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Hypervirulent Clostridium Difficile Strains: Adherence, Toxin Production And Sporulation, Michelle Marie Merrigan

Dissertations

Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, and recently emerged "hypervirulent" C. difficile strains have caused epidemics worldwide. We hypothesized that multiple factors were responsible for this phenotype, particularly the interaction of C. difficile with the epithelial cell, as well as toxin production and sporulation.

To test if host interaction varied in HV strains, we developed a quantitative host-cell adherence assay, and found that while C. difficile strains varied in adherence to human intestinal epithelial cells, hypervirulent strains were not significantly more adherent than other strains. The bacterial surface protein SlpA varied in both size and amount between …

Forced-Exercise Alleviates Neuropathic Pain In Experimental Diabetes: Effects On Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, Sahadev A. Shankarappa

Dissertations

Exercise is now established as an integral adjunct to the management of diabetes. Diabetic polyneuropathy, a painful complication of diabetes, remains untreatable, emphasizing a critical need for improved therapeutic strategies. Recent evidence suggests that exercise may facilitate recovery of peripheral nerve function in diabetes. However, the mechanism by which exercise protects against diabetes-induced nerve dysfunction is unknown. In this dissertation we hypothesized that forced-exercise protects against experimental DPN by preventing glucose-associated alterations of voltage-gated calcium currents (VGCC) in small diameter dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Using behavioral, nerve-electrophysiology and patch-clamp methodology we examined the functional consequences of forced-exercise (treadmill, 5.4 …

The Soul And The Body In Hegel's Anthropology, Nicholas Mowad

Dissertations

I provide a close exegetical reading of Hegel's "anthropology," his doctrine of the human body and soul, located in the first part of the Philosophy of Spirit, volume three of the Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences. In the course of this exegesis I show how Hegel demonstrates that all of the phenomena there under investigation must be understood as at once corporeal and distinctively human. Accordingly, anthropological phenomena should not be understood as essentially the same in humans as it is in animals, though many commentators allege that they should be. I provide a survey of the secondary literature on …

Agape And Personal Knowledge, Peter Eric Bergeron

Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to explore the connection between love and personal knowledge and what Jesus' life and teaching reveal about the relationship between these. I want to distinguish that form of love or caring that makes relationships personal from those forms, like benevolence or compassion, where the concern is impersonal. It is commonly thought in contemporary Western culture that the autonomy necessary for mature moral agency or for the realization of one's unique personal identity is diminished by the influence of other persons. In contrast, I argue that the relational image of love, or agape, in the …

Components Of Religious Beliefs, Religious Maturity, And Religious History As Predictors Of Proscribed And Non-Proscribed Explicit And Implicit Prejudices, Luke Fiedorowicz

Dissertations

Many theorists propose a link between religiosity and prejudice; however, many studies show contradictory results. Recently, there has also been a growing interest in the differences between implicit and explicit prejudices. Current literature suggests that explicit and implicit attitudes are linked and one can influence the other. However, it is possible there are different sets of predictors of each attitude type. African-Americans have historically been the most openly targeted minority in America. Recently, gay men and lesbians have also faced increased prejudice. The purpose of this project was to examine several aspects of religiosity (involvement, intrinsic/extrinsic, fundamentalism, quest, history, and …

The Role Of Igf-1 And Notch Signaling In Thoracic Malignancies., Sandra Eliasz

Dissertations

Thoracic malignancies are one of the deadliest of all cancers, being the leading cause of cancer death in the Western world. Thoracic malignancies arise from different tissues; however the most common are of epithelial (commonly referred to as non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC), neuroendocrine (small cell lung cancer, or SCLC) and mesothelial origin (malignant mesothelioma, or MM). The DNA oncogenic virus Simian Virus 40 (SV40) has been shown to cooperate with environmental oncogenic fibers in the onset of MM. Insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling plays a central role in all thoracic malignancies and in the process of SV40-mediated …

Notch Signaling Is Important In The Survival, Proliferation, And Self-Renewal Of The Putative Breast Cancer Stem Cell Population, Peter Grudzien

