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Front Matter

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Under Postcolonial Eyes, Efraim Sicher, Linda Weinhouse

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

In the Western literary tradition, the “jew” has long been a figure of ethnic exclusion and social isolation—the wanderer, the scapegoat, the alien. But it is no longer clear where a perennial outsider belongs. This provocative study of contemporary British writing points to the figure of the “jew” as the litmus test of multicultural society. Efraim Sicher and Linda Weinhouse examine the “jew” as a cultural construction distinct from the “Jewishness” of literary characters in novels by, among others, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Doris Lessing, Monica Ali, Caryl Philips, and Zadie Smith, as well as contemporary art and film.

Here …

Champion Of Choice, Cathleen Miller

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

Not many women can claim to have changed history, but Nafis Sadik set that goal in her youth, and change the world she did. Champion of Choice tells the remarkable story of how Sadik, born into a prominent Indian family in 1929, came to be the world’s foremost advocate for women’s health and reproductive rights, the first female director of a United Nations agency, and “one of the most powerful women in the world” (London Times).

An obstetrician, wife, mother, and devout Muslim, Sadik has been a courageous and tireless advocate for women, insisting on discussing the difficult …

Crop-Friendly Bacteria Tapped To Battle Fungal Marauders, Patricia Okubara, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Soil-dwelling bacteria that depend on wheat and barley roots for their “room and board” could soon make good on their debt. Researchers are investigating the microbes’ potential to biologically control root-rot fungi that cause crop yield losses of 10-30 percent annually in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and other parts of the world.

The bacteria are members of the genus Pseudomonas and include 11 strains that stymie the growth of Pythium and Rhizoctonia fungi, which are responsible for dampingoff and root-rot diseases of wheat and barley. The pathogens thrive in cool, moist soils and can reach especially high levels in crop …

Differences In Intergenerational Fertility Associations By Sex And Race In Saba, Dutch Caribbean, 1876–2004, Julia Jennings, Paul W. Leslie

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

This study examines the intergenerational transmission of fertility behavior in Saba, Dutch Caribbean from 1876 to 2004 using reconstituted genealogies. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients of several fertility measures and event-history models of age at first birth are used to explore relationships between the fertility of mothers and their children. The strength of intergenerational fertility ties varies by race and gender. Individuals that are better positioned to realize their fertility preferences have the strongest intergenerational associations, while individuals with the most limited reproductive options have the weakest intergenerational associations. This evidence supports hypotheses that posit the intergenerational transmission of attitudes, goals, …

The Impact Of The Criminalization Of Hiv Non-Disclosure On The Health And Human Rights Of “Black” Communities, Ciann L. Wilson

Psychology Faculty Publications

The criminalization of HIV non-disclosure has become a hot topic for discussion and debate amongst human rights advocates, HIV/AIDS service providers, and people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. This paper explores the inherent problems with HIV non-disclosure laws. These laws are ambiguous and pose a serious threat to public health policy and programming by obstructing the fundamental human rights of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Using a human rights framework, this paper explores the impact of non-disclosure laws on the health and rights of African, Caribbean, and Black-Canadian communities and proposes ways to address the shortcomings of HIV non-disclosure …

Everyday Confrontation Of Discrimination: The Well-Being Costs And Benefits To Women Over Time., Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Taking action against discrimination has positive consequences for well-being (e.g., Cocking & Drury, 2004) but most of this research has focused on collective actions and has used methodologies assessing one point in time. This study therefore used a diary methodology to examine how women’s everyday confrontations of discrimination would affect measures of subjective and psychological well-being, and how these relationships would change over time. In a 28-day online diary study, women indicated their daily experience of discrimination, described their response, and completed measures of well-being. Results showed that at the beginning of the study, using indirect confrontation predicted greater well-being …

Gaze, Goals And Growing Up: Effects On Imitative Grasping, Sonja P. Brubacher, Kim P. Roberts, Sukhvinder S. Obhi

