Digital Commons Network^™

Christian Purpose Trusts, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

Noncharitable purpose trusts are recognized under the Uniform Trust Code and the non-uniform laws of many jurisdictions. In 2019, Oregon enacted a stewardship trust statutory scheme. A stewardship trust is a purpose trust which is designed to hold and preserve corporate stock. Properly drafted, a stewardship trust can soften the indefatigable pursuit of profits that drive corporate entities. A stewardship trust can substitute ethical ideals - at least in part - for shareholder return. The purpose trust statutes of other jurisdictionscould also partially permit ambitions similar to those which motivated the Oregon legislation to be realized. The concept of a …

The Trial Of Jesus, Jonathan Van Patten

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dchs1 Regulated Mirna Processing And Its Effects On Valve Endocardium Stabilization, Mary Kathleen Rumph

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is one of the most common forms of cardiac valve disease and affects 1 in 40 individuals worldwide. MVP can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death and 1 in 10 patients will require valve surgery. Surgery for MVP is now the fastest growing cardiovascular intervention in the Western world. As such, MVP carries a significant burden of morbidity and mortality. Our lab was the first to identify a cause for non-syndromic MVP using a combination of linkage analyses, as well as capture sequence of the linkage interval, to identify loss of function mutations …

Targeting Transcription Factors Xbp-1 And Fli-1 As Novel Translational Strategies To Control Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Steven Douglas Schutt

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative procedure for hematological malignancies, but chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication after allogeneic HCT. Because donor B cells are essential for chronic GVHD (cGVHD) development and B cells are sensitive to endoplasmic reticulum stress, we hypothesized that the IRE-1α/XBP-1 pathway is required for B-cell activation and function in cGVHD. Here, we used mice deficient of XBP-1 specifically in B cells, and recipients transplanted with grafts containing XBP-1–deficient B cells displayed reduced cGVHD compared with controls that was associated with reduced B-cell activation and production of alloreactive antibodies. Prophylactic administration of B-I09 …

Altered Circadian Rhythm And Neuroinflammation In Models Of Als: A Role For Nr1d1 And Fabp7, Kelby Killoy

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Most physiological processes in mammals are subjected to daily oscillations governed by a circadian system. Circadian rhythm orchestrates metabolic pathways in a time-dependent manner and loss of circadian timekeeping has been associated with cellular and system-wide alterations in metabolism, redox homeostasis, and inflammation. Nuclear Receptor subfamily 1 group D member 1 (NR1D1) is a transcription factor that participates in the molecular clock that encodes circadian rhythms and links metabolism and inflammation to circadian cycles. Fatty acid binding protein 7 (FABP7), an NR1D1 target, is a regulator of lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis, and inflammation. FABP7 can regulate fatty acid uptake, transport, …

Therapeutic Efficacy Of Umbilical Cordderived Stem Cells For Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis Study, Dina H. Kassem, Mohamed M. Kamal

Pharmacy

Background: Stem cell therapy provides great hope for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). DM is a seriously alarming metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia and β cell dysfunction. Efficient novel therapeutic modalities to treat DM are indeed warranted. Stem cells (SC) derived from the umbilical cord specifically provide several advantages and unique characteristics being a readily available non-invasive source, with an additional credit for their banking potential. This meta-analysis study aims to provide a focused assessment for therapeutic efficacy of umbilical cord (UC)-derived SC-transplantation, namely Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) for DM. Methods: The clinical …

Combination Of Pomegranate Extract And Curcumin Ameliorates Thioacetamide-Induced Liver Fibrosis In Rats: Impact On Tgf-Β/Smad3 And Nf-Κb Signaling Pathways, Marwa Safar

Pharmacy

No abstract provided.

