Digital Commons Network^™

Multi-Omics Insights Into The Biological Mechanisms Underlying Statistical Gene-By-Lifestyle Interactions With Smoking And Alcohol Consumption, Timothy D Majarian, Mary F Feitosa, Michael Province, Dabeeru C Rao, Karen Schwander, Yun Ju Sung, C Charles Gu, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Though both genetic and lifestyle factors are known to influence cardiometabolic outcomes, less attention has been given to whether lifestyle exposures can alter the association between a genetic variant and these outcomes. The Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) Consortium's Gene-Lifestyle Interactions Working Group has recently published investigations of genome-wide gene-environment interactions in large multi-ancestry meta-analyses with a focus on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption as lifestyle factors and blood pressure and serum lipids as outcomes. Further description of the biological mechanisms underlying these statistical interactions would represent a significant advance in our understanding of gene-environment …

Implicating Genes, Pleiotropy, And Sexual Dimorphism At Blood Lipid Loci Through Multi-Ancestry Meta-Analysis, Stavroula Kanoni, Adam E. Locke, E Warwick Daw, Mary F. Feitosa, Mary K. Wojczynski, Bernhard Banas, Carsten A. Boger, Bettina Jung, D C. Rao, Michael A. Province, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

The Relevance Of Rich Club Regions For Functional Outcome Post-Stroke Is Enhanced In Women, Anna K. Bonkhoff, Laura Heitsch, Chia-Ling Phuah, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Clinical And Molecular Characteristics Of A Novel Rare De Novo Variant In Ppp2ca In A Patient With A Developmental Disorder, Autism, And Epilepsy, Iris Verbinnen, Sara S Procknow, Lisa Lenaerts, Sara Reynhout, Aujan Mehregan, Chris Ulens, Veerle Janssens, Katherine A King

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PP2A-related (neuro) developmental disorders are a family of genetic diseases caused by a heterozygous alteration in one of several genes encoding a subunit of type 2A protein phosphatases. Reported affected genes, so far, are

Donor Chimerism And Immune Reconstitution Following Haploidentical Transplantation In Sickle Cell Disease, Yaya Chu, Brenda Grossman, Shalini Shenoy, Et Al

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: We previously reported the initial results of a phase II multicenter transplant trial using haploidentical parental donors for children and aolescents with high-risk sickle cell disease achieving excellent survival with exceptionally low rates of graft-versus-host disease and resolution of sickle cell disease symptoms. To investigate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) sensitization, graft characteristics, donor chimerism, and immune reconstitution in these recipients.

METHODS: CD34 cells were enriched using the CliniMACS

RESULTS: HLA antibodies were detected in 7 of 11 (64%) evaluable patients but rarely were against donor antigens. Myeloid engraftment was rapid (100%) at a median of 9 days. At 30 …

Postnatal Osterix But Not Dmp1 Lineage Cells Significantly Contribute To Intramembranous Ossification In Three Preclinical Models Of Bone Injury, Evan G Buettmann, Susumu Yoneda, Pei Hu, Jennifer A Mckenzie, Matthew J Silva

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Murine models of long-bone fracture, stress fracture, and cortical defect are used to discern the cellular and molecular mediators of intramembranous and endochondral bone healing. Previous work has shown that Osterix (Osx

Top-Down And Bottom-Up Propagation Of Disease In The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, John R Ostergaard, Hemanth R Nelvagal, Jonathan D Cooper

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses (NCLs) may be considered distinct neurodegenerative disorders with separate underlying molecular causes resulting from monogenetic mutations. An alternative hypothesis is to consider the NCLs as related diseases that share lipofuscin pathobiology as the common core feature, but otherwise distinguished by different a) initial anatomic location, and b) disease propagation.

METHODS: We have tested this hypothesis by comparing known differences in symptomatology and pathology of the CLN1 phenotype caused by complete loss of

RESULTS: Despite displaying similar pathological endpoints, the clinical phenotypes and the evidence of imaging and

DISCUSSION: The propagation of disease in these two …

Stat3 Gain-Of-Function Syndrome, Tiphanie P Vogel, Jennifer W Leiding, Megan A Cooper, Lisa R Forbes Satter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

STAT3 gain-of-function (GOF) syndrome is a multi-organ primary immune regulatory disorder characterized by early onset autoimmunity. Patients present early in life, most commonly with lymphoproliferation, autoimmune cytopenias, and growth delay. However, disease is often progressive and can encompass a wide range of clinical manifestations such as: enteropathy, skin disease, pulmonary disease, endocrinopathy, arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, and rarely neurologic disease, vasculopathy, and malignancy. Treatment of the autoimmune and immune dysregulatory features of STAT3-GOF patients relies heavily on immunosuppression and is often challenging and fraught with complications including severe infections. Defects in the T cell compartment leading to effector T cell accumulation …

