Alien Registration- Manoogian, George (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31709/thumbnail.jp

Alien Registration- Manoogian, Virginia (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31710/thumbnail.jp

Alien Registration- Manoogian, Ohan (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31872/thumbnail.jp

Behavioral, Neurobiological, and Genetic Analysis of the Circadian Mutant Duper

The recently discovered circadian mutant hamster duper has a short period of ~23 hours and exhibits exaggerated phase shifts in response to a 15-min light pulse. To increase the understanding of the duper mutation, I performed behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic experiments. Behavioral studies using photic and non-photic stimuli found that large phase shifts exhibited by duper hamsters are specific to photic cues, but not to phase. Additionally, 2/3 of duper hamsters, but no WTs, displayed transient ultradian wheel-running patterns when transferred from light to dark at CT 18. This suggests that the mutation may weaken coupling among components of the circadian pacemaker. Anatomical and immunocytochemical analysis of the SCN was used to examine the neurobiological mechanisms of large light-induced phase shifts in dupers. Brains were collected from duper and WT hamsters at CT 12 and 15 as well as 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 hours following a light pulse, or control handling, at CT 15. Surprisingly, the only difference in PER1 (a core clock protein) expression in the SCN between dupers and WTs was seen 2-hours after a light pulse; duper hamsters displayed a significantly greater percentage of retinorecipient VIP cells co-labeled with PER1 compared to WTs. Additional differences between genotypes occurred 9 hours after CT15 (controls). In the SCN, the number of PER1-ir cells was significantly greater in WT than duper hamsters, however this finding was reversed in the PVN. This anatomical mismatch suggests the mutation may affect signaling between the SCN and extra-SCN oscillators. Finally, to identify the genetic basis of the duper phenotype, I crossed dupers with a novel ecotype in order to perform fast homozygosity mapping. Duper transmitted onto the novel ecotype with the predicted Mendelian inheritance of phenotype. I collected DNA from F2 duper hamsters, and expect fast homozygosity mapping will identify candidate genetic regions of the duper mutation. Additional behavioral experiments in F2 dupers demonstrated that duper hamsters are resistant to jet lag. As duper is a unique circadian mutation, understanding of the behavioral phenotype, neurobiological mechanism, and genetic basis of the duper mutation will greatly increase our knowledge of the circadian system

Alien Registration- Manoogian, Mary A. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31304/thumbnail.jp

Providing Diverse Texts to Secondary Learners: Encouraging Critical Inquiry and Understanding

The goal of this action research project was to become a more competent educator when it comes to incorporating diverse literature in my classroom, and facilitate conversations about race, gender, and power among my students. A contributing factor to the ability to critically think is the capacity to read and reflect. Nationally, at least 8.7 million low-income students in kindergarten through fifth grade read below grade level. Research shows that income is closely tied to literacy rates (Van Pelt, 2018). By helping students connect texts to their own lives and critically analyze them, teachers are setting students up for success in the workplace, but also in their interpersonal relationships and daily lives. The methods of inquiry for this study focused on the principles and practices of action research, using self-study aligned with professional teaching standards, teacher artifacts, journal entries, classroom artifacts, lesson plans, and EDTPA materials as a means of data collection. I used these methods to address three research questions: (1) How can I encourage students to analyze texts through application to personal and social contexts?; (2) How can I develop pedagogical skills to engage students in discussions about race and power?; and (3) How do I develop a library that reflects critical literacy practices? Major themes that emerged from my research were self-study, expert recommendation, and student choice. In order to improve my disposition and ability to lead discussions about race and power, I need the background knowledge and practice to be prepared for those discussions

\u27It\u27s Just What You Do:\u27 Exploring Relationships Between Young-Adult Grandchildren and their Grandfathers

The grandparent role is a dynamic and often ambivalent relationship requiring simultaneous navigation of “being there” and “not interfering” in the lives of grandchildren (Mason, May, & Clarke, 2007). These relationships change as grandchildren mature and can result in new grandparent-grandchild connections based on communication, intimacy, and mutual respect (Sheehan & Petrovic, 2008). Utilizing a sample of grandfathers and young-adult grandchildren (N = 32), this study investigated the impact that grandfathers have on their young-adult grandchildren. Utilizing a life course perspective, we asked: a) How do grandfathers invest in the futures of their young-adult grandchildren? b) How do young-adult grandchildren recognize and receive their grandfather’s investments in their futures? Results suggest that grandfathers emphasized their grandparenting role but undervalued their contributions to their grandchildren. Grandfathers and grandchildren also did not always agree on the transmissions intended and received. When asked to recall meaningful memories of grandfathers, young-adult grandchildren were more likely to remember instances of shared hobbies, interests, and personal connection. Findings have implications for understanding and strengthening the ties between grandfathers and their grandchildren

Scattering of SH-Waves by Arbitrary Surface Topography

The weighted residual method was applied to the problem of scattering and diffraction of plane SH-waves by a shallow alluvial valley of arbitrary shape on the surface of a two-dimensional half-space. The formulation was also applied to the case of a shallow canyon. In order to demonstrate the versatility of the method, it was applied to shallow circular, shallow elliptical, and shallow rectangular canyons and alluvial valleys. Results obtained for the cases of a semi-cylindrical and a shallow semi-elliptical valleys and canyons match those obtained using closed form solutions. It was shown that significant ground motion amplifications, with respect to the amplitude of incident waves, occurred near and in the canyon or valley. Amplifications were dependent upon the shape and depth of the canyon or valley, the relative properties of the alluvium in the valley and the surrounding medium, and the frequency and angle of incidence of incoming waves. Amplification profiles for the lower frequency incident waves were simple near the canyon and valley on the surface of the half-space with peak amplifications that did not significantly vary from 2, the value expected on the surface of the half-space. Within a valley containing softer alluvium, the amplification profile is more complex with values larger than 2. Within the canyon, amplification profiles remained simple with peaks near 2. As the frequency of the incident waves are increased, the amplification profiles near the canyon and valley became more complicated with peak values exceeding 5 for rectangular shaped valleys. Within the canyon, the profiles were similar. On the surface of the valley, the amplification profiles are more complex with peak values exceeding 10 for many valley configurations

“Drugs was My Solution -- My Problem was Life”: Heroin Addiction and the Life Course Perspective

Heroin and other opiate dependencies affect individual users, interpersonal relationships, and communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand risk factors of heroin dependence by examining the life course paths of individuals who have been through addiction, treatment, and are currently in recovery. In-depth interviews were conducted with five participants in recovery. Participant narratives suggest that early childhood experiences, specifically parental abuse and social rejection, combined with substance abuse as a model for coping, influenced the development of addiction. Social support and self-awareness during and after treatment were effective components of sustaining recovery