Digital Commons Network^™

Latrepirdine: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Potential Therapeutic Roles In Alzheimer’S And Other Neurodegenerative Diseases, P R. Bharadwaj, K A. Bates, T Porter, E Teimouri, G Perry, J W. Steele, S Gandy, D Groth, R N. Martins, Giuseppe Verdile

Research outputs 2013

Latrepirdine (Dimebon^TM) was originally marketed as a non-selective antihistamine in Russia. It was repurposed as an effective treatment for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Huntington’s disease (HD) following preliminary reports showing its neuroprotective functions and ability to enhance cognition in AD and HD models. However, latrepirdine failed to show efficacy in phase III trials in AD and HD patients following encouraging phase II trials. The failure of latrepirdine in the clinical trials has highlighted the importance of understanding the precise mechanism underlying its cognitive benefits in neurodegenerative diseases before clinical evaluation. Latrepirdine has shown to affect …

Molecular Insights Into Appetite Control And Neuroendocrine Disease As Risk Factors For Chronic Diseases In Western Countries, I J. Martins, Rhona Creegan, W. L. F. Lim, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2013

Environmental factors such as stress, anxiety and depression are important to consider with the global increase in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, obesity, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. Brain metabolic diseases associated with conditions such as obesity and diabetes require early intervention with diet, lifestyle and drug therapy to prevent diseases to various organs such as the liver with non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and other organs such as the heart, lungs thyroid, pancreas, brain, kidneys and reproductive systems. Behavioural stress and the molecular mechanisms that are involved in neuroendocrine diseases such as insulin resistance in obesity …

Rethinking: The Understanding Of Learning And Assessment In The Millennial Generation, Joseph R. Stasio Jr.

AMTP Proceedings 2013

Much has been written and discussed about the challenges of educating members of the Millennial Generation. There is little agreement about which sentiment is more accurate; they are lazy, entitled and spoiled with little incentive to excel academically or they are different than other generations in learning styles and motivation. What does garner agreement is that changes in teaching approaches are warranted if improvement in learning is to be achieved. This paper explores some of these arguments and makes a case for a number of changes to achieve this end.

The Effect Of Antecedent Mood On Customer Loyalty Intentions: A Mood-By-Gender Interaction, Michael L. Thomas, Lindsay Larson, Linda G. Mullen

AMTP Proceedings 2013

This study suggests that induced antecedent moods may, in a systematic manner, influence subsequent levels of loyalty intention within consumer scenarios. Furthermore, this research finds that there exists differential responses to induced mood states by gender, which fall in line with research on the underlying gender differences in cognitive processing, levels of risk aversion, motivation, and the experience of emotion while shopping. Past studies in this area have shown only a mild connection between induced antecedent mood state and loyalty intentions, which may be due in part to the issue of an emotion by gender interaction. This paper reinforces previous …

Relationship Of Demographic Traits And Situational Factor Determinants With The Tech Readiness Of Self-Service Consumers, Jon M. Martin

AMTP Proceedings 2013

Over the past 20 years, self-service technology (SST) has become prevalent as a service delivery option. To ensure that SST options reach full potential, firms need to understand what customer traits and situational factors are related to the propensity to use SSTs. From a subset of data and independent determinants from an original dissertation model on SST adoption, this study uses linear regression to examine: H1) the relationship between: H1) consumers’ tech readiness (TR) and the consumer demographics of age (AG), gender (GN), income (IN), education (ED), and ethnicity (ET) (H1), and H2) the relationship between consumer’s tech readiness and …

Model Size In Magazine Advertising And Body Esteem Among Female College Students: The Moderating Role Of Bmi, James A. Roberts, Chloe' A. Roberts

AMTP Proceedings 2013

Weight and body concerns have reached epidemic proportions among female college students. Such high levels of body dissatisfaction can lead to disastrous results. Since the mass media is considered an important purveyor of the thin ideal, the present study investigated the impact model size in magazine advertising has on the body esteem of female college students. Because it is unlikely that all women will respond similarly to the models depicted in such ads, the present study tested the potentially moderating role of Body Mass Index (BMI) on the model size – body esteem relationship. As hypothesized, subject BMI did moderate …

The Role Of Polyglutamine Expansion And Protein Context In Disease-Related Huntingtin/Lipid Interactions., Kathleen Anne Burke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Huntington's Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is defined by the accumulation of nanoscale aggregates comprised of the huntingtin (htt) protein. Aggregation is directly caused by an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) domain in htt, leading to a diverse population of aggregate species, such as oligomers, fibrils, and annular aggregates. Furthermore, the length of this polyQ domain is directly related to onset and severity of disease. The first 17 amino acids on the N-terminus (N17) and the polyproline domain on the C-terminal side of the polyQ domain have been shown to further modulate the aggregation process. Additionally, N17 appears to have …

