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Under The Deck, Brendan M. Raleigh

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Targeting The Peripheral Immune System As A Source Of Precision Stroke Biomarkers: Implications For Clinical Diagnostics And Immunotherapeutics, Grant C. O'Connell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early and accurate diagnosis of stroke improves the probability of positive outcome, however the tools available to clinicians for the identification of stroke are limited. It is well established that the peripheral immune system responds robustly to ischemic brain injury, and thus may be a viable source of stroke biomarkers. The objective of this work was to utilize high throughput transcriptomics in combination with machine learning techniques to identify patterns of gene expression in peripheral whole blood with the potential to diagnose ischemic stroke, and to further determine the role of such gene expression patterns within the context of stroke …

Effects Of Housing Condition And Acute Nicotine On Impulsive Choice In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Jenny E. Ozga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Impulsive choice is defined as choice for a smaller, more immediate reinforcer relative to a larger, delayed reinforcer, and is commonly studied using delay-discounting procedures. There are many variables that contribute to impulsive choice, including biological and environmental determinants. The present study examined both of these variables by evaluating effects of housing condition (single versus paired) on impulsive choice in Lewis (LEW) and Fischer 344 (F344) rats, at baseline and following acute nicotine administration. A within-session procedure was used in which choice was between one food pellet delivered immediately and three food pellets delivered after a delay. The delay to …

Elucidating Mechanisms Of Neurobehavioral Dysfunction In A Rodent Model Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Aric F. Logsdon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits are common among victims of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and currently, there are no effective treatments to improve outcome. We first developed a clinically-relevant blast TBI model based on lung scaling parameters to elucidate mechanisms of neuronal cell death. In order to discover effective treatments to improve outcome, we had to validate our novel preclinical model of TBI. TBI is an external force that can cause damage to the neurovascular unit (NVU), which can lead to secondary effects, cell death and behavioral dysfunction. In our first study we observed that our model damaged the …

Novel Immunoregulatory Elements In A Murine Model Of Epicutaneous Chemical Sensitization: A Role For Regulatory T Cells And Microrna 210, Carrie Mae Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a low molecular weight chemical sensitizer and a major cause of occupational allergic disease and asthma. The roles of immunomodulatory elements such as microRNAs, which alter gene expression, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which suppress T cell-mediated responses, in chemical sensitization are not fully elucidated. In order to further investigate the functional role of miR-210 and Tregs during TDI sensitization, BALB/c mice were dermally exposed to a single, sensitizing dose of TDI (0.5-4% v/v) and evaluated for immunologic endpoints. dLN T regs were phenotyped during TDI sensitization and a heterogeneous, expanded population was observed. To examine …

The Role Of Nad(P)H:Quinone Oxidoreductase 1 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Tumorigenesis And Lung Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance, Brian Madajewski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. The five-year survival rates for those patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), continues to be an abysmal 15%. One of the major reasons for the poor survival rate amongst NSCLC patients is the lack of early detection and subsequent late stage initial diagnosis. Tumors discovered at later stages are often refractory toward chemotherapy and radiation regimens. One theory as to why tumors become resistant to therapy relies heavily on the cells that make up the cancer stem cell (CSC) niche. This small percentage of cells within the …

The Effect Of Ovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells On Haemonchus Contortus Larval Death In Vitro, Elizabeth Anne Shepherd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gastrointestinal nematode parasitism is the greatest problem facing small ruminant livestock, largely due to development of anthelmintic resistance. Of particular concern is Haemonchus contortus, a hematophagous trichostrongylid that can lead to death in lambs or immunocompromised sheep. Some breeds of sheep are resistant to Haemonchosis, e.g. St. Croix (STC) hair sheep. St. Croix sheep have well-documented resistance and have been shown to develop a robust immune response, generating a rapid cellular response to larval stages that does not occur in susceptible sheep. Studies evaluating effects of mononuclear cells, including monocytes and lymphocytes, indicate that these cells dramatically reduce motility of …

Three Essays Analyzing The Pricing Of A Community Supported Agriculture System, Dwayne Bauknight

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current landscape of small farms is approaching a major shift as more and more small farms are poised to come onto open marketplace around urban areas. A different farming business model called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been utilized as new way for farmers to potentially earn above average revenue. However, small farmers still feel dissatisfied with their overall farm income, but when implementing the CSA business model the producers do feel that the CSA enhances their overall income satisfaction. Three essays were developed to examine this predicament. The first essay examined possible economic pricing models that a CSA …

