Digital Commons Network^™

Mental Illness And Demonic Influence: The Difference Between Them And The Difference It Makes, Alton Kawan Parks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project presented how mental illness and demonic possession were viewed by and how counseling was beneficial for the members of Samaritan Missionary Baptist Church. The gathered information was used for an informed outlook on the subject matter, and research was gathered through surveys. This process was designed to increase knowledge, consideration, and understanding of the subject matter to promote an in-depth basis for development.

Improving Remedial Middle School Standardized Test Scores, Roger Lee Keaton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of low standardized test scores in a remedial class for a middle school in southern Virginia and to formulate a solution to address the problem. The central research question that data collection attempted to answer was: How can the problem of low standardized test scores in a remedial math class be solved in a middle school in southern Virginia? Data were collected in three ways. First, interviews of teachers and administrators of the remedial math class, called Math Lab, were conducted. These interviews were transcribed and coded, with the …

Classification Of Plant Moisture Conditions Using Canopy And Leaf Temperature Responses To Step Changes Of Incident Radiation, George Meyer, Ellen T. Paparozzi, Erin Stevens

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Environmental and soil conditions affect plant productivity. Determining and understanding how plants respond to moisture stress may be considered in different ways, but often not easily done. This study focused on measuring canopy and individual leaf temperature response times of selected horticultural and agricultural crops, treated to very dry (moisture stress) and well-watered conditions, and subjected to an incident step radiation change at the top of the canopy, in a controlled environment at a constant air temperature. A light-emitting-diode (LED), grow light system, delivering approximately 400 μEinstein s-1 m-2 of photosynthetically-active-radiation (PAR) was turned on and off to produce light …

The Inhibitory Activity Of Anthraquinones Against Pathogenic Protozoa, Bacteria, And Fungi And The Relationship To Structure, Mendel Friedman, Alexander Xu, Rani Lee, Daniel N. Nguyen, Tina A. Phan, Sabrina M. Hamada, Rima Panchel, Christina C. Tam, Jong H. Kim, Luisa W. Cheng, Kirkwood M. Land

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

Plant-derived anthraquinones were evaluated in cell assays for their inhibitory activities against the parasitic protozoa Trichomonas vaginalis human strain G3 that causes the sexually transmitted disease trichomoniasis in women, Tritrichomonas foetus bovine strain D1 that causes sexually transmitted diseases in farm animals (bulls, cows, and pigs), Tritrichomonas foetus-like strain C1 that causes diarrhea in domestic animals (cats and dogs), and bacteria and fungi. The anthraquinones assessed for their inhibitory activity were anthraquinone, aloe-emodin (1,8-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethylanthraquinone), anthrarufin (1,5-dihydroxyanthraquinone), chrysazin (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone), emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methylanthraquinone), purpurin (1,2,4-trihydroxyanthraquinone), and rhein (1,8-dihydroxy-3-carboxyanthraquinone). Their activities were determined in terms of IC values, defined as the concentration that inhibits …

The Efficacy Of Political Apology Within A Settler-Colonial Framework, Hannah M. Bauer

Senior Theses

Government apologies issued for American settler-colonialism, instances of mis-racialization, and instances of misrepresentation of Native American peoples – such as the joint resolutions passed by President Clinton and the 103^rd Congress and President Obama and the 111^th Congress – reflect the strategies used to justify the United States’ removal and assimilation policies. These same strategies are evident in the ways which historic and modern media representations transform Native Americans into a monolithic racial ‘other.’ Trump’s evocation of “Pocahontas” as a racial slur and Warren’s participation in a DNA test during Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren’s debate over Warren’s …

Making The People. An Interview With Paulina Ochoa Espejo, Haverford College, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, David Cortés Ferrández, Sandra Nava Nieto

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

Paulina Ochoa Espejo is an Associate Professor of political science at Haverford College. She is the author of On Borders: Territories, Legitimacy and the Rights of Place (OUP, 2020), The Time of Popular Sovereignty: Process and the Democratic State (PSUP, 2011) and co–editor of the Oxford Handbook of Populism (2017).

