Digital Commons Network^™

Role Of The Physical Therapist In Reducing Postoperative Complications In Type 2 Diabetics, Angela M. Formanik

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This article examines current research on the topic of reducing postoperative complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic condition with rapidly increasing prevalence. Patients with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to undergo surgery for comorbid conditions compared to individuals without the disease (Zantidis, Iliadis, & Didangelos, 2011). Aside from higher instances of surgical intervention, type 2 diabetic patients experience a higher rate of perioperative complications compared to individuals without the disease (Holt, 2012). Concurrent conditions such as peripheral neuropathy and hyperglycemia put diabetic patients at a higher risk of surgical complications …

Identifying The Amino Acids Important For Hiv Rev-Tubulin Interactions, Bruce E. Dukes Ii

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The Rev protein is Human Immunodeficiency virus's "switch" from events occurring early in infection to later events. Early in infection, the 13 KDa Rev protein begins to accumulate in the host cell nucleus. Once enough Rev is produced, Rev stimulates a switch in viral gene expression by multimerizing onto nuclear viral RNAs and stimulating their export into the cytoplasm. Multimerization occurs on an RNA structure called the Rev Response Element (RRE). Several Rev monomers bind the RRE and once that threshold is met the Rev-RRE complex is exported out of the nucleus. Once out of the nucleus the Rev-RRE complex …

Metabolic Characterization Of Mpnst Cell Lines, Christopher A. Waker

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Malignant transformation is the process by which cells develop cancer properties. While many causes for malignant transformation are known (i.e. common genetic mutations and/or exposure to toxins or viruses), the basic requirements that allow a cell to stay alive with altered nutrient and energy requirements are just now being studied. In some tumor types malignant cells undergo changes that result in metabolic differences compared to normal cells. These can include defects in mitophagy resulting in an accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria and/or a metabolic switch resulting in increased glycolysis, termed the Warburg effect. Increased tumor growth and metastasis have also been …

Postmarital Family Law: A Legal Structure For Nonmarital Families, Clare Huntington

Faculty Scholarship

Family law is based on marriage, but family life increasingly is not. The American family is undergoing a seismic shift, with marriage rates steadily declining and more than four in ten children now born to unmarried parents. Children of unmarried parents fall far behind children of married parents on a variety of metrics, contributing to stark inequality among children. Poverty and related factors explain much of this differential, but new sociological evidence highlights family structure — particularly friction and dislocation between unmarried parents after their relationship ends — as a crucial part of the problem. As the trend toward nonmarital …

Ancient Humans Influenced The Current Spatial Genetic Structure Of Common Walnut Populations In Asia., Paola Pollegioni, Keith E. Woeste, Francesca Chiocchini, Stefano Del Lungo, Irene Olimpieri, Virginia Tortolano, Jo Clark, Gabriel E. Hemery, Sergio Mapelli, Maria Emilia Malvolti

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Common walnut (Juglans regia L) is an economically important species cultivated worldwide for its wood and nuts. It is generally accepted that J. regia survived and grew spontaneously in almost completely isolated stands in its Asian native range after the Last Glacial Maximum. Despite its natural geographic isolation, J. regia evolved over many centuries under the influence of human management and exploitation. We evaluated the hypothesis that the current distribution of natural genetic resources of common walnut in Asia is, at least in part, the product of ancient anthropogenic dispersal, human cultural interactions, and afforestation. Genetic analysis …

The Antitumorigenic Function Of Egfr In Metastatic Breast Cancer Is Regulated By Expression Of Mig6, Michael Wendt, Whitney K. Williams, Pete E. Pascuzzi, Nikolas G. Balanis, Barbara J. Schiemann, Cathleen R. Carlin, William P. Schiemann

Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Faculty Publications

Numerous studies by our lab and others demonstrate that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays critical roles in primary breast cancer (BC) initiation, growth and dissemination. However, clinical trials targeting EGFR function in BC have lead to disappointing results. In the current study we sought to identify the mechanisms responsible for this disparity by investigating the function of EGFR across the continuum of the metastatic cascade. We previously established that overexpression of EGFR is sufficient for formation of in situ primary tumors by otherwise nontransformed murine mammary gland cells. Induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is sufficient to drive the metastasis …

Qualitative Study Of First-Generation Latinas: Understanding Motivation For Choosing And Persisting In Engineering, Dina Verdin, Allison F. Godwin, Jennifer Morazes

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Latina undergraduates pursuing an engineering degree continue to be an underrepresented group at four-year universities. Compared to their male counterparts, fewer women enter the field of engineering; however, of those Latino/as who do matriculate, they have the same likelihood of persisting as their White counterparts. Furthermore, a dearth of underrepresented students such as Latino/as and first-generation college students enter or remain in the field of engineering. The need for increased gender and racial/ethnic representation in engineering is a documented need allowing for the production of a wider range of innovative products that take into consideration different perspectives that represent the …

Managing Free Play In Early Childhood: Teachers Don’T Need To End The Trend, Elizabeth D'Apolito

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

What Causes Variation In Peacock Feather Colors?, Chance Mitan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Sexual selection favoring the most attractive peafowl is very well understood, but the answer to what drives the variation in peacock feather coloration remains a mystery. The goal of this experiment is to determine the precise physical mechanism used by peafowl to generate such elaborate color variations in the eyespots of their tail feathers among males within the species. Barbs from eyespots of Pavo cristatus were embedded in an epoxy resin, sectioned on a microtome, and TEM images of the nanostructure within each barbule were analyzed. Results indicate that melanosome diameter is a significant positive predictor of iridescence and that …

The University Of Akron Exercise Science: Pre-Physical Therapy: Past, Present, Future, Jonathan E. Vichosky

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to increase Akron’s knowledge on opinions of the effectiveness of the current Exercise Science: Pre-Physical Therapy Program among its alumni. A cross-sectional retrospective study was done to gain a better understanding of The University of Akron’s opinion of its students on the effectiveness of the current Exercise Science: Pre-Physical Therapy Program. METHODS: A single contact survey was sent via email through Qualtrics to the University of Akron Exercise Science: Pre-Physical Therapy students from this current graduating year (2014-2015) as well as graduates from the past four years. This survey included questions on the …

Origins Of Life On Earth: Mineral Effects On Vesicle Formation And Permeability, Jacob Morris

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Understanding how life could have emerged on Earth is a very old problem that is still far from being resolved. Minerals have long been proposed to play a role in the formation of the first cell, but only few experimental data were reported concerning the mineral-lipid interactions. In the present work, calcein leakage assay, a fluorescence based experiment, and dynamic light scattering measurements were used to examine the effects of mineral properties and of MgCl₂ on the formation and the stability of vesicles formed from single-chain amphiphiles (SCA), which are believed to have been present on early Earth. The …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Imidazolium Salt Derivatives For Anti-Tumor Activity, Ryan W. Pearce

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Several aldehydes (butanal, pentanal, hexanal, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde) were reacted with 1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (1) to produce novel C² substituted imidazolium salts for the potential use against non-small cell lung cancer in humans. Compounds 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (3) and 2-(1-hydroxyhexyl)-1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (5) were successfully synthesized with structures supported by NMR and mass spectrometry. Characterization by ¹H NMR showed evidence of 1 in both compounds. The tumor cell growth inhibition of 3 against non-small cell lung cancer lines NCI-A549, NCI-H460, HCC827, and NCI-H1975 was tested and found to be comparable to cisplatin as measured by MTT assay. …

Membrane Protein Spatial Organization In Mdck Cell Cultures, Rachel E. Neugebauer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Studies on the organization of membrane proteins such as GPCRs in live cells help to draw important conclusions regarding cellular communication, and have become a significant topic in drug therapy development. Observing proteins in MDCK cells, which are able to form three-dimensional cultures, provides an intermediate step to better understanding the organization and behavior of these proteins in a tissue-like culture. In this study, fluorescent stains were used on fixed cells to show the morphological differences between MDCK cells in monolayer cultures and three-dimensional cultures, which form hollow, spherical cysts of tightly packed cells. Monolayer cells were transfected to view …

