Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular And Serologic Detection Of Hla-B27 Among Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients With Some Clinical Correlations, Mohammed H Al-Osami, Bassam Ms Al-Musawi, Mayada Ma Abdulhadi

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: HLA-B27 can effect clinical presentation and course of ankylosing spondylitis. Different detection techniques of HLA-B27 are available with variable sensitivities and specificities. OBJECTIVE: To compare serologic and molecular diagnostic techniques of detecting HLA-B27 status and to correlate it with some clinical variables among ankylosing spondylitis patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 83 Iraqi patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Clinical and laboratory evaluations were reported. HLA-B27 status was determined in all patients by real-time PCR using HLA-B27 RealFast™ kit; ELISA method was used as well to detect soluble serum HLA-B27 antigens using Human Leukocyte Antigen® kit. …

Low Cholesterol As A Risk Factor For Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage, Hawar Adnan Mykhan, Akram Mohammad Almahdawi, Nawfal Madhi Sheaheed

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies indicate a higher incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage among persons with low total serum cholesterol level. OBJECTIVE: To examine the prospective relationship of total serum cholesterol with a subsequent intracerebral hemorrhage in an Iraqi population sample. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A case-control study was performed to assess the relationship between spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and low serum cholesterol. Eighty patients were admitted, from April 2007 to April 2008, to both Baghdad Teaching Hospital and Sulaimaniyah General Teaching Hospital with a diagnosis of spontaneous ICH. All the patients aged 50 or more years. After the initial review for exclusion …

Assessment Of Sigma Metric Results Of Serum Parameters Of Liver And Kidney Function Tested By Automated Chemistry Analyzer In Medical City Hospital, Mohammed Kamal Rasheed, Manal Kamal Rasheed, Bushra Mahmood, Anne Khazal

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: A major goal of quality assurance is the minimization of error rates in order to augment patient safety, six sigma or sigma metrics were used to assess the analytical quality of automated clinical chemistry, six sigma metrics is used in combination with total allowable error, method imprecision and bias. The goal is to achieve the highest possible sigma scale within the acceptable limits of total allowable error. OBJECTIVE : For assessment of sigma metrics results of serum parameters of liver and kidney function test tested by automated chemistry analyzer in Medical City Hospital. METHODS: In the current study, …

Malaya's Greatest Menace? Slow-Onset Disaster And The Muddy Politics Of British Malaya, C. 1900–50, Fiona Williamson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In 1948, a chilling statement from British Malaya’s Director of Agriculture, F. Burnett, made headline news. According to Burnett, unchecked soil erosion across hillside Malaya would soon render the country’s precious agricultural land infertile. Erosion had worsened considerably after the 1880s due to widespread, indiscriminate agricultural and industrial clearing. By the 1920s, it had become a sizeable socioeconomic and environmental issue, thought also to contribute to the scale and intensity of flooding and the likelihood of dangerous landslips. The British Government raised a series of empire-wide inquiries across the first half of the twentieth century, tied to an emerging global …

The Structure, Limits, And Drivers Of Daphnid Diversity, Richard Joseph Knecht

Master's Theses and Capstones

In 1961 Hutchinson proposed the “Paradox of the Plankton” questioning how sympatric planktonic species can coexist for long periods of time while seemingly avoiding the competitive exclusion principle. As this ‘paradox’ became a focus of inquiry, one researcher conducted a 2-year study (1961-1962; Tappa 1965) on Aziscohos Lake Daphnia to address the question. While the study did not solve the enigma, it provided a detailed record of the dynamics and interactions of six coexisting species. Aziscohos Lake and its zooplankton have not been studied since. This study revisits the ‘paradox of the plankton’ by establishing the dynamics of extant Daphnid …

Drivers Of Introgression And Fitness In The Saltmarsh-Nelson's Sparrow Hybrid Zone, Logan Maxwell

