Browsing by Subject "Alcohol"
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Item Acculturation, Alcohol Expectancies, and Alcohol Use Among Mexican-American Adolescents(2011-02-22) Flato, Claudia GracielaThe current study was designed to examine the influence of cultural orientation on alcohol involvement among Mexican-American adolescents. Also, this study assessed whether cultural orientation predicted positive and negative alcohol expectancies for the effects of drinking one to two drinks or bingeing; and whether alcohol-use expectancies mediated the effects of acculturation on drinking practices. The participants were 300 Mexican-American high school students (M = 16.5, SD = 1.15; 178 female and 122 male) from a city along the Texas/Mexico border who were mostly self-identified as 2nd generation Mexican-Americans. The students completed the questionnaires regarding alcohol involvement, acculturation, and alcohol expectancies. Significant findings in the current study indicated a higher orientation to Mexican culture predicted higher levels of alcohol involvement for boys; whereas, a higher orientation to U.S. culture predicted higher alcohol involvement for girls. Also, identification with Mexican culture for girls predicted negative alcohol expectancies for low and high quantities of alcohol use.Item Alcohol promotes mammary tumor development through regulation of estrogen signaling(2012-05) Wong, Amy W.; Nuñez, Nomelí P.Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women and the second leading cause of death among women in the United States. Alcohol consumption is one of the few modifiable risk factors for breast cancer development but the mechanism by which it contributes to mammary cancer development and progression remains unclear, although it has been suggested that estrogen is critical for this process. To determine if alcohol promotes mammary tumor development via the estrogen pathway, estrogen receptor alpha-negative (ER[alpha]-negative) MMTV-neu mice were treated with various doses of ethanol and activation of estrogen signaling was measured. Our results showed that alcohol consumption increased estrogen signaling activation, serum estrogen levels and, most interestingly, expression of ER[alpha] in tumor tissue in the ER[alpha]-negative mice. Several lines of evidence in literature suggest that ER[alpha] expression in ER[alpha]-negative cancer cells is inhibited through epigenetic regulation. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than DNA sequence changes. Thus, to determine whether alcohol may regulate ER[alpha] re-expression in ER[alpha]-negative breast cancer cells through epigenetic mechanisms, we examined the effects of ethanol on CpG methylation and histone modifications (acetylation and methylation) of two ER[alpha]-negative breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 (human) and MMTV-neu (mouse). We also examined whether the epigenetic modifications subsequently affect the recruitment of transcriptional regulation complexes to the ER[alpha] promoter to regulate ER[alpha] transcription. Results showed that alcohol promotes ER[alpha] re-expression in these ER[alpha]-negative cell lines and that this effect was associated with decreased CpG methylation, an overall increase of histone acetylation and decrease of histone methylation, and an alteration in the enrichment of the ER[alpha] transcriptional regulation complexes (pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-p300 and pRb2/p130-E2F4/5-HDAC1-SUV39H1-DNMT1) at the ER[alpha] promoter, which may contribute to cancer cell progression. In addition, we found that the inhibition of ER[alpha] by tamoxifen specifically blocks the effects of alcohol on ER[alpha] reactivation. To determine how alcohol promotes cell invasive ability, a critical process for cancer progression, we examined the role of two genes, metastasis suppressor Nm23 and integrin alpha-5 ITGA5, which we identified to be important for alcohol-induced breast cancer cell invasion. It has previously been shown that estrogen may regulate Nm23 expression and that estrogen regulation may be important for ITGA5-mediated cancer progression. Our results showed that alcohol promotes cancer cell invasion through the down-regulation of Nm23, which led to the subsequent increase of ITGA5 and increase of cell invasion. Collectively, data from my research strongly supports and provides evidence that alcohol promotes breast cancer development and progression through the regulation of estrogen signaling.Item Alcohol use and related problems among college students and their noncollege peers : the competing roles of personality and peer influence(2011-08) Quinn, Patrick Donovan; Fromme, Kim; Harden, Kathryn P.Although alcohol use and related problems are highly prevalent in emerging adulthood overall, college students drink somewhat more than do their peers who do not attend college. The personal or social influences underlying this difference, however, are not yet well understood. The present study examined whether personality traits (i.e., self-regulation and sensation seeking) and peer influence (i.e., descriptive drinking norms) contributed to student status differences. At approximately age 22, 4-year college students (n = 331) and