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The Role Of Brca1 In Dna Double-Strand Break Repair, Seth Dever Apr 2009

The Role Of Brca1 In Dna Double-Strand Break Repair, Seth Dever

Theses and Dissertations

Mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility 1 (BRCA1) gene are linked to breast as well as ovarian cancers. However, most cancer-causing mutations within the BRCA1 gene have been found in the N’ and C’ terminal regions of the BRCA1 protein, both believed to be important for DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. The BRCA1 C’ terminal (BRCT) repeats have been implicated in phospho-serine protein binding whereas the N’ terminal RING domain interacts with the BARD1 protein to form a hetero-dimeric complex with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. The BRCA1 BRCT domain binds CtIP, BACH1, and RAP80, all of which have been directly …

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Scribble As A Possible Binding Partner For The Map Kinases Erk2 And Erk6, William Allen Apr 2009

Scribble As A Possible Binding Partner For The Map Kinases Erk2 And Erk6, William Allen

Theses and Dissertations

We worked on finding a new kinase regulator to develop basic data to be used for cancer prevention. Our work found a link between three previously unrelated proteins involved in cancer, ERK2 and ERK6 and Scribble. The MAP kinase cascade is involved in cell proliferation, which is highly deregulated in cancer. Through the screening of ERK6 associating molecules, we found the cell polarity, and cell cycle related molecule Scribble. Furthermore, we found that Scribble was a dual-specific kinase regulator. We clearly demonstrated that these ERKs interact with Scribble through the LRR and the PDZ domains of Scribble. We hypothesize that …

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A Mathematical Model For Anti-Malarial Drug Resistance, Amanda Matthews Apr 2009

A Mathematical Model For Anti-Malarial Drug Resistance, Amanda Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the array of medical advances of our modern day society, infectious diseases still plague millions of people worldwide. Malaria, in particular, causes substantial suffering and death throughout both developed and developing countries. Aside from the socioeconomic challenges presented by the disease's prevalence in impoverished nations, one of the major difficulties scientists have encountered while attempting to eradicate the disease is the parasite's ability to become resistant to new drugs and methods of treatment. In an effort to better understand the dynamics of malaria, we analyze a mathematical model that accounts for both the treatment aspect as well as the …

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Meta-Analysis: Racial Disparities In Prostate Cancer Survival And Case-Control Study: Association Between Family History Of Cancers, Obesity And Prostate Cancer, Gayathri Sridhar Apr 2009

Meta-Analysis: Racial Disparities In Prostate Cancer Survival And Case-Control Study: Association Between Family History Of Cancers, Obesity And Prostate Cancer, Gayathri Sridhar

Theses and Dissertations

This is a compilation of 3 abstracts for the three manuscripts included in this dissertation. I. Meta-Analysis: Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Survival: Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men. Previous studies have drawn inconsistent conclusions on racial differences in prostate cancer survival. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between race and survival from prostate cancer. A systematic review of published articles from 1968 to 2007 assessing survival from prostate cancer among African American and White men was conducted. The search yielded 20 eligible published manuscripts. Analysis of unadjusted studies showed African American …

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A Comparison Of The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of The Atypical Antipsychotic Clozapine And The Glutamate Agonist N-Methyl D-Aspartate In C57bl/6 Mice., Sarah A. Vunck Apr 2009

A Comparison Of The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of The Atypical Antipsychotic Clozapine And The Glutamate Agonist N-Methyl D-Aspartate In C57bl/6 Mice., Sarah A. Vunck

Theses and Dissertations

The glutamate system dysfunctions present in schizophrenia raise new questions about possible glutamatergic actions of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine. While clozapine has been shown to partially substitute for the discriminative stimulus of the glutamate agonist N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) in rats, NMDA discrimination has not previously been established in mice. The present study was designed to explore the possible role of NMDA activity in clozapine’s discriminative stimulus. Two groups of C57BL/6 mice were trained to discriminate either 2.5 mg/kg CLZ from vehicle or 30 mg/kg NMDA from vehicle in a standard two-lever drug discrimination task. NMDA drug discrimination was successfully established …

