Digital Commons Network^™

Altered Levels Of Sox2, And Its Associated Protein Musashi2, Disrupt Critical Cell Functions In Cancer And Embryonic Stem Cells, Erin L. Wuebben

Theses & Dissertations

The transcription factor SOX2 is widely recognized for its critical roles during mammalian embryogenesis. SOX2 has also been examined in cancer; and it has been implicated in the growth, tumorigenicity, drug resistance, or metastasis of over 20 different cancers, including cancers of the brain and pancreas. Thus, we hypothesized that SOX2 is a major player in cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target; however, the effects of SOX2 on the many facets of human cancer have only begun to be explored. Recently, efforts to understand the mechanisms by which SOX2 mediates its effects have explored SOX2 protein-protein interaction landscapes …

The Functions Of The Cid And Lrg Operons In S. Aureus Programmed Cell Death, Xinyan Zhang

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus cid/lrg operons regulate the formation of S.aureus biofilm formation and programmed cell death based on previous in vivo work done in Dr. Bayles's lab. cid operon, which encodes CidA/CidB/CidC proteins, has been shown to be an effector in leading to the lysis and death of the S.aureus; While lrg operon, encoding LrgA and LrgB proteins, is an inhibitor of the lysis and death. Recent studies suggest that CidA behaves like holin proteins from bacterial phage, by increasing the murein hydrolysis activity under aerobic culturing conditions. LrgA, together with LrgB, appears to inhibit this function. …

Pancreatic Cancer Invasion Of The Lymphatic Vasculature And Contributions Of The Tumor Microenvironment: Roles For E-Selectin And Cxcr4, Maria M. Steele

Theses & Dissertations

As the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancers in the United States. Lymphatic vessel invasion and subsequent metastasis to the lymph nodes are early and significant events observed during pancreatic cancer progression and are used to determine patient prognosis and therapy selection. Although clinicians and researchers recognize the importance of lymph node involvement for patient prognosis and therapy selection, the biological mechanisms that govern lymphatic invasion and metastasis and the contributions of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment to these processes remain poorly understood. In this dissertation, we characterize the interactions …

Motor Control In Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis, David Arpin

Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explored motor control in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) by quantifying the behavioral and neurophysiological deficits present in these individuals. We behaviorally quantified the precision of the ankle plantarflexor musculature of individuals with MS. Our results indicated that the individuals with MS had a greater amount of variability in the precision of the isometric ankle torques, and that this greater variability was related to decreased walking performance. To further explore whether these motor control deficits were due to aberrant cortical activity associated with planning motor actions, we used magnetoencephalography to assess the motor planning and execution stages of …

Role Of Cbl-Family Ubiquitin Ligases As Critical Negative Regulators Of T Cell Activation And Functions, Benjamin Goetz

Theses & Dissertations

Adaptive T cell immunity is essential for defense against foreign antigens and immune surveillance against cancer. Tight regulation of T cell activation is required to avoid autoimmunity to self-antigens or protracted inflammation after foreign antigens are cleared. Incomplete or inappropriate stimulation leads to an active shutdown of T cell activation called anergy. The Casitas B-lineage Lymphoma (CBL)-family of ubiquitin ligases (E3s) are essential negative regulators of T cell activation that impinge on thymic selection as well as anergy induction programs. Single gene studies show that CBL is critical during T cell development while CBL-B plays an essential role in peripheral …

Mitogen And Morphogen Signaling Dysregulation: Pathophysiological Influence In Pancreatic Cancer And Alzheimer’S Disease, Eric Cruz

Theses & Dissertations

Although the etiology of a particular disease will vary, there are genetic and epigenetic bottlenecks that frequently converge resulting in dysregulation of mitogenic and morphogenetic signaling. This propensity is acutely experienced in malignancy and neurodegenerative disease.

