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Sexual Differentiation Of The Zebra Finch Song System: Potential Roles For Sex Chromosome Genes, Michelle L. Tomaszycki, Camilla Peabody, Kirstin Replogle, David F. Clayton, Robert J. Tempelman, Juli Wade

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Recent evidence suggests that some sex differences in brain and behavior might result from direct genetic effects, and not solely the result of the organizational effects of steroid hormones. The present study examined the potential role for sex-biased gene expression during development of sexually dimorphic singing behavior and associated song nuclei in juvenile zebra finches.

Results

A microarray screen revealed more than 2400 putative genes (with a false discovery rate less than 0.05) exhibiting sex differences in the telencephalon of developing zebra finches. Increased expression in males was confirmed in 12 of 20 by qPCR using cDNA from …

Anti-Inflammatory Properties Of Salograviolide A Purified From Lebanese Plant Centaurea Ainetensis, Jamal Al-Saghir, Randa Al-Ashi, Ralph Salloum, Najat A. Saliba, Rabih S. Talhouk, Fadia R. Homaidan

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Anti-inflammatory activities of medicinal plants have largely been attributed to their content of sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). SLs are predominantly found in the sunflower family Asteraceae and have been isolated from many plants of this family, particularly Centaurea. The anti-inflammatory activities of extract of Centaurea ainetensis, a Lebanese endemic plant, and the isolated active molecule were assessed for their potential ant-inflammatory activities.

Methods

Plant extract from Centaurea ainetensis, and the isolated active ingredient Salograviolide A (SA), a sesquiterpene lactones guaianolide, were used for the study. Western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to test the effects of …

Tv Urgente: Urban Exclusion, Civil Society, And The Politics Of Television In Venezuela, John Patrick Leary

English Faculty Research Publications

This essay explores the politics of representation in contemporary Venezuelan television, which in its mainstream forms has produced an urban imaginary that models national citizenship on the geographic, class, and racial divisions of the Venezuelan metropolis. The nation's airwaves have been a crucial theater of partisan class conflict in Venezuelan society since the election of President Hugo Chávez, a radical social democrat who has counted on the residents of the nation's huge urban slums, or barrios, as a major constituency. This study concentrates on the two major antagonists in this televisual battle by exploring their visual content and production methods …

Alcohol Self-Administration Acutely Stimulates The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Hpa) Axis, But Alcohol Dependence Leads To A Dampened Neuroendocrine State, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

A Psychobiological Framework Of The Substrates That Mediate Nicotine Use During Adolescence, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Female Rats Display Dose-Dependent Differences To The Rewarding And Aversive Effects Of Nicotine In An Age-, Hormone-, And Sex-Dependent Manner., Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Rodent Models Of Nicotine Reward: What Do They Tell Us About Tobacco Abuse In Humans?, Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Serotonin 2c Receptor Null Mutation On Physiology And Behavior Associated With Nigrostriatal Dopamine Pathway Function., Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Coming Full Circle: From Child Victim To Childcare Professional, Angelique Day

Social Work Faculty Publications

Like so many American kids reared by abusive and neglectful parents, I did not know the simple joys of childhood, nor was I permitted the normalcy of a stable family life. By my ninth birthday, I had heard about the “Great American Dream,” and although I wanted to believe in it - desperately - it was nothing more than a little girls wistful fantasy In my world, nightmares dominated dreams, and fantasies existed only briefly, extinguished by the daily horrors of cruel reality What did manage to persist unabated was physical and mental abuse given freely and in abundance by …

Role Of Corporate Board Executive Pay Decisions In Precipitating Financial Crisis, Erica Beecher-Monas

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Campus Violence: Understanding The Extraordinary Through The Ordinary, Nancy Chi Cantalupo

