Digital Commons Network^™

Habitat Imaging Biomarkers For Diagnosis And Prognosis In Cancer Patients Infected With Covid-19, Muhammad Aminu, Divya Yadav, Lingzhi Hong, Elliana Young, Paul Edelkamp, Maliazurina Saad, Morteza Salehjahromi, Pingjun Chen, Sheeba J Sujit, Melissa M Chen, Bradley Sabloff, Gregory Gladish, Patricia M De Groot, Myrna C B Godoy, Tina Cascone, Natalie I Vokes, Jianjun Zhang, Kristy K Brock, Naval Daver, Scott E Woodman, Hussein A Tawbi, Ajay Sheshadri, J Jack Lee, David Jaffray, D Code Team, Carol C Wu, Caroline Chung, Jia Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Cancer patients have worse outcomes from the COVID-19 infection and greater need for ventilator support and elevated mortality rates than the general population. However, previous artificial intelligence (AI) studies focused on patients without cancer to develop diagnosis and severity prediction models. Little is known about how the AI models perform in cancer patients. In this study, we aim to develop a computational framework for COVID-19 diagnosis and severity prediction particularly in a cancer population and further compare it head-to-head to a general population.

METHODS: We have enrolled multi-center international cohorts with 531 CT scans from 502 general patients and …

Lexico-Grammatical Analysis Of Translated Japanese Immigration Law, Kasumi Arciaga

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Legal language is a specialized language. However, it is not universal, although its uniqueness and specialty in every legal language are ubiquitous. The lexical and grammatical aspects of legal texts have not been the subject of much attention as there is an evident dearth of research on this aspect of the legal language. The present study is, therefore, the first study that has looked at lexical and grammatical features of the Japanese immigration law, which has been translated into English. The sum of 70,000 words in selected immigration acts, which were translated from 2020 to 2021, was used as data …

Mutational Analysis Of Egfr Mutations In Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma-An Indian Perspective Of 212 Patients, Amrit Kaur Kaler, Khushi Patel, Harshali Patil, Yash Tiwarekar, Bijal Kulkarni, Meenal Hastak, Nivetha Athikari, Samrudhi Rane, Ankita Nikam, Smita Umarji, Imran Shaikh, Sandeep Goyle, Rajesh Mistry

Publications

Lung cancer is the world's leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the critical oncogenes and plays a significant role in tumor proliferation and metastasis. Patients with sensitizing mutations in the EGFR gene have better clinical outcomes when treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). This study expands our knowledge of the spectrum of EGFR mutations among lung cancer patients in the Indian scenario. This is a retrospective descriptive study of all newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer in tertiary care hospital in India. All the samples were subjected to real-time PCR (q-PCR) analysis and …

Assessing The Health Effects Of Climate Change, Social Vulnerability, And Environmental Justice In Camden County, New Jersey, Daniil Ivanov

Theses

Climate change negatively impacts health, while socially vulnerable and overburdened communities disproportionately experience climate change and negative health determinants. Camden County is used as a case study for analyzing environment, socioeconomics, and health. Environmental variables—PM2.5 and land cover of impervious surfaces, floodplains, and forests—were compared to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) at the census tract level, finding significant correlations between land cover, air quality, and the SVI. The overburdened communities defined by the NJ Environmental Justice Law experienced a significantly higher incidence of emergency department visitation for respiratory, circulatory, and mental illnesses than non-overburdened communities. Health outcomes were compared …

Non-Traditional Methods For The Green Synthesis Of Fine Chemicals, Tara Renée Mooney

Graduate Masters Theses

Herein, the advancement of microwave-assisted flow synthesis is reviewed and the green nitration of arenes is investigated. First, microwave-assisted flow systems are described, followed by their synthetic and environmental applications. Microwave-assisted flow synthesis has been applied successfully in organic, inorganic, material, and biochemical syntheses as well as environmental applications such as water desalination and the removal of volatile organic compounds from the atmosphere. In the second part of the Thesis, the methodological development of the first catalyst and solvent-free nitration of m-xylene using only nitric acid is detailed. This environmentally friendly reaction proceeds without the use of harsh Brønsted acids, …

