Digital Commons Network^™

Cd56-Specific T Cells: Using Genetically Engineered T Cells To Redirect Specificity To A T Cell Expressed Antigen, Denise L. Crossland

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The CD56 antigen is expressed on several deadly malignancies currently lacking long-term efficacious therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based immunotherapies have shown both safety and efficacy and even a curative ability in clinical trials, laying the foundation for applying CARs to new targets. Using T cells to target a T cell expressed antigen, such as CD56, seems counterintuitive in that the T cells would be susceptible to self-targeting a.k.a. fratricide. However, we expand CD56-specific CAR⁺ T cells that co-express the CD56 antigen. Since other CARs targeting T cell expressed antigens are hypothesized to be undergoing fratricide, such as the …

Characterization Of The Vascular Pathology In The Acta2 R258c Mouse Model And Cerebrovascular Characterization Of The Acta2 Null Mouse, Carlos A. Villamizar

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Mutations in ACTA2, the gene encoding for smooth muscle α-actin, predispose patients to a wide range of vascular diseases and is most commonly associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAD) and dissections (TAAD) and strokes. TAAD in patients is characterized by aortic media degeneration and loss in contractile force generation followed by aortic enlargement and subsequent rupture. Most stroke cases associated with ACTA2 are described as moyamoya-like cerebrovascular incidents characterized by distal occlusion of the internal carotid artery, stenosis of arteries in the Circle of Willis, and straightening of cerebral arteries. Patient samples are scarcely available for analysis, and the few …

Role Of The Ang-Tie2 Pathway In The Invasive Recurrence Of Gbm Following Anti-Vegf Therapy, Nahir Cortes Santiago

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Strong pre-clinical and clinical data supporting the effectiveness of bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal anti-VEGF antibody, for the treatment of gliomas led to its accelerated approval for the treatment of patients with recurrent glioma. However, despite strong anti-tumor effects, upon treatment with bevacizumab, patients will invariably recur with a tumor characterized by enhanced invasiveness and resistance to therapy. This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms leading to this enhanced malignancy with the hope of uncovering new potential therapeutic targets for combined treatment. Using tissue sections from U87-derived glioma bearing mice treated with or without aflibercept (another anti-VEGF antibody) we have gathered …

Summaries Of Arkansas Cotton Research 2013, Derrick M. Oosterhuis

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Biomass Scoping Study: Opportunities For Agriculture In Western Australia, Kim Brooksbank, Mitchell Lever, Harriet Paterson, Melissa Weybury

Bulletins 4000 -

This 2014 report aims to provide a summary of national and international activity in the use of agricultural by-products for the production of bioenergy and biofuels. The summary is primarily an internal report for the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), but will hopefully be of some value to industry proponents that are interested in pursuing the opportunities provided by what are currently low value agricultural waste products. We outline three processes for obtaining energy from these by-products that may be appropriate for the farming sector in Western Australia (WA).

Post-Translational Modifications Of The Paired Box Transcription Factor 7 (Pax7) In Satellite Cells During The Repair Of Injured Skeletal Muscle, Justin E. Sperringer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Satellite cells are normally a quiescent skeletal muscle stem cell pool that upon activation rapidly proliferate and differentiate to repair damaged muscle fibers. The paired box transcription factor 7 (Pax7) is the canonical biomarker for quiescent, activated, and proliferating satellite cells and is rapidly down-regulated upon differentiation into myofibers. However, the factors that regulate the modulation of Pax7 are largely unknown. Post-translational modifications to Pax7 provide a viable means to activate or deactivate this transcription factor through the signaling cascade of skeletal muscle repair and regeneration. The sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) protein, a histone deacetylase, has been shown to be involved …

3-D Morphometric Analysis Of The Primate Elbow Joint, Seth Brockman Boren

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Large body size requires limb joints capable of supporting said weight, and a species exhibiting sexual size dimorphism may necessitate joint size differences between the sexes of the species. If habitual behavior differs with body size, one may expect to see significant variation in joint morphology between species and the sexes within species. The following analysis tests two hypotheses: (1) that significant differences in joint size between males and females correlate with the magnitude of sexual dimorphism and (2) that there is significant interspecific variance in joint shape between males and females of the same species. The first hypothesis is …

Microvascular Topology And Intravascular Endothelial Cell Labeling In The Gracilis Anterior Muscle Of Balb/C Mice, Paul Heckler Ii

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) affects approximately 200 million individuals globally. The major underlying cause of PAOD is an inflammatory disease known as atherosclerosis, which results from the build-up of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) in the sub-intimal space. This initiates a complex cascade of events that lead to plaque growth. Plaque growth can then expand into the lumen of the vessel and result in occlusion and/or thrombosis. Symptoms of the disease can include claudication, ulcers, and/or gangrene, although many patients are asymptomatic. Similar to other forms of ischemic disease, risk factors for PAOD include hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. Common treatments include …

Summer Commencement Ceremonies, University Of North Florida

Commencement Printed Materials

Program for the Summer Commencement ceremony.

