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Impact Of Insulin Resistance On Behavioral And Neurochemical Deficits In Db/Db Mice, Ajaykumar Narayan Sharma

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There is a high comorbidity of type-2 diabetes and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, there is paucity of preclinical research to study this phenomenon. The validity of the db/db mouse as an animal model to study type-2 diabetes and related macrovascular and microvascular complications is well established. The first part of this dissertation was designed to investigate comprehensively the db/db mouse behavior as preclinical evidence of type-2 diabetes related major neurobehavioral complications. Juvenile (5-6 weeks) and adult (10-11 weeks) db/db mice were screened for behavioral depression in forced swim test (FST), psychosis-like symptoms using pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) test, anxiety behavior employing elevated …

3-D Model Characterization And Identification From Intrinsic Landmarks, John L. Camp

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A method to automatically characterize and identify 3-D range scans based on intrinsic landmarks is presented. Intrinsic landmarks represent locally unique, intrinsic properties of a scanned surface, regardless of scale or rotation. The number, location, and characteristics of landmarks are used to characterize the scanned models. This method contains a selection process to identify stable, intrinsic landmarks for range scans as well as the identification of those scans. The selection process requires no user interaction or surface assumptions. It uses the principal curvatures at the range points to select the landmarks. First, a large number of landmarks are generated by …

Functional Metabolomics' Enhances Assessment Of Tissue Dysfunction As Demonstrated In A Rat Model Of Sub-Acute D-Serine Exposure, Isaie Sibomana

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We describe a methodology that combines urinary metabolomics with a tissue-specific stressor administration to enhance assessment of tissue function. Kidney function in rats was mildly compromised with a sub-acute dose of D-serine and stressed with furosemide. NMR-based metabolomics analyses showed no detectable effects due to D-serine alone; but furosemide or D-serine + furosemide groups, classified separately from each other, and from control. Furosemide alone caused a ca. 2-fold increase in glucose, lactate, choline, and a 30% decrease in TCA intermediates (p≤0.05). D-serine suppressed these effects and produced a 1.7-fold increase in a p-phenolic acid-derivative of tyrosine (PAdY) relative to control …

Distribution Of Cellular Interferon Beta (Ifn-Β) In Murine Fibroblast Cell Lines Upon Infection Of Hsv-1, Rachael E. Curtis

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The hypothesis for this study was: IFN-β expression differs between murine fibroblasts (A2R1 and L929) of different mouse strains upon infection of HSV-1. Fluorescent microscopy was used to examine localization of IFN-β in the different murine fibroblast and keratinocyte cell lines after 6 hours of infection with herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1). Because keratinocytes cell lines HEL-30 and PAM-212 grew in clusters, staining patterns in individual cells could not be determined. A notable difference in localization of IFN-β immune staining was seen between the two cell lines when infected with HSV-1. The A2R1 cell line showed perinuclear (PN) localization, while …

Multi-Locus Evidence Of A Late Pleistocene Divergence And Sex-Biased Dispersal In The North American Wood Duck (Aix Sponsa), Christopher T. Bigley

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The Pleistocene was characterized by fluctuations in climate causing repeated advances and retreats of glacial ice. The advancing ice sheets caused habitat fragmentation which initiated population divergence and speciation events between eastern and western avian populations within northern temperate forests. Based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences, North American Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) populations fit this model of divergence. However, mtDNA is maternally inherited, and thus may not reflect the genomic history of this species, because of male biased-dispersal, selection, or stochastic lineage sorting. To test the "Late Pleistocene divergence" hypothesis, I sequenced 11 independent nuclear introns (nuDNA) for …

Targeted Knockdown Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Alpha 1 And Alpha 2 Catalytic Subunits, Larissa J. Tangeman

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AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates cellular metabolism and promotes ATP production when energy is depleted. Evidence suggests that AMPK may be involved in oxygen sensing by carotid body cells, which are responsible for regulating the breathing rate to maintain proper blood oxygen levels. There are two isoforms of the catalytic alpha subunit, AMPKalpha1 and AMPKalpha2, which could be involved in oxygen sensing. Here, the production of a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting both catalytic isoforms of AMPK in human, mouse, and rat is described. The shRNA causes significant knockdown of both isoforms of AMPK alpha in mouse and human cells …

