Digital Commons Network^™

Death-Associated Protein Kinase 3 Modulates Migration And Invasion Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Junkai Wang, Anh M Tran-Huynh, Beom-Jun Kim, Doug W Chan, Matthew V Holt, Diana Fandino, Xin Yu, Xiaoli Qi, Jin Wang, Weijie Zhang, Yi-Hsuan Wu, Meenakshi Anurag, Xiang H F Zhang, Bing Zhang, Chonghui Cheng, Charles E Foulds, Matthew J Ellis

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Sixteen patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) were analyzed using a mass spectrometry (MS)-based kinase inhibitor pull-down assay (KIPA), leading to the observation that death-associated protein kinase 3 (DAPK3) is significantly and specifically overexpressed in the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models. Validation studies confirmed enrichment of DAPK3 protein, in both TNBC cell lines and tumors, independent of mRNA levels. Genomic knockout of DAPK3 in TNBC cell lines inhibited in vitro migration and invasion, along with down-regulation of an epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature, which was confirmed in vivo. The kinase and leucine-zipper domains within DAPK3 were shown by a mutational analysis to be essential …

Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity In Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis, Micah K De Valle, Michael Adkison, Ruhi Maredia, Cooper Stevenson, Shobana Murugan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a rare complication of regional anesthesia. Pregnancy is a risk factor due to gestational physiologic changes. Labor and disorders of pregnancy can mask or delay symptoms of LAST, slowing appropriate intervention. This study examines LAST within a larger cohort and identifies features that help distinguish LAST in pregnant women from LAST in nonpregnant patients.

Methods: The TriNetX database was used to compare pregnant and nonpregnant patients with LAST from 2013 to 2023. Cohorts were matched on age, race, obesity status, diabetes, metabolic disorders, local anesthetic type, and cardiovascular, liver, kidney, and respiratory disease. …

Repeat Modules And N-Linked Glycans Define Structure And Antigenicity Of A Critical Enterotoxigenic E. Coli Adhesin, Zachary T. Berndsen, Marjahan Akhtar, Mahima Thapa, Tim J. Vickers, Aaron Schmitz, Pardeep Kumar, Nazia Khatoon, Alaullah Sheikh, Melissa Hamrick, Jackson S. Turner, Ali H. Ellebedy, James M. Fleckenstein, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause hundreds of millions of cases of infectious diarrhea annually, predominantly in children from low-middle income regions. Notably, in children, as well as volunteers challenged with ETEC, diarrheal severity is significantly increased in blood group A (bgA) individuals. EtpA, is a secreted glycoprotein adhesin that functions as a blood group A lectin to promote critical interactions between ETEC and blood group A glycans on intestinal epithelia for effective bacterial adhesion and toxin delivery. EtpA is highly immunogenic resulting in robust antibody responses following natural infection and experimental challenge of volunteers with ETEC. To understand how EtpA …

Spatial Single-Cell Isotope Tracing Reveals Heterogeneity Of De Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis In Cancer, Elena Buglakova, Måns Ekelöf, Michaela Schwaiger-Haber, Lisa Schlicker, Martijn R Molenaar, Mohammed Shahraz, Lachlan Stuart, Andreas Eisenbarth, Volker Hilsenstein, Gary J Patti, Almut Schulze, Marteinn T Snaebjornsson, Theodore Alexandrov

2020-Current year OA Pubs

While heterogeneity is a key feature of cancer, understanding metabolic heterogeneity at the single-cell level remains a challenge. Here we present

Rhesus Rotavirus Nsp1 Mediates Extra-Intestinal Infection And Is A Contributing Factor For Biliary Obstruction, Enkai Li, Ningguo Feng, Qiru Zeng, Liliana Sanchez-Tacuba, Takahiro Kawagishi, Grace Branham, Gaopeng Hou, Zemin Wang, Harry B. Greenberg, Siyuan Ding