Simultaneous Analysis Of T Helper Subsets (Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, Th22, Tfh, Tr1 And Tregs) Markers Expression In Periapical Lesions Reveals Multiple Cytokine Clusters Accountable For Lesions Activity And Inactivity Status, Ana Claudia Araujo-Pires, Carolina Favaro Francisconi, Cláudia Cristina Biguetti, Franco Cavalla, Andreza Maria Fabio Aranha, Ariadne Letra, Ana Paula Favaro Trombone, Marcelo Faveri, Renato Menezes Silva, Gustavo P. Garlet

School of Podiatric Medicine Publications

Previous studies demonstrate that the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators determines the stable or progressive nature of periapical granulomas by modulating the balance of the osteoclastogenic factor RANKL and its antagonist OPG. However, the cytokine networks operating in the development of periapical lesions are quite more complex than what the simple pro- versus anti-inflammatory mediators' paradigm suggests. Here we simultaneously investigated the patterns of Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17, Th22, Thf, Tr1 and Tregs cytokines/markers expression in human periapical granulomas.

Methods:

The expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL23, IL21, IL-33, IL-10, IL-4, IL-9, IL-22, FOXp3 markers (via RealTimePCR array) was …

The Environmental And Health Costs Of Alternative Diets: A Comparative Study Of The U. S. Diet Relative To The French, Japanese, Mediterranean, And Nordic Diets, Sarah Rehkamp

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption by using scenario analysis to evaluate the environmental and health costs of the U.S. diet relative to the French, Japanese, Mediterranean, and Nordic diets, identified in the literature as healthier diets. As a first step in estimating environmental costs, the energy efficiencies of each diet are calculated by decomposing each of the diets into their respective components. Then, the dietary efficiencies are translated into CO₂ emissions. As a first step in estimating health costs, a pooled cross-section time-series dataset is used to find the association between BMI and five countries, …

Irrigation Demand In A Changing Climate: Using Disaggregate Data To Predict Future Groundwater Use, Calvin R. Shaneyfelt

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The paper estimates an irrigation water demand function using disaggregate climate and well data over a 33 year time period. Aggregating climate information over long periods, like a year, causes a loss of detail on temporal climatic variation, while aggregating climate information over space causes a loss of detail on spatial variation. This analysis uses disaggregate climate variation at a temporospatial level to determine the effects of climate on groundwater use. Results show that increased heat, measured in cooling degree-days, correlates with increased water use, while increased precipitation correlates with decreased water use. However, the effects are generally magnified for …

Estimating Potential Water Pump Reductions Based On Soil Water Content, Geospatial Data Layers, And Variable Rate Irrigation (Vri) Pivot Control Resolution, Keith A. Miller

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Increasing concern for sustainable water use has the agriculture industry working toward higher efficiency use of irrigation water. The average irrigation water use efficiency throughout the United States is 45%, which is extremely poor. Advancements in crop management have continued to allow producers to know more about the conditions in their field from nutrient management and pest control, to understanding yield spatially.

Recent mechanical advancements have improved the capabilities of center pivot irrigation systems to water various depths throughout the field. This technology is known as variable rate irrigation (VRI). With VRI comes a whole new strategy for irrigation. Advancements …

The Neural Ring: Using Algebraic Geometry To Analyze Neural Codes, Nora Youngs

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Neurons in the brain represent external stimuli via neural codes. These codes often arise from stimulus-response maps, associating to each neuron a convex receptive field. An important problem confronted by the brain is to infer properties of a represented stimulus space without knowledge of the receptive fields, using only the intrinsic structure of the neural code. How does the brain do this? To address this question, it is important to determine what stimulus space features can - in principle - be extracted from neural codes. This motivates us to define the neural ring and a related neural ideal, algebraic objects …

Phenotypic Diversity In Lysobacter Enzymogenes In Relations To Biological Control, Ya Li

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Strains of the bacterium Lysobacter enzymogenes have been isolated from various regions of the world and reported to have potential as biological control agents against plant pathogens. Previous research revealed many ecological traits and mechanisms important to biological control by L. enzymogenes. Much of the previous research, however, was conducted on individual strains with little direct comparison of different strains. In this study, L. enzymogenes strains isolated from different locations and source materials (soil, roots, leaves) were compared for biocontrol-related phenotypic traits in vitro, epiphytic and endophytic colonization of leaves, and biocontrol of Bipolaris leaf spot on tall fescue. …

