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The Effects Of The N-Terminal Extensions Of Cardiac Troponins On The Ca2+ Regulation Of Myosin Atpase Kinetics In Cardiac Myofibrils, Laura Gunther

Wayne State University Dissertations

Contraction of cardiac muscle is the basis of heart function. Heart failure, i.e., weakened contraction of cardiac muscle is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality of heart diseases. Cardiac muscle contraction is regulated by calcium via the function of troponin, a protein complex associated with the myofilaments in muscle cells. The cardiac troponin subunits T (cTnT) and I (cTnI) have unique N-terminal extensions that can be selectively removed by restrictive proteolysis during cardiac adaptation to physiological and pathological stresses, indicating a role of these proteins in modulating cardiac contraction. This study aims to understand the effects of the …

The Role Of Alarmins, Invariant Nkt Cells And Senescence In The Pathophysiology Of Sterile Intra-Amniotic Inflammation, Olesya Plazyo

Wayne State University Dissertations

Preterm birth is defined as the delivery of a live baby prior to the 37th week of gestation. It is the leading cause of neonatal mortality worldwide. Preterm neonates are at a higher risk for short- and long-term complications, and prematurity places significant burden on our society. Elucidation of the mechanisms that lead to spontaneous preterm labor will enable development of therapies to prevent this syndrome. We aimed to study pathological inflammation that is implicated in the pathophysiology of spontaneous preterm labor.

Pathological inflammation can be initiated by the activation of innate immunity either by microorganisms or alarmins, which are …

Toward Magnetic Resonance Only Treatment Planning: Distortion Mitigation And Image-Guided Radiation Therapy Validation, Ryan Glen Price

Wayne State University Dissertations

While MR-only treatment planning has shown promise, there are still several well-known challenges that are currently limiting widespread clinical implementation.

Firstly, MR images are affected by both patient-induced and system-level geometric distortions that can significantly degrade treatment planning accuracy. . In addition, the availability of comprehensive distortion analysis software is currently limited. Also while many groups have been working toward a synthetic CT solution, further study is needed on the implementation of synCTs as the reference datasets for linac-based image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) to help determine their robustness in an MR-only workflow.

A 36×43×2 cm3 phantom with 255 known landmarks …

Learning About Healing In Family Medicine: Making Doctors In An American Medical Residency Program, Edward John Rohn

Wayne State University Dissertations

This ethnographic study identified and described healing and the making of healers in the context of an American family medicine residency training program. The project goal was to describe the training of family medicine physicians through observation and interviews with resident and faculty physicians. The project investigated discourses and practices around healing. The aims of this study included: (1) to identify and describe the educational processes in a residency training program towards professional socialization of residents into family medicine. (2) To describe how the habitus of the residency informed the ways in which residents came to embody of the role …

Characterization Of The Yeast Cysteine Desulfurase Complex Within The Mitochondrial Fe-S Cluster Biogenesis, Dulmini Pabasara Barupala

Wayne State University Dissertations

Disrupted iron homeostasis within the human body materializes as various disorders. Pathophysiology of many of them relates to iron induced oxidative damage to key cellular components caused by iron accumulation within the tissues. Pertaining to the growing occurrence, cost of patient care and devastating burden associated with these diseases, the call for understanding the role of iron homeostasis within these disorders becomes inevitable. Being an abundant iron containing cofactor, the role of Fe-S clusters in cellular iron homeostasis is indisputable in the case of Friedreich’s ataxia, a disease caused by a deficiency in the protein frataxin that is indispensable during …

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War Era 2016

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

"The Honor Of Manhood:" Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain And Notions Of Martial Masculinity, Bryan G. Caswell

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain is perhaps best known as the commander of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry during the Battle of Gettysburg. While depictions of Chamberlain's martial glory abound, little attention has been paid to the complicated motives of the man himself. This paper seeks to examine the unique ways in which Chamberlain interacted with Victorian conceptions of martial masculinity: his understanding and expression of it, his efforts to channel it, and his use of it as a guiding principle throughout the trials of both the American Civil War and his post-war life.

Effect Of Anthelminthic Treatment On Helminth Infection And Related Anaemia Among School-Age Children In Northwestern Ethiopia, Yonas Yimam, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: Information about improvements in the health status of population at-risk of helminth infection after anthelminthic treatment helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the large scale deworming program. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of anthelminthic treatment on the prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminth infection, haemoglobin level and prevalence of anaemia among school-age children.

