Digital Commons Network^™

Structure And Functions Of Angiotensinogen, Hong Lu, Lisa A. Cassis, Craig W. Vander Kooi, Alan Daugherty

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

Angiotensinogen (AGT) is the sole precursor of all angiotensin peptides. Although AGT is generally considered as a passive substrate of the renin–angiotensin system, there is accumulating evidence that the regulation and functions of AGT are intricate. Understanding the diversity of AGT properties has been enhanced by protein structural analysis and animal studies. In addition to whole-body genetic deletion, AGT can be regulated in vivo by cell-specific procedures, adeno-associated viral approaches and antisense oligonucleotides. Indeed, the availability of these multiple manipulations of AGT in vivo has provided new insights into the multifaceted roles of AGT. In this review, the combination of …

Short-Term Intensive Sustainable Restoration Of Grasslands And Prairies Invaded With High Densities Of Nitrogen-Fixing Weeds: A Test With The Invasive Plant Lespedeza Cuneata, Jack Cornell Ii, D. Alexander Wait

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

This study examines a management strategy for restoring grassland and prairie communities that have become degraded due to high density stands of invasive nitrogen-fixing plants. The novel management applications minimize the use of herbicides and maximize the competitive interactions of native species. The management method includes two seasons of application of organic fertilizer (4-1-4), an initial herbicide (Pasture Gard, Dow Agro) application, and mowing, where mowing was a necessary treatment to control secondary growth in prairie habitats, to control high density patches of Lespedeza (L.) Cuneata, in a completely randomized factorial experiment. The herbicide was effective in reducing L. Cuneate …

More Than Whoever Made You Suffer: A Culturally-Informed Trauma-Focused Intervention For Latina Adolescents, Katherine Helena Valadez-Sanchez

Dissertations

This dissertation study explored how the integration of common Latino cultural values within Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) influenced the treatment outcomes of Latina adolescents with a history of trauma. Latino adolescents and their parents often experience great difficulties in attempting to access effective mental health services that are sensitive to their cultural needs. Therefore, the present study sought to understand the impact of participation in Culturally-Modified Trauma-Focused Treatment (CM-TFT) on working alliance, therapeutic engagement, and overall posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. In this mixed methods study, four adolescents and two mothers participated in CM-TFT. A self-report scale to measure …

An Informatics Research Agenda To Support Precision Medicine: Seven Key Areas., Jessica D Tenenbaum, Paul Avillach, Marge Benham-Hutchins, Matthew K Breitenstein, Erin L Crowgey, Mark A Hoffman, Xia Jiang, Subha Madhavan, John E Mattison, Radhakrishnan Nagarajan, Bisakha Ray, Dmitriy Shin, Shyam Visweswaran, Zhongming Zhao, Robert R Freimuth

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The recent announcement of the Precision Medicine Initiative by President Obama has brought precision medicine (PM) to the forefront for healthcare providers, researchers, regulators, innovators, and funders alike. As technologies continue to evolve and datasets grow in magnitude, a strong computational infrastructure will be essential to realize PM's vision of improved healthcare derived from personal data. In addition, informatics research and innovation affords a tremendous opportunity to drive the science underlying PM. The informatics community must lead the development of technologies and methodologies that will increase the discovery and application of biomedical knowledge through close collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and …

Lof1 And Interacting Transcription Factors In Plant Development And Crop Yield, Zoe Yeoh, Elizabeth Luscher, Patricia Springer

Student Publications

Transcription factors (TFs) help ensure proper gene expression in developing tissues, and thus play a role in plant development and plant architecture. LATERAL ORGAN FUSION1, or LOF1, is a TF expressed in the organ boundaries of Arabidopsis thaliana. lof1 mutants have fused axillary branches and cauline leaves, which indicates importance in boundary development. Because transcription factors are known to act in complexes, we wanted to discover what other proteins interact with LOF1. We executed a yeast-2-hybrid (Y2H) screen that identified several TFs as potential interactors: WHIRLY 3 (WHY3), MYB DOMAIN PROTEIN32 (MYB32), HOMEOBOX-LEUCINE ZIPPER PROTEIN4 (HB4), and LIGHT RESPONSE BTB2 …

Research View, Summer 2016

Research View

Contents of this issue include:

The Brain Team: New UM Neural Injury Center Changes Lives

Quick Looks: Evolutionary Biologist Elected to Elite Academy -- University Students Create Astronomy Teaching Tool -- Trio of UM Researchers Lands Prestigious CAREER Grants -- Parks' Poem Tops National Competition -- University Climate Change Studies Coordinator Wins National Award -- Research Reveals Island Trend in Bird Evolution -- Glimpse