2020-Current year OA Pubs

We previously demonstrated that in Ifnar1-/-Ifngr1-/- or Stat1-/- suckling mice lacking intact type I and type II interferon (IFN) signaling, rhesus rotavirus (RRV) infection causes a lethal disease with clinical manifestations similar to biliary atresia, including acholic stools, oily fur, growth retardation, and excess mortality. Elevated levels of viral RNA are detected in the bile ducts and liver of diseased pups together with severe inflammatory responses in these tissues. However, the viral determinants and the molecular mechanisms driving this process remain incompletely understood. Using an optimized rotavirus (RV) reverse genetics system, we generated a panel of recombinant RVs that encode …

Tissue-Specific Features Of Innate Lymphoid Cells In Antiviral Defense, Sytse J Piersma

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Innate lymphocytes (ILCs) rapidly respond to and protect against invading pathogens and cancer. ILCs include natural killer (NK) cells, ILC1s, ILC2s, ILC3s, and lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells and include type I, type II, and type III immune cells. While NK cells have been well recognized for their role in antiviral immunity, other ILC subtypes are emerging as players in antiviral defense. Each ILC subset has specialized functions that uniquely impact the antiviral immunity and health of the host depending on the tissue microenvironment. This review focuses on the specialized functions of each ILC subtype and their roles in antiviral …

A Novel Antigen Biomarker For Detection Of High-Level Of Loa Loa Microfilaremia, Sarah E Greene, Yuefang Huang, Kerstin Fischer, Bruce A. Rosa, John Martin, Makedonka Mitreva, Devyn Yates, Samuel Wanji, Joseph Kamgno, Philip J. Budge, Gary J. Weil, Peter U. Fischer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Loiasis is a disease caused by the nematode Loa loa. Serious adverse events sometimes occur in people with heavy L. loa microfilaremia after ivermectin treatment. In regions of Central Africa where loiasis is endemic, this significantly impedes global elimination programs for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis that use mass distribution of ivermectin. Improved diagnostic tests to identify individuals at increased risk of serious adverse events could facilitate efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis in this region.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We previously identified the L. loa protein Ll-Bhp-1 in loiasis patient sera. Here, we further characterize Ll-Bhp-1 and report development …

Reclaiming Healing Spaces: A Phenomenological Study On The Transformative Power Of Outdoor Therapy From The Lived Experiences Of Black Clinicians Working With Black Clients, Lynn Murphy

Dissertations

This phenomenological study involved assessing the experiences of Black therapists who engaged Black clients in outdoor therapeutic contexts. The study was founded on the existing literature that shows the quality of the therapeutic relationship is pivotal for client retention and the Western standards that have historically favored treatment within indoor environments. To contextualize this research, a comprehensive literature review was commenced, covering topics such as the decolonization of therapy, the historical and present-day relationship between Blacks and the outdoors in the United States, sedentary lifestyles, the psychological benefits of time spent in nature, various types of outdoor therapy, and the …

Iron Accumulation And Metabolic Alterations In Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Gardenia Pacheco, Joao A Gomes, Kevin Cho, Daniel L Morris, Maddison I Segal, Kayla R Adkins-Travis, Ethan Stancliffe, Gary J Patti, Christopher J Ziegler, Leah P Shriver

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a severe type of stroke that is associated with poor outcome. A subset of patients with aSAH will develop secondary complications, most notably delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), which potentiates neurological injury. In this study, we investigate the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) iron accumulation, brain metabolism, and neuronal injury in patients with aSAH with or without DCI.

METHODS: We collected longitudinal CSF samples of patients immediately after hospitalization and 5 to 8 days after onset of ictus. CSF was analyzed with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and metabolomics to determine the presence of redox-active iron …

Reduced Guanidinoacetate In Plasma Of Patients With Autosomal Dominant Fanconi Syndrome Due To Heterozygous P341l Gatm Variant And Study Of Organoids Towards Treatment, Ignacio Portales-Castillo, Rhea Singal, Jong Hee Song, Minsoo Son, Young Ah Goo, Ariella Coler-Reilly, Benjamin D Humphreys, Roberto Civitelli, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Autosomal dominant Fanconi syndrome due to a

Shareholder Agreements In India: An Unsettled Jurisprudence., Vikramaditya S. Khanna

Book Chapters

Shareholder agreements (SAs) are becoming more common around the world as the ownership of companies become more concentrated. Larger investors— in particular, private equity investors— often document their understandings about their investments in increasingly sophisticated SAs. India has also witnessed a rise in SAs, usually with foreign private equity players, which reflects a level of sophistication and formality in contract negotiations that was not always present when such agreements were between family or affinity groups. This has placed increasing pressure on Indian case law to evolve in response to these agreements.

