Digital Commons Network^™

Anti-Cancer Effects Of Tocotrienols In Nsclc, Lichchavi Raj Raj

Wayne State University Dissertations

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death among cancers, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 80-85% of all lung cancers and a five-year survival rate of 5 % at stage IIIB. Delta-tocotrienol (δT) including other tocotrienol isomers has been shown to exhibit anti-tumor activity via inhibition of different signaling pathways in tumors including NSCLC. Previously we reported that δT reduced cell invasion via inhibition of the Notch-1 and NF-κb pathway.

Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) dependent cell migration and invasion are key processes in cancer metastasis. Hence, its suppression is a promising strategy for cancer therapeutics. …

Interpreting The Role Of Ph On Stable Isotopes In Large Benthic Foraminifera, L. L. Robbins, P. O. Knorr, J. G. Wynn, Pamela Hallock, P. J. Harries

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Large benthic foraminifera (LBF) are prolific producers of calcium carbonate sediments in shallow, tropical environments that are being influenced by ocean acidification (OA). Two LBF species, Amphistegina gibbosa (Order Rotaliida) with low-Mg calcite tests and Archaias angulatus (Order Miliolida) with high-Mg calcite tests, were studied to assess the effects of pH 7.6 on oxygen and carbon isotopic fractionation between test calcite and ambient seawater. The δ 18O and δ 13C values of terminal chambers and of whole adult tests of both species after 6 weeks were not significantly different between pH treatments of 8.0 and 7.6. However, tests of juveniles …

The Role Of Oxidation-Sensitive Nociception And Epigenetics In Endometriosis-Associated Pain, Kristeena Ray Wright

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease that is associated with severe symptoms and consequences such as total hysterectomy. Upwards of 10% of women of reproductive age have endometriosis, most of whom are afflicted with chronic pelvic pain and/or infertility. Despite many treatment options available to endometriosis patients, there is no cure for this condition and recurrence of symptoms is extremely common. In CHAPTER 1, we describe the mechanisms involved in endometriotic pain and the currently available treatment strategies. Our laboratory has provided evidence for the role of oxidative stress in the etiology of endometriosis and its associated pain. In this dissertation …

Effects Of Asiatic Acid On Neurite Outgrowth In Neuro-2a Cells, Aishah Asiri

Masters Theses

Recently, medicinal plants from ancient Ayurvedic medicine have provided clues to the discovery of novel therapeutics for various diseases. In Ayurvedic medicine, a common Indian plant, Centella asiatica is highly regarded as a "rasayana" or nerve tonic. The Centella extract is used to ward off age-related dementia and to increase memory and intelligence. The mechanism by which Centella improves memory and learning and reduces the risk of dementia is unclear.

We recently tested the effects of asiatic acid, the main active component of Centella, on neuronal growth. We hypothesized that asiatic acid will promote neuronal growth and neurite network …

The Influence Of Chromium Supplementation On The Insulin Pathway, Carcass Traits, And Meat Quality Of Feedlot Steers, Heather Rode

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chromium supplementation (Cr) can increase efficiency of growth in livestock by amplifying insulin signaling. Previous research showed Cr increases nutrient utilization and changes in muscle growth and fat deposition. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine how Cr affects carcass traits, meat quality, and the insulin pathway in feedlot steers. Calf-fed steers were allotted to 0 ppb (CON) or 400 ppb Cr propionate (Cr400) for 210d in experiment 1. Two longissimus muscle (LM) biopsies were collected to examine protein abundance and gene expression after adaptation to a terminal implant and after adaption to ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC). A follow …

Synaptotagmin C2b Ca2+-Binding Loops Impose Distinct Exocytosis Phenotypes, Michael W. Schmidtke

Wayne State University Theses

Regulated exocytosis from chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla plays a critical role in maintaining organismal homeostasis. In the absence of stress, these cells release physiologically relevant substances into the blood stream only in limited quantities, whereas stressful conditions result in a rapid deluge of signaling molecules used, for example, to increase heart rate and pain tolerance. Although the cellular mechanisms governing the switch from low-level to stress-induced secretion are not well understood, recent evidence has implicated the exocytotic Ca2+-sensing protein Synaptotagmin (Syt) in this role.

