Digital Commons Network^™

Optimizing Thermal Block Length During Infrared Neural Inhibition To Minimize Temperature Thresholds, Junqi Zhuo, Matthew T. Mcpheeters, Micael W. Jenkins, Hillel J. Chiel, Michael W. Jenkins

Faculty Scholarship

Objective. Infrared neural inhibition (INI) is a method of blocking the generation or propagation of neural action potentials through laser heating with wavelengths strongly absorbed by water. Recent work has identified that the distance heated along axons, the block length (BL), modulates the temperature needed for inhibition; however, this relationship has not been characterized. This study explores how BL during INI can be optimized towards minimizing its temperature threshold. Approach. To understand the relationship between BL and the temperature required for INI, excised nerves from Aplysia californica were laser-heated over different lengths of axon during electrical stimulation of compound action …

Columns Fall 2021, Southern Adventist University

Alumni Newsletter

Features the article "Employee Expressions of Creativity." Southern staff show their different ways of creativity for students and other faculty members to observe that go beyond their main profession. Additional articles expand on information about Southern Adventist University's newly inaugurated president, Ken Shaw, and how he interacts with the school.

Effects Of Climate Change Induced Ocean Acidification And Low Oxygen On Larval Rockfish, Kristin Saksa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The California Current ecosystem is experiencing dramatic changes in ocean chemistry resulting in ocean acidification (i.e., decreasing pH) and lower dissolved oxygen [DO] levels. These changes are exacerbated by increases in upwelling intensity and the shoaling of the oxygen minimum zone. Gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus) and blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) are ecologically and economically valuable rockfish species, whose habitat is becoming increasingly inundated with low pH and low DO water. To test how ocean acidification and hypoxia may interact to influence the reproductive process in rockfishes, I exposed gravid females of both species to four treatments throughout the gestation period: …

Analysis Of Life Cycle Environmental Impacts Of Using Enogen Corn In Beef Cattle Rations, Marty Matlock, Martin Andrew Christie, Greg Thoma

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Agricultural production systems have been identified as significant sources of anthropogenic impacts across several environmental key performance indicators (KPIs). Livestock husbandry is growing in global importance as the demand for high-quality protein continues to increase. It is therefore imperative to have sustainable intensification technologies, and we describe one such technology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of Enogen® corn grain compared to conventional feed corn when used as an ingredient in backgrounding and feed yard beef rations using life cycle assessment. The project was conducted in compliance with ISO standards, including a third-party panel review. A …

Recent Progress In Superabsorbent Polymers For Concrete, Christof Schröfl, Kendra Erk, Wanwipa Siriwatwechakul, Mateusz Wyrzykowski, Didier Snoeck

School of Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Scientific interest on superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in conjunction with cement-based building materials has widened from mostly engineering aspects towards polymer physico-chemical topics over the past years. Here, we focus on the relationships between absorptivity in terms of absorption/desorption kinetics and retention of the absorbed liquid and the polymer physico-chemical principles. Based on such understanding, use and effects of SAPs in concrete are outlined and explained mechanistically. They comprise modifying rheology, internal curing to mitigate plastic and autogenous shrinkage, self-sealing and self-healing of cracks, and improvement of freezing-and-thawing durability. Recent topics such as reduction of fire spalling and enhanced growth of …

Occurrence And Probabilistic Health Risk Assessment (Pra) Of Dissolved Metals In Surface Water Sources In Southern Peru, Alexander Ccanccapa-Cartagena, Betty Paredes, Corina Vera, Francisco D. Chavez-Gonzales, Elizabeth Joy Olson, Lisa Welp, Nadezhda N. Zyaykina, Timothy R. Filley, David M. Warsinger, Chad T. Jafvert

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Often, metal and metalloid ions are present in water at concentrations that seriously affect human health; understanding their occurrence is critical, especially in regions such as Peru, where natural volcanic activity and anthropogenic activity have made them more prevalent in local waterbodies. In this study, river, lake, aquifer, and irrigation water samples, collected from the Chili-Quilca, Camana-Majes, Colca-Chivay-Siguas, Oco˜na, Urubamba-Vilcanota, and Titicaca river basins in Southern Peru, were analyzed for transition metals, other metals, metalloids, and other inorganic water constituents. Special emphasis was placed on metals and metalloids regulated by Peruvian Water Quality Standards and those categorized as of “primary …

