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The Effects Of Direct Brain Stimulation In Humans Depend On Frequency, Amplitude, And White-Matter Proximity, Uma R Mohan, Andrew J Watrous, Jonathan F Miller, Bradley C Lega, Michael R Sperling, Gregory A Worrell, Robert E Gross, Kareem A Zaghloul, Barbara C Jobst, Kathryn A Davis, Sameer A Sheth, Joel M Stein, Sandhitsu R Das, Richard Gorniak, Md, Paul A Wanda, Daniel S Rizzuto, Michael J Kahana, Joshua Jacobs

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Researchers have used direct electrical brain stimulation to treat a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, for brain stimulation to be maximally effective, clinicians and researchers should optimize stimulation parameters according to desired outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of our large-scale study was to comprehensively evaluate the effects of stimulation at different parameters and locations on neuronal activity across the human brain.

METHODS: To examine how different kinds of stimulation affect human brain activity, we compared the changes in neuronal activity that resulted from stimulation at a range of frequencies, amplitudes, and locations with direct human brain recordings. We …

Brucellosis In Pakistan: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease, Meesha Iqbal, Zafar Fatmi, Mumtaz Ali Khan

Community Health Sciences

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease; endemic but neglected in the South Asian countries including Pakistan. It causes economic loss to the livestock sector and leads to systemic infection in humans. Brucellosis was neglected in Pakistan since long. According to the Staged Tool for the Elimination of Brucellosis (STEB), Pakistan carries a grim landscape of the disease with no structured control activities. This article describes the five-year national brucellosis control strategic plan (2018-2023) formulated by the government of Pakistan using the one-health approach for the prevention and control of disease across the country. The plan incorporates components of surveillance, research, diagnostic …

Malignant Cell-Specific Cxcl14 Promotes Tumor Lymphocyte Infiltration In Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Anuraag Parikh, Juneho Shin, William Faquin, Derrick T Lin, Itay Tirosh, John B Sunwoo, Sidharth V Puram

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVES: To explore lymphocyte infiltration as a potential mechanism behind CXCL14-mediated tumor growth suppression in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS: We analyzed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from OSCC to identify expression changes among malignant cells in lymph nodes (LN) versus primary tumors. CXCL14 expression in murine OSCC cell lines was quantified using qRT-PCR. Short hairpin RNA knockdown of CXCL14 was performed in mouse oral cavity (MOC)1 cells, and CXCL14 overexpression was performed in MOC2 cells. Cells in each condition were injected into C57BL/6 mice with and without T cell depletion, and tumor volume was measured. At 30 …

Characterization Of Retinal Biomechanical Properties Using Brillouin Microscopy, Yogeshwari S Ambekar, Manmohan Singh, Giuliano Scarcelli, Elda M Rueda, Benjamin M Hall, Ross A Poché, Kirill V Larin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

SIGNIFICANCE: The retina is critical for vision, and several diseases may alter its biomechanical properties. However, assessing the biomechanical properties of the retina nondestructively is a challenge due to its fragile nature and location within the eye globe. Advancements in Brillouin spectroscopy have provided the means for nondestructive investigations of retina biomechanical properties.

AIM: We assessed the biomechanical properties of mouse retinas using Brillouin microscopy noninvasively and showed the potential of Brillouin microscopy to differentiate the type and layers of retinas based on stiffness.

APPROACH: We used Brillouin microscopy to quantify stiffness of fresh and paraformaldehyde (PFA)-fixed retinas. As further …

Conserved Zz/Zw Sex Chromosomes In Caribbean Croaking Geckos (Aristelliger: Sphaerodactylidae), Shannon E. Keating, Aaron H. Griffing, Stuart V. Nielsen, Daniel P. Scantlebury, Tony Gamble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Current understanding of sex chromosome evolution is largely dependent on species with highly degenerated, heteromorphic sex chromosomes, but by studying species with recently evolved or morphologically indistinct sex chromosomes we can greatly increase our understanding of sex chromosome origins, degeneration and turnover. Here, we examine sex chromosome evolution and stability in the gecko genus Aristelliger. We used RADseq to identify sex‐specific markers and show that four Aristelliger species, spanning the phylogenetic breadth of the genus, share a conserved ZZ/ZW system syntenic with avian chromosome 2. These conserved sex chromosomes contrast with many other gecko sex chromosome systems by showing …

