Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Nutraceuticals To Enhance Scientific Literacy Aligning With Vision And Change, Nathaniel Buteyn, Ye In Oh, Jonathan Knott, Paige Bokach

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

An introductory cell biology laboratory course was redesigned using two inquiry-based modules to align with the goals of scientific inquiry as described in Vision and Change. To evaluate the lab’s efficacy, we used a broad range of materials, including pretests and posttests, online surveys, focus group interviews, and course evaluations. Although our students produced significant learning gains on technical laboratory skills, methods, and data analyses, during the first two years their affective dispositions toward the experience were more negative. By evaluating our class data in light of insights from the scholarship of teaching and learning, we were able to provide …

Black-Led Multiethnic Churches : Understanding The Unique Challenges And Opportunities, Brian L. Taylor

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Dendritic Transfer Function In A Novel Fully-Connected Layer, Mark Robert Musil

University Honors Theses

Dendritic branch operations in pyramidal neurons are well understood in-vivo but their potential as computational assets in deep neural networks has not been explored. The pre-processing which dendrites perform may be able to decrease the error of an artificial neuron because each dendrite serves as an independent filtering mechanism which may prevent false positives. In order to test this hypothesis, a fully-connected layer implementing the dendritic transfer function is defined and used to replace the final fully-connected layer used in a standard CNN (convolutional neural network). Results show that the defined algorithm is not able to predict better than chance …

Incivility As A Veiled Display Of Workplace Discrimination: The Intersection Of Workplace Incivility And Gender-Based Discrimination, Sara M. Grant

University Honors Theses

Workplace incivility is defined as behavior that is rude, condescending, and/or ostracizing. Incivility violates workplace norms or expectations of respect but can otherwise appear mundane. Incivility is low impact but consistent mistreatment that can result in a myriad of negative impacts on employees and organizations. Some organizations dismiss incivility and other forms of subtle mistreatment as inconsequential, despite scientific evidence showing significant costs. A combination of anti-discrimination laws and social norms have drastically changed the dynamics of workplace discrimination over the last few decades. That is, blatant discrimination is no longer socially or legally acceptable, but biased attitudes against women …

Remote Sensing Of Water Use Efficiency And Terrestrial Drought Recovery Across The Contiguous United States, Behzad Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadalipour, Glenn Tootle

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ecosystem water-use efficiency (WUE) is defined as the ratio of carbon gain (i.e., gross primary productivity; GPP) to water consumption (i.e., evapotranspiration; ET). WUE is markedly influential on carbon and water cycles, both of which are fundamental for ecosystem state, climate and the environment. Drought can affect WUE, subsequently disturbing the composition and functionality of terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, the impacts of drought on WUE and its components (i.e., GPP and ET) are assessed across the Contiguous US (CONUS) at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. Soil moisture simulations from land surface modeling are utilized to detect and characterize agricultural …

Institutional Resources With Notable Foci On Psychology And Culture, Walt Lonner, Wolfgang Friedlmeier

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

The following Centers, Institutes, Programs and Units (hereafter called “entities”), all components of colleges and universities in many countries, are important resources for teaching, research, consultation and services that have some focus on psychology and culture. The aim of this list is to provide brief information about each entity and to identify the main contact person(s) at each.

Accelerated Wear Reactor Testing, Tristan Frisella, Daniel Alanis, Kian Ashoubi

Biomedical Engineering

Carbon dioxide accounts for a large amount of global greenhouse gases released into the environment. Because plastic degradation emits carbon dioxide, there has been interest to investigate how much carbon dioxide various plastics generate as they degrade. We have been tasked to create a dehumidifier and carbon dioxide sensor assembly for an accelerated wear testing apparatus that degrades plastic. Several products and literature currently exist that share similarity with our assembly but have not been manufactured to achieve the same combination of measurements we are expecting of our accelerated wear testing device. The following report shall introduce these products and …

Dietary Polyphenols And Their Perceived Health Benefits, Stephanie Russell

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper will consist of a compilation of information on polyphenol classes, dietary sources, and potential health benefits. Polyphenols can be classified as flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, or stilbenes. These molecules consist of over 500 plant metabolites that come from numerous food sources including various fruits, vegetables, grains, and beverages such as coffee, tea, and wine. The quantity of polyphenols in food vary greatly, as does their bioavailability for use in the body after consumption. Due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, polyphenols are being studied for effects on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. This paper will focus on structural …

The Ralph Mueller Health Galleries: Uncovering The Lost History Of Unl’S Morrill Hall, Eleanor Schmidt

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Birth Series sculptures portrayed human development from fertilization through birth and were created by Robert Latou Dickinson, an obstetrician-gynecologist, and Abram Belskie, an artist. The sculptures were commission by the Maternity Center Association and were exhibited in 1939, at the Word’s Fair in New York City. Extremely popular at the fair, the sculptures were displayed all over the world, were used as educational models, and were the subject of the Birth Atlas.

