Digital Commons Network^™

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles In Hydrology And Water Management: Applications, Challenges, And Perspectives, Bharat Sharma Acharya, Mahendra Bhandari, Filippo Bandini, Alonso Pizarro, Matthew Perks, Deepak Raj Joshi, Sheng Wang, Toby Dogwiler, Ram L. Ray, For Complete List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

The hydrologic sciences and water resources management have long depended on a combination of in situ measurements and remotely sensed data for research and regulatory purposes. In situ measurements are constrained in their spatial distribution by both logistics and costs. Satellite- and manned aircraft-based remote sensing provide spatially broad data, but often of a coarse resolution. Furthermore, all these data collection methods are often limited in their ability to respond to specific short-term events when the data and imagery could inform real-time assessment and decision-making, especially during and immediately after natural disasters. Researchers and regulators are increasingly using unmanned aerial …

Tu Gardens Rooted In Sustainable Solutions, Taylor University

2021 Website News Stories

No abstract provided.

Spartan Daily, November 18, 2021, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2021

Volume 157, Issue 39

November 2021 Academic Affairs Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Academic Affairs Committee

Academic Affairs Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Rattler (Volume 110, Issue 4), St. Mary's University

The Rattler (Previous issues)

Founded in 1919, The Rattler is the student voice of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. The newspaper documents campus life, academic and social issues, student opinion, and local and national events as they relate to the University community. Content typically includes news articles, editorial commentary, arts and culture coverage, sports reporting, and advertisements.

(Non)Parallel Developmental Mechanisms In Vertebrate Appendage Reduction And Loss, Samantha Swank, Thomas Sanger, Yoel E. Stuart

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Appendages have been reduced or lost hundreds of times during vertebrate evolution. This phenotypic convergence may be underlain by shared or different molecular mechanisms in distantly related vertebrate clades. To investigate, we reviewed the developmental and evolutionary literature of appendage reduction and loss in more than a dozen vertebrate genera from fish to mammals. We found that appendage reduction and loss was nearly always driven by modified gene expression as opposed to changes in coding sequences. Moreover, expression of the same genes was repeatedly modified across vertebrate taxa. However, the specific mechanisms by which expression was modified were rarely shared. …

Race And Drug Toxicity: A Study Of Three Cardiovascular Drugs With Strong Pharmacogenetic Recommendations., Travis J. O'Brien, Kevin Fenton, Alfateh Sidahmed, April Barbour, Arthur F Harralson

Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Micronutrient Supplements Can Promote Disruptive Protozoan And Fungal Communities In The Developing Infant Gut, Ana Popovic, Celine Bourdon, Pauline W. Wang, David S. Guttman, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Robert H J. Bandsma, John Parkinson, Lisa G. Pell

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Supplementation with micronutrients, including vitamins, iron and zinc, is a key strategy to alleviate child malnutrition. However, association of gastrointestinal disorders with iron has led to ongoing debate over their administration. To better understand their impact on gut microbiota, we analyse the bacterial, protozoal, fungal and helminth communities of stool samples collected from a subset of 80 children at 12 and 24 months of age, previously enrolled into a large cluster randomized controlled trial of micronutrient supplementation in Pakistan (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00705445). We show that while bacterial diversity is reduced in supplemented children, vitamins and iron (as well as …

Finalists Announced For Annual Innovative Idea Competition, Sustainability Institute

Sustainability Institute Blog

No abstract provided.

Native Valve Endocarditis Complicated By Abscess Formation Caused By Rothia Mucilaginosa, S Haddad, Y Saade, B Ramlawi, B Kreidieh, B Gilbert, S Rao

Division of Infectious Diseases and Environmental Medicine Faculty Papers

Rothia mucilaginosa is increasingly recognized as an emerging pathogen associated with endocarditis. It has mostly been reported a causative agent for prosthetic valve endocarditis. The previously reported cases of native valve endocarditis caused by this organism only required medical treatment with no surgical intervention. We report a case of R. mucilaginosa native valve endocarditis complicated by abscess formation requiring surgical intervention and review the literature of native valve endocarditis caused by this organism.

2021-November-18-Etsu Researchers Publish On The Red Panda, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 18, 2021) – Only a bit bigger than a domestic cat, the creature sports a body that looks more like a bear. Then there’s the thick – and reddish-brown – fur.

For decades, scholars have asked the question: what is a red panda?

Researchers are again tackling that and many more questions, and East Tennessee State University is an important part of that conversation. 

