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Hospital-Based Skilled Nursing Facilities: Predictors Of Survival And Performance, Shivani Gupta Jan 2015

Hospital-Based Skilled Nursing Facilities: Predictors Of Survival And Performance, Shivani Gupta

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This three-paper dissertation examined the organizational and market factors predicting the response of hospital-based skilled nursing facilities (HBSNFs) to the changes in their environment such as the implementation of prospective payment system in 1998 and their role in coordination of care for patients in transition from acute care to home or a post-acute care facility. In the first study, population ecology of organizations framework was used to evaluate the organizational and market factors associated with HBSNFs’ closure after 1998. The event histories of all acute-care hospitals which had an open HBSNF in 1998 were examined across 15 years (1998-2012) to …

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G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium (Girk) Chanels Mediate Entrainment Of Circadian Rhythms, Lauren Marie Hablitz Jan 2015

G Protein-Coupled Inwardly-Rectifying Potassium (Girk) Chanels Mediate Entrainment Of Circadian Rhythms, Lauren Marie Hablitz

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Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles in biological and behavioral processes. These cycles enable an organism to predict changes in its environment, like changes in food availability and seasonality. Although endogenously driven, these rhythms can entrain or synchronize to daily changes in the environment, allowing the animal to adapt. One way entrainment occurs is shifts in circadian phase following the presentation of nonphotic, or non-light, stimuli, such as exercise, arousal, or stress at certain times of day. The molecular mechanisms underlying nonphotic entrainment are poorly understood - specifically, how nonphotic cues alter excitability within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, …

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Nutrient Intake, Nutrient Targets And Feed Application To Promote Optimal Production And Feed Efficiency In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), Laura Elizabeth Heflin Jan 2015

Nutrient Intake, Nutrient Targets And Feed Application To Promote Optimal Production And Feed Efficiency In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), Laura Elizabeth Heflin

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Important considerations for the development of sea urchin aquaculture will include understanding nutrition and feed management. These reported investigations contribute to knowledge of dietary protein and carbohydrate requirements in Lytechinus variegatus and feed management strategies. The first evaluation of economic feasibility of sea urchin aquaculture as related to feed costs is presented and the geometric framework (GF) to assess nutrient intake targets is first applied to cultured aquatic organisms to yield recommendations for nutrient balancing in formulated urchin feed. Data- derived models for dietary protein and carbohydrate intake predict increased rates of growth and production among urchins fed diets containing …

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Cortisol Regulation, Perceived Discrimination, And Ethnic Differences In Pain Responses Among Persons With Knee Osteoarthritis, Matthew Herbert Jan 2015

Cortisol Regulation, Perceived Discrimination, And Ethnic Differences In Pain Responses Among Persons With Knee Osteoarthritis, Matthew Herbert

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Plasma cortisol concentrations obtained directly after the Trier Social Stress test are negatively associated with subsequent pain tolerances during the cold pressor task (CPT) among healthy non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), but not healthy African Americans (AAs). It is possible frequent exposure to perceived discrimination, a marker of chronic stress, explains this lack of association between cortisol regulation and pain tolerances among AAs. Our aim was to determine if 1) ethnic differences in pain sensitivity during the CPT could be partially explained by differences in cortisol regulation among persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA), 2) perceived discrimination was related to cortisol dysregulation, which …

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Infant Feeding Practices, Weight Gain, And Blood Pressure In Toddlers Born Very Preterm, Doris Rodriguez Jan 2015

Infant Feeding Practices, Weight Gain, And Blood Pressure In Toddlers Born Very Preterm, Doris Rodriguez

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Little is known about how weight gain in those born very preterm is associated with blood pressure and if cortisol, a stress biomarker, plays a mediating role. Also, the influence of infant feeding practices on weight gain has been only sporadically addressed. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationships between infant feeding practices, weight gain, and blood pressure noting any mediating effect cortisol may have between weight gain and blood pressure in 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers born very preterm. A convenience sample of 36 18-to-24 month old corrected age toddlers were enrolled. …

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Bcla As An Adjunct To Current Bacillus Anthracis Vaccination And Therapy Protocols, Juan Bosco Rodriguez Barrantes Jan 2015

Bcla As An Adjunct To Current Bacillus Anthracis Vaccination And Therapy Protocols, Juan Bosco Rodriguez Barrantes

