Digital Commons Network^™

Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice: A Primer, Benjamin Perrin

All Faculty Publications

The UBC Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice Initiative empowers students and scholars to explore the opportunities and challenges at the intersection of AI and criminal justice through teaching, research, public engagement, and advocacy.

Deregulation Of Mitochondrial Gene Expression In Cancer: Mechanisms And Therapeutic Opportunities, Mariah J Berner, Steven W Wall, Gloria V Echeverria

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

"Reprogramming of energy metabolism" was first considered an emerging hallmark of cancer in 2011 by Hanahan & Weinberg and is now considered a core hallmark of cancer. Mitochondria are the hubs of metabolism, crucial for energetic functions and cellular homeostasis. The mitochondrion's bacterial origin and preservation of their own genome, which encodes proteins and RNAs essential to their function, make them unique organelles. Successful generation of mitochondrial gene products requires coordinated functioning of the mitochondrial 'central dogma,' encompassing all steps necessary for mtDNA to yield mitochondrial proteins. Each of these processes has several levels of regulation, including mtDNA accessibility and …

Pdgf-Bb Overexpression In P53 Null Oligodendrocyte Progenitors Increases H3k27me3 And Induces Transcriptional Changes Which Favor Proliferation, Dennis Huang, Angeliki Mela, Natarajan V Bhanu, Benjamin A Garcia, Peter Canoll, Patrizia Casaccia

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Proneural gliomas are brain tumors characterized by enrichment of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) transcripts and genetic alterations. In this study we sought to identify transcriptional and epigenetic differences between OPCs with Trp53 deletion and PDGF-BB overexpression (BB-p53n) and those carrying only p53 deletion (p53n). In culture, the BB-p53n OPCs display growth characteristics more similar to glioma cells than p53n OPCs. When injected in mouse brains, BB-p53n OPC form tumors, while the p53n OPCs do not. Unbiased histone proteomics and transcriptomic analysis on these OPC populations identified higher levels of the histone H3K27me3 mark and lower levels of the histone H4K20me3. …

Diclofenac Sensitizes Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii To Colistin, Fabiana Bisaro, Clay D. Jackson-Litteken, Jenna C. Mcguffey, Anna J. Hooppaw, Sophie Bodrog, Leila Jebeli, Manon Janet-Maitre, Juan C. Ortiz-Marquez, Tim Van Opijnen, Nichollas E. Scott, Gisela Di Venanzio, Mario F. Feldman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Acinetobacter baumannii causes life-threatening infections that are becoming difficult to treat due to increasing rates of multi-drug resistance (MDR) among clinical isolates. This has led the World Health Organization and the CDC to categorize MDR A. baumannii as a top priority for the research and development of new antibiotics. Colistin is the last-resort antibiotic to treat carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii. Not surprisingly, reintroduction of colistin has resulted in the emergence of colistin-resistant strains. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. In this work, we show that diclofenac sensitizes colistin-resistant A. baumannii clinical strains …

Extrapolative Validity Evidence Of The Anastomosis Objective Structured Assessment Of Technical Skill (A-Osats) For Robotic Ileocolic Anastomosis, Tiffany K Brocke, Cory Fox, Julie M Clanahan, Coen L Klos, William C Chapman Jr, Paul E Wise, Michael M Awad, Kerri A Ohman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: To collect validity evidence for the use of the Anastomosis Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (A-OSATS) instrument, which has been developed to evaluate performance of a minimally invasive side-to-side bowel anastomosis with hand-sewn common enterotomy.

DESIGN: Residents performed a robotic ileocolic anastomosis simulation on an ex vivo porcine model. Faculty scored each resident with the A-OSATS and performed a provocative leak test on the completed anastomoses. Residents were reassessed on the sewing sub-score 1 month later. Data were compared with parametric and nonparametric analysis.

