Digital Commons Network^™

Combining Antiangiogenic Therapy And Radiation In Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Zhuo Chen, Xin-Hua Xu

Saudi Medical Journal

Radiation therapy is the primary treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the effect of radiation therapy is strongly related to the oxygen content of cancer cells. That means, it is imperative to balance the interactions between radiotherapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy when giving combination therapy to improve clinical outcomes. The complicated mechanisms between antiangiogenic agents and radiation involve many interactions between the cancer cells, vasculature, and cancer stroma. The proliferation and metastasis of cancer depends on angiogenesis, while rapid growth of cancers will cause hypoxia, which contributes to radioresistance. Antiangiogenic agents can modulate the cancer blood flow and oxygenation through target …

Increasing Trends In Kidney Cancer Over The Last 2 Decades In Saudi Arabia, Sultan S. Alkhateeb, Jawaher M. Alkhateeb, Eman A. Alrashidi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To examine the trends of kidney cancer over the last 2 decades in a subset of a Saudi Arabian population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in a tertiary care center including all adult patients with primary kidney cancer who presented and were managed between 1990 and 2010. The time period was split into 4 quartiles, and variables tested and compared using chi-square, T-test, and Kaplan-Meier curves for survival. Results: The total was 215 patients with a mean age of 57.8 years. There was an increase in the number of kidney cancer cases over the last 2 decades. There …

Pediatric Hypertension In The Eastern Province Of Saudi Arabia, Shaea A. Alkahtani

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To compare the levels of blood pressure (BP) between male and female adolescents in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and reference percentiles for Saudi adolescents. A secondary aim was to explore the distribution of BP among the participants based on age and gender. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 146 boys and girls attending intermediate and secondary schools in 2 regions (Al-Mallaha and Al-Mubarraz) in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Weight, random blood glucose, and BP were collected by a team of health educators in the morning of the school day between April and May 2014. …

Dimensions Of Physical Wellness Among Medical Students Of Public And Private Medical Colleges In Pakistan, Rakhshaan Khan, Rehana Rehman, Mukhtiar Baig, Mehwish Hussain, Mariam Khan, Fatima Syed

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To determine adherence to dimensions of physical wellness among medical students of public and private medical colleges in Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from January to July 2011 among 820 students of private and public medical colleges in Karachi, Pakistan. Results: Overall, medical students scored low in dimensions of physical wellness. Private medical colleges students were fond of vigorous activities such as aerobics and swimming, whereas public medical colleges students were involved in moderate intensity activities such as walking and use of stairs ( p <0.0001). Private students reported to consume more fast food ( p =0.0001), had less sleep ( p =0.0001), but attended regular annual medical checkups ( p =0.009) as compared with their public institute counterparts. Safe practices such as avoidance of tobacco were almost the same. Conclusion: Comprehensive adherence to all dimensions of physical wellness was lacking among medical students.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish: The Analysis Of The Specter Cell Cycle Mutant In Zebrafish, Tetiana Petrachkova

Masters Theses

Cell division is controlled by genes that regulate the cell cycle. Here we show that the zebrafish specter (spr) mutant is mutation in the cyclin B1 gene, a gene necessary for the G2 to M transition of the cell cycle.

The spr mutation mapped to the cyclin B1 gene. Sequencing showed a transition (C139→T) that caused a nonsense mutation in exon 2 of the cyclin B1 gene. In situ hybridization of cyclin B1 revealed that the mRNA is absent in the mutant embryo by gastrulation. We found that the earliest visible mutant phenotype was a darkening of the head caused …

Computer Simulations Of Propulsion Of Self-Propelled Flexible Nanobody, Ye Luo

Masters Theses

Swimming bodies such as flagellum and fishes are found everywhere in liquid environment. The research of simulation of swimmers is one of the most important branches among the field of biophysics. This study focus on the direct computer simulation of self-propelled flexible nanobody in fluid field. Two new objectives is studied based on the previous research of Tai-hsien Wu and Dewei ai (2014)[1]. ln Wu's article, the front end of micro swimming body is fixed and the migration of swimmers is neglected. For a further study, one of new targets is to release the head in 3-D simulation fluid area. …

Effects Of Altering Motivation In Pigeons Performing A Titrating-Delayed-Matching-To-Sample Task, Zachary J. Zimmermann

Masters Theses

In order to better understand the role motivating operations (MOs) serve in preceding and evoking behavior, it is useful to examine the effects of whether manipulating motivation can influence performance on tasks with known behavioral outcomes. It is well established that altered stimulus control is responsible for changes in responding on tasks of generalization and discrimination. Therefore, if stimulus control could be influenced by MOs, then perhaps stimulus discriminations could be improved by manipulating the relevant MO. To this end, the effects of altering motivation via food deprivation were examined in pigeons using a titrating-delayed-matching-to-sample task. Additional pharmacological variables (i.e., …