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Bacillus anthracis (Ba) is a Gram,-positive zoonotic bacterium that causes inhala- tional, cutaneous and intestinal Anthrax Disease. Although the infectious form of Ba is its endospore (spore), only the tripartite toxin-producing vegetative bacteria causes disease pathology. While current vaccination strategies target the Protective Antigen (PA) com- ponent of this toxin, vaccine-elicited immunity to the spore form of Ba is lacking. How- ever, vaccines targeting spore components of Ba have the potential to neutralize the in- fectious form of Ba. We sought to determine if antibodies elicited through immunization with the main antigenic component of the spore surface- Bacillus collagen-like protein …

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Investigating The Role Of Myristoylated Alanine Rich C Kinase Substrate's (Marcks's) Effector Domain In Lung And Brain Cancer Biology, Timothy D. Rohrbach Jan 2015

Investigating The Role Of Myristoylated Alanine Rich C Kinase Substrate's (Marcks's) Effector Domain In Lung And Brain Cancer Biology, Timothy D. Rohrbach

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In this study, we investigated the role MARCKS's Effector Domain plays in lung and brain cancer biology. Initially, we identified that MARCKS was present in a range of lung cancer histologies including: squamous cell, adenocarcinoma, and normal lung tissues among others. In addition, lung adenocarcinoma patients with a mutation in the MARCKS gene correlated with decreased survival as determined by The Cancer Genome Atlas. In vitro studies identified that the phosphorylation status of MARCKS's Effector Domain was able to influence lung cancer radiation sensitivity. When MARCKS's Effector Domain was in a non-phosphorylated state, A549 lung cancer cell lines experienced increased …

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Responses Of Marine Benthic Invertebrates Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula To Ocean Acidification And Elevated Temperature, Julie Schram Jan 2015

Responses Of Marine Benthic Invertebrates Of The Western Antarctic Peninsula To Ocean Acidification And Elevated Temperature, Julie Schram

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Increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are continuing to increase and have been linked with decreasing seawater pH as well as atmospheric and seawater warming. Warming along the western Antarctic Peninsula is occurring at one of the fastest rates recorded to date and triggering further environmental changes. To date there are few records of the current seawater pH and temperature conditions experienced by benthic organisms in this region or how they will respond to shifts in pH and temperature predicted to occur by 2100 or sooner. The primary aim of this dissertation was to pa-rameterize the current seawater carbonate …

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Role Of Vapb/Als8 Signaling Through Lar Receptor, Jessica Lindsey Winek Schultz Jan 2015

Role Of Vapb/Als8 Signaling Through Lar Receptor, Jessica Lindsey Winek Schultz

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In humans, a P56S point mutation in the VAPB/ALS8 MSP domain is associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and late-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The N-terminal MSP domain is cleaved from the C-terminus, and secreted through an unknown, nonconventional manner. The P56S mutation inhibits secretion of the MSP domain. We use Caenorhabditis elegans to study live secretion of VPR-1, as well as to understand vMSP receptor signaling in muscle and gonad. To study the secretion mechanism of VPR-1 we created a transgenic line of C. elegans with a fluorescently tagged VPR-1. Using this model, we were able to visualize live …

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A Randomized Trial Evaluating Child Dog-Bite Prevention In Rural China Through Video-Based Testimonials, Jiabin Shen Jan 2015

A Randomized Trial Evaluating Child Dog-Bite Prevention In Rural China Through Video-Based Testimonials, Jiabin Shen

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Dog-bite injuries pose a significant threat to children around the world. School-aged children are especially at risk of injuries because of their cognitively immature tendency toward poor perception of vulnerability regarding risky behaviors. This risk is elevated further for millions of school-aged children living in rural China due to the large number of stray dogs, all potential rabies carriers. Effective intervention programs for pediatric dog-bite injuries are sparse. Most existing programs were based on public health concerns and only involve the impartment of safety knowledge to children. They produced mixed results in changing actual behaviors with dogs. Based on the …

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The Effects Of 6 Weeks Of High Intensity Interval Training Vs. Moderate Intensity Training On Changes In Body Composition, Corey Noles Jan 2015

The Effects Of 6 Weeks Of High Intensity Interval Training Vs. Moderate Intensity Training On Changes In Body Composition, Corey Noles

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THE EFFECTS OF 6 WEEKS OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING VS. MODERATE INTENSITY TRAINING ON CHANGES IN BODY COMPOSITION COREY NOLES KINESIOLOGY ABSTRACT Background: It is important to identify strategies to promote exercise adherence and to identify an optimal exercise stimulus to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with obesity. Low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has recently been shown to improve a number of cardiometabolic health outcomes similarly to moderate intensity exercise training (MIT) despite requiring 1 hr of training per week for HIIT vs 6 hrs for ET. However, less is known about HIIT and its effects on body composition. …

