Digital Commons Network^™

Images Of History: Kant, Benjamin, Freedom, And The Human Subject, Richard Thomas Eldridge

Philosophy Faculty Works

Developing work in the theories of action and explanation, Eldridge argues that moral and political philosophers require accounts of what is historically possible, while historians require rough philosophical understandings of ideals that merit reasonable endorsement. Both Immanuel Kant and Walter Benjamin recognize this fact. Each sees a special place for religious consciousness and critical practice in the articulation and revision of ideals that are to have cultural effect, but they differ sharply in the forms of religious-philosophical understanding, cultural criticism, and political practice that they favor. Kant defends a liberal, reformist, Protestant stance, emphasizing the importance of liberty, individual rights, …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposite Microparticles (Ncmp) For The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Infections, Zimeng Wang, Samantha A. Meenach

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Pulmonary antibiotic delivery is recommended as maintenance therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who experience chronic infections. However, abnormally thick and sticky mucus present in the respiratory tract of CF patients impairs mucus penetration and limits the efficacy of inhaled antibiotics. To overcome the obstacles of pulmonary antibiotic delivery, we have developed nanocomposite microparticles (nCmP) for the inhalation application of antibiotics in the form of dry powder aerosols.

Methods:

Azithromycin-loaded and rapamycin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NP) were prepared via nanoprecipitation and nCmP were prepared by spray drying and the physicochemical characteristics were evaluated.

Results:

The nanoparticles were …

The Mapmaker’S Dilemma In Evaluating High-End Inequality, Daniel N. Shaviro

Faculty Articles

The last thirty years have witnessed rising income and wealth concentration among the top 0.1% of the population, leading to intense political debate regarding how, if at all, policymakers should respond. Often, this debate emphasizes the tools of public economics, and in particular optimal in-come taxation. However, while these tools can help us in evaluating the issues raised by high-end inequality, their ex-treme reductionism—which, in other settings, often offers significant analytic payoffs—here proves to have serious drawbacks. This Article addresses what we do and don’t learn from the optimal income tax literature regarding high-end inequality, and what other inputs might …

Geriatric Ckd: Value-Based Nephrology, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

No abstract provided.

Chronic Kidney Disease Classification In Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial: Comparison Using Modification Of Diet In Renal Disease And Ckd-Epidemiology Collaboration Definitions, Michael V. Rocco, Arlene Chapman, Glenn M. Chertow, Debbie Cohen, Jing Chen, Jeffrey A. Cutler, Matthew J. Diamond, Barry I. Freedman, Amret Hawfield, Eric Judd, Anthony A. Killeen, Kent Kirchner, Cora E. Lewis, Nicholas M. Pajewski, Barry M. Wall, Jerry Yee

Nephrology Articles

BACKGROUND: Interventional trials have used either the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) or chronic kidney disease (CKD)-Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation for determination of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to define whether participants have stages 3-5 CKD. The equation used to calculate eGFR may influence the number and characteristics of participants designated as having CKD.

METHODS: We examined the classification of CKD at baseline using both equations in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT). eGFR was calculated at baseline using fasting serum creatinine values from a central laboratory.

RESULTS: Among 9,308 participants with baseline CKD classification using the …

Burden Of Diarrhea In The Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2013: Findings From The Global Burden Of Disease Study 2013, Ibrahim Khalil, Ali Shafqat Akanda, Et Al

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Diarrheal diseases (DD) are leading causes of disease burden, death, and disability, especially in children in low-income settings. DD can also impact a child’s potential livelihood through stunted physical growth, cognitive impairment, and other sequelae. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, we estimated DD burden, and the burden attributable to specific risk factors and particular etiologies, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 1990 and 2013. For both sexes and all ages, we calculated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which are the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability. We estimate that over 125,000 …

Marked Variation Between Winter And Spring Gut Microbiota In Freeranging Tibetan Macaques (Macaca Thibetana), Binghua Sun, Xi Wang, Sofi Bernstein, Michael A. Huffman, Dong-Po Xia, Zhiyuan Gu, Rui Chen, Lori K. Sheeran, R. Steven Wagner, Jinhua Li

Anthropology and Museum Studies Faculty Scholarship

Variation in the availability and distribution of food resources is a strong selective pressure on wild primates. We explored variation in Tibetan macaque gut microbiota composition during winter and spring seasons. Our results showed that gut microbial composition and diversity varied by season. In winter, the genus Succinivibrio, which promotes the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose, was significantly increased. In spring, the abundance of the genus Prevotella, which is associated with digestion of carbohydrates and simple sugars, was significantly increased. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the predicted metagenomes related to the glycan biosynthesis and metabolic pathway was significantly increased in winter …

Essays On The Economics Of Gender, Melanie Wasserman

Dissertation Awards

This dissertation seeks to understand gender disparities in labor market and educational outcomes. Two essays analyze determinants of the low representation of women in historically highly compensated and competitive occupations. The third essay explores whether childhood environmental influences contribute to the female advantage in elementary and secondary educational outcomes that has emerged throughout developed countries.