Microbial Community Analysis From Petroleum-Contaminated Sediments With High Magnetic Susceptibility, Anja E. Williams

Masters Theses

Microbial biodegradation is an increasingly incorporated method of hydrocarbon mineralization during oil spill cleanup. To monitor biodegradation, magnetic susceptibility (MS) is a geophysical tool that detects changes in sediments’ magnetism, possibly caused by microbial activity, for example by anaerobic iron reduction that can induce magnetite formation. Furthermore, the high input of carbon from an oil spill makes other required nutrients, like nitrogen, limiting. The first study goal was to characterize the microbial communities present at high levels of MS with 16S rRNA gene clone libraries at the petroleum-contaminated site in Bemidji, Minnesota. Sequences with high similarity to known iron-reducers were …

The Quality Of Residential Parent-Child Relationships And Its Impact On Stepfamily Experiences, Megan Urick, Gordon E. Limb

Faculty Publications

This study sought to understand the effect that residential biological parent-child relationship has on retrospective accounts of overall stepfamily experiences. Using data from the Stepfamily Experiences Project (STEP), a nationally-based quota sample, retrospective accounts of 1,593 emerging adults’ stepfamily experiences were analyzed. Results indicated that a higher quality residential biological parent-child relationship was positively and significantly correlated with a higher quality stepfamily experience. Clinicians and other social scientists need to be aware of the importance of strengthening the parent-child relationship when providing services and interventions for stepfamilies.

How Can We Accurately Measure Whether Students Are Gaining Relevant Outcomes In Higher Education?, Tatiana Melguizo, Gema Zamarro, Tatiana Velasco, Fabio Sanchez

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The main objective of this study is to empirically test a number of theory-based models (i.e. fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE), and aggregated residuals (AR)) to measure both, the generic knowledge as well as the degree attainment rates and early labor outcomes, gained by students in different programs and institutions in higher education. There are four main findings: First, the results of the paper confirm the need of using models that address the issue of student selection into programs and institutions in order to avoid biased estimates. Second, our findings provide suggestive evidence in favor of using FE models. …

Vitamin D As An Adjunctive Therapy In Asthma. Part 1: A Review Of Potential Mechanisms, Conor Kerley, Basil Elnazir, John Faul, Liam Cormican

Articles

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent worldwide. The classical role for vitamin D is to regulate calcium absorption form the gastrointestinal tract and influence bone health. Recently vitamin D receptors and vitamin D metabolic enzymes have been discovered in numerous sites systemically supporting diverse extra-skeletal roles of vitamin D, for example in asthmatic disease. Further, VDD and asthma share several common risk factors including high latitude, winter season, industrialization, poor diet, obesity, and dark skin pigmentation. Vitamin D has been demonstrated to possess potent immunomodulatory effects, including effects on T cells and B cells as well as increasing production …

Anti-Spoofing Using Challenge-Response User Interaction, Alia Mahmoud Khaled Saad

Theses and Dissertations

2D facial identification has attracted a great amount of attention over the past years, due to its several advantages including practicality and simple requirements. However, without its capability to recognize a real user from an impersonator, face identification system becomes ineffective and vulnerable to spoof attacks. With the great evolution of smart portable devices, more advanced sorts of attacks have been developed, especially the replayed videos spoofing attempts that are becoming more difficult to recognize. Consequently, several studies have investigated the types of vulnerabilities a face biometric system might encounter and proposed various successful anti-spoofing algorithms. Unlike spoofing detection for …

Meta-Analysis Of Microarray Data To Assess Gender Biased Differential Gene Expression In Hepatic Tissue, Amira Salah Eldin Mahmoud Elbakry

Theses and Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second deadliest cancer globally, and with an estimated 782,000 new cases in 2012, it is the fifth most common cancer in men and ninth in women. HCC is of particular concern in Egypt because of the high prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Due to its poor prognosis, HCC is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Egypt. A gender disparity is observed in liver cancer cases, with higher prevalence in men by three to five fold. This sex bias is even more pronounced in mouse models of HCC, which was found to be sex …

Non-Edible Women: The Question Of Marriage In Mid-20th Century Feminist Thought Through The Lens Of Atwood And Soueif, Asmaa Abdallah

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between fiction and theory by examining how authors Margaret Atwood and Ahdaf Soueif interact with second-wave feminist discourse in the four works: The Edible Woman, Cat’s Eye, Aisha and In the Eye of the Sun. The two authors, who seem to have different backgrounds and are writing about different contexts, engage in their exploration of the institution of marriage and the conditions of women in society by responding to contact with the works of Anglo-American feminists Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer who call for reforming domestic politics as a means for social change. Improving the …

