Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Role Of Lactobacillus Jensenii And Lactobacillus Mulieris In The Urogenital Tract, Adriana Daniela Ene

Master's Theses

Lactobacillus is a predominant species of the urogenital tract and it has been found in females with and without lower urinary tract symptoms. The Lactobacillus genus is thought to be beneficial to the host due to its capability to produce hydrogen peroxide, secondary metabolites, and lactic acid. L. jensenii is an organism frequently isolated from the urogenital tract. In March 2020, a new sister taxon of L. jensenii was described, L. mulieris. Shortly thereafter we produced a genomic analysis of all publicly available genomes (n = 43) which reclassified some L. jensenii as L. mulieris. This motivated the in-depth study …

Phylogenetic Relationships Among Fishes In The Order Zeiformes Based On Molecular Data From Three Mitochondrial Loci, Lindsay Scarpitta

Master's Theses

The Zeiformes (dories) are mid-water or deep (to 1000 m) marine acanthomorph fishes with a global, circumtropical, and circumtemperate distribution. Some species have a near-worldwide distribution, while others appear to be regional endemics, e.g., near New Zealand. Six families, 16 genera, and 33 species are currently recognized as valid. Relationships among them, however, remain unsettled, especially in light of recent proposals concerning the phylogenetic placement of zeiforms within the Paracanthopterygii rather than allied with beryciforms or percomorphs. The present study uses mtDNA characters to investigate zeiform interrelationships given their revised phylogenetic placement and attendant changes to their close outgroups, carried …

Cost-Effectiveness Frameworks For Comparing Genome And Exome Sequencing Versus Conventional Diagnostic Pathways: A Scoping Review And Recommended Methods, Bart S Ferket, Zach Baldwin, Priyanka Murali, Akila Pai, Kathleen F Mittendorf, Heidi V Russell, Flavia Chen, Frances L Lynch, Kristen Hassmiller Lich, Lucia A Hindorff, Renate Savich, Anne Slavotinek, Hadley Stevens Smith, Bruce D Gelb, David L Veenstra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Methodological challenges have limited economic evaluations of genome sequencing (GS) and exome sequencing (ES). Our objective was to develop conceptual frameworks for model-based cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of diagnostic GS/ES.

METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of economic analyses to develop and iterate with experts a set of conceptual CEA frameworks for GS/ES for prenatal testing, early diagnosis in pediatrics, diagnosis of delayed-onset disorders in pediatrics, genetic testing in cancer, screening of newborns, and general population screening.

RESULTS: Reflecting on 57 studies meeting inclusion criteria, we recommend the following considerations for each clinical scenario. For prenatal testing, performing comparative analyses …

Longitudinal Change In Blood Dna Epigenetic Signature After Smoking Cessation, Amena Keshawarz, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Tianxiao Huan, Dawn L Demeo, Megan L Grove, Myriam Fornage, Daniel Levy, George O'Connor

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cigarette smoking is associated with epigenetic changes that may be reversible following smoking cessation. Whole blood DNA methylation was evaluated in Framingham Heart Study Offspring (n = 169) and Third Generation (n = 30) cohort participants at two study visits 6 years apart and in Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study (n = 222) participants at two study visits 20 years apart. Changes in DNA methylation (delta β values) at 483,565 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were compared between participants who were current, former, or never smokers at both visits (current-current, former-former, never-never, respectively), versus those who …

Maternal Occupational Exposure To Chemicals And Child Cognitive Function, Jennifer Ish, Elaine Symanski, David Gimeno Ruiz De Porras, Maribel Casas, George L Delclos, Mònica Guxens, Jesús M Ibarluzea, Carmen Iñiguez, Aitana Lertxundi, Marisa Rebagliato, Michael D Swartz, Kristina W Whitworth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Limited data exist regarding child neurodevelopment in relation to maternal occupational exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

METHODS: We included 1058 mother-child pairs from the INfancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) project (2003-2008). Using a job-exposure matrix, exposure probability scores for ten EDC groups were assigned to each mother based on her longest held job during pregnancy. At the child's 5-year visit, the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities was administered, yielding the general cognitive index and scales for specific cognitive domains. We analyzed region-specific associations between EDC exposures and each outcome separately using adjusted linear regression and combined region-specific effect estimates …

