Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiolipin Regulates Mitophagy Through The Pkc Pathway, Zheni Shen

Wayne State University Dissertations

Cardiolipin (CL), the signature phospholipid of mitochondrial membranes, is important for cardiovascular health. Perturbation of CL metabolism is implicated in cardiovascular disease (CVD). The link between CL and CVD may be explained by the physiological roles of CL in pathways that are cardioprotective, such as autophagy/mitophagy and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. My dissertation work focuses on elucidating how CL influences mitophagy and MAPK pathways.

crd1Δ was synthetically lethal/sick with the general autophagy mutants atg8Δ, atg18Δ and mitophagy mutant atg32Δ, suggesting that autophagy/mitophagy may be deficient in cells lacking CL. Microscopic examination of mitophagy revealed decreased translocation of GFP-tagged …

Princess On The Margins: Toward A New Portrait Of Madame Élisabeth De France, Maria Spencer Wendeln

Wayne State University Dissertations

Princess on the Margins: Toward a New Biography of Madame Élisabeth de France, moves past the perpetuation of prior biographies on Louis XVI’s sister which make the princess out to be a “virgin martyr” and instead focuses on the princess’s political agency and place with the political culture of the French Revolution.

Soy Isoflavones Mediate Radioprotection Of Normal Lung Tissue By Modulating The Radiation-Induced Inflammatory Response, Lisa Marie Abernathy

Wayne State University Dissertations

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is caused by an early inflammatory process triggered by damage to lung parenchyma, epithelial cells, vascular endothelial cells and stroma. Initially, oxidative injuries after radiation induce altered expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Infiltrating inflammatory cells are stimulated and activated, producing additional mediators, resulting in a cytokine cascade. The expansion and perpetual activation of inflammatory cells, as well as lung parenchyma, lead to clinical pneumonitis. Activated cells produce molecular mediators and growth factors that affect the proliferation and gene expression of lung fibroblasts. This process leads to increased collagen synthesis and deposition, eventually leading to the development of …

Photodynamic Therapy As An Effective Therapeutic Approach In Mame Models Of Triple Negative And Inflammatory Breast Cancers, Neha Aggarwal

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive, FDA approved therapy for

treatment of several indications including endobronchial and esophageal cancers that are

accessible to light. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)

are aggressive and lethal subtypes of breast cancer that spread to chest wall and dermal

lymphatics, respectively, sites that would be accessible to light. Both TNBC and IBC patients

have a relatively poor survival rate due to lack of targeted therapies. Use of PDT is

underexplored for breast cancers but has been proposed for treatment of subtypes for which a

targeted therapy is unavailable. …

Investigating University Instructors’ Experiences And Uses Of Mobile Technology In Teaching And Learning In Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim K. Alali

Wayne State University Dissertations

The use of mobile technology in teaching and learning has become a worldwide phenomenon. Many university instructors in Saudi Arabia have also started using their own mobile technology in their teaching and for communication with students. But there is limited research on Saudi Arabian university faculty’s experiences of using mobile technology in their teaching practices. This mixed-method study adapted the R2D2 (Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing) model (Bonk & Zhang, 2006, 2008) to investigate faculty’s uses of mobile technology in Saudi Arabian universities, including both instructors’ own teaching and learners’ activities.

An online survey, with both Likert-scale items and open-ended …

Applications Of Machine Learning In Biology And Medicine, Saied Haidarian Shahri

Wayne State University Dissertations

Machine learning as a field is defined to be the set of computational algorithms that improve their performance by assimilating data.

As such, the field as a whole has found applications in many diverse disciplines from robotics and communication in engineering to economics and finance, and also biology and medicine.

It should not come as a surprise that many popular methods in use today have completely different origins.

Despite this heterogeneity, different methods can be divided into standard tasks, such as supervised, unsupervised, semi-supervised and reinforcement learning.

Although machine learning as a field can be formalized as methods trying to …

Quantification Of Auto-Ignition In Diesel Engines, Umashankar M. Joshi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Efforts have been made previously by researchers to quantify the auto-ignition quality of fuels by calculating global activation energy using Arrhenius plots with data measured for the ignition delay period (ID). Large variation in the activation energy of fuels has been observed even for fuels with closer CN values. More recently, the activation energy values obtained by Kook et al in (2005) on an optical engine do not agree with data obtained in an identical metallic engine by Jayakumar using fuels of same CN.

