Digital Commons Network^™

Developmental Pathways To Conduct Problems, Danielle Dandreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study tests the predictions made by several causal theories proposing different etiologies for childhood-onset and adolescent-onset conduct problems. It investigates a variety of causal factors proven to be important for the development of antisocial behaviors, specifically neuropsychological/cognitive deficits, temperamental vulnerabilities, dysfunctional parenting, deviant peers, and rebelliousness. Current theories generally agree that the early onset pathway is distinguished by interactions between a child with a difficult temperament and dysfunctional parent-child interactions. However, theories differ as to whether they emphasize the temperament and neurocognitive deficits of the child, or the parenting behaviors. In the adolescent onset pathway, theories typically focus on …

Gendered Representations Of Jazz Vocal Artists: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Cd And Performance Reviews, And Interviews, Miroslava Jichova

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study of contemporary jazz discourse and gender applies the techniques of critical discourse analysis, inspired by M.A.K. Halliday's systemic functional linguistics and Norman Fairclough's qualitative critical discourse analysis, to explicate the unequal distribution of power in society as represented by the institutions of jazz and mass media, in discourse about jazz vocal artists. Specifically, the study focuses on the way the genres of jazz CD review, jazz performance review, and interviews with jazz artists – disseminated via the institutions JazzTimes and Live New Orleans – represent the artists' identities, roles, achievements and skills. Following Norman Fairclough and the feminist …

The Perspectives Of Male Inmates Regarding Their K-12 Educational Experiences, Shannon Paul Lafargue

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

All school systems throughout the country serve students referred to as at risk. Research documents that these students are at a greater risk of dropping out of school due to characteristics that contribute to school disengagement. By exploring the perspectives of male inmates aged 18-30 regarding their educational experiences, this study's data illuminated how school personnel and the schooling process may theoretically contribute to negative outcomes such as incarceration. The focus of the study was to identify commonalities and phenomena in relation to educational experiences, school engagement levels, deviant behavior, and school staff-student interactions as related to the at-risk student …

Identification And Characterization Of Enzymes Involved In Post-Translational Modifications Of Phycobiliproteins In The Cyanobacterium Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803, Crystal Miller

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to identify and characterize enzymes responsible for posttranslational modifications of phycobiliproteins (PBP) in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Asparagine 72 is methylated to produce gamma-N-methylasparagine on beta subunits of PBP in vivo. A candidate for this methyl transferase is CpcM (sll0487). Methylase assays showed that CpcM is specific for the beta subunits of PBP with no methylation on the homologous alpha subunits. CpcM methylates PBP after chromophorylation but before the PBP assemble into trimers. Candidates for the lyases responsible for attachment of phycocyanobilin to phycocyanin in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 are two cpeS-like …

Engineering Saccharomyces Ceresisiae For The Secretion Of An Extracellular Lipase, Gaynelle Stewart

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Developing microbial systems capable of converting low cost lipids into value added products depends on the ability to acquire substrates from the growth media. Saccharomyces cerevisiae can acquire free fatty acids from the growth media and a portion of these lipids can be converted into new lipid products. However, they cannot acquire complex lipids from the growth media unless a nonspecific lipase is included. To circumvent lipase addition, we are genetically engineering S. cerevisiae to secrete a lipase into the growth media. We selected the LIP2 gene from Yarrowia lipolytica, which encodes a nonspecific lipase. Several modifications were made to …

The Decline Of Fowler's Toad (Bufo Fowleri) In Southern Louisiana: Molecular Genetics, Field Experiments And Landscape Studies, Laura Sanders Vogel

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Two of the most pervasive threats to species biodiversity are invasive species and habitat loss and degradation. Invasive species are often relatively insensitive to disturbance and many expand their range into disturbed and fragmented habitats. This dissertation uses an interdisciplinary approach to investigate how anthropogenic habitat disturbance is precipitating a range expansion in an invasive toad species, Bufo nebulifer, which is driving a decline in its native congener, B. fowleri. I employed a remote sensing and GIS study using historical data to compare changes in the two species distributions and habitat changes, a molecular genetic study to identify interspecific hybrids …

Regulation Of Volume By Spermatozoa And Its Significance For Conservation Biology, Jennifer Barfield

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive science plays an important role in conservation biology. Quantitative studies of basic reproductive biology in wildlife are critical for the development of successful assisted reproductive technologies. Investigation of the volume regulatory mechanism of spermatozoa could produce options to improve the cryopreservation of spermatozoa and provide a non-hormonal contraceptive option for men, both of which could have significant impacts on global biodiversity preservation. Volume regulation of somatic cells involves the movement of osmolytes through various channels, including potassium channels. The potassium channels involved in volume regulation of human, monkey, and murine spermatozoa were investigated. Flow cytometry was used to gauge …

