Digital Commons Network^™

Queen Academy, Hantian Zhnag

Master's Theses

As an upmarket novel exploring immigration and racial dynamics, Queen Academy lies at the intersection of Kathryn Ma’s The Chinese Groove, Timothy Wang’s Slant, and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye in style and subject. The protagonist Kang comes to the US from China to study statistics, but finds himself becoming a “potato queen”—an Asian gay man interested in dating white men only—and locked in self-loathing. It will take a heartbreak and treading the line of illegality to see himself again. Overall, by engaging with themes of immigration, belonging, and racialized desire, the novel takes the stance that the …

The Link Between Fat Soluble Vitamin Deficiencies, Decreased Microbiota Diversity And Severity In Children With Sickle Cell Disease Followed In A Clinic In Omaha Nebraska, Chinenye R. Dike

Theses & Dissertations

Fat soluble vitamin (FSV) deficiencies are associated with worse pain in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Data on the dietary and pancreatic function influence on fat soluble vitamin levels are limited. Additionally, individuals with SCD have gut dysbiosis but there are gaps in knowledge on the impact of this on severity. This thesis attempted to evaluate FSV prevalence and gut microbial profile in our cohort of children with SCD and compare this with matched healthy children and to ascertain if diet or pancreatic function affects these levels and see if these affects sickle cell severity.

Developing Queer Faith: Exploring Experiences Of Cognitive Dissonance And Identity Integration For Lgbq Catholics Individuals, Kendal M. Vaarwerk

Doctoral Dissertations

While religion may be meeting existential needs, it may, at the same time, be asking the LGBQ youth to be someone different than who they are (Longo et al., 2018). LGBQ individuals experience severe cognitive and emotional consequences because of oppressive religious doctrine, including guilt, shame, self-loathing, and suicidal ideation (Schuck & Liddle, 2001). When LGBQ individuals are involved with religious belief systems that cast rejecting or disapproving messages about LGBQ individuals, these individuals often experience more internalized negative self-messages, as well as more significant challenges in developing and accepting one’s sexual identity (Page et al., 2013). Therefore, this very …

Mouse Kidney Nuclear Isolation And Library Preparation For Single-Cell Combinatorial Indexing Rna Sequencing, Haikuo Li, Benjamin D. Humphreys

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Single-cell combinatorial indexing RNA sequencing (sci-RNA-seq3) enables high-throughput single-nucleus transcriptomic profiling of multiple samples in one experiment. Here, we describe an optimized protocol of mouse kidney nuclei isolation and sci-RNA-seq3 library preparation. The use of a dounce tissue homogenizer enables nuclei extraction with high yield. Fixed nuclei are processed for sci-RNA-seq3, and self-loaded transposome Tn5 is used for tagmentation in library generation. The step-by-step protocol allows researchers to generate scalable single-cell transcriptomic data with common laboratory supplies at low cost. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Li et al. (2022).

De Novo Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease After Pancreatectomy: A Systematic Review, Parth Shah, Vanisha Patel, Motaz Ashkar

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: As operative techniques and mortality rates of pancreatectomy have improved, there has been a shift in focus to maintaining and improving the nutritional status of these patients as we continue to learn more about post-operative complications. Although pancreatic endocrine and exocrine insufficiencies are known complications of pancreatectomy, increased longevity of these patients has also led to a higher incidence of

AIM: To identify and summarize patterns and risk factors of post-pancreatectomy

METHODS: We performed a database search on PubMed selecting papers published between 2001 and 2022 in the English language. PubMed was last accessed 1 June 2022.