Big, Cold and Creepy: Researchers Study Gigantism Among Antarctic Sea Spiders

Pollution Prejudice: UM researcher studies how waste facilities target low-income, minority areas

Serine Dipeptide Lipid And Prostaglandin E2 Recovery In Pulps And Tooth Apices: Relationship To Pulpal Status, Aniuska Tobin

Master's Theses

Introduction: Apical periodontitis is characterized by inflammation and destruction of the periapical tissues that is primarily caused by polymicrobial infection of the pulp, which is dominated by Gram-negative species. Gram-negative bacteria have different virulence factors, e.g. cell wall endotoxin and serine lipids, which are toxic to the periapical tissues leading to activation of the host immune response and inflammatory reaction. Porphyromonas endodontalis (P.endodontalis), a Gram-negative bacterium, has been shown to populate necrotic root canal systems and may contribute to apical bone loss. Moreover, it is shown to synthesize novel serine dipeptide lipid classes (Lipid 654 and Lipid 430). Lipid 654 …

Influence Of Teeth Preparation And Obturation Material On Endodontically Treated Teeth, Yousef Redhai

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Simulation Model Of An Automatic Commercial Ice Machine, Haithem Murgham, David Myszka, Vijay Bahel, Rajan Rajendran, Kurt Knapke, Suresh Shivashankar, Kyaw Wynn

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Automatic commercial ice-making machines that produce a batch of cube ice at regular intervals are known as “cubers." Such machines are commonly used in food service, food preservation, hotel, and health service industries. The machines are typically rated for the weight of ice produced over a 24-hour period at ambient air temperatures of 90°F and water inlet temperature of 70°F.

These cubers typically utilize an air-cooled, vapor-compression cycle to freeze circulating water flowing over an evaporator grid. Once a sufficient amount ice is formed, a valve switches to enable a harvest mode, where the compressor’s discharge gas is routed into …

People Of The Sun: Leveraging Electricity Reform To Promote Renewable Energy And Climate Change Mitigation In Mexico, Nicholas S. Bryner

Natural Resources Journal

Human activities that impact the Earth’s climate are driven, in large part, by energy consumption. Advancements in technology, infrastructure, and industry have been made possible by the use of fossil fuels. In recent decades, recognition of climate change and its causes has increased, coinciding with other, sector-wide transitions in energy generation and use. The interconnected nature of climate and energy issues calls for legal and regulatory frameworks that are better able to integrate these two concerns—effective broad-scale policy on climate must engage with the complex system for regulating energy, and forward-thinking changes in energy policy must address climate externalities on …

Focus, 2016, Summer, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Nutrinews, Volume 18, July 2016, Department Of Nutrition And Dietetics, University Of North Florida

NutriNews

This issue features Truth about sugar, Man-Made Manipulation, and Nicaraguan Cuisine

Evaluation Of The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Human Papillomavirus-Associated Disease, Anastacia Maria Griego

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted infectious agents. They are responsible for >99% of all cervical cancers as well as subsets of other anogenital cancers. HPVs are also the causative agents of a growing number of head and neck cancers. As such, they present a significant health problem both in the U.S. and developing countries. Much is still unknown regarding the factors underlying progression from HPV infection to cancer or maintenance of viral oncoprotein expression following oncogenic transformation. Previous studies reported significant interplay between the epidermal growth factor (EGFR) pathway and HPV oncoproteins. HPV oncoproteins E5, E6, …

Discover Newsletter 7, Una Newsletter

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Automated Measurement Of Fracture Callus In Radiographs Using Portable Software, Stephen M. Porter, Hannah L. Dailey, Katharine A. Hollar, Karina Klein, James A. Harty, Trevor J. Lujan

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The development of software applications that assist the radiographic evaluation of fracture healing could advance clinical diagnosis and expedite the identification of effective treatment strategies. A radiographic feature regularly used as an outcome measure for basic and clinical fracture healing research is new bone growth, or fracture callus. In this study, we developed OrthoRead, a portable software application that uses image-processing algorithms to detect and measure fracture callus in plain radiographs. OrthoRead utilizes an optimal boundary tracking algorithm to semi-automatically segment the cortical surface, and a novel iterative thresholding selection algorithm to then automatically segment the fracture callus. The software …

