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2008

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Investigations Of The Roles Of G Protein-Coupled Receptors And Receptor Tyrosine Kinases In Metabolic Syndrome And Cancer, Lakshmi Rajan Pillai Aug 2008

Investigations Of The Roles Of G Protein-Coupled Receptors And Receptor Tyrosine Kinases In Metabolic Syndrome And Cancer, Lakshmi Rajan Pillai

Theses and Dissertations

The study utilizes the yeast two-hybrid system to try and unravel the molecular link between the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) and the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK). The fourth melanocortin receptor (MC4R) and the angiotensin receptor AT1 are both GPCRs while the insulin receptor (IR) and the epidermal growth factor receptor subtype-2 (ErbB2) belong to the RTK family. Alteration in the functioning of MC4R receptor can cause obesity. Development of insulin resistance and diabetes is a risk factor associated with obesity. Overexpression of the ErbB2 receptor is seen in a number of breast cancers. The interaction between the AT1 and ErbB2 …

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Human Lumbar Nuclear Intervertebral Disc Prosthesis: An Experimental Study, Wuraola F. Larinde Aug 2008

Human Lumbar Nuclear Intervertebral Disc Prosthesis: An Experimental Study, Wuraola F. Larinde

Theses and Dissertations

Low back pain is also a vast socioeconomic issue which costing American taxpayers more than $50 billion yearly. Estimates state that up to 75% of low back pain is caused by lumbar degenerative disc disease. The nucleus seems plays a critical role in pain related to disc degeneration; it is the starting point of the degenerative cascade. All of these factors make it the focus of novel treatment options. The goal of this study is to create idealized models to determine the shape of nuclear implant best suited to resist the standard shear and torsional stresses that are generated in …

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Hydrogen Production Through Water Gas Shift Reaction Over Nickel Catalysts, Agus Haryanto Aug 2008

Hydrogen Production Through Water Gas Shift Reaction Over Nickel Catalysts, Agus Haryanto

Theses and Dissertations

The progress in fuel cell technology has resulted in an increased interest towards hydrogen fuel. Consequently, water gas shift reaction has found a renewed significance. Even though iron- and copper-based catalysts have been used for water gas shift reaction for decades, the catalysts are not strong enough to bring carbon monoxide concentration to a level tolerable for a fuel cell working at low temperatures. This study is focused on hydrogen production from water gas shift reaction using a nickel catalyst. Literature review revealed that nickel is one of the promising catalysts for water gas shift reaction. A thermodynamic analysis proved …

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Secondary Career And Technical Student Achievement Measured By The Mississippi Career Planning And Assessment System, Shelley Hemphill Bock Aug 2008

Secondary Career And Technical Student Achievement Measured By The Mississippi Career Planning And Assessment System, Shelley Hemphill Bock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of teacher attributes and school contextual factors to student achievement in career and technical education in Mississippi. The teacher attributes years of teaching experience, degree(s) of attainment, professional development, and national board certification were included as independent variables. Additionally, the contextual factors of enrollment, academic achievement, and socio-economic status were included as independent variables. The statewide standardized assessment for career and technical education was used as the dependent variable measuring student achievement at the school district, career and technical program area, and individual career and technical course levels. The predictor …

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Sequence Analysis Of The 16s-23s Intergenic Spacer Regions Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Lorelei Melissa Ford Aug 2008

Sequence Analysis Of The 16s-23s Intergenic Spacer Regions Of Flavobacterium Columnare, Lorelei Melissa Ford

Theses and Dissertations

The 16S, 23S, and 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are highly conserved sequences in bacteria. For this reason, rRNA genes are often used for phylogenetic classification. On the other hand, the regions between the structural sequences, known as intergenic spacer regions (ITS), are under less evolutionary pressure to be conserved. Because they are not as highly conserved, they can be used to differentiate strains of the same bacterial specie. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the 16S-23S ITS of Flavobacterium columnare, an important pathogen of cultured fish, by comparing the 16S-23S ITS sequences from 70 isolates. We developed …

