Digital Commons Network^™

Advances In Vaporisation: A Narrative Review, Pankaj Kundra, Shreya Goswami, Aruna Parameswari

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Electrical Impedance Myography For Reducing Sample Size In Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Trials, Melanie L Leitner, Kush Kapur, Basil T Darras, Michele Yang, Brenda Wong, Laura Dalle Pazze, Julaine Florence, Martin Buck, Laura Freedman, Jose Bohorquez, Seward Rutkove, Craig Zaidman

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensitivity of electrical impedance myography (EIM) to disease progression in both ambulatory and non-ambulatory boys with DMD.

METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS: A non-blinded, longitudinal cohort study of 29 ambulatory and 15 non-ambulatory boys with DMD and age-similar healthy boys. Subjects were followed for up to 1 year and assessed using the Myolex

RESULTS: In the ambulatory group, EIM 100 kHz resistance values showed significant change compared to the healthy boys. For example, in lower extremity muscles, the average change in EIM 100 kHz resistance values over 12 months led to an estimated effect size of 1.58. Based …

Ascot Identifies Key Regulators Of Neuronal Subtype-Specific Splicing, Jonathan P. Ling, Christopher Wilks, Rone Charles, Patrick J. Leavey, Devlina Ghosh, Lizhi Jiang, Clayton P. Santiago, Bo Pang, Anand Venkataraman, Brian S. Clark, Abhinav Nellore, Ben Langmead, Seth Blackshaw

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Structural Basis For Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptor Gpr126 Function, Katherine Leon, Rebecca L. Cunningham, Joshua A. Riback, Ezra Feldman, Jingxian Li, Tobin R. Sosnick, Minglei Zhao, Kelly R. Monk, Demet Araç

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Innate Immune Receptor Nod2 Mediates Lgr5+ Intestinal Stem Cell Protection Against Ros Cytotoxicity Via Mitophagy Stimulation, Antonin Levy, Aline Stedman, Eric Deutsch, Françoise Donnadieu, Herbert W. Virgin, Philippe J. Sansonetti, Giulia Nigro

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Dill Extract Induces Elastic Fiber Neosynthesis And Functional Improvement In The Ascending Aorta Of Aged Mice With Reversal Of Age-Dependent Cardiac Hypertrophy And Involvement Of Lysyl Oxidase-Like-1, Wassim Fhayli, Quentin Boëté, Nadjib Kihal, Valérie Cenizo, Pascal Sommer, Walter A Boyle, Marie-Paule Jacob, Gilles Faury

Open Access Publications

Elastic fibers (90% elastin, 10% fibrillin-rich microfibrils) are synthesized only in early life and adolescence mainly by the vascular smooth muscle cells through the cross-linking of its soluble precursor, tropoelastin. Elastic fibers endow the large elastic arteries with resilience and elasticity. Normal vascular aging is associated with arterial remodeling and stiffening, especially due to the end of production and degradation of elastic fibers, leading to altered cardiovascular function. Several pharmacological treatments stimulate the production of elastin and elastic fibers. In particular, dill extract (DE) has been demonstrated to stimulate elastin production in vitro in dermal equivalent models and in skin …

Metabolic Tumor Volume Response Assessment Using (11)C-Methionine Positron Emission Tomography Identifies Glioblastoma Tumor Subregions That Predict Progression Better Than Baseline Or Anatomic Magnetic Resonance Imaging Alone, Sean Miller, Matthew Schipper, Larry Junck, Morand Piert, Theodore S. Lawrence, Christina Tsien, Yue Cao, Michelle M. Kim

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Rapid Determination Of Internal Strains In Soft Tissues Using An Experimentally Calibrated Finite Element Model Derived From Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Dong Hwan E. Yoon, Christian I. Weber, Garrett W. D. Easson, Kaitlyn S. Broz, Simon Y. Tang

Open Access Publications

Background: Finite element models (FEMs) of medical images can provide information about the underlying tissue that cannot be obtained from the original images. Preforming an accurate simulation requires the careful experimental calibration of boundary conditions. Here we describe a method for deriving a geometric mesh for soft biological materials using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, and an experimental workflow for calibrating the boundary conditions and optimizing the mesh density in these simulations.

