Digital Commons Network^™

Two-Fold Increase In White Stork (Ciconia Ciconia) Population In Lithuania: A Consequence Of Changing Agriculture?, Daiva Vaitkuviene, Mindaugas Dagys

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A countrywide White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) nest census was carried out in Lithuania in 2009 and 2010 by over 20 observers using standardised equipment and methods. The census revealed that the White Stork population has doubled since the previous census in 1994, possibly due to favourable changes in farming practices, with birds increasingly settling on the overhead electricity line poles and gradually abandoning nests in trees. In total, 21,192 White Stork nests were recorded, of which 18,782 (81.4%) were occupied by breeding birds, compared to 9400 occupied nests recorded in 1994. The mean density of occupied nests in the country …

Annual Report 2015: Community Benefit, Lehigh Valley Health Network

LVHN Annual & Statistical Reports

No abstract provided.

Progress Update (2015): Lehigh Valley Physician Hospital Organization., Lehigh Valley Health Network

LVHN Annual & Statistical Reports

No abstract provided.

Engaging Donors In Smart Compassion: Usaid Cidi’S Greatest Good Donation Calculator, Koray Özpolat, Juanita Rilling, Nezih Altay, Eric Chavez

College of Business Faculty Publications

Purpose

This paper introduces a game-like decision tool – “Greatest Good Donations Calculator (GGDC)”, which has been collaboratively developed by scholars from the University of Rhode Island and the USAID Center for International Disaster Information.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is grounded in two streams of research – human learning through games and systems dynamics literature. The problem of “unsolicited in-kind donations” is discussed followed by the development of the GGDC.

Findings

The GGDC is a game-like decision tool that informs users on some of the complexities associated with humanitarian supply chains, and the ineffective nature of unsolicited in-kind donations compared to …

Possible Reforms Of The U.S. Immigration Laws, Kevin R. Johnson

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unreformed: Towards Gender Equality In Immigration Law, Mariela Olivares

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

State Constitutional Initiative Processes And Governance In The Twenty-First Century, John Dynan

Chapman Law Review

No abstract provided.

Il-4 Inhibits Il-1Β-Induced Depressive-Like Behavior And Central Neurotransmitter Alterations, Hyun-Jung Park, Hyun-Soo Shim, Kyungeh An, Angela Starkweather, Kyung Soo Kim, Insop Shim

School of Nursing Publications

It has been known that activation of the central innate immune system or exposure to stress can disrupt balance of anti-/proinflammatory cytokines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the modulation of depressive-like behaviors, the hormonal and neurotransmitter systems in rats. We investigated whether centrally administered IL-1β is associated with activation of CNS inflammatory pathways and behavioral changes and whether treatment with IL-4 could modulate IL-1β-induced depressive-like behaviors and central neurotransmitter systems. Infusion of IL-4 significantly decreased IL-1β-induced anhedonic responses and increased social exploration and …

Geriatric Telemedicine: Background And Evidence For Telemedicine As A Way To Address The Challenges Of Geriatrics, Ronald C. Merrell

Surgery Publications

Objectives

The global population of elderly people is increasing at a remarkable rate, which may be expected to continue for some time. Older patients require more care, and with the current model of care delivery, the costs may be expected to rise, although higher cost is unsustainable. For this reason, a new pattern of practice is needed. Telemedicine will be presented as a highly effective and necessary tool in geriatrics.

Methods

This review will present some of the background and evidence for telemedicine as a way to address the challenges of geriatrics through geriatric telemedicine. Some of the evidence for …

Rational Combinations Of Targeted Agents In Aml, Prithviraj Bose, Steven Grant

Internal Medicine Publications

Despite modest improvements in survival over the last several decades, the treatment of AML continues to present a formidable challenge. Most patients are elderly, and these individuals, as well as those with secondary, therapy-related, or relapsed/refractory AML, are particularly difficult to treat, owing to both aggressive disease biology and the high toxicity of current chemotherapeutic regimens. It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that coordinated interruption of cooperative survival signaling pathways in malignant cells is necessary for optimal therapeutic results. The modest efficacy of monotherapy with both cytotoxic and targeted agents in AML testifies to this. As the complex …

