Digital Commons Network^™

Raman Spectroscopic Analysis Of Human Skin Tissue Sections Ex-Vivo: Evaluation Of The Effects Of Tissue Processing And Dewaxing, Syed Mehmood Ali, Franck Bonnier, Ali Tfayli, Helen Lambkin, Kathleen Flynn, Vincent Mcdonagh, Claragh Healy, Thomas Lee, Fiona Lyng, Hugh Byrne

Articles

Raman spectroscopy coupled with K-means clustering analysis (KMCA) is employed to elucidate the biochemical structure of human skin tissue sections, and the effects of tissue processing. Both hand and thigh sections of human cadavers were analysed in their unprocessed and formalin fixed paraffin processed (FFPP) and subsequently dewaxed forms. In unprocessed sections, KMCA reveals clear differentiation of the stratum corneum, intermediate underlying epithelium and dermal layers for sections from both anatomical sites. The stratum corneum is seen to be relatively rich in lipidic content; the spectrum of the subjacent layers is strongly influenced by the presence of melanin, while that …

Preventing Deer Damage To Your Trees And Shrubs, Megan Schwender, Michael R. Kuhns

All Current Publications

Deer/human conflicts have increased due to growing deer populations, limited resources and suburban development in deer habitat. In winter, deer often browse in residential landscapes. This can be reduced by selecting unpalatable plants, protecting woody plants with burlap or trunk protectors, and using deer repellent. In extreme cases, deer can be completely excluded with a fence.

Spreadercal: An Ms Excel-Based Computer Program For Spreader Calibration, Roberto N. Barbosa

Journal of Extension

A Microsoft Excel-based software was developed to help Extension professionals with spreader calibration. Small, turf-used ground spreaders as well as spinner-type spreaders used in row crop agriculture can be calibrated using this software. Spreaders used in aerial application of urea and seed rice can also be calibrated. The software calculates the most commonly sought information during a calibration such as: total swath, optimized swath according to coefficient of variation (CV), and application rate.

Enzymatic Production Of Biodiesel From Fats Extracted From Lamb Meat Using Supercritical Co2, Hanifa Easa Taher

Theses

Due to the reduction in fossil fuel reserves and associated environmental impacts from using petroleum fuels, biodiesel has been presented as a feasible alternative because it is sustainable and environmentally friendly. In this study, it is proposed to investigate the feasibility of enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste animal fats using supercritical fluid technology for the extraction and reaction. The operating conditions that resulted in the optimum extraction and biodiesel production yield were identified. To the best of my knowledge of the investigators, the waste animal fat extracted by supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) for the production of biodiesel …

Role Of Smarcad1 In Human Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Colony Growth, Migration And Invasion, Elham M. Al-Kubaisy

Theses

Breast cancer is the most common cancer seen in women worldwide accounting for more than 1.3 million cases and 458 000 deaths a year worldwide. Breast cancer patients are at high risk of recurrence in the form of metastatic disease. Genes associated with invasion and metastasis provides an aggressive edge in proliferation and growth during colonization of the metastatic site. The SMARCAD1 (SWI/SNF-related, Matrix-associated, Actin-dependent Regulator of Chromatin, containing DEAD/H box 1) protein is the human homolog of yeast Fun30 (Function Unknown Now 30) proteins. These proteins are members of the Snf2 helicase motif-containing protein families, and are known to …

Approximate Inference In Collective Graphical Models, Daniel Sheldon, Tao Sun, Akshat Kumar, Thomas G. Dietterich

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We study the problem of approximate inference in collective graphical models (CGMs), which were recently introduced to model the problem of learning and inference with noisy aggregate observations. We first analyze the complexity of inference in CGMs: unlike inference in conventional graphical models, exact inference in CGMs is NP-hard even for tree-structured models. We then develop a tractable convex approximation to the NP-hard MAP inference problem in CGMs, and show how to use MAP inference for approximate marginal inference within the EM framework. We demonstrate empirically that these approximation techniques can reduce the computational cost of inference by two orders …

Increased Expression Of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor In Aged Mesenchymal Stem Cells Impairs Their Therapeutic Efficacy For Attenuating Myocardial Infarction Injury., Hongliang Liang, Huiyuan Hou, Wei Yi, Guodong Yang, Chunhu Gu, Wayne Bond Lau, Erhe Gao, Xinliang Ma, Zifan Lu, Xufeng Wei, Jianming Pei, Dinghua Yi

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

AIMS: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can ameliorate myocardial infarction (MI) injury. However, older-donor MSCs seem less efficacious than those from younger donors, and the contributing underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we determine how age-related expression of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) affects MSC therapeutic efficacy for MI.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Reverse transcriptase-polymerized chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses revealed dramatically increased PEDF expression in MSCs from old mice compared to young mice. Morphological and functional experiments demonstrated significantly impaired old MSC therapeutic efficacy compared with young MSCs in treatment of mice subjected to MI. Immunofluorescent staining demonstrated that administration of …

