Digital Commons Network^™

High Energy Radiation Activates Nuclear Factor- Kapppa B In Mice, Georgette Kendrea Rolle

Theses (Pre-2016)

Astronauts aboard the space station are subject to the hazardous effects of ionizing radiation and microgravity. They receive an average of 80mSv radiation for a sixmonth stay in the space, which is more than 30 times as much as the average human on Earth receives. Exposure to ionizing radiation causes i􁪽creased ionization in the cells and tissues which severely affects the central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, and bone marrow. Chronic irradiation causes cancer, birth anomalies, erythema, and dysfunctions to almost all organs of the body depending on the total dose and site of irradiation. Ionizing radiation, through signs of inflammation, …

Expression Of P21 And P27 In Gallbladder Cancer, Fawzi M. Alsheyab, Moroug T. Ziadeh, Kamal E. Bani-Hani

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of p21 and p27 factors in gallbladder cancer (GBC), and to correlate their expression with clinicopathological parameters: age, gender, stage, invasion, and grade. METHODS: Thirty-two surgically resected specimens were collected between 1994-2001 from different health centers in north Jordan. Tissues belong to 25 females and 7 males were examined immunohistochemically. The study took place in the Pathology Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan. RESULTS: Levels of p21 were found in 75% and p27 in 25%. Furthermore, p21 was expressed in 50% of the specimens which are belong to patients with ages <64 years, whereas all specimens for ages >64 years …

Reasons For Drinking In The College Student Context: The Differential Role And Risk Of The Social Motivator, Joseph W. Labrie, Justin F. Hummer, Eric R. Pedersen

Heads Up!

Objective

The present study examines the relationships among reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences in two college-aged samples. Personal motivators such as mood enhancement and coping (tension reduction) have consistently been shown to predict problematic alcohol use, but because of the salient nature of social drinking in college, we hypothesized that social reasons for drinking would be most frequently endorsed and, in turn, predict negative consequences.

Method

Two distinct samples—119 coed adjudicated students sanctioned by the university for violating campus alcohol policy and 106 co-ed volunteer students—completed measures assessing alcohol consumption, reasons for drinking, and consequences. Differential effects …

Interpreting Force Concept Inventory Scores: Normalized Gain And Sat Scores, Vincent P. Coletta, Jeffrey A. Phillips, Jeffrey J. Steinert

Physics Faculty Works

Preinstruction SAT scores and normalized gains (G) on the force concept inventory (FCI) were examined for individual students in interactive engagement (IE) courses in introductory mechanics at one high school (N=335) and one university (N=292), and strong, positive correlations were found for both populations (r=0.57 and r=0.46, respectively). These correlations are likely due to the importance of cognitive skills and abstract reasoning in learning physics. The larger correlation coefficient for the high school population may be a result of the much shorter time interval between taking the SAT and studying mechanics, …

The Voice Of Dioneo: Women In Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, Caitlin E. Williams

Honors Scholar Theses

Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, a famous piece of Italian literature written during the early Renaissance period, has created much debate among critics about its ambiguous position as a feminist, or anti-feminist piece of literature. This study seeks to explore this popular debate by examining Dioneo, one of the ten narrators Boccaccio creates for this collection. Dioneo is commonly referred to as the main voice of Boccaccio, or as the leader of the narrators. His character provides some of the most feminine stories within the Decameron as well as the most mysogynistic tale. Dioneo acts as a transgressor throughout the piece …

A Household To Be Gathered-The Anointing At Bethany And The Day Of Jesus' Death In The Gospel According To John, Jonathan A. Blanke

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Blanke, Jonathan A. "A Household to Be Gathered: The Anointing at Bethany and the Day of Jesus' Death in the Gospel according to John." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2007.224 pp.

