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Efficient Low-Cost Procedure For Microextraction Of Estrogen From Environmental Water Using Magnetic Ionic Liquids, Paula Berton, Noureen Siraj, Susmita Das, Sergio De Rooy, Rodolfo G. Wuilloud, Isiah M. Warner

Faculty Publications

In this study, three magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) were investigated for extraction of four estrogens, i.e., estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and ethinylestradiol (EE2), from environmental water. The cation trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium ([P66614]+), selected to confer hydrophobicity to the resulting MIL, was combined with tetrachloroferrate(III), ferricyanide, and dysprosium thiocyanate to yield ([P66614][FeCl4]), ([P66614]3[Fe(CN)6]), and ([P66614]5[Dy(SCN)8]), respectively. After evaluation of various strategies to develop a liquid-liquid microextraction technique based on synthesized MILs, we placed the MILs onto a magnetic stir bar and used them as extracting solvents. After extraction, the MIL-enriched phase was dissolved in methanol and injected into an HPLC-UV for …

African Land Mammal Ages, John Van Couvering, Eric Delson

Publications and Research

We define 17 African land mammal ages, or AFLMAs, covering the Cenozoic record of the Afro-arabian continent, the planet’s second largest land mass. While fossiliferous deposits are absent on the eroded plateau of the continent’s interior, almost 800 fossil genera from over 350 locations have now been identified in coastal deposits, karst caves, and in the Neogene rift valleys. Given a well-developed geochronologic framework, together with continuing revision to the fossil record—both stimulated by the story of human evolution in Africa—and also to compensate for the variation in fossil ecosystems across such great distances, the AFLMAs are biochronological units defined …

Examining The Effects Of Social Isolation On Nicotine Preference And Mesolimbic Dopamine, Nicholas Bross Paige

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Factors relating to social interaction have been shown to alter patterns of psychostimulant use in preclinical and clinical models. The present study aimed to determine the effects of social isolation on nicotine preference using conditioned place preference (CPP) and the effects social isolation and nicotine exposure on reward-related dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Regarding CPP results, there was a significant housing (group or isolated) x drug (nicotine or saline) x trial interaction on time spent in the drug-paired chamber. Regarding dopamine recordings, there was a significant housing x drug exposure (nicotine or saline) x time (60 min recording …

Effect Of Treadmill Exercise And Probiotic Ingestion On Motor Coordination And Brain Activity In Adolescent Mice, Junechul Kim, Bo-Eun Yoon

Kinesiology Faculty Publications (Archived)

High-intensity exercise can lead to chronic fatigue, which reduces athletic performance. On the contrary, probiotic supplements have many health benefits, including improvement of gastrointestinal health and immunoregulation. However, the effects of probiotics combined with exercise interventions on motor functions and brain activity have not been fully explored. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the effects of probiotic supplements and aerobic exercise on motor function, immune response, and exercise intensity and probiotic ingestion. After four weeks of intervention, the motor functions were assessed by rotarod test, then the levels of cytokines, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glutamate were detected. The improvement caused …

The Indian Child Welfare Act’S Application To Civil Commitments Of Indian Children In State Court Proceeding, Courtney Lewis

American Indian Law Journal

Currently there is no clear guidance on the Indian Child Welfare Act’s (ICWA) application in the context of a civil commitment proceeding, which generally occurs at the state level. This Article argues that ICWA applies to any state court proceeding for civil commitment of an Indian child if the Indian parent cannot have their child returned upon demand. The plain language of ICWA provides for this reasonable interpretation. ICWA enacts rights for Indian children, their parents, and their tribes when a party seeks the removal of the Indian child for placement in an institution. Without adherence to these rights, an …

Peyote Crisis Confronting Modern Indigenous Peoples: The Declining Peyote Population And A Demand For Conservation, James D. Muneta

American Indian Law Journal

Once abundant, the wild growing peyote cactus plants in Texas and Mexico are being drastically reduced and becoming scarce. Peyote, a slow growing cactus contains the hallucinogenic drug mescaline, is a sacred sacrament used in the Native Americans Church (NAC). It is also used religiously by various Indian tribes throughout the country of Mexico. Although peyote is classified as a controlled substance under federal and state laws, U.S. Congress granted NAC members a “peyote exemption” pursuant to the American Indian Religious Freedom Act to legally use peyote for religious purposes. In U.S. v. Boyll, the federal district court interpreted the …

