Digital Commons Network^™

Psychophysiological Responses To Disgust: Cardiovascular And Facial Muscle Patterns Associated With Different Functional Domains, Robert Oum

Open Access Dissertations

This study examined the distinguishing physiological characteristics of the disgust reaction across different domains. According to an evolutionary analysis, disgust is a heterogeneous emotion with features that are specific to three distinct domains: pathogens, sex, and morality. Each domain is predicted to take as input information specific to the adaptive problem it evolved to solve and regulate behavior accordingly. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether there are any adaptive physiological differences associated with the disgust response across domains. Participants were asked to imagine acts that elicit pathogen, sexual, and moral disgust. It was hypothesized that there …

Comparing Detection Methods Of Aflatoxin And Exploring Aflatoxin Decontamination Methods, Rebecca Burgett Singleterry

Theses and Dissertations

Ethanol fermentation of highly concentrated aflatoxin-contaminated corn (Zea mays) was conducted on a lab scale to determine if aflatoxin concentrated in the distilled ethanol and/or dry distillers grain end-products. Alliquots of fermented mash, distilled ethanol, stillage, and dry distillers grain (DDG) were analyzed via LC-MS/MS and immunoassay detection methods for aflatoxin. Results indicate that aflatoxin does not greatly concentrate during fermentation in the DDGs and is undetectable in distilled ethanol. Addition of binders, MTB-100®, to aflatoxin-contaminated DDGs showed great reduction in aflatoxin concentrations when analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Also, an experiment investigating detoxification of aflatoxin using Clorox® was conducted. Results obtained …

Religion: How To Stay Out Of Court, Kenneth Akers, Sara Rotramel, Jorge Wellmann

Parameters of Law in Student Affairs and Higher Education (CNS 670)

In the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, it reads that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This single sentence, the Establishment Clause, is the backbone of religious freedom in the United States, and with its several annotations it has given shape and breadth to the concept of religion in America, more specifically our topic, i.e. …

Shear-Induced Platelet Sensitization And The Development Of An Activation Model, Jawaad Sheriff

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Increased shear stresses are a hallmark of flow conditions in blood recirculating devices, and patients implanted with such devices require lifelong anticoagulation to counteract the high risk of thromboembolism. Despite this limitation, manufacturers only test for hemolysis in order to optimize device design. This is primarily due to the paucity of data regarding platelet damage, a major precursor of thromboembolism. Several studies have shown that platelets exposed to constant shear stress for a specified duration become activated. However, post high-shear stress activation behavior of platelets, which is critical to understanding increased thrombotic risk associated with blood recirculating devices, is poorly …

Effects Of Fatigue And Self-Reported Countermeasures Used By Regional Airline Pilots Conducting Continuous Duty Overnight, Andrew Laventure

Theses and Dissertations

Fatigue poses a significant risk to commercial aviation. When pilots become fatigued they are more likely to make errors and in some instances those errors have been causal factors in accidents. Research not only tells us how the human body is affected by fatigue but also what can be done to temporarily reduce its negative impact on performance. However, relatively little data is available pertaining to one specific type of flight operation, the Continuous Duty Overnight (CDO). They are frequently conducted by regional airlines within the United States and typically resemble schedules for workers on a 3rd shift, otherwise known …

Elucidating Functional Roles For Myogenin In Adult Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, Exercise Capacity, And Regeneration, Jesse Flynn

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The four basic helix-loop-helix myogenic transcription factors, myogenin, Myf5, MRF4, and MyoD are critical for embryonic skeletal muscle development. Myogenin is necessary for the terminal differentiation of myoblasts into myofibers during embryogenesis, but little is known about the roles played by myogenin in adult skeletal muscle function and metabolism. Furthermore, while metabolism is a well-studied physiological process, how it is regulated at the transcriptional level remains poorly understood. In this study, my aim was to determine the function of myogenin in adult skeletal muscle metabolism, exercise capacity, and regeneration. To investigate this, I utilized a mouse strain harboring the Myogflox …

Experimental Evaluation Of Transmission Link Characteristics In Body Area Networks, Apoorva Kiran Pandya

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent advances in digital electronics, embedded systems, and wireless communications have led the way to a new class of distributed Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). A Body Area Network (BAN) is a WSN consisting of miniaturized, low-power, autonomous, wireless biosensors, which are seamlessly placed or implanted in the human body to provide an adaptable and smart health care system. The possible applications of BAN are in health care services and medicine, assisting persons with disabilities, and entertainment and sports. The nodes in a BAN generally use IEEE 802.15.4 radios which have low- power consumption and are relatively immune to interference. In …

