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Proper Orthogonal Decomposition For Parameter Estimation In Oscillating Biological Networks, Amanda Marie Rehm Jan 2011

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition For Parameter Estimation In Oscillating Biological Networks, Amanda Marie Rehm

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Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is frequently applied to estimate parameters of partial differential equations. This study examines the application of the POD method in estimating the parameters of an Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) model of stable oscillating biological networks. The model is related to the Lotka-Volterra equations. The findings reveal that POD generates accurate estimates of the parameters; furthermore, extrapolating biologically measured data points to a number of oscillations improves the curve fits, C1 approximations, and parameter estimations. KEYWORDS: Proper Orthogonal Decomposition, Ordinary Differential Equations, Biological Networks, Oscillations, Parameters.

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Parental Influences On Late Adolescents' Autonomous Motivation And Sexual Risk Knowledge And Behavior, Bettina Hornbuckle Riley Jan 2011

Parental Influences On Late Adolescents' Autonomous Motivation And Sexual Risk Knowledge And Behavior, Bettina Hornbuckle Riley

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Adolescent risky sexual behavior is associated with unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and HIV/AIDS. During their time of transition to adulthood, late adolescents make decisions about their sexual health that may or may not be motivated by parental (mother and father) sexual risk communication and autonomy support. While the adolescent may be physically independent or semi-independent from his/her parents, parents continue to influence their adolescents through past and present endorsement of certain behaviors. This research examined how parent-sexual risk communication and parental autonomy support may individually and collectively …

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Survival Analysis With Censored Outcomes, Henry T. Robertson Jan 2011

Survival Analysis With Censored Outcomes, Henry T. Robertson

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This dissertation is arranged in the three-paper format. The unifying theme of the dissertation is estimating longevity in terms of years of life lost (YLL). The papers are presented in order of increasing methodological focus. The first paper, No compelling evidence that sibutramine prolongs life in rodents despite providing a dose-dependent reduction in body weight, was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2010. Although sibutramine reduced food intake and body weight, it had no association with longevity. The conclusions were based on data from a 2-year toxicology trial required by the FDA. Although this paper was largely applied …

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Assessment Of Nearshore Distribution And Abundance Of Echinoderms In The Vicinity Of Anvers Island On The Central Western Antarctic Peninsula, Brittny Alysha White Jan 2011

Assessment Of Nearshore Distribution And Abundance Of Echinoderms In The Vicinity Of Anvers Island On The Central Western Antarctic Peninsula, Brittny Alysha White

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Antarctic nearshore benthic communities are known for their unique richness and diversity of marine invertebrates. Bryozoans, soft corals, tunicates, cnidarians, tunicates, sponges and echinoderms are among the dominant groups of marine invertebrates. All five classes of Echinodermata are represented in nearshore waters of Antarctica, however, brittle stars and sea stars are the most classes. Antarctic echinoderms are important in contributing to carbon cycles and benthic production, as well as playing significant roles as determinants of community structure. To date, no systematic quantitative study has been conducted on the echinoderm fauna in nearshore shallow waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. The present …

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The Impact Of Stressful Neighborhoods On The Mental Health Of Emerging Adolescents, Vicki P. Winstead Jan 2011

The Impact Of Stressful Neighborhoods On The Mental Health Of Emerging Adolescents, Vicki P. Winstead

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Life within the ecological context of a disadvantaged and disordered neighborhood is characterized by daily exposure to chronic stressors which are often outside the realm of control of the individual and have negative consequences for the mental health of its residents and in particular, adolescents Using data from Healthy Passages, a multilevel, multi-method longitudinal study which examines health trajectories of adolescents over a ten year period, this paper examines whether daily exposure to a threatening environment in disadvantaged and disordered neighborhoods lead to depression in young people who are on the verge of adolescence. The current study tested the relationships …

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Piggybac Transposon Mutagenesis In Human And Mouse Stem Cells, Tingting Zhang Jan 2011

Piggybac Transposon Mutagenesis In Human And Mouse Stem Cells, Tingting Zhang

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The most common genetic diseases worldwide, £] thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) result from mutations in the adult £] globin gene. One promising therapeutic method to ameliorate these diseases is to reactivate the endogenous fetal f× globin gene. I hypothesize that an erythroid mutagenic transposon system can be used to activate f× globin gene expression. To test this hypothesis three lines of genetically modified mice were generated and bred together. The first is a transgenic mouse line that contains a multicopy array of erythroid mutagenic PiggyBac (PB) transposons. The second transgenic mouse line expresses the PB transposase (TPase) from …

