Digital Commons Network^™

Controlling Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Persister Cells By Human Granulocyte Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Geetika Sanjay Choudhary

Dissertations - ALL

Bacteria are well known to cause chronic infections in humans by entering dormancy and by developing biofilms. These mechanisms allow bacteria to exhibit antibiotic tolerance and relapse to an active virulent state when the antibiotic treatments are discontinued. During bacterial invasions, the host immune cells secrete special signaling proteins, known as cytokines which orchestrate events leading to human immune response and elimination of bacterial pathogens. However, compared to the well documented activities

of cytokines in immune reaction, little is known about the direct effects of cytokines on bacterial cells.

In this study, we focused on granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), …

Using Music-Based Interventions With Adolescents Coping With Family Conflict Or Parental Divorce: A Resource Manual, Lori Meono

Theses and Dissertations

Listening to music is an activity that provides a range of physical and psychological benefits (e.g., tension relief, decreased depression) for people across cultures and age groups. Adolescents, specifically, are among the most active consumers of music, and music appears to be a natural coping strategy for this age group. Research suggests that both music and the family context play important roles during the developmental phase of adolescence. Family transitions such as divorce have become increasingly common experiences for adolescents and may have long-lasting negative effects on an adolescent's emotional well-being. However, research regarding music-based interventions for use with adolescents …

The Power Of Play In Developing Emotional Intelligence Impacting Leadership Success: A Study Of The Leadership Team In A Midwest Private, Liberal Arts University, Patricia J. Hohlbein

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education leaders have a unique position of power and influence that can span generations (Clawson, 2009). Previous research discovered emotional intelligence to be the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence (Bar-On, 1997; Brown, 2009; Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008; Zeidner, Matthews, & Roberts, 2012). Play develops sensing capabilities for teamwork, self-awareness, empathy, trust, and compassion, which inform development of emotional intelligence. Exploring the influence of play in developing emotional intelligence fills a void in existing research. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to discover the power of play in …

The Implications Of Moral Injury Among African American Females With A History Of Substance Abuse: A Preliminary Study, Jaimee Silvera Hartman

Theses and Dissertations

Moral injury is a concept that has been applied to the challenges facing veterans returning from combat due to the discrepancy between their moral values and the behaviors they engaged in due to war. In recovery women have expressed similar challenges due to the illicit behavior they engaged in while in their addiction as well as the prevalence of trauma that has impacted their transition into substance use. Thirteen female participants in treatment for substance abuse participated in this qualitative study. The majority of the women experienced a history of childhood and/or adult trauma that perpetuated their use of substances …

Southern California Small Business Leaders And Emotional Intelligence: Exploring Perceptions Of Effect And Value In The Workplace, Steven P. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Although they represent 99.7% of all employers in the American domestic workforce, the annual failure rate of small businesses is alarming. Given this high failure rate, research is needed to better understand the characteristics of leaders who create and sustain success in small businesses. The two-part purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was to (a) measure the emotional intelligence of small business leaders in Southern California and (b) explore the leaders’ perceptions of the effect and value of EI in the workplace. Following the collection of quantitative data using an online version of the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence …

Women Deans And Department Chairs In Medical Education: A Study Of Enabling And Inhibiting Factors Impacting Their Leadership Success, Katherine M. Ruger

Theses and Dissertations

Women are occupying leadership roles in medical education, yet are underrepresented in senior leadership positions. This qualitative study explored the enabling and inhibiting factors that select women deans and department chairs experienced throughout their career ascent. The qualitative research included eight women, both deans and department chairs, in medical education. The deans and department chairs participated in an interview where the primary data were obtained. Qualitative research methods were used to analyze the data, and the findings were presented in narrative format. The findings were consistent with the literature review and reviewed similarities in enabling and inhibiting factors experienced. The …

Pharmacologic Activities Of 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene: Cytotoxic, Anti- Oxidant, Anti-Adipogenic, Anti-Inflammatory, Histone Deacetylase And Sirtuin 1 Inhibitory Activity, Jody K. Takemoto, Connie M. Remsberg, Neal M. Davies

Pharmacy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: Delineate the selected pharmacodynamics of a naturally occurring stilbene 3’- Hydroxypterostilbene. Objective: Characterize for the first time the pharmacodynamics bioactivity in several in-vitro assays with relevant roles in heart disease, inflammation, cancer, and diabetes etiology and pathophysiology. Methods: 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene was studied in in-vitro assays to identify possible bioactivity. Results: 3’-Hydroxypterostilbene demonstrated anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antiadipogenic, histone deacetylase, and sirtuin-1 inhibitory activity. Conclusions: The importance of understanding individual stilbene pharmacologic activities were delineated. Small changes in chemical structure of stilbene compounds result in significant pharmacodynamic differences.

