Digital Commons Network^™

Precision Exercise Medicine: Understanding Exercise Response Variability, Robert Ross, Bret H. Goodpaster, Lauren G. Koch, Mark A. Sarzynski, Wendy M. Kohrt, Neil M. Johannsen, James S. Skinner, Alex Castro, Brian A. Irving, Robert C. Noland, Lauren M. Sparks, Guillaume Spielmann, Andrew G. Day, Werner Pitsch, William G. Hopkins, Claude Bouchard

Faculty Publications

There is evidence from human twin and family studies as well as mouse and rat selection experiments that there are considerable interindividual differences in the response of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and other cardiometabolic traits to a given exercise programme dose. We developed this consensus statement on exercise response variability following a symposium dedicated to this topic. There is strong evidence from both animal and human studies that exercise training doses lead to variable responses. A genetic component contributes to exercise training response variability. In this consensus statement, we (1) briefly review the literature on exercise response variability and the various …

Healthy Brown Rice-Based Extrudates Containing Straw Mushrooms: Effect Of Feed Moisture And Mushroom Powder Contents, Benjarat Tepsongkroh, Kamolwan Jangchud, Anuvat Jangchud, Chulaluck Charunuch, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

This study was carried out to compare the nutritional values, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AOA) of straw mushroom between egg-shaped (ME) and fully expanded pileus (MF) stages. Effects of three levels of feed moisture (FM: 13, 16, and 19%) and four levels of straw mushroom powder (MP: 0, 10, 15, and 20) were also investigated. It was set a constant barrel temperature profile due to temperature is not a factor for this study. The reseult showed that MF had higher nutritional values than ME. Increasing MP resulted in increased true density (TD), TPC, and AOA but decreased …

Thermal And Physico-Mechanical Characterizations Of Thromboresistant Polyurethane Films, Aaron C. Wilson, Shih Feng Chou, Roberto Lozano, Jonathan Y. Chen, Pierre F. Neuenschwander

Faculty Publications

Hemocompatibility remains a challenge for injectable and/or implantable medical devices, and thromboresistant coatings appear to be one of the most attractive methods to down-regulate the unwanted enzymatic reactions that promote the formation of blood clots. Among all polymeric materials, polyurethanes (PUs) are a class of biomaterials with excellent biocompatibility and bioinertness that are suitable for the use of thromboresistant coatings. In this work, we investigated the thermal and physico-mechanical behaviors of ester-based and ether-based PU films for potential uses in thromboresistant coatings. Our results show that poly(ester urethane) and poly(ether urethane) films exhibited characteristic peaks corresponding to their molecular configurations. …

Additive And Heterozygous (Dis)Advantage Gwas Models Reveal Candidate Genes Involved In The Genotypic Variation Of Maize Hybrids To Azospirillum Brasilense, Miriam Suzane Vidotti, Danilo Hottis Lyra, Júlia Silva Morosini, Ítalo Stefanine Correia Granato, Maria Carolina Quecine, João Lúcio De Azevedo, Roberto Fritsche-Neto

Faculty Publications

Maize genotypes can show different responsiveness to inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and an intriguing issue is which genes of the plant are involved in the recognition and growth promotion by these Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB). We conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) using additive and heterozygous (dis)advantage models to find candidate genes for root and shoot traits under nitrogen (N) stress and N stress plus A. brasilense. A total of 52,215 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers were used for GWAS analyses. For the six root traits with significant inoculation effect, the GWAS analyses revealed 25 significant SNPs for the N stress …

Pleasantview Hills Aspen Stand Diversity Project: Environmental Assessment, Pocatello Field Office

Aspen Bibliography

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Pocatello Field Office (PFO) has prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the environmental impacts of implementing treatments on aspen stands in the Pleasantview Hills area. This EA discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects that would result from implementation of this proposal as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. This EA will determine whether to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based on environmental impact context and intensity, thereby informing agency decision making. Guidance for EA organization is determined by …

Association Of Total Zinc Intake With Myopia In U.S. Children And Adolescents, Niamh Burke, John Butler, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, Daniel Mccartney, James Loughman

