Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Functions Of Extracellular Matrix In Brain Metastasis Seeding, Arseniy E Yuzhalin, Dihua Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Human brain is characterized by extremely sparse extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite its low abundance, the significance of brain ECM in both physiological and pathological conditions should not be underestimated. Brain metastasis is a serious complication of cancer, and recent findings highlighted the contribution of ECM in brain metastasis development. In this review, we provide a comprehensive outlook on how ECM proteins promote brain metastasis seeding. In particular, we discuss (1) disruption of the blood-brain barrier in brain metastasis; (2) role of ECM in modulating brain metastasis dormancy; (3) regulation of brain metastasis seeding by ECM-activated integrin signaling; (4) functions of …

Systematic Investigation Of The Homology Sequences Around The Human Fusion Gene Breakpoints In Pan-Cancer - Bioinformatics Study For A Potential Link To Mmej, Pora Kim, Himansu Kumar, Chengyuan Yang, Ruihan Luo, Jiajia Liu, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ), an error-prone DNA damage repair mechanism, frequently leads to chromosomal rearrangements due to its ability to engage in promiscuous end joining of genomic instability and also leads to increasing mutational load at the sequences flanking the breakpoints (BPs). In this study, we systematically investigated the homology sequences around the genomic breakpoint area of human fusion genes, which were formed by the chromosomal rearrangements initiated by DNA double-strand breakage. Since the RNA-seq data is the typical data set to check the fusion genes, for the known exon junction fusion breakpoints identified from RNA-seq data, we have to …

Microplastics Distribution Within Western Arctic Seawater And Sea Ice, Alessandra D’Angelo, Nicole Trenholm, Brice Loose, Laura Glastra, Jacob Strock, Jongsun Kim

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a global environmental concern, exhibiting wide distribution within marine ecosystems, including the Arctic Ocean. Limited Arctic microplastic data exist from beached plastics, seabed sediments, floating plastics, and sea ice. However, no studies have examined microplastics in the sea ice of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area, and few have explored Arctic marginal seas’ water column. The majority of the microplastic data originates from the Eurasian Arctic, with limited data available from other regions of the Arctic Ocean. This study presents data from two distinct campaigns in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago …

Edna Devore Oral History, Edna Devore, Lorenzo Spaccarelli

Raymond College

No abstract provided.

Spectrum, Volume 51, Issue 2, Sacred Heart University

Newspapers (Obelisk & Spectrum)

Highlights include: Pioneer Vote Brings Candidates to Campus -- Guess Who’s Back: COVID on Campus -- Tens of thousands march to kick off climate summit, demanding end to warming-causing fossil fuels -- We Are Family: Weekend Preview -- First 50 Days: We’re Halfway There -- The Importance of Campus Involvement for All Students

Cumulative Incidence Of Physical And Sexual Dating Violence: Insights From A Long-Term Longitudinal Study, Jeff R Temple, Elizabeth Baumler, Leila Wood, Kelli Sargent Franco, Melissa Peskin, Christie Shumate

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Decades of inquiry on intimate partner violence show consistent results: violence is woefully common and psychologically and economically costly. Policy to prevent and effectively intervene upon such violence hinges upon comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon at a population level. The current study prospectively estimates the cumulative incidence of sexual and physical dating violence (DV) victimization/perpetration over a 12-year timeframe (2010–2021) using diverse participants assessed annually from age 15 to 26. Data are from Waves 1–13 of an ongoing longitudinal study. Since 2010 (except for 2018 and 2019), participants were assessed on past-year physical and sexual DV victimization and perpetration. Participants …

Polygenic Risk And Chemotherapy-Related Subsequent Malignancies In Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study And St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study Report, Cindy Im, Noha Sharafeldin, Yan Yuan, Zhaoming Wang, Yadav Sapkota, Zhanni Lu, Logan G Spector, Rebecca M Howell, Michael A Arnold, Melissa M Hudson, Kirsten K Ness, Leslie L Robison, Smita Bhatia, Gregory T Armstrong, Joseph P Neglia, Yutaka Yasui, Lucie M Turcotte

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: Chemotherapeutic exposures are associated with subsequent malignant neoplasm (SMN) risk. The role of genetic susceptibility in chemotherapy-related SMNs should be defined as use of radiation therapy (RT) decreases.