Segregating The Effects Of Seed Traits And Common Ancestry Of Hardwood Trees On Eastern Gray Squirrel Foraging Decisions, Mekala Sundaram, Janna R. Willoughby, Nathanael Issac Lichti, Michael A. Steele, Robert K. Swihart

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The evolution of specific seed traits in scatter-hoarded tree species often has been attributed to granivore foraging behavior. However, the degree to which foraging investments and seed traits correlate with phylogenetic relationships among trees remains unexplored. We presented seeds of 23 different hardwood tree species (families Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Juglandaceae) to eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), and measured the time and distance travelled by squirrels that consumed or cached each seed. We estimated 11 physical and chemical seed traits for each species, and the phylogenetic relationships between the 23 hardwood trees. Variance partitioning revealed that considerable variation in foraging investment was …

The Complete Chloroplast Genome Of Common Walnut (Juglans Regia), Yiheng Hu, Keith E. Woeste, Meng Dang, Tao Zhou, Xiaojia Feng, Guifang Zhao, Zhanlin Liu, Zhonghu Li, Peng Zhao

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Common walnut (Juglans regia L.) is cultivated in temperate regions worldwide for its wood and nuts. The complete chloroplast genome of J. regia was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. This is the first complete chloroplast sequence for the Juglandaceae, a family that includes numerous species of economic importance. The chloroplast genome of J. regia was 160 367 bp in length, with 36.11% GC content. It contains a pair of inverted repeats (26 035 bp) which were separated by a large single copy (89 872 bp) and a small single copy region (18 425 bp). A total of 137 …

Assessing The Permeability Of Landscape Features To Animal Movement: Using Genetic Structure To Infer Functional Connectivity, Sarah J. Anderson, Elizabeth M. Kierepka, Robert K. Swihart, Emily K. Latch

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Human-altered environments often challenge native species with a complex spatial distribution of resources. Hostile landscape features can inhibit animal movement (i.e., genetic exchange), while other landscape attributes facilitate gene flow. The genetic attributes of organisms inhabiting such complex environments can reveal the legacy of their movements through the landscape. Thus, by evaluating landscape attributes within the context of genetic connectivity of organisms within the landscape, we can elucidate how a species has coped with the enhanced complexity of human altered environments. In this research, we utilized genetic data from eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus ) in conjunction with spatially explicit habitat …

Ancient Humans Influenced The Current Spatial Genetic Structure Of Common Walnut Populations In Asia, Paola Pollegioni, Keith E. Woeste, Francesca Chiocchini, Stefano Del Lungo, Irene Olimpieri, Virginia Tortolano, Jo R. Clark, Gabriel E. Hemery, Sergio P. Mapelli, Maria Emilia Malvolti

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Common walnut (Juglans regia L) is an economically important species cultivated worldwide for its wood and nuts. It is generally accepted that J. regia survived and grew spontaneously in almost completely isolated stands in its Asian native range after the Last Glacial Maximum. Despite its natural geographic isolation, J. regia evolved over many centuries under the influence of human management and exploitation. We evaluated the hypothesis that the current distribution of natural genetic resources of common walnut in Asia is, at least in part, the product of ancient anthropogenic dispersal, human cultural interactions, and afforestation. Genetic analysis combined with ethno-linguistic …

Yeats - A Tool Suite For Analyzing Rna-Seq Derived Transcriptome Identifies A Highly Transcribed Putative Extensin In Heartwood/Sapwood Transition Zone In Black Walnut [Version 2; Referees: 3 Approved], Sandeep Chakraborty, Monica Britton, Jill Wegrzyn, Timothy Butterfield, Pedro José Martínez-García, Russell L. Reagan, Basuthkar J. Rao, Charles A. Leslie, Mallikarjuna Aradhaya, David Neale, Keith E. Woeste, Abhaya M. Dandekar

