Digital Commons Network^™

A Timp2-Armed Conditionally-Replicating Adenovirus For The Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Sherry Wei Yang

All ETDs from UAB

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy in the U.S. Conventional therapies have limited therapeutic value due to advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Conditionally-replicating adenoviruses (CRAds) are promising, novel anti-cancer agents that are designed to selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells. In clinical trials, CRAds exhibited limited efficacy thus far. Second generation CRAds are being developed to express a therapeutic protein to further enhance antitumor efficacy. One attractive target in ovarian tumor microenvironment is the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade the extracellular matrix. Thus, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2), an endogenous inhibitor of MMPs, is …

Cross-Talk Between Marginal Zone B Cells And Marginal Zone Macrophages, Yuying You

All ETDs from UAB

the test of group differences and the test of covariate. When we force the predictors in the

Radiographic Damage And Functional Disability In African American Patients With Recent-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis, Jie Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

we adjust for heterskedasticity using a HCCM estimator, we find no significant evidence

Roles Of Nr4a3 In Insulin Sensitivity In Skeletal Muscle, Xiaolin Zhu

All ETDs from UAB

For the past several decades, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes and the metabolic syndrome has been increasing. Insulin resistance is the central pathogenic event for these diseases. We previously reported that the NR4A family of orphan nuclear receptors augments insulin sensitivity in adipocytes. We now found that lentiviral mediated NR4A3 hyper-expression increased insulin stimulated glucose transport (ISGT) in C2C12 myocytes while NR4A3 knock-down exhibited opposite effect. We also examined the effects of prostaglandin A2 (PGA2) on insulin action and NR4A3 trans-activation in C2C12 myocytes. PGA2 augmented ISGT and insulin stimulated AKT phosphorylation in C2C12 myocytes. Importantly, PGA2 treatment led …

Weapon Brandishment Among Impoverished Adolescents: A Longitudinal Approach, Alexis Magdalene Inabinet

All ETDs from UAB

Violence has become increasingly more difficult to ignore in the United States, with homicide and suicide rates among American adolescents being the highest in the world. Firearm deaths have skyrocketed, including unintentional injuries, homicides and suicides; American adolescents are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than all natural causes combined. With homicide continuing to rank as the second leading cause of death among youth, research must focus on diminishing weapon brandishment. Based on prior research and a developmental systems approach to violent behavior, this study explores individual influences on adolescent weapon carrying, including perception of danger, hopelessness, and conflict …

A State Of Rightlessness: The Egregious Case Of North Korea, Morse Tan

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This essay steps into the relative dearth of popular and legal academic treatment to analyze this egregious state of rightlessness (an intentional neologism) and concludes with reflections upon possible judicial redress options. Experts in the human rights field have averred that the human rights situation in North Korea is the worst in the world. The North Korean government denies any human rights abuses, insisting “that 'there is no human rigths [sic] problem in North Korea.'" This academic work challenges this outright denial by providing an analysis of various human rights abuses persisting north of the most heavily armed border in …

Complete Chloroplast Genome Of Oncidium Gower Ramsey And Evaluation Of Molecular Markers For Identification And Breeding In Oncidiinae, Melvin R. Duvall, Fu-Hui Wu, Ming-Tsair Chan, De-Chih Liao, Chen-Tran Hsu, Yi-Wei Lee, Henry Daniell, Choun-Sea Lin

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Background: Oncidium spp. produce commercially important orchid cut flowers. However, they are amenable to intergeneric and inter-specific crossing making phylogenetic identification very difficult. Molecular markers derived from the chloroplast genome can provide useful tools for phylogenetic resolution. Results: The complete chloroplast genome of the economically important Oncidium variety Onc. Gower Ramsey (Accession no. GQ324949) was determined using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger based ABI sequencing. The length of the Oncidium chloroplast genome is 146,484 bp. Genome structure, gene order and orientation are similar to Phalaenopsis, but differ from typical Poaceae, other monocots for which there are several published …

Phylogenetically Widespread Multiple Paternity In New World Natricine Snakes, Richard B. King, W. Scott Grayburn, Melvin R. Duvall, Theresa L. Wusterbarth, Gordon M. Burghardt