Water Availability For Cannabis In Northern California: Intersections Of Climate, Policy, And Public Discourse, Betsy Morgan, Kaitlyn Spangler, Jacob Stuivenvolt-Allen, Christina N. Morrisett, Mark W. Brunson, Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Nancy Huntly

Biology Faculty Publications

Availability of water for irrigated crops is driven by climate and policy, as moderated by public priorities and opinions. We explore how climate and water policy interact to influence water availability for cannabis (Cannabis sativa), a newly regulated crop in California, as well as how public discourse frames these interactions. Grower access to surface water covaries with precipitation frequency and oscillates consistently in an energetic 11–17 year wet-dry cycle. Assessing contemporary cannabis water policies against historic streamflow data showed that legal surface water access was most reliable for cannabis growers with small water rights ( < 600 m³) and …

Water Availability For Cannabis In Northern California: Intersections Of Climate, Policy, And Public Discourse, Betsy Morgan, Kaitlyn Spangler, Jacob Stuivenvolt Allen, Christina N. Morrisett, Mark W. Brunson, Shih-Yu Simon Wang, Nancy Huntly

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Availability of water for irrigated crops is driven by climate and policy, as moderated by public priorities and opinions. We explore how climate and water policy interact to influence water availability for cannabis (Cannabis sativa), a newly regulated crop in California, as well as how public discourse frames these interactions. Grower access to surface water covaries with precipitation frequency and oscillates consistently in an energetic 11–17 year wet-dry cycle. Assessing contemporary cannabis water policies against historic streamflow data showed that legal surface water access was most reliable for cannabis growers with small water rights (m³) and …

Disabled Youth As A Special Social Group, Abdulla Maxmudovich Magrupov Professor, Zarina Furkatovna Uzakova Phd

Central Asian Journal of Education

The article discusses the boundaries of youth, and their interpretation by international organizations and scientists. Various definitions and terms of disability are studied in detail, the characteristic features of youth with disabilities as a separate social group are highlighted.

Which Innovations For A Circular Business Model? A Product Life-Cycle Approach, Elisa Chioatto, Emy Zecca, Alessio D’Amato

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

The Circular Economy concept has emerged to face current unsustainable economic trends. Circularity requires to go beyond mainstream linear business models in favour of new design strategies and production processes able to support an efficient use and a continuous flow of resources. Clarifying and promoting tools for embedding circularity in firms’ business models is becoming crucial to increase resource productivity and achieve competitive advantages. Notwithstanding eco-innovation has been recognized as a fundamental link to connect circular economy with business models restructuring, still little consensus exists on the boundaries and interlinkages among the concepts of Eco-Innovation, Circular Economy and Circular Business …

The Circular City And The Building Sector, Chiara Franz

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

The essay deals with the issue of urban circularity understood as a subset of the Circular Economy paradigm, highlighting potential and limits of an emerging new model spreading on a global scale. The critical reasoning starts from a very recent production of institutional documents and the still reduced scientific production around and over this topic to propose an unorthodox interpretation on the relationship between circularity and city. The building industry is considered as a key sector to promote and improve circularity in cities and some experimental case studies are presented as a proof of the relevant potentials. The essay attempts …

Melanogenesis, Its Regulatory Process, And Insights On Biomedical, Biotechnological, And Pharmacological Potentials Of Melanin As Antiviral Biochemical, Toluwase Hezekiah Fatoki, Omodele Ibraheem, Catherine Joke Adeseko, Boluwatife Lawrence Afolabi, Daniel Uwaremhevho Momodu, David Morakinyo Sanni, Jesupemi Mercy Enibukun, Ibukun Oladejo Ogunyemi, Akinwunmi Oluwaseun Adeoye, Harriet U. Ugboko, Amoge Chidinma Ogu, Abiodun Samuel Oyedele, Adejoju Omodolapo Adedara, Abiodun Joseph Jimoh, Oluwakemi Ruth Ogundana, Oritsetimeyin Eworitse Ebosa

Chemistry Student Research

Melanin is s most widely distributed pigment and is found in bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Melanogenesis is under complex regulatory control by multiple agents interacting through pathways activated by hormonal and receptor-dependent and -independent mechanisms. There are about 20 genes that are involved in the biochemical pathway of melanogenesis and its regulation, which include: tyrosinase, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, melanocortin1 receptor, adenylate cyclase, protein kinase A. Human melanogenesis regulatory proteins such as MAPK1, CREB3, and CREBP, have binary interaction with the protein of herpesvirus, hepatitis C virus, Human immunodeficiency virus type 1, Simian virus 40, and Human adenovirus A and …

