Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Between Iron, Oxidative Stress, Glycated Proteins And The Development Of Atherosclerosis In Type 2 Diabetes, Husam O. Dakhil Aljwaid

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Hyperglycaemia stimulates a variety of biochemical abnormalities. The area of particular interest in this study is the influence of non-enzymatic glycation of proteins on iron homeostasis, and particularly on non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) and its possible relation to atherogenesis in both Type 2 diabetic and obese non diabetic subjects. The link between non-enzymatic glycation of proteins and iron homeostasis, and development of macrovascular disease may be mechanistically different in Type 2 diabetic and obese non diabetic subjects due to a difference in the protein glycation pattern. Because the following in vivo study required storage of samples for up to two years …

Reflections On Student Affect In Group Projects: Are We Encouraging Our Students To Be In Community With Others?, Kristine F. Hoover

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Colleges and universities may create group-based learning environments that help students develop the interpersonal skills necessary for today’s business world. These skills are deemed necessary by many employers.1 Although many institutions of higher education support students’ learning how to work in groups, Jesuit universities may have a special calling for this task in light of the mission of our institutions and the call to community as men and women for others. The current study analyzed 137 undergraduate and graduate, campus and hybrid students’ responses from various disciplines at a Jesuit university using the Whissell Dictionary of Affect in Language.2 Given …

The Relationship Between Vagal Tone, A Marker Of Parasympathetic Activity, And Pro-Social Behavior, Emily A. Goodlin

Scripps Senior Theses

Vagal tone, a measure of parasympathetic activity via the vagus nerve, is known to be associated with positive emotion because it promotes social engagement and self-soothing behavior. Heart rate variability (HRV), especially high frequency oscillation, is a direct measure of vagal tone, and has been used in previous studies to test the correlation between vagal tone and positive emotion. This study aims to determine if the two major oscillations of heart rate variability, high frequency (HF-HRV) and low frequency (LF-HRV) can predict pro-social behavior, which is classified as giving donations to charities. Baseline LF- and HF-HRV levels were recorded, and …

Activating The Biological And Behavioral Immune Systems, Julia Christensen

Departmental Honors Projects

Psychology recognizes two distinct facets of the immune system: the biological immune system (BIO), covering all processes of the typical immune system, and the behavioral immune system (BEH), a set of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses to environmental stimuli. Research on this dual immune system indicates that each is capable of influencing the other (Schaller & Park, 2011). For example, perception of illness in others can activate the sympathetic nervous system (Schaller, Miller, Gervais, Yager, & Chen, 2010). Furthermore, evidence suggests that these two systems are capable of influencing moral judgment (Inbar, Pizarro, & Bloom, 2008). This study aims to …

Feasibility Of Incorporating Electrogastrography Into An Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory Curriculum, Lauren A. Foropoulos

Honors Theses

This study aimed to detect the effects of mental stress on gastric motility in college students through the use of cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG). Additionally, the study aimed to determine the feasibility of creating a laboratory curriculum for a cutaneous electrogastrography experiment that an undergraduate could perform, analyze, and interpret during a three hour physiology lab. Through this study and the laboratory procedures designed from the experiment, undergraduates will be able to interpret the physiological aspects of gastrointestinal function within the human body, including how it is effected by mental stress. According to previous studies by Yin et al. (2004) and …

Oxygen Saturation During A Simulation Dive Response: Development Of An Experimental Protocol For An Undergraduate Physiology Laboratory, Michael S. Pergola

Honors Theses

There are issues concerning the amount of learning that actually takes place in the laboratory environment, and whether or not it is worth the investment of money, resources, and time. A laboratory protocol was designed to examine the human dive response, with the goals of generating multiple robust variables, creating a truly integrative laboratory experiment and improving lab education. The objectives of this exercise were to promote critical thinking, maximize collaboration, minimize social loafing and student engagement, promote critical thinking, and meet as many of the National Science Foundation's core competencies and assess effectiveness in achieving these objectives. The dive …

Reasons To Believe: 2014-15 Report Of The President, Office Of The President, Gonzaga University

Office of the President Publications

Each year, Gonzaga University's Office of the President produces an annual Report of the President. This publication that highlights just a few of the many accomplishments over the previous academic year, and is intended to convey gratitude to our Trustees and Regents, benefactors, and many supporters.

