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Wmdds Bulletin Spring 2024

West Michigan District Dental Society Bulletin

In the Spring 2024 issue, the reader will find the following feature articles:

• Advocacy Avenue: ADPAC and you
• Opportunities in Grand Rapids for Oral Surgeons and Dentists with Advanced Training
• James E. Reagan, DDS: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree
• Silent Bell Awards Night and Celebration Highlights

Also included are your monthly tripartite update, news from West Michigan counties, the President's Message and Editor's Letter.

Effects Of Neuroticism–Anxiety And Sociability Personality Traits On The Relationship Between Testosterone And Risk Propensity In Finance, Urša Ferjančič, Fajko Bajrović, Aljoša Valentinčič

Economic and Business Review

Risky financial decisions, defined as rational calculations between expected risk and reward, are subject to various psychological and neurobiological mechanisms. In this context, the relationship between testosterone levels and risk propensity has been investigated, but the results are inconsistent. Here, the effects of some personality traits, neuroticism–anxiety and sociability, on the relationship between testosterone levels and risk propensity were examined in decisions under risk (GDT) and under uncertainty (BART). In a mixed-sex sample of 100 graduate students and experienced decision makers, we found that basal testosterone levels were positively correlated with risk propensity for decisions under risk in males with …

Inflammatory Protein Associations With Brain Mri Measures: Framingham Offspring Cohort, Jiachen Chen, Ahmed A. Y. Ahmed, Margaret F. Doyle, Michael L. Alosco, Yuan Fang, Jesse Mez, Claudia L. Satizabal, Wei Qiao Qiu, Joanne M. Murabito, Kathryn L. Lunetta

Pharmacy Faculty Scholarship

INTRODUCTION: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and inflammatory biomarkers are crucial for investigating preclinical neurocognitive disorders. Current investigations focus on a few inflammatory markers. The study aims to investigate the associations between inflammatory biomarkers and MRI measures and to examine sex differences among the associations in the Framingham Heart Study. METHODS: Dementia and stroke-free participants underwent OLINK Proteomics profiling and MRI measurements within 5 years. Pairwise cross-sectional analysis assessed 68 biomarkers with 13 brain MRI volumes, adjusting for covariates and familial correlations. RESULTS: Elevated CDCP1, IL6, OPG, and 4E.BP1 were related to smaller total cerebral brain volume (TCBV), whereas higher …

The Impact Of Health And Environmental Messaging With And Without Product Filtering In Complex Retail Markets: The Case Of Pulses, Christopher R. Gustafson, Henriette Gitungwa, Sushil C. Sapkota, Devin J. Rose

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Multiple barriers exist to healthy and environmentally sustainable food choices. Limited consumer understanding of the health and environmental implications of food choices complicates their abilities to make choices that lead to desired outcomes. The complexity of the retail environment itself may crowd out less immediate motivations to address health or environment. Even if consumers understand general impacts of food choices on health and environmental outcomes, there may be non-negligible time and search costs to identifying the products that meet consumers’ needs. In many food categories, the foods containing attributes that help achieve health and sustainability outcomes may represent …

The Utah Statesman, September 16, 2024, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Investigating The Synergistic Antibacterial Effects Of Ulva Lactuca And Fucus Vesiculosus Extracts On The Growth Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis, Bryan Lee

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

This study investigates the antibacterial properties of extracts from marine macroalgae, Ulva lactuca (green algae) and Fucus vesiculosus (brown algae), individually and in combination, with a focus on combating antibiotic-resistant pathogens. The escalating challenge of antibiotic resistance requires the exploration of alternative antimicrobial agents derived from natural sources. Utilizing the agar well diffusion method, the study evaluates the inhibitory effects of the algae extracts on Staphylococcus epidermidis. Chloramphenicol serves as the positive control, while 5% dimethyl sulfoxide acts as the negative control. The combination of Ulva lactuca and Fucus vesiculosus extracts did not exhibit a significantly greater antibacterial effect than …

