Manipulation of Endogenous and Exogenous Sources of Cholesterol and its Effects on Beta Cell Function.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence continues to increase worldwide. Changes in β-cell function and mechanisms behind the aberrant insulin secretion found in T2DM patients are still poorly understood. Cholesterol is a vital molecule to all cellular systems, being an important factor regulating membrane fluidity and a number of signalling pathways. In this study, a series of experiments are conducted on the mouse insulinoma cell line, MIN6, limiting exogenous cholesterol through use of lipid free serum, as well as limiting endogenous cholesterol sources through the use of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase and 7-dehydrocholesteral reductase inhibitors. The results show a marked decrease in both cholesterol content as well glucose stimulated insulin secretion in the drug-treated groups. A series of promoter assays, RT-PCR experiments and western blot analysis determined disruption in site-directed surface expression of important channel proteins involved in insulin secretion, and potentially a change in insulin degradation enzyme activity

Recipient of the 2014 Alumni Titan Award

Melvin has been an active and engaged volunteer with IMSA and the IMSA Alumni Association since 2009, when he first joined the IMSA Alumni Association Cabinet and took the lead role in planning his 20-year reunion for his class. His volunteer efforts have increased every year since, and he has had a triple role as an IMSA alumnus, an IMSA parent, and an IMSA employee. Melvin has played a critical role in advancing the work of the IMSA Alumni Association, enhancing the tools and support needed for the Cabinet leaders to truly lead and execute programs. Melvin has brought his leadership experience to the IMSA Alumni Association, leading effective meetings and ensuring that every program is successful. In addition, he has been key to the increased alumni network, growing and expanding the use of Facebook and Linked-In for alumni and region-specific groups across the nation. Melvin created and organized the first-ever IMSA Alumni Association grassroots fundraising appeal for the IMSA Fund; this showed a vested interest in the Cabinet partnering with the IMSA Fund to raise money and participation from alumni in the Annual Fund Campaign. In its first year, the appeal raised nearly $10,000 with Melvin’s help. Melvin’s leadership has elevated and empowered the volunteer leaders of the IMSA Alumni Association, and has set the stage for more meaningful and strategic activities between alumni, students and IMSA. As President of the IMSA Alumni Association, Melvin has contributed his time and talent to forge connections between current IMSA students and the alumni community. He has fostered fun on-campus by: helping with events, making smoothies, serving as a DJ; being available to IMSA parents, current students, and alumni; coordinating IMSA Alumni Association activities, events and meetings. And in doing these many activities, Melvin has contributed to the collaborative spirit of IMSA. His efforts at connecting the IMSA community will undoubtedly serve our state, nation and the world in the years to come. Melvin’s ongoing support of Intersession and other IMSA Alumni Association outreach programs has fostered fruitful friendships across the divide of graduating dates. Melvin graduated with a B.S. in Pure Mathematics from the University of Michigan. After 20 years working at Morgan Stanley, Deusche Bank (Data Mining Systems), and Citadel, last year Melvin helped start a new commodities trading firm, Leeward Pointe Capital as the CIO. Leeward recently merged with Typhon Capital Management where Melvin is now the acting CIO and also took on the role of CTO / Director of Operations at Typhon Access

Elementary Electronic Kits & Interactive Web Database

The Elementary Electronic Kit and Interactive Web Database (E-Kit) project will focus on bridging the gap between Cal Poly students and local elementary schools to raise interests in engineering. Its main purpose is to expose local elementary school students to basic engineering concepts through simple interactive engineering experiments and lessons. The initial idea and proposal for this project was introduced by John Oliver, senior project advisor, whose main goal is to provide a service that would allow local elementary school teachers to bring in Cal Poly student volunteers to teach basic engineering lessons to their class. Lessons will focus on specific grade level’s math and science objectives while introducing new related engineering ideas. There are two main design requirements to the overall system: a basic template for each experimental lesson (E-Kits) and a corresponding interactive web database. The first design aspect involves the development of a basic easy-to-follow template for the engineering kits (EKits). The template will be used as the basic structure for future Cal Poly students to develop future E-kits that will be taught in elementary school classrooms. The second design aspect requires the development of an interactive website that integrates a database on a web server to store valuable E-kit information. The website will allow Cal Poly student volunteers and local elementary school teachers to use it as a means of setting up lesson reservations and appointments. Student volunteers will be able sign up to administer lessons by providing their availability and selecting which kit they would like to teach. Elementary school teachers will have to ability to browse available kits and lessons, and reserve an appropriate time and date for a Cal Poly student volunteer to come by and teach their class

