Digital Commons Network^™

A Preliminary Timeline Of The Midbrain Development In The Monodelphis Domestica Animal Model, Ismael Perez, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Introduction: The Brazilian short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis Domestica) is an understudied animal model compared to the Mus musculus that has been identified as a perfect candidate to study neurodevelopment (Baggott, L. & Moore, H., 1990). What makes the Monodelphis Domestica a perfect specimen for neurodevelopment is that the embryo develops outside the pouch of the mother providing easy noninvasive access to track changes across different developmental stages (Mate et al., 1994).

Objective: The objective of the study is to compare the area and volume in the development of the Monodelphis’s midbrain across three different developmental stages. Our research is beneficial because …

Lifeboat Ethics And Systematic Stability, Peiran Tan

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

A utilitarian, Garrett Hardin in his Lifeboat Ethics argues that an international state should refrain from sharing resources with and providing help for other states to maximize its people’s welfare. The global resources are finite and states ideally should share it equally for maximum collective interest. Yet the absence of supreme coercive authority to enforce fair sharing gives ample incentive for rule violation, as states attempt to maximize self-interest in disregard for the eventual collective ruin, which Hardin refers to as the “Tragedy of Commons.” Since other states act both as sharers and opponents, a state should aggressively eradicate them …

The Epistemic Value Of Live Fiction: A Dramatic Response To The Question Of Knowledge, Hannah Hicks

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

This essay occupies a niche wedged between Philosophy and Art, exciting both the creative and inquiring mind. Drawing on both foundational and recent work in the philosophical study of knowledge and aesthetic theory, this paper synthesizes two fields within the humanities: epistemology and live theatre. This presentation challenges the academic barriers that keep philosophy and the performing arts from fully participating in interdisciplinary communication, and challenges the conceptual definition of knowledge itself. The aim is to promote recognition of the value in using that which is live, liminal, and personal in understanding the nature of knowledge. This can be achieved …

Animal Activism And The Ethics Of Terrorism, Jeffrey Pannekoek

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

Terrorism is a subject deeply connected to the issue of animal welfare. This has not always been the case. Whereas it is definitely true that some criminal activity has been justified in the name of animal welfare, misdemeanors and even felonies are of a very different order than terrorism. The charge of terrorism can strip a person off their most fundamental rights, even without trial. Animal terrorism has not witnessed quite such a situation, although a number of animal activists who have committed direct action have been convicted for a range of crimes, and some have had the terrorism enhancement …

Mimesis And Ritual: Girardian Critique Of The Social Contract, Ysabel Johnston

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

The social contract has become the dominant basis for political society, yet political theology is still prevalent in many countries. Rene Girard’s theory of human nature as involving mimesis and ritual offers a more sufficient account for this continuity than that of the social contract theorists. This paper will demonstrate how the views of human nature and the formation of society given by Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau not only failed to account for our religious and ritualistic aspects, but provided a basis for the evolution of the social contract into a pragmatic contract. Originally it was conceived as predicated upon …

Narrowing The Divide: Posthuman Autopoiesis And Social Propaganda, Alexandra Holmes

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

This paper examines the relationship between social propaganda as presented by Jacques Ellul in his book Propaganda: the Formation of Men’s Attitudes and the concept of autopoiesis (or self-generation) within posthuman ideology. These two concepts intersect in their connection of the individual to the masses. Both posthuman theory and Ellul’s concept of social interaction are based on the bridging of the ontological gap to overcome cognitive isolation, resulting in the engagement in a community outside of oneself. The stripping of individuality becomes necessary, as our self-contained autopoietic beings employ analogical inference in order to connect with the mass, and therefore …

The Discourse Of The Scalpel And The Limbo Of Non-Identity: Doing Justice To Herculine Barbin, Aurora Laybourn-Candlish

