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The Role Of The C5a Receptor In Host Defense Against Listeria Monocytogenes, Daniel Calame

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a major cause of mortality resulting from food poisoning in the United States. While the complement component C5 is known to be protective in listeriosis, it is unknown how its cleavage fragment C5a participates. Here we show in a model of systemic Lm infection that the C5a receptor is essential for host defense. C5aR-/- mice have reduced survival and increased bacterial burden in the liver and spleen in comparison to WT mice. Surprisingly, C5aR-/- mice also have a dramatic reduction in splenocyte numbers resulting from elevated cell death as indicated by TUNEL staining and caspase 3 …

Mechanisms Of Astrocyte Contribution To Bortezomib-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, Caleb R. Robinson

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Bortezomib is a proteasome inhibitor used in the treatment of multiple myeloma and other non-solid malignancies, alone or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs. Like other chemotherapeutic agents, bortezomib treatment is frequently accompanied by chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) that may be dose-limiting, adversely affecting quality of life and prognosis. The mechanisms behind bortezomib-induced peripheral neuropathy (BIPN) and CIPN overall are largely unknown. Recent findings in other pain models have indicated substantial involvement of glial cells in chronic pain. Although injury models have shown activation of both astrocytes and microglia following insult, research in other CIPN models has shown astrocytic activation …

Dissecting The Roles Of Trim24 In Regulation Of Hepatic Lipid Metabolism And Inflammation, Lindsey C. Minter

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

DISSECTING THE ROLES OF TRIM24 IN REGULATION OF HEPATIC LIPID

METABOLISM AND INFLAMMATION

Lindsey Cauthen Minter, B.S., B.A.

Advisory Professor: Michelle C. Barton, Ph.D.

In this dissertation, I report the characterization of a new mouse model that recapitulates development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following spontaneous hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation, and damage of liver tissue, due to complete loss of Trim24 expression. In human HCC and other cancers, TRIM24 expression is aberrantly high, while deletion of TRIM24 in the mouse has been shown to act as a liver specific tumor suppressor. The hypothesis tested here was that TRIM24, the E3 ubiquitin …

Development And Implementation Of An Anthropomorphic Pediatric Spine Phantom For The Assessment Of Craniospinal Irradiation Procedures In Proton Therapy, Dana Lewis

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Proton therapy is gaining acceptance as a cancer treatment modality, as it allows for dose deposition to the target volume while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. This technique is advantageous for craniospinal pediatric patients, as it reduces the radiation side effects that can occur. The purpose of this study is to design an anthropomorphic pediatric spine phantom for use in the evaluation of proton therapy facilities for clinical trial participation by the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) Houston QA Center. It was hypothesized that the designed phantom would evaluate patient simulation, treatment planning and delivery, assuring agreement between the …

Targeting Sequence And Function-Dependence Of Subcellular Localization Of Transient Receptor Potential Mucolipin Channels And Characterization Of Engineered Molecule Probes For Detecting Lysosomal Calcium Release, Jian Xiong

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Both TRPML1 and TRPML3 are members of the mucolipin subfamily of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels. They have been implicated in endolysosomal functions such as divalent cation release, luminal pH regulation, autophagy and vesicle trafficking. Interestingly, whereas TRPML1 is almost extensively localized in lysosomes, TRPML3 is typically found in both lysosomes and the plasma membrane (PM). It has been shown that TRPML3 localization depends on TRPML1, but the mechanism remains unknown. Recently, a number of TRPML1 mutants have been reported to be either retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or preferentially targeted to the PM. Coexpressing these mutants with either …

The Role Of Glutamine And Mevalonate Pathway In Affecting The Stemness And Viability Of Glioblastoma Stem Cells, Naima Hammoudi

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains the deadliest form of brain tumors. The poor prognosis of glioblastoma patients is associated with a high rate of relapse after therapy. It has been suggested that the presence of cancer stem cells, which are relatively resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, may play a significant role in the recurrence of brain tumor. Understanding the biological property of glioblastoma stem cells is important to develop effective therapeutic strategies for glioblastoma. In vitro, glioblastoma stem cells cultured in serum-free medium form self-renewing neurospheres, express the neural stem marker CD133, and are highly tumorigenic. On the other hand, in the …

Stochastic Data Assimilation Approaches For Magnetic Resonance Temperature Imaging, Joshua P. Yung

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

During magnetic resonance (MR)-guided thermal therapies, proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) based MR temperature imaging can quantitatively monitor tissue temperature changes. It is widely known that the PRFS technique is easily perturbed by tissue motion, tissue susceptibility changes, magnetic field drift, and modality–dependent applicator induced artifacts. Due to recent advances in computational algorithms and hardware, much more powerful statistical analysis methods are becoming realizable in the real-time processing environment. To this end, my dissertation research focused on the development, validation, and implementation of stochastic data-driven processing techniques to increase the robustness of MR temperature monitoring during thermal therapies. MR temperature …

