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Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 160 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-129).

Στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η παρασκευή και μελέτη λιποσωμάτων διπλής στόχευσης με το μονοκλωνικό αντίσωμα Ox-26 και με πεπτιδικό ανάλογο της Απολιποτρωτεΐνης Ε3 (ApoE3) στην επιφάνειά τους, για στόχευση των υποδοχέων της τρανσφερρίνης (TfR) και της Απολιποτρωτεΐνης (LDL) αντίστοιχα, και η μελέτη πιθανής συνεργικής δράσης των δύο προσδετών. Για την ακινητοποίηση των προσδετών στην επιφάνεια των λιποσωμάτων, χρησιμοποιήθηκαν δύο μεθοδολογίες. Η αλληλεπίδραση βιοτίνης-στρεπταβιδίνης-βιοτινυλιωμένου αντισωματος για την πρόσδεση του Ox-26 και η τεχνική της δημιουργίας θειοαιθερικού δεσμού (μέσω πρόσδεσης της κυστεΐνης του πεπτιδίου σε ομάδα μαλεϊμίδιου που υπάρχει σε λιπιδικό παράγωγο πολθαιθυλενογλυκόλης, το οποίο προστίθεται στη λιπιδική μεμβράνη κατα τη διάρκεια παρασκευής των λιποσωμάτων). Στη συνέχεια, προσδιορίστηκε η απόδοση της πρόσδεσης αυτών, ακολουθώντας δύο πορείες με σκοπό την επίτευξη μέγιστης πρόσδεσης και για τους δύο προσδέτες. Τα λιποσώματα χαρακτηρίστηκαν ως προς το μέγεθος, το ζ-δυναμικό, καθώς και τη σταθερότητά τους παρουσία πρωτεϊνών ορού. Το μέσο μέγεθος των λιποσωμάτων προσδιορίστηκε μεταξύ 150-200nm. Τόσο το μέγεθος, όσο και η σταθερότητα των λιποσωμικών μορφώμ Πραγματοποιήθηκαν μελέτες πρόσληψης με τη χρήση ανθρώπινων αθανατοπιημένων ενδοθηλιακών κυττάρων του εγκεφάλου, hCMEC/d3, όπου η πρόσληψη των λιποσωμάτων που φέρουν και τους δύο προσδέτες παρουσιάζεται μεγαλύτερη συγκριτικά με τα λιποσώματα που φέρουν μόνο έναν προσδέτη στην επιφάνεια τους, όπως επίσης και σε σύγκριση με απλά λιποσώματα μακράς κυκλοφορίας στο αίμα, που δεν φέρουν κανένα ειδικό προσδέτη. Πραγματοποιήθηκαν, επίσης, μελέτες τοξικότητας όλων των λιποσωμικών μορφών, οι οποίες απέδειξαν πως όλοι οι τύποι λιποσωμάτων που αναπτύχθηκαν δεν εμφανίζουν τοξικότητα προς τα κύτταρα, σε συνθήκες παρόμοιες με αυτές στις οποίες πραγματοποιήθηκαν τα in vitro πειράματα, αποδεικνύοντας ότι το πειραματικό αποτέλεσμα (αυξημένη πρόσληψη των λιποσωμάτων με διπλό σύστημα προσδετών από κύτταρα του εγκεφάλου) δεν οφείλεται σε τοξικότητα. Τελικό συμπέρασμα της παρούσας διατριβής είναι ότι η χρήση δύο διαφορετικών προσδετών στο ίδιο λιπόσωμα προσφέρει μεγαλύτερη ικανότητα στόχευσης του αιματεγκεφαλικού φραγμού, και πιθανώς μεγαλύτερη δυνατότητα διαπέρασης στον εγκέφαλο. / The aim of this study is the preparation of dually decorated liposomes with Ox26 monoclonal antibody and ApoE 3 derivative peptide on their surface and the investigation of a higher targeting potential of Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), as they are targeting both transferrin (Tfr) and apolipoprotein (LDLr) receptors. Two methods were used for the preparation of dually decorated liposomes. Biotin-streptavidin-biotinilated Mab, for Ox26 aattachement, and maleimide-cysteine-peptide for attachment of the ApoE3 peptide derivative. Two procedures were followed in order to achieve high attachment yield of both ligands, as calculated by ELISA technique for Ox26 and fluorescence intensity for ApoE. All types of liposomes were characterized for their size, z-potential and their stability in PBS or in the presence of serum proteins. Mean diameter of all types of liposomes was between 150-200nm, and their integrity and stability were found to be adequate for in vivo use. Uptake studies were performed by using hCMEC/d3 cell line. The uptake of ApoE liposomes or Ox26 liposomes, is demonstrated to be higher compare to the uptake of plain pegylated liposomes, while the uptake is further increased when both two ligands are immobilized on the same vesicle. MTT studies were also performed for all types of liposomes and proved that all the liposomal types developed herein were non toxic for the cells, in the same conditions as used in all in-vitro studies.

