Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago. / "Reprinted from the Journal of comparative Neurology and Psychology, Vol. XVII, No. 5, 1907." "Literature cited": p. 425-426.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1929. / "Reprints from the Journal of comparative psychology, vol. VIII, no. 5 and vol. IX, no. 4."

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1955. / Typescript. Abstracted in Dissertation abstracts, v. 16 (1956) no. 2, p. 410-411. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-121).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago. / "Reprinted from the Journal of comparative Neurology and Psychology, Vol. XVII, No. 5, 1907." "Literature cited": p. 425-426. Also available on the Internet.

abstract: Three experiments used a spatial serial conditioning paradigm to assess the effectiveness of spatially informative conditioned stimuli in eliciting tracking behavior in pigeons. The experimental paradigm consisted of the simultaneous presentation of 2 key lights (CS2 and CTRL), followed by another key light (CS1), followed by food (the unconditioned stimulus or US). CS2 and CTRL were presented in 2 of 3 possible locations, randomly assigned; CS1 was always presented in the same location as CS2. CS2 was designed to signal the spatial, but not the temporal locus of CS1; CS1 signaled the temporal locus of the US. In Experiment 1, differential pecking on CS2 was observed even when CS2 was present throughout the interval between CS1s, but only in a minority of pigeons. A control condition verified that pecking on CS2 was not due to temporal proximity between CS2 and US. Experiment 2 demonstrated the reversibility of spatial conditioning between CS2 and CTRL. Asymptotic performance never involved tracking CTRL more than CS2 for any of 16 pigeons. It is inferred that pigeons learned the spatial association between CS2 and CS1, and that temporal contingency facilitated its expression as tracking behavior. In a third experiment, with pigeons responding to a touchscreen monitor, differential responding to CS2 was observed only when CS2 disambiguated the location of a random CS1. When the presentation location of CS1 was held constant, no differences in responding to CS2 or CTRL were observed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2011

A study of the interactions between moose (Alces alces), elk (Cervus canadensis) and buffalo (Bison bison) was carried out during the summer of 1959 in Elk Island National Park, Alberta. The interactions studied were the possibility of competition for food and habitat, transmission of disease and dominance relations. A description of the Park is given. The distribution, habitat selection and food habits of each of the three species are discussed. The greatest interaction between these animals occurs through their effects on the range. Data, collected over the past years, on the incidence of brucellosis and its effect on the reproductive rate and health of the animals are presented. The high incidence of brucellosis in buffalo indicates that they are the source of the organism infecting moose and elk. Buffalo were found to be dominant over moose and elk. The effects of the existing dominance relations could not be evaluated. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

The behavioral responses of lynx (Lynx canadensis) to declines in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) abundance were examined in the southwestern Yukon. Between April 1982 and June 1984 11 lynx were radio-tagged and monitored within and near the Kluane Game Sanctuary. Lynx mean home range size increased from 13.2 to 39.2 km² concurrent with a decline in snowshoe hare abundance from 14.7 to 0.2 hares/ha. Below about 0.5 hares/ha several lynx abandoned their home ranges and became nomadic, although they remained within the general study area. Track transects through areas known to have different snowshoe hare densities indicated that, lynx concentrated their foraging efforts in areas of relatively high snowshoe hare abundance. Lynx abandoned these areas after hare abundance declined. Lynx foraging effort in terms of distance travelled per day showed a curvilinear relationship to snowshoe hare abundance. Straight-line daily travel distance remained constant at 2.2 to 2.7 km/day above 1.0 hare/ha. Below 1.0 hares/ha, straight-line daily travel distances increased rapidly, reaching 5.5 km/day at 0.2 hares/ha. Three of 7 radio-tagged lynx dispersed 250 km or more from the study area during the period of rapid decline in hare abundance in 1982. No similar long distance dispersal was recorded after hare densities stabilized at less than 1.0 hares/ha. Trapping mortality was responsible for the loss of 7 of 9 radio-tagged lynx that travelled outside the game sanctuary. One lynx died, and is believed to have starved, during the winter or spring of 1984. The high rate of trapping mortality outside the game sanctuary suggests that refugia in wilderness areas are important in maintaining lynx populations during periods of low recruitment. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to investigate the existence of stigma related to mental health illnesses among music therapy students at a large southeastern public university. A survey of nineteen stigma-related questions was designed and distributed to seventy-six music therapy students. Forty-four surveys were collected (57.9%) and analyzed. The survey consisted of four demographic questions and fifteen stigma related statements. Statements were related to one of three components of stigma: prejudice, stereotype, and discrimination. Respondents answered each statement based on the extent to which they agreed or disagreed to each item on a five-point, Likert-type scale. Results indicated that music therapy students tended to disagree with stigma-related statements. These results may suggest a lower perceived stigma towards mental health illnesses among music therapy students. Understanding the prevalence of stigma on mental health among music therapy students provides implications for future music therapists and current music therapists working in mental or behavioral health settings to provide more adequate experiences for individuals with mental illness. Music therapists can help challenge the stigma related to mental health, a major barrier for those wishing to seek treatment with mental illness. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 12, 2016. / mental health, mental illness, music therapy, public stigma, self-stigma / Includes bibliographical references. / Lori Gooding, Professor Directing Thesis; Jayne Standley, Committee Member; Alice-Ann Darrow, Committee Member.

