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Analysis Of The Role Of Outer Surface Protein C (Ospc) In Borrelia Burgdorferi Pathogenesis, Delacy Rhodes Jul 2011

Analysis Of The Role Of Outer Surface Protein C (Ospc) In Borrelia Burgdorferi Pathogenesis, Delacy Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease is an emerging infection that is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. These bacteria exist in nature through an enzootic life cycle involving Ixodes ticks and various reservoir hosts. One way that this bacterium adapts to the different hosts in the enzootic cycle is through the expression of outer surface protein C (OspC). OspC is a surface exposed lipoprotein encoded on circular plasmid 26 that forms homodimers on the bacterial surface and has distinct conserved and variable portions of sequence. When ospC is deleted, the spirochetes are unable to cause mammalian infection although the mechanism of …

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Joy In Nature, Rebecca Morgan Jul 2011

Joy In Nature, Rebecca Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

Artist Statement I am fascinated with colors in nature and how it affects our moods. The colors of a sunset and moonlit sky; the feeling of a brewing storm; the laziness of a cold, gray day; the roar of an ocean; and the feel of sand on your feet are elements that I want to capture in my drawings and paintings. In addition to the natural environment, animals are an integral part of nature that I incorporate in my work. Pets are the unspoken blessings that bring joy and laughter to my life. Pets, especially dogs, are proven to relieve …

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Helper Phage Capsid Size Redirection By Staphylococcal Pathogenicity Island Sapi1 Involves Internal Scaffolding Proteins., Priyadarshan Damle Jul 2011

Helper Phage Capsid Size Redirection By Staphylococcal Pathogenicity Island Sapi1 Involves Internal Scaffolding Proteins., Priyadarshan Damle

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of nosocomial and community acquired infections. Many of the virulence factors are encoded on staphylococcal mobile genetic elements. Members of the SaPI family of S. aureus mobile elements encode superantigens and are mobilized at high frequency by specific helper bacteriophages. One remarkable feature of helper phage exploitation by SaPIs is remodeling of the normal T=7 bacteriophage capsid to produce smaller T=4 phage-like particles. These particles, composed entirely of helper phage proteins, can accommodate the smaller SaPI genome while excluding that of a complete helper phage. This study was designed to understand the …

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Intracellular Signaling Contributions To Behaviors Relevant To Nicotine Addiction, Lauren Thompson Jul 2011

Intracellular Signaling Contributions To Behaviors Relevant To Nicotine Addiction, Lauren Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine is the primary addictive substance in tobacco, and most smokers who quit will relapse within a year. Evidence shows that cigarette craving increases over time, termed “incubation.” The purpose of these studies was to see if protracted abstinence from chronic nicotine increases rat self-administration, an animal model with good face validity for human tobacco use, and if nicotine self-administration during daily exposure/after 8+ days of abstinence is regulated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell or anterior cingulate cortex (PFC). ERK kinase inhibitor U0126 was infused in the NAc shell or PFC of Long …

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Analysis And Fingerprinting Of Glycosaminoglycans, Joseph King Jul 2011

Analysis And Fingerprinting Of Glycosaminoglycans, Joseph King

Theses and Dissertations

Heparin is a complex mixture of sulfated polysaccharides derived from animals and one of the oldest drugs in use. While an efficacious anticoagulant, heparin is beset by side effects and pharmacokinetic difficulties. Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are made by depolymerizing unfractionated heparin (UFH) and present improvements in these areas. However, they still retain a phenomenally high level of complexity due to their polydispersity and the introduction of non-native structural features. This makes the structural characterization LMWHs a daunting task. This work details the development of a novel capillary electrophoretic (CE) method for fingerprinting LMWHs. Since their complexity normally results …

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Role Of Tyk2 In The Development Of Beige Cells, Samantha Umali Jul 2011

Role Of Tyk2 In The Development Of Beige Cells, Samantha Umali

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity results from an excess of adipose tissue and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Adipose tissue exists in two main forms: white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores energy as triglycerides, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which dissipates stored energy as heat. White adipose tissue is composed of several subcutaneous and visceral depots, each possessing distinct molecular and functional characteristics. Brown-like adipocytes can emerge in WAT depots in response to cold or beta-adrenergic stimulation. These cells have been called “beige” or “brite” (brown-in-white) cells. The reduction of obesity in mice treated with beta-adrenergic …

