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Mythic Circle #45

The Mythic Circle

No abstract provided.

Examining The Effectiveness Of Using Point-Of-View Video Modeling On Mathematics Improvement In Students With Learning Disabilities In Saudi Arabia, Tirad Alsaluli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video Modeling (VM) is one of the most widely used approaches by researchers to improve many skills, such as academic skills in students with Learning Disabilities (LD; Boon et al., 2020). As the incidence rate of individuals with LD in Saudi Arabia increase (Almedlij & Rubinstein-Ávila, 2018), the need for evidence-based math interventions focused on the math development of individuals with LD also increases. Although VM is recognized as an Evidence-based Practice (EBPs), a limited number of studies have implemented VM as an intervention to improve mathematic skills. Implementing VM as a math intervention strategy would explore its effects on …

Isolation And Total Synthesis Of Sigma-2 Ligands From Marine Cyanobacteria, Andrea Hough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyanobacteria have been studied for over 50 years as a source of new antibiotics, antiviral, and anticancer drugs. The research described in this dissertation investigates marine cyanobacteria as a source of natural products with activity within the central nervous system and with cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells. Barbamide (1) is a known cyanobacterial metabolite that has been re-isolated from a variety of species and collection sites suggesting broad utility as a signaling molecule. Utilizing the psychoactive drug screening program, we screened barbamide for CNS activity and found that barbamide exhibited affinity for the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) and …

Conceptions Of Rurality: Examining Beliefs And Their Impact On Teacher Efficacy In A Small Appalachian School, Lori Wickham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current literature documents the historical peripheralization of rural communities and the deficit narratives often imposed upon their schools, students and families. Research further suggests this history of peripheralization is often internalized by those identifying with these communities and that this internalization of deficit orientations may be impacting perceptions of possibility in educational practice. This mixed-methods study investigates more thoroughly if and how these core-periphery dynamics manifest in a small Appalachian school by examining possible connections between educators’ beliefs regarding rurality and their sense of teacher and collective efficacy. The research was guided by the following question:

How do rural …

Spatial Structure Formation By The Post-Transcriptional Gene Regulator Rsme In Pseudomonas Fluorescens Pf0-1, Anton Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms are often found in microbial communities we call biofilms. Organisms living in these crowded environments have significant evolutionary pressure to retain access to the resources necessary to sustain life. My research uses the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf0-1 to study how organisms evolve strategies to solve this crowding problem as aging colonies repeatedly generate mutant patches. These mutants expand the reach of the colony resulting in decreased local density as they push themselves up to the resource rich surface. These spatial structures result from social interactions between the mutant and the parental cells mediated through extracellular secretions, resulting in the …

[3+2]-Cycloadditions Of Tertiary Amine N-Oxides And Dipolarophiles Providing An Efficient Route To Heterocyclics And 1,2-Diamines, And Nickel Catalayzed Transformations, Sarah Hejnosz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen containing compounds are ubiquitous in nature as well as pharmaceuticals. These structures exhibit rich bioactive and chemical properties boasting an array of practical applications. As a result, the synthetic methods of forming nitrogen containing compounds are highly sought after. More efficient syntheses of these structures could result in less expensive industrial processes, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. Roussi and coworkers established a highly efficient synthetic route forming nitrogen containing heterocycles in a single step from commercially available reagents, however this chemistry has not be used since its discovery in the 1980. Herein, this work greatly expanded Roussi’s method and …

Glycerophosphocholine Is Used For Lipid And Phosphate Metabolism By Candida Albicans, Will King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The metabolism of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a major eukaryotic membrane lipid, has been shown to be an important aspect of pathogenesis in Candida albicans. Of note, PC turnover product, glycerophosphocholine (GPC), is abundant renal metabolite available within the host. GPC is readily imported by C. albicans, and deletion of the major GPC transporter, Git3, leads to decreased virulence in a bloodstream infection model. Here I have characterized two potential metabolic fates of internalized GPC. The first metabolic fate explored is internalized GPC can be hydrolyzed to release P_i. To determine if GPC import and subsequent metabolism impact phosphate …

