Digital Commons Network^™

Developing An Evidence-Based Clinical Resource For Registered Nurses Serving On Medical Missions, Natalie Masco Dixon

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

The purpose of this poster is to summarize a clinical scholarship project in which needs of rural Zambians who seek healthcare at short-term medical clinics were identified. Using this information, a clinical resource guide was developed based on published best practice guidelines and available resources to educate medical mission nurses and assist in providing quality, culturally competent care. Implementation of educational materials specific to nurses and to the population served, has the ability to impact the quality of care provided through medical missions. This project has the potential to lead to a more all-inclusive resource for nurses who take part …

Curriculum Innovation: Re-Visioning Masters Capstone Options, Christine Nelson-Tuttle, Cynthia Mccloskey

Nursing Faculty/Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Buyer's Equilibrium With Capacity Constraints And Restricted Mobility: A Recursive Approach, Gabriele Camera, Jaehong Kim

ESI Working Papers

We study a decentralized trading model as in Peters (1984), where heterogeneous market participants face a trade-o between price and trade probability. We present a novel proof of existence of a unique demand vector in Nash equilibrium, based on a recursive approach that exploits the monotonicity of matching functions.

Binding Promises And Cooperation Among Strangers, Gabriele Camera, Marco Casari, Maria Bigoni

ESI Working Papers

In an experiment, a group of strangers was randomly divided in pairs to play a prisoners’ dilemma; this process was indefinitely repeated. Cooperation did not increase when subjects could send public messages amounting to binding promises of future play.

Menu-Dependent Emotions And Self-Control, Joaquín Gómez-Miñambres, Eric Schniter

ESI Working Papers

We study a dynamic model of self-control where the history of one’s decisions (understood as emotions) has in‡uence on subsequent decision making. We propose that effort and regret are emotions produced by previous decisions to either resist or yield to temptation, respectively. When recalled, these emotions affect an individual'’s preferences, in turn affecting self-control decision at a particular point in time. Our model provides a uni…ed explanation for several empirical regularities puzzling economists and cognitive scientists. We explain non-stationary consumption paths characterized by compensatory indulgence and restraint cycles, why the amplitude of consumption cycles increases with foresight and decreases …

Extremism Drives Out Moderation, Bettina Klose, Dan Kovenock

ESI Working Papers

This article investigates the impact of the distribution of preferences on equilibrium behavior in conflicts that are modeled as all-pay auctions with identity-dependent externalities. In this context, we define centrists and radicals using a willingness-topay criterion that admits preferences more general than a simple ordering on the line. Through a series of examples, we show that substituting the auction contest success function for the lottery contest success function in a conflict may alter the relative expenditures of centrists and radicals in equilibrium. Extremism, characterized by a higher per capita expenditure by radicals than centrists, may persist and lead to a …

Information Effects In Multi-Unit Dutch Auctions, Joy A. Buchanan, Steven Gjerstad, David Porter

ESI Working Papers

We design a multi-unit descending-price (Dutch) auction mechanism that has applications for resource allocation and pricing problems. We address specific auction design choices by theoretically and experimentally determining optimal information disclosure along two dimensions. Bidders are either informed of the number of bidders in the auction, or know that it is one of two possible sizes; they also either know the number of units remaining for sale or are unaware of how many units have been taken by other bidders. We find that revealing group size decreases bids, and therefore revenue, if units remaining are not shown. When group size …

Winner-Take-All And Proportional-Prize Contests: Theory And Experimental Results, Roman M. Sheremeta, William A. Masters, Timothy N. Cason

ESI Working Papers

This study provides a unified theoretical and experimental framework in which to compare three canonical types of competition: winner-take-all contests won by the best performer, winner-take-all lotteries where probability of success is proportional to performance, and proportional-prize contests in which rewards are shared in proportion to performance. We introduce random noise to reflect imperfect information, and collect independent measures of risk aversion, other-regarding preferences, and the utility of winning a contest. The main finding is that efforts are consistently higher with winner-take-all contests. The lottery contests have the same Nash equilibrium as proportional prizes, but induce contestants to choose higher …

