Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Risk Factors And Costs Influencing Hospitalizations Due To Heat-Related Illnesses: Patterns Of Hospitalization, Michael T. Schmeltz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The objective of this dissertation was to identify individual and environmental risk factors, investigate outcomes and hospital resource use, including costs, and document the pattern of heat-related illness hospitalizations in the United States. The main data source for the study population was the 2001-2010 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). The study population for heat-related illnesses (HRIs) consists of patients in the NIS with at least one diagnosis of a heat-related illness (ICD-9 codes 992.0 - 992.9) from 2001 to 2010. Outcome analysis included a study population of patients who had primary or secondary diagnoses of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory illnesses, nephritic …

Hidden Formaldehyde In E-Cigarette Aerosols, R. Paul Jensen, Wentai Luo, James F. Pankow, Robert M. Strongin, David H. Peyton

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

This letter reports a chemical analysis of vapor from electronic cigarettes that shows high levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. The authors project that the associated incremental lifetime risk of cancer could be higher than that from long-term smoking.

Variation In Rheumatoid Hand And Wrist Surgery Among Medicare Beneficiaries: A Population-Based Cohort Study, Lin Zhong, Kevin C. Chung, Onur Baser, David A. Fox, Huseyin Yuce, Jennifer F. Waljee

Publications and Research

Objective. To examine the rate and variation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-related hand and wrist surgery among Medicare (elderly) beneficiaries in the United States, and to identify the patient and provider factors that influence surgical rates.

Methods. Using the 2006–2010 100% Medicare claims data of beneficiaries with RA diagnosis, we examined rates of rheumatoid hand and wrist arthroplasty, arthrodesis, and hand tendon reconstruction in the United States. We used multivariate logistic regression models to examine variation in receipt of surgery by patient and regional characteristics (density of providers, intensity of use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs).

Results. Between 2006 and 2010, …

Macular Pigment Spatial Distribution Effects On Glare Disability, Christopher Putnam, Carl Bassi

College of Optometry Faculty Works

Purpose This project explored the relationship of the macular pigment optical density (MPOD) spatial profile with measures of glare disability (GD) across the macula. Results The cHFP identified reliable MPOD spatial distribution maps demonstrating a 1st-order exponential decay as a function of increasing eccentricity. There was a significant negative correlation between both measures of foveal MPOD and GD using 6cycles per degree (cpd) and 9cpd stimuli. Significant correlations were found between corresponding parafoveal MPOD measures and GD at 2 and 4° of eccentricity using 9cpd stimuli with greater MPOD associated with less glare disability. Conclusions These results are consistent with …

Sci Pop Talks! Presenter Guidelines, Kiyomi D. Deards, Raychelle Burks

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

Presenter guidelines for the nUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Sci Pop! Talks series.

Stability Of Lidocaine Tested By Forced Degradation And Its Interactions With Serum Albumin, Lindsay Nichols

STAR Program Research Presentations

A concern for future long-term manned space expeditions is the ability to treat illnesses with appropriate pharmaceuticals. However, pharmaceuticals degrade faster in space than on Earth presumably due to an abundance of space radiation. The stability of Lidocaine was investigated because it is a common pain reliever currently used on the International Space Station. One of the most common proteins in blood is serum albumin, which acts as a carrier to distribute drugs throughout the body. It is important to know how well the drug binds to serum albumin so that the rate of distribution of Lidocaine-bound protein in blood …

Double Vault Composting Latrines In Rural Paraguay : Feasible Construction And Optimal Use, Paul T. Pebler

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Water resource depletion and sanitation are growing problems around the world. A solution to both of these problems is the use of composting latrines, as it requires no water and has been recommended by the World Health Organization as an improved sanitation technology. However, little analysis has been done on the decomposition process occurring inside the latrine, including what temperatures are reached and what variables most affect the composting process. Having better knowledge of how outside variables affect composting latrines can aid development workers on the choice of implementing such technology, and to better educate the users on the appropriate …

2015 Oklahoma Research Day Full Program, Northeastern State University

Oklahoma Research Day Abstracts

This document contains all abstracts from the 2015 Oklahoma Research Day held at Northeastern State University.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 56 Number 3, Spring/Summer 2015, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - SILICON VALLEY STORY by Michael S. Malone '75, MBA '77. The hidden history behind the heart of ingenuity.

22 - BARCELONA SIESTA by Maya Kroth '01. On a Fulbright to Spain, in pursuit of the meaning of sleep. In the 21st century, it's not what it used to be. By Maya Kroth '01.

26 - BUILD IT BEAUTIFUL. See how the campus has been transformed in the past two decades-thanks in no small part to Joe Sugg. Illustration by Rod Hunt.

