Digital Commons Network^™

Testosterone And Progesterone Concentrations In Blow Samples Are Biologically Relevant In Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas), Justin Thomas Richard, Todd R. Robeck, Steven D. Osborn, Lisa Naples, Alexa Mcdermott, Robert G. Laforge, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Psychology Faculty Publications

Steroid hormone analysis in blow (respiratory vapor) may provide a minimally invasive way to assess the reproductive status of wild cetaceans. Biological validation of the method is needed to allow for the interpretation of hormone measurements in blow samples. Utilizing samples collected from trained belugas (Delphinapterus leucas, n = 20), enzyme immunoassays for testosterone and progesterone were validated for use with beluga blow samples. Testosterone concentrations in 40 matched blood and blow samples collected from 4 male belugas demonstrated a positive correlation (R² = 0.52, p < 0.0001). Progesterone concentrations in 64 matching blood and blow samples from 11 females were also positively correlated (R² = 0.60, p < 0.0001). Testosterone concentrations (mean ± SD) in blow samples collected from adult males (119.3 ± 14.2 pg/ml) were higher (p < 0.01) than that of a juvenile male (< 8 years) (59.4 ± 6.5 pg/ml) or female belugas (54.1 ± 25.7 pg/ml). Among adult males, testosterone concentrations in blow demonstrated a seasonal pattern of secretion, with peak secretion occurring during the breeding season (February–April, 136.95 ± 33.8 pg/ml). Progesterone concentrations in blow varied by reproductive status; pregnant females (410.6 ± 87.8 pg/ml) and females in the luteal phase of the estrous cycle (339.5 ± 51.0 pg/ml) had higher (p < 0.0001) blow progesterone concentrations than non-pregnant females without a corpus luteum (242.5 ± 27.3 pg/ml). Results indicate that blow sample analysis can be used to detect variation in reproductive states associated with large differences in circulating testosterone or progesterone in belugas.

Imatter: Teaching About Puberty, Gender, And Fairness, Nicole Haberland, Debbie Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council created iMatter as an integrated approach to teach younger adolescents about gender, puberty, and fairness. The iMatter Curriculum includes: an 8-session curriculum and puberty booklets ("Theo and Leo Learn about Puberty" explains male puberty; "Lia and Nia Learn about Puberty" explains female puberty).

Scroll down to access the puberty booklets in English and Spanish.

Reliable Estimation Of Minimum Embedding Dimension Through Statistical Analysis Of Nearest Neighbors, David Chelidze

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

False nearest neighbors (FNN) is one of the essential methods used in estimating the minimally sufficient embedding dimension in delay-coordinate embedding of deterministic time series. Its use for stochastic and noisy deterministic time series is problematic and erroneously indicates a finite embedding dimension. Various modifications to the original method have been proposed to mitigate this problem, but those are still not reliable for noisy time series. Here, nearest-neighbor statistics are studied for uncorrelated random time series and contrasted with the corresponding deterministic and stochastic statistics. New composite FNN metrics are constructed and their performance is evaluated for deterministic, correlates stochastic, …

Faculty Senate Librarian's Report 2017 Combined, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Senate: Librarian's Reports

No abstract provided.

Pdms Flow Cell For Monitoring Bacterial Adhesion Capacity Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Beverages, Assem Abolmaaty, D.M.L. Meyer

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Aims: To develop and standardize a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flow cells for monitoring bacterial adhesion capacity of biofilm formation by Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Beverages industry.

Study Design: PDMS chip was fabricated in house and placed in a metal chamber. The bio-Ferrograph generated different flow rates of bacterial cell suspension in the PDMS cells.