Patients and methods: SMNs among long-term childhood cancer survivors of European (EUR; N = 9,895) and African (AFR; N = 718) genetic ancestry from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and St Jude Lifetime Cohort Study were evaluated. An externally validated 179-variant polygenic risk score (PRS) associated with pleiotropic adult cancer risk from the UK Biobank Study (N > 400,000) was computed for each survivor. SMN cumulative incidence comparing top and bottom PRS …

Levelling-Up Rhodolith-Bed Science To Address Global-Scale Conservation Challenges, Fernando Tuya, Nadine Schubert, Julio Aguirre, Daniela Basso, Eduardo O. Bastos, Flávio Berchez, Angelo F. Bernardino, Néstor E. Bosch, Heidi L. Burdett, Fernando Espino, Cindy Fernández-Gárcia, Ronaldo B. Francini-Filho, Patrick Gagnon, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Ricardo Haroun, Laurie C. Hofmann, Paulo A. Horta, Nicholas A. Kamenos, Gall L Le, Rafael A. Magris, Sophie Martin, Wendy A. Nelson, Pedro Neves, Irene Olivé, Francisco Otero-Ferrer, Viviana Peña, Guilherme H. Pereira-Filho, Federica Ragazzola, Ana Cristina Rebelo, Cláudia Ribeiro, Eli Rinde, Kathryn Schoenrock, João Silva, Marina N. Sissini, Frederico T.S. Tâmega

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Global marine conservation remains fractured by an imbalance in research efforts and policy actions, limiting progression towards sustainability. Rhodolith beds represent a prime example, as they have ecological importance on a global scale, provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services, including biodiversity provision and potential climate change mitigation, but remain disproportionately understudied, compared to other coastal ecosystems (tropical coral reefs, kelp forests, mangroves, seagrasses). Although rhodolith beds have gained some recognition, as important and sensitive habitats at national/regional levels during the last decade, there is still a notable lack of information and, consequently, specific conservation efforts. We argue that …

Can The Date Of Last Menstrual Period Be Trusted In The First Trimester? Comparisons Of Gestational Age Measures From A Prospective Cohort Study In Six Low-Income To Middle-Income Countries, Archana Patel, Carla M. Bann, Vanessa R. Thorsten, Sowmya R. Rao, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu Kitoto, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F. Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sherri Bucher, Sarah Saleem, Robert L. Goldenberg, Elwyn Chomba, Waldemar A. Carlo, Shivaprasad Goudar, Richard Derman, Marion Koso-Thomas, Elizabeth Mcclure, Patricia L. Hibberd

Global Health Articles

OBJECTIVES: We examined gestational age (GA) estimates for live and still births, and prematurity rates based on last menstrual period (LMP) compared with ultrasonography (USG) among pregnant women at seven sites in six low-resource countries.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This study included data from the Global Network's population-based Maternal and Newborn Health Registry which follows pregnant women in six low-income and middle-income countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan and Zambia). Participants in this analysis were 42 803 women, including their 43 230 babies, who registered for the study in their first trimester based …

Belt And Road Science & Technology Cooperation: Current Situation, Challenges And Development Directions, Hongyan He, Shuxian Wu, Jiayu Xin, Hui Zhao, Yanlei Wang, Dongxia Yan, Linglong Shan, Xin Wang, Yuliang Zhao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, China has actively engaged in innovation cooperation with coconstruction countries and regions, and has made gratifying achievements in basic scientific research, technology transfer and transformation, the cooperation network and platform base construction. At present, new changes and situations in the political and economic landscape worldwide have put forward higher requirements for the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Therefore, high-quality joint construction of Belt and Road needs to sum up the experience and identify areas of cooperation. In this context, the study summarizes the current situation and main challenges of …

S&T Innovation Study For The Digital Belt And Road, Huadong Guo, Fang Chen, Yu Chen, Guozhuang Shen, Chuansheng Liu, Yunwei Tang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Digital technology can promote the sustainable development of countries and regions along the route of Belt and Road Initiative and help enhance interconnectivity in technology, standards, rules, and digital infrastructure. Science and technology play a crucial role in the construction of the Digital Belt and Road. However, currently, some countries and regions along the route of Belt and Road Initiative lack sufficient digital infrastructure, and there is a shortage of critical core digital technology and challenges in its promotion. It is essential to build an innovative ecosystem for the Digital Belt and Road that includes facilities, technology, mechanisms, and capabilities …

