Digital Commons Network^™

Inhibition Of Pathological Connexin26 Hemichannels Implicated In Keratitis-Ichthyosis-Deafness Syndrome, Noah Alexander Levit

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

Connexin (Cx) proteins form intercellular gap junction channels to facilitate the exchange of ions and second messengers between adjacent cells. Mutations in connexins cause several human diseases by interrupting cell-to-cell communication and coupling. Connexins also form functional hemichannels in nonjunctional membranes that have an unclear role in normal physiology but have altered activity in pathological states. Mutations in GJB2, the gene encoding connexin26 (Cx26), are linked to sensorineural hearing loss as well as syndromic deafness associated with skin disorders. In contrast to Cx26 mutations causing nonsyndromic deafness, those that also cause skin disease are exclusively gain-of-function single amino acid changes …

Modeling Intra-Day Markets With An Application Of Risk Management And Optimal Order Execution, Yikang Chai

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

Financial time series data exhibits heavy tailed, volatility clustering and long range dependence style facts. Traditional Gaussian distribution assumption based model failed to explain these phenomena. A unified framework model proposed in this thesis, fractionally integrated autoregressive moving average (FARIMA) and fractionally integrated generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (FIGARCH) with multivariate generalized hyperbolic distribution (MGHD), trying to capture all these phenomena together. We also examined this model by using intra-day market dataset to backtest of various risk measure. With rise of high frequency trading and algorithm trading in recent years, trading volume hugely increased and markets became more volatile. Order execution …

Beyond Fit2d: Calculating Intensity Errors For Data Analysis Of X-Ray Synchrotron Powder Diffraction Data, Melissa Sims

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

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction is used to investigate mineral structures. Accurate analysis of the results is limited by intensity errors caused by the experimental setup, sample, and detector. These include high intensity spikes, dead pixels, beam stop shadow, single crystal spots, and poor powder statistics, and they all contribute to the background uncertainty within powder diffraction datasets. The errors must be either quantified or removed. Due to the intrinsically low peak-to-background ratios of measured intensities in experiments at non-ambient conditions, the intensity errors are usually overestimated in subsequent Rietveld refinement; leading to unrealistically low uncertainties in the refined structural parameters. FIT2D, …

Structure Prediction Of Carbon Dioxide Hydrate And Xenon Hydrate, Hongfei Xu

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

Gas hydrate technology is one of research focus in recent years, and can be applied to solve problems in energy, environment, and other areas. Previous views had been that most gas hydrates decompose into gas and water (or ice) under 1 GPa or so, thus, research on hydrate structures in past few decades were conducted under low pressure conditions. Recent studies have shown the possibility that new structures of gas hydrate may exist under higher pressure, and this thesis aims to explore the structures of hydrate in carbon dioxide-water system and xenon-water system with the application of high pressure. The …

Submarine Groundwater Discharge As An Integral Environmental " Currency" Limiting Population And Development Within The Ecosphere Of Small Islands., Ruth Coffey

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

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) from oceanic islands has been estimated to contribute over a third of the global SGD due to orographic precipitation, short aquifer pathways and poorly developed surface drainage. This seepage of groundwater across the sea floor connects land and coastal ocean resources, and is hereby proposed as a parameter to evaluate the interconnections between coastal environmental quality and coastal populations and development. Relatively few islands have been studied, but SGD is typically found to be an important, and often the only, source of nutrients to coastal waters. Freshwater and its pollutant load are delivered to the coastal …

Damage And Alteration Of Mangroves Inhabited By A Marine Wood-Borer, Timothy Mathias Davidson, Catherine E. De Rivera, Hwey-Lian Hsieh

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Animals can exert a strong influence on the structure and function of foundation species such as mangroves. Because mangroves live at the interface of land and sea, both terrestrial and marine species affect them, including numerous herbivores and boring species. These organisms can affect the fecundity, performance, and morphology of mangroves. In a mangrove stand in southwestern Taiwan, we discovered that mangroves were extensively damaged by woodboring isopods Sphaeroma terebrans. We examined the relationships between burrowing damage from S. terebrans and metrics of mangrove fecundity, performance, and morphology. Individuals of Rhizophora stylosa that were more burrowed by isopods had significantly …

