Digital Commons Network^™

Multiple Roles For Hoxa3 In Regulating Thymus And Parathyroid Differentiation And Morphogenesis In Mouse, Jena L. Chojnowski, Kyoko Masuda, Heidi A. Trau, Kirk Thomas, Mario Capeechi, Nancy R. Manley

Natural Sciences Faculty Publications

Hoxa3 was the first Hox gene to be mutated by gene targeting in mice and is required for the development of multiple endoderm and neural crest cell (NCC)-derived structures in the pharyngeal region. Previous studies have shown that the Hoxa3 null mutant lacks third pharyngeal pouch derivatives, the thymus and parathyroids by E18.5, and organ-specific markers are absent or downregulated during initial organogenesis. Our current analysis of the Hoxa3 null mutant shows that organ-specific domains did undergo initial patterning, but the location and timing of key regional markers within the pouch, including Tbx1, Bmp4 and Fgf8, were altered. …

Unicef Nepal Adolescent Development And Participation (Adap) Baseline Study: Final Report, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya, Michelle Chau, Mahesh Puri

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) program is UNICEF Nepal’s endeavor to inform the design and implementation of an evidence-based program for adolescents. This ADAP Baseline Study Final Report documents the first comprehensive study of the lives of adolescents in 15 districts of Nepal with high levels of child deprivation where UNICEF is focusing its intervention. The ADAP Baseline Study is aligned with the National Plan of Action for Holistic Development of Adolescents launched in 2013, and highlights the sociocultural and behavioral aspects of adolescents in six domains: Education and Skills; Livelihoods and Financial Literacy; Enabling and Protective Environment; Gender …

Patent Examiners And Litigation Outcomes, Shine Tu

Law Faculty Scholarship

Conventional wisdom argues that unnecessary litigation of low quality patents hinders innovation, and that the PTO could play a role with its high grant rates. Accordingly, it is important to answer these questions: (1) which patent examiners are issuing litigated patents, (2) are examiners who are "rubber stamping" patents issuing litigated patents at a disproportionately higher rate, and (3) are examiners with less experience issuing more litigated patents? In sum, do patent examiners who issue litigated patents have common characteristics? Intuition would argue that those examiners who issue the most patents (approximately one patent every three business days) would exhibit …

Comparative Analysis Of Selected Model Species Used In Intervertebral Disc Research, Lauren A. Monaco

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Animal models are frequently used in place of human specimens to study the progression of injury and/or disease of the intervertebral disc (IVD). This project aimed to compare the geometry, hydration, histology, and mechanical properties of selected animal models: bovine (cow) tail, porcine (pig) lumbar, and ovine (sheep) lumbar IVDs. X-ray images were taken and used to determine the anterior, posterior, and lateral IVD and vertebral heights in order to calculate IVD: vertebral height ratios. Water content was determined by comparing IVD weight before (wet weight) and after (dry weight) 24 hours of incubation at 65°C. Mechanical properties …

Wills & Trusts, Gerry W. Beyer

SMU Annual Texas Survey

No abstract provided.

Blurring Two Conceptions Of Subjective Experience: Folk Versus Philosophical Phenomenality, Anthony F. Peressini

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

Philosophers and psychologists have experimentally explored various aspects of people's understandings of subjective experience based on their responses to questions about whether robots “see red” or “feel frustrated,” but the intelligibility of such questions may well presuppose that people understand robots as experiencers in the first place. Departing from the standard approach, I develop an experimental framework that distinguishes between “phenomenal consciousness” as it is applied to a subject (an experiencer) and to an (experiential) mental state and experimentally test folk understandings of both subjective experience and experiencers. My findings (1) reveal limitations in experimental approaches using “artificial experiencers” like …

Philosophy, Medicine And Health Care - Where We Have Come From And Where We Are Going, Michael Loughlin, Robyn Bluhm, Jonathan Fuller, Stephen Burtow, Rose E. G. Upshur, Kirstin Borgerson, Maya J. Goldenberg, Elselijn Kingma

