Digital Commons Network^™

Diabetes: Risk Factor And Translational Therapeutic Implications For Alzheimer's Disease, Jeffrey Cummings, Andrew Ortiz, Janelle Castellino, Jefferson Kinney

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly co-occur. T2DM increases the risk for AD by approximately twofold. Animal models provide one means of interrogating the relationship of T2DM to AD and investigating brain insulin resistance in the pathophysiology of AD. Animal models show that persistent hyperglycaemia results in chronic low-grade inflammation that may contribute to the development of neuroinflammation and accelerate the pathobiology of AD. Epidemiological studies suggest that patients with T2DM who received treatment with specific anti-diabetic agents have a decreased risk for the occurrence of AD and all-cause dementia. Agents such as metformin ameliorate T2DM …

Antidiabetic Activity And In Silico Molecular Docking Of Polyphenols From Ammannia Baccifera L. Subsp. Aegyptiaca (Willd.) Koehne Waste: Structure Elucidation Of Undescribed Acylated Flavonol Diglucoside, Noha Swilam, Mahmoud Nawwar, Rasha Radwan, Eman Mostafa

Pharmacy

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Ammania aegyptiaca ethanol extract (AEEE) showed high concentrations of polyphenol and flavonoid content, with notable antioxidant activity. Undescribed acylated diglucoside flavonol myricetin 3-O-β-4C1-(600-O-galloyl glucopyranoside) 7-Oβ-4C1-glucopyranoside (MGGG) was isolated from the aerial parts of AEEE, along with four known polyphenols that had not been characterized previously from AEEE. The inhibitory effects of MGGG, AEEE, and all compounds against α-amylase, pancreatic lipase and β-glucosidase were assessed. In addition, molecular docking was used to determine the inhibition of digestive enzymes, and this confirmed that the MGGG interacted strongly with the active site residues of these enzymes, …

Differential Effects Of Exercise Programs On Neuregulin 4, Body Composition And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors In Men With Obesity, Terence Moriarty, Ayoub Saeidi, Sevda R. Shishvan, Mohammad Soltani, Fatemeh Tarazi, Patricia K. Doyle-Baker, Shahnaz Shahrbanian, Shirin S. Mollabashi, Nikoo Khosravi, Ismail Laher, Kelly E. Johnson, Trishia A. Vandusseldorp

Faculty Publications

Background: Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) is an adipokine that is sensitive to energy expenditure and with a potential role in metabolic homeostasis and obesity. This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of three different exercise training protocols on Nrg4 levels, cardiometabolic risk factors, and body composition parameters in men with obesity. Methods: Sixty adult men with obesity (Mean ± SD; age: 27.60 ± 8.4 yrs.; height: 168.4 ± 2.6 cm; weight: 96.7 ± 7.2 kg) were randomly allocated into four equal (n = 15) groups: High- Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Circuit Resistance Training (CRT), Moderate Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) or …

Inhibition Of Biotin Carboxylase By Three Antibacterial Compounds, Matt Craft

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The rise of antibacterial resistant bacteria is a major problem in the United States of America and around the world. Millions of patients are infected with antimicrobial resistant bacteria each year. Novel antibacterial agents are needed to combat the growing and present crisis. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), the multi-subunit complex which catalyses the first committed step in fatty acid synthesis, is a validated target for antibacterial agents. However, there are at present, no commercially available antibiotics that target ACC. Ethyl 4-[[2-chloro-5-(phenylcarbamoyl)phenyl]sulfonylamino]benzoate (SABA1) is a compound that has been shown to have antibacterial properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. SABA1 inhibits …

The Level Of Using Mind Maps And Its Relationship To Internal And External Motivation Among A Sample Of Secondary School Students In The Mafraq District, Omar Atallah Al-Adamat, Nasr Yousuf Muqabalah

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The study aims at identifying the level of using mind maps, and the level of the internal and external motivation among high school students and revealing whether there are any differences in the level of using mind maps according to the variables of gender, academic branch or the interaction between them. It also aims at revealing the prediction ability of mind maps with internal and external motivation. The sample of the study consisted of (308) male and female students from the twelfth grade in Jordan. To achieve the objectives of the study, the mind maps scale prepared by (Amin & …