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Ecology And Physiology Of Antarctic Macrophytes Under The Influence Of Abiotic And Biotic Stressors., Kathryn M. Schoenrock Jan 2014

Ecology And Physiology Of Antarctic Macrophytes Under The Influence Of Abiotic And Biotic Stressors., Kathryn M. Schoenrock

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The physiology of many species of Antarctic marine algae was evaluated under a variety of biotic and abiotic factors found or predicted for the western Antarctic Peninsula. The potential biological stressors, filamentous algal endophytes, had few effects on their macrophyte host's physiology which may be the cause for their persistence in this marine community. Adversely impacted hosts include Pachymenia sp. and Iridaea cordata. In areas of high endophyte infection Pachymenia sp. was significantly less resistant to forces that could penetrate their thalli. Maximum quantum yield near endophyte infection was significantly lower in I. cordata. Endophyte abundance is significantly lower in …

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Combinatorial Effects Of Corexit 9500a And Temperature Stressors On Embryo Development In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Erica Davis Anderson Jan 2014

Combinatorial Effects Of Corexit 9500a And Temperature Stressors On Embryo Development In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Erica Davis Anderson

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the Kemp’s Ridley Recovery Program during the 2005-2008 nesting seasons. This

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The Involvement Of The Ca2+-Independent Phospholipase A2ss In The Pathogenesis Of Type 1 Diabetes, Robert N. Bone Jan 2014

The Involvement Of The Ca2+-Independent Phospholipase A2ss In The Pathogenesis Of Type 1 Diabetes, Robert N. Bone

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chapters test the role of non-steady moisture or temperature on sex ratios produced by the

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Soil Properties Of An Urban Stream Along A Restoration Gradient In The Southern Piedmont, Japhia Melissa Jacobo Jan 2014

Soil Properties Of An Urban Stream Along A Restoration Gradient In The Southern Piedmont, Japhia Melissa Jacobo

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As awareness of the deleterious effects of urbanization on urban watersheds increases, restoration of degraded streams has increased. Ecologists understand the vital role healthy soil plays in nutrient cycling and the revegetation of degraded riparian ecosystems. However, restoration projects in the southeast typically focus on stabilizing streambanks and improving water quality, not recovering soil health. Manipulating riparian soils to facilitate restoration success is common, yet these methods do not influence soil health. This case study sought to discover if the recovery of critical soil properties is possible when the stressor of urbanization has not been removed. Additionally, this case study …

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Mitochondrial Genetics Modify Body Composition, Metabolic Efficiency And Myocardial Metabolism, Kimberly Joanne Dunham-Snary Jan 2014

Mitochondrial Genetics Modify Body Composition, Metabolic Efficiency And Myocardial Metabolism, Kimberly Joanne Dunham-Snary

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Obesity and cardiometabolic pathologies have reached epidemic levels worldwide over the last 30 years. Currently, the majority of research investigating possible genetic causes of obesity is focused on nuclear DNA (nDNA). While this has lead to the development of numerous animal models, it is apparent the etiology of obesity is more complex than single gene mutations. Recently it has also been suggested that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations sustained during evolution as a consequence of our prehistoric environment may influence individual propensity and risk of disease. Contemporary human populations are no longer faced with the challenges of our ancestors such as …

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Unraveling The Mechanisms Of Skeletal Muscle Hyperplasia: Juxtaposing Divergent Growth Paradigms, Jacob Michael Froehlich Jan 2014

Unraveling The Mechanisms Of Skeletal Muscle Hyperplasia: Juxtaposing Divergent Growth Paradigms, Jacob Michael Froehlich

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During the course of vertebrate evolution, two major growth paradigms have appeared: determinate, one in which an animal's final size is largely governed by predisposed genetic potential; and indeterminate, a paradigm involving life-long, largely environmentally governed somatic growth. Of the tissues constituting an adult vertebrate, skeletal muscle comprises ≥60% of that organism's mass, making it an important factor in overall body growth. To better understand the process by which many teleost fishes grow throughout their natural lifespans, the clade Danioninae and the model rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were utilized in a comparative manner. Contrary to current hypotheses, fish with indeterminate …

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Urbanization And Land-Use Change In Puerto Maldonado, Peru: Categorizing The Landscape Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery For Potential Use In Public Health Research, Laura Brianna Gast Jan 2014

Urbanization And Land-Use Change In Puerto Maldonado, Peru: Categorizing The Landscape Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery For Potential Use In Public Health Research, Laura Brianna Gast