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The role of philosophy in discussions of clinical practice was once regarded by many as restricted to a very limited version of ‘medical ethics’, one that has been extensively criticized in the pages of this journal and elsewhere for being at once philosophically untenable and practically unhelpful [1–4]. While this uninspiring view of the nature and scope of applied philosophy has by no means been eradicated, over a number of years there has been a resurgence of interest in the philosophy of medicine and health care as an intellectually serious and practically significant enterprise. Controversies about evidence, value, clinical knowledge, …

The Origin Of Parental Rights: Labor, Intent, And Fathers, Dara Purvis

Faculty Scholarship

Most theories of parentage fail to explain the genesis of the right to parent - for example, why does a biological relationship generate parental rights? This Article shows that the law of parental rights mirrors theories of acquiring property, and that the law has shifted over time, from favoring a property right based in genetics to a Lockean theory of property rights earned through labor. The growth of Lockean labor-based theories is epitomized in reforms to parentage laws that incorporate functional theories of parenting, meaning that adults who perform caretaking work that creates a significant relationship with children are recognized …

Distribution And Elimination Of 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol (Tfm) By Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And Non-Target, Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens), Michael W. Le Clair

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The pesticide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), has been highly successful in the control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes. Treatments with TFM involve applying it to streams, where it targets larval sea lamprey which live burrowed in the stream substrate. While the toxic mechanism of TFM has been elucidated, and its effects on sea lamprey described, its effects on non-target fish species such as rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are not as well understood. The present work demonstrated that rainbow trout show a great capacity to detoxify the lampricide using glucuronidation, when exposed to …

The Establishment Of A Fibroblastic Cell Line From Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) And Its Potential Applications In Toxicology, Katelin W. Spiteri

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis describes the establishment, characterization and potential toxicological applications of YPF5, a yellow perch cell line. YPF5 is a fibroblastic cell line derived from the caudal fin of yellow perch. This cell line has been maintained for over 2 years. Cultures have been passaged over 60 times, and successfully cryopreserved and thawed. YPF5 is grown at room temperature in Leibovitz-15 (L-15) media, supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 3% penicillin-streptomycin. The origin of YPF5 has been confirmed as Perca flavescens through “DNA Barcoding” and reaffirmed through Karyotyping (2n = 48) as per literature reported karyology for percidae including …

A Bittersweet Investigation Of Availability And Nutritive Value As Determinants Of Volitional Sucrose Consumption, Milan D. Valyear

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Rats given ~24 h access to a 4% sucrose solution every 3^rd day (E3DA) consume about 100 g more solution than rats with continuous, everyday access (EDA). Under the same EDA-E3DA conditions rats will consume similar amounts of a more concentrated 8 or 16% sucrose solutions (Eikelboom, Hewitt, & Adams, Unpublished). It maybe that with these more concentrated solutions rats hit a satiety limit that prevents a difference between EDA and E3DA consumption from being evident. Experiment 1 was conducted to investigate the effect of adding quinine to 4% and 8% sucrose solutions with the intention of reducing consumption …

You’Re Breaking Up: The Faulty Connection Between Congressional Intent And Supreme Court Interpretation In Adoptive Couple V. Baby Girl, 133 S. Ct. 2552 (2013), Danielle J. Larson

Nebraska Law Review

I. Introduction

II. Background ... A. Legislative History of ICWA [Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978] ... 1. Indian Child Removal Pre-ICWA ... 2. Factors Driving Removal Rates ... a. Physical Abuse ... b. Ethnocentrism ... c. Institutional Structure ... B. Overview of ICWA ... C. Existing Indian Family Exception ... D. Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield

III. Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl … A. Facts ... B. Opinions Below ... C. Supreme Court Opinion

IV. Analysis ... A. Birth Father Is a Parent Under ICWA and Should Have Been Afforded Its Protections ... B. ICWA Does Not …

The Birth Of A Parent: Defining Parentage For Lenders Of Genetic Material, Lynda Wray Black

Nebraska Law Review

With the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies, the number of participants in the procreative process has increased from the biologically required minimum of two to as many as six or even eight. The law must adjust to these possibilities. While there may be additional nonbiological claimants to parentage, this Article sets forth the conceptual starting point that frames the legal definition of parentage, namely, that the law must recognize as parent any individual (regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or marital status) who is biologically related to a child.

