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Age-Associated Changes In Innate Immunity And Their Impacts On Inflammatory Disease., Mehmet Akif Eskan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease arises from excessive host inflammatory responses to the tooth-associated microbial biofilm, known as dental plaque. Severity ranges from superficial inflammation of the gingivae (gingivitis) to extensive destruction of connective tissue and bone (periodontitis) leading to tooth loss. In its severe form, periodontitis affects 10 - 15% of the total human population to the extent that they will lose half their teeth by age 50. Periodontitis, a prevalent chronic disease with an impact on systemic health, such as atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, is critically dependent on neutrophils. Although conventional periodontal treatment may reverse destructive inflammation, a subset of patients …

Working Class In British Films 1950s-2000s : Identity, Culture, And Ideology., Tongyun Shi 1961-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Britain was the first country to industrialize with the Industrial Revolution and therefore had the world's first industrial working class. In the 20th century, the traditional British working class went through many social and political changes, represented especially by the post-war "rise" and a lasting "decline" since the 1970s, a fate which is worth academic study. Class matters not only in sociological sense, but also in cultural sense. This dissertation, through close text analysis of seven British social realist films--two New Wave ones, Room at the Top (Jack Clayton, 1959) and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (Karel Reisz, 1960); three …

Effects Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta1 On Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome, Stephanie Flynn James

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Pten Deletion On Cell Size And Plasticity In The Hippocampus, Margaret Sperow

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is the central negative regulator of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) -signaling pathway, which mediates diverse processes in various tissues. In the nervous system, the PI3K pathway modulates proliferation, migration, cellular size and synaptic transmission and plasticity. Neurologic abnormalities such as autism, seizures, and ataxia are associated with inherited PTEN mutations. Yet, how PTEN loss contributes to neurologic dysfunction remains unknown. PTEN loss during early development is associated with extensive deficits in neuronal migration and substantial hypotrophy of neurons and synaptic densities. However, whether its effect on synaptic transmission and plasticity is direct …

Development And Evaluation Of Nano‑Scale Systems For Targeted Delivery To Treat Liver Fibrosis, Ningning Yang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Excessive deposition of ECM is the common characteristic of liver fibrosis. During hepatic fibrosis, various inflammatory cytokines are released and trigger the activation of quiescent HSCs. The activated HSCs play the major role in producing extra amount collagen. It becomes very crucial to focus on HSCs to find out therapeutics, such as inhibiting collagen synthesis, inhibiting activation to myofibroblasts, or controlling inflammation.

To control excessive collagen synthesis, one triplex forming oligonucleotides (TFO), was systemically administrated to prevent type I collagen mRNA transcription. To enhance circulation time and targeted delivery efficiency, TFO was conjugated to M6P‑HPMA and showed efficient targeted delivery …

Preclinical Pharmacology Of The Mdm2 Antagonist Nutlin-3a, Fan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Nutlin-3a is an MDM2-p53 interaction antagonist that is under investigation in preclinical models for a variety of pediatric malignancies, including neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, leukemia, and rhabdomyosarcoma. In the current research, we conducted preclinical pharmacology studies of nutlin-3a to evaluate the synergistic effect of the nutlin-3a and topotecan combination on neuroblastoma cell growth, to assess the effect of nutlin-3a on breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), and to characterize the disposition of nutlin-3a in the mouse plasma and multiple tissues.

Activating the p53 pathway might offer a new therapy for neuroblastoma. In the first part of the study, we assessed the effect of …

Using Geographical Information Systems To Investigate Spatial Patterns In Fossils Of Tapirus Polkenis From The Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, Winn Addison Ketchum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discovered in 2000, the Gray Fossil Site provides a snapshot of the flora and fauna that lived during late Miocene to early Pliocene time in eastern Tennessee. These fossils occur in sediments consisting of fine-grained clays and sands of lacustrine origin, which were deposited after multiple sinkholes formed in the underlying Knox Group basement carbonates. Three-dimensional nearest neighbor analysis has been applied to fossils of Tapirus polkensis, characterizing the spatial patterns exhibited. These analyses determined the importance of taphonomic and depositional processes that occurred during the sites formation. Six characteristics were analyzed, four at the bone level including carnivore …

