Digital Commons Network^™

Parameter Estimation Of The Arterial System, James Charles Carter Ii

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There are a number of disorders that originate from or involve faulty operation of the cardiovascular system. Diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension can have a debilitating effect on blood flow. This makes the tools for simulating the effects of such diseases on blood flow important. Measures, such as pulse wave velocity, that are generated by models of the cardiovascular system can be important indicators of cardiac health. Although physically measurable, obtaining some parameters comes with a high cost and discomfort to the patient. Models can provide an assessment of many important parameters. The purpose of this project was …

Are You Still My Mother, Interstate Recognition Of Adoption By Gays And Lesbians , Rhonda Wasserman

American University Law Review

Parents and their biological children routinely cross state borders safe in the assumption that the parent-child relationship will be recognized wherever they go. The central issue raised in this Article is whether the law guarantees parents and their adopted children the same security if the parents are gay. This question is part of a broader debate about the obligation of states to recognize changes in family status effected under the laws of other states, such as same-sex marriages and migratory divorces. The debate is divisive because it pits the family against the state; one state against another; and the needs …

Breaking The Silence Surrounding Hepatitis C By Promoting Self-Efficacy: A Study Of Hepatitis C Public Service Announcements, Jean M. Grow, Stephanie A. Christopher

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Hepatitis C (HCV) is the most common chronic blood borne virus in the United States. Despite this fact, there is a startling lack of awareness about HCV among individuals who may have contracted the virus. This study, grounded in self-efficacy theory, analyzes public service announcements (PSAs) for HCV. Using focus groups to contextualize the responses of individuals living with HCV, the authors conclude that stigma and structural barriers pose the greatest challenges for health communicators trying to reach at-risk populations. The findings suggest that expanded use of celebrity appeals, realistic drug portrayals, more extensive use of social networking in tandem …

Perceptions Of Retinal Imaging Technology For Verifying The Identity Of 4-H Ruminant Animals, Brian M. Howell, Clinton P. Rusk, Christine R. Blomeke, Renee K. Mckee

Journal of Extension

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine the perceptions of 4-H members and volunteers regarding the retinal imaging process as an innovative method to verify the identity of 4-H animals. Participants were surveyed to determine the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the retinal imaging process and to determine whether participants consider retinal imaging to be beneficial to the Indiana 4-H program. Retinal imaging was perceived to be an accurate and efficient method of livestock identification by both 4-H members and adult volunteers. Volunteers determined that their ability to capture a retinal image requires skill and practice.

Illinois State Alumni Magazine, Fall 2008, Illinois State University, University Marketing And Communications

State: The Magazine of Illinois State University (1999-present)

Illinois State University alumni magazine

Nutrient Content Of Camelina Sativa And Feeding Trials In Turkeys, David Frame, Matt Palmer

All Current Publications

There is increasing interest in converting waste cooking oil and oil produced from oilseed crops, such as camelina, into biofuels in order to decrease dependence on petroleum products for fuel sources.

Ontology Enhanced Web Image Retrieval: Aided By Wikipedia And Spreading Activation Theory, Huan Wang, Xing Jiang, Liang-Tien Chia, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Ontology, as an efective approach to bridge the semantic gap in various domains, has attracted a lot of interests from multimedia researchers. Among the numerous possibilities enabled by ontology, we are particularly interested in exploiting ontology for a better understanding of media task (particularly, images) on the World Wide Web. To achieve our goal, two open issues are inevitably involved: 1) How to avoid the tedious manual work for ontology construction? 2) What are the effective inference models when using an ontology? Recent works about ontology learned from Wikipedia has been reported in conferences targeting the areas of knowledge management …

Variations, Michael Gochoco

Theses

Variations is a film that was developed in the context of experimentation and discovery. It can be described in many ways to be a film that was born out of process. In the same way that many artists may refer to a piece of art as process, the aesthetic development of Variations was linked to the methods in which the work was created and was progressively revealed.

