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Identification Of Claudin-1 As An Entry Factor In Dengue Infection And Development Of A High Throughput Screening Assay For Antivirals Against Dengue Virus, Pulin Che Jan 2013

Identification Of Claudin-1 As An Entry Factor In Dengue Infection And Development Of A High Throughput Screening Assay For Antivirals Against Dengue Virus, Pulin Che

All ETDs from UAB

Dengue virus (DENV) has become a huge public health concern around the world with no vaccine or antivirals available. More than one-third of the world's population is living in areas at risk of infection. To conquer the dengue disease, a better understanding of virus-host interactions and development of the appropriate therapeutic treatments are required. In this dissertation, we first broadly reviewed the factors involved in dengue viral entry and the role of tight junctions as a pathogen target. Second, we developed, optimized and validated a high throughput screening (HTS) assay for anti-dengue virus drug screening. Taking advantage of using live …


Sulindac Sulfide Amide As A Novel Agent For The Prevention And Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Evrim Gurpinar Jan 2013

Sulindac Sulfide Amide As A Novel Agent For The Prevention And Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Evrim Gurpinar

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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as sulindac sulfide (SS) have shown promising antineoplastic activity in multiple tumor types, but toxicities resulting from cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition limit their use in cancer prevention. We recently described a N,N-dimethylethyl amine derivative of SS, sulindac sulfide amide (SSA), that does not inhibit COX-1 or -2, yet displays potent tumor cell growth inhibitory activity. Here, we studied the basis for the growth inhibitory effects of SSA on human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and evaluated its preclinical pharmacology. SSA potently inhibited the growth of lung tumor cells with IC50 values of 2-5 μ compared with 44-52 …


Patient-Centered Medical Homes: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Practice Capabilities On Costs, Mary Temm Jan 2013

Patient-Centered Medical Homes: An Analysis Of The Effects Of Practice Capabilities On Costs, Mary Temm

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The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) practice capabilities and costs. Complexity science theory was used to develop a theoretical framework to address three primary and twelve secondary hypotheses. Secondary data from a consortium of physician organizations participating in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Physician Group Incentive Program and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's administrative claims data were used to test hypothesized relationships using fixed effects panel regression models. It was found that higher levels of aggregated PCMH practice capabilities were negatively associated with certain costs, specifically average readmission costs. …


Host Genetic Factors Associated With Cervical Human Papillomavirus Clearance, Staci Lynn Sudenga Jan 2013

Host Genetic Factors Associated With Cervical Human Papillomavirus Clearance, Staci Lynn Sudenga

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This dissertation research focuses on how variants in various host genes are associated with clearance of HPV in three longitudinal cohorts from the United States. I first examined the definition of the intermediate phenotype to cervical cancer, HPV persistence and then I incorporated this phenotype in all my three aims by examining variations in xenobiotic metabolism genes in HIV-1 negative and immune-related genes in HIV-1 positive females and how these contribute to HPV infection outcomes. Several significant variants were associated with HPV clearance for the three aims. For the first aim, in ALTS assessing functional variants within xenobiotic metabolism genes …


The Burden Of Chronic Conditions On Self Reported Health Status In A Medicare Advantage Plan Population, Barbara Ann Guerard Jan 2013

The Burden Of Chronic Conditions On Self Reported Health Status In A Medicare Advantage Plan Population, Barbara Ann Guerard

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THE BURDEN OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS ON SELF REPORTED HEALTH STATUS IN A MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN POPULATION BARBARA GUERARD ADMINISTRATION-HEALTH SERVICES ABSTRACT This dissertation was a multi-staged research study with two goals. The first goal was to assess survey respondents' characteristics to better understand the influence of the characteristics on the validity of self-reported survey responses. Second, the study analyzed the relationship between certain chronic conditions and survey participants' responses to questions related to their overall physical health and mental health to further understand the burden of chronic conditions on self- reported survey responses. Secondary data derived from a patient satisfaction …


Role Of Endothelial Mannose Residues In Monocyte Adhesion Under Flow, David Wayne Scott Jan 2013