In 1952, a set made their way to Morrill Hall as part of the Great Plain’s first health exhibit where they would remain on display for …

Role Of Sclerostin, Fibroblast Growth Factor-23, And Klotho In Hemodialysis Patients, Ahmed Hassan, Azza A. I. Elmenyawi

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Introduction Chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder leads to decreasing bone health. Sclerostin is produced by osteocytes similar to fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) and might upregulate the FGF-23 production by the osteocyte. FGF-23 may act as a mineralization inhibitor. Klotho serves as an obligate coreceptor for the FGF-23 and represents a marker of chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder. Aim We examined the association between serum sclerostin, FGF-23, Klotho, parathyroid hormone, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and phosphorus levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Patients and methods A total of 63 HD patients in the National Institute of Urology and Nephrology and 20 controls …

Effect Of Different Doses Of Low-Intensity Laser Therapy On Total Active Range Of Motion After Hand Flexor Tendon Repair, Amir A. Saidi, Amir N. Wadee, Eid R. Abd El Azim, Feify A. Badawy, Osama F. Al Balah, Wadida H. Elsayed

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Objective To investigate the difference between the effects of different doses of low-level laser therapy (4 or 1 J/cm²) on the return of hand active range of motion (ROM) after flexor tendon repair. Participants and methods A small trial was conducted on 33 patients with 45 injured fingers of both sexes who underwent primary repair after complete cut of hand flexor tendon. Their age ranged from 20 to 40 years old. They were recruited from the plastic surgery department. The treatment began the first day postoperatively after permission by surgeons using Duran protocol and splinting. Transcutaneous electrical nerve …

Significance Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression In The Ectopic Endometrial Tissue Of Women With Endometriosis, Abd Elatif M. Elbalshy, Ashraf M. Kansouh, Samar E. Ghanem

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

Background Degradation of the extracellular matrix is a basic step in the formation of endometriosis. The extracellular matrix degradation operated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) Because matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are essential in orchestrating proper physiological functioning of the endometrium. MMP-9 is affected by many factors such as prostaglandin E2, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin 1β, interferon-γ, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase. Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate MMP-9 forms in the ectopic and eutopic endometrial tissue of women with endometriosis. Patients and methods The study was carried upon 56 patients. Patients were divided into two groups (study …

Association Of The Infant Gut Microbiome With Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: An Ancillary Study To The Vdaart Randomized Clinical Trial, Joanne E. Sordillo, Susan Korrick, Nancy Laranjo, Vincent Carey, George M. Weinstock, Diane R. Gold, George O'Connor, Megan Sandel, Leonard B. Bacharier, Avraham Beigelman, Robert Zeiger, Augusto A. Litonjua, Scott T. Weiss

Open Access Publications

Importance: In animal models, the early life gut microbiome influences later neurodevelopment. Corresponding data in human populations are lacking.

Objective: To study associations between the gut microbiome in infants and development at preschool age measured by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, third edition (ASQ-3).

Design, Setting, and Participants: This ancillary cohort study of the Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART) used data from 715 participants who had development assessed at 3 years of age by the ASQ-3, which included scores in 5 domains (gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, communication, and personal and social skills). A total …

Study Of The Cytological Features Of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Patients With Neuromyelitis Optica., Chunsheng Yang, Yang Yang, Li Ma, Guang-Xian Zhang, Fu-Dong Shi, Yaping Yan, Guoqiang Chang

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a refractory autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system without an effective cure. Autologous bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM‑MSCs) are considered to be promising therapeutic agents for this disease due to their potential regenerative, immune regulatory and neurotrophic effects. However, little is known about the cytological features of BM‑MSCs from patients with NMO, which may influence any therapeutic effects. The present study aimed to compare the proliferation, differentiation and senescence of BM‑MSCs from patients with NMO with that of age‑ and sex‑matched healthy subjects. It was revealed that there were no significant differences in …

Collecting Virtual And Augmented Reality In The Twenty-First Century Library, Matthew Hannah, Sarah Huber, Sorin Adam Matei

Matei Interdisciplinary Research Collaboratory

In this paper, we discuss possible pedagogical applications for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), within a humanities/social sciences curriculum, articulating a critical need for academic libraries to collect and curate 3D objects. We contend that building infrastructure is critical to keep pace with innovative pedagogies and scholarship. We offer theoretical avenues for libraries to build a repository 3D object files to be used in VR and AR tools and sketch some anticipated challenges. To build an infrastructure to support VR/AR collections, we have collaborated with College of Liberal Arts to pilot a program in which Libraries and CLA …

