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The Scarab (2009-09) Sep 2009

The Scarab (2009-09)

The Scarab, 1952-2010

From the cover: "Official Organ of the Alumni Association of the Medical College of Virginia."

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Exploring The Stress Response In New Army Nurses, Laureen Otto Sep 2009

Exploring The Stress Response In New Army Nurses, Laureen Otto

Theses and Dissertations

The study of stress is limited in professional nursing, but it is nearly non-existent in professional military nursing. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among psychological, environmental, biological and demographic factors of stress in new Army nurses during the Army Medical Department’s 8-week Officer Basic Leadership Course (OBLC). Using a descriptive prospective, correlational repeated measures design, 33 study participants completed two psychological stress measures (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS] and the Impact of Event Scale – Revised[IES-R]), an environmental measure (Life Experiences Survey [LES]), a biologic measure (salivary cortisol) and a demographic questionnaire at three different time …

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The Role Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lysine Specific Protease, Kgp In Hemin Transport And Pigment Accumulation, Anuj Phull Aug 2009

The Role Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lysine Specific Protease, Kgp In Hemin Transport And Pigment Accumulation, Anuj Phull

Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, is implicated as a major etiological agent in the initiation and progression of severe forms of periodontal disease. It has been reported that gingivitis and periodontal disease affect roughly 50.3% and 35% of the adult population, respectively. Therefore, approximately over 85% of the adult population may suffer from some form of gingival disease. Porphyromonas gingivalis, an established periodontopathogen, requires hemin for growth. Although multiple hemin uptake systems appear to be present in this organism, their specific role in hemin uptake and virulence remains unknown. Pigmentation is thought to result from the accumulation of iron …

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Design And Optimization Of Peristaltic Micropumps Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Ravi Bhadauria Aug 2009

Design And Optimization Of Peristaltic Micropumps Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Ravi Bhadauria

Theses and Dissertations

A design optimization based on coupled solid–fluid analysis is investigated in this work to achieve specific flow rate through a peristaltic micropump. A micropump consisting of four pneumatically actuated nozzle/diffuser shaped moving actuators on the sidewalls is considered for numerical study. These actuators are used to create pressure difference in the four pump chambers, which in turn drives the fluid through the pump in one direction. Genetic algorithms along with artificial neural networks are used for optimizing the pump geometry and the actuation frequency. A simple example with moving walls is considered for validation by developing an exact analytical solution …

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Commonwealth Times 2009-08-20 Aug 2009

Commonwealth Times 2009-08-20

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Ion Channel Modulation By Photocaged Dioctanoyl Pip2, Junghoon Ha Aug 2009

Ion Channel Modulation By Photocaged Dioctanoyl Pip2, Junghoon Ha

Theses and Dissertations

Phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2) directly regulates electrophysiological activity in a diverse family of ion channels whether the effect is stimulatory or inhibitory. Much has been unveiled about the apparent affinity and modulatory function of PIP2 using a chemically modified dioctanoyl PIP2 (diC8), a membrane delimited cytosolic co-factor in inside-out macropatch experiments. Yet, the scarcity of molecular tools that permit fine external control in whole-cell systems has precluded future studies from probing the physiological role of PIP2 in cells in the presence of a fully intact cytoplasm. Here we introduce light as an external control for PIP2 through photocaging of diC8, and …

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Preparation And Characterization Of An Electrospun Gelatin/Dendrimer Hybrid Nanofiber Dressing, Alicia P. Smith-Freshwater Aug 2009

Preparation And Characterization Of An Electrospun Gelatin/Dendrimer Hybrid Nanofiber Dressing, Alicia P. Smith-Freshwater

Theses and Dissertations

A novel dendritic wound dressing was designed and characterized for its potential to treat chronic wounds. Comprised of gelatin, dendrimer, synthetic polymer and antibiotics, the dressing was electrospun to mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Gelatin is biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic, and easily available. The antibiotic, doxycycline, has the ability to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases. Matrix metalloproteinases, which occur in excess in chronic wounds, degrade the reconstituted ECM. Starburst™ polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer G3.5, which provides a versatile and structurally controlled architecture to construct nanomedicine, was covalently bonded to the gelatin backbone and electrospun into nanofibers with gelatin, doxycycline and stabilizing polymers. The …

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Identification Of Clinical, Laboratory And Genetic Covariates For Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy And Toxicity Of Sorafenib In Patients With Solid Tumors, Lokesh Jain Aug 2009