Psychology Faculty Publications

Developmental differences in the use of social-attention cues to imitation were examined among children aged 3- and 6-years old (n = 58) and adults (n = 29). In each of 20 trials, participants watched a model grasp two objects simultaneously and move them together. On every trial, the model directed her gaze towards only one of the objects. Some object pairs were related and had a clear functional goal outcome (e.g., flower, vase), while others were functionally unrelated (e.g., cardboard square, ladybug). Owing to attentional effects of eye gaze, it was expected that all participants would more faithfully …

Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions From A Waste Lagoon, Arturo I. Quintanar, Rezaul Mamood, Nanh Lovanh, Justin M. Rawley, Evi Becerra-Acosta, John H. Loughrin

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

A cost-effective approach was used to investigate the relationship between emission of the greenhouse gases (GHG), namely, CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O and energy fluxes from a swine waste lagoon. Energy fluxes were calculated using the Penman method. The energy fluxes showed a diurnal pattern as expected of such fluxes. We found that air temperature and latent energy, lagoon surface temperature and solar radiation, as well as air temperature and wind speed can be used to predict for CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions, respectively. Comparison of observed and predicted …

Genetic Testing For Tmem154 Mutations Associated With Lentivirus Susceptibility In Sheep, Michael P. Heaton, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Dustin T. Petrik, Barry Simpson, James W. Kijas, Michael L. Clawson, Carol G. Chitko-Mckown, Gregory P. Harhay, Kreg A. Leymaster, International Sheep Genomics Consortium

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

In sheep, small ruminant lentiviruses cause an incurable, progressive, lymphoproliferative disease that affects millions of animals worldwide. Known as ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) in the U.S., and Visna/Maedi virus (VMV) elsewhere, these viruses reduce an animal’s health, productivity, and lifespan. Genetic variation in the ovine transmembrane protein 154 gene (TMEM154) has been previously associated with OPPV infection in U.S. sheep. Sheep with the ancestral TMEM154 haplotype encoding glutamate (E) at position 35, and either form of an N70I variant, were highly-susceptible compared to sheep homozygous for the K35 missense mutation. Our current overall aim was to characterize TMEM154 in …

A Mathematical Evaluation Of Hemodynamic Parameters After Carotid Eversion And Conventional Patch Angioplasty, Alexey Kamenskiy, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Yuris A. Dzenis, Prateek K. Gupta, Syed A. Jaffar Kazmi, Jason N. Mactaggart

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Carotid endarterectomy has a long history in stroke prevention, yet controversy remains concerning optimal techniques. Two methods frequently used are endarterectomy with patch angioplasty (CEAP) and eversion endarterectomy (CEE). The objective of this study was to compare hemodynamics-related stress and strain distributions between arteries repaired using CEAP and CEE. Mathematical models were based on in vivo three-dimensional arterial geometry, pulsatile velocity profiles, and intraluminal pressure inputs obtained from 16 patients with carotid artery disease. These data were combined with experimentally derived nonlinear, anisotropic carotid artery mechanical properties to create fluid-structure interaction models of CEAP and CEE. These models were then …

Micromechanical Analysis Of Nanoparticle-Reinforced Dental Composites, Yi Hua, Linxia Gu, Hidehiko Watanabe

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The mechanical behavior of TiO₂ nanoparticle-reinforced resin-based dental composites was characterized in this work using a three-dimensional nanoscale representative volume element. The impacts of nanoparticle volume fraction, aspect ratio, stiffness, and interphase zone between the resin matrix and nanoparticle on the bulk properties of the composite were characterized. Results clearly demonstrated the mechanical advantage of nanocomposites in comparison to microfiber-reinforced composites. The bulk response of the nanocomposite could be further enhanced with the increased nanoparticle volume fraction, or aspect ratio, while the influence of nanoparticle stiffness was minimal. The effective Young’s modulus and yield strength of the composite was …

