Digital Commons Network^™

Deformable Image Registration And Interobserver Variation In Contour Propagation For Radiation Therapy Planning., A. C. Riegel, J. G. Antone, H. Zhang, P. Jain, J. Raince, A. Rea, A. M. Bergamo, A. Kapur, L. Potters

Journal Articles

Deformable image registration (DIR) and interobserver variation inevitably intro-duce uncertainty into the treatment planning process. The purpose of the current work was to measure deformable image registration (DIR) errors and interobserver variability for regions of interest (ROIs) in the head and neck and pelvic regions. Measured uncertainties were combined to examine planning margin adequacy for contours propagated for adaptive therapy and to assess the trade-off of DIR and interobserver uncertainty in atlas-based automatic segmentation. Two experi-enced dosimetrists retrospectively contoured brainstem, spinal cord, anterior oral cavity, larynx, right and left parotids, optic nerves, and eyes on the planning CT (CT1) and …

Analysis Of Igm Antibody Production And Repertoire In A Mouse Model Of Sjogren's Syndrome, J. M. Kramer, N. E. Holodick, T. C. Vizconde, I. Raman, M. Yan, Q. Z. Li, D. P. Gaile, T. L. Rothstein

Journal Articles

This study tested the hypothesis that B cells from salivary tissue are distinct in terms of proliferative capacity, immunoglobulin M secretion, repertoire, and autoantibody enrichment in Sjogren's syndrome. We sorted purified B cells from the spleen, cervical lymph nodes, and submandibular glands of a primary Sjogren's syndrome mouse model (Id3-/-). Enzyme-linked immunospot and proliferation assays were performed with stimulated B cells. We single-cell sorted B cells from the spleen, cervical lymph nodes, and submandibular gland tissue from Sjogren's syndrome mice and sequenced immunoglobulin M heavy-chain variable regions. Finally, autoantigen arrays were performed using immunoglobulin M derived from sera, cervical lymph …

Btk Inhibition Results In Impaired Cxcr4 Chemokine Receptor Surface Expression, Signaling And Function In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, S. S. Chen, B. Y. Chang, S. Chang, T. Tong, S. Ham, B. Sherry, J. A. Burger, K. R. Rai, N. Chiorazzi

Journal Articles

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is involved in the regulation of B-cell growth, migration and adhesion. The importance of BTK in cell trafficking is emphasized by the clonal contraction proceeded by lymphocytosis typical for the enzyme inhibitor, ibrutinib, in B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we investigated BTK regulation of leukemic B-cell trafficking in a mouse model of aggressive TCL1 CLL-like disease. Inhibiting BTK by ibrutinib reduced surface membrane (sm) levels of CXCR4 but not CXCR5, CD49d and other adhesion/homing receptors. Decreased smCXCR4 levels resulted from blocking receptor signal transduction, which in turn aborted cycling from and to the …

Cytoplasmic Myosin-Exposed Apoptotic Cells Appear With Caspase-3 Activation And Enhance Cll Cell Viability, X. Cui, L. Zhang, A. R. Magli, R. Catera, X. J. Yan, D. O. Griffin, T. L. Rothstein, J. Barrientos, J. E. Kolitz, S. L. Allen, K. R. Rai, N. Chiorazzi, C. C. Chu

Journal Articles

The degree of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) binding to myosin-exposed apoptotic cells (MEACs) correlates with worse patient outcomes, suggesting a link to disease activity. Therefore, we studied MEAC formation and the effects of MEAC binding on CLL cells. In cell line studies, both intrinsic (spontaneous or camptothecin-induced) and extrinsic (FasL- or anti-Fas-induced) apoptosis created a high percent of MEACs over time in a process associated with caspase-3 activation, leading to cytoplasmic myosin cleavage and trafficking to cell membranes. The involvement of common apoptosis pathways suggests that most cells can produce MEACs and indeed CLL cells themselves …

