Digital Commons Network^™

Utility Of An Occupational Therapy Driving Intervention For A Combat Veteran, Sherrilene Classen, Miriam Monahan, Maria Canonizado, Sandra Winter

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Many combat veterans are injured in motor vehicle crashes shortly after returning to civilian life, yet little evidence exists on effective driving interventions. In this single-subject design study, we compared clinical test results and driving errors in a returning combat veteran before and after an occupational therapy driving intervention. A certified driving rehabilitation specialist administered baseline clinical and simulated driving assessments; conducted three intervention sessions that discussed driving errors, retrained visual search skills, and invited commentary on driving; and administered a postintervention evaluation in conditions resembling those at baseline. Clinical test results were similar pre- and postintervention. Baseline versus postintervention …

Clubs - Morehead, Jack D. Ellis

Jack D. Ellis Rowan County History Collection

No abstract provided.

Clark, Thomas D., Jack D. Ellis

Jack D. Ellis Rowan County History Collection

No abstract provided.

Farmers’ Willingness To Pay For Breeding Sow Insurance: Evidence From China’S Hubei Province, Wei Wan

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

China is the world’s largest pork producer and consumer, and Hubei Province is one of the top pork production provinces in China. Since problems and risks have led to large-scale reduction of pork production and farmers’ income, Chinese government offers various policy measures to help farmers. Breeding sow insurance is considered as one of the most effective measures started in 2007. To better understand farmer’s need for breeding sow insurance and make proper policy insights, our research is the first empirical study in Hubei Province and one of the pioneer studies investigate farmer’s willingness to pay(WTP) for breeding sow insurance …

The Hidden Rise Of Efficient (De)Listing, Zachary A. Bray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

What is the value of the gray wolf, and what might be the costs of including a tiny desert lizard on the list of endangered species? For decades, Congress has formally excluded questions about the economic value of species and the costs of their protection from agency decisions about whether a species should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Recently, however, a number of federal legislators have sought to incorporate their own ad hoc views about the value of individual species in peril, and the costs of protecting such species, into listing decisions. This goal has been accomplished through …

Beyond Textualism: Why Originalist Theory Must Apply General Principles Of Interpretation To Constitutional Law, Richard A. Epstein

Articles

No abstract provided.

Teaching Information Fluency: How To Teach Students To Be Efficient, Ethical, And Critical Information Consumers, Carl Heine, Dennis O'Connor

Publications & Research

Searching is becoming easier than thinking. Enter a query in a search engine, and the searcher is instantly flooded with results. Information has never been easier to retrieve and consume. At the same time, determining the quality of the results remains a daunting task. Despite the attempts to make search tools "brain dead easy"¹ to use, searching that reduces the need to think invites problems. Machines cannot reliably predict what each individual is hunting for, machines cannot determine what is credible, yet that is the direction search engine development is headed.

Vol. 26 August (2014)

In Principio - 2010s

No abstract provided.

Management Of Severe Hyponatremia: Infusion Of Hypertonic Saline And Desmopressin Or Infusion Of Vasopressin Inhibitors?, Antonios H. Tzamaloukas, Joseph I. Shapiro, Dominic S. Raj, Glen H. Murata, Robert H. Glew, Deepak Malhotra

Medicine Faculty Publications

Rapid correction of severe hyponatremia carries the risk of osmotic demyelination. Two recently introduced methods of correction of hyponatremia have diametrically opposite effects on aquaresis. Inhibitors of vasopressin V2 receptor (vaptans) lead to the production of dilute urine, whereas infusion of desmopressin causes urinary concentration. Identification of the category of hyponatremia that will benefit from one or the other treatment is critical. In general, vaptans are effective in hyponatremias presenting with concentrated urine and, with the exception of hypovolemic hyponatremia, can be used as their primary treatment. Desmopressin is effective in hyponatremias presenting with dilute urine or developing urinary dilution …

You Are What You Eat, Or Are You? The Challenges Of Translating High-Fat-Fed Rodents To Human Obesity And Diabetes, M. Lai, P. C. Chandrasekera, Neal D. Barnard

Medicine Faculty Publications

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are rapidly growing worldwide epidemics with major health consequences. Various human-based studies have confirmed that both genetic and environmental factors (particularly high-caloric diets and sedentary lifestyle) greatly contribute to human T2DM. Interactions between obesity, insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction result in human T2DM, but the mechanisms regulating the interplay among these impairments remain unclear. Rodent models of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity have been used widely to study human obesity and T2DM. With >9000 publications on PubMed over the past decade alone, many aspects of rodent T2DM have been elucidated; however, correlation to human …

Nutrition Intervention For Migraine: A Randomized Crossover Trial, Anne E. Bunner, Ulka Agarwal, Joseph F. Gonzales, Francesca Valente, Neal D. Barnard

Medicine Faculty Publications

Background

Limited evidence suggests that dietary interventions may offer a promising approach for migraine. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a low-fat plant-based diet intervention on migraine severity and frequency.

