Digital Commons Network^™

Mir-145 Directly Targets P70s6k1 In Cancer Cells To Inhibit Tumor Growth And Angiogenesis., Qing Xu, Ling-Zhi Liu, Xu Qian, Qi Chen, Yue Jiang, Dan Li, Lihui Lai, Bing-Hua Jiang

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

MiR-145 can regulate cell apoptosis, proliferation, neural development and stem cell differentiation. Previous studies indicate that miR-145 is downregulated in human colon cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of miR-145 used to regulate colon carcinogenesis and angiogenesis remain to be clarified. Here, we show that the expression of miR-145 is downregulated in colon and ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. MiR-145 inhibits p70S6K1 post-transcriptional expression by binding to its 3'-UTR. The angiogenic factors hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are downstream molecules of p70S6K1, are decreased by miR-145 overexpression. P70S6K1 rescues miR-145-suppressed HIF-1 and VEGF …

The Dermatan Sulfate Proteoglycan Decorin Modulates Α2Β1 Integrin And The Vimentin Intermediate Filament System During Collagen Synthesis., Oliver Jungmann, Katerina Nikolovska, Christian Stock, Jan-Niklas Schulz, Beate Eckes, Christoph Riethmüller, Rick T Owens, Renato V Iozzo, Daniela G Seidler

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan harboring a dermatan sulfate chain at its N-terminus, is involved in regulating matrix organization and cell signaling. Loss of the dermatan sulfate of decorin leads to an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome characterized by delayed wound healing. Decorin-null (Dcn(-/-)) mice display a phenotype similar to that of EDS patients. The fibrillar collagen phenotype of Dcn(-/-) mice could be rescued in vitro by decorin but not with decorin lacking the glycosaminoglycan chain. We utilized a 3D cell culture model to investigate the impact of the altered extracellular matrix on Dcn(-/-) fibroblasts. Using 2D gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry, …

Effect Of 4 Years Of Growth Hormone Therapy In Children With Noonan Syndrome In The American Norditropin Studies: Web-Enabled Research (Answer) Program® Registry., Peter A Lee, Judith Ross, John A Germak, Robert Gut

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a genetic disorder characterized by phenotypic features, including facial dysmorphology, cardiovascular anomalies, and short stature. Growth hormone (GH) has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for short stature in children with NS. The objective of this analysis was to assess the height standard deviation score (HSDS) and change in HSDS (ΔHSDS) for up to 4 years (Y4) of GH therapy in children with NS.

METHODS: The American Norditropin Studies: Web-Enabled Research (ANSWER) Program®, a US-based registry, collects long-term efficacy and safety information on patients treated with Norditropin® (somatropin rDNA origin, Novo …

Adolescent Dating Violence: How Should Schools Respond?, Jeanne L. Surface, David Stader, Thomas Graca, Jerry Lowe

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying, therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of teen dating violence. Unfortunately, school district failure to take action is far too common, despite the statutory duty to ensure the safety of all students during school hours and at school sponsored events. School districts can be held liable for student dating violence under Title IX, under 42 U.S.C. …

Tinkering With The Machinery Of Life, Ben L. Trachtenberg

Faculty Publications

Recent adjustments by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to their cost–benefit analysis procedures could cause tremendous changes to federal regulation. For decades, federal agencies have calculated the value of a statistical life (VSL) and have used that number when evaluating the costs and benefits of proposed regulations. If a regulation was expected to save lives, the number of lives saved could be multiplied by the VSL to monetize the benefits. Because, however, lives saved in the future were given the same nominal value as lives saved in the present, the real value of future …

Evaluation Of Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn Containing Pyramided Traits For Management Of Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea Saccharalis (F.), David Sindani Wangila

LSU Master's Theses

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), is a major target of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn in the U.S. mid southern region. Corn expressing pyramided Bt proteins has recently become commercially available in the U.S. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine survival and plant injury of Cry1Ab-susceptible (Cry1Ab-SS), -resistant (Cry1Ab-RR), and –heterozygous (Cry1Ab-RS) genotypes of D. saccharalis on Bt corn containing single and pyramided Bt genes and 2) to assess larval movement of D. saccharalis in different planting patterns of non-Bt and Bt corn. One laboratory leaf tissue bioassay and two independent greenhouse trials were conducted to evaluate …

Structural And Molecular Pathology Of The Atrium In Boxer Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy, Jorge Luis Vila

