Digital Commons Network^™

Deciphering The Role Of Adrenergic Hormones In Embryonic Cardiac Calcium Signaling And Metabolism, Jessica Peoples

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adrenergic hormones norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) are critical regulators of mammalian cardiovascular physiology. NE and EPI mediate stress responses to enhance cardiovascular function, however dysregulation of adrenergic signaling leads to heart failure, congenital heart malformations, and sudden cardiac death. Adrenergic hormone-expressing cells were found in the early embryonic heart, and NE has been determined essential for embryonic cardiac development. Despite extensive work in adults, the regulatory roles and adrenergic targets of these hormones during embryonic cardiac development have not yet been fully determined. Prior transcriptomic studies from our lab showed that expression of signal transduction and metabolic genes …

Qualitative And Quantitative Elemental Composition Analysis Of The Surrounding Pollen Coating Via Icp-Ms, Brandy Voyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollen evidence has proven to be a powerful forensic tool to trace a suspect or item to a victim or a crime scene. This is possible because it is microscopic, abundant in nature, resistant to degradation and decay; it presents dispersal patterns that can be used to generate a 'fingerprint' within specific areas, and has illustrated a unique morphology that can be used to classify species. While the pollen grain morphology has been extensively used to characterize the specific species, not much has been investigated as pertains to the coating that surrounds the pollen grain aside from it being categorized …

Sanford, Debary Hall And The New South Movement In Central Florida, Sarah Thorncroft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The so-called New South movement coincided with national industrialization in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. In the New South, modernization focused on the development of small diversified farms, mills that processed cotton and tobacco, and small cities that connected the countryside to national markets and provided area residents with mass produced goods. Florida's experience and more specifically development around Lake Monroe in Central Florida complicates and expands our understanding of the New South. Located in what was considered a frontier area, Sanford on the south shore of the lake and DeBary Hall on the north shore illustrate the development …

Regulation Of Extra-Pituitary Prolactin In Monocytes And Macrophages, Richard Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently it has been shown that leukocytes are capable of producing prolactin (PRL). Evidence of extra-pituitary PRL (ePRL) production is so far been limited to primates and is not shared across other mammal species such as mice and rats. While ePRL is characterized as an identical protein to traditional pituitary PRL, it is controlled under an alternative promoter and is thus regulated differently from pituitary PRL. Little is known about what regulates ePRL or its direct role in human physiology, but given that PRL has well over 300 described functions, it is likely that the autocrine and paracrine effects of …

An Examination Of Beta Diversity Indices And Their Predictors In Two Large-Scale Systems, Philip Schroeder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is what conservation biology was developed to conserve. It is the physical manifestation of life as a concept and, be it for practical or idealistic reasons, all conservationists seek to protect or, in some cases, enhance it. Because of its monolithic importance to the field, much effort has been expended trying to better measure and understand it. Recently, greater attention has been paid to the partition of diversity; the observation that the total diversity of a system (γ) can be broken down into within-site diversity (α) and between-site diversity (β). In particular, it has been noticed that the β …

Effects Of Electronic Media Messages On The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Pedestrian Commuters Living In The Unincorporated Central Florida Community Of Conway, Daniel Stephens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban pedestrianism is increasingly perceived as a dangerous form of travel. While roadway design has been historically scaled to cars instead of people, planning professionals are now re-thinking their approach to make roads more inclusive for all travelers. Scholars, however, have learned harbored fear can trump behavior even under ideal travel conditions. Such fear can adversely impact perceived pedestrian self-efficacy, which is the self-generated internal assessment or belief in a traveler's agentive abilities to navigate the travel environment. The challenge thus becomes twofold: improve the built environment while bolstering traveler confidence. The following study, therefore, employed a qualitative phenomenological research …

Violence, Religion And Politics: The Late Republic And Augustan Age, Matthew Tuggle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religion in the Late Republic was fused to politics. This study considers the relationship between violence, religion, and politics in the Late Republic and Augustan Age. It contends that Roman religion could encourage or discourage violence based upon the circumstances. The strain of Roman expansion on its political and religious institutions contributed to the civil discord that characterized the Late Republic, which created circumstances that were flexible enough for perspectives on each side to see the violence as justified. The ambition of a tribune, a sacrosanct office, could lead to circumvention of the traditional practices of the Senate, causing a …