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

The transcriptome provides a functional footprint of the genome by enumerating the molecular components of cells and tissues. The field of transcript discovery has been revolutionized through high-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Here, we present a methodology that replicates and improves existing methodologies, and implements a workflow for error estimation and correction followed by genome annotation and transcript abundance estimation for RNA-seq derived transcriptome sequences (YeATS - Yet Another Tool Suite for analyzing RNA-seq derived transcriptome). A unique feature of YeATS is the upfront determination of the errors in the sequencing or transcript assembly process by analyzing open reading frames of …

Selective Sweep Analysis In The Genomes Of The 91-R And 91-C Drosophila Melanogaster Strains Reveals Few Of The ‘Usual Suspects’ In Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (Ddt) Resistance, Laura D. Steele, Brad Coates, M Carmen Valero, Weilin Sun, Keon Mook Seong, William M. Muir, John M. Clark, Barry R. Pittendrigh

Department of Animal Sciences Faculty Publications

Adaptation of insect phenotypes for survival after exposure to xenobiotics can result from selection at multiple loci with additive genetic effects. To the authors’ knowledge, no selective sweep analysis has been performed to identify such loci in highly dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) resistant insects. Here we compared a highly DDT resistant phenotype in the Drosophila melanogaster (Drosophila) 91-R strain to the DDT susceptible 91-C strain, both of common origin. Whole genome re-sequencing data from pools of individuals was generated separately for 91-R and 91-C, and mapped to the reference Drosophila genome assembly (v. 5.72). Thirteen major and three minor effect chromosome intervals …

Nitrogen Release And Disease Suppressive Activity Of Four Compost Amendments On Three Vegetable Farms, Lori Hoagland, Elizabeth Maynard, Dan Egel, Natasha Cerruti, Jeff Evard, Ben Nava, Steve Spencer

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Associations Of Military Divorce With Mental, Behavioral, And Physical Health Outcomes, Lawrence Wang, Amber Seelig, Shelley Macdermid Wadsworth, Hope Mcmaster, John E. Alcaraz, Nancy F. Crum-Cianflone

Department of Human Development and Family Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Divorce has been linked with poor physical and mental health outcomes among civilians. Given the unique stressors experienced by U.S. service members, including lengthy and/or multiple deployments, this study aimed to examine the associations of recent divorce on health and military outcomes among a cohort of U.S. service members.

Methods

Millennium Cohort participants from the first enrollment panel, married at baseline (2001–2003), and married or divorced at follow-up (2004–2006), (N = 29,314). Those divorced were compared to those who remained married for mental, behavioral, physical health, and military outcomes using logistic regression models.

Results

Compared to those who …

The Misallocation Of Federal Funds In The U.S. Child Welfare System, Lauren A. Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research paper will explore the impact that the federal financing structure has on the child welfare system in the United States. First, a historical policy analysis of the changing goals of child welfare and an overview of the current federal funding structure will be provided. Subsequently, the consequences of having a changing system with an unchanging funding structure will be explored. Finally, proposed solutions will be explored in terms of their impact on the field of child welfare as well as society as a whole. Unfortunately, antiquated federal programs are being used to fund progressive and innovative child welfare …

Women's Fitness Week, Claire T. Lucas, Tiffany M. Finch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project addressed women’s wellness. Many women experience physical and mental health issues related to a lack of physical activity or psychological support. Women’s Fitness Week was offered to women of the University of Akron and the outside community, providing opportunities to learn more about and improve upon the various dimensions of wellness – emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social/cultural, and spiritual. Events were held at the University’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center and encompassed topics such as nutrition, weight training, and self-defense. The goals of this project were to: increase knowledge levels of fitness, health, and wellness, increase …

Relating Personality And Body Size To Social Networks And Dispersal Behavior In Female Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis), Janean Kazimir

