No / Earlier it has been shown that human proliferating/undifferentiated basal keratinocytes hold the full capacity for autocrine catecholamine synthesis/degradation and express b2-adrenoceptors (b2-AR). In this report, we show that human melanocytes also express all of the mRNA and enzymes for autocrine synthesis of norepinephrine but fail to produce epinephrine. So far, it was established that human melanocytes express b1-AR which are induced by norepinephrine yielding the inosine triphosphate diacylglycerol signal. The presence of catecholamine synthesis and the b2-AR signal escaped definition at that time. Using RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and radioligand binding with the b2-AR antagonist (-)-[3H]CGP 12177, we show here that human melanocytes express functional b2-AR (4230 receptors per cell) with a Bmax at 129.3 and a KD of 3.19 nM but lack b1-AR expression. 2-AR stimulation with epinephrine 10-6 M and salbutamol 10-6¿10-5 M yielded a strong cyclic adenosine monophospate (cAMP) response in association with upregulated melanin production. Taken together these results indicate that the biosynthesis and release of epinephrine (10-6 M) by surrounding keratinocytes can provide the cAMP response leading to melanogenesis in melanocytes via the b2-AR signal. Moreover, the discovery of this catecholaminergic cAMP response in melanocytes adds a new source for this important second messenger in melanogenesis.

Up to 40% of all edible food is wasted in the United States (U.S.) and a large proportion represents consumer waste. Research on food waste is in its infancy, particularly as it relates to youth. Summer camps offer a unique setting for food-based education, with the opportunity to reach large numbers of youth. This MS thesis describes a study that used a mixed-methods research approach to explore three objectives: 1) assess food waste in a residential 4-H youth summer camp setting; 2) determine if an educational program delivered to youth ages 9-13 years, would reduce food waste; and 3) understand stakeholders' views about the benefits and barriers to food waste reduction programs in the camp setting. The research team and camp staff developed and adapted food waste activities based on the Experiential Learning Model. Participants attended one of four weekly sessions to raise their awareness about food waste. Consumer and production food waste from three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was collected over a 24-hour cycle and weighed before and after each weekly program to determine total amount of food wasted (pounds) during each week, average waste/child (pounds), and waste/meal (percentage). Waste was collected using the direct weighing method. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences. Stakeholder interviews (n=6) were conducted with Extension Agents, camp program directors, and camp staffers involved with the program. Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine themes and subthemes. This cross-sectional study included 864 residential campers. Over the course of the four weeks, the cafeteria produced a total amount of 3,182 lbs of food of which, 996.6 lb (30.4%) was wasted. Total consumer waste for all four weeks before and after the intervention was 76.5 lbs and 57.3 lbs, respectively. Although a decrease in consumer food waste was observed, results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total production waste decreased from 441.5 lbs before to 390.6 lb after the intervention. Production waste, in relation to the number of servings prepared, also decreased throughout the course of the four weeks. The main themes from the stakeholder interviews emphasized the need for a food waste curriculum and adequate resources to build and sustain the capacity of the education program.The limitations of this study included different menu items served throughout the four weeks, lack of randomization, and limited sample size of camps (n=4). This was the first food waste study conducted at a youth summer camp, which showed that food waste reduction and behavior change among campers are possible within a short time period. Further research is warranted to minimize food waste in broader contexts and in other camp settings. / Master of Science / Up to 40% of all edible food is wasted in the U.S., mostly from consumer waste. Research on food waste is in its infancy, particularly as it relates to youth. Summer camps offer a unique setting for food-based education, with the opportunity to reach large numbers of youth. This study aimed to explore food waste reduction at a residential youth summer camp through an awareness program. Additionally, stakeholder interviews were conducted to gain insight on the feasibility of implementing this program into other education settings. The research team and camp staff developed and adapted food waste activities based on the Experiential Learning Model. Campers attended one of four weekly sessions that were offered. Waste from three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was collected over a 24-hour cycle, before and after the program. Waste was collected using the direct weighing method. Interviews were conducted with employees and volunteers who were involved with the summer camp. This study included 864 residential campers, ages 9 to 13. Over the course of the four weeks, the cafeteria produced a total amount of 3,182 pounds (lbs) of food and of that, 996.6 lb (30.4%) was wasted; however, waste decreased after the awareness program. Stakeholders mentioned that the need for a food waste curriculum and resources to build and sustain the capacity of the education program were necessary for this program to continue. As the first food waste study conducted at a summer camp, this study indicated that decreases in food waste and behavior change among campers are possible within a short period of time. Further research is warranted to minimize food waste in broader contexts and in other camp settings.