Dissertations

Numerous studies have identified stem-like cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), in breast tumors and established cell lines. It has been hypothesized that CSCs are responsible for breast cancer formation, progression and recurrence; therefore, a deeper understanding of the signaling pathways regulating CSC survival will benefit development of novel therapeutic strategies. Notch signaling, which is dysregulated in breast cancer and has been implicated in mammary stem cell self-renewal, and can be effectively blocked by gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSIs). While GSIs are currently in clinical trials for breast cancer, it is not fully understood how these compounds will affect CSCs or if …

The Role Of Institutional Relations With Alumni Major Donors In Evangelical Higher Education, Brian Gardner

Dissertations

American higher education has never been more expensive. Its continued excellence and accessibility depends even more today on charitable subsidy. As previous beneficiaries of that charitable subsidy, alumni are the most logical benefactor of its sustenance. The relatively few alumni who can give most generously make the difference in the success of any fund raising effort. Understanding the motivation of alumni major gift prospects to give such gifts is therefore critical to securing them.

This study seeks to understand 1) the strategies and processes institutions employ in engaging alumni major donors, 2) the motivations of these donors to give or …

Anticancer Activity Of Phytolacca Americana Root Extracts And Their Fractions On Breast And Colon Cancer Cells., Lisa Maness Wishon

Dissertations

Phytolacca americana is an herbaceous plant native to North and South America and East Asia. Pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP) has been extracted from this plant and antiviral activity toward Chenopodium quinoa and other viruses has been cited. Conjugated to various monoclonal antibodies, PAP has been shown to inhibit HIV-1 replication and to arrest the proliferation of B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia blasts. Since studies involving the activities of P. americana extracts on various cancer cell lines are limited, the major objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the antiproliferative activity of three extracts from P. americana against human breast (MCF7) …

Coronavirus Replicase Proteins: Multifunctional Mediators Of Replication And Innate Immunity Evasion, Mark Anthony Clementz

Dissertations

Coronaviruses are positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses. The majority of the RNA encodes non-structural proteins (nsps) that are translated as a large polyprotein, which is cleaved by the papain-like (PLP) and picornavirus 3C-like (3CLpro) proteases. The nsps modify host membranes to produce double membrane vesicles (DMVs) upon which the replicase-transcriptase assembles and synthesizes viral RNA. nsp3, nsp4, and nsp6 are integral membrane proteins believed to be involved in DMV formation. Work presented here demonstrates that nsp4 is subjected to N-linked glycosylation and mutation of N258 to threonine in nsp4 confers a temperature sensitive phenotype to MHV-A59 infectious clone virus. This virus …

Towards A New Measure Of Playfulness: The Capacity To Fully And Freely Engage In Play, Rebecca Cornelli Sanderson

Dissertations

The current study involved the development and validation of a new measure of playfulness, the Project Joy Playfulness Scale (PJPS). The PJPS was designed specifically as a brief teacher-report measure for use in the preschool classroom. Playfulness was hypothesized to include four dimensions: Active Engagement, Internal Control, Joyfulness, and Social Connection. Blending academic knowledge with on-the-ground clinical experience, the measure was collaboratively developed and then tested in two separate phases of data collection.

In the first phase of the study, two hundred and twenty-two preschool students aged three to five were rated by two classroom teachers on the alpha version …

Investigating Fabrication Methods For Micro Single-Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Man Yang

Dissertations

A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is a green energy technology that offers a cleaner and efficient alternative to fossil fuels. The efficiency and utility of SOFCs can be enhanced by fabricating miniaturized component structures within the fuel cell footprint. This research focuses on the microfabrication of parallel-connected inter-digitized design of micro single chamber SOFC (µ-SC-SOFCs). In this dissertation, candidate micro/nano fabrication techniques to precisely fabricate micro patterns on planar substrates have been studied. These include EBL, soft lithography, photolithography, and direct-writing. After analyzing preliminary results, two combinational approaches were further investigated. The first method involves the combination of the …

