Digital Commons Network^™

Activation Of Signal Transduction Pathways During Hepatic Oncogenesis, W Chung, M Kim, S De La Monte, L Longato, R Carlson, B L. Slagle, X Dong, J R. Wands

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is essential to identify therapeutic targets. A hepatitis B virus (HBV) related double transgenic murine model was developed. METHODS: Liver specific expression of HBV X protein (HBx) and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) was achieved and transgenic mice were followed from birth to age 21 months. Liver and tumor tissue were assessed for histologic changes as well as activation of signal transduction pathways by qRT-PCR and multiplex ELISA protein assays. RESULTS: Overexpression of HBx and IRS1 stimulates liver cell proliferation in the double transgenic mice. Only the male mice …

African Masks From The Collection Of James Gaasch, James Gaasch

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

African Masks from the Collection of James Gaasch contains photographs of the African masks and carvers from the Bwa (or Bwaba), Winiama and Mossi peoples of Burkina Faso, and the Bamana and Dogon peoples of Mali. Gaasch acquired many of these masks in the villages where they were carved. When possible, he interviewed the village carvers, the creators, of these dancing masks. Gaasch’s interviews with the carvers underscore the cultural context where traditional African world views persist. And, to the extent possible, they give voice to the masks to reveal their own significance. “They are, in our times, signifiers of …

League Of The South's Internet Rhetoric: Neo-Confederate Community-Building Online, Brett A. Barnett

Journal of Hate Studies

A nationwide backlash against the Confederate flag and other Confederatesymbols occurred after the deadly June 17, 2015, church shootings inCharleston, South Carolina, when images of the alleged gunman displayinga Confederate flag surfaced. This backlash sparked a reactionary movementamong pro-Confederate supporters who viewed the attacks on Confederatesymbols as an affront to their Southern heritage. Some neo-Confederategroups exploited the backlash, and the pro-Confederate sympathy it generated,as an opportunity to build their communities. This essay examineshow the neo-Confederate group League of the South (LOS) used its websiteto attract members to its community in the week before the Confederateflag’s removal from South Carolina’s state …

Sport Team Mascots As Communication Tools: Determinants Of Mascot Twitter Followers, Youngmin Yoon, Shintaro Sato, Andrew Goldsmith, Yosuke Tsuji

Global Sport Business Journal

The sporting world has experienced a major impact with the emergence of social media as it has helped bridge the communication gap between fans, athletes, and professional organizations. One effort to further improve communication between fan and organization is to utilize a mascot in social media. Sports teams can disseminate information to numerous fans through mascot Twitter account and improve their promotion strategies. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this study was designed to examine determinants of team mascot Twitter followers. Analyzing 76 mascot Twitter accounts (i.e., 17 NFL, 25 NBA, 18 MLB, and 16 NHL), the current …

Effect Of Two-Year Caloric Restriction On Bone Metabolism And Bone Mineral Density In Non-Obese Younger Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Dt Villareal, L Fontana, Sk Das, Et Al.

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Although caloric restriction (CR) could delay biologic aging in humans, it is unclear if this would occur at the cost of significant bone loss. We evaluated the effect of prolonged CR on bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy younger adults. Two-hundred eighteen non-obese (body mass index [BMI] 25.1?±?1.7?kg/m(2) ), younger (age 37.9?±?7.2 years) adults were randomly assigned to 25% CR (CR group, n?=?143) or ad libitum (AL group, n?=?75) for 2 years. Main outcomes were BMD and markers of bone turnover. Other outcomes included body composition, bone-active hormones, nutrient intake, and physical activity. Body weight (-7.5?±?0.4 versus …

Local Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (Crh) Signals To Its Receptor Crhr1 During Postnatal Development Of The Mouse Olfactory Bulb, Isabella Garcia, Paramjit K Bhullar, Burak Tepe, Joshua Ortiz-Guzman, Longwen Huang, Alexander M Herman, Lesley Chaboub, Benjamin Deneen, Nicholas J Justice, Benjamin R Arenkiel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Neuropeptides play important physiological functions during distinct behaviors such as arousal, learning, memory, and reproduction. However, the role of local, extrahypothalamic neuropeptide signaling in shaping synapse formation and neuronal plasticity in the brain is not well understood. Here, we characterize the spatiotemporal expression profile of the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and its receptor CRHR1 in the mouse OB throughout development. We found that CRH-expressing interneurons are present in the external plexiform layer, that its cognate receptor is expressed by granule cells, and show that both CRH and CRHR1 expression enriches in the postnatal period when olfaction becomes important towards olfactory-related …

