Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by immune-mediated necroinflammatory liver damage associated with CD4 + T cell infiltration in liver parenchyma. Despite advances in the understanding of AIH, its etiology...
1[2-Cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oyl]imidazole (CDDO-lm) is a novel synthetic triterpenoid superior to its parent compound, 2-cyano-3, 12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO), both in vitro and in vivo. CDDO-Im is highly active in...
Prostacyclin (PGI2) is a major product of COX-2 derived arachidonic acid metabolism in the endothelium and uterine myometrium. Evidence indicates that PGI 2 protects against development and progression of vascular disease. While it has been known...
The feasibility of a magnetic computation system was tested that consists of arranging thin film micromagnetic ring structures. Each ring is magnetized in a circular, vortex state in either the clockwise (CW) or counterclockwise (CCW) directions,...
This thesis describes the synthesis of sulfobetaines having the general structure $\rm RN\sp{+}(CH\sb3)\sb2(CH\sb2)\sb{x}SO\sb{3\sp{-}}$ as novel inhibitors of squalene synthase. Squalene synthase reductively couples two molecules of farnesyl...
Drosophila melanogaster is a model organism often used when studying the complex processes of neuronal signaling and neurodegeneration. The short life cycle, malleable genetics, amenability to in vivo electrophysiological assays and sensitivity to...
Phospholipase C -- Mechanism of action. Retinal degeneration -- Pathophysiology. Retinal degeneration -- Genetic aspects. Endocytosis. Rhodopsin. Cellular signal transduction. Light -- Physiological effect. Arrestin. Clathrin. Adaptor Proteins
Mutations in the Drosophila retinal-specific Phospholipase C (NORPA) cause massive retinal degeneration within five days of constant light exposure. We have previously shown that in norpA mutants persistent complexes between the light receptor...
Pharmacologic induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) has proven therapeutic potential for ß-hemoglobinopathy patients. Increased HbF reduces disease severity by decreasing sickling in sickle cell disease and reducing α-chain imbalance in...
Magnetic nanoparticle-based hyperthermia for cancer treatment is a promising technology, particularly when applied as part of an adjuvant strategy with established cancer therapies (chemotherapy, radiation and surgery). In Europe, early clinical...
Si/SiGe quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates for spin-based quantum bits (qubits) as a result of the reduced spin-orbit coupling as well as the Si isotopes with zero nuclear spin. Meanwhile qubit readout is a challenge related to...
Magnetic susceptibility imaging of magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) has many potential applications in biomedicine such as contrast enhanced imaging and image guidance for magnetic hyperthermia therapy. This thesis describes three imaging methods...
Swarming motility is a flagella-dependent surface motility, and is also a form of bacterial group behavior. Similar to its counterpart biofilm formation, our understanding of swarming motility has been hampered by its complex set of requirements...
Chemical sensing and separation is a constant challenge intriguing many scientists. Through numerous efforts, revolutionary techniques and innovative materials have been successfully developed to solve this old problem. However, a practical but...
A double-acceleration stage linear time of flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) with Nd/YAG laser ablation cluster source was designed and constructed for cluster production, study and deposition. Cumulenic polycarbons SC n S ( n = 2-27) were...
Many kinds of cancer, and almost universally metastatic cancer, are refractory to treatment by conventional methods: surgery, radiation, and non-specific cytotoxic chemotherapy. The dawn of the age of personalized medicine presaged 15 years ago...
The main driving force behind the development of computers was the attempt to solve problems that would otherwise require a large amount of time to be solved. Despite the technological development that has made computers ubiquitous in daily lives,...
An important mode of stabilization of cations in biochemical reactions is interaction with the π systems-of aromatic residues. As part of an investigation of the interaction of carbocations with aromatic π systems, a study of various model...
Drosophila. Photoreceptors. TRP channels. Cellular signal transduction.
The phototransduction cascade in Drosophila is a prototypical G-protein signaling pathway and many of its components have been well-studied. Early genetic screens identified many of the major proteins involved in this pathway and study over the...
Nitric oxide -- Analysis. ; Dithiocarbamates. ; Iron compounds. ; Organonitrogen compounds. ; Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Nitric oxide is synthesized by living organisms and plays important roles in circulatory, neurological, and immune function. Nitric oxide can also play pathophysiological roles, depending on the amount of the molecule, the presence of other species...
Air -- Pollution. ; Indoor air pollution. ; Air -- Pollution -- Measurement.
The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content of ambient air at several locations is described. The indoor sites examined included those having woodstoves, fireplaces, and kerosene heaters as supplements to oil heat, as well as one test home...
Neurospora -- Genetics. ; Neurospora -- Effect of light on. ; Circadian rhythms. ; Proteins -- Synthesis -- Effect of light on. ; Genetic regulation.
The frequency gene and the two proteins it encodes are central components of the Neurospora circadian clock. The frq message and proteins are involved in a negative feedback loop in which FRO represses its own transcript level. Based on this...
The data presented herein demonstrate the requirement for CD154/CD40 in the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis. Blockade of CD154/CD40 interactions causes a decrease in T cell and...
Stark-geometry photorefractive multiple quantum well (PR-MQW) spatial light modulators (SLMs) show promise for several optoelectronic applications such as high-speed image correlation and real-time 3-D holographic imaging. Their performance is...