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Interplay Between Patterning And Morphogenesis During Zebrafish Embryonic Development, Chia-Teng Chang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Patterning and morphogenesis occur concurrently during embryonic development. In many contexts, both processes are regulated by morphogen signaling: morphogens specify spatially organized cell identities while also influencing the cell behaviors that shape tissues. This creates a reciprocal problem. Morphogen signaling can affect how cells move, while cell movement can change how cells experience and interpret morphogen signals. This dissertation investigates this reciprocal problem during zebrafish gastrulation and neurulation. First, it examines how the ventral-to-dorsal bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) activity gradient regulates germ-layer morphogenesis during gastrulation. BMP signaling is known to pattern dorsal–ventral cell fate and regulate mesodermal convergence and extension …

The Defining Role Of Ago4 And Its Catalytic Activity During De Novo Rna-Directed Dna Methylation, Tianyi Li

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Plant transposable elements and transgenes are continuously targeted for transcriptional repression via the pathway of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Although perpetual RdDM of the endogenous genomic loci has been well studied in the field, much less is known about the de novo RdDM pathway, the pioneering round of DNA methylation responsible for triggering and initiating silencing of new transgenes. Despite being two distinct pathways, both perpetual and de novo mechanisms of RdDM require the production of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and the key proteins of the ARGONAUTE4 (AGO4) clade. However, the order and likely mechanism of recruitment of AGO4 to …

Transient Activation Of Potent Progenitor Cells Is Required For Spinal Cord Regeneration, Chase Alexander Weinholtz

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Mammalian spinal cord injury is an intractable biomedical problem driven by interlocking maladaptive cellular responses that prioritize acute stabilization over long-term recovery. However, this deficient regenerative capacity is not an inherent limitation. The zebrafish, for example, capably regenerates and regains motor function with 2 months of a full transection injury. This ability is thought to rely on the transient expansion of stem cell-like progenitors marked by sox2 expression. Yet our understanding of the identities and contributions of this crucial population remains limited. Here, we determine the molecular identities and cellular contributions of sox2+ progenitors during innate spinal cord repair in …

Staff Covid-19 Infections, Staffing Shortages, And Resident Deaths In New York State Nursing Homes, Arun Inayatullah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing staffing challenges in U.S. nursing homes. Although previous studies have examined the effects of COVID-19 in nursing homes, limited research has examined the association between staff COVID-19 infection counts, staffing shortages, and resident COVID-19 deaths in New York State nursing homes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine whether staff COVID-19 infection counts were associated with staffing shortages and resident COVID-19 deaths in New York State nursing homes. The study was guided by the Donabedian structure-process-outcome model. Analyses of the four research questions examined whether staff COVID-19 infection counts were associated with …

The Lived Experience Of Running Among Individuals With Anxiety, Emily Rice

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Anxiety is among the most prevalent mental health concerns affecting adults, yet many individuals encounter barriers to traditional mindfulness-based interventions. Running is frequently described as promoting presence, mental clarity, emotional grounding, and relief from anxiety-related distress; however, little qualitative research has explored how adults with anxiety make meaning of their lived experiences of running. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore how adults with anxiety describe and make meaning of their lived experiences of running. Guided by embodied cognition and informed by mindfulness and flow theories, this study explored participants' lived experiences of running. Participants …

Reducing Copd Readmissions Through An Evidenced-Based Clinical Practice Guideline, Courtney Rye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and hospital readmissions, with rural critical access hospitals (CAHs) facing unique challenges in delivering consistent, evidence-based care. At the pilot CAH medical–surgical unit, local chart review and practice observation revealed an approximately 18% 30-day COPD readmission rate and significant variation in discharge education, written action plans, inhaler technique assessment, and structured post‑discharge follow‑up. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to develop and appraise an evidence‑based, Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) and Institute of Medicine–compliant COPD clinical practice guideline (CPG) to …

Th17 Effector Cytokines Induce Shared And Distinct Microglial And Endothelial Cell Responses In A Mouse Model For Post-Streptococcal Encephalitis, Charlotte Wayne, Uğur Akcan, Travis Faust, Violeta Durán-Laforet, Danny Jamoul, Luca Bremner, Nicole Ampatey, Büşra Akcan, Sarah Ho, Bogoljub Ciric, Shannon Delaney, Wendy Vargas, Susan Swedo, Vilas Menon, Dorothy Schafer, Tyler Cutforth, Dritan Agalliu

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections cause neuropsychiatric complications in children, but the mechanisms linking peripheral infection to brain dysfunction remain unclear. Using mouse genetics, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics, we show that GAS infections induce inflammatory transcriptional programs in microglia and brain endothelial cells (BECs), accompanied by loss of blood-brain barrier (BBB) gene expression in female mice. Spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal that GAS-responsive microglia localize near infiltrating CD4+ T cells. Several microglial chemokines induced in mice are elevated in sera from affected patients. Deletion of GM-CSF in CD4⁺ T cells partially reduces microglial chemokine gene expression, without restoring BBB …

