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2007

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Prenatal Lead Exposure In Karachi: Magnitude, Determinants And Effect On Birth Weight, Naveed Zafar Janjua Jan 2007

Prenatal Lead Exposure In Karachi: Magnitude, Determinants And Effect On Birth Weight, Naveed Zafar Janjua

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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Relationships Between Body Size And Abundance In Ecology, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, A. J. Kerkoff, B. J. Enquist Jan 2007

Relationships Between Body Size And Abundance In Ecology, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, A. J. Kerkoff, B. J. Enquist

Biology Faculty Publications

Body size is perhaps the most fundamental property of an organism and is related to many biological traits, including abundance. The relationship between abundance and body size has received much attention, both to quantify the form of the relationship and to understand the processes that generate it. However, progress is impeded by the underappreciated fact that there are four distinct, but inter-related, relationships between size and abundance that are often confused in the literature. Here, we review and distinguish between these four patterns, and discuss the linkages between them. We argue that a synthetic understanding of size and abundance relationships …

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Ecological Correlates Of Geographic Range Occupancy In North American Birds, A. H. Hurlbert, Ethan P. White Jan 2007

Ecological Correlates Of Geographic Range Occupancy In North American Birds, A. H. Hurlbert, Ethan P. White

Biology Faculty Publications

The degree to which a species is predictably encountered within its range varies 36 tremendously across species. Understanding why some species occur less frequently within their 37 range than others has important consequences for conservation and for range map based analyses 38 of ecological patterns. We examined whether patterns in geographical range occupancy can be 39 explained by species level traits.

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Challenges In The Application Of Geometric Constraint Models, C. R. Mcclain, Ethan P. White, A. H. Hurlbert Jan 2007

Challenges In The Application Of Geometric Constraint Models, C. R. Mcclain, Ethan P. White, A. H. Hurlbert

Biology Faculty Publications

Discerning the processes influencing geographic patterns of species richness remains one of the central goals of modern ecology. Traditional approaches to exploring these patterns have focused on environmental and ecological correlates of observed species richness. Recently, some have suggested these approaches suffered from the lack of an appropriate null model that accounts for species’ ranges being constrained to occur within a bounded domain. Proponents of these null geometric constraint models (GCMs), and the mid-domain effect these models produce, argue their utility in identifying meaningful gradients in species richness. This idea has generated substantial debate. Here we discuss what we believe …

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Vision Becoming Joy: The Desert In History And Imagination, Douglas E. Christie Jan 2007

Vision Becoming Joy: The Desert In History And Imagination, Douglas E. Christie

Theological Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

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The Decreasing Ontological Density Of The State In Catholic Social Doctrine, Patrick Mckinley Brennan Jan 2007

The Decreasing Ontological Density Of The State In Catholic Social Doctrine, Patrick Mckinley Brennan

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

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Reconciling Evangelization And Dialogue Through Love Of Neighbor, Amelia J. Uelmen Jan 2007

Reconciling Evangelization And Dialogue Through Love Of Neighbor, Amelia J. Uelmen

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

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The Doubtful Validity Of Victim-Specific Libel Laws, Nat Stern Jan 2007

The Doubtful Validity Of Victim-Specific Libel Laws, Nat Stern

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

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Legal Ethics And Scientific Testimony: In Defense Of Manufacturing Uncertainty, Deconstructing Expertise And Other Trial Strategies, David S. Caudill Jan 2007

Legal Ethics And Scientific Testimony: In Defense Of Manufacturing Uncertainty, Deconstructing Expertise And Other Trial Strategies, David S. Caudill

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Combined Exposure To Ethanol And Ionizing Radiation On The Antioxidant Status Of In Vitro And In Vivo Models, Joshua Ogony Jan 2007

Effects Of Combined Exposure To Ethanol And Ionizing Radiation On The Antioxidant Status Of In Vitro And In Vivo Models, Joshua Ogony

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ethanol and ionizing radiation exposure are independently known to cause tissue damage through various mechanisms. Non-enzymatic and enzymatic metabolism of ethanol, the latter via the cytochrome P₄₅₀2E1-dependent pathway, produces free radicals which deplete cellular glutathione (GSH). Ionizing radiation exposure has been shown to induce lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, protein oxidation, and GSH depletion, as well. It was postulated that initial exposure to ethanol, followed by ionizing radiation, would result in heightened oxidative stress. The in vitro model used in this investigation was HepG2 cells (human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line), while the in vivo model was Cd-1 mice"--Abstract, page iii.