The distinction between lender and donor for providers of genetic material …

Consuming Genomics: Regulating Direct-To-Consumer Genetic And Genomic Information, Kayte Spector-Bagdady, Elizabeth R. Pike

Nebraska Law Review

This Article is one of the first to analyze the effect of the 23andMe Warning Letter on the industry, to focus on the bifurcation of genetic interpretation and information as an independent medical device, and to analyze future regulatory approaches available to FDA. Part II of this Article offers an overview of public access to genetic information: the significance of genetic information, the transition from discrete genetic testing to large-scale genetic testing and genomic sequencing, and the movement of genetic interpretation from the clinic to DTC. This Part will also discuss government scrutiny of the DTC genetic-testing industry. Part III …

Automated Identification Of Cell Type Specific Genes In The Mouse Brain By Image Computing Of Expression Patterns, Rongjian Li, Wenlu Zhang, Shuiwang Ji

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Background: Differential gene expression patterns in cells of the mammalian brain result in the morphological, connectional, and functional diversity of cells. A wide variety of studies have shown that certain genes are expressed only in specific cell-types. Analysis of cell-type-specific gene expression patterns can provide insights into the relationship between genes, connectivity, brain regions, and cell-types. However, automated methods for identifying cell-type-specific genes are lacking to date.

Results: Here, we describe a set of computational methods for identifying cell-type-specific genes in the mouse brain by automated image computing of in situ hybridization (ISH) expression patterns. We applied invariant image feature …

Tracing Beta Strands Using Strandtwister From Cryo-Em Density Maps At Medium Resolutions, Dong Si, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Major secondary structure elements such as α helices and β sheets can be computationally detected from cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) density maps with medium resolutions of 5–10 A˚ . However, a critical piece of information for modeling atomic structures is missing, because there are no tools to detect β strands from cryo-EM maps at medium resolutions. We propose a method, StrandTwister, to detect the traces of β strands through the analysis of twist, an intrinsic nature of a β sheet. StrandTwister has been tested using 100 β sheets simulated at 10 A˚ resolution and 39 β sheets computationally detected from cryo-EM …

Overexpression Of Dcf1 Inhibits Glioma Through Destruction Of Mitochondria And Activation Of Apoptosis Pathway, Yuqiong Xie, Qang Li, Qingbo Yang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gliomas are the most common brain tumors affecting the central nervous system and are associated with a high mortality rate. DCF1 is a membrane protein that was previously found to play a role in neural stem cell differentiation. In the present study, we found that overexpression of dcf1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and dramatically promoted apoptosis in the glioblastoma U251 cell line. DCF1 deletion mutations in the functional region showed that the complete structure of DCF1 was necessary for apoptosis. Furthermore, significantly lower tumorigenicity was observed in athymic nude mice by transplanting U251 cells overexpressing dcf1. To …

Activating The Expression Of Human K-Rasg12d Stimulates Oncogenic Transformation In Transgenic Goat Fetal Fibroblast Cells, J. Gong, Zhongde Wang, I. Polejaeva, R. Salgia, C. Kao, T. Chen, L. Chen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Humane use of preclinical large animal cancer models plays a critical role in understanding cancer biology and developing therapeutic treatments. Among the large animal candidates, goats have great potentials as sustainable sources for large animal cancer model development. Goats are easier to handle and cheaper to raise. The genome of the goats has been sequenced recently. It has been known that goats develop skin, adrenal cortex, breast and other types of cancers. Technically, goats are subject to somatic cell nuclear transfer more efficiently and exhibit better viability through the cloning process. Towards the development of a goat cancer model, we …

A New Approach In The Evaluation Of Hospital Information Systems, Güney Gürsel, Neşe Zayi̇m, Kemal Hakan Gülkesen, Ali̇ Ari̇foğlu, Osman Saka