Strategies And Measures Of International Climate Cooperation For The Belt And Road Regions, Yi Wang, Xianchun Tan, Jingyong Zhang, Renqiang Li, Minpeng Chen, Baihe Gu, Jianping Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Climate cooperation is conducive to promoting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries and regions to handle the relationship between economic development and tackling climate change, which is critical to achieving the green transformation of the regional economy. Based on the facts and projections of climate change in the BRI region, this study explored the demand gaps in technology, finance, and capacity building in the BRI region based on the impact of climate change on water resources, agriculture, and biodiversity. The study found that most countries and regions along the Belt and Road have a more urgent need for …

Key Areas For Scientific And Technological Cooperation In Ecological And Environmental Protection And Sustainable Development In The Belt And Road Initiative, Bojie Fu, Yanxu Liu, Wenwu Zhao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Green is the foundation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This study examines the ecological and environmental risks faced by BRI and their impact on sustainable development. It identifies key research areas in ecological and environmental protection that support sustainable development, including water resource management and water-saving technologies, water environment governance and human health assurance, land degradation prevention and control technologies and demonstrations, biodiversity conservation and the utilization of biological resources, mechanisms and models for ecosystem restoration, and environmental governance for community sustainable development. It is hoped to enhancing scientific and technological cooperation in ecological and environmental governance among …

Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions In The Context Of Earth System Science, Nianzhi Jiao, Tingwei Luo, Jihua Liu, Quanrui Chen, Chenba Zhu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Comparing the records of geological events and the observations of the current climate, the debate on the main cause of global warming, which has lasted for more than 30 years, is now to an end. Along the global consensus, it is imperative to seek effective solutions to the mitigation of climate change for China and the countries along Belt and Road route, which are facing the unavoidable conflicts between development and protection. Based on these analyses, The study proposes that reasonable and legitimate transformative Ocean Negative Carbon Emission (ONCE) approach should be developed in the context of Earth system science …

Standardized Definitions For Efficacy End Points In Neoadjuvant Breast Cancer Clinical Trials: Neosteep, Jennifer K Litton, Meredith M Regan, Lajos Pusztai, Hope S Rugo, Sara M Tolaney, Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer, Laleh Amiri-Kordestani, Reva K Basho, Ana F Best, Jean-Francois Boileau, Carsten Denkert, Jared C Foster, Nadia Harbeck, Heather A Jacene, Tari A King, Ginny Mason, Ciara C O'Sullivan, Tatiana M Prowell, Andrea L Richardson, Karla A Sepulveda, Mary Lou Smith, Judy A Tjoe, Gulisa Turashvili, Wendy A Woodward, Lynn Pearson Butler, Elena I Schwartz, Larissa A Korde

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The Standardized Definitions for Efficacy End Points (STEEP) criteria, established in 2007 and updated in 2021 (STEEP 2.0), provide standardized definitions of adjuvant breast cancer (BC) end points. STEEP 2.0 identified a need to separately address end points for neoadjuvant clinical trials. The multidisciplinary NeoSTEEP working group of experts was convened to critically evaluate and align neoadjuvant BC trial end points.

METHODS: The NeoSTEEP working group concentrated on neoadjuvant systemic therapy end points in clinical trials with efficacy outcomes-both pathologic and time-to-event survival end points-particularly for registrational intent. Special considerations for subtypes and therapeutic approaches, imaging, nodal staging at …

Hygrothermal And Economic Analysis Of An Earth-Based Building Using In Situ Investigations And Artificial Neural Network Modeling For Normandy’S Climate Conditions, K Touati, M-H Benzaama, Mendili Y El, Guern M Le, F Streiff, S Goodhew

School of Art, Design and Architecture

This paper investigates the in situ hygrothermal behavior of a cob prototype building equipped with multiple sensors for measuring temperature, relative humidity inside the building, and water content within its walls. The experimental results show that the earth-based prototype building presents interesting thermal insulation performance. Without any heating system, the indoor temperature was found to remain stable, near 20 °C, despite large fluctuations in the outdoor temperature. This study also illustrated the ability of cob to absorb and regulate indoor relative humidity. The use of a neural network model for predicting the hygrothermal behavior of the cob prototype building was …

A Proteogenomics Data-Driven Knowledge Base Of Human Cancer, Yuxing Liao, Sara R Savage, Yongchao Dou, Zhiao Shi, Xinpei Yi, Wen Jiang, Jonathan T Lei, Bing Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

