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2016

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Toward Reliable Analysis Of Individual Genomes, Jason O'Rawe Dec 2016

Toward Reliable Analysis Of Individual Genomes, Jason O'Rawe

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

High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies have given us the power to understand genetic disease at extraordinarily detailed resolution. It is now possible to sequence a person’s whole genome and search for the genetic markers that contribute to specific disease, or even markers that contribute to the possibility of developing a new one. However, the task of understanding and sifting through billions of data-points is not a trivial one. There are diverse statistical, algorithmic and practical implementation challenges that must be met so that we can accurately and reliably analyze the vast swaths of data that come from human DNA sequences. Indeed, …

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Harnessing Redox Regulation Of Ptp1b: A Novel Path To Therapeutic Design, Ioana Rus Rus Dec 2016

Harnessing Redox Regulation Of Ptp1b: A Novel Path To Therapeutic Design, Ioana Rus Rus

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

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is an important negative regulator of signaling by the insulin and leptin receptors. PTP1B-null mice are sensitized to insulin and resistant to diet-induced obesity, making PTP1B a prized target in the pharmaceutical industry for therapeutic intervention in type two diabetes and obesity. Efforts to develop inhibitors of PTP1B focused on the active site pocket; however, those efforts have been hindered by poor oral bioavailability of the compounds. Our lab has exploited the conformational changes associated with redox regulation of PTP1B to devise an alternative method of inhibiting the enzyme. Reactive oxygen species, generated in response …

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Py321dias: Data Intensity Analysis Software For 2d Powder Diffraction Data, Brandon Rhymer Dec 2016

Py321dias: Data Intensity Analysis Software For 2d Powder Diffraction Data, Brandon Rhymer

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

Obtaining correct intensities and their uncertainties are imperative for acquiring meaningful structural parameters for high-pressure X-ray powder diffraction data that typically have intrinsically low peak-to-background ratios of measured intensities. This is important for full structural determination techniques. Commonly used software packages like Fit2D and pyFAI are useful for reducing 2D X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) images into 1D diffraction plots. However, the default weighting scheme that programs use for fitting diffraction data normally causes unreasonable goodness of fit values, which causes statistical uncertainties to seldom be determined. Hence, we created an integrated open source data analysis software that builds on pyFAI, …

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Thermal And Near-Infrared Analyses For Understanding Martian Surface Mineralogy Through Orbital Measurements, Laboratory Studies And Statistical Models, Cong Pan Dec 2016

Thermal And Near-Infrared Analyses For Understanding Martian Surface Mineralogy Through Orbital Measurements, Laboratory Studies And Statistical Models, Cong Pan

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

Understanding the geologic evolution of Mars requires a detailed characterization of Martian surface compositions and their geologic settings. Because much of the Martian surface is covered with regolith or unconsolidated materials, in this work I focused on key locations in which to characterize Martian crustal materials as well as assess the degree of influence from physical sorting processes on measured surface compositions from orbit. In Chapter 2, I identified and characterized 26 crater central peaks with distinctive spectral signatures from surrounding plains with thermal infrared and visible/near-infrared data, based on a global survey of Martian impact craters between 10-200 km …

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Atomic Substitutions In Synthetic Apatite; Insights From Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy, John Vaughn Dec 2016

Atomic Substitutions In Synthetic Apatite; Insights From Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy, John Vaughn

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

Apatite, Ca5(PO4)3X (where X = F, Cl, or OH), is a unique mineral group capable of atomic substitutions for cations and anions of varied size and charge. Accommodation of differing substituents requires some kind of structural adaptation, e.g. new atomic positions, vacancies, or coupled substitutions. These structural adaptations often give rise to important physicochemical properties relevant to a range of scientific disciplines. Examples include volatile trapping during apatite crystallization, substitution for large radionuclides for long-term storage of nuclear fission waste, substitution for fluoride to improve acid resistivity in dental enamel composed dominantly of hydroxylapatite, and the development of novel biomaterials …

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The Answer Was Cooperative: How Anthropologists In Peru Redefined The "National Problem," 1948-1975, Ying-Ying Chu Dec 2016

The Answer Was Cooperative: How Anthropologists In Peru Redefined The "National Problem," 1948-1975, Ying-Ying Chu

