Digital Commons Network^™

Disrupting Cxcr2 Macromolecular Complex Pdz-Domain Interactions During Inflammatory Chemotaxis, Marcello Castelvetere

Wayne State University Theses

Neutrophils are the body's first responders to inflammation, being the most abundant white blood cell type in circulation and they quickly initiate an immune response through chemokine signaling. Inflammatory chemokines signal via their receptor CXCR2, which initiates an inflammatory response, recruiting leukocytes to sites of inflammation. Chemokine signaling is important for proper host protection, yet uncontrolled activity is responsible for a variety of pathological conditions: including rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia-reperfusion injury, arteriosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and allergic reactions.

In this report I show a CXCR2 macromolecular signaling complex exists in neutrophils, containing NHERF1 and PLCβ2. I also demonstrate …

Pascalyptus: A Power-Aware Scheduler For Eucalyptus Framework, Soumyasudharsan Srinivasaraghavan

Wayne State University Theses

With the advent of cloud computing, scalable resource utilization has become the ultimate reality. The energy consumption in a data center hosting cloud yields many serious issues including carbon emissions and system reliability. Therefore energy efficiency plays a crucial role in reducing the energy consumption and operation cost of data center hosting millions of application per day. This paper presents a power aware scheduler-PASCAL on EUCALYTPTUS framework to provide an energy efficient heterogeneous cloud environment.In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the PASCAL we compare it with the other schedulers of EUCALYPTUS framework using two benchmark applications- TPCW and BSseeker. …

Purification Of Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors From Grape Extract, Gayle M. Shipp

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

PURIFICATION OF ALPHA-GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORS FROM GRAPE EXTRACT

by

GAYLE SHIPP

August 2012

Advisor: Dr. Kevin Zhou

Major: Nutrition and Food Science

Degree: Master of Science

Diabetes and its complications are steadily growing and remain major causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. Intestinal á-glucosidases play a crucial role in controlling postprandial blood glucose. For this reason, one attractive prevention and/or treatment strategy for type-2 diabetes is the inhibition of á-glucosidase. The effectiveness of á-glucosidase inhibitors (AGI's) for diabetes treatment is well documented in numerous animal and human clinical studies. Grape pomace extract (GPE) has recently found in our …

A Study Of The Effect Of Maternal Depressive Symptoms On The Mother-Infant Relationship And Protective Effect Of Maternal Reflective Functioning, Kristyn M. Wong

Wayne State University Theses

This study sought to replicate and extend findings on the effect of maternal depressive symptoms and their impact on the mother-infant relationship with regard to reflective functioning. The current sample included 101 mother-infant dyads who participated in a longitudinal study seeking to understand the effects of a traumatic childhood and how those experiences impact parenting. Measures included an assessment of depressive symptoms, an interview assessing reflective functioning capacity, and observation of mother-infant interaction. Previous findings were replicated with regard to significant correlations between parenting and reflective functioning. The current study did not find evidence for parenting mediating the relationship between …

Modulation Of Anti-Tumor Immune Response By Tgf-Β-Inducible Early Gene 1 (Tieg1), Andi Cani

Wayne State University Theses

Cancer immunotherapy has had limited clinical efficacy partly because regulatory T cells (Treg) suppress the immune response to tumor-associated antigens. Inducible regulatory T cells (iTreg), which are converted from naïve CD4 T cells by TGF-β, an abundant cytokine in the tumor microenvironment, may contribute to this immune suppression. Induction of Foxp3 by TGF-β is mediated by the transcription factor TIEG1 and abrogation of this protein prevents Foxp3 expression. We are testing the hypothesis that blockade of TIEG1 to prevent iTreg conversion will enhance immune response in DNA vaccination to the tumor associated antigen Her-2. Wild type and TIEG1 knockout mice …

Ubiquitous Learning Laboratory For Pediatric Nursing: A Cultural Algorithm Approach, David Lee Colon

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

UBIQUITOUS LEARNING LABORATORY FOR PEDIATRIC NURSING: A CULTURAL ALGORITHM APPROACH

by

DAVID L. COLON

December 2012

Advisor: Dr. Robert G. Reynolds

Major: Computer Science

Degree: Master of Science

Quality Medical Care is at the focus of all health care service providers. Each facility maintains a standard level of care that promises not only a precise diagnosis, but also the correct course of treatment. In part, this is due to the educational training and professional experience of Nurses. For high-risk patients such as children, the level of expertise of a Pediatric Nurse is even more critical in order to guarantee …

The Spliceosomal Protein Prp8 Stabilizes A Compact Conformation Of The U2-U6 Complex, Subasinghe Appuhamilage Lemintha Imali Subasinghe