Identification Of Clinical, Laboratory And Genetic Covariates For Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy And Toxicity Of Sorafenib In Patients With Solid Tumors, Lokesh Jain

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research work was to understand the clinical-pharmacology based treatment approaches for sorafenib. Treatment with sorafenib is associated with high inter-patient variability in pharmacokinetic exposures, efficacy and toxicity. We explored the demographic, laboratory, clinical and pharmacogenetic factors to elucidate the sources of variability. In addition, we examined the impact of pharmacogenetic variation in VEGFR2, an important mediator of the VEGF pathway, on risk of prostate cancer. To support these investigations, (mainly single-dose) pharmacokinetic, pharmacogenetic, efficacy and toxicity information were collected from patients with solid tumors, enrolled in five phase I / II clinical trials at National Cancer …

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Marrying Immunotherapy And Chemotherapy: A Cancer Therapy Based On T Lymphocyte Expansion Augmented By Alternate Gamma Chain Cytokines And Gemcitabine-Mediated Inhibition Of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells, Esther Cha Aug 2009

Marrying Immunotherapy And Chemotherapy: A Cancer Therapy Based On T Lymphocyte Expansion Augmented By Alternate Gamma Chain Cytokines And Gemcitabine-Mediated Inhibition Of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells, Esther Cha

Theses and Dissertations

Successful adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) for cancer relies on the infusion of in vitro expanded, tumor-reactive lymphocytes with a goal of generating productive tumor immunity. Previously, our lab has developed a protocol to activate selectively tumor-reactive T lymphocytes in vitro using two pharmacologic agents, bryostatin-1 and ionomycin. Following the pharmacological stimulation, conventionally, IL-2 is added to stimulate in vitro proliferation. In this report, alternate cytokines from the common cytokine receptor γ-chain family, namely IL-7 and IL-15, were explored as the alternative cytokine supplements. We found that tumor DLN cells activated in vitro with B/I and cultured in IL-7/15 alternate common γ-chain …

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Mutagenesis And Spectroscopic Studies Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Sterol 14alpha Demethylase., Anuja R. Modi Aug 2009

Mutagenesis And Spectroscopic Studies Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Sterol 14alpha Demethylase., Anuja R. Modi

Theses and Dissertations

P450s are heme containing enzymes which affect oxidation of substrates via catalytic intermediates having transient lifetimes. These oxidative catalytic intermediates are formed by a sequential interplay of electrons and protons at the active site of the enzyme bearing molecular dioxygen. The proton transfer to the active site from bulk solvent is coordinated by an “acid-alcohol” pair of active site residues which are conserved in all P450s. Sterol 14α-demethylases (CYP51) are P450 enzymes which catalyze oxidative deformylation of lanosterol in the cholesterol/ergosterol biosynthetic pathway. Both cholesterol and ergosterol are important regulators of membrane fluidity. CYP51 differs from other P450s in that …

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Schizophrenia Candidate Genes Study, Grace Lee Jul 2009

Schizophrenia Candidate Genes Study, Grace Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a debilitating disorder caused by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors. In this study, we identified candidate genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms from two genome-wide association studies, GAIN and CATIE. Nine SNPs representing four candidate genes were selected for replication studies with our Irish samples: Irish Case-Control Study of Schizophrenia (ICCSS), the Irish Study of High-Density Schizophrenia Families (ISHDSF), and the Irish Trio Study of Schizophrenia (ITRIO). In the ITRIO sample, rs4704591 (CMYA5 gene) showed nominal significance (p = 0.0447947). Combining ICCSS, ISHDSF, and ITRIO samples for rs4704591 increased sample size and power and yielded a p-value …

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Evaluation Of Association Of Microrna-122 With Histological Severity Of Recurrent Hcv Infection In Liver Transplant Recipients, Jihee Suh Jul 2009

Evaluation Of Association Of Microrna-122 With Histological Severity Of Recurrent Hcv Infection In Liver Transplant Recipients, Jihee Suh

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatitis C virus recurrence (which is defined by detection of HCV RNA in serum) in post-transplanted liver is universal but the progression of infection remains unpredictable, varying from case to case. It has been estimated that 75%-80% of the HCV recurrence patients will suffer chronic hepatitis C infection and up to a third of them will progress into the development of fibrosis and cirrhosis within 5 years post-transplantation. Therefore, finding ways to predict early on the progression of fibrosis can contribute to better prognoses. Recent literatures have mentioned that the hepatitis C virus relies on the host microRNA-122 (miR-122) for …

