Digital Commons Network^™

Upregulation Of Cathepsin D In The Caudate Nucleus Of Primates With Experimental Parkinsonism., Sowmya V. Yelamanchili, Amrita Datta Chaudhuri, Claudia T. Flynn, Howard S. Fox

Journal Articles: Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience

BACKGROUND: In Parkinson's disease there is progressive loss of dopamine containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The neuronal damage is not limited to the substantia nigra but progresses to other regions of brain, leading to loss of motor control as well as cognitive abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to examine causes of progressive damage in the caudate nucleus, which plays a major role in motor coordination and cognition, in experimental Parkinson's disease.

RESULTS: Using chronic 1-methyl-4phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine treatment of rhesus monkeys to model Parkinson's disease, we found a upregulation of Cathepsin D, a lysosomal aspartic protease, in …

Alterations In The Transciptome And Antibiotic Susceptibility Of Staphylococcus Aureus Grown In The Presence Of Diclofenac, James T. Riordan, Joanne M. Dupre, Stephanie A. Cantore-Matyi, Atul Kumar-Singh, Yang Song, Shahrear Zaman, Sonia Horan, Nada S. Helal, Vijayaraj Nagarajan, Mohamed O. Elasri, Brian J. Wilkinson, John E. Gustafson

Faculty Publications

Background

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) which has been shown to increase the susceptibility of various bacteria to antimicrobials and demonstrated to have broad antimicrobial activity. This study describes transcriptome alterations in S. aureus strain COL grown with diclofenac and characterizes the effects of this NSAID on antibiotic susceptibility in laboratory, clinical and diclofenac reduced-susceptibility (Dc^RS) S. aureus strains.

Methods

Transcriptional alterations in response to growth with diclofenac were measured using S. aureus gene expression microarrays and quantitative real-time PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by agar diffusion MICs and gradient plate analysis. Ciprofloxacin accumulation was measured …

Zein Nanospheres For Gene Delivery, Mary C. Regier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Particulates incorporating DNA provide for protection and sustained release of DNA, and thus are promising candidates for DNA delivery systems. Among the routes of administration for gene delivery, the oral route is perhaps the most appealing as it is associated with patient comfort and compliance and allows for targeting to intestinal targets for therapeutic and vaccination applications. With the goal of realizing the potential of an oral DNA delivery system, zein, a hydrophobic protein from corn that is biocompatible and degraded enzymatically, was investigated. This thesis describes the formulation of zein nanospheres encapsulating DNA by a coacervation technique and their …

When To Pay Attention?: Asynchrony Requires A Trigger, Siminder Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

LIDA is an integrated, comprehensive control architecture for autonomous agents capable of making complex decisions in dynamic environments. LIDA’s computational architecture consists of various modules that each operate asynchronously. However, the Global Workspace (GW) module, responsible for conscious attention, transfers information serially. There can be several computational techniques used to initiate the broadcast of content from the GW. The present study evaluated four techniques called “triggers” to start the GW broadcast under four different conditions. A parameter search was performed to find the optimum trigger parameters, followed by an investigation to identify the trigger(s) which were most useful for an …

Emmett Till In The Literary Imagination, Loretta Mcbride

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Emmett Till was lynched in 1955 in Money, Mississippi, for whistling at a white woman. He was 14-years-old. The racially-motivated killing was so brutal that the body was just a grotesque, monstrous glob, unrecognizable to most of his kin. Media published the photo, which was a clarion call to the freedom fighters. Since then, artists have celebrated his young life. Using many genres and media, they have talked about his sexuality, his masculinity, and the impact of his death on our country, making Till one of the most written about historical figures in Black art. Much of the literature addresses …

Standing In The Shadows: African American Informants And Allies Of The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, Cynthia Jones Sadler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This dissertation addressed the use of African American informants and allies by the Mississppi State Sovereignty Commission during the Civil Rights Movement. Following the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, Mississippi initiated various measures to maintain segregated schools and uphold its southern traditios. Among them was the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a state-funded created in 1956 whose primary purpose was to uphold state's rights and maintain segregation. Dubbed the "segregation watchdog," the agency had an investigative division that used political and civic leaders, law enforcement entities, private detective agencies, and informants which constitute an informal network of spies …