Characterization Of Neural Cells Derived From Reelin-Deficient Schizophrenic Patient Ips Cells, Nicole Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reelin is a large, extracellular glycoprotein that binds to several membrane receptors on neural stem cells (HNSCs), neural progenitor cells (NPCs), and neuroblasts of mammals to direct their migration. Previously, our lab established the presence of Reelin increased migration of wild-type fetal-derived HNSC's, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we demonstrated that Reelin protein treatment also increases the formation of radial glia via Notch-1 signaling, in vitro. Radial glia are precursors to NPCs, as well as a scaffold for neuroblast migration during cortical lamination. Reelin has long been associated with Schizophrenia (SZ). Because post-mortem brains are limited to …

Managing An Epidemic: Zika Interventions And Community Responses In Belize, Deven Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Implementing effective health interventions in recent epidemics has been difficult due to the potentially global nature of their spread and sociocultural dynamics, raising questions concerning how to develop culturally-appropriate preventive measures, and how these health threats are understood locally. In Belize, health policy makers have only been marginally effective in managing infections and mosquito vectors, and Zika has been declared endemic in multiple regions of the country, particularly on the island of Caye Caulker. With one locally confirmed case of microcephaly on this small island already, this disease has the potential to severely impact the health and wellness of pregnant …

Role Of Lipid Peroxide Derived Dicarboxylic Acids In Atherosclerotic Calcification, Aladdin Riad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, are the leading cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerotic lesions are formed by deposition of lipids in the intima of arteries. Upon exposure to oxidative stresses, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is converted to highly atherogenic oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) particles, contributing to disease development and progression. Advanced disease stages may result in calcification of lesions. This calcification process is important, as it has been shown to be associated with stable plaques that are less prone to rupture. Calcification is present in lipid rich domains of lesions, however neither the composition of the mineralized calcium deposits nor …

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Inhibit Doxorubicin-Induced Pyroptosis In Cell Culture Models, Zahra Tavakoli Dargani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a potent chemotherapeutic drug used for the treatment of various cancers. Unfortunately, its use is limited as Dox induces adverse cardiotoxicity (DIC) and muscle toxicity (DIMT), which are mediated through oxidative stress, ER stress, and inflammation. However, it remains unknown whether Dox induces an inflammation mediated cell death, called “pyroptosis”. The current study is designed to determine whether Dox induces pyroptosis in cardiac and muscle cell culture models. Moreover, the protective effects of embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes (ES-Exos) in inhibiting pyroptosis will also be determined. For this purpose, we designed two different cell culture models using H9c2 …

Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Student Perception Of Online Courses And Qualities That Lead To Course Completion., Jennifer Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold, to understand student perception of the supplemental online courses and improve the online learning program at ABC Online Learning School. The study focused on students in Grades 6 -12 who belonged to the ABC School District and enrolled ABC Online Learning School high school credit courses to supplement their education. Student participants were asked to complete the Student Survey of Online Course Design. The data retrieved from the survey was analyzed using the Spearman correlation to establish the strength of the relationship between student perception of quality online course design and the importance …

How Much Is Enough? Trauma Recall And The Exposure Therapy Process, Krystal Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prevailing theoretical models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as exposure therapy (EXP) methodology suggest that recall of a trauma is crucial to altering the conditioned fear response associated with PTSD (Benito & Walther, 2015; Craske et al., 2008; Foa & Kozak, 1986). However, it is unclear whether limited recall of the event impacts the EXP process and treatment outcomes. This study examined whether incomplete trauma recall affected pre-treatment PTSD severity, Initial Fear Activation (IFA), Overall Fear Activation (OFA), Within-Session Habituation (WSH), Between-Session Habituation (BSH; overall extinction), average length of EXP sessions, number of EXP sessions, and post-treatment PTSD …

Weathering The Storm: Effects Of Storm Periods On Ancient Populations Of Coastal Florida, Brett Parbus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding human response to natural disasters is a core problem for environmental archaeologists. Hurricanes are often devastating to coastal populations, and recognizing behavioral change in response to these major storm events provides context for the resilience and adaptability of ancient coastal people. This research project focuses on retrodicting periods of increased storm frequency and intensity for regions of the Florida coast and comparing those storm periods to the existing archaeological record in order to determine if there are correlations between increased storminess and periods of site abandonment and/or changes in subsistence strategy. These potential correlations may aid in our understanding …

Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding The Recent Zika Outbreak Among A Sample Of South Florida Residents, Mohamed Elakkari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Florida has had the largest number of U.S. Zika infection cases during the recent outbreak. This study aimed at assessing South Floridians' basic knowledge, perceptions of the seriousness and susceptibility to Zika infection, their information sources and needs, as well as their attitudes towards the protective measures proposed by the CDC. We also wanted to assess whether any of those factors have affected the frequency of participants' undertaking of the protective behaviors. To this end, we designed an online questionnaire and surveyed the responses of five hundred South Floridians (Age=18-78 years). We found significant gaps in participants' knowledge about …

