Digital Commons Network^™

Lipid Biomarkers For Marine Fungi, Emily Cooper

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Marine fungi play key roles as parasites and saprotrophs in marine ecosystems and are important degraders of organic matter. They likely facilitate the remineralisation of marine carbon, thus have a profound impact on marine biogeochemical cycles. However, as little is known about their global abundance and biomass, fungi are yet to be included in biogeochemical models. Lipid biomarkers can be used to assess microbial abundance and biomass due to their specificity and may be utilised to explore the viability and trophic dynamics of marine microbial communities. Although lipid biomarkers for fungi have been used in terrestrial environments, such as soils, …

Links Between Adhesion Signalling And Cell Cycle Regulation In Bladder Cancer Cells, Michael Jones

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. However, bladder cancer is a highly heterogenous disease and our understanding of the mechanisms that drive disease progression remain ill-defined. Additionally, a limited range of therapeutics and the dismal prognosis of patients with advanced disease highlights a need for better understanding of the mechanisms that drive bladder cancer progression, in order to identify new avenues for therapy. The extracellular matrix (ECM) represents a key component of the tumour microenvironment whose biochemical and mechanical characteristics contribute to all the hallmarks of cancer. However, the role of the ECM in bladder …

Differential Expression Of Proteins Involved In Sev Biogenesis And Secretion In Parkinson’S Disease And Dementia With Lewy Bodies, Anis Sahoo

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Exosomes, small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), play a pivotal role in cell-to-cell communication, carrying diverse biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Their ability to transport these molecules makes them fundamental to various physiological processes and valuable in diagnosing and treating disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). To fully utilise sEVs potential, more attention is needed to understand not only the cargo, but also proteins and pathways involved in the biogenesis of EVs, particularly in the context of diseases. This thesis explores changes in sEV-associated proteins in synucleinopathies, notably Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).Aims1. In …

The Discovery Of P62-Dependent Processing Bodies, Elizabeth Barrow

Peninsula Medical School Theses

The cellular degradation process autophagy can be a selective process during which, cellular components, such as excess proteins, can be marked for degradation by the post translational modification ubiquitination. Proteins that act as selective autophagy receptors can recognise the ubiquitinated substrates and target them to the selective autophagy pathway, facilitating their degradation and thereby mediating cellular homeostasis. The selective autophagy receptor Sequestome 1 (p62) undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form p62 bodies to mediate the autophagic degradation of ubiquitinated proteins. At the time of this research, it was unknown whether p62 could exist in a differential droplet form to …

Exploring The Immune Landscape Of The Tumour Microenvironment In Meningiomas And The Role Of Immune Infiltration In Meningioma Models, Ting Zhang

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumours, ranging from benign to highly aggressive forms. While surgery is effective for low-grade meningiomas, certain grade 1 tumours, as well as grade 2, 3, and recurrent cases are more aggressive and require new therapeutic approaches. Immunotherapy shows promise, however, the role of tumour microenvironment (TME), particularly tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs), in meningiomas remains poorly understood, especially concerning genomic alterations. Aims: To investigate the immune landscape of meningiomas classified by grades, genotypes and methylation classes (MCs), and to elucidate the role of the TAMs in meningioma progression utilising a patient-derived 3D co-culture model.Methods: …

Targeting Aldehyde Dehydrogenases In Nf2-Null Meningioma And Schwannoma, Libby Williams

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Meningioma and schwannoma are tumours of the brain and nervous system that are frequently driven by loss or mutation of the gene NF2, which encodes the tumour suppressor protein Merlin. Dysregulated Hippo pathway signalling, caused by NF2 loss, drives overexpression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) in NF2-null schwannoma. High expression of ALDH1A1, and the related isoform ALDH1A3 have been identified as markers of cancer stem cell activity and have been correlated with poor prognosis and chemoresistance in several cancers. This project aims to clarify the role ofaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymes in meningioma tumours and evaluate their potential as future therapeutic …

Targeting Mertk On Tumour Cells And Macrophages: A Potential Intervention For Sporadic And Nf2-Related Meningioma And Schwannoma Tumours, Kevin Herrera Keane

