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Low-Cost Wastewater Treatment Using Agricultural Waste Materials, Seyma Demirci Jan 2019

Low-Cost Wastewater Treatment Using Agricultural Waste Materials, Seyma Demirci

All ETDs from UAB

Wastewater generated from human activities is one of the biggest problems polluting in the world. Currently, in order to reduce pollution and to limit the effects on the environment, researchers are investigating new methods and innovative materials for use in wastewater treatment. A goal of environmental engineers is to lower the coagulant cost and to improve the characteristics of the produced purification. This presented work investigates the role of agricultural materials (woodchips, banana fibers, and straw) to use in the treatment of municipal wastewater and to study their physicochemical characteristics (pH, COD, BOD, TSS, Conductivity, Turbidity, and Fecal Coliforms) of …

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Characterization Of Chemical Uptake And Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Mutations In Zebrafish, Jaclyn Paige Souder Jan 2019

Characterization Of Chemical Uptake And Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Mutations In Zebrafish, Jaclyn Paige Souder

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In a society driven by technology and industry, we must be increasingly aware of how changes to our environment impact our health. This is especially true concerning embryonic development, which is easily influenced by extra-embryonic factors, including environmental contaminants. Determining how exogenous compounds are absorbed, which receptors they act through, and how these receptors act endogenously is important to fully understand to what extent developmental exposures impact fetal and adult health. I have used the zebrafish model system to address these questions for two classes of environmentally-relevant chemicals—estrogens and dioxins. First, I developed an assay to measure the uptake of …

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Examining Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Teams And Teacher Professionalism, Rebecca Thomas Stripling Jan 2019

Examining Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Teams And Teacher Professionalism, Rebecca Thomas Stripling

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EXAMINING TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAMS AND TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM This study explores the perceptions of teachers’ professionalism as they participate in professional learning teams. Through a qualitative lens, teacher perceptions of how their own professionalism (as indicated by the Professionalism Index by McMahon & Hoy, 2009) is influenced or affected as a result of their participation in a PLT were examined from the perspective of teachers that fell into three categories, those teachers that scored high on the Professionalism Index, those teachers that scored low on the Professionalism Index and those teachers that had a medium score on the …

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Deciphering The Roles Of Hopd1 In Carbon Metabolism During Pathogen Infection, Yali Sun Jan 2019

Deciphering The Roles Of Hopd1 In Carbon Metabolism During Pathogen Infection, Yali Sun

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Plants are equipped with various immune responses including MAMP-triggered immunity (MTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) to fight against pathogens, while virulent pathogens release virulent proteins (effectors) and phytotoxins to compete with host immune responses. Comprehensively, plant-pathogen interactions involve multi- layered and highly coordinated processes, and dynamic regulation at both transcriptional and translational levels plays a pivotal role in plant defense. For example, NPR1, a key immune regulator, is regulated by hosts and manipulated by pathogens at different levels during different stages of plant-pathogen interaction. However, besides the competition over immune responses, bacterial pathogens also need to gain nutrients from host …

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Acetylcholine Signaling In Glioblastoma Invasion And Peritumoral Hyperexcitability, Emily Grace Thompson Jan 2019

Acetylcholine Signaling In Glioblastoma Invasion And Peritumoral Hyperexcitability, Emily Grace Thompson

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Glioblastomas are the most common and deadly form of primary brain cancer in adults. Current treatment strategies are aggressive, including a combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, median patient survival has remained stagnant at 12 to 15 months for the last several decades. This dismal patient outcome has prompted efforts to understand the unique characteristics of these tumors, since traditional therapeutics have not been efficacious. Extensive invasion is a salient feature of glioblastomas that significantly diminishes the effectiveness of current treatment strategies and is ultimately the cause of tumor recurrence within 2 years in approximately 80% of patients. …

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Intraocular Pressure Dynamics, Daniel Coleman Turner Jan 2019

Intraocular Pressure Dynamics, Daniel Coleman Turner

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While cataracts (the leading cause of blindness worldwide) can be reversed surgical-ly, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting over 70 million people worldwide [1]. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and age are the primary risk factors for glaucoma [2] and lowering IOP is the only proven treatment for the disease [3]. IOP and its fluctuations affect nearly every aspect of ocular physiology and homeo-stasis, as well as playing a dominant role in glaucoma pathophysiology, yet very little is known about IOP due to the current clinical standard of measuring mean IOP during infre-quent clinic visits. We use a …

