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2015

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Family Distress, First-Generation College Status, And Financial Stress As Predictors Of Alcohol Use In College Students Seeking Mental Health Treatment, Narayan Jeremy Gold Jan 2015

Family Distress, First-Generation College Status, And Financial Stress As Predictors Of Alcohol Use In College Students Seeking Mental Health Treatment, Narayan Jeremy Gold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increasing numbers of students have been presenting for mental health treatment on college campuses to address their alcohol use (Gallagher, 2010). The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between presenting alcohol use, family distress, college generational status (first-generation to college or non-first-generation to college), and financial distress. By examining the predictive nature of these variables screening could be improved to help identify and help students who are more at risk of experiencing the negative impact of alcohol use. It was hypothesized that higher levels of family distress, more financial stress, and being a first-generation college student …

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Doctoral Students' Relational Communication With Their Advisors: A Dyadic Examination Using Chickering's Theory Of Psychosocial Development, Zachary W. Goldman Jan 2015

Doctoral Students' Relational Communication With Their Advisors: A Dyadic Examination Using Chickering's Theory Of Psychosocial Development, Zachary W. Goldman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore how psychosocial development affects doctoral students' relationships with their advisor and their success in graduate school. Toward this goal, three objectives were identified. The first objective was to integrate Chickering and Reisser's (1993) vectors of psychosocial development into the doctoral education context to understand how mature students maintain their relationships and address conflict with their advisor. The second objective was to investigate the extent to which doctoral students' psychosocial development and communication behaviors affected satisfaction in the student-advisor relationship. The third objective was to examine the effect of psychosocial development on doctoral …

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Clustering By Academic Major At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Aaron Goodson Jan 2015

Clustering By Academic Major At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Aaron Goodson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Follow-up studies of clustering by academic major, the dynamic of 25% or more of the student-athletes on a roster pursuing the same academic major, indicate that it still occurs in revenue-generating sports (Fountain & Finley 2009, 2011; Otto, 2012). Clustering challenges the notion that student-athletes have control over their collegiate academic experience and reveals that their educational pursuits may not align with their professional goals or provide a meaningful educational experience (Sharp & Sheilley, 2008). Research on clustering is absent in member institutions of different NCAA divisions, institutions with unique missions and history (such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities …

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Cross-Boundary Conservation Attributes Of Farmland And Woodland Owners In The Greenbrier River Valley Landscape Of Southeastern West Virginia, Valerie Grant Jan 2015

Cross-Boundary Conservation Attributes Of Farmland And Woodland Owners In The Greenbrier River Valley Landscape Of Southeastern West Virginia, Valerie Grant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Greenbrier River watershed features some of the most productive agriculture and timberlands, critical habitat, and extensive recreational opportunities in the central Appalachian Mountains. Cross-boundary conservation projects could address landscape scale issues such as parallelization and fragmentation in the agricultural, forest, and recreationally productive rural area in southeastern West Virginia. A survey of farmland and woodland owners explored relationships between landowner attributes, land management activities, sense of place, and willingness to participate in cross-boundary conservation efforts. Logistic regression analysis revealed two significant relationships between landowner attributes when considering neighboring properties while making management decisions and interest in conservation easements. These …

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"The Whistling Wife": Women And Popular Song In The Postbellum American South, Melanie J. Green Jan 2015

"The Whistling Wife": Women And Popular Song In The Postbellum American South, Melanie J. Green

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study discusses the practice of music-making by middle and upper class women in the nineteenth-century American South, and the ways in which the practice was continued in the decades following the Civil War amid changing class and gender politics. The study examines two sheet music collections, one from the South and one from the North, dating from the 1880s and 1890s. An examination of the content of these collections reveals differing attitudes over changing class and gender politics and acceptable practices for music-making in the North and South. A discussion of these young women and their families tells their …

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The "Boom" And "Bust" Patterns Of Communities Within The Energy Rich Region Of West Virginia: A Case Study Of Moundsville, Brandon S. Kiger Jan 2015

