Digital Commons Network^™

Pan-Cancer Landscape Of Aid-Related Mutations, Composite Mutations, And Their Potential Role In The Ici Response, Isaias Hernández-Verdin, Kadir C Akdemir, Daniele Ramazzotti, Giulio Caravagna, Karim Labreche, Karima Mokhtari, Khê Hoang-Xuan, Matthieu Peyre, Franck Bielle, Mehdi Touat, Ahmed Idbaih, Alex Duval, Marc Sanson, Agustí Alentorn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase, AICDA or AID, is a driver of somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination in immunoglobulins. In addition, this deaminase belonging to the APOBEC family may have off-target effects genome-wide, but its effects at pan-cancer level are not well elucidated. Here, we used different pan-cancer datasets, totaling more than 50,000 samples analyzed by whole-genome, whole-exome, or targeted sequencing. AID mutations are present at pan-cancer level with higher frequency in hematological cancers and higher presence at transcriptionally active TAD domains. AID synergizes initial hotspot mutations by a second composite mutation. AID mutational load was found to be independently associated with …

Germline Variants Associated With Toxicity To Immune Checkpoint Blockade, Stefan Groha, Sarah Abou Alaiwi, Wenxin Xu, Vivek Naranbhai, Amin H Nassar, Ziad Bakouny, Talal El Zarif, Renee Maria Saliby, Guihong Wan, Ahmad Rajeh, Elio Adib, Pier V Nuzzo, Andrew L Schmidt, Chris Labaki, Biagio Ricciuti, Joao Victor Alessi, David A Braun, Sachet A Shukla, Tanya E Keenan, Eliezer Van Allen, Mark M Awad, Michael Manos, Osama Rahma, Leyre Zubiri, Alexandra-Chloe Villani, Benjamin Fairfax, Christian Hammer, Zia Khan, Kerry Reynolds, Yevgeniy Semenov, Deborah Schrag, Kenneth L Kehl, Matthew L Freedman, Toni K Choueiri, Alexander Gusev

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have yielded remarkable responses but often lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Although germline causes for irAEs have been hypothesized, no individual variant associated with developing irAEs has been identified. We carried out a genome-wide association study of 1,751 patients on ICIs across 12 cancer types. We investigated two irAE phenotypes: (1) high-grade (3-5) and (2) all-grade events. We identified 3 genome-wide significant associations (P < 5 × 10-8) in the discovery cohort associated with all-grade irAEs: rs16906115 near IL7 (combined P = 3.6 × 10-11; hazard ratio (HR) = 2.1); rs75824728 near IL22RA1 (combined P = 3.5 × 10-8; HR = 1.8); and rs113861051 on 4p15 (combined P = 1.2 × 10-8, HR = 2.0); rs16906115 was replicated in 3 independent studies. The association near IL7 colocalized with the gain of a new cryptic exon for IL7, a critical regulator of lymphocyte homeostasis. Patients carrying the IL7 germline variant exhibited significantly increased lymphocyte stability after ICI initiation, which was itself predictive of downstream irAEs and improved survival.

Quantification Of Manipulation Forces Needed For Robot-Assisted Reduction Of The Ankle Syndesmosis: An Initial Cadaveric Study, Mikias Gebremeskel, Babar Shafiq, Ali Uneri, Niral Sheth, Corey Simmerer, Wojciech Zbijewski, Jeffrey H Siewerdsen, Kevin Cleary, Gang Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Manual surgical manipulation of the tibia and fibula is necessary to properly align and reduce the space in ankle fractures involving sprain of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. However, manual reduction is highly variable and can result in malreduction in about half of the cases. Therefore, we are developing an image-guided robotic assistant to improve reduction accuracy. The purpose of this study is to quantify the forces associated with reduction of the ankle syndesmosis to define the requirements for our robot design.

