Digital Commons Network^™

Crosstalk Of Cancer Signaling Pathways By Cyclic Hexapeptides And Anthraquinones From Rubia Cordifolia, Premalatha Balachandran, Mohamed Ali Ibrahim, Jin Zhang, Mei Wang

Faculty and Student Publications

The anticancer activities of Rubia cordifolia and its constituents have been reported earlier, but their influence on the crosstalk of complex cancer-related signaling metabolic pathways (i.e., transcription factors; TF) has not yet been fully investigated. In this study, R. cordifolia root extract was subjected to the cancer signaling assay based bioactivity-guided fractionation, which yielded the following compounds viz., three anthraquinones, namely alizarin (1), purpurin (2), and emodin (3); two lignans, namely eudesmin (4) and compound 5; and two cyclic hexapeptides, namely deoxybouvardin RA-V (6), and a mixture of 6+9 (RA-XXI). The structures of the isolated compounds were determined by NMR …

Index Of Botanical Specimens (Herbarium) By Alice Ford, 1912, Kathy Allen

Botanical Specimen Books

This index lists the specimens collected by Alice Ford for the 1912 herbarium (botanical specimen) book. Alice Ford in 1912 collected and curated these specimens for a Botany course taught by John M. Holzinger at Winona Normal School in Winona, Minnesota.

Index Of Botanical Specimens (Herbarium) By Helen J. Monahan, 1899, Kathy Allen

Botanical Specimen Books

This index lists the specimens collected by Helen Monahan in the 1899 herbarium (botanical specimen) book. Helen J. Monahan in 1899 collected and curated these specimens for a Botany course taught by John M. Holzinger at Winona Normal School in Winona, Minnesota.

Faith Development Theory And A Developmental Approach To Spiritual Formation For The, Joshua Nolt

Doctor of Ministry

The Church has a strong vision of the beginning of a life of faith as men and women come to Christ, but it lacks a framework and language to articulate the continued development, growth, and formation of faith over a lifetime. The result is a group of leaders and followers who lack direction to facilitate a deeper participation in and formation of life with God. The external tools provided by the church do not quench the questions of their inward reality. This leads to identifying faith as doing and believing the right things, on one hand, or becoming disillusioned on …

Who Is Doing The Research? The Implications Of The Pandemic For Researchers In The Population Sciences, Ann K. Blanc, Sanyukta Mathur, Stephanie Psaki

Essays: Covid-19 and the Global Demographic Research Agenda

This essay explores widening gender gaps in research productivity during the pandemic, long-term career impacts for those entering the field, and potential trends in education and employment.

Leucine Carboxyl Methyltransferase 1 Overexpression Protects Against Cognitive And Electrophysiological Impairments In Tg2576 App Transgenic Mice, Madhumathi Gnanaprakash, Agnieszka Staniszewski, Hong Zhang, Rose Pitstick, Michael P. Kavanaugh, Ottavio Arancio, Russell E. Nicholls

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The serine/threonine protein phosphatase, PP2A, is thought to play a central role in the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and the activity and substrate specificity of PP2A is regulated, in part, through methylation and demethylation of its catalytic subunit. Previously, we found that transgenic overexpression of the PP2A methyltransferase, LCMT-1, or the PP2A methylesterase, PME-1, altered the sensitivity of mice to impairments caused by acute exposure to synthetic oligomeric amyloid-β (Aβ).