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Influence Of Salinity Variations On The Desorption And Lability Of Soil Organic Carbon Associated With Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Lindsey Michelle Koren Apr 2009

Influence Of Salinity Variations On The Desorption And Lability Of Soil Organic Carbon Associated With Tidal Freshwater Marshes, Lindsey Michelle Koren

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal freshwater marshes (TFMs) are unique ecosystems that bridge the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and are important in the sequestration of soil organic carbon. With the ever changing global climate, TFMs are left vulnerable to downstream effects of rising sea level and salt water intrusion due to increases in flooding by saline waters. These changes often act over large spatial and temporal scales resulting in significant impacts to local and regional environments. This multidisciplinary study assessed the amount and lability of desorbed organic carbon in tidal freshwater marsh soils from the Waccamaw River Marsh, South Carolina and Sweet …

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A Parallel Molecular Dynamics Program For Simulation Of Water In Ion Channels, Laxmi Mullapudi Apr 2009

A Parallel Molecular Dynamics Program For Simulation Of Water In Ion Channels, Laxmi Mullapudi

Theses and Dissertations

With a modest beginning from developing a model of dynamics of hard liquid spheres (Alder et al., 1957), molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have come to a point where complex biomolecules can be simulated with precision close to reality (Noskov et al., 2007). In this context, a parallel molecular dynamics program for simulation of ion channels associated with cellular membranes has been developed. The parallel MD code developed is simple, efficient, and easily coupled to other codes such as the hybrid molecular dynamics/ brownian dynamics (MD/BD) code developed for the study of protein interactions (Ying et al., 2005). The Atom Decomposition …

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Obesity, Adiposity, And Satiety In Mouse Models Of Smith-Magenis Syndrome And Dup(17)(P11.2) Syndrome, Brooke Burns Apr 2009

Obesity, Adiposity, And Satiety In Mouse Models Of Smith-Magenis Syndrome And Dup(17)(P11.2) Syndrome, Brooke Burns

Theses and Dissertations

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a complex disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of RAI1 and characterized by sleep disturbances, behavioral abnormalities, mental retardation, and obesity in teens and adults. Rai1+/- mice are obese after 20 weeks. Dup(17)(p11.2) syndrome is a complex disorder associated with overexpression of RAI1. A transgenic mouse model of dup(17)(p11.2) syndrome overexpresses Rai1 and results in a mouse that is growth delayed. In order to characterize the obese phenotypes of mouse models of SMS and the role of RAI1 in obesity, daily food intake and serum levels of insulin, glucose, PPY, and leptin were measured; adiposity was studied by …

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Swaying The Masses: The Effect Of Argument Strength And Linguistic Abstractness On Attitudes, Jessica Barber Apr 2009

Swaying The Masses: The Effect Of Argument Strength And Linguistic Abstractness On Attitudes, Jessica Barber

Theses and Dissertations

Two studies were conducted to investigate how the use of different types of language affects attitudes. Participants scrutinized arguments supporting a hypothetical toothpaste that differed in terms of argument strength (strong versus weak) and linguistic abstractness (abstract versus concrete) and subsequently evaluated the toothpaste. In addition, half of the participants in the second study were subjected to a cognitive load manipulation (i.e., rehearsing a ten-digit number) in order to limit their level of cognitive elaboration. Results indicated that strong arguments and those containing concrete descriptions led to more positive attitudes about the toothpaste, whereas weak messages comprised of abstract terms …

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Hyperspectral Reflectance For Rapid Viability Assessment Of Bacillus Endospores, Jarrod Edwards Apr 2009

Hyperspectral Reflectance For Rapid Viability Assessment Of Bacillus Endospores, Jarrod Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to optically determine the viability of the Gram +, endospore-forming bacterial genera Bacillus using a hyperspectral reflectance spectrometer. Endospores are a dormant, differentiated cellular capsule form taken by select bacteria to ensure survival when environmental conditions become unfavorable. Two species of Bacillus were used for this study, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus subtilis. These endospores were killed using a chemical treatment of sodium hypochlorite or a physical treatment of heat and pressure in an autoclave. The treated samples along with viable samples were lyophilized to form a powder. A reflectance spectrometer measuring 350 nm to 2500 nm …

