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Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, School of Education. / Also on film. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-108).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 3, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-52).

While three decades of intensive cortical electrophysiology using a variety of sustained visual stimuli has made a significant contribution to many aspects of visual function, it has not supported the existence of intracortical circuit operations in cortical processing. This study investigated cortical processing by a comparison of the response of primary visual cortical neurones to transient electrical and strobe-flash stimulation. Experiments were performed on 74 anaesthetised Long Evans rats. Standard stereotaxic and extracellular electrophysiological techniques were employed. Continuous (on-line) raster plots and peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTHs) of the extracellular spikes from 81 visual cortical and 55 lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurones were compiled. The strobe-flash stimuli (0.05 ms) were applied to the contralateral eye while the monopolar or bipolar electrical stimuli (0.2 ms, 80-400 μA) were applied to the ipsilateral LGN. 60 of the 81 (74%) tested cortical units were found to be responsive to visual stimuli. A distinct and consistent difference in the cortical response to the two types of transient stimuli was found: (a) Electrical stimulation evoked a prolonged period (197 ± 61 ms) of inhibition in all cortical neurones tested (n=20). This was the case even in those cortical units that were completely unresponsive to visual stimulation. The protracted inhibition was usually followed by a 100-200 ms phase of rebound excitation. (b) Flash stimulation evoked a prominent excitatory discharge (5-30 ms duration) after a latency of 30-60 ms from the onset of the stimulus (n = 59). This was followed by either moderate inhibition or return to a firing rate similar to control activity, for a maximum of 40 ms. Thereafter, cortical neurones showed a sustained increased level of activity with superimposed secondary excitatory phases. The duration of this late re-excitatory phase was 200-300 ms. In 17 of 20 (85%) tested units, the temporal profile of the cortical response to flash stimulation was modulated by small changes in the level of background illumination. In 16 of the 17 units, this sensitivity was reflected primarily as an emergence of a brief secondary inhibitory phase at the lowest level of background illumination (0 lux). Only 1 of the 17 cortical units displayed a flash-evoked primary inhibitory phase at O lux. We explored the possibility that neurones in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus were responsible for the late phase of cortical reexcitation. 49 of the 55 (89%) LGN neurones could be classified as either of the "ON type" i.e. excited by visual stimuli, or the "OFF type" i.e. inhibited by visual stimuli. The response of ON-like LGN neurones to strobe-flash stimulation of the contralateral eye was characterised by a primary excitatory or early discharge (ED) phase after a latency of 25-40 ms. Thereafter, a 200- 400 ms period of inhibition was observed. In 57% of the sample, a rebound excitatory or late discharge (LD) phase completed the response. OFF-like LGN neurones were inhibited by the strobe-flash stimuli after a latency of 30- 35 ms. This flash-evoked inhibition was maintained for 200-400 ms. The sensitivity of the flash-evoked LGN response to the level of background illumination was tested in 11 ON-like and 10 OFF-like neurones. No sustained secondary excitatory events, as observed in visual cortical neurones, were found in any of the ON- and OFF-like LGN neurones, irrespective of the level of background illumination. In conclusion, the data show that the late re-excitatory phase evoked in cortical neurones upon strobe-flash stimulation, is not due to sustained LGN (thalamic) input. Rather, it suggests that these re-excitatory phases are due to intracortical processing of the transient stimuli. These findings emphasize the independent role of the cortex in computing the response to visual stimuli, and cast doubt on traditional theories that have emphasised the role of the thalamus in shaping cortical responses. The difference in the flash and electrically evoked cortical response suggests that even though substantial inhibition is available to the cortex, only a small fraction of this inhibitory capacity is utilised during natural stimulation.