This chapter explores that response and finds that it …

Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid Ameliorates Renal Injury Induced By Col4a3 Mutation, Shuwen Yu, Teija Suhas, Meei-Hua Lin, Jeffrey H Miner, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

COL4A3/A4/A5 mutations have been identified as critical causes of Alport syndrome and other genetic chronic kidney diseases. However, the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear, and specific treatments are lacking. Here, we constructed a transgenic Alport syndrome mouse model by generating a mutation (Col4a3 p.G799R) identified previously from one large Alport syndrome family into mice. We observed that the mutation caused a pathological decrease in intracellular and secreted collagen IV α3α4α5 heterotrimers. The mutant collagen IV α3 chains abnormally accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum and exhibited defective secretion, leading to persistent endoplasmic reticulum stress in vivo and in vitro. RNA-seq analysis revealed …

Mutant Nrf2e79q Enhances The Promotion And Progression Of A Subset Of Oncogenic Ras Keratinocytes And Skin Tumors, John G Witherspoon, Jonathan R Hall, Dereje Jima, Hannah M Atkins, Nathan T Wamsley, Michael B Major, Bernard E Weissman, Robert C Smart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), including lung, head & neck, bladder, and skin SCCs often display constitutive activation of the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway. Constitutive activation is achieved through multiple mechanisms, including activating mutations in NFE2L2 (NRF2). To determine the functional consequences of Nrf2 activation on skin SCC development, we assessed the effects of mutant Nrf2

An Interpretable Machine Learning-Based Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomics Clock For Predicting Age Reveals Novel Insights Into Brain Aging, Justin Melendez, Yun Ju Sung, Miranda Orr, Andrew Yoo, Suzanne Schindler, Carlos Cruchaga, Randall Bateman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Machine learning can be used to create "biologic clocks" that predict age. However, organs, tissues, and biofluids may age at different rates from the organism as a whole. We sought to understand how cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) changes with age to inform the development of brain aging-related disease mechanisms and identify potential anti-aging therapeutic targets. Several epigenetic clocks exist based on plasma and neuronal tissues; however, plasma may not reflect brain aging specifically and tissue-based clocks require samples that are difficult to obtain from living participants. To address these problems, we developed a machine learning clock that uses CSF proteomics to …

A Damaging Col6a3 Variant Alters The Mir31hg-Regulated Response Of Chondrocytes In Neocartilage Organoids To Hyperphysiologic Mechanical Loading, Niek Gc Bloks, Zainab Harissa, Giorgia Mazzini, Shaunak S Adkar, Amanda R Dicks, Ghazaleh Hajmousa, Nancy Steward, Roman I Koning, Aat Mulder, Berend B R De Koning, Margreet Kloppenburg, Rodrigo Coutinho De Almeida, Yolande Fm Ramos, Farshid Guilak, Ingrid Meulenbelt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The pericellular matrix (PCM), with its hallmark proteins collagen type VI (COLVI) and fibronectin (FN), surrounds chondrocytes and is critical in transducing the biomechanical cues. To identify genetic variants that change protein function, exome sequencing is performed in a patient with symptomatic OA at multiple joint sites. A predicted damaging variant in COL6A3 is identified and introduced by CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering in two established human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived in-vitro neocartilage organoid models. The downstream effects of the COL6A3 variant on the chondrocyte phenotypic state are studied by a multi-omics (mRNA and lncRNA) approach in interaction with hyper-physiological mechanical loading …

Expert Panel Curation Of 31 Genes In Relation To Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, Shruthi Mohan, Kelly Macalalad, Amanda R Clause, Conrad C Weihl, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Limb girdle muscular dystrophies (LGMDs) are a group of genetically heterogeneous autosomal conditions with some degree of phenotypic homogeneity. LGMD is defined as having onset >2 years of age with progressive proximal weakness, elevated serum creatine kinase levels and dystrophic features on muscle biopsy. Advances in massively parallel sequencing have led to a surge in genes linked to LGMD.