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The Anti-Tumor Effects Of Hur Inhibition In Glioblastoma, Jiping Wang Jan 2019

The Anti-Tumor Effects Of Hur Inhibition In Glioblastoma, Jiping Wang

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Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most malignant primary brain tumor. GBMs represent 14.7% of total primary CNS tumors and 47.7% of malignant CNS tumors. The median survival of GBM is 18-20 months, while five-year survival rate is only 5.6%. GBMs are maintained by glioma stem cells (GSCs), and poor treatment outcomes are linked to the high resistance of GSCs to radiation and chemotherapy, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The mRNA binding protein HuR is a key regulator of tumor growth and development based upon the fact that HuR targets mRNAs that are broadly involved in tumorigenesis. We have previously shown that …

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Characterization Of The Tgfb Pathway And Its Role In Prostaglandin Metabolism In C. Elegans, Muhan Hu Jan 2019

Characterization Of The Tgfb Pathway And Its Role In Prostaglandin Metabolism In C. Elegans, Muhan Hu

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Cell to cell communication is fundamental to all life processes, from fertilization to death. The TGFߟ superfamily is a large family of proteins that is involved in a wide array of physiological and pathological processes, including development, wound healing, immune system function, cancer, and reproduction. This group of signaling peptides is well conserved across many organisms, from basic nematode to humans. While many studies have aimed to delineate the functions of TGFߟ, they have also unveiled the complexity of this multifunctional family of ligands. In this thesis, I take advantage of the simple C. elegans model system to study the …

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Bk Polyomavirus Activates The Dna Damage Response To Hijack Host Cell Cycle Control, Joshua L. Justice Jan 2019

Bk Polyomavirus Activates The Dna Damage Response To Hijack Host Cell Cycle Control, Joshua L. Justice

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BK Polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a DNA tumor virus that latently infects the >90% of humanity. BKPyV infection is inconsequential in healthy individuals; however, the immunocompromised carry increased risk of viral reactivation that can lead to a number of genitourinary diseases. Overall, BKPyV reactivation is a major risk factor for kidney dysfunction and failure following solid organ transplantation. There are no approved therapeutics to treat BKPyV infection, therefore studies have focused on understanding the host/virus interactions that drive infection to identify therapeutic targets. The PyV genome is small and does not encode a polymerase. Cellular transformation by the viral oncogene, T …

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A Microfocal Effect In Photoreceptor Light Capture, Vasantha Kumari Kanukuntla Jan 2019

A Microfocal Effect In Photoreceptor Light Capture, Vasantha Kumari Kanukuntla

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In human eyes, accomodation brings light rays into focus on the retina in order to achieve a clear images. The plane of best focus within the depth of the retina is thought to be within the photoreceptor layer, but pinpointing the exact focal position axially has not been determined. With help of adaptive optics aberration correction and its ability to have microscopic control of a retinal stimulus, we explored how sensitive human subjects are to defocus on the micron scale. We found that focal position can be reliably judged within 0.02 D, which is equivalent to about 6 microns in …

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Design, Develop And Manufacture A Low-Cost 32-Channel Biosignal Amplifier And D/A Converter Device For Multi- Electrode Neural Recording, Yen-Tze Liu Jan 2019

Design, Develop And Manufacture A Low-Cost 32-Channel Biosignal Amplifier And D/A Converter Device For Multi- Electrode Neural Recording, Yen-Tze Liu

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In the current market, there are many multichannel neural recording devices are available. However, they are either very expensive or physically big so that it cannot be used too close to the specimen because of the space limitations due to experimental setting such as Faraday cage, microscope, and other stimuli apparatus. In addition to that, the large electronic devices in the cell recording area are susceptible to create electrical noise, especially if they are not battery operated. This thesis work will try to deliver solutions following three main problems. The first problem we address is the device cost per recording …

