Digital Commons Network^™

Model System Using Controlled Receptor Expression For Molecular Ultrasound Imaging Applications, Reshu Saini

All ETDs from UAB

Ultrasound is a noninvasive, inexpensive imaging modality used to characterize biological tissues. Targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging is an emerging preclinical strategy which uses contrast agents for characterization of biological processes on a molecular level. These microbubble agents are lipid shelled micron-sized particles that have the capability to be coated with ligands such as antibodies or small peptides in order to bind to their target receptors. Molecular ultrasound imaging, using these targeted contrast agents, allows for a quantitative assessment of molecular targets with a high sensitivity. Although this technique is in preclinical research, further advances in contrast agent design and potential …

Mitochondrial Morphology And Function In Neuronal Cells Under Stress, Lonnie Schneider

All ETDs from UAB

Neurodegenerative disease encompasses a wide range of conditions and pathologies that can manifest at any age depending on the etiology. A major factor in both early onset and age-related neurodegeneration is mitochondrial dysfunction. To investigate how mitochondrial bioenergetics is affected by cellular stress, we used an in vitro culture system to examine mitochondrial function in response to oxidative stress. We also studied an in vivo model of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to determine the impact of deficient autophagy-lysosomal activity on mitochondrial morphology, composition and function. In vitro we found that retinoic acid-induced differentiation of dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exhibited increased mitochondrial …

Early-In-Life Bladder Inflammation Alters Kappa-Opioid Modulation Of Inflammatory Bladder Pain, Amber Dianne Shaffer

All ETDs from UAB

In adult female rats, zymosan-induced inflammation of the bladder leads to bladder hypersensitivity, as reflected in augmented visceromotor reflex (VMR) responses to urinary bladder distension (UBD). Prior early-in-life (EIL) experience with bladder inflammation further increases bladder hypersensitivity. Naloxone increases bladder hypersensitivity in animals inflamed only as adults, but not in animals inflamed EIL, indicating that bladder inflammation recruits an inhibitory opioid system which may be impaired by EIL inflammation. This thesis examined what role the dynorphin/κ-opioid system played in mediating bladder hypersensitivity through the impairment of opioid inhibition. In all experiments, animals were treated EIL (P14-P16) and as adults with …

Innate Immune Mechanisms Against The Atypical Fungal Pathogen Pneumocystis Murina, Michael Paul Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Pneumonia caused by the fungal pathogen Pneumocystis continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients. In addition, there are a number of other non-HIV-associated diseases that render an individual susceptible to Pneumocystis infection, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Innate immune mechanisms are important for controlling Pneumocystis lung infection. As alveolar macrophages serve the front lines of lung host defense, our goal was to elucidate their responses during lung Pneumocystis infection. Here, we established a role for Src family kinases in the lung immune response to Pneumocystis, which uncovered a role for alternatively activated alveolar macrophages. …

Electrophysiological Investigation Of Rabbit Retinal Ganglion Cells, Przemyslaw Nowak

All ETDs from UAB

The retina is the first stage of the visual system, responsible for transducing light into the neural signal and for subsequent processing of this signal before sending it to the higher visual centers in the brain. The output to the higher visual centers is mediated by retinal ganglion cells, which not only relay the signal, but also substantially contribute to its processing. Depending on what computations they perform, they are subdivided into different types. These cells have been extensively studied in various spices, one prominent example being the rabbit. In rabbits, one characteristic type comprises On-Off directionally selective retinal ganglion …

Association Between Cc Chemokine Ligand 3-Like-1 (Ccl3l1) Gene Copy Number And Rheumatoid Arthritis In African Americans, Mawuli Kwame Nyaku

All ETDs from UAB

Gene copy number of the CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-1 (CCL3L1) located on chromosome 17 position q12 varies between ethnicities. Previously, gene copy number of CCL3L1 greater than the ethnic median copy has been associated with an increased risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Three later studies found no association between CCL3L1 and RA. All studies were conducted in non-African Americans and an objective of this study was to determine this association in an African American cohort. CCL3L1 shares significant homology with three other genes within the same cluster; CC Chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-2 (CCL3L2) and CC Chemokine ligand …