Efficacy Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With Parents With Intellectual Disability., Karishma Chengappa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parents with intellectual disability are faced with the challenges of parenting as well as with having to deal with cognitive difficulties and limited financial and social supports. Deficits in parenting ability often are associated with poor child outcomes such as developmental delays, mental health concerns, neglect, and disruptive behavior disorders. Parents with intellectual disabilities frequently come under the scrutiny of child protective services for neglect and inadequate parenting and are often overrepresented in child maltreatment proceedings. When given systematic skills training using applied behavior analysis, these parents have been shown to improve a narrow range of basic child care skills. …

"Thir They Byen Thralls…" Chaucer's Boethian Poems And Usk's "Testament Of Love": Foundations Of English Prison Literature., Phillip Scott Dennis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fourteenth-century English society bore witness simultaneously to a marked increase of dedicated prison spaces and a proliferation of imaginative writing in English. Volumes of study have focused on the social implications of carceral practice, and many studies have also been dedicated to the rapid development of English as a literary and philosophical vehicle in the late Middle Ages. This study seeks to bridge these areas of scholarship by focusing on the political implications of early English prison writing. Close readings of Chaucer's "Boethian texts and Thomas Usk's Testament of Love, matched for their close overlaps in subject matter, audience, dates …

Litigation-Fostered Bureaucratic Autonomy: Administrative Law Against Political Control, Daniel E. Walters

Faculty Scholarship

The idea of political control dominates our understanding of both what administrative law does and what it should do. This emphasis on political control, however, downplays the important ways that administrative law facilitates resistance to political control in administrative agencies. In this article, I offer studies of two instances in which agencies harnessed the power of seemingly standard administrative law litigation to resist the imposition of policies by political leadership. I classify these kinds of modes of resistance as instances of “litigation-fostered bureaucratic autonomy” and flesh out the mechanisms that drive the process. Acknowledging the role of such modes of …

Forensic And Toxicological Applications Of Franz Diffusion Cells Assessed By Gas Chromatograhy Mass Spectrometry And Ion Mobility Spectrometry., Jordan Wade Moran

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The first portion of this work evaluated the efficacy of ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) as a tool for determining remediation success at clandestine methamphetamine laboratory sites. Specifically, limits of detection (LOD), limits of quantitation (LOQ), and matrix effects were investigated as relevant to typical remediation sites and situations. The recoveries of pseudoephedrine and methamphetamine from a range of various surfaces likely to be found in a clandestine laboratory were examined. Portable IMS instruments with thermal desorption were found to be a reliable tool for evaluating the degree of remediation if sufficient procedural and instrumental controls are put into place. In …

Parents' Perceptions Of Children's Emotions: Relations With Meta-Emotion Philosophy And Adult Attachment., Jennifer N. Morey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate how parents’ perceptions of, feelings toward, and anticipated responses to children’s emotions related to parents’ meta-emotion philosophy (MEP) and attachment. Parents (mothers and fathers) completed an online research study where they viewed photographs of children (aged 10-14 years) displaying varying intensities of happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and neutral expressions. Parents labeled the emotion and identified the emotion’s intensity, their own emotion, and their anticipated responses. They also completed measures assessing their MEP and attachment. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model for MEP predicting happiness did not fit well, but …

Application Of Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry Techniques To Forensic, Environmental And Clinical Analyses., Lucy Sian Oldfield

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is a powerful technique offering superior selectivity, sensitivity and flexibility for a diverse range of applications. This document describes the application of LC-MS/MS to analytical problems in environmental, clinical and forensic fields. LC-UV and LC-MS/MS methods were implemented and compared for the analysis of nitroaromatics, nitramines and nitrate esters in soil. Analysis of soils collected at detonation sites showed the presence and concentration of contaminants to be a function of parameters such as: time since detonation, type of charge employed, nature of detonation and size of charge used. Multi-increment (MI) sampling strategies recommended …

Characterization Of Fate And Biological Degradation Processes Attenuating Imx-101 Munition Constituents In The Environment, Thomas Richard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As trinitrotoluene (TNT) is replaced with insensitive munition formulations (i.e., IMX-101) that are safer to handle in military mortars, the potential release of IMX-101 munition constituents to the environment is likely to increase. IMX-101 is a composition of 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), 3-nitro-1,2,4-trizole-5-one (NTO), and 1-nitroguanidine (NQ). Currently there is little data on transport and fate of DNAN and NTO in the environment. Reported herein is an evaluation of various attenuation processes that explosives are commonly subject to in the environment, specifically: 1) rainfall driven dissolution of munition fragments, 2) adsorption of dissolved munitions onto soils, 3) biological degradation of munitions, and …

Biology I: Cellular And Molecular Lab, Crystal Bedenbaugh

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.