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Letters From The Levant: An Astellian Reading, Tanner Stott

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Among the more startling friendships of early 18th-century London’s literary scene is that of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Mary Astell. Their commonalities—remarkable self-education, political activism, and prolific writing—are dwarfed by vast differences of class, politics, and character. Astell, a curiously conservative woman nearly twenty-three years Montagu’s senior, spent her unmarried life squarely in the middle class. Montagu, on the other hand, began her life in England’s loftiest social echelons—the daughter of a Duke, she eloped with untitled Edward only to see him become one of England’s wealthiest men. Montagu lived colorfully with “principles,” according to Lady Irwin, “as corrupt …

Civilizing The Russian Frontier: Ferdinand And Elisabeth Von Wrangell’S Impact On Russian America, Ariel Brown

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In the early 19th century, the Russian colonies in North America struggled due to alcoholism, limited health care, violent attacks from Native tribes, extramarital relations, rat infestations, and weather-induced architectural decay. It is no wonder then that Ferdinand von Wrangell, the sixth governor of Russian America said, “It was our duty or rather we considered it as such, to introduce the concepts of decency and mores to this remote corner of the globe.” He believed his wife Elisabeth would also play a large role in that endeavor, stating, “In the absence of European females our ideas, conventions of civilization and …

Reshaping Home: Chinese Immigrant Women’S Adaptation And Family Transformation Under Exclusion, Chloe Nicole 零星 Isom

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1941, Jew Law Ying arrived at the port of San Francisco with her infant daughter, Bak Heong, seeking admission to join her merchant husband, Yung Hin Sen, in the United States. Upon arrival, immigration officials detained Jew Law Ying and her daughter and required both her and her husband to answer nearly two hundred detailed questions about themselves to prove their identities and relationship. Officials designed these questions to uncover inconsistencies and expose fraudulent relationships, and they were so intricate that, despite their legal and legitimate marriage, Jew Law Ying and Yung Hin Sen had prepared extensively, memorizing answers …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Firm Value: A Critically Appraised Topic, Shinika L. Byrd

Engaged Management ReView

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important component of strategic management, yet whether it enhances firm value remains a debated question. This Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) synthesizes the most recent peer-reviewed evidence to examine the relationship between CSR and the firm value of U.S. publicly traded companies. The guiding research question is: Does corporate social responsibility improve firm value? Findings indicate that CSR does not consistently improve firm value. Rather, its impact depends on factors such as strategic alignment, governance quality, transparency, stakeholder perceptions, and market conditions. Evidence suggests that strategically integrated, employee-centered CSR initiatives are more likely to …

Book Review: War And Colonization In The Early American Northeast, Tyler Daniels

History in the Making

No abstract provided.

American Fascism: How Patrick Buchanan Paved The Way For Donald Trump, Hayden Cross

History in the Making

The term fascism is often thrown around to describe one’s political opponents; it constantly appears in the news and is used heavily in contemporary political conversation. However, what is fascism? Do the people espousing fascist characterizations on their political opponents know what it means? Furthermore, in the United States, there is a prevalent belief that the nation is immune to fascism. Like the ironic title of Sinclair Lewis’ novel, It Can’t Happen Here, so aptly suggests, people believe that American liberal democracy is an unmalleable constant. During Donald Trump’s second term, concerns regarding a turn to fascism in the United …

Exploring The Motivations Of Undergraduate Sport Management Students, Kyle J. Brannigan, Tyler J. Hajek

The COSMA Journal

This study explored the motivations of undergraduate sport management in four university programs. Convergent mixed-methods research through the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory was incorporated with an adapted questionnaire of the Academic Motivation Scale and semi-structured interviews through Thematic Analysis. Ninety-six surveys with nine interviews were deemed usable across four regionally focused, vocationally minded, and accessible universities. Overall, students reported higher levels of extrinsic motivation than intrinsic motivation. The findings suggested intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation through regulation for identification scored highest with the participants. No significant differences were found between classes and ethnicities. However, male students experienced …

The Shorthorn: August 29, 1984

The Shorthorn Newspaper Collection: 1980s

No abstract provided.

The Shorthorn: August 1, 1984

The Shorthorn Newspaper Collection: 1980s

No abstract provided.

Extending Cardiovascular Care Beyond The Clinic: Evaluation Of A Community Paramedicine Program To Support Patients With Medical Complexity, Kailey Kowalski, Corrigan Farnham, Darcy Chandler, Joshua Pobrislo, Elizabeth Bennett, Maxwell E. Afari

Journal of Maine Medical Center

Problem: Health care systems, especially acute care settings, are becoming overburdened with patients who are older, have medical complexity, and have limited access to health care resources. Community paramedicine (CP) programs use paramedics to offer preventive care, health education, and connections with the community that is underserved and experiencing homelessness. CP programs have emerged to reduce acute care utilization and emergency department visits, and to improve health care outcomes.

