Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting The Development Of Ecoliteracy In Middle School Students Through The Use Of Phenology, Amy Hamernick

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question for this project was, how does knowledge of local phenology impact the development of ecoliteracy?It documents a science teacher’s development of a unit of lesson plans, and an accompanying website, to develop observation skills and strategies that will allow students to collect data in their local ecosystem. Phenology, the study and documentation of natural systems over time, is supported by the understanding of observation skills, use of field identification guides, and formats for recording and sharing data which are developed through the lesson plans. The website provides details for two observation sites, models how to collect and …

Snow Science: Curricular Units For High School Outdoor Winter Inquiry, Elizabeth Wagner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Winter is typically viewed as a “dead” season in the midwestern United States, where temperatures are often below freezing and snow blankets the ground for much of the year. Teachers cite weather as a barrier to meeting proposed curriculum standards and point to cold climate as a barrier to outdoor learning. Outdoor education provides many social and emotional benefits to students. When we consider these benefits, we must ask ourselves why we allow the learning opportunities of winter to be wasted. One reason that few high school classrooms venture outside in the snow is due to the lack of lesson …

A Lesson Unit On Aurally Differentiating Between The Phonologies Of English & Arabic: /P/ And /B/, Iten Ezz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project analyzes one of the common English pronunciation errors experienced by Arab learners of English which is /p/ and /b/. Such error is systematic, not accidental. The most important factors leading to this error are the interference of the first language and the difference in the sound systems between Arabic and English. A specific curriculum was developed to help Arab learners of English overcome their pronunciation error. The curriculum started with controlled activities, then practiced in authentic speech using interactive learning activities to ensure learners exposure to the target sounds.

The Psychological Science Accelerator: Advancing Psychology Through A Distributed Collaborative Network, Hannah Moshontz, Lorne Campbell, Charles R. Ebersole, Hans Ijzerman, Heather L. Urry, Patrick S. Forscher, Jon E. Grahe, Randy J. Mccarthy, Erica D. Musser, Jan Antfolk

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concerns have been growing about the veracity of psychological research. Many findings in psychological science are based on studies with insufficient statistical power and nonrepresentative samples, or may otherwise be limited to specific, ungeneralizable settings or populations. Crowdsourced research, a type of large-scale collaboration in which one or more research projects are conducted across multiple lab sites, offers a pragmatic solution to these and other current methodological challenges. The Psychological Science Accelerator (PSA) is a distributed network of laboratories designed to enable and support crowdsourced research projects. These projects can focus on novel research questions, or attempt to replicate prior …

Upregulation Of Pdl1 Expression By Resveratrol And Piceatannol In Breast And Colorectal Cancer Cells Occurs Via Hdac3/P300-Mediated Nfkappab Signaling, Justin Lucas, Tze-Chen Hsieh, Dorota Halicka, Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz, Joseph M. Wu

NYMC Faculty Publications

Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PDL1) expressed in cancer cells interacting with its receptor programmed cell death 1 (PD1) expressed in immune cells represents a regulatory axis linked to the suppression and evasion of host immune functions. The blockade of PD1/PDL1 interaction using monoclonal antibodies has emerged as an effective therapy for several solid tumors; however, durable response has been observed in a subset of patients with PDL1-positive tumors. Thus, the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the expression of PDL1 in tumor cells may help to improve the response to PDL1 blockade therapies. In this study, we investigated whether …

Ethanol Enhances Estrogen Mediated Angiogenesis In Breast Cancer, Rachana Maniyar, Sanjukta Chakraborty, Robert Suriano

NYMC Faculty Publications

Angiogenesis, a highly regulated process, is exploited by tumors like breast cancer to ensure a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients and is key for tumor survival and progression. Estrogen and alcohol independently have been observed to contribute to angiogenesis in breast cancer but their combinatorial effects have never been evaluated. The exact mechanism by which estrogen and alcohol contribute to breast cancer angiogenesis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we defined the in vitro effects of the combination of estrogen and alcohol in breast cancer angiogenesis using the tubulogenesis and scratch wound assays. Conditioned media, generated by culturing …

Sexually Dimorphic Regulation Of Eet Synthesis And Metabolism: Roles Of Estrogen, An Huang, Dong Sun

