Digital Commons Network^™

Global Burden Of Five Major Types Of Gastrointestinal Cancer, Arjun Singh

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers cause major global morbidity and mortality, with over 5 million new cases and 3.5 million deaths in 2020. The most prevalent GI malignancies are colorectal, gastric, liver, oesophageal, and pancreatic cancers. Marked geographic variations exist, with high incidence in developed regions contrasting with high mortality in developing areas. These patterns reflect disparities in risk factors and cancer control capacities. However, GI cancer incidence is rising with economic growth and lifestyle changes. Poor prognosis and increasing burden underscore the critical need for expanded prevention and research. This review examines global epidemiology, risks, prevention, detection, treatment, and priorities for …

Multi-Label Voice Disorder Classification Using Raw Waveforms, Gökay Di̇şken

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Automated voice disorder systems that distinguish pathological voices from healthy ones have been developed with the aid of machine learning methods. Both clinicians and patients can benefit from these systems as they provide many advantages, compared to the invasive techniques. These systems can produce binary (healthy/pathological) or multi-class (healthy/selected pathologies) decisions. However, multiple disorders might exist in an individual’s voice. Multi-label classification should be considered in such cases. By this time, only a single report is available on this topic, where hand-crafted features were used, and a data augmentation technique was utilized to overcome class imbalances. In this study, a …

Analyzing Patient Outcomes And Slp Perspectives To Prepare For The Onboarding Of Fees, Kaitlyn Shaffer, Kasey Hutter Ms, Ccc-Slp

Research Scholars

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Validity Of Telehealth Nutrition Focused Physical Assessment For Malnutrition Diagnosis: A Comparative Study, Olivia Ahn, Melissa Faura Rd, Ldn, Ann Flickinger Ms, Rd, Ldn

Research Scholars

No abstract provided.

A Shield-Bearer’S Tale: Elucidating The Roles Of Estradiol And Choline In Mitigating Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment, Robert W. Botelho Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairments (CRCIs) are significant consequences of chemotherapy that affect a substantial portion of breast cancer survivors, potentially persisting long after treatment cessation. This series of studies investigated the neuroprotective roles of estradiol and choline against CRCIs induced by cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin (CYP/DOX), commonly known as Adriamycin/Cytoxan (AC) chemotherapy. Utilizing the MMTV-PyVT mouse model of breast cancer, this body of work spans several experimental studies, the first of which evaluates the impact of dietary choline supplementation on spatial memory and cholinergic function in tumor-bearing mice undergoing chemotherapy. The subsequent study tests whether impaired ovarian function and resulting reductions in …

The Highest Suggestion In The Land: Obiter Dicta And The Modern Supreme Court Of Canada, Amitpal C. Singh

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

The Supreme Court of Canada is unlike any court of appeal in Canada. Many decades ago, the Court shed the traditional mould of an error-correcting appellate court. The modern Court is a “jurisprudential overseer” and its appeals are occasions for legal innovation. This essay explores whether the distinction between non-binding obiter dicta and binding ratio decidendi has any continued significance for the Court. In this essay, I argue that the modern orthodoxy about the Court’s institutional role obliterates any such distinction. This conclusion runs contrary to the Court’s own jurisprudence on this topic, which attempts to preserve the distinction by …

Surgical Challenges In Sacro-Pelvic Sarcomas: Tailoring Approaches With 3d Morphometric Insights, Vikram Murugan, Justin Bird

Students Summer in Oncology at Anderson Research (SOAR) 2024

This study investigates the influence of sacral morphology variations on the stabilization provided by sacroiliac screws in patients with pelvic posterior ring fractures. Using high-resolution CT scans for advanced 3D analysis, it identifies sacral dysmorphism variations of L5/S1 sacralization, tongue-in-groove phenomena, and mammillary bodies, that are crucial for refining surgical planning and enhancing fixation effectiveness.

Dedicated Drained Liver Volume Measurement After Percutaneous Biliary Drain Placement: A Personalized Three-Dimensional Volumetry Model, Ryan P. Kempen, Brayden Mi, Koustav Pal, Iwan Paolucci, David T. Fuentes, Ethan Y. Lin, Alda L. Tam

Students Summer in Oncology at Anderson Research (SOAR) 2024

We trained an nnU-Net machine learning algorithm to auto-segment abdominal CT scans to construct a personalized three-dimensional model of liver, tumor, and biliary anatomy. As a proof-of-concept, we applied our nnU-Net model to verify liver volume drainage territory in cases of low level obstructions with a liver drainage volume of 100%.

