Digital Commons Network^™

Targetable Vulnerability Of Deregulated Foxm1/Plk1 Signaling Axis In Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, Fang Yu, Hua He, Loretta J Nastoupil, Zijun Y Xu-Monette, Ky Pham, Yong Liang, Guang Chen, Nathan H Fowler, C Cameron Yin, Dongfeng Tan, Yaling Yang, Shimin Hu, Ken H Young, Lan V Pham, M James You

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

FOXM1 is a transcription factor that controls cell cycle regulation, cell proliferation, and differentiation. Overexpression of FOXM1 has been implicated in various cancer types. However, the activation status and functional significance of FOXM1 in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have not been well investigated. Using proteomic approaches, we discovered that the protein expression levels of FOXM1 and PLK1 were positively correlated in DLBCL cell lines and primary DLBCL. Expression levels of FOXM1 and PLK1 mRNAs were also significantly higher in DLBCL than in normal human B cells and could predict poor prognosis of DLBCL, particularly in patients with germinal …

Head-Mounted Digital Metamorphopsia Suppression As A Countermeasure For Macular-Related Visual Distortions For Prolonged Spaceflight Missions And Terrestrial Health, Joshua Ong, Nasif Zaman, Ethan Waisberg, Sharif Amit Kamran, Andrew G Lee, Alireza Tavakkoli

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

During long-duration spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to various risks including spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, which serves as a risk to astronaut vision and a potential physiological barrier to future spaceflight. When considering exploration missions that may expose astronauts to longer periods of microgravity, radiation exposure, and natural aging processes during spaceflight, more severe changes to functional vision may occur. The macula plays a critical role in central vision and disruptions to this key area in the eye may compromise functional vision and mission performance. In this article, we describe the development of a countermeasure technique to digitally suppress monocular central visual …

Disruption Of Growth Hormone Receptor Signaling Abrogates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development, Abedul Haque, Vishal Sahu, Jamie Lynne Lombardo, Lianchun Xiao, Bhawana George, Robert A Wolff, Jeffrey S Morris, Asif Rashid, John J Kopchick, Ahmed O Kaseb, Hesham M Amin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancers. It is an aggressive neoplasm with dismal outcome because most of the patients present with an advanced-stage disease, which precludes curative surgical options. Therefore, these patients require systemic therapies that typically induce small improvements in overall survival. Hence, it is crucial to identify new and promising therapeutic targets for HCC to improve the current outcome. The liver is a key organ in the signaling cascade triggered by the growth hormone receptor (GHR). Previous studies have shown that GHR signaling stimulates the proliferation and regeneration of liver cells …

Editorial: The Role Of The Igf Axis In Tumorigenesis And Cancer Treatment: From Genes To Metabolites, Guo Mengzhe, Xie Shanshan, Zhao Di, Wu Shihua

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Blockade Of Growth Hormone Receptor Signaling By Using Pegvisomant: A Functional Therapeutic Strategy In Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Ahmed O Kaseb, Abedul Haque, Deeksha Vishwamitra, Manal M Hassan, Lianchun Xiao, Bhawana George, Vishal Sahu, Yehia I Mohamed, Roberto Carmagnani Pestana, Jamie Lynne Lombardo, Rony Avritscher, James C Yao, Robert A Wolff, Asif Rashid, Jeffrey S Morris, Hesham M Amin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive neoplasm with poor clinical outcome because most patients present at an advanced stage, at which point curative surgical options, such as tumor excision or liver transplantation, are not feasible. Therefore, the majority of HCC patients require systemic therapy. Nonetheless, the currently approved systemic therapies have limited effects, particularly in patients with advanced and resistant disease. Hence, there is a critical need to identify new molecular targets and effective systemic therapies to improve HCC outcome. The liver is a major target of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) signaling, and accumulating evidence suggests that GHR signaling …

Comparative Analysis Of Gene Expression Patterns For Oral Epithelial Cell Functions In Periodontitis, Octavio A Gonzalez, Sreenatha Kirakodu, Linh M Nguyen, Luis Orraca, Michael J Novak, Janis Gonzalez-Martinez, Jeffrey L Ebersole