The disparity in their results can be attributed to the differences in ignition delay (ID) and …

Islet Dysfunction In Diabetes, Syeda Khadija

Wayne State University Dissertations

Type 2 Diabetes [T2DM] is a chronic condition resulting from gradual failure of pancreatic beta cells to synthesize and secrete sufficient insulin to meet the metabolic demands and the inability of tissues [muscle, adipose and liver] to efficiently utilize the secreted insulin leading to an overall increase in blood glucose levels [hyperglycemia]. As indicated by recent estimates from the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of the disease in the year 2014 has risen to a record 387 million worldwide. The main objective of my project was to study the mechanisms involved in pancreatic beta cell dysfunction in diabetes, specifically in …

Understanding The Physics Of Magnetic Nanoparticles And Their Applications In The Biomedical Field, Suvra Santa Laha

Wayne State University Dissertations

The study of magnetic nanoparticles is of great interest because of their potential uses in magnetic-recording, medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Additionally, they also offer an opportunity to understand the physics underlying the complex behavior exhibited by these materials. Two of the most important relaxation phenomena occurring in magnetic nanoparticles are superparamagnetic blocking and spin-glass-like freezing. In addition to features attributed to superparamagnetism, these nanoparticles can also exhibit magnetic relaxation effects at very low temperatures (≲ 50 K). Our studies suggest that all structural defects, and not just surface spins, are responsible for the low-temperature glass-like relaxation observed in many …

Frontiers In Operations Research For Overcoming Barriers To Vehicle Electrification, Mahyar Movahed Nejad

Wayne State University Dissertations

Electric vehicles (EVs) hold many promises including diversification of the transportation energy feedstock and reduction of greenhouse gas and other emissions. However, achieving large-scale adoption of EVs presents a number of challenges resulting from a current lack of supporting infrastructure and difficulties in overcoming technological barriers. This dissertation addresses some of these challenges by contributing to the advancement of theories in the areas of network optimization and mechanism design.

To increase the electric driving range of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), we propose a powertrain energy management control system that exploits energy efficiency dif- ferences of the electric machine and …

Well-Posedness Properties In Variational Analysis And Its Applications, Wei Ouyang

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the study and applications of some significant properties in well-posedness and sensitivity analysis, among which the notions of uniform metric regularity , higher-order metric subregularity and its strong subregularity counterpart play an essential role in modern variational analysis. We derived verifiable sufficient conditions and necessary conditions for those notions in terms of appropriate generalized differential as well as geometric constructions of variational analysis. Concrete examples are provided to illustrate the behavior and compare the results. Optimality conditions of parametric variational systems (PVS) under equilibrium constraints are also investigated via the terms of coderivatives. We derived necessary …

The Effects Of Emotional Awareness And Expression Training And Relaxation Training For People With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Randomized Trial, Elyse Thakur

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE EFFECTS OF EMOTIONAL AWARENESS AND EXPRESSION TRAINING AND RELAXATION TRAINING FOR PEOPLE WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL

by

ELYSE R. THAKUR

August 2015

Advisor: Dr. Mark A. Lumley

Major: Psychology (Clinical)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Irritable bowel syndrome has historically been considered a “functional” or “medically unexplained” disorder, characterized by abdominal discomfort and altered bowel habits. However, many facets of the disorder remain unclear and symptoms are often variable, which make it difficult to find successful treatments. A history of trauma, stressful life events, and intrapsychic conflict is common among people with IBS, as is the …

Finite-Difference Approximations And Optimal Control Of Differential Inclusions, Yuan Tian

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation concerns the study of the generalized Bolza type problem for dynamic systems governed by constrained differential inclusions. We develop finite-discrete approximations of differential inclusions by using the implicit Euler scheme and the Runge-Kutta scheme for approximating time derivatives, while an appropriate well-posedness of such approximations is justified. Our principal result establishes the uniform approximation of strong local minimizers for the continuous-time Bolza problem by optimal solutions to the corresponding discretized finite-difference systems by the strengthen $W^{1,2}$-norm approximation of this type in the case ``intermediate" (between strong and weak minimizers) local minimizers under additional assumptions. Especially the implicitly discrete …

Third Shift Appearance Work: Experiences Of Career-Oriented Mothers, Jennifer Haskin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Over the last four decades, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of mothers with young children in the paid work force, particularly mothers with children under the age of six. Up until now, feminist literature in the areas of motherhood and paid work has focused on the ways in which working mothers balance the hectic schedules and responsibilities of paid work with the obligations that exist at home. This purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which working mothers with young children experience a third shift of appearance work while working for pay and …

Methodology For Validating Multi-Dimensional Engine Combustion Models And Fuel Surrogates Using An Optically Accessible Compression Ignition Engine, Xin Yu

Wayne State University Dissertations

In response to increasingly stringent engine emissions regulation, three dimensional in-cylinder combustion modeling is increasingly being used as a tool to optimize the combustion process and reduce the cost of experimental testing. Due to the complexity of the physical and chemical interactions involved in the in-cylinder combustion process, the engine combustion model consists of numerous sub-models developed under pre-defined initial and boundary conditions requiring further model calibration depending on different engine applications. Fuel surrogates, one of those sub-models developed for different combustion applications, may not capture all the behavior when applied to the varying temperature-pressure conditions present in a compression …

