Digital Commons Network^™

Liana Abundance And Diversity Increase With Rainfall Seasonality Along A Precipitation Gradient In Panama, Anthony J. Parolari, Kassandra Paul, Aaron H. Griffing, Richard Condit, Ronaldo Perez, Salomón Aguilar, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In tropical regions, rainfall gradients often explain the abundance and distribution of plant species. For example, many tree and liana species adapted to seasonal drought are more abundant and diverse in seasonally-dry forests, characterized by long periods of seasonal water deficit. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) is commonly used to explain plant distributions across climate gradients. However, the relationship between MAP and plant distribution is often weak, raising the question of whether other seasonal precipitation patterns better explain plant distributions in seasonally-dry forests. In this study, we examine the relationship between liana abundance and multiple metrics of seasonal and annual rainfall …

Early Surgery For Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Where Are We Now?, Jefferson R. Wilson, Christopher D. Witiw, Jetan Badhiwala, Brian K. Kwon, Michael G. Fehlings, James Harrop

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Study Design: Narrative review.

Objective: There is a strong biological rationale to perform early decompression after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). With an enlarging clinical evidence base, most spine surgeons internationally now favor early decompression for the majority of SCI patients; however, a number of pertinent questions remain surrounding this therapy.

Methods: A narrative review evaluating the status of early surgery for SCI. In particular, we addressed the following questions: (1) Which patients stand to benefit most from early surgery? 2) What is the most appropriate time threshold defining early surgery?

Results: Although heterogeneity exists, the evidence generally seems to …

Achieving An Equitable Transition To Open Access For Researchers In Lower And Middle-Income Countries, Andrea Powell, Rob Johnson, Rachel Herbert

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Introduction

The origins of this White Paper can be traced to a discussion started in mid-2019 between a number of scholarly publishers and the Publisher Coordinator for Research4Life (a role that is supported financially by the STM Association). These interlocutors voiced concern that while the publishing and research communities in the developed world were making steady and positive progress towards universal Open Access based on a ‘pay to publish’ model, those same communities in the less developed lower and middle-income countries (often referred to as the “Global South”) were being excluded from these discussions. Following discussions at the STM Board …

Information Discovery In Coronagraph Images, Jeren Suzuki

Theses

Three areas of research for information discovery in solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are presented. These include CME leading front detection, clustering approaches on CME catalog data, and neural network-based classification of CMEs into speed categories. In addition to describing explored methodologies, the experimental results and analyses are presented.

Reclaiming The R-Word : Romanization As A Framework For Culture Change In The Roman Provinces, Mary Lauryn Davis

Theses

The concept of Romanization, or Rome’s process of making its newly conquered provinces more like Rome, has fallen out of favor in recent decades and has been replaced by a succession of postcolonial frameworks that progressively decenter Rome from the transformation process. I argue, against this new orthodoxy, that Rome was actively responsible for imposing profound social changes on its provincial populations that resulted in a shift toward Roman culture in the interest of Roman imperialism. This affected every segment of every conquered population, though the details of individual experiences varied widely, as can be seen in analysis along geographical, …

Mcnp Design Of Radiation Shielding For Pulsed Fusion Propulsion, David Jason Hewitt

Theses

Pulsed fusion, fission and fission-fusion hybrid systems are currently being studied for advanced propulsion to enable rapid interplanetary space travel. A testbed for evaluating these technologies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, called Charger-1, utilizes a form of Magneto-Inertial Fusion to implode small plasma loads with z-pinch that will produce thrust when coupled with a magnetic nozzle. Like all forms of nuclear propulsion, this experiment will also be able to produce significant amounts of ionizing radiation in the form of high energy neutrons and photons that need mitigation to protect personnel and equipment. The laboratory housing this testbed has …

Lew.1wr1 Rats Have Altered Hepatic Metabolism During Their Type 1 Diabetes Susceptibility Window, Madushika Wimalarathne

Theses

LEW.1WR1 (1WR1) rats have increased type 1 diabetes (T1D) onset with the administration of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC). The objective of this study was to compare the insulitis status and liver gene expression in both control and treated 1WR1 rats during disease induction with a T1D-resistant strain of rat, the LEW/SsNHsd (SsNHsd). Using immunohistochemistry we observed higher T cell infiltration in the 1WR1 treated rats compared to the control strain, the SsNHsd PIC-treated rat. Yet we confirmed that the 1WR1 rats were not undergoing significant insulitis at the time point we selected. Interestingly the 1WR1 treated rat had significantly increased insulin …