METHODS: Using a cadaveric specimen, we designed a fixture jig to fix the tibia securely on the operating …

Mildly Dysplastic Oral Lesions With Optically-Detectable Abnormalities Share Genetic Similarities With Severely Dysplastic Lesions, David R Brenes, Allison J Nipper, Melody T Tan, Frederico O Gleber-Netto, Richard A Schwarz, Curtis R Pickering, Michelle D Williams, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Ann M Gillenwater, Andrew G Sikora, Rebecca R Richards-Kortum

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Optical imaging studies of oral premalignant lesions have shown that optical markers, including loss of autofluorescence and altered morphology of epithelial cell nuclei, are predictive of high-grade pathology. While these optical markers are consistently positive in lesions with moderate/severe dysplasia or cancer, they are positive only in a subset of lesions with mild dysplasia. This study compared the gene expression profiles of lesions with mild dysplasia (stratified by optical marker status) to lesions with severe dysplasia and without dysplasia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty oral lesions imaged in patients undergoing oral surgery were analyzed: nine without dysplasia, nine with severe …

Learning From The Past: A Century Of Accuracy, Aspirations, And Aspersions In Brachytherapy, Christopher S Melhus, Samantha J Simiele, Manik Aima, Susan Richardson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The oldest form of radiation therapy, brachytherapy, has been investigated and reported in the scientific and medical literature for well over a century. Known by many names over the years, radium-based, empirical practices evolved over decades to contemporary practice. This includes treatment at various dose rates using multiple radionuclides or even electrically generated photon sources. Predictions or prognostications of what may happen in the future enjoy a history that spans centuries, e.g. those by Nostradamus in the 1500s. In this review article, publications from several eras of past practice between the early 1900s and the late 2010s where the authors …

Biobehavioral Factors Predict An Exosome Biomarker Of Ovarian Carcinoma Disease Progression, Susan K Lutgendorf, Premal H Thaker, Michael J Goodheart, Jesusa M G Arevalo, Mamur A Chowdhury, Alyssa E Noble, Laila Dahmoush, George M Slavich, Frank J Penedo, Anil K Sood, Steven W Cole

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Biobehavioral factors such as social isolation and depression have been associated with disease progression in ovarian and other cancers. Here, the authors developed a noninvasive, exosomal RNA profile for predicting ovarian cancer disease progression and subsequently tested whether it increased in association with biobehavioral risk factors.

METHODS: Exosomes were isolated from plasma samples from 100 women taken before primary surgical resection or neoadjuvant (NACT) treatment of ovarian carcinoma and 6 and 12 months later. Biobehavioral measures were sampled at all time points. Plasma from 76 patients was allocated to discovery analyses in which morning presurgical/NACT exosomal RNA profiles were …

Juvenile Report, December 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Juvenile Reports

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Felon Population Update, December 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Felon Population Reports

No abstract provided.

Tennessee Jail Summary Report, December 2022, Tennessee. Department Of Correction.

Jail Summary Reports

No abstract provided.

The Price Of Longevity - Empirical Evidence From Road Pavements, Hanna Kemaw

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Graduate Student Reports

The vast network of county, city and town roads, represent a big part of public assets in most states and often account for a significant share of the public spending on roads. This spending on local road infrastructure help to build, operate, and preserve such infrastructure and therefore provide critical accessibility and mobility to the residents of counties, towns and cities. With the ever-growing volumes of personal and commercial traffic at local roads, the task of maintaining satisfactory levels of service at local roads has become more challenging, and this issue is exacerbated by limited resources, asset aging, and increasing …

Identifying Dis/Misinformation On Social Media: A Policy Report For The Diplomacy Lab Strategies For Identifying Mis/Disinformation Project, Bethany S. Mcgowan, Matthew Hannah, Sofia Babcock, Katelyn Biggs, Lara Chuppe, Christina Galiatsatos, Jannine Huby, Michael Kuczajda, Bennet Miller, Stephanie Perun, Amanda Shie, Alicia Stevance, Andrew Yason, Charlotte Yeung

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Dis/misinformation was a major concern in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and has only worsened in recent years. Even though domestic actors often spread dis/misinformation, actors abroad can use it to spread confusion and push their agenda to the detriment of American citizens. Even though this report focuses on actors outside the United States, the methods they use are universal and can be adapted to work against domestic agents. A solid understanding of these methods is the first step in combating foreign dis/misinformation campaigns and creating a new information literacy paradigm.

