Digital Commons Network^™

High Throughput Sequencing For Clinical Tuberculosis: An Overview, Tara E Ness, Andrew Dinardo, Maha R Farhat

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

High throughput sequencing (HTS) can identify the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in a clinical sample while also providing information on drug susceptibility. Multiple studies have provided a context for exploring the clinical application of HTS for TB diagnosis. The workflow challenges, strengths and limitations of the various sequencing platforms, and tools used for analysis are presented to provide a framework for further innovations in the field.

Conformational Motions And Ligand-Binding Underlying Gating And Regulation In Ip3r Channel, Guizhen Fan, Mariah R Baker, Lara E Terry, Vikas Arige, Muyuan Chen, Alexander B Seryshev, Matthew L Baker, Steven J Ludtke, David I Yule, Irina I Serysheva

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) are activated by IP3 and Ca2+ and their gating is regulated by various intracellular messengers that finely tune the channel activity. Here, using single particle cryo-EM analysis we determined 3D structures of the nanodisc-reconstituted IP3R1 channel in two ligand-bound states. These structures provide unprecedented details governing binding of IP3, Ca2+ and ATP, revealing conformational changes that couple ligand-binding to channel opening. Using a deep-learning approach and 3D variability analysis we extracted molecular motions of the key protein domains from cryo-EM density data. We find that IP3 binding relies upon intrinsic flexibility of the ARM2 domain in the …

Applications Of Covalent Chemistry In Targeted Protein Degradation, Dong Lu, Xin Yu, Hanfeng Lin, Ran Cheng, Erika Y Monroy, Xiaoli Qi, Meng C Wang, Jin Wang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and targeted covalent inhibitors (TCIs) are currently two exciting strategies in the fields of chemical biology and drug discovery. Extensive research in these two fields has been conducted, and significant progress in these fields has resulted in many clinical candidates, some of which have been approved by FDA. Recently, a novel concept termed covalent PROTACs that combine these two strategies has emerged and gained an increasing interest in the past several years. Herein, we briefly review and highlight the mechanism and advantages of TCIs and PROTACs, respectively, and the recent development of covalent PROTACs using irreversible and …

Interdisciplinary Management Of People With Communication And/Or Swallowing Disorders: Confidence, Knowledge And Experience Of Undergraduate Allied Health Students, Matthew Kelly, Rachael Unicomb, Sally Hewat

Health Professions Education

Purpose. Interprofessional collaboration is an important aspect of health practice. Individuals with communication and/or swallowing impairments are often managed by interdisciplinary teams including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and other healthcare professionals. Literature reports that other allied health professionals may not be confident working with this caseload and little evidence exists that explores undergraduate allied health students’ confidence, knowledge, and experience working with this caseload, and as part of an interdisciplinary team. Such knowledge is essential in order to inform curriculum and to improve overall professional practice and patient outcomes. This research aimed to investigate: (1) the knowledge and confidence of non-SLP …

Systematic Website Review Of Diversity Embeddedness In U.S.-Based Graduate Health Professions Education Programs, Amanda K. Burbage, Gabriella Marie Adams

Health Professions Education

Purpose. The value of a diverse healthcare workforce and the need for all healthcare providers to be educated to provide culturally competent care is widely acknowledged. In part, educating diverse and culturally competent providers is a responsibility of higher education institutions. This study investigated health professions education (HPE) institution-level and program-level websites for evidence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content to address the recruitment and the preparedness of future health profession educators using the diversity and inclusion engaged marketing (DIEM) framework. The study was guided by two research questions: What is the relationship between institution-level and HPE program-level website …

Trade Books, Comics, And Local History: Exploring Fred Shuttleworth’S Fight For Civil Rights, Jeremiah Clabough, Caroline Sheffield

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This one-week project utilized the trade book Black and White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene Bull Connor (Brimner, 2011) to explore non-violent advocacies during the 1950s and 1960s civil rights movement. Students read selected excerpts from the trade book and created a comic narrative to convey their understanding of the civil rights advocacies of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama. The students were able to accurately portray Rev. Shuttlesworth’s actions in a cohesive narrative using evidence from the trade book within their comics. The students demonstrated a solid understanding of non-violent advocacies, and why these methods …

Historical Inquiry: Who Has The Power? Using Film To Introduce Students To Medieval Social Class Structures, Megan Todd, Janie Hubbard

