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The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes Jan 2009

The Role Of Mitochondria And Plasma Membrane Ca2+ Transport Systems In Ca2+-Dependent Glutamate Release From Rat Cortical Astrocytes, Reno Cervo Reyes

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Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system, are recognized for their support roles to neurons. They supply neurons with metabolites, maintain ion homeostasis and clear the synaptic space of neurotransmitters. However, it has been found that some astrocytes have receptors for neurotransmitter and neuroligands, exhibit Ca2+ excitability when stimulated via these receptors, and secrete gliotransmitters as an output of this Ca2+ excitability. In the Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate, it has been shown that the endoplasmic reticulum is the predominant source and the extracellular space is the auxiliary source of free Ca2+ necessary for triggering exocytosis. Because …

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Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis Jan 2009

Neuroinflammation And Fragile X Syndrome: Regulation By Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3, Christopher Joseph Yuskaitis

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Neuroinflammation and Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are two particularly devastating neurologic conditions for which no adequate treatment exists and much is still unknown about the underlying cellular and molecular processes. Neuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of many neurologic and psychiatric disorders, thus treatment of the underlying inflammation has broad implications. FXS is the most common cause of inherited intellectual and developmental delay and one of the few known genetic causes of autism. Neuroinflammation and FXS have potential links with glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and its inhibitor, lithium. Therefore, the overall goal of this research was to examine the role of …

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Analysis Of Hiv-1 Variable Loop 3-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses By Hiv-2/Hiv-1 Envelope Chimeras, Katie L. Davis Jan 2008

Analysis Of Hiv-1 Variable Loop 3-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses By Hiv-2/Hiv-1 Envelope Chimeras, Katie L. Davis

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Defining the epitope specificities of the neutralizing antibody response to the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) during natural human infection and in response to vaccination by HIV-1 immunogens could provide insight into the mechanisms of virus immune containment and facilitate vaccine design. Transplantation of discrete HIV-1 neutralizing epitopes into HIV-2 Env scaffolds may provide a sensitive, biologically functional context in which to quantify specific antibody reactivities in complex sera. Here we describe the development of a novel HIV-2 proviral scaffold (pHIV-2KR.X7) into which we have substituted the env V3 region of several laboratory and primary HIV-1 strains to yield a panel …

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Gender Difference In Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Survival, Functional Independence, And Employment Status, Andrea T. Underhill Jan 2008

Gender Difference In Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Survival, Functional Independence, And Employment Status, Andrea T. Underhill

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Medical and rehabilitative care of women living with traumatic brain injury (TBI) is based on information drawn from research conducted primarily on men. Care for men may be adequate for women, but all of the body’s organs have the capability to respond differently based on gender, and research should examine the genders separately. This dissertation examines the survival to 24 months post-TBI and the functional independence and employment status at 12 and 24 months post-TBI of men and women. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal study of injured persons and include those diagnosed only with a TBI. Variables used in …

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Feed Comparison For Dietary Standardization Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus And Assessment Of Parental Dietary Copper Toxicity By Fertilization And Embryological Tests, Heath W. Garris Jan 2008

Feed Comparison For Dietary Standardization Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus And Assessment Of Parental Dietary Copper Toxicity By Fertilization And Embryological Tests, Heath W. Garris

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Toxicity tests monitoring the effects of anthropogenic substances on marine systems are considered an important part of environmental management. Sea urchin fertilization and embryological toxicity tests are successful in producing a graded response to toxicants, but standards for controlling the quality of parental urchins have not been developed. In Chapter 1, experimental populations of Lytechinus variegatus were fed either organic romaine lettuce and organic carrots, or a feed formulated for sea urchins for 13 weeks. Growth demographics were assessed and F1 progeny were compared for sensitivity to the toxicants copper sulfate, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, and sodium dodecyl sulfate by acute embryonic and …

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Night Moves, Jason Edward Slatton Jan 2008

Night Moves, Jason Edward Slatton

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Night Moves, the title of this collection of poetry, will most likely be familiar to readers as derived from the FM radio staple by Detroit songwriter Bob Seger. Seger’s song is an attempt to understand and navigate a past that is essentially lost to him, and I see each of these poems as “night moves” in that I am writing to a past that is lost to me and that I am fervently attempting to in some way record. That this title is born of the rock and roll ethos is also certainly intentional; I spent a great deal of …

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The Developmental Functions Of Bdnf And Mecp2 On Dendritic And Synaptic Structure, Christopher A. Chapleau Jan 2008

The Developmental Functions Of Bdnf And Mecp2 On Dendritic And Synaptic Structure, Christopher A. Chapleau