This dissertation focuses on the theological significance of the anointing at Bethany in the Fourth Gospel and its relationship to the passion and death of Jesus. The dissertation responds to the conclusion of much twentieth-century scholarship that John 12:1-7 is essentially meaningful as a text that evolved from an oral tradition comparable to other anointings of Jesus with perfume by unnamed women in the Synoptic Gospels. It supplements this prior …

Soil Microbial Community Response To Hexavalent Chromium In Planted And Unplanted Soil, Ioannis Ipsilantis, Mark S. Coyne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Theories suggest that rapid microbial growth rates lead to quicker development of metal resistance. We tested these theories by adding hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] to soil, sowing Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), and comparing rhizosphere and bulk soil microbial community responses. Four weeks after the initial Cr(VI) application we measured Cr concentration, microbial biomass by fumigation extraction and soil extract ATP, tolerance to Cr and growth rates with tritiated thymidine incorporation, and performed community substrate use analysis with BIOLOG GN plates. Exchangeable Cr(VI) levels were very low, and therefore we assumed the Cr(VI) impact was transient. Microbial biomass was reduced …

Analysis Of Yeast Codon Usage Patterns Using The Movable Orf Collection, Nunut Butarbutar

Theses

The relationships between codon usage and protein expression levels have been extensively studied in various organisms. Highly expressed genes have often been shown to have stronger compositional codon bias. However, previous studies often failed to separate the effects of regulatory control from codon usage patterns. These studies have also been deficient with respect to both gene and protein coverage. In this study, we investigated the role of codon usage patterns in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the Movable Open Reading Frame (MORF) collection library. The new collection is based on the recent annotation of yeast genome and is made with high– efficiency …

Non-Thiol Reagents Regulate Ryanodine Receptor Function By Redox Interactions That Modify Reactive Thiols, Benjamin S. Marinov, Rotimi O. Olojo, Ruohong Xia, Jonathan J. Abramson

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Ca(2+) release channel (CRC) from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is rich in thiol groups, and their oxidation/- reduction by thiol reagents activates/inhibits the CRC. Most channel regulators are not thiol reagents, and the mechanism of their action is illusive. Here the authors show that many channel activators act as electron acceptors, while many channel inhibitors act as electron donors in free radical reactions. The channel activator, caffeine, and the CRC inhibitor, tetracaine, are shown to interact competitively, which suggests that there exists a common site(s) on the CRC, that integrates the donor/acceptor effects of ligands. Moreover, channel activators shift the …

Toward A Common Currency: Using Item Response Theory To Adjust For Grading Inconsistency, Daniel W. Allen

Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Honors Projects

Grading inconsistency results from the application of different standards such that grades provide an inaccurate, and sometimes misleading, evaluation of student performance. Many attempts to correct for grading inconsistency have either not accurately corrected for inconsistency or have been too complicated to constitute politically feasible solutions to the problem. Within this context, Item Response Theory (IRT) is offered as a solution to grading inconsistency. IRT corrects for inconsistencies in the distributions yielded by the various grading practices of professors and departments as well as the failure of current practices to accurately account for differing student quality by course.

Silent Sacrifices: The Impact Of “Don’T Ask, Don’T Tell” On Lesbian And Gay Military Families, Kathi Westcott, Rebecca Sawyer

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

The sacrifices of the nation's 65,000 lesbian, gay, and bisexual military personnel2 and the one million lesbian, gay, and, bisexual veterans, however, have only recently garnered significant attention.3 Media stories such as that of former Army Sergeant Bleu Copas, an Arabic linguist with the 82nd Airborne, illustrate the impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law on individual service members as well as the law's impact on the military's personnel needs.4 Yet the impact of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on gay military families has garnered little public attention because few families headed by a same-sex couple, in which one partner …

A Right To Choose?: Sex Selection In The International Context, Ashley Bumgarner

Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy

While there is some debate among doctors, ethicists, and the general public about the level of medical necessity that should justify a sex-selection procedure, most accept that sex selection for medical reasons is beyond ethical reproach, and in some situations, should even be encouraged.9 However, elective, non-medical sex-selection, which is often performed for social or financial reasons, is the subject greater scrutiny and impassioned ethical debate.10 Currently, doctors and geneticists are able to diagnose more than five hundred separate medical conditions in a developing fetus.11 Among these conditions are devastating genetic diseases such as hemophilia, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, Huntington's …

Identification And Control Of Pest Slugs And Snails For Broadacre Crops In Western Australia, Svetlana Micic, Ken Henry, Paul Horne

Bulletins 4000 -

The numbers of slugs and snails have increased in broadacre cropping in Western Australia with the use of minimum tillage and stubble-retention practices. The organic content of paddocks increases under such systems, providing an increased food source especially to young slugs and snails. Soil moisture content is greater over summer leading to higher survival levels of slugs and snails.

