Digital Commons Network^™

Mole Street Journal, April 2012, University Of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Dept. Of Chemistry And Biochemistry

Mole Street Journal

No abstract provided.

Gamma-Pareto Distribution And Its Applications, Ayman Alzaatreh, Felix Famoye, Carl Lee

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

A new distribution, the gamma-Pareto, is defined and studied and various properties of the distribution are obtained. Results for moments, limiting behavior and entropies are provided. The method of maximum likelihood is proposed for estimating the parameters and the distribution is applied to fit three real data sets.

A Weighted Exponential Detection Function Model For Line Transect Data, Faisal Ababneh, Omar M. Eidous

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

A new parametric model is proposed for modeling the density function of perpendicular distances in line transects sampling. The model can be considered a weighted exponential model in the sense that it combines two exponential models with different weights. The proposed model is appealing because it is monotone decreasing with distance from transect line; in contrast to the classical exponential model, it satisfies the shoulder condition at the origin. Simulation results for a wide range of target densities show reasonable and good performances of the weighted exponential model in most considered cases compared to the classical exponential and the half-normal …

University Of Minnesota, Morris 2012 Commencement, University Relations

UMM Commencement

The University of Minnesota, Morris's Forty-Ninth Commencement Saturday, May 12, 2012 1:30 p.m., Campus Mall

Facilitating The Parent/Child Bond: The Training, The Role, And The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Speech-Language Pathologists In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Shanley Taber

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the facilitation of parent/child bonding through the roles, training, and perceived self-efficacy of speech-language pathologists working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as to investigate what changes could be made in speech pathology bonding education. Five certified speech-language pathologists currently working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit were contacted through an online questionnaire and asked to describe their preferences, beliefs, and practices. While results were variable, the respondents were unified in a belief that there is a connection between feeding disorders and disruption in parent/child bonding. They reported consistently using …

Utopia Or An Iron Cage? Marx, Weber, Nietzsche, And The Future Of Modernity, Ryan Steel

Library Research Prize Student Works

Student Library Research Prize winner Ryan Steel discusses modernity and some of its core characteristics and the way they manifest in modern social reality using the perspectives of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Friedrich Nietzsche as general paradigm models for understanding and critiquing modernity. The paper continues to explore the following themes: general trends that have occurred and are continuing to occur within modern society and the manner in which it affects individuals; the three theorists’ visions of the future for modernity; possible alternatives for the future of modernity outside of those three theorists’ perspectives; and a synthesis of all …

Crowdsourcing Scientific Work: A Comparative Study Of Technologies, Processes, And Outcomes In Citizen Science, Andrea Wiggins

School of Information Studies - Dissertations

Citizen science projects involve the public with scientists in collaborative research. Information and communication technologies for citizen science can enable massive virtual collaborations based on voluntary contributions by diverse participants. As the popularity of citizen science increases, scientists need a more thorough understanding of how project design and implementation decisions affect scientific outcomes.

Applying a comparative case study methodology, the study investigated project organizers' perspectives and experiences in Mountain Watch, the Great Sunflower Project, and eBird, three observation-based ecological citizen science projects in different scientific domains. Five themes are highlighted in the findings: the influence of project design approaches that …

Internet Reviews: Understanding Evolution, John Creech

Library Scholarship

Review of the Understanding Evolution website by the University of California Museum of Paleontology and the National Center for Science Education.

The Lli Chronicle Volume 3 Number 3, Nova Southeastern University

Lifelong Learning Institute Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Ists, May 2012, Iowa Academy Of Science

ISTS Newsletter

In this issue:

--Notes

--Thoughts

--News

--Opportunities

Dilemmas Of Indissoluble Parenthood: Legal Incentives, Parenting, And The Work-Family Balance , Lynn D. Wardle

Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law

Building upon three main points developed by Patrick Parkinson in Family Law and the Indissolubility of Parenthood (2011), this paper shows that globally there is great legal interest in protecting parenting and parent-children relations; that issues grounded in the indissolubility of parenthood arise during ongoing marriages as well as after marital breakup (or nonformation); and that legal reforms to reduce or eliminate laws creating perverse incentives that impede effective, committed parenting should consider regulations regarding intact families as well as never-married and post-divorce families. This article reviews evidence of the deterioration of families and of parenting in society, including rising …

Transcriptome-Wide Changes In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Gene Expression Regulated By Carbon Dioxide And The Co2-Concentrating Mechanism Regulator Cia5/Ccm1, Wei Fang, Yaqing Si, Stephen Douglass, David Casero, Sabeeha S. Merchant, Matteo Pellegrini, Istvan Ladunga, Peng Liu, Martin H. Spalding

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Copyright (c) 2012 American Society of Plant Biologists. Used by permission.