Role Of Endothelial Mannose Residues In Monocyte Adhesion Under Flow, David Wayne Scott

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Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the vessel wall and underlying cause of most cardiovascular disease. Much is understood about the nature of atherosclerosis development, including contributions from leukocytes that drive the disease process forward. The general process by which leukocytes are trafficked to sites of atherosclerosis development, and sites of inflammation in general, is understood and relies upon endothelial expressed protein adhesion molecules which serve as ligands for cognate leukocyte receptors. While these adhesion molecules share the post-translation modification of N-glycosylation, relatively little is known as to what functional role these modification plays in: i) interactions of leukocytes …


Obesity, Prediabetes, And Perceived Stress In Municipal Workers, Louise Camilleri O'Keefe Jan 2013

Obesity, Prediabetes, And Perceived Stress In Municipal Workers, Louise Camilleri O'Keefe

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity and diabetes are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in the United States. According to the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, obesity is growing faster than any other public health problem in the United States. The prevalence of diabetes has also increased significantly with an estimated 79 million Americans aged 20 years or older suffering from prediabetes. Few studies have examined the influence of perceived stress on obesity and prediabetes among working adults. Investigations are needed to examine factors that can contribute to higher health care costs for both employees and employers. The aims of this …


A Study Of Multi-Group And Multivariate Tests Of Equivalence With Application To Microarray And, Celeste Yang Jan 2013

A Study Of Multi-Group And Multivariate Tests Of Equivalence With Application To Microarray And, Celeste Yang

All ETDs from UAB

In this dissertation we have adapted two multi-group equivalence tests to be performed on high-dimensional data. The F and Range test for multi-group equivalence were applied to the public microarray dataset GSE11291 to detect equivalently expressed genes. They were also evaluated in terms of type I error and power using single gene simulation and a high-dimension simulation. The F test has higher power than the Range for the same simulated data and parameter settings, in the single gene simulations. The power of the two tests is similar in the high-dimension simulation. The multi-group equivalence tests that were applied to the …


The Genetic Complexity Of The Human Fc-Gamma Receptor 1q23 Locus And Its Relationship To Autoimmunity, Travis Samuel Ptacek Jan 2013

The Genetic Complexity Of The Human Fc-Gamma Receptor 1q23 Locus And Its Relationship To Autoimmunity, Travis Samuel Ptacek

All ETDs from UAB

The human immune system must be able to adapt to a wide spectrum of invading pathogens in order to keep the human body alive. This variation includes directed recombination and mutation at the level of the individual and genetic variation and natural selection at the population level. A direct consequence of the adaptability of the immune system is autoimmunity: as the immune system adapts to a shifting spectrum of antigens, it can shift to self-antigens, and therefore attack the body and cause disease. Since genetic factors are part of this adaptability, they are also connected with autoimmune disease. SLE is …


Effects Of Nicotine On The Human Visual System: 1) Color Perception; 2) Processing At The Cortical Level, Naser T. Naser Jan 2013

Effects Of Nicotine On The Human Visual System: 1) Color Perception; 2) Processing At The Cortical Level, Naser T. Naser

All ETDs from UAB

The visual system is sensitive to various types of chemical substances, including nicotine. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are found in the nervous system, including the retina. These receptors play a role in modulating signals within the visual system. It has been shown that smoking affects color vision, and visual evoked potentials (VEPs). But few studies have been devoted to understanding the effects of nicotine alone. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of oral administration of nicotine in human adults, who are non-smokers, on color vision, and visual cortical processing. Previous studies on adult smokers revealed that …


Influence Of Implant Angulation On The Fracture Resistance Of Zirconia Abutments, Shreedevi Thulasidas Jan 2013

Influence Of Implant Angulation On The Fracture Resistance Of Zirconia Abutments, Shreedevi Thulasidas

