Digital Commons Network^™

Synaptotagmin C2b Ca2+-Binding Loops Impose Distinct Exocytosis Phenotypes, Michael W. Schmidtke

Wayne State University Theses

Regulated exocytosis from chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla plays a critical role in maintaining organismal homeostasis. In the absence of stress, these cells release physiologically relevant substances into the blood stream only in limited quantities, whereas stressful conditions result in a rapid deluge of signaling molecules used, for example, to increase heart rate and pain tolerance. Although the cellular mechanisms governing the switch from low-level to stress-induced secretion are not well understood, recent evidence has implicated the exocytotic Ca2+-sensing protein Synaptotagmin (Syt) in this role.

Two isoforms of Syt are expressed in chromaffin cells (Syt-1 and Syt-7), and each …

The Relation Between Parenting Daily Hassles And Child Behavior Problems Among Low-Income Families: Examining The Role Of Caregiver Positive Expressiveness, Shawna Tanner

Wayne State University Theses

Examined was the role of caregiver positive expressiveness (PE) in the relation between parenting stress and change in child adjustment from preschool to early elementary in a low-income sample. Participants included 133 caregiver-child dyads who participated in a laboratory task and completed measures on parenting daily hassles (PDH), depressive symptoms and child problem behaviors when children were in preschool; and 98 who returned when the children were in elementary. Observed caregiver PE was coded from a videotaped family drawing task. The moderated regression analysis did not support the hypothesis that caregiver PE was a protective factor, attenuating the relation between …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Benefit-Provisioning And Cost-Inflicting Mate Retention Tactics Through Relationship Outcomes, Tara Delecce

Wayne State University Dissertations

Mate retention has received much less research attention compared to mate choice and attraction. Even the research that has been done on mate retention often only aims to identify what constitutes as mate retention tactics. In the current studies, the effectiveness of mate retention strategies is explored by measuring relationship outcomes of tactics unlike previous research that measures effectiveness through perceptions of relationship satisfaction. In Study 1, individuals who have experienced a nonmarital breakup reported on their own and their ex-partners’ mate retention tactics before the breakup to see which ones predicted the outcome of relationship dissolution. Tests for moderation …

Design Of A Modular Endothelialized Platform For Vascularized Bone Regeneration, Kevin Barrett Miles

Wayne State University Dissertations

The gold standard for bone regeneration requires harvesting a piece of healthy bone from the patient through a painful procedure, but this piece of autologous bone graft contains the bone and endothelial cells required to rapidly regenerate bone in a defect. We have developed a modular bone regeneration platform, composed of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and hydroxyapatite (HAP) microgranules encapsulated in microcapsules, to replace autologous graft harvesting. The microcapsules are composed of a polyelectrolyte membrane formed by the ionic-complex reaction between chondroitin 4-sulfate (C4S) and chitosan. The specific aims of this thesis were to 1) examine the ability of C4S/HAP/chitosan …

The Narrative Of The Outsider: Marginalization In The Works Of María Luisa Bemberg, Lucrecia Martel, And Lucía Puenzo, Natalie Nagl

Wayne State University Dissertations

Through film and literature, my dissertation explores the representation of race, social class, and gender in the works of three Argentine directors. These social constructs have become so ingrained in interpersonal relations that there is rigidity in how they are considered. Therefore, those individuals who do not think and interact appropriately with the constructs occupy the outside. The possibility of marginalization adds another layer to the constructs by sensitizing them to the point that they affect the individual and their relationships (i.e. psychologically and socially). However, several representations, such as those that make up our corpus, challenge the definitions of …

Nonlinear Dynamic Studies Of Pattern-Forming And Biomedical Systems, Doaa Taha

Wayne State University Dissertations

Nonlinear phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and in almost every discipline of science. Various nonlinear dynamic theories are being developed to investigate a wide range of complex nonlinear systems. In this work, we study two types of nonlinear phenomena. The first type involves understanding and controlling the properties and dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) material systems. We develop a binary phase field crystal (PFC) model which simultaneously addresses diffusive dynamics of large-scale systems and resolves material microstructures, and apply the model to the study of two material systems. (1) We use this PFC model to investigate the self assembly of 2D …

Automated Feature Engineering For Deep Neural Networks With Genetic Programming, Jeff T. Heaton

