Digital Commons Network^™

Study Protocol For The Breathe Easier Trial: A Pilot Rct Of A Dyad-Based, Multiple-Behavior Intervention For Improving Physical And Emotional Health In Survivors Facing Lung Cancer, Karen Kane Mcdonnell Phd, Rn, Jeannette O. Andrews Phd, Rn, Faan, Chih Hsiang Yang Ph.D., Brandi R. Newsome, Ella Weinkle, Jean Elizabeth Davis, Shira Dunsiger

Faculty Publications

Background: Research targeting survivors of lung cancer has yet to adequately address the management of physical deconditioning and unresolved symptoms (dyspnea, fatigue). The objective of the Breathe Easier trial is to test the feasibility and preliminary effects of a theory-based, multiple-behavior intervention (physical activity, smoking reduction for current smokers, stress management) targeting survivors of localized non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC, stages I-III) and their supportive partners. Methods: This pilot RCT will enroll 30 dyads (60 participants). Each dyad will consist of one survivor and one partner (defined as a family member or friend) Dyads will be randomized to the Intervention Group …

Visual Literacy Unframed: Planning An Oer To Improve College-Level Visual Analysis Skills, Marty Miller

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Community-Engaged Oral History Study As A Tool For Understanding Environmental Justice Aspects Of Human Exposures To Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Emissions In Colfax, La, Matilda Odera, Blair Kelley, Louie Rivers, Alyanna Wilson, Jessica Tran, Khushi Patel, Brenda Vallee, Wilma Subra, Jennifer A. Cramer, Jennifer K. Irving, Margaret Reams, Jennifer Richmond-Bryant

Faculty Publications

This study investigates environmental justice (EJ) themes related to siting a hazardous waste thermal treatment facility near a low-income community of color. We investigated effects of living near a hazardous waste thermal treatment facility through three EJ aspects: recognitional, procedural, and distributive justice. The study involved the collection of oral history interviews from residents of Colfax, a town in Grant Parish, Louisiana, that hosts an open burn/open detonation hazardous waste thermal treatment facility. The facility processes materials such as munitions, theme park waste, and contaminated soils from Superfund sites, and it increased its volume drastically in 2014. Residents reported adverse …

An Analysis Of The Inter-State Similarity Of The Herpetofaunas Of Mexican States, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Geoffrey R. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

International Society Of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutritional Considerations For Single-Stage Ultra-Marathon Training And Racing, Stacy T. Sims, Chad M. Kerksick, Abbie E. Smith-Ryan, Xanne A.K. Janse De Jonge, Katie R. Hirsch, Shawn M. Arent Ph.D., Cscs*D, Fissn, Facsm, Fnak, Susan Joyce Hewlings, Susan M. Kleiner, Erik Bustillo, Jaime L. Tartar, Valerie G. Starratt, Richard B. Kreider, Casey Greenwalt, Liliana I. Rentería, Michael J. Ormsbee, Trisha A. Vandusseldorp, Bill I. Campbell, Douglas S. Kalman, Jose Antonio

Faculty Publications

Based on a comprehensive review and critical analysis of the literature regarding the nutritional concerns of female athletes, conducted by experts in the field and selected members of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the following conclusions represent the official Position of the Society: 1. Female athletes have unique and unpredictable hormone profiles, which influence their physiology and nutritional needs across their lifespan. To understand how perturbations in these hormones affect the individual, we recommend that female athletes of reproductive age should track their hormonal status (natural, hormone driven) against training and recovery to determine their individual patterns and …

Conservation Easements: A Tool For Preserving Wildlife Habitat On Private Lands, Robin M. Rotman, Sarah A. Brown, Michael A. Powell, Sonja A. Wilhelm Stanis