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The structure and function of epithelial cells are critical for the construction and maintenance of intact epithelial surfaces throughout the body. Beyond the mechanical barrier functions, epithelial cells have been identified as active participants in providing warning signals to the host immune and inflammatory cells and in communicating various detailed information on the noxious challenge to help drive specificity in the characteristics of the host response related to health or pathologic inflammation. Rhesus monkeys were used in these studies to evaluate the gingival transcriptome for naturally occurring disease samples (GeneChip® Rhesus Macaque Genome Array) or for ligature-induced disease (GeneChip® Rhesus …

Multiagent Chemotherapy And Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy In Patients With Unresectable Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Prospective Nonrandomized Controlled Trial, Colin S Hill, Lauren Rosati, Hao Wang, Hua-Ling Tsai, Jin He, Amy Hacker-Prietz, Daniel A Laheru, Lei Zheng, Shuchi Sehgal, Vincent Bernard, Dung T Le, Timothy M Pawlik, Matthew J Weiss, Amol K Narang, Joseph M Herman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: In a prospective multicenter study, gemcitabine monotherapy followed by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was well tolerated with outcomes comparable to chemoradiation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC). Recent trials have reported improved survival with multiagent chemotherapy (MA-CTX) alone. This prospective trial explored whether SBRT could be safely delivered after MA-CTX. Herein, we report the long-term outcomes of adding SBRT after MA-CTX in LAPC patients and evaluate whether genetic profiles of specimens obtained before SBRT influence outcomes.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: This prospective nonrandomized controlled phase 2 trial enrolled 44 LAPC and 4 locally recurrent patients after multidisciplinary evaluation between …

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation For Patients With Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (Bpdcn), Qaiser Bashir, Denái R Milton, Uday R Popat, Partow Kebriaei, Chitra Hosing, Issa F Khouri, Katayoun Rezvani, Yago Nieto, Betul Oran, Samer A Srour, Neeraj Y Saini, Amanda L Olson, Sairah Ahmed, Gheath Al-Atrash, Gabriela Rondon, Marina Y Konopleva, Richard E Champlin, Elizabeth J Shpall, Muzaffar H Qazilbash, Naveen Pemmaraju

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm (BPDCN) is an aggressive hematological malignancy; however, some patients achieve durable remission with allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). We report on all 17 patients with BPDCN who underwent allo-HCT at our center between 2000 and 2020. The median age was 39 (18-67) years. All (n = 16, 94%), except one patient, had systemic disease involving bone marrow and/or other organs. Ten patients (59%) were in first complete remission (CR1) at allo-HCT. The donor source was matched related or unrelated in ten (59%) and alternate donor in seven (41%) patients. Five (31%) patients developed acute graft-versus-host …

Targeting Mcl-1 Dysregulates Cell Metabolism And Leukemia-Stroma Interactions And Resensitizes Acute Myeloid Leukemia To Bcl-2 Inhibition, Bing Z Carter, Po Yee Mak, Wenjing Tao, Marc Warmoes, Philip L Lorenzi, Duncan Mak, Vivian Ruvolo, Lin Tan, Justin Cidado, Lisa Drew, Michael Andreeff

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

MCL-1 and BCL-2 are both frequently overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia and critical for the survival of acute myeloid leukemia cells and acute myeloid leukemia stem cells. MCL-1 is a key factor in venetoclax resistance. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we discovered that MCL-1 regulates leukemia cell bioenergetics and carbohydrate metabolisms, including the TCA cycle, glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway and modulates cell adhesion proteins and leukemia-stromal interactions. Inhibition of MCL-1 sensitizes to BCL-2 inhibition in acute myeloid leukemia cells and acute myeloid leukemia stem/progenitor cells, including those with intrinsic and acquired resistance to venetoclax through cooperative release of pro-apoptotic …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence To Plasma Metabolomics Profiles To Predict Response To Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Ehsan Irajizad, Ranran Wu, Jody Vykoukal, Eunice Murage, Rachelle Spencer, Jennifer B Dennison, Stacy Moulder, Elizabeth Ravenberg, Bora Lim, Jennifer Litton, Debu Tripathym, Vicente Valero, Senthil Damodaran, Gaiane M Rauch, Beatriz Adrada, Rosalind Candelaria, Jason B White, Abenaa Brewster, Banu Arun, James P Long, Kim Anh Do, Sam Hanash, Johannes F Fahrmann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There is a need to identify biomarkers predictive of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). We previously obtained evidence that a polyamine signature in the blood is associated with TNBC development and progression. In this study, we evaluated whether plasma polyamines and other metabolites may identify TNBC patients who are less likely to respond to NACT. Pre-treatment plasma levels of acetylated polyamines were elevated in TNBC patients that had moderate to extensive tumor burden (RCB-II/III) following NACT compared to those that achieved a complete pathological response (pCR/RCB-0) or had minimal residual disease (RCB-I). We further applied …