Two isoforms of Syt are expressed in chromaffin cells (Syt-1 and Syt-7), and each …

Zn-Use Efficiency For Optimization Of Symbiotic Nitrogenfixation In Chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.), Igor Kryvoruchko

Turkish Journal of Botany

Zn deficiency is widespread in traditional areas of chickpea cultivation worldwide. It limits chickpea productivity and causes significant losses to the economies of the world?s largest chickpea exporters. This review may be of interest to researchers who would like to contribute to the improvement of chickpea cultivation on Zn-depleted soils in an environmentally sustainable manner, namely via identification of genotypes with superior symbiotic performance under Zn-limited conditions. The primary aim of the current work is to familiarize the readers with the biology and symbiotic characteristics of chickpea, and also to provide the necessary background on Zn as an essential nutrient …

Cell-Compatible Phb/Silk Fibroin Composite Nanofibermat For Tissue Engineering Applications, Zeynep Karahali̇loğlu

Turkish Journal of Biology

Cell compatibility is one of the prominent requirements for the fabrication of tissue engineering materials. Silk fibroin (SF) is an excellent material for biomedical applications and shows desirable properties such as good compatibility, minimal tissue reaction, and tailorable degradability. Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) has a high percentage of crystallinity and a high melting temperature. In this study, PHB and SF were blended together to improve the mechanical properties of the SF fibrous structure and the crystallinity of PHB. Furthermore, the cell-biomaterial interaction on the PHB/SF composite scaffold was expected to be enhanced via the SF. For this purpose, PHB/SF composite scaffolds were …

Darwinian Evolutionary Theory And Constructions Of Race In Nazi Germany: A Literary And Cultural Analysis Of Darwin’S Works And Nazi Rhetoric, Emily M. Wollmuth

Departmental Honors Projects

First published in 1856, Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species is one of the most impactful scientific writings in history. While the influence of Darwinian evolutionary theory on historical events has been widely studied, no single work of scholarship has previously combined close reading of Origin’s representations of “race” with analysis of how those constructions of “racial” difference are (mis)translated across the cultural discourses of the eugenics movement and Nazi Germany. Through comparative cultural studies and close literary analysis of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and Darwin’s works—including Origin, Descent of Man, and Voyage of the Beagle, this paper examines how evolutionary …

Investigation Of The Physiological Role Of Rin Gtpase In Cell Death, Axonal Injury, And Inflammation Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Megan Pannell

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a progressive disorder, in which the primary injury results in the initiation of a complex cascade of secondary biochemical and metabolic changes resulting in lasting neurological dysfunction and cognitive impairment. The heterogeneous nature of the disease has complicated the development of pharmacological agents to improve the outcomes of TBI; to date, no therapeutic treatment has been shown to be effective in clinical trials. Treatments targeting multiple secondary outcomes (cell death, axonal degeneration, and inflammation) may provide enhanced therapeutic efficacy following TBI.

Small Ras family GTP-binding proteins govern diverse cellular processes by directing the relay of …

Wild-Growing Rosa Heckeliana Tratt.: Phenolic Constituentswith Cytotoxic And Antioxidative Properties, Nursen Çoruh, Ni̇zametti̇n Özdoğan

Turkish Journal of Biology

Rosa heckeliana, as one of the wild-growing species of the family Rosacea, has a wide use in the folk medicine; however, scientifically there is very little known about it. Our objective was to examine the antioxidative and antiproliferative properties of Rosa heckeliana root extract and its phenolics. The phenolic constituents, namely catechin, caffeic acid, and ellagic acid, were obtained by the methods of extraction, fractionation, and purification through column chromatography. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays and total flavonoid content analysis were employed as the current antioxidant methods over the crude extract and fractionated parts. Among the extracts/fractions, the …

