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Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 27. When Wallace Broke With Darwin., Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

The year 1866 was the first year Alfred Russel Wallace showed definite signs of breaking with Darwin over the limits of natural selection. Attention is drawn to a July 1866 exchange of letters between the two, and how this foreshadowed what followed.

Biology (Nucleo)Tidings- Fall 2023, Biology Department Staff

Biology (Nucleo)tidings

News from the Biology Department at Northeastern Illinois University

Internalizing Symptoms In Autistic Young Adults: Comparing The Cognitive And Physiological Components Of Emotion Regulation, Sarah Lehman

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Autistic people experience co-occurring mental illness at a substantially greater rate compared to their neurotypical counterparts. Of these comorbid psychopathologies, internalizing disorders (anxiety and depression) are among the most prevalent. Emotion dysregulation has been identified as a contributing factor to this phenomenon and potential treatment target. The current study employed cognitive (e.g., use of suppression and use of cognitive reappraisal) and physiological (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and heart period) measures to more holistically capture the multifaceted construct of emotion regulation compared to prior research. In a sample of autistic young adults (N = 63) ages 17-29 (M = 20.14), …

Effects Of Thermocycling And Hydrolytic Aging On The Flexural Strength Of Additively Manufactured Restorative Materials, Steven Mustafa Abu Al Tamn

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Introduction: Additive manufacturing is being integrated into various aspects of clinical prosthodontics due to its potential for use in various indications and the promise of improved clinical efficiency and properties.Objective: The purpose of this in-vitro study was to evaluate the flexural strength of two 3D-printed resin composites in relation to a conventionally fabricated resin composite after being subjected to two different artificial aging methods: thermocycling and distilled water storage. Material and methods: A total of 220 samples were fabricated (N=220); 72 samples were fabricated from Integrity composite (Dentsply Sirona) and 148 samples were fabricated from two 3D-printed composite materials MFH …

Nanomechanical Membrane-Based Temperature Sensor With Sub-Nanowatt Resolution: Theory, Fabrication, And Measurements, Sangmin Oh

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A micro-Kelvin (∼10−6 K) resolution thermometry for resolving micro/nanoscale heat transport using a nanomechanical membrane-based device is investigated in this research. Detecting local temperatures at the micro/nanoscale requires high resolution thermometry because of the extremely low thermal transport. High resolution thermometry to resolve the smallest heat flow output can be resolved by both minimizing the thermal conductance (Gth) and achieving the highest temperature resolution (∆Tth) according to Q̇res = Gth ×∆Tres. The nanomechanical device proposed in this research is based on the membrane structure with silicon nitride (SiN) membrane. A 20 nm thick low stress SiN film is deposited on …

Comparison Of A Patient-Specific Computed Tomography Organ Dose Software With Commercial Phantom-Based Tools, Bindu P. Bhat

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Computed Tomography imaging is an important diagnostic tool but carries some risk due to radiation dose used to form the image. Currently, CT scanners report a measure of radiation dose for each scan that reflects the radiation emitted by the scanner, not the radiation dose absorbed by the patient. The radiation dose absorbed by organs, known as organ dose, is a more relevant metric that is important for risk assessment and CT protocol optimization. Tools for rapid organ-dose estimation are available but are limited to using general patient models. These publicly available tools are unable to model patient-specific anatomy and …

Neurocognitive Performance In Trichotillomania, Kathryn E. Barber

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Neuropsychological research indicates that trichotillomania (TTM), or hair pulling disorder, is associated with impaired cognitive flexibility and response inhibition. However, it is unclear how these neurocognitive deficits in TTM are related to symptom severity and what their implications are for treatment. The present study examined whether performance on tasks of cognitive flexibility and response inhibition were related to symptom severity, changed during treatment, and predicted treatment response in TTM. The current study utilized data from a randomized control trial comparing acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy (AEBT) to psychoeducation and supportive therapy (PST) in adults with TTM. Participants completed assessments at pre-treatment (n=88) …

Mother Drone, Mother Nature: The Griffon Vulture And Israel’S Military, Irus Braverman

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Lifelines Fall 2023, Southern Adventist University

Lifelines - Biology Department Newsletter

The Fall 2023 issue of Lifelines contains articles on student research, service, and information on this summer's BIOS program.

