Life Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Mitogen-Activated Kinases In Cd40-Mediated T Cell Activation Of Monocyte/Macrophage And Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cytokine/Chemokine Production, Denise M. Milhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation represents efforts to determine the functional consequences acquired by vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) in response to CD40 ligation by activated CD154+ T cells, and to elucidate components of the signaling pathway(s) activated in response to CD40 signaling in both monocytes and SMC. To study the consequences of CD40 stimulation, primary human monocytes and aortic SMC were treated with plasma membranes purified from CD154 + , CD4+ T cells. The results presented in this dissertation demonstrate that SMC, like monocytes/macrophages, are capable of interacting with T cells in a manner that results in reciprocal activation events. SMC were …

Universal Design And Nature Trails: Balancing Accessibility, Site Integrity, And The Recreation Experience, Steve Kirkindall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed the application of Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines in outdoor recreation settings. The purpose was three-fold: to develop site- and user-friendly design principles for non-urban, accessible nature trails; to design and construct a trail based on those principles; and to evaluate both principles and trail by surveying trail users. The Delphi Method was employed with a national panel to assess current expert opinion regarding accessibility and trails. Fifty-nine principles were developed from combined results of panel deliberations and applied experience gained constructing a prototype trail utilizing the universal design concept. Trail users rated the importance of …

The Rise And Fall Of African American Midwifery In The South, Nicole M. Bernard

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to give insight into the role played by the African American midwife in the rural south, including Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. The African American midwife was responsible for prenatal care, delivery, and a certain degree of postnatal care for the mother and the infant. During slavery, she was all that the slaves had. The African American midwife also aided in delivery of some of the whites as well in a time when blacks were considered to be no more than animals. This proves that the African American midwife was more than a savage …

Effects Of Lead Nitrate Contaminated Soil On Tagetes Erecta (Marigolds), Deetra Dianne Washington

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

This study was developed to determine the effects of lead nitrate on marigold (Tagetes erecta) plants and to determine if these plants could phytoremediate or uptake lead nitrate from the soil. Phytoremediation is a low cost-effective means of reduction or removal of environmental contaminants by plants from the environment and is currently being investigated for many remediation applications. The objectives of this research were to: 1) determine the toxicity of lead nitrate on T. erecta by exposure of the plants to varying concentrations of lead nitrate (0.1-1000 ppm); 2) determine the effects of lead nitrate on the growth and development …

Exploring Participation Processes For Technology Development: Case Studies Of Biotechnology Research And Development Projects In Thailand, Omjai Yuktavetya

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is increased awareness in the organizational and management literature that participation can make contributions in technology development. One of the problems in developing biotechnology in Thailand is that only a small portion of publicly funded research and development projects directly result in commercial success. Among the reasons cited (TDRI 1992a) is a lack of collaboration between various stakeholders; therefore, an effective technology policy to support their participation is needed. This research explores current participation processes in biotechnology research and development projects in Thailand in which there were different perspectives among various stakeholders. The quantitative and qualitative methodologies developed here …

Tissue-Specific Expression And Steroid Hormone Regulation Of Human Gonadotropin -Releasing Hormone (Hgnrh) Gene In Placental Cells (Jeg -3 Cells), Zhengguang Chen

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Using JEG-3 cells as an in vitro model, I investigated the mechanisms behind the tissue-specific expression and steroid hormone regulation of the hGnRH gene in the human placenta. The hGnRH upstream promoter was found to be functionally active in JEG-3 cells. The DNA sequence responsible for functioning of the upstream promoter in JEG-3 cells is narrowed to a region between –1048 bp and –730 bp. This DNA fragment contains four elements, which can bind with nuclear extract from JEG-3 cells (but not from GT1-7 cells).

Estradiol (E2) represses the hGnRH upstream promoter activity in JEG-3 cells. This inhibition is receptor-mediated, …

Encystment, Excystment And Photosynthetic Activity In The Temporary Cysts Of Amphidinium Carterae, Steven R. Kibler

OES Theses and Dissertations

Although the formation of temporary cysts has been documented in several papers, the physiology of these stages has remained obscure. Research dealing with dinoflagellate resting stages has primarily targeted sexual cysts. Accordingly, formation, germination and photosynthetic activity in the temporary cysts of Amphidinium carterae have been investigated in the present study. The effect of light intensity upon cyst germination was tested by incubating temporary cysts at three different light intensities. In order to assess the potential for photosynthesis in cysts, cellular chlorophyll-a concentrations and cellular fluorescence were quantified during encystment. Photosynthetic carbon uptake of H¹⁴CO₃^- was …

