Digital Commons Network^™

Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling And Investigation Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 50 – Zelia, Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Assessing Learning And Memory In The Juvenile Life Stage Of The California Two-Spotted Octopus, Octopus Bimaculoides, Shaquilla M. Hamlett

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Cephalopods and vertebrates have convergently evolved diverse adaptations such as large brains, problem-solving skills, tool use, and learning and memory abilities. These traits have been observed in cephalopods (e.g., octopus), in which they are able to solve mazes and navigate complex environments. Although there is evidence that all orders within Cephalopoda have an evolved capacity for learning and long and/or short-term memory, some appear to have less advanced cognitive abilities (e.g., nautilus) than others (e.g., octopus). The purpose of this project to determine whether the California two-spotted octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) is an example of a cephalopod with higher cognitive function, …

Vitamin D Treatment Prevents Uremia-Induced Reductions In Aortic Microrna-145 Attenuating Osteogenic Differentiation Despite Hyperphosphatemia, Natalia Carrillo-López, Sara Panizo, Maria Vittoria Arcidiacono, Sandra De La Fuente, Laura Martínez-Arias, Emerenziana Ottaviano, Catalina Ulloa, María Piedad Ruiz-Torres, Isabel Rodríguez, Jorge B Cannata-Andía, Manuel Naves-Díaz, Adriana S Dusso

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In chronic kidney disease, systemic inflammation and high serum phosphate (P) promote the de-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) to osteoblast-like cells, increasing the propensity for medial calcification and cardiovascular mortality. Vascular microRNA-145 (miR-145) content is essential to maintain VSMC contractile phenotype. Because vitamin D induces aortic miR-145, uremia and high serum P reduce it and miR-145 directly targets osteogenic osterix in osteoblasts, this study evaluated a potential causal link between vascular miR-145 reductions and osterix-driven osteogenic differentiation and its counter-regulation by vitamin D. Studies in aortic rings from normal rats and in the rat aortic VSMC line A7r5 …

Outcomes Of A Periodic Exposure Assessment Of Workers At A University Campus, Logan M. Armagast

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Standards promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)are applicable to most businesses in the private sector, however, state and local government entities are not under OSHA’s jurisdiction. Universities that receive public funding fall under the category of state and local government entities and, unless an OSHA-approved State plan explicitly states otherwise, they are not required to demonstrate compliance with OSHA standards and are not subject to OSHA inspections. Without being constrained by federal regulation, those responsible for ensuring the health and safety of employees at publicly funded universities have some leeway in their methods for evaluating the conditions …

"Are We Done?": The Minimization Of Covid-19 And The Individualization Of Health In The United States, Cassidy R. Boe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the death toll from Covid-19 in the United States exceeds 1 million in just over two years, more variants continue to emerge, threatening more waves of Covid-19 and ultimately, more deaths. Despite this, mask use continues to decline, and one third of Americans say that the pandemic is over. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been central in publicly disseminating biomedical knowledge using Twitter. The CDC’s Twitter account (@CDCgov) shares information related to the spread of Covid-19, including mitigation measures such as mask recommendations and vaccine information. I have conducted a narrative analysis of the replies …

Continuous Effort Required To Maintain Populations Of Outplanted Acropora Cervicornis In The Florida Reef Tract, Usa, Tiffany S. Boisvert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The degradation of coral reefs due to natural and anthropogenic stressors has resulted in the expansion of coral restoration projects worldwide. In the Caribbean region, most restoration efforts focus on outplanting Acropora cervicornis, once a dominant branching coral, now found predominantly in spatially isolated populations. Thousands of A. cervicornis colonies are propagated within nurseries and outplanted onto degraded reefs every year. However, monitoring the long-term growth and survival of outplanted corals has been limited by financial, physical, and temporal constraints. In the current study, we assessed the long-term success of A. cervicornis restoration by determining the relationship between current populations …

The Role Of The Gut-Brain Axis In Alzheimer's Disease: A Narrative Review, Leila Karout

University Honors Theses

The importance of the gut microbiome in health has become increasingly recognized as more research points to the strong association between an imbalanced gut microbial composition and a diseased state. Alzheimer's Disease burdens millions, and the rate of growth is expected to increase. However, current treatment methods are less than ideal and do not offer a substantial benefit to patients' quality of life. Additionally, there are gaps in the current understanding of Alzheimer's Disease pathogenesis. Research on the relationship between gut microbiota and neurodegeneration provides a different perspective on the pathogenesis and treatment methods for dementia, such as Alzheimer's Disease. …

A Helper For Patenting The “Unpredictable”: Artificial Intelligence, Shuang Liu

Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology

No abstract provided.

