1025 research outputs found
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The Influence of Military Occupation on Insurgency in Post-Saddam Iraq: Case Studies of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul under Occupation by U.S. and Coalition Forces
No full textReform enforced by an occupying power contribute to the conditions allowing for insurgency. This study hypothesizes if an occupier implements ideological reform affecting the share of power between opposing groups, then groups that suffer from reduced power in the new system will be more likely to form violent insurgencies. However, if significant ideological reform is implemented and the government provides sufficient basic social services (electricity and clean water), then violent insurgencies are less likely to form. The hypothesis was tested through a case study method analyzing three different regions within Iraq during U.S. occupation. Research was then narrowed down to one city within each region: Baghdad within the Sunni Triangle, Basra in the British-controlled south, and Mosul in the Kurdish north. Results show although insurgent violence increased overall, the level of violence differed between the three regions of Iraq due to the ethnic and religious makeup of each city
Speaking to the State: Exploring the Correlative Nature Between Speech Absolutists and Political Participation
Get PDFThe key determinants of political participation have been long argued between political scientists. This study seeks to examine the relationship between a level of belief in Freedom of Speech and political participation. After examination of previous works and studies regarding this topic, such as Brady, Verba and Schlozman’s Resource Model of Political Participation and Riker and Odershook’s A Theory of the Calculus of Voting three hypotheses arose; first, that the level of belief in Free Speech significantly factors into voters’ decision to participate politically, second, a person’s belief in Freedom of Speech positively correlates to the likelihood of participation in all measures of political participation, and third, a person’s limited belief in freedom of speech positively correlates to the unlikelihood to participate in all measures of political participation. These hypotheses were examined through a scale that measured levels of belief in Freedom of Speech. This scale was crafted specifically for the sake of this study and functioned as the independent variable. The dependent variable was split into four different categories: 2016 voting behavior, past participation, future participation, and future voting behavior. To test the hypotheses, an original survey was created and issued through Amazon’s MTurk service. After reviewing the results that were collected from the 516 participants, it was found that the level of belief in Freedom of Speech significantly affects the rate at which people participate in all of the four variables. However, my second and third hypotheses do not stand in every dependent variable with the exception of future voting behavior
Case Study: Norway’s Gun Violence Correlation
Get PDFIt is commonly accepted in academic literature that there is a correlation between a high gun ownership rate and high gun violence, or death rates, in a country. This theory is summarized by an article written in “Epidemiologic Reviews,” a leading review journal of public health, which states, “…specific restrictions on purchase, access, and use of firearms are associated with reductions in firearm deaths” (Santaella-Tenorio, Villaveces, Galea, & Cerdá, 2010); however, there is one an outlier of the theory. The case of Norway has the independent variable of this theory, in a sense that there is a high rate of gun ownership; however, Norway doesn’t have the expected outcome of high gun violence that should happen if this theory were to be true. Since the case is an outlier in this theory, it is a most likely case; there are the traits described in the theory without the expected outcome. There can be a coincidental correlation between two things; there may be other independent variables that are the cause of the event. In this case, a high rate of gun violence, or deaths, (the dependent variable) isn’t caused by the high rate of gun ownership (the independent variable). This shows that although Norway has a high gun ownership rate, it does not have a high gun violence rate. This is due to primarily three underlying independent variables: the Norwegian culture, citizen/government relationship, and education
The Effects of Social Media and Technology on Relationship Quality
No full textThe purpose of our research was to examine the how the usage of technology affected the quality of familial relationships within college-aged students, while also taking extraneous variables into account, such as, how gender and age. In our study, we used a modified version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) and the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ). Groups of approximately 10 students were placed in a large, college classroom where they used desktop computers to take the survey. The Qualtrics survey consisted of questions about social media usage, closeness with a certain family member, and the students’ perspective on relationships, in general. We predicted that, on average, female young adults would use technology more frequently and would have better overall satisfaction with their familial relationships. In our research we have found that
Investigation of the Effect of Altering Residues on H2A.Z Deposition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