Improvement In Androgenic Response Of Borage (Borago Officinalis L.) Cultured Anthersusing Antibrowning Agents And Picloram, Mohammad Reza Abdollahi, Zahra Chardoli Eshaghi, Mohammad Majdi

Turkish Journal of Biology

Given the importance of borage (Borago officinalis L.) as a medicinal herb, androgenic studies are necessary in order to speed up the breeding programs of this plant species. In this work, we evaluated the effect of silver nitrate, activated charcoal, ascorbic acid, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), previously described as antibrowning agents and promoters of androgenesis. Adding silver nitrate at a concentration of 5 mg L-1 significantly enhanced the androgenic responses of cultured anthers up to ~2-fold for total calli production (53.33%) and up to ~2.5-fold for embryonic calli and embryo formation (30% and 0.3 embryos/anther, respectively) compared to control culture medium. …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Plla/Pbs Sponges As A Promisingbiodegradable Scaffold For Neural Tissue Engineering, İrem Ayşe Kanneci̇ Altinişik, Fatma Neşe Kök, Deni̇z Yücel, Gamze Köse

Turkish Journal of Biology

In tissue engineering, the use of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA)/polybutylene succinate (PBS) blend for the construction of scaffold is very limited. Moreover, polymeric sponges fabricated from PLLA/PBS have not been studied for neural tissue engineering. In the present study, the potential of the utility of PLLA/PBS polymeric sponges seeded with Schwann cells was investigated. PLLA and PBS were blended in order to increase the processability and tune the crystallinity, porosity, and degradation rate of the resulted polymeric sponges. These sponges were then seeded with Schwann cells. Porosity analysis showed that there were no significant differences between different compositions of PLLA/PBS blends; …

A Computational Study Of Vegf Production By Patterned Retinal Epithelial Cell Colonies As A Model For Neovascular Macular Degeneration, Qanita Bani Baker, Gregory J. Podgorski, Elizabeth Vargis, Nicholas Flann

Biology Faculty Publications

Background: The configuration of necrotic areas within the retinal pigmented epithelium is an important element in the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In the exudative (wet) and non-exudative (dry) forms of the disease, retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells respond to adjacent atrophied regions by secreting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that in turn recruits new blood vessels which lead to a further reduction in retinal function and vision. In vitro models exist for studying VEGF expression in wet AMD (Vargis et al., Biomaterials 35(13):3999–4004, 2014), but are limited in the patterns of necrotic and intact RPE epithelium they can …

Small Noncoding Rna Expression During Extreme Anoxia Tolerance Of Annual Killifish (Austrofundulus Limnaeus) Embryos, Claire L. Riggs, Jason E. Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Small noncoding RNAs (sncRNA) have recently emerged as specific and rapid regulators of gene expression, involved in a myriad of cellular and organismal processes. MicroRNAs, a class of sncRNAs, are differentially expressed in diverse taxa in response to environmental stress, including anoxia. In most vertebrates, a brief period of oxygen deprivation results in severe tissue damage or death. Studies on sncRNA and anoxia have focused on these anoxia-sensitive species. Studying sncRNAs in anoxia-tolerant organisms may provide insight into adaptive mechanisms supporting anoxia tolerance. Embryos of the annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus are the most anoxia-tolerant vertebrates known, surviving over 100 days …

Comparative Evaluations Of Tear Secretion In Healthy And Infectious Keratoconjunctivitis Romanov Sheep With Schirmer Tear Test And Phenol Red Thread Tear Test, Mustafa Bariş Akgül, Ni̇hat Şindak, Ali̇ Gülaydin, Doğukan Özen, Serpi̇l Kahya Demi̇rbi̇lek, Kadi̇r Sulu

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study is to determine the amount of tear secretion in sheep with infectious keratoconjunctivitis and healthy ones in the Siirt region by Schirmer tear test and phenol red thread tear test. A total of 47 Romanov sheep, consisting of sheep with infectious keratoconjunctivitis (n = 6) and healthy sheep (n = 41), constituted the study material. Phenol red thread tear test followed by Schirmer tear test was performed on both eyes of the animals, properly taken at a control visit on their feet. The Schirmer tear test and phenol red thread tear test values were measured …