Asia Pacific Perspectives Vol. 13 No. 2, Fall/Winter 2015-2016, University Of San Francisco

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Contents:

Editor's Introduction by Melissa Dale

Small Things of Great Importance: Toy Advertising in China, 1910s-1930s by Valentina Boretti

From the turn of the twentieth century, playthings acquired a key role within the Chinese childrearing discourse as tools to train children, the prospective rescuers of China from its perceived decline. As a possibly unintended result, both children and toys acquired a marketing value: advertising employed them as icons to publicize a wide array of products. At the same time, the nascent toy industry “poached” the new discourse to brand its playthings as symbols of (made-in-China) educated progress, seeking to convince …

Boundedly Rational Entrepreneurs And Antitrust, Avishalom Tor

Journal Articles

This article examines entrepreneurial activity and its implication for policy and antitrust law from a behavioral perspective. In particular, the analysis here focuses on the role of two sets of behavioral phenomena—overconfident beliefs and risk-seeking preferences—in facilitating boundedly rational entrepreneurship. Boundedly rational entrepreneurs may engage in entrepreneurial activity, such as the starting of new business ventures, under circumstances in which rational entrepreneurs would decline to do so. Consequently, overconfident or risk-seeking entrants compete with their more rational counterparts and create a post-entry landscape that differs markedly from the picture assumed by traditional economic accounts of entrepreneurial activity. The behaviorally informed …

The Documentary Mind: In The Subject Of A Practitioner’S Perspective On Changes In Documentary Concept And Production, Harold Robert (Bob) Hardie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This autoethnographic study examines the influences of recent digital technology upon the practice and philosophy of documentary filmmaking. To assess the impact of new digital methodology on the film production process, The Musicians, a wholly-digital, 55-minute documentary film, was produced as an example. This music-based subject was chosen to specifically demonstrate the potential advantages of lightweight digital equipment and its extended recording capacity in orchestral documentation. The capability of non-linear digital editing to process large amounts of imagery, together with its ability to manage multiple image and audio streams concurrently, was also examined. This exegesis also reviews the impact of …

Prayers Of Resistance: Kalymyk Women's Covert Buddhist Practice, Karma Lekshe Tsomo Phd

Theology and Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

Throughout decades of Soviet repression of religion and into modern times, groups of Buddhist women known as babushki matsik, or ‘‘group of old women precept holders’’ have covertly engaged in Buddhist practices in Kalmykia, following the Tibetan tantric tradition. Located to the northwest of the Caspian Sea, the Kalmyk Republic of the Russian Federation is the only region of Europe with a predominantly Buddhist population. For centuries, the region has been the site of repeated migrations, shifting political and military alliances, and Russian Orthodox conversion efforts. The devastating period of forced relocation and exile in Siberia between 1943 and 1957 …

Uncovering The Unpublished Chamber Music Of George Frederick Boyle Volume I: Dissertation, Ryan Davies

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation examines the chamber works for piano and strings by Australian--‐born American composer, pianist, and teacher, George Frederick Boyle (1886–1948). Boyle was somewhat of a prodigy in his younger years and contributed much to Australia’s burgeoning concert scene. In 1905 he left Australia to study with Ferruccio Busoni, and from 1910 until his death he lived and worked in the United States, where he was on the faculty of some of the most prestigious music schools. Despite Boyle's eminence as a pianist, composer and educator, today he is almost forgotten. This dissertation offers a reappraisal of George Boyle through …

Gene Flow And Genetic Structure Of The Seagrass Thalassia Hemprichii In The Indo-Australian Archipelago, Udhi Eko Hernawan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

How genetic variation is distributed across space (genetic structure) and what factors influence the spatial genetic structuring is one of the primary questions in population genetics. The interaction between species biology (e.g. life-history traits) and physical processes operating in the seascape over time, including palaeo-historical events (e.g. sea level fluctuations) and contemporary processes (e.g. ocean currents), have been predicted to influence the extent of gene flow and the spatial genetic structuring in marine organisms. However, the relative contribution of each factor in governing the genetic pattern remains unclear. This study examined the pattern of genetic structure and the factors influencing …

You Are What You Eat: Investigating Food Discourse And Digitally-Mediated Identities, Katelyn Leigh Burton

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation, You Are What You Eat: Understanding Food Discourse and Digitally-Mediated Identities, investigates the rhetorical nature of digital identity creation and management and the role of food discourse within these practices. According to Pierre Bourdieu (1984), “Taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier. Social subjects, classified by their classifications, distinguish themselves by the distinctions they make, between the beautiful and the ugly, the distinguished and the vulgar” (6)… and perhaps also between the delicious and the unappetizing, fast food and haute cuisine. Within this project, I use a rhetorical lens to explore digital identity constructions within the food …