Feeding Practices Of Mothers In The Gobi Desert Of Mongolia, Julie F. Tate

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diets of Mongolia infants are deficient in vitamins and minerals and complementary foods are introduced too early. Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for infants until 6 months of age. A survey of 50 Mongolian mothers with children under the age of 5 in the town of Sainshand, Dornogobi, was conducted in July 2011. Mongolian infants are among the highest percent of infants in the world who are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their lives, thus providing them with excellent nutrition. However, complementary feedings and supplements are not appropriately used or understood. Therefore, the diets …

Mapping Injustice: The World Is Witness, Place-Framing, And The Politics Of Viewing On Google Earth, Joshua P. Ewalt

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Working from assumptions that inequality is often spatially informed, a set of interactive cartographies has recently proliferated on Google Earth. In this essay, I analyze one of those interactive cartographies: The World is Witness produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM). I read the map as an organizational rhetoric that frames place as "embedded injustice." I also argue that thorough analysis of the framing of local place on Google Earth must inherently question whether the map can create a disruption in the viewing subject. While the map presents vital information on excruciatingly despicable acts of injustice, and the …

Morphine Potentiates Neuropathogenesis Of Siv Infection In Rhesus Macaques, Sirosh M. Bokhari, Ramakrishna Hedge, Shannon Callen, Honghong Yao, Istvan Adany, Qingsheng Li, Zhuang Li, David Pinson, Hung-Wen Yeh, Paul D. Cheney, Shilpa Buch

Qingsheng Li Publications

Despite the advent of antiretroviral therapy, complications of HIV-1 infection with concurrent drug abuse are an emerging problem. Opiates are well-known to modulate immune responses by preventing the development of cell-mediated immune responses. Their effect on the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection however, remains controversial. Using the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus/ macaque model of HIV pathogenesis, we sought to explore the impact of morphine on disease progression and pathogenesis. Sixteen Rhesus macaques were divided into 2 groups; 4 were administered saline and twelve others morphine routinely. Both groups of animals were then inoculated with SIVmacR71/17E and followed longitudinally for disease pathogenesis. The …

Expression Of Alkaline Phosphatase In Immortalized Murine Cementoblasts In Response To Compression-Force., Ye Tian, Lan Huang, Yong-Wen Guo, Li Cao, Ya-Ting Wang, Hui Xu, Ding Bai

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of compression-force on the expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and ALP activity in cementoblasts. METHODS: We performed this study in the State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, West China Stomatology Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China from October to December 2010. We exposed murine immortalized cementoblasts (OCCM-30) to 2000-ustrain compression-force at a frequency of 0.5 Hz for 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours. We assayed the cellular ALP activity after the treatments. We used real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot to examine the gene and protein expression of ALP in the OCCM-30 …

An Evaluation Of Neuroplasticity And Behavior After Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Nucleus Accumbens In An Animal Model Of Depression., Steven M Falowski, Ashwini Sharan, Beverly A S Reyes, Carl Sikkema, Patricia Szot, Elisabeth J Van Bockstaele

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Recent interest has demonstrated the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) as a potential target for the treatment of depression with deep brain stimulation (DBS).

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that DBS of the NAcc is an effective treatment modality for depression and that chemical and structural changes associated with these behavioral changes are markers of neuroplasticity.