Energy Stress Causes Chaperones To Assemble Into Cytoplasmic Complexes, Kimberly J. Cope

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The majority of proteins require molecular chaperones to assist their folding into tertiary and quaternary structures. Certain stresses can compromise the weak hydrophobic forces responsible for these structures and lead to protein unfolding, misfolding, and aggregation. Aggregates of proteins are hallmarks of devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases. Fortunately, bacteria, plants, and fungi have a potent disaggregase, named Hsp104 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently, heat-induced aggregates, termed Q-bodies, were found to contain three molecular chaperones: Hsp70, Hsp104, and Hsp42. Their coalescence from small puncta into larger inclusions required Hsp104. During glucose deprivation, a stress that isn’t known to …

Genetic Analysis Of Ancient Human Remains From The Early Bronze Age Cultures Of The North Pontic Steppe Region, Jeff Pashnick

Masters Theses

During the Neolithic transition into the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the North Pontic steppe region (NPR), people, cultures, and technologies were rapidly changing. Farming was on the decline and Indo-European languages were spreading through the region along with pastoralist way of life. In this study we used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotyping to study the people living in the NPR during these times. Additionally, we used next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies in attempts to develop novel methods to assess the degradation of ancient DNA (aDNA). We extracted ancient mtDNA from remains of 11 individuals belonging to late Neolithic and EBA populations …

The Effect Of Gender And Status Difference On Saturated Fat Content Of Entree Items Chosen By Elementary School-Aged Students, Annie Anderson

All Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine participants in a National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and the effect of gender and/or participation in the NSLP on selection of high saturated fat content entrée items by the students. Nutrition information provided to parents often does not include a profile of the fats offered in school lunch items. This was true of this study's schools. However, new NSLP guidelines focus upon saturated and trans fat content in school lunches. The total kcal limit is less than 30% total fat, and saturated fat is less than or equal to 10% total kcal, …

Silver Hair On The Silver Screen: Adaptations Of Jane Austen's Older Women, Hilary Richards

All Theses

Three adaptations of Jane Austen novels were produced between 1995 and 1999. These late 90s films represented a set of romantic comedies created in the style of heritage cinema. In adapting Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Mansfield Park, filmmakers reshaped the older women supporting characters in order to better fit the generic conventions of romantic comedies. Romantic comedies of the 1990s relied on a narrow view of the marriage plot whereby the focus in wholly on the courtship process of a predominately affluent, white, heterosexual couple. By excising the roles of the older women, Mrs. Jennings, Miss Bates, and Mrs. …

Evaluation Of 2,4-D And Dicamba Based Herbicide Programs For Weed Control In Tolerant Soybean, Dwayne Joseph

All Theses

Weeds are the most limiting factor on soybean yields in South Carolina. With their early emergence and rapid growth, weeds compete with crops for resources. The recent evolution of herbicide resistant weeds has made it increasingly difficult for growers to actively control weeds in fields. Glyphosate and ALS-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) biotypes have spread rapidly throughout South Carolina, especially in areas where resistance management isn't practiced. In the near future, soybean varieties will be introduced with tolerance to 2,4-D (Dow AgroSciences) and dicamba (Monsanto Company). Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted at Edisto Research and Education Center …

Chiasmic Rhetoric: Alan Turing Between Bodies And Words, Patricia Fancher

All Dissertations

This Dissertation analyzes the life and writing of inventor and scientist Alan Turing in order to identify and theorize chiasmic relations between bodies and texts. Chiasmic rhetoric, as I develop throughout the Dissertation, is the dynamic processes between materials and discourses that interact to construct powerful rhetorical effect, shape bodies, and also compose new knowledges. My research here extends our knowledge of the rhetoric of science by demonstrating the ways that Alan Turing's embodied experiences shape his rhetoric. Turing is an unusual figure for research on bodily rhetoric and embodied knowledge. He is often associated with disembodied knowledge and as …

South Atlantic Stream Fish Assemblages: Multi-Scale Structuring Factors, Trait Associations And Channelization, And Responses To Dam Removal, Cathy Marion

All Dissertations

South Atlantic coastal plain wadeable streams are unique and understudied freshwater environments that provide crucial habitats for a wide range of aquatic taxa. In Chapter 1, we investigated patterns in fish assemblages across South Carolina's coastal plain, and developed statistical models to identify the dominant multi-scale abiotic environmental factors that influence assemblage structure. Our analyses indicated the presence of four predominant fish assemblages that commonly occur in the coastal plain, which we termed the: 1) fluvial, 2) eastern mudminnow, 3) centrarchid, and 4) non-fluvial assemblages. Natural geographic gradients and instream habitat parameters associated with velocity, channel form, stream size, and …