Selection For Robust Metabolism In Domesticated Yeasts Is Driven By Adaptation To Hsp90 Stress, Natalia Condic, Hatim Amiji, Dipak Patel, William Charles Shropshire, Nejla Ozirmak Lermi, Youssef Sabha, Beryl John, Blake Hanson, Georgios Ioannis Karras

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Protein folding both promotes and constrains adaptive evolution. We uncover this surprising duality in the role of the protein-folding chaperone heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in maintaining the integrity of yeast metabolism amid proteotoxic stressors within industrial domestication niches. Ethanol disrupts critical Hsp90-dependent metabolic pathways and exerts strong selective pressure for redundant duplications of key genes within these pathways, yielding the classical genomic signatures of beer and bread domestication. This work demonstrates a mechanism of adaptive canalization in an ecology of major economic importance and highlights Hsp90-dependent variation as an important source of phantom heritability in complex traits.

An Occupational Perspective On Collegiate Athlete Mental Health, Katelyn D. Cardwell

Graduate Student Scholarship

College can impact mental health for all students, especially those involved in a college sport. Sports require significant time dedication that decreases time available for students to be involved in other activities such as academics or leisure which can lead to increased stress. This study focuses on investigating the impact level of competition and location of school may have on student athletes’ mental health in the state of West Virginia. A mixed methods self-report survey with a total of 75 questions was administered online via Qualtrics software. Quantitative data was analyzed using Stats IQ feature on Qualtrics and qualitative data …

Enhancement Of Mechanical Properties Of Pcl/Pla/Dmso2 Composites For Bone Tissue Engineering, Kyung-Eun Min, Jae-Won Jang, Cheolhee Kim, Sung Yi

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bone tissue engineering shows potential for regenerating or replacing damaged bone tissues by utilizing biomaterials renowned for their biocompatibility and structural support capabilities. Among these biomaterials, polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) have gained attention due to their biodegradability and versatile applications. However, challenges such as low degradation rates and poor mechanical properties limit their effectiveness. Dimethyl sulfone (DMSO₂) has emerged as a potential additive to address these limitations, offering benefits such as reduced viscosity, increased degradation time, and enhanced surface tension. In this study, we investigate tailored composites comprising PLA, PCL, and DMSO₂ to enhance mechanical …

Teachers’ Use Of Differentiated Instructional Strategies To Support Students Of Low Socioeconomic Status, Cindi Van Petten

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem under investigation in this qualitative study was teachers’ inconsistent implementation of differentiated instructional strategies when teaching students of low socioeconomic status. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how elementary teachers implement differentiated instructional strategies to support students of low socioeconomic status. The conceptual framework was based on Jerome Bruner’s constructivist theory, the growth of mind, because symbolic representation helps students visualize the world and enhance experiences. The research questions investigate how teachers implement differentiated instructional strategies to support students of low socioeconomic status and how they believe training on differentiated instructional strategies to support students …

What The Cluck? Backyard Chickens And Maine's Mysterious Right To Food, Lucy Weaver

Maine Law Review

When Maine voters approved the nation’s first “right to food” constitutional amendment, many were concerned about the amendment’s potential to conflict with animal welfare, food safety, and other regulations currently in place at the state and local level. Born from a decade of advocacy, the amendment represents a new era for Maine’s food sovereignty movement. However, the boundaries of the amendment remain unclear, and Maine’s municipalities lack sufficient guidance as they attempt to navigate how this amendment applies to them. This Comment explores one example of the many challenges that may arise from the enactment of the right to food …

“Food Of Their Own Choosing”: Improving Access To Locally Grown, Sustainable, And Real Food, Alexia M. Kulwiec, Tom Starck

Maine Law Review

The State of Maine is leading the nation in efforts not only to promote production of locally and sustainably grown food, but the right of consumers to grow, produce, and consume the food of their choosing. This includes creation of a constitutional right to food, a right recognized in the global community but not throughout the United States. Many advocates in the United States emphasize the right to food as a human right, advocating for the same attention and protection as other human rights such as the right to life, liberty, freedom from slavery, and freedom from discrimination. The right …

Green Amendments And Ham: How Green Amendment Jurisprudence Can Inform Maine’S Right To Food, Sarah M. Everhart

Maine Law Review

Maine’s constitutional right to food is the first state constitutional right to food and the extent of the rights created by the amendment is largely unknown. The right to food, as enacted in Article I, Section 25 of the Maine Constitution, provides: Section 25. Right to food. All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being, as long as an individual does not commit trespassing, …