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Endothelial N-Glycan Hypoglycosylation Enhances Cd16+ Monocyte Adhesion: A Role For Alpha-Mannosidases, Kellie Regal Mcdonald Jan 2019

Endothelial N-Glycan Hypoglycosylation Enhances Cd16+ Monocyte Adhesion: A Role For Alpha-Mannosidases, Kellie Regal Mcdonald

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Monocyte extravasation through the endothelial layer is a hallmark of atherosclerotic plaque development and is mediated by heavily glycosylated surface adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Human monocytes have been classified into three distinct groups: classical (anti-inflammatory; CD14+/CD16-), nonclassical (patrolling; CD14+/CD16++), and intermediate (pro-inflammatory; CD14++/CD16+). The CD16+ nonclassical / intermediate monocytes have been implicated in atherosclerosis progression and their levels positively associate with adverse cardiac events. However, there is a relative lack of understanding as to whether there are distinct mechanisms that regulate CD16+ vs. CD16- monocyte adhesion to the inflamed endothelium. Our previous data identified a high-mannose …

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The Benefit Of Resilience: Examining The Roles Of Family Resilience And Parental Education In Child Anxiety, Bria Kathryn Morgan Jan 2019

The Benefit Of Resilience: Examining The Roles Of Family Resilience And Parental Education In Child Anxiety, Bria Kathryn Morgan

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Extensive literature addresses the associations between parental education and children’s mental health outcomes; however, the role of parental education and family resilience in child anxiety is unclear. The purpose of this study is to obtain a greater understanding of the role of parental education in child anxiety. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the role and potential varying effects of family resilience. Building upon Bowen’s Family Systems Theory and Walsh’s Systems Theory of Family Resilience, I hypothesize that parental education will be negatively associated with child anxiety and that family resilience will be negatively associated with child anxiety. I also …

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The Reductive Stress Reducto-Mir: Emerging Insight Into Microrna-671, Justin Michael Quiles Jan 2019

The Reductive Stress Reducto-Mir: Emerging Insight Into Microrna-671, Justin Michael Quiles

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Excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) promotes cardiac pathophysiology. Although extreme oxidative burden is cytotoxic, ROS/RNS are continually generated within multiple domains of cardiac myocytes, and these species play fundamental roles in signal transduction through reversible thiol oxidation. Nuclear factor, erythroid 2 Like 2 (Nfe2l2/NRF2) is activated by ROS/RNS and binds cis regulatory antioxidant response elements (AREs) to induce the expression of a host of thiol oxidoreductases which regulate signaling events at the post-translational, transcriptional and epigenetic levels. Although oxidative stress has been linked to cardiac disease, adaptive processes in the heart require reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions as …

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The Role Of Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 3 In Neuroinflammatory Disease, Zhaoqi Yan Jan 2019

The Role Of Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 3 In Neuroinflammatory Disease, Zhaoqi Yan

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The Janus Kinase/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway plays a critical role in cytokine-mediated responses in both innate and adaptive immunity, and dysregulation of the JAK/STAT pathway is linked to many inflammatory disorders. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease that affects the central nervous system, and both innate and adaptive immunity are involved in disease progression. STAT3 signaling is critically involved in MS pathology and is negatively regulated by Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3). Both increased STAT3 activation and reduced SOCS3 expression are observed in immune cells from patients with MS. Although the role of …

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The Effect Of Right Ventricular Insertion Cooling On Wavebreak Initiation Following Defibrillation Shocks, Han Yu Jan 2019

The Effect Of Right Ventricular Insertion Cooling On Wavebreak Initiation Following Defibrillation Shocks, Han Yu

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Although strong defibrillation shocks can save patients from life-threating tachyarrhythmias, the function of the heart may be compromised. We found in an earlier study that the right ventricular insertion (RVI) is responsible for most of the initial propagation failure (wavebreak) that drives the transition from ventricular tachycardia (VT) to ventricular fibrillation (VF). To determine whether suppression of wavebreak at the RVI region can decrease VF re-occurrence after defibrillation, thereby decreasing the defibrillation shock strength threshold (DFT), a cooling method was developed to impede waves from propagating between the right ventricle (RV) and the left ventricle (LV) through the RVI. The …