The Avian Thrombocyte Is A Specialized Immune Cell, Farzana Ferdous

All Dissertations

Thrombocytes are the most abundant circulating cells next to red blood cells in avian blood. Avian thrombocytes are homologous in function to mammalian platelets. Avian thrombocytes and the mammalian platelet are widely recognized contributors to inflammatory responses upon stimulation with various microbial stimulants. However, some observed responses of the avian thrombocyte depart from a standardized model ascribed to innate cells. To help unravel the role of thrombocytes in innate immunity, and possibly adaptive immunity, first we examined the surface features of chicken thrombocytes. Chicken thrombocytes constitutively express transcripts for different Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that are crucial for the innate immune …

Investigating The Influence Of Interpretation On Children's National Park Stewardship Behaviors Using The Elaboration Likelihood Model, Susan Vezeau

All Dissertations

Interpretation efforts are commonly used in park and protected area management to communicate information about a place to visitors, and in some cases, are also intended to persuade visitors to engage in stewardship behaviors. The National Park Service (NPS) Junior Rangers (JR) programs are intended to develop a sense of stewardship within participating children; however, few studies have explored the effectiveness of these programs. In addition, despite considerable research investigating interpretation and its influence, further exploration of the factors that influence stewardship behaviors in participants of interpretation are needed. The purpose of this Dissertation research was to: 1) develop scales …

Towards Efficient File Sharing And Packet Routing In Mobile Opportunistic Networks, Kang Chen

All Dissertations

With the increasing popularity of portable digital devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops, and tablets), mobile opportunistic networks (MONs) [40, 90] consisting of portable devices have attracted much attention recently. MONs are also known as pocket switched networks (PSNs) [52]. MONs can be regarded as a special form of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) [7] or delay tolerant networks (DTNs) [35, 56]. In such networks, mobile nodes (devices) move continuously and meet opportunistically. Two mobile nodes can communicate with each other only when they are within the communication range of each other in a peer-to-peer (P2P) manner (i.e., without the need of …

Evaluation Of The Functional Capabilities Of Fins And Limbs For Moving On Land: Insights Into The Invasion Of Land By Tetrapods, Sandy Kawano

All Dissertations

Transitions to novel habitats present different adaptive challenges, producing captivating examples of how functional innovations of the musculoskeletal system influence phenotypic divergence and adaptive radiations. One intriguing example is the transition from aquatic fishes to tetrapods. Recent technological advances and discoveries of critical fossils have catapulted our understanding on how fishes gave rise to terrestrial vertebrates. Considerable attention has been paid to legged locomotion on land, but given that the first tetrapods were aquatic, limbs did not evolve primarily for terrestriality. How, then, is the locomotor function of limbs different from fins? Extant amphibious fishes demonstrate that fins can be …

A Biophysical Understanding Of The Applications And Implications Of Nanomaterials, Nicholas Geitner

All Dissertations

The last few decades have seen an explosion in the study and application of nanomaterials that continues to grow at a dizzying pace. Despite exciting applications in nano-enabled electronics, materials, medicine, and environmental remediation, an understanding of the interactions of these materials with natural materials and systems and the resulting implications lags severely behind. The purpose of this Dissertation is to illuminate these interactions as well as develop novel environmental applications from a biophysical perspective. Following an introduction and literature review in Chapter 1, Chapters 2-4 will explore the application of dendritic polymers as novel and biocompatible oil dispersants for …

Venturing Through The Tall Grass: Experiencing The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, Christie L. Borkowsky, Erin Zahradka

The Prairie Naturalist

The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (hereafter the Preserve) was established in 1989 with a goal of protecting a vanishing habitat and to educate the general public of the importance of native grasslands (M. Latta, Nature Manitoba, personal communication). Starting in the early 1990s, an annual Prairie Day event was organized in early August to provide a means of interaction between prairie enthusiasts, the general public and local residents. Self-guiding interpretive trails with rustic amenities were established in 1996 and 2004. School programs, tours, and a simple two-page newsletter have been used to promote the Preserve and bring out visitors …

Project Prairie And Tallgrass Education On The Rice Lake Plains: A Journey From 1870 To Today And Beyond, Todd Farrell, Mark Rupke, Mark Stabb

The Prairie Naturalist

Project Prairie began in 2011 as a curriculum-linked integrated environmental studies program to showcase the Rice Lake Plains (RLP), a tallgrass prairie landscape of sandy rolling hills located at the eastern extent of the Oak Ridges Moraine in southern Ontario. Project Prairie provides educators both indoor and outdoor activities that support their curriculum and share the story of the RLP. Project Prairie provides teacher and student resources that focus on the RLP from the mid-nineteenth century to present day. Learning objectives of Project Prairie are developed from the subjects of science, social science, language arts, geography, history, and Aboriginal culture. …

