Digital Commons Network^™

Reflecting Back On The Ebola Outbreak And The Future Of Bioterrorism, Christian Pedersen

Pepperdine Policy Review

In the wake of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, policy makers have focused on the public health components which led to the outbreak, the efforts to control it, and mitigate the impact of the outbreak. Some of the most enlightening aspects of the outbreak, pertain to National Security. The crisis demonstrated some crucial challenges the United States would have to plan for to effectively respond to a bioterrorist attack.

Does Fathers' Involvement In Services Affect Mothers' Likelihood Of Reunification With Children Placed In Foster Care?, Amy D'Andrade

Faculty Publications

Social science literature shows associations between fathers' involvement with their children and beneficial developmental outcomes of those children. A related but smaller body of research in the child welfare services arena has found measures of father involvement to be positively associated with beneficial child welfare outcomes, including child's reunification with parent after placement in foster care. However, the pathway by which father involvement affects reunification likelihood has not been determined. This study builds on the existing body of literature by testing a theoretical basis for the relationship between father involvement (measured as service use) and mothers' reunification in a model …

Photoprotective Responses In A Brown Macroalgae Cystoseira Tamariscifolia To Increases In Co2 And Temperature., Paula S.M. Celis-Plá, Brezo Martínez, Nathalie Korbee, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Félix L. Figueroa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Global warming and ocean acidification are increasingly affecting coastal ecosystems, with impacts that vary regionally depending upon local biogeography. Ocean acidification drives shifts in seaweed community dominance that depend on interactions with other factors such as light and nutrients. In this study, we investigated the photophysiological responses in the brown macroalgae species Cystoseira tamariscifolia (Hudson) Papenfuss with important structural role in the coastal Mediterranean communities. These algae were collected in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park in ultraoligotrophic waters (algae exposed under high irradiance and less nutrient conditions) vs. those collected in the La Araña beach in oligotrophic waters (algae …

An Analysis Of The Application Of Simplified Silhouette To The Evaluation Of K-Means Clustering Validity, Fei Wang, Hector-Hugo Franco-Penya, John D. Kelleher, John Pugh, Robert J. Ross

Conference papers

Silhouette is one of the most popular and effective internal measures for the evaluation of clustering validity. Simplified Silhouette is a computationally simplified version of Silhouette. However, to date Simplified Silhouette has not been systematically analysed in a specific clustering algorithm. This paper analyses the application of Simplified Silhouette to the evaluation of k-means clustering validity and compares it with the k-means Cost Function and the original Silhouette from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The theoretical analysis shows that Simplified Silhouette has a mathematical relationship with both the k-means Cost Function and the original Silhouette, while empirically, we show that …

Stereotype Threat And Effects Of Students' Perception Of Their Math Teacher's Fairness On Their Math Self-Efficacy, Alexis Jocelyn Devigal

Dissertations and Theses

Gender inequalities perpetuated by educational and occupational segregation may be exacerbated in part by socialization processes that occur in the years leading up to when high school students typically begin considering postsecondary options. Students’ feelings of self-efficacy in certain subjects can be an important factor that informs their decisions to pursue coursework and programs. This study used stereotype theory to understand how students' perceptions of their 9th grade math teacher's fairness affected their 11th grade math efficacy and how this relationship was moderated by the gender of the student and their math teacher. Using the High School Longitudinal Study of …

Autonomous Vehicle Decision-Making: Should We Be Bio-Inspired?, Cm Harris

School of Psychology

© Springer International Publishing AG 2017. On our crowded roads, drivers must compete for space but cooperate to avoid occupying the same space at the same time. Decision-making is strategic and requires mutual understanding of other’s choices. Fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) will need risk management software to make these types strategic decisions without human arbitration. Accidents will occur, and what constitutes rational and ‘safe’ decisions will be scrutinized by the legal system. It is far from clear how AV-Human and AV-AV interactions should be managed. Game Theory provides a framework for analyzing mutual ‘games’ with 2 or more players. It …

An Essential Role For The Tumor Suppressor Merlin In Regulating Fatty Acid Synthesis., Dina S. Stepanova, Galina Semenova, Yin Ming Kuo, Andrew J. Andrews, Sylwia Ammoun, C. Oliver Hanemann, Jonathan Chernoff

Peninsula Medical School

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of multiple tumors in the central nervous system, most notably schwannomas and meningiomas. Mutational inactivation of the NF2 gene encoding the protein Merlin is found in most sporadic and inherited schwannomas, but the molecular mechanisms underlying neoplastic changes in schwannoma cells remain unclear. We report here that NF2-deficient cells display elevated expression levels of key enzymes involved in lipogenesis and that this upregulation is caused by increased activity of Torc1. Inhibition or knockdown of fatty acid synthase (FASN), the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of palmitic acid …

