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Maternal Health Behaviours During Pregnancy In An Irish Obstetric Population And Their Assocations With Socio-Demographic And Infant Characteristics, Roslyn Tarrant, Katherine Younger, Margaret Sheridan-Pereira, John Kearney

Articles

Objectives: To examine the prevalence and combined occurrence of peri-conceptional folic acid (FA) supplement use, smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy in a sample of women in Dublin, and determine the factors associated with these health behaviours.

Subjects/Methods: A prospective observational study (2004-2006) involving the recruitment of 491 pregnant women from antenatal clinics in a Dublin maternity hospital, with postpartum follow-up of 450 eligible mothers. Data on FA use, maternal smoking and alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy were collected from the antenatal patient-administered questionnaire, which was completed by participants, and returned to the investigator on the day of recruitment. …

The Stem Initiative: Constraints And Challenges, Dennis R. Herschbach

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Computational Intelligence In Wireless Sensor Networks: A Survey, Raghavendra V. Kulkarni, Anna Förster, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are networks of distributed autonomous devices that can sense or monitor physical or environmental conditions cooperatively. WSNs face many challenges, mainly caused by communication failures, storage and computational constraints and limited power supply. Paradigms of computational intelligence (CI) have been successfully used in recent years to address various challenges such as data aggregation and fusion, energy aware routing, task scheduling, security, optimal deployment and localization. CI provides adaptive mechanisms that exhibit intelligent behavior in complex and dynamic environments like WSNs. CI brings about flexibility, autonomous behavior, and robustness against topology changes, communication failures and scenario changes. …

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The Dangerous Illusion Of International Financial Standards And The Legacy Of The Financial Stability Forum, Cally Jordan

San Diego International Law Journal

In the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis, and the criticism directed towards the International Monetary Fund, in particular, for not having seen it coming, the Financial Stability Forum (FSF) was created in 1999 under a mandate from the G7 ministers of finance and central bank governors. The Asian Financial Crisis arose suddenly, spread rapidly, and spared neither developed nor developing economies in the region, although some fared much better than others. In retrospect, the causes of the crisis were obvious and the consequences predictable. Contagion entered the financial lexicon. Thus, the role of the FSF was to promote financial …

Uncoupling Protein-2 Attenuates Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion In Ins-1e Insulinoma Cells By Lowering Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species., Charles Affourtit, Martin Jastroch, Martin D. Brand

School of Biomedical Sciences

Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) by pancreatic β cells is regulated by mitochondrial uncoupling protein-2 (UCP2), but opposing phenotypes, GSIS improvement and impairment, have been reported for different Ucp2-ablated mouse models. By measuring mitochondrial bioenergetics in attached INS-1E insulinoma cells with and without UCP2, we show that UCP2 contributes to proton leak and attenuates glucose-induced rises in both respiratory activity and the coupling efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation. Strikingly, the GSIS improvement seen upon UCP2 knockdown in INS-1E cells is annulled completely by the cell-permeative antioxidant MnTMPyP. Consistent with this observation, UCP2 lowers mitochondrial reactive oxygen species at high glucose levels. We …

Polynitroxylated Pegylated Hemoglobin: A Novel Neuroprotective Hemoglobin For Acute Volume-Limited Fluid Resuscitation After Combined Traumatic Brain Injury And Hemorrhagic Hypotension In Mice, David K. Shellington, Lina Du, Xianren Wu, Jennifer Exo, Vincent A. Vagni, Li Ma, Keri Janesko-Feldman, Robert S. B. Clark, Hülya Bayır, C. Edward Dixon, Larry W. Jenkins, Carleton J. C. Hsia, Patrick M. Kochanek

Physics & Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Objective: Resuscitation of hemorrhagic hypotension after traumatic brain injury is challenging. A hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier may offer advantages. The novel therapeutic hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier, polynitroxylated pegylated hemoglobin (PNPH), may represent a neuroprotective hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier for traumatic brain injury resuscitation.

