Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Prototyping Of A Shape-Changing Rigid-Body Human Foot In Gait, Tanner N. Rolfe

Honors Theses

Traditional ankle-foot prostheses often replicate the physiological change in shape of the foot during gait via compliant mechanisms. In comparison, rigid-body feet tend to be simplistic and largely incapable of accurately representing the geometry of the human foot. Multi-segment rigid-body devices offer certain advantages over compliant mechanisms which may be desirable in the design of ankle-foot devices, including the ability to withstand greater loading, the ability to achieve more drastic shape-change, and the ability to be synthesized from their kinematics, allowing for realistic functionality without prior accounting of the complex internal kinetics of the foot. This work focuses on applying …

Istl9413 Lecture On Discovery Services, Athena Hoeppner

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Invited lecture for ISTL9413 Management of Elecronic Resources, taught by Instructor Chris LeBeau. Given each November 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Inhibits Trigeminal Nociception In A Rodent Model Of Episodic Migraine, Jordan L. Hawkins, Lauren E. Cornelison, Brian A. Blankenship, Paul L. Durham

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

Introduction: Although neck muscle tension is considered a risk factor for migraine, pungent odors can act as a trigger to initiate an attack in sensitized individuals. Although noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) is now an approved treatment for chronic migraine, how it functions to inhibit trigeminal nociception in an episodic migraine model is not known. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine if nVNS could inhibit trigeminal nociception in a novel model of episodic migraine and investigate changes in the expression of proteins implicated in peripheral and central sensitization. Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats were injected with an inflammatory …

Triplets Inducted Into Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Christina Steube

University of Mississippi News

Juniors Ann Weston, Katherine and Will Sistrunk each earned the honor

Evaluating Climate Change Adaptation Mechanisms In Fisheries Management Laws And Regulations, Marine Affairs Institute, Roger Williams University School Of Law, Logan Pearce, Joseph Bingaman

Sea Grant Law Fellow Publications

No abstract provided.

Dual Roles Of Fer Kinase Are Required For Proper Hematopoiesis And Vascular Endothelium Organization During Zebrafish Development, Aaron P. Putzke, Emily M. Dunn, Elizabeth J. Billquist, Amy L. Vanderstoep, Phillip G. Bax, Laura M. Westrate, Lisa K. Mclellan, Shelby C. Peterson, Jeffrey P. Mackeigan

Biology Faculty Scholarship

Fer kinase, a protein involved in the regulation of cell-cell adhesion and proliferation, has been shown to be required during invertebrate development and has been implicated in leukemia, gastric cancer, and liver cancer. However, in vivo roles for Fer during vertebrate development have remained elusive. In this study, we bridge the gap between the invertebrate and vertebrate realms by showing that Fer kinase is required during zebrafish embryogenesis for normal hematopoiesis and vascular organization with distinct kinase dependent and independent functions. In situ hybridization, quantitative PCR and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) analyses revealed an increase in both erythrocyte numbers …

A Communal Catalogue Reveals Earth's Multiscale Microbial Diversity, Luke R. Thompson, Jon G. Sanders, Daniel Mcdonald, Amnon Amir, Joshua Ladau, Kenneth J. Locey, Robert J. Prill, Anupriya Tripathi, Sean M. Gibbons, Gail Ackermann, Jose A. Navas-Molina, Stefan Janssen, Evguenia Kopylova, Yoshiki Vazquez-Baeza, Antonio Gonzalez, James T. Morton, Siavash Mirarab, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Lingjing Jiang, Mohamed F. Haroon, Jad Kanbar, Qiyun Zhu, Se Jin Song, Tomasz Kosciolek, Nicholas A. Bokulich, Joshua Lefler, Colin J. Brislawn, Gregory Humphrey, Sarah M. Owens, Jarrad Hampton-Marcell, Donna Berg-Lyons, Valerie Mckenzie, Noah Fierer, Jed A. Fuhrman, Aaron Clauset, Rick L. Stevens, Ashley Shade, Katherine S. Pollard, Kelly D. Goodwin, Janet K. Jansson, Jack A. Gilbert, Rob Knight, The Earth Microbiome Project Consortium

Faculty Publications

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple …

Improving The Baculovirus Expression Vector System With Vankyrin-Enhanced Technology, Kendra H. Steele, Barbara J. Stone, Kathleen M. Franklin, Angelika Fath-Goodin, Xiufeng Zhang, Haobo Jiang, Bruce A. Webb, Christoph Geisler

