Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparative Analysis Of Survival And Funding Discrepancies In Cancers With High Mortality, Bradley R. Hall, Andrew Cannon, Pranita Atri, Christopher S. Wichman, Lynette M. Smith, Sushil Kumar, Surinder K. Batra, Hongmei Wang, Apart Kishor Ganti, Aaron R. Sasson, Chandrakanth Are

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Stiff Stent-Grafts On Segmental Aortic Stiffness And Left Ventricular Mass: A Pilot Swine Model Study, Paul Aylward, Alexey Kamenskiy, Jason Mactaggart

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

No abstract provided.

A Performance Improvement Project In Antibiotic Administration For Open Fractures, Benjamin Ogden, Christopher Deans, Matthew Mormino, Michaela Mccarthy, Elizabeth Lyden, Justin Siebler

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Virtual Reality (Vr) To Improve The Experience Of The Mohs Patient: A Prospective Interventional Study, Shauna Higgins, Shera Feinstein, Makenzie Hawkins, Myles Cockburn, Ashley Wysong

Graduate Medical Education Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Generating Dynamic Emotive Animations For Augmented Reality, Manuel Christian Clement, Anshuman Kumar

Defensive Publications Series

The method may include receiving, at a user interface generated for the electronic device, an indication to access an augmented reality fitting environment associated with at least one shopping item; receiving a selected image of a location in which to display the augmented reality fitting environment; obtaining user measurement data, shopping item data, and emotions analytics data associated with the augmented reality fitting environment; and generating, based on the obtained user measurement data, a plurality of three-dimensional avatars representing a user accessing the augmented reality fitting environment on the electronic device. For each avatar, the method may include generating, using …

Understanding The Role Of Idh Mutation In Chondrosarcoma, Luyuan Li

Open Access Dissertations

Chondrosarcomas constitute a heterogeneous group of malignant bone tumors that produce hyaline cartilaginous matrix. Chondrosarcomas are generally resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, leaving surgery as the only curative treatment option for most localized tumors. In the absence of effective systemic therapy, metastatic disease is nearly uniformly fatal. Therefore, better therapy for patients with unresectable or metastatic disease is urgently needed. Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) enzymes were recently described in several malignancies including conventional and dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas. These mutations represent a novel genetic abnormality in chondrosarcoma, indicating a potential role for aberrant IDH function in the pathogenesis of …

A Role For The Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Alpha In Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 (Mhv68) Lytic Replication And Reactivation From Latency, Darlah Michelle López-Rodríguez

Open Access Dissertations

The hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α) protein and the hypoxic microenvironment are critical for infection and pathogenesis by the oncogenic gammaherpesviruses (γHV) such as Kaposi' Sarcoma-associated Herpes Virus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). However, understanding the role of HIF1α during the virus life cycle and its biological relevance in the context of host pathogenesis has been challenging due to the lack of animal models for human γ HV. To study the role of HIF1α we employed the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68), a rodent pathogen that readily infects laboratory mice. We show that MHV68 infection induces HIF1α protein and HIF1α-responsive …

Employee Mobility And The Low Wage Worker: The Illegitimate Use Of Non-Compete Agreements, Jacqueline A. Carosa

The Docket

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Stem Cell Therapy On 6-Minute Walk Test Distance And Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction In Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy, Kayleigh Hunt, Alexa Maziuk

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2016 to 2019

Objective

To assess the efficacy of stem cells in the improvement of functional capacity and quality of life in the setting of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Design

Systematic literature review

Methods

A literature search of PubMed was conducted utilizing the following search terms: “stem,” “cell,” “nonischemic,” and “cardiomyopathy.” The following limits were used: “2015-2018,” nonischemic cardiomyopathy, results of LVEF and 6MWT, randomized controlled trials, pilot studies, and sample size >22.

Results

Butler et al. found that within the itMSC group, 6MWD increased by an average of 27.40 m (95% CI 0.28–54.52; P=0.05), but it decreased by an average of 10.83 m …

Cuba Journals Volume I - Transcription, Laura Swarner

Undergraduate Theses

The document is a transcribed version of volume I of the digital copy of the Cuba Journals which can be found online at the New York Public Library Archives. The Cuba Journals were written by Sophia Peabody Hawthorne during her time abroad in Cuba recovering from illness.