Social Media, Mass Mobilization And National Development In Nigeria: Lessons From The #Endsars Protest, Eno-Obong Blaise Akpan, Tordue Simon Targema

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This study explored the potential of social media for effective mass mobilization and community engagement to attain national development in Nigeria. Premised on the fact that social media have become popular platforms attracting millions of subscribers, the study examined how the opportunities they offer could be harnessed and purposefully deployed to galvanize the citizens to pursue national development causes. This was done against the backdrop of the technological determinism theory that provides the framework for investigating the indispensable role which technology plays in the advancement of a nation’s socio-economic development. The secondary research approach was adopted to carry out the …

Learning Life Skills Through English Materials: Integrating Life Skills In English Pedagogy, Laela Hikmah Nurbatra, Masyhud Masyhud, Hartono Hartono

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

John Dewey once said that “education is not an affair of ‘telling’ and being told, but an active and constructive process.” Accordingly, pedagogical processes should not simply be conducted by traditional lecturing, but rather, they should be constructive processes that gradually build the meaning-making process of the children through their active participation. Therefore, this paper aims to suggest materials that integrate English learning and LSE that are specifically designed for Indonesian children. As a follow-up project from the previous program, the current community service focuses on the implementation of life skills education (LSE) by integrating LSE with English learning in …

Coconut Shell Waste Treatment Technology For A Sustainable Waste Utilization: A Case Study Of The Smes In Bohol Village, Indonesia, Wahyu Anggo Rizal, Ria Suryani, Roni Maryana, Dwi Joko Prasetyo, Diah Pratiwi, Yuli Ary Ratnawati, Dini Ariani, Andri Suwanto

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This project focused on the introduction of liquid smoke and bio briquette manufacturing technology to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) located in Bohol Village, Gunungkidul, Indonesia through technology transfer, training, and mentoring. These SMEs are engaged in the food business with the main product jenang ketan, a traditional food from Gunungkidul, especially in Rongkop District, and very popular among communities around and outside Gunungkidul. The traditional preparation of jenang ketan produces several by-products in the form of waste, which is dominated by coconut shell biomass. The project’s technology transfer was carried out through the procurement of a series of pyrolysis …

Urban Farming: Empowerment To Increase Economic, Education, And Nutritional Benefit For The Sub-Urban Community, Nasruddin Nasruddin, Yusuf Donner Dwiyantama, Banu Muhammad, Anom Bowalaksono, Dian Ayubi, Sarah Islamiati Pertiwi

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This article discusses the urban farming program at Sekolah Master in Beji, Depok, Indonesia, which aims to provide the community with broader benefits, such as economy, education, and increased nutritional value. The project involves planting method that was introduced to this school community. The program itself consists of several stages, starting from the preparation—dissemination of the program and designing a plan for the greenhouse, the implementation—constructing the greenhouse and installing the automatic water system, planting the vegetation, and monitoring and evaluation of the program. Eventually, an evaluation of the successful program is required to determine whether the program can be …

Development Of A Self-Assessment-Based Collaboration Assessment Instrument On Construction Andhousing Planning, Mita Sofia, Sri Sumarni, Fajar Danur Isnantyo, Vernanda Atik Dewi Sasanti, Diva Jaira Arlesa, Fahrudin Ali Fikri, Fadia Husna Nabila

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

It developed a collaborative assessment tool aimed at providing students with the opportunity to evaluate their abilities. This research is a research and development (R&D) using the ADDIE stage approach. The development of the laboratory instrument is made in the form of a non-test self-assessment sheet. The validity of the data is assessed by the experiential team in the fields of materials, construction, and language. The Aiken equation with the coefficient V Aiken is used as a decision rule in determining the validity of the instrument. This study involved 5 experts and 34 vocational high school students in Surakarta as …

Review Of The Imaging Performance And The Current Status Of The Cascade Gamma-Rays Coincidence Imagers, Leonid L. Nkuba Dr.

