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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Mechanism Behind Mutant Sod Toxicity And Improving Current Therapeutic Strategies, Cassandra Dennys Jan 2014

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Mechanism Behind Mutant Sod Toxicity And Improving Current Therapeutic Strategies, Cassandra Dennys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an always lethal motor neuron disease with unknown pathogenesis. Inhibitors of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) have limited neuroprotection in some models of motor neuron degeneration. However the direct effect of Hsp90 inhibition on motor neurons is unknown. Here we show that Hsp90 inhibition induced motor neuron death through activation of the P2X7 receptor. Motor neuron death required phosphatase and tensein homolog (PTEN)-mediated inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway leading to Fas receptor activation and caspase dependent death. The relevance of Hsp90 for motor neuron survival was investigated in mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase …

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The Fate Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus From A Simulated Highway Cross-Section, Zuzanna Wasowska Jan 2014

The Fate Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus From A Simulated Highway Cross-Section, Zuzanna Wasowska

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient pollution as a result of excessive fertilizer application is of major concern for Florida's water resources. Excess fertilizer can be lost either via surface runoff or by leaching through the soil mass eventually reaching water bodies and leading to eutrophication. The focus of this study is to analyze the effect of low rainfall intensities and overland flow from an adjacent roadway surface on the loss of nutrients from two different fertilizers. This study focuses on the fate of the nitrogen and phosphorus present in fertilizers utilized by the Florida Department of Transportation for the stabilization of highway embankments. This …

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Rf Energy Harvesting For Implantable Ics With On-Chip Antenna, Yu-Chun Liu Jan 2014

Rf Energy Harvesting For Implantable Ics With On-Chip Antenna, Yu-Chun Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, as aging population increasing yearly, the health care technologies for elder people who commonly have high blood pressure or Glaucoma issues have attracted much attention. In order to care of those people, implantable integrated circuits (ICs) in human body are the direct solution to have 24/7 days monitoring with real-time data for diagnosis by patients themselves or doctors. However, due to the small size requirement for the implanted ICs located in human organs, it's quite challenging to integrate with transmitting and receiving antenna in a single chip, especially operating in 5.8-GHz ISM band. This research proposes a new idea …

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Piezospectroscopic Calibration Of Alumina-Nanocomposites For The Development Of Stress-Sensing Structures, Daniela Fugon-Dessources Jan 2014

Piezospectroscopic Calibration Of Alumina-Nanocomposites For The Development Of Stress-Sensing Structures, Daniela Fugon-Dessources

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alpha-alumina is known to exhibit photo-luminescent (PL) properties, mainly characteristic R-lines that shift according to applied stress. In addition to showing excellent PL properties, polymers with embedded alumina nanoparticles have been shown to improve the overall composite mechanical properties. While the use of the PL properties to develop stress-sensing materials using an alumina-epoxy material has been success- fully shown in compression, the properties have not been developed for tension. In this study, the PL response of variable volume fraction alumina-epoxy composites will be determined under tensile conditions. It is expected that increasing the volume fraction of alumina nanoparticles will increase …

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Real Time Monitoring Of Cell-Nanoparticles Interaction And Tracking Internalization Process By Mechanical Probing Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Anh Ly Jan 2014

Real Time Monitoring Of Cell-Nanoparticles Interaction And Tracking Internalization Process By Mechanical Probing Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Anh Ly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With extensive development of nanotechnology in last few years, scientists have discovered that nanoparticles (NPs) can be used as an efficient Drug Delivery System (DOS). In order to develop better NPs based drug delivery tool, it is imperative to understand the interaction between the NPs and the cell membrane. In our earlier studies, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) have been reported to have therapeutic properties, specifically against abnormalities associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, CNPs with different sizes and morphology were selected to understand the interaction with cell. We analyzed the mechanical property of human nasal septum tumor cells membranes using Atomic …

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A Framework Of Critical Success Factors For Business Organizations That Lead To Performance Excellence Based On A Financial And Quality Systems Assessment., Melissa Francisco Jan 2014

A Framework Of Critical Success Factors For Business Organizations That Lead To Performance Excellence Based On A Financial And Quality Systems Assessment., Melissa Francisco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders therefore need insight into which elements of organizational improvement are most effective in order to strategically invest their resources to achieve superior performance in the most efficient way possible. …

