Digital Commons Network^™

Stray Radiation Dose From X-Ray And Proton Beam Radiation Therapies, Christopher William Schneider

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The growing population of cancer survivors at risk of radiation induced side-effects is a public health concern. These side-effects include serious conditions such as second cancers, the majority of which occur outside of the primary treatment volume. Radiotherapy treatment planning systems systematically underestimate the dose to tissues out-of-field. Attempts to predict and reduce the risks of radiogenic side effects require accurate and personalized knowledge of the out-of-field radiation dose to patients. The long-term goal of this research is to provide clinical and research tools necessary to reduce the risk of radiotherapy side effects and improve the health outcomes of radiotherapy …

Ocean Underwater Scene Dioramas Of First Graders With Submarine Porthole Views, Ksenia Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule, Denise A. Tallakson

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Ecology education of the younger generations is vital for worldwide change of people’s attitudes toward nature warranted by the current global ecological crisis. Yet, this goal needs to be addressed through age-appropriate activities that are educational and engaging. This practical article focuses on dioramas of ocean reef life made by first graders. This arts-integrated project served two main purposes: 1) education of primary students about ocean ecology and helping students realize their roles in saving nature 2) increasing student science content knowledge. Additionally, several other benefits of making dioramas emerged during this project, including highly creative student products, genuine interest …

Editorial: Developing Creativity Through Stem Subjects Integrated With The Arts, Ksenia Zhbanova

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This issue of the Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions is focused on creativity - one of the most highly-desirable 21^st Century skills on personal and global levels. Time, pedagogical knowledge, and resource constraints limit the number of opportunities for teachers to develop creativity in students. In this editorial, creativity development steps and strategies are illuminated along with specific roles of STEM subjects and the arts in development of student creativity. The processes of creativity development used in STEM and the arts are compared to each other and to the non-subject-specific creative process model of Root-Bernstein and Root- …

Maximizing Cross-Cultural Opportunities: Pre-Service Teachers And Pakistani Teachers Writing Together, Margaret Berg, Courtney Luce

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

This qualitative and quantitative study examines a cross-cultural writing workshop between undergraduate pre-service teachers and Pakistani in-service teachers. The 27 undergraduate students were in their junior year in the teacher education program, and had focused majors in a variety of content areas including history, science, music, and language arts. The 17 visiting scholars from Pakistan were all secondary level classroom teachers, also from a variety of disciplines. The undergraduates completed a questionnaire before and after the workshop, and the Pakistanis participated in a focus group following the workshop. Findings demonstrate a shift in the undergraduates’ thinking of genre to forms …

Ohio Ir Day Panel: The Digital Commons From Bepress, Sarah Whybrew

Ohio IR Day

A presentation by Sarah Whybrew from Otterbein University about using Digital Commons platform for Digital Commons @ Otterbein.

A Homeotic Shift Late In Development Drives Mimetic Color Variation In A Bumble Bee, Li Tian, Sarthok Rasique Rahman, Briana D. Ezray, Luca Franzini, James P. Strange, Patrick Lhomme, Heather M. Hines

All PIRU Publications

Natural phenotypic radiations, with their high diversity and convergence, are well-suited for informing how genomic changes translate to natural phenotypic variation. New genomic tools enable discovery in such traditionally nonmodel systems. Here, we characterize the genomic basis of color pattern variation in bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombus), a group that has undergone extensive convergence of setal color patterns as a result of Müllerian mimicry. In western North America, multiple species converge on local mimicry patterns through parallel shifts of midabdominal segments from red to black. Using genome-wide association, we establish that a cis-regulatory locus between the abdominal …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Ivi With Three Modes Of Instruction On Learning And Attitude Towards The Instructional Media, Antoinette B. Calderone

Dissertations

Social Cognitive Theory proposes educational perspectives believed to facilitate the learning process. Social learning focuses on the interactive function of person, behavior, and environment. The mechanism for learning and attitude development is claimed to be influenced by modeling and reinforcement. Computer instruction is a technology that has the capability of incorporating both modeling and reinforcement. Interactive Video Instruction (IVI) is a branch of computer instruction comprised of video and computer components. A traditional mode for computer instruction is on an individual basis. An alternative mode of instruction through group presentation is sometimes employed in the educational arena, however, limited research …