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Structural And Functional Considerations In The Design Of Collagen-Based Electrospun Scaffolds, Chantal Ayres Apr 2009

Structural And Functional Considerations In The Design Of Collagen-Based Electrospun Scaffolds, Chantal Ayres

Theses and Dissertations

Electrospinning can be used to selectively process a variety of natural and synthetic polymers into highly porous scaffolds composed of nano-to-micron diameter fibers. This process shows great potential as a gateway to the development of physiologically relevant tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study we examine the structural and functional considerations regarding electrospun scaffolds for dermal template applications using novel quantification techniques. In order to characterize scaffold structure, a technique utilizing the fast Fourier transform was developed to systematically quantify fiber alignment and evaluate how different electrospinning parameters impact the structure and material properties of an electrospun scaffold. Gelatin was suspended …

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Consequences Of Shrub Encroachment: Linking Changes In Canopy Structure To Shifts In The Resource Environment, Steven Brantley Apr 2009

Consequences Of Shrub Encroachment: Linking Changes In Canopy Structure To Shifts In The Resource Environment, Steven Brantley

Theses and Dissertations

Shrub expansion in herbaceous ecosystems is emerging as an important ecological response to global change, especially in mesic systems where increases in canopy biomass are greatest. Two consequences of woody encroachment are increases in belowground resources, such as carbon and nitrogen, and reductions in above-ground resources such as light, which affect diversity, community trajectory, and ecosystem function. My objective was to determine how expansion of the nitrogen-fixing shrub Morella cerifera affected the resource environment across a chronosequence of shrub expansion on a Virginia barrier island. I quantified changes in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, canopy structure and understory light …

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Elemental Composition And Nutrient Effect On The Uptake And Metabolism Of Dissolved Organic Carbon By Bacteria From A Temperate Region River, Anne Stuart Apr 2009

Elemental Composition And Nutrient Effect On The Uptake And Metabolism Of Dissolved Organic Carbon By Bacteria From A Temperate Region River, Anne Stuart

Theses and Dissertations

Rivers are arteries that connect land and sea, and provide a conduit and reactor for allochthonous and autochthonous organic carbon sources (OC) delivered to the coastal ocean. In comparison to marine waters, inland waters quantitatively represent only a fraction of the marine system; however, their importance to global C cycling maybe disproportional to its actual size. Inland systems are subject to multiple sources of OC (autochthonous and allochthonous) that vary individually in space and time with respect to their concentration and potential bacterial bioavailability. This study investigates the impact of high and ambient inorganic nutrient concentrations on the bacterial bioavailability …

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Disordered Eating And Substance Use: A Multivariate Longitudinal Twin Desigh, Jessica Baker Apr 2009

Disordered Eating And Substance Use: A Multivariate Longitudinal Twin Desigh, Jessica Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders and substance use disorders both exhibit a clear sex-difference in prevalence. Eating disorders are more common in females while substance use disorders are more common in males. Previous research has also established a strong association between these two disorders, especially within females. Much less research has examined comorbity in males. The etiology and reasons for these sex-differences and for the comorbidity of eating and substance use disorders remain unclear. The present report aimed to examine disordered eating (DE), substance use (SU), and their comorbidity further, in both sexes, using disorder eating attitudes and behaviors and substance use rather …

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Multisensory Input To The Lateral Rostral Suprasylvian Sulcus (Lrss) In Ferret, Elizabeth Hagood Apr 2009

Multisensory Input To The Lateral Rostral Suprasylvian Sulcus (Lrss) In Ferret, Elizabeth Hagood

Theses and Dissertations

For the brain to construct a comprehensive percept of the sensory world, information from the different senses must converge onto individual neurons within the central nervous system. As a consequence, how these neurons convert convergent sensory input into multisensory information is an important question facing neuroscience today. Recent physiological studies have demonstrated the presence of a robust population of multisensory neurons in the lateral bank of the rostral suprasylvian sulcus (LRSS) in adult ferret (Keniston et al, 2008). The LRSS is a region situated between somatosensory and auditory cortices, where bimodal (somatosensory-auditory) neurons occupy the greatest percentage of the sensory-responsive …