Hypotheses: 1) PNPH is a unique non-neurotoxic hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier in neuronal culture and is neuroprotective in in vitro neuronal injury models. 2) Resuscitation with PNPH would require less volume to restore mean arterial blood pressure than lactated Ringer's or Hextend and confer neuroprotection in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury plus hemorrhagic hypotension.

Design: Prospective randomized, controlled experimental …

Impact Of Los Alamos National Laboratory On The Economies Of Northern New Mexico And The State As A Whole, Doleswar Bhandari

BBER Publications

The UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) was commissioned by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to estimate its economic impacts on northern New Mexico — Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Taos, San Miguel, and Mora counties — and for the state, for fiscal year 2009. The study concludes that LANL injected more than $1.4 billion directly into the northern New Mexico economy during FY 2009. These injections provided more than 11,200 direct jobs, nearly $1.1 billion labor income, and $1.4 billion economic output to the region. LANLs expenditures also indirectly supported approximately 9,300 jobs, more than …

Correlation Of P16ink4a Expression And Hpv Copy Number With Cellular Ftir Spectroscopic Signatures Of Cervical Cancer Cells, Kamila Ostrowska, Amaya Garcia, Aidan Meade, Alison Malkin, Ifeoluwapo Okewumi, John O’Leary, Cara Martin, Hugh Byrne, Fiona Lyng

Articles

Cervical cancer, a potentially preventable disease, has its main aetiology in infection by high risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV). Approaches to improving cervical cancer screening and diagnostic methodologies include molecular biological analysis, targeting of biomarker proteins, but also exploration and implementation of new techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy. This study correlates the biomarker protein p16^INK4A expression levels dependent on HPV copy number with the infrared absorption spectral signatures of the cervical cancer cell lines, HPV negative C33A, HPV-16 positive SiHa and CaSki and HPV-18 positive HeLa. Confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that p16^INK4A is expressed in all investigated cell lines …

Natural And Drought Scenarios In An East Central Amazon Forest: Fidelity Of The Community Land Model 3.5 With Three Biogeochemical Models, Koichi Sakaguchi, Xubin Zeng, Bradley O. Christoffersen, Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Scott R. Saleska, Paulo M. Brando

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Recent development of general circulation models involves biogeochemical cycles: flows of carbon and other chemical species that circulate through the Earth system. Such models are valuable tools for future projections of climate, but still bear large uncertainties in the model simulations. One of the regions with especially high uncertainty is the Amazon forest where large-scale dieback associated with the changing climate is predicted by several models. In order to better understand the capability and weakness of global-scale land-biogeochemical models in simulating a tropical ecosystem under the present day as well as significantly drier climates, we analyzed the off-line simulations for …

Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (Kim-1) As An Early Detection Tool For Acute Kidney Injury And Other Renal Diseases, John Fontanilla, Md, Won K. Han, M.D

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Introduction: Although serum creatinine is the standard metric tool for the detection of renal injury, its lack of sensitivity has made the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) very difficult.  In fact, the absence of sensitive AKI biomarkers has impaired progress in the nephrology field and had a detrimental effect on the design and outcome of AKI clinical trials.  Recently, several proteins have shown potential in the early detection of acute and chronic kidney injuries.

Areas covered: This review discusses the current status of kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) as a potential diagnostic tool in patients with various acute …

Expression Of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase In Dysplastic Lesions Arising From Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Adam D. Toll, Bruce M. Boman, Juan P. Palazzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates ALDH1 is significantly expressed in dysplatic lesions arising from IBD. ALDH1-expression in cancer stem cells suggest an important causative role in the progression to cancer in IBD. Although we found high sensitivity for dysplasia, the specificity was poor. In addition to neoplasia, ALDH1-expressing stem cells proliferate in response to chronic inflammation, accounting for the cases of inflammatory atypia with positive ALDHI1 expression.

