Digital Commons Network^™

Plants Lack The Functional Neurotransmitters And Signaling Pathways Required For Sentience In Animals, David G. Robinson, Michael R. Blatt, Andreas Draguhn, Lincoln Taiz, Jon Mallatt

Animal Sentience

We cannot agree with Segundo-Ortin and Calvo that plants are sentient organisms. We have critically examined several aspects of their target article, and find their claims are not supported by the published evidence. We address these claims in sections on whether plants have a ‘neurobiology’ analogous to that of animal nervous systems, including neurotransmitters and synaptic receptors that respond to anesthetics; and whether plant signaling resembles neural transmission. For the latter, we especially consider the unique way plants signal their responses to wounding. Although the plant vascular system has been compared to the animal nervous system, animal blood vessels would …

Benthic Beasts: The Ecological Significance Of Lake Sturgeon And Blue Catfish In Eastern Appalachian Waterways, Stewart Thacker

Research Day

East Tennessee freshwater ecosystems comprise an abundance of an extremely diverse selection of species. This presentation examines Acipenser fulvescens and Ictalurus furcatus, two of the largest freshwater fish in the Appalachian area, which play significant ecological roles within the benthic dimension of our freshwater environments. Commonly known as “bottom-feeders,” Benthivorous species enjoy a broad range of food sources including other fish, detritus, crustaceans, and more. The extensive variety of food consumed by A. fulvescens and I. furcatus permits population control of other, denser, aquatic populations inhabiting other regions of the water column, as well as other organisms included …

Use Of Integrative, Complementary, And Alternative Medicine In Children With Epilepsy: A Global Scoping Review, Zahra Zhu, Daniela Dluzynski, Nouran Hammad, Deepika Pugalenthi, Sarah A. Walser, Rea Mittal, Debopam Samanta, Melanie L. Brown, Ali A. Asadi-Pooya, Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige, Alberto Spalice, Martina Capponi, Alain Lekoubou, Ashutosh Kumar, Sita Paudel, Paul R. Carney, Gayatra Mainali, Sunil Naik

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

(1) Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders in childhood. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is highly prevalent in patients with epilepsy. Despite CAM’s widespread and increasing popularity, its prevalence, forms, perceived benefits, and potential risks in pediatric epilepsy are rarely explored. (2) Methods: We performed a scoping review of the available literature on the use of CAM in pediatric epilepsy. (3) Results: Overall, global cross-sectional studies showed a variable degree of CAM usage among children with epilepsy, ranging from 13 to 44% in prevalence. Popular types of CAMs reported were supplements, cannabis products, aromatherapy, …

Peer-Supervision Of Nursing Professionals: A Shield Against Burnout, Kyle Gamache, Sarah Gamache, Joseph Robillard

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout is a major risk in healthcare professions and is a significant contributor to the current nursing shortage. Strategies to combat burnout of healthcare professionals are in desperate need. The purpose of this project is to introduce the clinical peer supervision model as a method to alleviate burnout in nursing professionals.

Approach: Eight nurses from in-patient settings participated in a peer-supervision support group, modeled after existing European nursing and mental health provider-support protocols. To assess the effect of this intervention, qualitative data analysis was conducted on the transcripts of session and the results described. All participants reported statistically high …

Contrast-Enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging With A Manganese-Based Alternative To Gadolinium For Tissue Characterization Of Acute Myocardial Infarction, Benjamin P. Bonner, Salva R. Yurista, Jaume Coll-Font, Shi Chen, Robert A. Eder, Anna N. Foster, Khoi D. Nguyen, Peter Caravan, Eric M. Gale, Christopher Nguyen

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is an effective and reproducible method for characterizing myocardial infarction. However, gadolinium-based contrast agents are contraindicated in patients with acute and chronic renal insufficiency. In addition, several recent studies have noted tissue deposition of free gadolinium in patients who have undergone serial contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. There is a clinical need for alternative forms of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents that are acceptable in the setting of renal insufficiency. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three days after 80 minutes of ischemia/reperfusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed …

The Bg News April 12, 2023, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. April 12, 2023. Volume 102-Issue 25.

