Digital Commons Network^™

Succination Impairs Protein Folding And Promotes Chop Stability In The Adipocyte During Diabetes, Allison Manuel

Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has been diagnosed in ~21 million people in the United States and is closely correlated with obesity, prompting the need for a detailed understanding of adipocyte metabolism in the development of diabetes. The intake of excess nutrients surpasses the energy requirements of the cell and leads to increased mitochondrial stress in the adipocyte. We have shown that this is associated with increased levels of the mitochondrial metabolite fumarate. Fumarate can react with cysteine thiol groups to form the chemical modification S-(2-succino)cysteine (2SC), also termed protein succination. Succination is significantly increased in the adipose tissue of type …

The Current Volume Summer 2017, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Cordycepin Induces Human Lung Cancer Cell Apoptosis By Inhibiting Nitric Oxide Mediated Erk/Slug Signaling Pathway, Jung-Hoo Hwang, Soo Kyung Park, Won Gyo Ko, Seong-Mun Kang, Da Bin Lee, Junho Bang, Byunghun Lee, Byung-Joo Park, Chung-Beum Wee, Dae Joon Kim

School of Medicine Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule and a component of the inflammatory cascade. Besides, it is also involved in tumorigenesis. Aberrant upregulation and activation of the ERK cascade by NO often leads to tumor cell development. However, the role of ERK inactivation induced by the negative regulation of NO during apoptosis is not completely understood. In this study, treatment of A549 and PC9 human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines with cordycepin led to a reduction in their viability. Analysis of the effect of cordycepin treatment on ERK/Slug signaling activity in the A549 cell line revealed that LPS-induced inflammatory microenvironments …

Ultimate Concern And Finitude: Schelling’S Philosophy Of Religion And Paul Tillich’S Systematic Theology, Michael Vater

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

This paper explores Paul Tillich’s use of the Friedrich Schelling’s philosophy in his explorations of the relevance of historical forms of Christian belief to contemporary culture, where human experience is marked by anxiety and guilt, and where the search for ultimate meanings seems to dead-end in meaninglessness. For Tillich as for Schelling, religion points to metaphysics. The only literal or nonsymbolic truth about God is that God is the affirmation of being over against the possibility of nonbeing, a divine Yes that is an overcoming of a prior No or self-inclusion. The ambiguity of existence as current human beings experience …

Building A Paradise? On The Quest For The Optimal Human Habitat, Anu Besson

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Do humans have a natural habitat? If yes, is it the original habitat of early hominids or the most optimal environment for today’s humans? Are these two the same thing and, if not, what does ‘optimal habitat’ mean? I examine the concept of the optimal habitat from four viewpoints: 1) paradise; 2) urban design based on environmental psychology; 3) favorite places; and 4) environment as an invitation for action. I conclude that an optimal habitat is not a collection of more or less fixed elements but an environment that can be experienced as a beneficial feedback loop based on and …

The Aesthetic Appreciation Of Animals In Zoological Parks, Marta Tafalla

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Can we appreciate in a serious and deep way the aesthetic qualities of wild species in exemplars held captive for exhibition in the artificial installations of a zoo? To answer this question I invoke theories concerning the aesthetic appreciation of nature propounded by Yuriko Saito and Allen Carlson. I then argue that zoos impose their story on animals, thereby preventing us from appreciating the animals on their own terms. I claim that captivity and its effects on the health, behavior, and appearance of animals make serious and deep appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of wild species impossible.

