Digital Commons Network^™

Developing Optogenetics/Electrophysiology Applications For Studying Cognitive Impairment During Stress, Brainscan, Western University, Wataru Inoue, Brian Allman, Julio Martinez-Trujillo

Project Summaries

We will develop cutting-edge techniques to:

• precisely measure and artificially manipulate the activity of CRH neurons in the PFC, and
• measure small and local releases of CRH by these neurons.

The success of our project will open the door to understand the neural mechanisms for how stress impairs cognitive functions and how it may contribute to mental disorders.

Uncovering The Neural Basis Of Cognitive Impairment Following Hearing Loss: An All-Optical Electrophysiology Approach, Brainscan, Western University, Brian Allman, Wataru Inoue

Project Summaries

We have access to state-of-the-art equipment that will enable us to visualize specific neuron types in animal models. This is a new approach that combines several recent advances in the field of 'optogenetics', a technique that uses light to control neurons. This approach will allow us to explore how hearing loss induced by loud noise exposure leads to abnormal neural activity in areas of the brain that control learning, memory and higher cognitive function.

Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss With A Novel Pharmaceutical, Brainscan, Western University, Brian Allman, Paul Walton, Shawn Whitehead, Patti Kiser, Brian Shilton, Sarah Hayes

Research Summaries

A targeted catalase, packaged and delivered via exosomes intranasally, provides protection for cochlear cells against oxidative stress, the kind of stress that results from loud noise exposure. It is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and does not result in negative outcomes elsewhere in the body.

Dialkynylborane Complexes Of Formazanate Ligands: Synthesis, Electronic Properties, And Reactivity, Alex Van Belois, Ryan R. Maar, Mark S. Workentin, Joe Gilroy

Chemistry Publications

Dialkynylborane complexes of N-donor ligands have received significant attention due to their application in biological imaging, as light-harvesting materials, and as the functional component of organic photovoltaics. Despite these advances, relatively few types of N-donor ligands have been explored in this context. To this end, we prepared a series of dialkynylborane complexes of formazanate ligands and explored their electronic properties and reactivity. In doing so, we demonstrated that: 1) The nature of the alkynyl substituents has little influence over the UV-vis absorption properties of the title complexes, but does affect the potentials at which they are electrochemically oxidized …

An Examination Of Aspects Related To Teacher Quality In Saudi Schools, Abdullah Althobaiti

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how factors of long-distance commuting relate to teacher quality and affect teachers job satisfaction, attendance, and performance at high schools in the Saudi Arabian Department of Education in Al-Quwayiyah. Main objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between the factors of long-distance commuting and teacher quality through job satisfaction, attendance, and job performance, to examine the extent of the weekly and daily impact of long-distance commuting on teacher quality, to make recommendations on how to reduce the negative impact of long-distance commuting on teacher quality, and to provide recommendations for …

Evaluating Flexibility Metrics On Simple Temporal Networks With Reinforcement Learning, Hamzah I. Khan

HMC Senior Theses

Simple Temporal Networks (STNs) were introduced by Tsamardinos (2002) as a means of describing graphically the temporal constraints for scheduling problems. Since then, many variations on the concept have been used to develop and analyze algorithms for multi-agent robotic scheduling problems. Many of these algorithms for STNs utilize a flexibility metric, which measures the slack remaining in an STN under execution. Various metrics have been proposed by Hunsberger (2002); Wilson et al. (2014); Lloyd et al. (2018). This thesis explores how adequately these metrics convey the desired information by using them to build a reward function in a reinforcement learning …

Applications Of Molecular And Quantum Mechanical Methods For Studying The Chemical Reactions Of Inorganic And Organic Systems, Yi-Jung Tu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Computational studies can assist chemists to interpret experimental observations and to predict the properties and behaviors of molecules. The work presented in this dissertation applies different computational methods to study the molecular properties and reaction paths for various inorganic and organic systems. The second and third chapters discuss the force field development using “Gaussian Electrostatic Model (GEM)” and its amenability for use in the AMOEBA force field. The forth and fifth chapters discuss the density functional theory (DFT) studies of photodissociation behaviors for inorganic molecules. The sixth chapter explores the oxidation mechanisms of ascorbic acid and its antioxidant properties in …

Resilience Thinking For Peacebuilders, Patrik Johansson

International Journal of Peace Studies

The concept of resilience is currently making its way into the field of peace and conflict studies, but it is a concept with different meanings and implications. The argument advanced in this paper is that in order to make the most of resilience thinking, the field should not conceive of resilience merely as the ability to bounce back to an original state after a disturbance, a conceptualization usually referred to as “engineering resilience.” Instead, it should engage with “ecological resilience,” which refers to the amount of disturbance that a system can absorb before being pushed across a threshold from one …