RESULTS: Various …

Omics Analysis In Cancer And Development, Emalie J. Clement

Theses & Dissertations

Advancements in next-generation sequencing technologies have made omics technologies accessible to more researchers and large omics datasets are becoming more common in biological research. Omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, have been pivotal in our current understanding of development, how developmental defects can lead to cancer, and importantly, our approach to chemotherapeutic treatment for cancer patients. This dissertation describes two projects using both experimental and omics technologies to investigate molecular mechanisms in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and mammary gland development.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease that is difficult to treat with current therapies. Subtyping PDAC …

Characterization Of Metastatic Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma In The Immunosuppressed Patient, Megan E. Wackel

Theses & Dissertations

Patients who are immunosuppressed, such as solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs), are known to have a higher risk of developing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). This population is at a higher risk of metastasis and worse disease-specific survival, with over 1 million cases and an estimated 3,932 to 8,791 deaths each year in the United States. Large cancer genomic databases have reported on genomic drivers for many cancer subtypes, yet cSCC has not been included. The immunosuppressed population is generally ineligible to receive immunotherapy which poses a challenge for treatment options in cases that develop metastasis. After we performed a …

Underlying Mechanism Of Ovarian Reserve Preservation From Gonadotoxicity, Yi Luan

Theses & Dissertations

Cancer therapies often lead to premature ovarian insufficiency by ovarian damage and follicle depletion. However, the oocyte death pathway induced by chemotherapies has been debated. Here we clarified the precise mechanism of ovarian depletion induced by cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin. Cyclophosphamide induced direct apoptosis in oocytes rather than overactivation of primordial follicles. Dormant oocytes instead of activated oocytes with high PI3K activity were more sensitive to cyclophosphamide. Although the ABL inhibitor, GNF2, has been proposed to ameliorate the apoptosis of primordial follicles against cyclophosphamide, GNF2 did not prevent the loss of primordial follicles induced by cyclophosphamide in the systems tested. Oocyte-specific …

The Role Of Parkin In Mitochondrial Dna, Eliezer Lichter

Theses & Dissertations

Mitochondria are at the center of biological phenomena such as aging and diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. While the discovery of mitochondria only came approximately 200 years after the cell was discovered, a lot of progress has been made since. The mitochondrial genome encodes proteins vital for mitochondrial function. These proteins are only a subset of the proteins present in mitochondria; the rest are nuclear encoded. The nucleus also encodes cytosolic proteins vital for mitochondrial maintenance. One of these is Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates mitochondrial proteins as mitochondria become depolarized. Its activity has been shown to be involved …

Metoprolol Disrupts Sterol Biosynthesis Through Inhibition Of 7-Dehydrocholesterol Reductase (Dhcr7), Luke B. Allen

Theses & Dissertations

Cholesterol is essential for life. It is particularly important in the brain as it relies on de novo synthesis of cholesterol following the formation of the blood brain barrier (BBB). As such, disrupting sterol biosynthesis during neurodevelopment can have devastating outcomes. The most common post-lanosterol sterol biosynthesis disorder, Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome, arises from a faulty DHCR7 enzyme. DHCR7 has also been shown to be inhibited by several psychotropic medications. Here we assess six beta-blockers and their effects on sterol biosynthesis in vitro. Two beta-blockers, metoprolol and nebivolol strongly inhibit DHCR7 in four separate in vitro models of both mouse and …

Open-Source Flight Data: Free, But At What Cost?, James Norman

Aviation Faculty Publications

The proliferation of open-source flight data has been heralded throughout the aviation industry, from air traffic service providers seeking efficiencies to the voyeuristic tracking of celebrity aircraft movements. However, the rise of open-source data presents challenges when juxtaposed against the traditional safety management systems that have sustained commercial aviation until now. Open-source data are not protected legally to the same extent as traditional flight data, and data from open-source platforms are not subject to the same validation standards as traditional flight data. Pilots are now able to interface with their own flight data, which diverges from the original aggregate intent …

The Antiregulatory Arsenal, Antidemocratic Can(N)Ons, And The Waters Wars, William W. Buzbee

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Clean Water Act has become a centerpiece in an enduring multifront battle against both environmental regulation and federal regulatory power in all of its settings. This Article focuses on the emergence, elements, and linked uses of an antiregulatory arsenal now central to battles over what are federally protected “waters of the United States.” This is the key jurisdictional hook for CWA jurisdiction, and hence, logically, has become the heart of CWA contestation. The multi-decade battle over Waters protections has both drawn on emergent antiregulatory moves and generated new weapons in this increasingly prevalent and powerful antiregulatory arsenal. This array …

2021 Tennessee Census Of Fatal Occupational Injuries, The Survey Of Occupational Injuries And Illnesses, Tennessee. Department Of Labor & Workforce Development.