Use Of Insects For Fish And Poultry Compound Feed In Sub-Saharan Africa - A Systematic Review, G. Ssepuuya, V. Namulawa, D. Mbabazi, S. Mugerwa, P. Fuuna, Z. Nampijja, S. Ekesi, K. K.M. Fiaboe, D. Nakimbugwe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The cost of compound feed is a constraint in intensive fish and poultry farming, contributing 60-80% of the total production costs, 70% of which is due to fish and soy meal used as protein source. This review presents the extent to which insects have been utilised as an alternative protein source in feed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A key word search of agricultural, biological and multi-disciplinary databases and academic search engines was conducted for literature on the extent of research and utilisation of insects in poultry and fish feed in SSA. There is limited published information on the practice as …

In Vitro Production Protocol Of Vaccinium Uliginosum L. (Bog Bilberry)Growing In The Turkish Flora, Mustafa Cüce, Atalay Sökmen

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

This novel approach was designed to increase the production capacity of Vaccinium uliginosum L. via direct organogenesis. Lateral buds containing one or two leaves were initially cultured in McCown woody plant medium (WPM), Anderson's rhododendron medium, and Murashige and Skoog basal media, each supplemented with zeatin/indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and zeatin/naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) (1.0/0.1 mg L-1). WPM containing the zeatin/IBA combination was the most effective as the basal medium. Various plant growth regulators (PGRs) were then investigated for the best shoot multiplication, and zeatin was found to be most favorable PGR in all cases. The highest shoot length and shoot …

Response Of Five Triticale Genotypes To Salt Stress In In Vitro Culture, İsmai̇l Bezi̇rğanoğlu

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

Salinity is one of the important abiotic stresses that restrict plant development. Triticale is a highly adaptable crop, known for its high-quality grain, yield potential, and resistance to disease. Responses of five cultivated genotypes (Ümran Hanım, Mikham 2002, Melez 2001, Tatlıcak, and Alper Bey) of triticale to salt stress were tested in callus and embryogenic callus formation in this study. Cotyledon explants were selected as explants for callus induction and embryogenic callus formation. The five tested triticale genotypes varied in their callus growth and embryogenic callus formation. Ümran Hanım, Tatlıcak, and Alper Bey were observed for better callus induction; similarly, …

Canine Emotions As Seen Through Human Social Cognition, Miiamaaria V. Kujala

Animal Sentience

It is not possible to demonstrate that dogs (Canis familiaris) feel emotions, but the same is true for all other species, including our own. The issue must therefore be approached indirectly, using premises similar to those used with humans. Recent methodological advances in canine research reveal what dogs experience and what they derive from the emotions perceptible in others. Dogs attend to social cues, they respond appropriately to the valence of human and dog facial expressions and vocalizations of emotion, and their limbic reward regions respond to the odor of their caretakers. They behave differently according to the …

Integrated Stress And Community Perceptions: Toward An Understanding Of Human-Cougar Tolerance, Lara Brenner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Evidence suggests that cougars (Puma concolor) are beginning to recolonize their traditional range in the Midwestern and Eastern US, returning to a landscape and a social environment that have changed drastically in a century of absence. Any hope of the cougar’s persistence depends on both human tolerance of their presence and on cougar tolerance of disrupted habitat. In this thesis, we took advantage of diverse cougar policy in place in the Western US to explore variation in human attitudes and acceptability of cougars and in the cougar stress response. We validated a process to identify and extract cortisol …

