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Contrast Enhanced-Magnetic Resonance Imaging As A Surrogate To Map Verteporfin Delivery In Photodynamic Therapy, Kimberley S. Samkoe, Amber Bryant, Jason R. Gunn, Stephen P. Pereira, Tayyaba Hasan, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

The use of in vivo contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a surrogate for photosensitizer (verteporfin) dosimetry in photodynamic therapy of pancreas cancer is demonstrated by correlating MR contrast uptake to ex vivo fluorescence images on excised tissue. An orthotopic pancreatic xenograft mouse model was used for the study. A strong correlation ([i]r=0.57 ) was found for bulk intensity measurements of T1-weighted gadolinium enhancement and verteporfin fluorescence in the tumor region of interest. The use of contrast-enhanced MR imaging shows promise as a method for treatment planning and photosensitizer dosimetry in human photodynamic therapy (PDT) of pancreas …

Challenges Of African Languages In Education: The Case Of Kiswahili In Tanzania, Benedictor Phanuel Lema

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Tanzania presents a perfect case of former colonies that have strived to redress colonial legacies. The Africanization policy adopted after independence and cemented in the 1967 Arusha Declaration was a deliberate move to replace foreign workforce and practices with African values. Education was one of the sectors that needed and, indeed, received a lot of transformations. This paper particularly discusses language practices in the education system in Tanzania in that context. While both theory and practice favour Kiswahili as a medium of instruction at all levels of education, policy seems to work to the contrary. The discussion revolves around the …

Wetlands Utilization And Rural Livelihood Diversification: A Case Of Simiyu Wetland, Magu, Tanzania, Emiliana Mwita

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In many developing countries wetlands play an important role in supporting the livelihood of both urban and rural communities. In rural areas wetlands are increasingly becoming a focal point of production and livelihood diversification due to their richness and the diverse options they provide. This paper explores the livelihood options provided by Simiyu wetland in Magu District, Simiyu Region, to the community living arround it using social survey methods. This paper is based on a study which shows that wetland farming is the main activity (75%) and significantly contribute to cash income generation, followed by livestock keeping, fishing and handicraft. …

Understanding Crx-Associated Retinopathies Using Animal Models, Nicholas Minh Abell Tran

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Cone-rod homeobox: CRX) protein is a "paired-like" homeodomain transcription factor that is essential for regulating rod and cone photoreceptor transcription. Mutations in human CRX are associated with the dominant retinopathies Retinitis Pigmentosa: RP), Cone-Rod Dystrophy: CoRD) and Leber Congenital Amaurosis: LCA), with variable severity. The goal of my dissertation project was to develop and characterize animal models to understand genetic mechanisms of phenotypic diversity in CRX-associated disease. Heterozygous Crx Knock-Out: KO) mice: "+/-") have normal vision as adults and fail to model the dominant human disease.

We generated two Crx Knock-IN: K-IN) mouse models: CrxE168d2: "E168d2") and CrxR90W: "R90W"), which …

Swelling Of Elastomers In Biodiesel And The Resulting Mechanical Response Under Cyclic Loading / Chai Ai Bao, Ai Bao Chai

Student Works (2010-2019)

The environmental and economic concerns have raised the popularity of biodiesel as the replacement for the conventional fuel. However, the incompatibility of engineering rubber components with biodiesel affects significantly the performance of the components. Majority of the compatibility studies focus on evaluating the degradation of mechanical properties in the rubbers due to contamination of different types of biodiesel. Nevertheless, the resulting mechanical responses of swollen rubbers, in particular under cyclic and fatigue loading conditions, are rarely investigated. In engineering applications where elastomeric components are concurrently subjected to fluctuating mechanical loading and exposure to aggressive liquids such as biodiesel, it is …

2013-December-23-Nhm 2013 Field Season, University Marketing And Communications, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

No abstract provided.