Revisiting An Igg Fc Loss-Of-Function Experiment: The Role Of Complement In Hiv Broadly Neutralizing Antibody B12 Activity, Benjamin S. Goldberg, Chengzi I. Kaku, Jérémy Dufloo, Timothée Bruel, Olivier Schwartz, David A. Spencer, Ann J. Hessell, Margaret E. Ackerman

Dartmouth Scholarship

The role of the complement system in HIV-1 immunity and pathogenesis is multifaceted, and an improved understanding of complement activities mediated by HIV-1-specific antibodies has the potential to inform and advance clinical development efforts. A seminal nonhuman primate challenge experiment suggested that complement was dispensable for the protective effect of the early broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) b12, but recent experiments have raised questions about the breadth of circumstances under which this conclusion may hold. Here, we reassess the original observation using Fc variants of IgG1 b12 that enhance complement activity and report that complement fixation on recombinant antigen, virions, and …

The Openneuro Resource For Sharing Of Neuroscience Data, Christopher J. Markiewicz, Krzysztof J. Gorgolewski, Franklin Feingold, Ross Blair, Yaroslav O. Halchenko, Eric Miller, Nell Hardcastle, Joe Wexler, Oscar Esteban, Mathias Goncavles, Anita Jwa, Russell Poldrack

Dartmouth Scholarship

The sharing of research data is essential to ensure reproducibility and maximize the impact of public investments in scientific research. Here, we describe OpenNeuro, a BRAIN Initiative data archive that provides the ability to openly share data from a broad range of brain imaging data types following the FAIR principles for data sharing. We highlight the importance of the Brain Imaging Data Structure standard for enabling effective curation, sharing, and reuse of data. The archive presently shares more than 600 datasets including data from more than 20,000 participants, comprising multiple species and measurement modalities and a broad range of phenotypes. …

Optimization Of In Vivo Cherenkov Imaging Dosimetry Via Spectral Choices For Ambient Background Lights And Filtering, Mahbubur Rahman, Petr Bruza, Rachael Hachadorian, Daniel Alexander, Xu Cao, Rongxiao Zhang, David J. Gladstone, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

SIGNIFICANCE: The Cherenkov emission spectrum overlaps with that of ambient room light sources. Choice of room lighting devices dramatically affects the efficient detection of Cherenkov emission during patient treatment. AIM: To determine optimal room light sources allowing Cherenkov emission imaging in normally lit radiotherapy treatment delivery rooms. APPROACH: A variety of commercial light sources and long-pass (LP) filters were surveyed for spectral band separation from the red to near-infrared Cherenkov light emitted by tissue. Their effects on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Cherenkov to background signal ratio, and image artifacts were quantified by imaging irradiated tissue equivalent phantoms with an intensified time-gated …

Effects Of Compassion Training On Brain Responses To Suffering Others, Yoni K. Ashar, Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna, Joan Halifax, Sona Dimidjian, Tor D. Wager

Dartmouth Scholarship

Compassion meditation (CM) is a promising intervention for enhancing compassion, although its active ingredients and neurobiological mechanisms are not well-understood. To investigate these, we conducted a three-armed placebo-controlled randomized trial (N = 57) with longitudinal functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We compared a 4-week CM program delivered by smartphone application with (i) a placebo condition, presented to participants as the compassion-enhancing hormone oxytocin, and (ii) a condition designed to control for increased familiarity with suffering others, an element of CM which may promote compassion. At pre- and post-intervention, participants listened to compassion-eliciting narratives describing suffering others during fMRI. CM increased …

Coordination Variability And Injury Risk In Experienced Collegiate Dancers, Emily Klinkman

All NMU Master's Theses

Dance is a sport that places a number of physical demands upon the human body, and injuries are a common occurrence in the sport. While it has not yet been linked to dance-related injury, coordination variability (CV) is a measure of how much movement strategy changes between repetitions of a task and low levels of CV have been linked to injury in other sports. This study aimed to determine the relationship between CV and dance injury in collegiate dancers. Eight (8) undergraduate student subjects were recruited from the dance major and minor, BFA major and minor, and recreational dancers who …