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Zirconia-based implant abutments are widely used in prosthetic dentistry. Custom made abutments are utilized to correct for non-ideal implant positions and can successfully accommodate the morphologic requirements of the overlying crown. It was hypothesized that there will be difference in fracture strength and fracture mode of artificially aged zirconia implant abutments supported by implants at varying angulation, when load is applied to failure on overlying zirconia crowns. The implant-abutment-crown assemblies were subjected to steam autoclaving to induce some degree of phase transformation from tetragonal to weaker monoclinic form and to thermo-cycling to artificially age the samples. The effects of loading …


The Role Of Gadd45b In Hippocampus-Dependent Cognition, Synaptic Plasticity And Activity-Associated Transcriptional Dynamics, Faraz Sultan Jan 2013

The Role Of Gadd45b In Hippocampus-Dependent Cognition, Synaptic Plasticity And Activity-Associated Transcriptional Dynamics, Faraz Sultan

All ETDs from UAB

An expanding body of literature argues for a pivotal role of molecular epigenetic mechanisms in memory. Defined as mechanisms that regulate gene expression in the absence of DNA sequence modifications, these regulate various stages of memory-associated transcription. These phenomena are present at diverse anatomical subregions of the central nervous system (CNS) and regulate corresponding behaviors. Epigenetic mechanisms comprise a unique category of behavioral and physiological modulators because of their potential to modify the cellular phenotype in a stable manner. Hence, epigenetics offers a novel potential solution to a central paradox in memory retention: the finding that most putative molecular substrates …


Neutropenia And Progenitor Cell Mobilization In Ap3-B1 Mutant Pearl Mice, Matthew Vallejo Jan 2013

Neutropenia And Progenitor Cell Mobilization In Ap3-B1 Mutant Pearl Mice, Matthew Vallejo

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Mutations in the AP3-ß1 gene are known to cause Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 2 (HPS2) in humans and canine cyclic hematopoiesis (CH) in gray collie dogs. HPS2 patients have severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), and dogs have cyclic neutropenia (CN). The mechanism behind neutropenia is uncertain. Pearl mice have an AP3-ß1 mutation, but whether they actually have neutropenia has not yet been evaluated. This dissertation presents a discussion of the evaluation of neutropenia in pearl mice, hematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization defect in pearl mice and finally an evaluation of methods of dog-to-mouse xenotransplantation to establish a xenotransplant model of the dog hematopoietic …


The Origin, Regulation, And Function Of Tbet In Effector Cd4 T Cells During Chronic Autoimmune Disease, Wen-I Yeh Jan 2013

The Origin, Regulation, And Function Of Tbet In Effector Cd4 T Cells During Chronic Autoimmune Disease, Wen-I Yeh

All ETDs from UAB

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting from aberrant immune cells causing demyelination. We utilize the well-studied mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), to decipher the underlying pathogenesis of MS. Effector CD4 T-cells play a critical role during EAE because the disease is induced by adoptively transferring myelin-specific CD4 T-cells into naïve mice. Classically, effector CD4 T-cells have been divided into distinct subsets based on their functional properties: Th1 cells produce IFNγ, Th2 cells secrete IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13, Th17 cells make IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22, and regulatory T cells produce IL-10. Th1 cells were originally identified as …


Understanding The Predictors Of Patient Trust And Its Role In Utilization And Outcomes, Sheikilya Lewis Thomas Jan 2013

Understanding The Predictors Of Patient Trust And Its Role In Utilization And Outcomes, Sheikilya Lewis Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine patient-related factors that predict trust in one's physician, and subsequently identify the role of patient trust in health care utilization and clinical outcomes among African Americans with hypertension. Three separate studies are conducted using an adapted version of the Interaction Model for Client Health Behavior (IMCHB). The first paper is a three-step review of quantitative studies investigating the (a) patient characteristics that influence trust; (b) impact of trust on health care utilization; and (c) impact of trust on outcomes. Based on the predictors identified, the second study examines the significance of these …


An Investigation Of Trem-Like Transcript 2 Expression, Kimberly Anne Thomas Jan 2013

An Investigation Of Trem-Like Transcript 2 Expression, Kimberly Anne Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

