Digital Commons Network^™

Plsi: A Computational Software Pipeline For Pathway Level Disease Subtype Identification, Michele Donato

Wayne State University Theses

It is accepted that many complex diseases, like cancer, consist in collections of distinct genetic diseases. Clinical advances in treatments are attributed to molecular treatments aimed at specific genes resulting in greater ecacy and fewer debilitating side effects. This proves that it is important to identify and appropriately treat each individual disease subtype. Our current understanding of subtypes is limited: despite targeted treatment advances, targeted therapies often fail for some patients. The main limitation of current methods for subtype identification is that they focus on gene expression, and they are subject to its intrinsic noise. Signaling pathways describe biological processes …

Twin Gestation And Neuropsychological Outcome Of Preschool Age Children Born Prematurely, Jamie Christine Piercy

Wayne State University Theses

Multiples are thought to be at increased risk for developmental outcome deficits in the preschool years, following preterm birth. However, little research has been conducted to determine whether this group remains at higher risk in the age of artificial reproductive techniques and the modern NICU. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether multiplicity is a risk factor for neuropsychological outcome deficits in a sample of 118 preschoolers (49 multiples, 75 singletons) born prematurely (<34 weeks gestation). As predicted, there were significant relationships between multiplicity and outcome measures, however, the direction of the effects were opposite to our prediction, with multiplies demonstrating superior performance. Additionally, significant multiplicity by sex interactions revealed a female twin advantage over male twin and singleton performance. In this preschool age sample, preterm multiples were not at a disadvantage when compared to singleton counterparts, demonstrating either equivalent or superior neuropsychological performance.

Synergetic Effect Of Permethrin And Dmh On Anti-Oxidation And Damage Response Genes, Karim Mohamed

Wayne State University Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the Synergetic Effect of Permethrin and 1,2-Dimethylhydrazine (DMH) on Anti-oxidation and Damage Response genes. The animal models used for this study were 8 week old C57/blk6 female mice. The mice were fed a Folate Adequate (FA) diet. At 8 weeks, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with pesticides. Three 8-week old female mice were injected intraperitoneally with a mix of cis and trans permethrin (75%:25% respectively) at 30% median lethal dose (96 mg/kg body weight). Permethrin was dissolved in corn oil and injected 24 hours before sacrifice. In three other mice, DMH was …

The Contribution Of The Melanin Pathway To Overall Body Pigmentation Changes During Ontogenesis Of Periplaneta Americana, Thomas Roger Lemonds

Wayne State University Theses

Pigmentation is one of the most diverse and distinguishable features of insect morphology. The most prominent colors observed in insects are black or brown, whose production is attributed to the melanin pathway. At present, though, the contribution of this pathway to overall body pigmentation throughout ontogenesis is still lacking. To address this question we examined the roles of four key melanin genes (TH, DDC, ebony, and aaNAT), in embryonic and post-embryonic development of Periplaneta americana. Our results show show that while the melanin pathway plays no role during the earliest nymphal stages, it is required during the later stages of …

Preclinical Evaluation Of Infrared Light Therapy In A Rat Model Of Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, Christian Andrew Reynolds

Wayne State University Dissertations

Hypoxic events encountered during the perinatal period leading to pathologic decreases in fetal cerebral oxygen availability are detrimental resulting in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). This work focused on the characterization of a rat model of neonatal HIE for use in the preclinical evaluation of infrared light therapy (IRL). Consistent with results from previous IRL efficacy studies using a rat model of adult global brain ischemia, IRL treatment attenuated cerebral injury resulting from hypoxia-ischemia in the neonatal rat. Thus, and perhaps most importantly, this work contributes to the development of a potential novel therapeutic approach in the management of brain injuries …

