Digital Commons Network^™

Stabilization And Transformation Of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate: Structural And Kinetic Studies, Millicent Promise Schmidt

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

Amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) is a common transient precursor in the formation of more stable crystalline calcium carbonate minerals, most notably calcite, vaterite, and aragonite. Formation of ACC from calcium carbonate rich aqueous solution rather than direct crystallization of crystalline polymorphs by organisms provides several advantages: control of morphology, grain size, orientation, hardness, and other bulk properties as well as reduction of energy costs during growth cycles. Despite decades of study, stabilization and transformation mechanisms of synthetic and biogenic ACC remain unclear. In particular, the roles of H2O and inorganic phosphate in ACC structure and transformation, and the variables affecting …

Narrative Mysteries Prompt Creative Participation, William George Wenzel

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

This project demonstrates the importance of using research on creativity to enhance theories of people's experiences of narrative worlds. My goal was to expand theoretical accounts of the types of cognitive processes that narratives engage. The project addressed ways in which the occurrence of mysteries (gaps in readers' knowledge) prompts people to engage in creative thinking. The overarching claim is that authors invite readers to participate in mysteries, and readers often take up that call. As mysteries unfold in time, so too should the creative process. Therefore, I wrote a series of stories with mysteries, using the creative process as …

Learning About A Reciprocating Opponent In An Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma, Pei-Pei Liu

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

Research has shown that reciprocation increases individuals' willingness to cooperate. This study investigates how individuals learn to cooperate with reciprocating opponents. To do so, we evaluated individuals' expectations about the behavior of their opponents during an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma (PD). In four experiments, participants played with a Tit-For-Tat (TFT) algorithm that occasionally failed to reciprocate. In Experiment 1, we first established whether individuals actually develop expectations about their opponents by utilizing a concurrent task. Our results indicate that when the opponents did not reciprocate, participants engaged in greater cognitive processing and were slower to respond to the concurrent task. Experiment …

Population Dynamics Of Juvenile Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser Oxyrinchus Oxyrinchus, Within The Northwest Atlantic Ocean, Keith Joseph Dunton

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

The Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, an anadromous long-lived fish has experienced substantial population declines leading to its recent listing under the Endangered Species Act. While this fish occupies and requires both riverine and marine habitats, a lack of knowledge regarding marine distribution/habitat use is hindering conservation measures directed at restoring depleted populations. Currently, concerns exist that Atlantic sturgeon populations are being hindered by incidental captures along their migrations routes within the near shore coastal fisheries. In order to best manage human activities in a way that populations may recover fully, it is necessary to understand the association between Atlantic sturgeon …

Alterations To The Unique Dna Binding Mode Mediated By Mterf1 Have Implications Of Pathogenesis In Mitochondrial Disease, James Byrnes

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

Human mitochondria are found in all eukaryotic cells. They are dynamic double membrane organelles that can vary in shape, size and amount depending on cell types. In humans, mitochondria contain a 16.5 kb genome that encodes for 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs and 13 proteins that make up the mitochondrial contribution of the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS). This system produces the majority of energy used by the cell in the form of ATP and is critical for cell viability. In order for the OXPHOS system to produce ATP, it is dependent on the proper expression of the mitochondrial genome. Thus, errors …

Surface Modification Of Adenovirus Type 5 Vectors Via Two-Step Metabolic Labeling For Pet Imaging, Jai Inder Pal

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

Surface modification of viruses is of great interest for therapeutic gene delivery. Numerous viruses have been, and continue to be engineered in an attempt to optimize them for targeted in vivo gene therapy. Adenovirus has been shown by a myriad of publications to be the most efficient delivery vehicle in different cell types. But while it is the preferred delivery agent in many gene therapy studies, drawbacks such as off-targeting, immune response and toxicity still hinder it from being used in clinical studies. In an attempt to modify the surface of Adenovirus efficiently, our lab developed a simple two-step labeling …