The Case For Intervention Bias In The Practice Of Medicine., Andrew J Foy, E J Filippone

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Bias is an inclination to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of possibly equal or more valid alternatives. In this paper, we present a series of conditional arguments to prove that intervention bias exists in the practice of medicine. We then explore its potential causes, consequences, and criticisms. We use the term to describe the bias on the part of physicians and the medical community to intervene, whether it is with drugs, diagnostic tests, non-invasive procedures, or surgeries, when not intervening would be a reasonable alternative. The recognition of intervention bias in medicine is critically important given …

Aboriginal Fisheries Of The Lower Columbia River, Virginia L. Butler, Michael A. Martin

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter, included in Chinookan Peoples of the Lower Columbia, published by the University of Washington Press in 2013, explores the aboriginal fisheries of the Lower Columbia River. The authors reviewed ethnohistorical accounts and studies of archaeological sites to create a complex picture of Columbia River fisheries that challenges the prevailing view among anthropologists that salmon was the primary and predominant fishery among Chinookan peoples. The authors show that 19th century Native fishers targeted virtually all native fish species in the Lower Columbia River, and employed a wide range of strategies and tactics to acquire and process fish.

Thinking Through Consciousness, Erica Hanson

University Honors Theses

Consciousness is difficult to pin down. Most human beings go about their days with full and more or less uninterrupted consciousness, without contemplating their own (or other peoples’) conscious states. To be in the world, and accomplish great acts takes little metaawareness of consciousness, but in the study of consciousness our inability to think outside of our conscious states creates controversies at the conceptual and methodological levels. As Victor Lamme states (2006), even when we set aside the more difficult (or more poorly defined) questions about conscious experience to focus on finding the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), we face …

Use Of Gender Aschematicity In The Reassessment Of Gender Concepts, Ashley A. Ward

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to reevaluate the binary constructs of sex and gender; and the biological and social influence these constructs have on males, females, and non-normative individuals. Throughout this examination, biological, specifically chromosomal and anatomical, differences between sexes will help foster a definition of sex. Psychological theories will then be examined, calculating the psychological and social factors surrounding gender. A reevaluation of gender constructs will shed light on previously held misconceptions about gender and help lay groundwork for non-normative gender acceptance in the future. Furthermore, the thesis will delve into gender aschematicity and potential benefits of gender …

Crosstalk Between The Circadian Clock And Innate Immunity In Arabidopsis, Chong Zhang, Qiguang Xie, Ryan G. Anderson, Gina Ng, Nicjolas C. Seitz, Thomas Peterson, C. Robertson Mcclung, John M. Mcdowell, Dongdong Kong, June M. Kwak, Hua Lu

Dartmouth Scholarship

Plants are frequently challenged by various pathogens. The circadian clock, which is the internal time measuring machinery, has been implicated in regulating plant responses to biotic cues. To better understand the role of the circadian clock in defense control, we tested disease resistance with Arabidopsis mutants disrupted in CCA1 and LHY , two key components of the circadian clock. We found that consistent with their contributions to the circadian clock, cca1 and lhy mutants synergistically affect resistance to both bacterial and oomycete pathogens. Disrupting the circadian clock caused by overexpression of CCA1 or LHY also results in severe disease susceptibility. …

Genetic And Non-Genetic Predictors Of Line-1 Methylation In Leukocyte Dna, Salman M. Tajuddin, Andre F.S. Amaral, Agustín F. Fernández, Sandra Rodríguez-Rodero, Ramon Maria Rodriguez, Lee E. Moore, Adonina Tardon, Alfredo Carrato, Montserrat Garcia-Closas, Debra T. Silverman, Brian P. Jackson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Altered DNA methylation has been associated with various diseases.

Objective: We evaluated the association between levels of methylation in leukocyte DNA at long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1) and genetic and non-genetic characteristics of 892 control participants from the Spanish Bladder Cancer/EPICURO study.

Methods: We determined LINE-1 methylation levels by pyrosequencing. Individual data included demographics, smoking status, nutrient intake, toenail concentrations of 12 trace elements, xenobiotic metabolism gene variants, and 515 polymorphisms among 24 genes in the one-carbon metabolism pathway. To assess the association between LINE-1 methylation levels (percentage of methylated cytosines) and potential determinants, we estimated beta coefficients …

Distorted And Diminished Tort Claims For Women, Jamie Abrams

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Childbirth is distinctly characterized in tort law by the literal emergence of a potential putative plaintiff. This Article seeks to position the birthing woman — distinct from the pregnant woman or the parent — squarely within the negligence framework and, in doing so, to challenge prevailing assumptions dominating obstetric medical decision-making. The existence of two patients and two putative plaintiffs is unique to childbirth, yet largely unexamined in tort. This Article examines how the dominant focus on fetal harms in modern childbirth overshadows the birthing woman in tort and distorts the normative dualities of childbirth.

