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Heat Transfer Enhancement And Applications Of Femtosecond Laser Processed Metallic Surfaces, Corey M. Kruse

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the present work, functionalized 304 stainless steel metallic surfaces were created with the use of a Femtosecond Laser Surface Processing (FLSP) technique. The laser processing technique produces self-organized micro/nanostructures on the surface. The heat transfer performance of various FLSP functionalized surfaces were characterized through pool boiling and Leidenfrost experiments. Enhancement in both the nucleate and film boiling heat transfer were observed through an increase of the critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient as well as shifts in the Leidenfrost temperature respectively. For both experiments, a polished reference sample was used as a baseline line to compare against the …

Neuroprotective Effects Of Retinal Ganglion Cells By Specific Alpha 7 Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists And An Acetylcholineesterase Inhibitor, Sara Kaliszak

Honors Theses

In previous studies from this lab, an alpha7 nACh receptor was found to successfully modulate retinal ganglion cell neuroprotection against glutamate assault when bound to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or if an alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine agonist, such as PNU-282987 was used in in vitro models (Wehrwein et al., 2004; Iwamoto et al., 2013). These in vitro studies support the hypothesis that activation of alpha7 nicotinic ACh receptors triggers neuroprotection against loss of retinal ganglion cells normally induced by excessive glutamate insult. The results from these in vitro studies instigated an in vivo study in our lab using a rat glaucoma model. …

Mechanisms Of Infrared Neural Stimulation, Vicente Lumbreras Cruz

Open Access Dissertations

Cochlear implants are currently the most effective solution for profound sensorineural hearing loss, and vestibular prostheses are under development to treat bilateral vestibulopathies. Electrical current spread in these neuroprostheses limits channel independence, and in some cases may impair device performance. In comparison to conventional electrical stimulation, optical stimuli that are spatially confined may result in a significant functional improvement. Pulsed infrared radiation (IR) allows direct stimulation of tissue without genetic or pharmacological manipulation, and has been shown to excite neurons. This study analyzes if pulsed IR (λ = 1863 nm) elicits intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) transients in cultured neonatal rat spiral …

Responsibility To Protect (R2p), The Responsibility Of The International Community To Protect Syrian Citizens, Ghuna Bdiwi

LLM Theses

The responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine allows the international community to intervene for humanitarian purposes in events of massive violations of human rights. However, the legality of humanitarian intervention has received considerable critical attention because of its direct conflict with two fundamental norms in international law: the prohibition of the use of force, and the principle of state sovereignty. In Syria, mass atrocity crimes are escalating on a daily basis. Until now, international efforts have failed to find a peaceful formula to stop the crisis. International law allows the Security Council to authorize humanitarian intervention under the power of Chapter …

25 Year Club: 33rd Annual Gala, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club: 33rd Annual Gala

December 2, 2014

• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees

Campus Assembly Minutes 12/02/2014, Campus Assembly

Campus Assembly

No abstract provided.

The Native American Organic Garden: Using Service Learning As A Site Of Resistance To The Boarding School Tradition, Donna Chollett

Anthropology Publications

As educators, we owe it to our students to enable them to transgress structural impediments and to create sustainable alternatives from the margins of the industrial agro-food system. Policies of assimilation, allotment, and enclosure of the Native American commons and ecosystems brought devastation to Native cultures. Dependence on government commodities replaced Native food sovereignty and contributed to malnutrition, obesity, and diabetes as diets responded to corporately produced and processed foods. Young people often feel disempowered and ask how they might confront such formidable forces as corporate control of our agro-food system, destruction of natural resources, and threats to human health. …

A Series Of Tubes, Timothy Concannon

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Recipient Of The 2014 Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award, Steve Crutchfield '93

Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award

In August 2012 Steve Crutchfield was appointed the Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Options at NYSE Euronextin order to create a “more integrated and efficient operation”, and became CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of NYSE Amex Options LLC; all accomplished before he turned 40. He serves as the sole leader of the NYSE Euronext system. Steve manages relationships for all strategic NYSE Euronext clients, leads key business development initiatives, leads all media and industry engagement activities and provides strategic counsel to NYSE global executive management. Steve is a regular speaker at various U.S. and …

Recipient Of The 2014 Alumni Titan Award, Melvin R. Bacani '90

Alumni Titan Award

Melvin has been an active and engaged volunteer with IMSA and the IMSA Alumni Association since 2009, when he first joined the IMSA Alumni Association Cabinet and took the lead role in planning his 20-year reunion for his class. His volunteer efforts have increased every year since, and he has had a triple role as an IMSA alumnus, an IMSA parent, and an IMSA employee. Melvin has played a critical role in advancing the work of the IMSA Alumni Association, enhancing the tools and support needed for the Cabinet leaders to truly lead and execute programs.

