Digital Commons Network^™

Rac1b Regulates The Neurotrophin-3 Mediated Neuronal Commitment Of Bone Marrow Derived Miami Cells, Kevin M. Curtis

Open Access Dissertations

Emerging trends in cell-therapy based tissue repair have focused on the renewable source of adult stem cells including human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs). Due to immunomodulatory properties as well as a potential to differentiate into cells characteristic of all three germ layers, hMSCs provide a source of immature cells for utilization in cell-therapy based treatments. Marrow isolated adult multilineage inducible (MIAMI) cells are a homogeneous sub-population of hMSCs which maintain self-renewal potential during ex vivo expansion, in addition to efficiently undergoing trans-differentiation into neuron-like cells in vitro. Even though hMSCs have the potential to be used for neural …

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, And Suspended Solids Concentrations In Tributaries To The Great Bay Estuary Watershed In 2009, Ted Walsh, Philip Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads to the Great Bay Estuary are a growing concern. The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) calculates the nitrogen load from tributaries to the Great Bay Estuary for its State of the Estuaries reports. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to collect representative data on nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended sediment concentrations in tributaries to the Great Bay Estuary in 2009. The study design followed the tributary sampling design which was implemented by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services between 2001 and 2007 and by the University of New Hampshire in 2008, so as to …

Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm For Robot Path Planning, Michael Brand, Michael Masuda, Nicole Wehner, Xiao-Hua Yu

Electrical Engineering

Path planning is an essential task for the navigation and motion control of autonomous robot manipulators. This NP-complete problem is difficult to solve, especially in a dynamic environment where the optimal path needs to be rerouted in real-time when a new obstacle appears. The ACO (Ant Colony Optimization) algorithm is an optimization technique based on swarm intelligence. This paper investigates the application of ACO to robot path planning in a dynamic environment. Two different pheromone re-initialization schemes are compared and computer simulation results are presented.

June 25, 2010, Ohio University Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, Ohio University Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes document the activities of Ohio University's Board of Trustees.

Probiotic Therapy - Recruiting Old Friends To Fight New Foes, Roy D. Sleator

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Against a backdrop of increasing antibiotic resistance, and the emergence of new and evolving pathogens, clinicians are increasingly forced to consider alternative therapies - probiotics are one such alternative.

The Effects Of Drinkers' Concerned Significant Others On Alcohol Cue Reactivity, Benjamin Olson Ladd

Psychology ETDs

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are pervasive in society and notoriously difficult to treat successfully. Incorporation of a member of the social network into the therapeutic framework for treating AUDs has been found to improve treatment outcomes compared to individual-focused treatments. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of concerned significant others (CSO) on drinkers neural response to alcohol cues. A sample of social to heavy drinkers (n = 16) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. During the scan, participants completed an alcohol cue reactivity task twice; one time by themselves, and another time while holding …

Kebijakan Pengelolaan Kualitas Udara Terkait Transportasi Di Provinsi Dki Jakarta, Andi Alfian Zainuddin

Kesmas

Pemerintah Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta yang mengeluarkan beberapa kebijakan penanggulangan pencemaran udara menghadapi banyak kendala implementasi. Tujuan penelitian ini mengetahui implementasi kebijakan pengelolaan kualitas udara perkotaan terkait transportasi di provinsi tersebut dengan pendekatan model sistem. Faktor yang diamati meliputi instrumen kebijakan, sumber daya dan manajemen. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif yang menggunakan sumber data primer dengan metode wawancara mendalam dan sumber data sekunder telaah dokumen. Data primer digali dari berbagai informan yang berkompeten meliputi Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah, Biro Hukum, Badan Pengelola Dampak Lingkungan Daerah, Dinas Perhubungan, Dinas Kesehatan dan Samsat. Penelitian ini menemukan bahwa instrumen kebijakan telah ada, …

Negative Plant–Soil Feedback Predicts Tree-Species Relative Abundance In A Tropical Forest, Scott A. Mangan, Stefan A. Schnitzer, Edward A. Herre, Keenan M.L. Mack, Mariana C. Valencia, Evelyn I. Sanchez, James D. Bever