Elevated 1-Hour Plasma Glucose Levels Are Associated With Dysglycemia, Impaired Beta-Cell Function, And Insulin Sensitivity: A Pilot Study From A Real World Health Care Setting, R. Jagannathan, M. A. Sevick, H. Li, D. Fink, R. Dankner, A. Chetrit, J. Roth, M. Bergman

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Increased Pretreatment Serum Ifn-Beta/Alpha Ratio Predicts Non-Response To Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha Inhibition In Rheumatoid Arthritis, T. Wampler Muskardin, P. Vashisht, J. M. Dorschner, M. A. Jensen, B. S. Chrabot, M. Kern, J. R. Curtis, R. Furie, P. K. Gregersen, T. B. Niewold, +14 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: Studies suggest that circulating type I interferon (IFN) may predict response to biological agents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Prediction of response prior to initiating therapy would represent a major advancement. METHODS: We studied sera from a test set of 32 patients with RA from the Auto-immune Biomarkers Collaborative Network Consortium and a validation set of 92 patients with RA from the Treatment Efficacy and Toxicity in Rheumatoid Arthritis Database and Repository registry. The test set included those with good response or no response to tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors at 14 weeks by European League Against Rheumatism criteria. The …

Pomalidomide Reverses Gamma-Globin Silencing Through The Transcriptional Reprogramming Of Adult Hematopoietic Progenitors, B. M. Dulmovits, A. O. Appiah-Kubi, J. Papoin, M. He, Y. Al-Abed, S. Didier, M. Gould, S. Husain-Krautter, S. A. Singh, A. Vlachos, S. L. Allen, J. M. Lipton, J. M. Liu, L. Blanc, +7 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

Current therapeutic strategies for sickle cell anemia are aimed at reactivating fetal hemoglobin. Pomalidomide, a third-generation immunomodulatory drug, was proposed to induce fetal hemoglobin production by an unknown mechanism. Here, we report that pomalidomide induced a fetal-like erythroid differentiation program, leading to a reversion of gamma-globin silencing in adult human erythroblasts. Pomalidomide acted early by transiently delaying erythropoiesis at the BFU-E/CFU-E transition, but without affecting terminal differentiation. Further, the transcription networks involved in gamma-globin repression were selectively and differentially affected by pomalidomide including BCL11A, SOX6, IKZF1, KLF1, and LSD1. IKAROS (IKZF1), a known target of pomalidomide, was degraded by the …

High-Density Lipoprotein (Hdl) Counter-Regulates Serum Amyloid A (Saa)-Induced Spla(2)-Iie And Spla(2)-V Expression In Macrophages, S. Zhu, Y. Wang, W. Chen, W. Li, A. Wang, J. Li, H. Yang, K. J. Tracey, J. D'Angelo, H. Wang, +2 Additional Authors

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Cytokine-Specific Neurograms In The Sensory Vagus Nerve., B. E. Steinberg, H. A. Silverman, M. K. Gunasekaran, T. Tsaava, E. Battinelli, A. Stiegler, C. E. Bouton, S. S. Chavan, J. J. Tracey, P. T. Huerta, +1 Additional Author

Journal Articles

The axons of the sensory, or afferent, vagus nerve transmit action potentials to the central nervous system in response to changes in the body's metabolic and physiological status. Recent advances in identifying neural circuits that regulate immune responses to infection, inflammation and injury have revealed that vagus nerve signals regulate the release of cytokines and other factors produced by macrophages. Here we record compound action potentials in the cervical vagus nerve of adult mice and reveal the specific activity that occurs following administration of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Importantly, the afferent vagus neurograms …

Identification Of Iguratimod As An Inhibitor Of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (Mif) With Steroid-Sparing Potential, J. Bloom, C. Metz, S. Nalawade, J. Casabar, K. Fan Cheng, M. He, B. Sherry, T. Coleman, T. Forsthuber, Y. Al-Abed

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Dissociation Of Metabolic And Hemodynamic Levodopa Responses In The 6-Hydroxydopamine Rat Model, R. P. Lerner, Z. Bimpisidis, S. Agorastos, S. Scherrer, S. L. Dewey, M. A. Cenci, D. Eidelberg

