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Predatory Behavior And Neuroanatomy Of The Sessile Rotifer, Cupelopagis Vorax , Elizabeth Preza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Predator-prey interactions contribute to the evolution of behavioral and morphological characteristics of species. However, research on zooplankton has mainly focused on planktonic species such Mesocyclops edax (Arthropoda, Cyclopoida) and Asplanchna spp. (Rotifera, Ploima). Cupelopagis vorax (Rotifera, Collothecaceae) provides a unique model for studying the predatory behavior of a sessile species. Cupelopagis was chosen because it is the only rotifer known to exhibit rheotaxic behaviors in the presence of prey and because it undergoes indirect development where non-feeding, free-swimming larvae mature into feeding adults. The integration of behavioral techniques, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy were used to provide insight as to how …

Describing Data And Workflow Provenance Using Design Patterns And Controlled Vocabularies, Smriti Rajkarnikar Tamrakar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In any scientific experiment, researchers are required to access, compute, and analyze data to produce useful information to the scientific community. In order to instill trust on such scientific research products, the product users need to understand the procedure applied and the assumptions incorporated. The reuse and replication of reliable scientific data need methods that help the users to understand data origin and the derivation process, i.e. provenance. Although several standards for representing provenance such as PROV model (a W3C recommendation) have been recommended, they have not been widely utilized by scientific communities due to difficulty in aligning such recommended …

Safety Airway For Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using A Gas Particles Behavior Analogy, Pablo Rangel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented the Part 107 legislation to allow the flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for commercial use (i.e. package deliveries, power transmission line inspections, etc.) in the National Airspace System (NAS). As a consequence of the newly introduced rules, there is an increased risk for accidents involving injured bystanders or damaged to property. The work within this document defines a UAV to UAV safety distance model that acts as a range sensor enabled "elastic bubble". The length of the UAV safety bubble contracts and expands upon changing airway wind speed conditions. It also …

Risk Mitigation In The Supply Chain Caused By Multitple Phase-In And Phase-Out Components Using Simio Simulation, Anabel Renteria Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Manufacturing is constantly changing, adapting to new technologies and making improvements on their products design, while dealing with engineering design changes can represent an improvement or savings to the company it can also end up as a huge risk of disruption in the Supply Chain if there is not a safety phase-in and phase-out components transition because the network became more complex and affected processes needs to be revalidated, here comes the importance to set up an strategy to mitigate any possible risk and maximize total revenue.

A case study for a two tiers level Supply Chain system is evaluated …

La Sed Del Agua, Edgar J. Saavedra Vázquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Examining Perceptions On Women's Issues Including Intersectionality Of Class, Misogyny, And Stereotypes Of Mexican And Latin American Women Within The Telenovela La Reina Del Sur, Donna Garcia Sianez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In many cultures dominated by a patriarchal society, the media have had their influence on how women's issues such as intersectionality of class, misogyny and stereotypes are perceived. One particular medium is telenovelas which are a popular form of entertainment among Latino/a viewers. Therefore, this analysis is based on perceptions in the roles of women through La Reina Del Sur, a popular telenovela, and how it relates to Mexican and Latin American cultural norms.

Active Learning Effect On The Public's Perception Of Anthropogenic Global Climate Change, Ivy Gisselle Trevizo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic, or human-caused global climate change has been debated for many years among the public despite the growing evidence that there is scientific consensus on this topic. A gap has been discovered between scientific evidence of increasing temperatures and the public's perception on climate change. This gap has been hypothesized to come from the method in which the scientific community represents scientific evidence. The goal of this study was to determine if active learning techniques around local and regional climate change and climate change impacts changes the awareness, perception, and behavioral intentions of different segments of the public. The study …

Burning Signs Of Blue, John Veldt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I am a beginning poet, and these are my beginning poems. Indeed, I am not Lorca. However, I do believe that his spirit of duende is visible in my work.There is the visible anguish of desire in these poems (just to name a few): the desire to receive a father's love, the desire to be the human animal, the desire to find truth, and a parent's desire to protect her children. It is a longing, a melancholic desire, tinged and/or consumed with the knowledge of death and loss. There is the desire for lost lovers and lost children, the desire …

