Digital Commons Network^™

Prevalence Of Anti-Diabetic And Antilipidemic Medications In Children And Adolescents Treated With Atypical Antipsychotics In A Virginia Medicaid Population, Della Varghese

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To determine if the prevalence of anti-diabetic and antilipidemic medication use among children treated with atypical antipsychotics is higher than those not treated with antipsychotics. Methods: Virginia Medicaid beneficiaries (2-17 years) continuously enrolled from August 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011 with at least two prescription claims for atypical antipsychotics were the exposed group. All other subjects during the study period were the non-exposed group. Prevalence of anti-diabetic and antilipidemic medication use in both groups were computed and compared using Chi-square test (α=0.05). Results: A total of 299,593 and 4,922 subjects were identified as the non-exposed and exposed groups, …

Early Adolescent Nicotine Exposure Has Long-Lasting Effects On Cocaine-Induced Behaviors In Mice, Mai Alajaji

Theses and Dissertations

Nicotine is one of the most commonly used drugs among adolescent populations. Given the fact that adolescence is a unique developmental stage, during which nicotine has long-term effects on future drug-taking behavior, it is essential to understand how early exposure to nicotine during adolescence may affect the abuse liability of other drugs. We hypothesize that repeated exposure to low doses of nicotine in adolescence induce age-specific enhancement of the rewarding effects of several drugs of abuse in the conditioned place preference (CPP) test. Furthermore, we predict that these changes in behavioral responses are mediated by nicotine-induced brain region-specific increases in …

Kinetics And Mechanisms Of Accumulation For Liposomal Ciprofloxacin Into Rat Alveolar Macrophages, Sayeed Mossadeq

Theses and Dissertations

The kinetics and mechanism of accumulation for liposomal ciprofloxacin (Lipo-CPFX) into the rat alveolar macrophage NR8383 cells were studied in vitro, in comparison to unformulated ciprofloxacin (CPFX). Upon incubation with CPFX or Lipo-CPFX, cellular drug accumulation was determined from the cell lysates or efflux was from the extracellular media by fluorescence-HPLC. The accumulation for Lipo-CPFX reached the asymptotic values at ≥ 2 hours, which was a result of uptake and efflux. The uptake appeared to be due to liposomes, mediated via cellular energy-independent mechanism like lipid fusion. In contrast, the efflux appeared to be due to ciprofloxacin, partly cellular energy-dependent, …

The Impact Of Emotional Intelligence On Auditor Judgment, Yang Ling

Theses and Dissertations

Emotions are an important underlying factor that may interact with pressure and other situational variables to influence auditors’ judgments and decisions. This study seeks to identify emotional intelligence (EI) as a key factor in dealing with emotions and pressures in an audit context. In this paper, I focus on how EI may influence the relation between job pressures (i.e., time budget pressure and client incentive pressure) on the auditor’s judgment. Specifically, I investigate the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on auditor judgments when auditors experience both internal and external pressures. The results suggest that the moderating influence of EI on …

Cannabinoid Modulation Of Hiv-1 Tat-Stimulated Adhesion Of Macrophage-Like Cells To The Extracellular Matrix, Johnathan Drevik

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders (HANDs) are becoming one of the largest problems in patients infected with HIV-1. The ability of infected cells such as monocytes and microglial cells to act as viral reservoirs causes extreme inflammation in the CNS and has led to several different types of neurocognitive problems. Specifically these HIV-1 infected monocytes are able to secrete inflammatory factors such as the regulatory protein Tat which acts as a chemoattractant for monocytes while also promoting the adhesion of leukocytes to the extracellular matrix (ECM). We have shown that one of the major features of the Tat protein is that it …

Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii Beta (Camkiiβ): A Regulator Of Oligodendrocyte Maturation And Myelination, Christopher Waggener

Theses and Dissertations

Oligodendrocytes are cells located in the central nervous system (CNS) that are responsible for the production of the lipid rich membrane, myelin. Myelin and the process of making and wrapping myelin around an axon (also known as myelination) are critical for normal development since they ensure proper signal conduction in the vertebrate CNS. The loss or damage of this myelin, which is typically associated with the demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated with improper axonal protection along with disrupted nerve signaling which can lead to a variety of different debilitating phenotypic responses. It has been shown that there are …