Cerebrovascular Dysfunction In Metabolic Syndrome And Depression: Mechanisms And Implications For Neurovascular Disease, Steven David Brooks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cerebrovascular diseases are any pathological conditions that are caused by disruptions or alterations in the blood supply to the brain. The brain, which is only 2% of body mass, constantly requires a minimum of 20% of cardiac output to meet its unique metabolic demands. Cerebral tissue relies on aerobic respiration and therefore requires a constant, steady supply of blood to provide oxygen and glucose to make ATP. Insufficient perfusion of the brain, which occurs as a result of reduced or obstructed blood flow, results in cerebral ischemia; ischemic neurons quickly deplete their available ATP and die if blood flow is …

Laugh With Me: Effects Of Shortcoms On Students' Motivation, Confidence, And Cultural Understanding In The French Classroom, Juliette Duthoit

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has shown that authentic audio-visual materials have had a positive effect in foreign language classroom on learners' motivation and their confidence. Studies have also shown that humor can aid learners' memorization and improve their motivation, whether it is used in course material or through the instructor's interaction with the learners. Few researchers have focused, however, on the effect of humorous audio-visual material on foreign language learning. The aim of this thesis is to research the effects of humor in authentic video programming on the learning of French. In particular it examines the genre of the shortcom and how its …

Directing The Total Program Of Agricultural Education As Perceived By Retired Secondary Agriculture Instructors In West Virginia, Dylan Demosthenes Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine retired secondary agriculture educators' perceptions on the various challenges, barriers, as well as successes and satisfaction of teaching high school agriculture in West Virginia. The researcher chose to conduct a qualitative study through semi-structured interviews. This study was limited to five retired agriculture instructors who retired within the past 10 years. The researcher found the following: high satisfaction in career choice, strong support for the total programs from multiple facets including community, administration and parents, adult education programming is a vital part of the total program and support, FFA is vital to …

A Lab-Based Study For The Generation And Characterization Of Particle Emission From Composite Materials Containing Carbon Nanotubes, Jonathan Kang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An experimental setup was designed to measure and characterize the emission of particles during the sanding of composite materials containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The experimental setup consisted of a sand-blasting cabinet with HEPA-filtered air intakes. An electrical motor outside the cabinet was connected to a pulley through a v-belt. A material feeder with constant force was constructed. The system was tested with a belt sander by sanding 1) glass fiber/epoxy resin, 2) glass fiber/epoxy resin containing post-coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), 3) acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) 4), ABS containing MWCNTs, 5) ABS containing glass-fiber-infused MWCNTs, 6) ABS containing carbon black, …

Imaging Ductal Carcinoma Using A Hyperspectral Imaging System, Yasser M. Khouj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) is a non-invasive optical imaging modality that shows the potential to aid pathologists in breast cancer diagnoses cases. In this study, breast cancer tissues from different patients were imaged by a hyperspectral system to detect spectral differences between normal and breast cancer tissues, as well as early and late stages of breast cancer. If the spectral differences in these tissue types can be measured, automated systems can be developed to help the pathologist identify suspect biopsy samples, which will improve sample throughput and assist in making critical treatment decisions. Tissue samples from ten different patients were provided …

Effects Of Anti-Viral Acute Phase Response On Hippocampal Glutamate Regulation, Holly C. Hunsberger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A large body of clinical evidence suggests that viral infections in the periphery can exacerbate neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's, disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. The underlying mechanisms of these conditions involve the activation of the acute phase response (APR), part of the innate immune system, which recognizes viral molecular patterns. As neighboring cells become infected, inflammatory mediators are released into the bloodstream and relayed to the central nervous system where they produce a "mirror" inflammatory response. To induce the APR, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC), a viral mimetic, is commonly used. PIC produces a robust and transient …

Interleukin-15 Overexpression Attenuates Muscle Fatigue Associated With Murine Eo771 Mammary Tumors, Joseph F. Bohlen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Severe muscle wasting and muscle dysfunction (cachexia) are considered incurable complications associated with a wide variety of chronic diseases. This loss of function and severe wasting causes an increase in fatigue in cancer patients, leading to reduced motivation for daily activities, further reducing prognosis for recovery in these patients leading to a severe increase in morbidity. Recent work from our lab suggests Interleukin-15 (IL-15) induces a pro-oxidative state in the muscle, reducing fatigue and promoting a more oxidative phenotype. One proposed mechanism behind this is the observation that IL-15 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, lending more mitochondria for oxidative metabolic processes. Therefore, …

