Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Apremilast On Circadian Rhythm In The Ventral Tegmental Area, Courtney Ledford, Angela Ozburn

McNair Symposium

Chronic binge drinking negatively impacts society and is a leading cause of preventable deaths. The purpose of the experiment is to determine if regulation of circadian rhythms in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) will contribute to less ethanol consumption. The VTA plays a major role in addiction. A simple genetic animal model examines iHDID-1 mice and their binge-like drinking intake. The mice undergo Drinking in the Dark (DID) for 6 weeks prior to administration of apremilast or saline treatment at weeks 7 and 8. The mice are exposed to DID and sacrificed at two separate time points (ZT 3 and …

Exploring The Impact Of Interpersonal Trust On Health Outcomes In Rapidly Gentrifying Neighborhoods In Portland, Oregon, Julie Ha, Yves Labissiere

McNair Symposium

Social determinants have been recognized to be significant factors contributing to the overall health outcomes of individuals. However, there is limited research on how these factors have directly impacted the mental and physical wellness of people in neighborhoods who are experiencing rapid gentrification. The objective of this study is to determine whether the level of interpersonal trust present between individuals in neighborhoods is associated with the mental and physical health outcomes among its residents. This quantitative study uses the Albina-Rockwood Neighborhood Promise Survey, which uses data from a random sample of families living in two rapidly gentrified neighborhoods in Portland, …

Efficacy Of Curcumin In Asthma: A Systematic Review And Meta Analysis, Tabitha Grow, Adam Sadowski

McNair Symposium

Over 23 million people are affected by asthma in the United States and 262 million individuals globally. Asthma, if poorly controlled, is associated with significant morbidity as well as increased risk for mortality. Asthma involves several complex inflammatory pathways and processes including an increase in immune cell activation. Curcumin, the active constituent found in turmeric, has been studied in numerous in-vivo and in-vitro studies to generate anti-inflammatory effects in pulmonary diseases and, more recently, an increase in clinical data has become available. Since the most recent review assessing the role of curcumin in pulmonary disorders, additional clinical trials have been …

Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars Program Profiles And Abstracts 2021, Mcnair Scholars Program

McNair Symposium

This is the complete event program and provides presentation abstracts and biographies of McNair scholars and their mentors.

Hu Record, Vol 15, No. 2

The Howard University Record

Contents:

I. Editorials

II. Appreciation of Music - Roy W. Tibbs

III. Democracy at Work - Frank H. Wimberly

IV. Shylock the Jew - Leonard Z. Johnson

V. Financial Report

VI. Howard Alumni You Ought to Know

VII. Alumni Notes

VIII. University Notes

IX. Undergraduate Life

X. Counterweights

Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Inflammatory Caspases-1, -4, And -5, Christopher D. Ahlers

DePaul Discoveries

Inflammatory caspases-1, -4, and -5 play critical roles in mediating the innate immune response to pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns. Caspase-1 produces the cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β), while caspases-4 and -5 activate the NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome via the non-canonical pathway. Overactivation of these enzymes is associated with an increased risk for inflammatory diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Small molecule inhibitors (SMIs) have been developed to attenuate the production of IL-1β, but unfavorable bioavailability and toxicity have provided an insurmountable barrier in clinical trials. This work is concerned with delivering an overview of current progress in the …

Correlation Effects On Intramolecular C-H...Oh And O-H...O Hydrogen Bond Interactions In Azelaic Acid: An Ab Initio Study, Sabina Kalata, Alina Huang, Ruben Parra

DePaul Discoveries

Electron correlation effects on both conventional, O-H…O, and nonconventional, C-H…O, intramolecular hydrogen bonds present in a selected azelaic acid folded conformation were evaluated ab initio using HF and MP2 methodologies. The relative strength of the hydrogen bonds was examined through different indicators derived from geometry, vibrational frequencies, and electron density along the hydrogen bond path. The HF method results in weaker O-H…O and C-H…O hydrogen bonds when compared with the corresponding results using the MP2 method. Additionally, the stability of the folded azelaic conformation is found to depend on the level of theory used. Accordingly, the zero-point corrected energies of …

High Altitude Ballooning As A Platform For Measuring Ozone Uptake Over Agricultural Landscapes, Thomas Sykora, Mark Potosnak

DePaul Discoveries

Measuring plant health is a key aspect in maximizing crop outputs. One often overlooked risk to crop fields is damage caused by stomatal ozone uptake; measuring this uptake is an important tool in understanding crop losses. Traditional methods for measuring plant ozone uptake are prohibitively expensive and rely on equipment that cannot easily be moved. Here, we propose high-altitude weather ballooning as a cost-effective alternative for measuring ozone uptake on a regional (~10 km) spatial scale. Ozonesounde data was obtained with weather balloons launched from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research station in Boulder, Colorado. This data was then …