Dissecting The Components Of Neuropathic Pain, Dale George

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a public health issue affecting the lives of nearly 116 million adults in the US, annually. Understanding the physiological and phenotypic changes that occur in response to painful stimuli is of tremendous clinical interest, but, the complexity of pain and the lack of a representative in vitro model hinders the development of new therapeutics. Pain stimuli are first perceived and transmitted by the neurons within the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) which become hyperexcitable under these conditions. It has now been established that satellite glial cells (SGCs) that ensheathe the DRG cell body actively contribute to this neuronal dysregulation. …

Coloration, Camouflage, And Sexual Dichromatism In The Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus Oreganus), Jefferson Brooks

All Master's Theses

In some viperid snakes, natural selection has shaped coloration and patterning to match local habitats, and for males to show greater warning coloration than females due to a less sedentary lifestyle. The Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is likely the most abundant ambush predator in eastern Washington, yet little is known about its color variation, how color patterns interact with their habitats, and if male and female snakes show differences in patterning or color. To explore how snake color might interact with the colors of their environment, I used standardized digital photography to record both snake and substrate coloration. …

Evaluation Of Anthelmintic Properties And Toxicity Of Pure Compounds Isolated From Dalea Spp (Plantae, Fabaceae), Victoria Lh Mcpherson

All Master's Theses

Infecting upwards of a billion people worldwide, hookworm is one of the most prevalent parasitic infections affecting the world today. Those infected experience hookworm disease, characterized by severe anemia, which can lead to malnutrition, low birth weights, and physical and mental impairments. Currently, the benzimidazoles albendazole and mebendazole are used as the primary treatment; however, resistance to these drugs is emerging. Due to this resistance, finding new anthelmintic compounds active against hookworm is a priority. Previously, a pure compound isolated from Dalea ornata was identified as having strong anthelmintic activity when used against the hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum. This project …

Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

In natural disasters and military deployment operations, injury to long bone can cause extensive damage and be difficult to treat and heal quickly. Explosive devices and trauma often produce long-bone (>2-cm length) wounds that are more complicated than common fractures. Due to the size and complexity of these injuries, they can be difficult to treat in a battlefield environment and take a long time to heal completely and properly. Even after the long healing period, these injuries often require rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles that have weakened in the wounded limb. For military applications especially, these effects can put …

Tarsier Goggles: A Virtual Reality Tool For Experiencing The Optics Of A Dark-Adapted Primate Visual System, Samuel Gochman, Dartmouth Applied Learning & Innovation Lab (Dali), Nathaniel Dominy

Dartmouth Scholarship

Tarsier Goggles is a virtual reality (VR) system that allows users to experience the world through the eyes of the tarsier, a small nocturnal primate with enormous eyes. It serves as a hands-on tool for engaging with scientific concepts in optics, perceptual science, and evolutionary biology. It also encourages users to think about their own perceptual systems and environments in comparison to those of the tarsier. The experience can be self-guided or part of a constructivist learning curriculum, and it allows users to toggle between human and tarsier visions. Tarsier Goggles was built in Unity3D with SteamVR for the HTC …

Atypical Leptospirosis: An Overlooked Cause Of Aseptic Meningitis, Bhavini Kar, Bhavya Bahl, Parekha Yedla, K Ivey

UAB Huntsville Research Day - All Presentations

2018 clinical vignette poster

How Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Recognize Facial Expressions Displayed By A Rear-Projection Humanoid Robot, Farzaneh Askari, Huanghao Feng, Anibal Gutierrez, Timothy Sweeny, Mohammad H. Mahoor

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Graduate Student Scholarship

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience reduced ability to perceive crucial nonverbal communication cues such as eye gaze, gestures, and facial expressions. Recent studies suggest that social robots can be used as effective tools to improve communication and social skills in children with ASD. One explanation has been put forward by several studies that children with ASD feel more contented and motivated in systemized and predictable environment, like interacting with robots.

