Digital Commons Network^™

Cardiac Fibroblast-Dependent Extracellular Matrix Accumulation Is Associated With Diastolic Stiffness In Type 2 Diabetes., Kirk R. Hutchinson, C. Kevin Lord, T. Aaron West, James A. Stewart

CAS Publications

Cardiovascular complications are a leading cause of death in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diastolic dysfunction is one of the earliest manifestations of diabetes-induced changes in left ventricular (LV) function, and results from a reduced rate of relaxation and increased stiffness. The mechanisms responsible for increased stiffness are not completely understood. Chronic hyperglycemia, advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), and increased levels of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines are molecular pathways known to be involved in regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis and accumulation resulting in increased LV diastolic stiffness. Experiments were conducted using a genetically-induced mouse model of T2DM generated by …

Age- And Experience-Related Distribution Of Parvalbumin-Expressing Gabaergic Interneurons Within The Hippocampus & Surrounding Cortices, Jennifer A. Corriveau

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Distinct Roles Of First Impressions And Physiological Compliance In Establishing Effective Teamwork, Andrea M. Bizarro

Master's Theses

Objective measures of team dynamics would be valuable complementary tools for researchers and practitioners to use along with subjective measures when deciding which individuals work together most effectively as a team, or when designing training or task environments to promote more effective teams and teamwork. Consistent with control theory, the present study investigates how first impressions and physiological compliance early during team formation impact team effectiveness outcomes including: team satisfaction, work-related flow experiences, team processes, and performance outcomes. In a theory-driven attempt to objectively measure the extent of mutual control during teamwork, physiological compliance was calculated as root-mean squared (RMS) …

Modeling The Production Of Microalgal Biodiesel, Mark Henson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION

Modeling the Production of Microalgal Biodiesel

by

Mark Henson

Doctor of Philosophy in Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering

Washington University in St. Louis, 2013

Professor Pratim Biswas, Chair

Biodiesel produced from microalgal lipids is being extensively researched as an alternative to petroleum–derived diesel. Literature reports of prior modeling to estimate the likely energy and carbon footprints and manufacturing cost of microalgal biodiesel are inconclusive, with wide ranges for performance measures such as Net Energy Return and manufacturing cost. The goals of this research are to develop an integrated techno–economic life cycle inventory model of microalgal biodiesel …

The University Of Texas At El Paso Operating Budget Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2014, U. T. System Board Of Regents

Campus Operating Budget

No abstract provided.

Chemical Processes Influencing Mercury Transformations And Atmospheric Fluxes In The Atmospheric Boundary Layer In Coastal Regions, Susan Warau Gichuki

Doctoral Dissertations

The atmosphere has been recognized as the major contributor of mercury inputs to terrestrial and aquatic environments. While considerable research on atmospheric concentrations and fluxes of Hg has been carried out in the Northern Hemisphere, this is not the case for the Southern hemisphere, remote islands and parts of the open ocean. In this work, atmospheric Hg concentrations and fluxes were determined for locations in South Africa and Bermuda. The concentrations of Hg and other trace metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) in precipitation are presented for Pretoria, an urban center and Cape Point, a …

Histological And Ultrastructural Evidence Of Osteoarthritis In Mice Carrying A Semi-Dominant Mutation Of Col2a1, Victoria Ryder, Dr. Robert Seegmiller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mice heterozygous for the semi-dominant mutation disproportionate micromelia (Dmm) express mild chondrodysplasia by three weeks postnatally. This phenotype is attributed to a deletion of three contiguous nucleotides within the Col2A1 gene on mouse chromosome 15. The phenotype of Dmm/+ mice resembles that of human Stickler syndrome, which can be caused by mutations in the human COL2A1 gene.

