• A 20 Year Period On The Supreme Court’s Decisions Concerning Search and Seizure

      Augustin, Rudson; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2015-12)
      This thesis evaluates the past rulings of the United States Supreme Court in order to determine whether or not a shift occurred within the area of search and seizure since September 11, 2001. Fifty-six cases are used to evaluate a possible shift—28 cases pre-September 11th and 28 cases post-September 11th. September 11th is chosen because that is when the debate between privacy and security began. The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act) is used to analyze the aesthetics of the ongoing debate. This research examines the directionality of the decisions based on ideology to determine if there is a shift in the court’s rulings after September 11th. A t-test is used in order to evaluate the pre- and post-September 11th cases. The differences between the two time periods indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-September 11th. This result matters because it demonstrates that September 11th has no noticeable effect on the Supreme Court’s rulings regarding search and seizure.
    • 2004 Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library Annual Report

      Medical College of Georgia, 2004
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY04 that supports the Medical College of Georgia's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the Greenblatt Library's work.
    • 2005 Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library Annual Report

      Medical College of Georgia, 2005
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY05 that supports the Medical College of Georgia's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the Greenblatt Library's work.
    • 2006 Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library Annual Report

      Medical College of Georgia, 2006
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY06 that supports the Medical College of Georgia's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the Greenblatt Library's work.
    • 2007 Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library Annual Report

      Medical College of Georgia, 2007
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY07 that supports the Medical College of Georgia's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the Greenblatt Library's work.
    • 2008 Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library Annual Report

      Medical College of Georgia, 2008
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY08 that supports the Medical College of Georgia's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the Greenblatt Library's work.
    • 2015 Libraries Annual Report

      University Libraries (6/7/2016)
      We are pleased to provide the 2014-2015 Annual Report of the Georgia Regents University Libraries after a hiatus of a few years. This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY15 (and also a few items from FY14) that support our mission, and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of our work.
    • 2016 Libraries Annual Report

      University Libraries (11/3/2016)
      We are pleased to provide the 2015-2016 Annual Report of the Augusta University Libraries.This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY16 that support our mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of our work.
    • 2017 Libraries Annual Report

      University Libraries (10/25/2017)
      We are pleased to provide the 2016-2017 Annual Report of the Augusta University Libraries. This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY17 that support our mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of our work.
    • 2018 Libraries Annual Report

      University Libraries (Augusta University, 10/19/2018)
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY18 that support the Augusta University's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the University Libraries work.
    • 2018-2019 University Libraries Annual Report

      University Libraries (Augusta University, 11/18/2019)
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY19 that support the Augusta University's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the University Libraries work.
    • 2019-2020 University Libraries Annual Report

      Kathy Davies, Interim Director of Libraries; Johnson, Melissa; University Libraries (Augusta University, 2/26/2021)
      This report serves to highlight the activities and accomplishments of FY20 that support the Augusta University's mission and to inform administrators, colleagues, and historians of the University Libraries work.
    • 8-Cl-Adenosine enhances 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-induced growth inhibition without affecting 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-stimulated differentiation of primary mouse epidermal keratinocytes.