The "Boom" And "Bust" Patterns Of Communities Within The Energy Rich Region Of West Virginia: A Case Study Of Moundsville, Brandon S. Kiger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The increasing worldwide demand for energy will provide Energy Rich Regions (ERRs) the opportunity to increase their wealth and quality of living. However, a reoccurring pattern of boom and bust cycles in ERRs suggests the need for more sustainable development strategies.;A mixed methods approach (case study) is employed to explore the "wicked human problems" occurring in one community, Moundsville, WV and to discover development patterns that might inform sustainable development strategies for the future.;This study explores briefly the distant past development patterns, and in greater detail the pre-boom and most current boom in natural gas. First, data will be derived …

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Plasmonic Nanostructures For Biosensor Applications, Akshitha Gadde Jan 2015

Plasmonic Nanostructures For Biosensor Applications, Akshitha Gadde

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Improving the sensitivity of existing biosensors is an active research topic that cuts across several disciplines, including engineering and biology. Optical biosensors are the one of the most diverse class of biosensors which can be broadly categorized into two types based on the detection scheme: label-based and label-free detection. In label-based detection, the target bio-molecules are labeled with dyes or tags that fluoresce upon excitation, indicating the presence of target molecules. Label-based detection is highly-sensitive, capable of single molecule detection depending on the detector type used. One method of improving the sensitivity of label-based fluorescence detection is by enhancement of …

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Control Design And Performance Analysis For Autonomous Formation Flight Experimentss, Caleb Michael Rice Jan 2015

Control Design And Performance Analysis For Autonomous Formation Flight Experimentss, Caleb Michael Rice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Autonomous Formation Flight is a key approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing traffic in future high density airspace. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) have made it possible for the physical demonstration and validation of autonomous formation flight concepts inexpensively and eliminates the flight risk to human pilots. This thesis discusses the design, implementation, and flight testing of three different formation flight control methods, Proportional Integral and Derivative (PID); Fuzzy Logic (FL); and NonLinear Dynamic Inversion (NLDI), and their respective performance behavior. Experimental results show achievable autonomous formation flight and performance quality with a pair of low-cost unmanned research fixed …

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Impacts Of Forest Management And Habitat Change On Declining Avian Species In West Virginia, Christina Slover Jan 2015

Impacts Of Forest Management And Habitat Change On Declining Avian Species In West Virginia, Christina Slover

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the impacts of forest management and severe storms on avian communities can assist decision making for specific wildlife and timber management goals. This is important because even carefully managed forests will be influenced by a combination of anthropogenic activities and non-anthropogenic forces. I studied the effects of prescribed burning and severe storm events on vegetation structure and avian community diversity and structure in the Monongahela National Forest in central West Virginia. I observed dramatic responses from vegetation structure to prescribed burning but few changes in avian abundances. I measured further impacts, particularly understory vegetation structure, in our forest stands …

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School Climate, Early Adolescent Development, And Identity: Associations With Adjustment Outcomes, Megan Lorraine Smith Jan 2015

School Climate, Early Adolescent Development, And Identity: Associations With Adjustment Outcomes, Megan Lorraine Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early adolescence is a time of risk and exploration for young people. In a period of development marked by increasing independence, young people are still learning the skills necessary for success in their adult lives. Positive development is impacted not only by individual characteristics, but also by the environments and social supports present. Adolescents spend a significant amount of time in schools, thus schools are an important context to study in regards to positive adolescent outcomes. Self Determination Theory (SDT, Deci & Ryan, 2000) posits that the degree to which an individual's basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness …

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Cultivating Intelligent Consumption: The United States Food Administration And Food Control During World War I, James H. Smith Jan 2015

