Digital Commons Network^™

In Technology We Trust, Courtney Parece

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

My Paradise, Jun Yang

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Mph Theory & Practice Seminar Assignment Three: Public Health Informatics Sample Search As Possible Role Models 2008, Jonathan Eldredge

Theory and Practice Seminars 2001-2009

No abstract provided.

How To Write A Manuscript In The Biomedical Sciences, Robert Glew, Dorothy Vanderjagt, Emmanuel Laabes

Cell Biology and Physiology Research and Scholarship

The authors have been using this syllabus for more than a dozen years to teach a 35-hour workshop entitled How to write a manuscript in the biomedical scientists' to graduate and undergraduate students in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Nutrition in the U.S., and to PhD-basic scientists and clinical faculty at teaching hospitals in Nigeria, Turkey, India and Taiwan. The purpose of the syllabus is to educate investigators about the overall organization of a manuscript and the structure and function of each of the components, including: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Discussion, References and Tables and Figures. …

In Vivo Strains In The Femur Of River Cooter Turtles (Pseudemys Concinna) During Terrestrial Locomotion: Tests Of Force-Platform Models Of Loading Mechanics, Michael T. Butcher, Nora R. Espinoza, Stephanie R. Cirilo, Richard W. Blob

Publications

Previous analyses of ground reaction force (GRF) and kinematic data from river cooter turtles (Pseudemys concinna) during terrestrial walking led to three primary conclusions about the mechanics of limb bone loading in this lineage: (1) the femur was loaded in a combination of axial compression, bending and torsion, similar to previously studied non-avian reptiles, (2) femoral shear stresses were high despite the possession of a reduced tail in turtles that does not drag on the ground and (3) stress-based calculations of femoral safety factors indicated high values in bending and torsion, similar to other reptiles and suggesting that substantial `overbuilding' …

Phosphorylation Of Claudin-5 And Occludin By Rho Kinase In Brain Endothelial Cells, Masaru Yamamoto, Servio H. Ramirez, Shinji Sato, Tomomi Kiyota, Ronald Cerny, Kozo Kaibuchi, Yuri Persidsky, Tsuneya Ikezu

Ronald Cerny Publications

Critical to the proper maintenance of blood-brainbarrier (BBB) integrity are the endothelial tight junctions (TJs). Posttranslational modifications of essential endothelial TJ proteins, occludin and claudin-5, contribute and possibly disrupt BBB integrity. Our previous work has shown that Rho kinase (RhoK) activation mediates occludin and claudin-5 phosphorylation resulting in diminished barrier tightness and enhanced monocyte migration across BBB in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus-1 encephalitis (HIVE). To determine whether RhoK can directly phosphorylate TJ proteins, we examined phosphorylation of cytoplasmic domains of recombinant claudin- 5 and occludin by RhoK. We found that RhoK predominately phosphorylated two sites on occludin (T382 …

Lived Experiences Of Widows In Botswana: An Ethnographic Examination Of Cultural Rituals Of Death, Loss, Grief, And Bereavement: Implications For Counseling, Sithandazile Hope Msimanga-Ramatebele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to examine experiences of widows in Botswana regarding the performance of cultural rituals, as they mourned their husband's deaths. The study sought to find out aspects of the rituals that enhanced or hindered healing; and how insights and knowledge gained from the results of the investigation can inform culturally relevant and sensitive psychosocial interventions. The study involved two focus group discussions and seven key informants from two villages in the Northern and Central districts of Botswana. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through focus group discussions which were video-recorded; data from …

Chronic Wasting Disease In A Wisconsin White-Tailed Deer Farm, Delwyn P. Keane, Daniel J. Barr, Phillip N. Bochsler, S. Mark Hall, Thomas Gidlewski, Katherine I. O'Rourke, Terry R. Spraker, Michael D. Samuel

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

In September 2002, chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disorder of captive and wild cervids, was diagnosed in a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from a captive farm in Wisconsin. The facility was subsequently quarantined, and in January 2006 the remaining 76 deer were depopulated. Sixty animals (79%) were found to be positive by immunohistochemical staining for the abnormal prion protein (PrP^CWD) in at least one tissue; the prevalence of positive staining was high even in young deer. Although none of the deer displayed clinical signs suggestive of CWD at depopulation, 49 deer had considerable accumulation of …

