Digital Commons Network^™

Prehistoric Investigations Along The Cross-Israel Highway: State Of Research (Pp. 5–23), Hamoudi Khalaily, Ofer Marder

'Atiqot

Prehistoric research along the Cross-Israel Highway was undertaken from the earliest planning stages of the archaeological surveys along the intended route. During this survey, much data was accumulated concerning site function, economics, intra-site interaction etc. In the systematic survey and the subsequent excavations, 31 prehistoric sites were identified, dating from the Lower Paleolithic period to the Chalcolithic period, covering a time span of c. 500,000 years. This review presents a brief description of the surveyed and excavated sites for which there is available data, as well as a comparison with other sites from the same period.

Pottery From The Late Byzantine Remains Near Shiqmona (Pp. 183–208), Rivka Calderon

'Atiqot

The pottery from the Byzantine monastery near Shiqmona was found in three loci, sealed beneath the chapel floor; they date the construction of the floor to the sixth–seventh centuries CE. The finds from the buildings include bases with impressed decorations—male figures, a rabbit and a cross—common in the late fifth–early sixth centuries CE. The pottery from the winepress was found in the collecting pits, which later became waste dumps, comprising vessels from the sixth century CE, most of which continued until the seventh century. The finds from the tombs, although robbed or disturbed prior to the excavation, also date to …

Late Byzantine Remains Near Shiqmona: A Monastery, A Cemetery And A Winepress (Pp. 147–182), Raz Kletter

'Atiqot

Excavation at the site of Shiqmona, east of the Tel Aviv–Haifa highway, revealed finds from the late Byzantine period, including a monastery, a large winepress, a dozen rock-cut tombs and two large buildings. The monastery is a large building, incorporating the chapel excavated by Makhouly in 1940, which was re-discovered. The monastery was dated on the basis of the meager pottery finds to the sixth century CE. North and south of the chapel were found marble and stone fragments, probably originating from the chapel, adorned with motifs known from mosaics of the same period. The finds here point that Shiqmona …

A Bronze Age Site At Naḥal Rimmonim In The Jezreel Valley (Pp. 53–74), Karen Covello-Paran

'Atiqot

In salvage excavations carried out at the site of Naḥal Rimmonin, in the southwestern part of the Jezreel Valley, three superimposed strata were revealed: two dating from the Intermediate Bronze Age and one, to Middle Bronze Age IIA. The pottery repertoire of the Intermediate Bronze Age is typical of contemporary sites in the Jezreel Valley, dominated by bowls, holemouths, cooking pots and storage jars; flint tools were found as well. The MB IIA stratum revealed a domestic structure, beneath the floors of which were interments of infants. The pottery assemblage from this period represents two archaeological contexts: accumulations and burials. …

The Early Bronze Age Site Of Ashqelon, Afridar—Area M (With Contributions By Hamoudi Khalaily, Moshe Sade And Elisabetta Boaretto) (Pp. 19–51), Amir Golani

'Atiqot

Two strata dating to Early Bronze Age IA were discerned in Area M in the Afridar neighborhood at Ashqelon. Both EB IA strata revealed settlement remains, featuring typical curvilinear architecture; however, the earlier buildings were built of stone, while the later ones were made of mudbricks. The Stratum I habitation level contained several copper-melting installations. The pottery assemblage is characteristic of EB IA in southwestern Canaan, including V-shaped bowls and holemouth jars. Also found were ground-stone artifacts and flint tools, dominated by the Canaanean Industry.

Excavations At Khirbat Marmita (Pp. 139–178), Lilly Gershuny

'Atiqot

Three building complexes were uncovered at the site, as well as various installations that were quarried into bedrock. The buildings date from the first half of the first century BCE (Building 20/23), from the Hellenistic–Early Roman period (Building 84) and from the Herodian period (c. 30 to at least 67 CE; Building 104). Among the installations were five simple winepresses, typical of the Roman and Byzantine periods; a lever-and-weights oil press; cisterns with square or circular shafts; 33 cupmarks; caves; quarries; and a miqweh. The finds include pottery vessels, stone and basalt vases, glass vessels and metal artifacts. It seems …

Archaeozoological Finds From The Excavations West Of Tell Qasille (Pp. 135–137), Moshe Sade

'Atiqot

Animal bones were found inside four of the tombs dated to Middle Bronze Age II. Each tomb contained the remains of one sheep/goat, usually within vessels. It seems that the people at this site raised cattle. A large number of donkey bones were also found. Sea shells were also present, probably due to the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean shore. Many animal bones were found in the Hellenistic-period assemblage.