Constitutionalizing The Human Right To Food In Maine: A People’S Tool To Advance Food Sovereignty In The U.S., R. Denisse Cordova Montes, Heather Retberg, Photini Kamvisseli Suarez

Maine Law Review

On November 2, 2021, Maine voters overwhelmingly supported a statewide referendum approving an amendment to enshrine the right to food in Maine’s constitution. This vote was preceded by a decade of food sovereignty advocacy in Maine. This advocacy was led by small farmers and homesteaders and supported by people looking to opt out of the industrial food system, which is dominated by a few corporate monopolies and promotes charity-based solutions to hunger. This vote was a resounding proclamation by the people of Maine in support of the right to food, the right to save and exchange seeds, and the right …

Realizing The Right To Food In Maine: Insights From International Law, Smita Narula

Maine Law Review

In November 2021, Maine made history as the first U.S. state to constitutionally recognize the right to food. Maine’s right to food amendment—which sought to address widespread food insecurity and corporate control of the food supply—proclaims food as a “natural, inherent and unalienable right,” and empowers Mainers to grow and consume food of their own choosing, affirming their right to food sovereignty. This Article makes three key contributions to scholarly examinations of this historic amendment. First, it situates the amendment within the broader landscape of domestic and global struggles for the right to food and food sovereignty. Second, the Article …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - July 25, 2024, Lindsay Hughes

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the July 25, 2024 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine’s newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include

• Mark your calendar for upcoming Watermark Faculty Success workshops
• MCI researchers receive gift from Norma Livingston Foundation to study ovarian cancer
• New chief of adolescent medicine joins pediatrics faculty
• Ramani visits Guatemala as part of international clinical trial
• Finding career paths — and love — in graduate program

Issue 448: July 25-August 8, 2024, The Local Voice

The Local Voice

No abstract provided.

Wheat Response To Foliar-Applied Phosphorus Is Determined By Soil Phosphorus Buffering, Raj Malik, Craig Scanlan, Andrew Van Burgel, Balwinder Singh

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

In no-till cropping systems, banding of phosphorus (P) fertiliser at seeding results in low use efficiency due to chemical reactions in soil. Foliar P has the potential to allow grain producers to respond tactically with P application after sowing when P supply from soil and fertiliser is not meeting crop demand. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of foliar P on wheat grain yield, grain quality, biomass yield, P uptake and P use efficiency indices. Nine field experiments were conducted to investigate the response of wheat to foliar P. Three rates of P, 0, 2.5 and …

Hendler, Elliot, Reyna Lee Stovall

Bronx Jewish History Project

Elliot Hendler is a lifelong Bronx resident, born during the Great Depression in 1935. He moved to various addresses throughout his childhood, having lived on 172nd Street and Washington Avenue, 169th Street and Washington Avenue, and 170th and Townsend Avenue. Describing his childhood neighborhood as “bad” and marked by crime, he details his experiences with violence and vandalism. When he married his wife, Libby, in 1958, they moved to an apartment on 205th Street, and in 1969 moved to Co-op City, where they have lived ever since. Together, they have two children and two grandchildren.

Hendler details his impressive educational …

The College Campus, A Place Of Learning, And A Place Of Healing, Huma Bashir, Joshua Francis

Human Services Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath have precipitated a marked increase in mental health needs among college students. Lockdowns, the sudden shift to remote learning, and social distancing mandates have compounded existing challenges, highlighting a trend that has evolved over the past two decades. Despite heightened demand for mental health support, colleges struggle to meet these needs amid the emotional aftermath of COVID-19 effectively. Recognizing the pivotal role of higher education institutions in shaping future leaders and addressing and enhancing the mental well-being of the college community is imperative to foster an environment conducive to learning and healing. This paper …

Health For All: A Doctor’S Prescription For A Healthier Canada, John Milloy

Consensus

No abstract provided.

10-H2da Coating On Polyvinyl Chloride Catheter Biomaterials For Prevention Of Candida-Associated Urinary Tract Infections, Jermiah Tate

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Urinary catheters made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are susceptible to microbial biofilm formation. 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10-H2DA) is a dispersal signaling molecule that inhibits biofilm and planktonic growth of microorganisms. This study hypothesized that coating PVC with 10-H2DA would inhibit planktonic and biofilm-associated Candida albicans. Interactions of the PVC and 10-H2DA molecules were analyzed using Video Contact Angle (VCA), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Successful coating of PVC with 10-H2DA was demonstrated through a significantly lowered contact angle and FTIR peaks in regions indicative of the 10-H2DA on the surface of PVC. Elution data displays a burst …

