Arithmetic properties of curves and Jacobians

2020 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.This thesis is about algebraic curves and their Jacobians. The first chapter concerns Abhyankar's Inertia Conjecture which is about the existence of unramified covers of the affine line in positive characteristic with prescribed ramification behavior. The second chapter demonstrates the existence of a curve C for which a particular algebraic cycle, called the Ceresa cycle, is torsion in the Jacobian variety of C. The final chapter is a study of supersingular Hurwitz curves in positive characteristic

College Science Teachers\u27 Inquiry Beliefs And Practices In The Science Classroom

The purpose of the study was to examine college science professors’ beliefs regarding the use of inquiry in the college science classroom, how these beliefs impacted their instructional choices and how these beliefs were enacted in the classroom. Additional questions were how teachers’ beliefs vary across institution types (community college, private, four year college, and large research institution), and how beliefs vary across disciplines (life sciences and physical sciences). A case study design was required for this study due to the complexity of the topic and different data sources needed to answer the fore stated research questions. These data sources included surveys, interviews, classroom and laboratory observations and written records such as laboratory activities and syllabi. Twelve college professors at three different institutions; large research institution, small, private four year college and community college were interviewed. In addition to interviews, classes and labs were observed, a questionnaire on the five essential features of inquiry was given and samples of labs and syllabi were obtained. A laboratory coordinator was also interviewed as she was responsible for the laboratory section for two of the professors at the research institution. All schools were located in the southeast United States. The perception of inquiry by college science professors has been found to be a barrier to the inclusion of inquiry in college classrooms and was supported in the current study. While the professors described constraints to inquiry such as large class size, lack of time, disinterest of students, and lack of equipment, these limitations were due, in part, to the professors’ incomplete view of inquiry as what researchers do. This view was most pronounced with the professors at the large, research institution. At the research institution, observations in the classroom mirrored the beliefs of inquiry. Lecture was the primary instruction in the science classroom, and the labs were scripted and shown to be “cookbook” with little or no evidence of inquiry noted in the labs iv obtained. There was more evidence of inquiry at the private four-year college and community college than at the large research institution; what was observed in the classroom mirrored what the professors believed about inquiry. There was a difference in the beliefs between institutions with the professors at the research institution holding an incomplete view of inquiry while the professors at the private college and community college included many aspects of the inquiry continuum in their view of inquiry. There were no differences noted between disciplines

The role of diacylglycerol lipase in constitutive and angiotensin AT(1) receptor-stimulated cannabinoid CB1 receptor activity

The cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) is,a G protein-coupled receptor, which couples to the G(i/o) family of heterotrimeric G proteins. The receptor displays both basal and agonist-induced signaling and internalization. Although basal activity of CBIRs is attributed to constitutive (agonist-independent) receptor activity, studies in neurons suggested a role of postsynaptic endocannabinoid (eCB) release in the persistent activity of presynaptic CB1Rs. To elucidate the role of eCBs in basal CB1R activity, we have investigated the role of diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) in this process in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which are not targeted specifically with I Agonist-induced G protein activation was determined by detecting dissociation G protein subunits expressed in CHO cells with bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET), after labeling the alpha and beta subunits with Renilla luciferase and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), respectively. Pre-incubation of the cells with tetrahydrolipstatin (THL), a known inhibitor of DAGLs, caused inhibition of the basal activity of CBIR. Moreover, preincubation of CHO and cultured hippocampal neurons with THL increased the number of CBIRs on the cell membrane, which reflects its inhibitory action on CB1R internalization in non-simulated cells. In CHO cells co-expressing CB1R and angiotensin AT(1) receptors, angiotensin II-induced Go protein activation that was blocked by both a CBIR antagonist and THL. These data indicate that cell-derived I mediators have a general role in the basal activity of CB1Rs in non-neural cells and neurons, and that this mechanism can be stimulated by AT(1) receptor activation

A service-oriented approach to modeling and performance analysis of Port Community Systems:

A Port Community System (PCS) is an electronic platform that links the multiple systems operated by private and public organizations. Accordingly, PCSs can be interpreted as complex service system networks that coproduce services. The study proposes a three levels top-down methodology which aims to interpret existing PCS in order to: provide a formal description of this system network based on the enterprise architecture concepts of a PCS; illustrate how each actor of a PCS offers or requires services; and present a new approach to the measurement of services based on the Goal-Question-Metric paradigm

Thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly: an unusual presentation of congenital hepatic fibrosis

Congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF) is a rare autosomal recessive disease that primarily affects the hepatobiliary and renal systems. It is characterized by hepatic fibrosis, portal hypertension, and renal cystic disease. Firm or hard hepatomegaly is present nearly in all patients, often with a prominent left lobe, and this is usually one of the presenting signs. The haematological manifestations due to hypersplenism generally arise when the other gastrointestinal manifestations are clearly developed. We describe the first case of CHF presenting in an otherwise healthy child, with thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly as the only manifestations of the disease