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Wireless Smart Bandage For Real-Time Monitoring And Healing Of Chronic Wounds, Ting Zhang Jan 2019

Wireless Smart Bandage For Real-Time Monitoring And Healing Of Chronic Wounds, Ting Zhang

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Chronic wound recovery time is long and easy to recur, which brings a high burden on the patient's physical and psychological aspects. The increase in the cost of per capita medical services and the increase in the number of people in demand for medical services have led to an increasing requirement for real-time monitoring and healing in patient's health outside of the hospital. For this purpose, the smart bandage is being developed to monitor the real-time situation of the wound. With the development of wireless sensor networks, the increasing number of sensing units has placed a great burden on the …

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Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada Jan 2019

Exposure Assessment Of Ultrafine Particles And Hazardous Chemicals In Electronic Cigarettes, Oluwabunmi Magret Dada

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The widespread use of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) among youths and adolescents is a growing public health problem due to exposures to harmful byproducts formed during heating. These byproducts include particulate matter, benzene, and toluene. However, the mechanisms and variables governing their formation including the chemical content of e-cig liquid (e-liquid) are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess exposures to particulate matter, benzene, and toluene in e-cig vapors (e-vapors) and their coupling to e-liquid chemical content. A novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy method was developed to characterize e-liquids (propylene glycol, glycerol, and nicotine) and the functional content of flavorings. …

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Kidney Resident Macrophages Utilize Developmental Programming During Healing From Acute Kidney Injury, Jeremie Matthew Peabody Lever Jan 2019

Kidney Resident Macrophages Utilize Developmental Programming During Healing From Acute Kidney Injury, Jeremie Matthew Peabody Lever

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Acute kidney injury (AKI) can be a devastating condition, affecting up to sixty percent of critically ill patients in the United States. Despite the fact that AKI is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality, there are no targeted therapies available to treat it. Kidney resident macrophages (KRM) are likely necessary for healing and resolution of animal models of AKI. However, there remains a gap in knowledge regarding how KRM effect this function. The purpose of my thesis was to elucidate lineage relationships and functionally relevant adaptations of KRM and monocyte-derived mononuclear phagocytes (infiltrative MP) …

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Investigating The Rho-Kinase (Rock) Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer’S Disease, Benjamin Wade Henderson Jan 2019

Investigating The Rho-Kinase (Rock) Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer’S Disease, Benjamin Wade Henderson

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Current estimates project that there are approximately 5.4 million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While this number is expected to dramatically increase in the years to come, there is currently no disease modifying therapeutic to prevent or slow AD progression. Cognitive decline is a clinical hallmark of AD, while accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) is a pathological hallmark. Work in the field has demonstrated that mitigating Aβ levels may serve as a rational therapeutic avenue to slow progression of the disease. Pharmacologic inhibition of the Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2) is proposed to curb Aβ levels, and mechanisms that …

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Bdnf/Trkb.T1 Signaling: A Novel Mechanism Of Astrocyte Morphological Maturation, Leanne Holt Jan 2019

Bdnf/Trkb.T1 Signaling: A Novel Mechanism Of Astrocyte Morphological Maturation, Leanne Holt

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Astrocytic morphogenesis and maturation are critical steps in central nervous system (CNS) development. During morphological maturation, astrocytes extend fine peripheral processes which infiltrate the neuropil and form intimate partners with neuronal structures, including synapses, where they facilitate neurotransmitter and K+ uptake and contribute to synaptic development and stabilization. The developmental time window of astrocyte morphological maturation and refinement is well defined, but the molecular mechanisms that underlie this process are not understood. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a critical growth factor involved in the development and maturation of neurons. We developed a novel technique for the specific isolation of …

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The Influence Of O-Glcnacylation On Dna 5-Hydroxymethylation In The Epileptic Hippocampus, Richard Gilbert Sánchez Jan 2019

The Influence Of O-Glcnacylation On Dna 5-Hydroxymethylation In The Epileptic Hippocampus, Richard Gilbert Sánchez