28 - A GOOD BASEBALL MAN by Jeff Gire. Charlie Graham and a tale of the Red …

Research Week 2015, Linda Gardiner, David Owerbach

Office of Research Institutional Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Association Between Respiratory Syncytial Virus Activity And Pneumococcal Disease In Infants: A Time Series Analysis Of Us Hospitalization Data., Daniel M. Weinberger, Keith P. Klugman, Claudia A. Steiner, Lone Simonsen, Cécile Viboud

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

The importance of bacterial infections following respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains unclear. We evaluated whether variations in RSV epidemic timing and magnitude are associated with variations in pneumococcal disease epidemics and whether changes in pneumococcal disease following the introduction of seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) were associated with changes in the rate of hospitalizations coded as RSV.

METHODS AND FINDINGS:

We used data from the State Inpatient Databases (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), including >700,000 RSV hospitalizations and >16,000 pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalizations in 36 states (1992/1993-2008/2009). Harmonic regression was used to estimate the timing of the average seasonal …

Can We Increase The Intensity Of Pro-Active Balance Exercises?, Joshua Lilly, Elizabeth Antonik

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Balance training has been shown to be effective in preventing or lessening the severity of falls among older adults. This training can be proactive or reactive; however, the relative effectiveness of each and the necessary dosages are not known. The purpose of this research was to adapt an existing protocol for slip testing (reactive training) and video-game balance training (proactive) to better accommodate the abilities of older adults. We tested iteratively the initial protocols, set-ups, and equipment with a group of adults age 55 years and older and devised new protocols and equipment for each. After observing the subjects’ participation …

Invasive Species Facilitation In Bioswales And Rain Gardens In Greater Cleveland, Brittany Dalton

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Stormwater management features such as bioretention systems and rain gardens provide valuable ecosystem services. They are ecologically engineered to counteract surrounding urban land use practices. However, new stormwater management features may also create an environment for invasive plant species. Invasive plants can affect ecosystem services, and have devastating economic impacts. This study was conducted to determine connections between surrounding land use and maintenance practices in stormwater management features throughout Greater Cleveland and the presence of invasive plant species. Initial site visits were conducted for 164 bioretention systems and rain gardens in Greater Cleveland. They were analyzed for physical characteristics, surrounding …

Case Transition Format And Lexical Decision Performance: Does Spacing Reduce The Benefit Of Orthographic Regularity?, Kristyn Oravec, Maryam Assar, Hannah Princic

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Some models of visual word identification propose that identification is analytic— mediated exclusively by letter identification. However, some studies have shown that there are phenomena that suggest a route to word identification involves holistic stimulus properties. In previous research, using a lexical decision task, in which participants are asked to determine whether letter strings are words or nonwords, we have found that response times to orthographically regular words (i.e., lowercase, uppercase, and initial uppercase formats) are faster than those to orthographically irregular words (i.e., words that include a case transition other than initial uppercase to lowercase). In this experiment, we …

Regulation Of Sister Chromatid Cohesion By Eco-1 And Wapl-1 During Meiosis And Mitosis, Kyle T. Schroeder

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Cohesin is a widely conserved, tetrameric protein complex that tethers replicated sister chromatids during meiosis and mitosis. Two cohesin subunits, SMC-1 and SMC-3, and a third subunit, the α-kleisin, form a ring proposed to encircle sister chromatids. Different kleisins associate with cohesin during mitosis and meiosis. SCC-1 is the mitotic kleisin. Meiotic cohesin can associate with either REC-8 or COH-3/4. REC-8 and COH-3/4 cohesins differ greatly in their functional properties, indicating that the kleisin determines meiotic cohesin function. Early in meiosis, REC-8 and COH-3/4 cohesins are triggered to become cohesive at different times and by different mechanisms. Later in meiosis, …

Preliminary Investigation Of The Role Of Open Bigrams In Word Perception: Is There A Benefit To Having Flankers That Consist Of Letters In The Word?, Maryam Assar, Kristyn Oravec, Hannah Princic, Amy Palinski

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Most investigators of word identification agree that information is processed through a hierarchical system in which units at progressively higher levels respond to features, letters, letter combinations (e.g., pairs, or bigrams), and possibly words. Grainger et al. (2014) found support for the role of adjacent-letter bigrams in an experiment in which participants saw target strings flanked by bigrams, such as BI BIRD RD and CE BIVS NT, and judged whether the targets were words. They found, for words, that flanking bigrams facilitated performance when the flanking bigrams contained letters from the target, and that the order of bigrams relative to …