By combining mass-spectrometry-based proteomics and phosphoproteomics with genomics, epi-genomics, and transcriptomics, proteogenomics provides comprehensive molecular characterization of cancer. Using this approach, the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) has characterized over 1,000 primary tumors spanning 10 cancer types, many with matched normal tissues. Here, we present LinkedOmicsKB, a proteogenomics data-driven knowledge base that makes consistently processed and systematically precomputed CPTAC pan-cancer proteogenomics data available to the public through ∼40,000 gene-, protein-, mutation-, and phenotype-centric web pages. Visualization techniques facilitate efficient exploration and reasoning of complex, interconnected data. Using three case studies, we illustrate the practical utility of LinkedOmicsKB in providing …

Draft Genome Of Methanol-Oxidizing Methylobacterium Fujisawaense Strain Lac1, Jooho Chung, Jinha Kim, John C. Blazier, Myung Hwangbo, Kung-Hui Chu

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We report the draft genome of Methylobacterium fujisawaense LAC1 isolated from an acidic aquifer in Indian Head, MD, USA. The genome contains 5,883,000 bp and has a GC content of 70% with 5,434 protein-encoding genes with functional assignments. This strain can grow on methanol with lanthanum, a rare earth element.

Social And Psychological Adversity Are Associated With Distinct Mother And Infant Gut Microbiome Variations, Barbara B Warner, Bruce A Rosa, I Malick Ndao, Phillip I Tarr, J Philip Miller, Sarah K England, Joan L Luby, Cynthia E Rogers, Carla Hall-Moore, Renay E Bryant, Jacqueline D Wang, Laura A Linneman, Tara A Smyser, Christopher D Smyser, Deanna M Barch, John Martin, Makedonka Mitreva, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Health disparities are driven by underlying social disadvantage and psychosocial stressors. However, how social disadvantage and psychosocial stressors lead to adverse health outcomes is unclear, particularly when exposure begins prenatally. Variations in the gut microbiome and circulating proinflammatory cytokines offer potential mechanistic pathways. Here, we interrogate the gut microbiome of mother-child dyads to compare high-versus-low prenatal social disadvantage, psychosocial stressors and maternal circulating cytokine cohorts (prospective case-control study design using gut microbiomes from 121 dyads profiled with 16 S rRNA sequencing and 89 dyads with shotgun metagenomic sequencing). Gut microbiome characteristics significantly predictive of social disadvantage and psychosocial stressors in …

Nlrp3 Selectively Drives Il-1Β Secretion By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infected Neutrophils And Regulates Corneal Disease Severity, Martin S Minns, Karl Liboro, Tatiane S Lima, Serena Abbondante, Brandon A Miller, Michaela E Marshall, Jolynn Tran Chau, Alicia Roistacher, Arne Rietsch, George R Dubyak, Eric Pearlman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Macrophages infected with Gram-negative bacteria expressing Type III secretion system (T3SS) activate the NLRC4 inflammasome, resulting in Gasdermin D (GSDMD)-dependent, but GSDME independent IL-1β secretion and pyroptosis. Here we examine inflammasome signaling in neutrophils infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 that expresses the T3SS effectors ExoS and ExoT. IL-1β secretion by neutrophils requires the T3SS needle and translocon proteins and GSDMD. In macrophages, PAO1 and mutants lacking ExoS and ExoT (ΔexoST) require NLRC4 for IL-1β secretion. While IL-1β release from ΔexoST infected neutrophils is also NLRC4-dependent, infection with PAO1 is instead NLRP3-dependent and driven by the ADP ribosyl transferase activity …

Chronic Cough Relief By Allosteric Modulation Of P2x3 Without Taste Disturbance, Chang-Run Guo, Zhong-Zhe Zhang, Xing Zhou, Meng-Yang Sun, Tian-Tian Li, Yun-Tao Lei, Yu-Hao Gao, Qing-Quan Li, Chen-Xi Yue, Yu Gao, Yi-Yu Lin, Cui-Yun Hao, Chang-Zhu Li, Peng Cao, Michael X Zhu, Ming-Qiang Rong, Wen-Hui Wang, Ye Yu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