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Racial Differences In The Genetics Of Preeclampsia, Lori Hill Jul 2011

Racial Differences In The Genetics Of Preeclampsia, Lori Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia (PE), characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation, affects 5-8% of pregnancies worldwide. Although preeclampsia is a significant cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, its etiology remains to be elucidated. Racial differences have been observed for preeclampsia, with U.S. Blacks having higher rates and more severe disease, compared to U.S. Whites and Hispanics. One potential source of racial differences in preeclampsia is genetic variation between populations. Genetic susceptibility to preeclampsia is well established, but the specific contributions of maternal vs. fetal genes, and how these vary among racial groups is poorly understood. This dissertation …

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Quantitative Analysis Of Contactin-Associated Protein And Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Isoform 1.6 Following Experimental Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel Gardiner Jul 2011

Quantitative Analysis Of Contactin-Associated Protein And Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Isoform 1.6 Following Experimental Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury, Daniel Gardiner

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic axonal injury (TAI) contributes to the mortality and morbidity following diffuse traumatic brain injury (TBI). Previous work has shown that following TBI, alterations in the molecular domains of axons result in TAI. It is currently posited that injury induced ionic flux is responsible for activating deleterious proteolytic cascades, resulting in altered distributions of axonal components. However, the underlying mechanism of this progressive pathology remains elusive. This study further explores the hypothesis that altered molecular domains contributes to the progressive intra-axonal changes that characterize TAI. Using a rodent model of impact acceleration TBI we examined the expression of nodal and …

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Ecological Profiling Of Bird-Mosquito Interactions In Central Virginia, Anna Riggan Jul 2011

Ecological Profiling Of Bird-Mosquito Interactions In Central Virginia, Anna Riggan

Theses and Dissertations

Current methods of mosquito surveillance estimate general population abundances, but fail to represent the relationship of vector abundance to host density important to determining transmission risk of mosquito-borne pathogens (MBP). We sought to address this limitation by creating a novel mosquito trap that directly sampled mosquitoes seeking to feed on nesting birds. The primary objectives of this study were to (1) assess the efficiency of the Nest Mosquito Trap (NMT) and how this is affected by nest box size. (2) assess whether the NMT affects bird, specifically nest success in Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea), and adult behavior. (3) compare our …

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Investigation Of Pre- And Post-Zygotic Reproductive Barriers Between Two Host-Plant Complex Races Of The Parasitic Wasp Cotesia Congregata (Say) [Hymenoptera: Braconidae], Justin Bredlau Jul 2011

Investigation Of Pre- And Post-Zygotic Reproductive Barriers Between Two Host-Plant Complex Races Of The Parasitic Wasp Cotesia Congregata (Say) [Hymenoptera: Braconidae], Justin Bredlau

Theses and Dissertations

Investigations of host-associated differentiation of parasitoids have largely focused on the degree of molecular genetic differentiation, but a true test of species status must examine the mating patterns of differentiated populations to determine if they can interbreed in the wild and produce viable offspring. We examined possible mechanisms of isolation between two genetically distinct host-plant complex races of the braconid, Cotesia congregata, originating from hosts on tobacco and catalpa. We compared male responses to female pheromones, elements of male acoustic courtship signals, and breeding success between the two races. Males responded to pheromones from both sources and male courtship signals …

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Assessing The Role Of Polyethylene Glycol (Peg) In Improving Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Dustin Dalton Jul 2011

Assessing The Role Of Polyethylene Glycol (Peg) In Improving Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Dustin Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

Injury to the spinal cord results in the disruption of signal transmission between the brain and distal targets. It often presents with the loss of motor function and sensory perception below the level of injury. There are many obstacles following injury that must be overcome in order to encourage axon regeneration and improve functional recovery. A combinatorial approach is necessary to combat physical and chemical barriers to recovery. The fluid filled cyst that forms in the majority of spinal cord injuries presents a physical barrier that we treat with our electrospun bridges. We implanted our bridges into female Long Evans …

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Proteomic Analysis Of Two Different States Of Naegleria Fowleri, Hong Park Jul 2011