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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects roughly 3 million Americans and 65 million individuals worldwide. Although there are several known causes of epilepsy, little is understood about the development of epilepsy or epileptogenesis. What has been observed through multiple studies of epilepsy is an alteration of the proteomic profile, along with a distinct change in post-translational modifications (PTM). Studies have focused on phosphorylation and a variety of kinases that are upregulated during epilepsy with little clinical translation. This dissertation investigates O-GlcNAcylation, a PTM that is highly intertwined with the cellular metabolism, and its epigenetic effects on gene expression via …

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Postpartum Body Composition And Breast Milk Hormones, Camille Schneider Jan 2019

Postpartum Body Composition And Breast Milk Hormones, Camille Schneider

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The prevalence of both adult and child obesity continues to rise. Children born to mothers with obesity have a greater risk for future obesity and chronic disease. There is an increasing body of literature suggesting that pregnancy and infancy are critical periods influencing the child’s risk for obesity. However, little is known about whether consumption of breast milk from an obese mother might influence the child’s metabolic programming and growth. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the association of maternal adiposity with insulin and leptin in breast milk and, in turn, whether breast milk insulin, leptin, and glucose …

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Targeting The Nad Salvage Pathway For The Treatment Of The Parasitic Disease Schistosomiasis, Michael David Schultz Jan 2019

Targeting The Nad Salvage Pathway For The Treatment Of The Parasitic Disease Schistosomiasis, Michael David Schultz

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Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is the third most common parasitic infection worldwide and a major source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Caused by trematodes in the genus Schistosoma, this parasitic disease has no vaccine therapy and resources for drug development are scarce. Despite an unknown mechanism of action, praziquantal has become the primary source of treatment due to its efficacy against all species of Schistosoma. However, with increased drug resistance in endemic areas and low activity against immature parasites, relying on this single drug is unsustainable and risky. Hence, there is a growing need for new, safe …

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Optimizing Toc Removal For Dbp Reduction In Drinking Water While Overcoming Source Water Variations, April Nabors Jan 2019

Optimizing Toc Removal For Dbp Reduction In Drinking Water While Overcoming Source Water Variations, April Nabors

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Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering University of Alabama at Birmingham ABSTRACT This dissertation used a holistic approach to research ways to optimize disinfection by-product (DBP) reduction during each sector of the conventional drinking water treatment process, regardless of the source water type or quality, in an overall effort to meet the USEPA Stage 2 Disinfection/Disinfection By-Products Rule (D/DBPR). DBPs are formed from the reaction between naturally occurring total organic carbon (TOC) in the water and disinfectants used during the treatment process. For this dissertation, effective treatment was measured by the amount of TOC that was removed through the …

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Effects Of Differential Fore Aft Resistance On Propulsive Force Generation During Walking In Nonimpaired And Poststroke Individuals, Avantika Naidu Jan 2019

Effects Of Differential Fore Aft Resistance On Propulsive Force Generation During Walking In Nonimpaired And Poststroke Individuals, Avantika Naidu

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Background: Impaired paretic limb-loading dynamics and force-generation ability due to hemiparesis are partially responsible for permanent locomotor deficits poststroke. During walking, inability of the paretic limb to generate sufficient propulsive-forces causes reliance on compensatory strategies, wherein the nonparetic limb generates the majority of propulsive-forces needed for forward progression and speed modulation. Purpose: To investigate factors that can improve paretic limb propulsion and walking function, I present four studies. The first pertains to a protocol for a poststroke body-weight-support treadmill-training (BWSTT) study, while the others concern a mechanistic exploration of propulsive-force generation during walking against combined and differential FA resistance. Methods: …

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Optical Mapping Of Cardiac Electromechanics, Hanyu Zhang Jan 2018

Optical Mapping Of Cardiac Electromechanics, Hanyu Zhang

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Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the world. One of the common causes of sudden cardiac arrest is acute regional ischemia due to coronary occlusion. However, the mechanism of arrhythmia onset in this setting is still unclear. Previous stud-ies suggest that abnormal mechanical stretch during acute regional ischemia may play a role in initiating arrhythmia through triggering ectopic electrical activation. Optical map-ping has been widely used in cardiac electrophysiological research in the past decades. Compared with conventional electrical mapping techniques, optical mapping offers a number of advantages. But a major limitation of optical mapping is that …

