Digital Commons Network^™

Structure-Guided Design Of Partial Agonists At An Opioid Receptor, Balazs R Varga, Sarah M Bernhard, Amal El Daibani, Jhoan Aguilar, Kevin Appourchaux, Alexa Kouvelis, Amynah Pradhan, Susruta Majumdar, Tao Che, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Chronic pain and opioid overdose deaths highlight the need for non-addictive analgesics with novel mechanisms. The δ opioid receptor (δOR) is a promising target, as it lacks the respiratory depression associated with µ opioid receptor (µOR) agonists. However, early δOR full agonists caused seizures, limiting their clinical use. Partial δOR agonists may offer more controlled receptor activation than full agonists, but their development has been hindered by uncertainty regarding the molecular mechanism of partial agonism. Here we show that C6-Quino, a bitopic ligand developed through structure-based design, acts as a selective δOR partial agonist. Functional studies reveal that C6-Quino shows …

Antibodies To Recombinant Human Alpha-L-Iduronidase Prevent Disease Correction In Cortical Bone In Mps I Mice, Sarah C Hurt, Steven Q Le, Shih-Hsin Kan, Quang D Bui, Michael D Brodt, Patricia I Dickson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of the enzyme α-l-iduronidase (IDUA). Failure of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) to treat skeletal disease may be due to development of anti-IDUA antibodies, found previously to alter tissue distribution of ERT in animal models. To test this hypothesis, immunocompromised (non-obese diabetic [NOD]-severe combined immunodeficiency [SCID]) MPS I mice were treated with weekly ERT from birth (ERT alone). Some mice also received weekly injections of rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) against IDUA (immunized rabbit immune globulin [IRIG]) concomitant with ERT, imitating antibodies developed in patients (ERT+IRIG). Mice treated with ERT+IRIG …

Using Edna To Supplement Population Genetic Analyses For Cryptic Marine Species: Identifying Population Boundaries For Alaska Harbour Porpoises, Kim M. Parsons, Samuel A. May, Zachary Gold, Marilyn Dahlheim, Christine Gabriele, Janice Straley, John R. Moran, Kimberly Goetz, Alexandre N. Zerbini, Linda Park, Phillip A. Morin

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Isolation by distance and biogeographical boundaries define patterns of population genetic structure for harbour porpoise along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. Until recently, inadequate sample sizes in many regions constrained efforts to characterise population genetic structure throughout the coastal waters of Alaska. Here, tissue samples from beachcast strandings and fisheries bycatch were supplemented with targeted environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in key regions of Alaska coastal and inland waters. Using a geographically explicit, hierarchical approach, we examined the genetic structure of Alaska harbour porpoises, using both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data and multilocus SNP genotypes. Despite a lack …

Examining The Characteristics And Contexts Of Arrests For Animal Cruelty Among Police Officers, Molly A. Whetstone, Eric M. Cooke, Samantha Kopf Apple, Philip M. Stinson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Presentation at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences 2025 Annual Meeting in Denver, CO on March 13, 2025.

Human Rights Violations In Counter-Terrorism Efforts: A Qualitative Study Of Victims Experiences In Nigeria, Ifeoma E. Okoye, Pius Adejoh

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Abstract

This study explores the complex nature of human rights violations in the context of countering terrorism in Nigeria. Consequent to the persistent threat of terrorism, especially since the 2009 Boko Haram terrorist' attacks, the Nigerian government has enforced several measures in order to provide national security and save its citizens from terrorist attacks. However, the implementation of these counterterrorism strategies has constituted human rights abuses. This study examined the complicated human rights violations that occurred in the government's counterterrorism framework by utilizing a detailed review of scholarly literature, legislations, media reports, United Nations' provisions, findings from non-governmental human rights …

Environmental Justice: Healing Environmental And Societal Wounds In The Overstory And Torto Arado, Marcia Tagg

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the approaches of two contemporary novels, The Overstory and Torto Arado, in providing pathways to environmental justice. The Overstory by Richard Powers is an American novel that provides a post-secular perspective on trees and their ability to provide answers on how to heal a wounded world. This wisdom works in the lives of individuals, and it alludes to how society at large could be impacted by the adoption of a more tree-like perspective, especially in how they view time. Torto Arado by Itamar Vieira Junior is a Brazilian novel that shows the importance of Afrodiasporic religious …

