Background. Total knee arthroplasty, or replacement, is a common, generally successful, and expensive procedure. Tools to predict outcomes following orthopedic procedures are abundant, yet no commonly used assessment accounts for an individual’s propensity to engage in adaptive health behavior. The 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire is a tool that...
If P is an integer polynomial denote the degree of P by ∂(P) and let H(P) be the maximum of the absolute value of the coefficients of P. Define Λ(P)=2[superscript ∂(P)]H(P) and for a fixed prime p let C[subscript p] denote the completion of the algebraic closure of the p-adic...
In this dissertation, we use Fourier-analytic methods to study questions of equidistribution on the compact abelian group Zp of p-adic integers. In particu- lar, we prove a LeVeque-type Fourier analytic upper bound on the discrepancy of sequences. We establish p-adic analogues of the classical Dirichlet and Fejér kernels on R/Z,...
BaCuChF (Ch = S, Se, Te) materials are chalcogen-based transparent conductors with wide optical band gaps (2.9 – 3.5 eV) and a high concentration of free holes (10¹⁸ – 10²⁰ cm⁻³) caused by the presence of copper vacancies. Chalcogen vacancies compensate copper vacancies in these materials, setting the Fermi level...
Aquatic animals are exposed to a variety of natural and
anthropogenic xenobiotics. Biotransformation of xenobiotics was
examined in three aquatic animals: a primitive mollusc (chiton);
a shellfish which is an important human food source (oyster);
and, a lower vertebrate model for toxicological studies (rainbow
trout). Since digestive glands of Cryntochiton...
The sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks of the
Callahan, California area formed on, or adjacent to, a Lower Paleozoic
island arc complex which has since been tectonically disrupted.
Sandstone, shale, lithic wacke, chert, banded quartzite, siliceous
mudstone, conglomerate, and limestone of the eastern Klamath belt
were deposited from the Middle...
Investigations were made in the field, greenhouse, growth
chamber, and laboratory to: (a) observe the general activity of N-
(phosphonomethyl)glycine (glyphosate); (b) determine the extent of its
interaction with certain s-triazine herbicides; and (c) find an explanation
for such an interaction.
Greenhouse and growth chamber studies substantiated other
observations that...
Interest by public health organizations in scaling-up efficacious health interventions is increasing as the prevalence of arthritis increases and treatment becomes more costly. Although arthritis evidence-based interventions (EBIs) have been found efficacious in improving healthy behaviors and the ability to self-manage symptoms, little research has examined whether scaled-up delivery of...
Feeding of [3-¹³C, 2-¹⁵N]arginine, 38a, unequivocally established that the β-
arginine moiety of blasticidin S, 1, was formed from α-arginine by an intramolecular
migration of the α-amino group to the β- position. Further feedings using chirally
deuteriated arginines 38e and 38f revealed that the aminomutase process occurred with
inversion of...
Studies were initiated to determine the response of two common
groundsel biotypes (Senecio vulgaris L. ) to several s-triazine herbicides.
Herbicides tested were: 2-chloro-4,6-bis(ethylamino)-striazine
(simazine), 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-
s-triazine (atrazine) 2-(sec-butylamino)-4-(ethylamino)-6-methoxys-
triazine (GS-14254), 2, 4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-methoxy-striazine
(prometone), 2-(tert-butylamino)-4-(ethylamino)-6-methylthio-
s-triazine (terbutryn), and 2, 4-bis(isopropylamino)-6-
methylthio-s-triazine (prometryne). One biotype was much more
susceptible than the...
The two sulfur isotopomers of sulfur trioxide, ³²S¹⁶O₃ and ³⁴S¹⁶O₃, have been studied via high resolution infrared and Coherent anti-Stokes Raman (CARS) spectroscopy. The v₁ symmetric SO stretching Q-branches observed by the latter are quite different, being especially complex for ³²S¹⁶O₃ Understanding this band structure required analysis of infrared-active hot...