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Characterization Of Dynamic Structures Using Parametric And Non-Parametric System Identification Methods, Ayad Al Rumaithi Jan 2014

Characterization Of Dynamic Structures Using Parametric And Non-Parametric System Identification Methods, Ayad Al Rumaithi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effects of soil-foundation-structure (SFS) interaction and extreme loading on structural behaviors are important issues in structural dynamics. System identification is an important technique to characterize linear and nonlinear dynamic structures. The identification methods are usually classified into the parametric and non-parametric approaches based on how to model dynamic systems. The objective of this study is to characterize the dynamic behaviors of two realistic civil engineering structures in SFS configuration and subjected to impact loading by comparing different parametric and non-parametric identification results. First, SFS building models were studied to investigate the effects of the foundation types on the structural …

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Structural Health Monitoring Using Novel Sensing Technologies And Data Analysis Methods, Seyedmasoud Malekzadeh Jan 2014

Structural Health Monitoring Using Novel Sensing Technologies And Data Analysis Methods, Seyedmasoud Malekzadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this research is to explore, investigate and develop the new data analysis techniques along with novel sensing technologies for structural health monitoring applications. The study has three main parts. First, a systematic comparative evaluation of some of the most common and promising methods is carried out along with a combined method proposed in this study for mitigating drawbacks of some of the techniques. Secondly, nonparametric methods are evaluated on a real life movable bridge. Finally, a hybrid approach for non-parametric and parametric method is proposed and demonstrated for more in depth understanding of the structural performance. …

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A Study Of Compressive Sensing For Application To Structural Health Monitoring, Vaahini Ganesan Jan 2014

A Study Of Compressive Sensing For Application To Structural Health Monitoring, Vaahini Ganesan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the key areas that have attracted attention in the construction industry today is Structural Health Monitoring, more commonly known as SHM. It is a concept developed to monitor the quality and longevity of various engineering structures. The incorporation of such a system would help to continuously track health of the structure, indicate the occurrence/presence of any damage in real time and give us an idea of the number of useful years for the same. Being a recently conceived idea, the state of the art technique in the field is straight forward - populating a given structure with sensors …

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Inventory Management Problem For Cold Items With Environmental And Financial Considerations, Ali Hajiaghabozorgi Jan 2014

Inventory Management Problem For Cold Items With Environmental And Financial Considerations, Ali Hajiaghabozorgi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overarching theme of this dissertation is analytically analyzing the cold supply chain from a financial and environmental perspective. Specifically, we develop inventory policy models in the cold supply chain that consider holding and transportation unit capacities. The models provide insights for the decision maker on the tradeoff between setting order quantities based on the cost or the emission function. In Chapter 2, we review two major bodies of literature: 1) supply chain design, and 2) sustainability in supply chain design. We benefit from this literature review to map the current body of research on traditional supply chain for further …

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A Framework For Assessing The Quality And Effectiveness Of A National Employment System: A Case Study Of Saudi Arabia, Hemaid Alsulami Jan 2014

A Framework For Assessing The Quality And Effectiveness Of A National Employment System: A Case Study Of Saudi Arabia, Hemaid Alsulami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

National employment systems have been established in several countries to tackle the unemployment dilemma between citizens while the labor market flooded by expatriates. Lack of performance measurement indices among these systems caused failure to provide jobs to citizens and caused a state of confusion and dissatisfaction among employing entities. In Saudi Arabia, unemployment rate has increased in the last few decades and have since become a very political issue for the Saudi government. Compared to other countries, the problem is different since many expatriates in Saudi Arabia are already employed in their markets while citizens are seeking jobs. In Saudi …

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Mechanical And Thermal Characterization Of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Pyrolysis-Derived Carbon-Matrix Composites, Donovan Lui Jan 2014

Mechanical And Thermal Characterization Of Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Pyrolysis-Derived Carbon-Matrix Composites, Donovan Lui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Maturity of high-temperature polymer-reinforced composites defer to conventionally expensive and intensive methods in both material and manufacturing aspects. Even traditional carbon-carbon, aerogel, and ceramic approaches are highly limited by difficult manufacturing techniques and are subject to sensitive handling throughout their processing and lifetime. Despite their utility in extreme environments, the high costs of existing high-temperature composites find limited practical applicability under high-performance applications. The development of continuous fiber-reinforced pyrolysis-derived carbon-matrix composites aim to circumvent the issues surrounding the manufacturing and handling of conventional high-temperature composites. Polymer matrix composites (PMCs) have a number of attractive properties including light weight, high stiffness-to-weight …