Tmco1 Mediates Cancer Cell Migration Through Regulating Microtubule Assembling, Pau Romaguera Llacer, Qiaoxia Zheng, Qiaoyun Zheng

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Transmembrane and coiled-coil domains 1 (TMCO1) is highly conserved in amino acid sequence among species and ubiquitously expressed in all human tissues. Homozygous frameshift mutation in TMCO1 causes distinctive craniofacial dysmorphism, skeletal anomalies, and mental retardation. However, its physiological functions, particularly in cancer biology, are largely unknown. In this study, we have found that knock down of TMCO1 in HeLa cells, a human cervical cancer cell line, and U2OS cells, an osteosarcoma cell line, remarkably inhibited their migratory capability; TMCO1 was highly expressed in the cells of the invasive front of high grade lung cancer and metastatic cancer cells in …

Synthesis Of Optimal Polymeric Microgels And Their Characterization With Light Scattering, Christan Gunder, Daria Kulyk

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Polymeric microgels were synthesized in by chemically crosslinking hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) chains with each other in aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide at temperatures above the low solution critical temperature (LCST) of HPC. In order to create a narrower size distribution of HPC microgels, surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide, DTAB) was added. It was found that, LCST of the solution moved from ~40C up to 80C with an increase in DTAB concentration from 0 to 12 g/l. Formed microgels were be characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Microgel solutions synthesized so far resulted in reasonably monodispersed nanoparticles between the sizes of 150-90 nm below …

Respiratory Particle Deposition Probability Due To Sedimentation With Variable Gravity And Electrostatic Forces, Ioannis Haranas, Ioannis Gkigkitzis, George D. Zouganelis, Maria K. Haranas, Samantha Kirk

Physics and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, we study the effects of the acceleration gravity on the sedimentation deposition probability, as well as the aerosol deposition rate on the surface of the Earth and Mars, but also aboard a spacecraft in orbit around Earth and Mars as well for particles with density ρ_p = 1300 kg/m³, diameters d_p = 1, 3, 5 µm and residence times t = 0.0272, 0.2 s respectively. For particles of diameter 1 µm we find that, on the surface of Earth and Mars the deposition probabilities are higher at the poles when compared to the …

Role Of Low Exposure To Metals As Male Reproductive Toxicants, H. Anna Jeng, Yeou-Lih Huang, Chih-Hong Pan, Norou Diawara

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The objective of the study was to examine the associations between environmentally relevant low metal concentrations and semen quality parameters in men. The concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), and lead (Pb) in the seminal plasma and urine were measured from 196 male human subjects in Taiwan. Urinary Cd concentrations were negatively associated with sperm viability (p=0.006). Seminal plasma Cu concentrations of the normal group (>= 15 x 10(6)/ml) were significantly lower than those of the abnormal group (p=0.023). However, the linear regression analysis showed a weak association between Cu concentration and sperm …

Ua94/6/15 Student / Alumni Personal Papers Wku Dorris Hutchinson, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Correspondence and publications created by and about the Dorris Hutchison during her time at Sloan-Kettering Institute.

2015 Abstracts Student Research Conference, Student Research Conference

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

No abstract provided.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 56 Number 2, Winter 2015, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

10 - May the Rhodes rise to meet you - On the road with Aven Satre-Meloy ’13.

16 - Season tough, photos by Denis Concordel.

18 - Space Aces by Sam Scott '96. 20 - The fragility of faith by Michael C. McCarthy, S.J. '87. A professor of religious studies and executive director of SCU’s Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education confesses that it’s not merely an academic question when he asks: “How can a thinking person still believe in God?”

26 - Rebound by Mitch Finley '73. Lessons from the court and the chapel in dealing with addiction, mental illness, …

Control Of Meiotic Cell Divisions In Presence Of Unrepaired Chromosome Breaks, Francisco Monge, Jesus Monge, Andrew Reville, Rima Sandhu

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Chromosome miss-segregation during meiosis is a major factor contributing to birth defects as well as many genetic anomalies through the formation of aneuploid gametes, i.e. gametes with a deficit or surplus of one or several chromosomes. The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a major protein structure assembled with the synapsis of homologous chromosomes and is conserved from unicellular yeast to humans. One of its major roles during prophase I in meiosis is providing a structural framework for the maintenance of synapsis to facilitate the completion of reciprocal crossover events. Failure to form an effective SC or to experience crossover events leads …

Role In Recombination Of Genes That Control Meiotic Cell Divisions, Francisco Monge, Jesus Monge, Andrew Reville, Rima Sandhu