Web-Grading-A Tool To Test Personal Grading Of Renal And Prostate Cancer, Glen Kristiansen, Matthias Schmid, Lars Egevad, Hemamali Samaratunga, Murali Varma, Kaan Inam, Hans-Jürgen Thiesen, Brett Delahunt, Yulin Dai

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Only a few pathologists have the opportunity to verify their personal grading through objective assessment. This study introduces a web-based grading platform to facilitate and validate the grading of renal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer. Two representative images of two clinically annotated cohorts of 100 cases each of prostate and renal cell carcinoma were used. Each participant was asked to grade a tumor series utilizing a three tiered grading system. Finally, a Kaplan-Meier curve was drawn, and the log-rank test was used for statistical testing of the p-value. The grading of 22 participants (68%) achieved prognostic significance. Further analysis highlighted …

Co-Targeting Bcl-Xl And Bcl-2 By Protac 753b Eliminates Leukemia Cells And Enhances Efficacy Of Chemotherapy By Targeting Senescent Cells, Yannan Jia, Lina Han, Cassandra L Ramage, Zhe Wang, Connie C Weng, Lei Yang, Simona Colla, Helen Ma, Weiguo Zhang, Michael Andreeff, Naval Daver, Nitin Jain, Naveen Pemmaraju, Kapil Bhalla, Satu Mustjoki, Peiyi Zhang, Guangrong Zheng, Daohong Zhou, Qi Zhang, Marina Konopleva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BCL-XL and BCL-2 are key anti-apoptotic proteins and validated cancer targets. 753B is a novel BCL-XL/BCL-2 proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) that targets both BCL-XL and BCL-2 to the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) E3 ligase, leading to BCLX L/BCL-2 ubiquitination and degradation selectively in cells expressing VHL. Because platelets lack VHL expression, 753B spares on-target platelet toxicity caused by the first-generation dual BCL-XL/BCL-2 inhibitor navitoclax (ABT-263). Here, we report pre-clinical single-agent activity of 753B against different leukemia subsets. 753B effectively reduced cell viability and induced dose-dependent degradation of BCL-XL and BCL-2 in a subset of hematopoietic cell lines, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) …

Short-Term Biomarker Modulation Study Of Dasatinib For Estrogen Receptor-Negative Breast Cancer Chemoprevention, Fatma Nihan Akkoc Mustafayev, Diane D Liu, Angelica M Gutierrez, John E Lewis, Nuhad K Ibrahim, Vicente Valero, Daniel J Booser, Jennifer K Litton, Kimberly Koenig, Dihua Yu, Nour Sneige, Banu K Arun

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Risk-reducing therapy with selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulators and aromatase inhibitors reduce breast cancer risk. However, the effects are limited to ER-positive breast cancer. Therefore, new agents with improved toxicity profiles that reduce the risk in ER-negative breast cancers are urgently needed. The aim of this prospective, short-term, prevention study was to evaluate the effect of dasatinib, an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase Src, on biomarkers in normal (but increased risk) breast tissue and serum of women at high risk for a second, contralateral primary breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women with a history of unilateral stage I, II, …

Combining Clinical And Biological Data To Predict Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis Despite Immunomodulatory Therapy, Elizabeth R Volkmann, Holly Wilhalme, Shervin Assassi, Grace Hyun J Kim, Jonathan Goldin, Masataka Kuwana, Donald P Tashkin, Michael D Roth

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is the leading cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc). This study aimed to develop a clinical prediction nomogram using clinical and biological data to assess risk of PPF among patients receiving treatment of SSc-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD).

METHODS: Patients with SSc-ILD who participated in the Scleroderma Lung Study II (SLS II) were randomized to treatment with either mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or cyclophosphamide (CYC). Clinical and biological parameters were analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression, and a nomogram was created to assess the risk of PPF and validated by bootstrap resampling.

