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Chitosan As An Immune Modulator: Therapeutic Potential In Cerebral Amyloidopathies, Tanya Larissa Cupino

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) are neurodegenerative diseases that are pathologically defined by accumulations of amyloid beta (Aβ) in the brain parenchyma and vascular walls, respectively. CAA comorbidity occurs in more than half of advanced AD cases. Aβ can activate complement, an enzymatic cascade that terminates in a cytolytic pore called membrane attack complex (MAC). Protectin (CD59) is a GPI-anchored glycoprotein that physically interrupts formation of MAC. At autopsy, individuals with AD and CAA have high levels of MAC and normal to low levels of CD59 in the tunica media of affected blood vessels. We proposed the …

Observing Growth Effects Of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor On Human Retinal Pericytes In Vitro, Anjalee Choudhury, Andrew Tsin, Zachary Perez, Fransisco Elisarraras

School of Medicine Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate and determine the role of PEDF in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy as induced by advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Human retinal pericytes were isolated from donors and will be measured for cell proliferation under the influence of PEDF both in the presence and absence of AGEs. Expected outcomes involve both the maintenance and increased survival of HRPs after treatment with PEDF under stimulated hyperglycemic conditions.

Generating Expensive Relationship Features From Cheap Objects, Xiaogang Wang, Qianru Sun, Tat-Seng Chua, Marcelo Ang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We investigate the problem of object relationship classification of visual scenes. For a relationship object1-predicate-object2 that captures the object interaction, its representation is composed by the combination of object1 and object2 features. As a result, relationship classification models usually bias to the frequent objects, leading to poor generalization to rare or unseen objects. Inspired by the data augmentation methods, we propose a novel Semantic Transform Generative Adversarial Network (ST-GAN) that synthesizes relationship features for rare objects, conditioned on the features from random instances of the objects. Specifically, ST-GAN essentially offers a semantic transform function from cheap object features to expensive …

Eifiso4g Augments The Synthesis Of Specific Plant Proteins Involved In Normal Chloroplast Function, Andrew D. Lellis, Ryan M. Patrick, Laura K. Mayberry, Argelia Lorence, Zachary C. Campbell, Johnna L. Roose, Laurie K. Frankel, Terry M. Bricker, Hanjo A. Hellmann, Roderick W. Mayberry, Ana Solis Zavala, Grace S. Choy, Dennis C. Wylie, Mustafa Abdul-Moheeth, Adeeb Masood, Amy G. Prater, Hailey E. Van Hoorn, Nicola A. Cole, Karen S. Browning

Arkansas Biosciences Institute

The plant-specific translation initiation complex eIFiso4F is encoded by three genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana)—genes encoding the cap binding protein eIFiso4E (eifiso4e) and two isoforms of the large subunit scaffolding protein eIFiso4G (i4g1 and i4g2). To quantitate phenotypic changes, a phenomics platform was used to grow wild-type and mutant plants (i4g1, i4g2, i4e, i4g1 x i4g2, and i4g1 x i4g2 x i4e [i4f]) under various light conditions. Mutants lacking both eIFiso4G isoforms showed the most obvious phenotypic differences from the wild type. Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify changes in protein levels in plants lacking …

Connecting Theory And Practice, Hannah Gallant

World Changers Made Here

No abstract provided.

Adoption Of Agricultural Conservation Practices In The United States: Evidence From 35 Years Of Quantitative Literature, L. S. Prokopy, K. Floress, J. G. Arbuckle, S. P. Church, Francis R. Eanes, Y. Gao, B. M. Gramig, P. Ranjan, A. S. Singh

All Faculty Scholarship

Copyright © 2019 Soil and Water Conservation Society. All rights reserved. This is a comprehensive review of all published, quantitative studies focused on adoption of agricultural conservation practices in the United States between 1982 and 2017. This review finds that, taken as a whole, few independent variables have a consistent statistically significant relationship with adoption. Analyses showed that variables positively associated with adoption include the farmer self-identifying primarily as stewardship motivated or otherwise nonfinancially motivated, environmental attitudes, a positive attitude toward the particular program or practice, previous adoption of other conservation practices, seeking and using information, awareness of programs or …

Divergence Between Genes But Limited Allelic Polymorphism In Two Mhc Class Ii A Genes In Leach’S Storm-Petrels Oceanodroma Leucorhoa, Laura M. Rand, Carla Woodward, Rose May, Ross A. Ackerman, Bridget Tweedie, T. Bruno Zicarelli, Donald C. Dearborn