Here, we have first investigated the role of dysregulated signaling in the context of pancreatic cancer (PC). Morphogenetic signaling has been regarded as a pleiotropic pathway with the potential to promote and inhibit metastatic features. Our investigation of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), an archetypical member of the BMP superfamily, has revealed the presence of extracellular, intracellular, and long non-coding RNA products. Our findings …

Numerical Computation Of Transient Response Of 2d Wedge Impact, Naresh Kumar Koyyapu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The diverse applications of advanced marine craft ascribed to their high speed and technological advancements has led to the use of stronger and lighter metals in such crafts. High speed, in effect also increases slamming loads as higher speed increases frequency of wave encounter while operating in waves. The present study is limited to wedge impact models. Fundamentally, the study is thus about two-dimensional (2D) wedge impact in water. In an attempt to predict the structural response to impact hydrodynamic force, a beam element based finite element (FE) computer program is written and the results of the code are presented …

Contesting Global Civil Society’S Legitimacy Claims: Evaluating International Non-Governmental Organizations (Ingos)’ Representation Of And Accountability To Beneficiaries, Cazadira Fediva Tamzil

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

The global civil society is often regarded as a progressive moral force that provides advocacy and protection of marginalized groups in the global political arena. Nevertheless, departing from the belief that civil society has great power and influence over global dynamics, it sees that the legitimacy claims they articulate and articulated by academics are essential to be evaluated, especially with regard to their representation and accountability groups and individual beneficiaries. This paper concludes that the claims of legitimacy of civil society are less justifiable, both normatively and empirically. From the normative point of view, claims for civil society representation are …

The Diary And Notes Of Marcus Christian As A Site Of Rhetorical Education, Entries 1924-1945, Nordette N. Adams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis asserts that Marcus Bruce Christian (1900-1976), a New Orleans, Louisiana, black poet, writer, and historian, used his diary and notes as a site of rhetorical education and as a space in which he constructed and reinforced a Duboisian ethos, a particular type of black identity and character shaped by the political rhetoric of W. E. B. Du Bois. Maintaining this ethos, Christian, an autodidact throughout most of his life, negotiated a society strangled by white supremacist ideology and resisted being interpellated into the negative black identity constructed by a hostile and stifling Jim Crow South.

Advocacy Coalition Formation, Mobilization, Sustainment, And Fragmentation: A Case Study Of The New Orleans Federal Alliance (Nofa) And The Federal City Project, Gerald J. Ormerod

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

U.S. military bases and installations represent trillions of dollars of capital investment towards the nation’s defense infrastructure. The Department of Defense, in its response to the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union in the 1980s, sought to reorganize and optimize this basing infrastructure to meet the emerging threats of the 21^st century. A series of nationwide Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) efforts were chartered by Congress to facilitate this task, identifying hundreds of obsolete or unneeded military installations. During the last BRAC effort in 2005, the Naval Support Activity New Orleans was targeted for closure, with …

Factors Affecting Algal Biomass Growth And Cell Wall Destruction, Alicia E. Simosa

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Research using microalgae Chlorella vulgaris was conducted in order to determine the maximum CO₂ concentration under which algae can grow, within the emission range from oil and natural gas burning plants (0-20%).

After choosing the optimal CO₂ percentage, pH and alkalinity were determined; and finally, an electrochemical (EC) batch reactor connected to DC current was applied to achieve algae cell annihilation, and therefore, facilitate anaerobic digestion, methane production and energy recovery.

It was determined that algae can grow under 20% CO_2, being 15% CO₂ the most effective (pH of 6.64 and alkalinity of 617.5 mg/L CaCO …

Territoriality And Spatial Structure In The Green Anole, Anolis Carolinensis, William D. Weber Jr.