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Lysophosphatidic Acid Is A Mediator Of Interleukin-6 Production In Ovarian Cancer Cells, David Dang Jul 2009

Lysophosphatidic Acid Is A Mediator Of Interleukin-6 Production In Ovarian Cancer Cells, David Dang

Theses and Dissertations

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a naturally occurring bioactive lysophospholipid that mediates a broad range of cellular processes such as cell proliferation, survival, migration and invasion. LPA also plays a potential role in human oncogenesis as suggested by elevated expression of its receptors and its producing enzymes in malignant tissues. In the current study, we demonstrated that LPA is a potent mediator of interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in ovarian cancer. IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine which is thought to be an important mediator of ovarian cancer development and progression. Here, we demonstrated that IL-6 levels are indeed increased in the plasma of …

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Creating An Environmentally Sustainable Costume Shop, Katherine Stone Jul 2009

Creating An Environmentally Sustainable Costume Shop, Katherine Stone

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of my thesis is to provide the reader with a better understanding of how to create an environmentally sustainable costume shop. I chose to focus on certain elements of the costume shop that are imperative to the function of the shop, but desperately need to change for the sake of the environment. The elements I focused on were fabric, energy, and chemicals. Armed with a better understanding of why and what needs to be changed, the reader will be able to take this knowledge and apply it to their costume shop and life. We need to change how …

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Effects Of Biofilm Age And Composition On Oyster Larval Setting, Alaina Hart Jul 2009

Effects Of Biofilm Age And Composition On Oyster Larval Setting, Alaina Hart

Theses and Dissertations

The lack of success in restoring oyster, Crassostrea virginica, populations to Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries has raised many questions about why many restoration efforts have failed. A number of studies have focused on the larval stage of oysters and considered the variables that impact oyster setting behavior in an effort to understand why oyster populations have not recovered. Studies that have examined setting surfaces suggest that biofilms promote oyster larval settlement; however, similar studies with barnacle larvae have found an inhibitory relationship. The present study utilized field-produced biofilms of different ages to determine if natural biofilms inhibit or promote …

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To Evaluate The Level Of Agreement Between Two Self-Reported Medication Adherence Scales And Prescription Refill Records In Older Adults, Priyanka Kakad Jul 2009

To Evaluate The Level Of Agreement Between Two Self-Reported Medication Adherence Scales And Prescription Refill Records In Older Adults, Priyanka Kakad

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To evaluate the level of agreement between two self-reported medication adherence scales and prescription refill records in older adults. Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Imperial Plaza; a retirement community located in Richmond, Virginia. Participants: 32 independent-living older adults, taking anti-hypertensive medications and filling their prescriptions at on-site Plaza Professional Pharmacy were recruited in the study. Methods: Participants’ 6 months refill records were obtained and Medication Possession Ration (MPR) was calculated. Participants were interviewed using Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS) & Brief Medication Questionnaire (BMQ). Kappa statistics was used to evaluate the level of agreement. Results: Poor level of agreement was …

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Genetic Differentiation Of The Parasitoid, Cotesia Congregata (Say), Based On Host-Plant Complex, Georgia Karns Jul 2009

Genetic Differentiation Of The Parasitoid, Cotesia Congregata (Say), Based On Host-Plant Complex, Georgia Karns

Theses and Dissertations

Endoparasitoids of herbivorous lepidopterans have intimate relationships with their host species as well as the plant on which their host develops. Characteristics of both hosts and plants can affect parasitoid success in tri-trophic systems and thus, drive diversification. Genetic differentiation was estimated for Cotesia congregata (Say) collected from two distinct host-plant complexes, Manduca sexta L. on tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and Ceratomia catalpae, (Haworth) on catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides Walker), in the mid-Atlantic region of North America using seven microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial COI locus. Microsatellite allele frequencies were differentiated based on host-plant complex, and COI haplotypes from individuals on …

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Crafting Authenticity, Allison N. Schumacher Jul 2009

Crafting Authenticity, Allison N. Schumacher

Theses and Dissertations

Authenticity is what we want from the world around us, from others, and crucially from ourselves and what we make. As it relates to graphic design, I define authenticity as a perceived match between form and purpose. For the designer, its quality is found in the process of simultaneously developing a concept and crafting the design/object.

