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  Item Microvascular inflammatory responses to ceramide and cigarette smoke in the intact rat assessed with intravital two-photon microscopy(2013-04-05) Brown, Mary Beth; Sandoval, R. M.; Justice, M. J.; Molitoris, Bruce A.; Presson, Robert G.; Petrache, Irinasmoke, characterized by alterations of the alveolar barrier function. We investigated this hypothesis by utilizing a novel application of intravital two-photon excitation microscopy (TPM) of the lung in a living, breathing animal. Methods: We first developed a technique of TPM to permit imaging of the lung maintained within the thoracic cavity of an intact rat. To accomplish this, we optimized the lung-microscope interface with an imaging window uniquely designed to minimize cardiac and respiratory motion during TPM acquisitions. To investigate alveolar barrier disruption in real time, we utilized intravenous (i.v.) fluorescent probes to examine changes in alveolar leukocyte trafficking and microvascular barrier function in response to i.v. ceramide (C16:0 PEG, 10 mg/kg), and to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) delivered i.v. (1ml/kg) or intratracheally via a nebulizer (2mL/kg). Results: We performed intravital TPM monitoring of the lung microcirculation of a living rat with maintained physiological cardio-pulmonary parameters for up to 3h. Time-lapse and 3-D reconstruction images revealed heterogeneous extravasation of FITC-labeled serum albumin from the alveolar microcirculation into the alveolar airspaces in response to ceramide, in a dose-dependent manner. Further, we noted that in response to both ceramide and to CSE, leukocytes accumulated in the lung parenchyma and demonstrated reduced mobility through the microcirculation, suggesting increased adhesion to the endothelium. Intratracheal administration of CSE caused increased extravasation of leukocytes into alveolar spaces within 10 minutes. Conclusions: We developed approaches that permit the application of intravital TPM to lung with no motion artifacts from the breathing and cardiac cycles. This approach permits visualization of the lung subpleural parenchyma with a high resolution. Both gross and subtle inflammatory changes that reflect alveolar epithelial and/or endothelial barrier dysfunction can be assessed with this methodology.Item Effictiveness of non-commercial cleaning agents verses commercial agents(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Stultz, SamanthaThis study determined the efficiency of using non -commercial cleaning agents for the radioactive decontamination of wet 99mTc-pertechnetate (99mTcO4) spills. Methods: Two trials were run using six cleaning agents (Radiacwash™(Biodex), bleach, Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.), Fantastic® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.), water, and soap and water for 99mTcO4 decontamination effectiveness on vinyl floor tile. Results: All the decontaminaton agents cleaned up well, and were all below background. The Geiger-Muller Detector (GM) data showed that there was no fixed contamination on any of the tiles for both trials. The background for trial 1 was 0.083, and trial 2 background was 0.079. Trial 1 exposure rate after decontamination of water was 0.030. Trial 2 exposure rate after decontamination of water was 0.032, and Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.) was 0.031. Conclusion: Trial 1 showed that water was the best cleaning agent and trial 2 showed that water and Windex® (S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.) are the best cleaning agents.Item Hydraulic Wind Power Transfer Technology(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Izadian, AfshinExpiration of renewable energy tax credits in general and a gap in wind energy breakthroughs in particular have caused high cost of wind energy and technological dependency on countries such as China and Germany. Reducing the cost of wind energy requires a paradigm shift that offers simple structures, affordable design, and efficient operation. High performance energy collection, conversion, and storage techniques should therefore be introduced. Earlier solutions were based on hydraulic power transmission for a single turbine as a promising technique to decrease the weight of towers and reduce the construction process and the overall capital investment. Hydraulic techniques have not been widely used probably because of the following reasons: 1) the power transfer efficiency is low in a single turbine-single generator configuration, 2) their operation is hard to control, and 3) they require special design of hydraulic machines, such as pistons and variable displacement pumps. Recent advancements in large hydraulic equipment and their improved efficiencies have encouraged companies such as Mitsubishi and Chapdrive to invest in onshore and offshore hydraulic driven wind power. However, in their designs, the already existing problems such as the heavy weight of the tower and the