Hybrid Enhanced Epidermal Spacesuit Design Approaches, Joseph M. Jessup

Theses and Dissertations

A Space suit that does not rely on gas pressurization is a multi-faceted problem

that requires major stability controls to be incorporated during design and construction.The concept of Hybrid Epidermal Enhancement space suit

integrates evolved human anthropomorphic and physiological adaptations into its functionality, using commercially available bio-medical technologies to address shortcomings of conventional gas pressure suits, and the impracticalities of MCP suits. The prototype HEE Space Suit explored

integumentary homeostasis, thermal control and mobility using advanced bio-medical materials technology and construction concepts. The goal was a space suit that functions as an enhanced, multi-functional bio-mimic of the human epidermal layer …

L30a Mutation Of Phospholemman Mimics Effects Of Cardiac Glycosides On Isolated Cardiomyocytes, Ryan David Himes

Dissertations

In order to determine if mutations made to phospholemman (PLM) could increase PLM binding to the Na/K-ATPase (NKA) and cause positive inotropy we performed scanning mutagenesis of the transmembrane domain of PLM and measured FRET between each mutant and NKA. We observed increased binding to NKA for several PLM mutants compared to WT, including L27A, L30A, and I32A. In isolated cardiomyocytes, overexpression of WT PLM increased the amplitude of the Ca2+ transient compared to GFP control. Ca2+ transient amplitude was further increased by L30A PLM overexpression. L30A mutation also delayed Ca2+ extrusion and increased the duration of the cardiomyocyte contraction. …

Smooth-Muscle Bmal1 Participates In Blood Pressure Circadian Rhythm Regulation, Zhongwen Xie, Wen Su, Shu Liu, Guogang Zhao, Karyn Esser, Elizabeth A. Schroder, Mellani Lefta, Harald M. Stauss, Zhenheng Guo, Ming Cui Gong

Physiology Faculty Publications

As the central pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) has long been considered the primary regulator of blood pressure circadian rhythm; however, this dogma has been challenged by the discovery that each of the clock genes present in the SCN is also expressed and functions in peripheral tissues. The involvement and contribution of these peripheral clock genes in the circadian rhythm of blood pressure remains uncertain. Here, we demonstrate that selective deletion of the circadian clock transcriptional activator aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like (Bmal1) from smooth muscle, but not from cardiomyocytes, compromised blood pressure circadian rhythm and decreased blood …

Ecology/ Graduate Students/ Westra & Walton/ University Of Oregon/ 2012, Brian Westra, Dean Walton

Data Information Literacy Case Study Directory

The case study covers a one-shot seminar style Data Information Literacy program offered to graduate students associated with an NSF funded Ecology project. Topics covered included file formats, publishing data, metadata, preservation and data citation. Materials include a book chapter describing the case study, the lesson plan for the session and the evaluation form used to gather feedback.

Thermal Variation, Thermal Extremes And The Physiological Performance Of Individuals, W. Wesley Dowd, Felicia A. King, Mark W. Denny

Biology Faculty Works

In this review we consider how small-scale temporal and spatial variation in body temperature, and biochemical/physiological variation among individuals, affect the prediction of organisms’ performance in nature. For ‘normal’ body temperatures – benign temperatures near the species’ mean – thermal biology traditionally uses performance curves to describe how physiological capabilities vary with temperature. However, these curves, which are typically measured under static laboratory conditions, can yield incomplete or inaccurate predictions of how organisms respond to natural patterns of temperature variation. For example, scale transition theory predicts that, in a variable environment, peak average performance is lower and occurs at a …

The Dietary Mineral Content Of Claytonia Lanceolata Corms From Multiple Populations Across The Columbia Plateau Region Of North America, Paul Reilly

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Since divergence from our ancestral lineage ~ 2.8 mya, humans have relied on foraged foods to obtain dietary mineral nutrition. Around 12,000 years ago, people began shifting towards a lifestyle of food production. The rapid shift in lifestyle significantly altered the human diet, and research suggests our genomes have had insufficient time to adjust. Due to the discord between genome and environment, unprecedented levels of disease and malnutrition are epidemic in certain subsets of the population. Studies suggest the most cost effective way to mitigate the risk of these diseases is to find ways to increase micronutrient consumption. As a …

The Importance Of The Right To Food For Achieving Global Health, Emilie K. Aguirre

Faculty Scholarship

The Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH) represents a significant opportunity to realize the right to health globally. However, in order to succeed the FCGH must be carefully considered: it must take a new evidence-based approach that departs meaningfully from past shortcomings in realizing the right to health. Central to this approach is recognizing, formally incorporating, and operationalizing the right to adequate food. This right should be correctly interpreted as a right to a standard of nutritional quality and not as a right to a minimum number of calories. Because nutrition is critical to the achievement and maintenance of good …

The Effect Of Family And Friend Support On Physical Activity Through Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study, Joanna L. Morrissey, Kathleen F. Janz, Elena M. Letuchy, Shelby L. Francis, Steven M. Levy

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: This study examined if family and friend support predicted adolescent physical activity (PA) across a five-year time span.

