TY - UNPB ID - pittir26620 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26620/ A1 - Raundhal, Mahesh Y1 - 2015/12/18/ N2 - Severe asthma (SA) remains a poorly controlled disease despite use of high doses of systemic corticosteroids (CS) although mild-moderate asthma (MMA) is responsive to low dose inhaled CS. This suggests that SA cannot be solely orchestrated by Th2 cells, which are dominant in milder disease. Analysis of broncholalveolar lavage cells isolated from MMA and SA patients revealed a significantly greater IFN-? (Th1) immune response in the airways of severe asthmatics with lower Th2 and IL-17 responses. We modeled this complex immune response seen in human SA in mice including poor response to CS. Ifng-/- mice subjected to this SA model failed to mount airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) without appreciable effect on airway inflammation. However, Il17ra-/- mice did not show any reduction in AHR although the mice displayed lower airway inflammation. Computer-assisted pathway analysis tools linked IFN-? to secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), which is expressed by airway epithelial cells and an inverse correlation between IFN-? and SLPI expression was detected in SA. Forced expression of SLPI in mice subjected to the SA model decreased AHR in the absence of CS, and it was further reduced when SLPI was combined with CS. Taken together, our study has identified a distinct immune response in SA highlighting a dysregulated IFN-?-SLPI axis that impacts lung function. KW - severe asthma KW - Interferon-gamma KW - Th17 KW - corticosteroids KW - Th1 TI - Characterization of Immune Response in Corticosteroid-refractory Severe Asthma in Humans and Mice EP - 119 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26618 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26618/ A1 - Azarbal, Atousa Y1 - 2015/12/17/ N2 - Abstract Objective: This study evaluated the marginal fit of CAD/CAM copings milled from Hybrid ceramic (Vita Enamic) blocks and lithium-disilicate (IPS e-max CAD- Ivoclar Vivadent) blocks. It also evaluated the effect of crystallization firing on the marginal fit of lithium-disilicate copings. Method and Material: A standardized metal die with a 1mm wide shoulder finish line was imaged using the CEREC® AC Bluecam (Sirona). The coping was designed utilizing CEREC 3 software. The design was used to fabricate 15 lithium-disilicate and 15 hybrid ceramic copings. Design and milling were accomplished by one operator. The copings were seated on the metal die utilizing a pressure clamp with a uniform pressure of 5.5 Ibs. A Macroview Microscope was used for direct viewing of the marginal gap. Four areas were imaged on each coping (buccal, distal, lingual and mesial). Image analysis software was used to measure the marginal gaps in micrometers in 15 randomly selected points on each of the four surfaces. A total of sixty measurements were made per sample. For lithium-disilicate copings the measurements for marginal gap were made before and after firing. Data was analyzed by paired t-test. Results: The overall mean difference in marginal gap between the hybrid ceramic and crystallized lithium-disilicate copings was statistically significant (p<0.01). The overall mean difference in marginal gap before and after firing (pre-crystallized and crystallized lithium-disilicate copings) showed an average of 62 microns increase in marginal gap after firing. This difference was also significant (p<0.01). Conclusion: This study concluded that crystallization firing can result in a significant increase in the marginal gap of the lithium-disilicate CAM/CAM crowns. In addition a significant difference exists in the marginal gap discrepancy when comparing hybrid ceramic and lithium disilicate CAD/CAM crowns. KW - marginal fit KW - CAD/CAM crowns KW - lithium disilicate KW - hybrid ceramic TI - MARGINAL FIT COMPARISON OF CAD/CAM CROWNS MILLED FROM TWO DIFFERENT MATERIALS EP - 99 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26687 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26687/ A1 - Alsayed, Nahed Y1 - 2015/12/17/ N2 - The diagnosis of HIV infection in women may adversely affect their health and their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). At present, research about women living with HIV infection and the multiple factors that contribute to their HRQoL is limited. The purpose of this study was to test the revised model of HRQoL by Wilson and Cleary (Ferrans et al., 2005) using a secondary analysis of baseline data from 178 women who participated in two independent randomized controlled studies. This linear model includes inter-related components (biological function, symptoms, functional status, and general health perceptions) which lead ultimately to HRQoL. The primary aim was to examine the relationships among the five components of the model. The secondary aim was to examine the relationships among the individual (i.e. age, children, race, marital status, education) and environmental (i.e. HIV-related stigma, social support) characteristics that may impact biological function, symptoms, functional status, general health perceptions, and overall HRQoL among women living with HIV infection. Observed variables included: biological function (CD4 count and viral load), symptoms (depressive symptoms and energy/fatigue), functional status (physical and social functioning), general health perceptions (overall general health and mental health), environmental factors (social support and HIV-related stigma), and HRQoL (satisfaction with life and overall quality of life). Structural equation modeling (SEM) and path analysis were performed on multiple path models to examine the hypothesized multivariate relationships proposed in the revised Wilson and Cleary model of HRQoL (Ferrans et al., 2005). Originally, a latent path model was planned. Due to problems with the measurement model, the latent path model was simplified and observed and hybrid path models were created. While the two main models for the primary and secondary aims did not fit well, post hoc modified models adding a path from symptoms to general health perceptions provided an adequate model fit. Women with lower viral loads, lower depressive symptoms, lower HIV-related stigma, higher social support, higher physical functioning, and higher general health perceptions had higher overall HRQoL. The results of this study have the potential to assist healthcare professionals in improving health-related quality of life for women living with HIV infection. KW - HIV KW - quality of life KW - depressive symptoms KW - stigma KW - social support KW - women KW - Wilson and Cleary model TI - TESTING A MODEL OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV EP - 134 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26229 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26229/ A1 - Frey, Reed Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - John Henry Newman has been called the ?pioneer of a new philosophy of the individual person and the personal life.? This statement captures Newman?s propensity towards principles usually associated with 20th century philosophical personalism: a firm commitment to the person and to the idea that personal experience should be the central starting point of any philosophical system. This study analyzes Newman?s personalism in relation to the personalism of Max Scheler, Dietrich Von Hildebrand, and Karol Wojty?a under five primary aspects: 1) the irreducibility of the person, (2) the importance of the affective sphere of the person, (3) the viability of the conscience as a guide to truth, (4) the importance of informal inference and (5) the importance of personal relationships and intersubjectivity. In explicating these ideas, it will become apparent that Newman has a deep respect for the interior, affective life of the person, and he believes that these interior sentiments and decisions proceeding from them can be justified without exterior or explicit proof. This leaves Newman open to the charge of subjectivism, which has been leveled at him by Jay Newman (of no relation). The second portion of this study will engage Jay Newman as an interlocutor, showing that his charge of subjectivism is untenable upon a careful examination of Newman?s thought. Newman will be further freed from the charge of subjectivism when his thought is contrasted with the thought of William James, who can be rightly understood as a subjectivist. KW - newman KW - john henry newman KW - scheler KW - max scheler KW - von hildebrand KW - Dietrich von hildebrand KW - wojty?a KW - karol wojty?a KW - john paul ii KW - pope john paul ii KW - personalism KW - affectivity KW - conscience KW - subjectivity KW - objectivity KW - irreducibility KW - philosophical anthropology KW - interiority KW - affect KW - implicit reason KW - epistemology KW - james KW - william james KW - will to believe KW - pragmatism KW - subjectivism KW - relativism KW - grammar of assent KW - development of doctrine KW - apologia pro vita sua KW - personalistic norm KW - kant KW - categorical imperative KW - TI - Cor ad cor loquitur: the philosophical personalism of John Henry Newman EP - 83 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26683 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26683/ A1 - Shelton, Micah Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - Microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) is a neuronal protein that plays a role in maintaining dendritic structure through its interaction with microtubules. In schizophrenia (Sz), a number of studies have revealed that MAP2?s typically robust immunoreactivity (IR) is significantly reduced across several cortical regions. Previous studies have not explored the relationship between MAP2-IR reduction and lower dendritic spine density, which is frequently reported in schizophrenia nor has MAP2-IR loss been investigated in the primary auditory cortex (Brodmann Area 41), a site of conserved pathology in Sz. Last, the impact of chronic antipsychotic exposure is little understood. Using quantitative spinning disk confocal microscopy in two cohorts of Sz subjects and matched control subjects (Sz, n=20; C, n=20), we measured MAP2-IR as well as dendritic spine density and spine number in deep layer 3 of BA41. Sz subjects exhibited a significant reduction in MAP2-IR. The reductions in MAP2-IR were not associated with neuron loss, loss of MAP2 protein, clinical confounds, or technical factors; nor were MAP2-IR reductions linked with chronic haloperidol exposure in a macaque model. Dendritic spine density and number were also reduced in Sz and correlated with MAP2-IR. Twelve (60%) Sz subjects exhibited MAP2-IR values lower than the lowest controls; only in this group were spine density and number significantly reduced. These findings demonstrate that MAP2-IR loss is closely linked to dendritic spine pathology in Sz. Because MAP2 shares substantial sequence, regulatory, and functional homology with MAP tau, the wealth of knowledge regarding tau biology and the rapidly expanding field of tau therapeutics provide resources for identifying how MAP2 is altered in Sz and possible leads to novel therapeutics. KW - schizophrenia KW - auditory cortex KW - MAP2 KW - spine density KW - confocal microscopy KW - postmortem human tissue TI - Loss of Microtubule Associated Protein 2 Immunoreactivity Linked to Dendritic Spine Loss in Schizophrenia EP - 55 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26650 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26650/ A1 - Treat, Anny Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - The Na+/H+ Exchanger Regulatory Factor 1 (NHERF1) is a PDZ-domain containing scaffold abundantly expressed in epithelial tissues. Previous reports from our laboratory demonstrate that NHERF1 negatively regulates Wnt canonical signaling in breast epithelial cells through its interactions with Frizzled receptors. Parallel studies conducted at that time also suggested that NHERF1 knockout mice presented a form of communicating hydrocephalus reminiscent of phenotypes associated with mutations in the non-canonical Wnt Planar Cell Polarity (Wnt PCP) pathway. This observation leads to the hypothesis that NHERF1 regulates both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling and acts as a ?signaling switch? between the two pathways. To further elucidate the role of NHERF1 in Wnt signaling regulation we proposed three specific aims: 1) To demonstrate that NHERF1 can act as a tumor suppressor in a Wnt/?-catenin driven breast cancer model, 2) To determine the role of NHERF1 expression and Wnt/?-catenin in endocrine resistant breast cancer, and 3) Investigate the role of NHERF1 in the regulation of Wnt PCP signaling in the mouse ependyma. Although the exact role that NHERF1 plays in the regulation of Wnt canonical signaling in breast cancer remains elusive, our results indicate that NHERF1 increases the association of key Wnt PCP members Van-Gogh like (Vangl) and Frizzled (Fzd) and promotes PCP signaling and ciliogenesis in mouse ependymal tissue. KW - NHERF1 KW - EBP50 KW - Wnt signaling KW - Planar Cell Polarity KW - ciliogenesis KW - breast cancer KW - endocrine resistance TI - THE ROLE OF NHERF1/EBP50 IN WNT SIGNALING IN THE EPITHELIUM EP - 150 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26635 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26635/ A1 - Lynch, Gavin Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - Fear conditioning, extinction, extinction-recall, and renewal are all components of a well-established paradigm used for studying fear learning and response in the laboratory setting, and are used to model anxiety disorders in animals and humans. Studies have recently begun to investigate the role of the brain electrical activity during sleep in emotional learning and memory. Emotionally relevant learning and memory has been associated with a particular activity band, theta rhythm, which can be measured during sleep. Previous studies have suggested theta activity during sleep may be an indicator of maladaptive stress responses. Despite this, there has not been a thorough investigation of theta activity during a full night of sleep and its relationship to subsequent fear responses. The goal of the present study was to assess the relationship between theta activity and fear learning and memory, as well as, theta activity and extinction learning and memory using well-validataed paradigms to study fear responses in humans. Participants (16 females; 15 males; mean age = 23.6; SD = 3.80) underwent two consecutive nights of polysomnographic (PSG) recording in the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, before and after fear learning and extinction. Quantitative electroencephalographic spectral analysis was used to measure theta activity during sleep on both nights. Our objective was to evaluate the extent to which theta power during sleep predicts outcomes of fear learning and extinction memory the following day. Results showed higher theta power during the second night of the experiment predicted greater retention of the extinction memory during the fear renewal task completed the following morning. Understanding the relationship between theta power during sleep and fear and extinction learning and memory may identify markers of risk or resilience to anxiety disorders in trauma exposed individuals. KW - Sleep; Theta Activity KW - Fear TI - Theta activity during REM and NREM sleep and predicting fear learning outcomes EP - 74 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26648 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26648/ A1 - Koch, Griffin/E. Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - This study investigates if a cognitive advantage exists for bilinguals over monolinguals in learning translation-unambiguous and translation-ambiguous vocabulary in an unknown language. In this study, participants learned German vocabulary words, which had 1, 2, or 3 English translations. Two separate groups participated, a bilingual group (14 participants), defined as having English as a native language in addition to another language taught at home since childhood, and a monolingual group (25 participants), defined as being native speakers of only English. Behavioral methods were used to assess adults? language performance using both accuracy scores and reaction times. Two tests provided results for assessing language learning: a translation production task in which participants said the English translation of a German word presented on a computer screen and a semantic judgment task in which participants decided if a German translation semantically made sense within the context of an English sentence. This study provides additional evidence supporting difficulties of learning translation-ambiguous words compared to translation-unambiguous words. No significant differences existed between the monolinguals and bilinguals in the individual difference tasks or tests of German vocabulary learning. Additionally, correlation analyses indicate that participants with higher English vocabulary knowledge had improved performance in tests of German vocabulary learning. KW - translation ambiguity bilingual monolingual language acquisition German TI - Translation ambiguity and individual differences in L2 vocabulary learning between mono- and bilinguals EP - 47 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26515 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26515/ A1 - Gong, Tiantian Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - HIV epidemic is an ongoing health concern globally. Sexual transmission accounts for the overwhelming majority of new infections. Vaginal microbicides are under investigation as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) products for HIV prevention. Although progress has been made, the development of more efficacious products is warranted. Cervicovaginal tissue and draining lymph nodes contain an adequate amount of HIV target cells and play critical roles in HIV replication and sedimentation at the early stage of infection. Improved efficacy can be achieved with the use of specially designed drug delivery systems which achieve greater drug concentrations in these two sites of action. In this dissertation, we hypothesized that the hydrophobic microbicide candidate CSIC can be formulated in a polymeric vaginal film and a nanocrystal formulation with high loading capacities using multiple formulation strategies. We further hypothesized that the nano-delivery strategy can improve cervicovaginal tissue drug penetration and achieve lymphatic drug delivery. Series of preformulation studies were conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and biological properties of the drug candidate CSIC. The major challenge for CISC formulation development was identified as its hydrophobicity. Therefore, a cosolvent system comprising PEG 400, propylene glycol, and glycerin at a ratio of 5:2:1 has been optimized and utilized in a polymer based vaginal film formulation for increased drug solubility, long term stability, and lack of leakage. Additionally, a CSIC nanocrystal formulation, with a particle size of 243nm and near neutral surface charge, was developed. CSIC nanocrystals have been proved to possess increased drug saturation solubility, rapid mucus penetration properties, and improved drug permeation in the cervicovaginal tissue. More importantly, the pharmacokinetic study provided the first evidence of lymphatic targeting after intravaginal application without causing any epithelial damage. Furthermore, CSIC was able to release from the nanocrystals in a sustained mode, indicating its potential use as a coitally independent PrEP product that could improve user adherence. In summary, this work sets the stage to create new opportunities for sexually transmitted HIV prevention through the development of a novel dual targeting delivery system. The developed approaches can be used to deliver other drugs that lack solubility or require lymphatic targeting. KW - HIV microbicide vaginal drug delivery TI - VAGINAL DELIVERY OF A HYDROPHOBIC ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG CSIC FOR HIV PREVENTION: NOVEL FORMULATION STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVED DRUG SOLUBILIZATION AND LYMPHATIC TARGETING EP - 203 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25012 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25012/ A1 - Cross, Allyson Y1 - 2015/12/16/ N2 - Microfinance has been gaining momentum and popularity over the past 40 years. As it has grown, it has been at the center of a critical debate: commended by some as a practical tool to fight poverty and criticized by others as over-praised and under-effective, the role of microfinance in serving the poor and alleviating poverty is ever in question. However, what has failed to enter the central debate is the lack of sharia-compliant services for the Muslim poor who may require them. Some Muslims exclude themselves from conventional financial tools because charging interest is prohibited in Islam. An increase in sharia-compliant financial services could not only broaden access to financial tools, but play an important role in the economic development of Muslim-majority countries. This paper analyzes the impact of sharia compliance on financial sustainability indicators (financial self-sufficiency ratio and return on assets ratio) and outreach indicators (percent of borrowers who are female and average balance per borrower/GNI per capita) of 54 firms in the MENA region by employing the OLS regression method. The goal of this research is to determine whether Islamic MFIs are a viable alternative for conventional MFIs, with the hope of contributing to the discussion on whether the expansion of Islamic microfinance will be beneficial for serving the Muslim poor. The results of this study corroborate previous studies and conclude that Islamic microfinance is a practical substitute for conventional microfinance with comparable outcomes in financial sustainability and outreach, at least in the MENA region. The results and complications throughout the study further conclude that, as the debate around microfinance in general and Islamic microfinance specifically continues, a wider variety of studies related to Islamic microfinance as an alternative and its role in poverty alleviation overall are necessary. KW - Microfinance KW - Islamic Microfinance KW - Islamic Finance TI - The viability of Islamic microfinance: financial sustainability and outreach capabilities in the Middle East and North Africa EP - 98 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26662 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26662/ A1 - Khalil, Heba Y1 - 2015/12/15/ N2 - Background: Treatment of postoperative pain remains suboptimal. This is attributed, in part, to the individualized physiological and psychological perception of pain. Although the effect of genetic variation on pain is unequivocal, precise understating of the effect of multiple gene interaction is yet to be investigated. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) interacts with several neuroreceptors in the brain including the mu receptor (OPRM1). Hence, we sought to explore the gene-gene interaction effect of OPRM1 and COMT on postoperative pain and opioid dose required for pain management. Methods: We used genotypes and clinical data for 153 postoperative orthopedic trauma patients. For the COMT gene four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs6269, rs4633, rs4818 and rs4680), three haplotypes (ACCG, ATCA, and GCGG), and two diplotypes (low and high pain intensity) were considered for their interactions with A118G of OPRM1 on postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Analyses were repeated including only the Caucasian subjects. Results: For postoperative opioid consumption; a significant interaction was found between OPRM1 and COMT rs4680 (b=0.093, p=.037) and OPRM1 and COMT rs4633 (b=0.097, p=.037). The interactions between OPRM1 and COMT rs6269 and OPRM1 and COMT diplotypes demonstrated trends toward significance (b=-0.075, p=.080 and b=0.071, p=.070, respectively). The results for OPRM1×COMT rs4680 and OPRM1×COMT rs4633 on opioid consumption were maintained even after restricting the analyses to only Caucasian subjects. For postoperative pain scores, a significant interaction was found between OPRM1 and the GCGG haplotype of COMT (b=-0.926, p=.017). The interaction between OPRM1 and COMT rs4818 demonstrated a trend (b=-0.755, p=.060). When the sample was limited to only Caucasian subjects, only a trend was observed for the interaction effect of OPRM1 and the GCGG haplotype of COMT on postoperative pain (p= .070). The interactions of OPRM1×ACCG haplotype and OPRM1×diplotypes of COMT also showed trends toward significance (b=1.110, p= .058 and b=0.831, p= .050, respectively). Conclusion: OPRM1×COMT interactions may influence the variability in postoperative pain and response to opioids. Individualized pain management based on genetic variation can be an effective strategy to maximize the usefulness of pain management. KW - Gene-gene interaction; OPRM1; COMT; Postoperative pain KW - Opioid analgesia TI - OPRM1 and COMT Gene-Gene Interaction Effects on the Inter-individual Variability in Postoperative Pain and Response to Opioids EP - 130 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26674 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26674/ A1 - Sekar, John Y1 - 2015/12/15/ N2 - Rule-based modeling is a graph-based approach to specifying the kinetics of cell signaling systems. A reaction rule is a compact and explicit graph-based representation of a kinetic process, and it matches a class of reactions that involve identical sites and identical kinetics. Compact rule- based models have been used to generate large and combinatorially complex reaction networks, and rules have also been used to compile databases of kinetic interactions targeting specific cells and pathways. In this work, I address three technological challenges associated with rule-based modeling. First, I address the ability to generate an automated global visualization of a rule-based model as a network of signal flows. I showed how to analyze a reaction rule and extract a set of bipartite regulatory relationships, which can be aggregated across rules into a global network. I also provide a set of coarse-graining approaches to compress an automatically generated network into a compact pathway diagram, even for models with 100s of rules. Second, I resolved an incompatibility between two recent advances in rule-based modeling: network-free simulation (which enables simulation without generating a reaction network), and energy-based rule-based modeling (which enables specifying a model using cooperativity parameters and automated accounting of free energy). The incompatibility arose because calculating the reaction rate requires computing the reaction free energy in an energy-based model, and this requires knowledge of both reactants and products of the reaction, but the products are not available in a network-free simulation until after the reaction event has fired. This was resolved by expanding each energy- based rule into a number of normal reaction rules for which reaction free energies can be calculated unambiguously. Third, I demonstrated a particular type of modularization that is based on treating a set of rules as a module. This enables building models from combinations of modular hypotheses and supplements the other modularization strategies such as macros, types and energy-based compression. KW - Thesis Dissertation of John Arul Prakash Sekar. TI - Rule-based Modeling of Cell Signaling: Advances in Model Construction, Visualization and Simulation EP - 189 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26658 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26658/ A1 - Villanueva, Valerie Y1 - 2015/12/14/ N2 - Temperate phages are capable of both lytic and lysogenic growth. In lytic growth, phages utilize the host machinery to produce new virions and kill their host; during lysogeny, the phage genome integrates into the host chromosome and produces a repressor that prevents expression of lytic genes, thus maintaining the lysogenic state. A few phage genetic switches governing the lytic/lysogenic decision have been well characterized, most of which contain analogous regulatory proteins with similar functions. A new type of genetic switch, which uses phage integration directly in synthesizing the phage repressor, is described. This dependence on integration arises because of the unusual feature that the attP core, the site where strand exchange occurs during integration, is located within the repressor gene; in this study we are using the mycobacteriophage BPs as a model system. The BPs repressor gene, 33, encodes a 136-residue protein (gp33136) that we have shown is not active for immunity unless overexpressed. However, when the phage genome integrates into the bacterial chromosome, a stop codon is introduced at the attL junction site, creating a truncated, but active form of the repressor (gp33103), which is expressed within the lysogen. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) have shown that each form of the repressor binds specifically to two operators present within the 33-34 intergenic regulatory region, as well as to four other operators located across the BPs genome. Here we report studies done to map the sequence requirements for repressor function in repressing lytic growth and show that a previously reported 12 bp operator sequence represents one half of a full binding site. We also show that the BPs repressor does not seem to form inter-DNA bridges for transcriptional regulation, but evidence suggests that bending DNA plays a role. Characterization of the binding sites and behavior of the BPs repressor will deepen our understanding of this new class of integrations-dependent switch. The overarching goal, of which this project represents only a portion, is to dissect BPs so that we have a full understanding of its biology, what its genes do, how they are expressed, how expression is regulated and manipulated to confer immunity, and how it recognizes its mycobacterial hosts. KW - DNA-binding protein KW - repressor KW - bacteriophage KW - mycobacteriophage KW - transcription factor TI - Characterization of an unusual repressor encoded by mycobacteriophage BPs EP - 166 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26656 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26656/ A1 - Lopez Pineda, Arturo Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - In this era of precision medicine, clinicians and researchers critically need the assistance of computational models that can accurately predict various clinical events and outcomes (e.g,, diagnosis of disease, determining the stage of the disease, or molecular subtyping). Typically, statistics and machine learning are applied to ?omic? datasets, yielding computational models that can be used for prediction. In cancer research there is still a critical need for computational models that have high classification performance but are also parsimonious in the number of variables they use. Some models are very good at performing their intended classification task, but are too complex for human researchers and clinicians to understand, due to the large number of variables they use. In contrast, some models are specifically built with a small number of variables, but may lack excellent predictive performance. This dissertation proposes a novel framework, called Junction to Knowledge (J2K), for the construction of parsimonious computational models. The J2K framework consists of four steps: filtering (discretization and variable selection), Bayesian network generation, Junction tree generation, and clique evaluation. The outcome of applying J2K to a particular dataset is a parsimonious Bayesian network model with high predictive performance, but also that is composed of a small number of variables. Not only does J2K find parsimonious gene cliques, but also provides the ability to create multi-omic models that can further improve the classification performance. These multi-omic models have the potential to accelerate biomedical discovery, followed by translation of their results into clinical practice. KW - Biomedical Informatics KW - Artificial Intelligence KW - Machine Learning KW - Bayesian Classifiers KW - Computational Genomics KW - Neoplasms KW - Early Detection of Cancer KW - Gene Expression KW - DNA Methylation TI - BAYESIAN FRAMEWORKS FOR PARSIMONIOUS MODELING OF MOLECULAR CANCER DATA EP - 140 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26024 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26024/ A1 - Song, Timothy Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - Influenza A viruses are characterized by high genetic diversity due to error-prone replication, large population sizes, and strong natural selection. While most of what we know about influenza evolution has come from population scale epidemiological studies based on the analysis of a limited number of consensus sequences, these are limiting for outbreak investigations. The analysis of virus genetic diversity present in an infected host provides a richer genetic fingerprint with which to infer host-to-host virus transmission. Despite the use of animal models to characterize extent of intra-host diversity and what proportion of this diversity that is transmitted between individuals, less is known about these key evolutionary parameters in human populations. To quantify and characterize influenza virus variants that can achieve sustainable transmission in new hosts, we used household donor/recipient pairs of infected individuals from a Hong Kong community during the first wave of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic when seasonal H3N2 was also co-circulating. While the same variants were often found in multiple members of the community during the epidemic, the relative frequencies of variants fluctuate, with patterns of genetic variation more similar within than between households. We estimated the effective population size of influenza A virus across these donor/recipient pairs to be in the range of 100-200 contributing members, which enabled the transmission of multiple virus lineages among individuals, including antigenic variants. KW - influenza KW - transmission KW - bottleneck KW - diversity TI - CHARACTERIZING INTRA-HOST DIVERSITY OF INFLUENZA VIRUS AND MODELING TRANSMISSION NETWORKS DURING NATURAL EPIDEMICS EP - 47 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26636 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26636/ A1 - Kim, Hayeon Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - The impact of radiation therapy in cancer treatments has shown great improvement in clinical outcomes. Recent radiation therapy advances with innovative technologies have changed the standard of care in cancer treatments rapidly. Evolution in radiation therapy has demanded highly specialized trained resources and comes at substantial increase in cost. Even though evidence based treatments have demonstrated the important role of advanced radiation therapy technologies in various cancer treatments, the sustainability of quality healthcare in an increasingly resource constrained environment has been ongoing challenge. Therefore, economic evaluation for new treatment technologies has been requested to make the most effective use of resources. In this dissertation, we evaluated cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) for various disease sites with innovative technologies. First, we conducted CEA of 3-dimensional (3D) image guided brachytherapy (IGBT) compared to conventional 2-dimensional (2D) high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer. We found that 3D IGBT is a cost effective strategy compared to 2D HDR brachytherapy with a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of $50,000/quality adjusted life years (QALY) gained, strongly supporting the routine use of 3D image guided brachytherapy. Second, we performed a CEA of single fraction of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) compared with single fraction of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for palliation of vertebral bone metastases. We found that SBRT is not a cost effective treatment strategy compared to conventional EBRT with a WTP threshold of $100,000/QALY gained in patients with relatively short life expectancy. Finally, we performed a CEA of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) compared to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for inoperable colorectal liver metastases. We found that SBRT is not cost effective compared to RFA with a WTP of $100,000/QALY gained unless large tumor size is treated. In summary, given increasing attention placed on healthcare costs, a cost-effectiveness analysis can provide the appropriate platform to compare these treatment options. Therefore, the findings from the papers in this dissertation will identify the proper treatment choice to improve clinical outcomes at a reasonable cost, incorporating economic considerations into clinical decision making. KW - Cost effectiveness KW - cancer KW - radiation therapy KW - brachytherapy KW - stereotactic body radiation therapy TI - COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSES OF RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26660 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26660/ A1 - Osei-Hwedieh, David Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - Red blood cells (RBCs) undergo progressive changes in storage, collectively referred to as the storage lesion that is associated with increases in storage and post-transfusion hemolysis. Transfusion of blood at the limits of approved storage time is associated with lower RBC post-transfusion recovery and hemolysis, which increases plasma levels of cell-free hemoglobin and iron, proposed to induce endothelial dysfunction and impair host defense, respectively. Of relevance to this study, there is noted variability among donors in the intrinsic rate of storage changes and in RBC post-transfusion recovery, suggesting that genetic determinants modulate this process. Here, I test a common genetic variable in our donor pool, sickle cell trait, present in about 8% of African Americans. Using banked human RBCs and those from a humanized transgenic sickle cell mouse, I show that sickle cell trait in both species produces storage time-dependent reductions in osmotic fragility and membrane deformability, increased storage hemolysis, and significantly reduced post-transfusion recovery in mice. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of reduced HbAS RBC post-transfusion recovery is unrelated to macrophage uptake, reticulo-endothelial system or intravascular hemolysis, but rather by RBC intravascular sequestration in the spleen, kidney and liver. Collectively, these findings indicate that changes in HbAS RBC membrane deformability properties that are aggravated during storage lead to enhanced mechanical entrapment in tissues and rapid clearance of transfused HbAS RBCs from the circulation. These preclinical studies raise provocative questions about the use of blood from sickle cell trait individuals, particularly at the limits of approved storage. KW - Red Blood Cell Sickle Cell Trait Sickle Cell Disease Red Blood Cell Mutation Hemoglobinopathy Red Blood Cell Storage Red Blood Cell Transfusion Malaria TI - THE EFFECT OF SICKLE HEMOGLOBIN MUTATION ON RED BLOOD CELL STORAGE INTEGRITY AND POST TRANSFUSION VIABILITY EP - 113 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26655 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26655/ A1 - Harun, Rashed Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - Dopamine (DA) has become a sort of buzzword as the ?pleasure? neurotransmitter that signals for natural rewards, but is ?hijacked? by drugs of abuse and the instant gratification we derive from our phones, Facebook, and fast-food diets in the fast-paced world we live in. In reality, DA has much more nuanced and varied functions that include the regulation of attention, working memory, motivation, movement, and even endocrine functions, which largely depends upon the region DA is acting in the brain. Dysfunction of DA neurotransmission is implicated in conditions like Parkinson?s disease (PD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug addiction, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) to name just a few. As such, the DAergic system represents a rational pharmaceutical target that act as DA receptor agonists, antagonists, indirect agonists, and DA reuptake inhibitors. Understanding how region-specific DA neurotransmission is altered in pathological states and following both acute and chronic drug administration, requires multi-faceted research approaches but can be significantly driven by advancements in research methodologies. It is for this reason that we hope readers will find the work contained herein particularly timely and important. Although the work contained here represents research conducted using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), an electrochemical method to monitor in vivo electrically stimulated DA neurotransmission that has been around since the mid 1980s, we describe the development of a novel quantitative interpretive framework for FSCV data that enhances the ability to characterize the region-specific DA neurotransmission in the context of drugs and diseases. To illustrate the utility of our framework, we demonstrate how our approach has been used to resolve the mechanistic actions of the most commonly used Parkinsonian drug, L-DOPA, on regiospecific DA neurotransmission. Moreover, our framework was utilized to characterize the regiospecific DAergic dysfunction following an experimental model of TBI and the robust neurorestorative effects of chronic methylphenidate treatment in this model. To this end, we not only describe a theoretical framework for characterizing regiospecific alterations in DA neurotransmission, but we also offer practical examples that may serve as a roadmap for studying DA neurotransmission kinetics in the context of drugs and other diseases. KW - Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry KW - Dopamine KW - Traumatic brain injury KW - Neurodegeneration KW - Parkinson's disease KW - Synaptic transmission TI - A FRAMEWORK FOR CHARACTERIZING REGIONAL ALTERATIONS IN DOPAMINE NEUROTRANSMISSION IN THE CONTEXT OF DRUGS AND DISEASE USING FAST-SCAN CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY EP - 171 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26638 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26638/ A1 - Nuschke, Austin David Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - For decades, mesenchymal stem cells have been touted as highly promising cells for use in regenerative medicine. Their flexibility in differentiation to other cell types, paracrine abilities in supporting angiogenesis, and modulatory behavior in inflammation have led to researchers applying the cells across a wide variety of treatments, including skin healing, bone regeneration, myocardial infarction repair, and others. However, a fundamental limitation in all MSC therapies has been a lack of survival for implanted cells, preventing them from carrying out their many beneficial functions. We have examined strategies to improve this MSC survival dilemma, hypothesizing that a combination of engineered approaches to activate survival signaling and modulation of autophagy to generate energy for the cell would act to improve MSC survival and function in the face of stressors. Our results show that cell surface restriction of EGFR to constitutively activate downstream survival signaling improves MSC longevity in two systems: physical tethering of soluble EGF on bone regeneration scaffolds, and EGFR tethering through EGF-like repeats of the ECM protein Tenascin C in a polymer for skin wound healing. Additionally, we found that MSCs have a high accumulation of autophagosomes, which are mobilized for degradation during the stress of differentiation and can be tuned to affect MSC function in relation to differentiation. Ultimately, these strategies to alter MSC signaling and function will be of considerable use for attempts to apply the great potential utility of MSCs to wound healing and other contexts in biomedical science. KW - Mesenchymal stem cell KW - Wound healing KW - EGFR KW - Cell survival KW - Autophagy KW - Tenascin C TI - IMPROVING THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS THROUGH ENHANCING CELL SURVIVAL: ENGINEERED AND CELLULAR APPROACHES EP - 179 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26645 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26645/ A1 - Romagnoli, Katrina Y1 - 2015/12/11/ N2 - Pharmacogenomics, the interaction of genes and medications that effect medication-related phenotypes such as efficacy, toxicity, and sensitivity reactions, is playing an increasing role in medication decision making as we seek more personalized medical care. As key experts in supporting medication-decision making, pharmacists are well-positioned to support the incorporation of pharmacogenomics into clinical care. Pharmacists desire trustworthy information resources that efficiently impart clinically relevant pharmacogenomics information to help them make informed recommendations. Clinical interpretation of pharmacogenomics genotypes and phenotypes is difficult, and clinicians feel that current resources do not adequately support pharmacogenomics-related decision making. We aim to develop information resources that provide pharmacists with comprehensive, usable, and actionable pharmacogenomic information that that they trust. We assert that our project is significant in three ways. First, we developed a detailed and clinically relevant pharmacogenomics semantic model to annotate FDA product labels. Second, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using qualitative methods to design clinically relevant pharmacogenomics information resources that are highly usable by clinicians. Third, we demonstrate that our information resource based on our semantic model allows pharmacists to use FDA-approved pharmacogenomics information more efficiently to answer questions faster, more correctly, and more easily in terms of usability than the FDA Table of Pharmacogenomics Biomarkers in Product Labeling and the FDA Drug Labeling section of PharmGKB.org KW - Pharmacogenomics KW - biomedical informatics KW - qualitative research KW - pharmacy TI - User-centered design and evaluation of a pharmacogenomics information portal to support clinical decision-making EP - 143 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26631 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26631/ A1 - Phillips, Chereese Y1 - 2015/12/10/ N2 - The over-arching purpose of this dissertation was to assess the way in which maternal stressors contributed to occurrences of child neglect among a sample of high risk mothers. The second aim was to examine whether maternal stressors varied based on race. The third and final aim sought to ascertain whether social support moderated the relationship between maternal stressors and child neglect. This cross-sectional study utilized data from The Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). The study sample (N = 585) was predominantly comprised of impoverished African American mothers. Logistic regression analysis results revealed that maternal stressors such as substance use, employment status, marital status, and child?s behavioral health concerns significantly contributed to the occurrence of child neglect. In addition, the study found maternal stressors varied based on race. There were significant differences between African American and Caucasian mothers regarding their experience of maternal stressors and their subsequent child neglect perpetration; in this high risk sample, Caucasian mothers had higher rates of child neglect perpetration. Substance use was the primary predictor of child neglect among African American mothers while child behavioral health concerns and single motherhood were the primary predictors of child neglect among Caucasian mothers. Despite previous empirical evidence, in this population social support did not moderate the relationship between child neglect and maternal stress. Implications for policy and practice are further discussed. KW - Maternal stress KW - child neglect KW - at-risk mothers KW - social support TI - ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF MATERNAL STRESSORS ON THE OCCURRENCE OF CHILD NEGLECT AMONG AT-RISK MOTHERS EP - 143 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26613 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26613/ A1 - Ante, Vanessa M. Y1 - 2015/12/10/ N2 - LeuO is a LysR-type transcriptional regulator that is conserved among many gram negative enteric pathogens. LeuO is a bifunctional regulator that is capable of both repression and activation of gene targets. The function of LeuO has been characterized in several members of the Enterobacteriaceae where it has been found to be a global regulator of diverse phenotypes, often by functioning as an H-NS antagonist. In this work we sought to characterize LeuO in Vibrio cholerae. RNA sequencing was used to identify LeuO regulated genes, many of which appeared to be involved in environmental adaptation. Interestingly, our results suggested that LeuO did not function as an H-NS antagonist in V. cholerae, but appeared to function redundantly with H-NS at many H-NS regulated promoters. In subsequent experiments, genetic approaches were used to confirm the RNA sequencing studies and to define the function of LeuO in V. cholerae adaptive responses. We found that LeuO was part of a complex regulatory cascade in which the one-component virulence regulator ToxR directly activated leuO expression in response to environmental cues. LeuO then went on to directly regulate genes that contributed to bile resistance, acid tolerance, and cationic antimicrobial peptide resistance. Our collective results suggest a model whereby LeuO contributes to temporal and spatial regulation of adaptive responses during V. cholerae passage through the host gastrointestinal tract. KW - LeuO ToxR Vibrio cholera cholera TI - LeuO regulation of adaptive responses in Vibrio cholerae EP - 133 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26624 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26624/ A1 - Edmunds, Lia Y1 - 2015/12/10/ N2 - c-Myc (hereafter Myc), a transcription factor that regulates a variety of cellular functions including growth and differentiation, is deregulated in many different types of cancers. Myc regulates the Warburg effect and oncogenic biosynthesis, but also many aspects of metabolism, believed to be a pivotal point of transformation. Myc is known to control glycolysis and glutaminolysis but little is known about the interplay between glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid oxidation. We hypothesize Myc integrates glucose, amino acid, and fatty acid utilization for energy, and either loss- or gain-of-function will disrupt metabolic homeostasis. Loss of Myc in rat fibroblasts elicits a severe energy deficit, including diminished acetyl-coA levels, to which they respond by enhancing FAO and lipid uptake and storage. Using an in vivo model, we found murine hepatocytes respond to Myc ablation with a milder phenotype. They display metabolic defects, including reduced respiratory chain capacity and an increased metabolic rate when fed a high-fat diet. Additionally, hepatocytes had major lipid defects including transcriptional deregulation, lipid accumulation and increased FAO. Reduced ATP in Myc KO fibroblasts constitutively activates AMPK, a protein which limits anabolism for catabolism, leading us to hypothesize AMPK may play a role in Myc deregulated phenotypes. We found AMPK controls mitochondrial structure and function in conjunction with Myc over-expression, via redox state, electron transport chain (ETC) capacity, and TCA cycle dehydrogenases. Additionally, AMPK KO cells demonstrate transcriptional and translational differences and differential responses in regulating glycolysis, which results in REGULATION OF METABOLISM BY THE ONCOPROTEIN C-MYC Lia Rae Edmunds, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2015 v metabolite dysfunction, when exposed to Myc over-expression. Thus, AMPK is critical to supporting metabolic pathways in response to Myc deregulation. To ascertain if Myc plays a role in hepatic proliferative capacity, we turned to a mouse model of hereditary tyrosinemia. We definitively proved that Myc is not required for prolonged hepatocyte proliferation, even in direct competition with Myc-replete hepatocytes. Proliferating KO hepatocytes were associated with a pro-inflammatory environment that correlated with worsening lipid accumulation and lipid oxidation-mediated liver damage, a phenotype reminiscent of non-alcoholic fatty liver-like disease. Throughout this work, we reveal Myc-regulated metabolism is vital for maintaining lipid homeostasis and energy production, but dispensable for sustained hepatic proliferation. KW - Mitochondria KW - Electron Transport Chain (ETC) KW - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) KW - fatty acid b-oxidation KW - AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) KW - Warburg effect TI - Regulation of metabolism by the oncoprotein c-Myc EP - 192 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26371 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26371/ A1 - Oh, Hyunjung Y1 - 2015/12/02/ N2 - Low neurotrophic support and a GABA deficit have been suggested as mechanisms underlying structural and functional abnormalities of the brain in depressed subjects. A parallel downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and GABA function-related genes including somatostatin (SST), a marker of GABA interneurons targeting the dendritic compartment of pyramidal cells, has been consistently observed during normal aging and in major depression. Here, translational research combining cell culture, animal and human postmortem studies has been conducted in search of a possible link between BDNF and GABA interneurons. I found that dendritic-targeting interneuron markers displayed a higher BDNF dependency compared to other GABAergic genes in BDNF-knockdown mice. To explore the nature and extent of the biological components linking BDNF and SST, we analyzed the top 200 genes positively correlated with BDNF expression in the human brain and found that age-related BDNF reduction may induce synaptic alterations which are likely responsible for age-associated cognitive decline. Interestingly, SST and the ?5 subunit of GABAA receptor (GABRA5), a subunit considered to be enriched in the post-synaptic compartment of SST (+) interneurons, are included in the top 200 genes, with GABRA5 displaying the highest correlation with BDNF expression among ~ 300,000 probes examined with the arrays. These data suggest that the synaptic target of SST (+) interneurons, the distal dendrite, may act as a bridge between BDNF and SST. Therefore, we hypothesized that MDD is associated with reduced dendritic BDNF which results in low BDNF supply to SST (+) interneurons. Indeed, 3? untranslated region (UTR)-containing-BDNF mRNA, which is known to migrate to the distal dendrites of pyramidal cells, showed downregulation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of depressed subjects and medial prefrontal cortex of stressed mice. Furthermore, such changes were closely linked to changes in dendritic-targeting interneuron markers. Knockdown of BDNF long 3? UTR was sufficient to induce dendritic shrinkage, depressive-/anxiety-like behavior, and SST downregulation. Finally, pharmacological potentiation of TrkB prevented the development of depression-like behaviors following chronic stress in rodents. Together, I provide a mechanistic link between the GABA and neurotrophic hypotheses of major depression, which data indicate may be through dysfunctional dendritic-targeting interneuron populations. KW - BDNF KW - dendrite KW - SST KW - GABA KW - interneuron TI - THE ROLE OF DENDRITIC BDNF TRANSCRIPTS ON ALTERED INHIBITORY CIRCUITRY IN AGING AND DEPRESSION EP - 202 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26399 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26399/ A1 - WALSH, DUSTIN R Y1 - 2015/11/30/ N2 - Drug transporters govern the absorption, distribution, and elimination of pharmacologically active compounds. Members of the solute carrier (SLC) and ATP binding- cassette (ABC) drug transporter family mediate cellular drug uptake and efflux processes, thereby coordinating the vectorial movement of drugs across epithelial barriers. To exert their physiological and pharmacological function in polarized epithelia, drug transporters must be targeted and stabilized to appropriate regions of the cell membrane (i.e., apical versus basolateral). Despite the critical importance of drug transporter membrane targeting, the mechanisms that underlie these processes are largely unknown. Several clinically significant drug transporters possess a recognition sequence that binds to PSD-95/Drosophila discs large/ZO-1 (PDZ) proteins. PDZ proteins, such as the Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF) family, act to stabilize and organize membrane targeting of multiple transmembrane proteins including many clinically relevant drug transporters. These PDZ proteins are normally abundant at apical membranes, where they tether membrane-delimited transporters. NHERF expression is particularly high at the apical membrane in polarized tissue such as intestinal, hepatic, and renal epithelia, tissues important to drug disposition. Several recent studies have highlighted NHERF proteins as determinants of drug transporter function secondary to their role in controlling membrane abundance and localization. Mounting evidence strongly suggests that NHERF proteins may have clinically significant roles in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of several pharmacologically active compounds and may affect drug action in cancer and chronic kidney disease. For these reasons, NHERF proteins represent a novel class of post-translational mediators of drug transport and novel targets for new drug development. KW - Drug transporters KW - NHERF KW - PDZ KW - proteins TI - DRUG TRANSPORTERS AND NHERF PDZ PROTEINS EP - 98 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26480 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26480/ A1 - Phillips, Chereese Y1 - 2015/11/25/ N2 - The over-arching purpose of this dissertation was to assess the way in which maternal stressors contributed to occurrences of child neglect among a sample of high risk mothers. The second aim was to examine whether maternal stressors varied based on race. The third and final aim sought to ascertain whether social support moderated the relationship between maternal stressors and child neglect. This cross-sectional study utilized data from The Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). The study sample (N = 585) was predominantly comprised of impoverished African American mothers. Logistic regression analysis results revealed that maternal stressors such as substance use, employment status, marital status, and child?s behavioral health concerns significantly contributed to the occurrence of child neglect. In addition, the study found maternal stressors varied based on race. There were significant differences between African American and Caucasian mothers regarding their experience of maternal stressors and their subsequent child neglect perpetration; in this high risk sample, Caucasian mothers had higher rates of child neglect perpetration. Substance use was the primary predictor of child neglect among African American mothers while child behavioral health concerns and single motherhood were the primary predictors of child neglect among Caucasian mothers. Despite previous empirical evidence, in this population social support did not moderate the relationship between child neglect and maternal stress. Implications for policy and practice are further discussed. KW - Maternal stress KW - child neglect KW - at-risk mothers KW - social support KW - stressors TI - Assessing the Impact of Maternal Stressors on the Occurrence of Child Neglect Among At-Risk Mothers EP - 144 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26423 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26423/ A1 - Sturm, Joshua Y1 - 2015/11/25/ N2 - Proper brain function depends upon the precise organization of neural circuits. In the central auditory system, accurate acoustic processing depends upon the assembly and preservation of tonotopically-organized networks of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. In this thesis, we investigated the development and plasticity of intrinsic synaptic circuitry in the central nucleus of the mouse inferior colliculus (CNIC), a tonotopically-organized midbrain nucleus that serves as the major subcortical center for auditory integration. In the CNIC, intrinsic connections comprise the majority of synapses, yet the functional organization of these local networks has remained largely obscure. In Chapter 2, we mapped the functional organization of intrinsic connections in the CNIC during the first three weeks of postnatal development. We found evidence of robust excitatory and inhibitory intrinsic connections already at postnatal day 2 (P2). Excitatory and inhibitory intrinsic connections underwent a period of dramatic refinement after hearing onset, resulting in a predominance of intrinsic inhibition. In Chapter 3, we examined the role of hearing experience in directing the maturation of intrinsic CNIC circuits by rearing mice in pulsed white noise. We found that pulsed noise delivered from P12-25, but not P19-25, led to a profound reorganization of excitatory and inhibitory intrinsic connections received by both glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons, suggesting that intrinsic CNIC circuits are sculpted by acoustic experience during an early critical period. In Chapter 4, we investigated the effects of hearing-loss on the organization of CNIC circuits in a mouse model of tinnitus. We found that hearing loss led to reorganizations of excitatory and inhibitory local CNIC circuits, the nature of which correlated with the presence or absence of behavioral evidence of tinnitus. Acoustic enrichment with pulsed white noise delivered immediately after acoustic trauma prevented circuit reorganization and the emergence of behavioral signs of tinnitus. In addition to providing the first characterization of functional intrinsic connectivity in the auditory midbrain, our findings may also have broader implications for the principles that govern the organization and balance of excitatory and inhibitory networks in subcortical circuits. Our findings also have potentially important clinical implications for the prevention and treatment of tinnitus. KW - auditory circuit KW - plasticity KW - tinnitus KW - excitation: inhibition balance KW - GABAergic inhibition KW - inferior colliculus KW - auditory midbrain KW - mouse KW - laser-scanning photostimulation KW - glutamate uncaging KW - synaptic circuit mapping TI - Development and Plasticity of Intrinsic Connectivity in the Central Nucleus of the Mouse Inferior Colliculus EP - 226 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26232 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26232/ A1 - Raghavan, Venkatesan Y1 - 2015/10/20/ N2 - The proximal tubule (PT) plays a critical role in the reabsorption of ions, solutes and low molecular weight proteins from the glomerular filtrate. Although the PT has been known to acutely modulate ion reabsorption in response to changes in flow rates of the glomerular filtrate, whether apical endocytosis was regulated in response to changes in flow was unknown. I hypothesized that the fluid shear stress (FSS) caused by the flow of glomerular filtrate on the apical surface of the tubules would stimulate apical endocytosis in PT epithelia. I used a cell culture based parallel plate flow chamber system to test my hypothesis, and used PT cells from opossum, mice and humans in this study. I determined that FSS stimulated a rapidly reversible increase in apical endocytosis of both albumin (Megalin ligand) and dextran (fluid phase marker) in OK cells, which starts within 30 min of exposure to a FSS of 1 dyne/cm2 and the response increases linearly for at least three hours so long as FSS is maintained. This FSS-stimulated increase in endocytosis is clathrin and dynamin mediated. Primary cilia act as the principal mechanosensor in this process, and cause an increase in [Ca2+]i through the release of the ryanodine sensitive pool of calcium from the ER. In addition, purinergic signaling, triggered by the bending of cilia, is also important for both the FSS stimulated Ca2+ and endocytic responses. Lowe syndrome is a rare X linked genetic disease that affects young boys. It is characterized by the loss of OCRL a lipid phosphatase, and causes proteinuria. The FSS stimulated increase in endocytosis is ablated in OCRL depleted human PT cells, and the length of cilia in OCRL depleted cells is also higher. However, the lengthening of cilia is not responsible for the loss of FSS stimulated responses in these cells. This dissertation synthesizes our current understanding of mechanosensitive regulation of endocytic capacity in proximal tubule epithelia, suggests a mechanism that may define the reason for proteinuria in Lowe syndrome patients, and highlights areas of opportunity for future investigations. KW - Proximal tubule KW - Kidney KW - endocytosis KW - calcium KW - flow KW - shear stress TI - Shear stress stimulated apical endocytosis in renal proximal tubule epithelia EP - 183 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23749 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23749/ A1 - Ittiamornkul, Kuljira Y1 - 2015/10/06/ N2 - Stigonematalean cyanobacteria are producers of countless secondary metabolites with diverse structures that show a variety of bioactivities. Hapalindole-type indole alkaloids produced by Fischerella sp., and Hapalosiphon sp. exhibit pharmaceutical potentials. These hapalindole-type indole alkaloids share common molecular features including an indole core, isonitrile group, which is attached with a monoterpene unit to form a tri- or tetra cylic structure. The relative stereochemical diversity across C10-C12 is conserved in the same stigonematalean species, but differs between species. The origin of sterochemical diversity was intriguing but the biosynthesis knowledge at the molecular level was absent. The initial biosynthetic hypothesis was proposed by Moore, which suggested that the biosynthesis involved a chloronium ion or proton-catalyzed polycyclization of 3-(2?-isocyanoethanyl) indole 1 (E or Z) with ?-ocimene 2 (E or Z) to provide tricyclic hapalindole core intermediate, which can be oxidized to other hapalindole-type molecules. Our group started an effort to identify the biosynthetic gene clusters of ambiguines from F. ambigua UTEX 1903 and welwitindolinones from H. welwitschii UTEX B1830. This effort revealed common biosynthetic precursors in both pathways, including GPP and (Z)-1 that contradicted the early hypothesis by Moore. It also resulted in the identification of (Z)-1 biosynthetic genes that encode three isonitrile synthases I1, I2 and I3. This discovery contrasted the early study by Brady who has shown that IsnA/B are two enzymes responsible for biosynthesis of (E)-1, where I1/I2 are homologues of IsnA and I3 is homologue of IsnB. In addition to this discovery, it was found that I1-I3 was required for (Z)-1 production in vivo, whereas I1/I3 were suffice in vitro. This finding regarding the possible redundancy of I2 led to studies, including I2 truncation, complementation and in vitro reconstitution, to investigate the role of I2. These studies collectively demonstrated the possible role of I2 is an isomerase to convert ribose-5-phosphate to ribulose-5-phosphate. Furthermore, promiscuity of I1-I3 were investigated by using various halogenated tryptophans as substrates by in vitro and in vivo. It can be deduced that the promiscuity of I1-I3 was limited by the size of substituted halogens but not by the position of the halogens on the indole ring. KW - cyanobacteria KW - hapalindole-type alkaloid KW - biosynthesis KW - indole vinyl isonitrile KW - truncation KW - complementation KW - stigonematalean KW - ribose-5p KW - ribulose-5p TI - BIOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF EARLY ENZYME PATHWAYS IN HAPALINDOLE-TYPE ALKALOID BIOSYNTHESIS EP - 81 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25757 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25757/ A1 - Elliott, Leanne Y1 - 2015/10/05/ N2 - In this study, we tested whether associations between parents? educational beliefs and growth in their children?s achievement in kindergarten were moderated by socioeconomic status (SES) and whether this moderation effect was mediated by parental enrichment practices. Participants included 13,400 children drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) and their parents. Educational beliefs included parents? beliefs about the skills necessary for a child entering kindergarten and parents? expectations for their children?s eventual educational attainment. SES was operationalized as both income and parental educational attainment, and enrichment was measured as academically-related practices in the home and community. Educational beliefs were significantly and positively related to achievement, such that children whose parents rated early skills as more important and held higher expectations for their children tended to have higher math and reading scores at the end of kindergarten. A marginally significant interaction emerged between school readiness beliefs and income such that beliefs were less predictive of achievement at higher levels of income. In addition, both school readiness beliefs and expectations were positively related to home enrichment practices, but only expectations were associated with community enrichment practices. However, neither enrichment measure mediated the educational beliefs by SES interaction. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. KW - educational beliefs KW - academic achievement KW - SES KW - kindergarten KW - school readiness TI - Parents? Educational Beliefs and Children?s Early Academic Skills: Examining How Beliefs Operate across the SES Continuum EP - 70 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25369 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25369/ A1 - Spieser, David Y1 - 2015/10/05/ N2 - This dissertation examines the tensions at work in contemporary French cultural politics between, on the one hand, homogenizing/assimilating hegemonic tendencies and, on the other hand, performances of heterogeneity/disharmony especially in literature but also in other artistic forms such as music. ?Regional literature/culture? and ?banlieue (ghetto) literature/culture? are studied as two major phenomena that performatively go against France?s ?state monolingualism,? here understood as much as a ?one-language policy? as the enforcement of ?one discourse about Frenchness? (mono-logos). I rely on Jacques Rancière?s notions of ?archipolitics? and ?aesthetic regimes? to suggest that May 1968 has constituted an epistemological shift which has made it possible for alternate French discourses to emerge and become perceptible. Literatures displaying such discourses (either regional-related or immigration-related or both) are termed ?accented literatures,? with ?accent? being defined both as ?variation from the linguistic norm? and ?variation from the discursive norm.? These ?accented literatures? become a distinctive trait of ?democracy,? or ?agonistic community,? allowing space for disharmonic representations of the ?French? ?nation.? Regarding regional (Alsatian) literature, I focus on André Weckmann?s literary use of magical surrealism and of a dialogic ?Germanic French language?; regarding immigrant identity and banlieue literature, I first explicate the profound implications, for banlieue literature as a whole, of the ?two-generation theory? developed by Algeria-born French rapper and writer Mounsi, with Azouz Begag?s literary production as a case study. Then turning to Abd al Malik, a French rapper/writer/filmmaker of Congolese origin, I pinpoint his concept of ?pacific, new French revolution? as an ultimate form of accentuation of French discourse, scrutinizing the ways in which his art performs Frenchness as well as Islam. Because the notion of ?accent? is closely linked to those of ?prestige? and ?legitimacy vs. lack thereof,? this dissertation eventually leads to a redefinition of ?legitimate culture? in France. As a practical consequence of these literary-political debates, I advocate for the teaching, within the French public school system, of both regional languages and immigrant languages such as Arabic as a way to address identity challenges specific to the contemporary postcolonial era. KW - postcoloniality KW - France KW - Jacques Rancière KW - regionalism KW - immigration KW - accented literature TI - The Politics of Aesthetics: Nation, Region and Immigration in Contemporary "French" Culture EP - 262 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25456 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25456/ A1 - Castle, Melissa Heatly Y1 - 2015/10/05/ N2 - There is growing recognition that affective relationships are associated with children?s engagement and motivation. Yet despite continued calls to consider interconnections between home and school contexts, the extent to which relationships with both parents and teachers are collectively associated with engagement and motivation in elementary school remains relatively unexplored. In addition, few investigations address how children elicit these relational responses from parents or teachers. Accordingly, this project uses the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD-SECCYD) (n=1364) to investigate the direct, indirect, transactional, and interactive processes by which parent- and teacher-child relationships are associated with engagement and motivation in elementary school. Three studies conducted across three key developmental periods consider these associations. The first considers how relationships with parents and teachers prepare children for engagement during the transition to elementary school. The second study examines how relationships are associated with engagement as children progress from 1st through 5th grade. Finally, the third examines how concurrent and longitudinal relationships promote both engagement and motivational patterns in 5th grade, just prior to the transition to middle-school. Results across studies showed four consistent patterns. First, conflictual relationships with teachers were a more potent and consistent predictor of young children?s engagement and motivation than were exposures to positive supports from parents or teachers. Second, warm and sensitive parent-child relationships were supportive of children?s engagement, but only when youth were faced with conflictual teacher-child relationships, and only in the first few years of elementary school. Third, findings indicate that children elicit relational responses from both parents and teachers, and partially drive relational patterns with engagement. Finally, results suggest that engagement is largely context-dependent, and that children?s engagement is most strongly related to the relationships that are most temporally proximal to the child. Findings across the three developmental periods also demonstrate notable patterns, which are discussed in the context of prior literature. Implications for understanding how relationships are collectively associated with engagement and motivation across elementary school and implications for intervention and future research are also discussed. KW - engagement; motivation; parent-child relationships; teacher-child relationships; child elicitation; structural equation models; longitudinal data analysis TI - RELATIONSHIPS AND ENGAGEMENT ACROSS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: MEDIATING AND INTERACTIVE ASSOCIATIONS WITH PARENTS & TEACHERS EP - 137 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25559 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25559/ A1 - Lin, Hao-Li Y1 - 2015/10/05/ N2 - This dissertation examines the idea of ?environment? in Waitabu, an indigenous Fijian community on Taveuni Island, and how it influences the community?s participation in contemporary development projects. My main argument is that vanua (a Fijian concept often translated as ?land? but which also encompasses people, community, and custom) is an important framework through which the community negotiates social and biological changes through time. In other words, it is an ?environment? in its totality. I also argue that contrary to common understanding, vanua is a dynamic entity shaped by historical events rather than a set of rigid customary protocols, thus creating different trajectories of engagement with development projects. Two particular cases are analyzed here: 1) the ?Waitabu Marine Park? conservation and ecotourism project; 2) the grassroots cash-cropping schemes and subsistence farming in the village. This study treats vanua as an ?entangled environment? that involves historical configurations of indigenous identities and politics, as well as foreign contacts and colonial governance. This historical perspective allows for a more holistic and dynamic view of how rural development projects operate in seemingly simplistic and isolated places today. As projects introduce new ways to manage natural resources, the historical and cultural connotations of the environment are being evoked and realigned in response to these engagements. For example, for Waitabu villagers, the marine park is seen as not just a conservation project, but a way to recapture their marginalized identity. In the grassroots cash-cropping schemes, vanua plays a crucial role in keeping the community together in the face of challenges from globalization, while individual farmers are able to pursue their own export business opportunities. With a focus on vanua as an environmental framework, this dissertation links anthropological theories of environment with the emergent literature of ?entanglement.? The ?environment? is seen as an open-ended site where interactions between different ideas and agencies are constantly taking place. While many studies highlight the dimensions of conflict and collision, here I argue that different values and events have long been intertwined in an ?entangled environment? that provides the capacity for flexible arrangements and negotiations in response to contemporary development issues. KW - Fiji KW - Conservation KW - Agriculture KW - Development TI - Vanua as Environment: Conservation, Farming, and Development in Waitabu, Fiji EP - 348 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25746 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25746/ A1 - Farraro, Kathryn Y1 - 2015/10/02/ N2 - The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most frequently injured knee ligament. Because of its low healing capacity, the current standard of treatment is surgical ACL reconstruction. However, follow-up studies 10 years or more after surgery have shown that patients frequently experience long-term complications, including the early development of osteoarthritis. For this reason, scientists and clinicians have explored alternative treatment methods. With the advent of functional tissue engineering, there has been renewed interest in regenerating an injured ACL using biological augmentation. Still, due to the slow process of ACL healing, mechanical augmentation is also needed to restore stability to the knee immediately after surgery, as well as to load the ACL throughout the healing process. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and test a bioresorbable magnesium (Mg) device for mechanical augmentation of a transected ACL in a goat model. First, a ring-shaped device was designed based on the geometry of the goat ACL, and evaluated using a parametric finite element analysis. Then, a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system was used to measure the joint stability and in-situ forces in the ACL after repair of the ACL in cadaveric goat stifle joints using the Mg ring (?Mg ring repair?). Under externally applied loads simulating those used in clinical examinations, Mg ring repair could restore joint stability and in-situ forces in the ACL close to normal levels. With these positive findings, in vitro cytocompatility testing was performed by culturing goat ACL fibroblasts with Mg degradation products. Results on cell proliferation and collagen production suggested that the presence of Mg neither impeded nor enhanced the healing process. Finally, the Mg ring was used to repair a surgically transected ACL in skeletally mature goats alongside biological augmentation using an extracellular matrix (ECM) sheet and hydrogel. In this in vivo study, by 6 weeks post-operatively, neo-tissue had begun to fill in the gap between the transected ends of the ACL. By 12 weeks, the ACL was found to have healed and the continuous neo-tissue was composed of aligned collagen fibers, but without hypertrophy. Biomechanically, the structural properties of the healing femur-ACL-tibia complex were improved compared to ECM treatment alone. With the results from this dissertation, the advantages of using combined biological and mechanical augmentation to improve healing of a transected ACL have been demonstrated. Building off these findings, future studies can be performed to further enhance ACL healing, as well as extend the application to the healing of other injured ligaments and tendons. It is our hope that in the future, such an approach could be used clinically to improve short and long-term patient outcomes after orthopaedic surgery. KW - Anterior cruciate ligament healing KW - ACL healing KW - orthopaedic biomechanics KW - functional tissue engineering TI - Regeneration of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Using Resorbable Metallic and Extracellular Matrix Bioscaffolds EP - 170 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25956 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25956/ A1 - Xue, Huichao Y1 - 2015/10/01/ N2 - Learning a new language is a challenging endeavor. As a student attempts to master the grammar usage and mechanics of the new language, they make many mistakes. Detailed feedback and corrections from language tutors are invaluable to student learning, but it is time consuming to provide such feedback. In this thesis, I investigate the feasibility of building computer programs to help to reduce the efforts of English as a Second Language (ESL) tutors. Specifically, I consider three problems: (1) whether a program can identify areas that may need the tutor?s attention, such as places where the learners have used redundant words; (2) whether a program can auto-complete a tutor?s corrections by inferring the location and reason for the correction; (3) for detecting misusages of prepositions, a common ESL error type, whether a program can automatically construct a set of potential corrections by finding words that are more likely to be confused with each other (known as a confusion set). The viability of these programs depends on whether aspects of the English language and common ESL mistakes can be described by computational models. For each task, building computational models faces unique challenges: (1) In highlighting redundant areas, it is difficult to precisely define ?redundancy? in a computer?s language. (2) In auto-completing tutors? annotations, it is difficult for computers to correctly interpret how many writing problems were addressed during revision. (3) In confusion set construction, it is difficult to infer which words are more likely confused with the given word. To address these challenges, this thesis presents different model alternatives for each task. Empirical experiments demonstrate the degrees of success to which computational models can help with detecting and correcting ESL writing problems KW - Natural Language Processing; Artificial Intelligence; English as a Second Language; Machine Learning; Language Tutoring TI - Computational Models of Problems with Writing of English as a Second Language Learners EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25334 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25334/ A1 - Zegarra, Emilio Y1 - 2015/10/01/ N2 - High quality education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors expects not only the acquisition of comprehensive domain knowledge, but also the mastery of skills to solve open-ended and even ill-defined problems in real world. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is usually adopted to achieve such goals by encouraging students to learn by solving real-life problems. However, successful PBL requires sustained and in-depth involvement of faculty members, hence making PBL not scalable. Even though discussion forums and Q&A systems can help address the scalability problem of faculty involvement on large class sizes, it introduces new problems. First, as knowledge bases grow in size, the sheer size of the accumulated knowledge makes it harder to locate the desired information. Second, existing knowledge discovery techniques do not provide effective facilities for the capture and reuse of solutions to recurring problems. To address these challenges, we developed MicroBrowser, an innovative and interactive Question & Answer (Q&A) system augmented with pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces and 2D knowledge graph discussion visualization. MicroBrowser provides a set of pattern-based expertise-sharing interfaces to allow both learners and instructors to refine, reuse, and share knowledge. MicroBrowser also allows learners to browse and navigate important discussions based on topic similarity encoded by node proximity in a knowledge graph. Results of empirical evaluations of our proposed solution show that ask difficulty improves with MicroBrowser when compared with a state-of-the-art Q&A system for knowledge discovery and reuse tasks. In addition, success rate for knowledge discovery tasks using keywords was higher with MicroBrowser. Moreover, we show that, students found the pattern-based expertise-sharing interface easy to use and were able to contribute new knowledge in the form of new knowledge connections and even recommend new design patterns. KW - knowledge KW - patterns KW - visualization TI - IMPROVING PEER LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING IN STEM COURSES VIA PATTERN BASED GRAPH VISUALIZATION EP - 212 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25889 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25889/ A1 - Wright, David / J. Y1 - 2015/10/01/ N2 - In recent years, ubiquitous computing has altered traditional performance spaces. Arts organizations have notably tested various strategies to either accommodate or eliminate the persistent and disruptive ?glowing screen? of smartphones. While theatre and performance artists and scholars correctly identify many problems created by this influx of new technology, this dissertation argues that the rise of ubiquitous computing presents immense potential for theatre and performance studies to begin solving the design problems faced by computer scientists and user experience designers. Theatre and performance scholars hold a crucial role in ubiquitous technology design for live performance, and we have key knowledge of action that user experience designers seek now more than ever. I propose that human action is the basis for a common nomenclature and theoretical bridge between user experience design and theatre and performance studies. I extend Aristotle?s intentionalist mimetic theory using current philosophy of action and cognitive science, and argue that performance artists and designers select and align flows of intentionality in action that immerse spectators in the intentional presentation of an action. Furthermore, I follow Elizabeth Anscombe?s theory of action to argue for the incommensurability of propositionally articulated theoretical knowledge and non-propositional practical knowledge. Audiences experience the flow of a performance as they ascertain the interweaving of these incommensurable yet complimentary articulations of intentionality through a reciprocal feedback loop of active perception. Both performers and audiences derive the meaning of a performance from an ?expanded description? of the teleological structure of actions that comprise it. This action-centric analysis of performance provides the basis for dialogue with human experience designers through an ecologically balanced mapping of the four Aristotelian causes of a performance onto the design of new technology. As a practical application of this theoretical framework, the dissertation also proposes a new platform for smartphone-based audience interactivity at live Jazz concerts. Applying the theoretical argument to the intentional flows of action in live jazz, the Nymbus system seeks to align the material, formal, and efficient causality of smartphones at concerts with the intentional flows in jazz performance in order to heighten and compliment audience immersion in jazz performance flow. KW - performance studies KW - philosophy of action KW - philosophy of technology KW - Aristotle KW - Elizabeth Anscombe KW - Donald Davidson KW - intention KW - aesthetics KW - practical knowledge KW - material causality KW - formal causality KW - efficient causality KW - final causality KW - cognitive science KW - extended cognition KW - ubiquitous computing KW - mobile computing KW - smartphones KW - human computer interaction (HCI) KW - user experience design KW - interaction design KW - jazz performance KW - live music performance KW - music concerts KW - audiences KW - interaction. TI - THE PHILOSOPHY OF ACTION IN LIVE PERFORMANCE INTERACTION DESIGN: ALIGNING FLOWS OF INTENTIONALITY EP - 297 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25847 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25847/ A1 - Zhou, Miao Y1 - 2015/10/01/ N2 - Non-volatile memory (NVM), such as Phase-Change Memory (PCM), is a promising energy-efficient candidate to replace DRAM. It is desirable because of its non-volatility, good scalability and low idle power. NVM, nevertheless, faces important challenges. The main problems are: writes are much slower and more power hungry than reads and write bandwidth is much lower than read bandwidth. Hybrid main memory architecture, which consists of a large NVM and a small DRAM, may become a solution for architecting NVM as main memory. Adding an extra layer of cache mitigates the drawbacks of NVM writes. However, writebacks from the last-level cache (LLC) might still (a) overwhelm the limited NVM write bandwidth and stall the application, (b) shorten lifetime and (c) increase energy consumption. Effectively utilizing shared resources, such as the last-level cache and the memory bandwidth, is crucial to achieving high performance for multi-core systems. No existing cache and bandwidth allocation scheme exploits the read/write asymmetry property, which is fundamental in NVM. This thesis tries to consider the asymmetry property in partitioning the cache and memory bandwidth for NVM systems. The thesis proposes three writeback-aware schemes to manage the resources in NVM systems. First, a runtime mechanism, Writeback-aware Cache Partitioning (WCP), is proposed to partition the shared LLC among multiple applications. Unlike past partitioning schemes, WCP considers the reduction in cache misses as well as writebacks. Second, a new runtime mechanism, Writeback-aware Bandwidth Partitioning (WBP), partitions NVM service cycles among applications. WBP uses a bandwidth partitioning weight to reflect the importance of writebacks (in addition to LLC misses) to bandwidth allocation. A companion Dynamic Weight Adjustment scheme dynamically selects the cache partitioning weight to maximize system performance. Third, Unified Writeback-aware Partitioning (UWP) partitions the last-level cache and the memory bandwidth cooperatively. UWP can further improve the system performance by considering the interaction of cache partitioning and bandwidth partitioning. The three proposed schemes improve system performance by considering the unique read/write asymmetry property of NVM. KW - non-volatile memory KW - phase change memory KW - hybrid memory system KW - shared resource management KW - cache management KW - way partitioning KW - memory bandwidth TI - Shared Resource Management for Non-Volatile Asymmetric Memory EP - 106 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25881 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25881/ A1 - Wilson, Candice Y1 - 2015/10/01/ N2 - During the mid-1950s to the early 1970s a subversive cinema, known as the Japanese New Wave, arose in Japan. This dissertation challenges critical trends that use French New Wave cinema and the oeuvre of Oshima Nagisa as templates to construct Japanese New Wave cinema as largely male-centered and avant-garde in its formal aesthetics. I argue instead for the centrality of the erotic woman to a questioning of national and postwar identity in Japan, and for the importance of popular cinema to an understanding of this New Wave movement. In short, this study aims to break new ground in Japanese New Wave scholarship by focusing on issues of gender and popular aesthetics. Each chapter investigates female archetypes in light of their postwar transformation in an analysis that demonstrates how the New Wave woman challenges conventional notions of history, memory, and the human in Japan. Chapter One questions the mythology of male centeredness to the New Wave by examining the domestic figures of the Japanese wife and daughter as ?anti-heroines? in the films of Oshima Nagisa as well as in earlier popular Sun Tribe films. Chapter Two explores the political significance of the transgendered body to institutional protest and war memory through a consideration of pornography and underground cinema. Through the films of Wakamatsu Koji and Matsumoto Toshio, this chapter engages in a queer study of the New Wave that rethinks postwar Japanese masculinity, aggression, and landscape. Chapter Three looks at the ?comfort woman? and how Suzuki Seijun and Masumura Yasuzo utilize time narratively and aesthetically in their war cinema to negotiate the sexual mechanization of bodies before and after World War II. Chapter Four analyzes the transformation of the ?good? mother into a demon in Shindo Kaneto?s horror films Onibaba (1964) and Kuroneko (1968). Drawing from a range of older cult horror films and venerated haha-mono (mother films) to articulate its argument, this chapter highlights the importance of horror to the New Wave in its production of new social discourses surrounding gender and the popular. KW - Japanese New Wave KW - Gender KW - Pornography KW - Oshima Nagisa TI - Unseen Femininity: Women in Japanese New Wave Cinema EP - 260 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25556 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25556/ A1 - Shohfi, Thomas Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Prior literature examining bond excess returns around corporate events assumes that creditor wealth effects are driven by changes in the default risk of the firm. I revisit these bond event studies using data from 2002 through 2014, explore intra-firm individual bond reactions, and refine the analyses using changes in credit default swap (CDS) spreads. CDS spreads (price-weighted firm aggregate cash bond prices) show small increases (large increases) in default risk of acquiring firms, no change (large increases) for common equity repurchasing firms, and large decreases (no change) for seasoned equity offering (SEO) firms. I isolate liquidity effects around these events by examining changes in the CDS-bond basis and contrast with introduction of the ?basis credit ratio? (BCR) comparing basis to cash bond spread changes. Firm aggregate median BCRs show variation in the CDS-bond basis contributes between 50.8% and 69.6% of changes in bond spreads, suggesting that credit market liquidity risk around these corporate events is economically large relative to default risk. KW - Acquisitions KW - CDS-Bond Basis KW - Corporate Bonds KW - Credit Default Swaps KW - Credit Ratings KW - Default Risk KW - Liquidity KW - Repurchases KW - SEOs TI - Default Risk, Credit Market Liquidity, and Corporate Events EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26047 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26047/ A1 - McGrath, Erin C. Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - International democratization of authoritarian states has created a complex political dynamic pitting the goal of democratic diffusion against the objective of maintaining dictatorial power. By enacting legal reforms while episodically upholding rights or freedoms, amid repression, semi-authoritarian regimes generate diverse political grievances for obtaining constitutional rights and observations of those rights. Semi-authoritarian regimes have developed new tactics of manipulation of information exchange to address these grievances. This dissertation argues that to model semi-authoritarian constitutionalism, scholars must tackle complex multi-level interactions of aggrieved sub-national and state actors under influences of democratization. This dissertation develops a theory, and testable hypotheses, of semi-authoritarian resilience modeled as a complex adaptive system of systems (CASoS). This approach emphasizes concepts such as initial conditions, system structure, information exchange, and emergent phenomena. Using the logic of abduction, through iteration between theory and empirical evidence, a parsimonious explanation is inferred with policy implications for reexamining how democracy is fostered across borders on multiple levels. A multi-level, multi-dimensional representation of interactions across the systems demonstrates a non-monotonic relationship between mobilization, grievance, and repression over time in which a convergence of preferences for more immediate, partial democratic reforms lowers mobilization under semi-authoritarianism, but incentivizes some groups to mobilize outside the existing constitutional system. This dissertation?s pragmatic, multi-method research design explores implications of the developed model over time in the Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey, from 1876 to present, and also spatially in contemporary Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis, a theory of a constitutional semi-authoritarian dynamic of cycles through phases of repression, reform, and rights over time is developed as an emergent phenomenon of the CASoS. Citizens? discourse over constitutional reform in public communication processes in Turkey is analyzed using Structural Topic Modeling to understand stealth authoritarian resilience through information exchange and control. Finally, the evolution of Kurdish groups making constitutional claims for self-determination and their cooperation across borders in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, under various influences of democratization, is analyzed as an inter-organizational network, demonstrating the adaptive mechanisms that can deepen sub-national grievances, prolonging conflict, but enhancing the resilience of constitutional semi-authoritarianism. KW - constitutionalism KW - semi-authoritarianism KW - Turkey KW - complex systems KW - democratization KW - stealth authoritarianism KW - Kurds KW - autonomy KW - emergent phenomena TI - Dynamics of Constitutionalism Between Democracy and Authoritarianism as a Complex Adaptive System EP - 302 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25673 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25673/ A1 - Niemsiri, Vipavee Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Background: Abnormal lipid-lipoprotein levels are associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), a major public health problem worldwide. Scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SCARB1) and ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) play important roles in the reverse cholesterol transport. We aimed to identify genetic variants in two lipid genes, SCARB1 and ABCA1, and elucidated their contribution to major lipid traits in two populations; Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) and African Blacks (ABs). Methods: We resequenced mainly the exons and exon-intron boundaries of SCARB1 and ABCA1 genes in 190 individuals (95 NHWs; 95 ABs) with extreme high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, followed by genotyping of selected variants in the entire sample (623 NHWs; 788 ABs). Lipid associations were evaluated by multiple analyses. Results: Initial sequencing identified 105 SCARB1 (44/NHWs; 83/ABs) and 404 ABCA1 variants, including 58 novel ones (21 SCARB1; 37 ABCA1). Among genotyped variants, 159 SCARB1 (69/NHWs; 137/ABs) and 182 ABCA1 variants passed quality controls and were tested for associations. Gene-based tests revealed associations (P <0.05) of SCARB1 with HDL-C and apolipoprotein B (apoB), while ABCA1 demonstrated association with triglycerides (TG). Eleven common SCARB1 variants were nominally associated (P <0.05) with HDL-C or apoB in single-site analyses, and four of them (3/apoB/NHWs; 1/HDL-C/ABs) survived after multiple testing correction. The best signal of SCARB1 was rs4765615 (apoB/P = 0.0059) in NHWs and rs11057851 (HDL-C/P = 0.0043) in ABs. Twenty-one common ABCA1 variants were nominally associated with TG, and 16 remained significant after multiple testing correction. The best signal of ABCA1 with TG was rs2066716 (p.Thr14217Thr; P = 0.0016) in NHWs. A group of rare SCARB1 variants (frequency ?1%) were associated with apoB (P = 0.0284) in NHWs, and HDL-C (P = 0.0478) in ABs. Several haplotypes and regions of SCARB1 and ABCA1 genes showed associations (global P <0.05) with lipid levels. Public health relevance: Our findings demonstrate the genetic contribution of common and rare SCARB1 and ABCA1 variants to the regulation of lipoprotein-lipid levels in the general population, supporting the roles of SCARB1 and ABCA1 genes in lipid metabolism. Further investigations of these two genes may lead to the development of potential therapeutic interventions for CHD. KW - ABCA1; candidate gene association study; coronary heart disease; genetic variation; haplotypes; lipids; SCARB1;sequencing KW - DNA TI - Genetic influence of sequence variants in SCARB1 and ABCA1 genes on major lipid traits: a candidate gene association study EP - 512 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25381 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25381/ A1 - Chan, Eric W Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - My dissertation consists of two main parts. In the first part, I present my experimental study in which I examine the effects of providing workers with relative performance information (RPI) on employers? promotion decisions and the impact of those decisions on worker performance. In my experimental setting, the job after promotion requires higher-level abilities than the current job. I find that workers increase their effort to improve their current job performance after a promotion opportunity is announced because they expect this to increase their chances of promotion even though the new task requires higher-level abilities. Moreover, because employers anticipate that workers who have RPI will react negatively if they see that the best current job performer is not promoted, employers promote the best current job performer rather than the worker best suited for the next job more often when workers have RPI than when they do not. Finally, consistent with the Peter Principle, I find that the promoted worker?s performance after promotion is lower when workers have RPI than when they do not because the promoted worker lacks the ability to perform the new job well. My results suggest that providing workers with RPI can have a downside that offsets the benefits documented in previous studies. In the second part of my dissertation, I discuss how three common firm practices could potentially help firms mitigate the sorting problem I identified in my experimental study. Specifically, I discuss how the communication of the promotion criteria, group incentive plans, and subjective performance evaluation could help employers improve the sorting of workers through promotions. However, while each approach has advantages, each also has drawbacks. It appears that there is no promotion-based incentive system that provides optimal effort incentives to workers while simultaneously achieving the best match between workers and their jobs. This conflict between the incentive and sorting roles of promotion is difficult to resolve and firms must ultimately trade-off between them. KW - promotion KW - relative performance information KW - incentives TI - Promotion, Relative Performance Information, and the Peter Principle EP - 102 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25253 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25253/ A1 - Labilloy, Anatália Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Chronic Kidney Disease is a leading cause of morbidity, impaired quality of life and premature death in patients with Fabry disease, being of major public health significance. At the cellular level, besides within lysosomes, glycosphingolipids that accumulate in Fabry disease due to alpha-galactosidase A (?-gal A) deficiency localize to membrane microdomains, which play crucial roles in protein clustering, membrane trafficking, and especially cell signaling. The mechanisms by which increased levels of these glycosphingolipids and consequent changes in microdomain dynamics and lysosomal dysfunction all result in cellular and organ injury are not well understood. To effectively study Fabry disease disease mechanisms at the cellular level, I first established and characterized an epithelial kidney cell model of Fabry disease in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells using small interfering RNA (siRNA). I then examined protein dynamics at the plasma membrane of a model raft-associated protein, GFP-GPI, in this model system. Number and Brightness Analysis in live cells showed a significant increase in the oligomeric size of antibody-induced clusters in ?-gal A silenced cells compared to control cells (5.08 ± 0.45 vs 2.74 ± 0.24, respectively). To explore possible consequences of these findings in signaling pathways that are relevant to human disease, I first generated human kidney cell models of Fabry disease in immortalized podocytes and tubule epithelial cells (HK-2) applying the genome editing technique of clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats and associated endonuclease 9 from S. pyogenes (CRISPR/Cas9). I compared abundance and phosphorylation of relevant signaling proteins through a high-throughput phosphorylation profiling for Fabry disease and control immortalized human podocytes. Fabry disease podocytes showed significant changes in total protein abundance and/or phosphorylation in 59 proteins. Pathway analysis predicted differential signaling of several canonical pathways in Fabry disease podocytes. These studies provided for the first time an understanding of raft protein dynamics and signaling in kidney cells deficient for ?-gal A, potentially opening new avenues for biomarker discovery and drug development for Fabry disease nephropathy. KW - Fabry disease KW - glycosphingolipids KW - lipid rafts KW - alpha-galactosidase A KW - signaling KW - nephropathy TI - Signaling pathways in cell models of Fabry disease nephropathy EP - 158 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25379 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25379/ A1 - CHEN, WEI Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Transportation service has a major impact on economic development and growth. Efficient management in transportation allows organizations to handle complicated situations. The studies in my dissertation focus on developing novel methodologies, strategies and decisions to help address three different practical demands from organizations by using business analytical tools. Although we present our methodologies in three particular business contexts, the frameworks of three essays can be easily generalized to other industries. The first essay is to explore the strategy for global market expansion of a private air medical company. We assess the global medical aviation market and identify the most suitable regions for the company. We combine the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Grey Number theory (GN) to analyze the potential foreign market. We evaluate all countries and areas in the world and make our recommendations through our novel AHP-GN model. The second essay targets a booming industry-the China express delivery industry. With rapid development of e-commerce in China, its express industry has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years. Investors are particularly eager to discover how to gain a better understanding of the market and compare between operating express delivery firms to understand their respective strengths and weaknesses. We investigate the top 12 express delivery companies in China and evaluate their independent business performance. The Analytical Network Process (ANP), a multi-criteria decision-making methodology, is used to develop an evaluation framework. In addition to the ANP method, we employ the center-point triangular whitenization weight function to convert uncertain information into a unique value and rank the 12 express delivery companies. The third essay studies the car-sharing industry. The three fundamental management issues in car-sharing industry are: 1). Branch Station Location Selection; 2). Station Size/Capacity; 3). Strategies for imbalance of vehicle distribution at each station. In this study, we develop novel approaches to address these questions. Our models require few inputs and offer quick analytic results. Application of the models to the Zipcar setting is used to illustrate our models and to derive managerial insights. KW - transportation management KW - air medical Jets service KW - express delivery service KW - car-sharing service KW - AHP KW - ANP KW - grey number KW - differential equation TI - THREE BUSINESS ANALYTICS ESSAYS ON TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT EP - 124 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25506 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25506/ A1 - Tang, Yinuo Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Cross-border acquisitions are popular tools for EMFs to create value by obtaining strategic assets and exploiting their productivity advantages in foreign markets. My dissertation suggests that EMFs? productivity serves as a signal of value creation potential in their cross-border acquisitions of DMFs. Further, EMFs could enhance their returns by cross-listing on advanced stock market exchanges, and by accumulating cross-border acquisition experiences across heterogeneous institutional environments. A dataset of 466 Chinese Firms? cross-border acquisitions in the time period of 2000-2010 supported my hypotheses. KW - Cross-border acquisitions; Productivity; Emerging Market Firms; Cross-listing; Institutional theory TI - THE VALUE OF PRODUCTIVITY IN EMERGING MARKET FIRMS? CROSS-BORDER ACQUISITIONS OF DEVELOPED MARKET FIRMS EP - 87 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25514 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25514/ A1 - Frank, Michele Y1 - 2015/09/30/ N2 - Auditors are obligated to perform audits that are both effective and efficient. Audit firms train their auditors to avoid behaviors such as taking shortcuts (i.e., ignoring inconsistencies that they observe in the audit workpapers) when taking the shortcut could cause the firm to miss a material error and/or be viewed negatively by others. This study examines why auditors sometimes take shortcuts that put their firms at risk of issuing an incorrect audit opinion, despite their firm?s training and the threat of receiving a negative performance evaluation. Using an experiment, I examine (1) why auditors who face the dilemma of whether to take the shortcut (actors) are likely to view taking the shortcut more favorably than do other auditors and non-auditors who observe their dilemma (observers), (2) why auditors are likely to view a decision to take the shortcut less negatively than do non-auditors, and (3) whether auditors recognize that others are likely to perceive taking the shortcut as more unethical than do auditors. I find that being directly involved in the dilemma (being an actor versus an observer) causes auditors to perceive a lower likelihood that taking a shortcut could cause the audit firm to miss a material error. I also find that having an auditing background (being an auditor versus a non-auditor) causes auditors to perceive a lower likelihood that taking the shortcut will harm investors. These differences in perception cause auditor actors to perceive taking a shortcut as less unethical than do auditor observers, and auditor observers to view it as less unethical than do non-auditor observers. I demonstrate that understanding factors that cause individuals to view the ethicality of taking the shortcut differently is important because individuals? ethicality judgments influence their intended behavior. Finally, my findings suggest that auditors fail to recognize that non-auditors perceive taking the shortcut more negatively than do auditors. I discuss implications of these findings for audit firm training and for auditors? ability to objectively assess the costs and benefits of their behavior. KW - Auditor KW - Ethical Decision Making KW - Blindspot KW - Behavioral Ethics TI - Why Auditors are Unable to See Their Own Behaviors as Others Do: Understanding a Potential Blind Spot EP - 83 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26055 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26055/ A1 - Coulthart, Stephen Y1 - 2015/09/29/ N2 - Research suggests that foreign affairs analysis is weak?even the best analysts are accurate less than 35 percent of the time (Tetlock 2005). To compensate for analytic weaknesses, some have called for the use of structured analytic techniques, that is, formalized judgement-driven methods. This imperative was enshrined in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (2004), which mandates that analysts use these techniques. This research investigates how the techniques have been applied in the U.S. intelligence community (IC) while making a modest attempt to evaluate 12 core techniques. The investigation of how the techniques are applied is based on semi-structured interviews with 5 intelligence experts and a survey of 80 analysts at an IC agency, along with follow-up interviews with 15 analysts. Interestingly, 1 in 3 analysts reported never using the techniques. Two factors were related to the use of the techniques: analytic training (p=0.001, Cramer's V=0.41) and the perception of their value (p=.049, Cramér's V= 0.23). There was not a statistically significant relation between the time pressure under which analysts work and their use of the techniques (p=0.74). Questions about the effectiveness of the techniques were answered in part by employing a ?systematic review,? a novel methodology for synthesizing a large body of research. A random sample of more than 2,000 studies, suggests that there is moderate to strong evidence affirming the efficacy of using three techniques: Analysis of Competing Hypotheses, Brainstorming, and Devil?s Advocacy. There were three main findings: face-to-face collaboration decreases creativity, evidence weighting appears to be more important than seeking disconfirming evidence, and conflict tends to improve the quality of analysis. This research also employed an experiment with 21 graduate intelligence studies students, which confirmed the first two findings of the systematic review. The findings of the dissertation represent a contribution to ?evidence-based intelligence analysis,? the systematic effort to develop a robust evidence-base linking the use of specific analytic techniques to the improvement of analysis in foreign affairs. Future research might build on the evidence-base presented here to improve intelligence analysis, one of the most important areas of judgment in foreign affairs. KW - Intelligence analysis KW - intelligence KW - foreign affairs analysis TI - Improving the Analysis of Foreign Affairs: Evaluating Structured Analytic Techniques EP - 238 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26162 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26162/ A1 - Mrachko, Alicia/A Y1 - 2015/09/29/ N2 - Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently lack social communication skills and researchers have developed evidence-based practices to address these deficits. More recently, researchers are examining paraprofessional use of these interventions when working directly with children with ASD. The author completed a review examining studies in which paraprofessionals were taught to implement a social communication intervention with young children with ASD. Researchers in the review studied paraprofessional use of naturalistic behavioral interventions with studies reporting an increase in paraprofessional treatment fidelity for the chosen intervention, and most reporting corresponding improved child outcomes. From this review, the author designed and completed research examining adult behavioral skills training for paraprofessionals in a manualized, naturalistic behavioral social pragmatic intervention from Project ImPACT (Ingersoll & Dvortcsak, 2010). Three Therapeutic Support Staff (TSS) were taught with online modules, in-vivo training and ongoing feedback to use interactive strategies to a predetermined frequency criterion with young children with ASD in the child?s home setting to improve child spontaneous communication. The TSS increased strategy use to criterion quickly with accuracy and generalized the strategies to snack time or the playground. The TSS also sharply decreased their use of questions and demands during playtime. Strategy use continued after intervention. Child spontaneous communication increased in frequency and moved from mostly eye gaze and gestures to eye gaze, vocalizations and a few words. The results indicate that a package combining online modules, in-vivo training plus ongoing feedback is effective in teaching TSS to use social communication strategies during playtime. This study furthers the concept of a target frequency for each strategy within a play session. KW - Autism KW - paraprofessional KW - social communication KW - naturalistic behavior KW - feedback KW - coaching TI - Teaching Paraprofessionals to Implement a Social Communication Intervention for Young Children with ASD EP - 157 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25389 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25389/ A1 - Horn, Jennifer Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) can be separated into distortion (active/hair-cell-generator based) and reflection sources (passive/hydro-mechanically based). These sources are linked to specific physiological-acoustic events along the cochlear partition. Researchers have shown that the 2f1-f2 component (using parameters of f2/f1=1.22, 65/55 dB SPL) is dominated by the distortion source. However, the 2f2-f1 is far less well understood and rarely tested. Measured with presumed optimal parameters, f2/f1=1.08, 65/65 dB SPL it is likely dominated by the reflection source. Researchers rarely have described ripple characteristics of the 2f2-f1 fine structure (the function of magnitude versus frequency assessed using high-resolution analysis) well known for 2f1-f2. Differences are expected between components due to their putative differences of kind and place of production. The purpose of this study was to determine how ripple characteristics differ between 2f1-f2 and 2f2-f1 using fine-structure DPOAE analyses elicited by parameters promoting robust responses for components using two sets of parameters: (1) f2/f1=1.22, 65/55 dB SPL and (2) f2/f1=1.08, 65/65 dB SPL. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform conversion of frequency into time?domain measures separated the sources. The first prediction was 2f1-f2 would be dominated by the distortion source, given f2/f1=1.22, 65/55 dB SPL, and dominated by the reflection source with f2/f1=1.08, 65/65 dB SPL. The 2f2-f1 component, posited on theoretical grounds, would be dominated by the reflection source for both parameter sets. The second prediction was the two components would differ in ripple spacing, depth, and prevalence, presumably in deference to the diversity in their respective origins. The following conclusions could be made: First, the distortion source was affirmed to be dominant for the 2f1-f2 DPOAE when measured using the f2/f1=1.22, 65/55 dB SPL parameter set for all participants (24/24). Furthermore, the reflection source was confirmed to be dominant for the other three conditions, with 100% occurrence for the 2f2-f1 DPOAE measured using the f2/f1=1.08, 65/65 dB SPL. There also were significant differences among the ripple characteristics measured under the four conditions. These results, while not contradicting two-source/two-mechanism model overall, nevertheless suggest need for some revision, as proposed. They also may help to promote greater interests in 2f2-f1, including applications. KW - DPOAEs KW - 2f1-f2 KW - 2f2-f1 KW - sources KW - mechanisms KW - ripple characteristics TI - 2f2-f1 DPOAE Sources in Contradiction to the Two-Source/Two-Mechanism Model? EP - 174 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25666 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25666/ A1 - Lawrence, Chad Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States today. Various techniques have been adopted to combat this disease. These techniques include chemotherapy and ionizing radiation therapy. Previous studies have suggested that certain cancer cells are more likely to survive when exposed to ionizing radiation, a phenomenon known as radioresistance. In oral squamous cell carcinoma, one biomarker for radioresistance is the copy number loss of distal 11q (marked by the ATM gene) and defective TP53 function. Our study is designed to determine whether number loss of ATM is linked with radioresistance instead of the combination of distal 11q and defective TP53 function. Based on clonogenic data, we hypothesize that other factors including miR100 and/or SMARCA5 should be investigated as potential predictors of radioresistance. Public Health Significance: Cancer is a widespread public health problem. The goal of this research is to identify targets that lead to increased therapeutic efficacy. In light of this new evidence, further studies can be designed to establish a more accurate biomarker for radioresistance in urothelial bladder cancer cell lines. Further studies should investigate the roles of miR100 and SMARCA5 in radioresistance in these cell lines. In essence, this research study shows that the ATM gene may not be the best predictor of radioresistance in bladder cancer cell lines, but perhaps a combination of events can explain our findings. KW - Bladder Cancer ionizing radiation resistance atm ataxia telangectasia mutated biomarker TI - ATM copy number loss as a biomarker for radioresistance in urothelial bladder cancer cell lines EP - 58 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25614 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25614/ A1 - Velazquez, Enrique Israel Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Improvements in medical and genomic technologies have dramatically increased the production of electronic data over the last decade. As a result, data management is rapidly becoming a major determinant, and urgent challenge, for the development of Precision Medicine. Although successful data management is achievable using Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), exponential data growth is a significant contributor to failure scenarios. Growing amounts of data can also be observed in other sectors, such as economics and business, which, together with the previous facts, suggests that alternate database approaches (NoSQL) may soon be required for efficient storage and management of big databases. However, this hypothesis has been difficult to test in the Precision Medicine field since alternate database architectures are complex to assess and means to integrate heterogeneous electronic health records (EHR) with dynamic genomic data are not easily available. In this dissertation, we present a novel set of experiments for identifying NoSQL database approaches that enable effective data storage and management in Precision Medicine using patients? clinical and genomic information from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA). The first experiment draws on performance and scalability from biologically meaningful queries with differing complexity and database sizes. The second experiment measures performance and scalability in database updates without schema changes. The third experiment assesses performance and scalability in database updates with schema modifications due dynamic data. We have identified two NoSQL approach, based on Cassandra and Redis, which seems to be the ideal database management systems for our precision medicine queries in terms of performance and scalability. We present NoSQL approaches and show how they can be used to manage clinical and genomic big data. Our research is relevant to the public health since we are focusing on one of the main challenges to the development of Precision Medicine and, consequently, investigating a potential solution to the progressively increasing demands on health care. KW - Precision Medicine KW - Human Genetics KW - Genomics KW - DBMS KW - NoSQL KW - DNA sequencing KW - RNA sequencing KW - Bioinformatics KW - Personalized Medicine KW - Computational Genetics KW - Statistical Genetics KW - Supercomputers TI - Alternatives to relational databases in precision medicine: comparison of NOSQL approaches for big data storage using supercomputers EP - 231 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25338 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25338/ A1 - Qian, Ying Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 8,000 deaths in the United States are caused by melanoma skin cancer each year. Melanoma has become the most lethal skin cancer over the past three decades. Immunotherapies were introduced to Melanoma patients in the 60?s, and Interferon Alpha (IFN ?) is one of the mostly used drugs for immunotherapy. Previous studies showed that using IFN ?-2b might increase the survival rate of patients with high-risk melanoma skin cancer. However, not all patients respond to immunotherapies. So ECOG 1697 (E1697) trial was performed to compare the effect of patients obtained four-week high-dose IFN-a2b and the control group. This project utilizes a subset of the E1697 patients to search for potential immune-related genes that are associated with the prognosis of patients with localized melanoma. Both SNP and gene level analysis were conducted. This study has important public health significance because it identifies genetic factors associated with prognosis of local melanoma, which may be used to guide the treatment of this subgroup of melanoma patients in the future. KW - Melanoma TI - Analysis of an immune focused targeted genetic association study in intermediate-risk Melanoma EP - 66 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25329 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25329/ A1 - Gao, Xiaotian Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Tree models have been widely used for clustering problems in areas like evidence-based decision-making, machine learning and data mining. The inherent properties of tree models, e.g. recursively dividing sample space, make it more flexible and superior in situation of nonlinear classifications and complex sample structure. In this thesis, they would be applied to the data from the Consortium for Radiologic Imaging Studies of Chronic Kidney Disease (CRISP) to explore the association between Total Kidney Volume (TKV) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) stage 3. In this current study, multivariable Cox survival models were used to adjust for baseline confounders and assess the relationship between TKV and time to CKD Stage 3. The same questions, were also analyzed using survival tree models, identifying the combination of variables associated with similar survival, and thus facilitating the identification of high and low risk sets. Variations of the tree modeling approach were employed to maximize model fit and generalizability, including pruning and bagging. Classification tree models, and the same variations (pruning and bragging) were also fit to the development of the dichotomous outcome of CKD Stage 3 by a fixed time point. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves with and without cross-validation are presented, and associated classification statistics (sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve) are calculated to characterize the prognostic ability of the tree models. Findings are then compared to the standard logistic model. Both tree models and regression models agreed on the significance of baseline total kidney volume and estimated glomerular filtration rate in predicting CKD prognosis. Cutoff values were also determined. From the public health significance perspective, these cutoffs could be advisory to actual clinical decision and prognostics of CKD. Comparing with current continuously GFR monitoring for CKD progress, two baseline predictors measured in the early phase of the disease, makes early interventions more practical. KW - Regression Trees; Chronic Kidney Disease TI - Analysis of kidney volume and functional outcomes using survival and classification tree models EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25707 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25707/ A1 - Buehler, Sean Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) occupy a severely marginalized position within society, experiencing high levels of discrimination as a result of their race and sexuality. Research into this population suggests that this social exclusion leaves BMSM susceptible to a variety of interrelated negative health outcomes. As a population they are vulnerable to physical assault, substance/alcohol abuse, depression, unemployment, homelessness, and high rates of HIV infection, all of which are exacerbated by poor access to health care and other social services, and are thus of public health importance. This marginalization leads a disproportionate number of BMSM to turn to sex work to make ends meet and/or to survive. The limited research done into the population suggests that black male sex workers experience similar types of negative health outcomes and comparable inequity in regards to their race and sexuality, but also need to contend with the stigma and illegality associated with engaging in sex work. How this further marginalization translates into the behaviors and health of black male sex workers is poorly understood and demands further research. In this analysis I examined a sample of 1,666 BMSM and compared those who have engaged in sex work (n=94) with those who had not (n=1572). The purpose of this investigation was to understand the associations and health implications involved in black male sex work and if/how they contrasted to a general sample of BMSM. Results from the analysis showed that the sex workers in the sample reported a statistically higher prevalence across every syndemic measure, negative health outcome, and behavioral risk factor except, surprisingly, HIV prevalence. This suggests that behavioral and syndemic risks are not the only contributors to high HIV rates in this sample of BMSM. Although HIV rates did not differ between the two groups, the sex workers did report worryingly high rates of every other negative health outcomes and risk factor. Interventions designed to meet the needs of black male sex workers are crucial for the health of that vulnerable population. Finally, risk factors and syndemic associations traditionally thought to increase HIV rates in a given population did not hold up in this analysis and further research is required to understand what is driving HIV in BMSM. KW - HIV KW - msm TI - Associations of sex work in a sample of black men who have sex with men EP - 35 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25278 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25278/ A1 - Lin, Hui-Min Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Genome-wide association studies are used to detect association between genetic variants and diseases. Hundreds of thousands to millions of SNPs are tested simultaneously. The results of the study often focus on the list of SNPs ordered according to the statistics rather than on certain p-value cutoffs. Therefore, it is important to investigate the behavior of the extreme values of the statistics rather than the behavior of the expected values. ?Detection probability? and ?proportion positive? have been proposed to measure the success of a genomic study when ranked lists are the primary outcome. In this dissertation, we first focused on the comparison of statistics for X-chromosome association with rare alleles. The regression with male coded as (0, 2) or adjusting for sex as a covariate is recommended. Then we evaluated statistics for detecting genetic association in the presence of an environmental covariate effect. Selecting the best statistics depends on the purpose of the study and how a researcher selects disease-associated SNPs. Studies whose goal is to find significant signal at the whole genome level should focus on which statistic can provide the highest power. Exploratory studies that look for a list of top ranking SNPs which will be further studied in the future should focus on which statistic can provide the highest detection probability. Adjusting for the environmental covariate effect or interaction effect may reduce the power, but it can help with producing more accurate ranked lists. This work will improve the statistical power of genetic association studies, which will allow us to gain a better understanding of disease processes and ultimately design better treatments and public health interventions. KW - Genome-wide association studies KW - X-chromosome association KW - environmental covariate TI - Behavior of statistics for genetic association in a genome-wide scan context EP - 72 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25740 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25740/ A1 - Alanazi, Abdullah Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - This study provided a literature-based model that was developed by using a general and cumulative approach to explain user attitudes toward EHR. The model embodies the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the barriers that hinder users from proper use of the EHR system. Dimensions related to Human, Technological, Organizational, Professional, Legal, and Financial sources of influence were identified and tested in a special care setting. Because rehabilitation care facilities require an interdisciplinary (interactive) and multidisciplinary (additive) care approach, they pose an extra challenge. The current situation of the Saudi healthcare system demands a transition to a more connected and integrated system among different facilities of a single provider and across different providers. This situation underscores the need to have EHR in place and demands that particular attention be paid to user acceptance of the system. Thus, current and potential users of EHR in Saudi Arabia were targeted and asked to rate the importance of each source of influence on their attitudes toward EHR. The sample size was 319, comprising respondents from more than 20 hospitals and rehabilitation care facilities, and 263 responses were eligible for statistical analysis. Examining the model revealed that human, technological, organizational, and professional dimensions are the necessary and sufficient predictors for users in the tested settings. This calls for raising awareness of EHR and its anticipated benefits and difficulties. Continuous learning and ongoing training sessions are key aspects in attaining users? acceptance of EHR. The findings of this study also call for developing policies and legal procedures to regulate the use of EHR in Saudi Arabia by establishing a national regulator and enforcement bodies to oversee issues related to system security and patient privacy. Furthermore, it is worth proposing an act or policy (stimuli) to promote the adoption and meaningful use of EHR and to keep costs of EHR low, especially for the private sector. Regarding future directions, the proposed model is to be taken to different levels and examined in different care settings, geographic areas, and with different technologies, including but not limited to mHealth, cloud computing, and telehealth. KW - EHR Acceptance KW - Attitude toward EHR KW - Rehabilitation Facilities KW - Technology Acceptance. TI - A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL TO EXPLAINING USERS? ACCEPTANCE AND INTENTION TO USE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS(EHR)IN REHABILITATION FACILITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA EP - 205 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25713 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25713/ A1 - Wang, Tianxiu Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - In medical research, investigators are often interested in estimating marginal survival distributions of latent failure times in the presence of competing risks. However, marginal survival functions are not identifiable without further assumption. Previous studies have shown that by incorporating the random signs censoring (RSC) principle, we can estimate marginal survival functions and that the RSC principle is verifiable from the observed data. In this study, we proposed under the RSC principle an estimator of covariate effect on marginal survival function using time-dependent pseudo-values created from inverse-probability-censoring-weighted (IPCW) Kaplan-Meier estimates. A generalized linear regression model of pseudo-values can then be built, from which the covariate effects and marginal survival at any given time can be estimated by solving the corresponding generalized estimating equations. Time-dependent covariates are easy to incorporate in our method. We also derived robust standard errors of the estimators, examined the asymptotic properties, and developed a graphical representation for changes in covariate effects over time. We evaluated the finite-sample performance of the estimator and the corresponding marginal survival estimators via simulation studies. In applications of the proposed method, we identified potential risk factors of pretransplantation survival for pediatric patients with end-stage liver diseases and estimated their 90-day pretransplantation survival graphically. Effects of time-varying covariates were estimated and the covariate effects against time were also examined graphically. Public Health Significance: Our proposed method is easier for statisticians to implement and the analysis results are easier for medical professionals to interpret. The proposed method allows medical researchers to incorporate repeatedly measured covariates as well as constant covariates and evaluate time-varying covariate effects in the presence of competing risks, which eliminates certain biases in estimating marginal survival and in turn can contribute to better policy or regulatory decisions. KW - Competing risks; inverse probability censoring weight; marginal survival function; pseudo-values; random signs censoring; risk prediction TI - Competing risks regression under random signs censoring using pseudo-values EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24620 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24620/ A1 - Sechrist, Sarina A1 - McCue, Michael A1 - Schutte, Jamie A1 - Costantini, Patricia A1 - Seelman, Kate D. Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - The aim of the current project is to create a useful product that cross-walks the Social Security Administration?s (SSA) Mental Residual Functional Capacity Assessment (MRFCA) with the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) applied to a population of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). SSA?s MRFCA is cross-walked with the ICF in order to allow for a more in depth and functional breakdown of the purposefully more generic categories of the MRFCA. Worker Functions derived from the DOT are then added to the SSA/ICF crosswalk in order to better operationalize the functional manifestations associated with disability states as they occur in a natural (work) environment. Finally, a decision tree is developed from the crosswalk to increase ease of use of the product, titled the MRFCA Decision Tree. ASD was chosen as an exemplar to test this process. Inter-rater reliability on the MRFCA Decision Tree is assessed. The outcomes are the following: (a) A MRFCA Decision Tree that will allow a disability examiner to derive a more reliable disability decision when assessing individuals with ASD,(b) A breakdown of the current DDP process including problem areas and improvement suggestions based on the implementation of the decision tree, and (c) A narrative review of how coordinating the DOT with the ICF can provide a deeper understanding of how functional manifestations of a disability relate to job demands. Plans for future research aimed at improving the decision tree are discussed. KW - Residual Functional Capacity Autism Spectrum Disorders Assessment Disability Determination Process ICF Crosswalk TI - A Conceptual Harmonization between the SSA Disability Determination Process and ICF and DOT Frameworks: A Guide to Assessing the Mental Residual Functional Capacity of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders EP - 59 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26082 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26082/ A1 - Vaidyanathan, Anusha Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Sickle cell Disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects 50,000 to 100,000 people in the United States. This disorder is characterized by pain episodes, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, infection, stroke, aplastic crisis, and priapism. Hydroxyurea (HU) is a drug that is clinically effective in reducing pain episodes, hospitalizations, and total health care costs. However, studies show that HU continues to be underutilized in individuals with SCD. There is evidence to suggest poor adherence to HU among people in this population and studies have identified a number of barriers at the patient, caregiver, provider and system wide levels. Issues with adherence strongly impacts Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) of individuals with SCD, making it a public health concern. While there are reports available in the literature on the qualitative analyses of barriers experienced by this population, there have been no known studies that have examined patient reported treatment satisfaction. Our hypothesis is that barriers to adherence of HU and treatment satisfaction play a significant role in medication adherence. The objective is three-fold: 1. To determine the barriers to adherence of hydroxyurea for individuals with SCD 2. To determine the treatment satisfaction of hydroxyurea in individuals with SCD 3. To determine any correlation between the treatment satisfaction and the barriers to HU The participants in this study include individuals who have been on HU for at least 6 months. Pediatric, caregiver and adult participants were recruited from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children?s Healthcare of Atlanta. Only adult participants were recruited from Children?s National Medical Center, Washington DC. The information was collected using two surveys administered to all individuals. The TSQM-9 (Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication) was used to evaluate Hydroxyurea treatment satisfaction in patients. The Adherence Starts with Knowledge (ASK-12) survey along with the additional barriers survey were used to evaluate the barriers to adherence of Hydroxyurea. All surveys were modified for caregiver responses in the pediatric settings. The surveys were administered over a period of one year. The results of this study revealed low levels of barriers and moderately high levels of treatment satisfaction. The survey results indicate that two specific questions present in the additional barriers surveys may be examined in greater detail. Weak linear correlation was observed between several categories of barrier surveys and the subsets of the treatment satisfactions survey. KW - N/A TI - Correlation between barriers to adherence and treatment satisfaction of hydroxyurea in individuals with sickle cell disease EP - 88 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25682 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25682/ A1 - Xu, Shushen Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common pediatric liver disease leading to liver transplantation during childhood, with very poor prognosis if untreated. In this study, we aimed to apply a linear mixed effect (LME) model to estimate the correlation coefficients among longitudinally measured total serum bilirubin, international normalized ratio (INR) for prothrombin time, and serum albumin, the three important prognosis predictors of pretransplant mortality. The dataset was obtained from the Standard Transplant Analysis and Research (STAR) of the United Network of Organ Sharing (UNOS). The primary analysis cohort consists of 1,700 pediatric liver transplant candidates who started their liver transplant waiting list between February 27, 2002 and June 24, 2010 with at least one follow-up measurement and had primary diagnosis of biliary atresia at the time of listing. In applying the LME model, we estimated the longitudinally measured markers via two different correlation structures: autoregressive of order one (AR1) and compound symmetry (CS) in rearranged data by a 7-day equally spaced repeated measures interval. Under the AR(1) structure, the estimated total correlation coefficients between total bilirubin and INR, total bilirubin and albumin, and INR and albumin were 0.4151, -0.2404, and -0.206, respectively, whereas the partial correlation coefficients (within-subject correlation) were 0.0656, 0.0916, and -0.0451, respectively. Under the CS structure, the estimated total correlation coefficients were 0.4307, -0.2432, and -0.1912, respectively and the partial correlation coefficients were 0.1742, -0.0678, and -0.0509, respectively for the above analysis. AR(1) structure had a better fit based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Several sensitivity analyses were conducted to understand the stability of the estimated overall correlation. The magnitudes of the estimates obtained from different sensitivity methods do not differ substantially. Public health significance: For two repeatedly measured markers, the total correlation, the between-subject correlation with time-averaged values, and partial correlation for within-subject measurements will provide a more complete picture of the correlations for these markers. Correlation by stacking all measurements of a subject together or between-subject correlation with time-averaged values is a measurement ignoring time effects and could either over or under estimate the total correlation coefficients. The estimated correlations between any two markers measured repeatedly for patients awaiting liver transplantation will give physicians a tool to analyze the relationship between two markers for patients during the waitlist period and may further help physicians understand disease progression and refine treatment strategy for candidates prior to receiving a transplant. KW - Biliary atresia KW - Liver transplant KW - Longitudinal measures KW - Partial correlation coefficient KW - Total correlation coefficient TI - Correlation coefficients between longitudinally measured markers in pediatric liver transplant candidates with biliary atresia EP - 27 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25771 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25771/ A1 - Chung, Cheng-Shiu Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Text BoxAssistive Robotic Manipulators (ARM) have shown improvement in self-care and increased independence among people with severe upper extremity disabilities. With an ARM mounted on the side of an electric powered wheelchair, an ARM may provide manipulation assistance, such as picking up object, eating, drinking, dressing, reaching out, or opening doors. However, existing assessment tools are inconsistent between studies, time consuming, and unclear in clinical effectiveness. Therefore, in this research, we have developed an ADL task board evaluation tool that provides standardized, efficient, and reliable assessment of ARM performance. Among powered wheelchair users and able-bodied controls using two commercial ARM user interfaces ? joystick and keypad, we found that there were statistical differences between both user interface performances, but no statistical difference was found in the cognitive loading. The ADL task board demonstrated highly correlated performance with an existing functional assessment tool, Wolf Motor Function Test. Through this study, we have also identified barriers and limits in current commercial user interfaces and developed smartphone and assistive sliding-autonomy user interfaces that yields improved performance. Testing results from our smartphone manual interface revealed statistically faster performance. The assistive sliding-autonomy interface helped seamlessly correct the error seen with autonomous functions. The ADL task performance evaluation tool may help clinicians and researchers better access ARM user interfaces and evaluated the efficacy of customized user interfaces to improve performance. The smartphone manual interface demonstrated improved performance and the sliding-autonomy framework showed enhanced success with tasks without recalculating path planning and recognition. KW - Robotics KW - Assistive Technology KW - Rehabilitation KW - Wheelchair KW - Performance Evaluation KW - Assessment TI - DEVELOPMENT AND ASSESSMENT OF ADVANCED ASSISTIVE ROBOTIC MANIPULATORS USER INTERFACES EP - 181 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25548 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25548/ A1 - Wu, Yu-Kuang Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Powered wheelchairs with powered seat functions (PSFs) are prescribed for wheelchair users who are unable to adjust their postures or manage their seating pressure independently because of motor and/ or sensory impairments. However, a novice powered-wheelchair user might not have appropriate or sufficient training on using PSFs due to the limited time in clinics or complex situations in real-life environments. The Human Engineering Research Laboratories have developed the Virtual Seating Coach (VSC) which records PSF usage and reminds users to adjust their PSFs. This research project was to develop a smartphone virtual seating coach (SVSC) and investigate several improvements. The SVSC used low-cost accelerometers to detect the seating angles which decreased the complexity of the sensor installation. By using the smartphone for information display and integrating the electronic components into the phone holder, the SVSC significantly decreased the dimension and increased the clearance of the whole system. A usability study has been conducted from five powered wheelchair users and five rehabilitation professionals to gather their feedback and refine the SVSC. In order to overcome the limitation of the internal storage in the system and enable the PSF usage to be reviewed by clinicians in real time, a prototype web service was constructed for data storage and data visualization. This web service allowed the SVSC to upload the daily PSF usage data from different users and provided the longitudinal PSF data plots for review. Ten powered wheelchair users were recruited for a three-week in-home trial to evaluate the effectiveness of SVSC. The compliance rate of performing repositioning exercise has increased around 44% after the intervention of the SVSC. The results also show that the users? attention and decision toward the reminders can be predicted by context factors collected from the smartphones? sensors (around 80% and 75% accuracy respectively). Furthermore, the negative correlation between the frequency of using PSFs and the wheelchair discomfort indicate the need for dynamic seating posture and suggested that the SVSC could implement this functionality to remind users to change their seating angle periodically to improve wheelchair comfort. KW - Rehabilitation KW - Wheelchair KW - Power Seat Function KW - Context Awareness TI - DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A SMARTPHONE VIRTUAL SEATING COACH APPLICATION TO FACILITATE POWERED SEAT FUNCTION USAGE FOR POWERED WHEELCHAIR USERS EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25686 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25686/ A1 - Steren, Karina E. Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - This thesis develops a culturally appropriate dance curriculum to increase physical activity among the Latino community in Allegheny County. The program is called, DanSa: Danza, Salud y Familia (Dance, Health and Family). DanSa stemmed from an extensive review of the literature and lessons learned from the dance program Dancing 4 Health, a dance program developed by the Latin American Cultural Union (LACU) in 2014 and funded by Highmark, Blue Cross Blue Shield. The program?s goals were to promote health among Latinos in Pittsburgh, while preserving Latin-American and Caribbean culture. DanSa is a program incorporating a Latin American dance curriculum that aims to decrease sedentary behavior among Latinos. It is a 12-week program, offered three times per week to adults and their families in Casa San Jose, a center serving Latinos in the region. The program will include biometric measures and personal data that will be collected pre, mid and post program. In addition, exercise during the classes and outside of them will be measured through pedometers used by participants. DanSa aims to incorporate the community in the marketing and delivery of the program. Because the Latino community in Allegheny County is small (<2% of the total population) and geographically dispersed, the program will have a robust marketing campaign involving referrals (through word of mouth, physicians, key community members and organizations), transportation advertisement, print media and social media. The public health significance of this thesis is that it provides the field with a curriculum to increase physical activity in a newly emerging Latino community. KW - Public Health KW - Physical Activity KW - Hispanic KW - Dance TI - DanSa, a dance curriculum to increase physical activity in a newly emerging Latino community EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25647 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25647/ A1 - Fast, Paul S. Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a significant public health problem in Haiti, with prevalence as high as 36.8% in Port-au-Prince. Untreated PTSD is known to result in high rates of depression, anxiety, substance use, suicide, premature mortality, medical complications, homelessness, unemployment, sexual-risk-taking behaviors, domestic violence, and second-generation mental and physical health problems. The clinical science of PTSD has advanced quickly, producing gold-standard therapies with strong evidentiary support and effectiveness rates of approximately 85%. While prevalence of PTSD in Port-au-Prince is five times that seen in the United States, there are no published studies testing these therapies? effectiveness and no treatment programs offering these gold-standard approaches in Haiti. Bringing effective PTSD therapy to Haiti requires a careful analysis of the historical, political, cultural, and religious context. Haiti?s experience of public health interventions has been shaped by a complex history of colonialism, foreign intervention, missionary medicine, conflict between belief systems, second-class or non-existent services for the poor majority, and persistent power imbalances between provider institutions and the patients they serve. Such troubling dynamics have been particularly acute in mental health. For a mental health intervention to be effective and accepted in this context, practitioners must be aware of these undercurrents, define services as a concrete benefit to participants, not compromise international gold-standards of care, position services as compliments to existing healing strategies, establish local oversight, transparently share findings, and partner with local organizations to scale up. The proposed pilot program aims to fill these gaps in the literature and services by testing whether individual Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy, an intensive 12-week talk therapy protocol, is effective at reducing symptom severity among adults with PTSD in the Cité Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. This thesis develops the pilot program implementation plan, evaluation plan, and supporting literature reviews. If the pilot is able to show effectiveness on this small scale, the proposed project will make a significant contribution to public health by advancing the literature of evidence-based PTSD treatment in Haiti, and laying the foundation for expanding effective PTSD care to the hundreds of thousands of Haitians suffering from this debilitating, but highly treatable condition. KW - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder KW - PTSD KW - treatment KW - PTSD treatment KW - Prolonged Exposure Therapy KW - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy KW - Pilot Study KW - Mennonite Central Committee KW - Evidence-Based Mental Health KW - Haiti KW - Port-au-Prince KW - Caribbean KW - Trauma KW - Recovery KW - Project Plan KW - Project Evaluation TI - Developing a pilot study of evidence-based PTSD treatment in Port-au-Prince, Haiti EP - 74 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25327 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25327/ A1 - Wang, Jing Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Cognitive deficits in executive functioning are among the most frequent sequelae after traumatic brain injury (TBI) at all levels of severity. Due to these functional deficits in cognition, individuals with TBI often experience difficulties in performing instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), especially those IADLs that involve a sequence of goal-directed actions. We obtained updated information on the use of assistive technology for cognition (ATC) through a survey study among twenty-nine participants with TBI. Results highlighted the needs to support the development and evaluation of ATC in assisting multi-step tasks. Cooking tasks were selected as a representative for they are cognitively demanding and have been identified essential for living independently. With the recent advance in sensing and smart home technologies, it?s possible to provide context-aware prompts with minimal user inputs. However, limited information is known regarding what types of context-aware prompts are really needed by people with TBI in completing cooking tasks. We compared the effectiveness and usability of current available prompting methods (e.g. paper-based prompting method and user-controlled method) among ten individuals with TBI in their home kitchens. We categorized the nature of problems faced by end-users with both prompting methods in cooking tasks and proposed relevant context-aware solutions. A test-bed Cueing Kitchen with sensing and prompting elements was developed to address these identified needs and to evaluate the feasibility of context-aware ATC interventions in assisting people with TBI with kitchen activities. Sixteen individuals with TBI participated in the study. Results showed that comparing to the conventional user-controlled method, the automatic method decreased the amount of external assistance required by participants, received higher ratings in perceived ease-of-use, and was helpful for decreasing user stress levels. However, the user-controlled method showed strengths in offering participants more flexibility and control on the timing of prompts. The contributions from this dissertation not only developed a context-aware prompting testbed and evaluated the feasibility of an automatic system, but also advanced the guidelines and potential solutions for future development of assistive prompting technology for people with cognitive impairments in sequential tasks. KW - Traumatic Brain Injury KW - Assistive Technology for Cognition KW - Context-aware technology KW - multi-step tasks TI - Development and Evaluation of an Assistive Prompting System for People with Traumatic Brain Injury EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25861 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25861/ A1 - Varnell, Michelle Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Proper scapular motion is essential to the performance of efficient and injury free overhead activities and altered scapular motion is known to be associated with shoulder pathology. Intervention strategies addressing scapular dyskinesis have yielded inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to determine if differences were present in scapular kinematics, muscular strength and activation patterns between a healthy control and a dyskinesis group. Thirty-four overhead athletes subjects (Normal group: n=17, Obvious dyskinesis group: n=17) participated in this study. A surface infrared optical capture system was used to measure scapular kinematics during weighted humeral elevation and depression during flexion and abduction. Muscle activation patterns of the scapular stabilizers were assessed using surface and indwelling electromyography. Isometric strength of the pectoralis minor, rhomboid major, serratus anterior, upper, middle, and lower trapezius was assessed using hand-held dynamometry and normalized to body weight (%BW). Independent t-tests or Mann-Whitney U tests, for data that violated normality, were used to assess for mean differences in scapular upward/downward rotation (UR/DR), internal/external rotation (IR/ER), and anterior/posterior tilt (AT/PT) at 30°, 60°, 90° and 120° of humeral elevation/depression, %MVIC, on/off activation, and isometric strength (%BW) of each of the scapular stabilizers. A significance level was set a priori at alpha = 0.05. The dyskinesis group demonstrated significantly less scapular UR at 30° humeral elevation (p=0.012) and depression (p=0.004), increased %MVIC of the pectoralis minor 90-120° humeral elevation(p=0.038), decreased activation of the upper trapezius from 30°-60° of humeral elevation (p=0.045) and decreased activation of the rhomboid major from 120°-30° humeral depression(p=0.011-0.034). Delayed de-activation of the pectoralis minor (p=0.020) and serratus anterior (p=0.031) was also observed. No differences in isometric strength were found between groups. Overhead athletes with obvious scapular dyskinesis demonstrated decreased scapular UR, decreased activation of the upper trapezius and rhomboid major, and increased activation of the pectoralis minor. When clinicians clinically identify the presence of obvious scapular dyskinesis, rehabilitation strategies should aim to increase activation of the of the scapular upward and external rotators while addressing potential hyper-tonicity of the pectoralis minor in order to re-establish coordinated muscular control of dynamic scapular motion. KW - scapular dyskinesis KW - electromyography KW - overhead athlete TI - THE EVALUATION OF SCAPULAR KINEMATICS AND MUSCULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCAPULAR STABILIZERS IN OVERHEAD ATHLETES PRESENTING WITH SCAPULAR DYSKINESIS COMPARED TO HEALTHY CONTROLS EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25688 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25688/ A1 - Talisa, Victor Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Background: Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a Part D drug plan are faced with choosing from a large number of plans with a complex array of attributes. Unnecessarily high spending may lead to cost-related non-adherence (CRN). The extent to which changes in spending are attributable to sponsor renewal of plans offered (compared to termination or consolidation), or beneficiary plan switching (compared to not switching), is not well known. Research Aims: This study evaluated whether 1) unanticipated plan consolidations or terminations lead to higher gross total and patient out-of-pocket (OOP) costs compared to plan renewals, and 2) plan switching is associated with gross total and patient OOP costs. Methods: We used Part D data from N=1,187,469 beneficiaries enrolled between 2006 and 2012 who never received income subsidies and who were enrolled continuously through December to January of two consecutive years. Beneficiaries were classified into one of five plan switching groups at each transition period: plan termination?switch (PT-S), plan consolidation?switch (PC-S) or no switch (PC-NS), and plan renewal?switch (PR-S) or no switch (PR-NS). Longitudinal mixed models using an analytical sample of N=17,812 beneficiaries evaluated plan switching group effect on gross total and patient OOP costs, controlling for covariates. Linear mixed models (LMM) and mixture models were compared. Results: Model diagnostics suggested that the mixture model provided a better fit than LMM. Neither plan termination nor consolidation led to consistently higher gross total spending or patient OOP costs. The lowest gross costs were observed in the PC-S group, with spending in PC-NS, PR-NS and PR-S estimated to be 4.6%, 6.9% and 5.2% higher, respectively. Patient OOP spending was significantly higher among PC-NS and PR-NS compared to PC-S and PR-S. Estimated differences were between 4.8% and 7.5%, equivalent to $24 to $60 higher annual patient OOP spending among individuals who did not switch compared to those that switched. Conclusions: The public health impact of our results is that increased spending may not be a significant concern for individuals exposed to plan consolidation or termination. However, plan switching may not reduce spending (and consequently risk of CRN) as much as has been shown to be possible in previous studies. KW - Medicare Part D KW - Mixture Model KW - Longitudinal KW - Healthcare Expenditure Data TI - Effects of Medicare Part D plan switching on prescription drug expenditures: a longitudinal analysis using mixture models EP - 78 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24567 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24567/ A1 - Bixler, Felicia Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Background: Substance use is common among people with bipolar I disorder, a mental illness marked by periods of mania and depression. Although substance use affects people with bipolar I disorder more than the general population, and psychotherapy-inclusive treatments show promise in treating comorbid substance use and bipolar I disorders, no studies to our knowledge have applied these treatments to bipolar I disorder people with sub-threshold substance use. The public health importance of minimizing substance use in people with bipolar I disorder is to minimize impacts such as hospitalization costs, lost compensation, and early mortality, through control of symptoms. We conducted secondary analyses to determine whether one such treatment, integrated risk reduction intervention (IRRI), decreased substance use spectrum measures more than standard care, psychiatric care with medical monitoring (PCMM). The primary study was a randomized controlled trial conducted to reduce medical risks and minimize morbidity and mortality in bipolar I disorder participants. In our current secondary analyses, we hypothesized that 1) all participants would have decreased substance use spectrum measures after 6 months of either treatment, 2) IRRI participants would have a greater decrease than PCMM participants,and 3) the change in substance use spectrum measures would decrease more among those with a prior alcohol use disorder than those with no prior alcohol use disorder. Methods: Participants were recruited in Pittsburgh, PA and randomly assigned to IRRI (n=58) or PCMM (n=56). Four substance use spectrum measures from the Self-Report Last Month Substance Use Spectrum assessment (SUBS-SR ? Last Month) were evaluated, if completed at both study entry and 6 months. Wilcoxon signed rank tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and multiple linear regression were used for analyses. Results: There were no significant changes in substance use spectrum measures from study entry to 6 months among all participants. There were no clinically meaningful differences in substance use measures between IRRI and PCMM participants or between participants with versus without a lifetime alcohol use disorder. Conclusions: The current format of IRRI does not appear to have an effect on substance use spectrum measures after 6 months of treatment. The public health implications of this study are that further study is needed to identify the effectiveness of psychotherapy-related treatment of sub-threshold substance use in bipolar I disorder patients. KW - bipolar disorder KW - bipolar I disorder KW - substance use KW - integrated intervention TI - Evaluation of an integrated risk reduction intervention's effects on substance use spectrum measures in patients with bipolar I disorder EP - 60 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25678 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25678/ A1 - Field, Jessica Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - The prevalence of low bone mineral density (BMD) is increased in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) independent of traditional osteoporosis risk factors. COPD-specific guidelines for BMD assessment do not exist and general guidelines for osteoporosis screening do not recognize COPD as a risk factor for fracture. Nonetheless, osteoporotic fractures are of major public health importance given the negative impact of fractures on morbidity and mortality in COPD patients. Furthermore, increased bone turnover independently contributes to fracture risk yet cannot be determined by cross-sectional dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessment alone. We established a longitudinal cohort of male and female smokers with and without smoking-related lung disease (i.e. emphysema or airflow obstruction) to determine factors related to accelerated BMD loss in smokers. We obtained baseline and 2-year measurements of pulmonary function, BMD, radiographic emphysema, and demographic and clinical characteristics. We assayed baseline blood samples for markers of bone metabolism, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their inhibitors, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha. Of those with lung disease, 48.6% had evidence of osteopenia or osteoporosis at baseline compared to 29.4% without lung disease (p=0.01). The incidence of accelerated hip or lumbar spine BMD loss was 33.8% in subjects with lung disease versus 19.6% in those participants without lung disease (p=0.01). Both type I collagen C telopeptide (CTx), a marker of bone resorption, and radiographic emphysema were independent predictors of accelerated BMD loss (OR 5.5 [2.1,14.4] for moderate/severe emphysema; OR 2.9 [1.3,6.4] for highest tertile CTx) when adjusted for age, gender, steroid use, and current smoking status. Tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) 4 was independently associated with BMD decline at the hip (p=0.04) and higher in subjects with emphysema progression (p=0.03). TIMP1 and MMP7 levels were also higher in subjects with emphysema progression. These findings suggest that accessible and easily measured biomarkers may be used to guide early and serial DXA BMD assessments in a subset of smokers at risk for accelerated BMD decline. TIMP4 and MMPs may further be involved in the regulation of lung and bone matrix degradation in individuals with emphysema-related BMD decline. KW - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Osteoporosis Emphysema Systemic inflammation TI - Factors associated with longitudinal bone mineral density loss in a tobacco-exposed cohort EP - 33 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25621 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25621/ A1 - Dabass, Arvind Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - This dissertation sought to examine the effect of exposure to fine particulate matter ambient air pollution (PM2.5) on cardiovascular disease and biological pathways linking them. In the first manuscript, PM2.5 air pollution was significantly associated with IHD and PVD mortality in Allegheny County, PA at a lag of 5 days, for the period 1999-2011. The risk of IHD mortality due to PM2.5 was significantly greater for individuals who died outside of a hospital or nursing home compared to deaths in the hospital or nursing home. In the second manuscript, overall, there were no appreciable effects of short and long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution with regard to biomarkers of cardiovascular risk i.e. CRP, WBC count, homocysteine and fibrinogen, after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors in adult NHANES participants for the period 2001-2008. However, we did find some evidence suggesting stronger associations of PM2.5 with biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in participants with elements of metabolic syndrome e.g., obesity, diabetes, hypertension and smokers. In the third manuscript, individuals with preexisting metabolic syndrome compared to individuals without preexisting metabolic syndrome, showed a stronger positive response in systemic inflammation, as manifested by CRP and WBC count, in association with PM2.5 air pollution (both short term and long term), after adjusting for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors in adult NHANES participants for the period 2001-2008 Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in large cohorts. With one third of the U.S. population compromised by metabolic syndrome, the health impact of particulate air pollution in this sensitive population is likely to be significant and emphasizes the public health importance of this body of work. KW - PARTICULATE MATTER KW - PM2.5 KW - CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE KW - BIO-MARKERS KW - C-REACTIVE PROTEIN KW - WHITE BLOOD CELLS KW - FIBRINOGEN KW - HOMOCYSTEINE KW - MORTALITY TI - Fine particulate matter ambient air pollution and cardiovascular disease EP - 99 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26106 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26106/ A1 - Orlova, Ekaterina Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Appendicitis affects 7-9% of Americans and is the most common diagnosis requiring hospitalization of both children and adults. Several etiologies of appendicitis have been hypothesized, but definitive mechanisms remain elusive ? a critical review of the literature does not support a primary role of fecaliths or lymphoid hyperplasia, as is commonly believed. It is known that appendicitis has heritable components, and so we collaborated with 23andMe Inc., a personal genomics company, to identify genetic determinants of susceptibility to acute appendicitis. 23andMe performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 18,773 appendectomy cases and 114,907 controls, and identified one locus with genome-wide significance. In addition, the GWAS identified eight highly significant SNPs that did not reach genome-wide significance. Most of the SNPs identified using this analysis fell outside of protein-coding genes, thus bioinformatic analysis using RegulomeDB was done to interrogate the SNPs? putative regulatory capacity of nearby or distant genes, or proteins. This analysis identified 921 targets of putative regulatory elements in the same LD blocks as the four of nine lead SNPs identified in the GWAS and chosen for follow-up study. Of these, 299 targets were unique when targets from all four genomic regions were combined. These targets were organized according to the distance of their putatively egulatory SNP from the given lead SNP, and based on overlap of elements? targets within one region with targets of elements within the rest of the genomic regions. Ultimately, the following list of 17 proteins was generated for priority in further studies: CEBPB, CTCF, EP300, EVI-1, FOS, FOXJ3, FOXP1, GATA1, HNF4A, JUN, MYC, NFKB, PPARG, RAD21, SPI1, STAT1, and STAT3. This list includes several proteins that directly interact with, or influence the expression of very specific inflammatory markers known to be strongly associated with appendicitis, including IL-8, IL-1B, and IL-6. This outcome supports the utility of RegulomeDB in the interpretation of GWAS-generated non-coding variants. This compiled resource and the ongoing parallel studies born of the appendectomy GWAS may help to elucidate the pathogenesis of acute appendicitis, thereby providing opportunities to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this extremely common disease. The public health significance of appendicitis and its genetics are addressed, and a theoretical public health program that integrates the multiple factors involved in appendicitis etiology is proposed. KW - appendicitis KW - appendectomy KW - GWAS KW - genome-wide association study KW - 23andMe KW - personalized medicine KW - genetic screening KW - genetic counseling KW - public health genetics KW - direct-to-consumer KW - genotyping KW - RegulomeDB KW - StringDB KW - complex disease KW - multifactorial disease TI - G,WAS going on? Putative regulatory function of GWAS-identified markers of susceptibility to acute appendicitis EP - 106 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25705 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25705/ A1 - Jiang, Yingda Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Gene-based association testing with rare variants requires arbitrarily aggregating or collapsing the information of the rare variants in genes into a single measure. As genotyping data can be viewed as a realization of a stochastic process that varies along the chromosome, it is more natural to summarize the genetic information using the approaches of functional data analysis. In functional data analysis, discrete genotypes are fitted by a continuous curve by using a collection of smooth basis functions. Existing generalized functional linear models (FLM) have been developed for unrelated samples to test for association between a dichotomous trait and genetic variants in a gene. In most situations, these models have higher power than well-known kernel-based methods (SKAT and SKAT-O). Here we extend this approach to accommodate family-based data using the GLOGS (genome-wide logistic mixed model/score test) approach developed by Stanhope and Abney, and develop family-based generalized functional linear mixed models (GFLMMs). This involves parallel computations to integrate out a multidimensional polygenic effect. Simulation results indicate that in most scenarios our new statistics are better than other similar statistics (famSKAT or F-SKAT), but not better than the retrospective kernel and burden statistics developed by Schaid and colleagues. We also embed FLM-smoothed genotypes in the retrospective statistics, improving the power of the kernel-based approach. We illustrate the behavior of these statistics by applying them to an age-related macular degeneration (AMD) family data set, where, as expected, we observe strong association between AMD and CFH and ARMS2, two known AMD susceptibility genes. Our proposed GFLMM provides a new tool for conducting family-based research studies in public health for complex or multifactorial diseases. The findings may improve the knowledge of existing AMD susceptibility genes and make a positive contribution to AMD treatment and prevention. KW - Functional linear model (FLM) KW - GWAS KW - AMD KW - Linkage KW - Association TI - Gene-based association testing of dichotomous traits using generalized functional linear mixed models for family data EP - 153 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26091 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26091/ A1 - Childs, Joshua Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Due to the assumption that students are in class everyday barring illness or extreme life circumstances, chronic absenteeism is often referred to as a problem hidden in plain sight (Chang & Romero, 2008). Chronic absenteeism has been well documented as a persistent problem that impacts student achievement and long-term life success. In 2013, the United Way spearheaded the first use of an attendance campaign in Western Pennsylvania: the ?Be There? campaign (BTC). The BTC was launched in Pittsburgh, an urban city with a predominantly Black student population, as an effort to address chronic absenteeism and improve student attendance across the city and the greater Allegheny County. Using social network analysis and semi-structured interviews, this dissertation investigates how the BTC inspired the emergence of an inter-organizational network to tackle chronic absenteeism in Pittsburgh. The analysis suggested that the emerging ?Be There? inter-organizational network (BTIN) has promoted a number of collaborations between organizations with different expertise and resources that could be activated to address chronic absenteeism. Main partners within the BTIN have considerable influence on the coordination of the BTC as it has sought to raise awareness throughout Allegheny County on the importance of having students attend school every day. To date, the BTC has produced a variety of products and implemented a number of strategies in several districts and schools; however after only two years of the campaign, it is too early to see the results in regards to reducing chronic absenteeism in local schools. Nonetheless, this study provides evidence to suggest the future use of county-wide attendance campaigns as a means for organizations to collaborate to reduce chronic absenteeism in local schools. This study adds to education policy research by conceptualizing chronic absenteeism as a ?wicked problem? and applying an inter-organizational network framework to investigate organizations working to reduce chronic absenteeism. Further, this research contributes to education and public policy literature by demonstrating the value of social network analysis to map an emerging inter-organizational network involved in a county-wide effort to address an education issue. KW - Interorganizational networks KW - education policy KW - chronic absenteeism TI - Getting Students to "Be There" in School: The Be There Campaign and a Network Approach to Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in Pittsburgh EP - 218 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25293 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25293/ A1 - Jiang, Jianfei Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a heterogeneous group of lifelong chronic inflammatory diseases with variable and unpredictable disease courses which often require significant healthcare expenditures. There exists no uniform severity measure to capture the activity and the healthcare utilization of the disease. This study seeks to identify disease trajectories for the IBD patients based on their annual financial healthcare charges over time. We performed a longitudinal study of annual financial charges using a consented, prospective, natural history registry of 2,400 IBD patients at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from 2009 to 2013. The annual charges were calculated as the sum of inpatient admission charges and professional service charges, with (ChargeF) or without (ChargeR) biological medicine charges. Patients who completed a five-year follow-up were included in the study. The continuous financial charges were first categorized into sections of different price range, and then the data was fitted with a latent group-based zero-inflated Poisson model to identify different homogeneous trajectory patterns of financial charges. We identified six distinct trajectory groups of total annual charges obtained from each of the two calculation methods (ChargeF and ChargeR). We further compared between these trajectories for patient characteristics, disease activity indices (Harvey-Bradshaw Index and ulcerative colitis activity index), disease activity markers (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate), health-related quality of life index (short inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire, SIBDQ), healthcare utilization (emergency department, hospitalization, and surgery), and corticosteroid prescriptions. We concluded that the healthcare financial charge could be a novel and uniform metric to evaluate the disease severity and the response of IBD patients to treatments. The present study is the first of its kind using latent group-based trajectory modeling of financial charges to identify distinct subsets of IBD patients with their response to treatments. The model could be used to determine the genetic, environmental, and other factors that influence disease severity and the patient?s response to medical therapies. It will provide important information for the development of personalized or precision medical interventions for IBD patients and the reduction of their health care cost. Public Health Relevance: This study proposed a new metric which could be an accurate reflection of classic disease activity parameters, biochemical markers of inflammation, disease activity indices, and health-related quality of life in a cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The model developed would be of great significance to exploring the risk factors that influence the response to medical interventions. It will provide important information for the development of personalized or precision medical interventions for patients with inflammatory bowel disease and the reduction of their health care cost. KW - group-based trajectory modeling; zero- inflated-poisson (ZIP); inflammatory bowel diseases; healthcare financial charges TI - Group-based trajectory modeling for longitudinal data of healthcare financial charges in patients with inflammatory bowel disease EP - 56 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25557 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25557/ A1 - Ahuja, Vasudha Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - This dissertation includes three manuscripts focusing on health disparities between whites and Japanese with regard to measures of diabetes and subclinical atherosclerosis in the EBCT and Risk Factor Assessment among Japanese and U.S. Men in the Post World War II Birth Cohort (ERA JUMP) study. The first manuscript compares markers of insulin resistance and insulin secretion between white men in the United States and Japanese men in Japan, adjusting for visceral adipose tissue and other covariates. Whites had significantly higher HOMA-IR, HOMA-?%, and disposition index (DI) than Japanese in Japan. The better compensation of insulin resistance by increased insulin secretion in whites as shown by higher DI may partly explain lower susceptibility of whites to developing type 2 diabetes than Japanese in Japan at similar levels of body-mass index. The second manuscript compares progression of intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT) between middle-aged Japanese American men and white men, adjusting for baseline cardiovascular risk factors. Japanese Americans had greater progression of CIMT than whites. The third manuscript compares progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC) between Japanese American men and white men. Japanese Americans had similar progression of CAC as whites. This work contributes uniquely to public health significance. Future studies exploring reasons of poorer compensation of increasing insulin resistance by enhanced insulin secretion in Japanese in Japan may help to prevent earlier onset of type 2 diabetes in Japanese than whites at a given level of BMI. The second and third manuscripts identify increasing subclinical atherosclerosis in Japanese Americans that may translate into increased risk of CHD in Japanese Americans in the future. The second and third manuscripts identify Japanese American as a target group for prevention of CHD. KW - Health disparities KW - race KW - HOMA-IR KW - disposition index KW - subclinical vascular disease TI - Health disparities between Whites and Japanese in measures of diabetes and subclinical atherosclerosis in an international population-based study EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25710 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25710/ A1 - Xu, Jia Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Objective: The objective of this dissertation is to provide insights into potential underlying pathways linking a prior low-birth-weight (LBW) delivery to long term maternal cardiovascular health. Methods: This dissertation comprises three individual studies. The first study evaluates blood pressure and hypertension in women who reported a prior preterm (PTB) or small-for-gestational-age (SGA) LBW delivery in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006 (n=6,307). The second study examines associations between PTB and maternal interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (n=361) eight years after delivery in the Women and Infant Study of Healthy Hearts study (WISH study). The third study is an exploratory study within the WISH study to examine the relations between a prior PTB and adiposity measures eight years after delivery. It also investigates how adiposity measures may contribute to the associations between a prior PTB and subsequent cardiometabolic and inflammatory risk factors. Results: The major findings of the study are 1) there was a positive association between a preterm-LBW and hypertension (adjusted OR=1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.90). Non-Hispanic African American women had increased risk of hypertension following SGA-LBW delivery (adjusted OR=2.09, 95% CI 1.12-3.90); 2) women with a previous spontaneous PTB had higher IL-6 concentrations compared to women with term delivery (2.18 pg/ml vs. 1.82 pg/ml, p<0.05), after adjusting for potential confounding variables; 3) visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was higher in women with a prior PTB vs. term delivery among non-obese women after adjustment for body mass index (14.1±7.5 cm2, p=0.07). VAT may be a potential mediator of the association between PTB and elevated triglycerides later in life (95% confidence interval for the indirect effect of PTB on triglyceride through VAT: 0.0044, 0.1413). Conclusion: This dissertation suggests that excess CVD risk may be detectable among women with a history of LBW at reproductive age. The potential mechanisms might involve vascular dysfunction, inflammation, adiposity, and alterations in lipids. Public health significance: Women with a history of LBW should be encouraged to optimize their lifestyle in order to prevent future CVD and to evaluate and monitor cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, obesity, inflammation, and dyslipidemia). KW - dissertation for PhD degree at the department of Epidemiology at Graduate School of Public Health TI - Low birthweight delivery and long term maternal cardiovascular health EP - 114 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25511 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25511/ A1 - Pugh, Sarah Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent developmental disability in the United States and can compromise a child?s behavioral and intellectual development. We used a longitudinal birth cohort from Pittsburgh, PA to study maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) in relation to 1) offspring intelligence and executive function at age ten 2) offspring behavior and ADHD symptoms at age ten 3) offspring academic achievement at ages six, ten, and fourteen. Mother-child pairs (n=763) from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development pregnancy cohort were followed from <21 weeks gestation to 14 years postpartum. Self-reported total GWG was classified using gestational-age standardized z-score charts and BMI was categorized in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Validated assessment tools were used to measure child intelligence, executive function, and behaviors consistent with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as academic achievement. Compared with children of normal weight mothers, offspring of obese mothers had 3.2 lower IQ points (95% CI: -5.6, -0.8), were 12.7 seconds slower on the executive function scale (95% CI: 2.8, 22.7), and had increased problem behaviors consistent with ADHD including withdrawn or somatic complaints (adj ?: 4.9 points, 95% CI: 1.7, 8.1), delinquent or aggressive behaviors (adj ?: 4.2 points, 95% CI: 1.1, 7.3), and attention problems (adj ?: 3.5 points, 95% CI: 1.2, 5.8) after adjusting for confounders. Academic achievement was also lower among children of obese mothers, compared with children of normal weight mothers. In generalized estimating equation models, high GWG was significantly associated with a 4 point decrease in reading (adj?: -3.75, 95% CI: -7.1, -0.4) and spelling scores (adj?: -3.90, 95% CI: -7.8, -0.2) at ages 6, 10, and 14. There was a non-significant trend towards lower offspring domain-specific cognition with high maternal GWG. This dissertation is important to public health because pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG are potentially modifiable factors and a reduction in obesity and excessive GWG could alleviate, although not eliminate, the burden of ADHD and related impairments in the population. KW - maternal KW - obesity KW - weight gain KW - child KW - cognition TI - Maternal obesity, gestational weight gain, and child cognition, behavior, and academic achievement EP - 142 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25302 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25302/ A1 - Chalhoub, Didier Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - The percentage of individuals older than 65 years of age is increasing. In 2008, approximately 506 million individuals worldwide were older than 65. This number is expected to double and reach 14% of the world?s population by year 2040. With this increase, a higher number of older men and women are expected to experience deterioration in their bones and muscles leading to osteoporosis and sarcopenia respectively. Therefore, understanding the burden that osteoporosis and sarcopenia represent in older men and women could have major public health implications. We studied the importance of areal and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) in fracture risk prediction in older men. We found that low areal BMD (aBMD) and (vBMD) were both associated with multiple sites of fracture. Nonetheless, low vBMD was not found to be a better predictor of major osteoporotic fractures (Hip, spine wrist, shoulder) compared to aBMD, except at the spine. Subsequently, in the same cohort of older men, we found that low appendicular lean mass was positively associated with central and peripheral bone skeletal size, density and strength parameters that have been previously related to fractures. On the other hand, grip strength was only associated with site specific radial strength and geometric parameters. There was no association between leg power and the skeletal size, density and strength of older men after adjusting for appendicular lean mass and grip strength. These findings highlight the more important role of the mechanical load of the muscles on bones, compared to the muscle strength and power. Finally, we were interested in examining whether sarcopenia with or without osteoporosis is associated with an increased risk of non-spine fractures. In this third paper, we demonstrated that men with both sarcopenia and low BMD are at a much higher risk for non-spine fractures compared to men with either one or neither condition. On the other hand, low BMD with or without sarcopenia in older women was associated with an increased risk of fractures, suggesting that low BMD is the driving force of non-spine fractures in older women. Future research should investigate further the crosstalk between muscle and bones. There are currently multiple sarcopenia definitions. Therefore, a consensus on the definition for sarcopenia should be reached, so that diagnostic and therapeutic tools can be developed. Furthermore, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) remains the gold standard diagnostic tool for fracture risk assessment. KW - EPIDEMIOLOGY; OSTEOPOROSIS; SARCOPENIA; BONE-MUSCLE INTERACTIONS; FRACTURE RISK ASSESSMENT; TI - Osteoporosis and sarcopenia in older adults EP - 121 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25658 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25658/ A1 - Moitra, Modhurima Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Introduction: Mental illness is widely known to be a serious public health concern. This study attempts to examine area-level differences in mental health symptoms, violence, and health utilization services. It also explores any demographic differences in the above measures across age, sex, and race. Method: The sample comprised 1813 teenagers aged 14-19 residing in Allegheny County completed the Healthy Allegheny Teens Survey via telephone interviews. Differences among variables of interest were examined using categorical data analyses. Binary and multivariate logistic regression models were used to test associations between variables of interest. Results: Significant differences across age, race, and sex were found for the above variables. For area-level differences, Medically Under-served Areas and municipalities with high homicide rates reported greater disparities in mental health symptoms, experiences with violence, and health service use. Measures of violence remained significant even after adjusting for age, race, and sex. Public Health Significance: This study is the first of its kind to examine adolescent mental health across Allegheny County using an area-level perspective. Future interventions can be designed to target specific areas of the County which report the greatest need. These findings can also guide the local health policy decision-making process and result in efficient distribution of public health resources. KW - area level differences KW - mental health KW - violence KW - health services KW - adolescents TI - Patterns of mental health symptoms, violence exposure, and health service utilization among adolescents: results from the healthy Allegheny teens survey EP - 59 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25542 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25542/ A1 - Yabroudi, Mohammad Abdulla Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Return to pre-injury level of sports activity and participation (RPSP) is one of the main reasons for undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), however previous reports have demonstrated great variations in the rate of return to pre-injury level of sports, ranging from 31% to 92%. Factors that influence RPSP after ACLR are not well known. The aims of this project were to: 1) conduct a cross-sectional survey study to determine RPSP (using a definition for RPSP that includes the type and frequency of sports participation and frequency of sports activities) of subjects that underwent ACLR 1 to 5 years prior to participation, 2) conduct a prospective observational study to determine RPSP 12 months after ACLR and 3) identify factors that influence RPSP after ACLR. 251 participants (mean age, 26.1±9.9 years) completed the survey that determined return to sports rate at an average of 3.4±1.3 years after ACLR. Using our definition, 122 (48.6%) participants RPSP. Thirty-five subjects who were between 14 and 35 years of age who participated in competitive or recreational sports prior to suffering a complete unilateral ACL tear were enrolled in our prospective study. Factors related to impairment and performance of knee function and psychological readiness to return to sports were evaluated. Using our definition for RPSP, only 14 participants (40%) returned to sports 12 months after ACLR. Participants? mean age at the time of surgery was 19.79±4.64 years and 17 (48.6%) were females. The most common reasons for not RPSP in both studies were fear of re-injury and lack of confidence in the knee. Higher levels of psychological readiness for return to sports 3 and 6 months after ACLR predicted RPSP 12 months after ACLR. Individuals that were able to hop 6 months after surgery were also more likely to RPSP. Psychological factors need to be addressed during rehabilitation as early as 3 months after surgery to increase an individual?s confidence and thus return to sports. Individuals should also be encouraged to start activities such as hopping as soon as they become physically ready do so in order to increase their likelihood to RPSP 12-month after ACLR. KW - Knee KW - Anterior cruciate ligament KW - ACL KW - Surgery KW - Return to sport TI - RETURN TO SPORTS ACTIVITY AND PARTICIPATION AFTER ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL) RECONSTRUCTION EP - 127 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25553 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25553/ A1 - Abbott, Beth Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Postural stability assessments are commonly utilized in evaluating the risk of injury, measuring neuromuscular deficiencies, and quantifying improvement after intervention. Postural stability can be measured using static or dynamic tasks. Previous research has demonstrated that there is no relationship between measures of static and dynamic postural stability, proposing the theory that dynamic tasks may be more challenging in neuromuscular control. Different measures of dynamic postural stability may also vary in difficulty and their relationship should be examined.7, 41, 51, 56 The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and Dynamic Postural Stability Index (DPSI) are both assessments intended to measure dynamic postural stability, but due to methodological differences each may challenge the sensorimotor system differently.21, 32, 72 Dynamic measures should also be compared to a static task to determine if one is more strongly correlated to a Single Leg Balance Test (SLBT). It was hypothesized that the relationship between the SEBT measures and DPSI composite scores would not be significant. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the SLBT and SEBT measures would demonstrate a significantly stronger relationship than the relationship between the SLBT and DPSI composite scores. Twenty-one healthy, active participants volunteered to participate in this study. Each participant performed postural stability testing including the SLBT, SEBT and DPSI jump task. A correlation coefficient was calculated between SEBT measurements and DPSI composite scores. The relationship was not significant (r = 0.145, p = 0.554), indicating that scores from the two different dynamic tasks are not comparable and are potentially measuring different components of the sensorimotor system. The relationship between the SLBT and SEBT (r = 0.339, p = 0.156) was not significantly different from the relationship between the SLBT and DPSI (r = -0.035, p = 0.887; t = 1.443, p = 0.168). While postural stability assessments may not differ in difficulty, these findings help support the theory that different types of postural stability assessments are measuring different aspects of postural control. The outcomes from this study should validate the comprehensive use of multiple, differing postural stability tasks when measuring postural stability, and also when using tasks as a part of neuromuscular training. KW - postural stability KW - balance KW - star excursion balance test KW - dynamic postural stability index KW - dynamic postural stability KW - static postural stability TI - The Relationship Between Two Tasks of Dynamic Postural Stability EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25304 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25304/ A1 - Gu, Yuan Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Aim: To investigate potential predictors for adiponectin, leptin, and adiponectin/leptin ratio in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: Medical records were reviewed from 175 subjects (165 Caucasian, 8 African American (AA), 59.4% male, mean age 9.7 ± 3.8 yrs) with new onset T1D diabetes diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2006 at Children?s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Adiponectin, leptin, islet cell autoantibodies including ICA, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) (65 kDa isoform), insulin antibody (IA2), insulin autoantibody (IAA) and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8A), anthropometric and clinical variables including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference (with calculation of body mass index (BMI), waist percentile and waist/height ratio) and insulin dose, laboratory data including hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), glucose, lipid profile (low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol, and triglycerides) and C-peptide were all measured at 3 months after start of insulin therapy. HLA typing was determined for the presence of the DQ2 and/or DQ8 haplotypes. Results: Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed assessing factors related with adiponectin and leptin, using two different procedures. Nine candidate models were identified and examined for consistency. Adiponectin was significantly associated with age, waist percentile and greater number of positive antibodies. Leptin was significantly associated with gender, BMI z-score, central obesity, C-peptide, GAD, HbA1c, and insulin dose adjusted by HbA1c. Adiponectin/leptin ratio was significantly associated with gender, age waist percentile, waist/height ratio, insulin dose adjusted by HbA1c, HbA1c, glucose, and C-peptide. Public health focused conclusion: Adiponectin, leptin and adiponectin/leptin ratio had different significant predictors. However there were a set of factors that where in common. Insulin resistance has been recognized to be present in youth with T1D. Adiponectin and leptin have an influence on insulin sensitivity. Identifying the significant predictors for these hormones may contribute to our understanding of their role in the pathogenesis of T1D. The identification of potential modifiable risk factors in children with this condition would be high priority. KW - Adiponectin Leptin AL-ratio TI - Relationship of clinical factors with adiponectin and leptin in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes EP - 91 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25754 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25754/ A1 - Li, Xuan Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Purpose Infectious disease modeling has a long history in helping researchers to understand the complex spread pattern of infectious disease. Social contact networks and agent-based models can be used to conceptualize social contact pattern and spread process of infectious disease. The goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between network measurements and individual infection risk using statistical analysis. Public Health significance This research will help in gaining a better understanding of the important factors of infection risk in a population. Identification of central people may be used to inform building an efficient surveillance and prevention program. Methods Three social contact network models were used in this thesis, Erdos-Renyi network, Barabasi-Albert network and Jefferson County contact network using FRED platform. We simulated mild and severe epidemic outbreaks on them and calculated infection risk and infection speed of each individual. Network measurements, degree, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, eigenvector centrality, PageRank, and clustering coefficient were measured on the ability to identify groups of different infection risk level and infection speed. Random Forest and variable importance were used to estimate the most important factors in predicting infection risk Results For Barabasi-Albert and Erdos-Renyi networks, centrality measurements are critical factors in identifying infection risk. Degree is the most important factor in Barabasi-Albert network while closeness and degree are the most important in the mild outbreak and severe outbreak respectively in the Erdos-Renyi network. Results of Jefferson County contact network in FRED find out the importance of location sizes. The highly clustered structure of location-based model makes betweenness centrality and clustering coefficient important in predicting infection risk. Conclusion Different network structures and characteristics of the disease will influence the importance of network measurements. Network structures also influence the correlations between network measurements. Random forest is a powerful tool for classifying infection risk. Centrality network measurements may help in identifying high infection risk people. KW - Social Contact Network; Random Forest; Infectious Disease; Agent-Based Model;FRED; TI - Statistical analysis of infectious disease data on networks EP - 80 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25742 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25742/ A1 - Sankapal, Soni Ramachandra Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - There is very little information available on how HIV-1 transmits through mucosal epithelial layer since it does not express HIV-1 receptor. Overall goal of the project is to elucidate the role of cellular factors and reproductive hormones on HIV-1 transmission across ectocervical and colonic mucosa in an organ culture model. We hypothesize that upon exposure to HIV-1, a complex signal transduction network is activated in epithelial cells, which leads to compromised barrier function by disrupted tight junctions and expression of immune mediators, which would recruit immune cells towards the epithelial layer for replication of virus. Furthermore, reproductive hormone might have an effect on HIV-1 acquisition risk. To test the hypothesis, we evaluated in context of tissue structure whether HIV-1 induces tight junction disruption in ectocervical and colon epithelial cells, examined the cellular factors, including inflammatory cytokines that are involved in HIV-1 transmission across ectocervical epithelia and evaluated the effect of reproductive hormone on HIV-1 transmission. Our results in aim 1 showed that after exposure to HIV-1, no significant changes in the tight junction/adherens junction protein expression were observed in ectocervical and colon epithelia. However, these tissues were infected after exposure to HIV-1. Our data thus indicate that HIV-1 transverses the ectocervical/colon mucosal epithelia without profoundly disrupting the tight junction/adherens junction between epithelial cell. In aim 2, we found that after HIV-1 exposure, the level of CXCL10 and CXCL11 messages in ectocervical epithelia were upregulated and such induction of cytokines in ectocervical epithelia was dependent on HIV-1 infectivity. Furthermore, we measured the expression level of cellular factors in HIV-1 exposed ectocervical epithelia by next generation sequencing. Our results indicate that, cellular genes like IL36A, FMO2, CXCL10, MUC1, SAA1 and IL8 were differentially expressed in ectocervical epithelia exposed to HIV-1 compared to controls. These results suggest that exposure to HIV-1 induces cytokine production and other cellular factors in epithelial cells. In aim 3, we investigated the impact of reproductive hormones on the risk of HIV-1 acquisition by analyzing the susceptibility of ectocervical/vaginal tissues to HIV-1 infection and by comparing the epithelial thickness/tight junction protein expression in ectocervical/vaginal tissues at different phases of menstrual cycle. Our results showed no difference in HIV-1 susceptibility, epithelial layer thickness and tight junction/adherence junction protein expression levels in ectocervical/vaginal tissues at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Taken together, our results suggest that risk of HIV-1 infection in the ectocervical/vaginal region does not vary over the course of menstrual cycle. These findings are of public health importance because they expand our understanding on mechanism of atraumatic HIV-1 transmission in mucosal area that may be important for developing effective strategies for preventing HIV-1 transmission. KW - Tight junction KW - cervical and colonic epithelium KW - HIV-1 transmission KW - cytokines KW - menstrual cycle KW - reproductive hormones TI - Studies on the cellular factors and hormones controlling HIV-1 transmission in an organ culture model EP - 110 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26136 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26136/ A1 - Braganza, Andrea Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Recent genome-wide studies found that patients with hypotonia, developmental delay, intellectual disability, congenital anomalies, characteristic facial dysmorphic features, and low cholesterol levels suffer from Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome (also reported as blepharophimosis-ptosis-intellectual disability syndrome). The primary cause of Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome (KOS) is autosomal recessive mutations in the gene UBE3B. However, to date, there are no studies that determine the cellular or enzymatic function of UBE3B. Here we report that UBE3B is a mitochondria-associated protein with HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Mutating the catalytic cysteine (C1036A) or deleting the entire HECT domain (aa758-1068) results in loss of UBE3B?s ubiquitylation activity. Knockdown of UBE3B in human cells results in changes in mitochondrial morphology, a decrease in mitochondria volume and an increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress. We also discovered that UBE3B strongly interacts with calmodulin (CaM) via the N-terminal IQ domain of UBE3B. Deletion of the IQ domain (aa29-58) results in loss of calmodulin binding. We also found that in vitro changes in the concentration of calcium resulted in decreased the interaction between UBE3B and CaM. In both these cases we saw an increase in the ubiquitylation activity of UBE3B. These studies are the first to demonstrate that UBE3B is an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Further, the changes in the interaction between UBE3B and calmodulin implicate a role for calcium signaling in mitochondrial protein ubiquitylation and turnover in the cell. KW - Ubiquitylation KW - degradation KW - calcium KW - reactive oxygen species KW - stress KW - mitochondria KW - calmodulin KW - intellectual disabilities KW - UBE3B TI - UBE3B is a mitochondria-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase whose activity is modulated by its interaction with Calmodulin to respond to oxidative stress EP - 213 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25748 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25748/ A1 - Chakraborty, Priam Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that can lead to many health complications including genital warts and certain types of cancer. Although HPV is a vaccine-preventable illness, many individuals continue to resist vaccination for both themselves and their children. The objective of this study was to use Twitter, a social media platform for microblogging, to assess views and attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Through a qualitative analysis of tweets posted by users, we hoped to gain a broad public opinion on the topic. Underlying objectives of this study included assessing the practicality of Twitter as a public health tool and determining the potential use of Twitter as a means to further the acceptance of the HPV vaccine. After analyzing a random subsample of 2,000 HPV related tweets collected over a one-week time span, we found certain topics to be the center of discussion. The four categories that accounted for the largest proportion of tweets included news and media coverage of current events related to the HPV vaccine, the impact of receiving the vaccine on sexual behavior, and the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. The public health significance of this research was to be able to use Twitter as an adjunct tool for identifying current reasons behind not vaccinating for HPV, and potentially for overcoming such barriers. KW - HPV KW - Gardasil KW - Twitter KW - Social Media KW - Vaccination TI - An analysis of current topics related to HPV vaccination using twitter as a public health tool EP - 42 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25384 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25384/ A1 - Zeng, Zhen Y1 - 2015/09/28/ N2 - When genome-wide association studies (GWAS) or sequencing studies are performed on family-based datasets, the genotype data can be used to check the structure of putative pedigrees. Even in datasets of putatively unrelated people, close relationships can often be detected using dense single-nucleotide polymorphism/variant (SNP/SNV) data. A number of methods for finding relationships using dense genetic data exist, but they all have certain limitations, including that they typically use average genetic sharing, which is only a subset of the available information. We present a set of approaches for classifying relationships in GWAS datasets or whole genome sequencing datasets. We first propose an empirical method for detecting identity-by-descent segments in close relative pairs using unphased dense SNP data and demonstrate how that information can assist in building a relationship classifier. We then develop a strategy to take advantage of putative pedigree information to enhance classification accuracy. Our methods are tested and illustrated with two SNP array datasets from two distinct populations. With these new techniques, we propose classification pipelines for checking and identifying pair-wise relationships in datasets containing a large number of small pedigrees. We also explore the performance of the pipeline on a whole exome sequencing dataset. Although the classifier based on SNP array data does not perform well on exome sequencing data, it can in principle be modified using new algorithm parameters and training data in order to achieve better performance. Finally, we develop a method to reconstruct pedigrees from pair-wise relationship information. Our method can reconstruct core pedigrees with high accuracy and pair-wise relationship inferences can be further improved during this process. Detecting close family relationships and reconstructing pedigrees are important in both population-based and family-based studies. Providing precise pedigrees and hidden relatedness information helps increase the accuracy and power of various genetic analyses and avoids false positive associations, making these studies more efficient in identifying the genetic basis of diseases. This is a crucial step on the path to developing better treatments and interventions and improving public health. KW - family relationships KW - IBD KW - GWAS KW - sequencing studies KW - classification KW - pedigree reconstruction TI - A pipeline for classifying close family relationships with dense SNP data and putative pedigree information EP - 88 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25727 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25727/ A1 - Liu, Zhen Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a multinational experiment which began running in 2009, is highly expected to discover new physics that will help us understand the nature of the universe and begin to find solutions to many of the unsolved puzzles of particle physics. For over 40 years the Standard Model has been the accepted theory of elementary particle physics, except for one unconfirmed component, the Higgs boson. The experiments at the LHC have recently discovered this Standard-Model-like Higgs boson. This discovery is one of the most exciting achievements in elementary particle physics. Yet, a profound question remains: Is this rather light, weakly-coupled boson nothing but a Standard Model Higgs or a first manifestation of a deeper theory? Also, the recent discoveries of neutrino mass and mixing, experimental evidences of dark matter and dark energy, matter-antimatter asymmetry, indicate that our understanding of fundamental physics is currently incomplete. For the next decade and more, the LHC and future colliders will be at the cutting-edge of particle physics discoveries and will shed light on many of these unanswered questions. There are many promising beyond-Standard-Model theories that may help solve the central puzzles of particle physics. To fill the gaps in our knowledge, we need to know how these theories will manifest themselves in controlled experiments, such as high energy colliders. I discuss how we can probe fundamental physics at current and future colliders directly through searches for new phenomena such as resonances, rare Higgs decays, exotic displaced signatures, and indirectly through precision measurements on Higgs in this work. I explore beyond standard model physics effects from different perspectives, including explicit models such as supersymmetry, generic models in terms of resonances, as well as effective field theory approach in terms of higher dimensional operators. This work provides a generic and broad overview of the physics potentials of different particle physics experiments, supported by several detailed studies on characteristic physics cases to highlight the special features. The studies presented in this work provide timely and crucial knowledge highly demanded for our understanding and planning for future experiments. KW - LHC KW - Higgs KW - Supersymmetry KW - Dark Matter KW - VLHC KW - ILC KW - Collider KW - Phenomenology TI - BEYOND STANDARD MODEL PHYSICS AT CURRENT AND FUTURE COLLIDERS EP - 407 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25637 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25637/ A1 - Quinn, Aleta Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - In this dissertation I examine the role of evolutionary theory in systematics (the science that discovers biodiversity). Following Darwin?s revolution, systematists have aimed to reconstruct the past. My dissertation analyzes common but mistaken assumptions about sciences that reconstruct the past by tracing the assumptions to J.S. Mill. Drawing on Mill?s contemporary, William Whewell, I critique Mill?s assumptions and develop an alternative and more complete account of systematic inference as inference to the best explanation. First, I analyze the inadequate view: that scientists use causal theories to hypothesize what past chains of events must have been, and then form hypotheses that identify segments of a network of events and causal transactions between events. This model assumes that scientists can identify events in the world by reference to neatly delineated properties, and that discovering causal laws is simply a matter of testing what regularities hold between events so delineated. Twentieth century philosophers of science tacitly adopted this assumption in otherwise distinct models of explanation. As Whewell pointed out in his critique of Mill, the problem with this assumption is that the delineation of events via properties is itself the hard part of science. Drawing on Whewell?s philosophy of science, and my work as a member of a team of systematists revising the genus Bassaricyon, I show how historical scientists avoid the problems of the inadequate view. Whewell?s account of historical science and of consilience provide a better foothold for understanding systematics. Whewell?s consilience describes the fit between a single hypothesis and lines of reasoning that draw on distinct conceptual structures. My analysis clarifies the significance of two revolutions in systematics. Whereas pre-Darwinian systematists used consilience as an evidentiary criterion without explicit justification, after Darwin?s revolution consilience can be understood as a form of inference to the best explanation. I show that the adoption of Hennig?s phylogenetic framework formalized methodological principles at the core of Whewell?s philosophy of historical science. I conclude by showing how two challenges that are frequently pressed against inference to the best explanation are met in the context of phylogenetic inference. KW - Systematics KW - phylogenetics KW - Whewell KW - Mill KW - Hennig KW - historical science KW - inference to the best explanation TI - Biological Systematics and Evolutionary Theory EP - 180 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25921 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25921/ A1 - Negri Malbrán, Juan J Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Studying the appointment process is essential for understanding the way modern bureaucracies interrelate with politics. In Latin America, bureaucracies have traditionally operated more as arms of the elected officials rather than an as professionals who are autonomous from the political process. In this dissertation, I explain that this politicization and its effects are defined by the process by which bureaucrats are appointed. The power to appoint bureaucrats is one of the president?s most important powers and is vital to the latter?s administrative power and policy influence. Given its importance, this dissertation explores the dynamics of presidential appointments to the bureaucracy by analyzing a database of more than thirty thousand presidential decrees and determining when the president decides to appoint an individual to a position (Minister, Deputy Minister, Secretary, Undersecretary or lower echelons). Exploring, describing and explaining how the President utilizes this political tool is a fascinating way of grasping how executives build political support in Argentina. In short, this dissertation is concerned with defining the logic of bureaucratic politicization. Using quantitative and qualitative information, a central finding of the study is that, at least in Argentina, presidents use their appointment power to build coalitions among party factions. In other cases presidents would face cross-party pressures, but in the Argentine context I show that the president uses the appointments to build intra-party support. KW - Bureaucracy KW - Public Policy KW - Politicization KW - Latin American Politics KW - Argentina KW - Executives TI - Bureaucratic Appointments in Argentina EP - 254 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26019 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26019/ A1 - Loepp, Eric Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - This dissertation is fundamentally concerned with how individuals use information cues during primary elections to evaluate and select among a field of candidates all belonging to the same political party. When partisan heuristic cues ? well-established as the most critical determinant of vote choice ? are effectively held constant, voters are expected to turn to other easily accessible information about candidates in order to sort them and identify the most suitable option. This project assesses one such type of information ? the demographic status of candidates. Primary voters are expected to (1) prefer the most ideologically proximate candidate as their preferred party nominee and (2) employ ideological stereotypes embedded in demographic cues to help subtype and sort their primary options. Primary candidates, on the other hand, should appeal to different subgroups of voters via ideological signals embedded in policy messages presented to voters. Moreover, since certain primary candidates are considered counterstereotypical ? not striking voters as typical demographic groups associated with particular parties ? there are also possible gains and losses for candidates based purely on their demographic status and not merely the ideological tone of their messages. The interaction of different types of information should generate different preferences for various types of voters in primary elections. The first two chapters discuss demographic trends across America?s main political parties, discuss the void in the literature related to intra-party decision-making, and present a theory related to how both candidate and voter characteristics condition evaluations in a primary context. A third chapter details two survey experiments ? a low-information setting and a high-information setting ? that are fielded to test theoretical expectations. Chapters Four through Six present the results of the two studies. A concluding chapter summaries the findings and integrates this work into the larger literature on cue use in an electoral context. I also discuss limits of the current project and specify a series of steps to more thoroughly probe the issues initially tested in this dissertation. KW - race KW - gender KW - parties KW - primaries KW - ideology TI - CONFLICTING CUES: THE ROLE OF RACE, GENDER, AND POLICY INFORMATION IN PRIMARY ELECTIONS EP - 255 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25998 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25998/ A1 - Pena, Karina Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Transition metals toxicity is an important factor in pathogenesis of numerous human disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. Lysosomes have emerged as important factors for transition metal toxicity because they can handle transition metals via endocytosis, autophagy, absorption from the cytoplasm and exocytosis. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) regulates lysosomal biogenesis and the expression of lysosomal proteins in response to lysosomal and/or metabolic stresses. Since transition metals cause lysosomal dysfunction, I proposed that TFEB may be activated in order to drive gene expression in response to transition metal exposure and may influence transition metal toxicity. I found that transition metals copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) activate overexpressed TFEB and stimulate the expression of TFEB- dependent genes in TFEB-overexpressing cells. Specifically, in cells that show robust lysosomal exocytosis, TFEB was cytoprotective at moderate levels of Cu exposure, decreasing oxidative stress as reported by the expression of HMOX1 gene. However, at high levels of Cu exposure, particularly in cells with low levels of lysosomal exocytosis, activation of overexpressed TFEB was toxic, increasing oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage. In addition, I found that Cu has a dual effect on lysosomal exocytosis: when cells were exposed to Cu for a prolonged period of time, lysosomal exocytosis was reduced, whereas brief exposure to Cu activated lysosomal exocytosis. Cu-induced lysosomal exocytosis depends on calcium (Ca) and the lysosomal SNARE VAMP7. Furthermore, depletion of ATP7B, a Cu pump recently shown to be involved in lysosomal exocytosis, suppressed the basal lysosomal exocytosis, but did not affect the ability of Cu to activate lysosomal exocytosis. ATP7B knockdown was associated with sustained oxidative stress. The removal of Ca from the extracellular medium, but not the extracellular addition of Ca channel blocker lanthanum (La) suppressed the Cu-dependent component of the lysosomal exocytosis. Based on these data, I conclude that the TFEB-driven gene network participates in the cellular response to transition metals and that exposure to Cu promotes lysosomal exocytosis in order to avoid the toxic effects associated with prolonged exposure to Cu. KW - Lysosomes KW - copper KW - transition metals KW - lysosomal exocytosis KW - TFEB KW - oxidative stress TI - COPPER-INDUCED ACTIVATION OF TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR EB AND ITS DUAL EFFECT ON LYSOSOMAL EXOCYTOSIS EP - 132 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25088 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25088/ A1 - Moraiti, Marina Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - In this thesis we study the fully evolutionary Stokes-Darcy and Navier-Stokes/Darcy models for the coupling of surface and groundwater flows versus the quasistatic models, in which the groundwater flow is assumed to instantaneously adjust to equilibrium. Further, we develop and analyze an efficient numerical method for the Stokes-Darcy problem that decouples the sub-physics flows, and is 2nd-order convergent, uniformly in the model parameters. We first investigate the linear, fully evolutionary Stokes-Darcy problem and its qua- sistatic approximation, and prove that the solution of the former converges to the solution of the latter as the specific storage parameter converges to zero. The proof reveals that the quasistatic problem predicts the solution accurately only under certain parameter regimes. Next, we develop and analyze a partitioned numerical method for the evolutionary Stokes- Darcy problem. We prove that the new method is asymptotically stable, and second-order, uniformly convergent with respect to the model parameters. As a result, it can be used to solve the quasistatic Stokes-Darcy problem. Several numerical tests are performed to support the theoretical efficiency, stability, and convergence properties of the proposed method. Finally, we consider the nonlinear Navier-Stokes/Darcy problem and its quasistatic ap- proximation under a modified balance of forces interface condition. We show that the solution of the fully evolutionary problem converges to the quasistatic solution as the specific stor- age converges to zero. To prove convergence in three spatial dimensions, we assume more regularity on the solution, or small data. KW - Subsurface flow KW - surface flow KW - groundwater KW - coupled flow KW - Stokes KW - Darcy KW - Navier-Stokes KW - porous media KW - aquifer KW - specific storage KW - hydraulic conductivity KW - small parameters KW - fully evolutionary KW - quasistatic limit KW - numerical methods KW - partitioned schemes KW - decoupled schemes KW - energy stability KW - unconditional stability KW - error analysis KW - convergence rate KW - second-order method KW - numerical simulation TI - COUPLED SURFACE AND GROUNDWATER FLOWS: QUASISTATIC LIMIT AND A SECOND-ORDER, UNCONDITIONALLY STABLE, PARTITIONED METHOD EP - 210 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25919 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25919/ A1 - Stovall, Preston Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Sentences like ?atoms of gold have 79 protons? and ?the book is in the library? appear to represent the world in some way. But what role is played by modal sentences like ?necessarily, atoms of gold have 79 protons? and ?it ought to be that the book is in the library?? Two sorts of answers to this question are common in contemporary philosophy, one that interprets modal sen-tences representationally, and the other interpreting them as expressions of some sort. Modal expressivism and modal representationalism are often characterized as mutually exclusive, and this can make it seem like modal expressivism undercuts metaphysical inquiry. But in this document I develop a modal expressivism that is compatible with modal representa-tionalism. I do so by showing how to interpret a variety of object-language modal vocabularies, including terms for ontic modalities (?necessarily? and ?possibly?), normative modalities (?ought? and ?may?) and teleological modalities (?in order to? and ?so that?), as devices for giving expres-sion to the metalinguistic rules of inference that govern the representational terms and sentences of that object-language. On this basis I argue for a descriptive metaphysics?understood as a way the world would have to be if the way we reason about it were to be correct?for the very general kinds ?chemical?, ?organism? and ?person?. I also argue that a variety of grounding ex-planations, marked by two-place modal connectives like ?because? and ?for this reason?, can be understood to play a role in relating different sentences to one another in a structured inferential space involving no representational commitments beyond those that are implicated by ordinary explanations concerning the sentences on which those phrases operate. The result is a view on which talk of organisms and persons as individuals that are, by their nature, creatures of excellence and defect is talk that commits us to nothing more than cer-tain sorts of complexity in the ordinary causal and social relations that make organic and personal activity possible. And so whereas it might seem that metaphysics and modal expressivism are mutually exclusive projects, the modal expressivism I develop underwrites a novel method of metaphysical inquiry. KW - Expressivism KW - Kind Terms KW - Metaphysics KW - Modality KW - Subjunctive Conditionals TI - Chemicals, Organisms and Persons: Modal Expressivism and a Descriptive Metaphysics of Kinds EP - 306 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25600 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25600/ A1 - Cormack Patton, Sarah J. Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The fundamental argument of this dissertation is that migrant rights are central to understanding the politics of immigration: by defining what migrants can or cannot do in the receiving state, the bundle of rights granted to migrants conditions the effect that migrants have on domestic groups? interests and therefore which societal groups will favor or oppose immigration liberalization. Increasing migrant rights increases the market, fiscal, and cultural costs of immigration to the right, but decreases the market costs and generates political and cultural benefits to the left. As a result, migrant rights condition preferences over immigration ? such that the right (left) should favor (oppose) the admission of migrants with few rights and oppose (favor) the admission of migrants with expansive rights ? and immigration policy outcomes ? such that immigration reform will focus on increasing the admission of migrants with a limited (broad) set of rights when the right (left) is in government. These policy outcomes will vary in predictable ways under divided government and when policymakers are constrained with respect to the provision of migrant rights. In the first three chapters, I present the puzzle that motivates my project, my critique of the extant literature, my conceptualization of migrant rights as defining societal membership, and the theoretical framework that links migrant rights, societal interests, and immigration policy outcomes. In the following four chapters, I test the expectations of the theoretical chapter in the United States and across the European Union. The first two empirical chapters consider the policy preferences of political actors and immigration policy outcomes in the United States. The second two empirical chapters do so across the European Union. In the concluding chapter, I situate the results of the empirical analysis in the contemporary context, highlight some of the implications for scholarship in both political economy and immigration politics, and consider the compatibility of extending and withholding rights in a liberal democratic society. KW - Political Economy Immigration Rights Culture European Union United States Political Parties Representation Political Interests TI - Citizens, Residents, and Guest Workers: A Transatlantic Analysis of Immigrant Rights and Political Cleavages EP - 223 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25735 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25735/ A1 - Pitt, Steven Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - This dissertation examines colonial America?s maritime history through the lens of its most developed and powerful port city ? Boston ? and an Atlantic economic system reliant on ships and sailors. The maritime perspective fills significant gaps in colonial Boston?s historiography, ranging from transformative events such as the 1689 revolution and the town?s dramatic economic rise and decline. The port city perspective, meanwhile, anchors the maritime history in a fixed historical trajectory with familiar actors, vessels, and shipping routes, revealing the centrality of maritime labor, impressment, piracy, and trade in the Atlantic from 1689 to 1748. In pursuit of the elusive sailor and ship, this dissertation draws on merchant accounts and letters, ships? papers and logbooks, court records and sailor depositions, state papers, newspapers, customs records, sermons, diaries, political and economic tracts, and travel literature. The results of this investigation demonstrate that maritime labor created wealth, stability, and security in colonial Boston, underscoring the profound symbiotic relationship between the port and the ships and seafarers upon which it depended. KW - Boston KW - Seafarers KW - Pirates KW - Merchants KW - Port Cities KW - Impressment TI - City upon the Atlantic Tides: Merchants, Pirates, and the Seafaring Community of Boston EP - 271 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25241 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25241/ A1 - Veres, Madalina Valeria Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - In the second half of the eighteenth century, military engineers working for the Austrian Habsburg monarchs mapped in detail for the first time the provinces and borders of their empire. Despite this development, there is a disjunction in the literature between scholars who examine the Habsburg monarchy?s evolution under Maria Theresa (1740?1780) and Joseph II (1765?1790), and those who investigate maps and mapping in the period. This historiographical divide prevents scholars from considering the part maps may have played in the efforts of the Habsburg monarchs to construct a centralized multi-ethnic empire as a serious contender to nation-states premised on ethnic homogeneity. Maria Theresa?s and Joseph II?s military, social, religious and economic reforms and their attempts to increase uniformity within their dominions ? which intensified practices, such as mapping and the making of geographic descriptions, and surveys of demographic and natural resources ? suggest a modernising entity. This dissertation analyzes the production, circulation, and use of large-scale topographic provincial and border Habsburg maps for three provinces: the Austrian Netherlands, Lombardy and Transylvania. Based on archival sources located in Vienna, Brussels, Cluj-Napoca, Milan, Paris and Sibiu, I show how Maria Theresa?s and Joseph II?s desire to map their dominions led to the establishment of imperial corps of military engineers and the development of a network of scientific centers promoting the study of astronomy and geography. Once they had established a number of mapmaking institutions and recruited or educated a new generation of military engineers, the Habsburg rulers commissioned the first detailed topographic survey of their lands and prepared cartographic material to be used in border regulations with their neighbors. Maps offer a new angle to interpret and assess the efficiency of early modern governments to construct centralized empires, such as the Habsburg monarchy. Maria Theresa?s and Joseph II?s determination to obtain a detailed image of their domains and imperial borders illustrates the reliance of Enlightenment rulers on emergent sciences, such as cartography, to further the defense and expansion of their empires. KW - Habsburg Monarchy; cartography; empires; Enlightenment; borders; Transylvania; Austrian Netherlands; Lombardy. TI - Constructing Imperial Spaces: Habsburg Cartography in the Age of Enlightenment EP - 505 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25229 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25229/ A1 - Maddah, Rakan Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Phase Change Memory (PCM) is an emerging non-volatile memory technology that could either replace or augment DRAM and NAND flash that are hindered by scalability challenges. PCM suffers from a limited endurance problem that needs to be alleviated before it can be endorsed into the memory stack. This thesis is based on the observation that the endurance problem and its ramification depend on the write data. Accordingly, a data-aware approach is applied to salvage the endurance of PCM at three different stages: pre-write fault avoidance, post-write fault tolerance and post-failure recovery. The pre-write fault avoidance stage aims at reducing the endurance cost of servicing write requests. To this end, Cost Aware Flip Optimization (CAFO) is presented as an efficient technique to lessen the endurance degradation. Essentially, CAFO relies on a cost model that captures the endurance cost of programming memory cells based on their already stored values. Subsequently,the write data is encoded into a form that incurs a lower endurance cost than the original write data. Overall, CAFO is capable of reducing the endurance cost by up to 65% more than the existing schemes. Worn out PCM cells exhibit a stuck-at fault model which makes the manifestation of errors dependent on the values that cells are stuck at. When a write fails, the data is rewritten inverted. This dissertation shows that applying data inversion at the post-write fault tolerance stage exploits the data dependent nature of errors which enables ECCs to tolerate faults up to double their nominal capability. Furthermore, extensions to RDIS which is an ECC designed specifically for the stuck-at fault model are presented. At the post-failure recovery stage, Data Dependent Sparing is presented to manage bad blocks in PCM. Departing from the observation that defective blocks in the context of the stuck-at fault model still exhibit a low write failure probability due to the data dependent nature of errors, this thesis takes the approach of reusing blocks that are defective yet better-than-bad through a dynamic management of the reserve spare space. Data Dependent Sparing is capable of increasing the lifetime of PCM by up to 18%. KW - PCM KW - Endurance KW - Bit Flip Reduction KW - ECC KW - Bad Block Management TI - A DATA AWARE APPROACH TO SALVAGE THE ENDURANCE OF PHASE-CHANGE MEMORY EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25401 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25401/ A1 - Shelleby, Elizabeth Coleman Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Child conduct problems (CP), characterized by oppositionality, disruptiveness, aggression, and rule-breaking behavior, present a significant public health issue, as they are the most common reason children are referred for mental health services (Lavigne et al., 1996). Parenting interventions for child CP have been found to be efficacious, with meta-analyses demonstrating small to moderate effects (e.g., Lundahl et al., 2006; Reyno & McGrath 2006). The Family Check-Up (FCU), a preventive intervention combining aspects of motivational interviewing with parent training, is one intervention found to significantly reduce child CP. As not all children improve following parenting interventions (Webster-Stratton, 1990; Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1997), exploring moderators is an important way to identify subgroups who may respond differentially (Gardner et al., 2009). Baseline level of child CP is one important potential moderator, as young children with elevated CP are at risk for long-term persistence (Campbell, Shaw, & Gilliom, 2000). The current study examined baseline CP as a moderator of effectiveness of the FCU utilizing latent growth curves of parenting and child behavior, group-based trajectory models, and parallel-process moderated mediation models to explore parenting and maternal depression as mediators. Participants included 731 mother-child dyads recruited at child age 2 and followed to child age 9.5, half assigned to the FCU. The study involved structured annual in-home assessments and measures of maternal depression, observed parenting, and child CP from different informants. Intervention families were given the opportunity for annual check-ups and additional sessions as desired. The FCU was effective in reducing growth in CP across child ages 2 to 9.5. Engagement in feedback sessions led to greater benefits in a few outcomes. Findings on baseline CP as a moderator varied, with some models demonstrating greater benefit for those with higher baseline problems and others demonstrating non-significant differences. Assignment to the FCU was not associated with group-based trajectory membership, although baseline CP distinguished trajectory group membership. Finally, moderated mediation models were partially supported, with differential effects for those with high baseline CP only found for some of the hypothesized pathways. Results highlight the importance of examining subgroups to elucidate the potential for differential responsiveness to intervention. KW - keywords TI - EFFECTS OF THE FAMILY CHECK-UP INTERVENTION ON REDUCING GROWTH IN CONDUCT PROBLEMS IN TODDLERHOOD THORUGH SCHOOL AGE: MODERATORS AND MODERATED MEDIATION EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24699 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24699/ A1 - Perez, Rachel Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The total synthesis of marineosin A, a unique spiroaminal with selective cytotoxicity, has been under investigation in our laboratory. A ruthenium-catalyzed enolate allylic alkylation methodology and azafulvene dimer-derived metathesis strategy have been considered as potential routes, towards the synthesis of the macrocyclic core of marineosin A. A novel route to the synthesis of diverse pyrrolidine scaffolds, for diversity-oriented synthesis has additionally been under investigation in our laboratory. The synthetic route encompasses a series of reductive amination, iodocyclization, azide substitution, and reductive deprotection to deliver the target diamine scaffolds in 14-16% yield. In addition, an asymmetric approach to the synthesis of (2S,3R,4R)-??iodo amine has been presented, which takes advantage of selective Ru(II)-catalyzed Claisen rearrangement methodology. KW - Diversity-Oriented Synthesis KW - Marineosin A KW - spiroaminal KW - ruthenium-catalyzed enolate allylic alkylation KW - pyrrolidine scaffolds. TI - Efforts towards the Macrocyclic Core of Marineosin A and Development of Pyrrolidine-Based Scaffolds for Diversity-Oriented Synthesis EP - 127 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25579 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25579/ A1 - Nugent, Michael Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - We initiate the theoretical investigation of energy-efficient circuit design. We assume that the circuit design specifies the circuit layout as well as the supply voltages for the gates. To obtain maximum energy efficiency, the circuit design must balance the conflicting demands of minimizing the energy used per gate, and minimizing the number of gates in the circuit; If the energy supplied to the gates is small, then functional failures are likely, necessitating a circuit layout that is more fault-tolerant, and thus that has more gates. By leveraging previous work on fault-tolerant circuit design, we show general upper and lower bounds on the amount of energy required by a circuit to compute a given relation. We show that some circuits would be asymptotically more energy-efficient if heterogeneous supply voltages were allowed, and show that for some circuits the most energy-efficient supply voltages are homogeneous over all gates. In the traditional approach to circuit design the supply voltages for each transistor/gate are set sufficiently high so that with sufficiently high probability no transistor fails. We show that if there is a better (in terms of worst-case relative error with respect to energy) method than the traditional approach then $P=NP$, and thus there is a complexity theoretic obstacle to achieving energy savings with Near-Threshold computing. We show that almost all Boolean functions require circuits that use exponential energy. This is not an immediate consequence of Shannon's classic result that most functions require exponential sized circuits of faultless gates because, as we show, the same circuit layout can compute many different functions, depending on the value of the supply voltage. If the error bound must vanish as the number of inputs increases, we show that a natural class of functions can be computed with asymptotically less energy using heterogeneous supply voltages than is possible using homogeneous supply voltages. We also prove upper bounds on the asymptotic energy savings achieved by using heterogeneous supply voltages over homogeneous supply voltages for a class of functions, and also show a relation that can bypass this bound. KW - Energy Efficiency KW - Circuit Design KW - Near-Threshold Computing TI - Energy-Efficient Circuit Design EP - 98 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25879 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25879/ A1 - Prokup, Alexander Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Synthetic engineering methods, such as DNA computation and unnatural amino acid mutagenesis, have provided a route to improve the control of DNA and proteins. DNA computation encompasses a broad field that attempts to build computational devices from DNA structures. Logic gates are a fundamental component of any larger computational network, and have been constructed from purely DNA frameworks. Operation is determined by strict rules, which allow for the predictable creation of complex circuits. Described herein are methods to alter DNA logic gates with photochemical caging groups, interface logic gates with protein output, and optically control DNA amplification cycles. These methods have enabled precise temporal and spatial control, as well as merged the interface between DNA circuits and biological systems. Unnatural amino acid mutagenesis enables the site specific alteration of protein residues, through the insertion of a non-canonical amino acid. Incorporation of these unnatural residues has greatly expanded the function of proteins, with the introduction of new chemical functionalities. These chemical handles have enabled applications such as the study of abasic bypass in DNA polymerases and protein-RNA crosslinking. KW - DNA computation KW - unnatural amino acid mutagenesis KW - DNA KW - protein KW - signal amplification TI - Engineering DNA Computation with Unnatural Nucleotides and Protein Function with Unnatural Amino Acids EP - 192 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25721 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25721/ A1 - O'Neill, Elizabeth Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - This dissertation investigates what the causes of moral beliefs indicate about the epistemic status of those beliefs. I argue that information about the causes of moral beliefs can tell us whether those beliefs track the truth, and that truth tracking is the primary epistemic property that should concern us in the moral domain. I formulate three novel debunking arguments that employ information about the causes of moral beliefs to support conclusions about truth tracking while minimizing normative assumptions. These arguments lead to the conclusion that harm-related moral beliefs that hinge on sympathy, moral beliefs influenced by disgust, certain political beliefs, and beliefs about punishment that are subject to the influence of extraneous emotions do not track moral truth. For each of these types of moral beliefs, information about the proximal causes of the moral belief supports epistemic conclusions. I compare the value of information about proximal and distal causes for assessing epistemic status: I argue that proximal causes are a superior source of information, but under certain conditions, we should take information about distal causes into account. In the case of beliefs about the fair distribution of resources, information about their proximal causes may be consistent with us tracking truth, but information about their distal, evolutionary origins tell us that we lack reason to think that we track their truth. Thus, using empirical information about the causes of moral beliefs, I offer selective debunking arguments for five types of moral beliefs. KW - etiological debunking KW - truth-tracking KW - moral psychology KW - evolution of morality KW - moral beliefs TI - The Epistemological Implications of the Causes of Moral Beliefs EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26065 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26065/ A1 - Parker, Matthew Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Proteins are in a category all their own as supramolecular entities enriched with both chirality and functionality. Inspired by them, we have created a new class of building blocks, called Bis-Amino Acids, for making molecules several kilodaltons in size that possess high degrees of both functionality and chirality. Bis-amino acids can assemble into shape-programmable macromolecules, called Spiroligomers that connect through pairs of amide bonds. They serve as water-soluble, rigid scaffolds capable of presenting collections of functional groups in different spatial orientations by virtue of their sequence, shape and stereochemistry of each chiral building block. This dissertation utilizes these unique building block as scaffolding for the presentation of functional groups in localized domains. A short spiroligomer sequence is used to presents a donor and acceptor pair facially for measuring electron-transfer in water. The same cleft motif is used to present a pair of hydrogen bonding donors to catalyze an aromatic Claisen rearrangement. Methods are developed to improve and expand the chemistry to make the bis-amino acids as well as their assembly into spiroligomers. Lastly, spiroligomers are utilized as intermediate building materials forming sequences of two and three connected by short, flexible linkers and cross-linked them into assemblies. We envision the use of these macromolecules, called ?Fauxteins? to position multiple functional groups over large surface areas for mimicry of protein-protein interactions, recreation of complex active sites of enzymes, and form unique, chiral pockets for host-guest molecular recognition. KW - Bis-amino acid KW - Diketopiperazine KW - Spiroligomer KW - Fauxtein TI - Examination of ?Primary?, ?Secondary?, and ?Tertiary? Structural Elements of Bis-Amino Acids: Progress toward ?Fauxteins? EP - 182 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25897 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25897/ A1 - Milburn, Joseph Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Philosophers generally agree that an individual cannot have knowledge that p if her belief that p is only accidentally true. A common way of putting this claim is that knowledge is incompatible with epistemic luck. After criticizing modal accounts of epistemic luck, Ioffer a novel account of knowledge precluding epistemic luck. My account appeals to generic facts concerning how human beings arrive at the truth. Given that it is a generic fact that human beings arrive at true beliefs through perception, memory, testimony, and inference (abductive, inductive, and deductive), an individual S?s belief that p is subject to epistemic luck just in case she arrives at a true belief, but fails to exemplify one of these generic facts concerning human beings. Apart from offering an account of epistemic luck that is extensionally adequate and that could be put to use in a reductive account of knowledge, my account of epistemic luck reorients epistemology away from a disembodied Cartesian rationalism towards a moderate naturalism. KW - Generics KW - Epistemic Luck KW - The Gettier Problem KW - Theory of Knowledge KW - The Generality Problem TI - Generics, Epistemic Luck, and Knowledge EP - 127 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24277 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24277/ A1 - Ruiz, Richard Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The Standard Model of particle physics (SM) is presently the best description of nature at small distances and high energies. However, with tiny but nonzero neutrino masses, a Higgs boson mass unstable under radiative corrections, and little guidance on understanding the hierarchy of fermion masses, the SM remains an unsatisfactory description of nature. Well-motivated scenarios that resolve these issues exist but also predict extended gauge (e.g., Left-Right Symmetric Models), scalar (e.g., Supersymmetry), and/or fermion sectors (e.g., Seesaw Models). Hence, discovering such new states would have far-reaching implications. After reviewing basic tenets of the SM and collider physics, several beyond the SM (BSM) scenarios that alleviate these shortcomings are investigated. Emphasis is placed on the production of a heavy Majorana neutrinos at hadron colliders in the context of low-energy, effective theories that simultaneously explain the origin of neutrino masses and their smallness compared to other elementary fermions, the so-called Seesaw Mechanisms. As probes of new physics, rare top quark decays to Higgs bosons in the context of the SM, the Types I and II Two Higgs Doublet Model (2HDM), and the semi-model independent framework of Effective Field Theory (EFT) have also been investigated. Observation prospects and discovery potentials of these models at current and future collider experiments are quantified. KW - Hadron Colliders KW - Seesaw Mechanisms KW - Neutrino Physics KW - Neutrino Masses KW - Collider Phenomenology TI - HADRON COLLIDER TESTS OF NEUTRINO MASS-GENERATING MECHANISMS EP - 221 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25632 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25632/ A1 - Richey, J. Elizabeth Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Research examining analogical comparison and self-explanation has produced a robust set of findings about learning and transfer supported by each instructional technique. However, it is unclear how the types of knowledge generated through each technique differ, which has important implications for cognitive theory as well as instructional practice. I conducted a pair of experiments to directly compare the effects of instructional prompts supporting self-explanation, analogical comparison, and the study of instructional explanations across a number of fine-grained learning process, motivation, metacognition, and transfer measures. Experiment 1 explored these questions using sequence extrapolation problems, and results showed no differences between self-explanation and analogical comparison support conditions on any measure. Experiment 2 explored the same questions in a science domain. I evaluated condition effects on transfer outcomes; self-reported self-explanation, analogical comparison, and metacognitive processes; and achievement goals. I also examined relations between transfer and self-reported processes and goals. Receiving materials with analogical comparison support and reporting greater levels of analogical comparison were both associated with worse transfer performance, while reporting greater levels of self-explanation was associated with better performance. Learners? self-reports of self-explanation and analogical comparison were not related to condition assignment, suggesting that the questionnaires did not measure the same processes promoted by the intervention, or that individual differences in processing are robust even when learners are instructed to engage in self-explanation or analogical comparison. KW - self-explanation; analogical comparison; instructional explanation; transfer; learning; achievement goals; metacognition TI - IMPACT OF SELF-EXPLANATION AND ANALOGICAL COMPARISON SUPPORT ON LEARNING PROCESSES, MOTIVATION, METACOGNITION, AND TRANSFER EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25547 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25547/ A1 - Marshman, Emily Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Many physics graduate students face the unique challenge of being both students and teachers concurrently. To succeed in these roles, they must develop both physics content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. My research focuses on improving both the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of first year graduate students. To improve their content knowledge, I have focused on improving graduate students? conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics covered in upper-level undergraduate courses since our earlier investigations suggest that many graduate students struggle in developing a conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. Learning tools, such as the Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs) that I have developed, have been successful in helping graduate students improve their understanding of Dirac notation and single photon behavior in the context of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer. In addition, I have been involved in enhancing our semester long course professional development course for teaching assistants (TAs) by including research-based activities. In particular, I have been researching the implications of graduate TAs? reflections on the connections between their grading practices and student learning, i.e., the development of introductory physics students? content knowledge and problem-solving, reasoning, and metacognitive skills. This research involves having graduate students grade sample student solutions to introductory physics problems. Afterward, the graduate TAs discuss with each other the pros and cons of different grading rubrics on student learning and formulate a joint grading rubric to grade the problem. The graduate TAs are individually asked to reformulate a rubric and grade problems using the rubric several months after the group activity to assess the impact of the intervention on graduate TAs. In addition to the intervention focusing on grading sample student solutions, graduate TAs are also asked to answer a variety of questions to help them reflect upon how introductory physics students learn physics and why grading plays a critical role in improving both their content knowledge and their problem solving, reasoning, and metacognitive skills. The implications of these interventions for the preparation of graduate students is discussed. KW - education research TI - Improving the Quantum Mechanics Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Physics Graduate Students EP - 546 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25902 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25902/ A1 - Smith, Tracy T. Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Introduction: Two factors that have been shown to affect smoking behavior are the cost of cigarettes and the dose of nicotine. Behavioral economics posits that the two factors may be related through the concept of unit price (unit price = cost/reinforcer magnitude). According to this framework, increases in the cost of a reinforcer and decreases in the magnitude of a reinforcer are equivalent manipulations. However, this assumption has not been thoroughly tested. Method: Across three studies, a rodent self-administration model was used to assess the relationship between increases in nicotine cost and decreases in nicotine dose. In Aim 1, each rat experienced six unit prices twice: cost was manipulated and dose was held constant across one set of combinations, and cost was held constant and nicotine dose was manipulated across the other set of combinations. In Aim 2, the same procedure was used as in Aim 1 except that very low nicotine doses, hypothesized to below the threshold for maintaining self-administration, were used for the dose manipulation. In Aim 3, the hypothesis that consumption should be the same at a single unit price regardless of the cost/dose combination used to create it was tested. Results: Results show that across the range of unit prices that maintain consumption, behavior is more sensitive to nicotine dose than to nicotine cost. However, when above-threshold doses are used, increases in nicotine cost maintain consumption across a smaller range of unit prices than decreases in dose. When very low nicotine doses are used for dose reduction, animals consumed less nicotine than they did for the ratio-escalation manipulation. Finally, nicotine consumption was not equivalent across a variety of unit price combinations forming a single unit price. Discussion: Results of the present study are the first to show that increases in the cost of nicotine and decreases in the dose of nicotine are not equivalent manipulations, and they raise questions about a fundamental assumption within the behavioral economics framework. KW - Behavioral economics KW - Nicotine KW - Policy TI - Increasing Nicotine Cost and Decreasing Nicotine Dose are not Equivalent Manipulations EP - 99 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25385 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25385/ A1 - Miller, Howard Ray Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - This dissertation analyzes how early inequalities in health and education affect later educational, health, and social and emotional outcomes. I place particular emphasis on how the unique economic circumstances of the developing world interact with the dynamic and multidimensional nature of child development. In Chapter 1, I build a theory of human capital formation that links early health differences to observed schooling gaps across countries. My main finding is that early health inequalities are amplified into large schooling gaps within and across countries. In Chapter 2, I use a unique Indian data set to link private school attendance to measures of self-efficacy and self-esteem and find that private school may play at least as significant a role in early psychosocial as in cognitive development. Finally, in Chapter 3, I construct a novel measure of seasonal food scarcity and find that prenatal exposure to scarcity has a lasting impact on childhood health in Ethiopia. Overall, my findings highlight the importance of understanding the dynamic and multidimensional nature of child development for effective targeting of policy interventions in the developing world. KW - early childhood KW - health KW - education KW - inequality KW - child development KW - human capital KW - economics TI - The Lasting Impact of Early Life Inequalities EP - 144 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25270 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25270/ A1 - Tabb, Kathryn Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Associationism ? in its most basic formulation, the view that all cognition begins with the compounding of simple sensations into chains of ideas ? is frequently held to have been introduced by John Locke in 1700, expanded on by David Hartley and David Hume, and come into its own in the 19th century with psychologists like James Mill and Alexander Bain. The aim of this dissertation is to argue that Locke is not an associationist, and that he has been cast on the wrong side of a fundamental divide over the role of the understanding in the connection of ideas. I show that Locke coins the term ?association of ideas? not to launch a new architectonic for psychology based on acquired habit, but to diagnose what he sees as the biggest obstacle to right understanding: madness. Hume?s positive embrace of association has often been read back onto Locke, resulting in the easy conflation of the two thinkers under the banner of empiricism. In championing the powers of the active perception over the automaticity of association, however, Locke?s psychology stands apart from later empiricist philosophies of mind. Along with challenging Locke?s traditional characterization as an associationist, this project explores the ramifications of Locke?s concept of association for his broader commitments. Locke believes that natural philosophy is possible due to our ability to perceive the truth or falsity of propositions, or, failing this, to make probabilistic judgments about their truth-value. The capacities that allow for these mental acts, reason and judgment (respectively), are gifts from God that allow us to flourish in our environment, despite our mediocre mental endowments. I argue that associated ideas show that these capacities sometimes fail us, compromising Locke?s intellectualist picture. Something like false knowledge is possible in Locke?s system, insofar as associated ideas generate propositions that are perceived to be true but which are in fact false. I call such propositions ?mad errors,? and describe their profound ramifications for Locke?s ethics of belief and his theory of personal identity. KW - John Locke; Associationism; History of Philosophy; History of Psychology; History of Psychiatry; History of Ideas TI - Mad Errors: Associated Ideas, Enthusiasm, and Personal Identity in Locke EP - 156 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25393 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25393/ A1 - Sery, Joseph Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - This project responds to a need for new theoretical tools for understanding law as a site for the intersection of rhetoric and philosophy. In advancing the concept of ?models of judgment? as a meta-theoretical approach to the philosophical rhetoric of jurisprudence, I argue that it provides a unique perspective on the rhetorical commitments undergirding prominent judicial theories. Paragons of good judgment crafted by Richard Posner, Martha Nussbaum, and Cass Sunstein are examined, foregrounding their rhetorical character and function. KW - Rhetoric KW - Philosophy KW - Law KW - Judgment KW - Law and Economics KW - Law and Literature KW - Deliberative Democracy TI - Models of Judgment: Rhetoric and the Public Philosophies of Law EP - 386 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24628 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24628/ A1 - Nieswandt, Katharina Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Did we invent or discover moral rights? What would either answer entail for the duties that rights purport to create? And what would it entail for political and legal rights? The following three papers revolve around these questions. My answers exploit a property of rights that makes them very special: There is a constitutive connection between their justification and their existence. I have a right iff I am indeed justified in making certain demands, iff it is indeed true that others owe me certain duties. A theory of right therefore requires us to connect metaphysical with moral issues. ?Anscombe on the Sources of Normativity? is the first systematic reconstruction of a very important discovery of hers. Rights (and also rules and promises) are self-referential: They purport to themselves be the justification of the duty that they impose; and they indeed are the justification if the purported duty exists indeed. For Anscombe, a social constructivist view of right-based duties is the only way explain this property: Rights can justify themselves, just as rules in a board game can, because they exist as part and parcel of a larger social practice. ?Do Rights Exist by Convention or by Nature?? uses Anscombe?s discovery of the self-referentiality of rights to shed new light on an old debate: that between natural rights theorists and social constructivists about rights. I attempt a proof of Anscombe?s contention that rights can only exist with social practices. I also spell out what kind of universal rights are still possible within such a social constructivist framework. ?Authority and Interest in the Theory of Right? applies Anscombe?s discovery to a current standoff in legal philosophy. I argue that ?Will Theory,? according to which I have a right iff I have a justified claim against someone, gives the correct justification of rights, provided we modify certain details. ?Interest Theory,? however, according to which I have a right iff I have a legitimate interest, seems to give the correct justification of the practices, within which rights are assigned (as opposed to any individual person?s right, as Interest Theorists claim). KW - natural rights; deontic modals; G.E.M. Anscombe; practices; Hume's Circle TI - Moral Rights and Social Conventions EP - 119 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25987 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25987/ A1 - Oh, Bonnie Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The bacteriophage HK97 capsid assembly and maturation pathway has been well studied. Despite this, little is known about the initial steps of assembly. How do 415 capsid proteins, ~120 copies of protease protein, and 12 copies of portal protein interact to form a correctly sized and shaped capsid? Most dsDNA phages and herpesviruses require the use of separate scaffolding proteins in order to assemble properly. HK97 does not have a separate scaffolding protein; instead it has a 102 amino acid N-terminal extension of its major capsid protein, called the delta domain. Like other well-known viral scaffolding proteins, the delta domain is present during initial assembly but is absent in the mature structure, is mostly ?-helical in nature, has a high propensity of forming coiled coil interactions, and is flexible. We hypothesize that the delta domain is playing a scaffolding-like role in capsid assembly. Because the scaffolding-like region is actually part of the capsid protein, studying how a scaffolding protein contributes to capsid assembly is easily achievable using HK97. Using mutational analyses in a plasmid based system, I have tested the effects of delta domain point mutations, small insertions, and deletions on capsid assembly. Even single point mutations can cause assembly defects, rendering the capsid protein nonfunctional. Using biochemical and genetic assays, I have shown that different regions of the delta domain play different roles in capsid assembly. The HK97 delta domain is a multifunctional protein that is important for capsid protein solubility and expression, capsid shape, capsid size, protease incorporation, and portal incorporation. The flexibility and structure of the delta domain plays an important role in its ability to regulate the assembly process. Learning about how the delta domain interacts with different proteins during assembly provides a greater understanding of how a single protein functions in order to build macromolecular complexes. Important roles and regions identified in the HK97 delta domain are applicable to other related phage and herpesvirus scaffolding proteins, providing insight on the biological processes and requirements of viral capsid formation. KW - bacteriophage KW - delta domain KW - capsid assembly KW - HK97 TI - Multiple Functional Roles of the Bacteriophage HK97 Delta Domain in Capsid Assembly EP - 197 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25610 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25610/ A1 - Waller, Jennifer Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - While both peer victimization and rejection sensitivity are associated with a greater risk for depressive symptoms among adolescents (Bond et al., 2001; Marston et al., 2010), not all adolescents who have social difficulties develop depression. This study examined affective experiences with peers as possible moderators of the associations between victimization or rejection sensitivity and depression. Participants were adolescents ages 10-17 years, 29 of whom were currently experiencing a Major Depressive Episode at the time of the study and 31 of whom were age- and gender-matched controls with no lifetime history of Axis I psychopathology. A three-week ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol was used to assess daily affective responding in peer contexts. Negative affect, positive affect, and feelings of closeness and connectedness with peers were tested as possible moderators of the associations between victimization or rejection sensitivity and 1) depressive symptoms or 2) Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis. Additionally, group differences in peer victimization, rejection sensitivity, and affective responding in peer contexts were also examined. The study makes several contributions to the field: 1) finding differences in reports of peer victimization and rejection sensitivity for youth with MDD versus healthy controls, 2) finding consistent associations between peer victimization or rejection sensitivity and both depressive symptoms and MDD diagnostic status, 3) finding differences in intensity of negative affect experienced during interactions with peers for youth with MDD versus healthy controls, and 4) identifying unique associations between NA during peer interactions and depression, beyond the effects of rejection sensitivity or peer victimization. Also, exploratory analyses indicated that victimization, rejection sensitivity, and negative affect were also associated with anxiety symptoms across both groups and with anxiety disorder comorbidity among youth with MDD. Results suggest that adverse peer experiences, such as peer victimization, social-cognitive factors (e.g., rejection sensitivity), and negative emotional experiences in peer contexts are important factors in adolescent depression and anxiety and should be targets for further research and intervention. KW - peer victimization; rejection sensitivity; adolescence; depression; anxiety; affect; ecological momentary assessment TI - Peer Victimization and Rejection Sensitivity in Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder: The Role of Daily Emotional Functioning with Peers EP - 123 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25940 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25940/ A1 - Wang, Ping Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Earlier studies on Chinese have recognized that there are prominent positions, and there are interactions between tone and prominent positions. However, the earlier studies have not rigorously applied phonetic or phonological inspections for establishing prominent positions in Chinese. When more rigorous phonetic and phonological examinations have been applied in this study, a more constrained and principled set of prominence phenomena emerged. This set excludes the postulation of a generalized trochaic system in Standard Mandarin, accentual prominence in New Chongming and peripheral prominence in Zhenhai. On the other hand, this set includes metrical prominence in the Northern Wu dialects and Fengkai Cantonese, and the interaction between tone and metrically prominent positions. In this study, two types of interaction between metrical prominence and tone are attested. First, metrically strong positions are characterized by the preservation of lexical tones, or the ability to determine the shape of the neighboring tones. Thus, the stressed position normally licenses a larger range of tonal contrast. Unstressed syllables tend to go tonal modification, reduction, or loss. Second, tone can condition stress placement. Observations made in the Northern Wu dialects suggest that stress assignment is sensitive to tone properties. In the Northern Wu group, the distribution of stress tends to avoid syllables with a low tone, or a short tone. To summarize, although Chinese is widely recognized as a canonical tone language, stress and tone as two independent phonological properties do co-exist in Chinese. The co-existence of tone and stress leads to some interesting interactions. However, tone-stress interaction in Chinese produces a limited set of phonological processes, which is only attested in a limited number of dialects. KW - phonological prominence KW - stress KW - accent KW - tone KW - Chinese dialects TI - Phonological Prominence and Its Interaction with Tone in Chinese Dialects EP - 207 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25949 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25949/ A1 - Pfeiffer, Loring Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The Politics of Desire argues that late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century women playwrights make key interventions into period politics through comedic representations of sexualized female characters. During the Restoration and the early eighteenth century in England, partisan goings-on were repeatedly refracted through the prism of female sexuality. Charles II asserted his right to the throne by hanging portraits of his courtesans at Whitehall, while Whigs avoided blame for the volatility of the early eighteenth-century stock market by foisting fault for financial instability onto female gamblers. The discourses of sexuality and politics were imbricated in the texts of this period; however, scholars have not fully appreciated how female dramatists? treatment of desiring female characters reflects their partisan investments. In fact, critical estimations of plays written by women have been more apt to focus on how well these playwrights? works accord with modern feminist understandings of female desire than on how women dramatists? texts complicate and corroborate the political discourse of the day. This dissertation treats late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century sexual and partisan discourse as inextricably intertwined. Reconstructing the tumultuous political context in which Restoration and early eighteenth-century women wrote, The Politics of Desire shows that these playwrights? comedies make important?and heretofore unrecognized?interventions into the political landscape of the day. In chapters that focus on courtesans and bawds, cheating wives, female gamblers, and pandered wives, this dissertation examines the ways that Aphra Behn, Mary Pix, Susanna Centlivre, and Eliza Haywood reframe partisan discourse about particular types of sexualized women. Ultimately, The Politics of Desire enriches the critical conversation about women playwrights? comedies, giving these plays the kind of precise, carefully contextualized attention they deserve. KW - Aphra Behn KW - Mary Pix KW - Susanna Centlivre KW - Eliza Haywood KW - Restoration comedy KW - eighteenth-century drama TI - The Politics of Desire: English Women Playwrights, Partisanship, and the Staging of Female Sexuality, 1660-1737 EP - 198 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25972 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25972/ A1 - Rencewicz, Margaret J. Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - In late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century immigrant America, lay Catholics were not shy of turning to disruptive, even violent, means to solve disputes within their religious communities. They split into factions and fought each other in the church, on the street and in the courts. Often, the pastor was the key divisive figure in the conflict, with factions aligning in support of or opposition to him. Parishioners and even priests fought their bishops. Many lay Catholics employed militant, diplomatic, legal and schismatic strategies in order to secure what they most desired: control of the administration of parish finances and property. By examining their actions as strategic, this project seeks to restore agency to lay Catholics who are often presented in Catholic history as passive, submissive and blindly loyal to their priests, bishops and pope. In addition to strategic acts of militancy, such as rioting, lay Catholics made use of diplomatic conflict-resolution strategies, such as petitioning Roman Catholic prelates in order to secure a change of pastors. Sometimes, lay Catholics turned to the secular legal system for assistance in their efforts to secure control of parish property. When all else failed, conflicts begat schisms, such as the Polish National Catholic Church, which was established in 1897. Lay Catholics, however, shaped and transformed the Roman Catholic Church and Catholicism in America not only by schism, but also by the threat of schism. Therefore, in addition to schismatics, this study includes lay people and priests who neared and even dabbled in schism, but ultimately did not leave the Roman Catholic Church. By doing so, this project aims to uncover complexities of conflict within Catholic America. KW - Catholic immigrant Independentism Polish National Catholic Church schism trusteeism TI - ?Pray, Pay and Disobey?: Conflict and Schism in Catholic America, 1870-1939 EP - 243 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25898 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25898/ A1 - Thomas, Meryl Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regulatory RNA molecules of 22 nucleotides that (in part) control up to 60% of all genes in humans. They act by binding to the 3' untranslated regions of target messenger RNAs, leading either to translational repression or mRNA degradation. In addition to being involved in the regulation of several fundamental cellular processes, the misregulation of miRNAs has been linked to a wide range of diseases including cancer. Particularly, miR-21 is significantly upregulated in nearly all types of human cancers, and its overexpression is often associated with poor prognosis. The downregulation of miR-122 is found in more than 70% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases and miR-122 is a required factor for the replication of the HCV virus. The modulation of miRNA function is commonly achieved using oligonucleotide agents. However, compared to oligonucleotides, small molecules have several advantages, such as fast activity, systemic delivery, and excellent cell permeability. Taking advantage of luciferase-based reporters, two separate high-throughput screens of >300,000 compounds each, were conducted to discover new small molecule inhibitors of miR-21 or miR-122. Several hit compounds were re-synthesized, their ability to inhibit miR-21 was validated, and the most promising compounds were investigated by SAR studies, which revealed two additional, structurally diverse classes of miR-21 inhibitors. Similarly, extensive SAR studies of previously discovered miR-122 inhibitors were performed in order to better understand the molecular requirements for the miR-122 inhibitory activity. The hit compounds identified in the HTS were analyzed through secondary assays that led to the identification of two new promising miR-122 inhibitors. Furthermore, the knowledge gained during the SAR studies was further used to synthesize several small molecule miR-21/miR-122 inhibitors as probes to explore their mechanisms of action. MicroRNAs represent promising, novel drug targets, and small molecule miRNA inhibitors provide tools to study the molecular mechanisms of miRNA biogenesis and have the potential to be new therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancers and viral infections. KW - microRNAs KW - miR-21 KW - miR-122 KW - HCV KW - HCC KW - small molecules KW - inhibitors TI - Syntheses and applications of small molecule inhibitors of miRNAs miR-21 and miR-122 EP - 397 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24858 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24858/ A1 - Merling, Everett Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - Carbene-boranes 1,3-bis-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene borane (dipp-Imd-BH3) and 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene borane (diMe-Imd-BH3) were treated with various electrophiles to compare reactivity of carbene-borane with nucleophilicity values of carbene-borane (dipp-Imd-BH3 = 9.55 N, diMe-Imd-BH3 = 11.88 N). Compounds with electrophilicity values greater ?15 E reacted rapidly with carbene-borane, but compounds with electrophilicity values less than ?15 E reacted slowly or not at all with carbene-borane. Hydroboration complexes were isolated from the reactions of diMe-Imd-BH3 with benzylidenemalononitrile and 2-ethylidenemalononitrile. Overall the reactivity of carbene-borane matched predictions based on nucleophilicity and electrophilicity values. Carbene-boranes were also treated with acid halides and halogens to form halogenated carbene-boranes. Iodination occurs most rapidly followed by bromination and then chlorination. Dipp-Imd-BH3 can only be iodinated once likely due to the steric bulk around the boron atom while diMe-Imd-BH3 can be iodinated once (0.5 equiv of I2 added) or twice (1.0 equiv of I2 added). Tribromination and trichlorination was possible for both carbene-boranes. Disproportionation of the halides bonded to the boron atoms occurred rapidly with iodide and slowly with bromide. These halogenated carbene-boranes also were reduced by lithium aluminum deuteride to give selectively deuterated carbene-borane species, and also underwent nucleophilic substitutions to give carbene-boryl-azide. [3+2]-Dipolar cycloaddition reactions were performed on carbene-boryl-azide with electron deficient alkynes, alkenes, and nitriles to give new carbene-boryl-triazoles, -triazolidines, and -tetrazoles. Electron deficient alkynes and alkenes such as propiolate and acrylate were reactive with carbene-boryl-azide even at room temperature, but less electron deficient alkynes, nitriles, and alkenes required heating or microwave radiation to form cycloaddition borane products. Carbene-boryl-triazoles are very robust and can withstand reductive and acidic conditions. The triazole can even be methylated by methyl iodide or methyl triflate to give a carbene-boryl-triazole salt. The triazole could be detached from the boron atom by reacting the boron atom with halogen, and decomplexing the carbene-borane in methanol. KW - carbene borane azide dipolar cycloaddition triazole triazolidines tetrazole nucleophilicity electrophilicity TI - Synthesis and Reactions of Heterosubstituted N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Boranes EP - 149 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25564 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25564/ A1 - Moe, Peter Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - In this dissertation, I claim the sentence is a form of rhetorical delivery. Building on scholarship expanding delivery beyond voice and gesture??redefining it as (among other terms) medium, circulation, presentation, distribution, and rhetorical velocity??I work toward a rhetoric of syntactic delivery, one that depends upon Performance, Display, and Location. With a chapter devoted to each, these three terms allow me to interrogate the work of the sentence, to think through the performativity of prose, to claim that the sentence moves on the page and that those moves constitute a rhetorical delivery that brings discourse to its readers. This project intervenes in two bodies of scholarship. To work in stylistics calling Composition back to the sentence, I offer a sentence re-theorized in light of its rhetorical delivery, a sentence necessarily bound up in the social, the political, and the rhetorical by way of how its grammar holds ideas in relation one to another. To current scholarship in delivery, I offer the sentence as a mediated and embodied technology delivering discourse. This is a performative sentence, one that asks teachers and students to read and write the sentence differently, looking not to error or argumentation as benchmarks of good writing but instead toward the performative drama unfolding as the sentence moves across the page. But, given that the sentence is the foundation of both a writer?s work and a writer?s education, this dissertation reaches beyond Composition to anywhere the teaching of writing takes place, the methods of engaging the sentence I demonstrate here applicable in a variety of rhetorical and pedagogical settings. A note on method: I rely solely on student writing for my corpus of sentences. I do so because most books on the sentence look to the prose of famous writers (Presidents, Martin Luther King, Jr., Didion, Wolfe, Updike, and the like), and student sentences, if they do appear at all, serve as examples of error. The argument is subtle but clear: students cannot write good sentences. I disagree, and this project teaches other ways we might read student work. KW - composition KW - pedagogy KW - rhetoric KW - sentences KW - style KW - delivery TI - Toward a Rhetoric of Syntactic Delivery EP - 264 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25612 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25612/ A1 - Liu, Lifeng / LL Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - The interplay of spatial discreteness and nonlinearity plays an important role in the dynamics of nonlinear lattice systems, as illustrated by two problems considered in this thesis. The first problem concerns kinetics of a step propagating along a twin boundary in a cubic lattice undergoing an antiplane shear deformation. To model twinning, we consider a piecewise quadratic double-well interaction potential with respect to one component of the shear strain and harmonic interaction with respect to another. We construct semi-analytical traveling wave solutions that correspond to a steady step propagation and obtain the kinetic relation between the applied stress and the velocity of the step. We show that this relation strongly depends on the width of the spinodal region where the double-well potential is nonconvex and on the material anisotropy parameter. In the limiting case when the spinodal region degenerates to a point, we construct new solutions that extend the kinetic relation obtained in the earlier work of Celli, Flytzanis and Ishioka into the low-velocity regime. Numerical simulations suggest stability of some of the obtained solutions, including low-velocity step motion when the spinodal region is sufficiently wide. When the applied stress is above a certain threshold, nucleation and steady propagation of multiple steps are observed. In the second part of the thesis we explore a novel locally resonant granular material bearing harmonic internal resonators in a chain of beads interacting via Hertzian elastic contacts. Dynamics of the system can range from strongly to weakly nonlinear, depending on the solution amplitude and the amount of static precompression. We provide numerical and analytical evidence of the existence of discrete dark breathers solutions, exponentially localized, time-periodic states mounted on top of a non-vanishing background. Our results are obtained by means of an asymptotic reduction to suitably modified versions of the discrete p-Schr\"{o}dinger and nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger modulation equations in the strongly and weakly nonlinear regime, respectively. Stability and bifurcation structure of numerically computed exact dark breathers are examined. In some parameter regimes we also find small-amplitude periodic traveling waves, long-lived standing and traveling bright breathers, i.e., localized time-periodic solutions with exponentially decaying tails. KW - lattice model KW - kinetic relation KW - twinning step KW - radiative damping KW - spinodal region KW - granular materials KW - resonators KW - discrete breathers KW - modulation equations KW - stability KW - bifurcation. TI - Two Nonlinear Lattice Problems in Materials EP - 141 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25970 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25970/ A1 - Núñez, Daniel Y1 - 2015/09/27/ N2 - From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala went through one of the longest and bloodiest civil wars in Latin America. Thousands of people were killed or disappeared during this violent conflict. Today, almost twenty years after the signing of peace agreements, the country remains an extremely violent place. Year after year, its homicide rates surpass the rates in most of the world, the pages of its newspapers are filled with crimes of all sorts, and its state justice system seems to disintegrate in the middle of chaos. Amid widespread impunity and fear of crime, Guatemalans sometimes ?take justice into their own hands? and lynch suspected criminals, a phenomenon that scholars refer to as ?extralegal violence? or ?vigilantism.? According to official reports and statistics, linchamientos (lynchings) occur most frequently in the indigenous communities of the western highlands and in Guatemala City. The eastern region of the country seems to be immune from this type of violence. Drawing from ethnographic research that included more than 200 semi-structured interviews with state and non-state agents, participant observation, analysis of official reports, statistics and newspaper articles, my dissertation deals with crime and violence in contemporary Guatemala. I focus on two towns with contrasting characteristics: Totonicapán, a Maya-K?iche? municipality in the country?s western highlands where a series of linchamientos (lynchings) have been documented since 1996, and Guastatoya, a Ladino (?non-indigenous?) municipality in the eastern region where no linchamientos have ever been reported but whose homicide rates are among the highest in the country. In contrast to previous studies, I find that people in both Totonicapán and Guastatoya take violent measures against suspected criminals, but that they assign different and conflictive meanings to their practices based on the country?s historical ethnic and political dynamics. I also find that state agents as well as ordinary citizens in both towns are either directly or indirectly involved in these violent acts. Rather than seeing these practices as simple examples of ?vigilantism,? I argue that scholars should pay close attention to the ways in which ethnic and state-society relations shape violence and to the different meanings it can have in different places. KW - Guatemala KW - the State KW - violence KW - vigilantism TI - Violence and the State in Postwar Guatemala EP - 221 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25262 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25262/ A1 - Landes, David Benjamin Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - What are the available means of attention in a given situation? This dissertation offers a hermeneutic for everyday life that capacitates people to answer this question. The field of communication has long recognized how new technologies challenge our assumptions about how attention operates and how they urge us to reformulate the language we use to think about attention. Rather than provide one attention vocabulary suited to one media environment, this project takes a generative approach that aims to continually refresh our notions about attention at the rate of technological change. To this end, I propose a way of talking about attention as a situational process that must be described pluralistically through a rotation of vocabularies. I offer the ?attention situation? as a guiding framework for how interdisciplinary discourses can coherently converge upon any given situation. Then, I illustrate the attention situation framework through a distinctly rhetorical approach to theorizing attention. Paralleling the idea that rhetoric is an architectonic art, attention too is the architecting of material, symbolic, and intentional processes. I illustrate this through many examples from paradigmatic thinkers in media and rhetorical theory. The works of Marshall McLuhan and Kenneth Burke help exemplify how the attention situation can be used to highlight the communication-sourced aspects of attention. From these attention concepts, I formulate ?dramatic ecology? as a paradigm of ways that attention is formed within larger socio-technological dialectics, which provides a finer language to assess communicative situations than that of science?s mechanistic behaviorisms. The attention situation, dramatic ecology, and the material-symbolic-intentional dimensions of attention together demonstrate how attention?s cross-disciplinary discourses can be adapted into situational praxis. This rhetorical approach to attention offers a generative toolkit for continually re-theorizing attention through the changes ahead in technology, society, and culture. KW - attention KW - rhetoric KW - media KW - Marshall McLuhan KW - Kenneth Burke KW - rhetorical situation TI - THE ATTENTION SITUATION: A RHETORICAL THEORY OF ATTENTION FOR MEDIATED COMMUNICATION EP - 272 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24059 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24059/ A1 - Julian, Megan M Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - Worldwide, over 2 million children reside in institutional care; while family care is ideal, institutions will continue to exist for many years, and it is important to investigate ways to improve the care of children who reside in institutions. The current study is a post-adoption follow-up of an intervention in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation Baby Homes (BHs) wherein children received enhanced social-emotional care by regular BH caregivers. Children in this study previously resided in a St. Petersburg BH and received either No Intervention (CNoI), Training Only (TO), or Training and Structural Changes (T+SC). While children were in the institution, there were clear differences between groups in their physical, behavioral, and social-emotional development with T+SC faring the best, TO intermediate, and NoI having the poorest outcomes (St. Petersburg-USA Orphanage Research Team, 2008). This dissertation aimed to determine whether benefits of the intervention persisted up to 8 years after adoption. Parents completed measures including the 23-item Attachment Questionnaire, Indiscriminately Friendly Behavior Measure, BRIEF-P, CBQ (selected subtests), ITSEA, and CBCL 1½-5. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of Age at Adoption, Years in Adoptive Home, Intervention Group, and Age at Adoption x Intervention Group interactions on each outcome measure. Overall, while there are some residual effects of the intervention on children after adoption, graduates of each intervention group are functioning very well in early childhood. Graduates of intervention BHs tend to have better attachment security, lower levels of indiscriminately friendly behavior (T+SC only), fewer behavior problems (T+SC only), and lower levels of Internalizing problems (TO only) and Dysregulation (TO only) than CNoI. An older age at adoption or more time in the adoptive home were associated poorer outcomes in some domains. Children who had more exposure to intervention conditions (e.g., T+SC and TO adopted at older ages) had better attachment security (T+SC) fewer externalizing (TO only) and internalizing (TO only) problems, but poorer executive function and lower competence. Because all groups were, on average, functioning within the normal range of behavior, ?poorer? outcomes are hypothesized to reflect the increased agency, creativity, and emotional expression of children from intervention BHs. KW - early experience; intervention; social-emotional experience; adoption; institutional care; orphanage; behavior problems; executive function; attachment; indiscriminate friendliness TI - THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN ADOPTED FOLLOWING A SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL INTERVENTION IN AN INSTITUTION EP - 100 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25392 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25392/ A1 - KABUKCUOGLU, ZEYNEP SEFIKA Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - This dissertation is a collection of three essays in international and financial economics. In these essays, I focus on government debt and firm financing decisions over the business cycle. In the first essay, I study the role of income inequality in government?s borrowing and default decisions. To explore the relationship between default risk and income inequality, I extend the standard endogenous default model to allow for heterogeneous agents. The main finding of this paper is that inequality shocks can increase the default risk significantly. The model can also generate high consumption volatility of poor households relative to rich households, consistent with the data. I extend the model by introducing progressive income taxes and show that as the progressivity of the tax increases, the probability of default decreases. In the second essay, I address how the financing of working capital plays a role in the default risk and the business cycle characteristics observed in emerging market economies. I propose a general equilibrium model with endogenous sovereign default risk and working capital conditions and study the role of labor markets in generating the drops in output observed in defaults. I find that the working capital condition increases the default risk through a feedback loop. I show that this model is able to match the countercyclical interest rates, high volatility of consumption relative to output and countercyclical trade balance observed in Argentina. The third essay analyzes the role of binding financing constraints on manufacturing firms? investment decisions in the U.S., using the Great Recession period as a natural case study. The main finding of this paper is that firms that do not borrow from public bond markets experienced binding liquidity constraints on their R&D investments during the recession. The paper also compares the evidence on financial constraints in R&D investments to the evidence about capital and inventory investments. Firms without bond ratings show the highest liquidity sensitivity for inventory investments, and investment-liquidity sensitivity is greater for capital than it is for R&D investments. KW - International Economics KW - Financial Economics TI - ESSAYS IN INTERNATIONAL AND FINANCIAL ECONOMICS EP - 114 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25397 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25397/ A1 - Jeon, Kiyoung Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - This dissertation analyzes the sovereign default risk and trade of emerging countries. In the first two chapters, I investigate the default risk by laying particular emphasis on labor markets and income inequality. In Chapter 2, I propose a general equilibrium model with endogenous sovereign default. I assume that firms need to borrow from foreign lenders to finance a fraction of the cost of labor (also referred to as working capital conditions). In the model, the labor channel can amplify the effect of adverse TFP shocks on default risk. The main finding is that working capital conditions play a significant role in generating endogenous drops in output and labor in defaults. In addition, the model explains the main features of the business cycles observed in emerging markets, such as countercyclical spreads, procyclical labor, and high volatility of consumption relative to output, when calibrated to Argentine data. In Chapter 3, I analyze income inequality as another channel that influences a country's risk of default. I extend a standard endogenous sovereign default model by including inequality shocks. The main finding is that inequality shocks can amplify the effect of output shocks on sovereign default risk. Moreover, the model generates reasonable business cycle characteristics of Argentina, and the consumption volatility of poor households relative to rich households is matched well with a data set on Mexico. Lastly, as a policy extension, I extend the model by introducing progressive income taxes and find that as the progressivity of the tax increases, the default risk decreases. In Chapter 4, aside from the sovereign default risk, I examine export behavior of firms as another aspect of emerging countries. I use three empirical methods for a Chilean plant-level data set. I find evidence that firms with high productivity are more likely to become exporters and that firms enhance their productivity by participating in export markets. Furthermore, I show that the productivity growth of export firms is persistent even in a recession. Overall, my findings provide a better understanding of the effects of labor markets and income inequality on sovereign default risk and the productivity growth induced by exports. KW - International Finance; International Trade TI - Essays in International Economics EP - 115 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25390 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25390/ A1 - Koski, Matthew Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - The color of flowers varies widely in nature, and this variation has served as an important model for understanding evolutionary processes such as genetic drift, natural selection, speciation and macroevolutionary transitions in phenotypic traits. The flowers of many taxa reflect ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths that are visible to most pollinators. Many taxa also display UV reflectance at petal tips and absorbance at petal bases, which manifests as a ?bullseye? color patterns to pollinators. Most previous research on UV floral traits has been largely descriptive in that it has identified species with UV pattern and speculated about its function with respect to pollination. This dissertation addresses the ecological and evolutionary relevance of UV floral pattern at micro- and macroevolutionary scales. First I use a widespread plant (Argentina anserina) to describe the degree to which UV floral pattern varies, and determine the genetic contribution to variation. With the same system, I then use experimental manipulation to test whether and how the UV bullseye pattern mediates plant-pollinator interactions in the field. I then evaluate whether spatial variation in biotic (pollinator) and abiotic selective agents contribute to geographic variation in UV floral traits at regional (Colorado Rocky Mountains elevation gradient) and global (four latitudinal gradients) scales. Finally, I create a molecular phylogeny of the species-rich cinquefoil (Potentilla) group to address whether variation in UV pattern among taxa is constrained by evolutionary history, and whether biogeography and bioclimatic factors contribute to interspecific variation. Findings from this dissertation that pollinators contribute to variation in UV pattern, broaden the understanding of the traits that contribute to pollinator-mediated reproductive success of flowering plants. UV irradiance can also impose selection on UV pattern and drive latitudinal trends in floral pigmentation, extending an ecological rule formulated for animals?Gloger?s rule?to plants. Finally, I detected low phylogenetic signal for UV pigmentation in Potentilla, but strong biogeographic associations, which together suggest that selection could play a role in shaping UV floral variation among taxa. Overall, this dissertation enhances the understanding of how spatially varying selection regimes contribute to geographic variation and macroevolutionary patterns in a cryptic pigmentation trait in flowers. KW - Argentina anserina KW - flower color KW - flower color pattern KW - Gloger's rule KW - natural selection KW - pollination KW - Potentilla TI - The Evolutionary Ecology of Ultraviolet Floral Pigmentation EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25877 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25877/ A1 - Kreisler, Alison Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - Food intake is the product of meal size and frequency. Meal size is determined by sensory feedback signals that arise from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and other digestive organs during feeding. Hindbrain glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and prolactin-releasing peptide-positive noradrenergic A2 neurons (PrRP-positive) are anatomically poised to receive multimodal ingestive/metabolic-related information and engage local oral motor circuits that govern feeding. Moreover, multiple lines of evidence support a role for signaling from these populations in the suppression of food intake, while a role in the day-to-day control of meal size is less clear. Considering this, we hypothesized that GLP-1 and PrRP A2 neurons participate in satiation. Results from studies conducted herein demonstrated that the proportion of GLP-1 and A2 neurons that were activated by food intake closely reflects both the volume and caloric value of the food consumed, and this activation was modulated by experience with consuming unusually large meals. Among GLP-1 neurons, those in the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (cNTS) were more sensitive than those in the neighboring medullary reticular formation (MRF), supporting direct vagal afferents as an important route by which sensory information recruits these neurons. PrRP-positive A2 neurons were more sensitive than PrRP-negative A2 neurons to feeding-related sensory signals, suggesting that PrRP may be a particularly important among the many neuropeptide products of A2 neurons in the context of feeding control. In Chapter 4, we demonstrated that blocking central GLP-1 receptors produced larger and longer meals consumed during the latter phases of the feeding period, without changing meal frequency or the interval between meals. These results indicated a causal role for central GLP-1 signaling in satiation specifically. KW - glucagon-like peptide-1 KW - prolactin-releasing peptide KW - caudal nucleus of the solitary tract KW - food intake TI - HINDBRAIN NEURAL TRACKING AND CONTROL OF FOOD INTAKE EP - 166 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25994 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25994/ A1 - LEATHERS, MARVIN/L Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - Most times, we choose goods and avoid evils. Sometimes, goods and evils choose us, which quickly grabs our attention. How do our brains represent our values so that we can choose? How do things we love or loathe automatically capture our attention? To investigate these two cognitive processes, we performed two experiments to study neuronal representations of value (worth) and salience (importance) in the primate brain. First, we tested whether neurons in LIP and amygdala encode the value or salience of choice-options early during value-based decision-making. To dissociate value from salience, we recorded neurons from LIP and the amygdala in monkeys making value-based decisions among options promising different reward-sizes and options threatening different penalty-sizes. Value increases with promised-reward but decreases with threatened-penalty. Salience increases with the intensity of both promises and threats. LIP neurons fired more for options promising more reward and also fired more for options threatening more penalty. Amygdala neurons fired more for options promising more reward but fired less for options threatening more penalty. Whereas LIP encoded salience early during decision-making, reflecting automatic capture of attention by the more important options, the amygdala encoded value early during the decision-making process. Second, we tested whether early reward-effects in neurons in LIP and amygdala depended on early automatic capture of visual attention by a more rewarding option. We dissociated cue-reward from cue-salience in LIP and amygdala using choice-options that could not acquire salience. The near-identical physical appearance of these precluded early automatic capture of attention by the large-reward option but not the monkeys? ability to make optimal value-based decisions. LIP did not encode reward early during decision-making, only later and weakly. The number of LIP neurons with reward-effects was no greater than expected by chance. In amygdala, reward-effects were stronger and earlier than in LIP. Significant numbers of single amygdala neurons signaled the reward-size of the choice-option. Early reward-effects depend upon cue-salience in LIP but not the amygdala. The results from both experiments are consistent with the view that, early during value-based decision-making, neurons in LIP encode cue-salience whereas neurons in amygdala encode cue-value. KW - LIP KW - amygdala KW - value KW - salience KW - decision-making KW - awake-behaving primate TI - REPRESENTATION OF VALUE AND SALIENCE IN THE PRIMATE BRAIN EP - 226 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25533 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25533/ A1 - Kang, Jae W. Y1 - 2015/09/26/ N2 - This dissertation is a collection of three essays on information economics. The first essay, ?Budget Constraint and Information Transmission in Multidimensional Decision Making,? illustrates how a constraint on a receiver?s actions impedes information transmission from multiple senders. The constraint causes an endogenous conflict of interest between the senders and the receiver, preventing truthful revelation. Nevertheless, information can be at least partially transmitted in terms of grids in perfect Bayesian equilibrium. The second essay, ?Delegation and Retention of Authority in Organizations under Con- strained Decision Making,? analyzes the relationship between constraints on decision making and optimal decision making structure?centralized or decentralized decision making. Con- straints on feasible decisions induce a conflict of interest between a principal and agents even if they have common preferences. The centralized decision is beneficial to the principal when the constraints weakly restrictive. However, delegation can more than compensate the principal for loss of control by exploiting the agents? information when different prior beliefs disrupt information revelation or the agents have difference preferences. The third essay, ?Tenure Reform and Quality Gap between Schools,? discusses tenure reform for primary and secondary education in the United State from a game-theoretical point of view. To analyze the effect of the reform, a continuing contract (tenure) is compared with a non-continuing contract (non-tenure) based on performance evaluation. The welfare is improved after the reform, but the gap between a good and bad school becomes wider. This increased gap is caused by a unilateral transfer of qualified teachers from the good school to bad school. KW - strategic information transmission KW - cheap talk KW - multi-dimensions KW - budget constraint KW - tenure reform. TI - Three Essays on Information Economics EP - 78 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25326 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25326/ A1 - Izmirlioglu, Ahmet Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - The impact of the Ottoman Commercial Tribunals on the Tanzimat remains an enigma for historians. This branch of the Ottoman legal system uniquely accepted European merchants as judges, and existed throughout the Ottoman Empire for several decades as an institution of the Tanzimat reforms. This dissertation contains a thorough account of the form and function of these tribunals during the Tanzimat reforms (c. 1839-1880). The imperial interactions in these tribunals provide novel analytical opportunities to clarify the nature of Ottoman resistance against European incursions. Similarly, the research investigates the sources of the discordant interactions in these tribunals that justified counterproductive imperial policies at every level of diplomacy and governance. Along these lines, this research augments the current understanding of Tanzimat in Ottoman history by presenting a previously unavailable perspective of provincial imperial interactions. Simultaneously, the intermutual analysis of local and global imperial interactions in the Ottoman Empire advances efforts in world history to explain the role of local imperial interactions in shaping the dynamics of global change in the nineteenth century. Beside textual modes, the analysis subjected Ottoman and British archival evidence to quantitative methods, such as correspondence analysis, to identify variances in the outcomes of cases for different nationalities and locales, and to identify brokerage opportunities available to historical actors. These progressive analytical approaches demanded a methodological commitment to the treatment of interactions among individuals and groups as network interactions. The analysis yielded several results. At the local level, commercial tribunals created previously unavailable brokerage opportunities for European and Ottoman actors by diluting the legal authority of the Ottoman center. At the imperial level, the frictions and clashes of authority in the commercial tribunals dealt a significant blow to the Tanzimat reforms by sowing discord between the Ottoman reformers and their European allies, by magnifying the uncertainties perceived by the public, and by causing bottlenecks in the Ottoman bureaucratic system. The analysis also uncovers aggressive British and Ottoman strategies that distinguished Anglo-Ottoman interactions from Franco-Ottoman interactions, especially during the second half of the Tanzimat. KW - Ottoman Empire KW - Commercial Tribunals KW - Imperial Networks KW - Network Analysis KW - Imperial relations KW - Nineteenth century TI - CLASHES OF IMPERIAL AUTHORITY: COMMERCIAL TRIBUNALS IN THE OTTOMAN PROVINCES AND ISTANBUL, 1847-1880 EP - 220 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26083 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26083/ A1 - Clark, Treva A. Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - This study, undertaken within the context of multiple objectives and varying measures of success applied by microfinance institutions (MFIs), examines points of commonality present in basic business education delivered as a microcredit plus service by microfinance lenders. By comparing the curricula and delivery methods developed and delivered by microfinance institutions of distinct operational categories (Non-Profit Organizations, Non-Banking Financial Institutions, and Commercial Entities), a core set of common elements emerged reflecting curricular content and delivery methods derived from existing practice as well as content grounded in educational theory and appropriate instructional pedagogy. When used to inform basic business education in microfinance, realized contributions could include greater assessment potential leading to more successful lender and borrower experiences. A combined academic perspective was applied as the conceptual frame, bridging the disciplines of educational theory, business and economic development, and sociology in formation of human capital. The results of this research further the discourse regarding the provision of microcredit plus services as a crucial component of successful microfinance delivery in multiple contexts, and support the argument for the consistent inclusion of basic business education with microcredit loans. KW - Microfinance KW - development education KW - microcredit KW - microenterprise KW - microcredit plus services TI - COMMONALITIES IN BASIC BUSINESS EDUCATION DELIVERED THROUGH MICROFINANCE EP - 195 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25636 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25636/ A1 - Isaac, Jessica Ann Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - In this dissertation, I survey the children?s writing that was published in American periodicals across the mid-nineteenth century to understand how children came to develop a voice and a purpose in American public discourse. Though writing is one of the main artifacts that records children?s historical presence, the existing scholarship focuses on the way young people have received and responded to their cultures. This dissertation works to understand how children?s writing contributes to cultural change through the large-scale circulation of print. To do so, I bring forward an understudied body of material to analyze children?s presence in nineteenth-century America?s print public sphere; I integrate theoretical insights from children?s literature studies, literacy and composition studies, and childhood studies to interpret children?s writing as a historical artifact; and I combine materialist approaches from book history and the digital humanities to develop methods for reading large archives of children?s writing as well as singular examples. Ultimately, I theorize children?s collective cultural influence and rhetorical agency by showing that their writing for periodicals allowed them to shape the forms of thinking and being that undergirded American subjectivities. I work with youth writing published in periodicals between 1839 and 1882: letters authored by children and circulated in newspapers because they provided eyewitness accounts of important events, amateur newspapers printed and circulated by mostly white, mostly male youths in the 1870s, and the school newspapers printed at the Carlisle Indian Industrial school in the early 1880s. These periodicals, I argue, evince a form of creative compliance, by which I mean that they give young writers a platform for subtly refiguring dominant ideas within gestures of obedience. Because children were less powerful and had less easy access to literacy and publication in the nineteenth century, they tended to write in ways that affirmed the expectations of powerful others. However, simply because children?s writing is compliant does not mean it is not revealing or influential. I nuance the understanding of compliance and its effects by showing that children?s choices within compliance allow them to influence the transmission and reproduction of ideas, beliefs, and ways of being. KW - history of childhood; children's writing; American periodicals; history of literacy; book history; public sphere theory; adolescence; amateur newspapers; amateur journalism; archives; distant reading; children's agency TI - Compliant Circulation: Children's Writing, American Periodicals, and Public Culture, 1839-1882 EP - 195 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25446 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25446/ A1 - Jeffries, Elizabeth Paladin Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family of proteins is conserved from archaea to humans, and its members have roles in initiating DNA replication. MCM8 and MCM9 are minimally characterized members of the eukaryotic MCM family that associate with one another and both contain conserved ATP binding and hydrolysis motifs. The MCM8-9 complex participates in repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination, and MCM8 is implicated in meiotic recombination. We identified a novel alternatively spliced isoform of HsMCM9 that results in a medium length protein product (MCM9M) that eliminates a C-terminal extension of the fully spliced product (MCM9L). Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) of the relative mRNA isoform abundances across cell lines reveals MCM9L transcript is more abundant than MCM9M. The expression of both isoforms is cell cycle regulated, as they are most abundant in S-phase. Wild-type MCM9L forms DNA damage-dependent nuclear foci, while MCM9M is cytoplasmic and MCM9Cterm is diffuse throughout the nucleus. We have identified and verified a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS), and Rad51-interacting motif (BRCv) in the C-terminus of MCM9. GFP-tagged MCM9 NLS- is solely cytoplasmic, GFP-tagged MCM9 BRCv- is diffuse throughout the nucleus. A combination of SNP arrays, comparative genomic hybridization arrays, and whole-exome sequencing analyses identified homozygous pathogenic variants in MCM8 (MCM8 c.446C>G; p.P149R) and MCM9 (MCM9 c.1732.2T>C and MCM9 c.394C>T; p.R132*), all located within regions of homozygosity in women afflicted by premature ovarian failure (POF). The MCM9 c.1732.2T>C variant alters a splice donor site, resulting in abnormal alternative splicing and truncated forms of MCM9 that are unable to be recruited to sites of DNA damage. In the second family, MCM9 c.394C>T (p.R132*) results in a predicted loss of functional MCM9. Compared with fibroblasts from unaffected family members, chromosomal break repair was deficient in fibroblasts from all affected individuals, likely due to inhibited recruitment of mutated MCM8 or MCM9 to sites of DNA damage. Our cumulative results suggest that MCM8-9 have evolved to act late in both mitotic recombination pathways to aid in crossover migration and/or strand resolution. KW - DNA Replication KW - homologous recombination KW - alternative splicing KW - premature ovarian failure KW - meiosis TI - HsMCM8 and HsMCM9: Essential for Double-Strand Break Repair and Normal Ovarian Function EP - 144 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25165 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25165/ A1 - Hillman, Aubrey Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - In regions of the world with long histories of human occupation, both natural environmental change and anthropogenic activities have impacted lake sediment dynamics over several millennia. The Yunnan Plateau of southwestern China is primarily impacted by the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) whose variability controls hydrologic balance. Despite the importance of the ISM as a critical water resource, we lack continuous terrestrial records of the ISM over a wide enough spatial gradient to understand its variability over multi-decadal time scales. Yunnan also has an extensive history of settlement, agriculture, and mineral resource extraction next to lakes, creating challenges in separating the impacts of recent disturbance from earlier activities. This dissertation will 1) establish records of anthropogenic impacts to lake sediment dynamics, 2) create records of hydrologic balance from lakes to understand ISM variability over the Holocene/Pleistocene, and 3) examine the intersection between climate variability and human activity around lakes to examine societal responses to changing water availability. Utilizing a multi-proxy approach, including sedimentology and stratigraphy, stable isotopes of authigenic carbonate minerals and organic matter, and trace element geochemistry, this research characterizes the nature, timing, and magnitude of both anthropogenic disturbance and climate variability to four lakes in Yunnan: Xing Yun, Erhai, Chenghai, and Dian. Results show that prior to ~2,000 years BP, shifts in hydrologic balance are generally in phase with insolation forcing. Several abrupt drops in ISM strength are inferred over the Holocene and agree with other records of ISM variability from the Tibetan Plateau. Over the last 2,000 years, records of climatic change are overwritten by pre-industrial human activities including soil erosion, eutrophication, heavy metal pollution, and hydrologic modification. The scale of such activities is either equal or greater than modern-day impacts, suggestive of a several millenia legacy that likely contributes to contemporary environmental challenges. KW - paleoclimate KW - Indian Summer Monsoon KW - human-environment interactions KW - land use change KW - lake sediments KW - eutrophication TI - Lake Sediment Records Examining the Spatial and Temporal Connections of Human Activity and Climate Change in Southwestern China EP - 267 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25448 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25448/ A1 - HOCHMAN, NADAV Y1 - 2015/09/24/ N2 - My dissertation considers the organization of large sets of user-generated photographs across social media platforms, and delineates the ways in which time and place are mediated through their presentation and analyses. Addressing the unprecedented scale of social media visual expressions, together with their implementation, structure and presentation within specific media platforms, I examine how visual social media data is processed, structured, and presented, and theorize the consequences of these forms for the ways we culturally understand and experience contemporary visual information. Taking an integrated approach, this work offers a qualitative and quantitative analysis, and draws on methodologies from media theory, information science, software studies, art history, cultural studies, and computer science. I combine distant critical reading of larger organizational patterns and their cultural meanings (studying visual arrangement in exiting platforms, experimental computational research, and artistic works) with a close analytical reading of groups of photos, using computational and visualization tools. This twin process allows me to develop my theoretical understanding based on particular results, but also illustrates the problem that is the focus of this dissertation: how to understand new visual production scales, their organizations, and their interpretation. KW - Social media KW - social media image KW - social photography KW - visualization KW - big data KW - big visual data TI - THE SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGE: MODES OF VISUAL ORDERING ON SOCIAL MEDIA EP - 201 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25882 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25882/ A1 - Quinn, Tyler Y1 - 2015/09/23/ N2 - Active transportation is defined by any transportation modality that requires human energy to perform. While the benefits of participating in active transportation are known, and are similar to that of regular exercise, participation rates within the United States are still very low. PURPOSE: To examine the relationships of demographic and workplace factors with active transportation use and active commuting within a United States population-based sample. METHODS: The 2009 National Household Travel Survey data was used to examine 6 demographic factors (age, gender, family income, education level, race, and household geographic location) as well as 5 workplace factors (time to work, distance to work, flextime availability, option to work from home, and work start time). The demographic factors were examined across active transportation use (walking, biking, or either) and active commuting (walking, biking, or either). The workplace factors were examined across active commuters (walking, biking, or either). Unadjusted frequencies, adjusted odds ratios, and adjusted prevalences were found for each factor. RESULTS: Increased odds of active commuting were seen in those with lower age, who were males, with lower income, who lived in an urban area, and who were more highly educated. Increased odds of active transportation use were seen in those who were of lower age, had lower income, were urban dwellers, had higher education, were male bikers, and were female walkers. Odds of active commuting were increased with the availability of a flexible schedule, the option to work from home, a shorter time to work, a smaller distance to work, and a work arrival time between 11AM ? 4PM. CONCLUSION: Mostly expected demographic factor relationships were found after adjustment for the other demographic factors. All workplace factors were found to be significantly related to active commuting behavior. These relationships should be considered and leveraged in governmental policy decisions, health promotion programming, workplace wellness programming, and workplace policy to possibly increase active transportation use within the United States. KW - Active Transportation KW - Workplace Factors KW - Demographic Factors KW - NHTS TI - DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AND WORKPLACE FACTORS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION USE IN THE UNITED STATES: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF 2009 NHTS DATA EP - 74 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26111 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26111/ A1 - Altawalbeh, Shoroq Y1 - 2015/09/21/ N2 - Asthma treatment is challenging in older adults. To date, there is no evidence from research with older adults to support choosing the most appropriate add-on treatment for inadequately controlled asthma, despite using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). We retrospectively investigated the comparative effectiveness, cardiovascular (CV) safety and costs associated with ICS + leukotriene receptor antagonists (ICS+LTRA) versus ICS + long acting beta agonists (ICS+LABA) treatments. We included asthmatic Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 and older, who continuously enrolled in Fee for Service Medicare with Part D coverage, and treated with ICS+LABA or ICS+LTRA in an exclusive manner. This dissertation work was organized into two major studies. Firstly, effectiveness and CV safety outcomes were compared between the two treatments. The augmented inverse propensity weighted estimator was used to determine the effect of LABA vs. LTRA add-on therapy on asthma exacerbations requiring inpatient, emergency, or outpatient care as well as CV events, adjusting for several co-variables. Our results showed that LTRA add-on treatment was associated with increased odds of asthma-related hospitalizations/emergency department visits (OR=1.4, p<0.001), and outpatient exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids or antibiotics (OR=1.41, p<0.001) compared to LABA treatment. LTRA add-on therapy also showed lower effectiveness in controlling symptoms as indicated by greater utilization of short-acting beta agonists (RR=1.58, p<0.001). On the other hand, LTRA add-on treatment was associated with lower odds of experiencing a CV event compared to LABA (OR=0.86, p=0.006). Secondly, multivariable regression models with nonparametric bootstrapped standard errors were employed to compare all-cause and asthma-related costs between the two treatment groups. The results showed that ICS+LTRA treatment was associated with increased asthma-related costs compared to ICS+LABA. With a mean of 1.06 person-years follow up, adjusted asthma-related costs were $4,724 for ICS+LTRA group vs $2,939 for ICS+LABA group (p<0.001). Total all-cause costs were not significantly different between treatment groups ($74,369 for ICS+LABA compared with $68,944 for ICS+LTRA (p=0.219)). Together, these findings provide new evidence specific to older adults to help health care providers weigh the risks and benefits of these add-on treatments. The economic evaluation conducted in this dissertation can enhance clinical decision-making and efficient evidence-based health practice in older adults. KW - Asthma KW - Older adults KW - Cardiovascular safety KW - Effectiveness KW - Cost TI - ADDITION OF LEUKOTRIENE RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS VERSUS LONG ACTING BETA AGONISTS TO INHALED CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY FOR ASTHMA TREATMENT IN OLDER ADULTS: A RETROSPECTIVE DATA ANALYSIS OF EFFECTIVENESS, SAFETY AND COST EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25604 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25604/ A1 - Hemphill, James B Y1 - 2015/09/21/ N2 - Optical regulation using light as an external trigger was applied to the control of biological processes with high spatio-temporal resolution. Photoremovable caging groups were site-specifically incorporated onto oligonucleotides and proteins to optically regulate their function in biological environments, typically for the photochemical control of gene expression. These caging group modifications enabled both OFF ? ON and ON ? OFF optochemical switches for important chemical biology tools. Oligonucleotides containing caging group modifications were synthesized to regulate nucleic acid function with light. Specifically, photocaged triplex-forming oligonucleotides were developed to optochemically control transcription in cell culture. Light-activated antagomirs were designed for the optical inhibition of miR-21 and miR-122 function in the regulation of endogenous microRNA activity. This technology was then applied to the study of miR-22 and miR-124 function in cortical neuron migration during cerebral corticogenesis. Splice-switching oligonucleotides were engineered to optically control mRNA splicing pathways in both human cells and zebrafish. The optical control of plasmid-based gene expression was demonstrated with a caged promoter, and applied to the photochemical activation of transcription in a live animal model. The caging of oligonucleotides was also applied to DNA computation in the production of optically controlled logic gates and amplification cycles, providing spatio-temporal control over hybridization cascades to add new functionality to DNA computation modules. These studies in DNA computation led to the development of novel biosensors for logic gate-based detection of specific micro RNA signatures in live cells. In addition, proteins were optically controlled through the site-specific installation of caging groups on amino acid side chains that are essential for protein function using unnatural amino acid mutagenesis in mammalian cells with an expanded genetic code. A caged lysine analogue was incorporated into T7 RNA polymerase to photochemically regulate transcription in the development of a light-activated synthetic gene network and light-triggered RNA interference. A light-activated Cas9 endonuclease was engineered through the installation of a caged lysine analogue to optically control CRISPR/Cas9 editing of both exogenous and endogenous genes. Lastly, a system for the incorporation of unnatural amino acids in zebrafish was studied in efforts to produce the first vertebrate species with an expanded genetic code. KW - optical optochemical photochemical caged oligonucleotide protein TI - Applications of Optical Control of Oligonucleotide and Protein Function EP - 302 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26034 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26034/ A1 - Herckis, Lauren R. Y1 - 2015/09/21/ N2 - Mesoamerican archaeological research has made recent inroads toward an understanding of the cultural diversity inherent in hinterland settlements and amongst commoners. Research in other disciplines has long shone a light on the many ways in which people who imagine themselves part of the same larger community may construct their identities through varying interpretations of community characteristics. Little archaeological research has been undertaken at the intersection of these concepts: the role of the city in hinterland identity and vice versa, particularly in the ways that common people living on the fringes of urban centers and people living in the urban core of ancient cities might differentially perform identity through domestic ritual and daily practice. This research presents a case study in the elaboration of difference across commoner households in two hinterland neighborhoods associated with the ancient Maya city of Palenque, focusing particularly on the ways in which the dynamic force of human agency can shape production, exchange, and domestic ritual. A diachronic examination of domestic remains reveals a high degree of complex heterogeneity at the level of the neighborhood. Two clusters of house groups located approximately fifteen kilometers apart were situated differently in the economic, political, urban, and ritual landscapes of the Palenque polity. Commoners living in these neighborhoods both shaped and were shaped by the ritual practices and political economy of Palenque?s dynastic elites. A set of unifying political and economic trends which span the region played different roles in the lives of people living in different neighborhoods. Some distinctions between neighborhoods, such as variation in household ritual, the use of fossils and fossil-bearing materials, food processing and feasting practices, the use of imported volcanic materials, and the technostylistic choices made by potters, demonstrate ways in which people living in close proximity to one another were selective about their engagement with larger trends. Other distinctions, such as differences in chipped stone tool production, consumption, and exchange, ceramic production and exchange, and the kinds of imported resources used in hinterland households, illustrate the different roles played by inhabitants of different neighborhoods in the political economy of the Palenque polity. KW - Maya KW - domestic ritual KW - Chiapas KW - Palenque KW - household archaeology KW - obsidian exchange TI - Cultural Variation in the Maya City of Palenque EP - 219 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir21646 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/21646/ A1 - Hawk, Brandi Y1 - 2015/09/21/ N2 - Young children living in traditional institutions are at risk for many negative outcomes, especially related to social-emotional and cognitive development. The current study addressed whether two institution-wide interventions in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, that increased caregiver sensitivity (Training Only: TO) or both caregiver sensitivity and consistency (Training plus Structural Changes: T+SC) promoted better social-emotional and cognitive development than a No Intervention (NoI) institution during the first year of life for children who were placed soon after birth. It also assessed whether having spent less than 9 versus 9-36 months with a family prior to institutionalization was related to children?s subsequent social-emotional and cognitive development within these three institutions. The Battelle Developmental Inventory and Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment were used to assess the social-emotional and cognitive functioning of children in NoI (n = 95), TO (n = 104), and T+SC (n = 86) at 2-3 time points during their first 6-12 months of residency. Results suggest that during the first year of life, improving caregiver sensitivity can positively impact infants? cognitive development, whereas improving caregiver consistency in addition to sensitivity is more beneficial for social-emotional development than sensitivity alone. Family effects in T+SC supported these conclusions; longer time with a family (consistent caregiver, unknown sensitivity) was associated with better social-emotional but not cognitive baseline scores and more rapid cognitive than social-emotional development during institutionalization. Spending more than nine months with a family also seemed to prepare children for higher quality interactions with institutional caregivers, regardless of Baby Home. KW - Development KW - Institution KW - Orphan KW - Orphanage KW - Infant KW - Intervention KW - High-Risk KW - Maltreatment TI - The Effect of Pre-Institutional Family vs. No Family and Different Institutional Experiences on the Development of Residential Infants and Toddlers EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25944 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25944/ A1 - Grady, Daniel Y1 - 2015/09/18/ N2 - We generalize Massey products to differential cohomology and relate these products to trivializations of higher bundles equipped with connection. The construction presented here is analogous to the construction of matric Massey products given by Peter May, but generalized to sheaves. We also prove a theorem regarding the refinement of the singular Massey product to differential cohomology. KW - Differential Massey products KW - Differential cohomology KW - Massey products KW - Higher Massey products TI - Massey products in differential cohomology EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25452 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25452/ A1 - Gibson, Carolyn Y1 - 2015/09/18/ N2 - Background: Hot flashes and night sweats, or vasomotor symptoms (VMS), are reported by an estimated 70-80% of women during the menopausal transition. Measures of negative affect are among the strongest and most consistent correlates of all aspects of VMS experience, though the mechanisms linking these factors are unclear. The current study aimed to examine the within day and day-to-day relationships between vasomotor symptoms and negative affect, and the potential role of sleep disturbance and cortisol dysregulation in these relationships, in a sample of women in midlife. Methods: Fifty-three women (49% African American) who reported daily vasomotor symptoms were enrolled in an ambulatory study. For seven days, participants documented their mood state, VMS experience, sleep, and health behaviors multiple times a day using electronic diaries, and wore Actiwatches to capture additional data related to sleep parameters. Participants also provided morning and bedtime saliva samples for salivary cortisol collection over three days during the observed period. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine relationships between VMS, negative affect, and related factors. Results: Accounting for a number of health and demographic variables, women reported more negative affect on both the same day (?=1.46, p<.001 for VMS bother) and the day following (?=0.80, p=0.02 for night sweat severity, ?=0.61, p=0.02 for night sweat bother) a more negative experience of vasomotor symptoms. A flatter diurnal cortisol slope was related to hot flash severity (?=0.09, p=0.03) and bother (?=0.10, p<.01) as well as negative affect (?=0.68, p=0.01), and partially explained the relationship between negative affect and VMS. Sleep disturbance did not appear to play a role in linking VMS to next day negative affect. Conclusion: The subjective experience of VMS plays a key role in relationships between VMS, negative affect, and health-related factors on a daily basis. The findings of this study do not support a small role of sleep disturbance in linking night sweat severity to next day negative affect, but suggest that further research is warranted to better understand the relationship between daily VMS experience, stress physiology, and negative affect. KW - vasomotor symptoms KW - negative affect KW - menopause TI - VASOMOTOR SYMPTOMS AND NEGATIVE AFFECT: AN AMBULATORY ASSESSMENT OF MIDLIFE WOMEN EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26020 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26020/ A1 - Cunningham, Heather B. Y1 - 2015/09/17/ N2 - This ethnographic methods study examines how an international student teaching (IST) program may help to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) for culturally diverse U.S. classrooms. Participants in the study take part in month-long IST program in Mexico City, Mexico. The study explores two related questions: what PSTs say they learn about intercultural competence during an IST experience, and what PSTs report as learning opportunities in international school classrooms that are difficult to transfer into the U.S. context. Two conclusions are offered. First, study findings suggest that IST programs may develop ?cultural noticing? ability among participants. Cultural noticing is conceptualized as a foundational capacity of intercultural competence, and development of this capacity may contribute to PSTs? success in culturally diverse U.S. classrooms. Second, PSTs report that they struggle to transfer lessons learned about teaching in international classrooms into U.S. urban contexts with culturally diverse students. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed. KW - international student teaching KW - intercultural competence KW - study abroad KW - urban education KW - teacher preparation TI - Developing Intercultural Competence among Pre-Service Teachers through International Student Teaching EP - 245 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25896 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25896/ A1 - Zhang, Peng Y1 - 2015/09/17/ N2 - Micelles are simple and effective nanocarriers in formulating hydrophobic agents. However, limited drug loading capacity and intrinsic poor formulation stability of micelles represent two major issues in the bench-to-bedside translation, which are largely attributed to the insufficient carrier-drug interaction. The aim of my dissertation study is to gain more insight into the molecular basis of carrier-drug interactions, and develop effective strategies to improve the compatibility of nanomicelles with chemotherapeutic agents for more efficient in vivo delivery. Firstly, we demonstrated that introduction of additional mechanisms of carrier-drug interaction is an effective strategy to improve drug loading and stability of nanomicelles. We interfacially decorated micelle-forming PEG-lipids with Fmoc motifs that can effectively interact with drug molecules through ?-? stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions. The resulting lipid vector showed dramatically enhanced effectiveness in formulating paclitaxel (PTX) and several other agents with diverse structures. To clearly address the molecular basis of Fmoc/drug interaction, a new model was established by using a simple PEG-Fmoc conjugate without lipid chains. Interestingly, this system demonstrated a significant improvement in PTX encapsulation (36%, w/w). Our data indicated a strong Fmoc/PTX intermolecular ?-? stacking, which may play a major role in the overall carrier-drug interaction, and high effectiveness of PEG-Fmoc in delivery of PTX to tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. A further SAR study was conducted to investigate the impact of Fmoc neighboring group on the overall carrier-drug interactions. This study identified several factors that may impact the performance of micelles, which led to the discovery of Cbz as a favored neighboring group of Fmoc for effective interaction with a broad range of drugs. Based on this discovery, a nanocarrier with expanded interior volume was developed for co-delivery of multi-agents in combination chemotherapy. A dramatically enhanced anti-tumor activity over single agent therapy was achieved in both cultured cancer cells and tumor-bearing animal models. In summary, incorporation of additional mechanisms of carrier-drug interactions significantly enhanced in vitro and in vivo performance of nanomicelles. Comprehensive SAR studies of carrier-drug interactions led to the discovery of several simple and effective nanocarriers for improved delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to tumors. KW - Drug delivery; nanocarrier; micelle; chemotherapy; carrier-drug interaction; Fmoc TI - RATIONAL DESIGN OF NANOCARRIERS WITH ENHANCED CARRIER-DRUG INTERACTION FOR IMPROVED CANCER THERAPY EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25230 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25230/ A1 - Flanagan, Kevin M. Y1 - 2015/09/15/ N2 - This dissertation argues that discussions of war representation that privilege the nationalistic, heroic, and redemptively sacrificial strand of storytelling that dominate popular memory in Britain ignore a whole counter-history of movies that view war as an occasion to critique through devices like humor, irony, and existential alienation. Instead of selling audiences on what Graham Dawson has called ?the pleasure culture of war? (a nationally self-serving mode of talking about and profiting from war memory), many texts about war are motivated by other intellectual and ideological factors. Each chapter includes historical context and periodizing arguments about different moments in British cultural history, explores genre trends, and ends with a comparative analysis of representative examples. Chapter One traces competing representational modes between 1939 and 1945, arguing that films about war and wartime during this period trouble the traditional binarism in British film historiography between realism and fantasy. Chapter Two looks at historical intersections of comedy and war, arguing that the embrace of irony as a argumentative position allows war comedies to engage with the idea of failure, a notion all but missing from dominant strands of war representation. Chapter Three describes a post-1956 brand of war tragedy that embraces cynicism, tonal bleakness, and the cultural vogue for existentialism as another affront to triumphalist war narratives. Chapter Four shifts from bigger conceptual categories to a specific, historically embedded interest in technology and strategy that intensifies after 1945. This chapter argues that many films turn away from war as historically grounded fact, and towards a conception of war that is overtly simulated and virtual. Chapter Five examines the representational challenge of the nuclear bomb for British cinema, arguing that beyond similarities to international trends that align these weapons with panic and horror, the specter of atomic energy encapsulates a larger geopolitical visioning of the nation?s loss of control. A Conclusion examines the reception of many of the films analyzed and acknowledges the influence and legacy of these alternative approaches to war. KW - British cinema KW - war film KW - genre KW - cultural studies TI - The British War Film, 1939-1980: Culture, History, and Genre EP - 385 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25356 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25356/ A1 - Finkenbinder, Matthew Y1 - 2015/09/15/ N2 - High-latitude regions are particularly sensitive to climate change through positive feedbacks linked with cryospheric processes and further exert a significant influence on the global climate system. Long term records of natural climate variability are essential to give context to potential future climatic scenarios and to put them into perspective. Sediments from Harding Lake in the interior and Burial Lake in northwest Alaska were used to reconstruct lake-levels and paleoenvironmental conditions spanning the Last Glacial Maximum using a detailed analysis of core sedimentology and a multiproxy geochemical approach. Relatively high lake-levels during late Marine Isotope Stage 3 are followed by extremely arid and windy conditions evinced from very low lake-levels during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Ameliorating climate conditions and rising lake-levels commence by 19,600 cal yr BP at Burial Lake and by 15,700 cal yr BP at Harding Lake. Holocene hydroclimate conditions are broadly characterized by high and stable lake-levels along with variable levels of terrestrial and aquatic productivity. Major climatic transitions in Alaska coincide with changes in summer insolation, Laurentide Ice Sheet extent, eustatic sea level, and related changes in paleogeography. Millennial variations in aquatic productivity at Burial Lake occur over the last 10,000 cal yr BP, which are related to changes in the duration of the ice-free season and the availability of limiting nutrients. Productivity variations coincide with changes in the mean-state Arctic Oscillation on millennial time scales, suggesting the millennial variations are driven by an internal forcing mechanism related to an ocean-atmosphere interaction. Sediments from Cheeseman Lake in Newfoundland were used to reconstruct hydroclimate variability using the oxygen isotopic composition of authigenic carbonates (?18O). Increasing ?18O values from 10,200 to 7,950 cal yr BP reflect warming temperatures that are superimposed by abrupt negative ?18O shifts at 9,700 and 8,500 cal yr BP from short lived cooling events. Decreasing ?18O values after 7,950 to 1,200 cal yr BP indicate a cooling trend consistent with declining insolation, cooling surface temperatures, and a cooling trend inferred from Greenland ice cores. The results highlight the sensitivity of Newfoundland climate to ocean-atmosphere interactions on century to orbital time scales. KW - lake sediment geochemistry KW - Alaska KW - Newfoundland KW - paleolimnology KW - climate change KW - late Quaternary TI - LAKE SEDIMENT RECORDS OF LATE QUATERNARY PALEOCLIMATE CHANGE FROM ALASKA AND NEWFOUNDLAND DEVELOPED USING SEDIMENTOLOGY AND GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES EP - 249 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25901 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25901/ A1 - Garrido Escobar, Francisco Javier Y1 - 2015/09/15/ N2 - Traditionally, treatments of the Inca Empire have sought to document its deep economic and political impact on local populations in the Andes. There has been less study of how subject groups might have independently negotiated opportunistic economic responses to the Inca Empire. This research explores this issue through the investigation of the relationship between the Inca Road and a recently discovered, non-Inca system of mining camps, isolated deep in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. Study of the development of these camps, and of their relationship with the Road aimed at addressing whether the Atacama Inca Road, served as a linear exchange nexus, or only as a highway servicing Inca imperial needs. To address this objective, I conducted a one-year project of survey, surface collection, and excavation to investigate: (1) the social organization and chaîne opératoire of turquoise and malachite beads, and red pigment production at the Cachiyuyo de Llampos Mountain camps; and (2) the nature of settlement and associated artifact assemblages along a nearby section of the Inca Road. In contrast to Inca state-ruled mining sites from the Inca epoch, these Chilean camps lacked Inca architecture and production patterns, presenting instead a pattern of artisan household mining and craft production of copper ore beads, iron oxide red pigment, and the crafting of items with distantly acquired raw materials. This craft production predated the Inca, and was not greatly altered following Inca conquest. However, occupation and production did intensify following Inca conquest, as the Road became a logistical resource for the camps, facilitating provisioning and exchange. Local miners and artisans worked full time in the desert, far from agricultural areas; the Inca Road became their main connection for the acquisition and movement of goods, independent of the Inca Empire?s imperial purposes. The data generated on domestic and craft activities, and on local and long distance exchange, contributes to our understanding of the use of the Inca Road and to how populations respond to imperial infrastructure. KW - Inca Road KW - Prehistoric mining KW - Atacama desert KW - Household Archaeology KW - Inca Empire TI - MINING AND THE INCA ROAD IN THE PREHISTORIC ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE EP - 343 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir10881 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/10881/ A1 - Fairbairn, Catharine Y1 - 2015/09/15/ N2 - Through decades of research scientists have found personality traits such as extraversion and sensation-seeking to represent robust risk factors for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Results of survey studies suggest that extraverted individuals gain greater mood enhancement from consuming alcohol than introverted individuals. However, alcohol administration studies to date have not found evidence of alcohol reward-sensitivity among extraverts. Of note, prior alcohol administration studies have examined these (highly social) individuals consuming alcohol alone. In the present study I examined whether extraverted individuals gained greater reward from consuming alcohol in a laboratory-based social drinking paradigm and, further, whether social processes explained alcohol reward sensitivity among extraverts. Social drinkers (n = 720) consumed a moderate dose of alcohol, placebo, or control beverage in groups of three over the course of 36 minutes. Their social interaction was video-recorded, and Duchenne smiling was coded using the Facial Action Coding System. Results suggested that extraverted individuals gained significantly more self-reported mood enhancement from alcohol than introverts. Further, findings of moderated mediation analyses indicated that social processes accounted for alcohol reward-sensitivity among extraverts. Alcohol significantly increased duration of smiles that were shared between group members (simultaneous smiles), and the association between simultaneous smiles and self-reported reward was strongest among extraverts. There was a non-significant trend (p <.10) suggesting sensation seeking moderated the impact of alcohol, but the processes underlying alcohol reward did not differ according to sensation-seeking. Findings point to the importance of considering social processes in the study of individuals vulnerable to alcohol problems and further offer new directions for alcohol research that combines the study of individual differences with the study of mechanism. KW - alcohol KW - personality KW - social interaction TI - PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES IN SUBJECTIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL: A DYNAMIC EXAMINATION OF THE PATHWAYS EXPLAINING ALCOHOL-RELATED REWARD EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26021 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26021/ A1 - Pfister, Lindsay L Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - Over the last century, the service industry became the greatest provider of jobs in the United States. A key part of service professions are the interactions between employees and customers. During these interactions, employees are likely to express emotions (Rafaeli and Sutton, 1987). In 1983, Hochschild (1983/2012) researched these interactions and developed the theory of emotional labor. Understanding the importance of employee and customer interactions, research of the theory in the retail and hospitality industries developed. The same is beginning to occur in the field of K-12 education. Schools now compete for students making customer service an important aspect of daily operations (Cucchiara, Gold, & Simon, 2011). Interactions between school employees, students, and parents affect retention and recruitment causing the need to provide employees with guidance to ensure positive interactions. Display rules are an operational part of emotional labor, which guide emotional expressions by employees. While emotional display rules offer employees guidelines to do their jobs successfully (Diefendorff & Gosserand, 2003), existing research of K-12 teachers and administrators shows display rules are implied not explicit. The creation of display rules is the responsibility of the organization (Rafaeli and Sutton, 1987), but as of this time, there is no known research of emotional display rules from the perspective of the K-12 organization. This research began to address this by conducting a survey of the Pennsylvania Association of School Personnel Administrators membership, which explored the extent to which K-12 public school organizations in Pennsylvania provide and communicate emotional display rules to secretaries (administrative assistants), teachers, custodians, and cafeteria workers. The overall findings indicate Pennsylvania K-12 public school organizations provide emotional display rules rarely to often depending upon employee group. The display rules were more likely to exist for expressions of concern and calmness than for anger and frustration. In addition, the personnel administrators identified individual conversations as the most commonly used method to communicate display rules across employee groups. The findings provide implications for practice and future research for the employee groups individually and collectively. KW - Emotional Labor KW - Emotional Display Rules KW - K-12 Public School Organizations TI - Emotional Display Rules For Clerical Workers, Teachers, Custodians, And Cafeteria Workers In Pennsylvania K-12 Public School Organizations EP - 173 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25573 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25573/ A1 - Dermody, Sarah Siodmok Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - Product standards reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes could improve public health by reducing smoking behavior and toxicant exposure. However, relatively little is known about how the regulatory strategy could impact alcohol use. The primary objective of this project was to examine the effect of smoking cigarettes with varying nicotine levels on alcohol outcomes. Furthermore, the processes underlying the effect of smoking very low nicotine content (VLNC) cigarettes on alcohol outcomes were examined, including the role of nicotine exposure per se, as well as the indirect effects of cigarettes and withdrawal. In a double-blind, randomized clinical trial, non-treatment seeking daily smokers (N = 840) were randomly assigned to smoke cigarettes for 6 weeks of varying nicotine content. This investigation focused on current drinkers (n = 476). The nicotine contents examined corresponded with a normal nicotine content (NNC) control condition (15.8 mg/g), a moderate nicotine content condition (5.2 mg/g), and several VLNC cigarette conditions (0.4 mg/g to 2.4 mg/g). Using latent growth curve models, each reduced nicotine content condition was compared to the NNC control condition with respect to the trajectories of average daily alcohol use and occurrence of binge drinking. Several moderating variables of these effects were also explored (i.e., gender, drinking to cope motives, baseline drinking level, history of problem drinking, nicotine dependence level). Furthermore, using mediation analyses, processes that may explain the effect of VLNC cigarettes on alcohol outcomes were investigated, including changes in nicotine exposure, smoking behavior, and withdrawal. Reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes appeared to reduce alcohol use and binge drinking, particularly among less nicotine dependent smokers. The reduction in alcohol use appeared to be driven by a combination of interrelated processes, notably nicotine exposure and smoking rate. An important subgroup, however, that warrants further study is highly nicotine dependent individuals, who tended to increase their drinking in response to nicotine reduction. Regulatory strategies reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes may also impact health behaviors that are closely related to smoking, like alcohol use and binge drinking. It is necessary to broadly define the public health impact to include unintended health consequences on non-smoking behaviors. KW - nicotine reduction KW - smoking KW - alcohol use KW - tobacco control KW - very low nicotine content cigarettes KW - binge drinking TI - The Impact of Smoking Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes on Alcohol Use EP - 133 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25830 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25830/ A1 - de St. Maurice, Gregory Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - Farmers, chefs, government officials, and consumers in Kyoto, Japan have worked to protect their gastronomic heritage and promote the local food industry using place brands that allow them to engage with outside actors and resources, resulting in a comparatively open and inclusive localism. Stakeholders in Kyoto?s agricultural and food sector have sought to minimize the negative impacts of globalization not by trying to close their borders or enact rules that strictly define and demarcate Kyoto?s food culture as separate, pure, and resistant to change but rather by allowing for the development of multiple place brands that can help better position Kyoto?s agriculture and food industry on the global stage. Kyoto?s place brands tend toward inclusiveness and fluidity, enabling overlapping and nested place brands to co-exist and supporting the incorporation of objects, ideas, and people from outside of Kyoto. At scales that vary from neighborhoods to the entire prefecture, these brands draw on Kyoto?s appeal as Japan?s ?ancient imperial capital,? a trope that has helped make Kyoto one of Japan?s most powerful place brands according to recent consumer surveys. This research pays particular attention to place brands for three different products: heirloom vegetables, green tea, and local cuisine. In this dissertation, I analyze data obtained from fieldwork conducted in Kyoto in 2012-3, including semi-structured and informal interviews and participant observation at events centered on Kyoto?s food culture, from farmers? markets and culinary research meetings to annual events like the prefectural and national agricultural fairs for tea. I also utilize discourse analysis of government documents, marketing materials, and various media. By demonstrating how people treat place as a brand and analyzing the repercussions this has, this research adds a new dimension to the theoretical literature on place. It also provides an ethnographic case study about boundary maintenance to the literature on branding and place brands. Kyoto?s example also holds lessons for local economies seeking to strategically position themselves in the face of new challenges, demonstrating the power of place brands as well as the insight that openness and flexibility can serve to protect and revivify local industry and tradition. KW - Kyoto KW - Japan KW - food studies KW - anthropology KW - globalization KW - sensory ethnography. TI - The Kyoto Brand: Protecting Agricultural and Culinary Heritage EP - 291 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25800 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25800/ A1 - Dillard, Maria K Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - This study was developed in order to arrive at a set of interrelated concepts and empirical ways of measuring social-ecological resilience that are concretely applicable for policy, as well as for developing intervening programs for social change. The outcome of this research is a set of empirical indicators to measure the concept of social-ecological resilience. The measurement model is developed and applied to U.S. Caribbean and Pacific small island communities and U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal counties (n=229), but is intended to be applicable across different types of communities with minor adjustments for the specific context. The first phase of this research resulted in a conceptual framework for the social ecological system and the property of resilience. Next, multiple methodological approaches to indicator construction were applied and directly compared. An iterative methodology was selected and applied to arrive at seven composite indicators of social-ecological resilience: Land cover and use, Waste accumulation and treatment, Housing adequacy, Economic security, Access to support services, Education, and Population diversity. Upon construction, the indicators were applied with two distinct samples of communities. Finally, the indicators were used to construct a community typology to account for the different strengths and weaknesses of small island and coastal communities as assessed by the indicators of social-ecological resilience. Communities with high scores on social dimensions of resilience have a greater likelihood of having low scores on ecological dimensions. This finding adds evidence to the notion that social and ecological systems are oppositional, but also provides a counterpoint ? there are communities that manage to score well in both areas. While societal development and ecological condition may operate with a firm tension, communities are navigating the tension and finding ways to successfully maintain characteristics of resilience. This research is a necessary first step to investigating how some communities are able to balance their social-ecological system while others are not. Ultimately, the measurement of resilience can provide communities of island and coastal states with a way of evaluating their ability to implement, adapt, and/or support policies for change. KW - social-ecological system KW - resilience KW - community KW - island KW - county KW - coastal KW - Small island developing states KW - social-ecological resilience KW - measurement KW - indicators KW - vulnerability KW - adaptive capacity KW - policy KW - planning KW - environment KW - social system KW - ecosystem TI - Measuring the Social-Ecological Resilience of Coastal and Small Island Communities to Inform Policy, Planning, and Practice EP - 269 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25777 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25777/ A1 - Cunningham, Timothy F. Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - Protein spin labeling at helical and loop sites that yields the nitroxide based R1 side chain is a powerful method to measure protein dynamics and structure by electron spin resonance (ESR). This thesis addresses the lack of foundational work of R1 in ?-sheets that has extremely limited the use of R1 in this secondary structure environment. This work provides the first essential steps for understanding R1 rotameric preferences in ?-sheets through the use of various ESR experiments, X-ray crystallography, and molecular modeling. The results presented here indicate that R1 at internal ?-strand sites display rotameric preferences previously not observed and extracting backbone dynamics information by current methods is not straight forward. Two distinct edge sites were also explored, again showing rotameric preferences unique to each site. This work highlights the need for new models that appropriately account for R1 motion in the highly complex and diverse ?-sheet environment. The second focus of this thesis is to develop strategies to site specifically incorporate Cu2+ ions into proteins as spin labels. Presented here is the first use of two Cu2+ chelating tags for use in ESR distance measurements. The results show that a cyclen based tag yields distance distributions comparable to that of R1 indicating that the tag is a reasonable alternative for R1. Additionally, given R1 instability in cells, the Cu2+ tag is likely well suited for in cell measurements. The most severe limitation of the R1 label is its flexibility. We introduce a labeling procedure to site specifically incorporate Cu2+ ions. Notably, the labeling is achieved by exploiting naturally occurring amino acids and does not require post-expression synthetic modification. The Cu2+ motion is significantly restricted by coordination and therefore the resultant distances are remarkably precise with distance distributions widths that are five times more narrow when compared to R1. This development constitutes a decisive improvement in labeling methodology that is not only simple, but also capable of providing unambiguous, highly relevant, protein structural constraints. KW - Electron Spin Resonance KW - Protein Spin Labeling TI - Spin Labeling Methodologies for Measuring Precise Protein Distance Constraints EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25747 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25747/ A1 - Deible, Michael Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - With the development of peta-scale computers and exa-scale only a few years away, the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method, with favorable scaling and inherent parrallelizability, is poised to increase its impact on the electronic structure community. The most widely used variation of QMC is the diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) method. The accuracy of the DMC method is only limited by the trial wave function that it employs. The effect of the trial wave function is studied here by initially developing correlation-consistent Gaussian basis sets for use in DMC calculations. These basis sets give a low variance in variance Monte Carlo calculations and improved convergence in DMC. The orbital type used in the trial wave function is then investigated, and it is shown that Brueckner orbitals result in a DMC energy comparable to a DMC energy with orbitals from density functional theory and significantly lower than orbitals from Hartree-Fock theory. Three large weakly interacting systems are then studied; a water-16 isomer, a methane clathrate, and a carbon dioxide clathrate. The DMC method is seen to be in good agreement with MP2 calculations and provides reliable benchmarks. Several strongly correlated systems are then studied. An H4 model system that allows for a fine tuning of the multi-configurational character of the wave function shows when the accuracy of the DMC method with a single Slater-determinant trial function begins to deviate from multi-reference benchmarks. The weakly interacting face-to-face ethylene dimer is studied with and without a rotation around the ? bond, which is used to increase the multi-configurational nature of the wave function. This test shows that the effect of a multi-configurational wave function in weakly interacting systems causes DMC with a single Slater-determinant to be unable to achieve sub-chemical accuracy. The beryllium dimer is studied, and it is shown that a very large determinant expansion is required for DMC to predict a binding energy that is in close agreement with experiment. Finally, water interacting with increasingly large acenes is studied, as is the benzene and anthracene dimer. Deviations from benchmarks are discussed. KW - Quantum Monte Carlo TI - Theory and Applications of Quantum Monte Carlo EP - 171 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25741 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25741/ A1 - Dunbar, Michael S. Y1 - 2015/09/14/ N2 - Background: Daily smokers are thought to strive to maintain blood nicotine levels above a certain threshold. Workplace smoking bans pose a substantial barrier to nicotine maintenance. Individuals may compensate for time spent in smoking-restricted environments by smoking more before (?anticipatory?) or after work (?make-up? compensation), but this has not been quantitatively examined. Methods: 124 smokers documented smoking occasions over 3 weeks using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and provided information on nicotine dependence and stringency of workplace smoking policy (full, partial, or no bans). Hierarchical linear modeling examined effects of workplace policy, time of day block, and weekday vs weekend on mean cigarettes per hour (CPH) and simulated nicotine levels based upon EMA smoking data. Nicotine levels were assessed relative to two subject-specific standards of comparison: 1) ?optimal maintenance,? levels achieved through evenly-spaced smoking (?EvenNL); and 2) ?preferred? nicotine levels achieved at comparable times on weekends (%WeekendNL). Moderating effects of dependence, nicotine clearance rate, and home smoking restrictions were examined. Results: Individuals were most likely to change locations to smoke during work hours, regardless of work policy, and frequency of EMA reports of restrictions at work was associated with increased likelihood of changing locations to smoke (OR=1.14, 95% CI 1.08 ? 1.21; p=0.0002). Workplace smoking policy, time block, and weekday/weekend interacted to predict CPH (p<0.01), and %WeekendNL (policy*time on weekdays, p<0.05), such that individuals with partial work bans ?but not those with full bans - smoked more and had higher nicotine levels at Night (9 pm ? bed) on weekdays compared to weekends. There was little evidence for interference with nicotine maintenance, although individuals with full or partial bans demonstrated more frequent low-nicotine (<50%WeekendNL) ?trough? events (p=0.04). Conclusion: Smokers may largely compensate for exposure to workplace smoking bans by escaping restrictions. However, full bans may suppress smoking even after they are lifted, perhaps by extinguishing stimulus associations or denormalization of smoking, whereas partial bans may not have these effects. This may suggest a stronger role for contextual factors in driving temporal variations in smoking. There was little evidence of true compensatory smoking to maintain nicotine levels in the face of smoking restrictions. KW - Cigarettes KW - Smoking KW - Smoking Bans KW - Tobacco Control Policy TI - Workplace Smoking Bans and Daily Smoking Patterns: Implications for Nicotine Maintenance and Determinants of Smoking in Restricted Environments EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25730 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25730/ A1 - Parbat, Sarwesh N Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - In the present study four novel surface features have been investigated to study the effects on the heat transfer performance in a narrow rectangular jet impingement channel with channel height?to-jet diameter ratio H/D = 2. The features studied are non-spherical dimples on target plate, chevron elements extending the full channel height, 90o ribs and 45o wedges on the jet issuing plate. The transient liquid crystal technique was used to measure the heat transfer coefficient on the impingement plate at four different Reynolds numbers ranging from 61,000 to 97,000. The experimental results were compared to the numerical results obtained through steady state CFD analysis performed using a commercially available software, ANSYS CFX 14.0. The numerical results qualitatively agreed with the heat transfer distribution obtained through experiments, however, the SST turbulence model overpredicted the heat transfer coefficients. It was observed that the configuration with 45o wedges on the jet issuing plate has the highest heat transfer enhancement among all tested configurations. The dimples and the chevrons offered some restriction to the spreading of the impinging jets which prevented these features from providing expected enhancement. However, each dimple had a high local heat transfer in spanwise averaged heat transfer at the edges. The full height chevron elements did not improve the total averaged heat transfer but the deflection of the jets due to crossflow was minimized. In case of the configurations with 45o wedges and 90o ribs installed on the jet issuing plates, heat transfer enhancement was observed in the downstream side of the last jet. This was because of improved convection caused by diversion of the crossflow towards the target plate. KW - Jet Impingement KW - Crossflow KW - Heat Transfer KW - Gas Turbine Airfoils. TI - Advanced Impingement Cooling with Novel Surface Features EP - 61 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25447 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25447/ A1 - Chen, Xiaotian Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - In this dissertation there are two overarching objectives to address the challenges in analyzing data from the Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians (BDCP) study. First, we aim to close a methodological gap in analyzing durations of successive events that are subject to induced dependent censoring as well as competing-risk censoring. In the BDCP study, some patients who managed to recover from their symptomatic entry later developed a new depressive or manic episode. It is of clinical interest to quantify the association between time to recovery and time to recurrence in patients with bipolar disorder. The estimation of the bivariate distribution of the gap times with independent censoring has been well studied. However, the existing methods cannot be applied to failure times censored by competing causes. Bivariate cumulative incidence function (CIF) has been used to describe the joint distribution of parallel event times that involve multiple causes. However, there is no method available for successive events with competing-risk censoring. Therefore, we extend the bivariate CIF to successive events data, and propose nonparametric estimators. Moreover, an odds ratio measure is proposed to describe the cause-specific dependence, leading to the development of a formal test for independence of successive events. The method is evaluated through simulations and also applied to the real dataset. Next, motivated by another subgroup of subjects in the BDCP study who entered the study in a euthymic state, we investigate the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) approach for a competing-risk censored outcome, when the diagnostic marker of interest, number of previous episodes, can be treated as censored observations. We propose two methods to estimate the discrimination measures such as sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and the Area Under the Curve (AUC). We also develop cause-specific tests to compare two markers' discriminatory abilities in separating those subjects who will experience the cause-specific event by some time point from those who will not. The proposed estimators and tests have satisfactory performance in simulation studies. We also illustrate these methods through the analysis of the BDCP subsample. KW - Bipolar disorder; Competing risks; Cumulative incidence function; Inverse probability weighting; Odds ratio; Successive events; AUC; Discrimination; ROC TI - Association Analysis of Successive Events and Diagnostic Accuracy Analysis for Competing Risks Data EP - 68 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25799 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25799/ A1 - Huang, Shimeng Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Voltage source converter based multi-terminal DC (VSC-MTDC) system has raised great interest in academia and power industry. The maturing VSC technology has made such system possible for future medium and high voltage applications. Inspired by the success of DC based power distribution on electric ships, a number of VSC-MTDC systems have been proposed in literature for power grid innovation. However, there are still major technology obstacles to overcome before a VSC-MTDC grid come to utilization. Compared to the maturing technology on device level, research is still needed on the system and operation level. High dynamics and controllability of the VSC brings both opportunity and risks. Controllers must be carefully designed on grid level to fulfill multiple control objectives and coordinate local converter actions. This work provides a comprehensive solution for MTDC system from modeling to control design. The procedure and tool sets are designed to be applied to various system setups and control schemes, so that it can be applied to multiple MTDC applications. First, thorough study on the VSC-MTDC system is conducted through analytical modeling and simulation. A systematic modeling method for general VSC-MTDC system is proposed. It contains a two-stage procedure that is generalizable to arbitrary system setup and configuration. A small signal state space representation which includes local and network dynamics can be obtained. A novel reconfigurable controller concept is then proposed to address multiple control strategies and communication constraints in system level. Design of such controller is formulated into a standard LMI optimization problem so it can be efficiently solved even for large scale system. Using the proposed control design method, different control schemes can be easily explored through unified methodology and procedure. We demonstrated that existing control schemes for MTDC power balancing can be covered by this control structure. The proposed modeling and control design method is applied to four-terminal HVDC systems of multiple grid applications. Different control topologies and operation modes are evaluated and compared. Practical aspects such as LMI parameter tuning guideline and specifications for different applications are discussed. KW - multi-terminal DC KW - voltage source converter KW - power systems KW - control KW - linear matrix inequality KW - state feedback control TI - Coordinated Control of VSC Based Multi-Terminal DC (VSC-MTDC) Power Grid EP - 105 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25755 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25755/ A1 - Whiston, Michael M. Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Hybrid solid oxide fuel cell microturbine (SOFC-MT) systems present opportunities for improvement over conventional systems, including high electric efficiency, cogeneration, and the potential for low carbon emissions. Hybrid systems require stringent control, however, and competing systems (including non-hybrid SOFC systems) currently generate power reliably and efficiently. In order to advance toward commercialization, hybrid systems need to adopt a control strategy that maintains safe and efficient operation, while also exhibiting favorable exergetic and economic performance. The present work investigates the SOFC stack's dynamic response to step changes in control variables, as well as the hybrid and non-hybrid systems' energetic, exergetic, economic, and environmental performances. The numerical, 1-D, SOFC stack model developed herein allows for simulations on multiple timescales. An equivalent circuit combines the fuel cell's irreversiblities with the charge double layer. The hybrid and non-hybrid models integrate the SOFC stack model with the balance-of-plant component models, evaluating the energy and exergy flows through each component. Finally, the techno-economic model calculates the hybrid and non-hybrid systems' levelized costs of electricity (LCOEs). Manipulating the current density is found to be the most effective way to control the fuel cell stack's power, giving rise to instantaneous power changes without restricting the fuel cell stack's fuel utilization. The charge double layer negligibly influences the fuel cell stack's behavior during normal operation, even during proportional-integral control. During baseload operation, the hybrid system model exhibits an LCOE of 8.7 cents/kWh, and the non-hybrid system exhibits an LCOE of 11.9 cents/kWh. The hybrid system also operates at higher electric and exergetic efficiencies (58% (HHV) and 64%, respectively) than the non-hybrid system (44% (HHV) and 51%, respectively). The non-hybrid system cogenerates greater thermal energy than the hybrid system, however, yielding a fuel cost that is on par with that of the hybrid system. Both systems meet the EPA's proposed carbon pollution standard for new combustion turbines of 0.50 kg CO2/kWh. Hybrid systems demonstrate the potential to save fuel and money. Continued development of these systems, particularly focused on improving the system's dynamic behavior and minimizing cost, is warranted. Investment in hybrid systems will likely become viable in the future. KW - charge double layer KW - dynamic response KW - gas turbine KW - techno-economic KW - exergy KW - environment TI - Development and Analysis of a Hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Microturbine System EP - 183 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25273 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25273/ A1 - LI, ZICHANG Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Gases can migrate into the cemented annulus of a wellbore during early gelation when hydrostatic pressure within the cement slurry declines. Different means to describe hydrostatic pressure reduction have been proposed and reported in the literature. Among them, static gel strength (SGS) is the most-widely accepted concept in describing the strength development of hydrating cement. The classic shear stress theory proposed by Sabins et al. (1982) employs SGS to quantify the hydrostatic pressure reduction. API Standard 65-2 provides a standard for determining the transition time using the concept of SGS. Current industry practice is to reduce the transition time, thereby lowering the potential for invading gas introducing migration pathways in the cemented annulus. This approach, while certainly helpful in reducing the risk of gas migration, does not eliminate its occurrence. A better means to characterize cement matrix strength using fundamental concepts for replacing SGS is desired. In this study, an enhanced wellbore simulation chamber (WSC) is developed to simulate hydrostatic pressure reduction in the cemented annulus and possible gas invasion under representative borehole conditions. In addition to the device itself, specific casting and testing protocols have been developed, which detail the procedures required for proper operation of the apparatus. The WSC makes adjustments to the existing cement hydration analyzers by providing representative wellbore conditions, which accounts for rock formation, real-scale wellbore section, and varying overburden pressure. The results from the simulations ran using the WSC are quite revealing. The wellbore cross-sections from the WSC simulations show the porous cement that resulted in localized regions from pressurized fluids as well as gas channeling during cement gelation. The effects of different factors on hydrostatic pressure reduction are also investigated, including: formation permeability, initial overburden pressure, wellbore temperature, water-cement ratio, cement composition, and CaCl2-based accelerator. Experimental results verify that shortening transition time cannot change the occurrence of gas migration, as the microstructural development for the same slurry may be identical although the hydration occurs at different rate. The introduction of fundamental concepts in analysis provides the opportunity to parameterize slurry designs and other important factors associated with wellbore conditions. KW - gas migration KW - oil well cement KW - apparatus development KW - degree of hydration KW - hydrostatic pressure KW - static gel strength KW - transition time TI - Development of Wellbore Simulator for Better Understanding Oil Well Cement Behavior and Gas Migration during Early Gelation EP - 223 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25750 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25750/ A1 - Allen, Robert A. Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Clinically used prosthetic vascular grafts fail frequently from thrombosis and anastomotic stenosis in small diameter applications. A bio-inductive vascular graft could improve performance by remodeling into an artery-like tissue after implantation, thereby approaching the mechanical and physiological function of healthy arteries. We hypothesized that a bio-inductive vascular graft must remodel rapidly to promote neoartery formation rather than a classical foreign body response. To test this hypothesis, we developed vascular grafts made from microporous foams of a fast-resorbing elastomer composited with a slower-resorbing polymer sheath for mechanical support. Composite grafts performed well (80% patency) as infrarenal abdominal aorta interposition grafts in rats, and within 90 days remodeled into neoarteries which approached native arteries in mechanical compliance and tissue architecture. Following this encouraging proof-of-concept, the objective of this dissertation is to assess the potential of our vascular graft design to translate toward clinical application. To assess translational potential, we first assessed the long-term performance of the microporous foam composite design in rats at 1-year post-implantation. We found that the resultant neoarteries maintained 80% patency, contained the same amount of mature elastin as native arteries, and possessed nerves resembling native perivascular nerves. To improve clinical feasibility of the design, we next sought to improve graft surgical handling and simplify the fabrication process, which we achieved by developing a novel technique to fabricate grafts from electrospun PGS microfibers. We then implanted electrospun microfiber grafts in a mouse model to assess whether they retained the favorable long-term performance observed in microporous PGS foam grafts. Electrospun grafts achieved 100% patency up to 1 year post-implant, but all grafts dilated within that time. Remodeled electrospun grafts retained polymer residues at 1 year, thereby demonstrating slower resorption than the original foam design, likely due to reduced pore size. An elastin-rich neotissue containing contractile smooth muscle cells developed on the luminal surface of the graft within 3 months, but macrophages persisted at 1 year, and calcification occurred in all neoarteries at late term. Taken together, these results suggest that a PGS-based vascular graft can achieve excellent long-term performance, but efforts to improve translational potential must preserve fast in-host remodeling. KW - Bio-Inductive Vascular Graft KW - Endogenous Tissue Regeneration KW - Biomaterials KW - Biocompatibility KW - Foreign Body Reaction KW - Resorbable Vascular Graft KW - Vascular Graft KW - Poly(glycerol) Sebacate KW - PGS KW - Poly(caprolactone) KW - Polycaprolactone KW - PCL KW - electrospinning KW - scaffold KW - solvent casting particulate leaching KW - SCPL KW - Tissue Engineering KW - Vascular Tissue Engineering KW - Polymer KW - Elastomer TI - Development of a Bio-Inductive Vascular Graft by Compositing a Fast-Resorbing Elastomer with a Slow-Resorbing Polymer EP - 185 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25298 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25298/ A1 - Abolghasem, Sepideh Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Engineering surface structures especially at the nanometer length-scales can enable fundamentally new multifunctional property combinations, including tunable physical, mechanical, electrochemical and biological responses. Emerging manufacturing paradigms involving Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD), for manipulating final microstructure of the surfaces are unfortunately limited by poorly elucidated process-structure-performance linkages, which are characterized by three central variables of plasticity: strain, strain-rate and temperature that determine the resulting Ultrafine Grained (UFG) microstructure. The challenge of UFG surface engineering, design and manufacturing can be overcome if and only if the mappings between the central variables and the final microstructure are delineated. The objective of the proposed document is to first envision a phase-space, whose axes are parameterized in terms of the central variables of SPD. Then, each point can correspond to a unique microstructure, characterized by its location on this map. If the parametrization and the population of the datasets are accurately defined, then the mapping is bijective where: i) realizing microstructure designs can be reduced to simply one of tuning process parameters falling within the map\textsc{\char13}s desired subspaces. And, inversely, ii) microstructure prediction is directly possible by merely relating the measured/calculated thermomechanics at each point in the deformation zone to the corresponding spot on the maps. However, the analytic approach to establish this map first requires extensive datasets, where the microstructures are accurately measured for a known set of strain, strain-rate and temperature of applied SPD. Although such datasets do not exist, even after the empirical data is accumulated, there is a lack of formalized statistical outlines in relating microstructural characteristic to the process parameters in order to build the mapping framework. Addressing these gaps has led to this research effort, where Large Strain Machining (LSM) is presented as a controlled test of microstructure response. Sample conditions are created using LSM in Face Centered Cubic (FCC) metals, while characterizing the deformation using Digital Image Correlation(DIC) and Infrared(IR) thermography. Microstructural consequences such as grain size, subgrain size and grain boundary responses resulting from the characterized thermomechanical conditions are examined using Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD). Once empirical data is generated across the broad thermomechanical conditions, reliable microstructure maps are populated. This characterization can help understand surface microstructures resulting from shear-based manufacturing processes such as turning, milling, shaping, etc. that are created under analogous thermomechanical conditions. KW - microstructure characterization KW - ultrafine grain microstructure KW - severe plastic deformation KW - high speed deformation TI - Engineering of Surface Microstructure Transformations Using High Rate Severe Plastic Deformation in Machining EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25339 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25339/ A1 - Wen, Wujie Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - The concerns on the continuous scaling of mainstream memory technologies have motivated tremendous investment to emerging memories. Being a promising candidate, spin-transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) offers nanosecond access time comparable to SRAM, high integration density close to DRAM, non-volatility as Flash memory, and good scalability. It is well positioned as the replacement of SRAM and DRAM for on-chip cache and main memory applications. However, reliability issue continues being one of the major challenges in STT-RAM memory designs due to the process variations and unique thermal fluctuations, i.e., the stochastic resistance switching property of magnetic devices. In this dissertation, I decoupled the reliability issues as following three-folds: First, the characterization of STT-RAM operation errors often require expensive Monte-Carlo runs with hybrid magnetic-CMOS simulation steps, making it impracticable for architects and system designs; Second, the state of the art does not have sufficiently understanding on the unique reliability issue of STT-RAM, and conventional error correction codes (ECCs) cannot efficiently handle such errors; Third, while the information density of STT-RAM can be boosted by multi-level cell (MLC) design, the more prominent reliability concerns and the complicated access mechanism greatly limit its applications in memory subsystems. Thus, I present a novel through solution set to both characterize and tackle the above reliability challenges in STT-RAM designs. In the first part of the dissertation, I introduce a new characterization method that can accurately and efficiently capture the multi-variable design metrics of STT-RAM cells; Second, a novel ECC scheme, namely, content-dependent ECC (CD-ECC), is developed to combat the characterized asymmetric errors of STT-RAM at 0->1 and 1->0 bit flipping's; Third, I present a circuit-architecture design, namely state-restricted multi-level cell (SR-MLC) STT-RAM design, which simultaneously achieves high information density, good storage reliability and fast write speed, making MLC STT-RAM accessible for system designers under current technology node. Finally, I conclude that efficient robust (or ECC) designs for STT-RAM require a deep holistic understanding on three different levels-device, circuit and architecture. Innovative ECC schemes and their architectural applications, still deserve serious research and investigation in the near future. KW - STT-RAM KW - Reliability KW - Error Characterization KW - Error Correction KW - Asymmetry KW - Multi-level Cell TI - Error Characterization and Correction Techniques for Reliable STT-RAM Designs EP - 113 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25797 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25797/ A1 - Chopra, Shauhrat S. Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Modern society is critically dependent on a network of complex systems for almost every social and economic function. While increasing complexity in large-scale engineered systems offer many advantages including high efficiency, performance and robustness, it inadvertently makes them vulnerable to unanticipated perturbations. A disruption affecting even one component may result in large cascading impacts on the entire system due to high interconnectedness. Large direct and indirect impacts across national and international boundaries of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, infrastructure failures like the Northeast blackout, epidemics like the H1N1 influenza, terrorist attacks like the 9/11, and social unrests like the Arab Spring are indicative of the vulnerability associated with growing complexity. There is an urgent need for a quantitative framework to understand resilience of complex systems with different system architectures. In this work, a novel framework is developed that integrates graph theory with statistical and modeling techniques for understanding interconnectedness, interdependencies, and resilience of distinct large-scale systems while remaining cognizant of domain specific details. The framework is applied to three diverse complex systems, 1) Critical Infrastructure Sectors (CIS) of the U.S economy, 2) the Kalundborg Industrial Symbiosis (KIS), Denmark and 3) the London metro-rail infrastructure. These three systems are strategically chosen as they represent complex systems of distinct sizes and span different spatial scales. The framework is utilized for understanding the influence of both network structure level properties and local node and edge level properties on resilience of diverse complex systems. At the national scale, application of this framework on the U.S. economic network reveals that excessive interconnectedness and interdependencies among CIS significantly amplify impacts of targeted disruptions, and negatively influence its resilience. At the regional scale, analysis of KIS reveals that increasing diversity, redundancy, and multi-functionality is imperative for developing resilient and sustainable IS systems. At the urban scale, application of this framework on the London Metro system identifies stations and rail connections that are sources of functional and structural vulnerability, and must be secured for improving resilience. This framework provides a holistic perspective to understand and propose data-driven recommendations to strengthen resilience of large-scale complex engineered systems. KW - Resilience; Complex Systems; Critical Infrastructures; Input-Output model; Graph Theory; Network Analysis; Industrial Symbiosis; Transportation systems; London metro-rail system; U.S. Economic network; Sustainability; Disaster preparedness; Disaster management TI - Graph Theoretic Approaches to Understand Resilience of Complex Systems EP - 203 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25672 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25672/ A1 - Dehghanian, Amin Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - We investigate three different problems in this dissertation. The first two problems are related to games arising in paired kidney exchange, and the third is rooted in a computational branch of the industrial organization literature. We provide more details on these problems in the following. End-stage renal disease (ESRD), the final stage of chronic kidney disease, is the ninth-leading cause of death in the United States, where it afflicts more than a half million patients, and costs more than forty billion dollars indirect expenses annually. Transplantation is the preferred treatment for ESRD; unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of transplantable kidneys. Kidney exchange is a growing approach to alleviate the shortage of kidneys for transplantation, and the United States is considering creating a national kidney exchange program since such a program provides more and better transplants. A major challenge to establish a national kidney exchange program is the lack of incentives for transplant centers to participate in such a program. To overcome this issue, the kidney transplant community has recently proposed a payment strategy framework that incentivizes transplant centers to participate in a national program. Absent from this debate is a careful investigation of how to design these incentives. We develop a principal-agent model to analyze these incentives and find an equilibrium payment strategy. We develop a mixed-integer bilinear bilevel program to compute an equilibrium payment strategy. We show that this bilevel program can be solved as a mixed-integer linear program. We calibrate our model and provide several data-driven insights about advantages of a national kidney exchange program. We shed light on several controversial policy questions about an equilibrium payment strategy. In particular, we demonstrate that there exists a ``win-win'' payment strategy that could result in saving thousands of lives and billions of dollars annually. Consensus stopping games are a class of stochastic games that arises in the context of kidney exchange. Specifically, the problem of finding a socially optimal pure stationary equilibrium of a consensus stopping game is adapted to value a given kidney exchange. However, computational difficulties have limited its applicability. We show that a consensus stopping game may have many pure stationary equilibria, which in turn raises the question of equilibrium selection. Given an objective criterion, we study the problem of finding a best pure stationary equilibrium for the game, which we show to be NP-hard. We characterize the pure stationary equilibria, show that they form an independence system, and develop several families of valid inequalities. We then solve the equilibrium selection problem as a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) by a branch-and-cut approach. Our computational results demonstrate the advantages of our approach over a commercial solver. Industrial organization is an area of economics that studies firms and markets. Currently, a class of stochastic games are adopted to model behaviors of firms in a market. However, inherent challenges in computability of stationary equilibria have restricted its applicability. To overcome this challenge, we develop several characterizations of stationary equilibria for the class of stochastic games. KW - Kidney exchange KW - standard acquisition charge KW - pricing KW - bilevel programming KW - principal-agent models KW - stochastic stopping games KW - equilibrium selection KW - consensus decision-making KW - veto players KW - independence system KW - branch-and-cut KW - industrial organization TI - Integer Programming Approaches to Stochastic Games Arising in Paired Kidney Exchange and Industrial Organization EP - 100 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25508 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25508/ A1 - Quick, Kristin M Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - The sensorimotor system's beauty becomes evident when the system is put to the test. In order to understand the neural and physiological mechanisms of motor control, researchers need tasks where the task difficulty can be adjusted. By studying the interplay between difficulty and the motor parameter of interest, we can begin to tease apart the inner-workings of how the sensorimotor system is able to act in the face of sensorimotor delay, perform macro- and micro-scale movements, and learn to perform new tasks. We tested the ability of human and monkey subjects to perform a new task, called the Critical Stability Task. In this task, we can pressure the sensorimotor loop to act as quickly as possible, in order to look for deficiencies in the motor or sensory components of control. Additionally, the difficulty of this task is decided by a single number, which enables the subject's sensorimotor performance to be evaluated by a single number. This task will be valuable for testing and evaluating new forms of sensory substitution, new non-visual feedback methods for brain-computer interface control, as well as serve as a tool for neurological assessment. While using this task in monkey subjects, it became apparent how little we know about the control of very small movements. In the Critical Stability Task, the majority of the movements are under +/-10mm, and only exceed this window once control becomes difficult. As such, we began an investigation of the neural representation of small amplitude movements. Finally, we tested the neural constraints of learning a new task. We setup two different types of perturbed brain-computer interface (BCI) decoders. The first type maintained the prior patterns of neural activity, the second type required the monkey to generate new patterns of neural activity. We found that within a day, it was difficult for monkey subjects to learn to generate new patterns of neural activity. Taken together, task difficulty is a powerful tool for assessing sensorimotor performance. The only way to improve poor motor performance, be it natural control or BCI control, is to detect poor motor performance with the right assessment tool. KW - sensorimotor control KW - humans KW - monkeys KW - brain-computer interface KW - motor control KW - haptic KW - visual KW - vibrotactile feedback TI - Investigation of Methods for Assessing Sensorimotor Performance in Humans and Monkeys EP - 149 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26009 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26009/ A1 - Chacón, Luis Enrique Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - In this dissertation I analyze Juan García Ponce's novel Crónica de la intervención (1980). There are four aspects of this novel that I am focusing on. The first aspect is the intellectual and cultural context reflected in the novel. This cultural context is at the same time a portrait and a critique of the intellectual dynamics in Mexico during the 1960's. In this aspect I show how the intellectual formation of García Ponce is reflected in the novel and how he defines his position in relation to the literary field. The second aspect is religion and how religious ideas emerge in this novel. Crónica de la intervención has numerous references to Catholic rituals and practices. On the one hand, the ritualistic and religious practices were important on García Ponce's life and work, and I propose that some of his ritual practices owed a lot to healing rituals; on the other, I propose that these religious references achieve a powerful critique of religion and shows how the social beliefs are in profound crisis since the beginning of the modernity, and how in Mexican society religion is a facade and lacks meaningful content. The third aspect is eroticism. In this part I respond to other critics of García Ponce about this element of his narration. I am analyzing this aspect on its socio-historical context. Taking off from two of García Ponce?s essays, I argue that he uses eroticism as a device of social subversion and as a powerful element to generate social changes through sexuality. I show that what he clearly states in these essays about subverting the humanist values of the sexuality and the conceptions of the body is reflected in Crónica. In the last part of this dissertation I analyze the relation of García Ponce to critical theory, principally with the ideas of Herbert Marcuse. García Ponce translated three books and other short writings by Marcuse. Marcuse's ideas were very influential on García Ponce's writings; I show in this part how this novel was conceived, taking in account many of the philosophical ideas assimilated through the work of translation KW - Juan García Ponce KW - erotismo KW - formación intelectual KW - México KW - crónica de la intervención KW - ritual KW - campo literario. TI - JUAN GARCÍA PONCE "EL MÍSTICO SIN FE":HACIA UNA REINTERPRETACIÓN DE SU ITINERARIO INTELECTUAL EP - 202 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25599 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25599/ A1 - alomair, abdullah Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - The objective of safety engineering interventions is to prevent injuries and to lower the direct costs (emergency, medical treatment and rehabilitation) and indirect costs (administrative, loss reputation) associated with them. The goal of this study is to find a mathematical relationship between injury prevention activities and occupational incidents. The study used historic data to optimize resources (i.e. man-hour) and allocate them to the appropriate interventions. The study used data from a Canadian power company collected between 2002 and 2004. Total intervention activity was used to forecast incidents but this yielded an unreliable model. Four main safety intervention categories were determined to study the effect of injury prevention activities on the occurrence of injuries and were used in establishing the model: Factor A -- safety awareness and motivational activities; Factor B -- skill development and training activities; Factor C -- new tools and equipment design methods and activities; and, Factor D -- equipment related activities these. Regression analysis was used to determine a relationship between the intervention factors and incident occurrence. This study used several different approaches for statistical analyses from the previous researches by investigating the best distribution fitting for incidents. Furthermore, this study checks the correlation between intervention activities themselves and the proper transformation based on the behavior of the incidents. A linear model using all factors as regressors yielded an insignificant result with a p-value of 0.9. A method using all possible regressor combinations was applied, but all the computed models yielded an insignificant result. Linear models based on a moving range regression of data points and also using natural logarithm transformation were formulated, but again, all of them yielded an insignificant model. After thorough analysis, the study concluded that a relationship between intervention factors and incident occurrence does not seem to exist. KW - safety incidents forecasting injury Poisson Distribution TI - Loss Prevention Systems Effectiveness and Incidents Forecasting Using Statistical Tools EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25620 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25620/ A1 - Barone, William, R Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is characterized by the abnormal descent of the pelvic organs into the vaginal canal. POP is associated with urinary, defacatory, and sexual dysfunction, in addition to psychological disorders including depression. Prolapse is quite common, with ~50% of women over the age of 50 exhibiting some degree of prolapse, and over 200,000 surgical repairs in the United States annually. During surgical repair, a graft is used to restore support to the vagina, re-approximating the normal anatomy. Given the high failure rate of native tissue repair, use of polypropylene mesh has become widespread. Despite the prevalence of synthetic mesh, complication rates are ~20%, with little known about its behavior following implantation. Therefore, this dissertation aims to rigorously characterize the mechanical behavior of synthetic mesh, with the goal of optimizing device design for use in the pelvic floor. First, micro- and macro-level deformation of mesh was assessed in response to mechanical loads using uniaxial testing and 3D reconstruction. Upon loading, mesh pores significantly deformed, yielding textile dimensions that are known to heighten the foreign body response. In addition, point loads significantly wrinkled the mesh surface, further reducing mesh dimensions and producing configurations consistent with those found clinically. Next, a finite element model for synthetic mesh was developed, using a novel method to allow for textile properties to be measured in-silico. This model was validated using a custom testing apparatus to simultaneously load and image transvaginal mesh products. Evaluation of mesh deformation found experimental and computational results to be similar, demonstrating the predictive capabilities of this model. The validated model was then used to examine the sensitivity of mesh behavior to variable loading conditions. Here the magnitude and orientation of tensile forces were found to significantly predict undesired deformations. Finally, computational mesh models were combined with MRI reconstructions of patient specific anatomy to simulate the development of prolapse and mesh repair. Again, mesh pores experienced significant deformation upon anatomical fixation, corresponding with clinical sites of exposure and pain. In total, this dissertation provides a tool for the evaluation and optimization of synthetic mesh devices prior to implantation and pre-surgical evaluation of mesh procedures. KW - pelvic organ prolapse KW - synthetic mesh KW - transvaginal mesh KW - surgical complications KW - mesh exposure KW - vaginal tissue KW - mechanical testing KW - structural testing KW - finite element analysis KW - pore diameter KW - mesh burden TI - Mechanical Characterization of Synthetic Mesh for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair EP - 304 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25419 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25419/ A1 - Lash, Melissa Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Colloidal crystals have been explored in the literature for applications in molecular electronics, photonics, sensors, and drug delivery. Much of the research on colloidal crystals has been focused on nano-sized particles with limited attention directed towards building blocks with dimensions ranging from tens to hundreds of microns. This can be attributed, in part, to the fact that particles with greater than sub-micron dimensions do not naturally assemble in an organized fashion over reasonable time-scales due to the relatively small influence of thermalizing forces. Nevertheless, ordered arrays of large, micron-scale particles are of interest as a basis for the production of hierarchically structured materials with customizable pore sizes. Additionally, the ability to create materials from a bottom-up approach with these characteristics would allow for precise control over their pore structure (size and distribution) and surface properties (topography, functionalization and area), resulting in improved regulation of key characteristics such as mechanical strength, diffusive properties, and possibly even photonic properties. In this work, ultrasonic agitation is explored as a means of inducing large, non-Brownian microparticles (18-750 µm) to overcome kinetic barriers to rearrangement and, ultimately, to create close packed, highly ordered, crystals. Using ultrasonic agitation we have been able to create highly-ordered, two- and three-dimensional crystalline structures on a variety of length scales by adjusting external system properties. Additionally, by mixing particle populations, multicomponent crystals are created with complex organizational patterns, similar to those of stoichiometric chemical structures. By repurposing these crystalline materials as templates, a plethora of new hierarchical microarchitectures can be created for applications in fields such as biotechnology and energy. In this thesis we begin exploring applications in tissue (bone) engineering, catalysis, battery materials and the production of patchy particles via surface modification. KW - Fabrication and characterization of non-Brownian particle-based crystals and their inverse structures TI - Non-Brownian Particle Self-Assembly for Hierarchical Materials Development EP - 159 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25340 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25340/ A1 - Bagheri, Abdollah Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - The in-situ measurement of thermal stress in civil and mechanical structures may prevent structural anomalies such as unexpected buckling. In the first half of the dissertation, we present a study where highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) were utilized to measure axial stress in slender beams. HNSWs are compact non-dispersive waves that can form and travel in nonlinear systems such as one-dimensional chains of particles. The effect of the axial stress acting in a beam on the propagation of HNSWs was studied. We found that certain features of the solitary waves enable the measurement of the stress. In general, most guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs)-based health monitoring approaches for structural waveguides are based on the comparison of testing data to baseline data. In the second half of the dissertation, we present a study where some baseline-free signal processing algorithms were presented and applied to numerical and experimental data for the structural health monitoring (SHM) of underwater or dry structures. The algorithms are based on one or more of the following: continuous wavelet transform, empirical mode decomposition, Hilbert transform, competitive optimization algorithm, probabilistic methods. Moreover, experimental data were also processed to extract some features from the time, frequency, and joint timefrequency domains. These features were then fed to a supervised learning algorithm based on artificial neural networks to classify the types of defect. The methods were validated using the numerical model of a plate and a pipe, and the experimental study of a plate in water. In experiment, the propagation of ultrasonic waves was induced by means of laser pulses or transducer and detected with an array of immersion transducers. The results demonstrated that the algorithms are effective, robust against noise, and able to localize and classify the damage. KW - structural health monitoring; nondestructive evaluation; guided ultrasonic waves; highly nonlinear solitary waves TI - On the Processing of Highly Nonlinear Solitarywaves and Guided Ultrasonic Waves for Structural Health Monitoring and Nondestructive Evaluation EP - 325 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25246 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25246/ A1 - Campbell, Trisha Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - This dissertation follows the many rhetorical (or persuasive) agents and relations in the act or event of murder. I ask readers to postpone blame in order to listen to the other rhetorical agents involved. I follow 4 case studies or instances of murder that happened in Pittsburgh, tracing who and what was influential or persuasive in the final act. Using new materialist theory and rhetoric, I argue that murder happens within a network--not necessarily only an online network, but a network of influential actors and agents?things like: Facebook, twitter, language, affect, programming languages, trauma--and that we must understand this rhetorical network of agents for an efficacious intervention and understanding of murder and violence. The dissertation is both practical and theoretical. It is both pubic and private. It is both about real people who lived and have lived down the street and philosophical ideas that live largely in print. Building on contemporary art movements and recent work in the digital humanities, we must attend to the production of the archive-as-method?a newly emergent practice that raises complex ethical questions about the relationality between language, networks, affects, and bodies in digital social contexts. This dissertation practices an inquiry that is not criminological or pathological but networked and new materialist. KW - archives KW - new materialism KW - rhetorical theory KW - Bruno Latour KW - network theory KW - murder KW - violence. TI - Public History and Social Archives: Toward a New Materialist Rhetoric of Murder EP - 231 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25954 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25954/ A1 - Byrd, Amy, L. Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Extensive research has focused on abnormalities in reward and punishment processing as a mechanism underlying childhood-onset conduct problems (CP), particularly among CP youth with callous-unemotional (CU) traits. However, there is still debate about the neural underpinnings of this mechanism. Moreover, while researchers suggest that these youth may be resistant to social learning based interventions due to deficits in reward and punishment processing, this has not been empirically investigated. This dissertation expands on previous research by 1) examining neural abnormalities in reward and punishment processing among CP youth with and without CU traits relative to healthy controls (HC); and 2) assessing whether individual differences in reward and punishment processing are associated with CP following intervention. Prior to treatment, neural responsivity to reward and punishment was assessed in key regions of interest among a sample of boys (ages 8-11; n=64) using an event-related fMRI task. CP youth were then randomly assigned to an empirically supported treatment (Stop-Now-And-Plan (SNAP) or treatment as usual, and were re-evaluated following intervention. Baseline differences in brain function were examined as a predictor of post-intervention CP. Results demonstrated differences in neural reactivity to be most reliable and robust with regard to amygdala responsivity to punishment. Specifically, boys with CP demonstrated reduced amygdala reactivity to punishment relative to HC; however, there was no difference in responsivity between subgroups of children with CP, suggesting that reduced punishment sensitivity may be characteristic of boys with early-onset CP regardless of CU traits. Regarding reward, CP youth with low levels of CU exhibited reduced reactivity to reward across several key regions of interest (e.g., caudate, amygdala) while CP youth with CU were characterized by significant activation to reward that did not differ from HC; notably, this was reduced to non-significance after controlling for co-occurring internalizing problems. Finally, although random assignment to SNAP resulted in significant reductions in CP at post-treatment follow-up, responsivity to reward and punishment was unrelated to post-treatment levels of CP. Findings highlight the importance continuing to investigate the role of reward and punishment processing in the development of early-onset CP and point to potential implications for intervention. KW - conduct problems KW - callous-unemotional traits KW - reward KW - punishment KW - fMRI KW - intervention TI - REWARD AND PUNISHMENT PROCESSING IN SUBGROUPS OF YOUTH WITH CONDUCT PROBLEMS: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NEURAL RESPONSE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25616 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25616/ A1 - Xu, Haifeng Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - The embedded class processors found in commodity palmtop computers continue to become increasingly capable while retaining an energy-efficient footprint. Palmtop computers themselves, including smartphones and tablets, provide a small form factor system integrating wireless communication and non-volatile storage with these energy-efficient processors. Also, various wireless connectivity functions on mobile devices provide new opportunities in designing more flexible, smarter wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and utilizing the computation power in a way we could never imagine before. In this dissertation, I present a WSN concept for current and future generation tablet devices. My contributions include developments at the system level, architecture level, and collaborative design between different layers of the system. At the system level, I developed Ocelot, a grid-like computing environment for palmtop computers in place of traditional workstation or server class machines to compute highly parallel light to medium-weight tasks in an energy efficient manner. Additionally, I developed Lynx, a self-organizing wireless sensor network, which is a further step taken in exploiting the potential of palmtop computers. At the architecture level, to increase the storage capacity of future palmtop computers, I explore the use of a new storage class magnetic memory, Racetrack Memory (RM), throughout the memory hierarchy. Thus, I developed FusedCache, a naturally inclusive, dual-level private cache design for RM that provides fast uniform access at one level, and non-uniform access at the next, which allows RM to be effective as close to the processor as an L1 cache. For higher levels of the memory hierarchy such as the last level cache, I propose a Multilane Racetrack Cache (MRC), an RM last level cache design utilizing lightweight compression combined with independent shifting. MRCs allow cache lines mapped to the same Racetrack structure to be accessed in parallel when compressed, mitigating potential shifting stalls in an RM cache. Finally, leveraging the lightweight compression from MRC and the need for efficient communication in Lynx, I present a cross-level design combining memory-level lightweight compression with network-level packet transfer, together with a technique called Source-Aware Layout Reorganization (SALR) to increase the compressibility of sensor data. KW - Wireless sensor networks KW - distributed computing KW - palmtop KW - TI - A Self-Organizing Wireless Sensor Network and Distributed Computing Engine for Commodity and Future Palmtop Computers EP - 141 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25513 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25513/ A1 - Hamschin, Brandon Michael Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - A method for passive Detection, Characterization, and Localization (DCL) of multiple low power, Linear Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (LFMCW) (i.e., Low Probability of Intercept (LPI)) signals is proposed. We demonstrate, via simulation, laboratory, and outdoor experiments, that the method is able to detect and correctly characterize the parameters that define two simultaneous LFMCW signals with probability greater than 90% when the signal to noise ratio is -10 dB or greater. While this performance is compelling, it is far from the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB), which we derive, and the performance of the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE), whose performance we simulate. The loss in performance relative to the CRLB and the MLE is the price paid for computational tractability. The LFMCW signal is the focus of this work because of its common use in modern, low-cost radar systems. In contrast to other detection and characterization approaches, such as the MLE and those based on the Wigner-Ville Transform (WVT) or the Wigner-Ville Hough Transform (WVHT), our approach does not begin with a parametric model of the received signal that is specified directly in terms of its LFMCW constituents. Rather, we analyze the signal over time intervals that are short, non-overlapping, and contiguous by modeling it within these intervals as a sum of a small number sinusoidal (i.e., harmonic) components with unknown frequencies, deterministic but unknown amplitudes, unknown order (i.e., number of harmonic components), and unknown noise autocorrelation function. It is this model of the data that makes the solution computationally feasible, but also what leads to a degradation in performance since estimates are not based on the full time series. By modeling the signal in this way, we reliably detect the presence of multiple LFMCW signals in colored noise without the need for prewhitening, efficiently estimate (i.e., characterize) their parameters, provide estimation error variances for a subset of these parameters, and produce Time-Difference-of-Arrival (TDOA) estimates that can be used to estimate the geographical location (i.e., localize) of each LFMCW source. We demonstrate the performance of our method via simulation and real data collections, which are compared to the CRLB. KW - Low Probability of Intercept KW - Radar KW - Linear Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave KW - Detection KW - Estimation KW - Characterization KW - Localization KW - Passive Radar KW - Geo-location KW - Time Difference of Arrival KW - Cramer Rao Lower Bound TI - A Sequential Method for Passive Detection, Characterization, and Localization of Multiple Low Probability of Intercept LFMCW Signals EP - 146 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25752 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25752/ A1 - Aldhafeeri, Raed Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Scleral buckling is a process in which a buckle or band is wrapped around the eye and tightened and is used to treat different eye disorders. The procedure can result in induced myopia by increasing the axial length of the human eye. This study was performed to assess how the application of a scleral buckle of various widths and tightness on eyes with decreased corneal thicknesses affects stresses and strains in the tissue and the anterior-posterior dimension. For this purpose, an axisymmetric finite element model of the eye was created where the mechanical properties of the tissues are assumed to be linearly elastic, the humors as incompressible fluid and the buckle as rigid. The buckles were chosen to have widths of 3, 5 and 7 mm with constrictions of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mm and the reduced thicknesses of the cornea that were considered are 0, 25 and 50%. The results showed that as the buckle width and tightness increase, the axial length change of the eye increases. The maximum stress is greater for a thinner buckle with greater tightness. Also, the change in corneal thickness has a minor effect on the axial length and maximum stress. For scleral buckle selection, increased buckle width and construction lead to an increase in myopia. Eyes which have thinner cornea due to disease or LASIK procedure for example are more susceptible to this myopic shift than eyes with a normal corneal thickness. KW - STRESS ANALYSIS KW - SCLERAL BUCKLING KW - CORNEA THINING KW - FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS KW - BIOMECHANICAL MODEL TI - Stress Analysis for Scleral Buckling of the Eye EP - 30 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25328 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25328/ A1 - Gatouillat, Arthur Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Gait is a complex process involving both cognitive and sensory ability and is strongly impacted by the environment. In this thesis, we propose the study of the impact on cognitive task during gait on the cerebral blood flow velocity through a dual task methodology. Both cerebral blood flow velocity and gait characteristics of eleven participants with no history of brain or gait conditions were recorded using transcranial Doppler on mid-cerebral artery and a treadmill. The cognitive task was induced by a backward counting starting from 10,000 with decrement of 7. Central blood flow velocity raw and envelope features were extracted in both time, frequency and time-scale domain along with information-theoretic metrics were extracted, and statistical significances. A similar feature extraction was performed on the stride interval signal. Statistical differences between the cognitive and baseline trials, between the left and right mid-cerebral arteries signals and the impact of the anthropometric variables where studied using linear mixed models. No statistical differences were found between the left and right mid-cerebral arteries flows or the baseline and cognitive state gait features, while statistical differences for specific features were measured between cognitive and baseline states. These statistical differences found between the baseline and cognitive states show that cognitive process has an impact on the cerebral activity during walking. The state was found to have an impact on the correlation between the gait and blood flow features. KW - transcranial Doppler KW - gait accelerometry KW - cerebral blood flow velocity KW - walking KW - signal features TI - Study of the Motor Cognitive Interaction During Walking Using Transcranial Doppler EP - 59 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25193 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25193/ A1 - Bursten, Julia Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Philosophers interested in scientific methodology have focused largely on physics, biology, and cognitive science. They have paid considerably less attention to sciences such as chemistry and nanoscience, where not only are the subjects distinct, but the very aims differ: chemistry and nanoscience center around synthesis. Methods associated with synthesis do not fit well with description, explanation, and prediction that so dominate aims in philosophers? paradigm sciences. In order to synthesize a substance or material, scientists need different kinds of information than they need to predict, explain, or describe. Consequently, they need different kinds of models and theories. Specifically, chemists need additional models of how reactions will proceed. In practice, this means chemists must model surface structure and behavior, because reactions occur on the surfaces of materials. Physics, and by extension much of philosophy of science, ignores the structure and behavior of surfaces, modeling surfaces only as ?boundary conditions? with virtually no influence on material behavior. Such boundary conditions are not seen as part of the physical laws that govern material behavior, so little consideration has been given to their roles in improving scientists? understanding of materials and aiding synthesis. But especially for theories that are used in synthesis, such neglect can lead to catastrophic modeling failures. In fact, as one moves down toward the nanoscale, the very concept of a material surface changes, with the consequence that nanomaterials behave differently than macroscopic materials made up of the same ele- ments. They conduct electricity differently, they appear differently colored, and they can play different roles in chemical reactions. This dissertation develops new philosophical tools to deal with these changes and give an account of theory and model use in the synthetic sciences. Particularly, it addresses the question of how models of materials at the nanoscale fit together with models of those very same materials at scales many orders of magnitude larger. To answer this and related questions, strict attention needs to be paid to the ways boundaries, surfaces, concepts, models, and even laws change as scales change. KW - philosophy of science KW - philosophy of physics KW - philosophy of chemistry KW - explanation KW - nanoscience KW - synthesis KW - models KW - theories KW - kinds TI - Surfaces, Scales, and Synthesis: Scientific Reasoning at the Nanoscale EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25681 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25681/ A1 - Ewing, Christopher Y1 - 2015/09/11/ N2 - Metal nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention in heterogeneous catalysis due to their unique nanoscale properties. However, rational design and optimization of supported NP catalysts requires an accurate description of metal-support interactions, which can significantly impact NP stability and catalytic activity. The ability to calculate NP interactions with amorphous supports, which are commonly used in industrial practice, has been inhibited by a lack of accurate atomically-detailed models of amorphous surfaces. We have developed an approach for constructing atomistic models of amorphous silica surfaces, using a combination of classical molecular modeling and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. To experimentally validate our model, we developed an emulsion synthesis procedure yielding mono-disperse 6 nm silica NPs, and a simple approach for high-yield separation of stable NPs from solution. Remarkably, our model accurately reproduces the experimental silanol number and silanol distribution over a wide temperature range, without any adjustable parameters. We next developed a systematic approach for generating distributions of model NP/SiO2 structures using the discrete element method in conjunction with DFT. Using these structures, we studied NP-support interactions between amorphous silica and metal NPs ranging from 0.7 ? 1.7 nm in diameter (13 ? 147 atoms). Both NP adhesion energetics and charge transfer are local in nature, and depend on the silica hydroxyl density. Because surface hydroxyl content is directly dependent on temperature, our results suggest that both electronic charge and catalyst stability can be tuned via the silica pretreatment temperature, the latter of which we have experimentally validated using in situ X-ray diffraction. Finally, exploiting the local nature of NP-support interactions, we developed a method for predicting NP-support effects of different NP sizes and geometries based on correlations calculated for 13-atom NPs. In this work, we show that an accurate atomistic description of not only amorphous surfaces, but also interactions between NPs and those surfaces can be achieved. Additionally, we developed a similar method for generating model systems of single-atom catalysts on amorphous supports. Insights into the role of catalyst-support interactions on catalyst structure and function gained from these atomistic models may serve to guide the design/optimization of catalytic materials. KW - amorphous silica KW - catalyst-support interaction KW - nanoparticle KW - catalysis TI - Towards Atomistic Understanding of Catalytic Nanoparticles on Amorphous Supports EP - 210 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25280 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25280/ A1 - Barcelo, Neal Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - It seems to be a corollary to the laws of physics that, all else being equal, higher performance devices are necessarily less energy efficient than lower performance devices. Conceptually there is an energy efficiency spectrum of design points, with high performance and low energy efficiency on one end, and low performance and high energy efficiency on the other end. As in most technologies, there is not a universal sweet spot for computer chips that is best for all situations. For example, there are situations when there are critical tasks to be done, when performance is more important than energy efficiency, and there are situations when there are no critical tasks, when energy efficiency may be more important than performance. Speed-scalable processors aim to resolve this conflict by allowing the operating system to dynamically choose the performance to energy trade-off. The resulting optimization problems involve scheduling jobs on such a processor and have conflicting dual objectives of quality of service and some energy related objective. This engenders many different optimization problems, depending on how one models the processor, the performance objective, and how one handles the dual objectives. In this thesis we map out a reasonably full landscape of all possible formulations, determining which assumptions drive computational tractability. Beyond identifying the individual computational complexities, we use algorithmics as a lens to study the combinatorial structure of such trade-off schedules. In particular, we give several general reductions which, in some sense, reduce the number of problems that are distinct in a complexity theoretic sense. We show that some problems, for which there are efficient algorithms on a fixed speed processor, are NP-hard. Finally, we present several primal-dual based polynomial time algorithms. KW - Energy KW - Scheduling KW - Complexity TI - The Complexity of Speed-Scaling EP - 143 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25903 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25903/ A1 - Brown, Benjamin Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - Research-based tools to educate college students in physics courses from introductory level to graduate level are essential for helping students with a diverse set of goals and backgrounds learn physics. This thesis explores issues related to student common difficulties with some topics in undergraduate quantum mechanics and thermodynamics courses. Student difficulties in learning quantum mechanics and thermodynamics is investigated by administering written tests and surveys to many classes and conducting individual interviews with a subset of students outside the class to unpack the cognitive mechanism of the difficulties. The quantum mechanics research also focuses on using the research on student difficulties for the development and evaluation of a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) to help students learn about the time-dependence of expectation values using the context of Larmor precession of spin and evaluating the role of asking students to self-diagnose their mistakes on midterm examination on their performance on subsequent problem solving. The QuILT on Larmor precession of spin has both paper-pencil activities and a simulation component to help students learn these foundational issues in quantum mechanics. Preliminary evaluations suggest that the QuILT, which strives to help students build a robust knowledge structure of time-dependence of expectation values in quantum mechanics using a guided approach, is successful in helping students learn these topics in the junior-senior level quantum mechanics courses. The technique to help upper-level students in quantum mechanics courses effectively engage in the process of learning from their mistakes is also found to be effective. In particular, research shows that the self-diagnosis activity in upper-level quantum mechanics significantly helps students who are struggling and this activity can reduce the gap between the high and low achieving students on subsequent problem solving. Finally, a survey of Thermodynamic Processes and the First and Second Laws (STPFaSL) is developed and validated with the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of these topics in a thermodynamics curriculum. The validity and reliability of this survey is discussed and the student difficulties with these topics among various groups from introductory students to physics graduate students is cataloged. KW - Upper Level Physics Education Research Quantum Thermodynamics TI - Developing and Assessing Research-Based Tools for Teaching Quantum Mechanics and Thermodynamics EP - 243 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25181 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25181/ A1 - Brennan, Lauretta Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - Abstract Sex differences in base rates of aggression are well-established, with males showing higher levels from preschool-age through adulthood. Research investigating the etiology of these sex differences in base rates of aggression has the potential to inform basic science and prevention. A growing body of work has produced relatively consistent results showing that boys possess a greater number of child-level risk factors for aggression beginning in early childhood; however, findings are less consistent with respect to whether associations between risk and aggression are stronger in boys than in girls. The current study aimed to advance our understanding of associations between early childhood risk and the development of aggressive behavior, as well as the middle childhood consequences of early-starting aggression, in a sample of 731 boys and girls recruited at age 2 for being at high risk of developing conduct problems. Children were followed longitudinally to age 10.5 utilizing multiple data collection techniques including parent and teacher reports, home observation, and structured assessments of child behavior and parent-child interaction. The findings showed that a small proportion of both sexes exhibited high and persistent trajectories of aggression from early to middle childhood and that boys (13.3%) were more likely to exhibit this pattern than girls (6.9%). Toddler-age child-level risk factors for aggression (e.g., low inhibitory control, language delays) were more prevalent in boys than in girls, but no sex differences were observed with respect to base rates of contextual risk factors (e.g., parent depression, parent-child coercion). Associations between toddler-age risk and trajectories of high persistent aggression were not stronger in boys than in girls. A pattern of high persistent aggressive behavior was associated with a broad array of impairments during middle childhood for both sexes, including externalizing and internalizing problems, as well as difficulties in social domains. KW - Developmental psychopathology KW - conduct problems KW - externalizing KW - parenting KW - social functioning TI - The Development of Aggression from Ages 2 to 9.5 in a High Risk Sample of Males and Females: Similarities and Differences in Patterns, Predictors, and Outcomes EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26125 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26125/ A1 - Nguyen, Ngoc/N Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - This study investigates the impact of personal and environmental factors, with greater emphasis on the impact of religiosity on alcohol and marijuana use (Ys) among white, African American, and Asian American adolescents. Specifically, this study aims to (1) examine if the parental influence, peer influence, religiosity, and school-based prevention programs independently and significantly predict the Ys, controlling for background factors; (2) explore whether or not the expected impact of religiosity on Ys is qualified by race, gender and age; and (3) explore if religiosity acts as a mediator of the relationships of age, race and gender with alcohol and marijuana use. This study hypothesizes that (1) religiosity, school-based prevention programs, parental support, parental monitoring, parental disapproval, peer use, and peer disapproval will together significantly explain alcohol and marijuana use; and (2) higher religiosity, attending alcohol and drug training programs, higher parental support, higher parental monitoring, parental disapproval, peer disapproval, and less peer use will independently and separately be related to lower likelihood of marijuana and alcohol use, controlling for background factors. The scope of this study aims at White, African American, and Asian American adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old. A total of 12,984 adolescents were computed from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data. Separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of individual religiosity, parental influence, peer influence, and school-based prevention programs on alcohol and marijuana use among the study participants. Also, combination of OLS regression analysis and binary logistic regression analyses was used to explore the moderation and mediation effects of religiosity, age, race, and gender on alcohol and marijuana use among the study participants. Findings confirm the study hypotheses. Results of exploratory analyses reveal that religious girls are less likely to use alcohol and marijuana than religious boys; religiosity is not impactful on alcohol and marijuana use among Asian American youth, which needs further investigations; and religiosity can serve as a mediator on alcohol and marijuana use among African American youth and female adolescents. Implications for social work practice, future research, and drug policy are also discussed. KW - Alcohol KW - Marijuana KW - Adolescence KW - Religiosity KW - Prevention programs KW - Parental Influence KW - and Peer Influence TI - FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL AND MARIJUANA USE: THE ROLE OF RELIGIOSITY, SCHOOL-BASED PREVENTION PROGRAMS, PARENTAL INFLUENCE, AND PEER INFLUENCE EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25969 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25969/ A1 - Bailey, Emily Jean Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - This dissertation is a denominational historical study of nineteenth- and early twentieth- century Methodist and Seventh-day Adventist dietary reforms and contributions to American food culture. It first considers the eighteenth-century health reforms of John Wesley as anticipations of nineteenth-century developments. It then asserts, through the lens of a ?long? Victorian period, that Methodist and Adventist women, as wives, mothers, and nurturers, were the most influential among all denominations in shaping food culture through actual and perceived moral, religious, and domestic authority. It also brings to light the ways in which Methodist women contributed to the formation of American middle-class morality through their unique Protestant domesticity and striving for moral perfectionism, while Adventist dietary reformers culturally and spiritually set themselves apart from the Protestant mainline through their dietary reforms in preparation for what they believed was an imminent Second Coming of Christ. The overall purpose of this project is to offer a more nuanced study of culture and meaning when looking at food as a ?signifier? of things like gender, race, ethnic identity, the exchange of religious and cultural ideas, and the transmission of those ideas between generations. From the perspective of Victorian American Methodism and Seventh-day Adventism, it shows the ways in which women from both denominations used food for good health, in the construction of religious identity, to mediate shifting American gendered labor patterns, and to alleviate and navigate moral tensions between abundance and frugality with the rise of increasingly industrialized American food production, and in a competitive Victorian American religious marketplace. As a study of material Christianity, this dissertation reveals how middle-class American Protestant women participated in the formation and maintenance of normative gendered labor and women?s power. It explores how food was used by sectarian and mainline traditions to create a sacred order and pervasive sense of Christian morality that influenced American life well into the Progressive Era in the opening decades of the twentieth century. KW - Methodism KW - Seventh-day Adventism KW - cookbooks KW - Ellen G. White KW - dietary morality KW - Battle Creek Sanitarium TI - Mother Knows Best: Methodism, Seventh-day Adventism, and Dietary Morality in Victorian America EP - 255 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25952 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25952/ A1 - Blais, Emilie Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - This research addresses questions of policy transfer, specifically, policy uploading ? the upward transfer of national policies to the European level. It contributes to three bodies of literature, namely, institutional theory, new governance, and European Union politics. The questions it addresses are why and how European Union member countries use the Council Presidency to upload their national policies, and what are the conditions needed for policy uploading to be successful. To answer these questions I use the case studies method and compare the Council Presidencies of the United Kingdom (2005), France (2008), the Czech Republic (2009), Sweden (2009), and Belgium (2010). For each case, specific national policies are looked at and I use process-tracing to identify the variables at play for successful uploading to occur. Based on qualitative data, I find that the reasons explaining why countries attempt to upload their national policies during their Council Presidency supports what has been identified in the literature on venue shopping. In addition, many variables are important in explaining the occurrence of successful policy uploading. First, the country holding the Council Presidency needs to have the intent to upload its national policy and be committed to it, and it needs to be considered a superior option to the status quo. Second, being able to set the agenda, to shape policy content as well as possess a strong policy capacity contribute to the successful uploading of national policies. Although other variables may not be necessary for successful policy uploading to occur, they strongly influence it. The legal format the policy will take once it is adopted influences the willingness the other Member have to make compromises. The distinction is made between soft law and hard law modes of governance. Another variable making the uploading of national policy easier is the convergence of interests on the proposal. This is true under all decision-making rules, but it is especially significant under more restrictive decision-making rules such as unanimity. Finally, the stage at which the proposal is presented matters. The success cases in this study have taken place at the beginning of the EU policy process. KW - European Union KW - Public Policy KW - Policy Uploading KW - Policy Capacity KW - Policy Transfer TI - The Uploading of National Policies in the European Union EP - 232 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25687 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25687/ A1 - Bagley, Sarah C. Y1 - 2015/09/10/ N2 - In this dissertation I show that nostalgia, conceived as an emotional, ethical, and ontological structure, is the operative link between finitude, desire, and love as they develop in the aesthetic trajectory of High Modernist literature. Marcel Proust?s In Search of Lost Time shows how the pain of loving in the face of finitude can lead to desire, which rejects love in favor of a delusional investment in solipsistic comfort. Samuel Beckett?s oeuvre, by contrast, shows that love manifests in a temporal and interpersonal immediacy that cannot be achieved or represented in literature. R.M. Rilke?s Duino Elegies provide images that help to frame my analysis of Beckett and Proust. Nostalgia is a painful sense of not being ?at home? that results from the consciousness of finitude. Desire is the attempt to deny nostalgic pain; it searches for complete certainty and safety, and pursues fulfillment by appropriating its object. Love manifests as the joyous ability to trust and touch that depends on human finitude. Desire dominates the aesthetic conclusions of Proust?s text, which proposes that displacing time and consciousness to representative art can achieve the fulfillment of desire. Although Marcel loves his grandmother early in the text, her death is so devastating that in his relationship with Albertine he rejects love?s risks in favor of desire?s promised fulfillment. In my analysis, Adorno?s Aesthetic Theory and Minima Moralia help to distinguish between desiring and loving forms of representation, and Walter Benjamin?s The Arcades Project shows the ethical pitfalls of proposing that representation can redeem the historical fact of death. Beckett?s novels and plays portray the bleakness of representation itself, and demonstrate that narrative fails to achieve love or fulfillment. His attention to ?the old style? in Happy Days shows that words themselves have a desiring and nostalgic structure, and the lost possibilities for love in Krapp?s Last Tape and Molloy show how representation fails to capture the past. Finally, Ben Lerner?s Didactic Elegy shows the continued relevance of concerns about nostalgia, love, desire, and representation, by applying these terms to 9/11 and its aftermath. KW - Modernism KW - Nostalgia KW - Finitude KW - Love KW - Desire KW - Proust KW - Beckett KW - Rilke KW - Lerner TI - Writing from Finitude: Love, Desire, and the Nostalgias of Modernism EP - 203 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25606 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25606/ A1 - Wong, Hei Ting Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - This thesis examines the production and circulation of ?Chinked-Out,? a form of music created by Leehom Wang, a prominent American-born Taiwanese singer in the Mandarin Chinese popular music (Mandopop) industry. Chinked-Out?s fusion characteristics, as well as Leehom?s multicultural appeal, facilitate its circulation in the huaren (pan-Chinese/ethnic Chinese) diaspora. Huaren refers to people of Chinese ethnicity, rather than the narrow definition of Chinese, which refers to people with Chinese nationality. In spite of the derogatory nature of the term ?chink,? Leehom hopes to ?repossess the word? and ?make it cool? through his music (CNN, 2006). Although he has been experimenting with ?Chinked-Out? since 2000, the term first appeared on his album Shangri-La in 2004. Derived from hip-hop with rap as the main component, Chinked-Out is not simply a form of hip-hop but also a fusion of other musical elements such as jazz, rock, Kunqu opera, and Peking opera. Chinked-out blends Western and Chinese instruments. As Leehom puts it, ?Chinked-Out is a school of hip-hop? that ?incorporates Chinese elements and sounds? (Ibid). This thesis contextualizes the success of Chinked-Out in raising global awareness about Chinese popular music by examining the history of Taiwan, its popular music industry, the role of music in diaspora, and Leehom?s personal musical style and image. KW - Leehom Wang KW - Chinked-Out KW - Taiwan KW - Mandopop KW - diaspora TI - Chinked-Out: Leehom Wang and Music of the Huaren Diaspora EP - 94 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25638 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25638/ A1 - Dumortier, Antoine Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death and diseases in the developed world, and advances in modern electronics and machine learning can help us deliver therapies to smokers in novel ways. If a mobile device monitoring a smoker's situation could detect when the smoker is likely to have an urge to smoke, it would be helpful for optimizing the timing of real-time intervention. In this thesis, we examine different machine learning approaches to use situational features associated with having or not having urges to smoke during a quit attempt in order to accurately classify high-urge states. To test our machine learning approaches --specifically naive Bayes, discriminant analysis and decision tree learning methods-- we used a dataset collected from over 300 participants who had recently initiated a quit attempt. The three classification approaches are evaluated observing sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and precision. The outcome of the analysis showed that algorithms based on feature selection make it possible to obtain high classification rates with only a few features selected from the entire dataset. The classification tree method outperformed the naive Bayes and discriminant analysis methods, with an accuracy of the classifications up to 86%. KW - smoking urges KW - smoking cessation KW - machine learning KW - supervised learning KW - discriminant analysis classification KW - naive Bayes classification KW - decision tree classification KW - feature selection TI - Classifying Smoking Urges Via Machine Learning EP - 69 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25999 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25999/ A1 - Lavin, Sarah M. Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Urban regions with large areas of impervious cover generate high volumes of surface runoff during wet weather, overwhelming antiquated sewer infrastructure and causing overflow into receiving waters. Green infrastructure in urbanized areas commonly uses infiltration systems to convey surface runoff from impervious surfaces into surrounding soils, which helps mitigate the amount of stormwater entering sewer systems. However, the use of infiltration as a sustainable solution can be limited in regions with unsuitable environmental conditions that can lead to rapid degradation of infiltration systems. Two case studies conducted in Allegheny County, PA that look at the limits of infiltration from excessive stormwater loading and unfavorable soil water dynamics are presented. The first study used infiltration rates and precipitation data to model effective precipitation rates of various storm events over increasing levels of imperviousness in order to characterize local impervious cover thresholds. It was found that local soils are unable to effectively infiltration stormwater from a majority of storm events in regions with greater than 60% imperviousness. These regions would be considered less suitable for the use of infiltration-based green infrastructure and would likely require augmentation with other stormwater management strategies. The second study characterized subsurface soil water dynamics along two hillslopes sites where infiltration-based green infrastructure was installed. Prior to installation, soil moisture was monitored continuously at various depths, and the resulting records were then compared to precipitation data to quantify soil water responses to storm events. Prevailing expectations of hillslope soil water dynamics assume well-drained profiles and top-down/horizontal wetting front following storm events, even for clay-rich soils like those found in Allegheny County. However, the study sites often underwent inverted wetting during storm events (bottom to top) and displayed relatively slower drainage rates throughout the soil profile, which led to uncharacteristically high soil moisture conditions. These detailed analyses show that unexpected patterns in soil water dynamics exist which could potentially degrade green infrastructure effectiveness. The findings from these two studies suggest that continuous pre-installation monitoring of hydrological conditions and characterization of region-specific impervious cover thresholds is essential to determine proper placement and design of infiltration-based green infrastructure for optimum performance. KW - stormwater management KW - green infrastructure KW - infiltration KW - impervious cover KW - soil water KW - unsaturated flow TI - ESTIMATING THE LIMITS OF INFILTRATION IN THE URBAN APPALCHIAN PLATEAU EP - 100 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25859 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25859/ A1 - Appler, Vivian Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Embodied performance is essential to scientific practice. Using methods from cognitive theory, performance studies, and close readings of plays and other performance texts, I propose that theatre provides a popular space in which people who are not science experts might participate in the production of science ideas. This process is particularly apparent when science machines are represented on the theatrical stage. This dissertation focuses on plays and performances that feature the telescope as central to the action of plays that explicitly deal with questions about the pursuit of the unknown. The first chapter, ?History: Telescopic (mis)Information on the Early Modern Stage,? examines the doubled narratives in Thomas Tomkis?s Albumazar (1614) and Aphra Behn?s The Emperor of the Moon (1687). Both of these plays enact verbal narratives that are skeptical of the usefulness of the telescope as applied to the practice of astronomy. Close readings of the scenes that do feature telescopes reveal that the machines enact their own narratives within the metaenvironment of the theatre. Radio-telescopes take the stage in the second chapter, ?Criticism: Credit and Authority in the Performance of Trustworthy Astronomy.? In this chapter, telescopes feature in plays and performances that stage social criticisms of the institutional practices of late twentieth century astronomy and its related, theoretical sibling, cosmology. Lauren Gunderson?s play, Background (2003) and the film, Contact (1997), based on the novel by Carl Sagan, are performances that dramatize inequalities of access and authority that plague the performance of science in the domain of the laboratory. The final chapter, ?Praxis: Towards an Accessible Performance of Astronomy,? examines performances from scientific and theatrical domains that explicitly endeavor to stage equitable science practice. The American Astronomer Vera Rubin broke boundaries of access within her astronomy career, and publicly advocated for the inclusion of women and other minorities in the field of astronomy. Performance artist Laurie Anderson blurs the art-science divide with her one-woman show, The End of the Moon (2005) whereby she further articulates the networked system of contemporary culture in which politics, science, and the arts all share the stage. KW - telescope KW - embodiment KW - performance KW - cognition KW - early modern KW - Laurie Anderson KW - Aphra Behn KW - Albumazar KW - Contact KW - Tomkis KW - Ben Jonson KW - Lauren Gunderson KW - Paul Godfrey TI - Embodied Astronomies: Performances of Telescopes and Other Detection Devices EP - 212 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25905 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25905/ A1 - Weaverling, G. Casey Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - An individual?s attachment style affects many interdependent and independent outcomes in their life. Attachment styles exist along two dimensions; avoidant and anxious. The current study explored the relationship between attachment style, independent self-regulatory preferences, and achievement. Regulatory mode preferences similarly exist along two dimensions; locomotion and assessment. Specifically, the relationship between attachment styles (avoidant and anxious), regulatory mode preferences (locomotion and assessment), trait and behavioral procrastination, and student achievement was examined. Students (N=201) at the University of Pittsburgh completed self-report measures of attachment style, regulatory mode preference, and trait procrastination. Behavioral procrastination was measured by recording the number of minutes before or after the assignment deadline that the student electronically submitted their assignment. Grades on these assignments were also recorded. Two mediational models were found to be significant for these variables. First, high avoidant attachment scores predicted low locomotion scores, which predicted high trait procrastination scores, which predicted high behavioral procrastination scores, which finally predicted lower grades. Second, high anxious attachment scores predicted high assessment scores, which predicted high trait procrastination scores, which predicted high behavioral procrastination scores, which finally predicted lower grades. Implications for attachment theory, regulatory mode theory, and student procrastination behaviors are discussed. KW - attachment style KW - regulatory mode KW - procrastination TI - FAILURE TO LAUNCH: ATTACHMENT STYLES CAN PROMOTE SELF-REGULATORY ORIENTATIONS THAT RESULT IN PROCRASTINATION EP - 52 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25965 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25965/ A1 - Berne, Alexander M Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - During the course of a proposed route to synthesize ladderane lipids, a novel one-pot 4? electrocyclic ring opening followed by a Nazarov-type 4? electrocyclization reaction was discovered. The reaction was studied further due to its potential as a method for accessing the privileged tetrahydrofluorene scaffold and the opportunities for further functionalization provided by the allyl sulfone moiety. Optimized conditions for the transformation involved refluxing model substrate 7-phenyl-8-tosylbicyclo[4.2.0]oct-6-ene in 1,2-dichloroethane for 3 h to generate intermediate (E)-1-((2-(cyclohex-1-en-1-yl)-2-phenylvinyl)sulfonyl)-4-methylbenzene. Upon cooling to room temperature, addition of 1.2 equiv iron(III) chloride promotes cyclization to furnish 9-(tosylmethyl)-2,3,4,4a-tetrahydro-1H-fluorene after 10 h in 78% yield. In order to determine the effect electronics may have on the transformation, functionality was introduced onto the phenyl ring. While no noticeable effect was observed on the electrocyclic ring opening step, the nature of the substituents significantly affected the quantity of promoter required for the cyclization step. Although a superstoichiometric amount of iron(III) chloride and heat was required with an electron withdrawing substituent on the aryl ring, electron donating substituents lowered the activation barrier to cyclization ? necessitating only catalytic amounts of iron(III) chloride at room temperature. This transformation represents the first report of a Nazarov cyclization with a vinyl sulfone on the central carbon. KW - Nazarov KW - cyclization KW - dienyl sulfone KW - vinyl sulfone KW - allyl sulfone KW - tetrahydrofluorene KW - cyclobutene KW - electrocyclic ring opening KW - electrocyclization TI - A Formal Vinyl Sulfonyl Nazarov Cyclization Accesses 9-(tosylmethyl)-2,3,4,4a-tetrahydro-1H-fluorenes EP - 215 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25366 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25366/ A1 - Rak, Adam Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Geometry and kinematics of deformation in the northern Bolivian Andes determine geologic map patterns, thermochronometer cooling signals, and synorogenic sediment distribution within the linked fold-thrust-belt-foreland basin system. To analyze the geometry, timing and rates of deformation we present a new cross section in northern Bolivia (Copacabana cross section) and perform thermokinematic modeling on a previously published, adjacent cross section (Beni cross section). Isostasy and erosion are applied to the sequentially deformed Beni cross section in northern Bolivia (McQuarrie et al., 2008) with kinematic modeling software Move. Applying isostasy and erosion to sequentially deformed balanced cross sections links the growth of hinterland structures to the developing foreland basins (FB) adjacent to fold-thrust belts (FTB), adding additional geologic constraints to modeled exhumation pathways. In our model, topography evolves and basins develop for each model step as deformation, erosion, and isostasy are applied; and are a direct function of the geometry and kinematics of the cross section. The model is constrained by the depth of the foreland and hinterland basins, geology at the surface, the depth and angle of the decollement, and the shape of the modern observed topography. Topography develops as thrusting occurs and loads the crust, producing a flexural wave and creating accommodation space in adjacent basins. Erosion of material above a newly generated topographic profile unloads the section while basin space is filled. Once the modelsufficiently duplicates geologic constraints, a grid of unique points is deformed with the model and used to determine displacement vectors for each 10 km shortening step. Displacement vectors, in conjunction with a prescribed time interval for each step, determine a velocity field that can be used in a modified version of the advection diffusion modeling software Pecube. Thermochronometer cooling ages predicted using this method are based on deformation rates, geometry, topography, and thermal parameters, and offer insight into possible rates of deformation, erosion, and deposition throughout FTB and FB development. Incorporating erosion, deposition, and isostasy in sequentially deformed balanced cross sections highlights the spatiotemporal aspects of sedimentary wedge propagation, identifies external negative buoyancy affects, and provides additional geologic constraints to modeled exhumation pathways. KW - English TI - GEOMETRY, KINEMATICS, EXHUMATION, AND SEDIMENTATION OF THE NORTHERN BOLIVIAN FOLD-THRUST-BELT-FORELAND BASIN SYSTEM. EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25827 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25827/ A1 - Zhen , Chen Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - The use of app-based, on-demand ride-sourcing services has spread rapidly and become more and more important in urban transport. Companies such as Uber and Lyft may provide better service with less waiting time and higher vehicle occupancy when compared to traditional transportation services such as private auto, public transit and taxis. This new type of transportation service is defined as ride-sourcing. This increase in the ride-sourcing availability, due to the introduction of Uber and Lyft, may impact travel habits and change the local, regional and national travel demand. The research compared the users? differences in travel characteristics between traditional transportation services and new ride-sourcing services. This comparison was be done by conducting a survey in the Pittsburgh region to determine users? attitude and travel habits when using ride-sourcing services. The results of the survey were used to compare to the travel characteristics of ride-source users to established travel behavior data and then determine how the impact of ride-sourcing on travel habits may be incorporated into the transportation planning process. The findings indicate that ride-sourcing users are generally younger than the typical traveler, the service is used by a higher percentage of males and females. Social and recreational trips are the predominant type of trips used for ride-sourcing followed by work trips, trip lengths are shorter for all types of trips when compared to typical trip makers and vehicle occupancy rates are generally higher for ride-sourcing trips. Ride sourcing users generate more trips than typical traveler?s in the Pittsburgh region and the use of taxis and private autos are most impacted by ride sourcing where users? shift away from these modes. Currently, ride-sourcing is still a relatively small number of daily trips in an urban area. However as populations increase in urban areas and the demand for transportation facilities increases the new type of travel could increase to significant levels. It could be considered as a new transportation mode or categorized in as an auto mode in travel demand models. KW - ride-sourcing TI - Impact of Ride-Sourcing Services on Travel Habits and Transportation Planning EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25951 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25951/ A1 - Hemphill, Matthew Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - This thesis examines labor-environmental coalition building in the Pittsburgh area from the spring of 2014 to the summer of 2015. The study uses in-depth interviews with leaders and active rank-and-file members involved with three different types of organizations: labor unions, environmental groups, and social movement coalition groups. It also employs participant observation of two social movement coalition groups to examine activists' relationships with labor-environmental coalition building and how labor-environmental coalitions are built in the context of the extractive industries in the Pittsburgh area. Pittsburgh is an important case study for labor-environmental coalition building because conflict in the area is centered on the extractive industries, notably coal mining and fracking. I find that (1) labor-environmental coalition builders focus on either a political opportunity or class-based strategy to build labor-environmental coalitions; (2) building coalition participation by rank-and-file members is not a high priority of leaders; (3) a significant number of labor activists later become involved in environmental organizations. KW - LABOR UNIONS KW - ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS KW - SOCIAL MOVEMENT COALITIONS TI - LABOR-ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION BUILDING IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA EP - 54 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25939 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25939/ A1 - Navratil, Judith L. Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - In this paper I argue that adolescents should be asked directly for informed consent to participate in minimal risk research about behaviors that impact adolescent health and well-being. I demonstrate that parental permission for an adolescent?s participation in such research does not provide additional protection from research risk and is disrespectful of the adolescent?s capacity to choose based on his own assessment of the risks, discomforts or inconveniences of participation. Requiring parental permission while merely asking an adolescent to ?assent? also undermines the moral benefit he might attain because it denies him the opportunity to voluntarily make a contribution of his time and effort for the benefit of others. I show that the federal regulations governing research with children are based on an inappropriate ?one size fits all? perspective that treats all kinds of research and all children under the age of 18 similarly in regard to the requirement for parental permission. The regulations should be amended to recognize adolescents as a distinct population, ?characterized by developing cognitive capacities in addition to judgment.? While adolescents may need additional protections as research participants, IRBs need to ask whether parental permission is an appropriate protection, or whether there should be other protections that are tailored to the actual vulnerabilities of adolescents. Finally, I discuss the possibility that adolescents may benefit from being asked to share their stories with research investigators. Marginalized youth, including those who have mental health problems, drug addiction or other stigmatizing conditions, may gain a sense of self-respect from being asked to contribute their personal experiences to help other youth in the future. Allowing youth to participate in observational research projects that are carefully constructed to provide appropriate protections may also provide adolescents with an opportunity to obtain guidance and support from adult professionals who are sympathetic, nonjudgmental, and experienced with adolescents? problems and behaviors. KW - Adolescent Research KW - Research Ethics KW - Informed Consent TI - One Size Doesn?t Fit All: Showing Adolescents the Respect They Deserve as Research Participants EP - 65 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25955 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25955/ A1 - Lim, Crystal Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - This thesis argues that living kidney donation (LKD) is ethically justified, despite the donor?s exposure to its inherent risks and harm, because permitting justified cases of LKD upholds the autonomous decision of the donor to pursue his/her life values and direction. Consideration of the psychological and emotional benefits of LKD and the harm from being prevented to donate allows a more comprehensive perspective of LKD. Medical and psychosocial evaluations of prospective donors function as procedural safeguards. These evaluations aim to protect the well-being of donors by minimizing the risks to the donor, while recognizing the donor?s interest in donation and rights of autonomous decision making. Evaluations also reveal pertinent information to transplant professionals to help them weigh the risks and benefits of LKD specific to individual prospective donors. For the LKD to move forward, a prospective donor must meet established medical and psychosocial criteria. In Singapore, the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) charges a medical social worker with performing the psychosocial evaluation of the prospective donor, and this evaluation is regarded as the expert review which a nationally-appointed transplant ethics committee relies upon in authorizing applications for living kidney donations and transplants. The thesis presents assessment domains for this psychosocial evaluation of the donor, connects these domains to normative principles purporting to justify their inclusion, and highlights those domains that may raise ethical challenges. The thesis discusses the psychosocial evaluation process as currently undertaken in Singapore, and how the inclusion of a collateral person, as contemplated by the HOTA, can be ethically problematic. While social workers are well-suited to conduct the psychosocial assessment because of their training, experience and the normative commitments of their profession, their involvement also raises some ethical concerns that are discussed. KW - Psychosocial evaluation KW - living kidney donation KW - ethical framework KW - donor psychosocial evaluation TI - A Proposed Ethical Framework for the Psychosocial Evaluation of the Living Kidney Donor EP - 75 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26018 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26018/ A1 - Spaulding, Richard Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - The primary function of well cement is to provide casing support and zonal isolation for the life of a well (Thiercelin et al., 1998; Singamshetty, 2004; Iverson et al., 2008). Failure to achieve one or both of these conditions can lead to a migration of fluids up the wellbore and result in both economic and ecological disasters, as exemplified by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on April 20, 2010. To avoid these kinds of failures, the cement must have sufficient strength to secure the casing in the hole and withstand the stresses of drilling, perforating, enhanced oil recovery, and hydraulic fracturing and also be able to keep the annulus sealed against the formation. This thesis analyzes and presents in detail some of the mechanical and physical properties of atmospherically generated foamed cements typically used in deep offshore wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Both static and dynamic measurements were taken across a range of foam qualities and include permeability, porosity, compressive strength, Young?s modulus (E), and Poisson?s ratio (?). Investigating the properties of a range of foam qualities and cement recipes provides better understanding of the effect that different amounts of entrained air can have on cement performance and reliability. To better represent the behavior of cements in the wellbore, we subjected cements to pressure cycling and the measurements were analyzed over the range of these pressures. Our results show how these foamed cements behave and will prove to be a good baseline for future testing on cements generated under in-situ conditions. KW - Foam Cement KW - Young's modulus KW - Poisson's ratio KW - Wellbore KW - Permeability TI - A Quantitative Assessment of Atmospherically generated Foam Cements: Insights, Impacts, and Implications of Wellbore Integrity and Stability. EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25726 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25726/ A1 - Zhu, Yaqun Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Catalysts accelerate rates of chemical reactions, and there is great interest in identifying catalysts that are effective, stable, and economical. This thesis reports two homogeneous chemical reaction mechanism studies using first principles quantum chemistry. The goal of this work is to understand the fundamental reaction pathways that reactions occur, so that one might eventually make improved catalysts. A cobalt-based catalyst system was recently reported for CO2 hydrogenation to form formate.1 It was hypothesized that a cooperative bifunctional catalyst involving an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and this cobalt-based catalyst might further improve this chemistry. We investigated the likelihood that the NHC could function either as a Brønsted base to deprotonate a metal hydride or dihydrogen intermediate, or as a Lewis base to activate carbon dioxide towards nucleophilic attack. We also investigated fundamental catalysis involving heterobimetallic catalysts. We elucidated a complete mechanistic pathway for C?H boralytion with Cu?Fe catalysts to explain experimental observations and suggest improvements to the catalyst. This thesis aims to provide useful insight into canonical organometallic reaction mechanisms involved in bimetallic catalysts. KW - Quantum Chemistry KW - Catalysis KW - Transition Metal TI - Quantum Chemistry Modeling of Homogeneous First-Row Transition Metal Catalysis EP - 62 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25918 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25918/ A1 - Peirce, Gina M. Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - Inflectional morphology errors have been found to be prevalent in adult second language production, even by learners with high overall proficiency and extensive L2 exposure. Particular difficulties are observed with acquisition of complex inflectional systems by learners whose first languages are less morphologically rich. Thus, L1 English learners acquiring the Russian case and gender systems can provide a testing ground for competing approaches to L2 morphological acquisition. This study utilizes the Russian Learner Corpus of Academic Writing, consisting of texts by advanced learners in Portland State University?s Russian Language Flagship program, to compare frequencies of case and gender-marking errors in timed versus untimed compositions by a sample of heritage and traditional L2 learners in order to gauge the putative effect of processing pressure on such errors. It was predicted that significantly more frequent errors in timed compositions would support the position that inflectional morphology errors by advanced learners largely reflect processing difficulties under time pressure. However, results for the heritage group showed that while descriptive tendencies appeared to point toward processing difficulties, the difference between timed and untimed error rates did not reach statistical significance. In the L2 group, error rates were higher in students? untimed texts than in their timed texts, although this difference also did not reach significance. The lack of reliable differences between timed and untimed error rates could be interpreted as demonstrating representational deficits in learners? interlanguage grammar, particularly in the L2 group. However, the greater complexity (measured by words per T-unit) of the untimed essays provides an alternative explanation for the unexpected finding of a higher untimed error rate among the L2 learners, for whom the correlation between differences in complexity and error rates for timed and untimed texts approached significance. For the heritage learners, error rates appeared to be affected more by time pressure than text complexity. In addition, the heritage group had lower case-marking and significantly lower gender-marking error rates than the L2 group. This finding suggests that heritage learners are less likely than traditional L2 learners to show evidence of possible representational deficits of nominal functional features in their interlanguage grammar. KW - linguistics KW - applied linguistics KW - language acquisition KW - language learning KW - foreign language learning KW - advanced language learning KW - second language acquisition KW - second language learning KW - L2 acquisition KW - L2 learning KW - L2 Russian KW - Russian KW - Slavic KW - Russian linguistics KW - Slavic linguistics KW - Russian language learning KW - Slavic language learning KW - heritage speakers KW - heritage learners KW - heritage language speakers KW - heritage language learners KW - morphology KW - inflectional morphology KW - morphosyntax KW - grammatical case KW - grammatical gender KW - morphological processing KW - L2 processing KW - second language processing KW - corpus KW - learner corpus KW - language learner corpus KW - L2 learner corpus KW - L2 corpus KW - interlanguage KW - representational deficit KW - processing pressure KW - cognitive load TI - Representational and processing constraints on the acquisition of case and gender by L1 English learners of Russian: a corpus study EP - 53 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25657 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25657/ A1 - Zhang, Jie Y1 - 2015/09/09/ N2 - The prediction of long-term deflection of large-span prestressed concrete bridges is a serious challenge to the current progress towards sustainable transportation system, which requires for a longer service lifetime. Although a number of concrete models and numerical formulations were proposed, the accuracy of prediction is not satisfactory and significant underestimate happens in structural analysis. In order to overcome this obstacle, a unified viscoelasto-plastic damage model is proposed for the prediction of long-term performance of large-span prestressed concrete bridges carrying heavy traffic flow. In this unified concrete model, concrete cracking, plasticity and history-dependent behaviors (e.g. static creep, cyclic creep and shrinkage) are coupled. The isotropic damage model developed by Tao and Phillips enriched with the plastic yield surface is used in this study. For the static creep and shrinkage models, the rate-type formulation is applied so as to 1) save the computational cost and 2) make it admissible to couple memory-dependent and -independent processes. Cyclic creep, which is frequently ignored in structural analysis, is found to contribute substantially to the deflections of bridges with heavy traffic loads. The model is embedded in the general FEM program ABAQUS and a case study is carried out on the Humen Bridge Auxiliary Bridge. The simulation results are compared to the inspection reports, and the effectiveness of the proposed model is supported by the good agreement between the simulation and in-situ measurements. KW - UNIFIED VISCOELASTO-PLASTIC DAMAGE MODEL; LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE; PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BOX GIRDERS TI - A Unified Viscoelasto-Plastic Damage Model for Long-Term Performance of Prestressed Concrete Box Girders EP - 73 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26003 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26003/ A1 - Ellies, Shawn Y1 - 2015/09/02/ N2 - The increased incidents of school shootings at Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) in the United States have become a great concern for school administrators and law enforcement officials. This literature review presents a) lessons learned from preparing IHLs for an active shooter event, b) alternative measures to support IHLs in managing an active shooter event, c) alternative active shooter training for IHLs. An examination of the literature review provides the definition of what is considered an ?active shooter incident? and provides evidence for the increased occurrences of active shooter events at IHLs. Lessons learned from active shooter incidents are discussed, and various security alternatives to mitigating and responding to an active shooter crisis are investigated. The evidence presented in this research makes it clear that IHLs can no longer depend solely on outside agencies to protect them from active shooter incidents. In fact, IHL employees will respond before law enforcement arrives. Though a great deal has been written about the experiences of first responders and IHL employees in active shooter incidents, much remains to concern us. First, agencies and IHLs differ considerably, and their differences contribute to confusion at the scene. Secondly, individuals at IHLs and responders are not clear about their roles and interactions. In fact, being together at a scene does not guarantee teamwork leading to an effective response. Thirdly, educators and responders who do not train together cannot partner effectively in a crisis. Without a shared training program to prepare properly for an active shooter attack, IHLs remain at serious risk. The increase in attacks alone should alert IHLs to the necessity of preparing and training staff personnel for an active shooter encounter. However, there is still no standardized joint training for responders and IHL faculty and staff in the United States. Institutions of Higher Learning need to support the law enforcement community in providing a standardized curriculum to protect the campus environment and its interest. This review, by examining active shooter events and training in detail, could inform such training. For this reason, this study explores various methods that IHLs can use to prepare, mitigate, and respond to an armed intruder on a college campus. KW - UPPD KW - UPMC KW - SERT KW - active shooter KW - CLERY ACT KW - SRO KW - NIMS TI - EVALUATING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER CURRICULUM FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING EP - 99 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26032 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26032/ A1 - Kamolpun, Somkiat Y1 - 2015/09/02/ N2 - This study investigated how the Thai higher education sector perceives the impacts and responses to the ASEAN economic integration. The cross sectional data comparison was used to identify the pattern of the administrators? perceptions and policies. The comparison was based on the four types of higher education institutions and Office of the Higher Education Commission. Based on the EU and the Bologna Process experience, higher education is an integral part of regional political, economic, and social development. In a case of ASEAN, higher education was included in the integration process as a part of trade in services liberalization and a supporting sector to the regional development. Participants responded to an anonymous survey which asked how their institutions perceive and prepare for the potential impacts of the integration. The follow-up oral interviews and document reviews were conducted to seek additional data. The results exhibited that all types of institutions shared similar interests and concerns. However, each type of institution had different priorities and preparation. The result also demonstrated that every type of institution was facing similar challenges in the policy process, including policy clarity, government regulations, and budget inadequacy. KW - Higher Education Policy KW - Trade in Higher Education Services KW - Higher Education in Thailand KW - International Education TI - The Impact of ASEAN Economic Integration on the Thai Higher Education Policy and Plan EP - 211 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25888 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25888/ A1 - Kounev, Velin Y1 - 2015/09/01/ N2 - Microgrids are a key component in the evolution of the power grid. Microgrids are required to operate in both grid connected and standalone island mode using local sources of power. A major challenge in implementing microgrids is the communications and control to support transition from grid connected mode and operation in island mode. In this dissertation we propose a distributed control architecture to govern the operation of a microgrid. The func- tional communication requirements of primary, secondary and tertiary microgrid controls are considered. Communication technology media and protocols are laid out and a worst-case availability and latency analysis is provided. Cyber Security challenges to microgrids are ex- amined and we propose a secure communication architecture to support microgrid operation and control. A security model, including network, data, and attack models, is defined and a security protocol to address the real-time communication needs of microgrids is proposed. We propose a novel security protocol that is custom tailored to meet those challenges. The chosen solution is discussed in the context of other security options available in the liter- ature. We build and develop a microgrid co-simulation model of both the power system and communication networks, that is used to simulate the two fundamental microgrid power transition functions - transition from island to grid connected mode, and grid connected to island mode. The proposed distributed control and security architectures are analyzed in terms of performance. We further characterize the response of the power and communication subsystems in emergency situations: forced islanding and forced grid modes. Based on our findings, we generalize the results to the smart grid. KW - Smart Grid KW - Microgrid KW - Cyber-security KW - Telecommunications TI - SECURE REAL-TIME SMART GRID COMMUNICATIONS: A MICROGRID PERSPECTIVE EP - 112 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25923 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25923/ A1 - Kim, Sung-Min Y1 - 2015/09/01/ N2 - Music is one of the most popular categories in general public?s Web search. Compared to other types of information retrieval, music search requires a different approach. This is due to the fact that music information includes many unique elements such as composers, performers, instruments, and various media formats, which could make it difficult for the users to realize that there may be related or even duplicated music information available in a different format. Therefore, the methods of organization and presentation for music information become significant in the field of Music Information Retrieval (MIR). Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) is considered an effective model for representing the relationships between musical works and organizing the information of musical works. The goals of this dissertation are twofold. First, I adopted FRBR as a model to represent classical music and propose additional attributes and relationships through user studies to enrich music information for users. Second, I examined, through user studies, how the FRBR model improves MIR compared to existing keyword-based retrieval methods. In order to achieve these two goals, three phases of studies are designed. The first phase examined users? perspectives toward FRBR representation and elicited their views on the importance of certain attributes and relationships in describing bibliographic records of classical music work. Phase 2 involved a content analysis of Web users? questions regarding classical music information obtained from Yahoo! Answers, which aimed to further understand Web users? information needs for classical music information and to examine whether the FRBR-based classical music representation is adequate for satisfying those needs. The third phase examined users? retrieval performance and perceptions with FRBR-based music retrieval in comparison with FRBR-like search method using objective and subjective measures that are based on usability characteristics. This study has two primary contributions. First, it proposed an extended FRBR-based classical music representation model, CMFRBR, which was derived through interaction with music experts, information experts, and general music seekers. Second, it examines user experiences and system performance of classical music information retrieval using CMFRBR based search system compared to FRBR-like music retrieval system on the Web in multiple dimensions. KW - FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORDS KW - Classical Music KW - Music Information Retrieval KW - Novice Music Search TI - TOWARDS ORGANIZING AND RETRIEVING CLASSICAL MUSIC BASED ON FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORDS (FRBR) EP - 217 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25836 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25836/ A1 - Wongchokprasitti, Chirayu Y1 - 2015/09/01/ N2 - In academic research communities, a typical way to spread ideas or seek for collaboration is through research talks, which might be presented at departmental colloquia or might be in given at conferences. Given a large number of research talks, with some of them happening in parallel, it becomes increasingly harder to focus on those of that are of most interest. To solve this problem, talk recommendation systems can help academics identify the most useful talks among many. This dissertation investigates methods to improve research talk recommendations, both for conference attendees and for faculty and students at a research university. More specifically, the focus of this thesis is the use of external information about user interests as a way to address the challenges of having limited data about target users. The thesis examines several kinds of external sources such as user home page, bibliography, external bookmarks, and user profiles from external information systems and explores impact of this information on the quality of talk recommendation in a general situation and in a cold-start context. For this study, the dissertation uses data from two existing talk recommendation systems, CoMeT and Conference Navigator 3, and an academic paper search system, SciNet. KW - recommender systems KW - research talks KW - small communities TI - USING EXTERNAL SOURCES TO IMPROVE RESEARCH TALK RECOMMENDATION IN SMALL COMMUNITIES EP - 323 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26069 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26069/ A1 - Londono, Ricardo Y1 - 2015/08/31/ N2 - Biologic scaffolds derived from mammalian extracellular matrix (ECM) have been extensively used in pre-clinical and clinical applications to promote constructive tissue remodeling in a number of anatomic locations. The clinical success of these technologies depends on a number of factors including the species and tissues from which they are derived, the efficacy of the decellularization process, and post-processing modifications such as crosslinking and solubilization, among others. The ECM is produced by the resident cells of every tissue and hence, it is thought to constitute the ideal substrate for each unique cell population. It is therefore logical to assume that a substrate composed of site-specific ECM would be favorable for clinical use in homologous anatomic locations. However, the advantages of using site-specific (homologous) ECM scaffolds in clinical applications is still a matter of debate. Part of the difficulty in addressing this issue arises from the fact that most studies have investigated the application of ECM-derived scaffolds in either homologous or non-homologous locations independently, but they have rarely been directly compared in properly designed studies. The present dissertation shows the development of ECM-based biomaterials derived from cardiac and esophageal tissues. The decellularized scaffolds are compliant with decellularization standards and are then used to evaluate the tissue specific effects of homologous ECM in vitro and in a preclinical models of cardiac and esophageal repair. KW - Biomaterials KW - tissue engineering KW - regenerative medicine TI - Mechanisms of Biomaterial-Mediated Cardiac and Esophageal Repair EP - 206 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26025 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26025/ A1 - Kittenbrink, Rachel Y1 - 2015/08/28/ N2 - Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), by nature of diagnosis, demonstrate qualitative differences in communication and social interaction. Current post-secondary outcomes for individuals with autism highlight the need for intensive interventions to prepare students for improved quality of life, access to employment, and post-secondary education options. The inability to communicate one?s wants and needs effectively to adults and peers significantly limits the likelihood for independent successful navigation of one?s community and of the larger society. Interventions grounded in applied behavior analysis and designed to teach requesting or manding behaviors to individuals with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) are strongly supported in the literature. The wealth of current research in this area focuses strongly on teaching requesting behaviors from children with autism or IDD to adults. As individuals with autism and IDD age, the need to communicate wants and needs to peers, as well as to develop social skills continues to grow. The current study used a peer manding treatment package, embedding the use of differential reinforcement, controls for motivation, and time delay procedures to assess the effects on peer manding and reinforcer delivery rates in elementary school students with autism and IDD. A multiple probe across dyads design (Horner & Baer, 1978) was used to evaluate effectiveness of the peer manding treatment package on unprompted peer mands and unprompted reinforcer deliveries during 12 min mand sessions. All participants were active in the baseline, intervention, withdrawal, generalization, and maintenance phases of the investigation. All participants demonstrated increased unprompted mands and unprompted reinforcer deliveries following exposure to the treatment package, demonstrating a functional relation between the treatment package and increased response levels. Participants? response levels in the phases following the intervention phase were more variable, but as a whole, response levels maintained throughout the investigation. Considerations for interpreting the results are included and recommendations for future research and practitioners are discussed. KW - peer-to-peer manding KW - peer mands KW - peer requests KW - autism KW - manding training KW - manding KW - language delay KW - Applied Behavior Analysis(ABA) TI - THE EFFECTS OF PEER TO PEER MAND TRAINING ON UNPROMPTED MAND FREQUENCY FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM AND INTELLECTUAL/ DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES EP - 185 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25904 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25904/ A1 - Moore, Debra White Y1 - 2015/08/27/ N2 - The purpose of this study was to contribute to the existing body of evidence on vertically scaling mixed format tests by examining the impact of item format effect in conjunction with specific configurations of common item sets on two of the most popular calibration methods under test specification and scaling scenarios likely to exist in practice. In addition to advice for practical application provided by the investigation, this study also explored the impact of explicitly modeling the vertical scale factor when simulating data compared to a traditional model for in which the underlying vertical scale is implied. Using a CINEG data collection design, six grade level tests, consisting of 61 items, were created with a 9:1 ratio of multiple-choice to constructed-response items and two different sets of 14 mixed format items designated as common items. Ability distributions for 2000 students per grade level were generated with the mean ability for successive grade levels increasing at varying increments to simulate grade level separation along with four covariance structures that reflected varying degrees of correlation to simulate item format effects. Under a 3PL-GRM model combination, expected scores were calculated with recovery of expected score used as evaluation criteria. Ability and item parameters were estimated using the MLE proficiency estimator in MULTILOG and transformation constants were calculated in STUIRT using the Stocking-Lord linking method. The performance of separate and pairwise concurrent calibration was then examined by calculating average BIAS and average RMSE values across 100 replications. While the results of the study provided evidence that item format effects, vertical scaling method, and separation between grade levels significantly impacted the vertical scales, influence of these variables was often in combination with one another. The major findings were (1) pairwise concurrent calibration holistically performed better compared to separate calibration; (2) moderate to large item format effects were more likely to bias resultant vertical scales; (3) a large separation between grade levels resulted in a more biased vertical scale; and (4) explicitly modeling the vertical scaling factor during data generation influenced mean RMSE values more significantly than mean BIAS values. KW - vertical scaling KW - mixed format tests KW - item format effect TI - Unidimensional Vertical Scaling of Mixed Format Tests in the Presence of Item Format Effect EP - 241 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25865 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25865/ A1 - Kane-Mainier, Stephanie Y1 - 2015/08/21/ N2 - This research addresses gaps within the study of textbooks for secondary English language arts and within the study of poetry by examining the ways in which the work and genre of poetry are represented by the ?big three? tenth grade literature anthologies. Drawing from Dewey (1910, 1938), Yoakam (1932), Doyle (1983), and conceptions of authentic tasks from Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1989), this study used the tasks and texts included in the anthologies to deconstruct the dominant discourses about what counts as poetry, who counts as poets, and what counts as the work of poetry. Employing document analysis, specifically both quantitative and qualitative content analysis, data collection and analysis were conducted in three phases. Phase one examined the space allotted to the genre of poetry. Phase two examined demographic characteristics of the included poems and poets (n=128), and phase three analyzed the included tasks (n=1763) for the genre of poetry and the included poems. The findings from this study suggest that though textbooks have increased in overall size to over 1200 pages, the space allotted to poetry is just one-tenth of those many pages, and poems themselves comprised only 4% of those pages and made-up one-fifth to one-third of all text selections, a 30% drop from previous studies. Included poems were more likely to have been written or published in the early 20th or middle 20th century and written by poets who were most likely between 61 and 80 years of age, deceased, male, white, or North American. They were also more likely to be a combination of these characteristics. The findings about the tasks suggest that textbooks represent the work within the genre in limited and limiting ways. With the overwhelming emphasis on closed questions or questions treated as closed - even if they are text-based - and tasks asking students to recall/paraphrase or analyze/interpret in narrowed ways, the indication to students and teachers seems to be that the work of poetry is to read a poem and answer recitation questions. The implications of these findings for teaching and learning, educational institutions, publishers, and future research are also discussed. KW - Textbooks KW - Poetry KW - High School KW - Content Analysis KW - Academic Tasks KW - Curriculum Development TI - HOW THE GENRE AND WORK OF POETRY ARE REPRESENTED BY TENTH GRADE LITERATURE ANTHOLOGIES EP - 328 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24856 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24856/ A1 - Kessler, Aaron Y1 - 2015/08/21/ N2 - The important role of integrating technology in support of engaging instruction is undeniable. It is called for in the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, Inc., 2013) and has been promoted in countless publications (Warschauer, 2006; Goethals, Howard, & Sanders, 2004; Mishra & Koehler, 2006; Bell, Gess-Newsome, & Luft, 2008; Koehler & Mishra, 2009; Schmidt et al., 2009; Harris & Hofer, 2009). Despite this rich research base, relatively little is known about how teachers develop the capacity to carry out this work in the early part of their professional trajectory. This study looked to unpack and understand how a small set (n=6) of preservice secondary science teachers (PSST) developed the capacity to integrate digital technology that supported engaged science learning into their instructional planning. The PSST studied were enrolled in a Master of Arts and Teaching and teacher certification program that focused on the teaching of practices and that had previously been shown to support growth of their pedagogical design capacity (Grossman et. al, 2010; Ross, 2014; Kessler & Cartier 2014). In order to investigate the development of PSST planning with technology the program instructor designed and leveraged a set of intervention lessons integrated in the pedagogy course sequence. Analysis of PSST planning documents and interviews showed a consistent and positive development of PSST ability to plan engaging science lessons supported with digital technologies after pedagogy course intervention. Further, the results point to the impact PSST internship placement sites and mentor support can have on how this planning process develops. Lastly, in a departure from previous research, the data show that PSST leveraged a set of planning routines in order to manage the overwhelming amount of resources and factors required to plan responsive instruction. The identification of planning routines as a part of PSST developing pedagogical design capacity opens the door to a new line of research and represents a slight shift in how the field has thought about this construct and its development. KW - Pedagogical Design Capacity Preservice Science Teacher Education Planning Routines TI - PRESERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS? CAPACITY TO PLAN USING TECHNOLOGY IN AN INTEGRATED TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM EP - 258 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25835 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25835/ A1 - Freil, Robert Y1 - 2015/08/21/ N2 - This phenomenological study examined the perceptions public elementary school principals have of environmental fit within the teacher selection process. Environmental fit is a term used to describe congruence between an employee and the work environment. The congruence is measured through five domains of fit type, resulting in employee satisfaction, individual productivity, job competence, organizational withdrawal, or personal adjustment to the environment. The singular fit types have been studied throughout the organizational literature, and moderately within the educational literature. Research on fit congruence shows connections between organizational effectiveness and individual productivity. The possibilities presented because of these connections support the need for research into this area. In selection studies, existing research has focused on the role, preferences and perceptions of the principal to that process, with only a few connecting a multi-dimensional fit framework to selection. This study draws on transcendental phenomenological methods to examine the perceptions of ten public elementary school principals from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States within the teacher selection process. All ten participants participated in a semi-structured, in-depth interview with opportunities for additional narrative reflections related to the overarching question of the study, ?how do public elementary principals perceive the role of environmental fit within the teacher selection process?? Using the methods of phenomenological analysis, the findings convey five precepts capturing a structural essence of the participants? fit perceptions. Principals view school culture as mutable, valuing teachers who are relational, culturally receptive, and adaptable. These teachers are instructionally competent, but fit into the environment when they contribute to others within the school. For this reason, the principals believe selection does not confirm a teacher?s fit. They utilize components of selection to determine relational dynamics that would lead candidates to integrate easily into the culture as that measure of environmental fit. This conclusion indicates a need for practitioners and school leaders to increase awareness of how relational biases and limited skills specific to salient definitions of fit outcomes influence teacher selection practices. KW - Teacher Selection KW - Phenomenology KW - Principal Preferences KW - Environmental Fit TI - RELATIONAL FLEXIBILITY WITHIN A CONNECTED CULTURE: ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS? PERCEPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FIT IN TEACHER SELECTION EP - 150 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25667 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25667/ A1 - Pasquinelli, Michael Y1 - 2015/08/21/ N2 - This study was designed to understand teachers? perceptions of considering student voice as part of their comprehensive evaluations and/or professional development programs. Literature related to the impact of student voice in education has increased considerably over the past few decades. Research, however, related to the integration of student voice into teachers? evaluations and professional development planning has been limited. This study is grounded in social constructivism, the theory that the social world is without meaning prior to one?s experience of it. The social constructivist perspective provided the context to interpret teachers? perceptions of three models that were linked to form the conceptual framework of this study. The three models were: The Spectrum of Student Voice-Oriented Activity (Toshalis & Nakkula, 2012), The Peer Enhancement of Teaching, Assessment and Learning (Marshall & Deepwell, 2012) and The Educator Effectiveness Project (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2012). The use of focus groups was the primary research method because group processes can help people explore and clarify their views in ways that would be less accessible in one to one or group interviews. Three focus groups, each comprised of six teachers with various backgrounds and experiences, participated in this study. The interactions of the focus groups provided thick, rich data for identifying common units and themes for analysis. A limited number of follow-up questions were posed to understand the influence that the focus group discussions had on the participant?s perceptions of student voice. The major finding of this study was that social constructivist theory did ground teachers? perceptions of considering student voice in teaching and learning and as part of their comprehensive evaluations or professional growth plans. Opportunities were identified for student voice integration within each component of the framework. The need for additional professional development for teachers around the use of student voice in non-traditional activities emerged. Educational leaders may be encouraged to explore methods for linking student voice to teacher development programs. Additional research related to considering student voice as an aspect of teacher evaluation programs could have useful implications for policy and practice. KW - Student Voice Teacher Evaluations Teachers' Perceptions Professional Development TI - TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF CONSIDERING STUDENT VOICE AS PART OF THEIR COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATIONS AND/OR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLANS EP - 210 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26030 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26030/ A1 - Harkness, Justine Y1 - 2015/08/20/ N2 - Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) infects both epithelial cells and neurons during the course of its lifecycle. Transcription of viral genes relies heavily on the cellular transcription machinery and chromatin remodeling complexes. Differences in the expression of transcription factors and in the epigenetic landscape in these two cell types could affect the ability of the virus to transcribe its genes and to reactivate from latency. To determine how cell type affects viral gene expression, RNA sequencing was used to quantify differences in viral transcription from wild type and mutant viruses in neurons and MRC5 cells. To ascertain if differences in the cellular epigenetic landscape affect the ability of the virus to reactivate, an in vitro model of latency was used in which viral genomes persist in a quiescent state and acquire chromatin modifications similar to in vivo latency. Adenovirus vectors were used to deliver the viral activators ICP0 and ICP4 to quiescently infected cells to determine if they could induce transcription from quiescent genomes. RNA sequencing and ChIP were used to quantify viral transcription and the binding of ICP4 to the genome. From these studies, it was concluded that i) viral gene expression from a mutant virus devoid of immediate early gene expression was highly repressed and dysregulated, ii) expression from this virus was greater in neurons than in MRC5 cells, iii) ICP4 was unable to bind to or induce expression from quiescent genomes in MRC5 cells in the absence of ICP0, iv) ICP0 removes repressive chromatin, enabling ICP4 to function on quiescent genomes in MRC5 cells, and v) ICP4 can bind to and induce transcription from quiescent genomes in neurons in the absence of ICP0. The results of these studies suggest that in the absence of immediate early gene expression, transcription from the genome is highly dysregulated and repressed. However, the degree of repression differs between cell types. Neurons were more permissive to transcription, suggesting that they are less able to repress the viral genome. Furthermore, the viral transcription factor ICP4 was unable to access repressed genomes in MRC5 cells due to the presence of chromatin on the genome. However, ICP4 was able to access some regions of repressed genomes in neurons, suggesting that the form of chromatin on these genomes is less repressive and is not uniform throughout the genome. Together, these data imply that neurons are less efficient in repressing the viral genomes, and this may allow for a finer balance of latency vs. reactivation based on the expression of viral activators and the latency associated transcript. KW - HSV KW - Transcription KW - Chromatin KW - ICP4 KW - ICP0 TI - Cell Type Dependent Effects on HSV Transcription EP - 184 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26031 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26031/ A1 - McIlvried, Lisa Y1 - 2015/08/20/ N2 - Given evidence that the pain of migraine originates in the peripheral dural afferents, and that sterile inflammation contributes to the activation and sensitization of dural afferents, the question addressed in this dissertation was, how is inflammation in the dura initiated, which could then lead to the start of a migraine attack? Immune cells are one well-known primary source of inflammatory mediators and likely, at least in part, responsible for sterile dural inflammation. Therefore, changes in dural immune cells were characterized in association with three, key clinical features of migraine?that migraine is more common in women than in men, stress is the most common trigger for a migraine attack, and sympathetic dysregulation is observed in migraineurs. Dural immune cells were obtained for flow cytometry and fluorescence activated cell sorting from male or female, naïve or stressed, intact or with surgical denervation of sympathetic post-ganglionic neurons, adult Sprague Dawley rats. The total proportion of immune cells in the dura was identified for the first time, as well as the presence of lymphoid derived dural immune cells, even in naïve animals. Immune cell subtypes (macrophages in males, and T-cells in females) increased with a delay after stress, suggesting for the first time a possible role for T-cells in migraine. Furthermore, pro- (TNF? and IL-6) and anti- (IL-10 and POMC) inflammatory mediator mRNA expression was up- and down-regulated, respectively, in myeloid and lymphoid dural immune cells with a delay after stress, particularly in females, suggesting that a shift in the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators may also contribute to the initiation of a migraine attack. This dissertation expands the current view of the dura, revealing it to be a much more immune rich and complex tissue than previously appreciated. Most importantly, this work underscores the possibility that it may not only be possible, but necessary to differentially treat migraine in men and women. KW - headache KW - autonomic KW - pain KW - meninges TI - IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE INITIATION OF MIGRAINE: THE IMPACT OF SEX-, STRESS-, AND SYMPATHETIC-DEPENDENT CHANGES IN THE DURA EP - 162 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26013 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26013/ A1 - Elsegeiny, Waleed A Y1 - 2015/08/18/ N2 - Pneumocystis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that presents as a pulmonary pneumonia. Originally characterized as an AIDs-defining illness, Pneumocystis has now reemerged in non-HIV immunocompromised patients. It has been shown that Pneumocystis prophylaxis of can reduce the incidence of infection, severity of disease, and mortality rate in immunocompromised patients. However, prophylaxis is relatively toxic, and only prescribed to defined at risk populations. Anti-CD20 was originally a therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, but now it?s also used to treat hematological malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease. Studies have shown that up to 30% of patients receiving anti-CD20 antibodies developed Pneumocystis pneumonia, however, many of these patients were also on concomitant immunosuppressive drugs which complicates any analyses of clinical studies. Thus, we generated a murine model of anti-CD20 therapy, and demonstrated treatment does induce susceptibility to Pneumocystis infection. This correlated to an overall decrease in immune response, but more specifically a loss in CD4+ T-cell mediated protection. The predominant factor required for immunity against Pneumocystis infection is the presence of CD4+ T-cells. This has been validated several times over by clinical data and experimental animal models. Early on, studies have examined the role of T helper 1 (Th1), T helper 2 (Th2), and T helper 17 (Th17) cells. To briefly summarize these studies, Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells can all be detected in the lung during infection, however, removal of their classically defined effector molecules only delayed clearance or had no effect. We examined the importance of each subset of T helper cells by deleting the Stat transcription factors that mediated differentiation. We found that specifically Stat3 was required, however, it was independent of IL-17 and IL-23 signals. We also identified IL-21 as a key cytokine required to mediate clearance. Using a variety of approaches, we determined that GM-CSF and IL-22 play important roles during Pneumocystis infection. GM-CSF+ CD4+ T-cells are critical for T-cell mediated clearance, however, it alone is not sufficient. While IL-22, although not required, was sufficient to reduce burden in IL-21 receptor knockout mice. These data suggest a model of clearance, requiring non-classical T helper cell function. KW - Pneumocystis pneumonia cd20 il21r stat3 t-cell immunity immunology host defense gm-csf TI - THE EFFECTS OF ANTI-CD20 THERAPY ON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PNEUMOCYSTIS INFECTION AND THE CD4+ T-CELL SIGNALS THAT MEDIATE CLEARANCE EP - 156 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25648 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25648/ A1 - Monin Aldama, Leticia Y1 - 2015/08/18/ N2 - The genus Mycobacterium comprises a variety of organisms, of which only a few are pathogenic, causing diseases of varying nature and severity. Despite this diversity, it is well established that CD4+ T helper type 1 (Th1) cells are instrumental in generating effective anti- mycobacterial immune responses. In addition, Th17 cells are required for mucosal vaccine recall responses. In this work, we studied T cell plasticity and how cytokine defects or co-infections that skew the immune response to a predominantly Th2 or Th17 type, can affect the outcome of primary and recall responses to mycobacterial infections. We explored the plasticity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)-specific Th responses, showing that Mtb-specific Th1 and Th17 cells can acquire the cytokine secretion patterns of other Th subsets. In a vaccination setting, where Mtb-specific Th17 cells are required for protection, we studied the requirements for Mtb control following Th17 transfer. Firstly, we found that upon re-exposure to Mtb antigen, Th17 cells were plastic and required external signaling via IL-23 and CXCR5 expression for protection. Surprisingly, IFN-??deficient Th17 cells conferred enhanced protection against Mtb. Together, our data suggest that optimizing vaccine strategies to boost CXCR5 and IL-23 expression, while limiting IFN-? production, may enhance vaccine efficacy. In countries with poorly developed infrastructure, Mtb is often co-endemic with helminth infections. Thus, using a model helminth organism (Schistosoma mansoni), we assessed whether helminth co-infection or antigens impact T cell plasticity during Mtb infection. Our data show that helminth infection enhances arginase expression in macrophages within the lung, reduces Th1 responses and diminishes Mtb control. Importantly, antihelminthic treatment of co-infected mice was sufficient for restoring T cell responses and reducing inflammation, suggesting that T cell modulation is reversible. In addition, we determined the effect of Aspergillus fumigatus co-infection on Mycobacterium abscessus (Mabs), which is an emerging pathogen in cystic fibrosis. Interestingly, we found that A.fumigatus alleviated Mabs-induced lung pathology in a mouse model. Future studies will establish if modulation of Th1 and Th17 commitment toward a regulatory phenotype underlies the decreased inflammation. Together, our results provide novel information on the dynamic interplay between host genetics, competing host responses to parasitic and fungal antigens and Mtb co-infection. KW - Immunology KW - Tuberculosis KW - Schistosoma KW - Mycobacteria KW - co-infection TI - T cell plasticity and co-infections in mycobacterial diseases. EP - 177 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25948 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25948/ A1 - Edmonds, Alexandra Corral Y1 - 2015/08/13/ N2 - This thesis examines Spain?s ?15-M? protests and four citizen-led ?follow-on groups? that have emerged since 15-M?s inception in 2011. These campaigns for social and political change resist tough austerity measures with protests that exhibit inventive textual, spatial, and visual communication practices. These practices can be explored by focusing on the extent to which 15- M?s ?memeplex,? or ensemble of protest memes, has been replicated by the four follow-on groups. Application of conceptual tools drawn from argumentation, rhetoric, memetics, and semiotics supports study of each group?s communication strategies and practices. Artifacts for analysis include photographs, content from social media websites, interviews, news analyses, and blog entries. The thesis contributes to scholarly discussions of civic activism in Spain since 2011, intervenes into theoretical conversations regarding the rhetoric of social movements, and offers generalizable insights with regard to twenty-first century protest activity that may be useful for understanding other national contexts where citizens have rallied to inspire change using ?occupy? tactics (e.g., the United States, Greece, Ukraine, and Brazil). KW - 15-M; Spain; Protest; Memes; Social Media TI - The 15-M memeplex EP - 313 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25910 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25910/ A1 - Lambore, Rohan Y1 - 2015/08/13/ N2 - This thesis is a comparative case study of ethnic violence and civil conflict resolution in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Kashmir, India. I treat the Macedonian and Kashmir issues as two separate, but similar ethno-national phenomena. Both countries involve the study of two state-level conflicts with ethno-religious, local implications: the Kashmiris within the greater South Asian backdrop, and the ethnic Albanian minority in Macedonia (and more widely in the Balkans). Within my approach, I compare and contrast peace negotiations in each region, guided by the initial research question of whether some aspects of the Macedonian peace resolution might be helpful in developing new approaches for Kashmir. Within this analysis, I investigate the viability of Macedonia?s 2001 Ohrid Agreement, following the country?s ethnic Albanian insurgency, and analyze the resolution?s creation of an autonomous geographical zone for ethnic Albanians that is tacitly accepted by neighboring states and territories including Albania and Kosovo, which in practice, sustains peace. I examine this resolution by discussing numerous elements existent within both the agreement and its implementation. ! I am interested in whether peace proposals might be developed in Kashmir by modeling the Ohrid Agreement, and whether the above mentioned elements may be useful for developing a suspension of conflict in Kashmir from its frozen state. Human rights abuses and violence, including state, militant political and structural have been ongoing since the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, albeit with periods of lesser and greater intensity. Since both conflicts developed from pre-existing ethnic cleavages, an analysis of the political and geographical recognition acquired by the Macedonian Albanians following the 2001 insurgency within FYROM is tantalizing: might Macedonia?s ability to placate Albanian grievances provide a model for solving the Kashmir puzzle? Though these cases differ in scale and severity, comparative examinations of the proposed resolutions in Kashmir compared to those in Macedonia will be academically and potentially practically valuable. KW - Ethnic Conflict KW - Macedonia KW - Kashmir KW - History KW - Peace Resolution KW - Public Policy TI - Ethnic conflict and the journey to peace: a comparative analysis of Macedonia (FYROM) and Kashmir EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25899 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25899/ A1 - Townsend, Madeline Y1 - 2015/08/13/ N2 - This thesis examines the role that visual art plays in the formation of the memories of Peru?s internal conflict. From 1980 until 2000, Peru endured a period of arm conflict that involved several different political actors including the State, The Shining Path, The Revolutionary Movement Túpac Amaru, various indigenous communities, and the general Peruvian public. After this event subsided, the government formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in order to analyze the past and discover what had happened during this time period. The TRC also issued recommendations for the government to take into consideration in order to prevent a future outbreak of political violence. I examine several case studies of visual art encompassing photography, theatre and film and analyze their representations using the TRC?s final recommendations as a frame for analysis. While some of the visualizations constructively work toward achieving the TRC?s goals, others contradict these societal reforms. First, I study the photography exhibit Yuyanapaq: para recordar. I then discuss two plays performed by Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani, which include Contraelviento and Antígona. Finally, I conclude by exploring possibilities for further study, and briefly analyze more recent representations, the play La cautiva written by Luis Alberto León and the film La teta asustada by Claudia Llosa. I argue that visual art serves as a valuable political tool by providing a space for reconciliation, social justice, and cultural repair in the aftermath of violence that can potentially aid the Peruvian community to prevent future political conflict. KW - Peru KW - Shining Path KW - Internal Conflict KW - Truth and Reconciliation Commission KW - Yuyanapaq KW - Yuyachkani KW - La cautiva KW - La teta asustada KW - feminism KW - photography KW - film KW - performance KW - theater KW - visual arts TI - Peru post-internal conflict: an analysis of visual representations of memory EP - 65 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25909 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25909/ A1 - Cagliuso, Dannielle Marie Y1 - 2015/08/13/ N2 - The picture of Dr. John Caius (1510-1573) is fraught with contradictions. Though he had an excellent reputation among his contemporaries, subsequent scholars tend to view him more critically. Caius is frequently condemned as a reactionary and compared unfavorably to his more ?progressive? contemporaries, like Conrad Gesner and Andreas Vesalius. This approach to Caius is an example of what I term ?progressivist history,? a prevalent but problematic trend in historical scholarship. Progressivist history applies a progressive-reactionary dichotomy to the past, splitting people and events into two discrete camps. By exploring the life and works of John Caius and comparing him to some of his ?progressive? contemporaries, I reveal why this dichotomy is problematic. It treats both the progressive ?heroes? and reactionary ?villains? unfairly in that it fails to appreciate the agency of each individual and the nuanced differences between them. The progressives were not merely following the inexorable beckoning of Progress, and the reactionaries were not reflexively and irrationally placing obstacles in the progressives? path. Furthermore, the supposed progressives and reactionaries of sixteenth-century European medicine and natural history were not following completely different methodologies, as the dichotomy implies. Instead of splitting people into discrete groups via the progressive-reactionary dichotomy, I suggest that we instead place them on spectrums, e.g. a spectrum from absolute adherence to classical authors to absolute adherence to observational evidence. This contextualized historiographical approach specifically demonstrates that John Caius is a much more positive and nuanced figure than critical accounts suggest, but it also has broader implications. It reveals that sixteenth-century European medicine and natural history; the transition from Renaissance humanism to the Scientific Revolution; and the scholars of this period, ?progressives? and ?reactionaries? alike, were more complex than the overly simplistic progressive-reactionary dichotomy would allow. Though history of science scholarship seems particularly prone to progressivist history, the progressive-reactionary dichotomy does appear in other historical fields. My revisionist alternative thus has broad applicability. KW - John Caius KW - Caius KW - Gonville and Caius KW - Gonville and Caius College KW - University of Cambridge KW - Gonville Hall KW - History of English Medicine KW - English Medicine KW - England KW - History of British Medicine KW - British Medicine KW - Sixteenth-Century Medicine KW - Renaissance Medicine KW - Renaissance KW - Early Modern KW - Early Modern Medicine KW - Medical Humanism KW - English Medical Humanism KW - Humanism KW - Vernacular KW - Galen KW - English Sweating Sickness KW - Sweating Sickness KW - the Sweat KW - History of Anatomy KW - Human Dissection KW - Whig History KW - Historiography KW - Progressivist History KW - Progressive KW - Reactionary KW - History and Philosophy of Medicine KW - History and Philosophy of Science KW - Galenism KW - Galenic Medicine KW - Naturalism KW - Early Modern Naturalism KW - Conrad Gesner KW - Andreas Vesalius KW - William Turner KW - Montanus KW - Thomas Linacre KW - Realdo Colombo KW - Matteo Corti KW - Vivian Nutton KW - A boke or counseill against the sweate KW - De Ephemera Britannica KW - College of Physicians of London KW - Barber Surgeons KW - Criminal Corpses KW - Progressive Reactionary KW - University of Padua KW - School of Padua KW - Emerging Epidemic Disease TI - Progressive reactionary: the life and works of John Caius, MD EP - 112 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25942 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25942/ A1 - Hagan, Teresa L. Y1 - 2015/08/12/ N2 - Background: The Female Self-Advocacy in Cancer Survivorship (FSACS) Scale is a new measurement tool designed to address the increasing need for cancer survivors to participate in and lead there care in face of barriers. Pilot work has demonstrated the FSACS Scale?s content validity and reliability. Purpose: This purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity of the FSACS Scale. This instrumentation study evaluates the construct validity of the FSACS Scale as evidenced by: (I) Internal structure consistent with the underlying model of self-advocacy; (II) Sensitivity to differences between known groups; (III) Relationships between self-advocacy and key predictors (openness and conscientiousness; information engagement; social support) and outcomes (symptom distress and healthcare utilization); (IV) Relationships between FSACS subscales and related concepts (patient activation; self-advocacy within the HIV/AIDS population); and (V) Relationships between FSACS scores and criterion measures. Methods: A mixed-mode (online or mailed) cross-sectional survey design was used. Women with a history of an adult diagnosis of invasive cancer were recruited from two patient registries and seven advocacy organizations. Instrument selection and analyses to evaluate construct validity were based on the American Educational Research Association?s instrumentation guidelines. Analyses included an exploratory factor analysis, t-tests, and bivariate correlations. Results: A total of N = 315 adult female cancer survivors completed the survey. Evidence from all five construct validity hypotheses supports the construct validity of the FSACS Scale. The FSACS Scale factor analysis confirmed the three underlying dimensions of self-advocacy resulting in a 20-item measure explaining 45.87% of the variance in responses with subscales? Cronbach?s alphas between 0.791 and 0.850. While able to detect differences between women with low and high levels of education, the scale did not differentiate between recent and long-term survivors. Predictor and outcome variables performed as expected. The FSACS subscales were more highly correlated with these outcomes than the measure of self-advocacy for HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: Results support that the FSACS Scale is a theoretically-grounded measure of self-advocacy that can be used by clinicians and researchers to identify women at-risk for the poor outcomes associated with low self-advocacy. KW - Self-advocacy; oncology; women's health; instrumentation TI - Development of a Measure of Self-advocacy Among Female Cancer Survivors EP - 238 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25920 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25920/ A1 - Hedberg, Matthew Y1 - 2015/08/12/ N2 - Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), is a cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract epithelium. Risk factors for HNSCC are smoking, alcohol use, and infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV(+)HNSCC has a better prognosis than HPV(-)HNSCC in the absence of smoking. Multimodal therapy, combining surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, is the standard of care for HPV(+) and HPV(-) HNSCC. Despite improvements in care, all stage survival rates for HNSCC (~60% and ~50%, at 5 and 10 years respectively), have only modestly improved in the last 3 decades. Cetuximab, an antibody against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and only FDA-approved targeted therapy in HNSCC, is efficacious in only a subset of patients, and no known biomarkers can identify which patients will respond. Traditionally, a lack of knowledge regarding the genetic alterations underlying HNSCC has stymied the development of additional targeted agents. We conducted whole exome sequencing (WES) studies that reveal a compendium of genetic alterations observed in primary, metastatic, and recurrent HNSCC. Which, together with functional analyses in preclinical models, have identified new potential therapeutic targets in HNSCC. WES of 151 HNSCC tumors identified the phosphoinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) as the most commonly mutated oncogenic pathway and oncogene in HNSCC. PIK3CA alterations were found to promote growth, survival, and invasion in engineered HNSCC cell lines. PI3K inhibitors were effective in preclinical models of HNSCC, especially in those harboring endogenous PIK3CA mutations. WES of patient-matched tumor pairs from 23 patients with metastatic or recurrent disease reveals a spectrum of inter-tumor genetic heterogeneity. Genetically, paired primary tumors are more similar to synchronous lymph node metastases than metachronous recurrent tumors. Newly acquired mutations in the discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR2) gene were found in a subset of recurrent tumors. Mutations in this gene have been found to confer sensitivity to Src family kinase (SFK) inhibitors in other malignancies, and we found HNSCC cell lines with endogenous or engineered DDR2 mutations to be sensitive to dasatinib. These studies shed light on the underlying pathophysiology of HNSCC, and identify potential therapeutic targets for further investigation. KW - Head and Neck Cancer Whole Exome Sequencing PIK3CA Synchronous metastasis Metachronous recurrence Targeted therapy TI - Leveraging Next Generation Sequencing to Elucidate the Spectrum of Genetic Alterations Underlying Head and Neck Cancer and Identify Potential Therapeutic Targets EP - 137 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25633 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25633/ A1 - Cui, Liu Y1 - 2015/08/11/ N2 - The past decades have witnessed wireless communications traffic exploding. The static spectrum allocation approach can hardly meet the soaring service requirement. Therefore, different spectrum sharing methodologies emerged, such as Authorized Spectrum Access, TV White Space, unlicensed usage, etc. The vast amounts of research work demonstrates that spectrum sharing provides flexibility in spectrum access, increases spectrum usage efficiency, and improves spectrum users utilities. Despite of these advantages, spectrum sharing has been adopted slowly due in part to the embedded risks. Specifically, each spectrum sharing method leads to different costs, revenue, and Quality of Services (QoS) levels. Based on spectrum users requirement on QoS and profits, they encounter distinct risks. Meanwhile, risks may not necessarily lead to failure. Spectrum users can actively cope with risks through mitigation strategies. Moreover, like any engineering investment, spectrum usage is a decision making process for spectrum users. Different choices are made based on distinct incentives and limitations. In order to transform spectrum sharing from a radical strategy to commercial reality, it is essential to quantify risks that associate with each spectrum usage method and understand spectrum users decision process. Consequently, this dissertation focuses on determining expected profits, QoS level, risks, and mitigation strategies for each spectrum sharing method, and applying a decision model to analyze spectrum users? choices. In detail, two types of risks are modeled in this dissertation: (1) QoS risks with respect to throughput, and (2) monetary risks in terms of profits. Specifically, QoS risks are quantified by M/G/C queue. Monetary risks consider costs, revenues, and mitigation strategies. The iv value of mitigation strategies is determined by the real options approach to reflect the worth of management flexibility. The best spectrum usage method is identified according to decision criteria such as profits maximization and risk minimization. The merit of this dissertation is two-fold. First, it helps spectrum entrants select the most appropriate spectrum sharing method based on existing spectrum usage environment, potentials of each method, as well as their goals and limitations. Second, it helps regulators, policy makers, and spectrum market understand spectrum entrants? behavior and create interventions in order to obtain favorable outcomes. KW - Dynamic Spectrum Access KW - Risk and Decision Analysis KW - Wireless Communication Networks KW - Spectrum Sharing TI - RISK AND DECISION ANALYSIS OF SPECTRUM USAGE EP - 165 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25916 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25916/ A1 - Kelly, Neil J Y1 - 2015/08/07/ N2 - Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare but deadly disease whose victims bear a 40% chance of mortality within the first five years of diagnosis. Although current treatment strategies have been successful at subduing symptoms of PH, they have done little to prolong the survival of those afflicted. PH is characterized histopathologically by, among other characteristics, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that constitute the medial layer of the pulmonary resistance arteries and which are thought to decrease the compliance and increase the resistance of the pulmonary vasculature. Over time, these changes increase the burden on the right heart and ultimately lead to its failure and patient death. While recent advances have greatly increased our understanding of pulmonary vascular remodeling, knowledge of these mechanisms is far from complete. Furthermore, the translation of putative mechanisms to animal models is hindered by inadequate tools to quantify medial thickening. Here we present a new method for the quantification of vascular remodeling. In addition, we describe a novel mechanism whereby a conserved 20 amino acid peptide (SR20) in the carboxyterminal domain (CTD) of macrophage elastase (MMP12) induces the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). TRAIL is known to preferentially induce apoptosis in tumor cells, and we demonstrate the efficacy of SR20 and the MMP12 CTD in vitro and in vivo as a cytotoxic agent against tumor cells. TRAIL is also known to paradoxically increase the proliferation of vascular SMCs, and we present evidence that the MMP12 CTD increases the proliferation of pulmonary arterial SMCs through upregulation of TRAIL with potential links to PH. Finally, we present the results of a genome-wide association study in 36 inbred and wild-derived mouse strains exposed to a chronic high-fat diet-induced model of PH to uncover novel candidate genes linked to PH pathogenesis. The results of these studies should aid investigators in all areas of basic PH research through the provision of superior methods. Meanwhile, the identification of the MMP12 CTD as a mitogen for pulmonary SMCs, and the identification of genomic regions linked to PH development, will help improve our understanding of PH pathogenesis. KW - Pulmonary Hypertension KW - Wall Thickness KW - Vascular Remodeling TI - Vascular Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension EP - 154 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25845 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25845/ A1 - Jhunjhunwala, Kunal Y1 - 2015/08/04/ N2 - According to the UNAIDS report 2013, there were 2.1 million new HIV infections including adults and children. This indicates that apart from the already existing therapeutic ART (Antiretroviral Therapy), there is a need for development of HIV prevention products which can reduce the risk of HIV transmission from person to person. Such products which are referred to as microbicides could be used as a means of pre exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A vaginal gel containing 1% tenofovir, a nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NtRTI), has been evaluated in clinical trials to be used prior to sexual intercourse for prevention of HIV infection. This vaginal gel was also evaluated for rectal use, where it showed negative side effects. However the same gel with reduced amount of glycerin did not show any side effects rectally. Physiologically, the rectum and vagina are very different. Hence, development of rectal specific microbicide products is needed. In addition to gel formulations, such products may also be in the form of a suppository, enemas, foams etc. [1]. The design of rectal specific gel and suppository products for tenofovir and its combination is the focus of this thesis work. In addition to tenofovir, other classes of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs such as reverse transcriptase inhibitors, integrase inhibitors (IIs), entry inhibitors, and fusion inhibitors have been evaluated for the development of HIV prevention products [2, 3]. Raltegravir, an II, has shown potential to be a drug candidate for HIV preventative topical product given its anti-HIV activity when challenged post product treatment using a macaque model [4]. Elvitegravir is a potent analog of raltegravir, which is currently available on the market in the form of a combination ART. Therefore a combination of the NtRTI (tenofovir) and the II (elvitegravir) in the form of a rectal specific gel and a rectal suppository was evaluated in this body of work. KW - HIV KW - rectal microbicides KW - tenofovir KW - elvitegravir KW - gel KW - suppositories TI - Design and Evaluation of a Topical Rectal Specific Microbicide for HIV prevention EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25849 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25849/ A1 - Thrane, Susan E Y1 - 2015/08/03/ N2 - Complementary therapies are chosen by parents of children receiving palliative care to augment the use of traditional medications for symptom management without the increased side effects additional medications may bring. Pain and anxiety are common symptoms for children receiving palliative care. Reiki therapy is a light touch therapy that has been examined in adults but not with children until recently. This dissertation addresses the evidence for complementary therapies for children experiencing pain and anxiety, Reiki therapy for pain and anxiety in adults, and evidence based complementary therapies for young children considering developmental stage. The main study is a quasi-experimental mixed methods pilot study design examining the acceptability and the feasibility of a Reiki therapy intervention for children ages 7 to 16 years receiving palliative care. We measured pain, anxiety, and relaxation operationalized as heart and respiratory rates pre and post Reiki therapy interventions at each of two home visits. We completed a structured interview separately with parents and children to elicit their views on the Reiki therapy experience. Paired student t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests were calculated comparing the pre and post Reiki scores separately for verbal and non-verbal children for each treatment, over the entire intervention, and independent sample t-tests or Mann-Whitney tests comparing children based on demographic variables. We approached 24 child-parent dyads, 21 (87.5%) agreed to participate and signed consents while 3 (12.5%) declined to participate. Of the 21 dyads, 16 completed the study (eight verbal and eight non-verbal children). Statistical significance was obtained for verbal children for heart rate for treatment two (t=3.550, p = 0.009) and for nonverbal children for pain for treatment two (Z = -2.023, p = 0.063); however effect sizes using Cohen?s d levels were medium to large for both verbal and non-verbal children for pain and anxiety. Children and their parents told us their experiences with Reiki therapy. Themes found in interviews augment the quantitative results. Themes included Feeling Better, Hard to Judge, and Still Going On, which helped clarify the quantitative results. Results support further study of Reiki therapy for symptom management in children. KW - child KW - pediatric KW - complementary KW - integrative KW - pain KW - anxiety KW - Reiki TI - Acceptability and Feasibility of Reiki for Symptom Management in Children Receiving Palliative Care EP - 313 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25846 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25846/ A1 - Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Lauren Y1 - 2015/07/31/ N2 - This study aimed to improve our understanding of social functioning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by: (1) identifying differences in stress among adults with ASD and healthy volunteers; and (2) examining the relationship between stress and social functioning in adults with ASD. This study hypothesized that adults with ASD would experience greater stress than healthy volunteers and that there would be a significant, negative relationship between stress and social functioning in adults with ASD. Data were collected from 40 adults with ASD and 25 healthy volunteers during a single session in the laboratory. Repeated measures of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were taken during a social stress challenge task, while salivary cortisol was collected before and after the task. Measures also assessed psychosocial stress (perceived stress and stressful life events), global functioning, social disability, daily living skills, and social impairment. Analyses examined group differences between adults with ASD and healthy volunteers on biological stress response and psychosocial stress using analysis of variance procedures. The relationship between stress and social functioning was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression procedures separately for biological stress response and psychosocial stress. This research found that adults with ASD and healthy volunteers exhibit remarkably similar patterns of biological stress response, yet the ASD group reported more psychosocial stress than healthy volunteers. In addition, findings indicated that psychosocial stress was a pertinent predictor of social disability in adults with ASD, but that biological stress response did not predict social functioning in this group. These results suggest that, while adults with ASD experience greater psychosocial stress than healthy volunteers, they do not differ significantly from healthy volunteers in their biological stress response. In addition, the lived experience of stress may have a greater influence on social disability than biological stress response in this population, although a lack of biological stress response difference between adults with ASD and healthy volunteers may be explained by burnout. Future research should examine interventions that might improve social functioning by helping adults with ASD perceive and cope with stress differently. KW - Stress KW - cortisol KW - cardiovascular reactivity KW - autism KW - disability TI - SOCIAL FUNCTIONING IN ADULTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: THE ROLE OF BIOLOGICAL STRESS RESPONSE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS EP - 168 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25829 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25829/ A1 - Chen, Yuzhe Y1 - 2015/07/30/ N2 - Non-viral gene delivery has emerged as a promising strategy in the past two decades for gene therapy. However, it is difficult to translate non-viral gene delivery into clinical trials. This is because of the low transfection efficiency of non-viral vectors and little knowledge about transfection mechanism in 3D tissues. The complex microenvironment of 3D tissues results in the poor relevance of non-viral transfection in conventional 2D monolayer cells and 3D tissues. Here, we develop a 3D multicellular spheroid model to increase the understanding of the gene delivery process by non-viral vectors in 3D tissues. We synthesized Spermine-conjugated-Dextran (SD), non-viral vector, for gene delivery to 3D tissues. Then, we utilized micro-fabrication technique to prepare 3D spheroids with uniform size in a high throughput manner. We compared the transfection of SD/DNA nanocomplex in 2D cells and 3D spheroids. Our results revealed that the transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity of non-viral vectors were lower in 3D spheroids than those in 2D monolayer cells. We used confocal microscopy to visualize the cellular uptake of SD/DNA complex in monolayer cells and spheroids. The results demonstrated that SD vector was limited to the external layers of cells in 3D spheroids and couldn?t penetrate into the core of spheroids. Taken together, our study indicates that the non-viral transfection behavior in 3D spheroid model is different from that in 2D cells, and this model may be more relevant to in vivo setting than that of conventional 2D monolayer cell models. This system also provides a useful high throughput in vitro screening platform for the novel non-viral gene delivery system testing in the future. KW - Non-viral gene delivery KW - 3D spheroids KW - cationic polysaccharide vectors. TI - A 3D SPHEROID MODEL AS A PLATFORM TO STUDY NON-VIRAL GENE DELIVERY SYSTEM EP - 44 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25820 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25820/ A1 - Patel, Akhil Y1 - 2015/07/30/ N2 - Recreating native microenvironment and providing appropriate guidance cues are instrumental in the design of regenerative scaffolds. Despite decades of research in skeletal muscle tissue engineering, there is limited clinical success in developing such regenerative scaffolds. This may be attributed to limited success in building complex features of native skeletal muscle tissue in synthetic scaffolds. These complex features include electroactivity of skeletal muscle cells, nano-(myofibrils) to macro-scale (muscle fiber bundles) hierarchical architecture along with aligned fibrous structure to provide contact guidance. Although scaffolds possessing each of these features have been built, combining multiple such features into a single scaffold still remains a challenge. Electrically conductive carbon-based scaffolds can be processed to possess multi-scale hierarchy along with porous structure and different geometries making them a potential candidate for skeletal muscle tissue engineering. Carbon-based materials have been explored mostly for their application in energy storage and electronics; however, few studies have evaluated their applications in tissue engineering. In this study, we investigated potential of carbon-based scaffolds with different geometries (interconnected porous vs aligned fibrous structure) and nanoscale surface functionalization (carbon nanotube) for skeletal muscle tissue engineering. We engineered multiscale hierarchical scaffolds based on carbon materials, namely, highly porous carbon foams and highly aligned carbon fibers. Both porous foam scaffolds and aligned fibrous scaffolds were nano-functionalized with carbon nanotube (CNT) and silica-CNT (only foams) coatings on their surfaces. It was hypothesized that aligned fibrous structure and nanoscale CNT coatings will provide synergistic guidance cues to enhance myoblast differentiation. Additionally, immobilization of CNTs on the scaffold surface will obviate the cytotoxicity issues. The results showed combined role of surface modification (CNT functionalization) and alignment cues to facilitate cell adhesion, growth and differentiation. Surface functionalization of porous carbon foams with CNT and silica-CNT provided physico-chemical cues for skeletal muscle cells to differentiate into myocytes; however, failed to promote their fusion into functional multinucleated myotubes. More interestingly, CNT nano-functionalization coupled with alignment cues in the form of aligned carbon fibers were able to overcome this limitation leading to formation of continuous multinucleated myotubes. In summary, CNT functionalization and aligned scaffold architecture improved cell-material interaction and promoted the process of myogenesis. KW - Skeletal muscle KW - Tissue engineering KW - Carbon nanotubes KW - C2C12 KW - Myogenesis. TI - Carbon Nanotube Functionalization and Scaffold Topography Guide Differentiation of Myoblasts EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25913 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25913/ A1 - Jeong, Kwonho Y1 - 2015/07/30/ N2 - Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia in critically ill patients have been considered as being closely tied to mortality. However, clinical researchers and physicians have suspected that this relationship may be confounded by other time-updated biomarkers such as the acute physiology and the chronic health evaluation (APACHE) score which is a measurement of disease severity. To investigate the effect of dysglycemia on mortality while adjusting for time-dependent biomarkers, we first need to ensure that these time-updated biomarkers are associated with the main exposure variable, i.e., the time-dependent glucose levels. Several researchers have proposed methods to estimate the true correlation coefficient between two repeatedly measured continuous variables using the maximum likelihood method via the mixed effects modeling with an assumption that these two variables are measured at the same time points. In this study, we further extend the methods proposed by these researchers, and proposed a method that can be used to examine the correlation coefficients among multiple (two or more) variables measured repeatedly. The method we proposed can be applied to linked cases where repeated measurements are linked over time and to unlinked cases where measurements are not necessarily measured concurrently. The dataset we used for demonstration is the HighDensity ICU dataset, an electronic dataset from an eight-year observational cohort of more than 54,000 admissions recorded in twelve Intensive care units (ICUs) of a large tertiary care center. Several risk factors of mortality were recorded daily for the ICU admissions including glucose level, disease severity score, organ dysfunction scores, cumulative daily insulin doses, and caloric intake. Simulation studies were conducted to examine the empirical features of our proposed method under different underlying scenarios. In application, we compared our method with the methods proposed by previous researchers on correlation coefficients between any two risk factors. Public Health Significance: One of the objectives of the current on-going study is to find the relationship between the glucose level and the APACHE III score, both measured repeatedly, while controlling for other repeatedly measured biomarkers. Findings in this study not only can provide helpful information for physicians in the ICUs to optimize treatments in critically ill patients with septic shock, but also can provide biostatisticians a better statistical tool to estimate correlation between two longitudinally measured biomarkers that are adjusted for within-subject correlation while controlling for repeatedly measured confounding factors. KW - Hypoglycemia KW - Hyperglycemia KW - Biomarkers KW - APACHE TI - Method for assessing correlation coefficients among multiple repeatedly measured biomarkers EP - 32 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25831 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25831/ A1 - Zhang, Hongfei Y1 - 2015/07/30/ N2 - The incidence of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) is significantly high in patients following lung transplantation. There have been no investigations on the pharmacokinetics of posaconazole in patients with CF. In this study, 7 patients with CF and 13 patients without CF were enrolled in a pharmacokinetic study upon initiation of posaconazole prophylaxis following lung transplantation. We established a sensitive HPLC-fluorescence assay method to measure plasma concentration of posaconazole. After a minimum five days of treatment, maximum plasma concentration Css, max (0.311 ?g/mL) in CF patients was 56% lower compared to Css, max (0.699 ?g/mL) in non-CF patients; the minimum plasma concentration Css, min (0.189·?g/mL) in CF patients was lower by 60% compared to Css, min (0.474 ?g/mL) in non-CF patients; the average plasma concentration Css, av (0.233 ?g/mL) in CF patients was lower by 61% compared to Css, av (0.594 ?g/mL) in non-CF patients, the dose normalized plasma area under curve AUC0-24 (0.007 h*?g/mL) in CF patients was 65% lower compared to dose normalized AUC0-24 (0.02 h*?g/mL) in non-CF patients, and the apparent oral clearance of 2.51 L/h/kg in CF patients was 3.4 times higher compared to 0.74 L/h/kg in non-CF patients. Moreover, a steady state average concentration of 0.7 ?g/mL that is considered to be essentials for prophylaxis was only achieved in 4 out of 20 patients. A good correlation between Ctrough and AUC0-? demonstrates Ctrough is a good surrogate marker to monitor systemic exposure of posaconazole in LTRs. KW - posaconazole KW - pharmacokinetics KW - HPLC TI - POSACONAZOLE PHARMACOKINETICS IN LUNG TRANSPLANT RECEIPIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT CYSTIC FIBROSIS EP - 50 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25354 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25354/ A1 - Xu, Jieni Y1 - 2015/07/30/ N2 - Our goal is to synthesize PEG-derivatized PPMP as a dual-function carrier for anticancer drugs to co-deliver PPMP and classic anticancer drugs. The clinical application of anticancer drugs has been limited by low water solubility, rapid elimination, lack of tissue-specificity and toxicity. A number of macromolecular delivery systems are under investigation to circumvent these limitations and improve the potential of the anticancer drugs. However, for most delivery systems, vehicles themselves rarely possess pharmacological activity. One interesting approach in the design of a carrier is that components of the carrier system exhibit biological activity, either possessing antitumor effect or sensitizing tumor cells to loaded anticancer drugs. PPMP blocks glucosylation of ceramide, a tumor-suppressor lipid, which induces antiproliferative and apoptotic responses in cancer cells. We conjugate PPMP with PEG to increase solubility. At the same time, amphiphilic PEG5K-PPMP2 could self-assemble into micelles and serve as a carrier for other hydrophobic anticancer drugs. We propose that PEG5k-PPMP2 could be an effective and novel dual functional carrier for anticancer drugs. In this thesis, the first aim was to examine the efficacy of co-treatment of PPMP with other anticancer drugs (camptothecin and doxorubicin) in different cancer cell lines. In vitro cytotoxicity studies showed more effective tumor-killing effect in the combination treatment than single drug treatment. The combination of PPMP and CPT or DOX showed synergism in all of the cancer cell lines examined. The second aim was to synthesize PEG5K-PPMP2 as an amphiphilic prodrug for PPMP and a carrier for other anticancer drugs. PEG5K-PPMP2 was successfully synthesized from Z-D-Ser-OH through a scheme with 12 steps. The products of each steps were confirmed by NMR. KW - Dual-function carriers KW - micelles KW - anticancer drugs KW - PPMP TI - PREPARATION OF PEG-DERIVATIZED PPMP AS A DUAL-FUNCTIONAL CARRIER FOR ANTICANCER DRUGS EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25618 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25618/ A1 - Chidi, Alexis Y1 - 2015/07/27/ N2 - Chronic liver disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. More than 3 million patients are infected with chronic hepatitis C which, when left untreated, can result in liver cirrhosis, liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma, and early mortality. Successful treatment of hepatitis C can dramatically reduce these risks, however the high cost of treatment may limit its use. Similarly, surgical intervention can be curative for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, however nonclinical barriers may limit access to surgical intervention for medically eligible patients. The papers in this dissertation evaluated methods of improving access to and equitable utilization of available treatment options to interrupt the continuum of chronic liver disease. First, we compared the cost-effectiveness of two novel drug regimens for US Veterans with genotype 1 hepatitis C using various strategies to prioritize patients for treatment in light of resource constraints. While both drug regimens were cost-effective, we found that treating any eligible patient was less costly and more effective than prioritizing treatment of patients with advanced disease. Next, we determined the degree to which the current Medicaid policy restricting hepatitis C treatment to patients with advanced disease would lead to increased long-term costs and worse health outcomes for Medicare and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We found that full access to hepatitis C treatment was cost saving and more effective compared to restricting treatment to patients with advanced disease from both perspectives. A full access strategy could also avert numerous future liver transplants, cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, and deaths. Finally, we evaluated geographic disparities in surgical intervention for hepatocellular carcinoma and determined the influence of physician recommendations on the type of treatment a patient ultimately receives. Interestingly, we found that urban patients who live closer to high volume centers are less likely to undergo surgical intervention. Furthermore, disparities tend to exist in referral for surgical intervention; once referred, most patients receive the recommended surgical procedure. These studies reveal opportunities to improve treatment of patients with hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma, which could ultimately interrupt the continuum of chronic liver disease and improve health outcomes. KW - Chronic liver disease KW - hepatitis C KW - hepatocellular carcinoma KW - cost-effectiveness KW - decision analysis KW - health services research KW - health disparities TI - Evaluating Treatment of Chronic Liver Disease & Hepatocellular Carcinoma EP - 96 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25732 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25732/ A1 - Rocco, Brad Y1 - 2015/07/27/ N2 - Cognitive impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia, and arise, in part, from deficits in gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-releasing neurons within the prefrontal cortex (PFC). ~30% of neurons in the PFC of schizophrenia have markedly reduced mRNA expression for the 67 kDa isoform of the GABA synthesizing enzyme, GAD67. Nearly all GABA neurons in primate neocortex can be classified into non-overlapping subtypes by expressing the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), and calretinin (CR). About half of all PV neurons, which are subdivided into basket cells and chandelier cells, lack detectable GAD67 mRNA expression in schizophrenia. GAD67 protein levels are lower in axonal boutons from PV basket cells in PFC layers 3-4, and although GAD67 expression has not been assessed in chandelier cells they may also have lower GAD67 levels. Further, GAD67 expression has not been assessed in CB and CR neurons in the illness but correlative evidence suggests that they are differentially affected. For example, CB neurons coexpress somatostatin (SST) and in schizophrenia lower SST mRNA expression is correlated with lower GAD67 mRNA expression at both the tissue and cellular levels. By contrast, CR mRNA expression is unaltered and does not correlate with lower GAD67 mRNA expression. Therefore, lower GAD67 levels in schizophrenia are predicted to be restricted to PV and CB neurons, though this hypothesis has not been directly tested. Accordingly, we assessed GAD67 expression in chandelier, CB, and CR neurons in the PFC of schizophrenia and matched comparison subjects using quantitative confocal microscopy. This required us to develop a novel technique to identify lipofuscin autofluorescence, which is prominent in human postmortem tissue. We found that the reported marked reduction in GAD67 mRNA expression in only ~30% of neurons in schizophrenia is associated with markedly lower GAD67 protein levels in just a subset of axonal boutons. GAD67 protein levels were trending lower in chandelier cell boutons and were significantly lower in boutons from CB and CR neurons. Our findings suggest that a proportion of PV, CB, and CR neurons have lower GAD67 expression in the PFC of schizophrenia subjects, which may be a consequence of a common mechanism, such as deficits in excitatory drive. KW - parvalbumin KW - calbindin KW - calretinin KW - chandelier cell KW - fluorescence confocal microscopy TI - QUANTIFICATION OF GAD67 PROTEIN LEVELS IN AXONAL BOUTONS FROM DISTINCT SUBTYPES OF GABA NEURONS: REDEFINING CIRCUIT LEVEL ALTERATIONS IN THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF SCHIZOPHRENIA EP - 169 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25818 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25818/ A1 - Bose, Eliezer Y1 - 2015/07/27/ N2 - Background: Cardiorespiratory instability (CRI) in noninvasively monitored step-down unit (SDU) patients has a variety of etiologies, and therefore likely manifests in different patterns of vital signs (VS) changes. Objective: We sought to describe differences in admission characteristics and outcomes between patients with and without CRI. We explored use of clustering techniques to identify VS patterns within initial CRI epoch (CRI1) and assessed inter-cluster differences in admission characteristics, outcomes and medications. Methods: Admission characteristics and continuous monitoring data (frequency 1/20 Hz) were recorded in 307 patients. Vital sign (VS) deviations beyond local instability trigger criteria for 3 consecutive minutes or for 4 out of a 5 minute moving window were classified as CRI events. We identified CRI1 in 133 patients, derived statistical features of CRI1 epoch and employed hierarchical and k-means clustering techniques. We tested several clustering solutions and used 10-fold cross validation and ANOVA to establish best solution. Inter-cluster differences in admission characteristics, outcomes and medications were assessed. Main Results: Patients transferred to the SDU from units with higher monitoring capability were more likely to develop CRI (n=133, CRI 44% vs no CRI n=174, 31%, p=.042). Patients with at least one event of CRI had longer hospital length of stay (CRI 11.3 + 10.2 days vs no CRI 7.8 + 9.2, p=.001) and SDU unit stay (CRI 6.1 + 4.9 days vs no CRI 3.5 + 2.9, p< .001). Four main clusters(C) were derived. Clusters were significantly different based on age (p=0.001; younger patients in C1 and older in C2), number of comorbidities (p<0.01; more C2 patients had ?2), and admission source (p=0.008; more C1 and C4 patients transferred in from a higher intensity monitoring unit). Patients with CRI differed significantly (p<.05) from those without CRI based on medication categories. Conclusions: CRI1 was associated with prolonged hospital and SDU length of stay. Patients transferred from a higher level of care were more likely to develop CRI, suggesting that they are sicker. Future study will be needed to determine if there are common physiologic underpinnings of VS clusters which might inform monitoring practices and clinical decision-making when CRI first manifests. KW - time-series analysis KW - clustering KW - cardiorespiratory instability KW - step-down unit TI - TIME SERIES ANALYSIS AND CLUSTERING TO CHARACTERIZE CARDIORESPIRATORY INSTABILITY PATTERNS IN STEP-DOWN UNIT PATIENTS EP - 280 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25729 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25729/ A1 - Liang, Zhan Y1 - 2015/07/22/ N2 - Objective: To examine the effect of patient-selected music intervention during daily weaning trials for patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation. Design: Randomized crossover repeated measures design. Setting: Long-term acute care hospital. Patients: Patients on mechanical ventilation for ? 4 days undergoing daily weaning trials. Intervention: Patients were randomized to patient-selected music vs no music on the first day of the intervention; provision of music was alternated for 6 days, resulting in 3 music and 3 no music days for each patient. During weaning trials on music days, data were obtained for 30 minutes prior to music listening and continued for 60 minutes while patients listened to selected music (total 90 minutes). On no music days, data were collected for 90 minutes. Measurements and Main Results: Outcome measures included heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), arterial oxygenation (SpO2), blood pressure (BP), dyspnea and anxiety assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS-D, VAS-A) and daily weaning duration (hours). Of 31 patients enrolled, 23 completed the 6-day intervention. Patients were 61.6 ± 10.9 years of age, 74% male, and 96% white. A multivariate mixed-effects model analysis demonstrated significant decreases in HR, RR, VAS-A, and VAS-D and a significant increase in daily weaning duration on music days (p<0.05). Conclusion: Providing patient selected music is a simple, potentially beneficial intervention for LTACH patients during daily weaning trials. Further study is indicated to test ability of this intervention to promote weaning success in LTACH patients and benefits earlier in the weaning process. KW - music intervention; weaning; long term acute care hospital KW - mechanical ventilation TI - Effect of Music Intervention during Weaning Trials in a Long Term Acute Care Hospital ? A 6 Day Prospective Randomized Crossover Trial EP - 76 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25722 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25722/ A1 - Jiang, Yun Y1 - 2015/07/21/ N2 - Objectives. This cross-sectional study in lung transplant recipients (LTR) described acceptance and use of a smartphone application, Pocket PATH®, for health self-monitoring and decision support for reporting critical values in 12 months post-transplantation; and explored predictors of use and reporting. Methods. This secondary analysis, guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, included 96 LTR randomly assigned to the Pocket PATH group. Intention to use was measured at baseline. Due to skewness, use (percentage of days used) in 0 to 2, > 2 to ? 6, > 6 to ? 12, and 0 to 12 months was categorized as Low, Moderate, and High, using 25% and 75% as cutoffs. Reporting critical values was dichotomized as 100% and < 100% reporting. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data and logistic regressions were employed to explore predictors of use and reporting. Results. About 85% of LTR were very likely to use Pocket PATH. However, intention was not associated with use. Use decreased across four time intervals. Self-care agency interacted with gender (OR=0.94, p=0.04) and satisfaction with technology training (OR=0.93, p=0.02) in 0 to 2 months. Use from > 2 to ? 6 months was predicted by satisfaction with technology training (OR=3.00, p=0.03), and age interacted with psychological distress (OR=0.96, p=0.04). Use after 6 months was predicted by psychological distress (OR=0.42, p=0.04) and physical function (OR=1.07, p=0.04). Use from 0 to 12 months was predicted by age (OR=1.05, p=0.03), satisfaction with technology training (OR=2.78, p=0.05) and physical function (OR=1.09, p=0.03). Among 53 (55.2%) LTR with critical values detected, 62.3% (n=33) had 100% reporting. With increased technology experience, odds of 100% reporting decreased in men but increased in women (OR=0.21, p=0.03). LTR whose income met basic needs (OR=0.01, p=0.02), or with longer hospital stay (OR=0.94, p=0.01), were less likely to have 100% reporting. Moderate use group was less likely to report than High (OR=0.11, p=0.02) and Low (OR=0.04, p=0.02) use groups. Conclusion. Use of mobile technology for health self-monitoring and for reporting critical values was predicted by different factors. Clinicians should assess LTR at risk for poor use and reporting. KW - Mobile Technology KW - Health Self-Monitoring KW - Decision Support KW - Lung Transplantation TI - FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY FOR HEALTH SELF-MONITORING AND DECISION SUPPORT IN LUNG TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25630 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25630/ A1 - Zheng, Yaguang Y1 - 2015/07/17/ N2 - Background: Self-weighing is a recommended but understudied weight loss strategy. Objectives: 1) Examine the mediating effects of adherence to energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE) goals on the association between self-weighing and weight changes; 2) Identify self-weighing patterns and examine differences in adherence to EI/EE goals and weight changes across self-weighing patterns; 3) Explore participants? experience of daily self-weighing. Methods: The study included two methodological approaches. In the quantitative component, we conducted a secondary analysis of self-weighing data from a clinical trial (SELF) and a longitudinal, descriptive study of behavioral treatment for weight loss (EMPOWER). Outcome weight was measured every 6 months in the project office. Adherence to self-weighing protocols was calculated using data from electronic scales in the participants? homes. Adherence to EI/EE goals was obtained from the self-monitoring data. Linear mixed modeling, mediation analysis and group-based trajectory modeling were used for analysis. In the qualitative component, we conducted three focus groups to explore participants? experience of daily weighing. Content analysis was used to identify themes. Results: During the first six months of the SELF study, there was a significant mediation effect of adherence to EI and EE goals on the association between adherence to self-weighing and percent weight change (indirect effect: b=-0.26, p=0.02; b=-0.23, p=0.02). Using EMPOWER study data, three patterns of self-weighing were identified: high/consistent (75.0% self-weighed ?6 days/week regularly); moderate/declined (16.2% declined from 4-5 to 2 days/week); minimal/declined (8.8% declined from 5-6 to 0 days/week). The high/consistent group achieved greater weight loss than the other two groups at 6 months (10.19%, 5.45%, and 2.00%) and 12 months (9.90%, 5.62%, and 0.65%). Focus group data revealed reasons for daily self-weighing included feeling motivated, providing feedback for eating and exercise behaviors, and feeling in control. Reasons for not weighing daily included interruption of routine and weight gain. The main suggestion for future users of this strategy was learning to accept a normal range of weight fluctuation. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the majority of participants were able to sustain a habit of daily self-weighing, which impacts weight changes directly and indirectly through changes in EI and EE. KW - Self-weighing KW - Weight loss KW - Behavior KW - Electronic Scale KW - Energy intake KW - Energy expenditure TI - ELECTRONICALLY RECORDED SELF-WEIGHING IN BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT FOR WEIGHT LOSS EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25635 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25635/ A1 - Alshabi, Ali Y1 - 2015/07/16/ N2 - Clinical studies have indicated that pregnancy alters the pharmacokinetics profiles of several medications. Results from previous studies have suggested that physiological changes that occur in pregnancy, including increased plasma concentrations of female hormones may play an important role in the observed changes in drug metabolism. Despite this general awareness, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of major drug metabolizing enzymes such as cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) during pregnancy remain unknown. The aim of this dissertation was to characterize the impact of pregnancy related hormones on hepatic CYPs, UGTs and transporters. The effect of female hormones on the expression and activity of selected CYP, UGT, and transporters was measured in four independent studies in primary cultures of human hepatocytes. A mixture of female hormones at projected hepatic concentrations in the third trimester of pregnancy significantly increased mRNA expression, activity, and protein expression of CYP3A4 but limited impact on other CYPs. Female hormones however, differentially altered the expression and activity of various UGT enzymes. Progesterone and estradiol increased the activities of UGT1A1 and UGT1A4, respectively. Conversely, human chorionic gonadotropin decreased the activity of UGT1A4. A significant increase in the expression of UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 was observed by progesterone compared to the control. Human growth hormone enhanced the mRNA expression of UGT2B7. Expression of UGT1A1, UGT1A3 and AhR were significantly increased by estradiol. Progesterone significantly increased the expression of BCRP. Estradiol also enhanced the expression of NHERF1. Together, these findings provide support for the role of female hormones in the altered specific drug metabolism and transport during pregnancy. Using physiological based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) modeling, we predicted that pregnancy will increase the clearance of buprenorphine (a drug that is simultaneously metabolized by CYP and UGT). This was supported by preliminary clinical observations. However, female hormones did not have any significant impact on the metabolism of buprenorphine in primary cultures of human hepatocytes, implicating additional factors to be responsible for pregnancy-mediated changes in pharmacokinetics of buprenorphine. In conclusion, our findings indicate that pregnancy related hormones contribute to some of the observed changes in drug metabolism and transport during pregnancy. KW - Pregnancy KW - drug metabolism KW - transporter KW - cytochrome P450 (CYP450) KW - UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) TI - REGULATION OF PHASE I, II, AND III PATHWAYS BY PREGNANCY RELATED HORMONES EP - 180 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25586 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25586/ A1 - Brilli Skvarca, Lauren Y1 - 2015/07/13/ N2 - Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious disorder for which there are limited clinical treatments. The Hukriede lab utilizes zebrafish as a screening model to identify small molecules that promote expansion of renal progenitor cells (RPCs) in the embryo, with the hypothesis that these compounds might also be effective AKI therapeutics by enhancing innate renal regenerative processes. This approach identified 4-(phenylthio)butanoic acid (PTBA), a novel class of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) that promotes RPC proliferation in zebrafish embryos by stimulating retinoic acid (RA) signaling. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of PTBA-class HDACi, we used a nephrotoxic model of gentamicin-induced AKI in zebrafish larvae that demonstrates the same hallmarks of renal injury and regeneration as the mammalian kidney. In this model, we show that m4PTB, the esterified version of PTBA, enhances post-AKI recovery by increasing dedifferentiation and proliferation of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs). To evaluate whether RA signaling also mediates m4PTB?s effects in this AKI model, we used Tg(12XRARE:EGFP) larvae to show that RA signaling increases rapidly after AKI, and that this response is critical for RTEC-dependent regeneration. Finally, we show that although m4PTB does not directly stimulate RA signaling in zebrafish larvae, blocking the RA pathway abrogates m4PTB?s effects on RTEC proliferation. These studies indicate that enhanced AKI recovery following m4PTB treatment requires intact RA signaling, and provide mechanistic insight into the signaling pathways involved in kidney regeneration post-AKI. Given the significant healthcare burden posed by AKI, these are critical initial steps in order to improve the treatment options available to patients. KW - acute kidney injury KW - zebrafish KW - retinoic acid KW - histone deacetylase inhibitor TI - Acute kidney injury in zebrafish larvae as a regeneration model for drug discovery EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25418 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25418/ A1 - Kirkwood, Caitlin Y1 - 2015/07/13/ N2 - Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia in the United States affecting an estimated 5.3 million individuals in 2015. Clinically, AD presents with progressive memory loss, decline in cognitive abilities, and behavioral changes. Neuropathologically, increased synaptic pathology and neuronal loss correlate with cognitive impairment in AD. While the specific neurobiological mechanisms underlying AD neuronal loss are not fully understood, a growing pool of evidence implicates soluble amyloid-? (A?) oligomers as a primary neurotoxic agent. Previous work has demonstrated that A? disrupts neuronal Ca2+ homeostasis, initiating a cascade of pathological events that ultimately culminate in widespread neuronal death. Recently, neuronal calcium sensor protein visinin-like protein 1 (Vilip-1) has been identified an AD-specific peripheral biomarker, however little is known about Vilip-1 in the AD brain. Previous work has alluded to associations between Vilip-1, A?, and neuronal death. VSNL1, the gene that encodes Vilip-1, coexpresses with genes related to AD throughout normal aging, notably amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is cleaved in the pathogenesis of AD to form A?. Vilip-1 immunoreactivity also associates with neuritic plaques in the neocortex of the human AD brain. Finally, overexpression of Vilip-1 in a cell line increased death rates following a Ca2+ challenge, suggesting Vilip-1 may play a functional role in neuronal loss. To determine if Vilip-1 plays a causal role in AD, first we investigated Vilip-1 levels in two regions of the human AD brain. Then we used model systems to evaluate the impact of A? on Vilip-1 expression and determined whether manipulation of Vilip-1 expression affected A?-induced neuronal death. We demonstrated that Vilip-1 is reduced within brain regions characterized by prominent neuronal loss in both AD and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). We reported that Vilip-1 expression is not driven by A?. Finally, we found that A?-initiated neuron death was unaffected by the extent of Vilip-1 expression. Together, these data suggest that Vilip-1 is a general marker for neuronal loss in brain tissue rather than participant in an AD-specific neuronal death process. In addition, Vilip-1 may have value as a novel marker for neuronal integrity and loss in human brain tissue. KW - Alzheimer's disease KW - Vilip-1 KW - neuron death KW - A? TI - THE ROLE OF NEURONAL CALCIUM SENSOR PROTEIN VILIP-1 IN A?-INDUCED NEURONAL DEATH IN ALZHEIMER DISEASE EP - 174 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25515 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25515/ A1 - SHEHU, AMINA I Y1 - 2015/07/13/ N2 - Ritonavir (RTV) is a HIV protease inhibitor and an important component of anti-HIV therapy. Hepatotoxicity has been reported in ~10% of patients who receive RTV-containing regimens. However, the hepatotoxicity of RTV-containing regimens was significantly enhanced in subjects who were pretreated with rifampicin (RIF), a first-line anti-tuberculosis drug. RIF is also known as a ligand of human pregnane X receptor (PXR), a transcription factor that is highly expressed in the liver and regulates drug metabolism and many cellular functions. We hypothesize that RIF-mediated PXR activation potentiates RTV hepatotoxicity. We used a transgenic mouse model that expresses human PXR and human CYP3A4 (TgCYP3A4/hPXR). A CYP3A4 transgenic mouse model on the Pxr-null background (TgCYP3A4/Pxr-null) was used as the control. We found that pretreatment with RIF sensitized the TgCYP3A4/hPXR mice to RTV hepatotoxicity, and this sensitizing effect was abolished in the TgCYP3A4/Pxr-null mice. Furthermore, we found that PXR activation increased RTV bioactivation and unfolded protein response. In summary, PXR is a key modulator of RTV induced liver injury. The results from this study can be used to guide decisions on safety considerations regarding RTV-containing regimens in clinical practice. KW - pregnane X receptor KW - Ritonavir KW - liver injury TI - THE ROLE OF PREGNANE X RECEPTOR IN RITONAVIR-INDUCED LIVER INJURY EP - 37 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25615 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25615/ A1 - Riley, Noah Y1 - 2015/07/13/ N2 - Transgender people across the nation are unnecessarily burdened by harassment and violence, ranging from verbal harassment, physical and sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and systemic violence. Some of the most brutally and frequently victimized within the population are transgender women, particularly black transgender women, and are at great risk for downstream health outcomes. Both the Institute of Medicine and Healthy People 2020 have prioritized improving health equity for transgender people and acknowledge the influence of violence on health outcomes. Given this public health significance, this cultural shift in Public Health has given researchers the opportunity to build a foundation of evidence about violence against transgender people. A localized study was proposed to investigate the context in which black transgender women experience violence, related health outcomes, protective factors, and resources utilized as a result of violence. Analysis of focus group data conducted in Allegheny County demonstrated locally: common context and motivations for violence, the impact of violence on personal mental health, as well as protective measures used to prevent violence. Within both groups, a complex definition of violence evolved which include micro-aggressions like mis-naming and mis-gendering, to verbal, physical, and sexual assault. Violent experiences were common in many social spheres such as: on the streets, on public transit, with family, in sex work, by law enforcement, in jail or prison, with intimate partners, and within sexual and gender minority communities. Outing via mis-gendering and mis-naming were frequent pre-cursors to physical violence as well as a component of physical violence itself. Stigma against transgender women was underlying many experiences of violence, and occasionally intertwined with racism. Women in the groups relied on a number of individual level factors to protect themselves from violence like: hypervigilance, avoidance, educating, ignoring, self-defense, and retaliation. Some of these tactics such as avoidance and ignoring resulted in social isolation and loneliness and may also contribute to downstream mental health issues discussed like: depression, anxiety, and suicidality. This study concluded that structural level changes to reduce stigma locally and broadly are necessary to ameliorate the impact of violence against black transgender women. KW - Black Transgender Women; Violence; Allegheny County TI - "We already been purged": violence against black transgender women in Allegheny County EP - 99 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25568 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25568/ A1 - Cobanoglu, Murat Can Y1 - 2015/07/10/ N2 - The cost of discovering a new drug has doubled every 9 years since the 1950s. This can change by using machine learning to guide experimentation. The idea I have developed over the course of my PhD is that using latent factor modeling (LFM) of the drug-target interaction network, we can guide drug repurposable efforts to achieve transformative improvements. By better characterizing the drug-target interaction network, it is possible to use currently approved drugs to achieve therapies for diseases that currently are not optimally treated. These drugs might be directly used through repurposing, or they can serve as a starting point for new drug discovery efforts where they are optimized through medicinal chemistry methods. To achieve this goal, I have developed LFM-based techniques applicable to existing databases of drug-target interaction networks. Specifically, I have started out by establishing that probabilistic matrix factorization (PMF; one type of LFM algorithm) can be used as descriptors by showing they capture therapeutic function similarities that state-of-the-art 3D chemical similarity methods could not capture. Then I have shown that PMF can effectively predict unknown drug-target interactions. Furthermore, I have used newly developed computational techniques for discovering repurposable drugs for two diseases, ?1 antitrypsin (?1-AT) deficiency (ATD) and Huntington?s disease (HD) leading to successful discoveries in both. For ATD, two sets of data generated by the David Perlmutter and Gary Silverman laboratories have been used as input to deduce potential targets and repurposable drugs: (i) a high throughput screening data from a genome-wide RNAi knockdown in a C. elegans model for studying ATZ (Z-allele of ?1-AT), and (ii) data from Prestwick library screen for the same model. We have predicted that the antidiabetic drug glibenclamide would be beneficial against ATZ aggregation, and data collected to date in Mus musculus models are promising. We have worked on HD with the Robert Friedlander lab, by examining the potential drugs and implicated pathways for 15 neuroprotective (repurposable) drugs that they have identified in a two-stage screening study. Based on LFM-based analysis of the targets of these drugs, we have developed a number of hypotheses to be tested. Among them, the antihypertensive drug sodium nitroprusside appears to be effective against HD based on neuronal cell death inhibition experiments that were conducted at the University of Pittsburgh Drug Discovery Institute as well as the Friedlander lab. Finally, we have built a web server, named BalestraWeb, for facilitating the use of PMF in repurposable drug identification by the broader community. BalestraWeb enables users to extract information on known and potential targets (or drugs) for any approved drug (or target), simply by entering the name of the query drug (or target). I have also laid out the framework for developing an integrated resource for quantitative systems pharmacology, Balestra toolkit (BalestraTK), which would take advantage of existing databases such as STITCH, UniProt, and PubChem. Collectively, our results provide firm evidence for the potential utility of machine learning techniques for assisting in drug discovery. KW - machine learning KW - drug discovery TI - PROBABILISTIC LATENT FACTOR MODELS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE DRUG DISCOVERY EP - 234 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25565 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25565/ A1 - Oczypok, Elizabeth A Y1 - 2015/07/08/ N2 - Half of all asthmatics suffer from allergic airway inflammation driven by type 2 immune responses in the lung, yet the molecular mechanisms that control early, initiating events in allergic asthma are poorly understood. Recently, scientists have discovered a new subset of innate cells that can trigger rapid type 2 allergic inflammation, even in the absence of an adaptive immune system. These cells, termed group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), are activated by the epithelial alarmin, interleukin (IL)-33, and secrete copious amounts of the type 2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 to drive tissue eosinophilia, mucus hypersecretion, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). It is unknown how these cells are recruited to the lung to promote allergic airway inflammation (AAI). The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is a proinflammatory receptor abundantly expressed in the lung. Previous studies have found that, in the absence of RAGE, IL-5 and IL-13 cytokine responses are impaired, and mouse lungs are completely protected from development of AAI and AHR. It was therefore hypothesized that RAGE was necessary for recruitment of type-2-cytokine-producing ILC2s to the lung during allergen challenge to initiate AAI. The data presented here demonstrate that RAGE is, in fact, necessary for ILC2 accumulation in the lung after allergen challenge. Furthermore, this mechanism appears to be lung-specific and independent of RAGE expression on ILC2s themselves: tissues that do not normally express RAGE (i.e. gastrointestinal tract) mount normal ILC2-driven allergic responses even in RAGE KO mice. The ILC2-activating cytokine, IL-33, was also dependent on RAGE signaling, both upstream to trigger its release from epithelial cells and also downstream to mediate its inflammatory effects. This is the first study examining a parenchymal factor in the recruitment of ILC2s to a specific organ. The exact mechanism by which this is occurring is still under investigation, but it may lead to the discovery of important new therapeutic targets early in the development of AAI. KW - receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE); group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2); IL-33; allergic airway inflammation (AAI); asthma TI - Receptor for advanced glycation endproducts mediates allergic airway inflammation via group 2 innate lymphoid cells EP - 219 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25512 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25512/ A1 - Tafaleng, Edgar N. Y1 - 2015/07/06/ N2 - In the classical form of ?1-antitrypsin deficiency (ATD), aberrant intracellular accumulation of misfolded mutant ?1-antitrypsin Z (ATZ) in hepatocytes causes hepatic damage by a gain-of-function, ?proteotoxic? mechanism. Whereas some ATD patients develop severe liver disease that necessitates liver transplantation, others with the same genetic defect completely escape this clinical phenotype. We investigated whether induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from ATD individuals with or without severe liver disease could model these personalized variations in hepatic disease phenotypes. Patient-specific iPSCs were generated from ATD patients and a control, and differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps) having many characteristics of hepatocytes. Pulse-chase and endoglycosidase H analysis demonstrate that the iHeps recapitulate the abnormal accumulation and processing of the ATZ molecule, compared to the wild-type AT molecule. Measurements of the fate of intracellular ATZ show a marked delay in the rate of ATZ degradation in iHeps from severe liver disease patients, compared to those from no liver disease patients. Transmission electron microscopy showed dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum in iHeps from all individuals with ATD, not in controls, but globular inclusions that are partially covered with ribosomes were observed only in iHeps from individuals with severe liver disease. These results provide definitive validation that iHeps model the individual disease phenotypes of ATD patients with more rapid degradation of misfolded ATZ and lack of globular inclusions in cells from patients who have escaped liver disease. The results support the concept that ?proteostasis? mechanisms, such as intracellular degradation pathways, play a role in observed variations in clinical phenotype and show that iPSCs can potentially be used to facilitate predictions of disease susceptibility for more precise and timely application of therapeutic strategies. KW - ?1-antitrypsin induced pluripotent stem cells disease modeling liver disease hepatocyte-like cells TI - Modeling the personalized variations in liver disease due to ?1-antitrypsin deficiency using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells EP - 134 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25200 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25200/ A1 - YEO, JUNGWON Y1 - 2015/07/01/ N2 - Collective action has been explored as an alternative to traditional or single-minded actions in solving complex or ?wicked? problems prevalent in contemporary society. Yet, in order to improve its applicability and potential, existing gaps in field research need to be identified and filled. Pointing out the lack of research in complexity and dynamics of collective action systems in every day social policy and practice, this dissertation focuses on uncovering those aspects by asking: How and why did collective action systems emerge in the first place, and continually change over time? What were the roles of public policy in the processes? How could the value of collective action systems be enhanced? To answer these questions, this dissertation investigates collective action systems in immigration and multiculturalism policy and practice of two cities in South Korea, based on a theoretical framework drawn from the ?institutional analysis and development framework?, theories of structures?complex adaptive systems and social networks, and theory of fields. A set of data was collected by mixed methods, i.e., network coding, semi-structured interviews, and perception surveys, and documentation reviews. Then, descriptive/statistical social network analyses, process tracing, decision analysis, documentary analysis, and descriptive statistics were utilized to explore the emergence and change in local collective action systems in the policy arena from 2002 to 2013. Findings suggest that regardless of inherent contextual differences between the cases, local collective action systems emerged when local participants established a shared definition of local immigrants, and collective goals to serve those local immigrants. However, the immigration and multiculturalism Acts and policies, accompanied with standardized policy implementation procedures, resulted in change in the existing systems in both cities. Despite the frustration due to recent system changes and some contextual roadblocks, local participants still perceived benefits of local collective action systems in the policy arena. Thus, this dissertation suggests policy recommendations that can control the contextual, structural, procedural, and perceptual impediments, and enhance the value of the collective action systems in policy and practice. KW - Collective Action KW - Policy Analysis KW - Complex Adaptive Systems KW - Social Network KW - Immigration Policy KW - Decision Making TI - COLLECTIVE ACTION SYSTEMS IN IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM POLICY AND PRACTICE: COMPLEXITY AND DYNAMICS OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL NETWORKS EP - 315 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24998 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24998/ A1 - Scherer, Shelley C. Y1 - 2015/07/01/ N2 - Philanthropic foundations have long played important roles in American society. Scholars have explored institutional philanthropy from a variety of perspectives but have not yet generated a robust theory of foundation behavior. This study explores one specific aspect of foundation behavior, grant assessment. Here, ?grant assessment? refers to the full range of post-award reflections on a given grant, from formal evaluations to informal, retrospective judgments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the variations in motivations and practices of assessing grants, the plausible sources of these variations, and the relationship between grant assessment motivations and practices. Since there is little theoretically-grounded, empirical research in this domain, this study is exploratory with the aim of developing theory rather than testing hypotheses. The research design is inductive and primarily qualitative. Data gathering included key informant interviews with 27 grant-making professionals from 17 private foundations in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA) area. Content analyses of these foundations? websites and public documents complemented the interview data. The findings from this study suggest that grant assessment motivations and practices are triggered by two mechanisms: one agent-based, derived from the foundation?s organizational identity and the other grant-based, determined by grant type. Informants demonstrated high fidelity to organizational identity as expressed in their foundations? mission statements and signaled by other organizational messaging devices, including website design and content. The organizational identity typology which emerged provides support for moving beyond the conventional conceptualization of foundation behavior along a continuum of ?active? to ?passive? to one that acknowledges the role of identity. These findings contest that conventional perspective and offer an alternative interpretation of foundation behavior, through the lens of organizational identity, defined here as organizational values, aspirations, and competencies (Camillus, 2008). That is, these findings suggest that organizational identity is the central determinant of foundation practices, with implications for the types of grants they make and their grant assessment motivations and practices. This study concludes with suggestions for further research to refine this typology and to test the extent to which organizational identity explains foundation grant-making practices. KW - Philanthropy KW - Private Foundations KW - Grant Evaluation KW - Organizational Identity KW - Grant Assessment TI - GRANT EVALUATION: WHAT PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS DO AND WHY THEY DO IT: An Examination of Grant Assessment Motivations and Practices EP - 241 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24671 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24671/ A1 - Kuntz, Jessica / B. Y1 - 2015/07/01/ N2 - In February 2014, nationwide protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) were followed by a series of ?plenums,? grassroots gatherings of citizens issuing demands of their public officials. The novelty of citizen activism in BiH overshadowed a surprisingly stipulation of the plenums: the explicit exclusion of NGOs. This paper undertakes to explain the divide that has arisen between Bosnian civil society and the local population. Employing the analytic lens of the Samaritan?s Dilemma, which posits an inverse relation between the efforts of donors and that of recipients, we hypothesize that the presence of assured donor funds prompted recipient NGOs to exert lower levels of effort than they otherwise would have. We further hypothesize that lower effort will manifest as reduced organizational responsiveness to changing constituent needs. To test this hypothesis, the paper explores the process of NGO mission formation and evolution through qualitative interviews with a sample of six Bosnian NGOs. Secondarily, we employ a more macro approach by tracking the evolution of NGO projects by sector, using projects funded by the National Endowment for Democracy as a sample. Our findings disconfirm our hypothesis but reveal a plausible alternate explanation which we define as the ?leaders without followers? phenomenon. Our findings suggest that Bosnian NGOs lack two elements critical to their civil society function: a targeted beneficiary group and mechanisms by which to engage a public constituency. Consequently, our policy recommendations hinge on the introduction of ?community integration? as a criteria used by donors to evaluate potential grant recipients. In expanding their evaluative criteria beyond organization capacity and project viability, donors should aim to engage resource-poor, local NGOs in order to promote the dual growth of NGOs and civil society, rather than the former at the expense of the latter. KW - Civil society KW - nongovernmental organizations KW - donor-NGO relations KW - aid effectiveness KW - foreign aid KW - Bosnia Herzegovina KW - Balkans KW - Southeast Europe KW - democracy promotion TI - Samaritans and Patrons: The long road to civil society in Bosnia & Herzegovina EP - 78 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24860 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24860/ A1 - Colella, Brian Y1 - 2015/07/01/ N2 - The coordinated and effective management of major disruptive events requires the collaboration of highly trained cadres of emergency services professionals, known in the public safety vernacular as unified command teams. Confronted by complex, dynamic, confusing, time sensitive and dangerous environments, they must make their decisions under rapidly evolving conditions. The consequences of inadequate incident command can be devastating on the lives and fortunes of those affected by major disruptive events. Yet finding the formula for efficacious emergency management is complicated by the disjointed configuration of public safety agencies throughout the United States, and compounded by the ad hoc nature of these multidisciplinary command teams, which are often assembled quickly from among disparate groups of public safety agencies. This research strives to develop an understanding of the small group processes which guide the work of unified command teams by investigating the following elements: ? The impediments and facilitators of command team formation and collaboration. ? Mechanisms of leadership emergence and the characteristics of effective team leaders. ? The architecture of incident scene communications and information systems. ? The processes utilized by small problem solving teams as they make decisions under uncertainty. Emergency response has been addressed by scholars mostly at the macro-level, focusing on national or international disasters. By studying emergency management on a regional basis, this research helps to fill a gap in the current literature. Utilizing a grounded, mixed methods approach, the bulk of the primary evidence is gathered through 75 semi-structured interviews with experienced incident commanders. Modeling and simulation are also utilized to explore methods of decision support for command teams during complex emergency operations. The field study area consists of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, a region with a disparate aggregation of over 450 public safety agencies. The ultimate goal of this study is to suggest actions to enhance the effectiveness of emergency management during major emergency events. Accordingly, the key policy recommendation of this research is for the development of permanently established, professionally trained unified command teams that can provide large-scale incident management support to local municipalities throughout the region. KW - incident command KW - disaster management KW - emergency management KW - decision making under uncertainty TI - Searching For Unity: Achieving Coordinated and Effective Management of Large-Scale Disruptive Events. EP - 361 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25244 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25244/ A1 - Rao, Lakshmi Subrmanya Y1 - 2015/06/30/ N2 - Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease that is characterized by insufficient insulin production or utilization. Type 2 diabetes is associated with complications such as diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease and coronary heart disease. Three important risk factors for complications are hyperglycemia, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Effective diabetes care involves self-management of the disease with proper nutrition, physical exercise and pharmacological agents that can control levels of glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure. With the rise in the prevalence of diabetes and often ineffective treatment intensification it is necessary to consider new treatment strategies. Patient centered approaches along with treatment intensification and diabetes education can be one such strategy to improve diabetes care. Diabetes education can be helpful as it helps in promoting healthy behaviors and appropriate diabetes self-management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of providing patient education and intensifying treatment in patients with Type 2 diabetes and determine if there were significant changes observed in HbA1c, LDLc, blood pressure and adherence. This study specifically reported changes in patients at the 3 month follow up. The study was a prospective, cluster randomized controlled trial. There were a total of 240 patients enrolled in the study: 175 were in the intervention group and 65 were in the control group. Treatment was intensified according to pre-approved protocols and diabetes education was provided to patients in the intervention group. There was significant decrease in HbA1c and LDLc levels within the intervention group but the difference was not significant within the control group. There was no decrease in blood pressure within the intervention or the control group. HbA1c, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure was significantly different in between the groups at baseline but not during 3 month follow up. There was no statistically significant difference between the underlying distributions of the adherence scores of protocol and the adherence scores of control at baseline or 3 month follow up. The results from the 3 month follow up strongly indicated that treatment intensification along with patient education can be an effective way to treat diabetes. These results also emphasized the importance of a patient centered approach and diabetes education. The public health significance of this study is that it can be very helpful to optimize treatment strategies in diabetes while addressing behavioral and psychological needs of a patient. This can improve self-management of diabetes, which is one of the very important aspects of diabetes care. KW - Diabetes KW - Treatment intensification KW - Patient education TI - Redesigning treatment strategies in type 2 diabetes by treatment intensification and patient education EP - 55 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25363 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25363/ A1 - Breski, Megan Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - KDM4 proteins are epigenetic modifiers that demethylate histone lysine residues to regulate chromatin structure and gene expression. The KDM4 subfamily contributes to the larger JmjC domain containing demethylase family, which all require 2-ketoglutarate as a cofactor for catalytic activity. KDM4 members have been shown to be relevant in biological processes, such as cellular differentiation and DNA damage repair. The amplification of KDM4 proteins has been observed in various cancers and disrupts the cell cycle, normal cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Being able to monitor the members of this protein family independently will elucidate their specific functions and the genes they regulate. Because this family of proteins is involved in various mechanisms related to pathogenesis it is of significant public health importance. The Bump-Hole approach was used to develop an engineered KDM4A-2-Ketoglutarate system that would be independent of the native demethylase system. In total, 24 KDM4A mutants and 12 2-ketoglutarate analogs were generated, providing 288 engineered systems to be screened for activity. Half of the KDM4A mutants showed activity with 2-KG compounds and three of them provided a bioorthologous enzyme-cofactor system. The most significant engineered KDM4A-2-KG pairs were tested in KDM4 isoforms B and D and gave similar results. Engineering the enzyme did not disrupt substrate specificity and the engineered systems were active following methylation of histone peptides. In conclusion, half of the KDM4A mutants rendered the enzyme inactive when paired with the 2-KG compounds obtained (including the native compound). Half of the KDM4A mutants showed activity with at least one of the 2-KG compounds, where three of them resulted in a bioorthologous enzyme-cofactor system. The observations were alike in the KDM4 isoforms and substrate specificity was maintained. These results allow for the KDM4A protein to be monitored independently of the KDM4 isoforms and other JmjC domain containing proteins. KW - Epigenetics KW - Histones KW - Demethylation KW - Demethylase KW - KDM4A KW - JMJD2A KW - Genetics KW - cancer KW - Histone Demethylases KW - KDM4 KW - lysine demethylases KW - 2-ketoglutarate TI - Allele specific approach to study histone demethylation using engineered KDM4A- (2)-Ketoglutarate pairs EP - 77 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24540 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24540/ A1 - Kassem, Ahmed Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Worldwide, anxiety disorders are the sixth leading cause of all years of life lived with disability, ahead of diabetes, cancers and stroke. In the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders among older adults. It is well documented that anxiety and cognitive impairment co-occur in older adults, however, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. Further, medications that are used to manage anxiety symptoms and disorders appear to be increasing in the general population with paucity of information about trends in older adults. Using three population-based studies, this dissertation investigated anxiety symptoms in older men and women with a focus on anxiety-related medications and impact of anxiety on future cognitive functioning. We found that the use of anxiolytic and antidepressant medications increased in an aging cohort over ten years with higher prevalence in women than men. We also found that some predictors of anxiolytic and antidepressant medications use were common among both men and women, while some predictors were potentially gender-specific. In a cohort of oldest old women, we found that mild anxiety symptoms were associated with increased odds of incident dementia over five years. We also found that change in anxiety symptoms over time was associated with increased risk of dementia. We did not observe an association between anxiety symptoms and mild cognitive impairment. In a cohort of older men, we found that anxiety symptoms were associated with greater declines in both global cognitive function and executive function over three years. We also found that such a decline reached clinically significant level in executive function but not in global cognitive function. Taken together, these findings are of major public health relevance as they highlight the significance of anxiety symptoms in older adults. Findings from this research will improve our understanding of the role of anxiety as a predictor of future cognitive impairment. It is critical to clarify whether anxiety can early identify those at higher risk or it is a potentially modifiable risk factor. Findings from this research will also inform future intervention research that targets older users of anxiety-related medications. KW - anxiety KW - anxiolytic medications KW - cognition KW - dementia KW - mild cognitive impairment KW - gender KW - older adults TI - Anxiety symptoms, anxiolytic medications and cognitive impairment in older adults EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25047 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25047/ A1 - Rubright, Ryan Tyler Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Long-term exposure ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) may be associated with atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Few studies have previously examined this relationship, with most research focusing on two different cohorts: the Multi-Ethnic Study and Atherosclerosis (MESA) and the Heinz-Nixdorf Recall Study (HNRS). While several methods are used to assess the risk of cardiovascular outcomes, this study focuses on coronary artery calcification (CAC) as an indicator of atherosclerosis and, therefore, poor cardiovascular health. This study aimed to find associations between ambient PM2.5 concentrations, inflammatory and cardiovascular-specific biomarkers, and CAC. Utilizing data from the Heart Strategies Concentrating on Risk Evaluation (Heart SCORE) cohort in Allegheny County, PA, CAC scores were collected from 724 participants in cohort from 2003-2008 (aged 45-75 years). A general inflammatory marker, Interleukin-6, the cardiovascular-specific augmentation index normalized to 75 beats per minute (AI75), and the Framingham Index (FRHI) were also collected. PM2.5 exposure concentrations were determined via active sampling and Land Use Regression (LUR). Each participant?s exposure was designated as the PM2.5 concentration from the prior year within 300 meters of their address. All examinations considered potential confounding from age, sex, and race. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) associations were found for PM2.5 and IL-6 (0.092), as well as between AI75 and CAC (-0.009). Pairwise correlations between PM2.5 and IL-6 (0.05) as well AI75 and FRHI (0.16) were also significant. Comparison of the 90th and 10th percentiles of PM2.5 exposure showed a 74.55 HU difference in Agatston score for individuals with presence of CAC. No significant association was found between these exposure percentiles and the whether an individual developed CAC. To date, this is one of the few studies to examine PM2.5 exposure associations to atherosclerotic risk using CAC as opposed to CIMT outside of MESA and HNRS. While the analysis found suggestive evidence of a direct link between CAC and ambient PM2.5, the results were not statistically significant. Pairwise correlations between components of the hypothesized pathway were statistically significant, albeit weak. Understanding the association between PM2.5 and CAC can impact primary and secondary public health prevention efforts for cardiovascular disease. KW - Fine particulate matter KW - coronary artery calcification TI - Assessing ambient fine particulate matter exposure and associations with coronary artery calcification EP - 46 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24544 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24544/ A1 - Jia, Jia Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Association studies test for genetic variation influencing disease risk. We explore here the application and development of statistics for binary traits on family data. There are two main areas of focus: the first on comparing existing single-variant tests, and the second on developing a gene-based test. In the first part, we carried out a comparative study by applying 42 family-based association test statistics on different family-based datasets, which are simulated under a variety of scenarios (varying levels of linkage disequilibrium; dominant, additive, and recessive disease models; a variety of family structures). We have compared the Type I error, power and robustness of all the statistics. The results show that, when testing the null hypothesis of no association and no linkage, among the statistics that have well-behaved Type I error, the More powerful Quasi-likelihood Score test has the highest power and high robustness. In the second part, motivated by a need for powerful gene-based association statistics on family-based data for binary traits, we have proposed a new test statistic, which is based on a mixed model framework, Laplace's method and a variance component score test. We have compared the Type I error rates and power of our new statistic and six existing statistics by simulating different scenarios (varying the number and effect size of risk and protective variants). Our proposed statistic shows well-behaved Type I error and high power in some scenarios. The insights gathered here may improve public health by providing information on how to effectively utilize association methods to detect genetic variants that are related to disease. Ultimately, they should help improve the understanding of disease etiology. KW - family-based KW - association analysis KW - common variant KW - rare variant KW - binary trait KW - Type I error KW - power. TI - Association analysis between binary traits and common or rare genetic variants on family-based data EP - 143 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24619 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24619/ A1 - Siordia, Carlos Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - The ability to help mitigate prevalence of disability in the aging population may be developed by expanding the list of known risk factors to include environmental exposures. Understanding environmental risk factors for health is of public health importance. We contribute to these efforts by asking: Are attributes of the social and built residential environment able to explain between-people differences in gait speed? A cross-sectional analysis of relatively healthy community-dwelling older adults was conducted using baseline participants (n=2,637; female=52%; average age=74+2.89; Black=39%) from the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. Performed 6 meter walk at usual gait speed was the outcome of interest. The associations between measures of the residential environment (tracts) and gait speed (meters per-second, m/sec) were assessed using linear regressions. After adjusting for socioeconomics, health behaviors and conditions, results indicated that neither street connectivity nor net residential density explained between-people variance in gait speed. Poverty concentration did explain between-people variance in gait speed. Living in a tract where a 30% or more of the residents are in-poverty is associated with a 0.02 m/sec slower gait speed when compared to living in a tract where poverty concentration is <9%. In this observational study, poverty concentration in residential environment was significantly associated with gait speed. Research should continue to explore if and how aspects of the residential environment may explain physical function differences among older adults. KW - aging; mobility; public health; environment; GIS TI - Association between gait speed and residential environment amongst older adults EP - 43 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23996 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23996/ A1 - Eaglehouse, Yvonne Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - INTRODUCTION: Efficacy trials, including the U.S. Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), demonstrated that lifestyle interventions focusing on increased physical activity (PA) and modest weight loss (WL) can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Based upon knowledge gained from these trials, the DPP lifestyle intervention has been modified for delivery in community settings using the DPP goals of 150 minutes moderate PA per week and 7% WL. Intervention impact on weight change has been frequently described, but reporting of program success related to PA is limited, creating gaps in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of intervention for increasing PA level and on the participant socio-demographic characteristics or external factors, such as season, associated with PA levels. METHODS: The first investigation identifies DPP-translation studies using PubMed and Ovid databases and determines the extent to which studies report PA assessment and outcomes. The second and third investigations report PA results from an NIH-funded study designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a DPP-based translation, Group Lifestyle Balance?, delivered in diverse community settings. The investigations utilize PA data collected via the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire and a brief lifestyle questionnaire from 223 participants enrolled in the study. These investigations examine how intervention and season independently impact PA level and the participant baseline characteristics and program adherence markers that predict success in meeting PA and WL goals. RESULTS: A review of the published DPP translation literature identified issues of inconsistent assessment and incomplete reporting of PA results. Examination of PA information from the lifestyle intervention translation study showed the significant independent effects of lifestyle intervention and season on increasing leisure PA and revealed baseline BMI, pre-diabetes status, session attendance, and self-monitoring of PA and diet as predictors of achieving both PA and WL success. PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE: The literature review exposed the need for standardized PA assessment and results reporting in translation research. The original investigations reported in this dissertation advance the understanding of lifestyle intervention effectiveness for increasing PA levels independent of season and provide insight as to the participant characteristics and adherence behaviors that enhance individual success. KW - physical activity KW - diabetes prevention KW - community KW - translation TI - Change in physical activity levels and predictors of success in DPP-based community lifestyle intervention efforts EP - 258 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25038 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25038/ A1 - Carpenter, Joshua Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - The lymphatic system is a network of organs and vessels that serve different purposes including the filtering of blood and the initiation of an immune response to an infection. Lymphedema is the swelling of the arm(s) and/or leg(s) from removal, damage, or blockage of the lymphatic system. Lymphedema can occur as a secondary condition caused by another disease or condition, but lymphedema can also be inherited. Cystic hygroma is a collection of lymphatic fluid at the back of the neck that may be observed during a prenatal ultrasound exam and then disappear on its own, although sometimes it is still present at birth. Some evidence suggests that one cause of cystic hygroma is inherited lymphedema. Inherited lymphedema and cystic hygromas are findings that may require treatment and follow-up. If an association exists between cystic hygromas and inherited lymphedema, then establishing this connection can help predict prognosis and provide appropriate care at both the individual level and the population level for public health significance. An introduction letter and cystic hygroma questionnaire were sent out to the participants of the University of Pittsburgh?s Lymphedema Family Study who have voluntarily provided their own biological samples previously (1,628 people). The questionnaire was completely voluntary and was either mailed or faxed back when completed. It inquired about lymphedema, cystic hygromas, and prognosis. It also inquired about other biological family members including babies that did not survive to birth. Follow-up phone calls were made to some families for clarification. Results show that 316 (19.4%) research participants have completed and returned the questionnaire, 2.44% of those that returned the questionnaire and have lymphedema also had cystic hygromas, and 0.57% of those without lymphedema that returned the questionnaire had cystic hygromas. This difference in cystic hygroma prevalence is not statistically significant (p = 0.3094). However, there is some enough evidence to support the claim that there is a higher prevalence of cystic hygromas in those with lymphedema compared to the general population (18.3-fold difference). It is possible that the number of individuals diagnosed with cystic hygromas is underreported because prenatal ultrasounds were not available for many participants. KW - Lymphedema KW - Cystic Hygroma TI - A Connection Between Primary Lymphedema And Cystic Hygromas? EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24523 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24523/ A1 - Nunziato-Virga, Stephanie Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Secondary lymphedema is a common complication after surgical treatment, particularly after breast surgery, in which very little is understood about possible determinants. Multiple studies have been conducted to identify specific genes contributing to inherited primary lymphedema. Some of these causative genetic factors may also play a role in the development of secondary lymphedema. Among them, the GJC2 and MET genes have been identified as being associated with primary lymphedema. Further investigation using common SNP analysis of the GJC2 and MET genes was performed in patients post breast surgery, with and without secondary lymphedema to determine whether variants of either gene could be a determining factor for developing secondary lymphedema after surgical treatment. Survey data analysis addressing various psychosocial and bio-behavioral factors was also analyzed to indicate whether these candidate genes affect chronic pain and psychosocial traits in patients with secondary lymphedema compared to matched controls. Variants at rs11800309 of the GJC2 gene and patients? Pain Catastrophizing Scores were significant (?=.1) for predicting lymphedema. Variants of rs41737 of the MET gene was observed to have an effect on brief pain inventory, perceived stress scores, and depression scores. Variants at rs7539762 and rs11800309 of the GJC2 gene were observed to effect anxiety levels. Age was observed to be inversely proportional to all psychosocial phenotype scores. This current study has public health significance because it can help identify women who may be at an increased risk for developing secondary lymphedema after breast surgery. KW - Lymphedema KW - GJC2 KW - MET KW - Pain TI - Contribution of the candidate genes for primary lymphedema to secondary lymphedema and chronic pain in post-mastectomy patients EP - 124 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23982 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23982/ A1 - Singh, Ashima Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - This dissertation uses the concept of cost-effectiveness to compare interventions, procedures or treatment options in different clinical areas. This dissertation includes three manuscripts comparing specific strategies in the healthcare sector. The first assesses the economic value of using antimicrobial-coated sutures (as compared to regular sutures) for abdominal incisions to prevent surgical site infections (SSI). We use decision tree analysis to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of antimicrobial sutures under a variety of circumstances. The results show that antimicrobial coated sutures can be a cost-effective measure for preventing SSIs if they have at least have an efficacy of preventing 10% of infections and are used for surgeries with 10% or higher SSI risk. The second project compares the clinical outcomes, functional outcomes and costs between patients undergoing off-pump and on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using data from the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes trial. The results show that the off-pump procedure is associated with significantly higher rates of major cardiovascular events (death/myocardial infarction/stroke) even though the short-term complication rate for the two types of CABG are comparable. From the hospital perspective the net health benefits (NHB) were significantly lower for the off-pump patients. From the third party payer perspective, the two strategies were comparable in terms of costs, effectiveness and NHB. Overall, we conclude that an off-pump procedure is not the favorable strategy as compared to on-pump for patients with diabetes. The third manuscript compares the cost-effectiveness of three pharmacotherapy switch options for treating depression (bupropion, sertraline and venlafaxine), after failure of initial treatment with citalopram, that were assessed as part of Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression trial. The calculated NHBs are comparable for the three switch options. This concludes that there is no evidence that any switch option is better/worse than the other in terms of cost-effectiveness. From a public health perspective, it is essential to determine the cost-effective strategy given the limited resources available. Identification and adoption of cost-effective options can translate to considerable costs saved per effectiveness unit across the entire nation. Also, decisions based on comparing clinical outcomes are further strengthened in cases when strategies have similar cost-effectiveness. KW - cost-effectiveness KW - comparison TI - Cost-effectiveness analysis approaches to compare clinical strategies EP - 191 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24517 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24517/ A1 - White, Jessica R. Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Depression, a common mental health disorder, is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Adults with HIV infection are often burdened with depression. Although both depression and HIV infection are risk factors for CVD, previous studies have not explored how co-occurring depression and HIV are associated with CVD outcomes or underlying physiology. The aim of this dissertation was to (i) measure the risk of incident heart failure (HF) with co-occurring major depressive disorder (MDD) and HIV infection; (ii) measure biomarkers of inflammation, coagulation, monocyte activation, and metabolism with depression and HIV infection; and (iii) provide a comprehensive biomarker profile associated with symptoms of major depression in HIV+ and HIV- participants. We analyzed data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS), a prospective study of HIV+ and HIV- veterans matched on age, sex, race/ethnicity, and geographical region. In a sample of 81,427 participants, we found that those with co-occurring HIV infection and MDD had significantly higher risk of incident HF compared to HIV- participants without MDD, after adjusting for covariates. In a subset of 2,099 participants, we determined that depression was associated with higher concentrations of interleukin-6 and soluble CD14 (biomarkers for inflammation and monocyte activation) in HIV- participants but not HIV+ participants. HIV+ participants had higher concentrations of glucose and triglycerides and lower concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with depression. In a smaller sample with more extensive biomarker data, we found a significant association between depression and lower concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor in HIV+ participants. Neither biomarker study supported the hypothesis that co-occurring depressive symptoms and HIV infection would interact and produce excessively high concentrations of these biomarkers. The findings from this dissertation are significant for public health research and practice. Depression is extremely common and is a risk factor for CVD. In the future, investigators must elucidate specific mechanisms driving CVD risk with depression and identify effective therapies for preventing depression-related CVD morbidity and mortality in both HIV- and HIV+ adults. Meanwhile, clinicians must remain vigilant in identifying and managing depressive symptoms, especially among those who are at heightened risk for CVD due to HIV infection. KW - depression; HIV; cardiovascular disease; heart failure; biomarkers TI - Depression and HIV infection: Risk factors for cardiovascular disease EP - 140 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24701 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24701/ A1 - Li, Zhen Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Diabetes is a complicated chronic disease, and it is categorized into type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Insulin sensitivity (IS) is lower in adults and adolescents with T1D compared to normal people, and a lower IS in T1D has been showed to be associated with longer-term complications. T1D is prevalent in children. The aim of this project was derive an insulin sensitivity (IS) score in children with T1D using noninvasive clinical predictors. From a sample of 60 children undergoing a euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp study at Children hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a linear regression model was derived using clinical and laboratory measurements to predict insulin sensitivity. Because of the limitations of the small dataset, overfitting was an issue. We used a machine learning technique called Cross-Validation to help select predictors and to assess the performance. Data management and analysis were done using SAS 9.4. One set of models built with only clinical variables were called clinical models. The other models used both clinical and laboratory variables were called research models. Two different outcome variables measures IS, glucose disposal rate (GDR) and glucose disposal rate (GDR) divided by free insulin, were used. After selecting the best models and checking the assumptions, the best model to predict GDR contained diastolic blood pressure percentile, systolic blood pressure percentile, gender, waist circumference, and diabetes duration. When the dependent variable was GDR divided by free insulin, predictors in the best model included DBP percentile, HbA1C at the study time, waist circumference, leptin, and adiponectin/ leptin. These models had much better performance for type 1 diabetes than these models from the literature. Public Health Significance: Identifying an IS predictive model based on routinely gathered clinical measurements and laboratory value is a valuable alternative to the invasive euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp study. The current gold standard of insulin sensitivity, euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp, is an invasive intravenous study requiring fasting overnight hospital study. The model makes it practical to use in epidemiological and screening studies. KW - Insulin resistance; Clinical risk factors; Type I diabetes; Juvenile TI - Deriving an insulin resistance syndrome score in youth with Type I Diabetes Mellitus based on clinical risk factors EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24345 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24345/ A1 - Stacy, Shaina L. Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - The impact of ?place? on health is a classical and key element of epidemiology. Recent advances in geographic information systems have facilitated the use of spatial methods to investigate public health issues. Such approaches are particularly helpful when a public health phenomenon is relatively new and adequate environmental exposure information is lacking. The overarching objective of the present epidemiological investigation is to use spatial methods to explore relationships between several infant and children?s health outcomes and potential environmental exposures. The public health significance of this work is to identify possible sources of harmful exposures that may motivate further research, primary prevention efforts, and eventually policies to further limit exposures in these sensitive populations. It is well known that the embryo/fetus is particularly sensitive to the effects of environmental agents. Early life exposures are of public health significance since they may harm infant health and also have further adverse consequences in childhood and adulthood. The present work encompasses two relatively new but growing areas of interest related to fetal, infant, and children?s health: 1) unconventional natural gas development and adverse birth outcomes, and 2) sources of air toxics and childhood autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Geographic information systems are used to spatially link health outcomes, including birth weight, small for gestational age, preterm birth, and ASD, with nearby sources or with aggregated (e.g., census tract-level) estimates of exposure. Logistic regression is conducted to determine associations between risk for each of the above health effects and the exposures of interest, adjusting for other sociodemographic and personal risk factors. Overall, results indicate that environmental factors have a small but important role to play in the health of infants and children, even after accounting for other potentially confounding factors. Since spatial surrogates for exposure are the primary focus of this investigation, future work will benefit from improved individual exposure assessment and a prospective study design to confirm and further explain these associations. KW - infant health KW - epidemiology KW - public health KW - environmental health KW - geographic information systems KW - autism spectrum disorder KW - unconventional natural gas development TI - Epidemiological investigation of infant health and environmental exposures EP - 131 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24184 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24184/ A1 - Martinez, Alicia Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Studies of outcomes associated with the provision of genetic counseling services began to emerge in the 1990?s. The goals of this outcome-based research are often focused on examining the effectiveness of the services offered and determining appropriate means for improvement of services. The outcomes measured vary depending on the specific goals of the study and beliefs concerning the nature of counseling. Research utilizing outcome measurements choose the most appropriate measurement based on the desired goal of the research. This study employed a client satisfaction measurement, specifically a Satisfaction with Genetic Counseling Scale (SGCS), a self-reporting measure provided to clients in the form of a survey who were seen at the Huntington Disease Specialty Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The hypothesis for this study was that patients in the HD Clinic are generally satisfied with the genetic counseling services they have received. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the general satisfaction and test the hypothesis. Responses to open-ended questions were categorized into themes to gather more insight into patient perceptions of genetic counseling services. Thirty-three individuals completed the survey, and analysis of the results revealed that patients are generally satisfied with the genetic counseling. Results were broken down into subscales measuring general satisfaction of inherent characteristics of a genetic counselor and attributes specific to the counseling. Patients were overall generally satisfied with each subscale. This research is of particular significance to the field of public health because assessing the provision of genetic counseling services ensures that clients? needs are being met as well identifies potential avenues for improvement of services. Research of this nature is becoming increasingly more important because genetic counselors, with their expertise in molecular diagnosis, are expected to play an essential role in providing personalized and preventative health care in the growing field of genome-guided medicine. This research may inform outcome research in other settings, providing additional insight to the genetic counseling field. KW - Outcome studies KW - genetic counseling KW - Huntington disease TI - Evaluation of genetic counseling services offered in a Huntington disease clinic EP - 84 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23997 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23997/ A1 - Kinsky, Suzanne M. Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Lesbians in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity compared to heterosexual women. However, there is little public health research examining the possible explanations for the disparity. In addition, there are few studies that have examined the related sequelae of obesity, such as metabolic syndrome. Three studies were conducted using the Epidemiologic Study of HEalth Risk Among Women (ESTHER), a cross-sectional cardiovascular risk study of lesbian and heterosexual women from Pittsburgh, PA and surrounding areas. Study 1 examined the influence of gender nonconformity on body image and satisfaction as well as weight. Butch lesbians reported a smaller difference between their current and ideal figure compared to femme lesbians, lesbians who were ?neither? butch nor femme, and heterosexual women, although we did not note any significant differences between the lesbian subgroups in terms of ideal figure. Butch lesbians had significantly higher odds of both overweight and obesity (AOR = 2.15 and 5.57, respectively). Study 2 explored predictors of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and BMI status. We did not find any difference between lesbians and heterosexuals in terms of WHR. The odds of lesbians being obese compared to normal weight were 1.63 times higher than the odds of heterosexuals being obese compared to normal weight (p=0.013). Being in a committed relationship was associated with significantly lower odds of overweight and obesity for heterosexual women but not for lesbians. Importantly, lesbians who reported gender discrimination had over three times higher odds of being obese (AOR = 3.122, p < 0.001). Study 3 extended the lesbian health disparities literature by quantifying the differential risk of the metabolic syndrome between lesbians and heterosexuals. After controlling for several factors, lesbians had a 44% higher risk of having the metabolic syndrome than heterosexuals. Future research is needed to examine potential mediators and additional moderators of the relationship between gender nonconformity, sexual orientation, and obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Given the serious public health consequences of both obesity and the metabolic syndrome, public health should commit greater resources to studying these health disparities among lesbians. KW - lesbian KW - obesity KW - metabolic syndrome KW - discrimination TI - Exploring lesbian health disparities: social and structural predictors of adiposity and the metabolic syndrome EP - 116 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24522 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24522/ A1 - Rubus, Jacob P Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - African Sleeping Sickness afflicts millions of people in sub-Saharan areas of the continent. The disease causing agent, the unicellular eukaryotic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei, is intensely studied, yet no safe cure has been developed and has become a public health issue. Because gene expression control in T. brucei exhibits unique patterns, it is attractive for drug targeting. Our lab aims to explore the cellular and molecular role(s) of TbEIF4E-3 (4E-3p) and TbeIF4E-5 (4E-5p), structurally divergent homologs of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), a canonical mRNA 5? cap binding protein involved in post-translational regulation of gene expression. The 4E-3 and 4E-5 proteins are essential in cell cycle in trypanosomes. We hypothesize 4E-3p and 4E-5p to be key regulons, proteins that regulate the translation of distinct sets of multiple, functionally related mRNAs required for normal cell cycle. Evidence from immunofluorescence microscopy (IMF) by other labs and our own revealed cytoplasmic localization of 4E-3p in mRNP granules. Tandem co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and mass spectrometry (MS) revealed 4E-3p association with canonical protein partners found in other eukaryotes known to be involved in translation initiation and control such as eIF4G and eIF4A, consistent with earlier studies. Significantly, this present work further identified unique uncharacterized polypeptides, implying both conserved as well as novel functions. Additionally, RNAseq analysis from co-IPs revealed that 4E-3p also associates with various mRNAs, some of which are involved in the cell cycle, providing evidence towards potential translational regulation of cell cycle. By contrast, 4E-5p appeared more associated with the mitochondria from IMF studies, consistent with findings by others. Combined co-IP and MS analysis showed association with translational regulators, whereas RNAseq revealed association with mRNAs regulating cell division and replication control distinct from those associated with 4E-3p. These findings suggest that both 4E-3p and 4E-5p may act separately to regulate cell cycle, replication, and gene expression in T. brucei in a manner consistent with a proposed Parallel RNA Regulon Model. Among potential drug targets being analyzed are translational regulating proteins, of which 4E-3p and 4E-5p are attractive candidates due to their discovered role in normal cell cycle. KW - TbeIF4E-3 KW - TbeIF4E-5 KW - trypanosome KW - trypanosoma brucei KW - T brucei KW - TI - Exploring the biochemical roles of TbeIF4E-3 AND TbeIF4E-5 in T. brucei cell cycle EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24549 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24549/ A1 - Jacob, Mini E. Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Population aging theories were proposed to explain the effect of an increasing life expectancy on the duration of the morbid period at the end of life. Despite several decades of research, the epidemiological basis of these theories has not been investigated adequately. This dissertation uses data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a community based cohort of older adults, to explore the epidemiologic basis of the basic tenets of these theories. Hospital stay at the end of life is an economically important measure of terminal morbidity. We examined the effect of lifestyle factors measured late in life on the duration of hospital days in the last 5 years of life. We found that alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity and social networks were independently associated with hospital stay, indicating that a late-life lifestyle could impact end-of-life morbidity after accounting for the accumulated disease burden. Cardiovascular mortality rates have been falling but it is not clear whether the morbidity associated with these events have reduced. We compared the risks for disability and death associated with cardiovascular events and found that angina, MI, CHD and CHF had stronger associations with death than disability. Cardiovascular events, therefore, do not seem to increase the disability burden in the population. The relationship between age at death and the duration of terminal morbidity has not been elucidated in community based populations with average life expectancy. We examined the association between age at death and the length of terminal self-rated poor health and found that survival is associated with the duration of end-of-life morbidity in a curvilinear fashion; morbid period is shorter for those who die in their seventies and nineties. Identifying factors that promote survival to the nineties would help delineate factors associated with a compressed period of morbidity. What are the public health implications of these findings? First, some preventive health behaviors can be harnessed to reduce the public health burden of terminal morbidity. Second, chronic diseases with low mortality risk need to be targeted to reduce the disability burden in populations. Third, survival to the nineties might hold the key to compressing morbidity in the older population. KW - Epidemiology KW - Aging KW - Morbidity KW - End-of-life KW - Older adults KW - Lifestyle KW - Cardiovascular disease KW - Disability KW - Hospital days KW - Self-rated health KW - Population aging theories KW - Compression of morbidity TI - Factors influencing end-of-life morbidity: an epidemiological evaluation of population aging theories EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24150 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24150/ A1 - Tang, Yan Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Understanding factors influencing medication utilization and provider prescribing behavior has important implications for the quality improvement and cost containment in health care. This dissertation seeks to shed light on the quality and efficiency of medication prescribing. Chapter one examines the association between Medicare Part D plan features and choice of generic antidepressants, antidiabetics, and statins using Medicare claims data. Low cost-sharing for generics, large differentials in cost-sharing for generic vs. brand drugs, and tools such as prior authorization and step therapy are associated with higher generic drug use. Modifying the benefit design and utilization management of Medicare prescription drug plans might increase generic use, which could generate substantial savings for the Medicare program and for beneficiaries. Chapter two examines physician antipsychotic prescribing behavior in a large Medicaid program. By linking multiple data sources and using the multiple membership modeling approach, we examine the degree to which psychiatrists are diversified vs. concentrated in their choice of antipsychotic medication and identify factors associated with the concentration of prescribing. Antipsychotic prescribing behavior is relatively concentrated and varies substantially across psychiatrists regularly prescribing antipsychotics. Several characteristics of the treated patient population and physicians are significantly associated with antipsychotic prescribing. The few characteristics of organizations examined have little influence over psychiatrist prescribing behavior. Chapter three assesses provider-level clozapine and antipsychotic polypharmacy practices ? one with strong evidence base and the other with little support. Using multiple years? claims data in a large Medicaid program, we find provider-level underuse of clozapine and use of non-evidence supported practice of non-clozapine antipsychotic polypharmacy. However, these prescribing practices vary tremendously across providers. In particular, a sizable portion of providers use more antipsychotic polypharmacy than clozapine to their patients. Quality initiatives may take actions to improve evidence-based practice and to decrease unsupported practices in the management of antipsychotic drug use. This dissertation has important implications for public health because appropriate prescribing can alleviate tremendous health and economic burdens while inappropriate prescribing can generate substantial costs and increase risk of undesirable consequences. Understanding how providers make prescribing decisions points to potential opportunities for improving the quality of care and reducing cost through altering providers? prescribing behavior. KW - Medication KW - Prescribing quality KW - Prescribing efficiency KW - Medicare KW - Medicaid TI - Health care system, provider and patient predictors of prescribing quality and efficiency EP - 120 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24492 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24492/ A1 - Shelton, Celeste Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas that was first identified in the 1600s. Symptoms for pancreatitis include intense abdominal pain, nausea, and malnutrition. Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is a genetic condition in which recurrent acute attacks can progress to chronic pancreatitis, typically beginning in adolescence. Mutations in the PRSS1 gene cause autosomal dominant HP. The 1996 discovery of a PRSS1 mutation causative for hereditary pancreatitis was in direct contrast to much of the medical community?s long-held beliefs that pancreatitis is primarily caused by alcoholism and gallstones. HP strongly impacts quality of life and is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, making it a public health concern. Our understanding of HP is still limited, and chronic pancreatitis remains a serious disease for which significant treatment options are lacking. Questions remain regarding the exact mechanism of cancer development and risk factors in families with HP. Furthermore, HP has unpredictable duration, severity, complications, and outcomes. It is often accompanied by systemic diseases and complications, such as diabetes mellitus. Therefore, research is needed to further define the natural history of HP, its psychosocial implications, and its interactions with other risk factors. The overall goal of this research is to improve quality of life, patient care, and treatment options for individuals with this debilitating disease by understanding more about the natural history of the condition and collecting information on attitudes, concerns, and perspectives. The Hereditary Pancreatitis Study at the University of Pittsburgh has collected genetic, medical, and environmental data from hundreds of American families with pancreatitis since the mid-1990s. I have described the natural history of HP in this American cohort, analyzed risks for pancreatic cancer and diabetes based on family history, and assessed large HP pedigrees with pancreatic cancer. My analysis indicates that this American cohort is similar to published studies on the French, Danish, and other European populations. I also created a follow-up questionnaire for these participants to gather information on attitudes, risks for pancreatic cancer, and views on a pancreatic center of excellence and its services. Data from this questionnaire will be relevant to improving patient care in future studies. KW - hereditary pancreatitis KW - pancreas KW - genetics KW - diabetes KW - pancreatic cancer KW - genetic counseling TI - Hereditary pancreatitis: outcomes and risks EP - 98 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24630 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24630/ A1 - Berendam, Stella J Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) are loosely overlapping cells that line the lymphatic vasculature. In tissues, LECs are often located directly beneath the mucosal epithelial layer, and therefore, are likely to be among the first cells that come in contact with incoming pathogens and/or vaccine antigens and adjuvants when there is a breakage at the epithelial barrier. We are only starting to appreciate the role of LECs in the development of host innate and adaptive immune responses during infection or vaccine administration. This is largely due to the difficulties in studying LECs in vivo and the challenges in obtaining pure LEC cultures for study ex vivo. My work focused on isolation and establishment of primary LEC cultures derived from different tissue origins of commonly used animal models ? ferrets and rhesus macaques ? and assessment of the potential of these LECs to respond to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or a subset of microbes (SIV/HIV-1). In addition, I also partially compared the phenotype and functionality of LECs to dendritic cells (DCs), an immune cell type that acts as a ?bridge? between the host innate and adaptive immunity. My findings revealed that LECs were highly heterogeneous in their gene expression profiles. They also endogenously expressed multiple known viral entry and restriction factors for SIV/HIV-1. LECs responded to several PAMPs by producing proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines that are known to recruit immune cells to sites of inflammation. However, LECs were not highly susceptible or permissible to infection using genetically engineered, single-cycle competent SIV/HIV-1 or wild-type SIV. Interestingly, LECs expressed phenotypic markers that have been shown to be expressed by DCs and showed some functional similarities. LECs were able to take up and process model antigens, although it was not determined if these antigens were presented by MHC I and II molecules. These findings are of public health importance because they expand our knowledge of the emerging potential of LECs as key players in innate immunity during pathogen-host interactions or vaccinations. Improving our understanding of LECs will positively impact our knowledge of mucosal infections and will help in development of improved treatment and vaccination strategies. These primary cells will serve as tools to study LEC immunobiology and will also be useful in development of vaccines/therapeutics for human diseases of public health importance that target LEC and/or its crosstalk with other immune cells. KW - lymphatic TI - Innate immune potential of primary lymphatic endothelial cells EP - 200 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25174 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25174/ A1 - Ren, Yanjie Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Large-scale randomized clinical trials are usually used to compare therapeutic effect of a new treatment to that of a standard treatment. Interim analyses are often performed at several occasions prior to the definitive analysis so that investigators can stop a trial early for ethical or economic reasons if the accumulating data shows enough evidence of superiority or futility of the new treatment. It has been recognized that the boundaries for the test statistics at those interim analyses need to be adjusted so that the overall type I error can be properly controlled. In contrary to adjustment for multiple testing in general practice, the theory on adjustment on boundaries for interim analyses have been well developed in past decades because of their sequential nature. At an interim analysis, one may be interested in estimating the chance for demonstrating the expected efficacy benefit from the new treatment at the definitive analysis. Conditional power provides such assessment based on currently available empirical data. Here we review and compare the operating characteristics of some fundamental methods and extensions in regulating the spending of exit probabilities at interim analyses under the null so that the overall type I error is controlled at the desired nominal level. Then we review the development and calculation of conditional power under a few typical settings. We have applied a few methods on planning of interim analyses and the usage of conditional power to two trials from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel projects. Well-planned and scientifically-sound early termination of clinical trials save lives, time and expense in the development of better treatments or regimens. Appropriate use of interim analysis design and conditional power, as we promote here, has tremendous public health significance in improving the lifespan and life quality of the population. KW - interim monitoring KW - conditional power KW - clinical trail TI - Interim monitoring and conditional power in clinical trials EP - 42 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24761 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24761/ A1 - Huang, Ruiqi Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Purpose Gene signature development using microarrays has started more than 15 years ago, yet there are still common mistakes made by researchers. The goal of this research is to investigate and implement gene signature using affymetrix array data. It aims to establish a working flow with well-justified steps for gene signature development. Methods Gene expression data from surgery samples of 62 early stage un-treated NSCLC patients in JBR10 trial was used for training model development. Individual genes were selected using univariate cox regression analysis, and then the gene set was summarized by principle components, which were then served as the inputs to the Cox regression model. A multi-layer internal validation was conducted for modeling evaluation. The performance of the gene signature was evaluated by testing on three independent data sets. Results A signature of 88 genes was developed that can identify patients with significantly different survival prognosis (Hazard Ratio, 95% CI, P). The signature was successfully validated in independent datasets (Hazard Ratio, 95% CI, P; Hazard Ratio, 95% CI, P; Hazard Ratio, 95% CI, P). Conclusion A working flow of gene signature development composed of preliminary gene filtering, individual gene selection, predictive model construction using supervised principle component analysis and further internal/external validation, has been constructed. Using gene expression of 62 patients from affymetrix array data in JBR.10 trials, an 88-gene signature was obtained and validated in independent datasets. KW - NSCLC KW - gene signature KW - Principle component analysis TI - Investigation and implementation Gene signature development using microarray data ? A case study on early stage non-small cell lung cancer EP - 50 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25052 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25052/ A1 - Lange-Maia, Brittney Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Peripheral nervous system function (PNS) impairments are often unappreciated as risk factors for major geriatric outcomes. This dissertation aimed to examine the mechanism of these consequences of poor PNS function. The relationships of sensorimotor peripheral nerve function and physical activity (PA), longitudinal physical fitness assessed via endurance walking performance, and the associations with cardiac autonomic function were investigated. Lower-extremity sensorimotor impairments have been linked to poor mobility-related outcomes, while cardiac autonomic impairments are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes and death. Ultimately, both divisions play important roles in the ability of older adults to be physically active and remain independent. Diabetes-related PNS impairments may present challenges for maintaining PA and endurance, though this work has not been extended to age-related PNS dysfunction. In addition, sensorimotor and autonomic function are rarely examined together, despite being components of the same system. First, worse sensorimotor peripheral nerve function in older men from the Pittsburgh site of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study was found to be associated with lower levels of self-reported and objectively measured daily PA. In particular, worse amplitude, which indicates axonal degeneration, was associated with lower levels of objectively measured activity. In the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC) sensorimotor peripheral nerve impairments were related to lower physical fitness, evident through slower endurance walking and greater rate of slowing over six years of follow-up. Those with sensory peripheral nerve impairments completed the long distance corridor walk approximately 15 seconds slower than those without impairments, and these impairments had an additional four seconds of slowing per year. Finally, in Health ABC worse lower extremity sensorimotor function was associated with poorer cardiac autonomic function. PNS impairments appear to play major roles in the disability pathway in old age and warrant further study. These findings suggest possible novel mechanisms for these associations, including lower PA, fitness and endurance, and cardiac autonomic function. Helping older adults maintain their health and physical function is a major public health priority. Interventions aimed at promoting PA in those with PNS impairments may be beneficial for reducing poor outcomes in older adults. KW - peripheral nervous system function KW - older adults KW - peripheral nerve KW - endurance KW - physical activity TI - Peripheral nervous system function, physical activity and physical fitness in older adults EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23995 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23995/ A1 - Ren, Yi Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - In survival analysis, the failure time of an event is interval-censored when the event is only known to occur between two observation times. Most existing methods for interval-censored data only account for a single cause of failure. However, in many situations a subject may fail due to more than one type of event. Such data scenarios are called competing risks data. Competing events may preclude the occurrence of the event of interest. In the analysis of competing risks, the conventional methods should be used with caution and may lead to nonsensical interpretation. With covariates, the proportional subdistribution hazards model is widely used to model the cumulative incidence function (also known as the subdistribution) of a particular event. This semiparametric regression model has a straightforward interpretation for estimators as it is akin to the Cox proportional hazards model. For interval-censored competing risks data, however, estimation procedures based on the proportional subdistribution hazards model has not been investigated. In this dissertation, we propose estimation and inference procedures that account for both interval censoring and competing risks by adopting the modeling framework of the proportional subdistribution hazards model. The objective is to examine the effects of covariates on the subdistribution of event of interest. The proposed estimating equations effectively utilize the ordering of event time pairs. The technique of inverse probability weighting is used to account for the missing mechanism. Simulation studies show that the proposed methods perform well under realistic scenarios. A lymphoma data set is used to illustrate the performance of the proposed method in comparison to the proportional subdistribution hazards model using the data imputed by midpoint of the observed time interval. Public health significance: Interval-censored competing risks data are often encountered in biomedical research. The method we proposed serves a useful tool for exploring the covariate effects on the event of interest under this challenging censoring mechanism. The information on the effects of covariates has implications for proper clinical management of the different cohorts of patients. It quantifies the relationship between public health strategies and measurement of health status, and determines the efficacy information for possible improvement of interventions. KW - Interval censoring; competing risks; proportional subdistribution hazards; inverse probability weighting TI - Proportional subdistribution hazards regression with interval-censored competing risks data EP - 54 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24355 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24355/ A1 - Clinard, Kristin Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a rare, X-linked degenerative neuromuscular disorder causing severe progressive muscle loss and premature death. While research in DMD is critical to advance treatment and care it also presents many challenges and sacrifices for families who are asked to participate. These barriers and impacts families incur can affect recruitment of research participants. Poor recruitment constrains the ability to achieve and measure progress in clinical research, and consequently affects how well new therapies perform in the clinical setting. The purpose of the present study was to identify family barriers to research recruitment and participation in DMD research and to explore how these barriers impact families. In collaboration with the Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Groups (CINRG) research network and associated Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) clinics, this qualitative study included parent-centered focus groups that were conducted at five sites: Pittsburgh, PA; Washington, DC; Minneapolis, MN; Houston, TX; and Sacramento, CA. A total of eight guided focus groups attended by 28 parents of boys or young men with DMD were audio-recorded and transcribed. Qualitative thematic analysis of focus group transcripts was conducted to identify themes. Major themes identified as perceived barriers to research participation included: 1) commitments; 2) fighting a new battle; and 3) the gamble. Parents described the familial impacts of these barriers, which included financial burdens, family sacrifices, and psychological stress. Participating in research was shown to affect many aspects of participants? lives and additionally had an impact on the entire family. These findings highlight the need for greater support and appropriate resources to alleviate potential barriers faced by families. Genetic counselors are well suited to communicate research opportunities, address the specific needs of families, and assist with development of strategies to engage the DMD community in research. Identifying barriers of research participation and understanding how these barriers may impact families have significant public health implications which can provide information to improve research protocols, facilitate development of family resources, and influence public health policies to provide additional support to families and encourage greater research involvement. KW - Duchenne muscular dystrophy; research barriers; family impact;parent TI - Research participation in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community: parent perceived barriers and their impact on families EP - 120 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24811 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24811/ A1 - Beadling, Randall Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Background: Male infertility of genetic origin affects nearly 1 in 40 men. Yet 80% of men with low sperm production are considered idiopathic due to negative genetic testing. Based on mouse studies there are several hundred possible candidate genes for causing isolated idiopathic male infertility due to their involvement in spermatogenesis and male germline-specific expression. Although little is known about their pathophysiology and epidemiology in human males, these genes represent vast potential for diagnosing and treating infertility. Lentiviral vector gene therapy has recently been shown to be effective in restoring gene expression, and has the potential to serve as treatment in male infertility caused by gene defects. Methods: This project proposed to use a lentiviral vector to restore spermatogenesis in infertile, but viable male mice with a single-gene defect in Sertoli cells as a proof of concept project. Candidate genes were identified utilizing the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) database and literature review. One of these candidate genes, Dnaja1, was selected for experimental lentiviral vector gene therapy in mice. Results: Several candidate genes expressed primarily in Sertoli cells known to cause isolated azoospermia were identified. Viral vector preparation was successful, but Dana1-/- mice were not produced, possibly indicating embryonic lethality. Conclusion: Because the development of the vector was successful, and with the list of candidate genes identified, future experimentation using lentiviral gene therapy to restore spermatogenesis caused by single-gene defects is now ready to be performed. Selecting genes expressed in somatic cells, rather than germ cells, maintains the possibility of translating this research into clinical treatment for infertility by avoiding ethical implications of genetically altering the germ line. In the future, we hope to perform similar therapy on genes identified through the study of men with unexplained infertility. Of significance to public health, if successful this work may represent a novel treatment option for men who are born with single gene defects preventing sperm production and natural conception. KW - Male infertility spermatogenesis gene therapy lentivirus lentiviral viral mouse human genetics genetic counseling TI - Restoring spermatogenesis: Lentiviral gene therapy for male infertility in mice EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24004 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24004/ A1 - XUE, TAO Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Air pollutants have been associated with adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases through epidemiological studies. Spatiotemporal and spatial statistics are widely used in both exposure assessment and health risk estimation of air pollutants. In the current paper, spatiotemporal and spatial models are developed for and applied to four specfic topics about air pollutants: (1) estimating spatiotemporal variations of particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 um (PM2.5) using monitoring data and satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements, (2) estimating long-term spatial variations of ozone (O3) using monitoring data and satellite O3 profile measurements, (3) spatiotemporal associating acute exposure of air pollutants to mortality, and (4) spatiotemporal associating chronic air pollution exposure to lung cancer incidence. Environmental, socioeconomic and health data from Allegheny county and the State of Pennsylvania are collected to illustrate these techniques. The public health significance of these studies includes characterizing the exposure level of air pollutants and their health risks for mortality caused by cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer incidence in the Pittsburgh region and developing novel spatiotemporal models such as spatiotemporal generalized estimating equations for the regression analysis of spatiotemporal counts data, especially for the massive spatiotemporal data used in epidemiological studies. KW - Environmental Health KW - Air Pollutants KW - Spatiotemporal Model KW - Spatial Statistics KW - Mortality KW - Cancer TI - Spatiotemporal modeling of air pollutants and their health effects in the Pittsburgh region EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24698 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24698/ A1 - Kim, SungHwan Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Over the decades, many statistical learning techniques such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, dimension reduction technique have played ground breaking roles for important tasks in biomedical research. More recently, multi-omics data integration analysis has become increasingly popular to answer to many intractable biomedical questions, to improve statistical power by exploiting large size samples and different types omics data, and to replicate individual experiments for validation. This dissertation covers the several analytic methods and frameworks to tackle with practical problems in multi-omics data integration analysis. Supervised prediction rules have been widely applied to high-throughput omics data to predict disease diagnosis, prognosis or survival risk. The top scoring pair (TSP) algorithm is a supervised discriminant rule that applies a robust simple rank-based algorithm to identify rank-altered gene pairs in case/control classes. TSP usually generates greatly reduced accuracy in inter-study prediction (i.e., the prediction model is established in the training study and applied to an independent test study). In the first part, we introduce a MetaTSP algorithm that combines multiple transcriptomic studies and generates a robust prediction model applicable to independent test studies. One important objective of omics data analysis is clustering unlabeled patients in order to identify meaningful disease subtypes. In the second part, we propose a group structured integrative clustering method to incorporate a sparse overlapping group lasso technique and a tight clustering via regularization to integrate inter-omics regulation flow, and to encourage outlier samples scattering away from tight clusters. We show by two real examples and simulated data that our proposed methods improve the existing integrative clustering in clustering accuracy, biological interpretation, and are able to generate coherent tight clusters. Principal component analysis (PCA) is commonly used for projection to low-dimensional space for visualization. In the third part, we introduce two meta-analysis frameworks of PCA (Meta-PCA) for analyzing multiple high-dimensional studies in common principal component space. Theoretically, Meta-PCA specializes to identify meta principal component (Meta-PC) space; (1) by decomposing the sum of variances and (2) by minimizing the sum of squared cosines. Applications to various simulated data shows that Meta-PCAs outstandingly identify true principal component space, and retain robustness to noise features and outlier samples. We also propose sparse Meta-PCAs that penalize principal components in order to selectively accommodate significant principal component projections. With several simulated and real data applications, we found Meta-PCA efficient to detect significant transcriptomic features, and to recognize visual patterns for multi-omics data sets. In the future, the success of data integration analysis will play an important role in revealing the molecular and cellular process inside multiple data, and will facilitate disease subtype discovery and characterization that improve hypothesis generation towards precision medicine, and potentially advance public health research. KW - Top scoring pair KW - machine learning KW - clustering KW - dimension reduction TI - Statistical learning methods for multi-omics data integration in dimension reduction, supervised and unsupervised machine learning EP - 117 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24291 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24291/ A1 - Zamboni, Beth A Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Traditionally, the standard endpoint in most cancer clinical trials has been overall survival. For many forms of cancer, including colon cancer, the time from diagnosis to the time when this endpoint is reached can take many years. Hence, researchers and patients must wait a considerable amount of time to see if a treatment is effective. We propose an alternative surrogate endpoint which would occur in less time but still be as effective at determining treatment differences. The discovery of such an endpoint would be of Public Health importance to both patients and researchers as it would allow treatments to be tested in a shorter time and subsequently allow patients to have quicker access to a beneficial treatment. Our approach is to use the methodology of QTWIST and conditional survival estimates, conditioning on disease free survival, to produce a potential surrogate endpoint for overall survival. To do this, we examine whether a surrogate endpoint could be theoretically produced for colon cancer. We analyzed NSABP trials C-03 through C-07 to determine the effect of conditional survival and the choice of conditioning sets in colon cancer. In doing this analysis, we examine the impact of determining the probability of surviving an additional y years given that a patient has already been alive and disease free for x years. QTWIST, quality-adjusted time without symptoms, methodology is then reviewed focusing on the underlying methodology of using weights, called utility coefficients, and how they could be applied to a partitioning of disease free survival states. Methodology combining conditional survival and the statistical methodology of QTWIST were then performed on six different sets of potential weighting coefficients. Finally, the success of the methodology was evaluated by comparing the Kaplan-Meier treatment difference p-values to the treatment difference p-values for each of the six utility coefficient approaches tested in our methodology. It is our hope that this methodology will produce a viable predictor for overall survival and one that is more predictive than using standard disease free survival estimates. KW - Conditional Survival KW - Surrogate Endpoint TI - TWISTed survival: identifying surrogate endpoints for mortality using QTWIST and conditional disease free survival EP - 72 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24166 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24166/ A1 - Benadof, Dafna Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Oral diseases can greatly impact people?s life. Latinos in the U.S. have higher risk of developing caries and gingivitis than non-Hispanic whites. These diseases can be prevented by implementing oral hygiene behaviors such as tooth brushing. For this behavior to be effective, it has to evolve into a habit. Few studies have addressed tooth brushing habit formation in children, and only one of them was targeted to the Latinos. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to: 1)describe efforts Mexican immigrants parents make to teach their children to brush their teeth, and 2)identify habit formation components. METHODS: This exploratory qualitative study included twenty in-depth interviews with Mexican immigrant parents. Participants were recruited in different Latino venues in Pittsburgh, PA and Philadelphia PA. The investigator conducted the interviews, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim and coded. Standard qualitative thematic analyses were performed. NVivo 10 software was used to aid the coding process. RESULTS: Parents experiences while teaching their children to brush their teeth were organized in four tooth brushing stages: entirely dependent tooth brushing, assisted tooth brushing, road to tooth brushing independence, and independent tooth brushing. Intention, attitudes, contextual cues, and motivation appeared to have great importance in children?s tooth brushing learning process. Parental knowledge and sources of information available affected the initiation of tooth brushing. Tooth brushing was defined as a social and familial event or as an individual event. Consistent tooth brushing routines facilitated the compliance of the behavior. CONCLUSION: Parents? efforts to teach their children to brush their teeth were reflected in their involvement in the development of daily tooth brushing routines. Consistency in their routines and attitudes affected the emotional tone of tooth brushing sessions. From participants? experiences we developed the hypothesis that there are four stages in the tooth brushing learning process that follow a progressive pattern throughout the growth of a child and ends with a tooth brushing habit. This information is relevant to public health as it can help diminish health inequalities. Future quantitative research studies should be conducted to evaluate tooth brushing habit formation in larger groups of Latinos. KW - public health KW - oral hygiene KW - habits KW - Latinos KW - oral health TI - Tooth brushing habit formation in children of Mexican immigrant families in Pennsylvania, U.S.: a qualitative study EP - 169 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24503 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24503/ A1 - Sileanu, Florentina Elena Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Acute kidney injury (AKI), a sudden deterioration in renal function which occurs when the kidneys no longer remove waste products from the blood, is a challenging medical condition that affects intensive care unit patients worldwide. Patients with severe cases of AKI are placed on renal replacement therapy (RRT), a life-supporting treatment, and have been linked to mortality rates as high as 60%. Despite having guidelines with indications for RRT it is unclear what the optimal initiation time should be. Studies looking at the association between timing of initiation and mortality give contradictory results: some suggest a better outcome with early initiation while others with late initiation. There are four issues with current studies: 1) selection bias due to treatment status being driven by a patient?s baseline characteristics and the physician?s decision to treat; 2) the time from which survival is measured is different across studies causing lead-time or immortal-time biases; 3) results from the different statistical methods used are not always comparable; 4) patients never started on RRT are excluded from analyses. The aim of this study is to determine the association between timing of initiation of RRT and mortality by addressing existing biases and limitations. Selection bias will be controlled for by a propensity score and 1-1 matching without replacement using the nearest neighbor Mahalanobis distance. Lead-time bias will be addressed by counting survival time from the same point for all patients. Immortal-time bias will be eliminated by using an expanded risk sets analysis in which patients are part of all three risk groups: early, late, and no RRT. Unlike current studies patients never started on RRT will also be analyzed. Cox proportional hazards will be used to test differences in the hazard of mortality at 1-year between groups. Public Health Significance: To our knowledge, this is the largest observational study investigating the optimal time for initiating RRT. Our study shows the effect of different biases on the outcome and reinforces the importance of carefully designing an observational study. Future nephrology researchers can use this work as foundation in the quest of finding the optimal time for RRT initiation. KW - renal replacement therapy; propensity score; Mahalanobis matching; expanded risk sets; immortal-time bias TI - Towards unbiased estimation of the optimal time for renal replacement therapy EP - 45 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24574 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24574/ A1 - Musgrove, Lauren E Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Introduction: Improvement in medical care for sickle cell patients, translating into improvement in survival, has created the need for an active and intentional process of transition from pediatric to adult oriented health care. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the perspectives of adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease as they prepare to transition, and to evaluate their current health care knowledge base and skills. Methods: A sample of 18 pediatric sickle cell patients age 15-22 years were recruited from a comprehensive Sickle Cell Center. Two sections of a four part questionnaire containing open- and closed-ended questions were assessed in order to explore these patients? expectations and concerns about the transition process, and to evaluate their self-management of sickle cell disease. Results: Themes identified from the open-ended questions include: 1) Apprehension to Leaving Pediatric Care, 2) Forming New Relationships with Adult Providers, 3) Growing Up and Responsibility, 4) Worries Regarding Readiness and Support, and 5) Active Role in Transition. Statistical analysis of the close-ended questions revealed that patients appeared to have similar levels of independence in performing skills related to ?Knowledge of Health Issues/Diagnosis, ?Being Prepared?, and ?Taking Charge?. However, there was a significantly lower level of independence in skills related to ?Preparing for Legal/Other Issues After Age 18?. Overall, level of independence/readiness seemed to not be influenced by patients? age, gender, or disease type. Discussion: Patients? expectations and concerns about transition were mostly related to issues regarding patients? perceived readiness for transition and the amount of support and understanding they receive from various health care providers. Additionally, continued monitoring and addressing of items in which the patient states he/she needs assistance with to achieve independence will be essential in the transition process. Conclusions and Public Health Significance: Transition from pediatric to adult care providers is a crucial step in the care of individuals with sickle cell disease. By eliciting the expectations and concerns of these patients? and evaluating their knowledge base and skills, we are able to gather further insight into barriers to transition, and begin to develop a plan to address these obstacles. KW - Genetic Counseling KW - Sickle Cell Disease KW - Transition TI - Transition together: a study of pediatric patients with sickle cell disease as they transition to adult health care EP - 71 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24493 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24493/ A1 - Zaccard, Colleen R. Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - The ability of dendritic cells (DC) to mediate CD4+ T cell help for cellular immunity is guided by instructive signals received during maturation, and the resulting pattern of DC responsiveness to the Th signal, CD40L. Furthermore, the professional transfer of antigenic information from migratory to lymph node-residing DC is critical for the effective induction of cellular immune responses. Here we report that, in addition to their enhanced IL-12p70 producing capacity, human DC matured in the presence of inflammatory mediators of type-1 immunity (DC1) are uniquely programmed to develop networks of tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in response to CD40L-expressing CD4+ Th cells or recombinant CD40L. This immunologic process of ?reticulation? facilitates intercellular trafficking of endosome-associated vesicles and antigen, and is regulated by the opposing roles of IFN-g and IL-4. The initiation of reticulation represents a novel helper function of CD40L and a superior mechanism of intercellular communication possessed by DC1, as well as a pathway for exploitation by pathogens for direct cell-cell spread. Importantly, DC1 possess a superior ability to transmit HIV-1 to CD4+ T cells compared to DC2. DC1 highly express Siglec-1, the lectin associated with HIV-1 capture by mature DC, while DC2 fail to do so, indicating differential ability of polarized DC to acquire virus. Furthermore, CD40L signaling is critical for DC1-mediated HIV-1 trans-infection, as demonstrated by the abolition of transmission upon treatment with CD40L-specific blocking antibody. TNT formation is dependent on F-actin and cholesterol-rich lipid rafts, as DC1 trans-infection was abrogated by pre-treatment with latrunculin A or simvastatin, which depolymerize actin or inhibit cholesterol synthesis, respectively, at concentrations that also inhibited TNT networks. Additionally, HIV-1-like-particle-pulsed DC1 were co-cultured with CD4+ T cells in the setting of reticulation, and live-cell super-resolution imaging revealed strong supporting evidence for TNT-mediated HIV-1 transmission. Finally, high ICAM-1 surface expression was previously linked to enhanced DC1 trans-infection, and we visualized ICAM-1 puncti localization to TNTs. These data demonstrate a role for reticulation in DC1-driven HIV-1 trans-infection in addition to its immunologic function, which impacts public health by providing a rationale for exploration of therapeutic strategies to target this process and interrupt HIV-1 transmission. KW - dendritic cells KW - CD40L KW - tunneling nanotubes KW - Th1 cells KW - inflammation KW - reticulation KW - HIV-1 KW - trans-infection KW - intercellular communication TI - Tunneling nanotube networks in dendritic cell communication and HIV-1 trans-infection EP - 175 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24539 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24539/ A1 - Kalynchuk, Eve Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Whole exome sequencing is currently used for the diagnosis of genetic conditions in pediatric and adult patients. Prenatal genetic testing is commonplace, but clinical prenatal whole exome sequencing is currently not available by commercial laboratories. Controversy surrounds the ethical issues of knowing a fetus?s genetic future and the implications it could have for termination and family planning. While ongoing discussion occurs whether prenatal whole exome sequencing should be offered, there are no studies assessing parental opinions of prenatal whole exome sequencing. A questionnaire focusing on this was distributed to individuals that were pursuing first trimester genetic screening. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that 83.1% of participants thought prenatal whole exome sequencing should be offered and 53.5% (with an additional 40.1% neutral) were interested in having prenatal whole exome sequencing for their fetus. Only 17.2% of participants responded that they would be willing to have amniocentesis in order to have prenatal whole exome sequencing, and 30.6% were neutral towards amniocentesis. The vast majority of participants were interested in receiving all types of results, including: conditions of childhood and adult onset that are treatable, non-treatable, and that may shorten lifespan. In regards to family planning, 60.1% of participants stated the results of prenatal whole exome sequencing may affect their family planning if they are at risk to have a future child with a health problem, and 32.8% (with 20.2% neutral) stated that results of prenatal whole exome sequencing may affect their decision to continue the pregnancy. The majority of participants (59.7%) preferred a maximum turnaround time of three weeks or less for prenatal whole exome sequencing which is much shorter than currently reported turnaround times. Although interest is expressed for prenatal whole exome sequencing, the current available technologies for fetal DNA capture and whole exome sequencing turnaround time is not desirable for expectant parents. The public health significance of this study is that prenatal whole exome sequencing will likely become clinically available as technologies continue to improve. Understanding the public?s views on the testing is important in order to predict uptake and any perceived barriers. KW - Prenatal Whole Exome Sequencing TI - Understanding parental opinions on whole exome sequencing in the prenatal setting EP - 55 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24361 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24361/ A1 - Acosta-Cazares, Benjamin Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Objective. To evaluate changes of unhealthy lifestyle focusing on physical inactivity and poor nutrition in the Mexican insured population by the Mexican Institute of Social Security. Material and methods. This thesis presents three published papers which show the beginning, development and results of the Integrated Health Programs strategy in Mexico PREVENIMSS), 2003-2010. The first paper assesses the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors within Mexican population. The second paper describes the strategy ?PREVENIMSS? and shows how unhealthy life styles and preventive actions coverage were monitored. The third one examines the prevalence of physical inactivity in Mexican population. Results. The coverage of preventive actions increased in all age groups. Overall, the recommended physical activity levels were achieved by only 17.7%, the activity was insufficient for 65.5% and inactivity for 16.8% for both men and women. Smoking frequency consumption was 31.9% in men, whereas obesity in women showed 23.6%. Hypertension and diabetes were highly prevalent. Conclusions. Mexico has a population with a high prevalence of physical inactivity, obesity, poor nutrition, diabetes and hypertension. The lifestyle factors assessment leads to approaches in order to improve the quality of prevention and care programs for the whole country. Public health significance. The surveys show the significant role of contemporary epidemiology for health planning services. Studies were useful to identity health population problems. Furthermore, national and local interventions were applied to increase low coverage health programs and to prevent some high prevalence diseases. KW - Physical inactivity TI - Unhealthy lifestyle practices in the Mexican population: national surveys of coverage of the integrated health programs(ENCOPREVENIMSS)of the Mexican Institute of the Social Security (IMSS) 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 AND 2010 EP - 122 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24489 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24489/ A1 - Cambal, Leah K Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Associated with chronic and short-term health effects, the public health consequences of ambient air pollution are considerable. Accurate measurement of air pollutants is critical for assessing exposure to pollutants as well as an essential step in reducing public health impacts through implementation of regulations and emission controls. Passive sampling devices are often used for the regional-scale determination of pollutants when knowledge of hourly fluctuations in concentrations is unnecessary. Often advantageously described as cost-effective and simple to use, passive samplers are increasingly utilized as an alternative to conventional active sampling. However, the accuracy of these descriptions is challenged by the findings of the subsequent research. The overall objective of this research was to assess the ability of a well-known passive sampler to accurately measure concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the ambient environment. While the passive measurement of numerous pollutants is heavily studied, literature evaluating the use of passive sampling devices for the measurement of NOx is exceedingly limited. NOx is a generic term for a group of highly reactive gases composed of oxygen and nitrogen but most commonly NOx is defined as the sum of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The trapping of NOx using filters coated with 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) for quantitative analysis was investigated using various methods including ambient sampling, electronic absorption spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and electron paramagnetic resonance. A first of its kind air sampling campaign in New Zealand measured ambient NOx concentrations at multiple locations using Ogawa passive samplers. High spatial variability in pollutant concentrations was found across the sampling area but accuracy of the concentrations was questioned. At low ambient NOx concentrations PTIO was found to contribute significantly to the analytical absorbance value. The fraction contributed by PTIO became increasingly difficult to quantitate as the contribution was not uniform across exposed filters. Degradation of PTIO during ambient exposure, evident by the loss of the filter color, was heavily dependent on the sampling environment. Intra- and inter-season variations in the magnitude of degradation are reported. Common limitations of various types of passive samplers are presented as well as challenges currently unaddressed in the literature. KW - air pollution KW - PTIO KW - NOx KW - passive sampling KW - photocatalyzed degradation TI - An appraisal of NOx passive sampling EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24433 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24433/ A1 - Talzhanov, Yerkebulan Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Prediction of fetal DNA allows diagnosing known/passed mutations before child?s birth. Public health significance of such early testing is that it can reassure parents who have negative results and offers timely information for those with abnormal results. My dissertation work presents a new approach of reconstructing fetal DNA from maternal plasma. The method works because plasma from pregnant women, which contains ?cell-free DNA?, has been noted to contain fetal DNA as well as maternal DNA. I developed and tested a workflow that implements my suggested approach. The workflow was broken into several parts, each fully documented in this dissertation. Each step we have taken was supported with explanation of the logic driving the step. The approach works through the examination of sequencing data sets generated by short-read sequencing (also known as next-generation sequencing), by calling variation (single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) within those samples vis-à-vis a reference sequence. I developed and introduced a series of quality control criteria applied to SNPs to improve overall prediction. A novel single individual haplotyping method was developed and applied to haplotype the parental samples. The obtained parental haplotypes were incorporated into the workflow and along with parental genotypes were used to find transmitted haplotypes in the maternal plasma. The predicted haplotypes were then aligned to each other to obtain phased SNPs. For evaluation, I compared fetal SNPs predicted by my method against control fetal SNPs (from sequencing of fetal DNA). Overall prediction power is discussed. Possible ways of improvements that should affect the overall prediction are also described. KW - genetics KW - prenatal diagnosis KW - cell-free DNA KW - haplotyping TI - A new workflow of fetal DNA prediction from cell-free DNA in maternal plasma EP - 47 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24524 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24524/ A1 - Progovac, Ana Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Understanding the role of psychological attitudes in health behaviors and health care utilization has important implications for improving health and reducing health care costs. This is particularly important among the elderly, who require more and costlier health services. This dissertation explores the relationship between optimism (positive future expectation) and cynical hostility (mistrust of others) on smoking cessation, physical activity, and preventive service use in post-menopausal women. Chapter one assesses the relationship between optimism and cynical hostility on smoking cessation. Women with higher cynical hostility were less likely to quit smoking over time. Smoking cessation programs may consider incorporating attitudes measures to better target smokers who are less likely to quit on their own. Chapter two focuses on understanding the role of optimism and cynical hostility in use of screening mammograms and lipid screenings and in particular how these attitudes mediate or moderate the established relationships with race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Optimism predicts screening mammograms for some, but not all, racial/ethnic groups even when adjusting for various demographic, social, and health factors. Incorporating psychological factors such as optimism scores into health risk modeling may prove useful especially among specific racial and ethnic minority groups. Chapter three investigates the link between optimism and cynical hostility on strenuous physical activity. Women with higher optimism report higher levels of strenuous physical activity across the lifespan. Modeling reveals that much of this relationship is explained by other variables such as demographics and health status. Higher cynical hostility is associated with increased post-menopausal strenuous physical activity only in fully corrected models. This attitude may therefore play a particularly important role in activity levels depending on the presence or absence of barriers to physical activity. The public health relevance of this dissertation rests in identifying individuals at higher risk of developing illness burden due to health behaviors such as smoking and physical activity and potential under-use of preventive health services. Understanding how attitudes influence these behaviors may pave the way for physicians and health systems to employ novel approaches to improve health-related quality of life and ultimately reduce costs by reducing disease burden. KW - Attitudes KW - health behaviors KW - health care utilization KW - screenings KW - mammograms KW - lipid testing KW - smoking KW - physical activity KW - exercise KW - optimism KW - cynical hostility KW - pessimism KW - psychological attitudes KW - risk factors TI - The relationship between psychological attitudes, health behaviors, and health care utilization in older women EP - 91 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24548 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24548/ A1 - Kim, Dongha Y1 - 2015/06/29/ N2 - Several methods have been proposed for comparing fluorescence intensity curves obtained from flow cytometry analysis. The one comparison method that is most often used is the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test, which is known to find statistically significant differences between curves even when clinical or scientific differences are doubtful. In the field of flow cytometry, the combination of the gating process and either Overton Subtraction or K-S test yields a histogram subtraction technique for analysis of flow cytometric frequency data. In order to help biologists assess the results of a K-S or other test for the difference between mean fluorescence intensity curves, we have proposed a method of producing bootstrap-based confidence bands around the difference in histograms to show the range of intensity channels for which a difference between histograms may be identified. As an illustration of the method, we obtain and display confidence bands for histogram differences between pumping cell subsets. The confidence bands are constructed using both pointwise and simultaneous confidence bands. We compare the results of these two approaches. Furthermore, for descriptive purposes, the confidence bands produced were found to provide a useful descriptive display to aid in the interpretation of results. Flow cytometry is a major research tool for immunology and, by extension, infectious diseases and public health. Our statistical methodology is applicable to flow cytometry research in a variety of settings. KW - Flow cytometry KW - Mean Fluorescent Intensity (MFI) KW - Single parameter histogram KW - Bootstrapping KW - Difference KW - Pointwise confidence intervals KW - Simultaneous confidence bands TI - The use of confidence regions to determine objective criteria for analysis of single parameter histograms of mean fluorescence intensity EP - 65 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25176 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25176/ A1 - Rochon, Elizabeth Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - ALK1, a TGF-? type I receptor serine/threonine kinase, is critical for proper vascular development. Heterozygous loss of ALK1 results in the vascular disorder, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2 (HHT2), which is characterized by the development of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and affects 1:8000 people worldwide. alk1-/- zebrafish develop embryonic lethal AVMs which form via a two-step mechanism. First, loss of alk1 results in an increase in endothelial cell number in cranial arteries, which results in increased vessel caliber. In the second step, normally transient connections between arteries and veins are maintained as an adaptive mechanism to cope with an increased hemodynamic load. Using zebrafish as a tool to study the AVM formation due to loss of Alk1 signaling, I have found that Alk1 is required for directed arterial endothelial cell migration in opposition to blood flow. Embryos lacking alk1 experience a redistribution of cells, with endothelial cells failing to efficiently migrate against the direction of blood flow and accumulating in more distal regions of alk1-dependent arteries. This altered cellular distribution causes an increase in arterial caliber and consequent retention of downstream arteriovenous connections, resulting in fatal AVMs. Notch and ALK1 have been implicated in arterial specification and loss of function of either pathway causes AVMs. Furthermore, ALK1 can cooperate with Notch to upregulate expression of Notch target genes in cultured endothelial cells. These findings have led to the hypothesis that Notch and ALK1 collaboratively program arterial identity and prevent AVMs. I modulated Notch and Alk1 activities in zebrafish embryos and examined effects on Notch target gene expression and vascular morphology. Results demonstrate that control of Notch targets is context-dependent, with gene-specific and region-specific requirements for Notch and Alk1. Although loss of alk1 increases expression of dll4, which encodes a Notch ligand, and enhanced Notch signaling causes AVMs, AVMs in alk1 mutants could neither be phenocopied by Notch activation nor rescued by Notch inhibition. In conclusion, Alk1 is dispensable for acquisition and maintenance of arterial identity, and perturbations in Notch signaling cannot account or AVM development in alk1 mutants. KW - Alk1 KW - Endothelial cell migration KW - zebrafish KW - vascular development KW - Notch signaling TI - ALK1 SIGNALING IS REQUIRED FOR DIRECTED ENDOTHELIAL CELL MIGRATION IN THE PREVENTION OF ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS EP - 132 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24941 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24941/ A1 - Shech, Elay Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This dissertation concerns the philosophical underpinnings of representation and idealization in science. I begin by looking at the philosophical debate revolving around phase transitions and use it as a foil to bring out what I take to be most interesting about phase transitions, namely, the manner by which they illustrate the problem of essential idealizations. I continue to solve the problem in several steps. First, I conduct an interdisciplinary comparative study of different types of representations (e.g., mental, linguistic, pictorial) and consequently promote a content-based account of scientific representation intended to accommodate the practice of idealization and misrepresentation. I then critically asses the literature on idealizations in science in order to identify the manner by which to justify appeals to idealizations in science, and implement such techniques in two case studies that merit special attention: the Aharonov-Bohm effect and the quantum Hall effects. I proceed to offer a characterization of essential idealizations meant to alleviate the woes associated with said problem, and argue that particular types of idealizations, dubbed pathological idealizations, ought to be dispensed with. My motto is that idealizations are essential to explanation and representation, as well as to methodology and pedagogy, but they essentially misrepresent. Implications for the debate on platonism about mathematical objects are outlined. KW - Philosophy of Physics KW - Philosophy of Mathematics KW - Representation and Idealization KW - Phase Transitions KW - Aharonov-Bohm Effect KW - Quantum Hall Effects TI - ASSUME A SPHERICAL COW: STUDIES ON REPRESENTATION AND IDEALIZATION EP - 286 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24586 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24586/ A1 - Wright, Jarrell Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - Play is a manifestation of overflowing excess. When applied to the study of discourse, this bounty can be understood in terms of figurativeness and depth. If ?degree-zero? discourse is the almost entirely unfigured language of an instruction manual, then verse lies near the other extreme: highly figured and elaborate language open to rich interpretive possibilities. I posit a further pole yet on this continuum: the hyperabundant texts of the Renaissance, when ludics were at a height partially quashed by the Enlightenment preference for the plain style. These ludic texts are not merely decorative but rather reflect the incarnational impulse of Renaissance Christian thought; they attempt to praise and to imitate the power of Divine language, in which Word is made Flesh in the West?s master model of superabundance, grace through Christ?s Incarnation and Sacrifice. This project conducts three case studies of playfully incarnational discourses during the Renaissance: in speech, in imagery, and in verse. First, it analyzes sermons by John Donne that reflect candidly on the power of Donne?s own ludic speech, concluding that his transgressive, gamelike rhetoric was oriented toward stimulating responsive action. Next, it examines period images through the lens of contemporary popular works that conceive of images as puzzles to be decoded, solved, and read, concluding that period anamorphoses and similar works were efforts to infuse images with lively presence in a way that helps to account for iconophobic and iconophilic strains in English Reformation thought. Finally, it reads George Herbert?s deceptively simple poem, ?The Altar,? examining how the piece may be understood as an intervention into the shaped-verse tradition and how it reflects on period debates about Church fabric, concluding that the toylike or tricklike construction evokes the Eucharistic presence of the Divine in Herbert?s worshipful meditation. At stake are a greater appreciation for Renaissance artistry, a fuller understanding of the complexity of the English Reformation, and a richer vocabulary for play theorists working with ludic discourses. A conclusion considers these implications and explains why Renaissance thinkers might have chosen a ludic mode of imitative worship?God?s grace and creation are themselves forms of play. KW - Renaissance literature; play theory; rhetoric; Donne KW - John; Herbert KW - George; sermonology; anamorphoses; art history and criticism; shaped verse; English Reformation history; word and image TI - Dancing before the Lord: Renaissance Ludics and Incarnational Discourse EP - 389 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24146 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24146/ A1 - SONG, YANG Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This dissertation comprises three essays in the economics of education. I use natural and field experiments to evaluate education policies and programs. I also bring insights from psychology to understand how to improve learning and work efficiency. The first chapter shows how a Chinese city was successful in helping its low-performing schools catch up. The city's education bureau identified several low-performing middle schools and guaranteed elite high school admission to their top ten-percent graduates. I document that schools affected by this top-ten percent policy improved their performance by 0.3 standard deviation. To understand the underlying mechanisms, the city's lottery system for middle school assignment is used to test for changes in composition and value-added. The study suggests that incentives for better students to attend lower-performing schools help narrow not only the school performance gap but also the school quality gap. The second chapter evaluates a peer mentoring program that matches high-performing students as mentors to their low-performing classmates and provides non-monetary incentives for them to study together and stay in school. We implemented the program in two rural Chinese middle schools. The program did not improve the mentees' math scores, but instead increased their learning stress. However, the program did significantly improve the mentors' math scores by 0.57 standard deviations and lowered their dropout rate by 3%, with no impact on their mental health scores. We discuss possible reasons for these surprising results and propose changes in program design that may help mentees benefit as well. The third chapter studies the effect of time abundance on work efficiency. I propose a strategic framework of efficient completion of time-constrained tasks. Facing a task with a deadline, an agent is under-motivated when there is abundant time and over-motivated when the deadline is too close. This generates a hump-shaped relationship between efficiency and time available for the task. I use online homework tracking data for a large introductory microeconomics class to test this theory. Within-subject analysis provides evidence supporting the predictions: when a student starts work neither too early nor too late, he/she has a higher class ranking and a lower time cost. KW - Education KW - Program Evaluation KW - School Performance KW - School Quality KW - Mentoring KW - Peer Effects KW - Group Incentives KW - Procrastination KW - Time Abundance. TI - ESSAYS IN THE ECONOMICS OF EDUCATION EP - 127 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24949 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24949/ A1 - Zhang, Xi Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - The causes and consequences of labor migration have been widely studied in multiple disciplines. There is not much doubt that migration is driven to some extent by regional inequality, but the effect of migration on inequality is ambiguous in existing theories and empirical studies which often present mixed or even contradictory conclusions. Focusing on China, this study aims to investigate the effects of internal migration on regional inequality via panel data analysis. It contributes to the literature by linking migration to inequality at both local growth channel and national dynamic channel. The panel data used in this study include all thirty-one province-level administrative units across China for the years 1992 through 2008. Fixed-effects method is adopted to control time-invariant, province-specific characteristics and structural equations modeling strategy allows estimated coefficients to vary across regions. The empirical evidence from this study indicates that whether and how migration affect regional inequality depend on the developmental stages and industrial structures of involved areas. The analytic results also support the notion that the effects of migration on inequality change across regions and time periods. Not only do the findings contribute to the existing debate, but also have important policy implications. KW - Labor migration KW - inequality KW - China studies TI - The Effect of Internal Migration on Regional Inequality in China: Evidence from Panel Data Analysis EP - 171 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24669 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24669/ A1 - Wu, Hong Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - The first chapter experimentally examine repeated partnerships with imperfect monitoring, where participants can unilaterally sever partnerships at any time. The experiment examines effects from changes in the value of an outside-the-partnership option. We find four main results where partners have access to the same outside option: i) the presence of a dissolution option increases cooperation; ii) the use of dissolution is dictated by individual rationality; iii) where dissolution is used as a punishment, subjects increases lenience, but are still forgiving; iv) overall efficiency is non-monotone in the outside option. An extension examines asymmetric outside options finding: advantages to terminating first-movers creates highly inefficient outcomes; a last-mover advantage is less inefficient but reduces forgiveness; while an arbitrator-mechanism assigning higher payoffs to ``more-deserving'' parties increases efficiency. The second chapter experimentally investigates the effects from adding a simple and intuitive stage before the start of a repeated partnership, where agents communicate about strategies they intend to play. Varying the bindingness of the message sent in the preplay communication, I examine the efficiency gain of adding these two communication institutions and behavior of senders and receivers in each of them. I find that adding both forms of preplay communication increases cooperation and efficiency in the ensuing repeated partnership. In particular, when the communication is binding, i.e. senders formulate specify strategies as contracts, the efficiency of the repeated partnership is highest. Moreover, I find that more cooperative and lenient strategies are sent and receivers are more cooperative in partnerships governed by contracts. The third chapter analyzes the sales method for a sample of 575 M\&A deals announced between 1998 and 2012 and find that targets use auctions to increase the probability of finding bidders that can relax their financial constraints rather than to create operational synergies. Auctions, compared to negotiated deals, are associated with significantly higher target announcement returns, especially for relatively small targets. Bidder returns are positively related to auctions for bidders acquiring relatively small targets, not for the full sample. Taking into account size differences, we find that auctions, decrease target gains and increase bidder gains expressed in dollars. KW - Repeated Games KW - Endogenous Termination KW - Dissolution clauses KW - Imperfect public monitoring KW - Dynamic games KW - Sales Method; Mergers and Acquisitions; Auctions; Negotiations TI - Essays in Experimental Economics and Corporate Finance EP - 184 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24951 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24951/ A1 - Pompeani, David Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - The legacy of human activity is recorded in natural archives such as ice cores and lake sediments. Together these reveal that humans have impacted the global carbon and metal cycles for thousands of years. However little is known about human-environmental change in the United States before European contact. This dissertation uses sorbed metals and stable isotopes of nitrogen measured in lake sediments to reconstruct past human-environmental change from two study regions: the Michigan Copper Districts and Cahokia (a Pre-Columbian city) near modern day East St. Louis, Illinois. Results from eight lakes suggest that distinct physical, geochemical, and isotopic changes associated with human impacts can be detected in lake sediments from the two study regions spanning from 9600 to 600 years before present (yr BP). These changes are consistent with the archeological record and occur at different times and magnitudes at each lake, indicating that the disturbances shifted through time. Sediments from seven lakes in the Michigan Copper District indicate that emissions from copper mining occurred from 9600 to 5000 yr BP when the archeological record suggests that hunter-gatherer societies known as the Old Copper Complex inhabited the region. Results from a lake near Cahokia in Illinois span the last ~1500 years when agricultural people lived in settlements and constructed earthen mounds along the Mississippi River. Sorbed metal concentrations and nitrogen isotope increases in the sediment after 1808 AD and from 1150 to 1350 AD. Changes after 1150 AD coincide with higher human populations during the height of Cahokia (i.e. Stirling and Moorehead Phases) inferred from the archeological record. Overall, the data presented here provide a new window in which to document the responses of lake systems in the United States to human impacts in prehistory. KW - geochemistry KW - metals KW - sedimentology KW - archeology KW - copper TI - Human impacts on the environment over the Holocene in Michigan and Illinois using lake sediment geochemistry EP - 175 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24062 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24062/ A1 - Zhang, Chen Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This dissertation describes new peptide-based methods for assembling and controlling the morphologies, metrics, and properties of gold nanoparticle superstructures. The aim of this research is to develop the peptide-based method by modifying the peptide sequences and controlling the reaction conditions for the synthesis and assembly of gold nanoparticle superstructures to achieve reliable control over their morphology and metrics, and furthermore study their properties and applications. With this goal in mind, the C-terminus of a gold-binding peptide was modified with different numbers of hydrophobic phenylalanines to affect peptide assembly and ultimately nanoparticle assembly. The addition of hydrophobic phenylalanines to the C-terminus of peptide conjugates promoted fiber bundling which in turn lead to the formation of thick or intertwined 1-D nanoparticle superstructures. Furthermore, I prepared spherical gold nanoparticle superstructures with varied diameters (~40nm, ~75nm, and ~150nm) and visible to near-infrared optical properties by using a single peptide conjugate molecule yet varied reaction conditions. Theoretical simulation and experiment were coupled to further understand their optical properties. Finally, I studied and demonstrated the drug storage and release properties of hollow spherical gold nanoparticle superstructures; this was the first demonstrated application of this class of nanoparticle superstructure. KW - peptide KW - gold KW - self-assembly KW - nanoparticle KW - superstructure TI - PEPTIDE-BASED METHODS FOR ASSEMBLING AND CONTROLLING THE MORPHOLOGIES, METRICS, AND PROPERTIES OF GOLD NANOPARTICLE SUPERSTRUCTURES EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24054 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24054/ A1 - Taren, Adrienne A. Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - Mindfulness is, at its core, an open or receptive attention to present-moment experience. In recent years, interest in understanding the underlying neurobiology of mindfulness training has grown exponentially as more and more studies show the psychological and physiological health benefits of mindfulness practice, particularly in stressed populations. A primary goal of this emerging field has been to identify the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness training interventions may be producing such beneficial effects, which include decreased stress-responding as well as increased attentional focus, enhanced cognitive flexibility, and greater capacity for emotion regulation, cognitive processes that can be broadly classified as ?executive control?. Here, across three studies, I focus on the intrinsic neural circuitry underlying stress-responding and executive control. Using functional MRI data, I investigate changes in functional neural connectivity after a randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness training intervention (relative to a relaxation control intervention) in a high-stress, unemployed community adult population. In Chapter 2, I identify stress-related increased resting state functional connectivity in an amygdala-subgenual anterior cingulate pathway that is decoupled by mindfulness training. In Chapter 3, I characterize mindfulness training-associated changes in the functional connectivity of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to other attention and executive control-associated brain regions. Extending these region-specific functional connectivity findings, in Chapter 4 I show network-level changes in information processing within attention and salience-responding networks after mindfulness training. Collectively, these results demonstrate that mindfulness training may decrease baseline functional coupling between regions implicated in stress-responding and increase connectivity between regions implicated in executive control, and enhance the efficiency of information transfer between distributed neural circuitry for attentional monitoring. KW - mindfulness KW - stress KW - attention KW - salience KW - prefrontal cortex KW - fMRI TI - Prefrontal Regulatory Mechanisms of Mindfulness and Stress Reduction and Links to Markers of Health EP - 117 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23543 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23543/ A1 - Silva, K. Ishara Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - In this work we focus on details of Cu(II) coordination in amyloid-? (A?) peptide. Aggregation of A?, and modulation of morphology of aggregates by divalent metal ions, such as Cu(II) and Zn(II), are important in the etiology of Alzheimer?s disease. The metal ion coordination in amyloidogenic proteins are heterogeneous and involves one or more histidine residues. The A? peptide contains three histidine residues at positions 6, 13, and 14. The number of histidine residues coordinated to Cu(II) depends on environmental factors such as pH, Cu(II) concentration, presence of other metals, ionic strength etc. With the aid of electron spin resonance (ESR) we show that at physiological pH, Zn(II) ions selectively substitute Cu(II) ions coordinated to A?, and disrupt the distribution of Cu(II) population among different coordination modes. We also quantify the number of histidine residues coordinated to Cu(II) at higher pH of 8.7. Our results suggests that Cu(II) coordinated to simultaneous His13-His14 may lead to the formation of A? aggregates with more amorphous morphology. Furthermore we suggests the importance of His13 in the formation of ordered ?-sheets. Overall we rationalize the impact of metal ion coordination in modulating the morphology of A? aggregates. In the second part of our research we examine the molecular origins of flexibility associated with supramolecular polymer subunits with double electron electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy. It has been shown coiled coil subunits appended with different organic linkers, ethylenediamide (EDA) and piperazine (PIP), led to the formation of supramolecular polymer assemblies with different apparent hydrodynamic radii. With the strategic placement of the spin label near the cross linking site and near the N-terminus we were able to monitor range of conformations of each subunit when linked with the two linkers. Molecular dynamics simulations guided by DEER distance distributions were conducted to show that the PIP linker stabilizes a folded coiled coil population where the positioning of the cross linking site of outer helices is constrained. We suggest that this subpopulation facilitate the chain propagation in the same direction leading to the formation of polymers with larger hydrodynamic radius. KW - Electron spin resonance KW - Amyloid-beta KW - metal ion competition KW - ESEEM KW - Coiled coil KW - supramolecular polymers KW - DEER TI - Probing Molecular Interactions in Metal-A? Complexes and Supramolecular Coiled Coil Assemblies Using Electron Spin Resonance EP - 162 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24947 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24947/ A1 - Saindon, Brent Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This study traces the development of the Jewish Museum Berlin from its inception as the winning entry in a competition for an extension to the Berlin Museum in the summer of 1989 to 2005. Tracking Daniel Libeskind?s design inspirations, public arguments over continuation of the building and its eventual use, I argue that a consistent argumentative trope, characterized by Ernst Bloch?s concept of anticipatory illumination, shows up in these various conversations and influences the building?s eventual use as the Jewish Museum Berlin. The rhetoric of anticipatory illumination, in this case, shifts over time, first emphasizing Jewish cultural absence in Berlin and the need to make that absence visible, but later pushing cultural absence to the background in favor of expressing the need for multicultural tolerance in Germany and beyond. The resulting museum, the Jewish Museum Berlin, combined the specificity of the history of the former in its curatorial design with injunctions for wider concern about intolerance in contemporary societies around the world. The author argues that the shift produces a ?doubled heterotopia? in the arrangement of the museum that ultimately is effective for addressing the diverse audiences for the Jewish Museum Berlin. The case study emphasizes that public art and architecture projects can be rich sites of rhetorical invention worthy of close study over the time of their development. KW - controversy studies KW - anticipatory illumination KW - visual culture KW - communication TI - Reconfiguring Absence: Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Rhetorical Negotiation of Cultural Display EP - 333 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24821 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24821/ A1 - SUL, SOOKYUNG Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - In the first part of this dissertation, I will analyze Sofia Gubaidulina?s Quasi Hoquetus for viola, bassoon and piano. Gubaidulina (b.1931) is a Russian composer whose musical aesthetic features religious and symbolic elements. She often utilizes numerical series to create rhythmic and structural frameworks in her works. Quasi Hoquetus was written in 1984, when Gubaidulina had just started to use numerical series in her works. Therefore, this piece shows how she started to apply the number series in her works, and how she develops her own compositional method, which she calls the ?Rhythm of Form.? Also, the piece shows her musical intuition, her free compositional thought processes, more clearly than works that were written from the 1990s on, in which she composed with numerical series more strictly and systematically. In addition, this work features a number of intriguing harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements that demonstrate Gubaidulina?s unique compositional language, especially in regards to the concepts of symmetries and asymmetries. I will focus not only on rhythm but also on other musical structures, so that I can gain insight into her overall compositional process; specifically I will uncover how Gubaidulina applies the concept of symmetries and asymmetries to the formal, harmonic, rhythmic and melodic plans, and how she accomplishes a balance between symmetries and asymmetries throughout the work. The second part of this dissertation, an original composition entitled Ode to Broken Things for clarinet, cello and piano, was inspired by Pablo Neruda?s poem, Ode to Broken Things. I explore the idea of the relationship between the musical tension and resolution created by musical gestures, dynamics, timbre, register, harmonic progression and rhythm. The tension of this piece is represented as ?invisible? and ?deliberate? but having the power to break the audiences? expectations, as described in the first verse of Pablo Neruda?s poem, ?Things get broken at home like they were pushed by an invisible, deliberate smasher.? The resolution implies the things ?which nobody broke but got broken anyway?. KW - SOFIA GUBAIDULINA KW - QUASI HOQUETUS KW - FIBONACCI SERIES KW - GOLDEN RATIO TI - SYMMETRIES AND ASYMMETRIES IN SOFIA GUBAIDULINA?S QUASI HOQUETUS AND ODE TO BROKEN THINGS FOR CLARINET, CELLO AND PIANO EP - 115 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24129 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24129/ A1 - Wells, Martina Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This dissertation examines the stakes of self-Orientalizing in literary and cinematographic texts of German-Jewish cultural producers in the context of Jewish emancipation and modernization. Positing Jewish emancipation as a trans-historical and cultural process, my study traces the poetic journey of a particular set of Orientalist tropes from 19th century ghetto stories to contemporary writings and film at the turn of the millennium to address a twofold question: what could this problematic method of representation accomplish for Germany?s Jewish minority in the past, and how do we understand its re-appropriation by Germany?s ?new Jewry? today. To explore this nexus, I employ an analytical framework that draws on Orientalist discourse theory and postcolonial theories of cultural and ethnic identity. While the works under consideration execute the Orientalist aesthetic in distinctly different ways and under different historical conditions, they tap into the same representational archive when functionalizing the polarized East/West geography and inherited cultural stereotypes about Jews such as the ?Oriental Jew?, the ?ghetto?, and the ?Oriental cult.? I argue that these tropes not only come with a long history in articulating Jewishness, but that they are reanimated by Jews themselves to write the Jewish narrative of the present. Their reintroduction into the realm of fiction after decades of absence signals a paradigm shift in representations of Jews in Germany, where the Holocaust has been the uncontested framing element in the discourse of Jews and the ultimate reference point for iv German-Jewish identity since the 1940s. As the shift accompanies generational and compositional change within Germany?s Jewish community, it comes with emancipatory consequences. Rather than having a trimming effect on the menu of identifications, I contend that strategies of self-Orientalizing are a resource to make newly meaningful the Jewish historical experience and challenge the constraints of a Holocaust-based identity for Jews living in Germany today. The changes in Jewish self-identity this dissertation expounds also provide a model for analyzing the struggle against normative ascriptions of identity of other minorities in contemporary Europe whether self-imposed or by others. KW - New German Jewry KW - Oriental Jew KW - German-Jewish Film KW - Self-Orientalizing KW - Holocaust discourse KW - ghetto fiction TI - "Schreiben was hier war" Beyond the Holocaust-Paradigm: (Re)Positionings of Jewish Self-Identity in German-Jewish Narratives Past and Present EP - 263 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23445 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23445/ A1 - Wood, Jesse Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - Real-time updates to behavioral strategy require animals to understand how many actions have been executed toward completion of a goal. These operations are essential for optimizing behavior and have been linked to dopaminergic innervation of prefrontal cortex networks (Gallistel and Gibbon, 2000; Allman et al., 2011; Lustig, 2011). It is an open question how networks of dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) encode information when multiple or complex behaviors are required to earn rewards (Niv et al., 2006; Dayan and Niv, 2008; Niv and Schoenbaum, 2008). Most electrophysiological studies have focused on the averaged activity of dopamine neurons during reward prediction error signaling in simple behavioral paradigms. Thus, VTA neuronal correlates of executive processes and complex behavior remain elusive. In the current experiment, rats learned to repetitively execute actions (nose pokes) to receive rewarding outcomes (sugar pellets). These actions were randomly rewarded, and all actions were identically valued because each was equally likely to be reinforced. Actions differed only by their number within a trial. While animals executed serial actions, many VTA neurons were activated or suppressed by unique subsets of actions within a trial. Some neurons fired preferentially during low numbered actions while others preferred high numbered actions. A population averaging approach, which is conventionally used for analysis of dopaminergic neuronal activity, offered poor decoding of action number. In contrast, action number within a trial was accurately decoded from the entire pool of unique activity patterns, considering each neuron independently. These results suggest that the collective activity of VTA neuronal ensembles signals real-time information about ongoing action number?a critical component of behavioral organization. KW - Ventral tegmental area Dopamine Actions Instrumental Sequence Reward Random Ratio Reinforcement Schedules Cognition Executive Mesocortical Serial Actions Instrumental Sequence TI - Ventral Tegmental Area Neuronal Ensembles Accurately Encode Action Number EP - 144 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24799 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24799/ A1 - Vuleti?, Milo? Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - Perceptual experience is an invaluable guide to our cognition of the world: (i) experience helps make thoughts about mind-independent objects possible, and (ii) experience helps make thoughts about mind-independent objects reasonable. My dissertation aims to answer the question: how should we account for experience if we are to do justice to its rational role in cognition? I argue that neither of the two dominant contemporary models of experience is satisfactory: experience as representation and experience as acquaintance. Experience should be understood as a matter of various items being present to the experiencing subject. Crucially, I propose an account of perceptual error in terms of the presence of unreal sense-images (in hallucination) and presentational tropes (in illusion). First I argue against treating experience as a representational state. I show that such treatments require a strong relation to obtain between experience and content; I argue that the strong relation cannot be sustained. I show, in particular, that experience is not best understood as a state in which properties are attributed to objects or in which concepts are employed. Experience should instead be treated as a matter of a relation of subjects to objects and their properties. Next, I argue against the acquaintance-based relational approaches to experience. These accounts do not treat illusion plausibly; they cannot sustain two basic facts: that an object can exhibit di?erent appearances and that di?erent objects can exhibit identical appearances. In response to this problem I posit a weaker perceptual relation: in experience certain items are present to the subject. Presence does not entail knowledge of items present. Finally, I o?er an improved relationalist approach to perceptual error. I endorse the idea that in hallucination there are items?unreal sense-images?present to the subject. However, I reject the proposal to treat illusions in the same way: presence of sense-images in illusion makes the presence of misperceived objects redundant. Instead, I propose that presentational tropes are present in illusion. Presentational tropes are relational particulars that require both a subject and an experienced object for their existence. KW - Experience; Perception; Phenomenology; Relationalism; Representationalism; Presentational tropes TI - Ways of Appearing: Experience and its Phenomenology EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24265 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24265/ A1 - Twinam, Tate Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - This dissertation consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 examines the identification power of assumptions that formalize the notion of complementarity in the context of a nonparametric bounds analysis of treatment response. I extend the literature on partial identification via shape restrictions by exploiting cross--dimensional restrictions on treatment response when treatments are multidimensional; the assumption of supermodularity can strengthen bounds on average treatment effects in studies of policy complementarity. I combine this restriction with a statistical independence assumption to derive improved bounds on treatment effect distributions, aiding in the evaluation of complex randomized controlled trials. I show how complementarities arising from treatment effect heterogeneity among subpopulations can be incorporated through supermodular instrumental variables to strengthen identification of treatment effects in studies with one or multiple treatments. I use these results to examine the long--run effects of zoning on the evolution of land use patterns. Chapter 2 considers the determinants of land use regulation. Zoning has been cited as a discriminatory policy tool by critics, who argue that ordinances are used to deter the entry of minority residents into majority neighborhoods through density restrictions (exclusionary zoning) and locate manufacturing activity in minority neighborhoods (environmental racism). However, identifying discrimination in these regulations is complicated by the fact that land use and zoning have been co-evolving for nearly a century. We employ a novel approach to overcome this challenge, studying the introduction of comprehensive zoning in Chicago. We find evidence of a pre-cursor to exclusionary zoning as well as inequitable treatment in industrial use zoning. Chapter 3 examines the impact of residential density and mixed land use on crime using a unique high-resolution dataset from Chicago over the period 2008-2013. I employ a novel instrumental variable strategy based on the city's 1923 zoning code. I find that commercial uses lead to more street crime in their immediate vicinity, with relatively weak spillovers. However, this effect is strongly offset by density; dense mixed use areas are actually safer than typical residential areas. Additionally, much of the commercial effect is driven by liquor stores and late-hour bars. I discuss the implications for zoning policy. KW - zoning KW - crime KW - identification KW - economics TI - The economics of zoning EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25011 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25011/ A1 - Wier, Gregory M. Y1 - 2015/06/23/ N2 - Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that is estimated to infect a third of the human population. While parasite infection is usually asymptomatic in healthy individuals, it is responsible for life threatening disease in individuals with compromised immune systems. The obligate intracellular nature of the parasite makes its ability to successfully invade and interact with its host cell of paramount importance. How T. gondii interacts with its host cell to permit its survival and replication is still largely understood. Our knowledge of host-pathogen interaction would be strengthened if a system were available to specifically label parasite proteins in the context of an infected host cell. My thesis work in the Boyle laboratory has focused on developing such a system in T. gondii. I have created a strain of T. gondii that expresses a mutant form of a bacterial methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRSNLL), which permits methionine (Met) tRNA to be charged with the azide-containing Met analog, azidonorleucine (Anl). Any protein that incorporates Anl is susceptible to a copper-catalyzed ?click? reaction, allowing affinity tags for purification or fluorescent tags for visualization to be appended to them. I show that Anl is only incorporated into parasites expressing the mutant MetRSNLL, and that it is absent from host cell proteins. While the approach allows for the labeling of a large margin of parasite proteins, it appears that N-terminally processed proteins are only minimally labeled. This may be due to the bacterial MetRSNLL only being able to charge Anl to the T. gondii initiator tRNAMet and not the elongator tRNAMet, which would result in only the N-terminal Met residue being replaced with Anl. I have begun work to try to modify the system to permit Anl to be more widely incorporated into parasite proteins. Despite the systems current limitations, it should be useful for studying proteomic changes in the parasite while inside of the host. Furthermore, the system should be readily adaptable for other Apicomplexan parasites, like Plasmodium spp. KW - Toxoplasma gondii KW - Click chemistry TI - A new method for the orthogonal labeling and purification of Toxoplasma gondii proteins while inside of the host cell EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir20409 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/20409/ A1 - Lipschultz, Michael Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - This research investigates how to schedule multiple graphical representations in a dialogue-based conceptual physics tutor. Research on multiple graphical representations in tutoring suggests either frequently switching representations or fading from concrete to abstract representations. However, other research communities suggest that the best representation or scheduling can be dependent on various student and tutoring context factors. This thesis investigates whether these factors are important when considering a schedule of representations. Three major hypotheses are investigated. H1: that the best representational format for physics concepts is related to properties of the student and the tutoring context. H2: that it is possible to build models that predict the best representational format using student and tutoring context information. H3: that picking the representational format based upon student and tutoring context information will produce better learning gains than not considering student and tutoring context information. Additionally, this work addresses the question of whether multiple representations produce greater learning gains than a single representation (H4). A first experiment was performed to both investigate H1 and to collect data for H2. ANOVAs showed significant interaction effects in learning between low and high pretesters and between high and low spatial reasoning ability subjects, supporting the first hypothesis. Using the data collected and features describing student and tutoring context information, models were learned to predict when to show illustrations or graphs. That these models could be learned, produce meaningful rules, and outperformed a baseline supports H2. A new modeling algorithm was developed to learn these models by augmenting multiple linear regression to consider certain syntactic constraints. A third study was run to test H3 and H4 and to extrinsically evaluate the adaptive policy learned. One third of subjects had an adaptive scheduling of representations, one third a fixed alternating scheduling, and one third saw only one representation. In support of H3, subjects with high incoming knowledge sometimes perform better when receiving adaptive scheduling over an alternating scheduling, but there are also counter examples. For H4, it is not supported in general: showing only illustrations is best overall, but in some cases some subjects benefit from multiple representations. KW - tutoring KW - intelligent tutoring system KW - student modeling KW - dialogue KW - graphs KW - illustrations KW - physics TI - Adapting the scheduling of illustrations and graphs to learners in conceptual physics tutoring EP - 220 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24246 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24246/ A1 - Neumann, Peter Alaric Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - The brain is an extraordinarily complex and organized system. Environmental information reaches the brain via the sensory systems, and this information is processed to interpret and make sense of the world. The mechanisms used to transmit information between neurons are also involved in directing and modifying the strength of these connections. Thus, the brain is always in a plastic state and has the ability to both interpret neural information and be shaped by it. Cocaine addiction is a progressive condition highlighted by maladaptive and compulsive behavior that develops after exposure to cocaine. Thus, cocaine exposure changes neural processing in the brain in ways that lead to the addicted state. The work presented here examines how neural circuits in addiction-related brain regions, such as those involved in motivated behavior and translating emotion into action, change at the cellular and molecular levels in response to cocaine exposure. The results uncover a variety of novel cocaine-induced changes in neural circuitry and processing which likely contribute to the development and/or maintenance of addiction. KW - cocaine addiction plasticity TI - COCAINE-BASED SIGNALING CHANGES IN THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS, LATERAL HABENULA, AND THALAMUS EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24044 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24044/ A1 - Otaka, Mami/MO Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - Within the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, the VTA-to-NAc projection is essential for many emotional and motivational responses, and is often targeted by drugs of abuse to produce cellular and behavioral alterations. Whereas the DAergic component in this projection has been extensively examined for its role in mediating the primary reward effect and reward prediction, this projection also contain a significant GABAergic component and a relatively weak glutamatergic component. These two fast projections are often concurrently activated with the DAergic projection upon incentive stimuli, but their physiological properties and their relationship with the DAergic component have not been well understood. Focusing on this knowledge gap, our present study utilized a multidisciplinary approach combining electrophysiology, genetics/optogenetics, and operant behavioral tests, to characterize VTA-to-NAc GABAergic projection, its interaction with parallel DAergic projection, and its adaptive changes after cocaine exposure. The parallel glutamatergic projection was examined for comparison. Our results showed that VTA-to-NAc GABAergic transmission exhibited relatively high presynaptic release probability and fast-decaying postsynaptic responses. Activation of parallel DAergic projection induced LTD at VTA-to-NAc GABAergic synapses heterosynaptically. After withdrawal from repeated cocaine exposure, we detected several profound alterations at VTA-to-NAc GABAergic synapses, among which the D1-dependent heterosynaptic LTD was abolished. Furthermore, cocaine-induced alterations in GABAergic and glutamatergic transmissions are highly dynamic, critically depending on cocaine procedures and drug withdrawal periods. These results reveal that GABAergic and glutamatergic projections exert direct inhibitory and excitatory effects on NAc principal neurons, and the shifted inhibitory-excitatory balance in NAc neurons may contribute to the shifted functional output of the NAc. Moreover, given the prominent regulatory role of DA in emotional and motivational response, loss of DA-dependent heterosynaptic plasticity at VTA-to-NAc GABAergic synapses during cocaine withdrawal echoes several withdrawal symptoms such as rigid emotional state favorable to drug taking, reduced responses to non-drug-related emotional stimuli, and persistent hypoactivity of the NAc. The novel roles of VTA-to-NAc GABAergic projection demonstrated in the present study may pave the road for future studies to understand the circuitry-based mechanisms of physiological and pathophysiological emotional and motivational responses. KW - Nucleus accumbens Ventral tegmental area Cocaine Dopamine GABA TI - Characterization of GABAergic projection from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens: Effects of dopamine and cocaine EP - 133 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24927 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24927/ A1 - O'Loughlin, Liam Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - This dissertation examines the representational conflict over sites of disaster in the contemporary period of neoliberal globalization. I name these disasters ?cosmopolitan? not to assign value but to designate a set of political and representational problems that stem from each event?s position of global prominence. Interpreting Anglophone literatures of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, I pair dominant modes of representation with particular disasters: humanitarian representations and the Union Carbide Bhopal gas leak; images of apocalypse that circulated after the 1998 nuclear tests in India and Pakistan; bureaucratic aesthetics and a set of coal mine collapses in 2001; and the wilderness aesthetics of the 2004 tsunami. South Asian disaster writing engages, disrupts, and reworks these dominant modes by redirecting disaster imaginations away from moments of sensational violence towards recurrent forms of structural violence. These narratives challenge the reductive notions of ?natural disaster? and ?accident? by treating disasters not as moments of rupture but as moments within a longer historical continuum, thus confronting the global media?s routine stigmatization of the Global South as an ahistorical disaster zone, or what I refer to as the disaster exotic. Moreover, these narratives explore the subtle possibilities of emergent communities of reconstruction, attending to disaster solidarities at the local and transnational levels. Bringing together conversations in trauma and memory studies, ecocriticism and media studies, as well as globalization theory and the sociology of disaster, I contend that South Asian narratives both critique dominant disaster discourses and excavate utopian imaginations from the detritus of the aftermath. KW - Disaster KW - Postcolonial literature KW - Cosmopolitanism KW - Neoliberalism KW - Humanitarianism KW - Bureaucracy TI - Cosmopolitan Disasters: from Bhopal to the Tsunami in South Asian Anglophone Literature EP - 238 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24903 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24903/ A1 - Matute Castro, Arturo Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - This research is based on some of the most representative writers of the Cuban diaspora of the last three decades: Reinaldo Arenas, Carlos Victoria, Guillermo Rosales, Abilio Estévez, Jesús Díaz, and Antonio José Ponte. In addition to their novels, I also consider some leading exile publications, such as Exilio, Noticias de Arte, escandalar, Areíto, La Nuez, Linden Lane Magazine, Mariel, and Encuentro de la Cultura Cubana. Traversing the theoretical fields of history, politics, literature, transnational and diaspora studies, I analyze how these narratives interpellate hegemonic discourses related to the national literary canon and the growth of new imaginaries as a result of migration. I explore textual representations of contemporary diasporic identities which Cuban culture has produced within a cosmopolitan and multicultural environment. To create the theoretical framework for my dissertation, I have used theories of national identity shaped by exile, such as those of Stuart Hall and Edward Said. In addition, I contextualize the study of Cuban culture and literature within the contemporary debates on globalization, migration, and transnationalism, led by scholars such as James Clifford and Stéphane Dufoix. Ultimately, my work questions the variations in nationalist ideologies that underlie each of the narratives that I focus on. I argue that the works by these authors accentuate the distinctive features of a territorial resettlement experienced by a particular national community, rather than the commonalities and understandings of migration shared with other ethnic groups which are part of global trends of displacement and geographical relocation. KW - Cuban Literature KW - Cuban Diaspora KW - Cuban Exile Literature KW - Cuban Diaspora Literature KW - Reinaldo Arenas KW - Carlos Victoria KW - Guillermo Rosales KW - Abilio Estevez KW - Antonio Jose Ponte KW - Jesus Diaz KW - Encuentro de la Cultura Cubana KW - Mariel KW - Cuban Exile Magazines TI - Idas de escritura: exilio y diáspora literaria cubana (1980 ? 2010) EP - 299 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25079 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25079/ A1 - Nunez, Albert (Tyke) Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - We rightly take it for granted that knowledge of empirical objects is possible. In contemporary philosophy, however, the question of how we can have this knowledge has largely fallen off of the agenda. In contrast, in the philosophy of Kant, the question of how we can have our ordinary knowledge of these objects lies at the heart of the enterprise of vindicating synthetic a priori judgments. With an eye to revitalizing that question, in this dissertation I begin to mark off a class of Kantian views in metaphysics and epistemology. According to these views, the only way to account for how we can have knowledge of empirical objects as objects?as things that exist and are available to everyone to be known?is if both the nature of these objects, and our knowledge of them, are partially grounded in our faculty for knowing them. It is the necessary, not the contingent, features of these objects that will be grounded in these faculties. And this will be so, not only for the general necessary features that all empirical objects share, but also for those special features of individual objects that we can nonetheless know to be necessary. Although when examining Kant it is impossible to avoid the question of how empirical objects have their synthetic a priori grounding in our representations, this question has received relatively little sustained attention in the secondary literature. In part because of this, rather than directly delineating the class of Kantian views I am after, I have chosen to spend this dissertation developing a reading of this aspect of Kant?s account. In the first chapter, I look at how this grounding works in general. In the second, I examine how the special necessary features of certain representations are grounded in the necessary features of more general representations. Finally, in the third I combine these two elements into an account of how, according to Kant, both the general and specific necessary features of objects have their synthetic a priori grounding in our faculty for knowledge and its representations. KW - Kant KW - synthetic a priori KW - formal idealism KW - transcendental idealism KW - constitutivism TI - Kant's formal idealism, the synthetic a priori, and the constitution of objects of experience EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24946 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24946/ A1 - Martin, Katherine I. Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - Learning to read in a second language as an adult is different in many ways from learning to read in a first language. Unlike children, adult second language (L2) learners have limited knowledge of the target language but may already have fluent reading skills in their first language (L1). These initial reading skills develop to be specifically tuned to the characteristics of the L1 writing system, and may not be optimized for literacy in the L2 (e.g., Frost, 2012; Koda, 2004). This dissertation consists of a program of research designed to examine the impacts that these L1 writing system characteristics have on the development of literacy skills in English as a second language (ESL). Study 1 examined performance on two fundamental literacy skills, phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge, as a function of L1 background and task demands. These data were collected abroad from native French, Hebrew, and Mandarin Chinese speakers, as well as native English speakers, and show clear influences of both L1 orthography and phonology on literacy skill performance. The large differences in performance associated with varying task demands have implications for accurately measuring and understanding students? underlying abilities. Study 2 examined the contributions of phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge to three measures of word identification: lexical decision, word naming, and pseudoword decoding, as well as global reading comprehension. These data reveal differential performance on the word identification tasks across L1s, as well as differential contributions of phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge to word identification. Study 2 again revealed the effects of task demands on the relationships between sub-lexical literacy skills and word identification. Finally, Study 3 examined the development of language and literacy in adult ESL classroom learners who received either traditional reading instruction or a set of supplemental lessons providing a phonics-based instructional intervention. The results show influences of L1 background as well as different developmental patterns for phonological and orthographic skills based on the type of curriculum students received. The discussion highlights the contributions of this work to understanding cross-linguistic literacy skills and the importance of considering task demands when choosing language assessment measures. KW - ESL KW - literacy KW - phonological awareness KW - orthographic knowledge KW - cross-linguistic comparisons TI - L1 Impacts on L2 Component Reading Skills, Word Skills, and Overall Reading Achievement EP - 347 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24801 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24801/ A1 - Li, Bihui Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - A standard approach towards interpreting physical theories proceeds by first identifying the theory with a set of mathematical objects, where such objects are defined according to mathematicians? standards of rigor. In making this identification, philosophers rule out the relevance of many inferential methods that physicists use, as these often do not meet mathematicians? standards of rigor. Philosophers thus sanitize physical theories of all math- ematically messy or ambiguous parts before interpreting them. My dissertation argues against this sanitized approach towards interpreting theories using the example of quantum field theory (QFT). When we look at the details of QFT, we find that the mathematical objects it requires differ according to the specific systems the theory is being applied to in ways that advocates of the sanitized approach do not anticipate. Furthermore, the mathematical objects required for successful application are still being developed in some applicational contexts, so it would be unwise to determine in advance which objects constitute the theory. During this ongoing developmental process, physicists interpret the mathematics using strategies that violate the standards of pure mathematics. In contrast to the sanitized approach, these strategies are more sensitive to the ways in which the mathematics required for the relevant contexts is still under development. I argue that these strategies are not merely instrumental. They suggest alternative approaches to interpretation that philosophers should take into account. KW - physics KW - theory KW - philosophy KW - quantum field theory KW - rigor TI - MOVING BEYOND ?THEORY T?: THE CASE OF QUANTUM FIELD THEORY EP - 128 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24977 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24977/ A1 - Mockler, Kerry B. Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - All imaginative play, all make-believe, is a process of transformation. Playing alters the world which the player inhabits; it creates a new space that overlays, interpenetrates, or replaces the ?real? world. Make-believe can change the signification of the physical or geographical space, it can act as time-travel, it can alter the appearance and actions of others drawn into the playspace, it can rewrite virtually all the laws of science and nature. Perhaps most fundamentally, play transforms the player. Imaginative play empowers the player, allows her to shape and mold her surroundings, to create stories where none existed, or to overwrite or erase existing stories; it allows her to invent and inhabit alternative identities. This project examines three places and spaces of play to consider the kinds of possibilities for transgression and transformation they engender. It begins with analysis of Disneyland, focusing on the park?s origins and early reception, arguing that the park was always intended as a space for adults and children equally, and that the design of the park makes it a kind of toy or stage manipulable by visitors. Next, it analyzes Mister Rogers? Neighborhood by looking in depth at several key episodes of the program, examining the ways in which they represent alternatives or challenges to heteronormative culture, specifically concerning queer male identities. It also examines a sample of viewer mail sent to the program over a 35-year span as a means of thinking about divergent reception and potential effects of the program. Finally, it considers the children?s writing of E. Nesbit, and the ways in which Nesbit creates a world in which play, especially theatrical play, is possible and important for both adults and children. This project concludes by suggesting that positioning play as a materially-situated activity as well as a method of exploration or inquiry, opens up new ways to consider and challenge a variety of binary constructs, particularly that of the child and the adult. KW - queer theory; children's literature; Edith Nesbit; Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; children's media; Disneyland TI - Neighborhoods of Make-Believe: Place, Play, and Possibility in Disneyland, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and The Magic City EP - 211 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24822 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24822/ A1 - liu, guoqing Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - This dissertation studies the steady state of thin film type equations. Different considerations of physical forces give different formulations of differential equations. We start with generalized thin film evolution and derive the second order elliptic equation for steady states. For the thin film driven by both van der Waals force and Born repulsion force, we define associated energy and obtain a classical energy minimizing problem by taking semi-limit. The solution has been proven to converge to a Dirac measure in the limit that repulsive force term tends to $0$. Asymptotic analysis show that the location of the spike would be a point on the boundary with maximal curvature. Furthermore, we neglect the Born repulsion force and study radial steady state solution for van der Waals force driven thin film equation. We link the volume constraint problem with a initial value ordinary different equation and analyze how radial steady state solution and associated energy depend on the average thickness. KW - Thin Film Equations KW - Dirac Measure KW - Maximal Curvature KW - Van der Waals force KW - Radial Steady States TI - On the steady states of thin film equations EP - 101 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB N1 - This dissertation was first made available with access restricted to authenticated users at the University of Pittsburgh on 22 June 2015. Worldwide access began on 14 August 2015. ID - pittir24621 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24621/ A1 - Nesbitt, Kathryn M Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - Microdialysis is a powerful technique used to recover analytes from the brain. Microdialysis is compatible with multiple detectors allowing simultaneous analysis of neurotransmitters, metabolites, neuropeptides, and amino acids. The use of microdialysis has made advances in understanding brain function and diseases and is currently used to monitor traumatic brain injured patients. However, microdialysis probe implantation causes a penetration injury eliciting a foreign body response in the surrounding brain tissue. Tissue around the probe becomes unhealthy which brings into question, how the state of the tissue around the probe effects analytes that are recovered by microdialysis. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in a variety of physiological functionality and neurological disorders, is often recovered using microdialysis. Dopamine is electroactive, and can also be measured using carbon fiber microelectrodes coupled with voltammetry. The small size of these electrodes allows for high spatial resolution without damaging the tissue. Using microelectrodes our lab has previously found that probe implantation creates a gradient of reductions in evoked dopamine responses the closer the electrode is to the probe. This dissertation builds off of this finding, with the goal of mitigating the penetration injury to preserve dopamine neurotransmission. First, it was discovered that probe implantation completely abolished evoked dopamine responses near probes. Administration of a dopamine transporter inhibitor showed that terminals survive probe implantation justifying our efforts to mitigate probe induced tissue damage. Retrodialysis of an anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone and a reactive oxygen species scavenger XJB-5-131 prevented dopamine terminal loss and preserved evoked dopamine responses for four hours. Further work proved that dexamethasone preserves evoked dopamine release for up to 24 hours. As dexamethasone is a steroid that could potentially affect neurotransmission, other pharmacological agents were investigated, all proving to improve evoked DA responses in tissue surrounding probes. Pharmacological mitigation of tissue damage provides new insight into acute extenuation of probe induced damage which has the potential to successfully mitigate chronic implantation for long-term in vivo monitoring of neurochemicals. In a separate study, microelectrodes were used to spatially map dopamine responses in the rat brain. Distinct dopamine kinetics exist in sub-regions of the striatum that correlate to patch-matrix compartments. KW - Microdialysis KW - Voltammetry KW - Dopamine KW - Dexamethasone KW - Brain injury KW - Brain Mapping TI - Retrodialysis of Pharmacological Agents Mitigates Tissue Damage during Brain Microdialysis and Preserves Dopamine Activity in Surrounding Tissue EP - 149 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24805 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24805/ A1 - Moeng, Michael Y1 - 2015/06/22/ N2 - Computer architects heavily rely on software simulation to evaluate new and existing processor designs. As target designs become more complex, a growing gap has emerged between single-threaded simulator performance and simulation requirements. Even though modern machines feature multiple cores, most host cores are typically unused or underutilized by state-of-the-art simulators. Parallel simulators are inherently limited by their need to synchronize threads for correctness. In my thesis, I study accurate and efficient parallelization techniques for architecture simulation. This thesis contains several contributions. First, I study synchronization between simulator threads simulating homogeneous hardware structures such as cores or network tiles. Based on this study, I introduce a new synchronization policy, weighted-tuple synchronization, and show that it provides a better performance-accuracy trade-off compared to synchronization currently used by state-of-the-art parallel simulators. Next, I study synchronization between separate simulators responsible for modeling heterogeneous components and introduce reciprocal abstraction. Reciprocal abstraction allows asynchronous simulators to exchange information at runtime for more accurate event timing. Lastly, the reciprocal abstraction model relaxes communication latency restrictions and synchronization requirements; I show how relaxed synchronization requirements allows for coprocessor acceleration. KW - Computer Simulation Multithreading Parallel Architectures Performance Evaluation TI - SIMULATION OF MANYCORE ARCHITECTURES ON MULTICORE HOSTS EP - 112 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24205 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24205/ A1 - Harms, Victoria E. Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - Through the lens of Hungarian dissidents and their supporters in the West, the following study analyzes the motivations of intellectuals from East and West to engage in an open East-West dialogue, their efforts to change the social and political structure of the Cold War, and their contributions to the peaceful revolutions of 1989. It investigates the alliance of intellectuals from either side of the Iron Curtain, their formative experiences and mutual influences. To understand the origins, functions, and legacy of this network, the study investigates the period from the 1960s to the late 1990s, focusing on the years 1973 to 1998. Findings suggest that the motivations that would bring intellectuals from either side of the Iron Curtain together in the 1980s originated in similarly formative experiences in the 1960s, which shattered their youthful convictions and initiated a search for a new intellectual identity that would bring Easterners and Westerners together by the late 1970s. In response to the encounter, the participants developed a distinct set of political and historical convictions that rooted in cultural liberalism, their commitment to free, open and democratic societies, and the acceptance of universal human rights. This case study touches upon developments throughout Eastern Europe and evaluates the history of the Cold War as interplay between East and West. It indicates a retreat from authoritarian rule in the East as early as 1987, and highlights the problematic, one-sided perception of the Hungarian Democratic Opposition in the West. It discusses the achievements of the former dissidents, and their struggle to adjust to the situation in post-1989 Europe. The project is based on archival research in six different countries; findings are based on documents found in private collections, national libraries, institutional, national and state security archives. Additionally, over forty eyewitnesses and experts shared their experiences and views in interviews conducted between 2009 and 2012. KW - Cold War KW - Dissidents KW - Intellectuals KW - Human Rights KW - Central Europe KW - anti-Semitism KW - Europe TI - Destined or Doomed? Hungarian Dissidents and Their Western Friends, 1973-1998 EP - 461 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24934 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24934/ A1 - Hoffmann, Paula B Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - Organic electronic devices offer cheaper solution processability than their inorganic counterparts and allow for the vast tailorability of synthetic chemistry to tune properties and efficiency. A critical fundamental challenge is to understand the dynamics and mechanisms of charge transport, particularly the role of defects and traps. This is motivated in part by research we performed in the origins and occurrence of negative differential resistance (NDR) in phthalocyanine systems, discussed below. In this dissertation, I have explored the surface potential energy distributions of organic, semiconducting thin films via Kelvin probe force microscopy and analyzed the effects of disorder in the samples. Thin films of commonly used materials in organic electronic devices were tested, both on short and long time scales, and throughout these experiments, a previously unnoted asymmetry in the energetic distribution was observed. To determine the cause of this asymmetry, the energetic distributions were compared to a dynamic Monte Carlo simulation, with experimental and theoretical results suggesting nanoscale charge heterogeneity providing the greatest cause. These results were followed with additional experiments, first testing the evolution of the potential energy distribution over time and then testing intentionally patterned dual-component films to witness whether the asymmetry persisted or not. Over long scan times, the energetic distributions equilibrate to a more Gaussian distribution and shift in value, first quickly then more slowly, indicative of two different regimes of energetic disorder: shallow and deep, respectively. The patterned films were created using multiple shapes at varying sizes, and they displayed no correlation between the degree of material patterning and the appearance of asymmetry. This indicates that while phase segregation may affect the potential energy distribution in organic semiconductors, it is not the main cause of asymmetry exhibited and explored here. It is important to more completely explore how disorder affects these materials, as they are commonly researched and utilized for organic electronic devices. With a greater understanding of disorder, more powerful and efficient devices can be created. KW - organic semiconductors KW - kelvin probe AFM KW - organic electronics TI - EXPLORATION OF SURFACE POTENTIAL IN ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS: STATIC BEHAVIOR, KINETICS, AND MORPHOLOGY EP - 142 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24962 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24962/ A1 - Heckel, Christopher Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - A main goal of evolutionary ecology is to understand how the biotic and abiotic variables with which a species interacts influence its life history and population dynamics. Herbivores can dramatically affect both the demography and life history evolution of their prey. However, herbivory may also indirectly affect the biotic and abiotic interactions of neighboring unpalatable plant species. While theory predicts co-occurring unpalatable plant species should benefit from the reduction of neighbors, how the indirect effects of herbivores influence both their population dynamics and life history remain largely unexplored. Using white-tailed deer as a model herbivore and Arisaema triphyllum as a model unpalatable plant species, I examined the indirect effects of herbivores on the population dynamics and life history traits of unpalatable plant populations. I used a combination of field surveys, experiments, and modeling techniques to determine how indirect effects could influence Arisaema population fitness and life history. I found that Arisaema exhibited significantly smaller mean size at flowering, lower mean seed number, and expressed increasing male-biased sex ratios as deer browse on a palatable species increased across seven sites in Pennsylvania. Concordant results were found for Arisaema and four additional unpalatable species growing in long-term, paired, fenced deer exclusion vs. deer access plots in Virginia. Using a common garden study I found that Arisaema from the same Pennsylvania sites had diverged in their relative growth rates and female flowering size threshold, suggesting populations could become locally adapted in response to the indirect effects of deer. I used integral projection models (IPMs) to show that mean Arisaema population growth rates (?) declined with increasing indirect effects of deer largely due to decreased rates of plants transitioning into and out of larger flowering plant stages. Two populations experiencing the highest deer-mediated indirect effects exhibited ?s less than unity, indicating potential population decline. The overabundance of ungulate herbivores is an issue of global concern. My results show that the negative effects of herbivore overabundance can extend to plant species with which herbivores do not directly interact and provides novel insights for both ecologists and conservationists. KW - Arisaema triphyllum life history integral projection model indirect effects TI - THE INFLUENCE OF INDIRECT EFFECTS OF LARGE HERBIVORES ON THE LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS OF UNPALATABLE FOREST HERB SPECIES EP - 164 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24155 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24155/ A1 - HOUZE, Martin Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - In the first part of this dissertation, we propose a parametric regression model for cumulative incidence functions (CIFs) which are commonly used for competing risks data. Our parametric model adopts several parametric functions as baseline CIFs and a proportional hazard or a generalized odds rate model for covariate effects. This parametric model explicitly takes into account the additivity constraint that a subject should eventually fail from one of the causes so the asymptotes of the CIFs should add up to one. Our primary goal is to propose a parametric regression model that provides regression parameters for the CIFs of both the primary and secondary risks. Moreover, we introduce a modified Weibull baseline distribution. The inference procedure is straightforward. Parameters are estimated via the maximization of the likelihood. Standard errors are obtained via the Hessian of the log-likelihood. We demonstrate the good practical performance of this parametric model. We simulate the underlying processes for cause 1 and cause 2, and compare our models with some existing methods. In the second part of this dissertation, we propose several approaches for the modeling and analysis of medication bottle opening events data, and focus on frailty models, in both parametric and semiparametric forms. This approach provides regression coefficients which are of great interest to investigators and clinicians. A time effect can also be estimated. We apply our approaches to the analysis of a medication bottle opening event data set. To our knowledge, this is the first study of prescription bottle opening events which focuses on time between medication administrations through frailty models. We discuss the interpretation of the random effect of a subject, and how it can help characterize the adherence of that individual relative to that of the other subjects. We then present an exploratory cluster analysis of the survival curves of the participants. KW - competing risk regression; cumulative incidence function; breast cancer; prescription bottle opening events; frailty models; TI - Joint regression modeling of two cumulative incidence functions under an additivity constraint and statistical analyses of pill-monitoring data EP - 65 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24818 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24818/ A1 - IKEHARA TSUKAYAMA, HUGO C. Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - This research focuses on the transformation of political leadership in the North Coast of Peru. Specifically, it explores how crises create contexts in which existing leadership structures weaken, giving scope to the development of alternative, even competing, modes of authority and power. This dissertation presents a multi-scalar analytical approach, at levels ranging from the community to the regional, of demographic, political, and socioeconomic changes following the disintegration of the Cupisnique-Chavín Religious Complex (750-500 B.C.) in the Nepeña Middle Valley. This loss of an overarching ideology and social order can be construed as a cultural crisis. The fieldwork on which this study is based consisted of a full coverage pedestrian regional survey of 87.8 km2 of territory, and was followed by a GIS (Geographic Information System)-based reconstruction and analysis of demography, economic organization, resources, ceremonial architecture and warfare. After 500 B.C., the survey area saw explosive population growth, multiple supra-local communities were formed, and leadership was constituted in a varied of ways. Several new power and authority bases, such as control of access to ritual spaces, dominance of certain craft production, population nucleation, and war leadership made their appearance during the Final Formative Period. During the following period, as part of a second crisis in the form of a dramatic demographic collapse, some leading households consolidated power bases, including dominance of irrigation systems and long-distance exchange networks in exotics, allowed their districts to exercise hegemony in the survey zone. These findings make it possible to explore the causes and importance of the multiple factors shaping societal outcomes in dealing with each crisis, from both agency and evolutionary perspectives. KW - Leadership Central Andes Formative Chiefdoms Social Change Crisis TI - LEADERSHIP, CRISIS AND POLITICAL CHANGE: THE END OF THE FORMATIVE PERIOD IN THE NEPEÑA VALLEY, PERU EP - 361 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24859 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24859/ A1 - Kang, Jonghee Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - Most analytical studies of Elliott Carter?s music focus on how Carter utilizes his system of harmony, pitch material, or polyrhythmic stratification. This study, however, explores the structure of Carter?s Violin Concerto from a different analytic angle. Violin Concerto constitutes a new structural model for the traditional concerto genre based on its multi-layered construction. The background structure of Violin Concerto is derived from pre-compositional planning, utilizing tempo modulation and three-way stratification based on a long-range polyrhythm. The phrase structure of the concerto divides the first movement into seven sections, while the movement?s rhythmic activity largely shows a four-part structure. Detailed phrase analysis of the first movement?s violin solo part uses the notions of memory and montage to explain the solo part?s construction. The solo part?s temporally manipulated structure is framed in a ritornello form by the orchestra?s behavior.!In this late-period Carter work, both the violin solo and the orchestra make manifest constant circulations of particular musical ideas, which appear in various structural levels. This unique mapping of the concerto, especially of the violin solo, is best understood through concepts like montage, events and event-properties. As invented terms for this study, an event consists of event-properties, which are reoccurring and synthesized character-objects, particular musical ideas in terms of intervallic motion, rhythm pattern, and change of textural density. These concepts are applied for the phrase analysis, which involves the following process: defining the characteristic properties of the events in sub-phrase and phrase levels; locating the events created with similar or identical event-properties; and then exploring how they are mapped to larger levels. Such examination shows a strong unifying characteristic of the concerto. The composition, Immersed in an Ethereal Blue Light for chamber ensemble, musically explores the contrast and the phenomenal differences between the dark and deep blue sea and the bright ocean surface. While the second movement, Open Water, is saturated with a dark, monochromatic, and relatively empty character, the first movement, Nearer the Coast..., features brighter and more dynamic aural illustration. KW - Elliott Carter KW - Violin Concerto KW - montage KW - syntax KW - ocean KW - multi-layered TI - MULTI-LAYERED CONSTRUCTION OF ELLIOTT CARTER?S VIOLIN CONCERTO, FIRST MOVEMENT, AND IMMERSED IN AN ETHEREAL BLUE LIGHT FOR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE EP - 176 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23976 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23976/ A1 - Jenner, Elliot Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - In this thesis, we examine surface modification as a method for reducing fluid drag on a surface. Reducing drag is of great interest for many applications, including in ship construction, fluid pipelines, self-cleaning surfaces, and for use in MicroElectroMechanical Systems. Multiscale structured hydrophobic surfaces can reduce fluid drag, depending on surface chemistry and structure geometry. We examine the properties of artificial version of bio-inspired hydrophobic surfaces with multiple wetting states, including some not previously tested or known to exist. Multiscale surfaces have structure on a small and a large scale. We evaluate the effect of changes in the large scale features on drag properties. We also vary the fluid state on the surfaces by application or removal of a passively retained secondary liquid. We examine the fluid properties in a number of ways, including torque and shear rate measurement in a custom made Cone \& Plate Rheometer. Conventional shear rate measurements in a Cone \& Plate Rheometer depend on knowledge of the interface; since we are measuring unknown surfaces, we must develop an alternative method. We measure the components of the shear rate tensor S directly using Photon Correlation Spectroscopy, where we develop a general theoretical treatment for measuring 3-D flows with this technique. Previous work on Photon Correlation Spectroscopy has involved only approximate solutions, requiring free parameters to be scaled by a known case, or special cases, such as 2-D flow. KW - Drag Reduction KW - Hydrophobicity KW - Multiscale Surfaces KW - Aluminum Oxide KW - Photon Correlation Spectroscopy KW - Shear Rate KW - Laminar Flow KW - Fluid Drag TI - MULTISCALE STRUCTURED SURFACES AND THEIR EFFECT ON DRAG & FLUID FLOW EP - 155 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24007 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24007/ A1 - Holland, Jonathan Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - Causal geometries are geometric structures on manifolds for which a (non-degenerate) null cone exists at every point, such that the null cones satisfy a version of Huygen's principle. Causal geometries are a natural generalization of conformal geometries (in non-Euclidean signature). They appear naturally as incidence geometries for projective geometries in three-dimensions, and third-order ordinary differential equations. These share features with conformal geometries: null geodesics exist, as does the Weyl tensor, and there are Raychaudhuri conditions on the null geodesic deviation. KW - differential geometry KW - relativity theory KW - causal geometries KW - parabolic geometries KW - generalizations of Lorentzian geometry TI - On Causal Geometries EP - 197 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24272 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24272/ A1 - Hancox, Joshua Y1 - 2015/06/19/ N2 - The promise of action theory (the study of intentional action) is that it might provide a new way into old disputes about the foundations of ethics, or the mind-body problem, or even first-order moral questions. The difficulty is accounting for the three quite different characteristics of intentional action: the characteristic way practical thought affects the world, the distinctive patterns and norms of means-end reasoning, and a special way of knowing about one's own actions. I explore the idea that we must first understand how agents think about action in order to understand these central features. In particular, I argue that practical thought ? intentions and means-end beliefs ? represents itself as the cause of its object. In addition to resolving action-theoretic debates, this account fulfills some of the promise of action theory, providing a rigorous foundation for a number of ethical and metaethical positions. KW - Philosophy of Action TI - Thinking about Action EP - 126 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24943 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24943/ A1 - Gogick, Kristy Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - Biological imaging in the near-infrared (NIR) region is advantageous because: (i) there is low biological autofluorescence, (ii) less interaction with and perturbation of biological materials, and (iii) NIR light scatters less than visible light. Several lanthanide cations emit in the NIR and in complexes they display: (i) narrow emission bands, (ii) constant emission wavelengths not affected by the environment, and (iii) enhanced photostability relative to organic fluorophores. Initially we studied the generation-3 poly(amido amine) dendrimer as a platform for organizing and sensitizing europium cations. We demonstrated the capability of this functionalized material to preferentially accumulate in tumors and be utilized for both in vivo and ex vivo imaging. In order to more rigidly organize the lanthanides cations we transitioned to using them as the metal in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). We developed a barcoded MOF, ErxYb1-x-PVDC-1, exhibiting enhanced erbium emission relative to Er-PVDC-1, making it a promising material for telecommunications devices. A slight modification to the synthesis yielded a MOF with a different crystal structure, Yb-PVDC-3. The analogous nanoscale version of this MOF, nano-Yb-PVDC-3 was attained through a reverse microemulsion synthesis. Altering the ratio of the lanthanides in the synthesis resulted in nanoscale barcoded MOFs, nano-NdxYb1-x-PVDC-3, with tunable photophysical properties. The nano-Yb-PVDC-3 was extensively studied for use as a biological imaging agent. It was taken up by cells (HeLa and NIH 3T3) and successfully used for live imaging in both the visible and NIR regions. Focusing on biologically-friendly ligands, a series of size-controllable Yb(BTC)(H2O) MOFs were synthesized using sodium acetate as a modulator. The photophysical properties of these MOFs were not size-dependent, allowing for the selection of material based solely on size considerations. In order to shift the excitation wavelength to the NIR region a dye which absorbs at lower energy was incorporated with a Yb(BTC)(H2O) nanoMOF to produce a dye-incorporated material. Despite the incorporation of only a very small amount of the dye, its excitation generated sensitized Yb3+ emission. The dye-incorporated material was coated with a silica shell to enhance the NIR emission intensity in water. This material has great potential to be used as a biological imaging agent. KW - Near-infrared Lanthanides Luminescence Metal-organic frameworks Dendrimers Biological Imaging TI - DESIGN, SYNTHESIS, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LANTHANIDE-BASED NEAR-INFRARED DENDRIMER COMPLEXES AND METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS FOR NOVEL MODALITIES IN OPTICAL BIOLOGICAL IMAGING EP - 236 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24819 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24819/ A1 - Forlow, Racheal Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - The dissertation argues Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Jean Toomer, and Wallace Stevens belong to a genealogy of what I call ?erotic poetics.? I use these terms to identify the common set of resources I believe these writers leave to the present. For this genealogy, ?poetry??from the Greek poesis (to make)?encompasses the expansive set of enterprises by which humans create and transform ourselves and our worlds in time. These writers also consider human love, or eros, a category worthy of attention when questions of self- and world-making are at stake. I argue the genealogy of ?erotic poetics? develops a historical, material, and secular vision of human life grounded in these terms. I trace its continuities and ruptures by making observations about the language, formal innovations, and historical circumstances of several significant American novels and poems, including ?Song of Myself,? Pierre; or the Ambiguities, and Cane. In each chapter, I turn these observations toward a set of contemporary challenges we face today in the US and elsewhere. These include democratic crises at home and abroad, the ecological disasters we associate with climate change, and the struggles for liberty that continue to take shape in opposition to an ongoing history of race violence in the US. The dissertation argues we can best approach these problems if we view human life in the ways the tradition of imaginative literary writing I identify offers. Although many critics have found in these writers? works materials that support projects of mythic nationalism, I argue the tradition to which they belong also contains elements that destroy those projects. The dissertation identifies these elements and suggests they are of special value today. The genealogy gives us ways to challenge those who continue to insist humans should not interfere with the powerful and invisible forces many argue we cannot influence. KW - erotic KW - poetics KW - American literature KW - modernism KW - secular KW - modernity TI - Erotic Poetics: Love and the Function of US Literature from Melville to Modernism EP - 268 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24970 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24970/ A1 - Doyle, Casey Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - I defend a Constitutivist account of self-knowledge of the intentional attitudes consisting of two claims. First, for a class of self-beliefs, believing that you are in a mental state guarantees being in that state. Second, for a class of mental states, being in that state can be a source of knowledge that you are in it. The first thesis must be accepted in order to explain unique features of self-knowledge including its value, the roles it plays in reasoning, and the way in which it enables self-expression. The second thesis must be accepted in order to maintain the view that in inference a subject takes it that her premises support her conclusion. KW - Self-Knowledge TI - Four Essays on Self-Knowledge EP - 139 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24632 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24632/ A1 - Du, Yu Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - With the rise of big data and cloud computing, there is increasing demand on memory capacity to solve problems of large sizes and consolidate computation tasks. For large capacity memory systems, DRAM is a significant source of energy consumption. Non-volatile memory, such as Phase-Change Memory (PCM), is a promising technology for constructing energy-efficient memory. Unlike DRAM, PCM has negligible background (static) power and allows high density packaging. But PCM also has limited write bandwidth and write endurance. Hybrid memory systems have been proposed to combine the high-density and low standby power of PCM with the good write performance of DRAM. This thesis addresses two challenges which are unique to hybrid memory systems. The first challenge is the limited PCM bandwidth, which can become a performance bottleneck. The second challenge is the non-contiguous physical memory due to retired memory pages. Since PCM cells have limited write endurance, it is inevitable to gradually have increased number of uncorrectable errors during the lifetime. Memory pages that have detected errors are normally retired by the OS, which create unusable ?holes? in the physical memory. These unusable holes make it difficult to construct traditional superpages, which can incur significant performance overhead. In this thesis, I propose three solutions to address these two challenges. First, I observed that an unbalanced distribution of modified data bits among PCM chips significantly increases PCM write time and hurts effective write bandwidth. I propose new XOR-based mapping schemes between program data bits and PCM cells to improve PCM write throughput by spreading modified data bits evenly among PCM chips. Second, I propose a compressed DRAM cache scheme to improve DRAM effective capacity and reduce write traffic to PCM. A new adaptive delta-compression technique for modified data is used to achieve a large compression ratio. Third, I propose Gap-tolerant Sequential Mapping, a new memory page mapping scheme, to construct superpages from non-contiguous physical memory. The proposed three solutions have simple and practical designs, and can be easily adopted in future hybrid memory systems. KW - non-volatile memory KW - phase change memory KW - hybrid memory system KW - bit mapping KW - memory compression KW - delta compression KW - write endurance KW - superpage KW - cache storage KW - storage management KW - gap-tolerant sequential mapping KW - non-contiguous physical memory TI - Mitigating Limited PCM Write Bandwidth and Endurance in Hybrid Memory Systems EP - 117 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23988 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23988/ A1 - Chen, Xialing Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - This dissertation focuses on the charge transport of organic semiconductors, particularly in the presence of traps and defects. Rather than attempting to ultimately pure materials, intentional mixtures were made and studied. The materials were characterized by electrochemistry, UV/Vis spectroscopy and computational studies using density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TDDFT). In experiment, the phthalocyanine films were prepared from solution. We explored how to improve the coatings of organic semiconductors on different substrates. Moreover, the effect of how intentionally introduced traps or barriers change the charge transport was studied using the spin-coated octabutoxy phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine mixed films. It was found that the introduced barriers decreased the mobility. And a negative differential resistance was observed in the saturated region of the Field-effect-transistor (FET) measurements in the mixed films. In simulation, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were performed to predict optical and electrical parameters of the semiconducting materials. In the calculations of phthalocyanine molecules with different metal or ligand substitutions, it was found that the electrical and optical properties of the phthalocyanine semiconductors could be tuned more with different organic ligands than by modifying the metal centers. For the mixed valence (MV) bipyridine bridged triarylamine systems, the simulation perfectly predicted the absorption of the spectra and the blue-shift of the spectra with different solvents reported by our collaborator in experiments. KW - organic semiconductor optical electrical TI - OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS: EXPERIMENT AND SIMULATION EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25421 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25421/ A1 - Peyser, Noah D Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a morbid and frequently fatal malignancy arising from the squamous epithelium of the upper aerodigestive tract. Survival rates have remained low and stagnant in recent decades even as our understanding of this disease has led to new treatment approaches, most notably the approval in 2006 of cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor. The paucity of broadly effective targeted therapies for HNSCC patients illustrates the need for new targets for pharmacologic inhibition and biomarkers for predicting exquisite response to such agents. STAT3 is a potent oncogene that is hyperactivated by constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation in nearly all HNSCCs, where STAT3 represents a rational target for inhibition. As it is increasingly clear that most targeted therapies are unlikely to be broadly effective in unselected groups of patients, we have sought to identify genetic/epigenetic alterations of phosphatases that normally downregulate STAT3 in order to assess the potential utility of these alterations as predictive biomarkers for STAT3-targeted therapeutics. Our findings reveal that somatic mutation or promoter hypermethylation of PTPRT or PTPRD leads to loss of function of these phosphatases in HNSCC, concomitant with increased activation of STAT3 in preclinical models and tumor specimens. Importantly, these events are also associated with increased sensitivity to inhibitors of the STAT3 pathway in preclinical models. Together, these studies indicate that genetic or epigenetic alterations leading to loss of function of phosphatases that target STAT3 may ultimately serve as biomarkers for the selection of patients who will be most likely to respond to STAT3 inhibitors that are currently in preclinical and clinical development. KW - head and neck cancer KW - phosphatase KW - mutation KW - methylation KW - biomarker TI - PTPRT/D MUTATION OR PROMOTER METHYLATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR STAT3 INHIBITION EP - 97 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24137 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24137/ A1 - Dhingra, Shonali Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - Though the motions of macroscopic objects must ultimately be governed by quantum mechanics, the distinctive features of quantum mechanics can be hidden or washed out by thermal excitations and coupling to the environment. For the work of this thesis, we tried to develop a hybrid system consisting a classical and a quantum component, which can be used to probe the quantum nature of both these components. This hybrid system quadratically coupled a nanomechanical oscillator (NMO) with a single spin in presence of a uniform external magnetic field. The NMO was fabricated out of single-layer graphene, grown using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and patterned using various lithography and etching techniques. The NMO was driven electrically and detected optically. The NMO's resonant frequencies, and their stabilities were studied. The spin originated from a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in a diamond nanocrystal which is positioned on the NMO. In presence of an external magnetic field, we show that the NV centers are excellent $\theta^{2}$ sensors. Their sensitivity is shown to increase much faster than linearly with the external magnetic field and diverges as the external field approaches an internally-defined limit. Both these components of the hybrid system get coupled by physical placement of NV-containing diamond nanocrystals on top of NMO undergoing torsional mode of oscillation, in presence of an external magnetic field. The capability of the NV centers to detect the quadratic behavior of the oscillation angle of the NMO with excellent sensitivity, ensures quantum non-demolition (QND) measurement of both components of the hybrid system. This enables a bridge between the quantum and classical worlds for a simple readout of the NV center spin and observation of the discrete states of the NMO. This system could become the building block for a wide range of quantum nanomechanical devices. KW - Graphene KW - NV centers KW - Nanomechanical oscillator KW - Spin system KW - Hybrid system TI - Quadratic coupling between a classical nanomechanical oscillator and a single spin EP - 183 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24634 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24634/ A1 - Gandenberger, Gregory Y1 - 2015/06/18/ N2 - The notion of evidence is of great importance, but there are substantial disagreements about how it should be understood. One major locus of disagreement is the Likelihood Principle, which says roughly that an observation supports a hypothesis to the extent that the hypothesis predicts it. The Likelihood Principle is supported by axiomatic arguments, but the frequentist methods that are most commonly used in science violate it. This dissertation advances debates about the Likelihood Principle, its near-corollary the Law of Likelihood, and related questions about statistical practice. Chapter 1 provides a new axiomatic proof of the Likelihood Principle that avoids influential responses to previous proofs. Chapter 2 exhibits the close connection between the Likelihood Principle and the Law of Likelihood and responds to three purported counterexamples to them. Chapter 3 presents a new counterexample that is more difficult to avoid but argues that it does not speak against those principles in typical applications. The next two chapters turn to implications. It is motivated by tension among three desiderata for a method of evaluating hypotheses in light of data. We would like such a method to (1) respect the evidential meaning of data, (2) provide direct guidance for belief or action, and (3) avoid inputs that are not grounded in evidence. Unfortunately, frequentist methods violate (1) by violating the Likelihood Principle, likelihoodist methods violate (2) by directly addressing only questions about the evidential meaning of data, and Bayesian methods violate (3) by using prior probabilities. Chapter 4 sharpens this tension by arguing that no method that satisfies likelihoodist strictures can provide a genuine rival to frequentist and Bayesian methodologies. Chapter 5 argues that many frequentist violations of the Likelihood Principle are not required by basic frequentist commitments. Those that are may be permissible for the sake of enabling progress in the presence of highly indefinite prior beliefs, but they are not mandatory or even strongly motivated. These considerations support more widespread use of Bayesian methods despite difficulties in specifying prior probability distributions. KW - Likelihood Principle KW - Law of Likelihood KW - Likelihoodism KW - Frequentism KW - Bayesianism KW - Evidence TI - Two Principles of Evidence and Their Implications for the Philosophy of Scientific Method EP - 179 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24378 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24378/ A1 - Bertonazzi, Joanne Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - Towards the goal of novel ?-peptide synthesis, a method to access a variety of enantioenriched ?-amino acid precursors was developed. These ?-amino acid precursors were then utilized in the synthesis of numerous ?-peptides in solution and on solid support. The ?-amino acid precursors allowing this unique technology are thiazinone and ?-lactam heterocycles which were accessed via asymmetric cycloadditions of N-acyl imines and ketenes utilizing cinchona alkaloid catalysts. The methodology developed herein provides access to unique and previously unavailable ?-amino acids and ?-peptides. KW - synthesis KW - ?-peptides KW - thiazinone KW - peptidomimetics KW - organic chemistry KW - ?-amino acid TI - Catalytic Asymmetric Construction of ?-Amino Acid Precursors and Their Use in an Iterative Method Towards ?-Peptide Synthesis EP - 107 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24855 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24855/ A1 - Bisaha, David Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - This dissertation examines the working processes and professional activities of American scenic designers between 1910 and 1950. Beginning with the assertion that a common idea of design process has persisted among American professionals for much of the century, my case studies probe the history of ?the process.? Previous historians have noted that the modern scene design process was heavily informed by the New Stagecraft movement and promulgated its aesthetic values: simplicity, unification, collaboration. Inspired by European modernist production, especially the work of Edward Gordon Craig, Adolph Appia, and Max Reinhardt, New Stagecraft artists produced simplified or abstract settings, unified design concepts, and introduced a more collaborative production model. This dissertation argues that the New Stagecraft revolution was not only an aesthetic shift, but also the beginning of theatrical design as a profession. I do so by analyzing ways in which New Stagecraft designers defined and defended their professional status. They developed new tools for script analysis and documenting their work, published books and articles demonstrating the value of good design, and strategically allied themselves with organized labor and major universities. They also institutionalized their practices in labor regulations, entrance exams, and educational curricula. The perceived stasis of the design process can be attributed to the preservation of specific design behaviors in these institutions. Methodologically I draw on studies of designing based in the cognitive and design sciences. Archived remnants of past designers are analyzed through principles of situated and extended cognition, such as offloading, affordances, and artifact use. I then develop my conclusions through concepts of professional expertise, including reflective practice and practicum education, and finally link individual practices to social change by applying the history of professionalization as it has been developed by sociologists. In total this dissertation charts a method for applying cognitive studies research to theatrical design history, and a way of linking private creative practices to larger changes in theatrical production methods. By studying the behavior of influential scenic designers, both in the studio and in their professional networks, I show how strategically placed individuals? processes came to define the field. KW - Scene Design KW - New Stagecraft KW - Cognition KW - Design History KW - Theatrical Design TI - Developing the Modern Scene Design Process: Cognition and the New Stagecraft EP - 287 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir29094 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/29094/ A1 - Weinstein, Andrea Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - Age-related cognitive decline is preceded by structural and functional brain changes in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and striatum. The frontal-striatal system also degenerates in Parkinson?s disease (PD), underlying the cognitive symptoms that can accompany PD motor symptoms. Fortunately, physical activity is a promising approach to improve neurocognitive function. Human neuroimaging studies have focused on frontal-hippocampal circuitry, leaving associations between physical activity and striatal circuits largely unexplored. This dissertation examined whether exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with frontal-striatal functional connectivity and function in normal cognitive aging and PD. Experiment 1 examined frontal-striatal functional connectivity and cognition in a 12-month randomized clinical trial of aerobic exercise in neurologically healthy older adults. Participants were randomly assigned to either a walking (n = 41) or flexibility/toning/balance (FTB; n = 32) control group. Everyone underwent cognitive testing, MRI, and cardiorespiratory fitness assessments pre- and post-intervention. Functional correlations were examined between the caudate nucleus and frontal cortex. As predicted, the walking group had greater post-intervention functional connectivity between the right caudate and the right inferior/middle frontal gyrus than the FTB group [F(1,66) = 7.684, p = .01]. Interestingly, the FTB group had greater post-intervention left caudate connectivity in two regions: the superior frontal gyrus/medial wall [F(1,66) = 6.765, p = .01] and the right inferior/middle frontal gyrus [F(1,66) = 5.972, p = .02]. Experiment 2 examined cardiorespiratory fitness, executive function, and frontal-striatal functional connectivity in individuals with mild PD (n = 17). PD and control participants underwent neuropsychological evaluations, mobility assessments, VO2 submax testing, and MRI. Fitness was positively associated with cognition in PD patients (r = .668, p = .003). Sixteen frontal regions showed positive fitness-associated functional connectivity with the caudate; half of these positively related to cognition. These regions spanned the precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, frontal pole, and orbitofrontal cortex. Taken together, these results indicate that engagement in physical activity may improve frontal-striatal communication and related cognitive performance in cognitively normal older adults. Further, higher fitness levels may mitigate some of the striatal deficits in PD. Future research is needed to determine whether exercise can impact the frontal-striatal cognitive system in PD. KW - exercise KW - "aerobic fitness" KW - aging KW - "Parkinson's disease" KW - cognition KW - "basal ganglia" TI - Frontal-Striatal Functioning in Aging and Parkinson's Disease: The Role of Physical Activity EP - 145 AV - restricted ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24159 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24159/ A1 - Bi, Feng Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - Advances in the growth of precisely tailored complex-oxide heterostructures have led to new emergent behavior and associated discoveries. One of the most successful examples consists of an ultrathin layer of LaAlO3 (LAO) deposited on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 (STO), where a high mobility quasi-two dimensional electron liquid (2DEL) is formed at the interface. Such 2DEL demonstrates a variety of novel properties, including field tunable metal-insulator transition, superconductivity, strong spin-orbit coupling, magnetic and ferroelectric like behavior. Particularly, for 3-unit-cell (3 u.c.) LAO/STO heterostructures, it was demonstrated that a conductive atomic force microscope (c-AFM) tip can be used to ?write? or ?erase? nanoscale conducting channels at the interface, making LAO/STO a highly flexible platform to fabricate novel nanoelectronics. This thesis is focused on scanning probe microscopy studies of LAO/STO properties. We investigate the mechanism of c-AFM lithography over 3 u.c. LAO/STO in controlled ambient conditions by using a vacuum AFM, and find that the water molecules dissociated on the LAO surface play a critical role during the c-AFM lithography process. We also perform electro-mechanical response measurements over top-gated LAO/STO devices. Simultaneous piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and capacitance measurements reveal a correlation between LAO lattice distortion and interfacial carrier density, which suggests that PFM could not only serve as a powerful tool to map the carrier density at the interface but also provide insight into previously reported frequency dependence of capacitance enhancement of top-gated LAO/STO structures. To study magnetism at the LAO/STO interface, magnetic force microscopy (MFM) and magnetoelectric force microscopy (MeFM) are carried out to search for magnetic signatures that depend on the carrier density at the interface. Results demonstrate an electronically-controlled ferromagnetic phase on top-gated LAO/STO heterostructures at room temperature. A follow-up study shows that electronically-controlled magnetic signatures are observed only within a LAO thickness window from 8 u.c. to 30 u.c. We also have developed a cryogen-free low-temperature AFM based on a commercial vacuum AFM. The modified system operates under high vacuum (10^-6 Torr) and the base temperature is ~10 K. This low temperature AFM will be used in future experiments. KW - scanning probe microscopy KW - complex oxide heterostructure KW - LaAlO3/SrTiO3 TI - Scanning probe microscopy investigation of complex-oxide heterostructures EP - 149 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24913 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24913/ A1 - Chapman, Amanda Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - My dissertation argues that self-consciousness should take its place beside innocence and precocity as one of a constellation of terms crucial for understanding how paradigms of childhood and children?s literature developed side by side. By focusing on attitudes towards children and self-consciousness, I illuminate the ways in which discourses for and about children affected not only children?s culture but also British culture at large. My chapters examine the positive value placed on self-consciousness in late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century children?s literature; the reconceptualization of childhood and self-consciousness by Romantic writers, who attached a new anxiety about self-consciousness to the figure of the child; the incredible popularity of Peter Pan, which results from the eternal boy?s combination of unselfconsciousness and theatricality; and the ways in which the British public school ethic of good form as well as the literary tradition of the school story reflect increasingly stringent demands that children be unselfconscious. KW - self-consciousness KW - children's literature KW - long nineteenth century KW - British literature KW - childhood studies TI - Self-consciousness and Childhood in the Long Nineteenth Century EP - 216 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23959 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23959/ A1 - Chang, Li-Yun Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - This research examined the extent to which visual characteristics of orthographies affect learning to read within and across writing systems, with an eye toward the role of mapping principles ? the manner in which graphemes map to linguistic units (e.g., phonemes, syllables, and morphemes) in this process. Study 1 explained visual orthographic variation by developing a measurement system to quantify complexity of graphemes in 131 orthographies. The results show that grapheme complexity varies across writing systems and that this variation is driven by grapheme inventory, a consequence of mapping principles. Next, we questioned how visual orthographic variation impacts individuals? perceptual learning of graphemes ? one of the initial stages of learning to read. Study 2 tested the degree to which mastering first-language (L1) graphemes with different complexities affects visual perceptual discrimination for individuals using different mapping principles (Online cross-writing-system experiment; eight participant groups: Hebrew, English, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Telugu, Japanese, and Chinese, n = 60, respectively) and individuals using the same mapping principle (Lab within-writing-system experiment: simplified vs. traditional Chinese, n = 60, respectively). Consistent results from both experiments show that discrimination difficulty is a function of grapheme stimulus complexity itself as well as its relationship to the complexity of participants? L1, regardless of mapping principles. These results were confirmed in Study 3, in which we developed a universal orthographic neural network encoder focus on statistical properties of visual patterns to simulate human behaviors. We trained each of 131 identical encoders to learn the structure of a different orthography; a strong, positive association was found between grapheme complexity and network learning difficulty. Taken together, our results suggest that visual orthographic variation, encompassing both grapheme complexity and grapheme inventory required for orthographic mastery, affects visual discrimination processing of graphemes; these complexity effects are driven significantly, but not absolutely, by mapping principles across writing systems. KW - learning to read KW - visual orthography KW - writing systems TI - VISUAL ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIATION AND LEARNING TO READ ACROSS WRITING SYSTEMS EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24936 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24936/ A1 - Bendis, Randall Y1 - 2015/06/17/ N2 - Anthropogenic stressors are ubiquitous and have been implicated in species declines worldwide. Pesticides are one such stressor that can have profound effects on aquatic communities by directly affecting sensitive species and indirectly affecting other species via trophic cascades, which can alter ecosystem function. However, there is growing evidence that non-target species can evolve increased resistance to these chemicals. When such species are important drivers of the food web, such as zooplankton, then evolved resistance should help buffer communities from the effects of pesticides. Furthermore, given that some species can evolve cross-resistance to other pesticides, one would predict that cross-resistance could have pronounced effects on community stability. The studies herein attempt to address these concerns through a series of experiments that build on each other in complexity. In the first study, we found that populations of two common, co-occurring zooplankton species collected from ponds near surrounding agriculture were more resistant to a commonly applied insecticide (chlorpyrifos) and this variation was correlated with surrounding agricultural land use. In the second study, we utilized this pre-existing variation in resistance to determine whether resistant populations of zooplankton could buffer an entire aquatic community from the effects of pesticides. Chlorpyrifos caused direct mortality of zooplankton in communities containing sensitive populations and this led to a bloom of phytoplankton and subsequent declines in periphyton abundance and amphibian mass and survivorship. In the third study, we exposed communities to several concentrations of AChE-inhibiting or sodium channel-inhibiting insecticides. We discovered that communities containing resistant zooplankton were buffered from adverse effects at low-to-moderate concentrations of all AChE-inhibiting insecticides, but were not buffered against sodium channel-inhibiting insecticides. Conversely, communities with sensitive zooplankton experienced pronounced trophic cascades when exposed to all insecticides. The fourth study manipulated the diversity of zooplankton within the experimental communities. We discovered that populations of cladocerans and copepods living near agriculture were more resistant to chlorpyrifos, but rotifers did not show a clear pattern of variation in that could be associated with land use. Furthermore, unlike communities with cladocerans, communities containing only copepods and rotifers were unable to buffer the community from the effects of the pesticide. KW - ecology KW - evolution KW - insecticide resistance KW - toxicity KW - zooplankton KW - Daphnia KW - aquatic community KW - trophic cascade KW - wetlands KW - ecotoxicology KW - community ecology TI - WETLAND DEFENSE: INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE IN NON-TARGET ORGANISMS AND ITS COMMUNITY-WIDE IMPLICATIONS EP - 241 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24919 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24919/ A1 - Barrientos, Mónica Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - Diamela Eltit is one of the most prolific and prominent Chilean writers of her generation. She started writing under Pinochet?s dictatorship, and since then has become known for her intellectual and politically resonant writings that powerfully explore the intricate relation between ethics and aesthetics in the context of the neoliberal turn in Chile. Her literary and visual work is a good example of ?the Latin American aesthetic turn? (Sergio Rojas) in contemporary Chile. The dissertation?s analysis focuses on postmodern aesthetics and draws on theories of gender, the visual arts, and philosophy in order to analyze Eltit?s range of resistances to a political and social order that constitutes a disciplinary system aimed at constant surveillance. In Eltit?s work, the female body is the main tool used to cause a rupture within the persistent standardization of bodies in a rigid society. Thus, Eltit?s novels are allegories of contemporary Latin American society insofar as the power of the body, bio-power and its effects on spaces comprise a scenario that is used to represent the material transformation of power relationships and subjectivities. Notions of space and place are fundamental to this reading of Eltit?s work. Places are constructed through power relations that construct rules and define boundaries. These boundaries are both social and spatial, controlling identities of belonging and exclusion to and from a place. Because power and space are represented as inherent to the body as movement, transformation, and individual and collective practices, I focus on place and sexuality in both corporeal and discursive terms by emphasizing the sociological and historical effects of space and other geographic concepts as they merge on the individual and collective inter-relations at work in the novels. My analysis proceeds to the use of language, metaphor, and representation in the definition of gender and sexuality, converging on questions of subjectivity, identity and the sexed body. I utilize theoretical tools from philosophy, politics and feminism in order to analyze the critique immersed in Eltit?s work that aims to destabilize and transform gender relations and power hierarchies. KW - Eltit KW - cuerpo KW - texto KW - Latin America TI - "El reclamo de la herida". Textualidades Corporales en la Obra de Diamela Eltit EP - 288 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24263 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24263/ A1 - Beach, Brian Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - Each chapter of this dissertation asks a specific question aimed at furthering our understanding of how a government?s institutional choices and structure affect economic outcomes. I draw on modern and historical data to answer these questions as I have found that historical episodes often provide a unique opportunity to answer questions of modern relevance. This is best illustrated in the first chapter where I argue that America?s 1840s state debt crisis presents a rare opportunity to study the merits of constitutional reform, a question that relates directly to ongoing debates in the Eurozone. Following the default of nine American states and territories in the early 1840s, sixteen states adopted constitutional provisions constraining their ability to borrow. These reforms helped states with tarnished reputations (i.e. defaulting states) re-establish their commitment to debt repayment. Accordingly, defaulting states were rewarded with lower borrowing costs and increased access to credit following the adoption of these reforms. In the second chapter, I study the extent to which ethnic diversity within government affects the provision of public goods. I address this question by constructing a novel dataset linking the ethnicity of California city council candidates to election outcomes and expenditure decisions. I find that higher diversity on the council leads to less spending on public goods (especially in segregated cities) and fewer votes for affected council members when they run for reelection. In the final chapter, I seek to understand how access to clean water affects human capital formation. The adoption of clean water technologies is often cited as the most important public health intervention of the twentieth century for helping eradicate typhoid fever and other waterborne diseases. I study the long-term effects of pure water by collecting annual city-level typhoid data for 75 cities, which are then merged to a unique sample linking individuals between the 1900 and 1940 censuses. Results indicate that the eradication of typhoid fever would have increased earnings in later life by one percent and increased educational attainment by one month. Put another way, the gains in earnings alone were more than sufficient to offset the cost of eradication. KW - economics KW - government KW - economic history TI - Government and Economic Outcomes EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24695 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24695/ A1 - Anisimova, Irina Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - This dissertation examines Russian culture of the twenty-first century by analyzing fiction and film with speculative elements. Each chapter focuses on the core concerns of a particular author: Pelevin?s preoccupation with neocolonialism and empire, Slavnikova?s contrast between dystopian history and ?utopian? death, Sorokin?s interest in historical trauma and the inner workings of terror, and Fedorchenko and Osokin?s eccentric utopian projects. The dissertation helps to understand contemporary culture, since speculative fiction?s imagined realities and envisioned futures are closely connected with sociocultural tendencies. The sustained investigation of the 2000s is merited by the fact that ?the Zeroes,? as the decade is known in Russia, is characterized by significant cultural shifts. Compared to the 1990s, the 2000s can be seen in terms of a gradual turn towards much more conservative notions of identity that are often expressed through changing interpretations of Russian and Soviet history, as well as a reevaluation of Russia?s geopolitical role?topics that are central in both political discourses and cultural imaginary. A number of works in contemporary Russian fiction and film creatively reimagine geographic space and history. This fiction and film oscillate between utopian and dystopian modalities and combine ambiguous utopias/dystopias with supernatural elements. While sharing certain features with more traditional genres, these works fall outside of such traditional genre designations as utopias/dystopias and magical realism. To account for this genre hybridity, my project posits Michel Foucault?s notion of ?heterotopia? as a critical lens for my analysis of this fiction. I understand heterotopia as a textual strategy in fiction and film that includes utopian/dystopian and fantastic elements, and that, through unusual temporal and spatial structures, interrogate dominant discourses and identity formations. Because of its ability to create a number of possible worlds, this textual strategy allows contemporary authors to both contest and engage with dominant cultural practices and discourses. KW - Contemporary Russian literature KW - Contemporary Russian film KW - Heterotopia TI - Heterotopia in Contemporary Russian Fiction EP - 237 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24491 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24491/ A1 - Argüello García, Pedro María Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - For many years the argument has been advanced that the agricultural use of different ecological zones by a single ethnic group?usually known as verticality?was an important part of the political economy of chiefdoms and states in the Andes. Such vertical economies would constitute agricultural intensification used to extract surplus and finance the enterprises of elite groups. Specifically, this has been suggested for some Muisca chiefdoms, located in the northern Andes of Colombia. Ethnohistoric accounts suggest an important economic role in the especially large Bogotá chiefdom for the provision of agricultural products derived from this kind of vertical economy in the nearby Valle de Tena region. This research sought to document the patterns of human occupation in the Valle de Tena and their relationship with agricultural productivity. The main goal was to evaluate the possible relevance of a vertical economy in the Valle de Tena to the emergence of Muisca chiefdoms in the Sabana de Bogotá. To accomplish this goal archaeological data were collected in a systematic survey of 144.7km2. Several lines of evidence argue against the idea that the Valle de Tena was a major supplier of agricultural products to the Sabana de Bogotá. They also cast serious doubt on the existence of agriculture in this region organized into a vertical economy. On the contrary, archaeological evidence indicates the presence of independent, compact local communities in the Valle de Tena. KW - Archaeology KW - Chiefdoms KW - South America KW - Colombia KW - Verticality KW - Agriculture KW - Muisca TI - SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY AND CHIEFDOM EMERGENCE IN THE MUISCA AREA. A STUDY OF THE VALLE DE TENA EP - 207 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25029 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25029/ A1 - Osmani, Vjosa Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - ABSTRACT This dissertation discusses the legal status of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (?CISG?) in the Republic of Kosovo (?Kosovo?). It provides information on the application of the CISG in Kosovo from 1989, when Kosovo was still part of Yugoslavia, to date. Uncertainties characterizing the application of this international treaty in Kosovo are both substantial and unique. The resulting circumstances and challenges are reviewed in this dissertation, providing information regarding the current status of the CISG in Kosovo (Section 2), its use both as domestic law (Sections 1.2.2, 1.2.3, 2.2 and 2.3) and as an international treaty (Sections 1.2.1 and 2.1), the efforts to make the Convention applicable through the principle of succession of treaties (Sections 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3), and the alternative methods of application that have been adopted through Kosovo?s domestic law (Sections 2.2 and 2.3). KW - Kosovo KW - Succession KW - CISG KW - Treaty KW - Domestic Law KW - Conract TI - Treaty Application in Kosovo through Rules of Succession and as Domestic Law: The Example of the CISG EP - 179 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24051 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24051/ A1 - Bayliss, Nichole K. Y1 - 2015/06/16/ N2 - This study merges the frameworks of social epidemiology, human ecology, and Critical Race Theory to examine the impact of racial residential segregation on racial disparities in cancer incidence/mortality and characteristics of the social and physical environment. County-level data on cancer incidence, cancer mortality, racial residential segregation, and other characteristics of the social and physical environment are collected from nine publically-available sources. Regression models identify predictors of the racial disparity in cancer incidence and cancer mortality. Racial residential segregation is not a significant predictor of the racial gap in cancer incidence or the racial gap in cancer mortality after controlling for the racial gap in median household income. Racial disparity in median household income is the most significant predictor of both the racial gap in cancer incidence and the racial gap in cancer mortality. Although there is no significant relationship between racial residential segregation and the racial gap in cancer incidence and cancer mortality was not found, highly segregated areas do face certain forms of disadvantage in several health-protecting resources?housing, exposure to environmental pollutants, educational attainment, and economic opportunities. In order for interventions and policies to be effective in reducing racial disparities in health outcomes, the structural (i.e., foundational and fundamental) causes of these inequalities?institutional racism, racial residential segregation, economic/educational inequalities?must be addressed. In addition, the methods used to "protect confidentiality" and "maintain data reliability" of publically available data sources need to be examined through the lens of Critical Race Theory to determine whether these methods are simply supporting the racialized structure and protecting the status quo. KW - racial disparities KW - racial residential segregation KW - cancer incidence KW - cancer mortality KW - social epidemiology KW - Critical Race Theory TI - WHERE YOU LIVE DOES MATTER: THE IMPACT OF RACIAL RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION ON RACIAL DISPARITIES IN CANCER INCIDENCE AND MORTALITY IN NORTHEASTERN AND SOUTHERN U.S. COUNTIES, 2005-2009 EP - 216 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24496 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24496/ A1 - Papperman, Sarah Y1 - 2015/06/15/ N2 - Across the United States the proportion of the population aged 60 and older continues to grow. American adults consistently express a desire to remain in their homes as they age, however the ratio of potential informal caregivers to potential older adult care recipients is shrinking. Both informal support from friends and families and formal support from private and public agencies play important roles in supporting older adults in their wishes to ?age in place.? The author worked with the leadership of the volunteer-based In Service of Seniors: Pittsburgh (ISOSP) program to design this explorative evaluation. The primary objective was to learn more about the formal and informal support networks of program participants. The project has public health importance, as the author provided program leadership with recommendations to provide more informed and coordinated services for their participants. The author designed and administered questionnaires with 116 older adult participants of the ISOSP program and with 24 support people identified by those participants. Chi square and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted on questionnaire responses using SPSS statistical software. Results indicate that, compared to the older adult population across Allegheny County, ISOSP participants were older, lower income, more likely to live alone and have lower self-rated health, more limited in ability to perform routine tasks but less likely to have informal support, and less satisfied with their quality of life. The only factor significantly correlated with receipt of informal support was race, with African Americans being more likely to report receipt of practical assistance from family members and friends. The only factor significantly correlated with granting permission to contact a support person was receipt of practical support from family members and friends. Program participants receiving assistance from formal support sources but not from informal sources were less likely than other participants to receive emotional support from family members and friends. The author recommends that ISOSP staff members continue to ask participants about their support networks, to provide resources to support people, and to pay special attention to participants who receive formal services but may lack safety net support from family members and friends. KW - Aging KW - Caregiving KW - Volunteering KW - Social Support TI - Exploring informal support networks of "In service of seniors: Pittsburgh" program participants EP - 76 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24864 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24864/ A1 - Aelmore, Matthew/ D Y1 - 2015/06/15/ N2 - Harmonic Centricity in Philip Glass? ?The Grid? and ?Cowboy Rock?n?Roll USA,? an original composition Matthew Aelmore, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2015 This dissertation analyzes the harmonic syntax of Philip Glass? music for the scene ?The Grid,? from the 1982 Godfrey Reggio film Koyaanisqatsi. Chapter 1 focuses on the five harmonic cycles, which are presented in twenty-one harmonic sections. Due to the effects of repetition, Glass? harmonic cycles are satiated from the relationships of consonance and dissonance that characterize tonal harmony. The five harmonic cycles, which appear in twenty-one sections, are analyzed in terms of the type of harmonic centricity they assert: tonally harmonic centricity, contextually asserted harmonic centricity, and no harmonic centricity. The intervallic motion of triads in these harmonic cycles is described by their organization in a symmetrically organized pitch space. Chapter 2 shows how ?The Grid? is organized under a three-part structure due to the constant fluctuation of rhythmic, metric, and orchestrational textures. The fluctuating context of these textures supply the dramatic charge and discharge of textural intensification, which allows for a sense of directional volition in the music that builds and releases between the work?s three parts. Special attention is paid to the modulations between harmonic sections, which feature momentary effects of cyclic conjunction and instances of atonal prolongation. The analysis ends by introducing a possible reading of a quotidian narrative of the everyday activities of the late 1970?s working class American, based on the interaction of the musical structures described in the analysis and the themes of the imagery used in the film. The second part of this dissertation is an original composition, Cowboy Rock?n?Roll USA, an experimental music theatre production composed through an extensive collaborative process between composer and performers. This piece is scored for soprano, flute, clarinet, country singer, and audio/visual technician and was premiered in Stuttgart, Germany in June 2014. KW - Minimalism KW - Philip Glass KW - Koyaanisqatsi KW - Film Music KW - Repetition in Music KW - Post-Tonal Harmony TI - Harmonic Centricity in Philip Glass? ?The Grid? and ?Cowboy Rock?n?Roll USA,? an original composition EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24551 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24551/ A1 - Neuf, Megan Y1 - 2015/06/15/ N2 - Expanding access to pre-kindergarten programs (pre-k) for all children is a national topic of interest as states like Oklahoma, Georgia, and New York adopt policies that make pre-k programs accessible to families, regardless of income and background. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) defines pre-k programs as, ?A distinct group of programs designed specifically to make sure that preschoolers are ready for kindergarten and will be succeeding in school by third grade,? and are ?(1) governed by high program standards, (2) serve 4- year-olds or sometimes both 3- and 4- year?olds, and (3) focus on school readiness. ? The pre-k time period is critical for three and four-year olds, particularly those most at-risk, for addressing challenges in social-emotional and language development. The Obama Administration recently increased federal funding to help states and communities make pre-k more accessible. In Pennsylvania (PA), a state that currently does not have universal access to pre-k, a group of organizations has formed a coalition called ?Pre-k for PA? with a vision that every three and four-year-old in the Commonwealth will have access to high-quality pre-k. This research explored the perceptions of pre-k professionals working in the field, i.e. advocates, center directors, and teachers regarding the implications of an expanded pre-k policy for PA. Findings suggest that while all stakeholders perceive pre-k expansion as beneficial for PA children and families, there is a difference of opinion among stakeholders regarding what a policy should include and how to address the potential challenges and needs of various stakeholder groups. The findings indicate a need for a holistic approach to early childhood education and development. Such an approach will increase the likelihood of children?s school readiness and better academic performance. Improved educational outcomes are a fundamental determinant of health. This is the public health significance of this work. KW - pre-k KW - policy KW - Pennsylvania KW - early childhood education KW - perceptions TI - Pre-K for all? Understanding the perceptions of expanded pre-K policy in Pennsylvania EP - 80 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24527 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24527/ A1 - Parikh, Anjani Y1 - 2015/06/15/ N2 - Introduction of Literature: Air pollution has been related to acute and chronic respiratory health effects in asthmatics for a number of years. These chronic exposures to high levels of traffic density and particulate matter (PM 2.5) lead to significant decrements in lung function. Historically, the city of Pittsburgh has been known to have high levels of air pollution, (6th Highest per American Lung Association) ? but little to no analysis has been done on this population to document the respiratory health impact of traffic density levels and particulate matter exposure. Methods: The sample population of this study was comprised of Registry Participants from The Asthma Institute at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Patients that have had lung function tests recorded by the Asthma Institute, and also live at residences that were able to be geocoded by the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health were included in the final analysis (n= 452). We used the LUR to create a spatial smoothed surface of PM concentrations across the area, then averaged, for each residence, the 100-m cell centroid predictions from this surface that fell within 300-m of each home. Regulatory data was used to adjust these measures to estimate PM at each location for the month prior to lung function testing. We used linear regression analysis to determine: A) the linear relationship between exposures and lung function tests; and B) the association between exposures with road density exposures and their respective quartiles. We adjusted for race, age, and sex as confounders. Limitations: There are some expected limitations to the findings of this study. First, because this is a cross-sectional study, we cannot assume any causation. Additionally, exposures to PM and traffic density are roughly estimated through GIS which may contain errors, and there are no indoor exposure readings available. Moreover, single measurements of lung function tests provide only a snapshot of asthma severity at the time they were recorded. Results: The univariable analysis found living in areas with higher road density levels is associated with reductions in lung function, which may imply that asthmatics living in the Pittsburgh area that are exposed to higher levels of air pollution experience steeper airway function declines. However, when adjusting for the confounders of race, age, and sex, there was no true association found between the PFT test results and road density or PM2.5 exposure. Public Health Significance: From a public health perspective, this study may help planning committees better understand and recognize the necessity to monitor traffic related air pollution mechanisms in specific areas of Allegheny County. Individuals are exposed to manmade and natural air pollutants at all times of the day throughout the course of their lifetime. An individual that is exposed to larger amounts of air pollution, and has clinical asthma, may benefit from being knowledgeable about the effects of air pollution on his or her body, and how to limit their daily exposures. KW - asthma particulate matter public health TI - The association between lung function and cumulative exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and traffic related exposures EP - 61 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24546 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24546/ A1 - McIntosh, Briana Y1 - 2015/06/15/ N2 - The majority of women in jail come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, have limited education, and have experienced inadequate and inconsistent health care prior to incarceration. Lack of awareness of breast health information and services due to issues with health care delivery programs and funding within correctional facilities may tend to put women serving time at higher cancer mortality and morbidity rates. Therefore, programs tailored to this underserved population have a critical public health significance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh Taking Charge: Steps to Breast Health promotion program at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) in Pittsburgh, PA. Pre- and posttest data were collected during three sessions at the ACJ and included 204 participants between 19-64 years of age. Data were collected via a pen-and-paper assessment tool distributed prior to and after programming at one session in four female housing pods at the ACJ on July 31st, October 30th, and January 29th. The pre- and posttest established participants? knowledge of breast health information, likelihood of receiving the recommended screening within the next year, confidence in detecting and recognizing changes in their breast via self-breast exams, and confidence in ability to reducing risk of breast cancer through lifestyle choices. Assessments for women under 40 included questions relating to clinical breast exams, while the assessments for women over 40 included questions relating to mammography. Participants under 40 (28.2%, n=35) indicated that they have never received a clinical breast exam. Similarly, 30.0% (n=24) of women over 40 reported that they have never received a mammogram. All findings were statistically significant and supported the hypothesis that after programming, participants would report better knowledge, self-efficacy and confidence in their abilities to know when to receive the age-appropriate breast health screening, to detect any changes in their breasts via self-breast examination, and to alter their lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of breast cancer, also improved likelihood of receiving a clinical breast exam or mammogram. Furthermore, this evaluation shows the feasibility and effectiveness of tailoring an existing community program for breast health promotion to a population of jailed women. KW - Breast Health Incarcerated Women Health Education TI - An evaluation study of a breast health program for incarcerated women EP - 66 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25213 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25213/ A1 - Salim, Muhammad Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Many applications require materials that are both intrinsically hydrophobic and robust. The current technology in hydrophobic coating is limited to organic materials that are easily degraded and require lengthy processes to apply and maintain. A recent publication in Nature Materials, by Azimi et al., suggested that rare-earth oxides (REOs) are intrinsically hydrophobic (WCA of 105o) because their electronic structure prohibits their bonding with interfacial water. This is a potentially transformative discovery because metal oxides are much more robust than organic coatings, and therefore could be used in a much wider range of applications. However, the hydrophobicity of REOs is also quite unexpected because all other metal oxides are known to be super-hydrophilic in their pristine states. In addition, given that rare earth metal ions bind water strongly in aqueous solution and bulk REO surface strongly adsorbs water, it is puzzling why REOs surface would be hydrophobic. This work will show that REO?s are actually intrinsically super hydrophilic (WCA of 0o) and only exhibit hydrophobic properties upon adsorption of ambient air carbon based contaminants. Time evolution of hydrophobicity with carbon contamination is analyzed alongside different surface contamination cleaning techniques. KW - hydrophobic KW - hydrophilic KW - hydrophobicity KW - hydrophilicity KW - surface energy KW - contamination KW - REO KW - REOs KW - rare earth oxide KW - wettability KW - wetting KW - WCA TI - Contamination and Wettability: Rare Earth Oxides EP - 63 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24925 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24925/ A1 - Pfister, S. Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Geochemical and lithium isotope compositions (?7Li) of Permian Basin produced waters and groundwater from overlying aquifers at an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) site in Gaines County, northwest Texas were determined to evaluate the effects of brine-groundwater-rock interactions, identify sources of dissolved solids, and characterize fluid migration and mixing processes. ?7Li values for produced waters from dolostones of the Permian Basin San Andres Formation ranged from +11 to +16 per mil (?) and fall within the range of formation waters from Gulf of Mexico and Appalachian basin oil and gas reservoir rocks. The chemical composition and TDS content (800 to 2,200 mg L-1) of water from five Tertiary Ogallala Formation groundwater wells in the study area is comparable to other groundwaters from the Southern High Plains aquifer. Groundwaters from the Triassic Dockum Group Santa Rosa (?7Li range of +21 to +23) are isotopically distinct from waters from the San Andres and Ogallala Formations. In addition to tracking groundwater-brine mixing and water-rock interaction, temporal changes in the ?7Li composition of deep groundwater in the study area has potential use in the early detection of upward or injection-induced brine migration, prior to its incursion into the sensitive overlying Ogallala aquifer. KW - CO2 Ogallala High Plains San Andres Permian Basin Lithium isotopes Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) TI - Geochemical and lithium isotope characterization of Ogallala aquifer and Permian Basin carbonate reservoir waters at an enhanced oil recovery site, northwest Texas, USA EP - 75 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24562 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24562/ A1 - Williams, Jessica K Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Nearly one quarter of Americans use alcohol in a risky manner. Most of the alcohol use interventions recommended by the CDC?s Community Guide are environmental; few evidence-based approaches attempt to address alcohol use on an individual or interpersonal level. Podcasting is a cost-effective communication tool whose potential impact for public health has been widely touted. The aim of this study was to answer the following research question: ?How could an effective podcast about alcohol use be designed and evaluated?? Literature and guidelines related to health and science podcasts for popular consumption were reviewed. No literature specific to alcohol use and podcasts were located. According to peer-reviewed and gray literature, health podcasting is feasible and cost-effective, although it may be time-consuming. Of particular note is the importance of entertaining the target audience. Humor and the use of narrative can contribute to the entertainment value of a podcast. Podcasts can be evaluated for their impact at the individual or interpersonal level. Knowledge gain, attitude shift, and behavior change are all individual-level metrics, whereas information-sharing and the proliferation of ?podologues? (conversation based the podcast) can indicate an interpersonal effect. Although the review concluded that there is insufficient formative research to design a podcast to reduce risky drinking, it identified a number of design and evaluation tools that may prove useful for podcasting about alcohol use and other health behaviors. It also outlined a rationale for podcasting about alcohol use and a research agenda to guide the development of an efficacious podcast to address risky alcohol use. A quick guide to podcasting about alcohol use is included as an appendix. Statement of public health relevance: Alcohol use has a profound effect on health. It is responsible for one in 10 deaths among working age Americans and more than one in three Americans say alcohol has been a source of trouble in their family. A research-based approach to podcasting may create cost-effective alcohol use interventions that impact the individual and social level of the social ecological model. KW - alcohol KW - podcasts TI - How could an effective podcast about alcohol use be designed and evaluated? A review of the literature EP - 81 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25370 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25370/ A1 - Baumgartel, Kelley Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - The immune protection offered through breast milk is especially important for premature infants. Interleukins (ILs), found in breast milk but in varying concentrations, may provide preterm infants with protection against prematurity-related complications. Promoter polymorphisms have been associated with variable IL levels, though this relationship has never been investigated in breast milk. The aims of this study were to: 1) examine the relationship between maternal IL genotypes and weekly milk concentrations of IL4, IL6, and IL10, 2) describe the trajectories of milk IL change over the first three weeks postpartum, 3) examine whether maternal IL genotypes predict milk IL trajectories, 4) examine if weekly IL levels and/or IL trajectories predict infant outcomes, and 5) explore a relationship between maternal IL genotypes and infant outcomes. An ancillary study was conducted that extracted maternal DNA from breast milk for genotyping using TaqMan. Trajectory modeling was used to identify IL subgroups. After controlling for gestational age and prepregnancy BMI, there was an inverse association between rs1800796 minor allele absence (MAA) and milk IL6 among African Americans (p=0.0722). Subsequently, higher milk IL6 was also associated with decreased risk of IVH in African Americans (OR=0.32, p=0.1059). Additionally, among African Americans, there was a positive association between IL6 milk levels and calprotectin (week one p=0.0794, week two p=0.0978). Caucasians had an inverse relationship between rs1800795 MAA and milk IL6 (p=0.0966). Subsequently, there is a relationship between milk IL6 and infant calprotectin in Caucasians (p=0.0290). MAA of rs1800896 was associated with milk IL10 levels among African Americans (p=0.0705), though there was no relationship between milk IL10 levels and outcomes. There were no associations between maternal SNP and IL trajectory groups. Trajectory analysis resulted in linear group shapes, with two distinct subgroups in IL6, and three subgroups in both IL4 and IL10. Infants who received milk from IL4 group 2 were more likely to receive a blood transfusion than infants who received milk from group 3 (OR=4.16, p=0.0712). There was an association between IL6 group 1 membership and both IVH (OR=6.275, p=0.0412) and fecal calprotectin (p=0.0822). Traditionally significant findings (p?0.05) included relationships between maternal IL genotypes and NICU outcomes. KW - Breast milk KW - interleukin KW - promoter polymorphism KW - genetics KW - single nucleotide polymorphism KW - infant outcomes KW - prematurity TI - THE IMPACT OF PROMOTER POLYMORPHISMS ON CYTOKINE CONCENTRATION IN PRETERM BREAST MILK AND SUBSEQUENT INFANT OUTCOMES EP - 261 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25344 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25344/ A1 - Desai, Anita Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if keratinized gingiva has an effect on the success of implants. Materials and Methods: Sixty-nine implants were used in this study. The amount of keratinized gingiva was measured and divided into two groups; less than 2mm and greater than 2mm. The amount of keratinized gingiva was compared to clinical parameters such as bleeding upon probing, redness, and pocket depths to determine whether implant success was related to the amount of keratinized gingiva. Results: Chi square and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. All implants survived independent of the amount of keratinized gingiva. Patients with less than 2mm of keratinized gingiva displayed increased bleeding upon probing and redness, which was statistically significant (p=0.023), indicating increased inflammation due to lack of keratinized gingiva. Conclusion: Amount of keratinized gingiva did not affect the success rate of implants. However, implants with less than 2mm of keratinized gingiva exhibited increased bleeding upon probing, redness, and inflammation, which may contribute to later failure. KW - minimal keratinized gingiva KW - dental implants KW - implant health TI - The Importance of Keratinized Gingiva Surrounding Dental Implants EP - 30 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25018 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25018/ A1 - Williams, Kelly Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - The purpose of this qualitative study is to assess what prompted current male volunteers to join Big Brother Big Sisters Greater Pittsburgh (BBBS), explore barriers potential male volunteers may have in joining BBBS and assess possible messaging/active recruitment techniques to increase the number of male volunteers. Specific aims of the research are to: (1) determine how current male volunteers were recruited; (2) understand why current male volunteers joined the program; (3) define perceived barriers to volunteering for BBBSP; (4) explore information needed by males in the communities to garner interest in mentorship; and to (5) gain insight on how BBBSP can relay/target information to males in the community. This research is significant to public health as mentoring programs promote future community health by targeting factors that put youth at-risk for dropping out of school, depression, and negative behaviors. Mentors have the opportunity to influence youth decisions surrounding school attendance, drug/alcohol use, and negative behaviors that would fall into the classification of misdemeanors. 14 semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with current Big Brothers, lasting 30-55 minutes. Data analysis was driven by a modified grounded theory approach and was used to create a comprehensive, thematic code book. Findings were synthesized into specific recommendations for BBBSP to increase male mentor (Big Brother) recruitment. KW - Mentors KW - Recruitment KW - Males KW - Big Brothers Big Sisters TI - Males as mentors: a qualitative assessment of volunteer recruitment EP - 81 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24944 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24944/ A1 - Abliz, Mehmud Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Cryptographic puzzles are promising techniques for mitigating DDoS attacks via decreasing the incoming rate of service eligible requests. However, existing cryptographic puzzle techniques have several shortcomings that make them less appealing as a tool of choice for DDoS defense. These shortcomings include: (1) the lack of accurate models for dynamically determining puzzle hardness; (2) the lack of an efficient and effective counter mechanism for puzzle solution replay attacks; and (3) the wastefulness of the puzzle computations in terms of the clients' computational resources. In this thesis, we provide a puzzle based DDoS defense framework that addresses these shortcomings. Our puzzle framework includes three novel puzzle mechanisms. The first mechanism, called Puzzle+, provides a mathematical model of per-request puzzle hardness. Through extensive experimental study, we show that this model optimizes the effectiveness of puzzle based DDoS mitigation while enabling tight control over the server utilization. In addition, Puzzle+ disables puzzle solution replay attacks by utilizing a novel cache algorithm to detect replays. The second puzzle mechanism, called Productive Puzzles, alleviates the wastefulness of computational puzzles by transforming the puzzle computations into computations of meaningful tasks that provide utility. Our third puzzle mechanism, called Guided Tour Puzzles, eliminates the wasteful puzzle computations all together, and adopts a novel delay-based puzzle construction idea. In addition, it is not affected by the disparity in the computational resources of the client machines that perform the puzzle computations. Through measurement analysis on real network testbeds as well as extensive simulation study, we show that both Productive Puzzles and Guided Tour Puzzles achieve effective mitigation of DDoS attacks while satisfying no wasteful computation requirement. Lastly, we introduce a novel queue management algorithm, called Stochastic Fair Drop Queue (SFDQ), to further strengthen the DDoS protection provided by the puzzle framework. SFDQ is not only effective against DDoS attacks at multiple layers of the protocol stack, it is also simple to configure and deploy. SFDQ is implemented over a novel data structure, called Indexed Linked List, to provide enqueue, dequeue, and remove operations with O(1) time complexity. KW - Internet KW - availability KW - denial of service KW - distributed denial of service KW - replay attacks KW - cryptographic puzzles KW - tour puzzles KW - productive puzzles KW - stochastic fair drop KW - fair resource allocation KW - filtering KW - auto expire cache KW - indexed linked list TI - A Novel Puzzle-Based Framework for Mitigating Distributed Denial of Service Attacks Against Internet Applications EP - 157 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24510 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24510/ A1 - Steider, Katie J. Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Rabies prevention is a local, national, and global public health concern. As rabies is essentially fatal once symptoms develop, the prevention and proper treatment of high-risk animal exposures (e.g. bites, scratches) is of paramount importance. Therefore, healthcare practitioners in Allegheny County are required to report all animal bites within 24 hours to the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Infectious Diseases (ID) Program. Animal exposure information collected on an Animal Bite Report (ABR) form and results from rabies testing at the ACHD Public Health Lab are used to assess the risk of rabies and advise victims on proper care. The objective of this study is to summarize information about animal exposures reported to ID from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 and results from rabies testing conducted during the same time period. Information from ABR forms and rabies testing lab slips for incidents occurring from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 was extracted from a database and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2010. Records from the ACHD Public Health Lab were reviewed for rabies testing information. During the study period, 3,693 animal exposures were reported to ID. The highest number of exposures occurred during the summer months. Over half (58.4%) of all incidents involved female victims. All age groups were affected but most victims (89.5%) were younger than 65: 20.0% of victims were 0-14 years old, 32.4% were 15-34 years old, and 24.5% were 35-54 years old. The majority of incidents involved pets (76.4%) with 68.3% of incidents involving dogs and 24.4% of incidents involving cats. The ACHD Public Health Lab tested 1,553 animals during the study period; 34 from Allegheny County tested positive for rabies. The majority of rabies positive animals were bats (50.0%) and raccoons (29.4%). This information can be used in the development of public health messages specific to Allegheny County, which supports the public health significance of this study. Several potential messages and interventions are described as well as suggested improvements for the reporting system. KW - rabies KW - rabies prevention KW - rabies testing KW - animal bite KW - animal exposure TI - Reported animal exposures and rabies testing in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 2013-2014 EP - 66 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir21578 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/21578/ A1 - Samuelsson, Laura B. Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Simple snoring is highly prevalent and should be considered a phenomenon distinct from sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Snoring is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Midlife women are at increased risk for snoring and cardiovascular disease, yet little is known about the relationships between these factors in this population. We propose and test a mechanistic model of snoring-related atherogenesis to explain these associations. This is the first study to examine the relationship in midlife women between objective and subjective snoring and C-reactive protein (CRP), a CVD biomarker, and the first study to characterize the correlates of snoring in midlife women. The full multi-ethnic sample included 300 women (52.07 ± 2.13 years, 44% African American) from the SWAN Sleep Study, ancillary to the Study of Women?s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Objective snoring and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) were measured in a subset of 241 participants on one night of in-home polysomnography. CRP was measured at the core SWAN visit temporally closest to the sleep study. Linear regression models examined the relationships between objectively-derived snoring index, a ratio of snore epochs to sleep epochs, and CRP in both the full sample and in postmenopausal women only. Objective and subjective snoring group differences in mean CRP were tested using ANCOVA. Frequency of objective snoring was associated with higher CRP in postmenopausal women only. Snoring was not significantly associated with CRP in the full sample. The relationship between snoring and CRP was not moderated by AHI or race. There were no group differences in CRP between objective or subjective snoring groups after adjusting for all covariates. Characterization of the sample revealed that simple snorers are distinct from women with SDB. Simple snorers also differed from absent snorers on key CVD risk factors, including higher BMI, systolic blood pressure, and number of metabolic syndrome criteria. There was little agreement between objective snoring frequency and subjective snoring self-report. These findings show that simple snoring should be considered a distinct construct from SDB and measured objectively alongside AHI in future studies. Snoring represents a unique and understudied risk factor for CVD, particularly in postmenopausal women. KW - snoring; cardiovascular disease; inflammation; endothelial dysfunction; midlife women TI - Snoring and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Midlife Women: A Mechanistic Model of Snoring-Related Atherogenesis and Associations with C-Reactive Protein EP - 91 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24484 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24484/ A1 - Polglase, Hannah Y1 - 2015/06/11/ N2 - Dengue is a viral disease characterized by mild febrile illness in the majority of cases. In a small percent of cases, it manifests more severe symptoms, and it can be fatal without proper treatment and support. It is a vector borne disease that is transmitted by the Aedes mosquitos. Currently up to 4 billion of the world?s population lives in areas at risk for dengue transmission. This represents a public health risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the MRCI gene, rs2296414 and rs34039386, with dengue virus infection in a sample of patients from a cohort study of dengue patients and controls from Recife, Brazil. The MRCI gene codes for the mannose receptors of macrophages, which have been demonstrated to play an important role in viral infections. DNA was amplified using PCR. Genotyping of 179 individuals was done by three methods, fluorescence polarization, restriction digests, and sequencing. All samples were found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium across the sample population and when classified as cases of controls. No significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg were seen when samples were broken down by disease status. Odds ratios were calculated with novel data and combined with data from a previous study. The previous study examined the same two polymorphisms using a different sample from the same cohort study. A statistically significant difference was found in the combined samples for the rs2296414 site with regards to case or control status, OR=1.46, p=.035. A statistically significant difference was also found for the rs34039386 site with regards to case/control status OR=2.76, p=.0029. This difference was only found in the novel data. Further research with larger samples sized is needed to continue to understand the relationships between these sites and dengue infection, as the sample size for this study was small. Even when combined with data from the previous study, the data set was not particularly large. The public health significance of this research is produced by the increasing global importance of dengue and the need for more effective treatments and the development of a vaccine; advancement of the understanding of the relationships between the dengue virus and the MRCI gene may lead to improvements in the treatments available and in the production of a vaccine with high efficacy. KW - Dengue KW - MRCI KW - polymorphisms KW - SNP TI - Validation of the relationship between MRCI polymorphisms with dengue disease in a Brazilian population EP - 73 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25335 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25335/ A1 - Mannava, Rashee G Y1 - 2015/06/10/ N2 - Purpose: To expand upon the current evidence that there is an association between BMI and periodontal disease using a retrospective study design with a larger sample size, and thereby a greater statistical power than previously performed studies. We hypothesize that BMI is positively correlated with prevalence of periodontal disease. Materials and Methods: Data from the electronic health records maintained by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine from August 2008 to February 2014 was extracted for variables including age, gender, ethnicity, smoking history, diabetes, probing depths, height, and weight. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine the odds ratio for the association between periodontal disease status and all the other variables (BMI, age, ethnicity, gender, smoking status, and diabetes). Results: A total of 27,052 subjects were included in the data set. Multivariate analysis of the data showed that the odds ratio of having periodontal disease with a BMI greater than or equal to 30 versus less than 30 was 1.22 when accounting for all the other confounding variables (p=0.013). Furthermore, sex, age, ethnicity, and smoking were all associated with statistically significant odds ratio for development of periodontal disease when analyzed accounting for the other confounding variables (p<0.001). Only diabetes did not show a statistically significant correlation with periodontal disease (p=0.394). Conclusion: Our results reaffirm that increased BMI is positively correlated with periodontal disease prevalence. KW - Periodontal disease KW - obesity KW - BMI TI - The Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and Obesity: A 5 Year Review EP - 32 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24301 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24301/ A1 - Rong, Yongsen Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - This research aims at establishing relationship between acoustic emission characteristics and mechanical properties of 3d-printed stainless steel specimens including 420 (SS 420) series and 316L (SS 316L) series. Acoustic emission (AE), one kind of nondestructive testing (NDT), is widely applied in structure health monitoring and crack detection during dynamic processes. Using AE method, it is possible to detect fracture events of a specimen during the whole process of mechanical testing. Results of AE analysis accompanying tensile tests present similar AE properties but no distinct differences between the two series. In AE figures, there are notable characteristics which indicate yield point and break point for samples with high ductility, while the notable characteristics can only indicate break point for specimens with low ductility. Also, the cumulative AE hits tend to decrease with increasing porosity of samples. Mechanical properties of SS 420 and SS 316 specimens are far away from those of standard materials, which may be caused by low packing density during printing or insufficient sintering. KW - Acoustic Emission Ealuation; Additive manufacture; Mechanical Property Characterization TI - Acoustic Emission Evaluation and Mechanical Property Characterization of Stainless Steel Specimens Manufactured by Powder Based 3-D Printer EP - 66 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24666 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24666/ A1 - Minteer, Danielle Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) represent a promising cell source in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Due to the wide availability and multipotent ability of ASCs to differentiate into tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, and adipose, ASCs may serve a wide variety of regenerative medicine applications. Accordingly, ASCs have been utilized in studies addressing osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and soft tissue regeneration and reconstruction after mastectomy and facial trauma. Traditional, static, two-dimensional cell culture of ASCs do not allow for mature adipocyte differentiation or long-term maintenance of adipocytes in vitro. In order to study metabolic diseases, such as type II diabetes mellitus, a three-dimensional scaffold for in vitro adipocyte maintenance is necessary. In collaboration with the Bioreactor Laboratory at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, our laboratory has developed the use of a hollow fiber-based bioreactor for three-dimensional, dynamic perfusion of ASCs and adipose tissue formation ex vivo, creating a stable system in which long-term culture of adipocytes is possible, providing a model useful for potential drug discovery and tissue engineering applications, specifically those addressing type II diabetes mellitus. The studies presented in this dissertation aim to assess metabolic activity and differentiation of ASCs from patients with or without type II diabetes in the bioreactor system; engineer a long-term culture environment relevant to physiological type II diabetic and non-diabetic conditions ex vivo; optimize tissue growth homogeneity; enhance adipogenesis within the bioreactor culture with the use of a decellularized adipose extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogel. ASCs derived from patients with type II diabetes at time of isolation were found to behave metabolically similar and appear architecturally comparable to those derived from patients without type II diabetes mellitus when differentiated and maintained as adipocytes in the bioreactor system. When cultured at a physiologically relevant glucose level matching that of healthy patients or patients with type II diabetes, ASCs were able to proliferate, differentiate into adipocytes, and be maintained within the bioreactor system for at least one week. A decellularized adipose ECM hydrogel was established and applied to the bioreactor cultures; however, due to technical challenges, no firm conclusions can be made. The microenvironment by which ASCs are surrounded is critical for cell differentiation and growth. Engineering and control of such microenvironment is possible within the hollow fiber-based, three-dimensional, dynamic perfusion bioreactor culture system, proving to be a promising model for potential drug discovery and therapeutics. Future directions include further evaluation of ASC differentiation and adipocyte metabolism within type II diabetic environments, application of established decellularized adipose ECM hydrogels to wound healing treatments and adipose graft volume retention. KW - adipose tissue KW - bioreactor KW - cell culture KW - diabetes mellitus TI - Adipogenesis within a Hollow Fiber-Based, Three-Dimensional Dynamic Perfusion Bioreactor EP - 191 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24106 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24106/ A1 - Campion, Nicole Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - This research investigates the development of life cycle assessment (LCA) in the building and healthcare industries. The ultimate goal is to advance necessary contributions and provide strategic recommendations on the development of LCA in both industries. Because the building industry has progressed farther in terms of environmental and economic assessments than the healthcare industry, the lessons learned from past implementation and market adoption of building LCAs is essential for the future of healthcare LCAs. To achieve the goal of this dissertation, the evolution of LCA in each industry was studied, followed by recommendations and strategies for future sustainable development. To understand the building industry, three different studies are presented. The first building LCA study focused on building materials, comparing green building materials to traditional building materials and concluding that there is a quantitative need for LCA integration in the zero-energy building definition. The second LCA study integrated LCA with life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) as a complimentary tool for building owner decision-making. The last LCA study builds on the LCA/LCCA study and developed an integrated pathway linking LCA with a host of other environmental and economic tools that broaden the scope of building projects. To understand the healthcare industry, three different studies are presented. The use of LCA in the healthcare industry is relatively new; therefore the first study compared two different birth procedures to determine the high-impact areas within healthcare. The second LCA study focused on disposable products discussing streamlining efforts and strategies that could be applied universally across the healthcare industry. The last healthcare LCA study is a set of organizational techniques that can be applied to any healthcare institution attempting to reduce their environmental impacts; the more advanced green teams integrating LCA for quantitative information. The final study presented connects the building and healthcare industries, quantifying design decisions of evidence-based design and green building design through a host of metrics such as quality of care, utilities, and staff satisfaction. Both the building and healthcare industries have a tremendous amount of potential to enhance sustainable development utilizing life cycle assessment. KW - sustainability KW - life cycle assessment KW - healthcare KW - buildings TI - Advancing Life Cycle Assessment: Perspectives from the Building and Healthcare Industries EP - 237 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24622 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24622/ A1 - Makaremi, Meysam Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Classical atomistic simulations are carried out to study carbon sequestration at deep underground formations. In classical simulations, formulas and equations are inherently different from those used in continuum and quantum calculations. Here, in contrast to continuum approaches such as the finite element method, interactions of atomic particles are computed, and unlike quantum techniques such as the density functional theory, calculations are not restricted to a limited number of atoms, therefore a balance between accuracy and computational cost makes classical atomistic techniques the best candidate to study layered materials in numerous situations. The success of CO2 sequestration depends on diverse parameters related to the depth and type of the underground formations. In this work, chemical, physical, and geometrical characteristics of formations are investigated. Different types of interlayer cation (Na+ and Ca2+), intercalated molecule (water and CO2), and clay structure (montmorillonite (MMT) and beidellite (BEI), and pyrophyllite (PPT)) are investigated as chemical parameters. Rotational degree of layers, pressure, temperature and chemical potential are considered as geometrical and physical variables. Using free energy calculations, stable energy states due to the intercalation of water and carbon dioxide to smectite structures are predicted. For hydrated systems, three states consisting of interlayer spacing values 9-10, 11.5-12.5 and 14.5-15.5 A, respectively called 0W, 1W and 2W hydration state are found. For systems including mixed H2O-CO2 intercalation, the amount of adsorbed CO2 alters and reaches its peak at the sub-first hydration levels. Another fascinating result emerges by simulating the binary MMT-CO2 system. The global minimum is found at the dry (0W) state which explains why there is no experimental observation of pure CO2 adsorption on the MMT surface. Finally, ternary smectite-H2O-CO2 simulations show that the amount of adsorbed CO2 in the clay phase is higher than that of bulk phase suggesting that the underground formation is a proper option to store extensive volumes of the green house gas carbon dioxide. KW - atomistic simulation KW - molecular dynamics KW - Monte Carlo KW - swelling behavior KW - smectite KW - montmorillonite KW - beidellite KW - swelling free energy KW - turbostratic structure KW - Moire pattern KW - clay disjoining pressure TI - Atomistic Simulations and Computations of Clay Minerals at Geologic Carbon Sequestration Conditions EP - 110 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24273 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24273/ A1 - Xie, Qiaoyun A1 - Wosu, Sylvanus N Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics are one of the best candidates for high temperature structural applications. However, due to the inherent drawbacks of hardness, porosity, and brittleness for ceramic materials and the specific application environment involving exposure to oxidation fuels, or aero heating, reinforcements of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and tantalum carbide (TaC) are considered to improve the overall material properties; of particular interest are the fracture toughness, energy absorption ability, and oxidation resistance. Conventional fabrication of CNTs reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) involves hot pressing techniques, which are characterized by high pressure and a long processing time, but can destroy CNTs. The current research utilizes a rapid consolidation technique of spark plasma sintering (SPS) which densifies the ceramics at a relatively lower temperature and a much shorter holding time with improved bonding quality and finer microstructure. A two-stage SPS of TaC and/or CNTs reinforced SiC CMCs was developed to investigate the sintering parameters, such as pressure, heating rate, and temperature on the densification behavior and mechanical properties. The oxidation mechanism of CNTs/SiC ceramics, as well as the TaC additives effect on the thermal oxidation resistance of the TaC/CNTs/SiC systems were examined up to 1500 oC. The influences of sample thickness, impact energy (loading rates), temperature and moisture on the compressive dynamic response of TaC and/or CNTs reinforced SiC CMCs were conducted by a penetration split Hopkinson pressure bar (P-SHPB). The fracture mechanics of TaC/CNTs/SiC CMCs were studied both quasi-statically and dynamically by Vickers indentation and a three point bending test on the modified SHPB with a pulse shaper. The possible toughening mechanisms provided by the CNTs reinforcement were directly observed. Wave propagation in SHPB was validated numerically and the prediction of damage evolution was carried out through user-defined material subroutine VUMAT in ABAQUS/explicit. The above investigations provide new perspectives which could impact a wide range of understandings and applications for the TaC/CNTs/SiC CMCs. KW - SiC ceramics KW - carbon nanotubes KW - TaC additives KW - oxidation resistance KW - high strain rate KW - spark plasma sintering TI - CHARACTERIZATION of HIGH STRAIN RATE BEHAVIOR of TAC/CNTs/SIC CMCs PREPARED by SPARK PLASMA SINTERING EP - 170 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23850 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23850/ A1 - Lutz., Bradley Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - A variety of deposit compositions were examined in short-term laboratory tests with the aim of determining the corrosion mechanisms of fireside corrosion for a range of chromia-forming alloys in various combustion systems. The deposits formed in boilers are complex, and despite decades of study, the propagation mechanism of fireside corrosion is not well understood. Alkali iron trisulfates, which are stabilized by SO3 in the gas atmosphere, have been believed to be the major corrosive species for many years. The propagation mechanism for fireside corrosion was investigated using T92 (a typical ferritic boiler steel) and a model austenitic Fe-Ni-Cr alloy and synthetic coal ash deposits. The metal loss, corrosion product morphologies, and compositions were carefully characterized in order to define a propagation mechanism. The corrosive species responsible for degradation was a (Na,K)2SO4-Fe2(SO4)3 solution and not alkali iron trisulfates, which is contrary to what has been believed for decades. The formation of the liquid deposit is similar to Type II hot corrosion of gas turbine engines. The mechanism is a synergistic dissolution process similar to that which can occur for hot corrosion as well. Simultaneous basic and acidic dissolution of protective Cr2O3 and Fe2O3 disrupts protective oxide formation and locally produces negative solubility gradients at the oxide/salt interface. The dissolved Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 reprecipitate where there is lower solubility, creating the observed corrosion products. The effect of the deposit composition, gas atmosphere composition, alloy composition, temperature, and deposit thickness were examined with respect to the proposed fireside corrosion mechanism. These measurements were found to be consistent with the proposed mechanism based on synergistic fluxing. KW - Fireside corrosion KW - coal-fired boilers KW - hot corrosion KW - synergistic dissolution TI - Determination of the Initiation and Propagation Mechanism of Fireside Corrosion EP - 255 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23711 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23711/ A1 - Barker, Jeffrey Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a non-invasive optical imaging technique that has rapidly been gaining popularity for study of the brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy measures absorption of light, primarily due to hemoglobin, through an array of light sources and detectors that are coupled to the scalp. Measurements can generally be divided into measurements of baseline physiology (related to total absorption) and measurements of hemodynamic time-series data (related to relative absorption changes). Because light intensity drops off rapidly with depth, NIRS measurements are highly sensitive to extracerebral tissues. Attempts to recover baseline physiology measurements of the brain can be confounded by high sensitivity to the scalp and skull. Time-series measurements contain high contributions of systemic physiology signals, including cardiac, respiratory, and blood pressure waves. Furthermore, measurements over time inevitably introduce artifacts due to subject motion. The aim of this thesis was to develop improved analysis methods in the context of these NIRS specific confounding factors. The thesis consists of four articles that address specific issues in NIRS data analysis: (i) assessment of common data analysis procedures used to estimate oxygen saturation and hemoglobin content that assume a semi-infinite, homogeneous medium, (ii) testing the feasibility of improving oxygen saturation and hemoglobin measurements using multi-layered models, (iii) development of methods to estimate the general linear model for functional brain imaging that are robust to systemic physiology signals and motion artifacts, and (iv) the extension of (iii) to an adaptive method that is suitable for real-time analysis. Overall, this thesis helps to validate and advance analysis methods for NIRS. KW - near-infrared spectroscopy KW - NIRS KW - fNIRS KW - brain KW - physiology KW - light propagation KW - TI - Estimation of Cerebral Physiology and Hemodynamics via Near-Infrared Spectroscopy EP - 150 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24195 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24195/ A1 - Sivek, Amanda D Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Circulatory-assist devices (CAD) are commonly used in clinical practice for end stage cardiovascular disease patients as a bridge to transplant or as destination therapy. Despite decades of research, mechanical blood damage remains a problem in the clinical utilization of CAD, which results in a myriad of patient complications including device-induced erythrocyte lysis (hemolysis), bleeding and thrombosis. There is a clinical need to better understand the mechanisms of flow-induced blood damage to aid in the design and clinical utilization of CAD with enhanced biocompatibility as well as to determine specific factors responsible for blood damage and methods of their assessment. The objectives were to study in vitro the mechanisms of flow-induced blood trauma and the parameters that affect in vitro hemolysis testing of CAD. The tested hypotheses were: 1) Mechanically induced polymer degradation in a high molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO) solution could predict the degree of shear-induced hemolysis within a CAD candidate without the use of animal or human blood; 2) Blood bank storage of packed red blood cells (RBC) could adversely affect RBC mechanical properties which may reduce the efficiency of RBC transfusion in CAD patients; 3) Cell-cell interactions and suspension viscosity are potential mechanisms of flow-induced hemolysis; and 4) The geometry of micro-gaps and crevices in CAD blood flow paths could affect cell trafficking at supra-physiological shear stresses relevant to operating CAD. We demonstrated that polymer mechanical degradation was highly correlated with hemolysis obtained due to circulation in the same CAD circuit as blood and ascertained valuable information on CAD performance predicting blood trauma without the need to use blood. We found that RBC deformability significantly decreased during blood bank storage which contributes to blood damage produced by CAD. Moreover, two additional mechanisms of flow-induced hemolysis relevant to operating CAD, cell-cell collisions and suspension viscosity, were elucidated. Finally, recirculating regions were observed in 100 µm wide rectangular and triangular crevices but not in wider crevices studied up to 500 µm, thus demonstrating the importance of the width of gaps and crevices in CAD blood flow paths for potential thrombogenesis. This work provided information on mechanisms of flow-induced hemolysis and elucidated an important variable affecting thrombosis development in CAD blood flow paths at flow conditions relevant to in vitro and in vivo CAD operation. These results can contribute to the computational analysis, design and preclinical testing of next generation CAD. KW - Hemolysis KW - Thrombosis KW - Mechanical blood damage KW - In vitro KW - Normalized Index of Hemolysis KW - Circulatory-assist device KW - Ventricular-assist device KW - Microfluidics KW - Shear stress KW - RBC deformability KW - RBC mechanical fragility TI - Experimental Investigation of Mechanical Blood Damage Relevant to the Operation of Circulatory-Assist Devices EP - 241 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25365 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25365/ A1 - Karski, Melissa R A1 - Leslie, Elizabeth A1 - Neiswanger, Katherine A1 - Kalra, Varun A1 - Weinberg, Seth M Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - The factors influencing the morphology of the human face are of interest to researchers in a variety of different fields. Craniofacial morphology is modified by both genetic and epigenetic events, and factors influencing craniofacial morphology include, but are not limited to, age, sex, mechanical function, soft-tissue matrices, hormones, and genetics. Mutations discovered within FGFR1 offer insight into the importance of this particular gene in controlling craniofacial skeletal development, and the evidence thus far connecting FGFR1 variants to quantitative craniofacial traits in the general population is inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between FGFR1 variants and several measures of cranial and facial shape in a sample of healthy human subjects and to serve as a replication sample for prior genotype-phenotype studies with positive findings for FGFR1. This study comprised 1375 subjects (544 Male, 795 Female, 36 unknown sex) recruited as part of the 3D Facial Norms Project. 3D facial surface images were captured using digital stereophotogrammetry and eight craniofacial measurements were analyzed: maximum cranial width, maximum cranial length, morphological face height, upper face height, nasal protrusion, cephalic index, facial index and upper facial index. Two SNP?s of FGFR1 were genotyped: rs6983315 (intronic variant) and rs13317 (3? UTR variant). Genotype-phenotype associations were tested with linear regression, using an additive model and a full dominant model, where age and sex were included as covariates in all analyses. Results were considered significant if p ? 0.0015. No significant associations were observed between either of the two SNPs and any of the eight craniofacial measurements, and the association results of previous studies could not be replicated. KW - FGFR1 KW - craniofacial KW - variation KW - normal KW - population TI - THE INFLUENCE OF FGFR1 VARIANTS ON NORMAL HUMAN CRANIOFACIAL SHAPE EP - 55 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24270 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24270/ A1 - Zweiacker, Kai Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Measuring and observing rapidly evolving interfaces of irreversible transient states such as rapid solidification have been a long time standing problem in materials science as characterization techniques that deliver the necessary requirements, i.e. nanosecond temporal and nano-meter spatial resolution, have not been present. Dynamical TEM utilizes a process initiation photon laser pulse coupled with a timed electron pulse train to observe transient states of rapidly evolving phase transformations. Nanoscale spatio-temporal resolution in-situ TEM revealed growth mode changes and enabled quantitative measurements of locally resolved instantaneous and averaged interface velocities for pure Aluminum and hypo-eutectic Aluminum-Copper alloys. Post-mortem TEM was employed to gain insights on micro-structural evolution morphology regarding texture, morphology changes, grain size and grain size development, phase formation and orientations relationships during the laser processing. Post-mortem TEM studies revealed that resultant microstructures found in thin film solidification are equivalent with microstructures found in bulk sample experimentation utilizing CW-lasers. DTEM allows systematical studies of far-from equilibrium phase transformation and were employed to investigate PL initiated directional rapid solidification in Al and Al-Cu alloys. KW - Rapid Solidification KW - RS KW - Dynamical TEM KW - Diffraction KW - Aluminum KW - Al-Cu KW - Precession Electron KW - In-situ TEM KW - Laser Irradiation KW - Materials Processing TI - In-situ TEM Investigation of Rapid Solidification of Aluminum and Aluminum Copper Alloys EP - 134 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24299 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24299/ A1 - Wei, Yiwen Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Beta-Tricalcium phosphate (?-TCP) has attracted attention as a scaffold material for bone tissue engineering. The calcium content in ?-TCP is thought to have an important influence on the sintering and biodegradability of the scaffold and the growth of bone tissue. The aim of this thesis was to process a ?-TCP scaffold with enhanced solubility by infiltration of porous TCP with a calcium salt. The sintering behavior and phase distribution of Ca infiltrated ?-TCP was investigated using relative density measurement, SEM observation and XRD analysis. High temperature sintering was only able to achieve a relative density of 89% and showed evidence of liquid phase formation consistent calcium deficient ?-TCP. The liquid phase formation is thought to have caused coarsening of the microstructure that limited the final density. Similar studies were also conducted on Ca-infiltrated ?-TCP. The results suggest that Ca-infiltration results in the stabilization of ?-TCP rather than the formation of significant amounts of other calcium rich phases, which is thought to enhance degradation when the materials were immersed in water. Additionally, ?-TCP foam was successfully processed using an emulsion based direct foaming method. Immersion of the foams in water showed no evidence of the enhanced degradation due to calcium rich phases. KW - Tissue engineering KW - Tricalcium phosphate KW - Scaffold KW - ?-TCP TI - The Influence of Calcium Infiltration on the Sintering Behavior and Dissolution of Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate EP - 87 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24577 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24577/ A1 - Irani, Afifa Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Although mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies (often called ?mitochondrial disease?) affect an estimated 1 in 5,000 individuals world-wide, prior to the recent diagnosis of this study?s index patient, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations were not previously reported in Amish communities. The index patient from the Northwestern Pennsylvania Amish community was diagnosed with MELAS (Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, Stroke-like Episodes), the most common maternally-inherited mitochondrial disorder, and carries the common MELAS mutation, m.3243A>G in the MT-TL1 gene. Subsequently, two additional Amish families with different mitochondrial mutations were identified. These findings prompted a study with three aims: characterizing the incidence and clinical features of this MELAS mutation in this community, constructing a detailed pedigree of the Amish community, and assessing by pre- and post-intervention questionnaires the efficacy of an educational intervention designed to increase understanding of MELAS and mitochondrial disease. A study visit to the community was attended by the index patient?s extended family. During this visit, an educational intervention was presented, and questionnaires were administered. Interviews were conducted to gather family history information, including family structure and the presence of mitochondrial disease symptoms in family members. Samples were collected from 13 adults and two children for genetic testing. Samples were analyzed using high-resolution melt profiling for targeted assessment of the m.3243A>G mutation. While data analysis of questionnaires demonstrated limited increased understanding of educational intervention material, anecdotal experiences support increased understanding. Genetic testing revealed the mutation of interest in 13 participants, with tissue-specific variations in the levels of heteroplasmy. At a follow-up visit, test results and their implications were disclosed and discussed through genetic counseling. This study?s findings suggest maternally-inherited mitochondrial disease may be under-recognized given the lack of previous diagnosis in 13 participants reported here. The public health significance demonstrated through this is the potential for similarly unrecognized mitochondrial disease in the larger Amish community and in the general population due to the challenges related to diagnosis. Results of efficacy analysis of an educational intervention in this community can also inform the development of educational interventions for the general population and for health care providers about mitochondrial and other rare genetic disease. KW - MELAS KW - mitochondrial disease KW - Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like Episodes KW - maternal inheritance KW - mitochondrial inheritance KW - genetics KW - human genetics KW - Mercer County KW - Northwestern Pennsylvania Amish KW - Mercer County Amish KW - Mercer PA KW - Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy Lactic Acidosis Stroke-like Episodes KW - mitochondrial genetics TI - Investigation of the common MELAS mutation in the Northwestern Pennsylvania Amish community: mutation frequency and effectiveness of an educational intervention EP - 195 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24533 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24533/ A1 - Rao, Parthib Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - The lattice Boltzmann (LB) method has developed into a numerically robust and efficient technique for simulating a wide variety of complex fluid flows. Unlike conventional CFD methods, the LB method is based on microscopic models and mesoscopic kinetic equations in which the collective long-term behavior of pseudo-particles is used to simulate the hydrodynamic limit of a system. Due to its kinetic basis, the LB method is particularly useful in applications involving interfacial dynamics and complex boundaries, such as multiphase or multicomponent flows. However, most of the LB models, both single and multiphase, do not satisfy the energy conservation principle, thus limiting their ability to provide quantitatively accurate predictions for cases with substantial heat transfer rates. To address this issue, this dissertation focuses on developing kinetically consistent and energy conserving LB models for single phase flows, in particular. Firstly, through a procedure similar to the Galerkin method, we present a mathematical formulation of the LB method based on the concept of projection of the distributions onto a Hermite-polynomial basis and their systematic truncation. This formulation is shown to be capable of approximating the near incompressible, weakly compressible, and fully compressible (thermal) limits of the continuous Boltzmann equation, thus obviating the previous low-Mach number assumption. Physically it means that this formulation allows a kinetically-accurate description of flows involving large heat transfer rates. The various higher-order discrete-velocity sets (lattices) that follow from this formulation are also compiled. The resulting higher-order thermal model is validated for benchmark thermal flows, such as Rayleigh-Benard convection and thermal Couette flow, in an off-lattice framework. Our tests indicate that the D2Q39-based thermal models are capable of modeling incompressible and weakly compressible thermal flows accurately. In the validation process, through a finite-difference-type boundary treatment, we also extend the applicability of higher-order la ttices to flow-domains with solid boundaries, which was previously restricted. Secondly, we present various off-lattice time-marching schemes for solving the discrete Boltzmann equation. Specifically, the various temporal schemes are analyzed with respect to their numerical stability as a function of the maximum allowable time-step . We show that the characteristics-based temporal schemes offer the best numerical stability among all other comparable schemes. Due to this enhanced numerical stability, we show that the usual restriction no longer applies, enabling larger time-steps, and thereby reducing the computational run-time. The off-lattice scheme were also successfully extended to higher-order LB models. Finally, we present the algorithm and single-core optimization techniques for a off-lattice, higher-order LB code. Using simple cache optimization techniques and a proper choice of the data-structure, we obtain a 5-7X improvement in performance compared to a naive, unoptimized code. Thereafter, the optimized code is parallelized using OpenMP. Scalability tests indicate a parallel efficiency of 80% on shared-memory systems with up to 50 cores (strong scaling). An analysis of the higher-order LB models also show that they are less memory-bound if the off-lattice temporal schemes are used, thus making them more scalable compared to the stream-collide type scheme. KW - lattice Boltzmann method KW - computational fluid dynamics KW - kinetic theory TI - KINETICALLY CONSISTENT THERMAL LATTICE BOLTZMANN MODELS EP - 171 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25221 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25221/ A1 - Zhang, Xuande Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Nondestructive evaluation methods have been studied increasingly in recent years. Due to its characteristics, such as high-resolution, low cost, etc., ultrasonic testing has become one of the most used NDE methods. Furthermore, principles of ultrasonic have also provided a novel tool for materials property characterization. A line-focus PVDF ultrasonic wave transducer was designed, fabricated, and tested. Numerous concepts of ultrasonic wave near boundary were discussed. Rayleigh (Surface) wave, which plays a vital role in this work, has been investigated and tested by the PVDF transducer. With tested Rayleigh wave velocities, elastic constant (Young?s Modulus) could be derived. Conclusions could be drawn through comparison since the relationship between elastic constants and Rayleigh wave was well studied. In addition to that, a short introduction of additive manufacturing was made briefly. Two additive manufacturing methods, laser-based and water-based were mentioned. Since properties of finished sample of additive manufacture still remain uncertainty. Samples fabricated in these two methods have been tested as well as standard part. The comparisons between these samples have been done in the end. The major goals of this work are to: 1) study the basic knowledge of Rayleigh wave properties and its applications; 2) develop an acoustic understanding of material fabricated in different methods; and 3) verify the relationship between elastic constants and surface wave velocity. KW - Rayleigh Wave KW - Material Characterization TI - A Line-Focus Transducer System for Property Characterization of Materials Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing EP - 86 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24043 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24043/ A1 - Yuan, Junqi Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - This work reports theoretical studies and experimental proofs of the propulsion of mini-/micro-scale floating objects that propel on air-liquid interface by using two different principles. The devices are extremely simple and do not include any moving parts. The first principle takes advantage of three-phase contact line oscillation that is activated by AC electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) to propel the floating object. The capillary wave that is generated by the free surface oscillation is visualized by using the Free-Surface Synthetic Schlieren (FS-SS) method. A 3-D flow field sketch is constructed based on the flow visualizations and PIV measurements. The flow field and trajectories of seeded particles suggest that Stokes drift is the responsible mechanism for the propulsion. The propulsion speed of the floating object highly depends on the amplitude, frequency, and shape of the EWOD signal. These phenomena are also explained by the measured oscillation amplitudes and Stokes drift relations. Additionally, it is shown that a wider EWOD electrode generates a faster propelling speed. Finally, with stacked planar receiver coils and an amplitude modulated signal, a wirelessly powered AC EWOD propulsion is realized. The second principle of floating object propulsion is the Cheerios effect, which is also generally known as lateral capillary force. Four common physical configurations (interactions between two infinite vertical walls, two vertical circular cylinders, two spheres, and a sphere and a vertical wall) are reviewed. Through theoretical analysis, it has been revealed that not the wettability of the surface but the slope angle of the object is the most important parameter for the Cheerios effect. A general rule for this effect is that the lateral capillary force is attractive if the slope angles of the interacting objects have the same sign, otherwise the force is repulsive. In addition to the surface wettability, the size and the density of floating spheres are also important for the slope angle. Active control of the Cheerios effect is achieved by implementing EWOD and dielectrowetting methods to adjust the surface wettability. By sequentially activating micro-fabricated EWOD/dielectrowetting electrodes, linear translations of floating objects in the small scale channel are accomplished. A continuous rotational motion of the floating rod is achieved in a circular container by the EWOD method. KW - Free surface KW - Propulsion KW - Electrowetting KW - Dielectrowetting KW - Surface tension KW - Cheerios effect TI - Mini-/Micro-Scale Free Surface Propulsion EP - 122 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24304 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24304/ A1 - Zhang, Tieyuan Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Marcellus Shale is one of the world's largest unconventional gas resources. Recent developments in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing enabled efficient and economical extraction of natural gas from unconventional (shale) resources and have led to rapid expansion of natural gas production in the United States. Hydrofracturing generates large volume of flowback and produced water that contains high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS), heavy metals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) resulting in significant environmental and public concerns and challenging waste management issues. Ra-226 is the dominant form of NORM and is one of the key challenges for sustainable management of Marcellus Shale wastewater. This study is focused on the life cycle of NORMs during natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale. A rapid method for Ra-226 analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was developed to overcome some of the shortcomings of current analytical techniques (e.g., long detection time). The fate of Ra-226 under different scenarios associated with the shale gas extraction, including origin of Ra-226, partitioning in flowback water storage and treatment facilities, and associated solid waste disposal issues were evaluated in this study. This study showed that radium mainly originates from relative rapid shale leaching. High concentration of radium in the Marcellus Shale wastewater can be managed by proper treatment (e.g., sulfate precipitation). However, solid waste generated from treatment facilities or impoundments containing elevated radium concentrations far exceed the limits for disposal in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Subtitle D (RCRA-D) landfills. Current practice in landfill management allows the disposal of this solid waste by controlling the Allowed Source Term Loading (ALST) on annual basis. However, if the landfill capacity to accept all the NORM generated from Marcellus Shale gas extraction becomes insufficient, other disposal or beneficial use options for solid waste should be developed. Reuse of radium enriched barite as weighting agent in drilling mud might be a sustainable strategy to reduce the mass of NORM that has to be disposed in the landfills. Health risks associated with NORMs were evaluated for several typical scenarios associated with Marcellus Shale gas extraction. Total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) at drilling pads, storage impoundments and landfills are well below the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) limit for the general public of 100 mrem/yr even under the worst-case scenario assumptions. Workers in the centralized waste treatment facilities might receive excessive TEDE and appropriate measures recommended by NRC should be applied. For example, a safe distance of 5 m is recommended to reduce TEDE to acceptable level. Hence, the key environmental and public health risks associated with NORM brought to the surface by natural gas extraction from Marcellus Shale are from the spills that may contaminate surface and groundwater. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the fate of NORMs associated with Marcellus Shale gas wastewater management and expands the ability to resolve the environmental concerns associate with NORMs. A novel rapid analytical for Ra-226 measurement by ICP-MS offers an alternative for researchers to quickly analyze environmental samples. The fate of Ra-226 in centralized treatment facilities and storage facilities is important for operators to choose proper management strategy for liquid and solid waste disposal/reuse. The health risk associated with NORM that is assessed in this study will help to resolve the public concern stemming from the high NORM extracted from Marcellus Shale play and provides several options to further reduced its risks. KW - Marcellus Shale KW - Radium KW - Detection KW - ICP-MS KW - Gamma-spectrometry KW - Co-precipitation KW - Centralized Treatment Facility KW - Storage Impoundment KW - Health Risks TI - Origin and Fate of Radium in Flowback and Produced Water from Marcellus Shale Gas Exploration EP - 154 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24143 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24143/ A1 - Zhao, Yujuan Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Brain Computer Interface (BCI) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are two powerful medical diagnostic techniques used for human brain studies. However, wired power connection is a huge impediment for the clinical application of BCI, and most current BCIs have only been designed for immobile users in a carefully controlled environment. For the ultrahigh field (?7T) MRI, limitations such as inhomogeneous distribution of the transmit field (B1+) and potential high power deposition inside the human tissues have not yet been fully combated by existing methods and are central in making ultrahigh field MRI practical for clinical use. In this dissertation, radio frequency (RF) methods are applied and RF antennas/coils are designed and optimized in order to overcome these barriers. These methods include: 1) designing implanted miniature antennas to transmit power wirelessly for implanted BCIs; 2) optimizing a new 20-channel transmit array design for 7 Tesla MRI neuroimaging applications; and 3) developing and implementing a dual-optimization method to design the RF shielding for fast MRI imaging methods. First, three miniaturized implanted antennas are designed and results obtained using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations demonstrate that a maximum RF power of up to 1.8 miliwatts can be received at 2 GHz when the antennas are implanted at the dura, without violating the government safety regulations. Second, Eigenmode arrangement of the 20-channel transmit coil allows control of RF excitation not only at the XY plane but also along the Z direction. The presented results show the optimized eigenmode could generate 3D uniform transmit B1+ excitations. The optimization results have been verified by in-vivo experiments, and they are applied with different protocol sequences on a Siemens 7 Tesla MRI human whole body scanner equipped with 8 parallel transmit channels. Third, echo planar imaging (EPI), B1+ maps and S matrix measurements are used to verify that the proposed RF shielding can suppress the eddy currents while maintaining the RF characteristics of the transmit coil. The contributions presented here will provide a long-term and safer power transmission path compared to the wire-connected implanted BCIs and will bring ultrahigh field MRI technology closer to clinical applications. KW - Radio Frequency KW - Antenna KW - Brain Computer Interface KW - MRI KW - RF coil KW - Miniature antenna KW - Ultra-high field MRI KW - 7T MRI KW - Wireless power transmission KW - Eddy Currents TI - Radio Frequency Antenna Designs and Methodologies for Human Brain Computer Interface and Ultrahigh Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging EP - 191 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24001 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24001/ A1 - Solomon, Luke Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - This dissertation presents a new method of constructing a transformerless, voltage-sourced, medium-voltage multilevel converter using existing discrete power semiconductor devices and printed circuit board technology. While the approach is general, it is particularly well-suited for medium-voltage converters and motor-drives in the 4.16 kV, 500 - 1000 kW range. A novel way of visualizing the power stage topology is developed which allows simplified mechanical layouts while managing the commutation paths. Using so many discrete devices typically drives cost and complexity of the gate-drive system including its control and isolation; a gate-drive circuit is presented to address this problem. As with most multilevel topologies, the dc-link voltages must be balanced during operation. This is accomplished using an auxiliary circuit made up of the same power stage and an associated control algorithm. Experimental results are presented for a 4.16 kV, 746 kW, five-level power converter prototype. This dissertation also analyzes a new capacitor voltage-balancing converter along with a novel capacitor voltage balancing control algorithm. Analysis of the inverter system provides a new description of capacitor voltage stability as a function of system operating conditions. KW - power electronics KW - multilevel converters KW - medium-voltage motor drives TI - A Transformerless PCB Based Medium-Voltage Multilevel Power Converter with A DC Capacitor Balancing Circuit and Algorithm EP - 121 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24282 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24282/ A1 - Hofer, Heidi R. Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - Following trauma from high-energy blasts, a population of multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs) can be derived from the debrided muscle tissue. Given the non-intrusive nature of MPC isolation, MPCs represent an attractive clinical alternative to the more widely used mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow and other tissue sources. This dissertation presents work which further defines the utility and limitations of MPCs in applications relevant to the repair of extremity injuries, including angiogenesis, peripheral nerve repair, and bone formation. The secretome of MPCs enhanced in vitro angiogenesis, in a manner dependent on MPC production of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF). Encapsulated within mechanically tunable injectable hydrogel constructs, MPCs retained strong pro-angiogenic activity when implanted in vivo, supporting potential clinical use when enhanced vessel recruitment is desired. Neurotrophically-induced MPCs, in combination with endothelial cells (ECs) co-cultured on aligned, nanofibrous scaffolds or via secretome interactions, supported neurite outgrowth and extension of chick embryonic dorsal root ganglia. These findings suggest that products of induced MPCs may be useful to enhance nerve guide conduit-based repair of peripheral nerves. ECs influenced earlier and stronger MPC osteogenic gene expression, and IL-1? was associated with increased mineralization. The use of MPCs in bone replacement applications may thus result in mineralization without functional bone formation, depending on the level of inflammation at the site of construct implantation. Taken together, this work extends the potential utility of MPCs for limb regenerative applications, especially for enhanced vessel or nerve recruitment. Caution must be exercised as MPCs may be influenced towards a mineralizing phenotype by the tissue environment, likely contributing to the heterotopic ossification pathology commonly seen following blast trauma. KW - MPCS; VEGF-A; bone marrow-derived MSCs; angiogenesis; synthetic nerve guide conduit; heterotopic ossification TI - Traumatized Muscle-Derived Multipotent Progenitor Cells: Pro-Angiogenic Activity, Promotion of Nerve Growth, and Osteogenic Differentiation EP - 146 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24163 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24163/ A1 - Revanna Shivaprabhu, Vikas Y1 - 2015/06/09/ N2 - This dissertation concerns the development and validation of an ultrasound imaging system and novel image analysis algorithms applicable to multiple imaging modalities. The ultrasound imaging system will include a framework for 3D volume reconstruction of freehand ultrasound: a mechanism to register the 3D volumes across time and subjects, as well as with other imaging modalities, and a playback mechanism to view image slices concurrently from different acquisitions that correspond to the same anatomical region. The novel image analysis algorithms include a noise reduction method that clusters pixels into homogenous patches using a directed graph of edges between neighboring pixels, a segmentation method that creates a hierarchical graph structure using statistical analysis and a voting system to determine the similarity between homogeneous patches given their neighborhood, and finally, a hybrid atlas-based registration method that makes use of intensity corrections induced at anatomical landmarks to regulate deformable registration. The combination of the ultrasound imaging system and the image analysis algorithms will provide the ability to monitor nerve regeneration in patients undergoing regenerative, repair or transplant strategies in a sequential, non-invasive manner, including visualization of registered real-time and pre-acquired data, thus enabling preventive and therapeutic strategies for nerve regeneration in Composite Tissue Allotransplantation (CTA). The registration algorithm is also applied to MR images of the brain to obtain reliable and efficient segmentation of the hippocampus, which is a prominent structure in the study of diseases of the elderly such as vascular dementia, Alzheimer?s, and late life depression. Experimental results on 2D and 3D images, including simulated and real images, with illustrations visualizing the intermediate outcomes and the final results are presented. 5 KW - image analysis KW - image segmentation KW - image registration KW - ultrasound imaging KW - MRI KW - Alzheimer's disease KW - simultaneous visualization KW - multi-modality imaging KW - graph theory KW - graph based segmentation KW - hippocampus segmentation KW - nerve fascicles TI - Ultrasound imaging system combined with multi-modality image analysis algorithms to monitor changes in anatomical structures EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24817 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24817/ A1 - Martiny, Theodore Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - The 3n+1 problem can be stated in terms of a function on the positive integers: C(n) = n=2 if n is even, and C(n) = 3n + 1 if n is odd. The problem examines the iterations of this function and asks how these iterations behave. Specifically it asks if the starting point is important or if every starting point eventually reaches the number one. We discuss the history of this problem and focus on how well rounded it is. This problem can be examined from many disciplines of math in the attempt to find a solution. We discuss a probability theory approach which gives a model to predict how many iterations it will take to reach the number one for any given starting value. We also present some major results on this problem, one which demonstrates that "most" numbers eventually reach one and another which shows that any cycle that exists must be extremely large. KW - Collatz conjecture KW - 3n+1 problem KW - 3n+1 cycle length KW - 3n+1 heuristic algorithm TI - The 3n+1 Problem: Scope, History and Results EP - 63 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24055 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24055/ A1 - Cremer, Augustin Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - The mobile telecom industry is expected to undergo substantial growth in the next five years. Cell towers represent close to 80% of the power consumption of a mobile network operator. In developing countries, most sites run on diesel due to a weak or non-existing power grid. Growing concern regarding CO2 emissions, and increasing copper costs over the past 15 years make the efficiency of cell sites with respect to energy and materials an interesting issue to explore. Similar concerns have led the datacenter industry to adopt a more energy efficient topology through the use of 380 V DC. Cell sites and data centers are very different from a mechanical standpoint. However, from an electrical perspective, these two types of facilities are very similar. This thesis presents a quantitative analysis of the benefits of a 380 V DC topology, compared to the current 48 V DC topology. This analysis is based on the simulation of typical telecom distribution configurations, taking into account regulations and best practices currently in use in the telecom industry. A sensitivity study is conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different configurations for varying tower loads and heights. Conclusions about these topologies are finally discussed based on economical and efficiency characteristics. KW - DC distribution KW - DC microgrids KW - distributed resources and microgrids KW - computer and telecom power supplies KW - system architecture KW - circuit modeling and simulation TI - An Analysis of 380 V DC Topologies for Mobile Telecom Applications EP - 59 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24047 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24047/ A1 - Reiman, Andrew P. Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - The adoption of distributed photovoltaic systems promises to benefit society by reducing pollution and dependence on finite natural resources. When deployed carefully, distributed photovoltaic systems have the potential to provide economic benefits to both the end-user and the system operator. However, high levels of photovoltaics and arbitrary end-user-driven deployment can introduce negative impacts to distribution systems including voltage rise, load imbalance, harmonics and system protection concerns. Power distribution systems have a natural capability to accommodate a limited amount of distributed generation with only minimal impacts on the system. Some system operators allow distributed generation up to 15% of the peak load level (equivalent to a conservative estimate of the minimum load) of a segment of the circuit without a detailed study. With increasing interest in distributed photovoltaic generation in some regions, demand for distributed generation regularly exceeds the 15% per segment threshold. The results of distributed generation studies on a circuit segment typically cannot be applied to another segment, even if the two segments are part of the same distribution feeder. Single-phase laterals pose additional challenges to the deployment of distributed generation. Their topology can lead naturally to load imbalance. Imbalance can be exacerbated by the introduction of high levels of photovoltaics. In addition, single-phase laterals are oftenprotected by a fuse. Excessive distributed generation on a fused single-phase lateral can cause undesired fuse behavior for faults both within and adjacent to the lateral. This thesis examines the limits of photovoltaics on single-phase laterals of distribution systems. Factors which limit photovoltaic levels including voltage rise, load balance, harmonics, and system protection concerns are examined. Conservative limits, which can be used as guidelines for photovoltaic systems on single-phase laterals are discussed and expanded. Strategies to mitigate negative impacts of PV and increase potential deployments levels are examined and discussed. Finally, tools that have been developed for a research project with FirstEnergy to automate distribution system modeling and analysis are discussed. Hypothetical case studies of new PV systems on single-phase laterals of existing distribution systems are performed. KW - Power Distribution Systems Solar Panels Distribution System Modeling Distributed Generation Photovoltaic Generation TI - An Analysis of Distributed Photovoltaics on Single-Phase Laterals of Distribution Systems EP - 111 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24046 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24046/ A1 - LI, QIUYAN Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - In this thesis, piezoresistive thin film devices made of carbon nanotube (CNT)-polyimide (PI) nanocomposite were fabricated and characterized. Based on the percolation threshold, the CNT-PI nanocomposites with five different CNT weight ratios were chosen and made by suspension mixture method. The CNT-PI nanocomposite suspensions were deposited on the polyimide substrate by a drop-on-demand piezoelectric inkjet printer to fabricate piezoresistive thin film devices. The electrical impedance and the strain of the nanocomposite thin films under uniaxial tension and uniform pressure were characterized, and the strain sensor gauge factors were calculated. The temperature and humidity effect on the performance of the nanocomposite thin film devices were evaluated: the temperature coefficient was measured and the methods for temperature compensation were proposed; the resistance changes of the nanocomposites with humidity variation were monitored, and Parylene C thin film coating was used to eliminate or reduce the humidity effect. The piezoresistive nanocomposite thin film devices are used for pressure measurements. Finally, the sensitivities of the CNT-PI nanocomposite of different geometrical shapes under different types of load were defined and the values of sensitivities were evaluated by experiments. The inkjet printing method showed its advantages over the traditional thin film fabrication methods for its ability to precisely control the geometry and the uniformity of the nanocomposite thin film. The research results demonstrated that CNT-PI piezoresistive nanocomposite devices are promising candidates for flexible strain/pressure sensing applications. KW - Nanocomposite KW - piezoresistive KW - inkjet printing KW - strain gauge TI - CNT-Polyimide Nanocomposite Piezoresistive Thin Film Devices for Strain and Pressure Measurement EP - 94 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24948 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24948/ A1 - Gomez, Daniel Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - In this paper, inspired by the work of Katherine Mann, we show a counterexample to the simple loop conjecture for a representation of the surface group of the punctured Klein bottle, K, in PGL(2,R). In the process, we provide an explicit description of the mapping class group, as well as a classification of possible simple closed curves on K. KW - algebra KW - topology KW - simple KW - loop KW - conjecture KW - punctured KW - Klein KW - bottle KW - counterexample KW - representation KW - SL(2 KW - R) KW - PGL(2 KW - R) KW - mapping KW - class KW - group KW - surface KW - diffeomorphism KW - simple KW - closed KW - curve KW - classification TI - A COUNTEREXAMPLE TO THE SIMPLE LOOP CONJECTURE FOR THE PUNCTURED KLEIN BOTTLE IN PGL(2,R) EP - 22 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24171 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24171/ A1 - Hasanzoi, Marwa Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - H-piles are widely used to support bridge piers and foundations, particularly those founded on relatively weak subsoil layers. The piles are forcefully driven to stronger layers to transfer the load of the entire structure to the bearing strata. Driven steel H-piles are designed to effectively interact with their surrounding environment in and out of the ground without failure. Standard practices such as AASHTO/LRFD and state codes regulate the load bearing capacity and drivability of H-piles to ensure safe performance during their service life. This thesis investigates the feasibility of installing H-piles considering the limitations on the driving stress to achieve the design capacity (?ASFy). Effects of parameters related to the soil-pile-hammer system have been studied. The gradual development of standard practices regulating the properties of H-piles related to material type, cross section geometry, pile length, and driving stress is discussed focusing on AASHTO/LRFD and PennDOT revisions to AASHTO. The results of a comprehensive parametric study carried out on the soil-pile-hammer system for 50 ksi driven H-piles are presented. 126 base scenarios, and 15 sensitivity analyses were constructed and analyzed using computer program GRLWEAP. In addition, 11 benchmark scenarios were considered to validate the study methodology approach using field data provided by PennDOT. An additional application of H-piles as driven ?extended piles? under combined axial and lateral load is briefly discussed and the effects of soil-pile interaction on the performance of pile is investigated. KW - This thesis investigates the feasibility of installing H-piles considering the limitations on the driving stress to achieve the design capacity (?ASFy). Effects of parameters related to the soil-pile-hammer system have been studied. The gradual development of standard practices regulating the properties of H-piles related to material type KW - cross section geometry KW - pile length KW - and driving stress is discussed focusing on AASHTO/LRFD and PennDOT revisions to AASHTO. The results of a comprehensive parametric study carried out on the soil-pile-hammer system for 50 ksi driven H-piles are presented. 126 base scenarios KW - and 15 sensitivity analyses were constructed and analyzed using computer program GRLWEAP. TI - Capacity and Driveability of 50 KSI H-Piles EP - 88 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23941 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23941/ A1 - Kuo, Szu Yu Susan Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Although cognition is one of the most important predictors of community functioning in schizophrenia, little is known about the causes of this relationship. This study is the first to our knowledge to examine the extent to which this correlation is genetically and/or environmentally mediated and its degree of specificity to schizophrenia. Six hundred and thirty-six participants from 43 multigenerational families with at least two schizophrenia relatives and 135 unrelated controls underwent diagnostic interview and functioning assessment along with the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery, Trail Making Test and California Verbal Learning Test. Exploratory factor analyses yielded one general cognition factor and one functioning factor while a social cognition factor was comprised of the average of two tasks. SOLAR (Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines) (Almasy & Blangero, 1998) was used to conduct family-based analyses quantifying genetic and environmental effects on the cognition-functioning correlation. As expected, among the 103 relatives with schizophrenia, there was considerable variation in functioning and cognitive performance and a significant correlation between the two (Rp=0.335, p=0.005). Shared genetic effects were significant contributors to this relationship (Rg=0.956, p<0.001) whereas idiosyncratic experiences were not. In contrast, shared genetic effects were not significant among relatives with major depression, substance abuse or no psychopathology. Furthermore, functioning in schizophrenia was not significantly predicted by cognition in relatives from other diagnostic groups. Across all analyses, the contributions of social cognition to functioning were similar to and fully accounted for by general cognition. The cognition-functioning correlation in schizophrenia is largely attributable to genetic factors specific to the disorder that also encompass genetic effects on the association between social cognition and functioning. These findings provide a foundation from which heritable factors contributing to functioning in schizophrenia can be differentiated from those contributing to functioning in psychiatric disorders in general, which suggest that investigations of specific genetic variants contributing to this association are warranted. KW - schizophrenia KW - etiology KW - community functioning KW - cognition KW - genetic correlation KW - family study KW - specificity TI - Community Functioning and Cognitive Performance in Schizophrenia: The Nature of the Relationship EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24000 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24000/ A1 - Wang, Rujia Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Phase Change Memory (PCM) has better scalability and smaller cell size comparing to DRAM. However, further scaling PCM cell in deep sub-micron regime results in significant thermal based write disturbance. Naively allocating large inter-cell space increases cell size from ideal 4F^2 to 12F^2. While a recent work mitigates write disturbance along word-lines through disturbance resilient data encoding, which can shrink PCM cell size from 12F^2 to 8F^2, it is ineffective for write disturbance along bit-lines, which is more severe due to widely adopted uTrench structure in constructing PCM cell arrays. In this thesis, we propose SD-PCM, an architecture to achieve reliable write operations in Super Dense PCM. In particular, we focus on mitigating write disturbance along bit-lines such that we can construct super dense PCM chips with 4F^2 cell size, i.e., the minimal for diode-switch based PCM. Based on simple verification-n-correction (VnC), we propose LazyCorrection and PreRead to effectively reduce VnC overhead and minimize cascading verification during write. We further propose (n:m)-Alloc for achieving good tradeoff between VnC overhead minimization and memory capacity loss. Our experimental results show that, comparing to a write disturbance-free low density PCM, SD-PCM achieves 80% capacity improvement in cell arrays while incurring around 0-10% performance degradation when using different (n:m) allocators. KW - Phase Change Memory KW - Write Disturbance TI - Constructing Reliable Super Dense Phase Change Memory under Write Disturbance EP - 45 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24014 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24014/ A1 - Xin, Wei Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS) have recently been implemented across the world and are considered as a new tool to reduce traffic delays and stops in coordinated traffic signal systems, which are urgent problems regarding not only traffic flow efficiency, but also environmental issues. Excessive fuel consumption and vehicular emissions on urban streets can be reduced by maintaining optimal signal timings which reflect changes in traffic demand and distribution. It is hypothesized that there are environmental benefits to implementing ATCS as compared to traditional Time of Day (TOD) plans. This research develops a methodology to quantify these benefits and tests the methodology to establish the reduction in emissions for a signalized roadway corridor as a line source of emissions. The research also considers the linking between microsimulation models, emission models and dispersion models to estimate air quality benefits in a corridor at specific receptors. This testing of the methodology was conducted by using a high-fidelity SYNCHRO microsimulation model of an 8-intersection corridor on Route 19 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. This signal system was recently converted from a traditional TOD timing plan operation to an ATCS operation, using the InSync system. The simulation results comparison showed significant reductions in all emission categories estimated by SYNCHRO. This first step in showing the benefits in a corridor can then be used to determine actual emission reductions at specific locations. Using simulation results from SimTraffic for an optimized TOD timing plan and the InSync system actual operations, a methodology was then hypothesized to integrate simulation emission results of the ATCS benefits with emission and dispersion models to indicate emission benefits at specific receptors. KW - ATCS KW - microsimulation KW - Synchro KW - InSync KW - emissions TI - Determining the Environmental Benefits of Adaptive Signal Control Systems using Simulation Models EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24193 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24193/ A1 - Abate, Stephen Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Photovoltaic (PV) generation is increasingly common throughout power distribution systems. The real power injections and cloud-induced power output fluctuations of this variable resource can cause adverse impacts to the system. These adverse impacts limit PV capacity additions and introduce the need for more advanced distribution system models and mitigation efforts. The IEEE P1547a standard for interconnecting distributed generation has been amended to allow inverter-based generation to actively participate in voltage regulation. However, there is currently no method of choosing the appropriate reactive power response for the PV inverters to prevent voltage issues and benefit distribution system performance. The performance of these smart inverter settings vary based on the objective and system conditions such as load level and solar conditions. This difficulty in choosing a single ?out of the box? setting presents the need for more adaptive control functionalities. This thesis assesses the impact of different smart inverter settings on the performance of a distribution feeder in the United States. The use of simulation software to identify relationships between the chosen objective, appropriate settings, and feeder conditions help determine an approach to choosing settings that realize the potential benefits. Due to the limitations of existing reactive power control functions, a new smart inverter capability is proposed that adjusts to changing feeder conditions and offers improved performance. KW - Distribution System Modeling KW - Smart Inverter KW - PV Integration TI - Distribution System Modeling for Assessing Impact of Smart Inverter Capabilities EP - 69 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24587 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24587/ A1 - Kwak, Daniel H Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Microbial secondary metabolites are physiologically significant, exhibiting auxiliary functions for the producer and as scaffolds in the developments of new medicines. Advancements in genome sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to access unprecedented amounts of genomic data that can be used to discover the enzymatic machinery necessary to discover novel and biologically-active molecules. This approach has been termed ?genome mining.? In both of the investigations presented herein, genome mining was utilized to discover and characterize biosynthetic pathways of novel molecules. The findings in one study utilize this approach to discover a small molecule virulence factor from the opportunistic human pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii. This virulence factor has been found to be associated with a number of clinically significant phenotypes, and these findings suggest that this can be a target in the developments of next generation antibiotics. In another study, this approach was implemented to discover and characterize the biosynthetic pathway of anticancer compound hapalosin from the cyanobacterial species Hapalosiphon welwitschii. Cloning and expression of this biosynthetic pathway in the surrogate host Escherichia coli enabled its genetic characterization as well as the generation of a small combinatorial library consisting of analogs incorporating natural and unnatural substrates. Collectively, these investigations demonstrate the utility of genome mining to characterize novel molecules important in pathogenesis or in the biosynthesis of clinically-significant compounds. KW - Discovery of microbial chemicals of clinical significance TI - MS Thesis (ETD) Dan Kwak EP - 85 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24815 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24815/ A1 - Gujral, Swathi Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Exercise is an important factor in maintaining physical and cognitive health throughout the lifespan. However, adherence to exercise regimens is poor with approximately 50% of older adults dropping out within 6 months, which makes it difficult to observe exercise-induced biological changes. Unfortunately, there are few known predictors for exercise adherence, but it is likely that a combination of social-cognitive factors, including self-efficacy, social support, personality traits, executive functions, and self-regulation all relate to exercise adherence. Importantly, all of these factors may rely upon the structural integrity of brain networks. In this study we tested whether grey matter volume prior to the initiation of an exercise intervention would predict adherence to the intervention. Participants included 159 adults aged 60-80 that were randomly assigned to either a moderate-intensity aerobic walking condition or a non-aerobic stretching and toning condition. Participants engaged in supervised exercise 3 times per week for 12 months. Structural magnetic resonance images were collected on individuals before randomization and used for analysis. An optimized voxel based morphometry (VBM) protocol was used to analyze gray matter volume using FSL. We used ordinary least squares regression models with bootstrapping using the Bootstrap Regression Analysis of Voxelwise Observations (BRAVO) toolbox to test the association between voxel-based grey matter volume and exercise adherence. We found a broad array of regions that significantly predicted exercise adherence (p<.01), including medial prefrontal cortex, superior parietal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, and cerebellum. Greater volume in these regions explained 20% of variance in adherence, above and beyond variance explained by self-efficacy. Our results suggest that greater gray matter volume predicts more successful adherence to a 12-month supervised exercise regimen. KW - Exercise Adherence KW - Brain KW - Self-Efficacy TI - Neural Predictors of Exercise Adherence EP - 57 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24149 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24149/ A1 - Wang, Sen Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - The importance of bridge aerodynamic investigations was immediately realized after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed in 1940. Since then the aerodynamic control system that using moveable flaps to increase the aerodynamic stability of bridge has been an important aspect in bridge aerodynamic designs. In last two decades, the record of longest bridge in the world is refreshed frequently, which means the size of current bridges is much bigger than previous bridge. Basically, aerodynamic control system is an indispensable part of a super long bridge, and the active control system seems the only solution to improve the aerodynamic stability when the main span exceeds 3000 m. The purpose of this thesis is to study the effect of active aerodynamic control system with two sharp shape control devices installed on the edges of deck by FEM simulation. Here, the Tatara Bridge is analyzed via FEM software ABAQUS and SOLIDWORKS. This study consists of FEM modal analysis of the bridge, wind tunnel test simulation and wind effect test modeling for the entire bridge under the wind from different directions. In the bridge modal analysis, first 400 vibration mode shapes and their corresponding frequencies are calculated through Lanczos method solver in ABAQUS and the first order mode shape is found to be lateral bending of the deck. Therefore, the target is to optimize the deck shape to reduce the lateral aerodynamic force. To achieve this goal, 9 deck shapes are designed and tested under wind load from 15 different directions in the wind tunnel test simulation through SOLIDWORKS. The result of this test shows the optimized deck shapes can significantly reduce the lateral aerodynamic force. Then the wind effect tests of the entire bridge before and after optimization are performed in ABAQUS. As shown in the results, the displacement of midspan is decreased, especially in lateral direction. The results of this study indicate that this actively transformable sharp control surface can significantly reduce the response of the bridge under lateral aerodynamic force. KW - aerodynamic optimization KW - simulation KW - Tatara Bridge KW - modal analysis KW - FEM TI - Numerical Simulation of the Tatara Bridge and its Aerodynamic Stability Optimization EP - 110 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24511 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24511/ A1 - Doll, Brian Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - The objective of this Thesis is to show that a neuromusclar model can be used to calculate an optimized train that will impede the onset of muscle fatigue while tracking a pre-defined force reference. Implementation of a predictive force and fatigue model of a human skeletal muscle when stimulated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is presented herein. In this implementation, the nonlinear model is used to control muscle force to a reference. Muscle control is optimized in such a way that muscle fatigue is minimized, demonstrating potential for improvements in applications where NMES use is limited by muscle fatigue. Model parameters were identified for the able-bodied subjects and testing was performed to identify the response of the muscle to a constant frequency stimulation. An optimization algorithm was then used to compute a pulse train that will maintain an isometric contraction at a constant force for a period of time without unnecessarily fatiguing the muscle. Following each train, the fatigue of the muscle was evaluated to determine if muscle fatigue was reduced. The study has concluded that muscle fatigue was significantly reduced when an optimized train is used when compared to a constant frequency train. KW - Functional Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Thesis Isometric Muscle Fatigue Hill Huxley TI - Optimization of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Reduce Muscle Fatigue during Isometric Contractions EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24963 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24963/ A1 - Dieterich, Matthew/F Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Hydraulic fracturing from directional drilling involves the injection of large quantities of fluid into the target formation, and creates a significant volume of rock with a high surface area in contact with injection fluid and associated brines. Over time, fluid-rock interactions between the saline injection fluids, formation waters released by fracturing, and the fractured rock results in physical and chemical alteration that can lead to changes in rock strength and fracture connectivity. Factors affecting alteration processes include temperature, rock mineralogy, and the composition and ionic strength of the fluids. Experiments conducted at surface (23°C) and borehole temperatures (70°C) assessed the effect of high ionic strength fluids on the mineralogical, textural and chemical characteristics of high surface area core samples of organic rich Marcellus Shale and underlying Huntersville Chert. Comparison of pre- and post-experiment fluid composition and rock mineralogy, surface area, and textures indicate that some reactions were temperature- and/or lithology-dependent. The results also suggest that fluid-rock interaction, including cation exchange reactions, sorption, mineral alteration, and dissolution and mobilization of some trace metals (e.g., nickel, boron, manganese and lithium) can be observed over short (days) time scales. KW - Marcellus Shale KW - Huntersville Chert KW - fluid-rock interaction TI - PHYSICOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF SYNTHETIC HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLUID ON CORE SAMPLES OF THE MIDDLE DEVONIAN MARCELLUS SHALE AND UNDERLYING HUNTERSVILLE CHERT, GREENE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, USA EP - 49 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23946 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23946/ A1 - Emery, Rebecca Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Although exercise produces an acute energy deficit, there is substantial variability in behavioral and biological responses to exercise that influence propensity for weight change. Indeed, some individuals compensate for exercise by increasing energy intake or decreasing physical activity energy expenditure, leading to a positive energy balance. This maladaptive pattern of behavioral compensation ultimately undermines the efficacy of exercise as a weight loss strategy. The present study aimed to identify individual differences, such as disinhibited eating, that elevate risk for a positive energy balance following exercise. Participants were 48 overweight or obese (BMI ? 25), sedentary women. On average, women were 21.33 (SD = 2.09) years old and 62.5% were white. Women completed self-report measures of eating pathology and behavior and participated in two experimental conditions, exercise and nonexercise, one week apart in a counterbalanced order. Energy intake and physical activity energy expenditure were measured for 24-hours following each condition to compute an estimate of energy balance. Women were defined as compensators if they increased energy intake, decreased energy expenditure, or had a higher energy balance on the exercise day relative to the nonexercise day. Of the sample, 63% compensated for exercise, with 57% compensating by solely increasing energy intake, 27% compensating by solely reducing physical activity energy expenditure, and 17% compensating by both increasing energy intake and reducing physical activity energy expenditure. Separate linear mixed effects models were used to identify predictors of behavioral compensation following exercise. Contrary to expectations, disinhibited eating did not predict behavioral compensation. However, objective binge eating was shown to predict compensatory increases in energy balance following exercise above and beyond relevant covariate effects. These findings provide preliminary evidence that women who report objective binge eating may be at greatest risk of compensating for exercise and further substantiate the need for a better understanding of psychosocial predictors and common mechanisms through which behavioral compensation is promoted to better inform intervention efforts. KW - behavioral compensation KW - exercise KW - disinhibited eating KW - overweight KW - obese TI - Predictors of Compensatory Changes in Energy Balance following Exercise among Overweight and Obese, Sedentary Women EP - 78 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24192 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24192/ A1 - Muhei-aldin, Othman Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - Understanding the learning behavior of brain functional connectivity within motor sequence learning of foot tapping tasks is of great importance to help improving walking quality of elderly people. It is also of great interest to clinical and scientific communities. The role of functional connectivity in brain function has not yet been well understood. This study comprises of two parts; the first part is to investigate brain signal stationarity, while the other will look into brain interactions while performing motor learning sequence task. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized to acquire data from twelve healthy adult participants to study brain functional connectivity and interactions during a sequence of motor learning foot tapping tasks. Tasks were divided into: two different learning blocks, two control blocks, and five blocks of resting states. In this condition, 90 percent of the subjects developed awareness of the sequence. The stationarity of fMRI time series needs to be understood as it has important implications on the choice of appropriate approaches for the analysis of complex brain networks. The reverse arrangement test RAT was utilized to investigate the time series stationarity. Our analysis showed some non-stationary signals with a time varying first moment as a major source of non-stationarity. Next, we choose to apply psycho-physiological interactions (PPI) approach to our data and we revealed some information about the degree to which components of large-scale neural systems were functionally coupled together to achieve and perform the designed learning sequence task. In this work, we will introduce the idea of psycho-physiological interaction (PPI), which explains the responses in one cortical region in terms of an interaction between the effects of other regions and learning task parameter. We have found that the Thalamus was mostly involved and modulated with our predesigned motor learning task. We also found that the Middle frontal Gyrus and Left pre-central Gyrus were the most interacting regions with the above mentioned cluster. This interaction can only be related to the interactions that are based on the experimental factors which are the psychological and physiological interactions. The current results have also supported PPI as a potential tool for understanding learning mechanism during foot tapping tasks. KW - fMRI KW - Motor learning KW - statioarity KW - PPI TI - A Study of Brain Networks Associated With Motor Sequence Learning Foot Tapping Tasks EP - 70 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25119 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25119/ A1 - Al Nifay, Bader / A Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - For many electronic devices where air cooling is the norm, heat loads continue to increase and are projected to soon require a transition to liquid cooling, where more efficient thermal energy transport is achievable due to better fluid properties. In most scenarios, a liquid cooled solution entails a bulk fluid motion traveling past a heated surface, but flows that oscillate back and forth also show promise. However, before this is realized, some fundamental performance models must be extended. This paper focuses on characterizing the dynamics of the flow inside a U-tube manometer under continuous oscillation. For oscillating flow, the dimensionless parameter of interest is the Womersley number (W_0) or the Valensi number (V_a) (one can simply be expressed in terms of the other), and can be used to predict velocity profiles of oscillating flow. In this study, an air blower is utilized to force the fluid to move inside a U-tube manometer by providing an oscillating pressure signal. The dynamic response is the key metric of interest in this work, and is characterized by experimentally measuring the resonance frequency (?