SETTING: Single academic general surgery residency PARTICIPANTS: PGY-4 and -5 general surgery residents (n …

Distinct Patterns Of Smooth Muscle Phenotypic Modulation In Thoracic And Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Chien-Jung Lin, Campbell Keating, Robyn Roth, Yasar Caliskan, Mustafa Nazzal, Vernat Exil, Richard Dipaolo, Divya Ratan Verma, Kishore Harjai, Mohamed Zayed, Chieh-Yu Lin, Robert P Mecham, Ajay K Jain

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAs and AAAs, respectively) share morphological features but have distinct clinical and hereditary characteristics. Studies using bulk RNA comparisons revealed distinct patterns of gene expression in human TAA and AAA tissues. However, given the summative nature of bulk RNA studies, these findings represent the totality of gene expression without regards to the differences in cellular composition. Single-cell RNA sequencing provides an opportunity to interrogate cell-type-specific transcriptomes. Single cell RNA sequencing datasets from mouse TAA (GSE153534) and AAA (GSE164678 and GSE152583) with respective controls were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Bioinformatic analysis was performed with …

Il-10r Inhibition Reprograms Tumor-Associated Macrophages And Reverses Drug Resistance In Multiple Myeloma, Jennifer Sun, Monica Shokeen, Barbara Muz, Kinan Alhallak, Chaelee Park, Berit Lubben, Yixuan Chen, Ola Adebayo, Hannah Bash, Sarah Kelley, Mark Fiala, Diane E Bender, Ravi Vij, Abdel Kareem Azab, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the cancer of plasma cells within the bone marrow and remains incurable. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) within the tumor microenvironment often display a pro-tumor phenotype and correlate with tumor proliferation, survival, and therapy resistance. IL-10 is a key immunosuppressive cytokine that leads to recruitment and development of TAMs. In this study, we investigated the role of IL-10 in MM TAM development as well as the therapeutic application of IL-10/IL-10R/STAT3 signaling inhibition. We demonstrated that IL-10 is overexpressed in MM BM and mediates M2-like polarization of TAMs in patient BM, 3D co-cultures in vitro, and mouse models. In …

Clinical Trials For Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: Challenges And Priorities, Juliet K Knowles, Aaron E L Warren, Ismail S Mohamed, Carl E Stafstrom, Hyun Yong Koh, Debopam Samanta, Renée A Shellhaas, Gita Gupta, Tracy Dixon-Salazar, Linh Tran, Sonal Bhatia, Jane M Mccabe, Anup D Patel, Zachary M Grinspan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe, childhood-onset epilepsy that is typically refractory to treatment. We surveyed the current landscape of LGS treatment, aiming to identify challenges to the development of efficacious therapies, and to articulate corresponding priorities toward clinical trials that improve outcomes.

METHODS: The LGS Special Interest Group of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium integrated evidence from the literature and expert opinion, into a narrative review.

RESULTS: We provide an overview of approved and emerging medical, dietary, surgical and neuromodulation approaches for LGS. We note that quality of care could be improved by standardizing LGS treatment based on …

A Finite Element Model For Biomechanical Characterization Of Ex Vivo Peripheral Nerve Dysfunction During Stretch, Nicholas C Vasas, Adam M Forrest, Nathaniel A Meyers, Michael B Christensen, Jenny L Pierce, Sidney M Kaufmann, Kimberly B Lanaghen, Randal C Paniello, Julie M Barkmeier-Kraemer, Jonathan P Vande Geest

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Peripheral nerve damage can cause debilitating symptoms ranging from numbness and pain to sensory loss and atrophy. To uncover the underlying mechanisms of peripheral nerve injury, our research aims to develop a relationship between biomechanical peripheral nerve damage and function through finite element modeling. A noncontact, ex vivo electrophysiology chamber, capable of axially stretching explanted nerves while recording electrical signals, was used to investigate peripheral nerve injury. Successive stretch trials were run on eight sciatic nerves (four females and four males) excised from Sprague-Dawley rats. Nerves were stretched until 50% compound action potential (CAP) amplitude reduction was obtained. A constitutive …

Exploring The Dynamic Adult Hard Ticks-Camel-Pathogens Interaction, John Mark O. Makwatta, Paul N. Ndegwa, Florence A. Oyieke, Peter Ahuya, Daniel K. Masiga, Merid N. Getahun

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The ability of ticks to interact and adapt to differentecologies and hosts determines their vectorial competence for various pathogens; however, ticks-livestock-pathogens interaction studies are limited. With our ticks-hosts-pathogens interface studies, we found 14 species of hard ticks feeding on various livestock. Ticks showed a strong preference for one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius). The camel nostril was the most preferred predilection site. The most prevalent tick species on camels was Hyalomma rufipes. We found two novel Amblyomma gemma variants which are distinct both morphologically and genetically from previously described Amblyomma gemma. The signature odors from camel breath and body were attractive to …