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Hospital information system (HIS) evaluation frameworks have largely been discussed in the literature. However, existing frameworks lack one important aspect: to what extent user expectations of HISs are met. In this study, user expectation data are collected by means of the 'expectation questionnaire'. The internal consistencies of the answers to the questionnaire are measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Fuzzy logic methodologies are used to evaluate the expectation variables in the proposed evaluation framework. The evaluation variables are not represented in the results equally; they are reflected by the weights assigned by the users. Our proposed framework provides the overall degree …

How Do Hccmes Perform In Small Samples?, Mehmet Orhan, Esra Şi̇mşek

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The purpose of this paper is to explore the performances of prominent and popular heteroscedasticity-consistent covariance matrix estimators (HCCMEs) in small samples. The HCCMEs are selected from the literature and their ability to estimate the true covariance matrix of the coefficient's vector is evaluated through simulation runs. We calculate the percentage difference between the expected value of the HCCME and the true covariance matrix to set a convenient stage to make the comparisons under several different regression settings. The main contribution of the paper is the inclusion of the HCCMEs that have been introduced into the literature recently. We report …

Feature Selection On Single-Lead Ecg For Obstructive Sleep Apnea Diagnosis, Hüseyi̇n Gürüler, Mesut Şahi̇n, Abdullah Feri̇koğlu

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Many articles that appeared in the literature agreed upon the feasibility of diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with a single-lead electrocardiogram. Although high accuracies have been achieved in detection of apneic episodes and classification into apnea/hypopnea, there has not been a consensus on the best method of selecting the feature parameters. This study presents a classification scheme for OSA using common features belonging to the time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear calculations of heart rate variability analysis, and then proposes a method of feature selection based on correlation matrices (CMs). The results show that the CMs can be utilized in …

Vessel Segmentation In Mri Using A Variational Image Subtraction Approach, Ayşe Nurdan Saran, Fati̇h Nar, Murat Saran

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Vessel segmentation is important for many clinical applications, such as the diagnosis of vascular diseases, the planning of surgery, or the monitoring of the progress of disease. Although various approaches have been proposed to segment vessel structures from 3-dimensional medical images, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no known technique that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as prior information within the vessel segmentation of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or magnetic resonance venography (MRV) images. In this study, we propose a novel method that uses MRI images as an atlas, assuming that the patient has an MRI image …

Control Of Svc Based On The Sliding Mode Control Method, Ercan Köse, Hakan Kizmaz, Kadi̇r Abaci, Saadetti̇n Aksoy

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

A genetic algorithm (GA)-based sliding mode controller is proposed to improve the voltage stability of a power system with a static var compensator. The proposed controller is examined for improving the load bus voltage, which changes under different demanding powers, and its performance for transient analysis is compared with the Ziegler--Nichols proportional-integral (ZNPI), Lyapunov-based sliding mode control (LASMC), and GA-based proportional-integral-derivative (GAPID) controllers. The dynamic equations, consisting of a 2-bus nonlinear system, are converted to a mathematical description of sliding mode techniques. The optimum values of the sliding mode controller and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) coefficients that are required are calculated using …

Correlation Analysis Between Surface Electromyography And Continuous-Wave Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Parameters During Isometric Exercise To Volitional Fatigue, Ömer Şayli̇, Ata Akin, Hasan Bi̇rol Çotuk

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this study, the process of muscular fatigue was examined using surface electromyography (sEMG) and continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (cw-NIRS) simultaneously during an isometric hand grip exercise at 50% and 75% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), sustained until volitional fatigue. The mean frequency of the sEMG decreased during the whole exercise, whereas the root mean square had a tendency to increase. Oxyhemoglobin/deoxyhemoglobin concentration changes computed with cw-NIRS were found to exhibit a fast linear decrease/increase in the first 10--20 s of the exercise, the so-called fast phase, followed by a plateau-like slow phase. The change rates were higher at 75% …