Therapeutic Targeting Of Bmp2 In Nf1-Deficient Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors (Mpnsts), Sidra Ahsan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1)-deficient malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is an aggressive tumor for which the standard treatment is surgical removal with wide margins, often leaving behind cancer cells needing chemotherapy. RAS-GRD is the most widely studied functional target of NF1 implicated in tumorigenesis, however, therapeutic interventions targeting RAS activity have met with limited success. Using gene expression profiling, our lab identified BMP2-SMAD1/5/8 signaling pathway as a therapeutic target in MPNSTs, independent of the NRAS and MEK1/2 regulation. The overall goal of my research was to validate the significance of BMP2 in MPNSTs in novel cellular models, study the …

Evaluation Of Magnesium-Based Alloys As Degradable Biomaterials, Nan Zhao

Theses

Biomaterials including ceramic material, polymer material, metallic material and composite material have been used in biomedical scaffolds, artificial tissues, and drug delivery systems for a long time. Magnesium (Mg) and Mg-based alloys are a new generation of degradable metallic materials that have attracted great attention in the last ten years. The advantages of Mg alloys as biomaterials are their good biocompatibility and biodegradability. Mg as an essential element in human body is an enzyme cofactor for over 300 biochemical reactions. However, the degradation process of Mg material may hinder the potential application. The purpose of this study is to evaluate …

Processing Pre-Existing Connect-The-Dots Puzzles For Educational Repurposing Applications, Elizabeth Kilgore Shelby

Theses

Connect-the-Dots puzzles are puzzles which contain labeled dots in a sequence. These puzzles are mostly designed as a way for children to hone in on their counting skills, while having fun. These same puzzles, which are available in abundance online and with modification, can be used to aid students in other areas of education such as spelling. Research shows that the addition of visual imagery provides a significant impact in spelling performance. The objective of this research is to develop an algorithm for processing Connect-the-Dots puzzles to assist in the replacement of the original numbers in the puzzle with characters …

Age-Related Factors Influencing The Occurrence Of Undernutrition In Northeastern Ethiopia, Abraham Degarege, Elifaged Hailemeskel, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Undernutrition is a major public health problem on the globe particularly in the developing regions. The objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition in different age groups and examine the relationship of the disease to parasitic and socioeconomic factors among communities in Harbu Town, northeastern Ethiopia.

METHODS: Stool samples of the study participants were examined for intestinal helminth infections using the Kato-Katz method. Blood specimens were diagnosed for Plasmodium infection using CareStartTM Malaria Pf/Pv Combo test. The blood type was determined from blood samples using antisera A and antisera B. In addition, the height …

The Effects Of Stressors And Stress Hormones On Behavior, Physiology, And Disease Susceptibility In Terrestrial Salamanders, Christopher Fonner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amphibians are exposed to numerous environmental stressors, which may contribute to population declines being experienced by amphibians worldwide. Upon exposure to stressors, animals will release the glucocorticoid hormone, corticosterone (CORT), which typically mediates physiological and behavioral responses for resisting or coping with the stressor. Additionally, amphibians are at risk from a chytrid fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). After Bd infection, amphibians may develop the potentially fatal disease chytridiomycosis. To better understand how CORT mediates responses to different stressors, and possible immunosuppressive effects of CORT on Bd susceptibility, I performed several experiments. First, I tested the predation stress hypothesis in terrestrial …

Non-Traditional Therapeutic Interventions For At-Risk Youth & Students With Complex Support Needs: Equine Therapy, Erin J. Grimm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased need for effective interventions and the challenge of working with children and youth with complex support or at-risk needs such as emotional disorders, physical and mental health needs as well as autism; have resulted in the design of many non-traditional therapeutic interventions, such as various experiential therapies, animal-assisted therapy, expressive therapies, wilderness therapy, and adventure-based therapy (Suarez, 2005). For the purpose of this dissertation, the researcher will explore the non-traditional therapeutic intervention of equine therapy and its effect on the social and emotional development of three diverse families who reside in Western Pennsylvania. The researcher will also investigate …