Assessment Of The Bioaccumulation Of Nicotine And Cotinine By The Crustacean Daphnia Magna, Ana Maria Vlasceanu, Daniela Luiza Baconi, Octavian Tudorel Olaru, Daniela Grădinaru, Viorela Gabriela Nitescu

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Objectives. This study aimed to investigate the toxicity of nicotine and its metabolite cotinine on crustacean D. magna, and evaluate the quantity of compounds accumulated by D. magna. Materials and Methods. The bioassays involved the exposure of D. magna to varying doses of nicotine and cotinine, for 24 h and 48 h. The amount of bioaccumulated nicotine and cotinine was determined by an HPLC-DAD method. Results. The study has revealed that nicotine is more toxic than cotinine on D. magna, as the medium lethal concentration (LC50) values were higher for nicotine compared to cotinine. After 24 hours of exposure, D. …

Evaluation Of Short-Term Complications In Laparoscopic Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Placement - A Single Tertiary Center Experience, Cristina Raluca Iorga, Iuliana Andreiana, Simona Hildegrad Stancu, Traian Constantin, Victor Strambu, Cristian Iorga

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. Peritoneal dialysis is a form of kidney function replacement that is not as widespread as hemodialysis. However, it has recognized advantages, such as preservation of residual renal function, lack of vascular access, and the ability to be performed at home. On the other hand, it requires the correct insertion of a peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter and maintaining its patency. Methods. We conducted a retrospective study of 126 patients with end-stage renal disease who underwent laparoscopic Tenckhoff catheter placement for peritoneal dialysis between January 2016 and December 2022. The study analyzed the frequency and type of complications registered within three …

Diabetes Mellitus And Associated Complications In The Digestive Tract, Ioana Paunica, Vlad Denis Constantin, Dragos Serban, Cristian Paius, Bogdan Gaspar, Dragos Epistatu, Valentin Verlas, Roxana Sfetea, Liliana Florina Andronache, Cristian Balalau, Daniela Gabriela Bălan, Alexandru Florin Motofei, Adrian Silaghi

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Diabetes mellitus presents an increasing prevalence and severe multisystemic complications, with notable personal, professional and social implications. Diabetes is generally known by hyperglycemia and subsequent metabolic disorders. In addition to hyperglycemia, it appears that other factors (related to anthropometric-pathophysiology and genome-based subphenotyping) are involved not only in the clinical course but also in the occurrence of diabetes complications. This review presents several diabetes-induced complications on the digestive tract (periodontal disease, xerostomia, oral infections, dental caries, taste disturbances, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastroparesis, gastric ulcer and cancer, diabetic enteropathy, inflammatory bowel diseases, colorectal cancer, etc.), many of them with major implications and …

Memory Impairment In Post-Covid-19 Syndrome; What Is The Evidence?, Luciano Luiz Alt, Amanda Delai Bortolini, Bruna Santin Andreis, Caroline Arais Schmidt, Giovana Rugeri, Maria Clara Tonini Pagliarin, Maria Eduarda Dupond Kindel, Maria Fernanda Almeida Costa, Nathália Lorenzoni Costa, Pedro Henrique Sarmento Dariz, Vinícius Grasselli Omizzolo

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Objectives. Although COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system, it can also cause neurological complications like memory impairment, which may be part of post-COVID-19 Syndrome. Identifying these impairments is challenging due to the lack of approaches and limited follow-up. This systematic review aimed to identify the effects of COVID-19 on memory. Methods. Analyzing articles from PubMed, SciELO, and VHL databases, focusing on the relationship between COVID-19 infection and memory impairment. Results. COVID-19 infection was linked to significant declines in memory function. The severity of infection correlated with the intensity of neurological sequelae, particularly memory impairment, with cognitive and executive functions most …

Borderline Personality Disorder: A Narrative Review On Effective Psychotherapies, Marina Neri, Antonino Reitano, Lavinia Rinnone, Antonio Bruno, Fabrizio Turiaco, Felicia Matilde Ferreri, Carmela Mento, Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello, Fiammetta Iannuzzo