What Role Does Humor In The Higher Education Classroom Play In Student-Perceived Instructor Effectiveness?, Stephen Paul Halula

Dissertations (1934 -)

ABSTRACT

WHAT ROLE DOES HUMOR IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSROOM PLAY IN STUDENT-PERCEIVED INSTRUCTOR EFFECTIVENESS?

Stephen Paul Halula

Marquette University. 2013

Everyone has had college instructors who they thought were excellent and those who were not. In pondering what attributes might have made the difference between these groups, the idea of "humor" came to mind, setting the researcher on course to study the research question "What role does humor in the higher education classroom play in student-perceived instructor effectiveness?"

A qualitative approach to acquiring data was chosen. An entry-level history class led by a college instructor at a major Midwestern …

"Molecular Spectroscopy And Dynamics Of Reactive Chemical Intermediates Studied Using Laser Induced Fluorescence (Lif), Single Vibronic Level (Svl) Emission And Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization (Rempi) Spectrometry.", Lloyd Godfrey Muzangwa

Dissertations (1934 -)

ABSTRACT

"MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY AND DYNAMICS OF REACTIVE CHEMICAL INTERMEDIATES STUDIED USING LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE (LIF), SINGLE VIBRONIC LEVEL (SVL) EMISSION AND RESONANCE ENHANCED MULTIPHOTON IONIZATION (REMPI) SPECTROMETRY"

Lloyd Muzangwa, B.Sc. (Hons, Biochemistry).

Marquette University, 2013

In the studies of complex chemical processes, it is necessary to postulate mechanisms involving transient intermediates such as radicals, ions, and pre-reactive complexes. The detection and characterization of these intermediates affords in ideal cases determination of the detailed chemical mechanism, which, in turn, can permit the development of rational strategies for removing undesired products and enhancing the yield of the desired species. This dissertation describes …

Reducing Radiation Dose To The Female Breast During Conventional And Dedicated Breast Computed Tomography, Franco Rupcich

Dissertations (1934 -)

The purpose of this study was to quantify the effectiveness of techniques intended to reduce dose to the breast during CT coronary angiography (CTCA) scans with respect to task-based image quality, and to evaluate the effectiveness of optimal energy weighting in improving contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and thus the potential for reducing breast dose, during energy-resolved dedicated breast CT.

A database quantifying organ dose for several radiosensitive organs irradiated during CTCA, including the breast, was generated using Monte Carlo simulations. This database facilitates estimation of organ-specific dose deposited during CTCA protocols using arbitrary x-ray spectra or tube-current modulation schemes without the …

Self-Care Behaviors Of African Americans With Heart Failure: A Photovoice Project, Aimee A. Woda

Dissertations (1934 -)

No abstract provided.

Contributions Of Individual Differences In Stress Reactivitiy To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Vulnerability And Resilience, Jonathan Edward Hill

Dissertations (1934 -)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder precipitated by exposure to extreme emotional and/or physical stress, is characterized by persistent, intrusive memories of the precipitating trauma. Thus, the pathogenesis of PTSD has been conceptualized as involving a deficit in consolidation mechanisms underlying the extinction of fear memory. The mechanisms underlying this deficit have not been elucidated. In addition to intrusive memories, patients with PTSD display heightened sensitivity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical (HPA) axis to glucocorticoid negative feedback. As glucocorticoids are important modulators of memory consolidation, increased sensitivity to HPA negative feedback, by blunting glucocorticoid responses, may contribute to memory-related …

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Of The Central Nervous System Following An Injury To The Spinal Cord And Cell Transplant, Michael Jirjis

Dissertations (1934 -)

The purpose of this dissertation research was to characterize the use of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in understanding the changes that occur throughout the spinal cord and brain following a spinal cord injury (SCI) and following stem cell transplant. The diffusion of water inside the nervous system is dramatically altered around the lesion site following a traumatic SCI. However, following damage to the spinal cord, little is known about the diffusion characteristics away from an injury and even less is understood about DTI's sensitivity to structural changes that occur following regenerative transplant …

Effect Of Support Compliance On The Resonant Behavior Of Microcantilever-Based Sensors In Viscous Fluids, Rabin Maharjan

Dissertations (1934 -)

Resonant microcantilevers are often considered for use in chemical sensing and biosensing applications. However, when excited in the conventional transverse flexural mode, their performance in liquids is severely compromised. Theoretical and experimental studies have shown that the detrimental effects of the liquid may be mitigated by operating the microcantilever in lateral flexure, especially for microbeams having smaller length-to-width (L/b) ratios. However, for these most promising geometries the predictions of existing models tend to diverge from experimental data for resonant frequency (f_res) and quality factor (Q). A likely reason for these discrepancies is support compliance, which has been neglected …

Molecular Tweezers: Studies Directed Towards The Preparation Of Effective Charge Transport Materials, Khushabu Thakur

Dissertations (1934 -)

ABSTRACT

MOLECULAR TWEEZERS: STUDIES DIRECTED TOWARDS THE PREPARATION OF EFFECTIVE CHARGE TRANSPORT MATERIALS

Khushabu Thakur, B.Sc, M.Sc.