Effect Of Postpartum Protocols On Maternal Outcomes, Kelsey Grimm, Emily Harnish

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2016 to 2019

Objective: To determine whether postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) protocols lead to decreases in maternal morbidity and mortality.

Design: Systemic literature review.

Methods: The clinical question investigated is whether the implementation of PPH protocols has measurable impact on maternal morbidity and mortality. Searches were done through PubMed using the keywords: “maternal hemorrhage postpartum protocol.” Studies were eliminated if they were more than 10 years old, conducted outside the United States, published in a non-English language, used other animal subjects besides humans, used non-female subjects, if they did not answer the clinical question, or were review articles. Eventually, three cohort …

Effects Of Prehospital Vs. In Hospital Therapeutic Hypothermia On Neurological Status After Cardiac Arrest, Cassandra Johnson, Ingrid Brown

Physician Assistant Capstones, 2016 to 2019

Objective: To conduct an analysis of literature that examines whether the use of prehospital therapeutic hypothermia (TH) results in significant changes in neurologic outcomes that are in adults that experienced out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Methods: Systematic searches were conducted through PubMed at the James Madison University Library. The inclusion criteria included human adults who experienced out of hospital cardiac arrest and were treated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with and/or without prehospital TH by means of intravenous cold fluids and surface cooling. Results: Three studies involving 2180 cases were included. This review indicated that prehospital TH after …

The Fearsome Femme: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation Of Lorenzo Sabatini's Giuditta Con La Testa Di Oloferne, Brant J. Bellatti

Art and Art History Theses

Lorenzo Sabatini (c. 1530-1576), an Italian artist working in the Mannerist period of art, created a revolutionary bloody rendering of the biblical story of Judith decapitating Holofernes. The Bolognese artist, and his painting Giuditta con la testa di Oloferne (Judith with the head of Holofernes), has not been extensively written on by scholars, therefore, this study suggests an original interpretation of the artwork. Lorenzo Sabatini would likely have borne witness to a number of decapitations in Bologna, because they were typically executed in public urban courtyards. Maturing in this sort of environment can impact an artist’s life. Through Lorenzo Sabatini’s …

Green And Animal Manure Use In Organic Field Crop Systems, Patrick M. Carr, Michel A. Cavigelli, Heather Darby, Kathleen Delate, Jed O. Eberly, Heather K. Fryer, Greta G. Gramig, Joseph R. Heckman, Ellen B. Mallory, Jennifer R. Reeve, Erin M. Silva, David H. Suchoff, Alex L. Woodley

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Dual‐use cover/green manure (CGM) crops and animal manure are used to supply nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to organically grown field crops. A comprehensive review of previous research was conducted to identify how CGM crops and animal manure have been used to meet N and P needs of organic field crops, and to identify knowledge gaps to direct future research efforts. Results indicate that: (a) CGM crops are used to provide N to subsequent cash crops in rotations; (b) CGM‐supplied N generally can meet field crop needs in warm, humid regions but is insufficient for organic grain crops grown in …

Do Faces Facilitate Or Distract Children From Attending To Threats?, Sarah A. Skidmore

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Threatening stimuli may produce an attentional bias in humans, capturing and holding attention to a greater extent than other types of stimuli. Humans rely on others to alert their attention to threats in their environment, and social stimuli, such as faces, have privileged processing compared to nonsocial stimuli. We wanted to explore whether task-irrelevant fearful or neutral faces facilitate, distract, or have no effect on the detection of threatening or neutral images (spiders and frogs, respectively). Three- to-five-year-old children (N=37) completed a visual search task in which they searched for threatening or neutral animals. Consistent with previous literature, we found …

A Bridge Between Earth & Sky: How The Natural World Shaped The Civilizations Of Ancient And Early-Modern Persia, Sophia Cabana

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project seeks to investigate the ways in which nature shaped the culture of ancient Persia through technology, architecture, agriculture, and art. Furthermore, this project investigates how the symbols and mentalities of ancient Persia were carried forward into the early-modern period. Achaemenid Persia and Babylon are studied as societies which influenced one another and combined to create the foundation of Persian culture as it is currently understood, which then combined in later centuries with other Middle Eastern and Central Asian cultural movements to produce the Safavid and Mughal Empires. The Safavids and Mughals imitated and revived Persian culture in order …

Research On Corridor Setting Based On Pedestrian Simulation Of Social Groups, Yiting Xu, Zhang Rui

