Digital Commons Network^™

Association Of Presenting Symptoms With Abnormal Laboratory Values For Vector-Borne Illness — Experience In An Urban Gastroenterology Practice, Michael D. Erdman, Niloofar Kossari, Jessica Ye, Kristen H. Reynolds, Emily Blodget, B. Robert Mozayeni, Farshid Sam Rahbar

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Background: In the clinical setting, it is not common practice to consider a vector bite, such as from a tick or flea, to be a contributing factor to chronic digestive symptoms. This article investigates associations we have observed among symptomatic patients and positive blood tests for vector-borne illness (VBI).

Methods: Patients who visited an urban gastroenterology clinic over a 3-year period were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 270 patients presenting with a constellation of digestive symptoms — and who had no apparent digestive pathology and reported no prior diagnosis or treatments for VBI — were analyzed. Before the initial visit, …

Hajdu Cheney Syndrome Due To Notch2 Defect - First Case Report From Pakistan And Review Of Literature, Sibtain Ahmed, Aahan Arif, Saadia Abbas, Muhammad Osama Khan, Salman Kirmani, Aysha Habib Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction and importance: Hajdu Cheney Syndrome (HCS) is a rare skeletal disease characterized by severe, progressive focal bone loss with osteoporosis, variable craniofacial, vertebral anomalies and distinctive facial features. It is inherited as an autosomal dominant disease although sporadic cases have been described in literature. Identifying these cases in clinical practice is important for proper diagnosis and management.
Case presentation: We report a case of a 36-year-old male patient presented at metabolic bone disease clinic at the Aga Khan University Hospital with history of multiple fragility fractures and juvenile osteoporosis since childhood. DNA sequence analysis of the NOTCH2 coding sequence …

Microplastic Abundance, Composition And Distribution On Selected Beaches, Seafloor And In Marine Animals Of Perhentian Islands, Terengganu, Lim Ying Wei

Student Works (2020-2029)

Small pieces of plastic with sizes less than 5mm is known as microplastic. Accidental intake of microplastic could disturb an organism’s digestive and hormone systems. Of all the landscapes, islands are especially vulnerable to microplastic pollution due to their distinctive geographical and meteorological characteristics. Perhentian Islands in Terengganu state of Peninsular Malaysia was chosen as the study site for microplastic research as it harbours diverse marine species and consistently receives high number of tourist arrival. This project studies microplastic abundance attached to beach and seafloor sediments, within Acropora spp. coral, and in randomly collected marine animal carcasses during both Southwest …

Dynamic And Disruptive Forces Are Increasingly At Work In Philanthropy, Teri Behrens, Michael D. Layton

Research, Reports, and Publications

No abstract provided.

Covid-19, The Shadow Pandemic, And Access To Justice For Survivors Of Domestic Violence, Jennifer Koshan, Janet Mosher, Wanda Wiegers

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic has co-existed alongside a far less visible “shadow pandemic” of violence against women, with COVID-19 impacting the number and complexity of domestic violence cases and enabling new tactics for coercive control. This article provides a preliminary assessment of the extent to which Canada’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have prioritized the safety of women and children, with a focus on the courts and women’s access to justice. We examine court directives and judicial decisions triaging which cases would be heard as “urgent,” as well as courts’ decisions on the merits in cases involving domestic violence and COVID-19, …

Reproductive Intentions And Corresponding Use Of Safer Conception Methods And Contraception Among Ugandan Hiv Clients In Serodiscordant Relationships., Glenn J. Wagner, Deborah Mindry, Emily A. Hurley, Jolly Beyeza-Kashesya, Violet Gwokyalya, Sarah Finocchario-Kessler, Rhoda K. Wanyenze, Mastula Nanfuka, Mahlet G. Tebeka, Kathy Goggin

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

CONTEXT: Among people living with HIV in Uganda, desires to have a child and unplanned pregnancies are both common, while utilization of safer conception methods (SCM) and modern contraceptives are low.

