Digital Commons Network^™

Challenge Difficulty And Cardiovascular Responses In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Christopher Conley Stewart

All ETDs from UAB

This study examined the effect of challenge difficulty on cardiovascular responses in patients with Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. It extended from a model characterizing the determinants and cardiovascular consequences of effort in people confronted with performance challenges. One component of this model holds that ability has the potential to accentuate, attenuate, or have no effect on cardiovascular responses. Specifically, lower ability should accentuate cardiovascular responses so long as performers' view a challenge possible and worthwhile. However, lower ability should attenuate cardiovascular responses when it leads to the perception that a challenge is excessively difficult or impossible. The …

Dna Replication And Cytokinesis In Drosophila Melanogaster, Anton Svitin

All ETDs from UAB

DNA replication and cytokinesis are two important parts of the cell division process. Our studies address different aspects of both of these processes and potential links between them. One of the best approaches for studying DNA replication in eukaryotes has been an analysis in cell free in vitro systems. The existing cell free replication systems for Drosophila are relatively ineffective. In the first part of this work, we have developed an optimized in vitro system to study DNA replication using early egg extracts of Drosophila. Our studies indicate that this system proves to be an extremely useful tool for a …

Structural Studies Of The Ligand Binding Domain Of The Human Retinoid X Receptor Bound To Retinoids And The Coactivator Peptide Grip-1, Gang Xia

All ETDs from UAB

Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors which belong to the nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily. When a ligand binds to RXRs, it activates the protein allosterically for the recruitment of coactivator proteins and enhancement of gene transcription. RXRs form either homodimers or heterodimers with numerous other NRs. Thus, RXRs are involved in many signaling pathways in vivo. 9cRA, Targretin and UAB retinoids are RXR agonists and found to be effective agents to prevent and treat cancers. The structures of retinoid-bound RXRs will be helpful in designing new retinoids. This dissertation focuses on structural studies of the human retinoid X …

The Structural And Functional Studies Of Yeast Nucleotide Exchange Factor Sil1p And Its Complex With Bip, Ming Yan

All ETDs from UAB

Sil1 is an Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) localized protein. SIL1 was initially identified as a UPR-regulated gene. Later studies show Sil1 functions as the nucleotide exchange factor of ER lumenal Hsp70--Bip by directly interacting with the ATPase domain of Bip. Currently, the molecular mechanism how Sil1 catalyzes nucleotide exchange of Bip is still elusive. In this study we determine the complex structure of yeast S.cerevisia Sil1 and Bip (also called Kar2) ATPase domain at 2.3Å resolution by Single-anomalous dispersion (SAD) methods. The Sil1-Bip complex structure reveals that one sil1 molecule interacts with one Bip ATPase domain molecule to form the complex. …

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 …

Norms, Conformity, And Controls, William B. Tayler, Robert J. Bloomfield

Faculty Publications

Research in behavioral economics suggests that in addition to their traditional incentive effects, formal control systems can influence psychological motivations. We extend this literature by demonstrating experimentally that formal controls directly influence people’s sense of what behaviors are appropriate in the setting (personal norms), and indirectly alter people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of those around them (descriptive norms). These effects persist even after the controls are changed, so that the effects of current controls can be strongly influenced by past control strength. Our results support those who are incorporating psychological factors into principal-agent models (such as Fischer and …

Replacement Of The Cro Repressor In A Negative Feedback Circuit With A Slow Dimerizing Variant, Lauren Michelle Rowe

Honors Theses

The Cro protein is a transcriptional regulator that plays an active role in the switch between the lysogenic and lytic viral cycles of bacteriophage lambda. Functional Cro proteins exist as dimers composed of two identical Cro subunits. It is suspected that the dimerization rate and the affinity of Cro’s subunits play a part in determining the activity of the protein in living cells. Synthetic genetic circuits have been constructed in order to determine the repression dynamics of Cro in vivo. These circuits are used to observe the ability of wild-type Cro and a pre-dimerized variant named scCro to modulate the …

Effects Of Estrogen On Recovery Of Spatial Function After Cerebellar Lesion, Gerald William Stinson Jr.

Honors Theses

The traditional view of cerebellar processing has been that it plays a role in motor planning and function, now the cerebellum is also believed to be involved in spatial learning and cognition. Like the cerebellum’s involvement in cognition the role of estrogen in cerebellar functioning has only recently been investigated. The cerebellum normally has low levels of estrogen but aromatase activity is upregulated after brain injury, increasing estrogen levels. This upregulation after injury suggests that estrogen could be involved in neuroprotection. This study uses male zebra finches to investigate the role of the cerebellum in spatial function and the possible …

Investigating The Stability Of Energy Metabolism In Cultured Neurons: Do Cerebellar Granuleneurons Maintain A Metabolic Steady State In The Early Stages Of Apoptosis?, Adrienne Lorraine Webb

Honors Theses

Apoptosis is a process that occurs naturally during development of an organism and is a specific type of programmed cell death that characterized by its distinct morphological features. However, inappropriate inhibition or activation can result in various pathological conditions. For example, studies have shown links between inactivation of some pro-apoptotic proteins and certain cancers. Also, overstimulation of apoptosis has been linked to many neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, a clearer understanding of the process of apoptosis could provide new avenues for the treatment of these diseases that have been linked to it. The signaling involved in triggering apoptosis involves many proteins that …

The Boy Who Lived: An Examination Of The Hero's Journey In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series, Victoria Laine Applewhite

Honors Theses

The prevalence of the mythic hero’s journey in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series was investigated in order to determine how an archaic mythic form manifests itself in a contemporary literary series. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces was consulted for a detailed account of the mythic hero’s journey, and several scholarly analyses were consulted for a closer examination of Rowling’s series. The journey of Harry Potter closely correlated with the majority of the components of Campbell’s mythic hero’s journey: unusual birth, call to adventure, crossing of the threshold, aid from a protective figure, a series of tests, …

Communicative Development Through A Comparative Lens: A Snapshot Of Foreign Language Education In The United States And France, Halley Anne Hargrave

Honors Theses

This thesis is an examination of external influences on the foreign language classroom. I evaluate national policy and legislature, textbooks, and national tests as possible determinants of foreign language teaching methods used in the United States and France. I chose to compare the American system to the French system as a result of the relative success of foreign language education in France and my ability to read policy and curriculum in French. By comparing the foreign language education systems in the two countries, I hope to determine what types of weaknesses in American foreign language instruction practices hinder language acquisition. …

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 …

Vocal Fold Bowing In Elderly Male Monozygotic Twins: A Case Study, Kristine Tanner, Cara Sauder, Susan L. Thibeault, Christopher Dromey, Marshall E. Smith

Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examined case histories, diagnostic features, and treatment response in two 79-year-old male monozygotic (identical) twins with vocal fold bowing, exploring both genetic and environmental factors.
Study Design: Case study.
Methods: DNA concordance was examined via cheek swab. Case histories, videostroboscopy, auditory- and visual-perceptual assessment, electromyography, acoustic measures, and Voice Handicap ratings were undertaken. Both twins underwent surgical intervention and subsequent voice therapy.
Results: Monozygosity was confirmed for DNA polymorphisms, with 10 of 10 concordance for STR DNA markers. For both twins, auditory and visual-perceptual assessments indicated severe bowing, hoarseness and breathiness, although Twin 1 was judged to …

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 …