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Country Of Illusion: Imagined Geographies And Transnational Connections In F. Scott Fitzgerald's America, Charles Mitchell Frye Iii Jan 2012

Country Of Illusion: Imagined Geographies And Transnational Connections In F. Scott Fitzgerald's America, Charles Mitchell Frye Iii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The two decades between World Wars I and II were a remarkably isolationist, xenophobic period in the history of American politics and culture. In the era’s literature, however, some US authors repurposed regional writing as a medium for rethinking conservative nationalism and for imagining their country’s place in the emerging global community. F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose career successes and failures mirrored the parabolic national pattern of Boom and Bust, was one such author. Though his works have seldom been interpreted through a regionalist lens, Fitzgerald lived in and wrote about every major American section, often planting tropes of transregional and …

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Constructing Wilderness: The Nexus Of Preservation And Ocean-Space In The United States, Ryan Orgera Jan 2012

Constructing Wilderness: The Nexus Of Preservation And Ocean-Space In The United States, Ryan Orgera

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ocean has long played a minor role in human geography; imagining it as natural space rather than an extractive space even less significant. This dissertation explores the most revered kind of American nature preservation: wilderness. Despite the millions of acres set aside as wilderness in the United States, no such designation exists for ocean-space as a discrete entity. Through the analysis of congressional hearings, bills, resolutions, public laws, and maps, this dissertation uncovers the complex constructs of the production of legal wilderness. Furthermore, it uncovers a novel vein of inquiry, that of the ocean as a preserved natural space. …

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Effects Of Fire And Treefalls On Japanese Climbing Fern And Native Species Groundcover In A Restored Longleaf Pine Savanna, Becky Jolene Carmichael Jan 2012

Effects Of Fire And Treefalls On Japanese Climbing Fern And Native Species Groundcover In A Restored Longleaf Pine Savanna, Becky Jolene Carmichael

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recurrent disturbances play an important role in maintaining longleaf pine savannas. Windstorms and fires contribute to the heterogeneity of pine savanna understory through generation of canopy gaps and fuel accumulation, distribution and consumption. The combination of windstorms and fires promotes native herbaceous species, but also promotes invasion of Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum). Lygodium japonicum is an invasive fern with subterranean rhizomes and copious spore production invading pine savannas along the southeastern Gulf Coast Region. This dissertation examines how fire, previous windstorm disturbances, and animal disruptions influence L. japonicum and native species abundance in a restored longleaf pine savanna. Studies …

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Energy, Environment, And Sustainability: A Hierarchical Analysis Of South Louisiana, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher Jan 2012

Energy, Environment, And Sustainability: A Hierarchical Analysis Of South Louisiana, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation details research into the sustainability of industrial, human, and natural systems in south Louisiana. Chapter 1 is a general introduction. Chapter 2 calculates the energy return on financial investment (EROFI) of oil and gas production in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in 2009 and the Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252). I calculated a preliminary Energy Return on Investment (EROI) using a range of energy intensity ratios. The EROFI for ultra-deepwater oil and gas at the wellhead was roughly 0.85 gallons, per dollar. These estimates of EROI for 2009 ultra-deepwater oil and natural gas at the wellhead …

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Total Synthesis Of A Virotoxin And Analogs For Conformational Studies, Benson Jumba Edagwa Jan 2012

Total Synthesis Of A Virotoxin And Analogs For Conformational Studies, Benson Jumba Edagwa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes the first total synthesis of alloviroidin in trace amounts, along with that of three analogs containing L-proline (Pro), trans-3-hydroxyproline (3-Hyp) or cis-4-hydroxyproline (4-hyp) residue substituting for 2,3-trans-3,4-trans-dihydroxyproline in the natural product. We report herein an efficient strategy that provides a dipeptide containing a (2S,4S)-4,5-dihydroxyleucine (dihyLeu) residue, including a diastereoselective dihydroxylation. Nα-Carbobenzyloxy-(2S)-4,5-dehydroleucine was coupled with valine ethyl ester to give a dipeptide that was subjected to a Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation to introduce the diol. The relative configuration at C4 was assigned as S by X-ray crystallography after derivatization as an α-amino-γ-lactone hydrochloride salt. The preparation of the 2-(methylsulfonyl)tryptophan …

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Performance, Preference, Promotion: Political Mobility Of Chinese Regional Leaders, Liang Qiao Jan 2012