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Various studies that have investigated the detection of gamma coincidence events have revealed that design factors and image reconstruction approaches dictate the spatial resolution, coincidence efficiency, and levels of statistical noise of the detection system. In the case of imaging, cascade gamma-ray coincidence (CGC) imagers coupled with collimated detectors offer promising values for both spatial resolution and coincidence efficiency. However, to date, no CGC imager with single or multiple collimated detectors has reported a performance level beyond 6.7 mm spatial resolution (FWHM) and 6.0 × 10-6 coincidence efficiency. Given the recent developments and the current interests in high resolution and …

Racism And Resilience: Counter-Narratives Of Asian International College Students In The Age Of Covid-19, Katrina Liu, Richard Miller, Sharolyn D. Pollard-Durodola, Lei Ping

The Qualitative Report

Using Asian Critical Race Theory and Resilience Theory, this qualitative study explores how Asian international college students experienced racism before and after the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they developed and used resilience to counteract that racism. Eleven Asian participants shared their counter-narratives through semi-structured interviews. Results reveal that, before the pandemic, participants were regularly subjected to racist acts and attitudes grounded in a deficit view of Asians that treated them as inscrutable foreigners, blamed them as individuals for perceived shortcomings in their home countries, dismissed their expertise outside of technical STEM fields, and failed to recognize their …

Kdm6b Variants May Contribute To The Pathophysiology Of Human Cerebral Folate Deficiency, Xiao Han, Xuanye Cao, Robert M Cabrera, Paula Andrea Pimienta Ramirez, Cuilian Zhang, Vincent T Ramaekers, Richard H Finnell, Yunping Lei

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

(1) Background: The genetic etiology of most patients with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD) remains poorly understood. KDM6B variants were reported to cause neurodevelopmental diseases; however, the association between KDM6B and CFD is unknown; (2) Methods: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed on 48 isolated CFD cases. The effect of KDM6B variants on KDM6B protein expression, Histone H3 lysine 27 epigenetic modification and FOLR1 expression were examined in vitro. For each patient, serum FOLR1 autoantibodies were measured; (3) Results: Six KDM6B variants were identified in five CFD patients, which accounts for 10% of our CFD cohort cases. Functional experiments indicated that these …

Economic Implications Of International Energy Trade : A Comparative Analysis Across Developed, Developing, And Least Developed Nations, Mmaduabuchi Chigozie Emeghebo, Bintou K.B. Janneh, Semeria Youlo Maurice

World Maritime University Dissertations

Energy trade and consumption constitute vital components of international trade, a significance that has been amplified by escalating global industrialization and globalization. Nonetheless, the patterns of demand, trade, and utilization of energy differ markedly across various categories of economies, as delineated by the United Nations into Developed, Developing, and Least Developed Nations.

This study endeavors to elucidate the influence of international energy trade and consumption on the economic development trajectories of these three distinct categories of nations. Employing linear panel regression methodologies on panel data sets spanning the period from 1995 to 2021 for each category, the analysis reveals that …

Livestock In Pakistan: An Insight Into Climate Changes And Impacts, Muhammad Jamil, Iram Shakeel, Habib Ullah, Mukhtar Ahmad, Saeed Ullah, Iffat Rasool, Muhammad Tahir, Jaweria Gull, Norina Jabeen, Mubarik Ali

Journal of Bioresource Management

The global livestock sector is expanding at a faster rate than any other agricultural sub-sector. It employs approximately 1.3 billion people and accounts for approximately 40 % of global agricultural output. This industry is one of the most damaging sectors to the world's increasingly scarce water resources, contributing to water pollution from animal wastes, hormones, antibiotics, chemicals from tanneries, pesticides, and fertilizers used to spray feed crop. Climate change harms livestock productivity by changing ecosystem services i.e. water availability, forage quality and quantity, diseases outbreak, and animals stress due to heat shock and reduction of livestock diversity and breeds. Ecosystem …

