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2009

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The Effects Of Aquaculture Production Noise On The Growth, Hearing, Disease Resistance, And Survival Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Methods For Minimizing Noise In Fiberglass Aquaculture Tanks, John W. Davidson Iii Jan 2009

The Effects Of Aquaculture Production Noise On The Growth, Hearing, Disease Resistance, And Survival Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Methods For Minimizing Noise In Fiberglass Aquaculture Tanks, John W. Davidson Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Intensive aquaculture systems, particularly recirculating systems, often require noise producing equipment such as pumps, blowers, and filters that inadvertently increase sound levels within the culture environment. These systems are often very effective at culturing healthy, fast growing fish; however, the potential impacts of underwater noise on fish within intensive aquaculture systems have not been evaluated. Limited research suggests that subjecting fish to noise could result in impairment of the auditory system, reduced growth rates, and increased stress. The studies presented within this manuscript were conducted to gain a better understanding of aquaculture production noise and its potential impacts on rainbow …

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The Acute Onset Of Insulin Resistance In Adipose Tissue Following Trauma And Hemorrhage, Vanessa L. Williams Jan 2009

The Acute Onset Of Insulin Resistance In Adipose Tissue Following Trauma And Hemorrhage, Vanessa L. Williams

All ETDs from UAB

Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia are common findings in patients following acute illnesses or injuries, such as surgical trauma, thermal injury, infection, hemorrhage, and sepsis. Insulin has three main target tissues: liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. Insulin resistance in the liver results in an increase in gluconeogenesis. In skeletal muscle, insulin resistance causes a decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. However, little is known about the contribution that adipose tissue makes to the insulin resistant state. The goals of the research presented in this dissertation were to: 1) determine whether insulin resistance developed in adipose tissue following acute trauma and hemorrhage; …

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Analysis Of Cystic Kidney Disease-Related Genes In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Corey L. Williams Jan 2009

Analysis Of Cystic Kidney Disease-Related Genes In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Corey L. Williams

All ETDs from UAB

Cilia are evolutionarily conserved, membrane-bound, microtubule-based organelles found on a diverse array of cell types in eukaryotic organisms. Inherited diseases of cilia protein dysfunction include Nephronophthisis (NPHP), Joubert Syndrome (JBTS), Meckel-Gruber Syndrome (MKS), and Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). Important insight in the basic cell biological functions of BBS and NPHP proteins has been gained from analysis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. My goal in this dissertation was to model MKS protein function in cilia biology utilizing the powerful genetic malleability of C. elegans. mks-1 and mks-3, the C. elegans homologs of two MKS-associated proteins in humans, were selected for this analysis. …

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Modification Of Adenovirus Capsid Proteins For Gene Therapy Applications, Yizhe Tang Jan 2009

Modification Of Adenovirus Capsid Proteins For Gene Therapy Applications, Yizhe Tang

All ETDs from UAB

Adenovirus (Ad) is the most commonly used viral vector in gene therapy applications to date for a broad range of diseases. Although Ad-based viral vectors have many advantages in a variety of gene therapy designs, the commonly used adenoviral vectors have several key shortcomings. Those shortcomings include (1) inefficient transduction in cell types devoid of Ad’s native receptors and the incapability of gene delivery to targets behind physical barriers; (2) restricted accessibility to the central nerve system due to the existence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB); (3) lack of a useful strategy and platform to generate multi-functionality displaying Ad vectors …

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Axonal Trafficking Of Bmp Signals In Drosophilia Motoneurons, Rebecca Burt Smith Jan 2009

Axonal Trafficking Of Bmp Signals In Drosophilia Motoneurons, Rebecca Burt Smith

All ETDs from UAB

The Drosophila Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Glass bottom boat (Gbb) is a ligand for the BMP type II receptor, Wishful thinking (Wit). Mutations in either of these proteins impair synaptic growth at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Gbb is a retrograde signal (from target to innervating neuron) that is essential for proper NMJ development and function. Tissue-specific rescue of pathway mutants and immunolocalization experiments indicate that the receptor-ligand interaction occurs at the NMJ, and results in the nuclear accumulation of the phosphorylated form of the transcription factor Mad, indicating that retrograde transport along the axon is critical for pathway activation. We …