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Skin Conductance At Baseline And Post-Heel Lance Reflects Sympathetic Activation In Neonatal Opiate Withdrawal, C. N. Oji-Mmuo, E. J. Michael, J. Mclatchy, M. M. Lewis, J. E. Becker, K. K. Doheny

Journal Articles

AIM: Skin conductance (SC) provides an objective measure of autonomic system regulation through sympathetic-mediated filling of sweat glands. This study aimed to test the utility of SC to detect sympathetic activation in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). METHODS: 14 term (mean, SE: 38.8 + 0.35 weeks gestational age) neonates with chronic prenatal opiate exposure were enrolled. SC (peaks/sec and mean of peaks) were measured at baseline, during heel lance/squeeze (HLS) and recovery from HLS at 24-48 (mean 38) hours of life prior to treatment for NAS. Blinded coders with established reliability assessed neonates using the Modified Finnegan Neonatal Scoring System (MFNSS). …

The Precautionary Principle: What Is It, Where Did It Come From, How Should We Use It?, Yorgos Marinakis, Rainer Harms, Steven T. Walsh

Journal of International & Interdisciplinary Business Research (2014-2019)

Since being globalized by inclusion in the 1980’s and 1990’s through several U.N. declarations and treaties, the Precautionary Principle has become a flashpoint internationally among scholars working in the fields of risk, international environmental law, European Union law and even U.S. federal law. The controversy surrounding the Precautionary Principle apparently arose and persists because the Principle is undertheorized. We revisit three fundamental questions: what is the Precautionary Principle, where did it come from, and how should we use it. Because the Precautionary Principle is a legal tool that is used internationally to manage technology, a comprehensive discussion of it is …

Increased Il-17 And Tgf-Ss Serum Levels In Peripheral Blood Of Patients With Ss-Thalassemia Major: Implication For Continual Transfusions Role In T Helper 17-Mediated Proinflammatory Responses, Rasoul Baharlou, Mohammad Hassan Davami, Abbas Ahmadi-Vasmehjani, Morteza Ebrahimi

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Recent studies have shown that IL-17-producing CD4+ T helper (Th17) cells play an important role in proinflammatory processes. In this report we analyzed IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β serum levels in the peripheral blood of Iranian beta-thalassemia major patients that clinically exhibited splenectomy and iron overload. Materials and methods: Blood samples were collected from 43 beta-thalassemia patients and 43 healthy individuals with no history of malignancies or autoimmune disorders. Then serum levels of IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The levels of IL-17 (P = 0.005) and TGF-β (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the thalassemia patients compared to the healthy control. No significant differences in the level of serum IL-21 was observed between the patients and controls. There were no significant differences in serum levels of IL-17, IL-21, and TGF-β between patients with high or low serum levels of ferritin. Conclusion: Multiple blood transfusions cause constant immune stimulation, as a result of repeated exposure to new alloantigens. This might have significant effects on the stimulation of cytokine producing cells in those patients and cytokine profile can be used as a related marker for assessing disease severity and consequently therapeutic intervention.

Baseline Striatal Functional Connectivity As A Predictor Of Response To Antipsychotic Drug Treatment, D. Sarpal, M. Argyelan, D. G. Robinson, P. R. Szeszko, K. H. Karlsgodt, M. John, N. Weissman, J. A. Gallego, J. M. Kane, T. Lencz, A. K. Malhotra

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVE: Clinical response to antipsychotic drug treatment is highly variable, yet prognostic biomarkers are lacking. The authors recently demonstrated that successful antipsychotic drug treatment alters resting-state functional connectivity of the striatum. The goal of the present study was to test whether intrinsic striatal connectivity patterns provide prognostic information and can serve as a potential biomarker of treatment response to antipsychotic drugs. METHOD: The authors used resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) to develop a prognostic index in a discovery cohort of 41 first-episode schizophrenia patients, then tested this index in an independent cohort of 40 newly hospitalized chronic patients with acute psychosis. …

Book Review: Philosophy Of Science: Key Concepts, David B. Levy

Touro University Libraries Publications and Research

The author reviews the book Philosophy of Science: Key Concepts.

