Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Burnout And Career Calling In Undergraduate Pre-Medical Students, Annalise Lang

Journal of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

Burnout is a state of exhaustion, impaired performance, and decreased motivation and is associated with several factors including a significant workload, disruptions to the balance between work and other aspects of life, and difficulty expressing or sharing emotions (alexithymia). Because of the demanding nature of the clinical environment, medical doctors are at significant risk of burnout. Because of this, studies examining the factors that contribute to burnout have been conducted on physicians, medical residents, and medical students. However, less work has been done to explore burnout in pre-medical undergraduate (pre-med) students. One factor that may mitigate burnout is having a …

Posthuman Heroes, Joanna Pascoe

Heroism Science

This article explores whether narrative texts may help learners grapple with what it means to be human or indeed posthuman in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous (VUCA) world inclusive of biotechnology and developing artificial intelligence (AI). Narratives with a posthuman hero may provide access to a post-anthropocentric view described by Braidotti (2016) as life-force egalitarianism inclusive of all human, non-human, geo, cross-species, and transversal alliances. Definitions are broad – narrative includes novels, film, television series, visual art; hero is beyond gender, accessible and encompassing all with life force; posthumanism refers to popular culture and critical theory, with links to transhumanism. …

Conversion Disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder) Masquerading As Multiple Sclerosis: A Case Report., Derman Ozdemir, Sonu Sahni

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (New York) Publications and Research

Conversion disorder, also referred to as functional neurological symptom disorder, is a DSM-5 identified somatic disorder that presents with one or more neurological symptoms that does not clinically correlate with recognized neurological or medical conditions brought on by intense stress, emotions, or an associated psychiatric disorder. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common immune-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and usually presents in young adults with clinical manifestations that range from cognitive abnormalities, eye movement problems, motor and sensory impairments such as weakness and numbness, bowel/bladder dysfunction, fatigue, and/or pain. This case report presents a patient with …

Consumption Of Black Raspberries Altered The Composition Of The Fecal Microbiome In Mice Fed A Western Type Diet (Or04-01-19), Abby D. Benninghoff, Sumira Phatak, Korry Hintze

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Dietary strategies to reduce colonic inflammation and promote gut homeostasis may markedly reduce the risk of colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Previously, we showed that dietary supplementation with black raspberries significantly suppressed colitis and colon tumorigenesis promoted by the consumption a Western type diet in mice. In this study, our goal was to assess the impact of consumption of the TWD with and without black raspberry supplementation on the composition of the fecal microbiome over the course of disease development.

Learning Logic: Examining The Effects Of Context Ordering On Reasoning About Conditionals, Christina W. Lommatsch, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Logical statements are prevalent in mathematics, science and everyday life. The most common logical statements are conditionals, ‘If H … , then C … ’, where ‘H’ is a hypothesis and ‘C’ is a conclusion. Reasoning about conditionals depends on four main conditional contexts (intuitive, abstract, symbolic or counterintuitive). This study tested a theory about the effects of context ordering on reasoning about conditionals. Researchers developed and tested a virtual manipulative mathematics app, called the Learning Logic App.

A total of 154 participants, randomly assigned to a context ordering, interacted with the Learning Logic App. Researchers collected data using a …

Phospho Tensin Homolog In Human And Lipid Peroxides In Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Following Exposure To Flavonoids, William Y. Boadi, Elbert L. Myles, Alekzander S. Garcia

Biology Faculty Research

Objectives: Studies have shown that human and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are mostly used for research purposes to study several biochemical endpoints. The effects of the flavonoids, genistein, kaempferol, and quercetin on phospho tensin homolog (PTEN) levels in cancer cells (i.e., breast [BT549], lung [A549]), human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293), and the levels of lipid peroxides (LP) in PBMCs were respectively investigated.

