Digital Commons Network^™

At What Scale Should We Assess The Health Of Pelagic Habitats? Trade-Offs Between Small-Scale Manageable Pressures And The Need For Regional Upscaling, C. A. Graves, M. Best, A. Atkinson, B. Bear, E. Bresnan, M. Holland, D. G. Johns, M. Machairopoulou, A. Mcquatters-Gollop, A. Mellor, C. Ostle, K. Paxman, S. Pitois, P. Tett, M. Devlin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Major planktonic lifeforms such as diatoms, dinoflagellates, meroplankton and holoplankton have recently shown significant and alarming changes in abundance - mainly downwards trends - around the northwest European shelf. This has major implications for food web connections and for ecosystem services including seafood provision and carbon storage. We have quantified these changes in abundance for 2006–2019/20 using a Plankton Index (PI) and show that the scale of spatial aggregation is critical to the ability of the PI to detect change, understand causal mechanisms, and provide advice to policymakers. We derived PI statistics in the Celtic and North Seas from data …

Mental Imagery Of Suicide And Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Meta-Analysis And Systematic Review, Hannah R. Lawrence, Emma G. Balkind, Julie L. Ji, Taylor A. Burke, Richard T. Liu

School of Psychology

Background The vast majority of research on, and clinical assessment of, cognitions related to suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has focused on verbal thoughts. And yet, mental imagery is more realistic and emotionally arousing than verbal thoughts. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis documenting the prevalence of suicidal and NSSI mental imagery and describing the content and characteristics of suicidal and NSSI mental imagery, links between suicidal and NSSI mental imagery and suicidal and NSSI behavior, and how to intervene on suicidal and NSSI mental imagery. Studies published through December 17, 2022 were identified through a systematic search …

Recommendations From Diabetes Uk's 2022 Diabetes And Physical Activity Workshop, Anna Morris, Chris Bright, Matthew Cocks, Neil Gibson, Louise Goff, Colin Greaves, Simon Griffin, Ben Jane, Florence Kinnafick, Paul Robb, Michelle Roberts, David Salman, John Saxton, Adrian Taylor, Daniel West, Thomas Yates, Rob C. Andrews, Jason M.R. Gill

Peninsula Medical School

Abstract Aims To describe the process and outputs of a workshop convened to identify key priorities for future research in the area of diabetes and physical activity and provide recommendations to researchers and research funders on how best to address them. Methods A 1‐day research workshop was conducted, bringing together researchers, people living with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and members of staff from Diabetes UK to identify and prioritise recommendations for future research into physical activity and diabetes. Results Workshop attendees prioritised four key themes for further research: (i) better understanding of the physiology of exercise in all groups of people: …

Victrices Scientiarum Of 1904: Who Were The First Women Elected As Fellows Of The Linnean Society Of London?, R Boden

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Published within The Linnean Special Issue No. 10 "‘The Door Was Opened’ Pioneering Women at the Linnean Society of London and Their Continuing Legacy" Compiled and edited by Gina Douglas Hon FLS and Leonie Berwick

Investigating A Motivation Model For Gamified E-Learning: A Self-Determination Approach, A Sen, J Lean, J Kelland, J Moizer

Plymouth Business School

There has been a recent increase in educational interest in gamification over the past 5 years [1, 2]. A central tenet of the increase in its popularity may stem from its motivational power in educational settings [3, 4]. However, prior research on gamification has not sufficiently investigated the mechanisms by which the phenomenon induces its motivational effects. A crucial question to consider is how the motivational theories that underpin gamification really work. Consequently, the current study looks at how game elements map into the notion of self-determination to explore the relationship between intrinsic motivation and gamification in the context of …

Paternal Supervisor Gatekeeping: How Supervising Fathers Hinder Other Fathers At Work In Their Uptake Of Flexible Work Arrangements, Sophie Hennekam, Jasmine Kelland, Jean Pierre Dumazert

Plymouth Business School

This study explores the role that supervisors play in the low uptake of Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) among fathers in France. We draw on 28 interviews with fathers who had requested access to FWA and reported on the reaction of their supervisors. These supervisors were all fathers themselves and had previously benefitted from such arrangements themselves, but did not grant such policies to other fathers. To understand these unexpected findings, we conducted an additional 16 interviews with supervising fathers in organizations who had previously enjoyed similar FWA. The findings show that supervising fathers can act as barriers to other fathers …

