Digital Commons Network^™

Hippo Signaling Pathway: A Comprehensive Gene Expression Profile Analysis In Breast Cancer, Hassan Yousefi, Mahsa Rostamian Delavar, Fatemeh Piroozian, Masoud Baghi, Khoa Nguyen, Thomas Cheng, Cecilia Vittori, David Worthylake, Suresh K. Alahari

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women and a major public health concern. The Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway that serves as a key regulator for a wide variety of biological processes. Hippo signaling has been shown to have both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive functions in various cancers. Core components of the Hippo pathway consist of various kinases and downstream effectors such as YAP/TAZ. In the current report, differential expression of Hippo pathway elements as well as the correlation of Hippo pathway mRNAs with various clinicopathologic characteristics, including molecular subtypes, receptor status, and methylation …

Recycled Concrete Aggregates Are An Economic Form Of Urban Riparian Erosion Management With Limited Impacts On Freshwater Chemistry And Microbial Diversity, Rachelle E. Beattie, Bixia Su, Rebecca Thill, Krassimira R. Hristova

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Urban streams are at high risk of riparian erosion which impacts adjacent infrastructure stability. Methods to prevent stream erosion have been proposed including using recycled concrete (RC) materials to help stabilize the streambed; however, little is known about the environmental and biological impacts of using RC in urban streams. RC, new concrete (NC), and river rock controls were evaluated for their impact on water chemistry, water quality, and microbial community composition over 6.5 months in controlled laboratory mesocosms. Concentrations of 19 metals, nutrients, and pH of mesocosms containing RC were not significantly different from the river rock mesocosm throughout the …

Linkage Analysis And Residual Heterozygotes Derived Near Isogenic Lines Reveals A Novel Protein Quantitative Trait Loci From A Glycine Soja Accession, Yia Yang, Thang C. La, Jason D. Gillman, Zhen Lyu, Trupti Joshi, Mariola Usovsky, Qijian Song, Andrew Scaboo

Biomedical Sciences

Modern soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cultivars have low overall genetic variation due to repeated bottleneck events that arose during domestication and from selection strategies typical of many soybean breeding programs. In both public and private soybean breeding programs, the introgression of wild soybean (Glycine soja Siebold and Zucc.) alleles is a viable option to increase genetic diversity and identify new sources for traits of value. The objectives of our study were to examine the genetic architecture responsible for seed protein and oil using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from hybridizing a G. max …

Ong-Term Effects Of Developmental Exposure To Oxycodone On Gut Microbiota And Relationship To Adult Behaviors And Metabolism, Zhen Lyu, Robert R. Schmidt, Rachel E. Martin, Madison T. Green, Jessica A. Kinkade, Jiude Mao, Nathan J. Bivens, Trupti Joshi, Cheryl S. Rosenfeld

Biomedical Sciences

Opioid drugs are commonly prescribed analgesic to pregnant women. Direct exposure to such drugs may slow gut motility, alter gut permeability, and affect the gut microbiome. While such drugs affect gut microbiome in infants, no study to date has determined whether developmental exposure to such drugs results in longstanding effects on gut microbiota and correspondingly on host responses. We hypothesized developmental exposure to oxycodone (OXY) leads to enduring effects on gut microbiota and such changes are associated with adult neurobehavioral and metabolic changes. Female mice were treated daily with 5 mg OXY/kg or saline solution (control [CTL]) for 2 weeks …

Differential Regulation Of Flower Transpiration During Abiotic Stress In Annual Plants, Ranjita Sinha, Sara I. Zandalinas, Yosef Fichman, Sidharth Sen, Shuai Zeng, Aurelio Gómez-Cadenas, Trupti Joshi, Felix B. Fritschi, Ron Mittler

Biomedical Sciences

Heat waves occurring during droughts can have a devastating impact on yield, especially if they happen during the flowering and seed set stages of the crop cycle. Global warming and climate change are driving an alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of combined drought and heat stress episodes, critically threatening global food security. Because high temperature is detrimental to reproductive processes, essential for plant yield, we measured the inner temperature, transpiration, sepal stomatal aperture, hormone concentrations and transcriptomic response of closed soybean flowers developing on plants subjected to a combination of drought and heat stress. Here, we report that, …

2022/2023 University Of The Pacific Stockton Graduate Catalog, University Of The Pacific

Catalogue, Bulletin, Catalog

No abstract provided.