Development Of Extraction Method For Persistent Organic Pollutants In Water And Dietary Supplement Using Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction And Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry, Weier Hao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in drinking water and dietary supplements can be sources of xenobiotic pollutants in human body and cause detrimental impacts on human health. In this study, an accurate, precise, sensitive, reproducible, and green method was developed to quantify POPs in water and dietary supplements using stir bar sorptive extraction- gas chromatography- mass spectrometry and isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Different analytical parameters were tested for method optimization. Based on efficiency as well as recovery of the analytes, stirring at room temperature for one hour with water and methanol as solvent was selected as the optimal method. After validation, …

Interaction Effects Of Parenting Styles And Child Temperament: Motor, Cognitive, And Language Development In Children Prenatally Exposed To Alcohol, Jenna Hennessey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the social stigma and attempts over the years to increase public awareness of the risks of drinking during pregnancy, there has been little change in women's prenatal drinking patterns (Bhuvaneswar, Change, Epstein, & Stern, 2007; Ernhart, Morrow-Tlucak, Sokol, & Martier, 1988). In the literature it is unclear to what extent alcohol exposure in utero has on motor, cognitive, and language development. Although, due to the plasticity of the immature nervous system, long-term effects of early exposure to negative teratogens (alcohol exposure in utero) need to be researched to determine if a child's development can be ameliorated by positive parenting …

Modeling The Binding Of Inhibitors/Drugs To The Human Serotonin Transporter, Kalyan Immadisetty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human serotonin transporter (hSERT), a membrane protein from the neurotransmitter sodium symporter family, is implicated in depression disorder and has been the primary target of antidepressant discovery research for several decades. Since the currently available antidepressants may cause adverse effects and have several limitations, novel drugs are highly desired. However, the efforts to develop better therapeutics are hampered by the lack of a crystal structure of hSERT. Knowledge of the binding site of the drug and its orientation in the protein is crucial in structure-based drug discovery. We employed a novel computational protocol comprised of active site detection, docking, scoring, …

A Psychometric Examination Of Prosocial Behavior Across Cultural Contexts, Thomas Knight

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acts of aggression and violence within the school setting have compelled researchers and professionals to develop and implement interventions designed to cultivate student safety. Recently, the focus of these interventions has been on prosocial behaviors, which are broadly defined as acts intended to benefit others above oneself and can include actions such as helping and cooperating (Batson & Powell, 2003). From a theoretical perspective, previous researchers (Piaget, 1932; Kohlberg, 1984) have generally postulated that moral reasoning and its corollaries (e.g., prosocial behavior) generally develop according to a prescribed trajectory. Yet, additional research in this area has supported the notion that …

Improving Higher Education Attainment Among African American Women, Renee Knox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American women enroll and persist in post-secondary education at higher rates than African American males yet there is little research on the factors that contribute their disproportionate college persistence in comparison with their White female counterparts. While this study reviewed critical theories that detail the educational challenges for African American female students, the study also interviewed women who experienced success in higher education attainment. This combined review illustrates strategies that break patterns that impede African American women's efforts and based on the findings suggest approaches to improve higher education attainment.

Beyond Biology: Bases For A Child-Centered And Functional Account Of Parenthood, Jacob Kohlhaas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that the presently influential Catholic theological account of parenthood is indebted to an essentialist theory of gender and the system of sexual ethical reasoning it produces. In consideration of the family, Catholicism tends to favor the differentiated gender roles of the father as the primary financial provider and the mother as the primary caregiver. Though such thinking is often justified as natural or traditional, it relies heavily upon a post-Victorian social context. This gender complementarity is often accompanied by an idealization of the autonomous biological-nuclear family. This family is autonomous in granting parents alone direct responsibility for …

