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Sensitivity Of Cellular Oxidative Damage To Biosynthetic Rate And Metabolic Rate, Palihawadana Walauwe Kamalika Kaushalya Amunugama

Masters Theses

"The relationship between energy expenditure and longevity is a long standing question in aging studies. The empirical results have contradictory effects on the existing theories. A theoretical model and an experimental test of it were presented, revealing the detailed tradeoffs between metabolic rate, biosynthetic rate and cellular damage level. The dissipative mechanisms of oxidative metabolism cause various forms of cellular damages. To counteract the accumulation of damage, organisms have evolved highly efficient maintenance mechanisms. If there is no other energy demand possess, then most of the cellular damage would be repaired, regardless of how metabolic rate varies. However, the repairing …

A Gaussian Mixture Model For Automated Vesicle Fusion Detection And Classification, Haohan Li

Masters Theses

"Accurately detecting and classifying vesicle-plasma membrane fusion events in fluorescence microscopy, is of primary interest for studying biological activities in a close proximity to the plasma membrane. In this paper, we present a novel Gaussian mixture model for automated identification of vesicle-plasma membrane fusion and partial fusion events in total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy image sequences. Image patches of fusion event candidates are detected in individual images and linked over consecutive frames. A Gaussian mixture model is fit on each image patch of the patch sequence with outliers rejected for robust Gaussian fitting. The estimated parameters of Gaussian functions over …

Discrete-Time Neural Network Based State Observer With Neural Network Based Control Formulation For A Class Of Systems With Unmatched Uncertainties, Jason Michael Stumfoll

Masters Theses

"An observer is a dynamic system that estimates the state variables of another system using noisy measurements, either to estimate unmeasurable states, or to improve the accuracy of the state measurements. The Modified State Observer (MSO) is a technique that uses a standard observer structure modified to include a neural network to estimate system states as well as system uncertainty. It has been used in orbit uncertainty estimation and atmospheric reentry uncertainty estimation problems to correctly estimate unmodeled system dynamics. A form of the MSO has been used to control a nonlinear electrohydraulic system with parameter uncertainty using a simplified …

Sympathetic Reactivity In Young Women With A Family History Of Hypertension, Jody L. Greaney, Evan Matthews, Megan M. Wenner

Department of Exercise Science and Physical Education Scholarship and Creative Works

Young adults with a family history of hypertension (+FH) have increased risk of developing hypertension. Furthermore, the blood pressure (BP) response to sympathoexcitatory stimuli in young adults can predict the future development of hypertension. Therefore, we hypothesized young women with a +FH would have exaggerated cardiovascular and sympathetic reactivity compared with young women without a family history of hypertension (−FH). Beat-by-beat mean arterial pressure (MAP) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) were measured in 14 women +FH (22 ± 1 yr, 21 ± 1 kg/m2, MAP 80 ± 2 mmHg) and 15 women −FH (22 ± 1 yr, 22 ± …

Stop Blaming The Prosecutors: The Real Causes Of Wrongful Convictions And Rightful Exonerations, Charles E. Maclean, James Berles, Adam Lamparello

Hofstra Law Review

Wrongfully convicted and rightfully exonerated criminal defendants spent, on average, ten years in prison before exoneration, and the ramifications to the defendants, the criminal justice system, and society are immeasurable. Prosecutorial misconduct, however, is not the primary cause of wrongful convictions. To begin with, although more than twenty million new adult criminal cases are opened in state and federal courts each year throughout the United States, there have been only 1,281 total exonerations over the last twenty-five years. In only six percentof those cases was prosecutorial misconduct the predominant factor resulting in those wrongful convictions. Of course, although prosecutorial misconduct …

"Can I Take The Normal One?" Unrelated Commerical Surrogacy And Child Abandonment, Brianne Richards

Hofstra Law Review

No abstract provided.

