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Thermal And Convective Loading Methods For Releasing Hydrophobic Therapeutics From Contact Lenses, Ryan Ruben Horne Jun 2016

Thermal And Convective Loading Methods For Releasing Hydrophobic Therapeutics From Contact Lenses, Ryan Ruben Horne

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the feasibility of loading silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lenses with two different hydrophobic therapeutics, latanoprost and DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), for treatment of glaucoma and hyperemia respectively. The two methods of loading were 1) thermal loading in an aqueous medium and 2) convective loading in a solution of n-propanol. Dailies Total1® lenses prepared in this manner were tested for their loading and their release into artificial tears. Continuous release over 1-4 days at therapeutic levels is achievable from thermal loading of DMPC, convective loading of DMPC, and convective loading of latanoprost. The DMPC loading processes can be naturally integrated …

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Analyses Of Mrna Cleavage By Rele And The Role Of Trna Methyltransferase Trmd Using Bacterial Ribosome Profiling, Jae Yeon Hwang Jun 2016

Analyses Of Mrna Cleavage By Rele And The Role Of Trna Methyltransferase Trmd Using Bacterial Ribosome Profiling, Jae Yeon Hwang

Theses and Dissertations

Protein synthesis is a fundamental and ultimate process in living cells. Cells possess sophisticated machineries and continuously carry out complex processes. Monitoring protein synthesis in living cells not only inform us about the mechanism of translation but also deepen our insights about all aspects of life. Understanding the structure and mechanism of the ribosome and its associated factors helped us enlarge our knowledge on protein synthesis. Recently, with the dramatic advances of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, a new technique called ribosome profiling emerged. By retrieving mRNA fragments protected by translating ribosomes, ribosome profiling reveals global ribosome occupancy along mRNAs in …

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Machine Learning For Disease Prediction, Abraham Jacob Frandsen Jun 2016

Machine Learning For Disease Prediction, Abraham Jacob Frandsen

Theses and Dissertations

Millions of people in the United States alone suffer from undiagnosed or late-diagnosed chronic diseases such as Chronic Kidney Disease and Type II Diabetes. Catching these diseases earlier facilitates preventive healthcare interventions, which in turn can lead to tremendous cost savings and improved health outcomes. We develop algorithms for predicting disease occurrence by drawing from ideas and techniques in the field of machine learning. We explore standard classification methods such as logistic regression and random forest, as well as more sophisticated sequence models, including recurrent neural networks. We focus especially on the use of medical code data for disease prediction, …

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"Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind": Examining The Association Between Geographic Distance And The Likelihood Of Cheating, Krista Joy Dowdle Jun 2016

"Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind": Examining The Association Between Geographic Distance And The Likelihood Of Cheating, Krista Joy Dowdle

Theses and Dissertations

Distance from a partner can put a strain on romantic relationships, especially when one is surrounded by attractive alternatives, as is often the case when moving away to college. Long distance relationships are often associated with increased stress, less relationship stability, and lower levels of relationship satisfaction. Distance may also be associated with cheating on one's romantic partner. The few studies that have examined cheating behavior in college students have found an increase in cheating over a very short, non-representative interval of time when partners were separated (e.g. spring break) but did not control for important variables such as alcohol …

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Concept Identification And Formation In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jonathan Sterling Beck Jun 2016

Concept Identification And Formation In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jonathan Sterling Beck

Theses and Dissertations

Abstraction is an inductive process through which specific details become united by a general concept. Abstraction incorporates two sub-skills: concept identification which involves recognizing patterns created by an external agent, and concept formation which is more difficult, requiring independent creation of a schema to organize information. Impairments in concept identification and formation are theorized to underlie a variety of practical difficulties of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., failure to generalize learning in one context to a similar, but new context). However, past research has yielded mixed results, with some finding significant impairment and others finding intact concept identification …

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The Role Of The Transcriptional Antiterminator Rfah In Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis, Resistance To Antimicrobial Peptides, And Virulence Of Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis And Yersinia Pestis, Jared Michael Hoffman Jun 2016

The Role Of The Transcriptional Antiterminator Rfah In Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis, Resistance To Antimicrobial Peptides, And Virulence Of Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis And Yersinia Pestis, Jared Michael Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

