Browsing by Subject "development"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 13
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    Community-scale Flood Risk Management: Effects of a Voluntary National Program on Migration and Development
    (Elsevier, 2019-03) Noonan, Douglas S.; Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
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    Development of Endoscopy
    (Elsevier, 2018) DeWitt, John; Van Dam, Jacques; Medicine, School of Medicine
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    Developmental Differences and Altered Gene Expression in the Ts65Dn Mouse Model of Down Syndrome
    (2012-03-20) Billingsley, Cherie Nicole; Roper, Randall J.; Chernoff, Ellen; Belecky-Adams, Teri
    Trisomy 21 occurs in approximately 1 out of 750 live births and causes brachycephaly, a small oral cavity, a shortened mid-face, and mental impairments in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Craniofacial dysmorphology occurs in essentially all individuals with trisomy 21 and causes functional difficulties. Mouse models are commonly used to study the etiology of human disorders because of the conserved phenotypes between species. The Ts65Dn Down syndrome mouse model has triplicated homologues for approximately half the genes on human chromosome 21 and exhibits many phenotypes that parallel those found in individuals with DS. Specifically, newborn and adult Ts65Dn mice display similar craniofacial defects as humans with DS. Ts65Dn embryos also exhibit smaller mandibular precursors than their euploid littermates at embryonic day 9.5 (E9.5). Furthermore, Ts65Dn mice exhibit reduced birth weight which suggests a possible generalized delay in overall embryonic growth. Based on previous research at E9.5, it was hypothesized that Ts65Dn E13.5 embryos would have reduced mandibular precursors with altered gene expression. It was also hypothesized that other neural crest derived structures would be reduced in trisomic embryos. Using morphological measurements it was determined that the mandible, Meckel’s cartilage, and hyoid cartilage were significantly reduced in E13.5 trisomic embryos. The tongue was of similar size in trisomic and euploid embryos while cardiac and brain tissue volumes were not significantly different between genotypes. Analysis of total embryonic size at E9.5 and E13.5 revealed smaller trisomic embryos with developmental attenuation that was not related to maternal trisomy. A microarray analysis performed on the mandibular precursor revealed 155 differentially expressed non-trisomic genes. Sox9 was of particular interest for its role in cartilage condensation and endochondral ossification. It was hypothesized that the overexpression of Sox9 in the developing mandible would be localized to Meckel’s and hyoid cartilages. Immunohistochemistry performed on the mandibular precursor confirmed an overexpression of Sox9 in both Meckel’s and the hyoid cartilages. This research provides further insight into the development of trisomic tissues, both neural crest and non-neural crest-derived, and also the specific molecular mechanisms that negatively affect mandibular development in Ts65Dn mice and presumably individuals with Down syndrome.
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    The Direct Reprogramming of Somatic Cells: Establishment of a Novel System for Photoreceptor Derivation
    (2013-08-22) Steward, Melissa Mary; Meyer, Jason S.; Dai, Guoli; Randall, Stephen Karl, 1953-; Atkinson, Simon
    Photoreceptors are a class of sensory neuronal cells that are deleteriously affected in many disorders and injuries of the visual system. Significant injury or loss of these cells often results in a partial or complete loss of vision. While previous studies have determined many necessary components of the gene regulatory network governing the establishment, development, and maintenance of these cells, the necessary and sufficient profile and timecourse of gene expression and/or silencing has yet to be elucidated. Arduous protocols do exist to derive photoreceptors in vitro utilizing pluripotent stem cells, but only recently have been able to yield cells that are disease- and/or patient-specific. The discovery that mammalian somatic cells can be directly reprogrammed to another terminally-differentiated cell phenotype has inspired an explosion of research demonstrating the successful genetic reprogramming of one cell type to another, a process which is typically both more timely and efficient than those used to derive the same cells from pluripotent stem cell sources. Therefore, the emphasis of this study was to establish a novel system to be used to determine a minimal transcriptional network capable of directly reprogramming mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to rod photoreceptors. The tools, assays, and experimental design chosen and established herein were designed and characterized to facilitate this determination, and preliminary data demonstrated the utility of this approach for accomplishing this aim.
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    Effect of Transracial Adoption on Racial Identity Development : A Phenomenological Arts-Based Self-Study
    (2024) O’Rear, Hannah; Misluk, Eileen; Neubaum, Brooke
    Current conceptualizations of the impacts of transracial adoption on racial identity development lack a centering of adoptees' perspectives and, furthermore, have yet to be explored through an arts-based approach. In this study, a phenomenological self-study approach was employed, utilizing art-based processes to explore the impacts of transracial adoption on racial development. The methodological structure included six weeks of self-study exploring relevant themes pulled from the literature review, including identity, adoption, cultural identity, and emerging adulthood. Weeks 1 to 4 explored each theme individually, while the last two weeks explored the intersection of all themes combined. Art making utilized 2D and 3D materials occurred twice a week for at least an hour and was analyzed to record sub-themes post-art making. This exploration found that this structure provided a place to artistically express complicated emotions surrounding the intersecting themes related to transracial adoption and facilitated the emergence of sub-themes to consider in further research. This designed self-study structure empowers the transracial adoptee's voice, providing an outlined method that other adoptees may utilize to deepen self-identity understanding. Moreover, this research informs the greater understanding of the impacts that transracial adoption has on adoptees.