Stat3 Inhibits Autocrine Ifn Signaling In Type I Conventional Dendritic Cells, Taylor T Chrisikos, Yifan Zhou, Laura M Kahn, Bhakti Patel, Nina L Denne, Athena Brooks, Li Shen, Jing Wang, Stephanie S Watowich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Type I conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) are an essential Ag-presenting population required for generating adaptive immunity against intracellular pathogens and tumors. While the transcriptional control of cDC1 development is well understood, the mechanisms by which extracellular stimuli regulate cDC1 function remain unclear. We previously demonstrated that the cytokine-responsive transcriptional regulator STAT3 inhibits polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)]-induced cDC1 maturation and cDC1-mediated antitumor immunity in murine breast cancer, indicating an intrinsic, suppressive role for STAT3 in cDC1s. To probe transcriptional mechanisms regulating cDC1 function, we generated novel RNA sequencing datasets representing poly(I:C)-, IL-10-, and STAT3-mediated gene expression responses in murine cDC1s. Bioinformatics analyses …

British Public Investment, Government Spending, Housing, And The Industrial Revolution: A Study Of Governmental And Social Surplus Absorption, Thomas E. Lambert

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

When it comes to the British Industrial Revolution of the 18^th Century, much of the mainstream economics literature has tended to focus on how property rights, limitations on the crown or government, and changes in agricultural and manufacturing techniques have caused a great transformation in the nation’s economic formation. Marxian and other heterodox economics views acknowledge these developments but also emphasize the enclosure movement and the development of a class of people that becomes an exploited proletariat. Both sets of views acknowledge the role of the British government in facilitating the Industrial Revolution, but in doing a review for …

The Effect Of Monitoring And Crowds On Crime And Law Enforcement: A Natural Experiment From European Football, Brad R. Humphreys, Alexander Marsella, Levi Perez

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

Technological advancements like the presence of smart phones and body cameras have led to increased monitoring of police, but little evidence exists on their impact. We address these problems using data on fouls from football matches in five European football leagues over six seasons. This period contains exogenous changes in monitoring rule enforcers through introduction of Video Assistant Referee review and limited "bystanders" from Covid-19 restrictions. Results from difference-in-differences models estimated separately for each league indicate that both events influenced the number of fouls called with substantial heterogeneity across leagues and home/away teams.

Inspire : Vol 5, Issue 9, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

• Message from the Chair
• Medicine at National and International Forums
• AKU – Flood Relief Task force
• DoM Grand Rounds – Dr Tazeen Jafar
• 2nd AKU Inter-professional certificate course in liver disease
• In-depth featuring Assistant Professor Endocrinology section Dr Sarah Nadeem
• Poem Section
• What are Academics Around the World Reading This Month?
• Publications

The Geopolitical Impact Of Conflict On Food Security In Nigeria, Charis Riebe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nigeria is a country on the rise, and considered the leader of Africa. By 2050, the population is estimated to reach 400 million people, which would make it the third most populous country in the world. However, conflicts and food insecurity threaten the prosperity of the country. Many have heard about these threats to human security, such as Boko Haram, flooding, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. The root causes and contributors to these crises must be investigated, to better understand the direction they are headed. It is important to understand what the main drivers of food insecurity in Nigeria are, as …

What’S At “Steak”: The Drivers Of Deforestation In The Brazilian Amazon And Potential Multilateral Solutions, Soleil Gaylord

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper examines the contemporary drivers of deforestation in the Brazilian Legal Amazon and how multilateral solutions can be employed to bring forest loss to zero. Insights from the scholarly literature and five expert interviews allow a critical assessment of how the rise of unilateralism presents a novel threat to the Brazilian Legal Amazon and, by proxy, those relying on the region’s raw resources and ecosystem services. Integrating analyses of both Brazilian institutional structures and global environmental governance frameworks, this study examines the primary historical and contemporary factors driving accelerated deforestation rates observed under Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. In identifying …

The Role Of Frugivorous Birds As Seed Dispersers: Feeding Selection And Preference Of Madagascar’S Avian Frugivores In Analamazaotra Forest, Thaddeus Bashaw

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Madagascar is a country rich in floral and faunal diversity. However, anthropogenic habitat destruction and climate change increasingly threaten its biodiversity. Endozoochorous plants that dependent on frugivory for seed dispersal are under threat due to increasing rates of localized extinctions of frugivorous lemurs, the primary seed dispersers of the island. While lemurs are the islands most abundant frugivores, other frugivorous vertebrates like birds and bats likely play a significant role in seed dispersal, although this role is still poorly understood. This study, conducted in Analamazaotra forest, compares the rates of visitation and consumption of six endemic fruiting tree species by …