Methodology: PDMS flow cells were used to monitor bacteria adhesion capacity of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated into some beverages. The Effect of fluid flow rate and temperature on bacteria adhesion capacity was studied in order to standardize the system. Buffer system of adhesion was …

Myofibrils In Cardiomyocytes Tend To Assemble Along The Maximal Principle Stress Directions, Hongyan Yuan, Bahador Marzban, Kevin Kit Parker

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The mechanisms underlying the spatial organization of self-assembled myofibrils in cardiac tissues remain incompletely understood. By modeling cells as elastic solids under active cytoskeletal contraction, we found a good correlation between the predicted maximal principal stress directions and the in vitro myofibril orientations in individual cardiomyocytes. This implies that actomyosin fibers tend to assemble along the maximal tensile stress (MTS) directions. By considering the dynamics of focal adhesion and myofibril formation in the model, we showed that different patterns of myofibril organizations in mature versus immature cardiomyocytes can be explained as the consequence of the different levels of force-dependent remodeling …

2017 Georgia Southern University Football Coaches And Staff, Georgia Southern University

Men's Football Records

• 2017 Coaches and Staff

No-Analogue Future: Challenges For The World Of Nature In A World Without Precedent, Sean Kammer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Chinese Inheritance, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

The cultural values of a society are often discernible in its laws of succession and intestacy. These laws govern the distribution of a decedent's estate when there is no estate plan in place. Intestacy schemes typically reflect basic societal values. Yet, perhaps remarkably, the laws of intestacy bear consistency across various countries, continents, and cultures, rewarding the closest surviving family members. Upon closer examination, unique characteristics also emerge. The most startling characteristic of Chinese inheritance law is its willingness to invoke judicial review of an heir's conduct in settling upon distribution percentages to govern intestacy. American succession law also considers …

Wall Tension Regulates The Abundance Of Mir-133a In The Thoracic Aorta, Adam William Akerman

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

A reduction in microRNA (miR)-133a is associated with dilation of the thoracic aorta (TA). Since wall tension increases with vessel diameter, this study tested the hypothesis that elevated mechanical tension induces the loss of miR-133a in the TA. Elevated tension (1.5g, 3hrs) applied to murine TA ex vivo reduced miR-133a (0.31±0.17 vs 1.00±0.25 fold; p<0.05 vs normotension (0.7g)). Cyclic stretch (12%, 1Hz, 3hrs) reduced miR-133a in TA fibroblasts (0.21±0.02 vs 1.00±0.27 fold; p<0.05 vs static control), with no change in smooth muscle cells. Neither transcription of miR-133a nor mRNA/protein levels of three microRNA-specific exoribonucleases were altered with stretching of the fibroblasts. However, stretch induced exosome secretion of miR-133a. Two in vivo models of hypertension were utilized to determine the effect of elevated wall tension on miR-133a in the TA: Angiotensin-II infusion (1.44mg/kg/day, 28 days) and a spontaneous hypertensive mouse line (BPH2). In both models, blood pressures were elevated and miR-133a was decreased in the TA compared to normotensive mice (0.69±0.06 and 0.52±0.04 vs 1.00±0.13 fold respectively; p<0.05 for both). Plasma miR-133a was elevated in the BPH2 mice (3.39±0.77 vs 1.00±0.41 fold; p<0.05 vs normotensive). Plasma miR-133a was also elevated in hypertensive human subjects (1.55±0.26 vs 1.00±0.18 fold, p<0.05 vs normotensive). These findings demonstrate that the reduction in miR-133a levels that occurred with increased mechanical stretch of the TA was likely driven by exosome secretion from TA fibroblasts, and may provide a novel target for detrimental remodeling of the vasculature in the setting of hypertension.

Shinygpa: An Interactive And Dynamic Visualization Toolkit For The Exploratory Analysis Of Genetic Studies, Emma Kortemeier

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

As of this year, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 20,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with at least one disease or trait. Such achievements have provided various clinical and medical benefits with novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recently, there has been accumulating evidence suggesting that different complex traits share common risk basis, a phenomenon known as pleiotropy. For example, 17% of genes reported in the GWAS Catalog are associated with more than one phenotype. Thus, a better understanding of pleiotropy can potentially be clinically beneficial as it may facilitate understanding of the common etiology of diseases and help …

