Digital Commons Network^™

Isolation Of Diverse Members Of The Aquificales From Geothermal Springs In Tengchong, China, Brian P. Hedlund, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Liuquin Huang, John C. Ong, Zizhang Liu, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Reham Ahmed, Amanda J. Williams, Brandon R. Briggs, Yitai Liu, Weiguo Hou, Hailiang Dong

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The order Aquificales (phylum Aquificae) consists of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic bacteria that are prominent in many geothermal systems, including those in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China. However, Aquificales have not previously been isolated from Tengchong. We isolated five strains of Aquificales from diverse springs (temperature 45.2–83.3°C and pH 2.6–9.1) in the Rehai Geothermal Field from sites in which Aquificales were abundant. Phylogenetic analysis showed that four of the strains belong to the genera Hydrogenobacter, Hydrogenobaculum, andSulfurihydrogenibium, including strains distant enough to likely justify new species ofHydrogenobacter and Hydrogenobaculum. The additional strain may represent a …

Promising Antitumor Therapeutics Of Herbal Origin: Exploring Cytotoxic Activity Of Glycoalkaloids And Unraveling Underlying Mechanisms., Noha Nagdy Farrag

Theses and Dissertations

To evaluate the anticancer potential of the extracts of the two Solanaceae family plants: Solanum macrocarpon (African Eggplant) and Solanum seaforthianum (Brazilian Nightshade), cytotoxicity screening was performed. The extract exhibiting the most potent effect; Total glycoalkaloid extract of Solanum seaforthianum (TGASS) was then investigated further, through screening of individual compounds fractionated from it and comparing their cytotoxicity with each other and with other standard Solanum alkaloids. Further investigations were performed to define the underlying mechanisms by which each of the three most potent alkaloids function on hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line. The hypothesis involves that alkaloids fractionated from the Solanaceae …

Recycling Of Waste Gypsum Boards To Produce New Drywalls And Non-Load Bearing Bricks, Nada Khaled Fathy Ragab

Theses and Dissertations

Recycling of gypsum boards wastes is attractive but challenging at the same time. The quality and quantity of the waste is quite important. The amount of gypsum board waste is on the rise. Millions of tons of gypsum board waste are produced annually and only a small percentage of gypsum board waste is recycled. This waste threatens the environment in three main ways: producing Hydrogen Sulfide gas when dumped in a moist environment, increasing the use of landfills and depleting natural resources. Consequently, the United States is considering the prohibition of gypsum board waste partial or full dumping in landfills …

Development Of Inhalable Microparticles For Drug Delivery To Deep Lung Tissues, Yasmine Houssam Eldin Abbas

Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the deadliest solid tumor, leading to the deaths of more individuals than the combination of the three next most lethal cancers which are colon, prostate and breast cancer. According to the IARC, in 2012 lung cancer accounted for 13% (1.83 million) of cancer cases and caused 19% (1.56 million) of cancer deaths worldwide. Despite advances in surgery and drug discovery, lung cancer remains difficult to treat. This is a result of unavoidable exposure to carcinogens, poor diagnosis and the lack of targeted drug delivery platforms. The aim of this study was to develop a non-invasive, patient convenient …

The Expression Pattern Of Circulating Mir-590-3p As A Promising Diagnostic Biomarker For Early Detection Of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Heba Shawer

Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common type of ovarian tumors. The biomarkers, which are being used for EOC screening, have low sensitivity and specificity leading to late diagnosis and high mortality rate. Thus, identification of effective biomarkers for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer has become a high priority in research. Here we aim to address this problem by studying the expression of a potential molecular marker, miR-590-3p, in EOC. We examined the mRNA steady-state levels of various acknowledged biomarkers including cancer antigen-125 (CA125) which is being used for EOC screening, c-reactive protein (CRP) which expression was correlated with …

The Making Of Gender In Egyptian Families: A Cross-Class Engagement, Farah Moataz Atia

Theses and Dissertations

In the midst of an unstable political environment, a booming population, and a neoliberal atmosphere, it is impossible not to notice the wide socio-economic disparities in the urban capital of Cairo. ‘Ishash Kum Ghurab, Misr Al-Qadima is clogged with “informal” buildings contained by its old medieval structure (Sims, 2003, p. 6). It has been suggested by Sims (2003, p. 6) that most families residing in this area, where buildings frequently collapse, belong to the lower-income strata of the society. Nevertheless, I have not found it useful nor accurate to assume that the inhabitants of ‘Ishash Kum Ghurab belong to a …

Nanocomposites Of Layered Clays And Graphene/Graphene Oxide For Drug Delivery, Nada Mahmoud Hegazy