Spatial Robustness: Double-Design And The Democratization Of Space, An Exploration Of Designing For Multiple Uses, Michael Cassidy

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Spatial Robustness: Double-design And The Democratization Of Space, An Exploration Of Designing For Multiple Uses by Michael Warren Arkinstall Cassidy Differing attitudes to the expected life and value of architecture characterize the sustainability debate, yet space itself is rarely mentioned. The buildings for which architecture is responsible comprise both space and materials. While it is taken for granted that some existing buildings can be reused productively, this cultural phenomenon has not influenced the design of the new stock. While content to revere old buildings, the qualities that make them valued have not influenced design principles for new projects. Should new …

Shanshuihua: ‘Mountain-Water-Painting’ For An Ecological Age, Lei Liu

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This practice-led research project appraises the tradition of shanshuihua, or ‘mountain-water painting’, within broader traditions of Chinese ink painting, or shuimohua, and, through links with ancient Chinese philosophies, considers its continuing relevance to contemporary painting, and modern ecological themes, both in China and beyond. The research initially assesses historical connections between ink painting and the fundamental philosophies of Chinese history and culture, namely Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and maps certain connections to the development of shanshuihua. Through a series of interviews with contemporary Chinese artists, the project investigates whether the influence of these philosophic traditions have a continuing significance to …

Building Immersive Environments Towards Non-Human Models Of Organizing Against Global Crisis, Luis Andre Varela Reis

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The wolfanddotcom series of artworks seeks to establish new knowledge embedded in its practice within a nascent field combining the areas of aesthetic computation, interactive electronic arts, videogames, mythology, biology, human/non-human computer interfaces. Wolfanddotcom's research leads investigations on bio-electronic and imaginary arts alloyed with a mythological and non-human turn, mainly through the creation of dynamic art-sci constructs, in the form of mythological videogames and bio-electronic aggregates, by establishing multiple lines of flight onto a creative framework, seeking novel, procedural, immersive, cathartic and bio-electronic methods. With a final purpose of exploring new electronic-based arts’ aesthetic regions, unexampled connections between generative (Eno) …

Hippo Signaling: Advances In Potential Therapeutic Targets For Sinoatrial Node Disorders

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The cardiac conduction system (CCS) propagates electrical impulses, generates cardiac contractions, and ultimately ensures regular heartbeats. Disruptions within the CCS lead to cardiac arrhythmias, which are known to be the leading cause of cardiac-related mortalities in humans. The sinoatrial node (SAN) is a key component of the CCS and functions as the natural cardiac pacemaker to initiate normal cardiac impulse and conduction. The SAN is characterized by significant heterogeneity and contains various cell types, including pacemaker cells that spontaneously generate action potentials to maintain a constant beating rhythm. The fundamental Hippo signaling pathway plays a key role in heart development …

Exaptation And Evolutionary Adaptation In Nociceptor Mechanisms Driving Persistent Pain

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Several evolutionary explanations have been proposed for why chronic pain is a major clinical problem. One is that some mechanisms important for driving chronic pain, while maladaptive for modern humans, were adaptive because they enhanced survival. Evidence is reviewed for persistent nociceptor hyperactivity (PNH), known to promote chronic pain in rodents and humans, being an evolutionarily adaptive response to significant bodily injury, and primitive molecular mechanisms related to cellular injury and stress being exapted (co-opted or repurposed) to drive PNH and consequent pain.

Summary: PNH in a snail (Aplysia californica), squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), mice, rats, …

Unveiling The Prognostic Implications Of Rplp1 Upregulation In Osteosarcoma, Ruiying Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumor characterized by a high rate of metastasis and poor survival, presents a critical need for identifying novel biomarkers associated with metastasis. In this study, we conducted an extensive analysis utilizing transcriptional and clinical data sourced from databases such as GEO, TCGA, CCLE, R2, and Xena. And we discovered that Ribosomal protein LP1 (RPLP1) ranked among the top upregulated genes in relation to osteosarcoma metastasis. Notably, RPLP1 exhibited significant expression in both osteosarcoma cell lines and patient samples. Moreover, multiple osteosarcoma studies revealed a strong correlation between RPLP1 overexpression and worse metastasis-free survival as well as …

