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Engineering A Human Embryonic Stem Cell Reporter Line For Salivary Lineage Screening, Bahar Houshmand

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Abstract of the Thesis Engineering a Human Embryonic Stem Cell Reporter Line for Salivary Lineage Screening By Bahar Houshmand Master of Science in Basic Health Sciences (Oral Biology & Pathology) Stony Brook University 2011 Head and neck cancer radiotherapy and Sjogren Syndrome are two major conditions associated with irreversible damage to salivary glands and, a considerable decrease in saliva secretion. Currently there is no treatment available for these patients other than those relieving the symptoms. Cell-based therapy holds a great promise for treatment of these conditions, however the source of salivary progenitor cells is limiting. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) …

Mood Of Metaphor: Tropicality And Time In The Philippine Poetic, Jayson Pilapil Jacobo

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

When the trope is exhilarated and enervated by a milieu, which in this case is tropical, the category of mood must be apprehended as a theoretical opportunity where a phenomenology of the time that it takes for the imagination to work through the limits of the earth could be delineated. What is at the heart of this undertaking is to draw the history and theory of metaphor in the Philippines nearer to its original point of reference--nativity, where time is posited as self-generative in its commencement, but also potentially moving towards the modern, in spite of this anterior existence. The …

Mechanism And Inhibition Studies Of Enoyl-Acp Reductases And Dihydroxynaphthoyl-Coa Synthase In Pathogenic Bacteria, Nina Liu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Resistance to existing antimicrobial agents is a global threat to human health care, and new drugs with novel mechanisms of action are required in order to keep pace with the emergence of drug resistant pathogens. The bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis (FAS-II) and menaquinone pathways represent attractive yet relatively unexploited targets for new antibiotic development and consequently there is significant interest in developing potent inhibitors of enzymes in these two pathways. My research is mainly focused on the mechanism and inhibition of the enoyl-ACP reductases from the FAS-II pathway and dihydroxynaphthoyl-CoA synthase from the menaquinone pathway. The mechanism and inhibition of …

The Power Of Detecting A Mixture In The Treatment Groups Through Analysis Of Dose Response Data, Xiawei Tu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

In many clinical experiments, some subjects are unaffected by the treatment. This so-called non-response phenomenon has attracted the attention of many researchers in recent years. This dissertation focuses on detecting the association between the dose level and the observed values in the case where there is a mixture in treatment groups. That is, there is a linear relation between dose and response in a fraction of the observations and the shift in mean increases as the dose level increases. We investigate the Likelihood Ratio Test (LRT) in the context of normal mixture models. We do this based on critical values …

Analysis Of The Hemichannel Properties Of Cx26 Mutants Causing Keratitis-Ichthyosis-Deafness Syndrome, Pallavi Mhaske

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Keratitis-Ichthyosis-Deafness (KID) Syndrome has been linked with various mutations of the Cx26 encoding GJB2 (Gap Junction beta2) gene. Each mutation was associated with symptoms and severity of varying degree in both adult and neonatal patients. Here, the hemichannel activity of two recently discovered mutations of GJB2 - the A88V and D50A mutants found in patients of KID syndrome were examined using Xenopus oocytes. The data recordings show that while the oocytes were able to express both the wild type and mutant Cx26 genes, the hemichannel activity of the mutants was much greater. This increase in hemichannel activity led to the …

A Passive Sampling Study Of Small-Scale Variations In Ambient Acetaldehyde And Formaldehyde Concentrations, Amanda M. Evans, Amy L. Stuart

Environmental and Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Radiello passive diffusive aldehyde samplers were used to measure ambient formaldehyde and acetaldehyde levels, approximately every 0.7 km in a 10 km² sampling area in Hillsborough County, Florida from January 21 to 28, 2010. Samples were analyzed for aldehyde-DNPH derivatives via high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Concentrations were compared with values at a regulatory fixed-site monitor. Distribution statistics, concentration ratios, and spatial contours were calculated to investigate spatial variability. Mean aldehyde concentrations were 2.4 and 1.1 μg/m³ for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, respectively. Observed spatial concentration patterns were similar for both aldehydes and suggest the influence of …

Supply Chain Performance Of The Australian Beef Industry: Comparing The Industry Structure, Inter-Firm Relationships And Knowledge Systems Of Western Australia And Queensland, Mohammad Nasir Uddin,, Nazrul Islam, Mohammed Quaddus

Books & book chapters

The meat and livestock industry in Australia accounts for more than 45 per cent of Australia’s total value of agricultural production, within which beef is the largest industry in value terms (Nossal, Sheng and Zhao 2008). But the industry is experiencing a long-term decline in terms of trade, and has lagged behind other industries in rates of productivity improvement (MLA 2008). As it is critical for the economy that the beef industry maintains profitability and sustainability, it is believed that the performance, competitiveness and success of the industry depends on improving cost efficiency and productivity of the whole supply chain …