Methods

Forty-two adult migraine sufferers were recruited from the general community in Washington, DC, and divided randomly into two groups. This 36-week crossover study included two treatments: dietary instruction and placebo supplement. Each treatment period was 16 weeks, with a 4-week washout between. During the diet period, a low-fat vegan diet was prescribed for 4 weeks, after which an elimination diet was used. Participants were …

Meat Consumption As A Risk Factor For Type 2 Diabetes, Neal D. Barnard, Susan Levin, Caroline Trapp

Medicine Faculty Publications

Disease risk factors identified in epidemiological studies serve as important public health tools, helping clinicians identify individuals who may benefit from more aggressive screening or risk-modification procedures, allowing policymakers to prioritize intervention programs, and encouraging at-risk individuals to modify behavior and improve their health. These factors have been based primarily on evidence from cross-sectional and prospective studies, as most do not lend themselves to randomized trials. While some risk factors are not modifiable, eating habits are subject to change through both individual action and broader policy initiatives. Meat consumption has been frequently investigated as a variable associated with diabetes risk, …

Dysferlin Regulates Cell Membrane Repair By Facilitating Injury-Triggered Acid Sphingomyelinase Secretion, Aurelia Defour, Jack H. Van Der Meulen, Rujuta R. Bhatt, Anne Bigot, R. Bashir, Kanneboyina Nagaraju, Jyoti K. Jaiswal

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Dysferlin deficiency compromises the repair of injured muscle, but the underlying cellular mechanism remains elusive. To study this phenomenon, we have developed mouse and human myoblast models for dysferlinopathy. These dysferlinopathic myoblasts undergo normal differentiation but have a deficit in their ability to repair focal injury to their cell membrane. Imaging cells undergoing repair showed that dysferlin-deficit decreased the number of lysosomes present at the cell membrane, resulting in a delay and reduction in injury-triggered lysosomal exocytosis. We find repair of injured cells does not involve formation of intracellular membrane patch through lysosome–lysosome fusion; instead, individual lysosomes fuse with the …

Non-Invasive Mri And Spectroscopy Of Mdx Mice Reveal Temporal Changes In Dystrophic Muscle Imaging And In Energy Deficits., Christopher R. Heier, Alfredo D. Guerron, Alexandru Korotcov, Stephen Lin, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Stanley Fricke, Raymond W. Sze, Eric P. Hoffman, Paul Wang, Kanneboyina Nagaraju

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disruption of dystrophin protein expression results in repeated muscle injury and chronic inflammation. Magnetic resonance imaging shows promise as a surrogate outcome measure in both DMD and rehabilitation medicine that is capable of predicting clinical benefit years in advance of functional outcome measures. The mdx mouse reproduces the dystrophin deficiency that causes DMD and is routinely used for preclinical drug testing. There is a need to develop sensitive, non-invasive outcome measures in the mdx model that can be readily translatable to human clinical trials. Here we report the use of magnetic resonance imaging …

Characteristics And Prediction Of Rna Structure., Hengwu Li, Daming Zhu, Caiming Zhang, Huijian Han, Keith A Crandall

Computational Biology Institute

RNA secondary structures with pseudoknots are often predicted by minimizing free energy, which is NP-hard. Most RNAs fold during transcription from DNA into RNA through a hierarchical pathway wherein secondary structures form prior to tertiary structures. Real RNA secondary structures often have local instead of global optimization because of kinetic reasons. The performance of RNA structure prediction may be improved by considering dynamic and hierarchical folding mechanisms. This study is a novel report on RNA folding that accords with the golden mean characteristic based on the statistical analysis of the real RNA secondary structures of all 480 sequences from RNA …

Population Pharmacokinetics Of Ciprofloxacin In Neonates And Young Infants Less Than 3 Months Age, Wei Zhao, Helen Hill, Chantal Le Guellec, Tim Neal, Sarah Mahoney, Stephanie Paulus, Charlotte Castellan, Behrouz Kassai, John N. Van Den Anker, Gregory L. Kearns, Mark A. Turner, Evelyne Jacqz-Aigrain