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: As the connector of each space in the hub, the rail transit hub corridor plays the role of transition and buffer. The existence of social groups makes an important impact on pedestrian traffic and its simulation. The paper supplements the consideration of pedestrian traffic related studies on social groups travel, analyses the characteristics of social groups in rail transit hub corridor, improves Moussaïd social group force model, and redevelops AnyLogic micro-simulation platform based on Python language. Taking a subway station in Beijing as an example, fully considering the influence of social groups, it is obtained that the optimal channel …

Visual Modulation Of Resting State Α Oscillations, Kelly Webster, Tony Ro

Publications and Research

Once thought to simply reflect passive cortical idling, recent studies have demonstrated that α oscillations play a causal role in cognition and perception. However, whether and how cognitive or sensory processes modulate various components of the α rhythm is poorly understood. Sensory input and resting states were manipulated in human subjects while electroencephalography (EEG) activity was recorded in three conditions: eyes-open fixating on a visual stimulus, eyes-open without visual input (darkness), and eyes-closed without visual input (darkness). We show that α power and peak frequency increase when visual input is reduced compared to the eyes open, fixating condition. These results …

The Relationships Between Brain Function, Brain Structure, And Behavior In Children With Fetal Alcohol Speectrum Disorder, John Pinner

Psychology ETDs

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), the leading cause of childhood developmental disability, has long-lasting effects extending throughout the lifespan. The teratogenic effects of PAE, not always physically discernable, may corrupt brain structure resulting in neural dysfunction. These aberrant effects often result in executive functioning deficits, associated with social and academic difficulties, which hinder typical development. As maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is heavily stigmatized, children without physical dysmorphology often go unreported and untreated; resulting in increased deficiencies compared to those more severely affected who receive early life interventions. This phenomenon requires the discovery of neurophysiological makers of PAE in order to …

From Sharks To "The Big Ugly", Kristin Rearden, Joy Bertling

The Rural Educator

This longitudinal case study explored one rural elementary art teacher’s praxis for two years after she participated in professional development sessions on place-based education (PBE). These sessions focused specifically on PBE within the discipline of art for K-12 art educators in a geographically-large southeastern school district. Through surveys, observations, interviews, and document analysis of curricular materials, the researchers investigated the teacher’s experiences with PBE as she taught art in a rural area of the district. Her curricular decisions transitioned from a focus on art reflecting her personal knowledge base to art that built on students’ expressions of, experiences in, and …

Using Archaeological Remote Sensing To Evaluate Land Use And Constructed Space In Chaco Canyon, Jennie Odessa Sturm

Anthropology ETDs

Archaeological remote sensing includes a suite of non-invasive methods that can be used to study elements of the archaeological record that may not be achievable otherwise. Using primarily geophysical remote sensing, and especially ground-penetrating radar (GPR), three studies involving questions of “use” were conducted in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The first used GPR to study the built interior features of a single room in Pueblo Bonito to evaluate use and function of that room. Three categories of features were identified in the GPR data and confirmed with subsequent excavation. The second study used GPR to re-evaluate an enigmatic land use …

Dynamic Collision Optimization Algorithm Based On Ray Detection, Li Xing, Yanfang Fu, Wang Liang, Chengtao Lu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the inaccurate collision detection problem in Unity 3D-based visual simulation systems, a dynamic collision optimization algorithm based on ray detection is designed and implemented. The 3D virtual scene is segmented by octree, which simplifies the detection range of obstacles during the operation of simulation systems. At the same time, based on ray detection, according to the quantization coefficient and distance of the threat degree of obstacles, an appropriate collision collider is dynamically added to the obstacles to complete collision detection. The results show that the algorithm not only improves the fluency of visual simulation systems but also …

Feeding The Future Meat Doesn’T Come Cheap, Lukas C. Southard

Capstones

Cultured – or as it is referred to by companies innovating the technology clean – meat is expected to be the next innovation to change the way the world gets its animal protein. Meat from animal cells grown in a lab seems like science fiction but it is around the corner from hitting your supermarket shelves. The technology has been developed but how these companies intend on scaling up their production to meet retail demands remains a mystery. So far companies have relied on seed and early stage investment from venture capital companies and private sources to fund research. Predictions …

Float, Frida Sterenberg

Capstones

A family of Afghan asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesvos had found a trace of stability in their lives. They lived in a house, found jobs, were developing new skills and were even nurturing some creative vein while they waited for their asylum interview scheduled for early 2020. But all that was taken away, abruptly, when they were transferred to Athens in mid-September.