Natural Products For The Management Of Cardiovascular Diseases, Maha Salama, Shahira Mohammed Ezzat, Mohamed Salem

Pharmacy

Cardiovascular diseases constitute a serious public health problem. It is estimated that they are responsible for nearly 30% of world mortality. Regardless of the developments in the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular diseases, their incidence rate remains increasing. Therefore, newlines of drugs are needed to manage the expanding population of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Even though the most common existing treatments for cardiovascular diseases are synthetic molecules, natural compounds, of different chemical classes, are also being tested. Medicinal plants have been employed in the treatment of some cardiovascular diseases such as congestive heart failure and hypertension many centuries ago. Recently, …

The Hunter And The Hunted: Kipling's Challenge To Human Exceptionalism In "The White Seal" And "Quiquern", Jessica Marie Robbins

All ETDs from UAB

Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books are some of the most well-known stories about nonhuman animals from the Victorian period, but rarely have scholars discussed this text without privileging the Mowgli stories or Kipling’s well-known colonialist alignments. In this thesis, I have challenged this scholarly tendency, showing how Kipling has paid careful attention to his nonhuman characters and given them characteristics that model the most current scientific information available at the time. My thesis argues that two of Kipling’s stories in particular, “The White Seal” and “Quiquern,” challenge the notion of human exceptionalism and force readers to confront the unsettling parallels …

Neurobiological Signatures Of Treatment Response – A Multi-Modal Study In Schizophrenia, Eric A. Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous mental illness and even though it has been studied for over a century, the neuropathology of the disease is still not fully under-stood. Only 1/3 of patients respond well to antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment while another 1/3 show only a partial response and yet another 1/3 of patients are non-responsive, exhibiting little to no change in positive symptoms and a general reduction in quality of life. In order to develop treatments that better serve non-responding and partial re-sponse patients, a greater understanding of APD neuromechanisms is needed. In order to provide a more comprehensive assessment of …

Genetic And Immunologic Predictors Of Genital Chlamydia Reinfection In African American Women Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models, Kristin Olson

All ETDs from UAB

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is the most common sexually transmitted infec-tion. The burden is greatest in young, African American women. CT reinfections are common and increase risk for reproductive morbidity. Why some women are more sus-ceptible to reinfection is not well understood. Emerging evidence suggests immunologic and genetic variants may predict reinfection susceptibility. The primary goal of this dissertation is to evaluate immunologic and genetic vari-ants as predictors of CT reinfection in young, African American women using different modeling approaches, which has never been reported previously. To evaluate a much larger number of potential predictors than our sample size (a …

The Effects Of Oscillatory Forces On Epithelial Ovarian Cancer, Molly Buckley

All ETDs from UAB

Oscillatory forces such as blood pressure pulse, interstitial fluid flow, and body movement are present throughout ovarian tumors. These forces have been shown to strongly regulate mechanotransduction signaling, leading to tumor progression, metastasis, and invasion. Mechanotransduction studies are rarely conducted in ovarian cancer. This study is the first of its kind to understand how oscillatory forces impact ovarian tumor progression and the efficacy of a cancer therapeutic under these unique conditions. Herein, a novel oscillating flow bioreactor was developed housing an ovarian cancer tumor model using OVCAR-8 and IHFOT-208 cell lines and compared to the same bioreactor under constant flow. …

Contextos Mortuorios En La Consentida, Oaxaca, Durante El Formativo Temprano, Guy David Hepp, José Aguilar, Paul A. Sandberg

Anthropology Faculty Publications

En este trabajo reunimos las evidencias bioarqueológicas y de espacios funerarios para los orígenes de cementerios formales, y los cambios en la salud observada en los restos óseos durante el período Formativo temprano (2000–1000 a.C.) en la costa de Oaxaca. Las excavaciones en el sitio de La Consentida (1950–1525 cal a.C.) recuperaron 14 o posiblemente 15 individuos en 12 entierros. El fechamiento de estos entierros está basado en una muestra de radiocarbono de un fémur procesado con purificación XAD, en la asociación del mismo con otros entierros y en los elementos que los rodean, además de otras fechas adicionales de …

The Symbolism, Use, And Archaeological Context Of Masks In Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico, Guy David Hepp, Sarah B. Barber, Jeffrey S. Brzezinski, Arthur A. Joyce, Rachael L. Wedemeyer