Thomas Jefferson University, Department Of Pathology, Anatomy And Cell Biology, Oral Administration Of Apigenin Inhibits Metastasis Through Akt/P70s6k1/Mmp-9 Pathway In Orthotopic Ovarian Tumor Model., Jun He, Qing Xu, Min Wang, Chongyong Li, Xu Qian, Zhumei Shi, Ling-Zhi Liu, Bing-Hua Jiang

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Apigenin, a flavonoid commonly present in the daily diet, is known for its potential anti-tumor properties. However, the effect of apigenin via oral administration on tumor growth and metastasis remains unknown. In this study we developed an orthotopic ovarian tumor model in nude mice to test the effect of apigenin oral administration, and showed that apigenin inhibited the micrometastasis of cancer cells in the animal tumor model. To understand the mechanism of apigenin in inhibiting metastasis, we found that apigenin greatly inhibited MMP-9 expression and p-AKT and p-p70S6K1 levels in the tumor tissues compared to the control group. We further …

Vitamin D: Implications Of The Institute Of Medicine Report For Clinical Practice, Dorothy Grasso, Margaret A. Rafferty

Publications and Research

In November 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D, a radical departure from previous advice given regarding these two nutrients that have been reported in respected health journals. The 14-member expert committee found clear and convincing evidence to support the association between adequate levels of vitamin D and bone health. The IOM committee did not find enough evidence to support claims that inadequate levels of vitamin D are linked to increased risks for cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. In this article, the authors discuss the controversy surrounding vitamin D and provide guidance …

Loss Of Axonal Mitochondria Promotes Tau-Mediated Neurodegeneration And Alzheimer's Disease-Related Tau Phosphorylation Via Par-1., Kanae Iijima-Ando, Michiko Sekiya, Akiko Maruko-Otake, Yosuke Ohtake, Emiko Suzuki, Bingwei Lu, Koichi M Iijima

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Abnormal phosphorylation and toxicity of a microtubule-associated protein tau are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, what pathological conditions trigger tau abnormality in AD is not fully understood. A reduction in the number of mitochondria in the axon has been implicated in AD. In this study, we investigated whether and how loss of axonal mitochondria promotes tau phosphorylation and toxicity in vivo. Using transgenic Drosophila expressing human tau, we found that RNAi-mediated knockdown of milton or Miro, an adaptor protein essential for axonal transport of mitochondria, enhanced human tau-induced neurodegeneration. Tau phosphorylation at an AD-related site Ser262 …

Glucose Decouples Intracellular Ca2+ Activity From Glucagon Secretion In Mouse Pancreatic Islet Alpha-Cells., Sylvain J Le Marchand, David W Piston

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

The mechanisms of glucagon secretion and its suppression by glucose are presently unknown. This study investigates the relationship between intracellular calcium levels ([Ca(2+)](i)) and hormone secretion under low and high glucose conditions. We examined the effects of modulating ion channel activities on [Ca(2+)](i) and hormone secretion from ex vivo mouse pancreatic islets. Glucagon-secreting α-cells were unambiguously identified by cell specific expression of fluorescent proteins. We found that activation of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels is critical for α-cell calcium oscillations and glucagon secretion at low glucose levels. Calcium channel activation depends on K(ATP) channel activity but not on tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na(+) channels. …

Lawyers Intentionally Inflicting Emotional Distress, Alex B. Long

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Chronic Orofacial Pain Influences Self-Regulation In A Rodent Model, Tracey Christine Kniffin