A Spectral Adjustment For Spatial Confounding, Yawen Guan, Garritt L. Page, Brian J. Reich, Massimo Ventrucci, Shu Yang

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

Adjusting for an unmeasured confounder is generally an intractable problem, but in the spatial setting it may be possible under certain conditions. In this paper, we derive necessary conditions on the coherence between the treatment variable of interest and the unmeasured confounder that ensure the causal effect of the treatment is estimable. We specify our model and assumptions in the spectral domain to allow for different degrees of confounding at different spatial resolutions. The key assumption that ensures identifiability is that confounding present at global scales dissipates at local scales. We show that this assumption in the spectral domain is …

Covid-19 Newsletter (Vol. 51), Center For Disaster Medicine, New York Medical College

COVID-19 Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Parenting Typologies And Adolescents' Academic And Behavioral Outcomes In Ghana, Odetta Odartey Addo

Dissertations - ALL

AbstractGrounded in Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection and Social Learning theories, and guided by Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions framework, this study sought to test the applicability of parenting typologies within the Ghanaian context. In addition to ascertaining maternal and paternal culturally-specific parenting typologies, the associations among parenting typologies, and sociodemographic correlates, adolescents’ academic and behavioral outcomes were determined. Variations in the prevalence of parenting styles, academic and behavioral outcomes across different Ghana’s cultural regions were also examined. A sample of 800 adolescents, including 489 (61.1%) females and 311 (38.9%) males drawn from high schools located in two southern sector regions (Greater Accra and Eastern) …

Gardner-Webb Selects Second Recipient Of Tucker Scholarship, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

A high school senior who excels academically and shares her faith enthusiastically is the second recipient of the Tucker Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength Scholarship at Gardner-Webb University. Kyndal Jackson, of Gaffney, S.C., was honored in a formal presentation of the award on Dec. 21 in the Tucker Student Center. This prestigious scholarship recognizes a student with exceptional academic achievement, who also exemplifies the commands of Jesus found in Mark 12:29-31—“Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jackson was chosen from a field of 118 applicants, and was …

Genetic Determinants Of Increased Outcrossing In Caenorhabditis Elegans Following Dauer Diapause, Rose Al-Saadi

Theses - ALL

Mating strategies, whether sexual or asexual, confer unique costs and benefits to populations and species that facilitate evolutionary processes. In wild isolates of Caenorhabditis elegans, mating strategies are dependent on developmental history. Outcrossing levels significantly increase when both hermaphrodites and males have transiently passed through the stress-resistant dauer diapause stage (postdauers). However, the molecular mechanisms of how life history can alter mating strategies have not been systematically explored. Mating behaviors of C. elegans can be attributed, in part, to sex-specific responses to ascaroside pheromone components. For example, high concentrations of the pheromone ascr#3 results in a strong avoidance response in …

Modulation Of Immune Checkpoints By Chemotherapy In Human Colorectal Liver Metastases., Neda Jabbari, Heidi L Kenerson, Christopher Lausted, Xiaowei Yan, Changting Meng, Kevin M Sullivan, Priyanka Baloni, Dani E Bergey, Venu G Pillarisetty, Leroy Hood, Raymond S Yeung, Qiang Tian

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related death, and incidence is rising in younger populations (younger than 50 years). Current chemotherapies can achieve response rates above 50%, but immunotherapies have limited value for patients with microsatellite-stable (MSS) cancers. The present study investigates the impact of chemotherapy on the tumor immune microenvironment. We treat human liver metastases slices with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus either irinotecan or oxaliplatin, then perform single-cell transcriptome analyses. Results from eight cases reveal two cellular subtypes with divergent responses to chemotherapy. Susceptible tumors are characterized by a stemness signature, an activated interferon pathway, and suppression …

Development And Preliminary Clinical Activity Of Pd-1-Guided Ctla-4 Blocking Bispecific Dart Molecule., Alexey Berezhnoy, Bradley J Sumrow, Kurt Stahl, Kalpana Shah, Daorong Liu, Jonathan Li, Su-Shin Hao, Anushka De Costa, Sanjeev Kaul, Johanna Bendell, Gregory M Cote, Jason J Luke, Rachel E Sanborn, Manish R Sharma, Francine Chen, Hua Li, Gundo Diedrich, Ezio Bonvini, Paul A Moore

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Combination immunotherapy with antibodies directed against PD-1 and CTLA-4 shows improved clinical benefit across cancer indications compared to single agents, albeit with increased toxicity. Leveraging the observation that PD-1 and CTLA-4 are co-expressed by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, an investigational PD-1 x CTLA-4 bispecific DART molecule, MGD019, is engineered to maximize checkpoint blockade in the tumor microenvironment via enhanced CTLA-4 blockade in a PD-1-binding-dependent manner.

