Digital Commons Network^™

Is Brimonidine Tartrate Gel .5% Effective In Reducing Facial Erythema Of Rosacea?, Meeta Aggarwal

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) review is to determine whether or not “Is Brimonidine Tartrate gel 0.5% effective in reducing facial erythema of Rosacea?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of two randomized controlled trials (RCT), and one 1-year longitudinal open-label study.

DATA SOURCES: All studies were published in peer-reviewed journals found via the use of PubMed or Medline.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Patients were divided into two groups: those who received the Brimonidine Tartrate gel and those who received the vehicle (placebo) gel. Efficacy of Brimonidine tartrate gel was compared to the efficacy of the vehicle gel. Outcomes were …

Does Routine Use Of Medical Cannabis (Marijuana) Decrease The Intensity Of Chronic Neuropathic Pain In Adults?, Ben Arpin

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM was to investigate the question, “Does routine use of medical cannabis (marijuana) decrease the intensity of neuropathic chronic pain in adults?

STUDY DESIGN: systematic review of 3 English language primary studies, published between 2005 and 2009.

DATA SOURCES: Three Randomized Controlled Trials (RTC’s) published on or after 2005 were selected based on their relevance to the proposed question via PubMed. All three RTC’s compared cannabis use vs. placebo for chronic neuropathic pain, with two RTC’s focusing on HIV neuropathic pain and the third focusing on MS.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcomes measured in these …

Gender And Power In Waiting For Godot, Ryan Wright

The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English

No abstract provided.

Blind With Superstition, Cursed With Illusions: Masculinity And War In Bierce’S “Chickamauga”, Salina Patterson

The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English

No abstract provided.

The Game Debate: Video Games As Innovative Storytelling, Melissa Somerdin

The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English

No abstract provided.

The Oswald Review Of Undergraduate Research And Criticism In The Discipline Of English: Volume 18 Fall 2016

The Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism in the Discipline of English

No abstract provided.

Corn Stover's Feasibility As A Biomass Feedstock Utilizing The "Reach" Process, Oskar James Kane

Open Access Theses

Kane, Oskar J. S. MS, Purdue University, December 2016. Corn Stover’s Feasibility as a Biomass Feedstock Utilizing the “REACH” Process. Major Professor: Dr. Gozdem Kilaz.

2014 Tennessee Census Of Fatal Occupational Injuries & The Occupational Injuries And Illnesses Survey, Tennessee. Department Of Labor & Workforce Development.

Occupational Injuries

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Drying On The Release Of Small Hydrophilic Molecular Drugs From Polyelectrolyte Complex Beads, Dounsavanh Letdara

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The effects of bead composition and dryness on the release rate of small molecules, like a drug or dye, from polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) beads were studied. Release studies were performed on dried and not dried beads prepared using different PEC to drug ratios. The beads were dried for two hours, which allowed them to reach a constant weight. The beads were loaded with a dye, so their release could be detected through the visible light regime. A plate reader was used to determine the absorbance of a sample, and then the amount of dye released was determined. The data presented …

Cogeneration System Comparison For The Akron Water Treatment Plant, Devin J. Pearcy, Madison R. Morgan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Cogeneration is a process of electrical power generation that simultaneously harnesses the heat produced from that electrical generation and uses it to supply heat to a space. The Akron Water Plant was identified as potentially benefitting from this technology for two main reasons. First, they have a large and relatively constant electrical load. Second, they have ownership of a significant amount of natural gas wells at the site.