Surface Optochemical Sensors, Georgeta Crivat

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The objective of my research is to develop new surface optochemical sensors for studying cellular processes by investigating techniques to modify surface properties. The spectral characteristics of the modified surfaces and coatings are designed to show remarkable changes after interaction with analytes from biological fluids and cells. My studies focused on pancreatic cells and addressed the need for improved techniques to measure zinc release from pancreatic cells (chapter 3, 4) and to measure the metastasis potential of cancerous pancreatic cells (chapter 5). Chapter 3 describes the development of zinc sensing glass slides by conjugating a carboxylmodified ZnAF-2 to an amino …

Characterization Of Oligosaccharides And Nanoparticles By Maldi-Tof Mass Spectrometry, Bing Guan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The possibilities of differentiating linkage positions and anomeric configurations of small oligosaccharides by negative ion mode MALDI using anion attachment followed by PSD are investigated. By careful initial adjustment of the focusing mirror ratios allowing acquisition of the peaks of interest within the same PSD segment, it is possible to obtain highly reproducible relative ion abundances. Discrimination of different linkage types is achieved by analysis of structurally-informative diagnostic peaks offered by PSD spectra of chloride adducts of oligosaccharides, whereas the relative peak intensities of selected diagnostic fragment pairs make differentiation of anomeric configuration possible. F- and Ac- cannot form anionic …

Chemical, Toxicological, And Microbial Characterization Of New Orleans Sediments Following Hurricane Katrina, Andrea Liebl

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast and storm surges breached levees flooding much of New Orleans, Louisiana. One month after the storm, sediment was collected and toxicity was tested using Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos. Sediments with the highest contaminant levels showed the highest embryonic mortality and most delayed development. However, no sediment caused an increased mutant frequency. When the most contaminated site was resampled in February, 2006 contaminant levels and toxicity decreased. During toxicity testing, approximately 20% of embryos incubated with sediment from one of these sites died and turned red. A red bacterium was …

Comparative Genomics Reveals Functional Transcriptional Control Sequences In The Prop1 Gene, Robert D. Ward, Minchul Cho, S. A. Camper, Shannon W. Davis, Lori T. Raetzman, Timothy P.L. Smith, Constance Esposito, Robert H. Lyons, Jan-Fang Cheng, Edward M. Rubin, Simon J. Rhodes

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Mutations in PROP1 are a common genetic cause of multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD). We used a comparative genomics approach to predict the transcriptional regulatory domains of Prop1 and tested them in cell culture and mice. A BAC transgene containing Prop1 completely rescues the Prop1 mutant phenotype, demonstrating that the regulatory elements necessary for proper Prop1 transcription are contained within the BAC. We generated DNA sequences from the PROP1 genes in lemur, pig, and five different primate species. Comparison of these with available human and mouse PROP1 sequences identified three putative regulatory sequences that are highly conserved. These are located …

Development Of Conduct Problems In Girls: Testing Theoretical Models And Examining The Role Of Puberty, Cedar W. O'Donnell

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to understand girls' involvement conduct problems, this dissertation first reviews two existing theoretical approaches that provide an explanation for the development of conduct problems. Specifically, the available literature on the development and correlates of conduct problems in boys suggests the subtypes of conduct disorder represent two developmental trajectories. The adolescent-onset pathway is associated with deviant peers and few characterological problems, where as the childhood-onset pathway is associated with emotion regulation deficits, negative parenting, callous and unemotional traits, and neurological deficits. Research also suggests a gender-specific model, the delayed-onset model, for the development of conduct problems in girls. …

Development Of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes As Organic Catalysts And Efficient Ligands In Palladium Mediated Transformations, Rohit Singh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have emerged as appropriate replacements for phosphines in transition metal catalyzed cross-coupling chemistry. The advantages of NHCs over phosphines include ease of handling, minimal toxicity, stability and powerful electron donating properties. Improvement of catalytic processes has become increasingly relevant in light of prospective applications of organic transformations in industry as well as in synthetic laboratories. To that end, NHCs represent an important class of catalysts and catalyst modifiers which mandate continued research efforts. Prospective applications of processes catalyzed by NHCs and NHC-metal catalysts provide a strong impetus to develop them and related methodologies. This dissertation focuses on …

Reducing The Rate Of Recidivism For First-Time Juvenile Offenders With The Parent Monitoring Program, Pmp: A Family Counseling Intervention Program, Rhonda C. Vappie-Aydin