Road Development And Indigenous Hunting In Tanah Papua: Connecting The Facts For Future Wildlife Conservation Agendas, Freddy Pattiselanno, Andrew Krockenberger

Forest and Society

Road development is increasing worldwide. Generally, examples of road building in tropical countries demonstrate that road access can assist the fight against rural poverty, but such developments are also linked to deforestation, pollution, invasions of exotic species, and environmental degradation. For Papua and West Papua provinces (Tanah Papua) in Indonesia, the development of the provincial road network is intended to improve the rural economy, aiming to alleviate poverty within isolated rural areas. However, road development can pose particularly challenging problems to rural and Indigenous communities. Poorly planned roads can be devastating when they provide easy access to illegal hunting that …

Association Of Baseline And Longitudinal Changes In Body Composition Measures With Risk Of Heart Failure And Myocardial Infarction In Type 2 Diabetes: Findings From The Look Ahead Trial, Kershaw V. Patel, Judy L. Bahnson, Sarah A. Gaussoin, Karen C. Johnson, Xavier Pi-Sunyer, Ursula White, Kayloni L. Olson, Alain G. Bertoni, Dalane W. Kitzman, Jarett D. Berry, Ambarish Pandey

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Intentional weight loss is associated with lower risk of heart failure (HF) and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the contribution of baseline measures and longitudinal changes in fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and waist circumference (WC) to the risk of HF and myocardial infarction (MI) in type 2 diabetes is not well established. Methods: Adults from the Look AHEAD trial (Action for Health in Diabetes) without prevalent HF were included. FM and LM were predicted using validated equations and compared with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements in a subgroup. Adjusted Cox models were used …

Modeling Intra-Annual Variation In Coral Extension Rate Using Multiproxy Geochemical Records From Pacific Corals, Jessie Mccraw

Theses - ALL

The relationship between coral growth and environmental parameters is not straightforward, and few studies have explored intra-annual changes in extension rate. Variations in the magnitude and timing of intra-annual extension could be influenced by various environmental parameters such as sea surface temperature (SST), light and nutrient availability, turbidity or salinity stress, as well as by inter-annual climate variations such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In this study we use SST proxy data from Porites spp. corals to model intra-annual growth using an iterative numerical model comparing growth and temperature sine functions to measured Sr/Ca data to find the best …

Neuromodulation By Endogenous Interlukin-1Β In Hippocampus Of The Murine Brain: Regulation Of Neuronal Excitation, Spandita Seouli Dutta

Dissertations - ALL

The pro-inflammatory cytokine, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), is well known for its ability to initiate and propagate inflammatory responses at sites of infection and tissue injury. Paradoxically at odds with this classic view, it is now clear that IL-1β signaling modulates a number of physiological functions in the central nervous system. In this regard, IL-1β is involved in sleep and body fluid regulation in the basal forebrain and hypothalamus, respectively, and plasticity changes that underlie cognition in the hippocampus. Evidence from a previous study in my laboratory further suggests that IL-1β regulates the innate seizure threshold, which arguably is a reflection of …

Natural And Synthetic Ligand-Binding Induce Different Pilin Assemblies In Vitro And Control P. Aeruginosa Bioactivities In Vivo, And Development Of Bacterial-Motility Enabled Binding Assays, Arizza Chiara Siwa Ibañez

Dissertations - ALL

Proteins found on bacterial cells surfaces are capable of sensing and transducing signals from the environment to elicit a biological response. Fibrous appendages formed by assembly of pilin proteins on P. aeruginosa are surface proteins that are necessary for host colonization, adhesion on abiotic surfaces, controlling motilities, formation of biofilm, horizontal gene transfer and virulence production of the bacterium. Upon contact with stimuli, pili appendages extend and retract on the cell surface, driven by the assembly and disassembly of pili at inner membrane of the bacteria cells. The dynamic response of this protein assembly is likely caused by a conformational …