Cyclopropenoid fatty acids (CPFA) are unique compounds that
contain a highly strained and reactive cyclopropene ring structure.
These compounds have been shown to cause a number of toxic effects
in a variety of animals. Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) have
proven to be particularly sensitive to CPFA. Studies have revealed
that...
This thesis details my investigation of some pharmaceuticals and natural products on the transport of drugs which are substrates of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), such as cyclosporin A (CSA) and digoxin by using Caco-2 and MDCKII-MDR1 drug transport models. Three objectives were performed to address this goal. The first objective was to...
The semiconductor gallium arsenide (GaAs) has many potential
advantages over the more widely used semiconductor silicon (Si).
These include higher low field mobility, semi-insulating substrates,
a direct band-gap, and greater radiation hardness. All these
advantages offer distinct opportunities for implementation of new
circuit functions or extension of the operating conditions...
Work is presented which explores the properties and nature of
the P-form of DNA. Initially the P-form represented an unknown
state of DNA which occurred when this molecule was in a solvent of
47.5% methanol, 5% water, and 47.5% ethanol, and which showed properties
of both native and denatured conformations....
Three highly purified forms of cytochrome P-450 (P-450a, P-450b, P-450c) from Aroclor 1254-induced rat hepatic microsomes catalyzed the monooxygenation of 1-(2- chloroethyl)-3-(trans-4-methylcyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea (MeCCNU) and 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-(cyclohexyl)-1-nitrosourea (CCNU) in the presence of purified NADPH cytochrome P-450 reductase, NADPH and oxygen. Cytochrome P -450- dependent monooxygenation of CCNU gave six alicyclic hydroxylation products...
The refresh times of all dynamic charge storage devices, best
characterized by the generation lifetime at roan temperature and the
recombination lifetime at higher device operating temperatures
(T>70°C), strongly influence the efficient and successful operation
of dynamic charge storage devices such as DRAM's and CCD's. Both
recombination and generation lifetime...
This thesis includes three studies involving different aspects of modeling protein structure. The first study illustrates the levels of insight available from atomic-resolution protein structures. The second study derives general trends of protein geometry from atomic-resolution structures and shows their implications for modeling. The third study creates a model of...
Under the label “Supported Employment,” services that promote competitive, integrated employment (CIE) for working-age adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been federally funded since the 1980s, alongside other more traditional day habilitation and segregated or sub-minimum wage employment services. However, since the early 2000s, over 30 states have adopted...
The immune system is a complex network of cellular processes working in harmony to guard us against pathogenic attack. Of utmost importance is the ability of the immune system to discriminate between “self” and “non-self” and diseased versus healthy. Recognition of antigens complexed to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules is...
Time-dependent electronic transport is increasingly important to the state-of-the-art device design and fabrication. The development of nanoscale sensing, the harnessing and control of structural fluctuations, and the advancement of next-generation materials all require a treatment of quantum dynamics beyond the level of traditional methods and a more nuanced approach to...
The focus of this study was junior-level
mathematics students' perception of proof and its
relationship to achievement. The following
problems were investigated:
1) nature of perception of proof of
undergraduate mathematics students who have
enrolled in Advanced Calculus;
2) relationship between students' perception
of selected aspects of proof and their...
The ingestion, uptake, and metabolism of liposomes by juvenile
Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were studied by several methods in
an effort to assess their potential as encapsulating agents. Liposomes
composed of egg phosphatidylcholine-cholesterol-stearylamine (7:1:2)
formed readily and appeared stable in 20°/oo seawater. Radiotracer
studies with liposomes made with ¹⁴C-labeled cholesterol...
Travel demand has increased due to population growth, increase of vehicle ownership, and development patterns resulting in greater levels of congestion, pollution, and crash frequency. One approach to demand management is to increase the share of trips made by bicycles. With the increase in bicycling rates, there is a critical...