Jd-Next: A Randomized Experiment Of An Online Scalable Program To Prepare Diverse Students For Law School, Katherine C. Cheng, Jessica Findley, Adriana Cimetta, Heidi Legg Burross, Matthew Charles, Cayley Balser, Ran Li, Christopher T. Robertson

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Population Genetics Reveals Bidirectional Fish Movement Across The Continental Divide Via An Interbasin Water Transfer, Audrey C. Harris, Sara J. Oyler-Mccance, Jennifer A. Fike, Matthew P. Fairchild, Christopher M. Kennedy, Harry J. Crockett, Dana L. Winkelman, Yoichiro Kanno

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Interbasin water transfers are becoming an increasingly common tool to satisfy municipal and agricultural water demand, but their impacts on movement and gene flow of aquatic organisms are poorly understood. The Grand Ditch is an interbasin water transfer that diverts water from tributaries of the upper Colorado River on the west side of the Continental Divide to the upper Cache la Poudre River on the east side of the Continental Divide. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms to characterize population genetic structure in cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) and determine if fish utilize the Grand Ditch as a movement corridor. …

A Participatory Assessment Of Nitrified Urine Fertilizer Use In Swayimane, South Africa: Crop Production Potential, Farmer Attitudes And Smallholder Challenges, Benjamin C. Wilde, Eva Lieberherr, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Alfred Odindo, Johan Siz

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Long-term nutrient mining of soil hampers agricultural production across Africa. However, emerging sanitation technologies afford a hygienically safe and ecologically sustainable solution to this development challenge by providing fertilizers derived from human excreta that could facilitate a socio-technical transition toward a more sustainable food system. To evaluate one such technology, nitrified urine fertilizer (NUF), we conducted participatory action research to assess the potential, from both a biophysical and social perspective, of NUF to serve as a soil fertilizer to support smallholder agricultural production in Swayimane, South Africa. To achieve this objective, we formed a stakeholder group comprised of a cooperative …

An Examination Of Chronic Absenteeism And The Impacts On Student Success, Rachel Pini

Masters Projects

Research shows that students who are chronically absent are less likely to graduate and have poorer academic achievement among other issues. Chronically absent students may struggle with attendance for a variety of reasons, and thus individualized interventions are the most effective when dealing with this issue. School counselors can provide school staff with resources to learn to deal with chronically absent students, to monitor attendance progress, and to form positive relationships with these students in order to improve the school’s climate. This project is a ready-to-use plan for school counselors to share with other educators in order to create a …

Health And Friendships Of Lgbtqia+ College Students, Komal Asim Qidwai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Others (LGBTQIA+) college students continue to face discrimination in seeking healthcare, having to navigate lack of access, heteronormative practices and protocols, and biased attitudes, even when accessing university health services. Moreover, LGBTQIA+ college students are unlikely to be able to rely on traditional sources of support such as family, and have a need to create a sense of home, by making friends. In this thesis, I explore friendships as an avenue through which these students seek health information and knowledge. I argue that health and friendship intersect in the lives of LGBTQIA+ …

Etiology Of Sterile Intra-Amniotic Inflammation: An Exploratory Study, Zoe M. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preterm birth is the event of spontaneous birth prior to 37 weeks of gestation. In the United States, 1 in 10 babies are born prematurely. Low gestational age has been linked with increased morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth is multifactorial, where a myriad of contributors have been identified to include inflammation, chorioamnionitis, and inflammatory conditions to include hypertension and diabetes. To further explore the role inflammation plays in low gestational age, a literature review was done using PubMed. Two classes of inflammation quickly emerged: Pathogen born intra-amniotic inflammation and Sterile intra-amniotic inflammation. The latter form of inflammation has no identifiable …