Response Of Neuroinflammatory And Neurodegenerative Markers Following Sub-Lethal Sarin Exposure And Subsequent Treatment Via An In-Vivo Caspase Inhibitor, Douglas F. Chmura

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Organophosphorus nerve agents are amongst the most deadly chemical compounds ever synthesized. Sarin is an organophosphate (OP) ester that irreversibly forms a phosphoester bond at the active site of acetylcholinesterase and thereby induces a rapid and lethal cholinergic crisis. It remains an active threat to vulnerable civilian populations due to its ease of synthesis and known use by rogue nations and terrorist groups. Death is the most extreme consequence of sarin toxicity. Current treatments fail to provide protection against progressive cognitive impairments years after mild exposure. Q-VD-OPh is an in-vivo caspase inhibitor with potent anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory properties. In this …

Joy Home, Jeffrey C. Henebury

English Honors Projects

Meet Edgar Jones, the fast-talking, woman-wooing septuagenarian with a penchant for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. But when a resident at his nursing home nearly dies under suspicious circumstances, Edgar’s the only one asking the tough questions. Who pushed Frank, the depressed resident with a secret, over the edge?  What’s Maria, the brunette who likes to water her plants with gin, hiding? When is Edgar’s daughter coming to visit? And why the hell isn’t there anything better on TV? Noir meets nursing home as Edgar struggles to find some answers—and to keep those answers from slipping away.

The Meaning Of Mcintyre Our Courts And The World: Transnational Litigation And Civil Procedure: Jurisdiction, Adam N. Steinman

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Lay Of The Land: Examining The Three Opinions In J. Mcintyre Machinery, Ltd. V. Nicastro, Adam N. Steinman

Articles

It was a long time coming The Supreme Courts decisions last Term in J McIntyre Machinery Ltd v Nicastro and Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations SA v Brown ended a twodecade highcourt hiatus from the subject of personal jurisdiction In McIntyre the more controversial of the two the Court concludes that New Jersey state courts lacked jurisdiction over a British manufacturer in a suit by a New Jersey plaintiff who was injured in New Jersey by a machine purchased by his New Jersey employer McIntyre lacks a majority opinion however Instead we have a fourJustice plurality authored by Justice Kennedy a …

Aural Landscapes, Brandi Price

Theses and Dissertations

Music and design draw upon innate parallels concerned with the creation and existence of space. By acknowledging the roles of both the visual and the aural in my design process as input and output, I attempt to achieve a deeper understanding of my intuition as a visual communicator. I believe that the visual and aural are linked—existing harmoniously together. The collected works present ever-evolving ideas on visualizing the experience of sound.

Novel Role Of Mecp2 In Developing Oligodendrocytes And Myelination, Daniel Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2 is) is an epigenetic regulator that binds to methylated DNA. Initially identified as transcriptional repressor, MeCP2 also binds to different proteins functioning as gene activator. Importantly, MecCP2 gene mutations and changes in MeCP2 levels are associated to several forms of mental retardation and autism-related disorders; including Rett, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting primarily girls. While brain MeCP2 was considered to be exclusively neuronal, this regulator is also present in glia. We found that oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS), express particularly high MeCP2 levels at a developmental stage that precedes their final maturation. …

Bio-Extract Concentrated Of Thai "Yor" Morinda Citrifolia Effects In Analgesic, Acute Toxicity And Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, Pranee Nandhasri, Sopit Thamaree, Tadsanee Punjanon, Somboon Kietinun

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

BCTX, Bio-extract concentrated Thai "Yor" or Noni in English, Morinda citrifolia L. (Rubiaceae),was found the total fatty acids and amino acids content of 149 ± 8.74 and 204 mg/100 g,respectively. It was reported to be a nontoxic bio-extract with the acute toxicity (LD50) of morethan 4,000 mg/kg body weight of Swiss albino mice and Wistar rat. The methyl alcohol extractof M. citrifolia raw material from BCTY product revealed the analgesic effect of 93.1 ± 1.7%inhibition which was quite equivalent to 96.7 ± 1.6% of morphine sulfate 1.5 mg/kg. Human peripheralblood mononuclear cells (HPBMCs) were used for cytotoxicity, CD₄/CD …