The Influence Of Student Engagement On Student Retention At A Midwest Urban Research Institution, Denise Williams Mallett

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the importance of student retention and persistence and the role that student engagement has on those areas. Three research questions were posed for this study. The questions looked at the differences between national outcomes as compared to those in an urban-commuter, University in the Midwest; the differences between African American students and Caucasian students at this Midwest institution and the perception of engagement of freshman and senior level students. Student engagement was measured by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) five factors (i.e., level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student interactions with faculty, enriching …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of High School Principals With Regard To Bullying In Their Schools, Cornelius James Lewis

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined attitudes and perceptions of high school principals/assistant principals with regard to bullying in their schools. Bullying is a pervasive, unacceptable form of aggression that has negative consequences, both for the bully and the victim. School principals are charged with the responsibility of creating a safe environment for students, by effectively combating any aggressive behavior that could harm a student. The extent to which principals are able to combat bullying, may depend largely on their attitudes and perceptions of bullying behavior in their schools. This purpose of the study was to compare the attitudes of high school principals …

Rhetoric Of Young Non-Regular Workers In Post-Bubble Japan: A Genealogical Analysis, Noriaki Tajima

Wayne State University Dissertations

This work explores the development and struggle of a rhetorical subject of Japanese young non-regular workers against the recent slow economic trend. In Japan, the bubble-burst in 1991 invited a long economic recession, and companies started to adopt non-regular—low-wage, short-term and insecure—contracts from quintessential Fordist full-time seishain regular contract; yet, a large body of older seishain workers has retained this stable and affordable status. As a result, the vast majority of working forces enrolled in the job market since then has suffered from a low living standard, many on the verge of survival, while domestic mass media discourses have legitimated …

Knowledge Acquisition Processes: Understanding The Communication Event, Richard Jack Ulrey Jr.

Wayne State University Dissertations

This research project’s two key discoveries offer new insights into Huber’s (1991) KA sub-processes (congenital learning, experimental learning, vicarious learning, grafting, and searching) and understanding the key elements (who, what, when, where, why, and how) of communication events. Organizational leaders and scholars of communication have a better understanding about how one organization’s team of leaders have addressed and responded to the Great Recession of 2008 and the recent explosion of social media in 2003 by practicing a thematic cycle of KA efforts (identification, strategizing, execution, and reflection) to achieve organizational objectives (partners, technologies, and policies) and a strong communication culture …

The Efficacy Of A Crisis Intervention And Resilience Building Training Program For Counselors-In-Training, Sameerah Sue Davenport

Wayne State University Dissertations

Because of the prevalence of potentially traumatic events, counselors-in-training may have to assist individuals in crisis, as early as the internship phase of their counseling program. However, counselors-in-training receive minimal training in crisis intervention, which may be deleterious to the counselor as well as the client. Similarly, counselors-in-training receive minimal training on resilience building, a key component of crisis intervention. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a crisis intervention and resilience building training program, grounded in REBT, for counselors-in-training.

This study used a quasi-experimental, switching replications design consisting of two groups and three waves …

Beginning Algebra Student's Conceptual Understanding Of Variables In The Context Of Solving Equations: A Conceptual Change Inquiry., Darrlyn Harrison

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation aims to illuminate novice algebra student’s conceptual understandings of variables, solving equations, and the juxtaposition of the two. The goal of this study is to design a curricular intervention for a beginning Algebra 1 course and document, analyze, and interpret conceptual changes beginning algebra students experience in their understanding of variables and solving equations. Previous literature in this field indicate that students are not grasping a concrete conceptual understanding of algebraic topics starting at the very basic building blocks of algebra. This study advances our understanding of how we can alleviate some students’ frustrations and misunderstandings of variables, …

Quantifying Magnetic Moments And Susceptibilities Of Small Cylindrical And Spherical Objects In Mri, Ching-Yi Hsieh

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this PhD work is to develop a method for accurately quantifying effective magnetic moments and susceptibility of either cylindrical or spherical-like small objects from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A standard 3D gradient echo sequence with only one echo time is intended for our approach to measure the effective magnetic moment of a given object of interest. For the quantification of the susceptibility in the cylindrical objects at different orientations, a standard 3D gradient echo sequence with only one or two echo times is needed.