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder characterized by pervasive patterns of relational instability, chronic feelings of emptiness, sense of abandonment, self-injurious and anticonservative attempts. Pharmacological treatment has been found useful only for the management of severe symptoms and management of comorbidities, while psychotherapy is the main treatment for BPD. Although the disorder has long been considered resistant to any treatment, in recent years research has not only shown that BPD can be treated but also provided several manualized and empirically validated psychotherapeutic treatments. This paper set out to examine the most effective current psychotherapies for the treatment …

The Impact Of Cervid Herbivory On Industrial Fiber Hemp In East Central Illinois, Nicholas C. Cheney, Isaac Slaven, Barbara S. Carlsward

Journal of Agricultural Hemp Research

The last several years have seen large increases in white-tailed deer populations across the United States. Many studies have analyzed the effects that white-tailed deer have on different ecosystems. However, little to no studies have analyzed the effects of white-tailed deer on the production of industrial hemp fiber. In this study, we examined two different varieties of hemp fiber crops, and the impact white-tailed deer may have on their production. Our study was conducted in a flat test plot with surrounding woods and known white-tailed deer traffic in central Illinois, using two (6 × 6 m) plots that were adjacent …

Agricultural Technology, Mike Buschermohle, John Dillard

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Issues In Tennessee Agricultural Law & Policy, Julie Bowling, Theresa Denton, Rhedona Rose

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Agritourism, Csas, And Direct To Consumer Sales, Julie Bowling, Rob Holland, Cari Rincker

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

National Agricultural Law Update, Cari Rincker

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

The Faunal Assemblage From Ḥorbat Sahar, Zohar Turgeman-Yaffe

'Atiqot

The faunal assemblage from Ḥorbat Sahar was associated with the three periods of activity identified at the site. Two bones were attributed to the Iron Age and include a chicken femur—a rare find in this period, possibly attesting to the use of chicken in cockfighting rather than for consumption. The small late Byzantine–Early Islamic assemblage comprised domesticated livestock animals, dominated by adult cattle, supporting an economic system based mostly on livestock animals and not on hunting. The largest assemblage dates to the Crusader–Mamluk period, mainly including livestock and animals used for transportation and burden, possibly brought to the site by …

Ḥorbat Sahar On Giv‘At Ha-More: A Byzantine–Early Islamic Rural Samaritan(?) Settlement, Revisited In The Crusader–Mamluk Period, Yardenna Alexandre

'Atiqot

This article presents building remains uncovered at the site of Ḥorbat Sahar, on the Giv‘at Ha-More ridge, which formed part of a house and a large building comprising several rooms, a pathway, a small part of a plastered installation (miqveh?), and other installations, all dated by the pottery and other finds to the late Byzantine–Early Islamic period. The presence of Samaritan-type lamps, and the absence of LRRW bowls in the pottery assemblage, may hint to a Samaritan presence at the site following their suppression in the Samaria heartland. The large building was resettled in the Crusader–Mamluk periods, without architectural changes. …

Naṣr Ed-Din (Bet Ma‘On), Near Tiberias: Village And City In Roman-Period Galilee, Dina Avshalom-Gorni, Uzi Leibner, Haya Ben Nahum

'Atiqot

A large domestic complex comprising six dwelling units with courtyards was uncovered in the village of Naṣr ed-Din overlooking Roman-period Tiberias. The site dates mainly to the Middle Roman period, spanning the beginning of the second century and the first decades of the third century CE. It seems that the complex was abandoned abruptly, as many finds were left in place on the floors. The good preservation of the dwellings and the wealth of the small finds shed light on the nature of domestic-rural construction in Roman Galilee, its material culture and household organization. This report describes the excavation of …

A Hellenistic-Period Farmhouse At Aderet In The Judean Shephelah, Jon Seligman, Ora Yogev

'Atiqot

The excavation at Aderet, located south of Ha-Ella Valley, revealed a farmhouse with an olive-oil press, which operated under the administrative control of Idumea during the Hellenistic period. Based on the numismatic evidence and the pottery assemblage, the Aderet farmhouse was dated to the second half of the third century BCE, possibly extending into the beginning of the second century BCE. The firmly dated regional ceramic assemblage of the third century BCE expands our knowledge of Hellenistic rural society. The chronology of the Aderet farmhouse is considered in light of Yogev’s suggestion to identify a late Iron Age occupation phase …