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The production and use of masks at multiple scales and in diverse contexts is a millennia-long tradition in Mesoamerica. In this paper, we explore some implications of Mesoamerican masking practices in light of materiality studies and the archaeology of the senses. We also discuss a collection of 22 masks, miniature masks and representations of masks from the lower Río Verde valley of coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. The iconography of these artefacts as well as their recovery from well-documented archaeological contexts inform our interpretations of masking practices during an approximately 2000-year span of the Formative period (2000 BC–AD 250). Specifically, we argue …

Circadian Clock And Lipid Metabolism Disruption In Fatty Liver Disease, Jennifer Valcin

All ETDs from UAB

Hepatic Steatosis, characterized by the accumulation of triglyceride (TG) in the liver is the first stage of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Many metabolic pathways, including lipid metabolism, are regulated by the molecular circadian clock. Importantly, alcohol consumption and obesity induce circadian clock disruption, a risk factor for many diseases, including liver disease. In our first study, we investigated the combined effect of clock disruption and alcohol feeding on liver pathology, and diurnal rhythms in the liver molecular clock and lipid metabolism. Male liver-specific Bmal1 knockout (LKO) mice and control littermates were fed a control …

Dna Methylation: A Mechanism For Sustained Alteration Of Kir4.1 Expression Following Central Nervous System Insult, Jessica Boni

All ETDs from UAB

Astrocytes are the most numerous cells in the brain and play a critical role in maintaining homeostatic extracellular potassium ([K+]e). Maintaining low [K+]e is essential for many cellular functions including maintenance of intensely negative resting membrane potentials in the central nervous system. This process is mediated, in part, by a glial-specific, inwardly rectifying potassium channel, Kir4.1. Underscoring the role of Kir4.1 in CNS functioning, genetic mutations in Kcnj10, the gene which encodes Kir4.1, causes seizures, ataxia and developmental disability in humans. Notably, loss of Kir4.1 protein and mRNA are consistently observed after CNS injury, and in a number of neurological …

Development Of Mitochondrial-Targeted Genetic Tools To Investigate How Changes In Mitochondrial Function Affect The Heart, Patrick James Ernst

All ETDs from UAB

Mitochondria are an important organelle found in all human cells, they fulfill several crucial roles necessary for cellular function such as energy production, calcium handling, metabolic regulation, and inducing pre-programmed cell death. Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with many different diseases such as heart failure, aging, and cancer, as well as multiple neurodegenerative diseases. While there are currently different tools and approaches for studying different aspects of both mitochondrial function and dysfunction, they tend to have major drawbacks that limit their practicality and conclusions that can be drawn using them. We hypothesized that by finding the correct genetic mitochondrial targeting sequence, …

2019 Annual Town Report Lempster, New Hampshire., Lempster Town Representatives

Lempster, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Ecosystem Health In Guánica Bay And La Parguera, Puerto Rico: Remote Sensing Of Ocean Color And Metal Analysis Of Coral Tissue And Surficial Sediments, Jahnelle Howe

Dissertations and Theses

Guánica Bay is an estuary located in southwest Puerto Rico, with a coral reef ecosystem at its periphery. This ecosystem is affected by sediments, nutrients, and contaminants from the watershed through the Bay and into the offshore water. This project evaluates Guánica Bay and La Parguera coastal areas through remote sensing and chemical analysis to assess coastal ecosystem health. The concentration of metals in two coral species and their associated surface sediments was were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA- 80). Ocean color remote sensing was used to estimate nutrient inputs and phytoplankton biomass through chlorophyll- …

Platforms And The Fall Of The Fourth Estate: Looking Beyond The First Amendment To Protect Watchdog Journalism, Erin C. Carroll

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Journalists see the First Amendment as an amulet, and with good reason. It has long protected the Fourth Estate—an independent institutional press—in its exercise of editorial discretion to check government power. This protection helped the Fourth Estate flourish in the second half of the twentieth century and ably perform its constitutional watchdog role.

