cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
The inhibitor of DNA binding proteins in celluar proliferation and differentiation: regulation by the retinoic acid signaling pathway
Creators: name: Villano, Caren M.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: The Id (Inhibitor of differentiation or DNA binding) helix-loop-helix proteins mediate cellular differentiation and proliferation in a variety of cell types through regulation of gene expression. The goal of the experiments in this thesis is to determine the effect of the retinoic acid signaling pathway on Id expression using cell culture and whole animal models.  Retinoids, vitamin A analogues, are powerful regulators of cell growth and differentiation and are widely used in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers in humans.  We found that exposure of normal human keratinocytes to all-trans retinoic acid (RA) results in increased expression of Id1 and Id3, which is mediated by increased transcription involving cis- acting elements in the distal portion of the promoter.  To examine the effect of the Id proteins in development, we used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model.  Morpholino knockdown of Id1 in the developing zebrafish embryo results in pericardial, yolk sac and/or brain edema, as well as an undulating notochord.  Loss of Id1 in early zebrafish embryogenesis results in defects in larval development, such as decreased body size, lack of swim bladder inflation, and craniofacial defects.  We conclude that Id1 is critical for early and late zebrafish development. Our findings also demonstrate that RA exposure decreases expression of Id1 specifically in the heart, and RA deficiency results in increased Id1 expression.  Id1 knockdown results in increased expression of the cardiac-specific transcription factors gata5 and nkx2.5 which are also targets of the RA signaling pathway.  To further examine the role of Id1 in differentiation and proliferation, we examined Id expression during caudal fin regeneration.  Our data demonstrate that Id1 expression is induced in the blastema during caudal fin regeneration, and that exposure to RA during regeneration decreases Id1 expression.  Taken together, the data presented in this thesis demonstrate that Id1 is a target for RA signaling in both human skin cells and in zebrafish. Further, these data suggest that Id1 may be an important intermediate in the RA signaling pathway, by altering expression of genes involved in proliferation and differentiation.
Caltoris sirius subsp. sirius Swift
Creators: name: Bhowmik, Suman
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hesperiidae
Caltoris
Caltoris sirius
Caltoris sirius sirius (evans, 1926) (sirius swift)

description: 9. Caltoris sirius sirius (Evans, 1926) (Sirius Swift)
Remarks. On 12.xii.2016, two individuals were recorded, nectaring on Marigold flower at Kameswar Village (24°22’21” N & 92°10’47” E, ca. 15 m above msl.). This species is rare throughout the state.
Current known distribution. Nepal, Myanmar, India (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya) (Van Gasse 2013; Varshney & Smetacek 2015).
description: Published as part of Bhowmik, Suman, 2021, Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India, pp. 35-60 in Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 47 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.35249/rche.47.1.21.04, http://zenodo.org/record/10950112
Geographies of desire: Bayard Taylor and the romance of travel in bourgeois American culture, 1820-1880
Creators: name: Uhlman, James Todd
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: This study explores the growth of bourgeois American society during the mid-nineteenth century.  Phenomena such as colonialism, migration, international trade, industrialization, and print culture cut across geographic and political boundaries and were critical to the evolution of bourgeoisie.  Complimenting these conditions were traditions of cosmological mythology and enlightenment ideals that produced a transnationalist, if not cosmopolitan, consciousness.  Together these contributed to an acute awareness of mobility and spatial difference.  Metaphors of travel captured the sense of personal transformation, possibility, and empowerment common within the cultures of bourgeois identity.  The romance of travel and encounter became a powerful discursive and psychological devise for the construction and reproduction of bourgeois desires such as status, class cohesion, and social dominance in the fluid, socially ambiguous conditions of the day.This study traces the significance of the romance of travel through a socially and geographically diverse gallery of individuals.  It also examines the popular culture and institutions in which they participated.  However, the narrative concentrates on the life of Bayard Taylor, a famed traveler, lecturer and writer of the day.  Taylor serves as a representative figure.  The journey of his rise to prominence, and the central role that a cosmopolitan geography of desire played in his popularity, are illuminating.  Taylor's banality makes him useful as a means to investigate how the popular racial, gender, and class ideas surrounding bourgeois selfhood intertwined with a broader consciousness of the world outside the United States.  Taylor exemplifies the way the romance of travel was utilized to adapt to and succeed in America.More broadly the study sheds light on the strident attitudes of American exceptionalism that persist despite a long history characterized by cultural dependence, global interconnection, and multiethnic complexity.  It emerged out of the tensions surrounding parochial-cosmopolitanism within bourgeois culture:  between the realities of the transnationalist context of its birth and the parochial aims of asserting hegemony over local surroundings.