Plasmodiumfalciparum. Continuous Cultivation In Defined Culture Medium, Yury M. Colton, Dr. James B. Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Continuous cultivation of the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodiumfalciparum has greatly increased the possibilities of malaria research (Trager and Jensen 1976). However, the need for human serum in the culture medium has proved to be limiting in some situations and the necessary serum is becoming very difficult and costly to acquire. This paper describes the development of culture media in which the serum requirement is reduced by ten-fold and Plasmodiumfalciparum can be maintained indefinitely using standard culture techniques.

The Structural And Functional Characterization Of Cef-5 And Snk, Donna Melinda Earl Ashton, Dr. William S. Bradshaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The malignant transformation of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) following infection with the Rous sarcoma virus is mediated through the oncogene v-src. One of the first responses of infected cells is the transcriptional activation of a set of immediate-early genes. Among these are CEF-5 (homologue of EGRI, early growth response, in mammals) and serum induced kinase (snk).

Engineering, Production And Optimization Of A Bench Scale Tce Bioreactor, David Schlesinger, Dr. Alan R. Harker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Trichloroethylene (better known as TCE) has been used for decades as a solvent for fats, waxes, oils, paints, varnishes, and rubber. This characteristic of TCE has made it useful in industry for cleaning and degreasing; hence, its wide use at airports, and military installations.

Techniques And Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna Of Local Populations Of Cottusbairdi, Amara Earley Bray, Dr. Dennis K. Shiozawa

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recent studies of native trout in Utah have found that populations in separate stream drainages tend to have unique mitochondrial DNA lineages. The association of lineage with drainage implies that the trout tend to remain within their own streams and do not readily migrate to adjacent streams.

Molecular Characterization Of Articular Cartilage From Young Adults With Femoroacetabular Impingement, Shingo Hashimoto, Muhammad Farooq Rai, Corey S. Gill, Zhiqi Zhang, Linda J. Sandell, John C. Clohisy

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Few-View Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (Spect) Reconstruction Based On A Blurred Piecewise Constant Object Model, Paul Arthur Wolf, Jakob S. Jørgensen, Taly Gilat Schmidt, Emil Y. Sidky

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A sparsity-exploiting algorithm intended for few-view single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) reconstruction is proposed and characterized. The algorithm models the object as piecewise constant subject to a blurring operation. To validate that the algorithm closely approximates the true object in the noiseless case, projection data were generated from an object assuming this model and using the system matrix. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to provide more realistic data of a phantom with varying smoothness across the field of view and a cardiac phantom. Reconstructions were performed across a sweep of two primary design parameters. The results demonstrate that the …

Class Of 2017 Urged To 'Explore Broadly, Dig Deeply', Kim Hill

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Transition Metals As Tools To Probe The Electronic Properties Of Porphyrinoids, Jillian Worlinsky

Chemistry Education Materials

This thesis describes in a number of separate chapters a range of studies that measure the variation of specific physical properties with structural modification of the macrocycles, with a particular focus also on using their coordinated metals as probes. Specifically, the transition metal ions are used as tools for interrogation of the electronic properties of porphyrins and pyrrole-modified porphyrins. With the aim of better understanding the electronic and structural factors that govern the optical responses, axial binding strengths, fragmentation patterns and carbonyl stretching frequencies of meso-tetraarylporphyrins, a rational design of pyrrole-modified metalloporphyrins with designed optical properties is derived.

2013-2014 Boise State University Student Handbook, Office Of The Vice-President For Student Affairs

Student Handbooks

No abstract provided.

Normalization Techniques For Statistical Inference From Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Russell T. Shinohara, Elizabeth M. Sweeney, Jeff Goldsmith, Navid Shiee, Farrah J. Mateen, Peter A. Calabresi, Samson Jarso, Dzung L. Pham, Daniel S. Reich, Ciprian M. Crainiceanu

UPenn Biostatistics Working Papers

While computed tomography and other imaging techniques are measured in absolute units with physical meaning, magnetic resonance images are expressed in arbitrary units that are difficult to interpret and differ between study visits and subjects. Much work in the image processing literature on intensity normalization has focused on histogram matching and other histogram mapping techniques, with little emphasis on normalizing images to have biologically interpretable units. Furthermore, there are no formalized principles or goals for the crucial comparability of image intensities within and across subjects. To address this, we propose a set of criteria necessary for the normalization of images. …

You're Starting A What?: Talking To Faculty, Staff, And Students About Digital Commons @ Spu, Kristen Hoffman

SPU Works

A presentation to library faculty and staff of how to talk with the university community about Digital Commons @ SPU.