But in the last two decades, the media ecology has changed. The Fourth Estate has been subsumed by a Networked Press in which journalists are joined by engineers, algorithms, audience, and other human and non-human actors in creating and distributing news. The Networked Press’s most powerful members …

Efficacy Of Seaweed (Sargassum Sp.) Extract To Prevent Vibriosis In White Shrimp (Litopenaeus Vannamei) Juvenile, Indriyani Nur Mulyadi, Wa Iba

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Marine algae, especially brown algae (Sargassum sp.), is a natural compound plant capable of being prophylactic and immunostimulant. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of seaweed (Sargassum sp.) extract to improve resistance and immune response of juvenile white shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei ) infected by Vibrio algynolyticus .

Materials and Methods: The ethanolic extract of seaweed was used to evaluate its antibacterial effect by immerse the juvenile shrimp at a dose level of 0 (control), 150, 250 and 350 ppm for 3 h. Shrimp immune response was observed based on total haemocyte count (THC) and differential …

Global Drivers On Southern Ocean Ecosystems: Changing Physical Environments And Anthropogenic Pressures In An Earth System, Simon A. Morley, Doris Abele, David K.A. Barnes, César A. Cárdenas, Cedric Cotté, Julian Gutt, Sian F. Henley, Juan Höfer, Kevin A. Hughes, Stephanie M. Martin, Carlos Moffat, Marilyn Raphael, Sharon E. Stammerjohn, Coleen Suckling, Vivitskaia J.D. Tulloch, Cath L. Waller, Andrew J. Constable

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The manuscript assesses the current and expected future global drivers of Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems. Atmospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic since the 1970s, has been a key driver, resulting in springtime cooling of the stratosphere and intensification of the polar vortex, increasing the frequency of positive phases of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). This increases warm air-flow over the East Pacific sector (Western Antarctic Peninsula) and cold air flow over the West Pacific sector. SAM as well as El Niño Southern Oscillation events also affect the Amundsen Sea Low leading to either positive or negative sea ice anomalies in …

Gc-Ms Analysis Of Synthesized Biodiesel, Courtney R. Whetstine

Forensic Science Master's Projects

Biodiesel is an alternative energy resource that can replenish depleting natural petroleum storage. Synthesis of biodiesel is cost-efficient as it can be chemically converted from renewable wastes, such as vegetable oil or animal fat. These fuels are also biodegradable and the exhaust emissions from biodiesel are non-toxic and environmentally-friendly. Biodiesel is a stable fuel that performs reliably in all diesel engines. Biodiesel is also easy to synthesize, safe to handle, and works with diesel fuel storage and pumping systems. The United States has an abundance of vegetable oils that have not been widely used to our advantage. Additionally, fast-food restaurants …

Keterkaitan Spasial Di Enam Negara Asia: Analisis Input-Output Dunia, M. Muchdie, M. Handry Imansyah, Socia Prihawantoro

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia

This paper presents spatial linkages on calculations of spill-over and feed-back effects of World input-output tables, which is aggregated specifically into six-Asian countries includes China, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, plus Australia, United States, and the Rest of the World. The results showed that, firstly output multipliers in six Asian countries tend to increase during 2000–2014, indicating a consistent economic growth. Secondly, except China, output multipliers occurred in other countries tend to increase. Thirdly, in 2000, the United States and Japan were two countries receiving highest output spill-over. However, in year 2014, most of output spill-over moved to China. …

Heroism In The Age Of Consumerism: The Emergence Of A Moral Don Quixote In John Updike’S “A & P”, Zakarya Bezdoode, Eshaq Bezdoode

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper analyzes John Updike’s short story “A & P” in the light of Max Weber’s notion of moral decision-making. A prominent contemporary American story-writer and literary critic, Updike has devoted his fiction to subjects' rational and moral problems in the contemporary consumerist society. Updike’s lifelong probing into the middle classes' lives is a body of fiction that raises questions about determinism, moral decision, and social responsibility, among others. “A & P” is a revealing example of such fiction and one among Updike’s most frequently anthologized short stories. The story, titled after a nationwide American shopping mall in the early …

Neo-Orientalism Or Neo-Imperialism? Islamism In A Globalized World: Prayers For The Assassin As A Case Study Of Contemporary American Novel, Mubarak Altwaiji