Do The Expert Recommendations For Implementing Change (Eric) Strategies Adequately Address Sustainment?, Nicole Nathan, Byron J Powell, Rachel C Shelton, Celia V Laur, Luke Wolfenden, Maji Hailemariam, Sze Lin Yoong, Rachel Sutherland, Melanie Kingsland, Thomas J Waltz, Alix Hall

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Sustainability science is an emerging area within implementation science. There is limited evidence regarding strategies to best support the continued delivery and sustained impact of evidence-based interventions (EBIs). To build such evidence, clear definitions, and ways to operationalize strategies specific and/or relevant to sustainment are required. Taxonomies and compilations such as the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) were developed to describe and organize implementation strategies. This study aimed to adapt, refine, and extend the ERIC compilation to incorporate an explicit focus on sustainment. We also sought to classify the specific phase(s) of implementation when the ERIC strategies could …

Low Risk For Developing Diabetes Among The Offspring Of Individuals With Exceptional Longevity And Their Spouses, Iva Miljkovic, Ryan Cvejkus, Ping An, Bharat Thyagarajan, Kaare Christensen, Mary Wojczynski, Nicole Schupf, Joseph M Zmuda

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Little is known about the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among the offspring of individuals with exceptional longevity. We determined the incidence of and potential risk and protective factors for T2D among the offspring of probands and offspring's spouses (mean age=60 years, range 32-88 years) in the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), a multicenter cohort study of 583 two-generation families with a clustering of healthy aging and exceptional longevity. Incident T2D was defined as fasting serum glucose ≥126 mg/dl, or HbA1c of ≥6.5%, or self-reported with doctor diagnosis of T2D, or the use of anti-diabetic medication during a mean …

Highway Stormwater Runoff On-Site Treatment Using Bioslope With New Media Of Biochar Amended Topsoils, Ahmed I. Yunus

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has constructed various treatment facilities on its right-of-way (ROW) to collect and treat highway stormwater runoff, emphasizing total suspended solids (TSS) removal. The permit performance goal set by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is 80% TSS removal. Current stormwater best management practice (BMP) treatment facilities include complex and permanent infrastructures such as bioslope, bioretention basins, sand filters, infiltration trenches, and grass channels. Among these BMPs, bioslope has been becoming more popular due to its applicability for roadway embankments and areas with limited ROW constraints. It removes pollutants effectively by physical filtration and chemical adsorption …

Male Color Badges Advertise Multiple Messages: Tradeoffs Among Color Badge Intensity, Size, And Ectoparasite Load, Katherine M. Roberts

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Condition-dependent signals can be used by conspecifics to obtain information on an individuals’ quality such as health, fighting ability, or immunocompetence. Variation in the severity of parasitic infections could mediate the differential expression of sexual signals in distinct populations of the same species. This could create diverse condition-dependent relationships between signals and quality. In this study, I examine the relationship between male signal expression and quality of Sceloporus woodi that inhabit areas with distinct ectoparasitic pressures. First, I examined if the brightness or size of male signals is indicative of body size or body condition in males without ectoparasites. Second, …

Nitrate Removal During The Shoulder Months In The Occoquan Reservoir: A Comprehensive Study, Km Risaduzzaman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The artificial nitrate addition by the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA)’s Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) to the Occoquan Reservoir during the warmer months has been proven to be an efficient way of maintaining the water quality of the reservoir. During the warmer months, the water body became thermally stratified, resulting in hypolimnetic anoxia and the subsequent release of undesired matters from the reduced sediments. At the end of the warmer months, the temperature began to decrease, and by the beginning of winter, oxygen became ubiquitous in water because of fall turnover. This condition remained stable until the following thermal stratification; …

Population Genomics Of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis Auritus): Exploring Gene Flow And Local Adaptation In A Widely Distributed Freshwater Fish, Garret J. Strickland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Little information is available concerning the distribution of genetic diversity in non-salmonid, non-imperiled, freshwater fish. In order to fill in this knowledge gap, I conducted a population genomics survey in Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus; RBS), a widespread, generalist species distributed along the Atlantic slope rivers of eastern North America. I sampled four basins (ACF, Savannah, Roanoke, and James) at eight sites each with a factorial experimental design. Sites were distributed among coastal plain, Piedmont, or mountain ecoregions in order to capture the greatest range of environmental states experienced by RBS, with the intention of finding evidence for local adaptation to …