Acute inflammation is a necessary component for the clearance of pathogens. Cells at the site of infection utilize highly conserved receptors to both recognize microbes and induce the production of pro-inflammatory stimuli. These stimuli set off a chain reaction that includes localized vasodilation, leukocyte infiltration, and tissue destruction, collectively known as inflammation. Tightly controlled, this process is protective, and can compartmentalize the damage to a defined area, but when dysregulated can be catastrophic, inducing chronic inflammation and even death. Families of innate receptors can modulate inflammatory processes, and in doing so, increase or decrease their severity, as well as tailor …


Three-Dimensional Photography Of Facial Morphology Of Adult African-Americans Compared To Various Population Sets, Leslie Talbert Jan 2013

Three-Dimensional Photography Of Facial Morphology Of Adult African-Americans Compared To Various Population Sets, Leslie Talbert

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The purpose of this study is to compare the facial morphologies of an adult African-American population to an adult Caucasian-American population using three-dimensional surface imaging. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional facial images were captured via a stereo-photogrammetric camera system (3dMDfaceTM system). One hundred images of each population (African-American and Caucasian-American) were taken. Subjects were between 19-30 years of age, normal BMI, and no gross craniofacial anomalies. All facial images were aligned and combined using Rapidform 2006 Plus Pack 2 software to produce a male and female facial average for each population. The facial averages were then superimposed for comparison and the …


The Contribution Of Intereim Executives To The Healthcare Industry, Ray Snead Jan 2013

The Contribution Of Intereim Executives To The Healthcare Industry, Ray Snead

All ETDs from UAB

This is the first research-based study of interim executive services in the US healthcare industry. It opens a new area of inquiry for academic investigation of the role of interim executive services in the healthcare industry. The study focused on Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors leadership in acute care hospitals of all sizes across the United States. The research survey resulted in 443 responses to over seventy-five questions addressing interim executive services from the perspective of healthcare decision makers. Ninety five percent of the respondents were CEOs and the remainder were board members, primarily chairpersons. The research is …


Potential Roles Of The Immunostimulatory Signals Il-15 And Mica In Oncolytic Hsv-1 Therapy For Malignant Glioma, David Curtis Gaston Jan 2013

Potential Roles Of The Immunostimulatory Signals Il-15 And Mica In Oncolytic Hsv-1 Therapy For Malignant Glioma, David Curtis Gaston

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Malignant gliomas are the most frequently diagnosed and the most fatal primary brain tumors. Innovative therapeutic approaches are necessary to combat these devastating cancers, and oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-1 (oHSV) deleted of the γ134.5 neurovirulence gene is a promising adjunctive therapy. The primary mechanism of tumor clearance by oHSV is lytic replication specifically within malignant cells. oHSV also stimulates tumor infiltration of cytotoxic immune effector cells that can participate in tumor clearance. However, cytotoxic immune cells target oHSV as well as tumor, which may limit therapeutic efficacy. Further knowledge regarding the nature of these interactions and how the interactions …


The Development Of An In Vitro Surrogate Assay For Screening Protective Antibodies Against Pneumococcal Surface Protein A (Pspa), Kristopher Ruben Genschmer Jan 2013

The Development Of An In Vitro Surrogate Assay For Screening Protective Antibodies Against Pneumococcal Surface Protein A (Pspa), Kristopher Ruben Genschmer

All ETDs from UAB

PCV13 is the current pneumococcal protein conjugated vaccine made up of the 13 most clinically relevant capsular polysaccharides. While protective, it is limited to a small portion of the overall serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The possibility of "serotype replacement" by serotypes not covered by the vaccine and the high cost of producing this conjugated polysaccharide vaccine stress the need for a protein based vaccine, one that is more broad in its protection. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) has been shown to be both immunogenic and protective in mice and is a promising protein vaccine candidate. However, there are no current …


Predictors Of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Among Survivors Of Childhood Cancer At High Risk For Subsequent Colorectal Malignancies, Casey Leigh Daniel Jan 2013

Predictors Of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Among Survivors Of Childhood Cancer At High Risk For Subsequent Colorectal Malignancies, Casey Leigh Daniel