Identifying Drug-Seeking Behaviors In The Emergency Department, Randi M. Bush Burman

HIM 1990-2015

Pain is the leading cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits making it one of the primary concerns of the emergency medical field. The experience of pain is subjective and unique to every individual making it difficult to effectively manage. As a result, the subjective nature of pain is also commonly associated with drug-seekers often claiming to have pain simply to receive narcotics to support their addiction. There have been numerous studies completed to determine how to effectively recognize drug-seeking. This integrative literature review will identify the common behaviors that have been seen as indicators of drug-seeking in the ED. The …

Pulmonary Function And Respiratory Muscle Activation In Individuals With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Daniela Paleville Terson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary complications associated with persistent respiratory muscle weakness and paralyses are critical problems faced by patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the role of neurological injury and neural plasticity on pulmonary function after SCI in humans. We tested the following hypotheses: 1) post-SCI respiratory insufficiency is related to the severity of the spinal lesion; 2) respiratory insufficiency is related to abnormal neuromuscular activity of respiratory muscles and that the electromyographic (EMG) amplitude of respiratory muscles is correlated to respiratory muscle strength and 3) locomotor training, an activity-based therapy, improves pulmonary function …

The Effect Of Tissue Damage And Inflammation On Gene Expression In Sensory Neurons., Sean Anthony Trusty 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of tissue damage and inflammation on the expression in sensory neurons of P2X3, a gene that has a role in nociception and sensing bladder distension, which is regulated by nerve injury. Tissue damage induces expression of ATF3, an indicator of injury, in sensory neurons. Animals were exposed to different types of tissue damage including single and repeated skin incision, bladder incision and a spinal cord injury with bladder inflammation. P2X3 was regulated differentially between conditions of single and repeated skin incision. One condition that involves repeated tissue damage and alteration of bladder function is spinal …

Teacher-Student Relationships During Adolescence : The Role Of Parental Involvement, Behavioral Characteristics, Gender, And Income., Amanda Jeane Wyrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides an examination of contributing factors to high quality teacher-student relationships during adolescence. High quality teacher-student relationships have been linked to better academic, emotional, and social functioning for students in elementary, middle, and high school. While the importance of teacher-student relationships is well documented, less is known about contributors to the relationship, especially during adolescence. Previous research has identified that in younger populations a student's gender, income, behavioral characteristics, and parental involvement can influence the nature of the teacher-student relationship. This dissertation provides an important extension of contributing factors into the adolescent age group, where teacher-student relationships offer …

A Social Networking Space : A Study On The Productivity Of Twitter In Museum Practice., Cara C. Lyons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the evolution of social networks and technological innovations, services such as Twitter provide a platform for increased dialogue and participation. Micro-blogging features enable individuals and organizations to communicate directly, providing a new source of individual commentary that breaks the barriers of traditional communicative paradigms. This research targets museum social networking through close examination of the history of Twitter in museums, as well as its benefits, strategies, and goals in utilizing technology to foster an authentic museum experience. Another aim of this study is to highlight the challenges and obstacles museums face in constructing a social network that positively supports …

Arsenic-Induced Developmental Changes In The Liver And Adult Cardiovascular Disease., Ntube Nini Olive Ngalame

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic arsenic exposure is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD). Prenatal arsenic exposure at 49 ppm arsenic accelerates atherosclerosis underlying CVD in ApoE-/- mice, but the mechanism is unknown. This dissertation examines the mechanisms by which prenatal arsenic exposure accelerates atherosclerosis. Arsenic is a hepatotoxicant, and liver disease increases atherosclerosis risk. I hypothesized that prenatal arsenic exposure alters liver development and primes the liver for susceptibility to other environmental insults, predisposing to liver disease and accelerated atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice. I showed that prenatal arsenic exposure caused subtle but significant liver damage in 10 and 24 week old ApoE-/- mice, …

Roles Of 5ht1a Receptor In Cns Neurogenesis And Adam21 In Spinal Cord Injury., Sheila Ann Arnold 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

These studies set out to identify strategies to rescue and repair the adult nervous system. First, we investigated the role of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in 5HT1A receptor-induced neurogenesis in the rodent brain. Systemic treatment with an agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, increased neurogenesis only in rats and not mice, and only in one of the two neurogenic regions. This increase was not mediated by CNTF. These data suggest that translation of 5HT1A-based studies to human cell replacement therapies should be reconsidered. Secondly, the role of the plasticity-associated metalloprotease ADAM21 after spinal cord injury was investigated by comparing ADAM21-deficient mice to their wildtype …