A Middle Bronze Age Ii Site West Of Tell Qasille (Pp. 65–128), Raz Kletter

'Atiqot

The site remains comprise a cemetery, two pottery kilns and a settlement dating to Middle Bronze Age II. Ten burials were excavated, all except one (T800) were rectangular pit-graves dug into kurkar sandstone. Each grave contained one to three individuals; T800, which was round, contained seven individuals in secondary deposition. The average grave assemblage comprised about ten pottery vessels, which were usually placed in a row next to one long side of the burial. The pottery kilns are almost identical in size, direction and structure. They are of the vertical type, with two main superimposed parts: a combustion chamber and …

Chalcolithic Burial Sites At Ma‘Abarot And Tel Ifshar (Pp. 45–63), Yosef Porath

'Atiqot

The two burial sites are located in the Sharon plain, south and north of Naḥal Alexander. The kidney-shaped cave at Ma‘abarot was hewn in the kurkar sandstone. All the burials in the cave were secondary. Of the 63 burials identified, 42 were placed in three types of ceramic vessels—house-shaped ossuaries, chest-shaped ossuaries and large domestic kraters—and 21, in ‘bone heaps’. The finds consisted of pottery vessels typical of the Chalcolithic period, e.g., V-shaped bowls and fenestrated bowls and bottles, and a flake from a flint digging tool. At Tel Ifshar, two burial places were discovered, both damaged by infrastructure work. …

Building Fragments Of The Early Islamic Period On Ha-Gedud Ha-‘Ivri Street In Ramla (Hebrew, Pp. 39*–47*; English Summary, Pp. 237–238), Hervé Barbé

'Atiqot

Meager architectural remains were exposed: wall segments, without floors, belonging to two phases dating to the Early Islamic period, and the foundation channel of what appears to have been a massive Crusader building. The stones of the later building were robbed in the Late Ottoman period. The pottery finds (studied by Miriam Avissar) date to the Early Islamic (second half of eighth–tenth centuries CE) and Crusader periods. Fragments of vessels from the Late Ottoman period were documented as well.

The Coins From Ḥorbat Hermas (Hebrew, Pp. 37*–38*; English Summary, P. 237), Robert Kool

'Atiqot

Ten coins were uncovered in the excavation at Ḥorbat Hermas, six were identified. Their dates range between the second–third and the fourteenth centuries CE.

Archaeozoological Finds From Khirbat Burin (Pp. 225–229), Moshe Sade

'Atiqot

Most of the faunal remains from the large, Mamluk-period building in Stratum II are of domestic animals, cattle being the most dominant species. In Stratum I, sheep/goats were the most dominant species. It could not be established whether these differences reflect a change in the economy of the site.

Note On A Glazed Bowl With A Medallion Of A Feline From Khirbat Burin (Pp. 215–219), Lev Kapitaikin

'Atiqot

A fragment from a large, Mamluk-period glazed-ware bowl was found in the Khirbat Burin excavations, decorated with a molded relief. The decoration is divided into three registers: the upper register is occupied by a naskh inscription, interrupted by a medallion enclosing a figure of a large feline; the two lower registers are decorated with simple geometric motifs. This vessel type dates from the fourteenth–fifteenth centuries CE, and is reported from many sites in the Levant. It might have been produced in greater Syria.

A Salvage Excavation At ‘Ein Ez-Zeituna In Naḥal ‘Iron (Pp. 31–69), Don Glick

'Atiqot

A monumental, nearly square, two-story peristyle building was revealed, dating to the second century CE. It was flanked on the east by a row of shops and on the west, by additional architectural remains. The structure is a typical Greco-Roman peristyle building, consisting of a central colonnaded courtyard, a portico and 20 rooms. The strikingly meticulous craftsmanship of the building’s construction and the high-quality stone masonry attest that it was built by professional builders. The finds included large amounts of Early Roman potsherds; several basalt vessels, pestles, grinding stones and millstones; metal objects, mostly nails; and domestic glass vessels from …

