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Hbot + Stem Cells In Near Fatal Congenital Cardiomyopathy And Some Other Intractable Disorders, Arun Mukherjee, Vinod Sharma, Mehnaz Atiq, Indrajit N. Roy, Meena Gupta

International Symposium for Hyperbaric Medicine

No abstract provided.

“Bring In The Kids!”: The Experience Of An Academic Library/Elementary School Partnership, Molly Wolf

Colloquium on Libraries & Service Learning

Stetser Elementary School is a K-5 school in Chester, PA with approximately 300 students and no library. The Wolfgram Memorial Library of Widener University maintains a collection of children’s literature for use by students in the teacher education program. Stetser Elementary School and the Wolfgram Memorial Library are located on the same city block.

In the September of 2016, I was approached by two second grade teachers from Stetser Elementary School about the possibility of bringing their classes to the Wolfgram Library once a week for the children’s sustained silent reading. In October 2016, both classes of Stetser students began …

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy In In Neurodegenerative Disease With Case Presentations Of Alzheimer's Disease, Paul G. Harch, Edward F. Fogarty

International Symposium for Hyperbaric Medicine

Dr. Harch’s keynote will outline his case presentations on Alzheimer’s, supported by Dr. Fogarty.

• To better understand that neurodegenerative diseases result from a combination of genetic factors and cumulative environmental factors that generate central nervous system inflammation and wounding.
• To understand the positive and negative literature on HBOT in a variety of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopment diseases and the effects of HBOT on inflammation.

Periodic Solutions Of Abstract Semilinear Equations With Applications To Biological Models, Qiuyi Su

Open Access Dissertations

We study the existence of periodic solutions to the abstract semi linear evolution equation du/dt=A(t)u(t)+F(t,u(t)), t \geq 0 in a Banach space X, where A(t) is a T-periodic linear operator on X (not necessarily densely defined) satisfying the hyperbolic conditions, and F is continuous and T-periodic in t. The idea is to combine Poincare map technique with fixed point theorems to derive various conditions on the operator A(t) and the map F(t, u) to ensure that the abstract evolution equation has periodic solutions. Three cases are considered: (i) If A(t)=A is time-independent and is a Hille-Yoshida operator, conditions on F …

Alcohol-Induced Developmental Defects In Octavolateral Organs Of Zebrafish: A Sensitive Period And Mechanisms, Lilliann Yvette Zamora

Open Access Dissertations

Fetal alcohol exposure is known to cause an array of deficits (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, FASD) that may manifest as lifelong physical, cognitive, and behavioral anomalies of human development. However, when and how alcohol specifically affects the auditory system is still largely unknown. I hypothesized that embryonic alcohol exposure at specific time periods would affect the morphology and function of the octavolateral system (the inner ear and lateral line). In addition, I also hypothesized that biological processes occurring at the time of alcohol exposure, such as the neural crest and FGF signaling, would be adversely affected. This is the first …

Past, Present, Future: A Program Development Exploring Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (Ptss) Using Experimental Learning And Dance/Movement Therapy Based Approaches, Bria Campbell

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The purpose of this program development project was to create a program that utilizes dance/movement therapy concepts integrated with Dr. Joy DeGruy's Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS) theory, specifically with suggestions for healing PTSS, to help African American Adolescents in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood understand, explore and heal from PTSS. The Delphi Methods was used to gather information from collaborators via individual interviews and follow up surveys. Collaborators, all experienced community leaders with African American adolescents in the Roseland neighborhood and similar neighborhoods, included one African American dance/movement therapist, one program developer, an arts and education director and an arts education …

Ancient Convergent Losses Of Paraoxonase 1 Yield Potential Risks For Modern Marine Mammals, Wynn K. Meyer, Jerrica Jamison, Rebecca Richter, Stacy E. Woods, Raghavendran Partha, Amanda Kowalczyk, Charles Kronk, Maria Chikina, Robert K. Bonde, Daniel E. Crocker, Joseph Gaspard, Janet M. Lanyon, Judit Marsillach, Clement E. Furlong, Nathan L. Clark