Identification Of Plasma Metabolomic Biomarkers Of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis., Amar Kumar, Joshua Tatarian, Valentina Shakhnovich, Rachel Chevalier, Marc Sudman, Daniel J. Lovell, Susan D. Thompson, Mara L. Becker, Ryan S. Funk

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Identification of disease and therapeutic biomarkers remains a significant challenge in the early diagnosis and effective treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In this study, plasma metabolomic profiling was conducted to identify disease-related metabolic biomarkers associated with JIA. Plasma samples from treatment-naïve JIA patients and non-JIA reference patients underwent global metabolomic profiling across discovery (60 JIA, 60 non-JIA) and replication (49 JIA, 38 non-JIA) cohorts. Univariate analysis identified significant metabolites (q-value ≤ 0.05), followed by enrichment analysis using ChemRICH and metabolic network mapping with MetaMapp and Cytoscape. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined the top discriminating biomarkers based …

Beyond Covid: Towards A Transdisciplinary Synthesis For Understanding Responses And Developing Pandemic Preparedness In Alaska, Taylor P. Van Doren, Ryan A. Brown, Guangqing Chi, Patricia Cochran, Katie Cueva, Laura Eichelberger, Ruby Fried, Stacey Fritz, Micah B. Hahn, Ron Heintz, Davin Holen, Andrey N. Petrov

Faculty Publications

Pandemics are regularly occurring events, and there are foundational principles of pandemic preparation upon which communities, regions, states, and nations may draw upon for elevated preparedness against an inevitable future infectious disease threat. Many disciplines within the social sciences can provide crucial insight and transdisciplinary thinking for the development of preparedness measures. In 2023, the National Science Foundation funded a conference of circumpolar researchers and Indigenous partners to reflect on COVID-19-related research. In this article, we synthesise our diverse social science perspectives to: (1) identify potential areas of future pandemic-related research in Alaska, and (2) pose new research questions that …

United States Department Of Health And Human Services Scientific Integrity Policy (September 16, 2024)

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

United States Department of Health and Human Services Scientific Integrity Policy (September 16, 2024)

O-Glcnac Transferase Regulates Tgf-Β Signaling And Fibrotic Resolution In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Shia Vang

All ETDs from UAB

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, chronic lung disease that causes scarring of the lungs. IPF is often characterized by altered growth factor signaling, excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, fibroblast hyperproliferation, and dysregulated metabolism. The etiology of IPF is unknown, but fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are the known effector cells in IPF pathology. Current treatments, such as pirfenidone and nintedanib, target growth factor signaling pathways to slow fibrogenesis, but are unable to cure the disease. The transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a master regulator of fibrosis, including IPF, and is a powerful inducer of the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT). In IPF, …

Purple Glass, Madyson Nicole Reynolds

All ETDs from UAB

Purple Glass is a fiction novel that compiles themes of high school, family expectations, twin sibling rivalries, and the significance of historical landmarks through the environmental fantasy genre. The story takes place in the author’s hometown of Springville, Alabama, and is inspired by real events that happened at the former Springville Lake. This work is a testament to the power of nature and its unseen magic that remains present, even amidst environmental tragedy. This work is also about self-discovery and the examination of one’s place within their personal and natural environment.

The Rider (2024-09-16), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.10 No.4

Adam Smith, Human Betterment, And His Erroneous Indentification With Self-Interested Human Action, Vernon L. Smith

ESI Publications

In this essay I discuss the proposition that Adam Smith has been widely misinterpreted as asserting in his second book, The Wealth of Nations, that emergent modern economies are driven by the strictly selfish motives of their human inhabitants. The propositions articulated in his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which offered a theory of society, extended seamlessly into his second book, and continued to be part of his theory of economy. In both works, he distinguished the universal state of being self-interested from actions taken in one's self-interest, and modeled people as creating and following rules of propriety …