Khan Gesher (Jisr El-Majami‘), Abdullah Mokary, Zvi Gal

'Atiqot

Khan Gesher is one of the earliest khans in Galilee. Three periods of occupation were documented at the site. The khan was first built during the Mamluk period as a square complex, with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms and halls. The halls served as stables, and the rooms and the central courtyard served non-residential functions, e.g., a gate, a water system, and a prayer room. Thus, the khan might have had a second story for housing travelers. During the Ottoman period, the building underwent changes and modifications. The khan was probably destroyed in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth …

Hellenistic And Crusader Remains At Montmusard, Acre (‘Akko), Fanny Vitto

'Atiqot

The finds from the Hellenistic period comprise building remains that contained imported amphoras dating from the last third of the third century to the third quarter of the second century BCE, as well as pottery lamps, cooking vessels and bowls from the third–second centuries. The Crusader period yielded the remains of walls and pottery dating to the late twelfth–thirteenth centuries CE.

Salvage Excavations In The Modi‘In Landscape, Amir Golani

'Atiqot

Approximately 100 sites were investigated in the area by means of surveys and excavations. Thirteen winepresses were identified, surrounded by cupmarks and basins, alluding to the agricultural exploitation of the area. Thirty-two stone clearance piles were documented. In most piles, limited amounts of Late Hellenistic–Early Roman ceramics were recovered, suggesting they were constructed during that period. Some of these features were of a later date, the Byzantine–Umayyad periods. In the Medieval and Ottoman periods, the region was exploited for its natural resources. Nearly all the charcoal burners and limekilns seem to date to these times.

A Middle Bronze Age Burial Cave At Tur‘An, Lilly Gershuny, Emanuel Eisenberg

'Atiqot

The burial cave, carved into limestone, consists of a square, vertical shaft and an elliptical room. The cave’s contents, which included pottery vessels, carnelian beads, a bronze toggle pin and a stone pommel, were scattered on a fill on the floor. Six adult individuals and one child were identified. The bones of sheep and cattle, which served as food offerings, were found as well. The pottery included bowls, a storage jar, a large krater with loop feet, jugs, dipper and piriform juglets, and a unique Tell el-Yahudiyeh juglet with a zoomorphic protome. The cave is a typical Early Bronze Age …

Biodiversity And Cold Tolerance Of Dung Beetles In Cattle Pastures And Forested Habitats In Northeast Arkansas, Becca Lynn Lett

Student Theses and Dissertations

Dung beetles play vital ecological roles, including dung removal and pest reduction. They rely on environmental temperature for activity, and forest habitats typically provide more favorable temperatures. This study occurred in Northeast Arkansas and compared dung beetle diversity in forests and pastures, finding greater diversity in forests. In addition, this study looked at abundance in one pasture 15 years apart and found that abundance remained stable over 15 years, while overall diversity increased. Thermal limit assays on three Onthophagus species provided insights into temperature tolerances. These findings offer valuable information on dung beetle abundance and diversity in the region and …

Behavioral Ecology And Physiology Of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys Guttata) In A Fragmented And Polluted Landscape, Jessica Rojas Lindberg

Master's Theses

Turtles are one of the most threatened groups of animals across the globe. This is especially true for freshwater turtles that rely on multiple habitats to fulfill their life history requirements. Wetlands are a crucial habitat type for many freshwater turtle species, and this ecosystem has been susceptible to conversion, fragmentation, and pollution. In turn, these hazards to wetland habitats threaten already declining freshwater turtle populations. The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a species of freshwater turtle that is particularly at-risk due to life history traits as well as habitat fragmentation and pollution. This study aims to investigate the effects …

Plasmodium Berghei Subpellicular Microtubule Protein-1 (Pbspm-1) Is A Microtubule Stabilizing Protein That Affects Schizont Development, Manuel Joseph Widuch

Master's Theses

In eukaryotes, microtubules (MTs) are regulated by microtubule-associated proteins (MAP), only a few of which have been characterized in the malaria parasite to date. Here we present the functional characterization of STOP axonemal protein 1 (SAXO1) of the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei. The protein exhibits high sequence and organizational conservation to the subpellicular microtubule protein 1 (SPM1) of the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and SAXO1 of Trypanosoma brucei. SAXO1 proteins are conserved in most eukaryotes where they form a protein family. We refer to this protein as PbSPM1. It is a 38 kD protein that is organized into an N-terminal …