      Bollag, Wendy B; Zhong, Xiaofeng; Josephson, Sarah; Department of Medicine; Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy; Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics (2004-08-10)
      BACKGROUND: Epidermal keratinocytes continuously proliferate and differentiate to form the mechanical and water permeability barrier that makes terrestrial life possible. In certain skin diseases, these processes become dysregulated, resulting in abnormal barrier formation. In particular, skin diseases such as psoriasis, actinic keratosis and basal and squamous cell carcinomas are characterized by hyperproliferation and aberrant or absent differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. We previously demonstrated that 8-Cl-adenosine (8-Cl-Ado) can induce keratinocyte growth arrest without inducing differentiation. RESULTS: To determine if this agent might be useful in treating hyperproliferative skin disorders, we investigated whether 8-Cl-Ado could enhance the ability of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], a known keratinocyte differentiating agent and a clinical treatment for psoriasis, to inhibit keratinocyte growth. We found that low concentrations of 8-Cl-Ado and 1,25(OH)2D3 appeared to act additively to reduce proliferation of primary mouse epidermal keratinocytes. However, another agent (transforming growth factor-beta) that triggers growth arrest without inducing differentiation also coincidentally inhibits differentiation elicited by other agents; inhibition of differentiation is suboptimal for treating skin disorders, as differentiation is often already reduced. Thus, we determined whether 8-Cl-Ado also decreased keratinocyte differentiation induced by 1,25(OH)2D3, as measured using the early and late differentiation markers, keratin 1 protein levels and transglutaminase activity, respectively. 8-Cl-Ado did not affect 1,25(OH)2D3-stimulated keratin 1 protein expression or transglutaminase activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that 8-Cl-Ado might be useful in combination with differentiating agents for the treatment of hyperproliferative disorders of the skin.
    • 96 plays a role in the virulence of C. jejuni

      Rathbun, Kimberly M; Department of Medicine (2009-05)
      Campylobacter jejuni is a gastrointestinal pathogen of humans but part of the normal flora of poultry. C. jejuni therefore grows well at both 37°C and 42°C. Proteomic studies on temperature regulation in C. jejuni strain 81-176 revealed the upregulation at 37°C of CJ0596, a predicted periplasmic chaperone that is similar to proteins found to be involved in outer membrane protein (OMP) folding and virulence in other bacteria. The cj0596 gene was highly conserved in multiple strains and species of Campylobacter (24 in total), implying the importance of this gene. To study the role CJ0596 plays in Campylobacter pathogenesis, a mutant derivative of strain 81-176 was constructed in which the cj0596 gene was precisely deleted. This mutant was complemented by restoring the gene to its original chromosomal location. The mutant strain demonstrated a decreased growth rate and lower final growth yield, yet was more motile than wild-type. The cj0596 mutant also showed altered levels of several outer membrane proteins (OMPs), and changes in membrane-associated characteristics (antimicrobial sensitivity, autoagglutination, and biofilm formation). In either single or mixed infections, the mutant was less able to colonize mice than wild-type. Purified, recombinant CJ0596 had peptidyl-prolyl cistrans isomerase (PPIase) activitty, but did not functionally complement an E. coli surA mutant. These results suggest that C. jejuni CJ0596 is a PPIase and loss of CJ0596 alters phenotypes that have been shown to be related to the pathogenesis of the bacterium.
    • A HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO EXPLORING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF PARTICIPANTS IN GEORGIA’S P-20 COLLABORATIVES

      Gamble, Phyllis J.; Carol Maple; Felina McCoy; Department of Advanced Studies and Innovation (Augusta University, 2020-05)
      This research effort used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate 1) What are the lived experiences of participants in Georgia’s P-20 Collaboratives? and 2) How are regional P-20 Collaboratives using mutual resources and continuous professional development to meet the needs of all stakeholders? Data provided by representatives from school systems (P-12s), colleges and universities (IHEs), Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs), and State Education Agencies (SEAs) via a qualitative questionnaire, online discussion boards, contextual documents, and convening observations were analyzed to explore the perceived benefits and challenges of participation in Georgia’s P-20 Collaboratives and to examine the effectiveness of the regional Collaboratives in meeting the mission statement. Three emergent themes derived from the data were: 1) Mutually beneficial outcomes are derived from networking and sharing resources, but are hindered by low and inconsistent attendance by participants, 2) Diverse perspectives needed for effective reciprocal learning are limited by issues with focus, commitment, regular communication, and consistent participation by the right stakeholders, and 3) The majority of the respondents (68%) perceived that the regional collaboratives were effective in meeting the mission. However (14%) suggested improvements and (14%) felt that the mission statement lacked clarity. Keywords: P-20 collaboratives, collaboration, hermeneutic phenomenology, teacher preparation, regional partnerships, professional development, teacher quality
    • A Mixed-Methods Study on the Experiences and Beliefs of Teachers in Professional Development for the Implementation of Visible Learning