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

We used microsatellite DNA markers to identify the extent to which multiple paternity within litters occurs among species of New World natricine snakes. We selected seven species to represent the three major clades of Natricinae and all three subclades of the gartersnake clade. Microsatellite DNA genotyping of dams and litters confirmed multiple paternity within litters of six species, including Thamnophis radix, T. sauritus, Storeria dekayi, S. occipitomaculata, Nerodia rhombifer, and Regina septemvittata. Multiple paternity was not evident in one litter of nine Thamnophis melanogaster. Together with published data documenting multiple paternity in T. bulteri, T. elegans, T. sirtalis, and N. …

Seabird Islands Take Mere Decades To Recover Following Rat Eradication, Holly P. Jones

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Islands house a majority of the world’s biodiversity and are thus critical for biodiversity conservation. Seabird nesting colonies provide nutrients that are integral to maintain island biodiversity and ecosystem function. Invasive rats destroy seabird colonies and thus the island ecosystems that depend on seabird-derived nutrients. After rat eradication, it is unclear how long ecosystem recovery may take, although some speculate on the order of centuries. I looked at ecosystem recovery along a chronosequence of islands that had 12–22 years to recover following rat eradication. I show that soil, plant, and spider marine-derived nitrogen levels and C:N ratios take mere decades …

The Chloroplast Genome Of Anomochloa Marantoidea (Anomochlooideae; Poaceae) Comprises A Mixture Of Grass-Like And Unique Features, Melvin R. Duvall, Leah M. Morris

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Features in the complete plastome of Anomochloa marantoidea (Poaceae) were investigated. This species is one of four of Anomochlooideae, the crown node of which diverged before those of any other grass subfamily. The plastome was sequenced from overlapping amplicons using previously designed primers. The plastome of A. marantoidea is 138 412 bp long with a typical gene content for Poaceae. Five regions were examined in detail because of prior surveys that identifi ed structural alterations among graminoid Poales. Anomochloa marantoidea was found to have an intron in rpoC1 , unlike other Poaceae. The insertion region of rpoC2 is unusually short …

Judgments Of Information Structure In L2 French: Nativelike Performance And The Critical Period Hypothesis, Robert V. Reichle

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Previous studies using judgments of morphosyntactic errors have shown mixed evidence for a critical period for L2 acquisition (e.g., Birdsong & Molis 2001, Johnson & Newport 1989). This study uses anomalies in the domain of information structure, the interface between syntactic form and pragmatic function, to shed light on the effect of age of arrival on L2 performance. In two experiments, high-proficiency L2 speakers of French were presented with sentence pairs containing either expected or anomalous information structure. Subjects judged each exchange as acceptable or unacceptable. A weak postmaturational effect of age on acceptability task performance was observed, along with …

For Those Not John Edwards: More And Better Paternity Acknowledgments At Birth, Jeffrey A. Parness, Zachary Townsend

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

When former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards (finally) declared his paternity of Quinn, born of sex to Rielle Hunter, many assumed he could then begin to raise as well as financially support the child he once publicly shunned. Many assumed legal paternity could arise through a court order, if not Rielle’s wishes. Had he been on the Maury Povich television show, the positive genetic tests would have prompted the host to declare John the father. Yet notwithstanding these declarations, there would be no childrearing by John if Rielle determined he should have no contact with Quinn, even if …

The Impact Of Direct And Indirect Experiences On The Development Of Environmental Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behavior, Mat D. Duerden, Peter A. Witt

Faculty Publications

This study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the relationship between nature experience type (e.g., direct and indirect) and learning outcomes (e.g., environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior) associated with an environmental education, international immersion program for adolescents. Longitudinal data from 108 participant and 49 comparison group members were analyzed to test the study’s hypotheses. Additionally, qualitative data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to assess participants’ perceptions of these processes. The findings indicate that environmental knowledge increased more than environmental attitudes during the indirect portion of the program (i.e., preparatory program) whereas the direct portion (i.e., international workshop) produced similar …

Traditional Knowlege: Is Perpetual Protection A Good Idea?, J. Janewa Oseitutu

Faculty Publications

Most of the international dialogue about traditional knowledge has taken place within the context of an intellectual property framework with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as the primary facilitator of the discussion. Following more than a decade of dialogue, the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (WIPO IGC) has been given until the Fall of 2011 to come up with something concrete. Due to the intersection between traditional knowledge and intellectual property, the resulting text is likely to be a significant development for international intellectual property law.