Changes In Cytoskeleton Proteins In Hsv-1 Infection Of J774a.1 Macrophage Phenotype, Riham Abbas Subahi

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The cell cytoskeleton, a unique intracellular matrix found in all eukaryotes, is composed of three main protein structures, microtubules, microlaments and intermediate laments. The cytoskeleton maintains cell shape and internal structures providing mechanical support that facilitates intracellular transport (Parker et al., 2014). Many viruses such as the herpesviruses use the cytoskeleton system of the cell for infectivity (Henry Sum, M. S. 2015). HSV-1 utilizes the cell cytoskeleton in many steps of its life cycle from entry through assembly to egress (Lyman et al., 2008). During infection, HSV-1 viral proteins cause drastic changes and rearrangement of the cellular actin and cell …

Novel Cell Killing Mechanism Of Hydroxyurea In The Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces Pombe And Its Implications In Improving Antifungal Therapy, Amanpreet Singh

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Hydroxyurea (HU, also known as hydroxycarbamide) is a well known ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) inhibitor that depletes cellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs, the building blocks of DNA). Depleted dNTP pools inside the proliferating cells stalls ongoing DNA replication forks, leading to the activation of the well-conserved DNA replication checkpoint (also known as intra-S phase checkpoint) pathway. One of the major functions of the checkpoint pathway is to protect ongoing forks from collapsing. Stalled forks, if not protected by the checkpoint pathway, lead to DNA damage and ultimately cell death. Thus it is believed that DNA damage resulting from collapsed forks is the …

Healthy Teen Scholars: Our Journey Together, Sara Emamian, Miranda Garcia, Ans Irfan, Andrea Kablanian, Pavneet Kaur, Yonathan Kefelegn, Ariel Sherman, Munjireen Sifat

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Divide White Paper: Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (Larc) In The United States, Julia Strasser, Liz Borkowski, Megan Couillard, Amy Allina, Susan Wood

Jacobs Institute of Women's Health

Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods – specifically, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and subcutaneous hormone-releasing implants – demonstrate great potential in reducing unintended pregnancy. Although LARC methods have had a rocky history in the US and use rates have remained low here in comparison to other countries where the methods are available, there has been a significant increase in uptake of newer LARC products in recent years. Researchers have identified this change as a likely contributor to the declines seen in unintended pregnancy, abortion, and teen pregnancy rates.

Decades of research have shown that current LARC methods are highly safe and effective, …

Factors Influencing And Risk Associated With The Use Of Drones By Specialty Construction Companies In The United States Of America, Glenn Graham

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) are being used by many industries through special use permits. Currently, the real estate industry leads in use of aerial vehicles for aerial views of property while agriculture follows at second being utilized to determine chemical and moisture content allowing the owners to treat the crops with the exact amount of chemical or water saving on cost of excessive treatment and possible crop loss. Drone use increased the visibility of real estate and also the profit margin of the agricultural business as well as the quality of the product being produced. Other industries are also using …

Justified Outbreak: Bringing Together Law, Public Health, And Ethics During An Infectious Disease Emergency, Clark Colwell

LLM Theses

Infectious diseases have recently found renewed significance in Canadian scholarship, with a corresponding increased interest in Canada's overall preparedness, including legal preparedness, to combat infectious disease emergencies. Nearly every Canadian province has emergency legislation containing a "basket clause" - a provision which, for the duration of an emergency, authorizes a decision maker to take 'all necessary measures' to defeat it. Public health legal preparedness scholarship has not yet examined what criteria the decision maker must consider before deciding to deploy measures that could seriously impact the rights of individuals, including those under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This …

The College On The Hill: A Dartmouth Chronicle, Ralph Nading Hill, John Sloan Dickey

Dartmouth Legacy

About the Book

A chronicle of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, edited by the Vermont writer and preservationist Ralph Nading Hill. Contributors include William Andres, John Sloan Dickey, Ralph Nading Hill, Stearns Morse and Ernest Roberts.