METHODS: The ClinGen Muscular Dystrophies and Myopathies gene curation expert panel (MDM GCEP, formerly Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy GCEP) convened to evaluate the strength of evidence supporting gene-disease relationships (GDR) using the ClinGen gene-disease clinical validity framework to evaluate 31 …

Diverse And Multifunctional Roles For Perlecan (Hspg2) In Repair Of The Intervertebral Disc, James Melrose, Farshid Guilak

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Perlecan is a widely distributed, modular, and multifunctional heparan sulfate proteoglycan, which facilitates cellular communication with the extracellular environment to promote tissue development, tissue homeostasis, and optimization of biomechanical tissue functions. Perlecan-mediated osmotic mechanotransduction serves to regulate the metabolic activity of cells in tissues subjected to tension, compression, or shear. Perlecan interacts with a vast array of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins through which it stabilizes tissues and regulates the proliferation or differentiation of resident cell populations. Here we examine the roles of the HS-proteoglycan perlecan in the normal and destabilized intervertebral disc. The intervertebral disc cell has evolved to survive …

Trem2 On Microglia Cell Surface Binds To And Forms Functional Binary Complexes With Heparan Sulfate Modified With 6-O-Sulfation And Iduronic Acid, Ilayda Ozsan Mcmillan, Li Liang, Guowei Su, Xuehong Song, Kelly Drago, Hua Yang, Claudia Alvarez, Amika Sood, James Gibson, Robert J Woods, Chunyu Wang, Jian Liu, Fuming Zhang, Tom J Brett, Lianchun Wang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), a pivotal innate immune receptor, orchestrates functions such as inflammatory responses, phagocytosis, cell survival, and neuroprotection. TREM2 variants R47H and R62H have been associated with Alzheimer's disease, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Our previous research established that TREM2 binds to heparan sulfate (HS) and variants R47H and R62H exhibit reduced affinity for HS. Building upon this groundwork, our current study delves into the interplay between TREM2 and HS and its impact on microglial function. We confirm TREM2's binding to cell surface HS and demonstrate that TREM2 interacts with HS, forming HS-TREM2 …

Etomoxir-Carnitine, A Novel Pharmaco-Metabolite Of Etomoxir, Inhibits Phospholipases A2 And Mitochondrial Respiration, Sung Ho Moon, Xinping Liu, Christopher M Jenkins, Beverly Gibson Dilthey, Gary J Patti, Richard W Gross

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation serves as an essential process for cellular survival, differentiation, proliferation, and energy metabolism. Numerous studies have utilized etomoxir (ETO) for the irreversible inhibition of carnitine palmitoylcarnitine transferase 1 (CPT1), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step for mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid β-oxidation to examine the bioenergetic roles of mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism in many tissues in multiple diverse disease states. Herein, we demonstrate that intact mitochondria robustly metabolize ETO to etomoxir-carnitine (ETO-carnitine) prior to nearly complete ETO-mediated inhibition of CPT1. The novel pharmaco-metabolite, ETO-carnitine, was conclusively identified by accurate mass, fragmentation patterns, and isotopic fine structure. On the …

Quantitative Gradient Recalled Echo (Qgre) Mri Enables In Vivo Measurement Of Pre-Atrophic Neurodegeneration In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Michal R Tomaszewski, Alexander L Sukstanskii, Hyking Haley, Xiangjun Meng, Corin O Miller, Dmitriy A Yablonskiy