RfaH is a unique bacterial protein that enhances transcription of a select group of long operons in many Gram-negative bacteria. Operons regulated by RfaH possess an upstream operon polarity suppressor sequence, which recruits the RfaH protein to the RNA polymerase during transcription of genes, most of which are involved in the synthesis of cell-surface features. These include synthesis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core and O-antigen in Salmonella and Escherichia coli, as well as F-plasmid conjugation pilus and capsule in E. coli. LPS is an important virulence factor in many Gram-negative bacteria, and protects Y. pseudotuberculosis against host antimicrobial …

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Exploring The Possibility Of Photosynthetic Plasticity In Agave Sensu Lato, John Anthony Huber Jun 2016

Exploring The Possibility Of Photosynthetic Plasticity In Agave Sensu Lato, John Anthony Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) provides desert plants with distinct advantages over the C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways in harsh climates where water is scarce. CAM is, however more metabolically costly than C3 or C4 photosynthesis, and some plants, such as Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, facultatively utilize CAM when water is abundant, and water conservation unnecessary. In such situations, these plants behave akin to a C3 plant when photosynthesizing. CAM is divided into four phases, with each phase displaying unique metabolic processes. Certain changes, including changes in the timing of CO2 fixation, stable carbon isotope ratios, …

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Death As Meridian: Paul Celan's Translations Of Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" And "Let Down The Bars, Oh Death", Alyssa Devey Jun 2016

Death As Meridian: Paul Celan's Translations Of Emily Dickinson's "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" And "Let Down The Bars, Oh Death", Alyssa Devey

Theses and Dissertations

Paul Celan's translations of Emily Dickinson's poems Because I could not stop for Death and Let down the Bars, Oh Death illuminate the global metaphor inherent in both poems' exploration of death. Celan's The Meridian speech, coupled with Dickinson's poems I saw no way and Tell all the truth, suggest that language can move in different directions across a globe at the same time. When these different lines meet, they reach a meridian of the spiritual and the material. As Celan translates Dickinson's two poems, he uses this global metaphor to place more emphasis on death and to further illuminate …

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Deficient, Adequate And Excess Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Growth Curves Established In Hydroponics For Biotic And Abiotic Stress-Interaction Studies In Lettuce, Douglas Keith Jacobson Jun 2016

Deficient, Adequate And Excess Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Potassium Growth Curves Established In Hydroponics For Biotic And Abiotic Stress-Interaction Studies In Lettuce, Douglas Keith Jacobson

Theses and Dissertations

Mineral nutrients have marked effects on plant health by providing the building blocks for plant growth, as well as for mitigating abiotic and biotic stress factors, particularly disease development. Even if mineral nutrition field studies are conducted to study pest management, they are at the mercy of complex soil, water, and climatic conditions not amenable to strict experimental control. Therefore, a hydroponic method of growing lettuce was developed and growth curves were established for the macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Lettuce plants were grown at varying levels of each nutrient: 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, …

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The Modern Mr. Darcy: An Analysis Of Leading Men In Contemporary Romantic Comedy Film, Amanda Rebekah Roskelley Jun 2016

The Modern Mr. Darcy: An Analysis Of Leading Men In Contemporary Romantic Comedy Film, Amanda Rebekah Roskelley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an observation and analysis of male performance in romantic comedy films released between 2005 and 2015. As a lasting genre, rom-com, like all forms of media, has the potential to influence society. Gender plays a vital role in the generic template of these films. Because women are the dominant consumers of this genre, what they observe as gender performance is important. This genre has been dissected under the eye of feminism and female gender performance but the changes in masculinity have been largely overlooked.This paper identifies common characteristics in leading men of this decade's rom-coms. After establishing …

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Human Herpesvirus 6a Infection And Immunopathogenesis In Humanized Rag2-/-Γc-/- Mice And Relevance To Hiv/Aids And Autoimmunity, Anne Tanner Jun 2016

Human Herpesvirus 6a Infection And Immunopathogenesis In Humanized Rag2-/-Γc-/- Mice And Relevance To Hiv/Aids And Autoimmunity, Anne Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) has yet to be definitively linked to a specific disease. This is due in part to the ubiquitous nature of the virus. Humanized Rag2-/-γc-/- (Rag-hu) mice were tested to determine if these were a suitable animal model to study the virus. Both cell-free and cell-associated virus was used for infection and both were found to be efficient at infecting the mice. Viral DNA was found in the plasma and cellular blood fractions, bone marrow, lymph node, and thymus, indicating successful infection and propagation of the virus in vivo. The CD3+CD4- population was depleted, while the …

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Gender Threat, Male Dominance, And Masculinity: A Perfect Storm For Workplace Aggression, Brooke Elise Dresden Jun 2016