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Characterization And Modeling Of Styrene Emission From A Thermoset Composite Material, Shaun Anthony Crawford Jan 2011

Characterization And Modeling Of Styrene Emission From A Thermoset Composite Material, Shaun Anthony Crawford

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Diffusive emissions of volatile compounds from building materials have been well documented as a source of indoor air pollution. While laboratory testing can quantify these emissions and predict volatile concentrations in indoor air, the ability to precisely model emission rates from any given building material would provide a useful tool to air quality professionals to anticipate, identify and mitigate potential sources of indoor air pollution. Composite materials, some made with vinyl ester resins, are replacing metal in transportation applications (bus bodies, airplane fuselages) but contain volatile styrene. Here, a mass transfer model for predicting volatile emissions from a dry building …

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Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger Jan 2011

Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger

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ABSTRACT For nearly two decades, violence has been viewed as a major public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,141 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 were murdered in 2008, and over 480,238 young people were treated for violence-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms that same year. That translates to an average of 11 young people murdered each day, and a daily average of 1,315 young people who sustained violence-related injuries so severe that they required treatment at a hospital. The purpose of this study was to test a multilevel model linking …

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Mary Church Terrell: A Historical Case Study Of A Pioneer Of Froebelian Kindergartens For African American Children 1896-1901, Vernessa Curry Jan 2011

Mary Church Terrell: A Historical Case Study Of A Pioneer Of Froebelian Kindergartens For African American Children 1896-1901, Vernessa Curry

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MARY CHURCH TERRELL: A HISTORICAL CASE STUDY OF A PIONEER OF FROEBELIAN KINDERGARTENS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN 1896-1901 VERNESSA ELAINE CURRY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The purpose of this historical case study was to explore the role of Mary Church Terrell in advancing Froebelian kindergartens for African American children 1896-1901. Historical documents, records, photographs, video, and observations were used in the data collection process. The following questions guided this study: "How did the social, political, and economic context of the Progressive Era affect African American women?" "How was Mary Church Terrell's family and educational history essential to her role in …

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Determining The Functional Role Of Trem-Like Transcript 2 In The Innate Immune Response, Matthew Martin Halpert Jan 2011

Determining The Functional Role Of Trem-Like Transcript 2 In The Innate Immune Response, Matthew Martin Halpert

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TLT2 is one of four receptors conserved between mouse and human within the TREM locus, and is expressed on B cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. TLT2 ligation on murine macrophages induces the production of chemokines and growth factors, as evidenced by ex vivo treatment with anti-TLT2 mAbs. This treatment did not lead to the upregulation of activation markers such as CD69 or costimulatory molecules such as CD80 and CD86, indicating a specific response following TLT2 ligation. This is recapitulated in vivo following injection of anti-TLT2 mAbs resulting in the production of chemokines and growth factors, which ultimately lead to enhanced neutrophil …

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Ampa Receptor Trafficking In Schizophrenia, John Hammond Jan 2011

Ampa Receptor Trafficking In Schizophrenia, John Hammond

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The glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia is based primarily on NMDA receptor dysfunction. Recent studies have led to an expansion of this hypothesis to include AMPA receptors which are essential for neurotransmission through NMDA receptors. Examination of total AMPA receptor protein expression in schizophrenia has been inconsistent and led to examination of AMPA receptor interacting proteins and trafficking and subcellular localization of the receptors. AMPA receptors are highly trafficked from the endoplasmic reticulum to the synapse and in a complex system of endosomes. Alterations in the subcellular localization of these receptors may be a part of the underlying pathophysiology of schizophrenia. …

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The Role Of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress In Cardiovascular Disease Development, Corey Michael Harrison Jan 2011

The Role Of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress In Cardiovascular Disease Development, Corey Michael Harrison

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An estimated 70 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the sequence of events leading to CVD are still controversial, there is a general consensus that atherosclerotic lesions result from oxidative stress associated with risk factor. For this study, it was hypothesized that endogenous mitochondrial oxidative stress would influence susceptibility to atherogenesis and mitochondrial damage mediated by CVD risk factor exposure. To test this hypothesis, atherosclerotic lesion formation, oxidant stress, and mitochondrial DNA damage were assessed in hypercholestoremic mice (apolipoprotein E null - apoE -/- SOD2 +/+) and mice with significantly decreased levels of the …