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The Essential Role Of Macrophages And Tlr Signaling In The Host Response To Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Jen-Feng Lai Jan 2009

The Essential Role Of Macrophages And Tlr Signaling In The Host Response To Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Jen-Feng Lai

All ETDs from UAB

Several reports have suggested that Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) can contribute importantly to the expression of symptoms in asthmatic human subjects. As a foundation for understanding the interactions between Mp and asthma susceptibility, we first studied the mechanisms by which the host normally eliminated Mp. Mice were inoculated with 4x106 Mp intranasally. Twenty-four hours after inoculation with Mp, subpopulations of CD11b+ macrophages/monocytes had been recruited into the lungs. The clearance of Mp was impaired both in macrophage-depleted and in macrophage-deficient mice. Furthermore, mice deficient in MyD88, a major adaptor for TLR signaling, showed dramatically defective clearance of Mp, associated with reduced …

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Structural Studies Of Yeast Mitochondrial Peripheral Membrane Protein Tim44, Ratnakar Josyula Jan 2009

Structural Studies Of Yeast Mitochondrial Peripheral Membrane Protein Tim44, Ratnakar Josyula

All ETDs from UAB

Tim44 is a peripheral membrane protein and a component of the TIM23 translocon on the matrix side. It is well established that Tim44 tethers the presequence associated motor (PAM) complex to the Inner Mitochondrial Membrane (IMM), through its C-Terminal Domain (CTD). This study focuses on understanding the high resolution structure of Tim44 CTD and the molecular basis for its membrane anchoring mechanism. The crystal structure of Tim44 CTD revealed that it exists as a single domain. The N-terminal amphipathic helices A1 and A2 protrude away from the main body of Tim44 CTD. These two flexible helices have been tested for …

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Multi-Component Nanofibrous Scaffolds With Tunable Properties For Bone Tissue Engineering, Moncy V. Jose Jan 2009

Multi-Component Nanofibrous Scaffolds With Tunable Properties For Bone Tissue Engineering, Moncy V. Jose

All ETDs from UAB

Bone is a highly complex tissue which is an integral part of vertebrates and hence any damage has a major negative effect on the quality of life. Tissue engineering is regarded as an ideal route to resolve the issues related to the scarcity of tissue and organ for transplantation. Apart from cell line and growth factors, the choice of materials and fabrication technique for scaffold are equally important. The goal of this work was to develop a multi-component nanofibrous scaffold based on a synthetic polymer (poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA)), a biopolymer (collagen) and a biomineral (nano-hydroxyapatite (na-no-HA)) by electrospinning technique, which mimics …

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Mouse Model Of Cooley's Anemia, Yongliang Huo Jan 2009

Mouse Model Of Cooley's Anemia, Yongliang Huo

All ETDs from UAB

β thalassemia major or Cooley’s anemia (CA) is a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders characterized by deficient β globin chain production. Newborns with CA are healthy because of the high fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels present in their red blood cells (RBCs). As HbF levels decline during the first year of life, patients develop severe anemia that necessitates regular blood transfusion to maintain life. CA has been difficult to model in the mouse due to the lack of a fetal hemoglobin equivalent in the mouse. By utilizing a human fetal to adult delayed hemoglobin switching cassette, I hypothesize that a CA …

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Polycistronic Lentiviral Vector For Hit And Run Reprogramming Of Mouse And Human Somatic Cells To Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell, Chia-Wei Chang Jan 2009

Polycistronic Lentiviral Vector For Hit And Run Reprogramming Of Mouse And Human Somatic Cells To Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell, Chia-Wei Chang

All ETDs from UAB

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent and, therefore, can differentiate into most if not all somatic cell types. Because of this characteristic, ES cells have great potential for medical therapies. Since the first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep, was published in 1996 (1), several groups have successfully cloned other animals by the same nuclear transfer method (2). Isogenic ES cell lines can also be established from donor cells by the same technique (3). However, to date there has been no report of successful derivation of human ES cells by nuclear transfer. Based on the cell fusion (4) and nuclear transfer …

