Digital Commons Network^™

Modulation Of Stress-Induced Behaviors Through Orexinergic Signaling In The Basolateral Amygdala, Jazmine D W Yaeger

Dissertations and Theses

Stress initiates behavioral disturbances, which are often seen as symptoms of psychiatric disorders, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. While stress is involved in the formation of disordered states, only certain individuals are vulnerable to, and therefore experience, these outcomes. Further, females are more likely to be diagnosed with stress-induced psychiatric disorders. Elements within stress neurocircuitry offer insight into differential behavioral outcomes associated with stressful experiences; and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), where pro- and anti-stress signals are integrated, is likely an important mediator in phenotype development. The orexin system, too, while being strongly associated with sleep, motivation, and …

Adjunct Fenofibrate Up-Regulates Bile Acid Glucuronidation And Improves Treatment Response For Patients With Cholestasis, Gina M. Gallucci, Trottier, Christopher Hemme, David N. Assis, James L. Boyer, Olivier Barbier, Nisanne S. Ghonem

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Accumulation of cytotoxic bile acids (BAs) during cholestasis can result in liver failure. Glucuronidation, a phase II metabolism pathway responsible for BA detoxification, is regulated by peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor alpha (PPARα). This study investigates the efficacy of adjunct fenofibrate therapy to up-regulate BA-glucuronidation and reduce serum BA toxicity during cholestasis. Adult patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC, n = 32) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC, n = 23), who experienced an incomplete response while receiving ursodiol monotherapy (13-15 mg/kg/day), defined as serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ≥ 1.5 times the upper limit of normal, received additional fenofibrate (145-160 mg/day) as standard …

Personal Digital Health In Parkinson's Disease: Case Histories And Commentary, Aidan T. Boving, L. Shuster, Theodore A. Walls, Todd Brothers

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

The use of self-tracking of bio-behavioral states along with prescription dosing information is increasingly popular in the care and study of many human diseases. Parkinson’s Disease is particularly amenable to such tracking, as patients live with the progressive disease for many years, increasing motivation to pursue quality of life changes through careful monitoring of symptoms and self-guided management of their medications and lifestyle choices. Through the use of digital self-tracking technologies, patients independently or in conjunction with professional medical advice are modulating their medications and behavioral regimens based on self-tracking data. Self-trackers engage in self-experimentation with their health, and more …

Human Behavior In Domestic Environments: Prediction And Applications, Sharare Zehtabian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A longstanding goal of human behavior science is to model and predict how humans interact with each other or with other systems. Such models are beneficial and have many applications, including designing and implementing assistive technologies, improving users' experiences and quality of life and making better decisions to create public policies. Behavior is highly complex due to uncertainties and a lack of scientific tools to measure it. Hence prediction of human behavior cannot be 100% accurate. However, prediction is also not hopeless because the biological needs, as well as cultural conventions (for instance, regarding meal times) set the general patterns …

Framework Of Big Data Analytics In Real Time For Healthcare Enterprise Performance Measurements, Ahmed Mohamed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Healthcare organizations (HCOs) currently have many information records about their patients. Yet, they cannot make proper, faster, and more thoughtful conclusions in many cases with their information. Much of the information is structured data such as medical records, historical data, and non-clinical information. This data is stored in a central repository called the Data Warehouse (DW). DW provides querying and reporting to different groups within the healthcare organization to support their future strategic initiatives. The generated reports create metrics to measure the organization's performance for post-action plans, not for real-time decisions. Additionally, healthcare organizations seek to benefit from the semi-structured …

Depression Screening Upon Admission At An Addiction Facility: A Quality Improvement Project, Eric Aniekwena

Doctor of Nursing Practice

More than one in six Americans will have a diagnosis of a substance use disorder at some time in their life. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020), those with a substance use disorder will have an increased rate of having a comorbidity of depression or depression symptoms during treatment, leading to poorer outcomes. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase provider and staff adherence to the treatment standards outlined in the Veteran’s Affair/Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Major Depressive Disorder (Veteran’s Affairs/Department of Defense, 2016). During this 10-week process, …

Expansion Of A Comprehensive And Standardized Well-Woman Exam Program In A University-Based Clinic, Gabriela Trevino