A Characterization Of Undersea Neutron And Capture Gamma Signatures Resulting From Special Nuclear Material On A Maritime Vessel, Elizabeth Troy

Purdue Workshop on Nonproliferation: Technology and Approaches

Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) located aboard ships emit radiation that may be detectable in the undersea environment. An Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) could be equipped with detection capabilities to determine whether commercial or private vessels are carrying SNM prior to reaching port. Additional research is needed improve such a UUV’s ability to detect and discriminate between types of SNM and reduce false- positive detections. This research builds on past work by C. T. McKay to provide a higher fidelity characterization of detectable radiation signatures from SNM in the undersea environment with a focus on plutonium-bearing SNM. 252Cf will be used …

Applications Of Pattern Recognition Entropy (Pre) And Informatics To Data Analysis, Shiladitya Chatterjee

Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of my work is the application of informatics methods to the fields of materials science and analytical chemistry. The statistical analysis of data has become increasingly important in understanding the properties of materials and analytes. Statistical methods like principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) are widely used for analysis in chemistry and other fields given their ability to categorize spectra in an unsupervised way. PCA is relatively easy to apply and has appealing mathematical properties. However, the results can be challenging to interpret, even for experienced users. In contrast, MCR results can be more …

Ribosomally Synthesized And Post-Translationally Modified Peptides As Potential Scaffolds For Peptide Engineering, Devan Bursey

Theses and Dissertations

Peptides are small proteins that are crucial in many biological pathways such as antimicrobial defense, hormone signaling, and virulence. They often exhibit tight specificity for their targets and therefore have great therapeutic potential. Many peptide-based therapeutics are currently available, and the demand for this type of drug is expected to continue to increase. In order to satisfy the growing demand for peptide-based therapeutics, new engineering approaches to generate novel peptides should be developed. Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a group of peptides that have the potential to be effective scaffolds for in vivo peptide engineering projects. These …

Holding The Animal Agriculture Industry Accountable For Climate Change: Merits Of A Public Nuisance Claim Under California And Federal Law, Amit Liran

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

Extreme Fate As Convention : Episodic Reprisals Against Divine Messenger Opposition In Scripture, Robert Paul Fleenor

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Zinc, Copper And Cu/Zn Ratio In Sera Of Women With Breast Cancer In Kirkuk City, Ali Yakub Majid, Usama Salman Altimari, Lubna Hussein Murshed

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The aim of this study was evaluating Zinc, Copper and Cu/Zn ratio in sera of women with breast cancer (BC) in Kirkuk City. The study involved 60 breast cancer women (20 on chemotherapy, 20 pre-operation, and 20 post-operation) and 20 women with benign breast tumors (BBT) as a disease control, all compared to 20 apparently healthy control women. Serum used to evaluate the levels of zinc and copper in control and patient groups, Cu/Zn ratio was also calculated. The results showed a highly significant (P<0.01) reduction in the mean serum zinc level of the total BC group (77.65 ± 8.49 µg/dl) and in its subgroups (on chemotherapy, pre- and post-operation) (78.85 ± 5.26; 72.8 ± 10.08; 81.3 ± 7.37 µg/dl) respectively and in benign breast tumor (82.55 ± 4.9 µg/dl), compared to that of healthy control (HC) group (93.55 ± 12.88 µg/dl ).While a highly significant (P<0.01) elevation of mean serum copper concentration was found in total BC (150.92 ± 14.78 µg/dl) and in (Chemotherapy, Pre & Post-operation ) breast cancer subgroups (148.65 ± 13.16, 154.9 ± 15.16, 149.2 ± 15.39 µg/dl) respectively, and in BBT (148.45±16.57 µg/dl) compared to HC (122.5 ± 13.33 µg/dl). In addition to a highly significant elevation in the mean serum Cu/Zn ratio in the total BC group (1.96 ± 0.36) and in breast cancer patients on Chemotherapy, Pre-operation and Post-operation (1.88 ± 0.19), (2.17 ± 0.52), (1.83 ± 0.13) respectively and in benign breast tumor (1.79 ± 0.22) compared to that of the HC group (1.32 ± 0.21) (p< 0.01). It is concluded from this study that the elevation of copper and Cu/Zn ratio may indicate increased oxidative stress in breast cancer which implicated in the etiology of breast cancer

Bacterial Contents Of Seminal Fluid Of Iraqi Infertile Men, Aya Zuhair, Ghanim Hussein, Anwar N. Al-Bassam