One Population, Multiple Lifestyles: Commensalism And Pathogenesis In The Human Mycobiome, Diana M Proctor, Rebecca A Drummond, Michail S Lionakis, Julia A Segre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Candida auris and Candida albicans can result in invasive fungal diseases. And yet, these species can stably and asymptomatically colonize human skin and gastrointestinal tracts. To consider these disparate microbial lifestyles, we first review factors shown to influence the underlying microbiome. Structured by the damage response framework, we then consider the molecular mechanisms deployed by C. albicans to switch between commensal and pathogenic lifestyles. Next, we explore this framework with C. auris to highlight how host physiology, immunity, and/or antibiotic receipt are associated with progression from colonization to infection. While treatment with antibiotics increases the risk an individual will succumb …

Development Of A Corticosteroid-Immunosuppressed Mouse Model To Study The Pathogenesis And Therapy Of Influenza-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis, Sebastian Wurster, Jezreel Pantaleón García, Nathaniel D Albert, Ying Jiang, Keerthi Bhoda, Vikram V Kulkarni, Yongxing Wang, Thomas J Walsh, Scott Evans, Dimitrios P Kontoyiannis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) is a feared complication in patients with influenza tracheobronchitis, especially those receiving corticosteroids. Herein, we established a novel IAPA mouse model with low-inoculum Aspergillus infection and compared outcomes in mice with and without cortisone acetate (CA) immunosuppression. CA was an independent predictor of increased morbidity/mortality in mice with IAPA. Early antifungal treatment with liposomal amphotericin B was pivotal to improve IAPA outcomes in CA-immunosuppressed mice, even after prior antiviral therapy with oseltamivir. In summary, our model recapitulates key clinical features of IAPA and provides a robust preclinical platform to study the pathogenesis and treatment of IAPA.

Performance List | 1947-2023, Randal Blades, Bethany Latham

Department of Theatre & Film Performance Archive

This is a chronological list of all productions, as far as known, performed under the auspices of Jacksonville State from 1947 to the present.

Maturing Manga: An Analysis Of Adult Themes In Shōnen Manga, Audrey Leahy

Honors College Theses

Manga is a Japanese form of visual storytelling comparable to comic books and graphic novels that has seen a significant increase in popularity abroad in the twenty-first century. In Japan, manga is published in magazines intended for particular target audiences. The two most prominent of these are shōnen, manga for young men, and seinen, manga for adult men. This paper examines these demographics and explores the growing similarities between these two demographics. The research compares the adult content and themes of manga in both shōnen and seinen manga. The series Dorohedoro and Chainsaw Man were analyzed both quantitatively for amounts …

Sleep-Wake Patterns Are Altered With Age, Prdm13 Signaling In The Dmh, And Diet Restriction In Mice, Shogo Tsuji, Cynthia S Brace, Nicholas Rensing, Michael Wong, Shin-Ichiro Imai, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Old animals display significant alterations in sleep-wake patterns such as increases in sleep fragmentation and sleep propensity. Here, we demonstrated that PR-domain containing protein 13 (Prdm13)+ neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) are activated during sleep deprivation (SD) in young mice but not in old mice. Chemogenetic inhibition of Prdm13+ neurons in the DMH in young mice promotes increase in sleep attempts during SD, suggesting its involvement in sleep control. Furthermore, DMH-specific

Identification Of A Gabaergic Neural Circuit Governing Leptin Signaling Deficiency-Induced Obesity, Yong Han, Yang He, Lauren Harris, Yong Xu, Qi Wu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The hormone leptin is known to robustly suppress food intake by acting upon the leptin receptor (LepR) signaling system residing within the agouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons of the hypothalamus. However, clinical studies indicate that leptin is undesirable as a therapeutic regiment for obesity, which is at least partly attributed to the poorly understood complex secondary structure and key signaling mechanism of the leptin-responsive neural circuit. Here, we show that the LepR-expressing portal neurons send GABAergic projections to a cohort of α3-GABAA receptor expressing neurons within the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) for the control of leptin-mediated obesity phenotype. We identified the …

Isoflurane Conditioning Provides Protection Against Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Induced Delayed Cerebral Ischemia Through Nf-Kb Inhibition, Meizi Liu, Keshav Jayaraman, Jogender Mehla, Deepti Diwan, James W Nelson, Ahmed E Hussein, Ananth K Vellimana, Yousef Abu-Amer, Gregory J Zipfel, Umeshkumar Athiraman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) is the largest treatable cause of poor outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Nuclear Factor Kappa-light-chain-enhancer of Activated B cells (NF-kB), a transcription factor known to function as a pivotal mediator of inflammation, is upregulated in SAH and is pathologically associated with vasospasm. We previously showed that a brief exposure to isoflurane, an inhalational anesthetic, provided multifaceted protection against DCI after SAH. The aim of our current study is to investigate the role of NF-kB in isoflurane-conditioning-induced neurovascular protection against SAH-induced DCI. Twelve-week-old wild type male mice (C57BL/6) were divided into five groups: sham, SAH, SAH …

