Digital Commons Network^™

The Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitor Acarbose As A Calorie Restriction Mimetic To Modify Metabolic Outcomes In Mice, Rachel Ann Brewer

All ETDs from UAB

Age-related diseases continue to be a leading cause of death. One of the only replicable methods proven to decrease age-related morbidity and mortality in multiple species is calorie restriction (CR). CR is difficult for human populations to implement, and has a number of associated risks and side effects. A CR mimetic could provide the healthspan- and lifespan-extending benefits of CR without the limitations. Acarbose (ACA), an α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor approved to treat type 2 diabetes in humans, was recently identified as able to extend lifespan in healthy mice. The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of …

Assessment Of Streams And Aquatic Organisms In The Vicinity Of Birmingham, Alabama For The Presence And Biological Activity Of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals, Bryan Stuart Arwood

All ETDs from UAB

Freshwater ecosystems play a central role in the environment. Through various processes such as nutrient recycling, groundwater recharging, and the attenuation of many pollutants these biological systems help to maintain environmental health. Unfortunately, many recent studies have identified emerging threats to these special environments and the life they sustain. One source of mounting concern is a group of compounds that interact with the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife. Known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), these natural and synthetic chemicals may mimic or interfere with the action of natural hormones—thus disrupting the endocrine system. Multiple studies have reported negative effects …

The I507-Atc→Att Silent Codon Change Contributes To The Misfolding Of ∆F508 Cftr, Vedrana Bali

All ETDs from UAB

Synonymous codon changes (SCCs) do not alter the amino acid sequence of proteins, but may significantly change the phenotype. The frequency of synonymous codons is species- and gene-specific, described as codon usage bias (CUB). Over the past 50 years, research has shown that SCCs affect protein biogenesis, development of human disorders and the function of recombinant proteins developed for therapeutic applications. However, the molecular mechanisms by which SCCs alter the function of gene products are not completely understood. In Chapter 2 we summarize present knowledge in this field. The most common cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) is the deletion of …

Modulation Of The Unfolded Protein Response To Delay Apoptosis In An Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa Animal Model, Yogesh Bhootada

All ETDs from UAB

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of retinal degenerative diseases characterized by the loss of rod photoreceptor cells that can be followed by cone degeneration eventually culminating in total photoreceptor cell loss. This disease affects approximately 1.5 million people worldwide and can be transmitted in an autosomal dominant (ADRP) manner accounting for nearly 30% of all RP cases. Dominant rhodopsin mutations have been divided into class I and class II based on the folding of rhodopsin protein, thermal stability, and chromophore regeneration. A threonine-17-methionine (T17M) mutation in rhodopsin is a class II mutation, characterized by a thermal instability/folding defect and …

The Effect Of Bone-Implant Contact And Elastic Modulus In The Biomechanical Stability Of Temporary Anchorage Devices, Ghada Nimeri

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to analyze the microstrains of compact and trabecular bone caused by loading of different miniscrews at different healing times, and to compare these results to the limits of bone stability maintenance based on the Frost Mechanostat Theory. Materials and Methods: Theoretical calculations of microstrains of bone surrounding 10 different miniscrews were done. These miniscrews were considered under loading forces of 500 gm., and the microstains of both trabecular and compact bone were calculated separately when the thickness of the compact bone was at 1mm or 2mm. The microstrains were calculated at 4 different …

Presence And Mobilization Of Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenicity Islands (Sapis) Among Bovine Mastitis Isolates, Laura Kate Parker

All ETDs from UAB

Bovine mastitis is inflammation of the mammary gland that occurs in cattle, as a result of invading bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus, a causative agent of bovine mastitis, produces toxins such as the toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) and the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs). The genes for these toxins are coded on S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), which are mobile genetic elements associated with virulence factors. SaPIs can be mobilized by bacteriophages, resulting in the production of transducing particles that can spread virulence factors throughout a bacterial population. This research assessed the role and prevalence of SaPIs among bovine mastitis samples. In this …

Gsk3 Regulation Of Suprachiasmatic Neuronal Excitability And Light Entrainment, Jodi Paul