First Case Of Leucism In The House Bunting Emberiza Sahari In Algeria, Abdelwahab Chedad, Djamel Bendjoudi, Brahim Beladis, Omar Guezoul

Journal of Bioresource Management

Continue to monitor the bioecology of the House bunting in Algeria and mentioned the birds that carry abnormalities and genetic mutation (Albinism and leucism), including passerines species. A male House bunting Emberiza sahari with leucism (partial albinism) was recorded on December 6, 2021, in the city center of the M'Zab Valley at Ghardaïa (Algerian Sahara).

Production Of Biofuel Using Magnetic Nanocatalyst Zno-Ni0.5zn0.5fe2o4-Fe2o3: A Mini-Review Of Recent Studies, Nida Ziafat Miss, Majid Mahmood

Journal of Bioresource Management

As conventional fossil fuels are becoming limited, it is critical to find alternative clean and renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is a degradable and renewable form of fuel made up of long-chain fatty acid esters that can be generated from either plants or animals. It is a mixture of long-chain alkyl esters made through a transesterification reaction with alcohol and catalyst. Due to the high cost of petroleum, the concept of biofuel production as an alternative source has increased in recent years. The present mini-review summarizes some recent studies on alternative methods for the production of biofuel. The review concludes that …

A Conserved Oxalyl-Coenzyme A Decarboxylase In Oxalate Catabolism, Ninghui Cheng, Vincent Paris, Xiaolan Rao, Xiaoqiang Wang, Paul A Nakata

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

The ability to biosynthesize oxalic acid can provide beneficial functions to plants; however, uncontrolled or prolonged exposure to this strong organic acid results in multiple physiological problems. Such problems include a disruption of membrane integrity, mitochondrial function, metal chelation, and free radical formation. Recent work suggests that a CoA-dependent pathway of oxalate catabolism plays a critical role in regulating tissue oxalate concentrations in plants. Although this CoA-dependent pathway of oxalate catabolism is important, large gaps in our knowledge of the enzymes catalyzing each step remain. Evidence that an oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase (OXC) catalyzes the second step in this pathway, accelerating the …

“It Is Her Decision, Not Mine” The Problem Of Choice In Abortion Consultation Services In Norway, Franceline Anggia

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Since 1978, women have been granted legal rights to self-determined abortion, from which the idea of women’s right to choose achieves its victory in the current Norwegian abortion law. Behind this notion of choice lies an assumption that perceives women as subjects of choice who should personally decide whether or not having an abortion would be the proper way to overcome difficult decisions on their pregnancies. Women’s right to choose is celebrated as an ideal concept in consultation services for women who face difficult decisions on whether or not to have an abortion. Counselors and health workers I interviewed used …

Swallowing Dysfunction Following The Covid-19 Infection: A Literature Reviewarticle, I-Chun Liu, Yi-Hsiang Chiu, Tyng-Guey Wang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), named by the World Health Organization in 2020, is a novel infectious disease, causing by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Most symptoms, such as cough and fever, will be resolved following supportive management. However, a small number of patients will progress to respiratory distress or suffer other neurological problems that affect their swallowing function. Potential dysphagia mechanisms associated with COVID-19 include neurological complications, muscular disorder, and intensive care unit-acquired swallowing dysfunctions. As dysphagia results in a declined quality of life and increased risk of respiratory complications, early swallowing interventions are imperative after the acute …

Parasitoids Of Dasiops (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) In Sweet Granadilla Orchards In An Andean Forest Of Peru, Paolo Salazar Mendoza, Yoseph Ojeda-Enriquez, Carmen Salcedo-Velarde