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Mutations in the transcriptional repressor MeCP2 cause Rett Syndrome (RTT), a mental retardation disease associated with reduced dendritic architecture of cortical pyramidal neurons, in addition to a decrease in the number of dendritic spines. I present the first quantification analysis of spine density in postmortem human brain tissue, demonstrating that hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons have reduced spine densities in RTT patients throughout their lives. One gene that MeCP2 regulates is BDNF, an important developmental factor that modulates synaptic transmission and plasticity, as well as spine formation and maturation. In immature cultured hippocampal neurons, cell-autonomous expression of BDNF accelerates the differentiation …

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Enzymatic And Proteomic Analysis Of Spinal Cord In A G93a Als Mouse Model, Page Jones Jan 2008

Enzymatic And Proteomic Analysis Of Spinal Cord In A G93a Als Mouse Model, Page Jones

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Mutations to copper,zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn SOD or SOD1) are the only known causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized primarily by death of spinal motor neurons. While the molecular mechanisms responsible for motor neuron death in this disease remain to be elucidated, recent studies implicate mitochondrial dysfunction as a key factor in the pathogenesis of ALS. In support of this, we observed ALS-dependent alterations in key functions including creatine kinase activity and ATP levels, which could be linked to changes in the mitochondrial proteome. Importantly, extensive research efforts have failed to develop a treatment that significantly …

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Calmodulin Binding To Cellular Flice Like Inhibitory Protein Modulates Fas-Induced Signaling And Tumorigenesis In Cholangiocarcinoma, Pritish Subhash Pawar Jan 2008

Calmodulin Binding To Cellular Flice Like Inhibitory Protein Modulates Fas-Induced Signaling And Tumorigenesis In Cholangiocarcinoma, Pritish Subhash Pawar

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Cholangiocarcinoma, a fatal tumor arising from biliary epithelium, has very poor 5-year survival rate due to lack of early diagnosis and effective therapies. Induction of the Fas-mediated apoptosis is a promising therapeutic target in this tumor. Studies from our group and others have indicated that Fas-expression correlates inversely with disease progression and that CaM-antagonists induce apoptosis in cholangiocarcinoma cells in a Fas related manner. Further, we reported a direct and dynamic interaction of CaM and Fas and that CaM is recruited into the Fas-stimulated death inducing signaling complex (DISC), suggesting a cross talk between Fas and CaM pathways. The studies …

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Food Handling Practices Of High-Risk Populations, Bobby Babak Rasulnia Jan 2008

Food Handling Practices Of High-Risk Populations, Bobby Babak Rasulnia

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Populations such as the immuno-compromised (HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, and transplant patients) and those with chronic conditions (gastric illness, cirrhosis, on anti-microbial therapy, antacid medication and steroid medications) are more susceptible to food borne illness. Examining differences in food handling practices and personal characteristics of high-risk groups verses the general population is the focus of this research. This study is based on secondary data from an established quantitative survey instrument developed and administered by the 2001 FDA Food Safety Survey. Descriptive, chi square, and logistic regression methods were used in the analysis. A statistically significant relationship was not found between health status …

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Expression And Function Of Aqua Porins In Malignant And Non-Malignant Astrocytes, Eric S. Mccoy Jan 2008

Expression And Function Of Aqua Porins In Malignant And Non-Malignant Astrocytes, Eric S. Mccoy

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No abstract provided.

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Science, Technology, And Portraiture: Justine Cooper's Rapt And Transformers, Amber Henson Jan 2008

Science, Technology, And Portraiture: Justine Cooper's Rapt And Transformers, Amber Henson

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No abstract provided.

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Role Of Variant Sialylation In Regulating Tumor Cell Behavior, Faheem M. Shaikh Jan 2008

Role Of Variant Sialylation In Regulating Tumor Cell Behavior, Faheem M. Shaikh

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Many different tumors have been documented to have elevated levels of the enzyme ST6Gal I, a Golgi glycosyltransferase that adds α2-6 sialic acids to glycoproteins. Concurrently, upregulated ST6Gal I is associated with metastasis and poor patient prognosis. We initially showed that HD3 colonocytes made to express oncogenic-ras, a common mutation in colon carcinoma, have increased expression of ST6Gal I and elevated α2-6 sialylated integrins. Having established that ras regulates ST6Gal I expression in colon epithelial cells, we found that colonocytes carrying hyper α2-6 sialylated β1 integrins exhibit increased adhesion to and migration toward collagen I. Further, we found that β1 …

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Conversion Of One-Way Street Pairs To Two-Way Operations In Downtown Birmingham, Jugnu Chemmannur Jan 2008