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Feature engineering is a process that augments the feature vector of a machine learning model with calculated values that are designed to enhance the accuracy of a model’s predictions. Research has shown that the accuracy of models such as deep neural networks, support vector machines, and tree/forest-based algorithms sometimes benefit from feature engineering. Expressions that combine one or more of the original features usually create these engineered features. The choice of the exact structure of an engineered feature is dependent on the type of machine learning model in use. Previous research demonstrated that various model families benefit from different types …

Individualized Instruction As A Faculty Training Strategy For Technology Integration, Jennifer Merritt

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

It is inevitable that campus-based higher education will adopt some form of a hybrid learning approach. For schools and their faculty members, this means the acknowledgment and acceptance of these changes are required. Campus-based higher education faculty members wish to change how they teach courses due to societal demands to better suit the next generation of students. Initially, schools began offering new technology to faculty that wished to use the technology; however, over the years, due to the demands of competition with other schools and next generation, tech-savvy students entering academia, schools are starting to require the use of technology …

Life Mapping As A Means Of Redemptive Transformation: Change The Name And The Story Is About You, Noel A. Sherry

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explored the formation practice known as Life Mapping, on the hypothesis that it is a catalyst for varied forms of spiritual transformation, quickening, and awakening. Though there are clear antecedents in the Christian tradition, the practice was initiated when Saint Augustine explored the work of God in his life, recording that first spiritual autobiography in his classic theological and philosophical work Confessions. A “Life Map” is a contemporary term for a spiritual quest to make sense of one’s whole life. This researcher discovered the practice with mentors who guided him through a church crisis at midlife using a …

Using Fluorescence Lifetimes To Characterize Lipid Behavior In Nanodiscs, Cynthia Janku

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Cellular uptake of molecules, including drugs, can be affected by the fluidity of the membrane. Nanoparticles have been hypothesized to alter membrane fluidity resulting in inflammation and its related clinical effects. Variations in phospholipids can alter membrane structure and its interaction with drugs or nanoparticles. To study membrane lipid differences and dynamics, we are using nanodiscs and liposomes as model systems. Nanodiscs are a lipid bilayer surrounded by a membrane scaffold protein, which is a derivative of Apolipoprotein A1, a protein involved in the removal of cholesterol from the body. There are important unresolved questions about how the belt protein …

Cultural Considerations For Teaching American Indian Students, Corlin P. Reed

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

When working in American Indian communities, educators must be aware of the concerns unique to the populations of students they will serve. The diversity among American Indian tribes and other communities is such that few generalizations will be of much help for real interactions in the classroom and community. Each group or individual must be approached on their own terms, with respect and willingness to learn on the part of the educator. However, some aspects of social and communicational modalities, historical and cultural factors, and spiritual beliefs are common to many American Indian groups. Familiarity with these can help prevent …

Protecting Players While Protecting The Integrity Of The Game In Youth Soccer, Aspen Peifer

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Youth sports have been under severe scrutiny lately for the neurological damage coming to light after years of repeated head impact players endure. US Soccer has created somewhat controversial concussion regulations and protocols in the last couple of years to combat this criticism- such as not allowing players under the age of eleven to head the ball. Many coaches, however, believe these regulations could impair the game of soccer and the abilities of the players themselves. As a human biological sciences major as well as having played soccer for the last seventeen years, my project is centered around coalescing current …

Why Did The Walleye Cross The Reservoir? Explaining Adult Walleye Use Of The Missouri River Upstream Of Canyon Ferry Reservoir To Toston Dam, Tanner M. Traxler

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Over the last decade, walleye (Sander vitreus) have been increasingly using the Missouri River upstream of Canyon Ferry Reservoir to Toston Dam, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks wants to understand why these walleye are moving upstream and how it could impact the existing fish community in the river. To understand if this expansion of habitat could be associated with spawning and/or foraging, we examined the composition and distribution of juvenile fish in the area. Specifically, the presence of juvenile walleye would indicate that adult walleye were using the river to spawn and/or if there were abundant prey …

How Do Stream Confluences Influence Aquatic Invertebrate Taxonomic And Functional Diversity?, Jeremy Brooks

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Aquatic communities, species that live and interact with each other, each have a unique composition and function (i.e collection of decomposers, predators, and grazers). Broad ecological theory provides a variety of models that can predict communities and their functions across riverscapes. For example, the River Continuum Concept (RCC) explains general shifts in stream communities and their function along longitudinal (upstream to downstream) gradients, but it fails to consider the more narrow effects of tributaries and confluences. Conversely, dendritic stream networks theory helps explain the potential role of river confluences and how they connect communities, but fails to explain general longitudinal …