First-year experience programs on college and university campuses are designed to support the academic, social, and institutional transition needs of the first-year student. Retention on campuses has been an issue that educational leaders have been addressing for many years. On average, approximately 20% to 30% of first-year students will not return for the second year. A review of the literature shows that there is a positive impact of such programs on a student’s achievement and retention on college campuses. It also reflects the various factors outside of an institution’s control that can have an impact on the student’s achievement. This qualitative study included one case study that analyzed the experiences of thirteen (13) first-year students who participated in a first-year experience program consisting of an extended orientation camp and an intentional programming model on large, public, 4-year, urban campus in the Southern United States. Findings and discussion from the study revealed: (a) the perceptions of impact that first-year programs have on a student’s belonging, adjustment, success, and support after the first semester of college; and (b) common themes and trends throughout the first six weeks of the participants related to their perceptions of belonging, adjustment, success, and support. Implications of this study also prescribe future research that could explore specific resources, learning outcomes, and retention rates across other urban institutions.

Ce travail s’attache à étudier les éventuels féminismes de Desperate Housewives. La peinture que la série propose de femmes et mères au foyer américaines désespérées est a priori le lieu d’une dénonciation de leur vie et de leur condition qui n’est pas sans rappeler celle de Betty Friedan dans The Feminine Mystique au début des années soixante. De plus, de nombreuses contradictions du féminisme américain (en fait constitué de nombreuses sous-catégories et sensibilités) y trouvent un écho. Cette multiplicité des interprétations possibles de Desperate Housewives, ainsi que sa composante postmoderne et camp, en font le lieu privilégié d’un féminisme queer propre à la série. / This study investigates the feminist messages conveyed by Desperate Housewives. The depiction of desperate American housewives and stay-at-home mothers seems at first to be a scathing indictment of their plight, not unlike that of Betty Friedan in The Feminine Mystique.Furthermore many inner dissensions of American feminism (a term far more pluralistic than one might think) are voiced in the television series. The different ways Desperate Housewives can be interpreted, along with its postmodern and camp components, make it possible for an idiosyncratic brand of queer feminism to emerge.

