Digital Commons Network^™

Volunteers’ Stewardship Action-Taking Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic Predicted By Their Motivation Toward Engagement And Ability To Teach Others, Suzanna R. Windon, Olga Buchko, Linda Falcone

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The current study investigates the relationship between volunteer stewardship action-taking, motivation toward engagement in volunteer activities, and the ability to teach others during the COVID-19 pandemic. The final data set included 1,196 responses from the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners and Master Watershed volunteers, which provided a response rate of 39.9%. The results of this study showed that approximately 15.1% of the variation in volunteer stewardship action-taking experiences could be explained by volunteers’ motivation toward engagement in volunteer activities and their ability to teach others. Most findings are in line with previous research. Extension and outreach educators and volunteer coordinators …

Profiles Of Youth Citizenship: A Cluster Analysis Of Ethical Factors, Demographics, And Problem-Solving Disposition, Sarah Bush, Rick Rudd, Curt Friedel, Thomas Archibald, Kerry Redican

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Youth have the capacity to drive positive change in their communities through active and engaged citizenship (AEC). Teen leadership programs provide youth with opportunities to develop the skills necessary to participate as partners in community problem-solving efforts. Situated in relational developmental systems metatheory, this study examined how cluster membership based upon demographic characteristics, ethical factors, and problem-solving disposition impacted AEC. The findings indicated significant differences between clusters for AEC, civic duty, and civic skills. These differences were predominately observed through membership in long-term or short-term leadership programs, gender, enrollment in honors/AP courses, ethical views, and problem-solving disposition. Youth leadership practitioners …

A Study Of The Snd1/Prmt5 Axis In Liver Cancer By Genetic Mouse Models, Tanner Wright, Tanner Wright

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Arginine methylation is an essential post-translational modification (PTM) in cells. Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is the primary enzyme that catalyzes symmetric dimethyl arginine (SDMA) and requires methylosome protein 50 (MEP50) for stability and enzymatic activity which are necessary for life and development. Effector proteins bind different types of PTM’s to facilitate signaling. Staphylococcal nuclease Tudor domain containing 1 (SND1) is an effector that specifically binds SDMA via its single C-terminal Tudor domain. Both SND1 and PRMT5 have been implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SND1 has been confirmed as a driver of HCC using genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), though, …

Power Projection And Counter-Terrorism: Strategies For Small States Like Brunei Darussalam, Brice Tseen Fu Lee, Gulshan Bibi Ms

Journal of Terrorism Studies

This study delves into the intricacies of power projection strategies and counter-terrorism measures, emphasizing their relevance to small states, with a specific focus on Brunei Darussalam. Using a dual matrix model, the research categorizes various strategies based on risk-reward parameters, offering a structured insight into potential approaches these states can employ against potential aggressors. The counter-terrorism matrix is the initial focal point, recognizing the contemporary significance of terror threats and their unique challenges for small nations. Subsequently, the power projection matrix offers a broader view of defense tactics beyond counter-terrorism. By synthesizing information from primary academic sources, the study aims …

Prospects And Constraints For A Recreational Fishery On East Canyon Creek At The 910 Ranch, S. Bishop, A. Garner, G. Mclaughlin, T. Oman, N. Omer, C. Stewart

Watershed Sciences Student Research

Summit County Lands and Natural Resources has retained students from Utah State University’s Management and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems program to evaluate current conditions of East Canyon Creek (ECC) in the 910 Ranch and propose prospects, constraints, and potential actions to establish a recreational trout fishery.

Kinome Profiling Identifies Mark3 And Stk10 As Potential Therapeutic Targets In Uveal Melanoma, Usman Baqai, Alison M. Kurimchak, Isabella Trachtenberg, Timothy J. Purwin, Jelan I. Haj, Anna Han, Kristine Luo, Nikole Fandino Pachon, Angela Jeon, Vivian Chua, Michael A. Davies, J Silvio Gutkind, Jeffrey L. Benovic, James S. Duncan, Andrew E. Aplin

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Most uveal melanoma cases harbor activating mutations in either GNAQ or GNA11. Despite activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway downstream of Gαq/11, there are no effective targeted kinase therapies for metastatic uveal melanoma. The human genome encodes numerous understudied kinases, also called the "dark kinome". Identifying additional kinases regulated by Gαq/11 may uncover novel therapeutic targets for uveal melanoma. In this study, we treated GNAQ-mutant uveal melanoma cell lines with a Gαq/11 inhibitor, YM-254890, and conducted a kinase signaling proteomic screen using multiplexed-kinase inhibitors followed by mass spectrometry. We observed downregulated expression and/or activity of 22 kinases. …