Caviar Of The Pacific: Palolo Fishing Today And Its Association With Coral Reef Health, Emma Letti Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Palolo is a traditional delicacy of Samoa. It is the reproductive part of a marine worm that is released twice a year, October and November in Samoa, making palolo season a culturally significant time. Coral reefs, the palolo worm’s habitat, is under a plethora of environmental threats, which is an extremely prevalent concern for Pacific Islanders. Hundreds of palolo harvesters walking on corals twice a year adds extra pressure on coral reefs. Despite these vulnerabilities, prices of palolo are soaring year by year, while there is little to no research about the palolo worm and documentation of current harvesting practices …

What Makes Mad Honey “Mad”? An Investigation Into The Obsession Of The Himalayan Wild Cliff Honey, Codi Farmer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mad honey is a rare variety of cliff honey found in the mountainous regions of Turkey and Nepal and has been harvested by Indigenous groups for centuries. In Nepal, it is found on high-hanging cliffs that people risk their lives to face, but what makes this honey so special to cause generations of Nepalis to brave the formidable heights? Through a series of reading primary and secondary sources, watching first-hand accounts of honey hunting, and interviewing honey hunters, filmmakers, authors, and laypeople alike, I work to find the answer to the puzzling question – what makes mad honey "mad"? In …

Riding On Giants: Elephant Tourism In Chitwan National Park, Joshua Jacoves

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the nearly 100 Asian Elephants (elephas maximus) in and around Chitwan National Park, life revolves and often depends around their interactions with humans. Since the advent of elephant tourism for the masses in around the 1980s, the elephants in and around the park have had a dramatic shift in their ways of life. This shift has also affected those who work intimately with these animals, the mahouts, or elephant keepers / riders, have also seen a complete shift in their role and livelihood. For those involved with this industry elephants are seen through different lenses; as an investment, as …

Update On Monkeypox, Audra E. Haynes, Susan H. Davide, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

Monkeypox a viral transmissible disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a disease commonly found in Central and Western Africa, has caused a recent outbreak of monkeypox in the United States. Highlighting the importance of dental healthcare professionals to become knowledgeable about the transmission of the disease, and how to better protect themselves and the public from further spread, as well as educating patients about the disease.

This review examines the etiology of monkeypox, transmission, signs and symptoms, and preventive measures to reduce occurrence of the disease with an emphasis on who has largely been affected by the disease and the …

Tumor Treating Fields With Radiation For Glioblastoma: A Narrative Review, Ryan C. Miller, Muneeb Khan Niazi, Olga Russial, Spencer Poiset, Wenyin Shi

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Background and objective: With a phase 3 clinical trial (EF-32, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04471844) currently underway examining the potential benefit of concurrent chemoradiation and tumor treating fields (TTFields) for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), we present the following narrative review to highlight the current evidence that supports this approach. The current management paradigm for GBM includes maximal safe surgical resection followed by concurrent chemoradiation with further temozolomide (TMZ) and TTFields used as maintenance therapy. Despite several treatment advances over the past few decades, the overall prognosis remains poor and new strategies are currently under investigation, including the use of chemoradiation concurrently with …

Eating In Theory, Hannah Drayson

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Emotional Context On Neural Substrates Of Respiratory Sensory Gating, Pei-Ying S. Chan, Wen-Pin Chang, Chia-Hsiung Cheng, Chia-Yih Liu, Andreas Von Leupoldt, Ai-Ling Hsu, Changwei W. Wu

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Psychological challenges have been found to impact respiratory symptom perception in healthy individuals as well as in patients with various neurological disorders. Human respiratory sensory gating is an objective measure to examine respiratory sensory information processing of repetitive respiratory mechanical stimuli in the central nervous system. With this electrophysiological method, patients with higher anxiety levels showed reduced respiratory sensory gating function in the cortex, and increased symptom perception. In addition, positive emotional contexts were found to increase the respiratory sensory gating function using RREPs. However, neural substrates related to emotional impacts on respiratory sensory gating remain still unclear. In the …

Staff Matters: Do You Have Quiet Quitters In Your Practice?, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In the post-COVID workplace, "quiet quitting" has become a concerning issue where employees meet basic job requirements but lack motivation. This behavior includes a reluctance to take on extra tasks or provide input. To address it, communicate with the affected employees, inquire about their well-being, and assess whether the cause is work-related or personal. Fostering appreciation, connection to the practice's goals, and open feedback can help re-engage employees. Regular one-on-one meetings promote relationships and demonstrate care for their success, improving morale and engagement.