Energetic Costs Of Aggression In The Northern Cardinal, Sarah K. Wright

Honors Program Theses

Territorial aggression during the nonbreeding season has not been sufficiently studied, especially in a natural system. There has been some evidence to suggest that the steroid hormone precursor, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may regulate male aggression during the nonbreeding season, rather than testosterone. This study aimed to investigate the effects of energy status (through food supplementation) on nonbreeding aggression in the Northern Cardinal and add to the pre-existing evidence of a DHEA-mediated mechanism of aggression. It was hypothesized that if aggression was maintained for an extended period of time, metabolite levels would favor energy usage (more glycerol and less triglycerides) compared to …

Attitudes And Behaviors Of South African Women And Psychosocial Determinants Of Gonorrhea, Takiyah White Ndwanya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The incidence of gonorrhea had declined since the HIV epidemic in the late 1980s, but is now increasing globally due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant forms of this disease. In South Africa, the incidence of gonorrhea is highest among Black women due to their high co-infection rates with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study examined the psychosocial determinants of gonorrhea among Black women aged 18 - 35 in the Langa township in Cape Town, South Africa. All participants had reported at least one sexual experience and at least one positive test for gonorrhea in the past two …

How Law Shapes Experiences Of Parenthood For Same-Sex Couples, Nicholas K. Park, Emily Kazyak, Kathleen S. Slauson-Blevins

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) parents are increasingly common and visible, but they face a number of social and legal barriers in the United States. Using legal consciousness as a theoretical framework, we draw on data from 51 interviews with GLB parents in California and Nebraska to explore how laws impact experiences of parenthood. Specifically, we address how the legal context influences three domains: the methods used to become parents, decisions about where to live, and experiences of family recognition. Law and perception of the law make some pathways to parenthood difficult or unattainable depending on state of residence. Parents …

Characteristics Of Mothers Caring For Children During Episodes Of Homelessness, Melissa L. Welch-Lazoritz, Les B. Whitbeck, Brian E. Armenta

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study provides a description of the physical, psychological, and substance use problems of adult homeless women who are and are not caring for children. We also examined differences in the characteristics of these two groups of women. Interviews were conducted with 148 homeless women from three mid-sized U.S. cities, 24.3 % of whom were caring for at least one child. Our results showed that women caring for children were more likely to be sheltered and have health insurance. Homeless women caring for children and solitary homeless women were generally similar in terms of substance abuse problems. However, rates of …

Adolescent Olanzapine Sensitization Is Correlated With Hippocampal Stem Cell Proliferation In A Maternal Immune Activation Rat Model Of Schizophrenia, Shinnyi Chou, Sean Jones, Ming Li

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Previous work established that repeated olanzapine (OLZ) administration in normal adolescent rats induces a sensitization effect (i.e. increased behavioral responsiveness to drug re-exposure) in the conditioned avoidance response (CAR) model. However, it is unclear whether the same phenomenon can be detected in animal models of schizophrenia. The present study explored the generalizability of OLZ sensitization from healthy animals to a preclinical neuroinflammatory model of schizophrenia in the CAR. Maternal immune activation (MIA) was induced via polyinosinic:polycytidilic acid (PolyI:C) administration into pregnant dams. Behavioral assessments of offspring first identified decreased maternal separation-induced pup ultrasonic vocalizations and increased amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in animals …

Acculturation, Gender, And Active Life Expectancy In The Mexican-Origin Population, Marc A. Garcia, Jacqueline L. Angel, Ronald J. Angel, Chi-Tsun Chiu, Jennifer Melvin

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective—This study examines the potential effects of nativity and acculturation on active life expectancy (ALE) among Mexican-origin elders.

Method—We employ 17 years of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to calculate ALE at age 65 with and without disabilities.