RESULTS: Among …

An Efficient Strategy For Evaluating New Non-Invasive Screening Tests For Colorectal Cancer: The Guiding Principles, Robert S Bresalier, Carlo Senore, Graeme P Young, James Allison, Robert Benamouzig, Sally Benton, Patrick M M Bossuyt, Luis Caro, Beatriz Carvalho, Han-Mo Chiu, Veerle M H Coupé, Willemijn De Klaver, Clasine Maria De Klerk, Evelien Dekker, Sunil Dolwani, Callum G Fraser, William Grady, Lydia Guittet, Samir Gupta, Stephen P Halloran, Ulrike Haug, Geir Hoff, Steven Itzkowitz, Tim Kortlever, Anastasios Koulaouzidis, Uri Ladabaum, Beatrice Lauby-Secretan, Mārcis Leja, Bernard Levin, Theodore Robert Levin, Finlay Macrae, Gerrit A Meijer, Joshua Melson, Colm O'Morain, Susan Parry, Linda Rabeneck, David F Ransohoff, Roque Sáenz, Hiroshi Saito, Silvia Sanduleanu-Dascalescu, Robert E Schoen, Kevin Selby, Harminder Singh, Robert J C Steele, Joseph J Y Sung, Erin Leigh Symonds, Sidney J Winawer, Members Of The World Endoscopy Colorectal Cancer Screening New Test Evaluation Expert Working Group

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: New screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) are rapidly emerging. Conducting trials with mortality reduction as the end point supporting their adoption is challenging. We re-examined the principles underlying evaluation of new non-invasive tests in view of technological developments and identification of new biomarkers.

DESIGN: A formal consensus approach involving a multidisciplinary expert panel revised eight previously established principles.

RESULTS: Twelve newly stated principles emerged. Effectiveness of a new test can be evaluated by comparison with a proven comparator non-invasive test. The faecal immunochemical test is now considered the appropriate comparator, while colonoscopy remains the diagnostic standard. For a …

Zyxin Inhibits The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Process In Gastric Cancer By Upregulating Sirt1, Jing Lou, Sha Geng, Wei He, Song-Bai Liu, Xinghong Shi, Ying Chang, Shiyuan Han, Panting Qian, Hesham M Amin, Yao-Hua Song, Yangxin Li, Jin Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor development relies on the stemness of cancer stem cells, which is regulated by environmental cues. Previous studies have shown that zyxin can inhibit the expression of genes for embryonic stem cell status. In the present study, the expression levels of zyxin protein in cancer tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues from 73 gastric cancer patients with different clinical stages were analyzed by Western blot. We showed that the relative expression levels of zyxin in gastric cancer tissues (cancer tissues/adjacent tissues) were significantly downregulated in advanced clinical stages. Overexpression of zyxin inhibited the stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes in gastric …

Therapeutic Effects Of Combining Curcumin And Swimming In Osteoarthritis Using A Rat Model, Mona M Saber, Manal Moustafa Mahmoud, Hesham M Amin, Reham M Essam

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common debilitating degenerative disease of the elderly. We aimed to study the therapeutic effects of combining curcumin and swimming in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced OA in a rat model. The rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 9). Group 1 received saline and served as a control group. Groups 2-5 were injected intra-articularly in the right knee with 100 μL MIA. One week later, groups 3 and 5 were started on daily swimming sessions that gradually increased to 20-mins per session, and for groups 4 and 5, oral curcumin was administered at a dose of 200 …

Evaluation Of The Natural History Of Disease By Combining Incident And Prevalent Cohorts: Application To The Nun Study, Daewoo Pak, Jing Ning, Richard J Kryscio, Yu Shen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The Nun study is a well-known longitudinal epidemiology study of aging and dementia that recruited elderly nuns who were not yet diagnosed with dementia (i.e., incident cohort) and who had dementia prior to entry (i.e., prevalent cohort). In such a natural history of disease study, multistate modeling of the combined data from both incident and prevalent cohorts is desirable to improve the efficiency of inference. While important, the multistate modeling approaches for the combined data have been scarcely used in practice because prevalent samples do not provide the exact date of disease onset and do not represent the target population …

Young-Onset Rectal Cancer: Unique Tumoral Microbiome And Correlation With Response To Neoadjuvant Therapy, Michael G White, Ashish Damania, Jumanah Alshenaifi, Pranoti Sahasrabhojane, Oliver Peacock, Jillian Losh, Matthew C Wong, Zuzana Lutter-Berkova, George J Chang, Andrew Futreal, Jennifer A Wargo, Nadim J Ajami, Scott Kopetz, Y Nancy You

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: External exposures, the host, and the microbiome interact in oncology. We aimed to investigate tumoral microbiomes in young-onset rectal cancers (YORCs) for profiles potentially correlative with disease etiology and biology.