The Trust Principles For Digital Repositories, Dawei Lin, Jonathan Crabtree, Ingrid Dillo, Robert R. Downs, Rorie Edmunds, David Giaretta, Marisa De Giusti, Hervé L'Hours, Wim Hugo, Reyna Jenkyns, Varsha Khodiyar, Maryann E. Martone, Mustapha Mokrane, Vivek Navale, Jonathan Petters, Barbara Sierman, Dina V. Sokolova, Martina Stockhause, John Westbrook

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

As information and communication technology has become pervasive in our society, we are increasingly dependent on both digital data and repositories that provide access to and enable the use of such resources. Repositories must earn the trust of the communities they intend to serve and demonstrate that they are reliable and capable of appropriately managing the data they hold.

Following a year-long public discussion and building on existing community consensus , several stakeholders, representing various segments of the digital repository community, have collaboratively developed and endorsed a set of guiding principles to demonstrate digital repository trustworthiness. Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, …

Who’S Writing Open Access (Oa) Articles? Characteristics Of Oa Authors At Ph.D.-Granting Institutions In The United States, Anthony J. Olejniczak, Molly J. Wilson

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

The open access (OA) publication movement aims to present research literature to the public at no cost and with no restrictions. While the democratization of access to scholarly literature is a primary focus of the movement, it remains unclear whether OA has uniformly democratized the corpus of freely available research, or whether authors who choose to publish in OA venues represent a particular subset of scholars—those with access to resources enabling them to afford article processing charges (APCs). We investigated the number of OA articles with article processing charges (APC OA) authored by 182,320 scholars with known demographic and institutional …

Rethinking Leisure Time Use Metrics: Greater Diversity In Shared Sibling Leisure Is Associated With Higher Relationship Quality During Emerging Adulthood, Eric K. Layland, Camilla Hodge, Mikala Glaza, Jerrica O. Peets

Faculty Publications

Leisure diversity—the total number of unique leisure categories shared within a sibling dyad—may vary according to sibling characteristics (e.g., sibling gender, age difference) and predict sibling relationship quality. Using triangulated lists, brief narratives, and focus groups, we constructed a taxonomy of shared sibling leisure in emerging adulthood and then calculated individual leisure diversity scores. The sample (N ¼ 185) included college-attending emerging adults with an average age of 20.1 years (35.7% female). Taxonomic analysis suggested 19 categories of shared sibling leisure. Analyses of variance indicated differences by dyadic gender composition in endorsement rates of select leisure categories and average levels …

A Kinesin Adapter Directly Mediates Dendritic Mrna Localization During Neural Development In Mice, Hao Wu, Jing Zhou, Tianhui Zhu, Ivan Cohen, Jason Dictenberg

Publications and Research

Motor protein-based active transport is essential for mRNA localization and local translation in animal cells, yet how mRNA granules interact with motor proteins remains poorly understood. Using an unbiased yeast two–hybrid screen for interactions between murine RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and motor proteins, here we identified protein interaction with APP tail-1 (PAT1) as a potential direct adapter between zipcode-binding protein 1 (ZBP1, a β-actin RBP) and the kinesin-I motor complex. The amino acid sequence of mouse PAT1 is similar to that of the kinesin light chain (KLC), and we found that PAT1 binds to KLC directly. Studying PAT1 in mouse …

Leveraging Technology To Blend Large-Scale Epidemiologic Surveillance With Social And Behavioral Science Methods: Successes, Challenges, And Lessons Learned Implementing The Unite Longitudinal Cohort Study Of Hiv Risk Factors Among Sexual Minority Men In The United States, H. Jonathon Rendina, Ali J. Talan, Nicola F. Tavella, Jonathan Lopez Matos, Ruben H. Jimenez, S. Scott Jones, Brian Salfas, Drew Westmoreland