Improved Photodecarboxylation Properties In Zinc Photocages Constructed Using M‐Nitrophenylacetic Acid Variants, Austin K. Shigemoto, Avik Bhattacharjee, Erin E. Hickey, Hallee Jade Boyd, Theresa M. Mccormick, Shawn C. Burdette

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The methoxy- and fluoro-derivatives of meta-nitrophenylacetic acid (mNPA) chromophores undergo photodecarboxylation with comparable quantum yields to unsubstituted mNPA, but uncage at red-shifted excitation wavelengths. This observation prompted us to investigate DPAdeCageOMe (2-[bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino]-2-(4-methoxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetic acid) and DPAdeCageF (2-[bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino]-2-(4-fluoro-3-nitrophenyl)acetic acid) as Zn2+ photocages. DPAdeCageOMe has a high quantum yield and exhibits other photophysical properties comparable to XDPAdeCage ({bis[(2-pyridyl)methyl]amino}(9-oxo-2-xanthenyl) acetic acid), the best perforiming Zn2+ photocage reported to date. Since the synthesis of DPAdeCageOMe is more straightforward than XDPACage, the new photocage will be a highly competitive tool for biological applications.

Tropical Cyclone Storm Surge Detection In Slash Pine Radial Growth Along The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coastline, Alyssa C. Crowell

Master's Theses

My thesis examines the ecological impact of tropical cyclone (TCs) storm surge on coastal slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm) communities along the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States (U.S.). Previous research has shown slash pine radial growth trends can be examined to identify long and short-term growth changes associated with TC passage, providing insight into overall stand health and resiliency through time. However, this previous research encompasses just one site in Mississippi. My thesis expands the spatial footprint of TC-surge impact on slash pine radial growth with the addition of three new sites.

I examined …

Changes In The Morphology Of Widgeon Grass (Ruppia Maritima) With The Onset Of Reproduction And Impacts On Fish Assemblages At The Chandeleur Islands, La, Matthew Byrnes

Master's Theses

Seagrasses are important submerged coastal habitats that support nearshore communities. Ruppia maritima (widgeon grass) is a widespread species whose leaves branch extensively when reproductive. The goal of this study was to understand use of reproductive and non-reproductive R. maritima by fishes, recognizing the morphological change undergone by the plant when flowering. During the peak reproductive season in August and September 2021, R. maritima meadows at the Chandeleur Islands, LA were sampled to describe the spatial distribution and morphology of reproductive plants and investigate habitat use by fish assemblages. We assessed spatial trends in R. maritima presence and occurrence of reproduction …

Phosphatidylethanolamine Methyltransferase Deficiency Exacerbates Acute Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury, Jessica A. Gardner, Madan Kumar Arumugam, Srinivas Chava, Sathish Kumar Perumal, Kusum K. Kharbanda

Posters: 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a global burden of healthcare and remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. ALD includes a spectrum of injuries that progresses from hepatic steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis to alcohol-associated cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma with continued alcohol misuse. The development of ALD depends on several factors, including genetics. The liver enzyme phosphatidylethanolamine methyltransferase (PEMT) catalyzes three sequential methyl transfers to phosphatidylethanolamine, generating phosphatidylcholine (PC). The PC generated with PEMT-mediated catalysis is preferentially used in very-low-density-lipoprotein (VLDL) assembly and is required for its normal biogenesis and secretion (1-3). Alcohol affects the methylation potential and impairs …