Polytremis discreta subsp. discreta Himalayan Swift
Creators: name: Bhowmik, Suman
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hesperiidae
Polytremis
Polytremis discreta
Polytremis discreta discreta (elwes & edwards, 1897) (himalayan swift)

description: 10. Polytremis discreta discreta (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) (Himalayan Swift)
Remarks. This species is legally protected under schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protected) Act, 1972 (Anonymous 1997). A single individual was recorded at Betlingchhip (23°48’51” N & 92°15’33” E, ca. 335 m above msl.) in Jampui Hills, while busking on a bush. This record was made on 08.xi.2019. This species is very rare throughout the state.
Current known distribution. Pakistan, Myanmar, India (Jammu & Kashmir to Northeast India) (Van Gasse 2013; Varshney & Smetacek 2015).
description: Published as part of Bhowmik, Suman, 2021, Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India, pp. 35-60 in Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 47 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.35249/rche.47.1.21.04, http://zenodo.org/record/10950112
Zethus (Zethus) malabaricus Giordani Soika 1995
Creators: name: Pannure, Arati
name: Carpenter, James M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eumenidae
Zethus
Zethus malabaricus

description: Zethus (Zethus) malabaricus Giordani Soika, 1995
Material examined. No specimens examined.
Distribution. India: Kerala [Thenmala, Travancore] (Giordani Soika 1995)
description: Published as part of Pannure, Arati & Carpenter, James M., 2016, Taxonomic studies on potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) of south India, pp. 1-50 in Zootaxa 4171 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4171.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/258090
Esenbeckia (Palassomyia) Fairchild 1969
Creators: name: González, Christian R.
name: Elgueta, Mario
name: Krolow, Tiago K.
name: Henriques, Augusto L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tabanidae
Esenbeckia

description: Subgenus Palassomyia Fairchild, 1969: 201.
Type-species: Pangonia fascipennis Macquart, 1838a (orig. des.).
References. Fairchild, 1971: 6 (cat.); Pino, 1975a: 182 (com.); Coscarón, 1976: 99 (redes.); Coscarón & González 1991: 127 (list); 134 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 1993: 16 (in key); Fairchild & Burger, 1994: 24 (cat.); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009a: 8 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009b: 26 (cat.).
description: Published as part of González, Christian R., Elgueta, Mario, Krolow, Tiago K. & Henriques, Augusto L., 2022, Catalog of the horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Chile, pp. 201-257 in Zootaxa 5091 (2) on page 212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5843635
The wound response in Arabidopsis thaliana and Physcomitrella patens
Creators: name: Tang, Chi-Tai Conan
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: The wound response in plants is triggered by tissue damage incurred from biotic and abiotic sources.  However, identification of wound-specific genes has been complicated by overlap between the wound response and other stress responses.  Using representational difference analysis (RDA), an anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), steroid sulfotransferase (SST) and a tyramine transferase (THT) were isolated from wounded Arabidopsis thaliana.  These genes were expressed in wounded leaves and corresponding systemic tissues.  Analysis in wild-type and mutant backgrounds showed that their wound induction was entirely dependent upon jasmonate signaling.  SST and putative paralog At5g07000 possess sequence hallmarks of steroid sulfotransferases.  The expression of SST was silenced using RNAi.  A silenced (SST::RNAi) line was analyzed for differences in steroid profiles between unwounded and wounded plants.  However, differences were not detected between wild-type and SST::RNAi plants.  Possible reasons for this result are discussed.  An RDA-based screen for wounding genes expressed solely in systemic tissues (SYSTs) revealed, instead, genes whose expression is down-regulated in injured leaves.  SYST1-3 was depleted in wounded leaves within five minutes after wounding and maintained at reduced levels for at least four days.  Genetic approaches failed to identify the signal involved in SYST1-3 reduction.  A SYST1-3-like gene, At5g16250, was isolated by homology search and was similarly depleted in wounded leaves indicating a gene family of wound-depleted transcripts.  To gain insight into the wound response of a lower eukaryotic plant, the wound response was investigated in the moss, Physcomitrella patens.  Wounding caused cell death to 1-2 cell layers bordering the wound.  Callose was deposited in cells adjacent to the wounded cells.  Two putative lipoxygenases (PpLOX) were induced by wounding.  PpLOX6 and PpLOX7 contain features of lipoxygenases from higher plants.  PpLOX7 is predicted to be transported into the chloroplast and a dendrogram showed that PpLOX7 is related to the wound-induced type2-lipoxygenases whereas PpLOX6 clustered with the moss lipoxygenases.  Induction of PpLOX7 could be triggered by methyl jasmonate.  Wounding also induced putative orthologs of JA biosynthetic enzymes, allene oxide synthase (AOS) and allene oxide cyclase (AOC) but not an OPDA reductase (OPR3).  These results suggest that a JA-dependent wound response may be conserved in mosses.
Potanthus pallida Pale Dart
Creators: name: Bhowmik, Suman
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hesperiidae
Potanthus
Potanthus pallida

description: 11. Potanthus pallida (Evans, 1932) (Pale Dart)
Remarks. On 06.xi.2019, a single individual was recorded at Vangmun (24°0’9” N & 92°16’44” E, ca. 571 m above msl.) in Jampui Hills. This species is rare throughout the state.