Conversion Of One-Way Street Pairs To Two-Way Operations In Downtown Birmingham, Jugnu Chemmannur

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In recent years, higher-than-ever gas prices and soaring living expenses are driv-ing people back to city centers in search of reduced travel costs and greater proximity to services. This calls for an immediate need to revive downtown areas to make them attrac-tive and increase their efficiency at accommodating a variety of transportation modes, motorized and non-motorized. To help support this revival, researchers are conducting studies countrywide to understand the effects and relevance of conversion of one-way streets to two-way opera-tions. This paper reports the findings of a study that investigated the feasibility and poten-tial impacts of street conversion options on …

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Exercise Training Improves Premenopausal Women's Ability To Estimate Energy Expenditure After Weight Loss, Micah D. Greer Jan 2008

Exercise Training Improves Premenopausal Women's Ability To Estimate Energy Expenditure After Weight Loss, Micah D. Greer

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Objective: Previously we have shown that total free living energy expenditure (TEE) and greater fitness was associated with reduced long term weight gain and improved ability to estimate TEE from physical activity (PA) questionnaires. In the current study, it is hypothesized that women will overestimate questionnaire self reported energy expenditure (QEE). Furthermore, weight reduced women who exercise train will be better able to estimate TEE compared to weight reduced women who do not exercise train. Design: The participants consisted of 35 European American (EA) and 49 African American (AA) pre-menopausal women. These women were evaluated while overweight and when weight …

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Functional Characterization Of Conserved Domains Within The L Protein Component Of The Vesiculare Stomatitus Virus Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase: Implications For Transcription And Mrna Processing, Summer E. Galloway Jan 2008

Functional Characterization Of Conserved Domains Within The L Protein Component Of The Vesiculare Stomatitus Virus Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase: Implications For Transcription And Mrna Processing, Summer E. Galloway

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No abstract provided.

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The Modification Of Cell Signaling Proteins By Reactive Prostaglandins In Endothelial Cells, Jooyeun Oh Jan 2008

The Modification Of Cell Signaling Proteins By Reactive Prostaglandins In Endothelial Cells, Jooyeun Oh

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No abstract provided.

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Ankyrin-G In Renal Epithelia: Identification Of Novel Isoforms And The Interaction Between Ankyrin-G And H+/K+-Atpase Alpha 2 Subunit, Jun Li Jan 2008

Ankyrin-G In Renal Epithelia: Identification Of Novel Isoforms And The Interaction Between Ankyrin-G And H+/K+-Atpase Alpha 2 Subunit, Jun Li

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Ankyrins are multifunctional membrane adaptors which link diverse membrane proteins to the spectrin-based membrane cytoskeleton. Ankyrin-G (Ank-G, encoded by the Ank-3 gene) is broadly expressed and exhibits alternative splicing in different tissues, giving rise to isoforms ranging in Mr from 100-480 kDa. However, little is known about the alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing patterns of the Ank-3 gene in kidney, particularly at the N-terminus. In the first study, a novel full-length Ank-G cDNA and two novel Ank-G amino termini were isolated from mouse kidney by cDNA library screening and RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RLM-RACE). Their distinct …

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Toll-Like Receptor Stimulation Can Lead To Differential Production Of Il-23 And Il-12, Christopher H. Dodd Jan 2008

Toll-Like Receptor Stimulation Can Lead To Differential Production Of Il-23 And Il-12, Christopher H. Dodd

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No abstract provided.

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The Journey Of The Queen Of Sheba And The Meeting Of Solomon And Sheba : Two Cassone Panels From The Workshop Of Apollonio Di Giovanni, Emma C. Fox Jan 2008

The Journey Of The Queen Of Sheba And The Meeting Of Solomon And Sheba : Two Cassone Panels From The Workshop Of Apollonio Di Giovanni, Emma C. Fox

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No abstract provided.

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Oxidative Post-Translational Modification Of The Brain Isoform Of Creatine Kinase: Structural And Functional Consequences, Shannon M. Eliuk Jan 2008

Oxidative Post-Translational Modification Of The Brain Isoform Of Creatine Kinase: Structural And Functional Consequences, Shannon M. Eliuk

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No abstract provided.