Hemocyte-Mediated Immune Response To A Bacterial Infection In The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Melanie Muñoz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite their continued medical and veterinary importance, the vectorial capacity of fleas (Order Siphonaptera) is often underestimated. Fleas are best described as ectoparasites of a variety of mammalian and aviary hosts. In humans, fleas are infamous for the transmission of several detrimental agents, including those that cause plague, murine typhus, and cat-scratch disease. Although their significance in flea immune responses remains unknown, phagocytic immune cells, known as hemocytes, are important players in the cell mediated immune response of insects. Among invertebrates, hemocytes provide defense against foreign microbes via phagocytosis, cellular encapsulation, and the production of humoral immune factors. As mentioned …

Development Of Novel Pyridazine Derivatives And Drug Delivery Systems Against Dengue, Janae A. Culmer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The lack of approved vaccines, medications and treatment regimens has significantly contributed to the rapid spread of mosquito-borne viruses such as Dengue and Zika virus. The complex immunopathology of these viruses presents limitations for the development and implementation of a definitive, safe and effective approach to combat infections.Previous research has demonstrated that vector control strategies such as the elimination of larval habitats, larviciding with insecticides, the use of biological agents and the application of adulticides have been unsuccessful in the reduction of viral transmission leading to the need for the continued development of antivirals. This research proposes an approach for …

Epigenetic Buffering In Introduced House Sparrows, M. Ellesse Lauer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Epigenetic buffering, as an environmentally induced increase in variance of epigenetic states that increases phenotypic variation to buffer populations against decreased fitness, may be a factor that resolves the genetic paradox of introduced species. DNA methylation is a molecular mechanism that could facilitate epigenetic buffering by changing in response to environmental stress. Therefore, epigenetic buffering can be detected through increased variance in DNA methylation in novel or heterogeneous environments. Introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) have well-documented phenotypic changes with low genetic diversity, high epigenetic diversity, and high variance in DNA methylation that provide a characteristic signature of epigenetic buffering. …

Effects Of Unpaved Roads On Relative Abundance And Epigenetics Of Early Successional Lizards, David Tevs

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Unpaved roads may provide uniform microhabitat characteristics and impart edge effects in the adjacent landscape that mediate environmental pressures acting on small vertebrates. These features may allow species that are associated with recent disturbance to persist in aging forest patches. Further, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation may provide these species the phenotypic plasticity necessary to occupy multiple habitats with different environmental conditions. To understand how small vertebrates use unpaved roads, the relative abundance and occurrence of Florida scrub lizards (Sceloporus woodi) and six-lined racerunners (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) were quantified using visual encounter surveys along unpaved roads …

Neosublime, Reframing The Philosophical, Kathy Varadi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Why have the sunsets and sunrises become so amazingly colorful and awe inspiring recently? Eighteenth century philosophers said such events were examples of the sublime. They defined the sublime as that which is the most absolutely great combined with an underlying element of fear usually caused by the actions of God. This infers that the sublime is something that you can’t fully understand or wrap your head around and leaves you speechless and spell bound. Contemporary art critics say that the sublime is no longer applicable to art because it has been overused. I disagree, and in my art, I …

Evaluation Of Tidal Fresh Forest Distributions And Tropical Storm Impacts Using Sentinel-2 Msi Imagery, Galen Costomiris

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Situated in the transitional zone between non-tidal forests upstream and tidal fresh marshes downstream, tidal fresh forests occupy a unique and increasingly precarious habitat. The threat of intensifying anthropogenic climate change, compounded by the effects of historical logging and drainage alterations, could reduce the extent of this valuable ecosystem. The overall goals of this project were to identify forest communities present in the Altamaha tidal fresh forest; develop satellite imagery-based classifications of tidal fresh forest and tidal marsh vegetation along the Altamaha River, Georgia; and to quantify changes in vegetation distribution in the aftermath of hurricanes Matthew and Irma. Based …

Modelling Muscle Activation Using Emg Signal, Mercy U. Okonna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

(EMG) is a method for measuring muscle activity by an electrical signal, and is useful in studying motor control, postural control, and in physical therapy. A current research topic is creating an algorithm that can use the EMG signal to reliably classify a muscle as active or inactive. This thesis presents a classification algorithm for leg muscles with a single activation spike while walking. Time is rescaled into steps, which are identified using data from cameras measuring joint angles while walking. The algorithm is based on moving averages and a convex combination of mean signal strength in active and inactive …