Harmonization Of Multi-Scanner In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Enigma Consortium Task Group Considerations, Ashley D Harris, Houshang Amiri, Mariana Bento, Ronald Cohen, Christopher R K Ching, Christina Cudalbu, Emily L Dennis, Arne Doose, Stefan Ehrlich, Ivan I Kirov, Ralf Mekle, Georg Oeltzschner, Eric Porges, Roberto Souza, Friederike I Tam, Brian Taylor, Paul M Thompson, Yann Quidé, Elisabeth A Wilde, John Williamson, Alexander P Lin, Brenda Bartnik-Olson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy is a powerful, non-invasive, quantitative imaging technique that allows for the measurement of brain metabolites that has demonstrated utility in diagnosing and characterizing a broad range of neurological diseases. Its impact, however, has been limited due to small sample sizes and methodological variability in addition to intrinsic limitations of the method itself such as its sensitivity to motion. The lack of standardization from a data acquisition and data processing perspective makes it difficult to pool multiple studies and/or conduct multisite studies that are necessary for supporting clinically relevant findings. Based on the experience of the ENIGMA MRS …

Circadian Stabilization Loop: The Regulatory Hub And Therapeutic Target Promoting Circadian Resilience And Physiological Health, Eunju Kim, Seung-Hee Yoo, Zheng Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The circadian clock is a fundamental biological mechanism that orchestrates essential cellular and physiological processes to optimize fitness and health. The basic functional unit is the cell-autonomous oscillator, consisting of intersecting negative feedback loops. Whereas the core loop is primarily responsible for rhythm generation, auxiliary loops, most notably the secondary or stabilization loop, play pivotal roles to confer temporal precision and molecular robustness. The stabilization loop contains opposing nuclear receptor subfamilies REV-ERBs and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors (RORs), competing to modulate rhythmic expression of the basic helix-loop-helix ARNT like 1 (Bmal1) genes in the core loop as …

Elastic Shape Analysis Of Brain Structures For Predictive Modeling Of Ptsd, Yuexuan Wu, Suprateek Kundu, Jennifer S Stevens, Negar Fani, Anuj Srivastava

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It is well-known that morphological features in the brain undergo changes due to traumatic events and associated disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, existing approaches typically offer group-level comparisons, and there are limited predictive approaches for modeling behavioral outcomes based on brain shape features that can account for heterogeneity in PTSD, which is of paramount interest. We propose a comprehensive shape analysis framework representing brain sub-structures, such as the hippocampus, amygdala, and putamen, as parameterized surfaces and quantifying their shape differences using an elastic shape metric. Under this metric, we compute shape summaries (mean, covariance, PCA) of brain …

Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity Is Mediated By Neutrophils Through Release Of Neutrophil Elastase, Anchit Bhagat, Pradeep Shrestha, Prince Jeyabal, Zhanglong Peng, Stephanie S Watowich, Eugenie S Kleinerman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The mechanisms by which Doxorubicin (Dox) causes acute and late cardiotoxicity are not completely understood. One understudied area is the innate immune response, and in particular the role of neutrophils in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Here, using echocardiography, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining, we demonstrated increased infiltration of neutrophils that correlated with decreased heart function, disruption of vascular structures and increased collagen deposition in the heart after Dox treatment. Depleting neutrophils protected the heart from Dox-induced cardiotoxicity and changes in vascular structure. Furthermore, our data using neutrophil elastase (NE) knock-out mice and the NE inhibitor AZD9668 suggest that neutrophils cause this damage …

Toward A Topology-Based Therapeutic Design Of Membrane Proteins: Validation Of Napi2b Topology In Live Ovarian Cancer Cells, Leisan Bulatova, Daria Savenkova, Alsina Nurgalieva, Daria Reshetnikova, Arina Timonina, Vera Skripova, Mikhail Bogdanov, Ramziya Kiyamova

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

NaPi2b is a sodium-dependent phosphate transporter that belongs to the SLC34 family of transporters which is mainly responsible for phosphate homeostasis in humans. Although NaPi2b is widely expressed in normal tissues, its overexpression has been demonstrated in ovarian, lung, and other cancers. A valuable set of antibodies, including L2 (20/3) and MX35, and its humanized versions react strongly with an antigen on the surface of ovarian and other carcinoma cells. Although the topology of NaPi2b was predicted