Faculty Publications

Conservation easements are an essential tool for conserving private lands, and they have great potential for enhancing wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Private land conservation in the United States is likely to increase in the coming years, in light of Executive Order No. 14,008, issued by President Joseph Biden on January 27, 2021, which set a goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 (Executive Office of the President 2021). There is, therefore, a need to evaluate the effect of conservation easements on wildlife habitat and biodiversity and to make recommendations for further enhancing the effectiveness …

The Case Of The Missing Device Patents, Or: Why Device Patents Matter, Erika Lietzan, Kristina M. L. Acri, Evan Weidner

Faculty Publications

A company that earns premarket approval of its medical device is entitled to an extension of one patent claiming the device, to make up for some of the time it spent doing premarket research. Yet, surprisingly, a mere thirteen percent of those eligible for this extension (also known as patent term "restoration") ask for one. In contrast, most drug companies entitled to this same patent extension ask for one.

In this Article, we attribute the imbalance largely to differences between the two regulatory frameworks. In brief, because the FDA classifies and regulates devices based on what they do and how …

Factors That Predict Weight Loss Success Differ By Diet Intervention Type, Jordan Losavio, Michael J. Keenan, Elizabeth A. Gollub, Heidi J. Silver

Faculty Publications

Background: Many types of diet intervention can achieve negative energy balance and successful weight loss in persons with obesity. However, within any dietary strategy, there is large inter-individual variation in the weight loss response. The aim of this study is to determine factors that predict weight loss success for diet interventions that vary by macronutrient and caloric composition. Methods: Participants with BMI 30.0 to 49.9 kg/m2 self-selected one of three diet intervention trials for weight loss: low carbohydrate (LOW CHO), low fat (LOW FAT), or low calorie (LOW KCAL). Multivariable regression models were developed to determine the significance of predictor …

Comparative Genomics Of The Niche-Specific Plant Pathogen Streptomyces Ipomoeae Reveal Novel Genome Content And Organization, Natasha R. Soares, José C. Huguet-Tapia, Dongli Guan, Christopher A. Clark, Kuei Ting Yang, Olivia R. Kluchka, Raju S. Thombal, Rendy Kartika, Jonathan H. Badger, Gregg S. Pettis

Faculty Publications

The sweet potato soil rot pathogen Streptomyces ipomoeae differs in disease pathology, host range, and virulence factor production from Streptomyces species that cause scab diseases on potato and other plant hosts. Nevertheless, previous phylogenomic analysis suggested S. ipomoeae and the oldest scab species, Streptomyces scabiei, are derived from a common ancestor. While genomes of scab pathogens have been described in some detail, similar knowledge of S. ipomoeae has been lacking. Here, we performed comparative genomic analyses involving both virulent and avirulent strains of S. ipomoeae, along with other plant-pathogenic and saprophytic Streptomyces spp. The txt gene cluster for the phytotoxin …

Ophiclypeus, A New Genus Of Cardiochilinae Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) From The Oriental Region With Descriptions Of Three New Species, Ilgoo Kang, Mostafa Ghafouri Moghaddam, Michael J. Sharkey, Donald L.J. Quicke, Buntika A. Butcher, Christopher E. Carlton

Faculty Publications

A new genus of the braconid subfamily Cardiochilinae, Ophiclypeus gen. nov., is described and illustrated based on three new species: O. chiangmaiensis Kang, sp. nov. type species (type locality: Chiang Mai, Thailand), O. dvaravati Ghafouri Moghaddam, Quicke & Butcher, sp. nov. (type locality: Saraburi, Thailand), and O. junyani Kang, sp. nov. (type locality: Dalin, Taiwan). We provide morphological diagnostic characters to separate the new genus from other cardiochiline genera. A modified key couplet (couplet 5) and a new key couplet (couplet 16) are provided with detailed imag-es for Dangerfield’s key to the world cardiochiline genera to facilitate recognition of Ophiclypeus …

Challenges In The Combination Of Radiotherapy And Immunotherapy For Breast Cancer, Rui Zhang, Samantha D. Clark, Beibei Guo, Tianyi Zhang, Duane Jeansonne, Samithamby J. Jeyaseelan, Joseph Francis, Weishan Huang