Systematic Product And Process Design Of Versatile Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions For Elimination Of Hypoxia And Reactive Oxygen Species, Eric Lambert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to a 2022 report, organs destined for transplantation are discarded 15% of the time for various reasons (Israni et al. 2022). This highlights a critical need in transplant practices. Transplant donor tissues are in need of essential nutrients, including molecular oxygen, to maintain integrity during preservation. A current trend in preservation is to perfuse the ex vivo tissue graft with nutrient-rich aqueous perfusate on a closed circuit. This practice, known as machine perfusion (MP) is limited by the absence of an oxygen-carrying component in the perfusate. Additionally, injuries to the recipient are sustained on reperfusion of the transplanted …

Multiphasic Molecular Mechanisms Regulate Expression Of Interleukin 1Β, As Well As Other Immediate-Early Genes, In Monocytes And Macrophages, David Macar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), an important cytokine in both health and disease, functions as a major proinflammatory mediator of pathological challenges, including involvement in the cytokine storm associated with Macrophage Activation Syndrome, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and the severe secondary effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therapeutic approaches to limiting the effects of IL-1β protein have focused either on specific protein neutralization before release from activated macrophages (by general metabolic inhibitors and inflammasome inhibition) or after release by ligand and receptor obstruction (e.g., Canakinumab, Anakinra and Rilonacept). Although these approaches are efficacious, they inhibit steps after gene expression. Since a single gene expresses …

Investigating The Impact On Private Water Supply Of Hydraulic Fracturing Communication With An Abandoned Conventional Gas Well In New Freeport, Pa, Kiley Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In June of 2022 a “frac out” occurred in New Freeport, PA when an unconventional gas well under development by hydraulic fracturing, communicated with an abandoned gas well to the surface. An initial “zone of impact” encompassed much of the town’s main thoroughfare. Water samples were obtained from 17 private water wells, 5 springs and 1 pond (31 total samples) and analyzed for cations, anions, and light hydrocarbons. Methane was found in 18 of the samples, both located within and outside of the “zone of impact”. Mass ratio analyses indicated contamination from both unconventional and conventional wells. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture …

Improving Nursing Provision Of Patient Care In High Acuity Medical Units And Fostering Their Wellbeing By Providing Education On End-Of-Life Care And Finding Joy And Meaning In Work: A Quality Improvement Project, Donna Durant

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Abstract

Palliative care employs a multidisciplinary approach focusing on the quality of life for patients and their families experiencing the complexity of serious illness (Nelson, 2021). Due to shortages of palliative care specialists and a lack of nurse proficiency in caring for people with serious illnesses, integrating a palliative care approach is an ethical obligation for nursing (Parekh de Campos, 2022). Gaps in palliative care and end-of-life education for new nurses coming to the acute care setting in a large tertiary hospital in Southwestern Pennsylvania were identified.

Evidence-based education was delivered by advanced practice providers trained in this content area. …

Polyethylene Glycol-Mediated Directional Conjugation Of Biological Molecules For Enhanced Immunoassays At The Point-Of-Care, Dheerendranath Battalapalli, Purbali Chakraborty, Disha Jain, Umut A. Gurkan, Robert A. Bonomo, Mohamed S. Draz

Faculty Scholarship

Rapid and reliable point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests can have a significant impact on global health. One of the most common approaches for developing POC systems is the use of target-specific biomolecules. However, the conjugation of biomolecules can result in decreased activity, which may compromise the analytical performance and accuracy of the developed systems. To overcome this challenge, we present a polymer-based cross-linking protocol for controlled and directed conjugation of biological molecules. Our protocol utilizes a bifunctional thiol-polyethylene glycol (PEG)-hydrazide polymer to enable site-directed conjugation of IgG antibodies to the surface of screen-printed metal electrodes. The metal surface of the electrodes …

Hoping As A Transformational Imperative In Puerto Rico: A Phenomenological And Grounded Theory Study Within Colonized Space, José Luiggi-Hernández

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the United States continues to restrict Puerto Rico’s self-determination and imposes oppressive institutions such as the Oversight Board, the people of the archipelago live in precarity and hopelessness. Limited psychological research on colonialism has focused on the detrimental impact of oppression and its influence on the development of fatalism and the inferiority complex. On the other hand, existing psychological theories of hope fail to describe how it is lived within the post-colonial context and to explain the ways in which this psychological phenomenon arises even in the face of systematic dehumanization. As Puerto Ricans show evident signs of hope …

Temporal Transcriptomic Profiling Elucidates Sorghum Defense Mechanisms Against Sugarcane Aphids, Heena Puri, Sajjan Grover, Lise Pingault, Scott E. Sattler, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background The sugarcane aphid (SCA; Melanaphis sacchari) has emerged as a key pest on sorghum in the United States that feeds from the phloem tissue, drains nutrients, and inflicts physical damage to plants. Previously, it has been shown that SCA reproduction was low and high on sorghum SC265 and SC1345 plants, respectively, compared to RTx430, an elite sorghum male parental line (reference line). In this study, we focused on identifying the defense-related genes that confer resistance to SCA at early and late time points in sorghum plants with varied levels of SCA resistance.