Articles

Significance: This present study advances our knowledge on the role of lifestyle factors in myopia (short-sightedness), specifically dietary factors. It has been suggested in previous studies that lower zinc status is associated with myopia; however, this article shows no relationship between dietary zinc intake and myopia in U.S. adolescents. Purpose: It has been suggested that low zinc levels may contribute to the development of myopia. The aim of the present study is to examine, for the first time in a Western population, the association of total dietary and supplement zinc intake with myopia. Methods: A total of 1095 children/adolescents aged …

Steroidal Alkaloid Variation In Veratrum Californicum As Determined By Modern Methods Of Analytical Analysis, Matthew W. Turner, Meagan Rossi, Vannessa Campfield, John French, Ellie Hunt, Emily Wade, Owen M. Mcdougal

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Veratrum californicum is a rich source of steroidal alkaloids, many of which have proven to be antagonists of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway that becomes aberrant in over twenty types of cancer. These alkaloids first became known in the 1950's due to their teratogenic properties, which resulted in newborn and fetal lambs developing cyclopia as a result of pregnant ewes consuming Veratrum californicum. It was discovered that the alkaloids in V. californicum were concentrated in the root and rhizome of the plant with much lower amounts of the most active alkaloid, cyclopamine, present in the aerial plant, especially in …

Trump's Angry White Women: Motherhood, Nationalism, And Abortion, Yvonne Lindgren

Hofstra Law Review

A majority of white women-- fifty-two percent-- voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. White working-class women supported Trump in even greater numbers: sixty-one percent of white women without college degrees voted for Trump. This result seems remarkable considering Trump's derogatory statements about women and his staunch opposition to legal access to abortion. Why did white women, especially those most likely to need access to reproductive healthcare-- poor and working-class women-- vote heavily against their own interests to embrace a candidate who called for punishing women who access abortion? Much recent commentary has considered this question and drawn …

Bounding Forward, Robert L. Fischman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In the race to save the planet from climate change, resilience has been misconstrued as sustaining historic conditions. But some of them are undesirable and others no longer feasible. Adaptive governance can promote transformation to help communities frustrated with current conditions.

Isolation And Identification Of Candida Albicans In Different Clinical Samples, Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed, Khalil Molod Wahab, Mohammed Abed Jawad

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The prevalence of candidacies caused by Candida albicans has increased years ago. The samples (Vaginal swabs; urethral swabs; urine; and ear swabs) were cultured on Sabourauds Dextrose Agar and CHROM agar™Candida to detect Candida albicans in patients clinically suffered from candidiasis. Six hundred and five clinical samples were collected from patients whose ages ranged from (20 – 69) years. All Candida albicans isolates were identified by using microscopic examination in wet smear and stained smear; in addition to germ tube test and API Candida. The highest rate of Candida albicans infections were 73.3% in pregnant women in age group (20 …

Status Of Certain Elements In Patients With Polycythemia, Alyaa Kadhum Huliel, Ahmed Ghazi Sabbar

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Background: Polycythemia" (erythrocytosis), is a condition characterized by abnormal increase in circulating red blood cells (RBCs) number resulting in an increased "PCV" (packed cell volume). Objective: Measure the levels of some trace elements in serum of patients with polycythemia. Patients and Methods: the study included 70 polycythemia patients (61 males and 9 females), their ages ranged 18-60 years, and 20 apparently healthy, their age and gender matched with the patients as a control group. The levels of (Fe, Zn, Pb and Cd) were measured in both patients and control. Results: Results obtained from this study showed that the male was …

Role Of 1?-Hydroxylase Enzyme And 25(Oh)D As A Biomarker Of Vitamin D Metabolism In Chronic Kidney Disease, Ameerah Hameed Mnazzal, Hanaa N. Abdullah

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Chronic kidney disease is identified as a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D deficiency is common and high in the chronic kidney disease population so it is recognized as a significant public health problem. The objective of this study was to 1) measured 25(OH)D and 1α-hydroxylase levels. 2) Correlation between 25(OH)D and 1α-hydroxylase among patients with vitamin D deficient and CKD. Blood samples were collected, from 50 patients suffer from CKD and have Vitamin D deficiency, and 50 healthy persons as control group. The biochemical results showed that blood urea, creatinine, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone levels a highly …