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The accumulation of species-specific enemies around adults is hypothesized to maintain plant diversity by limiting the recruitment of conspecific seedlings relative to heterospecific seedlings^1,2,3,4,5,6. Although previous studies in forested ecosystems have documented patterns consistent with the process of negative feedback^{7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16}, these studies are unable to address which classes of enemies (for example, pathogens, invertebrates, mammals) exhibit species-specific effects strong enough to generate negative feedback¹⁷, and whether …

Today - June 25, 2010, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Loma Linda University welcomes new alumni
-- Chapel program highlights global mission efforts by School of Pharmacy
-- Stater Bros. gives $25,000 to benefit breast cancer research
-- Proton patient wins competitive section of May 21 Blue Zone Senior Triathlon
-- Medical Simulation Center celebrates grand opening on May 27
-- LLU nursing students promote helmet safety at local skatepark
-- Organizers celebrate 25 years of Children's Day at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
-- Two community outreach programs impact the Inland Empire
-- School of Medicine 2010 Commencement Ceremony (pictorial)
-- School of Pharmacy 2010 …

Bad News For Gulf Oysters

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Multiple Perspectives On Functioning Of Families Impacted By Traumatic Brain Injury: Exploring Both Parental And Injured Child's Perceptions, Erica Montague

Psychology ETDs

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have profound effects on a child,including permanent changes to cognition and personality. Despite the attention that pediatric TBI has received in the broader literature, few studies have explored the residual effect that TBI can have on global family functioning. The present study sought to extend the literature on family functioning following pediatric TBI by investigating the perspectives of multiple family members, including the injured child and the parent. It was hypothesized that all family members would view family functioning as more dysfunctional than a non-clinical sample. Fourteen injured adolescents who experienced a moderate to …

Pathologically Activated Neuroprotection Via Uncompetitive Blockade Of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors With Fast Off-Rate By Novel Multifunctional Dimer Bis(Propyl)-Cognitin, Jialie Luo, Wenming Li, Yuming Zhao, Hongjun Fu, Dik-Lung Ma, Jing Tang, Chaoying Li, Robert W. Peoples, Fushun Li, Qinwen Wang, Pingbo Huang, Jun Xia, Yuanping Pang, Yifan Han

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Uncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists with fast off-rate (UFO) may represent promising drug candidates for various neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we report that bis(propyl)-cognitin, a novel dimeric acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and γ-aminobutyric acid subtype A receptor antagonist, is such an antagonist of NMDA receptors. In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, we demonstrated that bis(propyl)-cognitin voltage-dependently, selectively, and moderately inhibited NMDA-activated currents. The inhibitory effects of bis(propyl)-cognitin increased with the rise in NMDA and glycine concentrations. Kinetics analysis showed that the inhibition was of fast onset and offset with an off-rate time constant of 1.9 s. Molecular docking simulations showed moderate …

A Natural Language To Component Term Methodology: Towards A Form Based Concept Generation Tool, Matt Robert Bohm, Robert B. Stone

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Over the last few decades design researchers have put forward theories and proposed methodologies that increase the chance that a design team will reliably arrive at the optimal solution to a given design problem. Studies, however, bear out that theories and methodologies alone will not guarantee an optimal or even good design solution. Instead, a breadth of knowledge across multiple engineering domains and the time and tools to thoroughly evaluate the design space are as important as any prescriptive design method. This work presents one of the underlying engineering technologies needed to leverage artificial intelligence approaches to thoroughly search the …

Accelerating Recovery Of Behavioral And Cognitive Functions Via Single Intracerebral Injection Of Matrigel Containing Neurotrophic Factors After Somatosensory Contusion In Adult Rats, Nariman Arfai

Psychology ETDs

Unilateral sensorimotor contusion injury results in contralateral hindlimb paralysis as well as behavioral & cognitive deficits in rats. In response to cortical injury, adult neural stem cells (NSC) in the subventricular zone (SVZ) proliferate, and generate new neurons & glia that migrate towards injured areas. Thus, they may potentially be harnessed for neural repair. After cortical injury, the number of migratory NSCs to lesioned sites has been shown to be significantly lower than the overall cell loss in rats. To address this issue, in-vitro & in-vivo studies have shown that various growth factors (GF) enhance the rate of proliferation, differentiation …