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Robust methods are needed for preclinical evaluation of novel Alzheimer Disease (AD) therapies to accelerate drug discovery. Quantitative Gradient Recalled Echo (qGRE) MRI has shown promise to provide insight into neurodegeneration in AD prior to atrophy development in humans, highlighting areas of low neuronal density. In this study a novel qGRE method (20 echoes, TE=2-40ms) is shown to non-invasively measure the longitudinal neuronal loss in the hippocampus of a mouse model of AD tauopathy Tg4510. Tg4510 (n=10) and wild type (WT, n=6) mice underwent MRI (7T field strength) at 3-7 months old. 3D qGRE approach was used to generate brain-specific …

Structure Of A Truncated Human Glcnac-1-Phosphotransferase Variant Reveals The Basis For Its Hyperactivity, Hua Li, Balraj Doray, Benjamin C Jennings, Wang-Sik Lee, Lin Liu, Stuart Kornfeld, Huilin Li

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Mutations that cause loss of function of GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase (PTase) lead to the lysosomal storage disorder mucolipidosis II. PTase is the key enzyme of the mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) targeting system that is responsible for tagging lysosomal hydrolases with the M6P moiety for their delivery to the lysosome. We had previously generated a truncated hyperactive form of PTase termed S1S3 which was shown to notably increase the phosphorylation level of secreted lysosomal enzymes and enhance their uptake by cells. Here, we report the 3.4 Å cryo-EM structure of soluble S1S3 lacking both transmembrane domains and cytosolic tails. The structure reveals a high …

The Long And Winding Road Towards New Treatments Against Lymphatic Filariasis And Onchocerciasis, Frederic Risch, Alexander Kazakov, Sabine Specht, Kenneth Pfarr, Peter U Fischer, Achim Hoerauf, Marc P Hübner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Although lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis have been targeted for global elimination, these helminth infections are still a major public health problem across the tropics and subtropics. Despite decades of research, treatment options remain limited and drugs that completely clear the infections, and can be used on a large scale, are still unavailable. In the present review we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of currently available treatments and new ones in development. Novel candidates (corallopyronin A, DNDi-6166, emodepside, and oxfendazole) are currently moving through (pre)clinical development, while the development of two candidates (AWZ1066S and ABBV-4083/flubentylosin) was recently halted. The preclinical R&D …

The Physiologic Basis Of Molecular Therapeutics For Peripheral Nerve Injury: A Primer, Marie C Spezia, Christopher J Dy, David M Brogan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Peripheral nerve injuries affect a significant number of patients who experience trauma affecting the hand and upper extremity. Improving unsatisfactory outcomes from repair of these injuries remains a clinical challenge despite advancements in microsurgical repair. Imperfections of the nerve regeneration process, including imprecise reinnervation, distal axon degradation, and muscular atrophy, complicate the repair process. However, the capacity for peripheral nerves to regenerate offers an avenue for therapeutic advancement. Regeneration is a temporally and spatially dynamic process coordinated by Schwann cells and neurons among other cell types. Neurotrophic factors are a primary means of controlling cell growth and differentiation in the …

Endogenous Base Damage As A Driver Of Genomic Instability In Homologous Recombination-Deficient Cancers, Lindsey N Aubuchon, Priyanka Verma

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Homologous recombination (HR) is a high-fidelity DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway. Both familial and somatic loss of function mutation(s) in various HR genes predispose to a variety of cancer types, underscoring the importance of error-free repair of DSBs in human physiology. While environmental sources of DSBs have been known, more recent studies have begun to uncover the role of endogenous base damage in leading to these breaks. Base damage repair intermediates often consist of single-strand breaks, which if left unrepaired, can lead to DSBs as the replication fork encounters these lesions. This review summarizes various sources of endogenous base …

Targeting Undruggable Phosphatase Overcomes Trastuzumab Resistance By Inhibiting Multi-Oncogenic Kinases., Lu Wang, Yusheng Lin, Zhimeng Yao, Nipun Babu, Wan Lin, Chaoying Chen, Liang Du, Songwang Cai, Yunlong Pan, Xiao Xiong, Qiantao Ye, Hongzheng Ren, Dianzheng Zhang, Yexi Chen, Sai-Ching Jim Yeung, Edwin Bremer, Hao Zhang