Environmental Science And Culture: Exploring The Factors Contributing To The Pro-Environmental Behavior Of Rural Youth, Michelle Donlan, Elizabeth Flotte, Patricia Silovsky

Dissertations

This mixed methods study contributes to the pro-environmental behavior literature by introducing the concept of environmental science capital to explore the factors influencing pro-environmental behavior in rural youth. This study’s proposed theory of change attempts to build upon the Kollmus and Agyeman model of pro-environmental behavior by theorizing that environmental science capital is the “missing middle” needed to overcome the barriers to pro-environmental behavior. We hypothesized that meaningful nature experiences, role models, connectedness to nature, STEM interest and environmental identity would help rural youth increase their environmental science capital in order to “bridge the gap” and overcome barriers to pro-environmental …

Making Race Matter: Interrupting Racial Color-Blindness In Education Through The Implementation Of Anti-Racist Curriculum, Kelly Deits Cutler

Dissertations and Theses

The United States continues to be a highly racialized society. As a result, race remains a predictor of educational achievement for students in the PK-12 public education system. Concurrently, racial color-blindness continues to dominate educational institutions, as teachers--particularly White teachers--often feel uncomfortable and ill prepared to talk with students about race. One approach that educators have developed to combat color-blindness in schools is anti-racist curriculum. Such curriculum directly teaches students about race and intentionally interrupts the color-blind ideology.

This research study sought to understanding how teachers attending a series of collaborative professional development sessions experienced the process of designing and …

Emotional Manipulation And Cognitive Distraction As Strategy: The Effects Of Verbal Insults On Motivation And Performance In A Competitive Setting, Karen C. P. Mcdermott

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the effects of verbally aggressive insults on an opponent’s performance in a competitive setting, i.e. ‘trash talk.’ Bringing together literature from a number of fields, a model was tested which hypothesized that the perception of verbal insults would increase cognitive distraction, elevate levels of emotional arousal, and affect motivation to perform, such that competitive performance would decrease. Anger and shame were posited as the primary manifestations of emotional arousal. The study was operationalized through a video game racing competition as a true experiment with control and verbal insult conditions. Both groups received an auditory treatment delivered by …

Reverse Engineering Field-Derived Vertical Distribution Profiles To Infer Larval Swimming Behaviors, M. K. James, J. A. Polton, A. R. Brereton, K. L. Howell, W. A.M. Nimmo-Smith, A. M. Knights

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Biophysical models are well-used tools for predicting the dispersal of marine larvae. Larval behavior has been shown to influence dispersal, but how to incorporate behavior effectively within dispersal models remains a challenge. Mechanisms of behavior are often derived from laboratory-based studies and therefore, may not reflect behavior in situ. Here, using state-of-the-art models, we explore the movements that larvae must undertake to achieve the vertical distribution patterns observed in nature. Results suggest that behaviors are not consistent with those described under the tidally synchronized vertical migration (TVM) hypothesis. Instead, we show (i) a need for swimming speed and direction to …

Integrative Review On Cognitive Behavioral Therapy In Chronic Diseases: The Responses Predictors, Nada Lukkahatai, Jillian Inouye, Diane Thomason, Jennifer Kawi, Bruce Leonard, Kirsten Connelly

Nursing Faculty Research

Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a self-management strategy used by patients with chronic diseases. Studies consistently report the effectiveness of this therapy in managing symptoms and improving patients’ quality of life. However, evidence also shows that not all patients benefit from the therapy. Methods: This article presents findings from an integrative review of studies published between 2010 and 2014 that investigated outcome predictors of CBT in chronic illness. The use of CBT in psychological disorders was excluded from the review. Result: Eleven studies were included into this review. Every study supported the effectiveness of CBT for both immediate and …

Press-Pulse Odocoileus Virginianus Herbivory In Relict Tsuga Canadensis Stands In The Western Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Usa, Grace Parikh, Christopher R. Webster