This report highlights the primary mechanisms of dis/misinformation: multimedia …

A Jurisprudential Quilt Of Tribal Civil Jurisdiction: An Analysis Of Tribal Court Approaches To Determining Civil Adjudicatory Jurisdiction, Jacob Maiman-Stadtmauer

American Indian Law Journal

There are hundreds of Native American Tribes with their own judicial systems and courts. Under the test first established in Montana v. United States, the Supreme Court of the United States has provided a single, nebulous standard for determining the limits of tribal courts’ jurisdiction over non-Indians. Scholars and federal jurists have long assumed that the Supreme Court's framework limiting tribal civil jurisdiction is essential to how tribal courts determine jurisdiction. This paper challenges that assumption. Through a first of its kind survey of tribal court decisions on civil jurisdiction, spanning 26 tribes and covering 71 decisions, this paper …

The Digital Isolation Of Indigenous Communities, Myranda Buiquy

American Indian Law Journal

The crude mistreatment of the tribes across America has continued to undermine Indigenous wealth and empowerment, leaving many Native people without proper housing, education, running water, healthcare, and telecommunications services. Tribes are forced to advocate for themselves to the federal government, instead of receiving support and compensation for generations of colossal exploitation.The federal government continues to breach their responsibility in protecting tribal treaty rights and must assume responsibility in closing an economic divide that has only worsened due to the pandemic.

Indigenous communities continue to endure disadvantaged living conditions, leaving their people without adequate resources. In addition, this vulnerable demographic …

Education Administration In Federal Indian Law: Learning From A Colonial Project Turned Tool Of Liberation, Ariel Liberman, Douglas L. Waters Jr.

American Indian Law Journal

While statistics tend to focus on the difficulties facing tribal education, this article endeavors to look at the matter with fresh eyes. The federal administrative paradigm governing tribal schools has gone from a tool of cultural genocide to a mechanism for empowerment. A survey of recent governmental reforms demonstrates an embrace of the diversity of Indigenous communities, an interest in empowering students through learning, and an acknowledgement of a history of active disenfranchisement. This is ever-evolving federal-tribal relationship shows the administrative state’s capacity for dealing with greatly nuanced community needs and for tailor-making reforms to achieve concrete goals, even if …

Distinct Thalamic And Frontal Neuroanatomical Substrates In Children With Familial Vs. Non-Familial Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Rahman Baboli, Meng Cao, Jeffrey M. Halperin, Xiaobo Li

Publications and Research

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent, inheritable, and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder. Children with a family history of ADHD are at elevated risk of having ADHD and persisting its symptoms into adulthood. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of having or not having positive family risk factor in the neuroanatomy of the brain in children with ADHD. Cortical thickness-, surface area-, and volume-based measures were extracted and compared in a total of 606 participants, including 132, 165, and 309 in groups of familial ADHD (ADHD-F), non-familial ADHD (ADHD-NF), and typically developed children, respectively. Compared to controls, …

Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Origins And Evolution, Bert Chapman

FORCES Initiative: Strategy, Security, and Social Systems

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is located on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts and has served as a national emergency petroleum supply resource since 1975. Contents of this report include:

• Information on the historical origins of U.S. national petroleum reserves dating back to 1910.
• The U.S.’ increasing growth as a petroleum consumer and its energy policy interactions with other countries.
• How the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo forced drastic changes in U.S. energy policy leading to the SPR’s establishment.
• The SPR’s legal purpose being creating and maintaining a strategic oil reserve to mitigate against future oil import interruptions or …

Appreciative Administration: How The Appreciative Education Theory-To-Practice Framework Is Being Infused Into Higher Education Administrative Practices, Meagan Elsberry

Faculty and Staff Publications & Presentations

This qualitative grounded theory study updated the framework, including a definition, of Appreciative Administration. Bloom et al. (2013) first introduced the concept of Appreciative Education in a New Directions for Student Services article. Appreciative Education’s framework is harnessed by the power of the organizational development theory of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987), the relationship-building theory-to-practice framework of Appreciative Advising (Bloom & Martin, 2002; Bloom et al., 2008), and an Appreciative Mindset. Bloom and McClellan (2016) coined the phrase Appreciative Administration to describe how higher education administrators could lead their organizations by harnessing the power of Appreciative Education. To date, …