This report analyzes the economic feasibility of installing a cogeneration plant at the Akron Water Plant (AWP). Data was collected for the plant and its operations, including electricity bills, gas bills, plant …

Modulation Of Body Weight By Intestinal Flora In Orphan Nuclear Receptor Shp-/- Mice, Ryan Mifflin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The whole-body deletion of small heterodimer partner (SHP) in mice is associated with protection from diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis upon feeding of a western diet. This protection was reported to be mediated through decreases in hepatic gene expression for lipogenesis, as well as increases in gene expression for fatty acid oxidation. SHP has been known to regulate the expression of the CYP7A1 gene, encoding the rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, thereby altering the bile acid pool. The effects of this altered bile acid profile on the gut microbiome are unknown, as some bacteria in the gut are responsible …

A Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Two Educational Interventions Developed To Teach Early Infant Hunger Cues To Junior Level Nursing Students., Melissa D. Gainer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to multiple learning styles, it can be difficult to teach to large groups of students. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two different educational interventions designed to teach infant hunger cues to undergraduate nursing students to increase the knowledge and confidence levels needed for the future teaching of infant hunger cues to new parents. Flemings VARK theory was used to guide this quasi-experimental study. A pretest posttest two-group design was used to evaluate both knowledge and confidence levels in the participants (N= 86). Data was analyzed utilizing a paired t-test. The results noted significant …

Pediatric Electrical Stimulation For Limb Lengthening: A Non-Invasive Approach, Corey J. Schurko, Sofia Chinchilla, Amanda E. Pinheiro, Jacob A. Brock

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD) is a problematic ailment for children as the differences in limb lengths can lead to scoliosis, hip, knee, and ankle problems, and back pain. If LLD is untreated, the symptoms will worsen as the child matures. Today LLD is corrected by using the Ilizarov Method, which uses pins that are externally attached to the broken bone for extension over time using a fixator or by using internal plates that do not require externalization. In our project we aim to use external electrical stimulation to correct the limb discrepancies. Several companies, such as Zimmer Biomet, have created …

Disciplinary Regulation Of Prosecutors As A Remedy For Abuses Of Prosecutorial Discretion: A Descriptive And Normative Analysis, Bruce A. Green, Samuel J. Levine

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Cell Viability, Cytoskeleton Organization And Cytokines Secretion Of Raw 264.7 Macrophages Exposed To Gram-Negative Bacterial Components, Ali Awadh Alshehri

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Macrophages play an important role in innate immunity by controlling cellular responses. In this study, the effects of gram-negative bacterial components (Flagellin, lipoprotein, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), outer membrane proteins-A (OMP-A) and peptidoglycan) were determined on cell viability, morphology, cytoskeletal filament and cytokines secretion of murine RAW 264.7 macrophages at 24 hours. The effect of LPS, flagellin and peptidoglycan from gram negative bacteria on viability murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were evaluated using different concentrations (1, 5 and 10 µg/ml). Cells stimulated with LPS displayed ~ 2-fold decrease (P=0.001) in cell viability compared to control cells at 24 hours whereas cells stimulated with …

Identifying Offensive Videos On Youtube, Rajeshwari Kandakatla

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Harassment on social media has become a critical problem and social media content depicting harassment is becoming common place. Video-sharing websites such as YouTube contain content that may be offensive to certain community, insulting to certain religion, race etc., or make fun of disabilities. These videos can also provoke and promote altercations leading to online harassment of individuals and groups. In this thesis, we present a system that identifies offensive videos on YouTube. Our goal is to determine features that can be used to detect offensive videos efficiently and reliably. We conducted experiments using content and metadata available for each …

Computer Graphics And Visualization Based Analysis And Record System For Hand Surgery And Therapy Practice, Venkatamanikanta Subrahmanyakartheek Gokavarapu

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we have designed and developed a computer graphics and visualization based analysis and record system for hand surgery and therapy practice. In particular, we have designed and developed three novel technologies: (i) model-based data compression for hand motion records (ii) model-based surface area estimation of a human hand and (iii) an emulated study of hand wound area estimation. First, we have presented a new data compression technique to better address the needs of electronic health record systems, such as file storage and privacy. In our proposed approach, we will extract the patient's hand motion information and store …

Translocation And Phosphorylation Of Ampa Receptors Following Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation In Vivo, Justin Andrew Stafford