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Efficacy Of A Brief Intervention For Insomnia Among Psychiatric Outpatients, James Nile Wagley Apr 2009

Efficacy Of A Brief Intervention For Insomnia Among Psychiatric Outpatients, James Nile Wagley

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric patients are particularly affected by symptoms of insomnia. Because insomnia is often secondary to other conditions and was once thought to be less treatable, this condition has received little attention in terms of treatment and research. Additionally, psychiatric patients have typically fewer resources to seek treatment. Generally, insomnia is treated with medications that may have biological side effects and offer little restorative sleep. Behavioral or cognitive interventions have often been overlooked. This experiment uses profile analysis to test the hypothesis that psychiatric outpatients randomized to a treatment group would have decreased levels of sleep difficulties (measured by PSQI) when …

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The Responses Of Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) To Hypoxia/Hypercapnia In Freshwater, James Martin Apr 2009

The Responses Of Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) To Hypoxia/Hypercapnia In Freshwater, James Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The present research examined respiratory responses of blue crabs to long term (4, 13, and 21 days) hypercapnic hypoxia in freshwater at 23 C. Hypoxic conditions (50-60 & 75-85 mmHg O2) were induced by allowing the crabs to consume their oxygen supply, resulting in a hypercapnic induced decrease in pH that remained through the exposure. Postbranchial hemolymph responses to hypoxia/hypercapnia in freshwater demonstrate decreases in PO2, increases in PCO2, and decreases in pH. Lactate levels decreased over time, but hemocyanin concentration was highly variable with no trends. PH, lactate, and hemocyanin observations also demonstrated high variability and a variety of …

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The Presence Of Amphibian Ranavirus In Virginia Warm Water Fish Hatchery Ponds, Elizabeth Nelson Apr 2009

The Presence Of Amphibian Ranavirus In Virginia Warm Water Fish Hatchery Ponds, Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Amphibian declines have been occurring world wide over the past several decades. Infectious disease and environmental changes have been implicated as the causative agents in these declines. Fish stocking from hatcheries provides a unique opportunity for organisms, including infectious diseases, to travel over long distances. Ranavirus was previously found in two ponds at Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery in Charles City County, Virginia. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to determine if ranavirus is present in tadpoles from four warm water fish hatcheries in Virginia. A secondary objective of this study was to determine if there are relationships …

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Generation Of Macrophage Chemotactic Factors By Spla2, Andria Chambers Apr 2009

Generation Of Macrophage Chemotactic Factors By Spla2, Andria Chambers

Theses and Dissertations

Removal of apoptotic cells by macrophages is required in order to prevent autoimmune responses. Previous studies have reported that group IIA secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) preferentially binds to apoptotic cells and induces a chemotactic factor which promotes the migration of macrophages to apoptotic cells. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that the pool of sPLA2 trapped on apoptotic cells produces chemoattractant lipids that recruit macrophages to phagocytose the apoptotic cells. To test this hypothesis, Jurkat cells were cultured under normal conditions and induced to undergo early apoptosis through treatment with D,L-threo-dihydrosphingosine. Live and early apoptotic cells were incubated with catalytically …

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Role Of Bcl-2 Family Members To Promote Glucocorticoid –Induced Apoptosis By Mek Inhibitors In Leukemic Cells, Anila Rambal Apr 2009

Role Of Bcl-2 Family Members To Promote Glucocorticoid –Induced Apoptosis By Mek Inhibitors In Leukemic Cells, Anila Rambal

Theses and Dissertations

Glucocorticoids (GC) are common components of many chemotherapeutic regimens for lymphoid malignancies. GC-induced apoptosis involves an intrinsic BCL-2 family-regulated pathway. It has been shown that BIM (BCL-2 interacting mediator of cell death), a BH3-only pro-apoptotic protein, is up-regulated by dexamethasone (Dex) treatment in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Furthermore, BIM is inactivated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mediated phosphorylation. We therefore hypothesized co-treatment with Dex and MEK/ERK inhibitors would promote apoptosis in ALL cells through BIM up-regulation and activation. We show here that a MEK inhibitor, PD184352 synergistically enhances Dex lethality in CCRF-CEM (T-ALL) cells. Co-treatment with Dex and PD184352 results …