Wayne State University Theses

The spliceosome is a large, RNA-protein complex that catalyzes pre-mRNA splicing during mRNA maturation. The RNA components (small nuclear RNA; snRNAs) of the spliceosome have been well studied and are believed to be involved in the splicing catalysis. Although proteins are essential for splicing, they may not be directly involved in catalysis. Among hundreds of proteins, Prp8 is the only protein that interacts with all of the catalytically important snRNAs. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Prp8 may catalyze splicing either by directly participating in catalysis or by stabilizing the conformation of the catalytically active spliceosome. In order to test whether …

Effect Of Low Endogenous Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels On Striatal Dopamine Dynamics, Francis Kabui Maina

Wayne State University Dissertations

Many neurological diseases and disorders are a result of alterations with neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, and/or proteins. Specifically, one protein that has been linked to numerous neurological diseases and disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). As a trophic factor, BDNF role is to assist in the growth, survival, and differentiation of neurons. However, there is increasing evidence that BDNF may mediate neurotransmitter dynamics. Our goals were to understand how endogenous BDNF levels and aging modulate the dopamine (DA) dynamics in the mouse striatum. Two complementary neurochemical techniques, slice …

The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing On Marital And Pain Adjustment In Chronic Pain Patients And Their Spouses, Lisa Miller

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic pain is a costly health condition that is estimated to affect 150 million Americans. Numerous studies have shown that chronic pain affects a variety of aspects of life including mood, daily activities, and relationships. Not only does the individual with chronic pain suffer, spouses often do as well. The purpose of this study was to develop and test an intervention that utilized motivational interviewing techniques while providing tailored feedback to couples who are affected by chronic pain. This study examined which changes arose following the intervention and explored potential reasons for why these changes occurred.

Participants consisted of 47 …

Itch Occurring With Chronic Wounds, Julia Claire Paul

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

Refugee College Students Acquiring Academic Literacy: An Exploration Of How Their Views Of Academic Literacy Impact The Process, Amal H. Essak

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to first, examine the difference between the academic literacy definition and views of the involuntary immigrant college students and the academic literacy definition and views of the hosting country; and second, to examine how these students acquire academic literacy over the course of one academic semester at a US college. This study provided understanding of how involuntary immigrant and refugee students develop new academic literacies practices as they go through the academic socialization process, rather than focusing just on what they should know in order to become successful educated members of the new community. …

Consensus-Type Stochastic Approximation Algorithms, Yu Sun

Wayne State University Dissertations

This work is concerned with asymptotic properties of consensus-type algorithms for networked systems whose topologies switch randomly. The regime-switching process is modeled as a discrete-time Markov chain with a nite state space. The consensus control is achieved by designing stochastic approximation algorithms. In the setup, the regime-switching process (the Markov chain) contains a rate parameter

"Ε> 0 in the transition probability matrix that characterizes how frequently the topology switches. On the other hand, the consensus control algorithm uses a step-size Μ that denes how fast the network states are updated. Depending on their relative values, three distinct scenarios emerge. Under …

Determination Of Descriptors By Liquid-Liquid Partition And Chromatographic Methods, Thushara Namal Karunasekara

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DETERMINATION OF DESCRIPTORS BY LIQUID-LIQUID PARTITION AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHODS

by

THUSHARA KARUNASEKARA

September 2012

Advisor: Prof. Colin F. Poole

Major: Chemistry (Analytical)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Partition coefficients for varied compounds were determined for several totally organic biphasic systems using formamide, propylene carbonate, ethylene glycol or dimethyl sulfoxide as the base solvent and n-heptane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1-octanol or isopentyl ether as the counter solvent. These partition coefficient databases are analyzed using the solvation parameter model facilitating a quantitative comparison of these systems with other totally organic and water-based partition systems. These totally organic biphasic solvent systems offer a complementary approach …

International Human Rights In Canadian Immigration Law - The Case Of The Immigration And Refugee Board Of Canada, Catherine Dauvergne

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

This article analyzes the use of international human rights in the decision making of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. At the center of the analysis is a data set including all the publically available decisions of the Board since the introduction of the 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This data set has been coded for varying degrees of engagement with international human rights law, and the results are presented and scrutinized. At the broadest level, the results are disappointing for migrant advocates as international law is relied on in an infinitesimally small number of decisions.