Current known distribution. Sri Lanka, Myanmar, India (Karnataka to Kerala; Himachal Pradesh to Northeast India) (Van Gasse 2013; Varshney & Smetacek 2015).
description: Published as part of Bhowmik, Suman, 2021, Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India, pp. 35-60 in Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 47 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.35249/rche.47.1.21.04, http://zenodo.org/record/10950112
Esenbeckia (Palassomyia) fascipennis
Creators: name: González, Christian R.
name: Elgueta, Mario
name: Krolow, Tiago K.
name: Henriques, Augusto L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tabanidae
Esenbeckia
Esenbeckia fascipennis

description: Esenbeckia (Palassomyia) fascipennis (Macquart, 1838a)
Pangonia fascipennis Macquart, 1838a: 106–107; Macquart, 1838b: 110–111.
Tabanus diversipennis Walker, 1848: 165. Holotype. Male (NHMUK), “ Chile ”. Porter, 1902: 247 (Chile spp.); Kertész, 1908: 238 (cat.); Kröber, 1934: 241 (cat., syn., Esenbeckia); Chainey, 1990: 261 (NHMUK types).
Holotype. Male (MNHN). Type-locality: “ Chile ” (without precise locality).
Distribution. Chile: Región de Coquimbo (Elqui); Región de Valparaíso (Marga Marga, Quillota, Valparaíso); Región Metropolitana (Chacabuco, Cordillera, Santiago); Región de O’Higgins (Colchagua); Región del Maule (Talca).
References. Blanchard, 1854: 387 (redes., Pangonia), pl. 1 fig. 9 (as P. fasciipennis sic); Walker, 1854: 131 (NHMUK spp., Pangonia); Philippi, 1865: 707 (Chile spp., Pangonia); Schiner, 1868: 98 (com., Pangonia); Ricardo, 1900: 173 (NHMUK spp., Pangonia); Hunter, 1901: 133 (cat., Pangonia); Porter, 1902: 244 (Chile spp., Pangonia); Kertész, 1908: 154 (cat., Pangonia); Enderlein, 1925: 288 (notes); Kröber, 1932a: 53 (redes.); Kröber, 1934: 241 (cat.); Pirión, 1939: 56 (com.); Fraga, 1940: 153–155 (redes., fig. 17); Stuardo, 1946: 71 (cat.); Fairchild, 1956: 16 (com.); Fairchild, 1971: 6 (cat.); Coscarón, 1976: 100 (redes., fig. 10A–K); Moucha, 1976: 20 (cat.); Coscarón & González, 1991: 127 (Chile spp.); González, 1993: 110–111 (sea. occ.); Fairchild & Burger, 1994: 24 (cat.); Coscarón, 1998: 349 (list, dist.); González & Flores, 2004: 4–6 (mou. par., figs. 1–7); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009b: 27 (cat.).
description: Published as part of González, Christian R., Elgueta, Mario, Krolow, Tiago K. & Henriques, Augusto L., 2022, Catalog of the horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Chile, pp. 201-257 in Zootaxa 5091 (2) on pages 212-213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5843635
Probably Approximately Correct (PAC) exploration in reinforcement learning
Creators: name: Strehl, Alexander L.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Reinforcement Learning (RL) in finite state and action Markov Decision Processes is studied with an emphasis on the well-studied exploration problem.  We provide a general RL framework that applies to all results in this thesis and to other results in RL that generalize the finite MDP assumption.  We present two new versions of the Model-Based Interval Estimation (MBIE) algorithm and prove that they are both PAC-MDP.  These algorithms are provably more efficient any than previously studied RL algorithms.  We prove that many model-based algorithms (including R-MAX and MBIE) can be modified so that their worst-case per-step computational complexity is vastly improved without sacrificing their attractive theoretical guarantees.  We show that it is possible to obtain PAC-MDP bounds with a model-free algorithm called Delayed Q-learning.
Potanthus pseudomaesa subsp. clio Indian Dart
Creators: name: Bhowmik, Suman
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Lepidoptera
Hesperiidae
Potanthus
Potanthus pseudomaesa
Potanthus pseudomaesa clio (evans, 1932) (indian dart)

description: 12. Potanthus pseudomaesa clio (Evans, 1932) (Indian Dart)
Remarks. A total of three individuals were sighted in Jampui Hill (24°2’20” N & 92°16’19” E, ca. 329 m above msl.). This observation was made on 15.i.2017. This species is quite common in Jampui Hills but rare throughout the state.
