three nonprofit organizations that use social media dialogically were studied to identify the factors that set them apart from others. Walther’s social information processing theory (1993) and Buber’s philosophy of dialogue as a relational form of communication (Arnett, Grayson, & McDowell, 2008) were …

Performing Communication Without Words: A Dramaturgical Exploration Of Communication Between Caregivers And Children Who Are Nonverbal, Sara Mcgerald

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

Recognizing that human communication is highly expressive and it does not cease to exist if an individual is not able to produce spoken language, this thesis is an exploratory ethnographic study which seeks to utilize a dramaturgical perspective in identifying the function and structure of communication between children who are nonverbal (with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy) and their caregivers (Brissett & Edgley, 2009). The main informants for this study were two sets of parents with children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, who agreed to participate in twenty hours of engagement, which included direct interviews, observation, and personal interaction. The study …

The Intrapersonal Phenomenon: The Interactional Effects Of Intrapersonal Adjustments In The Organizational Change Of A Small Business, Jennifer Wilkes

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

It is inevitable that change involves varying levels of communication. A relationship may consist of an individual's communication with one's self or with one or more persons. The functionality of a relationship depends on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the communication of those individuals involved. When change is necessary in any form of organization, the level of communication for each member plays a vital role, especially in a small company. Based on literature and theory, intrapersonal development and influence relies on the structure of one's cultural language. Language structure shapes one's inner speech and self-talk through processes of internalization. The …

A Thomistic Understanding Of Happiness, Christian Stephens

Theses

Imagine that extra-terrestrial researchers land on Earth with the mission of studying humanity. As part of their expedition they wish to sit in on one University Degree, but are unsure of which degree to choose. So they decide to carry out a survey, asking each individual human what it is they want in life. Based on the results, the aliens will then study the appropriate field. After conducting the survey and processing the data, they come to the conclusion that humans highly regard this thing called happiness.1 The Head Researchers unanimously decide that a ‘degree in happiness’ is in order. …

The Impact Of Domestic Violence Upon Default From Colposcopy Services, Rachael R. Collier

Theses

This thesis explores a possible mechanism by which the presence of domestic violence may lead to poorer health outcomes in women. Whilst the cost and impact of domestic violence in the literature has been well documented, it is less clear exactly ‘how’ domestic violence leads to the reported variety of adverse health outcomes. The key hypothesis in this thesis is that the health impact of domestic violence is partly mediated through failure of affected women to attend for treatment and follow up. This then results in their poorer health outcomes.

Muted Women In American Political Discourse: Quieting The Loud Silence, Constance Michelle Skingel

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the way women are denied an equal voice in American politics through disparities in our language structure and overt sexism. This thesis begins with a review of the literature which discusses the need for an equitable and just society and how the underlying structure of our language system is flawed in such a way that it subjugates women and inhibits the development of such a society. This is followed by a brief summary of why it is necessary for us to examine this societal disparity from the perspective of women themselves. This thesis uses a pentadic analysis …

Music Industry Market Research - The Effect Of Cover Artwork On The Music Industry, Kendall Cook

Graphic Communication

The creation and use of the Internet has revolutionized the marketing and consumption of music in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Past and current marketing tactics were researched to see why the music industry has declined in sales in recent years. Cover art has been apart of the traditional marketing of tangible goods such as vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and other media. It grabs the attention of the consumer and is their first impression of the album. The Internet has utilized cover art, but not in the same manner. It exists but is not widespread. This theory to …

Preparing Graduate Students For Graduate-Level Study And Research, Katherine O'Clair

Library Scholarship

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a graduate level course in information research for thesis‐based Master's degree students in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University for which the College Librarian served as the instructor of record. It also seeks to report the results of research conducted to investigate the impact of the course and its effect on graduate student confidence and preparedness. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were used to measure student perception of their confidence and preparedness for graduate study and research before and after completing a for‐credit course. Findings – Students' self‐perceived …

Undue Process At The Fda, Lisa Heinzerling

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

For over 40 years, the Food and Drug Administration has been collecting evidence that the routine administration of antibiotics to animals destined for the food supply contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant infections in the human population. For all these years, the FDA has put off acting with any force on this health risk. The agency’s explanation has been that the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires it to hold time- and resource-intensive formal hearings before it can withdraw approvals for antibiotics used for the purposes of promoting growth and preventing infection in food animals. In so arguing, the FDA …

Illuminations 2013, Edison State College

Illuminations

Illuminations: FSW's undergraduate journal of art and literature. 2013.

The Day The Hunter’S Saved The Species, Brian Davis

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Three Strikes, Yet They Keep On Swinging: Athletes And Domestic Violence, Victoria Lucido

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Distribution Characteristics And Ecology Of The Near Shore Marine Finfish Assemblage Inhabiting Northeastern U.S. Waters, Ethan Dwight Estey

Open Access Dissertations

While the near shore marine environment has been demonstrated to be a productive habitat, little is known about this finfish resource in this habitat in the northeastern U.S. This is primarily due to the difficulties of sampling in this environment, high variability in fish distributions, and lack of a standardized sampling approach, so as to be able to compare different studies. The focus of this work is to better understand the ecology of the near shore marine finfish distribution in the northeastern U.S. This is accomplished through identifying the finfish species inhabiting the surf zone environment and providing a description …