Intracellular Signaling Contributions To Behaviors Relevant To Nicotine Addiction, Lauren Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine is the primary addictive substance in tobacco, and most smokers who quit will relapse within a year. Evidence shows that cigarette craving increases over time, termed “incubation.” The purpose of these studies was to see if protracted abstinence from chronic nicotine increases rat self-administration, an animal model with good face validity for human tobacco use, and if nicotine self-administration during daily exposure/after 8+ days of abstinence is regulated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell or anterior cingulate cortex (PFC). ERK kinase inhibitor U0126 was infused in the NAc shell or PFC of Long …

Factors Influencing Arthropod Diversity On Green Roofs, Bracha Y. Schindler, Alden B. Griffith, Kristina N. Jones

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Green roofs have potential for providing substantial habitat to plants, birds, and arthropod species that are not well supported by other urban habitats. Whereas the plants on a typical green roof are chosen and planted by people, the arthropods that colonize it can serve as an indicator of the ability of this novel habitat to support a diverse community of organisms. The goal of this observational study was to determine which physical characteristics of a roof or characteristics of its vegetation correlate with arthropod diversity on the roof. We intensively sampled the number of insect families on one roof with …

Is The Urban Coyote A Misanthropic Synanthrope? The Case From Chicago, Stanley D. Gehrt, Justin L. Brown, Chris Anchor

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Coyotes appear to be one of the few mammalian carnivores that occur in urban areas, although their true relationship with urbanization remains poorly understood. We summarize results from a long-term study of the urban ecology of coyotes in the Chicago metropolitan area to determine the degree of synanthropy for this species and discuss the subsequent management implications for human-coyote conflicts. Local population densities were slightly higher, and survival rates for pups were five times higher compared to rural populations. In contrast to demographic patterns, behavioral responses to urbanization, including home range size, avoidance of developed land cover, activity budget, and …

Eastern Coyote/Coywolf (Canis Latrans X Lycaon) Movement Patterns: Lessons Learned In Urbanized Ecosystems, Jonathan G. Way

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Activity and movement patterns represent a fundamental aspect of a species natural history. Twenty four-hour movements of eastern coyotes or coywolves (Canis latrans x lycaon; hereafter eastern coyote for consistency purposes) ranged up to 31.9 linear km and averaged 23.5 + 7.3 (SD) km from 5-14 radio-fixes during each 24 hr monitoring period. Coyotes moved mostly at night and through altered open areas (e.g., powerlines, dumps) more than expected when compared to residential and natural areas. Coyotes inhabiting urbanized areas generally use residential areas for traveling and/or foraging. With large daily (or more aptly, nightly) movement patterns, resident …

Summer 2011, Eric G. Strauss

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Cities and the Environment Editor, Eric Strauss, provides an introduction to the Summer 2011 issue. He discusses the journal's transition to its new home at Loyola Marymount University and the creation of the Center for Urban Resilience and Ecological Solution, while underscoring highlights of the special topics section on Urban Predators. The contributors to this section participated in the International Symposium on Urban Wildlife and the Environment hosted by the Wildlife Society at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in June of 2009. Finally, Dr. Strauss notes the breadth of our issue by mentioning the additional articles' focus on rain gardens, …

Legree, Mary Rivers, Ishmael Lewis, Deborah Oden, Mary Rivers Legree

Video Collection

No abstract provided.