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Well-woman exams are an opportunity for women to receive focused screening, counseling, education, and care from a healthcare provider. Studies have found that 68% of women received well-woman exams between 2010 and 2016. During COVID-19 well-woman exams decreased by 80% in the United States. Standardized, comprehensive exams facilitate identification of the need for lifesaving care. Objective(s). The purpose of this quality improvement project was to expand a comprehensive and standardized well-woman exam program in a university-based clinic. Methods. Processes were implemented to promote well-woman exams, patient comfort measures, and completion of an evidence-based standardized comprehensive exam …

Providing Resources To Caregivers Of Pediatric Mentally Ill Clients And Assessing For Caregiver Burden, Stacy Dee

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Background. Provision of educational and supportive resources to the caregivers of children with mental illness can help create an environment of advocacy and understanding between the child, caregiver, and provider. In depth and comprehensive learning about their child’s mental illness cannot be accomplished in a one-hour new patient appointment or established patient appointment of 20 minutes. Purpose. The purpose of this practice improvement project was to facilitate educational and community support for caregivers of pediatric clients with mental illness and evaluate if caregivers require additional support due to burden. Objectives. (a) 100% of caregivers of pediatric clients who have appointments …

A Framework For The Design And Characterization Of Advanced Gaskets, Sannmit Shinde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Most industrial manufacturing or processing plants use bolted connections between pipes that transfer media from one location to another. Gaskets are often used to seal these systems as they offer elevated levels of leak mitigation; however, despite their nearly universal usage, the current understanding of gasket mechanics at the meso-scale is still limited. Contemporary gaskets feature viscoelastic materials, fillers, textures, and are fabricated at various thicknesses. They are used in a wide range of thermal, mechanical, chemical, and temporal conditions. The current work characterizes polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaskets made with several different filler materials and having vastly different geometries. The chemically …

On Mode Transition Phenomenon And Operating Conditions In Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines, Taha Rezzag-Lebza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The work presented herein consist of first studying the instantaneous properties of the detonation waves in a rotating detonation rocket engine by tracking each individual wave and recording its position, velocity, and peak intensity as it travels around the annulus. Results for a steady portion of a test performed on a rotating detonation rocket engine show that the wave properties exhibit oscillatory behavior. Results obtained from the rotating detonation rocket engine show that the properties are highly dependent on the azimuthal position. In an attempt to understanding the cause of such a behavior, similar investigations were performed on an air-breathing …

Transition Administration, Michael Herz, Katherine Shaw

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

The period from November 3, 2020 to January 20, 2021, was unlike any presidential transition in our history. President Donald Trump refused to accept his ballot-box defeat, instead battling to overturn the election’s outcome. This dramatic public campaign was waged in state and federal courts, state legislatures, the offices of state and local election officials, the Department of Justice, and finally the halls of Congress, where on January 6, 2021, a mob incited by the President stormed the Capitol with the explicit goal of preventing the final counting of electoral votes for Joe Biden. These efforts had more mundane and …

Unconstitutional But Authorized: The Federal Tort Claims Act Should Not Immunize The United States When Federal Officers Violate The Constitution, Daniel Raddenbach

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

To protect its legitimacy, a democratic system like the United States must ensure that the government is at least as accountable for its bad acts as any private actor. Thus, if the government wrongs a citizen via an unconstitutional or tortious act, that citizen should be able to sue the government for redress. It is deeply troubling, therefore, that most such lawsuits against the United States government are dead on arrival—no matter even if the lawsuit involves a government officer who violated a citizen’s constitutional rights. The United States is protected from almost all liability by the sovereign immunity doctrine—the …

Processing And Visualizing Satellite Data, Caleb Collier

Computer Science & Engineering Student Projects

Satellites are a useful way of gathering data at high altitudes. To be able to properly view the data, however, there are many important steps that one must take to ensure the data received is readable and usable. The data must be transmitted from the satellite to the ground, then must be decommuted and can then be used in various ways. This paper is an exploration of various ways of processing and visualizing data received from satellites, as well as various ways of using the data.

Tennessee Jail Summary Report, December 2021, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Jail Summary Reports

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Bed Space And Operating Capacities Report, December 2021, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Bed Space & Capacity Reports

No abstract provided.