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Self-regulation is the capacity to exert control over cognition, emotion, behavior, and physiology. Since chronic pain interferes with the ability to self-regulate, the primary goal of this study was to examine, in rodents, the effects of chronic pain on self-regulation processes. Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: (1) chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION) and (2) naïve. Testing confirmed that CCI-ION animals had significant mechanical allodynia compared to naïve animals (p<0.001). A two-part self-regulation behavioral paradigm consisting of a cued go/no-go task and a subsequent persistence task was developed based on human paradigms. In the cued task, both groups made fewer incorrect lever presses in post-surgery trials (p<0.001); naive animals had a greater decrease in number of incorrect presses than CCI-ION animals (p=0.06). Similarly, both groups had a larger correct to total lever presses ratio in post-surgery trials (p<0.001); naïve animals had a greater increase than CCI-ION animals (p=0.06). In the persistence task, naïve animals experienced a greater decrease in lever presses (p=0.08) than did CCI-ION animals (p=0.66). These results suggest that animals experiencing chronic pain were not able to learn as well as naïve animals, and may have difficulty responding to novel environmental demands.

Game Over For Regulating Violent Video Games? The Effect Of Brown V. Entertainment Merchants Ass’N On First Amendment Jurisprudence, Garrett Mathew-James Mott

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

As early as 1976, video games started to incorporate aspects of violence, such as striking enemies with a vehicle or using explosives to destroy a structure. Still, initially, courts were reluctant to assign the same constitutional protections to video games that they had granted to other protected media like motion pictures and written and musical works. But as technology progressed, courts, too, matured, becoming more open to the notion that video games should be a form of protected expression. Yet, some courts lost sight of the First Amendment’s vision and reconsidered their earlier decisions in which they upheld the constitutionality …

Growth And Photochemical Responses Of Three Crop Species Treated With Textile Azo Dyes, Nuran Çi̇çek, Banu Efeoğlu, Deni̇z Tanyolaç, Yasemi̇n Ekmekçi̇, Reto Jörg Strasser

Turkish Journal of Botany

The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of textile dye on the early seedling stage of 3 crops: barley, maize, and wheat. Seeds were imbibed in different concentrations of textile dye for 12 h and were then grown in a controlled growth room for 8 days with a related dye solution. Some growth and polyphasic chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured and analysed to appraise the effect of textile dye on the 3 crops. Although different crop species showed differences in response to different concentrations, textile dye generally affected almost all radicle growth parameters more adversely than coleoptile growth …

Medical Marijuana: A Study Of Unintended Consequences, Gerald Caplan

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Investigating Insight As Sudden Learning, Ivan K. Ash, Benjamin D. Jee, Jennifer Wiley

Psychology Faculty Publications

Gestalt psychologists proposed two distinct learning mechanisms. Associative learning occurs gradually through the repeated co-occurrence of external stimuli or memories. Insight learning occurs suddenly when people discover new relationships within their prior knowledge as a result of reasoning or problem solving processes that re-organize or restructure that knowledge. While there has been a considerable amount of research on the type of problem solving processes described by the Gestalt psychologists, less has focused on the learning that results from these processes. This paper begins with a historical review of the Gestalt theory of insight learning. Next, the core assumptions of Gestalt …

Testosterone Treatment Fails To Accelerate Disease In A Transgenic Mouse Model Of Spinal And Bulbar Muscular Atrophy., Erica S Chevalier-Larsen, Diane E Merry

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Evidence from multiple animal models demonstrates that testosterone plays a crucial role in the progression of symptoms in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), a condition that results in neurodegeneration and muscle atrophy in affected men. Mice bearing a transgene encoding a human androgen receptor (AR) that contains a stretch of 112 glutamines (expanded polyglutamine tract; AR112Q mice) reproduce several aspects of the human disease. We treated transgenic male AR112Q mice with testosterone for 6 months. Surprisingly, testosterone treatment of AR112Q males did not exacerbate the disease. Although transgenic AR112Q males exhibited functional deficits when compared with non-transgenics, long-term testosterone …

Mitochondrial Lysyl-Trna Synthetase Independent Import Of Trna Lysine Into Yeast Mitochondria., Naresh Babu V Sepuri, Madhavi Gorla, Michael P King

