Digital Commons Network^™

Using Μct Scans To Create 3d Skull Puzzles As Open-Access Pedagogical Tools For Anatomy And Comparative Osteology Classes., Alexis Slack

Honors Thesis

As access to affordable 3D printing technologies increases, the use of Computed Tomography (CT) technologies is well positioned to contribute to the advancement of pedagogical experiences through the creation of physical models for teaching. Such complementary efforts may enhance broader impacts by simultaneously boosting the education system with a unique hands-on experience for students and providing an alternative to expensive osteological and other artificial models. Two 3D printed skull puzzles were created to aid in teaching human and vertebrate anatomy, and comparative osteology courses. After segmenting all the bones from each respective skull, the individual skeletal elements were 3D printed, …

Mass Spectrometry-Based Discovery Of Tumor Antigens For Cancer Immunotherapy, Wei Meng

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The immune system plays an essential role in cancer evolution and cancer treatment. One of the major mechanisms of immune-mediated tumor rejection is the recognition of tumor antigens by T cells. Upon recognition of tumor antigens, naïve T cells become activated and subsequently infiltrate inside the tumor. Since the early discovery of tumor-specific T cells, many efforts have elucidated the molecular nature of their cognate antigens. It is now established that MHC-I and MHC-II restricted peptides are critical to generate CD8+ and CD4+ antigen-specific T cells that can recognize tumor-derived antigens. Two main categories of these antigens are those originating …

Phenomics As An Approach To Comparative Developmental Physiology, Jamie C.S. Mccoy, John I. Spicer, Ziad Ibbini, Oliver Tills

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The dynamic nature of developing organisms and how they function presents both opportunity and challenge to researchers, with significant advances in understanding possible by adopting innovative approaches to their empirical study. The information content of the phenotype during organismal development is arguably greater than at any other life stage, incorporating change at a broad range of temporal, spatial and functional scales and is of broad relevance to a plethora of research questions. Yet, effectively measuring organismal development, and the ontogeny of physiological regulations and functions, and their responses to the environment, remains a significant challenge. “Phenomics”, a global approach to …

Course Experiences That Promote And Inhibit Human-Centered Design, Elizabeth A. Sanders, Molly Goldstein, Justin L. Hess

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Engineers contribute to large-scale socio-technical challenges, and human-centered design offers a design thinking approach that helps engineers develop a thorough understanding of the socio-technical effects of their design work. Thus, effective strategies for assessing and teaching human-centered design are needed. This study aimed to identify course characteristics that influence how students experience human-centered design in an introductory systems engineering design course. First, we categorized open-ended written reflections to understand the degree to which students experienced human-centered design. Second, we performed a thematic analysis to characterize salient course experiences for two groups of students: (1) students who experienced human-centered design in …

Bacteroides Uniformis-Induced Perturbations In Colonic Microbiota And Bile Acid Levels Inhibit Th17 Differentiation And Ameliorate Colitis Developments, Yiting Yan, Yu Lei, Ying Qu, Zhen Fan, Ting Zhang, Qian Du, Yulin Chen, Ke Zhang, Enping Zhang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with gut dysbiosis and can lead to colitis-associated malignancies. Bacteroides uniformis (Bu) regulates animal intestinal homeostasis; however, the mechanism by which it alleviates colitis in mice remains unknown. We investigated the effects of B. uniformis JCM5828 and its metabolites on female C57BL/6J mice with dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS) induced colitis. Treatment with Bu considerably alleviated colitis progression and restored the mechanical and immune barrier protein expression. Additionally, Bu increased the abundance of the symbiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus vaginalis while decreasing that of pathogenic Escherichia-Shigella, and modulated intestinal bile acid metabolism. Bu largely …