Results—Native-born males and foreign-born females spend a larger fraction of their elderly years with activities of daily living (ADL) disability. Conversely, both foreign-born males and females spend a larger fraction of their remaining years with instrumental activities of daily life (IADL) disability than the native-born. In descriptive analysis, women with low acculturation report higher …

Antibody Response Of Cattle To Vaccination With Commercial Modified Live Rabies Vaccines In Guatemala, Amy T. Gilbert, Lauren Greenberg, David Moran, Marlon Alvarado, Daniel L. Garcia, Leonard Peruski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies is a public and animal health concern throughout Latin America. As part of an ecological study of vampire bat depredation on cattle in southern Guatemala,we conducted a vaccine seroconversion study among three dairy farms. The main objectives of this cross sectional and cohort study were to understand factors associated withbat bites among cattle, to determine whether unvaccinated cattle had evidence of rabies virus exposure and evaluate whether exposure was related to bat bite prevalence, and to assess whether cattle demonstrate adequate seroconversion to two commercial vaccines used in Guatemala. In 2012, baseline blood samples were collected immediately …

Evaluation Of Anthelmintic Fishmeal Polymer Baits For The Control Of Baylisascaris Procyonis In Free-Ranging Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), Timothy J. Smyser, Shylo R. Johnson, Melissa D. Stallard, Ashley K. Mcgrew, L. Kristen Page, Nikki Crider, Lora R. Ballweber, Robert K. Swihart, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Baylisascaris procyonis is a common gastrointestinal parasite of raccoons (Procyon lotor) and is a zoonotic helminth with the potential to cause severe or fatal infection. Raccoons thrive in human-dominated landscapes, and the fecal-oral transmission pathway and lack of effective treatment make B. procyonis a serious threat to public health. The distribution of medicinal baits has emerged as a socially acceptable and cost-effective method for managing disease in free-ranging wildlife. We assessed the suitability of a mass-producible anthelmintic bait for B. procyonis mitigation by evaluating the willingness of free-ranging raccoons to consume anthelmintic baits and determining whether bait consumption …

Roles And Programming Of Arabidopsis Argonaute Proteins During Turnip Mosaic Virus Infection, Hernan Garcia-Ruiz, Alberto Carbonell, J. Steen Hoyer, Noah Fahlgren, Kerrigan B. Gilbert, Atsushi Takeda, Annalisa Giampetruzzi, Mayra T. Garcia Ruiz, Michaela G. Mcginn, Nicholas Lowery, Maria T. Martinez Baladejo, James C. Carrington

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

In eukaryotes, ARGONAUTE proteins (AGOs) associate with microRNAs (miRNAs), short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and other classes of small RNAs to regulate target RNA or target loci. Viral infection in plants induces a potent and highly specific antiviral RNA silencing response characterized by the formation of virus-derived siRNAs. Arabidopsis thaliana has ten AGO genes of which AGO1, AGO2, and AGO7 have been shown to play roles in antiviral defense. A genetic analysis was used to identify and characterize the roles of AGO proteins in antiviral defense against Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) in Arabidopsis. AGO1, AGO2 and AGO10 promoted anti-TuMV defense …

Using The “Placeholder” Concept To Reduce Genetic Introgression Of An Endangered Carnivore, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

One of the most endangered species is the redwolf, Canis rufus. Reintroduction of the red wolf began in 1987, but in 1993 hybridization between coyotes (Canis latrans) and wolves was documented. To reduce genetic introgression, coyotes and coyote–wolf hybridswere captured, sterilized, and released as “placeholders”. Placeholders held territories until either displaced or killed by a wolf, or management personnel removed them before releasing a wolf. We evaluated the placeholder concept by examining the number of animals sterilized and released, likelihood of displacement by a wolf, factors influencing displacements, territory fidelity of placeholders, and survival rates and causes of mortality of …

Invaded Invaders: Infection Of Invasive Brown Treesnakes On Guam By An Exotic Larval Cestode With A Life Cycle Comprised Of Non-Native Hosts, Elden T. Holldorf, Shane R. Siers, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Page E. Klug, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Multiple host introductions to the same non-native environment have the potential to complete life cycles of parasites incidentally transported with them. Our goal was to identify a recently detected parasitic flatworm in the invasive Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on the remote Pacific island of Guam. We considered possible factors influencing parasite transmission, and tested for correlations between infection status and potential indicators of host fitness. We used genetic data from the parasite and information about the native ranges of other possible non-native hosts to hypothesize how it arrived on Guam and how its life cycle may be …