Approach: A local CP team was paired with the MaineHealth cardiovascular disease fellows' clinic to expand cardiovascular care to patients at high risk. Individuals were identified by clinicians as requiring additional …

Understanding The Long-Term Patterns Of Change Of A Tidal Marsh In Mission Bay, San Diego, California, Carrie A. Shuster, Theresa Sinicrope Talley Ph.D., Drew Talley Ph.D., Zhi-Yong Yin Ph.D., Kellie Uyeda Ph.D.

Theses

Coastal marshes are among California’s most productive ecosystems and the most impacted, having been extensively modified by dredging, filling, and urban development. This thesis investigates over a century of change for a marsh in Northern Mission Bay, San Diego, California using ecological and spatial analyses.

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the environmental history and current land use of the Northern Mission Bay marsh, tracing changes from pre-contact Indigenous stewardship through colonial and modern urban development. It also introduces a restoration plant palette derived from historical and contemporary species occurrences, ecological functions, and documented cultural uses. By integrating ethnobotanical knowledge …

Constructed Response Questions (Crq) Test Results Of 6th-Year Medical Students, Faculty Of Medicine, Thammasat University In The Primary Medical Care Course, Academic Year 2024: A Descriptive Course Evaluation Study, Surasak Buranatrevedh

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Introduction: The Primary Medical Care course is a core subject for sixth-year Thammasat medical students. Knowledge assessment is conducted using 10 Constructed Response Questions (CRQ), mapped to the standards of the Medical Council of Thailand.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of sixth-year Thammasat medical students in the Primary Medical Care course through CRQ examinations across multiple affiliated clinical training centers during the academic year 2024 and identify specific diseases or topics requiring improvement at each location.

Methods: Study was conducted using CRQ examination results from all 166 sixth-year medical students at five clinical training centers. Questions and corresponding rubric-scored answers …

Knowledge And Awareness Of Thalassemia Carrier Screening Among Thai Medical Students, Pawitchaya Jariyapongpaiboon, Boodchiya Rojsuriyawong, Suwijak Meenapa, Pacharapan Surapolchai, Prapasri Kulalert, Chanapat Chouwalit, Thanpisit Phanawal, Prapasiri Niamkamnoet, Parin Pongrungsee, Kitiwan Rojnueangnit

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

Introduction: Thalassemia is the most common hereditary hemolytic anemia in Southeast Asia, including Thailand. Despite thalassemia screening tests being currently performed in all Thai pregnant women, this approach can sometimes be too late. Prevention would be improved if we could perform thalassemia screening tests prior to pregnancy.

Objectives: Assess the knowledge and awareness of thalassemia screening in medical students.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey among Thai medical students in 16 universities, during April 2022- May 2023, by using a valid set of research questions in the online-based questionnaire to assess their knowledge and awareness of carrier screening tests and intention …

Recalibrating Risk: A Call For South Asian-Focused Heart Failure Prediction Models, Nandini Nair, Dongping Du, Aiswarya J. Pillai, Swarna Mahesh, Mrudula R. Munagala, Howard J. Eisen, Balakrishnan Mahesh

Division of Cardiology Faculty Papers

Background: Heart failure (HF) represents the final common pathway of diverse cardiovascular disorders, including coronary artery disease, primary myocardial pathology, and abnormalities of cardiac conduction. These conditions arise from an interplay of genetic, environmental, and psychosocial influences, making it essential to understand these determinants to improve risk prediction and prevention. Multiple biological pathways of inflammation, fibrosis, coagulation, oxidative stress, lipid dysregulation, endothelial dysfunction, and metabolic disturbances are shaped by inherited susceptibility and modifiable exposures. Together, these mechanisms drive HF development and progression, though their relative contributions vary across populations. Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for clinical, biomedical, and …

Enhancing Cultural Competency Through Training In A Primary Care Clinic, Rogelio Perez Iii

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Cultural competence remains essential in primary care settings serving diverse populations, yet staff at a small Southern Texas primary care clinic reported no previous formal cultural competency training in workplace orientation or school. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project was to evaluate whether a brief, evidence-based cultural competency intervention improved clinician cultural competency scores. Madeleine Leininger’s Culture Care Theory provided the theoretical framework, Lewin’s Change Theory guided the change process, and the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle directed implementation and evaluation. The problem addressed was the lack of structured training to support culturally responsive communication, patient trust, and …

Impacting Competency In C-Ssrs Suicide Risk Screening On An Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Fidelis Sangye