_n) and the damping ratio (?), the latter of which is dependent on frictional losses. When the working fluid is under continuous oscillation, additional sources of frictional losses exist, and a non-standard analysis is needed to adequately predict the damping. The dynamic response is measured for different amounts of fluid in a range of tube sizes and empirical correlations are developed to better predict the observed data. Results suggest that the velocity profiles under continuous oscillation are not parabolic and hence quantifying the damping based on the theoretical damped oscillation analysis is not applicable. The results of this study are conceptually applied to a microchannel heat sink, where oscillating flows show promise in handling large heat fluxes. KW - Oscillating manometer KW - forced oscillation KW - damping ratio KW - thermal KW - internal flow TI - Study of Oscillating Liquid Flow as a Thermal Management Solution EP - 88 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24813 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24813/ A1 - Oberlin, Lauren Y1 - 2015/06/08/ N2 - White matter in the brain supports higher-order cognitive processes by facilitating signal transmission between diverse cortical regions. White matter integrity declines with advancing age, leading to impairments in memory and executive processes in older adulthood. Recent research suggests that higher-fit older adults may be less susceptible to white matter degeneration, although evidence for this relationship is limited. Here we examine whether cardiorespiratory fitness correlates with white matter integrity and whether this relationship further predicts cognitive performance in a large, older adult sample. Diffusion tensor imaging was used to determine microstructural white matter integrity in a group of 113 (mean age = 66.61) neurologically healthy adults. Measures of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2), working memory, and executive function were also collected. Using a whole-brain voxelwise analysis, we found that higher fitness levels predicted greater white matter integrity in multiple fiber pathways. We explored this relationship further using a region of interest approach, and found that higher fitness was associated with greater microstructural integrity in the anterior internal capsule and corona radiata, which contain fibers that project from subcortical to prefrontal structures. Further, statistical mediation analysis revealed that white matter integrity within the anterior internal capsule and corona radiata mediated the relationship between fitness and spatial working memory performance. Results suggest that higher levels of aerobic fitness may protect against age-related declines in white matter integrity, which may, in turn, preserve memory performance in older adulthood. KW - White matter; neuroimaging; cognition; aging; fitness TI - The relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness, white matter integrity, and cognitive function in older adulthood EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24773 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24773/ A1 - Williams-Candek, Maryellen Y1 - 2015/06/05/ N2 - This investigation explored the ways in which the four principles of productive disciplinary engagement (Engle & Conant, 2002) may be used as a tool for informing the design of the norms, structures, and classroom features that combine to form a learning environment that supports the CCSS-M. The study examined both the instructional practices employed by the teacher and the nature of student engagement in a suburban, regular education, seventh grade classroom over the course of one unit of study, following the implementation of intentional pedagogical practices aimed at implementing the four principles of productive disciplinary engagement. Data were gathered using several sources: transcriptions of video recordings of one unit of study that unfolded over 15 class sessions, the mathematical tasks used within the unit, lesson plans and teacher reflections, and a student survey. Applying an inductive scoring method (Miles & Huberman, 1994), the entire body of transcriptions of classroom video was scored in an effort to identify indications of each principle and the relationship between them. Teacher questions were scored using the Boaler & Brodie (2002) framework in an effort to identify the actions of the teacher that contributed to the enactment of the principles of productive disciplinary engagement. Mathematical tasks used throughout the unit of study, considered to be an important element in achieving the principle of problematizing, were coded using the Math Task Analysis Guide (Stein & Smith, 1998). A survey was administered to students at the conclusion of the unit in order to understand their perceptions regarding the classroom environment and to triangulate the data. Evidence illustrates that elements such as the mathematical task in which students engage, utilizing the teacher-as-partner stance (Tabak & Baumgartner, 2004), deliberately offering students choices, and positioning students as capable, independent, decision-makers were identified among the ways the teacher encouraged the students to participate using the principles of productive disciplinary engagement. Results point to the interrelated nature of the four principles and student behaviors that occur when the social configurations are arranged so that students assume some of the roles typically associated with the teacher. KW - Keywords: productive disciplinary engagement KW - mathematical tasks KW - five practices for orchestrating discussion KW - participation pattern KW - teacher questions KW - noticing KW - teacher-as-partner TI - Productive Disciplinary Engagement: Framework for Design EP - 350 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25036 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25036/ A1 - Udofa, Imaobong A Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - The ability to visualize the scapula in three dimensions (3D) is necessary for the evaluation of scapular movement. The scapula plays an important role in upper extremity function as it provides a stable base for shoulder movement and enables optimal shoulder complex function. We previously developed a custom freehand ultrasound (FUS) system for purposes of evaluating bone movement, which is a relatively unexplored application as it pertains to shoulder biomechanics. Our system was developed to create a reconstructed scapular border in 3D space, from points of interest in two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound images, and determine scapular rotations. We found high reliability in evaluating scapular kinematics in static postures with our 3D FUS system. However, we are currently limited to manual detection of the scapular border in the ultrasound images, which is very time consuming. Steps are needed to enhance the FUS system to include automatic detection and increase efficiency. For this study, we have developed a program, capable of automatically identifying and tracking the scapula in 2D ultrasound images, to be integrated into our 3D FUS system. Selected coordinates identified as the scapular border by our automated program were compared to previous manual selections to validate its accuracy and reliability. Using intraclass correlation coefficients, we found substantial to excellent inter-rater reliability (agreement between the automated and manual point selections). The semi-automated point selection program reduces the data processing time required for identification of the spine and medial border of the scapula in our ultrasound images by over 50%. Our results suggest that this proposed program is a viable method for automatically identifying and tracking the scapular border in 2D ultrasound images. Further study on image pre-processing prior to future application of this automated program should be conducted to further improve the accuracy of our algorithm. In conclusion, point selection is necessary for 3D reconstruction of the scapular border and this automation ultimately enhances our FUS system by increasing the efficiency of our point selection process. Access to 3D scapular models plays several roles ranging from detection of shoulder pathologies to assessing the effectiveness of interventions or preventative measures for shoulder injuries. KW - Automation KW - Scapula KW - Ultrasound TI - Automatic Identification of the Scapular Border to Increase the Efficiency of Data Processing for the Freehand Three-Dimensional Ultrasound System EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24597 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24597/ A1 - Bickta, Janelle Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Myoglobin and mitochondria have been studied extensively over the past century; however, the mechanisms by which they interact still remain unclear. Myoglobin is known for its localization in skeletal muscle where it stores and transports oxygen to respiring mitochondria. Myoglobin is now gaining recognition for its expression in cancer and its function as a nitrite reductase, able to reduce nitrite to nitric oxide (NO). The overall objective of this study is to characterize the regulation of mitochondria by myoglobin, specifically in ischemia/reperfusion injury and breast cancer. Mitochondrial damage is a central component to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Nitrite is known to mediate protection after ischemia/reperfusion through its reduction to NO, which S-nitrosates complex I of the electron transport chain. This S-nitrosation reduces reactive oxygen species generation, thereby reducing cell death. Using myoglobin positive and negative cells, this study shows that nitrite is only able to mediate protection in myoglobin-expressing cells through S-nitrosation. Furthermore, by knocking down complex I by siRNA transfection, it is confirmed that this protection occurs through complex I. Therefore, myoglobin expression is required for nitrite to have protective effects in reperfusion injury. Myoglobin has only recently been discovered in cancer tumors; therefore, little is known about its function in these tissues. Interestingly, myoglobin expression in breast cancer has been associated with better patient prognosis. In this study, stable transfection of myoglobin in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells caused a significant decrease in cell proliferation and marked mitochondrial fusion. This fusion of mitochondria resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase transition of the cell cycle. Further investigation showed that myoglobin expression prevents ubiquitination of mitochondrial fusion proteins. Myoglobin-expressing cells therefore have extensive mitochondrial fusion, which causes cell cycle arrest and reduced cell proliferation and tumor growth in vivo. This project has identified that myoglobin is necessary for nitrite to have protective effects in ischemia/reperfusion and begun to elucidate the mechanism by which myoglobin is beneficial in breast cancer. With further research, myoglobin may be used as a therapeutic target for cancer as well as ischemia/reperfusion in other tissues. KW - myoglobin KW - mitochondria TI - Characterization of Oxygen-Independent Functions of Myoglobin in Mitochondrial Regulation EP - 95 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24152 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24152/ A1 - Dauer, Kristin Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - The Ucayali River, one of the largest rivers in the Peruvian Amazon, is one of the most dynamic rivers in the region. The Upper Ucayali River is a single-thread, meandering river, while the Lower Ucayali has multiple threads. Before being able to answer complex questions such as if the planform characteristics of Ucayali River are affected by climate change or land use change, the river itself needs to be characterized. The river can be characterized both in terms of the planform and morphometrics. I have developed a toolbox to facilitate the calculation of static planform statistics on meandering rivers, and have calculated some basic parameters of a reach of the Ucayali, including wavelength, amplitude, and orientation of bends. In order to understand the morphodynamic processes on the Lower Ucayali River, which has multiple threads, I have conducted a case study of one reach where two cutoffs have occurred in recent years, and where a third may soon happen. The study includes a temporal analysis using satellite imagery, hydrodynamic and morphodynamic field measurements and a two-dimensional Reynolds Average Navier Stokes (RANS) model, in order to predict how and when the cutoff may occur. KW - river morphology KW - Ucayali River KW - cutoff KW - planform characteristics KW - meandering river KW - Amazon Basin TI - Dyanamic And Static Characterization Of The Planimetry Of The Ucayali River, Peru EP - 46 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24187 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24187/ A1 - Cheng, Cheng Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Currently, every oil and gas industry operator?s motivation is aimed toward attaining optimized, low-cost horizontal well completions. The goal is typically to generate uniform, simultaneously-growing hydraulic fractures from 3-6 initiation/entry sites that are spacingd within a certain interval of the wellbore comprising a so-called ?stage?. Due to the stress interaction among growing hydraulic fractures, however, it is hard to stimulate all hydraulic fractures to grow simultaneously in the array. This phenomenon, referred to as a stress shadow, inhibits the growth of inner fractures and favors the growth of outer fractures in the array. Recently, we created a new hydraulic fracture simulator, C2Frac,which very rapidly simulates the growth of an array of hydraulic fractures. The simulation helps reduce the negative effects of stress shadow by determining an optimal perforation spacing. In this model, the fractures created from all perforation clusters were restricted to radial, planar growth. This coupled mathematical model uses the power estimate, asymptotic solutions, and local integration to develop a relationship between the fluid flow entering the well bore and friction pressure drop that approximately accounts for the stress interaction between fractures. Utilizing this relationship, C2Frac can determine how the radius, width, pressure, and total fracture area evolve with time and compare them with a fully coupled benchmark model. The solution is found to be sufficiently accurate for practical purposes and C2Frac completes the calculation in less than 2 seconds compared with the benchmark model that took approximately 1 week to solve the same problem. Perforation loss, that is, the pressure drop of fluid through the perforation tunnel on the casing, is another important but sometimes neglected effect on fracture growth. So we add the perforation loss into C2Frac to simulate how perforation loss influence the total fracture surface area obtained from a growing array of hydraulic fractures that are impacted by the stress shadow effect. Our results show the potential of proper perforation diameter and number to double the fracture surface area generated by a given injected fluid volume though minimizing the negative effect of interaction. This approach is known as ?limited entry design?. The investigation concludes with devising limited entry design and optimal spacing for different numbers of entry points. In summary, C2Frac is shown to provide useful approximation to the growth of arrays of hydraulic fractures under the influence of stress shadow and limited entry. By using a novel energetic approach to account for the coupling among the hydraulic fractures and through judicious use of asymptotic, approximate solutions, C2Frac computes in 10-6-10-5 of the computation time required by the most efficient existing model that fully solves the coupled problem. This enables completion optimization because over a thousand trial cases can be run in a single hour of computation in order to search for the best completion configuration, whereas existing models would require tens of years of processor time to perform the same task. KW - Hydraulic Fracturing; Horizontal Well Completions; Perforating; Limited Entry; Fracture Modeling TI - Energy-based approach for rapid stimulation of interacting hydraulic fractures EP - 66 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24160 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24160/ A1 - Dufalla, Nicole Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - The production and maintenance of Portland cement concrete pavements creates a considerable amount of waste water, usually with a high pH and high levels of dissolved and suspended solids and the safe disposal of this material can be costly. The ability to reuse this waste water as mixing water into new concrete production would be a more cost efficient option, which would greatly reduce waste. Due to the presence of existing cement particles and elevated pH, waste water with both hydrated and unhydrated cement particles used as mixing water affects the performance of the concrete. These effects can potentially be beneficial, even if the water has a percent solids higher than recommended in current mix water specifications. Therefore, a method of quantifying the characteristics of the waste water is necessary to predict the performance of the concrete based on measurable properties of the waste water. This study quantifies the characteristics of the waste water, including pH, conductivity, and index of refraction. Models are then developed using a regression analysis. This is accomplished by characterizing waste water produced using multiple different sources of both grinding and wash out fines. Then, mortar properties are tested from mortar batches made with the characterized waste water, including compressive strength and set time. The laboratory data is then used for the development of regression equations for predicting the performance (set time and compressive strength) of the concrete, as a function of the waste water characteristics that are easily measured using in-line sensors. These relationships makes it possible to use waste water from a variety of sources in the production of new concrete while, being able to predict the effects of the inclusion of the waste water on the concrete performance a priori. Finally, a mock set up of a plant water circulation system was constructed using in-line sensors for measuring the waste water properties. Concrete is then cast using water pulled from the lab-scale water circulation system to provide insight into the adequacy of the final models. KW - concrete KW - recycling KW - waste water KW - compression strength KW - set time testing KW - sustainability TI - Guidelines for the Use of Waste Concrete Fines EP - 141 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24576 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24576/ A1 - Yahui, Yang Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Core-shell nanostructures have drawn a lot of attention thanks to their ability to isolate the nanoparticle cores inside the support and hence alleviate sintering problem. Metal-silica core-shell materials are among the most typical core-shell nanostructures. Considering the porosity of the silica shell, the silica layer in such metal-silica core-shell materials also could serve as a porous membrane for preferential diffusion of different molecules. In the present work, we aim to apply this to H2 - CH4 mixtures, where we expect a preferential diffusion of H2 through the silica layer and hence a preferential conversion of H2 over the metal cores inside the silica shell. Two core-shell materials with different configuration were synthesized to investigate the impact of nanostructure on the diffusion of H2 and CH4. These two materials are non-hollow Ni@SiO2 (denoted as nhNi@SiO2) where Ni nanoclusters are evenly dispersed in a porous silica nanoparticle, and hollow Ni@SiO2 (denoted as hNi@SiO2) where Ni nanoclusters decorate the inside wall of a pronounced cavity enclosed by a porous silica shell. A conventional Ni-SiO2 catalyst (where nickel nanoclusters are dispersed on external silica surface) was synthesized as a comparison. In unmixed H2 and CH4 oxidation tests, we find the expected impact of diffusion through the porous silica shell on the conversion of H2 and CH4 with nickel oxide, suggesting that these materials might allow for selective conversion. Different diffusion pathway in these two materials results in different kinetics. In co-fed tests, H2 conversion curve precedes CH4 conversion on both materials, and this is more pronounced on hollow material, suggesting H2 diffuses more easily than CH4 and a shell with uniform diffusion distance can result in selectivity. It is hence expected to see the ?selective? diffusion enhanced with an increased silica shell thickness. Our future work will focus on hNi@SiO2 with thicker silica shell. Furthermore, we will investigate the preferential oxidation of hydrogen versus ethane, propane, or heavier hydrocarbon for which we expect the selective diffusion of hydrogen versus other hydrocarbons to be further enhanced as the difference in molecular weight between the hydrocarbon and hydrogen?and hence the difference in diffusion coefficient?become larger. Ultimately, we aim to apply these metal-silica core-shell materials to selective dehydrogenation reactions to remove the produced hydrogen from the product mixture. KW - Core-shell catalysts KW - selective diffusion TI - Preferential Oxidation of H2 - CH4 Mixtures on Nickel-Silica Based Core-Shell Catalysts EP - 73 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25307 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25307/ A1 - Sohn, Jihee Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Adult skeletal muscle possesses a remarkable regenerative ability, which largely depends on satellite cells; however, in severe muscular dystrophies, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), skeletal muscle integrity is compromised and the muscle is often replaced by a mixture of fibrous tissue and white adipocytes in a process termed fibro-adipogenic degeneration. The precise cellular origin and the environmental cues responsible for accumulation of fat/fibrotic tissues during the course of the disease remain unknown. Using a previously published preplate technique, two distinct populations of muscle derived cells from skeletal muscle were isolated: 1) a rapidly adhering cell population (RACs), which is non-myogenic, Pax7- and expresses the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) marker PDGFR?, hence termed non-myogenic MSCs (nmMSCs); and 2) a slowly adhering cell population (SACs) which is Pax7+ and highly myogenic, termed myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs). In this dissertation, the role of nmMSCs in the histopathogenesis of dystrophin/utrophin double knock out (dKO) mice, an animal model of DMD, was investigated. The nmMSCs become activated during the disease progression in dKO mice, displaying increased proliferation and adipogenic, osteogenic, and fibrogenic potentials compared to age-matched WT counterparts. The activated dKO-nmMSCs also significantly reduced the myogenic potential of the dKO-MPCs, an effect, at least partially, mediated by the secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1) released by the dKO-nmMSCs. These results suggest that nmMSCs are likely the cell source involved in the deposition of non-muscle tissues in dKO muscles and activation of nmMSCs likely exacerbates muscle wasting and degeneration during the disease progression by limiting the myogenic potential of MPCs. Interestingly, the nmMSCs also appear to play an important role in muscle regeneration after acute injury in normal WT muscle. The nmMSCs isolated from cardiotoxin injured WT muscle significantly enhanced the myogenic potential of MPCs after co-cultivation, suggesting that the nmMSCs may facilitate muscle repair in normal WT muscle. These results suggest that the muscle micro-environment plays a major role in the fate of nMMSCs. Overall, data from this dissertation proposes that a therapeutic strategy targeting nmMSCs could represent a novel treatment for DMD. KW - stem cell KW - regenerative medicine KW - muscular dystrophy KW - intramuscular fat accumulation TI - The Role of Non-Myogenic Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Skeletal Muscle of Dystrophin/Utrophin Double Knockout Mice EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23969 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23969/ A1 - Bajaj, Amoha Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Social integration (SI) and perceived social support (SS) are associated with reduction in premature mortality, while poor marital quality (MQ), and social conflict (SC) are associated with negative health outcomes. Systemic inflammation has been proposed as a mechanism accounting for these associations. However, the literature exploring the association between aspects of social relationships and inflammation has yielded inconsistent findings. The extent to which daily social interactions may play a role in the association of SI, SS, MQ, and SC with inflammatory markers in humans is currently unknown. The literature also shows stronger evidence for links between inflammation and SC, than between inflammation and positive relationship features, although these two sets of associations have rarely been compared in the context of a single study. Using ecological momentary assessment of social measures, this project aims to examine the relationship between daily social interaction characteristics and inflammatory markers, CRP and IL-6, and to compare negative interactions with positive interactions in their association with inflammatory biomarkers, in a sample of 494 men and women, using a cross-sectional design. This results of this study show no significant associations between global measures of social integration, social support, and marital quality, and either inflammatory biomarker. There was also no association found between the frequency of social interactions and the proportion of negative social interactions with inflammatory biomarkers. However, in this sample, the proportion of positive interactions was positively associated with CRP level. Additional exploratory analyses were conducted to test the robustness of this finding and it was found that this association existed in married individuals, females, and particularly, married females, suggesting that this finding may not be robust and should be interpreted with caution. And lastly, in a subsample of married individuals, there was no association found between the frequency and quality of marital interactions and either inflammatory marker. KW - Social support KW - social integration KW - marital quality KW - social interactions KW - ecological momentary assessment KW - inflammation KW - C-reactive protein KW - Interleukin-6 TI - Social Relationships, Daily Social Interactions, and Inflammation EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24446 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24446/ A1 - Abdrakhimova, Dinara Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - The equilibrium solubilities (C*) and volumetric liquid-side mass transfer coefficients (kLa) for He and N2, as surrogates to H2 and CO, and their mixtures were measured in a Silicone Oil and a SpectraSyn Polyalphaolefin as startup liquids in Fischer-Tropsch Slurry Bubble Column Reactors (SBCRs). The data were obtained within wide ranges of pressures (4-30 bar), temperatures (298-398 K) and mixing speeds (1000-1400 rpm) in one-gallon agitated ZipperClave reactor operating in the gas-inducing mode. The effects of different operating variables as well as the gas and liquid natures on C* and kLa for He and N2 in the two liquids were discussed. The interpretation of the experimental results and calculations reveals the following: At constant temperature, the C* values of He and N2 in the Silicone Oil and SpectraSyn polyalphaolefin increased non-linearly with the gas partial pressure and hence Henry?s Law was not applicable. Under similar pressures and temperatures, the C* values of both gases in the Silicone Oil were greater than those in the SpectraSyn polyalphaolefin; and C* values of N2 were greater than those of He in both liquids. This behavior was attributed to the differences among the Hildebrand solubility parameters calculated for the gases and liquids used. The kLa values of both gases in the two liquids increased with the mixing speed, gas partial pressure and system temperature which was related to the increase of both the gas-liquid interfacial area (a) and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient (kL). Increasing mixing speed, gas partial pressure and system temperature increased the gas holdup and decreased the liquid-phase viscosity and surface tension, leading to the formation of small gas bubbles and hence an increase of (a). Also, increasing mixing speed and system temperature increased the turbulence and the gas diffusivity in the liquid, resulting in an increase of (kL). Under similar pressure, temperature and mixing speed, the kLa values of He in the two liquids were greater than those of N2. This behavior was because at the same temperature the diffusivities of He in both liquids were greater than those of N2 and hence (kL)He and consequently (kLa)He values were greater than those of N2 in both liquids, knowing that kL ? (DAB)n, n =1 for the two-film theory and 0.5 for the penetration theory. Unlike gas solubilities, kLa values of He were lower in Silicone Oil than those in the SpectraSyn Polyalphaolefin, whereas the opposite was true in the case of N2. This behavior was attributed to the lower He and N2 diffusivities in Silicone Oil than in the SpectraSyn Polyalphaolefin, resulting in small kL values for both gases. On the other hand, the higher viscosity of Silicone Oil than that of the SpectraSyn Polyalphaolefin was expected to enhance the formation of large bubbles with small gas-liquid interfacial area (a). This was true in the case of the light He where smaller kL and, a values in the more viscous liquid (Silicone Oil) resulted in lower kLa values. In the case of N2, however, it seems that the induced heavy N2 bubbles were broken by the impeller and scattered throughout the reactor, leading to the formation of small bubbles with large gas-liquid interfacial area (a). Thus, the small kL values of N2 in the more viscous liquid (Silicone Oil) were overcame by its larger a values, leading to the higher kLa than those in the less viscous (SpectraSyn polyalphaolefin). Five liquids, namely Silicone oil, SpectraSyn polyalphaolefin, reactor wax, n-tetradecane and paraffins mixture, were explored as potential startup liquids for the F-T synthesis in SBCRs at 410 K and 15 bars at two ? values, 0.85 and 0.92. This investigation indicated that the SpectraSyn polyalphaolefin cloud remain in the reactor for over 200 hr, whereas the paraffins mixture would remain only for about 100 hr. This behavior was related to the startup liquid molecular weight, which was the main factor controlling its residence time in the SBCRs. KW - mass transfer KW - solubility KW - Fischer-Tropsch TI - Solubilities and Mass Transfer Coefficients of Gases in Silicone Oil and Polyalphaolefin EP - 84 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24626 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24626/ A1 - Guan, Wei Y1 - 2015/06/04/ N2 - Naonometer-thick lubricants, such as perfluoropolyether (PFPE) ZDOL, have been used to protect magnetic media surface from wear damage in hard disk drives (HDD) for several decades. PFPE?s salient weaknesses like high cost, environmental concerns, and notable thickness have challenged their future usage in this fast developing industry. In order to identify a good substitute of PFPEs to alleviate those negative effects, as well as decrease the magnetic spacing, the nanofilm conformation of a novel lubricant, called comb-like polymers (CLPs), confined to the silicon wafer surface has been investigated via studying the molecular weight dependence of the monolayer thickness in this thesis. CLP nanofilm was fabricated through dipcoating process. Saturated bonded thickness of CLPs was determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and taken as monolayer thickness. Experimental results showed that the monolayer thicknesses of PFPE ZDOL 2000 and PFPE ZDOL 4000 were 1.02±0.11 nm and 1.59±0.21 nm, respectively. The corresponding molecular weight exponent ?n? of ZDOL was 0.64±0.06, which indicates a slightly stretched random coil conformation. The monolayer thicknesses of four different CLPs, commercially known as PF-636, PF-6320, PF-656 and PF-6520, were 0.48±0.02 nm, 0.69±0.05 nm, 0.64±0.04 nm, and 0.80±0.06 nm, respectively, which are significantly lower than that of Zdol. The ?n? values of PF-63X and PF-65X were 0.33±0.04, and 0.20±0.01, respectively, which indicates a flatter conformation than ZDOL. The difference between PFPEs and CLPs has been attributed to the different rigidity of ZDOL and CLP molecules caused by different chemical structure of their backbones and side groups. Our experimental results suggest that the CLP chains are more rigid and tend to lie flatter on the silicon wafer surface and it will potentially reduce magnetic spacing and increase the areal density. The experimental results also indicated that the rigidity of the CLP chains result in faster solution adsorption. Though more reliability tests are required to determine the feasibility of CLPs as a media lubricant, the current studies suggest that CLPs have great potential as nanometer-thick lubricant. KW - Comb-Like Polymers (CLPs) KW - conformation KW - monolayer thickness KW - ellipsometry KW - molecular weight exponent TI - Study on the Conformation of Comb-Like Polymers (CLPs) Confined to a Solid Surface EP - 77 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24674 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24674/ A1 - LYMAN, DANIELLE Y1 - 2015/06/03/ N2 - Body type classification is employed to determine disease risk using measurements such as Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) and waist circumference. However, these measures classify body types using a priori determined cut-points. The purpose of this investigation was to establish data-based cut-points denoting female body types ranging between android and hyper-gynoid using the WHR and regional body fat distribution-ratio (RFD-ratio). Waist, abdomen, and hip circumference, height, weight, and body fat were obtained for 73 Caucasian females. The waist and hip circumferences were used to determine the WHR classification. The abdomen circumference, height, and BMI were used to develop the RFD-ratio classification. The subjects were 20.93 ± 1.95 years old, weighed 62.31 ± 9.92 kg, and were 163.78 ± 6.70 cm tall. They had a BMI of 23.19 ± 3.21 kg?m-2 and a body fat percentage of 25.85 ± 6.59. A TwoStep cluster analysis was used to determine the number of ?naturally? formed body type clusters. The analysis was conducted with no a priori determination of number of clusters to form, where to make the cut-points, or how many subjects to place in each cluster. Within both body type classification systems (ie. WHR and RFD-ratio), three good quality clusters formed. For the WHR system, the cut-point between the hyper-gynoid and gynoid clusters fell at 0.72, while the cut-point between the gynoid and android clusters was 0.78. For the RFD-ratio system, the cut-points were 0.68 and 0.78, respectively. To examine interchangeability between systems, the WHR and RFD-ratio system?s values were compared using a One-Factor ANOVA. Ratios differed (p < 0.01) between systems. This indicated that the two systems could not be used interchangeably despite having a correlation of r = 0.65. It was concluded that both classification systems can be used to determine female body type. Owing to application simplicity, the WHR classification system may be preferable. Further examination of the subjects? health status as well as testing a larger number of overweight or obese subjects is required to broaden generalizability of the two body type classification systems. KW - Anthropometry KW - Waist-to-Hip Ratio KW - Regional Fat Distribution KW - Gynoid KW - Android KW - Body Mass Index KW - Body Type KW - Female TI - FEMALE BODY TYPES CLASSIFED BY WAIST-TO-HIP AND REGIONAL FAT DISTRIBUTION RATIOS EP - 101 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24199 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24199/ A1 - Alvarez, Travis Y1 - 2015/06/02/ N2 - Share (1995) hypothesized that readers can use phonological recoding as a mechanism to self-teach the acquisition of orthographic word knowledge. Support for his theory has come from studies conducted in young children, but it has yet to be tested in adults. Experiment 1 tested the ability of adults to acquire orthographic representations of novel word forms via self-teaching. English-speaking adults (N = 18) read 16 pseudowords embedded within a lexical decision task. Posttests revealed that adults could acquire item-specific orthographic knowledge of novel word forms through the use of self-teaching. Experiment 2 tested the degree to which limiting phonological recoding affects orthographic learning in adults. English-speaking adults (N = 19) performed a lexical decision task while concurrently articulating. Participants in Experiment 2 exhibited evidence of orthographic learning. However, participants in Experiment 1, who had full overt access to phonological recoding, exhibited stronger evidence of orthographic learning. Collectively, adult patterns of orthographic learning are comparable to patterns observed in children, as predicted by Share's item-based account of reading skill. KW - Self-teaching; adult orthographic learning; phonological recoding; concurrent articulation; word acquisition TI - Phonological Recoding and Orthographic Learning: Testing the Self-Teaching Hypothesis in Adults EP - 37 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24857 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24857/ A1 - Rosenmund, William D Y1 - 2015/06/01/ N2 - Since its first theatrical release in 1940, Disney's Fantasia has become an autonomous brand under the stewardship of the Walt Disney Company. Through the seventy-five years of its history, Fantasia has spawned multiple re-releases in both the domestic and public sphere, as well as a sequel film, video game, and series of live performances. Despite its persistent cultural relevance, music scholars have snubbed the film for its commercial underpinnings, while celebrating its technological advances. This thesis invites readers to consider the relationship between aesthetic and commercial values by investigating the film as a site of intersection for entertainment, education, and capitalism This project takes a three-part approach to consider Fantasia?s pedagogical value, economic stance, and reception history. I use Michel Chion?s theory of audio-viewing to describe the film?s modes of listening. Using the critical theory of media spectacle by Douglas Kellner, the philosophy of musical museums proffered by Lydia Goehr and J. Peter Burkholder, and drawing on Mark Clague's historical contextualization of the film, I describe how Fantasia can be understood as a commodity with value beyond the profits it garnered for the Walt Disney Company. As such, the Fantasia project, through its various iterations, has the potential to be used as a teaching tool for its accessible presentation of canonical art music works that engages audiences through fun and entertaining mechanisms. Changes to the marketing and reception of the Fantasia franchise writ large also track with broader cultural changes in attitudes toward western classical music and audience engagement. These elements attest to Fantasia?s dual existence as both a populist commodity and a pedagogical text. KW - Disney KW - Fantasia KW - Cultural history KW - cultural criticism KW - education KW - dynamic commodity TI - EVOLVING FANTASIA: LISTENING FOR FUN AND EDUCATION IN WALT DISNEY'S DYNAMIC COMMODITY EP - 52 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24793 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24793/ A1 - Riordan, Brian Y1 - 2015/06/01/ N2 - Laniakea, for pipa, horn in f, double bass, piano, and laptop is a 22 minute original musical composition. The present paper will explore its key concerns, which includes composing within a complex set of logistics, writing for an unusual ensemble, and programming computer software for the purpose of real-time performance. This paper will also provide an aesthetic context for the work by exploring its influences and how they relate to the formal structure. It will then engage in an analysis of the rhythm and pitch derivation, and finally, explore the relationship between the acoustic ensemble and electronics. KW - Masters Thesis KW - University of Pittsburgh TI - LANIAKEA FOR PIPA, HORN IN F, DOUBLE BASS, PIANO, AND LAPTOP: SOME CONSIDERATIONS AND ANALYSIS EP - 33 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24011 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24011/ A1 - Wu, Zhaohong Y1 - 2015/06/01/ N2 - This study examines the influence of different kinds of preceding contexts on the processing of relative clauses. Through both a Chinese and an English version of an experiment, with native speakers recruited for each version, this study systematically compared the processing of relative clauses in a canonical, non-canonical, and ?null? context in both Chinese and English and was the first to systematically examine three accounts of priming (the thematic pattern priming account proposed by Lin (2014), in addition to both the verb phrase constituent priming account and the syntactic position sequence priming account proposed by Fedorenko, Piantadosi, and Gibson (2012)) in relative clause processing in both Chinese and English. Results showed discrepancies between predictions from each priming account and the actual results. None of the three priming accounts could sufficiently explain the results in Chinese and English. Alternative possible explanations were suggested, including: (1) having a context makes relative clause reading more natural and frequency effects less obvious; (2) the NPs inside the RCs are primed by the original thematic roles or grammatical functions of same NPs in the critical context sentence; (3) an interplay of all three different kinds of priming in the processing of relative clauses in context may occur. KW - Chinese relative clauses; priming TI - Processing relative clauses in context: what kind of priming from the preceding context is most effective? EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24996 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24996/ A1 - Horowitz, Deena Y1 - 2015/06/01/ N2 - Decades of spectacular economic growth and globalization have resulted in profound economic and social changes in China. These changes have been accompanied by a political and ideological transformation from Communism to Authoritarianism. Throughout its rule, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has deliberately controlled and altered historical narratives by means such as museum exhibition practices and the creation of national commemoration days. These means are now being used to advert a growing crisis of faith in Communist belief and, most importantly, bolster and justify the Party's continued rule over a rapidly changing nation. Historical memory, museums exhibitions and commemorative days are used to distract from the impact of profound social changes in today's China. The promotion of three separate identity formations (victim, martyr and hero) solidifies national identity and offers alternative identities based on carefully constructed history to such competing identities based on the capitalist economic transformation, such as consumer or millionaire. There are four main contemporary issues that have led the CCP to leverage the memory of the Anti-Japanese War of 1931/37-45 to promote state sanctioned nationalism: first, the need to provide a legitimating ideology in the face of a collapsing communist ideology and practice; second, the quest to bind the Chinese people together in the face of economic forces which are driving a gap in society and causing vast social inequalities; third the ongoing desire to unify the nation with Taiwan; and finally the ongoing historical debate and heightening territory disputes with Japan. KW - Chinese Nationalism TI - Victims, Martyrs and Heroes: The Formation and Manipulation of Historical Memory in China EP - 58 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24886 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24886/ A1 - LAZAR, HILLARY Y1 - 2015/05/31/ N2 - For many recent mobilizations and fronts of struggle, ?love? serves as a primary motivational frame, which fall into four major categories: love of self, love of others, love of the Earth, and love as the revolution itself. While the exact definitions vary across movements, for all, love is seen as a strategic, powerful, transformational?and, importantly, actionable?form of resistance to oppressive, hegemonic systems and modes of thought. And, in most general terms, love can be loosely thought of as quasi-synonymous with ?empathy? and rooted in a sense of interconnectedness and common cause in each of these contexts. Although there are several currents contributing to the formation and adoption of these frames, evidence further suggests that contemporary political love reflects an important break from the geoculture of capitalism within the Left since the financial collapse in 2008 and due to mounting fears over climate collapse in recent years. Through a mixed methods analysis, this study explores this shift via examination of the many meanings and significance of political love across contemporary movements. KW - Sociology KW - Social Movements KW - Framing KW - Love KW - Occupy Movement KW - Anarchism KW - Spiritual Activism KW - Climate Justice KW - Black Feminism KW - Decolonial Theory KW - Affect Theory TI - AT THE HEART OF THE REVOLUTION: POLITICAL LOVE AS PARADIGM SHIFT EP - 84 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24961 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24961/ A1 - Case, Benjamin / S Y1 - 2015/05/31/ N2 - Studies of anarchists across disciplines have largely focused on famous personalities and major historical events or on contentious protest actions and violence. In a 21st century context in which anarchism has an ever more significant influence on social movements in the U.S. and around the globe, understanding how anarchists understand that label is increasingly important. This paper aims to contribute to an understanding of the meaning of anarchism through the words of anarchists themselves. In this study, I interview 22 anarchists from three U.S. cities about what anarchism means to them and about if and how they practice their ideology in their everyday lives. I find a high level of unity around several core values regardless of the interviewees? backgrounds or affiliations. Beyond that base level of unity, we see extensive variation across the sectarian divisions asserted by dominant theoretical works, both findings suggesting that such dichotomous, antagonistic frameworks may be overly simplistic. In addition, I explore a rhetorical device that appears frequently in the interviews and connect it to a pervasive sense of marginality. This ?marginality within marginality? may have several sources, including punk music and subculture, which I argue contribute to the perpetuation of a notion of unbridgeability between types of anarchists. KW - anarchism KW - social movements KW - cultural sociology KW - identity TI - Bridging the Chasms: Contemporary Anarchists in the U.S. EP - 69 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24945 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24945/ A1 - Kanemoto, Ray Y1 - 2015/05/31/ N2 - Processes of globalization are unevenly developing with economic activities further concentrated in urban spaces. This increased urbanization has exacerbated global issues and significantly altered the way of life for many people. It has also changed the composition of cities, in some cases created global cities, which have opened up new spaces and possibilities for contention as the local and global levels are intimately connected. Urban social movement actors? activities are informed through this spatial understanding. Thus, research on contentious politics can benefit from observing how spatialities affect contentious action. Spatial perspectives illuminate the connections between daily life experiences and broader social, political, and economic processes. Urban spaces reveal the continuities between culture and structure, both cultural and structural approaches can benefit by incorporating spatial analyses for studying contemporary contentious politics. One of the tactics employed by activists is their use of play to reclaim space, inscribing it with new values and meanings to challenge hegemonic groups. Investigating the intersection of play and space can enhance our understandings on the development and trajectories of contentious action. This thesis examines the Critical Mass movement as a case study to illustrate how space and play are a part of an integral process through which these actors perceive, shape, and participate in contentious politics. KW - space KW - play KW - critical mass KW - contentious politics KW - social movements TI - Incorporating Space and Play in the Study of Contemporary Contentious Politics: The Case of the Critical Mass Movement RK EP - 52 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24800 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24800/ A1 - Mace, Zachary S. Y1 - 2015/05/31/ N2 - The thesis advances the argument that the rationale for permitting informed, competent adults to refuse or withdrawal life-saving treatment also supports permitting some individuals to die by suicide if they so choose. This argument will begin by first recounting the consensus that has developed in the United States, which holds that the refusal of life-saving treatment by competent adults can in some circumstances be ethically justified on the grounds of respect for the autonomous decisions and promotion of the individual wellbeing of such persons. This will be followed by an examination of the concept of autonomous decisions-making and the related concept of competence to make such decisions, with consideration of their applicability to determining whether permitting some suicides can be ethically justified. It will then be argued that, in addition to satisfying the criteria of competence, autonomy and personal wellbeing, the decision to die by suicide must also be authentic in order to be permitted. Moreover, consideration will be given to the harms to others that may result from suicide, and sufficient non-harm to others will be proposed as a criterion for judging whether a suicide should be permitted. While the rationality of the decision to die and the presence of terminal or chronic conditions have been considered important in evaluating the permissibility of suicide, I argue that these should not be treated as criteria for judging a suicide?s acceptability. I will argue that applying criteria of competence, respect for autonomy, wellbeing, authenticity, and sufficient non-harm to others is necessary and sufficient for determining whether a suicide ought to be permitted. The implications of this conclusion for clinical practice will then be considered. This will include consideration of the special nature of the clinician-patient relationship, as well as how satisfaction of the five criteria may be evaluated in the clinical setting. Case examples are included to help illustrate how the framework could be employed. Finally, the limitations of the framework will be addressed to consider how doubts about satisfaction of the criteria may be handled and the possibility that dogmatic adherence to the framework could be morally untenable. KW - ethics of suicide KW - rational suicide KW - right to die KW - refusal of treatment KW - authenticity and suicide TI - THE PERMISSIBILITY OF SUICIDE IN LIGHT OF THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TREATMENT EP - 80 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24921 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24921/ A1 - Dolce, Frank Y1 - 2015/05/31/ N2 - Previous research has examined cross-linguistic importance of phonological and morphological awareness in Chinese and English word recognition, yet few studies have focused on the earlier, pre-lexical aspects of character recognition and evaluated why orthographic awareness is central to Chinese literacy development. Comparing spread of lexical activation between orthographic, phonologic and semantic stores in English and Chinese reading have helped to specify the lexical pathways underlying character decoding and reading comprehension as part of word recognition. The visual orthographic complexity and coarse form-form mappings of the logographic character system, considered in conjunction with the observations of the Lexical Constituency Model and other reading research, suggests that Chinese pre-lexical processing is exclusively orthographic and threshold-based. Sub-character radicals are decomposed sub-lexical (but not ?pre-lexical?) representations and are utilized in unfamiliar reading (based on radical frequency and regularity, and other factors). Radical parts are only accessed after orthographic lexical representations are already assembled, meaning their access involves top-down morpho-orthographic decomposition. The first study proposal uses two character recognition training tasks to examine the pre-lexical decoding mechanism that results in perceptual assembly of lexical orthographic representations. Beginning with the basic premise that the semantic cues provided by radical parts also contribute to reading of unfamiliar graphic forms, two follow-up proposals compare the relevance of visual, orthographic and semantic salience of radical components to both real and pseudocharacter recall. It is anticipated that graphic and semantic salience of radicals will have independent and additive effects on recall of unfamiliar forms and both may be able to be incorporated into L2 pedagogies. KW - Chinese KW - character KW - perceptual KW - radical KW - sub-lexical KW - orthographic awareness TI - "Radical" Thinking about Character Perception: Specifying Pre-lexical and Sub-lexical Processes of Chinese Reading EP - 90 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25274 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25274/ A1 - Zamani, Payam Y1 - 2015/05/29/ N2 - The primary goal of orthodontic treatment is a functional dental occlusion as well as an aesthetic smile in harmony with the lower 1/3 facial soft tissue. A 3-dimensional analysis of the patient?s dentofacial relations is crucial for proper treatment planning and it is ultimately the soft tissue that dictates the direction of the orthodontic treatment plan. The purpose of this pilot study is to study the difference of three different medias (3D photography, 2D photography, clinical patient evaluation) for facial form analysis. Specifically, to determine which photographic method most closely mimics clinical analysis of facial form for the purpose of orthodontic facial form diagnosis. Two orthodontists analyzed twelve facial measurements on 54 patients (21 male) via 3D photographs, 2D photographs and clinical evaluations. In addition, twelve of these patients were randomly chosen for two extra evaluation sessions for intra-rater reliability testing. The twelve categories are the most commonly used measurements by orthodontists to evaluate lower 1/3 facial form for diagnosis and treatment planning purposes. Krippendorff?s Alpha reliability testing was used with values >0.6 deemed substantially reliable. Results showed poor intra-rater reliability for both evaluators across all three media (only 22 out of 72 total categories substantially reliable) demonstrating the examiners were not reliably consistent with their evaluations. Furthermore, results showed poor reliability testing between the three different medias making comparisons of 3D vs. 2D vs. clinical evaluation difficult. Lastly, results showed poor inter-rater reliability for the two evaluators across all three media (zero substantially reliable categories) demonstrating that the two examiners did not agree on any of the facial evaluations. In conclusion, the two orthodontist did not reliably diagnose most of the 12 facial categories using the three given media of clinical, 2D photography and 3D photography and they also did not agree with each other?s diagnosis; therefore, it is difficult to determine if 2D or 3D photography provides more diagnosis similarities to clinical evaluation of facial form diagnosis. KW - Orthodontics KW - Diagnosis KW - 3D Imaging KW - Facial Form Analysis TI - Comparing 3D & 2D Facial Photography to Clinical Facial Form Analysis for Orthodontic Diagnosis EP - 52 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24288 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24288/ A1 - Kalajainen, Amy Y1 - 2015/05/29/ N2 - Concussion is a common occurrence in athletics and requires a comprehensive exam, including assessment of postural stability. The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) is recommended by the NCAA/NATA for sideline evaluation. The NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test (SOT) is a dynamic posturography assessment tool that uses somatosensory and visual input to challenge the somatosensory, visual and vestibular systems. Due to significant negative outcomes associated with mismanaged concussions, a sideline assessment must appropriately measure each component of postural stability. Purpose: To examine the relationship between the BESS and the SOT clinical scores and kinetic variables. Methods: Nineteen healthy, physically active young adults (22.16?2.59 years, 168.56?22.24cm, 73.24?15.28kg) were tested using the BESS and the SOT in a single session. The BESS tested six-conditions, including bilateral, single leg and tandem stances, each assessed on firm and foam surfaces. The SOT tested six-conditions, including eyes open, eyes closed and sway surround, each tested on a stable and sway support surface. Overall and condition error scores from the BESS were compared to SOT composite score and somatosensory, visual and vestibular component scores. Kinetic variables of standard deviation of vertical ground reaction force (SDvGRF) and total sway were calculated for each condition of the BESS and the SOT and compared between assessments. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated. Significance was set at P<0.05 a priori. Results: The clinical scores of the BESS and the SOT demonstrated one significant association (SOT somatosensory component and BESS tandem on firm error score, r=-0.493, p=0.032). In contrast, significant correlations were observed between several BESS and SOT SDvGRF variables (r=0.458 ? 0.760, p<0.05) and sway variables (r=0.465 ? 0.681, p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on these results, the error scoring system of the BESS should be reevaluated to determine if magnitude of error scoring would increase association with SOT clinical scores. Additionally, there may not be a significant vestibular challenge with the BESS associated with inaccurate visual input. Future research should investigate potential modifications to improve the BESS for clinical use in concussion assessment to create a more comprehensive tool that incorporates magnitude of error scoring and a heightened vestibular challenge through inaccurate visual input. KW - postural stability balance concussion vestibular BESS NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test TI - Comparison of the Balance Error Scoring System and the NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test in healthy, physically active adults EP - 108 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25179 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25179/ A1 - Leins Dvorchak, Jesse Y1 - 2015/05/29/ N2 - The dynamic of the general education classroom has changed over the past decade with the implementation of No Child Left Behind (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). To begin the process of meeting NCLB and IDEA regulations, states have created academic standards that are tested annually through standardized assessments, in addition to creating accountability systems for teachers. In order for all students to develop mastery of the academic standards, students with disabilities were included into the general education classroom on a greater scale than previously seen. Teachers in inclusive settings require strategies to assist in promoting appropriate behavior and learning, specific praise serves as a potential classroom management strategy for the inclusive setting where teachers? use of praise statements potentially decreases disruptive behavior and ultimately improves instructional time. Current literature assessing the use of specific praise in the classroom contains methodological weaknesses and neglects populations, like secondary general education teachers, that are in great need of additional classroom management strategies. The current study expanded on the literature to include secondary general education teachers, as well as improving on methodological weakness discussed in the review. Tools for Positive Behavior Change with specific praise was demonstrated as a viable strategy for the inclusive setting by improving student-teacher interactions and decreasing student disruptive behavior. KW - classroom management KW - praise statements KW - negative statements KW - disruptive behavior TI - INCREASING SECONDARY TEACHERS? USE OF PRAISE WITH VIDEO PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK EP - 120 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25077 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25077/ A1 - Waly, Salma Y1 - 2015/05/29/ N2 - In the context of post-revolutionary Egypt, many civic organizations arose for the purpose of preparing youth to be citizens of a new Egypt. The role of such organizations in equipping youth with civic knowledge and skills remains to be unexplored. This study looks at one civic organization, Bokra, in Egypt after the Revolution. It aims to explore the civic discourses that the organization promotes through its annual summer school. It also aims to find out how the youth participants in the school perceived such discourses and how their understanding of citizenship changed in light of the socio-political change in Egypt. Multiple data sources such as document analysis, interviews, observation and video-recordings are used in order to provide a clear picture of how the school helps its students re-invent Egyptian citizenship. Findings from this study offer practical implications for educators, social science researchers and community organizers. A civic organization such as Bokra creates a democratic climate for youth to experience aspects of citizenship that are essential for active participation outside the classroom such as social responsibility and agency. It does not only help youth develop affective aspects of citizenship such as love, belongingness and loyalty to Egypt but also attempts to change youth mindset about civic engagement. The end goal of the school is to help youth utilize the skills they learn in the classroom to initiate projects to develop their local communities. The study highlights the potential role that civic organizations can play in promoting a form of citizenship suitable for a country in transition. KW - citizenship education KW - curriculum analysis KW - international education KW - program evaluation TI - Planting the Seeds of Change: Examining the Role of a Civic Organization in Teaching Youth about citizenship in Post-Revolutionary Egypt EP - 160 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25242 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25242/ A1 - Mahoney, Maria Y1 - 2015/05/27/ N2 - Participation in high-quality early education programs has been linked to gains in children?s cognitive and social-emotional readiness skills. This study uses data from the NCEDL Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten, 2001-2003 to examine the association between process and structural features of state funded early education programs and children?s academic and social-emotional development. This study also investigates the variation in program features and how that variation is associated with children?s socioeconomic status. Findings are consistent with research that emphasizes the importance of positive teacher-child interactions in promoting children?s school readiness. Children?s academic and social-emotional skills were found to have positive associations with classroom ratings of emotional and instructional support. The results of the present study are also consistent with other recent research, demonstrating that structural features of a classroom show little relationship to children?s outcomes. KW - early education KW - teacher-child interactions KW - education policy KW - preschool quality KW - benefits of preschool KW - school readiness KW - cognitive development KW - social-emotional development KW - socioeconomic inequality KW - achievement gap TI - FAMILY BACKGROUND, TEACHER-CHILD INTERACTIONS, AND ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH IN PRESCHOOL, EVIDENCE FROM THE 2001-2003 NCEDL DATA EP - 79 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24984 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24984/ A1 - Rozzo, John/T Y1 - 2015/05/27/ N2 - Grouping practices in schools continue to be an ongoing debate in the research literature. It remains unclear what the most appropriate grouping practices are for middle schools when grouping students to form interdisciplinary teams. The research base on grouping practices for middle level education is limited in terms of recent evidence. The onset of the middle school movement that began nearly half a century ago offered guidance and direction for appropriate grouping practices for middle schools. However, the landscape of public education has changed significantly over the past five decades. This study surveyed 14 middle school principals of award-winning middle schools (Don Eichhorn Schools to Watch) in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This investigation sought to determine 1) What are the most prevalent criteria used by principals of award-winning middle schools when grouping students to form interdisciplinary teams? 2) What are the beliefs of principals of award-winning middle schools relative to ability grouping practices? 3) How aligned are the philosophy and practices of principals of award-winning middle schools in relation to ability grouping? A survey with 44 questions was administered via a telephone call with each participant. Findings revealed that random assignment and ability grouping were the most prevalent criteria used by middle school principals. However, teacher recommendation and students? prior academic record received the highest mean rank when principals were asked to rank in order the six criteria investigated in this study in terms of importance. Principals? beliefs for ability grouping were relatively consistent with the practices within their respective schools. The subject area of mathematics received the most support for grouping by ability followed by English language arts. The subject areas of science and social studies received almost unanimous endorsement for randomly assigning students. Coincidentally, the subject areas of math and English language arts are state tested subject areas in consecutive years in middle school. Further research would help to determine if differing beliefs across subject areas are the result of high-stakes testing and increased emphasis on student performance data. Moreover, future research would help to identify the influence such measures have on grouping students to form interdisciplinary teams. KW - Grouping Practices KW - Middle School KW - Ability-Grouping KW - Principals Beliefs about Ability-Grouping KW - Middle School Teaming TI - Grouping practices in award-winning middle schools: A study of Pennsylvania Don Eichhorn Schools to Watch middle schools EP - 191 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24623 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24623/ A1 - Oberg, Andrew Y1 - 2015/05/26/ N2 - The size and scope of online K-12 education is increasing rapidly. Research to develop a deeper understanding of the benefits of and barriers to delivering instruction via the Internet is limited. Traditionally research has shown that strategies of active learning, which when applied properly in K-12 classrooms, contribute to positive student attitudes towards self and learning and increase academic achievement. From a review of the literature, it was clear that there is limited research on synchronous online classrooms and on the indicators of active learning as they are manifested in synchronous online classrooms. Consequently, the aim of this study was to portray the perspectives of synchronous online teachers towards indicators of active learning. Participants for this study were teachers from a single cyber charter school. The participants responded to an online survey designed to elicit perceptions of important indicators of active learning, barriers to implementation of active learning, and strategies used to engage students in active learning strategies in synchronous online classrooms. A simple descriptive research design was applied to analyze the data. The data show that the most important indicator of effective instruction was teacher preparation required to create engaging learning activities. Teachers perceived all but two of the primary indicators of active learning identified in the literature (time on task and activities that promote collaboration) as ?very important? or ?extremely important?. Teachers? perceptions of these primary indicators as not important contradict the literature on active learning. Teachers generally described the role of the student as the greatest barrier to implementing active learning in a synchronous online learning environment while the role of technology was viewed as only marginally distracting. The perceptions of synchronous online teachers align with what is reported in the literature on active learning in traditional classrooms. The results of this study have implications for teacher evaluation, hiring procedures, professional development and future research into active learning within the synchronous classroom. KW - Active Learning KW - Online Learning KW - Synchronous Classroom KW - Indicators of Active Learning TI - ACTIVE LEARNING MANIFESTED WITHIN A SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE CLASSROOM EP - 173 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23642 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23642/ A1 - Darnell, Matthew Y1 - 2015/05/26/ N2 - Fatiguing exercise alters neuromuscular and biomechanical characteristics that increase athlete?s risk for non-contact lower extremity injury. Sports nutrition research has demonstrated the ability to delay fatigue and improve performance through carbohydrate feedings. However, the effect of nutrition on delaying neuromuscular risk factors affected by exercise and fatigue has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO-E) beverage compared to a placebo (PLA) on landing kinematics, balance, and muscle activation patterns throughout an intermittent high-intensity exercise (IHE) protocol. The IHE protocol was designed to mimic sports competition and has demonstrated the ability to induce changes in landing mechanics during pilot testing. A total of 24 (12 male/12 female) athletes (age: 23.0±4.0yrs; height: 173.3±7.1cm; weight: 72.9±11.5kg; body fat: 18.0±6.4%) completed three days of testing. The first day of testing consisted of anthropometrics and familiarization with the IHE protocol. The next two testing sessions participants performed four quarters of IHE while consuming either a CHO-E or PLA beverage. Landing kinematics, muscle activation, and dynamic postural stability index (DPSI) scores were assessed immediately before, at break three, and break four of the IHE protocol. The DPSI scores were measured during a single-leg jump landing. Landing kinematics (knee flexion and valgus/varus at initial contact, and peak hip flexion) and muscle activity (surface electromyography pre-activity and re-activity of the hamstrings and quadriceps) were measured during a single-leg stop-jump. Separate two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to determine the interaction between time and treatment for landing kinematics and DPSI. Change in muscle activation was examined using a related samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The CHO-E beverage had no effect on preventing changes in knee flexion at initial contact (p=0.472), peak hip flexion (p=0.456), and muscle activation (p>0.05). A significant interaction effect occurred for DPSI scores (p=0.023) and knee valgus/varus at initial contact (p=0.007) however, these changes were small and lack clinical significance. Consuming a 6% CHO-E beverage before, during, and after IHE had no effect on preventing neuromuscular/biomechanical changes occurring as a result of IHE. Future studies should continue to investigate nutritional approaches for injury prevention. KW - Nutrition KW - Fatigue KW - Carbohydrate KW - Exercise KW - Injury KW - Biomechanics KW - Neuromuscular Control TI - Effect of Carbohydrate-electrolyte Feedings on Knee Biomechanics and Postural Stability During Intermittent High-Intensity Exercise to Fatigue EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24172 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24172/ A1 - Livengood, Heather Y1 - 2015/05/26/ N2 - Glaucoma is a progressive, chronic optic neuropathy and a leading cause of blindness in the United States. It is an asymptomatic disease that affects an estimated 2.7 million Americans, of whom only half know they have the disease. As glaucoma severity progresses, people often experience changes in their abilities to engage in social life situations, have reduced confidence and/or avoid situations they once deemed important and pleasurable, and they may alter how they are able to accomplish roles and routines they want to or need to do. Historically the effects of glaucoma on people?s daily living have been measured in research by vision-specific quality of life (VSQoL), a measure of people?s own perceptions of how glaucoma affects their health, well-being, and quality of living. In vision rehabilitation, one measure of the effect of an ocular disease on people?s abilities to accomplish daily living is participation. Participation is involvement in social life situations. Yet little research has focused on participation as an outcome measure for people with glaucoma. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore participation in individuals with glaucoma to better understand the relationship between severity of vision loss and the degree to which participation was associated with glaucoma severity. The aims of this study were to: 1) explore the association between participation and glaucoma severity, 2) explore the relationship between participation and VSQoL, and 3) compare the relationship between participation and VSQoL as each related to glaucoma severity. We performed correlation analyses and found that participation had a fair association with glaucoma severity and a moderate association with VSQoL. In multiple regression analyses, findings suggested that for individuals who on average had early stage glaucoma, participation and VSQoL were each statistically significant, incremental indicators of glaucoma severity after controlling for covariates. Exploring the effects of glaucoma on participation will inform our understanding of the effects of glaucoma on function and vision-related disability. A unique contribution of this research is its focus on participation and the exploration of participation as a potential indicator of severity of vision loss for people who may be at risk for disability. KW - vision rehabilitation KW - glaucoma KW - participation KW - quality of life TI - Exploring Participation in Individuals with Glaucoma EP - 178 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24825 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24825/ A1 - Hong, Eun-Kyoung Y1 - 2015/05/26/ N2 - The back support is an integral wheelchair component for appropriate seating position and trunk support. Compared to sling back supports, rigid back supports provide improved postural support and better function. As such, many clinicians expect rigid back supports to be more comfortable. However, rigid back supports are often reported to be uncomfortable and difficult to adjust or reposition while the user is seated in the chair. In order to address complaints of discomfort, it may be important to evaluate the relationship between the contour of the back support and the shape of an individual?s back. Further, difficulty with adjustment could be addressed by designing a mechanism to increase ease of use. The specific aims of this dissertation are to 1) evaluate perceived comfort among wheelchair users using both sling and rigid back supports, 2) use digital anatomic scanning technology to evaluate the backs of wheelchair users in order to classify types of back shapes and compare to back support shapes corresponding levels of comfort, and 3) create a commercial ready prototype of an attachment that increases ease of adjustment ? the LightWeight Durable Adjustable Composite (LWDAC) back support bracket. To achieve aim 1, participants were asked to answer survey questions related to level of comfort of the back supports on their personal wheelchair. The questionnaire study shows that the higher discomfort ratings among rigid back support users with tetraplegia may be due to suboptimal shape, fit, adjustment or user experiences. The back scanning study demonstrates that wheelchair users have varying back contours, and commercial products may not be able to provide proper support to fit every individual. The disparity between the shape of the shell and the shape of an individual wheelchair users? back may result in skin breakdown which is a serious concern. In accordance with findings from previous aims, a commercial-ready prototype the LWDAC back support bracket was developed and evaluated by wheelchair users traversing activities of daily living courses. Participants reported positive impressions of the prototype and the findings of this study assist in establishing areas for improved comfort and heightened function for manual wheelchair users. KW - Back support KW - Wheelchair KW - Questionnaire KW - Design KW - Adjustable TI - IMPROVING THE COMFORT OF MANUAL WHEELCHAIR BACK SUPPORTS EP - 209 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25252 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25252/ A1 - Peiffer, Gary Y1 - 2015/05/22/ N2 - THE EFFECT OF SELF-EFFICACY ON PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL Gary Peiffer, Ed.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2015 Parent involvement has been shown to be integral to student achievement. Yet, this involvement appears to decline as children progress through school. One reason for this may be that parents do not believe they have the capability to help their children with their work. It may be that self-efficacy correlates with parent involvement. This dissertation investigates whether self-efficacy is correlated with parent involvement and takes note of what role parent socioeconomic status may play in this relation. Using conceptual frameworks of self-efficacy from Albert Bandura (1977) and parent involvement from Joyce Epstein (1995), the research not only sought a correlation between self-efficacy and parent involvement, but also identified which types of activities parents are involved in at the secondary level. Parents participating in the study responded to a mixed methods survey asking them about their level of self-efficacy and the types of parent involvement activities in which they ipate. The survey consisted of 15 closed and three open-ended questions, giving parents the opportunity to describe their involvement and needs from the school. Composite variables for self-efficacy and parent involvement, along with dichotomous SES variables, were used for s ANCOVA testing. Tests showed no correlation among composites, though T-Tests of self-efficacy and dichotomous parent involvement indicators showed a relationship between self-efficacy and owning a computer. Research also showed parent involvement takes place mainly in the areas of basic parenting, communication, and learning at home activities. Parents noted that there was a lack of forums for shared governance opportunities. Parent responses suggest degree and frequency of involvement is influenced by responses and needs of student. Responses show parent involvement remains stable and that parents would benefit from support from schools to help facilitate involvement. KW - This study examines the relationship that self-confidence in the area of helping children with school activities is with parent involvement in high school. The study notes what types of involvement activities parents engage in and the frequency of that involvement. The study also asks parents to describe their involvement KW - asking them what things the school could do to better meet their needs as parents. TI - The Effect of Self-efficacy on Parental Involvement at the Secondary School Level EP - 169 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24266 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24266/ A1 - Loretto, Adam Y1 - 2015/05/22/ N2 - Writing instruction in schools is taking on increasingly narrow focuses, which reflects reliance on high-stakes standardized tests and standards movements that privilege some forms of writing over others. Researchers in writing have called for studies that connect macro forces influencing the educational environment to the instruction occurring at the classroom level. This study does so by exploring how a teacher sponsors multiple writing literacies across time and how and why students take up those writing practices for their intended uses and in ways that serve their own purposes. I examine the writing instruction of one skilled English Language Arts teacher through the lens of Deborah Brandt?s theory of sponsors of literacy (1998; 2009) and through sociocultural theories of writing (Prior, 2004, 2006; Englert, Mariage, & Dunsmore, 2006) and identity (Davies & Harré, 1999; Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 1998; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). Data drew from a) five months of observations in the classroom across multiple units of instruction marked by multiple writing practices; b) interviews with the teacher before and after the observation period; and c) interviews with five focal students at the end of the observation period. Findings suggest that the teacher?s instruction reflected a variety of sponsors across multiple writing practices. The teacher?s instruction highlighted the skills, values, and purposes associated with sponsored writing practices. Students appropriated some writing practices more than others, and some more faithfully to the intentions of sponsors than others. Students imagined a range of possible uses for the writing practices in which they were sponsored, reflective of their individual literate identities. KW - writing instruction KW - sponsorship KW - literate identities KW - middle-level instruction TI - How Sponsors Influence Students' Writing Practices in an Eighth Grade English Language Arts Classroom EP - 198 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25224 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25224/ A1 - Shilpaa Mukundan, FNU Y1 - 2015/05/22/ N2 - Polymeric elastomers like Poly (1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate) (APS) have gained importance in soft tissue engineering applications due to their tunable mechanical properties and biodegradability. The fabrication of extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic nanofibrous scaffolds using APS is however limited due to its poor solubility in commonly used solvents, low viscosity and high temperatures required for thermal curing. In this study, we have overcome these limitations of APS by blending un-crosslinked APS pre-polymer with polycaprolactone (PCL), and have successfully fabricated ECM-mimetic nanofibrous APS scaffolds for the first time. The developed fibrous scaffolds were further characterized for their physicochemical, thermal, mechanical and degradation properties. Effects of APS:PCL weight ratios (0:1, 1:1, 2:1 and 4:1) and total polymer concentration (15-30% w/v) on the fiber morphology, tensile properties, chemical and thermal properties of the APS-PCL composite scaffolds were investigated. Higher APS concentrations in the polymer blend resulted in formation of fused fibers and thus, increased fiber diameters. The degree of hydration and consequently, degradation rate of the scaffolds increased with the APS concentration. The FTIR and DSC studies showed selective loss of APS polymer from composite scaffolds after degradation. Scaffolds with 1:1 APS:PCL ratio exhibited maximum elastic modulus (EM) of 30 ± 2.5 MPa compared to 0:1, 2:1 and 4:1 ratios. Increasing total polymer concentrations (15-30% w/v) at constant (2:1) APS:PCL ratio increased stiffness and tensile strength of the electrospun NANOFIBROUS COMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS OF POLY(ESTER AMIDES) WITH TUNABLE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND DEGRADATION PROPERTIES FNU Shilpaa Mukundan, M.S. University of Pittsburgh, 2015 v scaffolds. Biocompatibility studies using C2C12 mouse myoblast cells showed enhanced cell spreading on APS containing scaffolds after 6h as compared to PCL-only scaffolds. Thus, the present study demonstrates successful development of APS-based thermoset elastomeric nanofibrous scaffolds by blending with semicrystalline PCL polymer for the first time. Tunable physicochemical, mechanical and degradation properties of these composite APS-PCL scaffolds will be further exploited for skeletal muscle tissue engineering applications. Keywords Poly(1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate)(APS); Polycaprolactone (PCL), myoblasts, electrospinning, nanofibrous scaffolds KW - Poly(1 KW - 3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate)(APS); Polycaprolactone (PCL) KW - myoblasts KW - electrospinning KW - nanofibrous scaffolds TI - NANOFIBROUS COMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS OF POLY (ESTER AMIDES) WITH TUNABLE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND DEGRADATION PROPERTIES EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24190 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24190/ A1 - Moore, Julie Ann Y1 - 2015/05/22/ N2 - This qualitative study examined the phenomenon of perceptions? of middle school principals in southwestern Pennsylvania to determine their views on advisory programs. Middle school students are unique when in their academic, physical and socio-emotional characteristics, compared to students of other developmental age groups, as shown throughout the literature review. In total, six principals were selected for participation in a three-part interview process using open-ended questions. The participants are principals in southwestern Pennsylvania who met the three criteria: (a) hold a Principal?s certificate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, (b) employed in the role of a principal with a minimum of three years? experience, and (c) professional experience working with advisory programs. The interview script was designed to collect data that examined participants? views on middle school advisory programs. The findings resulted in six themes: (1) trust, (2) relationships, (3) sense of purpose, (4) connections, (5) transitions, and (6) child-centered. According to respondents, principals can create a positive learning and student-centered climate through advisory programs. Issues such as student-teacher communication, positive relationship building, trusting partnerships, and self-esteem emerged during this study. A few barriers noted were the non-existence mentoring program for teachers, a lack of professional development and training, high stakes testing demands, time, and finances. iv While these themes were evident in the literature, there was minimal research representing principals? view on advisory programs, particularly whether it was beneficial or not, as well as their views on mentoring in advisory. The findings revealed significant understandings about the success or obstacles associated with advisory programs. Key results from this study support middle school design as enhancing specific programs, unified vision, commitment, and attention focused on the child. KW - (Keywords: principals? perceptions KW - advisory programs KW - academic KW - social-emotional KW - physical attributes of students) TI - PRINCIPALS' PERSPECTIVES ON MIDDLE SCHOOL ADVISORY PROGRAMS EP - 158 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24639 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24639/ A1 - Wang, Dan Y1 - 2015/05/22/ N2 - Abstract: Injuries to the craniofacial skeleton have a tremendous economical and social impact on our healthcare system and society. Presently, clinical management of craniofacial trauma remains highly challenging and various efforts have been undertaken to develop and improve existing therapies for craniofacial reconstruction. Among these efforts, mounting evidence has demonstrated that inflammation is among the first events to determine fracture healing outcome. Thus, understanding how inflammation affects bone healing and subsequently modulating inflammation to enhance bone regeneration has become a promising strategy. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a member of TLR family that is central to inflammation by virtue of its involvement in host defense for microbial infection as well as tissue regeneration. As such, TLR4 is a potential candidate for investigation and subsequent immune modulation. This work utilized various knockout (KO) mouse models for TLR4 and its associated inflammatory mediators as tools to study the role of inflammation in calvarial bone healing in the absence or presence of bone grafts. In the absence of bone graft, a similar accelerated phenotype was observed between MyD88 KO mice and DC-TLR4 KO (TLR4 depleted in dendritic cells) mice, indicating that dendritic cell expression of TLR4-mediated MyD88 signaling was detrimental for calvarial bone healing. In addition, TLR4 depletion in myeloid cells also resulted in accelerated bone healing via enhanced osteoclastogenesis within a calvarial defect model. However, in the presence of bone graft, inhibited bone healing and decreased osteoclast-mediated graft remodeling was observed in TLR4 KO mice or when TLR4 signaling was locally inhibited, establishing an important and novel role of TLR4 in graft-based bone repair. Taken together, these data demonstrate that TLR4 signaling and its pathway mediators play an important regulatory role in osteoclastogenesis, highlighting a potential opportunity in which appropriate modulation of TLR4 signaling can be used to initiate early healing in bone defects or assist in bone graft-mediated therapy to improve clinical outcomes. KW - Calvarial bone healing; Inflammatory; TLR4; Graft TI - TLR4-mediated calvarial bone repair: investigating its role and potential use for regenerative medicine EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25073 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25073/ A1 - ALOTHMAN, LOULWAH Y1 - 2015/05/21/ N2 - Class III malocclusion is one of the dentofacial deformities that represents a challenge for orthodontists in terms of treatment and prognosis. Due to its complexity and aesthetic involvement, a lot of research have been undertaken to understand the mechanisms underlying the development of this growth deformity. Several studies have suggested a strong genetic contribution in the formation of class III malocclusion. Previous studies have implicated a region on chromosome 11 (11q22.2-q22.3) that is linked with class III phenotype in a Hispanic cohort (Frazier-Bowers et al., 2009). To further investigate the region and find genes that might affect the incidence of class III malocclusion, Dr. Hartsfield and Dr. Lorri Ann Morford at the University of Kentucky have selected and genotyped 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs666723, rs578169, rs1386719 and rs12416856) within the 11q22.2-22.3 region on two multi-generational family-based cohorts from Brazil and Colombia for multipoint linkage analysis. The families in each cohort had a high prevalence of class III malocclusion; and varied greatly in the size, structure, and number of affected individuals. Class III affected and unaffected individuals were diagnosed based on cephalometric measurements, models, photographs and/or oral examination. Maximum maximized LOD score (MMLS) and multipoint heterogeneity LOD scores (HLODs) maximized over different levels of heterogeneity, and two genetic models (reduced penetrance dominant and recessive), were generated using SimWalk2. To estimate the empirical significance of these multipoint HLODs, 1000 replicates of unlinked genotype data based on real data pedigree structures, affection status and pattern of missing genotypes were simulated for the Brazilian and Colombian cohort using SLINK and SIMULATE respectively. These replicates were then analyzed using SimWalk2 with the original maximizing mode of inheritance. Power was estimated similarly for each cohort by generating 1000 replicates of pedigree data linked to the SNP with the highest HLOD. The corresponding cohort-specific mode of inheritance was used for the power simulation genetic parameters. For the Brazilian cohort, the MMLS was observed for rs12416856 at 191.6 cM (HLOD=1.84), under a recessive mode of inheritance. The empirical significance for this HLOD was a p-value <0.001 and the empirical type 1 error threshold for ?=0.05, was an HLOD equal to 1.6. The power for suggestive linkage (HLOD?2) was 80%. For the Colombian cohort, the maximum MMLS was observed for rs578169 at 188.4 cM (HLOD=0.51), under a recessive mode of inheritance. The empirical significance for this HLOD was a p-value of 0.023 and the empirical type 1 error threshold for ?=0.05, was an HLOD equal to 1.5. These results support potential linkage on chromosome 11. KW - Linkage analysis Class III malocclusion Candidate gene Chromosome 11 Colombian Brazilian TI - STUDY OF CHROMOSOME 11q22.2q22.3 FOR LINKAGE TO CLASS III MALOCCLUSION IN SOUTH AMERICANS EP - 44 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24284 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24284/ A1 - Prins, Philip Y1 - 2015/05/19/ N2 - Introduction: The use of pre-exercise energy drinks has become a popular supplementation habit among recreational and competitive athletic populations. It is common for athletes to consume energy drinks prior to athletic competition, yet it is unresolved whether this is an effective strategy to increase performance, especially in short duration high intensity events. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate physiological and perceptual responses to exercise performance of recreational endurance runners after they ingested a commercially available energy drink (Red Bull) containing caffeine, glucose, and Taurine. Methods: Recreational endurance runners (n = 18, 13 men, 5 women, 20.39 ± 3.27 years, 71.25 ± 17.17 kg, 178.00 ± 7.57, 55.94 ± 7.66 VO2max) participated in a double blind, crossover, repeated measures study where they were randomized to supplement with 500 ml of the commercially available energy drink Red Bull and non-caffeinated, sugar-free placebo 60 minutes before completing a 5-km time trial; separated by seven days. Heart rate, RPE (RPE-O; RPE-C; RPE-L), and affect were recorded at rest, 1-hr post ingestion, at 5-minute intervals during the 5-km time trial, and immediately post exercise. A Session RPE and session Affect were obtained 5 minutes following completion of the 5-km time trial. The distance covered at each 5 min interval during the 5-km time trial was recorded. Results: Performance improved with ED compared with placebo (Red Bull: 1,413.2 ± 169.7 s vs. PLA: 1,443.6 ±179.2 s; p = 0.016), but there were no differences in ratings of perceived exertion, affect, session RPE, session affect, or the distance covered at 5 min splits between the two 5-km time trials (p > 0.05). Conclusion: These results demonstrate that consuming a commercially available ED before exercise can improve endurance performance. These results may have application for altering pre-exercise nutritional strategies in athletes and recreational runners. KW - Energy Drinks Running 5-km Ratings of Perceived Exertion Affect TI - THE EFFECT OF ENERGY DRINK INGESTION ON 5-KM RUNNING PERFORMANCE IN RECREATIONAL ENDURANCE RUNNERS EP - 205 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24173 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24173/ A1 - GAO, SHANG Y1 - 2015/05/19/ N2 - This study is designed to answer one main research question: How could tertiary education quality be redefined and measured through the education production function model in developing countries. The study will use Indonesia as the target country to carry out research activities. Quality of tertiary education has been one of the most frequently discussed topics in relevant fields in academia and human development. As enrollment continuously increases and education systems expand in many developing countries, quality becomes their biggest concern. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide stakeholders a different and more practical approach to reevaluate tertiary education quality through quantifiable variables and to measure quality through educational input, equity and equality, labor market relevance, and system assurance factors. Human capital theory serves as the guiding theoretical framework for this dissertation. The education production function model is the foundation for quality redefinition. Within the four quantifiable variables, benefit incidence analysis is used to measure equity and equality, economic rate of return is used to measure labor market relevance of the tertiary education system, and returns to investment is used to evaluate how education outputs yield from inputs. The study is designed to have an umbrella structure, with tertiary education quality being at the top of the skeleton and educational input, equity and equality, labor market relevance, and system assurance being the four supporting pillars. With the redefinition of tertiary education quality, four main research questions will be answered respectively. Educational input in Indonesia has been improving in the past decade; however, it is still behind compared to peer ASEAN countries and countries with similar economic profiles. Indonesia's tertiary education access inequality is mainly caused by socioeconomic differences. The labor market absorbs a majority of tertiary graduates and yields much higher returns at the tertiary level, and it has been responding very positively toward the continuously expanding graduating class. The quality assurance system suffers from short-staffing, low financial support, low capacity, and weak government support. At its current accrediting pace, Indonesia's tertiary education institutions will not be able to improve as fast as they are willing to. KW - Higher Education KW - Tertiary Education KW - Economics of Education KW - benefit incidence analysis KW - economic rate of return KW - education governance KW - education financing KW - education data and information TI - THE MEASUREMENT OF TERTIARY EDUCATION QUALITY IN INDONESIA THROUGH THE EDUCATION PRODUCTION FUNCTION MODEL AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT EP - 221 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25138 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25138/ A1 - Escher, Allison Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - This dissertation reports on a study of two widely used eleventh grade ELA textbooks for the opportunities they provide students to construct knowledge through writing. Data included every writing task in both textbooks (158 tasks) as well as the corresponding texts. Data analysis focused on (a) how cognitive demand, textual grist, and elaborated communication contribute to the rigor of a writing task, (b) how authentic the tasks are to the discipline of ELA, and (c) how writing tasks position students as intellectual authorities. This study contributes a new approach to determine the quality of ELA writing tasks and a detailed assessment of the writing tasks in the most widely used ELA textbooks. The findings from this study showed differences in the quality of ELA writing tasks types (text-based, non text-based, and creative writing), with text-based tasks ranking the highest quality for cognitively demanding work. Findings also showed that textual grist and opportunities for elaboration in addition to cognitive demand are essential factors when determining the overall rigor of text-based writing tasks (i.e., analyzing text-based ELA writing tasks for cognitive demand alone may inflate the rigor of the task). Further findings on writing task quality describe the level of disciplinary authenticity and intellectual authority contained in ELA textbook writing tasks and why these features are important in determining the quality of ELA writing tasks. The findings from this study suggest the importance of using a disciplinary-specific theory of task quality, including a three-part model of rigor, disciplinary authenticity, and intellectual authority, to assess the quality of ELA writing tasks. Additionally, this study provides suggestions for practitioners including how teachers might revise and supplement ELA textbook writing tasks in order to support student writing. KW - ELA KW - writing tasks KW - textbooks TI - CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH WRITING: AN ANALYSIS OF WRITING TASKS IN ELEVENTH GRADE ELA TEXTBOOKS EP - 189 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24232 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24232/ A1 - Wisnosky, Marc Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - This paper analyzes and compares the curricula within and across the eight Eastern Orthodox Christian seminaries in the United States of America. This paper aims to address this deficiency in the literature on religious higher education in the United States of America. This comparison of Orthodox seminary curricula is guided by three questions: 1. What are the curricula in use at the eight Orthodox Christian seminaries in the United States of America? 2. What distinctions or anomalies arise from an analysis of these seminaries? course descriptions and curricula? 3. How do these curricula achieve the Assembly of Bishops? goals for unity? I employed an emergent design methodology to code, analyze, and compare over 400 course descriptions obtained from bulletins and course catalogs of the eight Orthodox Christian seminaries. The course descriptions were compared with other courses of the same institution, other courses offered by comparable institutions, and other courses I designated as similar based upon coding outcomes. I found that the seminaries exhibited one of two innate foci: Theological orientation or Pastoral orientation. To bolster this hypothesis, I compared the seeming orientations with the schools? mission statements. I then selected up to eight course syllabi to explore in more depth todetermine whether the course descriptions were accurate reflections of what was taught in the courses. I surveyed seminary administrators and professors about the Theological or Pastoral orientation of their school, and the preparedness of their seminary?s graduates to fulfill priestly duties. This allowed triangulation of data with the syllabi and course descriptions. This paper engages the field of comparative and international education, providing a comparative analysis of internationally and ethnically affiliated schools. It aims to explore in more detail the variations in how future religious leaders are educated within one faith group. This paper also explores the international and historic diversity of Orthodox Christian groups in the United States of America. These analyses will enrich the field of religious higher education studies by revealing the inner workings of an entire religious sub-group in the United States of America; a sub-group little studied and little understood. KW - Orthodox KW - Christian KW - Seminary KW - Theological School KW - United States of America KW - religious eduation KW - OCA KW - ROCOR KW - GOA KW - ACROD KW - Ukrainian KW - Serbian KW - Jordanville KW - Johnstown KW - St. Tikhon's KW - St. Vladimir's KW - Holy Cross KW - Holy Trinity KW - Libertyville KW - St. Sava KW - St. Herman's KW - Kodiak KW - St. Sophia KW - Christ the Saviour KW - emergent design KW - comparative education TI - CONTEMPORARY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA EP - 205 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24088 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24088/ A1 - Ludwig, Elizabeth Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - A quantitative study of a convenience sample of mid-Atlantic preschool teachers was undertaken to determine if teachers use more mathematical language with males than females. I found that there was a significant difference between general mathematical interactions for females and males. Teachers used significantly more sentences with females versus males, which in turn leads to more math sentences directed at females. Additional analyses were undertaken to determine if there was a difference in how the mathematical interactions originated, which indicated that mathematical interactions originate at the same relative frequency for males and females. This research indicates that the mathematical biases observed in elementary school teachers and parents is not present in preschool teachers or is reversed. The implications for previous studies and mathematics curriculums are discussed. KW - preschool KW - mathematics achievement KW - teacher language KW - gender bias TI - THE EFFECT OF STUDENTS? GENDER ON PRESCHOOL TEACHERS? MATHEMATIC INTERACTIONS EP - 44 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25108 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25108/ A1 - Li, Jie Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - Hierarchical growth models are widely used in longitudinal studies to investigate individual changes over time since the model can handle unbalanced design and missing data. Between-subject and within-subject covariance structures can also be flexibly modeled. However, the current methods for selecting the optimal covariance structure are inefficient. It is common that covariance structures are misspecified. This dissertation is to examine the influences on fixed and random effects due to the misspecification of between-subject and within-subject covariance structures in a two-level hierarchical quadratic growth model with one continuous level-two predictor via two simulations. In addition, whether the Standardized Root Mean square Residual (SRMR) can be used in selecting the optimal covariance is examined. The results indicate that the estimates of fixed effects are unbiased. The estimates of random effects and standard errors of fixed effects are biased due to the misspecification of the covariance structures. The over-specification of the covariance structure at one-level cannot compensate due to the under-specification of the covariance structure at the other level. When the within-subject covariance is under-specified and the between-subject covariance is over-specified, the relative biases of standard errors of fixed effects are smaller than those when the within-subject covariance structure is over-specified and the between-subject covariance structure is under-specified. When random slopes of a quadratic change cannot be modeled, we recommend to use an unspecified R matrix so that the fixed effects and their standard errors can be estimated bias-free. However, the over-specified between-subject covariance has little impact on fixed effects and their standard errors. There are biased estimations of random effects due to the misspecification of within-subject and between-subject covariance structures. If the random effects are of interest, different R matrices and G matrices should be examined. If there are large differences among the results when using different R matrices, the results should be interpreted carefully. The results suggest that BIC is the best method in detecting the optimal covariance structure under the designed factors no matter whether the within-subject and between-subject covariances are over- or under-specified. SRMR performs poorly in the covariance selection under the misspecification of covariance structures. KW - Hierarchical growth models KW - misspecification of covariance structures KW - fixed effects KW - random effects TI - THE INFLUENCE OF MISSPECIFICATION OF BETWEEN-SUBJECT AND WITHIN-SUBJECT COVARIANCE STRUCTURES IN HIERARCHICAL GROWTH MODELS EP - 217 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23993 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23993/ A1 - Oh , Yejin Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - Accountability in higher education has been a significant issue throughout the world over the past few decades. The Korean government over the last few years has enacted various education policies and ambitious projects in response to calls for accountability in higher education. No matter how important and necessary education policies made by policy makers and led by a few administrators of each HEI, policies would not be effective or successful without students? active participation or understanding of those issues. This study explored the similarities and differences of university students? perceptions on major issues related to accountability according to school types and majors. Findings from this study demonstrated that students? perspectives provided some noticeable comments on accountability issues in Korea. Due to the lack of literature regarding college students? perceptions on higher education, administrators and policy makers may not know to what extend on how college students perceive accountability issues in higher education. This study revealed that most students think curricular and faculty capabilities related to their major specialties are both significant factors influencing higher education quality. Students are well aware of education quality, but previous studies do not relate to the matter focused on students? perspectives but rather, most of them dealt with education issues based on administrators? standpoints. The majority of the respondents agreed with that their opinions on accountability issues should be considered in some ways. The results in the study indicated that most students answered to questions seriously more than the researcher thought. That means that they should be considered as one of the significant discussants so that they express their opinions on accountability in higher education. KW - Accountability KW - Higher Education KW - South Korea KW - Higher Education Management KW - Accreditation KW - University students' involvement TI - KOREAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS? PERCEPTIONS OF ACCOUNTABLITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION EP - 159 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24045 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24045/ A1 - Peck, Andrea Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - The purpose of the exploratory research study was to identify the practices that school principals in the state of Pennsylvania utilize to best support students, parents and school personnel before and during the transition to a middle level school. Research questions were designed to assist in determining what transitional practices schools are using, which practices principals? rate most successful, to what extent transition program activities are aligned to the developmental needs (physical, cognitive, social-emotional) of young adolescents, how transitional practices compare between middle level schools that have and have not been identified nationally as a School to Watch and how practices vary by the grade configuration of middle level schools. Quantitative and comparative coding qualitative analysis was used in the study and results indicated that transitional practice usage is valued by principals, yet implementation of transitional practices varies among schools. Time was reported as the most significant barrier to implementing transitional practices. The majority of practices used by schools are with students, yet practices lack in addressing students? social-emotional needs. Practices aligned to cognitive needs of young adolescents are used more frequently and ranked most successful by principals. Principals indicated self-reported success and that the most common practice used with students prior to transition is an orientation day to the middle school and having an assembly about building rules, procedures and information is most successful and common during transition. Regardless of grade configuration, transitional practices used with school personnel remain the least frequently implemented by schools. Furthermore, student practices aligned to the physical developmental needs of young adolescents are more frequently implemented by schools that have been designated a School to Watch. I used a web-based survey to gather data to examine the extent to which the transitional practices were implemented in schools. A sample of 96 middle level principals in Pennsylvania responded to the survey. Results from the study support the use of transitional practices with students and parents and educating staff about transition to build a stronger school community and foundation of educational excellence. Implications for professional development and future research are offered. KW - The study explores the extent to which transitional practices are used by school principals and teachers in Pennsylvania to best support young adolescents during their transition to the middle level. TI - Middle School Transition: Building a Foundation of Educational Success EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24738 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24738/ A1 - McCormick, Joseph Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - The literature outlines that while many high school graduates enroll in higher education, less than 60% complete their degree within six years of enrollment (Kena, et al., 2014). There is also a need to better understand how secondary schools are influencing students? college readiness and persistence through degree completion (Johnson, 2008). Since college readiness is a complex topic, this investigation focuses specifically on knowledge for college as a key component of postsecondary preparedness. In this study, the postsecondary enrollment, persistence and degree completion of a specific graduate cohort are measured through a review of archival data. Rates of acquisition and sources of readiness in knowledge for college are measured through a graduate questionnaire. Through a model of practitioner inquiry, this study found that graduates enrolled in higher education at rates consistent with comparison groups, persisted at higher rates, and took longer than expected to complete degrees. The survey respondents reported varying degrees of readiness across seven components of knowledge for college, with the highest rating in Matriculation and the lowest in Postsecondary Costs. Teachers and school counselors were among the top three most influential groups on the acquisition of skills, while College Visits and Job Shadowing were found to be the most beneficial experiences. KW - Knowledge for College TI - SECONDARY TO POSTSECONDARY NEXUS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE IMPACT OF SECONDARY EDUCATION ON POSTSECONDARY RESULTS THROUGH KNOWLEDGE FOR COLLEGE EP - 204 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23990 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23990/ A1 - Weber, Megan/M Y1 - 2015/05/18/ N2 - Dental caries is a significant public health problem and is estimated to affect 60 to 90 percent of school children as well as a large number of adults. It is a chronic, infectious, multifactorial disease in which the host?s diet, microbiota, and genetic background play a role. Initial linkage studies suggested the estrogen related receptor beta (ESRRB) locus is linked to high caries experience in humans. Our hypothesis is that rare genetic variation in the coding region of ESRRB influences caries. Ninety-three whole saliva samples from a clinically well-characterized cohort were collected and extracted (62 caries samples and 31 caries free controls). We sequenced the exons and exon-intron boundaries of ESRRB and compared our results with the reference sequence transcript ENST00000505752 from the Ensembl genome browser. Eight SNPs were found in our samples with no evidence indicating these are disease-causing variants. Individuals with dental caries have an over-representation of the T allele of rs55835922 (74% versus 54%; p?=?0.01). The SNP rs61742642 is a missense mutation (P386S), but its frequency was just slightly elevated in cases with dental caries (13% versus 9.5%). SNP rs35544003 is a synonymous change. Through bioinformatics analysis, we determined the SNP rs61742642 missense mutation is a benign change. Our results indicate that ESRRB may contribute to caries, but coding mutations causing the disease are not commonly found. KW - Dental caries KW - medical genetics KW - single nucleotide polymorphism TI - SEQUENCING OF ESTROGEN RELATED RECEPTOR BETA (ESRRB) AND ITS ROLE IN DENTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE EP - 50 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25209 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25209/ A1 - Lea, Dawn E. Y1 - 2015/05/15/ N2 - Medication management issues in persons with diabetes (PWD) are well documented. Few studies have examined community-dwelling older PWD in primary-care provider (PCP) practice setting to determine what medications PCPs prescribe and what patients actually take. This secondary analysis, guided by Donabedian?s structure-process-outcome framework, examined medication discrepancies (MD) in community-dwelling PWD (n = 142), 65 years of age and older, in the PCP setting. The aims were to (1) characterize the sample, (2) characterize the discrepancies associated with prescribed medications, and (3) identify potential correlates of medication discrepancies. This study used de-identified baseline data (n = 533) from a parent study (NIH/NIA AG023129), which examined the utility of cognitive function testing of older adults in the PCP setting. The Donabedian structure component included variables for subject characteristics such as sociodemographic variables, health information, and neuropsychological variables. The process component included data from a comprehensive medication review, which generated a complete and accurate list of the subject?s current medications and allowed a comparison of the patient-generated list with the provider-generated list present in the subject?s medical record. In 95% of the subjects, MD were present. Among subjects with the same number of health problems, those with a higher number of medications were more likely to exhibit MD compared to the subjects with a lower number of medications. Among patients with the same number of medications, those who had a higher number of health problems were less likely to have a MD compared to the subjects with fewer health problems. Polypharmacy and the number of health problems were the most significant correlates of a medication discrepancy. While not significant, a trend was observed for diminished cognitive function and the presence of a MD (p = 0.056). Despite a high MMSE mean score (27.9 ± 1.9) and positive correlations with neuropsychological scores, mild cognitive impairment was discovered in 44% of the sample?and four or more depressive symptoms in 69.72% of the sample. The pervasiveness of medication discrepancies and health problems in a population of PWD at risk for cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms has significant health care implications that deserve further study. KW - diabetes mellitus KW - cognitive function KW - medication discrepancy KW - Donabedian KW - older adults KW - primary care TI - MEDICATION DISCREPANCIES ASSOCIATED WITH DIABETES MELLITUS IN COMMUNITY DWELLING PRIMARY CARE OLDER ADULTS EP - 110 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25156 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25156/ A1 - Harris, Katharine G Y1 - 2015/05/11/ N2 - Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB), an enterovirus, is a small, ssRNA virus with a genome of approximately 7 kB. There are 2 million symptomatic CVB infections annually in the United States, ranging from mild febrile illnesses to myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, or pancreatitis. CVB is a fecal-oral pathogen and must overcome diverse cellular barriers to cause disease, including the polarized epithelium lining the gastrointestinal tract. Viral infection of a host cell results in a variety of cellular responses that serve to control the viral infection. Once such response is the activation of intracellular innate immune signaling; this results in the production of type I interferon, which signals in an auto- and paracrine fashion to alter the transcriptional profile of a cell to inhibit viral replication. A second response to viral infection is the induction of cell death pathways; as viruses utilize host cell machinery for replication, early cell death of a host cell can result in an abortive infection. Here, I examine the ways in which CVB interfaces with these host cell pathways that affect viral replication. A primary mechanism utilized by CVB for altering host cell pathways is the production of the virally-encoded cysteine protease 3Cpro. 3Cpro is required to process the viral polypeptide but is also known to target cellular protein targets for proteolysis. Here, I identify two cellular proteins targeted for proteolysis by 3Cpro, Unc93b and RIP3, that are involved in the intracellular innate immune signaling and cell death pathways, respectively. I then characterize the roles of these proteins and their cleavage during CVB infection. In summary, I explore the ways in which CVB manipulates its host cell through proteolysis of host cell proteins by the virally-encoded protease 3Cpro and find that the balance between virus and host is finely tuned through the activity of this protease. KW - Virology Innate Immunology Necroptosis Toll-like receptor signaling Coxsackievirus B3 Enterovirus TI - Manipulation of host cell death and innate immune signaling pathways by Coxsackievirus B3 EP - 151 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24955 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24955/ A1 - Policicchio, Shauna Y1 - 2015/05/07/ N2 - From 2007 onward, the PDF document has proven to be a successful vector for malware infections, making up 80% of all exploits found by Cisco ScanSafe in 2009 [1]. Creating new PDF documents is very easy and the volume of PDF documents identified as malicious has grown beyond the capabilities of security researchers to analyze by hand. The solution proposed by this thesis is to automatically extract features from the PDF documents to group and classify them, so that similar malware may be identified without manual analysis, thus reducing the workload of the malware analyst. These features may also be studied to identify trends within the PDF documents, such as similar exploits or obfuscation techniques. Our results show that the object graph structure of the PDF document is an effective way to create an initial grouping of malicious PDF documents. Finding similarities in PDF documents reveals further information about a data set. In our first case study, we examine the entire data set to identify large groups of similar PDF documents and make conjectures about their origins. In our second case study, we use a PDF document of known origin to find similar PDF documents within a data set. Through the two case studies, we were able to identify 50.3% of our data set with very little manual analysis of the malicious PDF documents. KW - PDF documents KW - malicious document analysis KW - malware TI - Bulk Analysis of Malicious PDF Documents EP - 62 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25131 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25131/ A1 - Lee, Pei-Ju Y1 - 2015/05/07/ N2 - In this dissertation, I develop a novel inconsistency detection and data fusion method for data integration systems. Inconsistent data may lead to incorrect query results and induce unexplainable outcomes. I propose an inconsistency detection method to find out which data items (e.g., temporal or spatial report) have the higher potential to cause data conflicts as well as to estimate a reasonable consistent reported value. My approach is based on representing overlapping data reports as a characteristic linear system. The characteristic linear system can be used to estimate consistent reported values within overlapping time and space intervals. I explore applicability of the proposed approach in different domains. In particular, I perform temporal data fusion with time-overlapping reports using a historical database. I also experiment with spatial data fusion involving space-overlapping reports using simulation of sensor data sets of robots performing search and rescue task. Finally, I apply the proposed approach to combine temporal and spatial fusion and demonstrate that such multidimensional fusion improves inconsistency detection and target value estimation. KW - Data fusion KW - Information integration KW - Temporal and spatial data fusion KW - Linear system. TI - EFFICIENT INFORMATION INTEGRATION SYSTEM FOR TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DATA EP - 139 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25058 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25058/ A1 - Cheng, I-Ling Y1 - 2015/05/07/ N2 - The goal of this dissertation is to develop a model that benefits educators and instructional technologists in building effective educational portals that meet teachers? specific needs when they seek information in support of teaching preparation. This study consists of a Factor Study and an Acceptance Study to understand K-12 teachers? information behavior. It has two supporting theories ? Task Complexity (Byström & Järvelin, 1995) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM; Davis, 1993) ? to evaluate what factors influences K-12 teachers? information-seeking behavior and their acceptance of educational portals in relation to tasks associated with lesson preparation. Also, the study used a mixed-method approach to address the research questions and included East Asia Gateway for Linking Educators (EAGLE) and four other portals as platforms to accurately cross-check K-12 teachers? acceptance. EAGLE (http://noborders.ucis.pitt.edu/eagle/) is an educational portal that provides East Asia resources for teaching and creates by the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) at the University of Pittsburgh. All the participants are NCTA alumni who have an account on EAGLE. The main findings of this study are: (1) Teachers? background, prior technological experiences, extrinsic barriers, intrinsic barriers and attitudes influence information-seeking behavior and their acceptance and usage of educational portals. More specifically, an individual?s attitude is a major factor impacting teachers? seeking information from educational portals to be incorporated into course design. (2) K-12 teachers? Perceived Usefulness is an important factor that influences their acceptance of educational portals; however, when K-12 teachers actually use portals, their Perceived Ease of Use becomes a more important factor. (3) The main factors that influence K-12 teachers? acceptance of educational portal are: Time Issues and System Interface. (4) Teacher?s Computer Self-efficacy (TCS) is a catalyst that changes K-12 teachers? information behavior when using educational portals. The limitations of this study were, first, the participants were volunteers and limited to a small geographic area (Pittsburgh) and emphasized social sciences teachers. Additionally, the data was collected from self-reported measures and not by independently verified instruments. Both of these aspects could limit the generalizability of this study. KW - Information Practices KW - Information Behaviors KW - K-12 teachers KW - Educational Portals KW - Usability KW - Pre-Collegiate Educators KW - Interface design TI - Factors Affecting the Usability of Educational Portals and their Influence on the Information Practices of Pre-Collegiate Educators EP - 223 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24983 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24983/ A1 - Long, Xuelian Y1 - 2015/05/07/ N2 - The rapid advances of the 4th generation mobile networks, social media and the ubiquity of the advanced mobile devices in which GPS modules are embedded have enabled the location-based services, especially the Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs) such as Foursquare and Facebook Places. LBSNs have been attracting more and more users by providing services that integrate social activities with geographic information. In LBSNs, a user can explore places of interests around his current location, check in at these venues and also selectively share his check-ins with the public or his friends. LBSNs have accumulated large amounts of information related to personal or social activities along with their associated location information. Analyzing and mining LBSN information are important to understand human preferences related to locations and their mobility patterns. Therefore, in this thesis, we aim to understand the human mobility behavior and patterns based on huge amounts of information available on LBSNs and provide a hybrid trust-based POI recommendation for LBSN users. In this dissertation, we first carry out a comprehensive and quantitative analysis about venue popularity based on a cumulative dataset collected from greater Pittsburgh area in Foursquare. It provides a general understanding of the online population's preferences on locations. Then, we employ a probabilistic graphical model to mine the check-in dataset to discover the local geographic topics that capture the potential and intrinsic relations among the locations in accordance with users' check-in histories. We also investigate the local geographic topics with different temporal aspects. Moreover, we explore the geographic topics based on travelers' check-ins. The proposed approach for mining the latent geographic topics successfully addresses the challenges of understanding location preferences of groups of users. Lastly, we focus on individual user's preferences of locations and propose a hybrid trust-based POI recommendation algorithm in this thesis. The proposed approach integrates the trust based on both users' social relationship and users' check-in behavior to provide POI recommendations. We implement the proposed hybrid trust-based recommendation algorithm and evaluate it based on the Foursquare dataset and the experimental results show good performances of our proposed algorithm. KW - Location-Based Social Networks KW - Latent Topics KW - POI Recommendation KW - Hybrid Trust KW - Foursquare TI - Location-Based Social Networks: Latent Topics Mining and Hybrid Trust-Based Recommendation EP - 125 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24993 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24993/ A1 - Soyka, Heather Y1 - 2015/05/07/ N2 - The central purpose of this dissertation is to examine an archival theory, the records continuum, to understand how the continuum highlights, reveals, or obscures qualities relevant to understanding community co-created records. Previous research related to the records continuum has been largely concerned with understanding the theory and with how records are created, captured, and organized using the continuum. Relatively few studies have looked at how community records can be understood using the records continuum, or how those records can be read through the dimension of pluralization, when they are shared with a broader societal audience. To address this concern, this research looked at the active behavior of the administrative team for an online forum of active duty military officers in shaping and re-presenting the community using records created and built on the forum. Taking an exploratory case study approach, this research draws connections between thematic threads and forum posts written by members of the community, and later reuse and reactivation of those writings for a different, broader audience. A key finding is that values embedded and inherent in the community records creation process are hidden, or not explicitly measured or made visible by using a continuum approach. This is significant because it could pose a problem for future understanding of the situated context of the records that have been infused with values and shaped by their communities of creation. KW - community recordkeeping KW - records continuum KW - archives KW - recordkeeping TI - RECORDS AS FORCE MULTIPLIER: UNDERSTANDING THE RECORDS CONTINUUM AS A FRAMEWORK FOR EXAMINING THE ROLE OF RECORDS IN A COMMUNITY EP - 192 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25078 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25078/ A1 - Thurheimer, Jennifer Y1 - 2015/05/06/ N2 - Aims: To examine the short-term efficacy (3-months post-intervention during adolescence) and long-term efficacy (15-years post-intervention) of receiving preconception counseling (READY-Girls) as an adolescent on risk-taking behaviors, condom use, and STI acquisition among females with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Methods: Secondary analysis was conducted on data from randomized-control-trials of READY-Girls using a cohort of women with T1D during adolescence (N=136) and an expanded follow-up study of these and other adult women with T1D (N=75) using online surveys to measure risk-taking behaviors (e.g., substance use and unsafe sex), birth control (BC) use and STIs. Results: Overall, there were no significant changes in risk-taking behaviors in this cohort over time. Only 25% of the adolescent sample reported having ever been sexually active. As adolescents, 60% reported having unprotected sex compared to 58% as adults. The three BC methods most frequently used by this cohort over time: oral contraceptives, condoms and withdrawal. Sixteen-percent had reported ever being diagnosed with an STI. No significant differences between groups were noted at 3-month post-READY-Girls in adolescence. However, adult women who received READY-Girls as adolescents were more likely to report later sexual debut and used condoms. READY-Girls appeared to increase adolescent perception of susceptibility, which was significantly associated with less unprotected sex during adulthood. Conclusion: READY-Girls did not directly impact short or long-term risk-taking behaviors or STIs. However, READY-Girls focused on the effects of diabetes on reproductive health and the prevention of unplanned pregnancies to avoid complications. Consistent with our previous findings, it impacted age of sexual debut. Only a few adolescent health beliefs were associated with some sexual risk-taking behaviors as adults. The three most frequently used BC methods: oral contraceptives, condoms, and withdrawal remained consistent over time. Episodes of unprotected sex and use of withdrawal which started during adolescence and continued into adulthood was concerning. Our findings suggest, starting in adolescence, that some women with T1D appeared to engage in some risk-taking behavior and ineffective BC use, thereby, increasing their risks for STIs. Adding information to PC, including READY-Girls, on avoiding risk-taking behaviors, engaging in safer sexual practice and using condoms to prevent STIs is warranted. KW - risk-taking behaviors KW - condom use KW - sexually transmitted infections KW - type 1 diabetes KW - reproductive health KW - preconception counseling TI - Examining Short- And Long-Term Effects Of Preconception Counseling Delivered During Adolescence on Risk-taking Behaviors, Condom use, and Sexually Transmitted Infections among Females with Type 1 Diabetes EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25132 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25132/ A1 - KELLY, LINDSEY Y1 - 2015/05/06/ N2 - Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine malignancy and is currently the fastest growing in incidence in the United States. Thyroid cancers encompass both well-differentiated and dedifferentiated cancer types. Dedifferentiated tumors have high mortality rates and lack effective therapies. Using paired-end whole-transcriptome RNA-sequencing of papillary thyroid cancer, we identified rearrangements involving the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in thyroid cancer. We found that the most common ALK fusion in thyroid cancer is between ALK and the striatin (STRN) gene, which results from the rearrangement of chromosome 2p. STRN-ALK fusions did not overlap with other known driver mutations in these tumors, indicating that this rearrangement is a driver event. We found that the dimerization of the STRN-ALK protein by the coiled-coil domain of STRN leads to constitutive activation of ALK kinase. Our results demonstrate that STRN-ALK activation causes ALK kinase-dependent, thyroid-stimulating hormone independent proliferation of thyroid cells. We also show that STRN-ALK expression transforms cells in vitro and induces tumor formation in nude mice. In addition to well-differentiated papillary cancer, we identified STRN-ALK with a higher frequency in poorly differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancers. Dedifferentiation of tumors leads to loss of iodine avidity; therefore, radioiodine treatment of these tumors is no longer an option. ALK fusions are a potential molecular target for treatment of these aggressive tumors. We established that ALK inhibitors crizotinib and TAE684 block STRN-ALK kinase activity and ALK-kinase induced THS-independent thyroid cell growth in vitro. In our preclinical mouse models, growth of tumors from STRN-ALK cells is blocked by crizotinib and LDK378, FDA approved ALK inhibitors. Moreover, LDK378 halts tumor growth of crizotinib resistant STRN-ALK cells. Our data demonstrate that STRN-ALK fusions occur in a subset of patients with highly aggressive types of thyroid cancer and provide evidence that ALK represents a therapeutic target for these patients. KW - papillary thyroid cancer KW - ALK gene fusions TI - Identification and functional characterization of STRN-ALK fusions as a therapeutic target in aggressive forms of thyroid cancer EP - 108 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25107 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25107/ A1 - Savol, Andrej J Y1 - 2015/05/04/ N2 - Proteins live in an environment of random thermal vibrations yet they convert this constant disorder into selective biological function. As data acquisition methods for resolving protein motions improve more of the randomness is also captured; there is thus a parallel need for analysis methods that filter out the disorder and clarify functionally-relevant protein behavior. Few behaviors are more relevant than folding in the first place, and this thesis opens by addressing which conformational states are kinetically relevant for promoting or inhibiting attainment of the folded native state. Our modeling approach discretizes simulation data into a network of nodes and edges representing, respectively, different protein conformations and observed conformational transitions. A perturbative strategy is then invoked to quantify the importance of each node, i.e. conformational substate, with regard to theoretical folding rates. On a test of 10 proteins this framework identifies unique ?kinetic traps? and ?facilitator substates? that sometimes evade detection with traditional RMSD-based analysis. We then apply spectral approaches and auto-regressive models to (1) address efficiency concerns for more general networks and (2) mimic protein flexibility with compact linear models. KW - Protein dynamics. Complex networks. Network centrality. Protein folding. Markov state models. Spectral theory. Matrix perturbation. Mean first passage times. TI - Spectral approaches for identifying kinetic features in molecular dynamics simulations of globular proteins EP - 106 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25106 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25106/ A1 - Hertsenberg, Andrew J Y1 - 2015/05/04/ N2 - The cornea is the optically transparent tissue through which light first enters the eye. Together with the lens, the cornea bends incident light to focus it onto the photosensitive retina. Corneal fibrosis occurs in response to ocular trauma and infection and, by reducing corneal transparency, can impair or completely diminish this function, leading to vision impairment and blindness. Millions of people around the globe suffer from corneal blindness as a result of injury and infection. Fortunately, topical antibiotics and immunosuppressants help to prevent scars from forming. Should a scar develop, corneal transplant is a generally successful procedure that can restore sight to these patients. There are, however, drawbacks and limitations to the procedure in that immunological rejection of the donor graft and a limited supply of donor tissue prevent many patients from sustaining or receiving this treatment. The body of work presented here investigates stem cells as an alternative treatment for vision-impairing fibrotic wounds in the corneal stroma. First, I show that human embryonic stem cells are capable of differentiating to cells with a corneal keratocyte phenotype, a study that may lead to the development of a source of cells to repair damaged corneal tissue. I then show that a population of corneal stromal stem cells can be isolated in a biopsy-like procedure and prevent fibrotic wound healing in the mouse, presenting an autologous source of cells to treat corneal scars. Finally, I investigate a potential mechanism by which these stem cells prevent fibrotic wound healing via immunomodulation and the suppression of neutrophil infiltration to the wound bed. This work moves toward the development of an alternative to corneal transplantation that will bridge the gap between the supply and demand of donor tissue and provide a treatment option with a significantly reduced risk of failure due to rejection. KW - Stem Cells KW - Cornea KW - Regeneration KW - Wound Healing KW - Fibrosis TI - Stem Cells for the Treatment of Corneal Fibrosis EP - 114 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25091 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25091/ A1 - Laemmle, Lillian Y1 - 2015/05/01/ N2 - Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries, but we lack the ability to regenerate cardiac tissue. Cell-based therapy holds promise to repopulate a damaged heart with functional cardiomyocytes. Developing technologies to produce cells for transplantation is key to the success of this approach. Pluripotent stem cells (PSC) are an ideal starting material for cell-based therapies because they can be expanded indefinitely in culture and their plasticity gives them the potential to regenerate any tissue or organ. The issue of teratoma formation in the host may be avoided by devising methods to differentiate PSC toward a desired lineage before transplantation. Because the heart is vital for life, and the biggest source of human morbidity and mortality, in vitro differentiation of PSC into cardiomyocytes for cell-based treatment of heart disease is an area of intense research. Exogenous expression of vital cardiogenic genes in PSC can be a powerful tool. Transduction of PSC with recombinant viral vectors can deliver genes to activate cardiac programming and drive differentiation toward a cardiac lineage. Replication defective HSV vectors efficiently transduce PSC and can be engineered to express genes that alter the cellular differentiation program. The goal of this research was to develop highly defective HSV vectors to express multiple cardiac transcription factors in embryonic stem cells to increase their cardiogenic potential. Vectors v??G4Nk, vG4Nk, and vGTM were engineered to express GATA4 and NKX2.5 or GATA4, TBX5, and MEF2c in PSC with high efficiency and low toxicity. Transduction of mESC with these vectors induced the expression of endogenous genes that are vital for cardiogenesis. Differentiation of mESC transduced with cardiogenic HSV vectors had a positive impact on terminal cardiomyocyte differentiation, producing many more embryoid bodies with beating cardiomyocytes than those transduced with control vectors. In addition, we found that delaying the drastic dilution of viral genomes that occurs over the time interval to terminal differentiation could enhance the outcome. Our results indicate that infection of mESC with cardiogenic HSV vectors has long reaching effects on mESC differentiation, supporting the suggestion that HSV vectors can be a useful tool for producing lineage related changes in differentiating PSC to generate specialized cell types. KW - GATA4 cardiomyocytes cell-based therapy embryonic stem cells cardiac differentiation HSV vectors TI - POLYCISTRONIC HSV VECTORS FOR THE DIFFERENTIATION OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS TOWARD A CARDIAC LINEAGE EP - 179 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25102 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25102/ A1 - Kramzer, Lindsay Y1 - 2015/05/01/ N2 - HIV/AIDS persists as a global health concern, with the overwhelming majority of infections caused by sexual transmission. The lack of effective prevention modalities for women has prompted research of novel approaches to prevent disease spread. One such approach includes vaginal microbicides. The work presented within this dissertation project contributes significantly to the vaginal microbicide field, focusing on preformulation assessments, stability in the biological environment, and drug targeting of the biopharmaceutical microbicide candidate Griffithsin (GRFT). We hypothesized that GRFT will undergo physical and chemical instabilities that will affect successful formulation and vaginal delivery of this microbicide candidate. We further hypothesized that GRFT will undergo binding interactions within cervicovaginal secretions that will negatively impacting GRFT-gp120 binding and that GRFT will not be able to inhibit HIV binding to the DC-SIGN receptor and transfer to CD4 cells because GRFT will not permeate cervical tissue. Identification of degradation pathways for GRFT was conducted by performing preformulation experiments under selected conditions of temperature, light, shear, ionic strength, and oxidation. Analytical methods included HPLC, CD, UV-spectroscopy, ELISA, and SDS-PAGE. GRFT chemical modifications, including intact mass analyses and peptide sequencing, were evaluated in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and human cervicovaginal secretions. The effects of human cervicovaginal secretions on GRFT-gp120 binding was also assessed with ELISA. Tissue permeability and localization of GRFT was evaluated using excised human ectocervical tissue. Major findings from this dissertation indicate that: (1) GRFT is prone to oxidation, by both hydrogen peroxide exposure and human cervicovaginal secretion exposure; (2) Methionine at position 78 in the amino acid sequence of GRFT is oxidized; (3) GRFT-gp120 binding is inhibited in human cervicovaginal secretions containing normal microflora, but not in secretions with BV; and (4) GRFT does not permeate deep into or through human cervical tissue, but does adheres to the superficial epithelial tissue. Overall, this dissertation has created more knowledge about a drug candidate in the microbicide field and will guide further development of GRFT. Further, the methodologies implemented throughout this dissertation can be used or adapted as part of a strategy to preclinically evaluate other vaginal microbicide candidates. KW - Griffithsin KW - GRFT KW - microbicide KW - HIV prevention TI - PREFORMULATION AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS FOR THE INTRAVAGINAL DELIVERY OF GRIFFITHSIN FOR HIV PREVENTION EP - 192 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25093 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25093/ A1 - GROVER, PRERNA Y1 - 2015/05/01/ N2 - The c-Abl protein-tyrosine kinase regulates diverse cellular signaling pathways involved in cell growth, adhesion, and responses to genotoxic stress. Abl is well known in the context of Bcr-Abl, the active fusion tyrosine kinase, which causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and other leukemias. The tyrosine kinase activity of Abl is tightly regulated by auto-inhibitory interactions involving its non-catalytic SH3 and SH2 domains. Mutations that perturb these intramolecular interactions result in kinase activation. This study examined the effect of activating mutations on the biochemistry and solution structure of Abl core proteins. In an active myristic acid-binding pocket mutant (A356N), the relative positions of the regulatory N-cap, SH3 and SH2 domains were virtually identical to those of the assembled wild-type core despite differences in catalytic activity and thermal stability. In contrast, a dramatic structural rearrangement in an active gatekeeper mutant (T315I) was observed with the positions of the SH2 and SH3 domains reversed relative to wild-type. These results show that Abl kinases can adopt multiple conformations in solution and kinase activation does not necessarily require destabilization of the assembled core structure. Small molecules that allosterically regulate Abl kinase activity through its non-catalytic domains may represent selective probes of Abl function. I developed a screening assay to identify chemical modulators of Abl kinase activity that either disrupt or stabilize the regulatory interaction of the SH3 domain with the SH2-kinase linker. This fluorescence polarization (FP) assay is based on a recombinant Abl protein containing the regulatory domains (Ncap-SH3-SH2-linker, N32L) and a short fluorescein-labeled probe peptide that binds the SH3 domain. The probe peptide binds the recombinant Abl N32L protein in vitro producing a robust FP signal. Mutation of the SH3 binding site (W118A) or introduction of a high-affinity linker both resulted in loss of the FP signal. Pilot screens were performed with two chemical libraries (2800 compounds total), and thirteen compounds were found to specifically inhibit the FP signal. Secondary assays showed that one of these hit compounds enhances Abl kinase activity in vitro. These results show that screening assays based on the regulatory domains of Abl can identify allosteric modulators of kinase function. KW - Abl tyrosine kinase KW - SH2 domain KW - SH3 domain KW - Allosteric inhibitors KW - Drug discovery KW - Kinase regulation TI - UNDERSTANDING ACTIVE ABL KINASE CONFORMATIONS: APPLICATION TO DISCOVERY OF SMALL MOLECULE ALLOSTERIC MODULATORS EP - 179 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25105 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25105/ A1 - Langhans, Mark Y1 - 2015/05/01/ N2 - A forward genetics screen in mice identified a mutation in the gene Wdpcp that leads to severe skeletal dysmorphogenesis with disrupted formation of the primary cilium. The primary cilium is a transiently formed organelle that facilitates the processing of hedgehog transcription factors Gli2 and Gli3. Conditional deletion of Wdpcp in the limb bud mesenchyme recapitulates the appendicular skeletal phenotype of the constitutive Wdpcp loss of function mutant. Loss of Wdpcp disrupts formation of the repressor form of Gli3, leading to hyper activation of hedgehog pathway. This hyper activation delays chondrogenesis via increased expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) inhibitor Grem1, suppressing activation of BMP pathway necessary for chondrogenesis. Suppression of hedgehog signaling and Grem1 expression and concomitant rescue of chondrogenesis is demonstrated with treatment of in vitro limb bud micromass cultures with direct hedgehog transcription factor Gli inhibitor GANT61, but not hedgehog signal transducer Smoothened inhibitor. This indicates that Wdpcp functions below Smoothened in the hedgehog pathway and directly implicates hedgehog signaling in the observed chondrogenic delay. In order to determine the effects of Wdpcp loss independent of this observed chondrogenic delay, we generated chondrocyte specific deletion mouse model of Wdpcp. Loss of Wdpcp and formation of the primary cilium in chondrocytes disrupts formation of trabecular bone, and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking Wdpcp have diminished in vitro osteogenesis. Activation of hedgehog pathway in MEFs lacking Wdpcp is rescued with lentiviral infection with a form of Gli2 mimicking amino terminal phosphorylation. We also demonstrate that overactivation of PKA in MEFs can restore disrupted formation of the repressor form of Gli3. These findings define an important role for Wdpcp and primary cilia in skeletal development and in coordinating the post-translational modification of Gli transcription factors necessary for normal hedgehog signaling. KW - Wdpcp KW - cilia KW - hedgehog KW - skeletogenesis KW - differentiation KW - cartilage KW - bone TI - Wdpcp Affects Skeletogenesis via the Hedgehog Pathway EP - 124 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25071 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25071/ A1 - Sanchez Ortiz, Alvaro Y1 - 2015/04/28/ N2 - There are growing difficulties in caring for patients with acute surgical emergencies. In response, some trauma centers restructured their surgical services, integrating critical care and emergency surgery into their trauma programs. Few studies have examined these; however, evidence of their effectiveness is far from conclusive. This project proposed to evaluate trends of hospitalizations, deaths and costs associated with acute surgical emergencies (non-traumatic surgical emergencies and trauma) and to determine the effect of trauma centers on mortality in adult patients with non-traumatic surgical emergencies, using the Nationwide Impatient Sample databases from 2005-2010 and the American Hospital Association?s Annual Survey database from 2010. The results from this project demonstrated that despite the significant increases in non-traumatic surgical emergencies and trauma related hospitalizations over time, overall mortality and costs are decreasing significantly, perhaps related to improvement in hospital management for these acute surgical emergencies. However, there were some demographic and regional variations. Overall, patients are old and are getting more comorbidities and uninsured over time. Among NTSEm, mortality is not decreasing significantly over time for all surgical conditions. For the injured patients, falls is becoming the leading mechanism of injury and penetrating trauma related mortality is increasing over time in the United States. Penetrating injuries in the South demonstrated a significant increase in related hospitalization. Finally, the results from these secondary data analyses do not support the hypothesis that the presence of a structured trauma centers account for differences in mortality for patients with non-traumatic surgical emergencies. The variations observed may be related to geographical differences in acute care surgical coverage for these traumatic and non-traumatic conditions. In the past, the needs of the injured patient drove the development of the field of trauma surgery; therefore, there is a need to develop systematic approaches to fulfill the needs of patients with non-traumatic surgical emergencies. Regionalization of care, registries and severity scores will need to be created for these acute care surgical conditions, to study more in depth the quality of care and outcomes research, as acute care surgical models continue to expand across the United States. KW - acute care surgery KW - non-traumatic surgical emergencies KW - traumatic injuries KW - trauma centers TI - Mortality and costs from acute care surgical emergencies EP - 107 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25045 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25045/ A1 - Simmonds, Daniel A1 - Luna, Beatriz Y1 - 2015/04/28/ N2 - Working memory (WM), the ability to hold information on line to guide planned behavior, continues to improve through adolescence in parallel with brain maturational processes of systems known to support it. Initial studies have only examined individuals once or twice, limiting our understanding of developmental trajectories, leading to sparse and conflicting results. Further, it is unclear how age-related changes in WM performance and neural processes are associated, and what mechanisms might underlie these changes. In this study, we report on developmental improvements of WM performance and changes in brain function and connectivity of systems underlying WM using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), in a large longitudinal sample in which participants were followed annually for up to nine years. First, results confirmed that WM performance continues to improve into the early 20's. Alongside these refinements, brain activity in the frontal eye fields (FEF) and parietal cortex continue to change during this time; age-related changes in prefrontal regions were specifically associated with WM performance, suggesting a primary role in WM improvements. Supporting these changes, task-related functional connectivity from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to FEF, visual association cortex (VAC), and cingulate regions continued to change during adolescence and were related to WM development. Greater connectivity was associated with less mature behavior, suggesting a decreased reliance on top-down communication to support WM with development. DTI results indicated robust increases in white matter integrity across the brain with the several tracts connecting prefrontal and posterior systems, continuing to mature into early adulthood. Further, white matter measures were correlated with behavior, functional activity, and functional connectivity, suggesting that the development of structural connections may provide a scaffold on which cognitive and functional brain development can specialize. Taken together, these results suggest that while regional prefrontal function supports the transition from childhood to adolescence, the period of transition to adult level WM performance is characterized, by enhancements in prefrontal functional and structural connectivity to posterior regions supporting mnemonic aspects of working memory residing in attention and visual association regions. KW - dorsolateral prefrontal cortex KW - frontal eye fields KW - visual association cortex KW - cingulate KW - executive KW - sensorimotor KW - cognitive KW - maturation KW - timing KW - stages KW - epochs KW - functional magnetic resonance imaging KW - functional connectivity KW - beta series KW - diffusion tensor imaging KW - individual differences KW - brain-behavior KW - structure-function TI - Protracted development of brain systems underlying working memory in adolescence: a longitudinal study EP - 108 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24898 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24898/ A1 - Stevens, Erica Y1 - 2015/04/27/ N2 - Due to the excellent high-temperature performance of nickel-based superalloys and the need for complicated geometries and simple repairs, methods of creating nickel-based superalloy parts by additive manufacturing (AM) are currently being developed. In this study, Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is used as the AM process to create samples, and Inconel 718 is used as the nickel-based superalloy. LENS is an AM method that uses a laser to selectively melt metal powder, while introducing additional powder in order to add to the volume of the melt pool. This process is commonly used for part repair; however, the processing parameters and resulting structure and properties of the material are not yet fully understood. This study characterizes Inconel 718 samples fabricated using LENS printing using optical microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, and Vickers microhardness, and proposes explanations for the results based on the printing process. KW - LENS KW - laser engineered net shaping KW - Inconel 718 KW - additive manufacturing KW - microstructural characterization TI - Characterization of microstructure, defects, and mechanical properties of additive manufactured nickel-base superalloys EP - 72 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25035 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25035/ A1 - Frisch, Miriam Y1 - 2015/04/27/ N2 - Dengue is a neglected infectious disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which primarily inhabits urban tropical areas. Dengue is endemic in more than 100 countries; over the last 50 years, there has been a 4.6 fold increase in dengue incidence, spreading to a larger geographical region. In Argentina, there is low dengue incidence, and cases are concentrated in the northern tropical regions. However, in 2009, the capital city of Buenos Aires, located in a temperate region, experienced a historic outbreak of autochthonous and imported dengue. This study approaches the socio-demographic factors possibly associated with this outbreak and the spatial relationship between these factors and dengue fever in Buenos Aires. Fieldwork was done in Buenos Aires where I conducted interviews with dengue experts, and collected dengue and socio-demographic data. Dengue cases in 2009 were analyzed by hospital area of the city in relation to 2010 census data on population density, place of birth, proportion of the population with unsatisfied basic needs, and sanitary installations in homes. Odds ratios and case level analyses were done between dengue and these risk factors. GIS was used to determine spatial distribution of risk factors and dengue in Buenos Aires. In interviews, dengue experts in Buenos Aires argued immigration and access to sanitation contributed to the spike in dengue incidence and high concentration of cases in the southern periphery of the city during the 2009 outbreak. High immigrant populations were thought to be associated with spatial disparities of dengue and increased incidence in these areas. Yet, contrary to interview findings, odds ratios fail to show correlation between areas with increased immigration and high dengue by hospital area. Findings suggest trends of positive correlation between areas with high dengue and high poverty. Dengue appears to be higher in areas with low population density as well. KW - Dengue fever KW - Buenos Aires TI - Dengue in Buenos Aires: an analysis of the factors contributing to increased incidence of dengue fever in urban environments EP - 95 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir26001 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26001/ A1 - Rosas, Johana M. Y1 - 2015/04/27/ N2 - Every year thousands of children are adopted into USA families. Many of these children are adopted from countries where the primary form of care is institutions. While much research has focused on adjustment in middle childhood and adolescence, little is known about post-institutionalized (PI) children?s adjustment in early childhood. The primary goal of this study was to examine the social-emotional adjustment of PI children during the first three years of life. Furthermore, this study examined the association between age at adoption and time in the adoptive home on children?s outcomes. Also, attachment and indiscriminate friendliness (IF) were examined in relation to children?s social-emotional outcomes. Adoptive parents provided demographic and adoption information and filled out the Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA), The Attachment Questionnaire (23 questions), and Chisholm?s Indiscriminately Friendly Questions. The sample included 179 children (99 females) adopted between 6 and 30 months of age from Russia (85%), Belarus (8%), and other Easter European countries (7%) and had lived in the adoptive families for 1-27 months (M = 12.83 months). PI children were compared to the standardization sample of the ITSEA on mean standardized scores and percentage of children in the ?Of Concern? range. Overall, results showed that PI children had lower social-emotional problem scores and a lower percentage of children with extreme scores than the standardization sample of the ITSEA. Also, PI children did not differ on competencies and attention skills from the standardization sample of the ITSEA. Age at adoption was related to most outcomes, consistent with the literature, but not time in the adoptive home. In addition, better security of attachment was associated with less behavior problems. PI children?s better than expected functioning was surprising considering the social-emotional deprivation of the institutional environment in which these children lived for most of their lives prior to adoption and possible reasons for the unexpectedly normative scores for PI children are discussed. KW - Child Development KW - Psychology KW - Adoption Research TI - Social-Emotional Adjustment of Post-Institutionalized Children from 12 to 36 Months of Age. EP - 72 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24994 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24994/ A1 - Morse, Robyn Y1 - 2015/04/27/ N2 - This research attempts to convey the importance of the political usage of the Shi?a-Sunni Divide. After demonstrating the motivations behind the Divide, this paper discusses the impact it has on the relationship between the al-Khalifah family and the citizens in Bahrain. In particular, the paper focuses on the formation of groups and their identity, and how group?s identification reacts with the majoritarian nationalism promoted by the state. Bahrain is a small island that can be examined in terms of how the image of the Shi?a-Sunni Divide gets manipulated by the state in order to maintain power. Nationalism, a central concern of the state, is the other -ing that has the ability to demonize the Shi?a-Sunni Divide in the attempt to form and retain certain networks of power. The goal of showing the fragility of the perceived Shi?a-Sunni Divide is to demonstrate the ability of Bahrain to move forward without sectarian images that have created a political stalemate in the process toward changing the application of the Shi?a-Sunni Divide. There are differences between the Shi?a and Sunni communities, but this paper describes how it is possible better understand them and begin to make them manageable. KW - Political Science KW - Anthropology KW - Middle East KW - Religion KW - Sectarian KW - Bahrain TI - The politics of the Shi'a-Sunni divide in the Persian Gulf: power and group identification in Bahrain EP - 69 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24939 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24939/ A1 - Stein, Chad Y1 - 2015/04/27/ N2 - Since early in evolutionary history, alternative RNA splicing has been an important method for metazoan organisms to regulate gene expression, allowing for a vastly expanded proteome without the need for significant genome expansion. By tightly regulating the inclusion and exclusion of parts of genes using cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors, the splicing machinery can create specific isoforms of proteins in response to changes in developmental time, spatiotemporal or environmental factors, etc. Recently, misregulation of this system has been discovered increasingly in various disease states, including many (if not most) cancers. Significantly, aberrant alternative RNA splicing has been implicated in the acquisition of chemotherapy resistance to certain drugs, including cisplatin. Understanding how the splicing machinery fails to act properly in cancer will be important for creating novel gene-based therapies in the future. In this study, I aimed to understand how an important splicing factor implicated in the regulation of cancer-related transcripts, hnRNP H, causes changes in alternative splicing in its own mRNA and of other genes. It was shown that cisplatin causes a dose-dependent decrease in two paralagous exons, HNRNPH1 Exon 4 and HNRNPH3 Exon 3. Structurally similar control compounds did not cause such changes, implying that the effect is specific to cisplatin-induced genotoxic stress. Gel shift assays confirmed the interaction of hnRNP H with its own mRNA in these autoregulatory exons, implying a pathway that allows cancer cells to modulate the levels of this important protein factor. KW - alternative RNA splicing KW - hnRNP H KW - genotoxic stress TI - The role of hnRNP H in the splicing response to genotoxic stress EP - 45 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25004 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25004/ A1 - Mitkish, Mary Y1 - 2015/04/24/ N2 - Purpose: To use the eyetracking paradigm to explore how young healthy adults take advantage of semantic information provided by a verb cue versus syntactic information associated with WH- cues. The goal is to determine how predictive processing works in a young normal population. Method: 27 college-aged participants listened to audio content while simultaneously looking at a related visual display. Their eyes were tracked for the duration of the study in order to determine where they fixated during critical parts of each trial. Recordings of their eye movements were then statistically analyzed and interpreted. Results: The WH- cue has a much stronger and quicker effect on predictive tendencies than the verb cue alone. In WH- conditions, subjects fixated on the direct object both faster and more consistently than in the Y/N conditions. These results show that the verb cue alone has a weaker and slower effect on predictive tendencies than the WH- cue. Conclusion: For young unimpaired individuals, the WH- conditions allowed for faster prediction. These findings provide a basis for future studies which will help determine treatment for aphasia. Performing the same experiment on aphasic individuals will allow us to determine how to scaffold treatment efforts based on which cue is stronger and weaker for this population. KW - Eyetracking KW - Syntactic Cues KW - Young Adults TI - Effects of syntactic cues on eye movements during sentence comprehension in young adults EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25027 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25027/ A1 - Khalbuss, Sarah Y1 - 2015/04/24/ N2 - Across the world, human rights organizations have become increasingly transnational, and their scope can often be regional. This thesis explores Arab human rights groups working in local contexts during the Egyptian Revolution. I discuss the background of the revolution and challenges to human rights organizing in Egypt. In the first empirical part, I conduct a content analysis of newspapers regarding two regional groups headquartered in Cairo, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. In the second empirical part, I construct human rights networks of local and regional groups and conduct social network analysis to assess their position in the networks. I argue that even though regional human rights organizations were not organizing protests, they were supporting activism and democratization with information, legal aid, and panels for discussion, and direct dealing with the government. I further find that regional groups are central actors in the Egyptian human rights network, which has grown since before the revolution, with a bigger variety of organizations and connections. KW - Egyptian Revolution; Arab Spring; Human Rights; International Organizations; Civil Society; Global Civil Society; Globalization; Rights; Sociology; Social Network Analysis TI - Grassroots transnationalism: regional human rights organizing during the Egyptian revolution EP - 108 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25066 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25066/ A1 - Doyal, Mark F. Y1 - 2015/04/24/ N2 - Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus capable of infecting sensory neurons through their termini at any site on the body. Upon infection, the HSV-1 genome persists in nuclei within sensory ganglia for the life of the host. Replication-defective HSV-1 vectors allow for the efficient transduction of diverse populations of sensory neurons without risk of herpetic disease and therefore represent an ideal gene therapy vehicle for the treatment of peripheral neurological diseases, including chronic pain. To evaluate the potential of HSV-1 vectors to treat pain, a set of replication-defective HSV-1 vectors was generated, driving the expression of an anti-nociceptive product (GlyRIS) from neuronal promoters to target expression to distinct neuronal populations. Specifically, the TRPV1 promoter was used to target heat-sensitive nociceptors, and the NF200 promoter was used to target large diameter A?-fibers which may be recruited for pain signaling after injury or inflammation. The ubiquitously expressed CMV promoter was used as a control. As expected, when these vectors were used to transduce cultured DRG cells, the neuronal promoters largely expressed in neuronal cells only, while the CMV promoter expressed in neuronal and support cells. For pain studies, vectors were injected under the skin of the right hind footpad in rats. After nine days, baseline thermal and mechanical withdrawal thresholds were taken before and after the application of the ligand ivermectin, activating vector-delivered GlyRIS. TRPV1-GlyRIS transduced rats and to a lesser extent CMV-GlyRIS transduced rats showed increased thermal withdrawal thresholds on the transduced side after ligand administration. Resiniferatoxin (RTX) was then injected to ablate TRPV1+ neurons and induce mechanical allodynia. After 20 days, all RTX-injected rats showed increased thermal withdrawal thresholds with a loss of dependence on vector injection and ligand administration, consistent with TRPV1+ neuron ablation. All RTX-injected rats developed bilateral mechanical allodynia, except for the NF200-GlyRIS transduced rats (A?-targeted) which demonstrated decreased mechanical allodynia on the transduced side relative to the contralateral side after ivermectin administration. These differential effects on nociception represent the functional outcome of differentially targeted anti-nociceptive HSV-1 vectors and support the use of promoter-targeting to express transgenes in specific neuronal subpopulations. KW - Herpes simplex virus HSV HSV-1 gene therapy vector promoter transcriptional targeting pain nociception afferent nociceptor rodent rat resiniferatoxin RTX TRPV1 NF200 TI - Promoter-targeted anti-nociceptive HSV-1 vectors have differential effects on pain based on the neuronal population targeted EP - 86 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24986 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24986/ A1 - Bruni, Pietra/T Y1 - 2015/04/24/ N2 - The purpose of this study was to further explore the Kuleshov effect, originally examined by Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov through a variety of editing experiments in the early 1920's. Concluding that audience members were likely to view a neutral-faced actor's emotions based on the stimuli he was associated with (e.g., a bowl of soup for hunger), this observation became universally accepted. Although the influence of the Kuleshov effect has been well documented in a variety of academic texts (and integrated into empirical research), the study itself has never been fully replicated in its original form. Expanding on the qualitative research of Prince & Hensley (1992), this study aimed to test the strength of Lev Kuleshov?s initial experiment through adapted replication, as well as examine the influence gender differences within the target face (actor) may have on the participant?s interpretation of facial emotional expression. Adapted replication consisted of utilizing updated video clips, including both male and female actors, and providing regulated questionnaires to all participants (rather than a freeform, post-experiment discussion). It was expected that the Kuleshov effect would be observed, and the gender of the actor would have no effect on the participants? responses. 150 undergraduate students from the University of Pittsburgh were included in this study, with each participant viewing (10) short clips and ranking the degree to which they believe the actor was expressing (8) different emotions (via a Likert-type scale). The results of this study showed the Kuleshov effect being observed in a more nuanced manner, with significant differences existing in specific emotion conditions for the target face. Future research on this subject could feature the inclusion of different participant populations, incorporate neuroimaging techniques, or examine gender as a primary research question. KW - Kuleshov Effect KW - Psychology KW - Film Studies KW - Context KW - Emotion KW - Soviet Montage KW - Lev Kuleshov KW - Dynamic TI - Re-examining the Kuleshov effect EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25031 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25031/ A1 - Polakowski, Emily Y1 - 2015/04/24/ N2 - Taping is a therapeutic technique used by many rehabilitation clinicians to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Various types of taping methods are in common use, such as Kinesio Tape, Mulligan, and McConnell. However, the literature is inconclusive about the effectiveness of these techniques, and a comprehensive look at all body regions and types of taping has not yet been performed. A systematic search through September 16, 2015 was performed of the following databases: PEDro, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials, PubMed, and PROSPERO. This search revealed a number of systematic reviews and individual randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding several musculoskeletal conditions and therapeutic taping methods. The methodological quality of included systematic reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR checklist (1) and compiled into evidence tables. RCT searches were also completed and compiled into evidence tables, organized by type of taping method and musculoskeletal condition. Only trials that compared outcomes of pain and function were used; balance, proprioception, and EMG activity were not included in this systematic review. The methodological quality of these RCTs was measured using the PEDro scale(2). These PEDro ratings are provided in these evidence tables along with a summary description of each individual RCT. Most trials were focused on Kinesio tape as well as the lower extremity, primarily the knee and ankle. The results demonstrate that taping for the knee can be beneficial in the short-term, but benefits disappear between groups over extended periods of time. Ankle bracing is more beneficial for the prevention of ankle injuries and recovery from ankle injury than ankle taping. Kinesio tape is effective for the improvement in function for patients with chronic low back pain. Taping also appears effective for patients with plantar fasciitis, and those with shoulder impingement syndrome can benefit in the short term from the addition of tape. Recommendations from this systematic review for future researchers would include: a greater focus on the upper extremity, the addition of a control group to research designs, teasing out the effectiveness of taping from multiple interventions, and comparing different types of taping on similar body regions or musculoskeletal conditions. KW - taping KW - athletic taping TI - Systematic review of musculoskeletal taping methods EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25010 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25010/ A1 - Goldberg, Emily Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - Background: Hearing loss and deafness in childhood is a risk factor for delayed communication (e.g., speech, language, and literacy) development, and the impact is dependent on a number of factors (ex: age of onset, severity, etc.). In the United States a subset of the population with severe-profound hearing loss uses American Sign Language (ASL) as their primary mode of communication. An ASL version of the Computerized Revised Token Test (CRTT) was developed and assessed for test-retest reliability. ASL performance was compared to English reading performance. Procedures: This study included 20 non-native non-proficient (Group A), 20 non-native proficient (Group B), and 10 Deaf native (Group C) ASL users. They completed both the ASL (CRTT-ASL) and English Reading Word-Fade (CRTT-R-wf) versions of the CRTT. Results: Pearson Product correlation coefficients were derived for Mean CRTT and Mean Efficiency Scores of two versions between sessions. For mean CRTT Scores for the CRTT-ASL Group C demonstrated correlations of .70 or above (r=.769). For the Mean Efficiency Scores, Groups B and C produced acceptable correlations (r=.78 and .75 respectively). Group C produced correlations between CRTT-ASL and CRTT-R-wf. All three groups demonstrated improvements on both tests between sessions (specifically Group A on CRTT-ASL). Performance on the CRTT-R-wf tended to be higher than on theCRTT-ASL, especially for Groups A and B. These effects were confirmed with a Mixed Model ANOVA along with a significant Group effect. Secondary analyses indicated that Group C differed on the CRTT-R-wf, but the groups were not different from each other on the CRTT-ASL for either session. Conclusions: Group C produced acceptable levels of test-retest reliability on CRTT-ASL, and Group B met criterion with Mean Efficiency Scores. All three groups produced acceptable correlations on CRTT-R-wf. Correlations between performance on CRTT-ASL and CRTT-R-wf were high for Group C. All groups increased in performance between sessions on both test versions, indicating a learning effect. Magnitude of change was pronounced for Group A on CRTT-ASL. The effect for Group was likely due to differences between Groups. The pattern of results may be attributed to the diverse language-learning experiences of Group C. KW - ASL KW - Deaf KW - Working Memory KW - Bilingual KW - Literacy TI - Assessing the American Sign Language version of the Computerized Revised Token Test EP - 63 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24976 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24976/ A1 - Freedman, Isaac Gilbert Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - Advances in the fields of mathematics, physics, epidemiology, and computing have led to an incredibly productive period of epidemic modeling. Here I will present the findings of several computational studies aimed at understanding how epidemics spread across networks. I investigate specifically how epidemics spread across networks consisting of two weakly connected sub-networks (communities) with varying internal connectivities, vaccination probabilities, and probabilities of social distancing. I find that, on average, epidemics may spread across communities even for a single cross connection, that crossing over is characterized by multiple time delayed epidemic waves that result in increased epidemic duration. I develop a novel mathematical characterization of networks consisting of an arbitrary number of weakly connected communities and derive a relationship between the reproductive number (R_0) of an epidemic and the Mean Squared Displacement (MSD) of the epidemic, when the spread is viewed as the progression of multiple forward-biased random walkers. Finally, I propose a new compartmental Susceptible Exposed Infected Quarantined Recovered (SEIQR) model for the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak based on differential equations. I extend this model to an immigration SEIQR (iSEIQR) model with a constant rate of immigration and demonstrate homologous behavior in the form of multiple infection waves between a dynamic single community network model with a constant immigration of possible exposed individuals and the two community models discussed elsewhere in this work. The applications of two community network models are discussed, especially in the context of understanding and mitigating regional and transnational epidemic spread. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions, such as targeted vaccination, public health education (i.e. avoidance), quarantine, and travel restrictions are explored and some mathematical and physical applications of modeling weakly coupled sub-networks are described. Finally, several possible extensions to this work are listed and discussed. KW - Random Network KW - Scale-Free Network KW - Influenza KW - Healthcare Disparity TI - Modeling epidemics on networks of connected communities EP - 97 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25015 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25015/ A1 - Taborski, Sophia K. Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - With the exception of extispicy scenes catalogued by Francois Lissarrague and snake-eagle omens discussed by Diana Rodríguez Pérez, divination has been ignored by vase-painting scholars and of ancient religion scholars, only Michael Flower has touched on visual sources. Despite this lack of attention by current scholars, acts of divination and birds that I argue ought to be interpreted as omens appeared on hundreds of black figure Attic vases in the sixth century. Most of these bird omens were painted behind men on horseback. Henri Metzger examined a subset of this group, the funerary Rider Amphorae, and concluded that the riders were cavalry and the eagle an attribute of Zeus, the patron god of the cavalry. The riders? armor suggests that horsemen were hoplites and because of the prominence of augury in everyday life, the birds are best identified as ambiguous omens. These bird omens add a future temporal dimension and emphasize the uncertainties of battle. By doing so, the Rider Amphorae highlighted the virtues of the horsemen and eulogized them at the tomb. Other vases with men on horseback were used in the symposium where the moment of the journey provided a common experience which fostered bonding among the symposiasts. The moment of a man embarking journey joined by a bird omen corresponds to Babylonian omens, the British Museum tablet 108874 and the Summa Alu, and may be explained as an example of a wider Mediterranean understanding of divination. Examining augury and bird portents in Attic vases provides insight into both the layman understanding of augury and the vase painter construction of narrative. KW - Ephesos inscription KW - Lydos KW - BM 108874 KW - Corinthianizing Painter KW - Theseus Painter KW - horseman TI - Not just for the birds: augury and archaic attic vase paintings EP - 33 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25008 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25008/ A1 - Sullivan, Brooke Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection of the eye results in lytic viral replication in the corneal epithelium followed by a quiescent infection of the sensory neurons of the trigeminal ganglia (TG), which innervate the cornea. Reactivation of the HSV-1 from this latent state can result in pathologies, such as stromal keratitis in the eye and viral encephalitis. Currently, no therapeutics are available that eliminate latent HSV-1 infection or completely inhibit viral reactivation events. Development of more effective therapeutics to prevent HSV-1 reactivation and recurrent disease has been hindered by a lack of understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in maintaining viral latency and how they are controlled. CD8+ T cells are known to play multiple direct roles in preventing viral reactivation during latent HSV-1 infection, but a functional role for CD4+ T cells has not been established. Our current hypothesis is that CD4+ T cells present in the latent HSV-1-infected TG are a virus-specific, locally-activated population that regulates CD8+ T cell function through secretion of cytokines, such as IL-10 and IFN-?, thereby influencing HSV-1 latency. Here, we provide data indicating that at least a portion of the CD4+ T cells in the TG during latency are HSV-specific and that they localize to defined APC populations in the latently infected TG. Our data also indicate that the numbers and functionality of CD8+ T cells that are specific for subdominant HSV-1 epitopes are regulated at least in part, by CD4+ T cells, through an IL-10-dependent mechanism. KW - CD8 KW - interleukin-10 KW - interferon gamma KW - IFN? KW - Keratitis KW - HSK KW - Reactivation KW - gB KW - glycoprotein B KW - gD KW - glycoprotein D KW - antigen specificity KW - epitope KW - peptide KW - localization KW - interactions KW - F4/80 KW - Macrophage KW - Dendritic cell KW - DC KW - Antigen presentation KW - T cell activation KW - Trigeminal ganglia KW - TG KW - Neuron KW - CD8 exhaustion KW - Persistent infection TI - STUDIES IN THE IMMUNE CONTROL OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS TYPE 1 (HSV-1) LATENCY: THE ROLE OF CD4+ T CELLS AND IL-10 IN HSV-1 LATENCY EP - 69 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24938 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24938/ A1 - Malinowski, Daniel Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - In this thesis, I examine the way in which avant-garde American poetry enacts an expansion of the community to which it speaks and desires to include, focusing on the first section of Charles Olson?s opus The Maximus Poems and Harryette Mullen?s Muse & Drudge. Specifically, in an argument parallel to Jacques Ranciére?s critique of an inherent, platonic ruling class, I explore how these poets enact an expansion of the distribution of the sensible, in an attempt to move beyond the conception of poetry as something that is done by a poetic elite for the benefit of a less capable majority. In explaining Olson?s solution to the existence of this dichotomy, I discuss Olson?s debt to Pound, and the ways in which the latter?s techniques become less elitist and more populist in the course of Olson?s poetic development. In essays such as ?Projective Verse? and ?Human Universe,? Olson outlines the way that poetry could allow for a conception of community that would contain active, self-sufficient and equal individuals. His poetics, I go on to argue, are brought to fruition in two poems entitled ?Letter from Georges,? where Olson allows the historical voices of fishermen to replace his own. In ceding the voice of the poem to outside sources, Olson enacts the leveled community that he has been gesturing towards elsewhere in his writings, demonstrating how his own perspective is just one of the many necessary contributions that different individuals can offer to the community being outlined in the first book of the Maximus Poems. The later section of the essay is devoted to Mullen and how she engages issues of black femininity, representation, and the ways in which representations from outside the communities Mullen portrays flatten the inner lives of their members. My readings show how she critiques both those outside representations that would reduce black women to stereotypes, while also revealing how the voices of these women are already capable of self-representation. In juxtaposing the different communities of Mullen and Olson, the thesis demonstrates how the expansion of the poetic subject is an ongoing concern in a strain of avant-garde poetry. KW - literature KW - poetry KW - Charles Olson KW - avant-garde TI - ?You sing, you / who also / wants:? Charles Olson, Harryette Mullen, and the representation of political communities in 20th century avant-garde American poetry EP - 74 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24975 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24975/ A1 - Killian, Katrina Y1 - 2015/04/23/ N2 - This project investigated how interaural timing and level differences (ITDs and ILDs, respectively) can affect the perceived location of a sound when either one cue was at zero degrees azimuth (midline) and the other was not, or when they both were at non-zero azimuthal locations. Six subjects, including one with severe to profound hearing loss, participated in this study. Several cue combinations were tested, including conditions in which one cue was fixed (at either 30, 60, or 90 degrees) and the other was varied to be between 0 and 60 away from the fixed cue. It was hypothesized that non-zero cues would be weighted more heavily when the other cue was located at zero; whereas, when both cues were at non-zero locations it was hypothesized that both cues would be weighted more evenly, especially when they lie on either side of midline, in which case it was hypothesized that the perceived location would be between the cues presented. Results showed that both the normal hearing listeners and the listener with severe hearing loss have similar patterns. The results ultimately did not support all hypotheses, and different patterns were seen when comparing the three main conditions wherein the reference cue was located at 30, 60, or 90 degrees azimuth. KW - cochlear implants KW - perception KW - psychoacoustics KW - azimuth KW - binaural cues TI - The effect of perceptual weighting of binaural cues on perceived location EP - 56 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24918 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24918/ A1 - Heymann, Perrine Y1 - 2015/04/22/ N2 - This study was designed to evaluate joint attention (JA) and vocalizations and their co-occurrence in infants who are at heightened risk for autism spectrum disorder (HR). This prospective longitudinal study examined 50 HR infants, with 9 who received an ASD diagnosis, 15 who received a language delay (LD) and 26 who received no diagnosis (ND) at 14, 18 and 24 months. The Early Social Communication Scales, a structured toy play segment that assesses initiation and response to different types of JA, was administered to each infant at each age point in the home. JA behaviors, vocalizations, and instances where they overlapped were coded from videos. Findings indicated that infants in all three outcome groups produced similar rates of JA behaviors, with the exception of initiating JA. Rates of vocalizations and vocalization quality increased over time in all outcome groups. However, there were still significant differences between outcome groups at 24 months in the types of vocalizations that were most frequently produced. The ASD group consistently produced a higher proportion of lower quality vocalizations compared to its LD and ND peers. Lastly, compared to their LD and ND peers, the ASD group consistently paired fewer vocalizations with a JA behavior. These findings highlight a specific delay in coordinating behaviors in infants who later receive an ASD diagnosis and the importance of observing these behaviors to better understand how JA and vocalizations develop in a HR population. KW - Autism Spectrum Disorder KW - Joint Attention KW - Vocalization KW - Coordination TI - The development of joint attention and vocalization in infants at heightened risk for autism spectrum disorder EP - 46 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24897 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24897/ A1 - Tubito, Elizabeth Y1 - 2015/04/21/ N2 - Irish Travellers score the lowest in most social indicators in the Republic of Ireland. Many studies blame discrimination by the Settled population as the barrier impeding Travellers? access to social services. They often suggest cultural acceptance and inclusive social policies as keys in improving Travellers? social conditions. However, Travellers remain increasingly marginalized despite many accomplishments in implementing these recommendations. I employ in-depth interviews and observational research in Kilkenny, Ireland in order to better understand Travellers? barriers to social services. I study the Travellers, the general Settled population, and Settled people who work with Travellers to answer the following questions: What are Travellers? and Settled people?s perceptions of Travellers? social services? Why do Travellers not utilize services that appear to be available to them? My research suggests contradiction in perceptions of Travellers? social services. I study these complexities at macro and micro levels of analysis. I find that the emergence of neoliberalism as the global economic trend has caused three socio-economic impacts affecting Irish social services: increased urbanization, the restructuring of the role of government, and amplified economic fluctuations. These changes form a moral paradox in Irish ideology between the discourse of equality and the value of individual responsibility. Group identities are, thus, discreetly stigmatized under ?common sense? ideology. Therefore, I study barriers at the micro level through the dynamic process of stigmatization. I find the existence of stigma through analyzes of Traveller self and perceived identity. I further find that Travellers respond to discrimination through internalization and resistance. In conclusion, I reveal how the dynamic nature of stigmatization results in Traveller identity becoming a barrier to social services in itself. KW - Irish Travellers KW - Stigmatization KW - Resistance KW - Stigma KW - Barriers KW - Social Services KW - Neoliberalism KW - Internalization KW - Discrimination TI - Identity as a barrier to social services: stigmatization and resistance of the Irish Travellers EP - 80 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24896 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24896/ A1 - Narzikul, Kara / M. Y1 - 2015/04/21/ N2 - Individual differences such as working memory and musical ability are associated with L2 learning (e.g., Slevc & Miyake, 2006). We explored the extent to which musical ability/experience and L1-L2 similarity related to L2 learning using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Sessions 1 and 2 included L2 grammar and vocabulary training, Sessions 2 and 3 included grammaticality assessments with ERP recording. Goldsmith?s Musical Sophistication Index (a measure of subjective musical ability on which higher scores suggest higher musical sophistication) correlated positively with grammaticality judgment test performance. ERP data revealed that scores on the Musical Ear Test (MET) for Melody (a test in which participants judged whether or not two similar melodies were the same or different) were related to a reversed N400 ERP component, but only in the first post-test. The N400 is implicated in the processing of meaning, with greater mean amplitudes suggesting greater difficulty with processing and more interference from L1 (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011). These data suggest that, initially, individuals who are more musically talented melodically have an advantage in L2 learning. Finally, there is a large early difference between individuals as a function of MET-Melody and MET-Rhythm scores. Individuals with higher MET-Melody and higher MET-Rhythm scores show a significantly more positive going waveform peaking at 100 ms, suggesting that individuals who are more musically talented process stimuli differently than individuals who are not musically talented, perhaps indicating an attempt to convert visual stimuli into sounds. KW - individual differences KW - musical ability KW - second language learning TI - Investigating second language learning and musical ability: an ERP study EP - 42 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24684 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24684/ A1 - Free, Kristin Y1 - 2015/04/21/ N2 - Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often thought to be a disease of young men. However, women comprise approximately 40% of the TBI population. In the era of personalized medicine, it is critical that we examine questions related to gender and outcomes after TBI, not only from the perspective of natural recovery, but also from the response to treatment. Many pharmacological agents are administered post-TBI, and given biological differences in males and females, the beneficial or deleterious effects of these pharmacological agents may or may not be equivalent between the sexes. Haloperidol (HAL) is often prescribed in the clinic to manage TBI-induced agitation and aggression. HAL has consistently been shown to hinder functional recovery in male rats after experimental TBI, but whether these effects extend to females is not well established. Therefore, the objective of this study is to conduct an experiment examining differences between male and female rats in the response to HAL. To further understand this clinically relevant issue male and female rats received either a SHAM injury or a controlled cortical impact and were treated with either a vehicle solution (1mL/kg) or HAL (0.5mg/kg) starting 24 hours after injury and continuing once a day for 19 consecutive days. In regards to motor function TBI females performed better than TBI males. Furthermore, TBI females that received HAL performed better than TBI male that received HAL. With respect to cognitive function, which consisted of acquisition of spatial learning and memory retention, HAL was found to be deleterious to spatial learning acquisition in the male TBI group, but did not appear to affect retention, as measured in the probe trial. In conclusion, the results of my experiment demonstrate that chronic administration of the antipsychotic drug HAL produces differences in recovery between males and females, as illustrated through tests of motor and cognitive function. Specifically, males performed worse than females, which replicate previous work from our laboratory. This finding is clinically significant because it can allow medical professionals to individualize medicine and to determine the most efficient treatment plan. KW - Traumatic Brain Injury Gender Haloperidol TI - Traumatic brain injury and gender: implications for rehabilitation EP - 51 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24814 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24814/ A1 - Kulig, Shannon Y1 - 2015/04/21/ N2 - This paper explores elite practice at a Late Classic to Early Postclassic (700-1050 AD) Maya center, Lower Dover, in western Belize. Archaeologists studying the Maya have spent considerable time and effort attempting to understand the material culture and activities preserved at sites throughout Belize and other parts of the ancient Maya world. Following its discovery in 2010, Lower Dover offers new opportunities and challenges for research attempting to add to our understanding of ancient elite practices in the Belize River Valley. In 2012, excavations in Lower Dover?s Plaza Group F recovered a large artifact deposit on both the adjacent patio floor and face of a collapsed elite residential platform. Coming from an elite living space, the deposit offers an intriguing record of the intersection of elite Maya social, political, and religious life. Considering Lower Dover?s position in a larger geopolitical setting, I try to determine the functional and ritual significance of the artifacts deposited. Results of my analysis suggest that at Lower Dover?s Plaza Group F, elite persons engaged in food processing, craft goods production, and ceremonial observance. As members of an elite social group, these people had a diverse array of occupations and mental and material pursuits to which they devoted their time. Further, the artifacts? context indicates that elites ritually terminated their residential platform before leaving Plaza Group F in the Late Classic to Early Postclassic transition. By studying the relationships between the practices observed here, I develop a multidimensional account of daily activities in an elite residence at Lower Dover and the elite residents? potential interactions with others in the greater Belize Valley political and economic settings. KW - archaeology KW - Maya KW - Belize KW - Classic KW - elites KW - practice KW - termination deposit TI - What were the elites doing? understanding Late Classic elite practices at Lower Dover, Belize EP - 76 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24807 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24807/ A1 - Brown, Simon Patrick Y1 - 2015/04/21/ N2 - This thesis applies the historiography of the early modern public sphere to analyze the political literature which militated for curricular and structural reform of England?s universities during the Civil War and Interregnum (1642-1660). The writers considered, who represent the breadth of the political and confessional spectra, advanced a multitude of reform schemes that variably proposed to topple Aristotle from the curricula, replace Oxford and Cambridge with local trade schools and abolish the Bachelor of Divinity degree. Alumni of these institutions led the effort to restructure the institutions but managed to garner wide popular readership amongst individuals who had no experience of university education. This thesis argues that the learned authors manipulated the increasingly popular recognition of a public sphere in order to underline the political threats which scholarly publications, generic conventions and overall ?pedantry? in the universities posed to the nascent commonwealth. It further examines how divergent conceptions of the public sphere divided the reformist literature and ultimately produced a body of conflicting proposals for positive reform. This interpretation of the university reform debate thereby challenges the accepted historiography that characterizes the Interregnum as a stable and unrevolutionary episode in the history of the universities. KW - History KW - England KW - English Civil War KW - Interregnum KW - Early Modern KW - Education KW - Public Sphere TI - The politics of pedantry: English university education and the rhetoric of reform, 1642-1660 EP - 84 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23501 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23501/ A1 - Johnson, Noah Ray Y1 - 2015/04/09/ N2 - Growth factors have enormous clinical potential as they orchestrate all repair and regenerative processes in the body. However, their half-lives in vivo when applied alone are very short, on the order of minutes to hours. Therefore, large doses and multiple applications are necessary which is expensive and raises safety concerns considering their potency. To address this issue we developed a coacervate delivery system which protects growth factors from degradation and sustains and localizes their release at the site of injection. By imitating the native signaling environment involving ligands, proteoglycans, and cell receptors our delivery vehicle also enhances growth factor bioactivity, enabling the use of minute and clinically-safe dosages. This dissertation describes the translational potential of this growth factor therapy to address three significant clinical needs: 1) Diabetic wound healing, 2) Cardiac repair following myocardial infarction, 3) Bone regeneration for congenital defects and trauma. KW - TI - Controlled Delivery of Bioactive Factors for Tissue Regeneration EP - 191 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir20950 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/20950/ A1 - Nemati Proon, Sepehr Y1 - 2015/04/09/ N2 - Growing healthcare expenditures in the United States require improved healthcare delivery practices. Organ allocation has been one of the most controversial subjects in healthcare due to the scarcity of donated human organs and various ethical concerns. The design of efficient surgical suites management systems and rural healthcare delivery are long-standing efforts to improve the quality of care. In this dissertation, we consider practical models in both domains with the goal of improving the quality of their services. In the United States, the liver allocation system prioritizes among patients on the waiting list based on the patients' geographical locations and their medical urgency. The prioritization policy within a given geographic area is based on the most recently reported health status of the patients, although blood type compatibility and waiting time on the list are used to break ties. Accordingly, the system imposes a health-status updating scheme, which requires patients to update their health status within a timeframe that depends on their last reported health. However, the patients' ability to update their health status at any time point within this timeframe induces information asymmetry in the system. We study the problem of mitigating this information asymmetry in the liver allocation system. Specifically, we consider a joint patient and societal perspective to determine a set of Pareto-optimal updating schemes that minimize information asymmetry and data-processing burden. This approach combines three methodologies: multi-objective optimization, stochastic programming and Markov decision processes (MDPs). Using the structural properties of our proposed modeling approach, an efficient decomposition algorithm is presented to identify the exact efficient frontier of the Pareto-optimal updating schemes within any given degree of accuracy. Many medical centers offer transportation to eligible patients. However, patients' transportation considerations are often ignored in the scheduling of medical appointments. In this dissertation, we propose an integrated approach that simultaneously considers routing and scheduling decisions of a set of elective outpatient surgery requests in the available operating rooms (ORs) of a hospital. The objective is to minimize the total service cost that incorporates transportation and hospital waiting times for all patients. Focusing on the need of specialty or low-volume hospitals, we propose a computationally tractable model formulated as a set partitioning based problem. We present a branch-and-price algorithm to solve this problem, and discuss several algorithmic strategies to enhance the efficiency of the solution method. An extensive computational test using clinical data demonstrates the efficiency of our proposed solution method. This also shows the value of integrating routing and scheduling decisions, indicating that the healthcare providers can substantially improve the quality of their services under this unified framework. KW - Organ allocation KW - Operating rooms scheduling problem KW - Markov decision processes KW - branch-and-price KW - multi objective decision making KW - two-stage stochastic programming. TI - IMPROVING HEALTHCARE DELIVERY: LIVER HEALTH UPDATING AND SURGICAL PATIENT ROUTING EP - 106 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23631 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23631/ A1 - Lewis, Patrick Y1 - 2015/04/09/ N2 - This thesis addresses the protection of a high voltage DC (HVDC) system that utilizes the modular multilevel converter (MMC) topology, a voltage sourced converter (VSC), and incorporates two transmission line sections, a cable and an overhead line. Protection for high voltage AC systems is mature in installation experience. On the other hand there are many avenues of research needs for the protection of the more modern technology, HVDC. The avenue of system protection focused upon in this work is the system restart sequence post DC side faults. This restart sequence is simply the sequence of events that occur necessarily in order to restart the HVDC system after a specified fault is already isolated and diminished. This avenue of system protection is focused upon but not exclusively. Fault isolation and suppression are also protection topics noted and discussed. Ultimately a fault section identification protection method is required for restart of the HVDC system when there are two transmission line sections. Specific to the HVDC system design presented there is desire for no communication channel between the converter stations of the system. Additionally, recovery of the system to normal operation is preferably as fast as possible in order to maintain power delivery with minimal disturbance. Solutions to these challenges are investigated and proposed. The first part of this thesis work involves the detailed modeling of the MMC-HVDC system in the PSCAD simulation environment. After providing the validation of the model, both a parameter sensitivity analysis and an in-depth fault case analysis are performed for the overall examination of protection needs of the HVDC design. The fault analysis evaluation brings to light the means for a unique protection coordination method for the system design during post-fault system restart. The protection method ensures that cable faults, assumed to be permanent faults, are not reclosed upon while for any non-permanent faults attempt of reclose is made. The protection coordination method proposed in this work is unique in that it utilizes a signal characteristic to the HVDC system design to implement protection coordination without the use of a communications channel between converter stations. KW - Modular Multilevel Converter KW - High Voltage DC KW - Protection KW - Fault KW - Protective Relay Coordination KW - Modeling KW - Section Identification TI - Modular Multilevel Converter Based High Voltage DC Protection EP - 139 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22664 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22664/ A1 - Zhang, Minmin Y1 - 2015/04/09/ N2 - A portable motion analysis system that can accurately measure body movement kinematics and kinetics has the potential to benefit athletes and coaches in performance improvement and injury prevention. In addition, such a system can allow researchers to collect data without limitations of time and location. In this dissertation, a portable multi-sensor human motion analysis algorithm is been developed based on inertial measurement technology. The algorithm includes a newly designed coordinate flow chart analysis method to systematically construct rotation matrices for multi-Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) application. Using this system, overhead throwing is investigated to reconstruct arm trajectory, arm rotation velocities, as well as torque and force imposed on the elbow and shoulder. Based on this information, different motion features can be established, such as kinematic chain timing as demonstrated in this work. Human subject experiments are used to validate the functionality of the method and the accuracy of the kinematics reconstruction results. Single axis rotation rig experiments are used to shown that this multi-IMU system and algorithm provides an improved in accuracy on arm rotation calculation over the conventional video camera based motion capture system. Finally, a digital filter with switchable cut-off frequency is developed and demonstrated in its application to the IMU-based sports motion signals. The switchable filter method is not limited only to IMUs, but may be applied to any type of motion sensing technology. With the techniques developed in this work, it will be possible in the near future to use portable and accurate sports motion analysis systems in training, rehabilitation and scientific research on sports biomechanics. KW - Sports motion analysis KW - Inertial Measurement Unit KW - Coordinate flow chart KW - kinematic chain KW - inverse dynamics KW - adaptive filtering TI - Multi-Sensor Inertial Measurement System for Analysis of Sports Motion EP - 121 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir20658 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/20658/ A1 - Hobson, Christopher Y1 - 2015/04/09/ N2 - Large airway defects pose a substantial problem to surgeons in both pediatric and adult populations. For example, primary tracheal cancers can result in neoplastic lesions, which are often not diagnosed until the tumor has become inoperable. These patients are palliated, but have a poor prognosis, with only 5% survival after 5 years. Tissue engineered transplants over a life saving new therapeutic option. Recent reports have demonstrated good midterm results with decellularized human homograft tissue. However, these experiments have been limited to compassionate use. To achieve effcacy necessary for more widespread use further study is necessary to investigate alternate approaches and optimize the decellularization technique. Additionally, clinical application of this technology will require translation to a decellularized xenograft to obviate human tissue supply limitations. To this end, we compare the use of 3 alternate detergents (SDS, Triton X-100, and CHAPS) to sodium deoxycholate in the commonly accepted detergent enzymatic method (DEM). Fresh donor rat tracheas were decellularized using a modified 9-day DEM protocol. The pre-implant scaffolds were thoroughly characterized for each experimental group and implanted for 12 weeks using an orthotopic rat tracheal reconstruction model. It was found that detergent choice strongly affects the host remodeling response including host cell infiltration and epithelial differentiation. The clinically relevant sodium deoxycholate and Triton X-100 groups were retested with a final peracetic acid (PAA) rinse. It was determined that the use of PAA greatly improved the in vivo response of the previously poor performing sodium deoxycholate and made little improvement to the Triton X-100 scaffold. The optimum configuration, Triton X-100 with a PAA rinse, was selected for translation to a clinically relevant porcine model. Porcine tracheal decellularization was achieved using a modified 14 day DEM protocol with a novel cyclical pressure approach. The suitability of these porcine tracheas for pre-clinical large animal testing was verified through mechanical analysis (pressure-diameter and suture retention) and in vitro seeding experiments with human bronchial epithelial cells. KW - Tissue Engineering KW - Trachea KW - Regenerative Medicine TI - Tracheal Tissue Engineering EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24584 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24584/ A1 - Li, Shuang Y1 - 2015/04/08/ N2 - Tinnitus, the perception of phantom sound, is often a debilitating condition that affects many millions of people. Little is known, however, about the molecule that underlies vulnerability and resilience to tinnitus. We investigated these mechanisms in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), an auditory brainstem nucleus that is essential for the induction of tinnitus. In DCN principal neurons (fusiform cells), we reveal a tinnitus-specific increase in the spontaneous firing rate (hyperactivity). We show that a reduction in Kv7.2/3 (KCNQ2/3) channel activity is essential for tinnitus induction and for the tinnitus-specific hyperactivity. This reduction is due to a shift in the voltage-dependence of KCNQ channel activation to more positive voltages. Importantly, in vivo pharmacological manipulation that shifts the voltage-dependence of KCNQ channels to more negative voltages prevents the development of tinnitus and provides an important link between the biophysical properties of the KCNQ channel and the vulnerability to tinnitus. Fusiform cells from noise-exposed mice that show resilience to tinnitus (non-tinnitus mice) display normal levels of spontaneous firing, but have more hyperpolarized subthreshold dynamics and more hyperpolarized resting membrane potential. These differences are due to a reduction in hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel activity. Longitudinal study reveals that 4 days after noise exposure, noise-exposed mice display non-tinnitus behavior, no fusiform cell hyperactivity, but reduced KCNQ2/3 currents. Importantly, while the preservation of reduced KCNQ2/3 currents 7 days after noise exposure gives rise to tinnitus behavior, the recovery of KCNQ2/3 currents to pre-exposed control levels is associated with non-tinnitus behavior, and is accompanied by a decrease in HCN channel activity. In vivo pharmacological opening of KCNQ2/3 channels prevented the development of tinnitus and decreased HCN currents, suggesting that KCNQ2/3 plasticity determines vulnerability and resilience to tinnitus and drives the reduction in HCN channel activity. Reduced HCN channel activity in non-tinnitus mice, by hyperpolarizing the resting membrane potential, may further prevent fusiform cell hyperactivity and contribute to tinnitus resilience. Together, our results highlight KCNQ2/3 and HCN channels as potential targets for designing therapeutics that may reduce vulnerability and promote resilience to tinnitus. KW - Tinnitus KW - hyperactivity KW - dorsal cochlear nucleus KW - potassium channel KW - pathogenic plasticity TI - Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Vulnerability and Resilience to Noise-Induced Tinnitus. EP - 145 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24550 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24550/ A1 - Yang, Xiaole Y1 - 2015/04/07/ N2 - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer, causing more than 600,000 deaths worldwide annually. Due to the involvement of complicated signaling pathways, epigenetic changes and genetic/genomic alterations, it is still challenging to develop effective treatments to reverse CRC progression. In order to facilitate developing new drugs for CRC treatment and revealing the mechanisms of CRC drug action at molecular level, we have constructed a computational CRC Platform (http://www.cbligand.org/CRC/), a domain-specific chemogenomics knowledgebase. The CRC platform consists of four database modules, e.g. 762 CRC related genes and proteins, 411 known CRC drugs and chemicals, 168383 CRC related bioassays, and 269 CRC pathways, as well as searching tools for multi-function retrieval. It is also featured with powerful cloud computation technologies and computational tools to expedite target identification, polypharmacology and drug synergy analysis for CRC research. We have also demonstrated the application of the CRC platform in the case studies: (1) computational exploration of FDA-approved CRC drugs for polypharmacology and drug synergy analysis; (2) in silico target identification of small chemical molecules from natural products with anti-CRC bioactivity; and (3) target identification and experimental validation for our in-house compounds. CRC platform will not only enrich our knowledge of CRC target identification, polypharmacology analysis, and biomarkers investigation, but also enhance the CRC chemogenomics data sharing and information exchange globally, and assist new drug design discovery and development for CRC treatment. KW - colorectal cancer (CRC); chemogenomics database; cloud computation; target identification; polypharmacology; natural product; drug discovery TI - CRC Platform: A Colorectal Cancer Domain-specific Chemogenomics Knowledgebase for Polypharmacology and Target Identification Research EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24569 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24569/ A1 - Ma, Shifan Y1 - 2015/04/07/ N2 - To enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce adverse effects, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) often prescribe a combination of multiple herbs, called Traditional Chinese Herbal formulae (TCHF), according to the compatibility principle of TCM. To clarify the possible compatibility mechanism of formulae with systems polypharmacology analyses, we use Sini Decoction (SNT), which has been proven to be effective in treating cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as a model. The main components of SND are Aconitum carmichaeli Debeaux [Ranunculaceae], Zingiber officinale Roscoe [Zingiberaceae] and Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. ex DC [Febaceae]. In this research, we initially construct a chemical library with 347 reported constituents in SND, and narrowed the library to 40 compounds by selecting representative chemical structures. Then, we constructed several databases for the specific indications of SND, including heart failure, myocardial infarction, and shock, and an integrated database for CVD to perform high throughput docking with the 40 compounds in SND. Systems pharmacology is applied to investigate the polypharmacological mechanisms of SND formulae in treatment of CVD. The predicted results showed that 31 ingredients in SND were associated with 33 targets related to the autonomic nervous system, the renin-angiotensin aldosterone system, blood coagulation, ionic channels and the glucocorticoid receptor. Through analysis of the compound-target interaction, we found multiple active chemical ingredients might interact with the same target, thus explaining the synergistic mechanisms of SND as ??Jun (emperor) - Chen (minister) - Zuo (adjuvant) - Shi (courier)??. To validate the polypharmacological effects predicted by molecular docking, the experimental validation was further performed on three selected representative constituents (aconitine, liquiritin, and 6-gingerol) according to our predicted results. The results showed that the three constituents combination could produce the same cardiac effects in the rat heart failure model with the combination of three herbs in SND, and confirmed the three constituents we predicted are most likely the active constituents. This computational systems pharmacology data revealed that aconitine was the principal component of the formula, whereas liquiritin and 6-gingerol served as adjuvant ingredients, as 6-gingerol can enhance the cardiac effects of aconitine, and liquiritin can alleviate the arrhythmia caused by aconitine. The predictions are all congruent with the other reports and experiments results. KW - Synergistic Effect; Chinese Medicinal Formula; Sini Decoction; Polypharmacological Analysis TI - Chemogenomics Knowledgebase and Targethunter for Polypharmacology Analysis of A Traditional Chinese Herbal Formula, "Sini Decoction" EP - 108 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24142 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24142/ A1 - Almehizia, Abdulrahman Y1 - 2015/04/07/ N2 - Cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1 and CB2) belong to the rhodopsin-like family of the G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). CB1 receptors are highly expressed in the central nervous system, while CB2 receptors are expressed mainly in the immune cells and the periphery. Targeting the CB2 receptors is believed to avoid the psychoactive side effects associated with CB1 receptors. CB2 receptors have been shown to be involved in several physiological functions as well as diseases, such as pain, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, and cancer demonstrating the importance of the CB2 receptors. In the present study, we employed chemistry design and discovery to identify novel CB2 ligands, carried out in-vitro functional studies, and evaluated the therapeutic potentials. Several chemical scaffolds were discovered and evaluated. The di-amide scaffold was discovered utilizing pharmacophore drug discovery and molecular docking studies. Several derivatives of the di-amide scaffold demonstrated potent and highly selective CB2 inverse agonists as well as potent anti-osteoclast formation capabilities. The di-amide derivatives suffered from weak anti-multiple myeloma (MM) properties and poor pharmacokinetic properties. A new scaffold was identified utilizing scaffold hopping and molecular docking studies. However, the 2-(sulfonylamino)-2-phenylacetamide scaffold demonstrated weak CB2 binding affinity. Due to the limitation of the two previous scaffolds, virtual high-throughput screening as well as structure-based drug design were utilized for scaffold hopping in order to identify new CB2 scaffolds. A new lead compound was identified and structure activity relationship (SAR) studies were conducted on the scaffold 4-(aminomethyl)-N,N-diethylaniline. Several novel compounds were discovered with high potency and selectivity. Functional experiments showed different functionality (agonist and inverse agonist) of these compounds. Nevertheless, therapeutic studies showed that inverse agonism is essential for the OCL inhibition effects while anti-MM experiments showed that CB2 agonists are more effective than inverse agonists. KW - Cannabinoid CB2 Myeloma Osteoporosis OCL Formation TI - DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF NOVEL SELECTIVE CANNABINOID RECEPTOR 2 (CB2) LIGANDS WITH THERAPEUTIC POTENTIALS EP - 331 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24278 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24278/ A1 - Xu, Xiaomeng Y1 - 2015/04/06/ N2 - Drug abuse is a serious problem worldwide. Recently, hallucinogens have been reported as a potential therapy for substance abuse. However, the use of hallucinogens as a drug abuse treatment itself has potential risks. The true mechanisms of hallucinogens are not clear. Thus it is necessary to investigate the mechanism of hallucinogens to make sure they are safe to develop as medicine. So far, no scientific database is available for the mechanism research of hallucinogens. We constructed a hallucinogen-specific chemogenomics database by collecting chemicals, protein targets and pathways closely related to hallucinogens. This information, together with our established computational chemogenomics tools, such as TargetHunter and HTDocking, provided a one-step solution for the mechanism study of hallucinogens. We chose salvinorin A as an example to demonstrate the usability of our platform. Salvinorin A is a potent hallucinogen extracted from the plant Salvia divinorum. It was the first reported non-nitrogenous kappa opioid receptor agonist. Recently, researchers found that oral administration of salvinorin A can affect drug choice in a monkey model, which suggested a potential use of salvinorin A as an abuse-deterrent formulation. However, some complex effects of salvinorin A were reported, including depersonalization or laughing hysterically. Our aim is to identify the potential targets of salvinorin A to further explore the mechanisms of its complex effects. With the help of HTDocking program, we predicted four novel targets for salvinorin A, including muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 2, cannabinoid receptor 1, cannabinoid receptor 2 and dopamine receptor 2. We looked into the interactions between salvinorin A and the predicted targets, and compared their binding modes with the known ligands of these proteins. The similar binding modes, interactions and high docking scores indicate that salvinorin A may interact with these four predicted targets. In the future, we will design experiments or find collaborators to validate our predictions. At the same time, we will continuously enrich our hallucinogen-specific chemogenomics database by adding newest data and building more 3D homology models. KW - hallucinogen KW - salvinorin A KW - drug abuse KW - chemogenomics database KW - cloud computation KW - target identification KW - systems pharmacology KW - homology modeling KW - natural product KW - drug discovery. TI - Chemogenomics Knowledgebase and Systems Pharmacology for Hallucinogen Target Identification -Salvinorin A as a Case Study EP - 60 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24274 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24274/ A1 - Rosenberger, Emily M A1 - DeVito Dabbs, Annette J A1 - DiMartini, Andrea F A1 - Landsittel, Douglas P A1 - Switzer, Galen E A1 - Dew, Mary Amanda Y1 - 2015/04/01/ N2 - Identifying and intervening on modifiable risk factors may improve outcomes in lung transplantation (LTx), which, despite recent improvements, remain suboptimal. Evidence suggests that two modifiable risk factors, psychiatric disorders and nonadherence, may improve LTx outcomes in the short-term; however, neither has been explored in the long-term. Therefore, the overarching goal of this dissertation was to determine the long-term impact of these modifiable risk factors and intervention to attenuate them. First, we examined the relationship of pre- and early post-transplant psychiatric disorders on LTx-related morbidity and mortality for up to 15 years post-LTx. Our sample included 155 1-year LTx survivors enrolled in a prospective study of mental health post- LTx. We found that depression during the first year post-LTx increased risk of BOS, mortality and graft loss by nearly twofold, and that pre-transplant depression and pre- and post-transplant anxiety were not associated with clinical outcomes. Next, we examined the impact of a mobile health intervention designed to promote adherence to the post-LTx regimen, PocketPATH, on long-term LTx-related morbidity, mortality and nonadherence. We conducted two follow-up studies to the original yearlong randomized controlled trial in which participants assigned to PocketPATH showed improved adherence to the regimen, relative to usual care. Among the 182 LTx recipients (LTxRs) who survived the original trial, we found that PocketPATH had a protective indirect effect on mortality by promoting LTxRs? communication with the LTx team during the first year. Among the 104 LTxRs who completed the follow-up assessment, we found that PocketPATH?s adherence benefits over the first year were not sustained into the long-term, although LTxRs assigned to PocketPATH were more likely than LTxRs assigned to usual care to perform the home self-care tasks of the regimen at follow-up. Median time since LTx for participants in both follow-up studies was 4.2 years (range, 2.8-5.7 years). This dissertation presents an important first step toward identifying and intervening on modifiable risk factors to improve long-term LTx outcomes. Mobile health technologies offer limitless potential to target these risk factors and others. More work is needed to determine specific features and long-term patient engagement strategies that will optimize and sustain intervention effectiveness. KW - lung transplantation KW - adherence KW - psychosocial KW - depression KW - anxiety KW - mobile health TI - PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND MOBILE HEALTH INTERVENTION: IMPACT ON LONG-TERM OUTCOMES AFTER LUNG TRANSPLANTATION EP - 87 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24162 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24162/ A1 - LI, JUNYI Y1 - 2015/03/27/ N2 - Our goal is to understand mechanisms by which estrogen can influence brain function and cognition. Cholinergic projections have a significant impact on neuronal plasticity and cognition in the brain. Estrogen has been shown to influence neuronal plasticity as well, and this effect can be mediated by the cholinergic system. Recent studies suggest that local estrogen synthesis, which is regulated by many neurotransmitters and hormones, can have a greater impact on neuronal survival and plasticity than systemic estrogen administration. One possible way for the cholinergic system to influence estrogen functions in the brain is through the regulation of local estrogen production. In this project, we hypothesize that cholinergic inputs can regulate aromatase (ARO) expression and activity in specific regions of the adult brain, leading to neuroprotection and increase synaptic plasticity. To test this hypothesis, a RT-PCR assay was developed to quantify ARO mRNA; and a microsomal incubation method was established to test ARO activity. First we tested the effects of ovariectomy and estrogen or G1 (a GPR30 agonist) treatments on ARO mRNA and activity in different brain regions. This was important because subsequent experiments would be conducted using ovariectomized rats. The second goal was to test the effects of removing cholinergic inputs on ARO in the hippocampus. Selective cholinergic lesions were performed, yet there was no effect of lesions on either ARO mRNA or activity in the hippocampus. The third goal was to test the effect of cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) treatments on ARO in different brain regions. Two ChEIs--Donepezil and Galantamine--which are used in treating Alzheimer?s dementia were used. ChEI treatments changed neither ARO mRNA level nor activity in the hippocampus or frontal cortex. Hence, our results suggest that cholinergic system do not regulate ARO in these regions of the brain. This suggests that the regulation of local estrogen production is not a mechanism by which cholinergic inputs regulate neural plasticity in these regions. However, ChEIs did increase ARO activity in the amygdala, which is a region that is important for anxiety and emotion. Hence it is possible that cholinergic inputs may regulate emotional function in the amygdala through aromatase. KW - Aromatase KW - Estrogen KW - Cholinergic Input TI - Effect of Ovariectomy, Estrogen and Cholinergic Input on Aromatase in Different Brain Regions EP - 67 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24141 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24141/ A1 - Zhai, Zu Wei Y1 - 2015/03/26/ N2 - Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a major public health problem costing over 500 billion dollars annually. An estimated 24.6 million Americans over age 12 were illicit drug users. 21.5 million are classified with dependence or abuse of alcohol and/or illicit drugs. Despite research efforts, the understanding of SUD etiology is still limited. Much research shows that SUD runs in families due to genetic and environmental contributions. Low attachment to parents, consequent to the chronic effects of parental SUD, may underlie the association between parents' and offspring's SUD. To date, limited research has been conducted to determine whether parent-child attachment bears on the relationship between SUD in parents and SUD risk in offspring. The aim of the current study was to determine the role of attachment to parents in the mechanism by which SUD in parents contributes to SUD risk in children. It was hypothesized that (1) parents' substance use severity, among other SUD related variables, most consistently predicted substance involvement (substance use and SUD severity) in sons; (2) attachment to parents was associated with sons' substance involvement, after accounting for parental substance use severity; (3) attachment to parents mediated and moderated the association between parents' and sons' substance use severity. Linear regression analysis determined that parental substance use severity was the most consistent predictor of sons' substance involvement. Structural equation modeling showed that parental substance use severity mediated the association between parental SUD severity and sons' substance use severity. After controlling for parental substance use severity and supervision, attachment to parents explained additional variance in sons' substance involvement, and was associated with the onset rates of cannabis initiation, regular use, and problems with use. Structural equation modeling showed that attachment to fathers' mediated the relationship between fathers' and sons' substance use severity, which leads to sons' SUD. No significant moderation effects were found for attachment to parents. Attachment to parents also predicted illicit substance use at age 16. This study establishes that parent-child attachment is an integral factor in SUD etiology. Attachment based assessment and prevention tools may potentially improve clinical outcomes. KW - Parent-Child Attachment KW - Attachment Security KW - Parental Supervision KW - Parenting KW - Substance Use KW - Substance Use Disorder KW - Etiology KW - Mediation KW - Moderation KW - Path analysis KW - Structural equation modeling KW - Factor analysis KW - Stress KW - Anxiety. TI - THE ROLE OF ATTACHMENT TO PARENTS IN THE ETIOLOGY OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir25060 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/25060/ A1 - Bahorik, Amber/ALB Y1 - 2015/03/23/ N2 - Schizophrenia is a complex and disabling psychiatric disorder that results in significant burden and challenges to those who suffer from it, their families, and to our larger society. One of the most vexing problems facing individuals with schizophrenia today is the co-occurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs). Longitudinal evidence indicates that many individuals with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD exhibit severe patterns of substance use over the course of the disorder, such that few achieve sustained remission or recovery. Intrinsic motivation deficits are promising potential contributors to substance use severity in this population, and consequently might serve as effective treatment targets. There is also evidence to suggest that women show less deficit in intrinsic motivation than men. To date, measurement in this area has been limited, and no study has investigated the longitudinal relations between prospective changes in intrinsic motivation and changes in substance use severity among individuals with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD. This study makes use of baseline, 6-, and 12-month follow-up data from patients with schizophrenia and comorbid SUD (n = 535 at baseline; n = 219 at 6-months; n = 150 at 1-year) selected from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study to: (1) extend validation of a promising new measure of intrinsic motivation developed by Nakagami, Xie, Hoe, and Brekke (2008) for schizophrenia to schizophrenia and comorbid SUD; (2) elucidate its longitudinal relations with substance use severity among this population; (3) and examine whether such relations vary across genders. A comprehensive psychometric analysis was used to examine the factor structure, reliability, and retest reliability of the instrument in this population; and hierarchical linear regression and hierarchical linear modeling were among the analytic methods used to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relations between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity. Psychometric results supported the reliability and retest reliability of the intrinsic motivation measure when applied to schizophrenia and comorbid SUD, but also revealed a potential shift in the latent factor structure of the instrument. Cross-sectional findings revealed a significant negative prediction of intrinsic motivation by alcohol and drug use severity after adjusting for demographic and clinical confounds, neurocognition and negative symptoms. Longitudinal results with intrinsic motivation strengthened the findings garnered in the cross-sectional analyses. Evidence was found suggesting longitudinal intrinsic motivation change is a salient incremental predictor of reductions in patient?s alcohol/ drug use severity, above and beyond the effects of age, illness chronicity, overall psychopathology, comorbidity status, and phase 1 randomization medication effects. Analyses of relations with gender indicated little to no cross-sectional associations between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity, and gender did not moderate the longitudinal association between intrinsic motivation and substance use severity. These findings suggest that changes in intrinsic motivation may be uniquely associated with changes in substance use severity in schizophrenia and comorbid SUD. Future research will need to replicate these findings, while focusing on intervention efforts that seek to target the intrinsic motivation deficits of schizophrenia and comorbid SUD, to help offset the severe and destabilizing effects exacted by substance use severity in this population. KW - Intrinsic Motivation; Substance Use Severity; Comorbidity; Schizophrenia; Serious Mental Illness TI - The Longitudinal Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Substance Use Severity in Schizophrenia and its Patterns in Men and Women EP - 276 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir24053 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/24053/ A1 - Buela, Kristine-Ann Y1 - 2015/03/12/ N2 - Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 infection of the cornea results in expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the draining lymph nodes (DLN), and causes a CD4+ T cell ? mediated immunopathological disease in the cornea called herpes stromal keratitis (HSK). During steady state, the cornea possesses a resident population of CD11c+ CD11b- dendritic cells (cornea-resident DCs). CD11c+ DCs infiltrate the cornea after HSV-1 infection (cornea-infiltrating DCs), but their contribution to T cell expansion and the progression of HSK, as well as the role of DCs present in the DLN (DLN-resident DCs), following corneal infection is unknown. We employed mice that express high-affinity diphtheria toxin (DT) receptors from the CD11c promoter to selectively deplete CD11c+ dendritic cells present in the cornea and the DLN. We depleted cornea-resident and cornea-infiltrating DCs by timed local (subconjunctival) injection of DT into murine corneas. Corneal and DLN ? derived DCs were depleted by systemic (intraperitoneal) DT treatment. The studies outlined in this thesis demonstrate the following: 1) DCs resident in the cornea and DLNs at the time of infection are not essential to CD4+ and CD8+ T cell expansion in the DLN, nor are they necessary for HSK development. 2) Cornea-infiltrating DCs are responsible for most of the CD8+ T cell expansion measured at 3 and 7 days post infection (dpi), and contribute to the prevention of lethal encephalitis. 3) Both cornea-infiltrating DCs and DLN ? derived DCs participate in CD4+ T cell expansion at 3 dpi, with cornea-infiltrating DC stimulating CD4+ T cell expansion in the DLN at 7 dpi. Lastly, 4) although DCs infiltrate the cornea at the onset of disease, the development of HSK between 7 and 21 dpi did not require corneal DCs. In its place, associations of CD4+ T cells with MHC II ? expressing corneal epithelial cells and macrophages may promote HSK progression in corneas depleted of DCs. KW - HSV-1 mucosa lymph nodes herpes stromal keratitis dendritic cells T cells TI - The role of dendritic cells in the cornea in the adaptive immune response following Herpes Simplex Virus-1 ocular infection EP - 185 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23999 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23999/ A1 - Towheed, Atif Y1 - 2015/02/26/ N2 - Mitochondria are essential organelles in the cell. One of their most critical functions is the generation of cellular energy in the form of ATP. The presence of DNA in the mitochondrial matrix makes this organelle semi-autonomous. However, it relies heavily on the nucleus and cytosol to import ~99% of its proteins and some RNA molecules for its normal functioning. Mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cause several devastating disorders. Due to their complexity and our incomplete understanding of mitochondrial disease pathogenesis, these disorders are difficult to diagnose and currently no pharmacological treatment exists. Further, gene therapy for these devastating disorders is impeded due to lack of mitochondrial genome manipulation techniques. Understanding the mechanism of pathogenesis and developing mtDNA manipulation strategies are key to developing remedial therapies. In my thesis, I investigated an RNA allotopic strategy of targeting RNA into the mitochondria in vivo in flies. In my first aim, I improved an in vivo mitochondrial-targeting tool (mtTRES vector) to manipulate proteins encoded by the mitochondrial DNA. This vector integrates into the nuclear genome and results in the transcription of a chimeric RNA consisting of a mitochondrial targeting signal sequence and a small non-coding antisense RNA. Previous studies have attempted allotopic expression via both protein and RNA import with mixed results. Only a few of them, however, have been tested in vivo and none have been examined for rescue in an animal model of mitochondrial disease. Since our lab has a well characterized mtDNA mutation fly model, ATP6[1], I had a unique opportunity to investigate rescue strategies in these models. In my second aim, I improved a unique set of mtTRESPro vectors for both flies and humans to target long coding RNAs into mitochondria. Once imported these long RNAs are designed to be endogenously translated in mitochondria. By targeting a wild type copy of the mutant ATP6 gene, I explored the rescuing potential of allotopic RNA import in vivo. Our data suggest the mtTRES and mtTRESPro mitochondrial manipulation tools have genuine potential to be developed into a mitochondrial disease gene therapy. KW - Mitochondrial disorders Mitochondria Gene therapy Drosophila RNA Translational Inhibitors TI - Allotopic RNA expression strategy to rescue an endogenous mitochondrial ATP6[1] mutation in Drosophila EP - 152 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir19671 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/19671/ A1 - Straney, Patrick J Y1 - 2015/02/05/ N2 - Anisotropic noble metal nanoparticles exhibit unique optical and catalytic properties that have the potential to revolutionize applications ranging from cancer therapy to hydrogen storage. While there is considerable drive for the commercial implementation of these materials, a significant barrier to industrial translation lies in the lack of rational synthetic methods to produce them. This gap introduces difficulties with both the reproducibility and the sustainability of anisotropic nanoparticle synthesis. Here, a robust approach for the solution-phase synthesis of gold nanoparticles of technological interest has been developed. Instead of using a seed template to access canonical gold nanomaterials such as nanorods and nanoprisms, a homogeneous nucleation approach has been developed where nucleation and growth occur in the same chemical environment. By regulating the stages of particle nucleation and growth, nanorods with lengths from 30 to 630 nm and triangular or hexagonal prisms with vertex-to-vertex lengths ranging from 120 to over 700 nm were produced in high yield. These results shed light on the factors that influence the growth of anisotropic nanomaterials, and allow for drastically more efficient synthetic routes. Specifically, this methodology allows for the reduction in the amount of reagents needed to synthesize nanorods and nanoprisms by as much as 90% by weight, and represent the first report of spectroscopically-discernible, colloidal gold nanoplates obtained using a seedless approach. Methods developed will facilitate future investigations concerning the formation of complex, hybrid nanoparticle architectures from anisotropic nanomaterial substrates. KW - gold anisotropic nanoparticle seedless sustainable TI - Sustainable Bottom-Up Synthesis of Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticles EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23956 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23956/ A1 - Welter, Michele Y1 - 2015/01/30/ N2 - The prevalence of students with behavioral disorders in public schools is increasing. In fact, conduct disorder is the most common psychiatric disorder among young adolescents seen in mental health settings. This is a concern in schools due to teachers reported a lack of training for preventing and supporting student antisocial behaviors. This study examined the prevalence of conduct of disorder, how students with conduct disorder are being served in K-12 public schools, and the behavioral interventions available for teachers to support students. The literature demonstrated a lack of information pertaining to how general education teachers are prepared to support students with behavioral disruptions, in particular conduct disorder. To respond to the gap in the literature, this single case study concentrated on the extent to which state-approved teacher competencies in the US address CD and related content areas. Electronic data were examined on each of the 50 state departments of education websites. The research questions were a) What do state departments of education require of teacher competencies for working with students with conduct disorder? b) What do state departments of education report in regards to program approval standards with students with conduct disorder? A text analysis was conducted by looking for keywords or phrases connected to the term conduct disorder. Some search terms were located in relation with supporting students with behavioral challenges. However, there was minimal information directly pertaining to conduct disorder. Implications and recommendations are discussed as starting points for future research on the topic, for evaluation of teacher education competencies in higher education, for modifying higher education accreditation processes for teacher education programs, and for collaboration amongst the leading national education organizations in regards to teacher standards. KW - conduct disorder KW - behavior disorders KW - behavior challenges TI - A CASE STUDY OF STATE TEACHER PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS SUPPORTING WORK WITH CHILDREN WITH CONDUCT DISORDER EP - 107 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23967 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23967/ A1 - Stokes, Paige Y1 - 2015/01/30/ N2 - This thesis examines how Pennsylvania public school districts decide to offer full-day or half- day kindergarten and the effects of related state policies on decision-making. All 499 of Pennsylvania?s superintendents from school districts that offer kindergarten received survey invitations, and 162 leaders from Pennsylvania?s public schools completed a survey that focused on how districts? decided to provide full- or half-day kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year, the influence of funding specifically, and the effects of Pennsylvania?s compulsory school age. The researcher also analyzed kindergarten enrollment from 2003 to the present, specifically examining the change in kindergarten program type with respect to the overall socioeconomic status (SES) of students served, in relation to the availability of Accountability Block Grant funds, which were commonly have been used to create and sustain full-day kindergarten programs. Money was an important factor in decision-making among school districts planning to offer full-day kindergarten and those planning to offer half-day kindergarten. A lack of available funds was a chief factor in most school districts? decision to offer half-day kindergarten, although this was less so for school districts in the highest SES categories. School districts offering full-day kindergarten indicated multiple important factors in their decision, most commonly indicating factors supporting academic outcomes for students who attend full-day programs. The availability of money was also an important factor among participants who indicated that their school districts intended to offer full-day kindergarten for the coming year, and participants indicated ways that their districts ensured the availability of funds through budgetary reduction strategies. The compulsory schooling age had nearly no influence on school districts? decision-making or on student enrollment in kindergarten. Implications for policy are considered. KW - kindergarten KW - early childhood education KW - education policy KW - elementary school KW - full-day kindergarten KW - half-day kindergarten TI - Kindergarten in Pennsylvania: Decision Making in School Districts and the Effects of Current State Policies EP - 107 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22142 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22142/ A1 - Jeffries, Eric M. Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - The nanostructure of the extracellular matrix (ECM) can direct cell attachment, alignment, and organization. Similarly, ECM microstructures such as tubes and branched networks organize cells into larger functional units. To mimic this complex cellular microenvironment in tissue engineered scaffolds, we need new fabrication methods capable of constructing structures on both the nano- and micro-scale. Furthermore, these methods should be compatible with a variety of biomaterials to allow tailoring of mechanical and degradation properties. Electrospinning is a useful technique for creating fibrous scaffolds, but there have been few reports introducing microstructures. This dissertation describes the development of a new versatile fabrication approach that combines electrospinning with a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer to create microstructures that mimic tissues. We hypothesized that these structures would improve cell migration and positioning within electrospun scaffolds. We tested this hypothesis by patterning scaffolds for peripheral nerves and microvascular networks. We first demonstrate the feasibility of templated electrospinning for generating linear channels in fibrous nerve guides that mimic the endoneurial/fascicular tubes of nerve and promote faster Schwann cell infiltration. This micropatterning technique was combined with FDM production of branched templates to create microvascular networks within fibrous scaffolds. Finally, material properties were improved by developing a technique to fabricates scaffolds with electrospun poly(glycerol sebacate)(PGS). KW - electrospinning KW - micropatterning KW - additive manufacturing KW - tissue engineering KW - poly(glycerol sebacate) TI - Biomimetic Micropatterning of Electrospun Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering EP - 122 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23936 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23936/ A1 - Pelkowski, Tracy Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - This multiple case study employed interviews to examine how three selected secondary social studies teachers in an urban center in the Southeastern United States describe their culturally responsive practices and how they perceive these practices are influenced by their higher education experiences. Culturally responsive approaches to teaching are known to provide more equitable learning experiences to low-income students of color, the majority of whom live in urban areas (Gay, 2010; Grant & Sleeter, 2011; Ladson-Billings, 2009; Milner, 2010). Teacher education programs may be able to improve curriculum and instruction if they understand how former students engage in culturally responsive pedagogy once they are in-service teachers. Secondary social studies as a content area lends itself to culturally responsive practices, and while research on culturally relevant practices in the secondary social studies classroom exists, little is known about how current teachers relate such practices to their higher education programs. Findings indicate the formation and evolution of critical consciousness can occur throughout teachers? lifetimes if provided opportunities for reflexivity once they are in-service teachers. Second, the culturally relevant practices of the social studies teachers in this study include providing students with multiple perspectives and utilizing constructivist practices in activities and assessments to meet the needs of diverse learners. Other findings support the notion that social studies teachers need training to engage in discussions of inequity (Bickmore & Parker, 2014) and that culturally relevant teachers need collegial and administrative support to sustain their practices. KW - culturally responsive pedagogy KW - social studies education KW - teacher education programs KW - culturally relevant teaching TI - CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PEDAGOGY IN THE SOCIAL STUDIES: CASE STUDIES OF TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF THIER PRACTICES AND HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS EP - 333 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23950 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23950/ A1 - Powell, Robert Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Physical activity (PA) is considered a cornerstone to diabetes management and care. Diabetes educators (DE) come from a variety of health disciplines and are responsible for delivering physical activity counseling to patients during Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSME/S). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may influence physical activity counseling during the delivery of DSME/S. METHODS: Pennsylvania DEs were recruited from the State Diabetes Conference and surveyed regarding their: time dedicated to PA counseling; importance placed on PA as a treatment; knowledge of the current PA Guidelines for American Adults (PAGAA); level of confidence with PA counseling; barriers associated with PA counseling. RESULTS: 119 DEs participated in the survey (95.8% female; 94.1% Caucasian; 60.5% nurses; 73.9% Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE)). Mean age was 51.9 ±10.7 years with a mean of 13 ±8.62 years delivering DSME/S. Of the 4 content areas examined during DSME/S (healthy eating, taking medications, monitoring blood glucose and being active), DEs spent the least amount of time addressing PA during DSME/S (14.5 +12.1 minutes). DEs ranked PA as the 3rd most important treatment modality behind healthy eating and taking medications but above monitoring blood glucose. Nearly ¾ (74%) of DEs reported the correct PAGAA for moderate intensity aerobic activity. However, only 40.2% of DEs reported knowledge of vigorous intensity aerobic activity with 51% acknowledging resistance training guidelines. Approximately half (54.7%) of DEs reported ?very confident? counseling on PA during DSME/S. When examining barriers with PA counseling during DSME/S, DEs ranked ?inability to engage patients on PA? as the most challenging personal barrier while ?time allotted for DSME/S visits was reported as the greatest challenge to counsel on PA within as a practice barrier. CONCLUSION: DEs have an obligation to discuss PA as a treatment strategy during DSME/S. These data lend credence to the improvement of effective PA counseling within DSME/S delivery. KW - Physical Activity KW - Diabetes KW - Counseling TI - EXPLORING FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DIABETES EDUCATOR?S PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COUNSELING DURING DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION AND SUPPORT EP - 144 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir21779 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/21779/ A1 - Tchao, Jason Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Heart failure results in significant cardiomyocyte (CM) loss, and post-natal mammalian heart has limited regenerative capacity. Cellular cardiomyoplasty has emerged as a novel therapy to restore contractile function. A number of cell types illicit functional benefits through paracrine mechanisms, but cardiac stem cells are unique in their ability to preferentially differentiate down a cardiac lineage to replace lost CMs. However, cardiac stem cell isolation is highly invasive. Alternatively, skeletal myoblasts can be safely isolated and showed some benefits in clinical trials as donor muscle cells, but arrhythmias occurred due to lack of electric coupling with host cells. This limitation could be overcome by differentiating cells toward a cardiomyogenic lineage. Multipotent muscle derived stem cells (MDSC) are different from skeletal myoblasts and possess greater phenotypic plasticity. Our studies showed that cardiac and skeletal muscle share major genes/proteins during development in rodents, so it may be possible for human MDSCs to differentiate into CM-like cells under the appropriate conditions. My dissertation aims to develop approaches to differentiate human MDSCs into CM-like cells. Specifically, my work focuses on three aims: (I) to characterize the biochemical and functional properties of human MDSCs cultured in a 3-dimensional engineered muscle tissue (EMT) and examine whether it recapitulates properties of developing striated muscle; (II) to determine the potential for further CM differentiation under defined biophysical and chemical conditions; (III) to evaluate the potential of human MDSC derived cardiac progenitors to improve cardiac function in a human-rat xenograft model. The results of my studies showed that human MDSCs in EMT beat spontaneously, displayed calcium transients, expressed cardiac-specific genes/proteins, and exhibited pharmacological responses similar to iPS cell-derived CMs. They also possessed characteristics of skeletal muscle including expression of MyoD, myogenin, and sk-fMHC. Their electrical coupling also remained immature. By temporally treating EMT with 4 chemical factors (4CF: miR-206 inhibitor, IWR-1, BMP4, and LiCl) and improving aggregation conditions, 4F-AEMT showed better muscle tissue formation and cardiac-like morphology with improved contractility, pharmacological responses, and electrical coupling. Although 4F-AEMT expressed MyoD and myogenin, it exhibited more cardiac-like function. Finally, human MDSC-aggregates showed evidence of survival and improved cardiac function in vivo. KW - cardiac KW - tissue engineering KW - stem cells KW - MDSC KW - cardiomyocyte TI - Engineered Human Cardiac Tissue from Muscle Derived Stem Cells EP - 141 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir21895 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/21895/ A1 - Singh, Satish Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Calcium phosphates (CaPs) are widely studied as scaffolds for hard tissue regeneration due to their similar composition to the inorganic component of native mineralized tissues. Unfortunately, their poor mechanical properties and the limited dissolution of hydroxyapatite (HA), the most ubiquitous CaP in bone tissue engineering, restricts their application to the treatment of non-load bearing defects. In order to improve patient outcomes, a major emphasis has been placed on the controlled delivery of growth factors, such as bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs), from CaPs, to accelerate regeneration and recruit cells capable of resorbing HA. However, the added expense, poor shelf life, and the unknown side effects of treatment with increased amounts of growth factors are the major limitations of this approach. In an attempt to reduce the requirement to deliver increased amounts of growth factors, more resorbable CaP phases, such as ?-tricalcium phosphate (?-TCP), have been studied. Recent work has shown that scaffolds prepared with ?-TCP may be at least equally capable of inducing in vivo bone regeneration in comparison to autologous bone grafts and BMP-2, delivered from a collagen sponge. This favorable response is believed to be due to the capability of ?-TCP to degrade in a more clinically relevant time frame, similar to the rate at which native tissues are regenerated, and release bioactive Ca2+ and PO43- ions in close proximity to the defect site. In addition to Ca2+ and PO43-, mineralized tissues are composed of several other elements which play a key role in regulating their structure and function. Therefore, in the current work the influence of ionic substitutions using two biologically relevant cations, Mg2+ and Sr2+, in CaPs on their physicochemical and biological properties was studied. It was hypothesized that ?-TCP scaffolds prepared with various amounts of Mg2+ and Sr2+ would provide microenvironments suitable for promoting osteogenic differentiation in comparison to commercially available ?-TCP. In addition to bulk scaffolds, cationic substituted ?-TCP was explored as a bioactive coating on a biodegradable metallic substrate. The influence of coating composition and structure on corrosion protection and cytocompatibility was assessed. Finally, the influence of cationic substitution on the physicochemical properties and cytocompatibility of an injectable self-setting HA cement was also evaluated. KW - Calcium phosphate KW - biodegradable metals KW - osteogenic differentiation KW - human mesenchymal stem cells TI - Fundamental Study of Cationic Doped Calcium Phosphate Scaffolds and Coatings for Bone Tissue Engineering EP - 341 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22522 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22522/ A1 - Epur, Rigved Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Commercial lithium-ion battery (LIB) systems at present employ graphite as the anode having a theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g. However, for hybrid electric vehicles and electrical grid energy storage, batteries with much higher capacity and cycle life are needed. There is hence a critical need to explore alternative higher capacity alternative systems. Silicon, with a theoretical capacity of 4200 mAh/g is widely considered a promising alternative candidate anode to graphite. However, Si undergoes colossal volume expansion (>300%) during lithium alloying and de-alloying. This leads to pulverization resulting in loss of electrical contact of Si with the current collector thereby causing rapid decrease in capacity and consequent failure. It has been demonstrated that nanostructured (nc-Si) and amorphous (a-Si) forms of Si and Si based nanocomposites provide mechanical integrity preventing pulverization due to the reduced number density of atoms within a nano-sized grain and the ?free volume? effects in amorphous Si resulting in better capacity retention and cycle life. In this dissertation, the following simple and cost effective approaches for generating nanostructured composites of silicon are discussed: (1) Si nanoparticles of high specific surface area by high energy mechanical milling (HEMM), (2) Amorphous silicon (a-Si) films by electrodeposition, (3) Heterostructures of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) and Si by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and (4) low cost template based high throughput synthesis of hollow silicon nanotubes (h-SiNTs). All of the above amorphous and nanocrystalline Si based composites were thoroughly investigated using material and electrochemical characterizations and accordingly, a structure-property relationship was established. Among the aforementioned structures, the electrodeposited a-Si films exhibited excellent cyclability (0.016% loss per cycle), while CNT/Si heterostructures showed a very low first cycle irreversible loss of only 10%. The hollow silicon nanotubes exhibited a reasonable first cycle irreversible loss (25%) but exhibited extraordinary cycling stability with a low capacity fade rate of ~0.06%loss/cycle at the end of 400 cycles. These amorphous and nanocrystalline based silicon anodes prepared by cost effective methods, due to their superior electrochemical properties, show considerable potential to replace the current graphite based anodes for the next generation of high energy density Li-ion batteries. KW - lithium-ion KW - batteries KW - silicon KW - anodes KW - nanocrystalline KW - amorphous KW - nanotubes KW - carbon nanotubes TI - Fundamental Study of Engineered Nanocrystalline and Amorphous Silicon Based High Capacity, Reversible and Stable Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries EP - 244 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22195 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22195/ A1 - Jampani Hanumantha, Prashanth Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Supercapacitors are electrochemical charge storage devices capable of delivering large bursts of charge over a very short period of time. There is a need for identification and development of alternative low-cost, high energy, high-power materials for widespread implementation of supercapacitor technologies. Nanostructured vanadium nitride (VN) coated with a thin vanadium oxide (VOx) surface layer has previously been identified to be a very promising electrode material for supercapacitor application. In this work, attempt was made to develop a fundamental understanding of the supercapacitor response of both the nitride and oxide nanomaterials. In order to understand the charge storage behavior of the nitride nanomaterials, both the materials and electrode properties were altered to understand the exact role of each aspect on the charge storage characteristics. Using a combination of solid state and wet-chemical methods a number of nitride materials were synthesized and via a thorough materials and electrochemical characterization, a fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationships in the nitride materials was obtained. The roles of particle size, electronic conductivity, and electrode thickness and most importantly, the surface oxide nature are also explored in this work. The investigations conducted in the nitride systems made it clear that the prodigious amount of charge storage in nitride nanomaterials was primarily due to a surface oxide layer and that the stabilization and improvement in electronic conductivity of the surface oxide was pivotal in attaining a reversible and stable charge storage. Nanostructured oxides of vanadium (VOx) as standalone supercapacitor materials were therefore explored. Thin films of vanadium oxide were deposited on an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) derived using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This study also made it very clear that the presence of a conductive support structure is imperative to achieve good charge storage response in oxides. Using dopants identified by ab-initio computational studies of doped vanadium oxide materials (VOx: M), very high areal and gravimetric capacitances in doped materials coated on VACNTs was demonstrated. Identical doping strategies were used to derive doped vanadium nitride (MyV1-yN) with a doped surface oxide layer (MyV1-yOx). Dopants were selected on the basis of improvement in electronic conductivity without compromising the chemical stability. Improvement in charge storage properties of nanoparticulate nitride particles by systematic tailoring of the architecture was demonstrated. KW - Supercapacitors KW - nanomaterials KW - transition metal nitrides KW - transition metal oxides KW - high energy density KW - green energy KW - energy storage KW - doping KW - carbon nanotubes TI - Fundamental Study of the Synthesis, Structural and Electrochemical Characterization of Nanoparticulate Transition Metal Oxide and Nitride Based Supercapacitor Systems EP - 449 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23957 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23957/ A1 - Wagner, Shannon Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - Decades of research on implicit theories of intelligence have led to the development of the construct of the growth or fixed mindset (Dweck, 2006). Additionally, the characteristics of an effective educator are identified as believing in a growth mindset of ability, emphasizing the process of learning, setting high standards, creating a nurturing atmosphere and endorsing hard work, effort, persistence and resiliency (Dweck, 2006). These practices are related to the descriptors of a Socializing Intelligence environment in the Principles of Learning (Resnick, 2001). Principals establish the culture of their building through the implementation of their key roles as principals including establishing a vision of academic success for all students, creating an environment hospitable to learning and improving instruction (Wallace Foundation, 2013). This exploratory study is designed to ascertain the self-reported mindset of building level administrators and to assess the types of practices the principal endorses in her building. A regional sample of principals (n=142) from western Pennsylvania participated in the survey. The Theories of Intelligence Scale ? Others Form (Dweck, 1999) and portions of the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Strategies Scale (Midgley, et al., 2000) were used to survey participants. Findings indicate that 77% of the building level leaders self-reported a growth mindset of ability while 4% self-reported a fixed mindset. The remaining 17% fell somewhere in between the two. These results are not reflective of the typical results when using the Dweck scale. PALS scale scores were normal and comparable to previous scores. Further correlation calculations showed no significant relationship between the principals? practices and self-reported theories of intelligence. The principals in the survey sample endorsed the mastery-goal structure and mastery-approaches to instruction practices at a higher rate than the performance items indicating their promotion of practices that align with the Principles of Learning. KW - growth mindset KW - fixed mindset KW - theories of intelligence KW - principal practices KW - intelligence KW - mastery-oriented practices KW - performance-oriented practices TI - HOW PRINCIPALS OPERATIONALIZE THEIR BELIEFS IN THE SCHOOL SETTING EP - 152 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir20503 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/20503/ A1 - Wu, xiaodan Y1 - 2015/01/29/ N2 - To seek a better understanding of the compositional and environmental factors affecting the corrosion behavior of alloys in sulfur-rich atmospheres at temperatures above 600oC, relevant to advanced combustion systems for power generation, eight chromia-scale-forming commercial alloys were tested at 750oC in gases with a base composition of N2-15%CO-3%H2-0.12%H2S. This base composition was made more oxidizing by introducing two different levels of water vapor, 0.6% and 3%, into the reaction gas. Five model alloys were also prepared to study and verify the effects of major alloying elements, Cr, Co and Ni, on sulfidation resistance. The additional three model alloys were prepared to systematically study the effects of minor alloying elements Ti, Al and Mo. Finally, another group of three model alloys was made to study the individual effect of titanium on sulfidation resistance. All alloys eventually exhibited breakaway behavior. A protective Cr2O3 scale formed initially and then broke down. The mechanistic process of the breakaway corrosion was assessed. As for the effects of major alloying elements, it was found that the alloys with a Ni/Co mass ratio near to unity had less weight gain and hence, superior sulfidation resistance. This is because when the Ni/Co ratio is near unity, Ni and Co availability are both sufficiently low to suppress their external sulfidation and consequently extend the incubation period. In the range of the alloys studied, 10-40wt.%Co, weight gain decreased with an increase in the alloy cobalt content. Similarly, weight gain decreased with an increase in alloy chromium content in the range of 19-28wt.%. Nickel was found to have a detrimental effect by increasing the tendency to form a liquid reaction product. This tendency increased with increasing nickel content in the alloy. Besides major alloying elements, the judicious addition of minor alloying elements, Al, Ti and Mo, was found to have a significant effect to improve sulfidation resistance. This is because the minor additions promoted the formation of an oxide-enriched scale layer-comprised of Al2O3 and oxides containing Cr and Ti. This oxide-enriched scale layer was inferred to have inhibited the outward diffusion of base-metal elements, thus mitigating external sulfidation and consequently internal corrosion. It was found, based on the model alloys study, that remarkable sufidation resistance could be conferred to an alloy by maintaining an Ni/Co mass ratio near unity, and adding minor amounts of Al, Ti and Mo. A particularly sulfidation-resistant model alloy had the compostion of 33.1Ni-22Cr-34.9Co-2.5Al-2.5Ti-5Mo (in wt.%). The individual effect of titanium was found to promote oxide-scale formation by shifting the kinetic boundary to a lower oxygen partial pressure. Titanium was observed to exist with Cr as complex oxides, which nevertheless acted as an effective barrier inhibiting the outward migration and subsequent external sulfidation of the base-metal elements. In addition to the effects of major and minor alloying elements on sulfidation resistance, the mechanisms associated with the sometimes observed formation of whiskers, voids and nodules were assessed. In the second part of this thesis, alloys Fe-30wt.%Mo-5wt.%Al and Fe-30wt.%Mo-10wt.%Al were studied in a simulated syngas atmosphere. It was found that alloy Fe-30Mo-10Al had better sulfidation resistance than conventional Ni-Cr-Co high-temperature alloys. The good corrosion resistance was attributed to the formation of a very thin Al2O3 layer on the surface of the alloy, identified by XPS analysis. The effect of Al level on sulfidation resistance was also studied and explained. KW - sulfidation KW - high temperature KW - oxidation KW - kinetic boundary TI - High-Temperature Corrosion Behavior of Alloys in Gaseous Environments with Low-Oxygen and High-Sulfur Potentials EP - 251 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23578 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23578/ A1 - Haggerty, Agnes/E Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Biomaterials have shown promise for treatment of injuries to the nervous system. Laminin, a glycoprotein, forms distinct polymers under neutral (pH 7; neutral laminin, nLam) or acidic (pH 4; acidic laminin, aLam) conditions (1, 2). aLam promotes significant axonal growth (2), making it of interest as a therapeutic for nervous tissue injuries. In this thesis, instead of as a substrate, we evaluate unbound aLam. In Chapter 2.1, we use an in vitro model system to investigate the mechanisms underlying aLam growth promotion. Results indicate: 1) laminin can act as a signaling molecule promoting outgrowth of adult neurons in vitro; 2) aLam is a more efficient promoter of outgrowth than nLam; 3) both polymers signal through ?1 and ?3 integrins without increasing their expression; 4) aLam, increases ?3 integrins when ?1 integrins are blocked; 6) aLam increases vinculin, a focal adhesion complex protein. These findings indicate that aLam promotes outgrowth by increasing integrin activation to enhance neurite outgrowth. In Chapter 2.2 microcontact printing and live imaging were combined to evaluate aLam?s effects on growth dynamics. Our results suggest: 1) neurons will adhere to stamps and grow in a directional manner in culture; 2) cells did not adhere or grow well during live imaging. Results indicate potential for directing neuronal outgrowth, but optimization is necessary to assess growth dynamics. Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) are devastating. In Chapter 3.1 we investigate aLam?s treatment potential in PNI. Results indicate that aLam treatment: 1) increased presence of larger diameter axons; 2) facilitated compliance in treadmill walking; 3) alleviated autophagia; 4) did not affect motor function, axon number or myelination. These data show that aLam treatment elicits an axon growth response without affecting motor function recovery. Further research is needed to optimize treatment for functional improvements. Chapter 3.2 evaluates aLam treatment after SCI. Results show that aLam treatment: 1) did not affect axon regeneration; 2) decreased astrocyte activation; 3) did not affect neuropathic pain or motor outcomes. The data indicate treatment did not lead to functional improvements. Further research is needed to investigate the potential of aLam for SCI repair. KW - Laminin KW - Spinal Cord KW - Integrins KW - Biomaterial KW - Regeneration TI - Acidic Laminin: Molecular Mechanisms and Potential for Nervous Tissue Repair EP - 97 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23487 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23487/ A1 - Holtzman, Mark Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The popularity of alternative educational options has created more transient students, and the challenge for educators is to communicate and support the needs of all children. The purpose of this study was to gather the perceptions of principals of traditional high schools about alternative education options and investigate the relationships and impact alternative schools have on public high schools. This study surveyed 20 principals in Western Pennsylvania and the researcher also conducted ten follow-up in-depth interviews with survey participants. The investigative themes of the survey and interview questions concerning alternative education were: utilization, value, alignment of efforts, and planning and communication with respect to these settings. The research questions are based on the literature review and are as follows: 1. What type of alternative education programs do traditional principals utilize? 2. To what degree do traditional principals value alternative education programs? Why? Why not? 3. How do traditional principals align their efforts with alternative programs in order to promote student success? 4. What are traditional principals? perspectives on improving the alternative education process in order to better support at-risk youth transitioning back into public high schools? The goal was to identify key factors that traditional principals experienced through their practical familiarity with the alternative education process. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to answer the four research questions. Principals described their practical experiences with alternative schooling and identified the supports necessary in order for educators to meet the unique needs of transient students. Data obtained through the participants? responses established that communication, social services, and a variety of organizational practices are necessary components for meeting the needs of students attending educational alternatives. The audiences of this particular study are administrators from traditional and alternative settings that are interested in the principal?s voice and practical experiences related to the placement of students in alterative settings and the selected effects of these processes on public schools. The findings confirmed that policies and mandates such as No Child Left Behind, IDEA, AEDY regulations and McKinney-Vento Homelessness Act have limited high school principals? discretion as they attempt to support transient students with unique needs. KW - Alternative Education TI - Analysis of Traditional Principals? Perception of Alternative Education Programs and the Impact they have on Public High Schools in Western PA EP - 139 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23503 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23503/ A1 - Jiang, Lei Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Phase change memory (PCM) recently has emerged as a promising technology to meet the fast growing demand for large capacity main memory in modern computing systems. Multi-level cell (MLC) PCM storing multiple bits in a single cell offers high density with low per-byte fabrication cost. However, PCM suffers from long write latency, short cell endurance, limited write throughput and high peak power, which makes it challenging to be integrated in the memory hierarchy. To address the long write latency, I propose write truncation to reduce the number of write iterations with the assistance of an extra error correction code (ECC). I also propose form switch (FS) to reduce the storage overhead of the ECC. By storing highly compressible lines in single level cell (SLC) form, FS improves read latency as well. To attack the short cell endurance and large peak power, I propose elastic RESET (ER) to construct triple-level cell PCM. By reducing RESET energy, ER significantly reduces peak power and prolongs PCM lifetime. To improve the write concurrency, I propose fine-grained write power budgeting (FPB) observing a global power budget and regulates power across write iterations according to the step-down power demand of each iteration. A global charge pump is also integrated onto a DIMM to boost power for hot PCM chips while staying within the global power budget. To further reduce the peak power, I propose intra-write RESET scheduling distributing cell RESET initializations in the whole write operation duration, so that the on-chip charge pump size can also be reduced. KW - Phase Change Memory KW - Multi-level Cell KW - Charge Pump KW - Error Correcting Code KW - Memory Hierarchy KW - Main Memory TI - Architectural Techniques for Multi-Level Cell Phase Change Memory Based Main Memory EP - 139 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23622 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23622/ A1 - Vishnu, Abhishek Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - This manuscript examines three separate but inter-related research questions. After reviewing scientifically relevant literature in the first chapter, the second chapter compares the prevalence of carotid plaque among the three major race-ethnic groups in the Electron-beam computed tomography, Risk factor Assessment among Japanese and U.S. Men in the Post-World War II birth cohort (ERA JUMP Study). This study shows that carotid plaque, a biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis, is significantly lower among men in Japan and South Korea than in the US. This difference is independent of traditional risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD). Further, it shows that only age, hypertension and diabetes are cross-sectionally associated with the prevalence of carotid plaque. The third chapter examines the association between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and coronary artery calcification (CAC), an established biomarker of coronary atherosclerosis and a strong predictor of future CHD risk. baPWV is a non-invasive and convenient measure of arterial stiffness and is clinically used in eastern Asia as a tool for assessing future cardiovascular risk. This study found that increasing baPWV is cross-sectionally associated with increasing prevalence of CAC among middle-aged men in the ERA JUMP study, including White men in the US. The final and fourth chapter of the manuscript examines the association of serum levels of soy isoflavones and equol, with CAC among Japanese men in Japan. Japanese consume soy and soy products regularly. Isoflavones are a component in soy and are known to have anti-atherosclerotic properties. Equol is a potent isoflavone produced from the dietary isoflavone daidzein by action of intestinal bacteria. This study shows that individuals who have bacteria to convert daidzein to equol, i.e. equol producers, have lower CAC than equol non-producers. These three studies, individually and as a whole, contribute significantly to the public health knowledge. Japan has significantly lower atherosclerosis than the US in spite of a similar level of risk factors. Several lessons may be learned from Japan in an effort to reduce CHD mortality in the US. baPWV may potentially provide similar information to clinicians as CAC without exposing the patient to radiation. KW - atherosclerosis; biomarker KW - CHD; risk factor; TI - Biomarkers and risk factors of atherosclerosis among middle-aged men in an international population-based study EP - 178 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23952 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23952/ A1 - Meehan, Terence Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - This study scrutinizes the current compulsory education law in Pennsylvania. All components of the law, including historical factors, social aspects, and attempts to amend the statute are examined. Obstacles that have prevented Pennsylvania from joining the 48 states that require enrollment before the age of eight are reviewed. The identity and motivations of lobbyists who argue against amending the law and factors leading to their success are identified. Statistics regarding unenrolled children in Pennsylvania between the ages of six and eight are compared to social issues affecting school enrollment in 2014. The study also reviews social issues from 1991, when the number of unenrolled six- and seven-year-olds was estimated to number 26,000. Finally an amendment to the Pennsylvania School Code compulsory enrollment age is presented. KW - Compulsory Enrollment in Pennsylvania Schools is reviewed and analyzed with recommendation for lowering age for school enrollment. TI - COMPULSORY EDUCATION LAW REFORM IN PENNSYLVANIA: REDEFINING COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE IN PENNSYLVANIA EP - 85 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23533 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23533/ A1 - Harris, Matthew J. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Project-based learning is an instructional approach that requires teachers and students to work collaboratively to solve authentic problems guided by a driving question and often making use of technology for research and the presentation of findings. This study examined middle school teachers 19 perceptions associated with the implementation of project-based learning and explored the challenges teachers perceive they face when implementing project-based learning, the ways they respond to these challenges, and the role teachers perceive 21st Century skills play in a project-based learning implementation. The purpose of the study was to examine teachers 19 perceptions of for consideration of future implementations of project-based learning. The study was conducted at a suburban middle school outside Pittsburgh, PA. Forty-nine teachers responded to a questionnaire designed to collect data on their perceptions. The participants were asked to rate challenges they face against a set list of challenges developed through selected literature on project-based learning implementations (Bender, 2012; Markham, Larmer, & Ravitz, 2003). The participants were also asked to explain ways they respond to the perceived challenges and to rate the degree to which they perceived project-based learning addressed 21st Century skills as defined by the Partnership for 21st Century skills. The researcher found that teachers perceived that time, meeting state accountability requirements, addressing the standards, implementing the project within the schools schedule and designing the project-based experience were most challenging when implementing project-based learning. The study also found that teachers either knew how to respond to challenges or expressed further concern about doing so. The 21st Century skills teachers perceived project-based learning addressed more effectively than more traditional methods of instruction were communication and collaboration, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking and problem solving. The findings suggest that professional development may help alleviate some of the perceived challenges teachers face when implementing project-based learning. The study also suggests that 21st Century skills play a valuable role in project-based learning implementations and should be specifically addressed in the development and implementation of project-based learning experiences. KW - Project-based Learning KW - Implementing Project-based Learning KW - Project-based Learning challenges TI - The Challenges of Implementing Project-based Learning in Middle Schools EP - 132 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22444 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22444/ A1 - Arumemi, Fortuna Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - HIV-1 causes progressive neurological disorders collectively known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). HAND is considered and umbrella term that encompasses three major stages: Asymptomatic neurocognitive impairment (ANI), mild/moderate neurocognitive disorder (MND), and HIV-associated dementia (HAD). The prevalence of HAND has increased despite the use of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) and still affects 20 ? 40% of HIV-1 infected individuals. The underlying cause of HAND observed in a particular set of subjects has not yet been fully elucidated nor have there been any ways to determine if an infected individual will eventually progress to HAND. Previously we have shown that neurogranin (NRGN), a protein involved in the protein kinase C pathway and binds calmodulin (CaM) to decrease the threshold for long-term potentiation (LTP), which is involved in learning and memory is significantly downregulated in patients with high viral load at the mRNA level. With this in mind we theorize that there is a possible microRNA (miRNA) interaction with the 3?UTR of NRGN. We hypothesize that dysregulation of NRGN may be in part associated with development of HAND. To further understand the role of NRGN, we propose to delineate the role of NRGN and the mechanism(s) involved in HIV-1 induced degradation of NRGN. The public health significance is in determining contributors to the degradation of cognition in HIV-1 infected individuals that progress to HAND, treatments can be developed to combat the effects on HIV-1 on proteins and cells pertinent to normal brain function. KW - Neurogranin HIV-1 HAND miRNA Neuropathogenesis Western Blot TI - Characterization of a novel host cellular factor involved in HIV-1 neuropathogenesis EP - 61 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22912 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22912/ A1 - Ngo, Kevin Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Aging is the largest single risk factor for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Dysregulated disc cells are thought to drive age-associated disc proteoglycan (PG) loss, a hallmark of IDD, through a combination of reduced capacity to synthesize matrix PG and increased production of proteolytic enzymes to breakdown matrix. The link between aged degenerative discs and cellular senescence has been previously observed in human discs, but it remains unknown if senescent disc cells are phenotypically different from their non-senescent counterpart in terms of matrix homeostasis. Hence, the goal of this study is to explore matrix homeostasis characteristics of senescent disc cells. Outcome measures for anabolism have established that stress-induced senescence of human disc cells resulted in decreased PG synthesis, increased collagen type II expression in nucleus pulposus (hNP), and decreased collagen type I expression in annulus fibrosis (hAF). For catabolism, Western analysis revealed greater levels of ADAMTS- and MMP-generated proteolytic aggrecan fragments as a result of cleavage in the aggrecan interglobular domain (IGD) in the conditioned media (CM) of H2O2?induced senescent hNP cells compared to control. In contrast, the levels of aggrecan IGD proteolytic fragments were relatively unchanged in the CM of senescent hAF cell culture compared to non-senescent hAF cell culture. ELISA and antibody array experiment showed elevated levels of many pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, PDGF-BB, GCSF), chemokines (EOTAXIN-2, IP-10, RANTES) and MMPs (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-10) in the CM of senescent hNP cells. These are key factors previously reported for senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) of stress-induced senescent cells which impart profound catabolic effects on neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix. The total GAG content moderately decreased in senescent hAF and significantly decreased in senescent hNP cell cultures compared to non-senescent cell culture control. These in vitro findings suggest that senescent disc cells perturb extracellular matrix homeostasis via acquisition of SASP, reduced matrix synthesis capacity, and increased matrix degradation. Identifying and confirming cellular senescence as a driver of disc PG loss and IDD will offer novel opportunities for targeted therapy to prevent or treat IDD, which would have a tremendous public health impact in preventing or ameliorating chronic low back pain. KW - Cellular Senescence KW - Intervertebral Disc Degeneration KW - Aging KW - Matrix Homeostasis TI - Characterization of senescent intervertebral disc cells and their role in perturbation of matrix homeostasis EP - 102 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23572 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23572/ A1 - Palazzolo, Michael Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Activity from individual neurons in primary motor cortex (M1) and ventral premotor cortex (PMv) can be modeled as a linear function of the direction of arm movement. If this signal is generated, it represents an extrinsic construct built upon various parallel coordinate transformations from the areas of the brain associated with vision. Previous work suggests that the PMv is a unique area in which to investigate how these visual signals are transformed into motor commands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate evidence of this visuospatial transformation in PMv and M1. In the first set of experiments, we recorded neuronal activity in M1 and PMv while each monkey reached to 14 targets represented in a 3D virtual environment. The monkeys hand was hidden from view and was represented on the display by a cursor. Goal position was represented with a spherical target. Across experiments, identical hand movements were performed with varying views of the task. Each view dissociated one of three putative coordinate frames: hand-centered velocity, cursor- centered target location, and displayed motion. In the second set of experiments, each monkey passively observed visually congruent replays of the trials from the first set of experiments. This paradigm was used to evaluate neuronal response in an action-related context without the monkey having the intention to move. In the third set of experiments, each monkey passively observed object motion on the display. This paradigm was used to evaluate neuronal response to a dynamic visual stimulus without action context. Results were as follows: 1) During active reaching, neural activity corresponded to the three coordinate systems in distinct anatomical locations, each with different latencies. This suggests a systematic substrate for visuospatial transformation. 2) Activity from a subpopulation of units located in M1 and PMv corresponded to hand velocity during active movement only. This implies the presence of a motor command-related signal. 3) Activity from a subpopulation of units located in anterior M1 and PMv corresponded to cursor-centered target location during action context, with or without the intention to move. This suggests the presence of a signal related to the visualized goal of a learned action. 4) Activity from a subpopulation of units located in anterior PMv corresponded to displayed motion of a stimulus in any context. This suggests a signal broadly related to sensory feedback. KW - Neurophysiology KW - Motor Control KW - Statistical Modeling KW - Neuroscience KW - Ventral Premotor Cortex KW - Primary Motor Cortex TI - Classifying Neural Signals Related to Action Perception EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23839 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23839/ A1 - Edwards, Clare Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Background: When a mechanical ventilator is used, the endotracheal tube can act as a track for pathogens to follow into the patient?s lungs where pneumonia can develop. This project evaluates reported Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) events at an academic tertiary care hospital (TCH) system. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: 1.) Identify epidemiological data related to VAP, 2.) Identify the prevalence of possible (ps) and probable (pr) VAP, and 3.) Compare similar hospital groups for factors influencing cases and outcomes. Methods: This project utilized data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the TCH medical record system between January 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. Only adult VAP patients were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed using SAS 9.3 software. Results: White men between 50-70 years of age were the majority of persons to develop VAP while at the TCH system. Most patients were diagnosed with psVAP, but had no major differences from prVAP patients. This review shows that daily PEEP values are not being monitored by hospitals. All hospitals had both a high mortality and a high readmission rate. Suburban facilities accounted for 76% of psVAP cases, 41% of mortalities, and 60% of all readmissions. Conclusions: Infection Prevention teams, especially in suburban hospitals, must identify the cause of high VAP complications and adverse outcomes within the dominant population. It is important that practice and procedure match to ensure patient safety. Public Health Significance: Every community trusts healthcare facilities to provide safe and effective treatment. However, Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAI) deter individuals from optimal health, and may lead to increased antibiotic use and resistance. Mechanical ventilation, while essential, breaches protective barriers and increases the risk for potential HAI. Infection Preventionists aid patients on their journey to better health by working to eliminate HAIs. This study is the first step to aid Infection Prevention teams throughout the healthcare system in encouraging continued surveillance, evaluation of practice and procedure, and decreasing hospital-acquired infections overall to reinforce community safety. KW - VAP KW - Possible VAP KW - Probable VAP KW - pneumonia KW - Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia KW - Ventilator Associated Pneumonia TI - Clinical and demographic characteristics of adult ventilator-associated pneumonia patients at a tertiary care hospital system EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22431 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22431/ A1 - Notghi, Bahram Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Computational approaches to solve inverse problems can provide generalized frameworks for treating and distinguishing between the various contributions to a system response, while providing physically meaningful solutions that can be applied to predict future behaviors. However, there are several common challenges when using any computational inverse mechanics technique for applications such as material characterization. These challenges are typically connected to the inherent ill-posedness of the inverse problems, which can lead to a nonexistent solution, non-unique solutions, and/or prohibitive computational expense. Toward reducing the effects of inverse problem ill-posedness and improving the capability to accurately and efficiently estimate inverse problem solutions, a suite of computational tools was developed and evaluated. First, an approach to NDT design to maximize the capabilities to use computational inverse solution techniques for material characterization and damage identification in structural components, and more generally in solid continua, is presented. The approach combines a novel set of objective functions to maximize test sensitivity and simultaneously minimize test information redundancy to determine optimal NDT parameters. The NDT design approach is shown to provide measurement data that leads to consistent and significant improvement in the ability to accurately inversely characterize variations in the Young's modulus distributions for simulated test cases in comparison to alternate NDT designs. Next, an extension of the NDT design approach is presented, which includes a technique to address potential system uncertainty and add robustness to the resulting NDT design, again in the context of material characterization. The robust NDT design approach uses collocation techniques to approximate the modified objective functionals that not only maximize the test sensitivity and minimize the test information redundancy, but now also maximize the test robustness to system uncertainty. The capability of this probabilistic NDT design method to provide consistent improvement in the ability to accurately inversely characterize variations in the Young's modulus distributions for cases where systems have uncertain parameters, such as uncertain boundary condition features, is again shown with numerically simulated examples. Lastly, an approach is presented to more directly address the computational expense of solving an inverse problem, particularly for those problems with significant system uncertainties. The sparse grid method is used as the foundation of this solution approach to create a computationally efficient polynomial approximation (i.e., surrogate model) of the system response with respect to both deterministic and uncertain parameters to be used in the inverse problem solution process. More importantly, a novel generally applicable algorithm is integrated for adaptive generation of a data ensemble, which is then used to create a reduced-order model (ROM) to estimate the desired system response. In particular, the approach builds the ROM to accurately estimate the system response within the expected range of the deterministic and uncertain parameters, to then be used in place of the traditional full order modeling (i.e., standard finite element analysis) in constructing the surrogate model for the inverse solution procedure. This computationally efficient approach is shown through simulated examples involving both solid mechanics and heat transfer to provide accurate solution estimates to inverse problems for systems represented by stochastic partial differential equations with a fraction of the typical computational cost. KW - Inverse problem KW - Uncertainty quantification KW - ill-posedness KW - Computational expense and Reduced order modeling TI - Computational Approaches to Efficiently Maximize Solution Capabilities and Quantify Uncertainty for Inverse Problems in Mechanics EP - 112 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23365 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23365/ A1 - Wang, Mengyu Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Computational inverse characterization approaches that combine computational physical modeling and nonlinear optimization minimizing the difference between measurements from experimental testing and the responses from the computational model are uniquely well-suited for quantitative characterization of structures and systems for a variety of engineering applications. Potential applications that are suited for computational inverse characterization range from damage identification of civil structures to elastography of biological tissue. However, certain challenges, primarily relating to accuracy, efficiency, and stability, come along with any computational inverse characterization approach. As such, proper application-specific formulation of the inverse problem, including parameterization of the field to be inversely determined and selection/implementation of the optimization approach are critical to ensuring an accurate solution can be estimated with minimal (i.e. practically applicable) computational expense. The present work investigates strategies to optimally utilize the available measurement data in combination with a priori information about the nature of the unknown properties to maximize the efficiency and accuracy of the solution procedure for applications in inverse characterization of localized material property variations. First, a strategy using multi-objective optimization for inverse characterization of material loss (i.e., cracks or erosion) in structural components is presented. For this first component, the assumption is made that sufficient a priori information is available to restrict the parameterization of the unknown field to a known number and shape of material loss regions (i.e., the inverse problem is only required to identify size and location of these regions). Since this type of parameterization would typically be relatively compact (i.e., low number of parameters), the inverse problem is well suited for non-gradient-based optimization approaches, which can provide accuracy through global search capabilities. The multi-objective inverse solution approach shown divides the available measurement data into multiple competing objectives for the optimization process (rather than the typical single objective for all measurement data) and uses a stochastic multi-objective optimization technique to identify a Pareto front of potential solutions, and then select one "best" inverse solution estimate. Through simulated test problems of damage characterization, the multi-objective optimization approach is shown to provide increased solution estimate diversity during the search process, which results in a substantial improvement in the capabilities to traverse the optimization search space to minimize the measurement error and produce accurate damage size and location estimates in comparison with analogous single objective optimization approaches. An extension of this multi-objective approach is then presented that addresses problems for which the quantity of localized changes in properties is unknown. Thus, a self-evolving parameterization algorithm is presented that utilizes the substantial diversity in the Pareto front of potential solutions provided by the multi-objective optimization approach to build up the parameterization iteratively with an ad hoc clustering algorithm, and thereby determine the quantity, size, and location of localized changes in properties with minimal computational expense. Similarly as before, through simulated test problems based on characterization of damage within plates, the solution strategy with self-evolving parameterization is shown to provide an accurate and efficient process for the solution of inverse characterization of localized property changes. For the second half of the present work, a substantial change in the inverse problem assumptions is made, in that the nature (i.e., shape) of the property variation is no longer assumed to be known as precisely a priori Thus, a more general (e.g., mesh-based) parameterization of the unknown field is needed, which would typically come at a cost of significantly increased computational expense and/or loss of solution uniqueness. To balance the generalization of the approach and still utilize some amount of the knowledge that the solution is localized in nature, while maintaining efficiency, a hybrid compact-generalized parameterization approach is presented. The initial incarnation of this hybrid approach combines a machine learning data reconstruction strategy known as gappy proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) with a least-squares direct inversion approach to estimate material stiffness distribution in solids (i.e., to solve elastography problems). The direct inversion approach uses a generalized mesh-based parameterization of the unknown field, but full-field response measurements (i.e., measurements everywhere in the solid) are required, which are not available for most practical inverse characterization problems. Therefore, the gappy POD technique first identifies the pattern of potential response fields of the solid through a collection of a priori forward numerical analyses of the solid response with a specified compact parameterization and a corresponding collection of arbitrarily generated parameter sets. Once the pattern is identified, the gappy POD technique is able to use the available partial-field measurement data to estimate the full-field response of the solid to be used by the direct inversion. Thus, the computational cost of the inverse characterization is negligible once the gappy POD process has been completed. Through simulated test problems relating to characterization of inclusions in solids, the direct inversion approach with gappy POD is shown to provide highly efficient and relatively accurate inverse characterization results for the prediction of Young's modulus distributions from partial-field measurement data. This direct inversion approach is further validated through an example problem regarding characterization of the layered stiffness properties of an engineered vessel from ultrasound measurements. Lastly, an extension of this hybrid approach is presented that uses the characterization results provided by the previous direct inversion approach as the initial estimate for a gradient-based optimization process to further refine/improve the inverse solution estimate. In addition, the adjoint method is used to calculate the gradient for the optimization process with minimal computational expense to maintain the overall computational efficiency of the inverse solution process. Again, through simulated test problems based on the characterization of localized, but arbitrarily shaped, inclusions within solids, the three-step (gappy POD - direct inversion - gradient-based optimization) inverse characterization approach is shown to efficiently provide accurate and relatively unique inverse characterization estimates for various types of inclusions regardless of inclusion geometry and quantity. KW - Multi-objective optimization; Self-evolving parameterization; Direct inversion; Gappy proper orthogonal decomposition; Adjoint method; Elastography; Inverse problem; Damage identification; Material Characterization; TI - Computational Inverse Solution Strategies for Characterization of Localized Variations of Material Properties in Solids and Structures EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23717 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23717/ A1 - Wang, Shuang Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - There is significant ongoing interest to develop smart structure technologies, such as those that can automatically detect their condition and/or actively change their geometry or material behaviors to adapt to adverse conditions or otherwise improve operational efficiency. Of the structural materials under development for smart structure applications, active smart materials are attracting increasing attentions due to their abilities to exhibit controlled variable stiffness through activation (e.g., thermal, electrical, or light activation) and experience extremely large deformations and shape changes without damage. Active smart materials, such as shape memory polymers, are currently being explored and show promise as morphing skins, replacements to mechanical hinges, and other structural components. Moreover, in a general sense any structure or structural component that is fully composed of active smart materials could have limitless shape-changing functionality if provided sufficient activation and actuation. Towards the design or control of smart structures to utilize such functionality, it is of paramount importance to develop strategies to efficiently solve the coupled multi-physics inverse problems of identifying the optimal activation stimulus and mechanical actuation to achieve desired morphing processes. The objective of the present work is to develop and investigate a computational strategy for computationally efficient estimation of the parameters relating to the distribution and sequencing of activation and actuation for a morphing smart material structure or structural component to efficiently and effectively achieve a desired morphing function. This strategy combines a numerical representation of the morphing process with an optimization algorithm to estimate the activation and actuation parameters that best address cost functions and constraints relating to energy consumption, target shape change(s), morphing time, and/or damage prevention. In particular, the strategy is presented in the context of morphing structures or structural components composed of thermally responsive smart materials, and with specific properties based on thermally responsive shape memory polymers. First, as a proof of concept, an initial computational framework is presented which combines a numerical representation of linear thermo-mechanical behavior of conceptual smart material structures with a non-gradient based optimization technique to identify the activation and actuation parameters to achieve the desired morphing process. The computational inverse mechanics approach is shown through numerical tests to provide a generalized and flexible means to facilitate the use of smart material structures to achieve desired morphing processes with controllable localized activation and actuation. Towards improving the computational efficiency, a variation of the computational framework based on a gradient-based optimization algorithm using the adjoint method is then presented. Numerical examples are shown to verify and test the computational approach, in which the synchronization of multiple activation and actuation parameters is optimized with respect to the energy cost and target shape changes in morphing skeletal structural components. The computational design approach with the adjoint method is shown to provide the capability to efficiently identify activation and actuation parameters to achieve desired morphing capabilities. Moreover, the computational approach is shown to be capable of determining energy-efficient design solutions for a diverse set of target shape changes with fixed instrumentation, providing the potential for substantial functionality beyond what could be expected through traditional empirical design strategies. Finally, to establish the theories and implementation aspects that would be applicable to a variety of structural behaviors, material types and morphing concepts, the efficient computational framework using the adjoint method is generalized to be applicable to various thermally-responsive smart materials. Numerical tests are shown to verify the generalized computational framework, in which the synchronization of multiple activation and actuation parameters is optimized with respect to energy cost and target shape changes in morphing structures with nonlinear thermo-mechanical behaviors (rather than the purely linear behaviors considered previously). In addition, the significant influence of the nonlinearity in the thermal modeling on the morphing processes, and ultimately the design solutions is explored. KW - Smart Material KW - Morphing Structure KW - Optimization KW - Adjoint Method TI - Computational Methods for Design of Smart Material Morphing Structures with Localized Activation and Actuation EP - 106 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23833 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23833/ A1 - Marron, Megan Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Group-based latent trajectory modeling (GBLTM) is a relatively recent addition to methodology for analyzing repeated measures of a variable over time. It is implemented using SAS procedure TRAJ for a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model, censored normal (CNORM) model, and logistic model. Cross-validation (CV) in GBLTM is used as an alternative tool to the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) for determining the optimal number of distinct latent subgroups in a sample. CV in GBLTM when assuming a ZIP model is implemented using the crimCV package in R. In this thesis, the use of CV in GBLTM is furthered by applying it when assuming a CNORM model and examining the consistency of results when considering multiple types of CV. This method is applied to a Hepatitis C (HCV) study to determine whether patterns of depressive symptoms in HCV patients treated with interferon-based therapy form clinically meaningful distinct subgroups. When applied to the HCV study, CV was a conservative approach to model selection compared with BIC; CV suggested a two-group model, whereas BIC suggested a five-group model. However, when visually examining the data, a three-group model appeared to capture the heterogeneity in the HCV sample best. Therefore, BIC and CV should not be used alone to determine the optimal number of distinct latent subgroups in a sample, but rather used to make an educated judgment on the number of subgroups that describes the heterogeneity best. Whether or not CV is truly a conservative approach to model selection compared with BIC is still unknown, CV and BIC should be further explored using other datasets and simulations. The public health significance of this thesis is exploring statistical tools used for determining the optimal number of distinct latent subgroups in GBLTM, where knowledge of the factors that predispose individuals to less favorable trajectory groups, can lead to targeted preventions. KW - cross-validation KW - group-based latent trajectory modeling KW - proc TRAJ KW - Bayesian information criterion KW - hepatitis C KW - depression KW - sleep quality TI - Cross-validation in group-based latent trajectory modeling when assuming a censored normal model EP - 74 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23664 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23664/ A1 - Barchowsky, Ansel Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - This thesis presents simulation, modelling, and testing for the complete photovoltaic (PV) system, including the PV panels themselves, the converters necessary for grid connection, and the testbed environments required for their testing. Investigating such systems is crucial, as PV systems are becoming increasingly prevalent. Converters are evolving and so too are the semiconductor devices of which they are comprised. Advanced topologies such as the modular multilevel converter (MMC) are allowing for radical changes in converter design and control, raising performance and efficiency ever higher. Buoying that growth is the development of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, which are enabling faster, smaller, and more efficient converters. In light of these advancements, significant room for modeling and analysis of the various phenomena that occur in PV systems is critical. In order to address this need, this thesis will present analysis, simulation, and testing of a number of key elements within the PV system, such that the whole may be better understood. It will begin with the DC-DC converter itself, modeling transient events in synchronous buck converters, as well as demonstrating the implementation of maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in boost converters. Next, the inverter portion of the system will be examined, focusing on development of a single phase, low voltage version of the MMC topology that has been previously demonstrated in high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems. Finally, a design for a test bank and workbench will be discussed, shedding light on the laboratory apparatus necessary for proper evaluation and testing of new power electronic devices and systems. In short, the complete PV system is presented, its individual components are modeled and analyzed, and the conditions and materials necessary for testing are established, such that the understanding of PV integration in modern power systems can be better understood. KW - Power Systems KW - Photovoltaic KW - Wide Bandgap Semiconductor KW - Power Electronics KW - Modular Multilevel Converter KW - Testbed TI - Design and Testing of High Frequency Converters for Photovoltaic System Integration EP - 116 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23506 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23506/ A1 - Smagula, Stephen Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Sub-diagnostic depression, sleep, and circadian rest-activity rhythm (CAR) syndromes are common in late-life, but their characteristics, prevalence, and relations to future depression are unclear. We characterized commonly occurring sleep, CAR, and depressive sign/symptom patterns using a data-driven approach applied to a large population-based study of older men. We next examined relationships of these baseline syndromes with longitudinal change in depressive symptoms. Common (32.44%) probable depressive syndromes were characterized by somatic/apathy symptoms; a subset (5.74%) with only limited somatic/apathy symptoms also had emotional-related impairment. Subjective complaints without objectively (actigraph) assessed disturbances characterized two distinct classes of men (totaling 37.46%); a pattern of objective disturbance (including greater sleep fragmentation with probable prolonged sleep latency or short (<5 hour) sleep duration) occurred in both the presence (8.87%) and absence (8.51%) of subjective complaints. Only 32.18% appeared to be free of a non-normative CAR parameter; 8 classes were distinguished by activity timing, levels, and the active period length. Baseline sleep and depression latent classes were not meaningfully associated with rates of change in depression severity. The rate of increase in depressive symptoms was higher for classes with later activity and for a class with dampened, earlier, and compressed activity combined. Future work should assess the modifiability of the identified markers of depressive symptom increases through preventative interventions. Nevertheless, there remains a need to understand of mechanisms of variability in pharmacological treatment response among older adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). We therefore assessed prognostic factors associated with distinct trajectories of depressive symptom change over 12-weeks of open-label Venlafaxine XR treatment for MDD. Only about 42% of participants exhibited a clear response, and the clinical prognostic factors linked to unique patterns of non-response included: worse depressive severity, longer illness duration, prior adequate pharmacological treatment, and worse list recognition performance. Overall, this work has public health relevance by providing a novel description of common sleep-wake/depressive syndromes in the community and distinct symptom trajectories found when pharmacologically treating MDD in the clinic. There is a need to integrate the identified prognostic markers with neurobiological research towards a valid predictive science of depression pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment. KW - epidemiology KW - psychiatry KW - aging KW - sleep KW - circadian rest-activity rhythm KW - depression TI - Determinants of depressive symptom trajectories among older adults in community and treatment settings EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23861 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23861/ A1 - Sundermann, Alexander Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Background: Central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are a highly expensive and deadly hospital associated infections (HAIs). Recent studies focus on reducing the CLABSI rate in both intensive care units (ICUs) and non-intensive care units. Each study focused on multiple aspects to reduce CLABSIs at the insertion of the line and the maintenance period, which is the length the central line, remains in place after the insertion. The results have shown there are many possible ways to reduce CLABSIs in the hospital setting. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an audit tool to assess the compliance of nurse documentation and bedside duties of central line care and maintenance in a University-affiliated tertiary care hospital. The implementation of this audit is expected decrease the hospital?s CLABSI rate. Methods: This study has two portions. The first is a prospective examination of nurse documentation and bedside practices for patients with central lines in ICUs and non-ICUs. The second portion is a retrospective analysis of documentation of patients that developed CLABSIs compared to those who did not develop a CLABSI. Results: All units increased compliance in 90.4% of documentation and bedside assessments. Weekly trends indicated increasing compliance as the audit period progressed. The retrospective analysis also revealed that daily line necessity (evidence that a patient still requires the central line in place) was not properly documented for patients that developed CLABSIs compared to patients that did not develop a CLABSI (n=621, OR=4.99, Fisher exact P=0.016). Conclusions: These results suggest initial success in increasing compliance by nurses and other clinicians providing care and maintenance of central lines. The retrospective analysis shows the importance of documenting daily line necessity in order to remove unnecessary central lines which may lead to infections. Future studies should be carried out to determine the cause of poor compliance. Public Health Significance: The audit used in this study reflects prior research shown to reduce the CLABSI rate. With further use of this audit, the CLABSI rate should be reduced which can be help decrease patient morbidity and mortality and decrease costs to the patient and hospital. KW - Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections TI - Development of protocol for reduction in central line associated blood stream infections EP - 45 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23620 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23620/ A1 - Bow, Lindsay Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The 1918 influenza pandemic is one of the deadliest events to have occurred in recorded history. This pandemic remains significant to public health due to the potential of a 1918-like pandemic occurring today. The implications of a future influenza similar to that of 1918 necessitate investigation into the mortality of this pandemic. Previous studies examining mortality records in the U.S. during the pandemic found that mortality varied by city and state, and was associated with factors such as sex, age, urbanization, and population density and growth. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the age- and sex-specific all-cause excess mortality during the 1918 pandemic in the U.S. among twenty-four states with registered mortality data. A secondary objective of the study is to examine the correlations between all-cause excess mortality and suspected determinants of mortality during the pandemic. This study used mortality data from Vital Statistics reports of the U.S. Census Bureau for states that registered by 1915. Excess mortality was determined by age and sex as the deviation of mortality in 1918-20 from the average mortality rate in 1915-17 and 1921-23. Overall, the excess mortality rate was the highest in 1918, while in 1919 and 1920 the mortality rates were similar to the non-pandemic rates. With few state exceptions, excess mortality decreased substantially in 1919 and increased in 1920. Younger age groups had higher excess mortality in every year. In 1918, male excess mortality exceeded female excess mortality; however in 1919 and 1920 this was reversed. While some states demonstrated consistent age-specific and sex-specific patterns of excess mortality compared to the average rates, overall, the excess mortality varied greatly across all states. Population density, urbanization, and male to female ratios were moderately correlated with overall excess mortality, while military enlistment and influenza and pneumonia mortality were weakly correlated with excess mortality rates. These correlations varied by age and sex. The variation in excess mortality and the weak to moderate correlations with suspected determinants of mortality during the 1918 pandemic suggest further investigation of these determinants with regards to predicting excess mortality. KW - Influenza Pandemic Mortality 1918 TI - Differential All-Cause Excess Mortality of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in the U.S. Registration Area EP - 73 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23595 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23595/ A1 - Liu, Qing Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Prediction of cause-specific cumulative incidence function (CIF) is of primary interest to clinical researchers when conducting statistical analysis involving competing risks. The predicted CIFs need to be dynamically updated by incorporating the time-dependent information measured during follow-up. However, dynamic prediction of the conditional CIFs requires simultaneously updating the overall survival and the CIF while adjusting for the time-dependent covariates and the time-varying covariate effects which is complex and challenging. In this study, we extended the landmark Cox models to data with competing risks, because the landmark Cox models provide a simple way to incorporate various types of time-dependent information for data without competing risks. The resulting new models are called landmark proportional subdistribution hazards (PSH) models. In this study, we first investigated the properties of the Fine-Gray model under non-PSH and proposed a robust risk prediction procedure which is not sensitive to the PSH assumption. Then, we developed a landmark PSH model and a more comprehensive landmark PSH supermodel. The performance of our models was assessed via simulations and through analysis of data from a multicenter clinical trial for breast cancer patients. As compared with other dynamic predictive models, our proposed models exhibited three advantages. First, our models are robust against violations of the PSH assumption and can directly predict the conditional CIFs bypassing the estimation of overall survival and greatly simplify the prediction procedure. Second, our landmark PSH supermodel enables users to make predictions with a set of landmark points in one step. Third, the proposed models can simply incorporate various types of time-varying information. Finally, our models are not computationally intensive and can be easily implemented with existing statistical software. Public Health Significance: Prognostic models for predicting the absolute risk of a patient in having a disease are very useful in performing risk stratification and making treatment decisions. Since the patient?s prognosis can change over time, it is necessary to update the risk prediction accordingly. The dynamic prediction models developed in this study can provide more accurate prognoses over the course of disease progression and will be helpful to physicians in adopting personalized treatment regimes. KW - Competing risks; cumulative incidence function; dynamic prediction; landmark analysis; proportional subdistribution hazards; time-dependent variables; time-varying covariate effects. TI - Dynamic prediction models for data with competing risks EP - 73 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23448 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23448/ A1 - Beheshti, Behdad Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Bilevel optimization problems model a decision-making process with a two-level hierarchy of independent decision-makers, namely, the leader and the follower. The decisions are performed in a predetermined sequence with the leader acting first. Consequently, the follower solves an optimization problem which contains parameters (e.g., the right-hand sides of the follower's constraints) that are functionally dependent on the leader's decisions. On the other hand, the leader's objective and, possibly, constraints are also functions of both the leader's and follower's decision variables. Therefore, in the course of the decision-making process the leader should take into account the follower's rational response, i.e., optimal solutions to the follower's optimization problem. This dissertation is focused on the development of exact solution approaches for bilevel programs with combinatorial structures in the lower-level problems. In particular, we consider models arising in resource distribution systems that involve bilevel decision-making hierarchies with knapsack and assignment constraints. We discuss design and implementation of novel solution techniques, which exploit structural properties of the underlying optimization problems. The superiority of the proposed approaches is demonstrated through extensive computational experiments. KW - Operations research KW - bilevel programming KW - combinatorial optimization KW - exact solution approaches. TI - EFFICIENT RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN A BILEVEL HIERARCHY WITH KNAPSACK AND ASSIGNMENT LOWER-LEVEL PROBLEMS EP - 94 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23669 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23669/ A1 - Kondo, Chiharu Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami suddenly took the homes, family members, friends, and familiar neighborhoods away from the children of Iwate. In the midst of this difficult situation, early childhood development (ECD) programs provided protective environments for the young children to access continuous care and development opportunities. This case study examines how these daycare centers in Iwate prepared for, responded to, and coped with the severe natural disaster, providing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial protections to these children. The study re-affirmed that daycare centers in Iwate had integrated the national standards for disaster risk reduction (DRR). On the day of the disaster, personnel safely evacuated the children while practicing monthly drills. Despite the challenges, the daycare programs quickly re-established normalcy in children?s lives, ensuring continuous access to care. Not only did daycare personnel act in loco parentis for these children, but also re-installed daycare programs during the recovery. The study revealed that local governments also faced serious challenges in their leadership and coordination roles. Their response capacities had been severely affected by the disaster. Governments? appropriate and timely guidance was most beneficial for the daycare providers. Among other recommendations, I assert that in the future, local governments could take more active roles in coordinating the massive influx of humanitarian organizations. This interpretivist research was based on my one-year fieldwork in Iwate immediately after the disaster, and employed a series of survey instruments (questionnaires and interviews). This case study contributes to the field of education and ECD in emergencies through the use of qualitative, ethnographic research. It also recognizes significant and complimentary contribution of qualitative inquiry methods, including on-site fieldwork, ethnographic analyses, and follow-up interviews, for better understanding of crisis situations. While pre-school programs are not compulsory in Japan, the study calls attention to the valuable protection that they provide for both young children and their childhoods in emergencies. A recovery strategy that focuses on protective environments for children has great potential as a harmonizing approach, rather than as a parallel one, in the complex nature of humanitarian assistance. KW - education in emergencies; early childhood development (ECD); disaster risk reduction (DRR); child protection; protective environments for children; mixed method case study. TI - Early childhood development (ECD) programs as protective environments for children in emergencies: A case of daycare centers in Iwate, Japan during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster EP - 271 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22838 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22838/ A1 - Basu, Saurabh Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Effect of length scales on microstructure evolution during Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) was studied by machining commercial purity metals: Ni 200, Oxygen Free High Conductivity OFHC) Cu and Al 1100. By performing Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) in the chips created, a switch over in microstructure evolution in small length scales was demonstrated. In this, microstructure refinement during SPD was replaced by an anomalous lack of refinement in small length scales. This switchover was found to be rampant in OFHC Cu, followed by Ni 200 but almost absent in Al 1100. It was hypothesized that the switchover is a consequence of a coupled effect of high strain gradients and small deformation volumes. In order to quantify the switchover, flow of material in the deformation zone of machining was characterized in-situ using SEM based Digital Image Correlation (DIC). For doing this, a deformation stage capable of machining within the chamber of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was designed and fabricated. It was seen that OFHC Cu develops a sharp deformation zone during machining followed by a significantly more diffuse deformation zone in Ni 200 and then Al 1100. It was hypothesized that the switchover kicks in when the dimensions of the deformation zone approach those associated with Geometrically Necessary Boundaries that form during SPD. Criteria for the aforementioned switchover based on this hypothesis were verified for Ni 200, OFHC Cu and Al 1100. Effect of pre-deformation was studied by rolling Ni 200 samples prior to machining. It was seen that pre-deformation instigates the aforementioned switchover in microstructure evolution, reasons for which were discussed. A phenomenological model for predicting microstructure statistics resulting from SPD on Ni 200 in small length scales was setup. Contrary to common perception, it was shown that larger strain gradients giving rise to larger crystallographic curvatures instigate the aforementioned switchover resulting in lack of microstructure refinement. KW - Length-scale effects micro machining Severe Plastic Deformation Electron Back Scattered Diffraction Digital Image Correlation microstructure evolution TI - Effect of Length Scales on Microstructure Evolution During Severe Plastic Deformation EP - 158 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23602 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23602/ A1 - Korytowski, Matthew James Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Distributed generation is characterized as a form of generation that is not directly connected to the bulk transmission grid. It is usually connected via power electronic devices if it is a renewable resource, in this case in the form of a voltage source converter (VSC) operating as an inverter (converting DC-to-AC). The grid impedance connected to the VSC has an influence on its stability and control performance. By looking at the output impedance of the VSC, the stability can be determined in relation to the impedance of the grid connection. A number of parameters influence the output impedance of a VSC, one of those being the control scheme used and the phase-locked loop (PLL) contained within it. The control parameters of the PLL can be adjusted to manipulate the location of the calculated poles and zeros of the open loop output impedance of the VSC. These parameters are the gains of the loop filter, Kp and Ki. Under certain short circuit ratio (SCR) values, having large PLL gain parameters can cause the VSC to become unstable. While a large SCR will be unaffected by the PLL gains, a smaller SCR is more susceptible to PLL gains that are too large. By accounting for the effects of the PLL in the output impedance, it can be found what PLL gains are considered too large for certain SCR values. A large enough grid impedance can destabilize the VSC and, therefore, cause the renewable generation to be disconnected and unused. Ideally, the output impedance of the VSC will be large. This work analyzes the effect of the PLL on the output impedance of the VSC and ultimately the stability and control performance based on different grid impedances. KW - phase-locked loop; voltage source converter; weak grid; inverter; distributed generation; stability; renewable generation TI - Effects of the Phase Locked Loop on the Stability of a Voltage Source Converter in a Weak Grid Environment EP - 83 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23812 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23812/ A1 - Gandhi, Pooja Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Recent studies have shown that the number of women faculty in academic medicine is much lesser than the number of women that are graduating from medical schools. Many academic institutes face the challenge of retaining talented faculty and this attrition from academic medicine prevents career advancement of women faculty. This case study attempts to identify some of the reasons for dissatisfaction that may be related to the attrition of women medical faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine. Data was collected using a job satisfaction survey, which consisted of various constructs that are part of a faculty?s job and proxy measures to gather the faculty?s intent to leave their current position at the University of Pittsburgh or academic medicine in general. The survey results showed that although women faculty were satisfied with their job at the University of Pittsburgh, there are some important factors that influenced their decision of potentially dropping out. The main reasons cited by the women faculty were related to funding pressures, work-life balance, mentoring of junior faculty and the amount of time spent on clinical responsibilities. The analysis of proxy measures showed that if women faculty decided to leave University of Pittsburgh, it would most probably be due to better opportunity elsewhere followed by pressure to get funding. The results of this study aim to provide the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh with information related to attrition of its women faculty and provide suggestions for implications for policy to retain their women faculty. KW - Attrition KW - women faculty KW - school of medicine KW - job satisfaction. TI - Elements related to attrition of women faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine: A Case Study. EP - 227 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23539 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23539/ A1 - Chen, Yi-Chung Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a post fabrication reconfigurable device to accelerate domain specific computing systems. It offers offer high operation speed and low power consumption. However, the design flexibility and performance of FPGAs are severely constrained by the costly on-chip memories, e.g. static random access memory (SRAM) and FLASH memory. The objective of my dissertation is to explore the opportunity and enable the use of the emerging resistance random access memory (ReRAM) in FPGA design. The emerging ReRAM technology features high storage density, low access power consumption, and CMOS compatibility, making it a promising candidate for FPGA implementation. In particular, ReRAM has advantages of the fast access and nonvolatility, enabling the on-chip storage and access of configuration data. In this dissertation, I first propose a novel three-dimensional stacking scheme, namely, high-density interleaved memory (HIM). The structure improves the density of ReRAM meanwhile effectively reducing the signal interference induced by sneak paths in crossbar arrays. To further enhance the access speed and design reliability, a fast sensing circuit is also presented which includes a new sense amplifier scheme and reference cell configuration. The proposed ReRAM FPGA leverages a similar architecture as conventional SRAM based FPGAs but utilizes ReRAM technology in all component designs. First, HIM is used to implement look-up table (LUT) and block random access memories (BRAMs) for func- tionality process. Second, a 2R1T, two ReRAM cells and one transistor, nonvolatile switch design is applied to construct connection blocks (CBs) and switch blocks (SBs) for signal transition. Furthermore, unified BRAM (uBRAM) based on the current BRAM architecture iv is introduced, offering both configuration and temporary data storage. The uBRAMs provides extremely high density effectively and enlarges the FPGA capacity, potentially saving multiple contexts of configuration. The fast configuration scheme from uBRAM to logic and routing components also makes fast run-time partial reconfiguration (PR) much easier, improving the flexibility and performance of the entire FPGA system. Finally, modern place and route tools are designed for homogeneous fabric of FPGA. The PR feature, however, requires the support of heterogeneous logic modules in order to differentiate PR modules from static ones and therefore maintain the signal integration. The existing approaches still reply on designers? manual effort, which significantly prolongs design time and lowers design efficiency. In this dissertation, I integrate PR support into VPR ? an academic place and route tool by introducing a B*-tree modular placer (BMP) and PR-aware router. As such, users are able to explore new architectures or map PR applications to a variety of FPGAs. More importantly, this enhanced feature can also support fast design automation, e.g. mapping IP core, loading pre-synthesizing logic modules, etc. KW - ReRAM KW - FPGA KW - RRAM KW - CAD KW - Place and Route KW - uBRAM KW - Modular place KW - PR-aware routing TI - Emerging Run-Time Reconfigurable FPGA and CAD Tools EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23594 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23594/ A1 - Marshall, Lynne Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a significant public health concern. The prevalence rate of this heterogeneous group of neurological conditions has more than doubled in the US during the last twenty years. The amount and cost of care needed to provide support and services for families impacted by ASD are increasing as well. Current research suggests that the etiology of ASD is not wholly genetic. The objective of this research is to investigate environmental contributors to the disease. Parental, prenatal, and obstetric factors and exposure to air pollutants during the prenatal period were examined for potential associations with ASD status. Methods: Risk factors were extracted from the birth certificates of singleton cases (n=198) and controls (n=4,801) from the Case-Control Study of Personal and Environmental Risk Factors for Childhood Autism in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Cases and controls were born between 2005 and 2009. The 2005 National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) and the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for 2004 ? 2009 were used to estimate air pollutant exposure during pregnancy. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of being an ASD case in all investigations. Results: Multivariable logistic regression modelling showed that increased maternal age, greater maternal education, gestational hypertension, cesarean delivery, and maternal infection were independent risk factors for ASD. In the analysis comparing higher quartiles of NATA exposure estimates of metal compounds to the lowest quartile of metal exposure at mother?s residence at the time of her child?s birth, arsenic, chromium, and lead were significantly associated with being an ASD case. However, an analysis of proximity to chromium emitting industrial sites, as reported in the TRI, uncovered no elevated or statistically significant association with ASD status. Conclusions: Maternal and birth characteristics as well as exposure to metal compounds during the prenatal period were shown to have an association with ASD in this case-control study. This research adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that environmental risk factors contribute to the ASD burden. However, improved exposure assessment methods and a prospective study design would aid in establishing a causal association. KW - autism autism spectrum disorder ASD air pollution environmental risk factors TI - Environmental risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) EP - 118 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23387 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23387/ A1 - Degenhart, Alan D Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Brain-machine interface (BMI) technology aims to provide individuals with movement paralysis a natural and intuitive means for the restoration of function. Electrocorticography (ECoG), in which disc electrodes are placed on either the surface of the dura or the cortex to record field potential activity, has been proposed as a viable neural recording modality for BMI systems, potentially providing stable, long-term recordings of cortical activity with high spatial and temporal resolution. Previous demonstrations of BMI control using ECoG have consisted of short-term periods of control by able-bodied subjects utilizing basic processing and decoding techniques. This dissertation presents work seeking to advance the current state of ECoG BMIs through an assessment of the ability of individuals with movement paralysis to control an ECoG BMI, an investigation into adaptation during BMI skill acquisition, an evaluation of chronic implantation of an ECoG electrode grid, and improved extraction of BMI command signals from ECoG recordings. Two individuals with upper-limb paralysis were implanted with high-density ECoG electrode grids over sensorimotor cortical areas for up to 30 days, with both subjects found to be capable of voluntarily modulating their cortical activity to control movement of a computer cursor with up to three degrees of freedom. Analysis of control signal angular error and the tuning characteristics of ECoG spectral features during the acquisition of brain control revealed that both decoder calibration and fixed-decoder training could facilitate performance improvements. In addition, to better understand the capability of ECoG to provide robust, long-term recordings, work was conducted assessing the effects of chronic implantation of an ECoG electrode grid in a non-human primate, demonstrating that movement-related modulation could be recorded from electrode nearly two years post-implantation despite the presence of substantial fibrotic encapsulation. Finally, it was found that the extraction of command signals from ECoG recordings could be improved through the use of a decoding method incorporating weight-space priors accounting for the expected correlation structure of electrical field potentials. Combined, this work both demonstrates the feasibility of ECoG-based BMI systems as well as addresses some of key challenges that must be overcome before such systems are translated to the clinical realm. KW - Electrocorticography KW - ECoG KW - Brain-Machine Interface KW - BMI KW - Brain-Computer Interface KW - BCI KW - Spinal Cord Injury KW - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis TI - Evaluation and Advancement of Electrocorticographic Brain-Machine Interfaces for Individuals with Upper-Limb Paralysis EP - 210 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23513 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23513/ A1 - Kelly, Susan Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The history of using simulation in health care is directly related to evolving technology. For decades, nursing schools had always instructed students using static or low fidelity simulation. The pedagogical approach was to teach students the skills necessary to care for patients in the acute care setting. While an effective method of teaching, the introduction of new technology gave schools another pedagogical approach to teach students. The complexity of training new nurses has led to schools of nursing incorporating various forms of high-fidelity simulation into the nursing curriculum. Students entering schools of nursing expect simulation to be utilized in the programs. However, the literature has found nursing faculty have a discomfort and a lack of knowledge with implementing simulation into the curricula. The health care arena is changing and schools of nursing are faced with the challenges to effectively educate future nurses for a sophisticated workforce. Schools need to train nursing students to have the skills to critically think through complex situations. However, a larger corollary will be to have nursing faculty who are properly educated to initiate simulation and use it in the nursing programs. The development of faculty to effectively utilize simulation has been documented in the literature. As a pedagogical approach, nursing faculty find that to incorporate simulation takes more time and preparation as opposed to traditional methods of teaching. Nursing schools have obstacles to overcome if they want to effectively use simulation in their curricula. The need for valid and reliable instruments to evaluate students? needs to be considered as simulation is embedded into the nursing curriculum. Training faculty on how to design and develop scenarios, properly evaluate student performance, and learn the technology will be imperative to have successful student outcomes. The purpose of this study is to compare student and faculty perceptions of using simulation in an undergraduate nursing course. The findings will assist the researcher to develop an effective program to train nursing instructors in evaluating student outcomes using simulation. KW - simulation KW - evaluation KW - nursing KW - faculty development KW - undergraduate KW - high-fidelity TI - Evaluation methods used in simulation: A survey of faculty and student perceptions in an undergraduate nursing program. EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23735 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23735/ A1 - Marshall, Brandon Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The purpose of this study was to evaluate K-Scan electronic pressure sensor model K-4000 (K-Scan; Tekscan, Inc., Boston, MA, USA) for use in the human knee joint to assess the effect that anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction has on tibio-femoral contact pressure. The sensor was used to measure static pressure when 1000N of axial loading was applied to the knee joint using a materials testing machine. This study also considered the calibration of the sensor. Three methods of calibration were investigated: pressurized bladder, materials testing machine, and polyurethane rollers. Calibration data from the materials testing machine was used in this study because it was the only method able to calibrate the sensor for the widest pressure range. Twelve fresh, frozen cadaveric human knees were used for this study. Double-bundle ACL reconstruction was performed arthroscopically using hamstring grafts. Three different graft fixation tensions were used: i) AM/PL: 30N/10N, ii) AM/PL: 10N/30N, iii) AM/PL: 40N/40N. Each knee was tested with 1000N of axial loading 0, 15, 30, and 45 degrees of flexion at the intact state and each of the reconstructions, and pressure readings were taken with the sensor for each test. The results of this study found that double-bundle ACL reconstruction did not significantly change the peak contact pressure, location of peak pressure, and location of center of pressure of the intact knee during 1000N of axial loading. This study also found that there was no significant change in peak contact pressure, location of peak pressure, and location of center of pressure during ACL graft fixation (without loading). KW - joint contact pressure; ACL reconstruction; pressure sensor TI - Evaluation of an Electronic Pressure Sensor for Tibio-Femoral Contact Pressure Measurement EP - 183 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23366 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23366/ A1 - Kocer Yumer, Bilge Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Ionic Polymer Transducers (IPTs) display a sensing behavior, whereby a current signal is generated, when they are deformed. IPTs also exhibit bending deformation when a voltage difference is applied across the surfaces of the transducer, thus displaying actuation. However, the mechanisms responsible for actuation and sensing differ; research to date has focused predominantly on actuation, while identification of the fundamental physical mechanism responsible for IPT sensing remains an open topic. Nevertheless, IPTs are promising in sensing, reliable, flexible, light, and cost effective. Even so, they are poorly understood, which has limited their optimization and subsequently their widespread application. As sensors they are most often studied in bending mode; however a measurable signal can be generated in any mode of mechanical deformation. This thesis offers the streaming potential hypothesis as the mechanistic model explaining IPT sensing on the basis that it is uniquely able to predict the existence of a transient sensing signal in any mode of deformation. To date, streaming potential models of IPT transient sensing response under bending and shear have been presented. These models, however, have lacked access to appropriate transient experimental studies for validation; moreover, there has been a complete absence of study of the final compressive sensing mode. This thesis offers a modeling methodology appropriate to compression, while also offering experimental studies enabling validation studies for all IPT sensing modes. The experimental studies introduce novel test rigs enabling step-deflection application in bending, shear, compression modes and in situ measurement of the resulting transient IPT current. Finally, because the ultimate goal of defining the physical mechanism primarily responsible for sensing is to enable widespread use of these transducers, electrode architecture studies are offered as illustration of the potential to optimize IPT sensing via the streaming potential hypothesis. KW - Ionic Polymer Transducers KW - Sensing KW - Streaming Potential KW - Ionic Poylmer Metal Composites KW - IPT KW - IPMC TI - Experimental Study of Ionic Polymer Transducers: Characterization of Transient Response in Sensing EP - 135 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23926 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23926/ A1 - Carr Shmool, Jessie L Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Increases in chronic diseases among children are cause for public health concern and action, particularly as children of color and low socioeconomic position are disproportionately impacted, with far-reaching consequences for health and well-being over the life-course. Environmental toxicants and non-chemical stressors have been linked with adverse health outcomes and disparities. Specifically, recent toxicological and epidemiological evidence suggests that chronic psychosocial stress may modify pollution effects on health. Thus, there is increasing interest in refined methods for assessing and incorporating non-chemical exposures, including social stressors, into environmental health research, towards identifying whether and how psychosocial stress interacts with chemical exposures to influence health and health disparities. The overall objective of this dissertation is to apply exposure science principles to develop and validate methods for non-chemical exposure assessment, toward examining differential susceptibility and disproportionate exposures in social-environmental epidemiology. To do so, I utilize a spatial approach to characterize intra-urban variation in and correlation among social stressors, socioeconomic position, and air pollution exposures across New York City. I present flexible GIS-based approaches for reformulating aggregate administrative indicators for global correlation analysis, accounting for spatial autocorrelation, and assessing perceived neighborhood geography. I assess multiple foci of the stress process paradigm using qualitative and quantitative methods, and evaluate the extent to which multiple components of social environment are implicated in psychosocial pathways, with specific attention to distinguishing socioeconomic and stress pathways. Complex interaction between air pollution and area-level deprivation effects on term birth weight suggested differential population susceptibility, and the need for mechanism-specific non-chemical exposure metrics. Spatially, ecologic indicators of social stressor exposures and air pollution were not consistently correlated with each other, or with indicators of socioeconomic position, and were not consistently associated with child asthma exacerbation rates. Community perceptions of important social stressors assessed through a qualitative process informed upon the design and implementation of a systematic survey to validate the resonance of ecologic stressor indicators against individual stress perception and mental health. Overall, these non-chemical exposure assessment methods enable characterization of complex confounding in urban environments, toward refining epidemiologic investigations of separate and combined effects of social and chemical exposures. KW - air pollution KW - disparities KW - environmental health KW - focus groups KW - GIS KW - social stress KW - spatial analysis TI - Exposure assessment methods for examining the role of non-chemical stressors in environmental health disparities EP - 195 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23596 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23596/ A1 - Weaver, Matthew, D. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The relationship between work scheduling, fatigue, and risk of injury and illness among Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers is not well understood. Evidence in other settings suggests that work duration contributes to fatigue and increases the risk of accidents and occupational injuries. Rates of occupational injury are high. Extended shifts and overtime hours are common. Workers often report fatigue and poor sleep quality. Evidence is needed to inform policy-making and promote safety. Shift schedules and occupational injury and illness reports were obtained for 14 EMS agencies over a three-year period. The cohort contained 966,082 shifts, 4,382 employees, and 950 total injuries. Analyses examined the association between shift length, weekly work hours, crewmember familiarity, and occupational injury and illness. An increased risk of occupational injury and illness was hypothesized for individual shifts >8 hours and ?48 weekly work hours. The proposed mechanism for increased risk was on-shift fatigue. A systematic literature review was performed to better understand differences in prior estimates of fatigue in EMS by methodologic approach. Risk of occupational injury and illness was increased for shifts >8 & ?12 hours (RR 1.43; 95% CI 1.04-1.97), shifts >12 & ?16 hours (RR 1.82; 95% CI 1.17-2.82), and shifts >16 and ?24 hours (RR 2.29; 95% CI 1.52-3.46), compared to shifts ?8 hours in duration. There was no increase in risk of occupational illness or injury with increasing weekly work hours. Crewmember familiarity was not associated with the outcome. Nightshift work was protective. Shift length is associated with occupational injury and illness in this cohort. As shift length increases, the risk of workplace injury and illness increases. These findings are based on observational data and are not generalizable to all EMS agencies. Evidence should be used to justify comprehensive prospective study. These projects are significant to public health. Calls for research were addressed from the National Occupational Research Agenda and the National EMS Advisory Council, government bodies who identified gaps in the knowledge of these issues. These data may serve as a foundation for future studies to inform decision-making at EMS agencies nationally and protect the health of the EMS workforce. KW - Shift work KW - Emergency Medical Services KW - Occupational Injury KW - Shift length KW - Work hours TI - Fatigue, shift work characteristics, and occupational injury and illness in emergency medical services EP - 120 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23545 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23545/ A1 - Egan, James E. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Thirty years into the HIV pandemic gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are still disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, accounting for two-thirds of the U.S epidemic. There is increasing evidence that context is an important driver of HIV risk. This dissertation was designed to summarize the literature on the influences of neighborhoods on MSM health and to explore three contextual moments of heightened HIV risk using data from the NYCM2M study (N=1493). Migration: There is a well-established history of gay migration to NYC. These data support that migration is an important moment of heightened HIV risk for MSM. More recent migrants to NYC had increased risk for condomless sex and heavy drinking compared to men in NYC for longer. Compared to White MSM, Black and Latino MSM had a greater proportional hazard of seroconverting within the first ten years of migration. Community Viral Load (CVL): Where MSM live and have sex is not random, but constructed by socio-historical factors. These findings suggest that differences may be an important determinant in the social epidemiology of HIV. Compared to White MSM, Black MSM had greater odds of living in and having sex in higher CVL neighborhoods, Latino MSM had greater odds of a higher CVL sex neighborhood. Both Black MSM and bisexuals had greater odds of migrating to higher CVL spaces (than White gay men). White MSM who migrated had greater odds for condomless sex than those who did not. Substance Use: Elevated substance use has been documented among MSM, particularly those in cities. These findings show significant between neighborhood differences in any drug use and hazardous drinking (home and social) and heavy drinking (social) suggesting that neighborhood factors uniquely influence substance use behaviors among MSM. Without substantial changes to the implementation of HIV treatment/prevention, we will continue to fall short of our potential impact. Although context/place has considerable promise as a location for HIV prevention efforts, it has been underemphasized. This dissertation is a step towards addressing this gap, suggesting contextual opportunities for multi-level public health HIV interventions to reduce HIV among MSM. KW - HIV/AIDS; MSM; gay men; substance use; migration; neighborhoods; community viral load; New York City; HIV risk behaviors TI - Gays in the neighborhood: How neighborhood and context impact HIV and substance use risks and resiliencies of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in New York City EP - 113 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23618 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23618/ A1 - Ernecoff, Natalie C. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Significance: A practical and ethical challenge in advance care planning research is controlling and intervening on human behavior. Additionally, observing dynamic changes in advance care planning (ACP) behavior proves difficult, though tracking changes over time is important for intervention development. Agent-based modeling (ABM) allows researchers to integrate complex behavioral data about advance care planning behaviors and thought processes into a controlled environment that is more easily alterable and observable. Literature to date has not addressed how best to motivate individuals, increase facilitators and reduce barriers associated with ACP. We aimed to build an ABM that accurately reflects: 1) the rates at which individuals complete the ACP process, 2) how individuals respond to barriers, facilitators, and behavioral variables 3) the interactions between these variables, 4) suggests -future -public health interventions and validation studies. Methods: We developed an ABM of the ACP -decision making process. We integrated into this dynamic model the barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables - that -agents encounter as they move- through the Transtheoretical Model?s stages of change. Findings: We successfully incorporated ACP barriers, facilitators, and other behavioral variables into our ABM, forming a plausible representation of ACP behavior and decision-making. In addition, the resulting distributions across the stages of change replicated those found in the literature, with approximately half of participants in the action-maintenance stage in both the model and the literature. Public Health Implications: Our ABM is the first of its kind to outline potential intervention points for behavior change in the context of ACP. The ABM approach to ACP is a useful method for representing dynamic social and experiential influences on the decision making process. This model could be used in the future to test structural interventions (e.g. increasing access to ACP materials in primary care clinics) theoretically before implementation. Future studies can expand on this by gathering longitudinal, individual-level data and integrating it into the ABM for a more comprehensive representation of decision-making patterns with respect to ACP. KW - advance directive KW - living will KW - computer model KW - behavioral model TI - Health behavior change in advance care planning: An agent-based model EP - 52 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23811 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23811/ A1 - Hill, Virginia Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The cry continues with A Nation at Risk, No Child Left Behind, and now the Common Core State Standards. There are groups of students who are finding success within public education and groups who are not. The groups who are not finding this success continue to be minority students who continue to run into the public education system rather than running with it. African American males seem to experience running into the system at greater number than other racial and gender groups. However, there are African American males that are finding success in public education. This study looks at the schooling and educational perspectives of twenty-four African American male K-12 public education students. Using grades and standardized assessments as a criterion, fifteen of the students were considered academically successful and nine were not. Twenty-two of the males were 18 years of age and two were 12 years old. Nineteen participants were high school seniors, one was a sophomore, and two were in middle school. Looking through the lenses of Critical Race Theory and Resiliency Theory using qualitative inquiry and data derived from interviews, data was collected to determine what contributed to the success of some participants. First both successful and non-successful groups were able to speak about having goals for the future and the importance of working hard in school. Secondly, relationships were also seen as essential to academic success, whether these relationships were with parents, teachers, or mentors for academic success to occur. Racial stereotypes were seen as something to overcome by the academically success. Race was viewed as a road block difficult to overcome by less successful participants. Having a father and mother or frequent access to more than one caring adult increased an African American male?s ability to be academically successful. Even having two parents that may not have been supportive of the African American male appeared to be more beneficial than having supportive friends. Recommendations to help African American males to be academically successful include starting early with relationship support and mentoring, life skills courses, and increased interaction with successful African American males. KW - African American males; academic success KW - Critical Race Theory KW - Resiliency Theory KW - Social Capital KW - Focus TI - High School African American Males and Academic Success EP - 266 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23582 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23582/ A1 - Michanowicz, Andrew / R. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The overall objective of this dissertation was to examine the utility of incorporating source-meteorological interaction information from two commonly employed atmospheric dispersion models into the land use regression technique for predicting ambient NO2 and PM2.5. Ultimately, we are interested in obtaining highly resolved spatiotemporal pollutant estimates to examine the attenuation of health effect estimate bias that may result from exposure model misspecification. A multi-pollutant sampling campaign was conducted across six successive weekly sampling sessions in the summer and winter seasons of 2011-2013 in Pittsburgh, PA. As a preliminary investigation, predictions from a roadway dispersion model (Caline3) were included as an independent predictor in pre-constructed winter season LUR models for NO2. Caline3 output improved out-of-sample model fitness and added an additional portion of unexplained variation (3-10% by leave-one-out cross-validated R2) in NO2 observations compared to the standard LUR models. Correspondingly, the AERMOD dispersion model was implemented to predict PM2.5 from local and regional stationary sources in a similar hybrid framework. As per cross-validated R2 and RMSE, AERMOD predictions improved overall model fitness and explained an additional 9-13% in out-of-sample variability in summer and winter PM2.5 models. Both dispersion model output functioned similarly when incorporated into standard LUR models, effectively displacing the respective GIS-based covariates, corroborating model interpretability, and capturing the greatest degree of improvements at nearby, high-density source locations. To examine the potential for spatially-differential exposure measurement improvement in health effect estimation studies, we applied LUR and hybrid LUR/ dispersion model PM2.5 predictions to non-sampled locations and observed non-Berkson-type measurement error only when the modeling domain was restricted to a near-source (<1km) environment. By a simple stochastic simulation, we demonstrated that a well characterized dispersion-derived geographic covariate, defined by a robust variance about the monitoring locations, can theoretically result in less exposure measurement error and exposure misclassification. Therefore, highly refined spatiotemporal information can improve out-of-sample prediction accuracy; however, the statistical fidelity remains constrained by the degree of source contribution captured by monitoring locations. These findings have important public health implications for understanding air pollutant exposure measurement error derived from typical LUR studies. In the absence of a spatially dense monitoring network, we demonstrated that AERMOD can produce a spatiotemporally resolved prediction surface compared to typical GIS-based covariates across a large urban-to-suburban domain with pertinent pollutant sources and complex topography. KW - NA TI - Hybrid Dispersion/ Land Use Regression Modeling for Improving Air Pollutant Concentration Estimates EP - 117 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23488 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23488/ A1 - Wang, Jiangwei Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - In this dissertation, the relationships between structure-mechanical properties-deformation mechanisms in face-centered cubic (FCC) and body-centered cubic (BCC) metallic nanowires have been studied using in situ TEM nanomechanical testing. It is well known that smaller is stronger and the widely-observed size effect is believed to arise from dislocation interactions inside nanocrystals. However, the interaction mechanisms in small-volume nanocrystals remain unexplored. Here, it was found that surface-nucleated dislocations can strongly interact inside the confined volume of Au nanowires, which led to a new type of dislocation-originated stacking fault tetrahedra (SFT), at variance to the widely-believed vacancy-originated SFT. The atomic-scale processes of nucleation, migration and annihilation of dislocation-originated SFT were revealed, shedding new light onto the strain hardening and size effect in small-volume materials. Although nanoscale twinning is an effective mean to enhance the strength of metals, twin-size effect on the deformation and failure of nanotwinned metals remains largely unexplored, especially at the minimum twin size. Here, a new type of size effect in nanotwinned Au nanowires is presented. As twin size reaches the angstrom-scale, Au nanowires exhibit a remarkable ductile-to-brittle transition that is governed by the heterogeneous-to-homogeneous dislocation nucleation transition. Quantitative measurements show that approaching such a nanotwin size limit gives rise to the ultra-high strength in Au nanowires, close to the ideal strength limit of perfect Au. Twinning is a fundamental deformation mode that competes against dislocation slip in crystals. At the nanoscale, higher stresses are required for plastic deformation than that in bulk, which favors twinning over dislocation slip. Indeed, deformation twinning has been well-documented in FCC nanocrystals. However, it remains unexplored in BCC nanostructures. Here, it shows that twinning is the dominant deformation mode in BCC-tungsten nanocrystals. A competition between twinning and dislocation slip occurs when changing the loading orientations, attributed to the defect growth controlled plasticity in BCC nanocrystals. Several important commonalities and differences in FCC and BCC nanocrystals deforming at nanoscale are further proposed. The results from this dissertation advance fundamental understanding of plastic deformation in a broad class of metals and alloys, and are of technological importance for degradation control and future design of ultra-strength nanomaterials. KW - Nanomechanics; Deformation; Mechanical Properties; Nanowires; In situ TEM; Structure-properties relationship. TI - In Situ Tem Study on the Nanomechanical Behaviors of Metallic Nanowires EP - 163 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23453 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23453/ A1 - Lopa, Samia Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Length biased data occurs when a prevalent sampling is used to recruit subjects into a study that investigates the time from an initial event to a terminal event. Such data are usually left-truncated and right-censored. While there have been accurate and efficient methods to estimate the survival function, not much work has been done regarding the estimation of the residual life time distribution or the summary parameters such as the median and quantiles of the residual life. This dissertation proposes to make two new contributions. In the ?rst part of the dissertation, we propose two ways to estimate the quantiles of the residual life time at ?xed time points accounting for the length biased and censored nature of the data. We provide the asymptotic properties of these estimators and investigate them through simulation studies. Considering that the variances of these estimators require density estimation, we suggest an alternate approach taken by Jeong and others to obtain the con?dence interval for the available residual function. We apply these methods to a breast cancer dataset from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). n the second part of the dissertation, we propose a method for testing the equality of quantile residual life times from two different populations under prevalence sampling. This test can also be inverted to construct con?dence intervals for the ratio or difference of two quantile residual life between two populations. We compare the performance of two methods, namely, the TPL and Huang and Qin methods via simulation. The results show that the proposed tests maintain Type I error. The test based on Huang and Qin survival estimator is more powerful than that of based on the TPL estimator. We apply our methods to test the equality of median residual life of breast cancer patients having recurrence and undergoing two different treatments. Public health signi?cance of this research is enormous. For a population experiencing certain disease such as cancer, it is important to estimate the quantiles of the residual life time at speci?c time points to assess the impact of a disease and an intervention strategy on the population. This dissertation will provide accurate and efficient methods for estimating these quantiles. KW - Length-biased TI - Inference on quantile residual life for length-biased survival data EP - 68 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23632 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23632/ A1 - Satram, Archana Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - HIV-1 positive individuals demonstrate a wide variety of comorbidities based on their genetic makeup and their behavioral factors. Differentiation of gene expression caused by behavioral factors such as smoking of tobacco, consumption of alcohol and illicit drug use have been shown to occur through miRNA and can have additive and adverse effects on the co-morbidities associated with HIV-1 infection. Here we try and identify the miRNA that cause the gene regulation and its effects on the progression to HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) by performing a cross sectional study on miRNA regulation and its downstream effects. The MACS provided information on all the subjects used in this study. The samples collected were divided based on their infection and cognitive status, resulting in three categories, uninfected controls, HIV-1 positive/dementia negative and HIV-1 positive/ dementia positive. The term dementia was used to identify an individual with any neurocognitive impairment regardless of the actual impairment. The individuals in each category were further divided based on their behavioral habits, smokers, non-smokers etc. The miRNA was obtained from PBMCs of the selected individuals and quantified using TaqMan real time PCR assays. Computational analysis was used to find the miRNA that was significantly regulated by performing inter and intra comparisons within the established categories. Comparison of miRNA?s in controls vs. HIV-1 positive/dementia negative subjects resulted in a majority of miRNA?s being up-regulated in all variables (smoking, alcohol consumption, pot use). Whereas comparison of miRNA?s in controls vs HIV-1 positive/dementia positive and HIV-1 positive/dementia negative vs. HIV-1 positive/dementia positives resulted in a majority of miRNA?s being down-regulated in all variables. This anomaly shows that HAND is somehow effecting miRNA, mostly by down-regulation. There were also a large number of miRNA that were common in all variables when comparing controls vs. HIV-1 positive/dementia negative individuals and HIV-1/dementia negative vs. HIV-1 positive/dementia positive individuals. This commonality shows that either HIV-1 alone or in conjugation with the behavioral factors is causing regulation of certain miRNA. This information provides the bases to further explore the possibilities of using miRNA?s as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of HIV-associated neurological disorders. Public Health Implications: The major public health significance projected to come from this study include the identification of early biomarkers in patients who are prone to develop cognitive disorders and identification of mechanisms underlying the development of HAND, which may lead to identification of new drug targets. In the long term, this knowledge may yield novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of cognitive disorders and antivirals targeting CNS compartments. KW - HIV KW - HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder KW - miRNA TI - Influence of behavioral exposures on microRNA regulation in HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) EP - 50 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23544 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23544/ A1 - Sadtler, Patrick Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Learning a new skill requires one to produce new patterns of activity among networks of neurons. This applies not only to physical skills, such as learning to play a new sport, but also to abstract skills, such as learning to play chess. An abstract skill that we can use to study the neural mechanisms of learning, in general, is controlling a brain-computer interface (BCI). BCIs were conceived of as assistive devices to help people with paralysis, limb-loss, or other neurological disorder, but they have also proven effective as tools to study the neural basis of sensory-motor control and learning. We tested the ability of subjects to generate neural activity patterns required to control arbitrary BCI decoders. We found that the subjects could more easily learn to control the decoder when they could use existing patterns of neural activity than when they needed to generate new patterns. We also analyzed the way in which subjects adapted their neural activity during learning. We found that neural activity adapts in a way that is consistent with the learning-related performance improvements and that the trial-to-trial variability of neural activity decreased as performance improved. We tested how specific properties of BCI decoders, which translate neural activity into movements of the effector, influence the ability to learn to control a BCI by incorporating dimensionality reduction into a Kalman filter and assessing how performance related to the number of latent dimensions. We found that the subjects could use a standard Kalman filter just as well as a Kalman filter that incorporates dimensionality reduction. However, as the dimensionality of the model increased, performance improved up to an asymptotic level. Lastly, we tested whether increasing the difficulty of a task would lead the subjects to learn to demonstrate better BCI performance. We implemented an instructed path task that required the animals to move a cursor along re-defined paths, and we found that this task motivated one monkey to improve his performance. In all, these studies help to uncover what contributes to BCI control, and they help pave the way for transitioning BCIs from the lab to the clinic. KW - brain-computer interface KW - learning KW - motor cortex TI - Investigating the neural basis of learning using brain-computer interfaces EP - 141 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23418 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23418/ A1 - LI, ZHUOQUN Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The effects of minor-elements, mainly Hf, Y and Si, on the oxidation behavior of Al2O3-scale forming ?-Ni + ??-Ni3Al-based alloy and coating compositions were investigated. Firstly, the effects of Si addition on Hf+Y co-doped ?+?? alloys were assessed on both modified-René N5 superalloy and model alloys. It was found that the addition of Si (? 1 at. %) decreased the overall weight gain of modified-René N5 superalloy and Ni-20Al-5Cr-0.05Hf-0.05Y (at. %) model alloy under both isothermal (up to 1000 hours) and cyclic (up to 1000 1h cycles) oxidation conditions at 1150°C. Secondly, the effect of Si (1 at. %) addition on the meta-stable ? ?-Al2O3 transformation kinetics during the early stage of oxidation was studied on the Ni-20Al-5Cr-0.05Hf-0.05Y model alloy. It was found that the addition of 1 at. % Si delays the ? ? ?-Al2O3 transformation at temperatures above 900°C. In addition, an alternative mathematical method was developed to determine the ? ? ?-Al2O3 transformation based on analyzing the time dependence of instantaneous n-value. This method found success in describing the effect of Si addition in delaying the ? ? ?-Al2O3 transformation on Ni-20Al-5Cr-0.05Hf-0.05Y model alloy. Thirdly, synergistic effect of Si (1 at. %) and Hf/Y on the early stage oxidation behavior of Ni-20Al-5Cr-0.05Hf-0.05Y model alloy was studied by TEM/STEM/EDS. Significantly different microstructures of Al2O3 scale formed on the Si-free and Si-containing alloys were observed after 10 and 30 minutes of oxidation at 1150°C. The Al2O3 scale formed on the Si-free alloy contained a large amount of Ni-rich particles in the region close to the scale/metal interface. By contrast, for the Si-containing alloy, a layer of quickly established large-grained ?-Al2O3 was observed in the region close to the scale/metal interface. Segregation behavior of Hf and Y was also influenced by the addition of Si. After 2 hours of oxidation at 1150°C, excessive non-uniform Hf and Y co-segregation was observed at the grain boundaries of Al2O3 scale formed on the Si-free alloy. By contrast, Hf and Y grain boundary segregations were uniform and well-controlled in the Al2O3 scale formed on the Si-containing alloy. KW - Oxidation KW - Coating KW - Yttrium KW - Hafnium KW - Silicon KW - Kinetics KW - Segregation TI - Investigation of the Minor-Element Effects on the Oxidation Behavior of ?-NI + ??-NI3AL Alloys EP - 20 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22775 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22775/ A1 - Edington, Collin Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Microfluidics, the manipulation of fluid samples on the order of nanoliters and picoliters, is rapidly emerging as an important field of research. The ability to miniaturize existing scientific and medical tools, while also enabling entirely new ones, positions microfluidic technology at the forefront of a revolution in chemical and biological analysis. There remain, however, many hurdles to overcome before mainstream adoption of these devices is realized. One area of intense study is the control of cell motion within microfluidic channels. To perform sorting, purification, and analysis of single cells or rare populations, precise and consistent ways of directing cells through the microfluidic maze must be perfected. The aims of this study focused on developing novel and improved methods of controlling the motion of cells within microfluidic devices, while simultaneously probing their physical and chemical properties. To this end we developed protein-patterned smart surfaces capable of inducing changes in cell motion through interaction with membrane-bound ligands. By linking chemical properties to physical behavior, protein expression could then be visually identified without the need for traditional fluorescent staining. Tracking and understanding motion on cytotactic surfaces guided our development of new software tools for analyzing this motion. To enhance these cell-surface interactions, we then explored methods to adjust and measure the proximity of cells to the channel walls using electrokinetic forces and 3D printed microstructures. Combining our work with patterned substrates and 3-dimensional microfabrication, we created micro-robots capable of rapid and precise movements via magnetic actuation. The micro-robots were shown to be effective tools for mixing laminar flows, capturing or transporting individual cells, and selectively isolating cells on the basis of size. In the course of development of these microfluidic tools we gained valuable new insights into the differences and limitations of planar vs. 3D lithography, especially for fabrication of magnetic micro-machines. This work as a whole enables new mechanisms of control within microfluidics, improving our ability to detect, sort, and analyze cells in both a high throughput and high resolution manner. KW - Microfluidics KW - cell rolling KW - two photon polymerization KW - magnetic microrobot KW - particle sorting KW - 3D printing KW - cytotactic patterned protein TI - Manipulation of Cell and Particle Trajectory in Microfluidic Devices EP - 197 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23893 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23893/ A1 - Geng, Ming Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - In causal inference, interest often lies in estimating the joint effect of treatment on outcome at different time points. Marginal structural models are particularly useful for this purpose when a time-dependent confounder exists in the causal path between the treatment assigned in the previous time and the outcome. These models provide a consistent estimate when treatment is measured perfectly. In practice however, treatment may be subject to measurement error. Many studies have shown that measurement error in treatment can result in underestimating its effect. One approach proposed in the literature for correcting this problem is the marginal structural measurement-error model. It requires using a validation data set in which both the true treatment and the observed treatment are available to correct the bias. In this study, we developed a new method which combines the marginal structural Cox proportional hazards model, the regression calibration method, and the Bayesian method to account for measurement error in treatment without the need for a validation data set. Moreover, instead of fitting a traditional pooled logistic regression model, a weighted Cox proportional hazards model is implemented to reduce bias. The performance of our proposed method was assessed through the simulation study. Our simulation results show that the bias is reduced even with an approximate value of the parameter of the prior distribution. Our sensitivity analysis also shows that the estimated treatment effect is robust to the choice of the prior distribution. We applied our proposed method to estimate the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the incidence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome or death among HIV-positive patients using a data set in which the observed treatment assignment was subject to misclassification. Public Health Significance: Measurement errors can happen in medical studies despite good intentions. In general, either a validation data set or the replicates of the observed predictor are needed to correct for bias in estimation. Our study provides a new method in causal inference for correcting bias caused by measurement errors when investigators only have the main data set in which the observed treatment is measured only once at each time point. KW - Bayesian KW - marginal structural Cox model; misclassification KW - time-dependent confounder KW - treatment causal effect. TI - Marginal structural Cox proportional hazards model for data with measurement errors EP - 53 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23938 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23938/ A1 - Chen, Rui Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - With the availability of large amount of genomics studies, integrating information from multiple sources improves knowledge discovery. To address the complexity of genome and numerous genetic features, meta-analysis that aggregate information achieves higher statistical power for the measure of interest, and identify patterns among study results, sources of disagreement among those results. As Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies are becoming affordable and can provide per-base resolution, NGS data serves as an appealing tool to analyze genomic fea-tures. Among various applications of NGS technologies, chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing(ChIP-seq) is primarily used to provide quantitative, genome-wide mapping of target protein and DNA interaction events. Signal peak calling algorithms identified target regions of interest enriched in vitro. Despite the existing pro-grams for previous ChIP-Chip platforms, peak calling of putative protein binding sites from large, sequencing based data-sets presents a bioinformatic challenge that has required considerable computational innovation. Popular peak calling algorithms, such as MACS, SPP, CisGenome, SISSRs, USeq, and PeakSeq, are widely applied but each of them has different emphasis on sensitivity, specificity or different size and shape selection of peaks. In the ?rst project of this dissertation, we propose a meta-analysis framework, ChIP-MetaCaller, to combine multiple top-performing algorithms to identify and reprioritize the peaks. We provide a forward selection algorithm to decide best combination of algorithms? output to perform meta-analysis and showed that the result improves motif enrichment and sensitivity. The results are more trackable by biologists for further validation and hypothesis generation. The mechanisms of complex diseases like cancers involve changes in multiple genes, each conferring small and incremental risk that potentially converge in deregulated biological pathways, cellular functions and local circuit changes. To understand this complex network requires discovery of co-expression gene modules. Literature shows using meta-analysis can improve performance of identifying these modules from machine learning techniques in some pilot studies. In the second project of this dissertation, we proposed approach which is based on the clustering results of each individual study. Combining standardized distances from genes to the medoids lead to an integrated distance matrix and perform the meta-clustering. We compared the performance of proposed approach and Meta Clustering combining distance under three simulation settings and three real data sets and provide guidance for practitioners. Two projects included in this dissertation tackles different biological questions based on genomics data. Both of them improve performance from existing methods by information integration applying meta-analysis frameworks, and provide comprehensive biomarker detection.This work could improve public health by providing more effective methodologies for biomarker detection in the integration of multiple genomic studies. KW - meta-analysis KW - ChIP-seq KW - co-expression modules TI - Meta-analysis framework for peak calling by combining multiple ChIP-seq algorithms and gene clustering by combining multiple transcriptomic studies EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23724 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23724/ A1 - Cirinelli, Lacey Anne Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Recent studies indicate that oscillations between functional states (ex: ictal, post-ictal) in epilepsy are due to fluctuations in neuronal network firing patterns. However, current epilepsy models are often limited to non-mechanistically identifying the most likely anti-epileptic drug candidates. Therefore, expanding research to the network level is a promising way to examine the mechanisms underlying mental pathologies and possibly assess better ways to treat them. Microtechnology, which allows for control of the local microenvironment, is a reliable way to study whole networks, but is rarely applied to neurological disease. The objective of this project is to combine microtechnology with standard neuroscience techniques in an effort to create a platform for high throughput testing of anti-epileptic drugs. To achieve this, we create ?epileptic? neuronal networks in vitro, characterize network morphology and phenotypic connectivity, and evaluate network activity modulation due to genetic manipulations related to epilepsy. This project focuses on the gene SCN1a, which codes for the voltage gated sodium channel Nav1.1. Mutations in SCN1a are linked to Generalized Epilepsy with Febrile Seizures Plus. The central hypothesis is that mutations in SCN1a affect activity properties of individual neurons, thus impacting recurrent activity in small networks, and that examining these networks may provide insight into pathways involved in seizure propagation. KW - Epilepsy KW - Nav1.1 KW - SCN1a KW - Neuronal Networks KW - Microcontact Printing KW - Calcium Imaging TI - Network Level Manipulation of Neuronal Populations via Microtechnology: Epilepsy on a Chip EP - 149 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23542 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23542/ A1 - Xu, Lina Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Particulate suspensions are common phenomena in industrial and biological fields. However, the fundamental understanding of the hydrodynamic interactions between the solid and fluid in the particulate suspensions needs to be further improved. The lattice Boltzmann method has been shown to be an effective numerical method to model various fluid flows, and exhibits good performance in dealing with boundary conditions, with straightforward and easy-to-implement methods for complex solid boundaries. However, most of the previous boundary conditions used for the moving complex surface are based on the half way bounce-back boundary condition, where the geometric integrity of the body cannot be maintained. In this dissertation, a new boundary condition based on the Chapman-Enskog expansion is proposed for the moving complex surface, where the precise shape of the body can be preserved during the calculation. Moreover, due to the second order accuracy of the Chapman-Enskog expansion when recovering the Navier-Stokes equation from the Boltzmann-BGK equation, the new boundary condition can maintain the same accuracy for the whole computational domain. Finally, this thesis provides the novel idea to construct a boundary condition without the limitation of being based on the information from the already existing lattice nodes. KW - Lattice Boltzmann method KW - Fluid-structure interactions KW - Moving boundary condition KW - Chapman-Enskog expansion KW - Galilean invariance. TI - A Novel Moving Boundary Condition Based on Chapman-Enskog Expansion with the Lattice Boltzmann Method EP - 121 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23475 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23475/ A1 - Xie, Jiafeng Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - With the rapid development of economic and technical progress, designers and users of various kinds of ICs and emerging embedded systems like body-embedded chips and wearable devices are increasingly facing security issues. All of these demands from customers push the cryptographic systems to be faster, more efficient, more reliable and safer. On the other hand, multiplier over GF(2m) as the most important part of these emerging cryptographic systems, is expected to be high-throughput, low-complexity, and low-latency. Fortunately, very large scale integration (VLSI) digital signal processing techniques offer great facilities to design efficient multipliers over GF(2m). This dissertation focuses on designing novel VLSI implementation of high-throughput low-latency and low-complexity single and hybrid finite field multipliers over GF(2m) for emerging cryptographic systems. Low-latency (latency can be chosen without any restriction) high-speed pentanomial basis multipliers are presented. For the first time, the dissertation also develops three high-throughput digit-serial multipliers based on pentanomials. Then a novel realization of digit-level implementation of multipliers based on redundant basis is introduced. Finally, single and hybrid reordered normal basis bit-level and digit-level high-throughput multipliers are presented. To the authors knowledge, this is the first time ever reported on multipliers with multiple throughput rate choices. All the proposed designs are simple and modular, therefore suitable for VLSI implementation for various emerging cryptographic systems. KW - Finite field multiplier KW - emerging cryptographic systems KW - high-throughput KW - VLSI TI - Novel Single and Hybrid Finite Field Multipliers over GF(2m) for Emerging Cryptographic Systems EP - 172 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23737 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23737/ A1 - Xiao, Jianan Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Light absorption and transmittance by an array of TiO2 nanorods with different lengths 200-1000nm and diameters 12?22 nm were theoretically studied using the electromagnetic computational technique, finite-difference time domain (FDTD). Then the nanowires were fabricated via the hydrothermal methods and their optical properties were experimentally measured and compared with the theoretical results. The nanowire length and diameter were found to be major parameters in modifying the intensity and the wavelength of the scattered radiation, respectively. In addition, light absorbing behavior of a very thin semiconductor layer (PbS) coated on the surface of highly ordered TiO2 nanorod arrays was simulated. The numerical simulation model is comprised of nanorod arrays grown on a transparent conducting film of glass substrates under front-side illumination. In the FDTD analysis, a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) wave is incident onto PbS or TiO2 first and passing through the barrier layer. Two monitor planes placed above the electromagnetic source and below nanorod arrays detect the intensity of both the incident wave and the reflected/scattered wave from the TiO2 nanorod structure. The absorption and transmission spectra are determined in the wavelength range 300?700nm as a function of nanorod length, nanorod diameter, and interface barrier layer thickness. In a part of simulation models, PbS shell with the thickness of 10 nm was added on the surface of the nanorod arrays. Results of the electrodynamic simulations were experimentally verified. A significant increase in the light absorption by the PbS-coated nanorods was observed by increasing the nanorod length and decreasing the nanorod diameter. Changes in the barrier layer thickness between the nanorod and the substrate had a negligible effect on the scattering and absorbance spectra. KW - light absorption KW - semiconductors KW - nanowires KW - quantum dots TI - OPTICAL SCATTERING AND SENSITIZATION OF TIO2 NANOWIRES COATED WITH PBS SHELL EP - 92 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23590 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23590/ A1 - Guo, Ben Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The ?binormal? model is commonly used for evaluating diagnostic performance with smooth Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. However, one of the artifacts of the binormal model is the non-concave (improper) shape of the ROC curves, which is sometimes evident as a visible and practically unreasonable ?hook?. The artificial hook can often be triggered, when the true ROC curve is concave but has high initial slope. In these scenarios it is natural to be concerned with the bias in the estimates of global summary measures, e.g., in the commonly used area under the ROC curve (AUC). The objective of this study is to evaluate the magnitude of said bias as a function of improperness of the fitted binormal ROC curves. The public health relevance of this work stems from the importance of the ROC methodology for various stages of development and regulatory approval of medical diagnostic systems. This work investigates whether the AUC for a visually improper binormal ROC curve provides an acceptable estimate of the full area under an actually concave ROC curve. For this purpose a simulation study was conducted based on a wide range of scenarios described by the concave bigamma ROC curves. The binormal ROC curves were fitted using the least squares approach. Based on the ?mean-to-sigma ratio? criteria proposed in the literature, the fitted binormal curves were divided into the three groups based on the magnitude of their visual improperness. In order to assess bias in these groups of curves the binormal estimates of AUCs were compared with the empirical AUCs (which are unbiased for continuous data). Our results indicate that for continuous data the bias of the binormal estimate of AUC was small regardless of the magnitude of improperness of the fitted curve. Thus, if one is interested only in estimating AUC using continuous diagnostic data, the improper shape of the binormal curve can often be unimportant. We used data from a multireader study with 36 ROC curves, to illustrate the differences between the bigamma and binormal AUC estimates for different shapes of binormal ROC curves fitted to pseudo-continuous data from actual diagnostic accuracy studies. KW - ROC curve KW - Bigamma model KW - Binormal model TI - On the effect of improperness of binormal ROC curves for estimating full area under the curve EP - 64 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23675 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23675/ A1 - Clifford, Corey Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Although high-density fuel pool storage provides an acceptable method for housing used fuel assemblies, a number of concerns have triggered a call for the reduction of current fuel pool inventories by mandating a maximum permissible time in which fuel assemblies may be placed in wet storage before transfer to passive, dry storage conditions. In anticipation of an accelerated fuel transfer program, the principal goal of this investigation is to develop a fundamental understanding of the physics associated with the buoyancy-induced flow around dry casks in an effort to improve the heat rejection capability of the overall system. The aim of this investigation is to minimize the amount of active pool cooling necessary by maximizing the thermal capacity of dry storage configurations. The natural convection flow through horizontally-oriented dry cask systems is numerically investigated using the commercial FLUENT software package. A simplified geometry of a heated horizontal cylinder confined between two, vertical adiabatic walls is employed to evaluate the coupled heat and mass transfer. Two different treatments of the cylinder surface are investigated: constant temperature (isothermal) and constant heat flux (isoflux). To quantify the effect of wall distance on the effective heat transfer from the cylinder surface, 18 different confinement ratios are selected in varying increments from 1.125 to 18.0. Each of these geometrical configurations are evaluated at seven distinct Rayleigh numbers ranging from 102 to 105. Using the largest confinement ratio as a point of comparison, the results of the computational models are validated to within 5% of previously established heat transfer correlations for free cylinders. Maximum values of the surface-averaged Nusselt number are observed at an optimum confinement ratio for each analyzed Rayleigh number. Relative to the pseudo-unconfined cylinder at the largest confinement ratio, a 54.2% improvement in the heat transfer from an isothermal cylinder surface is observed at the optimum wall spacing for the highest analyzed Rayleigh number. Likewise, an analogous improvement of 46.6% is determined for the same conditions with a constant heat flux surface. KW - CFD KW - decay heat KW - dry cask storage KW - heat transfer KW - natural convection TI - Optimizing Natural Convection from a Heat Generating Cylinder for Dry Cask Storage Applications EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23720 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23720/ A1 - Hou, Chenxi Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Inverse problem solution methods have been widely used for nondestructive material characterization problems in a variety of fields, including structural engineering, material science, aerospace engineering and medicine. A traditional inverse problem solution approach for material characterization is to create a numerical representation of the system, such as a finite element model, combined with nonlinear optimization techniques to minimize the difference between the experimental response and the numerical representation. Unfortunately, due to the high computational cost of analyzing the numerical representation of many systems, it can often be impractical to solve a given inverse problem by this traditional method.