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Efficacy Of An Integrated Computer Assisted Learning (Cal) Module In Student Understanding Of Cardiovascular Embryology, Nicolaas Schimmel, Forrest Bohler, Varna Taranikanti

Posters

• Embryology is one of the most difficult topics for students to master1

Students’ perceptions of embryology are generally more negative:

• Not clinically important1

• More negative attitude than towards gross anatomy1

• Unhappy with current teaching methods and not confident learning it2

An integrated CAL module will allow a more linear model for learning congenital heart diseases, which may help improve students’ understanding of cardiovascular embryology.

• Compared to traditional, more segmental model where students learn embryology separately from clinical presentation, ECG interpretation, etc.
• CAL modules have proven effective for other organ systems3.

• We hypothesized that students would demonstrate …

Public Attitudes, Interests, And Concerns Regarding Polygenic Embryo Screening, Rémy A Furrer, Dorit Barlevy, Stacey Pereira, Shai Carmi, Todd Lencz, Gabriel Lázaro-Muñoz

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Importance: Polygenic embryo screening (PES) is a novel technology that estimates the likelihood of developing future conditions (eg, diabetes or depression) and traits (eg, height or cognitive ability) in human embryos, with the goal of selecting which embryos to use. Given its commercial availability and concerns raised by researchers, clinicians, bioethicists, and professional organizations, it is essential to inform key stakeholders and relevant policymakers about the public's perspectives on this technology.

Objective: To survey US adults to examine general attitudes, interests, and concerns regarding PES use.

Design, setting, and participants: For this survey study, data were collected from 1 stratified …

Special Anatomy Series Imaging Inner Ear Structures With High-Frequency Ultrasound: Application To Physical Rehabilitation Space Medicine, Jeffrey Strakowski, Han Zhang, Millard Reschke, Faye Y Chiou-Tan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to document the feasibility of image acquisition, image optimization, and sonographic appearance of the exposed anatomic windows of cadaveric inner ear dissection for purposes of potential future clinical evaluation as part of the developing area of physical and rehabilitation space medicine.

METHODS: Cadaveric dissection of the inner ear was conducted with the goal of exposing areas relevant to vestibular balance. Middle and inner ear structures of 3 human cadavers were imaged with multiple broadband transducers, including emphasis with higher frequency transducers.

RESULTS: The images were best optimized with 17 MHz and 22 MHz …

Prelimbic Cortex Neuronal Assemblies In Behaviors Predictive Of Drug-Seeking Before And After Cocaine Self-Administration, Karla J. Galvan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Literature has established that there are certain behaviors that are predictive of drug seeking and relapse such as impulsivity, distress tolerance (DT), Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA), anxiety, and sensation-seeking. However, few studies have examined the behavioral interactions among these tasks and drug-seeking, and none have examined the neural interactions in the prelimbic cortex, which has an essential role in drug-seeking and is implicated in each of the aforementioned behaviors of interest.We therefore hypothesized that certain behaviors including high impulsivity, low distress tolerance, high anxiety, and high locomotor activity would predict high cocaine-seeking. We further hypothesized that the neuronal activity in …

Assessing Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid Properties And Its Potential Therapeutic Effect For Glioblastoma, Jose Arturo Guerrero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study employs a combination of theoretical and experimental analysis to spectroscopically investigate the biomechanistic structure relationship and therapeutic effects of the Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid (NDGA) chemical derived from the Larrea Tridentata plant. These relationships are crucial for understanding NDGA's efficacy in disease prevention, treatment, and potential toxicological effects. While the medicinal and antiviral properties of the NDGA have been studied extensively, there remains a gap in optically identifying and reporting its structural changes. The current research successfully reveals evident trends in NDGA's vibrational signatures, particularly highlighting the absence of the Raman feature at 780 〖cm〗^(-1) as indicative of a fully …

"Inwombed" Expressions Of Anxiety: Myhth, Humor, And The Absurd, Jonathan Taylor

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abstract poetry collection.