<p>Rezultati prikazani u ovom radu opisuju efekte in vivo primene atrazina (2-hloro-4-<br />etilamino-6-izopropilamino-s-triazin) na ex vivo steroidogenezu u Leydig-ovim ćelijama<br />peripubertalnih pacova (tretiranih sa 50 mg/kg i 200 mg/kg telesne mase od 23. do 50.<br />dana starosti). Dobijeni rezultati jasno ukazuju da 28-dnevna in vivo primena atrazina<br />snažno inhibira testikularnu steroidogenezu, smanjujući ekspresiju gena za steroidogene<br />enzime i druge regulatorne proteine uključene u kontrolu testikularne steroidogeneze u<br />Leydig-ovim ćelijama peripubertalnih pacova. Rezultati in vivo primene atrazina<br />pokazuju da atrazin snažno inhibira ekspresiju gena za luteinizirajući hormon receptor<br />(LHR), skevendžer receptor-B1 (SR-B1), steroidogeni faktor-1 (SF-1), steroidogeni<br />akutni regulatorni protein (StAR), translokator protein (TSPO), fosfodiesterazu 4B,<br />3&beta;&minus;hidroksisteroid dehidrogenazu (&Eta;SD), CYP17A1 i 17&beta;HSD. Rezultati u okviru ovih<br />istraživanja pokazuju da primena atrazina tokom prepubertalnog perioda razvoja mužjaka<br />pacova dovodi do dozno-zavisnog smanjenja nivoa cAMP i snažne inhibicije androgeneze<br />u prisustvu hCG. Obzirom na blokadu ekspresije LHR, prvog elementa u aktivaciji<br />cAMP-signalnog puta, moglo bi se predpostaviti da je to uzrok blokade androgeneze kod<br />atrazinom-tretiranih životinja. Takođe, rezultati ukazuju na inhibiciju supstrat-stimulisane<br />produkcije androgena paralelno sa redukcijom ekspresije steroidogenih enzima CYP17A1<br />i 17&beta;HSD. U drugom delu ove doktorske disertacije, ispitivan je efekat direktne in vitro<br />primene različitih doza atrazina (1 nM, 1 &mu;M, 20 &mu;M, 50 &mu;M) na ekspresiju i aktivnost<br />steroidogenih enzima u kulturi preči&scaron;ćenih Leydig-ovih ćelija testisa peripubertalnih<br />pacova, pri čemu je zabeleženo stimulatorno dejstvo pomenutog herbicida. Naime,<br />zabeleženo je povećanje bazalne i hCG-stimulisane produkcije testosterona praćeno<br />povećanim nivoom cAMP u medijumu tretiranih ćelija. Pri ispitivanju ekspresije gena za<br />steroidogene enzime i regulatorne proteine, zabeleženo je povećanje ekspresije gena za<br />SF-1, StAR, CYP17A1 i 17&beta;HSD u hCG-stimulisanim uslovima. Takođe, povećana je i<br />produkcija testosterona nakon dodavanja progesterona i androstendiona kao supstrata,<br />kod Leydig-ovih ćelija tretiranih sa atrazinom. Da bi poku&scaron;ali da objasnimo za&scaron;to postoje<br />razlike u efektu atrazina u zavisnosti od načina primene, postavili smo jednokratni in vivo<br />eksperiment sa atrazinom (tretman sa 50 mg/kg i 200 mg/kg telesne mase, životinje<br />tretirane 50. dana starosti). Rezultati ovih eksperimenata ukazali su na up-regulaciju<br />testikularne steroidogeneze, kao i na povećan nivo cAMP kod životinja tretiranih sa<br />atrazinom Stoga, nivo cAMP se pojavljuje kao karika koja povezuje sva tri kori&scaron;ćena<br />eksperimentalna pristupa. Međutim, ostaje otvoreno pitanje na koji način atrazin utiče na<br />modulaciju nivoa cAMP i to pitanje predstavlja motiv za dalja istraživanja. Sumarno,<br />dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da 24-časovni tretman atrazinom izaziva povećanje, a<br />prolongirani tretman snažno smanjenje steroidogenog kapaciteta Leydig-ovih ćelija<br />peripubertalnih pacova.</p> / <p> In the present study, we investigated the effects of oral dosing of atrazine (2-chloro-4-<br /> ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) to peripubertal male rats (50 mg/kg and 200<br /> mg/kg body weight daily from postnatal day 23 to 50) on ex vivo Leydig cell<br /> steroidogenesis. Leydig cells from treated rats were characterised by significant decline in<br /> mRNA transcripts of several genes responsible for steroidogenesis: luteinizing hormone<br /> receptor (LHR), scavenger receptor-B1, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR),<br /> translocator protein, steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), phosphodiesterase 4B,<br /> 3&beta;&minus;hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (&Eta;SD), CYP17A1 and 17&beta;HSD. In the presence of<br /> human chorion gonadotropin, the dose-dependent decrease in extra cellular cAMP level<br /> and accordingly strong inhibition of androgenesis were obtained. The transcription of<br /> LHR gene in Leydig cells of atrazine-treated rats was down-regulated in a dose-dependent<br /> manner, which could be the reason for reduction in cAMP level and expression of cAMPdependent<br /> genes. The results also indicated inhibition of substrate-stimulated androgen<br /> production in