Dr. Steven Wallace, Gray Fossil Site and Museum director of field operations and a professor in the ETSU Department of Geosciences, and Dr. T. Andrew Joyner, an associate professor in Geosciences, …

New Genus Of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) In Amber From The Dominican Republic, Paul E. Skelley

Insecta Mundi

Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley, new genus and new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), is described in amber from the Dominican Republic. An updated key to New World genera of Rhyparini is presented.

Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley, género nuevo y especie nueva (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), se describe de ámbar de la República Dominicana. La clave a los Rhyparini del Nuevo Mundo es enmendada para incluir el nuevo género.

There are only three fossil taxa of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scrabaeidae: Aphodiinae) preserved in copal or amber from the New World. There have been brief listings of a Termitodius Wasmann in Colombian copal (Penney and …

The Concentration Of Brain Homogenates With The Amicon Ultra Centrifugal Filters, Joshua Yang, Rachita K. Sumbria

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Accurately measuring the brain concentration of a neurotherapeutic is critical in determining its pharmacokinetic profile in vivo. Biologics are potential therapeutics for neurologic diseases and biologics fused to an antibody targeting a transcytosis receptor at the Blood-Brain Barrier, designated as antibody-biologic fusion proteins, are Blood-Brain Barrier penetrating neurotherapeutics. The use of sandwich immunosorbent assays to measure concentrations of antibody-biologic fusion proteins in brain homogenates has become increasingly popular. The raw brain homogenate contains many proteins and other macromolecules that can cause a matrix effect, potentially interfering with the limit of detection of such assays and reduce the overall sample …

Where Does Sustainability Stand In Underground Tourism? A Literature Review, Piera Buonincontri, Roberto Micera, María Murillo-Romero, Tommasina Pianese

KIP Articles

Underground sites have become an attractive tourist destination for an increasing number of visitors. This flow of visitors has made sustainability a major issue, that is, the way in which tourism development ensures economic benefits for host communities and respects local identity without compromising the environmental resources. Many studies have explored sustainable tourism in the Underground Built Heritage (UBH), but privilege the analysis of a single perspective, that is, economic sustainability, e.g., potentialities of cultural routes, or environmental sustainability, such as the impact of visitors on the cave climate. However, some attention has been paid to the social implications of …

Whalesong 2021-11-18 (V.41 No.7), Mike Flunker, Margaret Everson, Kenedy Williams, Lucas Stewart, Sierra Lissick, Jon Calleja, Auguste Stiehr, Kolene James, Sabrina Croft, Shaelene Moler, Becky Iverson

Whalesong

No abstract provided.

Virtual Reality As A Context For Adaptation, Matthew Yarossi, Madhur Mangalam, Stephanie Naufel, Eugene Tunik

Journal Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated interest in virtual reality (VR) for education, entertainment, telerehabilitation, and skills training. As the frequency and duration of VR engagement increases—the number of people in the United States using VR at least once per month is forecasted to exceed 95 million—it is critical to understand how VR engagement influences brain and behavior. Here, we evaluate neurophysiological effects of sensory conflicts induced by VR engagement and posit an intriguing hypothesis: the brain processes VR as a unique “context” leading to the formation and maintenance of independent sensorimotor representations. We discuss known VR-induced sensorimotor adaptations to illustrate …

The Horror Of History: Medieval And Early Modern Christianity And The Use Of Narratological Persecution, William Cole Younger

Student Theses and Dissertations

The history of emotion has given a bit of attention to the role that fear plays as a historical motive. Yet, what fear is or how it may be used when examining primary sources which possess fictitious tales has sorely been neglected. In order to address this, this thesis argues that historians need to employ philosophical concepts of horror in order to truly grasp the unique qualities that emerge from these tales. This thesis provides a historical framework for these philosophical understandings of horror by examining the medieval and early modern mentalities which served as a framework for the formalization …

Shifts In The Acute Stress Response In Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys Scripta) During The Activity Season, Jennifer Lauren Terry

Student Theses and Dissertations

Tradeoffs may occur among biological processes if individuals are energetically challenged. Glucocorticoids (GC) promote essential daily processes and energy reprioritization during stressful or energy-demanding periods and provide insight to an individual’s energetic state. I captured 123 wild adult red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) outside of Cherry Valley, Arkansas in the Arkansas Delta between May and October 2019 to assess energy tradeoffs between innate immunity and GC secretion. I collected blood samples at 0–3, 30, and 60 min and used plasma in bacterial killing assays and radioimmunoassays to assess innate immunity and corticosterone concentrations, respectively. Tradeoffs were not evident in this population …

