Digital Commons Network^™

Increased Lipid Accumulation In The Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Sta7-10 Starchless Isoamylase Mutant And Increased Carbohydrate Synthesis In Complemented Strains, Victoria H. Work, Randor Radakovits, Robert E. Jinkerson, Jonathan E. Meuser, Lee G. Elliott, David J. Vinyard, Lieve M.L. Laurens, G. Charles Dismukes, Matthew C. Posewitz

Faculty Publications

The accumulation of bioenergy carriers was assessed in two starchless mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (the sta6 [ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase] and sta7-10 [isoamylase] mutants), a control strain (CC124), and two complemented strains of the sta7-10 mutant. The results indicate that the genetic blockage of starch synthesis in the sta6 and sta7-10 mutants increases the accumulation of lipids on a cellular basis during nitrogen deprivation relative to that in the CC124 control as determined by conversion to fatty acid methyl esters. However, this increased level of lipid accumulation is energetically insufficient to completely offset the loss of cellular starch that is synthesized by …

Inspiring Awe In The Outdoors: A Mechanistic And Functional Analysis, Joel Agate

All Dissertations

The past decade has seen a movement within the field of psychology in which positive emotions have been emphasized as an important key to improved quality of life. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions indicates that such emotions may provide enduring reservoirs of personal strength and may broaden thought-action repertoires, opening people`s minds to new possibilities. One emotion that has begun to receive some attention among positive psychologists is awe. While little is known about this emotion, researchers and scholars have indicated that natural and outdoor environments are common settings in which people experience awe. The purpose of this study …

Book Reviews, Parameters Editors

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Sbe Notícias, Ano 5, No. 162, August 1, 2010, Marcelo A. Rasteiro, Delci K. Ishida

SBE Notícias

II SSBE reuniu a espeleologia sulina - Exposição comemora os 21 anos do GEM - Projeto de Lei quer regular os "esportes" de aventura - Palestra: Espeleomergulho no Brasil - cenário atual - Cresce o turismo em Ubajara - Morre o mergulhador Wes Skiles - Jornal Hoje exibe caverna de mármore no RN - Peixe subterrâneo é redescoberto em MG - Anfíbio de caverna pode viver 100 anos - Foto do Leitor: Gruta da Torrinha (BA-37)

Effect Of Overall Charge And Charge Distribution On Cellular Uptake, Distribution And Phototoxicity Of Cationic Porphyrins In Hep2 Cells, Timothy J. Jensen, M. Graça H. Vicente, Raymond Luguya, Jolanna Norton, Frank R. Fronczek, Kevin M. Smith

Faculty Publications

Five cationic porphyrins bearing one to four -N(CH3)3+ groups linked to the p-phenyl positions of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) were synthesized in order to study the effect of overall charge and its distribution on the cellular uptake, phototoxicity and intracellular localization using human carcinoma HEp2 cells. The di-cationic porphyrins DADP-o and DADP-a accumulated the most within cells and preferentially localize within vesicular compartments and in mitochondria. Of these two only DADP-a was phototoxic to the cells (IC50=3μM at 1J/cm2). The mono-cationic porphyrin MAP was found to be the most phototoxic of the series, and it localized mainly in lipid membranes, including the …

A Comparative Study Of Salt Tolerance Parameters In 11 Wild Relatives Of Arabidopsis Thaliana, Francesco Orsini, Matilde Paino D'Urzo, Gunsu Inan, Sara Serra, Dong Ha Oh, Michael V. Mickelbart, Federica Consiglio, Xia Li, Jae Cheol Jeong, Dae Jin Yun, Hans J. Bohnert, Ray A. Bressan, Albino Maggio

Faculty Publications

Salinity is an abiotic stress that limits both yield and the expansion of agricultural crops to new areas. In the last 20 years our basic understanding of the mechanisms underlying plant tolerance and adaptation to saline environments has greatly improved owing to active development of advanced tools in molecular, genomics, and bioinformatics analyses. However, the full potential of investigative power has not been fully exploited, because the use of halophytes as model systems in plant salt tolerance research is largely neglected. The recent introduction of halophytic Arabidopsis-Relative Model Species (ARMS) has begun to compare and relate several unique genetic resources …