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Mammals diversified by colonizing drastically different environments, with each transition yielding numerous molecular changes, including losses of protein function. Though not initially deleterious, these losses could subsequently carry deleterious pleiotropic consequences. We have used phylogenetic methods to identify convergent functional losses across independent marine mammal lineages. In one extreme case, Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) accrued lesions in all marine lineages, while remaining intact in all terrestrial mammals. These lesions coincide with PON1 enzymatic activity loss in marine species’ blood plasma. This convergent loss is likely explained by parallel shifts in marine ancestors’ lipid metabolism and/or bloodstream oxidative environment affecting PON1’s role …

Cellular Senescence And Their Role In Liver Metabolism In Health And Disease: Overview And Future Directions, Matthew Schade, Jacqueline A. Sanabria, Rodrigo Aguilar, Milad Modarresi, Brad Gillon, Zach Hunter, Jacqueline Fannin, Amrita Mallick, Henri Brunengraber, Juan Sanabria

Surgery

Chronic liver disease has globally risen mainly due to a prevalent Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection rate and an epidemic of obesity. It is estimated by the year 2030, 2.2 billion people around the world will be overweight and 1.1 billion people will be obese. Diabetes and obesity are the main risk factors for the development of the metabolic syndrome and in the liver of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) which could progress to NASH related cirrhosis and liver malignancy. At present there is not effective therapy for NASH besides loss of weight and exercise. Furthermore, optimal management of HCC …

Dietary Epicatechin Improves Survival And Delays Skeletal Muscle Degeneration In Aged Mice, Hongwei Si, Xiaoyong Wang, Longyun Zhang, Laurence D. Parnell, Bulbul Ahmed, Tanya Leroith, Twum-Ampofo Ansah, Lijuan Zhang, Jianwei Li, José M. Ordovás, Hongzong Si, Dongmin Liu, Chao-Qiang Lai

Human Sciences Faculty Research

We recently reported that epicatechin, a bioactive compound that occurs naturally in various common foods, promoted general health and survival of obese diabetic mice. It remains to be determined whether epicatechin extends health span and delays the process of aging. In the present study, epicatechin or its analogue epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (0.25% w/v in drinking water) was administered to 20-mo-old male C57BL mice fed a standard chow. The goal was to determine the antiaging effect. The results showed that supplementation with epicatechin for 37 wk strikingly increased the survival rate from 39 to 69%, whereas EGCG had no significant effect. …

Influence Of Cover Crop Species On Soil Physical Properties In A Corn-Soybean Rotation, Addison D. Jacobs

Student Theses and Dissertations

As crop land decreases and population increases, soil quality is becoming a concern. Utilizing cover crops in cropping systems could improve soil quality. This study examined 16 treatments of single-species cover crops, cover crop mixes, and two control treatments on a silt-loam soil, in a corn (Zea mays L.) - soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) crop rotation under no-tillage, to determine their effect on soil physical properties. Cover crop biomass differed (p<0.10) among treatments and produced a maximum of 15.6 Mg ha-1 of biomass in the crimson clover treatment. Water infiltration rates increased as much as 282% in the complete-mix treatment compared to the fallow control. Differences in infiltration rates due to cover crop species were shown in two-years. However, these results suggest that it may take more time for cover crops to affect change in bulk density and aggregate stability.

"People Don't Know How I Feel": Developing A Mental Health Curriculum For Latinx Adolescents, Selina Flores

Master's Projects and Capstones

As rates of mental health issues worsen for Latinx adolescents, many barriers to utilizing mental health services increase. Mental health education shows promise in improving outcomes and decreasing potential barriers to utilization of mental health services among Latinx high school students. The purpose of this project was to pilot a mental health education course with Latinx (gender neutral term for Latino/a) high school students in Marin County and to evaluate its outcomes. A mental health curriculum and evaluation surveys were constructed, which focused on mental health knowledge, help-seeking, and attitudes and beliefs. Seven Latinx female high school students from Marin …

A Comparison Of Benthic Habitats And Faunas Between The Miami Terrace (Proposed Calypso Pipeline Site) And The Pourtales Terrace (Coral Habitat Of Particular Concern), Laura Dell

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative photographs of benthic communities at two northern Miami Terrace sites, originally investigated as part of an environmental impact survey in advance of the proposed Calypso pipeline, and two Pourtalès Terrace sites, investigated as part of an exploration of deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems (DSCEs) within the Pourtalès Terrace Deep-water Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern (CHAPC), were reanalyzed and compared for similarities and differences. Both terraces are part of an elongated lithified platform that parallels the southeastern Florida coast at depths averaging between 250 and 450 m. Although both sites have similar geological origins and lie under the Florida …