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A Sequential Algorithm To Identify The Mixing Endpoints In Liquids In Pharmaceutical Applications, Akriti Saxena Jul 2009

A Sequential Algorithm To Identify The Mixing Endpoints In Liquids In Pharmaceutical Applications, Akriti Saxena

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to develop a sequential algorithm to determine accurately and quickly, at which point in time a product is well mixed or reaches a steady state plateau, in terms of the Refractive Index (RI). An algorithm using sequential non-linear model fitting and prediction is proposed. A simulation study representing typical scenarios in a liquid manufacturing process in pharmaceutical industries was performed to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The data simulated included autocorrelated normal errors and used the Gompertz model. A set of 27 different combinations of the parameters of the Gompertz function were considered. The results …

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Chaperone Expression And Effects Of Its Inhibition On Breast Cancer Sensitization, Malissa Diehl Jul 2009

Chaperone Expression And Effects Of Its Inhibition On Breast Cancer Sensitization, Malissa Diehl

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of cancer in women and is not restricted by race or ethnicity. Although a wealth of knowledge has been amassed on the biology of breast cancer, including its risk factors, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, and treatment, it remains a serious health concern and active area of research. Initial response to standard chemotherapeutic and radiotherapeutic regimens is generally strong for many patients, yet breast tumors often recur, leading to more aggressive and resistant tumors. Because recurrence is such a clinical issue, more effective therapeutic approaches are needed to eliminate partial clinical …

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The Potential Role For Capb In Pathogenesis Of Francisella Tularensis, Eric Fleming Jul 2009

The Potential Role For Capb In Pathogenesis Of Francisella Tularensis, Eric Fleming

Theses and Dissertations

Francisella tularensis was a facultative intracellular pathogen and a gram-negative coccobacillus which has been categorized by the CDC as a potential class A select agent due to its highly infectious properties and high mortality rates. Francisella tularensis was also responsible for the zoonotic disease tularemia, which was usually transmitted by arthropod vectors or via contact with infected animals. Francisella tularensis subspecies novicida has been used by many researchers in genetic pathogenesis experiments to try to elucidate genes responsible for virulence factors. One of these virulence factors was a capsular material which has been thought to be involved in either increasing …

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Predictors Of Smoking Initiation In African American Adolescents, Jennifer Kienzle Jul 2009

Predictors Of Smoking Initiation In African American Adolescents, Jennifer Kienzle

Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco use are responsible for over 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Health consequences associated with cigarette smoking include cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. Despite awareness of the health risks, approximately 21% of the U.S. adult population smokes. Efforts to-date to reduce smoking-related disease and illness have focused on prevention and intervention strategies that encourage cessation. Adolescence is a critical period for both intervention and prevention. Because more than three-fourths (80%) of adult smokers reported starting to smoke prior to the age of 18, prevention and brief intervention is likely to be …

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The Production And Filtration Efficiency Testing Of Nonwoven Electrospun Fiber Mats, Jan Uecker Jul 2009

The Production And Filtration Efficiency Testing Of Nonwoven Electrospun Fiber Mats, Jan Uecker

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the production and filtration performance of electrospun nylon-4,6 nanofiber mats was experimentally studied. The average fiber diameter of nylon-4,6 fibers is controlled by altering the polymer concentration in solution. Adding small amount of pyridine to the electrospinning solution controlled fiber beading and other defects. These fibers were then deposited onto a wide variety of conductive and dielectric substrate materials. A corona ion source was used to eliminate surface charging effects observed at the surface of all substrates. The resulting fiber mats, uniform in size and distribution as verified by SEM imaging, are tested for filtration efficiency and …

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Specific Levels Of Therapeutic Ultrasound Stimulate The Release Of Inflammatory And Angiogenic Mediators From Macrophages In Culture, Thomas Turner Jul 2009

Specific Levels Of Therapeutic Ultrasound Stimulate The Release Of Inflammatory And Angiogenic Mediators From Macrophages In Culture, Thomas Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) is a treatment modality that is used to accelerate tissue healing. TUS is thought to affect cellular processes of tissue healing, especially those that occur in the inflammatory and early proliferative phases. TUS can be applied using various parameter selections including intensity, wavelength, duty cycle and treatment duration and no clear consensus exists on optimal parameters for healing enhancement. Macrophages are important mediators of inflammation and their actions are critical to normal progression into the proliferative phase of healing. They complete many functions during these periods of tissue healing, among those being release of cytokines and growth …

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The Regulation Of Platelet Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase By Oxidized Phospholipids, Rachael Griffiths Jul 2009

The Regulation Of Platelet Activating Factor Acetylhydrolase By Oxidized Phospholipids, Rachael Griffiths

