Anthropology

This is an ethnographic study of womens activism in Bosniac (Muslim) areas of post-war Bosnia-Herzegovina. I examine the activities and representational strategies of activists in womens non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and political parties as they engage local nationalist and religious discourses, established notions of gender, and the discourses and policies of foreign donors and international bodies. The work is based on over two years (1999-2000) of ethnographic research among women ac...

Slavic Languages and Literatures

My dissertation provides an analysis of the Soviet television mini-series released between the late 1960s and early 1980s, specifically the spy thriller, the police procedural, and the detective series. I argue that serialized production were an ideal form for the negotiation of the inherited models of individual and collective identity with the new cultural, social, and political values that came into play during the Brezhnev era.Chapter One provides an overview of Russian and Western studies o...

Mathematics

This dissertation studies a one dimensional neural network rate model that supports localized self-sustained solutions. These solutions could be an analog for working memory in the brain. Working memory refers to the temporary storage of information necessary for performing different mental tasks. Cortical neurons that show persistent activity are observed in animals during working memory tasks. The physical process underlying this persistent activity could be due to self-sustained network activ...

East Asian Studies

In my thesis I address two questions regarding the aluminum market in China. The first question analyzes the degree to which the Chinese aluminum market is integrated into the world market. I use the Johansen test for cointegration of time series data in SAS statistical software to compare the volatility of daily aluminum spot prices quoted at the Chinese aluminum Commodity Exchange market in Shanghai (SHFE) relative to its counterparts in London (LME), and New York (COMEX) in order to determine...

History and Philosophy of Science

Computationalism says that brains are computing mechanisms, that is, mechanisms that perform computations. At present, there is no consensus on how to formulate computationalism precisely or adjudicate the dispute between computationalism and its foes, or between different versions of computationalism. An important reason for the current impasse is the lack of a satisfactory philosophical account of computing mechanisms. The main goal of this dissertation is to offer such an account.I also belie...

Neurobiology

Spontaneous and sound-driven activity, glutamatergic synaptic transmission and Ca2+ signaling are critical for formation, maturation, refinement and survival of neuronal circuits including the auditory system. The present study investigated the mechanisms by which glutamatergic inputs from the cochlear nucleus regulate intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in developing lateral superior olive (LSO) neurons, using Ca2+ imaging in fura-2AM labeled brainstem slices.AMPA/kainate receptors pr...

English

DISSERTATION ABSTRACTDREAMING IN CRISIS: ANGELS AND THE ALLEGORICALIMAGINATION IN POST-WAR AMERICAEmily Bauman, PhDUniversity of Pittsburgh, 2003This dissertation bridges literary and cultural studies in order to offer a critical reading of the fascination with angels that appears in America at the beginning and end of the Cold War. Though the contemporary wave of interest spans genres of mass entertainment, pop psychology, and high modernist literature and film, I find angelic representations t...

Physics

This work is a collection of three experiments aimed at studyingdifferent facets of non-equilibrium dynamics. Chapter I concernsstrongly compressible turbulence, which turns out to be verydifferent from incompressible turbulence. The focus is on thedispersion of contaminants in such a flow. This type of turbulencecan be studied, at very low mach number, by measuring the velocityfields of particles that float on a turbulently stirred body ofwater. It turns out that in the absence of incompressibi...

Philosophy

It is often supposed that we can use mathematics to capture the time evolution of any physical system. By this, I mean that we can capture the basic truths about the time evolution of a physical system with a set of mathematical assertions, which can then be used as premises in arbitrary mathematical arguments to deduce more complex properties of the system.I would like to argue that this picture of the role of mathematics in physics is incorrect. Specifically, I shall assert:The Deduction Failu...

Slavic Languages and Literatures

This is a study of the cultural significance and generic specificity of the Russo-Soviet joke (in Russian, anekdot [pl. anekdoty]). My work departs from previous analyses by locating the genre s quintessence not in its formal properties, thematic taxonomy, or structural evolution, but in the essential links and productive contradictions between the anekdot and other texts and genres of Russo-Soviet culture. The anekdot s defining intertextuality is prominent across a broad range of cycles, inclu...

