Digital Commons Network^™

Transgenic Overexpression Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 In Macrophages Attenuates The Inflammatory Response And Improves Left Ventricular Function Post-Myocardial Infarction, Rogelio Zamilpa, Jessica Ibarra, Lisandra E. De Castro Brás, Trevi A. Ramirez, Nguyen Nguyen, Ganesh V. Halade, Jianhua Zhang, Qiuxia Dai, Tariq Dayah, Ying Ann Chiao, Wesley Lowell, Seema S. Ahuja, Jeanine D'Armiento, Yu Fang Jin, Merry L. Lindsey

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Following myocardial infarction (MI), activated macrophages infiltrate into the necrotic myocardium as part of a robust pro-inflammatory response and secrete matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Macrophage activation, in turn, modulates the fibrotic response, in part by stimulating fibroblast extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis. We hypothesized that overexpression of human MMP-9 in mouse macrophages would amplify the inflammatory and fibrotic responses to exacerbate left ventricular dysfunction. Unexpectedly, at day 5 post-MI, ejection fraction was improved in transgenic (TG) mice (25 ± 2%) compared to the wild type (WT) mice (18 ± 2%; p < 0.05). By gene expression profiling, 23 of 84 inflammatory genes were decreased in the left ventricle infarct (LVI) region from the TG compared to WT mice (all p < 0.05). Concomitantly, TG macrophages isolated from the LVI, as well as TG peritoneal macrophages stimulated with LPS, showed decreased inflammatory marker expression compared to WT macrophages. In agreement with attenuated inflammation, only 7 of 84 cell adhesion and ECM genes were increased in the TG LVI compared to WT LVI, while 43 genes were decreased (all p < 0.05). These results reveal a novel role for macrophage-derived MMP-9 in blunting the inflammatory response and limiting ECM synthesis to improve left ventricular function post-MI.

Inactivation Of Bacterial Opportunistic Skin Pathogens By Nonthermal Dc-Operated Afterglow Atmospheric Plasma, L. C. Heller, C. M. Edelblute, A. M. Mattson, X. Hao, J. F. Kolb

Bioelectrics Publications

AIMS: Multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens are clinically significant and require the development of new antimicrobial methods. In this study, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus cells were exposed to atmospheric plasma on agar plates and in vitro on porcine skin for the purpose of testing bacterial inactivation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbial inactivation at varying exposure durations was tested using a nonthermal plasma jet generated with a DC voltage from ambient air. The observed reduction in colony forming units was quantified as log₁₀ reductions.

CONCLUSIONS: Direct plasma exposure significantly inactivated seeded bacterial cells by approx. 6 log_{10 …}

Resident Travel And In-State Vacation Characteristics, Kara Grau, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was a 12‐month project conducted to further understand how often residents travel within Montana, where they travel, how much they spend, and the activities they participate in while on a pleasure trip. A 94% response rate was achieved with the on‐site survey (12,401 surveys completed) and a 37% response rate was subsequently obtained from the longer mail‐back or web survey (3,133 surveys completed). Similar to a non-response check, a third and final survey was conducted, on‐line, to validate the trip numbers reported by residents.

Event-Driven Environmental News In The U.S. And Canada, Stuart Soroka, Stephen J. Farnsworth, Lori Young, Andrea Lawlor

Political Science & International Affairs Articles

This paper presents results from a content analytic study of U.S. and Canadian evening news programs on energy and environmental topics from 1999 to 2009. The analysis reveals the importance of coverage of weather and natural disasters in both countries — importance not just in terms of the volume of coverage, but in the role that coverage plays in driving discussion of broader, more thematic coverage of pollution and climate change. Indeed, causality tests reveal that coverage of climate change, pollution and related issues are strongly affected by — or, rather, dependent on — coverage of disasters and other weather …

Smoking On The Margins: An Equity Analysis Of The Outcomes Of An Outdoor Smoke-Free Policy, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Ann Pederson

Nursing Presentations

• Purpose: To analyze the health and health equity impact of the newly implemented smoke-free policy for Vancouver’s parks and beaches

• CIHR Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research – designed to study an intervention in action not controlled by the investigators

• End date of funding, March 31, 2013 (with potential 12-month extension)

The Walt Disney Company: A Corporate Strategy Analysis, Carlos Carillo, Jeremy Crumley, Kendree Thieringer, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Walt Disney is a completely integrated media powerhouse. Films provide material for theme parks and resorts, consumer products, and even a cruise ship. Network and cable broadcasting is also a part of the integrated Disney package. None of Disney’s competitors are as successfully integrated. Still, in spite of a long record of success, Disney is facing more competition on many fronts and, like other media and entertainment companies, must continue to adapt to a changing technological and social environment.

