Digital Commons Network^™

Cell Envelope Modifications By Lcp Family Proteins Of Group B Streptococcus And Virulence Singaling By Peptides Of The Salivaricin Locus Of Streptococcus Pyogenes, Hannah Morrison Rowe

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CELL ENVELOPE MODIFICATIONS BY LCP FAMILY PROTEINS OF GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS AND VIRULENCE SIGNALING BY PEPTIDES OF THE SALIVARICIN LOCUS OF STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES

by

HANNAH MORRISON ROWE

December 2014

Advisor: Dr. Melody Neely

Major: Immunology and Microbiology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Streptococci are important human and animal pathogens. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a zoonotic pathogen that is the leading cause of human neonatal sepsis and meningitis. In order to cause systemic disease GBS must produce a polysaccharide capsule. Capsule expression is controlled in part by the protein CpsA. We demonstrate that deletion of the cpsA gene, or expression …

Can Animal Spirits Solve The Forward Premium Puzzle?, Anthony Paul Shkrelja

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation decomposes, discusses, and ventures to solve an international macroeconomic anomaly known as the "Forward Premium Puzzle" into three main chapters. Chapter 1 explores the state of research pertaining to the Forward Premium Puzzle, which derives from a failure in the Uncovered Interest Parity (UIP). The body of literature is split into three branches i. Those works advocating the presence of an anomaly due to assumption of Rational Expectations, ii. Works preserving the assumption of Rational Expectations and instead discuss a bias due to Risk Premia, and iii. Research focused on econometric implementation of the forward premium estimator. Furthermore, …

Cervical Remodeling/Ripening At Term And Preterm Delivery: The Same Mechanism Initiated By Different Mediators And Different Effector Cells, Juan Miguel Gonzalez Velez

Wayne State University Dissertations

Premature cervical remodeling/ripening is believed to contribute to preterm delivery (PTD), the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite considerable research, the causes of term and PTD remain unclear, and there is no effective treatment for PTD. We tested the hypothesis that complement activation plays a role in cervical remodeling and PTD. We studied cervical remodeling at term.

We studied two mouse models of inflammation-induced PTD. The first model was induced by vaginal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)and the second one by administration of progesterone antagonist RU486. Increased cervical C3 deposition and macrophage infiltration and increased serum C3adesArg and C5adesArg …

An Exploration Of Emotional Intelligence And Its Relationship To Higher Education Effective Leadership Practices Of Leaders In A Community College Environment, Vicki Golden

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

AN EXPLORATION OF EMOTIVIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HIGHER EDUCATION EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP PRACTICES OF LEADERS IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT

By

VICKI A. GOLDEN

November, 2014

Advisor: Dr. Ingrid Guerra-Lopez

Major: Performance Improvement

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been shown to directly relate to the enhancement of successful leadership attributes (Giesecke, 2008a, 2008b; Goleman, 2011a; Kruml & Yockey, 2010; Nadler, 2011; Riggio, 2010) and effective leaders have been found to possess significant degrees of EI in business settings (Lykins, 2011; Allen, Shankman, & Miguel, 2012; Rehman, 2011)). Although the positive effects of EI on leadership …

Table Of Contents - Cardozo Journal Of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 15, Iss. 2

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

No abstract provided.

"Cut The Dog In Half": Resolving Animal Law Disputes Through The Use Of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Michael Ploudre Kaiser

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In this article, I discuss ADR within the context of three types of animal law issues. In Part I, I discuss animal custody disputes, which I have found to be very well-suited to resolution by means of mediation. In Part II, I discuss the debate surrounding laboratory testing on animals and the reasons why several current approaches to this issue are insufficient and wasteful of resources. I outline how mediation has the potential to bridge differences and find at least short-term workable resolutions to a highly charged issue, which in turn may lead to longer-term resolutions. Lastly, in Part III, …

Informed Consent In Mediation: Promoting Pro Se Parties' Informed Settlement Choice While Honoring The Mediator's Ethical Duties, Michael T. Colatrella Jr.