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of a family counseling intervention program called the Parent Monitoring Program (PMP) on reducing the rate of recidivism with first-time juvenile offenders in New Orleans, Louisiana. The PMP is a multimodal treatment intervention that combines individual, family, and group, counseling services to juvenile offenders and their families. Pugh, Force, Rault, and Triche (2000) reported that with effective and innovative family and community based intervention programs, juvenile offenders can be deterred from further delinquent behaviors. There is a great need for research studies to examine effective interventions that address reducing the rate of recidivism with juvenile …

Novice Special Education Teachers' Experiences With Students With Disabilities From Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds: The Effects Of Perceptions On Interactions, Sassy Cenita Wheeler

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Novice special education teachers often enter their professions with unique perspectives that contribute to the overall educational experience of their students. This research was designed to inform the existing literature revolving around novice special education teachers' experiences, and how they subsequently effect the perceptions and interactions engaged in with students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Five novice special education teachers who currently serve students with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds offered their unique perspectives for this research. This research study consisted of individual interviews, two direct classroom observations, and responses to three reflections of recent …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Novel Tropane Compounds As Potential Therapeutics For Drug Abuse, Harneet Kaur

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to search for potential therapeutic agents for cocaine addiction, a novel class of compounds was synthesized and evaluated for in vitro dopamine and serotonin transporter affinities. These unique 3ƒÀ-aryl-3ƒ¿-arylmethoxytropane analogues incorporated the structure of dopamine selective 2-substituted-3-phenyltropanes and the design of serotonin selective meperidine derivatives. In general, the 3ƒÀ-aryl-3ƒ¿-arylmethoxytropane analogues exhibited greater potency for the serotonin transporter than the dopamine transporter. The most potent compounds of this series were 3ƒÀ-phenyl-3ƒ¿.(3, 4-dichlorophenyl)methoxy-8.azabicyclo [3.2.1]nortropane (Ki = 0.06 nM) and 3ƒÀ-(4Œ-chlorophenyl)-3ƒ¿.(4-chlorophenyl)methoxy-8. azabicyclo[3.2.1]nortropane (Ki = 0.09 nM) at the serotonin transporter and their binding affinities were equipotent with paroxetine and fluoxetine …

Interview With Dianna Shandy, Professor Of Anthropology, Dianna Shandy

Anthropology Department Oral Histories

No abstract provided.

Protective Capactiy Of Mangroves During Tropical Storms: A Case Study From 'Wilma' And 'Gamma' In Belize, Elise F. Granek, Benjamin I. Ruttenberg

Biological Sciences

Globally threatened mangrove forest habitat is often considered an important buffer protecting coastlines from wave and storm impacts and coastal erosion. However, there is little empirical data quantifying the protective effects of mangroves during storms, primarily because of the difficulty of predicting where and when a storm will intersect the shoreline, to facilitate data collection before and after storm events. In 2005, opportunistic results from an ongoing study quantifying differences between intact and cleared mangrove areas on Turneffe Atoll, Belize, provided such pre- and post-storm data from tropical storms ‘Wilma’ (later a Category 5 Hurricane) and ‘Gamma’. We compared differences …

Reactive Probes For Two Photon Fluorescent Imaging And Sensing., Kevin Belfield, Katherine Schafer

UCF Patents

Two-photon flourescence imaging is fast becoming the premier technique for nondestructive, 3-D imaging in the biological and biomedical research fields, both in living and nonliving systems. This technology currently used in two-photon flourescene imaging emanates from conventional flourescence microscopy.

Low Molecular Weight Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (Lmw-Ptp) And Its Possible Physiological Functions Of Redox Signaling In The Eye Lens, Kuiyi Xing, Ashraf Raza, Stefan Lofgren, M. Rohan Fernando, Ye-Shih Ho, Marjorie F. Lou

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMW-PTP) was cloned from human lens epithelial B3 cells (HLE B3) and the recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity. The pure enzyme reacted positively with anti-LMW-PTP antibody, displayed tyrosine-specific phosphatase activity and was extremely sensitive to H2O2. The inactivated LMW-PTP could be regenerated by thioltransferase (TTase)/GSH system as demonstrated by both activity assay and by mass spectrometry (MS). The MS study also showed that an intramolecular disulfide bond was formed between C13 and C18 at the active site, and was reduced by the TTase/GSH system. The putative role of LMW-PTP in regulating platelet derived …

Biomarker Discovery Using Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation: Application To The Treatment Of Antiretroviral Resistant Hiv Infection, Oliver Bembom, Maya L. Petersen , Soo-Yon Rhee , W. Jeffrey Fessel , Sandra E. Sinisi, Robert W. Shafer, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Researchers in clinical science and bioinformatics frequently aim to learn which of a set of candidate biomarkers is important in determining a given outcome, and to rank the contributions of the candidates accordingly. This article introduces a new approach to research questions of this type, based on targeted maximum likelihood estimation of variable importance measures.