Theses and Dissertations

Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAFAH) is elevated in atherosclerosis and may play a role in pathogenesis of this disease. Molecular mechanisms regulating the expression of this lipoprotein-associated PLA2 are indistinct. Mildy oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and monocytes (the primary source of PAFAH) are co-localized in early atheromas. Monocytes are activated by oxidized phospholipids (oxPL) in the oxLDL particle. We hypothesized that oxPL-activated monocytes are the source of increased levels of PAFAH in atherosclerosis. We found that PAFAH expression is significantly induced by OxPAPC and in particular long-chain fractions of oxPAPC in monocytes and cytokine-differentiated DC, but not cytokine-differentiated MO. Furthermore, …

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Assessment Of Pre-Pcr Whole Genome Amplification Of Single Pollen Grains Using Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida), Candace Dillon Jul 2009

Assessment Of Pre-Pcr Whole Genome Amplification Of Single Pollen Grains Using Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida), Candace Dillon

Theses and Dissertations

Studies of gene flow in natural plant populations often focus on either historical or abiotic dispersal methods (e.g. wind, water, gravity), but there is little information available on contemporary, animal-mediated pollen dispersal patterns. Emerging molecular laboratory techniques allow unprecedented insights into spatial patterns of pollen-mediated gene flow. However, to date, technical challenges have limited their widespread application. The genome of a pollen grain can be amplified via whole genome amplification (WGA) prior to traditional amplification via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to prevent the stochastic effects associated with low copy number amplification. Even still, WGA can suffer from low success rates …

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Understanding The Genetic Consequences Of Rapid Range Expansion: A Case Study Using The Invasive Microstegium Vimineum Trin. (Poaceae), Stephen Baker Jul 2009

Understanding The Genetic Consequences Of Rapid Range Expansion: A Case Study Using The Invasive Microstegium Vimineum Trin. (Poaceae), Stephen Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Global temperature changes are predicted to influence the distributions of plants and can have significant consequences for population genetic structure. Both the nature of these consequences and the processes that shape them are of interest for both conservation genetics and the development of realistic management programs. Rapid range expansion occurs on short temporal scales not conducive to conventional phylogeographical analyses. This paper presents the findings from a population genetic study of the invasive grass Microstegium vimineum Trin. A. Camus throughout the James River Basin of Virginia. Genotypic analysis using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers were used to test …

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Factors Limiting Benthic Algal Abundance In Virginia Streams Of The Coastal Plain, Michael Brandt Jul 2009

Factors Limiting Benthic Algal Abundance In Virginia Streams Of The Coastal Plain, Michael Brandt

Theses and Dissertations

Algae are important components of stream food webs and often used in biomonitoring assessments. Little is known regarding the factors that limit their abundance in streams of the VA Coastal Plain. The surficial geology of the Coastal Plain is predominately sandy deposits which comprise the dominant substrate in streams of this region. In a comparative study of five streams located near the VCU Rice Center, we quantified substrate composition, light availability, and nutrient concentrations to assess their relative importance in determining benthic algal abundance. The proportion of stream area comprised of hard substrates was a significant predictor of variation in …

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Novel Allosteric Inhibitors Of Thrombin, Bijoy Desai Jul 2009

Novel Allosteric Inhibitors Of Thrombin, Bijoy Desai

Theses and Dissertations

Thrombin is a critical enzyme involved in blood coagulation and haemostasis. For this reason the study of its interactions with substrates, inhibitors and modulator is essential. It is also a unique enzyme in the serine protease family because unlike enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin its activity is modulated by various endogenous and exogenous ligands. This is due to the presence of “exosites” on the thrombin surface. Exosite II, unlike exosite-I, has not been characterized for its allosteric effect. In order to understand the structural basis of interaction and inhibition of inhibitor 4AS, which possibly interacts with exosite-II, native bovine thrombin …

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Fabrication And Characterization Of Bioactive, Composite Electrospun Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds Intended For Cleft Palate Repair, Parthasarathy Madurantakam Jul 2009

Fabrication And Characterization Of Bioactive, Composite Electrospun Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds Intended For Cleft Palate Repair, Parthasarathy Madurantakam

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue Engineering is a scientific discipline that aims to regenerate tissues and organs that are diseased, lost or congenitally absent. It encompasses the use of suitable synthetic equivalents of native extracellular matrix that may or may not be supplemented with cells or relevant growth factors. Such scaffolds are designed to reside at the site of implantation for a variable period of time during which they induce the regeneration of native tissue. During this time, they also provide a template for new cells to attach, infiltrate, differentiate into appropriate phenotype and eventually restore function of the concerned tissue. Among the factors …

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