LSU Master's Theses

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC), also known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), is a disease characterized by fatty or fibro-fatty myocardial replacement, predominantly in the right ventricle and to a lower extent the left ventricle. It is recognized as a disease affecting the cardiac intercalated disc. Clinically, it is associated with ventricular arrhythmias, although atrial arrhythmias and atrial histopathological changes characteristic of AC have occasionally been reported. The full extent of atrial involvement in AC has not been investigated. Therefore, we aimed to apply histopathology, immunochemical detection, immunolocalization and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to characterize the distribution of desmosomal and …

The Roberts Court And The Civil Procedure Revival, Howard Merrill Wasserman

Faculty Publications

In the six terms since John G. Roberts became Chief Justice in September 2005, the Supreme Court has decided numerous, significant, and potentially far-reaching cases on core civil procedure subjects, including pleading, summary judgment, personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, class actions, and the Erie/Hanna Doctrine. This renewed interest in civil procedure and the Federal Rules is an important, but little-discussed, jurisprudential theme of the early years of the Roberts Court. This essay explores the Court’s emerging reengagement with civil procedure; it identifies several organizing themes in the recent cases and examines the existing ambivalence and hostility among the competing rulemaking …

Including Social Goals In Achievement Motivation Research: Examples From The Philippines, Ronnel B. King, Dennis M. Mcinerney

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Traditional theories of achievement motivation such as achievement goal theory mostly neglected its more social aspects. This paper focuses on social goal as a key construct and argues for the need to include social goals in the research agenda. This is especially important when conducting research among collectivist societies where the interdependent self-construal is more salient. Examples of social goal research done within one collectivist culture, the Philippines, are provided. Overall, social goal research in the Philippines supports the inclusion of social goals when examining students’ motivational dynamics.

Paved With Good Intentions: The Fate Of Strict Liability Under The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Kalyani Robbins

Faculty Publications

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) contains a very broad ban on harming migratory birds, as well as a strict liability standard for misdemeanor violations. Without further limitation, the MBTA would theoretically apply to countless ordinary life activities, such as driving a car or having windows on one’s home. Naturally, there are due process concerns with such a scenario, so Congress expressly left it to the Department of the Interior to draft more detailed implementing regulations. Unfortunately, the existing regulations fail to adequately address the potential overbreadth of the MBTA’s misdemeanor application, forcing the courts to do so on an …

Global Public Goods, Governance Risk, And International Energy, Timothy L. Meyer

Scholarly Works

Scholars and commentators have long argued that issue linkages provide a way to increase cooperation on global public goods by increasing participation in global institutions, building consensus, and deterring free-riding. In this symposium article, I argue that the emphasis on the potential of issue linkages to facilitate cooperation in these ways has caused commentators to underestimate how common features of international legal institutions designed to accomplish these aims can actually undermine those institutions’ ability to facilitate cooperation. I focus on two features of institutional design that are intended to encourage participation in public goods institutions but can create the risk …

Alternative Justifications For Academic Support Iii: An Empirical Analysis Of The Impact Of Academic Support On Perceived Autonomy Support And Humanizing Law Schools, Louis N. Schulze Jr., Adam A. Ding

Faculty Publications

This article details the findings of a two-year empirical study on the impact of a law school academic support program (ASP) on law students. The hypothesis of the study was that as students' participation in a well-resourced, open-access ASP increases, students' perception of "autonomy support" and "humanizing" grows as well. The study concludes, based upon statistically significant data, that law school ASPs impact students in positive ways and therefore are worth the investment. This article is the third in a series designed to show that law school academic support measures positively impact students' well-being and lead to a more robust …

The Origins, Evolution, And Future Of Preference Assessments In Applied Behavior Analysis, Hamilton Rech

Research Papers

For nearly thirty years, preference assessments have been utilized in determining items of interest for individuals afflicted with developmental disabilities. Originally, preference assessments were conducted on individuals with severe and profound disabilities, however over time, preference assessments have been adapted to suit individuals with various levels of functioning, as well as those with physical disabilities. Five primary methodologies have become widely accepted for conducting such assessments, and as new techniques have emerged, researchers have conducted a wide range of comparative studies, in hopes of sorting out each respective assessment’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as identify which specific populations for …

Movable Objects: Blurring Binaries Through An Analysis Of The Solo Performance To Lay Brick, Margarethe Mapes

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Faith-Based Organizations And Their Contributions To Society, Candice N. Watson

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Case Study Of Factors Distinguishing Between High And Low-Performance On Reading Achievement In Elementary Rural Appalachian Schools, Jennifer Renee Chambers

Online Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative comparative case study identified factors that distinguish between high and low-performance on reading achievement in elementary rural Appalachian schools. This study determined the most effective instructional reading strategies, as well as other influential factors, implemented by school districts in the rural Appalachia area with similar student demographics and economic disadvantages. Data were collected through interview questions to assess the staffs' perceptions of their school's instructional program, leadership strategies, and teaching methods. The researcher also conducted observations of classrooms during reading instruction to determine practices being used. Results indicate high teacher morale, teacher efficacy, supportive leadership, meaningful professional development, …