Fostering Trust Through User Interface Design In Multi-Drone Search And Rescue, Johanna Ahlskog, Maria Theresa Bahodi, Artur Lugmayr, Timothy Merritt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are increasingly used in search and rescue (SAR) missions, with pilots transitioning from manual control of single drones to more collaborative tasks orchestrating semi-autonomous fleets. Designing user interfaces to support UAV pilots effectively is crucial to improving the success of search missions. We developed two versions of a multi-drone SAR system prototype to simulate SAR missions and evaluated them with professional UAV SAR pilots in Sweden. Both versions showed the flight paths of the UAVs, yet in one version, a heatmap was overlayed to provide information from a lost person model. We evaluated situational …

Political Articulation Of Gus Mus’ Asceticism In Strengthening The Role Of Nu As A Moral Force In National Politics, Khoiron Khoiron, Hirshi Anadza, Abdul Wahid M

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This study reveals the practice of articulation of ascetic politics carried out by Gus Mus amidst the strong democratic regime that dictated the process of contestation of power at the NU Congress in 2015 in Jombang. The practice of articulation of asceticism is political, because he always changes his identity. As a subject, Gus Mus often changes positions, such as a kiai and a cultural figure. This position is called the subject position. This study explores the creation of a new identity in contemporary politics using Laclau’s articulation theory within a post-structuralist case study research design. Therefore, the main argument …

Insights Into The Diet And Feeding Behavior Of Immature Polar Cod (Boreogadus Saida) From The Under-Ice Habitat Of The Central Arctic Ocean, The Mosaic Team Eco, Fokje L. Schaafsma, Hauke Flores, Carmen L. David, Giulia Castellani, Serdar Sakinan, André Meijboom, Barbara Niehoff, Astrid Cornils, Nicole Hildebrandt, Katrin Schmidt, Pauline Snoeijs-Leijonmalm, Julia Ehrlich, Carin J. Ashjian

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is an endemic key species of the Arctic Ocean ecosystem. The ecology of this forage fish is well studied in Arctic shelf habitats where a large part of its population lives. However, knowledge about its ecology in the central Arctic Ocean (CAO), including its use of the sea-ice habitat, is hitherto very limited. To increase this knowledge, samples were collected at the under-ice surface during several expeditions to the CAO between 2012 and 2020, including the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. The diet of immature B. saida and the taxonomic …

Bisphenol A Peroxidation In Wistar Rats And Vitamin E As An Antioxidant, Sahajanya Srikanth, Rekha D Kini

Vedam- 2024, The Academic Fest and Undergraduate Medical Conference of KMC, Manipal

No abstract provided.

Animation As Therapy For Mental Health Treatment Across Diverse Populations And Contexts, A Literature Review, Daneile Tabana

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Scientific research has explored and identified the beneficial relationship between health and creative expression, recognizing art therapy as a source of healing. Animation has been newly recognized as an art therapy medium with potential for therapeutic healing and increased psychological well-being. This review of the literature on animation therapy explores the history of the modality’s interaction with the population observed and the effects of animation on the cognitive processes, discusses current theoretical orientations and treatment options for treating a range of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior with animation therapy, and considers culturally informed and client-centered practices alongside traditional …

Critical Conversations: Supporting Elementary Teachers In Instructing With Inclusive Children’S Literature, Susan Flis

Educational Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated how an instructional coach supported elementary classroom teachers in critically analyzing interactive read-aloud texts and facilitating critical conversations with students about inclusive picture books. Extant literature highlights the importance of the representation of all identities in children’s literature. This qualitative collaborative inquiry research study was framed by critical literacy theory. Six classroom teachers in grades kindergarten through 5^th grade participated in this research. Children’s books are a valuable instructional tool for a variety of reasons, but educators must think critically when choosing books for their classrooms. Many teachers are unaware of the effect that …

In Kinship With The World: Developing A Novel Instrument To Assess Human-Nature Relational Values, Kimberly Post

Educational Studies Dissertations

In the nascent field of human-nature relational values, there is a growing body of literature suggesting their transformative potential in sustainability education. The ability to analytically distinguish relational values from other valuations can both inform pedagogical approaches and help to identify how people understand and value their relationships with the living and more-than-living biospheric inhabitants. To address this need, an overarching question was posited: Can a relational values-specific assessment instrument be designed and validated for use in post-secondary sustainability education? Through a survey of the literature, thematic analysis of validated human-nature connection instruments, and multi-method qualitative research, a pilot instrument …