Optimizing Conservation Policy: The Importance Of Seasonal Variation In Hunting And Meat Consumption On The Masoala Peninsula Of Madagascar, Cortni Borgerson

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Studying seasonal hunting patterns can be critical for developing sound actions for conservation and public health. As availability of funds to implement conservation policy is limited, it is essential to focus efforts during the most critical times of year. During July 2011-June 2012 I recorded direct observations of hunting of forest mammals, and conducted daily 24-hour recall surveys (2 weeks per month over 11 months: August 2011-June 2012), and interviews of all households in a focal village on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar to investigate (1) what drives seasonal hunting patterns and (2) how seasonal variation in consumption of wildlife …

Can Reproductive Trans Bodies Exist?, Chase Strangio

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Veil Of Anonymity: Preserving Anonymous Sperm Donation While Affording Children Access To Donor-Identifying Information, Aliya Shain

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

Plant Growth Promotion By Bradyrhizobium Japonicum Under Heavy Metal Stress, M. Seneviratne, S. Gunaratne, T. Bandara, L. Weerasundara, Nishanta Rajakaruna, G. Seneviratne, M. Vithanage

Biological Sciences

The increase in usage of heavy metals in different industrial activities causes their existence in effluents. Excessive concentrations of these heavy metals pollute soil and water. Heavy metals cause toxicities and other harmful effects not only in humans and animals but also in plants and soil microorganisms. Heavy metals disrupt many biochemical and physiological activities in bacteria, including growth, development, enzyme and hormone production. Indole acetic acid (IAA) is one of the most important hormones in plants, which is secreted by both bacteria and plants. The present study assessed the effects of Ni, Pb and Cu on the growth of …

Stretching The Boundaries Of Medical Education: A Case Of Medical College Embracing Humanities And Social Sciences In Medical Education, Kulsoom Ghias, Kausar S. Khan, Rukhsana Ali, Shireen Azfar, Rashida Ahmed

Community Health Sciences

Objective:

Aga Khan University, a private medical college, had a vision of producing physicians who are not only scientifically competent, but also socially sensitive, the latter by exposure of medical students to a broad-based curriculum. The objective of this study was to identify the genesis of broad-based education and its integration into the undergraduate medical education program as the Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) course.

Methods:

A qualitative methodology was used for this study. Sources of data included document review and in-depth key informant interviews. Nvivo software was utilized to extract themes.

Results:

The study revealed the process of operationalization …

Development Of Oligo(P-Phenylene Ehynylene)(Ope) Applications Against Chemical And Biological Threats, Suhyun Yoon

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Four new applications of oligo-phenylene ethynylene (OPE) and poly-PE (PPE) compounds for detection and destruction of biological and chemical threats have been investigated. Mixed surfaces composed of PPEs and a thermoswitchable polymer were created, and were shown to be able to capture, kill, and reversibly release pathogenic bacteria. In order to develop fluorescent sensors for CW agents, the spectral changes of OPEs with surfactants and malathion (a simulant for nerve agents) were measured. Formation of OPE-dimers in the presence of surfactants can cause fluorescence enhancement (turn-on) or quenching (turn-off). Among six positive and negative OPEs, only OPEs with ethyl ester …

Phamdb: A Web-Based Application For Building Phamerator Databases, James G. Lamine, Randall J. Dejong, Serita M. Nelesen

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

PhamDB is a web application which creates databases of bacteriophage genes, grouped by gene similarity. It is backwards compatible with the existing Phamerator desktop software while providing an improved database creation workflow. Key features include a graphical user interface, validation of uploaded GenBank files, and abilities to import phages from existing databases, modify existing databases and queue multiple jobs. Availability and implementation: Source code and installation instructions for Linux, Windows and Mac OSX are freely available at https://github.com/jglamine/phage. PhamDB is also distributed as a docker image which can be managed via Kitematic. This docker image contains the application and all …

Title Ix, Sexual Assault, And The Issue Of Effective Consent: Blurred Lines—When Should “Yes” Mean “No”?, Lori E. Shaw

School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article is intended to set the process in motion by providing the DOE and the educational institutions governed by Title IX with a proposed standard for “effective consent.” Part I provides an overview of the realities of campus life in the 2010s, delving into the root causes of sexual assault and other forms of unwanted sexual contact. Sexual hookups and binge drinking, two aspects of campus life inextricably linked to one another and to unwanted sexual contact, are explored in depth.