Genetic Architecture Of Gene Expression Traits Across Diverse Populations, Lauren S. Mogil, Angela Andaleon, Alexa Badalamenti, Scott P. Dickinson, Xiuqing Guo, Jerome I. Rotter, W. C. Johnson, Hae Kyung Im, Yongmei Liu, Heather E. Wheeler

Bioinformatics Faculty Publications

For many complex traits, gene regulation is likely to play a crucial mechanistic role. How the genetic architectures of complex traits vary between populations and subsequent effects on genetic prediction are not well understood, in part due to the historical paucity of GWAS in populations of non-European ancestry. We used data from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) cohort to characterize the genetic architecture of gene expression within and between diverse populations. Genotype and monocyte gene expression were available in individuals with African American (AFA, n = 233), Hispanic (HIS, n = 352), and European (CAU, n = 578) ancestry. …

Gardner-Webb Alumna Prepares For Career In Medicine, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

As a student in the Department of Natural Sciences at Gardner-Webb University, Amanda Hall ’18 examined complex ideas in biology and chemistry. “My major classes were taught by quality professors who had such extensive knowledge in their fields,” she shared. “I am being reminded of concepts in my graduate classes rather than hearing them for the first time.”

Imapsplice: Alleviating Reference Bias Through Personalized Rna-Seq Alignment, Xinan Liu, James N. Macleod, Jinze Liu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Genomic variants in both coding and non-coding sequences can have functionally important and sometimes deleterious effects on exon splicing of gene transcripts. For transcriptome profiling using RNA-seq, the accurate alignment of reads across exon junctions is a critical step. Existing algorithms that utilize a standard reference genome as a template sometimes have difficulty in mapping reads that carry genomic variants. These problems can lead to allelic ratio biases and the failure to detect splice variants created by splice site polymorphisms. To improve RNA-seq read alignment, we have developed a novel approach called iMapSplice that enables personalized mRNA transcriptome profiling. The …

Experiences Of Health Communication Within The Family: Parent And Adolescent Perspectives, Traci L. Alberti, Sarah Benes, Danielle Miles

Journal of Adolescent and Family Health

Background: Adolescence is a critical period for the development of health and well-being and is a pivotal time for transition toward independent health decision making. Family health communication patterns, can influence behaviors and attitudes of adolescents. Health literacy is a pre-requisite for acquiring and comprehending health information. However, minimal research exists examining the connection between health literacy and family communication. Purpose: To examine the risk of limited health literacy and explore the experiences of health communication among families. Methods: 9 Adolescents and 8 parents completed demographic questionnaires, the Newest Vital Sign and private semi-structured qualitative interviews. Glazer’s grounded theory approach …

Yardwork: A Biography Of An Urban Place By Daniel Coleman, Vivian M. Hansen

The Goose

Review of Daniel Coleman's Yardwork: A Biography of an Urban Place.

Next Generation Sequencing Methods For Coastal Zone Water Quality Monitoring, Catherine Iskrenko

HCNSO Student Capstones

When analyzing the water quality of the coastal zone, culture-based techniques have been utilized most often to identify Fecal Indicator Bacteria in samples. Since the advent of the Sanger Method for DNA sequencing, other techniques have arisen that provide significantly more information on the microorganisms in sample, but they are still not the mainstream for water quality analysis. This capstone reviews and compares culture-based techniques, DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, qPCR for biomarker, and 16S rDNA sequencing to highlight their merits and shortcomings for analyzing environmental water samples. The technique presented that provides the broadest range of information (including the identification …

Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice, Occupational Stress And Work-Related Social Support Among Health Care Providers In China: A Sem Analysis, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Yuejiao Zhou, Zhiyong Shen, Bonita Stanton

Faculty Publications

Individuals’ attitudes toward evidence-based practices (EBP) are critical in adopting, implementing and maintaining the EBP in clinical settings. Multiple empirical studies have examined how work context may shape perceptions and attitudes towards EBP. The current study aims to further explore how both work and family contexts, as assessed by three psychosocial indicators (i.e., occupational stress, work-related social support from coworkers, and work-related social support from family), may affect attitudes toward EBP among health care providers in HIV clinics in China. We analyzed cross-sectional survey data from 357 health care providers recruited from 40 HIV clinics across 16 cities/counties in Guangxi …