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

In this essay I will make a comparative analysis of Butlers reading of Herculin Barbin in Gender Trouble and David Reimer in Undoing Gender. My reading of Undoing Gender will illustrate reflective moments in which Butler herself describes spaces outside of intelligibility. First, my analysis will consist of in reading Butlers earlier work against her more recent writings on gender. Utilizing the same critical lens that Butler incorporated to compare Foucault’s later work against his earlier writing will bring to the fore important tensions in Bulter’s gender theory and her relationship with Foucault. Second, I will describe the discourse of …

Semantics Embodied: Cognitive Linguistics And Searle’S Account Of Linguistic Intentionality, Krivo Flores

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

John Searle has long argued that the philosophy of language is a branch of the philosophy of mind. In his view the capacity of speech acts to represent and relate to reality derives from more biologically basic forms of intentionality, such as perception and action, which initially evolved to relate organisms directly to their environments. Searle’s naturalistic model of language, in order to be complete, requires a theory of how perception and action specifically give rise to linguistic meaning and interpretation. In this paper I argue that recent theoretical developments in cognitive linguistics and the emerging field of embodied cognition …

32. Using Our Languages Improves Our Health (I), Makha Blu Wakpa, Alice Taff

CoLang 2022 Workshops

During this workshop, together we'll become aware of connections between language use and wellbeing. We'll talk about how different cultures define health. (“Western Desert Aborigines see 'health' not only in the absence of sickness, but more positively: on the physical side, in the presence of coldness and dryness in the body, and on the spiritual side, in having one’s spirit in the area of the stomach. Conversely, when the spirit moves to the back of a person or leaves the body altogether, when the body is hot and wet, then the person is considered sick.” Peile, A. R. 1997 Body …

Sex Differences In Stress Reactivity And Responses To Novelty In The Gray Short-Tailed Opossum (Monodelphis Domestica), Esperanza I. Alaniz, Nicole Altamirano, Joseph Rafac, Katelynn Renteria, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Investigating how exposures to stress and novel environments influence behavior is important for translational research that aims to improve mental health. Previous studies have focused on reactions to novelty and revealed changes in defense reactions and exploratory behavior. (Pisula et al., 2012).

Objective: The focus of the present study is to investigate sex differences in behavioral responses to novel environments and restraint stress in the gray short-tailed opossums (Monodelphis domestica). Using the Monodelphis is innovative because it is a non-traditional animal model that is ideal for developmental research.

Methods: Using AnyMaze video tracking software, animals’ behaviors (6 males, 6 …

Intranasal Delivery Of Human Umbilical Cord Stromal Cell Conditioned Media Improves Alveolar Growth And Vascular Remodeling In Experimental Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Jooby Joy, Dawn Mcdaniel, Caitlyn Winter, Michelle Noronha, Tyrelle Seno, Lauryn Winter, Rija Naqvi, Yasmeen Alayli, Maxwell Jones, Shamimunisa Mustafa, Sunil Ahuja, Alvaro Moreira

Research Colloquium

Introduction: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a lung disease with high morbidity and mortality in premature neonates exposed to mechanical ventilation and oxygen support. Preclinical studies demonstrate mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) conditioned media (CdM) improves histologic changes in BPD via the release of paracrine factors. Current modes of administration include intratracheal or intraperitoneal routes with CdM cultured in ambient air.

Objectives: The objective of this study was twofold: (i) assess the efficacy of intranasal delivery of CdM, and (ii) determine whether hypoxic preconditioning stimulates the therapeutic potential of CdM.

Methods: Newborn rat pups were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) room …

We Are ... Marshall, October 11, 2023, Office Of Marshall University Communications

We Are ... Marshall: the Newsletter for Marshall University 1999-2023

No abstract provided.

University Philharmonic Orchestra & University Band

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

Program for October 11, 2023.

October 11, 2023 (Vol. 108, No. 8(, Daily Eastern News

Daily Eastern News: 2023-2024

No abstract provided.