Performance, Preference, Promotion: Political Mobility Of Chinese Regional Leaders, Liang Qiao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

As a study exclusively on the political elites, the dissertation studies the Chinese regional leaders and their political career mobility controlled by the central government from 1949 to 2010. The Chinese Communist Party controls its regional leaders by controlling their career movement (political mobility). This study explains why some regional leaders were promoted while some others were demoted or dismissed while most of them shared similar personal background and career experience. By providing empirical evidence with quantitative analysis, this study shows that in post-Deng Chinese politics (1997-2010) there are certain patterns and manipulated by the CCP center in demoting and …

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Climate Change Displacement And Global Governance: A Case Study Of Three Intergovernmental Organizations And The Conflict Between The Member States And Bureaucracy, Andrea C. S. Berringer Jan 2012

Climate Change Displacement And Global Governance: A Case Study Of Three Intergovernmental Organizations And The Conflict Between The Member States And Bureaucracy, Andrea C. S. Berringer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Climate change is a topic most often broached by environmental scientists and activists and its effects are discussed in terms of animal populations and atmospheric events. However, its direct effect on human life is yet to garner such attention. A changing climate will affect how people are able to use their environment, if at all. Sea level rise and desertification will force a shift in human habitation. How the world seeks to deal with this shift is yet to be seen. The global governance of climate change-induced displacement is currently at the stage of ad hoc development. Legal and conceptual …

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Investigation Of The Growth And Survival Of Bacteria From Mars Analog Environments When Exposed To Mars-Like Conditions, Bharathi Vallalar Jan 2012

Investigation Of The Growth And Survival Of Bacteria From Mars Analog Environments When Exposed To Mars-Like Conditions, Bharathi Vallalar

LSU Master's Theses

Abstract The purpose of this study was to test the growth of organisms from terrestrial Mars analog environments when exposed to Mars-like conditions. First, the growth of over 75 bacterial strains from the Atacama Desert was tested in the presence of high concentrations (50 mM to 1 M ) of three different perchlorate salts – NaClO4 ∙ H2O, Mg(ClO4)2 ∙ 6 H2O, and Ca(ClO4)2 ∙ 4 H2O found on the Martian surface. Strains tested belonged to a variety of genera such as Blastococcus, Microvirga, Geodermatophilus, and Kocuria. Control strains used for comparison included a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, …

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Evaluation Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn Containing Pyramided Traits For Management Of Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.), David Sindani Wangila Jan 2012

Evaluation Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn Containing Pyramided Traits For Management Of Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.), David Sindani Wangila

LSU Master's Theses

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), is a major target of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn in the U.S. mid southern region. Corn expressing pyramided Bt proteins has recently become commercially available in the U.S. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine survival and plant injury of Cry1Ab-susceptible (Cry1Ab-SS), -resistant (Cry1Ab-RR), and –heterozygous (Cry1Ab-RS) genotypes of D. saccharalis on Bt corn containing single and pyramided Bt genes and 2) to assess larval movement of D. saccharalis in different planting patterns of non-Bt and Bt corn. One laboratory leaf tissue bioassay and two independent greenhouse trials were conducted to evaluate …

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Movements And Habitat Use Of Southeastern Blue Sucker Cycleptus Merdionalis In The Lower Pearl River, Devon Charles Oliver Jan 2012

Movements And Habitat Use Of Southeastern Blue Sucker Cycleptus Merdionalis In The Lower Pearl River, Devon Charles Oliver

LSU Master's Theses

Riverine fisheries management programs often do not focus on non-sport and non-commercial fishes, such as catostomids, yet many suckers have become threatened or endangered throughout river systems in the United States because of habitat alterations. In the Pearl River, sedimentation, dam construction, and other hydrologic modifications have negatively impacted habitats used by southeastern blue suckers Cycleptus meridionalis, a species of concern in both Louisiana and Mississippi. The principal objective of this project was to investigate habitat use of likely historically abundant southeastern blue suckers in the lower Pearl River. During electrofishing surveys in 2010 and 2011, we observed no southeastern …

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Oil-Mediated Mortality And Induced Behavioral Modifications Of Coastal Insects, Benjamin Jacob Adams Jan 2012

Oil-Mediated Mortality And Induced Behavioral Modifications Of Coastal Insects, Benjamin Jacob Adams