Development Of Class I And Sub-Class I Selective Inhibitors Of Lysine Deacylases: Implications For Inflammation And Hematologic Malignancies, Jesse Jordan Mcclure

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The acetylation status of lysine residues on histone proteins has long been attributed to a balance struck between the catalytic activity of Histone Acetyl Transferases and Histone Deacetylases (HDAC). HDACs were identified as the sole removers of acetyl post-translational modifications (PTM) of histone lysine residues. Studies into the biological role of HDACs have also elucidated their role as removers of acetyl PTMs from lysine residues of non-histone proteins. These findings, coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry studies that revealed the presence of acyl-group PTMs on lysine residues of non-histone proteins, brought forth the possibility of HDACs acting as removers of both …

Extraversion, Empathy, And Humor Style: An Investigation Of The Introverted Sense Of Humor, Phillip Jauregui

CMC Senior Theses

The present study assesses the effects of extraversion, empathy, and humor style on humor score, while specifically focusing on the introverted sense of humor. 129 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk took a survey consisting of the extraversion subscale of the Ten Item Short Version of the Big Five Inventory, the Humor Styles Questionnaire, and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The study supported previous findings in which extraversion positively relates to humor such that extraverts reported a greater usage of humor than did introverts. More specifically, both extraverts and introverts use adaptive humor styles (i.e. affiliative and self-enhancing humor) more than …

Using Natural Language Processing And Machine Learning Techniques To Characterize Configuration Bug Reports: A Study, Wei Wen

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

In this study, a tool is developed that achieves two purposes: (1) given bug reports, it identifies configuration bug reports from non-configuration bug reports; (2) once a bug report is identified to be a configuration bug report, the tool finds out what specific configuration option the bug report is associated.

This study starts with a review of related works that used machine learning tools to solve software bug and bug report related issues. It then discusses the natural language processing and machine learning techniques. Afterwards, the development process of the proposed tool is described in detail, including the motivation, the …

Contributions To Edge Computing, Vernon K. Bumgardner

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Efforts related to Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Machine to Machine (M2M) technologies, Industrial Internet, and Smart Cities aim to improve society through the coordination of distributed devices and analysis of resulting data. By the year 2020 there will be an estimated 50 billion network connected devices globally and 43 trillion gigabytes of electronic data. Current practices of moving data directly from end-devices to remote and potentially distant cloud computing services will not be sufficient to manage future device and data growth.

Edge Computing is the migration of computational functionality to sources of data generation. The importance of …

Mammogram And Tomosynthesis Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Xiaofei Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Mammography is the most widely used method of screening for breast cancer. Traditional mammography produces two-dimensional X-ray images, while advanced tomosynthesis mammography produces reconstructed three-dimensional images. Due to high variability in tumor size and shape, and the low signal-to-noise ratio inherent to mammography, manual classification yields a significant number of false positives, thereby contributing to an unnecessarily large number of biopsies performed to reduce the risk of misdiagnosis. Achieving high diagnostic accuracy requires expertise acquired over many years of experience as a radiologist.

The convolutional neural network (CNN) is a popular deep-learning construct used in image classification. The convolutional process …

Modeling Faceted Browsing With Category Theory For Reuse And Interoperability, Daniel R. Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Faceted browsing (also called faceted search or faceted navigation) is an exploratory search model where facets assist in the interactive navigation of search results. Facets are attributes that have been assigned to describe resources being explored; a faceted taxonomy is a collection of facets provided by the interface and is often organized as sets, hierarchies, or graphs. Faceted browsing has become ubiquitous with modern digital libraries and online search engines, yet the process is still difficult to abstractly model in a manner that supports the development of interoperable and reusable interfaces. We propose category theory as a theoretical foundation for …

Computational All Atom Energy Density Landscape Mappings Of Intra-Protein Interactions From Static And Dynamic Ensemble Structure Data, Oscar H. Bastidas

