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2013

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A Robotic Neuro-Musculoskeletal Simulator For Spine Research, Robb W. Colbrunn Jan 2013

A Robotic Neuro-Musculoskeletal Simulator For Spine Research, Robb W. Colbrunn

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An influential conceptual framework advanced by Panjabi represents the living spine as a complex neuromusculoskeletal system whose biomechanical functioning is rather finely dependent upon the interactions among and between three principal subsystems: the passive musculoskeletal subsystem (osteoligamentous spine plus passive mechanical contributions of the muscles), the active musculoskeletal subsystem (muscles and tendons), and the neural and feedback subsystem (neural control centers and feedback elements such as mechanoreceptors located in the soft tissues) [1]. The interplay between subsystems readily encourages "thought experiments" of how pathologic changes in one subsystem might influence another--for example, prompting one to speculate how painful arthritic changes …

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Development Of Quantitative Bioanalytical Methods For The Pharmacological Studies Of Anti-Cancer Drugs, Ye Feng Jan 2013

Development Of Quantitative Bioanalytical Methods For The Pharmacological Studies Of Anti-Cancer Drugs, Ye Feng

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In the anticancer drug discovery and therapy development, it is essential to understand the pharmacological properties of the drugs. Today, pharmaceutical analysis is employed throughout the whole drug discovery and development process. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships are playing an increasingly important role in decisions on the rational development and use of new drugs and they can provide a detailed knowledge of the mechanism of the drug and a better understanding of the molecular targets on which they act. Due to the significance of pharmacological analysis, sensitive analytical methods are critically needed for pharmacological studies. Therefore, our long-term goal is to provide guidelines …

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Optimization Of Gradient Chromatofocusing For The Protein Separation And Lc-Ms/Ms Determination Of Ngp1-01 In Mouse Serum, Brain, And Retina, Harini Jogiraju Jan 2013

Optimization Of Gradient Chromatofocusing For The Protein Separation And Lc-Ms/Ms Determination Of Ngp1-01 In Mouse Serum, Brain, And Retina, Harini Jogiraju

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No abstract provided.

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Factors That Contribute To Effectiveness Of Foster Care Networks In Securing Permanency For Children: An Exploration Of Network Participants' Perceptions In Urban And Rural Settings, Reza M. Khoramshahi Jan 2013

Factors That Contribute To Effectiveness Of Foster Care Networks In Securing Permanency For Children: An Exploration Of Network Participants' Perceptions In Urban And Rural Settings, Reza M. Khoramshahi

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The purpose of this study was to identify possible factors that may contribute to the variations in effectiveness of foster care networks in a rural and an urban Ohio county. The effectiveness of the networks was assessed based on the success of the foster care networks to provide permanency for children who are placed in out-of-home care. For the purpose of this study the foster care network organizations in each county included the child welfare agencies, the juvenile courts, private foster care agencies and foster families. The child welfare agencies in each of Ohio counties operate independently, and their success …

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A Multi-Taxonomic Approach To Assess The Impact Of Overabundant White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Forest Ecosystems Across Northeast Ohio, Sara A. Laux Jan 2013

A Multi-Taxonomic Approach To Assess The Impact Of Overabundant White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Forest Ecosystems Across Northeast Ohio, Sara A. Laux

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Browsing by white-tailed deer has alters plant species diversity of the forest understory across much of North America. A reduced understory may lead to the simplification of the forest-floor microhabitat, causing broad scale shifts in the community composition and abundance of litter-dwelling arthropods and small mammals. The objectives of this study were to 1) document changes in the forest-floor microhabitat as a result of over-browsing by deer and 2) determine if differential browsing pressures indirectly affect faunal biodiversity (litter-dwelling arthropods and small mammals) of forest ecosystems. I predicted that browsing within the understory will reduce structural complexity of the forest-floor …

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The Influence Of State-Level Renewable Energy Policy Instruments On Electricity Generation In The United States :;A Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis, Sunjoo Park Jan 2013

The Influence Of State-Level Renewable Energy Policy Instruments On Electricity Generation In The United States :;A Cross-Sectional Time Series Analysis, Sunjoo Park

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Since the late 1990s, state governments in the U.S. have diversified policy instruments for encouraging the electric power industry to deploy renewable sources for electricity generation. While observing the increasing number of new renewable energy policies at the state level governments, this study raised two research questions: (1) how do state governments intervene in the renewable energy market? and (2) how do various policy approaches taken by state governments affect renewable energy development? To answer for these questions, this study attempts to identify the trends and variations in renewable energy policy designs among states in terms of the combination of …

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Gradient Chromatofocusing And Reversed Phase Hplc In Protein Analysis And Lc-Ms/Ms Determination Of Thiazolidinedione Nl-1 In Mouse Serum And Brain, Kiran K. Pedada Jan 2013

Gradient Chromatofocusing And Reversed Phase Hplc In Protein Analysis And Lc-Ms/Ms Determination Of Thiazolidinedione Nl-1 In Mouse Serum And Brain, Kiran K. Pedada

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No abstract provided.

