Digital Commons Network^™

In Vivo Quantification Reveals Extensive Natural Variation In Mitochondrial Form And Function In Caenorhabditis Briggsae, Kiley Ann Hicks, Dana K. Howe, Aubrey Leung, Dee R. Denver, Suzanne Estes

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have analyzed natural variation in mitochondrial form and function among a set of Caenorhabditis briggsae isolates known to harbor mitochondrial DNA structural variation in the form of a heteroplasmic nad5 gene deletion (nad5Δ) that correlates negatively with organismal fitness. We performed in vivo quantification of 24 mitochondrial phenotypes including reactive oxygen species level, membrane potential, and aspects of organelle morphology, and observed significant among- isolate variation in 18 traits. Although several mitochondrial phenotypes were non-linearly associated with nad5Δ levels, most of the among-isolate phenotypic variation could be accounted for by phylogeographic clade membership. In particular, isolate-specific mitochondrial membrane potential …

How To Get To The Other Side Of Emotional Pain, Ronnie Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a resource of approaches to deal with pain and guide in the direction of getting to the other side of pain. This project is used from a journey of painful events. The study is performed from literature, research and personal experiences. Therefore, this dissertation will provide and allow a person a valuable resource to deal with emotional pain and painful situations as well as provide several tools to get to the other side of emotional pain. It will also show how to understand emotional pain and work through the most devastating hurt …

Bridging Developmental Neuroscience And The Law: Child-Caregiver Relationships, Ross A. Thompson

UC Law Journal

Advances in neuroscience are changing understanding of the biological foundations of human development and have implications for legal analysis. As with any period of rapid scientific progress, however, new ideas are subject to misinterpretation and errors in application. This Article offers guidance on how to avoid such problems and consider carefully the applications of developmental neuroscience to legal policy and practice, with a particular emphasis on caregiver-child relationships. Three principles are discussed. First, the most confident applications of developmental neuroscience to legal policy occur when the conclusions of neuroscience are consistent with those of behavioral research. This is because their …

The Relevance Of Immaturities In The Juvenile Brain To Culpability And Rehabilitation, Beatriz Luna

UC Law Journal

The overreaching aim of this Article is to describe how developmental cognitive neuroscience can inform juvenile law. Fundamental to culpability and responsibility is the ability to effectively execute voluntary executive behavior. Executive function, including cognitive control and working memory, has a protracted development with key aspects continuing to mature through adolescence. These limitations in executive control are due in great part to still maturing brain processes. Gray and white matter changes are still becoming established in adolescence, enhancing efficiency and the speed of brain processing supporting executive control. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that underlies reward processing and learning, peaks in adolescence—supporting …

Fetal Risks Of Environmental Chemicals: The Motherisk Approach To The Organic Mercury Fish Consumption Scare, Zahra Jahedmotlage, Kathie Schoeman, John Bend, Gideon Koren

UC Law Journal

While fish is rich in essential nutrients and women are encouraged to consume fish products, fish may contain methylmercury, which is an established neurotoxin to the fetus. Not surprisingly, there are high levels of anxiety among women of reproductive age regarding fish consumption. To be able to counsel women in this complex area, we have developed a two-step program: (1) probing women of reproductive age for their perceptions regarding the safety of consuming fish, and (2) piloting an intervention program with women of reproductive age to ensure mercury levels are below the recently proposed Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Level. This …

The Neurobiology Of Attachment To Nurturing And Abusive Caregivers, Regina M. Sullivan

UC Law Journal

Decades of research have shown that childhood experiences interact with our genetics to change the structure and function of the brain. Within the range of normal experiences, this system enables the brain to be modified during development to adapt to various environments and cultures. Experiences with and attachment to the caregiver appear particularly important, and recent research suggests this may be due, in part, to the attachment circuitry within the brain. Children have brain circuitry to ensure attachment to their caregivers. Attachment depends on the offspring learning about the caregiver in a process that begins prenatally and continues through most …