Variations, Validations, Degradations, And Noninvasive Determination Of Pregnancy Using Fecal Steroid Metabolites In Free-Ranging Pronghorn, Cole A. Bleke, Eric M. Gese, Susannah S. French

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Pregnancy status is a key parameter used to assess reproductive performance of a species as it represents a starting point for measuring vital rates. Vital rates allow managers to determine trends in populations such as neonate survival and recruitment; two important factors in ungulate population growth rates. Techniques to determine pregnancy have generally involved capture and restraint of the animal to obtain blood samples for determining serum hormone levels. Non-invasive pregnancy assessment, via feces, eliminates any hazards between handler and animal, as well as removes handling-induced physiological biases. Using noninvasive fecal sampling, we conducted hormone validations, investigated pregnancy rates, and …

Short-Term Elevations In Glucocorticoids Do Not Alter Telomere Lengths: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Non-Primate Vertebrate Studies, Lauren Zane, Dav C. Ensminger, José Pablo Vázquez-Medina

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background The neuroendocrine stress response allows vertebrates to cope with stressors via the activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which ultimately results in the secretion of glucocorticoids (GCs). Glucocorticoids have pleiotropic effects on behavior and physiology, and might influence telomere length dynamics. During a stress event, GCs mobilize energy towards survival mechanisms rather than to telomere maintenance. Additionally, reactive oxygen species produced in response to increased GC levels can damage telomeres, also leading to telomere shortening. In our systematic review and meta-analysis, we tested whether GC levels impact telomere length and if this relationship differs among time frame, life history …

A Systematic Review Of The Use Of St John's Wort For Smoking Cessation In Adults, Namrata Walia, Sandra Gonzalez, Roger Zoorob

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

St. John's wort (SJW) has been researched and clinically used for treating various psychiatric disorders, including depression. Few clinical trials have studied its use in smoking cessation. This systematic review provides comprehensive evidence of the studies conducted to date. Five databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effectiveness of SJW for smoking cessation in adults. The trials included the use of SJW alone, or along with nicotine replacement therapy, chromium, or behavioral therapies. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to report this systematic review. Overall, four RCTs met the eligibility …

Combined Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair And Endovascular Aneurysm Repair And The Long-Term Consequences Of Altered Cardiovascular Haemodynamics On Morbidity And Mortality: Case Series And Literature Review, Sherif Sultan, Yogesh Acharya, Mohiey Hazima, Hiba Salahat, Juan Carlos Parodi, Niamh Hynes

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Thoracic and abdominal aortic stent grafts are firmer and more rigid than the native aorta. Aortic implanted devices have been implicated in the development of acute systolic hypertension, elevated pulse pressure, and reduced coronary perfusion.

CASE SUMMARY: We report four cases of staged thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) and then endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). All patients had TEVAR first for thoracic aortic aneurysm and later on developed infra-renal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) that required EVAR. There were three males and one female with a median age of 74.5 years (range 67.5-78.5). None of the patients developed aortic-related major clinical …

Open Access Publishing At Rowan University, Shilpa Rele, Benjamin H. Saracco

Library Workshops

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand challenges of current scholarly communication system.
2. Learn about different pathways to open access.
3. Learn about Rowan University Libraries (RUL) publishing agreements that allow Rowan authors to publish open access with no Article Processing Charges (APCs).

Description:

Scholarly publishing is an important part of a faculty member’s academic and scholarly lifecycle. With the rise of digital and open access publishing, however, it is important to have an understanding of open access especially in the context of the changing scholarly communication system. In this workshop, attendees will learn the current challenges in the scholarly communication system, understand the different …

Sensory Evaluation Of Camel Milk, Reem Amer Al Kaabi

Theses

Camel milk is one of the most important sources of nutrients for humans in numerous arid and semiarid environments. Consumer acceptability and sensory analysis are decisive for the commercialization of camel milk. It is essential to understand the sensory qualities of camel milk because of its unfamiliarity and its typical sensory profile, which is different from that of bovine milk. This study aimed to evaluate a trained panel qualitative description of sensory characteristics as well as consumer acceptability and attitude towards pasteurized non-flavoured, flavoured, and camel milk powders. In the consumer acceptability test, samples were evaluated based on acceptability with …

Mems 411: Safely Capturing Giant African Pouch Rats, Anthony Brown, John Christensen, Jared Harrison

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

We were tasked with designing a trap to safely capture Giant African Pouch Rats. The traps are used in both urban and rural environments that include city streets, basements, farms, river beds, and bushes among other locations. Pouch rats are much larger than most rats and are a very ferocious species; they will harm themselves if there are any non-smooth surfaces when captured. It is very important that we designed a trap with this safety top of mind.

