Digital Commons Network^™

Mother Superior, Jennifer Robinette

The Lindenwood Review: a journal of literary prose

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants And Oral Health Related Behaviors Among Thai Adolescents During 2003 - 2013, Araya Tienkon

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Background: risk behaviors of chronic non-communicable diseases, i.e. unhealthy diet and tobacco use are related to oral health. Moreover, dental care utilization is one of the vital components for achieving optimal oral health. Objective: To describe the distributions of oral health related behaviors among Thai adolescents across the country, in addition to determining the association of social determinants and oral health related behaviors among Thai adolescents. Materials and methods: the data were taken from the nationally representative Health & Welfare Survey (HWS) conducted by National Statistical Office of Thailand in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2013. The data of 37,293 …

Comparing Bulk Aerosol Profiles In The Mixed Layer In Coastal Los Angeles And The Inland Empire, Taia Sean Wu

Scripps Senior Theses

Characteristic westerly sea breeze carries air over the Los Angeles Basin in Southern California to the Inland Empire approximately 50 miles inland, directly impacting air quality in both of these two highly polluted regions. As particles play a critical role in air quality and human health, this study compares the bulk aerosol profiles of the Los Angeles pollution "source" and Inland Empire "receptor" regions during the 2013 and 2014 NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) campaigns onboard the NASA DC-8 airborne laboratory. The source and receptor regions were characterized by a series of missed approaches at the Los Angeles International …

2014 - 2015 Faculty Senate Annual Report, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

The primary file includes the 2014 - 2015 Faculty Senate Bookstore Committee Annual Report. Additional annual reports are attached.

Development Of A Novel Wet Algal Lipid Extraction Technique, Chen Zhang

Theses

A novel procedure, ASAPALLE, for lipid extraction from wet algae, Nannochloropsis Salina, was developed and reported. This method does not require pre-dehydration of algal biomass and the total extraction time needed is under one minute. The ASAPALLE extraction was compared with hexane Soxhlet extraction to evaluate the lipid extraction efficiency and the lipid profile. Algal lipid yield of the ASAPALLE extraction was 14.3% of the total dry algal biomass weight, while the hexane Soxhlet extraction after 18 hours yielded 7.9% of algal lipid. The total lipid content was approximately 14.6%, determined by a modified Bligh-Dyer method. The quality of the …

Phytochemical Analysis Of Antileishmanial Plants : A Drug Discovery Approach, Samon Shrestha

Theses

Phytochemical analysis of three antileishmanial plants from Monteverde, Costa Rica and Abaco Island, Bahamas, has been carried out by use of column chromatography for phytoseparation, and NMR and IR spectroscopy for structural elucidation. Ruyschia phylladenia contained betulinic acid as major component, with significant amount of lupeol. Eugenia monteverdensis contained beta-Sitosterol, betulinic acid and barbinervic acid. Tabebuia bahamensis contained large amount of ursolic acid. Betulinic acid inhibited promastigotes of L. amazonensis significantly but was also toxic to mouse macrophages. Lupeol and betulinic acid did not show antimicrobial activity while beta-Sitosterol inhibited Aspergillus niger strongly. Barbinervic acid expressed good inhibition of Bacillus …

Gold Nanodisk Array Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor, Xueli Tian

Theses

Surface plasmon resonances in periodic metal nanostructures have been investigated for sensing applications over the last decade. The resonance wavelengths of the nanostructures are usually measured in the transmission or reflection spectrum for chemical and biological sensing. In this thesis, I introduce a nanoscale gap mediated surface plasmon resonance nanodisk array for displacement sensing and a super-period gold nanodisk grating enabled surface plasmon resonance spectrometer sensor. The super-period gold nanodisk grating has a small subwavelength period and a large diffraction grating period. Surface plasmon resonance spectra are measured in the first order diffraction spatial profiles captured by a charge-coupled device …

Metastatic Pancreatic Carcinoma And Experience With Folfirinox - A Cross Sectional Analysis From A Developing Country, Muhammad Nauman Zahir, Adnan Abdul Jabbar

Department of Radiation Oncology

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related death with median survival ranging from 3 to 6 months for metastatic disease. Palliative chemotherapy has been the backbone of treatment in advanced stage and has evolved over time. Data pertaining to the disease are scarce from our part of the world where treatment poses a significant challenge due to lack of resources.MATERIALS AND Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients presenting with stage IV pancreatic carcinoma at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan between January 2008 and December 2012. Data were collected using a …

Climate Change And Human Rights, Michael Burger, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report, commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), describes the nexus between climate change, environmental degradation, and the impairment of fundamental human rights, such as the rights to food, water, housing, and life. It explains how governments and other actors can address climate change in a manner consistent with their obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfill human rights. The report was released during COP21 to help inform the development of the Paris Agreement.