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Selective Lesion Of Cholinergic Neurons Of The Septal-Hippocampal Tract: Memory And Learning, Nicholas Fitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is hypothesized that the loss of cholinergic function in the medial septum (MS), observed early in many forms of dementia, contributes to memory losses characterized in these diseases. The studies of this dissertation examined whether the selective loss of cholinergic neurons in the MS impairs acquisition of a delayed matching-to-position (DMP) spatial memory task. The results suggest a significant contribution of MS cholinergic neurons in acquisition of the DMP task. Specifically, 192 IgG-saporin SAP lesioned rats acquired the task at a slower rate and required more days to reach criterion. The results also suggest that male rats typically adopt …

Neuropsychological Deficits In Adolescents With Psychopathic Characteristics: Callous And Unemotional Symptoms, Tara Greene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The most consistent neuropsychology literature in psychopathy is dysfunction in selective attention (Blair et al., 2006; Hiatt et al., 2004; Kosson, 1998; LaPierre et al., 1995; Pham et al., 2003; Roussy & Toupin, 2002; Sellbom & Verona 2007; Vitale et al., 2007). The following areas have been profiled in the literature, but have shown mixed results: sustained attention (Gorstein, 1982; Kosson, 1998; Pham et al., 2003), shifting attention (Gorstein, 1982; Kosson, 1998), verbal ability (Mayer et al., 2006; Raine et al., 1990), planning and cognitive shifting (Mahmut et al., 2008; Pham et al., 2003; Roussey & Toupin, 2000; Sreenivasan et …

The Innermost Point, David Hidek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Ranier Maria Rilke's To Music, he depicts an emotional musical experience as "when the innermost point in us stands outside." The Innermost Point develops two themes: one rhythmically stable but melodically lacking, and the other melodious but rhythmically puzzling. Over the course of the piece each theme attains an identity in its own orchestral setting, but a harmonious balance between the two is only found when they function toward the same goal: The Innermost Point. The work is scored for full symphony orchestra and is approximately nine minutes in duration.

Modulation Of Dendritic Cells With The Interleukin-10 Gene On Polycation-Modified Polymeric Particles, Liang Jia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gene therapy has emerged as a field to modulate cell functions by introducing genes of interest to target cells. An emerging focus in this field is to employ non-viral vectors to deliver immunosuppressive cytokines to dendritic cells (DCs) to attenuate damaging immune responses. DCs serve as potential targets for suppression of T cell responses. In this work, we investigated the ability of polycation-modified polymeric particles complexed with interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene to modulate DCs. The delivery systems (designated as PSO10H6 and PLGAO10H6) were formed by coating cationic peptide O10H6 (O: ornithine; H: histidine) on the polystyrene (PS) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) …

Human Development As Integral Development: The Social Teaching Of The Church In An African Context, Joseph Kariuki Kamau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been commonly held that the main cause of underdevelopment is the lack of capital. This dissertation is based on the observation that underdevelopment still persists in Kenya despite billions of dollars in foreign aid from Western Europe and North America. The main focus of this dissertation is an attempt to understand an effective remedial action to such an economic situation of underdevelopment. The dissertation seeks to find the remedy for underdevelopment by the methodological means of demonstrating how a holistic understanding of human development entails integral development in Kenya.

The thesis and the overview of this dissertation are …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Cbt Developers' Multiple Intelligences Dispositions And The Design Of Computer-Based Training, Nancy King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the relationship between CBT developers' multiple intelligences (MI) dispositions and their designs for computer-based training programs (CBTs). This study was based on the theoretical framework of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) and theories about instructional design (ID). Student developers in a class were surveyed using Shearer's Multiple Intelligences Development Assessment Scales (MIDAS), a screening instrument that is designed to determine the students' MIDAS profiles, or their intelligences. The students received instruction in using MI in their CBT design; and, after they had designed their CBTs, four professionals assessed their CBTs for inclusion of MI.