Objectives: There have been few research studies evaluating how children with ASD perceive facial expression in humanoid robots but no research evaluating facial expression perception …

A Pilot Study On Facial Expression Recognition Ability Of Autistic Children Using Ryan, A Rear-Projected Humanoid Robot, Farzaneh Askari, Huanghao Feng, Timothy D. Sweeny, Mohammad H. Mahoor

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Graduate Student Scholarship

Rear-projected robots use computer graphics technology to create facial animations and project them on a mask to show the robot’s facial cues and expressions. These types of robots are becoming commercially available, though more research is required to understand how they can be effectively used as a socially assistive robotic agent. This paper presents the results of a pilot study on comparing the facial expression recognition abilities of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with typically developing (TD) children using a rear-projected humanoid robot called Ryan. Six children with ASD and six TD children participated in this research, where Ryan …

Heat Shock Proteins As Modulators And Therapeutic Targets Of Chronic Disease: An Integrated Perspective, Adrienne L. Edkins, John T. Price, A Graham Pockley, Gregory L. Blatch

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Many heat shock proteins (HSPs) are essential to survival as a consequence of their role as molecular chaperones, and play a critical role in maintaining cellular proteostasis by integrating the fundamental processes of protein folding and degradation. HSPs are arguably among the most prominent classes of proteins that have been broadly linked to many human disorders, with changes in their expression profile and/or intracellular/extracellular location now being described as contributing to the pathogenesis of a number of different diseases. Although the concept was initially controversial, it is now widely accepted that HSPs have additional biological functions over and above their …

Mechanical Suppression Of Osteolytic Bone Metastases In Advanced Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomised Controlled Study Protocol Evaluating Safety, Feasibility And Preliminary Efficacy Of Exercise As A Targeted Medicine, Nicolas H. Hart, Daniel A. Galvao, Christobel Saunders, Dennis R. Taaffe, Kynan T. Feeney, Nigel A. Spry, Daphne Tsoi, Hilary Martin, Raphael Chee, Tim Clay, Andrew D. Redfern, Robert U. Newton

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Skeletal metastases present a major challenge for clinicians, representing an advanced and typically incurable stage of cancer. Bone is also the most common location for metastatic breast carcinoma, with skeletal lesions identified in over 80% of patients with advanced breast cancer. Preclinical models have demonstrated the ability of mechanical stimulation to suppress tumour formation and promote skeletal preservation at bone sites with osteolytic lesions, generating modulatory interference of tumour-driven bone remodelling. Preclinical studies have also demonstrated anti-cancer effects through exercise by minimising tumour hypoxia, normalising tumour vasculature and increasing tumoural blood perfusion. This study proposes to explore the promising …

A Fresh Start To Bankruptcy Exemptions, Gary E. Sullivan

Articles

Bankruptcy has broadly failed to deliver "fresh starts" to debtors Too often debtors return to states of financial distress following bankruptcy Although bankruptcy delivers a clean slate through the discharge of debts the efficacy of a fresh start depends on a second factor property exemptions While discharge frees a debtor from her existing debts property exemptions determine what property the debtor retains upon exiting bankruptcy For many debtors insufficient and suboptimal property exemption laws undermine fresh starts In fact under current bankruptcy law each state can reject federal bankruptcy exemptions by opting out Bankrupt debtors in "optout" states are forced …

Crosby V. Twitter, Eastern District Of Michigan

Historical and Topical Legal Documents

No abstract provided.

Cc-Type Glutaredoxins Mediate Plant Response And Signaling Under Nitrate Starvation In Arabidopsis, Ji-Yul Jung, Ji Hoon Ahn, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: Nitrogen is an essential nutrient in plants. Despite the importance of nitrogen for plant growth and agricultural productivity, signal transduction pathways in response to nitrate starvation have not been fully elucidated in plants.

Results: Gene expression analysis and ectopic expression were used to discover that many CC-type glutaredoxins (ROXYs) are differentially expressed in response to nitrate deprivation. A gain-of-function approach showed that ROXYs may play a role in nutrient sensing through the regulation of chlorophyll content, root hair growth, and transcription of nitrate-related genes such as NRT2.1 under low or high nitrate conditions. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) …

Risks And Opportunities Of Gm Crops: Bt Maize Example, Andrea K. Carzoli, Siddique I. Aboobucker, Leah L. Sandall, Thomas T. Lubberstedt, Walter P. Suza

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The anticipated world population growth emphasizes a need to produce more food on less land. Cutting-edge technologies, including genetic engineering, can help to develop improved crop varieties and protect natural resources. In spite of the potential for genetically-modified (GM) crops to make crop production more efficient, they remain a polarizing issue due to safety concerns. This paper provides an overview of the risk assessment process. The safety of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins is used as an example for how risk assessment is applied to GM crops. Risks associated with GM crops have proven to be low to non-existent. Developing countries …

Don't Ask Me Why, Laura Kocherhans

Inscape

After a heavy workload over the holidays, we felt it was time for us to hold a work party. While a few of us had offered our homes as an optional party site, we ultimately agreed that the employee breakroom would be the easiest place for everyone to attend. Some of us arrived late, some early, as was characteristic of each of our personalities to do.