Designing A Climate Change Displacement Coordination Facility: Key Issues For Cop 21, Jessica A. Wentz, Michael Burger

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

There have been several proposals to include a “climate change displacement coordination facility” in the upcoming UNFCCC agreement, but there has been very little public discussion about what this facility would entail and how it would operate. This briefing note highlights some of the functions that the displacement coordination facility could fulfill, as well as some key questions for negotiators in the lead-up to COP 21 and subsequent talks. The note is not intended to be a proposal for how the facility should operate, nor do the functions highlighted below necessarily reflect what is politically or economically feasible. Rather, the …

Draft Nepa Guidance Requires Agencies To Consider Both Ghg Emissions And The Impacts Of Climate Change On Proposed Actions, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

On December 24, 2014, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released revised draft guidance on how federal agencies should evaluate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the impacts of climate change when conducting reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The CEQ’s new guidance does not impose any new legal requirements on federal decision-makers, but it does clarify how federal agencies should consider the effects of GHG emissions and climate change in a manner consistent with their preexisting obligations under NEPA. It is significantly more detailed than the draft guidance released by CEQ in February 2010, and unlike its predecessor, …

Legal Tools For Climate Adaptation Advocacy: Clean Water Act Permitting And Funding Programs, Channing R. Jones

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Climate change imperils the quality of water resources and aquatic ecosystems by introducing or exacerbating supply challenges and pollution threats. Existing legal frameworks, including permitting and grant programs, can incorporate climate change adaptation into the way we protect water. In particular, the Clean Water Act – the primary tool used nationwide to protect surface waters from pollutant discharges and fill activity – can be used to promote climate change adaptation in a number of ways.

The Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972 and amended in 1977 and 1987. The statute is principally administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Convulsive Status Epilepticus In Africans With Epilepsy, Symon M. Kariuki, Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige, Ryan G. Wagner, Eddie Chengo, Steven White, Gathoni Kamuyu, Anthony Ngugi, Josemir W. Sander, Brian G.R. Neville, Charles R.J. Newton

Family Medicine, East Africa

Objective: We conducted a community survey to estimate the prevalence and describe the features, risk factors, and consequences of convulsive status epilepticus (CSE) among people with active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in a multisite survey in Africa.

Methods: We obtained clinical histories of CSE and neurologic examination data among 1,196 people with ACE identified from a population of 379,166 people in 3 sites: Agincourt, South Africa; Iganga-Mayuge, Uganda; and Kilifi, Kenya. We performed serologic assessment for the presence of antibodies to parasitic infections and HIV and determined adherence to antiepileptic drugs. Consequences of CSE were assessed using a questionnaire. Logistic …

Cognitive Studies On A Mouse Model Of Tyrosinemia Type I, Sarah Bradham Coker

Theses

Hereditary Tyrosinemia Type 1 (TTI) is an autosomal recessive disorder that is characterized by the deficiency of the fumarylacetoacetase (FAH) enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway, resulting in the elevation of tyrosine and its byproducts in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tissues. The accumulation of the toxic metabolites succinylacetone and fumarylacetoacetate in the liver and kidneys leads to catastrophic effects and death if not treated. The current treatments available for TTI patients are pharmacotherapy with nitisinone (NTBC) with diet modification and/or a liver transplant, each with its own associated risks. Recently, data has been published showing that TTI patients …

A Gas Chromatographic/Mass Spectral Analysis Of Aromatic Medicinal Plants From Yemen, Bhuwan Khatri Chhetri

Theses

Yemen is a small country located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen’s coastal lowlands, eastern plateau and deserts give it a diverse topography, which along with climatic factors make it opulent in flora. Despite the introduction of western medicinal system during the middle of the twentieth century, herbal medicine still plays an important role in Yemen. However, little has been done on the study of the aromatic medicinal plants that have been used through ages to cure and heal diseases. To this end, in collaboration with Deparment of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Sana’a University, Yemen the essential …

Conversion Of Neural Network Models To State-Space Models For Model-Based Control Design, Sai Susheel Praneeth Kode

Theses

The objective of this research is to implement an artificial neural network into a closed-loop model based control law that requires a state space model. Model based control laws are strongly preferred due to the existence of mathematical proofs for their performance. With mathematical proof of performance, the controller is guaranteed to work correctly within a designed domain of operation. However, deriving physics based mathematical models and accurately identifying the parameters of such models are cumbersome, or sometimes impossible, for complex nonlinear systems. This limits the application domain of model based controllers. Neural networks are a great tool for modeling …