Phototaxis Is A Satiety-Dependent Behavioral Sequence In Hydra Vulgaris, Soonyoung Kim, Krishna N Badhiwala, Guillaume Duret, Jacob T Robinson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Understanding how internal states such as satiety are connected to animal behavior is a fundamental question in neuroscience. Hydra vulgaris, a freshwater cnidarian with only 12 neuronal cell types, serves as a tractable model system for studying state-dependent behaviors. We found that starved hydras consistently move towards light, while fed hydras do not. By modeling this behavior as a set of three sequences of head orientation, jump distance and jump rate, we demonstrate that the satiety state only affects the rate of the animal jumping to a new position, while the orientation and jump distance are unaffected. These findings yield …

Procedural Justice In Prison: Examining Female Inmates’ Experiences, Perceptions, And Interactions With Correctional Officers, Michael E. Antonio, Selena R. Price, Cassandra L. Reyes

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

"Correctional staff behavior can impact inmates’ perceptions of procedural justice and facilitate incidents of prison misconduct and violence. This analysis showed findings gathered from 136 female inmates incarcerated in a state correctional system. This exploratory analysis examined inmates’ self-reported responses about direct experiences, perceptions, and interactions with correctional officers. Findings from 19 Likert-scale items highlighted inmates’ encounters with correctional officers, however, results shown here focused on findings uncovered from a content analysis performed on inmates’ written comments to an open-ended item. The emerging themes portrayed correctional officers as disrespectful, indifferent, misusing authority, and dehumanizing."

Curcumin Alleviates Inflammatory Effects Of Ketamine Anesthesia In Postnatal Rats, Soroush Afshar Ghahremani, Abbas Raisi, Sohrab Minaei Beirami, Houman Kahroba, Mahnaz Mardani, Omid Dezfoulian, Vahideh Tarhriz

School of Graduate Studies Faculty Publications

Curcumin has been employed in traditional medicine for over a millennium to treat various ailments, and its global use is now widespread. Chinese medicine relies heavily on curcumin as a primary element and uses it to cure infectious diseases, skin disorders, depression, and stress. It has cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-diabetic properties, as well as pharmacological effects on disorders like type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, and human immunodeficiency virus replication. The anti-cancer activity of curcumin has been studied extensively with notable improvements in gastrointestinal, melanoma, urogenital, breast, and lung malignancies. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin on expression of tumor necrosis …

Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Determine Urban And Suburban Homeowners' Fertilizer Management Practices, Natalie Levy, Michael Burnett

Journal of Extension

A fundamental strategy for reducing nutrient runoff from lawns and landscapes is the implementation of recommended fertilizer management practices (FMPs). Our study evaluated Louisiana urban and suburban homeowners’ current FMPs using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs. We measured homeowners’ attitude, perceived norm, perceived control, intention, and past behavior regarding 12 salient FMPs. The results of our study identified which recommended FMPs to adopt and which non-recommended practices to change. To effectively modify homeowners’ FMPs, we recommended designing tailored Extension educational programming to target the TPB constructs most strongly related to homeowners’ decision to perform these practices.

Adoption Of Podcasting As A Tool For Extension Educators, Samantha Bennett, David Martin, Jason Sawyer, Soren Rodning, Don Mulvaney

Journal of Extension

The current study fills a gap in the current literature by measuring current CES personnel and stakeholders’ attitudes toward the use of Podcasts as a tool for information dissemination. By identifying perceived barriers to podcasts by CES personnel and how receptive CES stakeholders are to CES-based podcasts, this study helps to identify important barriers to the development of podcasts, as well as how such podcasts can be best positioned to fulfill the needs and expectations of CES stakeholders. Podcasts have the potential to play a key role as an avenue for information exchange between the CES and its stakeholders. Two …

The Necessity Of Online And Distance Learning In Higher Education Institutions Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hisham Jadallah Mansour Shakhatreh