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Although schwannomas and meningiomas are generally benign and slow-growing, the mass effect of either tumour within the nervous system causes life-altering symptoms. Individuals with NF2-related schwannomatosis may develop schwannomas and meningiomas, increasing tumour burden. The primary treatment for large or symptomatic schwannomas and meningiomas is surgical resection, which may not be suitable in cases involving tumours located near sensitive neuroanatomy or clinically vulnerable individuals. Not all schwannomas and meningiomas respond to alternative targeted treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery or the vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor bevacizumab. The main objective of this thesis was to investigate targeting of the receptor tyrosine …

Bioaccumulation Of Legacy And Novel Pfas In The Environment, Hesham Taher, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The bioaccumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), both legacy and novel, in the environment presents significant ecological and health risks. PFAS are a diverse group of synthetic chemicals known for their persistence and bioaccumulation, which can cause widespread environmental contamination and health risks. Strong carbon-fluorine bonds give these compounds unparalleled stability, preventing them from degrading and enabling them to endure in a range of environmental matrices, including water, soil, and biota. Legacy PFAS, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), have been extensively studied and regulated, resulting in lower concentrations in some environmental media. However, novel PFAS, …

Rebuttal To “Correspondence On ‘Scientists’ Statement On The Chemical Definition Of Pfass”, Gabriel Sigmund, Marta Venier, Marlene Ågerstrand, Ian T. Cousins, Jamie Dewitt, Miriam L. Diamond, Jennifer Field, Alex T. Ford, Shira Joudan, Stefan Van Leeuwen, Rainer Lohmann, Carla Ng, Martin Scheringer, Anna Soehl, Noriyuki Suzuki, Xenia Trier, Sara Valsecchi, Penny Vlahos, Cora J. Young, Zhanyun Wang

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Furthering The Capabilities Of Diffusive-Gradient Passive Samplers For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, Jarod Snook, Jitka Becanova, Simon Vojta, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemical pollutants of growing concern for many stakeholders. Due to their ubiquity, persistence in the environment, and potential for toxicity at low environmental concentrations, it is necessary to have convenient and reliable methods to measure PFAS in natural waters. Passive sampling methods (in situ preconcentration of PFAS) may be suitable for monitoring situations. One passive sampling design successfully employed for other, well studied contaminants (e.g., methylmercury) is the diffusive gradient in thin film sampler (DGT). However, the application of DGT for PFAS requires development and validation. Here, we iterate on previous PFAS-DGT studies by …

Corporate ‘Capture Strategies’ Impacting Human And Ecosystem Health, Alex T. Ford, Marlene Ågerstrand, Michael G. Bertram, Miriam L. Diamond, Rainer Lohmann, Andreas Schäffer, Martin Scheringer, Gabriel Sigmund, Anna Soehl, Maria Clara V.M. Starling, Noriyuki Suzuki, Marta Venier, Penny Vlahos

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The concept of regulatory capture has been extensively studied in academic literature, primarily within the social sciences. This phenomenon has been increasingly discussed in the environmental sciences as the impacts of regulatory capture on human and ecosystem health have become increasingly apparent. Regulatory capture is just one tactic employed by vested interests in the strategy of delaying, weakening, or abolishing policies designed to protect the public interest. Here, we define capture strategies as ‘the act of influencing individuals, organizations, or governments to prioritize corporate interests over those of human and ecosystem health’. Similar to the evolution of terms like whitewashing …

Changes In Pyrogenic Tracers Over The Last 15,000 Years In The Congo River Catchment Through Multi-Method Analysis, Samuel D. Katz, Helena Osterholz, Riley Barton, Ellen R.M. Druffel, Xiaodong Gao, Caroline A. Masiello, Cristina Santin, Tassiana S.G. Serafim, Sasha Wagner, Matthias Zabel, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Black carbon (BC), the most recalcitrant part of the pyrogenic carbon continuum, is formed by the incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels. Methods for detecting BC include the chemical degradation of condensed aromatic compounds into benzenepolycarboxylic acids (BPCA), chemothermal oxidation of organic carbon at 375°C (CTO), ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance combined with a molecular mixing model, thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry, and the use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as tracers. However, there is limited knowledge about the comparability of these methods in marine sediments and their suitability as wildfire proxies. Here, we examined a sediment core from the Congo River …