      Cunningham, Benton Willis; Department of Advanced Studies and Innovation
      School improvement ultimately rests in the hands of teachers, and the balance of teaching and evaluation of learning is the method for sustained success. In his 2009 book, Visible Learning (VL), John Hattie acknowledges this statement and contends that the majority of teachers know what works due to reflexive teaching praxis. Many schools across the nation are implementing the VL framework through professional development (PD). This study will focus on the implementation of the VL framework through PD in the high-performing Southeastern school district of Suburban County. A mixed-methods inquiry was conducted to learn more about teachers’ perceptions of VL PD efficacy and preferences for future PD. Qualitative results showed teacher competency improved after VL PD but knowledge of VL remained incomplete. Quantitative results were not statistically significant but the use of the Teacher Mindframes Survey (Murphy, 2020) demonstrated internal reliability for this new instrument. Overall, findings suggested future VL PD should focus on generating greater teacher buy-in. One way to do this is by integrating VL PD with Adult Learning Theory (ALT) models and practices, as VL implementation can be enhanced through the addition of academic coaches and the incorporation of ALT practices. The researchers concluded additional studies are needed to determine best practices for implementing VL in schools. Keywords: Visible Learning, Adult Learning Theory, and professional development
    • A Molecular Basis of Chemoresistance in Bladder Cancer

      Lahorewala, Sarrah; Biochemistry and Cancer Biology (Augusta University, 2020-12)
      Background: In advanced bladder cancer (BC), development of resistance to the frontline chemotherapeutic drugs Gemcitabine and Cisplatin contributes to the poor prognosis of patients. Newly discovered chondroitinase, HYAL-4 V1 (V1), drives malignant transformation in BC. We evaluated V1’s role and the downstream molecules involved in the mechanistic regulation of chemoresistance in BC. Experimental Design: HYAL-4 expression was evaluated by RT-qPCR and IHC in metastatic muscle-invasive BC patients who received Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin chemotherapy. HYAL-4 wild-type and V1 were stably expressed or silenced in three BC and one normal urothelial cell line. Transfectants were analyzed for Gemcitabine and Cisplatin sensitivity, and for Gemcitabine influx and efflux to determine the mechanism of Gemcitabine resistance. The effect of cytidine deaminase (CDA) inhibition on Gemcitabine sensitivity was evaluated in vitro and in xenograft models. Results: HYAL-4 expression was an independent predictor of disease-specific mortality and treatment failure in our clinical cohort, and stratified patients into higher risk for both those outcomes. V1-expressing BC and normal urothelial cells were resistant to Gemcitabine due to the upregulation of cytidine deaminase (CDA) expression and activity, resulting in increased Gemcitabine metabolism and efflux; treating cells with tetrahydrouridine (THU), a CDA inhibitor, abrogated the chemotherapeutic resistance. Gemcitabine-resistant V1 cells demonstrated increased expression of V1’s substrate CD44 and phosphorylated STAT3. Si-RNA mediated CD44 knockdown and STAT3 inhibition both sensitized cells to Gemcitabine in vitro. In xenograft models, treatment with a combination of Gemcitabine and THU completely inhibited tumor growth. Conclusions: This project discovered V1 as a novel determinant of Gemcitabine resistance and potential predictor of treatment response in BC. V1 drives resistance to Gemcitabine through CD44-STAT3 mediated upregulation of CDA, and inhibiting this pathway sensitizes tumor cells to the therapy in preclinical models of BC.
    • A NOVEL NETWORK BASED LINEAR MODEL FOR ENRICHMENT OF SYNERGISTIC DRUG COMBINATIONS