Research On Students' Conceptual Understanding Of Geology/Solid Earth Science Content, Eric J. Pyle, Andy Darling, Zo Kreager, Susan Howes Conrad

Community Framework for Geoscience Education Research

"Solid Earth" is a broad concept, representing processes at the surface of the Earth, as well as the subsurface all the way to the solid inner core. Fields of study encompassed in this domain include geomorphology, historical geology, mineralogy, petrology, stratigraphy, structural geology – all topics that are touched upon in introductory coursework, and constitute the core of an undergraduate geology curriculum. Combined with cognate coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, the conceptual load in the Solid Earth curriculum is significant. The risks of poor understanding of solid Earth concepts are non-trivial, ranging from the economic costs of commodities …

Applying Eye-Tracking Research In Education And Communication To Agricultural Education And Communication: A Review Of Literature, Holli R. Leggette, Amber H. Rice, Candis Carraway, Marshall A. Baker, Nathan W. Conner

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this integrative literature review was to synthesize the eye-tracking literature related to education and communication in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) to formulate a conceptual model and develop a research agenda that guides eye-tracking research in agricultural education and communication. To do so, we reviewed the literature to identify basic elements of eye-tracking research, examined specific variables related to eye-tracking research, and synthesized the findings into a conceptual model. We found and reviewed 77 articles published between 2010 and 2016 within education (56) and communication (21). Research implications for agricultural education included an examination of classroom …

Untangling The Health Impacts Of Mexico - U.S. Migration, David Ortmeyer, Michael A. Quinn

Economics Faculty Publications

Research has found that immigrant health has a tendency to decline with time spent in the United States. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project from 2007-2014, this paper is the first to test the impact of domestic and international migration on different types of health measures. Results find cumulative U.S. migration experience has a negative impact both on self-reported and objective health measures. By contrast, the number of trips to the United States and migrations made within Mexico impact individual’s self-assessment of their health but not objective health measures. The analyses suggest that differences in self-reported versus objective health …

Improving Temporal Accuracy Of Human Metabolic Chambers For Dynamic Metabolic Studies, Shanshan Chen, Erica Wohlers, Eric Ruud, Jon Moon, Bin Ni, Francesco S. Celi

Biostatistics Publications

Metabolic chambers are powerful tools for assessing human energy expenditure, providing flexibility and comfort for the subjects in a near free-living environment. However, the flexibility offered by the large living room size creates challenges in the assessment of dynamic human metabolic signals—such as those generated during high-intensity interval training and short-term involuntary physical activities—with sufficient temporal accuracy. Therefore, this paper presents methods to improve the temporal accuracy of metabolic chambers. The proposed methods include 1) adopting a shortest possible step size, here one minute, to compute the finite derivative terms for the metabolic rate calculation, and 2) applying a robust …

Triangulating Abuse Liability Assessment For Flavoured Cigar Products Using Physiological, Behavioural Economic And Subjective Assessments: A Within-Subjects Clinical Laboratory Protocol, Catherine S. Wall, Rose S. Bono, Rebecca C. Lester, Cosima Hoetger, Thokozeni Lipato, Mignonne C. Guy, Thomas E. Eissenberg, Warren K. Bickel, Andrew J. Barnes, Caroline O. Cobb

Health Policy Publications

Introduction
In the USA, Food and Drug Administration regulations prohibit the sale of flavoured cigarettes, with menthol being the exception. However, the manufacture, advertisement and sale of flavoured cigar products are permitted. Such flavourings influence positive perceptions of tobacco products and are linked to increased use. Flavourings may mask the taste of tobacco and enhance smoke inhalation, influencing toxicant exposure and abuse liability among novice tobacco users. Using clinical laboratory methods, this study investigates how flavour availability affects measures of abuse liability in young adult cigarette smokers. The specific aims are to evaluate the effect of cigar flavours on nicotine …

Postsecondary Online Students’ Preferences For Text-Based Instructor Feedback, Joseph J. Gredler

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Misalignment between student preferences and instructor practices regarding writing feedback may impede student learning. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study addressed postsecondary online students’ preferences and the reasons for their preferences. A survey was used to collect 93 responses from postsecondary students attending a large private online university; data collection included interviews with a subsample of 4 participants. Findings indicated students preferred proximal, detailed, supportive feedback to enhance their writing skills and to understand deductions assessed by instructors. Findings may increase instructor awareness of students’ preferences and enhance collaboration in the feedback process to promote writing skill development and improve academic …