Abundance And Conservation Status Of The Yangtze Finless Porpoise In The Yangtze River, China, Xiujiang Zhao, Jay Barlow, Barbara L. Taylor, Robert L. Pitman, Kexiong Wang, Zhuo Wei, Brent S. Stewart, Samuel T. Turvey, Tomonari Akamatsu, Randall R. Reeves, Ding Wang

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) is endemic to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China. It is the only freshwater population of porpoises in the world and is currently listed as Endangered by IUCN. In November and December 2006 we used two boats and line transect methods to survey the entire current range of the population, except for two lakes (Poyang and Dongting). Sighting results were similar for both boats, so we pooled all data and analyzed them using two line transect models and a strip transect model. All models produced similar estimates …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 31: Ecosystem Effects Workgroup Report, John Fournie, Elizabeth Hilborn, Geoffrey Codd, Michael Coveney, Juli Dyble, Karl Havens, Bas Ibelings, Jan Landsberg, Wayne Litaker

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms represent one of the most serious ecological stressors in lakes, rivers, estuaries and marine environments. When there are persistent or frequent blooms with high biomass of cyanobacterial cells, colonies or filaments in the water, a wide range of impacts on the ecosystem may occur. These are well established in the scientific literature and are summarized in Paerl et al. (2001). Blooms may shade the water and thereby inhibit growth of other primary producers including phytoplankton, benthic algae and vascular plants and may elevate pH, particularly in poorly buffered waters. High population densities of large cyanobacteria interfere with …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 1: An Overview Of The Interagency, International Symposium On Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (Isoc-Hab): Advancing The Scientific Understanding Of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms, H. Kenneth Hudnell, Quay Dortch, Harold Zenick

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

There is growing evidence that the spatial and temporal incidence of harmful algal blooms is increasing, posing potential risks to human health and ecosystem sustainability. Currently there are no US Federal guidelines, Water Quality Criteria and Standards, or regulations concerning the management of harmful algal blooms. Algal blooms in freshwater are predominantly cyanobacteria, some of which produce highly potent cyanotoxins. The US Congress mandated a Scientific Assessment of Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms in the 2004 reauthorization of the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Act. To further the scientific understanding of freshwater harmful algal blooms, the US Environmental …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 35: Risk Assessment Workgroup Report, Joyce Donohue, Jennifer Orme–Zavaleta, Michael Burch, Daniel Dietrich, Belinda Hawkins, Tony Lloyd, Wayne Munns, Jeffery Steevens, Dennis Steffensen, Dave Stone, Peter Tango

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Risk assessment is a four–stage process used in evaluating the impact of contaminants on the well being of individuals, populations and/or the physical environment. As defined by the National Academy of Sciences (1983), the four components are as follows: hazard identification, dose– response assessment, exposure assessment and risk characterization.
The goal of a risk assessment is to utilize existing information coupled with site specific data to quantitatively characterize the potential risk of a stressor to an identified receptor(s). Quantitative, risk–based estimates of dose–response relationships integrated with exposure scenarios and information on environmental conditions often become the basis for regulatory measures …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 26: Human Health Effects Workgroup Report, Sandra Azevedo, Neil Chernoff, Ian Falconer, Michael Gage, Elizabeth Hilborn, Michelle Hooth, Karl Jensen, Robert Macphail, Ellen Rogers, Glen Shaw, Ian Stewart

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Two types of approaches may be used to evaluate the toxicity of environmental agents:

• Observational population studies may be used to investigate humans or animals in contact with the agent of interest, either prospectively or retrospectively.
• Experimental studies may be performed under controlled conditions on animals, living tissues or cells. These results may be extrapolated to human and animal populations.

Observational epidemiological studies of human and animal populations have the advantage of investigating the effects of environmentally relevant exposures to naturally–occurring mixtures of toxins. Health effects may be identified in the target species of concern. These studies are …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 38: Integrating Human And Ecological Risk Assessment: Application To The Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Bloom Problem, Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, Wayne Munns, Jr.