Histomechanical Compatibility Of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts, Colton J. Kostelnik

Theses and Dissertations

Coronary artery disease is a localized form of atherosclerosis that can severely restrict blood flow to the heart often requiring a surgical intervention known as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to reestablish perfusion to this essential circulation. To some extent, the selection of the autograft tissue is at the surgeon’s discretion with factors such as stenosis location and the existing tissue’s pathological state contributing to a choice that could be deterministic in surgical outcomes. Many post-operative complications and premature graft failures originate from graft-target tissue incompatibilities and altered blood flow patterns. We hypothesize that mechanical mismatching between the graft material …

Changes In The Regulation Of The Unfolded Protein Response During Aging In Peromyscus, Elham Soltanmohammadi

Theses and Dissertations

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been linked to various metabolic pathologies, neurodegeneration, and aging. Although various mechanistic aspects of the resulting unfolded protein response (UPR) have been elucidated, its regulation in genetically diverse populations remains elusive. In the present study we evaluated the expression of chaperones BiP/GRP78, GRP94 and calnexin (CANX) in the lungs, liver, and brain of 7 months old and 2–3 years old outbred deer mice P. maniculatus and P. leucopus. Chaperones’ _expression was highly variable between species, tissues and ages suggesting that levels of expression of individual chaperones do not change consistently during aging. Despite this variation, …

Behavioral And Neurophysiological Measures Of Speech Auditory Feedback Processing Impairment In Left Hemisphere Stroke, Stacey Sangtian

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify behavioral and neural correlates of impaired speech auditory feedback processing in people with a history of left-hemisphere stroke (LHS). To do this, we used the altered auditory feedback (AAF) paradigm to externally induce speech errors by randomly shifting the pitch frequency of the online auditory feedback up or down at ±100 cents in 38 LHS and 27 neurologically intact control participants under two experimental conditions: 1) active vocalizations of a steady speech vowel sound “ah,” and 2) passive listening to the playback of the same self-produced vocalizations. Randomized control trials were included …

Empirical Studies Of Esg Scores With Corporate Credit Spreads (Insights From Popularity-Based Pricing), Eugene Okyere-Yeboah

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

This study examines various factors or characteristics (risk and non-risk) that determine a firm’s credit risk premium, as measured by its credit default swap (CDS) spread, with a particular focus on the impact of environment, social, and governance (ESG) scores. The framework employed is a general equilibrium asset pricing model which integrates classical and behavioral finance elements, known as popularity-based asset pricing. It treats all attributes or characteristics of an asset as ”factors” to which investors assign a degree of popularity, which changes over time. Non-risk characteristics are classified as ”tastes” or ”disagreements”, Fama French (2007). Firms’ degree of adherence …

Structural And Transient Kinetic Analysis On Mechanism-Based Inactivators Of Human Ornithine Aminotransferase, Arseniy Butrin

Dissertations

HCC, Hepatocellular carcinoma, MBI, Mechanism-based inactivator, OAT, Ornithine Aminotransferase

The Role Of Gut Microbiome And Scfa Butyrate In The Development Of Obesity Associated Pre-Hfpef, Jomana Hatahet

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Toward An Eco-Cosmopolitanism: Wendell Berry And Ecowomanism In Conversation, Wade Casey

Dissertations

Agriculture, Alice Walker, bell hooks, Ecology, Theology, Wendell Berry

The Roles Of A Probiotic Exopolysaccharide In Breast Cancer, Mai Rachel Nguyen

Dissertations

breast cancer, exopolysaccharide, probiotic

Distinct Roles For Free Fatty Acid Receptor 3 (Ffar3) In Vagal And Spinal Afferents Regulating Energy Balance And Glucose Homeostasis, Tyler M. Cook

Dissertations

energy balance, glucose homeostasis, gut-brain axis, microbiome, nutrient sensing, satiety

Elucidating The Mechanisms Underlying How Vmp1 Regulates Inflammatory Responses, Stephanie Zack

Dissertations

autophagy, inflammation, mitochondria, NLRP3 inflammasome, SERCA, VMP1