Metabolic Preconditioning Of Cells With Aicar-Riboside: Improved Cryopreservation And Cell-Type Specific Impacts On Energetics And Proliferation, Michael A. Menze, Nilay Chakraborty, Matthew Clavenna, Mitali Banerjee, Xiang Hong Liu, Mehmet Toner, Steven C. Hand

Faculty Publications

In species whose evolutionary history has provided natural tolerance to dehydration and freezing, metabolic depression is often a pre-requisite for survival. We tested the hypothesis that preconditioning of mammalian cells with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-b-d-ribofuranoside (AICAR) to achieve metabolic depression will promote greater survivorship during cryopreservation. AICAR is used extensively to stimulate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which can result in downregulation of biosynthetic processes. We showed that the metabolic interconversion of AICAR was cell-type dependent. Accumulation of 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1b-d-ribofuranosyl-5'-monophosphate (ZMP), as well as other metabolites that possess multiple phosphates (i.e., ZDP, ZTP), varied approximately 3.5-fold across the cell lines tested. AICAR treatment also significantly …

A Mobile Threat To Genome Stability: The Impact Of Non-Ltr Retrotransposons Upon The Human Genome, Miriam K. Konkel, Mark A. Batzer

Faculty Publications

It is now commonly agreed that the human genome is not the stable entity originally presumed. Deletions, duplications, inversions, and insertions are common, and contribute significantly to genomic structural variations (SVs). Their collective impact generates much of the inter-individual genomic diversity observed among humans. Not only do these variations change the structure of the genome; they may also have functional implications, e.g. altered gene expression. Some SVs have been identified as the cause of genetic disorders, including cancer predisposition. Cancer cells are notorious for their genomic instability, and often show genomic rearrangements at the microscopic and submicroscopic level to which …

Cryptotanshinone Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation By Suppressing Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin - Mediated Cyclin D1 Expression And Rb Phosphorylation, Wenxing Chen, Yan Luo, Lei Liu, Hongyu Zhou, Baoshan Xu, Xiuzhen Han, Tao Shen, Zhijun Liu, Yin Lu, Shile Huang

Faculty Publications

Cryptotanshinone (CPT), a natural compound isolated from the plant Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is a potential anticancer agent. However, little is known about its anticancer mechanism. Here, we show that CPT inhibited cancer cell proliferation by arresting cells in G1-G0 phase of the cell cycle. This is associated with the inhibition of cyclin D1 expression and retinoblastoma (Rb) protein phosphorylation. Furthermore, we found that CPT inhibited the signaling pathway of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a central regulator of cell proliferation. This is evidenced by the findings that CPT inhibited type I insulin-like growth factor I- or 10% fetal bovine …

Obesity Increases The Production Of Proinflammatory Mediators From Adipose Tissue T Cells And Compromises Tcr Repertoire Diversity: Implications For Systemic Inflammation And Insulin Resistance, Hyunwon Yang, Yun Hee Youm, Bolormaa Vandanmagsar, Anthony Ravussin, Jeffrey M. Gimble, Frank Greenway, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Randall L. Mynatt, Vishwa Deep Dixit

Faculty Publications

Emerging evidence suggests that increases in activated T cell populations in adipose tissue may contribute toward obesity-associated metabolic syndrome. The present study investigates three unanswered questions: 1) Do adipose-resident T cells (ARTs) from lean and obese mice have altered cytokine production in response to TCR ligation?; 2) Do the extralymphoid ARTs possess a unique TCR repertoire compared with lymphoid-resident T cells and whether obesity alters the TCR diversity in specific adipose depots?; and 3) Does short-term elimination of T cells in epididymal fat pad without disturbing the systemic T cell homeostasis regulate inflammation and insulin-action during obesity? We found that …

Parent Engagement And Cultural Capital: Negotiating Culture In A Multilingual/Multiethnic School, Paula Andrea Echeverri-Sucerquia