Occupational Injuries

No abstract provided.

Dexmedetomidine As An Adjunct Therapy To Neuraxial Anesthesia In Labor And Delivery, Anthony Nungesser

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared the opioid crisis an epidemic, and in 2017 it was declared a public health emergency. In labor and delivery, neuraxial anesthesia has been used for over a hundred years to provide pain relief for parturients. Although many alternatives have been studied, opioids are the most frequently used local anesthetic adjuvants, and their use in neuraxial blocks has evolved over the last 50 years (Swain et al., 2017). While neuraxial opioids have proven to be an effective adjunct for pain relief, they are associated with undesirable side effects as well as the …

The Effects Of Active Shootings On 4-H Youth And Families, Melinda Garcia, Elizabeth Gangwer

Journal of Extension

The effects of active shootings should be a priority to provide needed assistance to 4-H youth and families in coping with their social-emotional well-being. Exposure to such violence can lead to lasting impacts on youth that can affect behavior. Addressing this sensitive topic is crucial in ensuring that Extension professionals are prepared to meet the needs of youth and families. Higher rates of depression, aggression, to name a few, are a result of having witnessed such events as a shooting. Providing training for Extension personnel can aid in reducing the amount of PTSD and other social-emotional trauma.

Relationships Among Age, Relative Telomere Length, And Dna Methylation In Pteropus Bats, Erika E. Forest

Masters Theses

Bats are the longest-lived mammalian order relative to body mass, but questions remain about relationships among mechanisms related to aging. Relative telomere length (rTL) decreases with age in most mammals, but the relationship between age and rTL is highly variable among the few bat taxa studied to date. More recently, DNA methylation (DNAm), a type of epigenetic regulation in which methyl groups are added to cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites across the genome, has been shown to be highly predictive of age in many species of bats. We examine the relationships among age, rTL, and DNAm in Pteropus pumilus and P. hypomelanus …

The Power Of Anime: Artistic Power, Social Consciousness, And Cultural Impact, Natalie Ortez-Arevalo

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project explores the widespread popularity and impact of anime on Japanese culture. In my research, I demonstrate how the integration of anime into Japan’s culture creates big splashes—like stones being thrown into a lake—that, at the same time, ripple out in various directions and reverberate on multiple levels. First and foremost, this research centers around an important concept: that anime contains well-crafted storytelling and powerful imagery that demonstrates wider historical, cultural, and social issues—both the positive and negative. In anime films and shows, symbolism plays an important part as it can be found throughout the imagery and the storylines …

Crispr Technology As An Antiviral In Dsdna And Ssrna Viruses, Cathryn Mayes

Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the necessity of emergency response and pandemic preparedness, especially for emerging viral threats. Currently, virus-specific vaccines and antivirals are the primary tools to combat viral diseases; however, broad-spectrum antivirals that target more than one virus species could provide additional protection from emerging and re-emerging viral diseases (Andersen et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2015; Hickman et al. 2022).

Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonucleases have become recently utilized as potential antiviral strategies due to their high specificity, efficacy, and versatility (Najafi et al. 2022). While CRISPR-based antivirals have previously been used to target specific …

Nanofabrication For Precision Vaccinology, Karen Zagorski

Theses & Dissertations

Vaccines are among the most effective and safe therapeutics known to mankind. Historically the approach to the creation of new vaccines has been dominated by empirical research, trial, and error. This thesis focuses on the more modern, rational approaches to vaccinology based on the current understanding of the inner workings of the immune system. We used nanotechnology for the generation of novel immunogens, addressed several challenges, and characterized the immune responses.

