Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Mediating Effect Of Bmi On The Association Of Economic Status And Coexistence Of Hypertension And Diabetes In Bangladesh: A Counterfactual Framework-Based Weighting Approach, Foyez , Md. Jamal Hossain Ahmmed, Md. Jamal Hossain, Md Tareq Ferdous Khan, Muhammad Mahabub Rahaman Manik, Saimon Shahriar, Dulal Chandra Nandi, Md Parvej Hussain

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Background and Aims

Non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are matters of huge concern worldwide, with an increasing trend in prevalence over the previous decade. First of all, this study aimed to evaluate the association between economic status (ES) and body mass index (BMI), ES and comorbidity of hypertension and diabetes, and BMI and comorbidity independently. Second, it explored the mediating role of BMI in the association between ES and comorbidity of hypertension and diabetes. Finally, it investigated whether the mediating effect differs with the place of residence, gender, and education levels.

Methods

A total of 11,291 complete cases …

Microstructure-Based Modeling Of Primary Cilia Mechanics, Nima Mostafazadeh, Andrew Resnick, Y.-N. Young, Zhangli Peng

Physics Faculty Publications

A primary cilium, made of nine microtubule doublets enclosed in a cilium membrane, is a mechanosensing organelle that bends under an external mechanical load and sends an intracellular signal through transmembrane proteins activated by cilium bending. The nine microtubule doublets are the main load-bearing structural component, while the transmembrane proteins on the cilium membrane are the main sensing component. No distinction was made between these two components in all existing models, where the stress calculated from the structural component (nine microtubule doublets) was used to explain the sensing location, which may be totally misleading. For the first time, we developed …

Choosing A Sophisticated, Robust, And Secure Programming Language, J. Simon Richard

The Downtown Review

This paper explores which programming languages maximize the quality and efficiency of software development projects requiring high levels of sophistication, security, and stability. Of the four languages discussed in this paper—C, C++, Java, and Rust—we conclude that Rust is the best for this application.

Making The Transition To Post-Quantum Cryptography, J. Simon Richard

The Downtown Review

Without intervention, quantum computing could threaten the security of a large portion of our internet in the near future. However, solutions exist. This paper, which is intended for a general audience, provides a wider context for our current state of quantum-preparedness amid the transition from classical cryptosystems to post-quantum cryptosystems—cryptographic algorithms that can resist the attacks of quantum computers. It will also submit a possible way forward inspired by the actions taken around the globe to prevent the millennium (or Y2K) bug.

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Acute Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis, Annette Bellar, Nicole Welch, Jaividhya Dasarathy, Amy Attaway, Ryan Musich, Avinash Kumar, Jinendiran Sekar, Saurabh Mishra, Yana I. Sandlers, Et. Al

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Patients with acute alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) have immune dysfunction. Mitochondrial function is critical for immune cell responses and regulates senescence. Clinical translational studies using complementary bioinformatics-experimental validation of mitochondrial responses were performed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with AH, healthy controls (HC), and heavy drinkers without evidence of liver disease (HD).
Methods: Feature extraction for differentially expressed genes (DEG) in mitochondrial components and telomere regulatory pathways from single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq) and integrated 'pseudobulk' transcriptomics from PBMC from AH and HC (n = 4 each) were performed. After optimising isolation and processing protocols for functional studies in …

Development And Validation Of A Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method For The Determination Of Temozolomide In Mouse Brain Tissue, Raghavi Kakarla, Kimberly Yacoub, Rebecca L. Bearden, Aimin Zhou, Sanjib Mukherjee, Frank Y. Shan, Baochuan Guo

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Temozolomide is a Food and Drug Administration-approved anticancer drug that has poor drug delivery via oral or intravenous routes. A potential strategy to combat this problem is investigating alternative routes of administration, requiring quantitation of the drug in the brain tissues by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. However, current methods used to extract the drug from brain tissues resulted in poor recovery and substantial matrix effects. Herein, we reported a new two-step extraction method that involves the use of Proteinase K to lyse tumor tissues to efficiently release the drug, followed by ethanol protein precipitation. The extracts were then separated on a …

Investigation Of Cofactor Activities Of Endothelial Microparticle- Thrombomodulin With Liposomal Surrogate, Valentinas Gruzdys, Lin Wang, Dan Wang, Rachel Huang, Xue-Long Sun