Developing countries have long advocated …

Recovery Of An Endangered Provision: Untangling And Reviving Critical Habitat Under The Engangered Species Act, Kalyani Robbins

Akron Law Faculty Publications

There has been long-term confusion among courts, agencies, developers, and environmental organizations regarding the legal, environmental, and economic impacts of designating critical habitat for species listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. At the heart of this difficulty has been a need to understand the degree to which the protections for critical habitat can be distinguished from those for listed species generally. Critical habitat is primarily protected via section 7’s requirement that federal agencies consult with the Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether a proposed federal action either jeopardizes a listed species …

Nonlinear Analysis Of Ambulatory Activity Patterns In Community-Dwelling Older Adults, James T. Cavanaugh, Naomi Kochi, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background The natural ambulatory activity patterns of older adults are not well understood. User-worn monitors illuminate patterns of ambulatory activity and generate data suitable for analysis using measures derived from nonlinear dynamics.

MethodsAmbulatory activity data were collected continuously from 157 community-dwelling older adults for 2 weeks. Participants were separated post hoc into groups based on the mean number of steps per day: highly active (steps ≥ 10,000), moderately active (5,000 ≤ steps < 10,000 steps), and inactive (steps

Results All groups displayed patterns of fluctuating step count values containing complex temporal structure. DFA, ER, and ApEn parameter values increased monotonically and significantly with increasing activity …

Lyapunov Exponent And Surrogation Analysis Of Patterns Of Variability: Profiles In New Walkers With And Without Down Syndrome, Beth A. Smith, Nikolaos Stergiou, Beverly D. Ulrich

Journal Articles

In previous studies we found that preadolescents with Down syndrome (DS) produce higher amounts of variability (Smith et al., 2007) and larger Lyapunov exponent (LyE) values (indicating more instability) during walking than their peers with typical development (TD) (Buzzi & Ulrich, 2004). Here we use nonlinear methods to examine the patterns that characterize gait variability as it emerges, in toddlers with TD and with DS, rather than after years of practice. We calculated Lyapunov exponent (LyE) values to assess stability of leg trajectories. We also tested the use of 3 algorithms for surrogation analysis to investigate mathematical periodicity of toddlers’ …

Faculty Publications 2009, Lsu Health Sciences Center New Orleans

Historical Faculty Publications

This Faculty bibliography contains 806 publications.

Does Evolutionary Exposure Mediate Allelopathic Effects?, Nikki Leigh Pisula

Masters Theses

Allelopathy most commonly refers to chemically mediated plant interference, though the effects may range from beneficial to inhibitory. Allelopathy has been suggested as a potential mechanism for invasion success because invasive species may produce allelochemicals that are evolutionarily novel to recipient communities. To test for evolutionary mediation of allelopathy, six target species were grown in a factorial experiment with and without activated carbon or a native allelopathic species, Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod). I used activated carbon to remove allelochemicals to separate allelopathic effects from resource competition. The species represented pairs of evolutionary experienced (native - N) and evolutionarily na'ive (non-native …

Effects Of Forest Edges On Population Dynamics In A Successional System, Kimberly Anne Lang

Masters Theses

Abandoned agricultural land is often bound by remnant woodlands which may locally influence successional dynamics. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effect of an old-growth forest edge on plant population dynamics within a successional system. Data from the Buell-Small Succession Study (BSS) in New Jersey were used to analyze population dynamics in relation to the forest edge during the first 50 years of succession following agriculture. It was hypothesized that edge responses would be driven by either differential colonization (dispersal and establishment) or differential performance (increase within plots).