Aging Effects On Acute Lung Inflammation After Burn Injury, Vanessa Nomellini

Dissertations

The risk of complications and death after a moderate sized burn injury is significantly higher in persons over the age of 65, while almost non-existant in young, healthy individuals. The studies outlined below use a murine model to determine the mechanisms behind the development of pulmonary complications that frequently occur in aged individuals following burn injury. We hypothesized that, since aged mice maintain an elevated proinflammatory state prior to injury, they are at an even greater risk of pulmonary inflammation than young mice given a comparable sized wound. We found that neutrophils continue to accumulate in the lungs of aged …

Unto Perfect Manhood: An Instrumental Case Study Of Leadership Formation In An African American Boys High School, Daniel Ivan Mackinney

Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates the influence of single-sex education on leadership formation at an all boys, urban Catholic high school where a majority of the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The researcher has found an association between graduation from a single-sex school and leadership attainment. In order to understand what it is about a single-sex education that might nurture leadership development the author completed an instrumental case study of the school seeking to identify those elements that might nurture leadership formation.

The theoretical framework for this study is based on the research of Wolf-Wendel (1998) who relies on institutional characteristics …

An Investigation Into Digital Media: Characteristics Of Learning Objects Which K-12 Teachers Determine Meet Their Instructional Needs, Patricia Ann Guthrie Edd

Dissertations

In recent years, learning objects have emerged as an instructional tool for teachers. Digital libraries and collections provide teachers with free or fee-base access to a variety of learning objects from photos and famous speeches to Flash animations and interactive Java Applets. Learning objects offer opportunities for students to interact with digital media in ways that can bring concepts and ideas to life. Students can visualize what changes in matter might look like and practice math skills like multiplying decimals. They can even receive instant feedback and interact with tutorials as many times as needed. The purpose of this mixed …

Gabab Regulation Of Methamphetamine-Induced Associative Learning, Robin Michelle Voigt

Dissertations

Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder for which strikingly few effective therapies exist, and there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for methamphetamine (Meth) addition. There is an immense need to identify the neurobiological underpinnings of psychostimulant addiction and develop efficacious drug therapies to compliment the current mainstay treatment of behavioral/cognitive therapy.

Re-exposure to cues associated with psychostimulants (e.g., drug paraphernalia) increase neuronal activity and can elicit drug-craving and -seeking; an effect which is profound and long-lasting. A mechanism to disrupt those brain processes which are necessary to maintain the association may reduce the incidence of cue-elicited relapse.

Conditioned place preference (CPP) …

Phospholipase D Signaling In T Cells, Uma Chandrasekaran

Dissertations

Antigen stimulation of T lymphocytes induces the activation of phospholipase D (PLD) signaling. Phospholipase D (PLD) is a phosphodiesterase that catalyzes the conversion of phosphatidyl choline (PC) to phosphatidic acid (PA). PA is an important lipid second messenger and is known to mediate a variety of cellular functions. However, the specific role of PA in T lymphocytes has not been established. Previous studies indicated differential requirement for TCR induced PLD signaling in regulatory and non-regulatory T cells. Inhibition of TCR induced PLD signal preferentially suppressed the growth of non-regulatory T cells while allowing the proliferation of regulatory T cells in …

B Lymphocyte Development In Galt, Venkata Arunachalam Yeramilli

Dissertations

In rabbits, the primary antibody repertoire is generated in the gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT), where bone marrow (BM)-derived B cells undergo a proliferative expansion and somatically diversify the immunoglobulin genes. Unlike in other species, B lymphopoiesis in rabbit arrests a few months after birth, and it is unclear how the peripheral B cell compartment is maintained when there is no influx of newly-made B cells from the BM.