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Suicide remains a leading public health concern, and inconsistent application of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) may contribute to variability in suicide risk assessment and delayed intervention within inpatient psychiatric settings. The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to evaluate the effectiveness of a standardized C-SSRS-guided educational intervention on staff competency in suicide risk screening. Guided by Lewin’s Change Theory and implemented using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, this quantitative pretest-posttest QI project was conducted on an adult inpatient psychiatric unit. The intervention consisted of a 25-minute instructor-led PowerPoint presentation on standardized C-SSRS administration and evidence-based suicide risk …

Usa V. Derby Clerfe

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Threads Across The Atlantic: A Dialogue Of Feminist Writings Between Portugal And Cape Verde, Elliana Shillig Venancio

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the feminist literary traditions of Portugal and Cape Verde through a comparative analysis of Ana de Castro Osório’s Infelizes and Dina Salústio’s Mornas eram as noites. Separated by nearly nine decades and an ocean, these two works nonetheless converge in their insistence on women’s autonomy, bodily sovereignty, and resistance to patriarchal structures. Drawing on Hélène Cixous’s theory of écriture féminine and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality, this thesis argues that despite the significant differences in time, geography, and socio-political context that separate these authors, powerful threads of feminist consciousness bind their writing together. At the same time, …

Analyzing The Transition From Writing Center Tutor To Graduate Student Instructor, Luci Mackenzie Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations

Writing center tutoring is almost universally considered to be beneficial preparation for graduate student instructors (GSIs) of writing, so much so that many programs require writing center experience as part of their GSI training. Despite various similarities between the roles of tutor and teacher, the precise ways in which writing center experience influences GSIs as teachers remain unclear. This IRB-approved, mixed-methods study builds on previous empirical scholarship on transfer between tutoring and teaching to determine how new GSIs with previous writing center experience integrate practices, knowledge, and dispositions developed in the writing center. My findings echo those of previous studies …

Malt1 Protease Inhibition Restrains Glioblastoma Progression By Reversing Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Dependent Immunosuppression In Mice, Juliana Hofstätter Azambuja, Saigopalakrishna Yerneni, Lisa Maurer, Hannah Crentsil, Gabriela Debom, Linda Klei, Mei Smyers, Chaim Sneiderman, Kristina Schwab, Rajesh Acharya, Aivi Nguyen, Josie Emery, John Little, Jeffrey Meridew, Yijen Lin Wu, Prasanna Ekambaram, Dong Hu, Pete Gough, John Bertin, Ari Melnick, Gary Kohanbash, Riyue Bao, Peter Lucas, Linda Mcallister-Lucas

College of Life Sciences Faculty Papers

MALT1 protease is an intracellular signaling molecule that promotes tumor progression via cancer cell-intrinsic and cancer cell-extrinsic mechanisms. MALT1 has been mostly studied in lymphocytes, and little is known about its role in tumor-associated macrophages. We show that MALT1 is expressed in glioblastoma (GBM)-associated macrophages. Mechanistically, GBM tumor cells induce a MALT1-NF-κB signaling axis in macrophages, leading to enhanced macrophage migration and polarization toward an immunosuppressive ('M2-like') phenotype. Inactivation of MALT1 protease promotes transcriptional reprogramming that reduces migration and restores a macrophage anti-tumor 'M1-like' phenotype. Preclinical in vivo analysis shows that MALT1 inhibitor treatment results in immuno-reactivity of GBM-associated macrophages …

Retraction Notice: Are Your Kidneys Ok? Detect Early To Protect Kidney Health, Joseph A Vassalotti, Anna Francis, Augusto Cesar Soares Dos Santos Jr, Ricardo Correa-Rotter, Dina Abdellatif, Li-Li Hsiao, Stefanos Roumeliotis, Agnes Haris, Latha A Kumaraswami, Siu-Fai Lui, Alessandro Balducci, Vassilios Liakopoulos, World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee

Asian Medical Journal and Alternative Medicine

No abstract provided.

E3 Ligase Rnf145 Regulates Airway Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation Via The Pp2a-P70s6k Signaling Axis, Vijaya Kumar Gangipangi, Erin O. Curley, Deepak A. Deshpande, Pawan Sharma

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Airway smooth muscle (ASM) is a key determinant of airway caliber and a major contributor to structural remodeling in obstructive lung diseases, including asthma and COPD. ASM proliferation is regulated by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms, including ubiquitin-dependent protein turnover mediated by E3 ubiquitin ligases. Here, we investigated the role of the RING-type E3 ligase RNF145 in mitogenic signaling and ASM cell proliferation. Human ASM cells were transfected with RNF145 shRNA or treated with the E3 ligase inhibitor SMER3, followed by stimulation with fetal bovine serum (FBS) or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). RNF145 knockdown or SMER3 treatment dose-dependently inhibited mitogen-induced ASM …