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Ciprofloxacin is used in neonates with suspected or documented Gram-negative serious infections. Currently, its use is off-label partly because of lack of pharmacokinetic studies. Within the FP7 EU project TINN (Treat Infection in NeoNates), our aim was to evaluate the population pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin in neonates and young infants <3 months of age and define the appropriate dose in order to optimize ciprofloxacin treatment in this vulnerable population. Blood samples were collected from neonates treated with ciprofloxacin and concentrations were quantified by high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using NONMEM software. The data from 60 newborn infants (postmenstrual age [PMA] range, 24.9 to 47.9 weeks) were available for population pharmacokinetic analysis. A two-compartment model with first-order elimination showed the best fit with the data. A covariate analysis identified that gestational age, postnatal age, current weight, serum creatinine concentration, and use of inotropes had a significant impact on ciprofloxacin pharmacokinetics. Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated that 90% of hypothetical newborns with a PMA of <34 weeks treated with 7.5 mg/kg twice daily and 84% of newborns with a PMA ≥34 weeks and young infants receiving 12.5 mg/kg twice daily would reach the AUC/MIC target of 125, using the standard EUCAST MIC susceptibility breakpoint of 0.5 mg/liter. The associated risks of overdose for the proposed dosing regimen were <8%. The population pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin was evaluated in neonates and young infants <3 months old, and a dosing regimen was established based on simulation.

Neurotransmitter, Winter 2014-2015, George Washington Institute For Neuroscience, Neurological Institute, George Washington University Hospital

Neurotransmitter

No abstract provided.

Cerebral Pressure Passivity In Newborns With Encephalopathy Undergoing Therapeutic Hypothermia, Rathinaswamy B. Govindan, An Nguyen Massaro, Nickie N. Andescavage, Taeun Chang, Adre J. Du Plessis

Neurology Faculty Publications

We extended our recent modification of the power spectral estimation approach to quantify spectral coherence. We tested both the standard and the modified approaches on simulated data, which showed that the modified approach was highly specific and sensitive to the coupling introduced in the simulation while the standard approach lacked these features. We also applied the modified and standard approaches to quantify the pressure passivity in 4 infants receiving therapeutic hypothermia. This was done by measuring the coupling between continuous cerebral hemoglobin differences and mean arterial blood pressure. Our results showed that the modified approach identified a lower pressure passivity …

The Habeas Optimist, Lee Kovarsky

University of Chicago Law Review Online

No abstract provided.

Urban Desertification And A Phenomenology Of Sustainability: The Case Of El Paso, Texas, Jules Simon

Departmental Papers (Philosophy)

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 8.5px Times} My thesis is that current cities and the way that cities are beingdeveloped is unsustainable and poses global problems for the long-termflourishing of the world’s inter-related and interdependent economies, formatters of justice and happiness in socio-cultural relations between peoples,and for the health of our natural environments. I argue that ‘urbandesertification’ happens in the complex relationship between cities (both urbanand suburban) and rural environments that support them as both a natural andethical phenomenon that I study using a form of analysis calledphenomenological ethics. First, I briefly present sketches of phenomenologyand sustainability in …

Together Building Imagination, Tbi Re-Defined: The Effects Of Theater On People With A Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Marcelline Gangl

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This study investigates the use of theater as a rehabilitation tool for people who have suffered a mild Traumatic Brian Injury (TBI). In this study, two middle aged women agreed to participate in theater workshops once-a-week for a 5 week period. The workshops focused on different areas of communication: eye contact, movement, spontaneity, creativity, diction, and volume of voice. Based on research done on how a TBI affects an individual, it was found that individuals who are living with a TBI say that they have a loss of socialization skills, a loss of social support and a feeling of being …

Occurrence Of Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In Aquatic Environments In Central Minnesota, Megan Bollin

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Antibiotic resistance among bacteria has been a topic of concern for many years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of antibiotic resistance among bacteria found in aquatic environments such as the lakes on the campus of Saint John’s University along with the Sauk River in Cold Spring and St. Joseph, Minnesota. By analyzing samples from different aquatic environments, this data can be used to better identify patterns of resistance within different genera of bacteria. A total of 125 isolates were captured from these different areas and isolated into pure cultures. The isolated cultures were grown on …

