Dramatic response of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor to neadjuvant imatinib therapy

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common sarcoma of the alimentary tract and are believed to derive from the interstitial Cell of Cajal. Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec®; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland) has revolutionized the treatment of GISTs and is generally used in the metastatic and adjuvant settings. We report the case of a 61-year old man who was treated with neoadjuvant imatinib for a massive gastric GIST with the hope of avoiding a potential multi-visceral resection

Asian American War Stories: Trauma and Healing in Contemporary Asian American Literature

My dissertation argues that an important, though little acknowledged, aspect of Asian American subjectivity is the capacity to grapple with the enduring traumatic effects of American wars in Asia and develop unique paths towards healing and post-traumatic growth. Asian immigration to the United States in the twentieth century was profoundly influenced by the United States’ wars in Asia—from the war in the Philippines at the turn of the century, to the war in the Pacific, to the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Each of these conflicts produced extensive, long-term traumatic effects on the unintended casualties of war—those civilians, immigrants, and refugees affected by the violence and who struggled with their symptoms decades after the war’s end. Yet, in American war literature we rarely encounter narratives that reflect the post-war, post-traumatic journeys of these survivors. In this project I examine texts published between 1990 and 2014 that depict the war traumas and subsequent healing journeys of Asian American immigrants, refugees, and civilians affected by American wars in Asia. The narratives by Chang-rae Lee, Lan Cao, Nora Okja Keller, Julie Otsuka, and Lawson Inada reveal both the enduring impact and legacy of these wars that inevitably remain with the traumatic survivors and the diverse means by which they discover healing in the face of tremendous suffering. The remarkable texts that I examine in this dissertation demonstrate that while war and trauma are a constitutive part of Asian American history and identity, it does not come to define Asian American subjectivity—the struggle for survival and the desire for healing does.Doctor of Philosoph

Peripheral keratometry - accuracy and reliability in comparison to a corneal topography system, for application in rigid contact lens fitting

Peripheral keratometry was once a widely used practice in optometry. The technique fell out of vogue in the mid-1960s when questions arose concerning its accuracy. In this project, the accuracy of peripheral keratometry was reevaluated on 162 normal non-contact lens-wearing eyes. The results obtained by a Reichert keratometer and a fabricated plastic peripheral fixation device were statistically compared to data obtained by the Humphreys MasterVue corneal keratoscopic mapping system. Patients were asked to fixate on a point 13mm from the center of a plastic disc overlaid onto the keratometer mire plate. The curvature value achieved with this fixation was then compared to the curvature value taken 3.0mm from the center of the corneal topographic map. Results show a high correlation(\u3e 90%) between the mid-peripheral corneal curvature data obtained with the peripheral keratometry disc and data obtained by the corneal mapping system 3.0mm from center. Results from this study also indicate that the keratometer, when used with a peripheral fixation device, can yield data just as accurate as the corneal topography system (p-value \u3e 0.05). Clinical application of this procedure could prove beneficial to the general11 optometric practitioner who fits rigid contact lenses but may not be able to afford an expensive corneal mapping system

The influence of preoperative use of ventricular assist devices on survival after heart transplantation: propensity score matched analysis

Objective To determine the influence of the preoperative placement of a left ventricular assist device on survival after heart transplantation

National dreamers, the national policy and the sugar trade

xix, 182 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-182).This thesis focuses on the process of the industrialization in the Maritimes through an analysis of the sugar refining industry. It looks at three periods in which Maritime entrepreneurs were faced with dramatic economic transformation and observes which strategies they chose to adapt to those events. The first, at which we only look at fleetingly, was the period during the 1830's in which Maritime entrepreneurs expanded their mercantilist methods into markets as far away as the Pacific. The second was the choice of Maritime elites to shore up their traditional trading practises with new industrial technologies and attitudes towards governments. Finally, when faced with economic collapse, Maritime elites attempted to exert controls over the market place through federal policies and monopolies. Another principal aspect in this thesis was the role that economic factors and particularly the sugar refining industry played in the Confederation debate and the subsequent acceptance of the new nation on the part of Nova Scotians. Confederation, in short, was seen as a way to preserve and enhance the Maritimers traditional trade patterns. The notion of a tariff coupled with a captive market allowed Maritime entrepreneurs to anticipate and invigorate economic prosperity. However, industrial prosperity hoped for did not materialize. The new industries faced a chaotic market place the populous of the region turned against Confederation. For those in the new refining industry, however, the only choice available to them was a further embracement of the Canadian market in an attempt to control it. We can say then that the sugar refining industry was the first "Canadian" industry and it played an instrumental role in the "Canadianization" of the region

S-Duality and the Dyon Spectrum in N=2 Super Yang-Mills Theory

We study the dyon spectrum in $N=2$ Super Yang-Mills theory with gauge group $SU(2)$ coupled to $N_f$ matter multiplets in the fundamental representation. For magnetic charge one and two we determine the spectrum explicitly and show that it is in agreement with the duality predictions of Seiberg and Witten. We briefly discuss the extension to higher charge monopoles for the self-dual $N_f=4$ case and argue that the conjectured spectrum of dyons predicts the existence of certain harmonic spinors on the moduli space of higher charge monopoles.Comment: 32 pages, harvma

Are protected areas maintaining bird diversity?

Evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas for sustaining biodiversity is crucial to achieving conservation outcomes. While studies of effectiveness have improved our understanding of protected-area design and management, few investigations (< 5%) h

Work and Career Experiences of Men from Families without College Experience

A dearth of research exists exploring the career and work development of adult men and the influence of family-of-origin on that development. In this qualitative study, the researchers used a phenomenological approach to examine the career and work experiences of men whose parents have no education beyond high school and the influences of family on these experiences. We describe five constituents: (a) what work is like; (b) preparation/education; (c) who or what influenced them; (d) how to act at work; and (e) challenges/opportunities/choices; and one essence: mottos from father, which articulate the meaning of the experience of work and career and the family influence on the experience. In conclusion, we provide implications for counselors working with adult men whose parents lack post-secondary education

The Impact of Recent Alcohol Use on Genome Wide DNA Methylation Signatures

Chronic alcohol intake is associated with a wide variety of adverse health outcomes including depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms through which these effects are conveyed are not clearly understood. To examine the potential role of epigenetic factors in this process, we examined the relationship of recent alcohol intake to genome wide methylation patterns using the Illumina 450 Methylation Bead Chip and lymphoblast DNA derived from 165 female subjects participating in the Iowa Adoption Studies. We found that the pattern of alcohol use over the 6-months immediately prior to phlebotomy was associated with, severity-dependent changes in the degree of genome wide methylation that preferentially hypermethylate the central portion of CpG islands with methylation at cg05600126, a probe in ABR, and the 5′ untranslated region of BLCAP attaining genome wide significance in two point and sliding window analyses of probe methylation data, respectively. We conclude that recent alcohol use is associated with widespread changes in DNA methylation in women and that further study to confirm these findings and determine their relationship to somatic function are in order

The student research program ( thesis project ) at Pacific University College of Optometry - Is it meeting its stated goals?

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if the current Pacific University College of Optometry student research program (thesis project) was meeting its faculty-set goals. A 13-question survey was designed and mailed to 322 practitioners from four different graduating classes of Pacific University College of Optometry. From the 161 completed and returned surveys, the results were tabulated and compared to the above mentioned goals. Of the six goals, one goal is being met, two goals are not, and two goals showed a split opinion on whether it was being achieved or not. One goal was not addressed in this paper