Digital Commons Network^™

The Mouse That Trolled: The Long And Tortuous History Of A Gene Mutation Patent That Became An Expensive Impediment To Alzheimer's Research, Tania M. Bubela, Saurabh Vishnubhakat, Robert Cook-Deegan

Office of the Provost

This case study presents the tale of the academic discovery of a rare mutation for early-onset Alzheimer's disease that was patented by a sole inventor and licensed to a non-practicing entity (NPE), the Alzheimer's Institute of America (AIA). Our aims are (1) to relate this story about patents, research tools, and impediments to medical progress, and (2) to inform ongoing debates about how patents affect research, disposition of university inventions, and the distribution of benefits from publicly funded research. We present an account of the hunt for Alzheimer's genes, their patenting, assignment, and enforcement based on literature, litigation records and …

Multiple Cerebral Hydatid Cysts In 8-Year-Old Boy: A Case Report And Literature Review Of A Rare Presentation, Muhammad Baba Khan, Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Ehsan Bari

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Multiple cerebral hydatid cysts are very rare with only a few reports in the literature detailing diagnostic workup, medical management, surgical techniques, possible complications, and outcomes.
Case description: We present the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with progressively worsening headaches, vomiting, and intermittent fever since 20 days. Diagnostic workup was performed, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple intracranial cysts predominantly in the right frontal region with significant mass effect. A total of 19 intracranial cysts were removed surgically, and the child recovered uneventfully.
Conclusions: Neurosurgeons should keep hydatidosis in the list of differentials when evaluating patients with …

Dualism And Doctrine, Alex Stein, Dov Fox

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Linkage Based Imputation Method For Missing Snp Markers In Association Mapping, Yi Xu, Yajun Wu, Michael G. Gonda, Jixiang Wu

Animal Science Faculty Publications

Association mapping has been widely used in detecting genetic markers associated with traits of importance in research areas such as plant breeding, human disease and animal breeding. In recent years, various useful statistical methods and computing tools have been developed for association mapping studies. One of the critical challenges in association mapping is missing markers.

Rock Creek Restoration Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Report, Daniel Bedell

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Stream restoration is widely used to rebuild habitat for native fisheries, but it is not well understood how current habitat reconstruction practices affect biological diversity. Citizen Science programs have potential to provide supplemental macroinvertebrate data for effectiveness monitoring of reach-scale restoration projects but variability in training, experience and collection methods can make interpretation difficult. The Clackamas Water Environment Services Watershed Health Education Program (WHEP) is an example of a Citizen Science-based program actively collecting biological data from restored streams. The purpose of this project was to use WHEP student-collected data to detect benthic macroinvertebrate community responses to stream restoration practices. …

The Banner - V. 150, No. 7 - (July/August 2015), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

No abstract provided.

Least-Loved Juvenile Book Display, Maggie Mason Smith

Presentations

No abstract provided.

European Non-Profit Oversight: The Case For Regulating From The Outside In, Oonagh B. Breen

Chicago-Kent Law Review

When it comes to the regulation of non-profits, the European Commission experiences many of the same pressures and constraints faced by national charity regulators. It suffers, however, from an added disadvantage in that, arguably, it lacks jurisdictional competence to regulate non-profits qua non-profits. This article explores the consequences of the Commission’s unsuccessful attempt to secure the passage of its proposal for a European Foundation Statute (“EFS”). Notwithstanding the European Council’s inability to muster the necessary Member State unanimity required to pass the proposal and its subsequent demise, the Commission is still dogged by the problems it identified as giving rise …

Review Of A Cultural History Of Japanese Buddhism By Brian Ruppert And William E. Deal, Ronald S. Green

Philosophy and Religious Studies

No abstract provided.

Embracing Multiple Definitions Of Learning, Andrew B. Barron, Eileen A. Hebets, Thomas A. Cleland, Courtney L. Fitzpatrick, Mark E. Hauber, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Eileen Hebets Publications

Definitions of learning vary widely across disciplines, driven largely by different approaches used to assess its occurrence. These definitions can be better reconciled with each other if each is recognized as coherent with a common conceptualization of learning, while appreciating the practical utility of different learning definitions in different contexts.

Learning is a major focus of research in psychology, neuro- science, behavioral ecology, evolutionary theory, and computer science, as well as in many other disciplines. Despite its conceptual prevalence, definitions of learning differ enormously both within and between these disciplines, and new definitions continue to be proposed [1]. Ongoing disputes …

Model Of A Tubular Perfusion Bioreactor Using Computational Fluid Dynamics., Matthew James Robeson 1991-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through recent years, many novel bioreactor designs for tissue engineering have emerged. The Tubular Perfusion System (TPS) is one such bioreactor for bone and cartilage tissue engineering. The TPS is a perfusion type bioreactor, in which media flows through a bed of scaffold beads. The advantage of this system over similar designs is that it requires no special fabrication techniques and operates at low pressure. Experimental trials have shown increased osteoblastic differentiation and mineralization of bone tissue grown using the TPS versus static culture. The effectiveness of the TPS in promoting osteoblastic differentiation is believed to be due to enhanced …

Our Divided Patent System, John R. Allison, Mark A. Lemley, David L. Schwartz

University of Chicago Law Review

No abstract provided.