Frequentist Model Averaging For Analysis Of Dose-Response In Epidemiologic Studies With Complex Exposure Uncertainty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In epidemiologic studies, association estimates of an exposure with disease outcomes are often biased when the uncertainties of exposure are ignored. Consequently, corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) will not have correct coverage. This issue is particularly problematic when exposures must be reconstructed from physical measurements, for example, for environmental or occupational radiation doses that were received by a study population for which radiation doses cannot be measured directly. To incorporate complex uncertainties in reconstructed exposures, the two-dimensional Monte Carlo (2DMC) dose estimation method has been proposed and used in various dose reconstruction efforts. The 2DMC method generates multiple exposure realizations from …

Antithrombin Activity Is Associated With Persistent Thromboinflammation And Mortality In Patients With Severe Covid-19 Illness, Bela Patel, Jessica C Cardenas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Severe COVID-19 illness can lead to thrombotic complications, organ failure, and death. Antithrombin (AT) regulates thromboinflammation and is a key component of chemical thromboprophylaxis. Our goal was to examine the link between AT activity and responsiveness to thromboprophylaxis, markers of hypercoagulability, and inflammation among severe COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This was a single-center, prospective observational study enrolling SARS-CoV-2-positive patients admitted to the intensive care unit on prophylactic enoxaparin. Blood was collected daily for 7 days to assess AT activity and anti-factor Xa levels. Patient demographics, outcomes, and hospital laboratory results were collected. Continuous variables were compared using Mann-Whitney tests, and …

Lung Cancer In The Emergency Department

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Though decreasing in incidence and mortality in the USA, lung cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers. For a significant number of patients, the emergency department (ED) provides the first pivotal step in lung cancer prevention, diagnosis, and management. As screening recommendations and treatments advance, ED providers must stay up-to-date with the latest lung cancer recommendations. The purpose of this review is to identify the many ways that emergency providers may intersect with the disease spectrum of lung cancer and provide an updated array of knowledge regarding detection, management, complications, and interdisciplinary care.

Findings: Lung cancer, encompassing 10-12% of …

Peripheral Vascular Access As Exclusive Access Mode In Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Sonya Hayes Armstrong, Shantaveer Gangu, Alina Nico West, Thomas Spentzas

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: The type of vascular access (central or peripheral) in pediatric critical care depends on several factors, including the duration of treatment, the properties of the medication (osmolarity or vesicant), and the need for central pressure monitoring. The utilization of peripheral intravascular catheters (PIVCs) has shown a notable increase in the number of patients being treated. Extended dwell or midline catheters are another peripheral access option in addition to PIVCs. However, there are currently no established guidelines on their placement.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to estimate the duration of dwell time for PIVCs, analyze the specific parameters …

Determinants Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy Among Lebanese Parents, Ramia Zakhour, Hani Tamim, Farah Faytrouni, Maha Makki, Rayan Hojeij, Lama Charafeddine

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. HPV is responsible for cancer of cervix uteri. Despite its safety and immunogenicity, HPV vaccine hesitancy is one of the most challenging topics that pediatricians face.

Methods: We aimed to describe the impact of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards vaccines in general, on practice related to HPV vaccination in Lebanon. A questionnaire addressed to parents of students (3-18 years of age) was distributed in 2 public and 2 private schools randomly selected from the greater Beirut area during the school year 2017-2018. Questionnaires covered knowledge, attitude, and practices of …

Imaging Neuroscience Opening Editorial, Stephen Smith, Til Ole Bergmann, Birte Forstmann, Alain Dagher, Shella Keilholz, Kristen Kennedy, Sonja A Kotz, Cindy Lustig, Bruce Pike, Marc Tittgemeyer, Mark Woolrich, B T Thomas Yeo, Andrew Alexander, Janine Bijsterbosch, Tjeerd Boonstra, Mallar Chakravarty, Chris Chambers, Catie Chang, Bradley Christian, Sarang S Dalal, Nai Ding, Audrey Duarte, Audrey P Fan, Alexandre Gramfort, Gesa Hartwigsen, Mbemba Jabbi, Peter Kochunov, Ulrike Krämer, Martin Lindquist, Jean-Francois Mangin, Kevin Murphy, Jonathan Polimeni, Emma Robinson, Monica Rosenberg, Sepideh Sadaghiani, Mohamed Seghier, Yen-Yu Ian Shih, Axel Thielscher, Lucina Q Uddin, Dimitri Van De Ville, Wim Vanduffel, Chao-Gan Yan, Anastasia Yendiki