Methods: The Iowa Bone Development Study collected objective measures of physical activity and self-report of physical activity psychosocial factors at ages 13 (n = 306), 15 (n = 356), and 17 yr (n = 317). Total moderate and vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and MVPA after 3 pm on weekdays (MVPA-PM Weekday) were measured using ActiGraph accelerometers. Family Support for PA and Friend Support for PA scales were measured using the Choices questionnaire. Models were adjusted for SES (mother’s education) and somatic maturity …

Type-B Lactic Acidosis Associated With Progressive Multiple Myeloma, Sameer Y. Abdullah, Moaath K. Ali, Marwa M. Sabha

Saudi Medical Journal

We report a 64-year-old lady with stage II, Immunoglobulin-G lambda multiple myeloma (MM) (standard risk), who presented with type-B lactic acidosis (LA), and multi-organ dysfunction associating myeloma progression, and ending in imminent death. In the context of literature review of all previously reported similar cases, this report highlights and discusses the association of type-B LA and MM (especially progressive disease), and also emphasizes the poor outcome. Early recognition of this condition with intensive supportive care, and treatment of multiple myeloma may improve outcomes.

Human Anatomy And Physiology Preparatory Course (1st Edition), Carlos Liachovitzky

Open Educational Resources

The overall purpose of this preparatory course textbook is to help students familiarize with some terms and some basic concepts they will find later in the Human Anatomy and Physiology I course.

The organization and functioning of the human organism generally is discussed in terms of different levels of increasing complexity, from the smallest building blocks to the entire body. This Anatomy and Physiology preparatory course covers the foundations on the chemical level, and a basic introduction to cellular level, organ level, and organ system levels. There is also an introduction to homeostasis at the beginning.

The Effect Of Scalp Tissue On Current Shunting During Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs), Mark Patrick Jackson

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been used to treat various mental and neurological illnesses. Rodent models have been used to examine physiological changes in the brain after tDCS, as well as to develop safety standards. However, most animal tDCS studies implant an electrode on the brain, potentially altering the path of current during stimulation. Additionally, no studies have been completed specifically examining maximum safe anodal tDCS limits, and a pilot study conducted to determine an electrode montage to examine biological changes of learning and memory from anodal tDCS indicated brain lesion was occurring before a commonly cited lesion threshold …

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act And High School Obesity, Derek Grills

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

United States high school student obesity rates have doubled in the past 30 years to 13%, threatening the health of millions of adolescents. To mitigate the epidemic, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010, which mandated significant changes to school nutrition and physical education. From a public policy perspective, the HHFKA changed school nutrition and exercise policy to affect obesity rates by changing intake and energy expenditure at school, though no study using national-level data examined this relationship. As such, the purpose of the study was to examine whether HHFKA policy compliance had a statistically significant effect …

Reliability Of Breathing Rate Assessment And Chest Expansion Measurement: A Pilot Study In Typically Developing Children, Mary-Grace De La Pena, Maryanne Grace Jordan, Edward James Gorgon

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Despite the apparent acceptance of breathing rate assessment and chest expansion measurement (CEM) among physical therapists, little is known about the measurement properties of these tests and measures especially when administered to children. Reference data from typically developing children have been reported in the literature without investigating the reliability of measurements. This pilot study aimed to systematically explore the feasibility and inter-rater and test-retest reliability of these chest examination methods in children. Method: Nineteen children, 10 males and 9 females, with mean (SD) age of 11.11 (±1.29) years, were selected through convenience sampling. Assessors measured the breathing rate and …

Sex Dependent Efficacy Of Taurine As A Treatment For Cocaine Drug Use: A Study Of Reward, Kevin Uribe

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Guinea Pig Model For Organophosphate Toxicology And Therapeutic Development, Christopher Daniel Ruark

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Organophosphates (OPs) are highly toxic insecticides and nerve agents that have been designed to inhibit the hydrolysis of acetylcholine by binding to the serine active site of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). They are one of the most common causes of human poisoning worldwide and are frequently intentionally used in suicides in agricultural areas. For this reason, there is a need for therapeutics to rescue those from intoxication. Obvious ethical concerns prevent humans from being subjected to OP exposure for therapeutic efficacy and safety testing. Therefore, animal surrogates for humans must be appropriately selected. A new paradigm, described herein, incorporating both in silico …