A Dual Role Of Cohesin In Dna Dsb Repair, Michael Fedkenheuer, Yafang Shang, Seolkyoung Jung, Kevin Fedkenheuer, Solji Park, Davide Mazza, Robin Sebastian, Hiroyuki Nagashima, Dali Zong, Hua Tan, Sushil Kumar Jaiswal, Haiqing Fu, Anthony Cruz, Supriya V Vartak, Jan Wisniewski, Vittorio Sartorelli, John J O'Shea, Laura Elnitski, Andre Nussenzweig, Mirit I Aladjem, Fei-Long Meng, Rafael Casellas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cells undergo tens of thousands of DNA-damaging events each day. Defects in repairing double-stranded breaks (DSBs) can lead to genomic instability, contributing to cancer, genetic disorders, immunological diseases, and developmental defects. Cohesin, a multi-subunit protein complex, plays a crucial role in both chromosome organization and DNA repair by creating architectural loops through chromatin extrusion. However, the mechanisms by which cohesin regulates these distinct processes are not fully understood. In this study, we identify two separate roles for cohesin in DNA repair within mammalian cells. First, cohesin serves as an intrinsic architectural factor that normally prevents interactions between damaged chromatin. Second, …

A Novel Case Of Glial Transdifferentiation In Renal Medullary Carcinoma Brain Metastasis, Maria A Gubbiotti, Ian E Mccutcheon, Priya Rao, Giannicola Genovese, Linghua Wang, Artem Tarasov, Vladislav Putintsev, Amber Berlinski, Danil Stupichev, Kirill Kriukov, Suren Davitavyan, Basim Salem, Alexander Sarachakov, Dmitry Lebedev, Michael Hensley, Alexander Bagaev, Francesca Paradiso, Vladimir Kushnarev, Gleb Khegai, Nizar M Tannir, Pavlos Msaouel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Renal medullary carcinoma is a rare undifferentiated tumor of the kidney associated with sickle cell trait and characterized by INI1 (SMARCB1) loss. Although metastasis to lungs, lymph nodes, and bone is commonly reported, distant spread to the central nervous system almost never occurs. Here we present an unusual case of a patient with renal medullary carcinoma with metastasis to the brain following treatment which included tazemetostat, an EZH2 inhibitor. The metastatic brain lesion harbored morphologic, immunohistochemical, and methylation profile supportive of a primary CNS phenotype with loss of the trimethylated lysine 27 residue of histone 3 while maintaining INI1 loss …

Computational Investigation Of The Unveils Nsd2 Inhibition Potential Of Berberis Vulgaris, Sambucus Nigra, And Morus Alba Through Virtual Screening, Molecular Docking, Md Simulation, And Dft Analyses, Supriyo Saha, Vanshita Gupta, Ahad Hossain, Prinsa Prinsa, Jannatul Ferdous, Kiran Bharat Lokhande, Vikash Jakhmola, Sarkar M. A. Kawsar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Nuclear receptor binding set domain protein 2 (NSD2) plays a key role in chromatin regulation and is associated with different cancers and other developmental problems. Berries are rich in major secondary metabolites with anticancer properties. Here, we virtually screened 145 berry phytochemicals as putative NSD2 inhibitors via structure-based virtual screening, molecular docking, MD simulations, and DFT and ADMET analyses. Among them, α-carotene had the maximum docking score of -9.9 kcal/mol, followed by sulfuretin and β-amyrin. MD simulation analysis revealed that the dynamic behavior of the ligand‒NSD2 complexes was within the limit, indicating no significant changes in the structural integrity of …

The Effects Of Improper Waste Disposal On Marine Life: Why Does It Matter And How Can We Prevent It?, Abbey Ward, Ashlee Davis

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Improperly disposed of waste, specifically plastic, can end up in the ocean and negatively impact marine life, and in turn, negatively impact human health. Marine life, such as turtles, have faced serious health consequences and even death from entanglement in abandoned fishing gear and consuming plastics. Larger plastic particles can break down into smaller particles known as microplastics which can harbor harmful substances (such as Bisphenol A and persistent organic pollutants) and can cause several negative health effects when consumed by marine life such as loss of nutrition, starvation, and death. Microplastics have been found in 75% of commercial fish. …

Retracted: Conserved Domains In Promoters Of Differentially Expressed Genes: How To Find Them And What Can They Tell Us?, Emalynn E. Tobias

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN RETRACTED DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASON: inadvertent errors in several citations.