LSU Master's Theses

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected over one thousand kilometers of the southeastern United States’ coast in the Gulf of Mexico especially Louisiana’s salt marshes. These marshes are a vital part of the state’s economy and coastal ecology; however, the insects residing in this area remain largely unstudied. The goal of my project was to answer specific questions arising from two ongoing investigations of the insects in the oiled marshes. I sampled insects using sweep nets and insect vacuums to determine the most efficient technique to use in the marsh, compared insects collected in oiled and non-oiled marshes, and completed …

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Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of A New Observation Measure For Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Autism Spectrum Disorder Observation For Children, Daniene Neal Jan 2012

Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of A New Observation Measure For Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Autism Spectrum Disorder Observation For Children, Daniene Neal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With increasing attention being drawn to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), specifically with regard to early and accurate diagnosis and treatment, researchers and clinicians alike have placed emphasis on finding assessment tools that can aid in this goal. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of a new observation measure for ASD, the Autism Spectrum Disorders-Observation for Children (ASD-OC). The ASD-OC was found to have good to excellent interrater reliability, and excellent internal consistency (ƒÑ = .96). As a result of these initial reliability analyses, nine items were removed from the scale. The resulting 45 item ASD-OC …

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Microfabrication Of Conductive Polymer Nanocomposite For Sensor Applications, Chaoxuan Liu Jan 2012

Microfabrication Of Conductive Polymer Nanocomposite For Sensor Applications, Chaoxuan Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation developed novel microfabrication techniques of conductive polymer nanocomposite and utilized this material as a functional element for various physical sensor applications. Microstructures of nanocomposite were realized through novel microcontact printing and laser ablation assisted micropatterning processes. Prototype devices including large-strain strain sensor and highly-sensitive pressure sensor were demonstrated showing distinct advantages over existing technologies. The polymer nanocomposite used in this work comprised elastomer poly(dimexylsiloxane) (PDMS) as polymer matrix and multi-walled carbon nananotubes (MWCNTs) as a conductive nanofiller. To achieve uniform distribution of carbon nanotubes within the polymer, an optimized dispersion process was developed, featuring a strong organic solvent—chloroform, …

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The Responsibility Of Clothing Slaves In The United States As Described In Slave Petitions, 1775 To 1867, Ryan Jerel Aldridge Jan 2012

The Responsibility Of Clothing Slaves In The United States As Described In Slave Petitions, 1775 To 1867, Ryan Jerel Aldridge

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The content analysis of eighteenth and nineteenth century slave petitions identified slave dress terms and descriptors by type and frequency and a descriptive analysis of slave dress petitions revealed the following themes: the expense and burden attributed to clothing slaves, slave dress neglect, hiring contracts that included slave dress, the use of slave dress as a reflection of the slaveholders character, compensation for slave dress provided by an individual other than the slaveholder, the quality of slave dress, the distribution of slave dress, and slave dress terminology descriptors. The most frequent specific provision request for slave dress items consisted of …

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Factors Affecting Short-Term Oxygen Variability In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone, Brenda Leroux Babin Jan 2012

Factors Affecting Short-Term Oxygen Variability In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone, Brenda Leroux Babin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Open-water continuous monitoring of DO concentrations at a single station (C6) in the Gulf of Mexico from 1989 to 2008 afforded an excellent opportunity to characterize short-term oxygen variability and to estimate the relative importance of key physical and biological factors controlling the development, persistence, and dissipation of hypoxia. I investigated temporal trends in three aspects of short-term DO variability: respiration rates (i.e., how quickly bottom waters become hypoxic), persistence of hypoxia, and the dissipation of hypoxia (i.e., re-aeration events). I identified the range of respiration rates present at the study site, and showed how these rates vary throughout the …

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Identification And Incorporation Of Quantitative Indicators Of Ecosystem Function Into Single-Species Fishery Stock Assessment Models And The Associated Biological Reference Points, Melissa Hedges Monk Jan 2012

Identification And Incorporation Of Quantitative Indicators Of Ecosystem Function Into Single-Species Fishery Stock Assessment Models And The Associated Biological Reference Points, Melissa Hedges Monk

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The move towards an ecosystem approach to fisheries management requires baseline information on the biotic communities and an understanding of the interactions among species. The two objectives of this study were to describe the demersal fish community (DFC) associated with the northwestern Gulf shrimp trawl fishery, and to utilize a multispecies Lotka-Volterra model to examine possible community level effects of fishing. Community level effects include predator-prey interactions and the responses of fish in the same community to fishing pressure. The summer and fall Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) bottomfish trawl surveys were used to identify spatial and temporal …