Rapid Response Teams Versus Critical Care Outreach Teams: Unplanned Escalations In Care And Associated Outcomes, Valerie Danesh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The incidence of unplanned escalations during hospitalization is undocumented, but estimates may be as high as 1.2 million occurrences per year in the United States. Rapid Response Teams (RRT) were developed for the early recognition and treatment of deteriorating patients to deliver time-sensitive interventions, but evidence related to optimal activation criteria and structure is limited. The purpose of this study is to determine if an Early Warning Score-based Critical Care Outreach (CCO) model is related to the frequency of unplanned intra-hospital escalations in care compared to a RRT system based on staff nurse identification of vital sign derangements and physical …

Biom 3110: Medical Physiology (Syllabus), Bradford D. Pendley

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Basic principles of human physiology and how these are applied in medicine and biomedical engineering problem and devices; physiological principles using appropriate mathematical and engineering models to construct an understanding of how the body works as an integrated system.

Development Of A Specific-Use Power Converter To Efficiently Supply A Mems-Type Actuator With The Energy Produced From A Glucose Fuel Cell : A Preliminary Investigation Into Future Development Of An Artificial Muscle Cell, Kurk Macphearson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to develop a theoretical power converter that is capable of powering a MEMS type electrostatic microactuator from the power provided by a glucose fuel cell. The proposed converter is to serve as an investigation into the possibility of developing an artificial muscle cell that is able to draw energy directly from the sugar in human blood and convert it into linear motion. The ultimate intent is to develop an actuation approach envisioned to drive active prosthetics that are permanently attached to the human body in the effort to eliminate the need for external power …

Critical Velocity Is Associated With Combat Specific Performance Measures In A Special Forces Unit, Mattan Hoffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over recent years, military research has focused on ways of being able to predict operational success and readiness through the development of simulated operational tasks measuring the physical limits of the soldier. Therefore, to properly prepare the tactical athlete for the demands and rigor of combat, accurate assessment of baseline physical abilities and limitations are necessary. Currently, western armies use a basic physical fitness test, which has been heavily argued to have no bearing on operational readiness, thus they are in the process of transitioning to a more specific combat readiness test. However, specific assessments to predict operational success/readiness are …

Bioactive Lipid Coating Of Bone Allografts Direct Engraftment And Fate Determination Of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells In Rat Gfp Chimeras, Anusuya Das, Claire E. Segar, Yihsuan Chu, Tiffany W. Wang, Yon Lin, Chunxi Yang, Roy C. Ogle

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Bone grafting procedures are performed to treat wounds incurred during wartime trauma, accidents, and tumor resections. Endogenous mechanisms of repair are often insufficient to ensure integration between host and donor bone and subsequent restoration of function. We investigated the role that bone marrow-derived cells play in bone regeneration and sought to increase their contributions by functionalizing bone allografts with bioactive lipid coatings. Polymer-coated allografts were used to locally deliver the immunomodulatory small molecule FTY720 in tibial defects created in rat bone marrow chimeras containing genetically-labeled bone marrow for monitoring cell origin and fate. Donor bone marrow contributed significantly to both …

A Translational Study Of The Correlation Between Low Birth Weight, Hypertension, And Kidney Function Using A Rat Model, Marcus Daniels

Honors Theses

We studied the correlation between low birth weight, hypertension, and kidney function using a rat model. There is a strong correlation between these three phenomena especially in the Southeastern United States and in non-White populations. We hypothesized that the anti-hypertensive drugs Reserpine and Hydralazine would prevent hypertension and improve renal function in low birth weight rats. We used a rat model created by Dr. Barbara Alexander in this study. Pregnant rats were subjected to Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure surgery. Silver clips were placed on the abdominal aorta and uterine arteries approximately two weeks after fertilization in order to restrict blood …

Effects Of Vitamin D Supplementation On C-Peptide And 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations At 3 And 6 Months, Paulette D. Chandler, Edward L. Giovannucci, Jamil B. Scott, Gary G. Bennett, Kimmie Ng, Andrew T. Chan, Bruce W. Hollis, Nader Rifai, Karen M. Emmons, Charles S. Fuchs, Bettina F. Drake

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Pathophysiology And Metabolic Dysfunction Following Polytrauma, Robert Mackay Akscyn

All ETDs from UAB

Polytrauma, a combination of injuries to more than one body part or organ system, is common in modern warfare and in automobile and industrial accidents. The combination of injuries can include burn, fracture, hemorrhage, trauma to the extremities, and trauma to specific organ systems. These injuries are highly survivable when occurring singly. However, when they occur in combination the prognosis is worsened. To investigate the effects of combined injuries, we have developed a new and highly reproducible model of polytrauma. This model combines burn injury with soft tissue and gastrointestinal (GI) tract trauma. Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to …