Interspersed Denuded Zone (Idz): How Patchy Leaf Litter Dynamics In A Buckthorn-Invaded Urban Woodland Can Affect Microarthropod Species Richness, Angela Stenberg

DePaul Discoveries

Biodiversity loss may serve as a key diagnostic of the Anthropocene. An important driver of this loss is by means of invasive species. In this study of a forest preserve in Chicago, Illinois we examined Interspersed Denuded Zones (IDZs for short), which are areas of patchy leaf litter in invaded forests caused in this case by the rapid decomposition of litter from buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). We characterized the leaf litter mass in IDZs and enumerated litter-inhabiting microarthropod populations. We found that plots of high buckthorn density are associated with IDZs: there was significantly less leaf litter mass in …

Modeling Reproduction Influencers Of An Endangered Oak, Camila Cortez

DePaul Discoveries

The endemic oak, Quercus brandegeei has been labeled as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species due to its limited genetic diversity and lack of regeneration. The oak (Quercus) species is a keystone species in many parts of the world and has been facing various challenges to their survival (Westwood 2017) making efforts to support and protect endemic oaks all the more ecologically and socially imperative. There are challenges to identifying threats as there are many unknown characteristics of Q. brandegeei’s biology that are essential to carrying out conservation efforts. To develop a greater understanding of …

Gene Essentiality And Always Essential Major Functions, Jennifer Nu Ton

Summer Experience 2021

No abstract provided.

Re-Conceptualizing Food Consumption And Its Educational Values, Chi Hong Nguyen, Toan Quoc Tran, Hay Ngoc Huynh, Linh Thuy Pham, Chi Thien Huu Le

Essays in Education

Food consumption has been largely researched in many areas. Most extant studies have highlighted the influences of socio-economic and cultural factors on people’s eating habits. These studies inform policy strategies by proposing campaigns and methods to improve nutritional intake among people of diverse socio-economic and geographical backgrounds. At the same time, they implicitly point out that food consumption may carry educational values that are co-constructed through food eaters’ engagement with the world. This requires researchers to go beyond the current methodological approaches that epistemologically focus on the factors that influence nutritional intake and eating habits. While little is known about …

We Are...Marshall, August 11, 2021, Office Of Marshall University Communications

We Are ... Marshall: the Newsletter for Marshall University 1999-2023

No abstract provided.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Ambulation Project, Jennifer M. Rose

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

Problem: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) Ambulation Project aims to increase early ambulation of cesarean section patients in the maternal child inpatient unit. The current data has shown inconsistency with the application of the ERAS program with the maternal population. Instituting standardization of care and documentation, along with increasing patient centered care, has the potential to decrease the hospital length of stay (LOS).

Context: This quality improvement project standardizes the education provided to staff nurses and patients; allotting more time for staff to create meaningful relationships with their patients. A microsystem culture utilizing patient centered care …

Decoding The Roles Of Astrocytes And Hedgehog Signaling In Medulloblastoma, Terence Teixeira Duarte, Silvia Aparecida Teixeira, Luis Gonzalez-Reyes, Rui Manuel Reis

Publications and Research

The molecular evolution of medulloblastoma is more complex than previously imagined, as emerging evidence suggests that multiple interactions between the tumor cells and components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) are important for tumor promotion and progression. The identification of several molecular networks within the TME, which interact with tumoral cells, has provided new clues to understand the tumorigenic roles of many TME components as well as potential therapeutic targets. In this review, we discuss the most recent studies regarding the roles of astrocytes in supporting sonic hedgehog (SHH) subgroup medulloblastoma (MB) and provide an overview of MB progression through SHH …

On The Relationship Of Diabetes And Sleep Apnea: Evolution And Epigenetics, Nancy Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis gives an overview of the relationship between diabetes, sleep apnea, obesity, and heart disease. It then addresses evidence that the traditional understanding of this relationship is incomplete or misleading. In the process, there is a brief discussion of the evolutionary rationale for the development and retention of sleep apnea in light of blood sugar dysregulation, as an adaptive mechanism in response to environmental stressors, followed by a brief overview of the general concepts of epigenetics. Finally, this paper presents the results of a literature search on the epigenetic marks and changes in gene expression found in sleep apnea …

A New Function For Amyloid-Like Interactions: Cross-Beta Aggregates Of Adhesins Form Cell-To-Cell Bonds, Peter N. Lipke, Marion Mathelié-Guinlet, Albertus Viljoen, Yves F. Dufrêne