Survival Of Microencapsulated Probiotic Lactobacillus Paracasei Lbc-1e During Manufacture Of Mozzarellacheese And Simulated Gastric Digestion, Megan Jane Ostler, Jeff Broadbent, W. R. Mcmanus, D. J. Mcmahon

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

An erythromycin-resistant strain of probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei LBC-1 (LBC-1e) was added to part-skim Mozzarella cheese in alginate-microencapsulated or free form at a level of 108 and 107 cfu/g, respectively. Survival of LBC-1e and total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was investigated through the pasta filata process of cheese making (in which the cheese curd was heated to 55°C and stretched in 70°C-hot brine), followed by storage at 4°C for 6 wk and simulated gastric and intestinal digestion. This included incubation in 0.1 M and 0.01 M HCl, 0.9 M H3PO4, and a simulated intestinal juice consisting of pancreatin and …

A Complete Genome Sequence Oflactobacillus Helveticus R0052, A Commercial Probiotic Strain, T. A. Tompkins, G. Barreau, Jeff Broadbent

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 is a commercially available strain that is widely used in probiotic preparations. The genome sequence consisted of 2,129,425 bases. Comparative analysis showed that it was unique among L. helveticus strains in that it contained genes encoding mucus-binding proteins similar to those found in Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Falls And Physical Activity In Persons With Multiple Sclerosis, J. J. Sosnoff, B. M. Sandroff, J. H. Pula, S. M. Morrison, R. W. Motl

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Objectives. To examine the association between fall history and physical activity using an objective measure of physical activity (i.e., accelerometry) in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Design. A community-based sample of 75 ambulatory persons with multiple sclerosis volunteered for the investigation. Participants self-reported fall history in the last year, underwent a neurological exam to determine Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and wore an accelerometer around the waist for 7 consecutive days to determine physical activity.

Results. Overall, 37 persons (49.3% of the sample) reported falling in the last year with 28 of the 37 falling more than once. Persons who …

Kinematic Analysis Of Four Plyometric Push-Up Variations, Laura H. Moore, Michael J. Tankovich, Bryan L. Riemann, George J. Davies

Health Sciences & Kinesiology: Faculty Publications

Plyometric research in the upper extremity is limited, with the effects of open-chain plyometric exercises being studied most. Kinematic and ground reaction force data concerning closed-chain upper extremity plyometrics has yet to be examined. Twenty-one recreationally active male subjects performed four variations of plyometric push-ups in a counterbalanced order. These included box drop push-ups from 3.8 cm, 7.6 cm, 11.4 cm heights, and clap push-ups. Kinematics of the trunk, dominant extremity and both hands were collected to examine peak flight, elbow flexion at ground contact, elbow displacement, and hand separation. Additionally peak vertical ground reaction force was measured under the …

Role Of Extracytoplasmic Function Sigma Factors In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Suhasini Yanamandra Sai

Theses and Dissertations

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major etiological agent that is responsible for the cause and progression of periodontal diseases. The bacterium is exposed to various environmental conditions and oxidative stress conditions while it is in the oral cavity. So, P. gingivalis should have an efficient regulatory system in order to adjust and survive in the oral cavity. But little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that help the bacteria to survive in the oral cavity. So, it is essential to understand and characterize these regulatory mechanisms. The response and adaptation of P. gingivalis to environmental stress conditions occur at the level …

The Role Of R7 Regulators Of G Protein Signaling In The Retina, Hoon Shim

Theses and Dissertations

The R7 regulators of G protein signaling (R7 RGS), namely RGS6, RGS7, RGS9 and RGS11, are expressed in the retina along with its binding partner Gβ5. The RGS9-1 isoform is expressed only in retinal photoreceptors and rate-limits the recovery of rod phototransduction by acting as a member of the transducin GAP complex (RGS9-1/Gβ5L/R9AP). The Gβ5L isoform is also only expressed in retinal photoreceptors and acts by stabilizing the GAP complex. The Gβ5S isoform differs from Gβ5L by the absence of exon 1 due to alternative splicing and is expressed in many other retinal cells. Gβ5L is barely detectable in RGS9-/- …