NYMC Faculty Publications

Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are metabolites of arachidonic acid via cytochrome P450 (CYP)/epoxygenase and are hydrolyzed by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). Circulating and tissue levels of EETs are controlled by CYP (EET synthesis) and sEH (EET degradation). Therefore, both increases in CYP activity and decreases in sEH expression potentiate EET bioavailability, responses that prevail in the female sex as a function of estrogen. This mini review, based on subtitles listed, briefly summarizes studies focusing specifically on (1) female-specific potentiation of CYP/epoxygenase activity to compensate for the endothelial dysfunction; and (2) estrogen-dependent downregulation of sEH expression, which yields divergent actions in both …

Farewell To The Felonry, Alice Ristroph

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Testing Ecological Theory With Lianas, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Lianas constitute a diverse polyphyletic plant group that is advancing our understanding of ecological theory. Specifically, lianas are providing new insights into the mechanisms that control plant distribution and diversity maintenance. For example, there is now evidence that a single, scalable mechanism may explain local, regional, and pan‐tropical distribution of lianas, as well as the maintenance of liana species diversity. The ability to outcompete trees under dry, stressful conditions in seasonal forests provides lianas a growth advantage that, over time, results in relatively high abundance in seasonal forests and low abundance in aseasonal forests. Lianas may also gain a similar …

Thrombospondin Receptor Α2Δ-1 Promotes Synaptogenesis And Spinogenesis Via Postsynaptic Rac1, W. Chris Risher, Namsoo Kim, Sehwon Koh, Ji‑Eun Cho, Petar Mitev, Erin F. Spence, Louis‑Jan Pilaz, Dongqing Wang, Guoping Feng, Debra L. Silver, Scott H. Soderling, Henry H. Yin, Cagla Eroglu

Biomedical Sciences

Astrocytes control excitatory synaptogenesis by secreting thrombospondins (TSPs), which function via their neuronal receptor, the calcium channel subunit α2δ-1. α2δ-1 is a drug target for epilepsy and neuropathic pain; thus the TSP–α2δ-1 interaction is implicated in both synaptic development and disease pathogenesis. However, the mechanism by which this interaction promotes synaptogenesis and the requirement for α2δ-1 for connectivity of the developing mammalian brain are unknown. In this study, we show that global or cell-specific loss of α2δ-1 yields profound deficits in excitatory synapse numbers, ultrastructure, and activity and severely stunts spinogenesis in the mouse cortex. Postsynaptic but not presynaptic α2δ-1 …

The Southeastern Librarian V 66 No. 3 (Fall 2018) Complete Issue

The Southeastern Librarian

No abstract provided.

Characterizing Diatom Biofilms And Their Influence On The Sand Biogeochemistry Of High Energy Beaches, Logan C. Jarrell

Honors Theses

High energy beaches are among the most dynamic ecological settings on Earth. Compared to mudflats, diatoms of high energy beaches have been more neglected in the literature, particularly true of the intertidal biofilms that form and dissipate with nutrient cycling and light intensity over the tidal cycle. Although short lived, the productivity of these biofilms may be critical to the organic-poor sand. Through sediment coring and subsequent analyses of the uppermost sand of three suspected biofilm stations—non-runnel, runnel crest, and runnel trough—along with seemingly bare sand as a control, this study sought to verify the presence of diatom biofilms and …

The Effectiveness Of Journals As Arbiters Of Scientific Impact, C. E. Timothy Paine, Charles W. Fox

Entomology Faculty Publications

Academic publishers purport to be arbiters of knowledge, aiming to publish studies that advance the frontiers of their research domain. Yet the effectiveness of journal editors at identifying novel and important research is generally unknown, in part because of the confidential nature of the editorial and peer review process. Using questionnaires, we evaluated the degree to which journals are effective arbiters of scientific impact on the domain of Ecology, quantified by three key criteria. First, journals discriminated against low‐impact manuscripts: The probability of rejection increased as the number of citations gained by the published paper decreased. Second, journals were more …

The Divine Comedy At Corinth: Paul, Menander And The Rhetoric Of Resurrection, Michael B. Cover

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

This article asks how the New Comedy of Menander might have influenced Paul's theological rhetoric in 1 Cor 5–15. An intertextual reading of Paul's letter against the backdrop of Menander's Samia reveals a number of shared topics, ethical concerns and dramatic characteristics. Paul's citation of Menander's Thais in 1 Cor 15.33 is part of this larger strategy to frame the struggles in Corinth within the ambit of Greek household ‘situation comedy’. Like Menander, Paul hybridises tragic and comic motifs throughout his epistle, inflecting the comedy of the Christ narrative with tragic examples of human misapprehension in this plea for ecclesial …