Jefferson Digital Commons Quarterly Report: April-June 2015, Daniel G. Kipnis, Msi, Kelsey Duinkerken, Msi

Jefferson Digital Commons Reports

This quarterly report includes:

• 10,000th Asset
• Pennsylvania Research Commons
• Faculty Day presentations
• Variety of new assets in the JDC
• Inside Out literary journal
• What people are saying about the JDC

Paracrine Effect Of Nrg1 And Hgf Drives Resistance To Mek Inhibitors In Metastatic Uveal Melanoma., Hanyin Cheng, Mizue Terai, Ken Kageyama, Shinji Ozaki, Peter Mccue, Takami Sato, Andrew E. Aplin

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Uveal melanoma patients with metastatic disease usually die within one year, emphasizing an urgent need to develop new treatment strategies for this cancer. MEK inhibitors improve survival in cutaneous melanoma patients but show only modest efficacy in metastatic uveal melanoma patients. In this study, we screened for growth factors that elicited resistance in newly characterized metastatic uveal melanoma cell lines to clinical-grade MEK inhibitors, trametinib and selumetinib. We show that neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) provide resistance to MEK inhibition. Mechanistically, trametinib enhances the responsiveness to NRG1 and sustained HGF-mediated activation of AKT. Individually targeting ERBB3 and …

A Quantitative Assessment Of The January 2010 Cold Spell Effect On Mangrove Utilizing Coral Reef Fishes From Biscayne National Park, Florida, Jeffrey M. Ellis

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of the January 2010 cold spell on mangrove utilizing coral reef fishes off the southeast coast of Florida, USA, in the vicinity of Biscayne National Park (BNP). An ongoing, fishery-independent mangrove visual survey documenting fish assemblages in BNP provided data from the years 1998 to 2014 for examination. Of particular interest were the presence, abundance, and size structure for five mangrove utilizing coral reef fishes: sergeant major (Abudefduf saxatilis), yellowfin mojarra (Gerres cinereus), schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus), gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda …

Connectivity Of Reef Fishes Between Mangroves And Coral Reefs In Broward County, Florida, Jennifer Savaro

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Many marine fishes use the mangrove ecosystem for foraging, protection, spawning, and as a nursery habitat. To develop a better understanding of energy flow between the coastal mangrove and coral reef ecosystems, the ontogentic migration and trophic connectivity of reef fishes were examined through the use of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) stable isotope ratios. Juvenile and adult gray snapper Lutjanus griseus, lane snapper L. synagris, bluestriped grunt Haemulon sciurus, French grunt H. flavolineatum, sailor’s choice H. parra, yellowfin mojarra Gerres cinereus, and great barracuda Sphyraena barracuda were collected from both mangrove …

Angiotensin Ii Receptor Blockade Or Deletion Of Vascular Endothelial Ace Does Not Prevent Vascular Dysfunction And Remodeling In 20-Hete-Dependent Hypertension, Victor Garcia, Gregory Joseph, Brian Shkolnik, Yan Ding, Frank Fan Zhang, Katherine Gotlinger, John R. Falck, Rambabu Dakarapu, Jorge H. Capdevila, Kenneth E. Bernstein, Michal Laniado Schwartzman

NYMC Faculty Publications

Increased vascular 20-HETE is associated with hypertension and activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) through induction of vascular angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression. Cyp4a12tg mice, whose Cyp4a12-20-HETE synthase expression is under the control of a tetracycline (doxycycline, DOX) promoter, were used to assess the contribution of ACE/RAS to microvascular remodeling in 20-HETE-dependent hypertension. Treatment of Cyp4a12tg mice with DOX increased systolic blood pressure (SBP; 136 ± 2 vs. 102 ± 1 mmHg; P < 0.05), and this increase was prevented by administration of 20-HEDGE, lisinopril, or losartan. DOX-induced hypertension was associated with microvascular dysfunction and remodeling of preglomerular microvessels, which was prevented by 20-HEDGE, a 20-HETE antagonist, yet only lessened, but not prevented, by lisinopril or losartan. In ACE 3/3 mice, which lack vascular endothelial ACE, administration of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a known inducer of 20-HETE production, increased SBP; however, the increase was about 50% of that in wild-type (WT) mice (151 ± 1 vs. 126 ± 1 mmHg). Losartan and 20-HEDGE prevented the DHT-induced increase in SBP in WT and ACE 3/3 mice. DHT treatment increased 20-HETE production and microvascular remodeling in WT and ACE 3/3 mice; however, remodeling was attenuated in the ACE 3/3 mice as opposed to WT mice (15.83 ± 1.11 vs. 22.17 ± 0.92 μm; P < 0.05). 20-HEDGE prevented microvascular remodeling in WT and ACE 3/3 mice, while losartan had no effect on microvascular remodeling in ACE 3/3. Taken together, these results suggest that RAS contributes to 20-HETE-mediated microvascular remodeling in hypertension and that 20-HETE-driven microvascular remodeling independent of blood pressure elevation does not fully rely on ACE activity in the vascular endothelium.