Developing A Low-Cost Force Treadmill Via Dynamic Modeling, Chih-Yuan Hong, Lan-Yuen Guo, Rong Song, Mark L. Nagurka, Jia-Li Sung, Chen-Wen Yen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

By incorporating force transducers into treadmills, force platform-instrumented treadmills (commonly called force treadmills) can collect large amounts of gait data and enable the ground reaction force (GRF) to be calculated. However, the high cost of force treadmills has limited their adoption. This paper proposes a low-cost force treadmill system with force sensors installed underneath a standard exercise treadmill. It identifies and compensates for the force transmission dynamics from the actual GRF applied on the treadmill track surface to the force transmitted to the force sensors underneath the treadmill body. This study also proposes a testing procedure to assess the GRF …

An Undergraduate Cell Biology Lab: Western Blotting To Detect Proteins From Drosophila Eye, Neha Gogia, Ankita Sarkar, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

We have developed an undergraduate laboratory to allow detection and localization of proteins in the compound eye of Drosophila melanogaster, a.k.a fruit fly. This lab was a part of the undergraduate curriculum of the cell biology laboratory course aimed to demonstrate the use of Western Blotting technique to study protein localization in the adult eye of Drosophila. Western blotting, a two-day laboratory exercise, can be used to detect the presence of proteins of interests from total protein isolated from a tissue. The first day involves isolation of proteins from the tissue and SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide) gel …

Real-Time Quantitative Pcr To Demonstrate Gene Expression In An Undergraduate Lab, Abijeet Singh Mehta, Amit Singh

Biology Faculty Publications

The objective of this teaching note is to develop a laboratory exercise, which allows students to get a hands-on experience of a molecular biology technique to analyze gene expression. The short duration of the biology laboratory for an undergraduate curriculum is the biggest challenge with the development of new labs. An important part of cell biology or molecular biology undergraduate curriculum is to study gene expression. There are many labs to study gene expression in qualitative manner. The commonly used reporter gene expression studies are primarily qualitative. However, there is no hands-on experience exercise to quantitatively determine gene expression. Therefore, …

Development Of An Educational Package Regarding Reproductive Environmental Health For Nurses And Patients, Donna Ammons Msn, Rn.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Objectives: To identify common behaviors, attitudes, and practices that expose pregnant women to indoor air pollutants. Design: A mixed method study was conducted. Setting: Data was collected from the South Georgia Outpatient Obstetrical Practice. Participants: Prenatal low-risk OB antepartum/ postpartum patients. Methods: Participants were selected through convenience sampling method and from the preliminary study that had measured the level of indoor air pollutants in the home. The participants completed phone interview that asked 12 open ended questions, which addressed the patient’s knowledge, practice and attitudes/behaviors about indoor air pollutants and their sources. Results: Twenty pregnant women were interviewed. 70% had …

The Social Brain, Alexandra Crampton

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Editors' Note: The economists' traditional and convenient concept of human beings as rational actors who pursue self-interest has by now been thoroughly amended, if not debunked. But how the complicating factors, including gender, culture, emotion, and cognitive distortions, actually work in our brains has been elusive until more recently. Lately, however, neuroscience has begun to make inroads toward a better understanding of many of these factors. This chapter describes one large piece of the puzzle: the evolution of human beings' brains as those of a highly interdependent, social species.

“My Lesbian Space Rock Show”: Representations Of Intersectional Identities In Steven Universe, Heather L. Clark

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research is based on a content analysis of the meaning making in Steven Universe cartoon fandom forum threads, media message board comments, and online reviews posted between November 2013 (the show’s initial air date) and November 2016. My analysis examines the fan negotiations of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class from an intersectional feminist perspective. Unlike other qualitative analyses of cartoons that focus on researcher analysis of media messages, this research focuses on meaning making and identity formation among fans. I found that Steven Universe provides fans with opportunities for meaning making and validation, especially underrepresented populations. Fans negotiate …

Achieving American Retirement Prosperity By Changing Americans' Thinking About Retirement, Peter H. Huang

Publications

There are many decisions that Americans have to make about retirement before, at, and after retirement. For example, Americans have to decide when to start saving for retirement, how much to save, how to invest those savings, when to retire, when to claim social security, and how to take required minimum distributions from 401(k) plans or Individual Retirement Accounts. Different things can go wrong at each of these decisions for different reasons. Many Americans, for various reasons, including insufficient energy, money, motivation, time, and understanding, do no retirement planning. Some Americans do some retirement planning, yet worry they are doing …

Multiple Maltreatment And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Exploring Cumulative Threats To Attachment Quality, James E. Barnett