Creating A Clearinghouse To Evaluate Environmental Risks To Fetal Development, Kate E. Bloch

UC Law Journal

In this Article, the Author explores current challenges to accessing and evaluating information about environmental risks to fetal development. She investigates these challenges within the context of the existing regulatory framework for environmental risks. As a result of this analysis, she highlights the need for and proposes creating an independent non-profit umbrella organization—a clearinghouse—to collect, distill, interpret, and make accessible the research on environmental threats to fetal development and to apply that research to evaluating relevant U.S. policy. The Author defines broadly the research on fetal development that lies within the charge of the clearinghouse to include not only research …

Note – The Government Can Read Your Mind: Can The Constitution Stop It?, Mara Boundy

UC Law Journal

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“fMRI”) technology produces a four-dimensional map of brain activity, such as perception, memory, emotion, and movement. fMRI scans track the flow of blood to the various regions of the brain in real time and reveal the subject’s response to particular stimulus. For example, an fMRI scan might reveal blood flow to a subject’s memory center in response to a picture of the house in which she was raised. On the one hand, this technology seems to produce a model of a physical attribute and offer insight into the workings of the human brain. On the other, …

Mini-Review: Decorin, A Guardian From The Matrix, Thomas Neill, Liliana Schaefer, Renato V. Iozzo

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Decorin, an archetypal member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycan gene family, has a broad binding repertoire that encompasses matrix structural components, such as collagens, and growth factors, particularly those that belong to the transforming growth factor-β ligand superfamily. Within the tumor microenvironment, stromal decorin has an inherent proclivity to directly bind and down-regulate several receptor tyrosine kinases, which are often overexpressed in cancer cells. The decorin interactome commands a powerful antitumorigenic signal by potently repressing and attenuating tumor cell proliferation, survival, migration, and angiogenesis. This collection of interacting molecules also regulates key downstream signaling processes indirectly via the sequestration of …

Epic Families: Equipping Parents To Reclaim Their Biblical Mandate While Inspiring Children To Know And Love The God Who Made Them, Marybeth Meltzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A review of current literature demonstrates that there is a fundamental problem in the church today: the church has taken on the primary role of discipling children, while many parents have abrogated their biblical mandate as outlined in Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Surveys of parents as well as practical ministry experience confirm that great confusion exists among parents as to the scope of their biblical responsibilities. This project reviews historical perspectives and the present situation in the church and offers guidance to both parents and ministry professionals to help parents reclaim their God-given responsibilities.

Comparison Of Pass Assessment Scores In Single-Gender And Heterogeneous Middle Schools In South Carolina, Patricia Canada

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In response to the mandates of No Child Left Behind, (NCLB), educators across the country struggle to close the gaps between males and females. Some of the physiological differences existing between the male and female brain suggest support for single-gender instruction, which is on the rise within this country as well as other parts of the world. Using the theoretical framework based on brain research, the purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the effect of single-gender instruction on assessment results in Palmetto Assessments of State Standards (PASS) math and reading scores of public middle single-gender schools to mixed-gender …

Frequency Of Poor Quality Of Life And Predictors Of Health Related Quality Of Life In Cirrhosis At A Tertiary Care Hospital Pakistan, Om Parkash, Romaina Iqbal, Fatima Jafri, Iqbal Azam, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Background

Cirrhosis produces variety of symptoms which eventually lead to a negative impact on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). The general aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of poor HRQOL and to assess factors related with HRQOL in patients with CLD in Pakistan.