Designing A Model To Measure Information Intelligence Based On The Indices And Measures, Asefeh Asemi, Vahid Aghakishizadeh, Ahmad Shabani, Adeleh Asemi, Andrea Ko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Measuring information intelligence is especially important in information societies. The present study aimed to identify indices and measures effective and design a model for measuring information intelligence. The research used a mixed method to achieve objectives. Data collection tools included the study of scientific literature and interviews. The research population included related published literature related to scientific theories, information science experts, and psychology experts. Based on the research findings, 14 indices and 97 measures were identified as effective for measuring information intelligence in two dimensions of management and information retrieval. After weighing and prioritizing the indices, finally, a model is …

Formulations And Evaluation Of Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablets Of Anti-Histamine Drug Using Natural Polymers, Shardor Ambarish Ghalappa Shardor Mr, Siddramappa Basavaraj Shirsand Dr, Shailashri Siddramappa Shirsand Mrs, Chandrakant C. Patil Dr

Manipal Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences

Introduction: The present investigation highlights the formulation of buccoadhesive tablets of Ketotifen fumarate, a second-generation H1-antihistamine and mast cell stabilizer. The properties of Ketotifen may contribute to its antiallergic activity. Method: The mucoadhesive buccal tablets of Ketotifen fumarate were prepared by direct compression method using natural polymers like sodium alginate, xanthan gum, karaya gum, and gaur gum along with carbopol 934P in different ratios. Ethyl cellulose is used as a backing layer to promote the unidirectional flow of drugs in the buccal region. Results: After examining the flow properties of the powder blends the results were found to be within …

Worldwide Consequences Of Covid-19 On Research In Stem, Michelle Hoang, Santanu De

Biology Faculty Articles

A global public health emergency like the Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires accurate and timely data collection in the research community. High-impact research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been prioritized in the fight against COVID-19. The present study analyzed the consequences of COVID-19 on STEM research and the collaboration between research institutions and industries worldwide. It was noted that COVID19 had caused significant delays in non-COVID-19-related research projects and the onset of several remote studies. Most importantly, researchers in the STEM fields directed their attention and expertise to help mitigate virus transmission, treat patients, and …

Understanding Construction Of Technologies Of (Trans)Gender In India Shaped By Mechanisms Of Security, Surveillance And Welfare, Kaushal Bodwal

Socio-Legal Review

Through this paper, I aim to understand how the notion of surveillance as it functions in state welfare contributes to the construction of transgender identity. By looking critically at welfare mechanisms not only as failures in proper implementation but also as inscribing technologies of security on bodies through surveillance techniques, I try to question the value of state legibility by focusing largely on its relation to the security apparatus. This security apparatus does not simply function through the law but through a host of institutions, particularly psychology and medicine, which allow the state to regulate and employ dominant understandings of …

The Apoe Ε4 Allele Association With Cholesterol Related Phenotypes In The Mexican American Population, Stephanie Lozano

Theses and Dissertations

Diseases linked to high cholesterol have been well studied and several diseases-associated candidate genes have been suggested. Among these, the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) gene associated with lipid metabolism and lipid-related traits was reported in the non-Hispanic population. There are three types of alleles APOE ε2, ε3, and ε4. The APOE ε4 allele has been identified as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In recent years, there have been limited studies regarding the association between the APOE gene and hypercholesterolemia in the Mexican American population. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate …

Lab-Scale Data And Microbial Community Structure Suggest Shortcut Nitrogen Removal As The Predominant Nitrogen Removal Mechanism In Post-Aerobic Digestion (Pad), Fabrizio Sabba, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Eric Redmond, Mike Young, Leon Downing

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Implementing an aerobic digestion step after anaerobic digestion, referred to as “post aerobic digestion” (PAD), can remove ammonia without the need for an external carbon source and destroy volatile solids. While this process has been documented at the lab-scale and full-scale, the mechanism for N removal and the corresponding microbial community that carries out this process have not been established. This research gap is important to fill because the nitrogen removal pathway has implications on aeration requirements and carbon demand, that is, short-cut N-removal requires less oxygen and carbon than simultaneous nitrification–denitrification. The aims of this research were to (i) …

Public Art Narrative, Jess Correa

Summer Institute

No abstract provided.