By looking at individual species' edge responses, I …

Soil Variability And Its Influence On Plant Performance, Jeremy R. Klass

Masters Theses

During recorded history, nearly all temperate deciduous forests in eastern North America have seen extensive agricultural land-use conversions. Persistent influences of agricultural disturbance continue to shape the diversity and composition of the plant community long after agriculture has ceased. While some measures of ecosystem functioning may recover relatively quickly from agricultural disturbance, other characteristics such as levels of organic matter, carbon, and phosphorus, may remain different from primary forests for much longer periods. The alteration of the original ecosystem due to agriculture practices has far reaching impacts on biotic and nutrient dynamics along with causing significant shifts in community composition …

Degradation Of Organic Matter In Water In The Presence Of Catalyst And Uv Radiation, Bimali Bandaranayake

Masters Theses

Organic contaminants specially dyes, presents in water is a major environmental problem. Organic compounds can be degraded completely in the presence of photocatalysts and UV radiation. The kinetics of degradation of three dyes was studied using a variety of UV photocatalytic materials. The dyes (methylene blue, malachite green, chrysodoine R) were chosen based on their polarity differences. Catalysts consisting of pure TiO2, mixed oxides of TiO2 containing SiO2, and others containing SiO2 and iron oxide, SiO2/ ZrO2/ CeO2, and CeO2/SiO2 were studied. The TiO2/ SiO2 and SiO2/ZrO2/CeO2 catalysts exhibited the highest degradation rates for methylene blue. The more hydrophobic pure …

Nanoporous High Surface Area Silicas With Chelating Groups For Heavy Metal Ion Adsorption From Aqueous Solution, Kothalawalage Nuwan Kothalawala

Masters Theses

Nanoporous high surface area silicas are an ideal substrate for the design of materials with useful properties via chemical surface modification. The adsorption of heavy metals for contaminated water detoxification is one potential application. In this work we have used three different kinds of silica substrates with varying pore structures; commercially available narrow pore and wide pore silica gels, as well as surfactant templated mesoporous SBA-15 exhibiting a relatively narrow pore size distribution. These silicas have each been subjected to post-synthesis modification with an organosilane consisting of ethylenediamine triacetic acid functionalities for chelation/adsorption of metal ions from aqueous solution. The …

Spectrum 2010, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Undergraduate Spectrum

No abstract provided.

Population Ecotoxicology Of The Common Snapping Turtle In Agriculturally Impacted Lotic Ecosystems, Derrick L. Douros

Masters Theses

Anthropogenic impacts on lotic systems, including pollutants, have had both direct and indirect negative effects on the aquatic habitats of the world. Goals of this study are: (1) Quantify atrazine, the atrazine metabolite diaminochlorotriazine (DACT), and glyphosate burdens in common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) tissue from individuals collected within the Embarras River in Coles County, Illinois. (2) Quantify the atrazine, DACT, and glyphosate loads in water from the aquatic habitats in which common snapping turtles reside. (3) Quantify the relative abundance of all turtle species and movement patterns of common snapping turtles in this lotic ecosystem. Hoop nets and modified …

Plasticity Of Acquired Secondary Metabolites In Clathria Prolifera (Demospongia: Poecilosclerida): Putative Photoprotective Role Of Carotenoids In A Temperate Intertidal Sponge, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum, Drew Sieg, Malcolm Hill, Chris M. Manieri, Giles Thomson

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Several marine sponges sequester high concentrations of carotenoids in their tissues. The diversity of carotenoid compounds has been described in detail for a handful of species, but to date, little attention has been paid to natural variability in the concentration and constituency of carotenoid pools. Also lacking are experimental tests of some of the proposed adaptive benefits of carotenoids to the sponge. To address some of these deficits in our understanding of sponge ecology, we used a combination of analytic chemistry, field surveys, and manipulative experiments to determine what function these compounds might play. Attention was focused on the common, …

Safe At Home? Assessing U.S. Efforts To Protect Youths From The Effects Of Performance-Enhancing Drugs In Sports, Steve Silverberg

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Has The U.K. Violated Its International Obligations By Failing To Introduce Mandatory Sex Education In Schools?, Morgane Landel

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Genetically Modified Food And Informed Consumer Choice: Comparing U.S. And E.U. Labeling Laws, Valery Federici

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Owning Global Knowledge: The Rise Of Open Innovation And The Future Of Patent Law, Erin M. Shinneman

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.