Entomology Faculty Publications

The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is a widely used platform for the production of recombinant eukaryotic proteins. However, the BEVS has limitations in comparison to other higher eukaryotic expression systems. First, the insect cell lines used in the BEVS cannot produce glycoproteins with complex‐type N‐glycosylation patterns. Second, protein production is limited as cells die and lyse in response to baculovirus infection. To delay cell death and lysis, we transformed several insect cell lines with an expression plasmid harboring a vankyrin gene (P‐vank‐1), which encodes an anti‐apoptotic protein. Specifically, we transformed Sf9 cells, Trichoplusia ni High Five …

The Experiences Of African American Pastors Treating Mental Health Issues Among Parishioners In The State Of Texas, Rosalind S. Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to learn the practices, attitudes, and self-described competency of a sample of 12 African American pastors, with churches located in Texas, as they counsel their parishioners with mental health issues. Pastoral counseling formed the theoretical framework for the study. The researcher asked each pastor eight open-ended questions, inquiring about the pastor's experiences, practices, attitudes, and training in regard to dealing with their parishioners' mental health issues. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and qualitative methods were used to analyze the responses to determine themes in the pastors' responses.

A total of 10 themes …

Education And Government In The Eyes Of A Confucian Scholar In Modern China, Payton Jay Dison, Fred Smithberg, Michael Chase Freeman, Brian Lee

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

About the Author

Payton Jay Dison hails from Henry County, Georgia and is currently pursuing a B.A. in English with a focus on professional communication. He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and interested in video games, soccer, and studying other languages. Fred Smithberg is a retired military officer and commercial pilot, currently participating in Armstrong's Over Sixtytwo Program. Michael Chase Freeman is graduating with honors from Armstrong University with a B.A. in Liberal studies with a focus in History and minors in anthropology and biology. His focus is in archaeology and physical anthropology with an interest …

Thinking About The Trans-Pacific Partnership (And A Mega-Regional Agreement On Life Support), Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Commissioned for a conference on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) at VNU University of Economics & Law in Vietnam, this article provides a retrospective analysis of the partnership. It begins with a historical overview of the TPP. The article then examines the partnership’s status in light of the United States' withdrawal and contends that the TPP will exert considerable influence regardless of whether it is dead or alive.

The second half of this article identifies three interrelated but distinct aspects of the TPP: (1) as a TRIPS-plus intellectual property agreement; (2) as a regional investment agreement; and (3) as a plurilateral …

Incremental Contributions Of Fbaa And Other Impetigo-Associated Surface Proteins To Fitness And Virulence Of A Classical Group A Streptococcal Skin Strain, C Rouchon, A Ly, J Noto, F Luo, S Lizano, Debra Bessen

NYMC Faculty Publications

Group A streptococci (GAS) are highly prevalent human pathogens whose primary ecological niche is the superficial epithelial layers of the throat and/or skin. Many GAS strains having a strong tendency to cause pharyngitis are distinct from strains that tend to cause impetigo; thus, genetic differences between them may confer host tissue-specific virulence. In this study, the FbaA surface protein gene is found to be present in most skin specialist strains, but largely absent from a genetically-related subset of pharyngitis isolates. Using an DeltafbaA mutant constructed in the impetigo strain Alab49, loss of FbaA resulted in a slight but significant decrease …

Screen Violence And Youth Behavior, Craig Anderson, Brad J. Bushman, Bruce D. Bartholow, Joanne Cantor, Dimitri Christakis, Sarah Coyne, Edward Dnonnerstein, Jeanne Funk Brockmyer, Douglas A. Gentile, C. Shawn Green, Rowell Huesmann, Tom Hummer, Barbara Krahé, Victor C. Strasburger, Wayne Warburton, Barbara J. Wilson, Michelle Ybarra

Faculty Publications

Violence in screen entertainment media (ie, television, film, video games, and the Internet), defined as depictions of characters (or players) trying to physically harm other characters (or players), is ubiquitous. The Workgroup on Media Violence and Violent Video Games reviewed numerous meta-analyses and other relevant research from the past 60 years, with an emphasis on violent video game research. Consistent with every major science organization review, the Workgroup found compelling evidence of short-term harmful effects, as well as evidence of long-term harmful effects. The vast majority of laboratory-based experimental studies have revealed that violent media exposure causes increased aggressive thoughts, …