Both quantitative …

The Identification And Characterization Of Estrogen Receptors In The Mouse And Human Lens And Their Role In Cataract Development, Mary Rachel Kirker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased risk of age-related cataracts in postmenopausal women and studies in animal models suggest that estrogen may have a protective role in the lens. However, very little is known regarding the role of estrogen and its receptors in the lens. To begin unraveling the estrogen signaling mechanism in the lens, the following aims were investigated: 1) to determine if estrogen receptors are expressed in the lens, [125I]-17beta-estradiol binding and mRNA expression of ERalpha, ERbeta, and GPR30 were examined in the mouse and human lens; 2) to determine if the loss of ERalpha and/or ERbeta receptors will induce spontaneous development …

"An Insect View Of Its Plain": Nature And Insects In Thoreau, Dickinson, And Muir, Rosemary S. Mctier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The simultaneous emergence of ecocriticism and cultural entomology has created a critical need for a discussion of the appearance and function of insects as they appear in literature. While nineteenth-century nature writing is frequently examined by ecocritics, very few have chosen to explore how critical writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, and John Muir incorporate insects into their work. This study explores three interrelated issues connected to encounters with and explorations of the microscopic and unacknowledged position of insects in nature: first, how insects factor into their growing knowledge about nature and ecology; second, how nature serves as …

The Relationship Between Spirituality And Authentic Leadership Behaviors Of Public School Superintendents, Allen M. Sell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As leaders try to affect change and success in organizations the need to consider spirituality in leadership is clear. The increased need for strong leaders in public schools to meet increased accountability to the tax payer has led to extensive research into the variables that contribute to excellent leadership. This assertion may be especially interesting when considering the role of spirituality in public school leadership. This study proposed to identify a relationship between self perceived spirituality and both self and subordinate perceived authentic leadership behaviors in public school leaders.

Thirty superintendents in Western and Central Pennsylvania were given the Spiritual-Well-Being …

Aesthetics In The Ecotheology Of Sallie Mcfague: A Critique And A Proposal For A Theological Aesthetics Of Nature, Mary-Paula Cancienne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the ecological theology of Sallie McFague, who, as part of her work, employs the use of aesthetics. This study recognizes her contribution and then seeks to build upon it.
In aim of this goal, a limited history of aesthetics in the Western tradition is surveyed and attention is given to three significant contemporary scholars in the field of aesthetics and nature/environment (Emily Brady, Allen Carlson, and Arnold Berleant). While this work intended to propose the rudiments of a Theological Aesthetics of Nature, we find that nature and culture are so intertwined that what is initially called …

Ekphrastic Medieval Visions: A New Discussion In Ekphrasis And Interarts Theory, Claire Barbetti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Ekphrastic Medieval Visions: A New Discussion in Ekphrasis and Interarts Theory" argues that the dream-vision and mystical-vision texts of the high and late Middle Ages are ekphrastic works. With their inclusion within the purview of criticism and theories of ekphrasis, new formal qualities of the ekphrastic mode come to the surface such as its dynamism and polytemporality, its reliance on the processes of memory, and diffuseness of narrative consciousness, rather than Murray Krieger's "still moment" model that presupposes a sovereign subjectivity, an attempt to have the sign signify itself, or the paragone model espoused by W. J. T. Mitchell and …

Engineering The Mosquito Symbiont Pantoea Agglomerans To Secrete Anti-Plasmodium Inhibitory Proteins, Dawn C. Bisi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The disease malaria originates from the transmission of the parasite Plasmodium to humans by female anopheline mosquitoes. Estimates put the number of deaths at 1-3 million people annually and this number will increase without the establishment of new control strategies. There is currently no vaccine and the effectiveness of insecticides and drugs are thwarted by the gain of resistances for both the insect and parasite. An alternative genetic engineering approach to combating malaria is presented here. The bacterial mosquito symbiont Pantoea agglomerans, which resides in the mosquito gut, was chosen to express anti-Plasmodium effector gene products that are known to …