Comte’S Positivist Doctrine And Reform Of Secondary Science Education In Nineteenth-Century Brazil, Karl M. Lorenz

Education Faculty Publications

This paper discusses the influence of the Positivist Philosophy on the teaching of science in the National Gymnasium, formerly the College Pedro II, in Brazil. With the proclamation of the Republic in 1889 and the subsequent educational reform of Minister Benjamin Constant in 1890, the curriculum of the college, and in particular the teaching of the sciences, was profoundly affected by the positivist ideas of Comte. An analysis of the programs of scientific studies adopted in the Gymnasium from 1890 to 1900 demonstrates that these were organized in accordance with the hierarchy of abstraction of human knowledge proposed by Comtean …

Mechanisms Of Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field (Nspef)-Induced Cell Death In Cells And Tumors, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

The evolution of pulse power technology from high power physics to biology and medicine places nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) in positions for in vitro and in vivo applications as non-ligand agonists that not only bypass plasma membrane receptors for induction of intracellular signaling pathways, but also bypass intracellular oncogenic impasses to induce cell death by regulated mechanisms. Based on work reviewed here, a likely scenario for cell and tumor demise includes nsPEF-induced permeabilization of the plasma membrane, Ca2+ influx, dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, which is likely due to events beyond permeabilization of the inner mitochondrial membrane, cytochrome …

Electroporation Of Mammalian Cells By Nanosecond Electric Field Oscillations And It's Inhibition By The Electric Field Reversal, Elena C. Gianulis, Jimo Lee, Chunqi Jiang, Shu Xiao, Bennet L. Ibey, Andrei G. Pakhomov

Bioelectrics Publications

The present study compared electroporation efficiency of bipolar and unipolar nanosecond electric field oscillations (NEFO). Bipolar NEFO was a damped sine wave with 140 ns first phase duration at 50% height; the peak amplitude of phases 2-4 decreased to 35%, 12%, and 7% of the first phase. This waveform was rectified to produce unipolar NEFO by cutting off phases 2 and 4. Membrane permeabilization was quantified in CHO and GH₃ cells by uptake of a membrane integrity marker dye YO-PRO-1 (YP) and by the membrane conductance increase measured by patch clamp. For treatments with 1-20 unipolar NEFO, at 9.6-24 …

In Situ Oh Generation From O2- And H2o2 Plays A Critical Role In Plasma Induced Cell Death, Dehui Xu, Dingxing Liu, Biqing Wang, Chen Chen, Zeyu Chen, Dong Li, Yanjie Yang, Hailan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) are considered to be the most important species for biomedical applications, including cancer treatment. However, it is not known which species exert the greatest biological effects, and the nature of their interactions with tumor cells remains ill-defined. These questions were addressed in the present study by exposing human mesenchymal stromal and LP-1 cells to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species produced by CAP and evaluating cell viability. Superoxide anion (O₂-) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were the two major species present in plasma, but their …

Effectiveness Of Mary Ainsworth's Maternal Sensitivity Scale With Four-Week-Old Infants, Laurel Anne T. Yorgason

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The attachment relationship between a mother and her infant provides a foundation for future development (Bowlby, 1951; Sroufe, 2005). A high level of maternal sensitivity has been deemed one of the most important antecedents to a secure attachment (van IJzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2004). Although Mary Ainsworth originally developed a measure of maternal sensitivity other researchers developed measures to determine a mother’s level of sensitivity (Mesman & Emmen, 2013). The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) was developed to determine the classification of the attachment relationship (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974). Currently these measures focus predominantly on dyads that include an infant at …

Abundance, Density, And Opinions About Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Whidbey Island, Washington, Robert P. Wingard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Obtaining reliable knowledge is the first step towards properly managing wildlife species. Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) on Whidbey Island, Washington have not been the subject of study, and little is known about the population, or the opinion of resident’s of Whidbey Island towards the deer population. However, wildlife managers suggest deer on the island may be overabundant or over social carrying capacity. Given the lack of empirical knowledge about the deer population or human opinions towards deer on Whidbey Island, I designed research to determine the abundance and density of Columbian black-tailed deer on Whidbey Island, …