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Chemical And Biological Evaluation Of Antibiotic-Based Ionic Liquids And Gumbos Against Pathogenic Bacteria, Marsha Rae Cole Jan 2012

Chemical And Biological Evaluation Of Antibiotic-Based Ionic Liquids And Gumbos Against Pathogenic Bacteria, Marsha Rae Cole

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation explores a novel pragmatic therapeutic approach for control, prevention, and treatment of infectious disease using Active-Pharmaceutical Ingredient-based Ionic Liquids (API-ILs) and Groups of Uniform Materials Based on Organic Salts (GUMBOS). Accordingly, several antiseptic- and antibiotic-based API-ILs and GUMBOS were synthesized and characterized using a combination of analytical and microbiological techniques. Overall, this research presents an advanced alternative to combination antibiotic therapy by using a novel group of ionic antimicrobial materials that have controlled pharmacokinetics, improved bioavailabilities, reduced toxicities, multi-modal properties, and potent antimicrobial spectrum of activity as a viable alternative to combating bacterial infections. …

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Do Stimulant Medications For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Affect Memory Of Emotional Stimuli?, Jennifer Maul Jan 2012

Do Stimulant Medications For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) Affect Memory Of Emotional Stimuli?, Jennifer Maul

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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The Cat Is Back: Analyzing Newspaper Coverage Of Mountain Lions In The Midwest, Chloe Euston Jan 2012

The Cat Is Back: Analyzing Newspaper Coverage Of Mountain Lions In The Midwest, Chloe Euston

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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Population Dynamics Of The Eastern Oyster In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Benjamin S. Eberline Jan 2012

Population Dynamics Of The Eastern Oyster In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Benjamin S. Eberline

LSU Master's Theses

This project examined the economically and ecologically valuable eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in the Northern Gulf of Mexico using field and laboratory experiments. Specifically, this project focused on natural rates of settlement, growth, and mortality in a variety of temperature and salinity regimes within Breton Sound, LA. Seed and market sized oysters in cages resting on the bottom, as well as settlement tiles, were monitored at four sites in Breton Sound, LA, along what is typically a salinity gradient ranging from ~5 to ~20. In April 2010, the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion was fully opened with the goal of minimizing the …

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Visible Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy And Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy For Rapid Compost Analysis, Amanda Lynne Mcwhirt Jan 2012

Visible Near-Infrared Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy And Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy For Rapid Compost Analysis, Amanda Lynne Mcwhirt

LSU Master's Theses

Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of compost is necessary in order to provide consumers with basic knowledge about the product’s composition, and to protect public health and the environment by preventing the spread of contaminated material. Current methods for analysis of basic compost properties give accurate results but are time consuming and require numerous laboratory procedures. This study evaluated the use of visible near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (VisNIR DRS) for organic matter (OM) determination and field portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectroscopy for determination of elemental composition of composted materials. These technologies were evaluated as alternatives to standard laboratory methods for their …

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Minimizing Epicormic Branch Formation On Louisiana Leading Commercial Bottomland Red Oaks, Denton William Culpepper Jan 2012

Minimizing Epicormic Branch Formation On Louisiana Leading Commercial Bottomland Red Oaks, Denton William Culpepper

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to isolate biological, natural, and silvicultural factors that encourage the production of epicormic branches on bottomland red oak saw-timber trees and to use this information to help landowners and forest managers reduce epicormic branches in stands dominated by bottomland red oaks. Quercus nigra, Q. pagoda, Q. phellos, and Q. texana, the most common commercial bottomland red oaks in Louisiana, were evaluated in this study. Both qualitative and quantitative variables were assessed in this study. The following attributes were collected from each sample tree and primary competitor: site class, basal area, crown class DBH, presence …

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The Distribution And Diversity Of Functional Gene Pathways Controlling Sulfur Speciation In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, Audrey Tarlton Paterson Jan 2012

The Distribution And Diversity Of Functional Gene Pathways Controlling Sulfur Speciation In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, Audrey Tarlton Paterson