Materials and methods: Cancer, kidney, and PBMCs from several donors were each exposed to each of the flavonoids at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 µM. Our hypotheses were that exposure of cancer and …

Researchers To Study Circadian Clocks' Potential Role In Heart Failure, Adam Pope

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Fish Performance, Nutrient Digestibilities, And Hepatic And Intestinal Morphologies In Grouper Epinephelus Fuscoguttatus Fed Fermented Copra Meal, Roger Edward P. Mamauag, Janice A. Ragaza, Trisha J. Nacionales

Biology Faculty Publications

Protein enhanced copra meal (PECM®) is an alternative, cheap, and sustainable source of plant protein for the aquafeed industry, albeit its use on carnivorous fish species has been very limited. A 70-day feeding trial using grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (initial mean body weight of 1.86 ± 0.19 g) tested fermented copra meal as feed ingredient. Six isonitrogenous (crude protein of 45%) and iso-lipidic (crude fat of 11%) diets consisted of PECM®: a control diet at 0% soybean meal replacement (C); four diets replacing soybean meal at 25% (FC25), 50% (FC50), 75% (FC75), 100% (FC100) – all with methionine and lysine supplementation; …

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds: Problems And Solutions, Nicholas Krebs

D.U.Quark

No abstract provided.

Fostering Bioinformatics Education Through Skill Development Of Professors: Big Genomic Data Skills Training For Professors., Yingqian Ada Zhan, Charles Gregory Wray, Sandeep Namburi, Spencer T Glantz, Reinhard Laubenbacher, Jeffrey H Chuang

Faculty Research 2019

Bioinformatics has become an indispensable part of life science over the past 2 decades. However, bioinformatics education is not well integrated at the undergraduate level, especially in liberal arts colleges and regional universities in the United States. One significant obstacle pointed out by the Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education is the lack of faculty in the bioinformatics area. Most current life science professors did not acquire bioinformatics analysis skills during their own training. Consequently, a great number of undergraduate and graduate students do not get the chance to learn bioinformatics or computational biology skills within a structured …

Changes In The Gut Microbiome And Fermentation Products Concurrent With Enhanced Longevity In Acarbose-Treated Mice., Byron J Smith, Richard A Miller, Aaron C Ericsson, David E Harrison, Randy Strong, Thomas M Schmidt

Faculty Research 2019

BACKGROUND: Treatment with the α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose increases median lifespan by approximately 20% in male mice and 5% in females. This longevity extension differs from dietary restriction based on a number of features, including the relatively small effects on weight and the sex-specificity of the lifespan effect. By inhibiting host digestion, acarbose increases the flux of starch to the lower digestive system, resulting in changes to the gut microbiota and their fermentation products. Given the documented health benefits of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the dominant products of starch fermentation by gut bacteria, this secondary effect of acarbose could contribute to …

Integrated Analysis Of Clinical And Microbiome Risk Factors Associated With The Development Of Oral Candidiasis During Cancer Chemotherapy., Patricia I Diaz, Bo-Young Hong, Amanda K Dupuy, Linda Choquette, Angela Thompson, Andrew L Salner, Peter K Schauer, Upendra Hegde, Joseph A Burleson, Linda D Strausbaugh, Douglas E Peterson, Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou

Faculty Research 2019

Oral candidiasis is a common side effect of cancer chemotherapy. To better understand predisposing factors, we followed forty-five subjects who received 5-fluorouracil- or doxorubicin-based treatment, during one chemotherapy cycle. Subjects were evaluated at baseline, prior to the first infusion, and at three additional visits within a two-week window. We assessed the demographic, medical and oral health parameters, neutrophil surveillance, and characterized the salivary bacteriome and mycobiome communities through amplicon high throughput sequencing. Twenty percent of all subjects developed oral candidiasis. Using multivariate statistics, we identified smoking, amount of dental plaque, low bacteriome and mycobiome alpha-diversity, and the proportions of specific …

Preclinical Evaluation Of An Unconventional Ruthenium‐Gold‐ Based Chemotherapeutic: Rance‐1, In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Benelita Elie, Karen Hubbard, Yuriy Pechenyy, Buddhadev Layek, Swayam Prabha, Maria Contel

Publications and Research

Background: There are few effective treatments for patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC). Recent findings indicate that ruthenium‐gold containing compounds exhibit significant antitumor efficacy against CCRCC in vitro affecting cell viability as well as angiogenesis and markers driving those 2 phenomena. However, no in vivo preclinical evaluation of this class of compounds has been reported.