Physiological Strategies During Animal Diapause: Lessons From Brine Shrimp And Annual Killifish., Jason E. Podrabsky, Steven C. Hand

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Diapause is a programmed state of developmental arrest that typically occurs as part of the natural developmental progression of organisms that inhabit seasonal environments. The brine shrimp Artemia franciscana and annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus share strikingly similar life histories that include embryonic diapause as a means to synchronize the growth and reproduction phases of their life history to favorable environmental conditions. In both species, respiration rate is severely depressed during diapause and thus alterations in mitochondrial physiology are a key component of the suite of characters associated with cessation of development. Here, we use these two species to illustrate the …

Design Optimization Of Gas-To-Liquid Biosludge Management Systems, Rana Mostafa

Theses and Dissertations

Biosludge is a solid waste byproduct of wastewater treatment. The biosludge treatment and management system represents an independent treatment stream in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The system includes several treatment units that may occupy a large part of the wastewater treatment plant and significantly adds to its capital and running cost. The re-use of the processed biosludge or its disposal affects how it is treated and managed. The optimum management system of biosludge varies according to the type of wastewater generating the biosludge, applicable environmental legislations as well as site and climate conditions. Designing an optimum management system for …

The Business Of Rescue -- Uncovering The Relationship Between Immigration Policy And The Rescue Industry., Diya Ray

Theses and Dissertations

The global movement of women has created a panic across borders in the 21st century, when it is suspected that they have been forced against their will to engage in sex work, which has manifested in the formation of what has come to be called the Rescue Industry (Augustin, 2007). Governmental agencies and efforts have been directed at 'rescuing' victims of trafficking from an assumption of coercion, force and victimhood. However, a closer look at the profiling of these individuals, the process of victim construction and the problematization of trafficking being equated to prostitution reveals that a significant number of …

The Impact Of Political Developments On Personal Status Law Reforms In Egypt, Mona Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Personal status law reforms do not only manage relationships within the household, but they are also important political tools that the state has used to serve its interests. However, most of the covered studies on law and gender in Egypt deal with the state as if it is a clear term and a homogenous entity, which is not the matter as several theoretical studies on state show. Therefore, the main research question of this thesis grows out of this conceptual problematic, and it focuses on determining the main state actors that shaped personal status law reforms in Egypt, and the …

Heterogeneous Lte/ Wi-Fi Architecture For Intelligent Transportation Systems, Noha Sadek

Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) make use of advanced technologies to enhance road safety and improve traffic efficiency. It is anticipated that ITS will play a vital future role in improving traffic efficiency, safety, comfort and emissions. In order to assist the passengers to travel safely, efficiently and conveniently, several application requirements have to be met simultaneously. In addition to the delivery of regular traffic and safety information, vehicular networks have been recently required to support infotainment services. Previous vehicular network designs and architectures do not satisfy this increasing traffic demand as they are setup for either voice or data traffic, …

Responding To Non-Stereotypical Material: A Case Study In Egypt, Amira Rashad

Theses and Dissertations

Examining the effect of exposing young children to non-stereotypical material has received an increasing amount of attention. Researchers investigated how the different sources of media that young children are exposed to affect their perceptions of gender roles and gender-related characteristics. Researchers in the Arab countries have started calling for enhancing females’ representation in children’s fiction. However, little research has been conducted with the aim of investigating how young children in the Arab countries would respond to non-stereotypical material The study examines how eight-year-old Egyptian children perceive gender roles and what kind of characteristics they employ when describing males and females. …

Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology: Foundations In Scripture, Theology, History, And Praxis (Book Review), Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Introducing Evangelical Ecotheology: Foundations in Scripture, Theology, History, and Praxis by Daniel L. Brunner, Jennifer L. Butler, and A. J. Swoboda. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014. 262 pp, ISBN: 9780801049651.

Optimum Design Of Rc Affordable Housing, Amr Mostafa Hussein Fathy

Theses and Dissertations

Efforts have been made to minimize the cost of affordable housing through modular construction, prefabrication, economies of scale and low cost materials. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the integration of the varying sizes of the units with design optimization to mutually benefit developers and potential residents of affordable homes. This research introduces an optimization model to integrate optimization with ranges of units' dimensions. The model proposed exploits the variations in the reinforced concrete cost versus area through applying several scenarios. Available options are tailored to optimize the reinforced concrete floor cost of housing units through varying …

Effect Of Building Materials On Indoor Air Quality In Residential Buildings In Egypt: A Pre Occupancy Assessment, Dalia Wagdi

Theses and Dissertations

Materials selection and construction practices significantly affect Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ). While there are many individual studies on the effect of building materials on thermal comfort, day lighting, and other factors of IEQ, further investigations are needed to study their effect on the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in hot arid climates, such as Egypt. Construction materials contribute to the emission of air pollutants in indoor environments; consequently occupants are exposed to multiple pollutants simultaneously as an apparent interaction between the different types of construction materials and room temperature. Limited information is published on specific standards and guidelines for the IAQ …