Throughout the world, systems of life science governance carry historical, cultural, and political legacies, which now confront the revolutionary and pervasive advances of twenty-first century biotechnology. Nations' adaptability to the twin challenges of attempting to secure the benefits while reducing the risks and threats is a large and still burgeoning governance challenge. The legacy of the Soviet Union is particularly important in this regard, since its history of prolonged authoritarian rule and intense development of biological weapons in combination with the continuing scientific and technological prowess of Russia is a governance challenge, unprecedented in its nature and scale. The aim of the dissertation therefore is to examine to what extent and by what means it is possible for Russia to reconcile its on-going expansion in biotechnology with the institutional and normative inertia arising from its Soviet past. The first part of the dissertation (Chapters 1-4) seeks to uncover and analyse both the growth and consolidation of the governance of biotechnology and the multifaceted governance challenges brought about by the rapid advancement of the life sciences in the twenty-first century. The second part (Chapters 5-8) examines the extent to which the Soviet institutional and infrastructural legacies in the culture of life science research still persist in Russia and impact the governance of biotechnology in that country. The concluding chapter offers an assessment of the current state of the governance of biotechnology in Russia and outlines a scope for further research.

Properties of textiles have great influences on the thermo-physiological and skin sensorial wear comfort of the human body. Sportswear is expected to have good moisture management property, which is key factor to achieve wear comfort. For some sports, they are also expected to have low friction with skin and antibacterial capability. To meet these demands, single-layer fabrics are utterly incompetent. Thus, model dual-layer textiles that consist of a thin hydrophobic electrospun inner layer and a thick hydrophilic electrospun outer layer are designed and fabricated to verify the possibility to simultaneously achieve dual functionalities, including good moisture transport property, with low friction with skin or good antibacterial property. The hydrophobic inner layer ensures low water absorption and transmission of sweat via capillary motion, while the hydrophilic outer layer draws the sweat out from the inner layer and facilitates evaporation to the surrounding environment. In the PhD work presented in this thesis, electrospun nanofibrous mats are used as the model textiles because they have large specific surface area due to a lot of interpenetrating pores between the nanofibers, which could facilitate both the capillary motion and effect of surface modification and incorporation of functional materials. Also, to let the moisture transport away fast, fairly thin hydrophobic inner layers could be achieved by electrospinning because it could control the thickness accurately. To improve the moisture transport property, the capillary motion in the textile is facilitated by decreasing the pore size or increasing the surface hydrophilicity. Dual-layer mats composed of a thick layer of hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and a thin layer of hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) nanofibers with and without interpenetrating nanopores are fabricated respectively. Then the mats are coated with polydopamine (PDOPA) to different extents to tailor the water wettability of the PS layer. It is found that with a large quantity of nanochannels, the porous PS nanofibers exhibit a stronger capillary effect than the solid PS nanofibers. The capillary motion in the porous PS nanofibers can be further enhanced by slight surface modification with PDOPA while retaining the large hydrophilicity difference between the two layers, inducing a strong push-pull effect to transport water from the PS to the PAN layer. To lower the friction between the textile and skin, both of the hydration of the skin and the chemical component of textiles are modified. Core-shell nanofibers with a PAN-rich core and a poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-rich shell are fabricated by single-spinneret electrospinning and used as the inner layer of the dual-layer mats. The dual-layer textile has good moisture transport property and the inner layer of the textile has lower friction with the skin, because the PAN in the inner layer could increase the wettability of the layer, thus improve the capillary effect, and the PVDF-rich shell could lower the friction between the textile and the skin. The synergistic combination of a considerably hydrophobic PAN/PVDF inner layer and a highly hydrophilic CA