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The Effect Of Zinc On Cytokine Release And Signal Transduction In Airway Epithelial Cells, Nai-Lin Cheng Jan 2009

The Effect Of Zinc On Cytokine Release And Signal Transduction In Airway Epithelial Cells, Nai-Lin Cheng

All ETDs from UAB

Zinc is an essential cation for life that is involved in numerous physiology and pathophysiology processes. Despite its wide use as a cytoprotective agent in medications, its cellular and molecular mechanisms of action have not been well established. In order to define the potential therapeutic benefit of zinc, I used several Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and non-CF human airway epithelial cell lines as models in my studies. Extracellular zinc caused release calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum though zinc-sensitive Gq-coupled receptor(s) that may subsequently modulate ion channels. In addition, zinc also exhibited anti-inflammatory effects. Zinc inhibited pro-inflammatory molecular TNFα-induced cytokine and chemokine …

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Subpathwayminer: A Software Package For Flexible Identification Of Pathways, Chunquan Li, Xia Li, Yingbo Miao, Qianghu Wang, Wei Jian, Chun Xu, Jing Li, Junwei Han, Fan Zhang, Binsheng Gong Jan 2009

Subpathwayminer: A Software Package For Flexible Identification Of Pathways, Chunquan Li, Xia Li, Yingbo Miao, Qianghu Wang, Wei Jian, Chun Xu, Jing Li, Junwei Han, Fan Zhang, Binsheng Gong

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

With the development of high-throughput experimental techniques such as microarray, mass spectrometry and large-scale mutagenesis, there is an increasing need to automatically annotate gene sets and identify the involved pathways. Although many pathway analysis tools are developed, new tools are still needed to meet the requirements for flexible or advanced analysis purpose. Here, we developed an R-based software package (SubpathwayMiner) for flexible pathway identification. SubpathwayMiner facilitates subpathway identification of metabolic pathways by using pathway structure information. Additionally, SubpathwayMiner also provides more flexibility in annotating gene sets and identifying the involved pathways (entire pathways and sub-pathways): (i) SubpathwayMiner is able to …

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Theoretical Context Of A Common Reproductive Health Behavior: Vaginal Douching Among A National Sample Of Young Adult Women, Disa Cornish Jan 2009

Theoretical Context Of A Common Reproductive Health Behavior: Vaginal Douching Among A National Sample Of Young Adult Women, Disa Cornish

All ETDs from UAB

Current research suggests that up to 75% of American women have engaged in vaginal douching during their lives. Prevalence of the behavior is disproportionately high among minority women (especially African American) and women of low SES. Two bodies of research present conflicting results regarding the benefits or risks to reproductive health that are posed by vaginal douching, although the majority of research on this topic suggests that douching is associated with negative health outcomes. Although studies have suggested prevalence rates, behavioral correlates, and biological associations of vaginal douching, very few studies have used behavioral theory when examining the practice. The …

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Exopolysaccharides Of Mycoplasma Pulmonis, James Michael Daubenspeck Jan 2009

Exopolysaccharides Of Mycoplasma Pulmonis, James Michael Daubenspeck

All ETDs from UAB

Capsule has been associated with virulence in numerous bacterial pathogens. The Mollicutes are a host-specific group of pathogens that cause a variety of economically relevant diseases important to man. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is responsible for 2 million cases of atypical pneumonia and 100,000 hospitalizations every year in the United States (Atkinson et al., 2008) (Krause and Taylor-Robinson, 1992). There was a toxic galactan molecule described as early as 1958 in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Plackett and Buttery, 1958), although no evidence was presented that it was produced by the bacteria. Over the intervening fifty years the evidence to support the production …

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Biological Characterization Of Fc Receptor-Like 6 (Fcrl6), Daniel M. Schreeder Jan 2009

Biological Characterization Of Fc Receptor-Like 6 (Fcrl6), Daniel M. Schreeder

All ETDs from UAB

Members of the Fc receptor-like (FCRL) family are cell-surface proteins with ancient conservation, distinct lymphocyte expression patterns, and tyrosine-based signaling capa-bilities that imply a fundamental role for them in modulating immune responses. Though they share many features with the Fc receptors (FCR) for IgG and IgE, FCRLs have not been found to bind immunoglobulin. In these studies, we sought to characterize the cellu-lar expression pattern, binding partner, and function of a recently identified FCRL family member, human FCRL6. By developing specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) we determined that FCRL6 is dis-tinctly expressed by cytotoxic lymphocytes, namely NK cells, CD8+ T cells, …