A Proof-Of-Concept Pilot Test Of A Behavioral Intervention To Improve Adherence To Dietary Recommendations For Cancer Prevention, Meghan Butryn, Charlotte Hagerman, Nicole Crane, Marny Ehmann, Evan Forman, Brandy-Joe Milliron, Nicole L. Simone

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Prevention programs that can help adults improve the quality of their diets to reduce cancer risk are needed. This Phase IIa study prospectively tested a mHealth intervention designed to improve adherence to dietary quality guidelines for cancer prevention.

METHODS: All participants (N = 62) received nutrition education and a self-regulation skills curriculum, with a primary target of changing grocery shopping behavior. Using a randomized, factorial design, the study varied whether each of the following 4 components were added to the 20-week intervention: (1) location-triggered app messaging, delivered when individuals arrived at grocery stores, (2) reflections on benefits of change, …

Anti-Myeloma Efficacy Of Car-Inkt Is Enhanced With A Long-Acting Il-7, Rhil-7-Hyfc, Julie O'Neal, Matthew L Cooper, Julie K Ritchey, Susan Gladney, Jessica Niswonger, L Sofía González, Emily Street, Gabriel J Haas, Alun Carter, Parmeshwar N Amayta, Feng Gao, Melissa Berrien-Elliott, Alice Zhou, Todd A Fehniger, Mike P Rettig, John F Dipersio, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multiple myeloma (MM), a malignancy of mature plasma cells, remains incurable. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is the lead protein target for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy because of its high expression in most MM, with limited expression in other cell types, resulting in favorable on-target, off tumor toxicity. The response rate to autologous BCMA CAR-T therapy is high; however, it is not curative and is associated with risks of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. Outcomes in patients treated with BCMA CAR-T cells (CAR-Ts) may improve with allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy, which offer higher cell fitness …

Insights Into The Molecular Roles Of Foxr2 In The Pathology Of Primary Pediatric Brain Tumors, Rajendra Gharbaran

Publications and Research

Forkhead box gene R2 (FOXR2) belongs to the family of FOX genes which codes for highly conserved transcription factors (TFs) with critical roles in biological processes ranging from development to organogenesis to metabolic and immune regulation to cellular homeostasis. A number of FOX genes are associated with cancer development and progression and poor prognosis. A growing body of evidence suggests that FOXR2 is an oncogene. Studies suggested important roles for FOXR2 in cancer cell growth, metastasis, and drug resistance. Recent studies showed that FOXR2 is overexpressed by a subset of newly identified entities of embryonal tumors. This review discusses the …

Insurance, Policy, And Education For Livestock Producers, Milan Chauhan, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Federal crop insurance programs have existed since the 1930s, but for livestock producers, federal insurance programs were virtually nonexistent until the past 20 years. Livestock producers may not face exactly the same production risks that crop producers face, but they do face similar production risks related to grazing capacity and forage production and of course face price risks just like crop producers do.

Neuronal Nadph Oxidase Is Required For Neurite Regeneration Of Aplysia Bag Cell Neurons, S.M. Sabbir Alam, Yuichiro Watanabe, Brooke L. Steeno, Soumyajit Dutta, Halie A. Szilagyi, Alexander Wei, Daniel M. Suter

Department of Chemistry Faculty Publications

NADPH oxidase (Nox), a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), is involved in neurodegeneration after injury and disease. Nox is expressed in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells and contributes to an elevated ROS level after injury. Contrary to the well-known damaging effect of Nox-derived ROS in neurodegeneration, recently a physiological role of Nox in nervous system development including neurogenesis, neuronal polarity, and axonal growth has been revealed. Here, we tested a role for neuronal Nox in neurite regeneration following mechanical transection in cultured Aplysia bag cell neurons. Using a novel hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-sensing dye, 5′-(p-borophenyl)-2′-pyridylthiazole pinacol ester (BPPT), we …