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Using film in the classroom to teach history has long been endorsed as an effective pedagogical method when the lessons’ purposes and goals are clearly supported with facts. This article, which includes a National Council for the Social Studies C3 inquiry-based lesson plan, is targeted for educators who aspire to help students understand basic European Medieval history and engage in critical thinking. Medieval history is listed in many U.S. state curriculum standards and international teaching benchmarks; thus, this lesson contributes a teaching-ready source, particularly to introduce students to historical concepts, geographies, and politics (i.e., power structures). Clips from A Knight’s …

Theo Huxtable Becomes A Historian: Culturally Relevant, Disciplinary Writing In The Secondary Social Studies Classroom, Teaira Mcmurtry Phd

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article brings together three conceptualizations —Disciplinary Literacy (DL) (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008), Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT) (Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2009), and the African Verbal Tradition (AVT) (Smitherman, 2000)— to demonstrate how a groundbreaking event in history, such as the Civil Rights March on Washington is taught through the confluence of literacy practices reading, writing, and thinking--specifically, historical practices in social studies such as sourcing, contextualization, and corroboration.

This mini-unit uses the classic sitcom The Cosby Show as a frame to teach students the investigative process of writing a historical analysis about a recent historical event. In the show, entitled “The …

Half-Elven And Half-Orphans: The Choices And Consequences Of “Crossing Over”, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

A conference paper delivered at the virtual Tolkien at Kalamazoo Symposium (May 7, 2022) concerning the many examples of orphans in the line of Elrond Half-elven. Connections are drawn between these characters and Tolkien's childhood.

Public Library Services On The Promotion Of Literacy Level Of Users In Kenneth Dike E-Central Library, Awka, Ugochi Iruoma Egwuonwu, Obioma Loveth Obiekwe, Evelyn Nkiruka Ekpeha

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study investigated public library services on the literacy level of users in Kenneth Dike E-Central Library, Awka. Five research questions were used for the study. The research method adopted was the survey method and population consisted of 2543 registered users of Kenneth Dike public library. A sample size of 345 users was used. Mean was used for data analysis. Questionnaires and observation checklist were used for data collection. The study found that the available public library services that can promote the literacy level of users are consultancy services, exhibition and displays, book reservation services which have high mean score …

Breaking The Barriers: A Phenomenological Study Of Women’S Non-Governmental Organisations’ Adoption Of Social Media, Muhammad Kabir Abubakar, Patricia Neo Mooko

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Organizations now frequently use social media as a tool for communication and information sharing. Although many studies have examined the various context-specific barriers to technology adoption in organizations, few of them have a direct bearing on the particular barriers to social media adoption. Organizations can use social media for their activities with the help of understanding the adoption barriers. Investigating the most important impediments to social media adoption in women’s non-governmental organisations (WNGOs) in North-West Nigeria is the goal of this study. The study used a phenomenological approach-based qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from ten …

Investigating The Security And Accessibility Of Voyage Data Recorder Data Using A Usb Attack, Harish A. Vineetha, K Tam, K Jones

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) or 'black boxes' for ships hold critical navigational and sensor data that can be used as evidence in an investigation. These systems have proven extremely useful in determining the cause of several previous shipping accidents. Considering the importance of the VDR and the increasing number of cyber-attacks in the maritime sector, the likelihood of it being attacked is high. This paper examines the security and accessibility of VDR data through a malicious USB device. A USB device is used after a series of tests, detailed in this paper, found it to be a viable way to …

Saint Jude's, November 13, 2022

Saint Jude's

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Waltham, MA

Saint Jude's Finding Aid

As Fewer Young Americans Say They Believe In God, A Look At Why So Many Have Abandoned Religion And What Motivates Others To Keep The Faith, Briana Ellis-Gibbs

Capstones

Generation Z, defined by the Pew Research Center as those born after 1997, is the least religious generation yet, according to a recent report from the American Survey Center. More than one-third of Generation Zers are religiously unaffiliated, along with 29 percent of Millenials, those born between 1981 and 1996. On the other hand, only 18 percent of baby boomers and 9 percent of the silent generation claim no religious affiliation.

Though overall, Americans' belief in God has hit an all-time low, from nearly 90 percent in 2017 to 81 percent this year, according to a new poll by Axios …

Katharine Kosowski & Morgan Potts, Katharine Kosowski, Morgan Potts

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

Student Recital program

Marshalling Copyright Knowledge To Understand Four Decades Of Berne, Peter K. Yu

IP Theory

In the year 1978, the 1976 Copyright Act had just entered into effect. Marshall Leaffer, whom this article will affectionately refer to by his first name, had just completed his duties as an attorney advisor at the U.S. Copyright Office. On his way to academia, he, like the fictional character Captain William “Buck” Rogers, was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension. In a freak mishap, his car veered off a rarely used mountain road and was frozen by temperatures beyond imagination. He did not return to academia until more than forty years later. What will he discover upon his …