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Thrombomodulin (TM) is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein mainly expressed on the endothelial cells, where it binds thrombin to form the thrombin-TM complex that can activate protein C and thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and induce anticoagulant and anti-fibrinolytic reactions, respec-tively. Cell activation and injury often sheds microparticles that contain membrane TM, which circulate in biofluids like blood. However, the biological function of circulating microparticle-TM is still unknown even though it has been recognized as a biomarker of endothelial cell injury and damage. In comparison with cell membrane, different phospholipids are exposed on the microparticle surface due to cell membrane "flip-flop"upon …

Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Embedded In Alginate/Polyethyleneimine Hydrogel As A New Platform To Explore No-Driven Modulation Of Biological Function, Shaimaa Maher, Lauren A. Smith, Celine A. El-Khoury, Haitham F. Kalil, Khalid Sossey-Alaoui, Mekki Bayachou

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO), a small free radical molecule, turned out to be pervasive in biology and was shown to have a substantial influence on a range of biological activities, including cell growth and apoptosis. This molecule is involved in signaling and affects a number of physiologic functions. In recent decades, several processes related to cancer, such as angiogenesis, programmed cell death, infiltration, cell cycle progression, and metastasis, have been linked with nitric oxide. In addition, other parallel work showed that NO also has the potential to operate as an anti-cancer agent. As a result, it has gained attention in cancer-related …

A Survey Of Wearable Devices Pairing Based On Biometric Signals, Jafar Pourbemany, Ye Zhu, Riccardo Bettati

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

With the rapid growth of wearable devices, more applications require direct communication between wearable devices. To secure the communication between wearable devices, various pairing protocols have been proposed to generate common keys for encrypting the communication. Since the wearable devices are attached to the same body, the devices can generate common keys based on the same context by utilizing onboard sensors to capture a common biometric signal such as body motion, gait, heartbeat, respiration, and EMG signals. The context-based pairing does not need prior information to generate common keys. As context-based pairing does not need any human involvement in the …

Network Intrusion Detection With Two-Phased Hybrid Ensemble Learning And Automatic Feature Selection, Asanka Kavinda Mananayaka, Sunnie S. Chung

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The use of network connected devices has grown exponentially in recent years revolutionizing our daily lives. However, it has also attracted the attention of cybercriminals making the attacks targeted towards these devices increase not only in numbers but also in sophistication. To detect such attacks, a Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) has become a vital component in network applications. However, network devices produce large scale high-dimensional data which makes it difficult to accurately detect various known and unknown attacks. Moreover, the complex nature of network data makes the feature selection process of a NIDS a challenging task. In this study, …

Text And Image Frames Affect Message's Sharing And Acceptance Of Social Media Users, Xin Sa

ETD Archive

No abstract provided.

An Ultrasensitive Bacterial Detection Platform For Culture-Free Diagnosis Of Infections, Xuyang Shi

ETD Archive

The current methods of the diagnosis of bloodstream infections are based on bacterial culture growth, a process that requires considerable time, e.g., 12-16 hours, to obtain a result. This long wait time for the result creates many problems, including the generation of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs). At the same time, infected bloodstream usually contains a very low concentration of bacteria, i.e., lower than 5 CFU/mL. The long diagnosis time and the extremely low concentration of bacteria in the infected bloodstream make such infections difficult to diagnose. Here, we demonstrate a culture-free approach for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections using a …

Fluid-Structure Interaction Modelling Of Neighboring Tubes With Primary Cilium Analysis, Nerion Zekaj, Shawn D. Ryan, Andrew Resnick

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We have developed a numerical model of two osculating cylindrical elastic renal tubules to investigate the impact of neighboring tubules on the stress applied to a primary cilium. We hypothesize that the stress at the base of the primary cilium will depend on the mechanical coupling of the tubules due to local constrained motion of the tubule wall. The objective of this work was to determine the in-plane stresses of a primary cilium attached to the inner wall of one renal tubule subject to the applied pulsatile flow, with a neighboring renal tube filled with stagnant fluid in close proximity …

Rapid Detection Of Recurrent Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer In Urine Using Atr-Ftir Technology, Abdullah I. El-Falouji, Dalia M. Sabri, Naira M. Lofti, Doaa M. Medany, Samar A. Mohamed, Mai Alaa-Eldin, Amr Mounir Selim, Asmaa A. El Leithy, Haitham F. Kalil, Ahmed El-Tobgy, Ahmed Mohamed