The methodology is illustrated using an example drawn from the treatment of HIV infection. Specifically, given a list of candidate mutations in the protease enzyme of HIV, we aim to discover mutations that reduce clinical virologic response to antiretroviral regimens containing the protease inhibitor lopinavir. …

Researchers Receive $500,000 Grant To Study Bone Health In Oc, Chapman University Media Relations

Chapman Press Releases 2003-2011

No abstract provided.

Chapman Professors Receive National Science Foundation Grants, Chapman University Media Relations

Chapman Press Releases 2003-2011

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of Dispersal And Life History Strategies – Tetrahymena Ciliates, Else J. Fjerdingstad, Nicolas Schtickzelle, Pauline Manhes, Arnaud Gutierrez, Jean Clobert

Publications and Research

Background Considerable attention has focused on how selection on dispersal and other core life-history strategies (reproductive effort, survival ability, colonization capacity) may lead to so-called dispersal syndromes. Studies on genetic variation in these syndromes within species could importantly increase our understanding of their evolution, by revealing whether traits co-vary across genetic lineages in the manner predicted by theoretical models, and by stimulating further hypotheses for experimental testing. Yet such studies remain scarce. Here we studied the ciliated protist Tetrahymena thermophila, a particularly interesting organism due to cells being able to transform into morphs differing dramatically in swim-speed. We investigated dispersal, …

All-Trans Retinoic Acid Mediates Enhanced T Reg Cell Growth, Differentiation, And Gut Homing In The Face Of High Levels Of Co-Stimulation, Micah J. Benson, Karina Pino-Lagos, Mario Rosemblatt, Randolph J. Noelle

Dartmouth Scholarship

We demonstrate that all-trans retinoic acid (RA) induces FoxP3(+) adaptive T regulatory cells (A-Tregs) to acquire a gut-homing phenotype (alpha 4 beta 7(+) CC chemokine receptor 9(+)) and the capacity to home to the lamina propria of the small intestine. Under conditions that favor the differentiation of A-Tregs (transforming growth factor-beta1 and interleukin 2) in vitro, the inclusion of RA induces nearly all activated CD4(+) T cells to express FoxP3 and greatly increases the accumulation of these cells. In the absence of RA, A-Treg differentiation is abruptly impaired by proficient antigen presenting cells or through direct co-stimulation. In the presence …

Monitor Newsletter August 06, 2007, Bowling Green State University

Monitor

Official Publication of Bowling Green State University for Faculty and Staff

A Duplex Theory Of Spike Coding In The Early Stages Of The Auditory System, Ismail Uysal, Harsha Sathyendra, John G. Harris

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We propose a duplex theory of spike coding in the early stages of the auditory system based on the intensity and noise levels of the acoustic stimuli. According to this concept, at low intensity levels, where auditory nerve firings cannot generate a high enough synchrony among neuron ensembles, rate coding is more likely favored against phase-locking via synchrony coding. To the contrary, at conversational intensity levels, phase synchrony coding is preferred due to its superior and highly noise robust performance. The theory is supported by both evidence from biology, as well as from experimental simulations using biologically plausible models of …

An Adaptive Bayesian Approach To Bernoulli-Response Clinical Trials, Andrew W. Stacey

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional clinical trials have been inefficient in their methods of dose finding and dose allocation. In this paper a four-parameter logistic equation is used to model the outcome of Bernoulli-response clinical trials. A Bayesian adaptive design is used to fit the logistic equation to the dose-response curve of Phase II and Phase III clinical trials. Because of inherent restrictions in the logistic model, symmetric candidate densities cannot be used, thereby creating asymmetric jumping rules inside the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm. An order restricted Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is implemented to account for these limitations. Modeling clinical trials in a Bayesian framework …

Human Muc4 Mucin Induces Ultra-Structural Changes And Tumorigenicity In Pancreatic Cancer Cells., N. Moniaux, P. Chaturvedi, G. C. Varshney, Jane L. Meza, J. F. Rodriguez-Sierra, J-P Aubert, Surinder K. Batra

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

MUC4 is a type-1 transmembrane glycoprotein and is overexpressed in many carcinomas. It is a heterodimeric protein of 930 kDa, composed of a mucin-type subunit, MUC4alpha, and a membrane-bound growth factor-like subunit, MUC4beta. MUC4 mRNA contains unique 5' and 3' coding sequences along with a large variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) domain of 7-19 kb. A direct association of MUC4 overexpression has been established with the degree of invasiveness and poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer. To understand the precise role of MUC4 in pancreatic cancer, we engineered a MUC4 complementary DNA construct, mini-MUC4, whose deduced protein (320 kDa) is …

Summer 2007 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin

UTPB Commencement Programs

Summer 2007 Commencement - August 3, 2007