Combating Subclonal Evolution Of Resistant Cancer Phenotypes, Samuel W. Brady, Jasmine A. Mcquerry, Yi Qiao, Stephen Piccolo, Gajendra Shrestha, David F. Jenkins, Ryan M. Layer, Brent S. Pedersen, Ryan H. Miller, Amanda Esch, Sara R. Selitsky, Joel S. Parker, Layla A. Anderson, Brian K. Dalley, Rachel E. Factor, Chakravarthy B. Reddy, Jonathan P. Boltax, Dean Li, Philip J. Moos, Joe W. Gray, Laura M. Heiser, Saundra S. Buys, Adam L. Cohen, W. Evan Johnson, Aaron R. Quinlan, Gabor Marth, Theresa L. Werner, Andrea H. Bild

Faculty Publications

Metastatic breast cancer remains challenging to treat, and most patients ultimately progress on therapy. This acquired drug resistance is largely due to drug-refractory sub-populations (subclones) within heterogeneous tumors. Here, we track the genetic and phenotypic subclonal evolution of four breast cancers through years of treatment to better understand how breast cancers become drug-resistant. Recurrently appearing post-chemotherapy mutations are rare. However, bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing reveal acquisition of malignant phenotypes after treatment, including enhanced mesenchymal and growth factor signaling, which may promote drug resistance, and decreased antigen presentation and TNF-α signaling, which may enable immune system avoidance. Some of these …

Improper Delegation Of Judicial Authority In Child Custody Cases: Finally Overturned, Dale Margolin Cecka

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Eggshells As Hosts Of Bacterial Communities: An Experimental Test Of The Antimicrobial Egg Coloration Hypothesis, Donald C. Dearborn, Symmantha M. Page, Miri Dainson, Mark E. Hauber, Daniel Hanley

All Faculty Scholarship

Oviparous animals have evolved multiple defenses to prevent microbes from penetrating their eggs and causing embryo mortality. In birds, egg constituents such as lysozyme and antibodies defend against microbial infestation, but eggshell pigments might also impact survival of bacteria. If so, microbes could exert an important selective pressure on the evolution of eggshell coloration. In a previous lab experiment, eggshell protoporphyrin caused drastic mortality in cultures of Gram positive, but not Gram negative, bacteria when exposed to light. Here, we test this “photodynamic antimicrobial hypothesis” in a field experiment. In a paired experimental design, we placed sanitized brown, protoporphyrin-rich chicken …

Connect The Dots: Patents And Interdisciplinarity, Michal Shur-Ofry

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This Article unravels a troubling paradox in the ecosystem of innovation. Interdisciplinarity is widely recognized as a source of valuable innovation and a trigger for technological breakthroughs. Yet, patent law, a principal legal tool for promoting innovation, fails to acknowledge it in an explicit, consistent manner. Moreover, although the scientific understanding of the significance of interdisciplinarity for innovation increasingly relies on big data analyses of patent databases, patent law practically ignores patent data as a source of information about interdisciplinary innovation. This Article argues that patent law should connect the dots—explicitly recognize interdisciplinarity as a positive indication when deciding whether …

Here Comes Santa Clause, Carrigan Price

USU Student Folklore Fieldwork

My grandpa, on my mom’s side again, when we’re all together- which is most years- umm, he always dresses up as Santa Clause. Ever since I was, like, really little I remember him dressing up as Santa, and he comes in with this big red bag with presents for all of the cousins and it’s fun.

Sexual/Textual Politics In The Women Of Ophelia A. Dimalanta’S Poems, Ma. Socorro Q. Perez

English Faculty Publications

The study attempts to show that while Ophelia A. Dimalanta’s excellent New Critical training and education have rendered her a quintessential poet conscious of form, technique, and craftsmanship, which in turn, has been foregrounded by her equally New Critical-trained colleagues, this New Critical tradition has limited the study of her oeuvre to artistic structure and form, glossing over myriad concerns that the poems may have. The present study, in turn, has recuperated form, technique, and genre to encode the feminism that undergirds her poetic vision. Foregrounding Dimalanta’s vision enfleshed in art, the study recuperates the sexual/textual politics in Dimalanta’s Lady …

Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species In Lipotoxic Hearts Induces Post-Translational Modifications Of Akap121, Drp1 And Opa1 That Promote Mitochondrial Fission, Kensuke Tsushima, Heiko Bugger, Adam R. Wende, Jamie Soto, Gregory A. Jenson, Austin R. Tor, Rose Mcglauflin, Helena C. Kenny, Yuan Zhang, Rhonda Souvenir, Xiao X. Hu, Crystal L. Sloan, Renata O. Pereira, Vitor A. Lira, Kenneth W. Spitzer, Terry L. Sharp, Kooresh I. Shoghi, Genevieve C. Sparagna, Eva A. Rog-Zielinska, Peter Kohl, Oleh Khalimonchuk, Jean E. Schaffer, E. Dale Abel

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Cardiac lipotoxicity, characterized by increased uptake, oxidation and accumulation of lipid intermediates, contributes to cardiac dysfunction in obesity and diabetes. However, mechanisms linking lipid overload and mitochondrial dysfunction are incompletely understood.

Objective: To elucidate the mechanisms for mitochondrial adaptations to lipid overload in postnatal hearts in vivo.

Methods and Results: Using a transgenic mouse model of cardiac lipotoxicity overexpressing long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 1 in cardiomyocytes, we show that modestly increased myocardial fatty acid uptake leads to mitochondrial structural remodeling with significant reduction in minimum diameter. This is associated with increased palmitoyl-carnitine oxidation and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation …

Renal Scar Formation And Kidney Function Following Antibiotic-Treated Murine Pyelonephritis., Patrick D. Olson, Lisa K. Mclellan, Alice Liu, Kelleigh L. Briden, Kristin M. Tiemann, Allyssa L. Daugherty, Keith A. Hruska, David A. Hunstad

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

We present a new preclinical model to study treatment, resolution and sequelae of severe ascending pyelonephritis. Urinary tract infection (UTI), primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), is a common disease in children. Severe pyelonephritis is the primary cause of acquired renal scarring in childhood, which may eventually lead to hypertension and chronic kidney disease in a small but important fraction of patients. Preclinical modeling of UTI utilizes almost exclusively females, which (in most mouse strains) exhibit inherent resistance to severe ascending kidney infection; consequently, no existing preclinical model has assessed the consequences of recovery from pyelonephritis following antibiotic treatment. …

Spectrophotometric Analysis Of Thrombolytic Activity: Sata Assay, Masumeh Zamanlu, Morteza Eskandani, Reza Mohammadian, Nazila Entekhabi, Mohammad Rafi, Mehdi Farhoudi

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Introduction: Measurement of thrombolytic activity i.e. clot lysis is crucial for research and development of novel thrombolytics. It is also a key factor in assessment of the effectiveness of conventionally used thrombolytic agents in the clinic, which are the choice effective therapies for myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Previous methods used for the assessment of thrombolytic activity are often associated with some drawbacks such as being costly, time-consuming, complication and low accuracy. Here, we introduce a simple, economic, relatively accurate and fast method of spectrophotometric analysis of thrombolytic activity (SATA) assay, standardized by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which can quantitatively …

The Educational Experiences Of Biracial Students As Seen Through The Eyes Of Their Parents, Sandra Washington

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the issues and challenges biracial children and their parents face as they navigate through the U.S. K–12 school system while developing a firm sense of self and racial identity. This issue is important because of the growing number of biracial children in the U.S. today. “Among American children, the multiracial population has increased almost 50 percent, to 4.2 million, since 2000, making it the fastest growing youth group in the country” (Saulny, 2011, p. A3). Three couples, one single father, and one mother were interviewed about their experiences …

Incorporation Of Catalytic Modalities For Forming Of A Catalytic Cascade, Albert T. Perry Iii

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

This dissertation investigates the novel incorporation of inorganic and enzymatic catalysts. There is little literature on inorganic catalysts operating at biologically relevant pHs and as such a significant amount of this dissertation focuses on determination of catalyst activity. Mn amino-anitpyrene (MnAAPyr), Pt, Pt alloys, Mn-N-C and Pd catalysts on 3D graphene supports(3D-GNS), were explored for activity towards glycerol intermediates: oxalic acid, mesoxalic acid, glyoxalic acid, and formic acid. MnAAPyr was designed to mimic the reaction center of oxalate decarboxylase and oxalate oxidaze, the natural catalyst towards oxalic acid. It showed high activity towards oxalic acid, with onset potentials of 0.714±0.002V …