Current known distribution. Bangladesh, Myanmar, India (Jammu & Kashmir to Northeast India; Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal) (Van Gasse 2013; Varshney & Smetacek 2015).
description: Published as part of Bhowmik, Suman, 2021, Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India, pp. 35-60 in Revista Chilena de Entomología (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) (Rev. Chil. Entomol.) 47 (1) on page 43, DOI: 10.35249/rche.47.1.21.04, http://zenodo.org/record/10950112
The effects of urban hydrology and elevated atmospheric deposition on nitrate retention and loss in urban wetlands
Creators: name: Stander, Emilie
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Wetlands are known for their ability to process nitrate inputs from uplands and groundwater and thus prevent nitrate discharge to sensitive waters.  Wetlands in urban landscapes are subjected to numerous disturbances which may prevent them from serving as N sinks.  The objective of this dissertation is to document N cycling in urban wetlands in the context of altered hydrology and elevated atmospheric N deposition, and to determine whether urban wetlands serve as sinks or sources of nitrate to receiving waters.This study was conducted in palustrine, forested wetlands in northeastern New Jersey.  In situ rates of net N mineralization, net nitrification, and denitrification were measured monthly for one year.  Water table levels were monitored over five years, and soil and vegetation properties were characterized.  Weekly nitrate inputs as throughfall and outputs as leachate were measured for one year and analyzed for stable isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen.  Due to altered hydrology, natural hydrogeomorphic setting was not an effective predictor of N cycling rates in urban wetlands.  Many assumptions of functional assessment models used to make wetland management decisions were not met.  Alternative models I developed using indicators of specific N functions successfully predicted nitrification rates, but they did not predict denitrification rates.  Assessment of biogeochemical functions and reference standard site selection should be based on long-term monitoring of water table levels.  Assessment models should be targeted to specific functions and may need to utilize intensive field or laboratory techniques.  Local scale factors are better descriptors of N cycling rates than indicators of landscape scale urbanization.Nitrate inputs were higher in more urban sites, but there was no urban effect in nitrate outputs.  Urban wetlands generally retained nitrate, as demonstrated by higher nitrate inputs than outputs.  However, two sites did demonstrate overall loss of nitrate.  Two other sites exhibited direct leaching of atmospherically-derived nitrate, suggesting a lower capacity for N retention.  Nitrate retention is not universal in urban wetlands.
Evaluation of UML based wireless network virtualization
Creators: name: Singhal, Shruti
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Virtualization of wireless networks is recognized to be a difficult problem due to the fact that radios interact with their neighbors at various layers of the protocol stack, making strict isolation of virtual networks ("or slices") quite challenging. The goal of virtualization is to support concurrent experiments, both long-running services as well as short-term experiments on shared wireless network. In a wireless network, the radio resources that can be shared and hence virtualized are in time, space and frequency.  Efforts have been going on to modify the ORBIT control structure to accommodate different forms of virtualization including VMAC, SDMA, FDMA and TDMA. Among different possible wireless virtualization techniques, this work is focused on allowing a node to run more than one experiment simultaneously using different frequencies i.e. Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM). Each node in the ORBIT test bed is provided with two physical wireless cards. FDMA virtualization is achieved by running two concurrent User Level Operating Systems (ULOS) on each node and providing each operating system access to a radio card. Thus an experimental end user would view a single node as two virtual nodes, each equipped with one wireless card.Experimental results are provided to compare the performance of a virtualized radio node with the non virtualized one for basic point-to-point experiments using TCP and UDP.  Bounds on performance metrics of throughput, delay and jitter are determined and cross-coupling effects between two virtualized experiments are examined. We also look at transient behavior associated with sudden changes in traffic on one of the virtual networks. Finally, the uncertainty in performance measurements for a few typical usage scenarios is investigated, leading to guidelines for use of virtualized radio nodes for simultaneous ORBIT experiments.
Impact of soil organic matter heterogeneity and soil aggregation on the sorption of  herbicides by soils
Creators: name: Sharma, Samriti
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Experiments were performed in pursuit of understanding of interactions between herbicides and soils, focusing on the effects of heterogeneity within soil organic matter (SOM), and the aggregation of SOM with mineral matter in soils, on equilibrium sorption and sorption rates of herbicides. For this purpose, sorption of three herbicides -- atrazine, metolachlor and napropamide -- was studied on a bulk soil, a bulk peat and three fractions that were chemically isolated from it. Studies were also performed using the well studied polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) phenanthrene to provide a comparison for the herbicides. The sorbents extracted from the soil and peat -- Base extracted fraction (BE), humic acids fraction (HA) and kerogen and black carbon fraction (KB) were characterized with elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and surface area measurements and subjected to sorption and desorption equilibrium studies and sorption rate investigations. The herbicides were found to exhibit non linear sorption isotherms on all the sorbents, with HA from both soil and peat showing the least non linear isotherms and fastest sorption rates among all the sorbents. HA fraction also showed the least dependence of equilibrium or time dependent organic carbon normalized sorption capacity (KOC or KOC(t)) on initial aqueous solute concentration. This result was in accordance with the amorphous nature of the HA material and similar to that observed for PAHs. Herbicide atrazine was found to react with HA and was transformed to hydroxyatrazine in its presence. KOC or KOC(t) values for all other sorbents were found to be dependent on initial aqueous solute concentration. High sorption capacity of KB dominated the sorption for all the herbicides, with this capacity being diminished by the aggregation structure of the soil. Significant sorption hysteresis was not observed for the  sorption of herbicides on the KB fraction, unlike that observed for phenanthrene, indicating large herbicide molecules do not penetrate nanopores of KB. Hysteresis observed for the bulk soil and BE for atrazine was attributed to chemical interactions between the sorbents and the herbicide.  Overall this dissertation found that the herbicides exhibit hydrophobic interactions with soils, similar to PAHs, but owing to their large molecular sizes and polarities may exhibit site specific interactions and lack of hysteresis with soil components that call for changes in existing fate and transport models and further microscopic understanding.