Structural Mechanisms Of Dream Complex Assembly And Regulation, Keelan Z. Guiley, Tyler J. Liban, Jessica G. Felthousen, Parameshwaran Ramanan, Larisa Litovchick, Seth M. Rubin

Internal Medicine Publications

The DREAM complex represses cell cycle genes during quiescence through scaffolding MuvB proteins with E2F4/5 and the Rb tumor suppressor paralog p107 or p130. Upon cell cycle entry, MuvB dissociates from p107/p130 and recruits B-Myb and FoxM1 for up-regulating mitotic gene expression. To understand the biochemical mechanisms underpinning DREAM function and regulation, we investigated the structural basis for DREAM assembly. We identified a sequence in the MuvB component LIN52 that binds directly to the pocket domains of p107 and p130 when phosphorylated on the DYRK1A kinase site S28. A crystal structure of the LIN52–p107 complex reveals that LIN52 uses a …

Co-Administration Of The Mtorc1/Torc2 Inhibitor Ink128 And The Bcl-2/Bcl-Xl Antagonist Abt-737 Kills Human Myeloid Leukemia Cells Through Mcl-1 Down-Regulation And Akt Inactivation, Mohamed Rahmani, Mandy Mayo Aust, Elisa Hawkins, Rebecca E. Parker, Masey Ross, Maciej Kmieciak, Leonid Borisovich Reshko, Kathryn A. Rizzo, Catherine I. Dumur, Andrea Ferreira-Gonzalez, Steven Grant

Internal Medicine Publications

Effects of concurrent inhibition of mTORC1/2 and Bcl-2/Bcl-xL in human acute myeloid leukemia cells were examined. Tetracycline-inducible Bcl-2/Bcl-xL dual knockdown markedly sensitized acute myeloid leukemia cells to the dual TORC1/2 inhibitor INK128 in vitro as well as in vivo. Moreover, INK128 co-administered with the Bcl-2/xL antagonist ABT-737 sharply induced cell death in multiple acute myeloid leukemia cell lines, including TKI-resistant FLT3-ITD mutants and primary acute myeloid leukemia blasts carrying various genetic aberrations e.g., FLT3, IDH2, NPM1, and Kras, while exerting minimal toxicity toward normal hematopoietic CD34+ cells. Combined treatment was particularly active against CD34+/CD38−/CD123+ primitive leukemic progenitor …

Making Waves: Bacon, Manley, And The Shifting Rhetorics Of Opulent At(A)Lantis, Alex Cahill Nielsen

ETD Archive

In the modern critical environment, there has been a renewed interest in the role that proto-feminist and feminist satires have played in the development of cultural commentary and the modern novel. Lesser-studied works have seen several new approaches applied by critics such as Rachel Carnell, Rebecca Bullard, and Ruth Herman, who have focused on the role of the genre of "secret history" in the popular growth of the novel as a form for political dissent. Secret history, which can offer revelatory glimpses into the contemporary scandals and governance of the female authors of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is a …

Assessment Of The Freshwater Mussel Community Of The Upper Mahoning River Watershed And Factors Influencing Diversity And Abundance In Small Streams, Matthew T. Begley

ETD Archive

Freshwater mussel communities have experienced drastic declines in diversity and abundance in many streams throughout North America. Among the reasons for these declines is the human-driven alteration of the landscape, as urban and agricultural use impart many known stressors to aquatic systems. Impairments include increased sedimentation, increased pollutants, increased flood frequency and intensity, and decreased diversity and abundance of many organisms, including fish, macroinvertebrates, and mussels. Attempts to explain the abundance and diversity of mussel communities using small-scale factors such as substrate type and flow velocity provided little to no predictive power. Instead, reach-scale variables, such as stream morphology and …

“El Perro De Kant": Time, Borges, Kant’S Dog, Stephen D. Gingerich

World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

A Review of David E. Johnson’s Kant’s Dog: On Borges, Philosophy, and the Time of Translation (SUNY University Press, 2012, 274pp.)