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Click Chemistry Protein Immobilization, James P. Kraley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The main purpose of the first part in the lab was to try and determine a way to measure the moles of dye per mole of protein in order to detect an azide tag on a recombinantly produced azide-IFN-γ protein. This was done by using click chemistry to bind the azide tagged protein to a dye and then measured the azide tag efficiency. The main purpose of the second part of the project was to make a protein, SDF-1α, and tag it with an azide group. This was completed via processes of expression, isolation, and purification of the protein. From …

Reversible Linkage Of Two Distinct Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Myc Generates A Dimeric Inhibitor With Improved Potency That Is Active In Myc Over-Expressing Cancer Cell Lines, Jutta Wanner, Darlene Romashko, Douglas S. Werner, Earl W. May, Yue Peng, Ryan Schulz, Kenneth W. Foreman, Suzanne Russo, Lee D. Arnold, Maneesh R. Pingle, Donald E. Bergstrom, Francis Barany, Stuart Thomson

Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Faculty Publications

We describe the successful application of a novel approach for generating dimeric Myc inhibitors by modifying and reversibly linking two previously described small molecules.We synthesized two directed libraries of monomers, each comprised of a ligand, a connector, and a bioorthogonal linker element, to identify the optimal dimer configuration required to inhibit Myc. We identified combinations of monomers, termed self-assembling dimeric inhibitors, which displayed synergistic inhibition of Myc-dependent cell growth. We confirmed that these dimeric inhibitors directly bind to Myc blocking its interaction with Max and affect transcription of MYC dependent genes. Control combinations that are unable to form a dimer …

Nitrogen Release And Disease Suppressive Activity Of Four Compost Amendments On Three Vegetable Farms, Lori Hoagland, Elizabeth Maynard, Dan Egel, Natasha Cerruti, Jeff Evard, Ben Nava, Steve Spencer

Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Research Reports

This is a compilation of 30 research trial reports from four land-grant universities in the Midwestern United States. Crops include cantaloupe, pickling cucumber, pepper, potato, pumpkin, summer squash and zucchini, sweet corn, tomato, and watermelon. Somecrops were evaluated in high tunnels or hoophouses. Most trials evaluated different cultivars or varieties. One report addressed plant spacing for sweet corn and one addressed soil block for production of tomato seedlings. A list of vegetable seed sources and a list of other online sources of vegetable trial reports are also included.

Determining The Critical Micelle Concentration Of Polymer Matrix For Drug Delivery Purposes, Katie Emmert

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Targeted oral release systems have been a large topic within drug delivery systems. There are several benefits to an oral delivery including patient convenience and lower chance of infection. The colon specifically has been researched as the release media. The colon is an ideal location for a release because the pH is stable with high levels of microorganisms. Like any type of drug delivery research, there are several hurdles to overcome. In order for a drug to be released in the colon, the drug must survive the stomach and be biocompatible. This biocompatibility and pH sensitivity was created using a …

The Effects Of Sustainability As A Positive Attribute On Equine Therapy Design: An Interdisciplinary Study, Andria Sinclair

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Interdisciplinary studies have brought benefits to introducing new solutions to the traditional environment and traditional therapies. Sustainability in relation to design has been suggested in 2006, by the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostic (CBPD) at Carnegie Mellon University to incorporate daylight, solar, heat and ventilation of the natural environment combined with the innovations of current technologies (Whitmore, 2011). This paper will look at how sustainability plays a key role of benefits including those that are health associated with equine therapy design and its relationship to the patient, or end user. Interdisciplinary research in the therapeutic value of equine-human bonding …

Exploring The Viability Of Establishing A Children’S Grief Camp In South Africa, Joann Borer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The death of a loved one is an inevitable and unavoidable phase of life that everyone must experience. A variety of thoughts and feelings follow the death a close friend or relative. It is crucial to address the thoughts and feelings associated with the death so that individuals can grief in a healthy manner. Those living in South Africa are most likely going to experience the death of a loved one since South Africa has such a high mortality rate. Through a qualitative study, this paper explores the death system and culture in South Africa. In addition, the organizations and …