Surface Morphology Of Platelet Adhesion Influenced By Activators, Inhibitors And Shear Stress, Melanie Groan Watson

Doctoral Dissertations

Platelet activation involves multiple events, one of which is the generation and release of nitric oxide (NO), a platelet aggregation inhibitor. Platelets simultaneously send and receive various agents that promote a positive and negative feedback control system during hemostasis. Although the purpose of platelet-derived NO is not fully understood, NO is known to inhibit platelet recruitment. NO's relatively large diffusion coefficient allows it to diffuse more rapidly than platelet agonists. It may thus be able to inhibit recruitment of platelets near the periphery of a growing thrombus before agonists have substantially accumulated in those regions.

Results from two studies in …

An Improved Layer-By-Layer Self-Assembly Technique To Generate Biointerfaces For Platelet Adhesion Studies: Dynamic Lbl, Juan Manuel Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

Layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) is a technique that generates engineered nano-scale films, coatings, and particles. These nanoscale films have recently been used in multiple biomedical applications. Concurrently, microfabrication methods and advances in microfluidics are being developed and combined to create "Lab-on-a-Chip" technologies. The potential to perform complex biological assays in vitro as a first-line screening technique before moving on to animal models has made the concept of lab on a chip a valuable research tool.

Prior studies in the Biofluids Laboratory at Louisiana Tech have used layer-by-layer and in vitro biological assays to study thrombogenesis in a controlled, repeatable, engineered environment. …

Benchmarks 2010, October 15, The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks 2010

BenchMarks. Friday, October 15, 2010

The community newsletter of The Rockefeller University

BenchMarks is published monthly and is distributed on the campus of The Rockefeller University. It produced by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Bio-Inspired Innovation And National Security, Robert E. Armstrong, Mark D. Drapeau, Cheryl A. Loeb, James J. Valdes

Books

Despite various treaties and protocols, offensive biological weapons use has continued to this day, with the anthrax attacks of 2001 being the most recent incident. Such activity has led to a strong defensive program, with medical science developing numerous countermeasures that have benefited both civilian and military populations.

Learning Opportunities 2010/2011, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Course Catalogs

The graduation requirements of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are in concert with those maintained by the State of Illinois with additional requirements as established by the IMSA Board of Trustees. Each semester students must take a minimum of 2.5 credits and a maximum of 3.5 credits. One-semester classes generally receive .5 credits and two semester classes (e.g., World Languages) generally receive 1.0 credit. Most students will take between 5 and 7 academic classes per semester. Fine Arts, Wellness, and Independent Study courses do not count towards the 2.5 credit minimum. However, if a student wishes to take 3.5 …

Chironian Fall/Winter 2010, New York Medical College

The Chironian

No abstract provided.

Moving Through And Beyond : A Qualitative Exploration Of Self-Identified Gender Nonconforming Participants' Experiences Of Binary Gender Regulation, Ellen C. Daly

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was undertaken to explore, and bring into social work discourse, gender nonconforming participants' experiences and meaning-making of binary gender regulation, specifically within relational contexts throughout their lives. Qualitative interviews were completed with 13 participants who identified with the descriptor of gender nonconforming in some way. The following questions were explored: How does the binary gender system become reproduced, maintained, enforced, and regulated through the lives of those who do not, and many times choose not, to adhere to and/or embody the constrictive and limiting expectations of this system? How is such regulation understood and internalized? What are …

Behavior Of A Viscoelastic Valveless Pump: A Simple Theory With Experimental Validation, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

A valveless pump generates a unidirectional net flow of fluid around a closed loop of soft viscoelastic tubing that is rhythmically compressed at one point. The tubing must have at least two sections with two different stiffnesses. When a short segment of the tube is squeezed asymmetrically at certain frequencies, net flow of fluid around the loop can occur without valves.

Methods

Partial differential equations for the pressures, volumes, and flows define a simple one-dimensional model of such a pump, based upon elementary physical principles. Numerical computations on a personal computer can predict measured net flows.