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are approximately 24-hour cycles in behavioral and physiological processes, such as sleep/wake cycles and cognition. In mammals, these rhythms are endogenously generated and entrained to the external light cycle by the primary circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). A hallmark characteristic of SCN neurons is the daily rhythm in the spontaneous action potential frequency, with high activity during the day and low activity at night. These SCN firing rate patterns are critical for maintaining robust, consolidated behavioral rhythms, and persistent changes in SCN neuronal activity are involved light-induced behavioral shifts. Many of the ionic components underlying daily and …

The Mspa Nanopore As A Sensor For Dna Sequencing, Mikhail Pavlenok

All ETDs from UAB

Nanopore sequencing is a novel and promising DNA sequencing method. This single molecule technique is capable of long reads, retains epigenetic information, and is inexpensive and fast. In this method ionic current is measured while single-stranded DNA is electrophoretically translocated through a nanometer-scale pore. Each passing nucleotide blocks current with characteristic amplitude and duration which are used to identify DNA sequence. MspA is the primary porin of M. smegmatis and mediates the diffusion of small, hydrophilic nutrients across the outer membrane. MspA is an octameric, channel-forming protein and represents the founding member of a new class of mycobacterial outer membrane …

Exploiting Novel Interactions With Parp1 In Dna Repair Proficient Human Breast Cancers, Jennifer Anne Stanley

All ETDs from UAB

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer amongst women worldwide. Despite advances in treatment, patients with more aggressive basal-like and HER2-positive cancer experience high rates of recurrence and necessitate novel therapeutic approaches. A class of inhibitors targeted against poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP), important DNA repair proteins, are effective in cancers with a defective DNA repair response. As such, extensive preclinical and clinical research has examined their efficacy in these cancers. Although this data is promising, it is only applicable to a lim-ited patient population. The main goal of this dissertation is to expand the utility of these well-tolerated drugs …

C-Reactive Protein, Autoimmunity, And Inflammation In The Central Nervous System, Tyler T. Wright

All ETDs from UAB

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase reactant whose blood concentration rises in response all types of inflammation. And while CRP is widely used as a clinical marker of inflammation, it has several biological functions, e.g. activation of the classical complement cascade and binding Fcγ receptors in order to mediate multiple immune processes. The full extent of CRP’s physiological activities has not yet been fully elucidated, but there is significant evidence to establish that CRP plays an important role in the onset and progression of autoimmune disease. Seminal work from our lab showed that human CRP, hepatically expressed in transgenic …

Intestinal Microbiota And Its Role In Mucosal And Systemic Immune Responses, Qing Zhao

All ETDs from UAB

Host-microbiota mutualism is established with long-term co-evolution. The abundant and diverse microbes colonizing on the surface of the host’s body, especially those in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, play an essential role in the development and maturation of the host’s immune system. Failure of intestinal microbial control may lead to the development of an array of autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As a well-recognized inflammation mediator, Th17 cells are actually among the most abundant effector CD4+ T cells in the normal adult gut. What the role of intestinal Th17 cells is under steady state conditions and how the intestinal …

Causes And Consequences Of Ecosystem Service Regionalization In A Coastal Suburban Watershed, Wilfred M. Wollheim, M. B. Green, B. A. Pellerin, Nathaniel B. Morse, Charles S. Hopkinson

Faculty Publications

The demand for ecosystem services and the ability of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management practices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, is a common response in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for watershed water and nitrogen (N) fluxes to the coastal zone. We link biophysical and historical information to explore the causes and consequences of change in ecosystem service activity—focusing on water provisioning and N regulation—from 1850 to 2010 in a coastal suburban watershed, the Ipswich …

Epr Methods For Biological Cu(Ii): L-Band Cw And Nars, Brian Bennett, Jason M. Kowalski

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

Abstract: Copper has many roles in biology that involve the change of coordination sphere and/or oxidation state of the copper ion. Consequently, the study of copper in heterogeneous environments is an important area in biophysics. EPR is a primary technique for the investigation of paramagnetic copper, which is usually the isolated Cu(II) ion, but sometimes as Cu(II) in different oxidation states of multitransition ion clusters. The gross geometry of the coordination environment of Cu(II) can often be determined from a simple inspection of the EPR spectrum, recorded in the traditional X-band frequency range (9–10 GHz). Identification and quantitation of the …