Sociocultural Diversity In The Prehispanic Southwest: Learning, Weaving, And Identity In The Chaco Regional System, A.D. 850-1140, Edward Alexander Jolie

Anthropology ETDs

Between about A.D. 850 and 1140, the archaeology of Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico reveals the rapid construction of large communal structures where smaller settlements had existed previously and shows that the locality became the core of an extensive regional system in the Four Corners region of the northern Southwest integrated by formal trails, the circulation of nonlocal goods, and the sharing of ritual items. Researchers vigorously debate the role of increased sociopolitical complexity in this development, but less attention has been given to questions of sociocultural diversity and its impacts.

Guided by previous research suggesting the existence of …

Randomized, Double-Blind, Phase Ii Study Of Temozolomide In Combination With Either Veliparib Or Placebo In Patients With Relapsed-Sensitive Or Refractory Small-Cell Lung Cancer, M Catherine Pietanza, Saiama N Waqar, Et Al

2010-2019 OA Pubs

Purpose Both temozolomide (TMZ) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors are active in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). This phase II, randomized, double-blind study evaluated whether addition of the PARP inhibitor veliparib to TMZ improves 4-month progression-free survival (PFS). Patients and Methods A total of 104 patients with recurrent SCLC were randomly assigned 1:1 to oral veliparib or placebo 40 mg twice daily, days 1 to 7, and oral TMZ 150 to 200 mg/m

Internal Parasites Of The Two Subspecies Of The West Indian Manatee Trichechus Manatus, Heidi Wyrosdick, Alycia Chapman, Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni, Carla I. Rivera-Pérez, Robert K. Bonde

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The West Indian manatee Trichechus manatus is divided into 2 subspecies: the Antillean (T. m. manatus) and Florida (T. m. latirostris) manatees. This study reports sample prevalence of manatee parasites from populations of these 2 subspecies in different geographical locations. Although necropsy is a valuable diagnostic tool for parasite infections, the need for antemortem diagnostic techniques is important. Fecal samples collected during necropsies of Antillean manatees (n = 3) in Puerto Rico and Florida manatees (n = 10) in Crystal River, Florida, as well as from live-captured Florida manatees (n = 11) were evaluated using centrifugal …

The 'Bulgarian Situation': Constructing The Myth Of A 'National Mentality' In Bulgarian Discourse And Its Effect On Agency, Nadezhda Sotirova

Communication, Media, and Rhetoric Publications

This study examines the mythic form of the ‘Bulgarian situation’,which is evoked and managed in moments of social interaction,and during enactments of oplakvane (complaining) in Bulgarian discourse. Based on ethnographic examination of naturally occurring talk, interviews, and various media data, the article constructs the larger cultural narrative available in Bulgarian discourse,which explains the origins of a national identity,linked to a ‘national mentality’ developed over a historical period.This national identity is constituted communication, and highlights a deeply cultural notion of nationality and biology as intricately connected, and developed in the context of the Ottoman occupation,and the following period of socialism. Such …

Energy Transduction In Nitrogenase, Lance C. Seefeldt, Brian M. Hoffman, John W. Peters, Simone Raugei, David N. Beratan, Edwin Antony, Dennis R. Dean

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Nitrogenase is a complicated two-component enzyme system that uses ATP binding and hydrolysis energy to achieve one of the most difficult chemical reactions in nature, the reduction of N2 to NH3. One component of the Mo-based nitrogenase system, Fe protein, delivers electrons one at a time to the second component, the catalytic MoFe protein. This process occurs through a series of synchronized events collectively called the “Fe protein cycle”. Elucidating details of the events associated with this cycle has constituted an important challenge in understanding the nitrogenase mechanism. Electron delivery is a multistep process involving three metal clusters with intra- …

Genetic Architecture Of Gene Expression Traits Across Diverse Populations, Lauren S. Mogil, Angela Andaleon, Alexa Badalamenti, Scott P. Dickinson, Xiuqing Guo, Jerome I. Rotter, W. Craig Johnson, Hae Kyung Im, Yongmei Liu, Heather E. Wheeler