Ramat Razim, Near Ẓefat: A Middle Bronze Age Rural Site In The Tel Ḥaẓor Polity, Karen Covello-Paran, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Barak Tzin, Shlomit Bechar

'Atiqot

An archaeological excavation carried out at Ramat Razim, near Ẓefat, exposed a Middle Bronze Age rural settlement, dated by the ceramic assemblage within Middle Bronze Age II–III. Spatial analysis identified communal workspaces and possible domestic cult practices in specific rooms, and the distribution of the ground stone tools and ceramic storage vessels reflected food-processing activities and a decentralized grain-storage approach. In addition to agriculture, pastoralism—specifically sheep rearing—played a significant role in the settlement’s economy, probably engendering economic exchanges under the influence of Ḥaẓor, the major city in the region. Petrographic analysis linking the pithoi to the Ḥula Valley raised questions …

Rural Ceramic Production Unveiled? A Petrographic Analysis Of Early Islamic Mold-Decorated Buff Ware From The Be’Er Sheva‘ Valley, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Davida Eisenberg-Degen

'Atiqot

This paper delves into the intriguing Early Islamic mold-decorated Buff Ware jugs found in the rural Negev region, shedding light on the broader phenomenon of imitations, in general and particularly, within the context of a rural farmstead situated on the southern bank of Naḥal Be’er Sheva‘. To accomplish this, we analyzed petrographically 22 sherds from nine sites spanning various geographic areas within modern-day Israel, aiming to reveal invaluable insights into mold-decorated Buff Ware production and distribution. The primary objectives of this study were twofold: first, to explore the degree of centralization in mold-decorated Buff Ware production, and second, to determine …

A Late Byzantine–Early Islamic-Period Rural Settlement Along Nahal ‘Ashan, North Of Be’Er Sheva‘, Yana Tchekhanovets, Avinoam Lahavi, Shahaf Shaked

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Economic Strategies Of Two Early Bronze Age Villages In The Southern Levant: Explaining Coastal Abandonment Versus Inland Urban Development, Roey Nickelsberg, Anastasia Shapiro, Anat Cohen-Weinberger, Yitzhak Paz, Itai Elad, Assaf Yasur-Landau, Ruth Shahack-Gross

'Atiqot

The southern Levantine coast was settled continuously for three millennia, from the Neolithic period until its abandonment in Early Bronze Age II, in sharp contrast to inland sites that developed into urbanized cities. This study examines this phenomenon by investigating the pottery production component of the economic systems of two contemporary EB I villages: a shoreline coastal site that was abandoned (Dor South) and an inland site that evolved into an urban center (‘En Esur). This pilot ceramic petrography examination shows two distinct strategies, with ‘En Esur producing pottery primarily from local raw materials and Dor South relying mainly on …

Rural Complexity In The Intermediate Bronze Age: Settlement Patterns And Intra-Site Spatial Organization In Lower Galilee, Karen Covello-Paran

'Atiqot

This study explores the settlement patterns in Intermediate Bronze Age Lower Galilee, focusing on the Ḥorbat Qishron sites and their socio-economic organization. The spatial arrangement and the hierarchical structures of the settlements are analyzed, particularly in light of the discovery of a walled settlement at Ḥorbat Qishron South, a unique feature in this period. The study also considers the implications of settlement patterns for economic activities, social organization and communal endeavors, shedding light on the role of households as basic economic units and the potential of centralized economic models. Furthermore, it discusses the significance of ceramic assemblages, radiocarbon dating and …

The Village People: Social Aspects Of Rural Settlements—Comments On Method And Theory, Eyal Regev

'Atiqot

The village is usually viewed as a basic geographic and economic unit, characterized by unsophisticated social organization, limited interpersonal ties and weak external social networks. However, studies in rural archaeology and anthropology revealed that village life was more complex. This article offers a survey of several key theoretical issues relevant for interpreting archaeological remains of villages, farmsteads and estates/villas from a social perspective. It focuses mainly on the organization of the settlement as a holistic unit and the specific houses/households within it. The article seeks to explore the complex correlation between the spatial and social aspects of rural housing—the way …