A Lost Opportunity? Trade Between The United States And China, 1865-1914, Kathryn Gaydos

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

American trade with Asia rose from 10% of total imports in 1870 to 15% in 1913. U.S. exports to China relative to the population quadrupled over this period as well. Scholars have studied U.S.-Japan trade for this period but have done little work on U.S.-China interactions. I therefore developed bilateral trade data for the United States and China from 1865 to 1914 and analyzed these data to reveal trade patterns and terms of trade between these two countries. The terms of trade improved for the U.S. between 1895 and 1913. Cotton manufactures and mineral oil were the United States’ key …

Republicans In The Wild: Issue Realignment In The Republican Party On Public Land Policy, Stephanie Pinkalla

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The Republican Party is often seen as the bane of protective environmental policies, and is associated with opening public land in the West to private oil interests, endorsing pipeline construction on federal lands, and permitting road development in wilderness areas. Throughout history, however, the Republican Party has not always worked for such brazen anti-environment causes, and some of America’s most formative protective land policies emerged under Republican leadership. If this is the case, how has the Republican Party realigned on protective public lands policy in the Republican electorate, government, and party organization with time? This investigation reviews the proportion of …

Modeling Tolerance In Dynamic Social Networks, Amanda Luby

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The study of social networks has become increasingly important in recent years. Multi-agent systems research has proven to be an effective way of representing both static and dynamic social networks in order to model and analyze many different situations. Previous implementations of multi-agent systems have observed a phenomenon called tolerance between agents through simulation studies, which is defined as an agent maintaining an unrewarding connection. This concept has also arisen in the social sciences through the study of networks. We aim to bridge this gap between simulation studies in multi-agent systems and real-world observations. This project explores how local interactions …

Moral Imagination And Entrepreneurship, Ryan Wojciechowski

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The power of storytelling has long been a means to teach ethical lessons. In modern days, stories come through the forms of oral narrations, movie watching, novel reading, as well as many other mediums. It could be said that stories are more than just a plot that is received by a person; rather, stories are an experience that causes an emotional interaction with the receiver. Science has shown that mirror neurons in the brain respond empathetically to the characters of these fictional stories. Empathy and perspective-taking are two of the defining features of Moral Imagination, an ethical theory first developed …

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 1, January 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum-Success in Controlling Some Cotton Pests Opens the Door to Others

Diverse Approaches To Tame an Emerging Pest

Mulching and Guar Gum: Substitutes for This Familiar "Binder" Tested

Flower Power Protects Organic Lettuce Fields

Specialty Greens Pack a Nutritional Punch

Pampering Anjou: Studying Storage of a Popular Pear

Chickens Open Wide for Gelatin Bead Vaccine

National Inventory Takes Stock of Crops' Wild Relatives

New Rice Naturally Fends Off Weeds

Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 2, February 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum—Building on the Basics About Soil Carbon A Surprising Supply of Deep Soil Carbon Potatoes Show Promise for Meeting Climate Change Challenges New Tool for Improving Soybeans Test Strip Quickly Detects Botulism-Causing Toxins Taking Purées to a New Level Obesity During Pregnancy: Scientists Explore Impacts on Baby's Bone Health Aspirin-Like Compound Primes Plant Defense Against Pathogens Myelin Matters to Piglet Movement, Reflexes, and Coordination Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 3, March 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum—Fighting Diseases That Threaten the Poultry Industry Reducing the Threat of Exotic Avian Diseases Safer Eggs: New Technique Uses Radio Waves to Zap Salmonella What Makes an Avocado Delicious? Scientists Seek Clues to Fruit's Flavor Cleaning Honeycombs With Ozone Dietary Products: Some are Underresearched, Overmarketed Coats Protect Seeds Planted in Cold, Wet Soils Probiotics for Pigs: Less Manure, Better Health New Reference Provides Uses and Origins of Economically Important Plants Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 4, April 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum-ARS Plays an Integral Role in Combating a Virulent Threat Targeting Pheromones in Fire Ants Male Chromosome Hinders Female Cattle Reproduction Nitrite Significant Role in Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Soil New-and More Economical-Pyrolysis Techniques for Bio-oil Production New Ornamental Tung Tree a Story of Loss and Restorations Fighting a Pernicious Weed with Fire Looking to Wheat's Wild Ancestors to Solve a Modern Problem Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue New Food Ingredient from Rice Bran Oil May Help Make Foods’ Fat Profile More Healthful