Methods: A three-dimensional image stack of a ballistic sphere gel, a bovine caudal intervertebral disc (IVD), and a human lumbar IVD were generated using a positional MRI …

Induction Of Wnt16 Via Peptide-Mrna Nanoparticle-Based Delivery Maintains Cartilage Homeostasis, Huimin Yan, Ying Hu, Antonina Akk, Muhammad Farooq Rai, Hua Pan, Samuel A Wickline, Christine T N Pham

Open Access Publications

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive joint disease that causes significant disability and pain and for which there are limited treatment options. We posit that delivery of anabolic factors that protect and maintain cartilage homeostasis will halt or retard OA progression. We employ a peptide-based nanoplatform to deliver Wingless and the name Int-1 (WNT) 16 messenger RNA (mRNA) to human cartilage explants. The peptide forms a self-assembled nanocomplex of approximately 65 nm in size when incubated with WNT16 mRNA. The complex is further stabilized with hyaluronic acid (HA) for enhanced cellular uptake. Delivery of peptide-WNT16 mRNA nanocomplex to human cartilage explants …

The Non-Coding Rna Landscape Of Plasma Cell Dyscrasias, Eugenio Morelli, Roberta Rocca, Kareem A Azab, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Despite substantial advancements have been done in the understanding of the pathogenesis of plasma cell (PC) disorders, these malignancies remain hard-to-treat. The discovery and subsequent characterization of non-coding transcripts, which include several members with diverse length and mode of action, has unraveled novel mechanisms of gene expression regulation often malfunctioning in cancer. Increasing evidence indicates that such non-coding molecules also feature in the pathobiology of PC dyscrasias, where they are endowed with strong therapeutic and/or prognostic potential. In this review, we aim to summarize the most relevant findings on the biological and clinical features of the non-coding RNA landscape of …

Roles Of Reconstituted High-Density Lipoprotein Nanoparticles In Cardiovascular Disease: A New Paradigm For Drug Discovery, Jiansheng Huang, Dongdong Wang, Li-Hao Huang, Hui Huang

Open Access Publications

Epidemiological results revealed that there is an inverse correlation between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels and risks of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Mounting evidence supports that HDLs are atheroprotective, therefore, many therapeutic approaches have been developed to increase HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Nevertheless, HDL-raising therapies, such as cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, failed to ameliorate cardiovascular outcomes in clinical trials, thereby casting doubt on the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) by increasing HDL-C levels. Therefore, HDL-targeted interventional studies were shifted to increasing the number of HDL particles capable of promoting ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1)-mediated cholesterol efflux. One such …

Patient-Controlled Intravenous Morphine Analgesia Combined With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Post-Thoracotomy Pain: A Cost-Effectiveness Study And A Feasibility For Its Future Implementation, Nemanja Rancic, Katarina Mladenovic, Nela V Ilic, Viktorija Dragojevic-Simic, Menelaos Karanikolas, Tihomir V Ilic, Dusica M Stamenkovic

Open Access Publications

This prospective randomized study aims to evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with patient controlled intravenous morphine analgesia (PCA-IV) as part of multimodal analgesia after thoracotomy. Patients assigned to the active treatment group (a-tDCS,

Tracking Regional Brain Growth Up To Age 13 In Children Born Term And Very Preterm, Deanne K. Thompson, Lilian G. Matthews, Bonnie Alexander, Katherine J. Lee, Claire E. Kelly, Chris L. Adamson, Rod W. Hunt, Jeanie L.Y. Cheong, Megan Spencer-Smith, Jeffrey J. Neil, Marc L. Seal, Terrie E. Inder, Lex W. Doyle, Peter J. Anderson

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Interpreting Pathways To Discover Cancer Driver Genes With Moonlight, Antonio Colaprico, Matthew H. Bailey, Et Al.

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

The American Lgbtq Rights Movement: An Introduction, Kyle Morgan, Meg Rodriguez

Textbooks and Manuals Series

The American LGBTQ Rights Movement: An Introduction is a peer-reviewed chronological survey of the LGBTQ fight for equal rights from the turn of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Illustrated with historical photographs, the book beautifully reveals the heroic people and key events that shaped the American LGBTQ rights movement. The book includes personal narratives to capture the lived experience from each era, as well as details of essential organizations, texts, and court cases that defined LGBTQ activism and advocacy.