Technology And Ethics Of Responsibility, Malek Almkaneen

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This article is concerned with the problem of progress, namely, of how contemporary technologies emerged to express knowledge and cultural powers that would existentially affect humans and nature; thus revealing the necessity of our ethical responsibility toward existence and its dialectical relations between humans and nature, and especially with the collective development in our scientific and technological capabilities. By using analytical and critical approach, this article tries to tackle the question of scientism and its current implications, due to the fact that scientific thinking is evolving towards a kind of unreasonable scientific logic! It is a kind of dogmatic thinking …

Poster Session, Emma Beeler, Maddison Caldwell, Mackenzie Paul, Shirli Salihaj, Sara Lynn Sligh, Stephen Trest

Mississippi Undergraduate Honors Conference

Video provided is of MacKenzie Paul's presentation.

Abstracts

Humanities

Emma Beeler, Mississippi University for Women

Adultery and Fidelity in the Lais of Marie de France

Using both literary and historical analysis, I will examine contrasting depictions of adultery and fidelity within the lais written by 12th-century poet Marie de France. A lai is a type of narrative poem, ranging in length from 118 to 1184 lines. Many of Marie de France’s lais follow the literary trope known as courtly love; however, the reader is encouraged to sympathize with different characters depending on the lai. In some lais, the reader …

Oral Presentations: Stem, Zithlaly Amezquita

Mississippi Undergraduate Honors Conference

Each oral presentation of 15 minutes is followed by Q&A.

White Shadows, Black Riders And Restless Wights: Undead Horror Monsters In The Fantasy Worlds Of J.R.R. Tolkien And George R.R. Martin, Franz Klug

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The proposed essay aims at comparing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Nazgûl and barrow-wights with the white walkers (also known as “the Others”) and wights from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. To begin with, the folkloric/mythological templates for these sub-created monsters would be scrutinized. The introductory ascription of source material would be followed by an analysis of these creatures as horror monsters and gothic elements within the fantasy worlds of Tolkien and Martin. This analysis would also be linked to addressing the question of how the gothic/horror genre influenced the fantasy worlds of both authors, and as in …

Adoring The Head Of Alcasan: Posthuman Horror And Anticipatory Corpse In Lewis’S That Hideous Strength, Mark Brians

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

At the pinnacle of Lewis’ That Hideous Strength (2003) is the reanimation of the decapitated head of Francois Alcasan. The sheer biological persistence that is afforded to it by the biosynthetic technics of medicinal artifice, allows the head to be possessed by “macrobes”— maleficent spiritual beings imprisoned within the circle of the moon. The goal of this reanimation project is purportedly “the conquest of death […] to bring out of that cocoon of organic life […] the man who will not die, the artificial man, free from Nature. Nature is the ladder we have climbed up by, now we kick …

Hypoxia-Induced Predation Refuge For Northern Quahogs (Mercenaria Mercenaria) In A Temperate Estuary, Bryan P. Galligan S.J., Yoel E. Stuart, M. Conor Mcmanus, Heather E. Stoffel

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Oxygen depletion in estuaries and coastal waters is often associated with reduced biodiversity, coastal dead zones, and the loss of important ecosystem services. However, some species can benefit from low oxygen conditions due to the indirect effects these conditions have on trophic relationships. In Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, U.S.A., northern quahogs (Mercenaria mercenaria) reach their highest densities in the areas of the Bay most prone to oxygen depletion. One line of evidence suggests that suboxic events (hypoxia and anoxia) can aid quahogs by excluding predators. Here, we analyze data from long-term surveys of water quality and quahog abundances to test …

Oxidative Stress In Human Pathology And Aging: Molecular Mechanisms And Perspectives, Younis Ahmad Hajam, Raksha Rani, Shahid Yousuf Ganie, Tariq Ahmad Sheikh, Darakhshan Javaid, Syed Sanober Qadri, Sreepoorna Pramodh, Ahmad Alsulimani, Mustfa F. Alkhanani, Steve Harakeh, Arif Hussain, Shafiul Haque, Mohd Salim Reshi