Methods: Following the dose‐finding pharmacokinetic determination, NOD. CB17‐Prkdc SCID/J mice bearing xenograft CCRCC Caki‐1 tumors were treated in an intervention trial for 21 days at 10 mg/kg/72h of RANCE‐1. At the end of the trial, tumor samples were analyzed for histopathological and …

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda Smith) Feeding Elicits Differential Defense Responses In Upland And Lowland Switchgrass, Nathan A. Palmer, Saumik Basu, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Jeffrey D. Bradshaw, Gautam Sarath, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a low input, high biomass perennial grass being developed for the bioenergy sector. Upland and lowland cultivars can differ in their responses to insect herbivory. Fall armyworm [FAW; Spodoptera frugiperda JE Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)] is a generalist pest of many plant species and can feed on switchgrass as well. Here, in two different trials, FAW larval mass were significantly reduced when fed on lowland cultivar Kanlow relative to larvae fed on upland cultivar Summer plants after 10 days. Hormone content of plants indicated elevated levels of the plant defense hormone jasmonic acid (JA) and its …

An Integrative Cross-Omics Analysis Of Dna Methylation Sites Of Glucose And Insulin Homeostasis, Jun Liu, Elena Carnero-Montoro, Jenny Van Dongen, Samantha Lent, Ivana Nedeljkovic, Symen Ligthart, Pei-Chien Tsai, Tiphaine C. Martin, Pooja R. Mandaviya, Rick Jansen, Marjolein J. Peters, Liesbeth Duijts, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Henning Tiemeier, Janine F. Felix, Gonneke Willemsen, Eco J. C. De Geus, Audrey Y. Chu, Daniel Levy, Shih-Jen Hwang, Jan Bressler, Rahul Gondalia, Elias L. Salfati, Christian Herder, Bertha A. Hidalgo, Toshiko Tanaka, Ann Zenobia Moore, Rozenn N. Lemaitre, Min A. Jhun, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Despite existing reports on differential DNA methylation in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, our understanding of its functional relevance remains limited. Here we show the effect of differential methylation in the early phases of T2D pathology by a blood-based epigenome-wide association study of 4808 non-diabetic Europeans in the discovery phase and 11,750 individuals in the replication. We identify CpGs in LETM1, RBM20, IRS2, MAN2A2 and the 1q25.3 region associated with fasting insulin, and in FCRL6, SLAMF1, APOBEC3H and the 15q26.1 region with fasting glucose. In silico cross-omics analyses highlight the role of differential methylation …

Sensitivity Comparison Of Macro- And Micro-Electrochemical Biosensors For Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Biomarker Detection, S Damiati, C Haslam, S Søpstad, M Peacock, T Whitley, P Davey, Sa Awan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.

The Lymphoedema Research Prioritisation Partnership: A Collaborative Approach To Setting Research Priorities For Lymphoedema Management., Emma Underwood, Mary Woods, Katie Riches, Vaughan Keeley, Anita Wallace, Jennifer Freeman

School of Health Professions

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Molecular Epidemiology Study Of Metabolic Dysregulation, Dna Methylation, And Breast Cancer Risk Among Nigerian Women: Mend Study Objectives And Design, Tomi Akinyemiju, Omolola Salako, Adetola Daramola, Olusegun Alatise, Adewale Adeniyi, Gabriel Ogun, Omobolaji Ayandipo, Thomas Olajide, Olalekan Olasehinde, Olukayode Arowolo, Adewale Adisa, Oludolapo Afuwape, Aralola Olusanya, Aderemi Adegoke, Akinlolu Ojo, Trygve Tollefsbol, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

PURPOSE To elucidate the role of metabolic dysregulation and associated DNA methylation changes on breast cancer risk and aggressive subtypes among Nigerian women. We describe the design and methods of a collaborative molecular epidemiology study of breast cancer in Nigerian hospitals.

