Digital Commons Network^™

Visualizing Molecular Interactions That Determine Assembly Of A Bullet-Shaped Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Particle, Simon Jenni, Joshua A Horwitz, Louis-Marie Bloyet, Sean P J Whelan, Stephen C Harrison

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a negative-strand RNA virus with a non-segmented genome, closely related to rabies virus. Both have characteristic bullet-like shapes. We report the structure of intact, infectious VSV particles determined by cryogenic electron microscopy. By compensating for polymorphism among viral particles with computational classification, we obtained a reconstruction of the shaft ("trunk") at 3.5 Å resolution, with lower resolution for the rounded tip. The ribonucleoprotein (RNP), genomic RNA complexed with nucleoprotein (N), curls into a dome-like structure with about eight gradually expanding turns before transitioning into the regular helical trunk. Two layers of matrix (M) protein link …

Genotyping Of The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis) Parasitizing Domestic Small Ruminants In Erbil – The Kurdistan Region Of Iraq, Hemdad H. Mawlood, Khalis A. Hamad, Nawzad K. Bawaker, Hawri H. Mohammed, Omer M. Amin

Polytechnic Journal

Small ruminants such as sheep and goats are deemed an important economic source in the Kurdistan region. Infestations with haematophagous ectoparasites such as fleas, which are common vectors in transmitting serious bacterial diseases, pose a great menace on the public health and animal welfare. To meet the requirements of the study, convenient sampling and molecular characterization were used to investigate infestations of sheep and goats with the cat flea, Ctenocephalides (C.) felis in Erbil governorate. A total of 400 samples (200 of sheep and 200 of goats) from 12 ruminant farms at five districts from intensive and semi- intensive breeding …

Avist: A Benchmark For Visual Object Tracking In Adverse Visibility, Mubashir Noman, Wafa Al Ghallabi, Daniya Najiha, Christoph Mayer, Hisham Cholakkal, Salman Khan, Luc Van Gool, Fahad Shahbaz Khan

Computer Vision Faculty Publications

One of the key factors behind the recent success in visual tracking is the availability of dedicated benchmarks. While being greatly benefiting to the tracking research, existing benchmarks do not pose the same difficulty as before with recent trackers achieving higher performance mainly due to (i) the introduction of more sophisticated transformers-based methods and (ii) the lack of diverse scenarios with adverse visibility such as, severe weather conditions, camouflage and imaging effects. We introduce AVisT, a dedicated benchmark for visual tracking in diverse scenarios with adverse visibility. AVisT comprises 120 challenging sequences with 80k annotated frames, spanning 18 diverse scenarios …

The Vasorelaxant Effect Of Adiantum Capillus-Veneries Extract In The Vascular Activity Of Goat’S Isolated Renal Artery, Aveen Muhsen Asaad, Ismail S. Ibraheem Kakey

Polytechnic Journal

The current study represents the first attempt to investigate the effect of Adiantum capillus-veneris extract (ACVE) on goat’s isolated renal artery smooth muscle’s cell. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the possible action of Adiantum capillus-veneris extract (ACVE) (1×10-4–10-9 mg/ml) in the vascular activity of goat isolated renal artery by using the organ bath and PowerLab data acquisition system, and the phytochemical analysis for the ACVE extract was done by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results of the current study showed that ACVE caused concentration-dependent relaxation of endothelium intact renal artery rings precontracted with a high level of KCl …

The Effects Of Exercise On Innate Lymphoid Cell Metabolism And Function In Cancer, Eunhan Cho

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Immunosenescence refers to the gradual decrease in immune competency over time, which is strongly associated with increased risk of cancer and a rise in morbidity and mortality among the elderly. Regular physical activity can be beneficial to the immune system by potentially decreasing the frequency of senescent immune cells and reducing mortality risk in cancer patients and survivors. However, less is known on the impact of acute exercise on “aggressive” cancers, such as hormone receptor negative breast cancers. Further, the mechanistic underpinnings of the exercise-associated improvements in the immune response to cancer remains unclear. In this context, past studies have …

Genotyping Of The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis) Parasitizing Domestic Small Ruminants In Erbil – The Kurdistan Region Of Iraq, Khalis A. Hamadameen, Hemdad H. Mawlood, Nawzad K. Bawaker, Omer M. Amin, Hawri H. Mohammed

