Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Aflatoxin B1 On The Submandibular Salivary Gland Of Albino Rats And Possible Therapeutic Potential Of Rosmarinus Officinalis: A Light And Electron Microscopic Study, Mohamed Shamel, Bassant Ashraf

Dentistry

Background: Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a highly toxic mycotoxin, is one of the contaminants of food items such as corn, rice, nuts, and flour. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of AFB1 on the histology and ultrastructure of the submandibular salivary glands (SMSG) of albino rats and examine the possible therapeutic effect of Rosmarinus officinalis extract. Methods: This study used 21 adult male albino rats equally divided into three groups as follows: Group C (saline-treated control group); Group A (AFB1 treated group) subjected to intraperitoneal injection of AFB1 (2 mg/kg) once daily for four weeks; Group R …

The Application Of The Food Safety Modernization Act’S Produce Safety Rule For Produce Auctions, Mari Schroeder

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Produce is a high-risk commodity that is associated with numerous foodborne outbreaks each year. The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule was designed to address these issues by requiring farms that grow, harvest, package, and/or hold produce to comply with science-based minimum guidelines. However, with the revival of the local food movement there is a subsequent flux in alternative food networks that handle produce but are not covered by this rule. Produce auctions represent only a fraction of these alternative food networks but are the focus of this study because of their interaction with the Plain community whose relationship …

The Role Of Feed Additives In Mitigating The Effect Of Stressors On Growth, Digestibility, Intestinal Morphology, Permeability, And Immune Response In Poultry, Yemi Olojede Burden

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of dietary supplements in birds exposed to different stressors, on growth performance, nutrient, and energy digestibility, antioxidant status, intestinal permeability, and immune status. The first study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a commercially available algae-based antioxidant, containing Selenium yeast (EconomasE™, EcoE) and two inorganic sodium sources (NaCl and NaCl+NaHCO3) on growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility and utilization, antioxidant, and immune status of broilers challenged with oral gavage of dexamethasone (DEX). The inclusion of either of the sodium sources did not affect plasma corticosterone and antioxidant status levels, growth …

Assessment Of Physical Properties Of A Zno/E ~Sealer Modified By Adding Moringa Oleifera: An Experimental In-Vitro Study, Engy M. Kataia, `Maram E. Khallaf, Nada Omar, Yousra Aly, Nancy Elshafei

Dentistry

Aim: In an attempt to move toward exploration of the antibacterial properties of herbal products, this study evaluated the effect of how the addition of Moringa would affect the physical properties of the commercial Endofil sealer. Materials and Methods: An experimental in vitro study was performed using three experimental sealers. There were four groups in this study: Group A (ZnO/E sealer alone), Group B (ZnO/E and Moringa root), Group C (ZnO/E and Moringa leaf), and Group D (ZnO/E and Moringa leaf extract liquid). Measurements were carried out according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standardization 6876:2012. Moringa oleifera was added …

Effect Of Different Scaling Methods And Materials On The Enamel Surface Topography: An In Vitro Sem Study, Mohamed Shamel, Mahmoud Bakr, Mahmoud Ankily, Fatma Makkeyah

Dentistry

Aims and Objectives: Scaling is important for maintenance of gingival and periodontal conditions. These procedures have a harmful effect on the dental hard tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hand and ultrasonic instruments made of stainless and titanium on the surface properties of enamel. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted premolars were used in this in vitro study and were randomly divided into four groups (n= 10). Group I received ultrasonic scaling with stainless steel tip, group II received ultrasonic scaling with titanium tip, group III hand scaling with stainless steel tip, and group IV …

The Effect Of Smoking On Clinical Presentation And Expression Of Tlr-2 And Cd34 In Oral Lichen Planus Patients: Clinical And Immunohistochemical Study, Enji Ahmed Mahmoud, Nermin Yousif, Nermin Raouf

Dentistry

Background: Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease which is considered as a potential precancerous condition. Numerous studies have confirmed that inflammation is a strong risk factor for cancer development. Smoking is associated with potentially malignant disorders of the oral and oropharyngeal mucosa. The adverse consequences of smoking in various pathologies are mediated by its effects on the immune-inflammatory system. Little is known about the influence of cigarette smoke content on the course of OLP and inflammatory response. Methods: Twenty oral lichen planus smoker patients, 20 oral lichen planus non-smoker patients and 20 control patients were included in this …