Strategies For Long-Term Renal Allograft Survival In Iga Nephropathy Patients, Erin E. Lintz

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IgA nephropathy is one of the most common kidney diseases worldwide. Most IgA nephropathy patients will undergo a kidney transplant as a treatment. Treatment currently includes the use of immunosuppressants which are necessary to prevent graft rejection but present harmful side-effects when taken long-term. This review focuses on strategies which have the ability to promote tolerance of both donor and recipient cells within a transplant recipient. Such strategies allow development of mixed chimerism and thereby alleviate the need for long-term immunosuppressant usage in allograft recipients. These strategies could be applied to IgA nephropathy patients to allow kidney allograft acceptance without …

The Functionalization And Characterization Of Adherent Carbon Nanotubes With Silver Nanoparticles For Biological Applications, Adam A. Maleszewski

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The purpose of this project is to form silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) attached to a hierarchical substrate for possible use in biological applications. The effectiveness of these Ag-NP-containing devices, including biofilters and biosensors, may be dramatically enhanced by the use of hierarchical structures such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), as they offer a high surface area surface suitable for cell-device interactions, while Ag-NP would be a suitable component in many such devices due to its plasmonic surface properties (e.g. in sensor and directed energy applications) and its anti-microbial properties (desirable for fluid filtration due to its low weight. Meaningful control over the …

Low Dose Nerve Agent Sarin Causes Dilated Cardiomyopathy And Autonomic Imbalance In Mice, Swapnil Vijay Shewale

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Sarin, a lethal chemical nerve agent, may be a causative factor in multifactorial syndrome implicated in the Gulf War and Tokyo terrorist attacks. While high dose results in seizure and death, low dose exposure may lead to autonomic imbalance and chronic cardiac pathologies. In the present study, echocardiography and electrocardiography were used to examine the late onset effects of a low dose sarin on cardiac structure and function in mice. Stress responsiveness of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis was also tested. Findings demonstrate changes consistent with a dilated cardiomyopathy, including left ventricular dilatation, reduced contractility, and altered electrophysiological and …

Marine Vertebrate Remains From Middle-Late Devonian Bone Beds At Little Hardwick Creek In Vaughns Mill, Kentucky And At The East Liberty Quarry In Logan County, Ohio, John M. James

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Stratigraphic, lithologic, faunal and condont biozone analysis will provide insight to whether or not East Liberty Bone Bed, in Logan County, Ohio, and Little Hardwick Creek Bone Bed C, in Vaughns Mill, Kentucky, are chronostratigraphic correlations to one another; they are separated by 370 kilometers (230 miles). Material from each bed was collected and broken down in acid and analyzed. Remaining residue after acid treatment was analyzed under a dissecting microscope for lithological and fossil contents, identified from previous fossil vertebrate findings at other locations.

Final analysis of these beds showed that lithologically and faunally they are very similar. However, …

Developing A Quantitative Pcr Assay For Detecting Viral Vector Shedding From Animals, Swathee Chinnasamy

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Replication deficient viruses have been used widely for replacing, repairing, and deleting target genes. These recombinant viruses are tested on research animals or patients in clinical trials. Although viral vectors distribute in the body, they are also disseminated into the environment through secretion and excretion processes. By studying the extent of shedding, a proper risk assessment can be performed and appropriate biocontainment can be achieved. Adenoviral and lentiviral vectors were produced from commercially available kits. The transgene present in both vector systems was the lacZ reporter gene encoding for β-galactosidase. Primers and probes were designed for the encapsidation region of …

The Impact Of Non-Reading Language Performance On The Estimation Of Premorbid Iq Among Normal Elderly Individuals, Abraham Maniparambil-Eapen

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The influence of non-reading language ability was studied in the context of estimating premorbid IQ among normal elderly individuals. Non-reading language performance was measured by the Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA) Test and the Animal Naming (AN) Test. Non-reading language disturbances were divided into three levels (i.e., no disturbance on COWA and AN, either COWA or AN disturbance, and both COWA and AN disturbances). Intellectual ability was primarily measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). Additionally, reading measures such as the New Adult Reading Test- Revised (NART-R) and the Wide Range Achievement Test- Fourth Edition (WRAT-4) Word Reading …