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The Development And Application Of A Systematic Approach To Evaluating An Academic Department's Brand Meaning, Cassandra C. Elrod Jan 2007

The Development And Application Of A Systematic Approach To Evaluating An Academic Department's Brand Meaning, Cassandra C. Elrod

Doctoral Dissertations

"Research of existing literature indicates that below the university level, there has been little effort made in branding academia, namely academic departments. The lack of branding may significantly affect the perceptions that potential students and future employers of these students have about one of these academic units. The impact may be most significant for units where the fields of study that are represented by the department may be unclear, such as in the case of engineering management. However, even in the cases of better-understood fields of study, for example, electrical engineering, the competition for students with other fields of study …

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Localization And Function Of G2e3, William Samuel Brooks Jan 2007

Localization And Function Of G2e3, William Samuel Brooks

All ETDs from UAB

A microarray study was performed which identified G2E3 as a novel, putative ubiquitin ligase that was both G2/M-specific in expression and down regulated at the transcriptional level following DNA damage by γ-irradiation. The initial characterization of this protein is described herein. G2E3 is composed of three PHD/RING (plant homoedomain/really interesting new gene) domains within its amino-terminal half and a carboxy-terminal HECT (homologous to E6AP carboxy-terminus) domain. G2E3 is regulated in part by its subcellular localization. The protein normally resides within the nucleoplasm of cultured cells and distinctly within the nucleolus of HeLa cells. G2E3 is a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein with …

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Loss Of Pias3 Expression In Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors:Implications For Stat-3 Activation And Gene Expression, Emily Claire Brantley Jan 2007

Loss Of Pias3 Expression In Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors:Implications For Stat-3 Activation And Gene Expression, Emily Claire Brantley

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of cancer in the central nervous system in adults. Because of the infiltrative and aggressive nature of GBM, current treatments including surgical resection, radiation and chemotherapy provide little benefit to patients diagnosed with this tumor. Median survival, after treatment, is less than one year. Despite advances in the basic understanding of cancer biology, this poor prognosis has remained virtually unchanged for several decades. Given the continuing difficulty of clinical treatment of GBMs, a molecular appreciation of relevant signaling pathways has grown. Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs) function to activate gene …

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Characterization Of A Novel Acetyltransferase Found Only In Pathogenic Strains Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, David K. Crossman Jan 2007

Characterization Of A Novel Acetyltransferase Found Only In Pathogenic Strains Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, David K. Crossman

All ETDs from UAB

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), is still a major threat to the human population. Roughly one third of the world population is asymptomatically infected and two million people die each year of TB. Effective treatments are available as a multi-drug regimen, but there is an ever increasing problem with the rise of multi-drug resistant strains that newer drug targets and a better understanding of how M. tuberculosis affects the host need to be elucidated. The primary target of M. tuberculosis in the human host is the macrophage where M. tuberculosis secretes virulence factors that inhibit various signal …

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The Molecular Biology Of Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination In Reptiles, Keela Dodd Jan 2007

The Molecular Biology Of Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination In Reptiles, Keela Dodd

All ETDs from UAB

Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a type of environmental sex determination in which the egg’s incubation temperature determines the sex of the embryo. The exact physiology of TSD is not yet understood. Hormones and temperaturetriggered genes have been hypothesized to play a role. This study evaluates putative male and female factors that may play a role in TSD. Regarding female factors, this study evaluates clutch sensitivity to estradiol-17β and an aromatase inhibitor, and estradiol- 17β’s potential role in müllerian duct differentiation. Regarding male factors, this study also quantifies SOX9 mRNA during TSD in untreated and estradiol-17β treated embryos. In the …