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

This study aimed to estimate the percentage of bacterial infection among infertile males in Iraq with special reference to the predominant bacterial type.One hundred and five samples were collected from infertile patients as well as fertile individual, Seventy samples were collected from male individuals suffering from infertility either primary or secondary, as well as 35 samples were collected from fertile persons serve as a control group .All samples collected in this study were subjected to inoculation on proper media to investigate bacterio-spermia. Seminal plasma of liquefied samples were collected from all samples by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 7min, plasma …

Antibiotics Resistance Among Clinical Isolates Of Staphylococcus Aureus, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And Escherichia Coli, Mohammed Hayder Hashim, Marwa Hameed Alkhafaji

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The pattern of antibiotic susceptibility of nine isolate of (E. coli, P. aerugensa and S. aureus) to five antibiotics ceftazidime (CAZ), azithromycin (AZM), amoxicillin-clavulanate (AMC), ciprofloxacin (CIPR), and cefoxitin (CTX) was determined using disc diffusion method. The results showed that S. aureus isolates were 100% resistant all to antibiotics AMC, CAZ, CTX (Extended-spectrum β-lactamases). While 66.6% of isolates were AZM resistant and 33.3% of S. aureus isolates resist CIP. All E. coli isolate (100%) were resistant to (CTX and CAZ) and 66.6% of E. coli isolates were resistant to CIPR and AMC. P. aerugensa were 100% resistant to AMC and …

March 2019 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Data Exclusivities And The Limits To Trips Harmonization, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

2019 marks the silver anniversary of the WTO TRIPS Agreement. Policymakers and commentators remain deeply divided about the strengths and limitations of this agreement. On the one hand, they marvel at its success in establishing international minimum standards for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. On the other hand, they widely criticize the agreement for imposing high "one size fits all" standards upon developing countries.

Regardless of one's perspective, the harmonization project advanced by the TRIPS Agreement, and continued through TRIPS-plus bilateral, regional and plurilateral agreements, has been at the forefront of the international intellectual property debate. While …

Heart Failure Symptom Biology In Response To Ventricular Assist Device Implantation., Christopher S Lee, James O Mudd, Karen S Lyons, Quin E Denfeld, Corrine Y Jurgens, Bradley E Aouizerat, Jill M Gelow, Christopher V Chien, Emily Aarons, Kathleen L Grady

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: We have a limited understanding of the biological underpinnings of symptoms in heart failure (HF), particularly in response to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to quantify the degree to which symptoms and biomarkers change in parallel from before implantation through the first 6 months after LVAD implantation in advanced HF.

METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 101 patients receiving an LVAD for the management of advanced HF. Data on symptoms (dyspnea, early and subtle symptoms [HF Somatic Perception Scale], pain severity [Brief Pain Inventory], wake disturbance [Epworth Sleepiness Scale], …

Neoantigen Screening Identifies Broad Tp53 Mutant Immunogenicity In Patients With Epithelial Cancers., Parisa Malekzadeh, Anna Pasetto, Paul F Robbins, Maria R Parkhurst, Biman C Paria, Li Jia, Jared J Gartner, Victoria Hill, Zhiya Yu, Nicholas P Restifo, Abraham Sachs, Eric Tran, Winifred Lo, Robert Pt Somerville, Steven A Rosenberg, Drew C Deniger

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Report Of An Inferior Rectal Nerve Variant Arising From The S3 Ventral Ramus., Graham Dupont, Joe Iwanaga, Rod J Oskouian, R Shane Tubbs

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

In surgical approaches to the perineum in general and anal region specifically, considering the possible variations of the inferior rectal nerve is important for the surgeon. Normally, the inferior rectal nerve originates as a branch of the pudendal nerve. However, during routine dissection, a variant of the inferior rectal nerve was found where it arose directly from the third sacral nerve ventral ramus (S3). Many cases have described the inferior rectal nerve arising independently from the sacral plexus, most commonly from the fourth sacral nerve root (S4); however, few cases have reported the inferior rectal nerve arising from S3. Herein, …

Interactions Between The Organellar Pol1a, Pol1b, And Twinkle Dna Replication Proteins And Their Role In Plant Organelle Dna Replication, Stewart Anthony Morley

Theses and Dissertations

Plants maintain organelle genomes that are descended from ancient microbes. Ages ago, these ancient microbes were engulfed by larger cells, beginning a process of co-evolution we now call the endo-symbiotic theory. Over time, DNA from the engulfed microbe was transferred to the genome of the larger engulfing cell, eventually losing the ability to be free-living, and establishing a permanent residency in the larger cell. Similarly, the larger cell came to rely so much on the microbe it had engulfed, that it too lost its ability to survive without it. Thus, mitochondria and plastids were born. Nearly all multicellular eukaryotes possess …

It All Started With Columbo: Teaching Law With Popular Culture, Christine A. Corcos

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.