Elevated Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression And Signaling In Muscle From Insulin-Resistant Subjects, Sara M. Reyna, Sangeeta Ghosh, Puntip Tantiwong, C S. Reddy Meka, Phyllis Eagan, Christopher P. Jenkinson, Eugenio Cersosimo, Ralph A. Defronzo, Dawn K. Coletta, Apiradee Sriwijitkamol

School of Medicine Publications

OBJECTIVE— Tall-like receptor (TLR)4 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of free fatty acid (FFA)-induced insulin resistance by activating inflammatory pathways, including inhibitor of κB (IκB)/nuclear factor κB (NFκB). However, it is not known whether insulin-resistant subjects have abnormal TLR4 signaling. We examined whether insulin-resistant subjects have abnormal TLR4 expression and TLR4-driven (IκB/NFκB) signaling in skeletal muscle.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS— TLR4 gene expression and protein content were measured in muscle biopsies in 7 lean, 8 obese, and 14 type 2 diabetic subjects. A primary human myotube culture system was used to examine whether FFAs stimulate IκB/NFκB via TLR4 and …

Youth Program Risk Management: A Case Study Of The 4-H Petpals Program, Lucinda Miller, Ryan J. Schmiesing

Journal of Extension

Risk management has been an especially important topic in the 4-H youth development program over the past 15 years. Traditional programs face challenges as risks are identified and new programs are under increased scrutiny to ensure that youth and volunteers are in a safe environment. 4-H PetPALS serves as an example of a program designed and implemented with risk management strategies incorporated throughout the process. In this article we describe the risks associated with this type of program and the management strategies that must be considered and implemented in order to ensure that a positive learning environment is achieved.

Methamphetamine Prevention Education: Extension Responds To A National Issue, Kirk A. Astroth, Mike Vogel

Journal of Extension

Methamphetamine is quickly becoming one of the nation's most dangerous drugs, affecting people of all socio-economic categories and geographic locations. In response to this emerging crisis, MSU Extension specialists developed a range of research-based programs and materials, in collaboration with key state agencies, to combat rising meth use in one rural Western state. The materials have been widely distributed and results indicate that the materials are having positive effects on meth use, production, and awareness. As a result of this cooperative effort, valuable lessons have been learned that can help other states deal with critical social issues.

Expanding The Latino Market Niche: Developing Capacity And Meeting Critical Needs, Andrew Behnke

Journal of Extension

As Extension competes to secure a place in serving Latino populations across the nation, it is critical to assess its overall capacity to serve Spanish-speaking clients. Extension must also evaluate how well current educational programming is meeting the needs of this population. This article describes a statewide assessment of 97 North Carolina counties via online surveys and 12 Spanish-language focus groups. Survey respondents noted the need for bilingual staff in their county offices, and specific types of Spanish-language materials. Focus groups with Spanish-speaking clients, demonstrated the need for hands-on training, collaboration, marketing, and improved delivery of critical information.

Ranch Management Practices Of Beef Quality Assurance (Bqa) And Non-Bqa Certified Producers In Montana, Lisa Duffey, John Paterson, Marc King, Kelsey Rolfe

Journal of Extension

The beef cattle industry continues to provide a safe, quality, and consistent product to consumers while addressing animal health and food safety issues. The study reported here sought to determine Beef Quality Assurance educational needs for record keeping, health management, marketing strategies, and perceptions of industry issues to inform and prepare Montana beef producers for changes. BQA and non-BQA certified producers had varying management strategies for animal identification, record keeping, and vaccination programs, while implant programs and marketing strategies were similar. The results of the survey will be used to determine the BQA educational needs of Montana cattle producers.