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Anolis carolinensis has been a model organism for ecology and evolutionary biology since the seventies, yet there are still understudied aspects of their ecology. A five-year study has provided microsatellite genotypes to be used in building a pedigree and assess relatedness, enabling us to evaluate the spatial distribution of an urban population of A. carolinensis. Results indicate no correlation between a male’s size and the distance others keep from it; however, males belonging in the heavyweight morph are dictating the spatial distribution in this population. In addition, juvenile dispersal of male offspring and partial philopatry of female offspring are …

Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Student Perceptions Of Bullying Based On Family, School, And Media Influences, Decina H. Rodriguez

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Though many studies have been conducted on bullying and ways to prevent it, there is still little evidence that bullying has been reduced (Bauman, 2008). Since bullying behaviors have become prevalent, incidences of negative outcomes for students who are bullies and victims have increased, hence more discussion of the topic is taking place at school, home, and in the media (Bauman, 2008; Kaiser & Raminsky, 2001; Salmon, James, & Smith, 1998). This study proposes to learn how students make sense of these multiple messages. Through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith & Osborn, 2003), 8-10 year old students were interviewed …

Merrimack College Record, Merrimack College

Merrimack College Record

No abstract provided.

Doctoring Undercover: Updating The Educational Tradition Of Shadowing, Claire D. Clark

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Background: Premedical students are educated in basic biological and health sciences. As a complement to traditional premedical coursework, medical school applicants are encouraged to shadow practitioners, with the hope that observation will introduce students to the culture and practice of healthcare. Yet the shadowing experience varies widely across practitioners and institutions; resources that guide students’ critical reflection and structure the experience are scarce.

Development: A pilot experiential learning course, Doctoring Undercover: Shadowing and the Culture of Medicine, was developed to fill this gap. The course consisted of three parts: an introduction to medical culture through the disciplines of medical sociology, …

Electrical Power: Its Advent And Role In Revitalizing And Expanding New Orleans 1880-1915, John Schneller Iii

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

New Orleans in 1900 was an endangered city clinging to a narrow strip of relatively high ground along the lower Mississippi river. Frequent flooding occurred from the river in the spring and from the lake in the June to October hurricane season. No reliable source of drinking water and no systems for removal of sewerage and rain water existed. Disease mortality was very high especially from frequent outbreaks of yellow fever.

The fortuitous appearance of new alternating current (AC) technologies, emerging engineering specialties, and a more progressive form of governance willing to support and finance large scale engineering projects …

Minimizing The Inappropriate Use Of Physical Restraint, Shiela Marie C. Telmo

Master's Projects and Capstones

The aim of this project is to be able to improve patient safety by minimizing the inappropriate use of physical restraints from 45% to about 20% in the acute respiratory unit which caters to patients with acute respiratory issues, such as exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), patients with new or old tracheostomy, needing bipap, rigorous nebulizer treatment, and other respiratory-related devices, not to mention the multiple comorbidities that oftentimes very difficult to stabilize which makes the hospital stay longer than usual. The Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) as an educator and an outcome manager is an agent to empower …

Polymeric Nanocarriers For Delivery Of Small Molecules And Mirnas For The Treatment Of Liver Fibrosis And Pancreatic Cancer, Virender Kumar

Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to develop combination therapy of small molecules and miRNAs for treating liver fibrosis and pancreatic cancer. New amphiphilic biodegradable polymers capable of carrying small hydrophobic molecules and hydrophilic anionic nucleic acids were synthesized, characterized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo liver fibrosis and pancreatic cancer mouse models.

In Chapter 1, an overview of liver fibrosis, current treatments and the role of miRNAs in liver fibrosis as well as the design of their delivery systems is given. Further, a general introduction to pancreatic cancer and role of miRNAs in pancreatic cancer is given. In …

An Investigation Into The Origin, Composition, And Commercial Significance Of A Sedimentary Subsalt Formation: Keathley Canyon, Gulf Of Mexico, David Aaron Brassieur

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Sub-salt oil and gas formations in deep-water northern Gulf of Mexico are high priority targets. Advances in seismic processing allow for high-resolution, below-salt imaging. Understanding the modes of salt emplacement provide insight into sub-salt traps and potential drilling hazards.