Micropropagación De Hedeoma Drummondii Benth, Su Lin Zamora-Hierro, Ana Laura López-Escamilla

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

La especie Hedeoma drummondii Benth (Lamiaceae) es una planta útil de Hidalgo, México, con uso medicinal, comestible y con potencial de insecticida por el contenido de pulegona en sus aceites esenciales extraídos. En parte por su valor, la especie ha sido sobrecolectada en el medio silvestre, por lo que es necesario establecer estrategias como la micropropagación para la conservación de la misma y para la obtenció sus aceites esenciales. Este trabajo es un reporte de los avances en el cultivo de H. drummondii. Semillas de H. drummondii se desinfectaron superficialmente y se colocaron en cuatro medios de cultivo diferentes: …

Lessons In And Out Of School, Mary K. Maloney Johnson

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

What are we saying to children when we leave the creativity to others in a visual environment, infused with “attitude”, snobbery, acquisitiveness and Pollyanna innocence? We’re saying that we approve this message. Visual arts teach media literacy in an atmosphere that implicitly uses vices to secure attention. School experiences cannot compete. Parents and teachers, pleading incompetence, pass undiscerning choices to the next generation. Educational illustration typically amounts to copy-machine ready, poorly drawn, saccharin cartoons. Standards exemplified by the likes of Szyk, Holling and others lie hidden on the shelves. Dismay and consternation over the failure to plumb the depths of …

Should Coral Fragments Collected For Restoration Be Subdivided To Create More, Smaller Pieces For Transplanting?, Graham E. Forrester, Russell P. Dauksis, Megan A. Ferguson

Natural Resources Science Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Multiple Environmental Chemical Exposures To Lead, Mercury And Polychlorinated Biphenyls Among Childbearing-Aged Women (Nhanes 1999–2004): Body Burden And Risk Factors, Marcella Remer Thompson, Kim Boekelheide

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are neurotoxicants with intergenerational health consequences from maternal body burden and gestational exposures. Little is known about multiple chemical exposures among childbearing-aged women.

Objectives: To determine the percentage of women aged 16–49 of diverse races and ethnicities whose body burdens for all three xenobiotics were at or above the median; to identify mixed exposures; and to describe those women disproportionately burdened by two or more of these chemicals based on susceptibility- and exposure-related attributes, socioeconomic factors and race-ethnicity.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2004).

Results: The best-fit …

Aboard Gso: A Newsletter For Alumni And Friends Of The University Of Rhode Island’S Graduate School Of Oceanography For Summer 2013, Uri Graduate School Of Oceanography

Graduate School of Oceanography Publications

The Summer 2013 (Volume 11, Issue 1) issue of Aboard GSO: A Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, a periodical about GSO events, faculty research and essays by alumni.

Application Of Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy For High Throughput Characterization Of Combinatorial Magnetic Materials, Girfan Shamsutdinov

Wayne State University Dissertations

A Scanning Hall Probe Microscope (SHPM) with a submicron Hall probe (HP) was used for high efficiency characterization of magnetic materials at high magnetic fields. Specifically, we have studied phase diagrams of Co-Fe-Ni binary and ternary alloys, as well as weak itinerant ferromagnet MnSi. The Co-Fe-Ni alloys were fabricated by annealing three metal blocks placed in intimate contact at high temperatures to allow thermal interdiffusion to create solid-solution with a composition spread over the binary and the ternary diffusion regions. The change in the magnetic field in the vicinity of these variable composition diffusion couples and multiples, Fe-Co, Fe-Ni, Co-Ni …