The illusive feeling of stability is something the family knows all too well.

Raziye, the mother, has been a refugee for four decades and her children their entire life. Raziye and her late husband fled …

The Rise Of Cultural Appropriation In Fashion, Henna Choudhary

Capstones

A first-person narrative exploring the growing rise in cultural appropriation accusations within the fashion industry, along with its ties to historical colonialism and mercantilism.

Link to capstone project: http://hennachoudharycapstone.tilda.ws

Students With Mental Health Disabilities Suffer From Discrimination Across College Campuses, Abigail Nequa Napp

Capstones

Over the course of several months, we investigated and reported on how colleges and universities have been discriminating against students with mental health disabilities. We FOIA'd the Department of Education for a history of pending and resolved cases (from 2008 - November 2019) to uncover violations committed by colleges. In several instances, institutions discriminated and punished students instead of accommodating their mental health disabilities as required by law. We also reviewed recent lawsuits involving students against universities that focused on punitive leave of absence policies as well as wrongful death suits. This revealed further inefficiencies, deficiencies and tragedy in the …

The Diamond, December 13, 2019, Dordt University

Dordt Diamond

• Front Page: One Expensive Longboard Ride; Trump Impeachment Inquiry Timeline; Beyond a Prank: East Hall Feels Effects of Policy Violations
• Opinion: "Dordtspeak" Trumps Biblical Teaching?; A Thankful State of Mind; A Whole New World Awaits: The Advent of Disney Plus; Seven Tips for Surviving Your First Winter
• News: Rhinos Face Extinction as Christians Face Facts
• Arts & Entertainment: The Making of Airwaves; The Irishman: Long but Worth It; For the First Time in Forever... or Since 2013; Wind Symphony Prepares for Christmas; Knives Out: A Twist of a Mystery; Service of Lessons and Carols
• Sports: Dordt Men's Basketball Shows Confidence …

Investigating The Relationship Between Hormone Receptors Dax-1 And Estrogen Receptor Within Prostate Cancer Cell Lines, Meghana G. Vijayraghavan

Master's Theses

Prostate cancer (PCa) is estimated to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States in 2019. While most prostate tumors rely on androgens for growth signaling, there are subsets of tumors that become androgen-resistant, therefore resisting conventional androgen-depravation therapy. Consequently, research has focused on targeting different hormone receptors for novel therapeutics. One such receptor is Dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia critical region, on chromosome X, gene 1 (DAX-1). DAX-1 is known to interact with other hormone receptors, such as androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptors (ERs) to suppress the proliferative effects …

Attributes Affecting Adoption Of Pollinator Conservation Practices, Shannon M. Westlake

Theses and Dissertations

Pollinator conservation has recently become a topic of greater interest and research around the world as native insect pollinator species increasingly face population declines. In the United States, growing concerns regarding food security and decreased biodiversity have led to the creation of programmatic and best management practices (BMPs) promotional efforts among governmental and non-governmental organizations. These efforts seek to support pollinators on public and private lands by addressing the primary causes of decline (e.g., habitat loss and increased chemical use). Although these organizations have worked diligently to increase awareness and applicability of programs to private landholders, there is still a …

Biochemical Characterization And Regulatory Mechanisms Of Plant Thimet Oligopeptidases Under Oxidative And Reductive Stress, Thualfeqar Almohanna

Theses and Dissertations

Two main Arabidopsis thimet oligopeptidases (AtTOP) involved in stress responses are: (1) thimet metalloendopeptidase 1 (TOP1), found in the mitochondria and chloroplasts, annotated as At5g65620, and (2) thimet metalloendopeptidase 2 (TOP2), found in the cytosol annotated as At5g10540. Both AtTOP1 and AtTOP2 are located on chromosome 5 and share high homology. AtTOP1 and AtTOP2 are zincin-like metalloendopeptidases with the characteristic HEXXH active motif of the M3 clan. Their peptidase activity is related to the oxidative stress triggered by plant immune responses. AtTOPs are involved in plant immune responses through a mechanism regulated by Salicylic Acid (SA); both AtTOP1 and AtTOP2 …