Social Services Will Not Touch Us With A Barge Pole’: Social Care Provision For Older Prisoners, Kate O'Hara, Katrina Forsyth, Jane Senior, Caroline Stevenson, Adrian Hayes, David Challis, Jenny Shaw

Articles

Older prisoners are the fastest growing subgroup in the English and Welsh prison estate. Older prisoners have high levels of health and social care needs. This mixed method study involved the distribution of a questionnaire examining the availability of health and social care services for older prisoners to all prisons housing adult males in England and Wales, followed by qualitative telephone interviews with representatives from eight prisons. Over half of establishments had some contact with external social care services but reported significant difficulties in arranging care for individuals. A professional lead for older prisoners had been identified in 81% of …

Transcriptional Network Growing Models Using Motif-Based Preferential Attachment, Ahmed F. Abdelzaher, Ahmad F. Al-Musawi, Preetam Ghosh, Michael L. Mayo, Edward J. Perkins

Computer Science Publications

Understanding relationships between architectural properties of gene-regulatory networks (GRNs) has been one of the major goals in systems biology and bioinformatics, as it can provide insights into, e.g., disease dynamics and drug development. Such GRNs are characterized by their scale-free degree distributions and existence of network motifs – i.e., small-node subgraphs that occur more abundantly in GRNs than expected from chance alone. Because these transcriptional modules represent “building blocks” of complex networks and exhibit a wide range of functional and dynamical properties, they may contribute to the remarkable robustness and dynamical stability associated with the whole of GRNs. Here, we …

Communication For Development: Theory And Practice For Empowerment And Social Justice, Third Edition, Srinivas R. Melkote, H. Leslie Steeves

BGSU Faculty Books

This third edition features significantly revised and updated chapters to include the latest scholarship on, and practices of, media and communication for development. It explores empowerment and social justice to individuals and communities around the world in the context of increasing globalization. Tracing the history of development communication, it looks objectively at diverse approaches and their supporters, and goes on to provide models for the future. It also offers a new chapter presenting the authors' framework foregrounding empowerment and social justice as goals for development communication in the 21st century.

The earlier editions of this book, Communication for Development in …

Perceived Stress Levels, Chemotherapy, Radiation Treatment And Tumor Characteristics Are Associated With A Persistent Increased Frequency Of Somatic Chromosomal Instability In Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer: A One Year Longitudinal Study, Noran Aboalela, Debra E. Lyon, R. K. Elswick Jr., Debra Lynch Kelly, Jenni Brumelle, Harry D. Bear, Colleen Jackson-Cook

VCU Health Publications

While advances in therapeutic approaches have resulted in improved survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer, subsets of these survivors develop persistent psychoneurological symptoms (fatigue, depression/anxiety, cognitive dysfunction) that compromise their quality of life. The biological basis for these persistent symptoms is unclear, but could reflect the acquisition of soma-wide chromosomal instability following the multiple biological/psychological exposures associated with the diagnosis/treatment of breast cancer. An essential first step toward testing this hypothesis is to determine if these cancer-related exposures are indeed associated with somatic chromosomal instability frequencies. Towards this end, we longitudinally studied 71 women (ages 23-71) with early-stage …

Novel Zno Hollow-Nanocarriers Containing Paclitaxel Targeting Folate-Receptors In A Malignant Ph-Microenvironment For Effective Monitoring And Promoting Breast Tumor Regression, Nagaprasad Puvvada, Shashi Rajput, B. N. Prashanth Kumar, Siddik Sarkar, Suraj Konar, Keith R. Brunt, Raj R. Rao, Abhijit Mazumdar, Swadesh K. Das, Ranadhir Basu, Paul B. Fisher, Mahitosh Mandal, Amita Pathak

VCU Health Publications

Low pH in the tumor micromilieu is a recognized pathological feature of cancer. This attribute of cancerous cells has been targeted herein for the controlled release of chemotherapeutics at the tumour site, while sparing healthy tissues. To this end, pH-sensitive, hollow ZnO-nanocarriers loaded with paclitaxel were synthesized and their efficacy studied in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. The nanocarriers were surface functionalized with folate using click-chemistry to improve targeted uptake by the malignant cells that over-express folate-receptors. The nanocarriers released ~75% of the paclitaxel payload within six hours in acidic pH, which was accompanied by switching of …

Academic Malaise: Bring Back The Groves Of Academe, Mohamed Gad-El-Hak

Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Publications

The state of university governance and academic freedom are discussed. Several related topics are also considered: tuition inflation; term versus tenure-track faculty; massive open online courses; and relative standing of higher education in the United States.