Objective: Here we sought to test the possibility that these molecules also controlled sensitivity to impairments caused by chronically elevated levels of Aβ produced in vivo. …

Supplemental Ascorbate Diminishes Dna Damage Yet Depletes Glutathione And Increases Acute Liver Failure In A Mouse Model Of Hepatic Antioxidant System Disruption, Colin G. Miller, Jean A. Kundert, Justin R. Prigge, Julie A. Amato, Allison E. Perez, Lucia Coppo, Gabrielle N. Rizzo, Michael P. Kavanaugh, David J. Orlicky, Colin T. Shearn, Edward E. Schmidt

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Cellular oxidants are primarily managed by the thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1)- and glutathione reductase (Gsr)-driven antioxidant systems. In mice having hepatocyte-specific codisruption of TrxR1 and Gsr (TrxR1/Gsr-null livers), methionine catabolism sustains hepatic levels of reduced glutathione (GSH). Although most mice with TrxR1/Gsr-null livers exhibit long-term survival, ~25% die from spontaneous liver failure between 4- and 7-weeks of age. Here we tested whether liver failure was ameliorated by ascorbate supplementation. Following ascorbate, dehydroascorbate, or mock treatment, we assessed survival, liver histology, or hepatic redox markers including GSH and GSSG, redox enzyme activities, and oxidative damage markers. Unexpectedly, rather than providing protection, ascorbate …

Effective Inhibition Of Sars-Cov-2 Entry By Heparin And Enoxaparin Derivatives, Ritesh Tandon, Joshua S. Sharp, Fuming Zhang, Vitor H. Pomin, Nicole M. Ashpole, Dipanwita Mitra, Martin G. Mccandless, Weihua Jin, Hao Liu, Poonam Sharma, Robert J. Linhardt

Faculty and Student Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic of historic proportions and continues to spread globally, with enormous consequences to human health. Currently there is no vaccine, effective therapeutic, or prophylactic. As with other betacoronaviruses, attachment and entry of SARS-CoV-2 are mediated by the spike glycoprotein (SGP). In addition to its well-documented interaction with its receptor, human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), SGP has been found to bind to glycosaminoglycans like heparan sulfate, which is found on the surface of virtually all mammalian cells. Here, we pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 SGP on a third-generation lentiviral (pLV) vector and tested the …

Faculty Achievements, February 2021, Otterbein University

Faculty Achievement Reports

No abstract provided.

Gut Microbiomes Of Freshwater Mussels (Unionidae) Are Taxonomically And Phylogenetically Variable Across Years But Remain Functionally Stable, Mark Mccauley, Marlène Chiarello, Carla L. Atkinson, Colin R. Jackson

Faculty and Student Publications

Freshwater mussels perform essential ecosystem functions, yet we have no information on how their microbiomes fluctuate over time. In this study, we examined temporal variation in the microbiome of six mussel species (Lampsilis ornata, Obovaria unicolor, Elliptio arca, Fusconaia cerina, Cyclonaias asperata, and Tritogonia verrucosa) sampled from the same river in 2016 and 2019. We examined the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and inferred functional (from 16S rRNA sequences) facets of their microbiome diversity. Significant differences between the two years were identified in five of the six species sampled. However, not all species that exhibited a temporally variable microbiome were functionally distinct across …

Culturable Root Endophyte Communities Are Shaped By Both Warming And Plant Host Identity In The Rocky Mountains, Usa, Kelly G. Lyons, M. Mann, Molly Lenihan, Olivia Roybal, Kelly Carroll, Kyle Reynoso, S. N. Kivlin, D. L. Taylor, J. A. Rudgers

Biology Faculty Research

Understanding the biogeographic patterns of root-associated fungi and their sensitivity to temperature may improve predictions of future changes in terrestrial biodiversity and associated ecosystem processes, but data are currently limited. Anticipating change will require combining observational data, which predict how climatic factors limit current species distributions, with direct manipulations of climate, which can isolate responses to specific climate variables. Root endophytes are common symbionts of plants, particularly in arctic and alpine environments, yet their responses to climate warming are not resolved. Here, we directly cultured endophytic fungi from roots collected along altitudinal gradients in replicated mountain watersheds and from a …

Genetic Profiling Of Cell Types In The Pathogenesis Of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (Nash), Yanki Yarman, Raj Vadigepalli

Phase 1

NASH is the progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which affects 25% of adults in the US. We are interested in identifying genetic markers for specific cell populations in the liver and hypothesize that cells undergo genetic reprogramming to handle the molecular stresses of the NASH disease state.