Satirical Perspectives: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, Mariah Johnson

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper proposes a cross-cultural examination of the societal satire of the countries of America and Soviet Russia by way of comparison of two satiric novels. Sinclair Lewis’s Babbitt satirizes the business values of capitalist America and the materialism perceived in an economic system based on the mass production and mass consumption of goods. Yurii Olesha’s Envy uses Babbitt in intertextual conversation to perform a similar critique of the Soviet Russian society and values of the same time period. Satiric theory provides a framework for understanding and relaying how each novel performs its parody of the respective society, while historical …

Raising Cultural Awareness In Undergraduate Students Through An Online Pen Pal Program, Jenny-Lin Smith, Mackenzie Lombardi, Rehana Asmi, Madison Hinrichs, Kayla Robertson, Lindsey Buck, Anna Reid

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

International written communication networks, such as pen pal programs, help spread cultural awareness by connecting people from around the world. Competent intercultural communication is the foundation for strong global partnerships. It encourages diversity, increases academic achievement, and gives individuals a competitive edge in the global workforce. This study examines changes in the cultural awareness of 50 U.S. undergraduate participants enrolled in an intercultural communication course at a northwestern university after they exchange private, online pen pal letters with 50 international partners from across the globe. The U.S. participants were divided into Group A (test-group) and Group B (control-group) and then …

Factors Influencing Mountain Lion Kill Rates Across Three Ecosystems In The Americas, Steven Cross

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Kill rate, defined as the number of prey killed per predator per unit time, is a key component to understanding predator-prey dynamics. A multitude of factors may affect kill rates, including, variation in age, sex, weight, or presence of offspring of either predator or prey species (intraspecific variation) and events such as the theft of a kill made by another animal (kleptoparasitism). These factors may influence the time a predator spends locating prey (search time) and the pursuing, killing, and consumption of prey (handling time). The sum of search time and handling time may be measured as the time between …

Too Young To Understand, But Old Enough To Know Better: Defining The Rights Of Transition-Age Youth In The Child Welfare System, Elizabeth Fordyce

Denver Law Review

No abstract provided.

U.S. Intervention In Syria: A Legal Responsibility To Protect, Daniela Abratt

Denver Law Review

No abstract provided.

Defining And Closing The Hydraulic Fracturing Governance Gap, Grace Heusner, Allison Sloto, Joshua Ulan Galperin

Denver Law Review

No abstract provided.

A New York Appellate Court Takes A First Swing At Chimpanzee Personhood: And Misses, Steven M. Wise

Denver Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Economic Development: Using Health Care As An Economic Driver, Public-Private Partnerships As A Platform To Further Development, And Minority Participation As A Path Forward In A More Diverse Mississippi, Tray Hairston

MC Law Review

Symposium: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Law: The Real World Effects of Law on Mississippi Business and Entrepreneurial Endeavors

Past Freeze-Thaw Events On Pinus Seeds Increase Seedling Herbivory, Brian M. Connolly, Peter W. Guiden, John L. Orrock

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Seed and seedling survival are key components of plant population persistence. Although freeze–thaw events are experienced by many dispersed seeds in temperate ecosystems, it is unclear whether freeze–thaw stresses experienced by seeds can alter seedling susceptibility to herbivores during the growing season. We evaluated how freezing stress (temperature at −6°C for 6 h) experienced by seeds of two conifer species (Pinus resinosa and Pinus strobus) affects seedling herbivory by a generalist herbivore (Spodoptera exigua). For both Pinus species, herbivores consumed twofold more seedling biomass from freeze–thaw-treated plants than seedlings from the constant temperature treatment. Herbivores grew …

Induced Defences In Plants Reduce Herbivory By Increasing Cannibalism, John L. Orrock, Brian M. Connolly, Anthony Kitchen

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Plants are attacked by myriad herbivores, and many plants exhibit anti-herbivore defences. We tested the hypothesis that induced defences benefit tomato plants by encouraging insects to eat other members of their species. We found that defences that promote cannibalism benefit tomatoes in two ways: cannibalism directly reduces herbivore abundance, and cannibals eat significantly less plant material. This previously unknown means of defence may alter plant-herbivore dynamics, plant evolution and pathogen transmission.