All Faculty Scholarship

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is critical to host-pathogen interactions. Class II MHC is a heterodimer, with α and β subunits encoded by different genes. The peptide-binding groove is formed by the first domain of both subunits (α1 and β1), but studies of class II variation or natural selection focus primarily on the β subunit and II B genes. We explored MHC II A in Leach’s storm-petrel, a seabird with two expressed, polymorphic II B genes. We found two II A genes, Ocle-DAA and Ocle-DBA, in contrast to the single II A gene in chicken and duck. In exon 2 …

Identification And Cloning Of Putative Serine Protease Inhibitor (Serpin) Genes In Rice (Oryza Sativa) And A Preliminary Approach To Generate Rnai Using The Cloned Sequences, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is an important mechanism of plant immune response against diseases. Serine protease inhibitors (‘serpins’) are a conserved superfamily of proteins that inhibit serine protease targets and prevent programmed cell death (PCD) in plants, in absence of pathogen infection. In this project, putative serpin genes in rice (Oryza sativa) which are homologous to necrotic/‘Nec’ serpin genes in Drosophila are identified by bioinformatic analyses. This is followed by cloning of specific exon sequences of the rice serpin genes identified. Finally, one of the cloned sequences is utilized in a series of steps to produce interfering RNA …

Modeling The Impact Of Newcastle Disease Virus Vaccinations On Chicken Production Systems In Northeastern Madagascar, Akshaya Annapragada, Cortni Borgerson, Sarah Iams, M. Ando Ravelomanantsoa, Graham C. Crawford, Marika Helin, Evelin Jean Gasta Anjaranirina, Hervet J. Randriamady, Christopher D. Golden

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Chickens are a key source of nutrition for rural Malagasy communities. Due to high endemic rates of Newcastle disease, it remains challenging to raise sustainable chicken flocks as a consistent food source. Here, we explore the impact of triannual Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine interventions on the growth and herd immunity acquisition of Malagasy chicken flocks. Between 2011 and 2018 we collected longitudinal data to assess the population dynamics of chicken populations in remote Malagasy communities. In 2016, we launched a pilot campaign for vaccination in six rural communities to determine the impacts on chicken survivorship and productivity. We used …

Predicting Functional Responses In Agro-Ecosystems From Animal Movement Data To Improve Management Of Invasive Pests, Mark Q. Wilber, Sarah M. Chinn, James C. Beasley, Raoul K. Bourghton, Ryan K. Brooks, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Justin W. Fischer, Steve B. Hartley, Lindsey K. Holmstrom, John C. Kilgo, Jesse S. Lewis, Ryan S. Miller, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Samantha M. Wisely, Colleen T. Webb, Kim M. Peen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Functional responses describe how changing resource availability affects consumer resource use, thus providing a mechanistic approach to prediction of the invasibility and potential damage of invasive alien species (IAS). However, functional responses can be context dependent, varying with resource characteristics and availability, consumer attributes, and environmental variables. Identifying context dependencies can allow invasion and damage risk to be predicted across different ecoregions. Understanding how ecological factors shape the functional response in agro-ecosystems can improve predictions of hotspots of highest impact and inform strategies to mitigate damage across locations with varying crop types and availability. We linked heterogeneous movement data across …

Air Pollution, Neighborhood Deprivation, And Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Study To Explore Early Development, Laura A. Mcguinn, Gayle C. Windham, Lynne C. Messer, Di Qian, Joel Schwartz, Lisa A. Croen, Eric J. Moody, Ana G. Rappold, Multiple Additional Authors

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: To examine whether neighborhood deprivation modifies the association between early life air pollution exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we used resources from a multisite case–control study, the Study to Explore Early Development.