Slug and snail pests in Australia have come from other countries, mainly the Mediterranean region. They damage plant seeds (mainly legumes), recently germinated seeds, seedlings and leaves and can be a contaminant of grain at harvest.

Trihalomethane Formation Potential In Two Kentucky Reservoirs., Richard Scott Pirkle 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water treatment facilities strive to provide potable drinking water to the community which they service. The most common way of insuring drinkable water that is free of pathogens is water chlorination, but this can lead to the production of carcinogenic disinfection byproducts. This study looks at two drinking water reservoirs that have known United States Environmental Protection Agency minimum contaminant level violations of trihalomethanes (THMs), a disinfection byproduct. Physical and chemical parameters of the two lakes were measured over the course of 13 months and analyses indicated that nitrate and soluble reactive phosphorus, along with temperature and pH, played a …

Probing The Role Of Nascent Helicity In Protein Function: P27kip1 As A Regulator Of The Cell Cycle, Steve Otieno

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

p27^kip1 binds to and regulates the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) which are the master timekeepers of the cell division cycle. Members of the p27 family of proteins, also including p21 and p57, are called cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs). The amino terminal domain of p27 inhibits Cdk activity and is referred to as the kinase inhibitory domain (KID). The KID is comprised of a cyclin-binding domain (D1) and a Cdk binding domain (D2) joined by a 22 residue linker domain (LH). Structural analysis of the KID in solution before binding its Cdk targets revealed that D1 and D2 are …

Strategic Competition And Resistance In The 21st Century: Irregular, Catastrophic, Traditional, And Hybrid Challenges In Context, Nathan P. Freier Mr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The 2005 National Defense Strategy introduced the now prolific concept of the four challenges--traditional, irregular, catastrophic, and disruptive. Reference to the challenges is now an essential feature of defense deliberations. Yet in spite of the concept’s central place in the defense debates in and out of government, there have been persistent gaps in how the individual challenges are defined and how they should be applied in defense and security policymaking. Written by one of two working-level strategists responsible for the 2005 defense strategy’s conceptual development, this monograph addresses that deficit. It provides the reader with the foundational substance underwriting the …

Evolutionary Theory And Political Leadership:Why Certain People Do Not Trust Decision Makers, Kevin Smith, Christopher W. Larimer, Levente Littvay, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Central to social systems are the attitudes of the rank and file toward those who make political decisions (leaders), and attitudes toward leaders are known to be characterized by two fundamental features. First, the modal attitude is acceptance of the necessity of leaders coupled with acute aversion to leaders who are believed to be motivated by ambition and avarice; second, people are highly variable with some being markedly more sensitive than others to the traits of leaders. But the theoretical basis for these empirical facts has yet to be fully elucidated. In this article, we offer such a theory by …

The Role Of Hepatocyte Growth Factor In The Differentiation Of Dendritic Cells From Peripheral Blood Monocytes, Mehmet Sonmez, Ercument Ovali, Tamer Dikmen, Mustafa Yilmaz, Murat Erturk, Bircan Sonmez, Serdar B. Omay

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To find out the effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the development of dendritic cells (DC) from the peripheral monocytes. METHODS: The study was carried out in Black Sea Technical University Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey between 2003-2004. Seven different cytokine combinations were employed to assess phenotypical and functional differences of DCs from the peripheral monocytes in serum free culture media. Peripheral monocytes were incubated in media with cytokines for 5 days. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was added to the cell culture on day 5 and incubated for another 2 days. Surface and co-stimulating molecules on the cells were …

Homeostasis Status Between Prooxidants And Antioxidants As A Potent Marker In Iranian Preeclamptic Patients, Mohammad H. Dehghan, Ahmad Daryani, Robabeh Dehghanan

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To measure the plasma oxidant, lipid peroxidation and antioxidants, ascorbate, to magnify the prooxidants and antioxidants status as a marker of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: Included in the study were 50 preeclamptic and 100 normotensive pregnant women of singleton gestations in their third trimester, presented in Allavi Hospitals in Ardabil province of Iran from August 2004 to April 2005. Among these patients plasma malonaldehyde (MDA) and vitamin C concentration were analyzed. Blood samples (5 ml) were collected aseptically in heparin bulb. Spectrophotometric methods were employed to determine the plasma concentrations of vitamin C. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences software was …