Melvin has brought his …

Plan Now For Summer Research Internships Workshops, Dec. 2 And 3, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Cloning And Characterization Of Farnesyl Diphosphate Synthase Gene Involved In Triterpenoids Biosynthesis From Poria Cocos, Jianrong Wang, Yangyuan Li, Danni Liu

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

Poria cocos (P. cocos) has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine and triterpenoids are the most important pharmacologically active constituents of this fungus. Farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPS) is a key enzyme of triterpenoids biosynthesis. The gene encoding FPS was cloned from P. cocos by degenerate PCR, inverse PCR and cassette PCR. The open reading frame of the gene is 1086 bp in length, corresponding to a predicted polypeptide of 361 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 41.2 kDa. Comparison of the P. cocos FPS deduced amino acid sequence with other species showed the highest identity with Ganoderma …

The Utah Statesman, December 2, 2014, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Wellness And Food Preferences Among Children Of Latino Immigrant Families In The Arcadia Community Of Spartanburg County, Sarah Grace Keaveny

Student Scholarship

The topic of this capstone is the result of my synthesis across disciplines. As a student with majors in Biology and Spanish with a concentration in Medical Humanities, I wanted to research a topic that would include my disciplines in a way that would meaningfully prepare me to leave my undergraduate years for medical school. This project seeks to generate an understanding of the culturally created eating habits and perceptions of wellness in Latino children living in the Arcadia Community, as told by their mothers. By seeking this understanding, I hope that this project may serve as a tool to …

The Advocate, December 2, 2014, Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Advocate

No abstract provided.

Daily Eastern News: December 02, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Geographic Distribution And Adaptive Significance Of Genomic Structural Variants: An Anthropological Genetics Perspective, Muthukrishnan Eaaswarkhanth, Pavlos Pavlidis, Omer Gokcumen

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Anthropological geneticists have successfully used single nucleotide and short tandem repeat variations across human genomes to reconstruct human history. These markers have also been used extensively to identify adaptive and phenotypic variation. The recent advent of high-throughput genomic technologies revealed an overlooked type of genomic variation, namely structural variants (SVs). In fact, some SVs may contribute to human adaptation in substantial and previously unexplored ways. SVs include deletions, insertions, duplications, inversions and translocations of genomic segments that vary among individuals from the same species. SVs are much less numerous than single nucleotide variants, but account for at least seven times …

Deepeval: An Integrated Framework For The Evaluation Of Student Responses In Dialogue Based Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Rajendra Banjade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The automatic assessment of student answers is one of the critical components of an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) because accurate assessment of student input is needed in order to provide effective feedback that leads to learning. But this is a very challenging task because it requires natural language understanding capabilities. The process requires various components, concepts identification, co-reference resolution, ellipsis handling etc. As part of this thesis, we thoroughly analyzed a set of student responses obtained from an experiment with the intelligent tutoring system DeepTutor in which college students interacted with the tutor to solve conceptual physics problems, designed an …

An Ethnographic Study About The Aspects Of Igbo Culture That Influence Educational Practices Of Female And Male 12th Grade Students In Their Career Choices In Enugu State Schools, Nigeria., Herbert Nnadozie Ene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This qualitative study seeks to obtain an in-depth understanding of aspects of Igbo culture that influence educational practices of female and male 12th grade students in their career choices as they approach their graduation from high schools in Enugu State. The study was based upon previous researches that held that Igbo culture limits choice of careers among female 12th grade students in Nigeria. It would answer the overarching question that inquires to explore those aspects of Igbo culture that influence educational practices of female and male 12th grade students in their choice of careers in Enugu State Schools. The research …

Effects Of Macroscopic Heterogeneity On Cardiac Propagation And Termination Of Reentry, Deepika Konakanchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is believed to be a result of uncontrolled and sustained spiral wave reentries. Few recent studies have discussed the effects of the heterogeneous nature of atrial tissue at cellular and microscopic levels, on the electrical activity of the heart and defibrillation of AF; however, the effect of macroscopic patches of heterogeneity in the size ranges 3-8 mm has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of macroscopic patches of heterogeneity on cardiac propagation and termination of reentry in a computationally inexpensive, 2D bidomain model of a sheet of cardiac tissue. Tissue …

Temperature-Responsive Injectable Hydrogels: Design, Characterization And Application As Localized Delivery Systems For Drug And Gene Therapy, Daniel Ghirmay Abebe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In recent decades, block copolymers have found wide spread interest as drug delivery systems (DDS). Improvements in synthetic techniques, polymer engineering and nanotechnology have made it possible to design and construct a variety of DDS for emerging therapeutics, such as gene therapy. Block copolymer gene carriers have several advantages including improved biocompatibility, higher loading capacity and ease of large-scale production. However, the successful clinical application of these delivery systems has been plagued due to several shortcomings, such as poor stability in biological environment, low loading efficiency of therapeutic agents and relatively high cytotoxicity. The majority investigated block copolymer gene carriers …

Applying A Behavioral Economic Framework To The Gambling Behavior Of College Students, Matthew Thomas Suda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Behavioral economic theory conceptualizes human behavior as the result of allocating behavioral resources to engage in preferred activities. This framework has been applied sparingly to gambling behavior. The present study sought to reveal the important behavioral economic construct of relative reinforcing value for the activity of gambling by manipulating the value of an alternative reinforcer as well as constraining it’s availability in a sample of college students, a population that consistently shows elevated rates of gambling as well as problematic gambling behaviors. Analyses did not support the hypotheses, as gambling’s reinforcing value was not demonstrated by the experimental manipulations. Implications …