Improved Modeling Of Image-Guided Thermal Ablation Procedures Towards Patient-Specific Treatment Planning Applications, Garron Deshazer

Open Access Dissertations

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a minimally-invasive modality that is playing an increasingly vital role in the treatment of cancer and benign disease. These procedures involve the use of a microwave antenna (or an array of antennas) to deliver energy to raise tissue temperature above a thermal threshold to induce irreversible cell damage. Commonly used clinical MWA systems operate at frequencies of 2450 MHz and 915 MHz. Image-guided percutaneous MWA treatments can be guided by intraoperative ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy, which allows the physician to deliver treatments precisely. As such, image-guided MWA has received substantial attention for the treatment …

Prescriptions Of Intergroup Conflict: The Role Of Implicit And Explicit Associations Of Violence, Justine N. Egan

Open Access Dissertations

Violence is pervasive in our world. The acceptability of violence as a societal norm sets the stage for interpersonal and intergroup conflicts. One source of such conflict is that individuals differ in how they perceive violence and violent behavior. Previous research found that individuals differ in their explicit attitude evaluations of violence. The first manuscript in this dissertation expanded upon this research area with an examination of implicit attitude evaluations of violence. This manuscript addressed the creation of a new measure of implicit attitude evaluations of violence and nonviolence using the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Participants were asked about their …

Epigenetic Pathways Involved In Response To Lead (Pb) Exposure In The Aging Brain: Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease, Aseel Eid

Open Access Dissertations

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has a complicated pathology with many potential etiologies. In patients, a diagnosis of AD is confirmed at the time of autopsy by the presence of two major pathological hallmarks: the amyloid beta plaque (Aβ plaque) and the neurofibrillary tangle (NFTs). The late-onset (LOAD) form of this disease has no clear genetic etiology, with the exception of an increased risk of carrying the APOE4 allele. Therefore, research has focused on identifying environmental risk factors in its etiology. Our lab has a legacy of studying environmental exposure to lead (Pb) during early development. We have shown in previous publications …

Cadmium Contributes To Breast Cancer Development By Influencing Cell Adhesion Network, Zhengxi Wei

Open Access Dissertations

Cadmium (Cd) is carcinogenic and a well-established human health risk. Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated that Cd is associated with breast cancer. We reported previously that Cd promoted breast cancer cell growth. Whether Cd treatment also causes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and progression to metastasis in breast epithelial cells is unknown. The dissertation described here investigated the effect of Cd in breast cancer progression.

Noncancerous breast epithelial MCF10A cells, non-metastatic HCC 1937 and HCC 38 cells, and metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 1 or 3 µM Cd for 4 weeks. The increase in the expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin …

Parent Behaviors In Relation To Characteristics Of Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amy C. Laurent

Open Access Dissertations

Emotional self-regulation (ESR) challenges are well documented in the developmental profiles of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); however, less is known about the development of ESR and the role of parents in ESR development for this population. This study explored the associations between diagnostically significant characteristics of children with ASD (i.e., social communication profile and sensory processing abilities) and parent behaviors associated with development of a child’s ESR.

Participants were 37 children previously diagnosed with ASD and their parents recruited throughout Southern New England. The children’s ages ranged between 30-48 months. The study was a cross sectional design involving …

Confrontation As A Rule Of Production, Pamela R. Metzger

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The Confrontation Clause is cost blind; the Supreme Court is not. In 2004, in Crawford v. Washington, the Supreme Court trumpeted its commitment to a procedural Confrontation Clause that required the prosecution to produce its witnesses in court, regardless of the cost or inconvenience. In 2007, in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, the Court retreated, offering courts, legislatures, and prosecutors an easy way to avoid Confrontation-laden trials. On the one hand, the Court warned that legislatures and courts could not “suspend the Confrontation Clause,” even if there were “other ways — and in some cases better ways — to challenge or verify” …

Can Dna Be Speech?, Jorge R. Roig

Scholarly Works

DNA is generally regarded as the basic building block of life itself. In the most fundamental sense, DNA is nothing more than a chemical compound, albeit a very complex and peculiar one. DNA is an information-carrying molecule. The specific sequence of base pairs contained in a DNA molecule carries with it genetic information, and encodes for the creation of particular proteins. When taken as a whole, the DNA contained in a single human cell is a complete blueprint and instruction manual for the creation of that human being. In this article we discuss myriad current and developing ways in which …