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Treatment Outcomes Of The Summer Treatment Program For Children With Adhd And Comorbid Mental Health Diagnoses, Anthony Regis Pizzuti Jan 2013

Treatment Outcomes Of The Summer Treatment Program For Children With Adhd And Comorbid Mental Health Diagnoses, Anthony Regis Pizzuti

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Although there is substantial support for the efficacy of the Summer Treatment Program (Pelham, Gnagy et al., 2010) for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), limited research has evaluated whether children diagnosed with additional mental health disorders (comorbidity) show positive outcomes and improvements when exposed to an intensive behavior program such as the Summer Treatment Program (STP). Furthermore, there is no research available that shows whether children from differing ages or gender who are diagnosed with additional mental health disorders (comorbidity) show improvements over the course of treatment. With such limited research, this study investigated a few of …

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Development Of Lc-Ms/Ms Methods For Quantitative Analysis Of Plant-Derived Anticancer Agent And Synthetic Estrogen In Complex Matrices, Simuli Lindah Wabuyele Jan 2013

Development Of Lc-Ms/Ms Methods For Quantitative Analysis Of Plant-Derived Anticancer Agent And Synthetic Estrogen In Complex Matrices, Simuli Lindah Wabuyele

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No abstract provided.

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Radial Diffusion Of Florescein Molecules (376 Da) In Canine Bone Tissue, Daniel O'Conor Jan 2013

Radial Diffusion Of Florescein Molecules (376 Da) In Canine Bone Tissue, Daniel O'Conor

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No abstract provided.

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Lipid Production By Scenedesmus Dimorphus: Comparison Of Extraction Techniques And Effect Of Sodium Nitrate Concentration, Bahareh Kanani Jan 2013

Lipid Production By Scenedesmus Dimorphus: Comparison Of Extraction Techniques And Effect Of Sodium Nitrate Concentration, Bahareh Kanani

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No abstract provided.

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Ph-Responsive Elastin-Like Polypeptides With Different Configurations, Mingjie Tang Jan 2013

Synthesis And Characterization Of Ph-Responsive Elastin-Like Polypeptides With Different Configurations, Mingjie Tang

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Elastin-like polypeptides (ELP) are environmentally responsive polymers that exhibit phase transition behavior in response to various stimuli such as temperature, pH and irradiation. In this work, we focused on pH-responsive ELPs. It has been shown that pH value, configurations of ELPs, ELP concentration, and salt concentration can impact the phase transition behavior of pH-responsive ELPs. Quantitative models have been developed to engineer various linear ELPs, but there has not been any detailed study for engineering ionizable ELP with non-linear configurations. In this study, we designed, synthesized, and characterized pH-responsive ELPs with two different configurations. One is linear ELP, (GVGVPGEGVPGVGVP)12, and …

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Singing Behavior And Geographic Variation In The Songs Of The Veery (Catharus Fuscescens) Across The Appalachian Mountains, Courtney L. Brennan Jan 2013

Singing Behavior And Geographic Variation In The Songs Of The Veery (Catharus Fuscescens) Across The Appalachian Mountains, Courtney L. Brennan

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The Veery (Catharus fuscescens) is a common Neotropical migrant thrush whose breeding distribution spans the Northern United States and southern Canada and continues south through the high elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. Despite its wide distribution, many aspects of Veery biology are largely unknown, including a clear characterization of song and knowledge of geographic song variation. I describe the song structure, repertoire size, and patterns of song delivery in the songs of the Veery and describe geographic song variation across four regions along the Appalachian Mountains. Visual analysis of song spectrogram images of territorial males revealed that Veeries' repertoire ranges …

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Emerging Imagery: The Great Famine In Nineteenth Century Irish Lit, Barbara A. Pitrone Jan 2013

Emerging Imagery: The Great Famine In Nineteenth Century Irish Lit, Barbara A. Pitrone