Blocking Cell Cycle Progression Through Cdk4/6 Protects Against Chronic Kidney Disease, Yosuke Osaki, Marika Manolopoulou, Alla V Ivanova, Nicholas Vartanian, Melanie Phillips Mignemi, Justin Kern, Jianchun Chen, Haichun Yang, Agnes B Fogo, Mingzhi Zhang, Cassianne Robinson-Cohen, Leslie S. Gewin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Acute and chronic kidney injuries induce increased cell cycle progression in renal tubules. While increased cell cycle progression promotes repair after acute injury, the role of ongoing tubular cell cycle progression in chronic kidney disease is unknown. Two weeks after initiation of chronic kidney disease, we blocked cell cycle progression at G1/S phase by using an FDA-approved, selective inhibitor of CDK4/6. Blocking CDK4/6 improved renal function and reduced tubular injury and fibrosis in 2 murine models of chronic kidney disease. However, selective deletion of cyclin D1, which complexes with CDK4/6 to promote cell cycle progression, paradoxically increased tubular injury. Expression …

A Pathogenic Mechanism Associated With Myopathies And Structural Birth Defects Involves Tpm2-Directed Myogenesis, Jennifer Mcadow, Shuo Yang, Tiffany Ou, Gary Huang, Matthew B. Dobbs, Christina A. Gurnett, Michael J. Greenberg, Aaron N. Johnson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Nemaline myopathy (NM) is the most common congenital myopathy, characterized by extreme weakness of the respiratory, limb, and facial muscles. Pathogenic variants in Tropomyosin 2 (TPM2), which encodes a skeletal muscle-specific actin binding protein essential for sarcomere function, cause a spectrum of musculoskeletal disorders that include NM as well as cap myopathy, congenital fiber type disproportion, and distal arthrogryposis (DA). The in vivo pathomechanisms underlying TPM2-related disorders are unknown, so we expressed a series of dominant, pathogenic TPM2 variants in Drosophila embryos and found 4 variants significantly affected muscle development and muscle function. Transient overexpression of the 4 variants also …

Antigenic Landscapes On Staphylococcus Aureus Pore-Forming Toxins Reveal Insights Into Specificity And Cross-Neutralization, Shweta Kailasan, Ravi Kant, Madeleine Noonan-Shueh, Tulasikumari Kanipakala, Grant Liao, Sergey Shulenin, Daisy W Leung, Richard A Alm, Rajan P Adhikari, Gaya K Amarasinghe, Michael L Gross, M Javad Aman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

We Might Be Salvaged, Hannah Kroonblawd

Theses and Dissertations

We Might Be Salvaged is a dissertation that hinges upon poetic loci of disaster, survival, despair, and hope. The dissertation includes a critical preface, “Beyond Repair,” which contextualizes the central creative work alongside the concerns of the Anthropocene, as well as the collective necessity of environmental justice and disability activism. The creative work, “We Might Be Salvaged,” explores contemporary catastrophes and the lingering hope of an unknown future. The final chapter, “Teaching in the Anthropocene,” provides a pedagogical link through the design of online undergraduate creative writing workshop courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The George-Anne Daily, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Media Group: Newsletters & Magazines

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Intensification Of Wheat Production Under Smallholder Farming Systems In Burera, Musanze And Nyamagabe Districts Of Rwanda, Athanase Rusanganwa Cyamweshi, Nsharwasi Léon Nabahungu, Jackson Cirhuza Mirali, Job Kihara, George Oduor, Harrison Rware, Gudeta Weldesemayat Sileshi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The productivity of wheat is low on smallholder farms in Rwanda. Although mineral fertiliser use is being promoted as a sustainable intensification (SI) pathway, little is known about the nutrient use efficiency and profitability of various fertiliser inputs in Burera, Musanze and Nyamagabe districts of Rwanda. The objective of this study was to assess the use of combinations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and boron (B) in wheat production in terms of nutrients management specifically, crop yield, production risk, input use efficiency and economic returns on smallholder farms. The study was conducted in three …

School Related Criminal Acts, Interpersonal Problems, And Classroom Behaviors As A Function Of The Proportion Of Black Students And Black Teachers, Leanne Zaire