Atmospheric Chemistry Of Outdoor And Indoor Environments: Physical And Chemical Characterization Of Urban Grime And Measurements Of Oxidants In Vehicle Cabins, Corey Richard Kroptavich

Dissertations - ALL

This work investigates chemistry in two distinct environments in urban atmospheres. The first is the coatings found on urban surfaces often referred to as urban grime. Urban grime may serve as an important medium for photochemical and heterogeneous reactions in cities. This study characterized the composition and physical state of urban grime collected from two American cities. Wavelength-resolved extinction spectra of urban grime samples were also analyzed to improve our understanding of urban grime’s role in photochemistry. The research showed that the grime from the American cities was similar in composition to previous studies conducted in Europe and Canada, but …

4d Printing Shape Memory Polymers For Biomedical Applications, Kathleen Pieri

Dissertations - ALL

The development of 3D printing techniques using shape-memory polymers (SMPs) hascreated potentials for creating dynamic, three-dimensional structures that can be produced rapidly and be customized for specific and complex architectures. These qualities have made 3D printing a popular fabrication method for future SMP parts and devices. While important information about is known about the effects of printing parameters on 3D printed SMPs, there remains a gap in the understanding of these parameters on fundamental shape memory properties. Understanding the shape memory behavior of the SMPs post-printing can implicate potential advantages or weaknesses in using these materials in biomedical applications. Furthermore, …

Wrinkling Patterns On Curved Surface With Gradient Curvature Under Compression, Xiaoxiao Zhang

Dissertations - ALL

This work focuses on understanding the wrinkling patterns on a curved surface, i.e., tori and cones, with varying curvatures and global deformation. By tuning the geometry confine-ment and material properties, we can control the surface morphologies in these systems which can potentially be applied to wide applications in bio-inspired devices, microfluidic, and optical.

First, we investigate the wrinkles on a tri-layer torus consisting of an expanding thin outer layer, an intermediate soft layer, and an inner core with a tunable shear modulus. This study is inspired by pattern formations and evolutions in developmental biology, such as follicle pattern formation during …

Maternal Communication At Menarche: Evaluating Direct And Indirect Effects On Age At First Sexual Intercourse In Young Adult Women, Jennifer Horne King

Dissertations - ALL

This study examines maternal communication at menarche and its effects on early sexual decision-making in young adult women. Drawing on principles from Bandura’s social cognitive learning theory and communication privacy management theory, I predicted that certain types of maternal communication at menarche would either promote or inhibit early sexual self-efficacy, with indirect effects on age at first sexual intercourse. I also predicted that maternal communication at menarche would vary in tone or content, depending on age at menarche, with mothers communicating less to daughters who reached the milestone early. A total of 175 sexually active females aged 18 to 26 …

Identification Of Blda As A Major Regulator Of Virulence In The Sweetpotato Soil Rot Pathogen Streptomyces Ipomoeae And Characterization Of Distinct Clostridium Sweetpotato Soft Rot Isolates, Kuei-Ting Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Streptomyces ipomoeae is the causative agent of Streptomyces soil rot on sweetpotato, a disease characterized by extensive necrosis of both adventitious and storage roots. While Streptomyces potato scab pathogens produce a phytotoxin (thaxtomin A), which is induced in the presence of cellobiose and suberin, S. ipomoeae produces a less-modified, phytotoxin (thaxtomin C), whose inducer has not been identified. To investigate transcriptional regulation of thaxtomin C production, we inserted a promoter involved in thaxtomin C synthesis upstream of the gusA reporter in an S. ipomoeae strain. Reporter gene expression was significantly upregulated in the presence of size-fractionated sweetpotato extract (SPE). The …

Soil Seed Banks Of Tree Species From Natural Forests, Restoration Sites, And Abandoned Areas In Chiang Mai, Thailand, Patsavipich Rungrojtrakool, Pimonrat Tiansawat, Arunothai Jampeetong, Dia Panitnard Shannon, Sutthathorn Chairuangsri

Forest and Society

Soil seed banks have been used for investigation of natural regeneration of forests. In this study, we compared seed density and species composition of soil seed banks of trees among natural forests, restored forests of different ages, and abandoned agricultural land. The soil seed banks were collected from a natural forest (NF), 12-year-old and 17-year-old restoration sites (RF12y and RF17y), and 17-year-old abandoned site (AA) at Ban Mae Sa Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand. A seedling emergence technique was used to assess seed density and species of emerged seedlings was identified. We found 5-8 tree species at each site. Seed densities …