outer layer induces a strong push-pull effect, resulting in efficient moisture-wicking. To introduce antibacterial property to the dual-layer textile, zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs were covalently attached on the surface of the ethoxysilane-functionalized cross-linked PVDF inner layer. The results of related testes show that the incorporation of the ZnO NPs could render the textile antibacterial property as well as enhance the water wettability of the inner, thus the moisture transport property of the textile is also strongly improved. Also, the ZnO NPs show very good anti-wash property due to the covalent bonding with the inner layer. Thus the potential health risk caused by the detachment of the NPs could be avoided. In summary, the research results presented in this thesis provide effective strategies to enhance the capillary motion and moisture transport property of the textile, as well as achieve dual functionalities. The design concepts demonstrated in this PhD research can be used as model systems for development of novel multifunctional textiles in industries.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF CHAD A. PONCINIE. For the Master of Science degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, presented on 21 June 2013. TITLE: AN EXAMINATION OF DELAY DISCOUNTING IN SEX OFFENDERS WITH DUAL DIAGNOSES MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Mark R. Dixon Discounting of delayed rewards by sex offenders with dual diagnoses was compared to discounting of delayed rewards by matched control non-offenders with dual diagnoses. All participants completed a hypothetical choice task in which they made repeated choices between 10 dollars/servings after a delay and an equal or lesser amount available immediately. The delay to the large reward was varied from 1 day to 2 years across conditions. Indifference points between immediate and delayed rewards were identified at each delay condition by varying the amount of immediate money across choice trials. Overall, those identified as sex offenders discounted the delayed reward more steeply than did the control non-offenders.

The United States is experiencing an increase in young students developing literacy in English and Spanish. Schools providing dual-language English/Spanish instruction need technically adequate tools to assess reading skills in the languages of instruction, and interpretation of results needs to acknowledge the complexity of cross-linguistic learning. Although passage reading fluency in English strongly predicts overall reading proficiency in English in the primary grades and there is some indication that passage reading fluency in Spanish provides equivalent information regarding Spanish reading skills, rarely have the two been examined simultaneously and within a dual-language instructional context. The current study examined predictive and concurrent validity of passage reading fluency in English and Spanish within third grade within a dual-language instructional environment. Using a state assessment of reading as the criterion measure, a correlational design was used to investigate the relation between passage reading fluency in English and Spanish and performance on the statewide assessment of reading in English. Findings indicate that within a dual-language context, passage reading fluency in English is the stronger predictor of performance on the state assessment in English, regardless of the student's home language. Spanish reading fluency is also strongly related to English reading fluency but did not explain additional variance in predicting performance on the statewide large-scale assessment of reading in English beyond what English fluency explained. Results are consistent with the idea that same language assessments are more predictive of reading performance than cross-language assessments are, but the benefits of formative assessment in the language of instruction remain.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Kakali Bhattacharya / Bilingual education has a long history in the United States, although the support for bilingual education through, which students preserve their culture and heritage language, has not been consistent throughout the years. While there is clear evidence that aligns students’ academic, emotional, and economic successes are aligned when they learn English through their native language, there is a paucity of research regarding bilingual principals as leaders of dual-language programs. This study explores issues of challenges and essential support structures within dual-language programs. The results may be used to improve leadership in bilingual programs. The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to explore the lived experiences of two Latinas who taught in Spanish within dual-language programs that