Baptism With The Holy Ghost, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Designing Direct And Indirect Factor Xa Inhibitors, Rami Al-Horani

Theses and Dissertations

Anticoagulants are the basis for treatment and prevention of thrombotic diseases. The currently available medicines are associated with a wide range of adverse reactions that mandates developing new anticoagulants. Several lines of evidence support the superiority of factor Xa (FXa) as a promising target to develop novel anticoagulants. This work focuses on the design of direct and indirect FXa inhibitors using an interdisciplinary approach. As indirect FXa inhibitors, a focused library of tetrasulfated N–arylacyl tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ) nonsaccharide allosteric antithrombin activators was designed, synthesized, and biochemically evaluated to establish their structure–activity relationship (SAR). An N–arylacyl THIQ analog having carboxylate at position–3, …

Investigating The Role Of Α6 And Α4 Containing Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In Nicotine And Cocaine Conditioned Place Preference Tests In Mice., Sarah Sanjakdar

Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors modulate both cholinergic and non-cholinergic synaptic transmission. Our research concerns α6 and α4 neuronal nicotinic subunits because they often co-assemble with the β2 subunit, which has abundant expression in the CNS and previous work has demonstrated that β2* nAChRs are involved in nicotine and cocaine reward. α6β2* and α4β2* nAChRs are highly expressed in midbrain, which is known to be critical for the incentive salience associated with natural and artificial (drug) reward. Our goal was to assess the role of α6β2* and α4β2* nAChRs in nicotine and cocaine reward using an unbiased conditioned place preference (CPP) …

Identifying Sortase A Variants With Higher Catalytic Effeciency, Muna Suliman

Theses and Dissertations

In the past two decades, the field of protein engineering has evolved rapidly to include new genetic and chemical techniques to alter protein function. Protein engineering seeks to improve enzyme properties through powerful methods that specifically incorporate novel or improved function in proteins. One such method is protein ligation, which is used to selectively link synthetic and recombinant polypeptides. Due to the limitations of current protein labeling techniques, simple site-specific modification methods remain in high demand. Use of enzyme-based labeling has been the focus of various studies because of its substrate specificity. Sortase-mediated transpeptidation is one approach that has been …

Regeneration Of Electrospun Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts: A Phenomenon Associated With Vascular Graft Properties And Macrophage Phenotypes (M1/M2), Koyal Garg

Theses and Dissertations

Macrophages (MФ) and mast cells are important cell types in the context of tissue remodeling and regeneration. Mast cells participate in the early stages of wound healing and modulate the acute inflammatory responses to biomaterials. Mast cells can secrete a myriad of different cytokines by the process of degranulation; the process of regulated secretion in which preformed contents stored in their granules are rapidly released by exocytosis. Some of these cytokines such as IL-4, IL-13 and TNF-α can modulate the MФ phenotype. Macrophages (MΦ) are innate immune cells, crucial for tissue homeostasis, presentation of foreign and self-antigens following infection/injury, pathogen …

Novel Fluorous Hybrid Surface Modification Characterized By Wetting Dynamics, Morphology And Nanomechanics, Sithara Nair

Theses and Dissertations

The surface response of a polymer substrate to external stimuli such as initial wetting is controlled by the outermost molecular layer. Thus, changes on the nanoscale may be engaged to control macroscale wetting behavior. Our work has predominantly focused on surface modification of conventional polyurethane coatings (HMDI-BD-PTMO). Studies on network constrained phase separation and facile polydimethylsiloxane surface functionalization led to the discovery of a simpler one-step and more general approach to functional polymer surfaces that we have designated as “Bottle-Brush Nanoglass” (BB-NG) after the two principle components: (a) a polyoxetane soft block “spine” with side chain “A” bristles and triethoxysilyl …

Effects Of Strain On Dielectric Properties Of Ferroelectric Ba0.5sr0.5tio3 Films, Hongrui Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Owing to the large electric-field-dependent permittivity, ferroelectric thin films have attracted a great deal of attention on applications in miniature tunable microwave components with high performance and cost reduction, such as phase shifters, tunable oscillators, delay lines, and antennas. These tunable devices require large change in the dielectric constant with applied field and a low loss at microwave frequencies. As one of the promising ferroelectric materials, barium strontium titanate thin film, especially Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) films, have raises great research interests due to its high dielectric constant, which is tunable in an external electric field, combined with relative low loss at …