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Environmental and public health policy continues to evolve in response to new and complex social, economic and environmental drivers. Globalization and centralization of commerce, evolving patterns of land use (e.g., urbanization, deforestation), and technological advances in such areas as manufacturing and development of genetically modified foods have created new and complex classes of stressors and risks (e.g., climate change, emergent and opportunist disease, sprawl, genomic change). In recognition of these changes, environmental risk assessment and its use are changing from stressor-endpoint specific assessments used in command and control types of decisions to an integrated approach for application in communitybased decisions. …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 15: Cyanotoxins Workgroup Report, Rex Pegram, Andrew Humpage, Brett Neilan, Maria Runnegar, Tonya Nichols, Robert Thacker, Stephan Pflugmacher, Stacey Etheridge, Adam Love

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The Cyanotoxins Workgroup was charged with the identification and prioritization of research needs associated with: the identification of cyanotoxins; toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of cyanotoxins; human susceptibility to the toxins; cyanobacterial genetics/omics and factors for inclusion in predictive models of toxin production; and risk reduction from an intentional or accidental release of cyanotoxins. Papers presented for the Cyanotoxins Session of the symposium on toxin types, toxicokinetics, and toxicodyamics (See Humpage this volume), cyanobacterial genetics of toxin production (See Neilan this volume), and parameters related to human risks from cyanobacterial exposure (See Love this volume) set the stage for Cyanotoxins Workgroup discussions. …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 2: A Synopsis Of Research Needs Identified At The Interagency, International Symposium On Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (Isoc-Hab), H. Kenneth Hudnell, Quay Dortch

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Evidence indicates that the incidence of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs) is increasing in spatial extent and temporal frequency worldwide. Cyanobacterial blooms produce highly potent toxins and huge, noxious biomasses in surface waters used for recreation, commerce, and as drinking water sources. The Interagency, International Symposium on Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (ISOC-HAB) characterized the state of the science and identified research needed to address the risks posed by CHABs to human health and ecosystem sustainability. This chapter provides a synopsis of CHAB research needs that were identified by workgroups that addressed charges in major topic areas. The research and infrastructure …

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms: Chapter 3: Occurrence Of Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms Workgroup Report, Anthony Fristachi, James Sinclair, Sherwood Hall, Julie Hambrook Berkman, Greg Boyer, Joann Burkholder, John Burns, Wayne Carmichael, Al Dufour, William Frazier, Steve Morton, Eric O’Brien, Steven Walker

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Freshwater cyanobacteria periodically accumulate, or bloom, in water bodies across the United States (US). These blooms, also known as cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHAB), can lead to a reduction in the number of individuals who engage in recreational activities in lakes and reservoirs, degrade aquatic habitats and potentially impact human health. In 1998, Congress passed the 1998 Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (HABHRCA) to address CHABs that impacted living marine resources, fish and shellfish harvests and recreational and service industries along US coastal waters. In 2004, as part of its reauthorization, HABHRCA requires federal agencies to …

Nitrogen In The Environment: Chapter 22. New Policy Directions, A.P. Manale

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Advances in linking the science of ecology with economics and the development of agri-environmental modeling systems coupled with new information technology suggest new public policy approaches that reward agricultural producers for providing ecological services. An incentive-based ecosystem approach that identifies and quantifies an array of environmental services that can be provided by agricultural land, and then facilitates the development of markets in these services can protect environmental quality while improving farm income. Sustainability can be achieved whereby economic needs of society are integrated into environmental protection. Before presenting new agricultural policy approaches for improving environmental quality and, in particular, managing …

Bridging The Gaps Between Design And Use: Developing Tools To Support Environmental Management And Policy, B. S. Mcintosh, C. Giupponi, A. A. Voinov, C. Smith, K. B. Matthews, M. Monticino, M. J. Kolkman, N. Crossman, M. Van Ittersum, D. Haase, A. Haase, J. Mysiak, J. Groot, S. Sieber, P. Verweij, N. Quinn, P. Waeger, N. Gaber, D. Hepting, H. Scholten, A. Sulis, H. Van Delden, E. Gaddis, H. Assaf

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Sound decisions in environmental policy and management usually require the examination of alternative solutions, and may require the consideration of alternative problem fornlulations prior to option assessment. Constructing and considering the consequences of alternative problems (variables and relations) and policy options (norms and standards) is fundamental for processes of policy fornlulation (Vickers, 1965).

