Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of Suspected Cyclic Di-Gmp Metabolizing Genes In Streptomyces Scabies, Bridget N. Bickers

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Streptomyces scabies is a bacterial plant pathogen responsible for a condition known as common scab in potatoes and other tuber crops. Aerial hyphae and spore development have been shown to be regulated by cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling in the non-pathogenic species Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces venezuelae. The second messenger c-di-GMP is ubiquitous among bacteria and is connected to many functions such as: motility, virulence, and biofilm formation, but the effects of c-di-GMP signaling in other streptomycetes are unknown. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the function of the suspected S. scabies c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase genes SCAB11501 and SCAB27241 …

Enhancing Safety Management System In An Offshore Aviation Company, Nazmus Saqib

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The main aim of the research is to enhance the safety management system through the introduction and tracking of safety performance indicator “non-compliance per flight hour”. All the non-compliances related to the main operational departments were gathered from the data base of the case study company for the year 2014. It was found that the non-compliances per flight hour were highest from the Aircraft Maintenance Department with the exact number being 3.30 non-compliances per flight hour. The scope of this research was therefore focused on the Aircraft Maintenance Department. Aircraft maintenance is a large department so the next step in …

Geometric Morphometric Analysis Of Pan Frontal Bone Morphology, Allen J. Myhra

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This study employs geometric morphometric methods to investigate the morphology and shape change of the frontal bone for Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus. Unlike previous work on the topic, this research analyzed morphology and ontogenetic shape change in a single bone of the cranium, namely the frontal bone. Frontal bone shape was compared between juvenile Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus and the ontogeny of the bone was assessed in Pan paniscus infants and juveniles. Analyses were performed on frontal bone morphology with and without the browridge in order to assess the morphology of the frontal apart from influences …

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Oral Microbiota In Xerostomic Versus Non-Xerostomic Volunteers And In Daily Samples Following Standard Oral Hygiene Practices, Chelsea Myers

Wayne State University Theses

A thesis presented on the characterization of oral microbiota in xerostomic versus non-xerostomic volunteers and in daily samples following standard oral hygiene practices. Xerostomia is a difficult and burdensome disease that can be very difficult to diagnose. Understanding the oral microbiota between these diseased and healthy (non-xerostomic) can give us great insight on new treatments and/or prevention. Goals of the study included determining whether there substantial differences in oral microbial populations between the two groups, and whether varying nightly oral hygiene practices had an impact on next-morning oral microbiota titers or composition. Microbial loads were determined by qPCR using broad-spectrum …

Brain Candy: Wayne State University School Of Medicine Journal Of Arts And Culture, 4th Edition, Wayne State University School Of Medicine Writing Workshop, Wayne State University School Of Medicine Gold Humanism Honor Society

Gold Humanism Honor Society

Brain Candy collects poetry, nonfiction essays, short fiction, photographs, and drawings to shed light on the creative process in medicine, the city of Detroit, and the experiences of health care providers. Features submissions from medical students, physicians, and School of Medicine staff.

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Bound By Law: A Roadmap For The Practical Legalization Of Bdsm, Daniel Haley

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that the criminalization of BDSM practices, due to the lack of legal recognition of consent as a defense in BDSM-related injuries, is unconstitutional and harmful. It advocates for legal reform, specifically the creation of a BDSM exception in the Model Penal Code, to protect practitioners' rights and reduce stigma.

Accident Of Birth Or Matter Of Choice: Legal Recognition Of Transsexual People In The Common Law, Kevin K.S. Tso

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The purpose of the Article is to look at the recognition-or lack thereof-of transsexual people at common law in relation to the "proper" sex and gender with which they associate themselves. This Article will begin by addressing and defining transsexualism and how the medical community's position on this topic has evolved over the years. It will then look at the historical foundations of transsexualism in the common law, especially at the Corbett decision that held sway in England and Wales for over thirty-five years and was followed internationally. The Article will then provide an overview of the current positions in …

Marijuana Localism, Robert A. Mikos

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Diet Of Larval Ambystoma Altamiranoi From Llano De Los Axolotes, Mexico, J. A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith, G. A. Woolrich-Pina

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Amphibians And Reptiles Of The State Of Hidalgo, Mexico, J. A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Abdominal Compliance: A Bench-To-Bedside Review, Annika R. Blaser, Martin Bjorck, Bart De Keulenaer, Adrian Regli

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Abdominal compliance is an important determinant and predictor of available workspace during laparoscopic surgery. Furthermore, critically ill patients with a reduced abdominal compliance are at an increased risk of developing intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome both of which are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite of this, abdominal compliance is a concept, which has been neglected in the past.

Abdominal compliance is defined as a measure of the ease of abdominal expansion, expressed as a change in intra-abdominal volume per change in intra-abdominal pressure:

abdominal compliance = delta intra-abdominal volume / delta intra-abdominal pressure.

AC is a dynamic …

The Thalamus As A Putative Biomarker In Neurodegenerative Disorders, Brian D. Power, Jeffrey C.L Looi

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: This review provides a brief account of the clinically relevant functional neuroanatomy of the thalamus, before considering the utility of various modalities utilised to image the thalamus and technical challenges therein, and going on to provide an overview of studies utilising structural imaging techniques to map thalamic morphology in the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted for peer-reviewed studies involving structural neuroimaging modalities investigating the morphology (shape and/ or size) of the thalamus in the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders.