METHODS: Three hundred eighty-nine HIV clients who reported considering childbearing with their uninfected partner enrolled in a safer conception counseling intervention trial in Uganda. Multiple regression analysis and baseline data were used to examine correlates of reproductive intentions and behaviors, including use of safer conception methods and contraception.

RESULTS: Most (n = 313; 80.5%) reported that both they and their partner wanted to have a child now, which was …

Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3h) Study: Assessment Of Allergic Symptoms And Stress After Hurricane Harvey Flooding, Abiodun O Oluyomi, Kristen Panthagani, Jesus Sotelo, Xiangjun Gu, Georgina Armstrong, Dan Na Luo, Kristi L Hoffman, Diana Rohlman, Lane Tidwell, Winifred J Hamilton, Elaine Symanski, Kimberly Anderson, Joseph F Petrosino, Cheryl Lyn Walker, Melissa Bondy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding across the greater Houston area. Given the potential for widespread flood-related exposures, including mold and sewage, and the emotional and mental toll caused by the flooding, we sought to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of flood-related exposures on the health of Houstonians. Our objectives were to assess the association of flood-related exposures with allergic symptoms and stress among Houston-area residents at two time points: within approximately 30 days (T1) and 12 months (T2) after Hurricane Harvey's landfall.

METHODS: The Houston Hurricane Harvey Health (Houston-3H) Study enrolled a total of 347 …

Sars-Cov-2 Infection Severity Is Linked To Superior Humoral Immunity Against The Spike, Jenna J Guthmiller, Ya-Nan Dai, Christopher A Nelson, Paige D Hall, Daved H Fremont, Et Al

Open Access Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently causing a global pandemic. The antigen specificity of the antibody response mounted against this novel virus is not understood in detail. Here, we report that subjects with a more severe SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibit a larger antibody response against the spike and nucleocapsid protein and epitope spreading to subdominant viral antigens, such as open reading frame 8 and nonstructural proteins. Subjects with a greater antibody response mounted a larger memory B cell response against the spike, but not the nucleocapsid protein. Additionally, we revealed that antibodies against the spike are still capable …

Nitrogen Release From Turfgrass Clippings With Different Fertilization Rates, Karin Kauer, Tiina Köster, H. Raave, R. Viiralt, A. Selge

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

The Study On Cross‐Breeding Of Zoysia Willd., Hailin Guo, Jianxiu Liu, Aigui Guo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Research On Root Characteristics Of Some Turfgrasses In Kunming, Fucheng Luo, Yun Chen, Zhenzhong Sun

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Ecologies Of Hope: Understanding Educational Success Among Black Males In An Urban Midwestern City, Willie C. Harmon, Marlon C. James, Rasheedah Farooq

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The American Psychological Association's Task Force on Resilience and Strength in Black Children and Adolescents (2008) called for resilience frameworks particularly designed to understand African American development. Thus, the present study explores the lives of seven academically successful Black males in an urban midwestern city. Using a Critical Race Theory framework, the researchers center the counterstories of men of color who matriculated through college from a "failing" high school in a challenging urban community. Using constant comparative analysis, two critical themes emerged: extended family and extended kinship support networks. A synthesis of these themes resulted in an emergent framework entitled …

Development Of Polymorphic Markers In The Immune Gene Complex Loci Of Cattle, K Bakshy, D Heimeier, J C. Schwartz, E J. Glass, S Wilkinson, R A. Skuce, A R. Allen, J Young, J C. Mcclure, J B. Cole, D J. Null, J A. Hammond, T P.L. Smith, D M. Bickhart

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The addition of cattle health and immunity traits to genomic selection indices holds promise to increase individual animal longevity and productivity, and decrease economic losses from disease. However, highly variable genomic loci that contain multiple immune-related genes were poorly assembled in the first iterations of the cattle reference genome assembly and underrepresented during the development of most commercial genotyping platforms. As a consequence, there is a paucity of genetic markers within these loci that may track haplotypes related to disease susceptibility. By using hierarchical assembly of bacterial artificial chromosome inserts spanning 3 of these immune-related gene regions, we were able …

