This master’s thesis identifies the potential impacts of planning policies and key stakeholder groups on Red Hook, Brooklyn given current development trends and the neighborhood changes such as gentrification. The premise of this thesis is that through understanding the catalysts and impacts of social and economic change in similar neighborhoods, together with the analysis of current zoning, planning policies, and neighborhood culture and demographics in Red Hook, it is possible to identify how future changes may generate positive outcomes for the neighborhood. A review of planning literature provides a perspective on the disinvestment to reinvestment process seen in many New York City neighborhoods during the second half of the 20th century. The case study research method relying primarily on qualitative data is applied to gain a contextual analysis of the complex urban planning issues in Red Hook. A study of the planning and development impacts on three waterfront neighborhoods in New York City – Battery Park City, the Lower East Side, and Williamsburg – reveals the catalysts of neighborhood change in those neighborhoods and suggests the potential socio-economic impacts of future redevelopment in Red Hook.

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With the ever increasing rates of sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases, many people wishing to continue an active and healthy sexual lifestyle are forced to avoid bars, clubs, and other places that "pick-ups" or casual sex might occur. It has been noted that an alternative to this has arisen among college age students in Orlando, Florida. As yet with no official term it is colloquially know as "Friends With Benefits." Research through professional and scholarly journals makes no mention of this phenomenon. The bulk of this study attempts to document the prevalence of this phenomenon in college age student in Orlando, Florida. Through the development of surveys accurate statistics can be obtained and possible contributing factors regarding its instigation can be found. Further discussion should predict what overall and long-term affects "Friends With Benefits'' will have on society and its views on acceptable dating practices.

School shootings in the United States have garnered significant attention. Since 1999, several high-profile school shootings have taken place across the U.S. in Connecticut, Virginia, Florida, etc. The phenomenon of school shootings and the resultant moral panic is explored by examining media coverage to understand how the media contributes to public responses to these tragic incidents. Although school shootings tend to receive attention, we do not know how this attention can differ across school shootings. This study uses the moral panic framework to assess how national newspaper coverage portrays the Sandy Hook Elementary and Robb Elementary school shootings. I find that the media discourse differs between the two shootings considerably when assessing each attribute of the moral panic framework. This is important as school shootings are reported differently, thus changing public perception. I argue that the level of panic we’ve seen after previous school shootings such as Columbine has decreased.

Im Fokus dieser Arbeit stand die Analyse von Faktoren, die den Zusammenbau des Flagellenapparates von Legionella pneumophila (Lp) regulieren. Mit einem kombinierten Replikations-/ Überlebensversuchs mit Lp Corby oder Lp Paris und ihren zugehörigen Regulationsmutanten wurde eine verminderte Fitness für dfliA und erstmals für drpoN, dfleQ defiziente Stämme nachgewiesen. Zur Validierung von Microarray-Daten aus Lp Paris wurden wachstumsphasenabhängige Transkriptions- und Translationsanalysen mit Lp Corby Wildtyp und drpoN, dfleQ, dfliA und dflaA defizienten Stämmen durchgeführt. Es wurde gezeigt, dass die basale Expression von fliA in den späteren Phasen unabhängig von RpoN und FleQ stattfindet. In dieser Arbeit konnte erstmals der Transkriptionsstartpunkt des Hauptregulators FliA bestimmt werden. Es zeigte sich eine putative RpoD (S70) Bindungsstelle. Ein Modell zur Regulation der fliA Expression wurde weiterentwickelt. Demnach kommt es in der exponentiellen Phase durch das Zusammenwirken von RpoD und DksA, aber unabhängig von FleQ, zur basalen fliA Promotoraktivität. Durch den Übergang in die transmissive Phase und direkte oder indirekte Interaktion mit FleQ sowie dem Alarmon ppGpp scheint es zu einem Austausch des Sigmafaktors S70 gegen SS und zu einer Aktivierung der fliA Expression zu kommen. Elektronenmikroskopische Studien zeigten, dass drpoN und dfleQ defiziente Mutanten wahrscheinlich aufgrund des fehlenden Basalkörpers nicht flagelliert sind. Mutanten für dfliA, dflaA und dfliD hatten ebenfalls keine Flagelle, zeigten aber eine ungewöhnliche, gerade Hook Struktur, die den Zusammenbau des Basalkörpers demonstriert. Weiterhin wurden durch in silico Studien 15 Legionella Spezies in Bezug auf das Flagellensystem und ein putatives Chemotaxissystem untersucht. So konnte L. oakridgensis als erste Art ohne beide Systeme sequenziert werden. Andererseits konnten mit LLAP12, L. bozemanii, L. gormanii und L. lytica Stämme beschrieben werden, die beide Systeme tragen. / This work focused on the analysis of factors contributing to the regulation of the flagellum self-assembly of Legionella pneumophila (Lp). With a combined replication/survival assay with Lp Corby or Lp Paris and their corresponding regulatory mutants a reduced fitness could be verified for dfliA and for the first time for drpoN, dfleQ deficient strains. For validation of microarray-data for Lp Paris with strain Lp Corby a growth phase dependent analysis of transcription and translation rates was done with wild-type and the drpoN, dfleQ, dfliA and dflaA deficient strains. A regulation of basal fliA expression independently from RpoN and FleQ was shown in the later growth phases. Furthermore the transcriptional start site of fliA could be shown for the first time. A RpoD (S70) binding site could be identified. According to a further developed model for the regulation of the fliA expression RpoD and DksA lead to a basal fliA promotor activity, independently from FleQ. Most likely, during transition to stationary phase, direct or indirect interaction with FleQ and the alarmone ppGpp results in the exchange of the sigma factor S70 and the binding of RpoS. This leads to the activation of fliA expression. Electron microscopic studies revealed that drpoN and dfleQ deficient mutants are not flagellated caused by the missing basal body. Mutants of dfliA, dflaA and dfliD were also aflagellated, but there was a uncommon straight hook structure visible which demonstrates a filament-independent assembly of the basal body. Furthermore, in silico analysis was done with 15 Legionella species with regard to the flagellum regulation system and a putative chemotaxis system. Analysis revealed that the strain L. oakridgensis is the first strain lacking both systems. On the other hand the strains LLAP12, L. bozemanii, L. gormanii and L. lytica could be characterized as strains carrying both systems.