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

Higher education institutions throughout the world are ceasing to hold in-person classes as worries about the COVID-19 outbreak and efforts to contain the virus rise. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed hitherto unidentified weaknesses in global educational systems. It is obvious that society needs adaptable and strong educational institutions to deal with uncertain futures. Using a meta-analysis approach, this study looked at pertinent literature to understand the importance of continuous learning under these particular circumstances.Universities all across the world are moving more and more toward online learning, or e-learning, according to research. In addition to resources and people, research indicates that …

A Comparative Study Of The Female Character As The ‘Other’ In Doris Lessing’S The Fifth Child And Belgheis Soleimani’S Khale Bazi, Ahmad Gholi, Fatemeh Dargahi Kafshgarkolaie

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

Abstract

This study tries to explore and examine two female characters from different cultural contexts in terms of the women’s issue which is never bound to geography, culture, race, or nationality. This study attempts to compare Belgheis Soleimani’s Khale Bazi and Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child in the light of Butler's concept of “performativity.” Leaning toward the theory of “performativity”, it is revealed how human beings are being shackled by gender binaries, gender norms, and heterosexual hegemony. Each individual is born within such limitations and is raised in a way to reproduce them in a cyclical pattern to guarantee heterosexuality. …

Longitudinal Intravascular Antibody Labeling Identified Regulatory T Cell Recruitment As A Therapeutic Target In A Mouse Model Of Lung Cancer, Sean-Luc Shanahan, Nikesh Kunder, Charles Inaku, Natalie B Hagan, Grace Gibbons, Nicolas Mathey-Andrews, Gayathri Anandappa, Shawn Soares, Kristen E Pauken, Tyler Jacks, Jason M Schenkel

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Anticancer immunity is predicated on leukocyte migration into tumors. Once recruited, leukocytes undergo substantial reprogramming to adapt to the tumor microenvironment. A major challenge in the field is distinguishing recently recruited from resident leukocytes in tumors. In this study, we developed an intravascular Ab technique to label circulating mouse leukocytes before they migrate to tissues, providing unprecedented insight into the kinetics of recruitment. This approach unveiled the substantial role of leukocyte migration in tumor progression using a preclinical mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma. Regulatory T cells (Tregs), critical mediators of immunosuppression, were continuously and rapidly recruited into tumors throughout cancer …

Loss Of Hd-Ptp Function Results In Lipodystrophy, Defective Cellular Signaling And Altered Lipid Homeostasis, Destiny F Schultz, Brian A Davies, Johanna A Payne, Cole P Martin, Annabel Y Minard, Bennett G Childs, Cheng Zhang, Karthik B Jeganathan, Ines Sturmlechner, Thomas A White, Alain De Bruin, Liesbeth Harkema, Huiqin Chen, Michael A Davies, Sarah Jachim, Nathan K Lebrasseur, Robert C Piper, Hu Li, Darren J Baker, Jan Van Deursen, Daniel D Billadeau, David J Katzmann

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

His domain protein tyrosine phosphatase (HD-PTP; also known as PTPN23) facilitates function of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) during multivesicular body (MVB) formation. To uncover its role in physiological homeostasis, embryonic lethality caused by a complete lack of HD-PTP was bypassed through generation of hypomorphic mice expressing reduced protein, resulting in animals that are viable into adulthood. These mice exhibited marked lipodystrophy and decreased receptor-mediated signaling within white adipose tissue (WAT), involving multiple prominent pathways including RAS/MAPK, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), such as EGFR. EGFR signaling was dissected in vitro to assess the …

Psychophysical And Pharmacological Models Of Visual Hallucination, Nathan H. Heller

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Visual hallucinations are visual experiences that are spontaneously generated by the brain, in the absence of appropriate external stimuli. Understanding the neural processes that give rise to these experiences is a complex challenge that spans the domains of psychology, neuroscience, and clinical practice. Model hallucinations can serve as a valuable tool in this context. They allow researchers to study hallucinatory experiences under controlled conditions, thus providing insights into their behavioral and neural underpinnings, which can facilitate the development of effective treatments. By creating models that emulate different aspects of hallucinatory experience, whether through pharmacological means, sensory manipulation, or cognitive tasks, …