The 2016 Bernie Sanders Campaign: American Socialist Populism, Judson C. Abraham

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

Some socialists criticize Bernie Sanders’s 2016 presidential campaign, taking issue with the senator’s nationalism, vague presentation of socialism and revolution, and seeming preoccupation with class at the expense of attention to racism. This article draws from Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s theorization of populism to depict Sanders’s campaign as a legitimately socialist project. Laclau and Mouffe claim that left populism may evolve into socialism under certain conditions. One may expect Sanders’s populism to empower previously uncommitted people to make socialist demands.

Association Of Circulatory Kisspeptin Levels And Hormonal Interplay With Male Infertility: A Cross-Sectional Study In Karachi, Pakistan, Rehana Rehman, Kaleem Ahmed, Nida Zahid, Faiza Alam, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objectives: To determine the impact of Kisspeptin on male reproductive axis in a selected urban population.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Medicine in collaboration with Aga Khan University, Karachi, from July, 2017, to February, 2018, and comprised infertile males with abnormal sperm parameters who were placed in Group A and fertile males with normal sperm parameters placed in Group B. Serum samples were estimated for Kisspeptin, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 313 male subjects, 178(57%) …

A Phase Ii Single-Arm Study Of Pembrolizumab With Enzalutamide In Men With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Progressing On Enzalutamide Alone., Julie N Graff, Tomasz M Beer, Joshi J Alumkal, Rachel E Slottke, William L. Redmond, George V Thomas, Reid F Thompson, Mary A Wood, Yoshinobu Koguchi, Yiyi Chen, Emile Latour, Raymond C Bergan, Charles G Drake, Amy E Moran

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Checkpoint inhibitors can induce profound anticancer responses, but programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibition monotherapy has shown minimal activity in prostate cancer. A published report showed that men with prostate cancer who were resistant to the second-generation androgen receptor inhibitor enzalutamide had increased programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on circulating antigen-presenting cells. We hypothesized that the addition of PD-1 inhibition in these patients could induce a meaningful cancer response.

METHODS: We evaluated enzalutamide plus the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab in a single-arm phase II study of 28 men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mprogressing on enzalutamide alone. Pembrolizumab 200 mg …

Volume 29, Issue 2, Summer/Fall 2020, Office Of Communications, Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine, 2018-present

INSIDE THIS ISSUE VOLUME 29 | NUMBER 2 | SUMMER/FALL 2020

ON OUR COVER: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Illinois Wesleyan to adapt in unforeseen ways amidst the global health crisis. Digital illustration by Ethan Lubin.

11 Long Way Home When the novel coronavirus outbreak presented travel challenges for Illinois Wesleyan students abroad, the IWU community came together to help students return home quickly and safely.

16 Waging War on COVID-19 Dr. Gregory A. Poland ’77 has spent decades studying infectious diseases and developing vaccines, and is a leading voice during the current health crisis.

20 Leading on the Front …

Exploring How Second-Career Teachers Construct A New Professional Identity: A Narrative Inquiry Study, Bethany Pflug

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This qualitative, narrative inquiry explored how second-career teachers constructed their new professional identity as a teacher. Through personal, in-depth interviews, the study analyzed how each participant constructed their professional identity. Four common themes were found among the participants in how they constructed their professional identity: professional identity shaped by identity as a parent, professional identity as shaped by personal identity, professional identity as shaped by prior professional skills and experiences, and professional identity as shaped by social context. In addition to these themes, each participant had unique ways in which they constructed their professional identity as at teacher which did …

Deep Learning For Real-World Object Detection, Xiongwei Wu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Despite achieving significant progresses, most existing detectors are designed to detect objects in academic contexts but consider little in real-world scenarios. In real-world applications, the scale variance of objects can be significantly higher than objects in academic contexts; In addition, existing methods are designed for achieving localization with relatively low precision, however more precise localization is demanded in real-world scenarios; Existing methods are optimized with huge amount of annotated data, but in certain real-world scenarios, only a few samples are available. In this dissertation, we aim to explore novel techniques to address these research challenges to make object detection algorithms …