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to investigate school-level behavioral outcomes in relation to the proportion of Black teachers and students in U.S. schools. Negative school outcome and academic achievement gaps are well-documented. However, many of these studies utilized small, localized populations; my research used national data and focused on the problem behaviors in school. Drawing from Critical Race Theory, I hypothesized that a greater proportion of Black teachers would reduce school student problems and negative behaviors (e.g., student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms). After receiving a restricted-use license, I utilized data from 25,818 schools from the National Teacher …

Gene-Based Association Tests Using New Polygenic Risk Scores And Incorporating Gene Expression Data, Shijia Yan, Qiuying Sha, Shuanglin Zhang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Recently, gene-based association studies have shown that integrating genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data can boost statistical power and that the genetic liability of traits can be captured by polygenic risk scores (PRSs). In this paper, we propose a new gene-based statistical method that leverages gene-expression measure-ments and new PRSs to identify genes that are associated with phenotypes of interest. We used a generalized linear model to associate phenotypes with gene expression and PRSs and used a score-test statistic to test the association between phenotypes and genes. Our simulation studies show that the newly developed …

Effect Of Musculature On Mortality, A Retrospective Cohort Study, Amy L Shaver, Mary E Platek, Anurag K Singh, Sung Jun Ma, Mark Farrugia, Gregory Wilding, Andrew D Ray, Heather M Ochs-Balcom, Katia Noyes

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Background: While often life-saving, treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) can be debilitating resulting in unplanned hospitalization. Hospitalizations in cancer patients may disrupt treatment and result in poor outcomes. Pre-treatment muscle quality and quantity ascertained through diagnostic imaging may help identify patients at high risk of poor outcomes early. The primary objective of this study was to determine if pre-treatment musculature was associated with all-cause mortality.

Methods: Patient demographic and clinical characteristics were abstracted from the cancer center electronic database (n = 403). Musculature was ascertained from pre-treatment CT scans. Propensity score matching was utilized to adjust for confounding …

Monocarboxylate Transporter 4 In Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Is A Driver Of Aggressiveness In Aerodigestive Tract Cancers, Marina Domingo-Vidal, Diana Whitaker Menezes, Mehri Mollaee, Zhao Lin, Madalina Tuluc, Nancy J. Philp, Jennifer Johnson, Tingting Zhan, Joseph Curry, Ubaldo E. Martinez-Outshoorn

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

The most common cancers of the aerodigestive tract (ADT) are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The tumor stroma plays an important role in ADT cancer development and progression, and contributes to the metabolic heterogeneity of tumors. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the most abundant cell type in the tumor stroma of ADT cancers and exert pro-tumorigenic functions. Metabolically, glycolytic CAFs support the energy needs of oxidative (OXPHOS) carcinoma cells. Upregulation of the monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) and downregulation of isocitrate dehydrogenase 3α (IDH3α) are markers of glycolysis in CAFs, and upregulation of the …

Characterizing The Interplay Of Rubisco And Nitrogenase Enzymes In Anaerobic-Photoheterotrophically Grown Rhodopseudomonas Palustris Cga009 Through A Genome-Scale Metabolic And Expression Model, Niaz Bahar Chowdhury, Adil Alsiyabi, Rajib Saha

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 is a Gram-negative purple nonsulfur bacterium that grows phototrophically by fixing carbon dioxide and nitrogen or chemotrophically by fixing or catabolizing a wide array of substrates, including lignin breakdown products for its carbon and fixing nitrogen for its nitrogen requirements. It can grow aerobically or anaerobically and can use light, inorganic, and organic compounds for energy production. Due to its ability to convert different carbon sources into useful products during anaerobic growth, this study reconstructed a metabolic and expression (ME) model of R. palustris to investigate its anaerobic-photoheterotrophic growth. Unlike metabolic (M) models, ME models include transcription …

Gluten-Free Diet In Childhood Difficult-To-Treat Nephrotic Syndrome: A Pilot Feasibility Study., Tarak Srivastava, Katherine M. Dell, Kevin V. Lemley, Debbie S. Gipson, Frederick J. Kaskel, Kevin Edward Meyers, Christian Faul, Ayelet Goldhaber, Laurajane Pehrson, Howard Trachtman

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Minimal change disease in childhood can follow a frequently relapsing or steroid-dependent course in up to 40% of cases. Second-line immunosuppressive medications that are used to manage these patients are associated with significant adverse effects. There is a need for safer alternative treatments for difficult-to-treat nephrotic syndrome. Therefore, we conducted an open-label feasibility study to assess the safety and efficacy of a gluten-free diet as treatment for pediatric patients with difficult-to-treat nephrotic syndrome. As a second aim, we sought to determine if the plasma zonulin concentration can identify those who are more likely to respond to this intervention.