On-Road Emissions Of Ammonia: An Underappreciated Source Of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition, Mark E. Fenn, Andrzej Bytnerowicz, Susan L. Schilling, Dena M. Vallano, Erika S. Zavaleta, Stuart B. Weiss, Connor Morozumi, Linda H. Geiser, Kenneth Hanks

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

We provide updated spatial distribution and inventory data for on-road NH₃ emissions for the continental United States (U.S.) On-road NH₃ emissions were determined from on-road CO₂ emissions data and empirical NH₃:CO₂ vehicle emissions ratios. Emissions of NH₃ from on-road sources in urbanized regions are typically 0.1– 1.3 t km⁻² yr⁻¹ while NH₃ emissions in agricultural regions generally range from 0.4–5.5 t km⁻² yr⁻¹, with a few hot spots as high as 5.5–11.2 t km⁻² yr⁻¹. Counties with higher vehicle NH3 emissions than from agriculture …

Ecological-Economic Assessment Of The Effects Of Freshwater Flow In The Florida Everglades On Recreational Fisheries, Christina Estela Brown, Mahadev G. Bhat, Jennifer S. Rehage, Ali Mirchi, Ross Boucek, Victor Engel, Jerald S. Ault, Pallab Mozumder, David Watkins, Michael Sukop

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This research develops an integrated methodology to determine the economic value to anglers of recreational fishery ecosystem services in Everglades National Park that could result from different water management scenarios. The study first used bio-hydrological models to link managed freshwater inflows to indicators of fishery productivity and ecosystem health, then link those models to anglers' willingness-to-pay for various attributes of the recreational fishing experience and monthly fishing effort. This approach allowed us to estimate the foregone economic benefits of failing to meet monthly freshwater delivery targets. The study found that the managed freshwater delivery to the Park had declined substantially …

Agroforestry Standards For Regenerative Agriculture [Review], Craig R. Elevitch, D. Niki Mazaroli, Diane Ragone

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Agroforestry is increasingly being recognized as a holistic food production system that can have numerous significant environmental, economic, and social benefits. This growing recognition is paralleled in the USA by the budding interest in regenerative agriculture and motivation to certify regenerative practices. Current efforts to develop a regenerative agriculture certification offer an opportunity to consider agroforestry’s role in furthering regenerative goals. To understand this opportunity, we first examine how agroforestry practices can advance regenerative agriculture’s five core environmental concerns: soil fertility and health, water quality, biodiversity, ecosystem health, and carbon sequestration. Next, we review a subset of certification programs, standards, …

Mid-Infrared Self-Similar Pulse Compression In A Tapered Tellurite Photonic Crystal Fiber And Its Application In Supercontinuum Generation, Feng Xu, Jinhui Yuan, Chao Mei, Feng Li, Zhe Kang, Binbin Yan, Xian Zhou, Qiang Wu, Kuiru Wang, Xinzhu Sang, Chongxiu Yu, Gerald Farrell

Articles

In this paper, we design a tapered tellurite photonic crystal fiber (TTPCF) with nonlinear coefficient increasing along the propagation direction, and demonstrate the mid-infrared self-similar pulse compression of the fundamental soliton in such a TTPCF. When the variation of group-velocity dispersion, higher-order dispersion, higher-order nonlinearity, and linear loss are considered, a 1 ps pulse at wavelength 2.5 μm can be compressed to 62.16 fs after a 1.63-m long propagation, along with the negligible pedestal, compression factor Fc of 16.09, and quality factor Qc of 83.16%. Then the compressed pulse is launched into another uniform tellurite PCF, where highly coherent and …

Phase I Studies Of Azd1208, A Proviral Integration Moloney Virus Kinase Inhibitor In Solid And Haematological Cancers, Geoffrey L. Uy, Et Al

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Combining Immunotherapy With Radiation Therapy In Thoracic Oncology, Shahed N. Badiyan, Michael C. Roach, Michael D. Chuong, Stephanie R. Rice, Nasarachi E. Onyeuku, Jill Remick, Srinivas Chilukuri, Erica Glass, Pranshu Mohindra, Charles B. Simone Ii

