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Diuretic And Natriuretic Activity Of Faah Inhibition In The Renal Medulla: A Proposed Role Of Palmitoylethanolamide And Its Regulation By Renal Medullary Interstitial Cells, Sara Dempsey

Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension is a critical public health issue worldwide, and in the United States, it is the leading cause of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, contributing to more than 1,100 deaths per day. It is proposed that the renal medulla combats increased blood pressure by releasing a neutral lipid from the lipid droplets of medullary interstitial cells, termed medullipin, which induces diuresis- natriuresis and vasodepression. The renal medulla is enriched with fatty acid lipid ethanolamides including the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and oleoylethanolamide (OEA), along with their primary hydrolyzing enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Our lab is investigating …

Let’S Face It: The Effect Of Orthognathic Surgery On Facial Recognition Algorithm Analysis, Carolyn Bradford Dragon

Theses and Dissertations

Aim: To evaluate the ability of a publicly available facial recognition application program interface (API) to calculate similarity scores for pre- and post-surgical photographs of patients undergoing orthognathic surgeries. Our primary objective was to identify which surgical procedure(s) had the greatest effect(s) on similarity score.

Methods: Standard treatment progress photographs for 25 retrospectively identified, orthodontic-orthognathic patients were analyzed using the API to calculate similarity scores between the pre- and post-surgical photographs. Photographs from two pre-surgical timepoints were compared as controls. Both relaxed and smiling photographs were included in the study to assess for the added impact of facial pose on …

The Infectivity Of Naegleria Fowleri Cysts In Vivo And In Vitro, And Mediation Of Encystment By Camp, Anna L. Evdokiou

Theses and Dissertations

The free-living amoeba and causative agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, Naegleria fowleri, has three life stages: the trophozoite, the flagellate, and the cyst. This study examined the ability of the cyst to attach to, excyst upon, and destroy cell cultures grown to confluent monolayers, and to cause Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in a murine animal model. The co-culture of cysts with P388D.1, CHME3, Vero, human nasal epithelial, and rat primary mixed glial cells resulted in destruction of the monolayer of all cell types once the cysts attached and excysted. One day post exposure to cysts, the mixed glial cells exhibited …

Investigation Of The Interactions Between The Dream Complex And Hpv16, Kevin Ko

Theses and Dissertations

According to the American Cancer Society, it has been estimated that in 2019 alone, there will be approximately 53,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharyngeal cancers are the largest subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), which are the sixth most common cancer across worldwide populations. They, along with other HNSCCs, fall under a category of cancers known as Human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers, and it has been found that upwards of 70% of these cancers can be attributed to high-risk HPV infections.

Specifically, the high-risk HPV gene, E7, plays a key role in relieving cell cycle repression by …

Design, Synthesis And Pharmacological Characterization Of Potential Mu Opioid Receptor Selective Ligands, Abhishek S. Kulkarni

Theses and Dissertations

Selective Mu Opioid Receptor (MOR) antagonists possess immense potential in the treatment of opioid abuse/addiction. Utilizing the “message-address” concept, our laboratory reported a novel, reversible, non-peptide MOR selective antagonist 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4՛-pyridyl)carboxamido]morphinan (NAP). Molecular modeling studies revealed that the selectivity of NAP for the MOR is because of a π-π stacking interaction of its pyridine ring with the Trp318residue in theMOR. Pharmacological characterization showed that NAP is a P-glycoprotein substrate, thereby limiting its use in the treatment of opioid abuse/addiction. Thus, to modify NAP, we replaced the pyridine ring with its isosteric counterpart thiophene. Isosteric replacement …

Restoration Of Contractile Protein Expression And Colonic Smooth Muscle Function By Hydrogen Sulfide In Dmd Mice, Kulpreet Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), characterized by the lack of dystrophin, results from a mutation in the Xp21 gene which encodes for the protein dystrophin that links the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton in skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. Slow colonic transit and chronic constipation are common in DMD patients due to the weakening of the abdominal wall muscles and gut smooth muscle. However, the cause of this hypocontractility in DMD patients and the expression of contractile proteins in smooth muscle are unknown. Expression of contractile proteins is regulated by the signaling pathways activated by excitatory (e.g., acetylcholine, ACh) and …

