Digital Commons Network^™

The Microrna Mir-30a Blocks Adipose Tissue Fibrosis Accumulation In Obesity, Pradip K Saha, Robert Sharp, Aaron R Cox, Rabie Habib, Michael J Bolt, Jessica B Felix, Claudia E Ramirez Bustamante, Xin Li, Sung Yun Jung, Kang Ho Kim, Kai Sun, Huaizhu Wu, Samuel Klein, Sean M Hartig

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

White adipose tissue (WAT) fibrosis occurring in obesity contributes to the inflammatory and metabolic comorbidities of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, yet the mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Here, we report a role for the broadly conserved miRNA miR-30a as a regulator of WAT fibrosis and systemic glucose metabolism. Mice modified to express miR-30a at elevated levels in adipose tissues maintain insulin sensitivity coupled with reduced fatty liver disease when fed a high-fat diet. These effects were attributable to cell-autonomous functions of miR-30a that potently increase expression of adipocyte-specific genes. Proteomic screening revealed miR-30a limits profibrotic programs in subcutaneous …

Crispr-Cas9 Engineering Of Human T Regulatory Cells – Design And Optimization Of A Manufacturing Process, Ortal Shimon, Adam M Dean, Shoshana Cohen, Aiden L Moser, Clifford C Dacso, Yosi Gilad, David M Lonard, Bert W O'Malley

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a subset of CD4 + T cells that comprise 5-10 % of the total CD4 + T cell population. Tregs, which are critically important for the maintenance of immune tolerance and immune homeostasis, are distinguished from other subtypes of CD4 + T cells by the expression of the transcription factor FOXP3. Because of the centrality to immunoregulation, Tregs have gained increasing attention as promising targets for clinical applications in autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). However, the essential role of Tregs in the complex network of the immune system implies their targeting as …

A Simple, Interpretable Machine Learning Model Based On Clinical Factors Accurately Predicts Incident Dysplasia Or Malignancy In Barrett's Esophagus, Ashwin Rao, Jasmine Haydel, Samuel Ma, Aaron P Thrift, Theresa Nguyen-Wenker, Hashem B El-Serag

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Identifying patients likely to develop dysplasia or malignancy is critical for effective surveillance in patients with Barrett's Esophagus (BE). However, current predictive models are limited. We evaluated the performance of machine learning (ML) models in predicting incident dysplasia or malignancy in a cohort of veteran patients with BE.

Methods: We analyzed data from 598 patients newly diagnosed with non-dysplastic BE (NDBE), BE indefinite for dysplasia (BE-IND), and BE with non-persistent low-grade dysplasia (LGD) at the Michael DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center from November 1990 to January 2019 with follow-up through January 2024. Progressors were patients who developed persistent LGD, …

Stool-Based Molecular Tuberculosis Treatment Monitoring: A Faster Means For Detecting Persistent Mycobacteria Compared To Phenotypic Culture, Clement Gascua Adu Gyamfi, Abigail Seeger, Durbbin Mulengwa, Anca Vasiliu, Lucia Carratala-Castro, Bariki Mtafya, Nontobeko Maphalala, Shilzia Munguambe, Belen Saavedra, Tara Ness, Gugu Maphalala, Sozinho Acacio, Edson Mambuque, Joanna Ehrlich, Rojelio Mejia, Mangaliso Ziyane, H Lester Kirchner, Christoph Lange, Alexander Kay, Alberto L Garcia-Basteiro, Anna Mandalakas, Andrew R Dinardo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) treatment monitoring is hindered by the lack of a rapidly measured biomarker that accurately predicts clinically relevant outcomes. Symptom screening poorly correlates with bacillary burden. Although culture is a direct measure of viable bacillary burden, the long turnaround time makes it clinically irrelevant.

Methods: The TB treatment monitoring potential of stool-based, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was prospectively assessed among 231 participants of all ages from Eswatini, Tanzania, and Mozambique with microbiologically confirmed TB. Stool qPCR results were compared to sputum culture, persistent symptoms, drug resistance, and World Health Organization TB outcomes.