An Extracellular Protein Produced By Staphylococcus Hominis Strain Αm With Antimicrobial Activity Against Mycobacterium Spp, Sandra May Jacobsen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The inhibitory activity exhibited by Staphylococcus hominis strain αM toward Mycobacterium species was examined. These studies included determining the conditions that maximized inhibitory agent production, analyzing characteristics of the agent, determining the time of agent production, ascertaining plasmid possession and the role of plasmids in the production of this inhibitory agent, and ascertaining the antimicrobial activity of other strains of S. hominis. On solid and in liquid media, S. hominis strain αM exhibits a unique inhibitory activity toward Mycobacterium species that is not demonstrated by Staphylococcus epidermidis or other S. hominis strains. Maximum agent production and recovery was …

Nitrate Reductase Activity, Nitrate Uptake And Iodine Speciation In The Marine Environment, Chin-Chang Hung

OES Theses and Dissertations

The present method for the determination of new production (NP) by measuring the uptake of added ¹⁵NO₃^– suffers from a number of limitations. In an attempt to improve this situation, this research examined the possibility of estimating ¹⁵NO₃– uptake by measuring the activity of nitrate reductase (NRA). In addition, because it has long been suspected that the biological reduction of IO₃^– to I^– may be mediated by nitrate reductase (NR), this research investigated the ability of NR to catalyze the reduction of iodate to iodide.

An improved method for the determination …

Identification And Characterization Of Determinants Of Head And Neck Tumor Cell Invasion, Yangguan Wu

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant disease with poor prognosis. The majority of patients die from local invasion or lymphatic metastasis. The mechanism(s) underlining the invasiveness of HNSCC are poorly understood. Utilizing a panel of HNSCC cell lines previously established in our laboratory, we tested the application and relevance of the three-step hypothesis of tumor invasion to HNSCC and investigated the mechanism(s) pertaining to the regulation of each step in the invasive process. Data presented in this thesis demonstrated that tumor cell invasion in HNSCC is a complex process involving three repeated sequential steps: adhesion, …

Generation Of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Beta Subunit Specific Monoclonal Antibody Using A Synthetic Peptide, Zhe Huang

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is well known for early immunological and bioassay tests for early detection of pregnancy. Since the hormone specific beta subunit confers unique biological and immunological specificity to hCG, immunochemical measurement of hCG has achieved greater specificity and sensitivity in recent years by using either the beta subunit as an immunogen or a partially reduced beta subunit polypeptide chain. However, antiserum raised against the entire hCG beta subunit usually cross-reacts to some extent with human luteinizing hormone (hLH). hCG has been found to be present in the extract of tumors and minute quantities of hCG are synthesized …

Standardization Of An Immunoassay For The Detection Of Antibodies To B2 Glycoprotein-I, Eric N. Erickson Jr.

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) is an evolving autoimmune disease with numerous clinical manifestations. APS occurs in two forms: Primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (PAPS) and secondarily in association with other autoimmune disorders such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE). In the brief period since its discovery as a cofactor for anticardiolipin antibodies, p1-glycoprotein I (�GPI; apolipoprotein H) has been recognized as the autoantigen in the absence of anionic phospholipid when appropriately presented to human autoantibodies. Recent studies suggest that this presentation requires the surface-dependent unmasking of a cryptic epitope. Immunoassays of autoantibodies directed against p1GPI, developed through the application of suitable polymeric matrices, may …

Borax As A Strength Additive In Recycling, Siva Krishnagopal Devisetti

Masters Theses

The effect of multiple recycling on strength properties and fiber properties like strength of fiber, weighted average fiber length, fines percentage and water retention values were investigated in this study. Borax was used as a strength aid and swelling agent to improve the flexibility of fiber and strength of recycled paper. Bleached softwood kraft pulp was used to make the hand sheets and recycled repeatedly for up to four cycles. The main objectives were to evaluate the chemically treated pulp and untreated pulp at each stage of recycling, to study the effect of multiple recycling on strength properties of paper …

The Molecular Systematics Of The Side-Blotched Lizards (Iguania: Phrynosomatidae: Uta), Bradford Damion Hollingsworth

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The lizard genus Uta comprises nine currently recognized species with the center of diversity occurring on islands in the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean. The molecular evolution of the side-blotched lizards is analyzed using 1132 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA sequence from the cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase III genes. Samples come from 98 'individuals from 50 islands in the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean and 48 adjacent populations from Baja California Sur, Baja California, California, New Mexico, and Sonora. All currently recognized species are represented. Both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships. …

