Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationSelenium is an essential trace element that has been linked to beneficial health effects in multiple disease states. These effects have been attributed to antioxidant activity of selenoproteins; proteins containing selenium incorporated as the amino acid selenocysteine during translation of the protein. Selenoprotein P is an extracellular glycoprotein containing multiple selenocysteine residues. It is the primary selenium distribution protein of the body as well as the major selenium containing protein in serum. An antioxidant function has been observed for this protein. The experiments presented in this dissertation were designed to further characterize the mechanisms of selenoprotein P regulation and function and test the hypothesis that mechanisms regulating the expression of selenoprotein P provide for modulation of this protein so it may function to provide antioxidant protection in extrahepatic tissues. When stimulated with ecdysone analogs, selenoprotein P expression was increased with the use of a fusion transcription factor that contains the glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding domain, an ecdysone ligand-binding domain, and a strong transactivation domain as well as the retinoid X receptor. In silico analysis of the selenoprotein P promoter identified putative glucocorticoid and retinoid responsive binding sites. Luciferase reporter assays and quantitative PCR were used to measure selenoprotein P transcription in engineered HEK-293 cells. The native glucocorticoid receptor inhibited selenoprotein P transactivation, and selenoprotein P was further attenuated in the presence of dexamethasone. These studies also aimed to determine if selenoprotein P possessed hydroperoxidase activity against lipid hydroperoxides generated from the metabolism of arachidonic acid by 15-lipoxygenase-1. Enzymatic reduction of 15- hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HpETE) by selenoprotein P was observed in a NADPH-coupled biochemical assay. Diphenylpyrenylphosphin was used to measure lipid hydroperoxides in human embryonic kidney cells treated with selenoprotein P following exposure to 15-HpETE. Cellular oxidation increased with 15-HpETE treatment and selenoprotein P reduced this effect. These results suggest that selenoprotein P can function as an antioxidant enzyme during inflammation. An increased understanding of the mechanisms regulating selenoprotein P expression and activity could provide insight into the way in which selenium exerts its physiological effects

Pierre in New Orleans

Pierre the Penguin, an unofficial Governors State University mascot, posed on a table with a restaurant menu at Pat O\u27Brien\u27s in New Orleans, Louisiana.https://opus.govst.edu/pierre/1031/thumbnail.jp

Pierre at the Beach

Pierre the Penguin, an unofficial Governors State University mascot, posed on the beach at Biloxi, Mississippi.https://opus.govst.edu/pierre/1032/thumbnail.jp

Examining key mobility resources through denial of service attacks on proposed global name resolution services

Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2016.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 66-68).The problem we address in this thesis is to uncover the design elements in a network architecture design that may open it up to denial of service (DoS) attacks and to expose the tradeoffs in mitigating those DoS opportunities. We take as our candidate network architecture design the Future Internet Architecture project MobilityFirst. MobilityFirst's overarching goal, driven by increasingly available wireless communication, is the support of mobility in an Internet architecture. At its core, MobilityFirst separates identification from location, as distinct from the current Internet architecture, and postulates the existence of globally unique, flat identifiers. In order to support mobility in this context, it also postulates a global name resolution service (GNRS). In this thesis we examine three alternative designs for the GNRS and the opportunities they expose for DoS attacks. We consider each one in depth analytically. As an example, we then study one particular attack in depth and are forced to conclude that approaches to mitigating this attack would have significant negative impact on the support of mobility thus exposing the dilemma in such system design tradeoffs.by Colleen T. Rock.M. Eng

Examining key mobility resources through denial of service attacks on proposed global name resolution services

Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2016.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 66-68).The problem we address in this thesis is to uncover the design elements in a network architecture design that may open it up to denial of service (DoS) attacks and to expose the tradeoffs in mitigating those DoS opportunities. We take as our candidate network architecture design the Future Internet Architecture project MobilityFirst. MobilityFirst's overarching goal, driven by increasingly available wireless communication, is the support of mobility in an Internet architecture. At its core, MobilityFirst separates identification from location, as distinct from the current Internet architecture, and postulates the existence of globally unique, flat identifiers. In order to support mobility in this context, it also postulates a global name resolution service (GNRS). In this thesis we examine three alternative designs for the GNRS and the opportunities they expose for DoS attacks. We consider each one in depth analytically. As an example, we then study one particular attack in depth and are forced to conclude that approaches to mitigating this attack would have significant negative impact on the support of mobility thus exposing the dilemma in such system design tradeoffs.by Colleen T. Rock.M. Eng