The Role Of Lipocalin 2 In Type 1 Diabetic Osteopathy, Rawan Mahmoud Bdair

Theses

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2), also known as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), plays an important role in the innate immune response and functions as a growth factor. The role of LCN2 as an anti-inflammatory protein and its function in bone metabolism is poorly understood. It is hypothesized that the administration of Lipocalin-2 in diabetic and non-diabetic rats will positively improve the bone microstructure. This study investigated the effect of lipocalin2 on bone metabolism in type 1 diabetic osteopathy (T1DO). Three-month-old male Wistar rats (n=24) were obtained from the animal house facility at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) for this study. All animal …

Beyond The Numbers: A Deeper Dive Into The Dearth Of Girls And Women In Stem, Jennifer John Buck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite decades of research attempting to better understand the dearth of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), gender imbalances persist in many STEM fields. This is particularly the case in math-intensive STEM fields. The current program of research used mixed-methods research to better understand these inequities. The first paper identified gender and ethnic variation in how undergraduates reason about STEM inequities. The second paper found that how emerging adults narrate “turning points” in their relationship with math was associated with their current math outcomes and future plans to pursue math. The final paper demonstrated that how …

Jiapi: A Type Checker Generator For Statically Typed Languages, Benjamin Cisneros Merino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Type systems are a key characteristic in the context of the study of programming languages. They frequently offer a simple, intuitive way of expressing and testing the fundamental structure of programs. This is especially true when types are used to provide formal, machine-checked documentation for an implementation. For example, the absence of type errors in code prior to execution is what type systems for static programming languages are designed to assure, and in the literature, type systems that satisfy this requirement are referred to as sound type systems. Types also define module interfaces, making them essential for achieving and maintaining …

Calcite Spherulite Formations And Their Controls In Halophilic Bacterial Cultures, Zakaria Jibrin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study arose from an accidental discovery of calcite spherulites forming on colonies of various halophilic bacteria grown on solid Luria-Bertani medium made containing water from a brine pool in Death Valley, their natural habitat. Further studies with a large spherulite forming bacteria, Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis, showed that calcite precipitation conditions were the consequence of bacteria using amino acids as a source of carbon and energy, a metabolism that produces NH3 and CO2 waste products. NH3 raises the pH of the medium, turning CO2 into CO32-. Calcium in the natural brine combines with CO32-. The resulting spherulitic calcite precipitation is nano-acicular …

Developing A Hands-On Class Exercise For Modular Construction, 3d Design, And 4d Schedule, Kyle A. Kithas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modular construction shows promise as a viable alternative to stick-built construction. A major challenge with the widespread adoption of modular construction is the construction industry’s focus on minimizing risk and defaulting to the comfort and familiarity of stick-built construction. This pattern can be broken through an educational paradigm shift in the way architecture, engineering, and construction are taught in school. Integrating modular construction education into higher education is presented to increase the future adoption of modular construction and expand the comfort zones of future industry leaders. This thesis proposes that current curriculum be augmented to teach the modular approach in …

Automated Approach For The Enhancement Of Scaffolding Structure Monitoring With Strain Sensor Data, Sayan Sakhakarmi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction researchers have made a significant effort to improve the safety of scaffolding structures, as a large proportion of workers are involved in construction activities requiring scaffolds. However, most past studies focused on design and planning aspects of scaffolds. While limited studies investigated scaffolding safety during construction, they are limited to simple cases only with limited failure modes and simple scaffolds. In response to this limitation, this study aims to develop an automated scaffold monitoring approach capable of monitoring large scaffolds. Accordingly, this study developed an automated scaffold safety monitoring framework that leverages sensor data collected from a scaffold, scaffold …

Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance Behavior Among Hispanics/Latinxs In Nevada: A Theory-Based Analysis, Tara Marie Naoe Tacderan Wong Nerida

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many lives around the world, leaving negative repercussions including health effects, economic downturns, and social and physical restrictions. The pandemic has also revealed many disproportionate health impacts on vulnerable populations, especially among the Hispanic and Latinx populations. The use of the three COVID-19 vaccines in the United States has presented a form of protection against additional negative impacts. However, hesitancy toward the COVID-19 vaccine has hindered its rapid uptake, preventing the country from reaching herd immunity and ultimately ending the pandemic. Current research is minimal in understanding the intentions of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine among …