Marquette University, 2013

An important focus of the modern areas of photovoltaics and molecular electronics is to identify molecules or molecular assemblies that can promote effective charge/exciton transport over long distances. In order to be able to exert control and establish necessary structural parameters for reproducible production of self-assembled structures for long-distance charge transport, our laboratory has been actively engaged towards the preparation of a variety of well-defined, cofacially-arrayed polybenzenoid nanostructures in which aromatic donors are cofacially stacked.

Herein, we undertake the design …

Resilience In Quaking Aspen: Recent Advances And Future Needs, Paul C. Rogers, C. Eisenberg, S. Clair

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) sustainability is a topic of intense interest in forest ecology. Reports range from declines to persisting or increasing coverage in some areas. Moreover, there is little agreement on ultimate factors driving changes. Low aspen recruitment has been attributed to climate patterns, past management, herbivore increases, competitive interactions with conifers, predator and beaver extirpation, and livestock grazing. Several of these potential causes result from direct or indirect actions of human agency. On June 27–28, 2012 a group of leading aspen ecologists from diverse backgrounds convened at the High Lonesome Ranch in western Colorado to address the state …

Continental-Scale Assessment Of Genetic Diversity And Population Structure In Quaking Aspen (Populus Tremuloides), Colin M. Callahan, Carol A. Rowe, Ronald J. Ryel, John D. Shaw, Michael D. Madritch, Karen E. Mock

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Aim: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) has the largest natural distribution of any tree native to North America. The primary objectives of this study were to characterize range-wide genetic diversity and genetic structuring in quaking aspen, and to assess the influence of glacial history and rear-edge dynamics.

Location: North America.

Methods: Using a sample set representing the full longitudinal and latitudinal extent of the species’ distribution, we examined geographical patterns of genetic diversity and structuring using 8 nuclear microsatellite loci in 794 individuals from 30 sampling sites.

Results: Two major genetic clusters were identified across the range: a southwestern cluster and …

Respite Care, Marital Quality, And Stress In Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amber Harper, Tina Taylor, James Harper, Susanne Olsen Roper, Mikle South

Faculty Publications

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at risk for having higher stress and lower marital quality than other parents. Survey data regarding respite care, marital quality, and daily hassles and uplifts were obtained from 101 mother-father dyads who were together raising at least one child with ASD (total # of children = 118). Number of hours of respite care was positively related to improved marital quality for both husbands and wives, such that a one-hour increase in weekly respite care was associated with a one-half standard deviation increase in marital quality. This relationship was significantly mediated by …

2013 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

2013 Fall Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Experiments To Measure The Effects Of Timber Harvesting Equipment On Surface Lithic Scatters, Douglas J. Baughman

All Master's Theses

The importance of cultural resource preservation cannot be overstated; however local economies are at least as important. Due to conservative archaeological site protection practices in Region 5 of the United States Forest Service, the economy of Northeastern California is being adversely affected. In an attempt to help the Forest Service make more informed management decisions and improve the Northeastern California economy, I undertook experiments on the effects of timber harvesting on lithic scatters on Modoc National Forest. The experiments involved placement of 225 glass tiles (proxy lithics) in each of three plots subject to vehicle traffic and log dragging by …

Survival, Injury, And Antibiotic Resistance Patterns Of Cronobacter Sakazakii And Escherichia Coli Resulting From Exposure To Low-Temperature Ground Water, Alisha L. Dailey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bacteria are constantly being exposed to changing conditions in the environment. Exposure to adverse conditions such as pH, temperature, and desiccation may cause stress to the bacteria, potentially resulting in loss of viability and growth. Cronobacter sakazakii and Escherichia coli were exposed to cold temperature (4°C) and room temperature (24°C) nutrient-limiting groundwater. As a function of time (0 to 15 days), samples were removed from the stress and analyzed. Response of stressed cells was evaluated by three approaches: (i) traditional viable cell counts (nonselective and selective media), (ii) substrate utilization patterns (BIOLOG GN microplates), and (iii) antibiotic resistance patterns (modified …