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    EFL Writing in Romania: Reflections on Present and Future
    (Brill, 2020) Ene, Estela; Sparks, Sydney; World Languages and Cultures, School of Liberal Arts
    Many global contexts remain largely unexplored, and thus unable to inform the shaping of an accurate picture or theory of second language (L2) writing around the world. Romania is such a context. This study investigates the attitudes and perceptions of 52 in-service K-12 English teachers from Romania, and represents an expansion of prior research conducted by the researcher. Using a survey, data were collected about the teachers’ attitudes and perceptions about EFL writing in Romania. The findings illustrate the teachers’ persistent positive attitudes towards the English language and English-speaking countries/cultures as well as further need for professional development in the area of pedagogy and EFL writing.
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    Evolution and expression of core SWI/SNF genes in red algae
    (Wiley, 2018) Stiller, John W.; Yang, Chunlin; Collén, Jonas; Thompson, Beth E.; Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine
    Red algae are the oldest identifiable multicellular eukaryotes, with a fossil record dating back more than a billion years. During that time two major rhodophyte lineages, bangiophytes and florideophytes, have evolved varied levels of morphological complexity. These two groups are distinguished, in part, by different patterns of multicellular development, with florideophytes exhibiting a far greater diversity of morphologies. Interestingly, during their long evolutionary history, there is no record of a rhodophyte achieving the kinds of cellular and tissue‐specific differentiation present in other multicellular algal lineages. To date, the genetic underpinnings of unique aspects of red algal development are largely unexplored; however, they must reflect the complements and patterns of expression of key regulatory genes. Here we report comparative evolutionary and gene expression analyses of core subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin‐remodeling complex, which is implicated in cell differentiation and developmental regulation in more well studied multicellular groups. Our results suggest that a single, canonical SWI/SNF complex was present in the rhodophyte ancestor, with gene duplications and evolutionary diversification of SWI/SNF subunits accompanying the evolution of multicellularity in the common ancestor of bangiophytes and florideophytes. Differences in how SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling evolved subsequently, in particular gene losses and more rapid divergence of SWI3 and SNF5 in bangiophytes, could help to explain why they exhibit a more limited range of morphological complexity than their florideophyte cousins.
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    Exclusion of Dlx5/6 expression from the distal-most mandibular arches enables BMP-mediated specification of the distal cap
    (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016-07-05) Vincentz, Joshua W.; Casasnovas, Jose J.; Barnes, Ralston M.; Que, Jianwen; Clouthier, David E.; Wang, Jun; Firulli, Anthony B.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Cranial neural crest cells (crNCCs) migrate from the neural tube to the pharyngeal arches (PAs) of the developing embryo and, subsequently, differentiate into bone and connective tissue to form the mandible. Within the PAs, crNCCs respond to local signaling cues to partition into the proximo-distally oriented subdomains that convey positional information to these developing tissues. Here, we show that the distal-most of these subdomains, the distal cap, is marked by expression of the transcription factor Hand1 (H1) and gives rise to the ectomesenchymal derivatives of the lower incisors. We uncover a H1 enhancer sufficient to drive reporter gene expression within the crNCCs of the distal cap. We show that bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling and the transcription factor HAND2 (H2) synergistically regulate H1 distal cap expression. Furthermore, the homeodomain proteins distal-less homeobox 5 (DLX5) and DLX6 reciprocally inhibit BMP/H2-mediated H1 enhancer regulation. These findings provide insights into how multiple signaling pathways direct transcriptional outcomes that pattern the developing jaw.
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    Executive Functioning Skills in Preschool-Age Children With Cochlear Implants
    (ASHA Publications, 2014-08) Beer, Jessica; Kronenberger, William G.; Castellanos, Irina; Colson, Bethany G.; Henning, Shirley C.; Pisoni, David B.; Department of Otolaryngology--Head & Neck Surgery, School of Medicine
    Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether deficits in executive functioning (EF) in children with cochlear implants (CIs) emerge as early as the preschool years. Method Two groups of children ages 3 to 6 years participated in this cross-sectional study: 24 preschoolers who had CIs prior to 36 months of age and 21 preschoolers with normal hearing (NH). All were tested on normed measures of working memory, inhibition-concentration, and organization-integration. Parents completed a normed rating scale of problem behaviors related to EF. Comparisons of EF skills of children with CIs were made to peers with NH and to published nationally representative norms. Results Preschoolers with CIs showed significantly poorer performance on inhibition-concentration and working memory compared with peers with NH and with national norms. No group differences were found in visual memory or organization-integration. When data were controlled for language, differences in performance measures of EF remained, whereas differences in parent-reported problems with EF were no longer significant. Hearing history was generally unrelated to EF. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate that EF deficits found in older children with CIs begin to emerge as early as preschool years. The ability to detect these deficits early has important implications for early intervention and habilitation after cochlear implantation.
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    Is democracy a logical concomitant of microfinance? : a theoretical review of the microfinance argument
    (2015-07-08) Lin, Pei-Shi; Bandele, Ramla M.; Ferguson, Margaret R.; Frieson, Amanda J.
    This thesis makes a theoretical review of the microfinance argument, which claims that microfinance would be accompanied with democratization or consolidation of democracy. This thesis firstly analyzes the theory of modern microfinance, especially its propensity of converting borrowers into modern citizens. Secondly, this thesis analyzes five major theories supporting the microfinance argument: (a) modernization and economic development, (b) economic fairness, (c) gender justice, (d) social capital, and (e) civil society. In addition, this thesis reviews critical perspectives of these five theories and makes a general discussion. Finally, this thesis concludes the reasonableness and limitation of the microfinance argument.