Sabemos que a expressão dos cronotipos resulta de influências genéticas e ambientais. Existem evidências na literatura que nos permitem supor a participação do padrão temporal de exposição ao ciclo claro/escuro natural no estabelecimento dos cronotipos. Neste estudo nosso objetivo principal foi comparar a distribuição de cronotipos de dois grupos que vivem na mesma região rural, mas que apresentam padrões temporais de exposição ao ciclo claro/escuro muito distintos. Ao mesmo tempo, avaliamos a satisfação dos voluntários com seus horários de início de trabalho. Para isso estudamos dois grupos: Grupo de Trabalhadores em Ambiente Aberto (GTAA) e Grupo de Trabalhadores em Ambiente Fechado (GTAF). O GTAA foi composto por 29 voluntários com idade média de 30,8 ± 10,0 anos, enquanto o GTAF foi composto por 20 voluntários com idade média de 30,8 ± 9,8 anos. Aplicamos o questionário de matutinidade e vespertinidade e um questionário sobre os horários de trabalho para todos os voluntários, na maioria das vezes, em suas casas. Medidas das intensidades luminosas dos ambientes de trabalho dos voluntários foram coletadas. Comparamos a pontuação do questionário de cronotipos e a diferença entre o horário em que os voluntários trabalham e o horário em que gostariam de trabalhar entre os dois grupos. Usamos o teste estatístico de Kruskal-Wallis para essas comparações. Fizemos também uma regressão linear entre a pontuação do questionário de matutinidade e vespertinidade e a idade dos voluntários, um coeficiente de correlação foi obtido. Sugerimos com nossos resultados que o contexto fótico associado às naturezas espacial e temporal da ocupação laboral (contexto não-fótico) dos indivíduos pode modular a expressão dos cronotipos. Devido ao contexto fótico associado ao contexto não-fótico dos voluntários, o GTAA parece se ajustar melhor aos seus horários diurnos de trabalho. Finalmente, discutiremos neste trabalho a importância de se contextualizar socialmente a sincronização fótica de humanos para se estudar a expressão dos cronotipos. / It is known that the expression of the chronotypes results from both genetic and environmental influences. There are evidences in the literature which allow us to believe in the participation of the temporal pattern of exposition to the natural light/dark cycle in the establishment of the morningness/eveningness tendencies. In this study, our specific goal was to compare the distribution of the chronotypes in two groups of people sharing the same rural region for living, but with very different temporal patterns of exposition to the light/dark cycle. We also evaluated the satisfaction of the volunteers with their work schedule. Two groups were studied: Indoor Environment Group of workers (IEG) and Outdoor Environment Group (OEG) of workers. The OEG comprised 29 volunteers with average age of 30.8 ± 10.0 years old and the IEG 20 volunteers with average age of 30.8 ± 9.8 years old. We applied the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and other questionnaire about the working time for all volunteers, most of times, in their homes. Measures of the light intensity of the volunteers\' working places were collected. We compared the scores of the questionnaire of chronotypes and the difference between the time in which the volunteers work and the time in which they would like to work, between the two groups. We used the statistic test of Kruskal-Wallis for these comparisons. We also applied a linear regression model between the score of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire and the age of the volunteers, obtaining a correlation coefficient. We suggest with our results that the photic context associated with the spacial and temporal natures of the working occupation, non-photic context, may modulate the expression of peoples\' chronotypes. Because of the photic context associated to the non-photic context of the volunteers, the OEG seems to have a better adjustment to the morning shift. Finaly, we discuss the importance of taking social context in consideration in studies of photic synchronization of humans.