METHODS: A total of 403 children attending Tikur Wuha Elementary School in Jiga, northwestern Ethiopia were enrolled in this study between February and March 2011. Formol-ether concentration and Kato-Katz methods were used to examine stool for intestinal helminth infections at baseline …

Epidemiology Of Plasmodium And Helminth Coinfection And Possible Reasons For Heterogeneity, Abraham Degarege, Berhanu Erko

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Understanding the impact of helminth infections on clinical malaria is useful for designing effective malaria control strategies. Plenty of epidemiological studies have been conducted to unravel the nature of interactions between Plasmodium and helminth infection. Careful broad summarization of the existing literature suggests that Schistosoma mansoni and hookworm infections may increase the risk of clinical malaria and associated morbidities, but Trichuris trichiura infection is not associated with the occurrence of clinical malaria and related outcomes. However, findings about effect of Ascaris lumbricoides and Schistosoma haematobium infection on clinical malaria are contradictory. Furthermore, the nature of relationship of helminth infection with …

A Genetic Programming Approach To Solving Optimization Problems On Agent-Based Models, Anthony Garuccio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we present a novel approach to solving optimization problems that are defined on agent-based models (ABM). The approach utilizes concepts in genetic programming (GP) and is demonstrated here using an optimization problem on the Sugarscape ABM, a prototype ABM that includes spatial heterogeneity, accumulation of agent resources, and agents with different attributes. The optimization problem seeks a strategy for taxation of agent resources which maximizes total taxes collected while minimizing impact on the agents over a finite time. We demonstrate how our GP approach yields better taxation policies when compared to simple flat taxes and provide reasons …

Lifting The Veil Of Invisiblity: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Of Student Perception As Related To Resiliency, Jennifer Mann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This interactive phenomenological study was an attempt to understand how marginalized, low socioeconomic students in a predominately white suburban school were able to succeed to graduation and beyond. Six students were interviewed using semi-structured questions in an audio-recorded interview while the researcher annotated body language, emotions, and pauses of the participant. The perceptions of the students were examined in relation to Buber's existential I-Thou relational theory as well as other care-oriented educators such as Freire, Dewey, and Nel Noddings. Also informing the conceptual framework of the study were Milstein and others regarding resiliency.

Significant themes emerged from the participants' narratives; …

Utilization Of Fluorescent Chemosensors To Quantify Pb2+ In Aqueous Media, Aria Parangi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently the detection of environmental lead samples requires time and material intensive methods. Recently, through the development of small fluorescent lead sensors, it may be possible to detect lead in the environment quickly and efficiently. A specific fluorescent chemosensor, Leadglow (LG), has shown promise in detecting low levels of lead in a rapid manner with little sample preparation or training. Leadglow and a naphthalene derivative were successfully synthesized and purified. The lead binding properties of Leadglow and the naphthalene derivative were studied and optimized. The use of Leadglow on several portable devices was also studied.

The Relationship Between Healthcare Services And Financial Burden Among Families Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Us Perspective, Darshini Dhanraj Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: The research was designed to determine the financial burden among families of children with ASD and to identify the predictors of financial burden

METHODS: Children with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD were identified in the Interaction Autism Network Registry. Multiple regression analyses was used to determine the association between financial burden and coordination of care, quality of healthcare interactions, adequacy of insurance, and adequacy of medical insurance coverage

RESULTS: Families of children diagnosed as having ASD reported higher financial burden as compared to other developmental disorders. The financial burden was significantly associated with various facets of healthcare provision

CONCLUSIONS: …

Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Marshall Mcluhan And Communication Ethics: The Taming Of Americanitis, Julie A. Cramer Hunsberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1880 neurologist George Miller Beard identified the diagnosis of neurasthenia. Popularly referred to as Americanitis, Beard treated an increasing number of people for symptoms of anxiety, malaise and gastric discomfort. Per Beard, the illness resulted from the rapidly changing mechanical landscape of modernity. Similarly, contemporary Media Ecology literature suggests that Americanitis continues amidst our current digital moment. Manifest as narcissistically anxious nervous exhaustion, digital Americanitis results due to technological encouragement of existential and communicative closure, thereby negatively implicating the human condition, human communication and communication ethics practices. As such, this project considers Marshall McLuhan’s Media Ecology to examine the …

Vico's Narrative Art: From The Forests To The Academies, Ariana Ragusa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that Giambattista Vico (1668-1744), most famously considered a philosopher of history, is above all a philosopher of narration. I unfold Vico’s narrative response to and rejection of traditional philosophical discourse; through relating the story of himself and the story of mankind, Vico demonstrates that storytelling gives birth to the human self and world. Furthermore, I emphasize the ontological import of narrative, often overlooked, in his two major works, The Autobiography of Giambattista Vico and The New Science. Finally, I conclude by showing the relevance of Vico’s pedagogical call to cultivate the child’s narrative imagination in …

Every Parent's Worst Nightmare: Surveillance Of Criteria-Based, Rampage School Shooters, 1995-2015, Paul Lomax

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rampage School Shootings are a violation of one’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of individual happiness. Little children, school teachers head out to school, only to never return home at the end of the day. Idiosyncratic psycho-social behaviors drive Rampage School Shooter (RSS) violence. The fact of the matter remains true; Rampage School Shooters don’t “… ‘just snap’… They plan” (U.S. Secret Service, 2002, p. 11). This descriptive, exploratory study consists of RSS cases (N=59) derived from triangulated, retrospective, historical accounts (1995-2015). A quantitative, non-experimental research design was employed.