All Works

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are generated through various endogenous and exogenous processes; however, they are neutralized by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. An imbalance between the generation and neutralization of oxidants results in the progression to oxidative stress (OS), which in turn gives rise to various diseases, disorders and aging. The characteristics of aging include the progressive loss of function in tissues and organs. The theory of aging explains that age-related functional losses are due to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), their subsequent damages and tissue deformities. Moreover, the diseases and disorders caused by OS include cardiovascular diseases …

Ovarian Cancer G Protein-Coupled Receptor 1 Inhibits A549 Cells Migration Through Casein Kinase 2Α Intronless Gene And Neutral Endopeptidase, Adhikarimayum Lakhikumar Sharma, Puyam Milan Meitei, Takhellambam Chanu Machathoibi, Naorem Tarundas Singh, Thiyam Ramsing Singh, Lisam Shanjukumar Singh

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Background: We have previously reported that a new intronless gene for casein kinase 2α (CK2α), CSNK2A3, is expressed in human cells. The promoter of the well-known CK2α, CSNK2A1, displays characteristics of a housekeeping gene, whereas CSNK2A3 has a characteristic of a regulated promoter with two TATA boxes and a CAAT box. GPR68, a family of the G protein-coupled receptors, is also known as ovarian cancer G protein-coupled receptor 1 (OGR1). In the current study, we analyzed the roles of CK2α genes and neutral endopeptidase (NEP), a key enzyme that influences a variety of malignancies, in the OGR1-induced inhibition of A549 …

Performance Determinants Of Unsupervised Clustering Methods For Microbiome Data, Yushu Shi, Liangliang Zhang, Christine B Peterson, Kim-Anh Do, Robert R Jenq

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: In microbiome data analysis, unsupervised clustering is often used to identify naturally occurring clusters, which can then be assessed for associations with characteristics of interest. In this work, we systematically compared beta diversity and clustering methods commonly used in microbiome analyses. We applied these to four published datasets where highly distinct microbiome profiles could be seen between sample groups, as well a clinical dataset with less clear separation between groups.

Results: Although no single method outperformed the others consistently, we did identify the key scenarios where certain methods can underperform. Specifically, the Bray Curtis (BC) metric resulted in poor …

Detection Of A Double-Stranded Mgmt Gene Using Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide (Ergo) Electrodes Decorated With Aunps And Peptide Nucleic Acids (Pna), Mina Safarzadeh, Genhua Pan

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

The ability to detect double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as a biomarker without denaturing it to single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) continues to be a major challenge. In this work, we report a sandwich biosensor for the detection of the ds-methylated MGMT gene, a potential biomarker for brain tumors and breast cancer. The purpose of this biosensor is to achieve simultaneous recognition of the gene sequence, as well as the presence of methylation. The biosensor is based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrodes decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and uses Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) that binds to the ds-MGMT gene. The reduction of GO …

An Evaluation Of Sporicidal Treatments Against Blown Pack Spoilage Associated Clostridium Estertheticum And Clostridium Gasigenes Spores, Eden Esteves, Leonard Koolman, Paul Whyte, Tanushree B. Gupta, Declan Bolton

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

Blown pack spoilage (BPS) occurs when meat is cross-contaminated with Clostridium estertheticum or Clostridium gasigenes spores, often from the meat processing environment. This study tested the efficacy of four sporicidal disinfectants commonly used in beef processing plants against C. estertheticum and C. gasigenes spores in a suspension test. D-values were obtained under model ‘clean’ (sterile distilled water, SDW) and ‘dirty’ (3 g/L bovine serum albumin, BSA) conditions. Mean concentration (log10 CFU/mL) were calculated from direct counts. The levels of dipicolinic acid (DPA), indicating damage to the core of these spores, was also monitored using a terbium (Tb)-DPA assay for treatment …