      Li, Jiaqi; Department of Physiology (Augusta University, 2021-07)
      Drug combination therapies can improve drug efficacy, reduce drug dosage, and overcome drug resistance with respect to cancer treatments. Current research strategies to determine which drug combinations have a synergistic effect rely mainly on clinical or empirical experience and screening predefined pools of drugs. Given the number of possible drug combinations, the speed and scope to find new drug combinations are very limited using these methods. Due to the exponential growth in these combinatorials, it is difficult to test all possible outcomes in the lab. Several large-scale public genomic and phenotypic resources that provide data from single drug-treated cells as well as data from small molecules deliver a wealth of cellular response information. This data gives opportunity to overcome limitations of the current methods. The development of a new strategy for advanced data processing and analysis that includes a computational prediction algorithm is highly desirable. Because of this, a program was written that predicts synergistic drug combinations using gene regulatory network knowledge and an operational module unit (OMU) system generated from single drug genomic and phenotypic data. As a proof of principle, we applied the pipeline to a group of anticancer drugs and demonstrated how the algorithm could help researchers efficiently find possible synergistic drug combinations using single drug data to evaluate all possible drug pairs.
    • a-Calcium Calmodulin Kinase II Modulates the Temporal Structure of Hippocampal Bursting Patterns

      Cho, Jeiwon; Bhatt, Rushi; Elgersma, Ype; Silva, Alcino J.; Tsien, Joe Z.; Department of Neurology; College of Graduate Studies (2012-02-20)
      The alpha calcium calmodulin kinase II (a-CaMKII) is known to play a key role in CA1/CA3 synaptic plasticity, hippocampal place cell stability and spatial learning. Additionally, there is evidence from hippocampal electrophysiological slice studies that this kinase has a role in regulating ion channels that control neuronal excitability. Here, we report in vivo single unit studies, with a-CaMKII mutant mice, in which threonine 305 was replaced with an aspartate (a-CaMKIIT305D mutants), that indicate that this kinase modulates spike patterns in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Previous studies showed that a- CaMKIIT305D mutants have abnormalities in both hippocampal LTP and hippocampal-dependent learning. We found that besides decreased place cell stability, which could be caused by their LTP impairments, the hippocampal CA1 spike patterns of a-CaMKIIT305D mutants were profoundly abnormal. Although overall firing rate, and overall burst frequency were not significantly altered in these mutants, inter-burst intervals, mean number of intra-burst spikes, ratio of intra-burst spikes to total spikes, and mean intra-burst intervals were significantly altered. In particular, the intra burst intervals of place cells in a- CaMKIIT305D mutants showed higher variability than controls. These results provide in vivo evidence that besides its wellknown function in synaptic plasticity, a-CaMKII, and in particular its inhibitory phosphorylation at threonine 305, also have a role in shaping the temporal structure of hippocampal burst patterns. These results suggest that some of the molecular processes involved in acquiring information may also shape the patterns used to encode this information.
    • Absolute cerebral oximeters for cardiovascular surgical cases

      Arthur, Mary E.; Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (Georgia Regents University, 2013-02)
      In the US, about 465,000 cardiopulmonary bypass grafting (CABG) procedures are performed every year. Decreases in oxygen levels occur in about 17-23% of CABG procedures which cause brain injury even in uncomplicated surgeries, and may lead to stroke, cognitive dysfunction, longer ventilation times; longer ICU and hospital stays, and higher health care costs. Because of the brain’s high metabolic rate with limited oxygen reserves, only about 10 seconds at normal body temperature makes the brain is susceptible to oxygen deprivation. A study on patients who underwent CABG surgery found that incidence of cognitive decline was 53% at discharge and 42% at 5 years (Newman, 2001). Furthermore, elderly patients are more likely to develop cerebral desaturation because of age-related reductions in physiologic reserve (Casati, 2005), and the number of surgeries involving older patients is on the rise.