Effects Of Culture Media And Plant Growth Regulators On Micropropagation Of Willow (Salix Matsudana ‘Golden Spiral’) And Hazelnut (Corylus Colurna ‘Te Terra Red), Dongxue Shi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The branches and leaves of Salix matsudana ‘Golden Spiral’ , willow, grow in a twisted manner, which makes it an important bonsai plant. Its mature stems have potential for the woody cut floral industry. Corylus colurna ‘ Te Terra Red’, hazelnut, distinguished by red or purple leaves in the spring, has potential ornamental value in the horticulture industry for landscape use. Micropropagation of these two plants could provide more and healthier plantlets for rapid commercial scale-up by the nursery industry. Nas and Read Medium (NRM) is a newer medium developed specifically for hazelnut species by Nas and Read based on …

Panicum Mosaic Virus Complex And Biofuels Switchgrass, Catherine Louise Stewart

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

New switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) cultivars are being developed for use as a biofuel pyrolysis feedstock. Viral pathogens have been reported in switchgrass, but their importance in biofuel cultivars is not well known. In 2012 surveys of five switchgrass breeding nurseries in Nebraska, plants with mottling and stunting— symptoms associated with virus infection—had an incidence of symptomatic plants within fields as high as 59%. Leaves from 120 symptomatic plants were analyzed by ELISA for Panicum mosaic virus (PMV) and four other viruses known to infect switchgrass. Most samples (87%) were positive for PMV, and fewer than 8% for the …

Infiltration And Runoff Parameters For Tilled And No-Till Row Crops, Andrew J. Volkmer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Infiltration and runoff are hydrologic processes that effect the amount of water available to plants, for groundwater recharge, and for stream flow. No-till planting (NT) is a management practice used to reduce soil erosion, increase water infiltration, and reduce soil water evaporation, and can have great impact on infiltration and runoff. An investigation was conducted to determine the impact of NT on infiltration and runoff when compared to tilled conditions.

Runoff and precipitation data was gathered from sites at Fillmore County, NE, Phelps County, NE, the USDA-ARS North Appalachian Experimental Watersheds (NAEW) near Coshocton, OH, and the Lennoxville Research Station …

Mechanistic And Substrate Specificity Studies On Burkholderia Mallei Quorum Sensing Signal Synthesis Enzyme, Aubrey N. Montebello

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Gram-negative bacteria use acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) based quorum sensing (QS) to regulate the expression of genes that give the bacteria a selective advantage over host defenses and antibiotic treatment. Burkholderia mallei is an antibiotic resistant pathogen that causes Glanders disease. B. mallei BmaI1 AHL-synthase uses octanoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein (C8ACP) and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to synthesize the AHL, octanoyl-homoserine lactone (C8HSL). Inhibiting AHL-synthases has been difficult because mechanistic and substrate specificity details for these enzymes are not well understood. Our goal was to determine how BmaI1 activity and enzymatic mechanism changes with nonspecific, variable acyl chain acyl-ACP substrates. We found that catalytic …

Differences In Narcissistic Presentation In Abused And Non-Abused Children And Adolescents, Mallory Laine Malkin

Dissertations

The present study examined whether children and adolescents who have been victims of sexual or physical abuse report higher levels of narcissistic tendencies than children and adolescents who have not been victims of abuse. Inaddition to narcissism, internalizing symptoms, externalizing behaviors, and risky behaviors were evaluated, as such issues have been associated with both maltreatment (Baer & Maschi, 2003) and narcissism (Barry & Malkin, 2010; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998). One-hundred fifty- six (156) children and adolescents (100 females, 56 males) ranging in age from 8 to 17 (M = 12.90, SD = 2.66) were recruited as participants. The vast majority …

Career Decision Status, Career-Related Thinking, And Emotional Distress: A Structural Equation Model, Lindsey Marie Andrews

Dissertations

The choosing of a college major or occupation is an important decision with which many individuals struggle. Prior research has suggested that difficulty choosing a major or occupation affects a majority of students entering college and stems from multiple sources including lack of information, insufficient learning experiences, and ineffective decision-making processes. Cognitive-behavioral theory has shown utility in working with a diverse set of difficulties and with diverse populations through the examination of the influence of thoughts and emotions on resulting behavior. Research in the career literature has begun to emphasize connections between one’s thoughts and emotions in regards to career …

Modeling That Leads To The Prediction Of Photocatalytic Coatings Characterization, Biju Bajracharya

Dissertations

One of the abundant sources of energy on earth is a solar energy which is the clean and safest energy source. It is also known as universal energy, the most important source of renewable energy available today. On realizing that the light source has a crucial role in daily life, several scientists and researchers from centuries ago have studied to establish photo induced systems and utilized them. Long after the knowledge of thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, and photosynthesis in plants, two prominent scientists, Fujishima and Honda, have discovered the electrochemical photolysis of water with the Titanium dioxide electrode which was …

The Impact Of Sleep Restriction (Nap Deprivation) On Preschool Children's (Aged 3-5) Emotional Response, Hui-Ya Gail Han

