Digital Commons Network^™

Dynamic Control Of Upper Limb Stretch Reflex In Wrestlers, Sho Ito, Kento Nakagawa, Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Misaki Iteya, Larry Crawshaw, Kazuyuki Kanosue

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The objective of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the upper limb stretch reflex in wrestlers.

Methods: Ten wrestlers and 11 control subjects participated in the study. The experiment was divided into two sessions. In the extension perturbation session, participants either relaxed or flexed the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow extension induced by a dynamometer). This was done 30 times by each subject for both sessions. In the flexion perturbation session, participants also relaxed or extended the elbow when they felt a perturbation (abrupt elbow flexion). During the tasks, the stretch reflex …

Solving The Problem Of Poor Teacher Retention In A Small Rural Mississippi School District, Melissa Danielle Yarbrough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This applied research study was designed to determine how to solve the ongoing problem of teacher retention in a rural Mississippi school district. This study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine how to solve the problem of teacher retention within one relatively small, rural Mississippi school district. After identifying common influencers, the researcher proposed a plan to offer a systematic retention plan for improved teacher retention that can be used within one rural Mississippi school district. The plan included guided instruction and established a program that addresses many of the issues that were discovered using a mix-method …

Understanding The Impact Of Intrinsic, Extrinsic, And Altruistic Motivation On Principal Persistence In An Urban School District: A Case Study, Kimberly Washington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the impact of intrinsic, extrinsic, and altruistic motivation on principal persistence in Aberdeen Public Schools (APS, pseudonym). Principal persistence is generally defined as a principal staying in each school for a longer period or the lack of change of a principal within a school. The theories guiding this study are Frederick Herzberg’s theory of work and motivation, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Self-determination theory. The study focused on the following central research question: What are principal descriptions of their efforts to persist in their administrative positions in Aberdeen Public Schools? …

A Framework For Utilizing Narrative Theory And Life Review In Healthcare Chaplaincy, Joshua M. Fagin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In healthcare chaplaincy, narrative theory can help the patient separate themselves from their grief or terminal illness. It has been said that chaplaincy is a “ministry of presence,” however, just showing up is a low-level intervention. The purpose for this Doctor of Ministry thesis is to equip chaplains with a comprehensive framework for apply narrative theory and life review in the healthcare chaplaincy context. This thesis seeks to explore and define biblical models of storytelling and spiritual narratives. This thesis will encourage chaplains to have meaningful, engaging and longer visits in individual and group visits. If the spiritual care department …

Intravital Imaging Of Neocortical Heterotopia Reveals Aberrant Axonal Pathfinding And Myelination Around Ectopic Neurons, Alice M. Li, Robert A. Hill, Jaime Grutzendler

Dartmouth Scholarship

Neocortical heterotopia consist of ectopic neuronal clusters that are frequently found in individuals with cognitive disability and epilepsy. However, their pathogenesis remains poorly understood due in part to a lack of tractable animal models. We have developed an inducible model of focal cortical heterotopia that enables their precise spatiotemporal control and high-resolution optical imaging in live mice. Here, we report that heterotopia are associated with striking patterns of circumferentially projecting axons and increased myelination around neuronal clusters. Despite their aberrant axonal patterns, in vivo calcium imaging revealed that heterotopic neurons remain functionally connected to other brain regions, highlighting their potential …

Marital Status Differences In Suicidality Among Transgender People, Hui Liu, Lindsey Wilkinson

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The suicide rate for transgender people is among the highest of any group in the United States. Yet, we know little about disadvantages or resources available to transgender people to prevent suicide. The overall purpose of this study is to assess how marital status modifies the risk of suicide among transgender people. We analyzed data from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey to predict marital status differences in both suicide ideation and suicide attempt in the past year. The analytic sample for suicide ideation included 17,117 transgender respondents (9,182 transwomen and 7,935 transmen), and the analytic sample for suicide attempt was …

Exogenous Inter-Α Inhibitor Proteins Prevent Cell Death And Improve Ischemic Stroke Outcomes In Mice, Louise D Mccullough, Meaghan Roy-O'Reilly, Yun-Ju Lai, Anthony Patrizz, Yan Xu, Juneyoung Lee, Aleah Holmes, Daniel C Kraushaar, Anjali Chauhan, Lauren H Sansing, Barbara S Stonestreet, Liang Zhu, Julia Kofler, Yow-Pin Lim, Venugopal Reddy Venna