Proteomic Analysis Of Two Different States Of Naegleria Fowleri, Hong Park

Theses and Dissertations

Naegleria fowleri are free-living ameboflagellates found in soil and freshwater habitats throughout the world that cause a fatal disease in humans called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). Mechanisms of host resistance or susceptibility to infection have not been fully elucidated, and possible treatment methods are still sub optimal. The disease is diagnosed using specific laboratory tests available in only a few laboratories in the United States. Because of the rarity of infection and difficulty in initial detection, more than often PAM is misdiagnosed. Therefore, it is very important to find causative marker for early detection of an infection. The purpose of …

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Differential Glial Cell Responses In The Dentate Gyrus In Young Adult And Aged Brains Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Christoher Shin Jun 2011

Differential Glial Cell Responses In The Dentate Gyrus In Young Adult And Aged Brains Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Christoher Shin

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects 3 out of every 1000 Americans each year, and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality after trauma, accounting for as many as 56,000 deaths per year (Dutton and McCunn, 2003). The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention found that TBI most commonly occurs in adolescents and young adults aged from 15 to 24 years and in the elderly (75 years and older). Following injury, the secondary injury begins almost immediately after the primary injury and is the result of a number of cascades where once activated, exacerbate the already altered homeostasis of …

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Microbial Community Function In Freshwater Wetland Soils: Using Extracellular Enzyme Analysis To Study The Effect Of Moisture And Vegetation, Aaron Porter Jun 2011

Microbial Community Function In Freshwater Wetland Soils: Using Extracellular Enzyme Analysis To Study The Effect Of Moisture And Vegetation, Aaron Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in microbial function via extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) were investigated to determine the potential effects of hydrology and plant-soil-microbe interactions in a young non-tidal freshwater riparian wetland. To study these relationships, three plots were established along a moisture gradient (Wet, Intermediate, Dry) within VCU Rice Center Within each main plot, five subplots were left undisturbed while another five were cleared of all above-ground plant biomass. Homogenized soil cores (top 10 cm) were analyzed for pH, redox, C:N, soil organic matter (SOM) content, saturation, and temperature. Microbial function was assessed using extracellular enzyme analysis. For most enzymes, a site difference …

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Optimization Of A Tri-Layered Vascular Graft: The Influence Of Cellular And Mechanical Properties, Michael Mcclure Jun 2011

Optimization Of A Tri-Layered Vascular Graft: The Influence Of Cellular And Mechanical Properties, Michael Mcclure

Theses and Dissertations

Electrospinning is a polymer processing technique which allows for the production of nano to micro size fibers and scaffolds which can be composed of numerous synthetic biodegradable materials and natural biopolymers. Natively, elastin and collagen are the main components of vascular tissue. Arranged in a tri-layered structure, they create a specific mechanical environment that can withstand the rigors of circulation. The goal of this study was to develop a mechanically ‘biomimicking’ vascular graft composed of three distinct layers through the process of electrospinning. We hypothesize that the use of bioactive agents such as elastin, collagen, and silk to supplement poly(caprolactone) …

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Between Scenic Designer And Director: The Collaborative Process Of Four Productions, Elizabeth R. Muller Jun 2011

Between Scenic Designer And Director: The Collaborative Process Of Four Productions, Elizabeth R. Muller

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the unique designs for four productions: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Is He Dead?, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and Legacy of Light. Presented here are the research images, conversations, situations and their resulting designs represented in my renderings and photographs of the fully realized production. Throughout, I will state my objectives in bettering the quality of interaction with each director and my reflections on the ongoing process of creating a trusting and balanced collaborative process, one that expertly serves the production.

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Cis 3,4', 5-Trimethoxy-3'-Aminostilbene (Stilbene 5c) Induces Apoptosis And Protective Autophagy In B16f10 Melanoma Cells, Betelehem Asnake Jun 2011

Cis 3,4', 5-Trimethoxy-3'-Aminostilbene (Stilbene 5c) Induces Apoptosis And Protective Autophagy In B16f10 Melanoma Cells, Betelehem Asnake