Vidas Perdidas, German Barrera Toro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Vidas perdidas es una novela coral que, como muchas otras novelas del género, puede ser leída como un libro de cuentos. La idea central de este proyecto no es otra que desarrollar una tesis muy sencilla pero que, en sí misma, constituye una gran alegoría sobre la existencia humana: La mayoría de nosotros pasaremos por el mundo sin la menor trascendencia histórica —artística, científica, política, espiritual… entre muchos otros campos— y, sin embargo, dichas experiencias vitales no serán vidas perdidas si en esas ventanas de posibilidades que vivimos —Heidegger definía la vida por oposición a la muerte como la posibilidad …

A Muzzle For The Lamb: A Novel, Scott Beggs

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.

In-Between Frame Generation For 2d Animation Using Generative Adversarial Networks, Francisco Arriaga Pazos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Traditional 2D animation remains a largely manual process where each frame in a video is hand-drawn, as no robust algorithmic solutions exist to assist in this process. This project introduces a system that generates intermediate frames in an uncolored 2D animated video sequence using Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), a deep learning approach widely used for tasks within the creative realm. We treat the task as a frame interpolation problem, and show that adding a GAN dynamic to a system significantly improves the perceptual fidelity of the generated images, as measured by perceptual oriented metrics that aim to capture human judgment …

Iron Curtains: A Novel Of Germany, 1989, John G. Dodson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A work of fiction. A story of Love, Treachery, and Freedom on the East German border in 1989. Iron Curtains is a story of four individuals in East and West Germany brought together by an espionage investigation and the revolution in East Germany which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain on November 9, 1989. Their stories ultimately intersect as the year passes and culminate in an escape through a tunnel underneath the East German border. There are four main characters and several secondary characters who help drive the story forward by their interaction with the …

Piezo1 Regulates Meningeal Lymphatic Vessel Drainage And Alleviates Excessive Csf Accumulation, Dongwon Choi, Eunkyung Park, Joshua Choi, Renhao Lu, Jin Suh Yu, Chiyoon Kim, Luping Zhao, James Yu, Brandon Nakashima, Sunju Lee, Dhruv Singhal, Joshua P Scallan, Bin Zhou, Chester J Koh, Esak Lee, Young-Kwon Hong

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Piezo1 regulates multiple aspects of the vascular system by converting mechanical signals generated by fluid flow into biological processes. Here, we find that Piezo1 is necessary for the proper development and function of meningeal lymphatic vessels and that activating Piezo1 through transgenic overexpression or treatment with the chemical agonist Yoda1 is sufficient to increase cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) outflow by improving lymphatic absorption and transport. The abnormal accumulation of CSF, which often leads to hydrocephalus and ventriculomegaly, currently lacks effective treatments. We discovered that meningeal lymphatics in mouse models of Down syndrome were incompletely developed and abnormally formed. Selective overexpression of …

Gut Development Following Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Supplementation To Preterm Pigs, Martin Bo Rasmussen, Kristine Holgersen, Stanislava Pankratova, Ole Bæk, Douglas G Burrin, Thomas Thymann, Per Torp Sangild

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels may contribute to impaired organ development in preterm infants. Using preterm pigs as a model, we hypothesized that IGF-1 supplementation improves health and gut development during the first three weeks of life.

METHODS: First, clinical and organ endpoints were compared between artificially-reared, cesarean-delivered preterm pigs and vaginally-delivered, sow-reared term pigs at 5, 9 and 19 days. Next, preterm pigs were treated with recombinant human IGF-1 for 19 days (2.25 mg/kg/day, systemically).