Adolescent Geographies In The Classroom: Interactions With Place- And Community-Based Education, Anna Gahl Cole

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The purpose of this study was to examine three phenomena, 1.) the classroom struggles and successes of students and teachers participating in a place- and community-based curriculum; 2). students personal geographies: their experiences, perspectives and interpretations of their homes, school, community and city; and 3.) interactions between community-based curriculum and students' geographies. This study goes to the intersection of place-based curriculum and students' geographies to explore the interactions that exist between these phenomena. Grounded in critical spatial, feminist standpoint, and constructivist theories, this study draws upon scholarship in Children's Geographies, place- and community-based education, and critical spatial studies. The Second …

Efektivitas Program Fortifikasi Minyak Goreng Dengan Vitamin A Terhadap Status Gizi Anak Sekolah Di Kota Makasar, Endang Achadi, Siti Arifah, Siti Muslimatun, Trisari Anggondowati, Asih Setiarini

Kesmas

Di Indonesia, kekurangan Vitamin A masih menjadi masalah kesehatan masyarakat yang penting seperti terlihat pada balita penderita vitamin A defisiensi subklinis yang tinggi (50%). Hal tersebut akan berpengaruh terhadap berbagai fungsi tubuh yang antara lain meliputi sistem imun, penglihatan, sistem reproduksi dan diferensiasi sel. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kontribusi konsumsi minyak yang diperkaya vitamin A dalam memperbaiki status vitamin A dan hemoglobin balita. Penelitian dengan disain studi intervensi Before-After ini dilaksanakan pada anak sehat berusia 7-10 tahun yang diberi obat cacing sebelum intervensi dilakukan. Pengukuran serum retinol dan hemoglobin dilakukan sebelum dan 3 bulan setelah intervensi . …

Ozone And Biofiltration As An Alternative To Reverse Osmosis For Removing Ppcps And Edcs From Wastewater, Carson Odell Lee

Civil Engineering ETDs

A lot of attention has been paid to trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in drinking water supplies. Current water and wastewater treatment techniques, such as coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation for water treatment and the conventional activated sludge process for wastewater treatment, have shown only limited success in their removal. Although there is a lack of evidence linking these emerging microconstituents to adverse human health effects, not a lot is known about the effects of long term exposure to these compounds and more research is still needed. This study examined advanced wastewater …

Constructing, Consuming, And Complicating The Human-Nature Binary: Communication Practices In Forest Environmental Education, Elizabeth Dickinson

Communication ETDs

This project combines interdisciplinary conversations within the field of communication to examine environmental meaning systems and communication practices in the context of forest environmental education. Due to concerns over children's environmental alienation, there has been a continued push toward place-based environmental education. One such venture is the North Carolina Educational State Forest system (NCESF), where educators bring K-12 students into forests to help them reconnect with nature, expand environmental knowledge, and tackle what has been recently termed "nature-deficit disorder." When students visit the sites, rangers deliver structured lessons on ecosystems and forest management to children and chaperones--lessons that must adhere …

Blood Heist, Dan Darling

English Language and Literature ETDs

A novel of fiction. John Stick, along with his two best friends, Spartacus Rex and Leon Flowers, rob a blood bank with the intent to sell the blood in Mexico. On the way, the ice cream truck that they have converted to transport the blood breaks down, and they become stranded in the desert. Stick notices that one of the bags of blood belongs to his ex-girlfriend, Cryopathria Rex, with whom he is still in love. Stick tries to take the blood back to Albuquerque out of guilt. Rex and Flowers stop him. The three men have en escalating feud, …

Piezoresistive Nano-Composites: Characterization And Applications, Thomas B. Hyatt