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In explaining the proper role of informed consent in mediation, this Article will proceed as follows: Part II will examine mediation's core ethical values of self-determination, impartiality and promoting a quality process. Part III will explore the meaning and origins of the informed consent doctrine; and, in Part IV, analyze the application of informed consent policies and principles to mediation in the light of mediation's core ethical values. Part V will explore ways that mediators can promote informed outcome consent within the existing ethical framework and recommend legislative reform that will help clarify the mediator's proper role of promoting fair …

Status And Contract In An Emerging Democracy: The Evolution Of Dispute Resolution In Ghana, Paul F. Kirgis

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Ghana is one of the developing world's success stories. The first sub-Saharan colony to gain independence, it is a stable democracy experiencing sustained economic growth. Yet as Ghana reaches for the material gains of participation in modern commercial life, its dual legal systems-the system of customary adjudication by traditional authorities and the formal court systemhave come under increasing pressure. New legal developments have truncated the authority of traditional decision-makers, while an overburdened court system lacks the resources to fill the resulting adjudicative gaps. To solve the problem, Ghana is now experimenting with a system of quasi-public dispute resolution, including contractual …

Slowing Antibiotic Resistance By Decreasing Antibiotic Use In Animals, Jennifer Nomura

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Science-Fictional North Korea: A Defective History, Seo-Young J. Chu

Publications and Research

Kafkaesque, Orwellian, eerie, surreal, bizarre, grotesque, alien, wacky, fascinating, dystopian, illusive, theatrical, antic, haunting, apocalyptic: these are just a few of the vaguely science-fictional adjectives that are now associated with North Korea. At the same time, North Korea has become an oddly convenient trope for a certain aesthetic – an uncanny opacity; an ominous mystique – that many writers and artists have exploited to generate striking science-fictional effects in texts with little or no connection to North Korean reality. (The 2002 Bond film Die another Day, for example, draws from North Korea’s science-fictional aura to animate North Korean super-villains who …

Cultural Discourse In Taiwan. Ed. Chin-Chuan Cheng, I-Chun Wang, And Steven Tötösy De Zepetnek., Chin-Chuan Cheng, I-Chun Wang, Steven Tötösy De Zepetnek

CLCWeb Library

The collected volume Cultural Discourse in Taiwan — edited by Chin-Chuan Cheng, I-Chun Wang, and Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek and published by National Sun Yat-sen Uiniversity Press in 2009 — is intended as an addition to scholarship in the field of Taiwan Studies. The articles in the volume are in many aspects comparative and the topics discussed are in the context of literary and culture scholarship. At the same time, the volume is interdisciplinary as the articles cover historical perspectives, analyses of texts by Taiwan authors, and cultural discourse as related to Taiwan consciousness, language, and linguistic issues. Copyright release …

Eleven Criminals: Stories, Brendan Steffen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a work of fiction about criminality and masculinity. It explores all kinds of crimes, both real and imagined.

Characterization Of Sugar Diversity In Floral And Extra-Floral Nectar From The Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina Caffra Thunb.) In Southern California, Victor D. Carmona-Galindo, Kenny Morales, Renee Maser, Julius Doyle, Mera Gobrial

Biology Faculty Works

The Coastal Coral Tree (Erythrina caffra Thunb.) produces floral nectar (FN) that serves to attract pollinating insects, but also secretes nectar from extra-floral (EFN) glands that serves to at-tract predatory insects, such as ants. While stu-dies on myrmecophytes (i.e. specialized plants that attract and interact with ants) have primarily focused on interspecific evaluations of EFN chemistry, the Coastal Coral tree offers an op-portunity to contrast intraspecific nectar chemi-stry with differing evolutionary and ecological functions. We hypothesized that the richness of (molecular) sugar species, relative concentra-tions, and diversity of sugars in FN and foliar EFN would diverge due to differences in …

Widespread Movement Of Invasive Cattle Fever Ticks (Rhipicephalus Microplus) In Southern Texas Leads To Shared Local Infestations On Cattle And Deer, Joseph D. Busch, Nathan E. Stone, Roxanne Nottingham, Ana Araya-Anchetta, Jillian Lewis, Christian Hochhalter, John R. Giles, Jeffrey Gruendike, Jeanne Freeman, Greta Buckmeier, Deanna Bodine, Roberta Duhaime, Robert J. Miller, Ronald B. Davey, Pia U. Olafson, Glen A. Scoles, David M. Wagner

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

Background: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is a highly-invasive tick that transmits the cattle parasites (Babesia bovis and B. bigemina) that cause cattle fever. R. microplus and Babesia are endemic in Mexico and ticks persist in the United States inside a narrow tick eradication quarantine area (TEQA) along the Rio Grande. This containment area is threatened by unregulated movements of illegal cattle and wildlife like white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus).