Usp1 Promotes Cholangiocarcinoma Progression By Deubiquitinating Parp1 To Prevent Its Proteasomal Degradation, Deng Yong Zhang, Yan Zhu, Qiong Wu, Shuoshuo Ma, Yang Ma, Zheng Chao Shen, Zhonglin Wang, Wanliang Sun, Yong Chun Zhou, Dongdong Wang, Shuo Zhou, Zhong Liu, Lawrence N Kwong, Zheng Lu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite its involvement in various cancers, the function of the deubiquitinase USP1 (ubiquitin-specific protease 1) is unexplored in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). In this study, we provide evidence that USP1 promotes CCA progression through the stabilization of Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), consistent with the observation that both USP1 and PARP1 are upregulated in human CCA. Proteomics and ubiquitylome analysis of USP1-overexpressing CCA cells nominated PARP1 as a top USP1 substrate. Indeed, their direct interaction was validated by a series of immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP), and GST pull-down assays, and their interaction regions were identified using deletion mutants. Mechanistically, USP1 removes the ubiquitin …

Spatial Ecology Of The Texas Alligator Lizard (Gerrhonotus Infernalis) In Blanco County, Texas, Corey M. Fielder, Wade A. Ryberg, Danielle K. Walkup, Jared M. Holmes, Toby J. Hibbitts

Western North American Naturalist

Texas Alligator Lizards (Gerrhonotus infernalis) range from Central Texas into adjacent northeastern Mexico, and published ecological studies on their terrestrial and arboreal movement patterns are lacking. We used radiotelemetry to assess movements, annual home range, and arboreal activity of G. infernalis at Bamberger Ranch Preserve, Blanco County, Texas, to provide baseline ecological data for populations occurring in the northernmost extent of the species’ range. Movement patterns were influenced by temporal (e.g., seasonal) and behavioral cues (e.g., breeding period), but generally no differences were observed between sexes. Annual home range varied, but males averaged larger 95% MCP (minimum convex …

Late Pleistocene Herpetofauna From Two High-Elevation Caves In The Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado, Jim I. Mead, Steven D. Emslie, David J. Meltzer

Western North American Naturalist

Cement Creek and Haystack caves in Colorado have produced a diverse record of high-elevation late Quaternary mammals. Intermixed with the abundant mammalian remains were rare occurrences of amphibian and reptile fossils reported here. Cement Creek Cave (2860 m elevation) contained the fossils of only a few anurans and a limited number of snakes, whereas Haystack Cave, at a substantially lower elevation (2450 m), contained the fossils of a salamander, a larger number of snakes, and an extensive number of lizard remains, yet no anurans. The 2 faunas are overall distinct in composition, and, although not diverse or abundant in terms …

Functional Analysis Reveals Driver Cooperativity And Novel Mechanisms In Endometrial Carcinogenesis, Matthew Brown, Alicia Leon, Katarzyna Kedzierska, Charlotte Moore, Hayley L Belnoue-Davis, Susanne Flach, John P Lydon, Francesco J Demayo, Annabelle Lewis, Tjalling Bosse, Ian Tomlinson, David N Church

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High-risk endometrial cancer has poor prognosis and is increasing in incidence. However, understanding of the molecular mechanisms which drive this disease is limited. We used genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) to determine the functional consequences of missense and loss of function mutations in Fbxw7, Pten and Tp53, which collectively occur in nearly 90% of high-risk endometrial cancers. We show that Trp53 deletion and missense mutation cause different phenotypes, with the latter a substantially stronger driver of endometrial carcinogenesis. We also show that Fbxw7 missense mutation does not cause endometrial neoplasia on its own, but potently accelerates carcinogenesis caused by Pten …

Sustainability In The Fashion Industry, Daniela Anton, Alyson Ma

Creative Collaborations: Annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research

This paper examines companies' ratings related to sustainability, particularly for fast fashion brands. The low costs of fast fashion have become an attractive purchase option for consumers, however, in more recent years, social, environmental, and economic concerns have placed sustainability at the center of research studies. It is expected that fast fashion products will continue to influence consumers to purchase from brands that are less sustainable than other brands that may incur higher prices. Factors taken into consideration include three different Fashion Transparency Indexes, Good on You rating, the Company’s yearly sales, and the age of the company. The results …