Mercury In The Pelagic And Benthic Food Webs Of The Great Salt Lake, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Erin Fleming, Caleb Izdepski, Jodi Gardberg

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Leading Innovation: Creating A Culture Of Sustainability Presentation, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

This presentation focuses on elements of leading sustainable innovation in organizations by using Dr. Connie's 5 Rays of Innovation: Calibrate, Collaborate, Create, Communicate and Celebrate

The Role Of Amyloid-Beta Assembly State In Monocyte Maturation And Smooth Muscle Cell Degeneration, Nikkilina Renee Crouse

Dissertations

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder which is ranked as a leading cause of death among Americans. AD is characterized by the presence of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular plaques made of amyloid ß (Aß). Together these pathologies lead to severe memory impairment in patients, but research has implicated the presence of the Aß deposits as likely causes for AD progression. Aß is produced through the proteolytic cleavage of the integral membrane amyloid precursor protein, which occurs through the action of beta- and gamma-secretases and produces 39-43 amino acid Aß peptides. In AD, the Aß plaques are comprised …

The Alestle - Vol. 63 No. 39 - 07/20/2011, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Alestle

Vol. 63 No. 39

The Daily Gamecock, Wednesday, July 20, 2011, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

July

No abstract provided.

Public Hearing Transcripts - Nyanza - Kisii - Rtjrc20.07 (St Vincent Catholic Church Centre), Truth, Justice, And Reconciliation Commission

I. Core TJRC Related Documents

No abstract provided.

Scale-Up Of Algae Growth System To Cleanse Wastewater And Produce Oils For Biodiesel Production, Eric Lannan

Theses

Biofuels are a currently a very hot topic with significant interest in both ethanol and biodiesel production. These fuels can be used in current internal combustion engines with little or no modification. Biodiesel can be produced from a variety of sources. One of the most promising sources is microalgae. In some species of algae, oil or lipids can account for as much as 70% of their total biomass. Unfortunately, the cost to produce biodiesel from algae is much too high to compete with petroleum-based fuels. To reduce the production cost of algae, wastewater has been discovered to be an excellent …

Analysis And Fingerprinting Of Glycosaminoglycans, Joseph King

Theses and Dissertations

Heparin is a complex mixture of sulfated polysaccharides derived from animals and one of the oldest drugs in use. While an efficacious anticoagulant, heparin is beset by side effects and pharmacokinetic difficulties. Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) are made by depolymerizing unfractionated heparin (UFH) and present improvements in these areas. However, they still retain a phenomenally high level of complexity due to their polydispersity and the introduction of non-native structural features. This makes the structural characterization LMWHs a daunting task. This work details the development of a novel capillary electrophoretic (CE) method for fingerprinting LMWHs. Since their complexity normally results …

Exercise-Induced Lymphocyte Apoptosis And Relationship With Level Of Lactate In Smokers And Non-Smokers, Kyung-Shin Park, Yang Lee

International Journal of Exercise Science

Purposes of this study were 1) to examine the exercise intensity where lymphocyte apoptosis index (AI) is significantly increased in smokers and non-smokers, 2) to find out whether AI is associated with level of lactate (L). METHODS: Fourteen healthy untrained smokers (≥ 1 pack year, n=7) and non-smokers (n=7) aged 18 to 26 were recruited. Each subject conducted three treadmill runs at different intensities randomly. Running distance for all three runs was equivalent to 30 minute run at 70% VO2max. AI and L were analyzed at rest (Pre), immediately after (Post), and 1 h following (1 h post) each run. …

Olfaction And Sexuality, Michael Buxbaum, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

A patient who describes himself as "sanitary" told me of his concern with odors. Whenever he thinks about establishing a sexual relationship , he develops a fear that his partner may smell offensive, especially around her genital area. He describes signs and symptoms of sympathetic overactivity when he engages in foreplay, and is afraid that he might be impotent if he smells anything offensive. In fact, he has to insert a finger into his partner's vagina during foreplay, to test the nature of the odor. He feels relieved when the smell is neutral or perfumed, and demonstrates enhanced sexual performance. …

Comparison Of Adenoviruses As Oncolytics And Cancer Vaccines In An Immunocompetent B Cell Lymphoma Model, Eric A. Weaver, Christopher Y. Chen, Shannon M. May, Mary E. Barry, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