For my dissertation, I investigated how B cells develop in the GALT of rabbits, and how they are maintained in adults after the arrest of lymphopoiesis. To identify cellular signals that promote …

Ethanol Impairs Mechanisms Of Macrophage Phagocytosis And Cytokine Production, John Karavitis

Dissertations

Extensive evidence indicates that alcohol (ethanol) consumption affects human health by altering normal physiological functions of the immune system. This study investigated the effect of a single in vivo exposure of macrophages to clinically relevant levels of ethanol (1.2 and 2.2 g/kg). Following 3 hour exposure, both doses of ethanol decreased ex vivo TNFα production by splenic and alveolar macrophages (AMs). Interestingly, the higher dose of ethanol resulted in sustained suppression of LPS-induced TNFα production at 3 and 6 hours post ethanol administration, as well as decreased IL-6 and IL-12 production after 6 hours, compared control treated groups. LPS or …

Uncommon Sense In Renaissance English Literature, Eric Byville

Dissertations

My project explores the distinctive union of Senecan tragedy and Elizabethan satire in Renaissance English drama, particularly the works of John Marston and William Shakespeare. Unlike Ben Jonson, who incorporated both Senecan tragedy and Elizabethan satire in his drama but did so in different plays (Catiline, Every Man Out), Marston and Shakespeare combined the two traditions in one and the same play, such as the former's Antonio's Revenge (1600) and The Malcontent (c. 1603) and the latter's Troilus and Cressida (1601) and Timon of Athens (c. 1606). They recognized and exploited a deep compatibility between the two traditions, a compatibility …

Your Change Is Still Behind: Futurity In Early Modern Literature, Tripthi Pillai

Dissertations

A study of Renaissance literature's engagement with temporality, my project is a critical evaluation of the concept of early modern futurity, of which I propose three categories: "Material futurity"; "Biological futurity"; and "Political futurity." In the moments that I identify in texts composed during the Tudor and early Stuart reigns in England, I demonstrate that the future--as an idea--structures individuals' actions and ruptures social formations. Futurity, which I define as a play of multiple desires that exist simultaneously within our present beings, is a volatile agent of imagination in early modern literature. Futurity collides with the cultural sites of memory …

Characterization Of Tram, A Required Bacteroides Fragilis Conjugal Apparatus Protein That Interacts With The B. Fragilis Putative Coupling Protein Bcta And The B. Fragilis Relaxase Protein Bmph, Mai Thi Thanh Nguyen

Dissertations

Bacteroides spp. organisms, the most prominent bacteria of the human colon, are reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes which promiscuously transfer within and from the genus via conjugation. The B. fragilis clinical isolate LV23 harbors a 37kb conjugative transposon, BTF-37. Two important conjugal apparatus proteins encoded by BTF-37 are BctA, a predicted coupling protein (CP) that powers DNA translocation, and ORF7 (TraM). In this study, we demonstrated that TraM exhibits characteristics of a required conjugal apparatus protein including 1) upregulated expression under conjugation conditions; 2) localization to the bacterial inner membrane; 3) interaction with the putative coupling protein BctA and the …

Morphogenesis Of The Bacillus Anthracis Spore, Michael Mallozzi

Dissertations

With the ability to shut down metabolism, survive exposure to high degrees of heat, ultra-violet and ionizing radiation, digestive enzymes, and antimicrobials, the bacterial spore is one of the most-resistant forms of life on earth. Although most spores are harmless, several species' spores cause serious diseases such as tetanus, anthrax, gas gangrene, botulism, and diarrhea. Spore-forming bacteria differentiate into spores in response to stresses (especially starvation) in a multi-stage developmental pathway involving the coordinated expression of hundreds of genes and the formation of specialized protective organelles which surround and protect the spore during dormancy. The Bacillus anthracis spore (the causative …

Involvement Of The Nmda Receptor In Moderate Ethanol Preconditioning-Dependent Neuroprotection From Amyloid-Beta In Vitro, Robert Matthew Mitchell

Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, mentally crippling, and eventually fatal form of dementia with growing prevalence in aging populations. In 2009 it was estimated that 5.3 million Americans have AD, with 5.1 million older than age 65 and 200,000 under 65. That accounts for 1 in 8 adults over 65. Furthermore, AD costs Americans 148 billion dollars in direct expenses, and is the leading cause of dementia and the 6th leading cause of death. Since improved medical care in general is increasing average life span and age is the primary risk factor for AD, there is need for basic …

Hindbrain Serotonin Neurons Activate 5-Ht1a Receptors In The Nucleus Tractus Solitarius (Nts) To Modulate Sympathetic And Ventilatory Recovery Following Hypotensive Hemorrhage, Ling-Hsuan Kung

Dissertations

Trauma is the leading cause of death of young people in the United States. Most such deaths result either from the initial blood loss or from secondary reperfusion injury following resuscitation.