Dprp: A Database Of Phenotype-Specific Regulatory Programs Derived From Transcription Factor Binding Data, David T. W. Tzeng, Yu-Ting Tseng, Matthew Ung, I-En Liao, Chun-Chi Liu, Chao Cheng

Dartmouth Scholarship

Gene expression profiling has been extensively used in the past decades, resulting in an enormous amount of expression data available in public databases. These data sets are informative in elucidating transcriptional regulation of genes underlying various biological and clinical conditions. However, it is usually difficult to identify transcription factors (TFs) responsible for gene expression changes directly from their own expression, as TF activity is often regulated at the posttranscriptional level. In recent years, technical advances have made it possible to systematically determine the target genes of TFs by ChIP-seq experiments. To identify the regulatory programs underlying gene expression profiles, we …

Compositions Including Triciribine And Methods Of Use Thereof, Jin Q. Cheng, Said M. Sebti

USF Patents

This invention encompasses combination therapies including TCN, TCN-P, TCN-PM and/or related compounds and one or more additional anti-cancer agents, for example, taxanes a molecule that modulates the HER2/neu (erbB2) receptor, anthracyclin compounds, epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor compounds, one or more platinum compounds and bortezomib and derivatives thereof and compositions with reduced toxicity for the treatment and prevention of tumors, cancer, and other disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.

Role Of Tissue Factor In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis-Induced Inflammation And Disease Pathogenesis, Hema Kothari, Shiva Keshava, Rit Vatsyayan, Nigel Mackman, L. Vijaya Mohan Rao, Usha R. Pendurthi

Cellular and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic lung infectious disease characterized by severe inflammation and lung granulomatous lesion formation. Clinical manifestations of TB include hypercoagulable states and thrombotic complications. We previously showed that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection induces tissue factor (TF) expression in macrophages in vitro. TF plays a key role in coagulation and inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the role of TF in M.tb-induced inflammatory responses, mycobacterial growth in the lung and dissemination to other organs. Wild-type C57BL/6 and transgenic mice expressing human TF, either very low levels (low TF) or near to the level of wild-type (HTF), in …

The Cuban Spectacular: Where In The World Is Carmen Santiago (De Cuba)?, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

E2f4 Regulatory Program Predicts Patient Survival Prognosis In Breast Cancer, Sari S. Khaleel, Erik H. Andrews, Matthew Ung, James Direnzo, Chao Chung

Dartmouth Scholarship

Genetic and molecular signatures have been incorporated into cancer prognosis prediction and treatment decisions with good success over the past decade. Clinically, these signatures are usually used in early-stage cancers to evaluate whether they require adjuvant therapy following surgical resection. A molecular signature that is prognostic across more clinical contexts would be a useful addition to current signatures. We defined a signature for the ubiquitous tissue factor, E2F4, based on its shared target genes in multiple tissues. These target genes were identified by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) experiments using a probabilistic method. We then computationally calculated the regulatory activity score …

Analysis Of Clock-Regulated Genes In Neurospora Reveals Widespread Posttranscriptional Control Of Metabolic Potential, Jennifer M. M. Hurley, Arko Dasgupta, Jillian M. Emerson, Xiaoying Zhou, Carol S. Ringelberg, Nicole Knabe

Dartmouth Scholarship

Neurospora crassa has been for decades a principal model for filamentous fungal genetics and physiology as well as for understanding the mechanism of circadian clocks. Eukaryotic fungal and animal clocks comprise transcription-translation-based feedback loops that control rhythmic transcription of a substantial fraction of these transcriptomes, yielding the changes in protein abundance that mediate circadian regulation of physiology and metabolism: Understanding circadian control of gene expression is key to understanding eukaryotic, including fungal, physiology. Indeed, the isolation of clock-controlled genes (ccgs) was pioneered in Neurospora where circadian output begins with binding of the core circadian transcription factor WCC to a subset …

Syndecan 4 Is Required For Endothelial Alignment In Flow And Atheroprotective Signaling, Nicolas Baeyens, Mary Jo Mulligan-Kehoe, Federico Corti, David D. Simon, Tyler D. Ross, John M. Rhodes, Thomas Z. Wang

Dartmouth Scholarship

Atherosclerotic plaque localization correlates with regions of disturbed flow in which endothelial cells (ECs) align poorly, whereas sustained laminar flow correlates with cell alignment in the direction of flow and resistance to atherosclerosis. We now report that in hypercholesterolemic mice, deletion of syndecan 4 (S4−/−) drastically increased atherosclerotic plaque burden with the appearance of plaque in normally resistant locations. Strikingly, ECs from the thoracic aortas of S4−/− mice were poorly aligned in the direction of the flow. Depletion of S4 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using shRNA also inhibited flow-induced alignment in vitro, which was rescued by re-expression …

The Prospector, December 2, 2014, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Graduation Issue

Headline: The Roots of Education are Bitter but the Fruit is Sweet