Anti-Corruption, Leslie Benton, Stuart H. Deming, Mikhail Reider-Gordon, Frank A. Fariello, Christina M. Mitropoulos

The International Lawyer

No abstract provided.

2016 Extension Highlights

Lancaster County, Nebraska Extension: Reports

Nebraska Extension is your local connection to university research-based information. We extend knowledge, provide solutions and change lives. Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County is a partnership between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lancaster County and the United States Department of Agriculture.

We extend knowledge, provide solutions and change lives in these educational program areas:
• Cropping & Water Systems
• Beef Systems
• Food, Nutrition & Health
• Community Environment
• Learning Child
• 4-H Youth Development
• Community Vitality

Here’s a look at some of Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County’s 2016 impacts.

Food Insecurity And Housing Instability In Vulnerable Families, Christian King

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reducing the prevalence of household food insecurity has been a long-standing objective of the federal government. Previous research has found many negative consequences of food insecurity for families and households but has not examined its relationship with housing instability. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, difference-in-difference models show that food insecurity is associated with housing instability. The association remains statistically significant after accounting for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity using propensity score matching and excluding households that experienced prior housing instability from the sample. Examining potential mediating factors, I find that material hardship explains about …

Nutrigenomic Functions Of Ppars In Obesogenic Environments, Soonkyu Chung, Young Jun Kim, Soo Jin Yang, Yunkyoung Lee, Myoungsook Lee

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that mediate the effects of several nutrients or drugs through transcriptional regulation of their target genes in obesogenic environments.This review consists of three parts. First, we summarize current knowledge regarding the role of PPARs in governing the development of white and brown/beige adipocytes from uncommitted progenitor cells. Next, we discuss the interactions of dietary bioactive molecules, such as fatty acids and phytochemicals, with PPARs for the modulation of PPAR-dependent transcriptional activities and metabolic consequences. Lastly, the effects of PPAR polymorphism on obesity and metabolic outcomes are discussed. In this review, we aim …

Glucagon Regulates Hepatic Lipid Metabolism Via Camp And Insig-2 Signaling: Implication For The Pathogenesis Of Hypertriglyceridemia And Hepatic Steatosis, Hai Wang, Miaoyun Zhao, Neetu Sud, Patricia Christian, Jing Shen, Yongyan Song, Anjeza Pashaj, Kezhong Zhang, Timothy P. Carr, Qiaozhu Su

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Insulin induced gene-2 (Insig-2) is an ER-resident protein that inhibits the activation of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs). However, cellular factors that regulate Insig-2 expression have not yet been identified. Here we reported that cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein H (CREBH) positively regulates mRNA and protein expression of a liver specific isoform of Insig-2, Insig-2a, which in turn hinders SREBP-1c activation and inhibits hepatic de novo lipogenesis. CREBH binds to the evolutionally conserved CRE-BP binding elements located in the enhancer region of Insig-2a and upregulates its mRNA and protein expression. Metabolic hormone glucagon and nutritional fasting activated CREBH, which upregulated expression …

Regulation Of Obesity And Metabolic Complications By Gamma And Delta Tocotrienols, Lu Zhao, Xiefan Fang, Maurice R. Marshall, Soonkyu Chung

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Tocotrienols (T3s) are a subclass of unsaturated vitamin E that have been extensively studied for their anti-proliferative, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties in numerous cancer studies. Recently, T3s have received increasing attention due to their previously unrecognized property to attenuate obesity and its associated metabolic complications. In this review, we comprehensively evaluated the recent published scientific literature about the influence of T3s on obesity, with a particular emphasis on the signaling pathways involved. T3s have been demonstrated in animal models or human subjects to reduce fat mass, body weight, plasma concentrations of free fatty acid, triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as …

Successfully Changing The Landscape Of Information Distribution: Extension Food Website Reaches People Locally And Globally, Alice Henneman, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Kayla Colgrove, Vishal Singh