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Fracture Resistance And Marginal Discrepancy Of Porcelain Laminate Veneers Influenced By Preparation Designs And Restoring Materials, Tai-Min Lin Jan 2009

Fracture Resistance And Marginal Discrepancy Of Porcelain Laminate Veneers Influenced By Preparation Designs And Restoring Materials, Tai-Min Lin

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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Runx2 Mediated Transcriptional Regulation Of Fgf3 In Epithelial And Mesenchymal Cells, Arjun Sarof Jan 2009

Runx2 Mediated Transcriptional Regulation Of Fgf3 In Epithelial And Mesenchymal Cells, Arjun Sarof

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of Progressive Intraubular Dentin Deposition On Bacterial Penetration Of Radicular Dentin, Shaun E. Soucie Jan 2009

The Effects Of Progressive Intraubular Dentin Deposition On Bacterial Penetration Of Radicular Dentin, Shaun E. Soucie

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of The Renewable Portfolio Standard In The State Of Alabama, Candace Watson Jan 2009

The Effects Of The Renewable Portfolio Standard In The State Of Alabama, Candace Watson

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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Structural Basis For Thrombospondin-1 - Calreticulin Interactions Underlying Calreticulin - Induced Focal Adhesion Disassembly, Qi Yan Jan 2009

Structural Basis For Thrombospondin-1 - Calreticulin Interactions Underlying Calreticulin - Induced Focal Adhesion Disassembly, Qi Yan

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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The Molecular Identification And Evaluation Of The Effects Of Cold Temperatures On Antarctic Pseudomonas Spp., Genola Burke Jan 2009

The Molecular Identification And Evaluation Of The Effects Of Cold Temperatures On Antarctic Pseudomonas Spp., Genola Burke

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of Agricultural Disturbance On The Life History Of The Central Stoneroller ( Campostoma Anomalum ), Danyelle N. Dehner Jan 2009

The Effects Of Agricultural Disturbance On The Life History Of The Central Stoneroller ( Campostoma Anomalum ), Danyelle N. Dehner

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

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The Role Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 In Bone Remodeling, Yi Tang Jan 2009

The Role Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 In Bone Remodeling, Yi Tang

All ETDs from UAB

Bone remodeling depends on the precise coordination of bone resorption by the osteoclasts and bone formation by the osteoblasts. It is proposed that osteoclastic bone resorption releases factors to initiate bone formation, thereby, coupling the bone resorption and formation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are progenitors of osteoblasts. Recruitment of MSCs in response to osteoclastic bone resorption may be an initial step for bone formation during bone remodeling process. Therefore, we have established an in vitro osteoclastic bone resorption system. Bone resorption condition medium have been tested to identify the factor inducing the migration of human bone marrow mesechymal stem cells …

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Characterizing The Role Of Primary Cilia In The Hair Follicle And Skin, Jonathan Merle Lehman Jan 2009

Characterizing The Role Of Primary Cilia In The Hair Follicle And Skin, Jonathan Merle Lehman

All ETDs from UAB

Primary cilia have been established as a nearly ubiquitous microtubule based signaling organelle, yet their function in many organs, including the hair and skin, is unknown. We hypothesized that the primary cilium would play vital roles in the hair follicle and skin based on the cilium's well characterized interactions with the Shh and Wnt developmental signaling pathways. This dissertation describes our efforts to determine the localization of the primary cilia in the murine hair follicle and assess the function of this organelle in the hair and skin. We used confocal immunofluorescence microscopy to virtually section the entire hair follicle and …

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“In The System:” A Qualitative Study Of African-American Women’S Foster Care Stories, Meghan Spell Jan 2009

“In The System:” A Qualitative Study Of African-American Women’S Foster Care Stories, Meghan Spell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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Analysis Of The Malaria Vaccine Potential Of Plasmodium Falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-3, Stephen James Jordan Jan 2009