Biophysical Characterization Of Light-Gated Ion Channels Using Planar Automated Patch Clamp, Elena G Govorunova, Oleg A Sineshchekov, Leonid S Brown, John L Spudich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are proteins that guide phototaxis in protists and exhibit light-gated channel conductance when their genes are heterologously expressed in mammalian cells. ChRs are widely used as molecular tools to control neurons and cardiomyocytes with light (optogenetics). Cation- and anion-selective ChRs (CCRs and ACRs, respectively) enable stimulation and inhibition of neuronal activity by depolarization and hyperpolarization of the membrane, respectively. More than 400 natural ChR variants have been identified so far, and high-throughput polynucleotide sequencing projects add many more each year. However, electrophysiological characterization of new ChRs lags behind because it is mostly done by time-consuming manual patch clamp …

Progranulin Loss Results In Sex-Dependent Dysregulation Of The Peripheral And Central Immune System, Madelyn C Houser, Oihane Uriarte Huarte, Rebecca L Wallings, Cody E Keating, Kathryn P Macpherson, Mary K Herrick, George T Kannarkat, Sean D Kelly, Jianjun Chang, Nicholas H Varvel, Jessica E Rexach, Malú Gámez Tansey

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Progranulin (PGRN) is a secreted glycoprotein, the expression of which is linked to several neurodegenerative diseases. Although its specific function is still unclear, several studies have linked it with lysosomal functions and immune system regulation. Here, we have explored the role of PGRN in peripheral and central immune system homeostasis by investigating the consequences of PGRN deficiency on adaptive and innate immune cell populations.

METHODS: First, we used gene co-expression network analysis of published data to test the hypothesis that

RESULTS: Male PGRN KO mice exhibited a lower abundance of microglial cells with higher MHC-II expression, increased CD44 expression …

Donor Selection For Kir Alloreactivity Is Associated With Superior Survival In Haploidentical Transplant With Ptcy, Jun Zou, Piyanuch Kongtim, Samer A Srour, Uri Greenbaum, Johannes Schetelig, Falk Heidenreich, Henning Baldauf, Brandt Moore, Supawee Saengboon, Yudith Carmazzi, Gabriela Rondon, Qing Ma, Katayoun Rezvani, Elizabeth J Shpall, Richard E Champlin, Stefan O Ciurea, Kai Cao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

With the continuous increase in the use of haploidentical donors for transplantation, the selection of donors becomes increasingly important. Haploidentical donors have been selected primarily based on clinical characteristics, while the effects of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on outcomes of haploidentical-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) remain inconclusive. The present study aimed to thoroughly evaluate the effect of KIRs and binding ligands assessed by various models, in addition to other patient/donor variables, on clinical outcomes in haplo-HSCT. In a cohort of 354 patients undergoing their first haplo-HSCT, we found that a higher Count Functional inhibitory KIR …

Neoadjuvant Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy For Resectable Mucosal Melanoma, Joel Ho, Jane Mattei, Michael Tetzlaff, Michelle D Williams, Michael A Davies, Adi Diab, Isabella C Glitza Oliva, Jennifer Mcquade, Sapna P Patel, Hussein Tawbi, Michael K Wong, Sarah B Fisher, Ehab Hanna, Emily Z Keung, Merrick Ross, Roi Weiser, Shirley Y Su, Michael Frumovitz, Larissa A Meyer, Amir Jazaeri, Curtis A Pettaway, B Ashleigh Guadagnolo, Andrew J Bishop, Devarati Mitra, Ahsan Farooqi, Roland Bassett, Silvana Faria, Priyadharsini Nagarajan, Rodabe N Amaria

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibition (CPI) has recently demonstrated impressive outcomes in patients with stage 3 cutaneous melanoma. However, the safety, efficacy, and outcome of neoadjuvant CPI in patients with mucosal melanoma (MM) are not well studied as MM is a rare melanoma subtype. CPI such as combination nivolumab and ipilimumab achieves response rates of 37-43% in unresectable or metastatic MM but there is limited data regarding the efficacy of these agents in the preoperative setting. We hypothesize that neoadjuvant CPI is a safe and feasible approach for patients with resectable MM.