Automated Detection Of Incomplete Exhalation As An Indirect Detection Of Auto-Peep On Mechanically Ventilated Adults, Nyimas Arief

Theses and Dissertations

Auto-PEEP is auto positive end-expiratory pressure due to excessive amounts of alveolar gas produced by sustained recurrent incomplete exhalation. Incomplete exhalation occurs when the exhaled breath never reaches a flow rate of 0 L/min. The objective of this dissertation is to develop an automated detection system of auto-PEEP through incomplete exhalation as revealed by ventilator graphics for mechanically ventilated adults. Auto-PEEP can cause adverse effects if allowed to linger and if not quickly identified. An automated detection system will be instrumental in helping to quickly identify auto-PEEP. A computerized algorithm was developed to detect incomplete exhalation based on the following …

The Metabolic Transitions Regulated By The Estrogen-Related Receptor (Err) In Drosophila Melanogaster, Yan Li

Theses and Dissertations

In multicellular organism, bioenergetic metabolism is strictly regulated toward efficient generation of ATP. However, in certain situations, such as in limiting oxygen or in the rapidly proliferating system like growing juvenile or cancer cells, organisms apply the metabolic strategy that favors the production of biomass (e.g., nucleotides, amino acids, and lipids) over efficiency of ATP generation. The conserved estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) are master regulators in controlling metabolic homeostasis, and good candidates for mediating the metabolic transition induced by hypoxia and development. First, we investigate how dERR influences hypoxic adaptation in Drosophila melanogaster. We find that dERR is required for a …

Association Of Family Structure And Glycemic Control In Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: Risk And Protective Factors, Laura Jean Caccavale

Theses and Dissertations

Youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from single-parent families are more likely to be in poorer glycemic control (HbA1c). Demographic trends indicate more households are composed of unmarried adults and fewer youths. Family density, or a youth: adult ratio, may be a more salient factor than single-parent status in the association with glycemic control. Data from 257 adolescents aged 11-14 years (M = 12.84) at two different sites were collected as part of a randomized control trial of a treatment intervention designed to increase parent involvement and prevent deterioration of adolescent diabetes disease care. Single-parent status was determined by parental …

In Vitro Lung Epithelial Cell Transport And Anti-Inflammatory Activity For Liposomal Ciprofloxacin, Ruba Darweesh

Theses and Dissertations

Liposomal ciprofloxacin (Lipo-CPFX) is being developed for inhalation, with a goal of sustaining the therapeutic activity, compared to unformulated ciprofloxacin (CPFX). However, the kinetics and mechanism of its sustained local lung retention and pharmacological activity are yet to be fully characterized. This project hypothesized that Lipo-CPFX enables slower and sustained lung epithelial transport and uptake, compared to CPFX, thereby producing prolonged local pharmacological actions. The human bronchial epithelial Calu-3 cells were used as monolayers to characterize the kinetics and mechanism of transport and/or uptake, and to assess the effects of such slow kinetics for Lipo-CPFX on its inhibition against lipopolysaccharide …

Mini Review: Linkages Between Essential Tremor And Parkinson's Disease?, Yiwen Wu, Jianqing Ding, Yuan Gao, Shangdi Chen, Li Li, Rena Li

Health Sciences & Kinesiology: Faculty Publications

Essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are two of the most common movement disorders. Tremors are the primary symptoms of ET and of some PD patients, the two are often mistaken for each other. Especially since there are no available differentiate tests for the tremor of ET or PD, the early diagnoses mainly based on clinical assessments of medical symptoms, family and medication history, and examination by physicians. There is increasing evidence suggesting an association between ET and PD, such as a similar tremor frequency, overlapping resting tremors (a typical PD tremor), postural tremors (mainly in ET patients) in …

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate And Fingolimod (Fty720) Regulate Icl,Swell In Hl-1 Cardiac Myocytes Via Intracellular Binding And Mitochondrial Ros Production, Pooja Desai

Theses and Dissertations

Swelling-activated Cl− current (ICl,swell) is an outwardly-rectifying current that plays an important role in cardiac electrical activity, cellular volume regulation, apoptosis, and acts as a potential effector of mechanoelectrical feedback. Persistent activation of ICl,swell has been observed in models of cardiovascular disease. We previously suggested sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) activates volume-sensitive Cl- current (ICl,swell) by ROS-dependent signaling. S1P and its analog, FTY720 (fingolimod), primarily act via G-protein coupled receptors (S1PR; S1PR1-3 in heart), but several intracellular S1P ligands are known. We investigated how these agents regulate ICl,swell. ICl,swell was elicited by bath S1P (500 nM), FTY720 (S1PR1,3 agonist; 10 μM), and SEW2871 …