Publications and Research

Amyloid structures assemble through a repeating type of bonding called “cross-β”, in which identical sequences in many protein molecules form β-sheets that interdigitate through side chain interactions. We review the structural characteristics of such bonds. Single cell force microscopy (SCFM) shows that yeast expressing Als5 adhesin from Candida albicans demonstrate the empirical characteristics of cross-β interactions. These properties include affinity for amyloid-binding dyes, birefringence, critical concentration dependence, repeating structure, and inhibition by anti-amyloid agents. We present a model for how cross-β bonds form in trans between two adhering cells. These characteristics also apply to other fungal adhesins, so the mechanism …

A Qualitative Dosimetric Comparison Of Helical Tomotherapy, Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy, And Non-Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy For Radiotherapy Of Centrally Located Brain Tumors, Robert Hayward

Masters Projects

Abstract Introduction The purpose of the work is to see if there is a dosimetric benefit to using one treatment modality over another when treating centrally located brain tumors. These modalities include helical tomotherapy, non-coplanar VMAT, and coplanar VMAT. Methods Thirty plans were created from ten previously treated patient’s datasets. All patients were planned using a simultaneously integrated boost with a PTV54 and PTV 60. The conformity index and homogeneity index were compared for targets. Dose maximums and means were compared for critical structures between the plans and modalities. Results A significant difference was found for the conformity index for …

Changes In Jail Admissions Before And After Traumatic Brain Injury, Joseph A. Schwartz, Emily M. Wright, Ryan E. Spohn, Michael Campagna, Benjamin Steiner, Ebonie Epinger

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Objectives

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is differentially concentrated within incarcerated populations. Despite the consistency of this observation, the timing of within-individual changes in criminal justice contact in relation to TBI remains under-investigated. For example, previous studies have primarily considered TBI as a causal influence of later criminal justice contact. However, TBI may also serve as a consequence of criminal justice contact or a criminogenic lifestyle. The current study simultaneously observes both possibilities by examining criminal justice contact before, around the time of, and after the first reported TBI.

Methods

Drawing from a combination of self-report and lifetime official record data …

Determining The Novel Pathogen Neodothiora Populina As The Causal Agent Of The Aspen Running Canker Disease In Alaska, Loretta M. Winton, Gerard C. Adams, Roger W. Ruess

Aspen Bibliography

Neodothiora populina Crous, G.C. Adams & Winton was determined to be a new pathogen of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) growing in Alaska, based on completion of Koch’s Postulates in replicated forest and growth chamber inoculation trials. The pathogen is responsible for severe damage and widespread rapid mortality of sapling to mature aspen (≥ 80 years) in the boreal forests of interior Alaska, due to large diffuse annual (1–2 years) cankers. Isolation of the pathogen was challenging, and identification based on cultural characters was difficult. Fruiting bodies were not found on wild diseased trees, but erumpent pycnidia were found …

August 11, 2021 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Wearing A Mask On Face Perception: A Literature Review Of 2 Experimental Research Studies, Arda Fidanci

International Programs

The face is the most important and informative source for non-verbal communication in social life. COVID-19 has deeply affected our non-verbal communication due to wearing a mask covering a major part of the face. In accordance with this, 2 research studies show that wearing a mask negatively affects face recognition, including face identification and emotion reading. It can be concluded that wearing a mask makes harder our daily social conversations due to concealing the rest of the face.

Family & Friends, Volume 1, Number 5

Family & Friends, 1998-2006

Patricia D. Pair, President/Publisher. Anita C. Moyt, Vice President/Editor. Contributors: J. Shane Wilson, Dana Ferguson, Steven Bradford

Special thanks to Rhodes College and the Paul Barret Jr. Library for providing initial scanning of this collection.

Carveol Attenuates Seizure Severity And Neuroinflammation In Pentylenetetrazole-Kindled Epileptic Rats By Regulating The Nrf2 Signaling Pathway, Arooj Mohsin Alvi, Lina Tariq Al Kury, Abdullah Alattar, Ikram Ullah, Asmaa Jan Muhammad, Reem Alshaman, Fawad Ali Shah, Arif Ullah Khan, Jinxing Feng, Shupeng Li

All Works

Epilepsy is a neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizure attacks. Numerous studies have suggested a strong correlation between oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in several neurodegenerative disorders including epilepsy. This study is aimed at investigating the neuroprotective effects of the natural compound carveol against pentylenetetrazole- (PTZ-) induced kindling and seizure model. Two different doses of carveol (10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) were administered to male rats to determine the effects and the effective dose of carveol and to further demonstrate the mechanism of action of nuclear factor E2-related factor (Nrf2) in PTZ-induced kindling model. Our results demonstrated reduced levels of …