Fus Transgenic Rats Develop The Phenotypes Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration., Cao Huang, Hongxia Zhou, Jianbin Tong, Han Chen, Yong-Jian Liu, Dian Wang, Xiaotao Wei, Xu-Gang Xia

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) proteinopathy is a feature of frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD), and mutation of the fus gene segregates with FTLD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To study the consequences of mutation in the fus gene, we created transgenic rats expressing the human fus gene with or without mutation. Overexpression of a mutant (R521C substitution), but not normal, human FUS induced progressive paralysis resembling ALS. Mutant FUS transgenic rats developed progressive paralysis secondary to degeneration of motor axons and displayed a substantial loss of neurons in the cortex and hippocampus. This neuronal loss was accompanied by ubiquitin aggregation and …

Remote Quantification Of Smokestack Total Effluent Mass Flow Rates Using Imaging Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy, Jacob L. Harley

Theses and Dissertations

A Telops Hyper-Cam midwave infrared (1.5 − 5.5μm) imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (IFTS) was used to estimate industrial smokestack total effluent mass flow rates by combining spectrally-determined species concentrations with flow rates estimated via analysis of sequential images in the raw interferogram cube. Strong emissions from H₂O, CO₂, CO, SO₂, and NO were observed in the spectrum. A previously established plume radiative transfer model was used to estimate gas concentrations, and a simple temporal cross-correlation analysis of sequential imagery enabled an estimation of the flow velocity. Final effluent mass flow rates for CO₂ and …

Impact Of The Cyprus Problem On Cfsp And Regional Power Transition In Europe, Birol A. Yeşilada

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mathematicians posited that a “butterfly effect”might be present in complex interactions. Relationships between Power Transition in Europe, the future of European Union’s (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and protracted Cyprus conflict are examples of this phenomenon. On the one hand, findings from Power Transition analysis indicate significant shift in global and regional hierarchies where the EU is expected to fall behind its global competitions –namely China, the United States, and India (Tammen et al, 2000; Yesilada, Efird, and Noordijk 2006). On the other hand, closer this “rising threat of China” can be postponed by a deeper degree of …

Teaching For Transformation: (Re)Designing Sustainability Courses Based On Ecological Principles, Heather Burns

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

If educators are to effectively prepare learners with the knowledge, skills, and values they will need for creating more sustainable places and communities, a transition must be made from transmissive teaching models to transformative learning processes. But how can courses be designed or redesigned so that they create opportunities for transformational sustainability learning, and how can ecological principles guide this process? The Burns model of sustainability pedagogy provides a practical model for course design that is rooted in ecological principles. The Burns model is comprised of five key dimensions: (1)Content; (2)Perspectives; (3)Process; (4)Context; and (5)Design and seeks to: (1) increase …

Living Soil And Sustainability Education: Linking Pedagogy And Pedology, Dilafruz R. Williams, Jonathan D. Brown

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainability is now permeating educational institutions. Yet the emerging discourse on sustainability education is in many ways caught in a modern web of theoretical, ontological, and epistemological assumptions that are incongruent with sustainability. We introduce an ecologically grounded metaphoric language rooted in living soil as an alternative regenerative framework for linking sustainability pedagogy with pedology (the study of soil). Five principles that guide this relationship are presented: valuing biocultural diversity, sensitizing our senses, recognizing place, cultivating interconnection, and embracing practical experience. Nurtured within an environment of curiosity, wonder, and questioning, and set to the rhythm and scale of localized ecologies, …

Eco And In Vitro Mammalian Toxicological Assessment Of Polymeric Nanomaterials, Pratap Naha

Doctoral

Eco and in vitro mammalian toxicological assessment of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) / N-tert-butylacrylamide (BAM) copolymer nanoparticles and Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were performed in a range of test models. The particle sizes of the copolymer nanoparticles and PAMAM dendrimers (G4, G5 and G6) were measured in Milli-Q water, Algae Media, Daphnia Media, Microtox Diluent and cell culture media. The zeta potential of PNIPAM (Poly- N-isopropylacrylamide) and NIPAM/BAM copolymer nanoparticles measured in the different media was seen to correlate well with the ratio of BAM monomer and therefore the hydrophobicity of the particles. Ecotoxicological studies of the NIPAM/BAM copolymer nanoparticles and PAMAM dendrimers …