Investment, Economic Growth And Kosovo's Judicial Sector, Kushtrim Bajrami

Theses

The inflow of FDI is vital for supporting successful transition of Kosovo’s economy. The FDI will enhance the economic development, improve trade balance, reduce unemployment and support the development of the private sector. These represent the basis for a sustainable economic development of Kosovo. Although local courts recognize foreign arbitral awards, enforcement is often weak and disputes can take a lengthy time to resolve. While the basic legislation of a market-oriented economy is in place, determining property ownership remains a significant challenge. These legal uncertainties, in addition to poor implementation of laws and contract enforcement, and an underdeveloped judiciary, hinder …

The Relationship Between Cross-Media Usage And Brand Recall In Advertisements: A Test Of Customer Engagement With Print And Digital Magazine Advertisements, Gabriela Sosa Lamarche

Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of advertising using a cross-media approach. A laboratory experiment with a randomized controlled trial and a sample of college students (N = 34) was used to test whether the level of involvement was higher for tablet or print advertisements. Subjects were divided into two groups: those who saw the advertisements in print and those who saw them on tablets. Contrary to expectations, brand recall and purchase intent were higher for those viewing print than for tablet advertisements, although respondents considered interactive advertisements more engaging. One explanation is that most of the participants were so immersed …

Remnants: Within An Age Of Digitalism, Marchelo Vera

Theses

21st Century civilization allows a glimpse into the progressive art paradigm that encompasses our constantly transforming technological advancements. These ideas explore the global network of our modern times and the interrelated possibilities within it. My collaborative and interdisciplinary methods give a glimpse into the future of digital/print media, augmented reality, and interactive environments. My artwork explores the hybrid, identity, culture, and an evolving reality within an age of Digitalism.

Deep Learning Using Genetic Algorithms, Joshua Lamos-Sweeney

Theses

Deep Learning networks are a new type of neural network that discovers important object features. These networks determine features without supervision, and are adept at learning high level abstractions about their data sets. These networks are useful for a variety of tasks, but are difficult to train. This difficulty is compounded when multiple networks are trained in a layered fashion, which results in increased solution complexity as well as increased training time. This paper examines the use of Genetic Algorithms as a training mechanism for Deep Learning networks, with emphasis on training networks with a large number of layers, each …

Defationary Truth And Truth-Aptness Illuminated By Language And Norms: Paul Horwich, Huw Price, And Michael Lynch, Jeff Young

Theses

In contemporary epistemology there is a movement toward deflationary understandings of core philosophical concepts. Prominent among these is the concept of truth. This thesis examines contemporary deflationary theories of truth, such as those of Paul Horwich and Huw Price. I argue that while Horwich’s canonical deflationary approach is by itself insufficient as a complete theory of truth, Price’s minimal, pragmatic, theory of truth points toward a combination that is prima facie satisfactory. Once this new approach has been established, I will use Michael Lynch’s recent functionalist theory of truth to examine the questions of what we want from a theory …

Sea Smoke, Carolyn Rankin

Theses

"Sea Smoke" is a feature-length screenplay that tells the story of Nilly Hayworth, a successful advertising executive living and working in mid-coast Maine. Nilly is married to Hank Hayworth, a lawyer, and they have a son, Jasper, who has just finished law school. Nilly's father is William "Bill" J. Pixley. She has a brother named William "Butch" Pixley Jr., who is married to Holly Pixley, pregnant with their first child. Nilly has accommodated to her father's strong preference for his son , her brother. She has also adjusted to and forgiven Hank for past affairs. Nilly is offered a position …

A Biographical Sketch Of Henry Clay Morrison, D.D.: The Man And His Ministry, C. F. Wimberly

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

A History Of Methodism In Kentucky: Vol 1 From 1783 To 1820, William Erastus Arnold

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Presence Of God In His Universe, In His Word, In His Son, In His People : And Other Sermons, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.