Unmanned Aircraft Systems For Wildlife Hazard Assessments During Nightfall, Janelle Drennan

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Part 139 airport operators are required to conduct a wildlife hazard assessment (WHA) whenever a wildlife strike occurs on or near the airport. The WHA is a formal assessment conducted by a qualified airport wildlife biologist to observe and identify wildlife species, their numbers and behaviors; and to identify locations around the airport that could attract wildlife. The current approach, however, has several limitations that could be mitigated with innovative applications of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The researcher will explore the use of UAS technologies at night to support data collection during a WHA. The researcher will use a DJI …

Developing An Optimization Algorithm For Snapping Shrimp Communication, Julia Gorthey

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Swarm intelligence in animals have been used to design previous optimization methods. One optimization method, Ant Colony Optimization uses computer simulated pheromone trails formed by ants to find the most optimal path. Scholars have not applied underwater swarm intelligence behavior for optimization algorithms. My key research question is how can underwater swarm activity inspire an optimization or consensus algorithm? Since beginning work, the topic has pivoting from food pathfinding to colony intruder response using snapping shrimp. The behavior of the colony is will be used to create and test a biological model and lead to development of an algorithm for …

Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Addison Haddock, Chad Welsh

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a pathogenic bacterium that has developed resistance to several previously adequate treatments. This is a growing health crisis in the United States, particularly in hospitals where vulnerable individuals are at increased risk of exposure and infection. The scientists challenging this issue are investigating the processes driving the bacterium’s drug resistant nature in hopes of discovering effective treatment strategies. However, as the bacterium continues to evolve and acquire new mutations over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to combat. The emergence and persistent spread of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthcare settings pose a hazard to society, emphasizing the …

Gis Observations Of Missouri Amphibian Diversity, Kat Townsend, Tara Vansell

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Over the past decade, amphibian populations have been noticeably declining. As struggles between climate change, human development, and sustaining healthy ecosystems grows, it is vital to understand how these threats impact amphibians. Missouri has a rich diversity of toads, frogs, and salamanders but some of these species are struggling, such as the spring peeper and Ozark hellbender. Projects such as the St. Louis Zoo’s Frog Watch and iNaturalist observations have been implemented to involve citizens of Missouri in collecting valuable data pertaining to where amphibians are present and establishing where populations are struggling to thrive. The goal of this project …

Detection Of Carbamazepine, Diclofenac, And Ketoprofen Via A Spe-Hplc-Pda Method In A Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant In East Texas, Usa, Gary Lopez, Anthony Broom

Undergraduate Research Conference

Pharmaceutical compounds are introduced into the environment and may pose adverse environmental and human health effects. The sources of pharmaceuticals include sewage, animal waste, and/or improper disposal from homes and hospitals. In this study, the spectroscopic, and chromatographic properties of carbamazepine (CBZ), diclofenac (DF), and ketoprofen (KT) were analyzed by using UV-Vis, fluorescence and HPLC. Via UV-VIS spectroscopy, CBZ, DF, and KT exhibited absorption peaks at 285 nm, 284 nm and 255.6 nm, respectively. The determined fluorescence quantum yield (Ff) for CBZ, DF, and KT were Ff = 0.226, 0.287, and 0.327, respectively. Retention times was observed at 3.84 (CBZ), …

In Defense Of Imperfect Solutions, Victoria Hoover

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Air Pollutants Around An Animal Feed Processing Facility In Nacogdoches, Tx: A Study On Their Effect On Local Outdoor Air Quality, Reyna Burns, Remigio Casanova, Cari Mitchell, Caroline Moore, Kaylee Zirlott

Undergraduate Research Conference

In this exploratory study, different odorous compounds were measured near TFP Nutrition to better understand the impact of odor on local outdoor air quality. TFP Nutrition produces pet feed, livestock feed, and agricultural fertilizer for local brand Lone Star Feeds. It is known in the Nacogdoches area for producing powerful odors near its facilities. It is in the downtown area of the city and in proximity to an elementary school, recreational softball fields, and residential homes. Odors can be connected to the presence of air pollutants. This study on air quality was performed to quantify this data on odors for …

Reason And Rationality In The Post-Pandemic Era, Jordan Schwanke

Student Research Symposium

My research investigates human reason and rationality's proper function and role in the Post-Pandemic Era. First, humans can intuit reasons for their beliefs and intuitions. But more importantly, reason is the metarepresentational ability to evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of reasons and arguments. Reason, through the process of evolution, is fundamentally used for justification and argumentation. Second, individuals can summon reason to justify an established moral intuition. Argumentation helps interlocutors self-reflect on political and moral beliefs, opinions, and intuitions, influencing people to change their minds. Third, human reason and rationality are accompanied by internal cognitive limitations: confirmation bias influences the …