Intelligent Systems

This dissertation studies how the mechanism-based view of causality can assist in construction and utilization of causal models for decision support. The mechanism-based view of causality is based on the theory of causal ordering, proposed by Simon [53], which explicates causal asymmetries among variables in a self-contained set of simultaneous structural equations. I extend the theory of causal ordering to explicate causal relations in under-constrained sets of structural equations. Considering...

Neuroscience

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are broadly involved in the CNS physiological andpathological processes. The voltage-dependent block by external Mg2+ is a signature characteristic of the NMDA receptors and is partly responsible for the many important roles NMDA receptors play. The work included in this Dissertation was designed to advance our understanding of the mechanism of Mg2+ block of NMDA receptors by exploring the permeant ion and subunit dependence of this process. Whole-cell and o...

Rehabilitation Science

Wheelchair seating discomfort is an important but poorly understood negative outcome for long duration wheelchair users. A major impediment to the study of this problem is the lack of a validated tool for quantification of wheelchair seating discomfort. The goal of this dissertation research was to develop and validate an assessment tool appropriate for the quantification of wheelchair seating discomfort among long duration (more than 8 hours per day) wheelchair users. This was accomplished thro...

Sociology

In this thesis, I examine an ASO in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in order to explore how case managers interpret the complex needs that HIV-positive clients present while trying to encourage them to become responsible citizens. The data are drawn from participant observation, structured interviews with case managers, and a content analysis of case managers notes in clients files. I find that clients do not regularly ask for services related to health maintenance, case managers negotiate surveillanc...

Neuroscience

The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade can transduce cell-surface signals to the nucleus in post-synaptic neurons during hippocampus-dependent learning and hippocampus-dependent synaptic plasticity, yet, whether the cascade can convey information about stimulus frequency or synaptic modification direction to the nucleus during plasticity events has not been addressed. The objective of the current study was to investigate whether ERK regulation differs as a function of stimulus f...

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Appendix F of the AISC-LRFD Specification governs the design of web-tapered I-shaped beams. These design provisions are restricted to beams with equal flange areas and non-slender webs. However, the current practice in the low-rise metal building industry is to employ flanges of unequal area and slender webs; a time honored practice that has resulted in safe and economical structures. The current study utilizes validated nonlinear finite element analysis techniques to predict the flexural respon...

Bioengineering

A possible approach to stimulate proteoglycan and collagen synthesis for treating intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is introduction of growth factors. The objective of Part I of this study was to screen the effect of human recombinant bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and BMP-12 on nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and to investigate the effect of Ad/BMP-12 on NP and anulus fibrosus (AF) cells. Cells were isolated from degenerated human discs and cultured in monolayer. RhBMP-2 (25, 50, 100, 200,...

Bioengineering

The control of redox state of free thiols on ryanodine receptor (RyR) has been implicated as an important mechanism to regulate RyR channel activity and tune its responses to the physiological modulators. Both the skeletal and cardiac RyRs have been shown to be activated by S-nitrosylation of free thiols on them by a chemical process analogous to the oxidation of ¡

Chemical Engineering

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the potential displacing fluids used in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). However, the effective use of CO2 in EOR is hindered by its low viscosity, resulting in CO2 to finger towards production well and thus low sweep efficiency. The current research has aimed to bring the viscosity of CO2 to a level comparable to that of oil via dissolution of polymeric materials (thickeners) to suppress early breakthrough of CO2 in EOR. A series of fluoroacrylate-aromatic acrylate co...

Industrial Engineering

Both manufacturing and service industries deal with quality characteristics, which include not only variables but attributes as well. In the area of Quality Control there has been substantial research in the area of correlated variables (i.e. multivariate control charts); however, little work has been done in the area of correlated attributes. To control product or service quality of a multi-attribute process, several issues arise. A high number of false alarms (Type I error) occur and the proba...

Bioengineering

The interaction between tumor cells and dendritic cells (DC) is a critical event for both initiation and regulation of specific antitumor immune responses. Based on the unique ability to present tumor antigen to and stimulate clonal expansion of naïve T cells, DC have been widely used to induce antitumor immunity in both preclinical animal models and human clinical trials. However, a growing body of clinical data and experimental evidence demonstrate that tumor exhibits a variety of inh...