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Pneumococcal Choline-Binding Protein A: Its Role In Virulence And Its Utility As A Streptococcus Pneumoniae Vaccine Antigen, David Tawayne Glover Jan 2007

Pneumococcal Choline-Binding Protein A: Its Role In Virulence And Its Utility As A Streptococcus Pneumoniae Vaccine Antigen, David Tawayne Glover

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. S. pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, and otitis media. Although all age groups can be affected, children and the elderly are espccially susceptible to infection. Currently there is a conjugate vaccine available for use, but this vaccine only contains capsular polysaccahride antigens from the seven most prevelant S. pneumoniae serotypes. The use of the conjugate vaccine has led to serotype shift, with more disease being caused by non-vaccine serotype bacteria. The studies presented in this dissertation identify and characterize a novel S. penumoniae vaccine candidate …

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Localization Properties For The Unitary Anderson Model, Eman F. Hamza Jan 2007

Localization Properties For The Unitary Anderson Model, Eman F. Hamza

All ETDs from UAB

We study a unitary version of the one-dimensional Anderson model, given by a five diagonal deterministic unitary operator multiplicatively perturbed by a random phase matrix. This operator models the time evolution of an electron in a one-dimensional metal ring subject to a magnetic field that linearly increases with time. We fully characterize positivity and vanishing of the Lyapunov exponent for this model for arbitrary distributions of the random phases. This includes Bernoulli distributions, where in certain cases a finite number of critical spectral values, with vanishing Lyapunov exponent, exists. Thus, we prove that for all non-trivial distributions the model has …

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Competition In Multistable Vision Is Attribute-Specific, Jon K. Grossmann Jan 2007

Competition In Multistable Vision Is Attribute-Specific, Jon K. Grossmann

All ETDs from UAB

Ambiguous figures are visual stimuli with multiple competing interpretations. The different possible interpretations are mutually exclusive, and perception fluctuates from one interpretation to the next over time. Natural scenes are inherently ambiguous as well. A pair of two-dimensional retinal images does not instantaneously provide sufficient information to deduce the full three-dimensional layout and identities of objects in the scene. We investigate how the visual system uses internally stored models of objects and scenes to interpret and understand visual information. Ambiguous figures provide an experimental microdomain in which to investigate this top-down process in vision. In one set of experiments, we …

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Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention With Genistein And Resveratrol In Models Of Spontaneously Developing Prostate Cancer, Curt E. Harper Jan 2007

Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention With Genistein And Resveratrol In Models Of Spontaneously Developing Prostate Cancer, Curt E. Harper

All ETDs from UAB

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. The goal of this research was to investigate the potential of three nutriceutical polyphenols, genistein, resveratrol, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), to suppress prostate cancer. Cancer chemoprevention and mechanism of action studies were carried out in transgenic models of prostate cancer. In TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate (TRAMP) model, resveratrol suppressed poorly differentiated tumors by 86%, whereas EGCG suppressed precancerous lesions, but failed to prevent late-stage prostate cancer. Agents that were chemopreventive in the TRAMP model were subsequently evaluated alone, and in combination, in the …

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Mcmv Induced Cerebellar Maldevelopment, Thadeus B. Koontz Jan 2007

Mcmv Induced Cerebellar Maldevelopment, Thadeus B. Koontz

All ETDs from UAB

Congenital Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children. While most of the systemic damage incurred by the infant in the course of the infection resolves without permanent consequence, the pathological manifestations of infection in the central nervous system (CNS) are often permanent. Children born with congenital HCMV infection may exhibit hearing loss and cognitive impairment in various degrees. These neurological disabilities are correlated with pathological findings in various permutations including infection of the inner ear, ventricular calcifications, ventriculomegaly, microgyria, lissencephaly, and cerebellar hypoplasia. To develop a therapeutic or preventive strategy, HCMV …