METHODS The Mechanisms for Novel and Established Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women of Nigerian Descent (MEND) study was designed as a matched case-control study of 350 patients, age 18 to 75 years, with newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve breast cancer and 350 age-matched healthy controls from surrounding geographic areas. Patients with breast cancer seen for initial diagnosis at four …

Pedal 4 Purification, Cory Yamagata, Coleton Rodd, Jonathan Keyes, Matthew Lograsso

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The lack of access to clean drinking water remains one of the largest issues still facing humanity. The Pedal 4 Purification is a product that addresses this need by utilizing pre-existing bicycle infrastructure and local freshwater sources to allow people to purify their own drinking water on a daily basis. Attachable to any standard bicycle, the Pedal 4 Purification product consists of pump, purification, cart and adjustable kickstand subsystems that allow the operator to pump, purify and transport 40L of potable water. Pedaling at the reasonable rate of 60 rpm will provide the optimal flow rate of 1.54L/min through the …

New Faculty/Staff/Administrative Appointments, Andrews University

Andrews Agenda: Campus News

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of The Autophagic-Iron Axis In The Pathophysiology Of Endometriosis And Epithelial Ovarian Cancers, Stephanie Rockfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For women in the United States, ovarian cancer (OVCA) represents the deadliest gynecological cancer with over 14,000 deaths predicted to occur in 2019 [13]. Although innovative treatment strategies have improved the 5-year outcome for these patients, the overall survival has not changed in over 40 years [14]. This is largely due to the challenges in detecting this heterogenous disease at an early stage, as there are multiple potential precursors that may give rise to different histological subtypes [14]. This dissertation is thus focused on investigating pro-survival pathways involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis (a proposed precursor) and epithelial ovarian cancers. …

Faculty Senate Minutes June 13, 2019, Missouri University Of Science And Technology Faculty Senate

Minutes & Agendas

No abstract provided.

Dietary Intervention With Black Raspberries To Reduce Colitis Symptoms In Mice Fed Either Standard Ain93g Diet Or The Total Western Diet (P05-021-19), Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez, Michaela Brubaker, Elizabeth Park, Canyon Neal, Korry Hintze, Abby D. Benninghoff

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Approximately 1.4 million people suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, which is a major risk factor for developing colitis associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Dietary interventions with the goal to reduce colon inflammation and encourage gut microbiome homeostasis may be a strategy to reduce the risk of CAC. The antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds present in black raspberries (BRB) have demonstrated protective effects in the colon epithelium and may alter the composition of the gut microbiome. Previously, we showed that dietary supplementation with black raspberries significantly suppressed colitis and colon tumorigenesis promoted by the consumption of a Western type diet in mice. The …

Phage Therapy Against Biofilm Of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Isolated From Zakho Hospital Samples, Yousif Abdullah Albany, Mohammad Ismail Al-Berfkani, Mahde Saleh Assafi

Polytechnic Journal

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes infection in human, especially in immunocompromised patients. About 80% of nosocomial infection caused by K. pneumoniaeis due to multidrug-resistant strain. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains necessitates the exploration of alternative antibacterial therapies, which led to studying the ability of viruses that infect the bacteria (known as bacteriophage) to treat infection with K. pneumoniae. Bacterial biofilm which are crucial in the pathogenesis of much clinically important infection and are difficult to eradicate because they exist resistant to many antimicrobial treatment. Biofilm formation by K. pneumoniae is responsible for the catheter associated infection such as urinary tract infection …