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Factors Affecting Dissolved Oxygen Metabolism In Coastal Plain Streams Of Virginia, Julie Frank Apr 2009

Factors Affecting Dissolved Oxygen Metabolism In Coastal Plain Streams Of Virginia, Julie Frank

Theses and Dissertations

I investigated seasonal and inter-site variation in factors influencing diel dissolved oxygen (DO) metabolism at four streams in the Virginia Coastal Plain. Data were collected monthly from January to August 2008 to characterize DO metabolism (diel DO amplitude, production, respiration), incident solar radiation (PAR), dissolved nutrients, fine benthic materials (mass, C:N, Chlα) and hydrology (discharge, water transit time, transient storage). Reach-scale metabolism estimates were determined using the one-station diurnal DO technique and transit time and transient storage were determined by conservative tracer additions. Incident solar radiation was the primary determinant of DO metabolism as streams experiencing higher light levels (Herring …

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Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression In Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Justin Mcclain Apr 2009

Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression In Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Justin Mcclain

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra. Accumulating evidence indicates that microglia-driven neuroinflammation contributes significantly to chronic neurodegeneration in PD. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in several neuroinflammatory paradigms; however, their relationship to dopaminergic neurodegeneration in PD remains relatively unexplored. To address this, the temporal relationship between MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9, and MMP-13 expression and dopaminergic neurodegeneration was compared in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) models of PD. In dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells, 6-OHDA treatment significantly increased MMP-13 mRNA expression; however, examination of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats …

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Patterns Of Abundance Across An Urban-Rural Gradient For Commonly Found Indigenous Arthropods, David Jones Apr 2009

Patterns Of Abundance Across An Urban-Rural Gradient For Commonly Found Indigenous Arthropods, David Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Proof of concept for a continuous environmental sampling methodology that employs common terrestrial arthropods as environmental samplers was tested by analyzing pitfall, malaise and black light captures over a six month period over a replicated urban-suburban-rural gradient in Central Virginia. All arthropods captured at the nine sites were identified and assigned to aquatic, vegetation, or soil groups based on their association with these microhabitats. To offset variability in arthropod life history patterns and species abundance within habitat types, arthropod categories based on presence/absence data over the six month period were constructed to provide for sampling reliability within each microhabitat …

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Coupling Of Autotrophic And Heterotrophic Plankton Food Web Components In The Tidal-Freshwater James River, Usa, Matthew Beckwith Apr 2009

Coupling Of Autotrophic And Heterotrophic Plankton Food Web Components In The Tidal-Freshwater James River, Usa, Matthew Beckwith

Theses and Dissertations

Empirical studies have shown that algal- and detrital-based food web components are coupled in many pelagic systems as algal carbon enhances bacterioplankton production and growth efficiencies. Such phyto-bacterioplankton coupling impacts carbon flow through plankton food webs, yet the extent of coupling is poorly understood in systems receiving large amounts of allochthonous carbon. To investigate this issue, bacterioplankton abundance (BA) and community composition were compared to chlorophyll a concentrations and phytoplankton production in the tidal-freshwater James River (VA). BA averaged 107 cells mL-1 and was significantly related to chlorophyll a, phytoplankton production, and DOC concentrations. Analysis of DOC quality using fluorescence …

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Therapeutic Drugs In Cancer, Teneille Walker Apr 2009

Therapeutic Drugs In Cancer, Teneille Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The first study examined the interaction between low doses of the multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib and the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat in colon cancer cells. Sorafenib and vorinostat synergized to kill HCT116 and SW480 cells. In SW480 cells, sorafenib+vorinostat toxicity correlated with CD95 activation and CD95-stimulated autophagy. Drug lethality in SW480 cells was blocked by knock down of CD95. In SW620 cells that are patient matched to SW480 cells, sorafenib+vorinostat toxicity was significantly reduced that correlated with a lack of CD95 activation and lower expression of ceramide synthase 6 (LASS6). Overexpression of LASS6 in SW620 cells enhanced drug-induced CD95 activation and …