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Teaching Reading Using Informational Texts In Third Grade Classrooms: A Case Study In An Urban School District, Dimple J. Martin Jan 2007

Teaching Reading Using Informational Texts In Third Grade Classrooms: A Case Study In An Urban School District, Dimple J. Martin

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of these multiple descriptive case studies was to describe and analyze the perspectives of three third grade classroom teachers and two third grade reading coaches regarding the use of informational texts and their influence on reading instruction. The research design involved interviews, and observations using a sample composed of three third grade classroom teachers and two third grade reading coaches in five urban, public elementary schools in the Southeastern United States. The aim of this research was to portray a vivid description of the reading episodes in third grade classrooms. The key findings from the study were that …

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Kainate Receptor Modulation Of Synaptic Transmission In Neocortex, Seena S. Mathew Jan 2007

Kainate Receptor Modulation Of Synaptic Transmission In Neocortex, Seena S. Mathew

All ETDs from UAB

The actions of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are tightly regulated to ensure effective information processing as well as prevention of excess excitatory activity, which can lead to seizures and neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Drugs which enhance the effects of GABA are used as anesthetics, sedatives and anticonvulsants. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings from neocortical neurons, we examined the mechanisms of GABAergic modulation that occur when kainate receptors (KARs) are activated. First, we address a novel signaling mechanism for the KAR-mediated facilitation of GABAergic synaptic transmission. Our first observation involved the presence of presynaptic KARs located on the …

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Sperm Production And Vitellogenesis As Biomarkers Of Endocrine Disruption In The Male Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Paul D. Melvin Jan 2007

Sperm Production And Vitellogenesis As Biomarkers Of Endocrine Disruption In The Male Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Paul D. Melvin

All ETDs from UAB

Estrogenic compounds of anthropogenic origin enter the environment from several different sources, including domestic wastewater and agricultural runoff. Natural estrogens, synthetic estrogens, and estrogen breakdown products have been identified in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. These compounds have direct and indirect effects on the endocrine systems of organisms living in the receiving waters. Male mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) have been suggested as model bioindicator organisms for endocrine disruption by estrogenic compounds for a variety of reasons, including their hardiness, broad environmental tolerances (including temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen), widespread geographical distribution, and ease of use in the laboratory. We examined two …

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Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells And The Insulin-Like Growth Factor System In Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, Sudipto Mukherjee Jan 2007

Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells And The Insulin-Like Growth Factor System In Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, Sudipto Mukherjee

All ETDs from UAB

The goal of this study was to determine the influence, if any, of the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell tractional force generation and the contributions of vitreous insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) towards control of IGF activity. Another objective was to evaluate RPE cells as a potential source of all six high-affinity IGFBPs and to determine if IGFBP biosynthesis is modulated in concert with phenotype changes and growth factor stimuli known to be present in disease. RPE generate tractional forces in response to IGF-I and -II with IGF-I being the more potent stimulus. Differential …

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Association Between The Exposure To Aflatoxin And Micronutrient Status Of Hiv Infected Adults In Ghana, Francis Ayodele Obuseh Jan 2007

Association Between The Exposure To Aflatoxin And Micronutrient Status Of Hiv Infected Adults In Ghana, Francis Ayodele Obuseh

All ETDs from UAB

Aflatoxins, found naturally in some foods are toxic metabolites of some Aspergillus species.They constitute the most potent hepatocarcinogens known and are also mutagenic and hepatotoxic. The preponderance of evidence indicates that aflatoxin is the major cause of hepatocellular cancer. In studies conducted in Africa, food-borne aflatoxin exposure is common (Oyelami et al. 1996; Egal et al. 2005). There is a critical need for additional information on health outcomes associated with exposure to aflatoxin in humans, especially in developing countries with a higher degree of malnutrition and likelihood of HIV infections. We sought to test the hypothesis that aflatoxin B1 and …