The Gain Of Function Scn1a Disorder Spectrum: Novel Epilepsy Phenotypes And Therapeutic Implications, Andreas Brunklaus, Tobias Brünger, Tony Feng, Carmen Fons, Anni Lehikoinen, Eleni Panagiotakaki, Mihaela Adela Vintan, Joseph Symonds, James Andrew, Alexis Arzimanoglou, Sarah Delima, Julie Gallois, Donncha Hanrahan, Gaetan Lesca, Stewart Macleod, Dragan Marjanovic, Amy Mctague, Noemi Nuñez-Enamorado, Eduardo Perez-Palma, M. Scott Perry, Karen Pysden, Sophie J. Russ-Hall, Ingrid E. Scheffer, Krystal Sully, Steffen Syrbe, Ulvi Vaher, Murugan Velayutham

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Brain voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.1 (SCN1A) loss-of-function variants cause the severe epilepsy Dravet syndrome, as well as milder phenotypes associated with genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus. Gain of function SCN1A variants are associated with familial hemiplegic migraine type 3. Novel SCN1A-related phenotypes have been described including early infantile developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with movement disorder, and more recently neonatal presentations with arthrogryposis. Here we describe the clinical, genetic and functional evaluation of affected individuals. Thirty-five patients were ascertained via an international collaborative network using a structured clinical questionnaire and from the literature. We performed whole-cell voltage-clamp electrophysiological recordings comparing …

High School Course-Completion Trajectories And College Pathways For All: A Transcript Analysis Study On Elective Computer Science Courses, Hsun-Yu Chan, Ting-Lan Ma, Guan K. Saw, Yen-Ming Huang

Faculty Publications

Abstract: Whereas researchers regard high school math and science coursework as the best indicator of college readiness for students in the United States, computer science coursework and its relationship to college attendance, particularly for minoritized students, have not received due attention despite its root in the mathematical and scientific reasoning ability. We examined students’ high school course completion patterns across subjects and grade levels with a special focus on elective computer science courses and whether the coursework pattern transitions worked differently for minoritized students in Texas, USA. Latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis revealed multiple patterns of coursework, including …

Carlos Mejia Senior Recital, Arkansas State University Department Of Music

Performance Programs

No abstract provided.

Material Characterization And Comparison Of Sol-Gel Deposited And Rf Magnetron Deposited Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films, Katherine Lynne Miles

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has been a material of interest for sensor, actuator, and transducer applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This is due to their favorable piezoelectric, pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties. While various methods are available to deposit PZT thin films, radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was selected to provide high quality PZT films with the added capability of batch processing. These sputter deposited PZT films were characterized to determine their internal film stress, Young’s modulus, composition, and structure. After characterization, the sputtered PZT samples were poled using corona poling and direct poling methods. As a means of comparison, commercially …

Smoking Addiction In Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders And Its Perception And Intervention In Healthcare Personnel Assigned To Psycho-Rehabilitation Programs: A Qualitative Research, Pasquale Caponnetto, Marilena Maglia, Marta Mangione, Chiara Vergopia, Graziella Chiara Prezzavento, Riccardo Polosa, Maria Catena Quattropani, Jennifer Dipiazza, Maria Salvina Signorelli

Publications and Research

Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have a higher prevalence and frequency of smoking rates when compared to the rest of the population; to this, it must be added that they develop a greater dependence and have some worse health consequences than the general population. This is qualitative research on the perception of smoking in healthcare professionals assigned to psycho-rehabilitation programs for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The point of view of health personnel (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Pedagogists, and Nurses) about cigarette smoking in these patients was analyzed, focusing on their implications in disturbance and comparing them with e-cigarettes too. The methodology …

Reducing Central Venous Infections, Desiree Banton

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Patients in the hospital are 36.6% more likely to die after a diagnosis of a Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) (Chovanec et al., 2021). The purpose of this evidence-based practice implementation is to reduce CLABSI rates in the Neurological ICU (Neuro ICU) at a private medical center through use of a CLABSI prevention bundle checklist each shift.