Bioreducible Polymer Nanosystems For Gene Delivery, Yi Zou

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation describes the research of bioreducible polymers for gene delivery. A series of bioreducible poly(amido amine)s (PAAs) were synthesized. They complex with DNA forming polyplex nanoparticles and layer-by-layer (LbL) thin films as gene delivery vectors. Atomic force microscope (AFM), especially in situ real time AFM, provides a microscopic view of DNA release dynamics. It is shown that the depolymerization of bioreducible polymer triggers DNA release via disulfide-thiol exchange reaction. The AFM images revealed a three-stage pathway beginning with a morphological change from metastable nanostructures into the more favorable toroid structure. Then toroids interact with each other by aggregation and …

Neuropsychological Outcome In Relation To Duration Of Early Orphanage Experience, Jacquelyn Marie Perry Avery

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this sample of 144 children with a history of prior orphanage experience, increasing duration of institutionalization is related to decreasing performance for a number of cognitive domains, most consistently verbal measures and executive Functioning measures. The relationships with duration for measures requiring visual-spatial skills were more mixed and a visual reasoning task was found to significantly relate to duration but not a measure of visual memory or a measure of nonverbal achievement. There was little evidence to support a relationship between the duration of institutionalization and fine-motor dexterity. The strongest relationships with duration were observed for language measures followed …

Risk Taking Behaviors In Emerging Adults And Peer, Sibling & Parental Relationships, Malasri Rani Chaudhery-Malgeri

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research shows emerging adults are more likely than younger and older cohorts to engage in such risky behaviors. However, research on the outcomes of emerging adults and their relations with peers, parents, and siblings is less conclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between emerging adults' perceptions of peers', siblings', and parents' risk-taking behaviors, and risk behavior after controlling for participants' sensation seeking tendencies. This study explored the moderating role of emerging adults' relationships with peers, siblings, and parents in the relation between these models' risk taking behaviors and emerging adults' risk taking behaviors, The mediating …

Fatty Acid Fate In Determining Oxidation And Inflammation In Adipose Tissue, Emilio Patrick Mottillo

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adipose tissue (AT) is a critical regulator of energy balance through its ability to store or oxidize free fatty acids (FFAs). White adipose tissue (WAT) functions as an anabolic organ to sequester and release FAs, in contrast brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a catabolic organ that oxidizes FAs. However, a comprehensive understanding of the role that FFAs play in the function of WAT and BAT is needed. Here we demonstrate that intracellular FAs enhance the expression of inflammatory cytokines by β3-AR activation in adipocytes, in which the expression of PAI-1 is partly mediated by the de novo synthesis of ceramides/sphingolipids. …

The Lived Experience Of Weight Retention Among Postpartum African American Adolescents, Thelma Mae Phillips

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: Obesity presents a public health challenge and is a serious chronic medical condition, which is associated with multiple co-morbidities and reduced survivability/longevity (Davis, Stange, & Howitz, 2010). African American adolescents who retain weight after pregnancy are at the highest risk of becoming obese adults. Obesity is expected to cost the United States health care system over 237 million dollars (National Institutes of health, 2011) within the next decade.

The prevalence of obesity is cause for concern because of its costs to the economic base of the country and its toll in human suffering due to related morbidity and mortality. …

Development Of Kinase Catalyzed Biotinylation To Study Phosphoproteomics, Kona Arachchilage Chamara Indunil Bandara Senevirathne

Wayne State University Dissertations

Kinase-catalyzed protein phosphorylation is involved in a wide variety of cellular events. Development of methods to identify phosphoproteins in normal and diseased states is critical to fully characterize cell biology. Our lab recently discovered kinase-catalyzed biotinylation, where ATP-biotin is utilized by kinases to label phosphopeptides or phosphoproteins with a biotin tag. To explore kinase-catalyzed biotinylation, kinetic measurements were obtained with various kinases and the data indicated that kinase-catalyzed biotinylation occurs with catalytic efficiency appropriate for phosphoproteomics application. Next, the susceptibility of the biotin tag to phosphatases was characterized and found that the phosphorylbiotin group was relatively insensitive to protein phosphatases. …

Exploring Molecular Systems From Chemical Physics To Biochemistry Using Classical And Quantum Mechanics, Brian Thomas Psciuk