METHODS: …

Faculty Making The Emergency Online Transition During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Effects Of Prior Online Teaching Experience And Strategies Used To Learn To Teach Online (Special Edition 2022), Edward Hebert, Ralph Wood, Kwonchan Jeon, Ismatara Reena

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, university faculty experienced an emergency pivot to online instruction in the Spring 2020 semester. Many had no prior online teaching experience and were given little time to adapt. This study examines pre-pandemic online teaching experience and training strategies used to learn how to teach online during the emergency remote teaching semester, perceptions of change in online teaching ability and the pandemic’s impact on teaching effectiveness, and interest in future online teaching opportunities.

Method: Full-time faculty (n = 455) from four public regional universities in the southern United States completed a survey at …

Work-Related Ipv Among Latinos: Exploring The Roles Of Fatherhood Status, Gendered Expectations, And Support For Intimate Partner's Employment, Adrian Luis Manriquez

Dissertations and Theses

IPV can spill over from individuals' personal lives into their work lives. Men's work-related IPV perpetration has been found to negatively impact their work performance and employment outcomes. Additionally, acculturation, lack of support for an intimate partner's maintenance employment, and traditional gender role expectations may have an impact on Latinos' work-related IPV perpetration. However, it is plausible that fatherhood can serve as a point of intervention for ending men's IPV perpetration. The current study aimed to examine the moderating effect of fatherhood status on the relationship between various risk factors for IPV perpetration and work-related IPV behaviors among Latinos. Additionally, …

Effect Of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy On Intraoperative Core Temperature In Patients With Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Daniel B Zamler, Takashi Shingu, Laura M Kahn, Kristin Huntoon, Cynthia Kassab, Katarzyna Tomczak, Yating Li, Ivy Lai, Rocio Zorilla-Veloz, Cassian Yee, Kunal Rai, Betty Ys Kim, Stephanie S Watowich, Amy B Heimberger, Giulio F Draetta, Jian Hu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Novel therapeutic strategies targeting glioblastoma (GBM) often fail in the clinic, partly because preclinical models in which hypotheses are being tested do not recapitulate human disease. To address this challenge, we took advantage of our previously developed spontaneous Qk/Trp53/Pten (QPP) triple-knockout model of human GBM, comparing the immune microenvironment of QPP mice with that of patient-derived tumors to determine whether this model provides opportunity for gaining insights into tumor physiopathology and preclinical evaluation of therapeutic agents. Immune profiling analyses and single-cell sequencing of implanted and spontaneous tumors from QPP mice and from patients with glioma revealed intratumoral immune components that …

Immune Landscape Of A Genetically Engineered Murine Model Of Glioma Compared With Human Glioma, Daniel B Zamler, Takashi Shingu, Laura M Kahn, Kristin Huntoon, Cynthia Kassab, Katarzyna Tomczak, Yating Li, Ivy Lai, Rocio Zorilla-Veloz, Cassian Yee, Kunal Rai, Betty Ys Kim, Stephanie S Watowich, Amy B Heimberger, Giulio F Draetta, Jian Hu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Novel therapeutic strategies targeting glioblastoma (GBM) often fail in the clinic, partly because preclinical models in which hypotheses are being tested do not recapitulate human disease. To address this challenge, we took advantage of our previously developed spontaneous Qk/Trp53/Pten (QPP) triple-knockout model of human GBM, comparing the immune microenvironment of QPP mice with that of patient-derived tumors to determine whether this model provides opportunity for gaining insights into tumor physiopathology and preclinical evaluation of therapeutic agents. Immune profiling analyses and single-cell sequencing of implanted and spontaneous tumors from QPP mice and from patients with glioma revealed intratumoral immune components that …