Results We used RNA-sequencing approach to …

Reproductive Ecology And Bee Associates Of Packard’S Milkvetch (Astragalus Packardiae), A Rare Plant Endemic To Southwestern Idaho, Justin R. Fulkerson, C. Lynn Kinter

Western North American Naturalist

Conservation of rare plants is dependent on identifying mechanisms that limit their population or persistence. Successful pollination of flowers is one life history trait that is often limiting in plants occurring in fragmented landscapes. We studied pollinator associates and seed production in Astragalus packardiae (= A. cusickii var. packardiae, Packard’s milkvetch), a narrow endemic that is imperiled as a result of nonnative annual grasses, increased wildfire, recreational off-highway vehicle use, and livestock use. We used pollinator exclusion bags to examine the breeding system of Packard’s milkvetch. We collected and videotaped floral visitors to determine the makeup of the associates …

Effectiveness Of 2016 Watershed Protection Plan On Bacteria And Nutrient Concentration Loads In The Attoyac Bayou Watershed, Jack Henson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2004, bacteria and nutrient sampling on the Attoyac Bayou Watershed discovered elevated concentrations of E. coli on five of the main channels key tributary streams. The Attoyac Bayou was then listed on the Texas 303d list of impaired waterbodies and further research was conducted to identify the main sources of contamination in the waterbody. In 2016, the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Plan (WPP) was developed to implement best management practices (BMPs) that would decrease bacteria and nutrient concentrations in the watershed. Educational outreach programs, on-site-sewage facility repair, and livestock management were some of the strategies suggested by the protection plan …

Bioinformatic Analysis Of The Interaction Of Evc And Evc2 Proteins, Md Atikul Islam Mamun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein to protein interactions are significant to various biological processes, functioning, and the regulation of cells and organisms. Proteins perform essential cellular tasks and often work together in complexes, enabling specific functions like enzymatic activity, signal transduction, DNA replication, and cell division. These interactions are important in signaling pathways, allowing proteins to interact sequentially, leading to specific cellular responses. Some proteins rely on chaperones to fold correctly, and protein to protein interactions enhance stability, preventing degradation.

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine discovered that EvC syndrome is related to a malfunction in the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. They found …

Assessment Of Facultative Sulfur Reducing Bacteria In Acidic And Circumneutral Passive Remediation Systems Using A Novel Culturing Technique, Natalie Lamagna

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollution resulting from abandoned mine drainage (AMD) is widespread across the nation and impacts thousands of miles of watersheds in Pennsylvania alone. AMD contaminants pose hazards to ecosystems and to human health by lowering the pH and by suspending toxic heavy metals in water. Sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) are known to remove metals and sulfur species from mine drainage through the formation of metal sulfide precipitates and have been documented to raise the alkalinity of water. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the environmental conditions in which these microorganisms survive. Environmental samples were collected from a circumneutral and an acidic …

Ex Vivo Drug Sensitivity Imaging-Based Platform For Primary Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells, Lauren Rowland, Brandon Smart, Anthony Brown, Gino M Dettorre, Yoshihiro Gocho, Jeremy Hunt, Wenjian Yang, Satoshi Yoshimura, Noemi Reyes, Guoqing Du, August John, Dylan Maxwell, Wendy Stock, Steven Kornblau, Mary V Relling, Hiroto Inaba, Ching-Hon Pui, Jean-Pierre Bourquin, Seth E Karol, Charles G Mullighan, William E Evans, Jun J Yang, Kristine R Crews

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Resistance of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells to chemotherapy, whether present at diagnosis or acquired during treatment, is a major cause of treatment failure. Primary ALL cells are accessible for drug sensitivity testing at the time of new diagnosis or at relapse, but there are major limitations with current methods for determining drug sensitivity ex vivo. Here, we describe a functional precision medicine method using a fluorescence imaging platform to test drug sensitivity profiles of primary ALL cells. Leukemia cells are co-cultured with mesenchymal stromal cells and tested with a panel of 40 anti-leukemia drugs to determine individual patterns of …

The Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) On Facial Expression Approach/Avoidance In College Students And Faculty With Broad Autism Phenotype, Nicole R. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as an alternative noninvasive therapy for individuals with autism. This study trained brain activity in college students and / or faculty with Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) while eye tracking data was collected. The purpose of this study was to determine if tDCS training to the frontal lobes could increase approach toward social interactions in adults classified as BAP as demonstrated by eye-tracking measures in response to faces and gaze fixation. The study included 21 total participants recruited from the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses / professions at a Regional East …

Molecular Detection And Characterization Of Rickettsia Sp. In Hard Ticks Collected In Nacogdoches, Texas, Haley Nicole Standifird

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of cases of tick-borne diseases is increasing in the United States. Many efforts to control ticks have been made and are continuously being developed. These methods include surveillance of ticks and detection of the tick-borne pathogens.This study examined hard ticks in Nacogdoches, Texas, to test for the presence of Rickettsia sp. 47 ticks were collected from vegetation by flagging and their species, sex, and developmental stage were determined using available keys. Individual ticks were processed for nucleic acid extraction and molecular detection of Rickettsia sp. using PCR-based methods. The citrate cynthease gene, 17kDa gene, and outer membrane protein …

The Behavior Assessment System For Children Third Edition (Basc-3)’S Classification Accuracy For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) In Young Adults, Angela Lafaye Lucas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was established as a condition initially considered to be outgrown; however, research later demonstrated that about one-half to two-thirds of children with ADHD had persistent symptoms into adolescence and adulthood (Resnick, 2005). It was estimated that the percentage of college-aged students with ADHD ranged somewhere between 2 and 8% (DuPaul et al., 2009). Assessing for an ADHD diagnosis determination in college student-aged individuals was a challenge that required strategies not typically used when assessing for other disorders or within different age ranges (Lovett & Davis, 2017). There was a lack of consistent strategies amongst clinicians on how …

A Storm Driven Turbidity Maximum In A Microtidal Estuary, M Postacchini, Aj Manning, J Calantoni, Jp Smith, M Brocchini

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Many macro- and mesotidal estuaries are characterized by Turbidity Maxima Zones (TMZs), regions with suspended solid concentrations that are much higher than those found throughout the rest of the estuary. Such regions are located near the upriver limit of salt intrusion and their position and extent are modulated and driven by tidal oscillations, especially in estuaries where tidal forcing is large. Hence, pronounced TMZs are not typically expected in micro-tidal estuaries. Field experiments were carried out in the microtidal estuary of the Misa River (northeast coast of Italy) with the aim to analyze riverine-coastal ocean interactions during different climatic conditions, …

Vol. 56 No. 2 - Whole No. 389, Megan Abrahamson

Mythprint

Mythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups.

Vol. 52 No. 1 - Whole No. 372, Megan Abrahamson

Mythprint

Mythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups.

Vol. 51 No. 4 - Whole No. 371, Megan Abrahamson

Mythprint

Mythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy: Pioneering Precision In Breast Cancer Management, Vikram C Bellur, Anirudh Venkatesh, Rakshith G Maiya, Harshith Reddy

MELIORA 2023-THE STUDENT MEDICAL CONFERENCE OF KMC MANIPAL

No abstract provided.

Osteoarthritis Knee And Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy, Maneesha Sarma, Arathi B, Kalyani Gopal

MELIORA 2023-THE STUDENT MEDICAL CONFERENCE OF KMC MANIPAL

No abstract provided.

Understanding Pain: The Truth Behind Torment, Jayalakshmi Chandrasekaran, Shreya Dutta, Varshini Shetty

MELIORA 2023-THE STUDENT MEDICAL CONFERENCE OF KMC MANIPAL

No abstract provided.

Design Of Stormwater Bmps For Surface And Groundwater Protection Based On Site-Scale Soil Properties: Phase I, Kelly Kibler, Lisa Chambers, Melanie Beazley

Florida DOT

Much of Earth’s nutrient cycling takes place in soils. Characteristics of soils control physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine rates of nutrient fluxes, storage, or transformation. As remediation of excess nutrients in stormwater runoff is one function of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs), the soil profile constitutes one of the most important factors of BMP design. Variation observed in BMP effectiveness (e.g., why one BMP design works effectively in one place and not another) can often be explained by variations in the soil profile, either through direct means or by a soil’s influence on hydraulics of stormwater flow through …