Globalization and Migration Symposium, …

Stirring Up The Fires : John Spencer Bassett, "The Negro Question" Ansd Southern History, Robert Spencer Dicks

Master's Theses

In 1903 John Spencer Bassett, a young history professor at Trinity College, took to his pen to produce, "Stirring up the Fires of Racial Antipathy," a bold article intended to provoke discussion about southern race relations. An intense public backlash followed, nearly costing Bassett his job . The event, known as the "Bassett Affair," made national headlines. Many scholars have referenced the "Bassett Affair" as a triumph for academic freedom or as a part of a larger story about southern dissent. The 1903 controversy, however, was just one episode in the story of this iconoclastic historian. Delving into Bassett's personal …

At A Glance: Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern at a Glance (2011-2016)

No abstract provided.

Graduate Studies Fact Book

Graduate Studies Fact Books (2006-2017)

No abstract provided.

Graduate Studies Fact Book

Graduate Studies Fact Books (2006-2017)

No abstract provided.

Multi-Scale Hydrogeomorphic Influences On Bull Trout Spawning Habitat In Snowmelt-Dominated Headwater Streams, Jared Robinson Bean

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

I investigated relationships between geomorphology, hydrogeology, and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) redd occurrence and density at multiple spatial scales in gravel-bed, pool-riffle, snowmelt dominated headwater streams of northwestern Montana. Subreach redd occurrence tended to be associated with the finest available textural facies. In subreach streambed sections hosting bull trout redds, redd density was significantly (at α=0.05) positively related to bankfull Shields stress (τ*bf, p=0.04) and bankfull Shields stress adjusted for grain stress only (τ**bf, p=0.02). In stream reaches hosting bull trout redds, reach-average redd density was significantly positively related to reach-average τ**bf (p=0.02) and reach-average streambed grain size (D16, p=0.01; …

Interplay Between Competition And Evolution In Invaded And Native Plant Communities, Daniel Atwater

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The distributions and abundances of organisms are affected by ecological processes, such as competition, predation, and abiotic stress, and these processes can also produce rapid evolutionary change in plant communities. Although our understanding of ecological and evolutionary interactions is growing, so far little is known about how competition among plants interacts with evolution to shape communities. In my dissertation, I use species invasions to investigate the evolutionary and ecological consequences of plant interactions and their effects on plant community assembly.

In my first chapter, I investigated complex ecological interactions between Euphorbia esula, an invasive plant, and Balsamorrhiza sagittata, a native …

Toxoplasma On The Brain: Understanding Host-Pathogen Interactions In Chronic Cns Infection, Sushrut Kamerkar, Paul H. Davis

Biology Faculty Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent obligate intracellular parasite which chronically infects more than a third of the world’s population. Key to parasite prevalence is its ability to form chronic and nonimmunogenic bradyzoite cysts, which typically form in the brain and muscle cells of infected mammals, including humans. While acute clinical infection typically involves neurological and/or ocular damage, chronic infection has been more recently linked to behavioral changes. Establishment and maintenance of chronic infection involves a balance between the host immunity and parasite evasion of the immune response. Here, we outline the known cellular interplay between Toxoplasma gondii and cells of …

A New Baseline For Diadema Antillarum, Echinometra Viridis, E. Lucunter, And Eucidaris Tribuloides Populations Within The Cayos Cochinos Mpa, Honduras, Paul Bologna, Lucy Webb-Wilson, Patrick Connelly, James E. Saunders

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We investigated the density of 4 urchin species from 5 shallow reefs in the Cayos Cochinos Marine Protected Area in Honduras. Individual species density varied among reefs with total urchin density ranging from 3.2–7.9 individuals/m². Echinometra viridis (Agassiz, 1863) was the numerically dominant species (2.29/m²) followed by E. lucunter (Linnaeus, 1758) (1.76/m²) with Eucidaris tribuloides (Lamarck 1816) representing the fewest individuals (0.42/m²). Our results indicated that density of Diadema antillarum (Philippi, 1845) differed significantly among reefs (0.4-1.3/m², mean = 0.63/m²), but are three times greater than data collected …

"Not Our Population To Serve": An Examination Of Resources For Women With Physical Disabilities Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Kristen Lea Walters

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis examines services provided to women with physical disabilities who are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Women with disabilities experience IPV at alarming rates and examining resources they may turn to when leaving abusive relationships is crucial to improving such services. In order to analyze services provided to this population, I surveyed staff at both domestic violence shelters and group homes. Two separate surveys were constructed, one for domestic violence shelter staff and one for group home staff. Surveys were administered to facilities throughout Minnesota in the spring of 2012. To ascertain these professionals' capacity to help this …

Investigation Of Genetic Variation In Tunisian Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera L.) Cultivars Using Issr Marker Systems And Their Relation With Fruit Characteristics, Hammadi Hamza, Mohamed Ali Benabderrahim, Mokhtar Elbekkay, Guasmi Ferdaous, Tebra Triki, Ali Ferchichi