Loss Of Syncrip Unleashes Apobec-Driven Mutagenesis, Tumor Heterogeneity, And Ar-Targeted Therapy Resistance In Prostate Cancer, Xiaoling Li, Yunguan Wang, Su Deng, Guanghui Zhu, Choushi Wang, Zeda Zhang, Yaru Xu, Lauren A Metang, Julisa Gonzalez, Atreyi Mukherji, Jianfeng Ye, Yuqiu Yang, Wei Peng, Yitao Tang, Mia Hofstad, Zhiqun Xie, Heewon Yoon, Liping Chen, Xihui Liu, Sujun Chen, Hong Zhu, Douglas Strand, Han Liang, Ganesh Raj, Housheng Hansen He, Joshua T Mendell, Bo Li, Tao Wang, Ping Mu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Tumor mutational burden and heterogeneity has been suggested to fuel resistance to many targeted therapies. The cytosine deaminase APOBEC proteins have been implicated in the mutational signatures of more than 70% of human cancers. However, the mechanism underlying how cancer cells hijack the APOBEC mediated mutagenesis machinery to promote tumor heterogeneity, and thereby foster therapy resistance remains unclear. We identify SYNCRIP as an endogenous molecular brake which suppresses APOBEC-driven mutagenesis in prostate cancer (PCa). Overactivated APOBEC3B, in SYNCRIP-deficient PCa cells, is a key mutator, representing the molecular source of driver mutations in some frequently mutated genes in PCa, including FOXA1, …

Gender Impact On Trauma-Exposed Populations, Melissa Flannigan

Graduate Teacher Education

Gender differences in trauma exposure have been well-established in published research. This paper explored the relationship between gender and its impact on exposure to traumatic events and the outcomes within trauma-exposed populations. Trauma can have profound and lasting effects on physical, mental, social, and behavioral well-being. The literature review identified gender differences in exposure to trauma types, PTSD prevalence and symptomatology, other mental health disorders, behavioral outcomes, and differences in physical health. Additionally, it explored the role of support systems, coping mechanisms, and risk factors for particular trauma-related outcomes. Furthermore, this paper examined the implications of the findings for professional …

Measures And Models Of Visual Acuity In Epipelagic And Mesopelagic Teleosts And Elasmobranchs, Eleanor M. Caves, Tracey Sutton, Eric J. Warrant, Sönke Johnsen

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Eyes in low-light environments typically must balance sensitivity and spatial resolution. Vertebrate eyes with large "pixels" (e.g., retinal ganglion cells with inputs from many photoreceptors) will be sensitive but provide coarse vision. Small pixels can render finer detail, but each pixel will gather less light, and thus have poor signal relative-to-noise, leading to lower contrast sensitivity. This balance is particularly critical in oceanic species at mesopelagic depths (200–1000 m) because they experience low light and live in a medium that significantly attenuates contrast. Depending on the spatial frequency and inherent contrast of a pattern being viewed, the viewer’s pupil size …

Lindsay Ortega Plaintiff-Appellee, V. Cynthia Jones Defendant-Appellant : Brief Of Appellee, Utah Court Of Appeals

Utah Court of Appeals Briefs (2020 –)

Appeal from Judgment of the Fourth Judicial District Court, Wasatch County, State of Utah, District Court No. 160500012 Honorable Jennifer A. Mabey presiding

Patricia Geary Glenn, Attorneys for Appellant

Kathleen D. Weron, Amanda L. Fuller, Christopher R. Hogle, Michael E. Harmond, Attorneys for Appellee

Targeted Sequencing Of The Panicum Miliaceum Gene Space And Genotyping Of Variant Sites From Population Genetics Studies, Combined In A Single Assay, As A Tool For Broomcorn Millet Assisted Breeding, Gabriele Magris, Serena Foria, Silvano Ciani, Dipak K. Santra, Ombretta Polenghi, Virna Cerne, Michele Morgante, Gabriele Di Gaspero