Bk Potassium Currents Contribute Differently To Action Potential Waveform And Firing Rate As Rat Hippocampal Neurons Mature In The First Postnatal Week, Michael Hunsberger, Michelle Mynlieff

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel is a critical regulator of neuronal action potential firing and follows two distinct trends in early postnatal development: an increase in total expression and a shift from the faster activating STREX isoform to the slower ZERO isoform. We analyzed the functional consequences of developmental trends in BK channel expression in hippocampal neurons isolated from neonatal rats aged 1 to 7 days. Following overnight cultures, action potentials and currents were recorded using whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. These neurons undergo a steady increase in excitability during this time, and the effect of blockade of BK channel …

The Old Testament Precedent For The Role Of The Worship Leading Choir, Justin Alan Mclaughlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

God designed mankind to find fulfillment through worship of him in corporate praise and worship. Detailed plans for corporate worship are outlined in the Old Testament Pentateuch, Books of History and Kingdom Books, especially as related to guidelines for worship in the Tabernacle and Temple. Despite the many biblical examples of the importance of corporate singing and the use of choir in worship, many contemporary evangelical congregations are finding just reason to abandon the use of choirs in any strategic role in facilitating or leading of worship. Thus, establishing the need to discover, determine and articulate the biblical role choir …

The Relationship Between Parental Stress And Externalizing Behavior: The Mediating Role Of Family Functioning On Ethnically Diverse Families In Multisystemic Therapy, Jennifer D. Vinces-Cua

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental stress is an expected phenomenon during the parenting of an adolescent. Higher levels of parental stress are associated with an adolescent with externalizing behavior. Parents are instrumental in the development of adolescents and are critical agents of change with youth problematic behavior. Family functioning is often determined in part by a parent’s ability to adequately respond and manage their adolescent’s behavior and their environment. Focusing on improving family relations has been known to positively impact both parent and adolescent. Multisystemic therapy is a well-known treatment for adolescent externalizing behavior and families of diverse ethnicities. Additional attention and resources examining …

The Effects Of Mentoring On Student Outcomes, Leroy Dwan York

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Historically, African Americans males have scored significantly lower than other subgroups on standardized assessments and in academic grades. In addition, African American males have also acquired more disciplinary infractions than all other subgroups. In general, statistics show that adolescent boys have lower achievement and more deviant behaviors than all other subgroups. Boys often struggle with the lack of motivation to excel in school and display appropriate character. This study compared the academic achievement and discipline of a group of boys participating in a mentoring group to a control group with no mentor over a four-month period. Resulting data was analyzed …

Early Transplantation In Acute On Chronic Liver Failure: Who And When, Nadim Mahmud, Ruben Hernaez, Tiffany Wu, Vinay Sundaram

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a unique syndrome that afflicts patients with chronic liver disease and results in high short-term mortality, > 50% at 28 days in patients with severe ACLF (grade 3, ACLF-3). Given this prognosis, there is an urgent need to understand risk factors for this condition, as well as selection criteria for patients who may benefit from liver transplantation (LT).

RECENT FINDINGS: Several studies have identified risk factors for developing ACLF, including higher model for end-stage liver disease score, anemia, and morbid obesity, as well ACLF mortality, such as infection, increasing organ failures, …

Nutrient Management Strategies For Organic Vegetable Production, Emma Jones, Daniela Barrera, Jennifer R. Reeve, Dan Drost

All Current Publications

Organic vegetable production can be profitable for growers in Utah looking to supply local markets. Much of Utah has short growing seasons (<150 days frost-free) with hot, dry summers and cold winters. Organic growers must work within these constraints to generate sufficient soil fertility using cover crops, composts, and targeted use of commercial organic fertilizers. This fact sheet explores nutrient management techniques used at the Utah State University (USU) Student Organic Farm (Student Farm) located in Cache County. In operation since 2008, the Student Farm was certified organic in 2011.