Turkish Journal of Biology

Phoenix dactylifera L. was introduced in Tunisia a very long time ago and plays an important socioeconomic role, especially in the south of the country. Genetic diversity and relationships among 26 cultivars were assessed with 7 ISSR primers. A total of 43 amplified bands were obtained. Principal component analyses based on Nei genetic distances showed no geographical separation with the exception of the Dhahbi cultivar, which has a limited geographical distribution. A group of cultivars that are also phonetically clustered was distinguished. These cultivars have a common maturity period and a common fruit consistency. The Mantel test emphasizes a significant …

Theorizing History: Separate Spheres, The Public/Private Binary And A New Analytic For Family Law History, Danaya C. Wright

UF Law Faculty Publications

There is an extensive scholarship on separate spheres, the public/private binary, and family history that reveals a nuanced understanding of the interconnections and constructedness of these metaphors and rubrics traditionally used in family law history. In exploring the current understandings and limitations of these subjects as analytics for doing my own history of English family law, I turn to Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo’s critique that we limit our subjects and reinforce power differentials when we use a lens of difference in our scholarship. I first explore the lessons learned about the enduring nature of separate spheres and the power imbalances of …

The Law Of Gender Stereotyping And The Work-Family Conflicts Of Men, Stephanie Bornstein

UF Law Faculty Publications

This Article looks back to the early equal protection jurisprudence of the 1970s and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's litigation strategy of using men as plaintiffs in sex discrimination cases to cast a renewed focus on antidiscrimination law as a means to redress the work-family conflicts of men. From the beginning of her litigation strategy as the head of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, Ginsburg defined sex discrimination as the detrimental effects of gender stereotypes that constrained both men and women from living their lives as they wished-not solely the minority status of women. The same sex-based stereotypes that kept women out …

Effects Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Inoculation On Biochemical Parameters In Capsicum Annuum Grown Under Long Term Salt Stress, Fazi̇let Özlem Çeki̇ç, Serpi̇l Ünyayar, İbrahi̇m Ortaş

Turkish Journal of Botany

Salt stress is an important environmental stress. Plants cope with salt stress with different strategies. In this study the effects of 2 different arbuscular mycorrhiza species (Glomus mosseae and G. intraradices) on some biochemical parameters in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Cumaovası) exposed to long term salt stress were studied. It was found that mycorrhizal inoculation increased RWC, P, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content of pepper plants during salt application. The enzyme activities changed depending on the enzyme and salt stress application. The lowest MDA content was found in the plants inoculated with G. intraradices; however, there was no …

Odyssea Mucronata, Sesbania Sericea, And Sesamum Alatum–New Discoveries For The Flora Of Saudi Arabia, Yahya Masrahi, Arwa Al-Huqail, Turki Al-Turki, Jacob Thomas

Turkish Journal of Botany

During field studies in sand dune areas and some habitats close to wetland ecosystems of the Tihama region of Jazan Province in south-western Saudi Arabia, specimens of 3 interesting species belonging to the genera Odyssea (Poaceae), Sesbania (Papilionaceae), and Sesamum (Pedaliaceae) were collected; they were identified as Odyssea mucronata (Forssk.) Stapf, Sesbania sericea (Willd.) Link., and Sesamum alatum Thonn. A review of the literature revealed that these tropical African taxa were never before recorded for the flora of Saudi Arabia. O. mucronata is represented by a relatively large isolated population. The other 2, S. sericea and S. alatum-components of a …

An Example For Comparison Of Storage Methods Of Macrofungus Cultures: Schizophyllum Commune, Ayşe Betül Karaduman, Burcu Atli, Mustafa Yamaç

Turkish Journal of Botany

Twelve different methods were compared for storage of a newly isolated mushroom strain, Schizophyllum commune Fr. The fungal strain was stored in different media [sterile distilled water (SDW), glycerol (15%) or media including trehalose], in different forms (mycelium-colonised wheat seeds, mycelium-colonised agar plugs) and at different temperatures (+4, +20, -20 °C). The fungal culture was checked periodically for its viability and biological activity for up to 1 year. The mycelial recovery ratio, mycelial growth rate, mycelial biomass weight, and enzyme activity of the recovered cultures were used for comparison of the different methods. After 12 months' storage, the vitality of …

New Records Of Truffle Taxa In Tuber And Terfezia From Turkey, Michael Angelo Castellano, Azi̇z Türkoğlu

Turkish Journal of Botany

We report on 3 truffle taxa found in Turkey for the first time: Tuber mesentericum Vittad., Tuber nitidum Vittad. and Terfezia leptoderma Tul.