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In this editorial we introduce a new non-profit open access journal, Imaging Neuroscience. In April 2023, editors of the journals NeuroImage and NeuroImage:Reports resigned, and a month later launched Imaging Neuroscience. NeuroImage had long been the leading journal in the field of neuroimaging. While the move to fully open access in 2020 represented a positive step toward modern academic practices, the publication fee was set to a level that the editors found unethical and unsustainable. The publisher of NeuroImage, Elsevier, was unwilling to reduce the fee after much discussion. This led us to launch Imaging Neuroscience with …

Title Vi Compliance Report And Implementation Plan Fy 2021-2022, Tennessee. Department Of Commerce And Insurance.

Title VI Implementation Report

No abstract provided.

High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Upper Extremity Rehabilitation In Moderate-To-Severe Ischemic Stroke: A Pilot Study, Evgeny V Sidorov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Previous studies found that post-stroke motor impairments are associated with damage to the lesioned corticospinal tract (CST) and hyperexcitability of the contralesional cortico-reticulospinal tract (CRST). This proof-of-concept study aims to develop a non-invasive brain stimulation protocol that facilitates the lesioned CST and inhibits the contralesional CRST to improve upper extremity rehabilitation in individuals with moderate-to-severe motor impairments post-stroke.

Methods: Fourteen individuals (minimum 3 months post ischemic stroke) consented. Physician decision of the participants baseline assessment qualified eight to continue in a randomized, double-blind cross-over pilot trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05174949) with: (1) anodal high-definition transcranial direct stimulation (HD-tDCS) over …

Fascial Defect Closure During Ventral Hernia Repair: A Systematic Review Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Naila H Dhanani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: During minimally invasive ventral hernia repair (VHR) it is unknown if a fascial defect closure, as opposed to a bridged repair (current care), is beneficial for patients. We sought to systematically review the published literature on the role of fascial defect closure during minimally invasive VHR.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane, and Clinicaltrials.gov were reviewed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared fascial defect closure with bridged repair. The primary outcome was major complications defined as deep/organ-space surgical site infections (SSIs), reoperations, hernia recurrences, or deaths. Secondary outcomes included SSI, seroma, eventration, hernia recurrence, post-operative pain, and quality of …

Dermatological Concerns For Women And Girls With Turner Syndrome, Melissa Aldrich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Introduction: Turner syndrome (TS) is associated with distinct manifestations in women and girls including short stature, cardiac abnormalities, premature ovarian failure as well as dermatological features, including lymphedema, keloids, onychodystrophy, and acne. Although many dermatological concerns present during the first few decades of life, the overwhelming majority of respondents are not provided with dermatology referrals at diagnosis.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized an author designed survey to assess self-reported dermatological manifestations, dermatology referral experience, common therapies for select dermatological conditions, as well as a validated 10-question Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) to assess quality-of-life impact in women and girls with …

Editorial: Lipid Droplets And Mitochondria In Metabolic Diseases, Wen Su, Yujing Chi, Yu A An

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Long-Term, Repeated Doses Of Intravenous Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells For A Patient With Parkinson’S Disease: A Case Report, Ridhima Vij, Alan Prossin, Mallika Tripathy, Hosu Kim, Hyeonggeun Park, Thanh Cheng, Djamchid Lotfi, Donna Chang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that involves the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the basal ganglia. Clinically, patient presentation involves a combination of motor and non-motor symptoms characterized by progressive worsening over time and significant decreases in overall quality-of-life. Despite there being no fully restorative cure for PD, Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) therapy offers promising therapeutic potential. Here, we report a case of a 77-year-old female, living with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease for over 17 years. The patient received multiple infusions of autologous Hope Biosciences adipose-derived MSCs (HB-adMSCs). A total of 26 infusion …

Hypofibrinogenemia Following Injury In 186 Children And Adolescents: Identification Of The Phenotype, Current Outcomes, And Potential For Intervention, David E Meyer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies evaluating fibrinogen replacement in trauma, along with newly available fibrinogen-based products, has led to an increase in debate on where products such as cryoprecipitate belong in our resuscitation strategies. We set out to define the phenotype and outcomes of those with hypofibrinogenemia and evaluate whether fibrinogen replacement should have a role in the initial administration of massive transfusion.