Cultivating Intelligent Consumption: The United States Food Administration And Food Control During World War I, James H. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines government food control in the United States during the First World War. More specifically, it looks at the food conservation program, and the associated propaganda, formulated by the United States Food Administration (USFA). The USFA was a wartime government agency headed by future president Herbert Hoover. I argue that the philosophy guiding the Food Administration's food control program was clearly influenced by a particular strain of progressivism that men like Hoover subscribed to. Using the input of experts in various fields such as nutrition, physiology, and advertising, the government was able to present a message to the …

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Synchronization Of Coupled And Periodically Forced Chemical Oscillators, Razan Snari Jan 2015

Synchronization Of Coupled And Periodically Forced Chemical Oscillators, Razan Snari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physiological rhythms are essential in all living organisms. Such rhythms are regulated through the interactions of many cells. Deviation of a biological system from its normal rhythms can lead to physiological maladies. The tremor and symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease are thought to emerge from abnormal synchrony of neuronal activity within the neural network of the brain. Deep brain stimulation is a therapeutic technique that can remove this pathological synchronization by the application of a periodic desynchronizing signal. Herein, we used the photosensitive Belousov--Zhabotinsky (BZ) chemical reaction to test the mechanism of deep brain stimulation. A collection of oscillators are …

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Building An Understanding: What Motivates Teachers To Use Science In Motion, Karen M. Spuck Jan 2015

Building An Understanding: What Motivates Teachers To Use Science In Motion, Karen M. Spuck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Science education reform documents call for instructional practices that include scientific equipment and materials. Often, these types of resources are inaccessible for schools, especially those which are rural and socio-economically challenged, due largely to budgetary considerations. Science outreach partnerships are able to bridge the gap between what is called for in science education reform documents and the realities of many schools. Science in Motion is a science outreach partnership project located in rural Northwestern Pennsylvania, supported by state funds, that provides equipment, curricular materials, and professional development free of charge for area science educators. Teacher participation in this project is …

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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome In West Virginia: Trends, Risks, And Effectiveness Of In Utero Exposure Detection, Meagan E. Stabler Jan 2015

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome In West Virginia: Trends, Risks, And Effectiveness Of In Utero Exposure Detection, Meagan E. Stabler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examined neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in West Virginia (WV). Specifically, three studies were conducted that investigated state and regional trends, risks related to NAS, and effectiveness of in utero exposure detection. The first study described regional incidence rates, trends of antenatal drug class-specific exposures, and NAS diagnoses in WV between 2007 and 2013. The findings indicated a 4-fold increase in WV statewide incidence rates of NAS during this time period, which was three times the national annual average. The second study identified the risk of NAS, risk of NAS requiring pharmacologic treatment, and odds of NAS controlling for …

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Enhancement Of Rna Splicing By The Nutrient-Regulated Splicing Factor Srsf3, Amanda L. Suchanek Jan 2015

Enhancement Of Rna Splicing By The Nutrient-Regulated Splicing Factor Srsf3, Amanda L. Suchanek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nutritional status is a powerful regulator of intracellular function. Dietary status can increase or decrease the rate of RNA splicing, thereby affecting gene expression; however, few molecular mechanisms have been identified that are responsible for this type of regulation.;The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene has provided a useful tool for the study of nutrient-regulated splicing because accumulation of G6PD mRNA is dependent solely on changes in the rate of mRNA splicing in response to nutritional stimuli, consistent with its enzymatic role of converting dietary energy to fatty acids. Treatment of primary hepatocytes in culture with insulin or feeding a high-carbohydrate, low …

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The Effect Of Tert-Butylhydroquinone, An Nrf2-Are Signaling Pathway Inducer, On Oxidative Stress-Related Neurodegeneration, Jiahong Sun Jan 2015