RESULTS: Relative to term pigs, preterm pigs had lower body weight, fat, bone contents, relative weights of liver and spleen and a …

Examining The Relationships Between Social Media Use Constructs And Mental And Sleep Health In Hispanic University Emerging Adults, Miguel Andres Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The number of social media users and platforms have increased dramatically in recent years. Several different social media use constructs have developed from past research to assess social media engagement, including overall social media use, nighttime in-bed social media use, social media addiction, social media self-control failure, and emotional investment in social media. Such constructs are distinct from each other and may adversely impact mental and sleep health, especially during emerging adulthood. This study investigated the relationships between such social media use constructs and mental and sleep health in Hispanic university emerging adults through a framework of Uses and Gratifications …

Conserving One Of Hawai'i'S Last Endemic Ducks: Genetics And Habitat Associations Of Koloa, Feral Mallards, And Their Hybrids, Kristi Fukunaga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Increases in anthropogenic hybridization through introduced species have accelerated the loss of genetic diversity and reductions in population size of native species that are already threatened by population and genetic diversity decline. Fertile hybrids that are common among waterfowl (order Anseriformes) are especially worrisome. A prime example is the endangered Hawaiian duck (Anas wyvilliana; “koloa maoli”), which is the remaining endemic duck species on the main Hawaiian Islands and is threatened by genetic extinction through ongoing hybridization with feral mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). Of note, koloa populations are known to be strongly male-biased (3:1), and this sex bias is known to …

Bilingual Comprehension Of Accented Speech And Spoken Code Switches, Liam John Gleason

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Across three experiments, the current study explored how accented speech and coarticulation impact how bilingual listeners comprehend code-switches in speech. Eye-tracking methodology was used to compare responses to single-language and code-switched sentences. Experiment 1 observed how accented speech influenced the costs involved in comprehending code-switches by comparing responses to speakers that had North American English accents to speakers with Juarez/El Paso Spanish accents when speaking English. Experiment 2 compared responses to English speech produced by speakers with North American English, Flemish, and Bulgarian accented speakers. To examine coarticulation as a cue to an upcoming code-switch, Experiment 3 compared naturally produced …

Our Author Is Crazy, Zani A. Meaders

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis delves into the realm of young adult (YA) fantasy literature, exploring how its meta-narrative elements, fast-paced story beats, and relatable characters can facilitate the acquisition of healthy coping mechanisms among its readers. In the preface, I discuss the importance of providing YA audiences with narratives that not only entertain but also serve as tools for navigating the complexities of adolescence. Drawing upon psychological theories and literary analysis, I argue that meta-awareness in YA fantasy can offer readers a unique perspective on their own struggles and encourage them to develop resilience and coping skills.

The accompanying YA Fantasy story …

Analysis Of Drying Behavior Of Robocasted Barium Titanate, Abigail Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Finding an adequate ceramic formulation for material extrusion is a time-consuming process. The necessary equipment may be unavailable to perform the desired test. This study demonstrated an alternative to observe a material after extrusion to understand its drying process. This study focused on 55 solid loading volume percent and a 39 solid loading volume percent, each with two different binder treatments focusing on fresh same day made binder, a 30 day old, aged binder and lastly an artificial binder obtained by a fuming process. Firstly, a formulation was created and loaded onto a pressure-based syringe to be extruded with a …

Deal With A Dead Man, Afton Reed

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Value of Fantasy in Exploring Intangibles

Often, a story is sparked because of asking the question, “what if?” which is what happened to create the hydra that is Deal with a Dead Man. Two percolating ideas happened to coincide, and eventually crashed together. Early on, it began when I was introduced to the Russian fairytale of Koschei the Deathless and his fear of death, but inability to enjoy life. Over the past year, my family experienced several deaths, one tragically early, and another of ripe old age. My fascination with the fairytale grew as I watched myself and family …

Synthesis Of Neoglycoproteins As Potential Biomarkers For Chagas Disease And Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused By Leishmania (Viannia) Braziliensis, Eileni Rodriguez Gil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protozoan parasites are responsible for causing numerous diseases in humans and mammals worldwide. Among them are Chagas disease (CD), caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), and tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL), caused by the parasite Leishmania (Viannia). Both diseases coexist in many regions of Latin America, and current hurdles to differentially diagnose them and determine chemotherapy success need to be overcome. CD can be diagnosed by traditional serological tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but disadvantages of these methods are that they may produce false negatives because the antigens used in commercial CD kits are not conserved across all T.cruzi …