While theoretically childbirth falls within …

Leisure-Time Physical Activity In Relation To Depressive Symptoms In African-Americans: Results From The National Survey Of American Life, Elisa R. Torres, Carolyn M. Sampselle, David L. Ronis, Harold W. Neighbors, Kimberlee A. Gretebeck

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

To examine the frequency of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in relation to depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of African American (AA) women and AA men with guidance by Stokols' Social Ecological Framework.

Method

A secondary analysis of AA women (n = 1811) and AA men (n = 1038) was performed on the National Survey of American Life, where a four stage national area probability sampling was conducted. Interviews were conducted 2001–2003. Clinically depressed AA were excluded from the current study. LTPA was measured by self-report frequency (never, rarely, sometimes, often) of participation in sports/exercise. Depressive symptoms were …

Simulation Of Electronic Processes Of Nanoenergetic Gas Generator Using Cabrera Mott Oxidation Model, Zamart Ramazanova

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research study is a theoretical framework for understanding rapid thermal processes which occur during the performance of new Nanoenergetic Gas-Generators (NGG) systems that rapidly release a large amount of gaseous products and generate a fast-moving thermal wave during the explosion. The kinetics of rapid oxidation of metal nanoparticles acquires practical importance with the quickly developing nanoenergetic systems. The thin film oxidation theory of Cabrera-Mott model was examined for a spherically symmetric case and used to analyze the physical importance of the exothermic processes for prediction of the reaction time and front velocity. A rapid kinetic of oxide growth on …

Biochemistry Of 1, 2-Dehydro-N-Acetyldopamine Derivatives, Adal T. Abebe

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Dehydrodopa/dopamine derivatives form an important group of biomolecules participating in sclerotization of all arthropod cuticles, gluing and cementing mussels and related organisms to solid surfaces, and defense reactions of countless marine and invertebrate organisms. Yet very little information is available on the biochemistry of these highly reactive and unstable molecules. To understand their physiological role, I conducted a thorough biochemical study on three representative compounds that cover the entire plethora of dehydrodopa/dopamine derivatives. Employing diode array UV-visible spectroscopy, HPLC, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, I investigated the oxidation chemistry of 1,2-dehydro-N-acetyldopamine (dehydro NADA), 1,2-dehydro-N-acetyldopa and 1,2-dehydro-N-acetyldopa …

Oral Atypical Cellular Blue Nevus: An Infiltrative Melanocytic Proliferation, Brian S. Shumway, Yeshwant B. Rawal, Carl M. Allen, John R. Kalmar, Cynthia M. Magro

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

The atypical cellular blue nevus is an extremely rare nevomelanocytic lesion which lacks precise histologic characterization in the current literature. Given the potential for significant architectural and cytologic overlap with melanoma, further study, including molecular analysis, is needed. This is the first description of an atypical cellular blue nevus of the oral cavity.

Necrotic Ring Spot And Summer Patch Of Turfgrass, Claudia Nischwitz, Kelly Kopp, Jaydee Gunnell, Kent Evans, Erin Frank

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Voluven For Treatment Of Hypovolemia In Anesthetic Practice, Irina Son

Theses and Dissertations

Many patients undergoing surgical procedures require intravenous fluid replacement with a colloid volume expander. It is a well-known fact that the choice of intravenous fluid therapy may impact postoperative outcomes in both positive and 4 negative ways (Topcu et al., 2012). In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of 6% Hetastarch 130/0.4, also known as Voluven, to treat hypovolemia. This product was introduced to the anesthesia practice as a promising volume expander, carrying minimal side effects such as renal failure or coagulopathy. However, over the past few years multiple studies have been performed to test Voluven's …

Representations Of Privileged Motherhood In Nineteenth-Century Literature: A Comparative Analysis Of Leo Tolstoy’S Anna Karenina And Kate Chopin’S The Awakening, Dina Alhassani

Theses and Dissertations

The heroines of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Chopin’s The Awakening enjoy the autonomy of privileged motherhood in the nineteenth century. This role allows them the opportunities to forge their identities independent of most of the societal expectations which defined nineteenth-century feminine gender roles. The spinster enjoyed independence and yet had limited social interactions due to her perceived lack of femininity. By contrast, most mothers from lower and middle class backgrounds had fulfilled the idealized maternal role at the expense of independence and self-determination. In the context of nineteenth-century gender roles, the privileged mother enjoys the combined best aspects of spinsterhood …

The Construction And Assumptions Made About Egyptian Women By Development Organizations, Christina Gagnier

Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of international human rights, some activists have argued for a universal framework and this framework has encountered resistance. International feminism is a space where the concept of universal truth begins to unravel. Feminists from the First World, purporting to speak on behalf of all women, essentialized the international woman’s experience and set an agenda based on their First World experience. Third World women critiqued the systematic exclusion of their voices from the dominant feminist discourse. The international human rights agenda shares many goals with economic development. Economic development can be a vehicle through which universal human rights …

The Influence Of Hekayat Banat On Egyptian Women’S Perceptions Of Ideal Relationships And Couples, Yomna Sallam

Theses and Dissertations

This study is based on feminist theory. It uses critical textual analysis and ethnography-inspired in-depth interviews to examine the influence of Hekayat Banat on women’s expectations and perceptions of ideal couples and gender roles. The textual analysis examines seven series episodes and the title song. Results from the textual analysis suggest that the serial offered several themes that serve as advice for women, including: friendship is important in supporting one’s daily life; women should be strong and self-confident in order to eliminate being the property or under the control of men; women must find and keep men; communication and forgiveness …

Personal Problems Among Rural Youth And Their Relation To Psychosocial Well-Being, Tommy M. Phillips, Brandy A. Randall, Donna J. Peterson, Joe D. Wilmoth, Lloyd E. Pickering

Journal of Extension

To understand stressors experienced by rural adolescents and their relationship to psychosocial well-being, high school students completed the Personal Problems Checklist for Adolescents and three measures of well-being. The most frequently reported problems were in social/friendship and parental domains. The most commonly reported individual problem was "Not having any privacy." Analyses indicated significant associations between problems reported and well-being. As age increased, problems reported in parental, dating, and crisis domains decreased. Girls reported more problems than boys in the parental domain, as did participants in stepfamilies. Extension and 4-H programs may help ease the effects of stressors on rural youth.

Use Of Bee-Attractants In Increasing Crop Productivity In Niger (Guizotia Abyssinica. L), Venkataramegowda Sivaram, Koragandahalli Venkateshappa Jayaramappa, Anita Menon, Ruben Michael Ceballos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The use of bee attractants, Bee-Q and Fruit Boost™ in the pollination of niger was evaluated. Bee visitations to niger flowers were observed for two weeks and an estimation of seed yield was determined. Different concentrations of Bee-Q and Fruit boost™ were evaluated to understand honeybee visitation patterns on the target crop and pollination efficiency. Results indicate that applications of Bee-Q at 12.5 g/l and Fruit boost at 0.75 ml/l on niger plots significantly increased the number of bee foragers over control plots. In addition, plots sprayed with these bee attractants significantly enhanced the seed set, seed weight, and germination …

Session 4-2-A: Taking The Disorder Out Of Gambling Disorder, Denise F. Quirk, Colin M. Hodgen

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

DSM‐5 Gambling Disorder

A. Persistent and recurrent problematic gambling behavior leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as indicated by four (or more) of the following in a 12‐month period:

A. Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

Grand Canyon Trust V. U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation, Ada C. Montague

Public Land & Resources Law Review

No abstract provided.

Concept Graphs: Applications To Biomedical Text Categorization And Concept Extraction, Said Bleik

Dissertations

As science advances, the underlying literature grows rapidly providing valuable knowledge mines for researchers and practitioners. The text content that makes up these knowledge collections is often unstructured and, thus, extracting relevant or novel information could be nontrivial and costly. In addition, human knowledge and expertise are being transformed into structured digital information in the form of vocabulary databases and ontologies. These knowledge bases hold substantial hierarchical and semantic relationships of common domain concepts. Consequently, automating learning tasks could be reinforced with those knowledge bases through constructing human-like representations of knowledge. This allows developing algorithms that simulate the human reasoning …

Stability And Precipitation Of Diverse Nanoparticles, Chintal Desai

Dissertations

Nanotechnology is a rapidly growing industry that is exploiting the novel characteristics of materials manufactured at the nanoscale. Carbon based nanomaterials such as Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and Detonation Nanodiamond (DND) possess unique properties and find a wide range of industrial applications. With the advent of mass production of such materials, there is a possibility of contamination of water resources. Depending on the surface properties and structures, they might aggregate and settle down, or be dispersed and transported by the water. Therefore, there is a need to develop an understanding of the fate of such materials in aqueous media. The understanding …

The Application Of Bayesian Adaptive Design And Markov Model In Clinical Trials, Xiaoyu Lu

Dissertations

In this research, two new designs in clinical trials are proposed. The first problem is a new Bayesian adaptive dose-finding design and its application in an oncology clinical trial. This design is used for phase IB studies with the biomarker as the endpoint and with the fewer patients. The second problem is another new Bayesian adaptive dose-finding design with longitudinal analysis and its application in phase II depression clinical trial. This design is best fit for phase II dosing-finding clinical trials with clinical endpoints. MTD information has been obtained before the trials.

In adaptive dose-finding clinical trials, the strategy is …