Infrared Radiography: Modeling X-Ray Imaging Without Harmful Radiation, Otto Zietz, Elliot E. Mylott, Ralf Widenhorn

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Planar x-ray imaging is a ubiquitous diagnostic tool and is routinely performed to diagnose conditions as varied as bone fractures and pneumonia. The underlying principle is that the varying attenuation coefficients of air, water, tissue, bone, or metal implants within the body result in non-uniform transmission of x-ray radiation. Through the detection of transmitted radiation, the spatial organization and composition of materials in the body can be ascertained. In this paper, we describe an original apparatus that teaches these concepts by utilizing near infrared radiation and an up-converting phosphorescent screen to safely probe the contents of an opaque enclosure.

The Catholic Church As A Cultivator Of Conscience: Toward Empowering Students To Be Agents Of The Maturation And Formation Of Their Consciences, Patrick O'Kernick

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Many Catholic students at Jesuit institutions of higher education will face a crisis in which Catholic identity seems to stand in the way of personal moral growth. The superego-ish conscience of the young adult struggles to mature as she undergoes experiences of expanding social horizons, cognitive-emotive depth, and personal agency. As this maturation begins, Catholic identity often seems to be moral deadweight—to the young adult—as the church seems to be a hopelessly compromised institution pontificating all too often the wrong values without credible foundation. This experience finds support in a popular trope today—advanced in an organized way by groups like …

The Child Quasi-Witness, Richard D. Friedman, Stephen J. Ceci

Articles

This Essay provides a solution to the conundrum of statements made by very young children and offered against an accused in a criminal prosecution. Currently prevailing doctrine allows one of three basic outcomes. First, in some cases the child testifies at trial. But this is not always feasible, and when it is, cross-examination is a poor method for determining the truth. Second, evidence of the child's statement may be excluded, which denies the adjudicative process of potentially valuable information. Third, the evidence may be admitted without the child testifying at trial, which leaves the accused with no practical ability to …

The Use Of Shear Rate-Diameter Dose-Response Curves As An Alternative To The Flow-Mediated Dilation Test, Brian Wu, Daniel Credeur, Simon Fryer, Lee Stoner

Faculty Publications

The brachial artery flow-mediated dilation test (FMD) is the non-invasive gold-standard used to test endothelial function. Reduced FMD precedes the development of atherosclerosis and provides an early marker for predicting future cardiovascular disease events. Although, this test is of high potential, it is somewhat limited by poor reproducibility. By utilizing hand warming and grip exercise combined with hierarchical linear modeling, shear rate-diameter dose-response curves may provide a novel and more accurate way to assess endothelial function in humans. Shear rate-diameter dose-response curves could potentially improve upon the traditional FMD measurement and serve as a superior clinical and research tool for …

Estimating The Sex Composition Of The Summer Flounder Catch Using Fishery-Independent Data, Jason M. Morson, Eleanor A. Bochenek, Eric N. Powell, Emerson C. Hasbrouck, Jennifer E. Gius, Charles F. Cotton, Kristin Gerbino, Tara Froehlich

Faculty Publications

Models that account for sex-specific behavior and population dynamics are becoming more common in the stock assessment of sexually dimorphic fishes. However, such models can be data intensive and require some knowledge or assumptions about the sex ratio of fishery landings. A recent stock assessment review of Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus identified the need to account for sex-specific fishing mortality in the assessment model; however, no data on the sex composition of the catch were available. Fishery-independent, sex-specific information for this species is collected annually by the National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Fisheries Science Center during their bottom trawl survey. …

Learning Love From A Tiger: Approaches To Nature In An American Buddhist Monastery, Daniel S. Capper

Faculty Publications

In current debates about Buddhist approaches to the non-human natural world, studies describe Buddhism variously as anthropocentric, biocentric or ecocentric. These perspectives derive for the most part from examinations of philosophical and normative aspects of the tradition without much attention to moments when embodied practice diverges from religious ideals. Responding to the need for narrative thick descriptions of lived Buddhist attitudes toward nature, I ethnographically explore a Vietnamese monastery in the United States. There I find multifaceted Buddhist approaches to nature which sometimes disclose disunity between theory and practice. Philosophically and normatively, this monastery embraces ecocentrism through notions of interconnectedness, …