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Inter-α inhibitor proteins (IAIPs) are a family of endogenous plasma and extracellular matrix molecules. IAIPs suppress proinflammatory cytokines, limit excess complement activation, and bind extracellular histones to form IAIP-histone complexes, leading to neutralization of histone-associated cytotoxicity in models of sepsis. Many of these detrimental processes also play critical roles in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. In this study, we first assessed the clinical relevance of IAIPs in stroke and then tested the therapeutic efficacy of exogenous IAIPs in several experimental stroke models. IAIP levels were reduced in both ischemic stroke patients and in mice subjected to experimental ischemic stroke when …

A Narrative Review Of Interstitial Lung Disease In Anti-Synthetase Syndrome: A Clinical Approach, Naina Sawal, Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, Sheetal Rayancha, Alastair Moore, Puneet Garcha, Anupam Kumar, Viren Kaul

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Anti-synthetase syndrome (AS) is a rare autoimmune disorder characterized by the presence of aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetase antibodies in conjunction with clinical features such as interstitial lung disease (ILD), Raynaud's phenomenon, nonerosive arthritis, and myopathy. AS distinguishes itself from other inflammatory myopathies by its significant lung involvement and rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (AS-ILD), therefore the management of AS-ILD requires careful clinical, serologic and radiologic assessment. Glucocorticoids are considered the mainstay of therapy; however, additional immunosuppressive agents are often required to achieve disease control. Patient prognosis is highly dependent on early diagnosis and symptom recognition as the antibody profile is thought …

Structure And Dynamics Of Photoreceptor Sensory Cilia, Theodore G Wensel, Valencia L Potter, Abigail Moye, Zhixian Zhang, Michael A Robichaux

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The rod and cone photoreceptor cells of the vertebrate retina have highly specialized structures that enable them to carry out their function of light detection over a broad range of illumination intensities with optimized spatial and temporal resolution. Most prominent are their unusually large sensory cilia, consisting of outer segments packed with photosensitive disc membranes, a connecting cilium with many features reminiscent of the primary cilium transition zone, and a pair of centrioles forming a basal body which serves as the platform upon which the ciliary axoneme is assembled. These structures form a highway through which an enormous flux of …

Zfta-Rela Dictates Oncogenic Transcriptional Programs To Drive Aggressive Supratentorial Ependymoma, Amir Arabzade, Yanhua Zhao, Srinidhi Varadharajan, Hsiao-Chi Chen, Selin Jessa, Bryan Rivas, Austin J Stuckert, Minerva Solis, Alisha Kardian, Dana Tlais, Brian J Golbourn, Ann-Catherine J Stanton, Yuen San Chan, Calla Olson, Kristen L Karlin, Kathleen Kong, Robert Kupp, Baoli Hu, Sarah G Injac, Madeline Ngo, Peter R Wang, Luz A De León, Felix Sahm, Daisuke Kawauchi, Stefan M Pfister, Charles Y Lin, H Courtney Hodges, Irtisha Singh, Thomas F Westbrook, Murali M Chintagumpala, Susan M Blaney, Donald W Parsons, Kristian W Pajtler, Sameer Agnihotri, Richard J Gilbertson, Joanna Yi, Nada Jabado, Claudia L Kleinman, Kelsey C Bertrand, Benjamin Deneen, Stephen C Mack

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Over 60% of supratentorial (ST) ependymomas harbor a ZFTA-RELA (ZRfus) gene fusion (formerly C11orf95-RELA). To study the biology of ZRfus, we developed an autochthonous mouse tumor model using in utero electroporation (IUE) of the embryonic mouse brain. Integrative epigenomic and transcriptomic mapping was performed on IUE driven ZRfus tumors by CUT&RUN, ChIP, ATAC, and RNA sequencing and compared to human ZRfus driven ependymoma. In addition to direct canonical NF-κB pathway activation, ZRfus dictates a neoplastic transcriptional program and binds to thousands of unique sites across the genome that are enriched with Plagl family transcription factor (TF) motifs. ZRfus activates …

Use Of Human Tissue Stem Cell-Derived Organoid Cultures To Model Enterohepatic Circulation, Sarah E Blutt, Sue E Crawford, Carolyn Bomidi, Xi-Lei Zeng, James R Broughman, Matthew Robertson, Cristian Coarfa, Mary Elizabeth M Tessier, Tor Savidge, F Blaine Hollinger, Steven A Curley, Mark Donowitz, Mary K Estes