Publications and Research

The use of digital technologies to conduct large-scale research with limited interaction (i.e., no in-person contact) and objective endpoints (i.e., biological testing) has significant potential for the field of epidemiology, but limited research to date has been published on the successes and challenges of such approaches. We analyzed data from a cohort study of sexual minority men across the United States, collected using digital strategies during a 10-month period from 2017 to 2018. Overall, 113,874 individuals were screened, of whom 26,000 were invited to the study, 10,691 joined the study, and 7,957 completed all enrollment steps, including return of a …

Reading Academic Citations: How Professors And Graduate Students Read For Different Purposes, Grant Eckstein, Sarah Miner, Katie Watkins, Judy James, Mornie Sims, Allison Wallace Baker, Larissa Grahl

Faculty Publications

Citations provide truncated yet socially complex information about sources in academic texts which students are obliged to read, comprehend, and then ultimately produce as part of an academic discourse community. While researchers have observed a developmental process whereby students produce citations during source-based writing, little work has investigated the reading stage when students visually encounter citations. In this study, we explored academic reading behaviors by examining eye movements of 27 graduate students and 18 professors as they read 6 authentic research texts for various purposes (summary, analysis, synthesis). Results of factorial ANOVAs showed no differences between students and professors but …

Functional Significance Of Senescence And Autophagy In Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts From Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, May Leng Tan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignancy that arises from the epithelial cells within the oral cavity. It accounts for approximately 355,000 new cases worldwide and is exceptionally prevalent in particular geographical areas such as Papua New Guinea, the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asian countries. Despite advances in surgical management and therapeutic approaches, the five-year survival rate of OSCC patients has not improved significantly over the past few decades. The mortality associated with OSCC is particularly high often due to late presentation, locoregional recurrence, distant metastases and the development of second primary tumours. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular …

Impacts Of Self-Perceived Malocclusion On The Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Young Adults In Malaysia, Mohd Tajudin Zawani

Student Works (2020-2029)

Objectives: To assess the prevalence, severity and extent of impacts of self-perceived malocclusion on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) related to dental aesthetics among young Malaysian adults, to compare between those with and without self-perceived malocclusion and to investigate the influence of demographics on the outcome. Methods: Multi-stage random sampling method was used to recruit 589 subjects from tertiary institutions in Malaysia. Study instruments comprised the Aesthetic Component of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (AC-IOTN) and Malaysian version of the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics (PIDA) to measure selfperceived malocclusion and its impacts. Analyses included multifactorial ANOVA …

Anticancer Activity Of Ficus Deltoidea And Tualang Honey On Oral Cancer Cells: An In Vivo Study, Alkoshab May Ameen Saeed

Student Works (2020-2029)

The use of natural products have been gaining interest, notably in the area of cancer therapy and in this study, natural products rich in antioxidants such as Tualang Honey (Malaysian wild local honey) and Ficus deltoidea (Malaysian local herbal plant), were selected to assess their chemo-preventive and chemotherapeutic activities on oral cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the chemo-preventive and chemotherapeutic activities of Ficus deltoidea (FD) and Tualang Honey (TH) in an animal model induced for oral cancer using 4-Nitroquinoline1-oxide (4NQO). A total of 70 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were distributed into ten groups (n=7 per group); …

Expression Of Ki-67, Fscni And Tnfrsf 12a In Histologically Non-Involved Mucosal Surgical Margins As Predictive Markers For Local Relapse In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Zainul Abidin Nur Fauziani

Student Works (2020-2029)

Introduction: The presence tumour-related genetic alterations in histologically noninvolved mucosal surgical margins was linked to development of local relapse in OSCC. Aims: The present study aimed to determine the association between expression of Ki67, FSCN1 and TNFRSF12A in histologically non-involved mucosal surgical margins of OSCC patients and local relapse. Materials and methods: The study involved a total of 34 OSCC cases including 15 cases of patients who had relapse within the 5 years followup period and 19 cases of patients who did not had relapse. Two-stage sampling was carried out to select the margins’ site, followed by the representative sections …

Clinicopathological Study Of Oral Lichen Planus And Oral Linchenoid Reaction, Gubod Eb Robson

Student Works (2020-2029)

Introduction: Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the mucosa of the oral cavity. Oral lichenoid reactions/ lesions share many clinical and histopathological features with oral lichen planus, and represent a response to extrinsic or causative factors (drugs, allergens). Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and histopathological features of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid reactions/ lesions. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the clinical and histopathological features of patients diagnosed with oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid reaction/ lesions. This study also sought to investigate the association between …

