Digital Commons Network^™

An Assessment Of Pregnant Women's Value And Utilization Of Oral Health Care During Pregnancy, Angelica M. Sanchez

Dental Hygiene ETDs

The intention of this survey was to examine the value and utilization of dental services during pregnancy, to identify the value being placed on oral health and dental services during pregnancy. Also, to assess if the women received oral health education from obstetric providers. Pregnancy temporarily increases the risk of periodontal diseases, the prevalence of periodontal diseases is very high during pregnancy, 60-75% of women can be affected. Previous literature suggests that poor oral health is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-term births, low birth weights, and pre-eclampsia. Data was obtained and collected using REDCap. Utilizing the collected …

The Impact Of Music Education On Middle School Students’ Attendance Rates And Academic Achievement On Math And English Language Arts, Irene Wang Shi

Dissertations

In recent years, students’ standardized test scores have become one of the major measurements for students’ learning. However, music as a non-tested subject is often viewed as a lesser valued subject compared to core subjects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact music programs have on student academic achievement and attendance rate. The data was collected from one middle school of a large school district located in the northeast of Missouri. The study population includes sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students who enrolled in the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2020-2021 school years. The population was divided into students who …

Abnormal Lipid Metabolism In Epidermal Langerhans Cells Mediates Psoriasis-Like Dermatitis, Xilin Zhang, Xiaorui Li, Yuanyuan Wang, Youdong Chen, Yijun Hu, Chunyuan Guo, Zengyang Yu, Peng Xu, Yangfeng Ding, Qing-Sheng Mi, Jianhua Wu, Jun Gu, Yuling Shi

Dermatology Articles

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease, frequently associated with dyslipidemia. Lipid disturbance in psoriasis affects both circulatory system and cutaneous tissue. Epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) are tissue-resident DCs that maintain skin immune surveillance and mediate various cutaneous disorders, including psoriasis. However, the role of LCs in psoriasis development and their lipid metabolic alternation remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that epidermal LCs of psoriasis patients enlarge with longer dendrites and possess elevated IL-23p19 mRNA and a higher level of neutral lipids when compared with normal LCs of healthy individuals. Accordantly, epidermal LCs from imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice display overmaturation, …

Stoneware And Earthenware From The Beeswax Wreck: Classification Of The Dubé Collection And Discussion Of The Interpretation Of The Materials In Protohistoric Sites, Vanessa Renee Litzenberg

Dissertations and Theses

Over the past three centuries, items from the Beeswax Wreck have been discovered on Oregon's northern coastline near Manzanita, including stoneware and earthenware fragments. While the stoneware and earthenware were not noticed by beachcombers washing ashore until more recently, similar artifacts have been noted within Indigenous sites for decades. While most of the analysis of the artifacts found in protohistoric settings are used to provide proof of a wreck or potentially a marker of the start of the contact period, this study aims to provide some context to the stoneware and earthenware sherds related to the wreck. The goal was …

Personality-Dependent Responses Of Elk To Predatory Pursuits, Rob Found

Western North American Naturalist

Personality in wildlife has been linked to several ecological processes including mortality risk, facultative migration, and behavioral plasticity. In this paper I examined the relationship between personality and antipredator tactics exhibited by 20 wild female elk (Cervus canadensis) in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Two observers conducted 106 separate chases designed explicitly to resemble predator pursuits by wolves, the main predator of elk. We quantified and classified elk tactical responses during each chase. Elk with “shy” type personalities responded to 84% of predator-resembling pursuits by employing speed-based tactics to outrun pursuers or rejoin conspecifics. Elk with “bold” type personalities …

Seasonal Climatic Niche And Migration Movements Of Double-Crested Cormorants, D. Tommy King, Guiming Wang, Fred L. Cunningham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Avian migrants are challenged by seasonal adverse climatic conditions and energetic costs of long-distance flying. Migratory birds may track or switch seasonal climatic niche between the breeding and non-breeding grounds. Satellite tracking enables avian ecologists to investigate seasonal climatic niche and circannual movement patterns of migratory birds. The Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum, hereafter cormorant) wintering in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) migrates to the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes and is of economic importance because of its impacts on aquaculture. We tested the climatic niche switching hypothesis that cormorants would switch climatic niche between summer and winter …

Reactions In The Microannulus Of A Wellbore System With Produced Water From The Permian Basin, Ernesto J. Perea

Civil Engineering ETDs

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of the products from steel corrosion and cement dissolution after reaction with produced water (PW) on the permeability of a wellbore microannulus. The wellbore microannulus is the interface between wellbore cement and steel casing and is often identified as a leakage pathway in wellbore systems. The need to better understand the impact of PW on well integrity aids in the assessment of environmental impacts of energy production. Static batch reactors were used to expose a cement – steel microannulus to two PW solutions, a simulated PW, and a field sampled …