Bhaskara’S Approximation For The Sine, Karel Stroethoff

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The 7th century Indian mathematician Bhaskara (c.600 – c.680) obtained a remarkable approximation for the sine function. Many subsequent ancient authors have given versions of this rule, but none provided a proof or described how the result was obtained. Grover [1] provides a possible explanation, but I think the rule can be explained more clearly. Rather than give the rule first, we will derive it, and then discuss its accuracy, and explore some alternative approximations. Our derivation is simply an exercise in modeling.

Numerically Integrating Irregularly-Spaced (X, Y) Data, B. Cameron Reed

The Mathematics Enthusiast

This article describes a computer program for numerically integrating under a y(x) curve of experimental data where the abscissa values are not equally-spaced. This technique is based on fitting parabolas to successive groups of three data points, and may be regarded as a generalization of Simpson’s rule.

Math As A Tool Of Anti-Semitism, Jay Egenhoff

The Mathematics Enthusiast

At Moscow State University’s Department of Mathematics during the 1970’s and 1980’s, there was rampant discrimination against Jewish and other unwanted students. The professors at the math department made a strong effort to keep Jewish students out of the department. They designed "killer" or "coffin" problems and Jewish students had to answer them during an oral exam. These problems have simple solutions, but require a clever strategy to solve them. This paper explores some of the context of this episode and provides several problems with detailed solutions.

An Examination Of Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Conceptions Of Angles, Melike Yigit

The Mathematics Enthusiast

The concept of angles is one of the foundational concepts to develop of geometric knowledge, but it remains a difficult concept for students and teachers to grasp. Exiting studies claimed that students’ difficulties in learning of the concept of angles are based on learning of the multiple definitions of an angle, describing angles measuring the size of angles, and conceiving different types of angles such as 0-line angles, 1- line angles, and 2-line angles. This study was designed to gain better insight into pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ (PSMTs) mental constructions of the concept of angles from the perspective of Action-Process-Object-Schema …

Common Sense About The Common Core, Alan H. Schoenfeld

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Is the Common Core the best thing since sliced bread, or the work of the devil? Is it brand new, or a rehash of old ideas? Is it anything more than a brand name, or is there substance? Can it work, given the implementation challenges in our political and school systems? Opinions about the Common Core are everywhere, but the op-eds I’ve seen are often short on facts, and equally short on common sense. A mathematician by training, I’ve worked for nearly 40 years as an education researcher, curriculum materials developer, test developer, standards writer, and teacher. What follows is …

Book Review Of The Tower Of Hanoi: Myths And Maths (Birkhäuser), Cory Palmer

The Mathematics Enthusiast

As the title of the book suggests, the central topic of “The Tower of Hanoi – Myths and Maths” by Hinz, Klavˇzar, Milutinovi´c, and Petr is the famous puzzle of the same name. The classic Tower of Hanoi puzzle along with a number of its variations and related puzzles are examined in a rigorous mathematical framework.

Senior Recital: Tyler Hartley, Harp, Tyler Hartley

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Ms. Hartley studies harp with Elisabeth Remy Johnson.

Proper Handling And Transportation Of Eggs For Sale At Kentucky Farmers’ Markets, Anthony J. Pescatore, Jacquie Jacob

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Regardless of the number of eggs produced, and whether the eggs are for home use or sale, careful egg handling is very important. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists eggs as a potentially hazardous food, therefore careful handling is important. In Kentucky, if you sell more than 60 dozen eggs a week you need to purchase a retail license. The same holds true if you want to sell your eggs to a retail store to be re-sold or to a distributor that will sell them for you. If you produce fewer than 60 dozen eggs a week …

Sheep Breeding: Heritability, Ebvs, Epds And The Nsip, Debra K. Aaron

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Genetic improvement in a flock depends on the producer’s ability to select breeding sheep that are genetically superior for traits of economic importance. This is complicated by the fact that an animal’s own performance is not always a true indicator of its genetic potential as a parent.