Survival, Movement And Growth Of Juvenile Chinook ( Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Salmon Over-Wintering In Twitter Creek, South-Central, Alaska, James Keith Boersma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I investigated aspects of winter ecology of juvenile stream-type Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Twitter Creek, a small tributary of the Anchor River, South-Central Alaska. A multistate modeling approach utilizing passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology to consider both live recaptures of individuals during discrete sampling occasions, and continuous data collected by monitoring movements of PIT-tagged fish was used to characterize both movement and survival. Juveniles emigrated from the stream throughout the winter peaking in the late fall and spring. Survival rates were eight times higher for juvenile Chinook that maintained stream fidelity during the entire winter period. The probability of …

Risk Perception And Awareness Of Oil And Natural Gas Safety Among Local Populations In The Eastern Province Of Jubail, Saudi Arabia, Wajeeh Aljanabi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main goal of this research was to examine the residents' and Saudi Aramco employees' awareness of risks to public health and the environment as a result of their close proximity to oil and natural gas production facilities in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia. The research objective was to characterize social representations of industrial activities by different social actors in order to enhance public participation in the region's risk management plan. Social representation theory was adopted to understand the risk perception of members of the community, both residents and oil plus natural gas employees. Residents were represented by faculty and …

The Effect Of Polymer Coatings On The Pulmonary Toxicity Of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Lindsey M. Bishop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanotechnology is the science of developing and manipulating molecular structures smaller than one hundred nanometers in at least one dimension. These structures are collectively called engineered nanomaterials. A subgroup of these engineered nanomaterials are multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). They are of great interest to industry because of their small size, large surface area, strength, and conductivity in comparison to materials currently used. Practical applications of MWCNT include improvements for water filtration systems, composites, and drug delivery. The same properties that make them advantageous for industry may also confer adverse health effects. For workers in the U.S. handling CNTs, the process …

Animals Think And Feel: Précis Of Beyond Words: What Animals Think And Feel (Safina 2015), Carl Safina

Animal Sentience

Abstract: Evolution, brain science, and the logic of behavior in free-living animals all converge to show that to varying degrees many animals have conscious experience, thoughts, and emotions.

The Mitogenome Of The Bed Bug Cimex Lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Jonathan Foox, Jeffrey A. Rosenfeld, Mercer R. Brugler, Darryl Reeves, Joshua B. Benoit, Warren Booth, Grant Robison, Michael Steffen, Zoe Sakas, Subba R. Palli, Coby Schal, Stephen Richards, Apurva Narechania, Richard H. Baker, Louis N. Sorkin, George Amato, Christopher E. Mason, Mark E. Siddall, Rob Desalle

Publications and Research

We report the extraction of a bed bug mitogenome from high-throughput sequencing projects originally focused on the nuclear genome of Cimex lectularius. The assembled mitogenome has a similar AT nucleotide composition bias found in other insects. Phylogenetic analysis of all protein-coding genes indicates that C. lectularius is clearly a member of a paraphyletic Cimicomorpha clade within the Order Hemiptera.

Sensitivity Of Maize Yield Potential To Regional Climate In The Southwestern U.S., Seung Hee Kim, Boksoon Myoung, David Stack, Jinwon Kim, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The sensitivity of maize yields to the regional climate in the Southwestern U.S. (SWUS) has been investigated by using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model in conjunction with meteorological forcings [daily maximum and minimum temperature (Tmax and Tmin), precipitation, and radiation] from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) dataset. Sensitivity experiments showed that potential crop production responded nonlinearly to variations in Tmax, Tmin, and downwelling solar radiation at the surface. Mean annual yield potential (Yp) was changed by -3.0 and 1.79 Mg ha-1 for the +1 and -1 standard deviations (σ) of Tmax variation for entire the SWUS. The …

Be Your Own Guru: Authoritarianism And The Problem Of The Guru In Conscious Evolution, Mcauley, Charles E.

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This paper is an exploration of the problematic nature of the guru/disciple relationship, specifically, in Western Society. It begins with a discussion of the nature of spirituality and the spiritual quest. To contextualize the process, I also discuss my own spiritual path based in Roman Catholicism, Taoism, Buddhism and my thoughts on the philosophy of Krishnamurti. I explore the topic of the authoritarian follower in some depth. Its connection is symbiotic to the existence of the authoritarian leader. This connection is demonstrated within this paper as well. Additionally, I look at the flaws in some well-known guru figures and how …

Collaborative Academic Library Digital Collections Post- Cambridge University Press, Hathitrust And Google Decisions On Fair Use, Michelle M. Wu

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Academic libraries face numerous stressors as they seek to meet the needs of their users through technological advances while adhering to copyright laws. This paper seeks to explore one specific proposal to balance these interests, the impact of recent decisions on its viability, and the copyright challenges that remain after these decisions.