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Immunotherapy (IT) is showing promise in the treatment of breast cancer, but IT alone only benefits a minority of patients. Radiotherapy (RT) is usually included in the standard of care for breast cancer patients and is traditionally considered as a local form of treatment. The emerging knowledge of RT-induced systemic immune response, and the observation that the rare abscopal effect of RT on distant cancer metastases can be augmented by IT, have increased the enthusiasm for combinatorial immunoradiotherapy (IRT) for breast cancer patients. However, IRT largely follows the traditional sole RT and IT protocols and does not consider patient …

A Bayesian Phase I/Ii Design To Determine Subgroup-Specific Optimal Dose For Immunotherapy Sequentially Combined With Radiotherapy, Beibei Guo, Yong Zang, Li Hsiang Lin, Rui Zhang

Faculty Publications

Sequential administration of immunotherapy following radiotherapy (immunoRT) has attracted much attention in cancer research. Due to its unique feature that radiotherapy upregulates the expression of a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy, novel clinical trial designs are needed for immunoRT to identify patient subgroups and the optimal dose for each subgroup. In this article, we propose a Bayesian phase I/II design for immunotherapy administered after standard-dose radiotherapy for this purpose. We construct a latent subgroup membership variable and model it as a function of the baseline and pre-post radiotherapy change in the predictive biomarker measurements. Conditional on the latent subgroup membership of …

Targeting The Aspergillus Flavus P2c Gene Through Host-Induced Gene Silencing Reduces A. Flavus Infection And Aflatoxin Contamination In Transgenic Maize, Yenjit Raruang, Olanike Omolehin, Dongfang Hu, Qijian Wei, Surassawadee Promyou, Lidiya J. Parekattil, Kanniah Rajasekaran, Jeffrey W. Cary, Kan Wang, Zhi Yuan Chen

Faculty Publications

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects maize and produces aflatoxins. Using biocontrol or developing resistant cultivars to reduce aflatoxin contamination has only achieved limited success. Here, the A. flavus polygalacturonase gene (p2c) was targeted for suppression through host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) to reduce aflatoxin contamination in maize. An RNAi vector carrying a portion of the p2c gene was constructed and transformed into maize B104. Thirteen out of fifteen independent transformation events were confirmed to contain p2c. The T2 generation kernels containing the p2c transgene had less aflatoxin than those without the transgene in six out of eleven …

The Nitrogen-Dependent Gaba Pathway Of Tomato Provides Resistance To A Globally Invasive Fruit Fly, Hao Li, Yuan Zhang, Hu Li, Gadi V. P. Reddy, Zhihong Li, Fajun Chen, Yucheng Sun, Zihua Zhao

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The primary metabolism of plants, which is mediated by nitrogen, is closely related to the defense response to insect herbivores. Methods: An experimental system was established to examine how nitrogen mediated tomato resistance to an insect herbivore, the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis). All tomatoes were randomly assigned to the suitable nitrogen (control, CK) treatment, nitrogen excess (NE) treatment and nitrogen deficiency (ND) treatment. Results: We found that nitrogen excess significantly increased the aboveground biomass of tomato and increased the pupal biomass of B. dorsalis. Metabolome analysis showed that nitrogen excess promoted the biosynthesis of amino acids in healthy …

Biology, Genetic Diversity, And Conservation Of Wild Bees In Tree Fruit Orchards, Olivia Kline, Ngoc T. Phan, Mitzy F. Porras, Joshua Chavana, Coleman Z. Little, Lilia Stemet, Roshani S. Acharya, David J. Biddinger, Gadi V.P. Reddy, Edwin G. Rajotte, Neelendra K. Joshi