Cutr Connections [December 2014], Cutr

CUTR Newsletters

No abstract provided.

El Eros Y Sus Representaciones: Del Modernismo Al Posmodernismo, Alicia Rueda Acedo

Modern Languages Faculty Publications - Archive

In this paper I explore eroticism as a key element in the evolution from modernismo to posmodernismo. If eroticism is a crucial component to understand the binary concept of the world and the universe present in modernist poetry, postmodernist poets distance themselves from this outlook towards a “critic system”. In order to explore this shift, I analyze the works of postmodernist poets such as Baldomero Fernández Moreno, Ramón López Velarde and Regino E. Boti, and vanguardist poet Nicanor Parra, comparing their writing to Rubén Darío’s. I emphasize the evolution from Darío’s conception of the universe where women play an integral …

Modeling Colony Collapse Disorder In Honeybees As A Contagion, Christopher Kribs, Christopher Mitchell

Mathematics Faculty Publications - Archive

Honeybee pollination accounts annually for over $14 billion in United States agriculture alone. Within the past decade there has been a mysterious mass die-off of honeybees, an estimated 10 million beehives and sometimes as much as 90% of an apiary. There is still no consensus on what causes this phenomenon, called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Several mathematical models have studied CCD by only focusing on infection dynamics. We created a model to account for both healthy hive dynamics and hive extinction due to CCD, modeling CCD via a transmissible infection brought to the hive by foragers. The system of …

Inbreeding In Sheep, Debra K. Aaron

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Inbreeding is broadly defined as the mating of individuals that are related. Strictly speaking, however, all animals within a breed are related. So, in a sense, every purebred sheep producer practices some degree of inbreeding. In most cases this relationship is very slight. Therefore, inbreeding is more practically defined as the mating of individuals more closely related than the average of the breed. This practice includes mating brother to sister, sire to daughter and son to dam.

Friday Exception Scheduling In Transit Systems: An Exploratory Analysis When Data Are Limited, Michael D. Benson, Robert B. Noland

Journal of Public Transportation

Most transit agencies operate the same schedule Monday through Friday, except on holidays. Recent work suggests that agencies potentially could save money by operating different schedules on Friday. This research paper aims to identify factors associated with different ridership patterns on Friday, especially when limited data are available. Ridership data for seven bus routes serving Newark, New Jersey, were analyzed, along with characteristics of the routes and areas they serve. These data were limited in that they were provided as a PDF file and were for one month only. Land uses associated with commuting, specifically those with a mix of …

Full Issue 17(4)

Journal of Public Transportation

No abstract provided.

A New Transit Safety Narrative, Todd Litman

Journal of Public Transportation

Public transportation is, overall, a relatively safe (low crash risk) and secure (low crime risk) transport mode. Transit travel has about one-tenth the traffic casualty (injury or death) rate as automobile travel, and residents of transit-oriented communities have about onefifth the per capita crash casualty rate as in automobile-oriented communities. Transit also tends to have lower overall crime rates than automobile travel, and transit improvements can help reduce overall crime risk by improving surveillance and economic opportunities for at-risk populations. Despite its relative safety and security, many people consider transit travel dangerous and are reluctant to use it or support …

Conducting Visitor Travel Surveys: A Transit Agency Perspective, Gregory L. Newmark

Journal of Public Transportation

Visitors represent an important potential market for transit. Unfortunately, since visitors generally lack local phone numbers and residential addresses, they constitute a hard-tosurvey population, and relatively little is known about their travel behaviors and preferences. Transit agencies seeking to better understand and better serve this market will need to conduct a visitor travel survey. Surprisingly few visitor travel surveys have been undertaken, and none have been designed expressly to meet the needs of transit agencies. This research addresses this gap in the public transportation planning literature by identifying and exploring the key issues a transit agency needs to consider to …