Decadal Scale Responses Of Soil And Ecosystem Processes To Forest Restoration In Rocky Mountain Conifer Forests, Peter Ganzlin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Decades of fire suppression have left much of the forest in the intermountain western United States exceedingly dense, and forest restoration techniques – including thinning and prescribed fire – are increasingly being used in an attempt to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of severe wildfire, to enhance tree growth and regeneration, and to stimulate soil nutrient cycling. While many of the short-term effects of forest restoration have been established, the long-term effects on soil biogeochemical and ecosystem processes are largely unknown. In this thesis I present two manuscripts documenting and synthesizing these long-term impacts. The first chapter focuses on the …

The Effect Of Spatial Patterns Of Soil Hydraulic Conductivity And Depth On Local And Hillslope Scale Shallow Water Table Dynamics, Casey E. Ryan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Much research in forested headwater catchments has focused on the role of topography for organizing subsurface flow and the hydrologic connectivity of upland flow paths to stream networks. However, little work has been conducted to evaluate how localized and hillslope scale patterns of hydraulic conductivity and soil depth contribute to spatial patterns of water table duration, magnitude, and connectivity. I monitored shallow groundwater dynamics in wells distributed across a 1st order hillslope in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Montana. Additionally, I collected in-situ measurements of soil saturated hydraulic conductivity and soil depth at 10m intervals across the study hillslope and compared …

Discovering The Chinese Mining Child: The Archaeology Of Children And Childhood In Multicultural American Mining Communities, Nicole A. Lane

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Children made up roughly one-quarter of the population of industrial boomtowns in the

North American West, underscoring the connections of family to places commonly

thought to be bachelor communities. By comparing artifacts and historical contexts from

three mining communities (Butte, Montana; Deadwood, South Dakota; and Sandpoint,

Idaho) established in the late 19th century, this thesis will contribute to archaeologies of

children, childhood, and socialization, examining material remains as a line of evidence

to study the ways in which relationships, gender, race, and class pervaded the lives of

children in these industrial settings. The methods employed here integrate information

from historical …

Effects Of Nanosecond Pulse Electric Fields On Cellular Elasticity, Diganta Dutta, Anthony Asmar, Michael W. Stacey

Bioelectrics Publications

We investigated the effects of a single 60 nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) of low (15 kV/cm) and high (60 kV/cm) field strengths on cellular morphology and membrane elasticity in Jurkat cells using fluorescent microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We performed force displacement measurements on cells using AFM and calculated the Young's modulus for membrane elasticity. Differential effects were observed depending upon pulsing conditions. We found that a single nsPEF of low field strength did not induce any apparent cytoskeletal breakdown and had minor morphological changes. Interestingly, force measurements and calculation of Young's modulus showed a significant decrease in …

Our Green Story, University Of Minnesota, Morris

Miscellaneous Campus Publications

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Pioneer Riparian Vegetation On River Processes From The Plant To Reach Scale, Sharon Verdawn Bywater-Reyes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Alluvial rivers have morphologies that are shaped to varying degrees by the character of the riparian vegetation they support. Floodplain vegetation produces bank cohesion, for example, which in turn is responsible for inducing river meandering that gives rise to in-channel bars suitable for pioneer vegetation recruitment. Once established, pioneer vegetation is inundated by channel-forming flows, where it interacts with flow and sediment transport processes. This dissertation quantifies interactions between in-channel pioneer vegetation, which is under-studied relative to floodplain vegetation, and river processes across spatial scales.

At the seedling scale, I link field experiments measuring woody riparian seedling uprooting forces to …

Improving Mechanical And Neuromuscular Deficits Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Audrey Rose Campbell Elias

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite consistent resolution of knee laxity and return to physical activity following ACL reconstruction, a growing body of evidence implicates impaired weight acceptance strategies as frequent primary drivers in a host of poor long-term outcomes. Most egregiously, the majority of the people with ACL reconstruction will show radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis within 15 years of surgery. Abnormal compression of the knee joint due to impaired knee flexion during weight acceptance is exacerbated by a tendency toward concomitant co-contraction of the knee musculature. Despite a plethora of proposed training paradigms, performance deficits after ACL reconstruction prove particularly resistant to enduring …

Microbial Responses And Contributions To Climate Change In Greenland, Frances Rose Gilman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Despite the fact that microorganisms are the major drivers of global biogeochemical cycles, the relationship of microbial community activity and greenhouse gas production is still largely unexplored. The body of work presented here identifies previously unknown microbial community structure in bare ice, tracks shifts in permafrost active layer microbial communities along a moisture gradient, examines microbial trends throughout the Arctic growth season under climate change scenarios, and goes beyond identifying organisms working to link the structure and function of microbial communities to process level measurements. With deep sequencing of 16S rRNA, this study determined that bare ice collected from the …