Neotropical Biodiversity

We report hymenopteran larval and pupal parasitoids of the Dasiops species in sweet granadilla (Passiflora ligularis J.) orchards in a Peruvian Andean forest. Flower bud and fruit samples infested by Dasiops were collected in three orchards from Oxapampa (Pasco, Peru). In addition, we exposed non-parasitized Dasiops pupae at ground level to verify the presence of pupal parasitoids. We identified Utetes anastrephae (Viereck) and Opius sp. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on flower buds infested b.y Dasiops inedulis Steyskal. However, Aganaspis pelleranoi (Brèthes) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) emerged from D. frieseni pupae reared from unripe fruits. Also, the pupal parasitoids Pachycrepoideus vindemmiae (Rondani) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and …

First Record Of A Population Of Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula Krameri) In Argentina, Mario L. Chatellenaz, Juan M. Fernandez, María L. Thomann

Neotropical Biodiversity

The Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri), native to India, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, is considered one of the most invasive bird species. It has been recorded in 37 countries, in some of which it was originally introduced as a pet. It has become an agricultural pest and a threat to native birds in many countries. In South America, populations of this species were only known to exist in Venezuela and the Caribbean Islands. We report the finding of a small reproductive population of Rose-ringed parakeets in the city of Corrientes, in northeastern Argentina. We provide information on its observed feeding …

Diversidad Alfa, Beta Y Gamma De Ensambles De Los Anuros Y Reptiles De Humedales Del Ypoá, Paraguay, Karina Núñez, Griselda Zárate-Betzel, Fátima Ortiz, Medes Mendoza, María Vera, Andrea Weiler, Marta Duré

Neotropical Biodiversity

En la Región Oriental del Paraguay se encuentran los humedales del Complejo Ypoá, declarados como sitio RAMSAR y categorizados como Reserva de Recursos Manejados. Pese a estas categorías de protección, su biodiversidad ha sido escasamente estudiada. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la riqueza, composición y abundancia de anuros y reptiles de estos humedales (diversidad alfa y gamma), cuantificar la diferencia en la composición de especies entre los sitios de muestreo (diversidad beta) y evaluar la variación temporal en la riqueza de especies en relación a variables climáticas. Se seleccionaron tres sitios de muestreo y se realizó un esfuerzo …

Within-Colony Nest Distribution Of A Waterbird Mixed Colony In A Small Alluvial Forest At El Salvador, Diego José Arévalo Ayala

Neotropical Biodiversity

Breeding in colonies is a defining characteristic of many waterbird species and several behavioural and habitat traits determine nest-site selection. Although there is relatively extensive literature on the topic, information on the within-colony distribution of nests lacks for mixed colonies, especially for ardeid-cormorant associations and in regions such as Central America. Here, geospatial data on vegetation associated with a mixed colony, established in a small alluvial forest northwest of El Salvador and collected from June to November 2015 was assessed to identify some behavioural and habitat features that could influence nest-site selection. Four ardeid species (Ardea alba, Egretta thula, Bubulcus …

Littoral Macrobenthic Communities And Water Quality In El Pañe Reservoir, Arequipa, Peru, Pastor Coayla-P, André Alexander Cheneaux-D, Claudia Viviana Moreno-S, Cynthia Elizabeth Cruz-R, Eusebio Walter Colque-R, Cristina Damborenea

Neotropical Biodiversity

High Andean ponds and reservoirs are among the least-studied environments. We evaluated the composition of littoral macrobenthos and how it is affected by the physicochemical conditions of the water in El Pañe reservoir (Peru), located at 4,550 m.a.s.l. Samples were taken between November 2017 and October 2018 from three zones in the reservoir: low (downstream), middle and high (upstream); two of these zones with fish farms (low and middle) and one zone without fish farms (high). The following physicochemical parameters of the water were measured: dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH and temperature. The macrobenthic community was analysed through diversity indices such …

Macroinvertebrates’ Response To Different Land Use In Lowland Streams From Uruguay: Use Of Artificial Substrates For Biomonitoring, Bárbara Suárez, Margenny Barrios, Franco Teixeira De Mello