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the energetic and dynamic behavior of natural protein fluctuations is critical to elucidating important information associated with a multitude of protein functions including signaling processes, enzyme behavior, aggregation pathways etc... This information is also critically important in the development of novel and effective strategies aimed at target proteins associated with pathologies and disease. In order to obtain such useful information, tools and techniques are lacking that: 1) permit the efficient quantitative analysis of fluctuation behavior of existing protein structure ensembles and 2) permit computationally generated natural fluctuation states of proteins at relatively large timescales demanded by the need for …

Studying The Drug Delivery Kinetics Of A Nanoporous Matrix Using A Mip-Based Thermal Sensing Platform, Christopher J. Pawley, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, Kaelin S. Foley, Sarah Lentink

Articles

The implementation of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) into sensing systems has been demonstrated abundantly over the past few decades. In this article, a novel application for an MIP-based thermal sensing platform is introduced by using the sensor to characterize the drug release kinetics of a nanoporous silver-organic framework. This Ag nanoporous matrix was loaded with acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) which was used as a model drug compound in this study. The drug elution properties were studied by placing the nanoporous matrix in phosphate buffered saline solution for two days and measuring the drug concentration at regular time intervals. To this extent, …

An Ionic Liquid Based Sensor For Diclofenac Determination In Water, Emma Brennan, Pauline Futvoie, John Cassidy, Benjamin Schazmann

Articles

This paper details a miniaturised, solid state ion-selective electrode selective for diclofenac. The sensor comprises a novel ionic liquid electroactive material – an imidazolium–diclofenac ion associate. The ion associate is present in a plasticised poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane on planar carbon electrodes, with an intermediate poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) layer. The sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor were determined using chronopotentiometric methods. In response to diclofenac, a slope of −53.3 ± 3.6 mV/dec was observed. A limit of detection of 2.90 × 10−3 g L−1 is reported, with a linear range of 3.18 × 10−3 g L−1 to 3.18 g L−1. …

"I Play Golf With My Kids, Not My Colleagues": Politicians, Parenting, And Unpaid Work As A Choice?, Cheryl Najarian Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Through in-depth interviews with thirty women and men politicians, this paper investigates their unpaid work as parents and their paid work. Using Goffman’s (1959) concepts of “front stage” and “back stage” performances, the author argues that the women and men developed strategies to do this work. Decisions about whether or not to run for their first job in politics were gendered. Another finding was that the experiences of their families and the making of public policies were gendered. The women organized their “village” while the men saw their fathering roles in terms of scheduling dad time. Finally, there were differences …

Comparative Liquid Chromatographic Study For Concurrent Determination Of Canagliflozin And Metformin In Combined Tablets, Wafaa A. Zaghary, Shereen Mowaka, Moataz S. Hendy

Pharmacy

© Copyright 2017 Wafaa A. Zaghary et al. New HPLC-UV method (method A), for simultaneous determination of metformin (MET) and canagliflozin (CANA), was developed and compared to another novel UPLC-UV method (method B) in their tablet combination. Concerning method A, isocratic separation was done by C18 column (100mm × 2.1 mm, 3 μm) using methanol and 0.03M phosphate buffer (75: 25, V/V) at pH 3.2 as a mobile phase. Meanwhile, chromatographic separation in method B was achieved via Hypersil® gold (50mm × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm). Mobile phase was methanol and 0.03M phosphate buffer at ratio of 80: 20 V/V. …

Precision Control Of Flow Rate In Microfluidic Channels Using Photoresponsive Soft Polymer Actuators, Colm Delaney, Peter Mccluskey, Simon Coleman, Jeffrey Whyte, Nigel Kent, Dermot Diamond

Articles

A novel approach that allows control of flow in microfluidic channels with unsurpassed performance using light is described. Valve structures have been created using photoresponsive hydrogels based on spiropyran-functionalised pNIPAAm hydrogels photopolymerised around pillar structures within the channels. Valve actuation is controlled from outside the fluidic system using externally located LEDs. Highly precise and accurate flow rates can be selected by passing real-time flow rate measurements into a PID algorithm. The optimised algorithm also minimises overshoot of the selected flow rate, eliminates flow rate drift, and improves the system response time. In addition to the dramatic improvements in flow rate …

Caveat Emptor: How The Intersection Of Big Data And Consumer Genomics Exponentially Increases Information Privacy Risks, Katherine Drabiak

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Our genomic sequence constitutes the most sensitive and personal of information: uniquely identifying us, revealing our propensity to develop certain diseases and conditions, and exposing familial connections of close genetic relatives. Big Data enables consumer-genomics companies to collect, store, and electronically share genomic-sequence data in conjunction with numerous pieces of private health and personal information.