Anticancer Peptidylarginine Deiminase (Pad) Inhibitors Regulate The Autophagy Flux And The Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1 Activity, Yuji Wang, Pingxin Li, Shu Wang, Jing Hu, Xiangyun Amy Chen, Jianhui Wu, Megan Fisher, Kira Oshaben, Na Zhao, Ying Gu, Dong Wang, Gong Chen, Yanming Wang

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Tumor suppressor genes are frequently silenced in cancer cells by enzymes catalyzing epigenetic histone modifications. The peptidylarginine deiminase family member PAD4 (also called PADI4) is markedly overexpressed in a majority of human cancers, suggesting that PAD4 is a putative target for cancer treatment. Here, we have generated novel PAD inhibitors with low micromolar IC₅₀ in PAD activity and cancer cell growth inhibition. The lead compound YW3-56 alters the expression of genes controlling the cell cycle and cell death, including SESN2 that encodes an upstream inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway. Guided by the …

Conformational And Thermodynamic Properties Modulate The Nucleotide Excision Repair Of 2-Aminofluorene And 2-Acetylaminofluorene Dg Adducts In The Nari Sequence, Vipin Jain, Benjamin Hilton, Satyakam Patnaik, Yue Zou, M. Paul Chiarelli, Bongsup P. Cho

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major repair pathway that recognizes and corrects various lesions in cellular DNA. We hypothesize that damage recognition is an initial step in NER that senses conformational anomalies in the DNA caused by lesions. We prepared three DNA duplexes containing the carcinogen adduct N-(2'-deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-7-fluoro-2-acetylaminofluorene (FAAF) at G₁, G₂ or G₃ of NarI sequence (5'^_-CCG₁G₂ CG₃CC-3'). Our ¹⁹F-NMR/ICD results showed that FAAF at G₁ and G₃ prefer syn S- and W-conformers, whereas anti B-conformer was predominant for …

Genetic Variation In Potentially Virulent Vibrio Parahaemolyticus From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nicholas Felix Noriea Iii

Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V_p) is a gram-negative bacterium found naturally in marine and estuarine environments. V_p is found in oysters including those which are later consumed by the public. Sub-populations of potentially virulent Vp contain specific virulence factors and are relevant human pathogens capable of causing gastroenteritis, wound infection, and death. The tdh and trh genes, both encoding hemolysins, have been correlated with the majority of clinical V_p isolates but have not been shown to be the definitive virulence factors.

A total of 146 V_p isolates from the northern Gulf of Mexico were collected and probed …

Identifying Patterns Of Delinquent Trajectories And Testing Stability Of Self-Control Over Time Among South Korean Youth Using Multivariate Latent Growth Curve Modeling, Wanhee Lee

Dissertations

The South Korean yearly national report revealed that since 2006 there has been a steady increase in juvenile crimes (Seoul Police Department, 2009). In addition, the report demonstrated that South Korean juveniles' age of onset in delinquent activity has been continuously decreasing. In South Korea, the age-crime curve sharply peaks at age 16, holds constant until 19, and then begins to decline. Thus, this "peak" within the age-crime curve has been a frequently research topic. This has resulted in some empirical support demonstrating that the age in which criminal involvement peaks is considered the most dynamic period in an individuals' …

Effects Of Hypoxia And 4-Tert-Octylphenol On Gene Expression Profiles Of The Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon Variegatus), Arthur Alan Karels

