Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-143). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 68 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 161-182). Available also in an electronic version.

Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 15, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-125).

Aggressive motion can occur in clinical and elderly care settings with people suffering from dementia, mental disorders, or other conditions that affect memory. Since identifying the nature of the event can be difficult with people who have memory and communication issues, other methods to identify and record aggressive motion would be useful for care providers to reduce re-occurrences of this activity. A wearable technology approach for human activity recognition was explored in this thesis to detect aggressive movements. This approach aims to provide a means to identify the person that initiated aggressive motion and to categorize the aggressive action. The main objective of this thesis was to determine the effectiveness of smartwatch accelerometer and gyroscope sensor data for classifying aggressive and non-aggressive activities. 30 able-bodied participants donned two Microsoft Bands 2 smartwatches and performed an activity circuit of similar aggressive and non-aggressive movements. Statistical and physical features were extracted from the smartwatch sensors signals, and subsequently used by multiple classifiers to determine on a machine learning platform six performance metrics (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, F-score, Matthews correlation coefficient). This thesis demonstrated: 1) the best features for a binary classification; 2) the best and most practical machine learning classifier and feature selector model; 3) the evaluation metrics differences between unilateral smartwatch and bilateral smartwatches; 4) the most suitable machine learning algorithm for a multinomial classification.

nÃo hà / A periodontite agressiva representa um tipo de doenÃa periodontal inflamatÃria que, embora rara, geralmente acomete indivÃduos em idade precoce e à caracterizada pela destruiÃÃo rÃpida e debilitante do periodonto de suporte. A patogÃnese desta doenÃa vincula-se a um fator etiolÃgico primÃrio, o biofilme dental e tambÃm à resposta inflamatÃria do hospedeiro susceptÃvel à agressÃo bacteriana. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito do tratamento a curto prazo com etoricoxib como adjuvante à terapia de raspagem e alisamento radicular (RAR) sobre os nÃveis de PGE2 e sobre os parÃmetros clÃnicos e radiogrÃficos em pacientes portadores de periodontite agressiva. Os pacientes foram randomicamente alocados para TESTE e CONTROLE (n=10 em cada grupo) e submetidos ao tratamento com etoricoxib (120 mg/dia) ou placebo durante 7 dias. Profundidade de sondagem (PS), nÃvel de inserÃÃo clÃnica (NIC), recessÃo gengival (RG), Ãndice de placa visÃvel (IP), sangramento à sondagem (SS), mensuraÃÃo da distÃncia linear (DL) e anÃlise dos nÃveis de cinza (NC) foram registrados antes e um mÃs apÃs a instituiÃÃo das terapias. A anÃlise visual por vÃdeo e por negatoscÃpio bem como a anÃlise por subtraÃÃo radiogrÃfica digital foram feitas no inÃcio e ao final do perÃodo experimental. A dosagem de PGE2 no fluido crevicular gengival (FCG) foi avaliada por radioimunoensaio no inÃcio, com 7 dias apÃs o inÃcio dos tratamentos e 30 dias apÃs a finalizaÃÃo dos mesmos. Ao final do perÃodo experimental, nÃo foram observadas diferenÃas estatisticamente significantes entre os grupos em relaÃÃo aos parÃmetros clÃnicos, embora ambos os grupos tenham apresentado melhora significativa em todas as variÃveis avaliadas. Houve um decrÃscimo no NIC de 5,54Â0,47 mm para 3,59Â0,53 mm no grupo TESTE e de 5,92Â1,10 para 3,69Â0,80 mm no grupo CONTROLE. Uma significativa reduÃÃo nos nÃveis de PGE2 foi observada apÃs 7 dias de tratamento. A mensuraÃÃo da DL evidenciou diferenÃa entre os grupos. Em conclusÃo, etoricoxib nÃo foi capaz de promover benefÃcio adicional nos parÃmetros clÃnicos, contudo, promoveu reduÃÃo inicial nos nÃveis de PGE2 e discreta melhora na condiÃÃo Ãssea. / Aggressive periodontitis is an inflammatory type of periodontal disease which, although rare, generally affects individuals at an early age and is characterized by the rapid and debilitating destruction of the support periodontium. The pathogenesis of this pathology is related to primary etiologic factor, dental biofilm, associated to the immunoinflammatory response of susceptible host to this aggression. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of short duration treatment with etoricoxib as adjuvant therapy to scaling and root planing (SRP) on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels and the clinical and radiographic parameters in aggressive periodontitis. Patients were randomly allocated to TEST or CONTROL (N=10 in each group) and submitted to SRP and treatment with 120 mg/day of etoricoxib or placebo during 7 days. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (GR), visible plaque index (VPI), bleeding on probing (BOP), measurement of the linear distance (LD) and analysis of the gray levels (GL) were recorded before and one month after the therapies. The visual analysis from video and negatoscope and digital subtraction radiographic was made in beginning and in the final experimental period (30 days). The PGE2 dosage in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was measured by radioimmunoassay at the beginning, and 7 and 30 days afterwards. No significant difference was observed between the groups in the clinical parameters at the end of the experimental period, although both groups presented significant improvement in all the variables examined. There was a decrease in CAL from 5.54Â0.47 mm to 3.59Â0.53 mm in the TEST group and from 5.92Â1.10 to 3.69Â0.80 mm in the CONTROL group. A significant reduction in PGE2 was found after 7 days of treatment. The LD measurement was shown to differ between the groups. In conclusion, etoricoxib did not promote additional improvement in the clinical parameters, however it produced an initial reduction in the PGE2 levels in the GCF, which could be related to the discrete improvement in the bone condition.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Porphyromonas gingivalis à um patÃgeno extremamente associado com a etiologia da periodontite crÃnica e agressiva. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar atravÃs de reaÃÃo em cadeia da polimerase em tempo real (Real Time-PCR) a presenÃa de Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) e dos genÃtipos fimA II e IV em indivÃduos com periodontite agressiva generalizada (PAG). Quarenta indivÃduos com PAG (29,7  8,1 anos) foram analisados clinicamente - Ãndice de Placa (IP), Ãndice Gengival (IG), profundidade de sondagem (PS), nÃvel de inserÃÃo clÃnico (NIC) - e microbiologicamente, atravÃs de Real Time PCR, quanto à presenÃa de Pg e dos genÃtipos fimA II e IV. Amostras de biofilme subgengival foram colhidas do sÃtio proximal com maior PS e maior NIC. MÃdias de PS e NIC desses sÃtios foram respectivamente: 9,5  2,2 mm e 10,2  2,8 mm. P. gingivalis foi observado em 26 (65%) dos indivÃduos. O genÃtipo fimA II foi verificado em 16 (61,53%) enquanto o genÃtipo fimA IV em 7 (26,92%) dos que apresentaram P. gingivalis. Entretanto, nÃo foi observada diferenÃa estatÃstica entre os parÃmetros clÃnicos dos indivÃduos que apresentaram ou nÃo o microrganismo ou seus respectivos genÃtipos. TambÃm nÃo foi verificada associaÃÃo entre a presenÃa dos genÃtipos e idade ou gÃnero dos pacientes. Os dados sugerem uma associaÃÃo entre genÃtipos fimA II de Porphyromonas gingivalis quando da ocorrÃncia deste microrganismo em indivÃduos com periodontite agressiva generalizada. / Porphyromonas gingivalis is a pathogen strongly associated with the etiology of chronic and aggressive periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate by Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (Real Time-PCR) the presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and fimA genotypes type II and type IV in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP). Forty individuals with aggressive periodontitis (AgP) (29.7  8.1 years) were clinical analyzed through plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL) and microbiologically, by Real Time-PCR for the presence of Pg and fimA genotypes type II and type IV. Subgingival biofilm samples were collected from the interproximal periodontal sites (> PD and > CAL). The PD and CAL average of this sites were respectively: 9,5  2,2 mm e 10,2  2,8 mm. P. gingivalis was observed in 26 (65%) of individuals. FimA genotypes type II was detected in 16 (61,53%) while fimA genotypes type IV in 7 (26,92%) of those with P. gingivalis. However, no differences were observed between the clinical parameters of patients who presented or not the organism or its genotypes. There was also no association between the presence of genotypes and age or gender of patients. The data suggest an association between P. gingivalis fimA genotypes upon the occurrence of this microorganism in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis.