The Effect Of Teaching Vocabulary In Semantic Groups: A Study In The Russian Language Classroom, Kate White

Russian Language Journal

A long-standing assumption in the field of second language acquisition research is that learning new vocabulary items in semantic groupings has a positive effect on acquisition and retention (Finkbeiner and Nicol 2003). This assumption is common among researchers and instructors of second languages, as it seems to fit intuitively with the most popular current communicative approaches to teaching. However, researchers have begun to question this assumption, as it has not been supported by empirical evidence (Altarriba and Mathis 1997; Finkbeiner and Nicol 2003; Papathanasiou 2009). Previous research is not conclusive on the topic due to differences in methodology and design. …

Review: Checking Out Chekhov: A Guide To The Plays For Actors, Directors, And Readers, Valleri J. Robinson

Russian Language Journal

Sharon Carnicke’s Checking out Chekhov: A Guide to the Plays for Actors, Directors, and Readers provides a succinct foundation for understanding how to read Chekhov’s mature plays for theatre practitioners and students who so often encounter his work. As one of the most often produced and adapted playwrights in professional and academic theatres, Chekhov must be produced by theatre professionals that have a handle on how to think, talk, and, ultimately, produce Chekhov. While many books aimed at this audience offer interpretive readings, analytical strategies, and historical contexts for engaging with Chekhov’s unique dramatic worlds, none approach Chekhov using Carnicke’s …

Full Issue

Russian Language Journal

No abstract provided.

The History Of Patenting Genetic Material, Jacob S. Sherkow, Henry T. Greely

Articles & Chapters

The US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. declared, for the first time, that isolated human genes cannot be patented. Many have wondered how genes were ever the subjects of patents. The answer lies in a nuanced understanding of both legal and scientific history. Since the early twentieth century, “products of nature” were not eligible to be patented unless they were “isolated and purified” from their surrounding environment. As molecular biology advanced, and the capability to isolate genes both physically and by sequence came to fruition, researchers (and patent offices) began to apply …

Spectrum 2015, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Undergraduate Spectrum

No abstract provided.

Biosimilar Naming: A Call For Uniformity In A Complex Field, Jacqueline Genovese

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

Recombinant technology has opened a pathway for a means of producing a variety of therapeutic proteins and generating the growth of the biopharmaceutical industry. Further, due the patent expirations of a number of biologics in the coming years, there has been an increased interest in the development of generic biologics, also known as biosimilars, and a widespread push for biosimilar FDA approval in the United States. While the pressure for the expansion of biosimilar approval is warranted, the FDA must be cautious when implementing regulatory guidelines. Since biologics differ greatly from small-molecule drugs, biologics have a distinct approval process. The …

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite: The United Nations Declaration Of The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples Fails To Protect Hopi Katsinam From The Auction Block In France, Samantha K. Nikic

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) compels member states to take action in order to protect the rights of the world’s 370 million indigenous peoples, including the right to their cultural property. Notwithstanding the UNDRIP’s robust set of protections, its status as a nonbinding piece of international law remains its ultimate and most fatal flaw. France was an enthusiastic supporter of the UNDRIP at ratification, but has effectively abandoned their position. French auction houses and courts have allowed for sales of Native American sacred property to proceed despite the objections of the Hopi Tribe. In …

A Tribute To Vine Deloria, Jr.: An Indigenous Visionary, David E. Wilkins

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

A Standing Rock Lakota citizen, Deloria was arguably the most intellectually gifted and articulate spokesman for Indigenous nationhood in the twentieth century. He was never quite comfortable with the notion that he was, in fact, the principal champion of tribal nations and their citizens, since he expected that each Native nation and every tribal citizen express confidence in their own distinctive identities, develop their own unique talents, and wield their collective and individual sovereignty in a way that enriched not only their own nations but all those around them as well.