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

The scholarly literature has often depicted the agricultural cooperative model implemented during the Peruvian Agrarian Reform in 1969 as an imposed policy. This dissertation challenges the state-centric view by exploring intellectual and policy debates, which were strongly influenced by grassroots developments, between 1948 and 1975. It shows how the cooperative model evolved from a radical project of the left into a well-accepted strategy of rural development and flourished in Peru during the post-World War II era. This study highlights the critical role played by a new generation of anthropologists and other social scientists, who mediated between the government, international aid …

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Words That Make The Man: Major League Baseball, The Media, And American Manhood, 1945-1962, Elizabeth O'Connell Gennari Dec 2016

Words That Make The Man: Major League Baseball, The Media, And American Manhood, 1945-1962, Elizabeth O'Connell Gennari

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

Baseball and the media have been linked throughout the American national pastime’s history. Its rise as a professional game coincided with the Circulation Wars between Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, who used sports as one means of selling newspapers. The expansion of radio programming linked listeners across the nation, and made Babe Ruth one of the first national celebrities. Baseball likewise helped fill airspace in the early days of television, and allowed viewers unable (or unwilling) to attend a ballpark the opportunity to see players like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays perform. This dissertation examines the role of the …

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An Investigation Of Pelagophyte Ecology, Yoonja Kang Dec 2016

An Investigation Of Pelagophyte Ecology, Yoonja Kang

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

Pelagophytes are important picoplankton in the open ocean and in coastal waters where Aureococcus anophagefferens and Aureoumbra lagunensis form ecosystem-disruptive brown tides. Despite decades of research, factors facilitating brown tides are not completely understood. This dissertation is a comparative study of pelagophytes assessing processes facilitating brown tides and transcriptional similarities among open ocean and coastal pelagophytes. During my dissertation, top-down (e.g. grazing) and bottom-up (e.g. nutrients) processes shaping phytoplankton communities were examined during brown tides in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. While moderate levels of ammonium promoted Aureoumbra growth over picoprokaryotes, grazing pressure on Aureoumbra was near absent permitting …

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Cosmogenic Silicon €“ 32 Reveals Extensive Authigenic Clay Formation In Deltaic Systems And Constrains The Marine Silica Budget | Cosmogenic Silicon – 32 Reveals Extensive Authigenic Clay Formation In Deltaic Systems And Constrains The Marine Silica Budget, Shaily Rahman Dec 2016

Cosmogenic Silicon €“ 32 Reveals Extensive Authigenic Clay Formation In Deltaic Systems And Constrains The Marine Silica Budget | Cosmogenic Silicon – 32 Reveals Extensive Authigenic Clay Formation In Deltaic Systems And Constrains The Marine Silica Budget, Shaily Rahman

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

Silica is an essential nutrient and an important control on primary production, the biological pump, and carbon cycling in the ocean. In our current understanding of the marine silica cycle, the known sources outweigh the sinks, by as much as 35%. The quantity of biogenic silica stored in lithogenic sediments along continental margins is poorly constrained. Cosmogenic 32Si (t1/2 ~ 140 yrs) was used in a novel way to constrain the quantity of reactive Si storage and early diagenetic reactions of Si in the highly mobile deltaic sediments along the coast of French Guiana, representative of deposits along the ~1600 …

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Spatial Characteristics Of The Low-Latitude Atlantic Multidecadal Variability During The Past Millennium And Evaluation Of Cmip5 Model Simulations, Tingyin Xiao Dec 2016

Spatial Characteristics Of The Low-Latitude Atlantic Multidecadal Variability During The Past Millennium And Evaluation Of Cmip5 Model Simulations, Tingyin Xiao

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

Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) influences climate of Atlantic coastal continents, including the Atlantic hurricanes, European summer rainfall, Sahelian precipitation, and African dust. Identifying corresponding climate proxies and integrating them with modern instrumental and reanalysis records are important to understand it in the context of future changes caused by human activities. In this study, we used the high-resolution and marine-based Globigerina bulloides abundance data from Cariaco Basin, the 20th Century reanalysis data, as well as other paleoclimate records to investigate the spatial pattern and coherence of the AMV. We then evaluated the ability of climate models in simulating the AMV. From …

