Thesis (Ph.D)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Engle, Randall; Committee Member: Corballis, Paul; Committee Member: Schumacher, Eric; Committee Member: Spieler, Daniel; Committee Member: Washburn, David. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

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This study evaluated the influence of annual land applications of Class B biosolids on the soil microbial and chemical properties monitored over 20 year period. The study was initiated in 1986 at the University of Arizona Marana Agricultural Center, Tucson, Arizona. The final application of biosolids was in March 2005, followed by growth of cotton from April through November 2005. Surface soil samples (0-30 cm) were collected monthly from March 2005 through December 2005, and analyzed for soil microbial properties. Soil cores (0-150 cm) were also collected in December and analyzed for various soil chemical properties. The study showed that land application of Class B biosolids had no significant effect on the number of indigenous soil microbial numbers including bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi (no bacterial or viral pathogens were present in soil samples collected in December) but enhanced microbial activity in the biosolid amended plots. Bacterial diversity was not impacted after 20 years of land application when evaluated through cloning and sequence analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA. Both soils had a broad phylogenetic diversity comprising more than five major phyla including: Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Chemical analyses showed that land application of biosolids significantly increased soil pH but did not affect soil salinity and CaCO3 values as compared with the control plots. However, this lack of increase in salinity was likely due to the leaching of soluble salts through the soil profile since irrigation rates. Land application significantly increased soil macro-nutrients including C, N and P and caution should be taken with respect to phosphate loadings to prevent nutrient contamination of surface waters. The biosolid amended soil concentrations of available and total metals were low (compared to the typical background soil metal concentrations). Metal concentrations attenuated rapidly with increasing soil depth, and were generally similar to values found in control soils at a depth of 150cm. Increases in available metal concentrations were modest. It is important to note that there are differences between these studies with respect to different cropping systems, biosolids type, climate and soil type, as well as irrigation rates in the arid southwest.

In these Master thesis analysis are made on the terms of religion used in Catholic catechisms ‘Moksłas Rimo Kataliku’ (1879), ‘Trumpasis Kun. Filochowskio katekizmas’ (1901), ‘Katakizmai katalikiszki’ (1903) and K. Paltarokas ‘Tikybos moksle’ (1916), which was published at the end of the 19th c. and beginning of the 20th c. Selection of sources was based on the willingness to analyse terms of religion and their change at the time, when present-day Standard Lithuanian was in a formation process. The subject of the work is relevant, because the church language of the end of the 19th c. and beginning of the 20th c., especially terms of religion (and religion lexis), are not analysed deeply. The aim of this work is to analyse the origin, types and variants of terms of religion in the mentioned Catholic catechisms. There are collected 4677 terms of religion from catechisms. ‘Moksłas Rimo Kataliku’ is found 2646 terms and variants, ‘Trumpasis Kun. Filochowskio katekizmas’ – 494, ‘Katakizmai katalikiszki’ – 575 and in priests K. Paltarokas’ ‘Tikybos mokslas’ – 962 terms and variants. Part of terms is used in several catechisms; therefore the total number of different terms of religion, which are analysed in this work, is 3273. In this work descriptive and contrastive methods were used; calculations are given, quantitative relations shown. Data are given in diagrams. The work starts with an ‘Introduction’, where is shortly introduced topic of the work, literature sources... [to full text]

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Synaptic plasticity reflects the capacity of synapses to undergo changes in synaptic strength and connectivity, and is highly regulated by age and sensory experience. This thesis focuses on the characterization of synaptic plasticity in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of rats throughout development and following sensory deprivation. Initial experiments revealed an age-dependent decline in plasticity, as indicated by reductions in long-term potentiation (LTP). The enhanced plasticity of juvenile rats appeared to be mediated by NR2B subunits of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), as NR2B antagonist application reduced LTP to adult-like levels in juveniles, yet had no effect in adults. The importance of sensory experience in mediating plasticity was revealed in experiments using white noise exposure, which is a sensory deprivation technique known to arrest cortical development in A1. Notably, adult rats reared in continuous white noise maintained more juvenile-like levels of LTP, which normalized upon subsequent exposure to an unaltered acoustic environment. The white noise-induced LTP enhancements also appeared to be mediated by NR2B subunits, as NR2B antagonists reversed these LTP enhancements in white noise-reared rats. Given the strong influence that sensory experience exerts on plasticity, additional experiments examined the effect of shorter episodes of white noise exposure on LTP in adult rats. Exposure to white noise during early postnatal life appeared to “prime” A1 for subsequent exposure in adulthood, resulting in enhanced LTP. The necessity of early-life exposure was evident, as repeated episodes of white noise in adulthood did not enhance plasticity. In older rats that typically no longer express LTP in A1, pharmacological methods to enhance plasticity were explored. Moderate LTP was observed in older rats with cortical zinc application, which may act through its antagonism of NR2A subunits of the NMDAR. Additionally, current source density and cortical silencing analyses were conducted to characterize the distinct peaks of field postsynaptic potentials recorded in A1, with the earlier and later peaks likely representing thalamocortical and intracortical synapses, respectively. Together, this thesis emphasizes the critical role of sensory experience in determining levels of cortical plasticity, and demonstrates strategies to enhance plasticity in the mature auditory cortex. / Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-01-11 14:53:57.677

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two imaginal methods on a short-term memory task. A previously unresearched technique, Personalistic (P) mental imagery was combined with Interactive (I) imagery to form Personal-Interactive (P-I) mental imagery. Subjects in the P-I group were instructed to visualize themselves personally involved in an interactive scene of three given nouns. The effects of this group were compared to the effects of I imagery on a short-term memory task requiring free recall of 22 noun triads. A t test analysis found no significant difference between the I and P-I groups on total number of words correctly recalled and total number of failures to generate an image. It was concluded that the added dimension of P to I imagery did not produce greater recall than I imagery independently. It was recommended that P mental imagery be tested independently on a recall task of one word or item as opposed to two or more.

The objective of this study was to determine whether provincial health policies influence the supply of long-term care in a province, and the care received by residents that require it. This was achieved by first conducting a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of the long-term care policies of Alberta and Ontario, and then comparing health conditions of long-term care and assisted living/retirement home residents in both provinces. The latter comparisons used information collected from comparable versions of the Resident Assessment Instrument – Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) and the RAI-MDS Home Care. The study hypothesis was that provinces with health policies favouring institutional over community care would have a higher proportion of residents with lower care requirements in institutional settings. The results show that this is not the case, and that institutional settings house those with high care needs in both provinces.

The objective of this study was to determine whether provincial health policies influence the supply of long-term care in a province, and the care received by residents that require it. This was achieved by first conducting a comprehensive review and comparative analysis of the long-term care policies of Alberta and Ontario, and then comparing health conditions of long-term care and assisted living/retirement home residents in both provinces. The latter comparisons used information collected from comparable versions of the Resident Assessment Instrument – Minimum Data Set (RAI-MDS) and the RAI-MDS Home Care. The study hypothesis was that provinces with health policies favouring institutional over community care would have a higher proportion of residents with lower care requirements in institutional settings. The results show that this is not the case, and that institutional settings house those with high care needs in both provinces.