Performance Evaluation Of The Wave Atom Algorithm To Classify Mammographic Images, Nebi̇ Gedi̇k, Ayten Atasoy

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The most common type of cancer seen in women is breast cancer. To enable recovery from this severe disease, monitoring and early detection must be provided, and related precautions must be taken as a first step. During diagnosis, some cases may be overlooked due to fatigue and eyestrain, because the determination of abnormalities is a repetitive procedure. In this study, a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system, using the wave atom transform (WAT) algorithm and support vector machine (SVM), is proposed to evaluate mammography images. During the process, the region of interest (ROI) is defined before applying the method. The system includes …

Expert Doctor Verdis: Integrated Medical Expert System, Aytürk Keleş

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Innovative medical technologies are developing day by day, as there is an important need for integrated medical expert systems (ESs) that will help to effectively manage and control diagnosis and treatment processes. These systems, with new approaches, have improved the experiences and capabilities of physicians to make the diagnosis of diseases. In this work, an integrated medical ES called Expert Doctor Verdis (Ex-Dr Verdis) is developed, which combines an advanced medical information system containing various medical services supported by information technologies, with ES capabilities in a single system. This system is also one kind of decision support system. Implementation of …

Comparison Of Different Methods For Determining Diabetes, Mehmet Recep Bozkurt, Ni̇lüfer Yurtay, Zi̇ynet Yilmaz, Cengi̇z Sertkaya

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this study, the Pima Indian Diabetes dataset was categorized with 8 different classifiers. The data were taken from the University of California Irvine Machine Learning Repository's web site. As a classifier, 6 different neural networks [probabilistic neural network (PNN), learning vector quantization, feedforward networks, cascade-forward networks, distributed time delay networks (DTDN), and time delay networks], the artificial immune system, and the Gini algorithm from decision trees were used. The classifier's performance ratios were studied separately as accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity and the success rates of all of the classifiers are presented. Among these 8 classifiers, the best accuracy and …

Stability Analysis Of Multimachine Thermal Power Systems Using The Nature-Inspired Modified Cuckoo Search Algorithm, Shivakumar Rangasamy, Panneerselvam Manickam

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The stability of modern interconnected thermal power systems is greatly affected by the presence of low-frequency inertial oscillations in the system, due to various forms of disturbances experienced. This paper provides an efficient damping solution to these oscillations based on nature-inspired modified cuckoo search algorithm-based controller design. The proposed controller design is formulated as a parameter optimization problem based on damping ratio and time-domain error deviations. The effectiveness of the proposed damping controller design is illustrated by performing the nonlinear time domain simulations of the test multimachine power systems under various operating conditions and disturbances. Moreover, an exhaustive comparative stability …

The Design Of An Embedded Spinal Cord Stimulator, Fi̇kret Yalçinkaya, Ali̇ Erbaş

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Spinal cord stimulation is a physical therapy methodology utilizing electrical impulses, pulses, or a combination of various standard electrical waveforms to block pain. However, standard forms are not functioning effectively for each illness due to the unique conditions of the patient. Therefore, patient-specific waveforms (or user-defined waveforms) integrated with nondestructive, complete, or partially noninvasive and effective medical instruments to help relieve pain are required. In the literature, 2 different designs have been discussed: the bedside/portable and the implantable/surgical types. This work is introducing a new hybrid type: a portable touch-screen multichannel embedded spinal cord stimulator. This work is made of …

Development And Optimization Of A Dsp-Based Real-Time Lane Detection Algorithm On A Mobile Platform, Gürkan Küçükyildiz, Hasan Ocak

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this study, image processing-based real-time lane detection, which is one of the significant problems in autonomous vehicle control, is explored. A mobile robot platform is developed for that purpose. The motion of the mobile robot is provided by 4 direct current motors, which are independently controlled. An image processing code is developed in a Visual DSP 5.0 environment and run on a BF-561 processor embedded in the ADSP BF-561 EZ-KIT LITE evaluation board (Analog Devices). In the image processing algorithm, Hough lines obtained from the Hough transform of the captured images are called candidate lane marks. Various elimination methods …