Mems 411: Giant Pouched Rat Trap, Ronald Fields, Mariano Gonzalez, Edward Li, Jordan Hu

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

Dr. Braude from the Biology department at Washington University in St. Louis is currently working on a project training giant Gambian pouched rats to find mines and other bombs in former conflict zones. In order to trap Gambian pouched rats, Professor Braude asked a few MEMS 411 Senior Design groups to design and build a trap that can safely capture the rats. The trap had to be about 2-3 feet long, 6 inches in diameter, completely mechanical, simple, and it had to cost less than 30 USD to build.

Mems 411: African Pouched Rat Trap, Kelechi Achilefu, Paul Joseph, David Allen, Chase Green

Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class

What is often thought of as a rat trap is often in reality a mouse trap, or a trap designed to catch small rodents. Rats can be quite large and catching them without harming them can be quite difficult. Current market solutions generally either kill or harm the rodent which is not acceptable for our client's needs. While there are some solutions on the market, they fall short of the needs of our client which is more specialized due to the size of rodent they will be capturing, the circumstances surrounding the capture, the number of rodents our client needs …

A Human Ipsc-Derived Inducible Neuronal Model Of Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C1, Anika V Prabhu, Insung Kang, Raffaella De Pace, Christopher A Wassif, Hideji Fujiwara, Pamela Kell, Xuntian Jiang, Daniel S Ory, Juan S Bonifacino, Michael E Ward, Forbes D Porter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Niemann-Pick disease, type C (NPC) is a childhood-onset, lethal, neurodegenerative disorder caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the genes NPC1 or NPC2 and characterized by impaired cholesterol homeostasis, a lipid essential for cellular function. Cellular cholesterol levels are tightly regulated, and mutations in either NPC1 or NPC2 lead to deficient transport and accumulation of unesterified cholesterol in the late endosome/lysosome compartment, and progressive neurodegeneration in affected individuals. Previous cell-based studies to understand the NPC cellular pathophysiology and screen for therapeutic agents have mainly used patient fibroblasts. However, these do not allow modeling the neurodegenerative aspect of NPC disease, highlighting …

Immune Responses To Injury And Their Links To Eye Disease., Mary Ann Stepp, A Sue Menko

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

The eye is regarded as an immune privileged site. Since the presence of a vasculature would impair vision, the vasculature of the eye is located outside of the central light path. As a result, many regions of the eye evolved mechanisms to deliver immune cells to sites of dysgenesis, injury, or in response to the many age-related pathologies. While the purpose of these immune responses is reparative or protective, cytokines released by immune cells compromise visual acuity by inducing inflammation and fibrosis. The response to traumatic or pathological injury is distinct in different regions of the eye. Age-related diseases impact …

Ten Strategies For Avoiding And Overcoming Authorship Conflicts In Academic Publishing, S J. Cooke, N Young, M R. Donaldson, E A. Nyboer, D G. Roche, C L. Madliger, R J. Lennox, J M. Chapman, Zen Faulkes, J R. Bennett

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

For better or for worse, authorship is a currency in scholarly research and advancement. In scholarly writing, authorship is widely acknowledged as a means of conferring credit but is also tied to concepts such as responsibility and accountability. Authorship is one of the most divisive topics both at the level of the research team and more broadly in the academy and beyond. At present, authorship is often the primary way to assert and receive credit in many scholarly pursuits and domains. Debates rage, publicly but mostly privately, regarding authorship. Here we attempt to clarify key concepts related to authorship informed …

Bone Mineral Density Changes Associated With Pregnancy, Lactation, And Medical Treatments In Premenopausal Women And Effects Later In Life., Nelson B Watts, Neil Binkley, Charlotte D Owens, Ayman Al-Hendy, Elizabeth E Puscheck, Mohamad Shebley, William Schlaff, Md, James A Simon