Theses and Dissertations

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) comprise a class of materials that can be either found as natural minerals or can be synthetically prepared. Their structure is composed of a mixture of divalent and trivalent metal cations, forming brucite-like layers, that are neutralized with anions in the interlayer gallery. They have unique physical and chemical characteristics such as: high surface area, large charge density, biocompatibility and exchange capacity. These have attracted attention to the LDHs as potential drug delivery vehicles. Graphene (G) has also attracted the attention to exceptional properties, such as huge surface area, charge density concentration, membrane permeability by piercing …

The Difference Between Political And Philosophical Freedom In The Completed Works Of Hannah Arendt, Khadeega Ga'far

Theses and Dissertations

Hannah Arendt distinguishes between two different practices of freedom whose origins are rooted into two historical human experiences: political freedom/action and philosophical freedom/free will. She argues that the two experiences were different as concerns the origin, the location and the conditions of each. Freedom of the will, or philosophical freedom, is relevant only in solitude while political freedom is relevant to people living together in political communities. Arendt also claims that the freedom of the will is the origin of the ideal of sovereignty which constitutes its meaning in commanding and demanding obedience. Hence, the free will realizes its freedom …

Foster Care In Egypt: A Study Of Policies, Laws, And Practice., Samar Mohamed Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Foster care in Egypt is regulated by Ministry of Social Solidarity according to detailed procedures of the child law no 126 for the year 1996 and its amendments of the year 2008. The system combines features of western foster care as well as adoption with the guidelines of Islamic Kafalah system. Children who are deprived from parental care for any reason are eligible to enter the foster care system. This qualitative study analyses the child law against the UN guidelines on alternative care to identify legislative and procedural gaps. It also analyses the current field practices of how placement of …

Cantus Lamentus: Navigating Hiv Positive Mothers Subjectivities In Egypt Post 2011, Wesam Adel Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the subjectivities of mothers living with HIV in relation to the exercised techniques of governing HIV and AIDS in Egypt. Drawing on the experiences of women living with HIV, in addition to the analysis of the National HIV Strategic frameworks and national media press articles, this thesis traces major events related to the bio-politics of HIV in Egypt post-2011. I conducted research with mothers living with HIV to explore how they perceived their individual experiences of living with HIV within the social and political context of Egypt post-2011. The research is an attempt to unravel glimpses of …

Adsorption Of Heavy Metals Cations In Wastewater Using Cement Kiln Dust, Mohamed Abdel Kareem El Zayat

Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater containing heavy metal constituents are mainly generated from industrial processes, such as electric battery manufacturing, lead smelting and glass industry. Heavy metals are very dangerous and carcinogenic due to the fact that they can bio-accumulate in our bodies resulting in increasing the concentration of chemicals in the biological organism compared to the chemical’s concentration in the environment. A special emphasize in this study is on lead, cadmium, and copper since they are the most common toxic heavy metals in some inorganic industrial wastewater. Common techniques used in heavy metals treatment processes are chemical treatment, flotation, filter coalescence,and membrane filtration. …

Achieving Environmental Sustainability Of Sugarcane Industry In Egypt: An Application Of Life Cycle Assessment, Dalia Adel Habib Nakhla

Theses and Dissertations

Sugarcane industry in Egypt goes back to the year 710 AD. Cane plantations are concentrated in the area of Upper Egypt. The total amount of cane cultivated in Upper Egypt is about 16 million tons per year. There are eight sugarcane producing factories in Egypt, most of them located close to the cultivations. The sugarcane industry in Egypt can be currently defined as an open industrial system that consumes material and energy and creates products and wastes. The two main stages of sugarcane production are the agricultural stage and the industrial stage. The agricultural stage involves cane cultivation which involves …

A Cross-Sectional Survey Study To Assess Attitudes Towards Research Misconduct Among The Community Of The American University In Cairo, Marwan Tarek Felaefel

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Research misconduct is on the rise globally and it is jeopardizing scientific integrity by breaching the basis of responsible scientific conduct. Available data indicates rising levels of fabrication, falsification and plagiarism that are alarming despite the presence of guidelines in many of the high-income countries. High profile cases of misconduct in low and middle income countries are on the rise as well, yet data regarding the amount of misconduct taking place remain scarce. Objective: To assess investigators’ attitudes as well as the prevalence of research misconduct in an Egyptian University and identify possible factors that might account for our …

Cofactor Of Brca1 As A Modulator Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Growth And Migration, Eman Mahmoud El Zeneini