Findings

This was a cross sectional study conducted in gastroenterology outpatient clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi on adult patients with cirrhosis. In this study chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) was used to assess HRQOL of these patients and CLDQ score was used as an outcome measure to determine factors related with …

Interactions Among Positions In The Third And Fourth Membrane-Associated Domains At The Intersubunit Interface Of The N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Forming Sites Of Alcohol Action, Hong Ren, Yulin Zhao, Donard S. Dwyer, Robert W. Peoples

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor is a major target of ethanol in the brain. Previous studies have identified positions in the third and fourth membrane-associated (M) domains of the NMDA receptor GluN1 and GluN2A subunits that influence alcohol sensitivity. The predicted structure of the NMDA receptor, based on that of the related GluA2 subunit, indicates a close apposition of the alcohol-sensitive positions in M3 and M4 between the two subunit types. We tested the hypothesis that these positions interact to regulate receptor kinetics and ethanol sensitivity by using dual substitution mutants. In single-substitution mutants, we found that a position …

Iron Homeostasis During Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Exacerbation, Alex H. Gifford, Lisa A. Moulton, Dana B. Dorman, Gordana Olbina, Mark Westerman, H. Worth Parker, Bruce Stanton, George A. O'Toole

Dartmouth Scholarship

BACKGROUND:

Hypoferremia is a marker of disease severity in cystic fibrosis (CF). The effect of systemic antibiotics on iron homeostasis during CF pulmonary exacerbation (CFPE) is unknown. Our central hypotheses were that, by the completion of treatment, serum iron would increase, serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hepcidin-25, two mediators of hypoferremia, would decrease, and sputum iron would decrease.

METHODS:

Blood and sputum samples were collected from 12 subjects with moderate-to-severe CF (median percentage-predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1) %) = 29%; median weight = 56 kg) within 24 hours of starting and completing a course of systemic …

Measurement Of The Oxidation State Of Mitochondrial Cytochrome C From The Neocortex Of The Mammalian Brain, Y. Sakata, M. Abajian, M. O. Ripple, R. Springett

Dartmouth Scholarship

Diffuse optical remission spectra from the mammalian neocortex at visible wavelengths contain spectral features originating from the mitochondria. A new algorithm is presented, based on analytically relating the first differential of the attenuation spectrum to the first differential of the chromophore spectra, that can separate and calculate the oxidation state of cytochrome c as well as the absolute concentration and saturation of hemoglobin. The algorithm is validated in phantoms and then tested on the neocortex of the rat during an anoxic challenge. Implementation of the algorithm will provide detailed information of mitochondrial oxygenation and mitochondrial function in physiological studies of …

Who Wears Me? Bioimpedance As A Passive Biometric, Cory Cornelius, Jacob Sorber, Ronald Peterson, Joe Skinner, Ryan Halter, David Kotz

Dartmouth Scholarship

Mobile and wearable systems for monitoring health are becoming common. If such an mHealth system knows the identity of its wearer, the system can properly label and store data collected by the system. Existing recognition schemes for such mobile applications and pervasive devices are not particularly usable – they require ıt active engagement with the person (e.g., the input of passwords), or they are too easy to fool (e.g., they depend on the presence of a device that is easily stolen or lost). \par We present a wearable sensor to passively recognize people. Our sensor uses the unique electrical properties …

Mechanical Complications Following Acute Myocardial Infarction, Awais Ashfaq, Hasanat Sharif

Department of Surgery Docs

Objective: To outline the outcome and management of patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting with mechanical complications such as post-infarction ventricular septal defect, mitral regurgitation and left ventricular rupture.Methods: The retrospective study, conducted in September and October, 2010 at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, included cases from January 1990 to December 2009. Only 18 cases were found who had presented with such complications. They were assessed for demographics as well as pre-operative, per-operative and post-operative management patterns. Data was analysed using SPSS version 17.0.Results: Out of the 18 patients, 10 had post-infarction ventricular septal defect, while 8 had mitral …

Portland Public Schools Enrollment Forecasts, 2012-13 To 2025-26, Based On October 2011 Enrollments, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Vivian Siu, Ryan Dann, Jason R. Jurjevich