Effect Of Age-At-Weaning And Post-Weaning Management On Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of Charolais-Angus Cross Steers, John F. Grimes, Francis L. Fluharty, Thomas B. Turner, Henry N. Zerby

Journal of Extension

Recent developments in beef marketing have created more opportunities for producers to reap greater financial rewards based on the carcass merit of the animal. Increased premiums are being offered for animals that excel in the USDA's Quality or Yield Grade scoring systems. There is an increasing focus on beef tenderness with today's consumer. Producers need to understand how on-farm production practices can affect feedlot performance and carcass merit. The study reported here used 74 Charolais x Angus cross steers to determine the effects of age-at-weaning and post-weaning management on performance and carcass characteristics.

Modeling The Daily Activities Of Breeding Colonial Seabirds: Dynamic Occupancy Patterns In Multiple Habitat Patches, Andrea L. Moore, Smruti P. Damania, Shandelle M. Henson, James L. Hayward

Faculty Publications

We constructed differential equation models for the diurnal abundance and distribution of breeding glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) as they moved among nesting and non-nesting habitat patches. We used time scale techniques to reduce the differential equations to algebraic equations and connected the models to field data. The models explained the data as a function of abiotic environmental variables with R2=0.57. A primary goal of this study is to demonstrate the utility of a methodology that can be used by ecologists and wildlife managers to understand and predict daily activity patterns in breeding seabirds.

Chironian Fall/Winter 2008, New York Medical College

The Chironian

No abstract provided.

A Darwinist View Of The Living Constitution, Scott Dodson

Vanderbilt Law Review

There is much debate, and has been for some time, over whether we have a "living" Constitution, one that adapts to changing circumstances and evolves over time. The metaphor arose and gained initial force during the Progressive Era and has been at the forefront of the debate on constitutional interpretation ever since. There is a more recent division, most prominently marked by Professor Owen Jones and Professors Brian Leiter and Michael Weisberg, over whether biology has a meaningful role to play in legal developments. Professor Jones has written many articles promoting the potential utility of behavioral and evolutionary science to …

Molecular Processes That Handle — And Mishandle — Dietary Lipids, Kevin Jon Williams

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Overconsumption of lipid-rich diets, in conjunction with physical inactivity, disables and kills staggering numbers of people worldwide. Recent advances in our molecular understanding of cholesterol and triglyceride transport from the small intestine to the rest of the body provide a detailed picture of the fed/fasted and active/sedentary states. Key surprises include the unexpected nature of many pivotal molecular mediators, as well as their dysregulation — but possible reversibility — in obesity, diabetes, inactivity, and related conditions. These mechanistic insights provide new opportunities to correct dyslipoproteinemia, accelerated atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and other deadly sequelae of overnutrition and underexertion.

Managing Manure: Using Good Neighbor Agreements To Regulate Pollution From Agricultural Production, Tory H. Lewis

Vanderbilt Law Review

In an episode of the popular television series Seinfeld, George Costanza narrowly avoids stepping in a pile of horse manure and emphatically declares, "[M]anure's not that bad. I don't even mind the word 'manure.' You know, it's, it's 'nure,' which is good and a 'ma' in front of it. MA-NURE. When you consider the other choices, 'manure' is actually pretty refreshing."'

Not everyone shares George's enthusiasm for animal excrement. Agricultural waste has been a source of community distress for generations. In 1932, a California appellate court determined that a dairy, hog-raising, and cattle-raising operation constituted a nuisance under state law. …

Improving Student Engagement: Use Of The Interactive Whiteboard As An Instructional Tool To Improve Engagement And Behavior In The Junior High School Classroom, Georgia Lyn Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of interactive whiteboard use on student engagement and appropriate at-task behaviors of junior high school students. Two hundred twenty-six students at two public schools in northeast Florida were observed during the second quarter of the school year. Data were collected using an at-task checklist, and students completed an attitude survey regarding their perception of their own engagement and enjoyment with interactive whiteboard use. Significant differences were noted in student behavior between instruction without interactive whiteboard use and instruction with interactive whiteboard use. No significant correlations were found between the variables gender and ethnicity and improved …