Dissertations

This study explored how a multicultural/multilingual school negotiated culture with limited English proficient (LEP) students' families, particularly in the context of parent involvement activities. In order to understand how such negotiation of culture occurred, the researcher focused on the perspectives that school administrators, teachers and parents of students in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program had on the education of LEP students and their parents' involvement in school-organized activities. It also focused on the participants' understandings of cultural capital and the extent to which the school builds on immigrant /sojourner families' knowledge and culture to support their children's …

Western Rock Lobster International Stock Assessment And Modelling Workshop Report, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Material Modeling And Analysis For The Development Of A Realistic Blast Headform, S. G. M. Hossain

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blast traumatic brain injury (BTBI) has become an important topic of study because of the increase of such incidents, especially due to the recent growth of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This thesis discusses a project in which laboratory testing of BTBI was made possible by performing blast loading on experimental models simulating the human head. Three versions of experimental models were prepared – one having a simple geometry and the other two having geometry similar to a human head. For developing the head models, three important parts of the head were considered for material modeling and analysis – the skin, …

The Demarcation Problem In Jurisprudence: A New Case For Skepticism, Brian Leiter

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Smokers' Responses To Fearful And Disgust-Eliciting Anti-Smoking Media, Mark C. Goetz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to build upon Wakefield and colleagues and Vogeltanz-Holm and colleagues hypotheses that anti-smoking ads are effective by means of eliciting negative emotional states, particularly disgust. In this study, we compared two sets of ads: those high in fear and disgust and those high in only fear. We hypothesized that subjective and physiological responses to ads high in fear and have a disgust component would be greater than for the fear-only ads. We also predicted that the ads high in disgust would have higher rates of recall and engagement. Last, we predicted that participants viewing …

Shared Features And Similarity : Implications For Category Specificity And Normal Recognition, Daniel Kinka

Master's Theses

Patients with category-specific visual agnosia (CSVA) often exhibit a disproportionate difficulty recognizing objects from biological categories due (in part) to the fact that exemplars from biological categories tend to be visually and conceptually more similar. Similarity is often conceived of as a pairwise property (i.e., in terms of distance in a psychological space matrix), but may be more accurately conceived of as a setwise property (i.e., in terms of shared features). The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of shared features on similarity in normal observers, while controlling for distance in structural space. Behavioral and electrophysiological results …

Do We Know What We Know? Self- Assessment Across The Lifespan, Courtney Clare Lee

Master's Theses

Self-knowledge can play a critical role in navigating physical, cognitive, and social changes in late life. To protect and preserve one's sense of self against these changes, individuals may engage in self-enhancing and self-serving biases in areas important to self-esteem. The importance attached to these areas may change with age, and self-knowledge of these psychological processes may vary with age. We investigated self-enhancing biases and metacognitive awareness of abilities in adulthood. Participants ranging in age from 20 to 80 completed a series of tests assessing the better than average effect across a variety of age-relevant domains as well as objective …

Integrative Genomic Approaches Highlight A Family Of Parasite-Specific Kinases That Regulate Host Responses, Lucia Peixoto, Feng Chen, Omar S. Harb, Paul H. Davis, Daniel P. Beiting, Catie Small Brownback, Dinkorma Ouloguem, David S. Roos

Biology Faculty Publications

Apicomplexan parasites release factors via specialized secretory organelles (rhoptries, micronemes) that are thought to control host cell responses. In order to explore parasite-mediated modulation of host cell signaling pathways, we exploited aphylogenomic approach to characterize the Toxoplasma gondii kinome, defining a 44 member family of coccidian-specific secreted kinases, some of which have been previously implicated in virulence. Comparative genomic analysis suggests that ‘‘ROPK’’ genes are under positive selection, and expression profiling demonstrates that most are differentially expressed between strains and/or during differentiation. Integrating diverse genomic-scale analyses points to ROP38 as likely to be particularly important in parasite biology. Upregulating expression …

Does Introductory Writing Instruction Help Students To Succeed At Montclair State University?, Sean Molloy