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Porcine Embryogenesis And Effects Of Mycotoxins On Early Pig Development, Hongfeng Wang Aug 2008

Porcine Embryogenesis And Effects Of Mycotoxins On Early Pig Development, Hongfeng Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of culture media and mycotoxin on porcine preimplantation embryonic development has been investigated. In the first experiment, porcine embryonic cleavage rates were similar in NCSU-23 and PZM-3 culture media, while more blastocysts were produced in PZM-3 (P<0.05). BAX and BCL2L1 transcription levels were similar in blastocysts cultured in both media. Cleavage rates were significantly decreased in the presence of cycloheximide (P<0.05), and both á-amanitin and cycloheximide completely inhibited blastocyst formation. In the mycotoxin experiment, porcine embryonic cleavage rates decreased in 10 ìM á-ZEA group, while blastocyst rates decreased in 30 ìM á-ZEA group (P<0.05). Total cell numbers of blastocysts were significantly lower in the 10 µM á-ZEA group (P<0.05). The transcription levels of POU5F1 and BCL2L1 were similar, while that of BAX and the ratio of BAX/BCL2L1 significantly increased in 3 ìM and 10 ìM á-ZEA groups compared to control group.

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Potentiation Of Microglial Toll-Like Receptor Stimulated Inflammatory Cytokine Output By Manganese: A Role For P38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, Patrick L. Crittenden Aug 2008

Potentiation Of Microglial Toll-Like Receptor Stimulated Inflammatory Cytokine Output By Manganese: A Role For P38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, Patrick L. Crittenden

Theses and Dissertations

Manganese (Mn) neurotoxicity has been recognized for a long time and it affects primarily the basal ganglia. However, only recently has inflammation, which is known to play an important role in neuropathology, been considered as part of its toxic mechanism. In the current study, we have shown that Mn-potentiation of inflammatory cytokines ( IL-6 and TNF-á) in microglia is not dependent on the activaton of the Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 signaling pathway by lipolysaccharide (LPS), as potentiation by Mn is observed in microglia activated with agonists for other TLR, such as TLR2, TLR3, and TLR9. Furthermore, enhancement of inflammatory cytokine production …

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Steam, Dielectric Heating And Copper Sulfate Treatment Of Inshell Pecans, Mandar Ranchhod Patel Aug 2008

Steam, Dielectric Heating And Copper Sulfate Treatment Of Inshell Pecans, Mandar Ranchhod Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Water and a copper sulfate (CSL) solution at 27, 57 and 88°C; steam pasteurization and dielectric heating were analyzed on their effect in reducing microbial load (APC) and Salmonella Typhimurium on inshell pecans (Carya illinoinensis). The CSL solution (more effective than water alone) reduced APC by 1.5 (300 s), 2 (60 s) and 4.0 (60 s) log CFU/g at 27, 57 and 88°C, respectively; and Salmonella by 3.0 log at 27°C in 60 s. Steam reduced APC by 3.7 log in 180 s and Salmonella by 4.0 log CFU/g in 30 s. Dielectric treatment reduced APC by 3.0 log and …

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Review Of Diagnostic Methods In The Most Cited Articles For Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, And Binge-Eating Disorder, Rebecca Chapman Roberts Aug 2008

Review Of Diagnostic Methods In The Most Cited Articles For Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, And Binge-Eating Disorder, Rebecca Chapman Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic practices utilized in studies of participants with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder were investigated. A reliable coding system was used by two reviewers to analyze the diagnostic documentation practices in articles from the top-thirty most cited articles for each diagnostic category. Interrater agreements were all above .95. Results showed that many important diagnostic practices and criteria are either not being employed or not being documented. Uniform reporting procedures are necessary to help readers know how each article’s sampling procedure and subject pool differs from other samples used in the literature. Researchers reported the most details about sample …