The Coverage Of Children’S Issues In Egyptian Newspapers, Eman Mohamed Serag

Theses and Dissertations

This research is about analyzing a sample of the Egyptian newspaper’s coverage on issues related to children in order to determine the dominant subjects, images, and sources used to cover news/articles about or related to children. The purpose of the content analysis research is to give advocates a thorough grounding in the way children’s issues are being portrayed in the news. It is important to understand the current representation of the issues related to children in the Egyptian newspapers, to enhance childhood coverage in the future. Frames used in presenting news/articles and images used in portraying children, were discussed by …

A Pill, A Cup Of Tea, And A Cigarette: Male Body In Egypt At The Age Of Viagra, Youssef Ramez Boktor

Theses and Dissertations

From disciplined self to ‘Viagra-self’ is a transition that men experience in the ‘age of Viagra’. My field work looks at how chemically enhanced sexual performance has been normalized in a specific way that signifies the deliberate control over human’s sexual performance. How the sexual relationship - in a specific socio-cultural context - becomes the most available path to seek happiness ‘inbesat’, in low priced form. The ‘Viagra-self’ learns how to invest in parts of the body in order to perform, to experience how the chemically enhanced body can proclaims control and time (sexual) performance. The Viagra-self, in the era …

The Paradox Of Masculinity In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Howayda Elenany

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the ambivalent definition of manhood in Shakespeare's Macbeth. It explores the normative cultural constructions of masculinity carried forth from ancient times to the Renaissance to situate the character of Macbeth in the realm of heroic masculinity. By applying the framework of Freud's psychoanalytic theory, particularly in its interpretation of gender and the role of the unconscious, Shakespeare's male hero's struggle to establish, maintain and defend his masculinity becomes comprehensible. The societal and cultural expectations that define masculinity appear at odds not only with the world of the play, but with the world in general. Culture and society …

Fabrication Of Garlic Composites Nano-Biotics And Investigating Their Anti-Bacterial Activities, Sherif Ashraf Saad Fahmy

Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial infections are considered the second main cause of death worldwide and the third main cause of death in the developed countries and as a result, many antibacterial coatings have been prepared in order to fight the different strains of bacteria and decrease the mortality rates. Natural antibacterial products become of great interest nowadays and their use is preferred over the synthetic products in order to overcome the resistance to the synthetic antibiotics. A wide variety of antibacterial coatings have been developed ranging from polymeric to polymer Nano-composites (PNCs) materials. Using nanomaterials as fillers within polymer matrices have been reported …

Ti-Based Functional Nanoarchitectures For Enhanced Drug Eluting Stents, Yomna Emad Saleh

Theses and Dissertations

Ischemic events associated with coronary heart diseases (CHD) are the leading cause of death worldwide for both genders. They are directly associated with restricted blood flow caused by accumulation of atherosclerotic plaque in vessel’s lumen. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), including stent deployment, is currently considered as the dominant procedure for mechanically recovering myocardial perfusion to avoid lethal ischemic events. As vascular prosthesis, coronary stents suffer from two major and common complications; thrombosis and restenosis. Thrombosis is linked with insufficient migration of endothelial cells (EC) and proliferation at site of tissue injury. Restenosis is caused by unwanted proliferation of underlying vascular …

Development And Characterization Of Biodegradable Biorenewable Polymeric Nanocomposites For Food Packaging Applications, Samar Mohamed Ahmed Fadl

Theses and Dissertations

During the last 10 decades, plastic products have dominated humans’ lives with various applications in different fields, and particularly in food packaging industry. The fact that plastics do have numerous desirable characteristics does not conceal their detrimental effect on the environment and on human health. In order to overcome these problematic issues and to contribute to sustainable development in the future, other alternatives represented in employing biorenewable biodegradable polymers are implemented for plastics production. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most common employed biopolymer owing to its interesting characteristics. However, PLA exhibits poor mechanical and barrier properties. Natural …

Determination Of Flame Retardants And Poly- And Perfluoroalkyl Substances In Indoor Dust In Greater Cairo: Assessment Of Human Exposure., Yasmeen Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis dissertation examines the presence and exposure of two classes of compounds; polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs). Both classes are considered persistent organic pollutants as they are toxic, bio-accumulative and have a high susceptibility to be environmentally dispersed. The PBDEs are typically used as protective agents on household appliances and furniture to retard the startup of fires; PFCs on the other hand are used as oil and water repellants. Few studies have investigated the presence of polybrominated diphnely ethers (PBDEs), novel flame retardants (FRs / non-PBDEs) and poly- and perfluoroalkyl compounds in Africa and the Middle …