Development And Evaluation Of Polymeric Implants Of Curcumin For Enhanced Chemopreventive Activity., Shyam Sunder Bansal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curcumin, a plant derived compound has shown significant potency against various chronic diseases like cancer in cell culture and animal studies. However, the introduction of this compound into clinical setting is limited by its poor oral bioavailability and thereby requires high doses for efficacy. We hypothesized that localized/systemic delivery of curcumin by polymeric implants can improve its efficacy by bypassing the oral route and by restricting majority of the drug at the tumor site. Therefore, we developed a polymeric implantable drug delivery system using poly (E-caprolactone) as the polymer and optimized it with respect to polymer molecular weight, drug load …

Profile Of Systemic Treatment With The Antiviral Lectin Griffithsin In Guinea Pigs., Christopher Lynn Barton 1976-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Griffithsin (GRFT) is a carbohydrate binding protein derived from the red alga Griffithisia sp. that has been shown to effectively interfere with the cellular attachment and infectivity of a number of viruses, including HIV-1. However, it is currently unknown what impact systemic GRFT administration may have upon a biological system. For initial in vivo testing, we introduced GRFT into guinea pigs (Cavia Parcel/us) via subcutaneous injection. Based on histological, serological, and biochemical data derived from these experiments, GRFT is well tolerated and maintained at physiologically relevant concentrations while retaining its potent antiviral activity. Follow up in vitro testing included a …

Mechanistic Insights Into Copper-Induced Regression Of Heart Hypertrophy., Katherine Bourcy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have shown that copper (Cu) supplementation at physiologically relevant levels reverses cardiac myocyte hypertrophy induced by phenylephrine (PE), and that this effect was VEGF-dependent. Yet, the amount of VEGF in the media was unchanged. However, we observed that Cu caused an increase in the ratio of VEGFR-1:VEGFR-2 as well as an increase in PKG-1 activity. PKG-1 activity is associated with the regression of cardiac myocyte hypertrophy. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that VEGFR-1 is associated with PKG-1 and their association is involved in Cu induced regression of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Human cardiac myocytes (HCM) in …

Prevention And Treatment Of Lung Cancer By Green Tea Polyphenols., Pengxiao Cao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Green tea polyphenols (GTPs) are gaining increasing attention because of their potential anti-tumor effects. However, poor oral bioavailability limits their efficacy in vivo. In this dissertation, two hypotheses were tested: 1) GTPs administered systemically by a sustained release system will circumvent the problem of limited bioavailability and lower the effective dose compared to the traditional oral route, and 2) adjuvant treatment of GTPs with a standard chemotherapeutic agent (e.g. cisplatin) will enhance efficacy of the therapeutic agent. In our lab, a polymeric implant delivery system was developed, in which GTPs were uniformly embedded within a polycaprolactone matrix to provide sustained …

3d Facial Shape Estimation From A Single Image Under Arbitrary Pose And Illumination., Ham Rara 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans have the uncanny ability to perceive the world in three dimensions (3D), otherwise known as depth perception. The amazing thing about this ability to determine distances is that it depends only on a simple two-dimensional (2D) image in the retina. It is an interesting problem to explain and mimic this phenomenon of getting a three-dimensional perception of a scene from a flat 2D image of the retina. The main objective of this dissertation is the computational aspect of this human ability to reconstruct the world in 3D using only 2D images from the retina. Specifically, the goal of this …

Effect Of Complement C5a In Tumor Progression And The Local Tumor Microenvironment., Lacey Jo Gunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monoclonal antibodies directed toward tumor associated antigens are FDA approved anticancer reagents used commonly in the clinic. Administered antibodies initiate tumor cell death through several mechanisms. Improving immune mediated mechanisms, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) may improve treatment success. However, in many tumors, complement activation and propagation is limited by tumor cell overexpression of complement regulatory proteins (CRPs). Thus, introduction of complement components into the tumor, specifically anaphylatoxin C5a, may provide a key strategy to improve existing, approved anti-tumor treatment. Currently the role of C5a in the tumor remains unclear. The receptor for C5a, C5aR, is expressed …

Adenovirus-Induced Cyclin E Activates Cdk2 For Virus Replication., Pei-Hsin Cheng 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human adenoviruses (Ads) can infect and replicate in cells at different cell-cycle stages. Ads with the E1 B55K deletion preferentially replicate in cancer cells and cause oncolysis. Our laboratory has previously shown that the Ad E1 b gene is involved in induction of several cell-cycle regulative genes (Rao, X. et al. Virol. 350:418-28, 2006) and that cyclin E expression is required for efficient viral replication (Zheng, X. et al. J Viral 82:3415-27, 2008). In this study, we sought to investigate the interaction of cyclin E with its partner CDK2 in Ad-infected cells. We show four lines of evidence indicating the …