Results

Net flow …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Mechanical Heart Valve Performance Using A Novel Test Chamber In An Automated Mock Circulatory Loop, Antonio Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Valvular heart disease (VHD) continues to have significant effects on many people’s lives, with numbers expected to grow tremendously over the next few years. Individuals suffering from severe valvular heart disease usually require a heart valve transplant in order to restore the native valve’s vital unidirectional flow regulation. Therefore, artificial heart valve (AHV) research is of very high importance. Previous research studies have provided substantial input in the realm of AHV design relative to durability, thrombotic and hemolytic potential, and overall functionality. However, modifications continue to be warranted due to limitations in the accuracy and time efficiency of the in …

Cortisol Exerts Bi-Phasic Regulation Of Inflammation In Humans, Mark P. Yeager, Patricia Pioli, Paul M. Guyre

Dartmouth Scholarship

Natural and synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) have been used for decades to suppress inflammation. In this paper, we re-examine the role of the endogenous GC, cortisol, as a primary homeostatic regulator of the human inflammatory response to injury. Our data show that cortisol regulation of innate immunity can be both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory. Using a human model of in vivo cortisol depletion, we first show that baseline (diurnal) cortisol concentrations do not exert an anti-inflammatory effect. This is the first clue that cortisol regulation of inflammation is not represented by a linear dose-response relationship. We next show in surgical patients that …

Walter Miles And His 1920 Grand Tour Of European Physiology And Psychology Laboratories: A Reproduction Of The Original Typescript, Walter R. Miles, C. James Goodwin, Lizette Royer Barton

University of Akron Press Publications

Walter R. Miles (1885-1978) was an American experimental psychologist very much interested in laboratory apparatus and procedures and their applications to human behavior. Early in his career, Miles received an appointment as a research scientist at the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory in Boston, Massachusetts. When Miles arrived at the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory in 1914, work was well underway on the physiological effects of various nutrients on the human body. Miles began studies on the effects of alcohol on physiological and psychological functioning.

The First World War severed many of the relationships that the Carnegie Laboratory had with research counterparts in Europe. …

Role Of Ampk In The Upregulation Of Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein In The Zona Fasciculata Of The Adrenal Cortex, Adam Wesley Dayton

Theses and Dissertations

Cortisol is a glucocorticoid produced by the zona fasciculata (ZF) of the adrenal cortex. Traditionally, cortisol production and release was seen as being regulated strictly by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). While this is true of baseline cortisol levels and in response to acute mental stress, the picture is somewhat more complicated in other situations.Interleukin-6 (IL-6) contributes to the maintenance of cortisol levels in situations of prolonged immune or inflammatory stress. AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) was investigated as a possible mediator of the action of IL-6 or as an independent actor in raising cortisol levels in response to hypoxemic or hypoglycemic …

Graduate Program Descriptions For 2010-2011, Wright State University

Program Descriptions

Wright State University graduate program descriptions for the 2010-2011 school year. These program descriptions were used for 2011-2012 school year as well.

Systemic And Strength Effects : Experimental Concentrations Of Topical Menthol., Lee Jordan Winchester 1984-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Menthol has been regularly utilized as a treatment in sports related injuries for many years, yet little is known about its physiological interactions or its effect on performance. Our previous study indicates that topically applied menthol may cause an acute decrease in blood flow and may improve strength capabilities. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of two different concentrations of menthol (3.5% and 10%) on systemic blood flow and strength. 16 subjects participated in this 4 week study examining blood flow and strength effects after menthol or control treatment. Results indicate that the 3.5% menthol causes …

Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of A Microfluidic System For Cardiac Cell Culture., Mai-Dung Thi Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States and accounts for nearly 1,372,000 deaths each year. In addition, ~81 million Americans suffer from some form of CVD. Understanding the molecular basis of various manifestations of CVD requires cellular-level studies. However, current technologies for cell culture, fail to recreate the in-vivo environment where cells are subject to pressure and stretch as a consequence of normal hemodynamic loading and unloading. Therefore, to study cardiac cells with physiological relevance, the mechanical loading environment needs to be accurately replicated in-vitro. In order to create an appropriate platform for cardiac …

Physician's Experiences With Death And Dying: A Phenomenological Study, Deborah Jo Corker

Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study attempts to gain the physician's essences, meanings and understanding surrounding death and dying. Starting with themes revealed in literature, in-depth interviews were used to ask selected physicians providing care: How does death affect them? Are physicians receiving adequate training in end-of-life care? Does the medical culture still see death as failure? How do they find meaning in end-of-life care? Using three different groups of physicians: early in career, mid-career, and retired, this research attempted to examine the phenomena of death and dying over apparent time and developmental experiences of physicians. Results: Physicians have not been adequately …