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Regulation Of Vertebrate Gastrulation By Erbb Signaling, Shuyi Nie Jan 2007

Regulation Of Vertebrate Gastrulation By Erbb Signaling, Shuyi Nie

All ETDs from UAB

ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases have long been implicated in cancer formation and progression by regulating cell division, migration, and survival. ErbBs are also essential in multiple processes during invertebrate development; however, their activities during vertebrate embryogenesis are not well understood. For functional characterization of ErbB signaling during vertebrate development, frog model Xenopus laevis was used in our studies. The expression pattern and the general activities of ErbB receptors during early frog development were first analyzed and results shown that ErbBs regulate gastrulation, somite organization and head patterning. As gastrulation is the first major morphogenetic event in vertebrate development, I focused …

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Genetic And Epigenetic Modulation Of Telomerase Activity In Development And Disease, Sharla Marion Ostein Phipps Jan 2007

Genetic And Epigenetic Modulation Of Telomerase Activity In Development And Disease, Sharla Marion Ostein Phipps

All ETDs from UAB

The end replication problem of linear chromosomes leads to the erosion of telomeric DNA with each cell division. A mechanism to counteract telomeric attrition involves the activity of the specialized ribonucleoprotein telomerase. Expression of the catalytic subunit of telomerase, hTERT, is tightly regulated and this regulation is achieved through both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Activators such as c- MYC and SP1 and repressors such as MAD1, Menin, and p53 mediate hTERT transcription. Epigenetic control mediated by DNA methylation and histone modifications such as methylation and acetylation can reversibly and potently regulate telomerase activity. Not only is there synergism between the …

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Trafficking Of Hantaviral Nucleocapsid Proteins, Harish N. Ramanathan Jan 2007

Trafficking Of Hantaviral Nucleocapsid Proteins, Harish N. Ramanathan

All ETDs from UAB

Hantaviruses are enveloped, negative-sense RNA viruses belonging to genus Hantavirus, within the family Bunyaviridae. Hantaviruses include many serious human pathogens and are classified as Old and New World based on the geographic distribution of rodent reservoirs and their ability to in induce distinct illnesses in humans. Currently there are no reservoirs known for hantaviruses other than the rodents. Human transmission of hantaviruses occurs via inhalation of aerosolized rodent excreta leading to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantavirus genome consists of small (S), medium (M) and large (L) segments that encode nucleocapsid (N) protein, two …

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The Role Of Complement In Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis, Russell W. Read Jan 2007

The Role Of Complement In Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis, Russell W. Read

All ETDs from UAB

The complement system has been increasingly implicated in the pathophysiology of autoimmune disease. Complement expression in the normal human eye had not been previously completely defined. We performed immunohistochemical studies for membrane complement proteins in normal human retina to provide a baseline for future studies. We found expression of the anaphylatoxin receptors, CD55, and CD59 in the inner retina and CD46 in a polarized fashion on the retinal pigment epithelium. Previous studies in uveitis have shown activated fragments of complement in human eyes with uveitis and animal models have shown an effect on disease by complement depletion with cobra venom …

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Pathogenesis And Therapeutic Potential Of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells In Siv/Shiv-Infected Macaques, R Keith Reeves Jan 2007

Pathogenesis And Therapeutic Potential Of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells In Siv/Shiv-Infected Macaques, R Keith Reeves

All ETDs from UAB

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are among the first responders during acute viral infections and are the primary producers of IFN-α, a cytokine known to inhibit viral replication and to activate natural killer (NK) cells. In HIV patients pDCs are decreased in number, are dysfunctional, and can harbor HIV-1 proviruses. However, since the time of transmission is usually unknown, pDC-virus interactions immediately after exposure to HIV remain unclear. Using the SIV/SHIV-macaque model, we showed that an acute and sustained loss of blood pDCs occurred during SIVmac239 infections, and when compared to those from naïve controls, pDCs were also significantly reduced in …

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