Polytechnic Journal

Small ruminants such as sheep and goats are deemed an important economic source in the Kurdistan region. Infestations with haematophagous ectoparasites such as fleas, which are common vectors in transmitting serious bacterial diseases, pose a great menace on the public health and animal welfare. To meet the requirements of the study, convenient sampling and molecular characterization were used to investigate infestations of sheep and goats with the cat flea, Ctenocephalides (C.) felis in Erbil governorate. A total of 400 samples (200 of sheep and 200 of goats) from 12 ruminant farms at five districts from intensive and semi- intensive breeding …

Heavy Metal Accumulation And Contamination Of Edible Plants Irrigated By Wastewater In Erbil- Kurdistan Region Of Iraq, Dilshad A. Rasul, Karzan M. Khalid, Faeza Burhan Omer

Polytechnic Journal

Heavy metals are important factor for metabolic reaction in edible plants, and also needed by different organs of human body, but their relatively excessive accumulation is hazardous and health risk. Therefore, their concentration in edible plants must be ranged in line, otherwise considered as contaminants. In this study, three edible plants (E. sativa Mill., A. graveolens L. and L. Sativum L.) were harvested and separated to root and shoot parts, then followed by determining some essential and non-essential metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Mn and Ni), using ICP-MS. As a result, the maximum mean values for those metals were (46.58 …

Circadian Rhythms Mediate Infection Risk In Daphnia Dentifera, Alaina C. Pfenning-Butterworth, David T. Nguyen, Jessica L. Hite, Clayton E. Cressler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Biological rhythms mediate important within-host processes such as metabolism, immunity, and behavior which are often linked to combating disease exposure. For many hosts, exposure to pathogens occurs while feeding. However, the link between feeding rhythms and infection risk is unclear because feeding behavior is tightly coupled with immune and metabolic processes which may decrease susceptibility to infection. Here, we use the Daphnia dentifera–Metschnikowia bicuspidata host–pathogen system to determine how rhythms in feeding rate and immune function mediate infection risk. The host is known to have a nocturnal circadian rhythm in feeding rate, yet we found that they do not exhibit …

Immunotherapy For Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus By Adjuvant-Free Schistosoma Japonicum-Egg Tip-Loaded Asymmetric Microneedle Patch (Stamp), Haoming Huang, Dian Hu, Zhuo Chen, Jiarong Xu, Rengui Xu, Yusheng Gong, Zhengming Fang, Ting Wang, Wei Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease mediated by autoreactive T cells and dominated by Th1 response polarization. Insulin replacement therapy faces great challenges to this autoimmune disease, requiring highly frequent daily administration. Intriguingly, the progression of T1DM has proven to be prevented or attenuated by helminth infection or worm antigens for a relatively long term. However, the inevitable problems of low safety and poor compliance arise from infection with live worms or direct injection of antigens. Microneedles would be a promising candidate for local delivery of intact antigens, thus providing an opportunity for the clinical immunotherapy …

Teacher Perception Of A Brief Mindfulness-Based Curriculum And Its Impact On The Development Of Social Skills And Self-Regulation On A Preschool Classroom, Allison Poggendorf

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Recent studies on mindfulness and its impact on children have found promising results, especially with social-emotional skill development. A majority of the research on mindfulness applied in educational setting tends to focus on elementary and high school students, and there is limited, but growing research that examines the impact of mindfulness among early childhood students. This current study explored the impact of a brief mindfulness-based curriculum on an intact preschool classroom. Specifically, this study examined if preschool teachers perceive mindfulness practices in the classroom to impact their students’ self-regulation skills and social skills and how likely they were to continue …

'Bleeding-In-The-World': A Qualitative Study Of Self-Cutting And Blood, Sadie Mohler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an existential, phenomenological study of the role and meaning of blood in self-cutting. Using in-depth, open-ended interviews with participants who self-cut, the author gathered data on the multisensorial experience of blood and bleeding in self-cutting. Data analysis was organized around the lifeworld existentials of corporeality, temporality, spatiality, communication, and relationality. The impact of blood and bleeding across each lifeworld dimension emphasized highly relevant, and previously unstudied, aspects of the lived experience of self-cutting. The six themes identified and explored are (a) blood as an animate abject; (b) bleeding and control; (c) bleeding is a process and the …