Gamma And X-Ray Irradiation Improve Postharvest Shelf-Life In 'Bartlett' Pears, Matthew Garcia

Food Science (MS) Theses

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gamma and x-ray treatment on ‘Bartlett’ pear physiology during postharvest storage. Freshly harvested ‘Bartlett’ pears were irradiated with gamma irradiation at 0.412 and 0.819 kGy and x-ray irradiation at 1.03 and 1.94 kGy, then stored at 0-1 ⁰C and 95% relative humidity. The pears were removed from cold storage at 45 and 75 days and allowed to ripen at room temperature for four and two days, respectively. Respiration rate and ethylene production were measured during fruit ripening. Color, firmness, titratable acidity, soluble solids contents, and occurrence of superficial scald …

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

African American Vernacular English In K–12 Education In Texas: An Interview Study Of Education Professionals, Calyha Brown

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

God And Kant’S Suicide Maxim, Carlo Alvaro

Publications and Research

Kant’s argument against suicide is widely dismissed by scholars and often avoided by teachers because it is deemed inconsistent with Kant’s moral philosophy. This paper attempts to show a way to make sense of Kant’s injunction against suicide that is consistent with his moral system. One of the strategies adopted in order to accomplish my goal is a de-secularization of Kant’s ethics. I argue that all actions of self-killing (or suicide) are morally impermissible because they are inconsistent with God’s established nature and order. It is argued that the existence of God as the locus of moral value and duty …

Isolating The White Matter Circuitry Of The Dorsal Language Stream: Connectome-Symptom Mapping In Stroke Induced Aphasia, Vatche Baboyan, Alexandra Basilaskos, Grigori Yourganov, Chris Rorden, Leonardo Bonilha, Julius Fridiksson, Gregory Hickok

Faculty Publications

The application of �� 1 -regularized machine learning models to high-dimensional connectomes offers a promising methodology to assess clinical-anatomical correlations in humans. Here, we integrate the connectome-based lesion-symptom mapping framework with sparse partial least squares regression (sPLS-R) to isolate elements of the connectome associated with speech repetition deficits. By mapping over 2,500 connections of the structural connectome in a cohort of 71 stroke-induced cases of aphasia presenting with varying left-hemisphere lesions and repetition impairment, sPLS-R was trained on 50 subjects to algorithmically identify connectomic features on the basis of their predictive value. The highest ranking features were subsequently used to …

Devfold: A Toolbox For Designing Age-Specific Fnirs Channel Placement, Xiaoxue (Jessie) Fu Ph.D., John E. Richards

Faculty Publications

Significance: Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a noninvasive technique that uses scalp-placed sensors to measure cerebral hemoglobin concentration. Commercial NIRS instruments do not allow for whole-head coverage and do not intrinsically indicate which brain areas generate the NIRS signal. Hence, the challenge is to design source–detector channel arrangement that maximizes sensitivity to a given brain region of interest (ROI). Existing methods for optimizing channel placement design have been developed using adult head models. Thus, they have limited utility for developmental research.

Aim: We aim to build an application from an existing toolbox (fOLD) that guides NIRS channel configuration based on age …

Author Correction To: Corticostriatal Functional Connectivity Of Bothersome Tinnitus In Single-Sided Deafness (Scientific Reports, (2019), 9, 1, (19552), 10.1038/S41598-019-56127-1), Jennifer Henderson-Sabes, Yingying Shang, Philip L. Perez, Jolie L. Chang, Seth E. Pross, Anne M. Findlay, Danielle Mizuiri, Leighton B. Hinkley, Srikantan S. Nagarajan, Steven W. Cheung

All Faculty Scholarship

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Specific Splice Junction Detection In Single Cells With Sicilian, Roozbeh Dehghannasiri, Julia E. Olivieri, Ana Damljanovic, Julia Salzman

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

Precise splice junction calls are currently unavailable in scRNA-seq pipelines such as the 10x Chromium platform but are critical for understanding single-cell biology. Here, we introduce SICILIAN, a new method that assigns statistical confidence to splice junctions from a spliced aligner to improve precision. SICILIAN is a general method that can be applied to bulk or single-cell data, but has particular utility for single-cell analysis due to that data’s unique challenges and opportunities for discovery. SICILIAN’s precise splice detection achieves high accuracy on simulated data, improves concordance between matched single-cell and bulk datasets, and increases agreement between biological replicates. SICILIAN …

