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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Physiology Of Yawning : Proximate Mechanisms Supporting An Ultimate Function, Melanie Lee Shoup-Knox Jan 2011

Physiology Of Yawning : Proximate Mechanisms Supporting An Ultimate Function, Melanie Lee Shoup-Knox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Recent research suggests that yawning functions to cool the brain during periods of mild hyperthermia. Evidence for this hypothesis is largely behavioral, and includes reports of increased yawning during increases in ambient temperature and times of stress as well as an amelioration of yawning upon nasal breathing and forehead cooling. Little research has been published on the physiological mechanisms supporting a brain cooling function, however. The current set of studies explores human and animal physiological parameters in search of evidence of brain cooling during yawning. In humans, heart rate, skin temperature, and skin conductance findings suggest that yawning involves an …


The Differential Effects Of Genetic And Dietary Alterations In Folate Status On Prefrontal Cortical Functions, Jessica Amanda Ash Jan 2011

The Differential Effects Of Genetic And Dietary Alterations In Folate Status On Prefrontal Cortical Functions, Jessica Amanda Ash

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Folate status plays an essential role in embryogenesis and brain development; however, its importance in supporting cognitive functioning throughout adulthood is less clear. The present study was interested in examining the effects of genetic and dietary alterations in folate status on prefrontal cortical functions in mice, modeling a common polymorphism in the MTHFD1 gene in folate metabolism. A factorial design was used crossing two genotypes (mice with a gene trap insertion in the Mthfd1 gene exhibiting 50% decreased Mthfd1 expression: Mthfd1gt/+ mice or wildtype mice) with two levels of dietary folate (folate sufficient or folate deficient). The mice were tested …


Automated Classification Of The Narrative Of Medical Reports Using Natural Language Processing, Ira J. Goldstein Jan 2011

Automated Classification Of The Narrative Of Medical Reports Using Natural Language Processing, Ira J. Goldstein

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this dissertation we present three topics critical to the document level classification of the narrative in medical reports: the use of preferred terminology in light of the presence of synonymous terms, the less than optimal performance of classification systems when presented with a non-uniform distribution of classes, and the problems associated with scarcity of labeled data when presented with an imbalance of classes in the data sets.


Darwin's Other Idea : Sexual Selection, Gender And Violence, Robert Samuel Moschgat Jan 2011

Darwin's Other Idea : Sexual Selection, Gender And Violence, Robert Samuel Moschgat

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation provides an empirical exploration of Darwin's theory of sexual selection, which views the male propensity to engage in short term mating strategies--sexual promiscuity and violence--as the result of sexual selection. Within an environmental context, biological father and mother household presence are expected to inhibit the initiation of short-term mating strategies and increase parental investment--paternal and maternal attachments, supervision, and protection. Whereas, structural disadvantage--living in poverty and in dangerous neighborhoods--is predicted to increase the initiation of a short-term mating strategies and compromise the parents' ability to protect their children and by weakening paternal and maternal attachments, thereby increasing the …


The Role Of Androstane Neurosteroids In Alcohol-Mediated Social Behavior, Jason J. Paris Jan 2011

The Role Of Androstane Neurosteroids In Alcohol-Mediated Social Behavior, Jason J. Paris

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Androgenic steroids, such as testosterone, may influence the propensity for aggression in both people and animals. Some of testosterone's effects on aggression may be due, in part, to its metabolic products that are 5á-reduced and 3á-hydroxylated to form, 3á-androstanediol (3á-diol), which can also enhance aggression in mice. Notably, alcohol (EtOH) consumption facilitates aggression in people and animals, particularly among those predisposed to act aggressively. In rats, EtOH can increase 3á-diol in prefrontal cortex, which may facilitate aggression. The present work aimed to elucidate the role of 3á-diol for EtOH-enhanced aggression. We hypothesized that EtOH would enhance inter-male aggression, social dominance, …