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hybrid zones can provide an understanding of the genetic basis of biodiversity maintenance and as well as insight into how interacting species respond to climate change, and how climate change may alter patterns of introgression. This body of research focuses on dynamics of hybridization between the Saltmarsh (Ammospiza caudacutus) and Nelson’s Sparrow (A. nelsoni) across two populations in the center of the hybrid zone to gain a window into both the evolutionary processes underlying the relationship between these species and the role of climate change and adaptive introgression on the future persistence of the two sparrows. In Chapter 1, I …

A Human Visual System Inspired Feature Recognition Method Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Evan Koester

Master's Theses and Capstones

While significant strides in neural network and machine vision applications have been made in recent years, humans still remain the most proficient at feature extraction and pattern recognition tasks. Some researchers have attempted to utilize select aspects of the human visual system in order to perform application-specific visual tasks. However, none have been able to develop a computational model of the biological human visual system that can perform the many complex pattern recognition tasks that we do as humans. This thesis focuses on significant improvements to an existing human visual system model created by N. Radhi, and the novel implementation …

Observations Of Transitional Tidal Boundary Layers In The Great Bay Estuary, Nh, Kara M. Koetje

Master's Theses and Capstones

Observations of the vertical structure of tidal flows obtained in 2016 and 2017 in the Great Bay Estuary, NH show evidence of transitional tidal boundary layers at deployment locations on shallow mudflats. High-resolution bottom boundary layer currents, hydrography, turbidity, and bed characteristics were observed with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV), conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensors, optical backscatter sensors, multibeam bathymetric surveys, and sediment grab samples and cores. Over the 2.5 m tidal range and at water depths ranging from 0.3 m to 1.5 m at mean lower low water, peak flows ranged from 10 cm/s to …

Biology And Prey Of The Predatory Wasp Cerceris Fumipennis (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) And Its Use For Bio-Surveillance Of The Emerald Ash Borer, Morgan Carol Dube

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cerceris fumipennis is a colonial wasp that preferentially preys on native and non-native members of the family Buprestidae including the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, which is a major threat to North American ash (Fraxinus spp.). Cerceris fumipennis has been used for bio-surveillance of this destructive pest because it catches, stings, and paralyzes buprestids that are then easily intercepted at their nests and documented.

Two large aggregations of C. fumipennis in Merrimack County, NH, USA were monitored during the summer of 2013 and 2014 to determine regional baseline information on aggregation activity, seasonality, paralyzation rate, and prey preference in …

Seasonal Variations In The Siliciclastic Fluxes To The Western Philippine Sea And Their Impacts On Seawater ΕNd Values Inferred From 1 Year Of In Situ Observations Above Benham Rise, Zhaokai Xu, Tiegang Li, Christophe Colin, Peter D. Clift, Rongtao Sun, Zhaojie Yu, Shiming Wan, Dhongil Lim

Faculty Publications

©2018. The Authors. The Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of siliciclastic sediments and the Nd isotopic compositions of planktonic foraminifera are investigated in sediment trap samples collected in 2015 at water depths of 500 and 2,800 m to (1) track the seasonal changes in the sources and transport patterns of siliciclastic sediments to Benham Rise, (2) constrain the Nd isotopic compositions of the planktonic foraminifera throughout the water column, and (3) assess the influences of lithogenic inputs on the Nd isotopic compositions of the water masses. We demonstrate that volcanic matter and eolian dust are derived primarily from Luzon Island …

Economic Liberty "In A World Of Pure Imagination”: A Theoretical Analysis Of Willy Wonka, Natural Rights, And The New Age Of Innovation, Tammy M. Eick

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cryptocurrencies: The New Species, Ors Penzes

Nova Law Review

No abstract provided.

Burden Of Lipohypertrophy Among Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Patients In China: An Analysis Of Outcomes And Impact Of Pen Needle Reimbursement Policy, Arthi Chandran

Dissertations and Theses

Background

Diabetes is a global epidemic and with an aging population accompanied by rapid urbanization China ranks highest in disease prevalence and associated burden. Independent of diabetes type, insulin is an eventual and costly requirement for disease management. The consequences of insulin administration however are poorly understood. Lipohypertrophy (LH) is one such consequence. It is hypothesized that method of insulin delivery and poor delivery technique are significant risk factors for this condition which is believed to alter insulin pharmacodynamics. Subsequently, insulin pen needles are a critical component of care however access to pen needles varies across China.