Methods: Cases were 674 children with confirmed ASD born in 2003–2006; controls were 855 randomly sampled children born during the same time period and residents of the same geographic areas as cases. Air pollution was assessed by roadway proximity and particulate matter

Results: Neighborhood deprivation modified (P_{for interaction} = 0.08) the association between PM2.5 exposure during the first year of life …

Multi-Scale Predictors Of Parasite Risk In Wild Male Savanna Baboons (Papio Cynocephalus), Bobby Habig, David A.W.A.M. Jansen, Mercy Y. Akinyi, Laurence R. Gesquiere, Susan C. Alberts, Elizabeth A. Archie

Publications and Research

Several factors are thought to shape male parasite risk in polygynous and polygynandrous mammals, including male-male competition, investment in potentially immunosuppressive hormones, and dispersal. Parasitism is also driven by processes occurring at larger scales, including host social groups and populations. To date, studies that test parasite-related costs of male behavior at all three scales—individual hosts, social groups, and the host population—remain rare. To fill this gap, we investigated multi-scale predictors of helminth parasitism in 97 male savanna baboons (Papio cynocephalus) living in the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya over a 5-year span. Controlling for multi-scale processes, we found that many of …

Steady-State Activation And Modulation Of The Synaptic-Type Α1Β2Γ2l Gabaa Receptor By Combinations Of Physiological And Clinical Ligands, Allison L Germann, Spencer R Pierce, Thomas C Senneff, Ariel B Burbridge, Joe Henry Steinbach, Gustav Akk

Open Access Publications

The synaptic α1β2γ2 GABA

Bias-Corrected Maximum-Likelihood Estimator For The Parameter Of The Logarithmic Series Distribution And Its Characterizations, Mahdi Rasekhi, Gholamhossein Hamedani

Mathematical and Statistical Science Faculty Research and Publications

In this article, we study parameter estimation of the logarithmic series distribution. A well-known method of estimation is the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) and this method for this distribution resulted in a biased estimator for the small sample size datasets. The goal here is to reduce the bias and root mean square error of MLE of the unknown parameter. Employing the Cox and Snell method, a closed-form expression for the bias-reduction of the maximum likelihood estimator of the parameter is obtained. Moreover, the parametric Bootstrap bias correction of the maximum likelihood estimator is studied. The performance of the proposed estimators …

Four-Jointed Knock-Out Delays Renal Failure In An Adpkd Model With Kidney Injury, Chiara Formica, Hester Happé, Kimberley Am Veraar, Andrea Vortkamp, Marion Scharpfenecker, Helen Mcneill, Dorien Jm Peters

Open Access Publications

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease is characterised by the development of fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys which lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In the majority of cases, the disease is caused by a mutation in the Pkd1 gene. In a previous study, we demonstrated that renal injury can accelerate cyst formation in Pkd1 knock-out (KO) mice. In that study, we found that after injury four-jointed (Fjx1), an upstream regulator of planar cell polarity and the Hippo pathway, was aberrantly expressed in Pkd1 KO mice compared to WT. Therefore, we hypothesised a role for Fjx1 in injury/repair and cyst formation. …

More Anatomically Realistic And Quantitative Models Of Pulmonary Surfactant Action And Alveolar Stability, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

To explore basic mechanisms of action of pulmonary surfactant in preventing alveolar collapse, a first-principles analysis is done analyzing forces on the shared walls separating adjacent alveolar gas bubbles. The analysis holds for concave alveolar models with either rounded, dome-like surfaces or flat, box-like surfaces. The analysis also holds for neighboring alveoli of varying size and shape. Surfactant action is characterized by two parameters describing reduction in surface tension vs. log concentration. The resulting equations describe the net pressure tending to shift the shared position of a wall, as a function of the perturbation from a balanced initial state. In …

Development And Sensory Experience Dependent Regulation Of Microglia In Barrel Cortex, Joshua C. Brumberg, John Kalambogias, Chia-Chien Chen, Safraz Khan, Titus Son, Carolyn Headlam, Cindy Lin

Publications and Research

The barrel cortex is within the primary somatosensory cortex of the rodent, and processes signals from the vibrissae. Much focus has been devoted to the function of neurons, more recently, the role of glial cells in the processing of sensory input has gained increasing interest. Microglia are the principal immune cells of the nervous system that survey and regulate the cellular constituents of the dynamic nervous system. We investigated the normal and disrupted development of microglia in barrel cortex by chronically depriving sensory signals via whisker trimming for the animals’ first postnatal month. Using immunohistochemistry to label microglia, we performed …

Memories Of Life On The Farm: Through The Lens Of Pioneer Photographer J. C. Allen, Frederick Whitford, Neal Harmeyer

Purdue University Press Book Previews

John Calvin Allen, professionally known as J. C., worked as a photographer for Purdue University from 1909-1952, and operated his own photography business until his death in 1976. The J. C. Allen photographs represent an historical account of the transition from pioneer practices to scientific methodologies in agriculture and rural communities. During this major transitional period for agriculture, tractors replaced horses, hybrid corn supplanted open-pollinated corn, and soybeans changed from a novelty crop to regular rotation on most farms. During this time, purebred animals with better genetic pedigrees replaced run-of-the-mill livestock, and systematic disease prevention in cattle, swine, and poultry …