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Need: Stories, Megan Ellis Jan 2014

Need: Stories, Megan Ellis

HIM 1990-2015

The intent of this thesis is to create a literary fiction collection centered on diverse adolescent girls. In recent years, women writers have moved away from the domestic sphere of authors whose writing focused solely on the daily lives of women, and have begun penning epic stories and novels whose themes were previously tackled by men alone. Authors show that the craft of expansive and immersive literary fiction transcends gender, allowing women more freedom with the types of stories they choose to write. That's not to say that domestic fiction is unimportant or "less than" other types of literary fiction, …

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Identification Of Small Molecules That Inhibit Prostate Cancer Cell Proliferation, Rainel Zelaya Jan 2014

Identification Of Small Molecules That Inhibit Prostate Cancer Cell Proliferation, Rainel Zelaya

HIM 1990-2015

Prostate cancer is the second most often diagnosed cancer and internationally the sixth foremost cause of cancer death in males, as of 2011. Within the United States it is the most common form of cancer in men with 186,000 new cases and with an overall 28,600 deaths in 2008, and it is the second leading kind of cancer-related death in men. The widespread threat that prostate cancer poses against men across the globe cannot be understated, and its initiation and progression must be understood in order to truly comprehend its implicated risks and possible forms of treatment. As its name …

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Examining The Narcissism Trend In Generation Y Through Digital Narrative Film, Joshua Ingle Jan 2014

Examining The Narcissism Trend In Generation Y Through Digital Narrative Film, Joshua Ingle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an account of the making of 15 Minutes of Faye, a microbudget feature-length film created in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Media at the University of Central Florida. It chronicles the motivation behind the creation of the film, the entire creation process, plans for its distribution, and reflections on lessons learned during the creation process. The film itself was designed to challenge its viewers with the gross self-absorption of its fame-seeking protagonist, in order to promote public discourse about Generation Y's sense of entitlement, which …

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The Best And Worst Of All That God And Man Can Do": Paternalistic Perceptions On The Intellectually Disabled At Florida's Sunland Institutions., Bethany Dickens Jan 2014

The Best And Worst Of All That God And Man Can Do": Paternalistic Perceptions On The Intellectually Disabled At Florida's Sunland Institutions., Bethany Dickens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historians have studied mental institutions in the mid-20th century; however, few have discussed them within the context of the period's paternalistic social movements and perceptions. Florida's Sunland program provides a lens for studying the parental role the institutions and general public took toward the intellectually disabled. Specifically, administrators saw residents of the Sunland Training Centers and Hospitals as perpetual children, trapped in an "eternal childhood." The institution was presented as a family unit, abiding by 1950s ideals of the companionate household. When the Sunlands proved generally unsuccessful, Florida's communities began to supplement their efforts. The social movements of the 1960s …

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The Spatial Relationship Between Labor, Cultural Migration, And The Development Of Folk Music In The American South: A Digital Visualization Project, Robert Clarke Jan 2014

The Spatial Relationship Between Labor, Cultural Migration, And The Development Of Folk Music In The American South: A Digital Visualization Project, Robert Clarke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Digital/Public History visualization thesis project explores how three factors-Atlantic migration patterns, demographics, and socioeconomic systems-influenced the development of folk music in the southern United States from the 18th century through the 20th century. A large body of written scholarship exists addressing plantation economies, the slave trade, and folk music. Digital technology, however, creates new opportunities for analyzing the geo-temporal aspects contained within the numerous archival resources such as census and migration records, field recordings, economic data, diaries, and other personal records. The written portion of the thesis addresses the historiography, research findings, and the process of creating the visualization …

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Study Of The Formation And Control Of Disinfection By-Products Originating From A Surface Water Supply On The Volcanic Island Of Guam, Erica Laberge Jan 2014