noncollege emerging adults (n = 502) completed web-based surveys, including measures of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, personality, and social norms. College students drank only slightly more heavily. This small difference, however, reflected personality suppression. College students were lower in trait-based risk for drinking, and accounting for traits revealed a stronger positive association between attending college and drinking more heavily. Although noncollege emerging adults reported greater descriptive drinking norms for social group members, norms appeared to more strongly influence alcohol use among college students. Finally, despite drinking less, noncollege individuals experienced more alcohol-related problems. The association between attending college and drinking heavily may be larger than previously estimated, and it may be masked by biased selection into college as a function of both self-regulation and sensation seeking. Differing patterns of alcohol use, its predictors, and its consequences emerged for the college and noncollege samples, suggesting that differing intervention strategies may best meet the needs of each population.Item Alcohol, obesity, and estrogen regulate mammary tumorigenesis through adiposity and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway(2010-05) Hong, Jina; Nuñez, Nomelí P.; Ciolino, Henry P.; Hursting, Stephen D.; Mills, Edward M.; Wong, Paul K.Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States. Alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk in women. It is unclear whether the effects of alcohol on mammary tumorigenesis are modified by body weight or exogenous estrogen. To determine if the effects of alcohol on mammary tumors are modified by body weight, mice of different body weights (lean, overweight, obese) consuming water or alcohol were injected subcutaneously with mammary cancer cells. To determine if the effects of alcohol on mammary tumors are modified by estrogen, pellets delivering estrogen were implanted into female mice, followed by subcutaneous mammary cancer cell injections. Results show that alcohol-consuming mice were more insulin sensitive and developed larger tumors sooner than water-consuming mice (p<0.05). Our data show obese mice developed larger tumors than lean mice. Exogenous estrogen triggered the loss of body fat, induced insulin sensitivity, and suppressed tumor growth. Obese mice had higher levels of insulin, IGF-1, leptin, and VEGF. The only mammary tumor growth factors increased by alcohol consumption were leptin and VEGF (p<0.05). In addition, activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was induced by alcohol and obesity in mammary tumors. Furthermore, alcohol increased the invasiveness of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, but also decreased a metastasis suppressor gene Nm23. Collectively, my dissertation suggests that alcohol consumption, obesity, and estrogen treatment regulate mammary tumorigenesis through hormones associated with adipose tissues and the PI3K/Akt signaling.Item Alcohol-induced fragmentary blackouts : associated memory processes and neural correlates(2010-08) Wetherill, Reagan Rochelle, 1979-; Fromme, Kim; Schnyer, David M.; Tucker, David M.; Beevers, Christopher; Springer, David W.Alcohol-induced blackouts, or periods of anterograde amnesia without loss of consciousness, were a diagnostic indicator in Jellinek’s (1952) theory of alcoholism and have been correlated with alcohol use problems (Campbell & Hodgins, 1993; Goodwin, Crane, & Guze, 1969; Ryback, 1970; Tarter & Schneider, 1976). Other findings suggest that blackouts are a warning sign of problem drinking, but not a predictor of alcohol use disorders (Anthenelli, Klein, Tsuang, Smith, & Schuckit, 1994). Most published research on blackouts focuses on cognitive deficits among older alcohol-dependent adults, yet recent research indicates prevalence rates for blackouts as high as 50% among college students (White, Jamieson-Drake, & Swartzwelder, 2002). In addition, young adults who reported experiencing a blackout were later told that they had vandalized property, driven a car, or engaged in other risky behaviors without remembering (Buelow & Koeppel, 1995). Despite their high prevalence and associated negative consequences, relatively little is known about alcohol-induced blackouts or their neural, social, and behavioral correlates among non-dependent populations. The current research explored individual variation in memory functioning under sober and intoxicated conditions and alcohol’s effects on neural activation during memory processes.Item Binge drinking a decade later: judicial officers react to reduction strategies(Texas Tech University, 2005-12) Hammat, Jennifer R.; Shonrock, Michael D.; Butner, Bonita K.; Stevens, TaraFor years, college administrators have been aware of the concerns associated with binge drinking on college campuses. Binge drinking refers to the rapid or subsequent consumption of alcoholic beverages; generally quantified as 4 successive drinks for women or 5 successive drinks for men. In the early 1990s, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) was making headlines in higher education with their estimated prevalence rates of binge drinking on college campuses. Once the initial findings of the 1993 CAS study were released, and the concerns of college presidents and administrators had also been examined, Dr. Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health published a list of guidelines in 1996 known as the 12-Step Program as a flexible guide to college administrators who were concerned about the binge drinking problems on their campuses in order to serve as a starting point to attack the issue. This study asked campus judicial officers about the implemented 12-Step Program strategies on their campuses, and if those efforts had reduced the number of alcohol-related cases they were adjudicating. The campus judicial officers surveyed were all members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA). The study found that all 12 recommended strategies had been implemented at varying levels on colleges. It also showed campus judicial officers perception of the binge drinking reduction efforts was correlated to the percentage of alcohol-related cases they hear. There was no statistically significant difference in reported percentages of alcohol-related cases by institutional size, institutional type, or by ASJA circuit. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in implementation strategies by institutional size, institutional type, or by ASJA circuit. The two most statistically significant steps of the 12-Step program to be considered for implementation was determined to be 1) assess the ways in which alcohol is affecting your campus and 2) freshman orientation should start long before students arrive on campus. This study also established a baseline of college discipline officer data as it pertains to alcohol-related incidents and reduction strategies.Item Binge drinking a decade later: Judicial officers react to reduction strategies(2005-12) Hammat, Jennifer R.; Shonrock, Michael D.; Butner, Bonita K.; Stevens, TaraFor years, college administrators have been aware of the concerns associated with binge drinking on college campuses. Binge drinking refers to the rapid or subsequent consumption of alcoholic beverages; generally quantified as 4 successive drinks for women or 5 successive drinks for men. In the early 1990s, the Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS) was making headlines in higher education with their estimated prevalence rates of binge drinking on college campuses. Once the initial findings of the 1993 CAS study were released, and the concerns of college presidents and administrators had also been examined, Dr. Henry Wechsler of the Harvard School of Public Health published a list of guidelines in 1996 known as the 12-Step Program as a flexible guide to college administrators who were concerned about the binge drinking problems on their campuses in order to serve as a starting point to attack the issue. This study asked campus judicial officers about the implemented 12-Step Program strategies on their campuses, and if those efforts had reduced the number of alcohol-related cases they were adjudicating. The campus judicial officers surveyed were all members of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA). The study found that all 12 recommended strategies had been implemented at varying levels on colleges. It also showed campus judicial officers perception of the binge drinking reduction efforts was correlated to the percentage of alcohol-related cases they hear. There was no statistically significant difference in reported percentages of alcohol-related cases by institutional size, institutional type, or by ASJA circuit. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in implementation strategies by institutional size, institutional type, or by ASJA circuit. The two most statistically significant steps of the 12-Step program to be considered for implementation was determined to be 1) assess the ways in which alcohol is affecting your campus and 2) freshman orientation should start long before students arrive on campus. This study also established a baseline of college discipline officer data as it pertains to alcohol-related incidents and reduction strategies.Item Comparison of Biological and Thermal (Pyrolysis) Pathways for Conversion of Lignocellulose to Biofuels(2012-11-30) Imam, Tahmina 1983-Because of the limited supply of imported crude oil and environmental degradation, renewable energy is becoming commercially feasible and environmentally desirable. In this research, biological and thermal (pyrolysis) conversion pathways for biofuel production from lignocellulosic feedstocks were compared. For biological conversions of sorghum, ethanol yield was improved using M81-E variety (0.072 g/g juice) over Umbrella (0.065 g/g juice) for first-generation biomass (sorghum juice), and 0.042 g/g sorghum was obtained from the cellulosic portion of second-generation biomass. When ultrasonication was combined with hot water pretreatment, yields increased by 15% and 7% for cellulose to glucose, and hemicellulose to pentose, respectively. Ethanol yield was 10% higher when this pretreatment was combined with Accellerase 1500+XC for saccharification. Biological conversion yielded 1,600?2,300 L ethanol/ha for first-generation biomass, and 4,300?4,500 L ethanol/ha from lignocellulosic