Structure Of Erm-Modified 70s Ribosome Reveals The Mechanism Of Macrolide Resistance, Maxim S. Svetlov, Egor A. Syroegin, Elena V. Aleksandrova, Gemma C. Atkinson, Steven Gregory, Alexander S. Mankin, Yury S. Polikanov

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications

Many antibiotics inhibit bacterial growth by binding to the ribosome and interfering with protein biosynthesis. Macrolides represent one of the most successful classes of ribosome-targeting antibiotics. The main clinically relevant mechanism of resistance to macrolides is dimethylation of the 23S rRNA nucleotide A2058, located in the drug-binding site, a reaction catalyzed by Erm-type rRNA methyltransferases. Here, we present the crystal structure of the Erm-dimethylated 70S ribosome at 2.4 Å resolution, together with the structures of unmethylated 70S ribosome functional complexes alone or in combination with macrolides. Altogether, our structural data do not support previous models and, instead, suggest a principally …

Practical Recommendations For Timely, Accurate Diagnosis Of Symptomatic Alzheimer’S Disease (Mci And Dementia) In Primary Care: A Review And Synthesis, J. L. Liss, S. Seleri Assunção, Jeffrey Cummings, A. Atri, D. S. Geldmacher, S. F. Candela, D. P. Devanand, H. M. Fillit, J. Susman, J. Mintzer, T. Bittner, S. A. Brunton, D. R. Kerwin, W. C. Jackson, G. W. Small, G. T. Grossberg, C. K. Clevenger, V. Cotter, R. Stefanacci, A. Wise-Brown, M. N. Sabbagh

School of Medicine Faculty Research

The critical role of primary care clinicians (PCCs) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention, diagnosis and management must evolve as new treatment paradigms and disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) emerge. Our understanding of AD has grown substantially: no longer conceptualized as a late-in-life syndrome of cognitive and functional impairments, we now recognize that AD pathology builds silently for decades before cognitive impairment is detectable. Clinically, AD first manifests subtly as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD before progressing to dementia. Emerging optimism for improved outcomes in AD stems from a focus on preventive interventions in midlife and timely, biomarker-confirmed diagnosis at early …

Week Of January 18, 2021 - January 22, 2021, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Today at Cardozo 2021

Events occurring this week have been sponsored by:

• Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
• Cardozo National Lawyers Guild (NLG)
• Cardozo Office of Student Services & Advising
• Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy
• If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice Cardozo Chapter
• Public Interest Law Advocacy Week (P*LAW)

The Rider (2021-01-18), Jacqueline Peraza

The Rider Archives

Vol.6 No.16

Navigating The Drinking Self: A Qualitative Study Of Beer Consumption Among The Working-Poor In Botswana, Tebogo B. Sebeelo, Linda L. Belgrave

The Qualitative Report

Alcohol consumption studies in sub-Saharan Africa have largely focused on social control and regulatory mechanisms in specific settings without particular reference to how drinkers negotiate and navigate their drinking selves. Existing studies do not give enough attention to how consumers enact, make sense and experience drinking in light of state regulatory efforts. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach among twenty (20) beer drinkers, this study identifies how beer drinkers in Botswana experienced alcohol. Our findings demonstrate a theoretical category of Negotiating the Drinking Self where beer drinkers constructed and enacted a drinking self throughout the life-course, from the point of …

The Physical And Chemical Limnology Of Yukon’S Largest Lake, Lhù’Ààn Mân’ (Kluane Lake), Prior To The 2016 ‘A’Ą̈Y Chù’ Diversion, Elloria A. Mcknight, Heidi Swanson, Janice Brahney, David S. Hik