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is the current technique used clinically to attenuate the effects of various neurological related deficits and augment functions such as memory and learning. The cellular and molecular mechanisms behind tDCS remain largely unknown and this study provides some of the first insights into the mechanisms behind tDCS. Direct current stimulation has been used to increase levels of long term potentiation (LTP) ex vivo suggesting that this stimulation has an effect on the LTP mechanisms of action. Subcellular protein extraction and fractionation methods were used to isolate synaptoneurosomes from various brain regions to assess the effects …

The Expression Of Dopamine-Related Genes And Behavioral Performance In Mice, Victoria Lynne Dershem

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

While the neurotransmitter dopamine has been well-studied for its role in mood regulation and activation of the intrinsic reward pathway, several psychiatric disorders linked to dopamine are also known to cause memory impairment, a phenomenon which has attracted much less attention. In the current study, whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing was performed, and transcript levels of several dopamine-related genes were compared to results of behavioral assays designed to test spatial and emotional memory, as well as anxiety. The results suggest a positive relationship between expression level of Nurr1, a nuclear receptor known to initiate transcription of genes necessary for dopaminergic signaling, …

Golden Rice: Effectiveness And Safety, A Literature Review, Janel M. Albaugh

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This literature review begins by introducing GMOs, then moving on to golden rice and its background and development, including The Golden Rice Project. The literature review portion discusses the effectiveness and health and safety issues surrounding golden rice. Methodology for this paper includes agriculture and food science databases in addition to keyword searches.

Investigation Of Exoribonuclease-1 Function In Regulation Of Stem Cells During Planarian Regeneration, Steven Gobinsing Sayson

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Precise regulation of gene expression is crucial for the maintenance of pluripotency and proper differentiation of stem cells. Due to their exceptional capacity for stem cell-driven regeneration, planarians are ideal models to dissect mechanisms regulating gene expression that secure stem cell function in vivo. While mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of gene expression in stem cells have been extensively investigated, less is known about regulation at the post-transcriptional level. Exoribonuclease-1 (XRN-1) is a conserved enzyme in eukaryotes that catalyzes 5' to 3' exonucleolytic degradation of RNA. XRN-1 is known to be required for proper regeneration of Dugesia japonica. Here, I …

Development And Validation Of Virus And Ebola Misconceptions Assessment (Viremia): Ebola Virus Misconceptions In College Students, Michele Miller

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this study an assessment (VirEMiA) on college students' knowledge and misconceptions of the Ebola virus was created and validated. VirEMiA was then used to determine what misconceptions college students have about Ebola, if there is a difference in misconceptions between students with and without a strong science background, and if Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) increases students' knowledge of Ebola and decreases their misconceptions. VirEMiA was shown to be a valid and reliable assessment whether confidence was integrated (seprel=0.97) or not (seprel=0.98), and for measuring misconceptions (seprel=0.97). If psychology and nursing majors were considered to have a strong background in science, …

The Timing Of Fluoxetine, Simvastatin And Ascorbic Acid Administration In A Post-Ischemic Stroke Environment Affects Infarct Volume And Hemorrhagic Transformation Frequency, Neal R. Verma

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Previous animal experiments have indicated that administration of fluoxetine and simvastatin at 20-26 hours post-stroke decreases the volume of ischemic infarcts. This experiment expanded on previous experiments by adding ascorbic acid to the post-stroke regimen, initiating simvastatin pre-stroke, and adding a third initiation time frame (48-54 hours). Male retired breeder Sprague-Dawley rats were on simvastatin for 7 days prior to stroke induction. Combined medications of 5 milligrams/kilogram of fluoxetine, 1 milligram/kilogram of simvastatin and 20 milligrams/kilogram of ascorbic acid were orally administered at 6-12 hours, 20-26 hours, or 48-54 hours, respectively, following stroke induction. Adult rats that were treated 20-26 …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 41, 2016, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Emanata Presents: Kin (2016)

Emanata, 2014-

Started by illustrator and comics artist Chris Kindred in 2014 with Weird, Vol. 1, Emanata is VCU’s first-ever comics anthology.