The purpose of this epidemiological (i.e., descriptive, exploratory, predictive) …

The Ethical Analysis Of The Connection Between Hope And Fertility Preservation, Leah Jeunette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fertility preservation has many different indications and covers a wide variety of demographics. One major motivation for the use of fertility preservation is hope. When discussing fertility preservation, healthcare professionals present several options, but choosing which type of fertility preservation to pursue is a difficult decision. This dissertation will argue not only that hope is one of the basic drivers for making a decision regarding fertility preservation, but also the current methods for fertility preservation create a reliance on hope. Hope can determine if a patient chooses the safest option or seeks out more radical experimentation or whether to delay …

A Decade (2005-2015) Of Unconventional Shale Gas Development In Washington County, Pennsylvania, And Its Environmental Impact, Colleen Nolan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unconventional shale gas extraction has grown significantly over the past decade in Washington County, Pennsylvania; 1362 unconventional wells had been drilled by the end of 2015. This study analyzed ten years of industry data to generate an overview of development and assess the resultant environmental impacts. Analyses of industry data obtained from PADEP and DCNR indicate well longevity may be overestimated while land and water usage is underestimated. To evaluate possible water quality impacts, a survey was conducted, with 99 ground and surface water samples collected and analyzed. 82% of samples exceeded at least one EPA (S)MCL, with iron exceeded …

Perception And Language: Using The Rorschach With People With Aphasia, V. Terri Collin Dilmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the use of the Rorschach with eight individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate fluent or non-fluent types of aphasia to consider the extent to which the Rorschach captured aspects of language impairment not otherwise probed by traditional neurolinguistic measures. A ninth participant, with Wernicke’s aphasia, produced non-scorable responses and was therefore left out of all analyses. Of primary interest was whether the Rorschach, historically understood as a projective psychological instrument, would allow individuals living with language impairment to recognize, retrieve and coherently express words that reflected their thoughts. At the same time, this study sought to explore …

The Importance Of Differentiating Between Traits Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Callous And Unemotional Traits, Kristen Parys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study assesses the apparent similarities and underlying differences between traits of autism spectrum disorder and callous and unemotional traits, and problematic sexual behaviors that can result in involvement in the juvenile justice system. The need to differentiate between these traits and better understand their impact on response to treatment within treatment facilities for offenders is highlighted. This research investigated the presence of individuals with traits of autism spectrum disorders and callous and unemotional traits in adolescent males in a residential treatment program for sexual offenses, and whether instruments that are typically used to identify these characteristics were effective in …

Novel Traf6-Protein Interactions And The Molecular Mechanisms By Which They Regulate Traf6 Dependent Signaling, An-Jey Andrew Su

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

TRAF6 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is unique among TRAF family proteins in both its structure and protein-protein interaction specificity. It is further distinguished by its ability to transduce a multiplicity of receptors in varied biological systems. Although TRAF6 activity is induced by these receptors, the mechanisms by which TRAF6 is activated under these stimulating conditions remain largely unclear. To address this, standard molecular biological techniques were used to gain insight into the interplay of three proteins with TRAF6: 1) Syntenin-1 (Syn); 2) SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 4 (Sox4); and 3) IL-1 receptor associated kinase 1 (IRAK1). These …

Surface And Ground Water Quality Within The Cross Creek Watershed, May 2015-2016, Tyler Umstead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unconventional shale gas extraction in the Marcellus has expanded throughout Pennsylvania since 2005, and poses potential risks to water resources. This study investigated water quality in Cross Creek County Park (CCCP), Washington County, Pennsylvania, surface waters and nearby residential water wells. Twenty-five wells have been drilled within CCCP over the past 8 years. Six sites were monitored bi-monthly for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and conductivity, as well as selected anions, cations, and light hydrocarbons. Detection of methane and ethane, surfactants, and other water chemistry parameters (e.g., mass ratios) suggest water quality has been impacted for sites Cross Creek 1, Streams …

Accounting For Correlation In The Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials With Multiple Layers Of Clustering, Adam Baumgardner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A common goal in medical research is to determine the effect that a treatment has on subjects over time. Unfortunately, the analysis of data from such clinical trials often omits several aspects of the study design, leading to incorrect or misleading conclusions. In this paper, a major objective is to show via case studies that randomized controlled trials with longitudinal designs must account for correlation and clustering among observations in order to make proper statistical inference. Further, the effects of outliers in a multi-center, randomized controlled trial with multiple layers of clustering are examined and strategies for detecting and dealing …