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is a prehistorical cereal, today cultivated as a minor crop with low yields but with a renewed interest for its high water use effciency and gluten-free grains. To reverse the downward trend in broomcorn millet cultivation, the crop needs genetic improvement and creation of novel genetic variation to increase productivity. In order to facilitate genomics-assisted breeding, we designed a reduced representation genome-sequencing assay that investigates 1.8% of the nuclear DNA in a targeted and reproducible way, with an intensity of genomic sampling that is a direct function of local recombination rate. We used this …

The S9 Model: A Comprehensive Framework For Conceptualizing Student Suicidality, Katherine C. Wilson

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation introduces the S9 Model of Suicidality, an innovative framework for conceptualizing and understanding suicidality among college students. The S9 Model integrates biological, psychological, ecological, and sociocultural dimensions of suicidality into a comprehensive approach to help inform prevention, intervention, and postvention on college campuses. Drawing from empirical research, the history of suicidology, relevant psychological theories, and insights from mental health practitioners, this model encapsulates a holistic view of suicidality, considering key factors like genetic predispositions, neurobiological processes, cognitive function, psychosocial stressors, cultural norms, societal expectations, and broader ecological contexts.

The model’s tripartite approach, focusing on the ontological, ecological, and …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Among Pakistani Women With Micro-Finance Loans: An Interpretive Descriptive Study, Farhana Irfan Madhani, Catherine Tompkins, Susan Jack, Carolyn Byrne

The Qualitative Report

Mental health has gained significant recognition and importance as a crucial aspect of overall well-being. An individual's mental health is influenced by the intersection of individual, social, cultural, and systematic sources of stress and resilience. It is important to include subjective conceptualizations of mental health and well-being to develop culturally sensitive approaches to mental health promotion. This qualitative study aimed to understand how urban-dwelling women living in Pakistan who are micro-finance loan recipients conceptualize the meaning of mental health. Using interpretive description methodology, data were collected and analyzed through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in Urdu with a purposeful sample of …

Hepatitis A Virus And Hepatitis E Virus As Food- And Waterborne Pathogens—Transmission Routes And Methods For Detection In Food

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Foodborne viruses are an important threat to food safety and public health. Globally, there are approximately 5 million cases of acute viral hepatitis due to hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) every year. HAV is responsible for numerous food-related viral outbreaks worldwide, while HEV is an emerging pathogen with a global health burden. The reported HEV cases in Europe have increased tenfold in the last 20 years due to its zoonotic transmission through the consumption of infected meat or meat products. HEV is considered the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide currently. This review focuses …

Mutation-Induced Changes In The Stability, B-Cell Epitope, And Antigenicity Of The Sars-Cov-2 Variant Spike Protein: A Comparative Computational Stud, Nira Meirita Wijayanti, Muhammad Hermawan Widyananda, Lailil Muflikhah, Nashi Widodo

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

The spike (S) protein is a major antigenicity site that targets neutralizing antibodies and drugs. The growing number of S protein mutations has become a severe problem for developing effective vaccines. Here, we investigated four severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that were the most infectious and widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the trends and patterns of mutation-induced changes in the stability, B-cell epitope, and antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. The data showed that the Beta and Gamma variants had three mutations on the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which is the specific site on the S …

Book Reviews, Aaron Astor, Angela M. Alexander, Amy L. Fluker, Cherisse Jones-Branch, Liz Skilton, Stephen J. Whitfield, Clay Williams

Journal of Mississippi History

Book reviews of:

In the Wake of War: Military Occupation, Emancipation, and Civil War America. By Andrew F. Lang. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2017. Acknowledgements, notes, bibliography, index. Pp. xi, 317. $47.50 cloth. ISBN: 978-0-8071-6706-9.)

Keep the Days: Reading the Civil War Diaries of Southern Women. By Steven M. Stowe (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2018. Acknowledgements, bibliographical references, and index. Pp. xxv, 199. $29.95 paper. ISBN: 9781469640969.)