Human / Nature

In Case You Missed It

JULY 2022

Artificial Bias: The Ethical Concerns Of Ai-Driven Dispute Resolution In Family Matters, Wensdai Brooks

Journal of Dispute Resolution

From the global positioning systems (GPS) that guide our morning commute to the more complex machine learning systems used to build Spotify’s curation algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a central part of the way that society functions efficiently. AI has become increasingly integrated into our daily lives, permeating consumer and corporate worlds alike. Despite a reputation for being slow to adopt new technology, the legal field has been particularly forward in embracing the use of AI to increase docket speeds, optimize case management, and fill gaps in access to justice. An impressive array of programs now exists, creating a …

Adr Provisions To Inoculate The Vaccine Industry From Governmental Ip Takings, Mark Buck

Journal of Dispute Resolution

It started with a cough. It continued with a fever. After several days of treatment with over-the-counter medications without improvement, it became clear that Victor Villarroel Saavedra, an unvaccinated but otherwise in good health Bolivian physician, had contracted COVID-19 in the summer of 2020. By this point, Victor’s options were limited: seek at-home care or go to the hospital. After a few days of in-home care with nasal canal oxygen and nursing/physician oversight, he was eventually transferred to a hospital where he passed within the week. This all could have been avoided with a simple jab in the otherwise healthy …

Ultrafast Magneto-Optic Study Of Exchange Interactions In Magnetic Materials, Hengzhou Liu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magneto-optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) is a very important method to investigate the magnetization ofmaterials with the polarization and intensity of light reflected from a sample. Both dynamic and static MOKE are performed to study the magnetic properties of thin films and bulk crystals in this research. For the static MOKE measurement, a solid state laser was used to probe the samples to generate a hysteresis loop by changing the external field from -0.8 T to 0.8 T. The magnet can be placed at an angle between 0 to 20 degree with respect to the sample surface to probe different sample …

Approach And Avoidance Food Craving: A Dual Cue Reactivity Investigation, Christina Lee Verzijl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent research suggests that food craving is a motivational process underlying the full spectrum of disordered eating behaviors. The ambivalence model of craving, originally applied to substance use craving, provides a framework through which the push-pull motivational process of food craving and its relation to the range of disordered eating behaviors can be understood. In this perspective, food craving is a multi-dimensional motivational process that involves an individual’s competing desires to both consume (i.e., approach) and not consume (i.e., avoid) certain food. Building on previous literature, the current study tested whether behavioral measures of approach and avoidance food craving (i.e., …

Can Diatom Motility Indices Reflect Excess Fine Sediment Condition In Streams?, Christine L. Weilhoefer, Yangdong Pan

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The diatom motility trait is widely used in bioassessment studies, however, there is no strong consensus as to what environmental conditions diatom motility reflects. We used random forest models to explore the behavior of several diatom-based motility indices and examined whether stronger diatom motility-environmental relationships could be developed by controlling for environmental factors that influence natural sediment loads and factors that co-occur with anthropogenic sediment loading. Across the study area, median values of most stressors were low; streambed fine sediments ranged from 0 to 100% (median: 6.7%) and total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0 to 2587 µg L−1 (median: 17 …

Mechanism Of Mechanical Vibration In Enhancing Orthodontic Retention- Analysis Of Global Gene Expression, Shuwei Wang

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Introduction: Low-magnitude, high-frequency (LMHF) mechanical vibration has been proposed as a possible adjunctive retention method after orthodontic treatment. In this study, we explored the mechanism of using LMHF vibration to improve bone formation during retention phase. We aimed to provide insight of global gene expression and cellular activities of PDL cells under tension, as well as identify novel biomarkers for induced osteogenesis by using LMHF mechanical vibration as adjunct tool in retention phase. Materials and Methods: Human PDL cells (hPDLCs) were seeded in 6-well FLEXCELL culture plates. The wells were assigned to four experimental groups as control, stretching (ST), vibration …

Evaluation Of Damon Psl And Conventional Mbt Brackets In Leveling And Alignment Efficiency, Jacob Beckstrand