All ETDs from UAB

Childhood cancer survivors who were treated with ionizing radiation are at a significantly higher risk of developing a subsequent colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to the general population. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) recommends that children and adolescents who were treated with radiation therapy of 30 Gy or more to the abdomen, pelvis, or spine undergo a colonoscopy every five years, beginning at age 35 or 10 years after completion of radiation. Despite these recommendations, research indicates low adherence rates to CRC screening among high-risk childhood cancer survivors. Determining the predictors of attending subsequent colorectal cancer surveillance among individuals in this …


Adap1 And Arf6 Mediate Regulated Secretory Trafficing In Neurosecretory Cells And Neurons, Sharday Ewell Jan 2013

Adap1 And Arf6 Mediate Regulated Secretory Trafficing In Neurosecretory Cells And Neurons, Sharday Ewell

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ADP ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6) is a member of the Arf family of small GTPases known to function in vesicular membrane trafficking and cytoskeletal organization. Arf6 cycles between its GTP and GDP bound states, facilitated by GTP exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs), respectively. In my dissertation studies I have investigated the neuronal functions of Arf6 and ADAP1, an Arf6 GAP and candidate PI 3-kinase target required for dendritic differentiation in developing neurons. I demonstrated that in neurosecretory PC12 cells and neurons, ADAP1 and Arf6 colocalize with regulated secretory granules (SGs) that traffic chromogranin B and brain-derived neurotrophic …


Photothermal Desorption Of Toluene From Single Walled Carbon Nanotube And Activated Carbon Sorbents, Evan Lee Floyd Jan 2013

Photothermal Desorption Of Toluene From Single Walled Carbon Nanotube And Activated Carbon Sorbents, Evan Lee Floyd

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Millions of workers are occupationally exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOC) annually, requiring exposure assessments through air sampling. Reducing time to knowledge while maintaining adequate sensitivity and affordability is a constant struggle. Sorbent sampling is the preferred technique for VOC exposure assessments. Chemical desorption of sorbents is the most common desorption technique, but sensitivity is limited due to the small injection fraction. Thermal desorption has excellent sensitivity, but provides only one analysis per sample and is cost prohibitive. The goal of this dissertation was to develop a desorption technique that bridges the sensitivity gap between chemical desorption (0.1%) and thermal …


The Role Of Il-21 And Il-17 In Regulating Follicular T Helper Cells In Germinal Center Response Of Autoimmunity, Yanna Ding Jan 2013

The Role Of Il-21 And Il-17 In Regulating Follicular T Helper Cells In Germinal Center Response Of Autoimmunity, Yanna Ding

All ETDs from UAB

Overreactivity of the germinal center (GC) is a central feature of autoantibody-mediated autoimmune diseases. Follicular T helper (Tfh) cells are the primary T helper subset that migrates to the incipient GC and forms close contacts with GC-B cells to promote GC formation and help GC-B cell differentiation, resulting in high-affinity antibody production. Increased levels of interleukin (IL)-21 and aberrant accumulation or function of Tfh cells have been associated with autoimmune disease severity in humans and lupus-prone mice. Follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells are the regulatory T cell subset that also localizes in the GC and inhibits GC B cell differentiation. …


Polymerization Shrinkage Strain Versus C-Factor And Placement Method For Dental Composites, Shashank Godbole Jan 2013

Polymerization Shrinkage Strain Versus C-Factor And Placement Method For Dental Composites, Shashank Godbole

All ETDs from UAB

Polymerization shrinkage is an important property when restoring teeth with dental composites since resins shrink during polymerization creating stress and strain around the restoration. This may produce failure at the composite-tooth interface. This leads to marginal gaps, staining, post-operative sensitivity, secondary caries, and crack development within the body of a tooth. It is critical to be able to measure polymerization strain produced during composite polymerization. Objective: To measure and compare the polymerization shrinkage strain of various bulk and incrementally placed composites using a novel and recently developed model with different C-factors. Methods: Teflon molds were used to prepare Z100 composite …


The Role Of Nr4a3 And Its Agonists In Skeletal Muscle Glucose Transport And Insulin Sensitivity, Qinglan Liu Jan 2013