Nutrient Cycling-Tree Species Relationships In Appalachian Forests, Philip Michael Crim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the colonization of North America by Europeans, ecosystems in Appalachia and across the continent have been in a prolonged state of flux. Areas particularly rich in natural resources, such as Appalachia, have historically borne the brunt of these swift changes, often with devastating consequences. Downwind of much of the power generation facilities of the Ohio Valley, Appalachian forests have been geographically predisposed to high rates of acidic deposition, a circumstance mitigated by the passage of Clean Air Legislation beginning in the 1970s. Nevertheless, decades of elevated nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) inputs had a profound impact on the ecology …

The Effects Of Acute Photobiomodulation On Anaerobic Exercise Performance, Jillian Danielle Forsey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Optimal performance in sport requires a balance between training stress and recovery. Therapeutic modalities that allow athletes to maintain this balance while training hard are in high demand, but many lack research. Photobiomodulation is a red and near-infrared light therapy that is proposed to enhance exercise performance and hasten recovery. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute whole body photobiomodulation, applied pre-exercise, on anaerobic exercise performance.

Forty-eight healthy, active subjects participated in this single-blind, crossover study. Subjects visited the lab three times to complete a repeat Wingate test, with one week between each visit. All …

Biology Of Binge Eating Related Disorders And Proposal For Integration Into Treatment, Karlyne Morawe

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The concerningly low recovery and high cross over rates of eating disorders with binge eating behaviors suggests there might be a missing element in current treatment approaches commonly used to address eating disorders. Research supports the existence of significant biological correlation between disorders that are characterized by binge eating behaviors. This paper examines some of the biological processes in which these disorders show the most significant correlations. These include the organism’s response to caloric restriction, the brain’s response to feeding, the biological drive for reproduction, sensory association to feeding, and habituated responding to the feeding process. Additionally, we will explore …

Managing Paradoxes Of Ambidexterity: The Impact Of Exploration And Exploitation On Firm Performance, Lixun Su

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the impacts of exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity on firm performance in three essays. Since exploration and exploitation have their own advantages and disadvantages, there are many debates over their impacts on firm performance. To synthesize the conflicting empirical results, the first essay conducted a meta-analytic study and demonstrates that ambidexterity in the product domain increases firm performance while ambidexterity in the market domain does not significantly influence firm performance. In addition, the results show that it is not necessary for all firms (e.g., resource-constrained firms) to pursue ambidexterity. Thus, the second and third essays examine how to …

Field Evaluation Of A Modular Press-Brake-Formed Steel Tub Girder In An Application That Includes Skew And Superelevation, Adam D. Roh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is a group of bridge and culvert industry leaders (including steel manufacturers, fabricators, service centers, coaters, researchers, and representatives of related associations and government organizations) who have joined together to provide educational information on the design and construction of short span steel bridges in installations up to 140’-0” in length. A technical working group from within the SSSBA developed the notion for the modular shallow press-brake-formed steel tub girder as a solution for the short span steel bridge market.

After extensive testing at West Virginia University and multiple successful field demonstrations, members of …

Learned Helplessness Among Acute Care Nurses And Its Influence On Inpatient Fall Incidence, Jennifer Glendening

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Over one million inpatient falls with injury are reported across the United States annually resulting in harm which are consistently linked to the quality of nursing care delivery in acute inpatient settings. Learned helplessness (LH) emerges as a behavioral concept to consider among acute care nurses, specifically medical-surgical nurses, because the effects of LH may include an overall decrease in efforts, persistence, and learning due to the repeated exposure to the challenges of balancing complex patients and working environments. The purpose of this study, guided by Donabedian’s model, was to determine if there was a relationship between acute care nurses’ …

Knickzones In Southwest Pennsylvania Streams Indicate Accelerated Pleistocene Landscape Evolution, Mark D. Swift

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A set of 22 southwestern Pennsylvania streams flowing into the Monongahela and Ohio rivers with drainage areas ranging from 8 km² to >512 km² exhibit knickzones, when compared to Mackin’s (1948) idealized graded stream profile. Watersheds delineated from LiDAR-derived 1 m DEMs were processed using Esri’s ArcGIS for Desktop 10.6 to extract stream elevation data used to create stream profiles. These data were exported to MS Excel, where gradients were calculated and compared. This study used a new methodology in which gradient was calculated using incremental measurement distances (d) at every meter along the length of …