Racial/ethnic discrimination and HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs may contribute to disparities in use and satisfaction with healthcare services and engaging in safer sex practices. Previous studies that examined racial/ethnic discrimination and HIV/AIDS conspiracy beliefs focused primarily on African Americans with few studies focusing on Latinos. This study used longitudinal data from...
When observers monitor for infrequent signals for extended durations, they generally experience a decline in detections over time. This decline is termed the vigilance decrement. Current theories of vigilance attribute the decrement to three potential mechanisms: conservative shifts in response bias, losses of sensitivity, and an increased rate of attentional...
Biotic and abiotic processes at continent-ocean interfaces cycle a disproportionate mass of carbon and nutrients relative to their global surface area, and microbial activity is a principal determinant of organic and inorganic matter flux in these transition zones. Most studies using modern high-throughput ‘omics techniques to link microorganisms with costal...
Nanomaterials are expected to enable significant advances in several technological fields in coming years. Among them, electronics has emerged as one of the most likely benefactors from the ability to control matter on the nanometer-scale. For many electronic devices synthesized nanomaterials must be integrated into thin film structures. Vapor-based deposition...
Hydroacoustic tertiary (T-) waves are seismically generated acoustic waves that propagate
over great distances in the ocean sound channel with little loss in signal strength.
Hydrophone recorded T-waves can provide a lower earthquake detection threshold and an
improved epicenter location accuracy for oceanic earthquakes than land-based seismic
networks. Thus detection...
Ion therapy has long been investigated as a potential modality to improve cancer treatments beyond what is currently feasible with photon irradiations. Ions offer both a physical and biological advantage over photons. The physical advantages are well understood, ions deposit their maximum dose at defined penetration depths, allowing for minimal...
A concept image is that collection of all images, pictures, symbols, definitions
and properties associated with any given mathematical concept. One of the
most important components in the mental representation of concepts in the concept
image of advanced mathematical thinkers is visualization. This component, in
turn, is indispensable in the...
Most of the feed required for poultry production in
the Republic of Yemen is imported from Europe. Sometimes,
feed shipments arrive later due to lack of hard currencies
to pay for the feed or to pay the freight charges. Yemeni
broiler producers in such cases feed their birds a single...
Interactions and feedbacks among climate change effects and continued human impacts will exacerbate impacts to water resources in complex ways. An urgent imperative of the hydrologic community is to understand the response of hydrologic systems to these perturbations, thus contributing to long-term sustainability of water resources in an uncertain future....
The height of an algebraic number A is a measure of how arithmetically complicated A is. We say A is totally p-adic if the minimal polynomial of A splits completely over the field of p-adic numbers. In this paper, we investigate what can be said about the smallest nonzero height...
This thesis describes a Mossbauer effect and electron
paramagnetic resonance study of iron (III) tetraphenylporphyrinatobenzenethiolate
benzene thiol, an analog compound
for bacterial cytochrome P-450. The compound is unusual in
that it provides a model for the two ferric reaction states
of cytochrome P-450. The iron in the model compound exhibits...
Branch-and-Bound algorithms are developed to optimally
schedule static single- and multi-stage job-shop productions. The 'corollary' of the study is to experimentally verify the effectiveness of
branch-and-bound algorithms to overcome the "curse of dimensionality" due to the combinatorial nature of job-shop scheduling problems.
The static scheduling problem contemplated in this dissertation...
Biodiversity loss in highly diverse systems such as coral reefs has been linked to significant declines in the ecosystem functions and services provided by marine species. Ecological functioning of coral reefs and the resistance of coral reef fish communities to disturbance depend on the functional traits of species that promotes...
The portion of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) between 5° and 12°S
can be subdivided into three areas by fracture zones that offset the
rise axis at about 6.5°S and 9°S. In all three regions, the spreading
axis of the EPR is defined by a topographic block 300 to 350...