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Interaction Between The Human Melanocortin-2 Receptor And The Accessory Protein, Mrap1: Chimeric Receptor And Alanine Substitution Studies On Transmembrane Domain 4, Extracellular Loop 2, And Transmembrane Domain 5, Perry Victoria Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R) is the most complex due to its trafficking and ligand selectivity requirements for proper activation. The MC2R requires the melanocortin receptor accessory protein-1 (MRAP1) for proper trafficking and activation of the receptor by the melanocortin hormone, ACTH. MRAP1 is a single transmembrane-spanning domain protein that creates a homodimer with another MRAP1 protein. Furthermore, MRAP2 creates a heterodimer with the MC2R. Previous studies have shown that the MRAP1 protein contains an activation motif required for activation of MC2R and this activation motif located on the extracellular space side of the plasma membrane of the cell. The objective …

Biochemistry 4455g: Kids Kicking Cancer, Zameena Lakhani, Emily Evans, Hyobin Lim, Madhav Arora, Michelle Asselin

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

No abstract provided.

A Mass-Producible And Versatile Sensing System: Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Excited By Individual Waveguide Modes, Zhutian Ding, James M. Stubbs, Danielle Mcrae, Johanna M. Blacquiere, François Lagugné-Labarthet, Silvia Mittler

Physics and Astronomy Publications

A plasmonic sensing system that allows the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by individual waveguide modes is presented conceptually and experimentally. Any change in the local environment of the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) alters the degree of coupling between LSPR and a polymer slab waveguide, which then modulates the transmission-output signal. In comparison to conventional LSPR sensors, this system is less susceptible to optical noise and positional variation of signals. Moreover, it enables more freedom in the exploitation of plasmonic hot spots with both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes. Through real-time measurement, it is demonstrated that …

Ua68/14 Fsa Newsletter, Wku Folk Studies & Anthropology

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Folk Studies & Anthropology department.

Regional Industry Cluster Analysis For The Potomac Highlands In West Virginia, Jing Chen, Randall Jackson

Regional Research Institute Resource Documents

No abstract provided.

June 5, 2018 Finance And Facilities (F&F) Committee Meeting, Senior Vice President For Finance And Administration

Finance and Facilities Committee

Documents related to the June 5, 2018 Board of Regents' Finance and Facilities Committee Meeting. (Agenda, Minutes, eBook, Notice)

Project Spraoi: The Effectiveness Of A Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention On The Dietry Intake, Dietary Patterns, Nutritional Knowledge And Markers Of Health Of Irish Primary School Children, Alison Merrotsy

PhDs

Aim: To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition and physical activity (PA) intervention (Project Spraoi) on dietary intake (DI), dietary patterns (DP), nutritional knowledge (NK), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), blood pressure (BP) and markers of health of Irish children in one primary school in Cork. The relationship between DP and NK, CRF, BP and anthropometric data will also be examined.

Design: Cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Food diary, NK questionnaire and 550m walk/run test were used to assess DI, DP, NK and CRF, respectively. BP, body mass index (BMI) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were also calculated.

Setting: Two …

2018-19 Uni Women's Basketball, University Of Northern Iowa

Athletics Media Guides

Contents:

--General Information/Contents --1
--2018-19 Schedule --2
--2018-19 Roster --3-5
--Season Recap/Preview --6-7
--Head Coach Tanya Warren --8-9
--Associate Head Coach Brad Nelson --10
--Assistant Coaches Steven Fennelly/KK Armstrong --11
--Seniors (Ellie Howell, Mikaela Morgan, Taylor Hagen) --12-14
--Juniors (Rose Simon-Ressler, Heidi Hillyard, Abby Gerrits, Megah Maahs) --15-18
--Sophomores (Karli Rucker, Nicole Kroeger, Bre Gunnels, Marissa Robson) --19-22
--Freshmen (Kam Finley, Alyssa Iverson, Cynthia Wolf, Kiana Barney) --23-24
--2018-19 Non-Conference Opponents --25-26
--2018-19 Missouri Valley Conference Opponents --26-27
--Overall/MVC Statistics --28-29
--2017-18 Stats Breakdown --30-35
--2017-18 Returners Game-by-Game --36-46
--2017-18 Box Scores --47-55
--Year-by-Year Results --57-65
--All-Time Results --66-74
--Individual …

Can The Language Of The Trans-Pacific Partnership Still Contribute To The International Investment System? An Analysis Of Tpp's Language Regarding States' Powers To Regulate, Yurica Ramos Montes

Arbitration Brief

No abstract provided.

Untangling Late-Victorian Anxieties: Hair Symbolism In Dracula, Nancy Rosenberg England

Journal of Dracula Studies

No abstract provided.