BACKGROUND: YORC is rapidly increasing, with 1 in 4 new rectal cancer cases occurring under the age of 50 years. Its etiology is unknown.

METHODS: YORC (old) or later-onset rectal cancer (LORC, ≥50 y old) patients underwent pretreatment biopsied of tumor and tumor-adjacent normal (TAN) tissue. After whole genome sequencing, metagenomic analysis quantified microbial communities comparing tumors versus TANs and YORCs versus LORCs, controlling for multiple testing. Response to …

Peripheral Levels Of The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor In Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Parnian Shobeiri, Amir Hossein Behnoush, Amirmohammad Khalaji, Antonio Lucio Teixeira, Nima Rezaei

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Among its functions, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates endothelial and macrophage activation, possibly playing a role in atherosclerotic plaque pathophysiology. Given contradicting reports, this study sought to investigate whether blood levels of BDNF differed between patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and controls.

METHODS: We explored PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for studies comparing BDNF blood levels in patients with CHD and controls. Random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to evaluate the quality of included articles, and statistical analyses were conducted …

Refphase: Multi-Sample Phasing Reveals Haplotype-Specific Copy Number Heterogeneity, Thomas B K Watkins, Emma C Colliver, Matthew R Huska, Tom L Kaufmann, Emilia L Lim, Cody B Duncan, Kerstin Haase, Peter Van Loo, Charles Swanton, Nicholas Mcgranahan, Roland F Schwarz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Most computational methods that infer somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) from bulk sequencing of DNA analyse tumour samples individually. However, the sequencing of multiple tumour samples from a patient's disease is an increasingly common practice. We introduce Refphase, an algorithm that leverages this multi-sampling approach to infer haplotype-specific copy numbers through multi-sample phasing. We demonstrate Refphase's ability to infer haplotype-specific SCNAs and characterise their intra-tumour heterogeneity, to uncover previously undetected allelic imbalance in low purity samples, and to identify parallel evolution in the context of whole genome doubling in a pan-cancer cohort of 336 samples from 99 tumours.

Innately Expressed Estrogen-Related Receptors In The Skeletal Muscle Are Indispensable For Exercise Fitness, Ashok Kumar, Vihang A Narkar

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a prevalent cardiovascular complication of limb vascular insufficiency, causing ischemic injury, mitochondrial metabolic damage and functional impairment in the skeletal muscle, and ultimately leading to immobility and mortality. While potential therapies have been mostly focussed on revascularization, none of the currently available pharmacological treatments are fully effective in PAD, often leading to amputations, particularly in chronic metabolic diseases. One major limitation of focussed angiogenesis and revascularization as a therapeutic strategy is a limited effect on metabolic restoration and muscle regeneration in the affected limb. Therefore, additional preclinical investigations are needed to discover novel treatment options …

Coordinated School Health 2022-23 Annual Report, Tennessee. Department Of Education.

Coordinated School Health

No abstract provided.

Student Preferences For Reference Services At A Remote Biological Station Library, Thom Gerrish, Scott Martin

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

During the 2020 and 2021 summer semesters, the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) transitioned to hybrid classes that were primarily distance learning with two-week inperson sections. The library offered both synchronous and asynchronous reference assistance over the summer term. An analysis showed that students favored using the UMBS LibGuide over synchronous virtual reference help via Zoom. Students further preferred face-to-face interactions over virtual formats, and their preference for LibGuide assistance may carry into the post- COVID-19 classroom. This finding suggests that students prioritize convenience and immediacy over personalized assistance in the Zoom platform. Thus, in providing reference assistance to …

Using Multiple Modes Of Learning In A High School Genetic Engineering Lesson, Hannah Stuart

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

The goal of this article is to discuss a genetic engineering lesson presented to high school biology students to obtain mastery of the Biology Standard of Learning (BIO.5e) associated with genetic engineering products and practices. The lesson described in this article follows the 5E lesson plan model. Therefore, the article will describe the 5Es used in the creation and implementation of this lesson: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. This article focuses on the use of resources and activities that appeal to students with varying learning styles and looks at the effectiveness of individualized teacher-student attention during individual practice time. …