Sabemos que a expressão dos cronotipos resulta de influências genéticas e ambientais. Existem evidências na literatura que nos permitem supor a participação do padrão temporal de exposição ao ciclo claro/escuro natural no estabelecimento dos cronotipos. Neste estudo nosso objetivo principal foi comparar a distribuição de cronotipos de dois grupos que vivem na mesma região rural, mas que apresentam padrões temporais de exposição ao ciclo claro/escuro muito distintos. Ao mesmo tempo, avaliamos a satisfação dos voluntários com seus horários de início de trabalho. Para isso estudamos dois grupos: Grupo de Trabalhadores em Ambiente Aberto (GTAA) e Grupo de Trabalhadores em Ambiente Fechado (GTAF). O GTAA foi composto por 29 voluntários com idade média de 30,8 ± 10,0 anos, enquanto o GTAF foi composto por 20 voluntários com idade média de 30,8 ± 9,8 anos. Aplicamos o questionário de matutinidade e vespertinidade e um questionário sobre os horários de trabalho para todos os voluntários, na maioria das vezes, em suas casas. Medidas das intensidades luminosas dos ambientes de trabalho dos voluntários foram coletadas. Comparamos a pontuação do questionário de cronotipos e a diferença entre o horário em que os voluntários trabalham e o horário em que gostariam de trabalhar entre os dois grupos. Usamos o teste estatístico de Kruskal-Wallis para essas comparações. Fizemos também uma regressão linear entre a pontuação do questionário de matutinidade e vespertinidade e a idade dos voluntários, um coeficiente de correlação foi obtido. Sugerimos com nossos resultados que o contexto fótico associado às naturezas espacial e temporal da ocupação laboral (contexto não-fótico) dos indivíduos pode modular a expressão dos cronotipos. Devido ao contexto fótico associado ao contexto não-fótico dos voluntários, o GTAA parece se ajustar melhor aos seus horários diurnos de trabalho. Finalmente, discutiremos neste trabalho a importância de se contextualizar socialmente a sincronização fótica de humanos para se estudar a expressão dos cronotipos. / It is known that the expression of the chronotypes results from both genetic and environmental influences. There are evidences in the literature which allow us to believe in the participation of the temporal pattern of exposition to the natural light/dark cycle in the establishment of the morningness/eveningness tendencies. In this study, our specific goal was to compare the distribution of the chronotypes in two groups of people sharing the same rural region for living, but with very different temporal patterns of exposition to the light/dark cycle. We also evaluated the satisfaction of the volunteers with their work schedule. Two groups were studied: Indoor Environment Group of workers (IEG) and Outdoor Environment Group (OEG) of workers. The OEG comprised 29 volunteers with average age of 30.8 ± 10.0 years old and the IEG 20 volunteers with average age of 30.8 ± 9.8 years old. We applied the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and other questionnaire about the working time for all volunteers, most of times, in their homes. Measures of the light intensity of the volunteers\' working places were collected. We compared the scores of the questionnaire of chronotypes and the difference between the time in which the volunteers work and the time in which they would like to work, between the two groups. We used the statistic test of Kruskal-Wallis for these comparisons. We also applied a linear regression model between the score of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire and the age of the volunteers, obtaining a correlation coefficient. We suggest with our results that the photic context associated with the spacial and temporal natures of the working occupation, non-photic context, may modulate the expression of peoples\' chronotypes. Because of the photic context associated to the non-photic context of the volunteers, the OEG seems to have a better adjustment to the morning shift. Finaly, we discuss the importance of taking social context in consideration in studies of photic synchronization of humans.

Dormancy, a state of severely decreased or suspended metabolism, is a widespread survival strategy in nature. In the Foraminifera, one of the most studied groups of marine organisms, its presence had been suggested by circumstantial evidence, but rarely studied directly until recently. Despite the lack of research, stressor-induced dormancy can significantly alter the way in which foraminiferal ecology is understood, especially in marginal environments. In this dissertation, I reviewed the evidence for dormancy in the foraminiferal literature, concluding that evidence for dormancy is widespread across the Phylum. I then explored the role of dormancy in the survival of the diatom-bearing foraminifer Amphistegina gibbosa d’Orbigny when exposed to toxic chemicals, and when kept in dark conditions for extended periods of time. I developed methods for utilizing CellTracker Green™, a fluorescent probe, to explore metabolic activity in symbiont-bearing foraminifers, finding that it can be used in some situations, such as bioassay experiments or other cases of toxic chemical exposure, to distinguish dead from dormant individuals. The results of the associated experiments demonstrated that reduced metabolism occurred in individuals that survived toxic chemical exposure for over two months in darkness, as well as indicating that metabolic recovery can begin to occur within 30 minutes of removal from darkness. Fluorescence microscopy of symbiont autofluorescence also demonstrated that the diatom symbionts are also capable of surviving aphotic conditions, recovering when returned to lighted conditions. Further experiments showed that A. gibbosa and its associated symbionts are capable of surviving up to 20 months in darkness. Although survival decreased as the length of time in darkness increased, 80% of the specimens survived a 20-month treatment. In addition, all treatment lengths showed color recovery, indicating survival of the diatom symbionts, which give A. gibbosa its characteristic golden-brown color. However, patterns of color recovery indicated that extended periods in darkness increased the photosensitivity of the A. gibbosa holobiont, despite entering dormancy.

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Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.