2008 Epa’S Report On The Environment: Indicators Presenting Data For Epa Region 7, United States Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

EPA’s 2008 Report on the Environment (ROE) compiles, in one place, the most reliable indicators currently available to answer 23 questions that EPA believes are of critical importance to its mission to protect human health and the environment.
The indicators are supported by data gathered from federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations. All ROE indicators were peer-reviewed to meet exacting standards for accuracy, representativeness, and reliability, and the report has undergone extensive internal and interagency review, SAB review, and public comment. The indicators present trends wherever adequate data are available, and establish national baselines where they are not. The …

Formal Scenario Development For Environmental Impact Assessment Studies., Y. Liu, M. Mahmoud, H. Hartmann, S. Stewart, T. Wagener, D. Semmens, R. Stewart, H. Gupta, D. Dominguez, D. Hulse, R. Letcher, B. Rashleigh, C. Smith, R. Street, J. Ticehurst, M. Twer, H. Van Delden, D. White

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Scenario analysis is the process of evaluating possible future events through the consideration of alternative plausible, though not equally likely, states (scenarios). The definition by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) best represents scenarios considered in the natural sciences:

"A scenario is a coherent) internally consistent and plausible description of a possible future state of the world. It is not a forecast; rather, each scenario is one alternative image ~fhow the future can unfold."(http://ipcc-ddc.cru. uea.ac.uk/ ddc_definitions. htnll)

Good Modelling Practice, N. Crout, T. Kokkonen, A.J. Jakeman, J.P. Norton, L.T.H. Newham, R. Anderson, H. Assaf, B.F.W. Croke, N. Gaber, J. Gibbons, D. Holzworth, J. Mysiak, J. Reichl, R. Seppelt, T. Wagener, P. Whitfield

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Best-practice guidelines for Modelling have been developed by a numbers of organizations to promote better understanding of model development and application, facilitate tests of model quality and provide a framework for documenting and communicating modelling activities among modellers and decision makers. Good practice within a Data Mining paradigm is presented in Chapter 12.

Introduction To The Ilsi Research Foundation/Risk Science Institute Reports From The Expert Working Group On Neurodevelopmental Endpoints, Julie Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Mendez, Isabel Walls

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

In 2004 the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Risk Science Institute established an expert working group to assess the lessons learned from the implementation of standardized tests for developmental neurotoxicity in experimental animals. This introduction summarizes the working group process and the four reports from the expert working group addressing: the use of positive controls, understanding variability, appropriate statistical techniques, and interpretation. The reports address the 1991 US Environmental Protection Agency standardized protocol for evaluation of developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) and the 2007 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines for DNT. The EPA protocol is comprised of tests …

Eutrophication And Harmful Algal Blooms: A Scientific Consensus, J. Heisler, P. M. Glibert, J. M. Burkholder, D. M. Anderson, W. Cochlan, W. C. Dennison, Q. Dortch, C. J. Gobler, C. A. Heil, E. Humphries, A. Lewitus, R. Magnien, H. G. Marshall, K. Sellner, D. A. Stockwell, D. K. Stoecker, M. Suddleson

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

In January 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a ‘‘roundtable discussion’’ to develop a consensus on the relationship between eutrophication and harmful algal blooms (HABs), specifically targeting those relationships for which management actions may be appropriate. Academic, federal, and state agency representatives were in attendance. The following seven statements were unanimously adopted by attendees based on review and analysis of current as well as pertinent previous data:

(1) Degraded water quality from increased nutrient pollution promotes the development and persistence of many HABs and is one of the reasons for their expansion in the U.S. and other nations;