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The Role Of The Transcription Machinery In The Remodeling Of The Promoter-Proximal Nucleosomes In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Michael Charles Tramantano Dec 2016

The Role Of The Transcription Machinery In The Remodeling Of The Promoter-Proximal Nucleosomes In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Michael Charles Tramantano

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

Approximately 147 base pairs of DNA wraps almost two turns around a protein core comprised of two copies of each H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 histones to form a nucleosome—the fundamental packaging unit of chromatin. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nucleosomes are organized along the genome in a closely spaced and non-random manner. This compact structure blocks assembly of the transcription machinery and thus is refractory to gene expression. Surrounding the promoters of most genes, a wider nucleosome depleted region (NDR), maintained in part by the activities of chromatin remodelers, serves as the platform for assembly of the transcription preinitiation complex (PIC). …

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The Role Of Dna Polymerase Lambda In The Repair Of Oxidative Dna Damage, Matthew John Burak Dec 2016

The Role Of Dna Polymerase Lambda In The Repair Of Oxidative Dna Damage, Matthew John Burak

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

8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine is a major oxidative product present in cells and can arise in either DNA (8-oxo-dG) or the nucleotide pool (8-oxo-dGTP). Both 8-oxo-dG and 8-oxo-dGTP exhibit dual-coding potential and can pair with cytosine or adenine. Accordingly, these lesions interfere with replication by DNA polymerases, lead to mutation and ultimately drive diseases such as cancer. Interestingly, DNA polymerase lambda (Pol λ) is uniquely capable of facilitating the error-free bypass of 8-oxo-dG-containing DNA and has thus been implicated in its repair. As such, I have utilized structural techniques (X-ray crystallography), complemented with biochemical experiments (steady-state kinetics), to gain insight into the mechanism …

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Ubiquitination Of Zeta-Associated Protein Of 70 Kda Regulates The Activation Of T Cell Receptor-Proximal Signaling Pathways, Elitza Ivanova Dec 2016

Ubiquitination Of Zeta-Associated Protein Of 70 Kda Regulates The Activation Of T Cell Receptor-Proximal Signaling Pathways, Elitza Ivanova

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

The tyrosine kinase Zap-70 is a key regulator of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling downstream of antigen presentation. It plays an essential role in signaling pathways involved in T cell development and function. Loss of Zap-70 results in severe developmental and functional defects in the T cell compartment. Lack of Zap-70 or a complete loss of its function leads to the development of rare severe primary immunodeficiencies, while more common polymorphisms that lead to subtle defects in TCR signaling are paradoxically associated with autoimmunity. The coordinated regulation of Zap-70 kinase activity is critical for proper T cell proliferation, differentiation, and …

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Neuronal Activation With Gain Modification Of The Trigeminal Blink Reflex, Patricia Ronessa Enmore Dec 2016

Neuronal Activation With Gain Modification Of The Trigeminal Blink Reflex, Patricia Ronessa Enmore

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

The trigeminal blink reflex is a simple circuit for investigating the neural bases of motor plasticity in mammals. Stimulating the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve (SO) evokes two bursts of activity in the lid closing orbicularis oculi muscle, R1 and R2. One procedure for inducing blink plasticity is high frequency stimulation (HFS) of the SO. Presenting HFS before the R2 component (HFS-B) reduces blink amplitude for at least one hour in humans and rats. This reduction in blink amplitude is a decrease in gain because the blink evoking stimulus is the same before and after HFS-B treatment. To identify …

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The Role Of Pten Signaling In The Function And Development Of The Sexually Dimorphic Kisspeptin System, Ariel L. Negron Dec 2016

The Role Of Pten Signaling In The Function And Development Of The Sexually Dimorphic Kisspeptin System, Ariel L. Negron

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

Hypothalamic kisspeptin-expressing neurons are a critical relay system that conveys information about hormonal and nutritional status to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons. PI3K/mTOR signaling is linked to the regulation of hypothalamic kisspeptin expression and of gonadotropin release by nutritional status. Whether kisspeptin neuron-specific PI3K/mTOR signaling participates in the regulation of the kisspeptin system and gonadotropin release under normal and under metabolic challenges is unknown. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is the principal negative regulator of the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway. In addition, PTEN expression and function is regulated by estrogen, the sex-steroid hormone principally responsible for the sexually dimorphic expression of hypothalamic kisspeptin …