Immunohistochemical Expression Of Androgen Receptor (Ar) And Its Relationship With Clinicpathological Parameters In Breast Cancer, Wafaa Fadhil Hamad

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Breast carcinoma is one of the most common malignant and the leading cause of cancer related death among women all around the world. Gene expression profiling characterized 4 major groups of BC, which classified patients into Luminal A, Luminal B, HER-2/neu enriched, and Triple Negative BC (TNBC) . Among the members of the steroid receptor superfamily the role of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PR) and HER2 are play a role in breast cancer as both predictive and prognostic markers and management of therapy. Androgen Receptor (AR) is a steroid nuclear receptor involved in complex signaling pathways that are …

Effect Of The Exposure To Radioactive Iodine I-131 On Lymphocyte And Granulocyte Levels In Blood Samples Of Hospital Workers, Zena A. Khalaf, Hameed M. Jasim, Satar M. Kadam, Ali A. Mahdi

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

This study was achieved to examine the impact on hematological parameters for medical workers that work on radioactive iodine I131 . Its indicated that’s the mean value of radiation exposed (RE) workers were 29.2% of lymphocyte and 64.4% granulocyte% in compared with 30.2% and 60.6% respectively of radiation unexposed persons. Results showed that 17% of granulocyte increased, while 8.5% of the granulocyte level was declined in compared to fluctuated decrease and increase in the lymphocyte level in hospital workers. Results showed that there females are higher influenced than male. Finally, the study indicated that Complete blood count is promising, safe …

Investigation Of Antimicrobial Activities Of Lactuca Sativa (L.) Extracts Against Clinical Pathogens, Shahbaa M. Al-Khazraji, Emad M. Rasheed

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

The present study describes the antimicrobial activity of 3 extracts of Lactuca sativa Linn. (Lettuce), collected from the local markets in Baghdad. Successive petroleum ether, methanol and ethyl acetate+water extracts of Lactuca sativa leaves were tested (in vitro) for their antimicrobial activities by agar-well diffusion assay. All extracts displayed varied levels of antibacterial or antifungal activity. The petroleum ether extract exhibited antibacterial effect against all of the tested bacteria and the diameter of zones varied between 14-20 mm. The petroleum ether extract of Lactuca sativa leaves presented a good activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica, 20 mm, …

The Chemotherapy Effect On Toxoplasmosis And Cytokines Status In Women With Breast Cancer, Entsar Jabbar Saheb, Dalya Falih, Maha Mustafa

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic protozoan in immunocompromised patients and the reactivation of a latent infection could cause severe influence. This study aimed to investigate the chemotherapy effect on the levels of T. gondii immunoglobulins IgG, Interleukins (IL) IL-6, IL-12 and IL-23 in women with breast cancer. In this study, 190 women were enrolled (100 samples were taken from outpatient clinics as control groups and 90 samples of women with breast cancer who attended to Oncology Teaching Hospital in Medical City Hospital in Baghdad from different Governorates in Iraq). All serum samples were tested for T. gondii immunoglobulins IgG antibodies, …

Determine The Antibacterial Activity Of Staphyloxathin Produced By Staphylococcus Aureus Against Some Bacteri, Fatima Amer Abdalgabar

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

A total of 70 isolate of staphylococcus (22.8%) isolated from 306 sample of different clinical sources that is diagnosing as S. aureus depending on cultural morphological and biochemical test. These characteristics include; colonial morphology, size of colony, color and the effect on the media such as blood hemolysis, pigments appear on Milk agar and ability to ferment mannitol. Staphyloxanthin pigment was extracted by using different methods included procedure one using chloroform, procedure two using methanol and procedure three using ethyl acetate with ethanol was the best method. Staphyloxanthin purified by using coolum chromatography, purified extract of Staphyloxanthin that isolated from …

Role Of Microrna-221 And Hcv Genotype In Predicting Chronic Liver Disease Among Iraqi Patients, Leena Falh Abdalreda, Dawood Salman Dawood, Akram Ajeel Najeeb