Rendering Documentary Portraiture: An Interrogation Of Archival Discourse Through A Critical Exploration Of Nineteenth Century Stage Actress Charlotte Cushman’S Material Memory, Skyler Sunday

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Visual depictions of nineteenth century stage actress Charlotte Cushman, such as photographs, engravings, and painted portraits assist researchers in re-envisioning her both as an actress and as a person, but what do her remaining archival possessions further reveal to researchers about her memory? How do different objects operate as portraits that allow the researcher to tap into and remember specific moments and memory? How does the effort to preserve memory take different forms? This project argues that, when viewing the archive through its stored objects, our collective notion of portraiture can be expanded and used to interrogate existing methods of …

Determinants Of Reproductive Freedom Among Israeli Women Ages 18-50: A Mixed Methods Study, Abby Kra-Friedman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Reproductive freedom is a social determinant of health (SDOH) that reduces health disparities and increases health equity. Through the National Health Insurance Plan, Israeli women can access a range of contraceptive methods. Scant data on Israeli women limits development of policies and interventions to meet international benchmarks for reproductive freedom. The purpose of this dissertation study is to synthesize current international multidisciplinary literature using the capability approach for reproductive freedom, explore determinants of reproductive freedom among Israeli women ages 18-50 using Nussbaum's capability approach, and make recommendations for nursing research, practice, and theory.

Methodology: Using Whittemore and …

Investigating Host Defenses Of North American Salamanders Against The Recently Emerged Chytrid Pathogen, Batrachochytrium Salamandrivorans, Kenzie Pereira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A recently emerged chytrid fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) threatens salamander biodiversity. Bsal susceptibility varies between and within salamander species, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying these differences. Susceptibility is likely influenced by numerous interacting factors, but my dissertation studied the role of host immune responses.

My first aim investigated between species differences by studying the bioactive properties of salamander skin peptides against Bsal and the related pathogen, B. dendrobatidis (Bd). Skin peptides were collected from five salamander species, used for in vitro assays, and analyzed by RP-HPLC. While skin peptides from one …

Novel Signal Sequences And Fusion Partners For Paratransgenesis In Asaia, Christina Grogan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mosquitoes transmit many pathogens that cause human disease. One such disease, malaria, is caused by parasites in the genus Plasmodium, infecting over 200 million people and killing over 600,000 per year. Current strategies to control vector-transmitted diseases are increasingly undermined by mosquito and pathogen resistance. Research has turned to additional and novel methods of control, such as altering the microbiota of the vectors. In this method, called paratransgenesis, symbiotic bacteria are genetically modified to affect the mosquito’s phenotype by engineering them to deliver antiplasmodial molecules into the midgut to kill parasites. These molecules must be released by the …

Neural Stem Cells: Age-Dependent Outcomes During Viral Infections In The Central Nervous System, Manisha N. Chandwani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Viral infections in the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral deficits. The outcomes of viral infections can be driven by damage and death of neurons. Neural stem cells (NSCs) play key roles in neurodevelopment, repair, and physiological brain function. During a viral infection, NSC activity can disturbed by direct infection of NSCs by the virus or by anti-viral immune response. Here, we aimed to assess whether the anti-viral immune response can impact NSC activity during an immunocompetent response in the adult brain. We utilized a transgenic mouse model of Measles virus infection where only the CNS …

Delay Of Gratification Dissociates Cognitive Control And Valuation Brain Regions In Healthy Young Adults, Bidhan Lamichhane, Elisa Di Rosa, Todd S Braver

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Delay of gratification (DofG) refers to an inter-temporal choice phenomenon that is of great interest in many domains, including animal learning, cognitive development, economic decision-making, and executive control. Yet experimental tools for investigating DofG in human adults are almost non-existent, and as a consequence, very little is known regarding the brain basis of core DofG behaviors. Here, we utilize a novel DofG paradigm, adapted for use in neuroimaging contexts, to examine event-related changes in neural activity as healthy young adult participants made repeated choices to continue waiting for a delayed reward, rather than take an immediately available one of lesser …