Deterministic Discrete Dynamical Systems: Advances In Regular And Chaotic Behavior With Applications, Raghib Abu-Saris, Fathi Allan, Mustafa Kulenovic, Alfredo Peris

Mathematics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Trinity Ind Inc V. Chicago Bridge & Iron Company

2013 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Thermally-Responsive Coatings Based Upon Diels–Alder Chemistry And Renewable Materials, Dahlia N. Amato, Gregory A. Strange, John P. Swanson, Anton D. Chavez, Suzanne E. Roy, Kim L. Varney, Craig A. Machado, Douglas V. Amato, Philip Costanzo

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A soybean based coating with thermally responsive Diels–Alder linkages has been prepared following an automotive 2-component formulation. The resulting coatings displayed the capability to be healed following physical deformation by a thermal stimulus, and such a material has significant potential for end users. Various curing agents were employed, and resulted in variation of scratch resistance and re-healablity. Different thermally responsive soybean resins were synthesized to have varying amounts reversible and nonreversible linkages when incorporated into the coating. Additionally, different isocyanates were added at differing ratios of NCO:OH in search of the optimum coating. It was found through the analysis of …

Paws With A Purpose: Evidence Supporting The Use Of Animal Assisted Therapy To Improve Quality Of Life In Adults With Psychiatric Diagnoses, Julia Andraka, Lacey Brinser, Kelly D'Ambrosio, Jordan Justice, Elizabeth Rugen

Collaborative Research and Evidence shared Among Therapists and Educators (CREATE Day)

Approximately 62.7 million Americans have a psychiatric diagnosis, including Alzheimer’s disease and mental disorders^1,6. Adults who are diagnosed with these conditions experience a variety of limitations, including decreased quality of life⁴. Occupational Therapy (OT) has been shown to be an effective treatment to increase quality of life in adults with psychiatric diagnoses³. Occupational therapists working within the mental health field often need to use creative and innovative approaches to motivate their clients, including Animal-assisted therapy (AAT). AAT is a unique intervention approach that has the potential to improve a person’s emotional, physical, cognitive and …

Follicular Dendritic Cells, Hiv And Haart Treatment, Jason Meyer, Dr. Gregory Burton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected patients can result in the reduction of plasma viral RNA levels to nearly undetectable levels. However, the existence of replication competent virus from chronically infected CD4+ T cells despite apparently successful HAART treatment suggests the existence of protective reservoirs in the body that protect virally infected cells from the effects of HAART treatment (1). Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are specialized cells that exist primarily in secondary lymphoid tissue. The purpose of my research was to examine my hypothesis that FDC act as such reservoirs by protecting infected cells from the …

The Locating Of Col11a2 Cell-Specific Enhancers, Jennifer L. Potter, Dr. Laura C. Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The human skeletal structure is formed first by cartilage which later ossifies to bone. It follows, therefore, that if cartilage formation is aberrant, the resulting bone formation will be affected. Cartilage is composed of fibrils consisting of three types of collagen: type II, type IX, and type XI. These fibrils are only produced by chondrocyte (cartilage) cells.

Construction Of A Col11a1 Transgene And The Study Of The Col11a1 Mutation In Mice, Dana L. Murphy, Dr. Laura C. Bridgewater

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Collagen fibrils play an important role in proper skeletal development. Defective collagen can cause human skeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis that affects an estimated 20.7 million Americans. A particular mouse line, housed here at BYU, contains a mutation in the Col11a1 gene. This mutation results in defective type XI collagen, which is an important component of articular cartilage, and eventually leads to osteoarthritis (1).