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Physiological Impact Of Hematocrit Level During Stress In Broilers, Lindsay Hale Mcwilliams Aug 2008

Physiological Impact Of Hematocrit Level During Stress In Broilers, Lindsay Hale Mcwilliams

Theses and Dissertations

Initial experiments evaluated the impact of hematocrit on a bird’s ability to adapt to stress and what physiological mechanisms occurred to maintain oxygen carrying capacity (OCC). A final experiment was conducted to obtain proteomic evaluation of protein expression in monocytes of unstressed broilers. In initial experiments, ACTH treatment was applied to hematocrit separated broilers. Experiments evaluated effects of ACTH on broilers with low (19 to 22%, Experiment 1; 18-21%, Experiment 3), high (25 to 28%, Experiment 1; 24 to 27%, Experiment 3) or non-selected hematocrit levels (Experiment 2 and 3). After 4 d of ACTH, all treated birds had significantly …

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The Dynamics Of Trematode Infected And Uninfected Planorbella Trivolvis In Commercial Catfish Ponds, Barbara Ann George Aug 2008

The Dynamics Of Trematode Infected And Uninfected Planorbella Trivolvis In Commercial Catfish Ponds, Barbara Ann George

Theses and Dissertations

Planorbella trivolvis, a snail routinely found in catfish ponds, is an intermediate host in the life cycle of Bolbophorus damnificus, a digenetic trematode responsible for mortalities in catfish. This research generated information on the life cycle and the population dynamics of P. trivolvis in catfish ponds which could be implemented to control P. trivolvis. Research indicated that: P trivolvis is present year-round; survives overwintering at water temperatures of 5°C; reproduces year-round; is found in vegetation, sediment and water in ponds year-round; lays eggs two months post-hatch; and has a life span of at least one year. Planorbella trivolvis infected with …

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Molecular Based Identification Of Wood Decay Fungi From Two Field Sites In Mississippi, Robert Joseph Bucci Aug 2008

Molecular Based Identification Of Wood Decay Fungi From Two Field Sites In Mississippi, Robert Joseph Bucci

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on isolating important wood decay fungi from two field sites located in Harrison County, MS, and Oktibbeha County, MS. Southern Yellow Pine samples of various types and treatments including: Cu8, CuOm, ACQ, PCP, proprietary organic biocide, and un-treated were collected, and fungal isolates were cultured. DNA was extracted from isolated fungal cultures and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The internal transcribe spacer (ITS) region was sequenced, and fungal cultures were identified by comparison to sequences on GenBank using BLAST. A total of 68 fungal isolates were recovered and successfully identified from 196 samples. Thirteen basidiomycete isolates …

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Multiple Positive Solutions For Classes Of Elliptic Systems With Combined Nonlinear Effects, Jaffar Ali Shahul Hameed Aug 2008

Multiple Positive Solutions For Classes Of Elliptic Systems With Combined Nonlinear Effects, Jaffar Ali Shahul Hameed

Theses and Dissertations

We study positive solutions to nonlinear elliptic systems of the form: \begin{eqnarray*} -\Delta u =\lambda f(v) \mbox{ in }\Omega\\-\Delta v =\lambda g(u) \mbox{ in }\Omega\\\quad~~ u=0=v \mbox{ on }\partial\Omega \end{eqnarray*} where $\Delta u$ is the Laplacian of $u$, $\lambda$ is a positive parameter and $\Omega$ is a bounded domain in $R^n$ with smooth boundary $\partial\Omega$. In particular, we will analyze the combined effects of the nonlinearities on the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions. We also study systems with multiparameters and stronger coupling. We extend our results to $p$-$q$-Laplacian systems and to $n\times n$ systems. We mainly use sub- and …

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Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Mechanisms Associated With The Establishment Of A Model Invasive Species In Mississippi: Imperata Cylindrica, D Christopher Holly Aug 2008

Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Mechanisms Associated With The Establishment Of A Model Invasive Species In Mississippi: Imperata Cylindrica, D Christopher Holly

Theses and Dissertations

Of concern in this research were the ecological parameters associated with the establishment of a model invasive plant species, Imperata cylindrica, across a scale of ecological organization. Specifically, the study addressed the species’ ability to: differentially respond to abiotic and biotic constraints during seedling establishment, exhibit a novel underground competitive interference mechanism, and alter the decomposition dynamics in newly invaded ecosystems. Finally, the last portion of the research was centered around creating a predictive habitat model that will provide information on the most important variables responsible for creating habitat for this species. The population level seedling study indicated that soil …

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The Impact Of Principal Salary, District Wealth, Student Socioeconomic Status And School Size On The Achievement Level Of Students In Selected Mississippi Public Schools, Michael Henry Mcneece Aug 2008

The Impact Of Principal Salary, District Wealth, Student Socioeconomic Status And School Size On The Achievement Level Of Students In Selected Mississippi Public Schools, Michael Henry Mcneece

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of four variables, principal salary, district wealth, student socioeconomic status, and school size, on the achievement level of public school students in Mississippi. The first, principal salary, was found not to have been studied as a variable that may correlate with student achievement. One may have hypothesized that more effective principals would correlate with increased student achievement test scores and that those principals would have been rewarded with higher salaries. The results of this study did not support that idea. The data indicated that there was no meaningful correlation between …

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The Use Of A Behavior Screener To Predict Outcomes On High Stakes Tests For Elementary School Students, Rebecca Anne Emens Aug 2008

The Use Of A Behavior Screener To Predict Outcomes On High Stakes Tests For Elementary School Students, Rebecca Anne Emens

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have consistently shown that teachers’ ratings of behavior were predictive of academic difficulties. While research has clearly indicated that behavior has a reciprocal relationship with academic achievement, there is a scarcity of research on the relationship between outcomes on high stakes tests and student behavior. Early identification of children at risk for academic difficulties is vital for successful intervention and remediation. Therefore, this researcher investigated use of a brief behavior screener as a predictor of students at risk for failing a high stakes test. Results from the Behavior Assessment System for Children–Teacher Rating Scale–Child Screener (BASC-TRS-C Screener) provided an …

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Understanding Health Inequality Through The Study Of Living Arrangements, Tzei Hsu Aug 2008

Understanding Health Inequality Through The Study Of Living Arrangements, Tzei Hsu

Theses and Dissertations

Promoting population health is an essential task for sustainable development. This study explores the association between socioeconomic status and perceived health in the United States, with special attention on the influence of living arrangements. It also improves the existing explanations of causal mechanisms underlying the impact of SES on health among Americans over 50. Using the first and seventh waves of Health and Retirement Study to run ordered logistic regression, this research addresses the importance of living arrangements and social capital on self-reported health. Income and education are both important predictors of self-reported health. In addition, living arrangements and household …

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Determination Of Polyphenol Oxidase (Ppo) Activity, Anthocyanin Contents And The Phytonutrient Changes In Blueberry Juice As Influenced By Different Processing Methods, Jelena Stojanovic Aug 2008

Determination Of Polyphenol Oxidase (Ppo) Activity, Anthocyanin Contents And The Phytonutrient Changes In Blueberry Juice As Influenced By Different Processing Methods, Jelena Stojanovic

Theses and Dissertations

Inhibition of blueberry PPO activity by sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite and their influence on degradation of individual anthocyanins in an extract was studied. Maceration of blueberries was carried out at 55ºC for 1h with the addition of 0.1% sodium benzoate or with blanching pretreatment at 90ºC for 1min. After maceration pretreatments the extracted juice was processed with traditional hot fill pasteurization, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and pulsed electric field (PEF). Sodium benzoate and potassium metabisulfite were very effective PPO inhibitors in concentrations of 0.1% and 10ppm, respectively. Potassium sorbate was the weakest inhibitor, with 50% PPO remaining. …