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Ungulate herbivory occurring within a forest plant community’s natural range of variation may help maintain species diversity. However, acute or chronically elevated levels of herbivory can produce dramatic changes in forest communities. For example, chronically high levels of herbivory by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) in regions of historically low abundance at northern latitudes have dramatically altered forest community composition. In eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L. Carrière) stands where deer aggregate during winter, high deer use has been associated with a shift towards deciduous species (i.e., maples [Acer spp.]) dominating the regeneration layer. Especially harsh winters can lead to deer …

Mowing Effects On Woody Stem Density And Woody And Herbaceous Vegetation Heights Along Mississippi Highway Right-Of-Ways., Edward D. Entsminger, Jeanne C. Jones, John W. Guyton, Bruce D. Leopold, Bronson K. Strickland

CFR Publications

Roadside right-of-ways (ROWs) undergo regular disturbances such as mowing, maintenance, wrecks, and road developments, which affect soils, groundwater, surface hydrology, and the composition of vegetation. Roadsides can provide and support an environment for diverse plant communities, but management practices have reduced native grasses, wildflowers, and woody plants. Woody plants are not desirable for traffic safety, maintenance, and visibility along road ROWs. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate effects of roadside mowing frequency on native and nonnative herbaceous and woody plant vertical height coverage and native and nonnative woody stem density within plant communities along highway ROWs. We …

Retrieval Of Salt Marsh Above-Ground Biomass From High-Spatial Resolution Hyperspectral Imagery Using Prosail, Rehman S. Eon, Sarah Goldsmith, Charles M. Bachmann, Anna Christina Tyler, Christopher S. Lapszynski, Greg P. Badura, David T. Osgood, Ryan Brett

Articles

Salt marsh vegetation density varies considerably on short spatial scales, complicating attempts to evaluate plant characteristics using airborne remote sensing approaches. In this study, we used a mast-mounted hyperspectral imaging system to obtain cm-scale imagery of a salt marsh chronosequence on Hog Island, VA, where the morphology and biomass of the dominant plant species, Spartina alterniflora, varies widely. The high-resolution hyperspectral imagery allowed the detailed delineation of variations in above-ground biomass, which we retrieved from the imagery using the PROSAIL radiative transfer model. The retrieved biomass estimates correlated well with contemporaneously collected in situ biomass ground truth data ( R2=0.73 …

Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusion Associates With Acute Kidney Injury After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Akeel M. Merchant, Javier A. Neyra, Abu Minhajuddin, Lauren E. Wehrmann, Richard A. Mills, Sarah K. Gualano, Dharam J. Kumbhani, Lynn C. Huffman, Michael E. Jessen, Amanda A. Fox

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery significantly associates with morbidity and mortality. Despite not requiring cardiopulmonary bypass, transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients have an incidence of post-procedural acute kidney injury similar to patients who undergo open surgical aortic valve replacement. Packed red blood cell transfusion has been associated with morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that packed red blood cell transfusion independently associates with acute kidney injury after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, after accounting for other risk factors.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of 116 patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Post-transcatheter aortic valve …

Downregulation Of Orco And 5-Htt Alters Nestmate Discrimination In The Subterranean Termite Ondontotermes Formosanus (Shiraki), Pengdong Sun, Shuxin Yu, Austin Merchant, Chaoliang Lei, Xuguo Zhou, Qiuying Huang

Entomology Faculty Publications

Nestmate discrimination allows social insects to recognize nestmates from non-nestmates using colony-specific chemosensory cues, which typically evoke aggressive behavior toward non-nestmates. Functional analysis of genes associated with nestmate discrimination has been primarily focused on inter-colonial discrimination in Hymenopterans, and parallel studies in termites, however, are grossly lacking. To fill this gap, we investigated the role of two genes, Orco and 5-HTT, associated with chemosensation and neurotransmission respectively, in nestmate discrimination in a highly eusocial subterranean termite, Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki). We hypothesized that knocking down of these genes will compromise the nestmate recognition and lead to the antagonistic behavior. To …

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Isolated From Michigan Birds - A High School Learning Experience, Cody Benfant