Women In Alcoholics Anonymous: A Qualitative Research Study, Ariel Larson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research looks at how women in particular navigate the complicated power dynamics of twelve-step programs, specifically AA, to achieve long-term sobriety. This study attempts to understand how women in AA are appropriating and shaping AA and its reliance on the twelve-steps in unique and resourceful ways to make recovery their own. The methodological approach of this study is empirical-phenomenological. Interviews with five female members of Alcoholics Anonymous were conducted, transcribed and analyzed in an attempt to identify and understand how women approach and adapt recovery strategies and technologies that evolved during the twentieth century to meet the needs of …

Well Water Quality In Southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, Scott Mayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increase in unconventional shale gas extraction in Pennsylvania has resulted in an increased number of groundwater contamination claims. Well water quality was investigated in southern Butler County, PA where 387 unconventional gas wells have been drilled since 2006. A total of 121 households participated in a survey and 238 well water samples were tested. Specific conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen in these samples were measured in the field and seven anion concentrations and thirty metal concentrations were measured in the lab. A subset of 91 water wells was also tested for light hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, ethylene, propylene, propane, butane). …

How Motivational Interviewing Affects The Motivation, Self-Efficacy, And Outcome Expectancies Of Adjudicated Adolescents In A School Setting, Sarah Paret Rabkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unfortunately, substance use is prevalent among adolescents. Data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows that in 2009, 46.7% of 12th grade students reported that they had tried an illicit substance in their lifetime (NIDA, 2010). Substance use in adolescence is the strongest predictor of drug and alcohol disorders in adults. Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory suggests there is a reciprocal interaction between personal, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to substance use. This theory is also useful for identifying factors (e.g. motivation, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancies) that are central to behavior change.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an …

Facilitating Healthy Interpersonal Relationships For Adolescents With Autism: An Examination Of Knowledge Acquisition And Retention Over Time, Elizabeth Pask

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the Healthy Relationships & Autism (HR) curriculum (Sutton & Wesley Spectrum Services, 2013), which is a developmentally sequenced, manualized treatment intended for children and adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The HR curriculum is designed to facilitate healthy interpersonal relationships in children and adolescents with ASD. Specifically, this study investigates the effectiveness of Module 2 of the curriculum, which focuses on teaching basic biological sex education, using well researched techniques designed to reach individuals with ASD. The paper elaborates on the history and development of the need to address these issues, …

Spinoza's Ethology: Recognizing Dynamic Transitions Between Imagination, Reason, And Intuition, Christina Rawls

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seventeenth Century lens grinder and Dutch philosopher, Benedict de Spinoza, illuminates a rigorous and dynamic theory of knowledge and action in his major system the Ethics. What we learn by adequately learning Spinoza's epistemology is that within it is a proto-physics of ideational force between the three kinds of knowledge expressed by the attribute of thought and, simultaneously, expressed as ratios of motion and rest, speed and slowness, intensity and transformation by the attribute of extension. Such dynamic processes or ways lead to one's capacity for increased rational thought and action, increased uses of creativity, and the enhanced ability to …

Macrophage Cox-2 As A Target For Imaging And Therapy Of Inflammatory Diseases Using Theranostic Nanoemulsions, Sravan Kumar Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personalized medicine can be an approach to address the unsatisfactory treatment outcomes in inflammatory conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. A common feature of chronic diseases is the infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages at the disease loci. Infiltrating macrophages have been previously utilized for disease diagnosis. These features suggest that macrophages can be broadly applicable targets for simultaneous therapy and diagnosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of a lipid inflammatory mediator, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), is over expressed in macrophages infiltrating the pathological site. Inhibition of PGE2 leads to reduced inflammation, pain and macrophage infiltration. To utilize …

Understanding The Solid State, Solubility And Dissolution Behavior Of Cefuroxime Axetil Diastereomers In Interactive Mixture Formulations, Namita Dalal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the first part of this work was to understand the solid-state and solution behavior of a cephalosporin antibiotic prodrug, cefuroxime axetil (CFA). CFA is present in commercial products as a mixture of diastereomers, which commonly form eutectic mixtures. A phase diagram was constructed utilizing differential scanning calorimetry. It was observed that the diastereomers formed a eutectic mixture with a composition of 75% isomer B and a melting temperature of 124.8±0.5 °C. Phase solubility studies on diastereomer mixtures of various compositions showed that the diastereomers interacted to form a complex in solution. This interaction resulted in a solubility …