Atlas-Based Analysis Of The Neural Projections From The Lateral Hypothalamic Area To The Lower Brainstem In The Adult Male Rat, Jessica Valeria Salcido Padilla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Within the last decade, the number of diseases associated with dysregulation of the neural circuits responsible for energy balance, glucosensing, and feeding control has increased. One brain region containing these circuits is the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), which plays an important role in the sleep/wake cycle, energy balance, and motivated behavior. Although the LHA has been termed a â??feeding centerâ??, other regions within the hindbrain are known for the regulation of similar functions including energy balance, glucosensing, and feeding control. While many studies have explored and reported projections from the LHA to the hindbrain, few have further investigated the interconnections …

The Daughters Of La Malinche: A Heideggerian Analysis Of The Pazian Archetypal Masks Portrayed In Art, At-Ziry Aileen Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, I present a Heideggerian phenomenological analysis of the Pazian archetypal masks present in The Labyrinth of Solitude, such as El Macho, La Llorona, La Mala Mujer, La Chingada, and La Malinche, and how these masks are represented and depicted by women in art. I analyze the authentic or inauthentic identity and conditions expressed by Mexican women in art through a mimetic lens and extend that analysis to gendered concerns that have emerged in the past fifty or so years in Mexico and the U.S. Mexico border. Such issues include the pervasive machismo culture and the alarming increase …

Bcl2 Mediated Targeted Drug Delivery For The Treatment Of Kidney Fibrosis And Stomach Cancer, Humayra Afrin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Apoptosis, the programmed death of cells, is primarily regulated by a delicate balance between pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signals. The Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) family of proteins acts as anti-apoptotic agents, promoting cell survival. Dysregulation of these proteins is a common occurrence in conditions such as cancer and fibrosis, where overexpression of anti-apoptotic members can foster tumor cell survival and fibroblast activation. In this study, our aim was to explore the therapeutic potential of Bcl-2 inhibitors, both as a small molecule (specifically Navitoclax (Navi)), inhibitor and as Bcl-2 siRNA, for targeted treatment. Intravenous administration of Navi often leads to thrombocytopenia, necessitating …

Nationwide Practices And Perspectives On Early Literacy Activities In Daycare, Analaura Amador

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Effects Of Mindful Nature Walks On College Student Anxiety, Grace Young

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals pursuing a degree in higher education face challenges that lead to greater levels of anxiety than that of the general U.S. adult population. This disparity, further heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, presents a need for higher education institutions to search for ways to address this spike in student anxiety and other mental health concerns. This mixed-methods study explored mindful nature walks as a low-cost and easily accessible way for college students to reduce levels of experienced anxiety. Using validated quantitative measures, this study examined the impact of three weekly, consecutive 30-minute mindful nature walks on state and general anxiety …

The Hepatokine Orosomucoid 2 Mediates Beneficial Metabolic Effects Of Bile Acids, Sung Ho Lee, Ji Ho Suh, Mi Jeong Heo, Jong Min Choi, Yang Yang, Hyun-Jung Jung, Zhanguo Gao, Yongmei Yu, Sung Yun Jung, Mikhail G Kolonin, Aaron R Cox, Sean M Hartig, Holger K Eltzschig, Cynthia Ju, David D Moore, Kang Ho Kim

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Bile acids (BAs) are pleiotropic regulators of metabolism. Elevated levels of hepatic and circulating BAs improve energy metabolism in peripheral organs, but the precise mechanisms underlying the metabolic benefits and harm still need to be fully understood. In the current study, we identified orosomucoid 2 (ORM2) as a liver-secreted hormone (i.e., hepatokine) induced by BAs and investigated its role in BA-induced metabolic improvements in mouse models of diet-induced obesity. Contrary to our expectation, under a high-fat diet (HFD), our Orm2 knockout (Orm2-KO) exhibited a lean phenotype compared with C57BL/6J control, partly due to the increased energy expenditure. However, when challenged …