Re-Framing Biotechnology Regulation, Alison Peck

Law Faculty Scholarship

Biotechnology is about to spill the banks of federal regulation. New genetic engineering techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 promise revolutionary breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and public health-but those techniques would not be regulated under the terms of the Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. This revolutionary moment in biotechnology offers an opportunity to correct the flaws in the framework, which was hastily patched together at the advent of the technology. The framework has never captured all relevant technologies, has never satisfied the public that risk is being effectively managed, and has never been accessible to small companies and publicly-funded labs that increasingly …

Why Do Chemotherapeutic Drugs And Radiation Induce Cardiomyopathy And Cardiac Failure In Cancer Patients: Is This A Consequence Of Unrecognized Hypomagnesemia And Release Of Ceramides And Platelet-Activating Factor?, Burton M. Altura, Nilank C. Shah, Gatha J. Shah, Bella T. Altura

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Middletown) Publications and Research

The following is an excerpt from the text:

Almost four decades ago [13], two of us pointed out that there was a scattered number of clinical studies that were beginning to indicate that at least three of the chemotherapeutic drugs (i.e., cisplatin, vinbastine, and bleomycin) appeared to suggest that chemotherapeutic anticancer drugs may deplete the body of magnesium (Mg) [for references and review, see [1, 2, 3, 12]. Ever since we suggested the potential danger of these drugs to the heart and cardiovascular system[13], a growing body of evidence has borne-out these initial dangers to cancer patients [e.g., for reviews …

Why Is Cardiac Morbidity And Mortality Greater Around Christmas, New Year’S, Monday Mornings And In The Morning Hours: Potential Roles Of Unrecognized Ionized Hypomagnesemia And Release Of Ceramides?, Burton M. Altura, Joshua Burack, R. F. Tranbaugh, Z. Zisbrod, J. N. Cunningham, Nilank C. Shah, Bella T. Altura

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Middletown) Publications and Research

The following is the introduction to this article: There is a growing incidence of lethal cardiac events around Christmas, New Year’s and in the morning hours from 4:00 to 10:00 a.m. which is well-established in the USA and in The Southern Hemisphere [1-7]. In addition, many cardiac deaths often occur on Mondays with no satisfactory explanation [2,3]. Many of these deaths are, for the most part, unexplained and listed as “death from “natural causes”. Although in the USA, the deaths which occur around Christmas and New Years happen in the cold –winter months, this does not account for many cardiac …

Oral Health: The Need For Both Conventional Microbial And Molecular Characterization, Elisheva Friedman, Negin Alizadeh, Zvi G. Loewy

Touro College of Pharmacy (New York) Publications and Research

This study aims to consider the microbial distribution in oral disease, as well as gene analysis and expression, in elucidating: 1, the fundamental underpinnings of oral disease, and 2, the potential relationship between oral diseases and systemic health. A key focus is identifying the microbiota associated with oral disease manifestations characterized by both conventional microbiological and molecular methods. Variations in the observed microbial populations characterized by conventional and molecular approaches have been identified for caries, periodontitis, peri-implantitis, and stomatitis. The discovery of therapeutic approaches for oral disease will require comprehensive microbial and genomic analysis. This study evaluated the current state …

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Metabolic Syndrome And Pre-Diabetes In Adolescents In The Sierra Region Of Ecuador, Sharon L. Casapulla, Cheryl A. Howe, Gabriela Rosero Mora, Darlene Berryman, Mario J. Grijalva, Edgar W. Rojas, Jay H. Shubrook

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Osteopathic Medicine

Background: Excess weight (overweight and obesity) is the major modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other non-communicable diseases. However, excess weight may not be as predictive of diabetes risk as once thought. While excess weight and other obesity-related non-communicable diseases are of growing concern in low-middle income countries in Latin America, there is limited research on risk factors associated with T2DM in adolescents. This study investigated prevalence of overweight, obesity, prediabetes, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in adolescents in Ecuador.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 433 adolescents from two schools in a small …

Meta Analysis Of Human Alzgene Database: Benefits And Limitations Of Using C. Elegans For The Study Of Alzheimer's Disease And Co-Morbid Conditions, Behrad Vahdati Nia, Christine Kang, Michelle G. Tran, Deborah Lee, Shin Murakami

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC College of Osteopathic Medicine

Human genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and linkage studies have identified 695 genes associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the vast majority of which are associated with late-onset AD. Although orthologs of these AD genes have been studied in several model species, orthologs in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, remain incompletely identified, with orthologs to only 17 AD-related genes identified in the C. elegans database, WormBase. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive search for additional C. elegans orthologs of AD genes using well-established programs, including OrthoList, which utilizes four ontology prediction programs. We also validated 680 of the AD genes as a unique …