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The Portland Public School District (PPS) enrolled 46,206 K‐12 students in Fall 2011, an increase of 465 students (1.0 percent) from Fall 2010. This was the third consecutive year of K‐12 growth, a reversal from the 12 consecutive years of enrollment losses between 1997 and 2008. For the three year period since 2008‐09, the District has grown by 1,182 K‐12 students (2.6 percent). This report includes analysis of population, housing and enrollment trends affecting the District in recent years, forecasts of district‐wide enrollment, and Enrollment Forecasts by area of residence (high school clusters, school attendance areas) and by individual school …

Transcultural Ethnic Validity Model And Intracultural Competence, Forrest B. Tyler

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

To be a psychosocially competent person, each of us has to have both an internal and an external perspective on our self and our culture, a transcultural ethnic validity perspective. This conclusion is supported by a logical and empirical examination of how we know who we are and use our own judgmental capabilities to guide and change our lives and our situations. Particular emphasis is placed on the nature of psychological science as a human enterprise influenced by the personal and cultural backgrounds of its scientists and those they study.

Japanese Students' Experience Of Adaptation And Acculturation Of The United Kingdom, Yuko Nippoda

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Many Japanese students come to the U.K. to study. In general, studying is their primary aim but some have additional reasons such as personal development through exposure to another culture. As a result of the homogeneity of Japanese society, Japanese people are not necessarily used to other cultures especially if they have only lived within Japan. Due to the vast differences between Japanese and British cultures, many students have difficulties in adapting to British society (Nippoda, 2011). This article presents some culturally specific factors that affect students' adaptation based on research (Nippoda, 1993). It focuses on four main points arising …

The Extension Service And Rural/Frontier Disaster Planning, Response, And Recovery, Myron A. Eighmy, Thomas E. Hall, Eunice Sahr, Debra Gebeke, Marie Hvidsten

Journal of Extension

The purpose of the study reported here was to (a) determine the role of Extension in disaster response, (b) identify the information needs, and (c) disseminate education and training modules through the EDEN. Extension staff should know their county's emergency plan and the role identified for Extension. Extension staff should attend local emergency management meetings, be knowledgeable of local and state resources, and redirect citizen calls to agencies. Extension has a primary responsibility for providing the public with educational materials congruent with Extension's program areas. Topics were identified for disaster-related educational materials and new materials were developed.

Taxonomy For Assessing Evaluation Competencies In Extension, Michelle S. Rodgers, Barbara D. Hillaker, Bruce E. Haas, Cheryl Peters

Journal of Extension

Evaluation of public service programming is becoming increasingly important with current funding realities. The taxonomy of evaluation competencies compiled by Ghere et al. (2006) provided the starting place for Taxonomy for Assessing Evaluation Competencies in Extension. The Michigan State University Extension case study described here presents a field-tested and reliable survey to measure evaluation competencies of Extension professionals in three domains (situational analysis, systematic inquiry, and project management) as well as indicates opportunities for professional development training themes to enhance the evaluation competencies of Extension academic professionals.

Fun With Foodella: A Pilot Study For Determining The Efficacy Of A 2nd Grade Nutrition And Physical Activity Curriculum, Elizabeth M. Winter, Suzanne Stluka, Karlys Wells, Howard Wey, Teresa M. Kemmer

Journal of Extension

Fun with Foodella is a nutrition and physical activity workbook designed for elementary-aged youth. The objective was to determine if the Fun with Foodella program increased participant preference for fruit, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and physical activity. Four intervention (53 students) and four control (68 students) schools participated. Significant results within the intervention group included a positive preference change for cucumbers, celery, pineapple, flavored milk, cheese, yogurt, and physical activity. This pilot Foodella program, coordinated by Extension professionals, demonstrates that promoting nutrition education, taste testing and physical activity in second graders results in positive change.

A Student And Teacher Watershed And Wetland Education Program: Extension To Promote Community Social-Ecological Resilience, Monique R. Myers

Journal of Extension

A middle school student and teacher watershed education project supports a large wetland restoration effort. It provides community-based, science education for urban, low-income, multicultural 6th-9th grade students and their teachers. This is a bottom-up approach to extending information to the local community about the restoration. The project includes teacher workshops, teacher and student restoration/water quality fieldwork with expert guidance, scientist classroom visits, an essay contest, and research cruise. The project is an example of using place-based, participatory learning toward achieving social-ecological resilience. It is a student education project with broader, community-wide Extension goals.