Part II presents an overview of the traditional role, structures, and processes of the student-conduct system. It then …

An Overview Of Quality Programs That Support Transition-Aged Youth, Christopher Kalinyak, Faye Gary, Cheryl Killion, Jane Suresky

Journal of Youth Development

This article provides a concise overview of several programs that deliver services to transition-aged youth, ages 14–29. Included are family support, the Assisting Unaccompanied Children and Youth program, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration services, the wraparound approach, intensive home-based treatment, multisystemic therapy, foster care, independent living, mentoring, the Steps to Success program, the Jump on Board for Success program, the Options program, the Positive Action program, the Transition to Success model, and the Transition to Independence Program. Primary focus is placed upon the usefulness of each of the programs in facilitating successful outcomes for transition-aged youth.

Anthropocene Agricultural Law, James Ming Chen

Texas A&M Law Review

This Essay takes stock of humanity’s arguably illusory victory over its old Malthusian foe. Having staved off imminent starvation, wealthy consumers in the United States and other developed nations are now free to focus their legal and political energy on the expressive aspects of food. Such bagatelles come at the price of ignoring deeper threats to the ecological and economic underpinnings of agricultural production. Had we world enough and time, food as ornament would be no crime. The onset of the Anthropocene, however, demands more serious attention to older, more venerable sources of concern. Resource exhaustion and evolutionary biology remain …

Computer-Aided Quantitative Early Diagnosis Of Diabetic Foot, Viktor Chekh

Computer Science ETDs

Diabetes is an incurable metabolic disease characterized by high blood sugar levels. The feet of people with diabetes are at the risk of a variety of pathological consequences including peripheral vascular disease, deformity, ulceration, and ultimately amputation. The key to managing the diabetic foot is prevention and early detection. Unfortunately, current hospital centered reactive diabetes care and the availability of inadequate qualitative diagnostic screening procedures causes physicians to miss the diagnosis in 61% of the patients. We have developed a computer aided diagnostic system for early detection of diabetic foot. The key idea is that diabetic foot exhibits significant neuropathic …

An Evaluation Of P-Phenylene Ethynylenes And Their Interactions With Pathogenic Microbes, Harry Pappas

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Antibiotics are critical to the welfare of humans domestically and abroad, and their importance cannot be overlooked. However, over the past century, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi has warranted the investigation of alternative antimicrobials and decontamination strategies. Recently, a new class of antimicrobial has come into view and appears to offer promise in our ongoing defense against pathogenic microbes. These compounds, known as p-phenylene ethynylenes, fundamentally differ from traditional antibiotics in that they are "light-activated" and deal broad-spectrum damage in a detergent-like manner. Despite the promise of these compounds, there was up until recently good reason to believe …

Reclaiming The Land: Indigenous Articulations Of Environmentalism At Bears Ears, Caroline K. Goodman

American Studies ETDs

This thesis explores how an inter-tribal coalition in Southern Utah is strategically mobilizing environmental ethics in order to guarantee access to tribal homelands. Facing serious threat from Anglo communities in Utah who use race and religion to produce themselves as the authentic local population, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition forges new kinds of alliances with environmental groups and appropriates conservation and preservation ethics in order to reclaim the land. Indigenous articulations of environmentalism at Bears Ears disrupt the colonial temporal and spatial logics that undergird dominant American imaginaries of wilderness and antiquity, reattaching Native peoples to the land by centering …

Memoir Of A Bear Clan Woman's Educational Journey, Angelina Frances Medina

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This study utilizes memoir, a qualitative research method, to tell how a Pueblo teacher's Pueblo cultural interactions with her students led to positive classroom behavior and achievement. It describes three diverse and separate sets my life experiences, in thematic chapters, that took place. I describe my Pueblo traditional upbringing and interactions with family and community wherein I spoke only the Keres language. Then, I describe my first encounter with White people who introduced me to the foreign language of English and another world, through comic books and a Hershey bar. I was introduced into American schooling where negative experiences with …

Potential Impacts Of Wildfires In The Rio Grande Watershed: Probability Of Occurrence Of Future Fire Events In The Risk Area Of El Rito Watershed, Zakia Afrin

Architecture and Planning ETDs

The main goals of this paper were to improve the understanding of the hydro-geomorphic effects of wildfires in the Rio Grande headwaters and identify the El Rito watershed as a fire prone risk area. To achieve the goals the researcher has conducted an extensive literature review about the impacts of wildfires in the Rio Grande watershed and built a system dynamic (SD) model to project the risk of fire occurrences in the El Rito watershed. The Powersim tool was used to simulate the probability of fire occurrence in the study area from 1970 to 2050 following the logit regression equation …