Theses and Dissertations

Cofactor of BRCA1 (COBRA1) is one of the four subunits that make up the Negative Elongation Factor Complex (NELF) which is involved in the stalling of RNA polymerase II early during transcription elongation. As such, COBRA1 is able to regulate a substantial number of genes involved in a number of pathways, including cell cycle control, metabolism, cell proliferation and DNA repair. In the field of cancer, the role of COBRA1 is not yet fully understood. The aim of our study was to investigate the functional role of COBRA1 in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the gene expression …

Use Of Alginate/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites As Drug Delivery System For Curcumin, Marwa Fathy Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Curcumin (Cur.) is a well known traditional medicine due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Its pharmacological mechanism of action and safety have been extensively studied to investigate its use in clinical and therapeutic applications. However, its low water solubility and rapid metabolism are main obstacles. Different techniques were used to overcome the drawbacks of curcumin, with recent attention focusing on approaches based on nanotechnology. Clay-polymer nanocomposites are getting to play a role in nanoformulations for drug delivery. This is due to their improved rheological and mechanical properties, and controlled drug release characteristics compared to their individual components, clays and …

Potential Role Of Cofactor Of Brca1 In Hepatocellular Carcinoma Pathogenesis, Aya Atef Youssef

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a devastating tumor characterized by poor prognosis. In Egypt, HCC is the first most common cancer in men and the second most common cancer in women in the year 2012. Still, the molecular mechanisms underlying HCC pathogenesis are not fully identified. This leads to the lack of reliable prognostic markers for HCC. COBRA1 is the cofactor of BRCA1, it is one of the four subunits of the negative elongation factor (NELF) referred to as, NELF-B. NELF complex inhibits transcription elongation via stalling RNA polymerase II. COBRA1 was studied in some types of cancer; in breast cancer …

Rhetoric: Spoken Discourse, A Systematic Appeal For Reasoning "Pathos", Marwa M. Adel Farid

Theses and Dissertations

The tekhnē of spoken discourse is a critical tool for particular communications and is a substantial means to transform good knowledge . It is an objective tekhnē with an ergon, which is man-made. As such, it may be implemented for political, religious, social or educational purposes. Thus, understanding the implications of spoken discourse and establishing a shared understanding between the rhētōr and his listeners is not just an option in this context. On the contrary, both elements are the mind/soul/heart of the discourse. For what is the value of a discourse if its implications and representations are not well perceived …

Magnetic Treatment Of Brackish Water For Sustainable Agriculture, Kareem Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt and most of the MENA countries are suffering from physical water scarcity. The abundance of fresh water is very limited; consequently, it is needed to rethink about the use of non-conventional water resources as a source of water for agricultural purposes. This study investigated the influence of magnetic treatment on brackish water, and its application for sustainable agriculture practices. The experimental work was divided into four main categories: The first category was the physical analysis of magnetically treated brackish water; including surface tension investigation, salt solubility test, and nutrients solubility test. The second category was the chemical analysis; including …

The Rise Of A New Generation: Intergenerational Value Change In Egypt, Zeyad M. Elkelani

Theses and Dissertations

Arab Spring is commonly associated to youth mobilization and their dissatisfaction with respective Arab authoritarian regimes. This empirical study explores such claim through tracing various social, political and demographic indicators as determinants of generational value change in post-2011 Egypt. It employs a generational perspective in discovering such values following Karl Mannheim‟s definition of generations. Mannheim argued that a political generation is composed of a birth cohort sharing similar values through a multifaceted historical process of socialization. The theoretical framework guiding considerable portion of this study is Ronald Inglehart‟s “intergenerational value change thesis.” Inglehart argues that there is an ongoing transnational …

Lipid-Based Nanoparticles For Altering Immune Response: A Step Towards Targeted Cancer Immunotherapy, Noha Samir Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

Since cancer is an extremely heterogeneous disease of origin, scientists are always trying to define novel approaches that can eliminate this disease. Over decades now, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have been the conventional methods to eradicate cancer. Unfortunately, cancer resistance has developed, in which tumor cells became resistant to the majority of chemotherapeutics. Consequently, people started to use combination therapy as a more intensified protocol to counteract the aggressiveness of cancer. However, the results are not satisfactory till now and lots of optimizations are needed in order to make sure that synergistic not antagonistic effects are happening. That is why …

Mthfr C677t, Pt G20120a And Fv Leiden As Risk Factors For Thrombosis In Egyptian Pediatric All Patients, Mohamed Nagy Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Thrombosis is a well-known side effect associated with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) treatment leading to significant morbidity rates. Thrombosis occurrence in ALL patients seems to be due to the interaction between the disease, the therapy and the possible inherited genetic defects affecting the hemostatic balance. In this study we aimed to assess the prevalence of prothrombotic defects- FV Leiden, MTHFR (Methylene Tetra Hydrofolate Reductase enzyme) C677T & prothrombin (PT) G20210A mutations in Egyptian pediatric ALL patients and its impact on the risk of thrombosis onset as well as to evaluate the impact of the presence of single versus multiple prothrombotic …