Neotropical Biodiversity

The use of macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality is an effective and low-cost tool, which is widely implemented in biomonitoring programmes. Certain taxa are characteristic of impaired watercourses (e.g. Oligochaeta, Chironomidae and Amphipoda), while others are characteristic of good-quality watercourses (e.g. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera; EPT). In this work, we evaluated the response of the macroinvertebrate assemblages to different land uses. For this purpose, artificial substrate colonization experiments were conducted in streams including urban (U, n = 3), intensive agriculture and dairy production (AD, n = 4) and extensive cattle ranching (CR, n = 4) land uses. Because in …

A Potential Threat To The Pampas Biome: The Introduction Of American Mink, Neovison Vison (Schreber, 1777) In Uruguay, Gabriel Laufer, Enrique M. González, Alexandra Cravino, Noelia Gobel, Felipe Montenegro, Gonzalo Nión, Jorge Velázquez, Alejandro E.J. Valenzuela

Neotropical Biodiversity

The American mink (Neovison vison) has been introduced for fur farming into several countries around the world. In southern South America, although invasive populations have established in Argentina and Chile, no feral minks have been recorded in the Pampas Biome to date. We report a potentially new biological invasion in Uruguay, presenting observations, pictures and a museum specimen of feral minks in the locality Melilla, Montevideo Department, which probably escaped or were released from a local fur farm. We obtained 35 mink records between 2010 and 2020, mostly close to the fur farm, within a 2.5 km radius. Our report …

Does Bergmann’S Rule Apply In Bats? Evidence From Two Neotropical Species, Dennis Castillo-Figueroa

Neotropical Biodiversity

Bergmann’s rule is one of the most vigorously debated ecogeographic patterns but has rarely been examined in Neotropical bats. Herein, I examined Bergmann’s rule in Carollia perspicillata and Artibeus lituratus along an elevation gradient of 2500 m at both inter- and intraspecific level. I measured 384 specimens from collections belonged to C. perspicillata (89 ♀, 102 ♂) and A. lituratus (89 ♀, 104 ♂). The size of C. perspicillata increased with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature, whereas A. lituratus showed the converse pattern. For both species, females did not differ between elevation categories, contrary to males that were larger above …

Seasonal Turnover Of Avian Community Assembly In A Highly Fragmented Tumbesian Dry Forest Of Southwestern Ecuador, Vanessa E. Luzuriaga-Aveiga, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia

Neotropical Biodiversity

Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened and yet the most biodiverse Neotropical ecosystems. However, current patterns of biological occupancy in these forests remain poorly studied. Here, we document the diversity, patterns of seasonal turnover and change of species composition over time of birds in a highly exploited but protected tropical dry forest of southwestern Ecuador, Bosque Protector Puyango. Using a combination of mist netting, song recording and direct observations, we surveyed the study site over a 2-month period of fieldwork during both the dry and rainy seasons. We then performed a literature review of the species reported in …

Integrating Biochemical And Behavioral Approaches To Develop A Bait To Manage The Invasive Yellow Paper Wasp Polistes Versicolor (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) In The Galápagos Islands, Mariana Bulgarella, Alejandro E. Mieles, Jacqueline Rodríguez, Yesenia Campaña, Georgia M. Richardson, Robert A. Keyzers, Charlotte E. Causton, Philip J. Lester

Neotropical Biodiversity

It is estimated that more than 500 species of insects have been introduced to the Galápagos Islands via human activities. One of these insect invaders is the yellow paper wasp, Polistes versicolor (Olivier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), a social wasp native to continental South America. In Galápagos, these wasps are voracious predators of insect larvae, compete with native species for insect prey or for floral resources and are a human nuisance. Wasp suppression methods currently in use are inefficient and attract non-target species, calling for the development of species-specific attractants that can be used in baits to lure and kill wasps. To …