The Guerrilla Hunters: Irregular Conflicts during the Civil War. Edited by Brian D. McKnight and Marton A. Myers. (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, …

2023 Summer Experience Program Abstracts, The University Of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Center

Summer Experience 2023

No abstract provided.

The Devil You Know And The Devil You Don’T: Current Status And Challenges Of Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication In The United States, Daniel J. O'Brien, Tyler C. Thacker, Liliana C.M. Salvador, Anthony G. Duffiney, Suelee Robbe‑Austerman, Mark S. Camacho, Jason E. Lombard, Mitchell V. Palmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Having entered into its second century, the eradication program for bovine tuberculosis (bTB, caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in the United States of America occupies a position both enviable and daunting. Excepting four counties in Michigan comprising only 6109 km2 (0.06% of US land area) classified as Modified Accredited, as of April 2022 the entire country was considered Accredited Free of bTB by the US Department of Agriculture for cattle and bison. On the surface, the now well-described circumstances of endemic bTB in Michigan, where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a free-ranging wildlife maintenance host, may appear to be …

Medical Muse Volume 7, Issue 2 - Fall/Winter 2002

Medical Muse

No abstract provided.

Medical Muse Volume 19, Issue 2 - Fall 2014

Medical Muse

No abstract provided.

Encounters With God: Rabbinic Stories And What We Can Learn From Them, Hershey H. Friedman, Linda Weiser Friedman

Journal of Religion and Business Ethics

Storytelling skills are an indispensable way of teaching people lessons. Unlike case histories that are limited to facts, stories can stir emotions and arouse the audience's passion. This may be why stories, even fiction, have been used to teach ethics/Mussar. The sages of the Talmud were not historians; they told stories—fascinating ones. The Rabbinic stories involving God are a clever device to teach various lessons about the Divine. Several of the above narratives demonstrate conclusively how the legal system based on the Torah is supposed to work. The stories are also designed to show that God cares about people and …

Clemson Commencement Program, August 2023, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Resource Assessment Report For Western Australian Salmon In Western Australia, Rodney Duffy Dr., Bianca Brooks, Alex Hesp, Amber Quinn, Blaine Hodgson, Marcus Newman

Fisheries Research Reports

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the Western Australian Salmon Resource (Resource) and all fishing activities (i.e., fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this Resource in WA. The overall Resource comprises a single species, Western Australian salmon, caught within WA, in both the WCB and SCB. This species is primarily captured during the annual autumn ‘salmon run’ by recreational fishers and commercial beach seine fishers that operate on the South Coast. The report contains information relevant to assist the assessment of the Resource against Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act export approval requirements / the Marine Stewardship …

Expanding The Volunteer Role To Include Advance Care Planning Knowledge, Andrea C. Leomo

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Transition patients at the end-of-life are those patients who are not mentally ready or physically eligible for hospice thus not enrolled in a Palliative or Hospice Program. Only one-third of the Transition patient census had completed and filed advance care plans. Healthcare providers are obligated to perform life-saving measures unless documented otherwise. A lack of advance care planning can create complicated scenarios and cause discordant care incidents.

Context: End-of-life care is a delicate subject to navigate conversations with patients. With holistic care being a large component of hospice and palliative care, it is important to have updated and accurate …

“Am I Light Enough?”: Mercury Poisoning Due To Skin-Lightening Products, A Policy, And A Culturally Competent Solution, Raven Joyce Redaniel Uayan

Master's Projects and Capstones

Introduction: This paper aims to declare skin-lightening products containing mercury as a public health issue that deserves recognition in health and attention in health policy reforms.

Background and Literature Review: The public health issue analyzed with research and literature review encompasses worldwide mercury poisoning cases, databases of illegal skin-lightening creams, cosmetic safety laws, and policies on online selling platforms. The literature review addresses the existing knowledge regarding mercury in skin-lightening products and identifies the gaps in health policy and awareness surrounding this issue.