Life History Metrics Of Wahoo (Acanthocybium Solandri) From The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Erik T. Lang, Chris A. Levron, Cijii D. Marshall, Brett J. Falterman

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) are highly sought in recreational and commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), yet the harvest of Wahoo is currently unmanaged in the GOM region outside of Florida waters. Life history metrics are critical to stock assessments and science-based management. Between 2014-2017, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) biologists collected Wahoo otoliths and ovaries (n=198) from the northern GOM Wahoo recreational fishery based in Venice, LA to estimate life history metrics of age, growth, and maturity. A protocol was developed to section and age the small, fragile otoliths. A 2-parameter Von Bertalanffy growth …

Abundance And Occurrence Of Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) In Three Estuaries Of The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Errol Ronje, Heidi Whitehead, Kevin Barry, Sarah Piwetz, Juliane Struve, Vincent Lecours, Lance Garrison, Randall S. Wells, Keith D. Mullin

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Current abundance estimates for populations of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu, 1821) in bays, sounds, and estuaries are lacking throughout most of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, including areas of Texas and western Louisiana. To address this issue, we conducted 92 small-boat photographic identification surveys covering ~2000 km² and comprising ~11,000 km of track-line in winter and summer seasons in West Bay, TX (2014 – 2015, n = 25), the Galveston Bay, TX system (2016, n = 50), Sabine Lake, TX (2017, n = 17), and adjacent coastal waters. Individual dolphin encounter histories were constrained by …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Perfectionism And Neurological Functioning, Julie M. Petersen, Clarissa W. Ong, Allison S. Hancock, Ronald B. Gillam, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Clinical perfectionism is the rigid pursuit of high standards, interfering with functioning. Little research has explored neural patterns in clinical perfectionism. The present study explores neural correlates of clinical perfectionism, before and after receiving ten 50-minute, weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as compared to low-perfectionist controls, in specific cortical structures: the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Participants in the perfectionist condition (n = 43) were from a randomized controlled trial evaluating ACT for clinical perfectionism and low-perfectionist controls were undergraduate students (n = 12). Participants completed three tasks (editing …

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Effect Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy On Neural Activation In Clinical Perfectionism, Clarissa W. Ong, Allison S. Hancock, Tyson S. Barrett, Eric B. Lee, Nicholas Wan, Ronald B. Gillam, Michael E. Levin, Michael P. Twohig

Psychology Faculty Publications

Clinical perfectionism is associated with various cognitive processes including performance monitoring and emotion regulation. This exploratory study analyzed neurological data from a randomized controlled trial for clinical perfectionism that compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to a waitlist control. The objective was to assess the effect of ACT on neural activation. Twenty-nine participants underwent a functional near-infrared spectroscopy assessment during which they completed behavioral tasks designed to elicit error detection and error generation at pre- and posttreatment. The hemodynamic response function (HRF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and right inferior parietal lobe was analyzed using mixed effects …

The Power Of Open: Benefits, Barriers, And Strategies For Integration Of Open Educational Resources, Tian Luo, Kirsten Hostetler, Candice Freeman, Jill Stefaniak

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Open Educational Resources (OER) are becoming a significant, mission-driven trend within educational literature. To help address rising costs, instructors and designers are looking to OER to effectively replace traditional instructional content, which requires more than just identify and replace. Drawing from 51 OER studies conducted in countries across the five continents, this systematic literature review explored the empirical themes evident in the current research on a global scale. This review found (1) discoverability, sustainability, and remixing are significant barriers that stand in the way of OER disrupting traditional textbook models; (2) there is no significant difference in learning outcomes when …

Patterns Of Genetic Diversity In Highly Invasive Species: Cogongrass (Imperata Cylindrica) Expansion In The Invaded Range Of The Southern United States (Us), Rima D. Lucardi, Lisa E. Wallace, Gary N. Ervin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The spatial expansions of invasive organisms in the novel range are generally expected to follow an isolation-by-distance relationship (IBD) if the invasion is biologically driven; however, many invasions are facilitated anthropogenically. This research focused on the extant expansion patterns of cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica). Cogongrass is a widespread invasive species throughout the southern United States (US). Patterns of infestation vary among US states. Cogongrass is pyrogenic, and its invasion threatens softwood (Pinus spp.) plantations, a substantial economic market for this US region. Over 600 individuals were sampled from seven invaded US states, using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) …