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Environmental change, especially rapid urbanization, has measurable effects on human health. Over 70 percent of the global population is expected to live in urban areas by 2025, and at least 1 in 3 of these individuals will live in extreme poverty. Living in a slum or shantytown exposes individuals to health and safety risks including inadequate sanitation, lack of access to clean water, air pollution, violence, over-crowding and risk of infectious disease. Remote sensing technologies are an effective tool for detection and prediction of areas with significant land use change, which enables identification of populations with the highest risk of …

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Illuminating The Physiology And Ecology Of The Wound-Induced Macroalgal Oxidative Burst, Ruth Ellen Mcdowell Jan 2014

Illuminating The Physiology And Ecology Of The Wound-Induced Macroalgal Oxidative Burst, Ruth Ellen Mcdowell

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The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the macroalgal wound response was investigated with emphasis on their occurrence, source, and ecological role. In a survey of Antarctic macroalgae, an oxidative response to wounding was common and ROS in seawater decreased the feeding rate of sympatric amphipod grazers. The macroalgal oxidative response was also sensitive to light. In contrast to the current understanding of the macroalgal oxidative burst, initial wound-induced ROS from the temperate kelp Saccharina latissima were light-dependent and arose from disrupted photosynthetic electron transport rather than from a defense-related enzyme such as an NADPH-oxidase. Furthermore, the light-dependence of …

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Hormonal Contraceptives Alter The Immune Function And Structural Integrity Of The Female Genital Tract: Implications For Hiv-1 Infection, Katherine Gisella Michel Jan 2014

Hormonal Contraceptives Alter The Immune Function And Structural Integrity Of The Female Genital Tract: Implications For Hiv-1 Infection, Katherine Gisella Michel

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The potential effect of hormonal contraception on HIV-1 acquisition and transmission represents an important public health issue. Several observational studies have suggested an association between the use of hormonal contraception, in particular injectable depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), and an increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition and transmission. To delineate the biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon, we have recruited healthy, HIV-negative women using either DMPA, NuvaRing, or combined oral contraceptives for a vaginal biopsy and cervicovaginal lavage (CVL). Analysis of the functional capacity of circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), distribution of vaginal immune cell populations, and systemic and genital levels of immune …

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Compression, Bethany Anne Mitchell Jan 2014

Compression, Bethany Anne Mitchell

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Compression , a nonfiction novel-in-progress, examines the author's twisting relationship with her father in the context of her exploration into the traditional archery world. A proud new owner of a 72-inch English longbow, the author's dependence on archery increases as her father's sudden onset of paranoid schizophrenia pushes the two of them widely off target. This novel-in-progress incorporates humor into the real story of a teen coming of age just as her father begins to drift away, a period of years swirling with doubt, confusion, anger, and loss as the author attempts to find a new normal and establish her …

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Structural Implications Of P22 Bacteriophage Coat Protein A-Domain Modifications, David Samuel Morris Jan 2014

Structural Implications Of P22 Bacteriophage Coat Protein A-Domain Modifications, David Samuel Morris

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Modification of virus capsids as target-specific delivery devices has become highly popularized in recent years and P22 bacteriophage has been proposed as a potential candidate for development of a targeting drug delivery system. As a proof of concept for our system, we hypothesized that the A-domain of P22 coat protein could be utilized to alter the binding affinity of virus-like procapsids for biological targets. Addition of acidic residues to the A-domain revealed that this could be accomplished through the quarternary localization of charged residues in three-dimensional space without interrogating procapsid assembly. Further manipulations implemented in vivo were performed to examine …

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Modeling Of Pollutant Transport In The Nile Delta, Egypt, Mohamed Khaled Elsayed Mostafa Jan 2014

Modeling Of Pollutant Transport In The Nile Delta, Egypt, Mohamed Khaled Elsayed Mostafa

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Poor water quality is one of the biggest problems faced by most countries and especially by developing countries such as Egypt. The mismanagement of potable water resources constitutes one of the main reasons for the depletion of water. This research was carried out in the Nile River delta, a region in which toxic dumping and water quality degradation exist. The Nile delta receives pollution loads from industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities located along its path leading to the spread of water-related diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, cholera, and kidney failure [Safe Drinking Water Foundation, 2009]. The main objective of this …

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Intrinsic And Extrinsic Brain Activity In Children With Autism Before And After A Visualization Language Intervention, Donna Murdaugh Jan 2014

Intrinsic And Extrinsic Brain Activity In Children With Autism Before And After A Visualization Language Intervention, Donna Murdaugh