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been repeatedly shown to play important roles in liver pathologies, including hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. miRNAs are small RNA molecules that have the ability to regulate gene expression by targeting mRNA degradation or translational repression. miRNA-221 is one of the over 700 kinds of currently known miRNAs and is up-regulated in multiple tumors. This work was carried out to evaluate the ratio of HCV genotype in the studied sample of Iraqi HCV positive patients and to assess the expression level of miRNA-221 in the plasma as a diagnostic marker of liver injury in chronic hepatitis …

The Distribution, Fractionation, And Application Of The 210po/210pb System: Insights From Three Geotraces Transects, Yi Tang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The sinking flux of particles is an important pathway for the removal of carbon and other elements from the surface ocean via the biological pump. The ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb disequilibrium method can be used to study particle export at high spatial resolution over the time scale of months. The distribution of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb activity was measured during two GEOTRACES transects of the North Atlantic and one GEOTRACES transect of the eastern tropical South Pacific. This dissertation aimed to advance the knowledge and improve methods of the application of the ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb pair to quantify …

Mentality And Fundamentality, Christopher D. Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Extant well-considered problems with physicalism primarily come from two sources: philosophers of mind arguing that subjective experience does not fit into a physicalist world-picture, and metaphysicians trying to figure out the particular commitments of the view. I examine the thesis of physicalism in order to produce a clearer notion of the physical and to help straighten out physicalism’s entailments, while simultaneously providing a strategy for physicalists to sidestep well known anti-physicalist arguments concerning consciousness. This involves both a critical and a positive effort: on the critical side, I expose an issue with a popular way of understanding physicalism called “via …

A Volitional Theory Of Aesthetic Value, John Dyck

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation, I defend a volitionalist theory of aesthetic value. The volitionalist theory is a species of response-based models of aesthetic value: It holds that aesthetic value is based in a kind of human response. Traditional response-based theories of aesthetic value hold that value is based in responses of cognition, perception, desire, or pleasure. The volitional theory offers a new response as the home of aesthetic value: the will. We find things beautiful, I argue, because we orient our selves towards them; we find things ugly, I argue, because we orient our selves against them. The volitionalist theory I …

Electrochemical Carbon Nanoprobes For Biological And Chemical System Studies, Keke Hu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The progress in the field of nanoelectrochemistry requires preparation and characterization of nanometer scale electrochemical probes. The focus of my Ph.D. research was on development of carbon nanopipette-based electrodes with versatile and controllable geometry and their applications to nanoscale studies of chemical and biological systems. Carbon nanopipette (CNP) electrodes offer important advantages, including high sensitivity and improved analytical selectivity. They can serve as nanoreactors for sampling ultra-small solution volumes and studies of individual nanoparticles. CNPs were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon into the pre-pulled quartz capillaries. By changing pulling parameters and CVD conditions, we fabricated several types …

Dermatoglyphic Measures In Relation To Depressive Symptoms Among Non-Clinical Adolescents And Young Adults, Yosefa A. Modiano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Depressive disorders are highly prevalent and can be devastating. Increasingly, depressive symptomatology is understood from a dimensional perspective such that non- or sub-clinical presentations may share a similar etiology. Depression etiology is believed to include genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to underlying vulnerability (diathesis) by way of neurodevelopment. Birth cohort studies have provided empirical evidence of the relationship between prenatal insult and later experience of adverse outcomes, including increased risk for depressive disorders. Retrospective investigation of the possible influence of prenatal disturbance on later experience of depressive symptoms has methodological limitations. Dermatoglyphic measurements offer a more methodologically viable …

Anti-Cancer Effects Of Oleocanthal And Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Limor Goren

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Oleocanthal is a phenolic compound found in varying concentrations in extra virgin olive oil. Oleocanthal has been shown to be active physiologically, benefiting several diseased states by conferring anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective benefits. Recently, we and other groups have demonstrated its specific and selective toxicity toward cancer cells; however, the mechanism leading to cancer cell death is still disputed. The current study demonstrates that oleocanthal induced damage to cancer cells’ lysosomes leading to cellular toxicity in vitro. Non-cancer cells were significantly less affected. Lysosomal membrane permeabilization following oleocanthal treatment in various cell lines was assayed via three complementary methods. Additionally, …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Supramolecular Assemblies In Biology And Bionanotechnology, Anjela Manandhar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Molecular self-assembly is an energy driven process where randomly organized building blocks interact noncovalently to form highly organized supramolecular nanostructures. In biology, the cytoskeleton is a classic example of a dynamic self-assembly, forming long filamentous structures from monomeric protein subunits. Similarly, the self-assembly process is widely exploited in nanotechnology to build bio-functional nanostructures. In this work, we studied biological (microtubule) and synthetic (peptide drug amphiphile nanotube) self-assembled systems. We utilized long time-scale molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the structural and dynamical properties of these systems.