No full textThere are numerous ways in which chromatin structure can be changed. Two of these mechanisms involve alteration of histones through post-translational modifications and additions of histone variants. These variants differ from canonical histones through their structure and function. The most abundant variant, H2A.Z, is a specialized form of the canonical histone H2A. H2A.Z containing nucleosomes are located near the telomeres of chromosomes. We believe that on this histone, the threonine 87 residue is phosphorylated post-translationally and has biological functionality. As a consequence of telomeric silencing, the ADE2 gene may or may not be expressed. We plan to use placement of ADE2 gene to test if telomeric silencing is abrogated in our mutant. This is associated to the placement and functionality of the H2A.Z histone variant. Both ChIP and telomeric silencing assays are used to detect the presence and placement of H2A.Z containing nucleosomes in T87 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Applying Best Management Practices to Aid Snyder County in Meeting the Watershed Implementation Plan Phase 3 Reduction Goals in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sediment
No full textThe Chesapeake Bay is at risk due to excess nutrients that reach the Bay from upstream tributaries. Primarily due to agricultural runoff, the Bay has been exposed to high loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment that have caused algal blooms which deplete the Bay’s aquatic ecosystems of dissolved oxygen. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) that allow states to independently reach reduction goals by 2025 that will restore the Bay’s health to a higher standard. Within Pennsylvania, county targets have been developed. Snyder County specifically has a goal of reducing nitrogen loads by 1.4 million pounds per year, and phosphorus by 72,759 pounds per year. This research focuses on investigating what the most feasible Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Snyder County will be to meet these reduction goals. This study was conducted by using the Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) for numerical analysis and stakeholder interviews for input about the economic feasibility of implementation practices on sectors of both private and public land. Our results suggest that it is possible to meet the reduction goals by 2025 in Snyder County using a combination of farm manure management, stream buffers, streambank fencing, and animal heavy use area BMPs. Recommendations for future study focus on ever-changing nutrient loads and annual updates on BMPs that are being installed in Snyder County
The role of YAP in regulating apoptosis in the developing sea urchin
No full textHippo signaling pathway regulates tissue and organ development by controlling Yes-associated protein (YAP), a co-transcriptional regulator that activates anti-apoptosis and pro-cell proliferation genes in the nucleus. Hippo pathway components have been identified in sea urchin genome, but no functional characterization has been published. Our lab showed YAP specific inhibitor, verteporfin, reduced cell numbers per embryo at the early and late gastrula stage, suggesting YAP controls embryonic growth. Verteporfin inhibition of YAP resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in apoptosis, with highest apoptotic cell numbers per embryo at 48 hours with 10 ug/mL verteporfin. Apoptotic cells were detected at 48 hours in treated embryos in all three germ layers, suggesting apoptosis from YAP inhibition is not germ layer specific. We are now analyzing apoptosis using Western blot analysis to detect PARP cleavage. These experiments will help understand the role of YAP and Hippo pathway in controlling cell number during sea urchin development
I\u27m Stressin\u27 Out: Personality, Race-Based Stress, and Cross Group Friendship at Predominately White Universities
No full textPersonality correlates with race-based stress and cross-group friendship. Undergraduates at a predominately white liberal arts university (N = 728) completed a Qualtrics survey that included the IPIP-NEO-120, the RS-Race questionnaire, and a locally developed friendship scale. All Big Five personality factors correlated moderately with cross-group friendship formation and agreeableness and conscientiousness with race-based stress. This research may enable universities to develop better programs to support minority students as they transition into predominately white universities
Eyewitness Testimony: The Weapons Effect, Personality, and Gender
No full textThe Weapons Focus Effect (WFE) is the idea that the presence of a weapon draws the attention of observers, making it more difficult to recall details about the setting or the appearance of the individuals involved. Our study examines the effects of the gender of the perpetrator on the WFE, as well as the influence of the personality of the observer. 190 students from Susquehanna University watched a mock crime video, which varied between participants in terms of the presence of a weapon and the gender of the perpetrator. We predict that there will be a stronger WFE in scenes with a female perpetrator because preexisting expectations will lead to greater surprise at women holding weapons. We also predict that extraverted individuals will be less susceptible than introverts to the WFE
Water-soluble porphyrins that show specificity towards G-quadruplex DNA: microwave synthesis, characterization, and spectroscopic study
No full textPorphyrins are heterocyclic organic molecules that can be used as highly specific fluorescent DNA probes. A series of water-soluble, non-aggregating porphyrins have been synthesized and characterized using NMR spectroscopy and silica gel thin layer chromatography. Previous synthesis methods have been improved using microwave irradiation to directly heat samples at the molecular level, allowing for faster reaction times. The porphyrins will be used to detect G-quadruplexes, a guanine-rich form of DNA found in the telomeric region of the chromosome. G-quadruplexes inhibit the enzyme telomerase, which causes cancer cell proliferation, making them targets for cancer research. Interactions between porphyrins and G-quadruplexes will be characterized using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Additionally, interactions between metal complexes and quadruplex DNA were characterized using SERS and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results from both techniques show that the zinc complex preferentially binds to 17mer DNA