Objective

The objective …

Teaching Population Health: Innovations In The Integration Of The Healthcare And Public Health Systems, Rosemary M. Caron, Anne M. Hewitt, Julie H. Carmalt, Edmond A. Hooker

Faculty Publications

Population health is a critical concept in healthcare delivery today. Many healthcare administrators are struggling to adapt their organization from fee-for-service to value delivery. Payers and patients expect healthcare leaders to understand how to deliver care under this new model. Health administration programs play a critical role in training future leaders of healthcare organizations to be adaptable and effective in this dynamic environment. The purpose of this research was to: (a) engage current educators of health administration students in a dialogue about the best practices of integrating the healthcare and public health systems; (b) identify the content and pedagogy for …

Pedagogy: How To Best Teach Population Health To Future Healthcare Leaders, Rosemary M. Caron, Edmond A. Hooker, Anne M. Hewitt, Julie H. Carmalt

Faculty Publications

Our healthcare system is moving from a fee-for-service reimbursement model to one that provides payment for improvements in three areas related to care: quality, coordination, and cost. Healthcare organizations must use a population health approach when delivering care under this new paradigm. Health administration programs play a critical role in training future leaders of healthcare organizations to be adaptable and effective in this dynamic environment. The purpose of this research was to: (1) engage health administration educators in a dialogue about population health and its relevance to healthcare administration education; (2) describe pedagogical methods appropriate for teaching population health skills …

Cause And Consequence Of Aβ: Lipid Interactions In Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis, Vijay Rangachari, Dexter N. Dean, Pratip Rana, Ashwin Vaidya, Preetam Ghosh

Faculty Publications

Self-templating propagation of protein aggregate conformations is increasingly becoming a significant factor in many neurological diseases. In Alzheimer disease (AD), intrinsically disordered amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides undergo aggregation that is sensitive to environmental conditions. High-molecular weight aggregates of Aβ that form insoluble fibrils are deposited as senile plaques in AD brains. However, low-molecular weight aggregates called soluble oligomers are known to be the primary toxic agents responsible for neuronal dysfunction. The aggregation process is highly stochastic involving both homotypic (Aβ-Aβ) and heterotypic (Aβ with interacting partners) interactions. Two of the important members of interacting partners are membrane lipids and surfactants, to …

Challenges, Pitfalls And Surprises: Development And Validation Of A Monoclonal Antibody For Enzyme Immunoassay Of The Steroid 1Α-Hydroxycorticosterone In Elasmobranch Species, Catharine J. Wheaton, Natalie D. Mylniczenko, John M. Rimoldi, Rama S.V.S. Gadepalli, R. Hart, Bobbi R. O'Hara, Andrew N. Evans

Faculty Publications

Sharks and rays are popular species used in wildlife ecotourism and aquariums to educate the public on the behavior, ecology and conservation challenges of elasmobranchs. To understand long-term physiological health and welfare under varying social and husbandry conditions, we developed and validated an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure stress/ionoregulatory hormones in managed and semi-free range southern rays (Hypanus americanus). Banked serum and interrenal samples from 27 female rays managed at Disney’s The Seas with Nemo and Friends^® and Castaway Cay were used to evaluate measurement of 1α-hydroxycorticosterone (1αOHB) relative to corticosterone (B). Although commercial EIAs are available …

Microfluidic Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy, John J. Foley

Master's Theses

The goal of this study is to design and manufacture a microfluidic device capable of measuring changes in impedance valuesof microfluidic cell cultures. Tocharacterize this, an interdigitated array of electrodes was patterned over glass, where it was then bonded to a series of fluidic networks created in PDMS via soft lithography. The device measured ethanol impedance initially to show that values remain consistent over time. Impedance values of water and 1% wt. saltwater were compared to show that the device is able to detect changes in impedance, with up to a 60% reduction in electrical impedance in saltwater. Cells were …

Effects Of Cigarette Smoking On Coagulation Screening Tests And Platelet Counts In A Sudanese Male Adults Population, Ahmed M. Elkhalifa