We have screened human adenoviruses (Ads) for oncolytic activity against a variety of mouse and hamster cell lines and have found a number that are susceptible to a variety of Ad serotypes. A20 lymphoma is derived from BALB/c mice and is susceptible to infection and killing by a variety of human Ads. A20 is also a suitable cancer vaccine model, because these cells express a unique immunoglobulin variable region that can be targeted by vaccination. To compare Ads as cancer vaccines versus Ads as oncolytics, A20 tumors were initiated in immunocompetent BALB/c mice. Mice immunized with first-generation Ad5 expressing the …

Role Of Dopamine In Impulse Control, Paul Rafael Sabandal ^, Young-Cho Kim, Kyung-An Han *

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2011

No abstract provided.

Trajectory Guide With Angled Or Patterned Guide Lumens Or Height Adjustment, Rudy A. Mazzocchi, Matthew S. Solar, Thomas B. Freeman

USF Patents

This document discusses trajectory guides that include an instrument guide with at least one lumen angled with respect to an orthogonal or other through-axis. In one example, patterned lumens on the instrument guide provide a mirror image pattern of trajectory axes intersecting a target plane. In another example, height adjustment of the instrument guide extends these or other targeting techniques to a three-dimensional volume. This document also describes a method of manufacturing such an instrument guide, which is also applicable to manufacturing an instrument guide providing parallel lumens.

Criminogenic Features Of Apartment Complexes: Preliminary Findings, Troy C. Payne, Heidi L. Scherer, John E. Eck

Presentations

This study used epidemiological methods to compare high crime apartment complexes to low crime apartment complexes along multiple dimensions, including management practices and the immediate spatial context of the complexes.

Role Of Tyk2 In The Development Of Beige Cells, Samantha Umali

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity results from an excess of adipose tissue and is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Adipose tissue exists in two main forms: white adipose tissue (WAT), which stores energy as triglycerides, and brown adipose tissue (BAT), which dissipates stored energy as heat. White adipose tissue is composed of several subcutaneous and visceral depots, each possessing distinct molecular and functional characteristics. Brown-like adipocytes can emerge in WAT depots in response to cold or beta-adrenergic stimulation. These cells have been called “beige” or “brite” (brown-in-white) cells. The reduction of obesity in mice treated with beta-adrenergic …

Racial Differences In The Genetics Of Preeclampsia, Lori Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia (PE), characterized by hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation, affects 5-8% of pregnancies worldwide. Although preeclampsia is a significant cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity, its etiology remains to be elucidated. Racial differences have been observed for preeclampsia, with U.S. Blacks having higher rates and more severe disease, compared to U.S. Whites and Hispanics. One potential source of racial differences in preeclampsia is genetic variation between populations. Genetic susceptibility to preeclampsia is well established, but the specific contributions of maternal vs. fetal genes, and how these vary among racial groups is poorly understood. This dissertation …

Semantic Analysis Of Facial Gestures From Video Using A Bayesian Framework, Gati Vashi

Theses

The continuous growth of video technology has resulted in increased research into the semantic analysis of video. The multimodal property of the video has made this task very complex. The objective of this thesis was to research, implement and examine the underlying methods and concepts of semantic analysis of videos and improve upon the state of the art in automated emotion recognition by using semantic knowledge in the form of Bayesian inference. The main domain of analysis is facial emotion recognition from video, including both visual and vocal aspects of facial gestures. The goal is to determine if an expression …

The Role Of Psychological Distress, Eating Styles, Dietary Intake, And Gender In Cardiometabolic Risk, Virginia Tai Coryell

Open Access Dissertations

Approximately one-third of U.S. adults are at increased risk for life-threatening diseases such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Such individuals are considered healthy without any diagnosed cardiometabolic conditions but may have a constellation of cardiometabolic complications that include obesity, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and hypertriglyceridemia. When most of these preclinical conditions comorbidly occur, the condition has been referred to as metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS is considered to reflect one or more early pathophysiological processes in cardiometabolic disease; however, the extent to which these complications and their underlying pathophysiology interact with behavioral factors such as stress, …