Oxytocin Receptor Binding In The Substantia Nigra In Schizophrenia, Ariel Snowden

Student Research Symposium

Schizophrenia is a chronic, psychiatric disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, cognitive deficits, and social cognitive impairments. Although antipsychotic drugs are typically effective in treating psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia, the social cognitive symptoms often persist. As social cognitive functioning is predictive of successful life outcomes in schizophrenia, there is a critical need to determine the biological basis of social cognitive impairments. Due to its ability to affect social behaviors in animals and humans, the oxytocin (OXT) system has become a therapeutic target of interest for schizophrenia. Although several studies examine the OXT system in schizophrenia in the periphery, it is currently …

The Grieving Brain: Effect Of Pairmate Loss On Coyote Oxytocin Receptor Densities, Kaleb Keller

Student Research Symposium

Complicated grief is a severe mental health disorder that can have detrimental effects on individuals who have lost a loved one. Understanding the biological underpinnings of grief is essential in being able to help develop effective treatments and therapies. Oxytocin is heavily implicated in studies about grief and pairmate loss due to its importance in modulating social behavior such as pair bond formation. Previous research has primarily focused on rodents and non-human primates as model organisms of social attachment and studies have shown that monogamous prairie voles showed a decrease in oxytocin receptor (OXTR) binding in the nucleus accumbens after …

Mapping Vasopressin Receptors In Deep Structures Of The Coyote Brain, Maggie Zentner

Student Research Symposium

Vasopressin is a hormone that is integral in memory, social behaviour, aggression, and bonding. Coyotes are monogamous animals with complex societal structure. Thus, it can be assumed that vasopressin is incredibly important in the function of the coyote brain. We looked at the deep structures of the coyote brain using 25 μm slices and mapped the areas of vasopressin binding using 125I-LVA. We found that the most dense areas of binding were in areas of the brain that play a role in learning, memory, cervical and head muscles, and odour discrimination, among others. These functions are largely integral in forming …

Heart2heart Online: A Discrimination-Based Stress Reduction Intervention For People Of Color, Shari Linares

Student Research Symposium

The purpose of this project was to extend prior work on developing an intervention to reduce discrimination-based stress, moving from Latinx college students to a broader audience of people of color. In addition, moving the intervention online from a face-to-face modality allowed the researchers to have a broader reach, thus broader impact and larger reach. The original intervention, Heart 2 Heart was developed for in-person delivery prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (Domenech Rodríguez Linares, 2020a). A single-subject design evaluation showed some evidence of promise in reducing discrimination-based stress, however, the project was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, …

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Third Volume Of Islamic Translation Series Released

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

With the release of a third volume, and with several more soon to follow, the continuity of the Islamic Translation Series is assured. The latest volume is an English translation of a newly prepared critical text of The Philosophy of Illumination, by Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi. Like the other books in the series, it belongs to a rich tradition of medieval Islamic philosophy and mysticism that has, until now, remained obscure in the Western world and largely unavailable in English translation.

Farms Web Site Features Information On The Dead Sea Scrolls

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The FARMS Web site now offers a link to material on the Dead Sea Scrolls. To access it from the Member Services section or the Free Services section of the FARMS Web site, click on the heading "Dead Sea Scrolls," found under "Links of Interest." Nine topics will appear, covering general information on the scrolls as well as information on the scroll exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago and the traveling scroll exhibit currently touring Latter-day Saint stake centers in the Midwest.

Lds Church Sponsors Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit In Chicago

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the principal sponsors of an exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls that opened on 10 March at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois. Running through 11 June 2000, the exhibit features 15 scroll texts and 80 artifacts excavated at Qumran, a site of ancient ruins located near the caves where the scrolls were first discovered.

Treating Yellow Fever Virus With The Antiviral Bdaa And Effects On The Immune Response In An Animal Model, Abbie Weight

Student Research Symposium

Yellow fever virus (YFV) is a mosquito-borne virus with a considerable disease burden in South America and Africa and no approved antivirals. BDAA is an experimental antiviral for YFV which inhibits the viral protein NS4B and is effective against YFV in cell culture and a hamster model. Along with directly inhibiting virus replication, treating YFV-infected cells with BDAA increases the detection and response to foreign RNA by the host cell by releasing YFV replication intermediates into the cytoplasm. While this has been shown in cell culture, it is important to understand if this immune effect is relevant to BDAA’s efficacy …