Equivariant dendroidal sets and simplicial operads

We establish a Quillen equivalence between the homotopy theories of equivariant Segal operads and equivariant simplicial operads with norm maps. Together with previous work, we further conclude that the homotopy coherent nerve is a right-Quillen equivalence from the model category of equivariant simplicial operads with norm maps to the model category structure for equivariant-$\infty$-operads in equivariant dendroidal sets.Comment: v3: Improvements to exposition and minor edits, in response to referee suggestion

Is the Trail-Following Behavior of Juvenile Physa acuta Influenced by Kinship and Familiarity?

Trail-following behavior is exhibited by many species ranging from insects to gastropods. In gastropods, this behavior serves many functions such as the facilitation of movement, homing, mate and conspecific location, organization, aggregation, and protection. Kin recognition is also a behavior that is exhibited by a wide variety of species including both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Kin recognition serves many functions including social interactions and status, discrimination, which can lead to outcrossing, and cooperative behaviors that can increase the likelihood of survival. Familiarity with individuals may also contribute to survival through protection and enhanced cooperation. Kin recognition can involve familiarity in conjunction with the detection of genetically-mediated cues or markers, and trail-following mechanisms may be linked to the chemical components of the trail itself. Experiments were conducted to determine whether kinship and/or familiarity influence the trail-following behavior of juvenile Physa acuta, a freshwater snail. The degree of trail-following was determined by tracing the trails of marker and tracker snails and by using the lengths of the trails and lines of overlap to calculate a coincidence index. The total length of the tracker trail and marker trail were analyzed to detect differences in marker and tracker trail lengths. There was no significant effect of kinship and familiarity on coincidence index and trail length. There was a pattern for trackers to follow trails of unfamiliar individuals and a pattern whereby tracker snails left longer trails when exposed to the trails of familiar marker snails. Possible benefits for following the trail of an unfamiliar individual may include colonizing a new hospitable environment with other conspecifics or leading the snail away from an inhospitable region. Increase in crawl distance for tracker snails may have been motivated by exploration of new environments, as the presence of a familiar individual would be associated with familiar locations that have already been explored. This study provides insight into the possible role of familiarity in trail-following and locomotive behavior in Physa acuta

The Cult of True Womanhood: Women of the Mid-nineteenth Century and Their Assigned Roles as Reflected in Contemporary Writing

Women of the mid-nineteenth century found themselves in a unique position brought on by changing social and economic structures. Technological advances and changes created opportunities for men to work outside of the home, earning enough money to support their families without assistance from their wives. This led to a push for women to stay in the home, as exemplars of four very important qualities: piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity. These qualities were extolled through magazines and other writings of the time. There were voices speaking up against this new ideal, but it lasted intact until the advent of the Civil W ar when it began to change because of circumstances beyond the control of average Americans. In some form, however, some of the ideals are still encouraged even now.Master'sCollege of Arts and Sciences: Liberal StudiesUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117679/1/Bonventre.pd

Neutron Multiplicity in Atmospheric Neutrino Events at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

This thesis describes the results of two separate analyses. Part I is the description of the first analysis which uses the newest measurements of neutrino mixing to study various non-standard models of neutrino interactions through their impact on solar neutrinos. These models can be motivated by the fact that solar neutrino experiments have yet to see directly the transition region between matter-enhanced and vacuum oscillations. The transition region is particularly sensitive to models of non-standard neutrino interactions and propagation. I examine several such non-standard models which predict a lower-energy transition region. I find that while several models provide a better fit to the solar neutrino data set, large experimental uncertainties lead to a low statistical significance. Part II describes the second analysis, where I look at neutron followers of contained atmospheric neutrino events in the SNO data set. These kinds of events are difficult backgrounds for nucleon decay measurements, and understanding the neutron follower multiplicity will allow for better rejection. It can also help improve measurements of the neutrino mass hierarchy and neutrino-nuclear cross sections. I find that the dependence of the average multiplicity on the visible energy agrees well with the predictions of simulations except for an unexplained deficit between 100 MeV and 600 MeV and an excess above 4 GeV. I determined the ability to distinguish neutrino and antineutrino events using the multiplicity by fitting for the double ratio $R \equiv (\overline{\nu}/\nu)_{\text{data}} / (\overline{\nu}/{\nu})_{\text{MC}})$. I find $R = 0.93^{+0.91}_{-0.63}$ for a fit to a single multiplicity distribution per phase, and $R \u3c 1.00$ for a fit to separate distributions for single electron ring, single muon ring, and multi-ring events. I also look at the agreement with a meson-exchange current cross section model developed to explain anomalous cross sections measured by MiniBooNE. Fitting for the strength of the MEC contribution as a fraction of the quasielastic charged-current cross section, I find an upper limit of $\sigma_{MEC}/\sigma_{QECC} \u3c 0.17$ for a fit to combined distributions and $\sigma_{MEC}/\sigma_{QECC} \u3c 0.04$ for a fit to separate distributions for ring count and type

Calcium in Renal Cells. Modulation of Calcium-dependent Activation of Phospholipase A2A_2.

Calcium has been implicated as a regulatory factor in many physiological and pathophysiological processes in the renal cell. Under physiological conditions, the cytosolic free calcium concentration is maintained at approximately 100 nM. Most of the releasable cell $Ca^{2+}$ resides in the nonmitochondrial compartments. In addition to the plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}$ transport processes, there is a high-affinity, low-capacity buffering capability of nonmitochondrial organelles and a lower-affinity high-capacity mitochondrial $Ca^{2+}$ buffering capability. A critical enzymatic effector of $Ca^{2+}$ action in the cell is phospholipase $A_2$. By using digitonin-permeabilized renal mesangial cells, the [$Ca^{2+}$] dependency of phospholipase $A_2$ was characterized. The [$Ca^{2+}$] sensitivity was insufficient to explain the phospholipase $A_2$ activation observed with vasopressin. In both intact cells, as well as permeabilized cells, it was found that protein kinase C activation markedly enhanced the $Ca^{2+}$ calmodulin-dependent activation of phospholipase $A_2$. In response to platelet-derived growth factor, it was found that arachidonic acid release preceded phospholipase C activation. This suggests that other effectors besides $Ca^{2+}$ and protein kinase C may also be important for phospholipase $A_2$ activation. In an experimental model designed to mimic postischemic reperfusion damage to renal mitochondria, it was demonstrated that reactive oxygen species act synergistically with $Ca^{2+}$ to activate mitochondrial phospholipase $A_2$, which mediates damage to site I of the electron transport chain, the $F_1F_0$ ATPase, and the adenine nucleotide translocase. In conclusion, an adequate understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological roles of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ relies, not only on the measurement of $Ca^{2+}$ concentration and the characterization of "$Ca^{2+}$-dependent" processes, but an appreciation of the complex synergistic interactions between $Ca^{2+}$ and other mediators of cellular activation and toxicity