Wayne State University Dissertations

Six topic are considered in this dissertation. Chapter 2 is an investigation into the role of ultra-fast hydrogen dynamics in determining fragmentation products of C3H4 following exposure to intense laser fields. Classical dynamics simulations were performed starting from C3H4 isomers with 190 - 240 kcal/mol excess energy distributed randomly as nuclear momenta. Deprotonation events were seen in ca. 50 - 75 % of all trajectories. Roughly one third of all trajectories showed fragmentation involving internal isomerization prior to dissociation. Chapter 3 is a survey of currently popular density functional methods and their ability to calculate accurate excitation energies and intensities …

Predictors Of Psychosocial Adaptation To Pregnancy Among Urban African-American Primiparas, Joan M. Visger

Wayne State University Dissertations

Psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy among urban African-American women has not been well-researched. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy and to explore relationships among socioeconomic status, experiences and frequency of discrimination, personal control beliefs, social support, planned pregnancy, and model of health care among urban African-American primiparas using life course theory and Lederman's model of psychosocial adaptation to pregnancy as the framework.

One hundred and nine women participated in this descriptive, cross-sectional, correlational study. Participants were recruited from three clinical sites that provided care using medical and/or midwifery models of care. Study variables …

Framework For Quantifying And Tailoring Complexity And Risk To Manage Uncertainty In Developing Complex Products And Systems, Darrell Williams

Wayne State University Dissertations

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in product complexity due its negative impact on launch performance. Research indicates that underestimating complexity is one of the most common errors repeated by new product development (NPD) teams. It was concluded that companies that successfully manage complexity can maintain a competitive advantage. This is particularly true of CoPS projects (Complex Products and Systems) which are defined as large-scale, high value, engineering intensive products and systems. Investment in CoPS projects continues to grow worldwide, with recent estimates placed at over $500B annually.

In this research we present methods to improve the …

Child And Family Predictors Of Bullying In Middle School Students, Rene Michele Nota

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the shared variables that contribute to direct and indirect aggression, specifically bullying and to explore the role of family context, and adolescent personality characteristics on predicting bullying behavior. The theoretical framework of this study was based on evidence that no specific element can describe why some individuals are at risk for behaving aggressively and other are more resilient. The study included 259 middle schools students in grades six through eight. The students were enrolled at a single middle school located in a suburban area. The largest group of students was African American, …

Socioeconomic Differences In Body Mass Index, Neighborhood Satisfaction, Stress, And Perceived Racism Among African Americans In Metropolitan Detroit, Corey Zolondek

Wayne State University Dissertations

This exploratory study tested the research hypothesis that among African Americans in Metropolitan Detroit, neighborhood satisfaction, stress and perception of racism influence obesity differently based on income. The three expected results for the data were as follows: income does not have a link to obesity; links between BMI and the study variables (neighborhood satisfaction, stress, and perceived racism) vary according to income category; and the study variables (neighborhood satisfaction, stress, and perceived racism) influence the variability of BMI differently according to income category. The results indicate that there are no income differences in how the study variables influence obesity. Therefore, …

Investigation Of Dopamine Dynamics In Bdnf+/- Mice Using In Vivo Microdialysis And Electrochemical Analysis Of Purine And Monoamine Molecules Using A Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode, Johnna A. Birbeck

Wayne State University Dissertations

The goal of the first study was to determine if a reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in female mice lead to a dysregulation in their dopaminergic system. Through a series of in vivo microdialysis and slice voltammetry experiments, we have discerned that female BDNF^+/- mice are hyperdopaminergic similar to their male BDNF^+/- counterparts. The in vivo microdialysis method zero-net flux highlighted that female BDNF^+/- mice had increased extracellular dopamine (DA) levels, while stimulated regional release by high potassium potentiated DA release from vesicular mediated depolarization. Using the complementary technique of fast scan cyclic voltammetry, electrical …