Predicting Conflict In Group Psychotherapy: A Model Integrating Interpersonal And Group-As-A-Whole Theories, Kyle G. Barry

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Literature on group dynamics has typically focused on six content areas; (1) cohesion and group identification, (2) attributions and perceptions in group, (3) leadership and performance in groups, (4) power and relationships among group members, (5) knowledge and cognitive process in groups, (6) group psychotherapy (Kivlighan and Miles, 2007). While this literature base has built sophisticated theories, these theories tend to be disconnected and lack applicability to clinical practice. This dissertation will integrate interpersonal and group-as-a-whole theories in order to predict the probable dynamic interactions that theoretically occur as individuals move through conflict within group psychotherapy. Recommended interventions are included …

Animal-Assisted Therapy: An Adjunctive Intervention For Reducing Depression And Anxiety In Female College Students With Physical Disabilities And Guidelines For Implementation Into Psychotherapy Practice And Research, Erin Nicole Armour

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The existing literature has indicated that women with physical disabilities are at greater risk for depression and anxiety compared to men with similar limitations and their able-bodied counterparts (Nosek & Hughes, 2003). In addition to this, female college students with physical disabilities are at greater risk for attrition than able-bodied female college students (Gmelch, 1998). This dissertation discusses the benefits and criticisms of animal-assisted therapy as an adjunctive intervention for depression and anxiety in this population. It also provides guidelines for implementing it into psychotherapy practice and research.

A Solution-Focused Group Treatment Approach For Individuals Maladaptively Expressing Anger, Kimberly Marie Brzezowski

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This dissertation describes a proposed protocol for a brief solution-focused group treatment model for treating "expressed externalized anger". Such an approach postulates that positive and lasting change can come about in a relatively brief period of time by using a solution-focused rather than a deficits-focused approach. Without minimizing or diminishing the negative and detrimental consequences of maladaptive anger expression, a solution-focused approach aims at using an empowering approach to hold group members responsible for recognizing and utilizing solutions to their difficulties in appropriately managing their anger. This proposed protocol includes a complete solution-focused treatment approach with a stage by stage …

Legal Capital And The Model Business Corporation Act: An Essay For Bayless Manning, James J. Hanks Jr.

Law and Contemporary Problems

Hanks discusses the distribution provisions of the Model Business Corporation Act. The relatively smooth operation and interpretation of the MBCA's distribution provisions is an excellent example of the reflection, sophistication, care, and skill of the Committee on Corporate Laws in considering, drafting, revising, and updating the Model Business Corporation Act over the past sixty years. The overall success of the distribution provisions is a tribute to the many lawyers, judges, and law professors who have participated in the Committee's very successful efforts to advance the law of corporations in this country and elsewhere.

An Appraisal Of The Model Business Corporation Act’S Appraisal Rights Provisions, Mary Siegel

Law and Contemporary Problems

Siegel examines four fundamental differences between the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Model Business Corporation Act (MBCA). In the area of shareholder appraisal rights, the two statutes are diametrically opposed on many key elements. Most notably, MBCA chapter 13 on appraisal rights differs from Delaware's statutory appraisal provisions in four fundamental respects: 1. events that will trigger a shareholder's right to demand appraisal, 2. timing of the corporation's payment to shareholders demanding appraisal rights, 3. allocation of court costs and shareholder expenses, and 4. whether the market-out exception to appraisal rights is limited only to appraisal-triggering transactions that are …

Reason, Faith, And Meaning, Charles Taylor

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Gulf Coast Blowout: How The Bp Oil Spill Is Corroding Communities And What Attorneys & Policymakers Must Do To Stop It, Fay Pappas

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Killing The Messenger: The Intersection Between Sex Trafficking, Planned Parenthood & The Marginalization Of Youth Victims, Sarah Primrose

University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To The Parliament 2010/11, Government Of Western Australian Fisheries Department

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

This annual report provides an overview of the Department and its operations for the financial year ended 30 June 2011. It has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 2006, the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Commission’s Annual reporting framework – 2010/11 reporting year.

Dynamic Generation Of Reduced Ontologies To Support Resource Constraints Of Mobile Devices, Dan Schrimpsher

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fragment Based Lead Discovery Of Inhibitors Of Urokinase Type Plasminogen Activator, Li Qiu

Dissertations

No abstract provided.