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study examines whether Montclair State University (MSU) students who were placed into an introductory writing course between 2005 and 2009 later succeeded as measured by retention rates, academic advancement and available grade data. While available data was limited, retention rates and grade data suggest that most of these students have succeeded so far at MSU. The study also submitted an online survey to former introductory writing course students which asked whether they believe that their experience in that course was an actual contributing cause to their academic success. Survey responses of 68 students confirm that most believe the course …

Development Of A Rapid Method For Detection Of Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria And Algae In Selected New Jersey Waterbodies, Ben Nyabwari Ondimu

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Harmful algal blooms have been reported in many parts of the world affecting water quality, human and animal health. Timely intervention depends on early detection of bloom-forming algae and cyanobacteria. Water samples were collected from 15 northern New Jersey freshwater bodies and each processed through coarse (3.0um) and fine (0.45um) pore filters which were dried then frozen at -20°C. Five small discs punched from the filters were resuspended in 500ul water for microscopic observation. Many microorganisms-cyanobacteria and algae were detected, whose distinction and identification based on morphology was not conclusive. Two genes of interest (The cyanobacterial phycocyanin and the 16S …

Heavy Metals Zinc And Cadmium Resistance And Metal Effects Within Synechococcus Sp. Iu 625, Jose Leovigildo Perez

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Heavy metal resistance within cyanobacteria is often observed because cyanobacteria are good indicators of pollutants in the environment. Their ability to recognize the presence of many heavy metals makes cyanobacteria an important source of study. Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals. Cadmium inhibits spontaneous protein folding, binds to sulphydryl groups (found in nucleic acids, proteins, and enzymes), and outcompetes essential metals for important binding sites. The effects of cadmium (CdCl₂) on the growth and coupled permeability of Synechococcus sp. IU 625 was shown to inhibit Syn. sp. IU 625 cells at CdCl₂ concentration 30 …

Oncolog Volume 55, Number 08, August 2010, Bryan Tutt, John Lebas

OncoLog MD Anderson's Report to Physicians (All issues) Archives

• Therapeutic Vaccines against Cancer: Clinical trials of thrapeutic vaccines in cancer patients yield positive results
• Findings Could Altere Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Treatment: Phase III trials show newer drugs yield better responses than imatinib
• INBRIEF: Vandetanib Shows Benefit When Combined with Docetaxel for Lung Cancer/ HPV-Positive Tumor Status Indicates Better Prognosis in Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer
• HOUSE CALL: Understanding the Benefits and Risks of Massage

Agolohymena Aspidocauda Nov. Gen., Nov. Spec., A Histophagous Freshwater Tetrahymenid Ciliate In The Family Deltopylidae (Ciliophora, Hymenostomatia), From Idaho (Northwest U.S.A.): Morphology, Ontogenesis And Molecular Phylogeny, William A. Bourland, Michaela C. Strüder-Kypke

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Morphology, ontogeny and the molecular phylogeny of Agolohymena aspidocauda nov. gen., nov. spec., a new freshwater tetrahymenid ciliate from Idaho, U.S.A, are described. The ontogeny and histophagous mode of nutrition are similar to those of Deltopylum rhabdoides Fauré-Fremiet and Mugard, 1946. The new genus is placed with Deltopylum in the resurrected family Deltopylidae Song & Wilbert, 1989. We emend the diagnostic features of the family to include division by polytomy, right and left somatic kineties extending into the preoral suture, crook-shaped or sigmoid adoral membranelles 1 and 2, markedly reduced adoral membranelle 3 and a tetrahymenid silverline pattern. The main …

State Estimation For Diffusion Systems Using A Karhunen-Loeve-Galerkin Reduced-Order Model, Justin Mattimore

All Theses

This thesis focuses on generating a continuous estimate of state using a small number of sensors for a process modeled by the diffusion partial differential equation(PDE). In biological systems the diffusion of oxygen in tissue is well described by the diffusion equation, also known by biologists as Fick's first law. Mass transport of many other materials in biological systems are modeled by the diffusion PDE such as CO2, cell signaling factors, glucose and other biomolecules.
Estimating the state of a PDE is more formidable than that of a system described by ordinary differential equations (ODEs). While the state variables of …