Honors Theses

Bacteria, extremely small prokaryotic cells, are everywhere throughout the world. One striking thing about bacteria is their size: comparing a 2-micrometer bacterial cell to a 6-foot-tall human is similar in scale to comparing a 6-foot-tall human to the distance between Chicago, IL and Denver, CO! Despite their small size, bacteria are found in almost every ecosystem and environment imaginable. From deep sea hydrothermal vents to the clouds miles in the sky, there are trillions of bacteria flourishing in all of Earth’s ecosystems, performing many important functions in global nutrient cycles. While the majority of bacteria are beneficial to humans, …

Week Of June 11, 2019, New York Medical College

InTouch

• BioInc@NYMC Is Expanding
• Evening Honors Volunteer Preceptors

Two Students Receive Grants For Summer Research, Samira Kassem

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Collaborative Dickens : Authorship And Victorian Christmas Periodicals, Melisa Klimaszewski

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

From 1850 to 1867, Charles Dickens produced special issues (called “numbers”) of his journals Household Words and All the Year Round, which were released shortly before Christmas each year. In Collaborative Dickens, Melisa Klimaszewski undertakes the first comprehensive study of these Christmas numbers. She argues for a revised understanding of Dickens as an editor who, rather than ceaselessly bullying his contributors, sometimes accommodated contrary views and depended upon multivocal narratives for his own success.

Klimaszewski uncovers connections among and between the stories in each Christmas collection. She thus reveals ongoing conversations between the works of Dickens and his collaborators on …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Hiv Infection Among People Who Use Drugs In Cambodia: A Cross-Sectional Survey Using Respondent Driven Sampling Method., Sovannary Tuot, Gitau Mburu, Phalkun Mun, Pheak Chhoun, Navy Chann, Kiesha Prem, Siyan Yi

BACKGROUND: Most of studies on the relationship between drug use and HIV have focused largely on people who inject drugs. Non-injecting drug use is much more common than injecting drug use, and although it can also predispose people to HIV infection, it is not widely explored. We therefore conducted this study to explore the prevalence of HIV and identify risk factors for HIV infection among people who use non-injecting drugs (PWUD) in Cambodia.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017. The Respondent Driven Sampling method was used to recruit the study participants who were interviewed face-to-face using a structured …

Unexplored Diversity Of The Mesophotic Echinoderm Fauna Of The Easter Island Ecoregion, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, Javier Sellanes, Matthias Gorny, Christopher Mah

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The Easter Island ecoregion (EIE) is one of the most remote marine areas of the world and encompasses a vast and fragile ecosystem including oceanic islands and seamounts. In January 2014 and March 2016, a remotely operated vehicle was used to explore a subsurface peak off Easter Island (27.23°S, 109.48°W) and a seamount (26.92°S, 110.26°W), respectively located 10 km southwest and 98 km west of the island. More than 950 echinoderms were observed in the 5 h of video recorded during the seven dives conducted at depths between ~ 160 and 280 m. The communities of echinoderms observed at these …

College Of Education News, College Of Education, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• Fisher named VP of Georgia Council for Exceptional Children
• First-ever EAGLE Academy student defies odds, graduates with Eagle Nation at Paulson Stadium
• College of Education's Aslihan Unal co-authors paper, wins national and state awards
• Barrow and McBrayer awarded research assistants for 2019-2020
• COE names research symposium award recipients

Failure Of Oxysterols Such As Lanosterol To Restore Lens Clarity From Cataracts, Damian M. Daszynski, Puttur Santhoshkumar, Ashutosh S. Phadte, K. Krishna Sharma, Haizhen A. Zhong, Marjorie F. Lou, Peter F. Kador

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The paradigm that cataracts are irreversible and that vision from cataracts can only be restored through surgery has recently been challenged by reports that oxysterols such as lanosterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol can restore vision by binding to αB-crystallin chaperone protein to dissolve or disaggregate lenticular opacities. To confirm this premise, in vitro rat lens studies along with human lens protein solubilization studies were conducted. Cataracts were induced in viable rat lenses cultured for 48 hours in TC-199 bicarbonate media through physical trauma, 10 mM ouabain as Na+/K+ ATPase ion transport inhibitor, or 1 mM of an experimental compound that induces water …