Methods: Using 11 microsatellite loci we genotyped 1,247 R. microplus from 63 Texas collections, including outbreak infestations from outside the TEQA. We used population genetic analyses to …

Phenotypic And Transcriptional Analysis Of Divergently Selected Maize Populations Reveals The Role Of Evelopmental Timing In Seed Size Determination, Rajandeep S. Sekhon, Candice N. Hirsh, Kevin L. Childs, Matthew W. Breitzman, Paul Kell, Susan Duvick, Edgar P. Spalding, C. Robin Buell, Natalia De Leon, Shawn M. Kaeppler

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

Seed size is a component of grain yield and an important trait in crop domestication. To understand the mechanisms governing seed size in maize (Zea mays), we examined transcriptional and developmental changes during seed development in populations divergently selected for large and small seed size from Krug, a yellow dent maize cultivar. After 30 cycles of selection, seeds of the large seed population (KLS30) have a 4.7-fold greater weight and a 2.6-fold larger size compared with the small seed population (KSS30). Patterns of seed weight accumulation from the time of pollination through 30 d of grain filling showed an earlier …

Use Of Robust Multivariate Linear Mixed Models For Estimation Of Genetic Parameters For Carcass Traits In Beef Cattle, S. O. Peters, K. Kizilkaya, D. J. Garrick, R. L. Fernando, E. J. Pollak, R. Mark Enns, M. De Donato, O. O. Ajayi, I. G. Imumorin

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

Assumptions of normality of residuals for carcass evaluation may make inferences vulnerable to the presence of outliers, but heavy-tail densities are viable alternatives to normal distributions and provide robustness against unusual or outlying observations when used to model the densities of residual effects. We compare estimates of genetic parameters by fitting multivariate Normal (MN) or heavy-tail distributions (multivariate Student’s t and multivariate Slash, MSt and MS) for residuals in data of hot carcass weight (HCW), longissimus muscle area (REA) and 12th to 13th rib fat (FAT) traits in beef cattle using 2475 records from 2007 to 2008 from a large …

Effects Of Including Saponins (Micro-Aid®) On Intake, Rumenfermentation And Digestibility In Steers Fed Low-Qualityprairie Hay, C. P. Murphy, A. J. Sexten, G. L. Mourer, E. D. Sharman, S. J. Trojan, M. J. Rinker, W. K. Coblentz, D. L. Lalman

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

Sixteen ruminally cannulated crossbred steers (529 ± 45 kg initial body weight, BW) wereused to evaluate in situ dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), and N degrada-tion characteristics of low-quality prairie hay, blood urea-N (BUN) and rumen fermentationparameters in steers provided a protein supplement with or without Micro-Aid^®(MA; plantderived saponin). Steers were allowed ad libitum access to chopped prairie hay (49 g crudeprotein (CP)/kg DM and 738 g aNDF/kg DM) and randomly assigned to one of four treat-ments: (1) no supplement (C), (2) cottonseed meal and wheat middlings: 920 g DM/d (PC;positive control), (3) MA added to …

Energy Potential And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Bioenergy Cropping Systems On Marginally Productive Cropland, Marty R. Schmer, Kenneth P. Vogel, Gary E. Varvel, Ronald F. Follett, Robert B. Mitchell, Virginia L. Jin

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

Low-carbon biofuel sources are being developed and evaluated in the United States and Europe to partially offset petroleum transport fuels. Current and potential biofuel production systems were evaluated from a long-term continuous no-tillage corn (Zea mays L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) field trial under differing harvest strategies and nitrogen (N) fertilizer intensities to determine overall environmental sustainability. Corn and switchgrass grown for bioenergy resulted in near-term net greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of -29 to -396 grams of CO₂ equivalent emissions per megajoule of ethanol per year as a result of direct soil carbon sequestration and from …

Effects Of Including Saponins (Micro-Aid®) On Intake, Rumenfermentation And Digestibility In Steers Fed Low-Qualityprairie Hay, C P. Mcmurphy, A J. Sexten, G L. Mourer, E D. Sharman, S J. Trojan, M J. Rincker, W K. Coblentz, D L. Lalman