Chemical Engineering

The objective of this research is to provide molecular-level insight on the adsorption andinterfacial properties of fluids. Molecular simulation is the tool used to perform this work. The adsorption of polar and nonpolar molecules on carbonaceous adsorbents and metal surface is studied by using existing simulation techniques and new techniques developed by ourselves.The interfacial properties of quantum liquid mixtures are investigated using path integral simulations. The physical behavior of a ...

Immunology

AbstractTo generate an effective cellular immune response, it is necessary to elicit both antigen-specific CTL (CD8+) and Th (CD4+) T cell recognition. The design of an effective therapeutic vaccine must incorporate means by which to generate novel T cell responses or enhance existing responses of a clinically-preferred functional type. In the cancer setting, one vaccine strategy is to target the immune system to specifically recognize tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). TAAs can be sub-categorize...

Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology

The elucidation of mechanisms for epithelial maintenance and renewal after injury are central to understanding aspects of normal airway diversity and the pathobiology of lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and cancer. Due to the low steady state turnover of the airway epithelium, it has been proposed that epithelial remodeling following chronic lung injury or disease may be the result of aberrant epithelial stem cell activation. P...

Rehabilitation Science

Web content accessibility is to which degree a site is accessible to the largest possible range of people, especially for persons with disabilities. The current study comprises four interrelated parts revolving around evaluating and enhancing Web content accessibility.First, a novel measurement metrics called Web Accessibility Barriers (WAB) score is constructed based on published Web accessibility design guidelines. The performance of the measurement metrics is assessed using a Web accessibilit...

Molecular Pharmacology

The overall hypothesis of this thesis project was that bleomycin hydrolase (BLMH) has biologically specific and unique functions in the central nervous system (CNS). BLMH is a multifaceted papain superfamily cysteine protease that has importance in drug metabolism. The physiological functions of this protease are unknown as are factors regulating its expression. Immunohistochemical examination of B6.129Blmhtm1Geh/J null and control animals showed no gross abnormalities; however, marked global as...

Mechanical Engineering

The pathology of arterial diseases such as aneurysms and atherosclerosis is of great clinical interest. Several decades have passed since attempts to correlate hemodynamic factors to pathology of these diseases began. Under the hypothesis that hemodynamics is an important factor responsible for arterial diseases, we attempt to (i) investigate geometrical risk factors responsible for aneurysm formation in arterial bifurcations, (ii) evaluate a current hypothesis that aneurysms develop as a result...

Electrical Engineering

A fundamental theorem of Digital Signal Processing is Shannon s sampling theorem, whichdictates the minimum rate (called the Nyquist rate") at which a continuous-time signalmust be sampled in order to faithfully reproduce the signal from its samples. If a signalcan be reproduced from its samples, then clearly no information about the original signalhas been lost in the sampling process. However, when a signal is sampled at a rate lowerthan the Nyquist Rate, the true spectral content of the ...

Anthropology

The dissertation looks at the struggle for hegemonic control over the meaning of reproduction and sexuality in Serbia, 1986-1997, in the context of the ideological and socio-economical changes created by the collapse of socialism. The dissertation focuses on changing meanings of reproduction and reproductions intersection with the concepts of gender, sexuality and nation. Such a focus is determined by two considerations: 1) gender organization in patriarchal societies is based primarily on diffe...

Hispanic Languages and Literatures

Throughout the course of this dissertation, I respond to three related research goals. In order to investigate these goals, I gathered data from 169 members of two Cuzco, Peru non-profit governmental agencies, the Asociación Civil Gregorio Condori Mamani Proyecto Casa del Cargador, Gregorio Condori Mamani Civil Association House of the Carrier Project and El Centro de Apoyo Integral a la Trabajadora del Hogar, Center for the Integral Support of Female Home Workers. The majority of my pa...

Mathematics

This dissertation is a study of the relationship between a topological space X and varioushigherorder objects that we can associate with X. In particular the focus is on C(X), the setof all continuous realvalued functions on X endowed with the topology of pointwise convergence,the compactopen topology and an admissible topology. The topological propertiesof continuous function universals and zero set universals are also examined. The topologicalproperties studied can be divided into three types ...