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The use of human tissue stem cell-derived organoids has advanced our knowledge of human physiological and pathophysiological processes that are unable to be studied using other model systems. Increased understanding of human epithelial tissues including intestine, stomach, liver, pancreas, lung, and brain have been achieved using organoids. However, it is not yet clear whether these cultures recapitulate in vivo organ-to-organ signaling or communication. In this work, we demonstrate that mature stem cell-derived intestinal and liver organoid cultures each express functional molecules that modulate bile acid uptake and recycling. These organoid cultures can be physically coupled in a Transwell system and …

Treatment Options For Managing Obesity In Chronic Kidney Disease, Vishnu P Parvathareddy, Krishiv M Ella, Maulin Shah, Sankar D Navaneethan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Obesity is a risk factor for the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of various management options (lifestyle intervention, medications, and bariatric surgery) to address obesity in those with CKD.

RECENT FINDINGS: Few clinical trials have examined the benefits of lifestyle modifications in those with preexisting CKD and suggest potential renal and cardiovascular benefits in this population. Yet, superiority of different dietary regimen to facilitate weight loss in CKD is unclear. Although medications could offer short-term benefits and assist weight loss, their safety and long-term benefits warrant …

Hemodynamic Outcomes After Valve-In-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Single-Center Experience, R Yazan Kherallah, Srikanth Koneru, Zvonimir Krajcer, Ourania Preventza, Kathryn G Dougherty, Melissa L Mccormack, Briana T Costello, Stephanie Coulter, Neil E Strickman, Juan Carlos Plana Gomez, Ali Mortazavi, Jose G Díez, James J Livesay, Joseph S Coselli, Guilherme V Silva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) has emerged as a safe, effective alternative to redo aortic valve surgery in high-risk patients with degenerated surgical bioprosthetic valves. However, ViV-TAVR has been associated high postprocedural valvular gradients, compared with TAVR for native-valve aortic stenosis.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of all patients who underwent ViV-TAVR for a degenerated aortic valve bioprosthesis between January 1, 2013 and March 31, 2019 at our center. The primary outcome was postprocedural mean aortic valve gradient. Outcomes were compared across surgical valve type (stented versus stentless), surgical valve internal diameter (≤19 versus >19 mm), and …

Cd11c Participates In Triggering Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease During Bone Marrow Transplantation, Qianqian Wang, Xiuhua Su, Yi He, Mei Wang, Donglin Yang, Rongli Zhang, Jialin Wei, Qiaoling Ma, Weihua Zhai, Aiming Pang, Yong Huang, Sizhou Feng, Christie M Ballantyne, Huaizhu Wu, Xiaolei Pei, Xiaoming Feng, Mingzhe Han, Erlie Jiang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

CD11c is a canonical dendritic cell (DC) marker with poorly defined functions in the immune system. Here, we found that blocking CD11c on human peripheral blood mononuclear cell‐derived DCs (MoDCs) inhibited the proliferation of CD4+ T cells and the differentiation into IFN‐γ‐producing T helper 1 (Th1) cells, which were critical in acute graft‐versus‐host disease (aGVHD) pathogenesis. Using allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo‐BMT) murine models, we consistently found that CD11c‐deficient recipient mice had alleviated aGVHD symptoms for the decreased IFN‐γ‐expressing CD4+ Th1 cells and CD8+ T cells. Transcriptional analysis showed that CD11c participated in several immune regulation functions including maintaining antigen …

Hiv-1 Viral Protein R Couples Metabolic Inflexibility With White Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis, Neeti Agarwal, Dinakar Iyer, Pradip Saha, Aaron R Cox, Yan Xia, Netanya S Utay, Anoma Somasundaram, Ulrich Schubert, Jordan E Lake, Sean M Hartig, Ashok Balasubramanyam

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Persons living with HIV (PLWH) manifest chronic disorders of brown and white adipose tissues that lead to diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The mechanisms that link viral factors to defective adipose tissue function and abnormal energy balance in PLWH remain incompletely understood. Here, we explored how the HIV accessory protein viral protein R (Vpr) contributes to adaptive thermogenesis in two mouse models and human adipose tissues. Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene expression was strongly increased in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (WAT) biopsy specimens from PLWH and in subcutaneous WAT of the Vpr mice, with nearly equivalent mRNA copy number. Histology and …