Maternal Serum Placental Leucine Aminopeptidase As A Predictor Of Pregnancy Outcomes

Iraqi Postgraduate Medical Journal

BACKGROUND: Placental leucine aminopeptidase is a glycoprotein, known as oxytocinase. It helps to maintain normal pregnancy to term, also it is involved in fetal development, maintenance of homeostasis during pregnancy, blood pressure regulation, memory retention, antigen presentation, and cancer development. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of maternal serum placental leucine aminopeptidase levels as a predictor of pregnancy outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Hundred pregnant women were included in the study, they were divided into four groups, 25 pregnant women with hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, 25 pregnant women with gestational diabetes and 25 pregnant women with intrauterine fetal death at a gestational …

Art As A Transformative Practice: A Participatory Action Research Project With Trans* Youth, Kenta Asakura, Jess Lundy, Dillon Black, Cara Tierney

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Given that promoting social justice is one of the central organizing principles of social work, it comes as no surprise that participatory action research has gained much attention among social work researchers. While much has been written about promising practices of participatory action research with various marginalized communities, there remains a dearth of participatory action research literature that focuses on trans* people, a population often under attack in current socio-political climates. In this paper, we report on a participatory action research project, in which a trans* artist worked closely with trans* youth participants (n = 5) to assist them through …

Outcomes Of Covid-19 In The Eastern Mediterranean Region In The First 4 Months Of The Pandemic, Ahmed S. Bahammam, Khalid M. Bindayna, Ronni M. Joji, Haitham Jahrami, Nicola L. Bragazzi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To summarize the outcomes of the coronavirus disease 2019 infections in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) in the first 4 months of the pandemic. Methods: A meta-analysis approach was used in this context. We used the aggregate data from the World Health Organization Regional Office for the EMRO (until 26 May 2020) to generate this report. Results: An analysis of official data from all 22 countries and territories in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia K=22 (a total of 438,717 cases) was performed. The total number of cases, recovered cases were 438,717,228,986, and …

The Association Between Plasma Homocysteine Level And Metabolic Syndrome: A Record-Based Study Of Saudi Patients Attending King Abdulaziz Medical City In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abdulkarim Saeed, Mujahid Al Shehri, Abdulghani Al Saleb, Fatmah Othman, Mohammed Al Hazmi, Faris Al Amri, Mazen Ferwana, Maha Al Turki

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To investigate the association between plasma homocysteine (Hcy) status and metabolic syndrome (MS) among Saudi patients attending King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A record-based cross-sectional study of 446 patients was carried out. All consecutive plasma Hcy levels from 2015 to 2018 were extracted. International Diabetes Federation criteria for MS were used to classify the patients. A multivariate regression model was developed to examine the associations between plasma Hcy and MS. Results: The mean plasma Hcy level was 10.52 µmol/L, and 40% of the patients exhibited elevated Hcy status. Male patients had significantly elevated Hcy levels …

Mtor-Initiated Metabolic Switch And Degeneration In The Retinal Pigment Epithelium, Young-Mi Go, Jing Zhang, Jolyn Fernandes, Christopher Litwin, Rui Chen, Theodore G Wensel, Dean P Jones, Jiyang Cai, Yan Chen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a particularly vulnerable tissue to age-dependent degeneration. Over the life span, the RPE develops an expanded endo-lysosomal compartment to maintain the high efficiency of phagocytosis and degradation of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) necessary for photoreceptor survival. As the assembly and activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) occur on the lysosome surface, increased lysosome mass with aging leads to higher mTORC1 activity. The functional consequences of hyperactive mTORC1 in the RPE are unclear. In the current study, we used integrated high-resolution metabolomic and genomic approaches to examine mice with RPE-specific deletion …

Impact Of Annual And Semi-Annual Mass Drug Administration For Lymphatic Filariasis And Onchocerciasis On Hookworm Infection In Côte D'Ivoire, Agodio Loukouri, Aboulaye Méité, Benjamin G. Koudou, Charles W. Goss, Daphne Lew, Gary J. Weil, Eliezer K. N'Goran, Peter U. Fischer