(2) …

Human Health Risk Assessment Database, “The Nhsrc Toxicity Value Database”: Supporting The Risk Assessment Process At Us Epa's National Homeland Security Research Center, Chandrika J. Moudgal, Kevin Garrahan, Eletha Brady-Roberts, Naida Gavrelis, Michelle Arbogast, Sarah Dun

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The toxicity value database of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center has been in development since 2004. The toxicity value database includes a compilation of agent property, toxicity, dose–response, and health effects data for 96 agents: 84 chemical and radiological agents and 12 biotoxins. The database is populated with multiple toxicity benchmark values and agent property information from secondary sources, with web links to the secondary sources, where available. A selected set of primary literature citations and associated dose–response data are also included. The toxicity value database offers a powerful means to quickly and …

The Truth About Soviet Whaling: A Memoir, Alfred Berzin

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

In November 1993, Professor Alexei Yablokov, who at the time was the Science Advisor to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, stood on a podium in Galveston, Tex., and delivered a speech to the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s biennial conference, the premier international event in the field of marine mammal science. Addressing the 1,500 scientists present, he made what amounted to a national confession: that, beginning in 1948, the U.S.S.R. had begun a huge campaign of illegal whaling. Despite being a signatory to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling (signed in Washington, D.C., just 2 years before in 1946), the …

Hunting Cetaceans With Sound: A Worldwide Review, Robert L. Brownell Jr., Douglas P. Nowacek, Katherine Ralls

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Cetaceans are sensitive to a variety of anthropogenic sounds because they normally use sound to navigate, communicate and capture prey. This paper reviews some fisheries that have taken advantage of this sensitivity by using sound to help capture numerous species of dolphins and whales. Fishermen in many parts of the world have independently developed methods that use sounds to drive (herd) various species of small cetaceans so that they can be killed and used for food, culled (i.e. to offset competition for fish), help capture fish (e.g. in the Eastern Tropical Pacific) or be taken into captivity. It is well …

Biological Background On Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Spp.) In The 'Live-Capture' Trade And Specifically On The Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, T. Aduncus, Robert L. Brownell Jr., Randall Reeves

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The most significant cetacean trade items until commercial whaling all but ceased in the 1990s (aside from scientific exchanges of tissues etc.) were meat and blubber from baleen whales for human consumption. Since then, live dolphins and 'small' whales for display (and to some extent for research, military use, and 'therapy') have become the most significant cetacean 'products' in international trade. Trade in live cetaceans is presently dominated by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.), beluga whales (Debhinapterns leucas) and to a lesser extent killer whales (Orcinus orca) (Fisher and Reeves 2005). In the past, most of …

Taking Account Of Dependent Species In Management Of The Southern Ocean Krill Fishery: Estimating Crabeater Seal Abundance Off East Antarctica, Colin Southwell, Charles G. M. Paxton, David Borchers, Peter Boveng, William De La Mare

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

1. The crabeater seal Lobodon carcinophaga is considered to be a key species in the krill-based food web of the Southern Ocean. Reliable estimates of the abundance of this species are necessary to allow the development of multispecies, predator–prey models as a basis for management of the krill fishery in the Southern Ocean.

2. A survey of crabeater seal abundance was undertaken in 1500 000 km² of pack-ice off east Antarctica between longitudes 64–150° E during the austral summer of 1999/2000. Sighting surveys, using double observer line transect methods, were conducted from an icebreaker and two helicopters to estimate …

Determining Spatial And Temporal Scales For Management: Lessons From Whaling, P J. Clapham, Alex Aguilar, Leila Hatch

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Selection of the appropriate management unit is critical to the conservation of animal populations. Defining such units depends upon knowledge of population structure and upon the timescale being considered. Here, we examine the trajectory of eleven subpopulations of five species of baleen whales to investigate temporal and spatial scales in management. These subpopulations were all extirpated by commercial whaling, and no recovery or repopulation has occurred since. In these cases, time elapsed since commercial extinction ranges from four decades to almost four centuries. We propose that these subpopulations did not recover either because cultural memory of the habitat has been …