Faculty Publications

Different species of bees provide essential ecosystem services by pollinating various agricultural crops, including tree fruits. Many fruits and nuts depend on insect pollination, primarily by wild and managed bees. In different geographical regions where orchard crops are grown, fruit growers rely on wild bees in the farmscape and use orchard bees as alternative pollinators. Orchard crops such as apples, pears, plums, apricots, etc., are mass-flowering crops and attract many different bee species during their bloom period. Many bee species found in orchards emerge from overwintering as the fruit trees start flowering in spring, and the active duration of these …

Invasiveness, Biology, Ecology, And Management Of The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda, Marc Kenis, Giovanni Benelli, Antonio Biondi, Paul André Calatayud, Roger Day, Nicolas Desneux, Rhett D. Harrison, Darren Kriticos, Ivan Rwomushana, Johnnie Van Den Berg, François Verheggen, Yong Jun Zhang, Lakpo Koku Agboyi, Régis Besmer Ahissou, Malick N. Ba, Julio Bernal, Adeney Freitas De Bueno, Yves Carrière, Geraldo Andrade Carvalho, Xue Xin Chen, Lizette Cicero, Hannalene Du Plessis, Regan Early, Patrick Fallet, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Dnyaneshwar M. Firake, Georg Goergen, Astrid T. Groot, Raul N.C. Guedes, Ankita Gupta, Gao Hu, F. N. Huang, Lara R. Jaber

Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith, 1797), is a serious pest of several crops, particularly maize and other cereals. It has long been known as a pest in the Americas and has invaded most of Africa and parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Australia in the last six years. Its new status as an invasive species causing serious damage in many regions worldwide has highlighted the need for better understanding and has generated much research. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of FAW covering its (i) taxonomy, biology, ecology, genomics, and microbiome, (ii) worldwide status …

Deep Brain Stimulation For Substance Use Disorder: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nour Shaheen, Ahmed Shaheen, Can Sarica, Arun Singh, Mario Zanaty, Karim Johari, Andrew Yang, Theresa Zesiewicz, Brian Dalm, Yarema Bezchlibnyk, Andres M. Lozano, Oliver Flouty

Faculty Publications

Objective: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a significant public health issue with a high mortality rate. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has shown promising results in treating SUD in certain cases. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of DBS in the treatment of SUD and reduction of relapse rates. Methods: We performed a thorough and methodical search of the existing scientific literature, adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, to identify 16 original studies that fulfilled our inclusion criteria. We used the evidence levels recommended by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine to assess bias. The R version …

Modern-Day Neanderthal Genetic Lifewriting, Interspecies Romance, And The Promise Of Multispecies Autoethnography, Travis Brisini

Faculty Publications

Advances in contemporary genetic science have reshaped the narratives whereby individuals and communities make sense of their personal, family, and communal histories. In this process, unknown connections have been revealed and familiar orthodoxies disrupted. This essay examines the consequences of a particularly unusual revelation - the dawning awareness of the presence of nonhuman and archaic human DNA in human genetic lines - for efforts at writing about identity and society. In this autoethnographic account, I examine my own genetic inheritance of Neanderthal DNA, and posit a performative concept of genetic life writing that begins to unpack the complexities of this …

How To Do The History Of Sexual Science, Benjamin Kahan, Greta Lafleur

Faculty Publications

This introduction maps the ways in which sexual scientific thought circulated during the fin de siècle, tracing the interconnections between and breaks in the global circuits of sexological thought and how this circuitry continues to structure sexuality in the present. In so doing, Kahan and LaFleur position their approach and that of the special issue as a whole within the larger field of sexology, placing it in more robust dialogue with sexuality studies and attending in particular to sexology's racial and imperial logics. They examine the ways in which racial science and colonial knowledge constitute sexual science as an amorphous …

Design, Alpha Testing, And Beta Testing Of A 3-D Printed Open-Hardware Portable Cryopreservation Device For Aquatic Species, William M. Childress, Yue Liu, Terrence R. Tiersch

Faculty Publications

Efforts in development of germplasm repositories to preserve genetic resources of aquatic species are impeded globally by a lack of standardized, inexpensive, reproducible, and portable cryopreservation technologies. The present work demonstrates a 3-D printed standardizable freezing device that can be used with nitrogen vapor shipping dewars for on-site sperm cryopreservation for aquatic species and be distributed as open-hardware. This device could hold 22 French straws (0.25-mL or 0.5-mL) and a quick-release ring design could eject straws directly into a canister inside a dewar by pressing a button after freezing. The final prototypes produced cooling rates of 1 to 68°C/min for …

Integrated Processes Turning Pepper Sauce Waste Into Valuable By-Products, Jicheng Shu, Yongqin Yin, Zhijun Liu

Faculty Publications

Background: Safe and efficient disposal of millions of tons of pepper sauce waste (PSW) can be a challenge to pepper sauce manufacturers that are concerned about creating environmental hazards from the processing (e.g., preservative salt and vinegar) and intrinsic (e.g., the pungent capsaicins) ingredients. It will be immensely beneficial to process these waste materials before they go to disposal. This work presents integrated approaches for a complete utilization of waste materials by removing and recovering valuable by-products and/or ingredients while succeeding to minimal to zero hazards. Methods: Laboratory- and pilot-scale extraction processes were used to demonstrate the recovery of intrinsic …

Acute Stressors Do Not Impair Short-Term Memory Or Attention In An Aged Mouse Model Of Amyloidosis, Giuliana M. Dimarco, Breanna N. Harris, Alena V. Savonenko, Paul L. Soto

Faculty Publications

Memory impairment in Alzheimer’s disease patients is thought to be associated with the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides and tau proteins. However, inconsistent reports of cognitive deficits in pre-clinical studies have raised questions about the link between amyloid-beta and cognitive decline. One possible explanation may be that studies reporting memory deficits often involve behavioral assessments that entail a high stress component. In contrast, in tasks without a high stress component transgenic mice do not consistently show declines in memory. The glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis of aging and the vicious cycle of stress framework suggest that stress exacerbates dementia progression by initiating a …

Remote Assessment Of Negative Symptoms Of Schizophrenia, David G. Daniel, Alex S. Cohen, Dawn Velligan, Phillip D. Harvey, Larry Alphs, Michael Davidson, William Potter, Alan Kott, Nina Schooler, Christopher R. Brodie, Raeanne C. Moore, Pierre Lindenmeyer, Stephen R. Marder

Faculty Publications

In contrast to the validated scales for face-to-face assessment of negative symptoms, no widely accepted tools currently exist for remote monitoring of negative symptoms. Remote assessment of negative symptoms can be broadly divided into 3 categories: (1) remote administration of an existing negative-symptom scale by a clinician, in real time, using videoconference technology to communicate with the patient; (2) direct inference of negative symptoms through detection and analysis of the patient's voice, appearance, or activity by way of the patient's smartphone or other device; and (3) ecological momentary assessment, in which the patient self-reports their condition upon receipt of periodic …

Horizon Scanning For Potentially Invasive Non-Native Marine Species To Inform Trans-Boundary Conservation Management – Example Of The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Kathryn A. O’Shaughnessy, Lorenzo Vilizzi, Wesley Daniel, Monica E. Mcgarrity, Hanna Bauer, Leslie Hartman, Stephen Geiger, Paul Sammarco, Steve Kolian, Scott Porter, Jessica Dutton, Matthew R. Mcclure, Michael Norberg, Alex Fogg, Timothy J. Lyons, Justin Procopio, Lauren Bantista, Wayne Bennett, Mary Wicksten, David Reeves, Julie Lively, Elizabeth Robinson, Jorge Brenner, Joseph Goy, Ashley Morgan-Olvera, Anna L.E. Yunnie, Gordon H. Copp