Theses and Dissertations

Innovative multifunctional materials are essential to many new sensor applications. Piezoresistive nano-composites make up a promising class of such materials that have the potential to provide a measurable response to strain over a much wider range than typical strain gages. Commercial strain gages are currently dominated by metallic sensors with a useable range of a few percent strain at most. There are, however, many applications that would benefit from a reliable wide-range sensor. These might include the study of explosive behavior, instrumentation of flexible components, motion detection for compliant mechanisms and hinges, human-technology interfaces, and a wide variety of bio-mechanical …

The Prevalence Of Maxillary Altered Passive Eruption In A Dental School Population., Francisco Carlos

Theses and Dissertations

AIM: The aim of this investigation is to determine the prevalence of maxillary altered passive eruption in a dental school population. METHODS: 100 subjects were examined clinically and had models fabricated of their maxilla. Demographic, periodontal, cast measurements were recorded for each subject. Demographic variables recorded included age, gender, and ethnicity, history of orthodontic treatment, presence of incisal /occlusal wear, appearance of gingival excess, and presence of gingival asymmetry. Measurements made on cast included clinical crown length, clinical crown width, papillary height, and distance from the lateral gingival zenith to the gingival aesthetic line. Clinical crown width-to-length ratio was calculated. …

Mechanically Generated Surface Chirality At The Nanoscale, Sameh Ferjani, Yoonseuk Choi, Joel Pendery, Rolfe G. Petschek, Charles Rosenblatt

Faculty Scholarship

A substrate coated with an achiral polyimide alignment layer was scribed bidirectionally with the stylus of an atomic force microscope to create an easy axis for liquid crystal orientation. The resulting noncentrosymmetric topography resulted in a chiral surface that manifests itself at the molecular level. To show this unambiguously, a planar-aligned negative dielectric aniostropy achiral nematic liquid crystal was placed in contact with the surface and subjected to an electric field E. The nematic director was found to undergo an azimuthal rotation approximately linear in E. This so-called "surface electroclinic effect" is a signature of surface chirality and was not …

The Sintering And Stability Of Catalytic Nano-Particles, Andrew Delariva

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Studies were performed on three different catalysts in order to determine their stability and sintering behavior. Pd deposited on a flat single crystal substrate made of Al2O3 was characterized to determine if the mechanism of Ostwald ripening was solely dominated by vapor phase transport of metal atoms. The atoms emitted could be determined by the rate of evaporation and an attempt was then made in order to relate the rates of emission to sintering (instability of nanoparticles). It was found that the rates of emission did not fully reflect vapor phase transport (direct evaporation). The particle-support interaction was increasing the …

Long-Term Desorption Behavior Of Uranium And Neptunium In Heterogeneous Volcanic Tuff Materials, Dean Cynthia

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Uranium and neptunium desorption were studied in long-term laboratory experiments using four well-characterized volcanic tuff cores collected from southeast of Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The objectives of the experiments were to 1. Demonstrate a methodology aimed at characterizing distributions of sorption parameters (attributes of multiple sorption sites) that can be applied to moderately-sorbing species in heterogeneous systems to provide more realistic reactive transport parameters and a more realistic approach to modeling transport in heterogeneous systems. 2. Focus on uranium and neptunium because of their high solubility, relatively weak sorption, and high contributions to predicted dose in Yucca Mountain performance assessments. Also, …

Atomic-Level Investigation Of Surface Processes Governing Sige Wetting Layer Formation Using Stm/Sts, Kyle J. Solis

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Upon sub-monolayer Ge deposition on the 2xn reconstructed SiGe alloy wetting layer at room temperature, the predominant adspecies observed are so-called addimer chain structures (ADCSs). Polarity-switching scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to study ADCSs, as they only appear in empty-state images. ADCSs are dilute structures comprising type-C addimers that reside in neighboring troughs and extend along all equivalent < 130> directions of the surface, giving rise to a zigzagged morphology. ADCSs exhibit localized movements, wherein their rearrangements are strongly coupled with the structure of the underlying substrate dimers. At elevated temperatures, ADCSs are observed to transition to compact epitaxial segments of …