Louisiana 4-H Seeds Of Service School Gardens: A Descriptive View, Melissa Cater, Janet Fox, Bobby Fletcher Jr

Journal of Extension

Louisiana 4-H Seeds of Service School Gardens, a K-12 Learn and Serve Grant program, provides a descriptive view of how school gardens along with classroom instruction link curriculum to outdoor classrooms. The purpose of the process evaluation was to describe curriculum implementation fidelity, reach of the gardening program to participants, use of garden product, program materials, and teacher characteristics, mediating intervention impact on study outcomes. Eighty-seven percent of classrooms planted vegetable gardens, with a focus on science and math, using the Junior Master Gardener™ curriculum. It was found that school gardens can be effective in supporting classroom curriculum.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Programs And Taxpayer Actions To Improve Personal Finances, Erica Bobbitt, Cathy F. Bowen, Robin I. Kuleck, Ronald Taverno

Journal of Extension

The income tax-filing process creates teachable moments for learning about taxes and other financial matters. Educators and volunteers from Penn State Cooperative Extension helped taxpayers file 2008 returns under Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Nearly 600 filers (588) completed and simultaneously received educational information about managing personal finances. This article describes the actions taxpayers took to improve their financial stability. Nearly half (48.8%) of the filers believed their understanding of taxes had increased a lot since having their taxes prepared by Penn State Cooperative Extension. Implications for Extension educators and program benefits for taxpayers and volunteers are suggested.

Curriculum Helps Families Discuss And Plan For Future Of Their Woodland Or Farm, Brad Withrow-Robinson, Mary Sisock, Susan Watkins

Journal of Extension

Succession planning is an important step for families owning woodlands and farms that wish to maintain the character of the land and continue the families' connection to it. We introduce Ties to the Land, an educational curriculum that helps families communicate more effectively about the fate of their land and how to transition to future managers.

Healthy Homes Tools, Gina Peek, Melinda Lyon, Randall Russ

Journal of Extension

Extension is focusing on healthy homes programming. Extension educators are not qualified to diagnose consumers' medical problems as they relate to housing. We cannot give medical advice. Instead, we can help educate consumers about home conditions that may affect their well-being. Extension educators need appropriate healthy homes tools to facilitate this process. Two important tools include the Help Yourself to a Healthy Home booklet and the Quick environmental exposure and sensitivity inventory (QEESI©).

Cracks In The Melting Pot: Immigration, School Choice, And Segregation, Elizabeth U U. Cascio, Ethan G. Lewis

Dartmouth Scholarship

We examine whether low-skilled immigration to the United States has contributed to immigrants' residential isolation by reducing native demand for public schools. We address endogeneity in school demographics using established Mexican settlement patterns in California and use a comparison group to account for immigration's broader effects. We estimate that between 1970 and 2000, the average California school district lost more than 14 non-Hispanic households with children to other districts in its metropolitan area for every 10 additional households enrolling low-English Hispanics in its public schools. By disproportionately isolating children, the native reaction to immigration may have longer-run consequences than previously …

Refining The Global Spatial Limits Of Dengue Virus Transmission By Evidence-Based Consensus, Oliver J. Brady, Peter W. Gething, Samir Bhatt, Jane P. Messina, John S. Brownstein, Anne G. Hoen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Dengue is a growing problem both in its geographical spread and in its intensity, and yet current global distribution remains highly uncertain. Challenges in diagnosis and diagnostic methods as well as highly variable national health systems mean no single data source can reliably estimate the distribution of this disease. As such, there is a lack of agreement on national dengue status among international health organisations. Here we bring together all available information on dengue occurrence using a novel approach to produce an evidence consensus map of the disease range that highlights nations with an uncertain dengue status.

Methods/Principle Findings: …