Results: Whilst the precise role of the thalamus in the healthy brain remains unclear, there is …

Why Hitnet Kiosks Didn't Hit The Mark For Sexual Health Education Of Western Australian Aboriginal Youth, D Vujcich, N Hadland, B A. Sullivan, S Clews, K Kerry, D Mak

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: To assess the use, appropriateness of, and staff feedback on specific sexual health modules, which were installed on Heuristic Interactive Technology (HITnet) kiosks at Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS). The HITnet kiosks were aimed at Aboriginal youth visiting these sites.

Methods: Modules on the HITnet kiosks were assessed for (1) cultural appropriateness using Yunkaporta’s Aboriginal pedagogy framework and (2) compliance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) advice on key elements for comprehensive sexual health education for young people. Data measuring kiosk use were obtained through HITnet kiosk activity reports. An online survey of ACCHS staff was …

Neuropsychological And Functional Outcomes In Recent-Onset Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder And Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, R Lee, D Hermens, S Naismith, J Lagopoulos, A Jones, J Scott, K Chitty, D White, R Robillard, E Scott, I Hickie

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Functional disability is the lead contributor to burden of mental illness. Cognitive deficits frequently limit functional recovery, although whether changes in cognition and disability are longitudinally associated in recent-onset individuals remains unclear. Using a prospective, cohort design, 311 patients were recruited and assessed at baseline. One hundred and sixty-seven patients met eligibility criteria (M = 21.5 years old, s.d. = 4.8) and returned for follow-up (M = 20.6 months later, s.d. = 7.8). Two-hundred and thirty participants were included in the final analysis, comprising clinically stable patients with major depression (n = 71), bipolar disorder (BD; n = 61), schizophrenia-spectrum …

Diagnosis And Management Of Respiratory Adverse Events In The Operating Room, Adrian Regli, Britta S. Von Ungern-Sternberg

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Perioperative respiratory adverse events cause more than three-quarters of all perioperative critical incidents in pediatric anesthesia and approximately half of anesthesia-related cardiac arrests. We can define seven main clinical types of perioperative respiratory adverse events: upper airway obstruction, laryngospasm, bronchospasm, severe persistent cough, apnea, stridor, and oxygen desaturation. Depending on the definitions used for preoperative respiratory adverse events and the cohort of children examined, the incidence varies between 8 and 21 %. This review discusses the recognition and treatment of perioperative respiratory adverse events. Furthermore, it provides guidance on how to identify children who are at increased risk for developing …

Status Reports Of The Fisheries And Aquatic Resources Of Western Australia 2014/15. State Of The Fisheries, W.J Fletcher, K. Santoro

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia (SRFAR) provide the public with an annual update on the state of the fish stocks and other aquatic resources of Western Australia (WA) managed by the Department of Fisheries (Department). These reports outline the most recent assessments of the cumulative risk status for each of the aquatic resources (assets) within WA’s six Bioregions using an Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.

The Impact Of Maternal Gestational Stress On Motor Development In Late Childhood And Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study, Tegan Grace, Max Bulsara, Monique Robinson, Beth Hands

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

The number and timing of stressors experienced during pregnancy were investigated using longitudinal data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study cohort (N = 2,900). Motor development data were collected at 10 (n = 1,622), 14 (n = 1,584), and 17 (n = 1,222) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effect of stress on motor development, accounting for repeated measures. Number of stressful events and mean Neuromuscular Development Index were negatively related (β = −1.197, p = .001). Stressful events experienced in late pregnancy were negatively related with offspring motor …

Empowerment Of Young People Who Have A Parent Living With Dementia: A Social Model Perspective, Karen Hutchinson, Chris Roberts, Michele Daly, Caroline Bulsara, Susan Kurrle

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Objectives: Socially constructed disablement has marginalised young people in families where a parent has younger onset dementia (YOD). This has contributed to inadequate societal support for their complex situation. Impacts on such young people include significant involvement with mental health services for themselves. In this paper we explored the young people’s lived experiences in these families and the influencing factors to enable these young people to be included and supported within their community.

Methods: In this qualitative research study the social model of disability was used as the theoretical framework in conducting a thematic analysis of interviews with 12 participants. …

Comparative Analysis Of Development And Survival Of Two Natal Fruit Fly Ceratitis Rosa Karsch (Diptera, Tephritidae) Populations From Kenya And South Africa, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Aruna Manrakhan, John Henry Daneel, Samira A. Mohamed, Khamis Fathiya, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Comparative analysis of development and survivorship of two geographically divergent populations of the Natal fruit fly Ceratitis rosa Karsch designated as C. rosa R1 and C. rosa R2 from Kenya and South Africa were studied at seven constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 33, 35 °C). Temperature range for development and survival of both populations was 15-35 °C. The developmental duration was found to significantly decrease with increasing temperature for C. rosa R1 and C. rosa R2 from both countries. Survivorship of all the immature stages of C. rosa R1 and C. rosa R2 from Kenya was highest over …