Current Advances In Transfusion Medicine: A 2019 Review Of Selected Topics From The Aabb Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee, Monica B. Pagano, Elizabeth S. Allen, Stella T. Chou, Nancy M. Dunbar, Thomas Gniadek, Ruchika Goel, Sarah K. Harm, Courtney K. Hopkins, Jessica Jacobson, Parvez M. Lokhandwala, Ryan A. Metcalf, Jay S. Raval, Joseph Schwartz, Hua Shan, Philip C. Spinella, Emily Storch, Claudia S. Cohn

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: The AABB Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee (CTMC) compiles an annual synopsis of the published literature covering important developments in the field of transfusion medicine (TM) for the board of director's review. This synopsis is now made available as a manuscript published in TRANSFUSION.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: CTMC committee members review original manuscripts including TM-related topics published in different journals between late 2018 and 2019. The selection of topics and manuscripts are discussed at committee meetings and are chosen based on relevance and originality. After the topics and manuscripts are selected, committee members work in pairs to create a …

Characterization Of Patients With Axial Spondyloarthritis By Enthesitis Presence: Data From The Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry., Philip Mease, Mei Liu, Sabrina Rebello, Winnie Hua, Robert R Mclean, Esther Yi, Yujin Park, Alexis Ogdie

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who had enthesitis versus those without enthesitis.

METHODS: This study included adult patients with axSpA enrolled in the Corrona Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondyloarthritis Registry (March 2013 to August 2018). Enthesitis was assessed at enrollment via the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada Enthesitis Index. Characteristics were compared between patients with and without enthesitis using t tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous variables and χ

RESULTS: Of 477 patients with axSpA, 121 (25.4%) had enthesitis (mean, 3.9 sites) at enrollment. Higher proportions of patients with enthesitis were female and had nonradiographic axSpA …

A Generalizable Data-Driven Multicellular Model Of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma., Boris Aguilar, David L Gibbs, David J Reiss, Mark Mcconnell, Samuel A Danziger, Andrew Dervan, Matthew Trotter, Douglas Bassett, Robert Hershberg, Alexander V Ratushny, Ilya Shmulevich

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND: Mechanistic models, when combined with pertinent data, can improve our knowledge regarding important molecular and cellular mechanisms found in cancer. These models make the prediction of tissue-level response to drug treatment possible, which can lead to new therapies and improved patient outcomes. Here we present a data-driven multiscale modeling framework to study molecular interactions between cancer, stromal, and immune cells found in the tumor microenvironment. We also develop methods to use molecular data available in The Cancer Genome Atlas to generate sample-specific models of cancer.

RESULTS: By combining published models of different cells relevant to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), …

Rapid Colorimetric Identification Of Escherichia Coli Shiga Toxins 1 And 2, As Well As Eae And Aggr, Using Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification Followed By Pna/Aunp Detection, Rachael Nelson

All NMU Master's Theses

Escherichia coli are normal residents in the intestinal tracts of humans and animals. However, some E. coli strains produce Shiga toxins and attachment factors that make them pathogenic. Pathogenic E. coli strains can cause fever, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In severe cases they cause hemorrhagic colitis or kidney failure. Current laboratory methods can detect pathogenic E. coli within 24-48 hours. This timeframe puts more people at risk of exposure to pathogenic E. coli. This research utilizes a DNA amplification technique called Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) to detect different strains of pathogenic E. coli. Common visualization methods …

Assessment & Institutional Capacity In A Time Of Disruption, Molly Kerby, Dena Pastor, Kristen Norris, Allison Rank

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Session Goals:

1. Assessing in a time of disruption - it's hard! Things are chaotic but assessment must be done. How do we assess a mess?

2. Define terms. Civic engagement, civic knowledge, civic efficacy, civic identity, outcomes mapping.

3. Explain Levels of Assessment. Institutional, program, course.

4. Examine the roles of . . . Institutional Research, Institutional-level Assessment, Program-level Assessment, Course-level Assessment.