LSU Master's Theses

Defining the linkages between microbial metabolic activity and environmental geochemistry can be used to understand how carbonate dissolution in sulfidic karst systems proceeds. In Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, sulfidic springs support taxonomically distinct microbial communities that are also associated with putative sulfur metabolisms (e.g., oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, sulfate reduction, and sulfur disproportionation) that influence carbonate dissolution. The distribution of diverse microbial groups in other terrestrial subsurface environments is not well understood, making Lower Kane Cave ideal for study. Molecular genetics techniques were used to uncover diversity of 16S rRNA genes and bacterial soxB and aprA functional genes. Aqueous …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Amphiphilic Cyclic Diblock Copolypeptoids From N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Mediated Zwitterionic Polymerization Of N-Substituted N-Carboxyanhydride, Chang Uk Lee, Thomas P. Smart, Li Guo, Thomas H. Epps, Donghui Zhang Dec 2011

Synthesis And Characterization Of Amphiphilic Cyclic Diblock Copolypeptoids From N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Mediated Zwitterionic Polymerization Of N-Substituted N-Carboxyanhydride, Chang Uk Lee, Thomas P. Smart, Li Guo, Thomas H. Epps, Donghui Zhang

Faculty Publications

N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-mediated ring-opening polymerization of N-decyl-N-carboxylanhydride monomer (De-NCA) has been shown to occur in a controlled manner, yielding cyclic poly(N-decylglycine)s (c-PNDGs) with polymer molecular weights (MW) between 4.8 and 31 kg mol -1 and narrow molecular weight distributions (PDI < 1.15). The reaction exhibits pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to monomer concentration. The polymer MW increases linearly with conversion, consistent with a living polymerization. ESI MS and SEC analyses confirm the cyclic architectures of the forming polymers. DSC and WAXS studies reveal that the c-PNDG homopolymers are highly crystalline with two prominent first-order transitions at 72-79 °C (T m,1) and 166-177 °C (T m,2), which have been attributed to side chain and main chain melting, respectively. A series of amphiphilic cyclic diblock copolypeptoids [i.e., poly(N-methylglycine)-b-poly(N- decylglycine) (c-PNMG-b-PNDG)] with variable molecular weight and composition were synthesized by sequential NHC-mediated polymerization of the corresponding N-methyl-N-carboxyanhydride (Me-NCA) and De-NCA monomers. 1H NMR analysis reveals that adjusting the initial monomer to NHC molar ratio can readily control the block copolymer chain length and composition. Time-lapsed light scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) analyses of c-PNDG-b-PNMG samples showed that the amphiphilic cyclic block copolypeptoids self-assemble into spherical micelles that reorganize into micrometer-long cylindrical micelles with uniform diameter in room temperature methanol over the course of several days. An identical morphological transition has also been noted for the linear analogues, which occurs more rapidly than for the cyclic copolypeptoids. We tentatively attribute this difference to the different crystallization kinetics of the solvophobic block (i.e., PNDG) in the cyclic and linear block copolypeptoids. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

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The Zfx Gene Is Expressed In Human Gliomas And Is Important In The Proliferation And Apoptosis Of The Human Malignant Glioma Cell Line U251, Youxin Zhou, Zuopeng Su, Yulun Huang, Ting Sun, Sansong Chen, Tingfeng Wu, Guilin Chen, Xueshun Xie, Bin Li, Ziwei Du Dec 2011

The Zfx Gene Is Expressed In Human Gliomas And Is Important In The Proliferation And Apoptosis Of The Human Malignant Glioma Cell Line U251, Youxin Zhou, Zuopeng Su, Yulun Huang, Ting Sun, Sansong Chen, Tingfeng Wu, Guilin Chen, Xueshun Xie, Bin Li, Ziwei Du

Faculty Publications

Background: Zfx is a zinc finger protein of the Zfy family, whose members are highly conserved in vertebrates. Zfx is a shared transcriptional regulator of both embryonic stem cells (ESC) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), which suggests a common genetic basis of self-renewal in embryonic and adult stem cells. The level of Zfx expression correlates with aggressiveness and severity in many cancer types, including prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. However, the importance of Zfx in human glioma is largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the role of Zfx in human glioma. Methods. We detected expression levels of …

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Protocol For The Modeling The Epidemiologic Transition Study: A Longitudinal Observational Study Of Energy Balance And Change In Body Weight, Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Amy Luke, Pascal Bovet, Terrence E. Forrester, Estelle V. Lambert, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Dale A. Schoeller, Lara R. Dugas, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, David Shoham, Richard S. Cooper, Soren Brage, Ulf Ekelund, Nelia P. Steyn Dec 2011