• Argonaute proteins are important effectors in RNA silencing pathways, but they must interact with other machinery to trigger silencing. Ago hooks have emerged as a conserved motif responsible for interaction with Argonaute proteins, but little is know about the sequence surrounding Ago hooks that must restrict or enable interaction with specific Argonautes. • Here we investigated the evolutionary dynamics of an Argonaute-binding platform in NRPE1, the largest subunit of RNA Polymerase V. We compared NRPE1 sequences from more than 50 species, including dense sampling of two plant lineages. • This study demonstrates that the Argonaute-binding platform of NRPE1 retains Ago-hooks, intrinsic disorder, and repetitive character while being highly labile at the sequence level. We reveal that loss of sequence conservation is due to relaxed selection and frequent expansions and contractions of tandem repeat arrays. These factors allow a complete restructuring of the Ago-binding platform over 50-60 million years. This evolutionary pattern is also detected in a second Ago-binding platform, suggesting it is a general mechanism. • The presence of labile repeat arrays in all analyzed NRPE1 Ago-binding platforms indicates that selection maintains repetitive character, potentially to retain the ability to rapidly restructure the Ago-binding platform.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen Myers-Bowman / Nonrelationship sex is quite common on college campuses despite the number of risks involved. This report provides a review of the nonrelationship sex research literature and focuses on definitions, prevalence, predictive factors and influences, potential negative outcomes, and gender differences surrounding nonrelationship sex. The Nonrelationship Sex Emphasis Checklist (NSEC) was created for college sex educators in response to this review. This report provides an evaluation of the Sexual Health Awareness Peer Educators program at Kansas State University using the NSEC and a general curriculum assessment. Based on this evaluation, recommendations are given for SHAPE. Recommendations for future programming and research also are given.

One way to make rail vehicles a competitive means of transportation is to increase running speed. However, higher speeds usually generate increased forces and accelerations on the vehicle, which have a negative effect on ride comfort. With conventional passive suspension, it may be difficult to maintain acceptable passenger comfort. Therefore, active technology in the secondary suspension can be implemented to improve, or at least maintain, ride comfort at increased vehicle speeds or when track conditions are unfavourable. This thesis describes the development of an active secondary suspension concept to improve ride comfort in a high-speed train. Firstly, an active lateral secondary suspension system (ALS) was developed, including dynamic control of the lateral and yaw modes of the carbody. Furthermore, quasi-static lateral carbody control was included in the suspension system in order to laterally centre the carbody above the bogies in curves at high track plane acceleration and hence to avoid bumpstop contact. By means of simulations and on-track tests, it is shown that the ALS system can offer significant lateral ride comfort improvements compared to a passive system. Two different control strategies have been studied—the relatively simple sky-hook damping and the multi-variable H∞ control—using first a quarter-car and then a full-scale vehicle model. Simulation results show that significant ride comfort improvements can be achieved with both strategies compared to a passive system. Moreover, H∞ control in combination with the carbody centring device is better at reducing the relative lateral displacement in transition curves compared to sky-hook damping. Secondly, an active vertical secondary suspension system (AVS) was developed, using simulations. Dynamic control of the vertical and roll modes of the carbody, together with quasi-static roll control of the carbody, show significant vertical ride comfort improvements and allow higher speeds in curves. Further, the AVS system compensates for negative ride comfort effects if the structural stiffness of the carbody is reduced and if the vertical air spring stiffness is increased. Finally, the two active suspension systems (ALS and AVS) were combined in simulations. The results show that both lateral and vertical ride comfort is improved with the active suspension concept at a vehicle speed of 250 km/h, compared to the passive system at 200 km/h. Further, active suspension in one direction does not affect the other direction. The ALS system has been included in two recent orders comprising more than 800 cars. / QC 20111205 / Gröna Tåget