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

Sixteen ruminally cannulated crossbred steers (529 ± 45 kg initial body weight, BW) wereused to evaluate in situ dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), and N degrada-tion characteristics of low-quality prairie hay, blood urea-N (BUN) and rumen fermentationparameters in steers provided a protein supplement with or without Micro-Aid®(MA; plantderived saponin). Steers were allowed ad libitum access to chopped prairie hay (49 g crudeprotein (CP)/kg DM and 738 g aNDF/kg DM) and randomly assigned to one of four treat-ments: (1) no supplement (C), (2) cottonseed meal and wheat middlings: 920 g DM/d (PC;positive control), (3) MA added to PC to …

Predicting Phosphorus Dynamics In Complex Terrains Using A Variable Source Area Hydrology Model, Amy S. Collick, Daniel R. Fuka, Peter J.A. Kleinman, Anthony R. Buda, Jennifer L. Weld, Mike J. White, Tamie L. Veith, Ray B. Bryant, Carl H. Bolster, Zachary M. Easton

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

Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural watersheds has long been a critical water quality problem, the control of which has been the focus of considerable research and investment. Preventing P loss depends on accurately representing the hydrological and chemical processes governing P mobilization and transport. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a watershed model commonly used to predict run-off and non-point source pollution transport. SWAT simulates run-off employing either the curve number (CN) or the Green and Ampt methods, both assume infiltration-excess run-off, although shallow soils underlain by a restricting layer commonly generate saturation-excess run-off from variable source areas …

Whole Genome Sequencing And Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bluetongue Virus Serotype 2 Strains Isolated In The Americas Including A Novel Strain From The Western United States, Natasha N. Gaudreault, Christie E. Mayo, Dane C. Jasperson, Beate M. Crossley, Richard E. Breitmeyer, Donna J. Johnson, Eileen N. Ostlund, N James Maclachlan, William C. Wilson

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

Bluetongue is a potentially fatal arboviral disease of domestic and wild ruminants that is characterized by widespread edema and tissue necrosis. Bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes 10, 11, 13, and 17 occur throughout much of the United States, whereas serotype 2 (BTV-2) was previously only detected in the southeastern United States. Since 1998, 10 other BTV serotypes have also been isolated from ruminants in the southeastern United States. In 2010, BTV-2 was identified in California for the first time, and preliminary sequence analysis indicated that the virus isolate was closely related to BTV strains circulating in the southeastern United States. In …

Skin Exposure Promotes A Th2-Dependent Sensitization To Peanut Allergens, Leticia Tordesillas, Ritobrata Goswami, Sara Benedé, Galina Grishina, David Dunkin, Kirsi M. Järvinen, Soheila J. Maleki, Hugh A. Sampson, M. Cecilia Berin

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

Sensitization to foods often occurs in infancy, without a known prior oral exposure, suggesting that alternative exposure routes contribute to food allergy. Here, we tested the hypothesis that peanut proteins activate innate immune pathways in the skin that promote sensitization. We exposed mice to peanut protein extract on undamaged areas of skin and observed that repeated topical exposure to peanut allergens led to sensitization and anaphylaxis upon rechallenge. In mice, this epicutaneous peanut exposure induced sensitization to the peanut components Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, which is also observed in human peanut allergy. Both crude peanut extract and …

Crop Residue Considerations For Sustainable Bioenergy Feedstock Supplies, Douglas L. Karlen, Jane M.F. Johnson

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

The anticipated 2014 launch of three full-scale corn stover bioenergy conversion facilities is a strong US market signal that cellulosic feedstock supplies must increase dramatically to supply the required biomass in a sustainable manner. This overview highlights research conducted by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Renewable Energy Assessment Project (now known as the Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices) team as part of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture Sun Grant Regional Feedstock Partnership Corn Stover team. Stover and grain yield, soil organic carbon, soil aggregation, greenhouse gas, energy content of the stover, and several other factors affecting the fledgling bioenergy industry …

Poplar, Andrzej Klasa, Douglas Karlen

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

Populus consists of 25–35 species and among them hybridization is common. The genus itself has a large genetic diversity with some species growing 50 m tall with trunks of up to 2.5 m in diameter. All Populus species from family Saliceae are common in temperate climate zones but they are limited in tropical zones because the maximum temperature they can tolerate is approximately 30◦C. Among the various species, Populus alba grows primarily in southern and central Europe, P. tremula in Europe and Asia (mainly in India), and P. tremuloides in North America with their northern border being Alaska. There are …