Developmental Variation In Fruit Polyphenol Content And Related Gene Expression Of A Red-Fruited Versus A White-Fruited Fragraria Vesca Genotype, Sutapa Roy, Sanjay Singh, Douglas D. Archbold

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Two cultivars of F. vesca, red-fruited Baron Solemacher (BS) and white-fruited Pineapple Crush (PC), were studied to compare and contrast the quantitative accumulation of major polyphenols and related biosynthetic pathway gene expression patterns during fruit development and ripening. Developing PC fruit showed higher levels of hydroxycinnamic acids in green stages and a greater accumulation of ellagitannins in ripe fruit in comparison to BS. In addition to anthocyanin, red BS fruit had greater levels of flavan-3-ols when ripe than PC. Expression patterns of key structural genes and transcription factors of the phenylpropanoid/flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, an abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthetic gene, …

Focus, 2018, Fall, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

St. Norbert College Magazine Fall/Winter 2018, St. Norbert College

St. Norbert College Magazine 2013-2018

The home page of Fall/Winter 2018 St. Norbert College Magazine.

Accountable Care Organization Attribution Methods, Jay Knowlton

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have grown rapidly in recent years as an organizational vehicle to support high quality care at a sustainable cost. ACOs function by holding providers financially accountable on measures of quality and cost for respective patient populations. Patient populations are defined via attribution methods that identify patient-provider relationships via service encounter history or attestation. There are hundreds of variations to attribution methods documented in the literature, some resulting in up to fifty percent different patient populations (for the same providers over the same time period) depending on methods. As a result, the quality and cost measure performance …

Count The Uncountable: The Impact Of Population Density On The Landscape Of Haiti, Jarvis Thanex Louis

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

An understanding of population density is essential to addressing environmental issues in Haiti. Decades of significant political, economic, environmental, and social challenges have influenced both population density and the landscape of the country. Additionally, lack of consistent and reliable census data poses great challenges to tracking population growth in Haiti. Data from the US Census Bureau and USGS Global Visualization Viewer satellite images were used to analyze the impact of population density on Haiti’s landscape. A comparison of Haiti’s population density in 2007 and 2018 using remote sensing analyses offers insight into the landscape of the country. The images illustrate …

Thermochemistry: Heat Of Neutralization And Hess’S Law [Chemistry], Kevin Mark, Phil Mercier, Janet Gonzalez, Burl Yearwood

Open Educational Resources

The General Chemistry 1 (SCC 201) course has been designated for the core competency of Inquiry and Problem Solving along with the Written Communication Ability. These abilities are best observed in the laboratory section of the course where SCC 201 students are asked to submit weekly written lab reports that range in chemistry topics from chemical structures to the chemical analysis of polluted environments. SCC 201 will be implementing a new experiment in the laboratory portion of the course entitled, “Thermochemistry: Heat of Neutralization and Hess’s Law.” The design of the experiment incorporates many elements of LaGCC’s Core Competencies and …

Air Pollution [Liberal Arts: Math And Science/Natural Science], Ian Alberts

Open Educational Resources

This assignment was designed for students in the pathways introductory chemistry class and the first year seminar and aligns with the Inquiry and Problem Solving core competency. In this context, there is a focus on “framing the issues” (identifies and/or addresses questions and problems), “evidence gathering” (assembles, reviews and synthesizes evidence from several diverse sources), “evidence” (analyze the data to address the questions posed) and “conclusions” (critical thinking, reflect on the outcomes, draw conclusions and generate new knowledge). There is also a Global Learning component based on comparing data collected locally with corresponding data from other locations or countries. The …

2018-2019 Spring Bulletin, University Of Mississippi Medical Center

Bulletins/Catalogs

2018-2019 Spring Bulletin

Exploring Optimal Sequencing Of Radiation And Immunotherapy Combinations., Andrew J Gunderson, Kristina H Young

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to assemble, review, and provide a synopsis of the historical and current literature regarding optimal sequencing of radiation (RT) and immunotherapy combination treatments.

Materials and methods: A review of the literature was performed using PubMed with the query "radiation" and "Immunotherapy", "PD1", "PDL1", "CTLA4", "OX40", "checkpoint", "vaccine", "macrophage", "STING", and "TGFbeta". Studies that included sequencing of therapy were evaluated and the studies were included at the authors discretion.

