Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationProteoglycans (PGs), a special class of gly coconjugates, which decorate the outer surface of mammalian cells, consist of a core protein and several glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains. PGs regulate many important biological processes, such as fertilization, cell-cell communication, immune defense, anticoagulation, angiogenesis, axon guidance, and many more. Controlling the fine structures of endogenous GAG chains or modulating expression levels of GAG chains can significantly impact many biological processes. However, very little is known about the factors that regulate PG biosynthesis. In this thesis work, chemical probes were designed and synthesized to understand biosynthetic pathways, structures, and functions of PGs. A library of xylosides with different aglycone groups was synthesized using "click chemistry" to stimulate and inhibit GAG production in vitro. These molecular probes serve as excellent tools to unravel the biological significance of PGs and GAG multivalency in many biological systems and lead to the discovery of drugs to treat human disorders/diseases that are associated with aberrant PG structures

5 Lipoxygenase\u27s Role in Chondrogenesis of the ATDC5 Cell Line

5-Lipoxygenase metabolizes arachidonic acid (AA) to generate leukotrienes (LTs). Leukotrienes are very potent inflammatory mediators that can have negative effects on bone healing and cartilage tissue generation. Recent studies have shown that decreasing 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) activity during fracture healing accelerates endochondral ossification and decreases healing time in animal fracture models, however, the roles of 5-LO in chondrogenesis is not fully investigated. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that 5-LO inhibition will increase the process of chondrogenesis. The ABT-761 is an N-hydroxyurea analog structurally similar to zileuton, which is a 5-LO enzyme inhibitor, The ATDC5 cell line which is derived from teratocarcinoma cells of mice is a chondrogenic cell line. The ATDC5 cells were treated with ABT-761 and Insulin. Then, they were evaluated for cellular proliferation via colorimetric assay, 5-LO gene expression via Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and Immunoblotting (Western Blot), and chondrogenesis by measuring calcium deposition, proteoglycan synthesis via Alizarin Red stain and Alcian Blue stain respectively at specific timepoints 7 days, 14 days, 21 days and 28 days. Our data demonstrated that ATDC5 cells express a 5-LO protein which can be directly inhibited by ABT-761 treatment. At a concentration of 10 μM, ABT-761 treatment does not affect ATDC5 cellular proliferation, however, higher doses inhibit significantly. In term of chondrogenesis, in this study, we demonstrated that 1μM ABT-761 has no effect on chondrogenesis, neither increase nor decrease, in ATDC5 chondrogenic cell line. In contrast, concentrations of 10 μM and 100μM ABT-761 have negative effects on chondrogenesis through which ABT-761 promotes chondrocyte apoptosis that may potentially lead to accelerating endochondral ossification or long bone formation in patients with a long bone fracture. However, ABT-761 may not be a clinical value to regenerate or promote chondrogenesis in patients suffering from osteoarthritis

Using Cluster Analysis to Identify Subgroups of College Students at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Background and Purpose: To examine the co-occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors and cluster subgroups of college students for cardiovascular risks. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted using co-occurrence patterns and hierarchical clustering analysis in 158 college students. Results: The top co-occurring cardiovascular risk factors were overweight/obese and hypertension (10.8%, n = 17). Of the total 34 risk factors that co-occurred, 30 of them involved being overweight/obese. A six-cluster-solution was obtained, two clusters displayed elevated levels of lifetime and 30-year cardiovascular disease risks. Conclusions: The hierarchical cluster analysis identified that single White males with a family history of heart disease, overweight/obese, hypertensive or diabetes, and occasionally (weekly) consumed red meat, take antihypertensive medication, and hyperlipidemia were considered the higher risk group compared to other subgroups