Plasma Cell Survival In The Absence Of B Cell Memory, Erika Hammarlund, Archana Thomas, Ian J. Amanna, Lindsay Holden, Ov D. Slayden, Byung S. Park, Lina Gao, Mark K. Slifka

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pre-existing serum antibodies play an important role in vaccine-mediated protection against infection but the underlying mechanisms of immune memory are unclear. Clinical studies indicate that antigen-specific antibody responses can be maintained for many years, leading to theories that reactivation/differentiation of memory B cells into plasma cells is required to sustain long-term antibody production. Here, we present a decade-long study in which we demonstrate site-specific survival of bone marrow-derived plasma cells and durable antibody responses to multiple virus and vaccine antigens in rhesus macaques for years after sustained memory B cell depletion. Moreover, BrdU+ cells with plasma cell morphology can be …

Association Of Vitamin D Binding Protein Polymorphism With Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In A Pakistani Urban Population: A Case Control Study, Khalida Iqbal, Najmul Islam, Iqbal Azam, Ali Asghar, Naseema Mehboobali, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To assess if genotypes/diplotypes of vitamin D binding protein have any association with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted from January 2013 to July 2015 at the endocrinology clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised adult patients with type 2 diabetes and their age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Venous blood was obtained and assessed for serum/plasma 25 hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, calcium, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine. Deoxyribonucleic acid was isolated and genotyping was done by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphismprocedures.
Results: Of the 330 participants, there were 165(50%) …

Investigation Of Physical And Chemical Characteristics Of Soils From High, Moderate, Low And Unburned Severity Areas Following The 2011 Las Conchas Fire, Amanda A. Otieno

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Soils play an essential role in ecosystem health as they are the medium for terrestrial and aquatic life. Soils can be drastically altered by wildfire as seen in the Jemez River watershed following the 2011 Las Conchas fire which burned over 31,800 acres. The aim of this research is twofold: 1) to characterize the effects of fire on the cation and anion composition in soil by burn severity following the 2011 Las Conchas wildfire and 2) to assess the leaching capacity of nitrate (NO₃^-), phosphate (PO₄^3-)_, sulfate ₍SO₄^2-), aluminum …

Resilience Of Honeybee Colonies Via Common Stomach: A Model Of Self-Regulation Of Foraging, Thomas Schmickl, Istvan Karsai

ETSU Faculty Works

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. We propose a new regulation mechanism based on the idea of the “common stomach” to explain several aspects of the resilience and homeostatic regulation of honeybee colonies. This mechanism exploits shared pools of substances (pollen, nectar, workers, brood) that modulate recruitment, abandonment and allocation patterns at the colony-level and enable bees to perform several survival strategies to cope with difficult circumstances: Lack of proteins leads to …

Optimizing Monitoring Efforts Of Kit Fox (Vulpes Macrotis) In Utah, Kelsey Alina Richards

Theses and Dissertations

The kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) is a species of conservation concern in western North America. Recent methods for monitoring populations of kit fox include using lures and remote cameras in an occupancy-modeling framework and habitat modeling to predict areas of occupancy. In chapter one, we tested the optimal lure and movement procedure for scent stations to maximize visits and detection of foxes, thereby improving estimates of occupancy. Between May 2015 and October 2016, we placed remote cameras at 522 random locations throughout nine study areas in the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin Desert, and Mojave Desert. Each location was …

Can Avicenna Help Manage The Diabetes Epidemic In Central Asia?, Mizhgona Sharofova, Yusuf Nuraliev, Parviz Sukhrobov, Shoista Sagdieva, Vyacheslav Dushenkov

Publications and Research

Objectives: The fast-rising rate of diabetes incidents is a growing concern in Central Asian countries. This article reviews the current understanding of type 2 diabetes etiology, progression and treatment options along with opportunities for utilizing Avicenna’s legacy in developing novel botanical therapeutics. Methods: Analysis of relevant publications, including a variety of Avicenna’s work in Arabic, English and Russian. Results: With conventional treatment strategy shifting from single-component drugs aimed at one target to multitherapeutic combinations addressing the complex nature of many diseases and conditions, the role of multicomponent botanical preparations may increase. Diabetes mellitus is a serious chronic, progressive disease characterized …