Using previously published single-cell RNA sequencing datasets from mouse liver whole tissue, we identified the top 25 most highly variable genes per cell type in NASH liver tissue. Using R-programming language, datasets from both healthy and diseases livers were deconvoluted, normalized, linearized and dimensionally reduced to create a 3D map …

Cc: Connecticut College Magazine, Winter 2021, Connecticut College

Alumni News/Connecticut College Magazine

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Science Network Bulletin February 2021

Indigenous Science Network

This issue includes two submissions from members looking at efficacious pedagogy for Indigenous students, one based in a Canadian university teaching chemistry remotely (Michelle Hogue), and the other in Australia considering the use of Kriol to enhance understandings in Yr 11 high school biology (Genevieve Firmer).

Methodological Advances For Studying Gamma Motor Neurons, Katherine A. Wilkinson

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

The muscle spindle is an important sense organ for motor control and proprioception. Specialized intrafusal fibers are innervated by both stretch sensitive afferents and γ motor neurons that control the length of the spindle and tune the sensitivity of the muscle spindle afferents to both dynamic movement and static length. γ motor neurons share many similarities with other skeletal motor neurons, making it challenging to identify and specifically record or stimulate them. This short review will discuss recent advances in genetic and molecular biology techniques, electrophysiological recording, optical imaging, computer modelling, and stem cell culture techniques that have the potential …

Meshed Ministry: Retaining Young Adults During Their Complex Migration Into Adulthood, Randy Jumper

Doctor of Ministry

Most studies indicate over two-thirds of churched young adults stop participating in church life one year after high school graduation. This generation represents one of the least churched generations in American history. After spending millions of dollars on elaborate children’s and youth programs, churches experience young adult attrition. Young adults themselves seem ill prepared for this life stage. Churches who do not intentionally address the needs of young adults or view the exodus as inevitable miss the mandate to facilitate lifelong followers of Jesus.

In Section One, a review of developmental markers, faith stage development theory, and the uniqueness of …

The Development Of A Robust, Self-Sustaining Internal Coaching Network, Harry Fritzenschaft

Doctor of Ministry

The problem this dissertation addresses is, like most problems, complex, multilayered, and contextual. In essence, I inherited the Multiply Vineyard (MV) internal coaching network, which was in decline, demotivated, not performing well, and in drastic need of refurbishing. The contextual realities of MV’s drastically reduced budgets and pandemic virtual training imperatives compelled me to be more innovative and adaptive. This paper's thesis is the entire MV coaching network infrastructure needs to be renovated and restructured to support MV’s church planting mission.

Section 2 describes MV's alternatives, including continuing our current communications and operations approach and framework. Another proposed solution option …

A Community's Responsibility To Help Unaccompanied Homeless Teens, Spokane Valley, Calvin Bruce Coblentz

Doctor of Ministry

Homelessness is ubiquitous in communities across America. There are 1.5 million homeless school children annually. Over 125,000 are unaccompanied homeless youth detached from family. Many factors contribute to their homelessness, such as poverty, physical and sexual abuse, neglect, family conflict, addictions, mental illness, and sexual orientation. As difficult as it is in an abusive home, life does not usually improve when they depart. Homeless teens experience high rates of violence, sexual assault and exploitation, substance abuse, pregnancy, disease, leaving school, incarceration, unemployment, suicide, and dependency as adults.

This study explored the problem of unaccompanied teen homelessness in Eastern Spokane County, …

Dynamic Expansion: An Exploration Of Hospitality And Its Application To Foster Children And Families In Crisis, Sean Dean

Doctor of Ministry

The concept of hospitality has many applications. This dissertation is an exploration of hospitality using the American foster system as an example of how hospitality can be applied to an at-risk group.