Gender Threat, Male Dominance, And Masculinity: A Perfect Storm For Workplace Aggression, Brooke Elise Dresden

Theses and Dissertations

Higher prevalence of gender harassment has previously been identified in male dominated workforces, but not in academia. Factors such as implicit bias, male dominance, perceived gender threat, and heightened masculinity may increase the likelihood of gender harassment occurring in an academic setting. Two studies investigated this. In Study 1, one hundred seventy-one (92 male, 79 female) participants from male dominated and gender equivalent majors completed an online survey in which their explicit attitudes regarding gender and authority (GAM; see Rudman & Kilianski, 2000), and implicit associations regarding gender and careers (IAT; see Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998) were measured. Additionally, …

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A Semi-Automated Algorithm For Segmenting The Hippocampus In Patient And Control Populations, Nathan Mckay Muncy Jun 2016

A Semi-Automated Algorithm For Segmenting The Hippocampus In Patient And Control Populations, Nathan Mckay Muncy

Theses and Dissertations

Calculating hippocampal volume from Magnetic Resonance (MR) images is an essential task in many studies of neurocognition in healthy and diseased populations. The `gold standard' method involves hand tracing, which is accurate but laborious, requiring expertly trained researchers and significant amounts of time. As such, segmenting large datasets with the standard method is impractical. Current automated pipelines are inaccurate at hippocampal demarcation and volumetry. We developed a semi-automated hippocampal segmentation pipeline based on the Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) suite of programs to segment the hippocampus. We applied the semi-automated segmentation pipeline to 70 participant scans (26 female) from groups that …

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The Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata) Of Utah, Alan R. Myrup, Richard W. Baumann May 2016

The Dragonflies And Damselflies (Odonata) Of Utah, Alan R. Myrup, Richard W. Baumann

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

An updated faunal list containing 94 species of Odonata (60 Anisoptera and 34 Zygoptera) for Utah is presented. Of the 95 Odonata species recorded in past publications as being from Utah, 8 have been removed from the Utah Odonata list, while 7 new state records have been added. Explanations for their removal are provided in the species accounts. The 7 ecoregions found in Utah are briefly described along with their wetland habitats and odonate species. Geographical distribution data by county, drainage, and ecoregion are provided for each species along with information regarding elevation range, flight season, and habitat preferences in …

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Front Matter, Vol. 9 May 2016

Front Matter, Vol. 9

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

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End Matter, Vol. 9 May 2016

End Matter, Vol. 9

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

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Full Issue, Vol. 9 May 2016

Full Issue, Vol. 9

Monographs of the Western North American Naturalist

No abstract provided.

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Effects Of Abscisic Acid (Aba) On Germination Rate Of Three Rangeland Species, Turmandakh Badrakh May 2016

Effects Of Abscisic Acid (Aba) On Germination Rate Of Three Rangeland Species, Turmandakh Badrakh

Theses and Dissertations

Seeds sown in the fall to restore sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe plant communities could experience high mortality when they germinate and seedlings freeze during the winter. Delaying germination until the risk of frost is past could increase seedling survival. We evaluated the use of abscisic acid (ABA) to delay germination of Elymus elymoides, Pseudoroegneria spicata, and Linum perenne. The following treatments were applied: uncoated seed, seed coated with ABA at 2.2, 4.4, 8.8, 13.2, and 17.6 g of active ingredient kg-1 of seed, and seed coated with no ABA. The influence of seed treatments on germination were tested at five …

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Role For Reactive Oxygen Species In Methamphetamine Modulation Of Dopamine Release In The Striatum, David Matthew Hedges May 2016

Role For Reactive Oxygen Species In Methamphetamine Modulation Of Dopamine Release In The Striatum, David Matthew Hedges

Theses and Dissertations

Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive substance that is highly prevalent in today’s society, with over 1 in 20 adults over 26 having taken it at least once. While it is known that METH, a common psychostimulant, acts on both the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) and nigrostriatal DA systems by affecting proteins involved in DA reuptake and vesicular packaging, the specific mechanism of what is known as METH neurotoxicity remains obscure, but has been shown to involve oxidative stress. Studies have shown that reactive oxygen species act on the same proteins that METH affects. Oxidative species have also been known to …

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Developing Modeling, Optimization, And Advanced Process Control Frameworks For Improving The Performance Of Transient Energy-Intensive Applications, Seyed Mostafa Safdarnejad May 2016