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Overcoming Obesity-Induced Immunotherapeutic Impairment, Shannon Boi Jan 2018

Overcoming Obesity-Induced Immunotherapeutic Impairment, Shannon Boi

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Obesity affects ~40% of United States adults and is linked to the development of multiple health-related complications. Obesity is a major risk factor for developing renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common type of renal cancer. Metastatic RCC has poor five-year survivals, therefore, new, efficacious therapeutics are needed. One avenue is immunomodulation to generate tumor-specific, systemic anti-tumor responses that are long-lasting against local, metastatic, and recurrent tumors. Despite encouraging results, immunotherapeutic treatment of RCC is underwhelming. Cytokine therapies are largely toxic, while newly FDA-approved ‘checkpoint blockade’ (CB) antibodies have responses <50%. Here, we present a strategy employing a T cell priming therapy (AdTR/CpG) upstream of CB administration. Combinatorial use resulted in improved anti-tumoral immune responses, significantly reduced tumor burdens, and extended overall survival in pre-clinical RCC. Importantly, this approach was more efficacious than either single agent(s). Pre-clinical therapy development is often accomplished using lean, healthy animals–thus, to improve translatability we examined immune responses in the context of obesity as a major patient comorbidity. Subsequently, we investigated AdTR/CpG/CB in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Tumor/treatment-naïve DIO mice exhibited obesity-associated features; i.e., increased leptin/insulin and serum cytokines. These effects were not dependent on high-fat diet administration as mice resistant to weight gain had minimal alterations in these factors, and were similar to mice maintained on standard chow. As previously identified, 80% of DIO mice bearing renal tumors failed to respond to AdTR/CpG. AdTR/CpG/CB-treatment dramatically improved response rates against DIO tumors, however, decreased obese responder percentages were observed in both combinatorial therapies and was independent of high fat diet administration alone. Impaired response rates were not model or immunotherapy-specific as similar reductions in tumor clearance were seen in models of melanoma and sarcoma. Furthermore, responses were not due to initial T cell priming or unequal precursor CD8+ T cell frequencies. Detrimental changes in the tumor microenvironment underscored failure in obese mice and revealed therapeutic success was defined by a T cell-myeloid cell-inversion profile, supported by immunogenetic and flow cytometric analyses. Thus, we demonstrate a novel combinatorial approach for improving checkpoint-based outcomes, and identify the ability of host obesity to impede therapy-induced anti-tumor immunity.

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St6gal-I Sialyltransferase Regulates The Activity Of Surface Receptors To Control Cell Signaling In Cancer And Immune Cells, Andrew Holdbrooks Jan 2018

St6gal-I Sialyltransferase Regulates The Activity Of Surface Receptors To Control Cell Signaling In Cancer And Immune Cells, Andrew Holdbrooks

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Among the four classes of biological macromolecules, glycans are essential for proper cellular functioning. However, our knowledge of the contribution of these sugars, including the glycosyltransferases that add them, to cell signaling is limited. This dissertation focuses on the role of the ST6Gal-I sialyltransferase in modulating receptor-mediated signal transduction in cancer and inflammation. ST6Gal-I is a Golgi enzyme that conjugates α2-6-linked sialic acids to N-linked glycans on select glycoproteins. Through its sialylation of surface receptors, ST6Gal-I activity can significantly modify their function. The first section of this dissertation concentrates on the ST6Gal-I-mediated regulation of the signaling pathway of TNFR1, which …

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Effectiveness And Acceptability Of A Robot-Based Social Skills Intervention For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah Alberta Koch Jan 2018

Effectiveness And Acceptability Of A Robot-Based Social Skills Intervention For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah Alberta Koch

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This study examined the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a robot- based intervention program designed to improve social-emotional skills in school-age children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Twenty-two children with ASD and mild-to-no cognitive impairment were randomized to intervention (n = 11) or waitlist control groups (n = 11) for eight weeks. Participants who completed the robot-based intervention displayed decreased overall engagement from baseline to post-intervention, based on an eye-tracking measure. Nonetheless, they reported high favorability ratings at post-intervention, including consistently high ratings of happiness, increased comfort ratings, and only slightly decreased ratings of desire for future interactions across time. …

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