Sony Corporation: Reinventing Itself To Rediscover The Technological Edge, Chatterji Dheeman, Hayes Schildwachter, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Sony is a global conglomerate with a wide variety of businesses in its portfolio, but a heavy emphasis on electronics and related products. Due to a number of setbacks such as the earthquake in Japan and a weak global economy, the firm has experienced sales declines and negative earnings in recent years. In early 2012 the company announced a major restructuring and new strategy to regain its edge. However, Sony has an uphill battle.

Groupon, Inc., Kevin Beiles, Trip Humphrey, Ed Solarz, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Groupon’s CEO Andrew Mason made a terrible mistake when he refused to accept Google’s $6 billion dollar offer to acquire his company. About a year after its IPO in 2011, Groupon’s market capitalization was only $2.5 billion, and its main product was coming to be thought of as junk e-mail. The company has pursued growth through expanding into new services and products, with the goal of becoming an e-commerce platform that “locks in” the business of local merchants.

Teaching Prison Law, Sharon Dolovich

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

First Choice, November 2012, Wusf Public Media

First Choice Monthly Newsletter

The November 2012 issue of WUSF's newsletter "First Choice."

Rough And Tumblr Politics, Unh Communications And Public Affairs

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Interpreting Accreditation Testing Formatsin Australia, Sedat Mulayim

International Journal of Interpreter Education

Advanced and affordable video conferencing technology has led to an increase in remote interpreting services via video, which has become a significant alternative to telephone and face-to-face interpreting. In keeping with this development, training providers are now incorporating video conference interpreting in their training. Video and audio resources are also increasingly being used as e-learning resources in online learning tools such as Blackboard and other university student learning portals. This has implications for the testing of interpreting skills, and the RMIT University Translating and Interpreting Program in Melbourne, Australia has started phasing in video assessment in examination and accreditation tests. …

Para La Defensa De Las Americas: The Pictorial Magazine En Guardia In Nelson A. Rockefeller’S Propaganda Campaign For Latin America During World War Ii, Carlos R. De Souza

School of Art & Design Faculty Publications

Propaganda models recommend the use of familiar media, such as existing local or national newspapers and magazines, because target audiences are inclined to trust them more than newly established and untried publications. It is assumed that if the media cannot be used or needed to be supplemented with a more directly controlled and plentiful message, then the propagandist could not do any better than to replicate their formats. By reproducing the tested design and mode of information delivery of these trusted conduits, the sponsor of propaganda capitalizes on existing readings habits and this increases the likelihood of attaining his or …

Rutherford Family Collection Celebration: Exhibit Catalogue, Charlotte Rutherford, Marti Clemmons, Meg Langford, Jeanne Roedel, Tasha Triplett, Marc Carpenter, Patricia Schechter

"Say We Are Here" Exhibit

This is the catalogue for the exhibit, "Say We Are Here: Culture, Community and Activism across Four Generations of Black Oregonians."

The Racist Application Of The Death Penalty In The United States, Mayra T. Felix

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of The Social-Economic Status Of Successful Women In Business, Politics, And Media In The U.S., Jasmin Bramlett, Sara Whitworth

Social Sciences

This project is an attempt to analyze how women achieve success in spite of the historical disadvantages that they have faced. We will examine nine women of the most professionally accomplished women in the United States in business, politics and media. We will compare and contrast the lives of Meg Whitman, Sheryl Sandberg and Ursula Burns for our section on business; Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Nancy Pelosi for the political sector; and Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric and Gloria Steinem for the area of media.

Friends Of Hearst Castle: Creating A Social Media Plan Using Public Relations Strategies For A Nonprofit, Amy Jean Checho

Journalism

Nonprofits, like Friends of Hearst Castle, understand the importance of social media use such as Facebook. However, many times Facebook messages are inconsistent and the multiple channels of social media are overwhelming. A Social Media Strategy or Plan can help nonprofits communicate their goals effectively and efficiently, with more success than before. This project discusses the best ways nonprofits can maximize their Facebook usage. Facebook is an easy way for nonprofits to communicate with their target audiences and have consistent communication. Friends of Hearst Castle was the nonprofit I worked with to help create and implement a Social Media Plan. …

Healthy You, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Healthy You

No abstract provided.

"We Thought It Might Encourage Participation.” Using Lottery Incentives To Improve Libqual+(Tm) Response Rates Among Students, Jennifer Nutefall, Stefanie Buck, Laurie M. Bridges

University Libraries Publications

Libraries deploying the LibQUAL+™ survey can offer a lottery incentive and many do in the hope of increasing response rates. Other libraries may be prohibited from offering one because of Institutional Review Board restrictions, as is the case at [institution name]. We wanted to discover why libraries offer lottery incentives and what kinds and if they believe these incentives have a positive impact on their response rates. The responding libraries hold a general belief that lottery incentives are effective but base this on feeling rather than research. We examine what the literature says about lottery incentives and student populations.

Vietnamese (Research Report #116), Amanda D. Cowley, Mark D. Schafer, Troy Blanchard

LSU AgCenter Research Reports

This review discusses the experiences of Vietnamese in the region. This group that became prominent in the United States during the Vietnam War.