Vector-Borne Viral Diseases, Penghua Wang, Fengwei Bai, Gong Cheng, Jianfeng Dai, Michael J. Conway

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Circulating Tumor Dna To Monitor Treatment Response And Detect Acquired Resistance In Patients With Metastatic Melanoma, Elin S. Gray, Helen Rizos, Anna L. Reid, Suzanah Boyd, Michelle Pereira, Johnny Lo, Varsha Tembe, James Freeman, Jenny Lee, Richard Scolyer, Kelvin Siew, Chris Lomma, Adam Cooper, Muhammad Khattak, Tarek Meniawy, Georgina Long, Matteo Carlino, Michael Millward, Mel R. Ziman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Repeat tumor biopsies to study genomic changes during therapy are difficult, invasive and data are confounded by tumoral heterogeneity. The analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can provide a non-invasive approach to assess prognosis and the genetic evolution of tumors in response to therapy. Mutation-specific droplet digital PCR was used to measure plasma concentrations of oncogenic BRAF and NRAS variants in 48 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma prior to treatment with targeted therapies (vemurafenib, dabrafenib or dabrafenib/trametinib combination) or immunotherapies (ipilimumab, nivolumab or pembrolizumab). Baseline ctDNA levels were evaluated relative to treatment response and progression-free survival (PFS). Tumor-associated ctDNA was …

Overnutrition Determines Lps Regulation Of Mycotoxin Induced Neurotoxicity In Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ian J. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Chronic neurodegenerative diseases are now associated with obesity and diabetes and linked to the developing and developed world. Interests in healthy diets have escalated that may prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The global metabolic syndrome involves lipoprotein abnormalities and insulin resistance and is the major disorder for induction of neurological disease. The effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on dyslipidemia and NAFLD indicate that the clearance and metabolism of fungal mycotoxins are linked to hypercholesterolemia and amyloid beta oligomers. LPS and mycotoxins are associated with membrane lipid disturbances with effects on cholesterol interacting proteins, lipoprotein metabolism, and …

Effects Of Estrogens On Adipokines And Glucose Homeostasis In Female Aromatase Knockout Mice, Michelle L. Van Sinderen, Gregory R. Steinberg, Sebastian B. Jørgensen, Jane Honeyman, Jenny D. Chow, Kerrie A. Herridge, Amy L. Winship, Evdokia Dimitriadis, Margaret E.E. Jones, Evan R. Simpson, Wah C. Boon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The maintenance of glucose homeostasis within the body is crucial for constant and precise performance of energy balance and is sustained by a number of peripheral organs. Estrogens are known to play a role in the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Aromatase knockout (ArKO) mice are estrogen-deficient and display symptoms of dysregulated glucose metabolism. We aim to investigate the effects of estrogen ablation and exogenous estrogen administration on glucose homeostasis regulation. Six month-old female wildtype, ArKO, and 17β-estradiol (E2) treated ArKO mice were subjected to whole body tolerance tests, serum examination of estrogen, glucose and insulin, ex-vivo muscle glucose uptake, and …

Seagrass Meadows As A Globally Significant Carbonate Reservoir, I Mazarrasa, N Marbà, O Serrano, C E. Lovelock, Paul S. Lavery, J W. Fourqurean, H Kennedy, M A. Mateo, D Krause-Jensen, A D. Steven, C M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

There has been growing interest in quantifying the capacity of seagrass ecosystems to act as carbon sinks as a natural way of offsetting anthropogenic carbon emissions to the atmosphere. However, most of the efforts have focused on the particulate organic carbon (POC) stocks and accumulation rates and ignored the particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) fraction, despite important carbonate pools associated with calcifying organisms inhabiting the meadows, such as epiphytes and benthic invertebrates, and despite the relevance that carbonate precipitation and dissolution processes have in the global carbon cycle. This study offers the first assessment of the global PIC stocks in seagrass …

A Preliminary Investigation Into The Relationship Between Functional Movement Screen Scores And Athletic Physical Performance In Female Team Sport Athletes, R.G. Lockie, A.B. Schultz, Samuel J. Callaghan, C.A. Jordan, T.M. Luczo, M.D. Jeffriess

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

There is little research investigating relationships between the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and athletic performance in female athletes. This study analyzed the relationships between FMS (deep squat; hurdle step [HS]; in-line lunge [ILL]; shoulder mobility; active straight-leg raise [ASLR]; trunk stability push-up; rotary stability) scores, and performance tests (bilateral and unilateral sit-and-reach [flexibility]; 20-m sprint [linear speed]; 505 with turns from each leg; modified T-test with movement to left and right [change-of-direction speed]; bilateral and unilateral vertical and standing broad jumps; lateral jumps [leg power]). Nine healthy female recreational team sport athletes (age = 22.67 ± 5.12 years; height = …

Altitude Exposure At 1800 M Increases Haemoglobin Mass In Distance Runners, Laura A. Gravican-Lewis, Iona Halliday, Chris R. Abbiss, Philo U. Saunders, Christopher P.J. Gore

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The influence of low natural altitudes (< 2000 m) on erythropoietic adaptation is currently unclear, with current recommendations indicating that such low altitudes may be insufficient to stimulate significant increases in haemoglobin mass (Hb_mass). As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of 3 weeks of live high, train high exposure (LHTH) at low natural altitude (i.e. 1800 m) on Hb_mass, red blood cell count and iron profile. A total of 16 elite or well-trained runners were assigned into either a LHTH (n = 8) or CONTROL (n = 8) group. Venous blood samples were drawn prior to, at 2 weeks and at 3 weeks following exposure. Hb_mass was measured in duplicate prior to exposure and at 2 …

Galvanic Skin Response In Mood Disorders: A Critical Review, Roisin Vahey, Rodrigo Becerra

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

To critically review the literature on Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) within Mood Disorder populations. GSR profiles were examined for the various types of Mood Disorder and their association with comorbidity, suicidality and predispositions. This review examined studies with emotional and non-emotional stimuli whilst aiming to identify a Mood Disorder GSR profile by comparisons with healthy controls and other psychological or physical disorders. A systematic search for relevant literature was conducted using PsychINFO, CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Studies using emotional stimuli to measure GSR in mood disorder patients were included. Some studies did not use emotional stimuli, however were included as …

Butyrylated Starch Intake Can Prevent Red Meat-Induced O6-Methyl-2-Deoxyguanosine Adducts In Human Rectal Tissue: A Randomised Clinical Trial, Richard K. Le Leu, Jean M. Winter, Claus T. Christophersen, Graeme P. Young, Karen J. Humphreys, Ying Hu, Silvia W. Gratz, Rosalind B. Miller, David L. Topping, Anthony R. Bird, Michael A. Conlon

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Epidemiological studies have identified increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk with high red meat (HRM) intakes, whereas dietary fibre intake appears to be protective. In the present study, we examined whether a HRM diet increased rectal O⁶-methyl-2-deoxyguanosine (O⁶MeG) adduct levels in healthy human subjects, and whether butyrylated high-amylose maize starch (HAMSB) was protective. A group of twenty-three individuals consumed 300 g/d of cooked red meat without (HRM diet) or with 40 g/d of HAMSB (HRM+HAMSB diet) over 4-week periods separated by a 4-week washout in a randomised cross-over design. Stool and rectal biopsy samples were collected for …

Relationships Between Lower-Body Muscle Structure And, Lower-Body Strength, Explosiveness And Eccentric Leg Stiffness In Adolescent Athletes, Josh Secomb, Sophia Nimphius, Oliver R. Farley, Lina Lundgren, Tai T. Tran, Jeremy M. Sheppard

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether any relationships were present between lower-body muscle structure and, lower-body strength, variables measured during a counter-movement jump (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ), and eccentric leg stiffness, in adolescent athletes. Thirty junior male (n = 23) and female (n = 7) surfing athletes (14.8 ± 1.7 y; 1.63 ± 0.09 m; 54.8 ± 12.1 kg) undertook lower-body muscle structure assessment with ultrasonography and performed a; CMJ, SJ and an isomet-ric mid-thigh pull (IMTP). In addition, eccentric leg stiffness was calculated from variables of the CMJ and IMTP. Moderate to very large …

Eccentric Loading Increases Peak Torque Angle Of The Ankle Plantar Flexors In Healthy Volunteers, Matthew Wellisch, Peter Hamer, Luke Hopper, Max Bulsara, James Debenham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Eccentric loading of the ankle plantar Flexor's (PF) has demonstrated clinical efficacy in the conservative treatment of Achilles tendinopathy, however, its mechanism of therapeutic benefit remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of PF eccentric loading on PF angle to peak torque (AtPT), peak torque (PT) and lower limb vertical stiffness. Thirty healthy volunteers were randomised to an eccentric (n=15) or concentric (n=13) exercise group. A 10-week loading programme of the ankle plantar flexors was completed. AtPT, PT and vertical stiffness were compared within and between groups before and after the interventions. AtPT increased in …

Association Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Associates With Decreased Immunosuppressive Potential Of The Igg Glycome, Franco Vukovic, Jasminka Krištić, Ivan Gudelj, Maria Teruel, Toma Keser, Marija Pezer, Maja Pučić-Baković, Jerko Štambuk, Irena Trbojević-Akmačić, Clara Barrios, Tamara Pavić, Cristina Menni, Youxin Wang, Yong Zhou, Liufu Cui, Haicheng Song, Qiang Zeng, Xiuhua Guo, Bernardo A. Pons-Estel, Paul Mckeigue, Alan Leslie Patrick, Olga Gornik, Tim D. Spector, Miroslav Harjaček, Marta Alarcon-Riquelme, Miriam Molokhia, Wei Wang, Gordan Lauc

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Glycans attached to the Fc portion of IgG are important modulators of IgG effector functions. Interindividual differences in IgG glycome composition are large and they associate strongly with different inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. IKZF1, HLA–DQ2A/B, and BACH2 genetic loci that affect IgG glycome composition show pleiotropy with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), indicating a potentially causative role of aberrant IgG glycosylation in SLE. We undertook this large multicenter case–control study to determine whether SLE is associated with altered IgG glycosylation. Methods: Using ultra-performance liquid chromatography analysis of released glycans, we analyzed the composition of the IgG glycome in 261 SLE …

Myths Of Environmental Law, Albert C. Lin

Utah Law Review

Environmental law is pervaded by myths—i.e., assumptions that are inaccurate, misleading, or false. These myths arise in various contexts, ranging from wetlands mitigation schemes and pollution credit trading programs to legal regimes premised on the concept of sustainability. This Article explores several myths of environmental law, their origins, and their roles. While political reasons explain in part the creation and prevalence of these myths, more is at work behind these myths than mere politics or failures to implement the law. The myths of environmental law facilitate the management of ecologically complex systems by providing a reductionist account of them. Beyond …

Rethinking The Geography Of Local Climate Action: Multilevel Network Participation In Metropolitan Regions, Hari M. Osofsky

Utah Law Review

As the United States and the world become increasingly urbanized, cities are a key site for addressing the problem of climate change. However, urban climate change action is not simply about local officials making decisions within their cities. In major U.S. urban areas, “local” involves multiple layers of government, including county and metroregional entities. Moreover, many of the cities taking action on climate change also participate in and shape networks of local governments based at state, regional, national, and international levels.

This Article argues that multilevel climate change networks could be more effective by embracing this geography of local action …

Treating The Blue Rash: Win-Win Solutions And Improving The Land Exchange Process, Smith Monson

Utah Law Review

The history of public land laws from disposal to retention has created a fragmented ownership in the West. The school land grants led to a spotty pattern of state trust land ownership. This in turn creates conflict between the mandates of federal agencies—whose mandate is to protect environmentally sensitive areas—and state trust land authorities—whose mandate is to generate revenues for their beneficiaries. Both mandates promote important public interests.

Legislative land exchanges present potential win-win solutions for extricating state trust lands from within federal conservation areas, but they require a process that is too long and onerous. However, by improving the …

Unfinished Business Of Repealing “Don’T Ask, Don’T Tell”: The Military’S Unconstitutional Ban On Transgender Individuals, Kayla Quam

Utah Law Review

Discrimination based on gender identity is a form of sex discrimination. In Price Waterhouse, the Supreme Court clarified that “sex” encompasses more than biological genitalia. That ruling eviscerated the holding of Holloway, Sommers, and Ulane—the three cases the Tenth Circuit relied on in declaring that sex discrimination did not encompass gender nonconformity. At least since Price Waterhouse, discrimination against someone because of that individual’s failure to conform to sex stereotypes must be considered a form of sex discrimination.156 As transgenderism is defined as nonconformity “to that typically associated with the sex . . . assigned at birth,” discrimination based on …

The Dsm-5: Implications For Health Law, Stacey A. Tovino

Utah Law Review

In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (“DSM-5”). Among other changes, the DSM-5 includes new entries for hoarding disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder as well as a reclassified entry for gambling disorder. Using these changes as examples, this Article examines the implications of the DSM-5 for key

issues in health law, including health insurance coverage, public and private disability benefit eligibility, and disability discrimination protection. As a descriptive matter, this Article illustrates how the addition of new disorders and the reclassification of existing disorders in the DSM-5 …