About the Author

RALPH NADING HILL's books include The Winooski, Heartway of Vermont (1949) which viewed Vermont through the lens of the river known to the Algonquians as "The Onion River" and Sidewheeler Saga, a book about the steamboat Ticonderoga, the last sidewheel steamer on Lake Champlain. Hill worked on the boat, which traveled between Vermont and New York across Lake Champlain, for three …

Miraculously Builded In Our Hearts: A Dartmouth Reader, Edward Connery Lathem, David M. Shribman

Dartmouth Legacy

About the Book

This Reader, addressed particularly to Dartmouth graduates, students, and friends, will also appeal to others interested in the history of higher education in America. "While preparing this volume," the editors write, "we developed fresh appreciation for that peculiar slice of humankind known as the men and women of Dartmouth, who in Hanover learn to analyze the verse of Milton, explore fluid dynamics, wrestle with Lu Xun, confront Aquinas, discover radiogenic isotope geochemistry, climb Moosilauke, build their own kayaks, sharpen an ax with a dual-grip handstone, and slip across a snowy campus on cross-country skis to an early …

Distinguishing Offshore Bird Hunting From Beach Scavenging In Archaeological Contexts: The Value Of Modern Beach Surveys, Kristine Bovy, Jessica E. Watson, Jane Dolliver, Julia K. Parrish

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Determining whether seabirds recovered from coastal shell middens were obtained via active hunting or scavenging of beached carcasses is a challenge for archaeologists. Traditional methods have included analyzing skeletal part frequencies, abundance, age profiles, and contextual evidence. The assumption has been made, based on limited biological data, that an assemblage of carcasses scavenged from the beach will have more wing elements, and fewer legs and heads. Few studies, however, have embraced modern beaching data to verify this assumption and assess the potential faunal resources available for scavenging. We analyze the skeletal part representation of modern beached birds observed by the …

Faith Integration Essay: Physics, Nathan Lindquist

Faith Learning Integration Papers

What follows is a discussion on the process and limitations of Theology, the process and limitations of Science, and how they relate to our pursuit of God’s Truth. The particular “case study” that I choose to explore, for better or worse, is the way in which mystery, ambiguity, and paradox work in both Theology and Science.

Binge-Eating Disorder: A Primer For Professional Counselors, Raissa M. Miller, Jaime D. Mcmanus

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) is a primary diagnosis listed in the Feeding and Eating Disorders chapter of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Although BED is considered one of the most common eating disorders, symptoms often go unrecognized and untreated (Striegel-Moore et al. 2010). In this article, BED criteria are reviewed and guidelines for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are offered. A case study is also provided to illustrate the application of BED utilizing best practices.

Virginia Commonwealth University Courses [2016], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2016-2017 year.

Optimization Of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides Based Field- Effect- Transistors Via Contact Engineering, Meeghage Madusanka Perera

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Optimization of Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides based Field- Effect-Transistors via contact engineering

by

Meeghage M Perera

September , 2016

Advisor : Dr. Zhixian Zhou

Major: Physics (Condensed mater physics/nano-electronics)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Layered transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDs) have demonstrated a wide range of remarkable properties for applications in next generation nano-electronics. These systems have displayed many “graphene-like” properties including a relatively high carrier mobility, mechanical flexibility, chemical and thermal stability, and moreover offer the significant advantage of a substantial band gap. However, the fabrication of high performance field-effect transistors (FETs) of TMDs is challenging mainly due to the formation of …

How Does High Intensity Interval Exercise Affect Fat Loss?, Melissa Grohman

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

US survey trends show that since the 1970’s there has been a decline in energy intake, (consumption of food) and a rise in the prevalence of obesity. This suggests that there must have been a dramatic decrease in total energy expenditure. Energy expenditure is the sum of energy (or calories) the body needs to carry out physical functions such as breathing and digestion, as well as the energy used in physical activity. As the rate of obesity in the US increases, it is becoming more and more important to find ways to increase energy expenditure, specifically through physical activity. Physical …