Aqueous Synthesis Of 1-H-2-Substituted Benzimidazoles Via Transition-Metal-Free Intramolecular Amination Of Aryl Iodides, Chunxia Chen, Chen Chen, Bin Li, Jingwei Tao, Jinsong Peng

Faculty Publications

A straightforward method has been developed for the synthesis of the benzimidazole ring system through a carbon-nitrogen cross-coupling reaction. In the presence of 2.0 equiv. of K 2CO 3 in water at 100 °C for 30 h, the intramolecular cyclization of N-(2-iodoaryl)benzamidine provides benzimidazole derivatives in moderate to high yields. Remarkably, the procedure occurs exclusively in water and doesn't require the use of any additional reagent/catalyst, rendering the methodology highly valuable from both environmental and economical points of view. © 2012 by the authors.

Basic Education Program Review Committee Annual Report 2012, Tennessee. State Board Of Education.

Tennessee State Board of Education

No abstract provided.

Students’ Views Of Impact Of Textbooks On Their Achievements, Riaz Hussain

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

The history of curricula and textbooks development in Pakistan has remained contentious particularly during Zia Ul Haq era (1977- 1988) and after. There have been quite a few reviews of the curricula and textbooks undertaken both by Ministry of Education, Government of Pakistan and independent researchers. These reviews have mainly employed document/textbook analysis methods and few of them explored teachers or students’ views of curricula and textbooks. This paper argues that since teachers and students are the ultimate users and beneficiaries of textbooks so their views are worth exploring before suggesting or initiating any change process including curricula and textbooks …

Integrating Libraries Across Continents: A Case Of Aga Khan University’S Nine Libraries In Five Countries, Ashraf Sharif

Libraries

The Aga Khan University (AKU) is perhaps the only university throughout the developing world that is serving through eleven campuses spread across eight countries and three continents. It has a network of nine libraries, although small in size, in five courtiers in three regions (South Asia, East Africa, and the UK). The university has recently implemented a library management system to integrate all libraries using single shared database.

The purpose of this study is to share Aga Khan University Libraries’ process of Integrated Library System (ILS) selection, project initiation and planning, system implementation including installation to data conversion and migration …

Using Popular Media And A Collaborative Approach To Teaching Grounded Theory Research Methods, Elizabeth G. Creamer, Michelle R. Ghoston, Tiffany Drape, Chloe Ruff, Joseph Mukuni

Education Faculty Publications

Popular movies were used in a doctoral-level qualitative research methods course as a way to help students learn about how to collect and analyze qualitative observational data in order to develop a grounded theory. The course was designed in such a way that collaboration was central to the generation of knowledge. Using media depictions had the practical advantage of enabling the group to create fieldnotes from a common set of data collected simultaneously in a short period of time. Fictional representations in popular media can provide the basis to learn about both the methods and foundational assumptions for conducting qualitative …

The Tipping Point Of Federalism, Amy L. Stein

UF Law Faculty Publications

As the Supreme Court has noted, “it is difficult to conceive of a more basic element of interstate commerce than electric energy, a product that is used in virtually every home and every commercial or manufacturing facility. No state relies solely on its own resources in this respect.” And yet, the resources used to generate this electricity (e.g., coal, natural gas, or renewables) are determined largely by state and local authorities through their exclusive authority to determine whether to approve construction of a new electricity generation facility. As the nation finds itself faced with important decisions that directly implicate the …

The Daily Egyptian, November 01, 2012, Daily Egyptian Staff

November 2012

No abstract provided.

What's It To You: The First Amendment And Matters Of Public Concern , Mark Strasser

Missouri Law Review

This Article traces the development of the “matters of public concern” doctrine, explaining the role that the concept has played in cases ranging from defamation3 to employment termination to publication of (allegedly) private facts.4 The Article discusses various inconsistencies in the Court’s jurisprudence, both with respect to what counts as a matter of public concern5 and with respect to the relative importance of the protection of such matters. 6 It concludes that the current jurisprudence cannot help but cause confusion and inconsistent results in the lower courts and must be clarified at the earliest opportunity. 7

Obtaining Consumer Perceptions Of External Costs Of “Cheap” Food Products And Analyzing Quality Food Markets That Minimize External Costs In Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, Jennifer Long '13

Outstanding Senior Seminar Papers

Today, the United States’ food system is primarily a large industrial operation with smaller-scale community-based food systems. Although the industrial food system has benefitted society by increasing the amount of food available for every person, some of these products are “cheap” food products that generate external costs, such as poor health, potential wealth loss to farmers and environmental degradation. With over 1 billion individuals on earth undernourished and 15.8% of all U.S. households as of 2010 food insecure [Patel, 2012], this system has not completely solved food issues. Community-based food systems, on the other hand, minimize external costs …

Playing With Energy

News Releases

No abstract provided.