Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationPrecise optical neural stimulation is an essential element in the use of optogenetics to elicit predictable neural action potentials within the brain, but accessing specific neocortical layers, light scattering, columniation, and ease of tissue damage pose unique challenges to the device engineer. This dissertation presents the design, simulation, microfabrication, and characterization of the Utah Optrode Array (UOA) for precise neural tissue targeting through three main objectives: 1. Maskless wafer-level microfabrication of optical penetrating neural arrays out of soda- lime glass: Utah Optrode Array. 2. Utah Optrode Array customization using stereotactic brain atlases and 3D CAD modeling for optogenetic neocortical interrogation in small rodents and nonhuman primates. 3. Single optrode characterization of the UOA for neocortical illumination. Maskless microfabrication techniques were used to create 169 individual 9 × 9 arrays 3.85 mm × 3.85 mm with 1.1 mm long optrodes from a single two inch glass wafer. The 9 × 9 UOA was too large for precise targeting of the upper layers of the cortex in smaller animals such as mice, so an array customization method was developed using Solidworks and off-the-shelf brain atlases to create 8 × 6 arrays 3.45 mm × 2.45 mm with 400 μm long optrodes. Stereotactic atlases were imported into Solidworks, splined, and lofted together to create a single 3D CAD model of a specific region of interest in the brain. Chronic and acute brain trauma showed excellent results for the 8 × 6 arrays in C57BL/6 wild-type mice (Mus musculus) and macaque monkey (Macaca fascicularis). Simulation, characterization, and radiometric testing of a single optrode of the 9 × 9 array was necessary to prove the ability to transmit light directly to specific tissue. Zemax optical design software was used to predict the light transmission capabilities, and then these results were compared to actual bench-top results. Insertion loss was both predicted and measured to be 3.7 dB. Power budgeting showed 9% of the light was lost at the interfaces of the UOA's backplane and tip in air, and 48% was lost through back-scattering, leaving 43% transmitting through the optrode with no measurable taper loss. Scanning electron microscopy showed small amounts of devitrification of the glass, and atomic force microscopy showed average surface roughness to be 13.5 nm and a root mean square roughness of 20.6 nm. The output beam was profiled in fluorescein dye with a total divergence angle of 63◦ with a cross over distance to adjacent beams at 255 μm

Alien Registration- Boutte, Emanuel A. (Rumford, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/13555/thumbnail.jp

Variation in job search strategies: job search strategies and job retention in Louisiana

The majority of sociological research on job search strategies has focused primarily on social networks with little attention given to all other forms of job search. Also, much of the existing literature focuses on outcomes of a job search as opposed to the search itself. This paper seeks to expand the job search literature by focusing on the characteristics that determine which job search method an individual will use and then predicting job retention as a result of the job search method. Using data from the Louisiana Job Search Survey (2002) I find that network structure has an effect on choosing personal contacts as a job search method. Particularly, having a higher proportion of weak ties in the network leads to higher probabilities of using personal contacts. I also find that job search methods vary by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. I do not find that the job search method a person uses has an effect on job retention. The overall findings suggest that job search is not determined by personal characteristics, but instead seems to be related to the situations that surround job searches

Truth from Fiction: The Apologetic Use of Christian Allegorical Literature in the 21st Century

Christian allegorical literature is a genre that explores apologetic claims in a unique and creative way. Although this genre has attracted many readers over the years, there is hesitation and reluctancy to accept Christian allegorical literature as a genre that should be used as an apologetic method. Namely, the didactic intent of this genre has caused some critics to question whether Christian allegorical literature promotes critical reading and thinking skills in a way that leads readers to make their own spiritual decisions. Some skeptics believe that sharing theistic truths that are disguised by fictional storylines is a creative way to forcibly push Christian theism on readers, instead of allowing them to engage critically with the narratives. This thesis argues that critical engagement skills are necessary to fully understand Christian allegorical literature. Furthermore, the critical reader’s free will must be taken into consideration when analyzing books of this genre. Even if an author presents accurate theological claims, the critical reader has the ability to decide whether he will be moved to action by the apologetic truths he uncovers in the narrative. The research of this thesis concludes that critical reading and thinking skills can readily be applied to Christian allegorical literature. Readers who engage critically with Christian allegorical texts have the tools they need to determine what parts of the text they believe should impact their spiritual lives. Although Christian authors might act as a spiritual catalyst, it is the reader who decides whether he will pursue or reject Christianity. For this reason, Christian allegorical literature continues to be used as a resource that encourages critical thinking about spirituality