White Trash, Heather Law

Theses

White Trash, is body of work that aims to reflect upon our personal role and contribution to the solid waste stream through routine consumption and waste disposal. From everything we eat and drink, to the refuse we flush down the drain, we all consume resources. Living in a materially saturated, mass-consumer society, we have evolved into an increasingly disposable culture. By identifying with our waste production, we then can better evaluate the pitfalls of our materialistic ways. Common consumer products stuffed inside a toilet creates a recognizable waste pattern found within the domestic household. Our trash is considered pollution. Once …

The Confessions Of A Backslider, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Determining A New Alignment Scoring Matrix For Disordered Proteins, Adam Handen

Theses

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are polypeptide sequences that do not form a rigid three dimensional structure when isolated in the cytosol of the cell. These sequences are very common in most genomes, and usually are involved in many protein-protein interactions. IDPs also play a key role in many diseases, including cancer and Huntington's disease. However, IDPs are difficult to study because of their amorphous shape, high mutation rate, and unique amino acid composition. These obstacles make homology studies especially difficult.

This study focused on generating a new substitution matrix designed to aid in homology studies of IDPs. The matrix was …

La Carte D’Identité De Jean-Marie Adiaffi Ou La Quête Identitaire À Travers La Symbolique De L’Initiation Allégorique, Theodore Akohoue

The Coastal Review

Since the earliest contact between Sub-Saharan Africans and Europeans, European literature tends to erase African history and civilization. Later, after an unsuccessful erasure, colonial literature denigrates it as primitive. Using the “identity card” as a motif in his novel, Jean-Marie Adiaffi exposes the defects of European colonization in its African colonies. Through an approach of allegorical initiation symbolism, Addiaffi revalorizes his culture, tradition, and identity all denied by colonial rule.

Metafilm In The Spanish Post-Civil War Period: Cinematic Self-Reflection In Berlanga’S Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall And Bardem’S Calle Mayor, Lucy F. Lee

The Coastal Review

The focus on the self-referential as a means of destabilizing reality and calling attention to the artificial nature of life may be noted in a number of films of the Spanish post-Civil War period, among them José Antonio Berlanga’s Bienvenido, Mr. Marshall and Juan Antonio Bardem’s Calle Mayor. Through their use of metacinematic devices such as distancing techniques, parody, and the incorporation of performance and cinematic models, the constructed nature of provincial life and Spanish identity is exposed, ushering in a new era of Spanish cinema.

He Healed Them: The Church’S Ministry Of Healing, Frank Bateman Stanger

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

Halls Aflame: An Account Of The Spontaneous Revivals At Asbury College In 1950 And 1958, Robert E. Coleman, Henry C. James, Paul Rader

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

The Follies Of Fosdick, Henry Clay Morrison

Heritage Material

No abstract provided.

"In Our Veins Flows The Blood Of Many Brave Races": The Influence Of The German Literary Vampire On Constructions Of Race And Nation In Nineteenth-Century British Vampire Fiction, Amanda L. Alexander

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The literary vampire figure, as it would be recognized today, entered English literature through translations of late eighteenth century German poetry. The purpose of this project is to explore how the relationship between German vampire ballads and British vampire narratives acts as a literary manifestation of German-British cultural and political attitudes and interactions in the roughly century and a half before World War I. This relationship will be discussed through an exploration of the constructs of blood and body within vampire narratives in direct relationship to sociocultural discourses of race in Pre-WWI England. This project seeks to explore the following …

The Evolution Of Animal Identification In Beef Cattle, Kristy E. Boehler

Nebraska Law Review

The United States’ beef cattle industry’s recent past has been plagued by a lack of a national animal identification system. The lack of a national animal identification system has made it difficult, if not impossible, to track a diseased animal back to its farm of origin or determine what other cattle have been in contact with the diseased animal. In fact, during the investigation of the December 2003 Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) outbreak, the lack of a national animal identification system meant that the United States was only able to locate twenty-eight of the eighty cows that entered …

Like A Glass Slipper On A Stepsister: How The One Ring Rules Them All At Trial, Cathren Koehlert-Page

Nebraska Law Review

This article will present the literary concept of endowed objects, provide examples of endowed objects in literature, provide examples of endowed objects in trials, and then discuss how attorneys can identify and use evidence to create an endowed object. Part II of this article explains why endowed objects are useful at trial. Part III defines endowed objects, explains the similarities and differences between endowed objects and other symbols, and illustrates the use of both in fiction and at trial. Part IV describes the process of endowing an object in both fiction narratives and legal narratives. Part V discusses how endowed …

Masthead And Table Of Contents

Nebraska Law Review

No abstract provided.