The Role Of Beta Activity In Blink Abnormalities In A Rat Model Of Parkinson's Disease, Jaime Kaminer

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

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that causes difficulty initiating voluntary movements among other symptoms. Electrophysiological work highlights the presence of exaggerated synchronized beta band (10-30 Hz) oscillations throughout the cortico-basal ganglia network in PD. Although a causal role of beta oscillations in PD symptoms has not been established, many hypothesize that beta activity is " antikinetic" and the source of Parkinsonian motor symptoms. This relationship remains unclear because the strength of beta oscillations changes dynamically with cues that initiate movement and because the voluntary motor symptoms of PD are often not present in animal models of PD. …

The Influences Of Interparental Conflict And Parenting On Children's Social Competence, Nadia Samad

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

Young children's social competence has profound effects on developmental outcomes (Diener & Kim, 2004). It has been well-established that children's home environments (i.e. | parenting, interparental conflict) are related to children's later social competence (O'Connor, Jenkins, Hewitt, DeFries, & Plomin, 2001; Parke et al. | 2001). A structural model was proposed that posited children's social information processing as a mechanism through which interparental conflict and parenting predict children's social competence. To test the proposed model, 397 families with at least one child between the ages of four and eight participated in the present study. The proposed model was analyzed and …

Uses And Issues Of Handheld Devices In The College Classroom Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Technology In The Classroom, Christine Marie Campana

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

This paper will explore various uses and issues of cell phones and handheld devices in the college classroom. This includes a review of the literature, pedagogical issues and recommendations, and current research. In higher education, teachers must be prepared to integrate at least some of the currently available technology into their classrooms. Teachers need to understand how it works so they can better communicate with students and understand how technology has changed students' capacity to learn. Today's college students are digital natives, having grown up with electronic and computerized technology, thereby seeming to have originated from the place of technology. …

Haunting History: Melancholia And Specters Of Racialization In Contemporary Asian American Fiction, Naomi Edwards

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

The dissertation studies the prevalence of ghosts and haunting in contemporary Asian American fiction as a telling symptom of racial and transnational melancholia. Analyzing seminal novels from the past two decades by American writers of Asian descent, I argue that melancholia functions in these texts as a critical form of resistance to the untenable demands of national identity formation and cultural belonging. From Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts to Lois-Ann Yamanaka's Blu's Hanging to Andrew X Pham's Catfish and Mandala, depictions of ghosts and haunting are prevalent across a striking range of recent Asian …

And Yet..., Philip Frederick Salathé

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

The inspiration and foundation for And Yet... is a collection of home recordings made during the late 1930s on 78 RPM discs. Of these, most feature performances by my maternal grandfather, Gilbert Patten, a gifted bass singer who might well have pursued a professional career had it not been for the demands of family, financial necessity, and eventual poor health. Additional discs in the collection capture the singing voices of my great-grandmother near the end of her life, and my maternal aunts not long after the beginning of theirs. In And Yet... | I have integrated selections from these recordings …

Mining Meaningful Role-Based And Attribute-Based Access Control Policies, Zhongyuan Xu

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

Advanced models of access control, such as role-based access control (RBAC) and attribute-based access control (ABAC), offer important advantages over lower-level access control policy representations, such as access control lists (ACLs). However, the effort required for a large organization to migrate from ACLs to RBAC or ABAC can be a major obstacle to adoption of RBAC or ABAC. Policy mining algorithms partially automate the construction of advanced access control policies from ACL policies and possibly other information, such as user and resource attributes. These algorithms can greatly reduce the cost of migration to RBAC or ABAC. This dissertation presents several …

Nitrogen Incorporation Into Poly(Diiododiacetylene) And Attempts Towards Synthesizing Push-Pull Diynes, Gizem Eren