The Costume Design Process For The Phantom Tollbooth, Chloe Elizabeth Cappuccilli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis will give an account of the costume design process for The Phantom Tollbooth at West Virginia University. Specifically, the responsibilities of the role of Costume Designer, from initial meetings to final production. This document will include research about child psychology that inspired the primary design process, specifically the influence of children’s dreams, and their relationship to toys. This information was utilized to create designs explicitly for children’s theatre audiences. I will present and evaluate the costume designs, including the design evolution until the final production. Detailing the process of costume construction while working with a costume shop. Visual …

Recalling The Georgic: Land, Labor, And Literature In American Ecological Consciousness, Sam Horrocks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation argues that environmentalism and the environmental humanities are limited by an overinvestment in the discursive mode of pastoral, which provides the ecological logic of industrial urbanization by viewing the environment from the perspective of a leisured and alienated spectator. The pastoral mode enables environmental injustice by separating the realms of ecology and economy through a conventional elision of issues of labor and economics, rendering environmentalism unable to effect change within the spheres most important to ameliorating the pollution crisis. The pastoral mode thus frustrates the overarching goal of ecocriticism and environmentalism: we seek an ontological reunion of nature …

Strategies For Cultural Integration Following Cross-Border Mergers And Acquisitions, Kimihiro Iwao

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) strategies can negatively impact value creation. Global information and communications technology (ICT) company leaders who do not effectively manage M&As risk eventual divestiture of their acquired targets. Guided by Haspeslagh and Jemison’s acquisition integration approach model and Hofstede’s 5 dimensions of national cultural theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies that leaders of global ICT companies use to integrate diverse workers following cross-border M&As. The participants were 8 IMs from low context cultures who supervised acquired foreign workers primarily from high context cultures. Data were collected through semistructured …

How Crime-Based Media Affect Perceptions Of Crime, Race, And Fear Of Crime, Sharonda Cage Hatter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effects of crime-based media have long been an area of study among scholars. The problem addressed in this study is the media’s representation of how crimes are perpetrated and processed within the criminal justice system; it is difficult for society to separate and understand factual depictions from fictional portrayals. Researchers have demonstrated that media negatively influences society’s perceptions of police officers’ violent encounters with individuals, particularly African American men, but they have not established wide-ranging contributing factors. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore whether crime-based media influences society’s perceptions of others based on crime, race, …

Identifying Intrinsic Needs And How They Effect Millennials’ Organizational Commitment, William Norman Jacobs

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

By 2025, 75% of the U.S. labor workforce will be composed of Millennials as Generation X managers leave the workforce. The influx of Millennials in the workforce has led to leaders of organizations encountering a serious challenge in terms of how to retain and motivate Millennials who on average change jobs every 2 years. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Millennials in the workforce in relation to their intrinsic needs in the workplace and organizational commitment. The research question that guided the research was: What are the lived experiences of Millennials in …

Injury-Related Infant Mortality In West Virginia, 2010-2014, Wilson A. Koech

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and objective

Infant mortality in United States is high relative to other more developed nations. Therefore, there is a need to curb this trend, especially in states with high infant mortality rates. Hence, this research investigated and examined characteristics associated with injury-related infant death in West Virginia. The objective of this retrospective study was to 1) investigate maternal and infant characteristics associated with injury-related infant deaths in West Virginia, 2) examine the relationship between unintentional-injury-related infant death and rurality in West Virginia, holding other variables in the model constant, and 3) compare differences in the unintentional-injury related infant mortality …

Predictors Of Larc Use In High School Adolescent Females In The Unitedstates, Gloria J. Mabry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teen pregnancy is a major public health problem in the United States of America. Among many contraceptive methods, long acting reversible contraception (LARC) is popular and effective. However, there was no adequate research study performed to show if minority teenagers are less likely to use LARC. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between adolescent sexual behavior and activity and the use of LARC in females, ages 14 to 19, in high schools across the United States. The theoretical framework used for this study was the health belief model. The study population was 1,496 White, Black/African American, …

The Effect Of Newspaper Closure On Local Media Ecology, Cody David Nespor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

On August 31, 2019, the local newspaper of Youngstown, Ohio, The Vindicator, ceased publication after 150 years. The Vindicator’s closure left Youngstown as the largest city in the United State without a major newspaper. As local newspaper closures become more and more common across communities, there are questions on how, and if, the coverage and content those newspaper provide to their communities can be replaced or will simply be lost forever. This study has three research questions. Question one pertains to the amount of original reporting that will exist without The Vindicator. Questions two asks about the amount of locally …