Butyrate Suppresses Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis-Induced Brain Injury In Mice., Maribel Martinez, Wei Yu, Heather Menden, Tianhua Lei, Paula Monaghan-Nichols, Venkatesh Sampath

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating disease in premature infants, and 50% of infants with surgical NEC develop neurodevelopmental defects. The mechanisms by which NEC-induced cytokine release and activation of inflammatory cells in the brain mediate neuronal injury, and whether enteral immunotherapy attenuates NEC-associated brain injury remain understudied. Based on our prior work, which demonstrated that experimental NEC-like intestinal injury is attenuated by the short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, in this study, we hypothesize that NEC-induced brain injury would be suppressed by enteral butyrate supplementation.

METHODS: A standardized NEC mouse model [enteral formula feeding, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and hypoxia] was used. …

Mediators And Moderators Of Active Music Engagement To Reduce Traumatic Stress Symptoms And Improve Well-Being In Parents Of Young Children With Cancer., Sheri L. Robb, Kristin Stegenga, Susan M. Perkins, Timothy E. Stump, Karen M. Moody, Amanda K. Henley, Jessica Maclean, Seethal A. Jacob, David Delgado, Paul R. Haut

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: This trial examined the effects of proximal/distal mediators and moderators of an Active Music Engagement (AME) intervention on young child/parent distress, quality of life, and family function outcomes.

METHODS: Child/parent dyads (n = 125) were randomized to AME or Audio-storybooks attention control condition. Each group received 3 sessions with a credentialed music therapist for 3 consecutive days with data collection at baseline, post-intervention (T2), and 30-days later (T3). Potential proximal mediators included within session child and parent engagement. Potential distal mediators included changes in perceived family normalcy, parent self-efficacy, and independent use of play materials. Potential moderators included parent/child …

Correlations Between Educational Struggle, Toxic Sites By School District And Demographic Variables, With Geographical Information System Projections, Junu Shrestha, Raihan K. Khan, Shane Mcclintock, John Degroote, Catherine L. Zeman

Faculty Publications

This correlational study associated data on children enrolled in individualized educational plans in their K-12 schools (IEP) and an algorithm-calculated score of neurotoxins at contaminated sites located in each school district. The study also mapped and projected the correlations using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. These data were populated in ArcMap 10.5 (a GIS software) for generating maps and data to conduct geospatial analysis. A total of 1 Superfund site and 39 CERCLA sites were identified as contaminated sites for this analysis. The majority of contaminants were heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. The mean toxic score …

The Rarest Among The Rare? Acrometastases And Disability In The Past And Beyond, Nathalie Antunes-Ferreira, Francisco Curate, Carlos Prates, Benoit Bertrand, Carina Marques

Anthropology Faculty Publications

Metastatic bone disease significantly impacts cancer-related morbidity and mortality nowadays. Herein, we present an adult individual, probably a female, with multiple osteolytic lesions, of variable sizes, distributed predominantly in the axial skeleton but also affecting elements of the appendicular region. This individual also exhibits atypical manifestations of metastatic bone disease, in the form of acrometastases—metastases in the extremities, which are uncommon events in current clinical settings. The individual's skeletonized remains were exhumed from a crypt in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (Espírito Santo), Loures, Portugal, and have been dated from the 16th to 19th centuries. The multiple …

Feasibility Of A Food-Based Diabetes Self-Management Education Intervention For Food Insecure Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study, Eliza Short, Debbe Thompson, Douglas Taren, Holly Bryant, Rhonda Gonzalez, Jessi Sheava, Melanie Hingle

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a food-based diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) intervention delivered to persons with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and food insecurity.