A Genetically Informed Study Of Acute Threat Endophenotypes For Callous-Unemotional Traits, Ashlee A. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits predict socially debilitating outcomes including Antisocial Personality Disorder and violent crime in adulthood. Despite significant research, the etiology of CU traits is not well understood. This dissertation incorporates genetic, physiological, neuroanatomical, and self-report measures to investigate the etiology of CU traits. Specifically, this project focuses on measures previously found to associate with impaired fear-processing observed in individuals high on CU. Brain morphometry for paralimbic regions of interest (ROIs) and electromyographic facial eyeblink reflex to startle and fear-potentiated startle probes were investigated as potential endophenotypes for CU traits. Methods. Two genetically informative (ages 9-20) twin samples ( …

Genetic And Environmental Factors Influence Drosophila Ethanol Sedation, Rebecca E. Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is a global health issue that affects a significant portion of the population, with affects including both negative mental and physical consequences. Currently, there are few treatment options available to those who suffer from alcohol use disorder, alcohol abuse, or alcohol dependence. Identifying candidate genes or environmental influences would therefore improve the means for possible treatments or identification of those people at risk for alcohol use disorder. Previous studies in humans have demonstrated an inverse association between initial sensitivity and risk for alcohol abuse. This connection allows investigators, and our laboratory, to investigate genetic and environmental factors …

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Evaluate The Coherence Of Traumatic Event Narratives, Gabriella C. Scalzo

Theses and Dissertations

While a growing evidence base suggests that expressive writing about a traumatic event may be an effective intervention which results in a variety of health benefits, there are still multiple competing theories that seek to explain expressive writing’s mechanism(s) of action. Two of the theories with stronger evidence bases are exposure theory and cognitive processing theory. The state of this field is complicated by methodological limitations; operationalizing and measuring the relative constructs of trauma narratives, such as coherence, traditionally requires time- and labor-intensive methods such as using a narrative coding scheme. This study used a computer-based methodology, latent semantic analysis …

Proteinic Geontopower, Agustine Zegers

Theses and Dissertations

PGP is a study of how we come into intimate contact with capitalism through our digestive tract. It is a study of the increasing valuing of protein in contemporary diet culture, focusing on how this phenomenon has resulted in mass-scale global soya production. Protein synthesis and distribution are rearticulated in this work as a set of molecular transactions enacted within/out bodies, moving loosely through ligaments and industrial machinery.

PGP is a speculative exercise in communing with a damaged planet through our daily ingestions.

Competition, Climate, And Drought Effects On Tree Growth In An Encroached Oak Woodland In Northern California, Jill J. Beckmann

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana Douglas ex Hook.) is experiencing increasing competition from Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) across its range at the same time as climate models are predicting increasing climate variability, including drought. Management recommendations that consider competition dynamics between these species under a changing climate are therefore needed for oak woodlands, but we do not currently understand the combined effects of competition, climate, and drought in this ecosystem. This research examines radial tree growth and drought response in Oregon white oak and Douglas fir in an encroached oak woodland near Kneeland, California. Stem maps …

The Need For Speed: How Quickly Do Preprints Become Published Articles?, Rachel Herbert, Kate Gasson, Alex Ponsford

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

bioRxiv’s option for authors to submit biology preprints directly to journals typically speeds up publication of articles by nearly 2 weeks—an advantage for authors who are keen to get their work published quickly

Authors approach ‘preprinting’ in different ways: while most post a preprint before submitting to a journal, just over a third of preprints were submitted to and accepted by a journal before the preprint appeared on bioRxiv

Biology preprints with just one version are published 2 weeks more quickly than those with multiple versions

Grinnell Science Project: Motivating First Year Students To Persist In Scientific Inquiry, Kevin R. Engel, Rebecca Ciota, Elizabeth Rodrigues

Publications

No abstract provided.

Cost-Effectiveness In Animal Health, Govind Persad

Publications

This chapter evaluates the ethical issues that using cost-effectiveness considerations to set animal health priorities might present, and its conclusions are cautiously optimistic. While using cost-effectiveness calculations in animal health is not without ethical pitfalls, these calculations offer a pathway toward more rigorous priority-setting efforts that allow money spent on animal well-being to do more good. Although assessing quality of life for animals may be more challenging than in humans, implementing prioritization based on cost-effectiveness is less ethically fraught.

Reconciling Evolution In A Biology And Theology Classroom, Jamie Jensen

ScholarsArchive Data

Data collected from Biology and Theology classes before and after a reconciliation lesson.