Characterization Of Electrophoretic Deposited Zinc Oxide Nanopartices For The Fabrication Of Next-Generation Nanoscale Electronic Applications, Fawwaz Abduh A. Hazzazi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Several reports state that it is crucial to analyze nanoscale semiconductor materials and devices with potential benefits to meet the need for next-generation nanoelectronics, bio, and nanosensors. The progress in the electronics field is as significant now, with modern technology constantly evolving and a greater focus on more efficient robust optoelectronic applications. This dissertation focuses on the study and examination of the practicality of Electrophoretic Deposition (EPD) of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) for use in semiconductor applications.

The feasibility of several synthesized electrolytes, with and without surfactants and APTES surface functionalization, is discussed. The primary objective of this study …

Antiaging Mechanism Of Natural Compounds: Effects On Autophagy And Oxidative Stress., Elizabeth Taylor, Yujin Kim, Kaleb Zhang, Lenne Chau, Bao Chieu Nguyen, Srujana Rayalam, Xinyu Wang

PCOM Scholarly Works

Aging is a natural biological process that manifests as the progressive loss of function in cells, tissues, and organs. Because mechanisms that are meant to promote cellular longevity tend to decrease in effectiveness with age, it is no surprise that aging presents as a major risk factor for many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and diabetes. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between the intracellular antioxidant and overproduction of reactive oxygen species, is known to promote the aging process. Autophagy, a major pathway for protein turnover, is considered as one of the hallmarks of aging. Given the progressive physiologic …

Prmt5 Activates Akt Via Methylation To Promote Tumor Metastasis., Lei Huang, Xiao-Ou Zhang, Esteban J Rozen, Xiaomei Sun, Benjamin Sallis, Odette Verdejo-Torres, Kim Wigglesworth, Daniel Moon, Tingting Huang, John P Cavaretta, Gang Wang, Lei Zhang, Jason M Shohet, Mary M. Lee, Qiong Wu

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is the primary methyltransferase generating symmetric-dimethyl-arginine marks on histone and non-histone proteins. PRMT5 dysregulation is implicated in multiple oncogenic processes. Here, we report that PRMT5-mediated methylation of protein kinase B (AKT) is required for its subsequent phosphorylation at Thr308 and Ser473. Moreover, pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of PRMT5 abolishes AKT1 arginine 15 methylation, thereby preventing AKT1 translocation to the plasma membrane and subsequent recruitment of its upstream activating kinases PDK1 and mTOR2. We show that PRMT5/AKT signaling controls the expression of the epithelial-mesenchymal-transition transcription factors ZEB1, SNAIL, and TWIST1. PRMT5 inhibition significantly attenuates primary tumor …

The Effect Of Natural Disturbances On Forest Biodiversity: An Ecological Synthesis, Mari-Liis Viljur, Scott R. Abella, Martin Adamek, Janderson Batista Rodrigues Alencar, Nicholas A. Barber, Burkhard Beudert, Brahim Chergui, Chang-Yong Choi, Daniel F. R. Cleary, Thomas Seth Davis, Yanus A. Dechnik-Vazquez, William M. Downing, Andrés Fuentes-Ramirez, Kamal J. K. Gandhi, Catherine Gehring, Kostadin B. Georgiev, Mark Gimbutas, Konstantin B. Gongalsky, Anastasiya Y. Gorbunova, Cathryn H. Greenberg, Kristoffer Hylander, Erik S. Jules, Daniil I. Korobushkin, Kajar Köster, Valerie Kurth, Joseph Drew Lanham, Maria Lazarina, Alexandro B. Leverkus, David Lindenmayer, Daniel Magnabosco Marra, Pablo Martín-Pinto, Jorge A. Meave, Marco Moretti, Hyun-Young Nam, Martin K. Obrist, Theodora Petanidou, Pere Pons, Simon G. Potts, Irina B. Rapoport, Paul R. Rhoades, Clark Richter, Ruslan A. Saifutdinov, Nathan J. Sanders, Xavier Santos, Zachary Steel, Julia Tavella, Clara Wendenburg, Beat Wermelinger, Andrey S. Zaitsev, Simon Thorn

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Disturbances alter biodiversity via their specific characteristics, including severity and extent in the landscape, which act at different temporal and spatial scales. Biodiversity response to disturbance also depends on the community characteristics and habitat requirements of species. Untangling the mechanistic interplay of these factors has guided disturbance ecology for decades, generating mixed scientific evidence of biodiversity responses to disturbance. Understanding the impact of natural disturbances on biodiversity is increasingly important due to human-induced changes in natural disturbance regimes. In many areas, major natural forest disturbances, such as wildfires, windstorms, and insect outbreaks, are becoming more frequent, intense, severe, and widespread …