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Quantum Phase Transition And Quantum Entanglement In The Generalized Cluster-Xy Model, Aydin Deger Dec 2016

Quantum Phase Transition And Quantum Entanglement In The Generalized Cluster-Xy Model, Aydin Deger

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

In this work, we give a detailed analytic treatment of one-dimensional anisotropic XY model in the transverse field. We present a multipartite geometric measure of entanglement per site and per block and use it for quantifying global entanglement in many-body systems. We also investigate spontaneous symmetry breaking and Quantum Phase Transition (QPT) in the model. Further, we extend the solution of the XY model to the n-site interaction and diagonalize the Hamiltonian and obtain energy levels and eigenvalues. We also examine Quantum Entanglement and QPT for next-nearest neighbor interaction and halfway interaction. At last, we introduce a Generalized Cluster-XY Hamiltonian …

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Ancient Greek Women: Weavers, Painters And Patrons, Mikaela Batista Dec 2016

Ancient Greek Women: Weavers, Painters And Patrons, Mikaela Batista

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

Linda Nochlin and the Guerrilla Girls, amongst others, have advocated for the equal representation of women artists. I have found that this contemporary concern of gender inequality can be traced back to Classical Antiquity. The patriarchal structure that women lived in assisted in the construction of female roles within society. Through these roles we can examine their contributions to the art world of Ancient Greece as weavers, painters and patrons. The analysis of their artistic significance led to their historiography by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Giovanni Boccaccio. Their written works, created in Ancient Rome and 14th century …

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Nanoscale Spatial Inhomogeneity In Photovoltaic Devices, Ahsan Ashraf Dec 2016

Nanoscale Spatial Inhomogeneity In Photovoltaic Devices, Ahsan Ashraf

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

A substantial challenge in the development of optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaics and photodetectors is the inherent non-uniformity in semi-crystalline and polycrystalline photoactive materials. The focus of this work is to understand and evaluate the impact of specific non-uniformities in organic and inorganic materials, and present strategies for the development of novel architectures where instead of being detrimental they can be beneficial to device performance. We focus on materials in two regimes: a) materials with small dielectric constants, where the Coulomb interaction between an electron and a hole is strong therefore forming Frenkel excitons, with radii of the same order …

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The Explosive Possibilities Of Little Dwarfs: Low-Mach Number Modeling Of Thin Helium Shells On Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass White Dwarfs, Adam Michael Jacobs Dec 2016

The Explosive Possibilities Of Little Dwarfs: Low-Mach Number Modeling Of Thin Helium Shells On Sub-Chandrasekhar Mass White Dwarfs, Adam Michael Jacobs

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

The classic model of type Ia supernovae still taught in many textbooks describes a white dwarf primarily composed of carbon and oxygen accreting from a companion until it nears the critical Chandrasekhar mass, contracts, ignites carbon fusion and explodes. The research community, however, is seeing whatever consensus that may have existed on this model as the dominant channel to normal type Ia’s erode in the face of both observational and theoretical challenges. In my dissertation I present the largest ever suite of three-dimensional models of an alternative type Ia progenitor model: the double detonation model. This model evades the requirement …

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Investigations In The Crystal Growth And Neutron Scattering Of Superconductors And A Relaxor Ferroelectric, John Schneeloch Dec 2016

Investigations In The Crystal Growth And Neutron Scattering Of Superconductors And A Relaxor Ferroelectric, John Schneeloch

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

In this dissertation, I present research on four materials with properties that are not well understood, and illustrate the many roles inhomogeneity and disorder may play in material properties. First, we investigated materials synthesis and annealing conditions of the proposed topological superconductor CuxBi2Se3, finding that quenching above a minimum temperature was essential for superconductivity. Due to the inhomogeneity of CuxBi2Se3, we suggest that a metastable secondary phase may be responsible for the superconductivity. Second, we performed neutron scattering measurements on samples in the Fe1+yTe1−xSex family of iron-based superconductors, focusing on the anomalous phonon mode recently discovered near Bragg peaks forbidden …