Potential Impacts Of Bison Wallows On A Restored Tallgrass Prairie Community, Kimran Miller, Johanna Foster, Kristen Nielsen, Mary O'Loughlin

The Prairie Naturalist

When bison (Bos bison) repeatedly roll on the ground, they denude vegetation and create wallows (semi-permanent bare areas) that alter the native prairie plant community. Responses to these wallow-related disturbances are not as well documented in restored prairies. From 1 June to 1 September 2010 and from 3 June to 6 August 2011, we examined potential responses at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, a restored prairie with resident bison. We hypothesized that plants and beetles would vary along a disturbance gradient. Our predictions were: (1) near wallows, plants with weedy lifestyles would have highest cover and biomass compared …

A Floristic Survey Of Selected Sites In The Loup River Valley, Nance County, Nebraska, Diane M. Flynn, Steven J. Rothenberger

The Prairie Naturalist

The Loup River Valley of Nebraska contains natural, undisturbed wet meadows with significant plant diversity. Even though these sites are infrequent and are often intermixed with heavily grazed pastures or cultivated fields, they support numerous plant and animal species that do not occur elsewhere. We surveyed three study sites (an ungrazed wet meadow; a grazed wet meadow; and a riparian area) that totaled approximately 68.8 ha during the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons. We compiled an annotated vascular plants checklist for the study area that included 244 plant species of which about 49% (119) were new county records. The mean …

The Fine Line Between 'Brave' And 'Reckless': Amygdala Reactivity And Regulation Predict Recognition Of Risk, Lilianne R. Mujica-Parodi

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Unsteady Viscous Cavity Flow Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, Chandramouli Vadlamudi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The problem of unsteady viscous incompressible flow in a two-dimensional cavity is treated using the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with various initial and boundary conditions. First the case of a square cavity with one inlet and one outlet is treated in steady and unsteady flows. The software package ANSYS FLUENT was used in the CFD simulations. This approach captures the appearance of separation bubbles and vortex formation inside the cavity. Steady state flows are also obtained from the unsteady simulations after convergence of the time dependent solutions. Then the case of a cavity with a synthetic jet and two outlets …

An Agent-Based Model Of Ant Colony Energy And Population Dynamics: Effects Of Temperature And Food Fluctuation, Guo Xiaohui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ant colony, known as a self-organized system, can adapt to the environment by a series of negative and positive feedbacks. There is still a lack of mechanistic understanding of how the factors, such as temperature and food, coordinate the labor of ants. According to the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE), the metabolic rate could control ecological process at all levels. To analyze self-organized process of ant colony, we constructed an agent-based model to simulate the energy and population dynamics of ant colony. After parameterizing the model, we ran 20 parallel simulations for each experiment and parameter sweeps to find …

The Effects Of Working Memory On Brain-Computer Interface Performance, Samantha A. Sprague

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders can cause individuals to lose control of their muscles until they are unable to move or communicate. The development of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has provided these individuals with an alternative method of communication that does not require muscle movement. Recent research has shown the impact psychological factors have on BCI performance and has highlighted the need for further research. Working memory is one psychological factor that could influence BCI performance. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between working memory and brain-computer interface performance. The results indicate that …

Production Of An Antibiotic-Like Activity By Streptomyces Sp. Couk1 Under Different Growth Conditions, Olaitan G. Akintunde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streptomyces are known to produce a large variety of antibiotics and other bioactive compounds with remarkable industrial importance. Streptomyces sp. COUK1 was found as a contaminant on a plate in which Rhodococcus erythropolis was used as a test strain in a disk diffusion assay and produced a zone of inhibition against the cultured R. erythropolis. The identity of the contaminant was confirmed as Streptomyces through 16S rRNA sequencing. This Streptomyces produces a strong inhibitory compound in different growth media. A culture extract from inorganic salts starch agar was found to be very active; producing a large zone of inhibition …

Those Doggone Police: Insufficient Training, Canine Companion Seizures, And Colorado’S Solution, Kaylan E. Kaatz

San Diego Law Review

This Comment advocates that California adopt Colorado’s Dog Protection Act or a similar measure mandating police training for dog interactions and implementing specific procedures by law enforcement agencies to reduce dog shootings by police. With the increasing occurrence and coverage of police dog shootings, the need for more adequate law enforcement training on animal encounters is ever present. Additional training, as recently mandated by the Colorado legislature, would minimize police dog shootings. It would also help clarify the applicability of 42 U.S.C. section 1983, the federal statute permitting recovery for the loss of a dog due to a police shooting. …

Effective Strategies For Word-Finding Intervention, Matthew J. Swieca

Research Papers

No abstract provided.