A Multiple Case Study Of Teacher Perspective On Effective Interventions Used By Family Resource Centers In Elementary Schools To Improve Parental Involvement Of Students At Risk, April Cherisha Wood

Online Theses and Dissertations

Students not having the positive opportunities of an education, often experience negative effects throughout their lives. Educators need to do more to meet the needs of elementary students at risk, and if this can be accomplished the students will receive a 21st Century education that will help students with a global education, which is necessary to their quality of life now and in the future. This is an effort to better understand the interactions family resource centers use to intervene, helping families of students at risk, become involved in schools, and establish a framework that offers a more focused lens …

Civilian Aviation Screening: A Time-Series Analysis Of Confiscated Firearms At Screening Checkpoints, Shon Agard

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the aviation screening process and sought to determine if the federalization of the screening process had any effect on the number of firearm confiscations at civilian aviation screening checkpoints. The hypothesis of the study was that airport screening firearms confiscations (per one million screenings) were lower before the U.S. government (TSA) took over screening in 2001-2002. This quantitative research required the performance of an interrupted time series analysis. Interrupted time series analysis evaluates the impact of one or more events on the values in the time series. An interrupted time series analysis attempts to determine whether an …

Identification Of Differences Between Information Communicated By Text Messaging And Voice Message On Feedback, Nicholas Simpson

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the modifying effect of communication via voice or text on a cellular phone as it relates to the effects of feedback on future performance, self-efficacy, and perceived face validity. Previous literature has established an effect of positive feedback enhancing future performance and self-efficacy, and negative feedback decreasing future performance and self-efficacy, but no research currently exists on how this effect can be modified by method of delivery over cellular phone. This study examined the effect of positive and negative feedback by having participants complete self-efficacy, face validity, and performance measures. The participants then received positive or negative …

Forest Dynamics Of Two Multi-Aged Hemlock-Mixed Mesophytic Forests In The Northern Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, Kacie Lee Tackett

Online Theses and Dissertations

Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) is a foundation species that performs a unique ecological role within the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forest of the eastern United States. However, the non-native hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae Annand), a novel invasive colonizer, is significantly altering the natural processes within T. canadensis ecosystems. Few studies have documented T. canadensis forests before, during, and after HWA infestation. This study documented the pre-HWA conditions of two old hemlock-mixed mesophytic forests in eastern Kentucky by examining the composition, T. canadensis crown health, stand structure, age structure, and disturbance history. Rock Creek Research Natural Area (RCRNA) is a …

The Lived Experience Of Non-Traditional Students In The Occupational Science Program At Eastern Kentucky University, Deana Marie Ward

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover the lived experience of non-traditional students in the OS program at EKU. The findings of this research will allow faculty, staff, and other students to gain an understanding of this population of students and their perspective and experience.

To reach the research objectives, this study used a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and email follow up with each of the participants. The study included three non-traditional students that were currently enrolled in or had recently graduated from the OS program. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and grouped into common …

The Experiences Of An Occupational Therapist Delivering Occupation-Based Practice At A Skilled Nursing Facility, Shannon M. Mattingly

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a qualitative research study which seeks to explore the experiences of an occupational therapist in delivering occupation-based practice at a skilled nursing facility in Kentucky. Over a three month period, the subject participated in one email and two face-to-face semi-structured interviews. During these interviews, the researcher and therapist discussed topics such as the therapist's thoughts on reimbursement and documentation and her strategies for intervention planning and implementation.

During data analysis of interview transcriptions, three themes emerged and were titled with direct quotes from the participant: "The long-term goal is to increase my patient's level of functional ADL …

The Perception Of School Board Members And Their Role In Improving College And Career Readiness, Sara Elaine Farris

Online Theses and Dissertations

The national focus of graduating America's students ready for college and a career has heightened the importance of and the need for school board members to rethink their purpose on what and how they spend their time. Improving the college and career readiness of K-12 students will need school boards that are willing to receive the training to ensure that district leadership and schools are using the appropriate strategies that will impact college and career readiness.