Open Access Publications

Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programs to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) in western Africa use the anthelminthics ivermectin plus albendazole. These drugs have the potential to impact also Soil-Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections, since the drugs have a broad range of anthelminthic activity. Integration of preventive chemotherapy efforts for LF, onchocerciasis and STH is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to avoid duplication of MDA and to reduce costs. The objective of the current study was to determine whether five semi-annual rounds of community-wide MDA to eliminate LF and onchocerciasis have a greater impact on STH than three annual …

The Role Of Glia In Protein Aggregation, Qingyun Li, Michael S Haney

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Protein aggregation diseases involve intracellular accumulation or extracellular deposition of certain protein species in neuronal or glial cells, leading to neurodegeneration and shortened lifespan. Prime examples include Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington's disease (HD), which are affected by overlapping or specific aggregation-prone proteins. Mounting evidence suggests that dysfunctional glial cells may be major drivers for some diseases, and when they are not causal factors, they could still significantly exacerbate or alleviate disease progression by playing a plethora of detrimental or beneficial roles. Here we review the diverse functions performed by glial cells in …

Growth, Detection, Quantification, And Inactivation Of Sars-Cov-2, James Brett Case, Adam L. Bailey, Arthur S. Kim, Rita E. Chen, Michael S. Diamond

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 is the agent responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to SARS-CoV, which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak. Although numerous reagents were developed to study SARS-CoV infections, few have been applicable to evaluating SARS-CoV-2 infection and immunity. Current limitations in studying SARS-CoV-2 include few validated assays with fully replication-competent wild-type virus. We have developed protocols to propagate, quantify, and work with infectious SARS-CoV-2. Here, we describe: (1) virus stock generation, (2) RT-qPCR quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA; (3) detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen by flow cytometry, (4) quantification of infectious …

Mobilisation Kinetics Of Br, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb And Sb In Microplastics Exposed To Simulated, Dietary-Adapted Digestive Conditions Of Seabirds, Elliot C. Smith, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Foamed Polystyrene In The Marine Environment: Sources, Additives, Transport, Behavior, And Impacts, Andrew Turner

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Higher-Order Structure Of Primal World Beliefs In German-Speaking Countries: Adaptation And Initial Validation Of The German Primals Inventory (Pi-66-G), Alexander G. Stahlmann, Jennifer Hofmann, Willibald Ruch, Sonja Heintz, Jeremy D.W. Clifton

School of Psychology

Primal world beliefs–or primals–are a category of beliefs about the overall character of the world that inform individual differences in cognition, affect, and behavior. In a recent comprehensive effort, Clifton et al. (2019) cataloged 26 pervasive primals and developed the Primals Inventory (PI-99) to measure them. In this study (N=592), we describe the adaptation and initial validation of the German Primals Inventory (PI-66-G), an instrument to measure primals in German-speaking countries. The PI-66-G's first-order structure was supported by exploratory factor analyses and the resulting scales demonstrated good reliability (median α=0.81). Based on the PI-66-G, we extend Clifton et al.' (2019) …

Dynamics Of Youth Engagement In The Local Church, Jacqueline C. Hanna

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

According to many biblical accounts, children were included in worship experiences. Despite the efforts of many churches to engage, attract, and retain youth, there is still a lack of youth participation, involvement, and interest in the local church. This not only affects youth, but also the church. Unengaged youth do not have the opportunity to become future leaders of the church. In turn, churches will experience a void in future leadership and will be prohibited from flourishing. This qualitative historical study examined reasons for youth disengagement in an effort to find strategies for effective retention and engagement to benefit youth …

Best Practices For Successfully Writing And Publishing A Genome Announcement In Microbiology Resource Announcements, Julie C. Dunning Hotopp, David A. Baltrus, Vincent M. Bruno, John J. Dennehy, Steven R. Gill, Julia A. Maresca, Jelle Matthijnssens, Irene L. J. Newton, Catherine Putonti, David A. Rasko, Antonis Rokas, Simon Roux, Jason E. Stajich, Kenneth M. Stedman, Frank J. Stewart, J. Cameron Thrash

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microbiology Resource Announcements (MRA) provides peer-reviewed announcements of scientific resources for the microbial research community. We describe the best practices for writing an announcement that ensures that these publications are truly useful resources. Adhering to these best practices can lead to successful publication without the need for extensive revisions.

Tuning Network Dynamics From Criticality To An Asynchronous State, Jingwen Li, Woodrow L. Shew

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

According to many experimental observations, neurons in cerebral cortex tend to operate in an asynchronous regime, firing independently of each other. In contrast, many other experimental observations reveal cortical population firing dynamics that are relatively coordinated and occasionally synchronous. These discrepant observations have naturally led to competing hypotheses. A commonly hypothesized explanation of asynchronous firing is that excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs are precisely correlated, nearly canceling each other, sometimes referred to as ‘balanced’ excitation and inhibition. On the other hand, the ‘criticality’ hypothesis posits an explanation of the more coordinated state that also requires a certain balance of excitatory …

Characterising Life In Settlements And Structures: Incorporating Faecal Lipid Biomarkers Within A Multiproxy Case Study Of A Wetland Village, H Mackay, Kl Davies, J Robertson, L Roy, Et Al

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Roundhouses are ubiquitous features of Iron Age landscapes across North West Europe, yet the way they were used internally is not well understood. We demonstrate how spatial analyses of steroid lipid biomarkers advances our understanding of household activities, living conditions and animal management associated with a well-preserved 5th century BCE roundhouse from Scotland's first Iron Age wetland village, Black Loch of Myrton, especially when combined with more traditional archaeological approaches. Faecal steroids (5ß-stanols and bile acids) are well preserved within the wetland roundhouse floor deposits. Diffuse faecal inputs are identified within these deposits, limiting the resolution of faecal source discrimination …

Human Impact Overrides Bioclimatic Drivers Of Red Fox Home Range Size Globally, Michael T. Main, Robert A. Davis, David Blake, Harriet Mills, Tim S. Doherty

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 The Authors. Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Identifying the variables that influence animal home range size is important for understanding the biological requirements of individuals and their social interactions. Given their often broad distributions, carnivores are model organisms for studying range-wide determinants of home range size. Here, we test predictions about environmental determinants of home range size for one of the world's most widely distributed carnivores, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Location: Global. Methods: We compiled a database of 70 mean home range estimates from 62 studies and four continents, which we …

Early Aggressive Hydration Is Associated With Decreased Opioid Use And Readmission In Mild Acute Pancreatitis, Shreyans Doshi, Hong Liang, Hale Z. Toklu, Selina Fritze, Sue-Wei Luu

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common causes of hospital admissions due to gastrointestinal disorders. No pharmacologic agents have been proven to impact the prognosis, and the treatment still remains supportive with intravenous fluids for hydration. Although early hydration has been recommended for the management of mild AP, there is no consensus on the type, rate, and amount of the fluid replacement.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the outcome of aggressive hydration in patients with AP.

Methods: Retrospective data from patients admitted to 12 hospitals (2015–2017) was used for analysis. Five hundred patients who …

Low Dose Clenbuterol Toxicity: Case Report And Review Of Literature, Kenneth Lan, Adarsh Saheba, Paul Mathew

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Clenbuterol is a long-acting β-agonist used in oral and inhaled form for asthma treatment outside the U.S. and in veterinary medicine within the U.S. It is also used off-label for anabolic effects worldwide. Toxicity with clenbuterol is increasingly seen in U.S. hospitals, primarily in younger individuals using the drug for competitive athletics or bodybuilding. We present a case of a young patient who presented after an intentional overdose and discuss the relevant literature. Presentations do not correlate with the dosage ingested. Signs and symptoms can range from simple nausea to myocardial ischemia, rhabdomyolysis and cardiogenic shock. Treatment of overdose is …

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: A General Overview, Julia Fashner

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) varies in presentation and the patient’s symptoms of regurgitation in the throat or epigastric pain do not necessarily correlate with the severity of their disease. This general overview of GERD will include information on guidelines and diagnostic testing; lifestyle, medical and surgical management; and GERD in special populations. The pathophysiology of GERD is multifactorial, and a step-wise approach will assist physicians in making the diagnosis as GERD has a significant financial burden to the U.S. healthcare system.