Apparent Resilience To Fire Of Native Bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Communities From Upland Longleaf Pine Forests In Louisiana And Mississippi, Sara A. Simmons, Janice L. Bossart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Controlled burning is an essential tool for restoration and management of Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) habitats, yet effects of controlled burning on insect species, including pollinators, are rarely considered in conservation planning. We used blue vane traps to sample native bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) at recently burned and unburned sites in 2 Longleaf Pine upland forests in Mississippi and Louisiana. Our objective was to quantify short-term effects of controlled burns given fire-return intervals of 1-2 years are now regularly employed to manage Longleaf Pine woodlands. We sampled during 2016 and 2017 and collected 1777 native bees, representing 43 species. Recent fire …

Correlates Of Bird Collisions With Buildings Across Three North American Countries, Jared A. Elmore, Stephen B. Hager, Bradley J. Cosentino, Nastasha Hagemeyer, Eric Walters, Scott R. Loss, Et Al.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Collisions with buildings cause up to 1 billion bird fatalities annually in North America. Bird-building collisions have recently received increased conservation, research, and policy attention. However, efforts to reduce collisions would benefit from studies conducted at large spatial scales across multiple study sites, with standardized methods, and with consideration of species- and life history-related variation and correlates of collisions. We addressed these research needs with a coordinated data collection effort at 40 sites across North America. We estimated collision vulnerability for 40 bird species by accounting for their North American population abundance, distribution overlap with study sites, and sampling effort. …

A Survey Of The Reptiles And Amphibians At The University Of Georgia Costa Rica Field Station In San Luis De Monteverde, Costa Rica, John David Curlis, Elliot Convery Fisher, W. Kody Muhic, James Moy, Martha Garro-Cruz, José Joaquín Montero-Ramírez

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Reptiles and amphibians are experiencing declines across the globe. In Monteverde, Costa Rica, these declines and their underlying causes have been relatively well studied since the early 1990s, and many protected areas have been set aside to conserve these species. However, thorough surveys of the herpetofaunal diversity in these areas have been scarce over the last 20 years. We conducted a survey of all reptile and amphibian species at the University of Georgia Costa Rica (UGACR), a field station in San Luis de Monteverde. Herein, we present an annotated checklist of the 48 species (35 reptiles and 13 amphibians) that …

Who Infant And Young Child Feeding Indicators In Relation To Anthropometric Measurements, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Nawal Alqaoud, Majeda S. Hammoud, Faheema Alanezi, Nawal Aldalmani, Monica Subhakaran

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Objective: This study aimed to report the WHO infant and young child feeding (IYCF) indicators from Kuwait and to investigate the associations between these indicators and anthropometric measurements.

Design: The Kuwait Nutritional Surveillance System uses observational cross-sectional approach to collects data by face-to-face interviews with mothers or child guardians using a structured questionnaire that was developed based on the WHO IYCF indicators. The weight and height of infants and young children were measured using digital scales in a standardised manner.

Setting: Vaccination centres in all governorates (provinces) of Kuwait.

Participants: Infants and young Kuwaiti children aged 0–23 months (N 5839). …

Arsenic Exposure And Methylation Efficiency In Relation To Oxidative Stress In Semiconductor Workers, Chih-Hong Pan, Ching-Yu Lin, Ching-Huang Lai, Hueiwang Anna Jeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study examined associations between oxidative stress and arsenic (As) exposure and methylation efficiency in semiconductor workers. An As-exposed group (n = 427) and a control group (n = 91) were included. The As-exposure group (n = 427) included 149 maintenance staff members and 278 production staff members representing high As exposure and low As exposure, respectively. The control group included 91 administrative staff members with no or minimal As exposure. An occupational exposure assessment was conducted to assess personal As exposure by measuring As concentrations in urine, hair, and fingernails of the subjects. Urinary As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic (MMA), and …

Assessment Of Aloe Vera For Qualitative Fit Testing Of Particulate Respirators: A Logistic Regression Approach, Anahita Fakherpour, Mehdi Jahangiri, Saeed Yousefinejad, Mozhgan Seif, Sean Banaee