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Summer 2008 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin Aug 2008

Summer 2008 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin

UTPB Commencement Programs

Summer 2008 Commencement - August 8, 2008

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Strong As The Weakest Link: Medical Response To A Catastrophic Event, Eileen Salinsky Aug 2008

Strong As The Weakest Link: Medical Response To A Catastrophic Event, Eileen Salinsky

National Health Policy Forum

Natural disasters and acts of terrorism have placed a spotlight on the ability of health care providers to surge in response to catastrophic conditions. This paper reviews the status of efforts to develop the capacity and capabilities of the health care system to respond to disasters and other mass casualty events. Strategies for adapting routine medical practices and protocols to the demands posed by extraordinary circumstances and scarce resources are summarized. Existing federal roles, responsibilities, and assets relative to the contributions of state and local government and the private sector are described, including specific programmatic activities such as the Strategic …

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Application Of The Historic Preservation Index Strategy To Historic Vernacular Landscape, Sonal D. Parmar Aug 2008

Application Of The Historic Preservation Index Strategy To Historic Vernacular Landscape, Sonal D. Parmar

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The aim of this study is to form a matrix for the understanding and preservation approach for Historic Vernacular Landscapes applying the Historic Preservation Index strategy. The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) Historic Landscape Initiative (HLI), which promotes responsible preservation practices that protect the nation's designed landscapes, is developing an index of historical designed landscapes. The goal of the index is to create a comprehensive, searchable database for prioritizing and realizing future nominations for the National Register of Historic Places. This study evaluates the ongoing process for creating the index for historical designed landscapes on parameters identified by the National …

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Biology And Therapy Of Fibromyalgia. Evidence-Based Biomarkers For Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Dina Dadabhoy, Leslie J. Crofford, Michael Spaeth, I. Jon Russell, Daniel J. Clauw Aug 2008

Biology And Therapy Of Fibromyalgia. Evidence-Based Biomarkers For Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Dina Dadabhoy, Leslie J. Crofford, Michael Spaeth, I. Jon Russell, Daniel J. Clauw

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Researchers studying fibromyalgia strive to identify objective, measurable biomarkers that may identify susceptible individuals, may facilitate diagnosis, or that parallel activity of the disease. Candidate objective measures range from sophisticated functional neuroimaging to office-ready measures of the pressure pain threshold. A systematic literature review was completed to assess highly investigated, objective measures used in fibromyalgia studies. To date, only experimental pain testing has been shown to coincide with improvements in clinical status in a longitudinal study. Concerted efforts to systematically evaluate additional objective measures in research trials will be vital for ongoing progress in outcome research and translation into clinical …

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How Do We Spend Our Time?: Evidence From The American Time Use Study, Jean Kimmel Editor Aug 2008

How Do We Spend Our Time?: Evidence From The American Time Use Study, Jean Kimmel Editor

Upjohn Press

This book offers contributions from a number of noted economists who use the American Time Use Survey to reveal findings that have numerous implications for the U.S. labor market. The authors examine topics such as child care, housework, household production and consumption, and shift work. In each case, the focus is on the value of time and how time spent on one activity instead of another represents value gained for the first activity and value lost for the second.

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Plant Recruitment In A Northern Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forest: Testing Seed- And Leaf Litter- Limitation Hypotheses, Scott R. Abella Aug 2008

Plant Recruitment In A Northern Arizona Ponderosa Pine Forest: Testing Seed- And Leaf Litter- Limitation Hypotheses, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Seed availability and leaf litter limit plant establishment in some ecosystems. To evaluate the hypothesis that these factors limit understory plant recruitment in Pinus ponderosa forests, I conducted a seeding and litter removal experiment at six thinned sites in the Fort Valley Experimental Forest, northern Arizona. Experimental seeding of four native species (Penstemon virgatus, Erigeron formosissimus, Elymus elymoides, and Festuca arizonica) and raking of litter occurred in 2005. Seeding resulted in a substantial recruitment of 14 to 103 seedlings/m2 (1 to 10/ft2) one month after seeding for two species (P. virgatus and E. elymoides), but these densities subsequently declined by …

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Interim Report 30 June 2008, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank Aug 2008

Interim Report 30 June 2008, Hypo Alpe Adria Bank

Documents

No abstract provided.