Transcript Analysis And Expression Profiling Of Three Heat Shock Protein 70 Genes In The Ectoparasitoid Habrobracon Hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Hao-Liang Chen, Hong-Yu Zhang, James E. Throne, Kun Yan Zhu

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

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known as chaperones that help with folding of other proteins when cells are under environmental stresses. The upregulation of HSPs is essential for cold survival during insect diapause. The ectoparasitoid Habrobracon hebetor, a potential biological control agent, can enter reproductive diapause when reared at low temperature and short photoperiod. However, the expression of HSPs during diapause of H. hebetor has not been studied. In this study, we sequenced and characterized the full-length complementary DNAs of three Hsp70 genes (HhHsp70I, HhHsp70II and HhHsp70III) from H. hebetor. Their deduced amino acid sequences …

Intranasal Delivery Of Therapeutics Targeted To Csf And Brain, Prashanth Manda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier limit the systemic delivery of therapeutics to the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) respectively. Therapeutic agents targeting CNS are currently being administered by invasive routes which are not patient compliant and do not allow frequent administration. Intranasal delivery of therapeutics to target CSF and brain is a noninvasive route of administration which is patient compliant and allows frequent administration. In the current study, the plausibility of delivering ziconotide and cefotaxime to CSF and brain respectively via intranasal pathway using barrier modulating agents like chitosan was investigated. The ability of chitosan to enhance the permeation …

Characterization Of Prolylcarboxypeptidase Expression Pattern In Rat Cardiomyocytes In Nutrition Overload Conditions, Tahmineh Tabrizian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP) is a serine protease that cleaves the last amino acid at the carboxy-terminus of peptides with a penultimate proline such as angiotensin II (Ang II), angiotensin III (Ang III), prekallikrein (PK) and α-melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (1-13) (α-MSH1-13). By inactivating Ang II and Ang III, PRCP promotes vasodilation and insulin sensitivity. As well by activating PK, PRCP increases nitric oxide (NO) generation and vasorelaxation through bradykinin (BK) liberation from high molecular weight kininogen (HK). PK is activated to kallikrein by PRCP, implicating a role for PRCP in the coagulation pathway. The resultant kallikrein will activate FXII which in a reciprocal manner …

Secondary Metabolite Production By An Endophytic Bacillus Sp. From Platanus Occidentalis, Michael C. James

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Endophytes are bacterial and fungal microbes that live inside of plant tissue without causing disease. Endophytes have applications in many industries including the pharmaceutical and food industries as producers of natural products. This potential was demonstrated by investigating the natural product production from a Bacillus amyloliquefaciens endophyte of Platanus occidentalis using a combination of MALDI-IMS, LC-MS, MS-MS, and NMR methods, by purifying nicotianamine from soy flour, and by reviewing natural product inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The secondary metabolite production of the endophytic B. amyloliquefaciens was investigated under a variety of fermentation conditions. It was discovered that the …

Distribution Of Three Psocid Species (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) In Different Moisture Gradients In Wheat, John Diaz-Montano, James F. Campbell, Paul W. Flinn, James E. Throne

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

Psocids can cause considerable economic losses to stored products by direct feeding, and they have become global pests during the last two decades. We studied the distribution of Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae), Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein), and Liposcelis brunnea Motschulsky in different moisture gradients (11-12-13%, 11-13-15%, and 13-14-15%) and a control (13-13-13%) in wheat using a circular metal arena, which has a removable metal divider that partitioned it into three rings (outer, middle and inner). Lipsocelis bostrychophila and L. entomophila preferred grain with the highest moisture content in the different gradients evaluated. In general, populations of Liposcelis brunnea equally preferred …

Evaluation Of Ethanol Vortex Elisa For Detection Of Bovine Tuberculosis In Cattle And Deer, Ashutosh Wadhwa, Rachel E. Johonson, Keiko Eda, W Ray Waters, Mitchell V. Palmer, John Bannantine, Shigetoshi Eda

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

Background: The use of serological assays for diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis (TB) has been intensively studied and use of specific antigens have aided in improving the diagnostic accuracy of the assays. In the present study, we report an in-house enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), developed by using ethanol extract of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). The assay, named (ethanol vortex ELISA [EVELISA]), was evaluated for detection of anti- M. bovis antibodies in the sera of cattle and white-tailed deer.

Methods: By using the EVELISA, we tested sera obtained from two species of animals; cattle (n = 62 [uninfected, n = 40; …