Characterizing Convolutional Neural Network Early-Learning And Accelerating Non-Adaptive, First-Order Methods With Localized Lagrangian Restricted Memory Level Bundling, Benjamin O. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the underlying optimization problem encountered during the early-learning stages of convolutional neural networks and introduces a training algorithm competitive with existing state-of-the-art methods. First, a Design of Experiments method is introduced to systematically measure empirical second-order Lipschitz upper bound and region size estimates for local regions of convolutional neural network loss surfaces experienced during the early-learning stages. This method demonstrates that architecture choices can significantly impact the local loss surfaces traversed during training. Next, a Design of Experiments method is used to study the effects convolutional neural network architecture hyperparameters have on different optimization routines' abilities to …

The Saga Of Endocrine Fgfs, Phuc Phan, Bibhuti Ballav Saikia, Shivakumar Sonnaila, Shilpi Agrawal, Zeina Ismael Ibrahem Alraawi, Thallapuranam Krishnaswamy Suresh Kumar, Shilpa Iyer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are cell-signaling proteins with diverse functions in cell development, repair, and metabolism. The human FGF family consists of 22 structurally related members, which can be classified into three separate groups based on their action of mechanisms, namely: intracrine, paracrine/autocrine, and endocrine FGF subfamilies. FGF19, FGF21, and FGF23 belong to the hormone-like/endocrine FGF subfamily. These endocrine FGFs are mainly associated with the regulation of cell metabolic activities such as homeostasis of lipids, glucose, energy, bile acids, and minerals (phosphate/active vitamin D). Endocrine FGFs function through a unique protein family called klotho. Two members of this family, α-klotho, …

Cell-Permeable Succinate Increases Mitochondrial Membrane Potential And Glycolysis In Leigh Syndrome Patient Fibroblasts, Ajibola B. Bakare, Raj R. Rao, Shilpa Iyer

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mitochondrial disorders represent a large group of severe genetic disorders mainly impacting organ systems with high energy requirements. Leigh syndrome (LS) is a classic example of a mitochondrial disorder resulting from pathogenic mutations that disrupt oxidative phosphorylation capacities. Currently, evidence-based therapy directed towards treating LS is sparse. Recently, the cell-permeant substrates responsible for regulating the electron transport chain have gained attention as therapeutic agents for mitochondrial diseases. We explored the therapeutic effects of introducing tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) intermediate substrate, succinate, as a cell-permeable prodrug NV118, to alleviate some of the mitochondrial dysfunction in LS. The results suggest that a …

Does Dicamba Exposure Elicit A Hormetic Response In Sensitive Soybean?, Mason Castner, Jason K. Norsworthy, L. Tom Barber, Edward Gbur, Trenton Roberts

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Applications of dicambaherbicide to dicamba-resistant (DR) soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) may increase the risks of non-DR soybean exposure to dicamba. Dicamba residue in sprayers poses a challenge for applicators that also treat non-DR soybean. Risks for non-DR soybean producers increase as the planted acreage and usage of DR crops increases, as there is potential for volatilization of the herbicide in the summer months, posing a risk for nearby non-DR soybean producers. There has been widespread speculation that a low-dose exposure of dicamba to sensitive soybean may elicit a positive response in yield …

Genetic Dissection Of Grain Yield Component Traits Under High Nighttime Temperature Stress In A Rice Diversity Panel, Anuj Kumar, Chirag Gupta, Julie Thomas, Andy Pereira

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

To dissect the genetic complexity of rice grain yield (GY) and quality in response to heat stress at the reproductive stage, a diverse panel of 190 rice accessions in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) rice mini-core collection (URMC) diversity panel were treated with high nighttime temperature (HNT) stress at the reproductive stage of panicle initiation. The quantifiable yield component response traits were then measured. The traits, panicle length (PL), and number of spikelets per panicle (NSP) were evaluated in subsets of the panel comprising the rice subspecies Oryza sativa ssp. Indica and ssp. Japonica. Under HNT stress, …

Student Research Mentorship Programme: A Novel Solution For Promoting Research In Medical School, Inaara Akbar, Russell S. Martins, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Medical College Documents

No abstract provided.