Level Of Health Awareness Of Saudi Patients On Renal Replacement Therapy, Fayez F. Hejaili, Hani Tamim, Ghormullah A. Ghamdi, Ahmed I. Flaiw, Abdulaziz A. Al-Juhani, Saadi M. Taher, Abdulgader M. Jumani, Mohamed B. Ghalib, Abdulmalik M. Katheri, Amal S. Al-Shami, Abdulla A. Al-Khader

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To assess health awareness in patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey using a 22-item questionnaire in 143 randomly selected adult RRT patients [40 on hemodialysis (HD), 61 on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and 42 with renal transplant (TX)]. The study was carried out at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Riyadh in April 2006. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate patients9 knowledge in 5 areas: 1. causes of renal failure, 2. biology of the kidneys, 3. symptoms of kidney disease, 4. therapeutic options available, 5. national kidney patients support facilities. The association between …

Survey Of Operative Outcome For Aortic Dissection, Rezayat Parvizi, Nasrollah Maghamipour, Naser Safaei, Susan Hassanzadeh

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To survey the results of operative outcome for aortic dissection. METHODS: A retrospective study on 46 patients, admitted for operation in Shahid Madani Heart Hospital in Tabriz, Iran from 1994-2003. A questionnaire was used for collecting data. Statistical analysis was performed and was carried out through a descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS: We included 30 males (65%) and 16 females (35%). Seven (15.2%) died in the operating room before surgery, while 39 patients (59% male and 41% female) underwent surgery. The mean age of patients was 48.9 ± 2.3 years old. Pre-operative diagnosis was carried out by transesophageal echocardiography and …

Evaluation Of Independent Prognostic Importance Of Hyperuricemia In Hospital Death After Acute Myocardial Infarction, Shahram Homayounfar, Mostafa Ansari, Khosro M. Kashani

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of hyperuricemia (serum uric acid level greater than 7 mg/dl) as an independent short term (in hospital) prognostic factor after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Included in the study were 2218 patients who were hospitalized with well established AMI from June 1996 through to December 2002 in the Coronary Care Unit of Ekbatan General Hospital, Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. All patients with exclusive criteria, were omitted from study. Furthermore, frequency of hyperuricemia in patients (N=59) who expired after AMI was compared with patients (N=104) whom were discharged from the hospital after AMI. RESULTS: …

Adiposity And Physical Activity Levels Among Preschool Children In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Hazzaa M. Al-Hazzaa, Amani A. Al-Rasheedi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To assess the levels of adiposity and physical activity among Saudi preschool children from Jeddah. METHODS: Participants included 224 Saudi preschool children, randomly selected from public and private preschools in Jeddah during April and May of 2006, using a multistage stratified sampling technique. Measurements included weight, height, body mass index, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, fat percentage, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), FM index (FMI) and FFM index (FFMI), time spent watching television and physical activity levels using electronic pedometer for 3 continuous days during weekdays. RESULTS: The fat content averaged 20.6% of body weight, while the prevalence of …

Population Viability Analysis Of Monk Parakeets In The United States And Examination Of Alternative Management Strategies, Stephen Pruett-Jones, James R. Newman, Christian M. Newman, Michael L. Avery, James R. Lindsay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the United States, monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) are expanding their geographical distribution, and their overall population size is growing exponentially. Monk parakeets are causing widespread economic damage in the United States by nesting on utility structures, which leads to electrical fires and power outages. Although few life history data are available for the species from North America, extensive data are available from the species’ native range in South America. Incorporating data from South America into the population viability analysis program VORTEX, we simulated population growth in United States monk parakeets to determine whether it is likely that …

Cholesterol-Lowering Properties Of Plant Sterols Esterified With Beef Tallow Fatty Acids In Hamsters, David M. Guderian Jr., Heather E. Rasmussen, Curtis A. Wray, Patrick Dussault, Timothy P. Carr