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The goal of the Food website was to develop Internet-based content that was relevant and reached the general public and multiplier groups, such as educators, health professionals, and media outlets. The purpose of this paper was to examine whether a multi-modal approach to information delivery through increases in and changes to content, electronic mailing list creation, and social media posting impacted user access, traffic channels, and referrals from 2010 to 2014. When comparing 2010-2011 versus 2013-2014, there was a 150% increase in total pageviews, 197% increase in unique pageviews, and a 39% increase in average time spent on a page. …

Qualitative And Quantitative Regulation Of The Leptin Gene In Vivo, Yi-Hsueh Lu

Student Theses and Dissertations

The high prevalence of obesity is a major public health concern worldwide. Conventional strategies have failed to provide solid solutions, greater than 90% of individuals who lost weight by diet and exercise eventually regained the weight (Arner and Spalding, 2010a). As such, biological factors including genetic contributions have become the research focus on pathogenesis of obesity and the target of effective disease control. Central to energy homeostasis is the mechanism by which animals regulate and/or response to fluctuation in energy intake and output. Adipose tissues participate in metabolic regulation by serving as an energy store and by secreting adipokines such …

The Genetics Of Mosquito Heat-Seeking Behavior, Román A. Corfas

Student Theses and Dissertations

Temperature is a highly dynamic feature of the world, and one that deeply affects living things. Organisms have evolved sophisticated sensory-­motor systems to detect and avoid excessive heat or cold—a behavior termed thermotaxis. In rare cases, however, animals use thermosensation not only to regulate their body temperature, but also to locate food sources in their environment. One example of such an adaptation is found in the female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which becomes attracted to the body heat of endothermic ("warm­blooded") hosts when in pursuit of a blood meal. Mosquitoes are remarkably adept at finding hosts in their environment and have …

Aversive Olfactory Imprinting In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Xin Jin

Student Theses and Dissertations

Early memories are especially robust and enduring, among which the most evocative example is imprinting. Imprinting was first described in newly hatched geese that form a lasting attachment to the first moving object they see. As observed in many animal species, imprinting is a process in which a sensory cue presented early in animal's life – a critical period – subsequently gains unique access to ecologically relevant behaviors. Little is known about the molecular and neural underpinnings of imprinting. I have used C. elegans as a model organism to study imprinting because of its compact and well characterized nervous system, …

Tremblings, January 2016, Western Aspen Alliance

Tremblings

Growing Aspen in Cultivated Landscapes

Michael R. Kuhns

Quaking aspen (Populous tremuloides) is a beautiful tree when it is growing on native sites, which in the West is normally at a fairly high elevation. In native locations trees are exposed to less heat and have greater moisture availability than when they are planted in cultivated landscapes at low elevations. Problems that pose minor problems at high elevations become major problems on those more stressful low elevation sites. Leaf spot diseases get worse, borers seem more attracted to them and damage seems much worse, stem cankers seem to be …

Development And Pretesting Of A Weight Management Behavior Questionnaire For Overweight And Obese African American Females, Suzanne Myers Sutton

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Overweight and obesity disproportionately effect the health and well-being of African American women in the United States. Existing vulnerabilities and health disparities compound risks associated with overweight and obesity, leading to increased incidence of disability, morbidity and early mortality. Further, current weight management interventions (WMIs) do not address the needs of overweight and obese (OWO) African American females (AAF), with limited research focusing on the biopsychosocial variables that influence weight-related behaviors in this population. This dissertation describes the development and pretesting of a theoretically-based questionnaire that may be used to assess the biopsychosocial needs of OWO AAF and guide development …

Betwixt And Between: Regulating The Shared Economy, Abbey Stemler

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Thoracic Aortic Aging And Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype, Jason Benjamin Wheeler

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Background: The thoracic aorta undergoes structural and mechanical changes with age, including dilation and increased collagen leading to decreased compliance. However, how age- dependent changes in resident cells mediate this aging process is not well understood. Previous studies have demonstrated a reduction in both ex vivo aortic contraction and in vitro collagen gel contraction by aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from old mice relative to young, suggesting a deficit in aortic SMC contractility with age. Vascular SMCs are known to shift out of a contractile phenotype, with disease or mechanical injury, to remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM). Therefore, we hypothesized …

Expression Of Zinc Fingers And Homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) And Zhx2 Target Genes In Multiple Tissues Of Wild-Type And Zhx2 Knockout Mice, Minen Al-Kafajy

Theses and Dissertations--Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics

The Spear lab has had a long-standing interest in gene regulation in the liver during development and disease. Several years ago, these studies identified a novel transcriptional regulator called Zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2), which is a member of a small family that includes Zhx1 and Zhx3. All Zhx proteins contain two amino-terminal C2-H2 zinc fingers and four or five carboxy-terminal homeodomains. Previous studies indicate that Zhx proteins can form homodimers and heterodimers with each other.