Structural studies of mesoporous ZrO2_{2}-CeO2_{2} and ZrO2_{2}-CeO2_{2}/SiO2_{2} mixed oxides for catalytical applications

In this work the synthesis of ZrO$_{2}$-CeO$_{2}$ and ZrO$_{2}$-CeO$_{2}$/SiO$_{2}$ were developed, based on the process to form ordered mesoporous materials such as SBA-15 silica. The triblock copolymer Pluronic P-123 was used as template, aiming to obtain crystalline single phase walls and larger specific surface area, for future applications in catalysis. SAXS and XRD results showed a relationship between ordered pores and the material crystallization. 90% of CeO$_{2}$ leaded to single phase homogeneous ceria-zirconia solid solution of cubic fluorite structure (Fm$\bar{3}$m). The SiO$_{2}$ addition improved structural and textural properties as well as the reduction behavior at lower temperatures, investigated by XANES measurements under H$_{2}$ atmosphere

On the Second-Order Shape Derivative of the Kohn-Vogelius Objective Functional Using the Velocity Method

The exterior Bernoulli free boundary problem was studied via shape optimization technique. The problem was reformulated into the minimization of the so-called Kohn-Vogelius objective functional, where two state variables involved satisfy two boundary value problems, separately. The paper focused on solving the second-order shape derivative of the objective functional using the velocity method with nonautonomous velocity fields. This work confirms the classical results of Delfour and Zolésio in relating shape derivatives of functionals using velocity method and perturbation of identity technique

Entre braços e brasões: um olhar sobre o desenvolvimento ferroviário no interior paulista

O presente trabalho procura realizar uma breve revisão historiográfica do processo de desenvolvimento ferroviário ocorrido no interior do estado de São Paulo entre finais do século XIX e início do século XX – período de florescimento da cultura cafeeira. Por meio da produção de autores clássicos e pesquisadores mais recentes, o texto, além de abordar aspectos que ao longo dos anos têm sido frequentes nos estudos sobre tal trajetória, procura pontuar, também, termos pouco explorados e que ainda demandam investigação.This paper seeks to carry out a brief  historiographical review of the process of railwaydevelopment that took place in the interior of the state of São Paulo between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – the flowering period of coffee crop. Through the production of classic authors and more recent researchers, the text, in addition to addressing aspects that over the years have been frequent in studies when referring to this trajectory, also seeks to punctuate little explored terms that still requireinvestigation

Display of factor - Utilization in Central Asia

1-1

Comadres of the interior of São Paulo, from the houses of classes to the stations: the buildings without destination

This critical reflection has the objective of discussing the railway assets of the Araraquara Railroad (EFA) present in the region of São José do Rio Preto, northwest of the state of São Paulo. Employing images, tables, comparisons, in loco surveys and bibliographical references, we seek to understand the historical load and the current condition of stations, classrooms and warehouses. Installed in privileged areas of the urban environment, these signs of urban memory—who were related to coffee-growing and responsible for significant regional and state development—suffered a complete inversion in their social value over the years, not presenting function and/or forecast of new use, which makes the maintenance of such a situation alarming not only due to the historical load of these elements, but also due to the potential to become areas that offer a better quality of life to the urban environments in which they are inserted.Esta reflexão crítica tem por objetivo discutir o patrimônio ferroviário da Estrada de Ferro Araraquara (EFA) presente na região de São José do Rio Preto, noroeste do estado de São Paulo. Por meio de imagens, tabelas, comparações, relatos orais, levantamentos in loco e referências bibliográficas, pretende-se compreender a carga histórica e a condição hodierna de estações, casas de turma e armazéns. Instalados em áreas privilegiadas do ambiente citadino, esses signos da memória urbana – que, vinculados à cafeicultura, foram responsáveis por um significativo desenvolvimento regional e estadual – sofreram, ao longo dos anos, uma total inversão em seu valor social, não apresentando, nos dias de hoje, nenhuma função e/ou previsão de novo uso, o que torna alarmante a permanência de tal situação não apenas pela carga histórica desses elementos, como também pela potencialidade de se converterem em áreas que ofereçam uma melhor qualidade de vida aos meios urbanos em que estão inseridos.   &nbsp

Toward the regional dispersal of industries in the Philippines

Thesis. 1979. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Bibliography: leaves 233-236.by Ramon C. Bacani.M.C.P