Digital Commons Network^™

Wonder Drugs To Hot New Diets: Knowledge Is Power! Adult Health Literacy, Adnan Ahmeduddin, Mary Grace Bowring, Kelly Davis, Indra Gomez, Sarah Halle, Courtney Middlebrook, Molly Sadowsky, Lauren Shauger, Lauren Violette

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Single-Nucleotide Variations In Cardiac Arrhythmias: Prospects For Genomics And Proteomics Based Biomarker Discovery And Diagnostics, Ayman Abunimer, Krista Smith, Tsung-Jung Wu, Phuc Lam, Vahan Simonyan, Raja Mazumder

Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Cardiovascular diseases are a large contributor to causes of early death in developed countries. Some of these conditions, such as sudden cardiac death and atrial fibrillation, stem from arrhythmias—a spectrum of conditions with abnormal electrical activity in the heart. Genome-wide association studies can identify single nucleotide variations (SNVs) that may predispose individuals to developing acquired forms of arrhythmias. Through manual curation of published genome-wide association studies, we have collected a comprehensive list of 75 SNVs associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Ten of the SNVs result in amino acid changes and can be used in proteomic-based detection methods. In an effort to …

Pathoscope 2.0: A Complete Computational Framework For Strain Identification In Environmental Or Clinical Sequencing Samples., Changjin Hong, Solaiappan Manimaran, Ying Shen, Joseph F Perez-Rogers, Allyson L Byrd, Eduardo Castro-Nallar, Keith A Crandall, William Evan Johnson

Computational Biology Institute

BACKGROUND: Recent innovations in sequencing technologies have provided researchers with the ability to rapidly characterize the microbial content of an environmental or clinical sample with unprecedented resolution. These approaches are producing a wealth of information that is providing novel insights into the microbial ecology of the environment and human health. However, these sequencing-based approaches produce large and complex datasets that require efficient and sensitive computational analysis workflows. Many recent tools for analyzing metagenomic-sequencing data have emerged, however, these approaches often suffer from issues of specificity, efficiency, and typically do not include a complete metagenomic analysis framework.

RESULTS: We present PathoScope …

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 …

Characterization Of Cytomegalovirus Lung Infection In Non-Hiv Infected Children, Sonia M. Restrepo-Gualteros, Lina E. Jaramillo-Barberi, Monica Gonzalez-Santos, Carlos E. Rodriguez-Martinez, Geovanny F. Perez, Maria J. Gutierrez, Gustavo Nino

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a prevalent pathogen in the immunocompromised host and invasive pneumonia is a feared complication of the virus in this population. In this pediatric case series we characterized CMV lung infection in 15 non-HIV infected children (median age 3 years; IQR 0.2–4.9 years), using current molecular and imaging diagnostic modalities, in combination with respiratory signs and symptoms. The most prominent clinical and laboratory findings included cough (100%), hypoxemia (100%), diffuse adventitious breath sounds (100%) and increased respiratory effort (93%). All patients had abnormal lung images characterized by ground glass opacity/consolidation in 80% of cases. CMV was detected in …

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

Neurotransmitter

No abstract provided.

Lysosomal Abnormalities In Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Types Spg15 And Spg11, Benoit Renvoise, Jaerak Chang, Rajat Singh, Sayuri Yonekawa, Edmond J. Fitzgibbon, Ami Mankodi, Adeline Vanderver, Alice B. Schindler, Camilo Toro, William A. Gahl, Don J. Mahuran, Craig Blackstone, Tyler Pierson

Neurology Faculty Publications

Objective

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are among the most genetically diverse inherited neurological disorders, with over 70 disease loci identified (SPG1-71) to date. SPG15 and SPG11 are clinically similar, autosomal recessive disorders characterized by progressive spastic paraplegia along with thin corpus callosum, white matter abnormalities, cognitive impairment, and ophthalmologic abnormalities. Furthermore, both have been linked to early-onset parkinsonism.

Methods

We describe two new cases of SPG15 and investigate cellular changes in SPG15 and SPG11 patient-derived fibroblasts, seeking to identify shared pathogenic themes. Cells were evaluated for any abnormalities in cell division, DNA repair, endoplasmic reticulum, endosomes, and lysosomes.