Imagining Afghanistan: Global Fiction And Film Of The 9/11 Wars, Alla Ivanchikova

Purdue University Press Book Previews

Imagining Afghanistan examines how Afghanistan has been imagined in literary and visual texts that were published after the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent U.S.-led invasion—the era that propelled Afghanistan into the center of global media visibility. Through an analysis of fiction, graphic novels, memoirs, drama, and film, the book demonstrates that writing and screening “Afghanistan” has become a conduit for understanding our shared post-9/11 condition. “Afghanistan” serves as a lens through which contemporary cultural producers contend with the moral ambiguities of twenty-first-century humanitarianism, interpret the legacy of the Cold War, debate the role of the U.S. in the rise of …

Evaluation Of Physical Chemical And Biological Characteristics Of Underground Wells In Badra City, Iraq, Kadhim Hashim Yaseen Al-Araji

Baghdad Science Journal

The quality of groundwater should be improved by keeping safe water sources from contaminants in protective way by doing regular measuring and checkup before it supplied for usage. Private Wells do not receive the same services that wells supplying the public do. Well owners are responsible for protecting their drinking water. This work was carried out in Badra city, Iraq from December 2017 to May 2018, six wells water were investigated to determine the general characteristics of wells as well as studying the effect of environmental factors on the quality of water. The average of six wells were eleven parameters …

Measuring Uranium Concentrations In Soil Samples Of Midland Refineries Company - Doura - Baghdad – Iraq, Ruwiadah Tarek Mahdi, Wijdan Thamer Fzaa, Basim Khalaf Rejah

Baghdad Science Journal

In this study, the CR-39 detector technique was used, to estimate the uranium concentration from the soil in midland refineries Company (Doura refine (, Baghdad, Iraq. Uranium concentrations in soil samples have been measured using solid state nuclear track detector type CR-39. Nine soil samples were collected from different areas within the Doura refinery and other soil samples were collected form Abu Tayara Street and ALshortaa District outside the refinery for comparison. The results showed variable values for uranium concentrations. The average value of uranium concentration was found to be 0.37 ppm in doura refinery. For areas outside the refinery, …

Going Beyond Defining: Preschool Educators' Use Of Knowledge In Their Pedagogical Reasoning About Vocabulary Instruction, Julie Dwyer, Rachel E. Schachter

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Previous research investigating both the knowledge of early childhood educators and the support for vocabulary development present in early childhood settings has indicated that both educator knowledge and enacted practice are less than optimal, which has grave implications for children's early vocabulary learning and later reading achievement. Further, the nature of the relationship between educators' knowledge and practice is unclear, making it difficult to discern the best path towards improved knowledge, practice, and children's vocabulary outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to add to the existing literature by using stimulated recall interviews and a grounded approach to examine …

Protective Effect Of Alpha Lipoic Acid On Diabetic Nephropathy In Rats, Samar Yabes

Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal

Objective: To evaluate the protective role of alpha lipoic acid in rats affected with experimentally-induced diabetes and secondarily complicated with nephropathy. Design: Randomized controlled study. Animals: Forty-eight Sprague Dawley rats. Procedures: Rats were allocated randomly into four groups (12 each); Control rats (Group 1); alpha lipoic acid (ALA) supplemented rats (Group 2); rats with induced diabetic nephropathy (Group 3), and rats with diabetic nephropathy and supplemented with alpha lipoic acid (Group 4). After one month of experimental induction, serum, plasma and renal tissue samples were harvested to determine glycemic status, renal damage markers, antioxidant status, oxidative and nitrosative stress markers, …

Antibody Responses Against The Vaccine Antigens Ov-103 And Ov-Ral-2 Are Associated With Protective Immunity To Onchocerca Volvulus Infection In Both Mice And Humans., Parakkal Jovvian George, Jessica A. Hess, Sonia Jain, John B. Patton, Tingting Zhan, Nancy Tricoche, Bin Zhan, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Peter J. Hotez, David Abraham, Sara Lustigman