Investigation Of Multiphasic 3d-Bioplotted Scaffolds For Site-Specific Chondrogenic And Osteogenic Differentiation Of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells For Osteochondral Tissue Engineering Applications, Julia T. Oxford

Biomedical Research Institute Publications and Presentations

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that limits mobility of the affected joint due to the degradation of articular cartilage and subchondral bone. The limited regenerative capacity of cartilage presents significant challenges when attempting to repair or reverse the effects of cartilage degradation. Tissue engineered medical products are a promising alternative to treat osteochondral degeneration due to their potential to integrate into the patient's existing tissue. The goal of this study was to create a scaffold that would induce site-specific osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASC) to generate a full osteochondral implant. Scaffolds were fabricated using …

Werewomen: An Exhumation Of Transness In Horror Cinema, Sam Miller

Lawrence University Honors Projects

The original idea for this paper occurred because I watched a film titled Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett, 2000). I related to it (or rather, to the figure of the werewolf within it) to an almost uncomfortable degree. This was not something I had expected at the outset. Ginger Snaps is a modestly budgeted Canadian horror film about a teenage girl who is bitten by, and subsequently transforms into, a werewolf—nothing about it pre-viewing struck me as potentially profound or paper-inspiring. And, to be fair, it was not the narrative of the movie that struck me or even any specific technical …

Aids Normalization, Alexandra Juhasz, Theodore Kerr

Publications and Research

Review of On Our Backs: The Revolutionary Art of Queer Sex Work, curated by Alexis Heller for New York’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which was on view from September 2019 to January 2020, and other contemporary AIDS culture.

Promise - Summer 2000, The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center

Promise: A Publication for Friends of MD Anderson

• Saluting the heroes of COVID-19
• Running for cancer research
• From patient to advocate
• Nonprofit awards $100,000 grant for stomach cancer research
• Estate gift fulfills boyhood wish to fight cancer
• Corporations and communities raise millions to fight cancer
• MD Anderson becomes jersey partner of Houston Dash
• A grandmother’s legacy lives on through Sarcoma-Oma Foundation
• Get to know Board of Visitors member Tom Johnson, former CNN president
• Move for MD Anderson stresses role of exercise in reducing cancer risk
• MD Anderson retains No. 1 ranking in U.S. News & World Report
• Gift will connect patients, caregivers amid COVID-19
• Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation honors physician, …

Authentic Assessments And Their Impact On Engagement Of Gifted Learners In Washington County Public Schools: An Action Research Study, Felicia Jo Lowman-Sikes

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods, action research project focused on how gifted learners perceived their levels of engagement when presented with differing assessment types. The project, which took place in Washington County Virginia Public Schools, investigated how middle and high school gifted learners’ engagement differed when completing authentic assessments versus multiple choice assessments. A purposeful sample was chosen with participants then completing Likert-type surveys and semi-structured interviews. Classroom observations were conducted at both the middle and high school levels. Data and findings were triangulated to complete the research process.

2020 - 2021 University Catalog, Loma Linda University

University Catalog (2005 - present)

This is a one-year CATALOG, effective beginning Summer Quarter 2020.

Volume 110, Number 1, July 2020

Clinical Outcomes Of Patients With Advanced Synovial Sarcoma Or Myxoid/Round Cell Liposarcoma Treated At Major Cancer Centers In The United States, Seth M Pollack, Neeta Somaiah, Dejka M Araujo, Mihaela Druta, Brian A Van Tine, Melissa A Burgess, Sant P Chawla, Mahesh Seetharam, Scott H Okuno, Chet Bohac, Michael Chen, Sergey Yurasov, Steven Attia

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Outcomes data regarding advanced synovial sarcoma (SS) and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCL) are limited, consisting primarily of retrospective series and post hoc analyses of clinical trials.