Dissertations

Hypoxia occurs in estuaries of northern Gulf of Mexico and world-wide, with increasing frequency/severity via eutrophication and anthropogenic influences. Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) form transcriptional complex and bind DNA at hypoxia responsive elements (HREs) in promoter regions of genes needed for systemic and cellular adaptation of fish to low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia, DO <2.0 mg/ml). Hypoxia-induced activation of HIF-αs can lead to a cascade of downstream activation, such as erythropoietin (EPO). Return to normal DO levels (normoxia), prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) are activated to degrade HIF-αs back to baseline. Fish are affected by environmental estrogen mimics, like 4-tert-octylphenol (4tOP), binding estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) at estrogen responsive elements (EREs) and activating genes vitellogenin (VTG). Previous research showed overlap or crosstalk between these two mechanistic pathways. Hypoxia triggers unknown factors regulating ERE-mediated ERα signaling pathway, and stressor combinations could increase/decrease hypoxic or endocrine pathway. Research examined molecular/physiological effects of hypoxia (acute and chronic, moderate and severe) and 4tOP (~60μg/L)on adult male and/or female sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus). Three genes identified, cloned, and sequenced (HIF-1α, HIF-2α, and PHD3), plus previously identified genes EPO and VTG, were examined in liver/testes exposed to hypoxia and/or 4tOP for cellular/physiological changes. Endpoints examined included mRNA expression from real-time PCR of HIF-1α, HIF-2α, PHD3, EPO, and VTG using cDNA from total RNA extracts, and microarray analyses of genes expressed during the transition from hypoxia back to normoxia. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed isolation of two HIF-α isofoms (HIF-1α and HIF-2α) and the PHD3 isoform. Significant up-regulation of PHD3 occurred within 10 hrs of chronic hypoxia, and persisted when severe (1.5 mg/L) and declined when moderate (~2.5mg/L). Significant up-regulation of HIF-1α and EPO occurred within 30 minutes to 2 hours of onset of acute severe and very severe (~1.08mg/L) hypoxia. Hypoxia acted similar to an estrogen mimic, with huge up-regulation of VTG gene expression in males, and increased VTG levels (additive effect) when hypoxia was combined with 4tOP. Microarray analyses showed 125 genes with significant transcriptional change, with up- or down-regulation from transitions of: (1) hypoxia (72 hrs) to normoxia (74 hrs) and (2) hypoxia+4tOP (72 hrs) to normoxia+4tOP (74 hrs).

Synthesis And Structural Studies Of Calcium And Magnesium Phosphinate And Phosphonate Compounds, Victoria Naa Kwale Bampoh

Chemistry - Dissertations

The work presented herein describes synthetic methodologies leading to the design of a wide array of magnesium and calcium based phosphinate and phosphonates with possible applications as bone scaffolding materials or additives to bone cements. The challenge to the chemistry of the alkaline earth phosphonate target compounds includes poor solubility of compounds, and poorly understood details on the control of the metal's coordination environment. Hence, less is known on phosphonate based alkaline earth metal organic frameworks as compared to transition metal phosphonates. Factors governing the challenges in obtaining crystalline, well-defined magnesium and calcium solids lie in the large metal diameters, …

Experimental Investigation Of An Actively Controlled Three-Dimensional Turret Wake, Patrick Ryan Shea

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - Dissertations

Hemispherical turrets are bluff bodies commonly used to house optical systems on airborne platforms. These bluff bodies develop complex, three-dimensional flow fields that introduce high mean and fluctuating loads to the turret as well as the airframe support structure which reduce the performance of both the optical systems and the aircraft. An experimental investigation of the wake of a three-dimensional, non-conformal turret was performed in a low-speed wind tunnel at Syracuse University to develop a better understanding of the fundamental flow physics associated with the turret wake. The flow field was studied at a diameter based Reynolds number of 550,000 …

Influence Of Heat And Chemical Reactions On Blood Flow Through An Anisotropically Tapered Elastic Arteries With Overlapping Stenosis, Kh. S. Mekheimer, M. H. Haroun, M. A. El Kot

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

In the present investigation, we have studied the influence of heat and chemical reactions on blood flow through anisotropically tapered elastic artery with overlapping stenosis. The nature of blood in small arteries are analyzed mathematically by considering it as micropolar fluid. The analysis is carried out for an artery with a mild stenosis. Analytical expressions for the axial velocity, the stream function, the circumferential microrotation, the temperature distribution, the concentration of fluid, the resistance impedance and the wall shear stress distribution have been computed numerically and the results were studied for various values of the physical parameters, such as the …

Analysis On Complexity Of Neural Networks Using Integer Weights, Bao Jian, Zhou Liangjie, Yan Yi

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

Integer neural network has been already extensively applied, but the result of application is always due to its operators because of the lack of theoretical guidance. In our paper, we will introduce a theoretical result that an integer network can present a good performance on approximating continuous function. Firstly we will make a quantitative analysis on integer networks capability of approximating a function from function spaces or . Then two new formulas will be first given to calculate the approximation error. Correspondently, we will give two new formulas to calculate the number of neurons in a three-layer network which has …

L-Volterra Quadratic Stochastic Operators: Lyapunov Functions, Trajectories, U.A. Rozikov, A. Zada

Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences

We consider `-Volterra quadratic stochastic operators defined on (m? 1)-dimensional simplex, where ` 2 f0; 1; :::;mg. Under some conditions on coefficients of such operators we describe Lyapunov functions and apply them to obtain upper estimates for the set of !- limit points of trajectories. We describe a set of fixed points of `-Volterra operators.