Fabrication Of Soft Gripper Via Direct Inkjet Writing Additive Manufacturing, Evan D. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) has bloomed recently in the manufacturing field due to its many applications. Direct inkjet writing (DIW) is one of the main am technologies used in the production of grippers. DIW is the most popular taking advantage of materials like silicone and hydrogels. The technology of 3D printing with silicone is still in early stages ,nevertheless, the ability to print with soft materials is very alluring. The implementation of complex geometries in the silicone world would yield vast opportunities in the medical and robotics fields. Additive manufacturing allows for this to be thoroughly examined. In this research these …

Biomimetic Synthesis Of Palladium Nanoparticles For Catalytic Application, Emily A. Groover

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) using materials-directed peptides is a novel, nontoxic approach which exerts a high level of control over the particle size and shape. This biomimetic technique is environmentally benign, featuring nonhazardous ligands and ambient conditions. Nanoparticles are extremely reactive catalysts, boasting a large surface-to-volume ratio when compared to their bulk counterparts. The rational design of these nanoparticles using peptides has been very successful in aqueous environments, but no research has been done to apply it in organic systems. As such, the biomimetic synthesis of Pd NPs in an organic system is here investigated, with ethanol …

Genetic And Transcriptional Contributions To Relapse In Normal Karyotype Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Allegra A Petti, Saad M Khan, Ziheng Xu, Nichole Helton, Catrina C Fronick, Robert Fulton, Sai M Ramakrishnan, Sridhar Nonavinkere Srivatsan, Sharon E Heath, Peter Westervelt, Jacqueline E Payton, Matthew J Walter, Daniel C Link, John Dipersio, Christopher Miller, Timothy J Ley

2020-Current year OA Pubs

To better understand clonal and transcriptional adaptations after relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we collected presentation and relapse samples from six normal karyotype AML cases. We performed enhanced whole-genome sequencing to characterize clonal evolution, and deep-coverage single-cell RNA sequencing on the same samples, which yielded 142,642 high-quality cells for analysis. Identifying expressed mutations in individual cells enabled us to discriminate between normal and AML cells, to identify coordinated changes in the genome and transcriptome, and to identify subclone-specific cell states. We quantified the coevolution of genetic and transcriptional heterogeneity during AML progression, and found that transcriptional changes …

Increased Virus Dissemination Leads To Enhanced Lung Injury But Not Inflammation During Influenza-Associated Secondary Bacterial Infection, Amanda P Smith, Lindey C Lane, Ivan Ramirez Zuniga, David M Moquin, Peter Vogel, Amber M Smith

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Secondary bacterial infections increase influenza-related morbidity and mortality, particularly if acquired after 5-7 d from the viral onset. Synergistic host responses and direct pathogen-pathogen interactions are thought to lead to a state of hyperinflammation, but the kinetics of the lung pathology have not yet been detailed, and identifying the contribution of different mechanisms to disease is difficult because these may change over time. To address this gap, we examined host-pathogen and lung pathology dynamics following a secondary bacterial infection initiated at different time points after influenza within a murine model. We then used a mathematical approach to quantify the increased …

The High Cost Of Federal Cannabis Prohibition, Michael Hunter

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Bodies Of Water, Bodies Of Text: The Permeable Frame In Akira Kurosawa’S Rashomon, David Schwartz

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

The Black Church: A Place Of Refuge – A Place Of Prayer, William F. Spencer

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Culture Is Not Destiny, For Reading: Highlighting Variable Routes To Literacy Within Writing Systems, Lindsay N. Harris, Elizabeth Hirshorn

CISLL Publications

Cross–writing system research in psychology and cognitive neuroscience has yielded important findings regarding how a writing system’s structure can influence the cognitive challenges of learning to read and the neural under-pinnings of literacy. The current paper reviews these differences and extends the findings to demonstrate diversity in how skilled reading is accomplished within a single writing system, English. We argue that broad clusters of behavioral and neural patterns found across writing systems can also be found within subpopulations who display atypical routes to skilled English reading, subpopulations including Chinese–English bilinguals, deaf native signers, compensated readers, and distortion-sensitive readers. The patterns …

Il-6 Contributes To The Suppression Of T And Nk Cell Anti-Tumor Activity In Egfr-Mutant Nsclc, Sonia A. Patel, Monique B. Nilsson, Yan Yang, Xiaoxing Yu, Fahao Zhang, Alissa Poteete, Xiaoyang Ren, Xiuning Le, Li Shen, Jing Wang, John Heymach

Leading Edge of Cancer Research Symposium 2022

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