2009 MU theses - Access restricted to MU
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Item SIRT1 deacetylation regulates NFAT transcriptional activity(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009) Shannon, Stephen G., 1975-; Fang, Deyu[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] The class III histone deacetylase SIRT1 plays important roles in aging, metabolism and biological clock control. We have recently demonstrated that SIRT1 is a critical factor to control immune functions. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which SIRT1 regulates T cell immune responses remain unclear. We hypothesize that SIRT1 inhibits the transcriptional activation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), a critical factor in the regulation of T-cell activation and anergy. To support this hypothesis, we have demonstrated that overexpression of SIRT1, or the treatment of cells with the SIRT1 activator, resveratrol, dramatically inhibits NFAT transcriptional activity. In addition, EMSA experiments revealed that SIRT1 suppresses NFAT transcriptional activity in mouse primary T cells, because loss of SIRT1 functions resulted in a significant increase of the promoter binding activity of NFAT. SIRT1 inhibits NFAT transcriptional activity by directly interacting with NFAT in transiently transfected HEK293 cells and in mouse primary T cells. The C-terminus of SIRT1 is responsible for its interaction with NFAT, because the deletion of the SIRT1 C-terminus impairs its ability to interact with NFAT and exert its suppressive activity on NFAT transcription. Additionally, we have shown that SIRT1 can deacetylate NFAT in 293HEK cells. Importantly, the interaction of SIRT1 with NFAT is regulated by TCR-initiated calcium signaling. Moreover, over expression of SIRT1, or treatment with the SIRT1 activator resveratrol, inhibited NFAT acetylation. Mutation of the histone deacetylase catalytic domain of SIRT1 completely abolished its ability to inhibit NFAT acetylation. Our findings here identified a novel molecular mechanism of the epigenetic regulation of T cell immune response by SIRT1.Item Evaluation of innovative materials subjected to near-contact detonations(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009) Oesch, Tyler S., 1986-; Salim, Hani A., 1966-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Some structures composed of brittle cast iron may be particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks using near-contact detonations because of the lack of ductility and poor quality control within the structures. For this reason, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center was tasked by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to lead a research effort that would evaluate innovative materials for mitigation of damage to cast-iron structures subjected to near-contact detonations. This research was initiated to investigate the vulnerability of cast iron and to identify potential materials that could serve as retrofit layers to prevent breach in the cast-iron panels. The panels were subjected to near-contact explosive charges, and the response of both the retrofit layers and cast-iron panels were documented. It was determined that breach of the cast-iron panel could not be prevented for the threat condition applied; however, specific retrofits were developed in which the blast-face retrofit layer was not breached. These retrofits were considered successful because they were able to seal the area of the breach.Item Evaluation of hybrid anchor system for blast resistant steel stud wall design(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009) Older, Stephen Edward Maxwell, 1986-; Salim, Hani A., 1966-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Steel stud wall systems are a common building material known for their low cost and ease of construction. However, standard building practices cause them to be inefficient with respect to explosive resistant design. Poorly designed anchor systems causes steel stud walls to achieve only a fraction of their potential during blast loading. The University of Missouri is researching new methods for anchoring infill steel stud walls to a building frame or floor slabs to protect occupants during an explosion. By combining the high ductility of bearing connections with the high strength of pin connections, a hybrid connection has the potential to greatly improve the dynamic response of steel stud walls. This research focused on creating an analytical model to predict the behavior of a steel stud wall utilizing hybrid connections. The model was verified by testing sample walls in a quasi-static loading tree. Resistance functions generated from the analytical model were incorporated into SSWAC to predict a wall system's dynamic response to any blast scenario. The analytical model predicts the response of a steel stud wall in four distinct phases; elastic bending, plastic bending, elastic tension, and bearing. The analytical model was proven to closely predict the experimental resistance functions for all regions of the walls response. This document concentrates on the design and verification of an analytical model to predict wall behavior. It covers all assumptions and calculations used to predict behavior. It also covers all methods for construction and testing of walls for validation.Item A priori estimates for solutions of elliptic partial differential equations on surfaces(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009) Steenblock, Heidi, 1984-; Mitrea, Dorina, 1965-[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Let S be an ([lowercase nu ? 1)-dimensional bounded surface of class C[superscript 2] in [double-struck R][superscript n] and let [uppercase delta]S be the Laplace-Beltrami operator on S. In this thesis, under suitable geometric assumptions, we prove a priori estimates in the W[superscript 2,2] (S) Sobolev space for solutions u to the Poisson problem [uppercase delta][subscript S]u = f in S and u satisfying homogeneous Dirichlet, Neumann, or mixed type boundary conditions, in terms of the L[superscript 2] norm of the datum f. The geometric assumptions S has to satisfy are related to the mean curvatures of the boundary of the surface S.Item Manual process productivity measurement : for Pre-registration Department in University of Missouri Healthcare(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2009) Zhang, Beilei; Alafaireet, Patricia E.[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] In the healthcare industry, it is often hard to measure productivity, because the input and the output of the process may be difficult to distinguish and may have different units of measurement. Based on previous research, it was found that there are some specific indicators that can be selected so as to reflect productivity. However, there was no solid support to show how the other functional indicators (such as the class of labor intensity or the index of work load) can be defined. In this study, a simulation tool was used to identify the metrics for productivity in a pre-registration department at an academic health center. Based on the results of the simulation and on the follow-up statistical analysis, a positive correlation between the chosen indicators and productivity was found and the complexity of the manual process was investigated and analyzed to provide conclusions about the applicability of the simulation tool to the preregistration processes commonly used in healthcare.