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Study Of Long-Range Azimuthal And Longitudinal Correlations In High Energy Nuclear Collisions At The Lhc Using The Atlas Detector, Sooraj Krishnan Radhakrishnan Dec 2016

Study Of Long-Range Azimuthal And Longitudinal Correlations In High Energy Nuclear Collisions At The Lhc Using The Atlas Detector, Sooraj Krishnan Radhakrishnan

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

Azimuthal correlations between particle pairs having large pseudorapidity separation (commonly called the ``ridge'') have been observed in p+p and p+Pb collisions. Different interpretations towards its origin, including collective transverse expansion of produced partons, and initial state correlations enhanced by gluon saturation have been proposed. We present a detailed measurement of the ridge and associated Fourier harmonics ($v_n$) in p+Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 5.02 TeV at the LHC using the ATLAS detector. The ridge correlations are found to persist to high $\pT$ ($\sim$10 GeV). Fourier harmonics up to order 5 are measured and found to be non-zero. The first order …

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Electron Source Based On Superconducting Rf, Tianmu Xin Dec 2016

Electron Source Based On Superconducting Rf, Tianmu Xin

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

High-bunch-charge photoemission electron-sources operating in a Continuous Wave (CW) mode can provide high peak current as well as the high average current which are required for many advanced applications of accelerators facilities, for example, electron coolers for hadron beams, electron-ion colliders, and Free-Electron Lasers (FELs). Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) has many advantages over other electron-injector technologies, especially when it is working in CW mode as it offers higher repetition rate. An 112 MHz SRF electron photo-injector (gun) was developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to produce high-brightness and high-bunch-charge bunches for electron cooling experiments. The gun utilizes a Quarter-Wave Resonator …

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A Study Of Vector Boson Scattering Process In The Semi-Leptonic Final State And Limits On Anomalous Quartic Gauge Coupling, Aungshuman Zaman Dec 2016

A Study Of Vector Boson Scattering Process In The Semi-Leptonic Final State And Limits On Anomalous Quartic Gauge Coupling, Aungshuman Zaman

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

In this dissertation we look into the vector boson scattering process in the semi-leptonic channel using 20.2 $fb^{−1}$ of 2012 proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV coming from the Large Hadron Collider. The final state considered is WVjj (V=W,Z) where the W decays into a charged lepton (electron or muon) and a neutrino and the other vector boson decays hadronically. The analysis requires one charged lepton, missing transverse energy and four jets, two of which are forward jets with a large invariant mass. Expected limits on the anomalous quartic gauge coupling (aQGC) parameters were estimated using Whizard+Pythia8 Monte …

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Transverse Movements Of The Components Of The Lipid Bilayer, Jamie Lebarron Dec 2016

Transverse Movements Of The Components Of The Lipid Bilayer, Jamie Lebarron

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

Cell membranes are a complex mixture often composed of approximately equal parts lipid and protein molecules. Lipids are amphipathic, having polar headgroups that prefer to associate with water and hydrophobic tails that self-associate away from water. As a result, the lipids in cell membranes exist in the form of a lipid bilayer, with lipid polar headgroups facing outwards towards water and tails grouped together in the middle. Proteins embedded in this bilayer facilitate the movement of molecules across this barrier. The molecules that form the membrane have an asymmetric distribution, with different lipids being preferentially found on one side of …

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The Integration Of Mathematics In Middle School Science: Student And Teacher Impacts Related To Science Achievement And Attitudes Towards Integration, Luisa Mchugh Dec 2016

The Integration Of Mathematics In Middle School Science: Student And Teacher Impacts Related To Science Achievement And Attitudes Towards Integration, Luisa Mchugh

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

Contemporary research has suggested that in order for students to compete globally in the 21st century workplace, pedagogy must shift to include the integration of science and mathematics, where teachers effectively incorporate the two disciplines seamlessly. Mathematics facilitates a deeper understanding of science concepts and has been linked to improved student perception of the integration of science and mathematics. Although there is adequate literature to substantiate students’ positive responses to integration in terms of attitudes, there has been little empirical data to support significant academic improvement when both disciplines are taught in an integrated method. This research study, conducted at …