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To study the effects of heavy cigarette smoking on coagulation (CGG) screening tests and platelet counts (PLTs) in a Sudanese male adults population. Methods: A case control study was conducted at both Kosti and Gabalein towns, Sudan, during October 2016 to May 2017. A 100 adult cigarette smokers were selected and another 100 matched non-smokers were selected as healthy controls. Blood samples were collected in trisodium citrate anti-coagulant for prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and international normalized ratio (INR), analyzed using standard methods (co-agulometer machine) and Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid for the platelet counts, using an automated haematology analyzer …

Transparency Of Business Incentives In Tennessee, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Andrews Academy Students Participate In Jordan Archeological Dig, Steven Atkins

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Red Fox Genome Assembly Identifies Genomic Regions Associated With Tame And Aggressive Behaviours, Anna V. Kukekova, Jennifer L. Johnson, Xueyan Xiang, Shaohong Feng, Shiping Liu, Halie M. Rando, Anastasiya V. Kharlamova, Yury Herbeck, Natalya A. Serdyukova, Zijun Xiong, Violetta Beklemischeva, Klaus Peter Koepfli, Rimma G. Gulevich, Anastasiya V. Vladimirova, Jessica P. Hekman, Polina L. Perelman, Aleksander S. Graphodatsky, Stephen J. O’Brien, Xu Wang, Andrew G. Clark, Gregory M. Acland, Lyudmila N. Trut, Guojie Zhang

Biology Faculty Articles

Strains of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with markedly different behavioural phenotypes have been developed in the famous long-term selective breeding programme known as the Russian farm-fox experiment. Here we sequenced and assembled the red fox genome and re-sequenced a subset of foxes from the tame, aggressive and conventional farm-bred populations to identify genomic regions associated with the response to selection for behaviour. Analysis of the re-sequenced genomes identified 103 regions with either significantly decreased heterozygosity in one of the three populations or increased divergence between the populations. A strong positional candidate gene for tame behaviour was highlighted: SorCS1, which encodes …

Neuroprotective Functions Of Docosahexaenoic Acid And Epidermal Fatty Acid Binding Protein, Manuel Luis Montero

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Lipotoxicity (LTx) is involved in mostly every process of neuronal injury. Using NGFDPC12 cells we show that palmitic acid (PA) induces the expression of stress response genes HIF-1α and BNIP3, increases the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and decreases cell viability by apoptosis. Inhibition of cathepsins does not rescue neurons from PA-LTx but inhibition of necroptosis and promotion of autophagy do. DHA decreases the expression of HIF-1α and BNIP3 and rescues PA-induced cell death by inhibiting apoptosis and necroptosis. Besides DHA stimulates the mRNA expression, phosphorylation and conjugation of autophagy controlling proteins. Inhibiting autophagy during DHA treatment decreases its capacity …

A Novel Exo-Proteomic Approach To The Study Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Ron B. Moyron

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Concussions and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) are significant health concerns and affect a wide cross section of society. Current diagnostic criteria and modalities, such as brain imaging and subjective measures of consciousness such as the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, are insufficient to properly diagnose the full spectrum of head injuries. Assessment of injury severity and outcome are further complicated by the vast array of symptoms, many of which mimic those displayed by other disorders. It is important to possess a better diagnostic tool for head injury triage and outcome prediction. One current line of inquiry seeks to discover a …

Population Genetics And Male Social Behavior In The Australian Small Carpenter Bee, Ceratina Australensis, Robert L. Oppenheimer

Master's Theses and Capstones

Small carpenter bees (Xylocopinae: Ceratinini) in the genus Ceratina are a cosmopolitan group of stem nesting bees. All Ceratina show a degree of mutual tolerance for nestmates as they nest together in pre-dispersal assemblages and display extended maternal care. Many Ceratina also nest facultatively with multiple females per nest. Males usually disperse before the beginning of the reproductive season. Ceratina have emerged as model organisms to study the evolution of social behavior within the Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps). As hymenopteran sex is determined by the haplodiploid sex determination system wherein males are haploid and females are diploid, the result …