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) accounts for 80% of all bladder cancers. Although it is mostly low-grade tumors, its high recurrence rate necessitates three-times-monthly follow-ups and cystoscopy examinations to detect and prevent its progression. A rapid liquid biopsy-based assay is needed to improve detection and reduce complications from invasive cystoscopy. Here, we present a rapid spectroscopic method to detect the recurrence of NMIBC in urine. Urine samples from previously-diagnosed NMIBC patients (n = 62) were collected during their follow-up visits before cystoscopy examination. Cystoscopy results were recorded (41 cancer-free and 21 recurrence) and attenuated total refraction Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) …

Nucleobase-Modified Nucleosides And Nucleotides: Applications In Biochemistry, Synthetic Biology, And Drug Discovery, Anthony J. Berdis

Chemistry Faculty Publications

DNA is often referred to as the "molecule of life " since it contains the genetic blueprint for all forms of life on this planet. The core building blocks composing DNA are deoxynucleotides. While the deoxyribose sugar and phosphate group are ubiquitous, it is the composition and spatial arrangement of the four natural nucleobases, adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T), that provide diversity in the coding information present in DNA. The ability of DNA to function as the genetic blueprint has historically been attributed to the formation of proper hydrogen bonding interactions made between complementary nucleobases. However, …

A Novel Ibuprofen Derivative And Its Complexes: Physicochemical Characterization, Dft Modeling, Docking, In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Studies, And Dna Interaction, Abbas M. Abbas, Ahmed Aboelmagd, Safaa M. Kishk, Hossam H. Nasrallah, W. Christropher Boyd, Haitham F. Kalil, Adel S. Orabi

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A novel derivative of ibuprofen and salicylaldehyde N '-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propane hydrazide (HL) was synthesized, followed by its complexation with Cu, Ni, Co, Gd, and Sm. The compounds obtained were characterized by (HNMR)-H-1, mass spectrometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (DTA and TGA), conductivity measurements, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The results indicate that the complexes formed were [Cu(L)(H2O)]Cl center dot 2H(2)O, [Ni(L)(2)], [Co(L)(2)]center dot H2O, [Gd(L)(2)(H2O)(2)](NO3)center dot 2H(2)O and [Sm(L)(2)(H2O)(2)](NO3)center dot 2H(2)O. The surface characteristics of the produced compounds were evaluated by DFT calculations using the MOE environment. The docking was performed against the COX2 targeting protein (PDB code: 5IKT …

Sialidase Inhibitors With Different Mechanisms, Joseph M. Keil, Garrett R. Rafn, Isaac M. Turan, Majdi A. Aljohani, Reza Sahebjam-Atabaki, Xue-Long Sun

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Sialidases, or neuraminidases, are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of sialic acid (Sia)-containing molecules, mostly removal of the terminal Sia (desialylation). By desialylation, sialidase can modulate the functionality of the target compound and is thus often involved in biological pathways. Inhibition of sialidases with inhibitors is an important approach for under-standing sialidase function and the underlying mechanisms and could serve as a therapeutic approach as well. Transition-state analogues, such as anti-influenza drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir, are major sialidase inhibitors. In addition, difluoro-sialic acids were developed as mechanism-based sialidase inhibitors. Further, fluorinated quinone methide-based suicide substrates were reported. Sialidase product analogue …

Serpentine Micromixers Using Extensional Mixing Elements, George Tomaras, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Petru S. Fodor

Physics Faculty Publications

Computational fluid dynamics modeling was used to characterize the effect of the integration of constrictions defined by the vertices of hyperbolas on the flow structure in microfluidic serpentine channels. In the new topology, the Dean flows characteristic of the pressure-driven fluid motion along curved channels are combined with elongational flows and asymmetric longitudinal eddies that develop in the constriction region. The resulting complex flow structure is characterized by folding and stretching of the fluid volumes, which can promote enhanced mixing. Optimization of the geometrical parameters defining the constriction region allows for the development of an efficient micromixer topology that shows …

Multimodal Cotranslational Interactions Direct Assembly Of The Human Multi-Trna Synthetase Complex, Krishnendu Khan, Briana Long, Valentin Gogonea, Gauravi M. Deshpande, Kommireddy Vasu, Paul L. Fox