Brain and behavioural disorders represent a leading cause of morbidity and suffering worldwide. The 'fierce' mouse has a spontaneous deletion of Nr2e1 that results in a complex phenotype that includes cortical hypoplasia and socially abnormal behaviours. Notably, functional protein and regulatory equivalency of mouse and human NR2E1 has been established. Furthermore, human studies implicate the genomic region containing NR2E1 in mental illness, although a role for NR2E1 in humans is currently unknown. Here, I integrate mouse models and human molecular genetics to understand the involvement of NR2E1 in human brain-behaviour development. First, we test the hypothesis that the spontaneous 'fierce' deletion involves onlyNr2el. It was demonstrated that the 'fierce' mutation results in the loss of all Nr2e1 exons without affecting neighbouring genes. Next, the hypothesis that some humans with cortical malformations will harbour NR2E1 mutations was tested by sequencing the coding, untranslated, splice-site, proximal promoter, and evolutionarily conserved regions of this gene in 60 subjects with microcephaly. Four candidate regulatory mutations were identified. To help interpret these findings, the genomic architecture and molecular evolution of NR2E1 were characterized in 94ethnically-diverse humans and 13 non-human primates, which indicated strong functional constraint. Finally, the hypothesis that some humans with behavioural and psychiatric disorders will harbour mutations in NR2E1 was tested by sequencing the regions outlined above in 126humans with impulsive-aggressive disorders, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Eleven candidate regulatory mutations were identified. Taken together, the findings presented in this thesis are consistent with the proposal that non-coding regulatory mutations may be important to the pathogenesis of brain-behavioural disorders in some humans. / Medicine, Faculty of / Medical Genetics, Department of / Graduate

archives@tulane.edu / Exposure to violence among children and adolescents has been linked to negative outcomes including posttraumatic stress disorder, externalizing problems, low academic achievement, and impaired social-emotional adjustment. Aggressive behaviors specifically are shown to be strongly predicted by both direct and indirect violence exposure. Aggressive behaviors have consequences on later adjustment, making the identification of protective factors imperative to bolster support for children whose environments are affected by violence. The current study examined the effect of neighborhood violence on overt aggression as well as the potential of school climate variables to buffer the impact of violence on students’ aggressive behaviors. It was hypothesized that higher rates of neighborhood violence in the year preceding the study would predict higher levels of aggressive behaviors reported by teachers and students. It was further hypothesized that student perceptions of school safety, teacher-student relationships, and academic engagement would moderate this relationship, such that the relationship between neighborhood violence and aggressive behaviors would be lower in the context of positive school climate indicators than in the context of negative school climate indictors. Results did not support either hypothesis. However, results suggested that teacher-student relationships may reduce aggressive behaviors over time, which provides promising evidence that can inform teacher efforts and schoolwide opportunities to mitigate negative outcomes for their students. / 1 / Lea Petrovic

Objectives: Earlier reports suggested that aggressive periodontitis is common in certain African populations and is associated with the JP2 clone of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa). There are few studies that investigated the type of microorganisms that colonize the subgingival sites in young subjects inflicted with a subcategory of aggressive periodontitis that is associated with the Aa-JP2 clone. Hence, the objective of this study was to characterize the subgingival microbiome of JP2 clone-associated aggressive periodontitis. Methods: The study subjects were drawn from a large survey among 14-18 years old schoolchildren in Morocco. The sample included 7 JP2-positive aggressive periodontitis subjects and 14 JP2-negative controls. The controls were selected to be either JP2-positive, JP2-negative (but Aa positive), or Aa-negative. Subgingival samples from these subjects were sequenced for the V1-V3 region (16S rRNA gene) on a Miseq platform. High-quality, non-chimeric merged reads were classified with our previously reported BLASTn-algorithm. Downstream analysis was performed with QIIME and LEfSe. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in species richness. However, aggressive periodontitis subjects showed significantly lower alpha diversity. The microbiomes of aggressive periodontitis clustered distinctively from the controls. However, there was no significant separation between the subgroups of the control group. Species associated with health included Streptococcus spp., Haemophilus spp., Neisseria spp., Gemella spp., Rothia spp., Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. polymorphum, Porphyromonas oral taxon 279, Veillonella parvula, Granulicatella adiacens and Lautropia mirabilis. Important periodontal pathogens, including Treponema spp., Fretibacterium spp. P. gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia were significantly enriched in aggressive periodontitis subjects. However, the taxa detected in high abundance and showed strongest association with aggressive periodontitis but not the controls were Pseudomonas oral taxon C61 and Enterobacter cloacae. Conclusions: The results suggest that several periodontal pathogens involved in chronic periodontitis also play a role in aggressive periodontitis. Future studies should investigate the role of Pseudomonas and Enterobacter spp. in the pathogenesis of aggressive periodontitis. / Oral Biology