Keeping 21st Century Paleontology Grounded: Quantitative Genetic Analyses And Ancestral State Reconstruction Re-Emphasize The Essentiality Of Fossils, Tesla A. Monson, Marianne F. Brasil, Michael Mahaney, Christopher A. Schmitt, Catherine E. Taylor, Leslea J. Hlusko

School of Medicine Publications

Advances in genetics and developmental biology are revealing the relationship between genotype and dental phenotype (G:P), providing new approaches for how paleontologists assess dental variation in the fossil record. Our aim was to understand how the method of trait definition influences the ability to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history in the Cercopithecidae, the Linnaean Family of monkeys currently living in Africa and Asia. We compared the two-dimensional assessment of molar size (calculated as the mesiodistal length of the crown multiplied by the buccolingual breadth) to a trait that reflects developmental influences on molar development (the inhibitory cascade, IC) and …

The Effects Of Digital Game-Based Instruction On Knowledge Acquisition And Retention Of Genetics Content, Brinley Kantorski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital educational games have been a part of the educational landscape since the early 1970s. Since then, there has been a proliferation in the quantity, format, type, and quality of digital educational games available to classroom teachers. Despite this, the body of literature surrounding the effectiveness of these digital educational games remains highly fragmented and lacks unifying themes. While some literature exists to support the use of digital educational games in immediate knowledge acquisition, little research has been done on how digital educational games impact the retention of knowledge in the long term. As such, this study examines how the …

Calm-Mo: An Integrative Tool For Psychological Mindfulness, Charles L. Miller

Dissertations, 2020-current

Henriques has developed a “Unified Theory” that consists of eight key ideas he argues can effectively frame both the science of psychology and the practice of psychotherapy. CALM-MO, the eighth of these ideas, offers an integrative, principled approach to psychological mindfulness. CALM-MO is an acronym that encapsulates the process of cultivating a “calm” meta-cognitive observer that embodies the attitudes of curiosity, acceptance, loving compassion, and motivation toward valued states of being. Henriques posits that the idea consolidates key elements from across the various schools of thought to bring together essential therapeutic principles geared toward seeking and maintaining well-being. As such, …

Preliminary Analyses Of Population Structure In The Pennsylvania Population Of Ursus Americanus And Genetic Estimates Of Probability Of Identity, James Neugebauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pennsylvania black bear population are around 15,000 to 17,000 individuals with some of the largest hunter-harvested males in the county. Microsatellites are an important tool that provide insight into populations that can be used for monitoring, management decisions, and DNA testing for wildlife law enforcement through DNA matching. This study provides a preliminary analysis of population structure in Pennsylvania and determines the validity of using a panel of 8 microsatellite markers for forensic cases. 85 black bears from three geographic regions in Pennsylvania were sampled. This study identified an average expected heterozygosity of 0.794, P_ID of 3.2x10^-10, …

Targeting Hyaluronic Acid Synthase-3 (Has3) For The Treatment Of Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma, Xiaohan Xu, Kyle L Poulsen, Lijuan Wu, Shan Liu, Tatsunori Miyata, Qiaoling Song, Qingda Wei, Chenyang Zhao, Chunhua Lin, Jinbo Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Non-alcohol-associated fatty liver/steatohepatitis (NAFL/NASH) has become the leading cause of liver disease worldwide. NASH, an advanced form of NAFL, can be progressive and more susceptible to developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, lifestyle interventions are the most essential and effective strategies for preventing and controlling NAFL without the development of fibrosis. While there are still limited appropriate drugs specifically to treat NAFL/NASH, growing progress is being seen in elucidating the pathogenesis and identifying therapeutic targets. In this review, we discussed recent developments in etiology and prospective therapeutic targets, as well as pharmacological candidates in pre/clinical trials and patents, with a …

Testing Oxygenated Microbubbles Via Intraperitoneal And Intrathoracic Routes On A Large Pig Model Of Lps-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Riaz Ur Rehman Mohammed, Nathaniel T. Zollinger, Andrea R. Mccain, Roser Romaguera-Matas, Seth P. Harris, Keely L. Buesing, Mark A. Borden, Benjamin S. Terry