Sestrin2, A Regulator Of Thermogenesis And Mitohormesis In Brown Adipose Tissue, Seung-Hyun Ro, Ian Semple, Allison Ho, Hwan-Woo Park, Jun Hee Lee

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Sestrin2 is a stress-inducible protein that functions as an antioxidant and inhibitor of mTOR complex 1. In a recent study, we found that Sestrin2 overexpression in brown adipocytes interfered with normal metabolism by reducing mitochondrial respiration through the suppression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) expression. The metabolic effects of Sestrin2 in brown adipocytes were dependent on its antioxidant activity, and chemical antioxidants produced similar effects in inhibiting UCP1-dependent thermogenesis. These observations suggest that low levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brown adipocytes can actually be beneficial and necessary for proper metabolic homeostasis. In addition, considering that Sestrins are ROS …

The Effect Of Mindfulness Practice On The Personal And Professional Lives Of Hospice Bereavement Counselors, Heather R. Floyd-Haupt

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was conducted to examine the perceptions of hospice bereavement counselors' and how mindfulness practices impact their work with bereaved clients. Additionally, this study looked at the self-defined practices of participants and collected rich narratives of their personal and professional experiences with mindfulness. Using interviews with hospice bereavement counselors, this investigation found that all of the 10 participants described that mindfulness provided them with enhanced awareness through the use of self-nurturing rituals. These exercises helped all participants in three areas: to quiet the mind, improve physical awareness, and to serve as inspiration in their work. The study concluded …

The Impact Of Identity On The Experience And Management Of Bipolar Disorders, Lisa M. Jaffe

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-method thesis explores the impact of Identity, operationally defined as the framework from which individuals interact with the world, and on the lived experience and symptom management of bipolar disorder. I created an online survey for participants to use as my research tool, utilizing a standardized scale, the Sense of Self Scale (SOSS), in conjunction with my ow Likert scale items for the quantitative component, and open-ended questions for the qualitative component of the research. A positive correlation was found between self-identified symptom management and SOSS, showing that individuals with a higher sense-of-self score did have better management of …

Capacity For Humanity : An Exploratory Study Into The Use Of Affiliative Humor With Clients Who Experience Paranoid Symptomatology, Lisa Orenstein

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate clinicians' experiences and perceptions about the use of affiliative humor as a means of establishing a bond with a client whom experiences paranoid symptomatology. This population in particular is the most difficult to initially engage and develop a therapeutic alliance with due to their severe level of mistrust and propensity towards misinterpreting interpersonal situations. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore one means of navigating this barrier. Additionally, the findings of this study not only indicate that affiliative humor can be used successfully while working with this population, but …

The Kids Feel (More Than) All Right : A Study Exploring The Subjective Experiences And Perceptions Of Adult-Male Children Raised In Planned Lesbian Families As Relates To Their Gender Development, Naomi D. Drexler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences and perceptions of adult-male children of planned lesbian families as relates to their gender development. Furthermore, this study sought to explore if/how adult-male children of planned lesbian families perceive their family form to have impacted their constructions and expressions of masculinity and male identity. No study to date has exclusively, nor deeply, explored the subjective experiences and perceptions of this particular population as relates specifically to their gender development. This qualitative study relied on intensive interviewing as its data collection method. Interviews were semi-structured and conducted in person or …

Evolution Of The Antisense Overlap Between Genes For Thyroid Hormone Receptor And Rev-Erbα And Characterization Of An Exonic G-Rich Element That Regulates Splicing Of Trα2 Mrna, Stephen H. Munroe, Christopher H. Morales, Tessa H. Duyck, Paul D. Waters

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The α-thyroid hormone receptor gene (TRα) codes for two functionally distinct proteins: TRα1, the α-thyroid hormone receptor; and TRα2, a non-hormone-binding variant. The final exon of TRα2 mRNA overlaps the 3’ end of Rev-erbα mRNA, which encodes another nuclear receptor on the opposite strand of DNA. To understand the evolution of this antisense overlap, we sequenced these genes and mRNAs in the platypus Orthorhynchus anatinus. Despite its strong homology with other mammals, the platypus TRα/Rev-erbα locus lacks elements essential for expression of TRα2. Comparative analysis suggests that alternative splicing of TRα2 mRNA expression evolved in a stepwise fashion before …

Florida Southwestern State College General Catalog 2014-2015, Florida Southwestern State College

FSW Course Catalogs

Florida SouthWestern State College General Catalog Volume Fifty Three. 2014-2015. Scanned by Internet Archive.