Final Cruise Report: Tn401, Roxanne A. Beinart, Shawn Arellano, Craig Young

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Resort Enhances Reference-Based Cell Type Deconvolution For Spatial Transcriptomics Through Regional Information Integration, Linhua Wang, Ling Wu, Guantong Qi, Chaozhong Liu, Wanli Wang, Xiang H-F Zhang, Zhandong Liu

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Motivation: Spatial transcriptomics (ST) captures positional gene expression within tissues but lacks single-cell resolution. Reference-based cell type deconvolution methods were developed to understand cell type distributions for ST. However, batch/platform discrepancies between references and ST impact their accuracy.

Results: We present Region-based Cell Sorting (ReSort), which utilizes ST's region-level data to lessen reliance on reference data and alleviate these technical issues. In simulation studies, ReSort enhances reference-based deconvolution methods. Applying ReSort to a mouse breast cancer model highlights macrophages M0 and M2 enrichment in the epithelial clone, revealing insights into epithelial-mesenchymal transition and immune infiltration.

Availability and implementation: Source codes …

Recurrent Carotid Paragangliomas In A Syndromic Patient With A Heterozygous Missense Variant In Dna Methyltransferase 3 Alpha, Ryan J German, Blake Vuocolo, Liesbeth Vossaert, Lisa Saba, Robin Fletcher, Matthew L Tedder, Bekim Sadikovic, Jennifer Kerkhof, Michael Wangler, Carlos A Bacino

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

We report a 40-year-old African American female with a novel variant in exon 8 of DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A), (NM_022552.4: c.905G>C, p.G302A) who presented with a history of recurrent carotid paragangliomas, mediastinal mass, intellectual disability, dysarthria, cholelithiasis, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dysmorphic features. We interpret this novel variant as likely pathogenic and causative for the patient's syndromic features of Heyn-Sproul-Jackson syndrome. Heyn-Sproul-Jackson syndrome is a condition caused by gain-of-function genetic changes in DNMT3A. Paragangliomas have also been observed in non-syndromic patients with genetic alterations in DNMT3A. We describe a patient with clinical features of Heyn-Sproul-Jackson syndrome such as …

The Ethical Dilemma Of Social Media, Janet H. Southerland

Journal of the American College of Dentists

Technology and digital communication have radically altered how we communicate and interact. As a consequence, the ethical use and application of technology within the profession, particularly the utilization of social media, is essential to preserving and upholding the tenets of professional conduct across dentistry.

J Am Coll Dent 2025 91 4

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The Journal of the American College of Dentists (JACD) publishes scholarly articles, editorials, essays, and reflections addressing the ethical, professional, and social dimensions of dentistry. The Journal serves as a forum for advancing ethics, professionalism, leadership, and excellence within the dental community. By fostering dialogue across disciplines and perspectives, JACD provides readers with insights that encourage ethical, professional practice, lifelong learning, and service to the public, reinforcing dentistry’s commitment to advancing oral healthcare and the common good.

Breaking Down The Silos: Dentistry’S Ethical Responsibility As A Partner In Healthcare, Toni M. Roucka Rn, Dds, Ma, Facd, Scott Tomar Dmd, Drph, Facd

Journal of the American College of Dentists

The Ethics Summit, Breaking Down the Silos: Dentistry’s Ethical Responsibility as a Partner in Healthcare, was held on September 12-13, 2024, in Rockville, Maryland. Sponsored by the American College of Dentists Foundation (ACDF) and the Santa Fe Group (SFG), this issue of the JACD is dedicated to the proceedings of that important event.