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

With a mortality rate of 46% before the onset of COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) affected 200,000 people in the US, causing 75,000 deaths. Mortality rates in COVID-19 ARDS patients are currently at 39%. Extrapulmonary support for ARDS aims to supplement mechanical ventilation by providing life-sustaining oxygen to the patient. A new rapid-onset, human-sized pig ARDS model in a porcine intensive care unit (ICU) was developed. The pigs were nebulized intratracheally with a high dose (4 mg/kg) of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) over a 2 h duration to induce rapid-onset moderate-to- severe ARDS. They were then catheterized to monitor …

Using Heritage Sites At Bahariya Oasis On The Tourism Urban Development, Medhat Ahmed Shabaan Samra

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Throughout the tourism planning process for the Bahariya Oasis area, the current study aims to prepare this area to become an applicable model that converts the values of cultural heritage resources into economic values within the tourism industry and the establishment of tourism projects in this area. The Bahariya Oasis area is characterized by many Valuable regions that have not been included on the tourism map by the Egyptian government. To achieve those objectives, the researcher adopted the 'Analytic-Descriptive Approach', as it is suitable for this study throughout reviewing the literature related to the research subject, describing the current situation, …

Review Of: A Geography Of The Hutterites Of North America—Simon M. Evans, Royden Loewen

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

Imagine a complex academic book without a subtitle: straightforward, lucid, accessible. These qualities describe Simon Evans’ final word on Hutterites of the western plains of Canada and the United States. It’s an historical geography, distinctive from the more numerous social scientific studies of the Hutterites. It methodically traces the dispersion of an 1870s Dakota settlement into Manitoba and Alberta during World War I, and then into Montana and Saskatchewan after World War II, with small representations in Washington State and British Columbia. Along the way, Evans deepens his analysis and interlaces theological consideration, demographic change, ecological intrusion, marketplace engagement, political …

Common Ground: An Examination Of Rural Planning And The Growing Amish Presence In Missouri, Krista Evans

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

How do rural communities in Missouri balance the potentially conflicting land use and economic planning needs between incoming and growing Amish populations and non-Amish populations? This qualitative research addresses a gap in the literature by examining the growing Amish population in rural America through the lens of community planning. A comparative case study was conducted in three Amish communities in Missouri and included interviews with public officials who engage in planning and planning-related tasks and an Amish leader at each case site. This project finds that Amish growth and expansion is resulting in both community conflicts and collaborative efforts in …

Neocolonialism In Cape Town: The Municipal Spatial Development Framework (Msdf) Through Critical Theory, Emily Dionne

Capstone Collection

Once the apartheid system in South Africa ended in the early 1990s, spatial planning in Cape Town needed to be reassessed to address its historically-racialized use. Led by city planners, this assessment resulted in the 1996 Municipal Spatial Development Framework (MSDF) Technical Report. Yet, there ended up being a disconnect between planning and implementation, and by the late 2000s, economic growth and development had largely remained in the historically-white areas of the city. Meanwhile, historically-Black neighborhoods and communities of color remained systemically neglected. In 2012, a new MSDF was approved to address the shortcomings of these efforts. While some integration …

Manual Of Sustainable Urban Practices Towards Long-Term Conservation, Haley Kilmer

Capstone Collection

This paper analyzes how urban living and design can be detrimental to the surrounding ecosystems and how it is directly affecting the biodiversity loss of an area. To answer this question, I first did extensive background research on urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity loss as it relates to urban ecosystems. Then, the public’s perceptions were collected through surveys and interviews in order to make meaningful suggestions in the construction of an interactive, biological corridor map. The results showed that increasing the biodiversity of an urban area can help to mitigate many of the common environmental challenges associated with living in …

Damian Nance Book Provides New Chapters On History Of Earth, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Interventions For Healthcare Provider Burnout: A Systematic Literature Review, Parisa Broomandkhoshbacht

Master's Projects and Capstones

Burnout, an occupational syndrome resulting from chronic stress and emotionally intense work demands, is highly prevalent among healthcare providers (HCPs). Burnout among HCPs is associated with negative consequences for provider health, patient care, and the healthcare system. There is a lack of clear guidelines on how to assist U.S.-based healthcare organizations develop interventions for HCP burnout, including effective intervention types and preferred metrics for quantifying burnout. To address this, this author conducted a systematic literature review. The literature review identified U.S.-based interventions for HCP burnout as well as measures used to assess burnout. The studies included in the literature review …