Design: This single arm pre-/post convergent mixed methods study tested the feasibility of a 3-month intervention using food boxes, recipes, DSMES and dietitian visits. Feasibility benchmarks assessed were acceptability (> 50 % participants satisfied), demand (> 50 % used program components) and implementation (75 % adherence, 80 % retention). Assessments included: self-reported food security, health-related quality of life, diabetes self-efficacy, socio-demographic and dietary intake, height, weight, and HbA1c and one in-depth interview with participants …

Regulatory Mechanisms Of The Lbd40 Transcription Factor In Arabidopsis Thaliana Somatic Embryogenesis, Sanjay Joshi, Kristine Hill, Manohar Chakrabarti, Sharyn E. Perry

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is a process by which an embryo is derived from somatic tissue. Transcription factors (TFs) have been identified that control this process. One such TF that promotes SE is AGAMOUS-like 15 (AGL15). Prior work has shown that AGL15 can both induce and repress gene expression. One way this type of dual function TF works is via protein interactions, so a yeast 2-hybrid (Y2H) screen was undertaken. One intriguing protein with which AGL15 interacted in Y2H was LBD40. LBD40 encodes a LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES (LOB)-domain TF that is unique to plants and is primarily expressed during seed development. …

The Distribution And Reproductive Success Of The Western Snowy Plover Along The Central And Southern Oregon Coast - 2023, David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, Mary Lee, Jacey Corrente, Marty R. Mccamant, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

We monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally threatened Western Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus nivosus) along the central and south coast of Oregon from 4 April – 15 September 2023. We surveyed and monitored plover activity in a project area that included, from north to south, Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Snowy Plover Management Area, New River Habitat Restoration Area (HRA) and adjacent lands, and Floras Lake. Our objectives for the project area in 2023 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy …

The Emergence Of “The School Shooter” As A Category Of Analysis: What The 1990s Can Teach Us About Youth Violence, Rebecca Maria Jimenez

Honors College Theses

This thesis is a case study of the emergence and framing of “the school shooter” as one part of the larger problem of American youth violence during the 1990s. This decade forever changed the way school safety is viewed. Although the annual number of school shootings largely remained the same from the 1970s to the early 1990s, a spike in fatalities in 1993 occurred during a fraught historical moment. A wave of youth violence, beginning in the late 1980s, helped to set the stage for new security measures, such as zero tolerance policies in schools, and the development of new …

Drone Swarms In Adversarial Environment, Bhavana Sai Yadav Akula

Theses

Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operated remotely with the help of cameras, GPS, and on-device SD cards. These are used for many applications including civilian as well as military. On the other hand, drone swarms are a fleet of drones that work together to achieve a special goal through swarm intelligence approaches. These provide a lot of advantages such as better coverage, accuracy, increased safety, and improved flexibility when compared to a single drone. However, the deployment of such swarms in an adversarial environment poses significant challenges. This work provides an overview of the current state of research on …

Impacts Of Marine Heatwaves On Top Predator Distributions Are Variable But Predictable, Heather Welch, Matthew S. Savoca, Stephanie Brodie, Michael G. Jacox, Barbara A. Muhling, Thomas A. Clay, Megan A. Cimino, Scott R. Benson, Barbara A. Block, Melinda G. Conners, Daniel P. Costa, Fredrick D. Jordan, Andrew W. Leising, Chloe S. Mikles, Daniel M. Palacios, Scott A. Shaffer, Lesley H. Thorne, Jordan T. Watson, Rachel R. Holser

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Marine heatwaves cause widespread environmental, biological, and socio-economic impacts, placing them at the forefront of 21st-century management challenges. However, heatwaves vary in intensity and evolution, and a paucity of information on how this variability impacts marine species limits our ability to proactively manage for these extreme events. Here, we model the effects of four recent heatwaves (2014, 2015, 2019, 2020) in the Northeastern Pacific on the distributions of 14 top predator species of ecological, cultural, and commercial importance. Predicted responses were highly variable across species and heatwaves, ranging from near total loss of habitat to a two-fold increase. Heatwaves rapidly …

A New Era For Myelin Research In Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Peter De Blank, Akiko Nishiyama, Alejandro Lopez-Juarez

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence for myelin regulating higher-order brain function and disease is rapidly accumulating; however, defining cellular/molecular mechanisms remains challenging partially due to the dynamic brain physiology involving deep changes during development, aging, and in response to learning and disease. Furthermore, as the etiology of most neurological conditions remains obscure, most research models focus on mimicking symptoms, which limits understanding of their molecular onset and progression. Studying diseases caused by single gene mutations represents an opportunity to understand brain dys/function, including those regulated by myelin. Here, we discuss known and potential repercussions of abnormal central myelin on the neuropathophysiology of Neurofibromatosis Type …

Turing Patterns In A P-Adic Fitzhugh-Nagumo System On The Unit Ball, L. F. Chacón-Cortés, C. A. Garcia-Bibiano, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We introduce discrete and p-adic continuous versions of the FitzHugh-Nagumo system on the one-dimensional p-adic unit ball. We provide criteria for the existence of Turing patterns. We present extensive simulations of some of these systems. The simulations show that the Turing patterns are traveling waves in the p-adic unit ball.