Beta-Blocker Use And 30-Day All-Cause Readmission In Medicare Beneficiaries With Systolic Heart Failure, Vikas Bhatia, Kumar Sanam, Taimoor Hashim, Prakash Deedwania, Wilbert S. Aronow, Ross Fletcher, Ali Ahmed

NYMC Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers improve outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure. However, it is unknown whether their initial negative inotropic effect may increase 30-day all-cause readmission, a target outcome for Medicare cost reduction and financial penalty for hospitals under the Affordable Care Act.

METHODS: Of the 3067 Medicare beneficiaries discharged alive from 106 Alabama hospitals (1998-2001) with a primary discharge diagnosis of heart failure and ejection fraction

RESULTS: Beta-blocker use was not associated with 30-day all-cause readmission (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.18) or heart failure readmission (HR 0.95; 95% CI, 0.57-1.58), but was significantly associated with lower …

Monitoring The Progression Of Spontaneous Articular Cartilage Healing With Infrared Spectroscopy, Megan P. O'Brien, Madhuri Penmatsa, Uday Palukuru, Paul West, Xu Yang, Mathias P. G. Bostrom, Theresa Freeman, Nancy Pleshko

Publications and Research

Objective. Evaluation of early compositional changes in healing articular cartilage is critical for understanding tissue repair and for therapeutic decision-making. Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) can be used to assess the molecular composition of harvested repair tissue. Furthermore, use of an infrared fiber-optic probe (IFOP) has the potential for translation to a clinical setting to provide molecular information in situ. In the current study, we determined the feasibility of IFOP assessment of cartilage repair tissue in a rabbit model, and assessed correlations with gold-standard histology.

Design. Bilateral osteochondral defects were generated in mature white New Zealand rabbits, and …

A Mexican Woman's Journey In Becoming A Successful American Educator, Lucy Ordaz Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

This self-study explores the question of "What factors in my life shaped my journey in earning an American college degree and becoming a successful educator in the U.S.?" This question is explored in the context of my own lived experiences. Results contribute to the field of immigrant studies and may encourage others who wish to transition from first generation immigrant to successful professional educator in the U.S. This study employed hermeneutic phenomenology to answer the research question. It used in-depth narrative interviews to elicit my responses to lived experiences from growing up in Mexico to my current teaching position. Thematic …

Human Impacts On Nitrogen And Phosphorus Concentrations In The North Sea, Craig Weatherhead

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This study evaluates the temporal and spatial variations in nutrient concentrations within the period of 1990-2011, with the aim to assess the effectiveness of legislative implementation and associated control measures within the period. Annual nutrient emission data were been obtained from OSPAR’s Joint Assessment Monitoring Programmes (JAMP’s) to provide values of riverine flow, direct discharge and atmospheric concentration. Temporal assessments of annual nutrient emissions were carried out on a European and national scale, using statistical analysis within periods of legislative change to assess the regional and sub-regional response to legislative implementation. Nutrient data were also obtained from the EEA database …

Co-Location, Co-Location, Co-Location: Land Use And Housing Priorities Reimagined, Lee Anne Fennell

Articles

No abstract provided.

Origin And Evolution Of Petrocosmea (Gesneriaceae) Inferred From Both Dna Sequence And Novel Findings In Morphology With A Test Of Morphology-Based Hypotheses, Zhi-Jing Qiu, Yuan-Xue Lu, Chao-Qun Li, Yang Dong, James F. Smith, Yin-Zheng Wang

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Petrocosmea Oliver (Gesneriaceae) currently comprises 38 species with four non-nominate varieties, nearly all of which have been described solely from herbarium specimens. However, the dried specimens have obscured the full range of extremely diverse morphological variation that exists in the genus and has resulted in a poor subgeneric classification system that does not reflect the evolutionary history of this group. It is important to develop innovative methods to find new morphological traits and reexamine and reevaluate the traditionally used morphological data based on new hypothesis. In addition, Petrocosmea is a mid-sized genus but exhibits extreme diverse floral variants. This …

Pavement And Riparian Forest Shape The Bird Community Along An Urban River Corridor, Christopher J.W. Mcclure, Allison C. Korte, Julie A. Heath, Jesse R. Barber