Facies Analysis; Fredericksburg Limestones; Callahan Divide, Texas

During Fredericksburg (Early Cretaceous) time the entire Callahan Divide area of west-central Texas was the site of clayey, lime-mud accumulation in a normal-marine, shallow-shelf environment. Lateral homogeneity of the quiet-water environment was soon interrupted locally by the deposition of bioclastic lime-sands in a linear, highly agitated shoal-zone coinciding with a portion of the axis of a regional, positive, Paleozoic structural feature known as the Concho Arch. Localized shoal conditions persisted throughout most of Fredericksburg time and resulted in the deposition of a thick sequence of grainstones and packstones collectively referred to in this paper as the Callahan Complex. Numerous diastems within the Callahan Complex resulted from intermittent subaerial exposure, lithification and subsequent submergence of the area and attest to a complex depositional history of the sand body. Diastems in the lime-sand sequence resulted from the combined effect of (1) rapid accumulation of sediment on topographically high areas of the sea bottom and (2) fluctuations of sea level resulting from regional differential subsidence of the structurally high Callahan Divide area with respect to flanking basins. Relief on the sea bottom was due primarily to ero- sional relief produced during the periods of subaerial exposure and provided sites for the shallow shoal-areas in which well-sorted, fine-grained, bioclastic material was concentrated. Passageways for marine currents through the shoalarea formed as channels normal to the linear trend. Well- sorted ooliths and coarse, poorly sorted, bioclastic grains characterize the two types of channel lithologies. During its deposition the Callahan Complex separated a marly, lime-mud depositional area to the northeast and a less-marly, tidal-flat-dolomite depositional area to the southwest. The sand body (1) acted as a barrier to the passage of terrigenous clay being received from a distant source-to the northeast and (2) locally inhibited normal circulation of marine waters

The impact of capital controls on firm value

JEL Classification: G14, G15This research studies the impacts of controls on capital outflows in stock returns, by analysing: the reaction of investors to the announcement of the imposition of the restrictions. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate: - If the implementation of controls on capital outflows has a negative effect on firms´ stock prices? - If the imposition of controls on capital outflows has a different impact across industries? And how it affects differently firms´ in export oriented-sectors and the remaining sectors? The existence of potential differences in the impacts on stock prices: of the imposition of restrictions and a tightening of the capital controls already in place, was also examined. This dissertation intends to contribute for the knowledge of controls on capital outflows, through an analysis of the impact of their implementation in: Cyprus, Greece, Brazil and Argentina. Nonetheless, based on the results obtained it is not possible to draw a conclusion on the impacts of the imposition of restrictions to funds mobility in stock returns. The findings are not only inconsistent with the main hypothesis formulated, but also do not support the initial study expectation: that firms operating in sectors with a high export volume exporting would face smaller losses, in stock prices, than the remaining companies. Furthermore, it appears that the impacts of the imposition of controls on capital outflows differ among different industry groups; which also contradicts the results of previous research, on inflow controls, and leads to the rejection of the hypotheses established.Este estudo debruça-se sobre o impacto dos controlos de capitais nos retornos das acções, analizando a reacção dos investidores ao anúncio da imposição destas restrições. O objectivo desta dissertação foi investigar: - Se a implementação de controlos à saída de capital possui um efeito negativo sob o preço das acções das empresas? - Se o efeito da imposição destas medidas difere entre indústrias? E a forma como varia entre empresas em sectores com uma maior orientação exportadora e as que operam nos restantes sectores de actividade. Também foi analisada a existência de possíveis diferenças, em termos do efeito sob a quotação de mercado das empresas, entre uma imposição de controlos de capitais e um reforço dessas mesmas limitações. Esta dissertação pretende contribuir para o conhecimento acerca dos controlos à saida de capital, através da análise do impacto da sua implementação: no Chipre, Grécia, Brasil e Argentina. Contudo, os resultados obtidos não permitem estabelecer conclusões relativas ao impacto da sua imposição, sob os retornos das acções. Os resultados não só são inconsistentes com a principal hipótese estudada, como também contradizem a expectativa detida inicialmente: de que empresas em sectores com uma maior orientação exportadora registariam perdas menores, na quotação das suas acções, do que as empresas a operar nos restantes sectores de actividade. Além disso, aparentemente os impactos da imposição de controlos à saída de capital diferem entre indústrias; o que também contradiz os resultados de estudos anteriores, relativos a restrições à entrada de fundos, e leva à rejeição das hipóteses estabelecidas

Design Proposal and Realization of an Academic-Nanosat PEDAGO-SAT Platform for Aerospace Training