Cost Innovation: Schumpeter And Equilibrium. Part 1. Robinson Crusoe, Martin Shubik, William D. Sudderth

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Modifying a parallel dynamic programming approach to a simple deterministic economy, we consider the effect of an innovation in the means of production. The success of the innovation is assumed to depend on the availability of financing, locus of financial control, the amount of resources invested, and on a random event. The relationship between money and physical assets is critical. In this first part stress is laid on the innovation behavior of Robinson Crusoe in a premonetary economy, then on his actions in a monetary economy in partial equilibrium. Part 2 considers the closed monetary economy with several differentiated agents.

Peer Effects And The Freshman 15: Evidence From A Natural Experiment, Olga Yakusheva, Kandice A. Kapinos, Marianne E. Weiss

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigates the importance of peer effects in explaining weight gain among freshman college students. We exploit a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the US - randomized roommate assignments. While previous studies suggest that having an obese spouse, friend, or sibling increases one's likelihood of becoming obese, these social interactions are clearly non-random. We collect data from female students living on campus at a private Midwestern university at the beginning and end of their first year of college. Our findings suggest that the amount of weight gained during the freshman year is strongly and …

Analysis Of Interband, Intraband, And Plasmon Polariton Transitions In Silver Nanoparticle Films Via In Situ Real-Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, S. A. Little, R. W. Collins, S. Marsillac

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The dielectric function of Ag nanoparticle films, deduced from an analysis of in situ real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) measurements, is found to evolve with time during deposition in close consistency with the film structure, deduced in the same RTSE analysis. In the nucleation regime, the intraband dielectric function component is absent and plasmon polariton behavior dominates. Only at nuclei contact, does the intraband amplitude appear, increasing above zero. Both intraband and plasmon amplitudes coexist during surface smoothening associated with coalescence. The intraband relaxation time increases rapidly after surface smoothening is complete, also in consistency with the thin film structural evolution.

Perspective Paper: Assessing Air Quality As Part Of A Physical Therapy Plan Of Care, Dennis Sobush, Monika Burrescia

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: The purposes of this clinical perspective paper are (1) to expand physical therapists’ awareness to the topic of air quality as a health priority when providing professional services; and (2) to provide templates for screening the indoor clinical environments and patient profiles to avert respiratory exacerbations, especially in persons with asthma. Summary of Key Points: The location where a physical therapist practices determines the air quality indices to which a person is exposed. Poor indoor air quality can expose a person to even greater compromise of respiration (ie, Sick Building Syndrome) than outdoor air quality secondary to an array …

The Current Volume 21 : Issue 23, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Igh Gene Rearrangements As Plasma Biomarkers In Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients, Jian He, Jian Wu, Yuchen Jiao, Nina Wagner-Johnston, Richard F. Ambinder, Luis A. Diaz, Kenneth W. Kinzler, Bert Vogelstein, Nickolas Papadopoulos

Open Access Publications

New biomarkers with improved accuracy could be helpful for monitoring disease in patients with Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). Towards this end, we have explored the feasibility of identifying the sequence of rearranged IgH genes using next-generation sequencing, then using PCR to detect specific rearranged DNA fragments in patients' plasma. By capturing and sequencing the IgH genomic regions (IgCap), we were able to detect and precisely determine the sequence of rearranged IgH loci in the tumors of three NHL patients. Moreover, circulating rearranged DNA fragments could be identified in the plasma of all three patients. Even in cases wherein tumor biopsies were …