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

Cocrystallization is a method employed to orient diynes to achieve the appropriate parameters for topochemical polymerization. Using this technique, poly(diiododiacetylene) (PIDA) and 4-(Iodobuta-1,3-diyn-1-yl)benzoic acid are crystalized into their polymeric forms. The weak C-I bonds in PIDA have shown to break easily with Lewis bases like pyrrolidine and iodide. With the use of multiple deiodinating agents, PIDA has also shown to absorb the heteroatoms of present reducing agents in the final amorphous carbon product. Using sodium azide as a deiodinating agent, it has been theorized that nitrogen would incorporate into PIDA and produce a precursor to a carbon-nitride material based off …

Climatology And Predictability Of Cool-Season High Wind Events In The New York City Metropolitan And Surrounding Area, Michael Layer

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

Damaging wind events not associated with severe convective storms or tropical cyclones can occur over the Northeast U.S. during the cool season and can cause significant problems with transportation, infrastructure, and public safety. These non-convective wind events (NCWEs) events are difficult for operational forecasters to predict in the NYC region as revealed by relatively poor verification statistics in recent years. This study investigates the climatology of NCWEs occurring between 15 September and 15 May over 13 seasons from 2000-2001 through 2012-2013. The events are broken down into three distinct types commonly observed in the region: pre-cold frontal (PRF), post-cold frontal …

Nitrogen Loading To The South Shore, Eastern Bays, Ny: Sources, Impacts, And Management Options, Isabelle Stinnette

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

The excessive delivery of nitrogen from land into coastal waters can lead to a host of environmental problems including algal blooms, hypoxic zones, habitat loss, and acidification. While many of these environmental problems have manifested themselves within Long Island's coastal bays, the quantity and sources of nitrogen are largely unknown in much of this region, making the development of effective management plans to ameliorate these problems exceedingly difficult. This study was designed to quantify nitrogen loads and sources to Moriches, Quantuck and Shinnecock Bays within the eastern extent of Long Island's South Shore Estuary Reserve. Further this study assessed water …

Diversity Of Skates (Batoidea: Rajoidei) And The Spatial Structure Of Nw Atlantic Communities, Christopher Michael Martinez

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

Trait diversity often underlies complexity observed in biological systems. Whether it is behavior, life history, form or function, variation imparts differential performance on the organism, which may influence processes at higher levels of organization. Using two approaches, my dissertation research concerns the appraisal of diversity in fishes and its consequences for their ecology and evolution. The first two chapters focus on variety of spatial behaviors in northwest Atlantic marine communities. Temporal changes in community habitat utilization, as quantified by the interspecific abundance-occupancy (A-O) relationship, were the focus of chapter one. Trends in the A-O relationship indicated large-scale reorganization in some …

Does The Seasonal Acidification Of Spawning Habitat Influence Offspring Co2 Reaction Norms Through Transgenerational Plasticity In The Coastal Fish Species, Menidia Menidia?, Christopher S. Murray

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

Experimental assessments of species vulnerabilities to ocean acidification are rapidly expanding, yet the potential for short- and long-term adaptation to high CO2 by contemporary marine organisms remains poorly understood. We used a novel experimental approach that combined bi-weekly sampling of a wild, spawning fish population (Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia) with standardized offspring CO2 exposure experiments and parallel pH monitoring of a coastal ecosystem. We assessed whether offspring produced at different times of the spawning season (April-July) would be similarly susceptible to elevated (~1,100 uatm, pHNBS = 7.77) and high CO2 levels (~2,300 uatm, pHNBS = 7.47). Early in the season …

Climatology And Predictability Of Cool-Season High Wind Events In The New York City Metropolitan And Surrounding Area, Michael Layer

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

Damaging wind events not associated with severe convective storms or tropical cyclones can occur over the Northeast U.S. during the cool season and can cause significant problems with transportation, infrastructure, and public safety. These non-convective wind events (NCWEs) events are difficult for operational forecasters to predict in the NYC region as revealed by relatively poor verification statistics in recent years. This study investigates the climatology of NCWEs occurring between 15 September and 15 May over 13 seasons from 2000-2001 through 2012-2013. The events are broken down into three distinct types commonly observed in the region: pre-cold frontal (PRF), post-cold frontal …