Development Of Real-Time Pcr Assay For Detection Of Total Bacteria In Beverage Emulsions, Essam Gamaleldin Elsisi

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth and expansion of the soft drinks market and the necessity to meet and maintain the consumers’ expectations of having high quality products safe for consumption, have both drawn the attention to the need for rapid and sensitive methods for the detection of potential microbial contaminations. This has made the current conventional culture-based methods inconvenient due to the relatively long periods of time they need to yield results, in addition to their relatively low sensitivity. In contrast, real-time PCR is a rapid and sensitive molecular detection technique, capable of providing quick detection and quantification methods of specific DNA …

The Role Of Ngos In Empowering Visually Impaired People To Access Education And Employment In Egypt, Nevine Sharaf

Theses and Dissertations

Disability is viewed as a developmental issue given that people with disability are usually excluded from mainstream economic and social opportunities. However, the attention given to the people with disability in Egypt is mostly confined to medical and scientific features. Local NGOs in Egypt have long been working with visually impaired people. However, there is limited literature and empirical research specifying the role of local NGOs in empowering the visually impaired people to access education and employability in Egypt. Thus the purpose of this study is to assess the role that local NGOs play in this regard. The methodology used …

Preconception And Early Pregnancy Air Pollution Exposures And Risk Of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Candace Robledo, Pauline Mendola, Edwina H. Yeung, Tuija Männistö, Rajeshwari Sundaram, Danping Liu, Qi Ying, Seth Sherman, Katherine Grantz

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Air pollution has been linked to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) but no studies have evaluated impact of preconception and early pregnancy air pollution exposures on GDM risk.

Methods: Electronic medical records provided data on 219,952 singleton deliveries to mothers with (n=11,334) and without GDM (n=208,618). Average maternal exposures to particulate matter (PM) ≤ 2.5μm (PM2.5) and PM2.5 constituents, PM ≤ 10μm (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3) were estimated for the 3-month preconception window, first trimester, and gestational weeks 1-24 based on modified Community Multiscale Air Quality models for delivery hospital referral regions. …

Comprehensive Assessment Of The Disputed Ret Y791f Variant Shows No Association With Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Susceptibility, Rodrigo A. Toledo, Roxanne Hatakana, Delmar M. Lourenço, Susan C. Lindsey, Cleber P. Camacho, Marcio A. Almeida, José V. Lima, Tomoko Sekiya, Elena Garralda, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Accurate interpretation of germline mutations of the rearranged during transfection (RET) proto-oncogene is vital for the proper recommendation of preventive thyroidectomy in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)-prone carriers. To gain information regarding the most disputed variant of RET, ATA-A Y791F, we sequenced blood DNA samples from a cohort of 2904 cancer-free elderly individuals (1261 via Sanger sequencing and 1643 via whole-exome/genome sequencing). We also accessed the exome sequences of an additional 8069 individuals from non-cancer-related laboratories and public databanks as well as genetic results from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) project. The mean allelic frequency observed in the …

Pleiotropic Locus For Emotion Recognition And Amygdala Volume Identified Using Univariate And Bivariate Linkage, Emma E.M. Knowles, Reese Mckay, Jack W. Kent, Emma Sprooten, Melanie A. Carless, Joanne E. Curran, Marcio A. Almeida, Thomas D. Dyer, Harald H.H. Göring, Ravi Duggirala, John Blangero

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: The role of the amygdala in emotion recognition is well established, and amygdala volume and emotion recognition performance have each been shown separately to be highly heritable traits, but the potential role of common genetic influences on both traits has not been explored. The authors investigated the pleiotropic influences of amygdala volume and emotion recognition performance. Method: In a sample of randomly selected extended pedigrees (N=858), the authors used a combination of univariate and bivariate linkage to investigate pleiotropy between amygdala volume and emotion recognition performance and followed up with association analysis. Results: The authors found a pleiotropic region …

Adult Adoption: Intestate Succession And Class Gifts Under The Uniform Probate Code, Sarah Ratliff

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Support For The First Line Of Defense In Public Health Emergencies, Christina Y. Chan

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Intersex Employment Discrimination: Title Vii And Anatomical Sex Nonconformity, Mark E. Berghausen

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unraveling Privacy: The Personal Prospectus And The Threat Of A Full-Disclosure Future, Scott R. Peppet

Northwestern University Law Review

No abstract provided.