Theses and Dissertations

The weak selectivity of chemotherapeutic drugs against tumors has sustained efforts to develop better chemotherapeutic agents that are more potent and selective at destroying tumor cell populations versus normal tissues. This project focuses on evaluating the cell killing effects of the microtubule inhibitor, stilbene 5c, against melanoma cancer. We utilized an in vitro murine melanoma model to study the effects of stilbene 5c on tumor proliferation and survival, as well as growth arrest and cell death. Our findings indicate that stilbene 5c promotes dose dependent cell death in melanomas with the induction of apoptosis and autophagy. The role of autophagy …

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Cmv Vaccine Development Based On Epithelial Entry Mediators Ul128, Ul130, Ul131, Frances Saccoccio Jun 2011

Cmv Vaccine Development Based On Epithelial Entry Mediators Ul128, Ul130, Ul131, Frances Saccoccio

Theses and Dissertations

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is the leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss in the U.S. CMV vaccines developed to date do not protect the majority of women of childbearing age from primary CMV infection. Insufficient vaccine-induced epithelial entry neutralizing activity may be the reason for poor performance of these vaccines. CMV entry into endothelial and epithelial but not fibroblast cells requires the virion envelope complex gH/gL/UL128-131. Since current vaccines do not target this complex, epithelial entry mediators UL128-131 are attractive subunit CMV vaccine candidates, since they should target mucosal immunity. The mucosal immune response, specifically salivary epithelial entry neutralizing activity, has …

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Heat Shock Proteins As Novel Cancer Therapeutics: Targeting The Hallmarks Of Cancer, Chao Li Jun 2011

Heat Shock Proteins As Novel Cancer Therapeutics: Targeting The Hallmarks Of Cancer, Chao Li

Theses and Dissertations

Molecular chaperones, commonly known as heat shock proteins (HSPs), are essential for mammalian cells to maintain homeostasis, and HSPs function by inducing an ATPase-coupled structural change, followed by interactions with diverse co-chaperones and over 200 client proteins implicated in many critical signaling networks. These highly expressed HSPs participate in the onset and progression of several human diseases including cancer, and their connection with tumorigenesis has facilitated research and clinical trials related to targeting HSPs as a novel anti-tumor therapy. The predominant mechanism of chaperone inhibition is through either disruption of the HSP association with client protein or an altered binding …

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A Sequence Of Gaps, Oscar Santillan May 2011

A Sequence Of Gaps, Oscar Santillan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis unfolds some theories and reflections on specific works I developed during my MFA. It is a map of the past and present of my art practice, and speculates about its future.

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To The Ages Of Ages: Reconceptualizing High School Art History Curriculum, Amy Bergh May 2011

To The Ages Of Ages: Reconceptualizing High School Art History Curriculum, Amy Bergh

Theses and Dissertations

Through this curriculum study, I explored the application of ideas found within contemporary art education to a course of traditional secondary art history. These contemporary art education ideas included: visual culture instruction, interdisciplinary instruction, contemporary art instruction, curriculum development, the use of enduring ideas, and the inclusion of a variety of perspectives based on gender and ethnicity. Through these art education ideas, a new curriculum was formed, that pushed both the students and the teacher toward a more inclusive art history course that made real connections for students and allowed students to be active members in their own learning. Instruction …

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Plex, Jon-Phillip Sheridan May 2011

Plex, Jon-Phillip Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the evolution of my practice as it developed over my two years of graduate school. I entered school interested in the built environment and how structures helped create subjectivity and provided sites for material and phenomenological transformations. Early in graduate school, I developed a photography series that investigated these issues. However, an awareness of a conversation occurring in the larger art world that questioned the efficacy of photography drove me to consider ways to extend my practice into sculpture and installation. Over the next two semesters, I developed my ideas of light, form and structure into video …

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A Voice From The Dust, Gian Pierotti May 2011

A Voice From The Dust, Gian Pierotti

Theses and Dissertations

We shall not starve. We shall not lack shelter. We shall have a hearth. Awake self reliance! Our art is for feeding, warmth, protection. Ceramics– our temporal salvation. Clay– our material life-force. Transformed by fire we arise with the skills of the ancients! No longer will we live in obscurity. To the deskilled, your fate is at hand! You have chosen alienation, distraction, banality, and sloth. Embrace your digital false Gods and die or be reborn to the natural physical world. Now, together we complete our reason for being. We create a new world of kinship. A hope for the …

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An Artless Dream, Lauren Abrams May 2011