Mirabile Dictu: Newsletter Of The Bryn Mawr College Libraries 22 (2019)

Mirabile Dictu: Newsletter of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of Network-Based And Random Meetings In Social Networks, Pranav Nerurkar, Madhav Chandane, Sunil Bhirud

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Social networks are created by the underlying behavior of the actors involved in them. Each actor has interactions with other actors in the network and these interactions decide whether a social relationship should develop between them. Such interactions may occur due to meeting processes such as chance-based meetings or network-based (choice) meetings. Depending upon which of these two types of interactions plays a greater role in creation of links, a social network shall evolve accordingly. This evolution shall result in the social network obtaining a suitable structure and certain unique features. The aim of this work is to determine the …

Multiscanning Mode Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy System, Mert Aktürk, Gökhan Gümüş, Baykal Sarioğlu, Yi̇ği̇t Dağhan Gökdel

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, a table-top, reflective mode, laser scanning confocal microscopy system that is capable of scanning the target specimen alternately through various scanning devices and methods is proposed. We have developed a laser scanning confocal microscopy system to utilize combinations of various scanning devices and methods and to be able to characterize the optical performance of different scanners and micromirrors that are frequently used in scanning microscopy systems such as multiphoton microscopy, optical coherence tomography, or confocal microscopy. By integrating the scanner to be characterized on the same optical path with a galvanometric scan mirror, which is the conventional …

Evolutionary Approaches For Weight Optimization In Collaborative Filtering-Based Recommender Systems, Sevgi̇ Yi̇ği̇t Sert, Yilmaz Ar, Gazi̇ Erkan Bostanci

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Collaborative filtering is one of the widely adopted approaches in recommender systems used for e-commerce applications, stating that users having similar tastes will have similar preferences in the future. The literature presents a number of similarity metrics such as the extended Jaccard coefficient to quantify these preference similarities. This paper aims to improve prediction accuracy by optimizing the similarity values computed using these metrics by adopting two biologically inspired approaches, namely artificial bee colony and genetic algorithms, with a bottom-up approach, suggesting that any improvement on a single-user basis will reflect on the overall prediction accuracy. Detailed statistical analysis was …

State-Space Identification Of Switching Linear Discrete Time-Periodic Systems Withknown Scheduling Signals, İsmai̇l Uyanik, Hasan Hamzaçebi̇, Mustafa Mert Ankarali

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, we propose a novel frequency domain state-space identification method for switching linear discrete time-periodic (LDTP) systems with known scheduling signals. The state-space identification problem of linear time-invariant (LTI) systems has been widely studied both in the time and frequency domains. Indeed, there have been several studies that also concentrated on state-space identification of both continuous and discrete linear time-periodic (LTP) systems. The focus in this study is the family of LDTP systems that switch among a finite set of subsystems triggered by known periodic scheduling signals. We address the state-space identification of such systems in frequency domain …

Design Optimization Using Dielectric Slab For Efficient Microwave Heating, Sofiya Ali Mekonnen, Si̇bel Yeni̇kaya

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, usage of a dielectric slab on the top and bottom sides, on the top side, and on the bottom side of a clay sample was presented as a means of improving heating efficiency in multimode applicator. In order to accomplish the optimization procedure, we used four different dielectric slab types having different thickness values. The simulated results show that by using additional dielectric slab it is possible to increase the electric field intensity inside the applicator and obtain higher power absorption rates within the sample and high-efficiency designs.

Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure Of Multioperator Co-Sited Urban Base Stations, Ni̇yazi̇ Korkut Uluaydin, Tomasz Dlugosz, Şaban Seli̇m Şeker

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Mobile network operators (MNOs) concurrently use different generations of wireless technologies. The base stations (BSs) of different technology generations are co-located in order to decrease operational costs. Furthermore, the MNOs cooperate in order to co-site their base stations. Such an urban site includes more than 25 actively radiating antennas on average with different frequencies and modulations. Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) measurements performed in such an environment may have reduced accuracy. In this paper, the authors propose a new approach for the measurement of EMR in multiple mobile technology interwoven urban BS sites, where more than one operator exists. The maintenance activities …

Towards Wearable Blood Pressure Measurement Systems From Biosignals: A Review, Ümi̇t Şentürk, Kemal Polat, İbrahi̇m Yücedağ

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Blood pressure is the pressure by the blood to the vein wall. High blood pressure, which is called silent death, is the cause of nearly 13 % of mortality all over the world. Blood pressure is not only measured in the medical environment, but the blood pressure measurement is also a need for people in their daily life. Blood pressure estimation systems with low error rates have been developed besides the new technologies and algorithms. Blood pressure measurements are differentiated as invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurement and noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurement methods. Although IBP measurement provides the most accurate …

Sentence Similarity Using Weighted Path And Similarity Matrices, Reza Javadzadeh, Morteza Zahedi, Marziea Rahimi

