This dissertation focuses on the mechanisms and implications of perceptual learning of binocular interactions. Perceptual learning is an important means of adapting to the changing environment, demonstrating the possibility of neural plasticity in...
When observers view a naturalistic (l/f) broadband image, the various spatial components present in the image stimulate many detecting-mechanisms that suppress each other. This suppression is anisotropic, being relatively greater for mechanisms...
Purpose: To evaluate baseline and 3 different image enhancements for the detection of landmarks and overall perceived quality in photostimuable phosphor cephalograms. Methods: DenOptix images of 48 patients (plus 12 repeats) were presented randomly...
Nanoparticles; Imaging systems in medicine; Imaging systems in biology
Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have shown beneficial properties for biomedical use, e.g., their non-toxic nature and surface properties for easy modification. Upon receiving light, they generate a strong surface plasmon field, which can alter the...
The ability of L. pneumophila to cause disease depends on its replication in alveolar macrophages. Infectivity and the expression of various virulence traits is triggered at post exponential growth phase. We show that unlike quiescent macrophages,...
The importance of parenting styles on childhood development and early adolescent social and behavioral outcomes has been well documented within academic literature (Schaffer et al., 2009; Brand et al., 2009; Claes et al., 2005; Sirvanli-Ozen, 2005;...
In the retina, the receptive fields (RFs) of most neurons are comprised of an excitatory center and a suppressive surround. Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) RF center excitatory input arises from bipolar cell (BC) inputs, while their surround arises...
Blood flow--Measurement; Magnetic resonance imaging
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is a progressive atherosclerotic disorder which
is defined as any pathologic process obstructing the blood flow of the arteries supplying
the lower extremities. Moderate stenoses mayor may not be...
Human adult olfactory epithelium contains neural progenitors (hONPs) which replace damaged cellular components throughout life. Methods to isolate and expand the hONPs have been developed in our laboratory. In response to morphogens, the hONPs...
Cortical and tectal inputs to the caudal LPN in the rat were examined using anatomical and physiological techniques. Pyramidal cells in layer 6 of the visual cortex and wide-field vertical cells in the stratum opticum of the superior colliculus...
This project investigated the effect of hypothermia on the monocyte response with the goal of understanding, which intracellular processes are affected by hypothermia leading to differences in cytokine secretion. A better understanding of the...
Heart--Diseases--Diagnosis; Diagnostic imaging; Magnetic resonance imaging; Imaging systems in medicine
Many cardiac diseases, such as myocardial ischemia, secondary to coronary artery disease, may be identified and localized through the analysis of cardiac deformations. Early efforts for quantifying ventricular wall motion used surgical implantation...
Objective . To compare the in vitro reliability and accuracy of linear measurements between cephalometric landmarks on CBCT 3D images with varying basis projection images to direct measurements on human skulls. Methods . Sixteen linear dimensions...
The purpose of this project was to compare the accuracy and reliability of linear measurements made on 2D projections and 3D reconstructions using Dolphin 3D software (Chatsworth, CA) as compared to direct measurements made on human skulls. The...
The pulvinar is the largest nucleus of the human dorsal thalamus and is affected in a variety of brain disorders, such as schizophrenia. The experiments described in this dissertation elucidate key features of tecto-pulvino-cortical pathways as a...
Wolf, Hugo, 1860-1903; Music and literature; Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832. West-östlicher Divan; Ḥāfiẓ, 14th cent.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's West-ostlicher Divan combines the Persian influence of the fourteenth-century poet Hafiz with Goethe's own Germanic literary heritage. The result was a synthesis of symbolism and multivalent meanings that Goethe himself...
Spinal cord injury (SCI) can be divided into two distinct stages, an initial mechanical impact and a later "secondary injury" resulting from a cascade of cytokines triggering a spreading demyelination and apoptosis of neurons and glia...
Recently our lab has shown that with broadband stimuli (either visual noise or natural scenes), performance for detecting oriented content is worst at horizontal, best at the obliques, and intermediate at vertical orientations--an anisotropy...
Neurosphere forming cells (NSFCs) have been derived from cultures of adult olfactory neuroepithelium obtained from patients and cadavers in serum rich medium. These neural progenitors remain undifferentiated when maintained in serum rich medium but...
Liquid gallium (Ga) spontaneously alloys with thin films of metals such as Ag, Au, Pt Al, and Cu at near or even below room temperature resulting in rapid self-assembly of nanostructures. In this dissertation, studies of the formation of these...