Chapter 1 looks at the state foster care. There is an exploration of the two main reasons children enter foster care: neglect and drug offenses. Lastly, there is a look at the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study and how its results are contributing factors to the current state of foster care in the United States. Chapters 2 and 3 delve into the concept of hospitality, what it is …

Cultivating A Disciple-Centric Growth Culture In The International Church Of The Foursquare Gospel, Tammy Dunahoo

Doctor of Ministry

Jesus said to his followers, “Go, make disciples of all nations,” and, “I will build my Church.”1 Through fifty years of emphasis on church growth, it would seem these roles have been reversed with pastors more focused on building big churches than equipping “the saints for the work of the ministry.”2 It begs the question, “Do we use people to grow the church instead of the church to grow the people?”

This dissertation focuses on the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (ICFG) which has been affected by this mindset and now faces an aging ministerium and fewer potential young …

Transepithelial Anti-Neuroblastoma Response To Kale Among Four Vegetable Juices Using In Vitro Model Co-Culture System, John Piletz, Yuhan Mao, Debarshi Roy, Bilal Qizilbash, Eurielle Nkamssi, Enleyona Weir, Jessica Graham, Mary Emmanuel, Suwaira Iqbal, Kellie Brue, Bidisha Roy Sengupta

Faculty Publications

Juicing vegetables is thought to be an anticancer treatment. Support exists for a rank order of anticancer greens (kale > dandelion > lettuce > spinach) based on degrees of bioavailability of different phytochemicals, also offset by some noxious molecules (i.e., calcium-oxalate). We developed a new in vitro transepithelial anti-neuroblastoma model system. The juices were diluted as predicted once in the small intestine. They were applied to apical Caco-2Bbe1 cells atop dividing SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, and changes in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cell growth were considered with juice spectroscopies. Studied first in monoculture, kale and dandelion were the most cytostatic juices on SH-SY5Ys, …

Parental Relationship Quality, Shyness, And College Academic Success, Nathan M. Fields

Undergraduate Research (Journal)

The goal of this study was to investigate how positive parental relationships and shyness affect the academic performance of college students. A total of 123 first year college students reported on the quality of their relationships with a father and mother figure and their shyness during the fall of their first year. The students’ cumulative grade point average (GPA) and retention information (graduated versus not graduated) was provided by the college registrar’s office five years later. Positive relationships with fathers predicted higher GPA and greater likelihood of graduation. In contrast, shyness and positive relationships with mothers did not significantly predict …

The Economics Of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review. (Abridged Version)

General - Environmental Sustainability

The report presents a comprehensive economic review of biodiversity and calls for an urgent and transformative change in how we think about and act towards the natural world and its economic value. The framework presented by the review is grounded in a a deep understanding of ecosystem processes and how they are affected by human economic activity. The report argues that nature is our most precious asset but that rapid declines in biodiversity are undermining the resiliency and adaptability of nature. This, in turn, places human economies, livelihoods and well-being at risk.

The Neuroscience Of Positive Emotions And Affect: Implications For Cultivating Happiness And Wellbeing, Rebecca Alexander, Oriana R. Aragón, Jamila Bookwala, Nicolas Cherbuin, Justine M. Gatt, Ian James Kahrilas, Niklas Kästner, Alistair Lawrence, Leroy Lowe, Robert Morrison, Sven C. Mueller, Robin Nusslock, Christos Papdelis, Kelly L. Polnaszek, S Helene Richter, Rebecca Silton, Charis Styliadis

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This review paper provides an integrative account regarding neurophysiological correlates of positive emotions and affect that cumulatively contribute to the scaffolding for happiness and wellbeing in humans and other animals. This paper reviews the associations among neurotransmitters, hormones, brain networks, and cognitive functions in the context of positive emotions and affect. Consideration of lifespan developmental perspectives are incorporated, and we also examine the impact of healthy social relationships and environmental contexts on the modulation of positive emotions and affect. The neurophysiological processes that implement positive emotions are dynamic and modifiable, and meditative practices as well as flow states that change …