Molnupiravir Inhibits Sars-Cov-2 Variants Including Omicron In The Hamster Model, K Rosenke, Atsushi Okumura, Matthew C. Lewis, F Feldmann, Kimberly Meade-White, W. Forrest Bohler, Amanda Griffin, R Rosenke, Carl Shaia, Michael A. Jarvis, H Feldmann

School of Biomedical Sciences

The effectiveness of exercise and physical therapy for children with ataxia is poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the range, scope and methodological quality of studies investigating the effectiveness of exercise and physical therapy interventions for children with ataxia. The following databases were searched: AMED, CENTRAL, CDSR, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, PEDro and Web of Science. No limits were placed on language, type of study or year of publication. Two reviewers independently determined whether the studies met the inclusion criteria, extracted all relevant outcomes, and conducted methodological quality assessments. A total of 1988 …

Optical Control Of Protein Delivery And Partitioning In The Nucleolus, Peng Tan, Tingting Hong, Xiaoli Cai, Wenbo Li, Yun Huang, Lian He, Yubin Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The nucleolus is a subnuclear membraneless compartment intimately involved in ribosomal RNA synthesis, ribosome biogenesis and stress response. Multiple optogenetic devices have been developed to manipulate nuclear protein import and export, but molecular tools tailored for remote control over selective targeting or partitioning of cargo proteins into subnuclear compartments capable of phase separation are still limited. Here, we report a set of single-component photoinducible nucleolus-targeting tools, designated pNUTs, to enable rapid and reversible nucleoplasm-to-nucleolus shuttling, with the half-lives ranging from milliseconds to minutes. pNUTs allow both global protein infiltration into nucleoli and local delivery of cargoes into the outermost layer …

The Effects Of Temperature And Oxygen Availability On Aerobic Performance In Three Coastal Shark Species; Squalus Acanthias, Carcharhinus Limbatus, And Carcharhinus Leucas, Alyssa M. Andres

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenically driven climate changes are altering marine habitats globally. Rising sea surface temperatures and coastal eutrophication, arising from global warming and coastal nutrient loading, have resulted in progressive ocean deoxygenation. This may restrict available habitat of marine organisms as studies suggest that the balance between metabolic oxygen demand and environmental supply plays an important role in limiting viable habitat and species fitness. As ectothermic predators, with temperature-dependent metabolism and high metabolic demands, coastal shark species may be susceptible to shifts in ocean temperature and oxygen. Such environmental changes may alter metabolic performance and ultimately success and survival within shark habitat. …

Interleukin-8 Produced From Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Suppresses Proliferation Of The Ocuch-Lm1 Cancer Cell Line, Ryota Tanaka, Kenjiro Kimura, Shimpei Eguchi, Go Ohira, Shogo Tanaka, Ryosuke Amano, Hiroaki Tanaka, Masakazu Yashiro, Masaichi Ohira, Shoji Kubo

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in cancer growth by interacting with cancer cells, but their effects differ depending on the type of cancer. This study investigated the role of CAFs in biliary tract cancers (BTCs), compared with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) as a comparison cohort.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression in CAFs from 114 cases of PDAC and 154 cases of BTCs who underwent surgical treatment at our institution from 1996 to 2017. CAFs were isolated from resected specimens of BTC and PDAC, and tested for the effects of their supernatants and cytokines …

Rapid Response Protocol (Rrp) For Monitoring Water Quality Parameters For Wildfire Disturbance, Paige G. Tunby

Civil Engineering ETDs

The increase in wildfire frequency and intensity has been driven by the sensitivity of fire regimes to climate changes and fire suppression. Wildfires impact hydrological and environmental processes and ecosystem service due to the mobilization of wildfire debris by precipitation. Data on post-fire water quality dynamics have been measured in a few study cases from burned watersheds where sensors were deployed to monitor non-fire-related water quality issues. This has led to a dearth of data for understanding the effects of wildfire disturbances on fluvial networks. To close the gap in available water quality data, we have created a rapid response …

The Perfect Fall, Zachary Bigelow

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Firefly Trapper, Jona Pedersen

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

From Recognition To Regulation: Access To In Vitro Fertilization And The American Convention On Human Rights, Martín Hevia, Carlos Herrera Vacaflor

Florida Journal of International Law

During the last few years, the Americas have been stage for intense public debate and various judicial rulings over the scope of reproductive rights and access to reproductive technology. Yet only as recently as 2012 and for the first time in its history, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) accepted a case on reproductive rights: “Artavia Murillo c. Costa Rica.” In this case, the Court considered whether an absolute prohibition on access to in vitro fertility treatments (IVF) could be compatible with the rights recognized in the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR). Costa Rica was the only country …