METHOD: Under an institutionally approved protocol, we identified adult …

Case Report: Successful Treatment Of Late-Onset Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Membranous Nephropathy In A Patient With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma, Praveen Ratanasrimetha, Vikas D Reddy, Jaya Kala, Amanda Tchakarov, William F Glass, Pavlos Msaouel, Jamie S Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Diagnosing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated nephritis can be challenging since it is a rare complication of therapy, associated with a spectrum of immune-mediated pathologies, and can present months after ICI therapy discontinuation (i.e., late-onset). ICIs are increasingly administered in combination with other cancer therapies with associated nephrotoxicity, further obfuscating the diagnosis of ICI-associated nephritis. In this report, we describe the first suspected case of late-onset ICI-associated membranous nephropathy (MN) in a patient with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had discontinued ICI therapy 6 months prior to presentation. Prompt recognition of the suspected late-onset immune-related adverse event …

Emerging Current Trends And Research Focus Related To Pancreatic Cancer Metabolism: A Bibliometric And Visualized Analysis, Qian Shen, Chuanlong Zhang, Xiaochen Jiang, Junchen Li, Fudong Liu, Xiyuan Zhang, Ge'er En, Bo Pang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: As a malignant digestive system tumor, pancreatic cancer has unique metabolic characteristics. In recent years, the study of pancreatic cancer metabolism is in full swing, which provides a new direction for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients. However, there is no systematic report of pancreatic cancer metabolism. In this paper, bibliometrics and visualization methods were used to analyze the number of publications, countries/regions, authors, institutions, journals, co-cited references, and keywords of pancreatic cancer metabolism articles, to summarize the research trends and predict research hotspots.

METHODS: We searched, screened and downloaded articles on pancreatic cancer metabolism through the Web of …

Temozolomide-Nsaid Mixtures And Novel Diclofenac-Purine Hybrids As Potential Antiglioblastoma Agents, Joshua Rotich

Master's Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, lethal and aggressive brain tumor in adults. Standard treatment involves surgery, radiation therapy and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. However, GBM recurs and the average survival rate is between 12 to 18 months with 25% 1-year survival rate and 9% 5 years survival rate. Treatment options and advancement is limited by the blood brain barrier (BBB) which restricts drug entry into the brain and the immense heterogeneity of the tumor which limit adequate control of the entire tumor using one drug. In this research, we explored whether a combination mixture of TMZ and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs …

Clinical Implementation And Initial Experience With A 15 Tesla Mr-Linac For Mr-Guided Radiation Therapy For Gynecologic Cancer: An R-Ideal Stage 1 And 2a First In Humans Feasibility Study Of New Technology Implementation, David S Lakomy, Jinzhong Yang, Sastry Vedam, Jihong Wang, Belinda Lee, Angela Sobremonte, Pamela Castillo, Neil Hughes, Mustefa Mohammedsaid, Anuja Jhingran, Ann H Klopp, Seungtaek Choi, C David Fuller, Lilie L Lin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Magnetic resonance imaging-guided linear accelerator systems (MR-linacs) can facilitate the daily adaptation of radiation therapy plans. Here, we report our early clinical experience using a MR-linac for adaptive radiation therapy of gynecologic malignancies.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Treatments were planned with an Elekta Monaco v5.4.01 and delivered by a 1.5 Tesla Elekta Unity MR-linac. The system offers a choice of daily adaptation based on either position (ATP) or shape (ATS) of the tumor and surrounding normal structures. The ATS approach has the option of manually editing the contours of tumors and surrounding normal structures before the plan is adapted. Here, …

Depth And Latitudinal Gradients Of Diversity In Seamount Benthic Communities, Amelia E.H. Bridges, David K.A. Barnes, James B. Bell, Rebecca E. Ross, Kerry L. Howell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

AimLatitudinal and bathymetric species diversity gradients in the deep sea have been identified, but studies have rarely considered these gradients across hard substratum habitats, such as seamount and oceanic island margins. This study aimed to identify whether the current understanding of latitudinal and bathymetric gradients in α-diversity (species richness) apply to seamount ecosystems, as well as ascertaining whether identifiable trends were present in seamount β-diversity along a bathymetric gradient.LocationExclusive Economic Zones of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, spanning 8–40°S in the South Atlantic.TaxonSeamount megabenthic communities.MethodsImages from 39 transects, collected between 250 and 950 m, were used to …