biomass. For thermal (pyrolysis) conversion of lignocellulosic switchgrass at 600 degrees C, product yield was 37% bio-oil, 26% syngas, and 25% bio-char. At 400 degrees C, product yield was 22% bio-oil, 8% syngas, and 56% bio-char. Bio-oil from pyrolysis was highly oxygenated (37 wt%). It required chemical transformation to increase its volatility and thermal stability, and to reduce its viscosity by removing objectionable oxygen, so the product could be used as transportation fuel (gasoline). As a consequence of upgrading bio-oil by catalytic hydrogenation, bio-oil oxygen decreased from 37?2 wt%, carbon increased from 50?83 wt%, hydrogen increased from 9?15 wt% and heating value increased from 36?46 MJ/kg, resulting in a fuel that was comparable to gasoline. The upgraded product passed the thermal stability test when kept under an oxygen-rich environment. The upgraded product consisted of 14.8% parrafins, 21.7% iso-parrafins, 3% napthene, 42.6% aromatics, 4.7% olefin, 4.7% DMF, 8% alcohol, and 0.6% ketone on a mass basis. Comparing the two pathways, biological conversion had 11 wt% ethanol yield from sorghum, and thermal conversion had 13 wt% gasoline yield from switchgrass. For process efficiency, thermal conversion had 35% energy loss versus 45% energy loss for biological conversions. For the biological pathway, ethanol cost was $2.5/gallon ($4/gallon, gasoline equivalent), whereas for the thermal pathway, switchgrass gasoline cost was $3.7/gallon, both with 15% before tax profit.Item Drinking patterns of women: influence of social roles and social history(Texas Tech University, 1993-12) Brumbelow, Sondra JoanRecent research demonstrates that women's patterns of problematic drinking behavior vary by age, occupation, marital status, motherhood, and various role configurations (Parker & Brody, 1982; Wilsnack & Cheloha, 1987). This suggests that some of the etiological forces underlying women's alcohol use may be rooted within the roles and statuses of the larger society. If drinking behavior was not influenced by societal conditions but only by genetic factors, biological factors, or by the chance combination of personality elements, then there would be no direct association between drinking and key social characteristics. The presence of such associations delivers a very clear message: there must be something in the experiences that women have as role occupants of gender, age, marital status, motherhood, and occupation that helps to explain their patterns and styles of drinking (Pearlin, Lieberman, Menaghan, & Mullen, 1981).Item The effect of alcohol on sex-related emotional reactions(2015-08) Wilhite, Emily Rose; Fromme, KimFacilitated by the cognitive impairment described in alcohol myopia theory (AMT), alcohol can be a catalyst of unplanned sexual activity, which can result in harmful emotional consequences that are particularly salient in women. We aimed to expand on previous research by examining how sociosexuality (permissiveness towards casual sex), gender, and alcohol influence the interpretation of a hypothetical alcohol-fueled sexual encounter. Participants (N = 107) were re-recruited from a 6-year longitudinal study in order to participate in a placebo-controlled alcohol challenge study. Beverage condition (alcohol; placebo), gender, and sociosexuality were used to predict negative affect and regret in reaction to a sexual encounter described in an eroticized experimental story. Negative affect and regret were measured both during the laboratory protocol and the following day. In a repeated measures analysis of variance model there was a significant time by beverage condition interaction such that the ratings of negative affect in reaction to a sexual scenario remained stable for those in the alcohol condition between the two assessments, while those in the placebo condition felt less negatively across time. When examining negative affect and regret during the laboratory protocol and the following day separately, women and those who are more conservative about uncommitted sex felt more negatively and had more regret after projecting themselves into the experimental story. Being intoxicated may contribute to labeling sexual behavior as atypical, attributing the behavior to an external source, and therefore labeling it as less desirable. In comparison, a sober sexual encounter may be attributed to a personal choice and thus, could be considered more aligned with personal values and may cause fewer negative feelings or less regret. Further, more permissive views about casual sex and male gender are protective against negative feelings about sex.Item Effects of Maternal L-glutamine Supplementation on Fetus to Mitigate Teratogenic Effects of Alcohol(2013-12-05) Sawant, Onkar BalkrishnaWomen who drink alcohol during pregnancy are at high risk of giving birth to children with physical, behavioral or cognitive developmental problems called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Prenatal alcohol exposure is known to be associated with fetal growth restriction, disturbances in amino acid bioavailability, and alterations in fetal hemodynamics, blood flow and oxidative stress. Alterations in these parameters can persist into adolescence and low birth weight can lead to altered fetal development