A New Agent-Based Model Offers Insight Into Population-Wide Adoption Of Prosocial Common-Pool Behavior, Garry Sotnik, Thaddeus Shannon, Wayne Wakeland

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

New theoretical agent-based model of population-wide adoption of prosocial common-pool behavior with four parameters (initial percent of adopters, pressure to change behavior, synergy from behavior, and population density); dynamics in behavior, movement, freeriding, and group composition and size; and emergence of multilevel group selection. Theoretical analysis of model’s dynamics identified six regions in model’s parameter space, in which pressure-synergy combinations lead to different outcomes: extinction, persistence, and full adoption. Simulation results verified the theoretical analysis and demonstrated that increases in density reduce number of pressure-synergy combinations leading to population-wide adoption; initial percent of contributors affects underlying behavior and final outcomes, …

Parole Interview Transcript/Decision - Fusl000019 (2020-06-29)

Parole Interview Transcripts and Decisions

No abstract provided.

Green Canopy Cover Percentage As A Method For Quantifying Andropogon Virginicus (Broomsedge) Reduction Through Fertilizer Applications In A Cool Season Hay Production System, Jordyn A. Bush, Jimmy C. Henning, Christopher D. Teutsch

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Remote sensing has been used to measure green canopy cover for a variety of agronomic purposes. This study explores the use of digital imagery as a method to quantify warm and cool season grasses in a hay production system. Due to alternate growth periods, cool and warm season grasses show greener color in different seasons. These seasonal color shifts provide an opportunity to measure their respective percentages when growing together in a system. This study was conducted in a hay field that was originally dominated by cool season grasses including tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and Kentucky bluegrass ( …

Global Assessment Of Grassland Carrying Capacities And Relative Stocking Densities Of Livestock, J. Piipponen, M. Jalava, J. De Leeuw, A. Rizayeva, C. Godde, M. Herrero, M. Kummu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Although many suggest that future diets should include more plant-based proteins, animal-sourced foods are unlikely to completely disappear from our diet. Grasslands yield a notable part of the world’s animal protein production, but thus far, there is no global insight into the relationship between current livestock stocking densities and the availability of grassland forage resources. This inhibits acting upon concerns over the negative effects of overgrazing in some areas and utilising the potential for increasing production in others. Previous research has examined the potential of sustainable grazing but lacks generic and observation-based methods needed to fully understand the opportunities and …

Genetic Diversity Among And Within Accessions Of A Lablab (Lablab Purpureus) Collection Maintained In The Ilri Forage Genebank, M. S. Muktar, A. M. Sartie, A. T. Negawo, E. Habte, C. S. Jones

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Lablab (Lablab purpureus L.) is an important annual multi-purpose legume used as a vegetable for human consumption, as forage for livestock, and as green manure and a cover crop to improve soil fertility. It has a high feed value with good digestibility and high crude protein content. The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) forage genebank holds a diverse set of 340 lablab accessions collected from different regions of the world. A total of 1,843 plants from 142 lablab accessions (1 to 29 plants per accession genotyped individually) were genotyped by the genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) method of the DArTseq platform. The …

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Geoffrey W. Grant
Crime in Biological, Social, and Moral Contexts
Lee Ellis and Harry Hoffnan (Eds.)

Thomas C. Langham
Sociological Practice: Community Development and Other Community Applications, Volume 8
Alvin S. Lackey (Ed.)

Jerome R. Rosonke
Mirrors of Madness: Patrolling the Psychic Border
Bruce Luske

Kathleen A. Tiemann
Social Control and Deviance: A Critical Approach
Nanette J. Davis and Clarice Stasz

Harry Hoffman
Can Modernity Survive?
Agnes Heller

Janet Kelly Moen
Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques
Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin

Patricia Ann Wasely Lomir
The Sociology of Gender
Laura Kramer (Ed.)