Synthesis And Characterization Of In Vitro And In Vivo Profiles Of Hydroxybupropion Analogues: Aids To Smoking Cessation, Ronald J. Lukas, Ana Z. Muresan, M. Imad Damaj, Bruce E. Blough, Xiaodong Huang, Hernan A. Navarro, S. Wayne Mascarella, J. Brek Eaton, Syndia K. Marxer-Miller, F. Ivy Carroll

Translational Neuroscience

To create potentially superior aids to smoking cessation and/or antidepressants and to elucidate bupropions possible mechanisms of action(s), 23 analogues based on its active hydroxymetabolite (2S,3S)-4a were synthesized and tested for their abilities to inhibit monoamine uptake and nAChR subtype activities in vitro and acute effects of nicotine in vivo. The 3′,4′-dichlorophenyl [(±)-4n], naphthyl (4r), and 3-chlorophenyl or 3-propyl analogues 4s and 4t, respectively, had higher inhibitory potency and/or absolute selectivity than (2S,3S)-4a for inhibition of DA, NE, or 5HT uptake. The 3′-fluorophenyl, 3′-bromophenyl, and 4-biphenyl analogues 4c, 4d, and 4l, respectively, had higher potency for antagonism of α4β2-nAChR than …

Western News, June 24, 2010, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: New Faculty Senate leaders; Carls Foundation gift will help kids hear; Retirement receptions for Kelley, Odehnal; On Campus with John Carr.

Interview With Dr. Edward Simco - Alumnus And Faculty, Edward Simco

Oral Histories of Nova Southeastern University

Biological Curriculum, chemistry, Physical Science Study Committee, Ford Foundation Grant, nuclear reactor, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, computers, physics, science education, educational research, Abe Fischler, physical science center, oceanography, Ph.D., dissertation, Peter Niiler, social psychology, Roshenthal, Parker, Nova University, Atomic Energy Commission, Emilio Segre, Hans Jensen, Glenn Seaborg, NYIT, Don Mitchell, Dan Stufflebeam, Michael Scriven, distance education, Ed Leaders Program, Institute of Child Centered Education, Dr. Marilyn Segal, University School, Family Center, Teacher Intern Program, TIAA-CREF, Systems Engineering Laboratory, data manipulation program, IBM, Phil Adams, electronic classroom, Alex Schure, SACS, computer-based learning, the Doctor of Arts, John Scigliano, Dr. Ed Lieblein, FORTRAN, …

Marine Bioinvasions And Climate Change, James T. Carlton, Sandra C. Lindstrom, Celia M. Smith, Jennifer E. Smith

National Invasive Species Council

BACKGROUND

Invasive species are second only to habitat destruction as the greatest cause of species endangerment and global biodiversity loss. Invasive species can cause severe and permanent damage to the ecosystems they invade. Consequences of invasion include competition with or predation upon native species, hybridization, carrying or supporting harmful pathogens and parasites that may affect wildlife and human health, disturbing ecosystem function through alteration of food webs and nutrient recycling rates, acting as ecosystem engineers and altering habitat structure, and degradation of the aesthetic quality of our natural resources. In many cases we may not fully know the native animals …

Ospie1, The Rice Ortholog Of Arabidopsis Photoperiod-Independent Early Flowering1, Is Essential For Embryo Development, Yonghan Xu, Minjuan Deng, Jianfei Peng, Zhanghua Hu, Lieming Bao, Junming Wang, Zhi-Liang Zheng

Publications and Research

Background The SWR1 complex is important for the deposition of histone variant H2A.Z into chromatin necessary to robustly regulate gene expression during growth and development. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the catalytic subunit of the SWR1-like complex, encoded by PIE1 (PHOTOPERIOD-INDEPENDENT EARLY FLOWERING1), has been shown to function in multiple developmental processes including flowering time pathways and petal number regulation. However, the function of the PIE1 orthologs in monocots remains unknown. Methodology/Findings We report the identification of the rice (Oryza sativa) ortholog, OsPIE1. Although OsPIE1 does not exhibit a conserved exon/intron structure as Arabidopsis PIE1, its encoded protein is highly similar to …