State Criminal Prosecution Of A Former President: Accountability Through Complementarity Under American Federalism, Benjamin G. Davis, Caroline Allen, Daniel Desloover, Maria K. Fajardo, Jason French, Lindsy W. Gwozdz, James R. Hart, Zachary Hillyer, Holly Hillyer, Christina Koralewski, Daniel P. Poignon, Kelly M. Rice, Faith R. Stover, Jay M. Wiseman

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Beyond Critical Mass: A Comparative Perspective On Judicial Design And Gender Equality In Iraq And Afghanistan, Carolyn A. Dubay

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Aclu V. United States Department Of Defense: Substantive Difference=Substantial Deference, Jennifer Allen

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Applicability And Application Of The Laws Of War To Modern Conflicts, Daphné Richemond-Barak

Florida Journal of International Law

This Article examines if, and how, the laws of war apply to conflicts involving non-state actors—whether they are guerrilla groups, terrorist organizations or private military contractors.

Revisiting Baby Boy V. United States: Why The Iachr Resolution Did Not Effectively Undermine The Inter-American System On Human Rights' Protection Of The Right To Life From Conception, Ligia M. De Jesus

Florida Journal of International Law

This Article examines the nature of the Baby Boy resolution, its potential legal effects, the legal weight it actually has in the Inter-American system, and whether it created a treaty exception to the right to life for voluntary abortion. It concludes that Baby Boy did not validly create an abortion exception to the right to life in the Inter-American system on human rights. It also demonstrates that Baby Boy is not an authoritative interpretation of the Declaration or the Convention, has no precedential value on abortion in the Inter-American system of human rights, and therefore neither Latin American states nor …

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty And Pakistan: Interpreting Nuclear Security Assistance Prohibitions, Steven G. Stransky

Florida Journal of International Law

This Article will analyze the NPT and determine what legally permissible nuclear-security assistance Washington may provide Islamabad. Part II of this Article discusses why and how Pakistan built its nuclear arsenal as well as the national and international security threats emanating from that arsenal. Part III briefly introduces the types of security measures available to safeguard nuclear weapons and materials from unlawful access or proliferation. Part IV thoroughly examines the NPT by applying traditional methods of treaty interpretation to determine how this body of law may impact U.S. aid to Pakistan. Part V provides some concluding thoughts.

Our "Jack Bauer" Culture: Eliminating The Ticking Time Bomb Exception To Torture, Kate Kovarovic

Florida Journal of International Law

This Article seeks to convey that under no set of circumstances, including a ticking time bomb, is the use of torture permissible. Aside from being morally repugnant, both domestic and international law clearly establish that the use of torture on terrorist suspects is strictly prohibited. In order to move beyond out past administration’s mistakes, the United States must now reassert its protection of this most basic of human rights by denouncing the use of torture and by ensuring that state officials neither utilize nor encourage the use of torture on suspects. As so eloquently stated by Georgetown Law Professor David …

Navigating The "Series Of Rocks": Applying The Lessons From The Material Support Bar To Include Duress, De Minimis, And Age Of Consent Exceptions To The Persecutor Bar, Frank M. Walsh

Florida Journal of International Law

This Article argues that the BIA, in solving the persecutor bar problem assigned by the Supreme Court, should learn from the controversy over the material support bar. Like the material support bar, the persecutor bar is a well-intentioned restriction to exclude those individuals who do not deserve asylum relief. Like the material support bar, the persecutor failed to include an explicit duress or de minimis exception. Therefore, like the material support bar, the persecutor bar should allow for both duress and de minimis exceptions even though there is no explicit mention of those defenses in the statute. Part II of …

The Social-Obligation Norm Of Property: Duguit, Hayem, And Others, M.C. Mirow

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Invitation To A Discourse Regarding The History, Philosophy And Social Psychology Of A Property Right In Copyright, Sharon E. Foster

Florida Journal of International Law

This paper explores the reference to a creative expression as “mine” in relation to the question of why there is a property right in the reproduction of creative expressions from an historical, philosophical and social psychological perspective. And why does this matter? The law is not created in a vacuum; it reflects history, human nature, culture, and many other considerations. As the introductory quotation properly points out, we must understand the human tendency to lay claim to creative expressions in order to have the wisdom to decide if a legal property right should still be acknowledged or if it is …

Toward A Vibrant Peruvian Middle Class: Effects Of The Peru-United States Free Trade Agreement On Labor Rights, Biodiversity, And Indigenous Populations, Stephen J. Powell, Paola A. Chavarro

Florida Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.