The Effect Of Tert-Butylhydroquinone, An Nrf2-Are Signaling Pathway Inducer, On Oxidative Stress-Related Neurodegeneration, Jiahong Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oxidative stress is actively involved in stroke pathogenesis; however, almost all the antioxidants that have been applied into the clinical trials fail to improve ischemic stroke outcomes. We note that most drug candidates have very limited diversity of antioxidative activities. tBHQ is a food additive, which is considered to be safe for human consumption. As both an antioxidant and an Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway inducer, tBHQ can directly eliminate ROS and activates the expression of all the antioxidative genes under Nrf2-ARE regulation. My dissertation investigated the potential clinical application of tBHQ for ischemic stroke treatment by using both in vitro glutamate-induced …

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The Influence Of Memory Enhancement Techniques On Children's Testimony, Ria M. Travers Jan 2015

The Influence Of Memory Enhancement Techniques On Children's Testimony, Ria M. Travers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Eyewitness testimony is often key evidence in court cases, but it is often difficult to obtain accurate eyewitness memories (Loftus, Miller, & Burns, 1978). This is especially true when this testimony must be acquired from preschool children because young children have been found to be susceptible to suggestive interviewing techniques (Krackow & Lynn, 2003). Several aspects of children's cognitive capabilities have been found to influence their suggestibility, including their source monitoring abilities, or their abilities to trace the source of memories (Ceci & Bruck, 1993). Therefore, source monitoring ability provides a possible point of intervention to decrease children's suggestibility. Source …

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Microbiology In Shale: Alternatives For Enhanced Gas Recovery, Yael Tarlovsky Tucker Jan 2015

Microbiology In Shale: Alternatives For Enhanced Gas Recovery, Yael Tarlovsky Tucker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The gas-productive part of the Marcellus Shale occurs in the Appalachian basin at depths of 1.5 to 2.5 km (5,000 to 8,000 ft.), where most geologists generally assume that thermogenic processes occurring over geologic time periods are the only source of natural gas. This is because these sediments are believed to be sterile due to conditions these sediments have endured in the past, which are beyond those that most organisms are currently known to withstand. Recently, Marcellus shale drilling processes have allowed for the study of the microbiology of these sediments by analysis of microorganisms carried in "produced" waters that …

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Improved Periodicity Mining In Time Series Databases, Nithin Uppalapati Jan 2015

Improved Periodicity Mining In Time Series Databases, Nithin Uppalapati

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Time series data represents information about real world phenomena and periodicity mining explores the interesting periodic behavior that is inherent in the data. Periodicity mining has numerous applications such as in weather forecasting, stock market prediction and analysis, pattern recognition, etc. Recently, the suffix tree, a powerful data structure that efficiently solves many strings related problems has been used to gather information about repeated substrings in the text and then perform periodicity mining. However, periodicity mining deals with large amounts of data which makes it difficult to perform mining in main memory due to the space constraints of the suffix …

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1, 2, 3-Triazole As The Directing Group For Metal-Catalyzed C-H Activation, Xiaohan Ye Jan 2015

1, 2, 3-Triazole As The Directing Group For Metal-Catalyzed C-H Activation, Xiaohan Ye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

1,2,3-Triazoles as versatile directing group for selective sp 2 and sp3 C--H activation: cyclization vs substitution .;A selective cyclization and substitution was achieved with designated 1,2,3-triazole acid auxiliary groups as directing groups under Pd catalyzed C--H activation conditions. Both sp2 and sp3 C--H bonds were effectively activated, giving the desired products in good yields. This result revealed the first successful example of exclusive substitution using 1,2,3-triazole ligands, while other triazole-containing directing groups dominantly gave cyclization under identical conditions.;Palladium-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative C--H Olefination with Removable 1,2,3-Triazole Directing Group.;Ortho-olefination of arenes was achieved with removable 1,2,3-triazole auxiliary through Pd-catalyzed C--H activation. Excellent …

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Decellularized Matrix And Cartilage Regeneration: A Focus On Developing A Matrix With Anti-Inflammation And Micromechanical Properties, Ying Zhang Jan 2015