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08/07/2008 Obituary Records, Hawaii Obituaries Aug 2008

08/07/2008 Obituary Records, Hawaii Obituaries

Obituaries

List of Obituaries for individuals who passed away on 08/07/2008. Scroll down to see the names and obituary description.

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University Of Montana Events Monday, Aug. 11, Through Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations Aug 2008

University Of Montana Events Monday, Aug. 11, Through Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

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Expression Of The Gtp And Atp Specific Isoforms Of Succinyl -Coa Synthetase In Mouse And Human., Kristin Nora Tews Aug 2008

Expression Of The Gtp And Atp Specific Isoforms Of Succinyl -Coa Synthetase In Mouse And Human., Kristin Nora Tews

Theses and Dissertations

Succinyl-CoA synthetase (SCS) in eukaryotes is an alpha-beta heterodimer with the nucleotide specificity residing within the beta subunit. It was previously believed that animals have the GTP-specific isoform, while plants and bacteria possess the ATP-specific isoform. However, recent work demonstrated that both isoforms of SCS exist in mammals, and the cDNA sequences for the GTP and ATP-specific beta subunits have been determined for mouse and human. The complete genomic sequence for any of the subunits of SCS in a eukaryotic organism had not been elucidated. The promoter structures of the SCS subunits, as well as the relative expression of the …

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Characterization Of Src -Suppressed C -Kinase Substrate (Ssecks) In Rat Primary Sensory Neurons., Sandra Marie Siegel Aug 2008

Characterization Of Src -Suppressed C -Kinase Substrate (Ssecks) In Rat Primary Sensory Neurons., Sandra Marie Siegel

Theses and Dissertations

SSeCKS (src suppressed C kinase substrate) is a proposed protein kinase C substrate that has been localized in the peripheral and central nervous system. In this study, approximately 40% of small primary sensory neurons in the DRG contain SSeCKS-immunoreactivity with many of these cells devoid of SP (4.8%), CGRP (4.7%), or FRAP reactivity (45.0%). In the spinal cord, SSeCKS-immunoreactive axon collaterals terminate in the dorsal third of lamina IIouter suggesting that these fibers are unmyelinated C-, or small diameter myelinated Aδ-, fibers. Additionally, capsaicin treatment essentially obliterated SSeCKS immunoreactivity in the dorsal horn. Quantitative analysis of dorsal root ganglia revealed …

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The Role Of Phosphorylation On The Stability Of The Type Iα Regulatory Subunit Of Camp -Dependent Protein Kinase., Clay Edward Comstock Aug 2008

The Role Of Phosphorylation On The Stability Of The Type Iα Regulatory Subunit Of Camp -Dependent Protein Kinase., Clay Edward Comstock

Theses and Dissertations

A fundamental question in the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) field is how a multi-functional kinase, like PKA, can maintain specificity of a response. Modulating the post-translational levels of the regulatory subunit (RIα) of PKA may be one important means of determining PKA specificity. The Ecdysone-inducible Receptor (EcR)-HEK293 cell line was utilized to examine the hypothesis that an in vivo phosphorylation site at Ser-81 in RIα, located in a putative degradation sequence, may be a signal for protein stability. Pulse-chase experiments determined the half-life of endogenous RIα to be 4.8 hours. A histidine-tagged wild-type or Ser-81-Ala mutant of RIα was stably …

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