Results: A paucity of primary literature exists examining the best order of radiation and immunotherapy, most of which was performed in the pre-clinical setting. The …

Metagenomics Reveal Triclosan-Induced Changes In The Antibiotic Resistome Of Anaerobic Digesters, M. Fujimoto, Daniel Elliott Carey, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Triclosan (TCS) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial used in a variety of consumer products. While it was recently banned from hand soaps in the US, it is still a key ingredient in a top-selling toothpaste. TCS is a hydrophobic micropollutant that is recalcitrant under anaerobic digestion thereby resulting in high TCS concentrations in biosolids. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of TCS on the antibiotic resistome and potential cross-protection in lab-scale anaerobic digesters using shotgun metagenomics. It was hypothesized that metagenomics would reveal selection for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) not previously found in pure culture studies or …

An Environmental Science And Engineering Framework For Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, Amy Pruden, Reinaldo E. Alcalde, Pedro J.J. Alvarez, Nicholas Ashbolt, Heather Bischel, Natalie L. Capiro, Emily Crossette, Dominic Frigon, Kassandra Grimes, Charles N. Haas, Kaoru Ikuma, Anthony D. Kappell, Timothy M. Lapara, Lee K. Kimbell, Mengyan Li, Xu Li, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Youngwoo Seo, Mark D. Sobsey, Emanuele Sozzi, Tala Navab-Daneshmand, Lutgarde Raskin, Maria Virginia Riquelme, Peter Vikesland, Krista Wigginton, Zhi Zhou

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

On June 20, 2017, members of the environmental engineering and science (EES) community convened at the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Biennial Conference for a workshop on antimicrobial resistance. With over 80 registered participants, discussion groups focused on the following topics: risk assessment, monitoring, wastewater treatment, agricultural systems, and synergies. In this study, we summarize the consensus among the workshop participants regarding the role of the EES community in understanding and mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance via environmental pathways. Environmental scientists and engineers offer a unique and interdisciplinary perspective and expertise needed for engaging with other …

Accounting For Landscape Heterogeneity Improves Spatial Predictions Of Tree Vulnerability To Drought, Amanda M. Schwantes, Anthony J. Parolari, Jennifer J. Swenson, Daniel M. Johnson, Jean-Christopher Domec, Robert B. Jackson, Norman F. Pelak, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

As climate change continues, forest vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves is increasing, but vulnerability varies regionally and locally through landscape position. Also, most models used in forecasting forest responses to heat and drought do not incorporate relevant spatial processes.

In order to improve spatial predictions of tree vulnerability, we employed a nonlinear stochastic model of soil moisture dynamics accounting for landscape differences in aspect, topography and soils. Across a watershed in central Texas we modeled dynamic water stress for a dominant tree species, Juniperus ashei, and projected future dynamic water stress through the 21^st century.

Modeled dynamic water …

Movement Activities For Classroom Teachers, David Fischlowitz

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project examines the connections between students’ use of various digital media, accompanying sedentary behavior, and the associated detrimental effects. Research has shown that excessive screen time and sedentary behavior can have a range of negative impacts on student development and progress. In a qualitative research method, the literature review shows physical activity as a mitigating factor to the negative effects of excessive screen time. This project grew from the research question: how can teachers use part of their instructional time in movement activities in order to improve student performance? Based on research that is beginning to suggest learning-skill …

The Evidence Of Things Unseen: Experimental Form As Black Feminist Praxis, Shelly J. Eversley

Publications and Research

This essay reads Carlene Hatcher Polite's little-known experimental novel Sister X and the Victims of Foul Play and situates it within Black Aesthetics and black feminist theory to argue that experimental forms is crucial to black feminist praxis. The form also exposes critical violences that not only diminish and obscure black feminist writing, but also black women writers.

Book Reviews

New Mexico Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Methodologies Of Using Colorimetry To Detect Low Concentrations Of Bromide As A Hydrologic Tracer, Emily Wolf

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

The objective of this research was to compare colorimetric methods for measuring low concentrations of bromide in natural waters. The bromide ion has long been used as a tracer to study hydrodynamic processes and properties. Its conservative nature makes it ideal as a tracer. Bromide is almost entirely immune to loss from a solution via adsorption on rocks and sediments, or reaction with other solutes present in the water. Using three methodologies to use colorimetry in the detection of bromide, I analyzed samples taken from the Gila River, Jemez Creek, and the Rio Grande after injections of sodium bromide were …