Study Of The Formation And Control Of Disinfection By-Products Originating From A Surface Water Supply On The Volcanic Island Of Guam, Erica Laberge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three oxidants have been evaluated for use as alternative chemical pretreatments for Fena Lake, a surface water that supplies the U.S. Navy's Public Water System (PWS) on the volcanic island of Guam. The study consisted of two investigative components. The first and primary component included a bench-scale evaluation to study the effects of different pre-oxidant chemicals on the formation of chlorinated disinfection by-products (DBPs). The second and ancillary component included a series of water treatment and distribution system management studies that analyzed DBP formation within the treatment plant and water distribution system. The goal of this research was to reduce …

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Automatic Detection Of Brain Functional Disorder Using Imaging Data, Soumyabrata Dey Jan 2014

Automatic Detection Of Brain Functional Disorder Using Imaging Data, Soumyabrata Dey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is getting a lot of attention mainly for two reasons. First, it is one of the most commonly found childhood behavioral disorders. Around 5-10% of the children all over the world are diagnosed with ADHD. Second, the root cause of the problem is still unknown and therefore no biological measure exists to diagnose ADHD. Instead, doctors need to diagnose it based on the clinical symptoms, such as inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, which are all subjective. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data has become a popular tool to understand the functioning of the brain such …

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Nano-Pipette As Nanoparticle Analyzer And Capillary Gated Ion Transistor, Yauheni Rudzevich Jan 2014

Nano-Pipette As Nanoparticle Analyzer And Capillary Gated Ion Transistor, Yauheni Rudzevich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to precisely count inorganic and organic nanoparticles and to measure their size distribution plays a major role in various applications such as drug delivery, nanoparticles counting, and many others. In this work I present a simple resistive pulse method that allows translocations, counting, and measuring the size and velocity distribution of silica nanoparticles and liposomes with diameters from 50 nm to 250 nm. This technique is based on the Coulter counter technique, but has nanometer size pores. It was found that ionic current drops when nanoparticles enter the nanopore of a pulled micropipette, producing a clear translocation signal. …

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1, 2, And 3 Dimension Carbon/Silicon Carbon Nitride Ceramic Composites, Flores Jean Calderon Jan 2014

1, 2, And 3 Dimension Carbon/Silicon Carbon Nitride Ceramic Composites, Flores Jean Calderon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) are exceptional ultra-high temperature and stable multifunctional class of materials that can be synthesized from a polymer precursor through thermal decomposition. The presented research focuses on 1-D nanofibers, 2-D films and 3-D bulk, carbon-rich silicon carbon nitride (SiCN) ceramics. 1-D nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning for light weight, flame retardant and conductive applications. The commercially available CerasetTM VL20, a liquid cyclosilazane pre-ceramic precursor, was mixed with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in order to make the cyclosilazane electrospinnable. Carbon-rich PDC nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning various ratios of PAN/cyclosilazane solutions followed by pyrolysis. Surface morphology of the electro spun nanofibers …

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Video Game Self-Efficacy And Its Effect On Training Performance, Skilan Ortiz Jan 2014

Video Game Self-Efficacy And Its Effect On Training Performance, Skilan Ortiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of using serious games for training on task performance and declarative knowledge outcomes. The purpose was to determine if serious games are more effective training tools than traditional methods. Self-efficacy, expectations for training, and engagement were considered as moderators of the relationship between type of training and task performance as well as type of training and declarative knowledge. Results of the study offered support for the potential of serious games to be more effective than traditional methods of training when it comes to task performance.

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Positive Political Outcomes From Feminist Islam In Afghanistan: Identifying Development Program Features That Raise The Status Of Women, Margaret Courtney Barnard Jan 2014

Positive Political Outcomes From Feminist Islam In Afghanistan: Identifying Development Program Features That Raise The Status Of Women, Margaret Courtney Barnard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existing literature establishes a connection between elevating the status of women in less developed countries and positive political outcomes including: increased national stability, decreased likelihood of civil conflict, and international stability. In particular, the literature suggests that working within the dominant cultural framework of a country makes development projects more successful. This thesis expands upon these bodies of literature and examines the outcomes of the work of two major development agencies in Afghanistan, the UN and USAID in the area of women's education and healthcare. The thesis analyzes some specific characteristics that influence the effects of these programs in the …

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The Effects Of Divided Government On Women's Organizations' Political Activity In Developed Democracies, Alexandria Wilson Jan 2014