Small‐Molecule Activators Of Glucose‐6‐Phosephate Dehydrogenase (G6pd) Bridging The Dimer Interface, Andrew G. Raub, Sunhee Hwang, Naoki Horikoshi, Anna D. Cunningham, Simin Rahighi, Soichi Wakatsuki, Daria Mochly-Rosen

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

We have recently identified AG1, a small-molecule activator that functions by promoting oligomerization of glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) to the catalytically competent forms. Biochemical experiments indicate activation of G6PD by the original hit molecule (AG1) is noncovalent and that one C2-symmetric region of the G6PD homodimer is important for ligand function. Consequently, the disulfide in AG1 is not required for activation of G6PD and a number of analogs were prepared without this reactive moiety. Our Study supports a mechanism of action whereby AG1 bridges the dimer interface at the structural nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+)-binding sites of two interacting G6PD …

A Multivalent Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Like Particle Vaccine Capable Of Eliciting High Titers Of Neutralizing Antibodies In Immunized Rabbits, David H. Mulama, Lorraine Z. Mustvunguma, Jennifer Totonchy, Peng Ye, Joslyn Foley, Gabriela M. Escalante, Esther Rodriguez, Ramina Nabiee, Murali Muniraju, Felix Wussow, Anne K. Barasa, Javier Gordon Ogembo

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an emerging pathogen and the causative agent of multiple cancers in immunocompromised patients. To date, there is no licensed prophylactic KSHV vaccine. In this study, we generated a novel subunit vaccine that incorporates four key KSHV envelope glycoproteins required for viral entry in diverse cell types (gpK8.1, gB, and gH/gL) into a single multivalent KSHV-like particle (KSHV-LP). Purified KSHV-LPs were similar in size, shape, and morphology to KSHV virions. Vaccination of rabbits with adjuvanted KSHV-LPs generated strong glycoprotein-specific antibody responses, and purified immunoglobulins from KSHV-LP-immunized rabbits neutralized KSHV infection in epithelial, endothelial, fibroblast, and B …

The Longest-Lasting Relationship: Patterns Of Contact And Well-Being Among Mid- To Later-Life Siblings, Alexander C. Jensen, Makayla K. Nielson, Jeremy B. Yorgason

Faculty Publications

Objectives: Adults in mid to later life experience shrinking social networks, which may hinder well-being. Siblings may be important sources of social contact. Yet, little is known about adults’ patterns of contact with siblings and how contact is linked to well-being.

Method: Participants included 491 adults from across the United States (M age = 58.96, SD = 6.25; 68% female) recruited online via Amazon Mechanical Turk; they reported on their contact with their sibling in person, over the phone, via email, texting, and social media.

Results: Latent class analysis found evidence for four patterns of contact (classes) among siblings: low, …

Integration Of Random Forest Classifiers And Deep Convolutional Neural Networks For Classification And Biomolecular Modeling Of Cancer Driver Mutations, Steve Agajanian, Odeyemi Oluyemi, Gennady M. Verkhivker

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Development of machine learning solutions for prediction of functional and clinical significance of cancer driver genes and mutations are paramount in modern biomedical research and have gained a significant momentum in a recent decade. In this work, we integrate different machine learning approaches, including tree based methods, random forest and gradient boosted tree (GBT) classifiers along with deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) for prediction of cancer driver mutations in the genomic datasets. The feasibility of CNN in using raw nucleotide sequences for classification of cancer driver mutations was initially explored by employing label encoding, one hot encoding, and embedding to …

Listen To Us: Dad-Endorsed Strategies For Ehdi Professionals, Holly F. Pedersen Dr., Jerusha Olthoff

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

While fathers play an increasingly important role in today’s families, there is an imbalance of research regarding fathers of children with disabilities compared to mothers. Modest research with mothers of children who are deaf/hard of hearing exists; however, very limited research is available specific to fathers of that population. With the advent of newborn hearing screening, the number of children who have hearing loss being identified within the first six months of life has significantly increased. Thus, the number of fathers participating in EHDI services has also increased. Seeking to answer the question, What do fathers’ experiences in the early …