Renewable Energy Systems Optimization Using Monte Carlo Simulation And Evolutionary Algorithms, Nicolas Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores the Renewable Energy Integration Problem, and proposes a Genetic Algorithm embedded with a Monte Carlo simulation to solve large instances of the problem that are impractical to solve via full enumeration. The Renewable Energy Integration Problem is defined as finding the optimum set of components to supply the electric demand to a hybrid

microgrid. The components considered are solar panels, wind turbines, diesel generators, electric batteries, connections to the power grid and converters, which can be inverters and/or rectifiers. The methodology developed is explained as well as the combinatorial formulation. In addition, 2 case studies of a …

Nonverbal Immediacy As A Characterisation Of Social Behaviour For Human–Robot Interaction, J Kennedy, P Baxter, T Belpaeme

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

An increasing amount of research has started to explore the impact of robot social behaviour on the outcome of a goal for a human interaction partner, such as cognitive learning gains. However, it remains unclear from what principles the social behaviour for such robots should be derived. Human models are often used, but in this paper an alternative approach is proposed. First, the concept of nonverbal immediacy from the communication literature is introduced, with a focus on how it can provide a characterisation of social behaviour, and the subsequent outcomes of such behaviour. A literature review is conducted to explore …

Environmental Impact Assessments Of The Xiaolangdi Reservoir On The Most Hyperconcentrated Laden River, Yellow River, China, Dongxian Kong, Chiyuan Miao, Jingwen Wu, Alistair G.L. Borthwick, Qingyun Duan, Xiaoming Zhang

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Time Related Effects On Functional Brain Connectivity After Serotonergic And Cholinergic Neuromodulation, Bernadet L. Klaassens, Serge A. Rombouts, Anderson M. Winkler, Helene C. Van Gorsel, Jeroen Van Der Grond, Joop M A Van Gerven

School of Medicine Publications

Psychopharmacological research, if properly designed, may offer insight into both timing and area of effect, increasing our understanding of the brain's neurotransmitter systems. For that purpose, the acute influence of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram (30 mg) and the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galantamine (8 mg) was repeatedly measured in 12 healthy young volunteers with resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Eighteen RS-fMRI scans were acquired per subject during this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Within-group comparisons of voxelwise functional connectivity with 10 functional networks were examined (P < 0.05, FWE-corrected) using a non-parametric multivariate approach with cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, heart rate, and baseline measurements as covariates. Although both compounds did not change cognitive performance on several tests, significant effects were found on connectivity with multiple resting state networks. Serotonergic stimulation primarily reduced connectivity with the sensorimotor network and structures that are related to self-referential mechanisms, whereas galantamine affected networks and regions that are more involved in learning, memory, and visual perception and processing. These results are consistent with the serotonergic and cholinergic trajectories and their functional relevance. In addition, this study demonstrates the power of using repeated measures after drug administration, which offers the chance to explore both combined and time specific effects. Hum Brain Mapp 38:308-325, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Autocrine And Paracrine Secretion Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor In The Pre-Hypoxic Diabetic Retina, Jeffery G. Grigsby, Donald M. Allen, Ana S. Ferrigno, Sandeep Vellanki, Cindy E. Pouw, Whitney A. Hejny, Andrew Tsin

School of Medicine Publications

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is well established as the main agent responsible for vascular leakage and angiogenesis in the diabetic retina. While VEGF can have positive effects on hyperglycemia stressed retinal tissues, it also plays a role in events progressing to the oxygen- stressed, i.e. hypoxic, diabetic retina. Some VEGF makes its way to the retina from systemic sources and some is produced locally within the eye. Hyperglycemia, oxidants, inflammation, and advanced glycation end-products are all stimulants to VEGF production, both in the hypoxic and the pre-hypoxic retina. Endothelial cells, pericytes, Müller cells, microglia, astrocytes, retinal pigment epithelium and …