Methods: Our method is to sum over complex MR signals around the …

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Nitrile-Based Inhibitors Of Cysteine Proteases Caged With Ruthenium Complexes, Rajgopal Sharma

Wayne State University Dissertations

Light activated compounds can be used as tools for understanding and solving numerous biological problems. This dissertation focuses on developing ruthenium-based photocages for caging nitrile-based cysteine protease inhibitors. Four research areas pertaining to this dissertation, i) metals in medicine, ii) photocages in biological applications, iii) photodynamic therapy and iv) cysteine cathepsin proteases were briefly surveyed in the introductory chapter. Next, RuII(bpy)2 group was utilized for synthesizing nitrile-based caged CTSK and CTSB inhibitors. Light activated release of inhibitors, followed by toxicity and stability data were studied. Cathepsin enzyme activity inhibition in 2D and 3D assays were established. This work showcased the …

Building Computing-As-A-Service Mobile Cloud System, Kun Wang

Wayne State University Dissertations

The last five years have witnessed the proliferation of smart mobile devices, the explosion of various mobile applications and the rapid adoption of cloud computing in business, governmental and educational IT deployment. There is also a growing trends of combining mobile computing and cloud computing as a new popular computing paradigm nowadays. This thesis envisions the future of mobile computing which is primarily affected by following three trends: First, servers in cloud equipped with high speed multi-core technology have been the main stream today. Meanwhile, ARM processor powered servers is growingly became popular recently and the virtualization on ARM systems …

Edge Fracture Prediction Of Dual Phase Steels With Consideration Of Microstructures, Ming Wen

Wayne State University Dissertations

In recent years, Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) have been used for the lightweight structural design and manufacturing in automotive industry. This class of sheet metals are prone to edge fracture during stamping production, and the fracture often occurs at much lower strain than that predicted based on the forming limit curves. The uncertainty in predicting edge fracture represents a great challenge in the application of AHSS. This dissertation is focused on the better understanding of edge fracture phenomenon through experimental observation and computer modeling with the consideration of microstructure effect.

In this dissertation, Hole Expansion (HE) test was used …

A Three Essay Examination Of Current Pay And Safety Issues In The Truckload Sector Of The Motor Carrier Industry, Michael Robert Faulkiner

Wayne State University Dissertations

Driver turnover remains a significant problem in the truckload sector of the motor carrier industry and has been linked to large truck crashes. Large truck crashes remain a significant problem in the truckload sector of the motor carrier industry. Employing a unique firm level data set from a large U.S. truckload motor carrier, this research showed that higher driver pay reduced driver exit rates, significantly reduced a driver’s relative crash rate, reduced driver probability of sustaining a crash, and lowered the average cost of a crash for the cooperating firm.

This research identified two driver groups who were hired during …

Economic Welfare Of Firefighting Service In Detroit, Matthias H. Jung

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chapter 1 is concerned with the effect of public fire service quality on individual utility. I develop a theoretical model to account for fire risk as a function of socio-economic, housing, and spatial factors. I review relevant literature on certain inherent public fire service issues regarding technology and cost structure before I briefly discuss the importance of public fire service with regard to overall social welfare. Finally, I employ equity mapping in a case study to assess the effect of a budget cut on equity of fire service allocation in Detroit.

Chapter 2 examines whether socio-economic factors, various aspects of …

“A Lonely Wandering Refugee”: Displaced Whites In The Trans-Mississippi West During The American Civil War, 1861-1868, David Paul Hopkins, Jr.

Wayne State University Dissertations

Historians have written a great deal about the American Civil War and, until recently, much of that scholarly activity has focused on military battles and the effectiveness of the Union and Confederate armies on the war’s outcome. During the past few decades, social historians have tried to dig beneath that narrative to situate the war in the eyes of American citizens and how that war affected their lives. With this, there has been a focus on the Northern and Southern homefronts, African Americans, and soldiers’ motivations to fight – all rooted in the wartime experience. In this discussion, however, there …

A Recursive Service Learning Program: Empowering Students Of Color Traveling Within Community Borders, Cindy Lynn Mooty-Hoffmann

Wayne State University Dissertations

tbd

The Role Of Nostalgia In The Literature Of The Caribbean Diasporas – Linking Memory, Globalization And Homemaking, Lukasz Dominik Pawelek

Wayne State University Dissertations

My dissertation, The Role of Nostalgia in the Literature of the Caribbean Diasporas – Linking Memory, Globalization and Homemaking, investigates diverse manifestations of nostalgia in the literature of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican diasporas. My study offers a comparative analysis of Esmeralda Santiago’s Cuando era puertorriqueña (1994), Gustavo Pérez Firmat’s Next Year in Cuba (1995), and Junot Díaz’s The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2008).

My approach to the notion of nostalgia as a syndrome of globalization offers a valuable contribution to the Caribbean diasporic narrative and by extension to the canon of the U.S. Latino/a Literature. The …