were run by monolingual principals. This qualitative study was informed by two different sampling procedures, purposeful and criterion-based. The participants selected needed to be Latina (self-identified), Spanish dual-language teachers who worked with a monolingual principal as their leader within Midwestern U.S. schools, during the 2012-2013 school year. Narrative inquiry grounded the study in order to elicit stories that would represent the experiences of the teachers as they negotiated their path when their leader was monolingual and they taught in Spanish. Findings indicate that teachers who taught in Spanish within an Anglo-majority educational context, experienced palpable manifestations of inequity and discriminations. The participants had strong self-worth, self-confidence, and self-awareness, which led them to persevere through the instances of judgment and imbalance. The finding also demonstrate that the participants developed coping mechanisms to empower themselves, and established newly-found and increased resourcefulness as an attempt to provide the students with the education they deserved. The participants relied on alternative resources, long hours of research and re-planning, creativity, and resolve to function in an environment that was set out to demean them. The study raised implications about the amount of support teachers in bilingual programs who teach in Spanish receive while led by monolingual principals. Another implication is that there is marginalization of certain languages that are not English. Lastly, this study raised implications regarding ways in which bilingual programs can become more just and egalitarian.

Esta tese representa uma sequencia natural a trabalhos de vários autores, em que se busca obter resultados novos sobre aplicações birracionais usando técnicas de álgebra comutativa. Uma das lacunas conhecidas é o problema da característica do corpo de base. Habitualmente tratados separadamente, o caso de característica zero e de característica prima, deixam a desejar do ponto de vista da unificação dos resultados gerais. Outro aspecto relevado é o do enunciado de critérios de birracionalidade alternativos ao tradicional cálculo do grau de uma aplicação racional. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é discutir um invariante numérico de birracionalidade válido em característica arbitrária, denominado posto Jacobiano dual. Este invariante depende fortemente da estrutura graduada da álgebra de Rees do ideal de base da aplicação racional, a qual permite uma análise mais precisa do que o tratamento geométrico habitual do gráfico como variedade "b lowup". _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: This thesis stands as a natural sequence to the work of several authors, seeking to obtain new results on birational maps using techniques from commutative algebra. One of the classical problems in the theory of birational maps is the case where the characteristic of the base field is positive. The usual separate treatment of the case of characteristic zero and characteristic prime falls short of unifying general results. Another aspect scarcely dealt with is the statement of a birationality criterion which stands as an alternative to the traditional calculation of the degree of a rational map. The main objective of this work is a numerical invariant of birationality valid in arbitrary characteristic, called the Jacobian dual rank. This invariant depends strongly on the structure of the graded Rees algebra of the base ideal of a rational map, which allows a more precise analysis than the usual geometric treatment of the graph as a "blowup".

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:27:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo3272_1.pdf: 331050 bytes, checksum: 3ee7ab47fc1bfe97f30f2ba3991996cb (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta tese representa uma sequência natural a trabalhos de vários autores, em que se busca obter resultados novos sobre aplicações birracionais usando técnicas de álgebra comutativa. Uma das lacunas conhecidas é o problema da característica do corpo de base. Habitualmente tratados separadamente, o caso de característica zero e de característica prima, deixam a desejar do ponto de vista da unificação dos resultados gerais. Outro aspecto relevado é o do enunciado de critérios de birracionalidade alternativos ao tradicional cálculo do grau de uma aplicação racional. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é discutir um invariante numérico de birracionalidade válido em característica arbitrária, denominado posto Jacobiano dual. Este invariante depende fortemente da estrutura graduada da álgebra de Rees do ideal de base da aplicação racional, a qual permite uma análise mais precisa do que o tratamento geométrico habitual do gráfico como variedade \blowup