METHODS: A deep brain stimulator was placed in the NAcc of male Wistar-Kyoto rats. Groups were divided into sham (no stimulation), intermittent (3 h/d for 2 weeks), or continuous (constant stimulation for 2 weeks). Exploratory and anxietylike behaviors were evaluated with the open-field test before and after …

Montclair Magazine (Fall/Winter 2011), Montclair State University

Montclair: The magazine of Montclair State University

Cultivating Change

• New alumni resources
• The Heights
• President's perspective

Essential Oils Of Cupressus Funebris, Juniperus Communis, And J. Chinensis (Cupressaceae) As Repellents Against Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) And Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) And As Toxicants Against Mosquitoes, John F. Carroll, Nurhayat Tabanca, Matthew H. Kramer, Natasha M. Elejalde, David E. Wedge, Ulrich R. Bernier, Monique Coy, James Becnel, Betul Demirci, Kemal Husnu Can Başer, Jian Zhang, Sui Zhang

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Juniperus communis leaf oil, J. chinensis wood oil, and Cupressus funebris wood oil (Cupressaceae) from China were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We identified 104 compounds, representing 66.8-95.5% of the oils. The major components were: α-pinene (27.0%), α-terpinene (14.0%), and linalool (10.9%) for J. communis; cuparene (11.3%) and δ-cadinene (7.8%) for J. chinensis; and α-cedrene (16.9%), cedrol (7.6%), and β-cedrene (5.7%) for C. funebris. The essential oils of C. funebris, J. chinensis, and J. communis were evaluated for repellency against adult yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti (L.), host-seeking nymphs of the lone …

Calibration Of Highway Safety Manual: Predictive Models For Oregon State Highways, Fei Xie, Kristie Gladhill, Karen Dixon, Christopher Monsere

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recently released "Highway Safety Manual" (HSM) published by AASHTO provides a comprehensive set of tools for evaluating and identifying opportunities to improve safety for highway facilities. Included in the HSM is a quantitative method for predicting crashes on the basis of recently developed scientific approaches. These predictive methods currently exist for three facility types: rural two-lane roads; rural multilane highways; and urban and suburban arterial highways. To enhance precision, each HSM predictive method should be calibrated for location conditions. This paper demonstrates the HSM calibration procedure for total crashes in Oregon. The research identified three critical data collection limitations …

Genetic Status Of Isolated Populations Of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus Clarkii Pleuriticus) In The North Fork Little Snake River Drainage, Wyoming, Rachel Van Horne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the last century native cutthroat trout populations have declined in the western United States. Habitat fragmentation is one of the main causes for this decline. Human actions such as the construction of roads, weirs, dams, and water diversions intersect streams and prevent the natural movement of fish. In many cases native cutthroat trout are now confined to headwater streams above human-created barriers. These barriers not only fragment the populations but also increase the risk of individual population extinction.

This study established a baseline genetic structure for nine isolated populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout in the North Fork Little …

Fish Passage Through Rehabilitated Culverts Laboratory Study, Amber H. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Slip lining culverts represent a low-cost technique that can restore life to decaying culverts. However, slip liners are smoother than typical host culverts; therefore, they generate higher flow velocities and lower flow depths within the culvert, which are fish passage barriers. One way to mitigate these barriers is by installing baffles. Unfortunately baffles can jeopardize the flow capacity of the culvert.

The Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) at Utah State University contracted with the Utah Department of Transportation for $85,000 to test the effectiveness of baffles in improving fish passage through culverts. The goal of this project was to identify …

Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors: Mathematical Modeling And Lipid Production, Paul A. Woolsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Harvesting of algal biomass presents a large barrier to the success of biofuels made from algae feedstock. Small cell sizes coupled with dilute concentrations of biomass in lagoon systems make separation an expensive and energy intense-process. The rotating algal biofilm reactor (RABR) has been developed at USU to provide a sustainable technology solution to this issue. Algae cells grown as a biofilm are concentrated in one location for ease of harvesting of high density biomass. A mathematical model of this biofilm system was developed based on data generated from three pilot scale reactors at the City of Logan, Utah wastewater …

Determining A Relationship Between Design Characteristics And The End-Of-Life Disposition Of Cellular Phones, Ashley Devierno

Theses

In recent years, the consumption of consumer electronics has increased rapidly in the United States and across the world. As the consumer electronics industry continues to innovate and turn over new products, older products become obsolete and enter the ever growing electronics waste stream, which was 2.3 million tons in 2007.The increasing volume of electronic waste (e-Waste) has gained the attention of consumers, media outlets, and policy makers across the world. This has put pressure on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of consumer electronics to manage their products in an environmentally responsible way at the end of their product lifetimes. It …