More Choosy For Minor Foods: Diet, Seasonality And Food Selection In Sympatric Frugivorous And Folivorous Lemurs, Mitchell Irwin, Vololonirina Rahalinarivo, Bruno Ramorasata, Jean-Luc Raharison, Jean-Freddy Ranaivoarisoa, Chloé Gherardi, Jessica Rothman

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Despite traditional dietary categories common in primatology (folivore, frugivore, insectivore), most primates use one or more food types beyond their primary one. Among lemurs, folivores tend to have a complicated, long gastrointestinal tract with an enlarged cecum, shearing teeth, and microbiome adaptations to foliage, while frugivores have simple teeth and guts and fast gut passage. Yet frugivores often eat some leaves, and folivores eat some fruit, and little is known about the selection rules they follow within each food type. We quantified diet and food chemistry for two sympatric rainforest lemurs: a cathemeral frugivore (brown lemur, Eulemur fulvus) and a …

Functional Characterization Of Cryopreserved Plasmodium Yoelii Sporozoites In Vitro, Victoria I. Mills

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria is a major global health burden, contributing to morbidity and mortality across various continents. Due to challenges in malaria research and its advancements, developing novel interventions and further understanding host-parasite interactions is required for future studies. Plasmodium vivax is a human malaria species that is difficult to maintain in laboratory settings, posing obstacles in research. Cryopreservation offers a reliable method to provide a consistent supply of sporozoites for reproducible studies. Plasmodium yoelii is a rodent malaria model commonly used in studies due to its genetic similarity to human malaria species. Utilizing cryopreserved P. yoelii sporozoites potentially extends their usability …

Salmon As An Ecological Pathway Of Contaminants Into Alaskan Food Webs, Miranda Brohman, Gretchen Roffler, Dimitri G. Giarikos, David Kerstetter, Amy C. Hirons

SECLER Data

Salmon are important fish taxa for humans and animals in hemiboreal and subarctic ecosystems. Trace elements and their marine food web bioaccumulation raises biomagnification and potential human health risk concerns. Sixteen trace element concentrations and their health risk assessments were determined in seven different tissues of two Southeast Alaska salmon species (chum, Oncorhynchus keta and pink, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Chum tissues had overall higher trace element concentrations compared to pink, which may be attributed to a difference of diets, generally longer-lived and spending more time in the open ocean. All kidney and liver samples exceeded the tolerable daily intake for …

Determining The Influence Of Habitat Complexity On Fish Diversity And Abundance In Hawaiian Coral Reefs, Gabrielle Reece Demarco

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Since AUVs maintain heightened levels of identification, advanced system complexity coverage, low taxonomic selectivity, while maintaining large sample sizes and exceptional navigational accuracies, AUVs could be beneficial in certain circumstances. However, since UVC’s tend to have higher biomass identification accuracies and AUVs lack of agility and reactivity increase unidentifiable fish (While increasing biomass coverage), its costs may not justify the means. However, with advances in camera and drone technologies, it may be possible to heighten the identification abilities of AUVs, thus offering a low-interruption solution to fish surveying

Exploring The Social Validity And Diffusion Potential Of Common Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Strategies Implemented In Community Preschools, Sophia R. D'Agostino, Trenton J. Landon, Alyssa Roylance, Avery Briggs, Naima Bhana-Lopez

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

It is imperative that researchers include the perspectives from key voices regarding early support practices, yet very few studies have included direct assessment of autistic individuals and parents of young autistic children. Despite emerging evidence of effectiveness of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies, it is currently unknown whether autistic adults and parents of autistic individuals know about NDBI and if they view NDBI strategies as socially valid practice. We aimed to explore the perceptions of autistic adults and parents of young autistic children regarding the social validity of NDBI strategies implemented in community preschool classrooms and their dissemination potential. …

Montana Kaimin, March 13, 2025, Students Of The University Of Montana, Missoula

Montana Kaimin, 1898-present

Student newspaper of the University of Montana, Missoula.

Developing A Novel Index For Individual-Level Social Determinants And Cardiovascular Diseases In The Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults (Cardia) Study, Tao Gao, Yinan Zheng, Brian Joyce, Lei Liu, Lili Liu, Catarina Kiefe, Sarah Forrester, Bing Yu, Ankeet Bhatt, Penny Gordon-Larsen, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Kai Zhang, Lifang Hou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Social determinants of health (SDH) have been found to contribute to cardiovascular risk and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, few studies have examined early-life exposure to SDH and the combined effect of multiple SDH measures on CVD. There is an urgent need to develop an SDH index for use in practice and clinical settings.