The complex process of regulating gene expression involves a large number of cis- and trans-acting components. The cis elements also referred to as cis regulatory elements (CREs) are highly conserved across species, and are often referred to as conserved domains mainly located in the promoters of genes. The trans acting sequences such as enhancers, moderators and insulators are also crucial in the regulation of gene expression. With an increased influx of genomic and transcriptomic data, study of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) is highly effective in …

Discerning The Role Of Microtubule Acetylation During Hiv-1 Infection, Drew Michael Lichon

Dissertations

The host-pathogen interactions underlying Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection are complex and involve the exploitation of host cellular machinery. This thesis investigates the roles of dynein adaptors, microtubule acetylation, and TRIM69-mediated restriction in HIV-1 infection. Through a series of detailed experiments, we explore how HIV-1 utilizes multiple dynein adaptors, such as BICDR1 and Hook3, for intracellular transport, and reveal that these adaptors are critical for efficient viral trafficking. Conversely, the knockdown of Ninein surprisingly enhances HIV-1 infectivity, suggesting a nuanced regulatory role for this adaptor in viral transport. Further, this thesis challenges the prevailing paradigm that microtubule acetylation …

Exosomal Galectin-3 Promotes Peritoneal Metastases In Gastric Adenocarcinoma Via Microenvironment Alterations, Yibo Fan, Shumei Song, Melissa Pool Pizzi, Gengyi Zou, Jody V Vykoukal, Katsuhiro Yoshimura, Jiankang Jin, George A Calin, Rebecca E Waters, Qiong Gan, Linghua Wang, Samir Hanash, Shilpa S Dhar, Jaffer A Ajani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the most common metastatic site and leads to a short median survival. Exosomes have been shown to remodel the microenvironment, facilitating tumor metastases. However, the functional component in GAC cell-derived exosomes that remodel the landscape in the peritoneal cavity remains unclear. To address this, we performed in-depth proteomic profiling of ascites-derived exosomes from patients with PC, and we found that Galectin-3 was highly enriched in exosomes derived from malignant ascites. exosomal Galectin-3 was the crucial regulator of PC. Blockage of exosomal Galectin-3 significantly inhibited tumor metastases and prolonged overall survival. Exosomal Galectin-3 …

Light-Dark Shift Promotes Colon Carcinogenesis Through Accelerated Colon Aging, Deepak Sharma, Phillip A Engen, Abu Osman, Darbaz Adnan, Maliha Shaikh, Mostafa K Abdel-Reheem, Ankur Naqib, Stefan J Green, Bruce Hamaker, Christopher B Forsyth, Lin Cheng, Ali Keshavarzian, Khashayarsha Khazaie, Faraz Bishehsari

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, with rising prevalence among younger adults. Several lifestyle factors, particularly disruptions in circadian rhythms by light-dark (LD) shifts, are known to increase CRC risk. Epidemiological studies previously showed LD-shifts are associated with increased risk of CRC. To explore the mechanisms and interactions between LD-shift and intestinal aging, we investigated how the combination of LD-shifts and aging impacts colon carcinogenesis development. Our data showed that LD-shifts and aging increased colon tumorigenesis. Notably, LD-shift accelerated intestinal aging by altering aging-related pathways, such as intestinal barrier damage, accompanied by dysbiotic changes in the …

Utilizing Patient-Derived Xenografts To Model Precision Oncology For Biliary Tract Cancer, Timothy P Diperi, Kurt W Evans, Stephen Scott, Xiaofeng Zheng, Kaushik Varadarajan, Lawrence N Kwong, Michael Kahle, Hop S Tran Cao, Ching-Wei Tzeng, Thuy Vu, Sunhee Kim, Fei Su, Maria Gabriela Raso, Yasmeen Rizvi, Ming Zhao, Huamin Wang, Sunyoung S Lee, Timothy A Yap, Jordi Rodon, Milind Javle, Funda Meric-Bernstam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Biliary tract cancers, which are rare and aggressive malignancies, are rich in clinically actionable molecular alterations. A major challenge in the field is the paucity of clinically relevant biliary tract cancer models that recapitulate the diverse molecular profiles of these tumors. The purpose of this study was to curate a collection of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models that reflect the spectrum of genomic alterations present in biliary tract cancers to create a resource for modeling precision oncology.

Experimental design: PDXs were derived from biliary tract cancer samples collected from surgical resections or metastatic biopsies. Alterations present in the PDXs were …