At the molecular level, the dynamic instability (random growth and shrinkage) of the microtubule (MT) …

Through The Mouth: An Essay On Appetite And Ecocide, Iemanja Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is an exploration of mourning and resilient joy in the midst of ecocide. Resisting the pervasive classification of the human as inherently destructive, I look to appetite as an aesthetic procedure that includes a material desire for intimacy with the more-than-human. My study considers the intersections of aesthetic production (primarily twentieth-century poetry and visual art), climate science, geology, cultural studies, theory within the contemporary nonhuman turn, and Alfred North Whitehead’s philosophy of organism. I employ an interdisciplinary approach, which helps me explore the various ways that literal and figurative appetite can be a way of sensing and exploring …

Does Ethnic Identity, In-Group Preference, And Acculturation Protect Latinas With A History Of Interpersonal Trauma From Developing Symptoms Of Ptsd?, Evelyn M. Ramirez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Previous research suggests ethnic identity, a sense of belonging to a particular cultural group, may be protective against symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the role of ethnic identity, in-group preference (i.e., an individual’s preference for interactions with members of their own ethnic group) and acculturation (i.e., the level of comfort with the mainstream culture) have not been investigated as protective factors for Latinas with a history of interpersonal and sexual trauma. In this study, ethnic identity, in-group preference and acculturation were assessed via self-report on the Scale of Ethnic Experience in two samples of undergraduate Latina and non-Latina …

A Series Of Acts That Disappear: The Valparaíso School’S Ephemeral Architectures, 1952–1982, Elizabeth Rose Donato

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In 1952, Chilean architect Alberto Cruz (1917–2013) and Argentine poet Godofredo Iommi (1917–2001) launched one of the most idiosyncratic experiments in postwar art and architectural pedagogy in the industrial port of Valparaíso, Chile. Founded on the premise that architecture must be “co-generada” with poetry, the so-called Valparaíso School developed an expanded conception of the discipline that encompassed ephemeral forms, from urban drifting to performative and ludic actions. This dissertation examines four specific “acts” in the Valparaíso School’s corpus: the exhibition, the poetic act, the journey, and the game. Across these different forms, I identify a tendency toward openness, improvisation, indeterminacy, …

The Impact Of Mentalization And Self-Compassion On Psychological Adjustment In Adolescents, Jaleh Hamadani

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The following study was designed to look at the impact of Mentalization (or Reflective Functioning (RF)) as well as Mentalized Affectivity (MA) [comprised of Identifying, Processing, and Expressing] and Self-Compassion (SC) on psychological adjustment in adolescents. Psychological adjustment in this study was measured utilizing measures of psychological symptoms (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and well-being.

While deficiencies in RF have been associated with increased psychological symptoms in clinical sample of adolescents, studies examining RF in community sample of adolescents have shown a mixed picture. Furthermore, no study to date has examined the impact of MA on psychological adjustment in …

Oldowan Tool Behaviors Through Time On The Homa Peninsula, Kenya, Emma M. Finestone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The adaptive significance of tool use to genus Homo is a central theme in human origins. However, what we know from the early Oldowan sites suggests that persistent technology may have begun as an opportunistic behavior with minimal investment, rather than a habitual and widespread adaptive revolution. This dissertation seeks to investigate investment in Oldowan tool production on the Homa Peninsula, Kenya, considering raw material selection, transport, and lithic production at two newly discovered Oldowan localities: Nyayanga (ca. 2.6 Ma) and Sare River (ca. 1.7 Ma).

The first section of this dissertation outlines a method that enables the comparison of …