Genomic And Taxonomic Studies Of An Antarctic Psychrotolerant Quorum Quenching Bacterium, Planococcus Versutus L10.15t, See-Too Wah Seng

Student Works (2020-2029)

Quorum quenching (QQ) has been suggested as an alternative to antibiotic treatments for pathogenic infections as it does not affect the viability of the pathogen and imposes minimum selection pressure promoting drug resistance. During an ecological survey for quorum quenching (QQ) bacteria from soil collected in Lagoon Island (Ryder Bay, Adelaide Island, Antarctica), a bacterial strain was isolated and identified as Planococcus species, L10.15T, based on 16S rRNA gene analysis. The genomic, phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data obtained showed that L10.15T represents a novel species for which the name Planococcus versutus sp. nov. is proposed. Previously, QQ activity of L10.15T …

Influence Of Diet And Abiotic Factors On The Survival And Reproduction Of Calanoid Copepod Pseudodiaptomus Annandalei, Abd Aziz Fatin Fatihah

Student Works (2020-2029)

The calanoid copepod, Pseudodiaptomus annandalei, due to its good nutritional value and significance as a natural diet of many tropical fish, is a superior live feed for marine fish larvae. Fish larvae needs a sustainable supply of good quality live feed for optimal growth and survival. Aims of this study were to investigate the effects of (1) marine mircroheterotrophs grown in palm oil mill effluent (POME) as copepod diet and (2) abiotic factors i.e. salinity (ppt), temperature (˚C), pH, photoperiod and light intensity on the survival and nauplii production of P. annandalei. Both biotic and abiotic experiments were conducted with …

Educational Needs Of Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients In Learning About Cancer: A Qualitative Study In The Malaysian Urban Setting, Munisamy Murallitharan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Patients with chronic diseases such as cancer are able to have better outcomes if they understand about all aspects of the disease, develop the correct attitude to manage themselves and their disease better; and engage in preventive practices that can help them prevent worsening of disease or recurrence. Patient education is an intervention that has proven to be effective in different settings for this. However in the Malaysian cancer setting, the educational needs of patients are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore and understand the educational needs of newly diagnosed cancer patients in learning about cancer …

Evaluation Of Wound Healing Potential, Antioxidant Activity, Acute Toxicity And Gastro Protective Effect Of 2-Pentadecanone In Ethanol Induced Gastric Mucosal Ulceration In Rats, Kamran Sareh

Student Works (2020-2029)

Wound is an injury to normal tissue that can happen either externally or internally such as wound in skin tissue or stomach tissue. Compound 2-pentadecanone a ketone derivative, has been identified in some plants, and was reported to have anti-bacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate skin wound healing and gastro-protective potential effect of 2-pentadecanone in Sprague dawley rats. Acute toxicity assay was performed to detect safety of 2-pentadecanone. In the evaluation of skin wound healing, dorsal neck of rats were induced wounds and topically treated with 2-pentadecanone for 10 days. Meanwhile, for gastroprotective …

A Three Dimensional Age Estimation Using Cone Beam Ct In Malaysian Population, Asif Muhammad Khan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Forensic odontology plays a vital role in the age estimation and identification process during criminal investigations. Forensic science in the past have mainly employed two-dimensional (2D) radiographic assessment of developmental and physiological age related dental parameters for age estimation. However, 2D radiograph doesn’t represent the three-dimensional (3D) anatomical structures. Rapidly evolving CBCT imaging modality can be effectively employed in forensic sciences to overcome the limitations of 2D imaging. The current study aimed to develop a novel method of dental age estimation using 3D surface area analyses of root apices of the developing permanent maxillary canines and mandibular third molars among …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Of Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthase (Ptgs2) And Defensin Beta 1 (Defb1) Genes In Malay Chronic Periodontitis Subjects, Jagender Singh Jasmin Kaur

Student Works (2020-2029)

The association of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and defensin beta 1 (DEFB1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) with chronic periodontitis (CP) have been widely studied amongst different ethnic groups such as the Chinese and European population. Thus far, no study has been done on the Malay ethnic group. Hence, this study assessed the allele and genotype frequencies of PTGS2 and DEFB1 variants in subjects with CP and periodontally healthy individuals in Malaysian Malays. Samples of 78 Malay CP subjects and 62 periodontally healthy controls were obtained from Malaysian Periodontal Database and Biobanking system (MPDBS) for this study. DNA samples were genotyped …