and programming, which can have lifelong consequences. Glutamine has been associated with fetal nitrogen and carbon metabolism, synthesis of the cellular anti-oxidant glutathione, apoptosis suppression, serving as a precursor for the synthesis of other amino acids, and increases in protein synthesis. Glutamine has been used clinically as a nutrient supplement in low birth weight infants. Therefore, it is hypothesized that repeated third trimester-equivalent maternal alcohol exposure in the sheep model decreases the bioavailability of amino acids, hampers fetal body growth, alters maternal-fetal hemodynamics, hampers uterine blood flow, alters fetal blood flow, increases cerebellar oxidative stress and that maternal L-glutamine supplementation may attenuate these negative developmental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Maternal alcohol exposure during the third trimester-equivalent period in the sheep model significantly reduced fetal body weight, height, crown-rump length and thoracic girth, and maternal glutamine supplementation successfully improved these fetal growth parameters in the alcohol+glutamine group. Maternal alcohol exposure during the third trimester-equivalent period resulted in significant reduction in glutamine and glutamine related amino acids bioavailability in maternal and fetal plasma as well as in the fetal amniotic and allantoic fluid. Maternal glutamine supplementation improved the bioavailability and efficacy of amino acids in the maternal and fetal compartment. This study also revealed that maternal alcohol exposure resulted in maternal acidemia, maternal hypercapnea, maternal hypoxemia as well as fetal acidemia and fetal hypercapnea, but not fetal hypoxemia. Maternal alcohol exposure during this period led to an increase in fetal mean arterial pressure, alterations in fetal brain blood flow and fetal cerebellar oxidative stress. Maternal alcohol exposure during the third trimester-equivalent period resulted in a more than 40% reduction in uterine artery blood flow. Maternal glutamine supplementation during the third trimester-equivalent period successfully attenuated the incidences of alcohol-induced maternal hypercapnea, fetal acidemia, alterations in fetal brain blood flow and improved the fetal cerebellar endogenous antioxidant status. Collectively these results signify that maternal glutamine supplementation mitigates negative developmental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.Item Elucidating residues on the BK channel required for activation by alcohol and intoxication in C. elegans(2014-08) Davis, Scott Joseph; Pierce-Shimomura, Jonathan T.Alcohol produces changes in behavior through molecular effects on ion channels, enzymes and transporters. Many proteins have been elucidated that at least in part mediate behavioral changes induced by alcohol. However, it has been difficult thus far to uncover key amino acid residues within a protein that are necessary for the effects of alcohol. This information is critical, potentially leading to effective pharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUD) and identification of allelic variations that predispose an individual for AUD. The big conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel has recently emerged as a critical protein for the effects of alcohol across species. In this dissertation, we study the molecular action of alcohol on the BK channel, and how this action contributes to behavioral intoxication. To accomplish this, we first provide credence for using the nematode C. elegans for studying the behavioral effects of ethanol. We demonstrate how behavioral intoxication and internal ethanol concentration in C. elegans is altered by the osmolarity of the ethanol-solution, reconciling results from previous conflicting reports in the literature. We then identify the amino acid residue T381 on the BK channel in C. elegans is critical for behavioral intoxication, but not other BK channel-dependent behaviors. These results suggest a functional BK channel resistant to ethanol. By knocking-in the human BK channel, we then demonstrate that the equivalent residue, T352 is also critical for behavioral intoxication in C. elegans, but not other BK channel-dependent behaviors. Using single-channel recordings, we find that the T352 residue is critical for the potentiating effects of ethanol on the human BK channel, without being critical for basal-function. Finally, we investigate the role of calcium-sensing residues on the worm BK channel for behavioral intoxication in C. elegans. We find that these residues are non-essential for intoxication, in contrast to in vitro reports in the mammalian channel suggesting the calcium-sensing residues are critical for ethanol-activation of the BK channel.Item Ethanol dehydration using potassium acetate salt effect, extractive distillation(Texas Tech University, 1984-08) Fan, Frank IuelienThis thesis describes the physical chemistry of recovering absolute ethanol using extractive distillation. The process being evaluated uses dissolved salt, potassium acetate, as the separating agent. The research includes the first successful use of a thermodynamic consistency test for the ethanol-water-potassium acetate (E-W-KOAc) system. This work shows that