The preparation, characterization, and troubleshooting of several vaccines against dimeric amyloid beta are covered in chapters 4-6. Despite being ultimately unsuccessful, this part provided a deeper understanding of the …

A Cell Culture Model To Study Tobacco Associated Oral Cancer Progression And Treatment Resistance, Amanda Busch

Theses & Dissertations

Head and Neck Squamous cell carcinoma is the 6^th most common cancer in the world. Risk factors for HNSCC include alcohol and tobacco consumption, infection with Human Papilloma Virus, and exposure to environmental toxins. Unlike many other cancers, the incidence of HNSCC is growing, yet the treatment options and outcomes have not been significantly improved for decades. An increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of these cancers is needed for improvement in early diagnosis, enhanced treatment effectiveness, and cancer prevention. 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) is a well-tested, tobacco mimicking, carcinogen. 4NQO produces similar histological and chemical changes found in human …

The Influence Of Predation Environment On The Sensory Ecology Of Brachyrhaphis Rhabdophora, Alexandra Grace Duffy

Theses and Dissertations

Across the animal kingdom, predation is a ubiquitous and omnipresent selective agent for a variety of traits. I aimed to address gaps in our knowledge pertaining to how predation shapes animal behavior. Many species of fish naturally occur in drainages that differ in the density of predators and exhibit obvious population divergence, making them ideal study organisms to investigate predator-driven behavioral evolution. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic review of the literature. The purpose of this review was to determine if predation acted as a stronger or weaker selective agent on particular behavioral traits (e.g., foraging, mating, antipredator etc.) …

Flying Hope: Bringing Pets To Safety In Nyc, Jose D. Santiago-Morales

Capstones

The animal overcrowding issue is impacting stray pets in Puerto Rico. Various not-for-profit organizations in NYC (The Sato Project and Wings of Rescue) are working to bring these animals from the island to states across the Northeast of the United States and helping by finding them their forever homes. One pet at a time.

https://dansantiagojournalist.wordpress.com/2023/10/01/flying-hope-bringing-pets-to-safety-in-nyc/

Motives For (In)Effective Giving: Comparing Rural And Urban Groups In South Africa., Luvuyo Bulelani Magwaza

Master's Theses

Different cultures have their own set of norms and values that not only shape people’s motives but also influences their decision making. What may be viewed as logical and ethical in one culture, may be seen as illogical or unethical in another. One area that is consistently affected by cross-cultural differences in motives is charitable giving. Recently, there has been an increase in interest around effective altruism— a social movement and philosophy that argues, people should give to charities that do the most good. Prior research that has found that people do not give based on efficiency; instead, people give …

Coming Together: The Street Vendors Of Corona Plaza, Hannah Bottum

Capstones

Of New York City’s 20,000 street vendors, nearly all of them are immigrants, and most are unlicensed. This makes them vulnerable to harassment, fines, and even arrest. In Corona Plaza in Queens, vendors are coming together to push for change. This is their story.

De los 20,000 vendedores ambulantes de la ciudad de Nueva York, casi todos son inmigrantes y la mayoría no tienen licencia ni permiso. Esto los hace vulnerables al acoso, multas e incluso la detención. En Corona Plaza, en Queens, los vendedores se están organizando para impulsar el cambio. Esta es su historia.