Modification of silicon by self-assembled monolayers for application in nano-electronics and biology
Creators: name: Li, Meng
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is employed to investigate surface and interface properties of several self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) systems on silicon and applications in optimizing attachment of biomolecules and Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of high-k metal oxides are explored.  The SAM systems include silane-based SAMs on SiO2 and alkene-based SAMs (with different terminal groups) on H-terminated Si (111).Modification of SiO2 by silane-based SAMs is presented first with emphasis on SAM/SiO2 interfacial characteristics.  Spectral changes in the longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon mode of the SiO2 substrate after modification with silane-based SAMs suggest the formation of a dense cross-linked SAM chemically attached to the SiO2 substrate through Sisubstrate-O-Si bonds. A novel method is developed to prepare -NH2 terminated surface for optimized biomolecules surface attachment using (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and hydrogen-terminated Si (111).  It is demonstrated that APTES can form more stable siloxane layers on hydrogen-terminated Si (111) without extra pre-hydration or pre-oxidization of surface required by conventional silane-based methods.  The formation, structure and stability of alkene-based SAMs thermally grafted on H- terminated silicon (111) via Si-C bond (Si-C SAMs) has been investigated by infrared spectroscopy. The SAM with reactive terminal group (-COOH) shows higher thermal stability than SAM with -CH3 termination. The decomposition of alkyl chains at high temperature is through β-hydride elimination with cleavage of Si-C bond. The alkene-based SAMs are further used as model systems to study reaction and nucleation processes in ALD.  The ALD of aluminum oxide on SAM-functionalized silicon with various terminal groups (-CH3, - NH2, -COOH and -OH) was systematically investigated using in situ FTIR. The results show that all Si-C bound SAMs with different terminal groups efficiently eliminate the formation of unwanted interfacial silicon oxide during ALD growth. The results also show that aluminum oxide can grow on all terminations of SAM surfaces but in a type-dependent manner, forming more homogeneous films on the -NH2, -COOH surfaces and very non-homogeneous films on -CH3-terminated surfaces due to a lack of reactive nucleation sites at the starting CH3-terminated surface.
Dietary effects on tobacco-related lung cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The effects of smoking on human health are serious or even deadly. Among many tobacco-related diseases is lung cancer. A low calorie diet, termed calorie restriction, is known to prevent a wide spectrum of diseases, including cancer. Understanding the interaction between diet and genetic factors will provide opportunities to explore therapeutic targets to enjoy the benefits of a low calorie diet. Recent studies from my lab and many others have set a paradigm for identifying genetic factors regulated by a low calorie diet and exploring therapeutic opportunities by targeting these factors. We propose to greatly expand our initial findings to include a network of genetic factors that are subject to the regulation by a low calorie diet and examine the effects of these genetic factors on preventing tobacco smoke-induced lung cancer. We will also explore clinical evidence to support our hypothesis. Our studies provide a unique entry point to tackle tobacco use-related problems and hold promise for identifying therapeutic targets for treating tobacco-related diseases.
Predictors and consequences of nonadherence to antihypertensive medication
Creators: name: Sharma, Puza P.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Context:  Nonadherence to antihypertensive therapy attributes to uncontrolled blood pressure.  This may worsen the severity of hypertension and ultimately increase health care costs.  This underlines the importance of identifying predictors and consequences of nonadherence to antihypertensive therapy.  Objectives:  (I) To empirically determine the length of gap between antihypertensive prescription refills that predicts long term prescription discontinuation.  This gap can be used to define antihypertensive medication nonadherence.  (II) To examine predictors of nonadherence and (III) To evaluate the role of nonadherence on rates of hospitalization and emergency room visits.Design, settings and subjects:  For Objectives I and II, retrospective cohort designs were employed on 51,615 subjects enrolled in a large United States pharmacy benefit manager during Jan 1st 2003 and May 31st 2006.  Subjects were included if they had [greater than or equal to] 2 prescriptions of antihypertensive medication, were new users and were [greater than or equal to] 30 years.  For Objective III, a cross-sectional design was employed on 9,945 subjects aged 30-64 years continuously enrolled in New Jersey Medicaid between Jan 1999 and Dec 2001.For Objective I, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis was performed using maximum gap in anti hypertensive therapy as a predictor of long term treatment discontinuation.  For Objective II, time to nonadherence was analyzed with the use of Cox Proportional Hazard Regression model.  For Objective III, Log-Linear Regression analysis was utilized to estimate the risk of health care utilization associated with nonadherence Results:  For Objective I, ROC analysis generated a C-statistic of 0.87.  The cut-off value for maximum gap between refills that optimized sensitivity (0.81) and specificity (0.79) was 75 days.  For Objective II, region of the country in which the subjects resided and subjects living in a census block with high percentage of African American population and low levels of income were found to be significant predictors of nonadherence.  Subjects who were treated by cardiologists and younger physicians also had improved adherence.  Objective III showed that subjects who were nonadherent to antihypertensive therapy had significantly higher rates of hospitalizations as well as emergency visits.Conclusion:  Timely corrective interventions to improve adherence will have significant impact on the cost-effectiveness in the treatment of hypertension.