\par A strategy for using reduced-order modeling, in particular the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) model reduction approach in inverse material characterization problems is presented in this work. POD is used to derive a low-dimensional basis from a finite set of full-order numerical analyses of the system. The governing equations of the system are projected onto the obtained POD basis to construct a reduced-order model (ROM). The ROM is then used to replace the full-order modeling to reduce the high computational cost, while still keeping the accuracy of the response close to that of the full-order model. After that, the ROM is combined with a global optimization algorithm to identify an estimation of the material properties in the system. A case study of a damaged aluminum plate, which is subjected to a time-dependent harmonic sinusoidal excitation, is chosen to demonstrate that the ROM strategy is capable of accurately identifying material parameters of a system with minimal computational cost. KW - Nondestructive Evaluation KW - Inverse Problem KW - Trasient Dynamic KW - Proper Orthogonal Decomposition TI - POD Reduced-Order Modeling for Inverse Material Characterization from Transient Dynamic Tests EP - 57 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23716 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23716/ A1 - Liang, Rongjie Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - In this thesis, piezoelectric diaphragm pressure sensors have been proposed and developed. The piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) thick film was used in this sensor as sensing element due to its good piezoelectric property and mechanical flexibility. This kind of PZT thick film was fabricated recently using a tape-casting processing. By this process the PZT film thickness can be controlled in the range from tens to hundreds microns, making the novel flexible PZT diaphragm sensor realizable. Two structures of pressure sensor were designed and fabricated, and the relationship between generated voltage signals to applied pressures of the electromechanical model has been analyzed theoretically. For sandwiched structure sensor, the properties of the sensor to measure low frequency fluctuating pressures have been investigated experimentally. A test setup was designed and applied to generate pulsing fluid pressure waves and calibrate the sensitivities of sensor samples. The proposed pressure sensor exhibited highly sensitive response to low frequency dynamic pressure loading. The effectiveness of this sensor in human arterial pulse monitoring was studied and reported. For pressure sensor with unimorph structure, a blast wave pressure test was conducted using shock tube setup to study its sensing ability to intensive, transient pressure loading. Different sized sensors were tested and showed almost linear relationship to blast pressure in the given range. KW - Piezoelectric KW - PZT thick-film KW - Pressure sensor KW - Flexible TI - Piezoelectric Pressure Sensors Based On Flexible PZT Thick-Film Composite Device EP - 98 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23745 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23745/ A1 - Poole, Zsolt Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - In photonics, the flow of light in light-wave circuits is molded by optical materials and structures with different refractive indices. The ingenuities of photonic engineering are often curbed by the limited range in the refractive indices of naturally occurring optical materials. In this dissertation, sub-wavelength 3D nano-engineering is explored to create artificial optical materials with tunable optical properties. Block-copolymer templating coupled with a wet processing route was applied to realize 3D functional metal oxides with nanostructure features in the sub-50nm regime. Using this low-cost and scalable manufacturing method, high quality films of TiO2, SnO2, ZnO, and SiO2, with refractive indices continuously tunable in the range of 1.17 to 2.2, is demonstrated. These new optical materials open new opportunities in a wide range of applications. This dissertation explores applications for optical fiber sensing, solar cell anti-reflection technology, along with other suggested avenues for exploration. An expansion of the sensory capability of optical fiber type sensors to include the detection of chemical species, from low to high temperatures, is demonstrated. The merger of functional metal oxides with optical fiber is not well explored both theoretically and experimentally. Full wave simulations were performed that provide valuable insight in the design of these sensors along with experiments to identify the type of the sensory responses. Measurements performed using Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry demonstrate the use of the developed sensors for the distributed type detection of hydrogen at very high temperatures, for applications in hydrogen driven Fuel Cells. With distributed sensing a single sensor can function as a linear combination of hundreds of sensor and can be used to analyze existing gradients across the sensor element. Optical anti-reflection technology can benefit substantially from the extensive broadening of the available refractive indices. Optimal anti-reflection coatings predicted by theory rely on continuous gradual changes in the refractive indices which are too difficult to manufacture conventionally, if at all. The use of the developed refractive index engineering scheme for the realization of low cost and practical, broad-band and omnidirectional anti-reflection coatings with an improved efficiency, is also demonstrated. KW - sub-wavelength KW - refractive index engineering KW - block copolymer KW - metal oxide KW - anti-reflection coating KW - optical sensor KW - gas sensor KW - fiber sensor TI - REFRACTIVE INDEX ENGINEERING BY 3D SUB-WAVELENGTH NANOSTRUCTURING FOR APPLICATIONS IN OPTICS AND OPTICAL SENSING EP - 161 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23808 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23808/ A1 - Haney, Jamie Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Currently, there is a largely unmet need for therapeutic strategies to combat diastolic heart failure. The prevention and reversal of left ventricular (LV) fibrosis, a known contributor to diastolic dysfunction, may provide a solution for this clinical problem. Relaxin, via activation of its primary receptor RXFP-1, blocks collagen synthesis and enhances collagen degradation and thus, is a potent antifibrotic agent. The work presented here tested the hypotheses that the natural relaxin receptor-ligand system is upregulated in the fibrotic LV with diastolic Dysfunction and exogenous relaxin administration can reverse LV fibrosis and restore diastolic function.Several rat models of age- and hypertension-associated LV fibrosis were studied: young versus aged spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) versus SHR, and control Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats versus renin overproducing transgenic (MREN) rats. An upregulation of the endogenous relaxin receptor-ligand system determined by quantitative real-time PCR was present in each of the fibrotic animal models, specifically a ~2-4.5 fold increase in mRNA expression of RXFP-1 and a tendency towards increased relaxin expression (~1.5 fold). In the MREN rat model, this endogenous upregulation of the relaxin receptor-ligand system occurred in parallel with significantly elevated LV mRNA expression of known fibrotic biomarkers (TGF?, BNP, and MMP2), suggesting an adaptive response. MREN rats also exhibited significant LV hypertrophy, fibrosis, and diastolic dysfunction (increased LV and myocardial passive stiffness and slowed relaxation), while systolic function was unaltered. Administration of recombinant human relaxin (rhRLX, 0.5 mg/kg/day for 14 days) to MREN rats did not affect hypertension or hypertrophy. However, rhRLX administration significantly reversed mRNAs of fibrotic biomarkers and RXFP-1 and LV fibrosis in MREN rats. These changes were associated with significantly reduced passive stiffness and this beneficial effect was consistent even under the condition of stress (increased heart rate). In contrast, rhRLX administration did not alter LV relaxation. We conclude that the endogenous LV relaxin receptor-ligand system exerts an adaptive response in a fibrotic environment. The ability of exogenous relaxin administration to reverse LV fibrosis and improve diastolic function may provide a novel strategy for treating diastolic heart failure. KW - Relaxin KW - Relaxin Receptor KW - Left Ventricular Fibrosis KW - Diastolic Dysfunction KW - TGR(mREN2(27)) rat TI - The Role of Relaxin in Left Ventricular Fibrosis: Endogenous Expression and Therapeutic Potential EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23670 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23670/ A1 - Jallah, Zegbeh Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a life changing condition affecting over 50% of women aged 50 and older. Women with POP typically suffer from sexual, defecatory and urinary dysfunction, resulting from the decent of their unsupported pelvic organs into the vaginal canal. Over one billion dollars in annual costs are associated with surgery to repair POP. In general, surgical repair strategies merely provide an anatomical repair and fail to address the underlying cause of POP, thus increasing the risk of reoccurrence and complications. Vaginal birth injury (VaBI) has been identified as a major risk factor for POP, and as such, provides an opportunity to better understand how POP develops, in order to provide alternate remedies. To date, the exact mechanism by which vaginal delivery leads to POP remains elusive, as the time lapse between childbirth and POP symptoms (usually 20-30 years) creates multiple confounders that limit the ability to prove causality. Therefore, the goal of this thesis work was to utilize controlled animal models to assess the impact of VaBI on vaginal smooth muscle (VaSM), as a possible mechanism of VaBI in the pathogenesis of POP. In addition, we wish to examine the impact of current surgical mesh repair on VaSM functional outcomes. Specially, this work 1) investigated the impact of a simulated vaginal birth injury on VaSM 2) characterized the impact of a potential loss of smooth muscle function on vaginal biaxial mechanics, and 3) evaluated the ability of surgical mesh, designed to restore the unsupported organs to their anatomical position, on VaSM function. Our findings indicate that vaginal birth injury can cause non-recoverable loss in Vim function, and that a loss of function alters vaginal mechanics, with the potential to compromise support of the pelvic organs. Additionally, the results showed that surgically implanted meshes have mechanical and textile properties that further promote a loss of VaSM function. Ultimately, we hope that these findings motivate the need for more measures to prevent VaSM injury during delivery, and perhaps serve as a guide for the design of de novo meshes aiming to improve VaSM function. KW - Smooth Muscle Pelvic Organ Prolapse Vagina Biomechanics Mechanobiology Jallah Elastin Collagen Biax Mechanical Testing TI - The Role of Vaginal Smooth Muscle in the Pathogenesis of Pelvic Organ Prolapse EP - 181 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23598 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23598/ A1 - Ye, Lei Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - For longitudinal data analyses, existing statistical methods can be used when the independent and dependent variables are measured at the same frequency. In Part 1 of this dissertation, we propose a three-step estimation procedure using local polynomial smoothing for longitudinal data where the variables to be handled are repeatedly measured with different frequencies within the same time period. We first inserted pseudo data for the less frequently measured variable. Then, standard linear regressions were fitted at each time point to obtain raw estimates. Lastly, local polynomial smoothing with analytical weights was applied to smooth the raw estimates. The results showed using analytic weights instead of a kernel function during smoothing is critical when the raw estimates have extreme values, or the association between the dependent and independent variables is nonlinear. In Part 2 of this dissertation, we propose another semiparametric estimation procedure to solve the same problem. After imputing pseudo data for the less frequently measured variable, local polynomial smoothing with analytical weights was applied to smooth the pseudo data for one subject at a time. Then, a suitable parametric mixed-effects model was applied. The results showed that using different types of analytic weights during smoothing produced similar results. Both proposed methods work better when the variances of the repeated measures are small and the within-subjects correlations are high. Statement of Public Health Relevance: The proposed methods are good tools for exploring inconsistently measured longitudinal data. They provide estimation without losing information that has been collected. It is important to biomedical studies especially when many researchers are using diary-based methods to improve the data collection process. For example, paper diaries, personal digital assistants (PDA) and smart phones have been used in the weight loss clinical trials to collect intensive longitudinal data that reflect subjects? real life experiences and behaviors. The proposed methods can be used when the inconsistent measure problem is present in a longitudinal study. KW - Analytical weight; Inconsistent sampling; Local polynomial smoothing; Longitudinal data; Repeated measures; Semiparametric TI - Semiparametric estimation procedures using local polynomial smoothing for inconsistently measured longitudinal data EP - 169 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23564 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23564/ A1 - Chen, Chieh-Li Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a clinical standard in ophthalmology because it has the ability to provide in vivo cross-sectional images of ocular tissues with microscopic resolution in a non-contact and non-invasive manner. More and more manufacturers are getting involved in the race of instrument design and the development of the spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT). Various light sources, optical designs, and image acquisition settings were employed by different manufacturers to stand out among competitors. This provides a wide variety of options in terms of scanning protocol, image processing, and presentation. However, the diversity also reflects in the variability in the OCT signal characteristics. The variability of OCT signal characteristics not only results in systematic differences in OCT measurement data, such as the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and total retinal thickness, but also induces discrepancies in OCT image appearance. Those differences cause serious clinical challenges when comparing OCT images from different OCT devices, or recruiting multiple OCT devices in one study. To solve this problem, a novel signal normalization method was developed in this dissertation. The signal normalization was developed in a stepwise fashion to resolve all factors contributing to the systematic differences among various OCT devices, including axial sampling density, the amount of speckle noise, intensity dynamic range, and image quality. Quantitative analyses and qualitative assessments were conducted to evaluate the proposed signal normalization method. For the quantitative analyses, engineering and clinical validations were performed via measuring the absolute differences in A-scan profile intensity and comparing the systematic RNFL thickness differences before and after signal normalization. For the qualitative assessment, subjective evaluation of the similarity of OCT image appearance through a questionnaire was performed. Statistically significant reduction in both the absolute difference in A-scan profile and the systematic differences among SD-OCT devices were observed after signal normalization. Statistically significant improvements of image similarity between OCT image pairs were also found after the processing. With the proposed signal normalization method, quantitative analysis as well as qualitative assessment among OCT devices will become directly comparable, which would broaden the use of OCT technology in both clinical and research applications. KW - Signal normalization KW - Optical coherence tomography TI - Signal Normalization among Multiple Optical Coherence Tomography Devices EP - 189 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23561 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23561/ A1 - Weng, Yu-Ting Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Dengue is currently the world?s fastest growing vector-borne disease which causes fever, headache, muscle aches and other flu-like symptoms, affecting 50-100 million people worldwide yearly. Modeling dengue incidence over time is challenging because of multiple virus serotypes, high asymptomaticity, and the limited data availability. Different dengue modeling approaches have been explored in the public health literature such as economic models, agent-based (AB) models, and ordinary differential equation (ODE) models. ODE models are the standard to model dynamic systems involving interactions between various populations because of their solid mathematical/statistical foundation and ease of implementation in standard software packages. However, the homogeneous and perfectly mixing assumptions of the ODE model may not accurately represent the real world. On the other hand, AB models may lack the solid mathematical/statistical theory, but can model heterogeneity at the individual level. In the first part of this dissertation, we propose a simplified new ODE model (vSEIR) and compare this model with three existing ODE models. We also compare two discretization methods for initial value problems: derivative-free mesh adaptive direct search method with quadratic models (MADSQ) and derivative trust region (DTR) method. The simulation studies show that MADSQ can provide a better solution to the ODE compared to DTR when the parameter space has many local minima. We also demonstrate that the proposed vSEIR ODE model provides a better fit to the data than the other existing ODE models. In the second part of this dissertation, we validate a dengue ComputationaL ARthropod Agents (CLARA) AB model, by comparing with its corresponding ODE model and the real world data. We not only show the similarity between the two models, but also contrast them. Our future plan is to continue to improve dengue ODE models by providing a stochastic version. Improved dengue models will provide public health researchers tools to better understand dengue disease outbreaks. KW - Ordinary differential equation KW - Mesh adaptive direct search KW - Trust region KW - Nonstationary time series KW - Agent-based model KW - Nonlinear model KW - Dengue fever KW - Vector borne disease. TI - Statistical methods for fitting dengue disease models, and related issues EP - 107 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23583 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23583/ A1 - Li, Xiaoxue Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies investigate instantaneous and repeated observations on subjects over time in their everyday life. Such study designs are useful for applications to public health and social sciences because they provide intensive information about the temporal pattern of one's behavior. Throughout this dissertation, we will use an EMA study of intermittent smokers (ITS) to demonstrate our method. In this EMA study, events such as smoking are of primary interest. Here, we focus on a particular temporal pattern when smoking events are clustered in time. The distributions of the time-clusters or smoking "bouts" and covariates that predict such behavior are our interest. Traditional linear mixed effects models are not typically equipped to properly assess this kind of investigation. In this dissertation, we introduce a method of displaying the temporal behavior of subjects via functions of event gap times which allow us to easily identify bouts. We also apply an existing time-varying coefficient model to cumulative log gap times to characterize the time patterns of smoking while concomitantly adjusting for behavioral covariates that may be time varying and related to smoking. The mixed effects model we consider here produces a linear function with coefficients that change over time and hence, can identify meaningful temporal changes both at the subject and population levels. We also apply the inverse probability of weighting methods to weight the observed cases and handle missing data generated by the study design. Our method has public health significance in that it allows one to identify time patterns (periodic or otherwise) in health event outcomes that can occur multiple times. Hence, one can characterize the time trajectory of these multiply observed events and possibly develop interventions when necessary to alter the time course of such processes. KW - Ecological Momentary Assessment KW - Intensive Longitudinal Data KW - Recurrent Events Analysis KW - Time-varying Coefficient Model KW - Gap Times TI - Time varying coefficient model for gap times in ecological momentary assessment data EP - 79 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23671 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23671/ A1 - Ncube, Collette N Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The purpose of this dissertation research is to ascertain the impact of biological factors as well as social and economic environmental factors on the risk of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) among infants of non-Hispanic (NH) white and NH black mothers, under the hypothesis that intergenerational factors could be explanatory variables in the perpetuated trend in racial/ethnic disparities in birth outcomes. Three separate research studies were performed. The first is a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the association between LBW/PTB and neighborhood disadvantage, where the results demonstrate that there is a statistically significant higher odds of LBW and PTB among mothers resident in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods relative to those in the least disadvantaged neighborhoods. This relationship was found only when race-stratified, rather than race-adjusted, models were performed. The second and third studies use a transgenerational dataset of births in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania with birth records of infants born in the years 2009-2011 to mothers who were also born in the County in the years 1979-1998. The second study focuses on the role of mothers? birth weight (MBW) along with social and economic contextual factors on infant risk of LBW; while the third study focuses on the role of mothers? gestational age (MGA) coupled with social and economic contextual factors on infant risk of PTB. This research makes significant unique contributions to this field of public health research by examining both biological and neighborhood context factors as predictors of PTB and LBW in multivariate and multilevel models. Even more important is the novel examination of the subcategories of birth weight and gestational age, which led to results suggesting differing roles of biology and neighborhood context among these subcategories. LBW and PTB are of public health significance because they increase an infant?s risk of death in the first year of life, developmental disabilities, and chronic diseases in adulthood. The healthcare costs related to treatment of a prematurely born infant costs the United States billions of dollars a year and can be associated with billions more decades later when chronic diseases develop in adulthood. KW - intergenerational KW - low birth weight KW - preterm birth KW - neighborhood KW - poverty KW - segregation TI - Transgenerational risk for low birth weight and preterm birth: The role of biology and neighborhood factors in racial disparities EP - 200 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23462 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23462/ A1 - Li, Mingshan Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - The transmission bandwidth of a modern fiber-optic communication systems depends on the modulation bandwidth of optical signal transmitters, as well as the computation speed of photonic components for optical signal processing. Nowadays, the rapid development of various bandwidth-hungry network products urges the research on optical transmitters and photonic circuits that could support high bit-rate optical signal communication and computation. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate on laser transmitters that allow ultrafast modulations, as well as on photonic integrated circuits components in nonlinear chalcogenide glass substrates that are capable of ultrafast all-optical signal processing. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) offers superior properties as signal transmitters in the fiber-optic communication network, such as large modulation bandwidth, low coupling loss with optical fibers, and low fabrication cost. As the modulation bandwidth of VCSELs are limited due to their relaxation modulation frequency up to 20GHz, transverse mode lock of VCSEL is proposed to reach modulation bandwidth beyond 100GHz. Both the static emission and ultrafast dynamics of VCSELs? transverse modes were studied to explore their potential for mode locking. All-optical signal processing with nonlinear photonic integrated circuits (PIC) is an effective solution to overcome the speed limitation arising from opto-electronic conversions in the modern communication network. Performance of individual components in a PIC and its scale of integration are influenced by its substrate material and its fabrication method. In this dissertation, nonlinear PIC components written in ChG substrates by ultrafast laser writing are studied, taking advantages of the unique material traits of chalcogenide glasses (ChGs), and the capability of ultrafast laser writing to fabricate 3D arbitrary structures in nearly any transparent materials. The fabrication challenges arising from the laser-material interaction were overcome, and basic nonlinear PIC components including waveguide Bragg gratings, nonlinear directional couplers and one dimensional waveguide arrays were designed and fabricated. Functionalities of these devices were demonstrated at a reduced power required for nonlinear operations, as compared to similar devices in silica substrates. The results presented in this dissertation provide the basics for the realization of on-chip optical network for largely increased data transmission bandwidth and signal processing speed. KW - Laser materials processing KW - Nonlinear optics KW - integrated optics KW - Nonlinear optical materials KW - Ultrafast optics KW - VCSEL TI - Ultrafast Optical Devices for Photonic Integrated Circuit Applications EP - 113 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23573 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23573/ A1 - VoPham, Trang Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Geographic information systems (GIS), used to analyze spatial data, represent a powerful method to study human health. This research demonstrates the usage of GIS in (1) designing a pesticide exposure metric and (2) linking population-based data sources to conduct an epidemiologic study examining the association between pesticide exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The first study presents a new GIS method to estimate individual-level agricultural pesticide exposure in California. Landsat remotely sensed satellite images were classified into crop fields and matched to California Pesticide Use Report (PUR) agricultural pesticide application data. Pesticide exposure was calculated using pesticide-treated crop fields intersecting a 500-meter buffer around geocoded locations. Compared to the standard GIS method of matching PUR data to infrequently updated crop land use surveys (LUS?s), our method was able to match significantly more PUR temporary crop pesticide applications to Landsat vs. LUS crops (65.4% vs. 52.4%; n=2,466; McNemar?s p<0.0001). The second study explored different ways of scaling up Public Land Survey System (PLSS) section pesticide data, the geographic level of reporting for PURs, to the ZIP Code level. We observed substantial agreement between area-weighted ZIP Code pesticide application rates and gold standard census block rates in rural areas (weighted kappa 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57, 0.69). Area weighting was used to estimate pesticide exposure in the third study. The third (and primary) study was a population-based case-control study examining the association between agricultural pesticide exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma in California via implementing a novel data linkage between Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare and PURs using Medicare ZIP Codes in a GIS. Among rural California residents, previous annual ZIP Code exposure to over 0.06 applied organochlorine pounds per acre significantly increased the risk of developing HCC after adjusting for liver disease and diabetes (odds ratio 1.52; 95% CI 1.02, 2.28; p=0.0415). This is the first epidemiologic study using GIS to examine pesticide exposure and HCC. The public health significance of this research is related to using epidemiologic, GIS, and biostatistical methods to form a better understanding of pesticides as a potential risk factor for HCC, which is increasing in incidence. KW - hepatocellular carcinoma; pesticides; GIS; data linkage; cancer epidemiology TI - Using GIS to link SEER-Medicare and California pesticide data: a population-based case-control study of pesticide exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma risk EP - 219 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23644 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23644/ A1 - Niemczyk, Nancy A. Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Objectives: Research indicates a relationship between pregnancy and cardiovascular disease, but the cause of this relationship is unknown. One possible explanation is that there is a relationship between pregnancy and vascular change. The objective of this dissertation is to illuminate this relationship by exploring 1) the association between parity and structure of the carotid arteries in a population of overweight or obese women of reproductive age and 2) the normal course of common carotid artery (CCA) remodeling and changes in stiffness of the brachial artery throughout a healthy first pregnancy and postpartum. Methods: The first paper provides a cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between reproductive factors and structural measures of the carotid artery in overweight and obese young women participating in the Slow Adverse Vascular Effect of Obesity (SAVE) clinical trial. The subsequent 2 papers provide results of the Maternal Vascular Adaptation to Healthy Pregnancy (MVP) study, in which 43 healthy young women were assessed prospectively throughout their first pregnancies with ultrasounds of their carotid arteries, a measure of brachial artery distensibility, and physical and metabolic measures. Results: In the SAVE study, nulliparous women had greater common carotid inter-adventitial diameter (IAD) and mean CCA intima media thickness (IMT) compared with parous women after adjustment for age, race, and CVD risk factors. In the MVP study, after adjustment for age and pre-pregnancy BMI, mean IAD increased each trimester and returned to baseline postpartum. Mean CCA IMT was increased postpartum compared to 1st and 2nd trimester values. Mean brachial artery distensibility decreased from 1st trimester to 3rd trimester and then remained unchanged postpartum. Conclusions: Among overweight and obese young women, nulliparity was associated with less healthy carotid arteries. During the course of healthy first pregnancy, some negative vascular changes (greater CCA IMT and stiffer brachial arteries) occurred that persisted into the postpartum period. Public Health Significance: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Early identification of women at high risk (nulliparous) offers early opportunity for risk reduction. Understanding normal vascular changes of pregnancy may help explain the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, the cause of 50,000 maternal deaths per year. KW - Vascular remodeling Parity TI - Vascular remodeling associated with pregnancy EP - 138 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23676 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23676/ A1 - Bai, Yicheng Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Indoor positioning and navigation for blind and visually impaired individuals has become an active field of research. The development of a reliable positioning and navigational system will reduce the suffering of the people with visual disabilities, help them live more independently, and promote their employment opportunities. In this work, a coarse-to-fine multi-resolution model is proposed for indoor navigation in hallway environments based on the use of a wearable computer called the eButton. This self-constructed device contains multiple sensors which are used for indoor positioning and localization in three layers of resolution: a global positioning system (GPS) layer for building identification; a Wi-Fi - barometer layer for rough position localization; and a digital camera - motion sensor layer for precise localization. In this multi-resolution model, a new theoretical framework is developed which uses the change of atmospheric pressure to determine the floor number in a multistory building. The digital camera and motion sensors within the eButton acquire both pictorial and motion data as a person with a normal vision walks along a hallway to establish a database. Precise indoor positioning and localization information is provided to the visually impaired individual based on a Kalman filter fusion algorithm and an automatic matching algorithm between the acquired images and those in the pre-established database. Motion calculation is based on the data from motion sensors is used to refine the localization result. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the algorithms. Our results show that the new device and algorithms can precisely determine the floor level and indoor location along hallways in multistory buildings, providing a powerful and unobtrusive navigational tool for blind and visually impaired individuals. KW - wearable system KW - indoor positioning KW - indoor navigation KW - blind and visually impaired TI - A Wearable Indoor Navigation System for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals EP - 182 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23709 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23709/ A1 - Baker, Kelsey Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - This investigation seeks to identify factors associated with adolescent marijuana use in the 30 days prior to survey response collection in the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Both inverse probability weighted and unweighted backwards elimination multivariate logistic regression modeling techniques were used to determine these factors. Final models compared the magnitude of the difference between odds ratios, the selection of final variables, the statistical significance of selected variables, and the overall fit of the models to determine whether or not we believed a weighted model was more appropriate for this type of complex sampling survey data. Our analysis showed that age, tendency towards risky behavior, importance of religious beliefs, academic grades, cigarette use, and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of marijuana use. In addition, the odds of marijuana use in those who smoke cigarettes and consume alcohol are much higher than the odds in those who do not partake in either. The public health significance of this study is that the results can be used to help public health officials understand the risk factors that affect an adolescent?s decision to use marijuana. This insight would allow them to collaborate with policy makers to more accurately identify at risk teens and allow for avoidance, earlier detection, and treatment strategies. The assumptions of logistic regression were met, but few model diagnostics were available for the weighted model due to the lack of appropriate statistical diagnostics in the Stata statistical software. However, based on our results, we believe the weighted model, which incorporates the complex sampling methods used in the data collection, is more sufficient for our data. Although the available diagnostics revealed similar results for both models, we saw notable differences in the odds ratios for race and academic grades, which leads us to believe that weights are a necessary component of the model. KW - National Survey Data KW - Sampling Weights KW - Logistic Regression KW - Marijuana KW - Adolescent Drug Use KW - Methodological Comparisons KW - Alcohol KW - Cigarette Smoking TI - An analysis of survey data to determine significant risk factors associated with adolescent marijuana use through utilization of sample weighting methods EP - 115 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23913 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23913/ A1 - Berbert, Laura Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Sport-related concussion affects between 1.6 and 3.8 million people annually. Incidence of concussion in the population of collegiate athletes is a public health issue because there are nearly half a million student-athletes at risk every year and physiological effects have the potential to be lifelong and severe in nature. To combat incidence and severity of concussion in college athletes, the CDC and NCAA have partnered to promote education about concussion and implementation of a concussion protocol. At the University of Pittsburgh, this protocol includes a baseline ImPACT test for each incoming student-athlete for the purpose of tracking recovery and facilitating ?return to play? decisions following incidence of a concussion. This study explores the utility of the baseline ImPACT test scores in determining risk for concussion. Computerized neurocognitive assessments are developed for post-injury purposes. The analysis in this study uses the ImPACT test scores in a novel way, pre-injury, and examines novel risk factors for concussion, e.g., the composite scores, which were hypothesized to affect incidence through an effect on athletic performance. Two independent survival analyses were performed: case-wise deletion and multiple imputation by chained equations. Because the data were determined to have MAR missingness, multiple imputation models were adopted in lieu of case-wise deletion models to ensure unbiased parameter estimates. Two independent models were created: male and female. The model for female athletes included the history indicator and contact expected by sport variables. The model for male athletes included the history indicator, contact expected, processing speed composite score, and height variables. Although these results cannot be generalized with certainty, the results of this study provide an exploratory analysis of the utility of computerized neurocognitive assessments in determining risk for concussion. Four of the six composite scores (visual memory, processing speed, reaction time, and total symptom) were univariably significant (a=0.20) for male athletes. The multivariable model for male athletes included the processing speed composite score. Subsequent studies and analyses, with a focus on securing a representative sample, are required to corroborate the findings of this study. KW - concussion KW - ImPACT test KW - survival analysis KW - missing data KW - multiple imputation KW - multiple imputation by chained equations KW - college athletes TI - An examination of computerized neurocognitive test scores as predictors of risk of concussion in collegiate athletes EP - 119 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22221 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22221/ A1 - HO, Thang Y1 - 2015/01/28/ N2 - Chemotherapy is the most commonly employed method for systemic cancer treatment of solid tumors and their metastases. The balance between cancer cell elimination and host toxicity minimization remains a challenge for clinicians when deploying chemotherapy treatments. Our approach explicitly incorporates treatment-induced toxicities into the schedule design. As a case study, we synthesize administration schedules for docetaxel, a widely used chemotherapeutic employed as a monoagent or in combination for the treatment of a variety of cancers. The primary adverse effect of docetaxel treatment is myelosuppression, characterized by neutropenia, a low plasma absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Through the use of model-based systems engineering tools, this thesis provides treatment schedules for docetaxel and its combination therapies that reduce toxic side effects and improve patient outcomes. The current algorithm employs models of tumor growth, drug pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics for both anticancer effects and toxicity, as characterized by ANC. Also included is a toxicity-rescue therapy, with granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) that serves to elevate ANC. The single-agent docetaxel chemotherapy schedule minimizes tumor volume over a multi-cycle horizon, subject to toxicity and logistical constraints imposed by clinical practice.This single-agent chemotherapy scheduling formulation is extended to combination chemotherapy using docetaxel-cisplatin or docetaxel-carboplatin drug pairs. The two platinum agents display different toxicities, with cisplatin exhibiting kidney function damage and carboplatin demonstrating the same myelosuppression effects as docetaxel. These case studies provide two different challenges to the algorithm: (i) cisplatin scheduling significantly increases the number of variables and constraints, thereby challenging the computational engine and formulation; (ii) carboplatin's overlapping toxicity tests the ability of the algorithm to schedule drugs with different mechanisms of action (they act in different phases of the cellular growth cycle) with the same toxic side effects. The simulated results demonstrate the algorithms flexibility, in scheduling both docetaxel and cisplatin or carboplatin treatments for effective tumor elimination and clinically acceptable toxicties. Overall, a clinically-relevant chemotherapy scheduling optimization algorithm is provided for designing single agent and combination chemotherapies, when toxicity and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic information is available. Furthermore, the algorithm can be extended to patient-specfic treatment by updating the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models as data are collected during treatment. KW - Chemotherapy KW - docetaxel KW - optimization KW - cisplatin KW - carboplatin KW - myelosuppression KW - neutropenia TI - A model-based clinically-relevant chemotherapy scheduling algorithm for anticancer agents EP - 225 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23702 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23702/ A1 - Gentile, Susan K. Y1 - 2015/01/27/ N2 - The purpose of this exploratory study was to discover the meaning that high school principals ascribe to the phenomenon of student voice and how they perceive its role in transforming instruction. Student voice is the term associated with considering students as active participants in educational decision making and change. Giving students choice and control in their education has been linked to increased motivation, engagement, and student achievement. Therefore, providing opportunities for student voice may be an effective approach to transforming instruction in schools of the 21st century. Contemporary accountability movements often target instruction as a way to improve student achievement, yet studies of the effects of student voice on improving pedagogy are few. A need exists to study student voice by exploring how it is perceived and practiced in high school classrooms. Eight high school principals located in western Pennsylvania participated in this study. A series of three interviews was used to place the participant?s experience in context and provide insight into experiences that may have influenced his or her understanding of student voice. Inductive and deductive methods of data analysis were used to identify themes related to the principals? beliefs about the connection between student voice and effective instruction. The findings show that principals? understanding of student voice was more complex than the literature indicated. However, a difference was identified between what principals perceived as student voice and how it was practiced. In addition, principals identified that often their ?best? teachers do not use student voice practices. Barriers to student voice included accountability movements, fear of vulnerability, and difficulty shifting traditional roles of students and teachers. The need for additional training to increase the presence of student voice was also identified. These findings have notable policy and practice implications. Of most note, is the connection between student voice and Danielson?s Framework for Teaching (2013) used to evaluate instruction in the Teacher Effectiveness System adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Ultimately this study found that principals believed student voice was important to effective instruction, but encouraging student voice was often difficult in environments influenced by mandates of current educational policy. KW - Student Voice Danielson's Framework for Teaching Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation System Student Engagement High School Reform Communities of Practice TI - From Listening to Empowering: A Study of High School Principals' Perceptions of Student Voice in Classroom Instruction EP - 205 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23660 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23660/ A1 - Flanders, Steven Y1 - 2015/01/27/ N2 - This study investigates the development of flexibility and reversibility in a calculus environment that attends to linking multiple representations. Reversibility was studied through Krutetskii?s framework of reversibility of two-way processes and reversibility of the mental process in reasoning. The study was conducted over approximately four months in a high school calculus classroom in an urban school district in a mid-Atlantic state. Instruction attended to linking multiple representations whenever possible. Four types of data were collected: 1) a pre-test, 2) a post-test, 3) daily assessments, and 4) clinical interviews. Twenty-one students completed a pre-test and post-test that together assessed development of flexibility over the course of the study. They also completed daily assessments that were collected to provide evidence of the development of reversibility during the course of the study. Six students participated in four clinical interviews each, spread throughout the study. Inferential statistics were used to compare the results of the pre-test and post-test for significant differences and to determine significant differences in the presence of reversibility on the daily assessments over the course of the study. The clinical interviews were analyzed for evidence of students? thought processes while solving reversible questions. Analysis revealed that over the course of the study, students demonstrated significant increases in both flexibility and reversibility. Two-way reversibility seemed to develop with relative ease for most students and often developed simultaneously with learning a forward process. Developing reversibility of the mental process in reasoning was difficult and tended to develop simultaneously with learning in a forward direction for students with high levels of flexibility. For students who did not develop reversibility simultaneously with forward learning, both two-way reversibility and reversibility of the mental process in reasoning were able to develop through multiple opportunities to solve reversible tasks of similar content. Analysis of the clinical interviews indicated that students typically followed a 4-step thought process when using reversibility to solve problems. Implications and limitations of the study and areas of further research were discussed. KW - calculus KW - flexibility KW - multiple representations KW - reversibility TI - Investigating flexibility, reversibility, and multiple representations in a calculus environment EP - 496 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23867 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23867/ A1 - Sciandra, Michael Y1 - 2015/01/15/ N2 - As one of our most central and powerful tools, communication can provide information, influence or motivate other individuals, and cultivate relationships. Given the importance of effective communication, it is imperative that marketers fully understand how consumers engage, receive and process communications. Furthermore, as the technological environment continues to evolve, marketers must recognize how digital and mobile mediums of communication influence consumers? behaviors and decisions. This dissertation explores the role of attention and distraction in technology mediated communications; first investigating consumers? reactions to persuasive communications and second examining the influence of mobile communication devices on consumer outcomes. Essay 1 explores how consumers respond to communications containing information on the behaviors of other individuals. In particular, this essay probes the effectiveness of persuasive messages highlighting information on the actions of a majority (i.e. normative information) or minority (i.e. non-normative information) of individuals. I show that consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence impacts attention to normative and non-normative information in a message. Surprisingly, I find that high SII consumers overlook normative and non-normative cues and therefore exhibit similar levels of compliance with normative and non-normative communications. Essay 2 studies the impact of mobile communication devices, such as cellphones and smartphones, on consumers? in-store decision making. Specifically, this essay builds upon prior research demonstrating the substantial level of cognitive distraction associated with mobile communication device usage. I investigate consumers? lay beliefs of the benefits and limitations of in-store mobile communication device use and examine how these devices influence shopping outcomes including consumers ability to recall in-store stimuli, number of unplanned purchases, and number of omitted planned items. As a whole, the essays of my dissertation make novel contributions to the literatures studying persuasion, social influence, social norms, shopper marketing, and in-store decision making. Furthermore, the findings of my dissertation offer a series of practical implications for marketers, policy makers, and consumers. KW - Marketing KW - Consumer Communications KW - Attention and Distraction KW - Technology TI - Communication Breakdown? Essays Examining Attention and Distraction in Technology Mediated Consumer Communications EP - 136 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23784 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23784/ A1 - Rothenberger, Scott D. Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Technological advances have led to an increase in the collection of high-dimensional, nearly continuously sampled signals. Evolutionary correlations between such signals are salient to many studies, as they provide important information about associations between different dynamic processes and can be used to understand how these processes relate to larger complex mechanisms. Despite the large number of methods for analyzing functional data that have been explored in the past twenty-five years, there is a dearth of methods for analyzing functional correlations. This dissertation introduces new methods for addressing three questions pertaining to functional correlations. First, we address the problem of estimating a single functional correlation by developing a smoothing spline estimator and accompanying bootstrap procedure for forming confidence intervals. Next, we consider the problem of testing the equivalence of two functional correlations from independent samples by developing a novel adaptive Neyman testing procedure. Lastly, we address the problem of testing the equivalence of two functional correlations from dependent samples by extending the adaptive Neyman test to this more complicated setting, and by embedding the problem in a state-space framework to formulate a practical Kalman filter-based algorithm for its implementation. These methods are motivated by questions in sleep medicine and chronobiology and are used to analyze the dynamic coupling between delta EEG power and high frequency heart rate variability during sleep. KW - functional data analysis KW - functional correlation KW - adaptive Neyman test KW - smoothing spline KW - electroencephalography KW - heart rate variability TI - Analysis of Functional Correlations EP - 78 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23685 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23685/ A1 - Xie, Li Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - We investigated the motility pattern and chemotaxis system of the polarly flagellated marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus. V. alginolyticus executes 3-step (run-reverse-flick) cycles which are distinctively different from the 2-step (run-tumble) pattern of Escherichia coli. This marine bacterium backtracks its forward swimming path and randomizes its moving direction by flicking its flagellum at the end of the backward swimming interval. V. alginolyticus has a similar chemotaxis system as E. coli, and our study showed that their chemotaxis networks respond to chemical cues in the same manner. However, at contrast to E. coli, in which the motor bias is regulate by the chemotaxis network, in V. alginolyticus, the switching rates of the flagellar motor is modulated so that swimming intervals in a favorable direction can be lengthened regardless of the motor rotation direction. As a result, despite their different motility patterns, both E. coli and V. alginolyticus use a biased random walk to migrate toward a nutrient source. To understand the effect of motility patterns on chemotaxis capacity, master equations similar to convection-diffusion equations were developed to describe the motion of these two bacteria in a chemical profile. It was found that by adopting the run-reverse-flick motility pattern, a 3-step swimmer has the same drift velocity but its diffusivity is reduced by half compared to a 2-step swimmer. As a result of the smaller diffusivity, the former localizes better around a nutrient source but does not explore as efficiently as the latter. We thus speculate that the 3-step motility pattern suits better for the marine environment where searching is unproductive and it is more important to exploit an existing, though transient, resource. KW - Marine bacterium KW - chemotaxis TI - Chemotaxis in marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus EP - 127 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23770 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23770/ A1 - Youwei, Xie Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Allylic alcohol transposition lacks a thermodynamic driving force and usually displays stereo-infidelity and poor regioselectivity. However, regio- and stereoselectivity can be achived by coupling allylic alcohol transposition to a subsequent step that is kinetically and thermodynamically favorable. Based on this rationale, the allylic alcohol transposition and capture sequence was delevoped and applied successfully in heterocycle synthesis. Regio- and stereoselectivity were achieved when a pre-existing stereogenic center in the substrates could induce significant thermodynamic difference between diastereomeric products and when the individual steps toward these diastereomeric products were reversible. Epoxides were later used as ennantioenriched electrophiles in this transposition/trapping sequence for stereoselective synthesis of heterocycles. The mechanism for this transformation was elucidated and a cascade approach using epoxides as trapping agents in the transposition of allylic alcohols was developed and applied in the stereoselective formation of polycyclic ethers. Finally, an improved sequence using ?traceless trapping agents? was developed. This new method did not leave any vestige in the resulting product and offered much more freedom for the application of allylic alcohol transposition in heterocycle synthesis. Understanding the relative rates of the steps in this new sequence led to the design of reactions that created multiple stereogenic centers with good to excellent levels of control. KW - Diastereoselective synthesis KW - Allylic alcohol isomerization KW - rhenium oxide KW - cyclic ether KW - polycyclic ether KW - thermodynamic equilibration TI - Exploring the Synthetic Application of Allylic Alcohol Isomerization EP - 199 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23752 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23752/ A1 - Wentworth Fournier, Chelsea Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - This research analyzes how feasting has become a widespread coping mechanism for addressing food insecurity in urban and peri-urban Vanuatu. By examining hunger and food security in cultural context (including how these health-related issues are defined, diagnosed, treated and managed), a detailed assessment of the social and structural factors that influence mothers? decisions about appropriate infant and child feeding is presented. Responding to 1) biomedically driven pressures from health care workers and 2) familial and community pressures about appropriate childcare and nutritional practices, mothers create syncretic meanings of ?good? and ?bad? foods, hunger and satiety, and childhood malnutrition. However, mothers? mechanisms for identifying and treating malnutrition satisfy neither health care practitioners nor extended kin networks. Based on 12 months of anthropological fieldwork in 2010 and 2012-13 in Port Vila, Vanuatu, and its peri-urban areas, this research employed semi-structured interviews (N=83), dietary journals (N=32), surveys (N=71), visual-cognitive elicitation (a photography project N=28) and extensive participant observation. Participants with at least one child under age five were drawn from: 1) women living in Port Vila and the peri-urban areas with some full-time employment, 2) women living in Port Vila and the peri-urban areas with intermittent access to the cash economy, and 3) women from rural Efate who have little access to commercial food and lack the economic opportunities of families living in Port Vila. Concepts of ?malnutrition,? ?food security,? ?good? foods, and ?feasting? are problematized. As health care practitioners and caregivers define malnutrition and food security in cultural context, results exemplify how children?s foodways have become a negotiation between nutrition and customary practice. Results illustrate that customary feasts in modern times and urban places create new patterns of resource distribution, gifting, and appropriate feast foods, and as a consequence increase food security for children. The research has significance in two primary domains: 1) it contributes theoretically to medical anthropology by linking the two previously disparate concepts of feasting and food security, and 2) it has practical applications for the problem of hunger in urban areas by revealing the importance of community networks and kastom practice on coping mechanisms for food insecurity. KW - Food Security; Feasting; Nutritional Syndemics; Visual-Cognitive Elicitation; Pacific Islands TI - Feasting and Food Security: Negotiating Infant and Child Feeding in Urban and Peri-Urban Vanuatu EP - 420 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23738 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23738/ A1 - Oldfield, Lauren Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Temperate bacteriophages can grow lytically, producing progeny phage and lysing the host, or lysogenically, integrating into the chromosome and shutting off the expression of lytic genes. The decision is controlled by a genetic switch, which senses host intracellular conditions and chooses a program of gene expression to employ. The genetic switch of mycobacteriophage BPs requires integration to produce stable repressor protein and maintain lysogeny. The regulation of this switch is controlled at the protein level, not at transcription initiation. Both integrase and repressor are tagged for proteolytic degradation and their concentrations are sensitive to host protease levels. The concentration of integrase determines the fate of BPs. The overall result of the genetic switch is determining the program of transcription. In lytic growth, genes are temporally expressed to replicate the phage genome, assemble progeny phage and lyse the host. In lysogenic growth, transcription is silenced in the phage and the repressor protein maintains repression of lytic phage genes and prevents superinfecting phage from growing lytically as well. We sought to understand the genetic switch of mycobacteriophage BPs and the transcriptional profile of gene expression. Transcription in mycobacteriophage BPs is temporally regulated and the mapping of promoter and terminator signals demonstrate additional methods of regulation in the expression and timing of transcription in mycobacteriophage BPs. KW - BPs KW - mycobacteriophage KW - transcriptome KW - promoter KW - genetic switch TI - Gene expression in mycobacteriophage BPs EP - 221 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23457 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23457/ A1 - Ochoa, Pablo/PO Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - In my thesis, we derive a two dimensional energy model for deformations of unloaded elastic films as a result of the application of Gamma-convergence to appropriate three dimensional models. The limiting model obtained in this way constitutes a Von Karman type growth functional, attaining its minima at deformations v in W^{2, 2} satisfying a Monge-Ampere constraint of the form det nabla^{2}v = f, for some appropriate f. The main advantage of Gamma-convergence is that it connects 2d theories with 3d nonlinear theory in the sense that minimizers of the 3d energy functionals converge to minimizers of 2d energy functionals. Secondly, we study the variational behavior of discrete lattice energies associated with a pre-strained elastic body, as a mathematical justification of the theoretical non-Euclidean energy model employed in this theses. Via Gamma-convergence, we obtain asymptotic bounds on the Gamma-limiting energy and, in the context of near and next-to-near interactions, we identify exactly the integral form of the limiting energy, comparing it to the theoretical model. KW - non-Euclidean plates; nonlinear elasticity; Gamma convergence; calculus of variations; isometric immersions; Monge-Ampere equation TI - Geometrical problems in the mathematical study of prestrained materials EP - 147 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23758 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23758/ A1 - Qi, Wenjing Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Variable selection is fundamental to high dimensional statistical modeling. In this study, penalized likelihood methods are examined to simultaneously estimate parameters and select variables for generalized linear models. We focus on the variable selection and parameter estimation properties rather than the prediction properties of the estimators and are more interested in situations where the number of parameters diverges with the sample size. We prove the parameter estimation consistency of several widely used penalized likelihood estimators for generalized linear models. We define the relaxed sense and prove that it loosens the regularity and sparsity conditions of the parameter estimation and variable selection consistency. We propose a bootstrap method that can greatly improve the variable selection performances and reduce false discovery rates. We conduct simulation studies to compare the variable selection and parameter estimation properties of these penalized likelihood estimators for logistic models. We then illustrate our methods on gene expression data. KW - Variable selection KW - High dimensionality KW - Penalized methods KW - Generalized linear models KW - Bootstrap method. TI - HIGH DIMENSIONAL VARIABLE SELECTION VIA PENALIZED LIKELIHOOD FOR GENERALIZED LINEAR MODELS EP - 77 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22509 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22509/ A1 - Xiong, Wenting Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - User-generated online reviews are an important information resource in people's everyday life. As the review volume grows explosively, the ability to automatically identify and summarize useful information from reviews becomes essential in providing analytic services in many review-based applications. While prior work on review summarization focused on different review perspectives (e.g. topics, opinions, sentiment, etc.), the helpfulness of reviews is an important informativeness indicator that has been less frequently explored. In this thesis, we investigate automatic review helpfulness prediction and exploit review helpfulness for review summarization in distinct review domains. We explore two paths for predicting review helpfulness in a general setting: one is by tailoring existing helpfulness prediction techniques to a new review domain; the other is by using a general representation of review content that reflects review helpfulness across domains. For the first one, we explore educational peer reviews and show how peer-review domain knowledge can be introduced to a helpfulness model developed for product reviews to improve prediction performance. For the second one, we characterize review language usage, content diversity and helpfulness-related topics with respect to different content sources using computational linguistic features. For review summarization, we propose to leverage user-provided helpfulness assessment during content selection in two ways: 1) using the review-level helpfulness ratings directly to filter out unhelpful reviews, 2) developing sentence-level helpfulness features via supervised topic modeling for sentence selection. As a demonstration, we implement our methods based on an extractive multi-document summarization framework and evaluate them in three user studies. Results show that our helpfulness-guided summarizers outperform the baseline in both human and automated evaluation for camera reviews and movie reviews. While for educational peer reviews, the preference for helpfulness depends on student writing performance and prior teaching experience. KW - Text mining KW - Review helpfulness assessment KW - Peer review analysis KW - Review summarization TI - Helpfulness Guided Review Summarization EP - 168 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23182 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23182/ A1 - Zwier, Karen Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - The current consensus view of causation in physics, as commonly held by scientists and philosophers, has several serious problems. It fails to provide an epistemology for the causal knowledge that it claims physics to possess; it is inapplicable in a prominent area of physics (classical thermodynamics); and it is difficult to reconcile with our everyday use of causal concepts and claims. In this dissertation, I use historical examples and philosophical arguments to show that the interventionist account of causation constitutes a promising alternative for a ?physically respectable? account of causation. The interventionist account explicates important parts of the experimental practice of physics and important aspects of the ways in which physical theory is used and applied. Moreover, the interventionist account succeeds where the consensus view of causation in physics fails. I argue that the interventionist account provides an epistemology of causal knowledge in physics that is rooted in experiment. On the interventionist view, there is a close link between experiment and the testing of causal claims. I give several examples of experiments from the early history of thermodynamics that scientists used in interventionist-type arguments. I also argue that interventionist claims made in the context of a physical theory can be epistemically justified by reference to the experimental interventions and observations that serve as evidence for the theory. I then show that the interventionist account of causation is well-suited to the patterns of reasoning that are intrinsic to thermodynamic theory. I argue that interventionist reasoning constitutes the structural foundation of thermodynamic theory, and that thermodynamic theory can provide clear answers to meaningful questions about whether or not a certain variable is a cause of another in a given context. Finally, I argue that the interventionist account offers the prospect of a unification of ?physically respectable? causation and our everyday notion of causation. I conclude the dissertation by sketching an anti-foundationalist unification of causation, according to which causal reasoning occurs in the same manner in physics as it does in other branches of life and scientific research. KW - causation; thermodynamics; intervention; experiment; physics TI - Interventionist Causation in Physical Science EP - 193 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23890 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23890/ A1 - Nioradze, Nikoloz Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - NANOGAP-ENABLED STUDY OF ELECTRODE REACTIONS BY SCANNING ELECTROCHEMICAL MICROSCOPY Nikoloz Nioradze, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2014 The nanogap quasi-steady-state voltammetry, developed in my work, presents the way to monitor and study rapid electron transfer reactions on macroscopic substrates of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). It combines the cyclic voltammetry and SECM and monitors substrate reaction as a tip current. The resulting plot of iT versus ES features the retraceable sigmoidal shape of a quasi-steady state voltammogram although a transient peak-shape voltammogram is obtained simultaneously at the macroscopic substrate. This simplifies measurement and analysis of a quasi-steady-state voltammogram and gives information about thermodynamic as well as kinetic parameters of the reaction taking place at the interface. No charging current at the amperometric tip, high and adjustable mass transport under the tip and high spatial resolution are all advantages of quasi-steady-state voltammetry. I also introduced generalized theory for nanoscale iT-ES voltammetry of substrate reactions with arbitrary reversibility and mechanism under comprehensive experimental conditions including any substrate potential and both SECM modes (feedback and substrate generation tip collection, SG/TC). I nanofabricated submicrometer size highly reliable Pt SECM tips and found the way of protection of these tiny electrodes from the damage caused either by electrostatic discharge or electrochemical etching. Subsequent application of quasi-steady-state voltammetry and reliable nanofabricated SECM probes enabled sensitive detection of adsorption of organic impurities from air and ultrapure water to the HOPG surface as evidenced by redox reaction of ferrocenylmethyl)trimethyl ammonium (FcTMA+). Study revealed that hydrophobic contaminant layer slows down the access of hydrophilic aqueous redox species to the underlying HOPG surface, thereby yielding a lower standard rate constant, k0. Moreover, this barrier effects stronger to a more charged form (FcTMA2+) of a redox couple so that the electron-transfer reaction of the more hydrophilic form is slower to yield a lower k0 value. KW - Voltammetry KW - graphite KW - electrostatic discharge KW - approach curve KW - feedback mode. TI - NANOGAP-ENABLED STUDY OF ELECTRODE REACTIONS BY SCANNING ELECTROCHEMICAL MICROSCOPY EP - 154 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23180 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23180/ A1 - Walsh, Katharine Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - In early modern Europe, medical men (sometimes known as ?man-midwives?) became increasingly involved in the traditionally female-dominated sphere of childbirth. The timing and extent of this transition varied across regions and differed significantly between urban and rural areas. This dissertation questions whether this process of ?masculinization? was evident in London during the key transitional period of the seventeenth century. A significant new genre of print, the instructional midwifery treatise, appeared during this period. To date, scholars have largely neglected the seventeenth century and midwifery treatises as focal points for analysis. This study adopts both of these foci, using the evidence found in midwifery treatises to demonstrate that in London midwives maintained authority in the realm of prescribed practice throughout the seventeenth century. Though men dominated the print industry, the midwifery treatises they published endorsed midwives? authority. These treatises recognized midwives as a corporate body of practitioners capable of supervising a variety of uncomplicated and complicated births. English authors borrowed material from Continental treatises, many of which limited the midwife?s role in childbirth, but English writers revised these sources so as to highlight and endorse midwives? authority. Further, male authors sought to increase the experiential authority of their treatises by adopting (fictitious) feminine personas. This study argues that there is little evidence for the ?masculinization? of childbirth in seventeenth-century London. Instead, midwifery treatises published during this time recognized and sanctioned midwives? authority and instructed early modern readers to rely upon midwives in the practice of childbirth. KW - childbirth KW - early modern KW - England KW - midwives KW - gender TI - Parturition and Print in Seventeenth-Century London EP - 225 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23776 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23776/ A1 - Nunez, Gabriela Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - The life and production of the Peruvian writer José María Arguedas (1911-1969) show his capacity to build communication bridges among different cultural and social groups. It was likely the confluence of historical, sociological, and emotional factors that intersected Arguedas? life that gave him the capacity to communicate with different cultural groups within Peruvian society. Arguedas? capacity to build intercultural bridges is shown throughout all of his communication practices (literary and non-literary). His literary production (stories, novels, and poems) has been thoroughly studied; nevertheless, other communication practices such as his letters have not. The goal of this dissertation is to trace how Arguedas is constructing his voice through his letters and in doing so, how he is producing experimental strategies to present himself as a communication bridge so as to invite Peruvian society to be able to reach a better understanding. This dissertation is divided in two parts. The first part focuses on how Arguedas constructs an image of himself through his letters. The second part of the dissertation focuses on the analysis of how Arguedas describes his world. Affective language present in his letters is a key element to interweave the different sections, while attempting to find the different communicational strategies that allowed Arguedas to construct his voice. By so constructing his persona, he reveals his communication strategy of presenting himself as a pliable verbal platform between cultures of the Peruvian Andes and the Westernized coast. Nowadays this exceptional bridging capacity is better understood than ever before because he foretold what was going to happen in the future. KW - Jose Maria Arguedas KW - letters KW - intercultural communication KW - Peruvian society KW - epistolary genre. TI - Reading Jose Maria Arguedas' letters. Building communication bridges in mid-twentieth century Peruvian society. EP - 267 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23803 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23803/ A1 - Meyers, Joseph Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Nonperturbative techniques in quantum field theory, such as lattice gauge theory, Schwinger- Dyson equations, and applications of the renormalization group, have been successful in describing both the propagator functions and bound states of various theories, most notably those of quarks and hadrons in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). The Schwinger-Dyson theoretical framework is presented from basic principles and developed, through examples in a variety of quantum field theories, as a general numerical approach which can yield valuable insight into quantum phenomenology. Explorations include the studies which I have performed to extend bound state theory to the gauge sector of QCD, including the influence of both gluon and ghost fields. This allows for the description of gluon bound states (?glueballs?), which are theoretically viable explanations for previously unidentified resonances in experimental particle searches, and is treated for the first time using the Bethe-Salpeter formalism. This description is sufficiently robust to explore the spectrum of glueballs and provide commentary on the potential for investigation of valence gluon content in meson bound states. Additionally, the first investigation of the full two-loop gluon gap equation is presented and discussed, along with general commentary on the current state of nonperturbative QCD. This computation yields the dressed propagators for quarks, gluons, and ghosts from the coupled set of equations. KW - Theoretical physics KW - particle physics KW - quantum physics TI - The Schwinger-Dyson Equations and Gluon Bound States of QCD EP - 166 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22858 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22858/ A1 - Wier, Adam D. Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Originally discovered in a search for RNA polymerase II-associated factors, the Paf1 complex (Paf1C) is best characterized for its roles in regulating transcription elongation. The complex co-localizes with RNA polymerase II from the promoter to the 3? end of genes and has been linked to a growing list of transcription-related processes including: elongation through chromatin, histone modifications, and recruitment of factors important in transcript maturation. The complex is conserved throughout eukaryotes and is comprised of the proteins Paf1, Ctr9, Cdc73, Rtf1, and Leo1. The domain structures of Paf1C subunits are largely undefined and have few clear homologs, making it difficult to postulate for or localize functions to the individual subunits. To understand mechanistically how Paf1C coordinates its functions and interactions, I took an approach utilizing biochemical, biophysical, and structural techniques to characterize proteins within Paf1C, specifically focusing on the Rtf1 subunit. The goal of my thesis work was to determine the molecular mechanism by which Rtf1 influences transcription and chromatin structure. To this end I focused on studying different functional domains within Rtf1. I provided a molecular description of how Rtf1 mediates Paf1C recruitment to elongating RNA polymerase II. Recruitment of Rtf1 is controlled by its centrally located Plus3 domain and a direct interaction with the conserved elongation factor Spt5. I solved the co-crystal structure of the human Plus3 domain bound to a phosphorylated C-terminal repeat of Spt5. The structure revealed the basis for recognition of the repeat motif of Spt5, an important component in the recruitment of regulatory factors to RNA polymerase II. I have performed further structural characterization of Rtf1, studying the N-terminal histone modification domain. To gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the domain?s function, I successfully crystallized and solved the structure of a minimal region of Rtf1 that is necessary and sufficient for Rtf1-mediated histone modifications. The structure, paired with conservation analysis and genetic phenotype data, have allowed us to identify important surfaces on Rtf1 that function in regulating chromatin structure. Taken together these studies shed new light onto the mechanism by which Paf1C influences the complex network of regulatory interactions required for eukaryotic transcription. KW - X-ray crystallography KW - Paf1 complex KW - Transcription KW - RNA Polymerase II TI - Structural and functional characterization of Rtf1 and insight into its role in transcriptional regulation EP - 197 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23741 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23741/ A1 - Xing, Yin Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Non-adiabatic charge transfer (CT) is one of the simplest but very important (if not the most important) chemical reactions. As a model system, alkanedithiols are among the most popular ones for short- or medium-range CT. Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), which consist of nucleobases but with peptide backbones instead of the phosphate backbones in DNA, is another promising model system for long-range CT. Various models and computational methods have been developed to describe three major experimental configurations: electrochemical measurement with self-assembled monolayer films (SAMs), single-molecule conductance measurement and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). This dissertation have employed above experimental techniques and computational methods to study the two model systems. The first work focuses on electrochemical models. Single-step models are widely used for analyzing CT through SAMs. However, long-range CT can occur in a ?hopping? regime that involves multiple events. This study describes a three-step kinetic scheme to model CT in this regime. It is corroborated by the experimental results of a 10-mer peptide nucleic acid SAM. The second study compares single molecule conductances of alkanedithiols and alkoxydithiols. Both molecular junction measurements and theoretical simulations by non-equilibrium Green?s function (NEGF) method show that the conductance is lower for alkoxydithiols and the difference is length dependent. A pathway analysis of the electronic coupling is used to explain the results. The last two studies address the importance of conformational distributions on charge transfer in PNAs: The third study compares the electrochemical charge transfer rates of normal aeg-PNA and ?-PNA which has a less flexible backbone. Molecular dynamics and NEGF calculations show that the greater flexibility of the aeg-PNA gives rise to a more frequent appearance of high-CT rate conformations. In the last study a new PNA scaffold with a [Ru(Bpy)3]2+ donor and a bis(8-hydroxyquinolinate)2 copper acceptor for PET is described. Experiments show that whether the [Ru(Bpy)3]2+ is terminally or centrally situated affects PET. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the difference in conformational distributions is a possible explanation. The findings in these studies provide a deeper understanding of CT in molecules, and may facilitate the development of non-adiabatic dynamics in a bigger picture. KW - non-adiabatic KW - electron transfer KW - charge transfer KW - hole hopping KW - peptide nucleic acids TI - Theoretical and Experimental Explorations of Charge Transfer in Small Molecules and Peptide Nucleic Acids EP - 243 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23767 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23767/ A1 - Wuenschell, Jeffrey K. Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Spatially indirect excitons are optically generated composite bosons with a radiative lifetime sufficient to reach thermal equilibrium. This work explores the physics of indirect excitons in coupled quantum wells in the GaAs/AlGaAs system, specifically in the low-temperature, high-density regime. Particular attention is paid to a technique whereby a spatially inhomogeneous strain field is used as a trapping potential. In the process of modeling the trapping profile in wide quantum wells, dramatic effects due to intersubband coupling were observed at high strain. Experimentally, this regime coincides with the abrupt appearance of a dark population of indirect excitons at trap center, an effect originally suspected to be related to Bose-Einstein condensation. Here, the role of band mixing due to the strain-induced distortion of the crystal symmetry will be explored in detail in the context of this effect. Experimental studies presented here and in the literature suggest that Bose-Einstein condensation in indirect exciton systems may be difficult to detect with optical means (e.g., coherence measurements, momentum-space narrowing), possibly due to the strong dipole interaction between indirect excitons. Due to similarities between this system and liquid helium, it may be more fruitful to look for transport-related signatures of condensation, such as superfluidity. Here, a method for performing transport measurements on optically generated indirect excitons is also outlined and preliminary results are presented. KW - semiconductor KW - quantum wells KW - excitons KW - BEC KW - stress KW - photoluminescence KW - transport TI - Trapping and Transport of Indirect Excitons in Coupled Quantum Wells EP - 209 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23798 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23798/ A1 - Wigginton, Rebecca Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Twilight States: Sleepwalking, Liminal Consciousness, and Sensational Selfhood in Victorian Literature and Culture argues that sleepwalking was everywhere in nineteenth-century culture, both as a topic for scientific, legal, and public debate, but also as a potent symbol in the Victorian imagination that informed literature and art. Furthermore, the nineteenth-century interest in the somnambulist was provoked by what the figure represented and revealed to the Victorians: namely, themselves. The sleepwalker represented the hidden potential within the self for either greatness or deviance, or, more mundanely, simply a fuller existence than consciousness has an awareness of. Sleepwalking writ large the multi-layered self at a time when the self?by psychiatry and society at large?was being accepted as increasingly multivalent. The sleepwalker was a visible and often sensational embodiment of the multilayered consciousness that became the accepted model of the mind over the course of the nineteenth century, visibly demonstrating what doctors and philosophers suggested that the mind could do. By connecting literary representations of sleepwalkers in the works of Wilkie Collins, Thomas Hardy, Bram Stoker, and Sheridan Le Fanu to both nineteenth-century medical discourses of somnambulism and popular press?s accounts and illustrations of altered states, we see that the discourses surrounding the figure of the somnambulist indicate that it was a cultural receptacle for fears associated with the changing scientific and political landscape, but also a locus for hopes about human potential and innate goodness: an ambivalence possible because of the sleepwalker?s liminality. KW - Sleepwalking Somnambulism Psychology Victorian Fiction TI - Twilight States: Sleepwalking, Liminal Consciousness, and Sensational Selfhood in Victorian Literature and Culture EP - 240 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23728 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23728/ A1 - Miller, Portia Y1 - 2015/01/14/ N2 - Economic disparities in academic and behavioral functioning are well documented in the U.S. Compared to more advantaged peers, low-income children begin kindergarten with fewer of the competencies that undergird school success. These disparities persist or grow as children age and ultimately relate to low educational attainment, worse psychological functioning, and intergenerational transmission of poverty in adulthood. In addressing income gaps in development, we must consider the changing geography of poverty. The last several decades have seen increases in the number of low-income families residing in suburbs and small towns, while poverty rates in urban centers and rural communities have remained high. Currently, low- income children are dispersed across communities spanning the urban-rural continuum. Urban, suburban, and rural areas represent unique contexts for development, which may alter relations between income and academic and behavioral functioning. In a series of studies using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998- 1999 (N?16,000) and data from the Early Steps Multisite Study of 731 low-income families with children, this dissertation explores (1) whether links between family income and achievement and behavior problems at kindergarten entry differ by urbanicity; (2) whether links between income and growth/decline in achievement and behavior problems across elementary school differ by urbanicity; and (3) the processes that explain why economic disadvantage is differentially related to development across urbanicity. Results show that income gaps in kindergarten achievement are attenuated in rural areas and exacerbated in urban cities. Conversely, economic disparities in externalizing problems at kindergarten are largest in rural areas and small cities and relatively small in large urban cities and suburbs. Looking from kindergarten through fifth grade, income is more strongly linked to achievement growth and is more predictive of decreased risk of elevated behavior problems in rural areas and small cities compared to large cities and suburbs. Finally, within a sample of disadvantaged 5-year-olds, findings suggest that low-income rural children have better academic skills and fewer behavior problems than peers in urban areas, and this is partially explained by comparatively lower levels of pollution and neighborhood danger experienced by low-income rural children and families. KW - Economic disparities KW - urbanicity KW - achievement KW - behavior problems TI - Urbanicity, Income, and Academic and Behavioral Functioning Across Childhood: Longitudinal Associations and Mediating Mechanisms EP - 148 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23434 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23434/ A1 - Johnson, James Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - In the past ten years or more, social complexity has taken center stage as the focus of archaeologists working on the Eurasian steppe. The Middle Bronze Age Sintashta period, ca. 2100 - 1700 BC, is often assumed to represent the apex of social complexity for the Bronze Age in the southern Urals region. This assumption has been based on the appearance of twenty-two fortified settlements, chariot burials, and intensified metal production. Some of these studies have incorporated the emergence and subsequent development of mobile pastoralism as their primary foci, while others have concerned themselves primarily with early forms of metal production and their association with seemingly nascent social hierarchies. Such variables are useful indicators of more complex forms of social organization usually accompanied by strong degrees of demographic centralization and social differentiation. This dissertation explores the relationship between demographic centralization and the balance between social differentiation and integration based on the data collected during archaeological survey of 142 square km around and between two Sintashta period settlements, Stepnoye and Chernorech'ye, located in the Ui River valley of the southern Urals region, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian Federation. Because of the multi-component nature of archaeological survey, materials recovered date from the Mesolithic to the twentieth century. However, the focus was on Bronze Age materials to better identify and evaluate changes between demographic centralization and social differentiation. Center-hinterland dynamics and the use of historical capital (materials, practices, and places re-used in identifiable ways) were evaluated from the Middle Bronze Age Sintashta period through to the end of the Final Bronze Age. Based on the results of the Sintashta Collaborative Archaeological Research Project (SCARP) project, the ongoing work of Russian scholars, and the results of this dissertation, there is considerable evidence that it was in the Late Bronze Age that social complexity may have become more pronounced, even as the demographically centralized Sintashta period communities dispersed. The results of the landscape and materials analyses indicate strong possibilities for land-use and craft traditions carried through to the end of the Final Bronze Age, with such traditions acting as historical capital for later communities. KW - Eurasian steppe KW - Bronze Age KW - Pastoralism KW - Complexity KW - Centralization KW - Differentiation KW - Historical Capital TI - COMMUNITY MATTERS? INVESTIGATING SOCIAL COMPLEXITY THROUGH CENTRALIZATION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN BRONZE AGE PASTORAL SOCIETIES OF THE SOUTHERN URALS, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, 2100 ? 900 BC EP - 212 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23927 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23927/ A1 - Gupta, Tushar Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Polyomaviruses have contributed tremendously towards our understanding of molecular biology of the cell and especially in discovering cellular factors and pathways involved in cancer formation and progression. Polyomavirus encoded oncoproteins manipulate specific cellular molecular pathways to create cellular environment conducive for viral replication and persistence. In a non-productive infection, the alteration of such cellular pathways by polyomaviral oncoproteins leads to activation of certain "cancer hallmarks" and results into cell transformation. In one part of this study, I used polyomaviral oncoproteins as a molecular tool to understand and decode cellular pathways involved in cell transformation. In one part of this study, I used a well characterized oncoprotein of polyomavirus Simian Virus 40 (SV40), called the large tumor antigen (TAg), as a molecular and genetic tool to understand the role of RB/E2F pathway in oncogene mediated cell transformation. According to the current paradigm, activator E2Fs are considered essential for cell proliferation and oncogenic transformation. My results, contrary to the current paradigm, suggest that TAg activates an alternative molecular pathway to induce proliferation and transformation in the absence of activator E2Fs. In another project, I have studied oncoproteins encoded by a less studied polyomavirus, Lymphotropic Papovavirus (LPV). I have discovered previously unknown splice forms of LPV early region, and their comparative analysis with SV40 oncoproteins suggest distinct roles for the homologous proteins in cellular immortalization and transformation. Importantly, my research shows an essential role of LPV small tumor antigen (sT) in immortalization and transformation of primary murine embryonic fibroblasts. KW - Transformation KW - Polyomavirus KW - Large T antigen KW - Lymphotropic Papovavirus KW - Small T antigen TI - Cellular Transformation by Polyomavirus Oncoproteins EP - 205 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23877 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23877/ A1 - Meier, Inga Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - My dissertation examines the manner in which 9/11 has been formulated as a historical sequence of events in the United States through performance, theatre, architecture, film and photography. It has been repeatedly stated that the events of 9/11 have so completely permeated our collective consciousness as to render their narrative re-presentation, at best, ineffective, and, at worst, superfluous. Not only were the attacks pre-imagined in countless disaster films, but they were also deliberately orchestrated to maximize not so much the loss of human life, but, as Jean Baudrillard has argued, their symbolic effect. My dissertation argues the opposite, namely that the events themselves have been, from the beginning, relegated to the realm of the symbolic and that what we refer to as ?9/11? is itself a narrative construction. Furthermore, I contend that in representing 9/11, a series of liminal space(s) opened up, at the intersection between the symbolic and the real exposing radical possibilities for the configuration of identity, nation and history. My project is to pry open these liminal spaces, to examine how 9/11 plays, film adaptations, select documentaries, and performances (construed broadly) engage the narrative of 9/11 outside of its conceptual framework. I ask: how might these works be understood as productive ?holes in the discourse? (to draw on Julia Kristeva?s formulation of the True-Real) of 9/11? How do these works interrogate and challenge the terms and binaries which define positionality in the wake of 9/11 and how do they redistribute cultural capital? KW - Theatre KW - Film Studies KW - American History TI - Deconstructing "The Abyss of the Future:" Theatre, Performance, and Holes in the Discourse of 9/11 EP - 278 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22757 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22757/ A1 - Kocsis, Laura/S Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Functionalized naphthalenes are valuable building blocks in many areas of chemistry, such as natural products, drugs, and fluorescent dyes, but advances in new synthetic methods to generate naphthalenes have been limited. We have developed a microwave-assisted, intramolecular dehydrogenative dehydro-Diels?Alder (DDDA) reaction of styrenyl derivatives which affords cyclopenta[b]naphthalene products that cannot be accessed using existing synthetic strategies. The DDDA reaction can be performed in as little as 30 minutes to provide diverse naphthalene compounds exclusively and in high yields; only in examples involving heteroatom substitution of the styrene-yne tether were mixtures of naphthalene and dihydronaphthalene products obtained. In order to better understand and control the selectivity of DDDA reactions resulting in product mixtures, the mechanisms of formation for the naphthalene and dihydronaphthalene substrates were investigated. Isotopic labeling experiments and gas detection studies revealed that these two products were generated via diverging mechanisms of a common intermediate, where dihydronaphthalene substrates were produced via a radical pathway, while naphthalene compounds were yielded by unimolecular elimination of hydrogen gas. As an additional outcome of these mechanistic studies, reaction conditions were established for the selective production of either naphthalene or dihydronaphthalene products in high yields. The synthetic utility of the DDDA reaction was demonstrated by its application to the synthesis of eight aryldihydronaphthalene and arylnaphthalene lignan natural products, including taiwanin C and justicidin B. Computational methods for chemical shift assignment were developed, which showed good correlation with experimental spectra and allowed for regioisomeric lignans to be distinguished. The synthetic utility of DDDA reaction was also realized by a single-step conversion of halogenated cyclopenta[b]naphthalene substrates to solvatochromic fluorophores. These fluorescent dyes displayed red-shifted spectral properties compared to PRODAN, a commonly used and structurally related fluorescent biological probe, making them potentially valuable for study in biological systems. Moreover, structure-photophysical property relationships (SPPR) of cyclopenta[b]naphthalene dyes were determined by utilizing the DDDA reaction to introduce systematic variations in fluorophore structure, such as changes in donor position, which significantly altered the dyes? photophysical properties. The SPPR determined will allow for the future rational design and tuning of fluorophore structure and photophysical properties to address specific needs in biological applications. KW - Chemistry KW - organic KW - Ph.D. TI - A Dehydrogenative Dehydro-Diels-Alder Reaction and its Application to Fluorescent Tools and Natural Product Synthesis EP - 413 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22596 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22596/ A1 - Haney, Conor Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Short peptide sequences typically lack well-defined structure when removed from the context of a larger protein. In order to constrain peptides into well-defined structures, nature often relies on the formation of disulfides between cysteine residues. Chemists have leveraged alternative chemoselective reactions to constrain peptides into defined folded conformations. Chemoselective cyclization strategies typically require extensive synthetic manipulation or the use of conditions which are incompatible with biological systems. This work encompasses the development of alternative peptide cyclization strategies that can be utilized under conditions compatible with biological systems. The strategies we have focused on offer the possibility of implementing cross-linking in a dynamic and reversible manner in aqueous solutions. We have chosen to take advantage of the bioorthogonal and reversible nature of Schiff base formation in the development of bioorthogonal and dynamic side chain cross-linking. We have demonstrated that an oxime formed by a cyclization reaction between aminooxy- and aldehyde-functionalized side chains in peptide sequences proceeds rapidly and in high yield. These cross-links have been shown to affect peptide folding and are capable of dynamic covalent exchange. Oxime cross-links have been shown to stabilize a model protein-protein interaction, with a dependence upon the sequence context and structure of the cross-link formed. Analysis of a high-resolution structure of the cross-linked oligomer demonstrates that the oxime side chain cross-link is well accommodated into an ?-helical fold. We have also demonstrated that the product distribution of a cross-linking reaction in which multiple cross-linked regioisomers can be generated is dependent upon the folded state of the peptide at the time of cross-link formation. An alternative strategy which employs the use of an intermolecular cyclization between a bifunctionalized peptide and dialdehyde functionalized small molecules has also been explored. The intermolecular cyclization strategy has been shown to affect peptide folded structure and be capable of dynamic covalent exchange. Intermolecular cyclization offers a generally applicable and convergent manner to synthesize multiple cross-linked species in a combinatorial manner. This strategy has then been employed to template formation of different cross-linked structures based on the presence of an expressed protein receptor. KW - peptides; protein folding; protein?protein interactions; schiff bases; side-chain staples; cross-linking TI - Development of Dynamic, Bioorthogonal Peptide Cross-Linking Methods EP - 231 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23756 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23756/ A1 - Gittinger, George Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - This study provides an account of how a rhetoric of bioterrorism developed and investigates its consequences. Currently, two competing ways of talking about bioterror, the skeptical and the paranoid, have been obscured because biosecurity researchers infrequently consider how particular historical and imagined events come to be defined as examples of bioterrorism. These rhetorical styles and their associated attitudes responded to a recurring problem in the history of biothreats ? that there is rarely enough evidence to give clear accounts of the presence and origin of particular threats. As a result, conjectures become part of a unified history of bioterror, washing out the actual complexity of describing these rare events. The ease with which events of the late twentieth century are reimagined in the terms of the twenty-first century war on terror as well as the propensity for furious legislative and media response to the threat of bioterror allows real and imagined bioterror to capture a special place in the popular imagination. Bioterror taps into a problematic narrative that has structured the United States? relationship with biological weapons since the 1960?s. To make visible these competing attitudes, this dissertation considers how acts of defining operate as rhetorical processes and how this process became exploitable in the specific case of biological terrorism. To that end, three major cases are considered: (1) President Richard Nixon intervened in a public, political debate about the dangers of biological weapons testing though an act of redefinition by which he renamed the US bioweapon program from "weapons development" to "defensive research" and successfully shifted from a rhetoric of offense to a rhetoric of defense with lasting consequences; (2) Biodefense experts in the 1990's redefined a nationally obscure salmonella outbreak in the 1980?s as the first bioterror attack on American soil; (3) Following the 2001 anthrax mailings, the FBI defined a government scientist as an object of suspicion, Othering him to the point of suicide. KW - Bioterrorism KW - Public Health KW - Rhetoric of Science KW - Risk KW - Definition KW - Paranoid Style TI - The Drama of Bioterror: Paranoia and the Rhetoric of Defense EP - 297 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23619 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23619/ A1 - Meindl, George Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Edaphic factors are a strong selective force in shaping both plant species distributions and the diversification of many lineages. Specifically, adaptation to novel soil environments can result in species-level changes in floral morphology, phenology, or chemistry, each of which may affect plant reproduction. However, whether floral chemical changes alter plant reproduction following colonization of novel soils is poorly described. In this work, I investigate the effects of soil chemistry on plant chemistry, plant-animal interactions, and pollen-pistil interactions using serpentine-adapted plant species to help determine the effects of the soil chemical environment on plant reproduction and reproductive isolation. I show that (1) plants accumulate soil metals into vegetative and reproductive organs, as well as into pollen and nectar, (2) floral metal accumulation deters generalist pollinators and filters natural pollinator communities, and (3) floral metal accumulation alters pollen grain germination. These findings have important implications for plant reproduction on metal-rich soils. For example, my research has identified two novel mechanisms through which serpentine soil chemistry may foster reproductive isolation between species or populations growing in disparate soil environments. First, floral metal accumulation may result in pollinator filtering. Specifically, closely related plant species occurring in sympatry that differ in floral metal accumulation may become reproductively isolated through reduced pollinator sharing. Second, floral metal accumulation may provide a mechanism through which gene flow is reduced between serpentine and non-serpentine populations by altering pollen germination and pollen-pistil compatibility. I found that elevated metal concentrations in the pistils of maternal plants limits pollen tube growth towards ovules in non-adapted species. Furthermore, my results suggest that using metal hyperaccumulating plants in phytoremediation should be considered with caution. While I found that generalist pollinators exhibited decreased visitation to Ni-enriched flowers, they still visited these flowers, and therefore likely ingested a potentially toxic resource. If bioaccumulation of heavy metals occurs in plant-pollinator systems near metal-contaminated soils, pollinator populations may become threatened. This study highlights the influence of the soil environment on plant ecological interactions and plant evolution, and elucidates the role of the edaphic factor on plant reproduction. KW - serpentine soil KW - heavy metals KW - metal hyperaccumulation KW - plant-pollinator interactions KW - pollen-pistil interactions TI - ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY CONSEQUENCES OF PLANT GROWTH ON SERPENTINE SOIL: EFFECTS OF SOIL METALS ON PLANT MORPHOLOGY, METAL ACCUMULATION, PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS, AND POLLEN-PISTIL INTERACTIONS EP - 200 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23532 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23532/ A1 - Farnan, Nicholas L Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Traditionally, the declarative nature of SQL is viewed as a major strength. It allows database users to simply describe what they want to retrieve without worrying about how the answer to their question is actually computed. However, in a decentralized setting, two different approaches to evaluating the same query may reveal vastly different information about the query being asked (and, hence, about the user) to participating servers. In the case that a user's query contains sensitive or private information, this is clearly problematic. In this dissertation, we address the problem of protecting query issuer privacy. We hypothesize that by extending SQL to allow for declarative specification of constraints on the attributes of query evaluation plans and accounting for such constraints during query optimization, users can produce efficient query evaluation plans that protect the private intensional regions of their queries without explicit server-side support. Towards supporting this hypothesis, we formalize a notion of intensional query privacy that we call (I, A)-privacy, and present PASQL, a set of extensions to SQL that allows users to specify (I, A)-privacy constraints to a query optimizer. We explore tradeoffs between the expressiveness of several PASQL variants, optimization time requirements, and the optimality of plans produced. We present two algorithms for optimizing queries with attached (I, A)-privacy constraints and formally establish their time and space complexities. We prove that one is capable of producing optimal results, though at the cost of greatly increased time and space requirements. We use the other as the basis of PAQO, our implementation of an (I, A)-privacy-aware query optimizer. We present an extensive experimental evaluation of PAQO to show that is is capable of efficiently generating plans to evaluate PASQL queries, and to confirm the results of our formal complexity analysis. KW - Preference-aware Query Optimization KW - Private Query Processing TI - Efficient, Locally-Enforceable Querier Privacy for Distributed Database Systems EP - 130 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22830 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22830/ A1 - Dillon, PJ Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Tetherless care is a novel healthcare delivery paradigm that enables an interaction between caregivers and patients beyond the confines of traditional points of care. This thesis presents a synthesis of recent advances in wearable, ubiquitous sensing; mobile computing; wireless networks; and health information technology into a cohesive framework that enables and supports the tetherless care concept. Tetherless care is formally defined and modeled in a higher order logical framework. The model distills three relations between several classes in the model's domain of discourse. A prototype implementation is developed and evaluated to capture and represent the logical classes of tetherless care and provide the development infrastructure upon which the relational logic outlined by the model can be implemented. An algorithm is presented and evaluated to support the delivery of traffic between mobile devices and servers despite intermittent connectivity given the changing urgency of the patient's situation. And an example tetherless care application is presented, developed for the framework, and compared with its deployment on a similar platform. Results show that contemporary mobile devices supply sufficient power to support 24 hours of operation and that, at least, some patient environments provide sufficient opportunities for connectivity to reliably meet the demands of some tetherless care applications, ultimately leading to a conclusion of proof-of-concept for tetherless care. KW - Mobile Health Monitoring KW - Opportunistic Networking KW - Opportunistic Communication KW - Mobile Health KW - Health Monitoring KW - Context Awareness TI - Enabling Tetherless Care with Context-Awareness and Opportunistic Communication EP - 142 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22815 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22815/ A1 - Iyer, Usha Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - This dissertation undertakes a historical and theoretical analysis of constructions of gender and sexuality through popular Hindi film dance. This hybrid dance form, primarily staged by female performers until recently, has featured a syncretic mix of Indian classical and folk dance traditions as well as transnational dance forms since the early 20th century. My study of this popular cultural form explores the interactions of Hindi cinema with indigenous and foreign dance forms, constructions of the performing body and of spaces of performance, differing narratives and histories of male and female stardom, and the mechanisms for the ideological constitution of the Indian spectator-subject. Drawing on interdisciplinary work on stardom, gender analysis, and performance theories from the contemporary field of dance studies as well as ancient South Asian texts on performance, I investigate the role of dance in the construction of the stardom of four iconic dancer-actresses from the 1930s to the 1990s: Sadhona Bose, Vyjayanthimala, Waheeda Rehman, and Madhuri Dixit. This project employs a body-space-movement framework (studying the spaces of dance, the movement vocabularies used, and the resulting construction of star bodies) to engage in a broader discussion of cinematic representation, body cultures, and the construction of gender. I propose a taxonomy of song-and-dance sequences to consider the various functions of musical and dance sequences in popular Hindi cinema and examine the gendering of performance in each of these registers. Employing the body-space-movement framework, I suggest that dance often enables female dancer-actresses to author particular types of cinematic narratives. Each chapter undertakes a historical analysis of the question of respectability that has dominated discourses on dance and film acting by women, and investigates thus the links between ideology, stardom, and constructions of femininity. Through a sustained analysis of film dance, I engage with questions that have long occupied scholars of South Asian cinema: how does popular Hindi cinema generate spectatorial desire and engagement differently than other cinematic cultures, through what mechanisms does the song-and-dance sequence produce romantic, erotic, and communitarian affects, and what are the specific mobilizations of space, movement, and bodies that create the particular address of this cinema? KW - Dance KW - Film Dance KW - Film KW - Cinema KW - Motion Pictures KW - Female Stardom KW - Gender KW - Indian Cinema KW - Hindi Cinema KW - India KW - Bollywood KW - Performance TI - FILM DANCE, FEMALE STARDOM, AND THE PRODUCTION OF GENDER IN POPULAR HINDI CINEMA EP - 251 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23743 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23743/ A1 - Jiang, Nan Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Computing Ensembles occurs frequently in the simulation of complex flows to increase forecasting skill, quantify uncertainty and estimate flow sensitivity. The main issue with ensemble calculation is its high demand of computer resources vs. the limited computer resources existing. Generally computing a large ensemble is prohibitive due to the high computational cost of numerical simulation of nonlinear dynamical systems. Moreover, to compute ensembles of moderate/small size, resolution is very often sacrificed to reduce computation time. In this thesis, we study an efficient ensemble simulation algorithm that can reduce the computing cost significantly making computing a large ensemble or an ensemble of high resolution possible. The motivation for the new algorithm is that for linearly implicit methods, the linear solve is a large contributor to overall complexity and it is far cheaper in both storage and solution time to solve linear systems with the same coefficient matrix than with different coefficient matrices. We present this algorithm with different ensemble time stepping methods. These methods are carefully derived and both theoretically and numerically investigated. Computing an ensemble simultaneously allows each realization to access ensemble data and the use of means and fluctuations in numerical regularizations for each realization. We put forth two ensemble eddy viscosity regularizations that remove severe timestep condition for high Reynolds number flows. The study of the ensemble eddy viscosity regularizations also suggests reconsidering an old but not as well developed definition of the mixing length. This mixing length vanishes at solid walls without van Driest damping, increases stability and improves flow predictions in our preliminary tests. The goal of conventional turbulence models is to produce a model that accurately predicts time averaged or ensemble averaged flow statistics. In this thesis, we develop a new family of ensemble based turbulence models and study their convergence by analyzing the evolution of model variance. For these new turbulence models from the calculated ensemble (at low cost), the kinetic energy in fluctuations can be directly calculated without additional modeling, reducing the computing cost while increasing the physical fidelity of the models. KW - Navier-Stokes equations KW - ensemble calculation KW - numerical regularization KW - eddy viscosity KW - turbulence modeling TI - Fast Calculation of Flow Ensembles EP - 152 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23531 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23531/ A1 - Yu, Daihua Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Mobile health (mHealth) systems have a great potential to empower individuals with chronic disease and disabilities to engage in preventive self-care. Before persons with disabilities can harness the potential of mhealth, the accessibility of mhealth systems should be addressed. An innovative mHealth system called iMHere (Internet Mobile Health and Rehabilitation) has been developed at the University of Pittsburgh to support self-care and adherence to self-care regimens for individuals with spina bifida and other complex conditions who are vulnerable to secondary complications. However, the existing design of the iMHere system was not designed to accommodate users with dexterity impairments. The overall goal of this research is to design and transform an existing mHealth system to make it more usable and accessible for users with dexterity impairment. To achieve this goal, three studies were conducted: Evaluation, Design and Development, and Validation of personalization and accessibility design in mobile health apps. The first study (Evaluation) was aimed to identify the barriers of the original iMHere apps to accessibility, and to explore the necessary features that may improve users? experiences. The second study (Design and Development) was aimed to develop innovative designs to improve the accessibility and usability of the mHealth system. The third study (Validation) was aimed to evaluate the users? acceptance of and preferences regarding the personalized and accessible mHealth services on a smartphone. The accessible design and development model that is presented in this dissertation incorporates user-interface components related to physical presentation (widgets, visual cues) and navigation (activity flow and layout order). Personalization that provides the ability for a user to modify the appearance of content, such as the size of the icons and the color of text, are proposed as an optimal solution to address potential issues and barriers to accessibility. The importance of personalization strategies for accessibility is also discussed. KW - mobile health KW - accessibility KW - smartphone apps KW - wellness KW - self-care KW - dexterity impairments TI - AN INVESTIGATION OF USER INTERFACE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MOBILE HEALTH SYSTEM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEXTERITY IMPAIRMENTS EP - 219 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23780 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23780/ A1 - Korzeniewski, A.J. Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - As repeatedly reiterated, Aeneas? destiny is to found Rome, yet he frequently ignores said mission, choosing instead to live and act in the present. In the Aeneid, how do we reconcile human choice in a world where there is a fated plan? Vergil does not want the reader to write off human decision making or human personality as irrelevant due to some sort of divine sphere forcing a preordained fate; rather, there are different levels that the action of the Aeneid moves on: The divine (i.e., the mythological, poetic level requiring the action to unfold in accordance with the fated destiny of Rome); the human (i.e., the psychological dimension of characters themselves); and the crucial moments at which the two interact. This dissertation will study Vergil?s multiple track arrangement to demonstrate how Aeneas? actions the night Troy burns reveal that his personality is not yet ready to accept his mission and act in accordance with the poetic level action of the poem. Had Aeneas been ready and willing to flee, Hector?s urging would have proven the ideal catalyst for doing so; instead, here we have the fated mission not in sync with human disposition. Attention will then focus upon how Aeneas, as well as to a certain degree his mother Venus, has to develop from a figure who lives and acts in the present to the point where he can work in accordance with his destined, future oriented assignment. This moment occurs upon receiving his new armor in book viii, gifts whose images Aeneas does not understand but at whose martial exploits he stands in awe, for Aeneas is a hero whose militancy and need for action stands as, if not the dominating, then at least a highly dominate aspect of his complex personality. Carrying the imagery of Rome ? a civilization whose greatness will be defined by the actions of her heroes ? on his shoulders, Aeneas enters the heat of battle satisfying his personal need to act while simultaneously completing his heavenly mission. KW - Aeneas; Vergil; Aeneid; Troy; Roman History TI - Killing Turnus: A Reading of Aeneas, Man of Action EP - 236 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB N1 - Supplemental tables will be uploaded with the final draft ID - pittir23755 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23755/ A1 - Evans, Adam Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Proteomics is the large scale study of a set of proteins from a biological species to understand protein expression, post translation modifications, and protein-protein interactions. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics allows large scale protein identification and quantitation in the same experiment. Quantitative proteomics reports abundance changes between multiple protein samples, which principally reflect a biological process or disease state. Relative quantitation can be achieved using stable isotope chemical labeling of proteins or peptides using MS or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Sample throughput is limited by the chemical tag and technique. MS-based protein quantitation employs methods which generate a mass shift in MS to compare abundance changes between two to three samples. An example of precursor quantitation is described using acetylation to study the spleen proteome of mice treated with Adriamycin. Isobaric tags, such as tandem mass tags (TMT), achieve relative quantitation of up to ten samples in MS/MS. In order to analyze additional biological samples beyond ten, multiple experiments must be performed separately, which leads to increased instrument time, higher cost, and variation due to additional preparation steps, sample handling, and MS injections. Herein, novel methods which enhance multiplexing in quantitative proteomics beyond the current limitations are presented. Enhanced multiplexing is achieved by combining precursor MS labeling with isobaric tags, which is termed ?combined precursor isotopic labeling and isobaric tagging? (cPILOT). Initially, cPILOT is used to identify and quantify 3-nitrotyrosine (3NT) containing proteins. The biological significance and proteomic techniques employed to study 3NT are reviewed. cPILOT is expanded to a global strategy by coupling low pH dimethylation with TMT. Global cPILOT was applied to study the liver proteome of an Alzheimer?s disease mouse model, which revealed alterations in metabolism. Finally, the versatility of cPILOT is demonstrated by incorporating N,N-dimethyl Leucine isobaric tags. Overall, the work presented throughout the dissertation highlights novel strategies to enhance multiplexing in quantitative proteomics which are applied to study various diseases. KW - Quantitative Proteomics KW - cPILOT KW - multiplexing KW - Alzheimer's Disease TI - Multiplexing Techniques in Quantitative Proteomics to Study Disease EP - 204 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23686 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23686/ A1 - Fan, Jieyu Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Markov and hidden Markov models (HMMs) provide a special angle to characterize trajectories using their state transition patterns. Distinct from Markov models, HMMs assume that an unobserved sequence governs the observed sequence and the Markovian property is imposed on the hidden chain rather than the observed one. In the first part of this dissertation, we develop a model for HMMs with exponential family distribution and extend it to incorporate covariates. We call it HMM-GLM, for which we propose a joint model selection method. The proposed selection criterion is tailored for HMM-GLM aiming at a more accurate approximation of the Kullback-Leibler divergence; we seek improvement of the widely-used Akaike information criterion. The second and the third parts of this dissertation are about clustering trajectories with HMMs and Markov mixture models. The research interests for HMM clustering are to develop a less computationally expensive and more interpretable algorithm for HMM sequence clustering problem, based on the emission and transition features of the chains. We propose an efficient clustering method using Bhattacharyya affinity to measure the pairwise similarity between sequences and apply a spectral clustering algorithm to obtain the cluster assignment. The computational efficiency benefits from the fact that our method avoids iterative computation for the affinity of a pair of sequences. Meanwhile, both simulation and empirical studies show that the proposed algorithm maintains good performance compared to other similar methods. In the third part of the dissertation, we address a study of the course of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. Measuring and making sense of the fluctuations in different moods over time is challenging. We use a Markov mixture model with different transition matrices to find homogeneous clusters and capture different longitudinal mood change patterns. We also conduct a simulation study to investigate the performance of the model when there are violations of model assumptions. The results show that this model is fairly robust in the tested situations. We find that the clusters separate out those who tend to stay in a mood state from those who fluctuate between mood states more frequently. KW - hidden Markov model KW - Markov mixture model KW - clustering KW - model selection TI - ON MARKOV AND HIDDEN MARKOV MODELS WITH APPLICATIONS TO TRAJECTORIES EP - 65 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23931 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23931/ A1 - Harmansah, Rabia Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - This dissertation examines social practices of memory-making and forgetting in Cyprus after the partition of 1974, based on analysis of Orthodox Christian and Muslim religious sites in the Greek/Southern and the Turkish/Northern parts of the island. The central contribution of the dissertation is the development of the concept of social forgetting as a corollary of social memory. I consider forgetting to include selective remembering, mis/disremembering, and omitting, distorting, or silencing past events and experiences, in order to shape collective memory. In the literature, remembering is usually privileged over forgetting, which is taken as negation, neglect, failure to remember, or unintended social amnesia in which people are considered passive actors. This study, however, shows that forgetting can be a desirable goal and positive process for some social actors, accomplished by obscuring material evidence of what another community wishes remembered. The first chapter looks at official and individual narratives regarding the ethnic conflict. The second chapter analyzes topographies of memory, specifically the treatment of religious landscapes during the ethnic conflict and afterwards, by discussing three cases of shared religious spaces. The third chapter examines temporalities of memories and collectivities, through the discussion of museumification of sacred sites that are converted to museums, and how the owners of the sites react to this process. This part also discusses the secularization of the Turkish Cypriot community and their relatively invisible conflict with the ?fraternal other,? Turkish settlers. I argue that Greek and Turkish Cypriots are haunted by memories of ethnic conflict, but their perceptions of and approaches to the past are different. Greek Cypriots, at least officially and publicly, center their identities on the trauma of partition and are waiting for the liberation of the occupied land, seeing the future through what was supposedly left behind. For Turkish Cypriots, the past life alongside Greek Cypriots is a closed chapter. Both also develop alternative narratives through which they undermine official discourses in their everyday lives and practices. Yet they mostly seem to turn their faces towards opposite directions: Turkish Cypriots long for a lost future, and Greek Cypriots long for a lost past. KW - social forgetting KW - collective memory KW - religious landscape KW - sacred sites KW - Cyprus TI - Performing Social Forgetting in a Post-Conflict Landscape: The Case of Cyprus EP - 307 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23933 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23933/ A1 - Gadgil, Soniya Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - Understanding the interaction between students? motivation and instructional factors is critical for extending current cognitively based frameworks of learning, and can have important practical applications. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to explore how students? implicit theories of intelligence interact with different types of learning activities. The ICAP framework by Chi (2009) organizes learning activities into passive, active, constructive, and interactive activities representing an increasing order of effectiveness. In Experiment 1, participants? theories of intelligence were manipulated to be either entity or incremental, and the learning activity ? inventing a formula to calculate variability, was manipulated to be constructive (inventing individually) or interactive (inventing collaboratively). It was predicted that individuals would learn procedurally simple aspects of the task better than collaborators regardless of their theory of intelligence, consistent with theories of collaboration and cognitive load. In contrast, while all collaborators were predicted to learn more conceptual knowledge than individuals, students with incremental theories were predicted to benefit more from collaboration than those with entity theories. Results showed that while individuals learned more than collaborators on procedural problems, the predicted interaction between collaboration and theories of intelligence on conceptual problems was not supported. Experiment 2 tested whether different types of constructive activities interacted with students? theories of intelligence to affect learning outcomes. In this experiment, students? theory of intelligence was manipulated to be either incremental or entity, and the type of constructive activity was manipulated to be either tell-and-practice instruction or invention. Two competing interaction hypotheses were proposed. Hypothesis one was that if invention activities led to more constructive processing, entity theorists would learn more from invention than from tell-and-practice instruction, but incremental theorists would learn equally well from either type of instruction. Hypothesis two was that if invention activities cause off-task behavior and impose excessive cognitive load, then tell-and-practice instruction would lead to better learning for entity theorists, however, both types of instruction would be equally effective for incremental theorists. Bayesian model selection provided some support for hypothesis one. Results of the two experiments are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical significance. KW - cognition KW - motivation KW - instruction KW - theories of intelligence KW - collaborative learning TI - UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN STUDENTS? THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES EP - 175 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23484 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23484/ A1 - DeVore, Seth Y1 - 2015/01/13/ N2 - In this thesis, I discuss the development and evaluation of tutorials ranging from introductory to graduate level. Tutorials were developed based upon research on student difficulties in learning relevant concepts and findings of cognitive research. Tutorials are a valuable resource when used either in-class or as a self-study tool. They strive to help students develop a robust knowledge structure of relevant topics and improve their problem solving skills. I discuss the development of a tutorial on the Lock-in amplifier (LIA) for use as both an on-ramp to ease the transition of students entering into the research lab and to improve student understanding of the operation of the LIA for those already making use of this device. The effectiveness of this tutorial was evaluated using think aloud interviews with graduate students possessing a wide range of experience with the LIA and the findings were uniformly positive. I also describe the development and evaluation of a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) that focuses on quantum key distribution using two protocols for secure key distribution. One protocol used in the first part of the QuILT is administered to students working collaboratively in class while the second protocol used in the second part of the QuILT was administered as homework. Evaluation of student understanding of the two protocols used in this QuILT shows that it was effective at improving student understanding both immediately after working on the QuILT and two months later. Finally, I discuss the development and evaluation of four web-based tutorials focusing on quantitative problem solving intended to aid introductory students in the learning of effective problem-solving heuristics while helping them learn physics concepts. Findings suggest that while these tutorials are effective when administered in one-on-one think-aloud interviews, this effectiveness is greatly diminished when students are asked to use the tutorials as a self-study tool with no supervision. In addition, the development and evaluation of four sets of scaffolded prequizzes for introductory physics on the same topics as the tutorials is discussed. These prequizzes are designed to mimic the structure of the web-based tutorials and can be implemented in the classroom. KW - tutorial KW - think-aloud protocol KW - physics education research TI - USING THE TUTORIAL APPROACH TO IMPROVE PHYSICS LEARNING FROM INTRODUCTORY TO GRADUATE LEVEL EP - 213 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23945 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23945/ A1 - Lim , Crystal Y1 - 2015/01/12/ N2 - Kidney transplantation is the preferred method of treatment to dialysis for end stage renal disease (ESRD) because of its many proven benefits over dialysis treatment. Patients interested in kidney transplantation must undergo a kidney transplant (KT) evaluation to determine their medical and psychosocial eligibility. A timely completion of the KT evaluation is critical for prompt listing for or the receipt of a KT. However, ESRD patients suffer from significant illness burden that interferes in their participation of life activities, which can affect their completion of KT evaluations. At the same time, the presence of social support is known to abate symptom burden and the perception of illness burden. This implies that social support has the potential to facilitate completions of KT evaluations by moderating illness burden. This novel study is the first to examine how social support buffers illness burden in affecting KT evaluation completion. This quantitative study involves 1,130 study participants recruited from the Starzl Transplant Institute of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The goals of this study are 1) to understand how demographic factors (age, gender, race and income), illness burden and social support independently affects time taken to complete KT evaluation, and 2) to assess how these factors interact in influencing time to complete KT evaluation. The hypothesis that social support buffers illness burden in the completion of KT evaluation was not supported. Instead social support demonstrated main effects on the completion of KT evaluation: higher level of perceived social support was associated with a higher rate of KT evaluation completion. Older age, lower income, African American race and greater illness comorbidity were associated with lower KT evaluation completion rates. Limitations of the study include: a single-center study with non-random patient participation, a limited examination of social network based on network size, and the violation of proportionality of hazard assumption in the Cox regression analysis. KW - illness burden KW - social support KW - social network KW - transplant evaluation KW - kidney transplant TI - The Influence of Illness Burden and Social Support on the Completion of Kidney Transplant Evaluation EP - 131 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23668 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23668/ A1 - Coblentz, Jessica Y1 - 2015/01/12/ N2 - The transient receptor potential mucolipin 1 (TRPML1) is a lysosomal ion channel permeable to cations, including Fe2+. Mutations in MCOLN1, the gene coding for TRPML1, cause the lysosomal storage disease (LSD) Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV). Recent evidence from our lab suggests that the lysosome functions as a cytoprotective organelle that works to sequester cytotoxic material to prevent cellular damage to other organelles. However, the role of TRPML1 in the cell is disputed and the mechanisms of cell deterioration in MLIV are unclear. The recent demonstration of Fe2+ buildup in MLIV cells raised the possibility that TRPML1 dissipates lysosomal Fe2+ and prevents its accumulation. In order to determine the function of TRPML1 and identify the molecular mechanisms leading to MLIV pathogenesis, I have analyzed the involvement of TRPML1 in the cytoprotective function of the lysosome. Since Fe2+ catalyzes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), I set out to test whether or not the loss of TRPML1 promotes ROS production by Fe2+ trapped in lysosomes. My data shows that TRPML1-deficient retinal-pigmented epithelial (RPE1) cells develop elevated levels of oxidative stress that promote lipid peroxidation, activation of mitochondrial fission factors, mitochondrial fragmentation, mitochondrial depolarization, and decreased mitochondrial metabolism. These deleterious effects of TRPML1 deficiency were aggravated by Fe2+ exposure, but were reversed by incubation with the antioxidant ?-tocopherol. As this data suggests, TRPML1 redistributes Fe2+ between the lysosomes and the cytoplasm. This work has led to a better understanding of TRPML1?s role in cellular cytoprotection and in lysosomal transition metal homeostasis with regards to Fe2+. As the oxidative burden in TRPML1-deficient RPE1 cell has been recapitulated in MLIV patient fibroblasts and the MLIV mouse model, this data has also provided new developments into the molecular mechanisms of MLIV pathogenesis. Beyond suggesting a new model for MLIV pathogenesis and identifying novel therapeutic treatments for MLIV, this data shows that TRPML1?s role in the cell extends outside of lysosomes. KW - Lysosome KW - Mitochondria KW - Iron KW - TRPML1 KW - Mucolipin-1 KW - Mucolipidosis Type IV KW - GDAP1 KW - Reactive Oxygen Species KW - HMOX1 TI - LOSS OF TRPML1 ALTERS CELLULAR FUNCTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE LYSOSOME: DISSECTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYSOSOMAL AND MITOCHONDRIAL HEALTH IN MLIV EP - 158 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22792 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22792/ A1 - Creasap, Kimberly Y1 - 2015/01/12/ N2 - This study examines social movement scenes?dynamic constellations of people and places?created by Swedish autonomous movements. Social movement scenes shape action, interpersonal dynamics among activists, and how activists see possibilities for social change. Autonomous movements reject representative democracy as a form of authority and, by extension, reject state institutions. This represents a radical departure from strict norms that characterize political and public life in Sweden in which political participation generally takes the form of party membership and/or activity with trade unions with strong ties to the state. Through ethnographic observation, in-depth interviews and analysis of artifacts such as newspapers, zines, flyers, and manifestos, I examine how and why Swedish autonomous social movements use ?the Right to the City? as an organizing principle to create scenes as alternative forms of urban life in Stockholm, Göteborg, and Malmö. I find that gentrification and urban development shape the possibilities for social movement scenes in each city. At the same time, autonomous movements try to create scenes that will change the political, cultural and spatial landscapes of city neighborhoods. I conclude that staking territorial claims allows activists to shape the future of everyday life in urban neighborhoods. KW - Scandinavia KW - Sweden KW - social movements KW - urbanization KW - space and place KW - squatting KW - protest KW - labor history KW - gentrification KW - political culture KW - community KW - social centers KW - autonomy TI - Sweden Ends Here?: Social Movement Scenes and the Right to the City EP - 277 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23713 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23713/ A1 - Cui, Yubo Y1 - 2015/01/12/ N2 - Described herein is the total synthesis of neopeltolide and eleven analogs with modifications to its macrolactone and side chain. Preliminary biological assays showed neopeltolide and its analogs are not general cytotoxins as demonstrated by notable cell line selectivity. The introduction of different polar groups to the macrolactone at C8 and C9 positions is tolerated to variable extent, while alternations to the side chain generally lead to significantly diminished potency with the exception of using a furan ring to replace the oxazole ring. Experimental data also indicated p53 to play an auxiliary role in the potent antiproliferative activity of these compounds. DDQ mediated oxidative C-H bond cleavage has been established as an effective and stereoselective method to prepare sulfur containing six- or five- member rings. The moieties for generating thiocarbenium ions are unsaturated sulfides including allyl sulfides and preferably vinyl sulfides, while the appended nucleophiles include enol acetates, enol carbamates and allylsilanes. Most cyclization reactions rapidly afford sulfur containing heterocycles with high stereocontrols and in good to excellent yields under very mild conditions. Also described herein is an enantioselective addition reaction that employs DDQ-mediated carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage. 2H-Chromene can undergo oxidative carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage and, in the presence of a chiral Brønsted acid, the resulting acetal intermediate is converted to a chiral ion pair that reacts with intermolecular nucleophiles to prepare enantiomerically enriched products. While the scope of this process is still very limited, we were able to conduct reactions with good enantiocontrol at reasonable catalyst loadings in non-polar aromatic solvents. KW - Nelpeltolide KW - sulfur chemistry KW - heterocycle synthesis KW - thiocarbenium KW - asymmetric allylation KW - carbon-hydrogen bond cleavage TI - Synthesis of Neopeltolide and Analogs, Sulfur-Containing Heterocycles and Enantioenriched Allylated Chromenes EP - 201 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23700 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23700/ A1 - Guttman, Jeremy Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - There are many complications in fitting complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) into the hierarchy of evidence-based medicine, which favors ?gold standard? RCTs and meta-analyses. Some argue that CAM practices that have been practiced for many years don?t need rigorous studies to verify them, or that the most rigorous scientific studies aren?t necessary as long as people get better. However, success over many years is not enough to validate a treatment. Also, pragmatic outcomes-focused arguments sidestep philosophical and scientific issues about whether the therapies ?do anything? at all beyond non-specific and placebo effects. There are a number of reasons why randomization and placebo controls may not be appropriate to accurately study CAM therapies, such as studies where a subjects? effects are dampened by the act of participating in a study, studies where a sham control is more effective than the best conventional treatment, or studies that miss important subsets. Some argue that CAM should meet the same high standards as conventional medicine. However, 1. This holds CAM to a double standard because most conventional medical practices have less-than-rigorous evidence to support them. 2. The gold standard inherent in the evidence-based medicine hierarchy is not always appropriate. 3. CAM resembles a scientific paradigm and it may not be possible for scientists in the current biomedical paradigm to understand and evaluate CAM. And 4. Even if CAM can be accommodated within the evidence-based medicine framework, the attitude and priorities of the evidence-based medicine movement are problematic. Less rigorous studies are not often considered to be acceptable types of evidence, and there are few financial incentives to study CAM treatments in a more focused manner. KW - Complementary and Alternative Medicine KW - Evidence-Based Medicine KW - Medical Evidence KW - Medical Research KW - Alternative Medicine KW - Integrative Medicine KW - Clinical Trials KW - Randomization KW - Placebo Effect KW - Placebo-Controlled Trials KW - Mind-Body Connection KW - Acupuncture KW - Sham Acupuncture KW - Traditional Chinese Medicine KW - Philosophy of Medicine KW - Thomas Kuhn KW - Paradigms KW - Comparative Effectiveness KW - PCORI KW - Pragmatic Trials KW - Randomized Controlled Trials KW - EBM KW - EBM Hierarchy TI - CAN COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE BE EVALUATED WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE? EP - 93 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23774 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23774/ A1 - Hauschild, Kathryn M. Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Infant eye tracking research has assessed the visual scanning of static and dynamic singularly presented faces. Yet, little is know about how infants visually compare paired faces. The current study characterizes the distribution of visual attention to paired faces for infants who where later diagnosed as being typically developing (TD), non-typically developing (NT), or having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study sample was comprised of infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk infants; HR) and infant siblings of typically developing children (low-risk infants; LR). Eye tracking data were collected at 11 months of age while all infants completed a visual paired comparison task. Stimuli were six face pairs, displayed for eight seconds each, created from twelve colored photographs of naturalistic female faces equivalent in facial expression. Participants were then asked to return at 24, 36, and/or 48 months of age for follow-up diagnostic assessment at which point they were categorized into the TD, NT, or ASD groups. When viewing paired faces, all three groups demonstrated a greater proportion of time looking to the bottom than the top half of the faces. Only the typically developing group looked longer to the right side of the face than the left; that is, demonstrated a left visual field (LVF) bias. The NT group spent significantly less time looking to the mouth regions than did the TD and ASD groups. With respect to paired face comparisons, there were no significant group differences in the overall number of congruent saccades. However, there were group differences in the proportion of congruent mouth-to-mouth saccades. Infants with ASD made the largest number of mouth-to-mouth comparisons, followed by the TD group, and the NT group. Group differences were also found in the proportion of scans that went from a non-internal facial feature of one pair member to a non-internal feature of the other pair member. Essentially, NT developing infants made more extraneous comparisons than did TD infants. KW - face processing KW - eye tracking KW - visual attention KW - infant TI - DISTRIBUTION OF VISUAL ATTENTION WHEN COMPARING PAIRED FACES IN TYPICALLY DEVELOPING INFANTS AND INFANTS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING AUTISM EP - 49 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23797 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23797/ A1 - Orsborn, Nicholas Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - In southwestern Pennsylvania, exposures of the Morgantown Sandstone (Pennsylvanian) of the Casselman Formation are comprised of generally massive to cross-bedded sandstone that varies between 3 to 20 meters thick. The base of the unit is commonly marked by pebble or cobble conglomerate containing clasts of diverse composition and rounding in a sandy matrix. Underlying units include gray to black shale and unfossiliferous limestone; these may be deformed by folding, loading structures, and/or bedding truncations. Pebble-filled fractures resembling sedimentary dikes rarely cut the underlying carbonate rocks. A thin horizon of coal 2 to 10 centimeters thick commonly crops out within the lowest three meters of sandstone. The coal is generally strongly disrupted by faults that may transect and offset the layer or be coincident, in which case the sheared coal may accommodate sliding and related detachment. Locally the basal conglomerate, which resembles a debris flow, overlies cobbly debris containing platy shale clasts, some of which may be folded. The floating clasts may rarely make rootless, isoclinal folds. Occasionally, folding and other soft sediment deformation is recorded by underlying beds, which may be truncated at the contact. In exposures lacking conglomerate and coal, the base of the sandstone rests directly upon undeformed shale. Wherever exposure is sufficient, the base of the unit is clearly undulating. The unusual character of the basal Morgantown is documented throughout an area of at least 600 square kilometers. Nearly all of the 24 outcrops visited display structural and sedimentary features that suggest disruption at the basal contact with the underlying strata. The structural and stratigraphic features at the base of the Morgantown are interpreted as having formed contemporaneously with the deposition of the sandstone as a regional, abruptly emplaced sand flow. Although commonly attributed to accumulation as a channel sandstone, no channel banks or well-sorted traction deposits are known. Furthermore, the thickness of the section between the base of the Morgantown Sandstone and the laterally persistent Ames Limestone of the Glenshaw Formation varies between 10 and 50 meters throughout the Pittsburgh region. This further leads to the conclusion that the base of the Morgantown records scour. KW - Morgantown Sandstone KW - Conemaugh Group KW - Casselman Formation KW - Pennsylvanian KW - Geology TI - Deposition and Structural Features of the Basal Morgantown Sandstone of the Casselman Formation (Pennsylvanian) of the Greater Pittsburgh Region EP - 129 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22726 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22726/ A1 - Budavich, Owen W Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - The configuration of methyl groups within polyisoprenoid motifs of natural products continue to be difficult to assign. The syn/anti relationships of methyl groups within oligoisoprenoids have been shown to produce reliable differences in 1H and 13C NMR spectra. However, the data set requires expanion to include longer polyisoprenoid motifs and the stereopurity of these samples needs to be higher. Herein, we describe the advancements towards making a more comprehensive data set of oligoisoprenoids in high stereopurity through a fluorous mixture synthesis. Four new fluorous tagging reagents were synthesized and demonstrated to separate otherwise identical compounds. From which a simple method was developed to evaluate the potential of future fluorous tags. Additionally, the known reaction conditions for aryl thionocarbonate ester formation were optimized to reduce the presence of byproduct; increasing the isolatable yield. Finally, an iterative reaction scheme utilizing a highly selective (96 % de, +99 % ee) iridium catalyzed crotylation reaction was used towards the synthesis of (4S,8S,12S)-4,8,12,-trimethyl-nonadecanol. KW - Fluorous Tags KW - Fluorous Mixture Synthesis KW - Fluorous Chemistry KW - Oligoisoprenoids KW - Crotylation TI - Development of Novel Fluorous Tagging Reagents and Progress Towards (4S,8S,12S)-4,8,12-Trimethylnonadecanol EP - 206 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23787 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23787/ A1 - Eckstrom, Stephanie Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Emotional Cultures of Anti-Vaccine Websites: The Proliferation of an Unpopular Movement Stephanie A. Eckstrom, M.A. University of Pittsburgh, 2014 Despite growing public criticism, the anti-vaccine movement continues to influence certain parents in their vaccine-related decisions. This study analyzes three different anti-vaccine websites as tools of social movement organizations that are managed by social movement entrepreneurs who seek the proliferation of the anti-vaccine movement?s preferences (McCarthy & Zald 1977). As tools, anti-vaccine websites are spaces where the normative emotional culture of the social movement is reproduced by the purposeful deployment of emotional framing. Incorporating social movement theory of emotional framing aids in the conceptualization of how and why certain parents may engage with the anti-vaccine movement. Emotional framing is the link that connects the movement, participants, and the larger culture in which the movement is embedded. The characteristics of emotional framing that may particularly resonate with participants are those that incorporate larger, symbolic cultural elements as well as elements that speak to the everyday lived experiences of certain parents. As revealed in my analysis, the emotional culture of anti-vaccine websites is characterized by different degrees of rationality, either independent or layered with negative emotions. The emotion of rationality, whether conceptualized as a lack of affect or communicated through credibility or neutrality, is the most commonly deployed emotion. Incorporating rationality, social movement entrepreneurs demonstrate their capacity to frame website content that resonates through cultural compatibility, using broader cultural symbolism. They also frame website content that may resonate with the daily, lived experiences of certain parents by incorporating guilt, persecution, anger, fear and suspicion. Social movement theory provides a structure to understand how emotions link people and movements together. The outcomes of this study provide additional insight into the current relevancy and proliferation of the anti-vaccine movement in the Unites States. KW - social movement theory KW - anti-vaccine movement KW - emotional framing TI - Emotional Cultures of Anti-Vaccine Websites: The Proliferation of an Unpopular Movement EP - 61 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23757 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23757/ A1 - LeCroy, Kathryn A. Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Species traits, particularly those that impact fitness, can shape the evolutionary relationships among coexisting species. Trait distribution (underdispersion, overdispersion) within communities can provide evidence of key ecological interactions (e.g., competition, facilitation) that can contribute to assembly. The distribution of floral colors in a community may reflect pollinator-mediated interactions, and the phylogenetic distribution of color can also affect inferences of ecological mechanisms at play. Additionally, the scale of local habitat may influence the type or strength of ecological interactions among co-occurring species. I examined how floral color is distributed within replicated co-flowering assemblages with the use of pollinator color vision models. Incorporating these biologically relevant models into the study of floral color assembly processes is relatively new and untested for an entire co-flowering community with generalist pollinators. I modeled floral spectra of 55 co-flowering species through honeybee and syrphid fly color vision to assess color trait structure across 14 serpentine seep communities in California. I then compared our findings to null model predictions. We asked: is there evidence for nonrandom distribution of floral color in the community? Is there phylogenetic signal for floral color? If so, is there phylogenetic underdispersion or overdispersion across local communities? Is there an effect of habitat scale on these outcomes? I found that the observed color assemblage is not due to any phylogenetic history, and there is no phylogenetic signal for the selected floral color metric. I found a significant negative relationship between habitat scale and trait dispersion. Competitive exclusion could be a dominant interaction outcome at small scales, but it is less detectable/unimportant at larger scales. KW - floral color KW - pollination KW - ecology KW - Apis mellifera KW - Eristalis tenax KW - serpentine KW - insect vision KW - chromatic contrast TI - FLORAL COLOR ASSEMBLY OF SERPENTINE SEEP COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, USA EP - 39 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23769 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23769/ A1 - Lopresti, Courtney Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Within recent decades, researchers have found evidence that the cerebellum contributes to language processing, yet exactly how it contributes remains a mystery. Researchers have attempted to map functional zones within the cerebellar cortex in an effort to determine precisely how the cerebellum contributes to language with limited success. We predict that the cerebellum?s functional zones are not strictly divisible by cognitive domains such as ?language? or ?executive control? and are instead delineated by task demands not unlike cognitive regions in the cerebral cortex. Prior neuropsychological results indicate that rhyme judgment and verbal working memory tasks impose task demands that require the cerebellum for normal levels of performance. In an effort to localize this shared functional process in the cerebellum, we used a slow event-related design to study the hemodynamic response in participants (N=12) as they performed rhyme judgment task and then compared to the results to separate pool of the subjects who performed a verbal working memory task (N=12). We hypothesized that these two tasks share cognitive processes and thereby neural substrates; in other words, they will engage the same functional regions in the cerebellum. Secondly, we hypothesized that these functional regions would be most engaged during task components negatively impacted by concurrent articulation, i.e., the encoding period of verbal working memory tasks and judgments involving mismatched non-rhyme pairs, e.g. ?tint? and ?pint.? We found three potential clusters engaged in both tasks, with one region (located in Crus I) demonstrating the predicted response patterns across different task components. Based upon these findings and the cognitive literature on verbal working memory and rhyme judgments, we suggest that this region contributes to an internal speech-based process that involves phonological error prediction. KW - language KW - neuroscience KW - psychology KW - rhyme judgment KW - master of science KW - verbal working memory KW - fMRI KW - cerebellum TI - INVOLVMENT OF THE CEREBELLUM IN VERABL WORKING MEMORY AND PHONOLOGICAL JUDGMENT: EVIDENCE FOR A ROLE IN PREDICTIVE PHONOLOGICAL CODING EP - 41 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23240 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23240/ A1 - Cerbus, Rory Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Turbulence is a complex system. Information theory, and the more recently developed computational mechanics, provide quantitative tools for quantifying this ``complexity" in terms of predictability. This thesis is concerned with using these tools with experimental turbulence data. The focus will be on two-dimensional turbulence, but other (mostly turbulent) systems are treated as well. The role of information theory in physical systems in general will also be discussed. This framework is general and easily applicable to almost any other kind of system, as will be shown. KW - turbulence KW - information theory KW - entropy KW - predictability KW - unpredictability TI - Information Perspective on Turbulence EP - 101 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23672 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23672/ A1 - Lariviere, Andrew Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Due to their stationary existence, plants are exposed to an array of attackers including pathogens and insect herbivores. In defense, plants employ sophisticated responses mediated by the hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). These two hormones act antagonistically to fine-tune expression of defense compounds to a particular attacker. This is an important component of optimal defense theory (ODT), which states that expression of defenses is costly due to limited metabolic resources. Several studies have shown that increased expression, or exogenous application, of SA inhibits expression of JA-mediated defenses, and vice versa. However, no studies have investigated how constitutive SA levels affect JA-mediated defenses. After reviewing the literature on ODT, I present a review of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) and their specialist insect herbivores Pieris butterflies, which is the model system used in my first study. In this study, I compared constitutive SA levels in five spring-flowering and five summer-flowering mustard species and found that the spring-flowering species received significantly less herbivory and supported lower caterpillar relative growth rate (RGR) than the summer-flowering species. I then asked whether the differences that I observed could be explained by the underlying leaf SA concentrations. I found that the species with the lowest constitutive SA concentrations were the most resistant to herbivory and supported the lowest larval RGR. The highest herbivory rate and RGR occurred in species with intermediate concentrations of constitutive SA. In a second study, I investigated the inhibition of JA-mediated defenses by induced SA levels. I applied a commonly-used SA analog to five mustard species then measured RGR of the generalist caterpillar, Trichoplusia ni. I found that exogenous SA increased plant susceptibility in most, but not all plants. The exception being an agricultural variety of the perennial plant, Lesquerella fendleri. I conclude that low constitutive SA concentrations may benefit plants by reducing herbivory and larval growth rates of insect herbivores. The finding that constitutive SA levels affect herbivore performance is unprecedented and has implications for our understanding of the evolution of plant defenses and for the cultivation of more insect-resistant crops. KW - Salicylic acid KW - jasmonic acid KW - Brassicaceae KW - Pieris rapae KW - plant defense KW - crosstalk TI - LEAF SALICYLIC ACID CONCENTRATION AND INSECT HERBIVORY EP - 92 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23838 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23838/ A1 - Clark, Julia Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - This dissertation investigates pastoral adaptations, multi-resource economic strategies and monument construction and use diachronically in the Darkhad Depression of northern Mongolia. This program of research has utilized GIS analysis, predictive modeling, pedestrian survey, targeted excavation, experimental archaeology and ethnoarchaeology. The results of this research contribute to a more detailed understanding of how this region contributed to broader social, political and economic change in the Bronze and Iron Ages through the Xiongnu period (ca. 2500 BCE ? 200 CE). Numerous models have been proposed to explain the transition from an agricultural economy to an agro-pastoral or fully nomadic economy. However, there are far fewer explanatory models for the incorporation or adoption of pastoralism into existing hunting, gathering and/or fishing economies. Furthermore, a hyper-focus on connections between China and Inner Asia has dominated discussions of inter-regional, inter-economic relationships. Such trends have overshadowed potentially earlier important relationships with groups to the north, including the hunter-gatherers of Lake Baikal, and early pastoralists of the Minusinsk Basin and Tuva (Russian Federation). This dissertation research, in contrast, has employed a holistic landscape approach that examined both ritual and domestic activity areas in order to model the introduction and integration of herding practices with existing hunting-gathering-fishing economies. Recent archaeological research in the Darkhad Depression of north-central Mongolia has investigated the ritual landscape and has concluded that the monuments in this region, while not particularly large, are the oldest of their kind known in Mongolia and neighboring regions of Kazakhstan and Russia. If these monuments are connected with new forms of a pastoral economy and hierarchical social organization, as some have suggested, this underscores the importance of this region for modeling early pastoralist orientations in Mongolia and perhaps more broadly within northeastern Asia. This dissertation examines these important late prehistoric developments and situates this work in the context of other recent and important archaeology projects within Mongolia. The results of this research contribute to a growing trend in the scholarship of early multi-resource pastoralists that highlights the varied ways in which domestic animals were incorporated into existing economies, impacting local and supra-local social, political and ritual practices and lifeways. KW - Archaeology KW - Mongolia KW - Pastoralism KW - Bronze Age KW - Modeling TI - Modeling Late Prehistoric and Early Historic Pastoral Adaptations in Northern Mongolia's Darkhad Depression EP - 274 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23786 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23786/ A1 - Mills, Brandon Michael Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Living organisms take advantage of proteins in order to carry out most of the biological tasks that keep them alive. Although most proteins do not drastically change shape, some behave as conformational switches: in response to an outside signal from its environment, the protein will shape-change to either an ?on? or ?off? position. These properties of conformational switches have motivated recent efforts towards the conversion of regular ligand binding proteins into novel switches for use as optical sensors and therapeutics. Here we seek to examine one such design that exhibits an intermolecular tug-of-war between two alternate frames of folding that can be made sensitive to calcium. The challenges of elucidating structural and mechanistic details from a partially unfolded protein have led us to consider coarse-grained simulation techniques. We plan to demonstrate that results from these simulations are in agreement with experimental data and can provide novel insight into the mechanisms of switching in this class of engineered proteins. KW - allostery; brownian dynamics; conformational change; alternate frame folding; molecular dynamics; molecular sensor; Go model; protein folding TI - Molecular Simulations of Alternate Frame Folding in Engineered Protein-Based Switches EP - 45 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23768 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23768/ A1 - Carreras, Miguel / MC Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - In the last 25 years, eight outsider candidates won presidential elections in Latin America. Outsiders are candidates with little political experience running with new parties. This reality presents a dual puzzle, which is the focus of this dissertation. First, what explains the sudden rise and election of political outsiders in presidential elections? Second, what are the consequences of the election of outsiders for democratic governability and institutional performance? I address these questions through a combination of quantitative analyses and an in-depth qualitative analysis of the case of Alberto Fujimori (outsider president of Peru who governed between 1990 and 2000). Against the conventional wisdom, the first part of my dissertation shows that the rise of outsiders is not a ?peril of presidentialism.? When other important economic and political factors are controlled for, the political system (presidential vs. parliamentary) is not a good predictor of outsider success. The rise of outsiders in Latin America is associated with a combination of supply and demand factors. A series of institutional design characteristics (compulsory voting, reelection provisions, and non-concurrent elections) make it easier for outsiders to run. Once viable outsiders are in the race, their success is facilitated in contexts where a severe crisis of representation exists. Dealigned citizens and voters whose preferences are not reflected in the established party system are more likely to support outsiders on election day. The second main contribution of this dissertation is to show that outsiders are more likely to threaten democratic governability and to commit authoritarian excesses. There are three main factors that contribute to executive abuses when political outsiders reach the presidency: 1) the lack of democratic political socialization of outsiders, 2) the difficult socio-political context faced by outsiders ?which creates a ?window of opportunity? for executive excesses?, and 3) the lack of a strongly organized party monitoring the actions of outsider presidents. This work shows that executive-legislative relations tend to be more acrimonious when the president is an outsider. The in-depth analysis of the Fujimori case also suggests that outsiders tend to form very inexperienced cabinets, which generates serious governability problems. KW - outsiders KW - Latin America KW - presidentialism KW - executive-legislative relations KW - cabinets TI - OUTSIDER PRESIDENTS, INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE, AND GOVERNABILITY IN LATIN AMERICA EP - 261 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23509 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23509/ A1 - Jakubowski, Karen Patricia Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Purpose: Short nocturnal sleep leads to more napping in adolescents, and more napping leads to short nocturnal sleep. Short nocturnal sleep has been associated with elevated cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in adolescents in some studies. However, it is unclear if daytime napping is also associated with increased CV risk factors. We investigated whether napping (measured by actigraphy and daily diary measures) was related to elevated CV risk factors, and explored potential moderators of the napping ? CV risk relationship: physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and interpersonal conflict. Methods: Participants were 234 healthy high school students (mean age=15.7, 56% black, 53% female). Nocturnal sleep and daytime napping were assessed with both actigraphy and daily diaries across one week. Physical activity and interpersonal conflict were measured by daily diary and questionnaire; sedentary behaviors were measured with questionnaire only. CV risk factors included: sex-standardized waist circumference (WC), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and 24-hour average systolic blood pressure (24-hour SBP). Linear regressions were used, adjusting for age, sex, race, average nocturnal sleep across the study period, and BMI percentile. Results: More days napped by actigraphy was related to elevated IL-6 [B(SE)=.49(.21), p < .05] but lower 24-hour SBP [B(SE)=-5.29(2.64), p < .05]. Napping was not associated with WC, HOMA-IR, or hs-CRP. The relationship between average minutes napped by actigraphy and 24-hour SBP varied as a function of life events conflict (b = -.76, SE = .31, p = .015). At high levels of conflict, napping was associated with lower levels of 24-hour SBP, while at low or average levels of conflict, there was no effect of napping on 24-hour SBP. Neither physical activity nor sedentary behaviors emerged as moderators. Conclusions: No consistent association of napping with CV risk factors was observed. However, actigraphy-derived napping was associated positively with circulating IL-6, a proinflammatory cytokine that is known to impact central inflammatory processes that relate to sleep regulation. Further examination of the direction of this effect is warranted. Results may differ in other age groups who are not as sleep deprived as is the case among adolescents. KW - adolescents KW - napping KW - sleep KW - cardiovascular risk factors TI - Relationship Between Daytime Napping and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Black and White Adolescents EP - 82 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23637 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23637/ A1 - Sperle, Lisa Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - The present study investigated differences in social referencing and visual attention (e.g., attention to objects, attention to faces, and attention disengagement), and importantly, the extent to which variability in visual attention was related to social referencing among 11- and 16-month-old infants at high and low genetic risk for autism. Results indicate that HR infants referenced adults at a lower rate than did LR infants. Notably, 16-month-old infants later diagnosed with ASD referenced adults less frequently than typically-developing (TD) and non-typical (NT) infants, which suggests social referencing may be a promising early marker of ASD. When 16-month-olds were attending to the face, HR infants spent a smaller proportion of time looking at the top half of the face than LR infants. This finding indicates that HR infants distributed their attention within the face differently. In addition, associations between visual attention measures and variability in social referencing were found only among LR infants. Increased looking to the top half of the face was related to higher rates of social referencing in LR 16-month-olds. Conversely, LR 16-month-olds? increased looking to objects was related to lower rates of social referencing. Broadly, results support the idea that visual attention indices are related to successful social referencing. As the first study known to identify correlations between visual attention and social referencing, these findings suggest that further investigation of the co-occurring development of visual attention and social-communicative behaviors in infancy is warranted. KW - infants; autism; eye-tracking; visual attention; social referencing TI - The Relationship between Attentional Processes and Social Referencing in Infants at High and Low Genetic Risk for Autism EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir21690 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/21690/ A1 - Mandell, Darcy Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - The current study examined the relationship between self-reported somatic symptomatology and neural patterns of threat-processing in anxious youth. It attempted to merge discrepant findings regarding somatic awareness in anxiety by differentiating between more chronic somatic anxiety symptoms and an experiential (?situational?) awareness of bodily symptoms in response to an acute stressor. Forty-two adolescents (ages 9-13), meeting DSM-IV criteria for GAD, Social Phobia, and/or Separation Anxiety completed a classic dot-probe task in which they indicated the location of a probe that replaced either threatening or neutral faces. Mean BOLD responses on to threat trials were extracted for anatomically defined regions of interest that have been related to anxiety, and this activity was correlated with self-reported somatic subscale scores. Results indicated that, within a sample of anxious youth, chronic somatic anxiety symptomatology was negatively correlated with sustained bilateral amygdala activity, while situational somatic symptomatology was associated with increased sustained bilateral anterior insula and caudal anterior cingulate activity. Thus, patients who display blunted emotional reactivity to mild threat cues may be more prone to chronic somatic anxiety symptoms. In addition, patients who maintain an awareness of interoceptive cues during low-grade threat-processing may be more likely to notice and report bodily cues under periods of more acute threat. KW - anxiety KW - somatic symptoms KW - fMRI KW - threat processing KW - pediatric TI - SOMATIC AWARENESS IN ANXIOUS YOUTH: RELATING TRAIT AND SITUATIONAL SYMPTOMS TO NEURAL MECHANISMS OF THREAT-PROCESSING EP - 61 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir22632 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/22632/ A1 - Frasso, Michael Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - This thesis describes the preparation of pyrazolo[1-5-a]-1,3,5-triazine analogs of the Ca2+ channel agonist and cyclin-dependant kinase inhibitor (R)-roscovitine. Initially, methods to improve the published synthetic route to these analogs were investigated. Subsequently, several analogs with the pyrazolotriazine core were prepared and evaluated for agonist properties. Preliminary results suggest that this modified core retains and in some cases improves agonist behavior. A substantial increase in both the Ca2+ tail-current integral and the decay time constant tau were observed with the most active analogs MF-06 and MF-17. Modifications to the C-8 alkyl and C-2 aminobutanol sidechains did not improve agonist activity. KW - Lambert-Eaton myasthenic sydrome KW - (R)-roscovitine KW - Ca2+ channel agonist TI - Synthesis of (R)-Roscovitine Analogs as Potential Treatments for Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome EP - 76 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23723 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23723/ A1 - Reed, Nicholas Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - The first part of this thesis describes the synthesis of retigabine analogues for the treatment of tinnitus. Retigabine is a clinically proven anticonvulsant that modulates potassium ion channel activity and has been shown to stop the onset of tinnitus when administered shortly after exposure to extreme levels of sound. Alteration of the fluorophenyl and carbamate functionalities present in the parent compound resulted in the synthesis of a small library of compounds with the goal of improving potency and selectivity for the Kv7.2/3 potassium ion channels. In vivo and in vitro testing is underway to determine efficacy. The second part of this thesis describes efforts to develop and improved route to XJB-5-131, a truncated Gramicidin S-derived peptide designed to control reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in mitochondria. A new route to XJB-5-131 was explored utilizing a stereoselective ?-alkenylation protocol and starting from vinyl boronic acids. KW - retigabine KW - tinnitus KW - Kv7 KW - potassium ion channels KW - MMS-350 KW - alkenylation KW - XJB-5-131 KW - mitochondria KW - reactive oxygen species KW - organocatalysis TI - Synthesis of Retigabine Analogues for the Treatment of Tinnitus and Progress Towards a Concise Route to XJB-5-131 EP - 121 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23610 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23610/ A1 - Dimoff, John D Y1 - 2015/01/09/ N2 - Research suggests that the drinking environment can affect dynamic processes involved in group decision making. The current study evaluated the need for cognitive closure (NFCC) as a mechanism underlying previously observed effects of alcohol dosage-set (i.e., beliefs persons have about the content of their beverages) on risk-seeking behavior. Five-hundred-four social drinkers (261 female) were assembled into 168 three-person groups and randomly assigned to one of three beverage conditions: alcohol, placebo, and no-alcohol control. Following beverage consumption, groups were asked to choose between two options of equal expected value, one of which offered a greater yet less certain (i.e., ?riskier?) outcome. Groups were given 150-sec to make a decision and were required to reach consensus. Group discussion was video-recorded, and behavioral measures of NFCC were systematically coded by three independent raters. Results did not support NFCC as a mechanism explaining the earlier finding; however, results suggested that the decision making task used here may not have offered a sensitive test of NFCC. Though methodological limitations were detected, supplemental analyses indicate that dosage-set affected group decision making prior to observable deliberation, and that groups valued affiliation more than they valued specific decision making outcomes regardless of which beverage was consumed or which decision was initially endorsed. These findings raise new questions regarding the effects of implicit cognitions and normative influence on decisions made in drinking contexts. KW - Alcohol KW - Decision Making KW - Need for Cognitive Closure KW - Group Processes TI - Why Does Drinking Alcohol Affect Risk-Seeking Behavior? A Test of the Need for Cognitive Closure Hypothesis EP - 48 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23868 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23868/ A1 - Leininger, Michele A Y1 - 2015/01/06/ N2 - This study of the transition of public librarians to front-line managers and how they build proficient knowledge, skills, and behaviors describes the context in which the managers learn, adapt, and grow as well as their internal analyses and syntheses that led to observable and demonstrable actions and serves as a critical foundational step in public library management research that does not currently exist. As a qualitative descriptive case study with embedded subunits, this research was designed to unpack the steps participants took in learning to become managers, as well as how they interacted with colleagues and the organization to become proficient. The case study involved twenty-one participants from a population of 30 managers at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and was conducted in two phases. In phase one, participants responded to three structured diary entries; in phase two, the researcher conducted two in-depth interviews with ten participants chosen from phase one. Diary entries and interview transcripts were coded using Descriptive Coding as well as Provisional Coding based on two business studies. Hill?s Becoming a Manager and McCall, Lombardo, and Morrison?s Lessons of Experience provided a conceptual framework; the study findings, however, revealed two important differences: managers universally expressed pride, love of job, and service to others and affirmed the community?s role as a motivating factor. The primary outcome of the study was the profiles created of the ten in-depth interviewees describing their journies from librarian to proficient manager. The narratives and data reveal that gaining knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become a proficient manager is multifaceted and complex. While there were an array of answers as unique as the individuals who participated, there were some similarities: observing and identifying models (former bosses, current supervisors, administrators, or peers), capitalizing on and learning from previous experiences, and actively working to become proficient particularly in areas that are personally difficult. The uniqueness of this study is that it provides one of the first glimpses into the day-to-day nature of the complexity of the public library environment in which managers must learn to operate successfully. KW - public library management; public library managers; public libraries; profiles TI - From Librarian to Proficient Manager: The Journey of Public Library Front-Line Managers EP - 407 AV - public ER - TY - UNPB ID - pittir23884 UR - http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/23884/ A1 - Wang, Xin Y1 - 2015/01/05/ N2 - Virtualization of wireless networks holds the promise of major gains in resource usage efficiency through spectrum/radio resources sharing between multiple service providers (SPs). Radio resources however are not like a simple orthogonal resource such as time slots on a wire and its shared quantity is a function of geography and signal strength, rather than orthogonal slices. To better exploit the radio resource usage, we propose a novel scheme - radio resource virtualization (RRV) that allows SPs to access overlapping spectrum slices both in time and in space considering the transmit power, the interference, and the usage scenario (capabilities/needs of devices). We first investigate the system capacity of a simple two-cell network and show that RRV often leads to better efficiency than the well-known separate spectrum virtualization (SSV) scheme. However, the use of RRV requires careful air-interface configuration due to interference in the overlapping slices of spectrum. Therefore we next examine scenarios of a multi-cell network with fractional frequency reuse (FFR) implementing five radio resources configuration cases. From the evaluation of capacity data obtained from simulations, a variety of tradeoffs exist between SPs if RRV is applied. One example shows that capacity of the SP that operates smaller cells almost doubles while capacity of the SP deployed in larger cells may drop by 20% per subscriber. Based on these tradeoffs, we suggest configuration maps in which a network resource manager can locate specific configurations according to the demand and capabilities of SPs and their subscribers. Finally, we consider a case study on top of LTE. A system-level simulator is developed following 3GPP standards and extensive simulations are conducted. We propose and test 3 schemes that integrate RRV into the LTE radio resource management (RRM) -- unconditional RRV, time domain muting (TDM) RRV and major-interferer time domain muting (MI-TDM) RRV. Along the same line as the capacity analysis, we compare those schemes with the traditional SSV and suggest configuration maps based on the produced tradeoffs. Our investigation of RRV provides a framework that evaluates the resource efficiency, and potentially the ability of customization and isolation of spectrum sharing in virtualized cellular networks. KW - wireless virtualization KW - radio resource virtualization KW - cellular networks KW - LTE/LTE-A KW - multiple-input multiple-output KW - fractional frequency reuse TI - Radio Resource Virtualization in Cellular Networks EP - 138 AV - public ER -