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The critical debate surrounding the Great Famine in Irish Literature centers on the notion of a perceived silence. While some scholars claim that there is a literary void in Irish Literature following this cataclysmic event, others wonder whether language is even capable of describing the extreme physical, emotional, and psychological suffering that is inflicted upon the victims when such tragedies occur. Centuries of imperialism and colonialism had created a class divide so wide and an Irish economy so fragile that when a calamity such as famine occurred, it was the poverty-stricken, predominately Irish-Catholic peasantry that suffered most. Poor and illiterate, …

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Assessment Of Verbal And Nonverbal Memory And Learning In Abstinent Alcoholics, Alyson L. Phelan Jan 2013

Assessment Of Verbal And Nonverbal Memory And Learning In Abstinent Alcoholics, Alyson L. Phelan

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Neuropsychological performance was measured in chronic alcoholics who maintained abstinence for at least six months and with matched controls. Specifically, measures of verbal memory were assessed utilizing the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and measures of nonverbal memory with the Rey Osterreith Complex Figure Test (ROCF) and a new measure, the Poreh Nonverbal Memory Test (PNMT). In addition, both the RAVLT and the PNMT provide a measure of operationalized learning, as they are multi-trial tasks utilizing five trials to assess recall in each trial. Verbal memory includes the ability to encode, store and retrieve information for words, language and …

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Induction Of Liver Abcg5/Abcg8 Expression Is An Important Determinant Of The Macrophage-To-Feces Reverse Cholesterol Transport Response To Treatment With Ezetimibe, Jessica B. Altemus Jan 2013

Induction Of Liver Abcg5/Abcg8 Expression Is An Important Determinant Of The Macrophage-To-Feces Reverse Cholesterol Transport Response To Treatment With Ezetimibe, Jessica B. Altemus

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Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) consists of the transfer of cholesterol from peripheral tissues for excretion in the feces. The RCT from macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions is an important determinant of arterial wall atherosclerotic lesion formation. Previous studies by our group have shown that treatment with ezetimibe (EZ), a potent inhibitor of cholesterol absorption from the intestine, results in a 2-6 fold increase in RCT. To determine whether EZ may increase RCT by mechanisms that are independent of its well established cholesterol absorption inhibitory effects, we examined the expression of genes involved in the RCT pathway in the jejunum and liver …

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Path Planning And Evolutionary Optimization Of Wheeled Robots, Daljeet Singh Jan 2013

Path Planning And Evolutionary Optimization Of Wheeled Robots, Daljeet Singh

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Probabilistic roadmap methods (PRM) have been a well-known solution for solving motion planning problems where we have a fixed set of start and goal configurations in a workspace. We define a configuration space with static obstacles. We implement PRM to find a feasible path between start and goal for car-like robots. We further extend the concept of path planning by incorporating evolutionary optimization algorithms to tune the PRM parameters. The theory is demonstrated with simulations and experiments. Our results show that there is a significant improvement in the performance metrics of PRM after optimizing the PRM parameters using biogeography-based optimization, …

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Automated Spectral Identification Of Materials Using Spectral Identity Mapping, Robert William Cannon Jan 2013

Automated Spectral Identification Of Materials Using Spectral Identity Mapping, Robert William Cannon

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With increased use of Raman spectroscopic instrumentation for material analysis there has also been an increase in the amount of acquired Raman spectral data. Because of this, there is a clear need to develop and implement advanced spectral analysis techniques. This is especially true in cases where limited reference data may be available and large data sets need to be interpreted. Raman spectral analysis and standardization techniques, along with a foundation for a comprehensive repository of Raman spectral data, will be described in this thesis. The main focus will be automated analysis and standardization of Raman spectral data using spectral …

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The Effects Of Urban Land Use On Wasps: (Hymenoptera: Apocrita), Klaire Elise Freeman Jan 2013

The Effects Of Urban Land Use On Wasps: (Hymenoptera: Apocrita), Klaire Elise Freeman

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For the first time in human history, more than half of the human population lives in urban areas (Pickett et al 2011). It is essential that research occurs in urban ecosystems understanding both the biological and social aspects of urban ecosystems is needed for the sustainable management of urban ecosystems (Angold et al. 2006, Fetridge et al. 2008, Loram et al. 2008, Matteson et al. 2008, McIntyre 2000, Picket et al 2011, Pickett et al 2001, Sumoski et al. 2009) This study examines the role of insects, specifically wasps, in urban gardens and vacant lots in Cleveland, Ohio. This study …