Methods: A total of 3189 participants from the CARDIA Study who had chest CT scans at the year-25 (Y25) visit were included in this study. Personal and parental SDH measures, including education, occupation, income, financial strain, and childhood family environment, were obtained through …

Exploring Juvenile Probation Officers' Perception Of Strategies To Reduce Juvenile Recidivism In Southeastern Michigan, Nikaya Cecelia Robin Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The high rate of juvenile recidivism in southeastern Michigan poses a threat to the safety of the community as well as a challenge to the juvenile probation officers (JPOs) who supervise them. The literature is abundant with data on juvenile recidivism; however, little is known about JPO’s perceptions on the efficacy of strategies and practices that aid in the rehabilitation of juvenile probationers. Grounded in both social learning and social bond theoretical frameworks, the purpose of this study was to explain how behavior is learned through processes of observation and the significance of positive bonds in minimizing delinquent behavior. The …

Cranial Radiation Disrupts Dopaminergic Signaling And Connectivity In The Mammalian Brain, Die Zhang, Riya Thomas, Thanh Thai Lam, Ines Veselinovic, David R Grosshans

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cognitive impairment is a common and challenging side effect of cranial radiation therapy for brain tumors, though its precise mechanisms remain unclear. The mesocortical dopaminergic pathway, known to play a key role in cognitive function, is implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders, yet its involvement in radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction is unexplored. Here, with using in vivo multi-electrode array recordings of both anesthetized and free-moving rats to monitor the firing activities of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and local field potentials in both the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and VTA, as well as the immunofluorescence assays and western blotting, we …

Msbzip55 Regulates Salinity Tolerance By Modulating Melatonin Biosynthesis In Alfalfa, Tingting Wang, Jiaqi Yang, Jiamin Cao, Qi Zhang, Huayue Liu, Peng Li, Yizhi Huang, Wenwu Qian, Xiaojing Bi, Hui Wang, Yunwei Zhang

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Spectator 2025-03-13, Editors Of The Spectator

The Spectator

No abstract provided.

Neural Visual Synthesis For Graphics, 4d Gaussians And Videos, Zhan Li

Dissertations and Theses

Efficient visual synthesis has played an indirect yet important role in the development of neural networks. Graphics processing units (GPUs) were initially designed for visual synthesis tasks such as rendering graphics. However, their parallel computing capabilities later made GPUs the ideal hardware for training neural networks. Since neural networks have greatly benefited from GPUs, a compelling question arises: How can neural networks, in turn, improve efficient visual synthesis?

Existing visual synthesis methods still require improvement for higher efficiency. For example, Monte Carlo rendering takes over 15 minutes to generate a megapixel frame at a high-quality setting on a GPU, as …

Closing Ceremony Speech, S. Ray Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Volume 29-1 Complete Issue, Robert M. Ward

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 29-1 Complete Issue

Electric Power Generation From The Direct Combustion Of Feedlot Waste, Byron Augustin, Mark Bockenhauer

The Geographical Bulletin

Energy consumption in this nation over the past 100 years has been closely tied to non-renewable fuel sources. However, in the past 10 to 15 years, a number of energy planners have suggested that our future energy needs should be met by increasing our dependence on renewable energy sources. One such renewable energy source is livestock waste. Most of the research involving the utilization of livestock waste has been concentrated in the field of anaerobic digestion to produce methane gas (1). However, the purpose of this paper is to examine a new commercial use of animal waste with a process …

Wizard, Demon, Cat; Reformer, Satanist, Bureaucrat: A Diachronic Analysis Of Three Modes Of Sauron In The Legendarium In Light Of The Book Of Lost Tales, Cameron Bourquein

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper argues that Sauron is a metatextual shape-shifter. Through diachronic analysis it identifies and charts three distinct “modes” of Sauron coexisting in Tolkien’s legendarium. While Sauron’s most robust First Age appearance (in the tale of Beren and Lúthien) remained relatively unchanged from his introduction in the 1920s until Tolkien’s death, Sauron’s role in the Legendarium expanded significantly across Tolkien’s lifetime as Sauron became the primary antagonist of two additional Ages of Middle-earth. Some of the evolutions that accompanied this expansion are not retroactively reflected in the tales already written, hence these “modes” of Sauron could be said to remain …

Land Tenure And Range Management Practices In The Northern Kansas Flint Hills, Stanley Wilds, M. Duane Nellis