METHODS: In this multi-center retrospective study, data were abstracted from the medical records of 350 patients from nine sarcoma centers throughout the United States and combined into a registry. Patients with advanced/unresectable or metastatic SS (n = 249) or MRCL (n = 101) who received first-line systemic anticancer therapy and had records of tumor imaging were included. Overall survival (OS), time to next treatment, time to distant metastasis, and progression-free survival (PFS) were …

Driving Factors Of Preterm Birth Risk In Adolescents, Marta J. Perez, Jen J. Chang, Lorene A. Temming, Ebony B. Carter, Julia D. López, Methodius G. Tuuli, George A. Macones, Molly J. Stout

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparative Genomics And Transcriptomics Of 4 Paragonimus Species Provide Insights Into Lung Fluke Parasitism And Pathogenesis, Bruce A. Rosa, Young-Jun Choi, Samantha N. Mcnulty, Hyeim Jung, John Martin, Takeshi Agatsuma, Hiromu Sugiyama, Thanh Hoa Le, Pham Ngoc Doanh, Wanchai Maleewong, David Blair, Paul J. Brindley, Peter U. Fischer, Makedonka Mitreva

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Paragonimus spp. (lung flukes) are among the most injurious foodborne helminths, infecting ∼23 million people and subjecting ∼292 million to infection risk. Paragonimiasis is acquired from infected undercooked crustaceans and primarily affects the lungs but often causes lesions elsewhere including the brain. The disease is easily mistaken for tuberculosis owing to similar pulmonary symptoms, and accordingly, diagnostics are in demand.

RESULTS: We assembled, annotated, and compared draft genomes of 4 prevalent and distinct Paragonimus species: Paragonimus miyazakii, Paragonimus westermani, Paragonimus kellicotti, and Paragonimus heterotremus. Genomes ranged from 697 to 923 Mb, included 12,072-12,853 genes, and were 71.6-90.1% complete according …

Lathosterol Oxidase (Sterol C-5 Desaturase) Deletion Confers Resistance To Amphotericin B And Sensitivity To Acidic Stress In Leishmania Major, Yu Ning, Cheryl Frankfater, Fong-Fu Hsu, Rodrigo P Soares, Camila A Cardoso, Paula M Nogueira, Noelia Marina Lander, Roberto Docampo, Kai Zhang

Open Access Publications

Lathosterol oxidase (LSO) catalyzes the formation of the C-5-C-6 double bond in the synthesis of various types of sterols in mammals, fungi, plants, and protozoa. In

Brainstorm: A Multi-Institutional Phase 1/2 Study Of Rrx-001 In Combination With Whole Brain Radiation Therapy For Patients With Brain Metastases, Michelle M Kim, Christina I Tsien, Et Al

Open Access Publications

PURPOSE: To determine the recommended phase 2 dose of RRx-001, a radiosensitizer with vascular normalizing properties, when used with whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for brain metastases and to assess whether quantitative changes in perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after RRx-001 correlate with response.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five centers participated in this phase 1/2 trial of RRx-001 given once pre-WBRT and then twice weekly during WBRT. Four dose levels were planned (5 mg/m

RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2017, 31 patients were enrolled. Two patients dropped out before any therapy. Median age was 60 years (range, 30-76), and 12 were male. The …

The Effect Of Thermal Therapy On The Blood-Brain Barrier And Blood-Tumor Barrier, Bhuvic Patel, Peter H Yang, Albert H Kim

Open Access Publications

The blood-brain and blood-tumor barriers represent highly specialized structures responsible for tight regulation of molecular transit into the central nervous system. Under normal circumstances, the relative impermeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from circulating toxins and contributes to a brain microenvironment necessary for optimal neuronal function. However, in the context of tumors and other diseases of central nervous system, the BBB and the more recently appreciated blood-tumor barrier (BTB) represent barriers that prevent effective drug delivery. Overcoming both barriers to optimize treatment of central nervous system diseases remains the subject of intense scientific investigation. Although many newer …

Feeling Out Your Food: A Histological Analysis Of The Whisker System In Seals, Cameron Cooper

Master's Theses

The vibrissal (whisker) system is present in nearly all mammals and is especially important in deep-diving mammals. Pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses) have highly sensitive whiskers that are used to follow hydrodynamic trails created by their swimming prey. Each pinniped vibrissa is surrounded by a tripartite blood sinus system composed of an upper cavernous sinus (UCS), a ring sinus (RS), and a lower cavernous sinus (LCS). The UCS has been hypothesized to play a thermoregulatory role, insulating temperature sensitive mechanoreceptors located within the vibrissal follicle. The aim of this study was to examine this hypothesis by measuring and comparing …