Maktabah Syamilah As An Information Seeking Tool For Higher Education In Islamic Studies, Asnil Aidah Ritonga

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is a personal perspective from the experience of teaching Islamic Studies in a Master's Program of Islamic Higher Education. Students' limited knowledge and skills while seeking reference sources for Islamic studies serve as an obstacle in writing authentic academic works. Therefore, the use of Maktabah Syamilah as a reference tool for Islamic studies is very important for students. The skill of using Maktabah Syamilah is necessary because scientific works, including papers or research at Islamic universities, demand the use of original Arabic literature. Hence, proficiency in using this tool requires serious training and should be promoted by the …

Information Seeking Behavior Of As-Syifa Boarding High School Students In Fulfilling Academic Tasks, Nurul K. Az-Zahra, Ike Iswary Lawanda

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Academic tasks from teachers can stimulate students’ information needs. To fulfill it, students can search for information in different ways amongst the students. It is known at SMAIT As-Syifa Boarding School which is an Islamic-based boarding school, there are additional subjects of Islamic teachings that can lead to more diverse and broad information needs for students. It was also found that students’ needs and behavior in seeking information to fulfill tasks were not known. Moreover, the literature on information needs and information-seeking behavior in Islamic boarding schools that are available is still quite a few. This study discussed the information …

Teaching International Students In Western Universities: A Literature Review

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Wind Data Reliability By Using Logarithmic And Power Laws: A Case Study In Southern Iraq, Ahmed B. Khamees, Saif F. Yaseen, Khalid S. Heni, Mudar Ahmed Abdulsattar

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

In this study, two sites were investigated in the southern region of Iraq: Ali AL-Gharbi and AL-Salman in Mesan and AL-Muthana provinces, respectively. A theoretical extrapolation between wind speed and height was carried out for both locations each month using the Logarithmic Law. Power Law was also applied to achieve calculations of wind shear coefficient (α) by using the actual data collected from the meteorological mast installed in each site at three levels of 10 m, 30 m, and 50 m, at an interval of ten minutes. To compare the effects of each law, two laws are employed.

Polystyrene Molecular Weight Determination Of Submicron Particles Shell, Airat Z. Sakhabutdinov, Safaa.M.R.H. Hussein, Alsu R. Ibragimova Ph.D., Vladimir Kuklin Ph.D., Maxim Petrovich Danilaev, L.Y. Zaharova

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The method of determination of the molecular weight of the polystyrene, which is formed as the shell on the surfaces of submicron aluminum oxide particles is considered in the paper. This method is based on the sedimentation of submicron particles, covered by polymer molecules, in a solvent for polystyrene. It is shown that the average polystyrene molecular weight is 39500±11250 amu, when the polymer shells on the surfaces of submicron particles (Al2O3) are formed by the vapor-phase method.

Adaptive Reconstruction Of The Heterogeneous Scan Line Etm+ Correction Technique, Heba Kh. Abbas, Salema S. Salman, Rash Awad Abtan, Anwar H. Al-Saleh, Ali A. Al-Zuky

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

ETM+ is a land-imaging sensor with great and wide use in many fields, however, after May 2003, because of a technical defect in the sensor´s system scan line corrector SLC, it started giving images of earth containing black gap lines at a 22% rate. These gaps made the process of analyzing and extracting accurate information from these images difficult and complicated. Therefore, scientists have developed many techniques to remove the gap lines from all ETM+ band-images and complete the missing data. In this study, three different ETM+ time images with a 16-day interval between them were used to fill gap …

Two-Dimensional Quantitative Profiling Of Cell Morphology With Serous Effusion By Unsupervised Machine Learning Analysis, Safaa Al-Qaysi Ph.D., Ding Dai Md Ph.D., Heng Hong Md Ph.D., Yuhua Wen Ph.D., X.H. Hu Ph.D.

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Cytological evaluation of serous effusion specimens is an important part of cancer diagnosis. In this study we performed two-dimensional (2D) morphometric features and clustering analysis for development of useful techniques for identification and differentiation of malignant and begin cells in serous effusion specimens extracted from ten patients with clinical symptoms of pleural and peritoneal effusion. Our findings show that the two-dimensional (2D) morphometric features and clustering analysis are useful techniques for identification and differentiation of malignant and begin cells in serous effusion specimens, which can lead to development of new methods for rapid cells profiling in clinical application.

Editorial Board

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

No abstract provided.

America And The World Health Organization: Through Covid-19 And Beyond, David M. Goad

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, in today’s interconnected, globalized world, the state of global health has profound implications for the national security and economic interests of the United States (U.S.) and thus the overall well-being of American citizens. Almost a year after COVID-19 first surfaced in Wuhan, China, the international community continues to reel from the myriad medical, economic, and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., the pandemic has brought the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) into serious question, concerning both America’s financial support of the WHO and its membership in the Organization. …