Expressing The Inexpressible: Bearing Witness In Jean-François Lyotard And Pseudo-Dionysius, Mélanie V. Walton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is an expression that can express that which cannot be expressed? Logic and grammar will declare it to be an impossibility and its expression, a mistaken use of language. Yet, humanity's archive persistently attests to both the legitimacy of the inexpressible expression and the multiplicity of ways to give it voice. While heterogeneous in time, place, and philosophical situation, the contemporary French father of postmodernism, Jean-François Lyotard, and the late antique, presumably Syrian father of Neoplatonist Christian mysticism, Pseudo-Dionysius, both intimately consider the inexpressible expression. Both are provoked by the witness who is silenced by the binding limits of …

Design And Synthesis Of Benzimidazoles As Cdk5 Inhibitors And Progress Toward The Total Synthesis Of Tubulysin D, Shuyan Yi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design and synthesis of 1,4,6-trisubstituted benzimidazoles as CDK5 inhibitors and the progress toward the total synthesis of tubulysin D.

Tubulysin is a natural product with potential anti-cancer activity. The two gamma-amino acids in the Tuv and Tup fragments of tubulysin were synthesized. Evans' oxazolidinone chemistry was employed for the stereoselective synthesis of Cbz-beta-homovaline in Tuv fragment. A crystal structure of the Tup fragment was obtained.

Cyclin dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) is one of the kinases that can hyperphosphorylate tau. Selective inhibition of the CDK5/p25 complex may be a useful component for Alzheimer's disease therapy. Benzimidazole based …

Antibiotic Prophylaxis For Leptospirosis, David Brett-Major, Robert J. Lipnick

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Leptospira infection is a global zoonosis with significant health impact for agricultural workers and those persons whose work or recreation takes them into endemic areas.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review assessed the current literature for evidence for or against use of antibiotic prophylaxis against Leptospira infection (leptospirosis).

SEARCH STRATEGY: The authors searched The Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCI-Expanded as well as relevant professional society meeting abstracts until January 2009.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Prospective, randomised clinical trials studying antibiotic prophylaxis against leptospirosis were selected.

DATA …

Theocracy In America: Should Core First Amendment Values Be Permanent, Miriam Galston

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

Recent attempts to craft constitutions in Iraq and Afghanistan have focused attention on problems that emerge in countries with a governmentsponsored religion that attempt to organize as constitutional democracies. The tension inherent in combining theocratic and democratic principles seems foreign in the United States because of the nation's longstanding commitment to the First Amendment's guarantee of free exercise of religion for individuals and disestablishment of religion on the part of government entities. Yet the United States is not totally immune from this tension.

In the last several decades, there has been increasing pressure to adopt amendments for the purpose of …

Richard Wright‟S Revision Of The Jim Crow Mythology In Uncle Tom’S Children, Michael Denny Martin

All NMU Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Calpain Inhibition Attenuates Inflammatory And Neurodegenerative Events In Animal Models Of Multiple Sclerosis, Mary Kelly Guyton

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States every year and results in fatigue, visual dysfunction, and paralysis. Inflammatory events associated with MS include activation of auto-reactive T cells and migration of these and other immune cells into the CNS, leading to production of cytokines and other mediators and to demyelination. Astrogliosis and microgliosis are also prominent inflammatory features of MS. Neurodegenerative events such as axonal damage and loss of neurons and oligodendrocytes also contribute to clinical disease symptoms. Cell death is thought to occur, …

Influencing T Helper Cell Bias In Autoimmunity, Jonathan Ty Butler

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects approximately 400,000 people in the United States every year and results in neurological deficits. Inflammatory events associated with MS include activation of auto-reactive T cells and migration of these and other immune cells into the CNS, leading to a coordinated attack upon oligodendrocytes and demyelination. Most current therapies only treat the symptoms of disease, not the cause, which is still in large part unknown. Therefore, the identification of the etiology of this complex disease and the development of new therapies is of great importance. Targeting …