The Immunology Of Parturition, Ari Mayer Mackler

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Macrophage-derived factors have been implicated in the etiology of preterm labor but little is known about trafficking of this immune cell into the uterus or its regulation of uterine contractility in mice. Enhanced number and activation of macrophages was hypothesized to precede parturition. Studies characterized contractile activity and the distribution of macrophages in the uterus of C3/HeN mice before and after term (=day 19). Contractile activity by uterine strips on days 15 and 18 of pregnancy, the day of delivery, and 1 day postpartum indicate that an endogenous oscillator sustains high frequency contractions. Modest acceleration of the pacemaker occurred before …

The Influence Of Fumed Metallic Oxides On Coating Structure And Their Relationships To Print Quality, Hyun-Kook Lee

Masters Theses

Aqueous-based coating for paper or paperboard applications use traditional coating pigments such as clay, calcium carbonate, and titanium dioxide. But, for matte coated ink jet papers, amorphous and gelled silicas are used due to their unique morphological properties, which are sponge-like in nature. The unique structure of these pigments provides an internal porosity and packing porosity which enables the rapid diffusion of liquid inks into the coating layer. The rapid uptake of the ink immobilizes the anionic dyes at the surface of the coating, allowing high optical print densities to be achieved.

The particle size of precipitated and gelled silicas …

Use Of Boron Compounds To Reduce Phototyellowing Of Mechanical Pulps, Qilin Zhou

Masters Theses

Bleached chemithermomechanical pulps (BCTMP) are replacing chemical pulps such as bleached kraft pulp (BKP) in many paper grades. However, the loss of brightness that arises from exposure to light remains a significant impediment to the wider use of these pulps. Efforts have been made in reducing photoyellowing, but so far no universal, economical method has been found which converts high-yield pulp into a product with brightness stability comparable to that of a bleached chemical pulp.

This study evaluates the ability of sodium borate and/or boric acid to inhibit the yellowing process of paper that was made from BCTMP, with an …

Characterization Of Nih-3t3 Mouse Fibroblast Cells Transfected With The Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 2 And The Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Shp-1, Scott Bradford Cross

Masters Theses

The hormone Somatostatin (SMS) and its analogs have been shown to mediate a variety of cellular actions including inhibition of cellular growth and differentiation of endocrine tumors such as insulinomas and glucagonomas. The mechanisms by which SMS exerts its antitumorigenic effects are poorly understood but are thought to include one of the five Somatostatin receptors (SSTR1-5), and the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1. To determine if the antiproliferative effects of SMS were due to the presence of the SSTR2 receptor or the stimulation of SHP-1, we introduced cDNA's of the SMS receptor SSTR2, SHP-1, and a dominant negative mutant of SHP-1 …

Functional Analysis Of Human Igfbp-6 In Human Osteoblasts, Tao Yan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are a family of six secreted proteins that bind to and modulate the functions of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II). As a relatively new member of the IGF system, IGFBP-6 was found to be produced by human osteoblasts and exert significant biological effects on human osteoblasts.

Our previous studies indicated that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) caused more than a10 fold increase in IGFBP-6 production and a50-60% reduction of ALP activity in human osteoblasts. Based on these findings, we proposed the hypothesis that ATRA induced human osteoblast differentiation was mediated at least in part …

Acute Effects Of Whole-Body Proton Irradiation On The Immune System Of The C57bl/6 Mouse, Eric H. Kajioka

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The acute effects of proton whole-body irradiation (WBI) on leukocytes, lymphocytes, and hematological parameters in the spleen and blood of C57BI/6 mice were examined and compared to the effects of photon (gamma) WBI derived from a 60cobalt (60Co) source. Adult, female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to a single dose (3 Gy, 0.4 Gy/min dose rate) of either proton WBI at the Bragg peak, proton WBI at the entry plateau, or Co WBI, and sacrifice intervals were at 1,4, 7, and 10 days post- WBI. Flow cytometry analysis of the spleen and peripheral blood showed depression in cell counts for all …

Antitumor Effect Of Il-2, P53, And Bax Naked Gene Transfer In C6 Glioma Cells, Peyman Haghighat

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

[Abstract not included]

Effects Of Long-Term, High-Altitude Hypoxemia On Fetal Ovine Coronary Arteries, Felizabel C. Garcia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