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Amino acid ligation to cognate transfer RNAs (tRNAs) is catalyzed by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs)-essential interpreters of the genetic code during translation. Mammalian cells harbor 20 cytoplasmic aaRSs, out of which 9 (in 8 proteins), with 3 non-aaRS proteins, AIMPs 1 to 3, form the similar to 1.25-MDa multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC). The function of MSC remains uncertain, as does its mechanism of assembly. Constituents of multiprotein complexes encounter obstacles during assembly, including inappropriate interactions, topological constraints, premature degradation of unassembled subunits, and suboptimal stoichiometry. To facilitate orderly and efficient complex formation, some complexes are assembled cotranslationally by a mechanism in …

Cyberbullying Detection Using Weakly Supervised And Fully Supervised Learning, Abhinav Abhishek

ETD Archive

Machine learning is a very useful tool to solve issues in multiple domains such as sentiment analysis, fake news detection, facial recognition, and cyberbullying. In this work, we have leveraged its ability to understand the nuances of natural language to detect cyberbullying. We have further utilized it to detect the subject of cyberbullying such as age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Further, we have built another layer to detect the cases of misogyny in cyberbullying. In one of our experiments, we created a three-layered architecture to detect cyberbullying , then to detect if it is gender based and finally if it …

Targeting Heat Shock 27 Kda Protein Induces Androgen Receptor Degradation, Yaxin Li

ETD Archive

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor, with very poor prognosis. Androgen receptor (AR) plays a significant role in the progression of GBM, and anti-androgen agents have the potential to be used for the treatment of GBM. However, AR mutation commonly happens in GBM, which makes the anti-androgen agents less effective. Heat shock 27 kDa protein (HSP27) is a well-documented chaperone protein to stabilize AR. Inhibition of HSP27 results in AR degradation regardless the mutation status of AR, which makes HSP27 a good target to abolish AR in GBM. Identified compound I ((N-(3-((2,5-dimethoxybenzyl)oxy)-4-(methylsulfonamido) phenyl)-4-methoxybenzamide) inhibits GBM cell …

An Evaluation Of Security In Blockchain-Based Sharing Of Student Records In Higher Education, Timothy Arndt, Angela Guercio, Yonghun Chae

Information Systems

Blockchain has recently taken off as a disruptive technology, from its initial use in cryptocurrencies to wider applications in areas such as property registration and insurance due to its characteristic as a distributed ledger which can remove the need for a trusted third party to facilitate transactions. This spread of the technology to new application areas has been driven by the development of smart contracts – blockchain-based protocols which can automatically enforce a contract by executing code based on the logic expressed in the contract. One exciting area for blockchain is higher education. Students in higher education are ever more …

Biochemical Characterization Of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes As A Model Of Barth Syndrome, Alisha J. House

ETD Archive

Barth Syndrome (BTHS) is an X-linked inborn error of metabolism (IEM) which manifests as a multi-systemic disease. One of the primary symptoms is dilated cardiomyopathy, and alongside the cardiovascular disease that arises, patients often experience metabolic abnormalities such as 3-methylglutaconic aciduria, growth retardation, and neutropenia. There has been a need for the development of a suitable in vitro modeling system which will accurately recapitulate the biochemical and physical nature of BTHS. The purpose of this project has been to develop a model for studying the biochemical pathogenesis of Barth Syndrome using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). To achieve …

Network-Based Pharmacology Study Reveals Protein Targets For Medical Benefits And Harms Of Cannabinoids In Humans, Xingyu Li, Amit Madhukar Kudke, Felix Joseph Nepveux V, Yan Xu

Chemistry Faculty Publications

This network-based pharmacology study intends to uncover the underlying mechanisms of cannabis leading to a therapeutic benefit and the pathogenesis for a wide range of diseases claimed to benefit from or be caused by the use of the cannabis plant. Cannabis contains more than 600 chemical components. Among these components, cannabinoids are well-known to have multifarious pharmacological activities. In this work, twelve cannabinoids were selected as active compounds through text mining and drug-like properties screening and used for initial protein-target prediction. The disease-associated biological functions and pathways were enriched through GO and KEGG databases. Various biological networks [i.e., protein-protein interaction, …

Physics Of Martial Arts: Incorporation Of Angular Momentum To Model Body Motion And Strikes, Alexis Merk, Andrew Resnick