Behavior And Other Minds: A Response To Functionalists, Michael Lockhart

Episteme

Functionalism’s metaphysics is wrongly thought to answer the epistemological question of the existence of the other’s mentality. Contra Elliot Reed, the practical utility of being able to solve the problem of other minds does not make functionalism the best theory of mind, nor does it actually solve the problem of other minds. Reed’s circular argument implicitly relies on abstract behaviorism and the need to solve the problem of other minds. What must come first, however, is a correct ontology of the mind. Functionalism struggles with intentionality, disregards qualia, and, according to Searle’s excellent thought experiments, is incompatible with what we …

What Is 'Natural' About Natural Science: Philosophical Naturalism In The Evolution Debate, Hya P. Winham

Episteme

Creationist Phillip E. Johnson argues that evolution theory is a product of a bias toward naturalistic explanation—a materialist philosophical ideology that encroaches on empirical science. This position even got some support from philosopher Michael Ruse. But the fact is science must include a base level of presupposition; the creationist, while supplying her own, mistakenly thinks that science can operate without such an explanatory guide. This paper defends naturalism in science, thereby rejecting the concerns and arguments of neo-creationists. In this effort, the author argues why naturalism is important to science, uses Dewey to explain why anti-naturalism leads to careless science, …

Causality, Emergentism, And Mentality, Robert Hemm Jr.

Episteme

The author here combines the insights of John Dupré and Jaeqwon Kim to supply a new answer to the big conundrum in the philosophy of mind: the mind/body problem. He begins with an overview of Dupré’s take on the classic modern take of causality and determinism, concluding that if Dupré is right and probabilistic catastrophism is true, this theory of probability has important consequences for the mind/body problem. Specifically, probabilistic catastrophism can address the question forced by Kim’s emergentism: how do irreducible mental properties interact with the closed causal nexus of the physical world? The paper concludes by considering what …

Histone Modification Chip-Seq Algorithm Engineering And High Performance Bioinformatics Graphics And Analysis Software For Computational Epigenetics, Bohdan Bohdanovich Khomtchouk

Open Access Dissertations

Novel algorithm design, implementation, and optimization in histone modification ChIP-seq analysis of broad chromatin mark data is the subject of part I of this dissertation, focusing on data-driven precision medicine computational strategies for mapping ChIP-seq peaks to genomic features (and biological function) as well as coverage island analysis of low-sample size ChIP-seq experiments within individual biological replicates. Part II of this dissertation focuses on novel algorithm design, implementation, and analysis of high performance visualization techniques for histone modification ChIP-seq data using static and interactive biological gene expression heatmaps.

Apoptosis And Atherosclerosis: From Modeling Sudden Cardiac Death To Bioluminescence-Based Detection Of Programmed Cell Death, Trajen Rex Head

Open Access Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality globally, responsible for over 17.3 million deaths annually (~31% of all deaths). Over the next decade, this value is projected to increase, surpassing 23.6 million annual deaths by 2030. The vast majority of these deaths are caused by complications resulting from progressive thickening of the arterial wall, and the formation and growth of arterial plaques within the vessel lumen. Subsequent plaque rupture may potentially lead to blood clot (thrombus) formation. The combined effect of these processes is the reduction of vessel diameter (stenosis) and subsequent reduction in blood flow (ischemia), while …

The Design Of Giardia And The Genesis Of Giardiasis, Alan L. Gillen, Frank Sherwin

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Giardia is a genus of protozoa discovered in 1681. Six morphologically distinct species are recognized. It mainly attaches in the upper GI tract of a wide variety of vertebrates (including zebrafish), often with beaver and muskrat as reservoirs/carriers but exhibiting minimal—if any—disease in some animals. Giardia is usually non-pathogenic in the human population, even in children if exposed early in life. Although Giardia can be pathogenic, some strains colonize the gut with no malady. This parasite is not invasive and only serious infections depress the small intestine. Giardia are pear-shaped, have an adhesive disc for attaching to enterocyte cells in …

Working On The Wayne | Nuisance Wildlife Aren't Really A Nuisance, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Review: New Frontiers In Metabolomics: From Measurement To Insight, Eli Riekeberg, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Metabolomics is the newest addition to the “omics” disciplines and has shown rapid growth in its application to human health research because of fundamental advancements in measurement and analysis techniques. Metabolomics has unique and proven advantages in systems biology and biomarker discovery. The next generation of analysis techniques promises even richer and more complete analysis capabilities that will enable earlier clinical diagnosis, drug refinement, and personalized medicine. A review of current advancements in methodologies and statistical analysis that are enhancing and improving the performance of metabolomics is presented along with highlights of some recent successful applications.