Prospects For Leveraging The Microbiota As Medicine For Hypertension, David J Durgan, Jasenka Zubcevic, Matam Vijay-Kumar, Tao Yang, Ishan Manandhar, Sachin Aryal, Rikeish R Muralitharan, Hong-Bao Li, Ying Li, Justine M Abais-Battad, Jennifer L Pluznick, Dominik N Muller, Francine Z Marques, Bina Joe

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Multimodal Neurologic Monitoring In Patients Undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Khwaja Siddiqui, Muhammad U Hafeez, Ali Ahmad, Syed O Kazmi, Subhasis Chatterjee, Eric Bershad, Mohammad Hirzallah, Chethan Rao, Rahul Damani

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is associated with a high rate of neurologic complications. Multimodal neurologic monitoring (MNM) has the potential for early detection and intervention. We examined the safety and feasibility of noninvasive MNM during ECMO. We hypothesized that survivors and non-survivors would have meaningful differences in transcranial Doppler (TCD) sonography and electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics, which we aimed to identify. We also investigated adverse neurologic events and attempted to identify differences in EEG and TCD characteristics among patients based on the type of ECMO and the occurrence of these events. Material and methods We performed an observational study on …

Sialic Acid-Siglec-E Interactions Regulate The Response Of Neonatal Macrophages To Group B Streptococcus, Sean J Lund, Pamela G B Del Rosario, Asami Honda, Kaitlin J Caoili, Marten A Hoeksema, Victor Nizet, Kathryn A Patras, Lawrence S Prince

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The mammalian Siglec receptor sialoadhesin (Siglec1, CD169) confers innate immunity against the encapsulated pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS). Newborn lung macrophages have lower expression levels of sialoadhesin at birth compared with the postnatal period, increasing their susceptibility to GBS infection. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms regulating sialoadhesin expression in the newborn mouse lung. In both neonatal and adult mice, GBS lung infection reduced Siglec1 expression, potentially delaying acquisition of immunity in neonates. Suppression of Siglec1 expression required interactions between sialic acid on the GBS capsule and the inhibitory host receptor Siglec-E. The Siglec1 gene contains multiple STAT binding …

Efficacy And Safety Of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection For Colorectal Dysplasia In Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Talia F Malik, Vaishnavi Sabesan, Babu P Mohan, Asad Ur Rahman, Mohamed O Othman, Peter V Draganov, Gursimran S Kochhar

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In this meta-analysis, we studied the safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for colorectal dysplasia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

METHODS: Multiple databases were searched, and studies were retrieved based on pre-specified criteria until October 2022. The outcomes assessed were resection rates, procedural complications, local recurrence, metachronous tumors, and the need for surgery after ESD in IBD. Standard meta-analysis methods were followed using the random-effects model, and I2% was used to assess heterogeneity.

RESULTS: Twelve studies comprising 291 dysplastic lesions in 274 patients were included with a median follow-up of 25 months. The pooled en-bloc …

Application Of Digital Holographic Imaging To Monitor Real-Time Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy Dynamics In Response To Norepinephrine Stimulation, Wahida Akter, Herman Huang, Jacquelyn Simmons, Alexander Y. Payumo

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, characterized by an increase in cell size, is associated with various cardiovascular diseases driven by factors including hypertension, myocardial infarction, and valve dysfunction. In vitro primary cardiomyocyte culture models have yielded numerous insights into the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms driving hypertrophic growth. However, due to limitations in current approaches, the dynamics of cardiomyocyte hypertrophic responses remain poorly characterized. In this study, we evaluate the application of the Holomonitor M4 digital holographic imaging microscope to track dynamic changes in cardiomyocyte surface area and volume in response to norepinephrine treatment, a model hypertrophic stimulus. The Holomonitor M4 permits non-invasive, label-free …