To our knowledge, this is the first series of in vitro studies to investigate the effects of long-term, high-altitude hypoxemia on the contractility of fetal coronary vessels, namely the left circumflex, left anterior descending, and right coronary arteries. We have found that in response to chronic hypoxia, isolated fetal ovine coronary arteries exhibit attenuated contractile responsiveness to potassium and the thromboxane A2 mimetic. U46619. Furthermore, long-term, high-altitude hypoxia produced no significant alteration in the maximum relaxation response and sensitivity to adenosine in all vessel groups examined. We also addressed the possible role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pharmacological responsiveness …

Regulation Of Synthesis And Actions Of Bone Growth Factors, Rashmi Malpe

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Among the many bone growth factors, this study focused on the IGF and BMP systems because of some of their unique functions, namely, IGFs function both as local and systemic agents and BMPs are capable of inducing de novo bone formation at non-skeletal sites. There is varied osteoblast differentiation in and load bearing on the skeletal system which led to the first study whose hypothesis was that these skeletal site dependent differences are associated with site-specific differences in IGF system components' production. Results from their quantitation in the CM of normal HBC derived from calvaria, mandibles, ribs, vertebrae, and marrow …

Use Of Bioinformatics In The Analysis Of Chemotaxis Proteins, Sean Andrew Bulloch

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Bacterial chemotaxis is one of the best-known signal transduction systems. Levels of attractants and repellents are sensed in the surrounding environment by various chemoreceptors. The signal is passed to the excitation pathway via the transfer of a phosphoryl group from the receptor-associated histidine kinase CheA to the response regulator CheY. Phospho-CheY binds to the flagellar motor switching the direction of rotation of the flagella and thus allowing the cell to move towards or away from the attractant or repellent. The phosphatase CheZ removes the phosphoryl group from phospho-CheY restoring default flagellar rotation. Adaptation to stimuli occurs via addition of methyl …

Engineering Secreted Proteins For Gene Transfer And Dna Vaccination, Jingxue Liu

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In recent years gene therapy has become a promising way of alleviating incurable human ailments, its concept emerging as the ultimate therapy for many infectious and genetic diseases. Two important aspects of the development of successful gene therapy protocols are the ability to monitor gene transfer readily, and the establishment of new protocols for treating specific diseases. In this work, Renilla luciferase and human glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65 were engineered for secretion to address some aspects of these issues.

Secreted reporter proteins are promising tools to study gene transfer and expression in a non-destructive manner, and bioluminescent proteins are …

Dna-Dna Checkerboard Hybridization To Identify Bacteria In Human Plaque Samples, Jasan Lee Zimmerman

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Previous research has shown that using DNA probes to identify the presence of specific bacteria in human plaque samples is superior to the commonly used anaerobic cultural procedures. Some periodontal pathogens are either uncultivable or very difficult to grow, such as Prevotella intermedia, P. nigrescens, and Eubacterium brachy. Digoxygenin probes were prepared for 15 oral bacteria. These probes were used with a checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization scheme to analyze whether human plaque samples contained any of the 15 bacterial species. Our results have shown that this method is successful in identifying bacterial DNA present in the subgingival patient plaque …

Maternal Modulation Of Neonatal Immunity, Omar R. Fagoaga

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although the neonatal immune system is functionally immature, immune response capabilities are not the same in all newborns. The objective of this thesis was to determine development of immunocompetence and test the hypothesis that activation of maternal inflammatory immunity during pregnancy influences maturation of the neonatal immune system.

Lymphocytes in blood and spleen were immunophenotyped by flow cytometric analysis to determine differentiation characteristics, and splenocytes were assessed for cytokine production capabilities. In normal Th2-prone outbred (CD-1) mice, an adult repertoire of naïve lymphocytes has developed by day 10 and memory cells by day 20, in blood and spleen. However, in …

Effect Of Obturation And / Or Coronal Seal On The Success Of Root Canal Therapy : An In Vivo Histologic Investigation, Douglas Snider

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Numerous studies have examined coronal leakage with in vitro protocols. A search of the literature showed the absence of a long term in vivo, histologic study, examining the effect of coronal and/or radicular leakage on periradicular health.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of obturation and / or coronal seal in preventing the formation of periradicular lesions in dogs over time. The study was conducted on six beagle dogs. Premolars were cleaned and shaped. Sixteen roots in each dog were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups of equal size. Group one was obturated using …

Control Of Cell Shape And Elongation: The Mreb Protein Of Escherichia Coli., Jason Gioia

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Multiple Effects Of Egg Shell Color On Egg And Chick Characteristics In Commercial Broiler Breeders, Kirk Martin Vitry

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.