The use of mystery shopping results: From retail store managers’ perspective

Since assessing service quality and performance in retailing has become more critical than ever, retailers are keen to use mystery shopping as a method to measure the customer service process. It is recognized that most companies adopt mystery shopping with the hope that performance measurement will encourage positive changes in managers and employees’ behaviors, and subsequently, result in customers’ satisfaction and better sales performance. However, transforming those information into accurate understanding and thus, leading to practical actions is not an easy task for many managers. Hence, this study aims to explore what store managers do with mystery shopping results and factors that influence their behaviors. The theoretical part of this study reviews mystery shopping with a focus on the perspective of organizations adopting mystery shopping. The literature on management behaviors in using mystery shopping results is also presented. Following by a brief discussion of retail store operations and the role of retail store managers since the context for this study is retail stores. The study uses a qualitative approach, and data was collected by semi-interview with seven store managers from the same retailer. The findings were analyzed using thematic content analysis and positioned within the process stages for performance management by Bourne et al. (2005), including data analysis, interpretation, communication, and taking actions. The study found that store managers acknowledge the use of mystery shopping results for a variety of purposes. However, all respondents are much concerned about the reliability of mystery shopping results. Store managers then rely on their intuition and work experiences to analyze and interpret the results. It is implied that store managers only adopt the results on criteria that they found reasonable and keep in mind that the results only reflect a partial view of the store’s operations. Besides, most respondents perceive getting a high mystery shopping score as a way to avoid the problem with their direct managers - area managers. However, store managers show no interest in getting the reward liked with mystery shopping as they see it unreachable. This study also found that store managers are sensitive about the well-being of sales staff, and thus, store managers try to avoid unnecessary stress for staff from the mystery shopping results. Despite many complaints about mystery shopping and its results, most store managers accept mystery shopping results and rarely feedback about the program to higher managers. This can be explained as store managers feel they lack support from the company, and they all aware of the service quality orientation in their organization

すり身加工品で感知される塩味強度とテクスチャーの関係に関する研究

東京海洋大学博士学位論文 平成29年度(2017) 応用生命科学 課程博士 甲第447号指導教員: 岡﨑惠美子東京海洋大学201

An Empirical Research Survey of the Productivity and Efficiency of the Securities Industry

This paper provides a review of the approaches that have been used to evaluate the productivity and efficiency of the securities industry (financial ratios, econometric techniques, data envelopment analysis-DEA, and the estimation of stochastic frontiers). In undertaking this it identifies some of the organisational structure characteristics of securities companies that are associated with high levels of operational efficiency, particularly regarding the impact of regulation, the structure of ownership, and economies of scope and scale. The findings are that from the limited number of studies that have to date been undertaken it appears that the industry does have economies of scale, benefits from deregulation and performs better with foreign and bank ownership

Innovation in Education Adapting Political Theory to the 4.0 Industrial Revolution

The world is changing dramatically as a result of the fourth industrial revolution. To adapt to practical requirements, higher education, particularly political theory education, must adjust its aims, content, and teaching methods. If political theory lecturers in today's universities adapt well to the changes of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the role of political theory education in training high-quality human resources to meet the requirements of national development, openness, and international integration will become increasingly important.&nbsp

DESIGN OF A MULTI-BAND FRACTAL ANTENNA

In recent years, the demand for compact and multi-function handheld communication devices has grown significantly. Devices having internal antennas have appeared to fill this need. Antenna frequency band and size are major factors. In the past few decades, fractal antenna theory develops rapidly, basing on fractal geometry to maximize the length of material. Fractal surface is a function of roughness, by increasing roughness, polarization changes. For this reason, fractal antennas are very compact, are multi-band and have useful applications which require small, cheap and effective antenna such as cellular telephones and microwave communications. Anotable fractal antenna to be mounted on wireless devices such as mobile phones, laptops is presented in this thesis. The proposed multi-band fractal antenna simultaneously operates in the IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.1 lb/g and WiMax frequency bands. The multi-band behavior is obtained by using Sierpinski Gasket fractal structures. The overall size of the antenna renders it suitable to be installed at the back of the mobile phone or the top of the display of a notebook. Simulation results are obtained by CST Microwave studio

An Unconventional Pathway: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Experience of Racial Minority Transfer Students

Transfer students’ success is increasingly being discussed in higher education. A large population of transfer students includes racial minority, low-income, and first-generation college students. Due to the multiple layers of students’ identities, it has been difficult for educational leaders in institutions to grasp the essential elements needed to serve these students. As a result, this qualitative study contributes to this discussion and efforts to support the transfer student’s success. In this study, qualitative methods, including interviews with 14 students from 4-year universities and community colleges and a survey, were used to identify the steps and resources associated with supporting transfer students. The critical race theory framework served as the central lens to determine how racial factors played a vital key in the students’ post-transfer experience. The goal of this study was to ensure that the transfer students receive the essential resources and guidance from their institutions to have a successful transfer pathway to earning their degree