Comparison Between Greulich-Pyle And Girdany-Golden Methods For Estimating Skeletal Age Of Children In Pakistan, Muhammad Awais, Naila Nadeem, Yousuf Husen, Abdul Rehman, Madiha Beg, Yasir Jamil Khattak

Department of Radiology

Objective: To compare Greulich-Pyle (GP) and Girdany-Golden (GG) methods for estimation of Skeletal Age (SA) in children referred to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.STUDY Design: Cross-sectional study.PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Radiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from July 2010 to June 2012.METHODOLOGY: Children up to the age of 18 years, who had undergone X-ray for the evaluation of trauma were included. Each X-ray was interpreted using both methods by two consultant paediatric radiologists having at least 10 years experience, who were blinded to the actual Chronologic Age (CA) of children.Results: A total of …

Utilizing Visual Attention And Inclination To Facilitate Brain-Computer Interface Design In An Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Sample, David B. Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals who suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have a loss of motor control and possibly the loss of speech. A brain-computer interface (BCI) provides a means for communication through nonmuscular control. Visual BCIs have shown the highest potential when compared to other modalities; nonetheless, visual attention concepts are largely ignored during the development of BCI paradigms. Additionally, individual performance differences and personal preference are not considered in paradigm development. The traditional method to discover the best paradigm for the individual user is trial and error. Visual attention research and personal preference provide the building blocks and guidelines to develop …

The Vascular Flora Of Steele Creek Park And A Quantitative Study Of Vegetation Patterns In Canopy Gaps, Sullivan County, Tennessee, Phillip C. Klahs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An inventory of vascular plants was conducted in Steele Creek Park in Sullivan County, Tennessee from March 2013 to September 2014. The park covers an area of 892 ha and lies within the Ridge and Valley Province. The inventory of vascular plants documented 547 species of 323 genera and 101 families. Two hundred sixteen taxa were newly reported for Sullivan County. Tennessee Special Concern Species included Cardamine rotundifolia, Castanea dentata, Lonicera dioica, Allium tricoccum, Cypripedium acaule, and Panax quinquefolius. A single species, Juglans cinerea L., is considered a Tennessee Threatened Species. Vegetation patterns were studied quantitatively by installing 10 …

Characterization Of A Putative Phospholipase D ´ Like Gene As A Lipid Signaling Modulator And Its Role In Salicylic Acid Mediated Defense Pathway In Nicotiana Tabacum, Phillip T. Dean

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plants are in a perpetual evolutionary arms race with a wide range of pathogens. Their sessile nature has led plants to evolve defense mechanisms that can quickly recognize a unique stressor and deploy a resistance tailored for a specific attack. The salicylic acid (SA) mediated defense pathway has been shown to be one of the major defense tactics plants can initiate to defend themselves against microbial pathogens. Following a pathogen attack high levels of methyl salicylate (MeSA) are produced that can be converted to SA by the enzyme salicylic acid binding protein 2 (SABP2). A yeast two-hybrid screening was performed …

Eating In Opposition: Strategies Of Resistance Through Food In The Lives Of Rural Andean And Appalachian Mountain Women, Veronica A. Limeberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines ways in which rural mountain women of Andean Peru and southern Appalachia use their lived histories and food knowledge in ways that counter Cartesian epistemologies regarding national and international food systems. Using women’s fiction and cookbooks, this thesis examines how voice and narrative reclaim women’s spaces within food landscapes. Further, this thesis examines women’s non-profits and grassroots organizations to illustrate the ways in which rural mountain women expand upon their lived histories in ways that contribute to tangible solutions to poverty and hunger in rural mountainous communities. The primary objective of this thesis is to recover rural …

Regulation Of C-Reactive Protein Gene Expression And Function, Avinash N. Thirumalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) is the prototypic acute phase protein whose serum concentration increases rapidly during inflammation. CRP is also associated with atherosclerosis; it is deposited at lesion sites where it may interact with modified lipoproteins. There are 2 major questions regarding CRP: 1. How is the serum concentration of CRP regulated? 2. What are the functions of CRP in atherosclerosis?