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Child maltreatment is associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms across the lifespan. Maltreatment often co-occurs with other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as parental incarceration or substance use. Studies have examined child maltreatment and other ACEs mostly independently, and both variables have been linked to poor adult functioning, such as insecure attachments. However, research discerning the unique contributions of maltreatment versus ACEs in predicting developmental outcomes is limited. For example, it is unclear if these connections to adult functioning persist across both early and middle adulthood. Recent studies suggest that maltreatment and ACEs uniquely predicting socioemotional problems. However, other studies …

Hplc-Uv Quantitation Of Folate Synthesized By Rickettsia Endosymbiot Ixodes Pacificus (Reip), Junyan Chen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Ticks are the most important vector of many infectious diseases in the United States. Understanding the nature of the relationship between Rickettsia endosymbiont Ixodes pacificus (REIP) and Exudes pacificus will help develop strategies for the control of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a necessary vitamin for tick survival, and plays a central role in one-carbon metabolism in cells. Folate exist as a large family of structurally related forms that transfer one-carbon groups among biomolecules that are important to cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In Dr. Zheng’s lab, …

Immigration Exceptionalism, Pratheepan Gulasekaram, David S. Rubenstein

Publications

The Supreme Court's jurisprudence is littered with special immigration doctrines that depart from mainstream constitutional norms. This Article reconciles these doctrines of "immigration exceptionalism" across constitutional dimensions. Historically, courts and commentators have considered whether immigration warrants exceptional treatment as pertains to rights, federalism, or separation of powers-as if developments in each doctrinal setting can be siloed. This Article rejects that approach, beginning with its underlying premise. Using contemporary examples, we demonstrate how the Court's immigration doctrines dynamically interact with each other, and with politics, in ways that affect the whole system. This intervention provides a far more accurate rendering of …

Fathers And Feminism: The Case Against Genetic Entitlement, Jennifer S. Hendricks

Publications

This Article makes the case against a nascent consensus among feminist and other progressive scholars about men's parental rights. Most progressive proposals to reform parentage law focus on making it easier for men to assert parental rights, especially when they are not married to the mother of the child. These proposals may seek, for example, to require the state to make more extensive efforts to locate biological fathers, to require pregnant women to notify men of their impending paternity, or to require new mothers to give biological fathers access to infants.

These proposals disregard the mother's existing parental rights and …

Can Practicing Mindfulness Improve Lawyer Decision-Making, Ethics, And Leadership?, Peter H. Huang

Publications

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction, defines mindfulness as paying attention in a curious, deliberate, kind, and non-judgmental way to life as it unfolds each moment. Psychologist Ellen Langer defines mindfulness as a flexible state of mind actively engaging in the present, noticing new things, and being sensitive to context. Langer differentiates mindfulness from mindlessness, which she defines as acting based upon past behavior instead of the present and being stuck in a fixed, solitary perspective, oblivious to alternative multiple viewpoints. Something called mindfulness is currently very fashionable and has been so for some time now in American …

Sleep And Pain In Older Adults: The Role Of Negative And Positive Affect, Scott Ravyts

Theses and Dissertations

Poor sleep is known to contribute to increased levels of pain. Preliminary findings suggest that negative and positive affect may mediate this relationship. Given that older adults are prone to both sleep disturbance and pain, the main objectives of the present study were to: 1) examine the relationship between sleep and pain in a non-clinical pain sample of community-dwelling older adults and 2) to examine whether negative and positive affect mediate the relationship between sleep and pain. Baseline measures from 82 older adults participating in the Active Adult Mentoring Project (AAMP) were used for secondary data analysis. A daily sleep …

Aberrant Activation Of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signalling In Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma / Lee Hui Min, Hui Min Lee

Student Works (2010-2019)