A sub-salt sedimentary unit lies in the Keathley Canyon protraction. Autosutures created the transport-parallel lineaments of the upper surface of the unit. In addition, highly variable sediment aggradation rates created ramps, flats, and basal cutoffs along the base of the allochthon as salt and sediment competed for space. Seismic models identify modes of salt emplacement, salt/sediment interactions, and mechanisms responsible for …

Amino Acid Catabolism In Staphylococcus Aureus, Cortney Halsey

Theses & Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus must rapidly adapt to a variety of carbon and nitrogen sources during invasion of a host. Within a staphylococcal abscess, preferred carbon sources such as glucose are limiting, suggesting S. aureus survives through the catabolism of secondary carbon sources. S. aureus encodes pathways to catabolize multiple amino acids including those that generate pyruvate, 2-oxoglutarate, and oxaloacetate. To assess amino acid catabolism, S. aureus JE2 and mutants were grown in complete defined medium containing 18 amino acids but lacking glucose (CDM). A mutation in glutamate dehydrogenase (gudB), which generates 2-oxoglutarate from glutamate, abrogated growth in CDM suggesting …

911 Calls In Homicide Cases: What Does The Verbal Behavior Of The Caller Reveal?, Jon D. Cromer

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Each year, numerous 911 calls reporting a death or a serious injury that leads to death are received by emergency communications centers; many of these turn out to be related to a homicide. Interestingly, a small percentage of these calls are made by the perpetrator. These calls constitute the first available evidence in most homicide cases. They are recorded at times of great stress and are the first versions of what the callers purport to know. The ability to develop hypotheses about a caller’s truthfulness enhances the police response by objectively informing the process of formulating early investigative strategies. For …

Primer On Perspectives And Practices Of Trauma, Trevor P. Haase

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

A large majority of the general population has endured at least one traumatic event in their lifetime and many will seek counseling services to process and resolve the impact from the traumatic experience. Counselors and mental health providers will likely encounter trauma survivors in a high frequency in the majority of therapeutic settings. Practicum and internship level counselors are often not prepared for navigating the complexities that arise working with trauma survivors. This paper outlines the various perspectives and practices of the works of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Narrative Therapy, and Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These orientations were designed …

Improving Cal Nagpra: Honoring Native American Rights, Kim Turner

Master's Projects and Capstones

The California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Cal NAGPRA) became state law in 2001. Its purpose was to create a process whereby California tribes could seek to repatriate human remains and objects from their cultural heritage from museums and custodial institutions. Cal NAGPRA includes a number of shortcomings that have impeded the ability of tribes to successfully reclaim objects from their heritage. The ethical implications of museums retaining cultural objects and human remains, often confiscated from Native peoples or their tribal lands, has been a principal social justice topic of USF’s museum studies program. This capstone describes a …

The Political Economy Of Conflict In Liberia, Sierra Leone, And Côte D'Ivoire: Foreign Economic Intervention And The Spatial Distribution Of Violent Conflict, Sarai-Anne N. Ikenze

Master's Theses

Between 1989 and 2011, the three neighboring West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire each experienced at least one major civil conflict; and the combined devastation of the conflicts claimed over a million lives, generated millions of refugees, and crippled infrastructure in ways that continue to impact the development of the sub-region today. The occurrence of conflict in the three countries and the fact that they share borders has raised questions about whether the conflicts were caused by domestic factors or were the result of transborder processes of conflict diffusion. This paper will assess the causes of …

Input Parameters In Discrete Element Modeling, Seyedali Yousefi

Civil Engineering ETDs

The discrete element method (DEM) is employed to study complex behaviors of particulate media. Input parameters may greatly affect the response of DEM models and should therefore be selected carefully. Scaling techniques are employed to enlarge prohibitively small time-steps. To study these techniques, dimensionless input parameters were defined. Responses of models in the dimensionless scale were invariant with choice of density, elastic modulus, and characteristic length if the dimensionless parameters were kept constant. Hence, density scaling is equivalent to use of a higher strain-rate, and stiffness scaling results in a higher strain-rate and an elevated stress state in the dimensionless …

Pelvic And Breast Examination Skills Curricula In United States Medical Schools: A Survey Of Obstetrics And Gynecology Clerkship Directors., Lorraine Dugoff, Archana Pradhan, Petra Casey, John L. Dalrymple, Jodi F. Abbott, Samantha D. Buery-Joyner, Alice Chuang, Amie J. Cullimore, David A. Forstein, Brittany S== S. Hampton, Joseph M. Kaczmarczyk, Nadine T. Katz, Francis S. Nuthalapaty, Sarah M. Page-Ramsey, Abigail Wolf, Nancy A Hueppchen