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite increasing evidence that large northern lakes are rapidly changing due to climate change, descriptive baseline studies of their physicochemical properties are largely lacking, limiting our ability to detect or predict change. This study represents a comprehensive scientific assessment of the limnology of Yukon’s largest lake: Lhù’ààn Mân’ (Kluane Lake), an important waterbody for local and First Nation communities, and key habitat for trout and salmon. Water sample and instrument data generated throughout 2015 describe distinct regions within the lake and their respective seasonal variability. A deep, glacially-influenced southern basin was characterized by cold, turbid, poorly stratified, unproductive, and nutrient-poor …

A Continental-Scale Assessment Of Density, Size, Distribution And Historical Trends Of Farm Dams Using Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Networks, Martino E. Malerba, Nicholas J. Wright, Peter I. Macreadie

Climate Science Research Articles

Farm dams are a ubiquitous limnological feature of agricultural landscapes worldwide. While their primary function is to capture and store water, they also have disproportionally large effects on biodiversity and biogeochemical cycling, with important relevance to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the abundance and distribution of farm dams is unknown in most parts of the world. Therefore, we used artificial intelligence and remote sensing data to address this critical global information gap. Specifically, we trained a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) on high-definition satellite images to detect farm dams and carry out the first continental-scale assessment on density, …

Crow's Nest, January 18, 2021, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The January 18, 2021, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Nature In The Urban Context: Renaturalisation As An Important Dimension Of Urban Resilience And Planning, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

How are our cities confronting the challenges posed by a warming climate, the loss of biodiversity and major resource depletion? ―This article discusses the opportunities and benefits of applying the concepts of renaturalisiation and rewilding of cities. It introduces Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in urban planning that are integrated with the aim to enhance urban resilience and to slow down the biodiversity decline, which can be applied in two areas: through the conception of new green neighbourhoods; and through the regeneration and re-greening of existing but neglected parts of the city, such as postindustrial brownfields or economically weak districts. Contact to …

Offspring Educational Attainment And Older Parents' Cognition In Mexico, Mingming Ma, Jenjira J. Yahirun, Joseph Saenz, Connor Sheehan

Sociology Faculty Publications

Population-level disparities in later-life cognitive health point to the importance of family resources. Although the bulk of prior work establishes the directional flow of resources from parents to offspring, the "linked lives" perspective raises the question of how offspring resources could affect parental health as well. This paper examines whether adult children's education influences older parents' (aged 50+) cognitive health in Mexico, where schooling reforms have contributed to significant gains in the educational achievements of recent birth cohorts. Harnessing a change in compulsory school laws and applying an instrumental variables approach, we found that each year of offspring schooling was …

Analysis Of Global Human Gut Metagenomes Shows That Metabolic Resilience Potential For Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production Is Strongly Influenced By Lifestyle, David K. Jacobson, Tanvi P. Honap, Andrew T. Ozga, Nicolas Meda, Thérèse S. Kagoné, Hélène Carabin, Paul Spicer, Raul Y. Tito, Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito, Luis Marin Reyes, Luzmila Troncoso-Corzo, Emilio Guija-Poma, Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan

Biology Faculty Articles

High taxonomic diversity in non-industrial human gut microbiomes is often interpreted as beneficial; however, it is unclear if taxonomic diversity engenders ecological resilience (i.e. community stability and metabolic continuity). We estimate resilience through genus and species-level richness, phylogenetic diversity, and evenness in short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production among a global gut metagenome panel of 12 populations (n = 451) representing industrial and non-industrial lifestyles, including novel metagenomic data from Burkina Faso (n = 90). We observe significantly higher genus-level resilience in non-industrial populations, while SCFA production in industrial populations is driven by a few phylogenetically closely related species (belonging to …

Characterization Of Maize Near-Isogenic Lines With Enhanced Flavonoid Expression To Be Used As Tools In Diet-Health Complexity, Binning Wu, Haotian Chang, Rich Marini, Surinder Chopra, Lavanya Reddivari