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases play a central role in protein synthesis by charging tRNAs with amino acids. Yeast mitochondrial lysyl tRNA synthetase (Msk1), in addition to the aminoacylation of mitochondrial tRNA, also functions as a chaperone to facilitate the import of cytosolic lysyl tRNA. In this report, we show that human mitochondrial Kars (lysyl tRNA synthetase) can complement the growth defect associated with the loss of yeast Msk1 and can additionally facilitate the in vitro import of tRNA into mitochondria. Surprisingly, the import of lysyl tRNA can occur independent of Msk1 in vivo. This suggests that an alternative mechanism is present …

Impacts Of Urbanisation On The Native Avifauna Of Perth, Western Australia, Robert Davis, C Gole, Jd Roberts

Research outputs 2012

Urban development either eliminates, or severely fragments, native vegetation, and therefore alters the distribution and abundance of species that depend on it for habitat. We assessed the impact of urban development on bird communities at 121 sites in and around Perth, Western Australia. Based on data from community surveys, at least 83 % of 65 landbirds were found to be dependent, in some way, on the presence of native vegetation. For three groups of species defined by specific patterns of habitat use (bushland birds), there were sufficient data to show that species occurrences declined as the landscape changed from variegated …

Multiple Effects Of Physical Activity On Molecular And Cognitive Signs Of Brain Aging: Can Exercise Slow Neurodegeneration And Delay Alzheimer's Disease?, Belinda Brown, J J Peiffer, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2012

Western countries are experiencing aging populations and increased longevity; thus, the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in these countries is projected to soar. In the absence of a therapeutic drug, non-pharmacological preventative approaches are being investigated. One of these approaches is regular participation in physical activity or exercise. This paper reviews studies that have explored the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function, cognitive decline, AD/dementia risk and AD-associated biomarkers and processes. There is now strong evidence that links regular physical activity or exercise to higher cognitive function, decreased cognitive decline and reduced risk of AD or dementia. …

Virtue, Friendship, And Polis: A Reading Of Paul's Letter To The Philippians, Le Chih Hsieh

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Experimental Infection Of Malaria Mosquitoes With Entomopathogenic Fungus, Beauveria Bassiana Under Field Conditions, Annette Obukosia Busula

All Master’s Theses

Many successful laboratory studies have demonstrated the potential of using the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana against malaria mosquitoes. This study focussed on infection of wild malaria mosquitoes with the entomopathogeriic fungus B. bassiana under field conditions. Four experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions by use of World Health Organization bioassay cones, for exposure of3-6 days old, non-blood fed laboratory-reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes on 100% black cotton cloths impregnated with spores of B. bassiana : from stocks of i) 80% viability for 10-70 minutes ii) 78, 51 and 50% including decayed spores of initially 80% viability iii) and 35% cotton …

Composition And Repellency Of Essential Oils Of Tagetes Minuta From Different Zones In Kenya Against Brown Ear Tick (Rhipicephalus Appendlculatusi, Benard Omache Makang' A

All Master’s Theses

Ticks are haematophagous ectoparasites capable of transmitting diseases to vertebrates and, therefore, constitute a threat to human, livestock and wildlife health. Though synthetic chemical aearicides have made a tremendous impact over the years in the control and management of the vector on livestock, ticks have developed resistance to most of them. In addition, the chemicals are toxic to non-target organisms. In some parts of Kenya, powdered parts of some plants, including those of Tagetes minuta L., are used to control ticks from the animals. The study aimed at characterizing and evaluating the repellency of the essential oils of T. minuta …

Optimization Of Growth Conditions Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Isolates From Various Sources In Kenya And Toxicity Assays Of Their Delta-Endotoxin Against Chilo Partellus, Daniel Anyika Kwalimwa