Identification Of Potential Biomarkers Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Integrated Proteomics And Glycoproteomics And Glycoproteomics Analyses, Yin Ling Wong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Oral cancer is one of the major health concerns worldwide. The 5-year survival rate of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has remained at approximately 50% over the past decades. Most OSCCs are diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the delay in diagnosis, suggesting an imperative need in identifying reliable biomarkers to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of OSCC. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers that are involved in the development and progression of OSCC using integrated proteomics and glycoproteomics analyses. Proteomics analysis was performed on serum samples of 10 patients with oral potentially malignant disorder (OPMD), 40 …

The Ecological Function Of Intertidal Seagrass For Sediment Entrapment On Middle Bank Shoal, Penang, Awang Nur Asilah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Application of seagrass in eco-engineering for sustainable coastal protection requires a deeper understanding of seagrass functions for sediment entrapment. Knowledge gaps on the influence of intertidal seagrass in trapping sediments raised two main questions in this study; (1) what is the relationship between intertidal seagrass meadow structure and trapped sediment? and (2) which part of the intertidal seagrass meadow structure best explains the variability of trapped sediment? To answer these questions, seagrass shoot density, Leaf Area Index (LAI), and total aboveground biomass were used as predictors for sediments deposition rate on Middle Bank Shoal. Three seagrass species were found; Enhalus …

Prevalence And Determinants Of Tabacco Use Among Adolescents In Khartoum - Sudan, Mohammed Alshaikh Mohammed Othman

Student Works (2020-2029)

Globally, 25 million adolescents aged 13-15 years, smoke cigarettes while 13 million use smokeless tobacco. In 2014, 22.8% of adolescents had ever smoked cigarette in Sudan while current cigarette smokers were 4.5%; moreover, studies about shisha smoking and smokeless tobacco were limited in Sudan. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents and to describe determinant factors associated with tobacco use. Descriptive school based cross-sectional study was conducted, and multistage random sampling was used to recruit participants from secondary schools in Khartoum State, Sudan. Self-administered questionnaire of Arabic version of Global Youth Tobacco …

Patient Concerns Inventory Head And Neck As An Individualised Approach To Assess Post-Treatment Outcomes Among Oral Cancer Patients In Malaysia, Aminnudin Ainon Natrah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Background: Oral cancer and its treatment undisputedly impacts patients‘ quality of life, posing a challenge to clinicians in managing them optimally. Identifying patients‘ concerns is central to holistic patient care; as such time constraints faced by clinicians during consultation sessions may pose a barrier in identifying such concerns effectively. The use of PCI-H&N during post-treatment oral cancer consultation sessions has previously shown to be beneficial, simultaneously promoting effective patient- clinician communication during consultations. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the feasibility of the PCI-H&N in assessing post- treatment oral cancer patients concerns and its relationship with patients‘ HRQoL, psychological distress …

Effect Of Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma On Wound Bacteria And Cell Proliferation, Mohd Nasir Norhayati

Student Works (2020-2029)

Non-thermal plasma produced in the plasma jet at atmospheric pressure consists of many reactive species and free radicals. The use of the atmospheric plasma jet has been expanded from surface treatment on polymers and biomaterials to the application as plasma medicine. It has been studied as a tools for wound sterilizations, enhance wound healing, topical treatment of skin diseases caused by bacteria infection and cancer therapy in recent research. The current study aims to investigate the effect of plasma on chronic wound bacteria as a supplementary to wound management particularly for compromised patients. The common practice in wound management is …

Small Mammal Communities In Grasslands At The Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Usa, Lynda R. Lafond, Elizabeth H. Rave, Kathryn A. Yurkonis

The Prairie Naturalist

Small mammals are important in grasslands but are often overlooked in management and reconstruction efforts. We sampled small mammals in three sites on the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) located in central Grand Forks County, North Dakota, USA. The study sites varied in their management history and represented the three major types of grasslands (reconstructed prairie, old field, and hay field) within Grand Forks County. We captured 463 individuals of six species with Sherman live traps in summer (June, July, August) 2014 and 2015. We captured the most individuals and species (295 individuals of 5 species), including all shrews …