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The Role Of Ll-37 In Prostate Cancer And Its Potential As A Therapeutic Target, Jonathan Adam Hensel Jan 2011

The Role Of Ll-37 In Prostate Cancer And Its Potential As A Therapeutic Target, Jonathan Adam Hensel

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LL-37 is the only cathelicidin-derived anti-microbial peptide in humans and has been shown to stimulate proliferation, angiogenesis, cellular migration and inhibit apoptosis, in addition to serving as a chemoattractant for leukocytes. It is produced primarily by epithelial cells and leukocytes, and has recently been discovered to be over-expressed in breast, ovarian and lung cancers. Based on these findings, we compared levels of LL-37 expression in benign and cancerous human prostate tissues. Results of this investigation demonstrated that LL-37 is increasingly over-expressed in primary prostate tumors in a grade dependent manner and in metastatic lesions. Since the physiological mechanisms of LL-37 …

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Protein Modifications And The Response To Oxidized Lipids In Cardiovascular Cells, Ashlee Higdon Jan 2011

Protein Modifications And The Response To Oxidized Lipids In Cardiovascular Cells, Ashlee Higdon

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Free radical catalyzed oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as arachidonic acid is increased in cardiovascular disease states, including atherosclerosis and heart failure. Oxidized lipids have been extensively studied and found to recapitulate several key steps in atherogenesis. However, clinical trials with antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol have been less promising than originally predicted. Now appreciated as more than just biomarkers of disease, lipid peroxidation products have been shown to have roles in pathogenesis as well as physiology. Of particular interest are reactive lipid species that possess electrophilic carbonyls enabling them to act in a receptor-independent manner. To date, the …

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Pax5 Controls B Lineage Specific Gene Expression Program Through Association With The Nuclear Matrix, Sang Yong Hong Jan 2011

Pax5 Controls B Lineage Specific Gene Expression Program Through Association With The Nuclear Matrix, Sang Yong Hong

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Pax5 is an essential regulator for B lineage cell development and controls hundreds of positive and negative target genes. The nuclear matrix (NM) has long been proposed to provide a dynamic structural support for biological reactions inside of the nucleus, including DNA replication, RNA transcription, and RNA splicing. Although Pax5 binding sites have been identified in numerous Pax5 target genes, it is not clear how Pax5 controls so many target genes. In this dissertation, I demonstrate that Pax5 association with the NM is essential for regulation of the B lineage specific gene expression program. In part I, I found that …

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Efficacy Of Sterisil In The Treatment Of Dental Unit Waterlines, Don Schmidtke Jan 2011

Efficacy Of Sterisil In The Treatment Of Dental Unit Waterlines, Don Schmidtke

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Introduction: Dental unit waterlines (DUWL) are an ideal home for bacterial microorganisms to grow, multiply, and develop complex living colonies commonly known as "biofilm." The American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommendations to maintain DUWL heterotrophic plate count bacteria levels below 500 colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/ml) of water. The aim of this study is to determine whether Sterisil PureTube is able to control the bacterial load in the orthodontic clinic to recommended levels. Methods: Waterline samples from the twelve dental chairs in the orthodontic clinic were used in this study. …

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The Role Of Cd19 In Follicular Dendritic Cell Activation, Riley Croom Myers Jan 2011

The Role Of Cd19 In Follicular Dendritic Cell Activation, Riley Croom Myers

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Germinal Centers (GC) are organized foci in secondary lymphoid organs of birds and mammals and are the principle sites of memory B cell generation and plasma cell formation. GC concentrate antigen within follicles to facilitate recognition by responding B cells to promote somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation. Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) reside within the light zones of GC and serve to facilitate B cell interactions with antigen, as well as B cell selection, proliferation, and survival. The work contained within this dissertation addresses the collaborative interactions between B cells and FDC. FDC within an active, GC-containing follicle express an array …

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A Question Of Salience: A Gender Analysis Of The Work -Family Interface, Sarah Ballard Jan 2010

A Question Of Salience: A Gender Analysis Of The Work -Family Interface, Sarah Ballard

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No abstract provided.