Department of Food Science Faculty Publications

Increasing incidence of chronic diseases in the 21st century has emphasized the importance of developing crops with enhanced nutritional value. Plant-based diets are associated with reduced incidence of many chronic diseases. The growing population and increased food demand have prioritized the development of high-yielding commercial crop varieties at the expense of natural flavors as well as health-benefiting compounds including polyphenols. Flavonoids are a large subfamily of polyphenols abundant in the plant kingdom with known health-promoting effects, making them a promising trait to be re-introduced into elite lines. Given the vast array of flavonoids and the complexity of plant food metabolome …

Quantification Of Nitric Oxide Concentration Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Sensors, Jakob Meier, Joseph Stapleton, Eric M. Hofferber, Abigail Haworth, Stephen D. Kachman, Nicole M. Iverson

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical present in biological systems, can have many detrimental effects on the body, from inflammation to cancer. Due to NO’s short half-life, detection and quantification is difficult. The inability to quantify NO has hindered researchers’ understanding of its impact in healthy and diseased conditions. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), when wrapped in a specific single-stranded DNA chain, becomes selective to NO, creating a fluorescence sensor. Unfortunately, the correlation between NO concentration and the SWNT’s fluorescence intensity has been difficult to determine due to an inability to immobilize the sensor without altering its properties. Through the use …

Research On Particle Filter Algorithm Based On Improved Grey Wolf Algorithm, Weigang Li, Li Yang, Yuntao Zhao, Baokang Yan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The traditional particle filter algorithm is prone to particle depletion and weight degradation, and a large number of particles are needed to make an accurate estimation of non-linear system. A novel particle filter algorithm based on grey wolf optimization algorithm is proposed. The particles are employed to characterize the individuals of grey wolf and simulate the process of wolf hunting, which makes the particles move to the high likelihood region of posterior probability and improve the rationality of the distribution of the particles. Levy flight strategy is introduced in grey wolf algorithm to improve the convergence speed. The adaptive …

Traversal Path Planning And Simulation Of Robot Based On Radiation Scanning, Bin Lin, Guanghui Han, Chenchen Song, Yajing Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the high repetition rate and many turns of robot paths based on BINN algorithm, an ITPPA combining the template model and the RS algorithm is proposed. The BINN algorithm is used to formulate the non-obstacle walking strategy. Multiple obstacle avoidance path templates are designed to ensure that the robot could avoid obstacles in an orderly manner. RS algorithm is used to guide the robot to escape the dead zone quickly. Simulation results show that, compared with BINN algorithm, ITPPA could not only effectively reduce the path repetition rate and the number of turning and energy consumption …

An Evaluation Of A Maternal Health And Extreme Heat Exposure Training, Adelle Dora Monteblanco, Jennifer K. Vanos, Sarah Leroy, Patricia M. Juarez, Gregg M. Garfin

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Growing empirical evidence documents the potential risk of extreme heat exposure to pregnant individuals. These risks include adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birth weight. Climate change will exacerbate extreme heat exposures to a large portion of the global population, and pregnant individuals need to understand the risks and protective measures needed. Maternal health workers are a key mechanism for conveying this information to pregnant individuals. The authors assess a training of maternal health workers in El Paso, Texas, through two research instruments. First, eight maternal health workers completed an educational workshop and consented to participation; pre- …

Disparities In Cardiovascular Research Output And Disease Outcomes Among High-, Middle- And Low-Income Countries - An Analysis Of Global Cardiovascular Publications Over The Last Decade (2008-2017), Nada Qaisar Qureshi, Syed Hamza Mufarrih, Gerald S. Bloomfield, Wajeeha Tariq, Aysha Almas, Ali H. Mokdad, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Sameen Siddiqi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Zainab Samad

Department of Medicine

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Health research is crucial to managing disease burden. Previous work has highlighted marked discrepancies in research output and disease burden between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and lower-middle-income countries (LI-LMICs) and there is little data to understand whether this gap has bridged in recent years. We conducted a global, country level bibliometric analysis of CVD publications with respect to trends in disease burden and county development indicators.
Methods: A search filter with a precision and recall of 0.92 and 0.91 respectively was developed to extract cardiovascular publications …