the Meranda and Furter [1966] data are thermodynamically consistent, while the Costa Novella [1952] data are not. The solvation method is used to predict vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for the saturated or unsaturated E-W-KOAc ternary system for the first time. The VLE prediction is used in a computer simulation of salt effect, extractive distillation. In order to simulate extractive distillation, measurements of the solubility of potassium acetate in the ethanol-water system at 6 temperatures, 79, 74, 72.5, 65, 61, 59°C and 1 atm were made.Item Ethanol experience induces metaplasticity of NMDA receptor-mediated transmission in ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons(2011-08) Bernier, Brian Ernest; Morikawa, Hitoshi; Harris, R. A.; Aldrich, Richard; Koester, Helmut; Valenzuela, FernandoAddiction is thought to arise, in part, from a maladaptive learning process in which enduring memories of drug-related experiences are formed, resulting in persistent and uncontrollable drug-seeking behavior. However, it is well known that both acute and chronic alcohol (ethanol) exposures impair various types of learning and memory in both humans and animals. Consistent with these observations, both acute and chronic exposures to ethanol suppress synaptic plasticity, the major neural substrate for learning and memory, in multiple brain areas. Therefore, it remains unclear how powerful memories associated with alcohol experience are formed during the development of alcoholism. The mesolimbic dopaminergic system is critically involved in the learning of information related to rewards, including drugs of abuse. Both natural and drug rewards, such as ethanol, cause release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and other limbic structures, which is thought to drive learning by enhancing synaptic plasticity. Accumulating evidence indicates that plasticity of glutamatergic transmission onto dopamine neurons may play an important role in the development of addiction. Plasticity of NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated transmission may be of particular interest, as NMDAR activation is necessary for dopamine neuron burst firing and phasic dopamine release in projection areas that occurs in response to rewards or reward-predicting stimuli. NMDAR plasticity may, therefore, drive the learning of stimuli associated with rewards, including drugs of abuse. This dissertation finds that repeated in vivo ethanol exposure induces a metaplasticity of NMDAR-mediated transmission in mesolimbic dopamine neurons, expressed as an increased susceptibility to the induction of NMDAR LTP. Enhancement of NMDAR plasticity results from an increase in the potency of inositol 1,4,5- trisphosphate (IP3) in producing the facilitation of action potential-evoked Ca2+ signals critical for LTP induction. Interestingly, amphetamine exposure produces a similar enhancement of IP3R function, suggesting this neuroadaptation may be a common response to exposure to multiple drugs of abuse. Additionally, ethanol-treated mice display enhanced learning of cues associated with cocaine exposure. These findings suggest that metaplasticity of NMDAR LTP may contribute to the formation of powerful memories related to drug experiences and provide an important insight into the learning component of addiction.Item Ethanol-induced toxicity and neurodegeneration in C. elegans(2013-08) Gomez, Lina Maria; Pierce-Shimomura, Jonathan T.Alcohol abuse is an enormous problem causing death and disability to over 43 million people worldwide each year (WHO). Chronic alcohol consumption also contributes to abnormal brain morphology and significant brain volume loss indicative of neurodegeneration. Until there are effective treatments to alter maladaptive behavioral patterns in alcohol abuse, more research is needed to prevent alcohol-induced toxicity and degeneration. We used C. elegans as a model system to identify genetic modulators of alcohol toxicity and explored whether prolonged alcohol exposure damages the nervous system. In our study, we exposed L4-larval stage worms to varying concentrations of ethanol for three days and found a dose-dependent deficit in crawling. Furthermore, we evaluated degeneration by assessing the health of neurons using fluorescent reporters. Compared to the untreated group, we found that ethanol-exposed worms had a significant neurodegeneration. Previous findings using C. elegans have suggested that the innate immune pathway may protect against neurodegeneration caused by drug toxicity (Schreiber & McIntire, 2012). We find that deletion of either the innate immune gene nsy-1 (orthologous to the mammalian ASK-1 MAPKKK) or pmk-1 (orthologous to the mammalian p38 MAPK) caused hypersensitivity to ethanol toxicity. Conversely, boosting innate immune signaling via gain-of-function mutation in nsy-1 produced resistance to ethanol toxicity and ameliorated ethanol-induced cholinergic degeneration. Our findings indicate that prolonged exposure to ethanol leads to both behavioral impairments and neuronal degeneration in C. elegans and that the ASK1/p38 MAP kinase pathway may play a role in ethanol-induced damage to the nervous system.Item Evidence of inter- and intra-subunit alcohol and anesthetic binding cavities in the glycine receptor(2014-05) McCracken, Mandy Leigh; Harris, R. AdronAlcohol is abundantly consumed by society and general anesthetics are used everyday in operating suites throughout the world, yet the sites and mechanisms of action for these drugs are not completely understood. Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are pentameric ion channels expressed throughout the brain and spinal cord and have become increasingly popular targets in the study of alcohol action. Each GlyR subunit is composed of four alpha helical transmembrane segments (TM1-4), and although amino acids involved with alcohol action have been previously identified in TM1-4, the orientation of each of these residues with respect to a putative alcohol/anesthetic binding cavity remains controversial. In order to better characterize this binding cavity within the GlyR, we conducted a series of experiments using cysteine mutagenesis and biochemical cross-linking. In Aim 1, the participation of TM1 with TM3 in a common alcohol/anesthetic binding cavity was further investigated. We used two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology in Xenopus oocytes to demonstrate the ability of A288 in TM3 to form cross-links with I229 in TM1, which reduced the ability of both alcohol and anesthetics to modulate GlyR function. Aim 2 investigated whether TM3 could also participate in a binding cavity with TM4. We have shown that residues in TM4 are able to form cross-links with A288 in TM3, and found that cross-linking between TM3 and those residues in TM4 also reduced the ability of alcohol and anesthetics to enhance GlyR function. Aim 3 determined whether these cross-links are formed between residues within the same subunit (intra-subunit) or between subunits (inter-subunit), and ultimately whether these residues participate in a common alcohol/anesthetic binding cavity within or between GlyR subunits. GlyR protein, which measures about 50 kDa, was extracted from oocytes injected with the cysteine mutants, and immunoblotting was used with a GlyR-specific antibody to subsequently help quantify band ratios between cross-linked and uncross-linked conditions. We found an increase in the 100:50 kDa band ratio for the TM1-3 mutant only, but not TM3-4 mutant or the wild-type, which suggests TM1-3 may participate in an alcohol binding cavity between GlyR subunits while TM3-4 may contribute to a binding cavity within a subunit.Item Examining college students' beliefs and behaviors regarding responsible alcohol consumption(2009-05-15) Barry, Adam EtheridgeThis dissertation presents three separate studies designed to provide structure and evidence-based insight into the characteristics associated with responsible drinking. First, a primer on the responsible drinking message will be presented discussing: (a) the origins and evolution of this message, (b) alcohol product advertisements evincing a responsible drinking prevention message, and (c) practical and ethical concerns associated with brewer-sponsored responsible drinking campaigns. Additionally, the primer will also present systematic reviews of twenty (n=20) empirical studies utilizing the responsible drinking concept to determine the manner in which researchers currently conceptualize and explain characteristics of responsible drinking in their reports. Secondly, a qualitative examination of college students? beliefs, motivations, intentions, and behaviors regarding responsible drinking will be presented. Employing an emergent design, the data collection process encompassed four focus group sessions and three separate, personal interviews. The final sample size comprised thirteen individuals (Focus Group n=10; Personal Interview n=3). A conceptual model will also be proposed to assist in interpreting the qualitative findings and theorizing about factors influencing intentions to drink responsibly. Lastly, drawing upon the theoretical model and qualitative findings, the development and rigorous psychometric testing of a web-based instrument - Characteristics of Responsible Drinking Survey (CHORDS) ? will be discussed. Zoomerang? served as the host-site for both the pilot- and final testing phases of the CHORDS. The final sample (n=729) comprised a random set of individuals drawn from all currently enrolled students (undergraduate and graduate) attending Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station. Principal components exploratory factor analysis revealed the CHORDS consists of five scales (61 total items) whose scores exhibit high internal consistency reliability. These scales include: Behavioral Beliefs, Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Barriers and Behavioral Intention. Scales were found to measure the same underlying construct, as outlined in the theoretical model. Prior to this study, scientific literature contained no scholarly attempts to distinguish responsible drinking characteristics; no theoretically-based explanation or examination of the interactions among responsible drinking variables; and no instruments expressly intended to measure responsible drinking intentions. Thus, this study represents the first step toward addressing the limitations associated with responsible drinking and filling the apparent conceptual gaps.Item Factor structure analysis of the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol - Spanish questionnaire among adolescents in Mexico(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Flato, Claudia GracielaExpectancies about the effects of alcohol predict alcohol consumption among adolescent children. Although alcohol-expectancy measures have been validated to use with English speaking populations, there is currently no available information on the psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol (CEOA) questionnaire with Spanish speaking populations. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the factor structure of the Spanish version of the CEOA was assessed in a set of scores obtained from a sample of adolescents from Mexico (N = 345). The results replicated the 7-factor structure of the CEOA. Moreover, CEOA factor-scale derived scores predicted alcohol use. Overall, the CEOA-Spanish appears to be a valid measure of alcohol expectancies for use with Mexican adolescents.Item Gold-catalyzed alcohol oxidation reactions : insights from surface science and classical catalysis studies(2016-12) Mullen, Gregory Michael; Mullins, C. B.; Henkelman, Graeme; Humphrey, Simon; Hwang, Gyeong; Korgel, BrianCatalysts play an extremely important role in shaping the world around us. Foods, plastics, fuels, medicines, and countless other materials that are integral to our way of life rely on catalysts for their production. Despite their importance, to this day catalysts are still mysterious materials with active sites and reaction mechanisms that often remain unknown despite decades of investigation. In this dissertation, we investigate the use of gold catalysts for selective oxidation of alcohols, an important class of reaction used in the agrochemical, pharmaceutical, and fine chemicals industries. Using surface science and classical catalysis techniques, we demonstrate that water plays important and previously undiscovered roles in these processes, altering reaction mechanisms and influencing the selectivity exhibited by the catalysts for primary and secondary oxidation pathways. Additionally, we show that the structure and the composition of the support material both influence the activity and selectivity of gold catalysts for alcohol oxidation. Our results highlight the complexity that catalytic reaction mechanisms can exhibit and the structure-function relationships that can dictate their behavior. Knowledge of these factors is extremely valuable optimizing the design and implementation of catalytic processes. By leveraging knowledge like this, we will be able to mitigate the generation of industrial waste make better use of our natural resources.Item Influence of alcohol advertising on intention to use alcohol among college students(2016-05) Kreitzberg, Daniel St.Clair; Pasch, Keryn E.; Loukas, AlexBackground: There is little experimental research examining the influence of televised alcohol commercials on young adults’ alcohol use intentions. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of alcohol commercials on the attitudes and intentions to use alcohol among college students. Methods: A sample of 100 undergraduate students (18 to 25 years) viewed a popular half-hour television show with four alcohol commercials within advertising blocks. The participants completed pretest and posttest surveys measuring their intentions and attitudes. Separate Paired-Samples T-tests and non-parametric Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests were conducted to test for change in average levels of intentions and attitudes after exposure to alcohol commercials. Analyses were conducted with and without one outlier on the intention item in order to gain a full understanding of our findings. Missing data ranged from 1% to 3%, therefore, individual models vary in sample size. Results: A majority of the participants were female (72%), one third were white (34%), and the average age was 21 years old. Approximately 75% of our sample had at least one drink in the past 30 days (40% of these students were underage n=30). Results of the Paired-Samples t-tests and Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests indicated a statistically significant increase in intentions to use alcohol in the next 30 days (p<0.05). Additional analyses that excluded the outlier resulted in non-significant findings, although findings approached significance (p<0.09). Of the reasons to use alcohol, only “to feel less stressed” decreased significantly. Conclusion: This study examined the influence of televised alcohol advertising on young adult’s attitudes and intentions using an experimental design. Of the attitude measures, only “to feel less stressed” changed significantly and this change was in the opposite direction hypothesized. However, our results suggest alcohol commercials increase intentions to use alcohol among college students. These findings are important as young adults may be exposed to many more alcohol commercials in a sitting than were included in the present study. This study likely underestimates the influence of televised alcohol commercials on intentions to use alcohol. Future research should expand attitude items and include a greater variety of alcohol commercials.