Comparative Effects Of Chemical And Physical Sunscreen On Fertilization Of Purple Sea Urchins (Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus), Marilla Lippert, Maurice Codespoti Goodman, Nikki Adams

Biological Sciences

Organic compound-based “chemical” sunscreens dominate the commercial sunscreen market, but recent research has revealed the ingredients of these products are detrimental to the health of marine organisms. This revelation has led to increased popularity of mineral-based “physical” sunscreens, primarily containing zinc-oxide (ZnO), as environmentally safe alternatives. While they are marketed as environmentally safe, these claims are largely untested, and it is important to consider potential effects of ZnO-based sunscreens on the development of marine organisms. Though Zn is a necessary micronutrient in the ocean, excess Zn is released into marine environments from anthropogenic sources has negative effects on marine life. …

Blockade Of Erk1/2 Activation With U0126 Or Pep7 Reduces Sodium Appetite And Angiotensin Ii-Induced Pressor Responses In Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, G. M.F. Andrade-Franzé, E. D. Pereira, G. L.C. Yosten, W. K. Samson, J. V. Menani, L. A. De Luca, C. A.F. Andrade

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) have increased daily, or induced sodium intake compared to normotensive rats. In normotensive rats, angiotensin II (ANG II)-induced sodium intake is blocked by the inactivation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase, also known as extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase1/2 (ERK1/2). Here we investigated if inhibition of ERK1/2 pathway centrally would change sodium appetite and intracerebroventricular (icv) ANG II-induced pressor response in SHRs. SHRs (280−330 g, n = 07–14/group) with stainless steel cannulas implanted in the lateral ventricle (LV) were used. Water and 0.3 M NaCl intake was induced by the treatment with the diuretic furosemide + captopril (angiotensin …

Increased Expression Of Fatty Acid And Abc Transporters Enhances Seed Oil Production In Camelina, Guangqin Cai, Geliang Wang, Sang-Chul Kim, Jianwu Li, Yongming Zhou, Xuemin Wang

Biology Department Faculty Works

Background Lipid transporters play an essential role in lipid delivery and distribution, but their influence on seed oil production in oilseed crops is not well studied. Results Here, we examined the effect of two lipid transporters, FAX1 (fatty acid export1) and ABCA9 (ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily A9) on oil production and lipid metabolism in the oilseed plant Camelina sativa. Overexpression (OE) of FAX1 and ABCA9 increased seed weight and size, with FAX1-OEs and ABCA9-OEs increasing seed length and width, respectively, whereas FAX1/ABCA9-OEs increasing both. FAX1-OE and ABCA9-OE displayed …

Spatial Scaling Properties Of Coral Reef Benthic Communities, Helen V. Ford, Jamison M. Gove, Andrew J. Davies, Nicholas A.J. Graham, John R. Healey, Eric J. Conklin, Gareth J. Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The spatial structure of ecological communities on tropical coral reefs across seascapes and geographies have historically been poorly understood. Here we addressed this for the first time using spatially expansive and thematically resolved benthic community data collected around five uninhabited central Pacific oceanic islands, spanning 6° latitude and 17° longitude. Using towed-diver digital image surveys over ~140 linear km of shallow (8–20 m depth) tropical reef, we highlight the autocorrelated nature of coral reef seascapes. Benthic functional groups and hard coral morphologies displayed significant spatial clustering (positive autocorrelation) up to kilometre-scales around all islands, in some instances dominating entire sections …

The Bridge Newsletter Spring 2021, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Researchers investigate improved bridge repair after collisions
-White initiated as 132^nd honor member of Chi Epsilon
-Bereyso named New Face of Civil Engineering by ASCE
-150-year Celebration of Civil Engineering

Columbia Chronicle (02/01/2021), Columbia College Chicago

Columbia Chronicle

Student newspaper from February 1, 2021 entitled The Columbia Chronicle. This issue is 13 pages. Cover story: "Welcome Back" . Editors-in-Chief: Mari Devereaux & Kendall Polidori.