Exploring A Modern Deep Learning Technique For Wetland Mapping And Monitoring Using Worldview-2 Satellite Products, Mizanur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands play a significant role in the world’s hydrology, climate, and biodiversity. Even with the benefits and values wetlands provide to the environment, they have been undergoing loss and degradation due to natural and anthropogenic processes. To protect wetlands from loss and degradation and to restore their function, it is essential to develop a sustainable wetland monitoring system. One of the key elements of a wetland monitoring system is wetland mapping. This dissertation research developed an object-based deep learning protocol for mapping heterogeneous wetlands with many communities from a high-resolution WV-2 satellite image. To test this developed protocol, an object-based …

Motherhood: An Orphan Of American Politics A Comparative Analysis Of State Actors As Institutions, Kristina Ramskyte-Juszczak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The political geography of America is relatively unique in the world: the United States is a powerful and wealthy country, but also consists of sub-national actors that retain significant legal powers within their own borders. The political actors in America, at both this smaller level and at the larger Federal level, have uniquely strong institutional power to shape the social and civic life of their citizens. Despite their absolute significance to the survival of their societies, mothers and mothers’ rights have largely been ignored or taken second place to other political issues. As many countries in Europe and other regions …

Mblac1 Knockout Mice: Behavioral Modeling Of A Novel Risk Factor In Alzheimer's Disease, Cara Melillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involves progressive cognitive decline, with mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and copper (Cu) imbalance implicated in its pathogenesis. MBLAC1 has been identified as a risk factor for AD in individuals with comorbid cardiovascular disease (AD-CVD). Its C. elegans ortholog, swip-10, regulates Cu ion homeostasis and mitochondrial function. To investigate MBLAC1’s role, we examined behavioral phenotypes in Mblac1 knockout (KO) mice and tested the efficacy of the Cu chaperone elesclomol (ES). Male KO mice exhibited deficits in novel object recognition (NOR), which were rescued by ES treatment. Female KOs showed increased anxiety-like behavior in the Elevated Plus …

Applications Of Deep Learning And Signal Processing In Acoustics, Oceanography, And Biometrics, Ali Abdulmajeed Altaher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines multidisciplinary methods in marine research, computational modeling, and artificial intelligence. This dissertation tackles significant issues in ecological monitoring, ocean dynamics forecasting, and assistive technology via three independent but interrelated research streams.

The first study examines the localization and distribution of marine organisms along Florida’s East Coast via passive acoustic monitoring methods. The research analyzed more than 65,000 audio recordings to delineate the geographical distribution of several marine creatures, such as black drum, toadfish, Sei whales, North Atlantic right whales, dolphins, and false killer whales. A novel automated detection and localization model was developed, using an adaptive matching …

Is Infant Fear Related To An Increase In Maternal Stress?, Janairis F. Munoz-Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact of infant fear responses on mother stress throughout the first year of life was investigated in this study. Between six and fourteen months, thirty mother-infant pairs were examined at three different time intervals. Maternal responses from the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R) and behavioral observations made during standardized lab tasks were used to evaluate infant fear. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was used to measure maternal stress at all time points, and behavioral stress was coded during the first session. The findings showed no overall significant correlation between the mother's subjective stress and the behavioral fear of her infant. …

Exploiting Undulating Fin Kinematics For Multi-Directional Swimming Control, Omar S. Odeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Black Ghost Knifefish achieves remarkable swimming gait transition by leveraging the distinctive morphology and kinematics of a single, elongated undular fin. Alongside bi-directional swimming, complex maneuvers incorporating vertical movement and pitch control can also be attained. Inspired by the Knifefish, we explore a novel propulsive and directional control method for an undulating membrane affixed to a robotic vessel utilizing counter-propagating waveforms in tandem with a sigmoidal spatiotemporal pattern to control forward, backward, and turning of the vessel. The proposed actuation supplied the propulsion necessary for the robotic vessel to swim bi-directionally with heading control under varying flow speed conditions. …

Materia Non Medica: Reading Disability And Medical Narratives In The Daughter Of Doctor Moreau, Jessica Elizabeth Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a close reading of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, engaging Indigenous studies and disability studies to illuminate how the novel interrogates embodiment, medical authority, and human difference. By situating the text within historical frameworks of medicine and corporeality in Mexico, and alongside speculative modes that seek to recuperate non-Western epistemologies, the analysis reveals how Moreno-Garcia reimagines the body as mutable, relational, and politically charged. The narrative’s hybrid characters and transgressive identities offer a generative lens through which to explore bodily variance, not as deviation, but as a site of possibility. Ultimately, this thesis argues …