All Master’s Theses

Chemical pesticides have disadvantages such as high production costs, short persistence, comparative low efficacy, development of resistance to toxin and causing ecological damage. In order to obtain cheaper biopesticides, many locally available and inexpensive agricultural/industrial byproducts have potential as culture media for Bacillus thuringiensis Crystal protein production. In this study, cost-effective media were developed, based on locally available raw materials namely legumes, potato, and whey. Optimization studies indicate that pH 6.4-7.5 was best for sporulation and OD 600 was highest at 37 °C for all isolates tested. The optical density, protein concentration yield, sporulation and Chilo partellus larvicidal action were …

Risk Magnified: Standing Under The Statist Lens, Mary D. Fan

Articles

Why some harms count before the courts and others do not is a matter of acute expressive and practical impact. Judicial refusal to see claimed injuries is an effective denial of legal personhood and a bar from powerful judicial machinery. The issue of “erratic, even bizarre” judicial recognition of supplicants vexed Professor Joseph Vining as early as 1978. Recent scholarship argues that injuries are seen through a subjective lens, reflecting the relative privilege of the judiciary and their concomitant difficulties in perceiving injuries to minorities and the poor. This is a troubling contention. So long as another, objective explanation remains, …

Feeling At Home: Learning, Law, Cognitive Science, And Narrative, Lea B. Vaughn

Articles

What is the "how and why" of law's affinity for narrative? In order to explain why the use of stories is such an effective teaching and presentation strategy in the law, this paper will consider theories and accounts from cognitive as well as evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and, briefly, cultural anthropology. This account seeks to address "how" narrative helps us learn and use the law as well as "why" we are so compelled to use stories in teaching and in practice.

Brain science, simplified here, suggests that the first task is to grab someone's attention. Emotionally charged events are more likely …

Remedying The Misuse Of Nature, Sanne H. Knudsen

Articles

As currently conceived, natural resource damages are limited in scope; even in combination they cannot adequately remedy misuses of nature. Even so, these damages provide a good starting point for assessing the promise and flaws embodied in existing laws. By identifying the limits of current resource-related remedies, the changes required to better protect ecosystem health become clearer.

In search of a reformed natural resource damages law, Part I of this Article begins by exploring the idea that we should not misuse nature. It surveys current literature and explains how the idea would--if taken seriously--recast the ways we think about private …

Justice Stevens's Black Leather Arm Chair, Kathryn A. Watts

Articles

As a law clerk to Justice Stevens in the October Term 2002, I felt that the very best part of the job came almost every afternoon. Without any advance warning, the Justice would get up from his desk and walk through chambers to the law clerks’ main office and plop down into a well-worn black leather arm chair that formed part of a cozy seating area flanked by tall bookshelves filled with volumes of case reporters and the United States Code.

As soon as the Justice started settling himself into his arm chair, my co-clerks and I all knew …

Rebellious State Crimmigration Enforcement And The Foreign Affairs Power, Mary Fan

Articles

The propriety of a new breed of state laws interfering in immigration enforcement is pending before the Supreme Court and the lower courts. These laws typically incorporate federal standards related to the criminalization of immigration ("crimmigration'), but diverge aggressively from federal enforcement policy. Enacting states argue that the legislation is merely a species of "cooperative federalism" that does not trespass upon the federal power over foreign affairs, foreign commerce, and nationality rules since the laws mirror federal standards. This Article challenges the formalist mirror theory assumptions behind the new laws and argues that inconsistent state crimmigration enforcement policy and resulting …

Incorporating Literary Methods And Texts In The Teaching Of Tort Law, Zahr K. Said

Articles

Literature is comparatively under-investigated as an arena for tort pedagogy and for first-year courses in the legal curriculum generally. Where literature tends to appear in law school, it most frequently does so in the form of stand-alone law-and-literature classes, which usually focus heavily on literature.

In teaching a first-year tort law course at the University of Washington School of Law, I have explicitly used literature to aid and amplify legal analysis. The emphasis has been on law, rather than on literature. Nonetheless, literary texts and methods helped my students investigate how the law conceives of, and expresses, duties and losses …