An Artless Dream, Lauren Abrams

Theses and Dissertations

The brain begins collecting and categorizing information from the moment we are born. It can identify patterns and direct our choices long before we are consciously aware of it. Even when we become aware of the deliberate choice we often don’t know why we are making it. It is striking how much of what we do is dictated subconsciously by our brains. While I am not a scientist and I don’t aim to research the brain, I think it is interesting to think about how this effects what I do in the studio. I am a product of the world …

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Teaching English Language Learners In The Art Classroom: A Survey Of Approaches, Alana Greer May 2011

Teaching English Language Learners In The Art Classroom: A Survey Of Approaches, Alana Greer

Theses and Dissertations

This study consisted of an online survey of members of the National Art Education Association Elementary Division in which 29 participants answered questions related to their instruction of English language learners in the elementary art classroom. Four participants participated in follow-up interviews as the researcher sought to answer the research questions: What pedagogical and curricular adaptations in the art classroom may be effective strategies for teaching English language learners? What are the perceived challenges of having a linguistically diverse art classroom? Participants offered a variety of pedagogical adaptations but suggested few curricular adaptations. Participants revealed challenges related to their teacher …

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The Absent Artist: Muteness And Fiction In Recent Painting, Costa Michael Kennedy May 2011

The Absent Artist: Muteness And Fiction In Recent Painting, Costa Michael Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

For the written component of my thesis, I am attempting to make sense of a current strain in contemporary painting which, generally speaking, tends towards reduction, humble materiality, lack of overt, didactic critique, and a scholarly interest in outmoded or overlooked art historical movements and figures. These are tendencies with which, as a painter, I feel both affinities and differences. Rather than rigidly define a “movement,” I will identify prevalent modes but also highlight individual strategies. I will begin by outlining some of the basic, underlying problems in painting today. I will then examine, as case studies, three young painters—Josephine …

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Live Attitude, Keith Jason Varadi May 2011

Live Attitude, Keith Jason Varadi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis serves as an open-ended document of a young artist attempting to sift through his accumulated opinions in order to figure out what it means to accept complicity in the face of auspicious authority, rapid turnover, and paper-thin irony and nihilism, while still striving to stake a claim at something worth making and defending.

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Producto Centro Americano : Made In Honduras, Alma Leiva May 2011

Producto Centro Americano : Made In Honduras, Alma Leiva

Theses and Dissertations

PRODUCTO CENTRO AMERICANO: MADE IN HONDURAS By Alma Leiva Master of Fine Arts A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011. Thesis Director: Robert Paris, Professor Kinetic Imaging / Photography and Film I was born in 1973 in Honduras, a country under military regime. In 1982 after 20 years of military rule, Honduras finally had democratic elections. During that decade, and as a consequence of the cold war, the kidnapping, torturing, murder and disappearance of civilians became common practices among the Honduran military. …

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A Subversive Socialist Craftsperson In The Post-Post Modern World (The Conspiratorial Ranting Of Kristoff Kamrath), Kristoffer Kamrath May 2011

A Subversive Socialist Craftsperson In The Post-Post Modern World (The Conspiratorial Ranting Of Kristoff Kamrath), Kristoffer Kamrath

Theses and Dissertations

My research in this thesis delves into the corruption of American culture and my personal experience with the academic institution of art school. I delineate my symbolic representation of a social agenda through images and objects that reference the absurdity of institutionalized art and the decay of socialist idealism in the realm of crafts and contemporary culture at large.

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Application Of Pharmacometric Methods To Improve Pediatric Drug Development, Mallika Lala May 2011

Application Of Pharmacometric Methods To Improve Pediatric Drug Development, Mallika Lala

Theses and Dissertations

Pharmacometrics is a quantitative science that is rapidly changing the landscape of drug development, and particularly so for the pediatric population. The motivation behind the research underlying this dissertation is to contribute towards the improvement of pediatric drug development by the astute application of pharmacometric methods. Two distinct research areas have been focused upon: 1- improving pediatric pharmacokinetic (PK) trial design and 2- improving pediatric dosing of warfarin by using a genetics-based dosing regimen. The first project examined in detail the feasibility of and simulation-based methodology for implementing a recent regulatory PK quality standard. The focus was on designing pediatric …

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