Mga Impluwensiyang Kros-Lingguwistik Sa Panggitnang Wika Ng Mga Hapones, Koreano, At Tsinong Mag-Aaral Ng Wikang Filipino, Ronel O. Laranjo

Katipunan

Sa pagtuturo ng wikang Filipino sa mga unibersidad sa loob at labas ng bansa, mapapansin mula sa mga obserbasyon ng mga Pilipino at banyagang guro at mananaliksik na may mga feature ng gramar ng Filipino ang mahirap ituro sa mga mag-aaral, kaya naman hirap din ang mga estudyante sa pagreprodyus ng mga ito. Nagbibigay ng bagong perspektiba ang pananaliksik na ito sa pamamagitan ng pagtutok naman sa mismong proseso ng pagkatuto at pagtamo ng Filipino bilang ikalawang wika. Isa sa mga pamamalagay sa larangan ng Second Language Acquisition o Pagtamo ng Ikalawang Wika ang Teoryang Interlanguage o Panggitnang Wika, kung …

Nutrient Recovery From Wastewater By A Consortium Of Algae Species For Biofuel Production, Edgardo Ayala

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Current energy sources are predominantly petroleum-based and their use increases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As the global population grows, and along with it the demand for energy, there is a need to further develop renewable energy sources to avoid the effects of increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations on the climate. Biofuels, a renewable energy source, have gained significant interest as a replacement for petroleum-based fuels due to their environmental benefits and carbon neutrality. Biofuels are expected to make up 9.0% of the total fuel consumption in the U.S. by 2040, up from 7.3% in 2019 [1]. Currently, terrestrial crop-based biofuels …

Use Of Harsh-Braking Data From Connected Vehicles As A Surrogate Safety Measure, Nathaniel Patrick Edelmann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Traffic safety may be analyzed with the use of surrogate safety measures, measures of safety that do not incorporate collision data but rather rely on the concept of traffic conflicts. Use of these measures provides several benefits over use of more traditional analysis methods with historical crash data. Surrogate measures eliminate the need to wait for crashes to occur to conduct a safety analysis. The amount of time required for enough crash data to accumulate can be significant, delaying safety analyses. Similarly, these measures allow for safety analysis to be conducted prior to crashes occurring, potentially calling attention to hazardous …

Dna Origami Scaffold Development For Digital Nucleic Acid Memory, Sarah Elizabeth Kobernat

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Recently, DNA nanotechnology has emerged as a promising and rapidly expanding method to utilize nucleic acids as a nanoscale building material. DNA origami is a major structural application of DNA nanotechnology, using DNA to construct two- and three-dimensional shapes. These structures have been employed for a variety of uses including DNA data storage. DNA is a promising material to address the impending shortage of silicon-based storage as data demands increase. There are many sequence-based methods of data storage, but digit Nucleic Acid Memory (dNAM) uses DNA origami as a breadboard and is read by super-resolution microscopy instead. dNAM uses DNA …

Meshfree Methods For Pdes On Surfaces, Andrew Michael Jones

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on meshfree methods for solving surface partial differential equations (PDEs). These PDEs arise in many areas of science and engineering where they are used to model phenomena ranging from atmospheric dynamics on earth to chemical signaling on cell membranes. Meshfree methods have been shown to be effective for solving surface PDEs and are attractive alternatives to mesh-based methods such as finite differences/elements since they do not require a mesh and can be used for surfaces represented only by a point cloud. The dissertation is subdivided into two papers and software.

In the first paper, we examine the …

Hate Speech Detection Using Textual And User Features, Rohan Raut

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Social media platforms provide users with a powerful platform to share their ideas. Using one’s right to expression to incite hatred toward a particular group of people is inappropriate. However, hate speech is pervasive in our society. Spreading hate through online social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, and Instagram is commonplace in today’s milieu. One such case is the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which engendered anti-Asian hate.

In current literature, there is limited study on using user features in conjunction with textual features to detect hate. This thesis aims to combine textual features with user features to improve the state-of-the-art hate …