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Plant sterol esters (PSE) reduce plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration by inhibiting cholesterol absorption. Previous work in our laboratory indicated that PSE containing stearic acid (SA), compared to linoleic acid, were significantly more effective at reducing cholesterol absorption. We tested the cholesterol lowering properties of PSE containing fatty acids from beef tallow, a natural and abundant source of SA. Male hamsters were fed diets containing 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, or 5.0% beef tallow PSE for 4 weeks. Dose-dependent reductions (P < .05) were observed in cholesterol absorption, liver esterified cholesterol, and plasma nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration; hamsters fed 5.0% PSE exhibited reductions of 56%, 98%, and 38%, respectively, compared to controls. Concurrent increases (P < .05) in fecal sterol excretion were also observed. In a second hamster study, the cholesterol-lowering properties of beef tallow PSE were compared to hamsters fed molar equivalents of free plant sterols (PS) and free SA. Beef tallow PSE were significantly more effective at reducing liver and plasma cholesterol concentrations than PS and SA consumed individually. Whether PS and SA act through independent or synergistic mechanisms will require further research, although the present findings support the use of dietary PSE containing beef tallow fatty acids in the management of hypercholesterolemia.

Acceptor Splice Site Prediction, Eric Foster

Theses

Gene finding is an important aspect of biological research. The state of gene finding is such that many approaches exist yet the problem itself is still largely unsolved. The various signals involved in gene location and modification offer a window of opportunity for the accurate prediction of genes. Many algorithms attempt to break down the problem of gene prediction into smaller portions focusing on various signals and properties. The individual study of these signals becomes warranted. This work focuses on splice site prediction, and more specifically, acceptor splice site prediction. Several current approaches, weight matrix models and Markov models, are …

Iir Modeling Of Interpositional Transfer Functions With A Genetic Algorithm Aided By An Adaptive Filter For The Purpose Of Altering Free-Field Sound Localization, Dereck Padden

Theses

The psychoacoustic process of sound localization is a system of complex analysis. Scientists have found evidence that both binaural and monaural cues are responsible for determining the angles of elevation and azimuth which represent a sound source. Engineers have successfully used these cues to build mathematical localization systems. Research has indicated that spectral cues play an important role in 3-d localization. Therefore, it seems conceivable to design a filtering system which can alter the localization of a sound source, either for correctional purposes or listener preference. Such filters, known as Interpositional Transfer Functions, can be formed from division in the …

Fecundity And Survival Of The Calanoid Copepod Acartia Tonsa Fed Isochrysis Galeana (Tahitian Strain) And Chaetoceros Mulleri, Angelos Apeitos

Master's Theses

Historically, red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) larviculture at the Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) used 25 ppt artificial salt water and mixed, wild zooplankton composed primarily of Acartia tonsa, a calanoid copepod. Acartia tonsa was collected from the estuarine waters of Davis Bayou and bloomed in outdoor tanks from which it was harvested and fed to red snapper larvae. We are developing a more controlled copepod mass culture system to support finfish larviculture. To that end, I examined the effect of single species versus mixed species of algae as food for the copepods. Wild A. tonsa were isolated and reared in …

A Study Of Personality And Student Involvement On The College Campus, Kera Bisson

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This study examined optimism and locus of control and their relationship to student involvement on and off-campus. The participants were 94 undergraduate students, male and female, ages 18 to 22. Participants completed three scales; Optimism Scale, Locus of Control Scale, and Involvement Scale. The results were analyzed using a correlational matrix. Optimism was significantly related to student involvement. Locus of control, contrary to predictions, was not significantly related to student involvement. Conclusions are drawn about optimism’s role in student involvement and about how student involvement may increase optimism.

Structural Adjustment Programs And The Delivery Of Health Care In The Third World, Bianca Brunelli

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

World Bank and International Monetary Fund became involved in the 1982 Third World debt crisis in order to solve global economic difficulties. While these institutions were not created for this purpose, after a series of economic shocks in the 1970s, they swept in order to alleviate the economic difficulties Third World countries faced. By following a strict regime of neoliberal inspired policies, they attempted to alleviate the debt crunch. Despite intentions, the World Bank’s and IMF’s involvement has exacerbated poverty in the Third World. As demonstrated, key factors in structural adjustment programs have impeded health care delivery and have contributed …