PICOT: In the adult neuro-ICU (P), how does implementing a CLABSI prevention bundle checklist each shift (I), compared to current practice (C), affect CLABSI rates (O) within eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: Evidence-based research supports that if clinical staff completed each part …

Early And Progressive Mobility: A Program Implementation Strategy For High Acuity Patient Care Locations, Stefani Poland

Student Scholarly Projects

Despite an increase in the promotion of early progressive mobility, its decrease in hospital-acquired complications and improvement of patient outcomes, there remains a reluctance in staff commitment to daily evaluation and implementation. This is largely due to the fact nurses or other interprofessional staff are the primary individuals responsible for this change in process. A lack of confidence in staff to correctly identify patients that meet criteria and anxiety regarding the safe transfer or mobilization of patients, particularly in high acuity settings have been identified as major barriers. The PICOT question that guided this program development of a CBO toolkit …

Preventing And Reducing Nurse Burnout In An Outpatient Military Facility, Lisa Haik

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Nurse burnout adversely affects nurses, patients, and healthcare organizations. Implementing changes to address key contributors to burnout can effectively reduce and prevent burnout.

PICOT: The PICOT question that guided this project was: In outpatient clinic nurses (P), how does implementing a bundled strategy (I) compared to not providing interventions (C) affect nurse burnout (O) within eight weeks (T)?

Evidence: Evidence from an extensive literature review showed that there is no single cause for burnout and therefore no single intervention to reduce or prevent it. The primary themes in the literature to address burnout include practicing mindfulness, …

The Effects Of Online Learning On Students' Anxiety And Motivation., Andrea Iturbe Zúñiga

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the effects of online education on students’ anxiety and motivation. Modified versions of the Foreign Language Classroom Scale (FLCAS) and the Attitude/Motivation Test Battery (AMTB) were administered to a group of 18 beginning-level Spanish students. Data were analyzed quantitatively to find out whether students described feeling more anxious or less motivated in the online setting versus the in-person setting and to examine what features participants identified with anxiety or motivation. Results show that lower motivation and higher anxiety were present in the online mode of instruction than in the in person …

Moral Nuisance Abatement Statutes, Scott W. Stern

Northwestern University Law Review

On May 19, 2021, Texas enacted S.B. 8—also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act—which prohibits almost any abortion of a fetus once a heartbeat can be detected, effectively banning abortions after only six weeks of pregnancy. Just as controversially, S.B. 8 also specifies that it is enforceable exclusively through private civil actions, and it allows any private person to sue anyone who “performs,” “induces,” or “knowingly . . . aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion,” seeking injunctive relief and statutory damages of $10,000 per violation. The passage of S.B. 8 immediately led to calls for, and …

The Effectiveness Of Planned And Incidental Focus On Form In Learning Grammatical Concepts In Two Spanish As L 2 Classrooms, Rebeca Monasterio

Theses and Dissertations

The present research study examines the effectiveness of two types of in two Spanish classrooms for beginner students: planned focus on form and incidental focus on form. Focus on form is understood as an instructional practice that creates a real-life context to let students practice some aspects of the language in a communicative environment based on both meaning and form. In this study, planned focus on form is operationalized as input enhancement in classroom materials and teacher talk. On the other hand, incidental focus on form involves teacher´s spontaneous attention to form in teacher talk. Language learning was measured through …

Algae And Cyanobacteria In The Aphotic Habitats Of Veternica Cave (Medvednica Mt., Croatia) And Selected Caves Of The Dinaric Karst (South-Eastern Europe), Najla Baković, Tanja Pipan, Robert Baković, Roman Ozimec, Josip Rubinić, Renata Matoničkin Kepčija

International Journal of Speleology

Microphototrophs (algae and cyanobacteria) in karst environments have been intensively studied in aquatic epigean habitats. In recent decades knowledge about the communities inhabiting cave entrances and lampenflora has grown substantially, but the data about the communities in aphotic cave zone are scarce. This study aimed to investigate spatio-temporal presence of microphototrophs in the aphotic zone of Veternica Cave (Mt. Medvednica karst) and to present additional preliminary data from 22 caves of the Dinaric karst. The data were collected over ten years, in parallel with research on cave phagotrophic protists. In addition to the remains of microphototrophs, living algae and cyanobacteria …

On Analysis Of Effectiveness Controlling Covid-19 With Quarantine And Vaccination Compartments In Indonesia, Prihantini Prihantini

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Perceived School Fairness And Willingness To Report Bias-Based Bullying Among Youth During Covid-19 Pandemic, Isak Kim, Deanna L. Burgess, Seriashia J. Chatters

Counseling Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND

As COVID-19 has let many students into remote learning environments and exacerbated inequality among marginalized individuals, there is a growing concern about Bias-Based Bullying (BBB) in online spaces among school-aged youths. Learning modality and perceived school fairness may affect youth's likelihood of reporting BBB.

METHODS

Data were collected as part of “No Place For Hate” (NPFH) project, which was conducted by an equity office of a school district. A sample of middle and high school students (N = 1117) in the school district was used as an analytic sample. We conducted a series of independent samples t tests and …