The Roddey Mcmillan Record - March 2011, Winthrop University

The RMR 2010-2019

The Roddey McMillan Record (RMR) is Winthrop’s monthly multicultural student publication. The RMR has been a significant voice of the minority population of the Winthrop community since its creation by Gail Harris in April 1986. It promotes awareness and understanding of issues concerning minorities for the prosperity of the entire Winthrop community. The purpose of the RMR is to shine light on the many diverse cultures at Winthrop, focusing on issues, concerns and happenings of those who represent the multicultural community on campus. The Roddey McMillan Record is named after Dr. Cynthia Roddey and Atty, Sheila McMillan. Cynthia Roddey was …

A Common Law View Of Causation, Science And Statistical Evidence In The Courtroom, Basil C. Bitas

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In March 2010, the Australian High Court in Amaca Ltd v Ellis [2010] HCA 5 (“Amaca”) moved assertively to clarify the approach of the Australian courts to causation in cases of lung disease involving multiple pathogens. The court demonstrated sensitivity to both the scientific and legal inquiries while reaffirming the obligation of plaintiffs to prove causation based on the balance of probabilities. In examining the plaintiff’s statistical evidence, the court established important guideposts regarding the proper use and interpretation of epidemiology in the courtroom, highlighting both the relevance and limits of such proof regarding causation and the satisfaction of the …

Advancing Mass Spectrometry-Based Clinical Proteomics In Saudi Arabia. Establishing A Saudi Proteomics Society, Abdul A. Peer-Zada, Mohammed H. Al-Qahtani

Saudi Medical Journal

Rapid developments in the field of mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic technologies holds great promise in the search for clinically useful protein biomarkers for early detection, diagnosis, and prognosis of disease in general, and for monitoring response to therapy. Proteomics may contribute to finding novel drug targets and unravel molecular pathways associated with disease. Despite the application of clinical proteomics to a wide spectrum of disease research globally, however, there is lack of data with regard to quantitative proteomics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for the diseases common to the Saudi population. In this review therefore, we will discuss …

Significant Inter-Fraction Variations During Tangential Breast Irradiation. An Indication For Image-Guided Radiotherapy For Simultaneously Integrated Boost, Yasir A. Bahadur, Camelia T. Constantinescu, Ashraf H. Hassouna

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To use electronic portal images (EPI) to clinically evaluate inter-fraction variations during tangential breast irradiation, using either a skin marks setup, or a bony anatomy setup, and to determine the required margins for simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) planning target volume (PTV). METHODS: Ten patients undergoing radiotherapy to the entire breast with tangential fields, after breast conservation surgery were considered for this pilot prospective study in the Radiation Therapy Unit of King Abdulaziz University Hospital between February and September 2009. Patient setup was carried out either using skin marks or bony anatomy landmarks. The EPIs of the medial tangential radiation …

Screening Of Hepatitis B And C And Human Immunodeficiency Virus In Infertile Couples In Saudi Arabia, Aisha A. Mansoor, Abdalla I. Salih, Dania H. Al-Jaroudi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in a group of infertile couples attending a tertiary care facility in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was performed by reviewing medical records of 500 couples referred to the Reproductive Endocrine and Infertility Medicine Department of the Women9s Specialized Hospital at King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2006 and December 2008. All patients were screened for HBV markers (hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B surface antibody, hepatitis B core antibody, hepatitis Be antigen), …

Early Colonization Of Intestinal Bifidobacteria And Lactobacilli In The Postoperative Neonates With Congenital Intestinal Atresia, Ren Wang, Jinjin Chen

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To observe the early colonization of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (B&L) in the postoperative neonate patients (NPs) with congenital intestinal atresia (CIA). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in Shanghai Children9s Hospital, Shanghai, China between February 2009 to August 2010 on 18 postoperative NPs with CIA (NP group), and 20 healthy full-term neonates raised by breastfeeding (healthy group). The fecal B&L in the 2 groups of neonates were consecutively quantified by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction on 6 different time points. RESULTS: The mean levels (log/g feces) of B&L in the NPs group were significantly lower than in the …