Communicating Through Cork: Marcel Proust's Performative Call To Philosophy Of Communication, David Deiuliis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Philosophy of communication replaces modernity's metanarrative of progress with postmodernity's many works in progress. The metanarrative of postmodernity is fragmentation, the lack of a metanarrative. In postmodernity, progress sputters and stalls, then starts on new paths. Philosophy of communication responds to fragmentation by converging the fragments of philosophy and communication. In his life and work, Marcel Proust (1871-1922) embodied the duality of philosophy of communication. Proust recognized the false grandeur behind the gold gilding of the Belle Epoque in nineteenth-century France, and reframed progress as a series of fits and starts, where the self follows false scents in a search …

Severely Stressed Astrocytes Adapt To Injury And Still Protect Neighboring Neurons, Amanda Marie Gleixner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease are projected to affect 15.14 million people by the year 2050. All neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by protein-misfolding stress, or proteotoxicity, in both neurons and glia. However, the impact of proteotoxicity on glia is less well understood than in neurons. Astrocytes are an abundant type of glia and play an essential role in brain homeostasis by supporting neuronal functions. Therefore, one of the major goals of the present study was to identify ways to reduce the impact of proteotoxicity in astrocytes. In Aim 1, we examined natural adaptations to proteotoxic stress in …

"A Stranger To The World": Women, Bisexuality, And Performance In Eighteenth-Century England, Jade Higa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As queer theory has evolved and been adapted by scholars of various fields, queer studies has become increasingly important to academic understandings of the eighteenth century. However, the broadness of queer scholarship has resulted in specific sexualities becoming less visible. This project grapples with the concept of bisexuality and its relation to gender, performance, and women in the late eighteenth century. It proposes the intersection of queer temporalities and the gaze to develop a new methodology in which the scholar consciously looks back at the eighteenth century through the lens of the twenty-first century. The project considers representations of bisexuality …

A New Ethical Model For The Analysis Of Care For Refugee Women Who Experience Female Genital Cutting, Sharon R. Higginbothan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States is rapidly becoming a location for refugee women who are migrating from countries that embrace different and distinctive practices. One such practice is Female Genital Cutting/ mutilation (FGC/m). FGC is a medical procedure that alters the natural structure and functioning of the female body. It is also a cultural tradition and custom. Until recently, worldwide studies estimated that approximately 80 to 140 million women have undergone FGC and that 228, 000 of those women live in the U.S. However, the estimate of women and girls in the U.S. living with or at risk from FGC has grown …

Cytokine Dynamics, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Neuroinflammation In Chronic Constriction Injury Rat Model, Kiran Vasudeva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic neuropathic pain is a serious, worldwide health problem leading to life-long treatment and the possibility of significant disability. In this study, neuropathic pain was modeled using the chronic constriction injury (CCI) in rats. The CCI rats exhibited hypersensitivity (typical neuropathic pain symptom) to mechanical stimulation of the affected paw 11 days post-surgery, at a time when sham surgery animals did not. It is known that immune cells play a role in the development of neuropathic pain and to further explore the relationship between neuropathic pain and immune cells, we hypothesized that the infiltration of immune cells into the affected …

A Constructive Account Of Children's Moral Agency Drawing On Thomas Aquinas's Theory Of Emotions, Ann Vinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation makes the case that children are moral agents engaged with the morality of their communities without being morally accountable as adults. Contemporary Christian theological anthropology holds that children are fully human and in the image of God, and that they are already encountering good and evil in the world. Childhood is viewed as an essential part of human life and as something that perdures throughout a person's existence. Through their emotions, children are able to engage with, make meaning of, and respond to their surroundings, and these early emotional experiences help to shape each person for the whole …