Plant Based Biological Treatments For Both Bacterial And Fungal Pathogens In Heirloom Tomatoes, Kassandra Riley

Student Theses and Dissertations

Tomatoes face disease in many forms; bacterial, fungal, and viral. There are only a few options for small growers to prevent or treat these diseases. The use of naturally occurring plant essential oils has the potential to be both accessible and a marketing benefit. Twelve plant oils (orange, peppermint, eucalyptus, ginger, thyme, garlic, basil, tea tree, rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, and clove) were screened against two tomato fungal pathogens, Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora infestans, as well as the bacterial pathogen, Xanthamonas campestris v. vesicatoria. Thyme, garlic, oregano, and cinnamon all showed potential for inhibiting pathogen growth. After determination of minimum inhibition …

Creativity In Science, Engineering, And The Arts: A Study Of Undergraduate Students' Perceptions, Dildora F. Beaulieu

Dissertations and Theses

Creativity is widely recognized as being invaluable for human development and a crucial 21^st century talent. Preparing students for an uncertain and complex world requires that higher education promote students' imagination, originality, curiosity, and flexibility and build their capacity to take risks to try new approaches to problem-posing and problem-solving. However, little is known about how undergraduates enrolled in different disciplines view creativity. This quantitative study at a university in the northwestern United States assessed how undergraduate students in different academic disciplines responded to an instrument on creativity measurement developed by Dlouhy (2012). The study asked: How do undergraduates …

Deletion Of The Stress Response Gene Ddr48 From Histoplasma Capsulatum Increases Sensitivity To Oxidative Stress, Increases Susceptibility To Antifungals, And Decreases Fitness In Macrophages, Logan T. Blancett, Kauri A. Runge, Gabriella M. Reyes, Lauren A. Kennedy, Sydney C. Jackson, Sarah E. Scheuermann, Mallory B. Harmon, Jamease C. Williams, Glenmore Shearer

Faculty Publications

The stress response gene DDR48 has been characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans to be involved in combating various cellular stressors, from oxidative agents to antifungal compounds. Surprisingly, the biological function of DDR48 has yet to be identified, though it is likely an important part of the stress response. To gain insight into its function, we characterized DDR48 in the dimorphic fungal pathogen Histoplasma capsulatum. Transcriptional analyses showed preferential expression of DDR48 in the mycelial phase. Induction of DDR48 in Histoplasma yeasts developed after treatment with various cellular stress compounds. We generated a ddr48∆ deletion mutant to further …

The Use Of Rna Interference To Investigate The Role Of Zmpr10 In Salt Stress Response And Mtl/Nld/Zmpla1 In The Improvement Of Haploid Induction In Maize, Max Carl Miller

LSU Master's Theses

RNA interference (RNAi) is a useful tool in gene characterization and its use is expanding into more practical fields. Two RNAi techniques were used in this case. The studies conducted in the chapter two use transgenic maize lines containing an RNAi construct targeting ZmPR10 to characterize its potential role in growth and development in response to salinity stress. T₁ transgenic plants from events A44S1-35-3 and A44S1-3-4, which had significantly reduced ZmPR10 expression compared to the non-transgenic controls, showed no differences compared to the controls in heights after 30 and 60 days, nor did the T₂ transgenic from these …

Case Report: Pafah1b1 Mutation And Posterior Band Heterotopia With Focal Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Treated By Responsive Neurostimulation, Frank G. Gilliam, Paddy Ssentongo, Michael Sather, Yuka I. Kawasawa

School of Medicine Publications

Subcortical band heterotopia (SBH), also known as double cortex syndrome, is a malformation of cortical development caused by inherited or somatic gene variants. We present a case of a young adult with posterior SBH and electroclinical features of focal neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy. Genomic blood analysis identified a pathogenic somatic mosaicism duplication variant of the PAFAH1B1 gene. Despite bilateral cortical MRI abnormalities, the interictal and ictal EEG findings indicated a focal epileptogenic region in the left posterior temporal region. Chronic responsive cortical neurostimulation across two four-contact depth electrodes placed 5mm on either side of the maximal interictal spiking identified during …

Parental Incarceration And Extracurricular Activities: The Effects On Children's Aggressive Behaviors, Danielle Webb Mcnichol