Characterization Of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Admitted For Acute Heart Failure During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Paola Delahoz, Karen Corrales, Justin P. Cagulada, Jessica Cardona, Jasmin Qyyum, Venessa Rodriguez, Catherina Chang Martinez

Nursing & Health Sciences Research Journal

Background: Cardiomyopathy (CMP) and heart failure (HF) are serious health conditions that impact millions of Americans, including people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM). The COVID-19 pandemic presented disruptions, yet it is unclear how it affected those living with T2DM and HF. This study aimed to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with T2DM and CMP who were hospitalized with acute heart failure (aHF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Retrospective study of 288 adults with aHF between May 2020 to June 2021. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of adults hospitalized at a non-profit community hospital in …

Exploring The Potential Of Tesla Valve For Filtering And Sorting Microscale Active Swimmers: A Computational Study, Ariel Rogers, Zhiyao He, Yong Wang

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well-known that a Tesla valve allows fluids to flow unidirectionally without moving parts; however, how Tesla valves interact with active matters and the potential applications of Tesla valves in biology remain largely unexplored. Here, we present a computational study on the potential use of Tesla valves for filtering and sorting microscale active swimmers such as bacteria. We investigated the behavior of microscale swimmers passing through the Tesla valve at different linear and angular velocities using numerical simulations and quantified the diodicity of the Tesla valve for active swimmers. Our results demonstrate that the Tesla valve can effectively filter …

Sensory Input To Cortex Encoded On Low-Dimensional Periphery-Correlated Subspaces, Andrea K. Barreiro, Antonio J. Fontenele, Cheng Ly, Prashant Chama Raju, Shree Hari Gautam, Woodrow L. Shew

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

As information about the world is conveyed from the sensory periphery to central neural circuits, it mixes with complex ongoing cortical activity. How do neural populations keep track of sensory signals, separating them from noisy ongoing activity? Here, we show that sensory signals are encoded more reliably in certain low-dimensional subspaces. These coding subspaces are defined by correlations between neural activity in the primary sensory cortex and upstream sensory brain regions; the most correlated dimensions were best for decoding. We analytically show that these correlation-based coding subspaces improve, reaching optimal limits (without an ideal observer), as noise correlations between cortex …

Atypical Meningiomas With Multiple Extracranial Metastases: A Case Description, Yipei Song, Mengyao Hu, Xiwen Wang, Qiming Fang, Xuan Xiao, Lianggeng Gong

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Economic Analysis Of Population-Based Next Generation Sequencing For Breast Cancer, Sapphire Curelaru

University Honors Theses

Breast cancer develops due to accumulated DNA replication insults which causes cancer to uncontrollably proliferate. An individual's predisposition to developing cancer, as well as the composition of a tumor, can be sequenced using genetic tests. Myriad's BRACAnalysis CDx^® seems to be the most utilized genetic test. However, Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) seems to be a better genetic test for breast cancer when compared to Myriad's BRACAnalysisCDx^® in terms of return-time, accuracy, efficiency, and healthcare cost. By using Next Generation Sequencing tests, stakeholders can save money on genetic testing which can be invested in more genetic tests. Payers can …

The Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease And All-Cause And Cause-Specific Mortality In The Uk Biobank, Fangyu Li, Yesenia Ramirez, Yukiko Yano, Carrie R Daniel, Shreela V Sharma, Eric L Brown, Ruosha Li, Baharak Moshiree, Erikka Loftfield, Qing Lan, Rashmi Sinha, Maki Inoue-Choi, Emily Vogtmann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a rising global prevalence. However, the understanding of its impact on mortality remains inconsistent so we explored the association between IBD and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

METHODS: This study included 502,369 participants from the UK Biobank, a large, population-based, prospective cohort study with mortality data through 2022. IBD was defined by baseline self-report or from primary care or hospital admission data. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all-cause and cause-specific mortality in multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models.