Dissertations

This study examined the effect of nap restriction on 3- to 5-year-old habitually napping children’s emotional responding. It was predicted that the intensity of emotional stimuli would moderate the relationship between nap restriction and the magnitude of emotional responding. Specifically, following nap restriction, the emotional responses to stronger stimuli would be amplified, while the emotional responses to weaker stimuli would be reduced. Emotional stimuli, were classified into four categories: strong negative, weak negative, weak positive, and strong positive. Facial electromyography was measured to reflect preschoolers’ emotional responses. The results indicated emotional responses to both strong negative and positive stimuli were …

Development And Applications Of The Expanded Equivalent Fluid Method, Bharath Kumar Kandula

Dissertations

Ocean acoustics is the study of sound in the oceans. Electromagnetic waves attenuate rapidly in the water medium. Sound is the best means to transmit information underwater. Computational numerical simulations play an important role in ocean acoustics. Simulations of acoustic propagation in the oceans are challenging due to the complexities involved in the ocean environment. Different methods have been developed to simulate underwater sound propagation. The Parabolic-Equation (PE) method is the best choice in several ocean acoustic problems. In shallow water acoustic experiments, sound loses some of its energy when it interacts with the bottom. An equivalent fluid technique was …

Effects Of Animal Management Changes On The Activity Budgets And Walking Rates Of Zoo Elephants, Angela Dawn Mackey

Dissertations

The current study aimed to assess the effects of two management strategies, weekly rototilling of the enclosure and the provision of unpredictable foraging opportunities, on the daily behavior of six elephants housed at the San Diego Zoo. Observations took place from January to June 2013 and were conducted throughout a 24- hour period. The study was divided into three phases, each two months in duration. During the first phase (baseline) no changes were made to the current management routine of the elephants. In Phase 2, rototilling of the elephant enclosures was increased from once monthly to once per week, while …

Dispositional Optimism: Modeling Cardiovascular Disease Mortality With Traditional Risk Factors And A Psychosocial Personality Trait, Kiana Ramisi Luckett Robinson

Dissertations

Despite increased awareness of clinical risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), heart disease remains a physical and economic burden to African Americans. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between dispositional optimism, a psychosocial personality trait, and CVD mortality, based on immediate cause of death. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the predictive value of dispositional optimism in CVD mortality concomitant with traditional CVD risk factors. The traditional CVD risk factors of interest consisted of body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, total cholesterol, and C-reactive protein. Also, aggregated mortality data for optimists …

The Relation Between Behavior Problems Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Adjustments In Their Typically-Developing Siblings: Role Of Parental Stress And Perceptions Of Social Support, Theodore Stephen Tomeny

Dissertations

Available literature examining outcomes of typically-developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains inconclusive and unclear. Studies have shown that some typically-developing children may experience maladjustment related to having a sibling with ASD, whereas others may show no differences or may actually experience developmental benefits. Increasing evidence suggests that genetic and environmental moderators and mediators likely influence the nature of the adjustment in typically-developing siblings. Therefore, the current study examined a double moderated mediation model involving problem areas in children with ASD and typically-developing siblings, parental stress, and perceptions of social support. Via an internet survey site, data …

Synthesis Of 4'-Ester Resveratrol Analogues, Chromium Trioxide Oxidation Of Terpenes, And Synthesis Of Mimics Of (-)-Englerin A, Mark Jeffrey Acerson

Theses and Dissertations

4’ -ester analogues of resveratrol were synthesized using reaction conditions developed to produce mono-ester products in the presence of two other unprotected phenols. Basic conditions were employed to deprotonate the most acidic 4’ phenol followed by addition of anhydrides or acid chlorides to give the ester product. The reaction favored 4’-ester formation in polar aprotic solvents with DMSO being the optimal solvent.

(—)-Englerin A is a guaiane-type sesquiterpene containing two ester side chains. Mimics of (—)-englerin A were proposed that retained the ester side chains while replacing the non-polar core with less complicated structures. These proposed mimic cores would maintain …

Annual Report Fy13/14, Tennessee. Department Of Safety & Homeland Security.

Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Meanings And Robustness: Propositions For Enhancing Benefit Sharing In Social-Ecological Systems, Ernita Van Wyk, Charles Breen, Wayne A. Freimund

Society and Conservation Faculty Publications

Given increased pressure on natural resources to deliver benefits, complex trade-offs and the regulation of behaviours in relation to benefits is of key concern. Behaviours that signify resistance to the rules according to which benefits are allocated prompt us to consider causal links and feedbacks between benefits, perceptions of benefits, meanings attached to the benefits, and the regulatory instruments that mediate the distribution of benefits. An understanding of how meanings influence the perception of benefits exposes the complexity inherent in how people perceive and allocate value to natural resource benefits. Meanings are personal, sometimes overlapping, context dependent and variable across …