Biochar Source And Rate Effects On Soil Ph And Water-Soluble Nutrients Over Time In Simulated Furrow-Irrigated Rice In The Greenhouse, Jonathan Brye, Lauren Gwaltney, Diego Della Lunga, Kristofor Brye

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Biochar is the by-product of burning vegetative dry matter and can positively impact soil properties as an organic soil amendment, leading to biochar’s increased use in agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of biochar source [i.e., an Arkansas (AR) and Colorado (CO) biochar] and rate (i.e., 0, 2.5, and 5 Mg ha ^-1 ) on soil pH and water-soluble (WS) soil phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and sulfur (S) concentrations in simulated-furrow-irrigated rice ( Oryza sativa ) on a silt-loam soil (Typic Albaqualf) in the greenhouse. Soil pH differed among …

The Potential Influence Of Immune Modulatory Molecules (Tgf-Βiii And Ctla-4) In Pathogenicity Of Pcos, Mustafa Riyadh Abdullah, Hazima Mossa Alabassi

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterised by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries, and immunological dysregulation. Immune homeostasis and inflammation management require immune functions. T-regulatory cells (Tregs) regulate PCOS's immune system, inflammation, insulin resistance, ovarian function, and homeostasis. Transforming growth factor βIII (TGF-βIII) and Cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte-associated-protein-4 (CTLA-4) receptors on the surfaces of Treg cells are important for controlling the immune system. The study included 68 PCOS patients and 22 non-PCOS women controls aged 20–45. The waist-hip ratio (WHR) determines obesity. We evaluated serum levels and gene expression of TGF-βIII and CTLA-4 via ELISA and real-time PCR. Women with PCOS had significantly higher …

Study Impact Smoking On Sperm Morphology And Dna Fragmentation In Iraqi Male Fertility, Talal Z. Al-Darawsha, Mohammed H. Shaban, Ali H. Jawad

Al-Ameed Journal for Medical Research and Health Sciences

Background: Male infertility is issue a prevalent, involves various factors. Sperm quality, particularly influenced by smoking, is crucial for fertility. DNA fragmentation, indicating damage to DNA strands in sperm cells, is gaining importance in male infertility research, especially concerning abnormal sperm morphology.

Aim: To investigate the potential influence of smoking on both sperm morphology and DNA fragmentation in male fertility.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 83 participants (38 nonsmokers and 45 smokers) with Normozoospermia provided informed consent. Semen samples were collected following at WHO 2021 guidelines. Sperm morphology was evaluated using Kruger Strict Criteria with Hematoxylin stain, …

Precision Nutrition For Management Of Cardiovascular Disease Risk During Menopause, Hannah E. Cabre, Emily K. Woolf, Leanne M. Redman

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background:Women can spend up to 40%of their lives in the postmenopausal state. As women begin to transition into menopause, known as perimenopause, changes in hormonal concentrations and body composition dramatically increase overall cardiometabolic risk. Dietary patterns and interventions can be utilized to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some dietary patterns over others may be more beneficial due to their specific effects on the health aspects of menopause. In this narrative review, we summarize key cardiovascular alterations that occur during the menopause transition and explore current dietary recommendations to address CVD risk aswell as explore the newfrontier of precision …

Sorry, Not Sorry: Activating Moments Of Slippage Through Transpedagogical Practice, Lynn Sanders-Bustle

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

While innovative approaches to teacher preparation are implemented in teacher preparation curricula, most curricula and practicums continue to be built around expected and normative standards of teacher practice. Intended to prepare future teachers to be successful in K-12 settings burdened by the impact of a stifling audit culture, policy overreach, continued efforts are needed to prepare preservice teachers for contemporary unknowns of pedagogy through contemporary art practices.

In this article, the author/inquirer examines preservice teachers’participation in transpedagogical practice (social practice) aimed at guiding high schoolers in a 2019 social practice project designed to make change in their schools. In this …

Three Essays In Food Security And The U.S. Sugar Program, Jacob Michels

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Chapter one devises an approach to adjust estimates of the number of food insecure for changes in sedentarism over time. Existing methodologies are biased upwards and date back several decades. We build a household model utilizing a Stone-Geary utility function, which rationalizes households shifting their labor decisions towards sedentary activities. Our comparative statics examine the impacts of changes in the productivities of sedentary types, as opposed to my physically demanding types, of activities and also their returns. Our empirical approach is informed by our theoretical model and comparative statics, in which we construct a unique pseudo-panel dataset. Sitting time serves …