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Learning to perform pelvic and breast examinations produces anxiety for many medical students. Clerkship directors have long sought strategies to help students become comfortable with the sensitive nature of these examinations. Incorporating standardized patients, simulation and gynecologic teaching associates (GTAs) are approaches gaining widespread use. However, there is a paucity of literature guiding optimal approach and timing. Our primary objective was to survey obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) clerkship directors regarding timing and methods for teaching and assessment of pelvic and breast examination skills in United States medical school curricula, and to assess clerkship director satisfaction with current educational strategies …

Pelvic And Breast Examination Skills Curricula In United States Medical Schools: A Survey Of Obstetrics And Gynecology Clerkship Directors, Lorraine Dugoff, Archana Pradhan, Petra Casey, John L Dalrymple, Jodi F Abbott, Samantha D Buery-Joyner, Alice Chuang, Amie J Cullimore, David A Forstein, Brittany S Hampton, Joseph M. Kaczmarczyk, Nadine T Katz, Francis S Nuthalapaty, Sarah M Page-Ramsey, Abigail Wolf, Nancy A Hueppchen

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: Learning to perform pelvic and breast examinations produces anxiety for many medical students. Clerkship directors have long sought strategies to help students become comfortable with the sensitive nature of these examinations. Incorporating standardized patients, simulation and gynecologic teaching associates (GTAs) are approaches gaining widespread use. However, there is a paucity of literature guiding optimal approach and timing. Our primary objective was to survey obstetrics and gynecology (Ob/Gyn) clerkship directors regarding timing and methods for teaching and assessment of pelvic and breast examination skills in United States medical school curricula, and to assess clerkship director satisfaction with current educational strategies …

Decolonial Interstice In Carnaval Montevideano: Murga As Hegemonic Dissent At The Tablado De Barrio, Paola García

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

Murga is a popular carnival genre in Montevideo, Uruguay. Carnival in Montevideo lasts 40 days in the summer months of January through March but is different from carnival celebrations in Argentina and Brazil. Carnival performances are competitive and occur in neighborhood stages (tablados de barrio) and private stages (tablados comerciales). A government body judges performances to determine a winning group from each of the five performance genres: Sociedad de Negros y Lubolos, Revista, Humorista, Parodista, and Murga. Murga is a musical and theatrical performance that utilizes satire to convey dissent towards quotidian occurrences of heteronormativity. Numerous communities outside of Montevideo …

Burnout In Radiation Therapy: Examining The Six Leading Influences, Gina C. Passmore

All Theses And Dissertations

Recent studies are highlighting the dangers of burnout amongst healthcare workers, including radiation therapists. Since burnout is associated with an increase in medical errors (Sanchez-Reilly, 2013), it affects both the well-being of the patient and patient satisfaction scores, which are important to a hospital’s reputation. Burnout has a positive correlation with job dissatisfaction and increased employee turnover, making it both a financial and quality issue. Organizations acknowledge that burnout leads to unhappy employees, and unhappy employees are less likely to be engaged in their work, thereby not producing the best “products” (Sehlen, 2009). By examining which components seem to be …

Design And Synthesis Of Next Generation Propargyl-Linked Antifolates, Eric Scocchera

Doctoral Dissertations

Antibiotic resistance is an ever-present problem that reduces the arsenal of antibiotics human’s possess to fight pathogenic infections. New generations of antibiotics are therefore always required. Recent history has seen few novel classes of antibiotics, instead structural modifications of previous classes are often the source of new antibiotics. Antifolates are a colloquial name given to various compound classes that are capable of inhibiting the bacterial production of folate or enzymes that require folate for proper cellular function. Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a crucial enzyme in this pathway, and is inhibited in bacteria only by trimethoprim (TMP). TMP is used clinically …