parallel with reduced expression of steroidogenih enzymes CYP17A1 and<br /> 17&beta;HSD. In the second part of this study we examined direct 24 h in vitro effect of<br /> different doses of atrazine (1 nM, 1 &mu;M, 20 &mu;M, 50 &mu;M) on expression and activity of<br /> steroidogenic enzymes in purified Leydig cells obtained from peripubertal rats. Obtained<br /> results indicated that 24 h-incubation of peripubertal Leydig cells in the presence of<br /> atrazine increased steroidogenic capacity of that cells. Increased basal and hCGstimulated<br /> testosterone production were accompanied by increasing levels of cAMP in the<br /> medium of treated cells. Also, in comparison to controls, gene expression revealed<br /> increased expression of SF-1, StAR, CYP17A1 and 17&beta;-HSD. When Leydig cells were<br /> challenged with progesterone and &Delta;4&ndash;androstenedione, testosterone production was<br /> increased in atrazine chalenged Leydig cells. To address these two opposite effects of<br /> atrazine we performed 24 h in vivo experiment in which peripubertal male rats (on<br /> postnatal day 50) were exposed to single atrazine treatment (50 mg/kg- and 200 mg/kgbody<br /> weight by gavage), and 24 h later, Leydig cells were isolated and testosterone levels<br /> in medium determined in basal and in hCG-stimulated conditions after 2 h-incubation<br /> period. Obtained results indicated that single in vivo exposure to atrazine was also<br /> accompanied 24 h later by up-regulation of Leydig cell androgenesis and increased cAMP<br /> level. According to the results obtained in this study, it seems that modulation of cAMP<br /> levels appear as a link that connects all three experimental approaches. However, the<br /> question of how atrazine affects the modulation of cAMP levels remains open, and<br /> present a motive for further research. In concluson, obtained results indicated that 24 h<br /> treatment with atrazine caused an increase, while prolonged treatment strongly reduce<br /> steroidogenic capacity of peripubertal Leydig cells.</p>

The aim of this study is to investigate the critical design and development issues for educational robotics training camps. More specifically, the purpose of the study is to explore and describe critical design issues for educational robotics training camps, illustrating how each factor affects robotic camps and enlightening how these factors should be implemented for the design of a robotic training camp. For this purpose, two robotic training camps were organized with elementary school students. Thirty children attended the first camp and twenty two children attended to the second one. The research design was qualitative in nature, more specifically / multiple-case design approach was used. Interviews with children and instructors, observations, field notes, and camp evaluation forms were the data collection methods. The data were analyzed through the qualitative data analysis techniques. The data were categorized under emerged themes, learning outcomes, evaluation of the camps&rsquo / components, career, group issues, competition, coaching, technical issues, challenges and camp duration. Some prominent findings of the study are / the instruction strategy for a robotics camp should be designed from simple to complex. The most effective and liked part of the camps are project studies, therefore projects studies should be encouraged at robotic camps. Robotics training camps should give chance to practice to the children what they have learned at schools. The group size should be arranged that every child in the group should have duties at any time. The study was concluded with a robotics camp design guideline and a sample robotic training camp curriculum.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universität, Berlin, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (366-385) and index.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (January 11, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-50)