Neonates And Covid-19: State Of The Art, L. Ryan, Frans B. Plötz, Den Hoogen A Van, Jos M. Latour, Marina Degtyareva, Maya Keuning, Claus Klingenberg, Irwin K.M. Reiss, Eric Giannoni, Charles Roehr, Christopher Gale, Eleanor J. Molloy

School of Nursing and Midwifery

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide, particularly in middle- and low-income countries. While this impact has been well-recognized in certain age groups, the effects, both direct and indirect, on the neonatal population remain largely unknown. There are placental changes associated, though the contributions to maternal and fetal illness have not been fully determined. The rate of premature delivery has increased and SARS-CoV-2 infection is proportionately higher in premature neonates, which appears to be related to premature delivery for maternal reasons rather than an increase in spontaneous preterm labor. There is much room for expansion, including long-term data …

A Scenography Of Inscriptions And Intangibles In The Birthing Room, Johara Bellali

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Inscriptions on graph paper, on monitors and on various screensare ubiquitous in the birthing room; they reassure, worry, beep,light up and inform protocols. According to Latour (1985) theirpresence is not a result of a carefully planned logical choice, butof a legacy of mustering allies and convincing alignments. UsingBarad’s (2007) framework of agential realism, this paper explores thenotion of intra-actions between objects and agencies of observationin the phenomenon of birth, using a socio-political and historicalconfiguration. It presents some surprising accounts of obstetricsand gynaecology and showcases how historical inscriptions andinstruments materialized today’s birthing practices. It then presentshow, upon entering the birthing room, …

The Ecological And Social Effects Of Open Ocean Mussel Farming, Danielle Bridger

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Mussel aquaculture installations located in inshore waters have been shown to have a wide range of impacts on the surrounding environment and marine organisms, while also presenting a problem to other marine users. However, there is some evidence that moving these installations further offshore into the open ocean could mitigate these impacts. This thesis aimed to develop and pilot a robust monitoring programme that could be used to inform future management of aquaculture installations. A further aim was to assess the effects of mussel headlines at an open ocean long-line mussel farm, currently under development in Lyme Bay, southwest UK, …

A Comparison Of Impa2 & Isyna1 Gene Expression And Intracelular Myo-Inositol Levels In Bipolar And Non-Bipolar Disorder Derived Human Lymphoblasts, Christina Rosette

Master's Theses

The thesis objective was to determine if myo-inositol concentration levels and the gene expression of IMPA2 & ISYNA1 differ among bipolar disorder types 1 and 2 compared to healthy controls (non-bipolar disorder). Previous studies have correlated different myo-inositol concentration levels with specific phases of bipolar and pharmaceutical treatments. Two genes, inositol monophosphatase 2 (IMPA2) and inositol-3-phosphate synthase 1 (ISYNA1), involved in de novo myo-inositol biosynthesis have been implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar. In this study, differences in myo-inositol concentration and IMPA2 & ISYNA1 gene expression in lymphoblasts derived from subjects with bipolar types 1, 2, and healthy control were …

A Content Analysis Of Documentation Of Nature Play In Early Childhood Teacher Education Programs In Australia, Nicole C. Green, Vicki Christopher, Michelle Turner

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study theoretically aligns with research that purports that nature play positively contributes to sustainability stewardship. Early childhood teachers can plan for and nurture children’s capabilities and dispositions for sustainability stewardship. Initial teacher education programs contribute to the professional learning of preservice early childhood teachers’ perceptions regarding nature play. This article details the findings of content analysis to explore and uncover the existence of nature play in online, publicly available documents representing twenty-two early childhood teacher qualifications. In what ways is nature play evidenced in early childhood initial teacher education programs in Australia? The findings highlight potential discrepancies between the …

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions Of Environmental Sustainability: A Phenomenographic Investigation, Jane Spiteri

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Early childhood teachers’ environmental perceptions can influence young children’s learning about environmental issues. Yet, to date, there is minimal research focusing on the perceptions of environmental sustainability held by early childhood teachers. This qualitative phenomenographic study collected data via individual semi-structured interviews with five early childhood teachers and one head teacher, in Malta. Preliminary findings revealed that the participants perceived environmental sustainability in terms of environmental concerns; environmental responsibility; and environmental protection. A mismatch between the participants’ environmental concerns and their pro-environmental behaviour emerged. The data also show that any environmental activities at school were done so uncritically. These findings …