Faculty Publications

Prevention of non-native species introductions and establishment is essential to avoid adverse impacts of invasive species in marine environments. To identify potential new invasive species and inform non-native species management options for the northern Gulf of Mexico (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas), 138 marine species were risk screened for current and future climate conditions using the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit. Species were risk-ranked as low, medium, high, and very high risk based on separate (calibrated) thresholds for fishes, tunicates, and inverte-brates. In the basic screening, 15 fishes, two tunicates, and 26 invertebrates were classified as high or very high risk …

Mapping High Marsh And Salt Pannes/Flats Along The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Nicholas M. Enwright, Wyatt C. Cheney, Kristine O. Evans, Hana R. Thurman, Mark S. Woodrey, Auriel M.V. Fournier, Jena A. Moon, Heather E. Levy, James A. Cox, Peter J. Kappes, John A. Nyman, Jonathan L. Pitchford

Faculty Publications

Coastal wetlands are predicted to undergo extensive transformation due to climate and land use change. Baseline maps of coastal wetlands can be used to help assess changes. Found in the upper portion of the estuarine zone, high marsh and salt pannes/flats provide ecosystem goods and services and are particularly important to fish and wildlife. We developed the first map of high marsh and salt pannes/flats along the northern Gulf of Mexico using regional models that included spectral indices related to greenness and wetness from optical satellite imagery, elevation data, irregularly flooded wetland probability information, and synthetic aperture radar backscatter. We …

Rbp4-Gal4, A Germline Driver That Activates In Meiosis, Reveals Functions For Vcp In Spermatid Development, Tyler J. Butsch, Alyssa E. Johnson, K. Adam Bohnert

Faculty Publications

Valosin-containing protein (VCP) is a versatile and ubiquitously expressed AAA+ ATPase that regulates multiple stages of Drosophila spermatogenesis. While VCP has documented roles in mitotic spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes, it is also highly expressed in post-meiotic spermatids, suggesting potential late-stage developmental functions as well. However, tools to assess late-stage activities of pleiotropic spermatogenesis genes such as VCP are lacking. Available germline-specific Gal4 drivers activate in stem cells or spermatogonia; consequently, knocking down VCP using one of these drivers disrupts or blocks early germ-cell development, precluding analysis of VCP in later stages. A Gal4 driver that activates later in development, such …

Identification Of Oral Therapeutics Using An Ai Platform Against The Virus Responsible For Covid-19, Sars-Cov-2, Adam Bess, Frej Berglind, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, Michal Brylinski, Chris Alvin, Fanan Fattah, Kishor M. Wasan

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study introduces a sophisticated computational pipeline, eVir, designed for the discovery of antiviral drugs based on their interactions within the human protein network. There is a pressing need for cost-effective therapeutics for infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19), particularly in resource-limited countries. Therefore, our team devised an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to explore repurposing opportunities for currently used oral therapies. The eVir system operates by identifying pharmaceutical compounds that mirror the effects of antiviral peptides (AVPs)—fragments of human proteins known to interfere with fundamental phases of the viral life cycle: entry, fusion, and replication. eVir extrapolates the probable antiviral efficacy …

Wooing “Willing Dupes”: The Bush Administration’S Use Of Emotional Language In The Drive Toward War With Iraq, Michael F. Russo

Faculty Publications

The publicly available texts of the George W. Bush administration from September 11, 2001, to March 19, 2003, as presented in The Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, were analyzed for word frequency and the words themselves analyzed for emotional weight using the NRC Emotion Intensity Lexicon. Transcripts of six television news agencies (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, and PBS) were also analyzed for word frequency to determine the extent to which these agencies may have repeated and consequently amplified the rhetoric of the administration. Public opinion polling for this same period was examined in an …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Two Near-Isogenic Lines Of Bell Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) Infected With Bell Pepper Endornavirus And Pepper Mild Mottle Virus, Cesar Escalante, Noa Sela, Rodrigo A. Valverde

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Black:White Health Inequalities, Genes Versus Environment—A New Chapter?, Richard Cooper

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.