GABAergic Inhibition of Brainstem Neurons Involved in Breathing Regulation is Disrupted in Rett Syndrome

GABA is the prominent inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and defects in the GABA system are attributable to several genetic diseases including Rett Syndrome (RTT). People with RTT show characteristic breathing disorders, suggesting a link with defects in the GABA system. Noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) are CO2 chemosensitive and play a role in breathing regulation. We conducted experiments to find out if activation of a novel group of dorsomedial LC GABAergic neurons causes instantaneous firing rate changes in LC neurons. Spike train recordings with cross-correlation analysis suggests that the dmLC neurons made monosynaptic and oligosynaptic connections with the LC neurons. The GABAergic inhibition appeared to have major effects on medullary respiratory neurons, as our results showed that THIP, the extrasynaptic GABA receptor agonist, suppressed excitations in these cells. The results from these experiments provide new evidence for the GABAergic inhibition of brainstem neurons involved in breathing control

Examining the Current Role of Out-Of-State Buyers in the Tri-Cities Within the Confines of Residential Real Estate

We are seeing an influx of out-of-state buyers into Tennessee, and the Tri-Cities area specifically. As a major emerging housing market in the US, the Tri-Cities is being inundated by people from all states and walks of life seeking a better life in Appalachia. Although the reasons vary by person, many agree that political alignment, taxation levels, and the quietness of this area lends itself to population growth. While most members of the housing industry have noticed this uptick in out-of-state buyers, few have taken the time to analyze their own records or review the empirical evidence that is present from the past 24-36 months to see where opportunities lie. Through cooperation with a local real estate attorney, I have obtained records that have been scrubbed of personal details for academic research. Using that information I have run some tests for proportions and changes from 2020 to 2021 to determine the major hot-spot states and regions from which people are moving to Tennessee. After analyzing this data, I have then compared it to input from two real estate agents in the Tri-Cities area regarding what they believe are the largest motivating factors for these out-of-state buyers. I have concluded that the West Coast Region (and California in particular) are showing the most decisive and conclusive increases in Tennessee home buying. Overall out-of-state buyers are quickly becoming a large demographic of our market, with a statistically significant 7.56% difference in proportion from just last year to this year (2021)

Determining the fate and transport of the acrylamide monomer (Amd) in soil and groundwater systems

Acrylamide (AMD) is a known animal and suspected human carcinogen and is used to produce polyacrylamide (PAM), which has been proposed as a technology for seepage control in unlined water delivery canals. Previous studies have not quantified the fate and transport of AMD in soil and groundwater systems. In this study, batch experiments and soil column tests (with and without microbial degradation) were conducted on three materials (control sand, gravelly sand and loam soil) to determine the Kd, retardation factor, the form of the sorption isotherm, and determine microbial degradation rates. Soil core tests from samples collected in canals were also conducted to simulate field-scale transport. A numerical model (HYDRUS-2D) was used to simulate a canal environment using the fate and transport parameters of AMD obtained in the laboratory. Results indicate a Freundlich-type sorption isotherm for AMD in the loam soil and a linear isotherm for the sandy material. Sorption values were 0--2.4% in all tests. Results for the soil column tests show that AMD is conservative in all three types of material tested. The bacteria column tests indicated that AMD was quickly degraded (half lives were less than 3 hours), though half lives for the canal column tests were longer (∼31 hours). Numerical modeling shows that AMD would not be detectable 25 meters from the canal, as long as initial AMD concentration is less than 6.65 ppb. Using PAM at concentrations of less than 13 ppm would inhibit detectable contamination of canal water

Terror management theory: A theoretical perspective on orgination, maintenance, and research

Research suggests that humans engage in several worldview defense mechanisms to shield against the terror associated with an awareness of mortality (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986). To mitigate anxiety, people strongly adhere to their cultural worldviews that allow them to boost their self-esteem. This self-esteem fosters a sense of immortality because the world is considered a \u27just place that will not harm someone that is living in adherence to cultural guidelines (Rosenblatt, Greenberg, Solomon, Pyszczynski, & Lyon, 1989). This paper provides a theoretical background for Terror Management Theory including its philosophical origination, the primary tenets of the theory, and the experimental methods used to manipulate death awareness