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper deals with some aspects of neo-orientalism in the modern American novel highlighted in much conventional political and literary studies and conceptualized both as a composite of cultural studies and a western ideology. When applied to the post 9/11 American novel analysis, neo-orientalism uses terrorism as a significant aspect of a much broader reaction to Islamists' threats living in the United States and Europe. It is common in neo-orientalist discourse about extremism to refer to Islamism as a threat to nations and therefore, it is important to find how the American novel represents the Muslims and how vigorously acts …

Effective Charter Schools: An Examination Of Operational, Financial, And Governance Practices As It Relates To The Renewal Of North Carolina Charter Schools, Shaunda Cooper

Doctor of Education Dissertations

North Carolina public charter schools are schools of choice authorized by the State Board of Education. North Carolina has nearly 200 charter schools, which are evaluated for effectiveness annually by a tool called the Performance Framework. However, to date, the evidence collected through the Performance Framework has not been offered to scholars and school leaders as a resource for achieving effective charter schools. Furthermore, research has not been conducted to evaluate a school’s performance in relation to its ability to complete a successful charter agreement renewal, which is the vein of a charter school’s existence. the study examined operational, governance, …

Environmental Nanoparticles, Sars-Cov-2 Brain Involvement, And Potential Acceleration Of Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Diseases In Young Urbanites Exposed To Air Pollution, Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ricardo Torres-Jardón, Maricela Franco-Lira, Randy Kulesza, Angélica González-Maciel, Rafael Reynoso-Robles, Rafael Brito-Aguilar, Berenice García-Arreola, Paula Revueltas-Ficachi, Juana Adriana Barrera-Velázquez, Griselda García-Alonso, Edgar García-Rojas, Partha S. Mukherjee, Ricardo Delgado-Chávez

Journal Articles

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases (AD, PD) have a pediatric and young adult onset in Metropolitan Mexico City (MMC). The SARS-CoV-2 neurotropic RNA virus is triggering neurological complications and deep concern regarding acceleration of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes already in progress. This review, based on our MMC experience, will discuss two major issues: 1) why residents chronically exposed to air pollution are likely to be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 systemic and brain effects and 2) why young people with AD and PD already in progress will accelerate neurodegenerative processes. Secondary mental consequences of social distancing and isolation, fear, financial insecurity, violence, …

Environmental Nanoparticles, Sars-Cov-2 Brain Involvement, And Potential Acceleration Of Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Diseases In Young Urbanites Exposed To Air Pollution, Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, Ricardo Torres-Jardon, Maricela Franco-Lira, Randy Kulesza, Angelica Gonzalez-Maciel, Rafael Reynoso-Robles, Rafael Brito-Aguilar, Berenice Garcia-Arreola, Paula Revueltas-Ficachi, Juana Adriana Barrera-Velazquez, Griselda Garcia-Alonso, Edgar Garcia-Rojas, Partha S. Mukherjee, Ricardo Delgado-Chavez

Journal Articles

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases (AD, PD) have a pediatric and young adult onset in Metropolitan Mexico City (MMC). The SARS-CoV-2 neurotropic RNA virus is triggering neurological complications and deep concern regarding acceleration of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes already in progress. This review, based on our MMC experience, will discuss two major issues: 1) why residents chronically exposed to air pollution are likely to be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 systemic and brain effects and 2) why young people with AD and PD already in progress will accelerate neurodegenerative processes. Secondary mental consequences of social distancing and isolation, fear, financial insecurity, violence, …

Growth And Development, From: Forages: The Science Of Grassland Agriculture, Volume Ii, Robert B. Mitchell, Daren Redfearn, Kenneth J. Moore

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The growth and development of forage plants is an amazing process. In some annual grasses such as cereal rye, plants can go from the late vegetative stage to fully-flowered in less than two weeks. Conversely, some perennial grasses like indiangrass can go from the vegetative stage to the elongation stage, then enter a quiescent phase for several weeks until adequate moisture is available which then moves plants into the flowering stages to complete the seed production process. Understanding the developmental morphology of forage plants is important for making good management decisions. Many such decisions involve timing the initiation or termination …