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

The production of gametes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via meiosis is under strict regulatory control where proper segregation of homologous chromosomes into gametes requires physical linkage via crossovers. Cells that initiate meiotic recombination but do not process programmed double strand breaks into crossovers enter meiotic arrest. The main goal of the current project was whether overexpression of gene Y is sufficient to bypass the meiotic arrest in prophase I exhibited by dmc1 deletion and a zip1 mutant that carries an internal deletion. DMC1 is a recombinase that promotes homologous recombination. ZIP1 is a transverse filament protein of the synaptonemal complex (the …

Nitrosylation Of S100a8/ A9 Protein Complex By Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase, Kia Smith

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

How does the body fight infection? What causes inflammation? These are only a few questions that have been asked by many doctors across the globe. One thing that is known for certain about infection is that there is a particular sub-group of enzymes called NOS’s (eNOS, nNOS and iNOS) that produce Nitric Oxide (NO), a molecule radical capable of oxidizing proteins and alter their function. In our study we focus on inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS). NOS’s are comprised of oxidase and reductase domains liked by Camodulin (CAM), a polypeptide linker. According to prior studies and SEM photographs, inducible Nitric …

Dynamics Of An Optically Trapped Particle, Flaherty Justin

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Particles trapped in a laser experience a linear restoring force that keeps them centered in the trap and will undergo restricted Brownian motion. The Brownian motion causes a change in the scattered laser light. The scattered light is projected onto a Quadrant Photodiode and can be used to obtain the Mean Squared Displacement of the particle, as well as the linear spring constant of the laser trap. The spring constant can be used to obtain the force applied by the laser trap, which is in the realm of piconewtons.

Novel Regulation Of The Pro-Apoptotic Protein Puma In Response To Hypoxia, Mareem Ali, Brianna Boslett

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Ischemic injury in skeletal muscle caused by hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions occurs in response to vascular and musculoskeletal traumas, diseases and following reconstructive surgeries. Hypoxia induces apoptotic cell death. We have reported that the protein PUMA plays a critical role in the apoptosis of myoblasts in response to culture in differentiation media as well as exposure to DNA damaging chemotherapeutic agents. We have also determined that the transcription factor MyoD, known to control the differentiation process, also plays a role in these apoptotic processes by directly increasing the expression of PUMA mRNA. Herein, we report an increase in PUMA protein …

Dual Stimuli Response Frequency And Stimulus Choice Of The African Clawed Frog, Xenopus Laevis, When Presented With Two Stimuli, Mingo Rolince, Heidi Pignolet, Alexa Hoy

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

This preliminary study examines responses of African Clawed Frogs to simultaneous presentation of two stimuli. Frogs were tested in a round arena with water 4 cm deep. Four stimulus rods driven via computer-controlled stepper motors were concealed in a screen suspended above the water. These rods could present a lateral line stimulus, a visual stimulus, or a combination of both. Overall, reactions and no reactions were evenly distributed--51.1% and 48.9%, respectively. Frogs responded more frequently to rostral than caudal stimuli (chi-squared 20.8, df=11, p < 0.04). Frogs reacted more to stimuli between -90° and 90°. Turn angle depended linearly on stimulus angle (e.g., Turn angle = 0.44 + 0.64 x Stimulus angle; pslope < 0.0001; R2adj = 69.5%). (The distributions of stimulus angles appear slightly skewed as often the same stimulus rod was retested after the frog responded and partially oriented towards it, prompting a second test with smaller angles.) Two stimuli did not elicit more responses than one stimuli (P=0.25). The frogs’ choice of stimulus depended primarily on stimulus proximity and angle, not stimulus type. When presented with two stimuli, the frog chose the nearer stimulus and the more rostral stimulus (p < 0.0001). The largest factor in predicting the frog’s choice of stimuli seems to be the linear distance from the stimuli to the frog.

Deducing Shape Of Anisotropic Particles In Solution From Light Scattering: Spindles And Nanorods, Ilona Tsuper, Dan Terrano

Undergraduate Research Posters 2015

Depolarized Dynamic light scattering (DDLS) enables to measure in situ rotational and translational diffusion of nanoparticles suspended in solution. Their size, shape, diffusion, and intermolecular interactions can be interred then from DDLS data using various models of diffusion. Incorporating DDLS to analyze the dimensions of easily imaged elongated particles, such as Iron (III) oxyhydroxide Spindles (FeOOH) and gold coated Nanorods, will allow a deeper understanding between rotational/translational diffusion and size distribution of hard-to-image anisotropic wet systems such as micelles, microgels, and protein complexes. The emphasis of this study was to look at the aged FeOOH Spindle sample, and explore the …