Expression Pattern Of Cd2ap In The Intact And Collaterally Sprouting Nervous System., Sarah Elizabeth Claypool Couch 1987-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collateral sprouting (CS) occurs when uninjured axons respond to denervated tissue surrounding the axon by growing branches of the axon to reinnervate the denervated zone. This process is signaled by factors released by the denervated tissue. Nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to be required and sufficient for the initiation and maintenance of CS. Previous work showed CD2 associated protein (CD2AP) mRNA increased following a spared dermatome procedure to model collateral sprouting. CD2AP links the cytoskeleton to tyrosine kinase receptors such as TrkA (the NGF receptor), where it is involved in the cellular response to growth factor signaling. Here …

On The Cover

Sci-Tech News

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Full Issue: Vol. 65, No. 3

Sci-Tech News

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Urinary Nitrate Might Be An Early Biomarker For Pediatric Acute Kidney Injury In The Emergency Department, Asad Mian, Yue Du, Harsha K Garg, Chantal Caviness, Stuart L Goldstein, Nathan S Bryan

Department of Emergency Medicine

NO is involved in normal kidney function and perturbed in acute kidney injury (AKI). We hypothesized that urinary concentration of NO metabolites, nitrite, and nitrate would be lower in children with early AKI presenting to the emergency department (ED), when serum creatinine (SCr) was uninformative. Patients up to 19 y were recruited if they had a urinalysis and SCr obtained for routine care. Primary outcome, AKI, was defined by pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of function, End-stage renal disease (pRIFLE) criteria. Urinary nitrite and nitrate were determined by HPLC. A total of 252 patients were enrolled, the majority (93%) of …

Influence Of Natural Organic Matter On Plutonium Sorption To Gibbsite, Laura Simpkins

All Theses

Understanding plutonium geochemical behavior is imperative to the development of schemes for remediation of plutonium environmental contamination and accurate assessment of risks posed by the disposal of plutonium bearing wastes. The primary mechanism of plutonium mobility in the environment is subsurface transport. The mobility of plutonium is significantly influenced by redox and complexation reactions. Although the effects of surface mediated redox reactions on plutonium's subsurface mobility have been previously documented, little has been done to determine the impact of organic materials on sorption behavior and oxidation states. To adequately predict the behavior of plutonium in the environment, the influence of …

Thermal Destruction Of Geobacillus Stearothermophilus In Rendered Animal Co-Products, Yubo Zhang

All Theses

The non-pathogenic, heat stabile organism Geobacillus stearothermophilus was used during thermal death time testing of rendered poultry materials from three different rendering plants. G. stearothermophilus is an endospore–forming, Gram positive, thermophilic bacterium that is commonly used in the canning industry. A modification of the method of Kim and Naylor (1966) was used to prepare a G. stearothermophilus spore suspension. Uninoculated and inoculated rendering samples containing 50% fat and rendered crax were prepared. Lecithin and 2,3,5–triphenyl–2H–tetrazolium chloride (TTC) were used during sample enumeration to emulsify the high fat samples and to aid in detection of colonies, respectively. Commercial rendering cookers are …

Ecology, Daisy Wang, Yipsel Ramos

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Goals/TEKS:

(10) The student knows that biological systems are composed of multiple levels. The student is expected to:

(C) analyze the levels of organization in biological systems and relate the levels to each other and to the whole system.

(11) The student knows that biological systems work to achieve and maintain balance. The student is expected to:

(B) investigate and analyze how organisms, populations, and communities respond to external factors;

(C) summarize the role of microorganisms in both maintaining and disrupting the health of both organisms and ecosystems

*(D) describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can …

A Lay Word For A Legal Term: How The Popular Definition Of Charity Has Muddled The Perception Of The Charitable Deduction, Paul Valentine

Nebraska Law Review

In the United States there is a deeply held conviction “that taxpayers who donate to charity should generally not be subject to the same income tax liability as similarly situated taxpayers.” This innate sense about the Internal Revenue Code’s § 170, otherwise known as the charitable deduction, resonates with Americans’ sense of fairness and creates strong barriers to curtailing its function.

This same sense of fairness is tied to the perceived effects of the charitable deduction. Yet, how “charitable” is the charitable deduction, and how charitable do we expect it to be? This Article argues that the discrepancy between the …

The International Law Of Discovery, Indigenous Peoples, And Chile, Robert J. Miller, Lisa Lesage, Sebastián López Escarcena

Nebraska Law Review

law in force at the time they were asserted.11 We hope that our effort will add to the work that has already been completed, and to that which is currently under way, to erase the Doctrine from international and national laws and to help reverse some of its pernicious effects on indigenous peoples. In Part II, we describe what the Doctrine of Discovery is, how it was developed in Europe, and how it was applied by Spain in the New World. Part III examines Chilean history and law to investigate whether Spanish and Chilean governments applied the Doctrine to the …