Age Appropriate Treatment Of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis In South Africa, Brittney Jayne Sullivan

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the time from DR-TB diagnosis to treatment initiation for people in South Africa with DR-TB with and without HIV and to evaluate the influence of age on the timing of treatment initiation after controlling for patient and health system characteristics. It was hypothesized that younger patients would have a greater number of days from DR-TB diagnosis to DR-TB treatment initiation. Additionally, we address the knowledge gaps pertaining to prescription of guideline-based treatment for DR-TB at treatment initiation and the influence of individual and health system factors on prescribed treatment for youth and …

The Biannual Cycle And Reproductive Morphology Of The Yellow Stingray, Urobatis Jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1817), With A Comparative Analysis From Batoid Reproductive Literature, Daniel P. Fahy

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis (Cuvier, 1816) is the most common elasmobranch encountered in the coastal waters of Southeast Florida. The objectives of the present research were to characterize the reproductive biology of a stable population distributed near the northern extent of the species range. Morphological analyses were conducted to determine the seasonal variation of macroscopic and microscopic development and structural organization of reproductive organs of male and female rays (excluding ovarian histology) during all stages of reproduction. This is the first study to document a seasonal biannual cycle for any elasmobranch, as well as, sexual synchrony with a …

Retrospective Analysis To Describe Associations Between Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibitors And Copd-Related Hospitalizations, Neil A. Accortt, James B. Chung, Machaon Bonafede, Brendan L. Limone, David M. Mannino

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Limited information exists on the impact of tumor necrosis factor inhibition on COPD exacerbations. This retrospective study characterized this impact among COPD patients with underlying autoimmune conditions, exposed to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and/or non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Patients and methods: Adult COPD patients with ≥1 diagnosis for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) before or within 6 months following the index COPD diagnosis were identified from the Truven Health MarketScan^® databases. Patients were required to have a second claim for RA, PsO, PsA, AS, or DMARD use (biologic or …

Toxic Stress And Protective Factors In Multiethnic School-Age Children, Eileen M. Condon

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: Exposure to stress in early childhood is associated with poor health and developmental outcomes that extend across the lifespan (McEwen, 2008a). To explain this link, researchers have proposed a conceptual taxonomy consisting of three types of stress response in early childhood: positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress (Shonkoff et al., 2012). The most potent stress response, toxic stress, results from exposure to chronic stressors such as poverty, violence, or parental mental illness. Without the protection of a nurturing caregiver, this exposure can result in persistent elevation of the child"s stress response system, and in turn impair brain development …

The Effects Of Music On Anxiety Of Hospitalized Psychiatry Patients, Chyn-Yng Yang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Music could be used as a non-invasive therapeutic tool to relieve the anxiety of patient. But less study is designed to compare the role of music therapy on the level of anxiety in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of music relaxation therapy in reducing anxiety in hospitalized psychiatric patients.

Leadership Insights Of Senior Nurse Executives, Robie Victoria Hughes

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics, behaviors, and context for top performing nurse executive leaders.

Methods: A qualitative study of 8 senior ranking, retired United States military nurse executives was approved by the institutional IRB to conduct semi-structured interviews utilizing the historical narrative method. A modified "Life History Questionnaire: Nurses", developed by Dr. Lucinda McCray was utilized to guide the semi-structures interviews. All interviews were conducted within an eight-month time period. The interviews were audio recorded, and then transcribed verbatim. The transcribed data was examined both in historical context and narrative themes using DiCicco-Bloom and Crabtree"s …

Public-Non-Profit-Academic Partnerships: Reproductive Health Research In Togo Case Study, Helen Frances Baker, Natasha M. Lerner

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: Collaboration and partnership is often promoted as a best practice, but rarely is it effectively implemented to mutually benefit the parties, fulfill true needs, and forge a partnership rather than a division of work. Roadblocks to successful collaboration often include: needs that do not align, organizations' reputations needing full credit, and too short of time frames (Biermann, Eckhardt, Carlfjord, Falk, & Forsberg, 2016). A systematic review of research institution and non-governmental organization (NGO) partnerships found that the success and sustainability of these collaborations require trust, transparency, respect, and mutuality (Olivier, Hunt, & Ridde, 2016). We wanted to highlight our …

Key Landscape And Biotic Indicators Of Watersheds Sensitivity To Forest Disturbance Identified Using Remote Sensing And Historical Hydrography Data, Buma, Ben Livneh

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Water is one of the most critical resources derived from natural systems. While it has long been recognized that forest disturbances like fire influence watershed streamflow characteristics, individual studies have reported conflicting results with some showing streamflow increases postdisturbance and others decreases, while other watersheds are insensitive to even large disturbance events. Characterizing the differences between sensitive (e.g. where streamflow does change postdisturbance) and insensitive watersheds is crucial to anticipating response to future disturbance events. Here, we report on an analysis of a national-scale, gaged watershed database together with high-resolution forest mortality imagery. A simple watershed response model was developed …