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Effects Of Mentoring On The Development Of Leadership Self-Efficacy And Political Skill, Suzzette Chopin Apr 2009

Effects Of Mentoring On The Development Of Leadership Self-Efficacy And Political Skill, Suzzette Chopin

Theses and Dissertations

This study considered the effects of mentoring on protégés’ beliefs in their abilities to be leaders and on their development of interpersonal skills. This study explored, in 260 business graduate students, the relationship between (a) mentoring and leadership self-efficacy and (b) mentoring and political skill. Participants completed surveys including the Self-Efficacy for Leadership Scale, the Political Skill Inventory, and the Mentoring Functions Questionnaire. Comparisons between non-mentored and mentored individuals showed that having a mentor is associated with increased political skill (p < .05) but not increased leadership self-efficacy (p > .05). Among mentored individuals, higher quality mentoring relationships are associated with significantly higher leadership-self efficacy (p < .01) but not with significantly higher political skill (p > .05). The presence …

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Novel Mechanisms Regulating Cytokine-Induced Gene Expression In Astrocytes And Glioblastoma Cells, Lauren Bryan Apr 2009

Novel Mechanisms Regulating Cytokine-Induced Gene Expression In Astrocytes And Glioblastoma Cells, Lauren Bryan

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic inflammation in the brain results in the development of several CNS diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, multiple sclerosis, and tumors. IL-1, a pro-inflammatory cytokine released by activated microglia and astrocytes, instigates the expression of factors promoting the progression of these CNS disorders, including cytokines, chemokines, and components of matrix remodeling systems, such as the plasminogen activator system. IL-1 also increases the mRNA expression and activity of SphK, the enzyme that phosphorylates Sph to form S1P, a bio-active sphingolipid. This thesis demonstrates that IL-1 and S1P enhance the mRNA and protein expression of PAI-1 and uPAR, two key components …

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Identification Of Binding Partners Of A Novel P. Falciparum Exported Protein, Monica Zapata Apr 2009

Identification Of Binding Partners Of A Novel P. Falciparum Exported Protein, Monica Zapata

Theses and Dissertations

Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of the most severe form of malaria. This parasite drastically modifies its host cell, the erythrocyte, to create a hospitable environment for its growth and reproduction. In order for these modifications to occur, the parasite secretes proteins into the erythrocyte. While the secretion machinery is still unknown, many secreted proteins have been found to have a hydrophobic signal sequence and a novel host-targeting signal downstream of the hydrophobic sequence. A novel P. falciparum protein has been shown to be secreted from the parasitophorous vacuole, yet it lacks both a hydrophobic signal sequence and a …

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Molecular Mechanisms For Regulation Of Gene Expression By Lysophosphatidic Acid In Ovarian Carcinoma Cells, Regina Oyesanya Apr 2009

Molecular Mechanisms For Regulation Of Gene Expression By Lysophosphatidic Acid In Ovarian Carcinoma Cells, Regina Oyesanya

Theses and Dissertations

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a potent bioactive phospholipid mediator that functions through multiple G protein couple receptors (GPCRs). LPA is elevated in ascites of ovarian cancer patients and is involved in growth, survival and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells. Gene promoter analyses revealed that some LPA-target genes share similar sets of binding sites for prominent transcription factors posing the possibility of a general mechanism for activation of their expression by LPA. Detailed investigation of the mechanisms of regulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2), a paradigm of LPA-regulated genes, showed that LPA robustly upregulated the expression of Cox-2 in ovarian cancer cells …

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The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing In Pregnancy On Infant Oral Health Knowledge And Behavior, Patricia Arteaga Apr 2009

The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing In Pregnancy On Infant Oral Health Knowledge And Behavior, Patricia Arteaga

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine infant oral health knowledge and readiness of expectant mothers to incorporate preventive oral health behaviors for their infants. Methods: The study used a prospective cohort design to examine the effect of prenatal education and motivational counseling with expectant mothers about infant oral health care readiness. Participants were all enrolled in a prenatal care program called Centering Pregnancy offered by VCU’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. They all completed a pre-survey questionnaire, followed by a motivational counseling intervention, and then completed a post-survey questionnaire. Results: A sample of 30 pregnant women completed …

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