Developing Modeling, Optimization, And Advanced Process Control Frameworks For Improving The Performance Of Transient Energy-Intensive Applications, Seyed Mostafa Safdarnejad

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing trend of world-wide energy consumption emphasizes the importance of ongoing optimization of new and existing technologies. In this dissertation, two energy–intensive systems are simulated and optimized. Advanced estimation, optimization, and control techniques such as a moving horizon estimator and a model predictive controller are developed to enhance the profitability, product quality, and reliability of the systems. An enabling development is presented for the solution of complex dynamic optimization problems. The strategy involves an initialization approach to large–scale system models that both enhance the computational performance as well as the ability of the solver to converge to an optimal …

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Placental ‘€˜Omics’€™ Study To Understand The Pathogenesis Of Preeclampsia, Komal Kedia May 2016

Placental ‘€˜Omics’€™ Study To Understand The Pathogenesis Of Preeclampsia, Komal Kedia

Theses and Dissertations

Preeclampsia (PE) is a potentially fatal complication of pregnancy characterized by an increase in blood pressure (>140/90 mmHg) and proteinuria (>300 mg/24 hrs), often accompanied by edema. Symptoms of PE start after 20 weeks of gestation. If PE remains untreated, it can lead to eclampsia, grand-mal seizures responsible for most fatalities. PE is believed to affect 2-10% of pregnancies worldwide, and claims the lives of over 75,000 mothers and 500,000 newborns yearly. No therapeutic agents have been developed to prevent or cure PE. Part of the reason for this is the absence of a complete understanding of the …

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Ultra Short Mr Relaxometry And Histological Image Processing For Validation Of Diffusion Mri, Amin Nazaran May 2016

Ultra Short Mr Relaxometry And Histological Image Processing For Validation Of Diffusion Mri, Amin Nazaran

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an imaging modality that acquires an image with little to no damage to the tissue. MRI does not introduce foreign particles or high energy radiation into the body, making it one of the least invasive medical imaging modalities. MRI can achieve excellent soft tissue contrast and is therefore useful for diagnosis of a wide variety of diseases. While there are a wide variety of available techniques for generating contrast in MRI, there are still many open areas for research. For example, many tissues in the human body exhibit such rapid signal decay that they are …

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The Path To Understanding Salt Tolerance: Global Profiling Of Genes Using Transcriptomics Of The Halophyte Suaeda Fruticosa, Joann Diray Arce May 2016

The Path To Understanding Salt Tolerance: Global Profiling Of Genes Using Transcriptomics Of The Halophyte Suaeda Fruticosa, Joann Diray Arce

Theses and Dissertations

Salinity is a major abiotic stress in plants that causes significant reductions in crop yield. The need for improvement of food production has driven research to understand factors underlying plant responses to salt and mechanisms of salt tolerance. The aim of improving tolerance in traditional crops has been initiated but most crops can only tolerate a limited amount of salt in their systems to survive and produce biomass. Studies of naturally occurring high salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) are now being promoted for economic interests such as food, fodder or ecological reasons. Suaeda fruticosa, a member of the family Chenopodiaceae, belongs …

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Neural Activation In Blood-Flow-Restricted Versus Non-Blood-Flow-Restricted Exercise: An Fmri Study, Tiffany Dawn Devries May 2016

Neural Activation In Blood-Flow-Restricted Versus Non-Blood-Flow-Restricted Exercise: An Fmri Study, Tiffany Dawn Devries

Theses and Dissertations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to track neural activation in the brain during functional activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate brain neural responses to blood flow restricted (BFR) versus control handgrip exercise. Using a randomized crossover design, 25 subjects (12 males, 13 females) completed handgrip exercises during two conditions: BFR vs. control. To familiarize participants with the exercise conditions, one week prior to MRI scanning participants completed each exercise condition once on separate days, with 72 hours between days. The following week fMRI scans were performed at the same time of day, separated by …

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Computing Research In Academia: Classifications, Keywords, Perceptions, And Connections, Sung Han Kim May 2016

Computing Research In Academia: Classifications, Keywords, Perceptions, And Connections, Sung Han Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) recognizes five computing disciplines: Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), Information Technology (IT), Information Systems (IS), and Software Engineering (SE). Founded in 1947 the ACM is the world's largest society for computing educators, researchers, and professionals. While Computer Science has been a degree program since 1962, the other four are relatively new. This research focuses on understanding the graduate research in four of the five ACM disciplines (CS, CE, IT, and IS) using a large body of thesis and dissertation metadata. SE is not found in the metadata and graduate work in SE is …