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

For many complex traits, gene regulation is likely to play a crucial mechanistic role. How the genetic architectures of complex traits vary between populations and subsequent effects on genetic prediction are not well understood, in part due to the historical paucity of GWAS in populations of non-European ancestry. We used data from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) cohort to characterize the genetic architecture of gene expression within and between diverse populations. Genotype and monocyte gene expression were available in individuals with African American (AFA, n = 233), Hispanic (HIS, n = 352), and European (CAU, n = 578) ancestry. …

Congenital Zika Virus Infection In Immunocompetent Mice Causes Postnatal Growth Impediment And Neurobehavioral Deficits, Fengwei Bai, Amber Paul, Dhiraj Acharya, Biswas Neupane, E.A. Thompson, Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez, Katherine Copeland, Melanae Garrett, Haibei Liu, Mariper Lopez, Matthew De Cruz, Alex S. Flynt, Jun Liao, Yan-Lin Guo, Federico Gonzalez-Fernandez, Parminder Vig

Faculty Publications

A small percentage of babies born to Zika virus (ZIKV)-infected mothers manifest severe defects at birth, including microcephaly. Among those who appeared healthy at birth, there are increasing reports of postnatal growth or developmental defects. However, the impact of congenital ZIKV infection in postnatal development is poorly understood. Here, we report that a mild congenital ZIKV-infection in pups born to immunocompetent pregnant mice did not display apparent defects at birth, but manifested postnatal growth impediments and neurobehavioral deficits, which include reduced locomotor and cognitive deficits that persisted into adulthood. We found that the brains of these pups were smaller, had …

Evaluation Of Nematode Control Practices On Cotton Growth And Yield In Nematode Infested Soils, And The Effect Of Bacterial Inoculation Timing On Bacterial Blight Incidence And Cotton Yield, Bradley Reagan Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) growth, development, and yield can be limited due to reniform nematode and bacterial blight infestation. Studies were conducted in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the profitability of a soil fumigant application, seed treatments, and inurrow nematicides to protect cotton from nematode infestation as well as inoculation of bacterial blight at various growth stages in cotton to determine effects on yield. Research was conducted by applying various combinations of nematicides to cottonseed at planting and a fumigant prior to planting. Bacterial blight was conducted by inoculated on cotton at multiple growth stages throughout the year. Based on the …

Evaluation/Refinement Of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda (J.E. Smith), Thresholds, In Mississippi Whorl Stage Field Corn And Grain Sorghum, Keiton Lanier Croom

Theses and Dissertations

During 2016 and 2017, studies were conducted to determine the effects of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) on both damage and yield of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench and Zea mays (L.) when infested during the whorl stage. Results from damage ratings suggest that as the amount of overall plants infested increased, overall damage rating increased. However, yield results suggested that there was no yield loss as percent infested plants increased. Other studies were conducted to determine the most sensitive vegetative growth stages of grain sorghum and field corn. Manual damage studies suggests that extensive damage to field corn during growth stages …

Examining The Effects Of Directional Wave Spectra On A Nearshore Wave Model, Sally Catherine Davis Dillon

Theses and Dissertations

Wave models are an integral part of coastal engineering due to their ability to quantify information that is either unobtainable or unavailable. However, these models rely heavily on the input of a directional wave spectrum that describes the variation of energy with frequency and direction. This study investigated how five methods for computing the directional wave spectrum perform within the nearshore spectral wave model, STWAVE. The results of the five experimental runs showed that overall, the greatest differences between spectra were observed in the significant wave height parameter. The mean wave direction showed greater differences at the offshore model domain …

A Transgenic Approach To Managing Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) In Cotton, John Cameron Corbin

Theses and Dissertations

Field experiments were conducted in Stoneville, MS and Sidon, MS in 2016 and 2017 to evaluate a new transgenic cotton variety (MON 88702) (Cry51Aa2.834_16) and its effects on tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), populations, frequency of insecticide applications, and yield. Experiments were designed to compare the interactions between the Bt traited plots and non-traited plots and the insecticide spray treatments, which consisted of different application thresholds as well as treatments sprayed only during the early season and only during the late season. MON 88702 provided a significant reduction in later instar tarnished plant bug nymphs, dirty squares, …