Methods: The paper includes many articles analyzing the issue from a global perspective, utilizing …

Dna Methylation Networks Underlying Mammalian Traits, Amin Haghani

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Comparative epigenomics is an emerging field that combines epigenetic signatures with phylogenetic relationships to elucidate species characteristics such as maximum life span. For this study, we generated cytosine DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles (n = 15,456) from 348mammalian species using amethylation array platform that targets highly conserved cytosines.

RATIONALE: Nature has evolved mammalian species of greatly differing life spans. To resolve the relationship ofDNAmwith maximum life span and phylogeny, we performed a largescale cross-species unsupervised analysis. Comparative studies in many species enables the identification of epigenetic correlates of maximum life span and other traits.

RESULTS: We …

Irs-Sanctioned Secrecy For Religious Nonprofits: Stepstone Or Stumbling Block?, Mark W. Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

Internal Revenue Service code automatically confers 501(c)3 nonprofit charity status on religious nonprofits which appear to be “A church, convention of churches, or association of churches described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(i),” as labeled in the IRS Form 990. Additionally, religious charities functioning as a part of a church have no requirement to report any financial information or policies to the IRS or anyone else. This acquiescence to secrecy keeps most of the data on these nonprofit organizations unavailable for research or to inform legislative action or agency policies. This automatic status may also lead to complacency in organizations in financial accountability, …

Judicial Selection That Fails The Separation Of Powers, Stephen Ware

Catholic University Law Review

Executive power should be constrained by checks and balances. The United States’ long and strong tradition of concerns about executive power, and its complementary tradition of Madisonian checks and balances on and to the executive, include the selection of supreme court justices. Neither the U.S. Constitution nor the constitution of any state places solely in the executive the power to appoint a justice to begin a new term on the (federal or state) supreme court. However, several states fail to constrain gubernatorial power in selecting justices to finish a term already started by another justice and these interim appointments are …

Design And Synthesis Of Small Molecule Drugs For Cns Disorders, Kirsten T. Tolentino

Theses & Dissertations

Dopamine (DA) is an important neurotransmitter for the regulation and long-term function of the central nervous system (CNS). DA binds to Dopamine Receptors (DR) to stimulate or inhibit adenyl cyclase production to further elicit a pharmacological response. DRs were cloned, and it was determined that there are two families separated by their function and five total subtypes distinguished by their amino acid structure. The Dopamine 4 receptor (D4R) is the second least studied subtype but has high expression in the frontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, globus pallidus, substantia nigra pars reticula, and thalamus. Dopamine signaling and transmission, especially in the …

Exploiting Vulnerabilities In The Ras-Rac Signaling Pathway For The Selective Targeting Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells, Neha Chaudhary

Theses & Dissertations

Deregulation of the KRas (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus) GTPase is one of the early hallmarks of Pancreatic Cancer (PC). The most common genetic alteration found in PC are mutations in the KRas protein that block its ability to hydrolyze GTP to GDP and resulting in higher levels of GTP-bound KRas, its active form. Pancreatic tumors driven by oncogenic mutants of KRas tend to be addicted to the oncogene, to the extent that its repression leads to the induction of cell death. This addiction to the KRAS oncogene makes the KRas protein an ideal target for cancer therapy. However, the globular …

Understanding And Quantifying Bioaerosol Fate Within The Aerobiological Pathway: Physical Transport, Environmental Decay, And Mitigation, Sean Kinahan

Theses & Dissertations

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for better tools to understand and characterize phases of the aerobiological pathway, a model for understanding how infectious bioaerosols are sourced, generated, transported, deposit, and affect human health. This dissertation presents validation of methodologies for studying transport of airborne biological agents and variations on their consequences, especially focusing on their physical and chemical fate. Chapter 1 focuses on a parallel comparison of two methods of aging bioaerosols in real-world outdoor environments with complex sunlight, atmospheric chemistry, and pollutants. Both capture on microfibers and the use of Goldberg rotating drums to keep a …