Indoor chemistry of secondhand and thirdhand smoke
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Many millions of Americans, both children and adults, are still exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) in their homes and workplaces despite a great deal of progress in tobacco control. Recently unearthed tobacco documents revealed that SHS becomes more harmful as it gets stale (ages). Moreover, research also shows that particles from secondhand tobacco smoke can settle onto hair, clothing, and other surfaces and remain there long after the smoke is gone. Some researchers call this thirdhand smoke (THS). Our recent work has now proven that these settled-out particles can form more cancer-causing compounds, through chemical changes involving nicotine. While aging seems to increase the toxins in tobacco smoke, the underlying changes to the makeup of SHS and THS are not yet well understood. However, this is of great importance to understand how harmful tobacco residues are and how much exposure non-smokers get. Currently, very little is known about how chemicals in SHS evolve between the time the smoke leaves a cigarette and the time people are exposed to the remaining toxins. In addition, only a few compounds have been identified in THS, while the vast majority of them are still unknown.

 The goal of this study is to develop new techniques to watch how chemicals in SHS and THS change moment-by-moment as they age. We want to learn just how gases and particles in SHS become more hazardous with time, and how they behave on indoor surfaces and clothing. To accomplish this goal, we will use existing and state-of-the-art advanced instruments to probe the behavior of SHS and THS in realistic scenarios that correspond to typical indoor environments like homes. The experimental work will be done at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (in the Indoor Environment Department, in collaboration with the Advanced Light Source Division). At the end of this study we expect to have new data on how the composition of SHS aerosol and THS change during the minutes and hours after smoking. Moreover, a mathematical tool will be developed to estimate how much toxicological risk increases as SHS/THS age. The findings of our study will be used to design more accurate ways to measure exposure and improve our understanding of how SHS and THS harm people. The outcomes of this research will help provide a framework for important field studies to measure non-smokers’ exposure to aged SHS/THS. In addition, this project will generate further evidence to support efforts to cut-down and/or eliminate SHS/THS exposure in homes and public places.
Role of PHLPP1 in Astrocytes and Stroke
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Epidemiological studies have identified tobacco use as a clinical risk factor for increasing the incidence of cardiovascular disease including cardiac arrest and stroke. The impeded flow of blood from a stroke starves the brain of oxygen, glucose, and other vital nutrients and this in turn activates signaling cascades within the cells of the brain resulting in an ischemic injury. An important signaling molecule that helps regulate the balance between cell survival and death in cells is the serine/threonine kinase Akt, also known as protein kinase B (PKB). The molecule puts phosphates on its targets, regulates a wide variety of cellular processes including cell survival, metabolism, and growth. Recently, a newly discovered protein phosphatase PHLPP (PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase) was found to reverse this process by inhibiting Akt activity. Historically the focus in considering brain pathology has been on the survival or death of neurons, however, the brain also contains astroglial cells (astrocytes) which have both physiological and pathological roles in regulating neuronal activity and CNS homeostasis. The overall hypothesis to be tested here is that PHLPP is an important regulator of Akt signaling in astrocytes and that loss of PHLPP will accentuate Akt activation, protecting cells from dying in response to lack of oxygen by activating cell survival pathways or altering the proteins that the cell makes. Our proposed experiments will specifically determine if: 1) PHLPP modulates temporal activation of Akt and localization in astrocytes and neurons and whether sustained activation of Akt by removal of PHLPP protects astrocytes and neurons from ischemic injury; 2) removal of PHLPP has an effect on the brain and its response to stroke. Proposed work will examine the role of PHLPP on Akt activation and its role in preventing ischemic damage using in vitro and in vivo systems. Molecular and functional studies will be performed in astrocytes and mice that lack PHLPP in their genome. Using these systems we aim to test the proposed hypothesis and significantly impact current therapeutic strategies to improve stroke outcome associated with tobacco-use.
Protodasyapha Enderlein 1922
Creators: name: González, Christian R.
name: Elgueta, Mario
name: Krolow, Tiago K.
name: Henriques, Augusto L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tabanidae
Protodasyapha

description: Genus Protodasyapha Enderlein, 1922: 337.
Type-species: Tabanus hirtuosus Philippi, 1865 (orig. des.).