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly metastatic disease arising from the epithelial cells in the nasopharynx that is exceptionally prevalent in Southeast Asia and Southern China. NPC is classified into keratinising and non-keratinising carcinoma in which non-keratinising NPC is consistently associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection; close to 100% of cases in endemic regions are EBV-associated. More than 70% of NPC patients present with late stage disease and existing treatment for advanced disease is limited to concurrent chemo-radiotherapy. Approximately 30% of these patients develop distant metastases post therapy and due to the location of tumours in close proximity to many …

Assessment Of Occupational Safety And Health Practices In Selected Laboratories At Sirim Bhd Shah Alam / Rabiatul Adawiyah Md Hasim, Md Hasim Rabiatul Adawiyah

Student Works (2010-2019)

This study was aimed to assess the occupational safety and health practices in laboratory in SIRIM Berhad Shah Alam by Observation, Interview and questionnaire surveys. There are two type laboratories involves in this research which are chemical and biology laboratories. The method use to determine the compliance was by using Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) procedure which make the identification, collection and analyze the parameter easier. Four laboratories has been selected which are (1) Applied Chemical Laboratory, (2) Analytical Biochemical Laboratory, (3) Microbial Isolation and Screening Laboratory and (4) Bacteriology Laboratory. Laboratory practise was reviewed and evaluated …

Development, Characterization And Anti-Cancer Activity Of Liposomal Doxorubicin Hydrochloride With Palm Oil / Bahareh Sabeti, Sabeti Bahareh

Student Works (2010-2019)

Doxorubicin hydrochloride is an anticancer medicine for treatment of various kind of cancer. Anticancer drugs are known to be highly toxic agent which may kill normal cells while inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. As drug molecules may not be able to distinguish among healthy organ’s cells and cancerous cells. Similar to other anticarcinoma medicine, doxorubicin causes many side effects such as cardiotoxicity, myelosuppression, hematologic toxicity, secondary leukemia, extravasations, hepatic Impairment, alopecia and fatigue. Several studies in field of drug delivery technology have been carried out in order to minimize side effects with enhancing therapeutic effect of doxorubicin. Liposomal drug …

Development Of A Lectin Binding Assay For Mucin-Type O-Glycosylated Serum Proteins: Identification Of Potential Biomarkers For Screening Of Breast Cancer / Lee Cheng Siang, Cheng Siang Lee

Student Works (2010-2019)

Mucin-type O-glycosylated proteins are known to be related to many pathological diseases, especially malignancy. Mucins such as CA 27.29, CA 125 and CA 19-9 have been actively used as biomarkers for cancer detection and monitoring. Complex biological samples like serum contain a myriad of proteins with vast concentration differences. The broad dynamic range of the proteins is likely to cause masking of the mucin-type O-glycosylated proteins which are of low abundances, and hence, their failure of being identified by any typical detection method. Further, a reliable detection assay is currently unavailable to measure total mucin-type O-glycosylated proteins of biological samples, …

National Law On Access To Genetic Resources And Benefit- Sharing: Impact On Food Security And Traditional Knowledge Associated With Genetic Resources / Gurdial Singh Nijar, Nijar Gurdial Singh

Student Works (2010-2019)

Food security for developing countries has been assured through the practice over millennia of farmers freely using and exchanging genetic resources for food and agriculture. Further, countries have been freely utilizing and exchanging such genetic resources. This establishes a high level of global inter-dependency for these resources. However, food security could well be threatened by international treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing of Genetic Resources arising for their Utilization which provide for countries to enact national laws or policies to regulate access to these resources.

Phytoestrogens, Bisphenol A And Steroid Hormones In Selected Human Samples From Malaysia / Rafidah Hod, Hod Rafidah

Student Works (2010-2019)

There are many endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that humans are exposed to, whether accidental or upon occupational exposure. EDCs disrupt the normal endocrine function and may cause endocrine related cancers such as prostate and breast cancer. Research has proven there are interaction effects between EDCs which can either be additive, synergistic or antagonistic. Therefore, with many possible EDCs present in one individual, the net effect could vary. A smaller group of EDCs known as oestrogenic EDCs can originate from natural sources or it can be synthetic in nature. These EDCs mainly produce effects related to the actions of oestrogen. Though …