Use Of Movable Bus Stop Loading Pads: Feasibility And Design Alternatives, Nakin Suksawang, Priyanka Alluri, Albert Gan, Katrina Meneses, Fabian Cevallos, Kirolos Haleem, Dibakar Saha

Journal of Public Transportation

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires bus stops to be accessible for individuals with disabilities. At a minimum, bus stops must have firm, stable, slip-resistant loading pads with connected sidewalks and curb ramps. Consequently, the typical approach of transit agencies has been to install permanent concrete loading pads at bus stops. This study explored alternatives to conventional concrete pads with movable pads that could be installed quickly, resulting in savings in construction and labor costs and minimizing both disruptions to traffic and impacts to abutting businesses. Potential design alternatives in terms of materials and structural support for …

Effects Of Light-Rail Transit On Traffic In A Travel Corridor, Reid Ewing, Guang Tian, Allison Spain, J. P. Goates

Journal of Public Transportation

An important debate is taking place over the value of transit in easing traffic congestion. This study sought to quantify the effect of light rail transit (LRT) on traffic in a travel corridor and provide quantitative data that can be used to shape future transportation policies aimed at reducing traffic congestion, energy consumption, and air pollution. Using a quasi-experiment design and data before and after the University of Utah’s TRAX LRT line was opened, we estimated that traffic on the street with LRT (400/500 South) decreased by 7,500 to 21,700 due to the availability of a high-quality transit serving destinations …

Intraocular Pressure Changes: An Important Determinant Of The Biocompatibility Of Intravitreous Implants, Ashwin Nair, Ling Zou, Hong Weng, Yi-Ting Tsai, Zhibing Hu, Liping Tang

Bioengineering Faculty Publications - Archive

No abstract provided.

Fabrication And Modification Of Implantable Micro-Probes For Neuro-Studies, Hung Viet Cao

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this work, different types of implantable probes fabricated on Si and polyimide substrates for sensing neurotransmitters, recording extracellular action potentials and stimulating the neurons have been developed. Several electrode configurations have been designed for implantation at various locations in the central nervous system. Each probe contains a multi electrode array (MEA) of 3, 5, 7 or 16 metal electrodes (Au or Pt) fabricated by electron-beam evaporation and lift-off processes. For sensing purpose, as a proof-of-principle, dopamine (DA) and L-glutamate sensors have been implemented. The surface of electrodes was modified with nanostructures by different methods appropriate to the substrate and …

Business Outlook, Vol. 30, No. 4, December 2014

Business Outlook for West Michigan

No abstract provided.

Tier 2 Intervention: Mentoring, Jenna Strawhun, Shir Palmon, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Although the outcomes of mentoring studies tend to be mixed, mentoring relationships have the potential to be effective, particularly when outcomes are selected and efforts are made to create lasting relationships. Particular considerations for mentoring program developers and practitioners include the length of the mentoring relationship, recruitment and screening of mentors, mentor training, mentee mobility, mentoring activities, and consistent systematic evaluation and modifications of mentoring programs based on data.

There have been no large widespread controlled studies of mentoring, probably due to the wide variation in the variables associated with mentoring programs as discussed earlier, including the goals, populations …

Tiers 1 & 2 Intervention: Peer Mediation, Jenna Strawhun, Ken Parnell, Reece L. Peterson, Shir Palmon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The benefits of a peer mediation program can be school-wide. These programs can promote a change in attitude toward conflict, as students improve their perspective taking skills, develop leadership skills, learn to tolerate alternative points of view, and realize that they can respond in a more constructive way to frustrating circumstances. The strategies and skills learned become a process that defines values and leads to school-wide growth (Rogers, 1994). Peer mediation programs can provide a school with a positive climate. It is also an alternative to traditional disciplinary practices, but most importantly, students will learn conflict resolution and problem-solving …