Effect Of Smut On Cheatgrass Population Composition, Alisa Paulsen, Dr. Daniel Fairbanks

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Western United States, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is often considered to be an undesirable, invasive weed. When cheatgrass is introduced into an area, it can rapidly establish itself as the dominant species, inhibiting re-establishment of native plants1,2 while competing with important grain crops such as winter wheat.3 Not only does cheatgrass compete vigorously with other vegetation, but because it dies early in the summer, dry sites with high amounts of cheatgrass become susceptible to fires. In addition to threatening ranches, farms, and houses, frequent fires drastically increase mortality of shrubs such as Artemesia tridentata and other important shrub species …

Positive Youth Development, Life Satisfaction, And Problem Behaviors Of Adolescents In Intact And Non-Intact Families In Hong Kong, Daniel T. L. Shek, Hildie Leung

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This study investigated whether Chinese adolescents living in intact and non-intact families differed in their positive development, life satisfaction, and risk behavior. A total of 3,328 Secondary 1 students responded to measures of positive youth development (such as resilience and psychosocial competencies), life satisfaction, and risk behavior (substance abuse, delinquency, Internet addiction, consumption of pornographic materials, self-harm, and behavioral intention to engage in problem behavior). Findings revealed that adolescents growing up in intact families reported higher levels of positive developmental outcomes and life satisfaction as compared with adolescents from non-intact families. Adolescents in non-intact families also reported higher levels of …

Recruitment And Survival Of Post-Parasitic Juvenile Mussels In An East Texas River, David S. Bakkin

Biology Theses

Freshwater mussels (order Unionoida) are the most imperiled group of fauna in North America. The factors driving this decline chiefly affect juvenile recruitment and survival, rather than adult mortality. However, our present knowledge generally consists of inferences from studies of adult distributions. Juvenile mussels are rarely collected in the field, leaving our understanding of this critical period in the mussel life cycle incomplete. Popular hypotheses, most notably that shear stress during floods scours small mussels from the substrate and largely confines mussel beds to sheltered areas, are supported by circumstantial evidence and have rarely been tested directly. The role of …

Bcl-2 Promoter Sequence G-Quadruplex Interactions With Three Planar And Non-Planar Cationic Porphyrins: Tmpyp4, Tmpyp3, And Tmpyp2., Vu H. Le, Narayana Nagesh, Edwin A. Lewis

CAS Publications

The interactions of three related cationic porphyrins, TMPyP4, TMPyP3 and TMPyP2, with a WT 39-mer Bcl-2 promoter sequence G-quadruplex were studied using Circular Dichroism, ESI mass spectrometry, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, and Fluorescence spectroscopy. The planar cationic porphyrin TMPyP4 (5, 10, 15, 20-meso-tetra (N-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphine) is shown to bind to a WT Bcl-2 G-quadruplex via two different binding modes, an end binding mode and a weaker mode attributed to intercalation. The related non-planar ligands, TMPyP3 and TMPyP2, are shown to bind to the Bcl-2 G-quadruplex by a single mode. ESI mass spectrometry experiments confirmed that the saturation stoichiometry is 4:1 for …

Cytotoxicity Study Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles, Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes And Their Complexes Applied To Mcf7 Breast Cancer Cells, Karine Mege

Theses and Dissertations

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are radicals of great concern to biologists. Their role in several diseases--such as neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, premature aging and cancer--has been intensively investigated during the last decade. Since a major focus in cancer research is to better understand how it is induced and therefore how it can be cured, the study of the cytotoxic effects of ROS production within cancer cells is vital. Nanotechnology is an emerging field of science that promises great improvements in a number of disciplines. Nano medicine is one of its daughter fields. Various nanomaterials are used for diagnosis and disease detection, …