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Fit testing procedure is required for filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) to ascertain an acceptable fit between the skin and facepiece sealing surface. The present study seeks to compare the efficacy of Aloe vera (A. vera) and commercial Bitrex^TM as challenge agents of qualitative fit testing of particulate respirators. An herbal solution consisting of A. vera at seven different concentrations was developed. Threshold Screening Tests (TSTs) of A. vera solutions were compared to Bitrex^TM. To do so, solutions were administered randomly on a total of 62 participants. A placebo was also tested to ensure the taste response being …

Structural Biology Of The Enterovirus Replication-Linked 5'-Cloverleaf Rna And Associated Virus Proteins, Steven M. Pascal, Ravindranath Garimella, Meghan S. Warden, Komala Ponniah

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Although enteroviruses are associated with a wide variety of diseases and conditions, their mode of replication is well conserved. Their genome is carried as a single, positive-sense RNA strand. At the 5′ end of the strand is an approximately 90-nucleotide self-complementary region called the 5′ cloverleaf, or the oriL. This noncoding region serves as a platform upon which host and virus proteins, including the 3B, 3C, and 3D virus proteins, assemble in order to initiate replication of a negative-sense RNA strand. The negative strand in turn serves as a template for synthesis of multiple positive-sense RNA strands. Building on structural …

Antibiotic Drug Nanocarriers For Probing Of Multidrug Abc Membrane Transporter Of Bacillus Subtilis, Pavan Kumar Cherukuri, Preeyaporn Songkiatisak, Feng Ding, Jeam-Michel Jault, Xiao-Hong Nancy Xu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Multidrug membrane transporters can extrude a wide range of substrates, which cause multidrug resistance and ineffective treatment of diseases. In this study, we used three different sized antibiotic drug nanocarriers to study their size-dependent inhibitory effects against Bacillus subtilis. We functionalized 2.4 ± 0.7, 13.0 ± 3.1, and 92.6 ± 4.4 nm silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with a monolayer of 11-amino-1-undecanethiol and covalently linked them with antibiotics (ofloxacin, Oflx). The labeling ratios of antibiotics with NPs are 8.6 × 10², 9.4 × 10³, and 6.5 × 10⁵ Oflx molecules per NP, respectively. We designed …

Isothermal Environmental Heat Energy Utilization By Transmembrane Electrostatically Localized Protons At The Liquid-Membrane Interface, James Weifu Lee

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This study employing the latest theory on transmembrane electrostatic proton localization has now, for the first time, consistently elucidated a decades-longstanding bioenergetic conundrum in alkalophilic bacteria and more importantly discovered an entirely new feature: isothermal environmental heat utilization by electrostatically localized protons at the liquid-membrane interface. It was surprisingly revealed that the protonic motive force (equivalent to Gibbs free energy) from the isothermal environmental heat energy utilization through the electrostatically localized protons is not constrained by the overall energetics of the redox-driven proton pump system because of the following: (a) the transmembrane electrostatically localized protons are not free to move …

Molecular Nature Of Marine Particulate Organic Iron-Carrying Moieties Revealed By Electrospray Ionization Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (Esi-Fticrms), Chen Xu, Peng Lin, Luni Sun, Hongmei Chen, Wei Xing, Manoj Kamalanathan, Patrick G. Hatcher, Maureen H. Conte, Antonietta Quigg, Peter H. Santschi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Marine sinking particulate organic matter (POM), acting as a link between surface primary production and burial of organic matter in marine sediments, undergoes a variety of physical and biochemical alterations on its way to the deep ocean, resulting in an increase in its un-characterizable proportion with diagenesis. Further, the binding ligands in POM for iron, an essential nutrient to marine life and tightly coupled with organic matter, has rarely been studied. In the current study, we employed an approach combining sequential extraction with ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICRMS), in order to explore and unravel the chemical characteristics of organic matter …

An International Laboratory Comparison Of Dissolved Organic Matter Composition By High Resolution Mass Spectrometry: Are We Getting The Same Answer?, Jeffrey A. Hawkes, Juliana D'Andrilli, Jeffrey N. Agar, Mark P. Barrow, Stephanie M. Berg, Núria Catalán, Hongmei Chen, Rosalie K. Chu, Richard B. Cole, Thorsten Dittmar, Rémy Gavard, Gerd Gleixner, Patrick G. Hatcher, Chen He, Nancy J. Hess, Ryan H.S. Hutchins, Amna Ijaz, Hugh E. Jones, William Kew, Maryam Khaksari, Diana Catalina Palacio Lozano, Jitao Lv, Lynn R. Mazzoleni, Beatriz E. Noriega-Ortega, Helena Osterholz, Nikola Radoman, Christina K. Remucal, Nicholas D. Schmitt, Simeon K. Schum, Quan Shi, Carsten Simon, Gabriel Singer, Rachel L. Sleighter, Aron Stubbins, Mary J. Thomas, Nikola Tolic, Shuzhen Zhang, Phoebe Zito, David C. Podgorski