Zhx2 regulates numerous hepatic genes, including alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and H19. Genes controlling lipid and cholesterol homeostasis are also regulated by …

Combating Misdiagnoses In The Field Of Speech Language Pathology, Jezzica E.. Zimmermann

Honors Capstones

Introduction: The problem of misdiagnosis between language disorder and language difference is something that has been increasingly brought to light in the past few decades. There is a plethora of information showing research to prove licensed speech language pathologists (SLPs) and students do not have accurate judgement in conducting evaluations or deciphering the correct diagnosis as they do in other areas of the field (Levey, 2013; ASHA Cultural Competence; Verdon, McLeod, & Wong, 2016; Horton-Ikard & Muñoz, 2010 ). The factors that contribute to this problem include the lack of a required multicultural course which leads to insufficient cultural competence, …

The Association Between Latent Tuberculosis Infection And Diabetes Mellitus Control In The United States, Whitney L. Remy

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Rationale: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as a common comorbid condition for tuberculosis (TB). Those with comorbid conditions are more likely to develop active TB, to have trouble with treatment, and to have more severe symptoms.

Objective: To measure the prevalence and distribution of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and DM control in the United State and test their association when measured by tuberculin skin test (TST) or QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube blood test (QFT-GIT) and by HbA1c, respectively. Literature Review: One-third of the world population is infected with TB. Ten percent of TB cases worldwide are linked to diabetes mellitus. Studies …

An Analysis Of Western Medicine Mistrust Among Selected African Immigrant Women In Minnesota, Wanjiru Julie Gicheru

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Mistrust in Western medicine contributes to many individuals noncompliance, avoidance of treatment, or seeking other outlets or alternative treatments. As a result, health outcomes are poorer for those individuals who proactively avoid treatment from health care professionals. Factors that contribute to racial and ethnic health disparities have been accounted for in research and literature; however, immigrant health disparities have not been well studied. The primary purpose of this study was to analyze factors that contributed to Western medicine mistrust among selected African immigrant women in Minnesota. Participants were recruited from community centers, churches, and by snowball sampling within the Minneapolis-Saint …

Container Culture: An Educational Program To Reduce The Overuse, Ashleigh R. Toy

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The increased pace of society, improved safety, mobility and the need for parent efficiency have created a vast market of infant products to meet these demands: car seats that clip in and out of everything from the car to the grocery cart, jumpers, walkers, exersaucers, swings, bouncers and bumbos. These infant equipment products are helpful and can be beneficial if used effectively, however, the problem synthesized from the literature and clinical observation is that these containers designed to support safety and mobility are being overused causing a decrease in tummy time and human interaction which is leading to delays in …

Airline Pilots In Recovery From Alcoholism: A Quantitative Study Of Cognitive Change, Heather Christina Hamilton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In order to perform their duties, airline pilots must have no clinical diagnosis of mental illness or any substance use disorder. However, provisions have been in place since the 1970s that provide for a return to work for airline pilots with alcohol problems. To date, over 5,000 airline pilots have undergone rehabilitation for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and successfully returned to work. An important gap in the literature remains with regard to what extent improvements in cognitive performance may be experienced by airline pilots who complete treatment and to what extent age influences the amount of change. This study examined …

Risk Factors For Tuberculosis And Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Complications Among Foreign-Born Persons In Houston, Texas, James N. Isaboke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading public health problem across the world. For various reasons, TB and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have increased. Clarification on TB/HIV co-infection and homelessness as risk factors for TB and MDR-TB is required to inform policy interventions to reduce TB-related morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. In this quantitative study, data from the Houston Health Department (N = 341) were analyzed to explore the relationship between TB and MDR-TB outcomes and TB/HIV co-infection and type of housing/homelessness. Foreign-born persons are disproportionately affected in the United States. The socio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for the investigation. Multiple and …

The Relative Influences Of Climate And Competition On Tree Growth Along Montane Ecotones In The Rocky Mountains, Paige E. Copenhaver-Parry, Ellie Cannon

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Distribution shifts of tree species are likely to be highly dependent upon population performance at distribution edges. Understanding the drivers of aspects of performance, such as growth, at distribution edges is thus crucial to accurately predicting responses of tree species to climate change. Here, we use a Bayesian model and sensitivity analysis to partition the effects of climate and crowding, as a metric of competition, on radial growth of three dominant conifer species along montane ecotones in the Rocky Mountains. These ecotones represent upper and lower distribution edges of two species, and span the distribution interior of the third species. …