Using The Goldilocks Principle To Model Coral Ecosystem Engineering, S. J. Hennige, A. I. Larsson, C. Orejas, A. Gori, Clippele Lh De, Y. C. Lee, G. Jimeno, K. Georgoulas, N. A. Kamenos, J. M. Roberts

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The occurrence and proliferation of reef-forming corals is of vast importance in terms of the biodiversity they support and the ecosystem services they provide. The complex three-dimensional structures engineered by corals are comprised of both live and dead coral, and the function, growth and stability of these systems will depend on the ratio of both. To model how the ratio of live : dead coral may change, the ‘Goldilocks Principle’ can be used, where organisms will only flourish if conditions are ‘just right’. With data from particle imaging velocimetry and numerical smooth particle hydrodynamic modelling with two simple rules, we …

Effects Of Wetland Design And Invasive Species Removal On Carbon And Microbial Communities In Restored Wetlands, Benjamin Hamilton

Theses

Multiple wetland ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient removal are influenced by microbial communities and dissolved organic matter (DOM). I examined DOM composition, carbon metabolism, and microbial communities in three created wetlands, which had distinct hydrology, vegetation and antecedent land-use. To study differences between wetlands, porewater and soil were collected from each wetland in spring, summer, and fall of 2018. DOM was analyzed using NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence spectrometry, soil microbial community composition was examined using 16S ribosomal sequencing, and CO2 and CH4 production rates were measured in anaerobic soil incubations. Structural DOM composition varied significantly between the …

Associations Of Hair Dye And Relaxer Use With Breast Tumor Clinicopathologic Features: Findings From The Women’S Circle Of Health Study, Rohan Rao, Jasmine A. Mcdonald, Emily Barrett, Patricia Greenberg, Dede K. Teteh, Susanne B. Montgomery, Bo Qin, Yong Lin, Chi-Chen Hong, Christine B. Ambrosone, Kitaw Demissie, Elisa V. Bandera, Adana A.M. Llanos

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Background

Building upon our earlier findings of significant associations between hair dye and relaxer use with increased breast cancer risk, we evaluated associations of select characteristics of use with breast tumor clinicopathology.

Methods

Using multivariable-adjusted models we examined the associations of interest in a case-only study of 2998 women with breast cancer, overall and stratified by race and estrogen receptor (ER) status, addressing multiple comparisons using Bonferroni correction.

Results

Compared to salon application of permanent hair dye, home kit and combination application (both salon and home kit application) were associated with increased odds of poorly differentiated tumors in the overall …

Growth-Profile Configuration For Specific Deformations Of Tubular Organs: A Study Of Growth-Induced Thinning And Dilation Of The Human Cervix, Kun Gou, Seungik Baek, Marvin M.F. Lutnesky, Hai-Chao Han

Mathematics Faculty Publications (Archived)

Growth is a significant factor that results in deformations of tubular organs, and particular deformations associated with growth enable tubular organs to perform certain physiological functions. Configuring growth profiles that achieve particular deformation patterns is critical for analyzing potential pathological conditions and for developing corresponding clinical treatments for tubular organ dysfunctions. However, deformation-targeted growth is rarely studied. In this article, the human cervix during pregnancy is studied as an example to show how cervical thinning and dilation are generated by growth. An advanced hyperelasticity theory called morphoelasticity is employed to model the deformations, and a growth tensor is used to …

Atypical Presentation Of Systemic Arthritis In A Toddler With Down Syndrome., Emily Worley, Weijie Li, Jordan T. Jones

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a chronic, inflammatory disease of childhood, which is characterized by the combination of arthritis, serositis, daily, high-spiking fevers, and evanescent macular rash and can present with the life-threatening complication of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Children with Down syndrome (DS) have complex medical challenges related to abnormalities in their immune system, which can cause a broad spectrum of disease manifestations, which can occur atypically. Children with DS are at increased risk for arthritis and interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with sJIA that has high mortality. This case report outlines an atypical presentation of sJIA in …

Ventricular Fibrillation Due To A Likely Pathogenic Sos1 Variant: An Unrecognized Etiology Of Infantile Sudden Death?, Christopher Follansbee, Lindsey Malloy-Walton

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

We present the case of a female infant presenting after a ventricular fibrillation arrest found to have ectopic atrial tachycardia (EAT). Evaluation revealed a likely pathogenic variant in SOS1 not previously reported in affected individuals. SOS1 variants are associated with Noonan syndrome, which belongs to a family of related genetic syndromes affecting the RAS/MAPK signaling pathway. To date, this is the first case reported of a ventricular fibrillation arrest in a patient with a RASopathy-related variant prior to development of the typically associated structural cardiac phenotype and may represent a previously unrecognized etiology of sudden death during infancy.