Transcriptional Regulation In The Peripheral Nervous System And The Role Of Stat3 In Axon Regeneration, Robin P. Smith

Open Access Dissertations

Several factors contribute to the failure of the central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate after injury. These include inhibition of axonal growth by myelin and glial scar associated molecules, as well as the intrinsic inability of adult CNS neurons to grow long axons in environments that are permissive for younger neurons. Neurons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) display a much higher capacity to regenerate after injury than CNS neurons, as shown by conditioning lesion experiments and by microtransplantation of dorsal root ganglia neurons into CNS white matter tracts. Our central hypothesis is that neurons of the PNS express specific …

09-30-08 (The Liberty Champion, Volume 26, Issue 5)

2008 -- 2009

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, September 30, 2008, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 131, Issue 17

Something's Fishy Here, Kate Comer

Harlot: A Revealing Look at the Arts of Persuasion

I wrote this piece as a sort of Harlot test run. When we began talking about the need for public-oriented rhetorical criticism, Jim Fredal challenged me to figure out what that might look like. I'd recently written a rather academic analysis of Hans Christian Andersen's original "Little Mermaid" and was hoping to make it relevant/current; Disney's version had just been re-released in a "Platinum Edition" DVD and was being adapted into a Broadway show. So it made sense to put it all together, using my sister as my ideal audience: smart, fun, feministá and concerned about her new baby's exposure …

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In New Hampshire Estuaries, 2007, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Conducted by a committee of Canadian and US government and university scientists, Gulfwatch examines the effects of decades of development and industrialization on the water quality of the Gulf as it relates to human health primarily through assessing contaminant exposure of marine organisms. Gulfwatch scientists collect blue mussels at over 60 US and Canadian sites Gulf- wide, and analyze the organisms’ tissue for potentially harmful levels and concentrations of toxins including heavy metals, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

New Hampshire increased the number of Gulfwatch sampling locations from two sites per year in 1997 to …

The New Hampshire, Vol. 98 [99], No. 6 (Sept. 30, 2008), The New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Print Edition

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire. This volume was printed as 98, but it is the 99th volume in the series. This was corrected in pencil.

The Murray Ledger And Times, September 30, 2008, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Newly Discovered Sister Lineage Sheds Light On Early Ant Evolution, Christian Rabeling, Jeremy M. Brown, Manfred Verhaagh

Faculty Publications

Ants are the world's most conspicuous and important eusocial insects and their diversity, abundance, and extreme behavioral specializations make them a model system for several disciplines within the biological sciences. Here, we report the discovery of a new ant that appears to represent the sister lineage to all extant ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phylogenetic position of this cryptic predator from the soils of the Amazon rainforest was inferred from several nuclear genes, sequenced from a single leg. Martialis heureka (gen. et sp. nov.) also constitutes the sole representative of a new, morphologically distinct subfamily of ants, the Martialinae (subfam. nov.). …

Daily Eastern News: September 30, 2008, Eastern Illinois University

September

No abstract provided.

Molecular And Macromolecular Alterations Of Recombinant Adenoviral Vectors Do Not Resolve Changes In Hepatic Drug Metabolism During Infection, Shellie M Callahan, Piyanuch Wonganan, Maria A Croyle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this report we test the hypothesis that long-term virus-induced alterations in CYP occur from changes initiated by the virus that may not be related to the immune response. Enzyme activity, protein expression and mRNA of CYP3A2, a correlate of human CYP3A4, and CYP2C11, responsive to inflammatory mediators, were assessed 0.25, 1, 4, and 14 days after administration of several different recombinant adenoviruses at a dose of 5.7 x 1012 virus particles (vp)/kg to male Sprague Dawley rats. Wild type adenovirus, containing all viral genes, suppressed CYP3A2 and 2C11 activity by 37% and 39%, respectively within six hours. Levels fell …