The Science And Practice Of Coping With Pet Loss, Michayla Savitt

Capstones

Losing a pet can have a huge impact on a household - including humans and pets alike. This mixed multimedia project works to capture this multimedia project exploring how loss manifests in the home after a pet’s passing — and how we remember our pets after they’re gone. It’s done through short non-narrative documentaries from multiple pet owners, along with insight from a mental health expert, and animal behaviorists. I’ve incorporated research around pets having grief-like reactions to a companion animal, in addition to why grieving a pet is so painful, and how pet grief often doesn’t fit in with …

Eavesdropping On Animals: Can Bioacoustics Help Save Species?, Zoe Grueskin

Capstones

Around the world, scientists are using sound to study the natural world in a growing field called bioacoustics. Researchers are eavesdropping on frogs and fish, elephants and earthworms, and many hope what they hear can inform and inspire conservation action around the world. From the field’s auspicious beginning with accidentally-recorded whales, to researchers today listening to locations as diverse as the Arctic seafloor and India’s Western Ghats mountain range, this capstone project explores the potential — and limitations — of conservation bioacoustics. Read the story, see photos and listen to audio pieces featuring three bioacousticians and their field recordings here: …

Secondhand Shopping Is Now The Coolest Way To Get Your Clothes, Camryn Quick

Capstones

Shopping secondhand has experienced an uptick in popularity in the past few years. There are a few reasons for this, all of which are examined in the project. One reason for the increase in secondhand shoppers is the daunting news about the state of our environment. Another reason, perhaps even more powerful than the fear of environmental collapse, is that thrifting has become a fashion phenomenon showcased and distributed throughout social media apps like TikTok. Essentially, shopping secondhand has become cool. This project explores these driving forces behind the thrifting boom, as well as the possible impacts, including "thrift store …

In Vivo Characterization Of Glutamine Metabolism Identifies Therapeutic Targets In Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Akash K Kaushik, Amy Tarangelo, Lindsey K Boroughs, Mukundan Ragavan, Yuanyuan Zhang, Cheng-Yang Wu, Xiangyi Li, Kristen Ahumada, Jui-Chung Chiang, Vanina T Tcheuyap, Faeze Saatchi, Quyen N Do, Cissy Yong, Tracy Rosales, Christina Stevens, Aparna D Rao, Brandon Faubert, Panayotis Pachnis, Lauren G Zacharias, Hieu Vu, Feng Cai, Thomas P Mathews, Giannicola Genovese, Barbara S Slusher, Payal Kapur, Xiankai Sun, Matthew Merritt, James Brugarolas, Ralph J Deberardinis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Targeting metabolic vulnerabilities has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Here, we analyzed the metabolism of patient-derived xenografts (tumorgrafts) from diverse subtypes of RCC. Tumorgrafts from VHL-mutant clear cell RCC (ccRCC) retained metabolic features of human ccRCC and engaged in oxidative and reductive glutamine metabolism. Genetic silencing of isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 or isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 impaired reductive labeling of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates in vivo and suppressed growth of tumors generated from tumorgraft-derived cells. Glutaminase inhibition reduced the contribution of glutamine to the TCA cycle and resulted in modest suppression of tumorgraft growth. Infusions with …

How Much Should Or Can Science Impact Theological Formulations? An AshʿArī Perspective On Theology Of Nature, Shoaib Ahmed Malik, Nazif Muhtaroglu

All Works

There have been many developments in the field of science and religion over the past few decades. One such development is referred to as ‘theology of nature’ (ToN), which is the activity of building or revising theological frameworks in light of cont...

Variation In The M-Opioid Receptor (Oprm1) And Offspring Sex Are Associated With Maternal Behavior In Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta), Zachary Baron

Theses and Dissertations

A m-opioid receptor (OPRM1) single-nucleotide-polymorphism, found in both humans and rhesus macaques mediates the mother-infant attachment bond. Because mothers treat their sons and daughters differently, it is somewhat surprising that the role of infant sex has not been assessed in the context of a maternal-OPRM1-genotype-by-infant-sex interaction. The present study investigates the effect of maternal-OPRM1-genotype and infant sex on mother-infant behaviors. Over the first six months of offspring life, mother-infant behavioral data assessing attachment quality was collected twice weekly from a large number of rhesus monkey mother-infant pairs (N=161 dyads; n=64 female infants, n=97 male infants). Mothers were genotyped for OPRM1 …