efficiency of the overall power transfer systems remain un-resolved. Proposed in this research is a technology that reduces the capital investment and enhances the overall system efficiency of hydraulic equipment. The technique integrates multiple wind turbines to a central generation unit through hydraulic wind power, and by doing so, it reduces the capital equipment of the entire power plant and substantially increases power transfer efficiency. The system operates when a wind-driven hydraulic pump converts the energy of the wind into a high-pressure medium. The energy of several wind turbines is collected and transferred to a pair of hydraulic pumps coupled with two ground-level generators. The main generator generates power at 60 Hz, while the auxiliary generator stores and releases the energy as required to regulate the wind power and load variations.Item Viro: The Future of Online Learning Interfaces(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Moghaddam, Delaram; Hamid, Rawda; Nguyen, Trien N.The need for a virtual classroom in which the professor and students can discuss and interact in real time is a paramount consideration regarding the future of online learning. The pervasive nature of online coursework has exposed deficiencies in monitoring the integrity of the student work and maintaining a student to instructor connection similar to live classes. The purpose of this project is to address these deficiencies by developing, Viro, a more realistic virtual classroom. Viro is designed to address the most common deficiencies citied by educators and students in past studies of currently available online education platforms: identification, work sharing, timely communication, and customization. Viro will provide authenticated attendance using identification provided by a school’s current authentication and authorization systems, application and screen sharing, where the professor or student may share their computer screens in order to provide examples or receive immediate feedback, group and individual messaging that allows the professor to address questions to an individual or the entire class, and a development platform allowing customization of the Viro to meet an instructor’s requirements. With an emphasis on education, the Viro’s design incorporates images and graphics that are commonly associated with learning, such as binders, folders, and bulletin boards, creating a familiar interface that mimics classroom and study environments. These aesthetics not only contribute to Viro’s design, but also play a part in it being easily understandable by a large number of users. The arrangements of its different components work in line with its pages’ aesthetics to progress towards a future of ideal online education. After a functional prototype of Viro is created, testing by larger numbers of students and educators will commence in phases.Item Paced Respiration for Vasomotor and Other Menopausal Symptoms: A Randomized, Controlled Trial(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Carpenter, Janet S.; Burns, Debra S.; Wu, Jingwei; Otte, Julie L.; Yu, MenggangBackground: Paced respiration has been internationally recommended for vasomotor symptoms (e.g., hot flashes, night sweats) despite limited empirical evidence. Objective: To evaluate efficacy of a paced respiration intervention against breathing control and usual care control for vasomotor and other menopausal symptoms. Design: A 16-week, 3-group, partially blinded, controlled trial with 2:2:1 randomization and stratification by group (breast cancer, no cancer) was conducted in a Midwestern city and surrounding area. Participants: 218 randomized women (96 breast cancer survivors, 122 menopausal women without cancer) were recruited through community mailings and registries (29% minority). Interventions: Training, home practice support, and instructions to use the breathing at the time of each hot flash were delivered via compact disc with printed booklet (paced respiration intervention) or digital videodisc with printed booklet (fast shallow breathing control). Usual care control received a letter regarding group assignment. Main Measures: Outcomes included hot flash frequency, severity, and bother (primary), hot flash interference in daily life, perceived control over hot flashes, and mood and sleep disturbances (secondary). Intervention performance, adherence, and adverse events were assessed. Key Results: There were no significant group differences for primary outcomes at 8- or 16-weeks post-randomization. Most intervention participants did not achieve 50% reduction in vasomotor symptoms despite demonstrated ability to correctly do paced respiration and daily practice. Statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes at 8- and 16-weeks were small, not likely to be clinically relevant, and as likely to favor intervention as breathing control. Conclusions: Paced respiration is unlikely to provide clinical benefit for vasomotor or other menopausal symptoms in breast cancer survivors