The Effects Of Divided Government On Women's Organizations' Political Activity In Developed Democracies, Alexandria Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between divided government and women's organizations' political activity. In the literature divided government is associated with political openness leading to a decline in the repression of alternative political views and increased organizational activity. In this thesis I hypothesize that divided government is related to increased participation in political activity by women's organizations. Political activity is expected to increase during periods of divided government due to increased opportunities to influence formal government as political parties and elected officials compete for public support. This study analyzes political activity by organizations associated with the women's movement in two …

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Zinc Sulfide: Manganese Doped Quantum Rods For Detection Of Metal Ions And A Business Model For Future Sales, Andrew Teblum Jan 2014

Zinc Sulfide: Manganese Doped Quantum Rods For Detection Of Metal Ions And A Business Model For Future Sales, Andrew Teblum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hexavalent chromium is an extremely carcinogenic chemical that has been widely produced in the United States. This has led to major waste contamination and pollution throughout the country. According to the Environmental Working Group Hexavalent chromium has been found in 89% of city tap water. Most people believe they are safe using regular home filter systems however that is not true. A more expensive ion exchange water treatment unit is required. Therefore to protect yourselves from this carcinogenic metal a reliable test is required. In this study we have developed a Zinc Sulfide Manganese doped Quantum Rod technology to detect …

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The Cross Education Of Neuromuscular Economy, Kyle Beyer Jan 2014

The Cross Education Of Neuromuscular Economy, Kyle Beyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cross education is the phenomenon by which the untrained limb will experience a gain in strength following a unilateral resistance training program. However, little is known as to the underlying adaptation occurring in the untrained limb. Purpose: To examine the effect of dynamic unilateral resistance training on the strength and neuromuscular adaptations of both the trained and untrained legs. Methods: Eight previously untrained males (22.38±2.92 y, 1.73±0.08 m, 75.26±14.53 kg) completed a four-week unilateral resistance training program, while another eight untrained males (24.00±4.57 y, 1.84±0.05 m, 94.21±16.14 kg) served as controls. Isometric leg extension strength, leg press 1 repetition maximum …

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Taylor & Francis Archive Collections, Ucf Libraries Jan 2014

Taylor & Francis Archive Collections, Ucf Libraries

Technology Fee Funded Projects

With this purchase, UCF will gain access and perpetual rights to all of the journal content in these four subject collections, starting with the first volume and issue of each journal continuing through 1996. The collection consists of over 400 titles.

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The Scoop, Vol. 1 Issue 4, Summer 2014, Health Sciences Library Jan 2014

The Scoop, Vol. 1 Issue 4, Summer 2014, Health Sciences Library

Volume 1

Latest news and events from the Health Sciences Library in our monthly newsletter for Summer 2014.

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The Accelerator, Volume 7 Issue 14, Winter 2014, Christa Santos Jan 2014

The Accelerator, Volume 7 Issue 14, Winter 2014, Christa Santos

The Accelerator

No abstract provided.

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Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Selectively Target Homology Dependent Dna Repair Defective Cells And Elevate Non-Homologous Endjoining Activity, Stephanie Smith, Jennifer Fox, Marco Mejia, Wanvipa Ruangpradit, Alihossein Saberi, Sunmi Kim, Yongjum Choi, Sehyun Oh, Yucai Wang, Kyungho Choi, Lei Li, Eric A. Hendrickson, Shunichi Takeda, Mark Muller, Kyungjae Myung Jan 2014

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Selectively Target Homology Dependent Dna Repair Defective Cells And Elevate Non-Homologous Endjoining Activity, Stephanie Smith, Jennifer Fox, Marco Mejia, Wanvipa Ruangpradit, Alihossein Saberi, Sunmi Kim, Yongjum Choi, Sehyun Oh, Yucai Wang, Kyungho Choi, Lei Li, Eric A. Hendrickson, Shunichi Takeda, Mark Muller, Kyungjae Myung

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Background: We have previously used the ATAD5-luciferase high-throughput screening assay to identify genotoxic compounds with potential chemotherapeutic capabilities. The successful identification of known genotoxic agents, including the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) trichostatin A (TSA), confirmed the specificity of the screen since TSA has been widely studied for its ability to cause apoptosis in cancer cells. Because many cancers have acquired mutations in DNA damage checkpoints or repair pathways, we hypothesized that these cancers may be susceptible to treatments that target compensatory pathways. Here, we used a panel of isogenic chicken DT40 B lymphocyte mutant and human cell lines to investigate …

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