The Vote Package: Single Transferable Vote And Other Electoral Systems In R, Adrian E. Raftery, Hana ŠevčÍková, Bernard W. Silverman

The R Journal

We describe the vote package in R, which implements the plurality (or first-past-the-post), two-round runoff, score, approval, and Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral systems, as well as methods for selecting the Condorcet winner and loser. We emphasize the STV system, which we have found to work well in practice for multi-winner elections with small electorates, such as committee and council elections, and the selection of multiple job candidates. For single-winner elections, STV is also called Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), or the alternative vote (AV) system. The package also implements the STV system with equal preferences, for …

Passed: Calculate Power And Sample Size For Two Sample Tests, University Of Missouri Li, Ryan P. Knigge, Kaiyi Chen, Emily V. Leary

The R Journal

Power and sample size estimation are critical aspects of study design to demonstrate minimized risk for subjects and justify the allocation of time, money, and other resources. Researchers often work with response variables that take the form of various distributions. Here, we present an R package, PASSED, that allows flexibility with seven common distributions and multiple options to accommodate sample size or power analysis. The relevant statistical theory, calculations, and examples for each distribution using PASSED are discussed in this paper.

Robust And Efficient Optimization Using A Marquardt-Levenberg Algorithm With R Package Marqlevalg, Viviane Philipps, Boris P. Hejblum, Mélanie Prague, Daniel Commenges, Cécile Proust-Lima

The R Journal

Implementations in R of classical general-purpose algorithms for local optimization generally have two major limitations which cause difficulties in applications to complex problems: too loose convergence criteria and too long calculation time. By relying on a Marquardt-Levenberg algorithm (MLA), a Newton-like method particularly robust for solving local optimization problems, we provide with marqLevAlg package an efficient and general-purpose local optimizer which (i) prevents convergence to saddle points by using a stringent convergence criterion based on the relative distance to minimum/maximum in addition to the stability of the parameters and of the objective function; and (ii) reduces the computation time in …

Stratigrapher: Concepts For Litholog Generation In R, Sébastien Wouters, Anne-Christine Da Silva, Frédéric Boulvain, Xavier Devleeschouwer

The R Journal

The StratigrapheR package proposes new concepts for the generation of lithological logs, or lithologs, in R. The generation of lithologs in a scripting environment opens new opportunities for the processing and analysis of stratified geological data. Among the new concepts presented: new plotting and data processing methodologies, new general R functions, and computer-oriented data conventions are provided. The package structure allows for these new concepts to be further improved, which can be done independently by any R user. The current limitations of the package are highlighted, along with the limitations in R for geological data processing, to help identify the …

Elliptical Symmetry Tests In R, Slad̄Ana Babić, Christophe Ley, Marko Palangetić

The R Journal

The assumption of elliptical symmetry has an important role in many theoretical developments and applications. Hence, it is of primary importance to be able to test whether that assumption actually holds true or not. Various tests have been proposed in the literature for this problem. To the best of our knowledge, none of them has been implemented in R. This article describes the R package ellipticalsymmetry which implements several well-known tests for elliptical symmetry together with some recent tests. We demonstrate the testing procedures with a real data example.

Tramme: Mixed-Effects Transformation Models Using Template Model Builder, Bálint Tamási, Torsten Hothorn

The R Journal

Linear transformation models constitute a general family of parametric regression models for discrete and continuous responses. To accommodate correlated responses, the model is extended by incorporating mixed effects. This article presents the R package tramME, which builds on existing implementations of transformation models (mlt and tram packages) as well as Laplace approximation and automatic differentiation (using the TMB package), to calculate estimates and perform likelihood inference in mixed-effects transformation models. The resulting framework can be readily applied to a wide range of regression problems with grouped data structures.

Spnetwork: A Package For Network Kernel Density Estimation, Jeremy Gelb

The R Journal

This paper introduces the new package spNetwork that provides functions to perform Network Kernel Density Estimate analysis (NKDE). This method is an extension of the classical Kernel Density Estimate (KDE), a non parametric approach to estimate the intensity of a spatial process. More specifically, it adapts the KDE for cases when the study area is a network, constraining the location of events (such as accidents on roads, leaks in pipes, fish in rivers, etc.). We present and discuss in this paper the three main versions of NKDE: simple, discontinuous, and continuous that are implemented in spNetwork. We illustrate how to …