An Integrative Approach To Unravel The Ceratitis Far (Diptera, Tephritidae) Cryptic Species Complex: A Review, Marc De Meyer, Hélène Delatte, Sunday Ekesi, Kurt Jordaens, Blanka Kalinová, Aruna Manrakhan, Maulid Mwatawala, Gary Steck, Joannes Van Cann, Lucie Vaníčková, Radka Břízová, Massimiliano Virgilio

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

This paper reviews all information gathered from different disciplines and studies to resolve the species status within the Ceratitis FAR (C. fasciventris, C. anonae, C. rosa) complex, a group of polyphagous fruit fly pest species (Diptera, Tephritidae) from Africa. It includes information on larval and adult morphology, wing morphometrics, cuticular hydrocarbons, pheromones, microsatellites, developmental physiology and geographic distribution. The general consensus is that the FAR complex comprises C. anonae, two species within C. rosa (so-called R1 and R2) and two putatitve species under C. fasciventris. The information regarding the latter is, however, too limited to draw final conclusions on specific …

Behavior In Group Contests: A Review Of Experimental Research, Roman Sheremeta

ESI Working Papers

Group contests are ubiquitous. Some examples include warfare between countries, competition between political parties, team-incentives within firms, group sports, and rent-seeking. In order to succeed, members of the same group have incentives to cooperate with each other by expending individual efforts. However, since effort is costly, each member also has an incentive to abstain from expending any effort and instead free-ride on the efforts of other members. Contest theory shows that the intensity of competition between groups and the amount of free-riding within groups depend on the group size, sharing rule, group impact function, contest success function, and heterogeneity of …

Good Things Come To Those Who (Peacefully) Wait: Toward A Theory Of Patience, Caroline R. Lavelock

Theses and Dissertations

Patience is among the most common colloquially known virtues, and yet its empirical attention is among the smallest of all virtues. In this dissertation, I focused on the conscientiousness-based virtue of patience in terms of theory and intervention. In my first study, I examined the effects of a preliminary intervention workbook designed to promote patience. In my second study, I examined a number of correlates informed by patience literature as potential antecedents, mechanisms, and outcomes of patience and, using structural equation modeling, present a theory of patience. Finally, in my third study, I beta tested the patience intervention workbook along …

Targeting Autophagy In Multiple Myeloma, Yun Dai

Theses and Dissertations

Apoptosis (Type I) and autophagy (Type II) represent two major forms of programmed cell death. Numerous anticancer agents employed in standard chemotherapy or novel targeted therapy induce both apoptosis and autophagy. Of note, a cytoprotective autophagic response often counteracts apoptosis triggered by such agents, potentially contributing to drug-resistance. Mechanistically, autophagy and apoptosis share molecular regulatory mechanisms primarily governed by the Bcl-2 family proteins. However, since autophagy acts as the double-edge sword in cancer, whether autophagy should be inhibited or activated in cancer treatment remains the subject of debate. Here we report a) a novel autophagy-targeted strategy that targeting the adaptor …

Immunotherapy Of Cancer: Reprogramming Tumor/Immune Cellular Crosstalk To Improve Anti-Tumor Efficacy, Kyle K. Payne

Theses and Dissertations

Immunotherapy of cancer has been shown to be promising in prolonging patient survival. However, complete elimination of cancer and life-long relapse-free survival remain to be major challenge for anti-cancer therapeutics. We have previously reported that ex vivo reprogramming of tumor-sensitized immune cells by bryostatin 1/ionomycin (B/I) and the gamma-chain (γ-c) cytokines IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15 resulted in the generation of memory T cells as well as CD25+ NKT cells and CD25+ NK cells. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) utilizing these reprogrammed immune cells protected FVBN202 mice from tumor challenge, and overcame the suppressive functions of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). We then …

Mast Cells In Kainate Receptor Knockout Mice, Andrea J. Elkovich

Theses and Dissertations

Kainate receptor knockout mice have unique differences within their immune system. They exhibit an attenuated T_H2 branch, while maintaining a robust T_H1 response. Specifically, blocking the formation of functional kainate receptors affects mast cells and their related pathologies. While they seem to develop and activate normally in vivo and in vitro, KAR KO mast cells release more inflammatory mediators upon degranulation. These mice experience severe anaphylactic shock due to two compounding abnormalities. First, KAR KO mast cells release significantly more histamine in vivo upon IgE-mediated activation. Second, the animals over-respond to exogenous histamine with drastic …

Characterization Of Transfer Of The Mobile Genomic Island Encoding Methicillin Resistance Among Staphylococci, Melissa D. Ray

Theses and Dissertations

The gene encoding methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is carried in the chromosome on a large genomic island called SCCmec and is always inserted at the att site within orfX. SCCmec has been designated a mobile genetic element but a mechanism by which it moves among different strains and species of staphylococci has never been demonstrated. This work shows that bacteriophage 80α is capable of transducing SCCmec into a recipient cell, after which it can integrate into the bacterial chromosome via homologous recombination. More importantly, this work characterizes a conjugative mechanism of SCCmec transfer. …