Complex Glycan Utilization Preferences Of Human Gut Bacteria, Yunus Emre Tuncil

Open Access Dissertations

Complex glycans, making up dietary fiber, have gained significance in recent years as they are the main energy source for the colonic microbiota which are physiologically important for the host health. Understanding glycan utilization strategies of the members of this community is essential to maximize beneficial health outcomes obtained from them. In order to investigate how the members of our gut microbiota utilize glycans and activate their respective polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs), we performed a series of time-course assays in which two model organisms, Bacteroides thetaiotamicron (Bt) and B. ovatus (Bo), were individually grown in a medium containing carbohydrates utilized …

Using Mouse Models To Define How The P53 R72p Polymorphism Impacts The Adverse Effects Of Doxorubicin And Ionizing Radiation, Emily Dominguez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at codon 72 of the tumor suppressor gene p53 codes for either an arginine (R) or proline (P) (p53 R72P). This SNP may impact how cells respond to genotoxic insult. Studies in cell culture and in tissues from mouse models of the SNP indicate that, in response to gentoxic treatment, the two variants may differentially induce apoptosis and expression of p53 target genes. In epidemiological studies, the P variant is associated with decreased cancer survival and increased risk of side-effects from genotoxic cancer treatment. Genotoxic therapy is still the mainstay of cancer treatment, and doxorubicin …

2016 Program, Office Of Academic Affairs

Programs

Eastern Illinois University is a community enthusiastically engaged in intellectual exploration. This includes faculty testing the boundaries of knowledge within their disciplines and the boundaries of how to convey that knowledge to their students. It also includes students, both graduate students joining with their faculty mentors in pressing the disciplinary boundaries, and undergraduate students discovering the front edges of the disciplines under the guidance of their instructors. Today we celebrate the full range of such faculty contributions: journal articles, book chapters, monographs, art works, music compositions, performances in all forms, and a host of others. Funded research contributions also are …

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter (No. 23) = 嶺南彩園通訊 (第23期), Lingnan Gardeners, Kwan Fong Cultural Research And Development Programme, Lingnan University

Lingnan Gardeners Newsletter 嶺南彩園通訊

Frost Descends 霜降

Examining Relationships Between Basic Emotion Perception And Musical Training In The Prosodic, Facial, And Lexical Channels Of Communication And In Music, Jamie Twaite

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research has suggested that intensive musical training may result in transfer effects from musical to non-musical domains. There is considerable research on perceptual and cognitive transfer effects associated with music, but, comparatively, fewer studies examined relationships between musical training and emotion processing. Preliminary findings, though equivocal, suggested that musical training is associated with enhanced perception of emotional prosody, consistent with a growing body of research demonstrating relationships between music and speech. In addition, few studies directly examined the relationship between musical training and the perception of emotions expressed in music, and no studies directly evaluated this relationship in the facial …

Why Consciousness Matters: Insights From A New Generation, Kathleen Noble

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

The University of Washington-Bothell is home to a transdisciplinary and integral minor in consciousness that is the first and only such program at a public research university. This study reports a content analysis of reflection essays submitted by 122 students who completed at least four of the five courses that comprise the minor between 2012 and 2016. Results indicate that students derived significant benefits from this approach to the study of consciousness, including a deep appreciation for the depth and breadth of the mind and the need to release their understanding of consciousness from the constraints of scientific materialism. They …

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Caused By Plasmodium Falciparum Infection, Erik Munson, Patricia G. Luedke, William D. Timm

Clinical Lab Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Rapid Museum, Gary Barwin

The Goose

Poetry by Gary Barwin

Tau Prion Strains In Cells, Mice, And Patients, David Winland Sanders

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Prion-like propagation of tau aggregation may underlie the stereotyped progression of pathology along neuronal networks in neurodegenerative tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease. It has become increasingly clear that unique conformations (“strains”) of prion protein (PrP) link aggregate structure to clinical phenotypes in human prion diseases. Intriguingly, vast phenotypic diversity in pathological and clinical presentation is also observed in tauopathies. The mechanisms that account for this phenotypic diversity are completely unknown. During my dissertation work, I put forward and tested the hypothesis that distinct tau amyloid conformations (or “strains”) are responsible for unique tauopathies. First, I found that in experimental models, …