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Deficits in language comprehension have been widely reported in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Recent evidence from neuroimaging research has found that individuals with ASD tend to recruit visuospatial imagery to comprehend language (Kana et al., 2006). The theory of cortical underconnectivity in autism suggests that in tasks that can be interpreted either visually or verbally, brain regions associated with language and visuospatial processing will be substantially less functionally integrated (especially between frontal and more posterior regions) than healthy-matched controls (Just et al., 2004). Indeed, cortical underconnectivity in individuals with ASD has been documented, not only in extrinsic brain …

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Quantum Computation Approach To Information Theoretic Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Luai Najim Jan 2014

Quantum Computation Approach To Information Theoretic Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Luai Najim

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The modeling of systems has been addressed in the physical sciences from the perspective of Energy and matter. The 3rd original idea of Communication as a means of modeling systems has been established and applied. In this study, we apply the 3rd original idea of communication to systems on a quantum level. By marrying Shannon's noisy communication channel to Feynman QED and Quantum Computing, we realize a visual model for the representation of the entropy of a noisy communication channel on a quantum scale. We also use that visual representation concept to define a geometric view into the superposition of …

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Regulatory Control Of Palatogenesis And Odontogenesis By Specificity Protein 7, John Christopher Clarke Jan 2014

Regulatory Control Of Palatogenesis And Odontogenesis By Specificity Protein 7, John Christopher Clarke

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Runx2 and its downstream target Specificity Protein 7 (Sp7) are essential for skeletogenesis. In humans, mutations in Sp7 gene are associated with osteogenesis imperfecta. Unlike Runx2, the role of Sp7 in palatogenesis, tooth development or differentiation of ameloblasts and odontoblasts remains unknown. The main goal of this research was to identify the functional requirement of Sp7 transcription factor during tooth development and palatogenesis. Molecular, biochemical, and histological approaches were employed to answer this question. We established Sp7-null mice that are completely void of mineralized tissue, exhibit craniofacial dysmorphogenesis and die shortly after birth. Surprisingly, Sp7 homozygous mutants exhibited normal tooth …

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Actions Of Grape Seed Extract In Rodent Brain And Differences In Metabolism Of Its Polyphenols In A Rodent Model Of Menopause, John Kenneth Cutts Jan 2014

Actions Of Grape Seed Extract In Rodent Brain And Differences In Metabolism Of Its Polyphenols In A Rodent Model Of Menopause, John Kenneth Cutts

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Grape seed extract (GSE), a dietary supplement, has potential in the treatment and prevention of human chronic age-related diseases including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. GSE and adult hippocampal neurogenesis, independently, have enhanced learning and memory in rodents. We hypothesized that GSE enhances learning and memory, at least partially, by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis. However, adult mice given GSE did not exhibit increased number of progenitor cells or new neurons, established markers of neurogenesis, in the dentate gyrus (DG). Also, 26-day-old pups whose mother was given GSE only while nursing had fewer new neurons in the DG compared to control …

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Parent And Child Factors In Relation To Mealtime Problem Behavior Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Eva Trinh Jan 2014

Parent And Child Factors In Relation To Mealtime Problem Behavior Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Eva Trinh

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environmental temperatures on TSD by again using the red-eared slider as a laboratory

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Analysis Of Debris From Implant Prostheses, Mehran Varedi Jan 2014

Analysis Of Debris From Implant Prostheses, Mehran Varedi

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Objectives: The specific aim of this study was to analyze any entrapped debris in implant abutment screw threads from post processed constructs from dental laboratories. Materials and Methods: Forty implant screws were used to collect debris where screws were removed from the implant prosthesis as received from dental laboratories. In all samples, laboratory procedures including fabrication of the custom abutment, definitive prosthesis and finishing/polishing were completed prior to sampling. Twenty-nine screws were from titanium and eleven screws were from zirconia abutments. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analyses of collected particulate products from abutment screws were done for all specimens. Results: The …

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Integrated Functioning Of The Mirror Neuron System And Its Role In Imitation Deficits In Autism, Heather Wadsworth Jan 2014

Integrated Functioning Of The Mirror Neuron System And Its Role In Imitation Deficits In Autism, Heather Wadsworth

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Deficits in imitation have been widely reported in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A proposed dysfunction of the mirror neuron system (MNS), the neural network underlying imitation, has been the subject of recent debate in ASD literature. However, while some research has found evidence of MNS abnormalities in ASD, recent studies have cast doubt onto the mirror neuron hypothesis of ASD as it is currently depicted. There is also behavioral evidence that the imitation deficit is not unitary, and therefore may not have one-to-ne correspondence with a malfunction of all aspects of MNS. Since functional imitation involves …

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