Pde5 Inhibitors Enhance Celecoxib Killing In Multiple Tumor Types, Laurence Booth, Jane L. Roberts, Nichola Cruickshanks, Seyedmehrad Tavallai, Timothy Webb, Peter Samuel, Adam Conley, Brittany Binion, Harold F. Young, Andrew Poklepovic, Sarah Spiegel, Paul Dent

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

The present studies determined whether clinically relevant phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors interacted with a clinically relevant NSAID, celecoxib, to kill tumor cells. Celecoxib and PDE5 inhibitors interacted in a greater than additive fashion to kill multiple tumor cell types. Celecoxib and sildenafil killed ex vivo primary human glioma cells as well as their associated activated microglia. Knock down of PDE5 recapitulated the effects of PDE5 inhibitor treatment; the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME suppressed drug combination toxicity. The effects of celecoxib were COX2 independent. Over-expression of c-FLIP-s or knock down of CD95/FADD significantly reduced killing by the drug combination. CD95 …

The Signal Transducer And Activator Of Transcription 1 (Stat1) Inhibits Mitochondrial Biogenesis In Liver And Fatty Acid Oxidation In Adipocytes, Jennifer D. Sisler, Magdalena Morgan, Vidisha Raje, Rebecca C. Grande, Marta Derecka, Jeremy Meier, Marc Cantwell, Karol Szczepanek, William J. Korzun, Edward J. Lesnefsky, Thurl E. Harris, Colleen M. Croniger, Andrew C. Larner

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

The transcription factor STAT1 plays a central role in orchestrating responses to various pathogens by activating the transcription of nuclear-encoded genes that mediate the antiviral, the antigrowth, and immune surveillance effects of interferons and other cytokines. In addition to regulating gene expression, we report that STAT1-/- mice display increased energy expenditure and paradoxically decreased release of triglycerides from white adipose tissue (WAT). Liver mitochondria from STAT1-/- mice show both defects in coupling of the electron transport chain (ETC) and increased numbers of mitochondria. Consistent with elevated numbers of mitochondria, STAT1-/- mice expressed increased amounts of PGC1α, a …

Perceived Stress Levels, Chemotherapy, Radiation Treatment And Tumor Characteristics Are Associated With A Persistent Increased Frequency Of Somatic Chromosomal Instability In Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer: A One Year Longitudinal Study, Noran Aboalela, Debra E. Lyon, R. K. Elswick Jr., Debra Lynch Kelly, Jenni Brumelle, Harry D. Bear, Colleen Jackson-Cook

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

While advances in therapeutic approaches have resulted in improved survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer, subsets of these survivors develop persistent psychoneurological symptoms (fatigue, depression/anxiety, cognitive dysfunction) that compromise their quality of life. The biological basis for these persistent symptoms is unclear, but could reflect the acquisition of soma-wide chromosomal instability following the multiple biological/psychological exposures associated with the diagnosis/treatment of breast cancer. An essential first step toward testing this hypothesis is to determine if these cancer-related exposures are indeed associated with somatic chromosomal instability frequencies. Towards this end, we longitudinally studied 71 women (ages 23-71) with early-stage …

Tumor-Specific Expression And Detection Of A Cest Reporter Gene, Il Minn, Amnon Bar-Shir, Keerthi Yarlagadda, Jeff W. M. Bulte, Paul B. Fisher, Hao Wang, Assaf A. Gilad, Martin G. Pomper

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

Purpose

To develop an imaging tool that enables the detection of malignant tissue with enhanced specificity using the exquisite spatial resolution of MRI.

Methods

Two mammalian gene expression vectors were created for the expression of the lysine-rich protein (LRP) under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and the progression elevated gene-3 promoter (PEG-3 promoter) for constitutive and tumor-specific expression of LRP, respectively. Using those vectors, stable cell lines of rat 9L glioma, 9LCMV-LRP and 9LPEG-LRP, were established and tested for CEST contrast in vitro and in vivo.

Results

9LPEG-LRP cells showed increased CEST contrast compared with 9L cells …

Tumor-Specific Expression And Detection Of A Cest Reporter Gene, Il Minn, Amnon Bar-Shir, Keerthi Yarlagadda, Jeff W. M. Bulte, Paul B. Fisher, Hao Wang, Assaf A. Gilad, Martin G. Pomper

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

Purpose

To develop an imaging tool that enables the detection of malignant tissue with enhanced specificity using the exquisite spatial resolution of MRI.

