Managing client value at the strategic briefing stage of construction projects

Abstract unavailable please refer to PD

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationLong-term prey population histories are fundamental to reconstructing spatial and temporal variation in human diet, hunting technology, capture strategies, and a host of other prehistoric hunting behaviors. Typically, such reconstructions have involved the use of taxonomic relative abundance indexes from bone counts as measures of population history, but such measures are subject to many complicating quantitative and taphonomic issues. Fortunately, animal populations maintain a record of population history in the form of genetic diversity. By assessing temporal variation in the genetic diversity of populations, zooarchaeologists have access to this history. This dissertation describes research that was designed to use the genetic record of population history to develop long-term histories of two prey species and to compare these genetic diversity-derived histories with those drawn from relative abundance measures. Taxonomic relative abundance measures from California's San Miguel Island suggest that Guadalupe fur seals maintained a large and stable population through the late Holocene, whereas the archaeological record of Tule elk in California's San Francisco Bay area suggests a late Holocene population bottleneck. To evaluate the genetic diversity implications of these two contexts, I obtained ancient DNA sequences from 39 Guadalupe fur seal specimens from four archaeological sites on San Miguel Island and from 24 Tule elk specimens from the San Francisco Bay area's Emeryville Shellmound. In both cases trends in genetic diversity support inferences made from relative abundance data. Guadalupe fur seal sequences, aggregated into three late Holocene temporal periods, show considerable genetic diversity within each period and no differentiation between periods suggesting a large and stable population. Tule elk sequences were divided into two groups that span a hypothesized population bottleneck. Analysis of these aggregations shows considerable diversity among pre-bottleneck sequences but no diversity in post-bottleneck sequences. This result is surprising for Guadalupe fur seals whose life history characteristics suggest that their populations are rather susceptible to hunting pressure. One plausible reason for long-term stability of Guadalupe fur seal populations in the face of what was likely significant hunting pressure is the presence of population refugia from which migration sustained genetically diverse populations

Structural Analysis of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1 (TRPV1) Channel Protein and Proline Mimics using Computational Techniques

Chapter I The Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) family of ion channels encompasses more than 30 members, which are expressed in many different tissues and cell types.1 Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1 (TRPV1) is part of the TRP family gated by vanilloids, heat and protons.2 Molecular modeling will be used in order obtain structural and functional data on TRPV1 in its membrane bound environment. In particular, the transmembrane and C-terminal domain regions of TRPV1 are of particular interest. The S1-S4 region of the channel is the putative ligand-binding segment, while the C-terminal domain is suggested to respond to temperature and is regulated by phosphotidylinosides (PIP2). Despite the crucial roles in mediating signal transductions at both peripheral and central nervous systems, TRP channels are poorly understood in the context of structures and mechanisms.4 A molecular model of the published transmembrane section of TRPV1 along with the putative, unstructured C-terminal domain was created using their respective homology models and inserted into their membranes.5 Simulations were performed using both a lipid membrane containing PIP2 and one without PIP2 in order to determine its role in TRPV1 activation/deactivation. Molecular dynamics simulations could provide pivotal information about ligand binding, voltage sensing, interaction with heat/cold and proton binding for TRPV1. MD simulations alluded to the fact that when both temperature and PIP2 are present a greater degree of conformational change is observed. A greater understanding of the structure of TRPV1 could provide important details on how to alleviate certain diseases such as pain, asthma and diabetes. Chapter II Proline is unlike any other natural amino acid; it is the only amino acid that contains a pyrrolidine ring structure and is a secondary amine.56 Pseudoproline was derived in order to address the solubility and aggregation difficulties that can arise when performing FMOC solid phase synthesis of peptides.60 The presence of pseudoproline in a peptide overcomes aggregation by disrupting helices and β-sheets; leading causes in peptide aggregation.60 Derived from serine, cysteine or threonine via cyclo-condensation reaction with aldehydes or ketones, pseudoproline is commercially available, however, it undergo peptide synthesis through SPPS. A new proline mimic be utilized by SPPS; additionally, it is hypothesized to also decrease aggregation and increase solubility. The proposed mechanism for the proline mimic increased stability is due to a hypothesized formation of stable β hairpin turn during peptide synthesis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed in order to determine the equilibrium constant (K) and total energy of peptides containing proline, pseudoproline or the proline mimic. Molecular dynamic simulations were used in order to generate theoretical Ramachandran plots, which provided essential insight into the secondary structure of all three peptides

An Investigation of Variables Which Predict Social Skills Functioning in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The focus of this paper was on defining variables associated with social skills of children diagnosed with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as currently defined in the DSM-III-R. Sixty-six boys aged six through 10 participated in the study. Diagnosis of ADHD was made by a licensed psychologist in a private practice setting. Each student was administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement. The primary teacher of each student completed the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), the Social Skills Rating System-Teacher Form (SSRS-T), the Revised Conner\u27s Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R), the IOWA Conner\u27s Teacher Rating Scale (IOWA), and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham (SNAP) Checklist. Correlational analyses supported hypotheses that scores on the social skills measures were related significantly to measures of inattention, impulsivity, inattention, aggression, and academic achievement. Regression analyses were performed in order to determine a parsimonious model which would account for the relationship between symptoms of ADHD, aggression, academic competence and social skills functioning. The results of these analyses are discussed along with the relevancy of the findings in relation to suggestions for future research

Sexual Violence in Native American Communities

This issue brief will describe the high rate of sexual violence in Native American communities, which is so large that one in three Native women report incidents of rape. While there have been numerous political and jurisdictional changes in the past decade to address this issue, more has to be done in order to improve the rates of sexual violence in a timely and effective manner