Could It Be A Brain Injury? : Difficulty In Identifying Clients With Brain Injury In Psychotherapeutic Work, And Best Means Of Clinically Supporting Clients With Possible Brain Injury, Sarah E. Gordon

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored the experiences of brain injury survivors as clients in psychotherapy in order to learn whether mental health professionals are properly screening for brain injuries, the factors that may inhibit mental health professionals from screening, the factors that may inhibit clients from disclosing their histories of brain injuries; to identify the psychotherapeutic needs specific to clients living with brain injuries; and to identify the best means of serving this client population. Nine adult brain injury survivors, ranging in age from 29-70, answered nine openended research questions during one of three focus groups. One participant was interviewed individually. Participants …

Ego Development And Anxiety During Emerging Adulthood, Alexander M. Rascovar

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Emerging adulthood is a time period wrought with many life changes (Arnett, 2000); therefore, periods of anxiety that are distressing and may potentially disrupt or challenge ego growth can be expected. This study addressed the question: What is the relationship between anxiety and ego maturity in emerging adulthood? Wayment, Bauer, and Sylaska (2014) asserted that the ego in higher levels of development is less defended. This means that the defensive personality organization in the "quiet ego" is integrated in higher-level defensive adaptation, but it remains unclear how Sullivan's (1953) concepts of anxiety might interact with varying levels of ego development. …

Gang Stalking : Internet Connectivity As An Emerging Mental Health Concern, Elizabeth E. Dietrich

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examines emerging concerns about small online social communities that purport to support their members, but which in actuality exacerbate mental health issues. Here, the author focuses on one such community that has gone unstudied: The Gang Stalking community. Here, individuals who seem to suffer from Delusional Disorder come together and discuss their experiences of being stalked by a multitude of people in concert with the sole aim of creating terror in their lives. These people call themselves Targeted Individuals. The support that these individuals find on gang stalking websites soothes their amorphous anxiety about being watched, but in …

Marsh Plants Mediate The Influence Of Nitrogen Fertilization On Degradation Of Oil From The Deepwater Horizon Spill, J. Adams Langley, Helen K. White, Reena U. Palanivel, Thomas Shannon, Samantha K. Chapan

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Chemical Diversity By Coordinated Gene Swaps In Type Ii Polyketide Gene Clusters, Maureen Hillenmeyer, Gergana Vandova, Erin Berlew '15, Louise K. Charkoudian

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

Natural product biosynthetic pathways generate molecules of enormous structural complexity and exquisitely tuned biological activities. Studies of natural products have led to the discovery of many pharmaceutical agents, particularly antibiotics. Attempts to harness the catalytic prowess of biosynthetic enzyme systems, for both compound discovery and engineering, have been limited by a poor understanding of the evolution of the underlying gene clusters. We developed an approach to study the evolution of biosynthetic genes on a cluster-wide scale, integrating pairwise gene coevolution information with large-scale phylogenetic analysis. We used this method to infer the evolution of type II polyketide gene clusters, tracing …

Moving Foward?: Problematic Ideologies In Twenty-First Century Fairy Tale Films, Alyson Kilmer

All Master's Theses

Fairy tales, as a reflection of our values and belief systems, are crucial in shaping and maintaining cultural ideologies. In the twenty-first century, cinematic fairy tales have the unique position of representing such values in an expansive and expeditious manner. Audiences must therefore be critically conscious of the messages promoted by these tales. An analysis of the five most popular contemporary fairy tale films, Disney’s Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and Disney’s Frozen (2013) and Maleficent (2014), revealed minimal attempts to propitiate critical audiences in regard to changing cultural values, but …