Student Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has determined that exposure to parental incarceration increases the chances of children having behavior problems. Using data from the Fragile Families and Childhood Wellbeing Study, the identification of parental incarceration and how it impacts fragile families will be explored. This study focuses on how parental incarceration affects an adolescent’s social, emotional, and behavioral development and how that leads to behavioral problems and delinquency. Further, the current study will examine if involvement in extracurricular activities moderates the relationship between parental incarceration and behavior problems. Identifying how exposure to parental incarceration affects adolescents could help identify new and additional ways …

Toward A More Strategic National Stockpile, Troy Rule

Texas A&M Law Review

The COVID–19 pandemic exposed major deficiencies in the United States’ approach to stockpiling for emergencies. States, cities, and hospitals across the country had meager inventories of critical medical items on hand when the pandemic first reached U.S. soil, and the federal government’s Strategic National Stockpile proved far too small to serve the country’s needs in the first several months of the crisis. As nationwide shortages spread, many state governments were compelled to bid against each other to procure scarce medical supplies—a distribution approach that disadvantaged low-income and minority communities and left countless healthcare professionals and staff ill-equipped to protect themselves …

Pelagic Tunicate Grazing On Marine Microbes Revealed By Integrative Approaches, Kelly R. Sutherland, Anne W. Thompson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Marine microorganisms comprise a large fraction of ocean carbon and are central players in global biogeochemical cycling. Significant gaps remain, however, in our understanding of processes that determine the fate, distribution, and community structure of microbial communities. Protists and viruses are accepted as being part of the microbial loop and a source of microbial mortality. However, pelagic tunicates (salps, doliolods, pyrosomes, and appendicularians), which are abundant in oceanic and coastal environments and consume microorganisms with higher individual grazing rates than other common grazers, remain underappreciated in their role controlling microbial communities, distributions, and flux through ecosystems. In spite of sampling …

Development Of A Novel Algorithm To Remove Spurious Edges From Biological Networks Through Functional Enrichment, Jeffrey Page

Theses

The field of systems biology has facilitated the modelling of large and complex biological networks. These networks, generated from prior knowledge contained in the corpus of medical and scientific literature, or from experimental data are being used to model differing macromolecule networks associated with distinct disease states. While these networks are vital in understanding disease pathology and possible treatment options, they are rife with spurious interactions. These interactions arise from the methods used to create such networks, where the ability to discriminate between direct and indirect relationships is a challenge. To combat these spurious interactions an algorithm that leverages functional …

The Montclarion, November 18, 2021, The Montclarion

The Montclarion

Student Newspaper of Montclair State University

Variation In Coral Thermotolerance Across A Pollution Gradient Erodes As Coral Symbionts Shift To More Heat-Tolerant Genera, Melissa S. Naugle, Thomas A. Oliver, Daniel J. Barshis, Ruth D. Gates, Cheryl A. Logan

Marine Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Phenotypic plasticity is one mechanism whereby species may cope with stressful environmental changes associated with climate change. Reef building corals present a good model for studying phenotypic plasticity because they have experienced rapid climate-driven declines in recent decades (within a single generation of many corals), often with differential survival among individuals during heat stress. Underlying differences in thermotolerance may be driven by differences in baseline levels of environmental stress, including pollution stress. To examine this possibility, acute heat stress experiments were conducted on Acropora hyacinthus from 10 sites around Tutuila, American Samoa with differing nutrient pollution impact. A threshold-based heat …

Challenges For Estimating The Global Prevalence Of Micronutrient Deficiencies And Related Disease Burden: A Case Study Of The Global Burden Of Disease Study, Sonja Y. Hess, Alexander C. Mclain, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Ashkan Afshin, Nicholas J. Kassebaum, Saskia J. Osendarp, Reed Atkin, Rahul Rawat, Kenneth H. Brown

Faculty Publications

Information on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies is needed to determine related disease burden; underpin evidence-based advocacy; and design, deliver, and monitor safe, effective interventions. Assessing the global prevalence of deficiency requires a valid micronutrient status biomarker with an appropriate cutoff to define deficiency and relevant data from representative surveys across multiple locations and years. The Global Burden of Disease Study includes prevalence estimates for iodine, iron, zinc, and vitamin A deficiencies, for which recommended biomarkers and appropriate deficiency cutoffs exist. Because representative survey data are lacking, only retinol concentration is used to model vitamin A deficiency, and proxy indicators …