John Flanagin
Maiginal …

Front Matter, Clifford L. Staples

Great Plains Sociologist

Front Matter

Estimating The Glutamate Transporter Surface Density In Distinct Sub-Cellular Compartments Of Mouse Hippocampal Astrocytes, Annalisa Scimemi, Damian G. Zuloaga, Ashley M. Kopec, Justin R. Bourgeois, Haley E. Chesbro, Alex A. Lemus, Benjamin A. Bennink, Cassandra L. Williams, Gabrielle C. Todd, Anca R. Radulescu

Biological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Glutamate transporters preserve the spatial specificity of synaptic transmission by limiting glutamate diffusion away from the synaptic cleft, and prevent excitotoxicity by keeping the extracellular concentration of glutamate at low nanomolar levels. Glutamate transporters are abundantly expressed in astrocytes, and previous estimates have been obtained about their surface expression in astrocytes of the rat hippocampus and cerebellum. Analogous estimates for the mouse hippocampus are currently not available. In this work, we derive the surface density of astrocytic glutamate transporters in mice of different ages via quantitative dot blot. We find that the surface density of glial glutamate transporters is similar …

February 4, 2022 Board Of Trustees Meeting Report, Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees

No abstract provided.

Environmental Science Alumnus Works To Restore Groundwater Quality, Taylor University

2022 Website News Stories

No abstract provided.

The Student Movement Volume 106 Issue 12: Snowstorm Landon Takes A Seat At Andrews University, Caryn Cruz, Lauren Kim, Grace No, Megan Napod, Solana Campbell, Andrew Pak, Caralynn Chan, Chris Ngugi, Nathan Mathieu, Alexander Navarro, Evin N. Musgrove, Abraham Bravo, Isabella Koh, Gloria Oh, Elianna Fisher, Alannah Tjhatra

The Student Movement v. 106 (2021-2022)

HUMANS

Andrews Students and their Majors, Interviewed by: Caryn Cruz

AUSA Talent Show Winner: Christine Neveu-Cathian, Interviewed by: Lauren Kim

Exploring Andrews University History with CIC Grant, Grace No

ART & ENTERTAINMENT

Art Analysis: "it doesn't make a sound" by Andrew Pak, Interviewed by: Megan Napod

Inspired Fashion for the Winter Season, Solana Campbell

Winter Band Concert, Andrew Pak

NEWS

AUSA Sabbath: "The Pursuit", Caralynn Chan

Blood: A National Emergency, and How You Can Help Today, Chris Ngugi

Week of Prayer: The Event for the Weak and Weary, Nathan Mathieu

IDEAS

Charging into the Future: Are Electric Cars Worth It?, …

February 4, 2022 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Interactions Between Strains Govern The Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics Of Microbial Communities, Akshit Goyal, Leonora S. Bittleston, Gabriel E. Leventhal, Lu Lu, Otto X. Cordero

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Genomic data has revealed that genotypic variants of the same species, that is, strains, coexist and are abundant in natural microbial communities. However, it is not clear if strains are ecologically equivalent, and at what characteristic genetic distance they might exhibit distinct interactions and dynamics. Here, we address this problem by tracking 10 taxonomically diverse microbial communities from the pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea in the laboratory for more than 300 generations. Using metagenomic sequencing, we reconstruct their dynamics over time and across scales, from distant phyla to closely related genotypes. We find that most strains are not ecologically equivalent and …

Prkci Regulates Autophagy And Pancreatic Tumorigenesis In Mice, Kristin S. Inman, Yi Liu, Michele L. Scotti Buzhardt, Michael Leitges, Murli Krishna, Howard C. Crawford, Alan P. Fields, Nicole R. Murray

Research Administration Articles

Protein kinase C iota (PKCι) functions as a bonafide human oncogene in lung and ovarian cancer and is required for Kras(G12D)-mediated lung cancer initiation and progression. PKCι expression is required for pancreatic cancer cell growth and maintenance of the transformed phenotype; however, nothing is known about the role of PKCι in pancreas development or pancreatic tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the effect of pancreas-specific ablation of PKCι expression on pancreatic cellular homeostasis, susceptibility to pancreatitis, and Kras(G12D)-mediated pancreatic cancer development. Knockout of pancreatic Prkci significantly increased pancreatic immune cell infiltration, acinar cell DNA damage, and apoptosis, but reduced sensitivity …