The Geographical Bulletin

The only extensive tallgrass prairie remaining in North America is in the Kansas Flint Hills. The Flint Hills contain such high levels of local relief and rocky soils that is has been more suitable for grazing than cultivation. This research provides an understanding of the relationship between type of land tenure and land use decisions in the northern Flint Hills. The influence of land tenure on the management strategies of burning, stocking rates and grazing system relates most significantly to land ownership parcel size. Small land holders were less likely to use fire or change stocking rates and grazing system …

Strategies Of Fertilizer Nitrogen Applications To Grassland For Beef: Effects On Production And Soil Mineral Nitrogen, N M. Titchen, R J. Wilkins, L Philipps, D Scholefield

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Experiments in Britain have shown beef production increases with fertilizer-N application to grazed grassland up to at least 300 kg N/ha (Wilkins et al., 1987; Baker and Mayne, 1988). However in view of the small offtake of N in the animal products (c.30 kg/ha) there is increased concern on the fate of the applied N, particularly in relation to loss of nitrate by leaching (Garwood and Ryden, 1986). This paper reports a 3-year experiment which examined the impact on production and on N movements of different strategies of fertilizer-N appli­cation and of the effects of removing grazing livestock at the …

What Did Scotus Do To Wotus?, Hailey Rizzo

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

The term “waters of the United States” has sparked half a century of debate among policymakers, judges, Supreme Court Justices, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers, culminating in the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. This Article chronicles the interpretive history of “waters of the United States” within the context of wetlands and discusses the broader implications of the Sackett decision on the nation’s water bodies.

On Speaking For The People: Native Writing And The Question Of Political Form, Shelby Johnson

Criticism

Speaking for the People: Native Writing and the Question of Political Form by Mark Rifkin. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2021. Pp. 320. $28.95 paperback.

F.A.O Design K*B*P Trials In The Mid-Altitude Zone Of Yunnan Province, Southern China, J Bruce-Smith, Yang Guo-Rong, Huang Bi-Zhi, Li Ji-Xin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Project is investigating the development of « improved pastures » as a practical way to increase ruminant livestock production. Some preliminary results of fertilizer requirements, indicated that K and B may be required as well as P (Wang el al., 1985) for the establishment of such pastures in this mid-alti­tude (2,000 m) transitional sub-tropic-temperate zone of Yunnan. The objective of this paper is to present some experiences from applying the Hauser (1971) truncated fac­torial design trials (widely used by FAO to obtain N, P, K, fert­ilizer recommendations for cereal crops) to a pasture establish­ment situation where P. K and …

Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilization In Combination With Potassium And Phosphorus And Cutting Frequency On The Yield Of Brachiaria Ruzizensis In Adamawa, Cameroon, E T. Pamo, D Pieper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Fertilizers have been shown to increase forage yields under some conditions (Owensby and Smith, 1975), but has very little effect under other conditions (Stoddart et al., 1975). Thus in recent years a great deal of attention has been focussed on the ways and possibilities of increasing forage production by fertil­ization. Various experiments have been conducted on the response of Brarhiaria ruziziensis Germain and Evrad, one of the best perennial forage grasses of the region, to fertilization at Wakwa Animal Research Station. Yonkeu et al., (1986) indicated that application of phosphorus did not lead to improved yield of the forage on …

The Influence Of Cow Manure On Forage Yields Of King Grass In A Ferrasol In Cuba, G Crespo, M Oduardo

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Experiments conducted in sandy and brown soils in Cuba demonstrated the beneficial effect of manure for accelerating the establishment of forage plants, and the possibility of dimi­nishing up to 50 % the dosage of N fertilizer requirements to obtain maximum forage yield (Crespo and Diez 1978; Crespo and Arteaga 1984). The aims of the present experiments were: a) to determine the best time of application of cow manure and b) to learn the influence of manure and nitrogenous fertilizer on forage yield of king grass in a ferrasol soil.

Ethics Of Care: Applying Cultural Protocols To Indigenous Sound Recordings, Jolene D. Manus

Journal of Western Archives

The University of New Mexico, College of University Libraries and Library Sciences, endorsed The Protocols for Native American Archival Materials in 2020. This case study explores the use of an Ethics of Care approach, prioritizing Indigenous cultural protocols for Indigenous sound recordings housed within the archival collections of the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections (CSWR). The CSWR staff sought guidance from local tribal nations when CSWR patrons requested the duplication of cultural songs, cultural oral histories, and/or interviews. Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, tribal cultural rights departments, and specified tribal persons identified by tribes as cultural experts reviewed the …