Deconstructing Social Constructs: Exploring Teachers’ Positionality When Teaching Race And Human Diversity In The Science Classroom, Uchenna Emenaha

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This article reports on how four urban high school biology teachers’ positionality impacts their experiences when teaching culturally responsive lessons on race and human diversity. Teachers in the study taught a two-week genetics intervention lesson on race and human diversity, then participated in individual and focus group interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results reveal that teachers who were empowered by their racial positionality and had prior professional development in culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) were more likely to believe that science instruction can be used to address unscientific misconceptions amongst high school students. These findings give credence to …

On Gary Snyder’S Tradaptation Of Cold Mountain Poems And Its Spiritual Salvation And Literary Enlightenment In Postwar America, Hu Anjiang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Cold Mountain Poems (CMPs), which have been neglected in the history of Chinese literature for ages, captured the attention of most Americans immediately after its being translated into America by the American poet Gary Snyder in 1950s, however. It is Snyder that reconfigured and recreated a sagacious Chinese Chan Buddhist poet Han-shan (literally, Cold Mountain), the acknowledged author of Cold Mountain Poems, in his translation for the postwar Americans in the midst of varied social problems and cultural identity crisis after World War II. Snyder eventually found in his translation of Cold Mountain Poems a back-to-nature remedy of …

Translating Literary Ideology From Ancient Chinese Into Modern French: François Cheng’S Francophone Poetry In Double Chant (2000), Gabriel F. Y. Tsang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

François Cheng (1929- ), elected to the Académie Française in 2002, structurally introduced the lexicological, syntactic, and semiotic form of Tang poetry to the French academia via his academic works. In the late 1980s, François Cheng shifted his focus from academic writing to creative writing, both in French, winning the 1998 Prix Femina for his novel Le Dit de Tianyi (1998) and Prix Roger Caillois for his collection of poems Double chant (2000). Focusing on his less-discussed poetry, which reveals higher congruity of his understanding of Chinese literary classics with creative representation, this paper argues that, as an analyst of …

Ecopoetry As Method: Reading Gary Snyder As A Cultural Mediator Between China And The World, Winnie L M Yee

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Ecocriticism is a field that is inherently cross-cultural, and poetry is an art form that creates bonds across cultural communities. This paper focuses on Gary Snyder, a prominent poet in his own right, who is famous for his translation of the works by Chinese poet Han Shan. His attraction to Chinese classical poetry and Eastern civilization offers an alternative to the Western developmental paradigm, and the ecopoetry he espouses is pertinent to today’s environmental debates. His references to nature do not function merely as reminders that nature should be respected but as an impetus to reflect on the coexistence of …

Playing With Time: Writing History In Neo-Zionist Hebrew Literature, Huiruo Li

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

The term neo-Zionism can be used to group ideologically much of contemporary Hebrew literature. However, since neo-Zionism shares similar critical tools with post-Zionism, while also sharing a common political vision with Zionism, it has been difficult to find the definitive signifiers of neo-Zionist writing. This paper offers a way to determine the nuanced ideological inclination of Hebrew literature: the presentation of time. First, this paper recognizes the metamorphosis of time in Israeli literary history that reflects the writers’ historical view of the Zionist agenda. Zionist Hebrew literature was engaged in re-establishing Jewish historical time by emphasizing the relationship between time …

The Animal In The Wild In Hwang Sun-Mi’S The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, Sarah Yoon

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Hwang Sun-mi’s The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly has become a contemporary classic children’s story in Korea since its original publication in 2000. Since then, the story has been translated and redesigned with new illustrations in almost thirty different countries (Y. Kim). The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly centers on a hen that raises a duckling as her “baby,” with the story drawing upon a rich reservoir of cultural associations between humans and nature in East Asian traditions. In this story, the hen leaves the human-dominated barnyard, based on profit, exploitation, and competition, for a reconnection with moral …