Through this project, we try to promote the local aerospace knowledge by proposing a new kind of cooperation between the algerian universities and the ALgerian Space Agency (ASAL). The adopted method consists in developing an engineering training platform of a Nano-satellite (Open-source) and preparing functional and practical test courses to allow to the students and trainees the access to various knowledge related to the development and integration of satellites. The development plan granted to this platform (PEDAGO-SAT) is 36 months. At first milestone, a preliminary design realization of prototype are done, covering the certain equipment and sub-systems. The mechanical structure is alloy cube that could be opened into a petal, which will house a standard 1U stack cards of the avionics part. The OBC design is done around the ATmega-2560 microcontroller to ensure a less development complexity and follow trends in the Algerian the academic research community. The other equipment will be a COTS acquisition as (the magnetometer 3axes, gyroscope 3axes and the geolocation system GPS). To encourage the reproduction of this PEDAGO-SAT, the materials and components chosen for realization was accessible on the local market and easy to machine and to commission for students

For I Know the Plans I Have for You: God Locus of Control, Spiritual Change, and Death Anxiety in Primary Brain Tumor Patients

Background/Purpose. Primary brain tumor (PBT) patients risk experiencing death anxiety given the high mortality rate of their diagnosis. In line with Terror Management Theory (TMT), many diagnosed with cancer utilize religion as a method of coping with the disease. However, previous literature on the relation between death anxiety and religion in cancer patients indicates mixed findings of either a negative relationship or no association. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has analyzed these two constructs together in PBT patients. The current study sought to address this gap by investigating the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety in an understudied population. Methods. Adult PBT patients (N = 56, Mage = 49.38, 51.8% female, 71.4% Caucasian, Mmonths since diagnosis = 55.34) completed measures of religiosity and death anxiety at their routine medical appointment at an academic medical center, including: The God Locus of Health Control Scale (GLHCS), Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS), and the Death Distress Scale (DDS). Descriptives and Pearson correlations were utilized. Results. The results revealed that while the GLHCS was not significantly related to either measure of death anxiety, the Spiritual Change subscale of the PTGI was positively correlated to both the DADDS (r = .56, p \u3c .001) and the DDS (r = .41, p = .01). Conclusions and Implications. Results suggest that certain proxies of religiosity may be more closely associated with death anxiety than others. Although there was no evidence in our sample that PBT patient’s God locus of control was related to death anxiety, those who reported higher levels of death anxiety endorsed greater spiritual change (i.e., I have a stronger religious faith). Considering TMT, perhaps feelings of death anxiety prompt one to strengthen their religious beliefs. Future longitudinal analyses addressing the direction and course of these relationships are warranted. Acknowledgement of Funding: The current study was funded on behalf of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Learning Objective. Participants will learn about the relationship between religiosity and death anxiety in oncology patients. Further, participants will consider how these findings may or may not differ for PBT patients and across various measures of religiosity.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1049/thumbnail.jp

Multiple perspectives on cognitive development: Radical constructivism, cognitive constructivism, sociocultural theory, and critical theory

This multi-vocal article represents the work of three teacher educators. In conjunction with Glasersfeld’s (1996) description of Radical Constructivism, we agree that any theory “cannot claim to be anything but one approach to the age-old problem of knowing. Only its application in contexts where a theory of knowing makes a difference can show whether or not it can be considered a viable approach.” (von Glasersfeld, 1996, p. 309). In this conceptual piece, we examined the relationship between Radical Constructivism and three distinct, yet sometimes overlapping, theories: 1) Cognitive Constructivism 2) Sociocultural Theory; and 3) Critical Theory. First, we discuss the key premises, elements, and/or assumptions of each theory as well as points of convergence and divergence between each theory and Radical Constructivism. Secondly, we will analyze the opening vignette through the three different theoretical lenses

Les réseaux d'observation du Département de la Santé des forêts -

Le dispositif de surveillance de la santé des forêts en France s'appuie sur trois réseaux complémentaires : le réseau national de suivi à long terme des écosystèmes forestiers (RENECOFOR), le réseau systématique de suivi des dommages forestiers (RSSDF) et le réseau de correspondants-observateurs du Département de la Santé des Forêts (DSF). Les objectifs et la stratégie de surveillance de la santé des forêts mis en place en 2007, pour suivre notamment l'impact des changements globaux sur l'état sanitaire des forêts, sont ensuite abordés. En conclusion, des illustrations (cartes, graphiques ) des résultats d'observations de divers parasites depuis 2007 sont proposées