Decellularized Matrix And Cartilage Regeneration: A Focus On Developing A Matrix With Anti-Inflammation And Micromechanical Properties, Ying Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is predicted to be the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide by the year 2020. Stem cell-based therapy is a promising biological approach for the treatment of cartilage defects. However, adult stem cells tend to become replicatively senescent when they are expanded on conventional plastic flasks. Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) provides an expansion system to rejuvenate and maintain the chondrogenic phenotype of stem cells for cartilage repair. In addition, joints with cartilage defects normally have inflammation to some extent; several stimuli, such as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and Interleukin-1 (IL-1), reportedly induce apoptosis of chondrocytes. The tolerance of …

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Cellulose Based Materials As A Template For The Synthesis Of Copper Nanoparticles For Antimicrobial Applications, Tuhua Zhong Jan 2015

Cellulose Based Materials As A Template For The Synthesis Of Copper Nanoparticles For Antimicrobial Applications, Tuhua Zhong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Copper has been used as a broad-spectrum biocide for centuries, showing effective antimicrobial performance against bacteria, fungi and viruses. Among various forms of copper, copper nanoparticles is attracting particular attention because of its high surface area and crystal morphology that will enhance copper antimicrobial properties. However, the high tendency of copper particles to aggregate at a nanoscale remains as a drawback for the development of copper-based nanostructured products. In this research, cellulose-based materials were utilized as a template and stabilizer for copper nanoparticles, and the resulting hybrid material was used as bi-functional material in thermoplastic resins improving the final antimicrobial …

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Emotion Regulation In Families Of Children With Behavior Problems Versus Nonclinical Comparisons, Lauren Borduin Quetsch Jan 2015

Emotion Regulation In Families Of Children With Behavior Problems Versus Nonclinical Comparisons, Lauren Borduin Quetsch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following study explored the relationship between emotion regulation in children with and without externalizing behavior problems and their caregivers. The study examined emotion regulation in both clinical and comparison samples. The main research question for the study was determining if there was a link between parent and child emotion regulation in both clinical and comparison samples. Sixty families were collected from two rural populations in the United States. Families referred for parent training with children ages 2 through 8 were recruited for a clinical sample (n = 34) along with a nonclinical comparison group (n = 26). A blocking …

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Promoting Parents' And Children's Well-Being Through Parent-Child Gratitude Interventions, Meagan A. Ramsey Jan 2015

Promoting Parents' And Children's Well-Being Through Parent-Child Gratitude Interventions, Meagan A. Ramsey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gratitude is a positive emotion that leads to enhanced relationship resources and emotional well-being for children and adults alike. Given the many benefits of gratitude, researchers have examined several types of gratitude interventions. However, it is unclear how the effectiveness of different gratitude interventions compare for youth or how these interventions operate in the family setting. Therefore, this study examined how parents could cultivate their children's (ages 8-13) gratitude and how two gratitude interventions---counting blessings and relational gratitude---enhanced parents' and children's daily gratitude, relationship satisfaction, and emotional well-being over the course of a week-long intervention and if effects were maintained …

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Fundamental Study Of Nano-Scale Adhesion And Friction Properties Of Graphene In Ambient Air And Liquid Environments, Sai Suvineeth Ramayanam Jan 2015

Fundamental Study Of Nano-Scale Adhesion And Friction Properties Of Graphene In Ambient Air And Liquid Environments, Sai Suvineeth Ramayanam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this study is to understand the fundamental tribological interactions of model contacts developed between a 'single' asperity silicon tip and a few layer graphene surface in ambient air, ionic liquid, and lubricating oil environments. The motivation to investigate such fundamental interactions stems from the need to gain an understanding of the tribological properties, morphology and defects of few layer graphene with respect to different synthesis methods including both bottom-up and top-down approaches. In particular, the surface properties of atomically thin sheets of graphene synthesized by three methods; (i) liquid phase exfoliation of graphene, (ii) chemical reduction of …

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Using Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics To Probe The Binding Process Of The Membrane Insertion Peptide Phlip, Yue Ren Jan 2015