Ce travail aborde la question des interventions sanitaires dans les espaces urbains dits « campi nomadi », où vivent les communautés roms, dans la ville de Rome.Dans la première partie, les données de type démographique sont abordées sous l’angle d’une problématisation de leurs formes de collecte des données et des enjeux politiques qui les déterminent. Leur analyse est mise en relation avec le constat que la majorité des études de type médical sur les Roms concernent des questions génétiques, comme c’est aussi le cas des nouvelles formes de fichage et d’identification. Dans la deuxième et troisième partie, l’attention se concentre sur l’ethnographie qui a été menée dans les « campi nomadi » de Rome, en suivant l’activité quotidienne d’une unité médicale mobile (dite « Camper sanitario ») dédiée au soin dans ces espaces urbains. La rencontre médicale dans les espaces d’exception où ces patients résident devient l’occasion d’observer les dynamiques de leurs relations avec la société majoritaire et les institutions qui la réglementent. L’enquête vise à identifier les éléments de l’économie morale des gestes des interventions médicales. Le but est de les restituer à leur dimension biopolitique de pacification de sujets qui font l’objet de strictes politiques de sécurité et de rejet de la part du gouvernement soit national soit local. / This work deals with the sanitary interventions in the urban spaces called “campi nomadi” that can be found around the city of Rome, where Roma communities live. The first part of this research deals with the demographic data, from the point of view of the problematization of the ways it had been collected and the political stakes which determine it. Its analysis is related to the acknowledgement of the fact that the grand majority of the medical studies on Roma population engage on genetic data, in the same way the new forms of profiling and identification. The second and third part of this work concentrate on the ethnographic research pursued in the nomad camps of Rome, following the daily activity of a mobile medical unit (also called “sanitary camper”) who’s main activity was offering medical support in this urban spaces. The medical encounter that takes place in this spaces of exception, where the patients live, becomes the occasion for observing the dynamics of their relations with the dominant society and the institutions which rule it. This research aims to identify those elements which relate to the moral economy of the acts of medical intervention by underlying their bio-political dimension related to the pacification of the subjects which are otherwise object of strict security policies and of rejection from local and national administrations.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-08T16:59:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 rodrigosouzasilva.pdf: 2452076 bytes, checksum: 0e37efa3fe3d6737ccb8085f7561f3f1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-09T13:45:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 rodrigosouzasilva.pdf: 2452076 bytes, checksum: 0e37efa3fe3d6737ccb8085f7561f3f1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-09T13:45:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 rodrigosouzasilva.pdf: 2452076 bytes, checksum: 0e37efa3fe3d6737ccb8085f7561f3f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-01 / Essa dissertação aborda a montagem das drag queens enquanto um meio para pensar tanto em termos conceituais quanto para refletir sobre a própria existência. Em seu processo de montagem, as drags desafiam composições estratificadas de conceitos de gênero, de corpo, de aparência, de subjetividade, nos apontando para cruzamentos entre modos de vestir, maneiras de viver e formas de pensar. A pesquisa busca fugir de discursos molares, dominantes, e recorre, em seu auxílio, a conceitos propostos por autores tais como Deleuze, Guattari, Rolnik, Butler, Preciado, Bento, Preciosa, Miller e Bollon, entre outros, de falas das drag queens Kinaidos, La Beauty, Amanda Fierce, Duda Flux, de relatos autobiográficos, de fotografias de Nikki S Lee, dos filmes Paris is Burning e Morrer como um Homem. Costura-se, assim, um texto-roupa fragmentado, no qual sujeito e objeto se confundem, se entrelaçam. A investigação se encerra consciente de que se trata de um caminho inacabado e em constante transformação. / This dissertation addresses the impersonation of drag queens as a way to think both conceptually and to reflect on the existence. In their impersonation process, drags challenge stratified compositions of concepts as gender, body, appearance, subjectivity in pointing to intersections between modes of dress, ways of living and ways of thinking. The research seeks to escape from molars, dominant discourses, and uses, to its aid, the concepts proposed by authors such as Deleuze, Guattari, Rolnik, Butler, Preciado, Benedict, Precious, Miller and Bollon, among others, statements of drag queens Kinaidos, La Beauty, Amanda Fierce, Duda Flux, of autobiographical accounts, photographs of Nikki S Lee, films Paris is Burning and To die like a man. We sew, thus, a fragmented text-blank, in which subject and object are confused, intertwine. The research concludes aware that this is an unfinished and constantly changing path.