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become a vital tool for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization. The upward trend in HRMS analysis of DOM presents challenges in data comparison and interpretation among laboratories operating instruments with differing performance and user operating conditions. It is therefore essential that the community establishes metric ranges and compositional trends for data comparison with reference samples so that data can be robustly compared among research groups. To this end, four identically prepared DOM samples were each measured by 16 laboratories, using 17 commercially purchased instruments, using positive-ion and negative-ion mode electrospray ionization (ESI) HRMS analyses. The …

Oxidation Of Aldehydes To Nitriles With An Oxoammonium Salt: Preparation Of Piperonylonitrile, Nathaniel D. Kaetzel, Kyle M. Lambert, Christopher B. Kelly

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Student Perspectives On Textbook Costs And Implications For Academic Success, Lucinda Rush Wittkower, Leo S. Lo

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

To provide more affordable course content to our students and faculty, local data on how students perceive textbook expenses and how the costs impact student success would be necessary in order to advocate to faculty and other stakeholders. This survey, conducted at a mid-sized research public institution, aims to explore student perceptions of textbooks and how these perceptions influence academic success. The results reveal that students feel that the cost of required textbooks is unreasonable and that students are more likely to purchase required textbooks for in-major classes than for elective or general education courses. The most common means of …

Factors Affecting The Microbiome Of Ixodes Scapularis And Amblyomma Americanum, R. Jory Brinkerhoff, Chris Clark, Kelly Ocasio, David T. Gauthier, Wayne L. Hynes

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The microbial community composition of disease vectors can impact pathogen establishment and transmission as well as on vector behavior and fitness. While data on vector microbiota are accumulating quickly, determinants of the variation in disease vector microbial communities are incompletely understood. We explored the microbiome of two human-biting tick species abundant in eastern North America (Amblyomma americanum and Ixodes scapularis) to identify the relative contribution of tick species, tick life stage, tick sex, environmental context and vertical transmission to the richness, diversity, and species composition of the tick microbiome. We sampled 89 adult and nymphal Ixodes scapularis (N …

The Natural History Of The Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys Palustris, In Eastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris, is a common rodent in tidal marshes of eastern Virginia, including those on the barrier islands. It also is present in grassy old fields in upland habitats in the coastal plain and parts of the piedmont of Virginia. This report summarizes what has been learned in recent decades about the population biology of this species in Virginia, including aspects of behavior, density, diet, distribution, genetics, habitats, mammal associates, and reproduction.

Small-Scale Population Connectivity And Genetic Structure In Canada Thistle (Cirsium Arvense), Mahboubeh Hosseinalizadeh Nobarinezhad, Lavanya Challagundla, Lisa E. Wallace

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Premise of research. Population connectivity, the exchange of genes among geographically separated subpopulations, is thought to be a key process for the maintenance of genetic diversity and the survival of invasive species in newly colonized areas. Plant populations' degree of genetic connectivity, which occurs via pollen and seed dispersal, leads to different degrees of genetic admixture and genetic structure. Environmental barriers and differential selection pressures that are variable across time and space tend to alter genetic structure within and among populations via restriction or facilitation of gene flow. Canada thistle, an invasive species of the United States and Canada, is …

Fate's Tapestry, Athena L. Edwards

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

“Digressions” are temporary departures or instances of divergence from a main theme, so it makes sense that this journal invites students to move away from the rigidity of academia and scholarship. As D.J. King–our first editor–said in Volume 1 in 2004, Digressions encourages students to “take a break from ‘Works Cited’ and turn inwardly to work sighted.” At the Digressions Literary & Art Journal, we strongly believe that everyone is capable of creativity, and should be presented with the opportunity to express themselves, even while pursuing the more fact-oriented fields that Nova Southeastern University has to offer; but we …