It Is Time The Law Begins To Protect Consumers From Significantly One-Sided Arbitration Clauses Within Contracts Of Adhesion, Anjanette Raymond

Nebraska Law Review

Businesses are accused of using arbitration as a private dispute resolution system that shields their transgressions from public scrutiny, uses arbitrators and institutions that are perceived as biased, and prevents any real means of justice to the consumer. Something must be done to ensure that consumers facing mandatory arbitration clauses within contracts of adhesion are protected from businesses that seek to use arbitration as an advantageous means to resolve disputes. The American public, a section of Congress, and the arbitration community are all responding, but out-of-date law and recent decisions are thwarting their efforts. It is time for Congress to …

Assessing Institutional Ability To Support Adaptive, Integrated Water Resources Management, Christina M. Hoffman, Sandra Zellmer

Nebraska Law Review

At a time when many, if not all, western states are under pressure to redefine how water resources are managed, this Article provides insight into how one state—Nebraska—has attempted to modify the water management institutions within its borders to implement more integrated management approaches that embrace flexibility and adaptability. Nebraska is a state that has extensive surface and groundwater development and different legal systems and management agencies for governing surface and groundwater resources. This late in the game, the state is unlikely to assimilate governance of surface and groundwater resources into a single, overarching legal system. Instead, Nebraska has adopted …

Hydropower: It’S A Small World After All, Gina S. Warren

Nebraska Law Review

Part I of this Article will explore the history and rise of hydroelectric power generation—from water mills to mega dams—and its regulation in the United States. The water mill was one of the first mechanisms used by mankind to harness power. It is a simple use of momentum to create energy. Water mills were used to grind grain, saw logs, create textiles, and fashion tools. As societies evolved, so did the use of water mills, and once electricity and generators arrived on the scene in the late 1800s, hydropower proved to be an efficient means of producing electricity. By the …

Children And Categorization: Maintaining A Standard For Recognizing Speech Categories In Brown V. Entertainment Merchants Ass’N, 131 S. Ct. 2729 (2011), Erick D. Reitz

Nebraska Law Review

The freedom to speak one’s mind free of persecution has long occupied a place of particular gravity in American culture. At its core is the idea that government cannot control our access to certain ideas by restricting some messages but not others—it prohibits government from discriminating against content. To be workable, however, this right must acknowledge exceptions, and it does so by allowing discrimination against certain types of speech to bypass this strict First Amendment protection. So while the Supreme Court prohibits discrimination of most content, there are a few types of speech, such as libel or incitement, that receive …

Law School Marketing And Legal Ethics, Ben Trachtenberg

Nebraska Law Review

This Article will show that although Paul Pless, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Illinois College of Law, and Mark Sargent, the Dean of Villanova University School of Law, acted with unusual mendacity, misrepresentation in law school marketing is by no means unique to a few bad actors at a handful of law schools. Part II describes many ways in which law school officials have used deceit and misrepresentation, along with misleading statistics, to market legal education. In addition to highlighting examples of particularly egregious marketing, it depicts how the common presentation of employment statistics …

Custody Of The Confined: Consideration Of The School Setting In J.D.B. V. North Carolina, 131 S. Ct. 2394 (2011), Kelli L. Ceraolo

Nebraska Law Review

The recent United States Supreme Court decision in J.D.B. v. North Carolina illustrates the Court’s continuing efforts to clarify when Miranda warnings are necessary. The Miranda framework requires courts to decide whether, under the circumstances of the interrogation, a reasonable person would have felt free to end the interrogation and leave. This usual framework cannot properly be applied to interrogations of suspects taking place in the K–12 school setting because a reasonable person in those circumstances would not feel free to leave even without the police presence. In this setting, where the suspect is already confined, a special rule is …