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Objective: Ormco has proposed that the low-friction design of their self-ligation brackets allows for more efficient alignment of crowded teeth with less incisor proclination and faster treatment times compared to conventional MBT bracket systems. The purpose of this study is to examine the hypothesis that there is no difference between Damon PSL and conventional MBT brackets in factors related to leveling and alignment in-vitro. Methods:Damon Q2 .022” slot brackets and 3M Unitek .022” slot MBT brackets were bonded to 2 sets of typodont teeth. Typodont teeth were placed into 8 upper and lower Class I crowding wax forms (Kilgore, USA) …

The Effect Of Tray Design And Impression Material Consistencies On Accuracy Of Complete Arch Implant Supported Fixed Dental Prostheses Master Casts, Lujain Kurdi

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Purpose of this Study: The purpose of this study is to determine the accuracy and precision of complete arch implant supported fixed dental prosthesis impressions made with a low viscosity PVS while supporting the splinted impression copings with heavy viscosity PVS on a reference model simulating an all-on-4 prosthesis using both stock and custom trays. Material and Methods: A model was scanned to act as the reference model. The splinting device and custom tray were printed using FormLAb printer and custom resin tray material. Four group were included in the study. Stock tray with and without support and custom tray …

Regulation Of The Heat Shock Response Via Lysine Acetyltransferase Cbp-1 And In Neurodegenerative Disease In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Lindsey N. Barrett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The decline of proteostasis is a hallmark of aging that is, in part, affected by the dysregulation of the heat shock response (HSR), a highly conserved cellular response to proteotoxic stress in the cell. The heat shock transcription factor HSF-1 is well-studied as a key regulator of proteostasis, but mechanisms that could be used to modulate HSF-1 function to enhance proteostasis during aging are largely unknown. In this study, we examined lysine acetyltransferase regulation of the HSR and HSF-1 in C. elegans. We performed an RNA interference screen of lysine acetyltransferases and examined mRNA expression of the heat-shock inducible gene …

A Bathroom Break For Teachers: An Institutional Ethnotheatrical Inquiry, Jonathan M. Coker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher bathroom dilemma, a term I coined to describe teachers not having adequate access to the bathroom during their workdays. While this issue is widely known by those in the profession, only a handful of articles have been written on this topic. The teacher bathroom dilemma is part of a litany of working conditions that have intensified due to the neoliberal turn in education, forcing teachers to perform precarious actions that endanger their physical and psychological health. This dissertation explored how the teacher bathroom dilemma impacted teachers’ work and personal lives. …

Educational Language Policy: An Examination Of Race And Language In Policy Discourse, Dionne L. Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Linguistic diversity is an integral thread in the tapestry of America. As such researchers how linguistic differences across ethnoracial groups can be understood as resources rather than problems. The aim of this study was to examine ideologies concerning race/ethnicity and language in the discourse of educational language policies that guide multilingual approaches to education. The design of this study was critical discourse policy analysis, and the framework was a combination of Critical Language and Race Theory, also known as LangCrit (Crump, 2014), and Raciolinguistics (Alim, 2016; Flores and Rosa, 2015). The research questions were: (1) How are ideologies about the …

An Evaluation Of Hemp Cultivation Practices And Cannabinoid Analysis In South Louisiana, Kaylee M. Deynzer

LSU Master's Theses

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation research did not exist in Louisiana prior to 2020 (LSU AgCenter Therapeutic Cannabis Committee, 2020). Therefore, nine cultivars of essential oil-type hemp were evaluated in 2020 and 2021 to determine optimum planting dates, in-row plant spacings and THC compliancy for organic field production in south Louisiana. Until suitable genetics for Louisiana’s environment can be identified, an in-row spacing of three feet is recommended for field-grown hemp. Cultivars Berry Blossom, Queen Dream and Stormy Daniels produced sufficient biomass for commercial production. While Berry Blossom, Queen Dream, Oregon White and Putin’s Problem were high-yielding, Oregon White …