Oil Droplets Rising through Density-Stratified Fluid at Low Reynolds Number

Sharp density stratifications occur naturally in the ocean, and play a important role in the dynamics of settling marine snow particles and the dispersion of oil from seeps or spills. When passing through a sharp density transition between two miscible fluid layers, rising immiscible drops slow to well below terminal velocity due to the entrainment of bottom-layer fluid. This dissertation presents an experimentally-validated, numerically-assisted, first-principles model of an oil drop rising in a cylindrical tank of sharply-stratified fluid at low Reynolds number. The mathematical model presented in this dissertation model adapts previous work on a settling sphere in sharply-stratified fluid to the significantly more complex case of a rising fluid sphere. A Green's function formulation is used to model the density-driven flow, while the method of reflections and method of multipoles are adapted to correct for the increased drag on the drop due to the cylindrical boundary. The numerical implementation of this model is also based upon previous work for a solid sphere, but requires attention to a number of numerical considerations not present in the solid sphere case. Finally, an experimental study is used to validate the final model within its regime of validity. Additional experimental observations of surfactant effects are detailed as well.Doctor of Philosoph

The relationship of religiosity to psychopathy: the predictive ability of religious orientation for stress and depression in college undergraduates

Evidence supports that different levels of religiosity are related to mental health outcomes. This study examines the relationship between religiosity and measures of psychological maladjustment. The current study compared participants\u27 scores on several measures of religiosity with scores on Locus of Control, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies. Multiple regressions analyses were conducted suggesting that Indiscriminate Proreligiousness, a measure of overall religiosity, was found to be negatively correlated with stress. Highly religious people were found to have more of an intrinsic religious orientation than either extrinsic or quest orientation

An Examination of Applied Ethics and Stakeholder Management on Top Corporate Websites

A content analysis was conducted using a random interval sample of the 2008 Fortune® 500 list of the largest US corporations to explore their application of ethics and stakeholder management. Seventy-two of the 500 were quantified along the lines of the content of their corporate website related to ethics, communication, stakeholders, relationship measures, community relations, and other qualitative variables. Findings indicate a greater need for identification of stakeholders on organizational websites and linkages to be explicitly made between ethics, trust, and other relationship variables with these stakeholding publics, going beyond the compliance standards of the SarbanesOxley Act. Scholarship discussed in the conceptualization of this research concluded that in order to build and enhance relationships, organizations must illustrate their commitment to trustworthy behavior, honest actions, and open communication with publics other than investors. However, less than 30% of the corporations analyzed in this research made efforts to build relationships in that manner. Implications and recommendations for improvement of corporate communication with stakeholders are discussed

The Nature of the Impact of a Reading Tutoring Program on Participating Students in the Classroom: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore the nature of the impact that a tutoring program, which featured preservice teachers as tutors, had on participating fifth grade at-risk students literacy behaviors in the classroom.The researcher served in the role of passive participant observer during the scheduled language arts period three days per week in the participating students classroom for a period of twenty-three weeks. Field notes were made in the classroom and coded, and audio tapes were recorded and transcribed of the tutoring sessions. Formal and informal interviews with the teacher, tutors, and participating students were conducted, transcribed, and coded. Lesson plans and reflections developed and written by the tutors were gathered and coded. Observations indicated that there were four types of reading required on a daily basis in the classroom. Assigned readings made by the teacher included narrative and expository texts. Pleasure readings were materials chosen by the students, but at certain times were teacher initiated and at other times, student initiated. The four types of reading found in the classroom were mirrored by the tutoring sessions. Students observed in the classroom could be divided into two types and four categories. Those with positive attitudes were called eager readers. Eager readers were made up of good readers and struggling readers, who lacked some of the reading skills possessed by good readers. Reluctant readers were the second type and had either ambiguous or explicitly negative attitudes toward reading. The type of reader, together with the type of reading required, determined the success of the tutoring sessions. The results of the data analysis show that student motivation toward reading was a key factor in determining the success of the tutoring program. Two of the three student participants in the study reported learning skills in the tutoring program that they used in other contexts