RESULTS: A total of 5799 (1.2%) participants had a history of …

Development Of Novel Methods To Study Host-Microbe Interactions In The Larval Zebrafish Gastrointestinal Tract, Anh K. Trinh Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The dynamic nature and inaccessible location of the intestine pose significant challenges to the study of intestinal physiology and pathology. Zebrafish larvae, possessing optical transparency and genetic tractability, offer an accessible and clinically relevant model for investigating dynamic events in the intestine via time-lapse imaging. In the first part of this work, I discuss our efforts to optimize the parameters of a foodborne infection assay using paramecia as a vehicle. This method provides an effective, high-throughput alternative to infection via immersion or oral gavage, and replicates the most common route of transmission of gastrointestinal (GI) infection in humans. The foodborne …

Telomeric Regulation Of Chromosomal Instability In Colorectal Cancer, Kyle Labella, Kyle A Labella

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Telomere dysfunction drives chromosomal instability (CIN) during the transition from benign adenoma to malignant adenocarcinoma. While CIN provides a mutator mechanism for cancer-relevant genomic events, its role in shaping tumor biology during carcinogenesis is not well understood. Here, we explored the molecular and biological impact of telomere dysfunction and associated CIN in vivo in a faithful model of CRC. In vivo lineage tracing revealed that CIN increased neoplastic cell competition and clonal expansion through accelerated differentiation of neighboring stem cells, resulting in increased number of adenomas and decreased survival in CIN-high Apc^min mice. Mechanistically, CIN represses EZH2 leading to …

Role Of The Immune System In The Modulation Of The Mmr-Deficient Intestinal Stem Cell Niche, Shepard Conner

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Mismatch Repair (MMR) is a crucial DNA repair system to maintain genomic integrity in cells that is integrated by specific genes including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2. These genes play a critical role in repairing errors that occur in base pairing by stabilizing the genetic material. When the MMR system fails to correct those errors, MMR deficiency occurs where monoallelic mutations in the MMR genes result in a condition known as Lynch Syndrome (LS). LS makes up approximately 3% of all colorectal cancer (CRC) and is regarded as a hereditary form of CRC, which progresses from MMR-deficient …

Development Of A Remote Dosimetric Audit Framework For Carbon Therapy, Paige Taylor

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Carbon ion therapy is available at over a dozen institutions around the world and is being employed for treatment of cancer. The increased biological effect of carbon compared to conventional photon-based radiotherapy holds promise for the therapeutic benefit in historically radioresistant tumors. While ion chamber dosimetry has been used for day-to-day clinical measurements of absorbed dose, there are few options for remote dosimetry. The availability of such tools would support the development of a robust remote audit program for carbon ion therapy.

The Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core (IROC) conducts remote audits of photon and proton therapy. These audits are …

Downregulation Of Mir-10a-5p As A Potential Therapeutic Target To Improve The Detrimental Effects Of Post-Stroke Social Isolation, Patrick Mooz

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction

Social isolation is detrimental to health. Isolation and loneliness are linked to all-cause mortality and accelerated disease progression in patients with cancer, dementia, and vascular disease. The number of individuals that live alone is increasing in our society, especially in the elderly, and loneliness and isolation represent a profound growing public health challenge. Previous studies have found that the detrimental effects of social isolation can be recapitulated in animal models. Mice that are socially isolated (SI) prior to an experimental stroke have larger infarcts and significantly worse outcomes. Importantly, animals that remain pair housed (PH) when an experimental stroke …

A Signal To Divide: Apoptotic Extracellular Vesicles As Carriers Of Mitogenic And Immunogenic Signals, Safia Essien, Safia Essien

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Efficient replacement of dead cells in epithelial tissue is crucial for maintaining barrier function and tissue homeostasis. Apoptotic cells can signal to neighboring cells to stimulate proliferation and compensate for cell loss and maintain overall cell numbers in normal physiology and cancer. While dying cells can transmit instructive cues to neighboring cells, the molecular mechanisms that induce cell division are not well understood. Recent evidence suggests that apoptotic bodies (ABs) or apoptotic extracellular vesicles (AEVs) mediate cell-to-cell communication and carry diverse biologically active cellular cargo which can influence cell proliferation. This dissertation visualizes and characterizes AEVs in larval zebrafish and …