A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Practice Intervention Designed To "Wipe Out C. Difficile", Kimberly Aronhalt

Theses and Graduate Projects

Clostridium dfficile infection (CDI) recognized as a global healthcare-associated infection (HAI) causing infectious diarrhea, has increased in incidence, severity, and mortality among patients in the last three decades. Related health care costs to patients and health care facilities are enormous. To prevent HAIs healthcare organizations are charged to have infection prevention control programs in place to address CDI. Surveillance of CDI and prevention strategies are challenged to impact the transmission of CDI due to its anaerobic, spore forming characteristics. At a tertiary medical center, Wipe Out C. dfficile was a targeted approach for five high incident units to reduce CDI. …

Strategies To Employ Androstenediol To Reverse Steroid Inhibited Healing In A Rat Model Of Trauma, Francis Diskin

Theses and Dissertations

Much of our current understanding regarding trauma, mechanisms of healing, and treatment strategies have evolved as a result of injuries suffered during armed conflict. While our understanding of these processes has advanced during and since these conflicts, treatment methods of traumatic wound healing have failed to progress significantly in the last forty years. The overall objective of this research was to test the hypothesis that the immune regulating hormone Androstenediol (AED) modulates the host’s immune system to promote wound healing under conditions where it has been inhibited by stress and infection. In an effort to characterize the effects of Androstenediol …

A Taxonomy And Framework For Designing Educational Games To Promote Problem Solving, Richard Van Eck, Woei Hung

Teaching, Leadership & Professional Practice Faculty Publications

Problem solving is often discussed as one of the benefits of games and game-based learning, yet little empirical research exists to support this assertion. It will be critical to establish and validate models of problem solving in games, but this will be difficult if not impossible without a better understanding of problem solving than currently exists in the field of serious games. Problem solving and problem-based learning (PBL) have been studied intensely in both Europe and the United States for more than 75 years. Any models and research on the relation of games and problem solving must build on the …

Development And Use Of A Physiologically Based Mathematical Model Describing The Relationships And Contributions Of Macronutrients To Weight And Body Composition Changes, Saori Sakita

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of the dietary macronutrient composition on weight loss has been a controversial issue for decades. During that time, a high-protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate diet has been one of the more popular weight loss diets with the public. We hypothesized that a computer simulation model using STELLA software could help to better understanding the effect of the dietary macronutrient composition on weight loss. We calculated daily total oxidation instead of total energy expenditure as others have done based on the facts that carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake influence carbohydrate, fat, and protein oxidation. In order to create a simple …

Grand Challenges In Comparative Physiology: Integration Across Disciplines And Across Levels Of Biological Organization, Donald L. Mykles, Cameron K. Galambor, Jonathon H. Stillman, Lars Tomanek

Biological Sciences

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Physiologic Pressure Conditions In A Blood Vessel Mimic Bioreactor System, Kevin Mark Okarski

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Implementation of Physiologic Pressure Conditions in a Blood Vessel Mimic Bioreactor System

Kevin Mark Okarski

Tissue engineering has traditionally been pursued as a therapeutic science intended for restoring or replacing diseased or damaged biologic tissues or organs. Cal Poly’s Blood Vessel Mimic Laboratory is developing a novel application of tissue engineering as a tool for the preclinical evaluation of intravascular devices. The blood vessel mimic (BVM) system has been previously used to assess the tissue response to deployed stents, but under non-physiologic conditions. Since then, efforts have been made to improve the vessel and bioreactor’s ability to emulate in …

Effects Of Visual Analogies On Learner Outcomes: Bridging From The Known To The Unknown, Susan Spezzini

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This study examined the effects of visual analogies on learner outcomes in Phonology for ESL Teachers, a challenging course within a master’s degree program at a prominent university in the southeastern United States. To reduce student anxiety, facilitate Saturday classes, and bridge from the known to the unknown, concrete images (train cars) were used to represent abstract ideas. Data were analyzed from course evaluations and exams of 70 students in two non-analogy courses (2004, 2005) and 114 students in three analogy-based courses (2007, 2008, 2009) and from an electronic survey completed by 64 former students (September 2009). Course evaluations improved, …