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Free -Knot Splines And Bootstrapping For Nonlinear Modeling In Complex Samples, Scott W. Keith Jan 2008

Free -Knot Splines And Bootstrapping For Nonlinear Modeling In Complex Samples, Scott W. Keith

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Studies on body mass index (BMI) as it relates to headache or mortality have noted considerable nonlinearity. Approaches to rigorously analyzing these relationships have been limited to generalized linear models and survival models using either categorizations or polynomials of BMI. I have designed, evaluated, and implemented a piecewise linear logistic regression framework for modeling nonlinearity between a binary outcome and a continuous predictor, such as BMI, adjusted for covariates in complex samples. Least squares and maximum likelihood estimation methods were used to numerically optimize free-knot splines. Inference methods utilized both parametric and nonparametric bootstrapping. Parameter estimates were structured for interpretability …

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Protective Role Of Coronary Endothelium During The Development Of Cardiac Hypertrophy: Insights From Pharmacological Intervention Studies, Xiaowei Sun Jan 2008

Protective Role Of Coronary Endothelium During The Development Of Cardiac Hypertrophy: Insights From Pharmacological Intervention Studies, Xiaowei Sun

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No abstract provided.

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Role Of The Gastric Ecosystem In Helicobacter Associated Gastritis, Julia M. Schmitz Jan 2008

Role Of The Gastric Ecosystem In Helicobacter Associated Gastritis, Julia M. Schmitz

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No abstract provided.

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Beliefs And Intentions Of U.S. Registered Dietitians Toward Evaluating Psychological Factors Related To Food And Weight Concerns Of Weight Management Clients And Making Referrals, Donna Oliva Burnett Jan 2008

Beliefs And Intentions Of U.S. Registered Dietitians Toward Evaluating Psychological Factors Related To Food And Weight Concerns Of Weight Management Clients And Making Referrals, Donna Oliva Burnett

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No abstract provided.

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Death Receptor 5 (Dr 5) And Cd19 Signalin G In B Cells, Roslyn Nicole Crowder Jan 2008

Death Receptor 5 (Dr 5) And Cd19 Signalin G In B Cells, Roslyn Nicole Crowder

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No abstract provided.

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Rapid Prediction Of Tropical Soil Degradation Using Diffuse Reflectance Spectros Copy: Method Verification In The Saiwa River Basin, Western Kenya, Jeffries Blunt Degraffenried Jan 2008

Rapid Prediction Of Tropical Soil Degradation Using Diffuse Reflectance Spectros Copy: Method Verification In The Saiwa River Basin, Western Kenya, Jeffries Blunt Degraffenried

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No abstract provided.

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Modeling Of Oversaturated Conditions On Arterial Networks, Abhishek Acharya Jan 2008

Modeling Of Oversaturated Conditions On Arterial Networks, Abhishek Acharya

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Oversaturated conditions on arterial networks are a concern for both transportation agencies and the traveling public. The cost of construction, right-of-way constraints, and a variety of environmental, political, and other social issues often prohibit facility expansion and place extra emphasis on optimizing the operations of existing facilities. One of the options available to urban planners and transportation professionals for handling recurring and non-recurring oversaturation conditions in arterial networks is traffic signal optimization. The objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of traffic signal system performance in oversaturated conditions. The case study reported in this research focuses on …

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Detection Of Total And Pathogenic Salmonella In Oysters Using Real-Time Pcr With Internal Amplification Control And Study Of Their Antibiotic Resistance Profile, Maulshree Gangwar Jan 2008

Detection Of Total And Pathogenic Salmonella In Oysters Using Real-Time Pcr With Internal Amplification Control And Study Of Their Antibiotic Resistance Profile, Maulshree Gangwar

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Salmonella is a causative agent for food and water borne gastroenteritis in humans. A multiplex PCR-based detection revealing total and potentially virulent strains of Salmonellae was developed using oligonucleotide primers. These primers targeted chromosomally located invA gene generating a 274 bp and Salmonella virulence plasmid-borne spvB gene generating 561 bp amplified DNA fragments. The invA gene product brings about the invasion of the cells on the intestinal epithelium and is used as the marker for total Salmonella detection. The occurrence and distribution of these genes in 90 strains exhibited 100% amplification of invA gene whereas only 22% of spvB gene …

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Variability Of Two Sampling Methods In Plaque Samples, Kuei C. Hsu Jan 2008

Variability Of Two Sampling Methods In Plaque Samples, Kuei C. Hsu

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Introduction: Dental caries remain the most common infectious disease in children, and is in fact, on the rise in the U.S. among 2 to 5 year olds. Among hundreds of oral bacteria, mutans streptococci (MS) are considered the major species associated with dental caries. Studies have shown that increased MS in saliva or plaque is an important indicator for caries. The use of standard plate count (SPC) from plaque samples particularly yield variable quantitative results because of complexities of sample collection and processing. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine collection reproducibility in plaque samples from permanent first molars using …

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