The Role Of Nr4a3 And Its Agonists In Skeletal Muscle Glucose Transport And Insulin Sensitivity, Qinglan Liu

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Insulin resistance plays a central role in the pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and involves diminished stimulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Improvements in insulin sensitivity are essential for both prevention and treatment of T2DM. However, the limitation of current medications highlights the need for alternative molecular regulators of insulin action and developing new insulin sensitizers. Our laboratory has initially identified roles for the orphan nuclear receptor NR4A3 in insulin-sensitization and stimulation of glucose transport. However, the cellular effect and downstream mechanisms of NR4A3 and its agonists (e.g. 6-mercaptopurine/6-MP) on insulin effector system in skeletal muscle remain unknown. …


Investigation Of Death Receptor-5 Mediated Apoptosis And Inhibition Of Wnt/Ss-Catenin Signaling In Basal-Like Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Angelina Ix-Ik' Londono-Joshi Jan 2013

Investigation Of Death Receptor-5 Mediated Apoptosis And Inhibition Of Wnt/Ss-Catenin Signaling In Basal-Like Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Angelina Ix-Ik' Londono-Joshi

All ETDs from UAB

Basal-like breast cancers (BLBC) display aggressive clinical behavior attributed to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). TRA-8, a monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to TRAIL death receptor 5, preferentially induces apoptosis in BLBC subtype cells; however it is unknown if TRA-8 is also cytotoxic to the CSC population. Moreover, some BLBC cell lines are resistant to TRA-8, and overcoming resistance is critical for clinical translation of this therapy. One potential approach to overcome TRA- 8 resistance is to target the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. LRP6 is a cell surface receptor that is an indispensable element of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway that …


Surveying The Serum Proteome For Biomarkers Of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer, Michael Robert Ludwig Jan 2013

Surveying The Serum Proteome For Biomarkers Of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer, Michael Robert Ludwig

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SURVEYING THE SERUM PROTEOME FOR BIOMARKERS OF EARLY STAGE PANCREATIC CANCER MICHAEL ROBERT LUDWIG MICROBIOLOGY ABSTRACT Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a uniformly fatal disease due to its refractory nature to conventional therapies at the time of initial diagnosis. In order to in-crease the curative potential of surgical resection, early detection of organ-confined neoplasia is needed. Currently, no effective diagnostic tools are available to detect early-stage pancreatic ductal lesions termed pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) or lo-cally invasive, organ-confined disease. One way to identify biomarkers that may be use-ful for the early detection of PDAC is through the study of the …


The Phenotypic Expression Of Usp14 Deficiency Is Dependent Upon Genetic Background, Andrea Gail Marshall Jan 2013

The Phenotypic Expression Of Usp14 Deficiency Is Dependent Upon Genetic Background, Andrea Gail Marshall

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The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) plays a critical role in regulating a diversity of cellular processes that are essential to neuronal function, such as synaptic transmission, axon guidance, and neurite outgrowth. Dysfunctions of the UPS are linked with many neurodegenerative disorders, including motor neuron diseases like spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), although it is not known how UPS dysfunction contributes to disease pathology. The proteasome, an approximate 2.5 megadalton protein complex comprised of a 20S core particle and 19S regulatory particle, is the site of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in the cell. Recent studies have linked ubiquitin specific …


Perception Of Attractiveness: A Comparison Of Two-Dimensional Versus Three-Dimensional Images, Aksana Marshall Jan 2013

Perception Of Attractiveness: A Comparison Of Two-Dimensional Versus Three-Dimensional Images, Aksana Marshall

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Introduction: The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate whether there is a difference in perception of facial attractiveness when viewing two-dimensional (2D) versus three-dimensional images (3D) within each population studied (Caucasian, African American, and Chinese), (2) to evaluate whether panels of raters with different levels of orthodontic education would give similar facial attractiveness scores, and (3) to identify the soft tissue features that influence facial attractiveness when viewing 2D and 3D images. Materials and methods: A total of 60 3D images from three populations selected for this study were acquired using a 3dMDfaceTM system (Atlanta, GA) and were …