Depression affects approximately 7% of adults in the US annually and is one of the most common mental disorders. One striking aspect of this disorder, is that it affects women at about twice the rate as compared to men. Furthermore, women with cardiovascular diseases are more likely to experience depression as compared to male counterparts. Thus, women with cardiovascular complications represent an extremely vulnerable population for mood disorder. Given the disparity in depression prevalence, it is not surprising that women are also more likely to take antidepressant treatments as compared to men. While the dose of the antidepressant prescribed is similar across the board, there is mounting evidence that the efficacy of and sensitivity to these treatments differ between the sexes. However, the majority of preclinical investigations into the effectiveness and biochemical mechanisms of antidepressants have been conducted in male subjects. This is a serious gap in our knowledge, and investigations into the mechanisms underlying differences in depression prevalence and antidepressant response is imperative. As such, this dissertation aimed to identify potential peripheral and neural changes associated with onset of depression in females with cardiovascular disease, and to examine the neural mechanisms underlying the sex differences in sensitivity to antidepressants. There is substantial evidence that depression is experienced at a much higher rate in individuals with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. Within this population, women with cardiovascular diseases represent an extremely vulnerable population for mood disorder, comorbid for these conditions at about twice the rate as compared to men. Despite the well-established comorbidity, the mechanisms linking these disorders remain elusive. The first chapter of this dissertation aimed to identify the expression of core behavioral features of mood disorder in female mice bearing a knock-in sarcomeric mutation, which is exhibited in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We then investigated peripheral physiological indicators of stress in these mice, and discovered significant adrenal gland hypertrophy and a dominant sympathetic nervous system tone. Through the use of magnetic resonance imaging, we found reduced volume in mood-related brain regions in females with HCM. We also observed significant reductions in hippocampal neurotrophic signaling markers in females with HCM as compared to controls. These results suggest that prolonged systemic HCM stress is central to mood disorder expression; possibly through induction of structural and functional brain changes. In direct contrast to the negative impact of stress/depression on the structure and function of the brain, many antidepressants reverse these changes and promote neurogenesis. In recent years, ketamine has shown great promise as an antidepressant. A single infusion can exert effects within hours of treatment, and this rapid action is a unique feature of ketamine. Most antidepressants need to be taken for weeks to months to exert therapeutic effects, and often the first medication prescribed is not effective. Ketamine represents a great advancement in the field, especially for individuals suffering from depression and cardiovascular dysfunction. In this population, the use of ketamine could circumvent the potential for negative interactions between cardiac medications and chronic antidepressants. Since females are more likely to take antidepressants as compared to males, we wanted to examine how the males and females differed in behavioral and neurochemical responses to ketamine. Our group and others have previously reported that female rodents are more sensitive to the antidepressant-like effect of ketamine. There is some evidence that ovarian hormones may promote sensitivity to antidepressants, yet the precise molecular mechanism of females’ heightened sensitivity to ketamine remains unclear. In order to fill these critical gaps in our knowledge, the second chapter of this dissertation aimed to determine the role of endogenous ovarian hormones and their respective receptor subtypes to promote ketamine sensitivity. Behavioral responses to ketamine were examined in males, females in diestrus 1 (D1, low hormone), and females in proestrus (Pro, high hormone) using the forced swim test. Males and D1 females exhibited similar sensitivity, while Pro females responded to doses of ketamine that were subthreshold for effects in male and D1 counterparts. Through the use of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS), we examined the role of estrogen receptor subtypes (ERα and ERβ) and progesterone receptors (PR) to promote ketamine sensitivity. We found that D1 females treated with ERα and ERβ SERMS responded to ketamine treatment, which suggests that estrogen action at these receptors may enhance ketamine sensitivity. Another aim of chapter two was to determine if the molecular mechanisms previously shown to mediate ketamine’s antidepressant effects in male rodents also apply to females. Since many of the rapid intracellular signaling cascades initiated by ketamine are also influenced by ovarian hormones (e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor), we used Western blot to investigate the expression and activation of their shared targets. We confirmed previous reports in males that ketamine activated a variety of neurotrophic signaling cascades in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, and extended them to include D1 and Pro females. As a first step towards identifying the neural mechanism of Pro females’ sensitivity, we found that these females exhibited activation of Akt and CaMKIIα in response to a dose of ketamine that only they were sensitive to. While these results need to be confirmed in vivo, together they suggest that ovarian hormones increase behavioral sensitivity to ketamine by enhancing ketamine’s effects on PI3K and CaMKIIα signaling within mood-related brain regions. These studies examined the expression and molecular mechanisms of mood disorder-like behaviors in a mouse model of cardiovascular dysfunction. We focused on females with HCM, since they represent an especially vulnerable population for mood disorder. We also investigated the hormonal and biochemical contributors to sex differences in sensitivity to ketamine. This work lays a foundation for future investigation of the effectiveness of ketamine to reverse depression-associated features in females with HCM. By targeting the natural flux in ovarian hormones, it may be possible to safely and effectively treat these females with a low dose of ketamine. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Biomedical Sciences in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2016. / November 21, 2016. / Depression, Diastolic Dysfunction, Estrogen, Hypertrophy Cardiomyopathy, Ketamine, Sex differences / Includes bibliographical references. / Mohamed Kabbaj, Professor Directing Dissertation; Thomas C. S. Keller, University Representative; Elaine M. Hull, Committee Member; Jose R. Pinto, Committee Member; Zuoxin X. Wang, Committee Member.