An examination of the direct and indirect associations between adult psychopathy and childhood maltreatment

Psychopathy is a constellation of maladaptive personality traits such as callousness, dominance, pathological lying, a lack of empathy, and manipulativeness (Cleckley, 1942; Hare, 2003), which has been associated with both genetic and environmental etiological factors (e.g., Blair, Peschardt, Budhani, Mitchell, & Pine, 2006). One such environmental factor is childhood maltreatment, which has been previously found to predict psychopathy (e.g., Verona et al., 2005). The overall aim of this study was to examine the associations between four childhood maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect) predictor variables and two psychopathy facets (affective-interpersonal and social deviance). I also investigated the possibility of behavioral disconstraint and negative emotionality as mediators, and gender and the affective-interpersonal facet as moderators in these and variants of these associations. The findings suggest that sexual abuse, physical abuse, and neglect directly and/or indirectly predict psychopathy. The results also indicate that behavioral disconstraint and specific negative emotions mediate these associations, and that gender and the affective-interpersonal facet serves as moderators. These findings are important as they shed light on the etiology of psychopathy, as well as offer implications regarding differences in gender and the affective-interpersonal facet in these associations. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

An examination of the relationship between adult psychopathy and childhood trauma in a jail sample

Psychopathy is a constellation of maladaptive personality traits such as callousness, manipulativeness, pathological lying, a lack of empathy, and superficial charm (Cleckley, 1941; Hare, 2003), which has been associated with both genetic and environmental etiological factors (e.g., Blair, Peschardt, Budhani, Mitchell, & Pine, 2006). Although genetic variation may be responsible for the many neurobiological factors associated with psychopathy, these studies clearly indicate that environmental risk factors for psychopathy should not be neglected. One such risk factor is childhood trauma, which for the purposes of this investigation will be focused on childhood physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing domestic violence. Although we know that childhood trauma is associated with psychopathy (e.g., Verona et al., 2005; Rock, 2012), we know little about the mechanisms through which this relationship occurs. I examined the associations between five childhood trauma subtypes and total psychopathy as well as its four facets (affective, interpersonal, antisocial, lifestyle) in this study. I also investigated the possibility of insecure parental attachment, disinhibition, negative emotionality, and fearlessness as mediators, and gender, race, SES, disinhibition, and fearlessness as moderators in these associations. Two-hundred twenty men and women from the Tuscaloosa County Jail participated in the study. They completed interviews as well as questionnaires that assessed for psychopathy, trauma, and various other factors. The findings suggest that psychological abuse, physical abuse, and witnessing domestic violence all directly predict psychopathy, and that sexual abuse is negatively associated with psychopathy. There was no evidence for mediation or moderation. These results are important as they shed light on the etiology of psychopathy, and suggest that there are no differences in the association between childhood trauma and adult psychopathy, regardless of gender, race, and SES. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

American Cancer Society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) publishes the Diet and Physical Activity Guideline to serve as a foundation for its communication, policy, and community strategies and, ultimately, to affect dietary and physical activity patterns among Americans. This guideline is developed by a national panel of experts in cancer research, prevention, epidemiology, public health, and policy, and reflects the most current scientific evidence related to dietary and activity patterns and cancer risk. The ACS guideline focuses on recommendations for individual choices regarding diet and physical activity patterns, but those choices occur within a community context that either facilitates or creates barriers to healthy behaviors. Therefore, this committee presents recommendations for community action to accompany the 4 recommendations for individual choices to reduce cancer risk. These recommendations for community action recognize that a supportive social and physical environment is indispensable if individuals at all levels of society are to have genuine opportunities to choose healthy behaviors. This 2020 ACS guideline is consistent with guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association for the prevention of coronary heart disease and diabetes as well as for general health promotion, as defined by the 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans