Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Estrogen Receptor Alpha Signaling On Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells In Systemic Lupus Erythematous, Jennifer L. Scott

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Female lupus prone NZM2410 estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) functionally deficient (ERαKO) mice are protected from renal disease and have prolonged survival compared to wild type (WT) littermates, however the mechanism of protection is unknown. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and type I interferon (IFN) drive lupus pathogenesis and estrogen acting via ERα enhances both pDC development and IFN production. The objectives for this work were to determine if ERα modulates pDC number, maturation, or function in pre-disease NZM2410 mice as a possible protective mechanism of ERα functional deficiency in lupus prone mice. We measured the effect of ERα functional deficiency on …

Developing A Protocol For The Treatment Of Transitioning Adolescents : A Survey Of Gender Clinics In The United States, Elise Lehotsky

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The goal of this descriptive study is to determine what is common practice for endocrine intervention with adolescents diagnosed with GD or seeking treatment related to gender identity. The study surveyed gender clinics in the United States that work with adolescent clients. Gender clinics are defined by this study to be one or more providers who work with adolescents to actualize their gender identity. Twenty gender clinics completed a mixed method survey that asked them to describe basic demographics of their clinic, what recommendations they utilize to influence their treatment protocols, if and how mental health is involved in treatment, …

In The Space Of The Father : Father Images, Emptiness, And Father Mirroring In Father Absent Men, Frank P. Tisano

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This is an empirical, psychoanalytic inquiry designed to uncover what exists in the space for "father" when men grow up father absent. I interviewed 10 father absent men to find out how they conceptualized their personal representations of father and whether the conjured images played a material role in their lives. In light of the interviews, I contend that, regardless of circumstance, intrapsychic space exists for father. Building on Green (2004), I argue that father absent men have a combination of positive and negative space for father. Positive space is filled principally with directly experienced memories, and stories as recounted …

Hobby Lobby, Birth Control And Our Ongoing Cultural Wars: Pleasure And Desire In The Crossfires, Robin West

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Both sides of the birth control debate agree that birth control artificially prevents or interrupts conception, allowing women to control their own fertility and allowing heterosexual men and women to enjoy unconstrained sexual liberty. However, the decision in Hobby Lobby omitted all discussion of this central function of birth control, and contained no mention of arguments for or against birth control that assume it.

This piece examines and criticizes the two major arguments opposing and supporting birth control on this understanding of its function and core social meaning: first the neo-natural lawyers’ argument against birth control advanced in a papal …

Bernard Lonergan’S Promise For Educational Philosophy, Ivan Gaetz

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Philosopher and theologian, Bernard Lonergan, S.J., regarded as one of the most influential Jesuit thinkers of the twentieth century, focused primarily on cognitional theory, epistemology and metaphysics. His system of thought known as “intentionality analysis” has been applied widely to many fields of study, including education. While Lonergan directly addressed certain issues in education and educational philosophy, his thought has greater promise for educational philosophy through broader application, specifically in ordering and expanding educational themes related to the four key differentiations of consciousness he expounds. The differentiations are explained as distinct but interrelated levels of consciousness and consist of experiencing, …

Promoting Transgender Understanding And Acceptance At A Jesuit University, Stefan Rowniak, Chenit Ong-Flaherty

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Transgender individuals have faced and continue to face misunderstanding and severe discrimination in society and in accessing the provision of healthcare. Two nursing faculty at a Jesuit university addressed this issue in a Jesuit community dialogue supported by a Jesuit grant. This dialogue was framed within Jesuit teachings and was consistent with the value of social justice, something fundamental to both the profession of nursing and Jesuit teachings. Three transgender individuals and a Jesuit priest each spoke of their personal experience and then opened the dialogue up for questions. Faculty and students overwhelmingly found the dialogue to be helpful and …

The Effect Of Peer-Feedback On Efl Medical Students’ Writing Performance, Maedeh Afrasiabi, Laleh Khojasteh

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current article investigates the effect of peer-feedback on writing performance of the Medical Students of Shiraz University. This research is experimental and fifty nine students both male and female participated in this study. The population included the medical students of Shiraz University.The researcher utilized convenient sampling to choose the participants. They were also divided to two groups. The treatment group which consist of 30 students and the control group which were 29 students. The researcher used writing composition in order to gather the data required for the writing performance and questionnaire based on the Likerd scale for the writing …

Open Peer Review At Four Stem Journals: An Observational Overview [Version 2; Referees: 2 Approved, 2 Approved With Reservations], Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Open peer review, peer review where authors' and reviewers' identities are disclosed to one another, is a growing trend in scholarly publishing. Through observation of four journals in STEM disciplines, PLOS One, Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics, PeerJ, and F1000Research, an observational overview is conducted. The overview relies on defined characteristics of open peer review. Results show that despite differing open peer review implementations, each journal retains editorial involvement in scholarly publishing. Further, the analysis shows that only one of these implementations is fully transparent in its peer review and decision making process. Finally, the overview contends …

Mensurative And Manipulative Experiments Test Effects Of Global Change Drivers On Greenhouse Gas Fluxes In Coastal Marshes, Rose Marie Martin

Open Access Dissertations

For centuries, coastal marshes have been subjected to anthropogenic stressors. Great expanses of coastal marshes were drained and filled to make way for development, and those that remained were diked and ditched, encroached upon by upland development, and used for agricultural purposes such as livestock grazing. Today, as the values and services coastal marshes provide to human society are understood, marshes are protected from direct degradation. However, especially in developed and densely populated estuaries such as Narragansett Bay, coastal marshes are subject to impacts including nutrient pollution and introduction of invasive species. Global climate change and associated sea level rise …

Design And Development Of Ph-Sensitive Peptides For Cancer Diagnostics, Ramona Cosmina Adochite

Open Access Dissertations

The design and development of pH-sensitive peptides for cancer diagnostics provides an opportunity to study and address fundamental questions of in vivo bio-distribution of pH-sensitive peptides, as well as developing new targeting imaging and therapeutic agents for acidic diseased tissue such as cancer, infections, ischemia, stroke and others.

The main goal of the work presented here is to investigate the following problems:

- Targeting of highly metastatic mammary tumors and spontaneous breast tumors in transgenic mice with fluorescently labeled pHLIPs® (pH (Low) Insertion Peptides) pHLIP variants;

- Direct imaging of pHLIP insertion and cargo translocation in vivo;

- Targeting …

Anneau Vaginal À Progestérone: Évite Les Grossesses, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Cette fiche de renseignements fournit des informations sur l’utilisation de l’anneau contraceptif vaginal à la progestérone pour prévenir la grossesse. L'anneau vaginal à progestérone (AVP) offre une nouvelle manière de fournir un moyen de contraception. Il a été prouvé qu'il s'agit d'une méthode contraceptive sûre et efficace pour les femmes qui allaitent. Utilisé par ces femmes, l'AVP évite les grossesses en inhibant la croissance folliculaire et, par conséquent, empêchant l'ovulation; renforçant les effets inhibiteurs de l'allaitement maternel sur l'ovulation; étendant l'aménorrhée post-partum; et épaississant la glaire cervicale, et donc en empêchant les spermatozoïdes d'atteindre l'ovule. L'AVP donc étend la gamme …

Progesterone Vaginal Ring: Prevents Pregnancy, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This fact sheet provides information about how the progesterone vaginal contraceptive ring works to prevent pregnancy. The progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) offers a novel way of delivering safe and effective contraceptives for lactating women. When used by such women it prevents pregnancy by inhibiting follicular growth, hence preventing ovulation; reinforcing the inhibitory effect of breastfeeding on ovulation; extending postpartum amenorrhea; and thickening the cervical mucus, thus inhibiting sperm from meeting the egg. The PVR expands the range of contraceptives available to lactating women and has the potential to contribute to improving maternal and infant health.

A Therapeutic Approach For Senile Dementias: Neuroangiogenesis, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related senile dementias (SDs) represent a growing medical and economic crisis in this country. Apart from cautioning persons about risk factors, no practical, effective therapy is currently available. Much of the recent research in AD has been based on the amyloid cascade theory. Another approach assumes a vascular basis for SDs. This paper presents evidence from a score of studies that cerebral capillary density (CCD) declines during old age in animals and people as well as in AD. Neuroangiogenic (NAG) factors initiate and maintain capillaries in the brain. Thus a waning level of these factors and …

Tninvestco Annual Report 2015, Tennessee. Department Of Economic And Community Development

Annual Reports

The TNInvestCo annual report reflects figures reported by each TNInvestCo related to investment activity. The summary section reflects adjusted figures of the TNInvestCo program where the duplication of jobs and follow-on capital have been removed.

Are Parents Talking To Adolescents About Sexuality? Evidence From Four Slums In Ghana, Selina F. Esantsi, Francis Onyango, Gloria Quansah Asare, Emmanuel Kuffour, Placide Tapsoba, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

This evidence brief summarizes the essential information from a part of a larger study that assessed the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of adolescents in four slums in two regions of Ghana. The objective of this brief is to provide evidence to support and facilitate the improvement of parent–adolescent communication on sexuality. This study echoes several other studies by providing evidence that a majority of parents are not opposed to in-school sex education for their children and welcome the idea of empowering themselves (parents) to have productive discussions with their children. Nevertheless, there is a mismatch between the proportion …

What Are The Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents In Ghana’S Slums?, Selina F. Esantsi, Gloria Quansah Asare, Placide Tapsoba

Reproductive Health

To address the need for quality evidence on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of adolescents in slums, the STEP UP project conducted a study in four slum settings in Ghana. This policy brief highlights key points, including the need for a well-designed, comprehensive sex education curriculum; interventions that address sexual coercion and violence as an integral component of current adolescent reproductive health programs; and the need to involve all stakeholders including parents/guardians and community leaders in addressing adolescent SRH needs. Evidence from the study can be used to improve ASRH programming so that it better meets the needs …

Understanding The Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents In Selected Slums In Ghana: A Public Health Assessment, Selina F. Esantsi, Francis Onyango, Gloria Quansah Asare, Emmanuel Kuffour, Placide Tapsoba, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Over the past decade, adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) concerns have increasingly been on the development agenda of the government of Ghana. This concern has been driven by such factors as early age of sexual debut, early childbearing, and prevalence of HIV/AIDS among this subgroup of the population. The overall objective of the study was to generate evidence on the knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding ASRH among slum communities in Ghana. The findings of the study indicate a need for intensifying efforts to inform and educate adolescents living in the slums about responsible and healthy attitudes toward sexuality, delaying …

Education Sector Response To Early And Unintended Pregnancy: A Review Of Country Experiences In Sub-Saharan Africa, Harriet Birungi, Chi-Chi Undie, Ian Mackenzie, Anne Katahoire, Francis Obare, Patricia Machawira

Reproductive Health

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), early and unintended pregnancy leads to a colossal loss of educational opportunities for girls. Existing studies that show associations between early/unintended pregnancy and school dropout lead to critical questions about how the education sector is responding to the issue in SSA. Conducted from August 2014 to April 2015, this review was devoted to an examination of such responses across six countries: Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The review focused on several key issues, including: education-sector policies for pregnant students and adolescent mothers; integration of pregnancy prevention into sexuality education curricula; the school environment as …

Annual Report, General Education Committee, 2014-2015, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg. General Education Committee

USF St. Petersburg General Education Committee Reports

The 2014-2015 academic year annual report from the General Education Committee, a committee under the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Faculty Senate.

Current Uses Of Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) In The Dental Field: A Comprehensive Review, Maria Justina Roxana Virlan, Daniela Miricescu, Alexandra Totan, Maria Greabu, Cristiana Tanase, Cristina M. Sabliov, Constantin Caruntu, Bogdan Calenic

Faculty Publications

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA is a biodegradable polymer used in a wide range of medical applications. Specifically PLGA materials are also developed for the dental field in the form of scaffolds, films, membranes, microparticles, or nanoparticles. PLGA membranes have been studied with promising results, either alone or combined with other materials in bone healing procedures. PLGA scaffolds have been used to regenerate damaged tissues together with stem cell-based therapy. There is solid evidence that the development of PLGA microparticles and nanoparticles may be beneficial to a wide range of dental fields such as endodontic therapy, dental caries, dental surgery, dental …

Norwegian People's Aid Weapons Policy, Npa

Global CWD Repository

As a field-based organization working in conflict areas and specializing in operations that address weapons and ammunition, NPA has proven that it is well placed to contribute to processes to develop and strengthen international policies, rules, and norms to better protect civilians and the environment from unacceptable harm. Building on the experience of our contributions to the global movements that successfully banned antipersonnel mines and cluster munitions, NPA will continue to have a strong voice on other unresolved or emerging weapons-related issues that call for an international response.

Some of the weapons issues for which an NPA policy is set …

Thermal Conductivity In Pbte From First Principles, A. H. Romero, E. K. U. Gross, M. J. Verstraete, Olle Hellman

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

We investigate the harmonic and anharmonic contributions to the phonon spectrum of lead telluride and perform a complete characterization of how thermal properties of PbTe evolve as temperature inc ...

Mckee Minute January/February 2015, Southern Adventist University

McKee Minute – McKee Library This Month

The January/February 2015 McKee Minute reports on therapy dog visits and news on Valentine's Day events. This edition features books on health and well-being, films on Christianity and history, international periodicals, and a spotlight on physical education and wellness.

Early Contexts Of Learning: Family And Community Socialization During Infancy And Toddlerhood, Carolyn P. Edwards, Lixin Ren, Jill Brown

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The contexts of early learning and socialization are diverse and complex but not without some predictability. The tension between predictability and variation fascinates researchers interested in childhood and culture and motivates careful exploration of different developmental niches to better understand socialization during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. Contexts of early socialization vary in the people and activities present, and the beliefs and norms of caregivers and daily companions. The chapter utilizes anthropological constructs (household structure and composition, settlement patterns and subsistence level, mothers’ workload, gender division of labor, intimacy levels between husbands and wives, and cultural roles and norms pertaining …

Test 2130: John Deere 8345r, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S990a Massey Ferguson 8730, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Babcock Street Pedestrian Underpass, Nicholas Miller, Jacob Jansen, Roccou Knowles, Enrique Cano, Ashley Akins, Fahad Alshamari

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Student Publications

he pedestrian underpass was developed in order to fulfill the needs of our client, The Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). The client goal was to improve pedestrian safety and access crossing Babcock Street (SR-507). The project provides a safe path of travel for pedestrians to move from the buildings and apartments on the east side of Babcock St. to the main campus on the west side of Babcock St.

Three-Component Synthesis Of Cyclic $\Beta $-Aminoesters Using Ceo$_{2}$ Nanoparticles As An Efficient And Reusable Catalyst, Javad Safaei Ghomi, Sima Kalhor, Hossein Shahbazi-Alavi, Mehrnoosh Asgari-Kheirabadi

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

CeO$_{2}$ nanoparticles were used as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of cyclic $\beta $-aminoesters by three-component reaction between primary amines, ethyl acetoacetate, and chalcones in ethanol. Atom economy, low catalyst loading, reusable catalyst, and high yields of products are some of the important features of this protocol.

Synthesis And In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity Of Novel Pyrazolo[1,5-$A$]Pyrimidines And Related Schiff Bases, Ashraf Sayed Hassan, Taghrid Shoukry Hafez, Souad Abdel Meguid Osman, Mamdouh Moawad Ali

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

The reaction of 5-amino-3-(4-methoxyphenylamino)-$N$-aryl-1$H$-pyrazole-4-carboxamides \textbf{1a}--\textbf{c} with ethyl acetoacetate \textbf{2} and 2-(4-fluorobenzylidene)malononitrile \textbf{6} yielded pyrazolo[1,5-$a$]pyrimidines \textbf{5a}--\textbf{c} and \textbf{9a}--\textbf{c}, respectively. On the other hand, Schiff bases \textbf{11a}--\textbf{f} were obtained upon treatment of carboxamides \textbf{1a}--\textbf{c} with some selected aldehydes \textbf{10a }and\textbf{ b}. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized and confirmed by analytical and spectroscopic data (IR, MS, $^{1}$H NMR, and $^{13}$C NMR). Pyrazolo[1,5-$a$]pyrimidines \textbf{5a}--\textbf{c} and \textbf{9a}--\textbf{c} and Schiff bases \textbf{11b}--\textbf{f} were investigated for their cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines (colon HCT116, lung A549, breast MCF-7, and liver HepG2) according to SRB assay and the structure--activity relationship was discussed.

Faith, Learning, And Success In Mennonite High Schools: What’S Working At Central Christian High School?, Ginny Birky

Faculty Publications - College of Education

The story about Central Christian High School was written based on the perceptions and representations of what the participants said related to what was working and why. Every effort was made to portray the perspectives of those interviewed to get an accurate picture of what Central Christian was doing to help students be successful, engaged in school, and develop a faith.