For Deloria, freedom and justice could only be achieved …

Playing (With) The Villain: Critical Play And The Joker-As-Guide In Batman: Arkham Asylum (Vg 2009), Kristin M.S. Bezio

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Rocksteady's 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum begins with a prototypical ending: when the game begins, the player is shown a cinematic cutscene (in which the player is a passive viewer) that begins in Gotham City while the static-y voice of the police dispatcher says, "The Joker has been apprehended; Batman is now en route to Arkham Island."¹ The scene cuts to a sign pointing the way to Arkham Asylum as the Batmobile speeds past. We see Batman-driving-for only a few seconds before the "camera" shifts to focus on the Joker, bound and semiconscious in the back seat. Batman …

On "Strongly Fortified Minds": Self-Restraint And Cooperation In The Discussion Tradition, Sandra J. Peart, David M. Levy

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Accordingly, this essay explores some unappreciated benefits of discussion.² While educators frequently favor discussion as a means to encouraging engaged learning, they nonetheless rarely attempt to explain how or why these benefits arise. More than this, the role of economists from Adam Smith through Frank Knight and his student, James Buchanan, in explaining the benefits associated with discussion has been neglected both within economics and throughout the academy. In this tradition one accepts the inevitability of an individual "point of view" and the good society is one that can govern itself by means of an emergent consensus among points …

How Do Leaders Lead? Through Social Influence, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

This chapter considers leadership to be a social influence process that derives from multifarious sources, manifests itself in a variety of forms, and generates outcomes both extraordinary and commonplace. However, it cuts through some of influence’s complexities by distinguishing between two oft-contrasted forms of influence: the direct and the indirect (Falbo, 1977; Kipnis, 1984). Military leaders, as legitimate authorities in the services, can and do issue orders to subordinates who are duty-bound to follow those orders. Politicians speak directly to their constituents, explaining their policies and asking for support. Team leaders identify the subtasks that must be completed by the …

Viewpoint: For The Love Of Complexity: Educating Beyond Enthusiasms, Thomas A. Forsthefel

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

I’D like to begin this essay by sharing a brief personal narrative which I trust is illustrative. I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, but like many students in college ignored or rejected much of it in favor of other worlds of meaning and value. However, late in my undergraduate career, at Georgetown, I found myself in net of emotional and spiritual distress and felt existentially unmoored. That distress was the antecedent and catalyst for a profound re-encounter with the heart of Christian faith, a conversion or, perhaps better, re-conversion, as my faith certainly was meaningful to me as …

Attorney-Client Privilege In Corporate Administration: A New Approach, Dylan L. Ruffi

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Reframing Complexity: Hedge Fund Policy Paradigm For The Way Forward, Cecilia C. Lee

Brooklyn Journal of Corporate, Financial & Commercial Law

No abstract provided.

Translinguality, Transmodality, And Difference : Exploring Dispositions And Change In Language And Learning., Bruce Horner, Cynthia Selfe, Tim Lockridge

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This collaborative piece explores the potential synergy arising from the confluence of two growing areas of research, teaching, and practice in composition (broadly defined): multi- (or trans-)modality, and trans- (or multi-) linguality.

Researching The Historical Representations Of Ancient Egypt In Trade Books, Lieren Schuette

Masters Theses

State and national education initiatives require that historical information be introduced in the classroom through the utilization of multiple diverse texts. The role of non-fiction in the English/language arts classroom, as well as informational texts in the history/social studies classroom, increased considerably. The use of trade books allows teachers to connect the two curricula, while also meeting the standards. Primary sources can assist in filling the informational gap left by trade books and textbooks, which allow students to gain a more balanced view of historical events. Teachers, however, are not given direction as to which specific curricular materials are most …

Autism Spectrum Disorder And Using Yoga As An Intervention: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Jessica Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The present study is a critical analysis of literature regarding the utilization of yoga with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This dissertation will provide an overview and critically analyze the existing relevant literature on the utilization of yoga as an intervention for treating mental health conditions. Special attention will also be paid to the implementation of yoga in schools and classroom settings. Based on the existing literature, strengths as well as limitations will be discussed, and suggestions will be made for future research in this area. This dissertation will conclude with recommendations based on the existing literature, as well …