PCOM Scholarly Works

AIMS: Resistance to targeted therapy is one of the critical obstacles in cancer management. Resistance to trastuzumab frequently develops in the treatment for HER2

METHODS: Four public datasets were used to screen PTP candidates in relation to trastuzumab responsiveness in HER2

RESULTS: PTPRO was identified as the key PTP which influences trastuzumab responsiveness and patient survival. PTPRO de-phosphorated several TKs, including the previously overlooked substrate ERBB3, thereby inhibiting multiple oncogenic pathways associated with drug resistance. Notably, PTPRO, previously deemed "undruggable," was effectively upregulated by saRNA-loaded nanoparticles. The upregulated PTPRO simultaneously inhibited ERBB3, ERBB2, and downstream SRC signaling pathways, thereby counteracting …

Analysis Of The Thermal Aging Kinetics Of Tallow, Chicken Oil, Lard, And Sheep Oil, Yun-Chuan Hsieh, Hao Ouyang, Yulin Zhang, Donyau Chiang, Fuqian Yang, Hsin-Lung Chen, Sanboh Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Understanding the thermal aging kinetics of animal oils is of vital importance in the storage and applications of animal oils. In this work, we use four different techniques, including UV-Vis spectrometry, viscometry, impedance spectroscopy, and acid–base titration, to study the thermal aging kinetics of tallow, chicken oil, lard, and sheep oil in the temperature range from 120 ◦C to 180 ◦C. The evolutions of the UV-Vis absorbance, dynamic viscosity, electric impedance, and acid titration are discussed with the defect kinetics. The evolutions of the color centers, defects for dynamic viscosity, and electric dipoles follow second-order, first-order, and zero-order kinetics, respectively. …

Innovative Approaches To On-Demand Continuing Legal Education Ethics Training: A Case Study, Tigran W. Eldred, Molly J. Walker Wilson

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Low-Income Parents On Kindergarten Readiness: A Qualitative Study, Farrah Woodberry Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a significant amount of research documenting the importance of school readiness and its implication for life-long consequences (Jarrett & Coba-Rodriguez, 2017, 2018; Kang et al., 2017; Malsch et al., 2011). Parents play a critical role in supporting the acquisition of all skills needed to prepare children for school readiness. Readiness refers to being prepared with the necessary skills to access learning (Saracho, 2023). The purpose of this study is to explore the practices and perceptions of low-income parents on kindergarten readiness skills in the Hollywood School District (HSD) as measured by the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). Students in …

Environmental Change And Population Dynamics Of Small Mammals In Northern Alaska, Jess K. Steketee

Doctoral Dissertations

Rodent populations at northern latitudes undergo cyclic dynamics characterized by high amplitude interannual fluctuations every 3-5 years. Population cycles have puzzled mammalogists for over a century and disentangling their drivers remains a central goal. Understanding which factors drive rodent populations and how these dynamics might change with warming is essential for predicting the impacts of climate change on arctic ecosystems as herbivore pressure shapes plant community composition, soil nutrient availability and carbon concentrations. My research focused on potential drivers of brown lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus) and tundra vole (Microtus oeconomus) population fluctuations in Arctic Alaska. I combined field techniques with laboratory …

Evaluation Of Rockfall Trajectories Using Smart Rocks And Measurement While Drilling, Bruma Morganna Mendonca De Souza

Doctoral Dissertations

This doctoral research investigates rockfall movement under laboratory and field-controlled conditions as well as in situ natural field environments in an effort to better understand the movement described by falling blocks. Although previously published research identified several factors that affect rockfall movement (block characteristics, ground characteristics, and impact kinematics), the lack of a standardized methodology to evaluate rockfall behavior upon impact on different ground materials increases the difficulty of establishing realistic parameters in modeling approaches and ultimately in selecting representative model input parameters. In order to measure rockfall movement under different test conditions, concrete fabricated test blocks ranging in mass …