Toward An Inter-American Philosophy: Pragmatism And The Philosophy Of Liberation, Alexander V. Stehn

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This essay suggests that the U.S.-American Pragmatist tradition could be fruitfully reconstructed by way of a dialogue with Latin American Liberation Philosophy. More specifically, I work to establish a common ground for future comparative work by: 1) gathering and interpreting Enrique Dussel’s scattered comments on Pragmatism, 2) showing how the concept of liberation already functions in John Dewey’s Pragmatism, and 3) suggesting reasons for further developing this inter-American philosophical dialogue and debate.

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En este ensayo se sugiere que la tradición del pragmatismo estadounidense podría ser reconstruida de forma fructífera en un diálogo con la filosofía de la liberación latinoamericana. …

Are Progressive Ratio And Fixed Interval Schedules Of Reinforcement Related Measures Of Impulsivity?, Christine Guiterrez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The area of impulsivity is widely studied among many different professional fields. However, given the broad brush that has been used to paint the construct of impulsivity, it’s apparent that there is no true agreement on a definitive definition. In the present study, a purely behavioral procedure was tested with 10 female Sprague-Dawley rats who were placed on a progressive ratio and then a fixed interval 20 s schedule of reinforcement to see if these two schedules were related measures of impulsivity. The definition of impulsivity used in this study was relative to the performance of all animals in that …

The Effects Of Physical Activity On Self-Injurious Behavior, Lynnette D. Aguilar

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Auto-mutilation is a maladaptive coping mechanism and a major problem confronting behavioral medicine with no known treatment to date to place the behavior on complete extinction. The purpose of this experiment is to examine the possible beneficial effects of running relative to caffeine-induced SIB. Female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 4) served as subjects with each having a different extended baseline and treatment condition. Visual analysis of a multiple baseline graph did not support the hypothesis that as treatment (physical activity) was implemented SIB would decrease. It was found that subjects who drank more caffeinated water had higher amounts of …

Enriched Vs Impoverished Housing: Food Choice And Consumption, Berenice Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study focused on the relationship between environmental setting, eating choices and food intake. Ten Swiss Webster female subjects were socially housed under impoverished environmental conditions and ten under enriched housing conditions. Subjects were exposed to a nutritious food and sweet fat-laden food diet together with ad lib access to regular tap water on a 12 h light and dark cycle for four weeks. Results showed that an impoverished environment does not lead to an increase in body weight (t(6)= 0.293, p > .05) and environmental manipulations do not delineate a preference for diet type (t(6)= .877, p >.05). Further research …

Discussion Of "Biomedical Ontologies: Toward Scientific Debate", Brochhausen M., Burgun A., Ceusters W., Hasman A., Tze-Yun Leong, Musen M., Oliveira J., Peleg M., Rector A., Schulz S.

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With these comments on the paper “Biomedical Ontologies: Toward scientific debate”, written by Victor Maojo et al., Methods of Information in Medicine wants to stimulate a discussion on advantages and challenges of biomedical ontologies. An international group of experts have been invited by the editor of Methods to comment on this paper. Each of the invited commentaries forms one section of this paper.

United States Food Law Update: Moving Toward A More Balanced Food Regulatory Regime, A. Bryan Endres, Nicholas R. Johnson

Journal of Food Law & Policy

For decades, the federal government has played a significant role in promoting healthy eating. In the early 1900s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) promoted a foundational diet of milk, proteins, fruits and vegetables, and grains. Most Americans are at least somewhat familiar, although perhaps confused, with the more nuanced healthy eating recommendations contained in the food pyramid - first employed in 1992. And virtually every American has experienced the federally supported school lunch program. In the first half of 2011, these two iconic programs underwent significant change as part of a stepped-up effort to improve the health of …

Thermal Tolerance Of Age-0 Gulf Of Mexico Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis): Ontogenetic And Genetic Effects, Corey Robert Anderson