The Ethical Justification Of Extending Holistic Care To Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Kaneen Bree Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The doctoral project presents an argument for the inclusion of complementary and alternative medicine in the provision of holistic care. Over the course of history the practice of medicine has evolved with developments in science and technology and transitioned into away from its holistic origins to a more fragmented practice. The project includes relevant literature on shortcomings of conventional medicine that are in part a catalyst for the trends of increasing complementary and alternative medicine utilization. The doctoral project concludes that the benefits of complementary and alternative medicine's inclusion in care, and more specifically holistic care, is of value and …

Multifaceted Traumatization: Direct And Vicarious Exposure Of Ems Personnel Who Responded To A Suicide Where Loved Ones Of The Deceased Were Present, Mallory Rae Wines

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel experience direct traumatic exposure that can leave a lasting negative impact. However, little is known about the vicarious exposure that EMS personnel experience at challenging calls when family and loved ones are present at the scene. Additionally, there is minimal research that has looked at the experiences among paramedics and EMTs who arrive to mental disturbance calls or completed suicides. In order to add to the substantial body of literature on EMS personnel and traumatic exposure, this study explored their experiences of multifaceted traumatization; the lived experiences of paramedics and EMTs who have responded to …

Characterization Of Streptomyces Coelicolor Parh In Development-Associated Chromosome Segregation, Metis Hasipek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

S. coelicolor uses an active chromosome partitioning system for developmentally-regulated genome segregation, which is associated with spore formation. There are four known trans-acting segregation proteins (ParA, ParB, ParJ and Scy) and cis-acting centromere-like sites (parS). parA encodes a Walker-type ATPase that is required for efficient DNA segregation and proper placement of the ParB-parS nucleoprotein complexes. A paralogue of ParA is encoded by the S. coelicolor genome, SCO1772 (named ParH), that has 45% identical residues to ParA. In S. coelicolor aerial hyphae, a ∆parH mutant produces 5% of anucleate spores. In this study, ParH was identified as a novel interaction …

Development Of A Microfluidic Platform For Trace Lipid Analysis, Andrew Paul Davic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of lipidomics encompasses the study of pathways, networks, and functionality of cellular lipids in biological systems. The lipid subclass, primary fatty acid amides, are crucial to nervous system signaling, receptor function, and numerous other physiological roles. Chapter 1 details these bioactive properties of several well-studied primary fatty acid amides as well as their biosynthesis, degradation, and most common analysis techniques. As these bioactive lipids are endogenously present in trace and ultra-trace abundancies, the field of microfluidics presents an attractive alternative analysis system to incorporate minimization of sample and reagent usage, analysis cost reduction, highly sensitive detection pairing, and …

The Neuroethical Case Against Cognitive Memory Manipulation, Peter Angelo Depergola Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An increasingly blurred understanding of the moral significance of accurate and authentic memory reconsolidation for an adequate apprehension of self, other, and community suggests a critical need to explore the inter-relationships shared between autobiographical memory, emotional rationality, and narrative identity in light of the contemporary possibilities of neurocognitive memory manipulation, particularly as it bears on ethical decision making. Grounding its thesis in four evidential effects – namely, (i) neurocognitive memory manipulation disintegrates autobiographical memory, (ii) the disintegration of autobiographical memory degenerates emotional rationality, (iii) the degeneration of emotional rationality decays narrative identity, and (iv) the decay of narrative identity disables …

Are You Pepped And Prepped For Travel? Risk Mitigation Of Hiv Infection For Travelers, David Brett-Major, P. T. Scott, T A. Crowell, C. S. Polyak, K. Modjarrad, M. L. Robb, D. L. Blazes

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The HIV pandemic persists globally and travelers are at risk for infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). While HIV-focused guidelines delineate risk stratification and mitigation strategies for people in their home communities, travel issues are not addressed. In this review, direct and indirect evidence on HIV risk among travelers is explored. The burgeoning practice of employing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with anti-retroviral therapy in the non-travel setting is introduced, as well as the more established use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Challenges in applying these lessons to travelers are discussed, and a new guidelines process is scoped and recommended.

Twenty-Week Abortion Statutes: Four Arguments, Randy Beck

UC Law Constitutional Quarterly

The Supreme Court has never justified the conclusion that the Constitution bars any substantial regulation designed to protect fetal life prior to viability. No majority opinion has offered a rationale for the viability rule, and the arguments in non-majority opinions are conclusory or fail to distinguish viability from earlier possible lines. The viability rule is arbitrary because the capacity of a fetus to survive outside the womb says nothing about the value of the fetus from the standpoint of the state or the burden of pregnancy on the mother, the two interests the rule purports to balance. The arbitrary character …