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Developing A Screen To Identify Small Molecule Inhibitors That Disrupt Protein-Protein Interactions In Mycobacteria, Deborah Mai Jan 2010

Developing A Screen To Identify Small Molecule Inhibitors That Disrupt Protein-Protein Interactions In Mycobacteria, Deborah Mai

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB) and infects nearly one-third of the world's population. The same TB chemotherapeutic regimen has been administered for more than 50 years, and can be improved by developing innovative methods to discover new anti-TB drugs. This work describes a newly established high-throughput screen (HTS) platform technology based on Mycobacterial-Protein Fragment Complementation (M-PFC) to identify small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions in mycobacteria. M-PFC HTS employs both whole cell and target-based approaches, and offers flexibility in selecting an appropriate protein interaction target for HTS. Selectable drug targets can include interactions of essential …

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Evolutionarily Conserved Cis-Acting Elements Regulate Lineage-Specific Expression Of Ifng, Anand Balasubramani Jan 2010

Evolutionarily Conserved Cis-Acting Elements Regulate Lineage-Specific Expression Of Ifng, Anand Balasubramani

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The ability to differentially manipulate available genetic information in order to generate diverse cellular identities represents an innovation of complex multicellular eukaryotic organisms. Cis-acting modules that regulate transcription play extremely important roles in ensuring lineage-specific expression of genes that define cellular identities. In our studies, using Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma, a cytokine encoded by the gene Ifng), a cytokine encoded by T, NK and NKT cells as a model, we have identified and characterized the roles of key cis regulatory elements that facilitate T lineage specific induction as well as repression of Ifng transcription. In particular, our studies have highlighted the role …

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Molecular Mechanisms Of Breast Cancer Metastasis: Gap Junction Intercellular Communication And The Bone Microenvironment, Thomas Morgan Bodenstine Jan 2010

Molecular Mechanisms Of Breast Cancer Metastasis: Gap Junction Intercellular Communication And The Bone Microenvironment, Thomas Morgan Bodenstine

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Metastatic disease accounts for the overwhelming majority of cancer related deaths. More specifically, breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in women and breast cancer cells metastasize to bone more than any other secondary site. Upon arriving within the bone microenvironment, breast cancer cells interact with bone marrow cells, leading to changes in bone biology that favor growth of the cancer cells. Additionally, some cancer cells are capable of direct cellular communication with cells at metastatic sites via dysregulation of a family of proteins known as connexins. This direct, physical communication is known as gap junctional intercellular …

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Preclinical Pharmacology Of Novel Synthetic Iminoquinones As Anticancer Agents, Scharri Ezell Jan 2010

Preclinical Pharmacology Of Novel Synthetic Iminoquinones As Anticancer Agents, Scharri Ezell

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Prostate cancer is the most common male malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer related death in the United States. Despite recent advances in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer, there is a need for more effective therapies. Unfortunately, most conventional therapeutic modalities, such as androgen ablation therapy, frequently result in androgen-independent cancers. These cancers are typically more aggressive, metastatic, and resistant to chemotherapeutic agents than androgen-dependent prostate cancer. Therefore, agents that are effective against both androgen-sensitive and androgen-independent, as well as genetically diverse cancers are critically needed. The objective of the dissertation research was to address …

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Identification And Validation Of Biodosimetry Markers In Multiple Models Of Radiation Exposure, Ashley Nicole Filiano Jan 2010

Identification And Validation Of Biodosimetry Markers In Multiple Models Of Radiation Exposure, Ashley Nicole Filiano

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Following a radiological or nuclear disaster, radiation dose assessment is imperative to minimize morbidity and mortality through rationally directed medical intervention. Current methods of retrospective dosimetry are not amenable to mass exposure scenarios and remain limited to monitoring of clinical symptoms (nausea/vomiting and lymphocyte depletion) and cytogenetic analysis. The goal of this study was to identify radiation biomarkers capable of qualitative (non-irradiated/irradiated) and quantitative (dose) assessment of radiation exposure. Initial analyses revealed 17 radiation-responsive cytokine/chemokine genes in blood samples from 6 pediatric cancer patients undergoing fractionated total body irradiation (TBI). These 17 genes were combined with 29 additional IR-inducible genes …

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Fabrication And Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticle /Gelatin Porous Scaffolds, Hicham K. Ghossein Jan 2010

Fabrication And Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticle /Gelatin Porous Scaffolds, Hicham K. Ghossein