Interpreting Cultural And Sociopolitical Landscapes In The Upper Piura Valley, Far North Coast Of Perú (1100 B.C.- A.D. 1532), Jorge Antonio Montenegro

Dissertations

This dissertation is a diachronic settlement and landscape study undertaken from an interpretive archaeology perspective. The outcome of this study has been an interpretation of the settlement and landscape configurations as well as of the sociopolitical organization during the entire prehispanic occupation (ca. 1100 B.C.- A.D. 1532) of the Upper Piura River Valley in the Far North Coast of Perú. Also, the sociopolitical interaction between the local polities of the Upper Piura River Valley and the southern foreign Northern North Coast polities has been assessed. The Far North Coast is not an environmentally "marginal" area as compared to the Northern …

Individual-Based Modeling Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Movements And Epizootiology, Lene Jung Kjaer

Dissertations

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are important game mammals and potential reservoirs of diseases of domestic livestock, so diseases of deer are of great concern to wildlife managers. In many situations, models can be useful for integrating existing data, understanding disease transmission patterns, and predicting effects on host populations. Individual-based modeling (IBM) has become more commonplace in ecology as a tool to link individual behavior to population dynamics and community interactions, especially for gauging the effects of management actions. Spatially explicit IBMs are especially useful when ecological processes, such as disease transmission, are affected by the spatial composition of the environment. …

Establishing The Best Practices Related To Effective Student Development In Campus Recreation Student Employees, Lauren Toperzer

All Theses

Students play a vital role in the leadership and delivery of campus recreation programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate best practices related to effective student development techniques in high quality campus recreation programs affiliated with NIRSA (National Intramural Recreational Sports Association). NIRSA , in collaboration with CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards), educates collegiate recreational sports professionals on the importance of providing a rich learning environment for student employees (nirsa.org, 2010). A campus recreation professional can put student development theory to practice and the student employee can gain effective professional development.
Data were collected through a …

Combined Musculo-Skeletal Multi-Body Dynamics/Finite Element Analysis Of Several Ergonomics And Bio-Mechanics Problems, Xin Xie

All Theses

Within this thesis, two ergonomics (i.e. seating comfort and long-distance driving fatigue problems) and two structural bio-mechanics (i.e. femur-fracture fixation and radius-fracture fixation) problems are investigated using musculo-skeletal multi-body dynamics and finite element computational analyses.
Within the seating comfort problem analyzed, a complete-body finite element model is constructed and used to assess the effect of seat geometry and seating posture on the feel of comfort experienced by a seated human.
Within the long-distance driving fatigue problem, musculo-skeletal analysis is employed to assess the extent of fatigue experienced by a driver through the evaluation of level of activity of his/her various …

Willingness To Pay For Locally Grown And Organically Produced Fruits And Vegetables In Dominica, Seraphine George

All Theses

ABSTRACT
With the intent of improving agricultural revenues and solidifying her place as an eco-tourism destination, it has been proposed that the island nation of The Commonwealth of Dominica convert all agricultural activities to organic production. To meet this challenge from the supply perspective, training of farmers in organic production practices has already begun. It remains, however, to quantify the potential demand for organically produced products. With this information in hand, appropriate producer support and marketing programs could be developed that would help to promote the production and consumption of Dominica‟s organic outputs and would propel Dominica toward its desired …

Factors Influencing The Adsorption Of Synthetic Organic Compounds By Carbon Nanotubes In Aquatic Environments, Ting Shao

All Theses

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon consisting of sheets of carbon atoms covalently bonded in hexagonal arrays that are seamlessly rolled into a hollow, cy-lindrical shape with both ends rounded by fullerene-like caps. As large amounts of CNTs have been manufactured and significant growth is expected in commercial CNT produc-tion, there is a major concern over their health and environmental risks once they enter into the environment. In aquatic systems, CNTs are likely to adsorb organic chemicals and aggregate as bundles due to their extremely hydrophobic surfaces. The aggregation state of CNTs plays a significant role in their fate …