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The current strategy for the elimination of onchocerciasis is based on annual or bi-annual mass drug administration with ivermectin. However, due to several limiting factors there is a growing concern that elimination of onchocerciasis cannot be achieved solely through the current strategy. Additional tools are critically needed including a prophylactic vaccine. Presently Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2 are the most promising vaccine candidates against an Onchocerca volvulus infection.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Protection induced by immunization of mice with the alum-adjuvanted Ov-103 or Ov-RAL-2 vaccines appeared to be antibody dependent since AID-/- mice that could not mount antigen-specific IgG antibody responses were not …

Breast Cancer Detection Using Photoacoustic Imaging, Luma W. Jameel

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

This work is about a tumor detection using photoacoustic technique, the photoacoustic waves generation and detection in tissue phantom (liver in chicken breast) which used to representing the real tissue. The one dimensional photoacoustic signal was generated using Nd:YAG laser, detected using piezoelectric detector and displayed on a storage oscilloscope, the experimental work is done at Different depth, thickness and the distance to the detector for several phantoms and different laser energy 250,400 and 500 mJ.

Limiting The Property Clause, Jeffrey M. Schmitt

Nevada Law Journal

The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the Property Clause of the Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate the public lands “without limitation.” This Article argues that the Court’s interpretation of the Property Clause is inconsistent with constitutional history, antithetical to structure principles of federalism, and undesirable from the standpoint of environmental law. When the country originally debated the meaning of the Property Clause, the leading statesmen of the early Republic rejected a broad interpretation of federal power. They believed that, while Congress had a police power over the territories, it had no more regulatory authority over federal land …

Geographic Population Structure And Taxonomic Identity Of Rhinichthys Osculus, The Santa Ana Speckled Dace, As Elucidated By Nuclear Dna Intron Sequencing, Liane Raynette Greaver

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Rhinichthys osculus (Cyprinidae), the speckled dace, is the most widely distributed freshwater fish in the western United States. The southern California populations of R. osculus are identified as the Santa Ana speckled dace (SASD), though the SASD has not yet been formally recognized as a distinct taxon. Current mtDNA analysis performed in the Metcalf Lab has shown a reciprocally monophyletic relationship among three California regions; southern, central coast, and Owens Valley. Similarly, microsatellite genotyping has shown significant levels of geographic population structure. The purpose of this study was to provide nuclear DNA sequence data to determine the taxonomic status of …

Thermal Cues Drive Plasticity Of Desiccation Resistance In Montane Salamanders With Implications For Climate Change, Eric A. Riddell, Emma Y. Roback, Christina E. Wells, Kelly R. Zamudio, Michael W. Sears

Publications

Organisms rely upon external cues to avoid detrimental conditions during environmental change. Rapid water loss, or desiccation, is a universal threat for terrestrial plants and animals, especially under climate change, but the cues that facilitate plastic responses to avoid desiccation are unclear. We integrate acclimation experiments with gene expression analyses to identify the cues that regulate resistance to water loss at the physiological and regulatory level in a montane salamander (Plethodon metcalfi). Here we show that temperature is an important cue for developing a desiccation-resistant phenotype and might act as a reliable cue for organisms across the globe. …

Role Of Dietary Flavonoid Compounds In Driving Patterns Of Microbial Community Assembly, Kerry L. Ivey, Andrew T. Chan, Jacques Izard, Aedin Cassidy, Geraint B. Rogers, Eric B. Rimm

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic dietary compounds found in many different plant-based foods. There is increasing evidence that higher flavonoid intake may be causally linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. The bioactivity and bioavailability of many dietary flavonoids can be influenced by gastrointestinal microbiome metabolism. However, the role that habitual flavonoid intake plays in shaping the human gut microbiome is poorly understood. We describe an application of an ecosystem-based analytic approach to nutritional, microbiome, and questionnaire data from a cohort of more than 240 generally healthy adult males to assess the role of …

How Prototypicality Influences Inferences And Discrimination Towards Gay Men, Adam Beam

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

I assessed the influence prototypicality has on judgements individuals make about gay men. It has been demonstrated that individuals make inferences regarding a person’s traits and group membership based upon a person’s perceived prototypicality (Ambady, Hallahan, & Conner, 1999; Stephan & Stephan, 1989; Wilkins, Kaiser, and Rieck, 2010). I hypothesized that highly prototypical gay men would be perceived to be more identified with the gay community, possess more negative stereotypes of gay men, engage in more activities associated with the gay community, receive less positive feelings from others, and experience more discrimination. Additionally, perceived group identification and negative stereotyping were …