Microscope Investigations: An Inquiry-Based Cell Lab, Joshua Whittaker, R. Whitlow

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

This lesson is a collaborative effort between a student teacher and a cooperating senior teacher to design and implement an engaging and exploratory microscope lab for 7th-grade students. The goal of this lesson is to cultivate excitement, interest, and exploration in students who are new to using microscopes, aligning with the Virginia 7th Grade Life Science Standards of Learning on cells and cell theory. This lab incorporates two microscope stations—one focusing on fundamental skills and the other on inquiry-based exploration. By employing the 5E model of instruction, this paper details how students progress through engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation …

A Cellular Division Called Mitosis, Betsy Kent

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

In biology, cellular reproduction is a fundamental process that ensures the growth and repair of living organisms. This article will detail the lesson that meets the needs of students with disabilities by applying several Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. The plan will be taught over a span of five days and focus on the fundamental process that allows living organisms to grow, repair damaged tissues, and reproduce. The students will have several hands-on activities that will enhance the lecture part of the lesson. Understanding cellular reproduction is crucial in comprehending the complexity and resilience of life itself.

Teaching Cells To Diverse Learners In The Modern Classroom, Avery Tully

Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Secondary Mathematics and Science

During this lesson, my main focus was to engage students in deeper learning about the importance of cells and all the aspects of structure, function, and history. My classroom is extremely diverse as I teach in Northern Virginia, a true melting pot. I have attached the population of minorities in Northern Virginia. This shows that over half of the population is minorities, well over the national average. You will also see the graph of ESOL homes in Northern Virginia. This graph shows that over 35% of homes in Northern Virginia speak another primary language other than English in their homes.

Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Regulates Sequential Stages Of Migration And Morphogenesis Of Neural Crest Cells And Derivatives In Chicken And Frog Embryos, Amira Mahomed, Daljit Girn, Afrin Pattani, Brian K. Wells, Chloe C. King, Sonya Patel, Harsimran Kaur, Christina M. Noravian, Jessica Sieminski, Chi Pham, Halley Dante, Maxellende Ezin, Tamira Elul

Biology Faculty Works

The main cannabinoid receptor CB1R first shows expression during early neurula stage in chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos, and at early tailbud stage in the frog (Xenopus laevis) embryos. This raises the question of whether CB1R regulates similar or distinct processes during the embryonic development of these two species. Here, we examined whether CB1R influences the migration and morphogenesis of neural crest cells and derivatives in both chicken and frog embryos. Early neurula stage chicken embryos were exposed to arachidonyl-2ʹ-chloroethylamide (ACEA; a CB1R agonist), N-(Piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM251; a CB1R inverse agonist) or Blebbistatin (nonmuscle Myosin II inhibitor) in ovo and examined during …

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Correlates Of Attentional Bias In An Emotional Free Viewing Paradigm: An Eye-Tracking Investigation, Andrew Hauler

All NMU Master's Theses

Threat detection, the process of searching complex environments for harmful stimuli, represents a vastly important job that promotes the biological fitness of the organism. Decades of experimental evidence suggests individuals either diagnosed, or at risk for, affective disorders display altered patterns of attentional engagement (hypervigilance or maintenance) with external stimuli; referred to as attentional biases. To date, the extent to which underlying neural mechanisms drive attentional biases, both in affective disorders as well as unselected populations, remain to be resolved. Thus, using eye-tracking and a passive emotional free viewing task, this study set to clarify resting-state network contributions from three …

Ursinus Magazine, Fall 2023, Robyn E. Hannigan, Ed Moorhouse, Jennifer Meininger Wolfe, Ben Seal, William Mongan

Ursinus Magazine, 1995–Present

On the brain • Solving the problem • Brave in Season • Energy impact • Supporting recovery • Leading the conversation • Legacies of slavery • Bears on the Hill • At the Berman • Bear bites • Office space • The new view: How an Ursinus lab is threading machine learning and the human element • Lean on me: A system of student-led support • Pitch perfect • Welcome, new Bears! • Live from New York • Scenes on stage • On the fast track • Class notes • Marriages • In memoriam • Burning question: How can we …