The Female Librarian In Film: Has The Image Changed In 60 Years?, Julia A. Wells

School of Information Student Research Journal

The stereotypical image of the female librarian as an uptight spinster has prevailed in popular culture. This paper examines the portrayal of the librarian stereotype in movies from two different eras: the 1940s/1950s and the 2000s. The historical antecedents, social and economic status of women are examined, and the influence of computers and technology in the library is considered. Common traits that typify the film librarian, along with the inclusions of computers in the library, are identified and analyzed. Approaches to combatting the stereotypes are discussed and applied to the movies in order to discover any progression of the image …

Beef Cattle Body Temperature During Climatic Stress: A Genome-Wide Association Study, Jeremy T. Howard, Stephen D. Kachman, Warren M. Snelling, E. John Pollak, Daniel C. Ciobanu, Larry A. Kuehn, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Cattle are reared in diverse environments and collecting phenotypic body temperature (BT) measurements to characterize BT variation across diverse environments is difficult and expensive. To better understand the genetic basis of BT regulation, a genome-wide association study was conducted utilizing crossbred steers and heifers totaling 239 animals of unknown pedigree and breed fraction. During predicted extreme heat and cold stress events, hourly tympanic and vaginal BT devices were placed in steers and heifers, respect i v e l y. I n d i v i dua l s we r e genotyped with t h e BovineSNP50K_v2 assay and data …

Private Flashbulb Memories: The Case Of Coming Out Memories, Gabrielle Weber

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Participants (N = 83) from Butler University and communities in Indianapolis, IN answered a three part questionnaire regarding their experience revealing their homosexual identity to their parents that included: a narrative, a set of probe questions, and a short demographic section. The narrative and probed recall data were scored in a similar fashion to flashbulb memory narratives with canonical features. The memory of revealing homosexuality to parents displayed flashbulb-like qualities. We found that those most confident in their probed recall answers were those with moderate arousal and few recounts. Also, those reporting moderate affect and fewer recounts had better memory …

Methods And Means Of Cyber Warfare, William H. Boothby

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Belligerent Targeting And The Invalidity Of A Least Harmful Means Rule, Geoffrey S. Corn, Laurie R. Blank, Chris Jenks, Eric Talbot Jensen

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Geography Of Armed Conflict: Why It Is A Mistake To Fish For The Red Herring, Geoffrey S. Corn

International Law Studies

No abstract provided.

Using Lagrangian Coherent Structures To Study Coastal Water Quality, Laura A. Fiorentino

Open Access Dissertations

The accumulation of pollutants near the shoreline can result in low quality coastal water with negative effects on human health. To understand the role of mixing by tidal flows in coastal water quality, we study the nearshore Lagrangian circulation of four recreational beaches in Miami, FL, who, despite close proximity, have varying microbial levels. Specifically, we reveal Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs), i.e., distinguished material curves which shape global mixing patterns and thus act as skeletons of the Lagrangian circulation. We show how these material curves, which shape circulation and mixing patterns, can be used to explain the incongruous states of …

December 21, 2013 (Pages 7417-7532), Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau

Volume 43 (2013)

No abstract provided.

Sbe Notícias, Ano 8, No. 284, December 21, 2013, Natália Martins, Delci K. Ishida

SBE Notícias

PROCAD terá expedição em Fevereiro; SBE recebe visita de membro da SSI; Trabalhos na Serra da Piedade ganham destaque; Bioindicadores de Impactos a Ecossistemas Cavernícolas; Curso sobre Conservação e Restauração em Cavernas; Perfis Atmosféricos da Caverna Santana; Um milhão de dólares em caverna dos EUA; Cavernas do Maranhão são objetos de pesquisa da UEMA; Bebê-maquiné: um achado singular; Mergulho em Jacob´s Well; Museu de Ciências Naturais é reaberto em MG; Osso de Neandertal reforça tese de miscigenação entre humanos primitivos; Lugares interessantes que você não pode ir; Neandertais enterravam intencionalmente os seus mortos; Estamos no facebook; Mensagem de boas festas; …

Sensitization Of Human Cancer Cells To Gemcitabine By The Chk1 Inhibitor Mk-8776: Cell Cycle Perturbation And Impact Of Administration Schedule In Vitro And In Vivo, Ryan Montano, Ruth Thompson, Injae Chung, Huagang Hou, Nadeem Khan, Alan Eastman

Dartmouth Scholarship

Chk1 inhibitors have emerged as promising anticancer therapeutic agents particularly when combined with antimetabolites such as gemcitabine, cytarabine or hydroxyurea. Here, we address the importance of appropriate drug scheduling when gemcitabine is combined with the Chk1 inhibitor MK-8776, and the mechanisms involved in the schedule dependence.