Protocol For The Modeling The Epidemiologic Transition Study: A Longitudinal Observational Study Of Energy Balance And Change In Body Weight, Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Amy Luke, Pascal Bovet, Terrence E. Forrester, Estelle V. Lambert, Jacob Plange-Rhule, Dale A. Schoeller, Lara R. Dugas, Ramon A. Durazo-Arvizu, David Shoham, Richard S. Cooper, Soren Brage, Ulf Ekelund, Nelia P. Steyn

Faculty Publications

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased in societies of all socio-cultural backgrounds. To date, guidelines set forward to prevent obesity have universally emphasized optimal levels of physical activity. However there are few empirical data to support the assertion that low levels of energy expenditure in activity is a causal factor in the current obesity epidemic are very limited. Methods/Design. The Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study (METS) is a cohort study designed to assess the association between physical activity levels and relative weight, weight gain and diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk in five population-based samples at different stages of economic …

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Pegylated Phthalocyanines: Synthesis And Spectroscopic Properties, Hairong Li, Frank R. Fronczek, M. Graa H. Vicente Dec 2011

Pegylated Phthalocyanines: Synthesis And Spectroscopic Properties, Hairong Li, Frank R. Fronczek, M. Graa H. Vicente

Faculty Publications

The synthesis and spectroscopic properties of Zn(II)-phthalocyanines containing up to eight tri(ethylene glycol) groups are described. These pegylated-phthalocyanines are highly soluble in polar solvents and might find application as fluorescence imaging and/or photosensitizing agents for PDT.

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Developmental Defects In Mutants Of The Psbp Domain Protein 5 In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Johnna L. Roose, Laurie K. Frankel, Terry M. Bricker Dec 2011

Developmental Defects In Mutants Of The Psbp Domain Protein 5 In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Johnna L. Roose, Laurie K. Frankel, Terry M. Bricker

Faculty Publications

Plants contain an extensive family of PsbP-related proteins termed PsbP-like (PPL) and PsbP domain (PPD) proteins, which are localized to the thylakoid lumen. The founding member of this family, PsbP, is an established component of the Photosystem II (PS II) enzyme, and the PPL proteins have also been functionally linked to other photosynthetic processes. However, the functions of the remaining seven PPD proteins are unknown. To elucidate the function of the PPD5 protein (At5g11450) in Arabidopsis, we have characterized a mutant T-DNA insertion line (SALK_061118) as well as several RNAi lines designed to suppress the expression of this gene. The …

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Transient Receptor Potential Channel M4 And M5 In Magnocellular Cells In Rat Supraoptic And Paraventricular Nuclei, R. Teruyama, M. Sakuraba, H. Kurotaki, W. E. Armstrong Dec 2011

Transient Receptor Potential Channel M4 And M5 In Magnocellular Cells In Rat Supraoptic And Paraventricular Nuclei, R. Teruyama, M. Sakuraba, H. Kurotaki, W. E. Armstrong

Faculty Publications

The neurohypophysial hormones, vasopressin (VP) and oxytocin (OT), are synthesised by magnocellular cells in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. The release of VP into the general circulation from the neurohypophysis increases during hyperosmolality, hypotension and hypovolaemia. VP neurones increase hormone release by increasing their firing rate as a result of adopting a phasic bursting. Depolarising after potentials (DAPs) following a series of action potentials are considered to be involved in the generation of the phasic bursts by summating to plateau potentials. We recently discovered a fast DAP (fDAP) in addition to the slower …

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Repetitive Elements May Comprise Over Two-Thirds Of The Human Genome, A. P.Jason De Koning, Wanjun Gu, Todd A. Castoe, Mark A. Batzer, David D. Pollock Dec 2011

Repetitive Elements May Comprise Over Two-Thirds Of The Human Genome, A. P.Jason De Koning, Wanjun Gu, Todd A. Castoe, Mark A. Batzer, David D. Pollock

Faculty Publications

Transposable elements (TEs) are conventionally identified in eukaryotic genomes by alignment to consensus element sequences. Using this approach, about half of the human genome has been previously identified as TEs and low-complexity repeats. We recently developed a highly sensitive alternative de novo strategy, P-clouds, that instead searches for clusters of high-abundance oligonucleotides that are related in sequence space (oligo "clouds"). We show here that P-clouds predicts >840 Mbp of additional repetitive sequences in the human genome, thus suggesting that 66%-69% of the human genome is repetitive or repeat-derived. To investigate this remarkable difference, we conducted detailed analyses of the ability …

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