Using Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics To Probe The Binding Process Of The Membrane Insertion Peptide Phlip, Yue Ren

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peptides with the ability to bind and insert into the cell membrane are an ever-growing field of research due to their potential biomedical applications. pH (Low) Insertion Peptide (pHLIP), which is a water-soluble polypeptide derived from helix C of bacteriorhodopsin, has the ability to insert into a membrane at acidic pH to form a stable transmembrane alpha-helix. The insertion process takes place in three stages: pHLIP is unstructured and soluble in water at neutral pH (state I), unstructured and bound to the surface of a membrane at neutral pH (state II), and inserted into the membrane as an alpha-helix at …

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Kinematic Basis For Body Specific Locomotor Mechanics And Perturbation Responses, Ryan B. Ross Jan 2015

Kinematic Basis For Body Specific Locomotor Mechanics And Perturbation Responses, Ryan B. Ross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Animals have evolved mechanical and neural strategies for locomotion in almost every environment, overcoming the complexities of their habitats using specializations in body structure and animal behavior. These specializations are created by neural networks responsible for generating and altering muscle activation. Species specific musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology determine how locomotion is controlled through the transformation of motor patterns into body movements. Furthermore, when these species specific locomotor systems encounter perturbations during running and walking their behavioral and mechanical attributes determine how stability is established during and after the perturbation. It is still not understood how species specific structural and behavioral …

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Optical Spectroscopy Of Nanoscale And Heterostructured Oxides, Tess R. Senty Jan 2015

Optical Spectroscopy Of Nanoscale And Heterostructured Oxides, Tess R. Senty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Through careful analysis of a material's properties, devices are continually getting smaller, faster and more efficient each day. Without a complete scientific understanding of material properties, devices cannot continue to improve. This dissertation uses optical spectroscopy techniques to understand light-matter interactions in several oxide materials with promising uses mainly in light harvesting applications. Linear absorption, photoluminescence and transient absorption spectroscopy are primarily used on europium doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles, copper gallium oxide delafossites doped with iron, and cadmium selenide quantum dots attached to titanium dioxide nanoparticles.;Europium doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles have promising applications for linking to biomolecules. Using Fourier-transform infrared …

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Kruppel-Like Factor 4 (Klf4) Regulates Protumorigenic Signaling In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (Tnbc) Cells, Sriganesh B. Sharma Jan 2015

Kruppel-Like Factor 4 (Klf4) Regulates Protumorigenic Signaling In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (Tnbc) Cells, Sriganesh B. Sharma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The zinc-finger pluripotency factor Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) exerts context dependent roles in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the pathobiology of many malignancies, including breast cancer. Despite the multitude of studies focused on the role of KLF4 across these contexts, the signaling programs that are regulated by this factor in breast cancer cells remain unclear. In this dissertation we deliniate three KLF4-dependent protumorigenic signaling axes that endow triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells with enhanced capacity to resist cell stress.;In the first study (Chapter 2), we found that KLF4 promotes the expression of two microRNAs (miRs), miR-206 and miR-21 (miR-206/21), …

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Regulation And Function Of The Cancer Stem Cell Transcription Factors Gli1 And Kruppel-Like Factor 4, Daniel B. Vanderbilt Jan 2015

Regulation And Function Of The Cancer Stem Cell Transcription Factors Gli1 And Kruppel-Like Factor 4, Daniel B. Vanderbilt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transcription factors are crucial to the normal and pathologic biology of cells. Aberrant genetic regulation underlies all facets of cancer, including metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and other clinically relevant manifestations. Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) and GLI1, transcription factors that interact with DNA through conserved zinc finger domains, are implicated in human malignancy. The stability of GLI1 protein is a central determinant of Hedgehog pathway signaling output, and is regulated through interaction with the F-box protein beta-TrCP. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, GLI1 may be activated by oncogenic mechanisms. While KLF4 is not specific to any discrete signal pathway, KLF4 is well-characterized in …

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