References. Enderlein, 1925: 274 (diag.); Kröber, 1930b: 157 (in key), 169 (diag.); Kröber, 1930e: 122 (diag.); Ruíz, 1929: 237 (list); Borgmeier, 1933: 299 (tax.); Kröber, 1934: 238 (cat.); Fraga, 1938c: 151 (in key); Stuardo, 1946: 69 (cat.); Barretto, 1960: 60 (list), 63 (in key); Fairchild, 1969: 200 (diag., com.), 224 (in key); Fairchild, 1971: 4 (cat.); Coscarón, 1976: 77 (in key), 78 (redes.); Coscarón & Fairchild, 1979: 298 (tax.); Coscarón & González 1991: 134 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 1993: 15 (in key); Fairchild & Burger, 1994: 30 (cat.); Coscarón, 1998: 349 (list, dist.); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009a: 7 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009b: 31 (cat.).
description: Published as part of González, Christian R., Elgueta, Mario, Krolow, Tiago K. & Henriques, Augusto L., 2022, Catalog of the horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Chile, pp. 201-257 in Zootaxa 5091 (2) on page 213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5843635
Stabilization of irradiated allografts via crosslinking and free radical scavenging
Creators: name: Seto, Aaron U.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: Currently, the risk of disease transmission from allografts has been reduced through a system of screening methods organized by tissue banks. Terminal sterilization is possible with the use of ionizing irradiation, which has shown high efficiency for neutralizing pathogens. Unfortunately, irradiation is known to cause chain scission and crosslink degradation in collagen, leading to weakened mechanical properties and increased susceptibility to enzymatic digestion. Two methods of stabilizing allografts against the effects of irradiation were studied in this research. These methods included crosslinking via EDC or glucose, and free radical scavenging using mannitol, ascorbate, or riboflavin. The overall objective of this study was to assess the protective ability of each treatment in the presence of increasing irradiation dose based on mechanical properties and enzyme digestion. These studies also investigated the influence of tendon water content, and combination of crosslink and scavenging methods after exposure to irradiation. Our hypothesis was that crosslinking and free radical scavenging would aid in maintaining mechanical integrity and enzymatic resistance after gamma or ebeam irradiation.In general, crosslinking and free radical scavenging improved the mechanical properties and collagenase resistance of irradiated tendons. Glucose crosslinked tendons irradiated at 25 kGy were comparable in terms of strength to native tendon. Similarly, at 50 kGy EDC crosslinked tendons were comparable to untreated tendons irradiated at 25 kGy. Ascorbate and riboflavin were successful at protecting mechanical properties especially at 25 kGy. Most noteworthy were the combined treatments irradiated at 50 kGy, which matched native tendons mechanically and were highly resistive to collagenase. These treatments were unable to completely maintain properties at 50 kGy, which is closer to a clinically useful dose. The majority of treatments displayed improvements at 25 kGy. If allografts could be successfully stabilized from damage, ionizing irradiation could ensure not only disease free tissues, but also faster availability.
Systematic design, modeling and simulation of a biped robot
Creators: name: Du, Shucen
Publisher: name: TUHH Universitätsbibliothek
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: Biped robot
subject: Parallel kinematic mechanism
subject: Structure synthesis
subject: Stable walking
classificationCode: 6
subject: Technology::629: Other Branches

description: The bipedal walking robot, CENTAUROB, is designed to perform the walking over random terrains. It features two symmetrically assigned 6-DOF parallel kinematic mechanisms as legs. This work represents the development phases from structure synthesis, kinematic and dynamic modelling to walking stability. Different formations of 6-DOF legs were analysed through dissection of basic kinematic chains, and the design adopting double Cardan joints was demonstrated. The passive rotation problem was identified and solved through complete kinematic modelling. The inverse dynamic model was built, and the semi-dynamic walking stability was ensured by analysing foot rotation indicator with the load-split algorithm.
description: Der zweibeinige Roboter CENTAUROB, entwickelt für das Gehen auf unebenem Terrain, besitzt zwei 6 DOF Parallelschwenkmechanismen als Beine. Diese Arbeit umfasst die Entwicklungsphasen von Struktursynthese, kinematischer und dynamischer Modellierung bis zur Gangstabilität. Verschiedene Formationen von 6 DOF Beinen wurden durch Analyse kinematischer Grundketten untersucht und das Design mit Doppel Kardangelenken vorgestellt. Das Problem der Passivrotation wurde durch vollständige kinematische Modellierung gelöst. Das inverse Dynamikmodell wurde entwickelt und die halbdynamische Gangstabilität durch die Analyse des Fußrotationsindikators mittels Lastverteilungsalgorithmus sichergestellt.