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Integrative Analysis Reveals Clinical Phenotypes And Oncogenic Potentials Of Long Non-Coding Rnas Across 15 Cancer Types, Ze-Lin Wang, Bin Li, Stephen R. Piccolo, Xiao-Qin Zhang, Jun-Hao Li, Hui Zhou, Jian-Hua Yang, Liang-Hu Qu Apr 2016

Integrative Analysis Reveals Clinical Phenotypes And Oncogenic Potentials Of Long Non-Coding Rnas Across 15 Cancer Types, Ze-Lin Wang, Bin Li, Stephen R. Piccolo, Xiao-Qin Zhang, Jun-Hao Li, Hui Zhou, Jian-Hua Yang, Liang-Hu Qu

Faculty Publications

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to contribute to tumorigenesis. However, surprisingly little is known about the comprehensive clinical and genomic characterization of lncRNAs across human cancer. In this study, we conducted comprehensive analyses for the expression profile, clinical outcomes, somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) profile of lncRNAs in ~7000 clinical samples from 15 different cancer types. We identified significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs between tumor and normal tissues from each cancer. Notably, we characterized 47 lncRNAs which were extensively dysregulated in at least 10 cancer types, suggesting a conserved function in cancer development. We also analyzed the associations between …

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Protein Synthesis Directly From Pcr: Progress And Applications Of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis With Linear Dna, Song-Min Schinn, Andrew Broadbent, William T. Bradley, Bradley Charles Bundy Apr 2016

Protein Synthesis Directly From Pcr: Progress And Applications Of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis With Linear Dna, Song-Min Schinn, Andrew Broadbent, William T. Bradley, Bradley Charles Bundy

Faculty Publications

A rapid, versatile method of protein expression and screening can greatly facilitate the future development of therapeutic biologics, proteomic drug targets and biocatalysts. An attractive candidate is cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS), a cell-lysate-based in vitro expression system, which can utilize linear DNA as expression templates, bypassing time-consuming cloning steps of plasmid-based methods. Traditionally, such linear DNA expression templates (LET) have been vulnerable to degradation by nucleases present in the cell lysate, leading to lower yields. This challenge has been significantly addressed in the recent past, propelling LET-based CFPS as a useful tool for studying, screening and engineering proteins in a …

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Robustness Of Multiple Indicators In Automated Screening Systems For Deception Detection, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Nathan W. Twyman, Jeffery Gainer Proudfoot, Aaron C. Elkins, Douglas C. Derrik Apr 2016

Robustness Of Multiple Indicators In Automated Screening Systems For Deception Detection, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Nathan W. Twyman, Jeffery Gainer Proudfoot, Aaron C. Elkins, Douglas C. Derrik

Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effectiveness of an automatic system for detection of deception by individuals with the use of multiple indicators of such potential deception. Deception detection research in the information systems discipline has postulated increased accuracy through a new class of screening systems that automatically conduct interviews and track multiple indicators of deception simultaneously. Understanding the robustness of this new class of systems and the limitations of its theoretical improved performance is important for refinement of the conceptual design. The design science proof-of-concept study presented here implemented and evaluated the robustness of these systems for automated screening for deception …

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Disobedience In The Field: Folklore About Disobedient Missionaries, Sarah Keenan Apr 2016

Disobedience In The Field: Folklore About Disobedient Missionaries, Sarah Keenan

Final Projects

This paper discusses observations about how and why disobedient missionary stories are told by returned missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Novel Pharmacological Target: Characterization Of A3b2 Nachrs Expressed In Xenopus Laevis Oocytes, Doris Jackson, Marcel Hall, J. Kolb, B. Todd Jr., D. Pugh, B. Vance, B. Klienstuber, R. Drecketts, S. N. Sudweeks Apr 2016

Novel Pharmacological Target: Characterization Of A3b2 Nachrs Expressed In Xenopus Laevis Oocytes, Doris Jackson, Marcel Hall, J. Kolb, B. Todd Jr., D. Pugh, B. Vance, B. Klienstuber, R. Drecketts, S. N. Sudweeks

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

We have identified two subtypes of the novel a3b2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) found within interneurons of the hippocampus. This novel receptor may be a valuable pharmacological target in drug development for disease such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) which is largely characterized by degeneration of the hippocampus.

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