Studying The Pathogenesis Of Ulcerative Colitis Under The Influence Of Plumbagin, Justin E. Pile

Mahurin Honors College & Office of Scholar Development

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease in humans that causes inflammation and ulceration of the inner lining of the colon and rectum. Approximately 5% of these patients develop colon cancer in the long term. Lack of effective treatments for patients with ulcerative colitis necessitates a search for the development of an effective alternative therapy. In an acute model, UC was induced in five groups (each of 5 replicates) of 10-week-old female C57BL/6 mice by DSS administration for 7 days. Plumbagin (PL) was administered via drinking water to four diseased groups @ 2-10 mg/Kg (body weight) for another 7 days. …

Make It Bright Foundation, Jessica Peterson

Senior Honors Projects

Imagine yourself at the age of four or five; picture your biggest worries, your biggest fears. Did these emotions even exist? Would you ever have considered yourself a “survivor” as a toddler? One Colombian boy I interviewed has answered these questions, and surprisingly, he answered yes. Yes, he had substantial worries and fears. Yes, he always has been a survivor. By the time he was a toddler, Andres began to evolve into becoming the person he is today. He had no other choice. He has gone through battles that most people do not encounter throughout their entire lifetime. Andres is …

Child Maltreatment And Resilience, Conception A. Piatek

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Conception A. Piatek in May of 2012.

Volume 18, Number 1, Spring 2012

UConn Libraries Newsletter

2 The Vice Provost explores the inevitability of change and the Libraries’ innovative responses to it.

3 A documentary about veterans, produced by two students, features the Waterbury Library.

4 Staff maintain a welcoming green oasis in Homer Babbidge Library.

5 Archives & Special Collections opens writer Michael Rumaker’s Papers to researchers.

6 An anthropologist contends ethnographic methods will help libraries.

7 Therapy dogs ease frayed nerves of students facing finals at Homer Babbidge Library in the popular Paws to Relax program.

8 Library friend UConn Emeritus Professor of Art Roger Crossgrove celebrates his 90th birthday.

9 Lisa Laplante named …

Blind Prediction Of Host-Guest Binding Affinities: A New Sampl3 Challenge, H. S. Muddana, C. D. Varnado, C. W. Bielawski, Adam R. Urbach, L. Isaacs, M. T. Geballe, M. K. Gilson

Chemistry Faculty Research

The computational prediction of protein–ligand binding affinities is of central interest in early-stage drug-discovery, and there is a widely recognized need for improved methods. Low molecular weight receptors and their ligands—i.e., host–guest systems—represent valuable test-beds for such affinity prediction methods, because their small size makes for fast calculations and relatively facile numerical convergence. The SAMPL3 community exercise included the first ever blind prediction challenge for host–guest binding affinities, through the incorporation of 11 new host–guest complexes. Ten participating research groups addressed this challenge with a variety of approaches. Statistical assessment indicates that, although most methods performed well at predicting some …

Trumpeter Swan Survey Of The Rocky Mountain Population Winter 2012, Dave Olson

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Observers counted 6,331 swans (white birds and cygnets) in the Rocky Mountain Population of trumpeter swans during late January and early February 2012, which was an 11% increase from the 5,712 counted during winter 2011. The number of white birds (4,783) increased by 9% from the 2011 counts while the number of cygnets (1,028) experienced a 22% decrease. In the tri-state area, the number of total swans increased for Idaho (59%) and decreased for Montana (- 33%) and Wyoming (-19%) from counts in 2011. The number of birds wintering in areas near restoration flocks increased by 18% from 2011 and …

How Parents Influence Deviant Behavior Among Adolescents: An Analysis Of Their Family Life, Community, And Peers, Amber Carlson

Perspectives

The goal of this literature review is to analyze the effect the family has on an adolescent’s behavior. It is believed that parents have direct and indirect control. Previous research has found that parents directly influence their childrens behavior through the parenting techniques utilized. Parental support is the largest influence on creating preferable behavior in adolescents. Along with the direct influence from parents, the parents have indirect control over the community through which the adolescents lives in and socializes with peers in. Adolescents require strong bonds in their community. Through these bonds, adolescents are watched over and other families reciprocate …

The Effects Of Income, Gender, Parental-Involvement On The Education Of Children With Single-Parent And Step-Parent Families, Halie Olszowy

Perspectives

This literature review examines the findings of various authors on the topics of family structure and educational success. By examining the dynamics of income, gender, and parental involvement within both single-parent and step-parent families, we are able to better understand how those three dynamics vary between both single- and step-parent families and may cause differences academically for children living in those family structures. Reviewing the literature, we are able to determine that there are differences between single- and step-parent families in terms of income, gender, and parental involvement. Unclear though, is whether or not, over time, it is most beneficial …