Reproductive Selection Bias, Lauren R. Roth

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Decades after the advent of assisted reproductive technology ("ART") that allows prospective parents to deselect embryos with grave genetic illnesses—a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis ("PGD")— it remains a tool largely of upper-class whites. I argue that the time has come to focus on closing the access gap in this area of reproductive rights in spite of the current political climate. If reproductive liberty is tied to equality through access to medical procedures, scholars must finally answer the question of what equality requires in a system that permits the use of ARTs. This Article shows how the current system of …

The Prescription For Rising Drug Prices: Competition Or Price Controls?, Joanna Shepherd

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

The article focuses on the implementing of reforms aimed at promoting competition or prohibiting anticompetitive practices in rising drug prices in the U.S.

Weapons Of Mass Hysteria, Faulty Biothreat Predictions, And Their Impact On National (In)Security: A Case-Study Of Smallpox, Barbara Pfeffer Billauer

Health Matrix: The Journal of Law-Medicine

Biothreat projections for pandemic and bioterrorist planning are generated by a straight-forward computational system, rather than scientific evidence.

Suitability Of Various Chromatographic And Spectroscopic Techniques For Analysis And Kinetic Degradation Study Of Trelagliptin, Wafaa A. Zaghary, Shereen Mowaka, Mostafa A. Hassan, Bassam M. Ayoub

Pharmacy

© The Author(s) 2017. Multifaceted comparative analytical methods for trelagliptin (TRL) were investigated, applied to ZAFATEK tablets and HPLC-UV was selected for a degradation kinetic study. UPLC-MS/MS (Method I), UPLC-UV (Method II), HPLC-UV (Method III), UHPLC-UV (Method IV) and direct UV (Method V) methods were developed. Methods (I-V) showed satisfactory results using TRL concentration ranges of 50–800 ng/mL, 2.5–80 μg/mL, 5–100 μg/mL, 5–100 μg/mL and 5–50 μg/mL, respectively. Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) of the transition pairs of m/z 358.176 to 134.127 for TRL and m/z 340.18 to 116.08 for alogliptin (IS) were employed utilizing positive mode Electrospray Ionization (ESI). The …

The Update, January-April 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts And Sciences.

Update

In this issue

-- CHAS Briefs
-- Alumni Spotlight - Mason Greer
-- Student Spotlight - Lucas Beving
-- Alumni Spotlight - Caleb Vander Wiel
-- Student Spotlight - Micayla Dawson
-- Department of Art Hearst Lecture Series
-- Communication Studies Digital Media Program
-- Computer Science National Cyber Defense Competition
-- Earth and Environmental Sciences Geo-Service Project
-- Faculty Spotlight Kyle Gray
-- Faculty Spotlight Suzanne Dripps Communication Sciences
-- Calendar of Events April - May

Assessing The Quantity And Downstream Performance Of Dna Isolated From Beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) Blow Samples, Justin Thomas Richard, Krystle Schultz, Caroline Goertz, Rod Hobbs, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Blow (exhale) sampling in cetaceans may provide a minimally invasive alternative to biopsy sampling for genetic analyses that may be favored in vulnerable populations. However, the utility of single-exhale blow samples has not been evaluated, and the relationship between the number of exhales collected and DNA yield and its subsequent performance during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is unknown. DNA was extracted from 98 blow samples collected from 11 aquarium- housed and 29 wild belugas in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Blow samples consisted of one, two, or four successive exhales, with at least nine samples per type from both aquarium-housed and wild …