Nurses Crossing Disciplines And Borders: A Participatory Research Approach To Global Water Challenges, Vicki L. Simpson

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to: 1) describe an ongoing project to provide access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene for rural, underserved areas of the Dominican Republic, and 2) delineate the contributions/roles of nurses as part of a cross-disciplinary team in addressing complex global challenges. According to the United Nations (UN), 1.8 billion people globally use water contaminated by fecal matter while 2.4 billion lack access to basic sanitation services. Additionally, issues related to unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene are major contributors to death for children under the age of five worldwide. Ensuring access …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experience Of Antepartum Bed Rest In Mothers: Beyond Postpartum, Gwendelyn S. Orozco

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Background: APBR in high- risk pregnancies such as premature rupture of membranes, pre-eclampsia, preterm labor, and advanced cervical dilation/effacement is the current prescription for the prevention of preterm birth. This prescription of bed rest is practiced by 71-81 percent of United States Obstetricians (Maloni, 2012). The current preterm birth rate remains high at 11.4 percent (World Health Organization, 2014 [WHO]).

The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign aims to reduce preterm birth rates across the United States. Premature Birth Report Card grades are assigned by comparing 2014 preterm birth rate in a state or locality to the March of Dimes goal …

Draft Genome Sequences Of Strains Salinicola Socius Smb35T, Salinicola Sp. Mh3r3-1 And Chromohalobacter Sp. Smb17 From The Verkhnekamsk Potash Mining Region Of Russia, Björn E. Olsson, Ekaterina S. Korsakova, Lyudmila N. Anan'ina, Anna A. Pyankova, Olga V. Mavrodi, Elena G. Plotnikova, Dmitri V. Mavrodi

Faculty Publications

Halomonads are moderately halophilic bacteria that are studied as models of prokaryotic osmoadaptation and sources of enzymes and chemicals for biotechnological applications. Despite the progress in understanding the diversity of these organisms, our ability to explain ecological, metabolic, and biochemical traits of halomonads at the genomic sequence level remains limited. This study addresses this gap by presenting draft genomes of Salinicola socius SMB35T, Salinicola sp. MH3R3–1 and Chromohalobacter sp. SMB17, which were isolated from potash mine tailings in the Verkhnekamsk salt deposit area of Russia. The analysis of these genomes confirmed the importance of ectoines and quaternary amines to the …

Westward Expansion Of The Evening Bat (Nycticeius Humeralis) In The United States, With Notes On The First Record From New Mexico, Brett R. Andersen, Keith Geluso, Hans W. Otto, Larisa Bishop-Boros

Western North American Naturalist

The general lack of trees in the Great Plains has limited colonization by eastern woodland mammals in the past, but recent expansion of forests in corridors along prairie waterways and in towns has enabled an assortment of woodland species to expand distributional ranges westward. The evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) historically occurred in woodlands throughout the eastern United States. Following our capture of the first evening bat in New Mexico, we updated the distributional range for this species by amassing recent records from published literature and museum voucher records west of its historic range published in 1981, the last …

A Surprising Discovery Of American Pika Sites In The Northwestern Great Basin, Mackenzie R. Jeffress, K. Jane Van Gunst, Constance I. Miller

Western North American Naturalist

Although the American pika (Ochotona princeps) continues to receive attention due to documented declines and range retractions, particularly in the Great Basin, thorough range inventories have yet to be completed in many parts of the region. Here we report on recently discovered populations in northwestern Nevada in areas not suspected to support pika activity under current climate regimes. We describe 238 new locations (“sites”) with evidence of past or current occupancy by pikas which cluster into 31 locales, which we interpret as metapopulations or “demes,” in 15 distinct mountain ranges or geographic areas. We documented twice as many …

Germination Of Netleaf Hackberry Seeds On The North Sides Of Boulders: A Shift Away From Patterns Of Mature Hackberry Distribution?, Michael T. Stevens, Daniel L. Holland

Western North American Naturalist

Because limited numbers of netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata) seedlings are observed in nature, we evaluated patterns of germination of hackberry seeds (n = 2545) that we planted near boulders in the Wasatch Mountain foothills. Seeds were followed over 2 growing seasons. Germination rates were very low overall, but significantly more seeds germinated on the north sides of boulders compared to other boulder aspects. That we found higher rates of germination on the north sides of boulders, instead of on the south sides of boulders where mature hackberry shrubs tend to grow, could reflect year-to-year variation in seed …

Nonpharmacologic Interventions And Adjunct Therapies In The Treatment Of Schizophrenia, Katie West

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.