Methods

Two mammalian gene expression vectors were created for the expression of the lysine-rich protein (LRP) under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and the progression elevated gene-3 promoter (PEG-3 promoter) for constitutive and tumor-specific expression of LRP, respectively. Using those vectors, stable cell lines of rat 9L glioma, 9LCMV-LRP and 9LPEG-LRP, were established and tested for CEST contrast in vitro and in vivo.

Results

9LPEG-LRP cells showed increased CEST contrast compared with 9L cells …

Perceived Stress Levels, Chemotherapy, Radiation Treatment And Tumor Characteristics Are Associated With A Persistent Increased Frequency Of Somatic Chromosomal Instability In Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer: A One Year Longitudinal Study, Noran Aboalela, Debra E. Lyon, R. K. Elswick Jr., Debra Lynch Kelly, Jenni Brumelle, Harry D. Bear, Colleen Jackson-Cook

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

While advances in therapeutic approaches have resulted in improved survival rates for women diagnosed with breast cancer, subsets of these survivors develop persistent psychoneurological symptoms (fatigue, depression/anxiety, cognitive dysfunction) that compromise their quality of life. The biological basis for these persistent symptoms is unclear, but could reflect the acquisition of soma-wide chromosomal instability following the multiple biological/psychological exposures associated with the diagnosis/treatment of breast cancer. An essential first step toward testing this hypothesis is to determine if these cancer-related exposures are indeed associated with somatic chromosomal instability frequencies. Towards this end, we longitudinally studied 71 women (ages 23-71) with early-stage …

Comparison Of Effects Of P53 Null And Gain-Of-Function Mutations On Salivary Tumors In Mmtv-Hras Transgenic Mice, Dadi Jiang, Catherine I. Dumur, H. Davis Massey, Viswanathan Ramakrishnan, Mark A. Subler, Jolene J. Windle

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

p53 is an important tumor suppressor gene which is mutated in ~50% of all human cancers. Some of these mutants appear to have acquired novel functions beyond merely losing wild-type functions. To investigate these gain-of-function effects in vivo, we generated mice of three different genotypes: MMTV-Hras/p53+/+, MMTV-Hras/p53-/-, and MMTV-Hras/p53R172H/R172H. Salivary tumors from these mice were characterized with regard to age of tumor onset, tumor growth rates, cell cycle distribution, apoptotic levels, tumor histopathology, as well as response to doxorubicin treatment. Microarray analysis was also performed to profile gene expression. The MMTV-Hras/p53-/- and …

Osteogenic Embryoid Body-Derived Material Induces Bone Formation In Vivo, Ken Sutha, Zvi Schwartz, Yun Wang, Sharon Hyzy, Barbara D. Boyan, Todd C. Mcdevitt

Biomedical Engineering Publications

The progressive loss of endogenous regenerative capacity that accompanies mammalian aging has been attributed at least in part to alterations in the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition of adult tissues. Thus, creation of a more regenerative microenvironment, analogous to embryonic morphogenesis, may be achieved via pluripotent embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation and derivation of devitalized materials as an alternative to decellularized adult tissues, such as demineralized bone matrix (DBM). Transplantation of devitalized ESC materials represents a novel approach to promote functional tissue regeneration and reduce the inherent batch-to-batch variability of allograft-derived materials. In this study, the osteoinductivity of embryoid body-derived material …

Reversible Strain-Induced Magnetization Switching In Fega Nanomagnets: Pathway To A Rewritable, Non-Volatile, Non-Toggle, Extremely Low Energy Straintronic Memory, Hasnain Ahmad, Jayasimha Atulasimha, Supriyo Bandyopadhyay

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

We report reversible strain-induced magnetization switching between two stable/metastable states in ~300 nm sized FeGa nanomagnets delineated on a piezoelectric PMN-PT substrate. Voltage of one polarity applied across the substrate generates compressive strain in a nanomagnet and switches its magnetization to one state, while voltage of the opposite polarity generates tensile strain and switches the magnetization back to the original state. The two states can encode the two binary bits, and, using the right voltage polarity, one can write either bit deterministically. This portends an ultra-energy-efficient non-volatile “non-toggle” memory.