A Living Symbol, Larry Peña

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

Design Of Endothelial Progenitor Cellular Constructs For Therapeutic Angiogenesis Applications, Ximena Vial

Open Access Dissertations

The goal of therapeutic angiogenesis is the development of functional and mature vasculature by combining biological and physical cues that mimic the native extracellular matrix. In this study we evaluated if immobilizing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gradients and SDF-1α on gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds with different fiber orientations (i.e. random or aligned) influence the angiogenic potential of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Both cell types successfully adhered onto gelatin B scaffolds. VEGF gradients alone or combined with SDF-1α as well as fiber orientation had a pronounced effect on cell behavior, morphology and orientation. Cells …

Native Footprints: Photographs And Stories Written On The Land, Kathleen J. Martin

Ethnic Studies

This essay examines the work of Native photographers and artists and the ways their work addresses the decolonizing practice of the study of visual images, as well as stimulating anomalous and unexpected interpretations. It situates representations from a starting point of power, oppression and hegemony as central components of visual imagery, and also as an opportunity to promote dialogue and encourage new interpretations and narratives. This manner of investigation may function as a way to stimulate what wa Thiong’o has conceptualized as “decolonizing the mind” as it applies to images, and to re-imagine Native life as integral and continuous on …

Using Expression Profiling To Understand The Effects Of Chronic Cadmium Exposure On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cells, Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav, Daniel M. Borras, Esmeralda Ponce, Maggie Louie

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Cadmium is a metalloestrogen known to activate the estrogen receptor and promote breast cancer cell growth. Previous studies have implicated cadmium in the development of more malignant tumors; however the molecular mechanisms behind this cadmium-induced malignancy remain elusive. Using clonal cell lines derived from exposing breast cancer cells to cadmium for over 6 months (MCF-7-Cd4, -Cd6, -Cd7, -Cd8 and -Cd12), this study aims to identify gene expression signatures associated with chronic cadmium exposure. Our results demonstrate that prolonged cadmium exposure does not merely result in the deregulation of genes but actually leads to a distinctive expression profile. The genes deregulated …

The Murray Ledger And Times, December 20, 2013, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Purifying The Human Rna-Lariat Debranching Enzyme, Ammar Saigal

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

This project is my first official research endeavor and it involved becoming acquainted with a large variety of biochemistry and molecular biology techniques. The goal is to elucidate the structure of a protein common to most if not all cells of organisms within the Domain Eukarya, which is one of the three taxonomic domains into which all life is categorized. This is the domain most relevant to human beings as it includes plants, fungi, and animals (from a strictly biologically-taxonomic perspective, the species Homo sapiens to which you and I belong is considered belonging to the Kingdom Animalia [Animal]).

Complete Genome Sequence Of Mesorhizobium Australicum Type Strain (Wsm2073t), Wayne Reeve, Kemanthi G. Nandasena, Ronald J. Yates, Ravi P. Tiwari, Graham William O'Hara, Mohamed Ninawi, Wei Gu, Lynne Goodwin, Chris Detter, Roxanne Tapia, Cliff Han, Alex Copeland, Konstantinos Liolios, Amy Chen, Victor Markowitz, Amrita Pati, Konstantinos Mavromatis, Tanja Woyke, Nikos Kyrpides, Natalia Ivanova, John Gregory Howieson

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

Mesorhizobium australicum strain WSM2073T was isolated from root nodules on the pasture legume Biserrula pelecinus growing in Australia in 2000. This aerobic, motile, gram negative, non-spore-forming rod is poorly effective in N2 fixation on B. pelecinus and has gained the ability to nodulate B. pelecinus following in situ lateral transfer of a symbiosis island from the original inoculant strain for this legume, Mesorhizobium ciceri bv. biserrulae WSM1271. We describe that the genome size of M. australicum strain WSM2073T is 6,200,534 bp encoding 6,013 protein-coding genes and 67 RNA-only encoding genes. This genome does not contain any plasmids but has a …

Ecology, Phylogenetics, And Conservation Of Draba Asterophora Complex: A Rare, Alpine, Endemic From Lake Tahoe, Usa, Emily Ruth Smith Putnam

Theses and Dissertations

Rare, alpine, endemic species are particularly at risk for extinction. Alpine environments are especially vulnerable to climate change and human impacts, such as ski resort development and snowmaking. Draba asterophora Payson is a rare, alpine species that occurs only in three disjunct mountain-top regions surrounding Lake Tahoe. It is currently threatened by human impacts, such as ski resorts, as well as indirect influences of climate change and therefore in need of better understanding for conservation purposes. Draba asterophora may be able to serve as a case study for other similarly vulnerable, rare, alpine, endemic species with conservation needs. We utilized …