Physics Faculty Publications

We develop a physics-based kinematic model of martial arts movements incorporating rotation and angular momentum, extending prior analyses. Here, our approach is designed for a classroom environment; we begin with a warm-up exercise introducing counter-intuitive aspects of rotational motion before proceeding to a set of model collision problems that are applied to martial arts movements. Finally, we develop a deformable solid-body mechanics model of a martial arts practitioner suitable for an intermediate mechanics course. We provide evidence for our improved model based on calculations from biomechanical data obtained from prior reports as well as time-lapse images of several different kicks. …

Examining The Temperature Dependence Of Louche Formation In Absinthe, Jessica E. Bickel, Anna Ellis, Andrew Resnick

Physics Faculty Publications

Absinthe is an anise-flavored alcohol that is typically served by adding cold water to form a cloudy green louche, similar to the cloudy white louche of ouzo. This microemulsion formation, due to the competing interactions within the oil-alcohol-water system, has been termed the ouzo effect. Previous work has examined the ternary oil-alcohol-water phase diagram in ouzo and limoncello. Additional work has also characterized the droplet size and stability of microemulsions in ouzo, limoncello, and pastis. However, less work has been done to examine the effect of temperature on louche formation despite the fact that the louche is traditionally formed by …

Effects Of Surface And Top Wind Shear On The Spatial Organization Of Marine Stratocumulus-Topped Boundary Layers, Monica Zamora Zapata, Thijs Heus, Jan Kleissl

Physics Faculty Publications

The convective nature of Stratocumulus topped boundary layers (STBL) involves the motion of updrafts and downdrafts, driven by surface fluxes and radiative cooling, respectively. The balance between shear and buoyant forcings at the surface can determine the organization of updrafts between cellular and roll structures. We investigate the effect of varying shear at the surface and top of the STBL using Large Eddy Simulations, taking DYCOMS II RF01 as a base case. We focus on spatial identification of the following features: coherent updrafts and downdrafts, and observe how they are affected by varying shear. Stronger surface shear organizes the updrafts …

From Disease Description And Gene Discovery To Functional Cell Pathway: A Decade-Long Journey For Tmco1, Helen Batchelor-Regan, Baozhong Xin, Aimin Zhou, Heng Wang

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A decade has passed since transmembrane coiled-coil domains 1 (TMCO1) defect syndrome was identified in 11 undiagnosed patients within the Old Order Amish of Northeastern Ohio-a disorder characterized by a distinctive craniofacial dysmorphism, skeletal anomalies and global developmental delay. Twenty seven patients, from diverse ethnic groups, have been reported with pathogenic TMCO1 variants now recognized to cause cerebrofaciothoracic dysplasia (CFTD). The implication of previously uncharacterized TMCO1 within disease has instigated a 10-year journey to understand the function of TMCO1 protein in Ca2+ homeostasis. TMCO1 is an ER Ca2+ leak channel which facilitates Ca2+ leak upon ER "overload" through the novel …

Pharyngeal Constriction As A Cause For Late Acquisition And Speech Sound Disorders Of Rhotic Sounds In English, Spanish, And French, Connor Mahon

The Downtown Review

This paper attempts to explain why rhotic sounds are cross-linguistically late developing among the sound inventory of children. Included is a summary of the current literature regarding classification of rhotic sounds, an examination of the articulatory movement of the tongue root, and an overview of the clinical implications on the field of speech-language pathology. The evidence presented supports the hypothesis that pharyngeal constriction is characteristic of rhotic sounds in many languages, and that it is related to the relative late acquisition and higher rate of speech sound disorders, as seen in English, Spanish, and French.

Heterogeneous Bacterial Swarms With Mixed Lengths, Shlomit Peled, Shawn D. Ryan, Sebastian Heidenreich, Markus Baer, Gil Ariel, Avraham Be'er

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Heterogeneous systems of active matter exhibit a range of complex emergent dynamical patterns. In particular, it is difficult to predict the properties of the mixed system based on its constituents. These considerations are particularly significant for understanding realistic bacterial swarms, which typically develop heterogeneities even when grown from a single cell. Here, mixed swarms of cells with different aspect ratios are studied both experimentally and in simulations. In contrast with previous theory, there is no macroscopic phase segregation. However, locally, long cells act as nucleation cites, around which aggregates of short, rapidly moving cells can form, resulting in enhanced swarming …