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Sentence similarity is the task of assessing how similar the two snippets of text are. Similarity techniques are used extensively in clustering, summarization, classification, plagiarism detection etc. Due to a small set of vocabularies, sentence similarity is considered to be a difficult problem in natural language processing. There are two issues in solving this problem: (1) Which similarity techniques to be used for word pair similarity and (2) How to generalize that to sentence pairs. We have used the weighted path, a WordNet-based similarity assessment, and the paraphrase database to obtain word pair similarity values. Thereafter, we extracted maximum values …

Exploiting Stochastic Petri Nets With Fuzzy Parameters To Predict Efficient Drug Combinations For Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Rza Bashi̇rov, Recep Duranay, Adi̇l Şeytanoğlu, Mani Mehraei, Ni̇met Akçay

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Randomness and uncertainty are two major problems one faces while modeling nonlinear dynamics of molecular systems. Stochastic and fuzzy methods are used to cope with these problems, but there is no consensus among researchers regarding which method should be used when. This is because the areas of applications of these methods are overlapping with differences in opinions. In the present work, we demonstrate how to use stochastic Petri nets with fuzzy parameters to manage random timing of biomolecular events and deal with the uncertainty of reaction rates in biological networks. The approach is demonstrated through a case study of simulation-based …

A Crowdsensing-Based Framework For Urban Air Quality Decision Support, Hasna Elalaoui Elabdallaoui, Abdelaziz Elfazziki, Jamal Ouarzazi, Fatima Zohra Ennaji, Mohamed Sadgal

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Air pollution is considered a major health problem in urban areas. Small sensor technology integrated with smart phones can be widely used to collect air quality information in real time using mobile applications. By applying the concept of crowdsensing, citizens and authorities can be aware of exposure to pollution during their daily activities in urban areas. This paper describes an on-road air quality monitoring and control approach based on the crowdsensing paradigm. In addition to collecting air pollution data, we are exploring the possibility of using this technology to effectively detect critical situations and redistribute all information through a proactive …

Bergson’S Philosophy Of Self-Overcoming, Messay Kebede

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

This book proposes a new reading of Bergsonism based on the admission that time, conceived as duration, stretches instead of passes. This swelling time is full and so excludes the negative. Yet, swelling requires some resistance, but such that it is more of a stimulant than a contrariety. The notion of élan vital fulfills this requirement: it states the immanence of life to matter, thereby deriving the swelling from an internal effort and allowing its conceptualization as self-overcoming. With self-overcoming as the inner dynamics of reality, Bergson dismisses all forms of dualism and reductionist monism because both the absence of …

Beauty In Disability: An Aesthetics For Dance And For Life, Aili W. Bresnahan, Michael Deckard

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

To what extent does dance contribute to an ideal of beauty that can enrich human quality of life? To what extent are standards of beauty predicated on an ideal human body that has no disability? In this chapter, we show how conceptions of proportionality, perfection, and ethereality from the Ancient Greeks through the 19th century can still be seen today in some kinds of dance, particularly in ballet. Disability studies and disability-inclusive dance companies, however, have started to change this. The disabled person can be beautiful, we will show, in dance and in life, under a disability aesthetics that follows …

Oxidative Degradation Of Lignin And Investigation Of Utilization Of Lignin-Derived Materials As Building Blocks For Epoxy Resins, Zhen Fang

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Lignin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth, is potentially a replaceable source for bulky fuels and chemical feedstocks. There have been numerous reports on methods for the oxidative cleavage of β-O-4 linkages but relatively few reports of how those methods affect other linkages that are present in lignin. We investigated how the β-1 and β-5 linkages respond under oxidative conditions proposed for lignin deconstruction based on their effect on β-O-4 linkages. Mechanochemical treatment of lignin can greatly improve the yield of monomer products and we applied a mechanochemical approach, using powerful ring-and-puck milling to promote lignin degradation. Along with …

Oxidative Depolymerization Of Lignin To Low Molecular Weight Aromatics, Yang Song

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

To date, most lignocellulosic biorefinery strategies have focused on optimizing conversion of cellulose to ethanol, leaving lignin as an underutilized biomass constituent. Lignin is engineered by nature with the intent to protect plants from chemical and biological attack; this leaves lignin with high structural irregularity and recalcitrance, rendering conversion of the lignin macromolecule to valuable products particularly challenging. Nevertheless, given that the economics of cellulosic ethanol production are strongly dependent on the value that can be obtained for the lignin co-product, the successful valorization of lignin is a crucial step in the transition towards a bio-based economy.

This thesis focuses …