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The application of engineered biomaterial scaffolds for hard tissue repair critically depends on the scaffold's internal architecture at various length scales. The pore size, shape, surface morphology, and pore connectivity are among the most important factors that affect the scaffold's mechanical properties and biointegration. Reported in this thesis are the results of the investigation of porous constructs fabricated by a freeze-drying process from synthetic nanosized hydroxyapatite / gelatin (nanoHA/Gel) dispersions with different nanoHA/Gel ratios (nanoHA loading was varied from 0 to 50 % by weight). The fabricated scaffolds had porosity up to 90% with pore size in the range of …

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Regulation Of Apoptosis By Smac, Iaps , And The Ubiquitin Proteasome System, Stephen Peter Burke Jan 2010

Regulation Of Apoptosis By Smac, Iaps , And The Ubiquitin Proteasome System, Stephen Peter Burke

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iii

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The Effects Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On Vascular Function, Oxidative Stress, And Atherosclerosis, Gin Chuang Jan 2010

The Effects Of Environmental Ozone Exposure On Vascular Function, Oxidative Stress, And Atherosclerosis, Gin Chuang

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Exposure to air pollutants are known to induce airway inflammation, decrease lung function, and worsen existing pulmonary conditions such as asthma. Additionally, air pollutant exposure has also been shown to impact cardiovascular health. Although these pollutant-induced cardiovascular effects were considered to be mediated by the direct action of pollutants upon the cardiovascular tissue and/or the indirect release of pro-inflammatory factors into the circulation, the relative contribution of the two pathways remained equivocal. Recently, several epidemiology studies associated ozone exposure with cardiovascular mortalities. However, relatively few studies to date have examined ozone in this context. In order to address our hypothesis …

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The Bacterial Community Of A Freshwater Sponge, Radiospongilla Cerebellata: A Comparison Of Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (T -Rflp) And 16s Rrna Clone Library Methods, Andrew Stephen Mobley Jan 2010

The Bacterial Community Of A Freshwater Sponge, Radiospongilla Cerebellata: A Comparison Of Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (T -Rflp) And 16s Rrna Clone Library Methods, Andrew Stephen Mobley

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No abstract provided.

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Development Of Multi-Shot Parse Mri Techniques, Rajiv G. Menon Jan 2010

Development Of Multi-Shot Parse Mri Techniques, Rajiv G. Menon

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Fast imaging Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques such as Echo Planar Imaging (EPI) often suffer from artifacts such as signal dropouts, geometric distortions and susceptibility artifacts due to background gradients. Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Signal Encoding (PARSE) was introduced as a single shot, inverse estimation technique that models the MRI process more accurately and estimates the initial transverse magnetization, M0 and its phase, the decay rate R2* and local frequency at each pixel. This technique is devoid of the aforementioned artifacts seen in EPI techniques. The goal of this work is to develop multi-shot parameter assessment by retrieval from …

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Sexual Risk Behavior Among African-American Adolescents: Trajectories And Their Predictors, Maureen Muchimba Jan 2010

Sexual Risk Behavior Among African-American Adolescents: Trajectories And Their Predictors, Maureen Muchimba

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Although adolescents in the United States are at high risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV, research indicates that many do not use condoms consistently and have high numbers of lifetime multiple sexual partners. Among adolescents, different subgroups exhibit distinct patterns of sexual behavior over time. The purpose of this dissertation was to identify trajectories of sexual risk behavior among adolescents and to determine individual, family and community factors that are predictive of membership to trajectory groups. Data were collected on sexual risk behavior among low-income African-American adolescents in Mobile County, Alabama. Gender-balanced subsamples of risky sex (N = 1294) …

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Fiber Modification Of Adenoviral Vectors For Cancer Gene Therapy, Miho Murakami Jan 2010

Fiber Modification Of Adenoviral Vectors For Cancer Gene Therapy, Miho Murakami

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Cancer still remains a major public health concern despite improvements in primary prevention, early detection and advanced treatments. Cancer gene therapy using human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) as a vector has been explored as a new therapeutic approach. HAdV-5 infection is initiated by binding to the coxsackie virus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), its primary cellular receptor. However, the levels and patterns of expression of CAR vary greatly in clinical tumor tissue samples, and the expression lev-els tend to decrease as the tumors progress. The low level expression of CAR in target cancer cells diminishes the utility of HAdV-5 as a …

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