or menopausal women without cancer.Item Drugging the “Undruggable” DNA-binding Domain of STAT3 for Inhibition of Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Huang, Wei; Liu, Jing-Yuan; Dong, Zi-Zheng; Wang, Fang; He, Yan-Tao; Hangoc, Giao; Fu, Xin-Yuan; Broxmeyer, Hal; Zhang, Zhong-Yin; Zhang, Jian-TingSignal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is constitutively activated in malignant tumors, and its activation is associated with high histological grade and advanced cancer stage. STAT3 has been shown to play important roles in multiple aspects of cancer aggressiveness including migration, invasion, survival, self-renewal, angiogenesis, and tumor cell immune evasion by regulating the expression of multiple downstream target genes. Thus, inhibiting STAT3 promises an attracting strategy for treatment of advanced tumors with metastatic potential. Previously, we identified a STAT3 inhibitor, inS3-54, by targeting the “undruggable” DNA-binding site of STAT3 using an improved in-silico screening approach. To further develop this inhibitor, we identified 79 analogues of inS3-54 for the structure-activity relationship analysis. Further study of five effective analogues shows that four analogues (#1, 18, 26, and 69) inhibit STAT3-dependent colony formation of hematopoietic progenitor cells, indicating a higher selectivity for STAT3 than their parental compound, inS3-54 and another analogue #74. These compounds also (1) inhibit STAT3-specific DNA binding activity; (2) suppress proliferation of cancer cells that have constitutively activated STAT3; and (3) inhibit migration and invasion of cancer cells. In addition, analogue #26-conjugated Sepharose beads could also pull down STAT3, revealing a possible direct binding between STAT3 and the inhibitor. Taken together, we conclude that it is possible to inhibit STAT3 by targeting its DNA-binding domain for discovery of anticancer therapeutics and for treatment of metastatic cancers.Item Systematic Review of the Literature for the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Program(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Keevern, Elisabeth M.; Hickman, Susan E.The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) program was developed in 1994 in order to translate patient treatment preferences regarding end-of-life care into immediately actionable physician’s orders, and can follow a patient through multiple care settings. A number of studies have been done on the POLST program to evaluate its efficacy and usefulness to residents and health care providers who deal with chronic illness and end-of-life care. However, because the program is relatively young, there is opportunity for more thorough research of the program and its impact on the field of end-of-life care. A systematic review of the literature was performed to summarize what is known about the POLST Program and identify areas for future research. The review of the literature yielded 12 studies focused on the POLST program: A majority (8 out of 12) studies were conducted in the long-term care setting; three were conducted in the community setting; and the remaining study focused on POLST’s use in the emergency response setting. Findings suggest that the kinds of orders documented on POLST differ depending on patient demographics and that providers’ overall opinion reflects that the program is both useful and beneficial. Several areas for future research were identified, including the program’s use in more diverse settings across the nation, barriers to POLST use, the quality of conversations regarding POLST, and patient and family experiences with the program.Item Effects of mandibular advancement appliances on the upper airway dimensions(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Finkelmeier, B.; Kula, Katherine S.; Eckert, George; Ghoneima, Ahmed A.Purpose: The aim of this retrospective cephalometric study was to investigate dentoskeletal and airway dimensional changes in a group of orthodontic patients with deficient mandible using Herbst vs. MARA appliances. Methods: Pre-treatment and post-treatment lateral cephalometric radiographs of 34 subjects with deficient mandible (aged 9-22 years) were selected from the postgraduate orthodontic clinic archives. The cephalograms were classified into 2 groups . Group 1 (n=17) consisted of cephalograms from individuals treated with a Herbst appliance and group 2 (n=17) consisted of cephalograms from individuals treated with a MARA appliance. Each cephalogram was traced manually and the selected dentoskeletal and airway parameters were recorded for all subjects. Intraclass correlations (ICC) were performed on duplicate measures of 10 cephalograms to assess reliability. Paired t-tests were used to differences in the airway parameters from pre-treatment to post-treatment within groups. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: ICC values were ˃0.90 for all measurements. Significant changes were recorded in ANB, N-S, ANS-PNS, Go-Gn, Overbite, Overjet, Co-ANS, Co-Gn, TFH, AFH, and LAFH for both Herbst and MARA groups. Airway parameters such as soft tissue thickness of the posterior pharyngeal wall (Ba-ad1 and Ba-ad2), anteroposterior dimension of bony nasopharynx (Ba-PNS, AA-PNS and AA-ptm), and width of the nasopharyngeal airway space (PNS-ppw1) showed statistically significant decreases in both groups. The Herbst group also showed statistically significant decrease in the sagittal depth of pharyngeal lumen at the nasopharynx and oropharynx (ptm-ad1, PNS-ad1, and PNS-ppw2) while the MARA group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the angle represents the anteroposterior dimension of the nasopharynx (AA-S-PNS). Conclusion: Using mandibular advancement appliance decrease significantly the upper airway dimensions. The amount of the change in the upper airway size was variable between Herbst and MARA appliances.Item An In-Vitro Study to Determine Anti-Caries Efficacy of Fluoride Varnishes(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Al Dehailan, Laila; Mier, E. Angeles Martinez; Lippert, FrankFundamental research on fluoride varnishes (FV) and how different formulations affect adherence to teeth, fluoride release into saliva and uptake by teeth is virtually non-existent. The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate the anti-caries efficacy of five commercially available FV: Enamel Pro® Varnish Clear, Flor-Opal® Varnish White, MI Varnish™, PreviDent® and Vanish™. Ninety bovine enamel specimens (4x4mm) were prepared and assigned to five groups (n=18). Early caries lesions were created in the specimens and characterized using Vickers microhardness (VHN). FV was applied to each group of specimens. Immediately afterwards, 7.5ml of artificial saliva (AS) were pipetted over each group, collected and renewed every 15min for 6h. AS samples were analyzed for fluoride using a ion-specific electrode and meter. FV was removed using chloroform and part of the specimens protected to determine enamel fluoride uptake (EFU) using the acid etch technique. Each group was then subjected to pH cycling consisting of a 4h/day acid challenge and two, one-minute treatments with Crest Cavity Protection. Post-pH cycling microhardness was measured and compared to baseline values to determine the ability of the FV to enhance remineralization/prevent demineralization. One-way ANOVA was used for data analysis (p<0.05). Specimens treated with Enamel Pro® revealed an increase in VHN that was significantly higher than all other groups. There was no significant difference in ΔVHN for Flor-Opal® compared to MI Varnish™, PreviDent® and Vanish™. Specimens treated with MI Varnish™ showed significantly higher ΔVHN than Vanish™ only. No significant difference in EFU was found among groups. Total fluoride release over 6h was MI Varnish™(303μg/ml) > Enamel Pro® (217μg/ml) > Flor-Opal® (153μg/ml) > PreviDent® (84μg/ml) > Vanish(28μg/ml). In conclusion, anti-caries efficacy (measured through EFU, fluoride release and VHN) differs among FV products and this difference may be attributed to different composition, fluoride source and other active ingredients.Item The Old-Time Tradition: Rediscovery of Folk Music in the United States(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Wagner, Chance DTraditional music in America is at a crossroads in the present day as post-industrial capitalism and globalization have become solidified as permanent, dominant ideologies in American society. In times of social, political, and economic crises, citizens of their native countries tend to look backward for answers and the music of the past is also a part of this reflection. The 1960’s in America demonstrate this phenomenon perfectly. The time period in American history where social, economic, racial, and political conflict were in full force, young students from northern universities began to travel southward in search of a simpler existence with a more humanistic spirit. Many young adventurers found refuge in this old-time music and their involvement helped bring them closer to humanity and diverted them away from urban monotony, industrial capitalism, and prejudice. I aim to bring awareness to this music to propose that a similar migration should occur in the present day. Young Americans must be aware of their folk traditions and should learn to embrace and preserve them. If the progression of America remains the same, it will not be long before most folk traditions have dissolved into modernity. The modern music industry has developed right alongside industrial capitalism in America, so the performance of old time music can be regarded as a radical response to commercial music in general. By educating and urging people to be involved in the rediscovery of this tradition, I aim to create a base for other popular movements to form in response to globalization and corporate capitalism. Old-time music represents a spirit in American history that should not be forgotten and should be applied to the twenty-first-century social context.