Education Experts Give Tips On Apps For Your Kids, Jim Bakken

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Water As A Trophic Currency In Dryland Food Webs, Daniel C. Allen, Kevin E. Mccluney, Stephen R. Elser, John L. Sabo

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Water is essential for life on Earth, yet little is known about how water acts as a trophic currency, a unit of value in determining species interactions in terrestrial food webs. We tested the relative importance of groundwater and surface water in riparian food webs by manipulating their availability in dryland floodplains. Primary consumers (crickets) increased in abundance in response to added surface water and groundwater (contained in moist leaves), and predators (spiders and lizards) increased in abundance in response to added surface water, in spite of the presence of a river, an abundant water source. Moreover, the relative magnitude …

Genome Sequence Of The Lebeckia Ambigua-Nodulating “Burkholderia Sprentiae” Strain Wsm5005ᵀ, Wayne Reeve, Sofie E. De Meyer, Jason Terpolilli, Vanessa Melino, Julie Kaye Ardley, Tian Rui, Ravi P. Tiwari, John Gregory Howieson, Ronald J. Yates, Graham William O'Hara, Megan Lu, David Bruce, Chris Detter, Roxanne Tapia, Cliff Han, Chia-Lin Wei, Marcel Huntemann, James Han, I-Min Chen, Konstantinos Mavromatis, Victor Markowitz, Ernest Szeto, Natalia Ivanova, Natalia Mikhailova, Galina Ovchinikova, Ioanna Pagani, Amrita Pati, Lynne Goodwin, Lin Peters, Sam Pitluck, Tanja Woyke, Nikos Kyrpides

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

“Burkholderia sprentiae” strain WSM5005T is an aerobic, motile, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming rod that was isolated in Australia from an effective N2-fixing root nodule of Lebeckia ambigua collected in Klawer, Western Cape of South Africa, in October 2007. Here we describe the features of “Burkholderia sprentiae” strain WSM5005T, together with the genome sequence and its annotation. The 7,761,063 bp high-quality-draft genome is arranged in 8 scaffolds of 236 contigs, contains 7,147 protein-coding genes and 76 RNA-only encoding genes, and is one of 20 rhizobial genomes sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute 2010 Community Sequencing Program.

Effects Of Reproductive Condition, Roost Microclimate, And Weather Patterns On Summer Torpor Use By A Vespertilionid Bat, Joseph S. Johnson, Michael J. Lacki

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

A growing number of mammal species are recognized as heterothermic, capable of maintaining a high-core body temperature or entering a state of metabolic suppression known as torpor. Small mammals can achieve large energetic savings when torpid, but they are also subject to ecological costs. Studying torpor use in an ecological and physiological context can help elucidate relative costs and benefits of torpor to different groups within a population. We measured skin temperatures of 46 adult Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) to evaluate thermoregulatory strategies of a heterothermic small mammal during the reproductive season. We compared daily average and minimum skin …

Techniques For The Visualization Of Positional Geospatial Uncertainty, Brent A. Barré

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Geospatial data almost always contains some amount of uncertainty due to inaccuracies in its acquisition and transformation. While the data is commonly visualized (e.g. on digital maps), there are unanswered needs for visualizing uncertainty along with it. Most research on effectively doing this addresses uncertainty in data values at geospatial positions, e.g. water depth, human population, or land-cover classification. Uncertainty in the data’s geospatial positions themselves (positional uncertainty) has not been previously focused on in this regard. In this thesis, techniques were created for visualizing positional uncertainty using World Vector Shoreline as an example dataset. The techniques consist of a …

Coupling Of The Hpa And Hpg Axes, Andrew Dismukes

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) and –Gonadal (HPG) axes have been considered mutually inhibitory; however, emerging evidence supports the proposition that this might not necessarily be the case. This idea is termed “coupling,” in which the HPA-HPG axis are mutually activated or deactivated. Coupling is examined across three data sets with different time-courses of stress exposure, and results demonstrate HPA-HPG co-activation occurs. Furthermore, stress exposure influences this relationship. The discussion shows how it is physiologically possible to have positive coupling or co-activation between these axes according to complex regulatory feedback systems and overlapping neural structures. Findings are interpreted developmentally, because adolescence may …