Thinking Positively: Optimism And Emotion Regulation Predict Interpretation Of Ambiguous Information, Nakia S. Gordon, Samantha A. Chesney, Katherine Reiter

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

The way individuals interpret their worlds is influenced by emotion and its regulation. Indeed, negative affect typically increases negative interpretations of ambiguous stimuli and may have a role in dysfunctional psychosocial function. Yet, it is not currently known whether explicit and implicit emotion regulation can counteract this effect. To address this question, undergraduates (N = 103) used cognitive reappraisal under angry and control mood states to disambiguate sentences by selecting either a neutral, positive, or negative word. While explicit cognitive reappraisal decreased negative affect, it had no effect on interpretation of ambiguity. Still, reported use of reappraisal predicted decreased …

Exercise Training And Functional Connectivity Changes In Mild Cognitive Impairment And Healthy Elders, Theresa J. Chirles, Katherine Reiter, Lauren R. Weiss, Alfonso J. Alfini, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Smith Carson

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background: Effective interventions are needed to improve brain function in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus is a hub of the default mode network (DMN) and is preferentially vulnerable to disruption of functional connectivity in MCI and AD. Objective: We investigated whether 12 weeks of aerobic exercise could enhance functional connectivity of the PCC/precuneus in MCI and healthy elders. Methods: Sixteen MCI and 16 healthy elders (age range = 60–88) engaged in a supervised 12-week walking exercise intervention. Functional MRI was acquired at rest; the PCC/precuneus was used as a …

"State Inaction," Equal Protection, And Religious Resistance To Lgbt Rights, James M. Oleske, Jr.

University of Colorado Law Review

Now that the Supreme Court has held that states must recognize same-sex marriages, a new issue looms on the horizon: Must states also protect against sexual-orientation discrimination in the private marketplace? This Article contends that the answer under the Equal Protection Clause is "yes" for the forty-five-plus states that protect against marketplace discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, and sex.

In the course of reaching that conclusion, this Article offers much-needed clarification of the Court's unsettled "state inaction" doctrine. Under that doctrine, a state's failure to act may be immunized from challenge on the ground that the …

Intellectual Property Law Hybridization, Clark D. Asay

University of Colorado Law Review

Traditionally, patent and copyright laws have been viewed as separate bodies of law with distinct utilitarian goals. Conventional wisdom holds that patent law aims to incentivize the production of inventive ideas, while copyright focuses on protecting the original expression of ideas, but not the underlying ideas themselves. This customary divide between copyright and patent laws finds some support in the distinction between "authors" and "inventors," as well as that between "writings" and "discoveries," in the U.S. Constitution's Intellectual Property Clause. And Congress, courts, and scholars have largely perpetuated the divide in separately enacting, interpreting, and analyzing copyright and patent laws …

Racial Emotions And The Feeling Of Equality, Janine Young Kim

University of Colorado Law Review

This Article examines two distinct but related questions regarding race and emotions. The first raises the possibility that there are certain emotions that are so closely tied to racial experiences that they can be said to demonstrate and typify an emotional dimension to the construct of race. The second asks how such quintessentially racial emotions can be analyzed and evaluated, employing three theories of emotion that have developed in various disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. These theories reveal that racial emotions are not idiosyncratic and elusive, but instead relate to reason and values, to social membership and hierarchy, …

Smartphone Microendoscopy For High Resolution Fluorescence Imaging, Xiangqian Hong, Vivek K. Nagarajan, Dale H. Mugler, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

High resolution optical endoscopes arc increasingly used in diagnosis of various medical conditions of internal organs, such as the cervix and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts, but they are too expensive for use in resource-poor settings. On the other hand, smartphones with high resolution cameras and Internet access have become more affordable, enabling them to diffuse into most rural areas and developing countries in the past decade. In this paper, we describe a smartphone microendoscope that can take fluorescence images with a spatial resolution of 3.1 μm. Images collected from ex vivo, in vitro and in vivo samples using the device …

Solutions Visant L’Amélioration Des Conditions De Santé Et De Sécurité Des Poseurs De Revêtements De Sol, Monique Lortie, Sylvie Nadeau, Steve Vezeau

Rapports de recherche scientifique

La pose de revêtement de sol se divise en différentes spécialités : céramique, bois et revêtement souple. C’est ce dernier secteur qui nous intéresse, soit la pose de tapis (accrochés ou collés; en rouleau, en tuiles) ou de matériaux résilients (linoléum, vinyle, caoutchouc, gazon synthétique, etc.). Le métier de poseur de revêtement de sol est exigeant sur le plan physique (manutention de rouleaux très lourds, travail à genou prolongé, épandage de colle sur de grandes surfaces), mais aussi en matière de savoir-faire à développer. La pose exige de la précision, entre autres, pour ajuster les motifs et effectuer les raccords. …