De Novo Genome Assembly Of Geosmithia Morbida, The Causal Agent Of Thousand Cankers Disease, Taruna A. Schuelke, Anthony Westbrook, Kirk Broders, Keith E. Woeste, Matthew D. Macmanes

Department of Forestry & Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Geosmithia morbida is a filamentous ascomycete that causes thousand cankers disease in the eastern black walnut tree. This pathogen is commonly found in the western U.S.; however, recently the disease was also detected in several eastern states where the black walnut lumber industry is concentrated. G. morbida is one of two known phytopathogens within the genus Geosmithia, and it is vectored into the host tree via the walnut twig beetle. We present the first de novo draft genome of G. morbida. It is 26.5 Mbp in length and contains less than 1% repetitive elements. The genome possesses an …

Changes In The Proteome Of Langat-Infected Ixodes Scapularis Ise6 Cells: Metabolic Pathways Associated With Flavivirus Infection, Jeffrey M. Grabowski, Rushika Perera, Ali M. Roumani, Victoria E. Hedrick, Halina Dorota Inerowicz, Catherine A. Hill, Richard Kuhn

Department of Entomology Faculty Publications

Background: Ticks (Family Ixodidae) transmit a variety of disease causing agents to humans and animals. The tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFs; family Flaviviridae) are a complex of viruses, many of which cause encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever, and represent global threats to human health and biosecurity. Pathogenesis has been well studied in human and animal disease models. Equivalent analyses of tick-flavivirus interactions are limited and represent an area of study that could reveal novel approaches for TBF control. Methodology/Principal Findings: High resolution LC-MS/MS was used to analyze the proteome of Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease tick) embryonic ISE6 cells following infection with Langat virus …

Regulation Of Brown And White Adipocyte Transcriptome By The Transcriptional Coactivator Nt-Pgc-1Α, Jihyun Kim, Vivian E. Fernand, Tara M. Henagan, Jeho Shin, Peter Huypens, Susan Newman, Thomas W. Gettys, Ji Suk Chang

Department of Nutrition Science Faculty Publications

The β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling pathway is a major component of adaptive thermogenesis in brown and white adipose tissue during cold acclimation. The β3-AR signaling highly induces the expression of transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α and its splice variant N-terminal (NT)-PGC-1α, which in turn activate the transcription program of adaptive thermogenesis by co-activating a number of transcription factors. We previously reported that NT-PGC-1α is able to increase mitochondrial number and activity in cultured brown adipocytes by promoting the expression of mitochondrial and thermogenic genes. In the present study, we performed genome-wide profiling of NT-PGC-1α-responsive genes in brown adipocytes to identify genes potentially …

Gifted Education In Rural Schools, Paige E. Yeager

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report is a summary of the observations and data collected during twenty hours of field work and observation. This project focuses on one child, identified as gifted, in a rural school district with limited resources. The report discusses the student’s current level of performance, analysis of the developmental domains (cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor), accommodations and modifications used by the student’s teachers, guidelines determined by the State of Ohio and the W. Local School District, alignment to the state requirements, and suggestions for the improvement of the student’s educational experience. The report will explain how the student is …

The Psychological Effects Of Cochlear Implants: A Comparison Of One Adult With A Cochlear Implant And One Without., Sarah Schwartzer

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study involved the development, implementation and analyzation of two qualitative case studies, with one involving a profoundly deaf individual who possesses a cochlear implant, the other with an individual who possesses normal hearing ranges. Participants were given two quantitative measures of observation, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire and the Thought Control Questionnaire, before participating in a semi-structured interview that was intended to gather information about the individuals, their life experiences, and the factors of psychological flexibility, adaptability and resiliency as applied to their lives. The semi-structured interview involved a set list of questions that were posed to the individuals; …