Analysis Of The Malaria Vaccine Potential Of Plasmodium Falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-3, Stephen James Jordan

All ETDs from UAB

Malaria causes an estimated 1-3 million deaths each year, with the majority of deaths being a result of infection with Plasmodium falciparum. No commercially available vaccine currently exists, but multiple subunit-based vaccines are in development including one based on the promising vaccine candidate P. falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-3 (PfMSP3). PfMSP3 varies in sequence between P. falciparum isolates, but all variation is restricted to the N-terminal domain. This observation has lead to the development of a PfMSP3-based vaccine comprised solely of the highly conserved, yet poorly immunogenic, C-terminal domain. The rationale for supporting the C-terminal domain relies entirely on its conserved …

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Polysaccharide Specific B Cells: A Study Of Their Development And Function, Jeremy B. Foote Jan 2009

Polysaccharide Specific B Cells: A Study Of Their Development And Function, Jeremy B. Foote

All ETDs from UAB

Polysaccharides are important structural components of bacterial capsule and cell walls. Polysaccharide-specific antibodies are an important component of serologic memory capable of protecting against infection by pathogenic microorganisms. An understanding of the biology and function of polysaccharide specific B cells is necessary for formulation of vaccines designed to induce polysaccharide specific memory and long-lived antibody production. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the development of naïve DEX-specific B cells and examine their capacity to generate memory and long-lived plasma cells in response to polysaccharide α 1→3-dextran (DEX), which is expressed by the opportunistic pathogens Enterobacter cloacae, Histoplasma capsulatum …

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Changing Patterns Of Family Care In Uganda: Father Absence And Patrilineal Neglect In The Face Of Hiv/Aids, Jini Roby, Stacey Shaw, Elinor Wanyama Chemonges, Cole D. Hooley Jan 2009

Changing Patterns Of Family Care In Uganda: Father Absence And Patrilineal Neglect In The Face Of Hiv/Aids, Jini Roby, Stacey Shaw, Elinor Wanyama Chemonges, Cole D. Hooley

Faculty Publications

In this study, 162 HIV-positive mothers in Uganda were interviewed about the involvement of fathers and paternal kin, regarding current support they provide to children and as child placement options in the event of the mother’s death. More than half of the children had fathers who were already deceased. Another one third had fathers who were alive but did not live with the children. Only 16% of the children were living with and being supported by their fathers. Mothers indicated a strong preference for placement with maternal kin, in contrast to traditional expectations of paternal kin care. Patterns of change …

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Mitochondrial Bioenergetics And Cellular Stress, Brian Dranka Jan 2009

Mitochondrial Bioenergetics And Cellular Stress, Brian Dranka

All ETDs from UAB

Mitochondria are responsible for most of the energy produced in human tissues, and this is dependent on the reduction of oxygen (O2) to water by the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Defects in mitochondrial energy production are now recognized to be involved in diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other pathologies. To date, studies of these defects have employed quantification of O2 consumption in isolated, purified mitochondria. By using this strategy however, the cellular context, role of glycolysis, and normal regulation of mitochondrial function by metabolite availability are lost. Thus, an understanding of how mitochondria function and respond to stimuli in an intact …

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Impact Of Genetic And Epigenetic Variability In Response To Two Test Drugs 5-Fluorouracil And Lansoprazole, Adam Michael Lee Jan 2009

Impact Of Genetic And Epigenetic Variability In Response To Two Test Drugs 5-Fluorouracil And Lansoprazole, Adam Michael Lee

All ETDs from UAB

Pharmacogenetics has proven to be an invaluable tool in predicting variability in drug response; however, there are numerous incidences where genetics cannot fully explain interindividual drug variability. Other factors, such as the epigenetic mechanism of DNA methylation, may offer an alternate explanation. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on both genetic and epigenetic regulation in order to gain a better understanding of the molecular basis behind drug response variability. Initial investigations focused on the antineoplastic agent 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), which can produce severe toxicity in patients with deficiency in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD). Genotypic studies have identified >32 sequence variants in the DPYD gene; …

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