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Examining The Effects Of Binegativity On Components Of Sexual Identity And Internalizing Symptomatology Among Bisexual Women Using A Longitudinal Study Design, Christina Dyar Dec 2016

Examining The Effects Of Binegativity On Components Of Sexual Identity And Internalizing Symptomatology Among Bisexual Women Using A Longitudinal Study Design, Christina Dyar

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

Recent research indicates that experiences of binegativity (stigmatization of bisexuals) have detrimental impacts on components of sexual identity (e.g. | sexual identity uncertainty and internalized binegativity) and mental health (e.g. | internalizing symptoms, substance abuse). The current study is the first to longitudinally examine the impact of experiences of binegativity on components of sexual identity and mental health. 180 cisgender bisexual women completed three surveys assessing a total of four timepoints. Results indicate that experiences of binegativity predict subsequent increases in internalized binegativity, which in turn, predict increases in sexual identity uncertainty and strength of identification as heterosexual and lesbian …

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Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Democracy? : The Downsides Of Democratizing State Courts, Justine Rose D'Elia-Kueper Dec 2016

Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Democracy? : The Downsides Of Democratizing State Courts, Justine Rose D'Elia-Kueper

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

Much of the empirical work on judicial selection at the state level has failed to uncover any negative consequences of selecting judges in competitive elections. This dissertation examines three previously unconsidered potential consequences of using elections to select and reselect judges. Specifically, this dissertation examines whether voters in judicial elections are influenced by factors beyond the control of individual judges, whether elected judges are systematically less affected by the facts of the case than are appointed judges, and whether the practice of electing judges is harmful to minority rights. This dissertation uncovers evidence that suggests, while many of these consequences …

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Increasing College Students’ Interest And Engagement In Stem: A Comparison Of Strategies For Challenging Stem Stereotypes | Increasing College Students’ Interest And Engagement In Stem: A Comparison Of Strategies For Challenging Stem Stereotypes, Jiyun Elizabeth Shin Dec 2016

Increasing College Students’ Interest And Engagement In Stem: A Comparison Of Strategies For Challenging Stem Stereotypes | Increasing College Students’ Interest And Engagement In Stem: A Comparison Of Strategies For Challenging Stem Stereotypes, Jiyun Elizabeth Shin

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

Increasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates has become an important part of the education agenda in the U.S. in recent years. Stereotypes about STEM (i.e. | belief that STEM abilities are innate, and that European American men are best suited for STEM) have been identified as one of the critical factors that may contribute to low recruitment and retention of STEM students. Drawing from the literatures on biological essentialism and role models, this study compared different strategies for challenging STEM stereotypes among undergraduate students in STEM and non-STEM fields. STEM stereotypes were challenged directly with research articles that …

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The Making Of A Habit: The Moderating Role Of Construal Level On The Development Of Automaticity, Allison Marie Sweeney Dec 2016

The Making Of A Habit: The Moderating Role Of Construal Level On The Development Of Automaticity, Allison Marie Sweeney

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

Through practice, erratic behaviors become consistent. Numerous daily actions, including health-related behaviors such as exercise, are guided by habits that function automatically. However, considerable variability exists in the time it takes for a new behavior to become consistent and automatic. To date, little research has examined why the speed of habit formation varies across individuals and situations. I tested whether focusing on the concrete procedures of action (concrete thinking) facilitates the development of behavioral consistency and automaticity more so than focusing on the abstract purpose of action (abstract thinking). In Experiment 1, I examined whether concrete vs. abstract thinking influences …

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Urbanization And The Formation Of Modern Nation-States In The Turko-Persian World, Can Ersoy Dec 2016

Urbanization And The Formation Of Modern Nation-States In The Turko-Persian World, Can Ersoy

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

Formation of modern states has been studied by numerous scholars over the last four decades however, the particular role of urbanization in this process have received considerably less attention. The few existing works that do focus on this issue exclusively examine the European experience and explain the interaction between cities and emerging states within that historical framework. This dissertation examines socio-political dynamics of urbanization and urbanism in the Turko-Persian geography during the establishment of modern nation-states in order to identify the ways, in which the dynamics affected the ensuing state-society relations. For this purpose I conducted a comparative historical analysis …

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