The study being undertaken was to ascertain the effect or effects of different firing conditions and colorants on glazes composed of wood ash from two trees indigenous to Texas.

Recent studies have confirmed the presence of insulin receptors in the rat brain although their function has still not been well defined. The present study explores the possibility that insulin receptors in the brain can alter or contribute to central neurotransmission. Insulin caused a dose-dependent inhibition of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. The pattern of inhibition mirrored the binding kinetics of insulin in the hippocampus. Two related peptides, proinsulin and desoctapeptide insulin, had neuronal effects consistent with their binding to insulin receptors in the brain. Proinsulin was effective in doses 30-fold greater than insulin, whereas desoctapeptide insulin had little or no effect. These observations indicate that the inhibitory effect of insulin in this tissue may be insulin receptor-mediated and support a previously suggested functional role of insulin in the central nervous system.

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This thesis, in support of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Thematic Manifestations at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, March 2-12, 2004, describes in detail three aesthetic themes that are manifested in the work exhibited. The artist discusses his journey in establishing a “criterion of aesthetic values” whereby his work is conceptually developed. The three themes – The Paradox of Simplicity, The Decorative Power of Nature and The Beauty of the Irregular – are founded on historical and contemporary influences and are further described in practical application of form and process.

No description available.

The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) represents a neural substrate for positive motivation as its spatiotemporal distribution across the brain is responsible for goaldirected behavior and learning reward associations. The critical determinant of DA release throughout the brain is the firing pattern of DA-producing neurons. Synchronized bursts of spikes can be triggered by sensory stimuli in these neurons, evoking phasic release of DA in target brain areas to drive reward-based reinforcement learning and behavior. These bursts are generated by NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDARs). This dissertation reports a novel form of long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDARmediated excitatory transmission at DA neurons as a putative cellular substrate for changes in DA neuron firing during reward learning. Patch-clamp electrophysiological recording from DA neurons in acute brain slices from young adult rats demonstrated that synaptic NMDARs exhibit LTP in an associative manner, requiring coordinated pre- and postsynaptic burst firing. Ca2+ signals produced by postsynaptic burst firing needed to be amplified by preceding metabotropic neurotransmitter inputs to effectively drive plasticity. Activation of NMDARs themselves was also necessary. These two coincidence detectors governed the timingdependence of NMDAR plasticity in a manner analogous to the timing rule for cuereward learning paradigms in behaving animals. Further mechanistic study revealed that PKA, but not PKC, activity gated LTP induction by regulating the magnitude of Ca2+ signal amplification via the inositol 1,4,5-triphospate (IP3) receptor and release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores. Plasticity of NMDARs was input specific and appeared to be expressed postsynaptically, but was not associated with a change in NMDAR subunit stoichiometry. LTP of NDMARs was DA-independent, and was specific for NMDARs: the same induction protocol produced long-term depression of AMPA receptors. NMDARs that had undergone LTP could be depotentiated in a spike-conditional manner, consistent with active unlearning. Finally, repeated, in vivo amphetamine experience dramatically increased facilitation of spike-evoked Ca2+ signals, which in turn drove enhanced plasticity. NMDAR plasticity thus represents a potential neural substrate for conditioned DA neuron burst responses to environmental stimuli acquired during reward-based learning as well a novel therapeutic target for intervention-based therapy of addictive disorders. / text

Supersymmetry is a theoretical model of particle physics that posits a symmetry between bosons and fermions. Supersymmetry proposes the existence of particles that we have not yet observed and through them, offers a more unified view of the universe. In the same way Feynman Diagrams represent Feynman Integrals describing subatomic particle behaviour, supersymmetry algebras can be represented by graphs called adinkras. In addition to being motivated by physics, these graphs are highly structured and mathematically interesting. No one has looked at the Jacobians of these graphs before, so we attempt to characterize them in this thesis. We compute Jacobians through the 11-cube, but do not discover any significant discernible patterns. We then dedicate the rest of our work to generalizing the notion of the Jacobian, specifically to be sensitive to edge directions. We conclude with a conjecture describing the form of the directed Jacobian of the directed $n$-topology. We hope for this work to be useful for theoretical particle physics and for graph theory in general.

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OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare color difference CIEDE2000 (ΔE00) of pressed IPS E.max lithium disilicate ceramic material after repeated firing cycles. To determine and evaluate correlation of CIELAB and CIEDE2000 values analyzed by X-Rite Color i5 Spectrophotometer, VITA EasyShade® Advance 4.0 (VITA Zahnfabrik) and Adobe Photoshop CC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 36 specimens 8mmX10mm at 1.5mm thickness (12 specimens of pressed IPS e.max® Press Lithium Disilicate MT Monochromatic ingots and 24 specimens pressed IPS e.max® Multi Press Lithium Disilicate Multichromatic ingots. Specimens were exposed to repeated firing cycles up to 7 cycles. Color analysis was performed after 1st,2nd,3rd,5th, and7th firing cycle. CIE L*a*b* values measured by X-Rite Color i5 Spectrophotometer, VITA EasyShade® Advance 4.0 (VITA Zahnfabrik) and Adobe Photoshop CC. CIELAB (Δ*ab) and CIEDE2000 (Δ00) calculated to measure color difference. RESULTS: Linear regression and multiple comparison analysis (Tukey’s HSD test) showed a significant color difference (Δ*ab) and CIEDE2000 (Δ00) with (p-value <0.001), after multiple firing cycles, between instruments used and in different shades groups. Moreover, significant different in interactive effect between different shades tested by different instrument, different shades tested after multiple firing cycles and different instruments after multiple firing cycles. CONCLUSION: IPS E.max lithium disilicate material shows significant color difference after repeated firing cycle tested by three color analysis instruments. Measuring instruments used to evaluate CIE L*a*b* color values showed significant different in color values analysis which may lead to altered level of interpretation, particularly to determine perceptibility and clinical acceptability thresholds. / 2021-08-15T00:00:00Z

Art, for all its apparent simplicity is anything but straightforward. I admire and strive to make work that, when first introduced is both comfortable and exciting. I aim for work that is true to its medium. I want my work to be approachable, inviting, though questioning and introspective just the same. I think art should make the world a better place. I admire the technicality that is inherent to minimalism. I think at the least, an acceptable piece of art should be an insight into the world of the viewer.