Anthropology

The concept of an unmarried Japanese woman carries a variety of changing meanings for both women and men. In the past unmarried Japanese women were viewed as a conceptual anomaly vis-à-vis the dominant rhetoric of universal marriage. In contemporary Japan women are marrying later or even choosing not to marry at all. Demographers view the personal actions by unmarried women as cumulatively accounting for a large component of the declining birthrate. Such analysis of vital records has in...

French

The purpose of this dissertation is to show how certain female characters in Zola question the received notion about the human-animal border and the related distinction between the male and the female. The novels I examine are Madeleine Férat, La Faute de labbé Mouret, La Curée, Nana, and Travail. The renewal of interest in contemporary French philosophy on human-animal relations serves as a framework for a reevaluation of the naturalist author, and my analysis of anim...

English

The Seductive Fallacy provides a literary focus for feminist critiques of fascist gender and sexuality. It explores two fascist and three anti-fascist novelsWyndham Lewis The Revenge for Love (1937), Olive Hawks What Hope for Green Street? (1945), Virginia Woolfs The Years (1937), Phyllis Bottomes The Mortal Storm (1938) and The Lifeline (1946)that illuminate British domestic fictions rhetorical range in the prolonged crisis of liberal hegemony after World War I. Across political purposes and a ...

Political Science

The study examines competing institutional and cultural explanations of government performance. I use within country comparison of 125 sub-national governments in Germany and the U.S. and cross-regional comparison of these two countries. Government performance is conceptualized and measured on two dimensions policy responsiveness and administrative effectiveness. I show that social capital is associated with the former but is unrelated to the level of administrative effectiveness. The latter is ...

Music

Recent approaches to ritornello structure in J. S. Bach s Brandenburg Concertos have stressed the importance of the Baroque compositional technique of Fortspinnung. Yet, the examination of what a listener remembers of the music shows that the Fortspinnung sections seemingly do not play a role in how the music is remembered. This discrepancy suggests a closer look at how precisely musical data are dealt with by memory and how their interaction with other fields of musical activity, for example, t...

Neuroscience

Classical Neurotransmitter (NT) release is dependent upon the influx of calcium (Ca2+) through voltage gated Ca2+ channels. Once the local concentration of intracellular calcium increases to approximately 100 ÝM the calcium sensor detects the calcium ions and the process of vesicle fusion goes to completion. As such, transmitter release is very sensitive to alterations in the influx of Ca2+ into the presynaptic active zone. The objective of these experiments is to study how a known inte...

Biostatistics

Although reliably recognized as a psychiatric syndrome, traumatic grief has not been identified as a primary axis I diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition (DSM-IV). Due to the newness of recognition of this diagnosis, a universally accepted set of diagnostic criteria does not exist. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed twenty-nine item structured clinical interview for the diagnosis of traumat...

Biostatistics

One of the most important research areas in human genetics is the effort to map genes associated with complex diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The public health relevance of these kinds of work is that gene mapping will bring an understanding of genetic risk and protective factors, and a description of the interaction between environment and genetic variation. In the last ten years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of studies seeking to map genes for quantitat...

Stuttgart, Univ., Diss., 2009

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 1997. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 58-04, Section: B, page: 2140. Adviser: Sara J. Knight.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 1998. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 59-05, Section: B, page: 2346.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2000. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-06, Section: B, page: 3226. Adviser: Wallace J. Hopp.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2003. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-04, Section: B, page: 1824. Advisers: Linda J. Broadbelt; Randall Q. Snurr.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2003. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-04, Section: B, page: 1873. Adviser: Ted B. Belytschko.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Northwestern University, 2008. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-12, Section: B, page: 7287. Adviser: Mary Hunzicker-Dunn.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universidad de Zaragoza, 2003.

Psychology, Developmental.

Thesis (Educat.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1985. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-03, Section: B, page: 0981.

Psychology, Clinical. Psychology, Cognitive.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1998. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 59-05, Section: B, page: 2415. Co-Chairs: Neil A. Massoth; David L. Pogge.

Psychology, Clinical. Psychology, Behavioral. Sociology, Criminology and Penology.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2004. , Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-06, Section: B, page: 3155. Chair: Robert McGrath. Available also in print.