Master's Theses

Striped bass, Morone saxatilis, were historically abundant in the Gulf of Mexico region but were largely extirpated from most Gulf rivers by the early 1960s. Since 1967 hatchery stocking has supported populations in Mississippi rivers and to date there is no evidence of natural reproduction. Intolerance of striped bass to high water temperature is a potential factor negatively impacting Gulf striped bass survival and reproductive fitness, and may be a limiting factor to reintroduction of the species in Mississippi. This work contributed to restoration efforts by establishing molecular tools necessary for genetic monitoring of striped bass restoration, and evaluating …

Consequences Of Contact: An Evaluation Of Childhood Health Patterns Using Enamel Hypoplasias Among The Colonial Maya Of Tipu, Amanda R. Harvey

Master's Theses

Located in western Belize, Tipu was occupied from 1541-1704. This Colonial Maya population from a Spanish visita mission church was analyzed to investigate health disturbances associated with European contact. Dental defect called enamel hypoplasias were scored to assess childhood health. Standard methods of scoring (Buikstra and Ubelaker 1994) were employed to assess frequency, severity, and type of episode in the permanent anterior dentition. For analysis, 325 individuals were placed into age groups of subadults (6-17 years), younger adults (18-35 years), and older adults (36-50+ years). The population was also considered for differences by sex and tooth type.

Results showed a …

Tick Infestations And Their Consequences For Migratory Songbirds During Spring Stopover, Johnny Michael Sellers Jr.

Master's Theses

Migratory birds face a number of challenges during their seasonal movement from tropical/sub-tropical Central and South America to more temperate North America. Maintaining health during migration is of particular concern. This study seeks to understand how haematophageous ectoparasites, such as ticks (Ixodida), impact host body condition as they feed on passerines during migration. We hypothesized that foraging location would impact tick acquisition by migrants and that tick burdens during migration would negatively impact body condition. We surveyed 2,064 birds during spring 2009 and 2010 and found that 2.4% of the surveyed birds were infested with one or more …

Acute And Chronic Toxicity Of Moringa Oleifera Linn Leaves Extracts, Songpol Chivapat, Pornchai Sincharoenpokai, Nalinphat Saktiyasuthorn, Aussavachai Shuaprom, Pratom Thongsrirak, Apirak Sakpetch, Anudep Rungsipipat

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Moringa oleifera leaves have been reported to possess potential hypotensive and hypocholesterolemic andhypoglycemic activities; nevertheless toxicological data of this herb in animal models have still been scanty. Theobjective of this study was to evaluate both acute and chronic toxicity of the water extract of M. oleifera leaves by oraladministration. Acute toxicity test in mice by gavage with the extract twice, each at the dose of 10 g/kg, revealed thatthe extract produced no acute toxic symptoms and gross lesions of vital organs. Chronic toxicity study wasinvestigated in eighty Wistar rats allocated into four groups, each of ten per sex. Group 1 …

Heart Rate Change During Aquatic Exercise In Small, Medium And Large Healthy Dogs, Korakot Nganvongpanit, Siriphun Kongsawasdi, Bussaba Chuatrakoon, Terdsak Yano

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

This study was divided into two experiments. For the first experiment, heart rates during exercise of 21healthy male dogs were recorded. The animals were brought to swim every 2 days, 8 times in all, for 10 minutes.Heart rates were measured every minute using a pulse watch. For the second experiment, 134 healthy adult dogswere categorized into three groups: small (41), medium (51) and large breed (42). Their heart rates were measuredevery minute for 34 minutes after the 5th swimming. In the first experiment, the heart rates during the 1st–4thswimming were significantly higher (p<0.05) than during the 5th 8th swimming. In the second experiment, the heartrates were significantly different (p<0.05) between small, medium and large dogs. No correlations were foundbetween weight, age, and heart rate. From the results of the second experiment, we were able to formulate anequation for predictable heart rate of each group of dogs (small, medium and large dogs). From the results, werecommend that the limits on the length of time spent for aquatic exercise should be 15–30 minutes, depending on thebreed (size) of dog. Moreover, there should be trainers observing each dog to prevent over-exercise.