Nicotinic receptor-lynx interactions
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The relevance of this proposal to the TRDRP's mission involves the understanding of factors underlying nicotine dependence. Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, the cognate receptors which bind nicotine, over time can promote long-term changes in the brain that lead to nicotine addiction. My colleagues and I have discovered a set of proteins, lynx molecules, which blunt the efficacy of nicotine - by binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and dialing down receptor activity. Further, lynx molecules can counteract some of the long-term changes in the brain of the sort underlying nicotine addiction. In this way, lynx molecules exhibit features one would want in a smoking cessation compound - blunting the pleasurable aspects of nicotine and opposing the long-term changes in smoker's brains. This proposal addresses the mechanism by which lynx is able to achieve its effect in dialing down the activity of nicotinic receptors. A better understanding of lynx-receptor interactions is a promising direction for studying nicotine addiction and for developing smoking cessation strategies.
Characterization of Platelet Thromboxane A2 Receptors
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: While cigarette smoking is the single most preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a significant percentage of disabilities and deaths are attributable to it. In fact, cardiovascular disease such as the thrombosis-based disorders heart attacks and strokes are considered the main cause of death due to smoking. In this connection, thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, thereby obstructing blood flow to a particular organ or area of the body. To this end, smoking accelerates the hardening and narrowing process in blood vessels, which substantially contributes to the pathogenesis of certain cardiovascular disease such heart attacks. Importantly, it has been established that activation of blood cells known as platelets is an important risk factor in atherosclerosis caused by smoking.

 In this connection, cigarette smoking was also found to stimulate the formation of a compound, thromboxane A2 (TXA2) that is known to activate platelets by binding to a protein (receptor) on their surface, and therefore contribute to thrombotic disorders. Interestingly, aspirin therapy was found to inhibit smoking-induced platelet activation; which makes it especially beneficial in decreasing cardiovascular mortality among smokers. Our goal is to investigate two aspects of the biology of the thromboxane A2 receptor protein using reagents (a novel inhibitor) that can be applied in the treatment of this tobacco-related disease. We will also study another protein that is found on the surface of platelets, called the transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6), and its role in the function of platelets, which are also known to mediate some of the deleterious effects of tobacco use. The outcome of these studies may also result in a new ways for treating smoking induced platelet-dependent diseases.

 In summary, our study focuses on a receptor protein that is known to mediate the adverse effects of smoking on blood cells called platelets. It may also result in the discovery of a novel therapeutic reagent or a new target for treating a common tobacco-related disease, such as heart attacks.
Protodasyapha (Curumyia) Coscaron 1976
Creators: name: González, Christian R.
name: Elgueta, Mario
name: Krolow, Tiago K.
name: Henriques, Augusto L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tabanidae
Protodasyapha

description: Subgenus Curumyia Coscarón, 1976: 78–79.
Type-species: Tabanus lugens Philippi, 1865 (orig. des.).
References. Coscarón, 1976: 77 (in key); Coscarón & González 1991: 134 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 1993: 15 (in key); Coscarón, 1998: 349 (list, dist.); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009a: 7 (in key); Coscarón & Papavero, 2009b: 31 (cat.).
description: Published as part of González, Christian R., Elgueta, Mario, Krolow, Tiago K. & Henriques, Augusto L., 2022, Catalog of the horse-flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) of Chile, pp. 201-257 in Zootaxa 5091 (2) on page 213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5091.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5843635
Impacts of soft skills development on the employment and earnings of the difficult-to-employ
Creators: name: Shams, Fatima P.
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2007

description: The purpose of this study was to assess the overall effectiveness of the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) program, STRIVE Central Jersey, by analyzing the wages of low-skilled high school dropouts and Welfare recipients. WtW programs are widely practiced to improve the lives of the underprivileged by attempting to remove them from Welfare and transition them into employment. Such individuals typically lack Human Capital which is comprised of Personal Capital, consisting of hard skills like education, and Social Capital, consisting of soft skills like self-confidence. WtW programs, like STRIVE, focus mainly on Social Capital by attempting to instill self-esteem and human empowerment with the expectation that this will transform them into employable individuals.The STRIVE program is a process model in which successful individuals progress from one stage of the program to the next. The biographical characteristics specific to the individuals in each stage of the program were assessed to determine what characteristics allow some individuals to succeed and others to not. OLS and Probit models were utilized to make this assessment. Likewise, because of this systematic processing, there is potential for endogeneity in the form of outcomes which are a function of previous stages of the program. Heckman Selection models were applied to determine whether a selection process is occurring.Findings of this study are consistent with previous evaluations of such programs. It was found that STRIVE Central Jersey employed 32 percent of its participants and 56 percent of its graduates. The characteristics, age and being single, had a negative influence on the progression of a participant through the STRIVE process. The wages of STRIVE graduates decreased from $11.40 to $9.92 an hour. Of the $9.92 an hour wage earned, $4.45 is the STRIVE effect on wages for all participants. It was found that, compared to White individuals, Black individuals earned $2.31 less in wages, therefore the STRIVE effect for Black individuals was $2.14.The overall impact of STRIVE Central Jersey was not an encouraging one. The financial well-being of these underprivileged individuals was not improved as a result of participating in the program as individuals were left earning only $715.20 above the poverty threshold.