Our first aim was to determine the role of the constitutively expressed transcription factor Oct-1 in regulating CRP gene expression. We found that Oct-1 overexpression inhibited (IL-6+IL-1β)- induced CRP gene expression; maximal inhibition required the binding of Oct-1 to …

University Honors Program Newsletters, Honors Program,Georgia Southern University

Honors College: News & Publications (2008-2020)

• Congratulations Fall 2014 Graduates!
• Honors Research Symposium
• Southern Scholars Showcase
• Food For Finals
• Honors First-Year Experience Seminar
• Happy Holidays from the University Honors Program!

Photobioreactor Design For Improved Energy Efficiency Of Microalgae Production, Alexander Burns

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Photobioreactor Design for Improved Energy Efficiency of Microalgae Production

Alexander Burns

The objective of this research was to investigate a new photobioreactor (PBR) design for microalgae production that retains the typical advantages of existing tubular PBRs while reducing power consumption by providing simultaneous culture circulation and gas exchange with airlift alone and no centrifugal recirculating pump. Traditional tubular PBR designs feature a compressed air supply and a centrifugal pump for culture circulation and gas exchange. Circulation and gas exchange in a closed-system PBR is necessary to keep the algae suspended and to provide sufficient mass transfer (mainly for the …

Spatial And Temporal Comparisons Of Gopher Rockfish (Sebastes Carnatus) Life History And Condition In South Central California, Natasha Leigh Meyers-Cherry

Master's Theses

Recent studies have shown environmental factors influence life history traits in fishes. Understanding intraspecific variability of life history characteristics and condition is necessary to determine local fisheries management strategies. Gopher rockfish, Sebastes carnatus, comprise 50% of the estimated shallow nearshore recreational rockfish catch in California, yet insufficient local data exist regarding life history traits and condition of this species. Our study locally defines growth parameters (maximum size and age), size (age) at reproductive maturity, and condition (hepatosomatic indices) for gopher rockfish in south central California. The growth parameter values of gopher rockfish from our study are similar to previously …

Tools For Financing Local Bicycle And Pedestrian Improvements: Moving From Planning To Implementation In A Fiscally Constrained Environment, Elissa Mcdade

Master's Theses

Communities across the United States, of all sizes, have accepted that maintaining the automobile-centric design of their cities is not a sustainable way to plan for the future growth, public health or safety of their cities or citizens. As a result, communities have begun to embrace a shift in their design and engineering standards to allow for pedestrian and bicycle friendly facilities that safely accommodate and encourage mode choice. Through the collective will of the public and city leadership, communities are rapidly moving toward implementing plans and design standards that re-establish the public right of way as safe and accessible …

A Performance Study And Characterization Of A Single Use Pharmaceutical Vibrational Mixer Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Michael C. Eichermueller

Master's Theses

A single use pharmaceutical mixer was analyzed for performance with various system configurations using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The analysis was conducted across a range of oscillation frequencies and liquid fill levels within a fully sealed mixing tank to determine the rate of fluid homogenization, liquid shear, velocity profiles and force application utilizing a single and dual mixer flat plate head configuration. These characteristics are useful for predicting the expected mixing time of a fluid and how much fluid shear is acting on protein cultures that are intended to be grown in the mixing vessel. General trends show that larger fill …

Examining Ambiguities In The Automatic Packet Reporting System, Kenneth W. Finnegan

Master's Theses

The Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) is an amateur radio packet network that has evolved over the last several decades in tandem with, and then arguably beyond, the lifetime of other VHF/UHF amateur packet networks, to the point where it is one of very few packet networks left on the amateur VHF/UHF bands. This is proving to be problematic due to the loss of institutional knowledge as older amateur radio operators who designed and built APRS and other AX.25-based packet networks abandon the hobby or pass away. The purpose of this document is to collect and curate a sufficient body …