Currently, the standard treatments for hypovolemic shock include volume resuscitation and using of vasoconstrictors to raise pressure. However, these treatments can exacerbate reperfusion injury, and require technical care when apply to patients. Therefore, novel therapies that can safely restore perfusion pressure are needed.

Our lab has found that 5-HT1A-receptor agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, increases perfusion pressure and improves acid-base balance in hypovolemic rats by stimulation of sympathetic-mediated increases in venous tone. …

Interpretive Teleology Without Eschatology: A Study Of The Hermeneutic Strategies Of Nietzsche's Genealogical Project, Darin Sean Mcginnis

Dissertations

In contemporary philosophy, there exists a vigorous debate between those thinkers who advocate the need for a truth that exists outside of historical forces and those who hold that all understanding must be historical in its basis. My research is focused on deciphering this problem by providing a description of how understanding and interpretation occur. More specifically, I have proposed a project that explores how the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche can give some insight into this problem of understanding truth. I argue that Nietzsche develops a method of interpretation - a hermeneutics - that focuses on the manner in …

Deconstructing Ihf-Mediated Inhibition Of The Complex Acs Promoter, David S. Thach

Dissertations

acs encodes a high affinity enzyme that permits survival during carbon starvation. As befits a survival gene, its transcription is subject to complex regulation. Previously, the Wolfe lab reported that CRP activates acs transcription by binding tandem DNA sites located upstream of the major acsP2 promoter and that the nucleoid protein IHF binds three specific sites located just upstream. The most proximal site (IHF III) exhibits reduced transcription compared to the full-length promoter or to a construct lacking all three IHF sites. The goal of my research was to understand how IHF III inhibits CRP-dependent acs transcription. First, I helped …

Developmental Characterization Of Cara Mitad: A Drosophila Nuclear Receptor Co-Regulator, Chhavi Chauhan

Dissertations

In insects and vertebrates, hormone titers drive cellular proliferation and differentiation events that guide proper development. Nuclear receptors (NR) respond to these hormone signals by activating cascades of gene expression, along with coregulator protein complexes. In Drosophila melanogaster, fluctuating titers of the steroid hormone ecdysone are responsible for coordinating the timing of organismal development. Despite major advances in our understanding of Drosophila NR activities, we lack essential knowledge of the coregulators that are required for their proper function.

We have recently identified the Drosophila cara mitad (cmi) (`dear half') gene. The deduced CMI protein is closely related to the N-terminal …

Mechanisms Of Ipsapirone-Mediated Neuroprotection Of Ethanol-Treated Fetal Rhombencephalic Neurons: Role Of Endogenous Antioxidants, Jongho Lee

Dissertations

Prenatal exposure to ethanol can cause serious damage to the developing central nervous system. Both in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate the vulnerability of the developing serotonergic system to the damaging effects of ethanol. However, treatment with a serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) agonist prevents the ethanol-associated apoptosis in developing 5-HT neurons. One mechanism by which 5-HT1A agonists exert their neuroprotective effects appears to involve activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3'kinase (PI-3K) pro-survival pathway and activation of NF-κB dependent anti-apoptotic genes. Additional NF-κB dependent genes might also be involved with the neuroprotective effects of ipsapirone.

There is also considerable evidence that ethanol augments …

Business Ethics And Global Age Cosmopolitanism, Isaias Ramon Rivera

Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of business ethics and business education. It is particularly focused on the Business Administration degree and the business ethics literature, while also considering university students, professors, and business practitioners. The key problem I address is how to create and teach an ethics of Global Age Cosmopolitanism (GAC). I approach this problem through a philosophical analysis focusing on political, economic, and educational principles. It is my hope that such an ethics will cause university professors and students to become engaged citizens who seek to solve the many problems that affect society and to sustain structural justice …