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Responses To Low Double-Strand Break Levels In Budding Yeast Meiosis, Scott A. Gaskell Jan 2013

Responses To Low Double-Strand Break Levels In Budding Yeast Meiosis, Scott A. Gaskell

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During meiosis, one round of DNA replication is followed by two rounds of chromosome segregation, producing four haploid gametes from each diploid precursor cell. Self-inflicted DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) occur in prophase of meiosis I. A subset of DSBs are repaired using the homologous chromosome as template for homologous recombination, generating crossovers/chiasmata. When processing of DSBs is defective, the recombination checkpoint delays onset of the first meiotic cell division. Here, I have investigated mechanisms by which the budding yeast S. cerevisiae responds to low levels of initiating DSBs. A novel checkpoint is identified that is specifically triggered by low DSB …

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Assessment Of Freshwater Mussel Communities Of Small Stream Mouths Along Lake Erie, Trevor J. Prescott Jan 2013

Assessment Of Freshwater Mussel Communities Of Small Stream Mouths Along Lake Erie, Trevor J. Prescott

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Invasion of lakes and rivers by dreissenid mussels pushed out native species, particularly freshwater mussels in the Unionidae, across the northern hemisphere, and perhaps most infamously, within the Laurentian Great Lakes. However, several coastal areas along the shallowest of these lakes, Lake Erie, may be refugia for native species, but the conditions under which native species persist are unknown. I surveyed river mouths of small streams along the Lake Erie coastline and compared species abundance to land use assessed by remote sensing techniques and to standard measures of water chemistry. Sampling focused on stream zones influenced by lake-water levels for …

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Bioinformatic Analysis And In Vitro Expression Of Malaria Parasite Translocon And Ribonuclease Binding-Like Rhoptry Genes, Moses Z. Timta Jan 2013

Bioinformatic Analysis And In Vitro Expression Of Malaria Parasite Translocon And Ribonuclease Binding-Like Rhoptry Genes, Moses Z. Timta

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Malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium, still remains a significant public health problem worldwide, due to lack of a vaccine and emerging drug and insecticide resistance, among malaria parasites and mosquito vectors, respectively. Rhoptry proteins of Plasmodium enable merozoite invasion of host erythrocytes. However, only a few of these proteins have been characterized. Thirty-six P. yoelii merozoite rhoptry proteins were identified as putative rhoptry proteins by proteome analysis. Some of these proteins have been characterized while others still remain an intense area of active research. Molecular characterization and understanding of these novel proteins may assist in vaccine development, design of …

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Scaffold Composition And Architecture Critically Regulate Extracellular Matrix Synthesis By Cardiomyocytes, Arsela Gishto Jan 2013

Scaffold Composition And Architecture Critically Regulate Extracellular Matrix Synthesis By Cardiomyocytes, Arsela Gishto

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Heart failure accounts for over 5 million cases in the U.S. A major onset of this is myocardial infarction, which causes the myocardium to loose cardiomyocytes and transform into a scar tissue. Given that the adult infarcted cardiac tissue has a limited ability to regenerate, alternative methods to restore the damaged area need to be developed. The goal of these approaches is to design an optimal scaffold that can retain and deliver cardiomyocytes at the site of damaged myocardium. This tissue engineering approach would allow cardiac reconstruction by replacing the lost cardiomyocytes, delivering the required biomolecules, as well as remodeling …

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A Microfluidic Platform To Quantify Spatio-Temporal Diffusion Of Chemo-Gradients Within 3d Scaffolds: Applications In Axonal Biology, Michael A. Sawonik Jan 2013

A Microfluidic Platform To Quantify Spatio-Temporal Diffusion Of Chemo-Gradients Within 3d Scaffolds: Applications In Axonal Biology, Michael A. Sawonik

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Axonal outgrowth and guidance play an important role in wiring the developing and regenerating nervous system. The critical role of biomolecular gradients in facilitating this axonal sensitivity and directionality along specific trajectories needs to be elucidated for designing effective therapeutic treatments under injury or disease conditions. However, previous in vitro approaches based on micropipette assay or gel-turning assay proved to be unsuitable or inefficient for precise generation and quantification of diffusive gradients. In this study, we utilized a microfluidic device to generate and quantify physiologically-relevant biomolecular gradients in a simple and reliable manner. Using a combination of computational and experimental …

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Nos Oxygenase-Mediated Nitroalkane Catalytic Reduction: Impact On Nos Reaction, Praneeth Ivan Joel Fnu Jan 2013