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

Scholarly Works

Although courts have traditionally relied primarily on prosecutors’ individual self-restraint and institutional self-regulation to curb prosecutors’ excesses and redress their wrongdoing, aspects of prosecutors’ conduct can be regulated externally as well. One potential source of external regulation is professional discipline. As lawyers, prosecutors are regulated by state courts, which oversee processes for disciplining lawyers who engage in misconduct. In responding to prosecutors’ wrongdoing, courts generally express a preference for professional discipline over civil liability, which is limited by principles of absolute and qualified immunity. Likewise, courts favor professional discipline over adjudicatory remedies such as reversal of criminal convictions or suppression …

Estimated Grass Grazing Removal Rate In A Semiarid Eurasian Steppe Watershed As Influenced By Climate, Xixi Wang, Shohreh Pedram, Tingxi Liu, Ruizhong Gao, Fengling Li, Yanyun Luo

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Grazing removal rate of grasses needs to be determined for various climate conditions to address eco-environmental concerns (e.g., desertification) related to steppe grassland degradation. The conventional approach, which requires survey data on animal species and heads as well as grass consumption per individual animal, is too costly and time-consuming to be applied at a watershed scale. The objective of this study was to present a new approach that can be used to estimate grazing removal rate with no requirement of animal-related data. The application of this new approach was demonstrated in a Eurasian semiarid typical-steppe watershed for an analysis period …

Java Based Visualization And Animation For Teaching The Dijkstra Shortest Path Algorithm In Transportation Networks, Ivan Makohon, Duc T. Nguyen, Masha Sosonkina, Yuzhong Shen, Manwo Ng

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Shortest path (SP) algorithms, such as the popular Dijkstra algorithm has been considered as the "basic building blocks" for many advanced transportation network models. Dijkstra algorithm will find the shortest time (ST) and the corresponding SP to travel from a source node to a destination node. Applications of SP algorithms include real-time GPS and the Frank-Wolfe network equilibrium.

For transportation engineering students, the Dijkstra algorithm is not easily understood. This paper discusses the design and development of a software that will help the students to fully understand the key components involved in the Dijkstra SP algorithm. The software presents an …

Integrating International Students Through The Library Experience, Jeannie Ferriss

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

The Christian Academic Librarian In The Technological Society, David B. Malone

The Christian Librarian

In our contemporary society, technologies establish the course of our lives. Libraries have always engaged various technologies to bring order to disorder and over the last two decades, academic libraries have undergone significant technological change. Librarians have sought to convey an orderliness to the visible world and humanity’s body of knowledge. How this technology and body of knowledge is engaged bears significance. The engagement of the Christian academic librarian should include a distinctly Christian perspective. This paper examines the engagement of the Christian academic librarian in the technological society.

Bautch And Knoppers' "Covenant In The Persian Period: From Genesis To Chronicles" (Book Review), Lisa Cutforth-Anderson

The Christian Librarian

A review of Bautch, R.J., & Knoppers, G.N. (Eds.). (2015). Covenant in the Persian period: From Genesis to Chronicles. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. 452 pp. $58.05. ISBN 9781575063560

Keel And Schroer's " Creation; Biblical Theologies In The Context Of The Ancient Near East" (Book Review), Paul B. Drake

The Christian Librarian

A review of Keel, O., & Schroer, S. (2015). Creation; Biblical theologies in the context of the ancient Near East (Peter T. Daniels, Trans.). Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 244 pp. $44.99. ISBN 9781575060934

Dever's "The Lives Of Ordinary People In Ancient Israel: Where Archaeology And The Bible Intersect" (Book Review), Kathleen Kempa

The Christian Librarian

A review of Dever, W. G. (2012). The lives of ordinary people in ancient Israel: Where archaeology and the Bible intersect. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 436 pp. $17.05. ISBN 9780802867018

Crystal's "Making A Point: The Persnickety Story Of English Punctuation" (Book Review), Mark Tubbs

The Christian Librarian

A review of Crystal, D. (2015). Making a point: The persnickety story of English punctuation. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 378 pp. $24.99. ISBN 9781250060419

Women In Prison: Liberty, Equality, And Thinking Outside The Bars, Debra Parkes

All Faculty Publications

This article considers the potential of rights-based advocacy to respond to the troubling reality of a growing women's prison population, and it makes an attempt to sketch out an approach to advocacy and scholarship that seeks both liberty and substantive equality for criminalized and imprisoned women. It proceeds in four parts. First, it documents some of the legislative and policy changes made to sentencing and penal law in the last decade. Next, it identifies some of the ways that these changes have an impact on women and on particular groups of women. It then suggests some ways that academics, lawyers, …