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers

Bone mineral density (BMD) changes during the life span, increasing rapidly during adolescence, plateauing in the third decade of life, and subsequently entering a phase of age-related decline. In women, menopause leads to accelerated bone loss and an increase in fracture risk. Between peak bone mass attainment and menopause, BMD is generally stable and the risk of fracture is typically low. This time period is marked by life events such as pregnancy and lactation, which transiently decrease BMD, yet their long-term effects on fracture risk are less certain. BMD may also be altered by exposure to medications that affect bone …

An Exploration Of Covid-19 And Dietary Patterns In Collegiate Athletes, Megan Hammel

Research Papers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study is to determine how colligate athlete’s nutritional status and eating habits changed during the COVID-19 home confinement period in spring 2020.

METHODOLODY: Southern Illinois University Carbondale athletes (n=52) completed a modified Renzo, L. D., et al, 2020 questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. Participants were asked questions regarding their personal data, dietary habits, and lifestyle habits related to before and during the spring 2020 COVID-19 home confinement period. The data was analyzed through SurveyMonkey and described utilizing a quantitative and qualitative approach.

RESULTS: A total of 52 participants took part in the research study. All 52 …

Longitudinal Research About, And Program Evaluations Of, Positive Youth Development In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: Methodological Issues And Options, Richard Lerner, Jonathan Tirrell, Patricia Gansert, Jacqueline Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

The study of positive youth development (PYD) requires theory-based methodological considerations pertinent to measurement, research and program design, and data analysis. We outline the appropriate steps that researchers and program evaluators must enact to address these methodological foci in their respective attempts to describe, explain, and optimize the course of positive development among diverse youth around the world. We focus on longitudinal (developmental) research designed to evaluate programs promoting PYD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where life challenges are shaped by multiple adverse situations associated with racism, poverty, gender inequalities, political inequities, and the absence of adequate health and …

Enhancing The International Study Of Positive Youth Development: Process, Specificity, And The Sample Case Of Character Virtues, Richard Lerner, Pamela Jervis, Marc Bornstein

Journal of Youth Development

This article focuses on the interplay of research and practice (researchpractice integration) in advancing international efforts to understand and enhance positive youth development (PYD). We discuss 3 facets of PYD research and application that have cross-cutting relevance to theory, to the use of theory for designing principles of PYD programs, and to evaluating whether specific instances of youth development programs have features that promote PYD. Using dynamic, relational developmental-systems-based concepts, we discuss the process of development involved in PYD, the use of the specificity principle to frame research and practice and, as a sample case illustrating how PYD research and …

Dancing With The Devil Revisited, Marlene Galván

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mask, The Drosophila Ankyrin Repeat And Kh Domain-Containing Protein, Affects Microtubule Stability, Daniel Martinez, Mingwei Zhu, Jessie J. Guidry, Niles Majeste, Hui Mao, Sarah T. Yanofsky, Xiaolin Tian, Chunlai Wu

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Proper regulation of microtubule (MT) stability and dynamics is vital for essential cellular processes, including axonal transportation and synaptic growth and remodeling in neurons. In the present study, we demonstrate that the Drosophila ankyrin repeat and KH domain-containing protein Mask negatively affects MT stability in both larval muscles and motor neurons. In larval muscles, loss-of-function of mask increases MT polymer length, and in motor neurons, loss of mask function results in overexpansion of the presynaptic terminal at the larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). mask genetically interacts with stathmin (stai), a neuronal modulator of MT stability, in the regulation of axon transportation …

With Due Respect For Humanity: Engaging Affectivity Through Simulation In Catholic Seminary Formation, Marie Diane Pitt-Payne

Dissertations (1934 -)

Since 1992, Catholic seminaries have approached the education of future priests through a lens of four areas of formation: intellectual, human, pastoral, and spiritual. Although human formation is considered foundational in the formation process, it has not been effectively integrated into seminary curriculum. The language of integral personalism was introduced into the formation landscape by Pope John Paul II, but this anthropology has not sufficiently informed seminary pedagogy. There is a still a subordination of the affective sphere in seminaries, particularly in intellectual formation. Medical schools have developed a pedagogical method that inserts real emotion into the educational process. This …