Nos Oxygenase-Mediated Nitroalkane Catalytic Reduction: Impact On Nos Reaction, Praneeth Ivan Joel Fnu

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Organic nitroalkanes are used in many industries and for a variety of purposes. Their use is expanding and is steadily claiming new territories in our immediate environment. Some nitroalkanes, when they enter the human body, can be harmful as such or can be activated to generate reactive intermediates with known detrimental effects. P450 enzymes are known for metabolizing a variety of drugs and substances including organic nitroalkanes. Nitric oxide synthases (NOS) exhibit some similarities to P450 metalloenzymes and their potential interaction with nitroalkanes as xenobiotics is not well known. The present study investigates the effect of nitroalkanes on the catalytic …

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The Trope Of Domesticity: Neo-Slave Narrative Satire On Patriarchy And Black Masculinity, Darrell E. Coleman Jan 2013

The Trope Of Domesticity: Neo-Slave Narrative Satire On Patriarchy And Black Masculinity, Darrell E. Coleman

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The tradition of African-American satire developed from within the African village, provided a creative model of uncensored rhetorical criticism from within the limited discursive terrains of antebellum slavery to well into today's African-American artists' often satiric descriptions of contemporary society. Evolved from the nineteenth centuries first-person slave narrative, the impulse of the neo-slave narrative is two fold: (1) cultural (re) appropriation of the dominant mythology, to correct the plantation pastoral, which had really been out there since 1870 to the 20th century (e.g., Gone with the Wind and The Song of the South), thus to recapture the image of the …

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The Objectification Of Women In Cane, Claudia M. Davis Jan 2013

The Objectification Of Women In Cane, Claudia M. Davis

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This thesis examines Jean Toomer's Cane (1923) from a feminist perspective. Using Laura Mulvey's film theory of the "male gaze", it repurposes it and uses the theory from a literary standpoint. Throughout this thesis, many different aspects are examined including the character interaction within the stories, the use of the narrative "I" and its overarching implications, audience participation with regard to voyeurism and Toomer's paradoxical stance on the objectification of women. Toomer writes about the women in Cane in a sexually explicit fashion, but does so in order to draw attention to the gaze and criticize it. As the vignettes …

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Aerodynamics And Dysphagia, Mariam Baig Jan 2013

Aerodynamics And Dysphagia, Mariam Baig

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This study investigated the influence of aerodynamic measures of Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) and the S/Z ratio on swallowing. Twelve individuals were examined, six with a diagnosis of dysphagia, and six as a control group. The study hypothesized that (1) there would be a reduced MPT in the dysphagic group compared to the control (2) there would be an S/Z ratio greater than 1.0 in the dysphagic group. The rationale for this study was that since MPT and S/Z measures are easily administered, they may prove to be useful, non-invasive, inexpensive tools to predict a patient's potential risk for aspiration. …

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Fighting The Germans. Fighting The Germs: Cleveland's Response To The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu Epidemic, Haakon Bjoershol Jan 2013

Fighting The Germans. Fighting The Germs: Cleveland's Response To The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu Epidemic, Haakon Bjoershol

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Epidemics and disease are often overlooked in historical inquiries. This is unfortunate for a number of reasons. First of all, people's beliefs about what causes disease, as well as their ideas about how to respond to disease, are intrinsically linked to culture, philosophical convictions, and identity. Secondly, the ways a society respond to disease and epidemics largely reflect existing ideologies, values, social structures, and various needs and interests. In short, medical history is a tremendously helpful lens for studying political, economic, social, and ideological aspects of cultures and societies.This thesis looks at Cleveland's response to the 1918-19 Spanish Influenza epidemic. …

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Identification Of New Genes Involved In Meiosis By A Genetic Screen, Sneharthi Banerjee Jan 2013

Identification Of New Genes Involved In Meiosis By A Genetic Screen, Sneharthi Banerjee

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Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains a group of proteins named ZMM that constitutes a link between recombination and Synaptonemal Complex (SC) assembly. Yeast mutants that lack ZMM proteins have defects in recombination, SC formation and nuclear division progression. Meiotic cell cycle progression in zmm mutants is modulated by temperature. This conditional behavior is different at high and low temperatures. In my work so far, I have tried to identify new zmm-like genes involved in meiosis. To that end, I have carried out a genome-wide screen in the budding yeast S. cerevisiae. I have identified sporulation temperature sensitive zmm-like truncation mutants …

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