Results

Fibroblasts …

State Involvement In Limiting Textbook Choice By School Districts, Michelle Phillips

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Who gets to decide what textbooks are used in America's public-school classrooms varies by state. States can let each school district decide, provide standards that must be followed and make available an incomplete listing of books meeting those standards, or allow schools to choose books only from a list provided by the state. I present a model that provides an explanation for state limits on textbook selection by school districts. I examine the roles played by decision making costs, effectiveness of voters, religious composition, power of teachers, and propensity of state governments to interfere with or to help districts in …

Cross-Sectional Association Between The Number Of Missing Teeth And Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults Aged 50 Or Older: Brfss 2010, R Constance Wiener

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Objective. The relationship between oral health and cardiovascular disease is an emerging area of research. The objective of the current study is to evaluate the association of cardiovascular disease and the number of missing teeth as a risk indicator. Methods. Cross-sectional study design with data on 275,424 respondents aged 50 or older from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey was used. The dependent variable was self-reported cardiovascular disease. The association between the number of missing teeth and cardiovascular disease was analyzed with multivariable logistic regression. The regression was adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, age, education, income, dental visits, smoking …

Analysis Of Schizophrenia Data Using A Nonlinear Threshold Index Logistic Model., Zhenyu Jiang, Chengan Du, Assen Jablensky, Hua Liang, Zudi Lu, Yang Ma, Kok Lay Teo

GW Biostatistics Center

Genetic information, such as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data, has been widely recognized as useful in prediction of disease risk. However, how to model the genetic data that is often categorical in disease class prediction is complex and challenging. In this paper, we propose a novel class of nonlinear threshold index logistic models to deal with the complex, nonlinear effects of categorical/discrete SNP covariates for Schizophrenia class prediction. A maximum likelihood methodology is suggested to estimate the unknown parameters in the models. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methodology works viably well for moderate-size samples. The suggested approach is therefore …

Engagement With Care, Substance Use, And Adherence To Therapy In Hiv/Aids, Patrice K. Nicholas, Suzanne Willard, Clinton J. Thompson, Carol Dawson-Rose, Inge B. Corless, +20 Additional Authors

GW Biostatistics Center

Engagement with care for those living with HIV is aimed at establishing a strong relationship between patients and their health care provider and is often associated with greater adherence to therapy and treatment (Flickinger, Saha, Moore, and Beach, 2013). Substance use behaviors are linked with lower rates of engagement with care and medication adherence (Horvath, Carrico, Simoni, Boyer, Amico, and Petroli, 2013). This study is a secondary data analysis using a cross-sectional design from a larger randomized controlled trial (n = 775) that investigated the efficacy of a self-care symptom management manual for participants living with HIV. Participants were …

Cardiometabolic Risk Assessments By Body Mass Index Z-Score Or Waist-To-Height Ratio In A Multiethnic Sample Of Sixth-Graders, Henry S. Kahn, Laure El Ghormli, Russell Jago, Gary D. Foster, Robert G. Mcmurray, John B. Buse, Diane D. Stadler, Roberto P. Trevino, Tom Baranowski, Healthy Study Group

GW Biostatistics Center

Convention defines pediatric adiposity by the body mass index -score (BMIz) referenced to normative growth charts. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) does not depend on sex-and-age references. In the HEALTHY Study enrollment sample, we compared BMIz with WHtR for ability to identify adverse cardiometabolic risk. Among 5,482 sixth-grade students from 42 middle schools, we estimated explanatory variations (R²) and standardized beta coefficients of BMIz or WHtR for cardiometabolic risk factors: insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipids, blood pressures, and glucose. For each risk outcome variable, we prepared adjusted regression models for four subpopulations stratified by sex and high versus lower fatness. …

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 …

Ordnance Operations, United States Army

United States Army: Field Manuals

Ordnance Operations. United States Army Field Manual FM 4-30

Using Spe And Hplc-Ms To Quantify And Identify Pharmaceutical Compounds In St. John's University Wastewater, Melissa E. Stuckey

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Pharmaceuticals in wastewater have become a concern of environmental toxicologists. An efficient method of discovering the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in wastewater has not yet been produced. The method we developed includes an automated Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) procedure prior to injecting a sample of wastewater into the High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) and Mass Spectrometer – Electrospray Ionization (MS-ESI). Three unknown peaks were identified on the HPLC and MS from wastewater obtained from the St. John’s Wastewater Treatment Plant in June 2013. Methods of analysis including NMR, GC-MS and IR have been used to determine the composition of these …

Using Arduino To Design A Myoelectric Prosthetic, Kathleen Talbot

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The loss of a limb can be a very traumatic experience for a person. Prosthetics are devices that can help restore some of the functionality to the user. However, without insurance, prosthetics can be very expensive, creating demand for more efficient and cheaper prosthetics. My research uses an Arduino microcontroller to design a myoelectric prosthetic – a prosthetic that reads electrical signals from the residual limb and powers motors for movement.