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Knowledge of habitat use by animals within urban-riparian corridors during the breeding season is important for conservation, yet remains understudied. We examined the bird community along an urban-riparian corridor through metropolitan Boise, Idaho and predicted that occupancy of individual species and species richness would be greater in forested areas than in urbanized areas. We surveyed birds throughout the summers of 2009 and 2010 and quantified the m² of each cover-type within 50-m, 100-m, and 200-m buffers surrounding each survey location using satellite imagery. Occupancy modeling revealed that eight of 14 species analyzed were positively associated with riparian forest, and …

Can Dentistry Have Two Contracts With The Public?, David A. Nash

Oral Health Science Faculty Publications

The social contract is an implicit agreement between parts of society and society as a whole. Since the Middle Ages, the learned professions, recently including dentistry, have had a covenantal relationship with the public based on trust, exchanging monopoly privileges for benefiting the public good. Unlike commercial trade in commodities, professional relationships are grounded in ensuring an adequate level of oral health to all. A second contract is emerging where dentists relate to society as business operators, exchanging commodity services for a price. Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Supreme Court make it unlikely that dentistry …

Keeping The Magic: Fursona Identity And Performance In The Furry Fandom, Jakob W. Maase

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The furry subculture (also known as the anthropomorphic fandom) creates identity through anthropomorphism and therianthropy. Anthropomorphism is the giving of human traits to the non-human. Therianthropy is the giving of animal traits to the human. Through play and creating art, these individuals of the furry subculture take on an anthropomorphic identity (what furries call a fursona) while bridging local and global groups through communication technologies. For this folklore project I conducted ethnographic field works interviews with the Bowling Green, Kentucky fur group. I also build off of the interviews project with an online furry role-play group as well as a …

Zero-Waste Planning At Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study Of Western Kentucky University, Kianoosh Ebrahimi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Over the past two decades, the number of universities that pursue zero-waste strategies has steadily increased. However, more study is required on several interrelated factors, policy barriers, and infrastructural fundamentals, which each influence the efficiency of waste management structures (WM) at universities. In this work, the role of the aforementioned factors in implementing an efficient sustainable WM program at higher education institutions was investigated, using Western Kentucky University (WKU) as a case study. The objectives of this study were to identify and assess what type of WM strategies should be priorities for a university that may lack stringent WM infrastructure. …

Statement Of The Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, Carlsbad, California, 2015, Tamara Hew-Butler, Mitchell H. Rosner, Sandra Fowkes-Godek, Jonathan P. Dugas, Martin D. Hoffman, Douglas P. Lewis, Ronald J. Maughan, Kevin C. Miller, Scott J. Montain, Nancy J. Rehrer, William O. Roberts, Ian R. Rogers, Arthur J. Siegel, Kristin J. Stuempfle, James Winger, Joseph G. Verbalis

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

The third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia (EAH) Consensus Development Conference convened in Carlsbad, California in February 2015 with a panel of 17 international experts. The delegates represented 4 countries and 9 medical and scientific sub-specialties pertaining to athletic training, exercise physiology, sports medicine, water/sodium metabolism, and body fluid homeostasis. The primary goal of the panel was to review the existing data on EAH and update the 2008 Consensus Statement.¹ This document serves to replace the second International EAH Consensus Development Conference Statement and launch an educational campaign designed to address the morbidity and mortality associated with a preventable and treatable …

Thermal Preferences And Critical Temperature Regimes Of The Western North Atlantic Invasive Lionfish Complex (Pterois Spp.), Benjamin Barker

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Temperature preference, behavioral tolerance, and physiological tolerances were determined for locally captured, invasive juvenile lionfish at four different acclimation temperatures (13°C, 20°C, 25 °C and 32°C). Temperature preferences and avoidance temperatures were evaluated using an automated shuttlebox system that presents subject-driven temperature stimuli to subjects, who control the temperature with their movement throughout the tank for 12 hours. Subjects are tracked by a computer system, with data output approximately every second. Acute preference was calculated from the archived data as the mean temperature that the fish occupied during the first two hours of dynamic experimentation. Acute preference measurements were used …

Pharmaceuticals And Biopiracy: How The Aia May Inadvertently Reduce The Misappropriation Of Traditional Medicine, Ryan D. Levy, Spencer Green

University of Miami Business Law Review

For decades, Eastern traditional medicine has been misappropriated by others who claim it as their own and attempt to obtain patent protection for it. As long this practice has existed, the international community has pushed back against it. Several countries and international bodies have created databases of traditional knowledge, hoping to preclude the issuance of patents on that knowledge. Other countries, like Thailand, have extended intellectual property protection to the traditional knowledge stakeholders themselves. However, a recent change to US patent law may have the unintended consequence of helping resolve the issue of biopiracy