Investigation Into The Application Of Ozonation For Reuse Of Secondary Wastewater Effluent, Daniel James Farley

Master's Theses and Capstones

This research investigated the ability of ozone to degrade through oxidation a selection of organic micropollutants in untreated and ion exchange pretreated secondary wastewater effluent. Initially, a six-month sampling program was completed to characterize the variability in the water quality of the Wervershoof wastewater treatment plant’s secondary effluent used in this research. Bench scale experiments were completed to determine the ozone uptake and demand in demineralized water, tap water, IX treated secondary wastewater, and secondary wastewater effluent. Using data from the bench scale experiments, low, medium and high ozone dosages were identified based upon ozone residual for secondary wastewater and …

Broadband Acoustic Measurements Of A Controlled Seep With Multiple Gases For Verification Of Flux Estimates Through Bubble Dissolution And Target Strength Models, Kevin Michael Rychert

Master's Theses and Capstones

To verify existing models for conversion of acoustic target strength to estimates of the total volume of methane gas released from the seafloor through the water column, a synthetic seep system was designed and fabricated. This system creates individual bubbles of the sizes most commonly found in gaseous methane seeps, <1 to 5mm radii, which can be released at any interval at depths up to 200m. The synthetic seep system was deployed off the coast of New Hampshire adjacent to the Isles of Shoals to a depth of 55m. Acoustic backscatter from 16-24kHz was collected by steaming over the synthetic seep multiple times with a suite of broadband splitbeam sonar systems. Each iteration ensonified a predetermined and calibrated bubble size created by the system at depth. These data represent a direct field measurement which was used to test models describing bubble evolution and acoustic scattering during the ascent through the water column for bubbles of different sizes and gasses. Validating these models directly tests the ability of broadband sonar systems to estimate the transport of gas from the seabed to the ocean and atmosphere. Acoustic data from 2.35mm radii argon bubbles, and 2.45mm radii nitrogen bubbles are consistent with bubble evolution and target strength models which validates spherical approximations made in both the mass transfer and acoustic scattering assumptions. Based on the similar uncertainty values for these bubble sizes, these data add confidence to the claims of previous studies which use similar methods for methane flux approximations.

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Student Compliance To Tobacco-Free Policies In California Universities, Harit Agroia

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Background: In California, the mortality rate associated with smoking ranks as the sixth highest among all states in the nation (CDPH, 2016). To reduce this rate, many universities in California have adopted tobacco-free policies in recent years (Mamudu, Veeranki, Kioko, Boghozian & Littleton, 2016). Due to the recent adoption of such policies, there is limited research available which aim to assess the effectiveness of these on tobacco use behavior on campus among university students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand student compliance to tobacco-free policies within select universities in California, specifically those that implemented their …

Ferritin Level Prospectively Predicts Hepatocarcinogenesis In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection, Zhenyuan Bian, Hie-Won Hann, Zhong Ye, Chun Yin, Yang Wang, Wan Fang, Shaogui Wan, Chun Wang, Kaishan Tao

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Previous studies have detected a higher level of ferritin in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but a potential causal association between serum ferritin level and hepatocarcinogenesis remains to be clarified. Using a well-established prospective cohort and longitudinally collected serial blood samples, the association between baseline ferritin levels and HCC risk were evaluated in 1,152 patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), a major risk factor for HCC. The association was assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression model using univariate and multivariate analyses and longitudinal analysis. It was demonstrated that HBV patients who developed HCC had a significantly higher baseline ferritin …

Digital Storytelling [Natural Sciences], Preethi Radhakrishnan

Open Educational Resources

A well-crafted and executed storytelling assignment can serve as an efficient and engaging learning activity which targets the three highest levels of Blooms’ taxonomy which are to Create, Evaluate and Analyze. This digital storytelling assignment is part of a signature assignment series (Stage 1) conducted in all courses of the First Year Seminar for Natural Sciences (NSF101). Students begin collecting pictures and videos for their assignment from the 3^rd week of the semester on a flash drive. During the fourth week of the semester, the instructor first describes the storytelling process and stages. This is followed by learning around …