Investigating The Role Of Rps3 In The Homologous Recombination Dna Repair Pathway, Jerome Robert Dorsey

Theses and Dissertations

Ribosomal proteins have been demonstrated to perform extra-ribosomal functions beyond protein synthesis, including roles in cell signaling, transcription regulation, apoptosis, and DNA repair. Ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3), in particular, has been implicated in DNA repair and apoptosis pathways, suggesting a critical role in maintaining genomic stability. However, the specific mechanisms involving RPS3 are still unknown, particularly in the context of double-stranded break (DSB) repair. DSBs are among the most severe types of DNA damage, often resulting in chromosomal instability or cell death if not properly repaired. Nonhomologous End Joining (NHEJ) and Homologous Recombination (HR) are the two primary DNA repair …

“Digital Shame Shift”: From Telling The Pain To Recording The Truth — Black Maternal Health And Digital Counter-Narrative Storytelling On Tiktok, Odera Covenant Ezenna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how digital storytelling on TikTok is used to challenge medical racism, with a particular focus on Black maternal health. Guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA), the study examines how TikTok users—ranging from Black mothers to healthcare professionals—create and circulate counter-narratives through two prominent campaigns: #BlackMaternalHealthWeek and #BlackMamasMatter. These digital stories serve as acts of resistance, disrupting dominant medical discourse and amplifying the lived experiences of Black birthing individuals. The research analyzes over 2900 TikTok videos posted between 2021 and 2024, identifying key themes, storytelling strategies, and rhetorical shifts over time. The …

A Scoping Review Of Population Diversity In The Common Genomic Aberrations Of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, Sean S. Kumar, Ninad Khandekar, Komal Dani, Saina R. Bhatt, Vinay Duddalwar, Anishka D' Souza

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Previous literature has shown that clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is becoming a more prevalent diagnosis and that the incidence and mortality differ both regionally and racially. While the molecular profiles for ccRCC are studied regionally through biopsy and sequencing techniques, the genomic landscape and ccRCC diversity data are not well studied. We conducted a review of the known genomic data on 6 of the most clinically relevant DNA biomarkers in ccRCC: von Hippel-Lindau (vHL), Polybromo-1 (PBRM1), Breast Cancer Gene 1-Associated Protein 1 (BAP1), Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase Domain-Containing 2 (SETD2), Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), and Lysine-Specific Demethylase 5C …

Phosphorus Removal Using Novel Carbon Adsorbents Derived From Waste Algae: An Industrial Ecology Approach To Mitigate Algal Blooms, Vithulan Suthakaran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High phosphate levels and warm temperatures in surface waters can stimulate the overgrowth of certain alga types, causing harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs may adversely affect public health and have negative economic impacts due to associated healthcare costs, required clean-up activities, and tourism revenue loss. The overarching objective of this study was to utilize an industrial ecology approach and convert algal biomass into chemically modified activated carbon adsorbent materials for phosphate removal. Cyanobacterial biomass was collected from Lake Okeechobee in Florida and processed before activation using fast and energy-efficient microwave heating. To improve phosphate removal, the surface of the adsorbents …

Balancing Regeneration And Resistance: Targeting Dclk1 To Mitigate Gastrointestinal Radiation Injury And Oncogenesis, Landon L. Moore, Jerry Jaboin, Milton L. Brown, Courtney W. Houchen

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Ionizing radiation (IR) poses a dual challenge in medicine; while essential for cancer therapy, it inflicts collateral damage to normal tissues, particularly the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. High-dose IR triggers acute radiation syndrome (ARS), characterized by crypt stem cell depletion, mucosal barrier disruption, inflammation, and potential progression to fibrosis and secondary malignancy. Emerging evidence identifies the epithelial kinase doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1)—highly expressed in GI tuft cells and cancer stem-like cells—as a master regulator of post-IR responses. DCLK1 integrates DNA repair (via p53/ATM), and survival signaling (via NF-κB, TGF-β, and MAPK) to promote epithelial regeneration, yet these same mechanisms contribute to …