Expression Of Braf, Egfr And Cd10 In Ameloblastoma: Their Potential Role In Local Tumour Invasiveness / Tan Chuey Chuan, Chuey Chuan Tan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Objectives: The aim of the present study is to investigate the expression of BRAF, EGFR and CD 10 in ameloblastoma and determine the impact of these pro-invasive biomarkers on the biological behavior of different ameloblastoma subsets. Methods: BRAF, EGFR and CD10 expression were examined with immunohistochemical techniques in 39 cases of paraffin-embedded ameloblastoma [19 unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) and 20 solid/multicystic ameloblastoma (SMA)]. Semi-quantitative score method was used to evaluate the immunoexpression which classified into pre-ameloblast-like cells (PA-cells), stellate reticulum-like cells (SR-like) and stromal cells (ST-cell) in ameloblastoma. The study was approved by the Medical Ethic Committee, Faculty of Dentistry, University …

Development Of Functionally Graded Dental Post Based On A Novel Silica-Coated Titanium Powder And Hydroxyapatite / Nur Farha Abdul Halim, Abdul Halim Nur Farha

Student Works (2010-2019)

Introduction: Biomedical-graded metallic compounds such as titanium, stainless steel, and their alloys are potential components for fabrication of load-bearing implants due to their favorable mechanical behavior. The facile chemical and surface modification of these compounds also allows alteration of various biological and physical properties according to their intended application. Purposes: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of surface modification of titanium (Ti) particles by a silica protective layer on the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite-titanium (HA-Ti) composites. The new type of fabrication and characterization functionally graded material (FGM) using hydroxyapatite (HA) and silica-coated titanium …

Genome Sequencing And In Silico Characterisation Of Cladosporium Sphaerospermum / Yew Su Mei, Su Mei Yew

Student Works (2010-2019)

Dematiaceous fungi are a taxonomically diverse group of heterogeneous fungi that are present in the environment. Although rare, many species in this group are known to cause diseases in humans and animals. In this study, a collection of 75 fungal isolates were recovered from various clinical specimens. They were identified through morphology and molecular methods using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based phylogenetic analysis. The complementation of the molecular approach enables the identification of 73 isolates at the species level. The most common species isolated were Cladosporium, Cochliobolus, and Neoscytalidium. Also, 16 isolates from the seven species identified have not been …

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia In Malaysian Paediatric Endocrine Tertiary Centre: A Review Of Cases And Growth Outcome / Nurmaira Hashim, Hashim Nurmaira

Student Works (2010-2019)

Introduction: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia(CAH) is a group of autosomal recessive disorder resulting in abnormality of cortisol aldosterone and/or testosterone synthesis. The worldwide incidence is between 1: 10000-20000. There are limited data on CAH children in Malaysia. We aim to describe the clinical phenotypes of CAH and growth outcome among children with CAH as well as other associated related complications. Methods: We reviewed 38 eligible patients' notes seen between 1982-2016. CAH was classified as classical [salt wasting(SW) or simple virilizing(SV)] or nonclasical(NCCAH). Enzyme diagnosis was made following clinical presentation of AG and SW with supportive biochemical parameters. This is confirmed with …

Fukushima Daiichi-Derived Radionuclides In The Ocean: Transport, Fate, And Impacts, Ken O. Buesseler, Minhan Dai, Michio Aoyama, Claudia R. Benítez-Nelson,, Sabine S. Charmasson, Kathryn A. Higley, Vladimir S. Maderich, Pere Masqué, Paul J. Morris, Deborah H. Oughton, John N. Smith

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The events that followed the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, included the loss of power and overheating at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants, which led to extensive releases of radioactive gases, volatiles, and liquids, particularly to the coastal ocean. The fate of these radionuclides depends in large part on their oceanic geochemistry, physical processes, and biological uptake. Whereas radioactivity on land can be resampled and its distribution mapped, releases to the marine environment are harder to characterize owing to variability in ocean currents and the general challenges of sampling at sea. Five years later, it is …