P2X receptors are cation channels that sense extracellular ATP. Many therapeutic candidates targeting P2X receptors have begun clinical trials or acquired approval for the treatment of refractory chronic cough (RCC) and other disorders. However, the present negative allosteric modulation of P2X receptors is primarily limited to the central pocket or the site below the left flipper domain. Here, we uncover a mechanism of allosteric regulation of P2X3 in the inner pocket of the head domain (IP-HD), and show that the antitussive effects of quercetin and PSFL2915 (our nM-affinity P2X3 inhibitor optimized based on quercetin) on male mice and guinea pigs …

Use Of Humans As Guinea Pigs For Birth Control Pill In Puerto Rico, Adam V. Sewnarine

Mako: NSU Undergraduate Student Journal

This article is about the history of Puerto Rico and the creation of the oral contraceptive pill. A history of the events leading up to the testing of the pill in the United States colony of Puerto Rico. The article talks about the many human rights violations scientists have imposed on this entire group of people. Dr. Ashford, Dr. Rhoads, and Gregory Pincus are depicted throughout the paper, showing the chronological order of how the pill came to be.

Stable Polycyclic Aromatic Carbon (Spac) Content As An Improved Parameter For Determining Biochar Stability, Clement Uguna, Will Meredith, Colin Snape, Philippa Ascough

Bio-Char III: Production, Characterization and Applications

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

National Screening For Developmental Delays And Their Determinants Among Egyptian School Age Children: A Step Towards Implementing Life Skills Programs, Ammal M. Metwally, Maysa S. Nassar, Ebtissam M. Salah El-Din, Ali M. Abdallah

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

2023 September 19 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

2023 September 19 - Medical Student Education Committee Minutes, Medical Student Education Committee, East Tennessee State University

Medical Student Education Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Therapeutic Potential Of Targeting Cardiac Rgs4., Giselle Del Calvo, Teresa Baggio Lopez, Anastasios Lymperopoulos

HPD Articles

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play pivotal roles in regulation of cardiac function and homeostasis. To function properly, every cell needs these receptors to be stimulated only when a specific extracellular stimulus is present, and to be silenced the moment that stimulus is removed. The regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are crucial for the latter to occur at the cell membrane, where the GPCR normally resides. Perturbations in both activation and termination of G protein signaling underlie numerous heart pathologies. Although more than 30 mammalian RGS proteins have been identified, each RGS protein seems to interact only with a …

Ncoa5 Haploinsufficiency In Myeloid-Lineage Cells Sufficiently Causes Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis And Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Yueqi Zhang, Yue Luo, Xinhui Liu, Matti Kiupel, Aimin Li, Hongbing Wang, Qing-Sheng Mi, Hua Xiao

Dermatology Articles

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The nuclear receptor coactivator 5 (NCOA5) is a putative type 2 diabetes susceptibility gene. NCOA5 haploinsufficiency results in the spontaneous development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), insulin resistance, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in male mice; however, the cell-specific effect of NCOA5 haploinsufficiency in various types of cells, including macrophages, on the development of NAFLD and HCC remains unknown.

METHODS: Control and myeloid-lineage-specific Ncoa5 deletion (Ncoa5(ΔM/+)) mice fed a normal diet were examined for the development of NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and HCC. Altered genes and signaling pathways in the intrahepatic macrophages of Ncoa5(ΔM/+) male mice were …

Mr. Wicker: A Horror Novel, David Viergutz

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes writing in the horror genre that uses characterization and symbolism as literary elements to explore the depiction of good versus evil. The author’s creative writing includes instances of characterization and symbolism and identifies the use of those elements in acclaimed horror novels.

Dectin-1 Multimerization And Signaling Depends On Fungal Β-Glucan Structure And Exposure, Eduardo U. Anaya, Akram Etemadi Amin, Michael J. Wester, Michael E. Danielson, Kyle S. Michel, Aaron K. Neumann

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Dectin-1A is a C-type lectin innate immunoreceptor that recognizes β-(1,3;1,6)-glucan, a structural component of Candida species cell walls. β-Glucans can adopt solution structures ranging from random coil to insoluble fiber due to tertiary (helical) and quaternary structure. Fungal β-glucans of medium and high molecular weight are highly structured, but low molecular weight glucan is much less structured. Despite similar affinity for Dectin-1, the ability of glucans to induce Dectin-1A-mediated signaling correlates with degree of structure. Glucan denaturation experiments showed that glucan structure determines agonistic potential, but not receptor binding affinity. We explored the impact of glucan structure on molecular aggregation …