Dynamics Of Measured And Simulated Dissolved Phosphorus In Runoff From Winter-Applied Dairy Manure, Peter A. Vadas, Melanie N. Stock, Francisco J. Arriaga, Laura Ward Good, Krishnapuram G. Karthikeyan, Zachariah P. Zopp

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Agricultural P loss from fields is an issue due to water quality degradation. Better information is needed on the P loss in runoff from dairy manure applied in winter and the ability to reliably simulate P loss by computer models. We monitored P in runoff during two winters from chisel-tilled and no-till field plots that had liquid dairy manure applied in December or January. Runoff total P was dominated by nondissolved forms when soils were bare and unfrozen. Runoff from snow-covered, frozen soils had much less sediment and sediment-related P, and much more dissolved P. Transport of manure solids was …

Extreme Peripheral Blood Plasmacytosis Mimicking Plasma Cell Leukemia As A Presenting Feature Of Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma (Aitl)., Kelsey Sokol, Saritha Kartan, William T. Johnson, Onder Alpdogan, Neda Nikbakht, Bradley M. Haverkos, Jerald Z. Gong, Pierluigi Porcu

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is one of four major subtypes of nodal peripheral T cell lymphoma, characterized by its cell of origin, the follicular helper T-cell (TFH). Patients typically present with prominent constitutional (B) symptoms, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenias, and rash. Here we present a case of a 62-year-old male with progressive cervical adenopathy, fevers and weight loss presenting with extreme polyclonal plasmacytosis and high plasma EBV viral load. While the initial presentation appeared to mimic plasma cell leukemia or severe infection, lymph node biopsy and bone marrow biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of AITL. This case highlights the heterogeneity of …

High Heat Tolerance Is Negatively Correlated With Upper Thermal Tolerance Plasticity In North Eastern Pacific Nudibranch Mollusks, Eric J. Armstrong, Richelle L. Tanner, Jonathon H. Stillman

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Rapid ocean warming may alter habitat suitability and population fitness for marine ectotherms. Susceptibility to thermal perturbations will depend in part on plasticity of a species’ upper thermal limits of performance (CT_max). However, we currently lack data regarding CT_max plasticity for several major marine taxa, including nudibranch mollusks, thus limiting predictive responses to habitat warming for these species. In order to determine relative sensitivity to future warming, we investigated heat tolerance limits (CT_max), heat tolerance plasticity (acclimation response ratio), thermal safety margins, temperature sensitivity of metabolism, and metabolic cost of heat shock in nine species …

Citation Analysis Of Doctoral Theses Of Physics: A Bibliometrics Study, Mithu Anjali Gayan, Sanjay Kumar Singh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Citation analysis is one of the thrust areas of research in Library and Information Science. It provides very useful insights to librarians and policy makers in terms of which sources to be purchased and what to be replaced. The current study was carried out to understand different characteristics of Physics as a discipline by analysing the citations appended at the end of Doctoral theses of Physics, Tripura University. A total 5640 citations were analysed from 18 theses during the 10 years period of 2007 to 2016. Bradford’s law of scattering of periodical was tested as it did not fit in …

Relationship Between Radiographic Misfit And Clinical Outcomes In Immediately Loaded Complete-Arch Fixed Implant Supported Prostheses In Edentulous Patients, Robert Slauch

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study On Large-Scale Deep Learning In Bioinformatics And Biomedical Applications, Shayan Shams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and deep learning have provided researchers in various fields insights into the analysis of multiple datasets. These applications include image analysis, text analysis, and many more. However, the effectiveness of deep learning in some areas, such as biomedical imaging and genomic research, has been overshadowed by the variance in the types and complexity of data. This is in addition to the expensive labeling process and the limited size of datasets in these fields. These challenges require advanced deep learning models capable of learning from a small dataset and also from a small number of labeled …