School boards have always recognized student achievement as central to their role in governing public schools; however, the impact they actually have on promoting …

Kentucky Speech-Language Pathologists' Confidence And Education In Providing Services To Spanish-English Bilingual Children In The Public Schools, Leah Katherine Cooley

Online Theses and Dissertations

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has mandated that all speech-language pathologists (SLPs) competently assess and serve children from diverse cultural backgrounds (ASHA, 2010). In Kentucky, there has been a 121% increase in the Hispanic population in the last ten years (O'Neill, 2011). As the population of Kentucky becomes more diverse, it is essential that SLPs have cultural competence and confidence in serving clients with culturally-linguistically diverse backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of multicultural pre- service training and continuing education Kentucky SLPs have received to the amount received by the SLPs surveyed in the larger …

Preliminary Validation Of The Childhood Autism Rating Scale - Second Edition Questionnaire For Parents Or Caregivers (Cars2-Qpc) And The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (Gars-2) With A Chinese-Speaking Population, Nannan Li

Online Theses and Dissertations

Autism is a neurobiological disorder that is diagnosed through careful behavioral assessment in early childhood. Appropriate measurement of autism is essential for determining appropriate intervention strategies. Whereas, there are only a limited autism measures available for use in China. For this reason, valid and reliable measures of autism for use with Chinese speaking individuals are of critical importance. The purpose of the present study is to begin the process of developing two measures of autism for use with Chinese speaking individuals.

The development of the measures of autism with Chinese speaking population was started by translating the Questionnaire for Parents …

Occupational Therapists' Perception Of Their Role In Working With Clients Experiencing Visual Deficits: A Phenomenological Study, Rebekah Katherine Wurzback

Online Theses and Dissertations

Because there is a discrepancy between the described role for OT in the professional literature and the Kentucky Practice Act, it is necessary to consider occupational therapy's role and to evaluate what type of practice is occurring related to visual deficits in the local environment. The purpose of this study was to explore occupational therapist's perceptions of their role and experiences in working with visual deficits in an inpatient rehabilitation setting in Kentucky. In this phenomenological study, four occupational therapists participated in a one-on-one interview with the principal investigator, lasting from 30-60 minutes. Occupational therapists answered questions about their lived …

Occupational Therapists' Intervention Approaches In Secondary Transition Services For Students With Disabilities, Elizabeth Kelly Miller

Online Theses and Dissertations

Students with disabilities have poor adult outcomes following high school compared to students without disabilities. Issues including poor self-determination, limited work and community experiences, and poor life skills contribute to poor adult outcomes. Occupational therapists possess unique skills that guide intervention in these areas. Despite explicit skills, occupational therapists are currently not predominate service providers in secondary transition services for students with disabilities. This study focused on transition-related intervention approaches used by occupational therapists in the Arizona Peoria Unified School District. Data was collected through qualitative research of a larger study designed to establish the role for occupational therapy in …

Fermenting Identities: Race And Pulque Politics In Mexico City Between 1519 And 1754, Neil Robert Kasiak

Online Theses and Dissertations

The material, symbolic and social forces that colonists and certain indigenous groups selectively reinforced manipulated and reshaped ethnic identity in New Spain. Examining pre-conquest and post-conquest perceptions of the maguey (or American agave) and pulque, the maguey's alcoholic by-product, underscores how race, ethnicity and food influenced social change after Cortes marched on Mexico. The socio-political discourse and food cultures that engulfed pulque and the maguey developed under combustible contexts. Paternalistic Spanish ideologies combined with prevailing indigenous elite strategies to create identity membership categories that defined the major negative influences in colonial culture. The deeply seated, and often misunderstood, pre-conquest symbolism …

Measuring Tasks, Time, And Priorities: A Study Of An Alternative School Leader In Action, Gregory Michael O'Bryan

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explored whether conventional means to evaluate principal instructional leadership were appropriate in alternative school settings. The mixed methods research included shadowing an alternative school principal over two days during the fall semester, 2011. Data was collected using the Vanderbilt Assessment of Education in Leadership's (VAL-ED) Time Task Analysis Tool^TM checklist supplemented by naturalistic observations and ongoing explanations by the principal. Leader activities were categorized within three major categories: instructional, management, and personal. Additional activity descriptions were based on instrument subcategories, multiple cycles of coding, and analytic memoing. Conclusions indicated that the VAL-ED instrument failed to accurately define …

The Process Of Colonial Adaptation: English Responses To The 1692 Earthquake At Port Royal, Jamaica, Julie Yates Matlock

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates how colonists adapted to their new tropical environment after a destructive earthquake occurred in Jamaica on June 7, 1692. This earthquake killed approximately two thousand people and destroyed half of the bustling harbor town of Port Royal. The earthquake dramatically changed the landscape of England's most successful Caribbean town and affected the colonists.

Historian Richard Dunn contended that colonists did not adapt to their tropical environment for at least a century after first inhabiting the Caribbean. This study argues against Dunn's theory in that the earthquake served as a catalyst in accelerating the colonists' rate of adaptation …