METHODS: All patients/17-4/21 were reviewed. We then evaluated all patients who received emergency-release and massive transfusion protocol (MTP) products. Patients were defined as hypofibrinogenemic (HYPOFIB) if admission fibrinogen(r-TEG) angleHYPOFIB, the impact on outcomes, and whether early replacement improved mortality. …

Recurrent Strokes In A Woman With A History Of Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a microangiopathy characterized by mechanical hemolytic anemia, resulting in end-organ damage. We describe a case of TTP which presented as an ischemic stroke. The patient presented with stroke as the primary manifestation of TTP despite a normal platelet count and mildly elevated lactate dehydrogenase level (LDH). The patient underwent two transfusions of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and ADAMTS13 levels confirmed the diagnosis of TTP after discharge. This case demonstrates the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for TTP in the setting of normal laboratory values and reveals the many atypical manifestations of TTP.

Adolescent Loneliness During The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role Of Pre-Pandemic Risk Factors, Joseph R Cohen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global mental health crisis that disproportionately impacts adolescents. Loneliness is a particularly salient pandemic psychosocial outcome to understand; however, research to date on this outcome is sparse and largely cross-sectional. In response, we examined pre-pandemic risk factors for pandemic loneliness. Further, we examined how risk may differ based on key demographics, and whether mediation or moderation models best explained potential disparities in experiencing loneliness. Self-reported, pre-pandemic mental health, trauma exposure, and family conflict survey data were collected at Wave 1 in a diverse sample of 369 adolescents (54.5% female, 45.5% male; 30.1% White; 30.9% Black; …

Metastatic Seminoma Presenting As Neck And Axillary Lymphadenopathy In An Elderly Man

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A man in his 60s presented with a gradual progressive right-sided neck mass. Initial core biopsy was inconclusive and he was treated with a short course of oral prednisone for presumed sarcoidosis. Two months later, the patient developed worsening dysphagia, hoarseness of voice, dyspnea, and weight loss. Physical examination revealed bilateral cervical and right axillary lymphadenopathy. A right axillary lymph node excisional biopsy was performed and immunohistochemistry was diffusely positive for OCT4, SALL4, CD117, PLAP, confirming the diagnosis of metastatic seminoma. He received three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin; bleomycin was omitted for the fourth cycle due to concern …

Aβ Plaques Do Not Protect Against Hsv-1 Infection In A Mouse Model Of Familial Alzheimer’S Disease, And Hsv-1 Does Not Induce Aβ Pathology In A Model Of Late Onset Alzheimer’S Disease, Olga Mychko, Ilia V Baskakov

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The possibility that the etiology of late onset Alzheimer's disease is linked to viral infections of the CNS has been actively debated in recent years. According to the antiviral protection hypothesis, viral pathogens trigger aggregation of Aβ peptides that are produced as a defense mechanism in response to infection to entrap and neutralize pathogens. To test the causative relationship between viral infection and Aβ aggregation, the current study examined whether Aβ plaques protect the mouse brain against Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1) infection introduced via a physiological route and whether HSV-1 infection triggers formation of Aβ plaques in a mouse …

Reproductive Coercion Victimization And Associated Mental Health Outcomes Among Female-Identifying Young Adults

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Reproductive coercion is a serious public health problem. Victimization has been associated with poor mental health outcomes, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in clinical and college samples. We build on these findings by examining the association between reproductive coercion victimization and mental and behavioral health outcomes, including depression, PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and drinking behaviors in a diverse community-derived sample of female-identifying young adults (mean age = 20; SD=.72). Participants (n = 368) were originally recruited as part of a study on dating violence in seven Texas public high schools. Participants completed an online study that …