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 …

Virtually Dead: The Extension Of Social Agency To Corpses And The Dead On Facebook, Adam Tucker

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Facebook and other social networking technologies are become vastly powerful and expansive social forces that are exerting an influence on corpses, the dead, and death communications. Since its invention in 2004, millions of users of Facebook have died, leaving durable profiles subject to the site’s changing regulatory policies and socially present for the network’s living users as well. Because of their ability to enmesh, mutate, and interact with the social interactions of the living—as well as their durability as a site of continuing bonds—Facebook profiles retain social agency consistent with the theories of agency of Alfred Gell (1998) and Bruno …

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

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 5, May/June 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum—Valuing U.S. Agriculture Identifying Yellow Perch Gender to Improve Production "Supershedders" Role in Spreading E. coli Scrutinized Transparent Coating for Glass, Plastics—and More—May Have Bright Future Foraging Worms Guarantee Slug Bait Failure Dissecting a Potato Pathogen's Hiding Place in Its Insect Vector Advance May Speed Development of Seed Rot-Resistant Soybeans Taming Extreme Environments by Exploring Algae in Space Pigs Useful in Immune and Obesity Research Controlling Odors and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Stored Swine Manure New Class of Animal Deworming Agent Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 6, July 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum—Enhancing Food Safety by Supporting Regulatory Agencies and Industry A Lab That Keeps Us All Out of a Pickle Genetic Mapping of Rust-resistance Genes in Sunflower Orange-Fleshed Honeydew Melon: Ripe for Beta-Carotene Analysis Making a Barley Fish Feed Product Details Matter in Modeling Carbon Sequestration and Cropping Systems Reducing Fertilizer Needs by Accounting for Soil Microbes Data Analyses Show How Weather Patterns Can Affect Cattle Production Whacking Weeds Organically Treatment Has Potential to Reduce Allergenicity of Peanuts Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No, 9, October 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum-Keeping Pace with Agriculture's Challenges New Imaging Techniques Leads to Better Understanding of Freezing in Plants Better Information for Improved Beef Manure Management Improving Trout Resistance to a Deadly Disease Pest's Taster for Fine Wine May Prove Its Undoing Mandarin Oranges: Protecting the Flavor of This Popular Fruit Experimental Website Helps Teens Eat More Veggies Latest Update of USDA's Nutrient Database Released The Greatest Show on Turf Assessing Cotton Fiber Quality From a Tiny Sample A Steady Pace of Cellulosic Ethanol Research in Peoria Using Location Information to Improve Literature Searches Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 8, September 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum-ARS Water Research: From the Headwaters to the Deltas Delta Backwaters Can Capture Field Runoff Pollutants Wanted...Tools to Identify Uncommon Beef Cattle Traits Determining the Best Season for Applying Chicken Litter in the South Compound from the Bactria Could be Useful Against Pecan Scab Fungi Readied for Weed Biocontrol Weather-tracking Tool Helps Tacking Migration Insects Taina Litwak: Insect Illustrator Extraordinaire Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Agricultural Research Magazine, Vol. 62, No. 10, November/December 2014, United States Department Of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Magazine

Forum-The Never Ending Insect Control Contest Fire Ants Are No Match for Poison Frogs Controlling Native Stink Bugs in the Southeast Closing in on Butanol for Biofuel Assessing the Ricks of HoBi-like Virus in Cattle Making Peach Trees Fit Better on the Field Finding Rice Traits That Tackle Climate-change Challenges New Test Count Total Phenolics in Fruits and Vegetables Delicious, Nutritious, and a Colorful Dish for the Holidays! Markers Highlight the Way to Disease Resistance in Peas Your Brain and Comfort Foods: Neuroimages Capture Effect Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of 5′-O-Dicarboxylic Fatty Acyl Monoester Derivatives Of Anti-Hiv Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, Bhanu Pemmaraju, Hitesh K. Agarwal, Donghoon Oh, Karen W. Buckheit, Robert W. Buckheit Jr., Rakesh Tiwari, Keykavous Parang

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

A number of 5′-O-dicarboxylic fatty acyl monoester derivatives of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (zidovudine, AZT), 2′,3′-didehydro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (stavudine, d4T), and 3′-fluoro-3′-deoxythymidine (alovudine, FLT) were synthesized to improve the lipophilicity and potentially the cellular delivery of parent polar 2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside (ddN) analogs. The compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV activity. Three different fatty acids with varying chain length of suberic acid (octanedioic acid), sebacic acid (decanedioic acid), and dodecanedioic acid were used for the conjugation with the nucleosides. The compounds were evaluated for anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity. All dicarboxylic ester conjugates of nucleosides exhibited significantly higher anti-HIV activity than that of the corresponding parent …

Ahhs 420.01: Geriatric Health Issues, Gayle A. Hudgins

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Psyx 120.50: Research Methods I, Brandon Rennie

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.