Results: Quantitative bacillary burden measured …

Diagnostic Value Of Cell-Free Dna Fetal Fraction In Patients With Prenatally Suspected Placenta Accreta Spectrum Disorder, Danielle Chirumbole, Christian M Parobek, Alex Tai, Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar, Yamely H Mendez, Spoorthi Kamepalli, Christina C Reed, Arthur Ladron De Guevara, Keneshia Lane, Claire Hoppenot, Amir A Shamshirsaz, Michael A Belfort, Jessian L Munoz, Hendrik A Lombaard

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fetal fraction (FF) and placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) pathology in patients with prenatally suspected PAS.

Methods: This was a case-control study utilizing a database of pregnancies with suspected or proven PAS delivered between 6/2012 and 7/2024 at a single institution. Pregnancies were excluded if FF was not reported. The primary outcome was mean FF in pregnancies with a final clinical diagnosis of low FIGO grade (no PAS or FIGO1-2) versus high FIGO grade (FIGO3) placenta accreta. Results were reported as mean FF ± standard error of the mean. …

Sugar Functionalized Collagen Material For Local Modulation Of Innate Immunity, Francesca Taraballi, Claudia Corbo, Julia Enterria-Rosales, John Otto Martinez, Silvia Minardi, Laura Pandolfi, Xing Wang, Ennio Tasciotti, Kavindra V Singh, Cesar A Arias, Bruna Corradetti

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Small alterations during the early stages of the innate immune response to an implant can drive large changes in adaptive immunity. Biomaterials for regenerative purposes can be engineered to modulate this immune response in beneficial ways. This study presents an innovative patch designed and functionalized to target the innate immunity at the implant site. Mannose moieties are incorporated into collagen patches, resulting in a technology called Local Immunotuning Patch (LIP), designed to directly interact with antigen presenting cells through their mannose receptor. In vitro, LIP shows anti-inflammatory effects on bone marrow-derived macrophages and inhibitory properties even on methicillin-resistant bacterial strains. …

Parabolic Flight As A Research Platform To Investigate Ophthalmic Changes In Microgravity, Tuan Nguyen, Joshua Ong, Sarah Aman, Alex Weaver, Ana Garcia, Amy Song, Fatma Shakarchi, Ethan Waisberg, Andrew G Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Parabolic flight serves as an important terrestrial analog to study acute physiological changes in microgravity without the need for space travel. During a parabolic flight, alternating hypergravity and microgravity phases, lasting up to 40 seconds, enable research into ophthalmic changes. In this review, we discuss the application of parabolic flight as a platform to study microgravity-related changes that might impact ophthalmology including intraocular pressure, intracranial pressure, choroidal blood flow, and modified eye movement patterns. We further highlight how these insights could aid our understanding of vestibulo-ocular reflexes and conditions such as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS). While the brief duration …

What's The Value Of A State? Accounting For The Ecosystem Services And Natural Capital Of Oregon, Kathryn Liebrecht

University Honors Theses

Ecosystem services are vital to human welfare and society, but often are overlooked when it comes to planning and setting policy. By neglecting to incorporate the benefits received from natural resources, policy makers may unknowingly be making decisions that harm the long term sustainability and use of these services. To highlight the importance of Oregon's ecosystems, the present study aims to provide a full accounting of the ecosystem services and natural capital of the state. Using data from the Institute for Natural Resources' updated Oregon statewide habitat map, Oregon's ecosystems were matched to biome categories from the Ecosystem Services Valuation …

Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing Compared With Biventricular Pacing For Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy In Patients With Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction ≤50%: Results From The International Collaborative Lbbap Study (I-Clas), Ramez Morcos, Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, Óscar Cano, Francesco Zanon, Shunmuga Sundaram Ponnusamy, Bengt Herweg, Parikshit S Sharma, Marek Jastrzebski, Manuel Molina-Lerma, Zachary I Whinnett, Kevin Vernooy, Jiangang Zou, Girish M Nair, Rajeev K Pathak, Roderick Tung, Gaurav A Upadhyay, Karol Curila, Mihail G Chelu, Kenneth A Ellenbogen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with biventricular pacing (BVP) is an established treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and wide QRS. Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) has emerged as a physiologic alternative by directly engaging the His-Purkinje system, potentially improving electrical resynchronization and clinical outcomes.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the clinical outcomes between BVP and LBBAP in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤50% undergoing CRT.

Methods: This multicenter observational study included patients with LVEF ≤50% receiving CRT with either LBBAP or BVP at 18 centers from January 2018 to June …

An Exploration Of The Structure Of The Linear Algebraic Model Of Color, Isaac Martin

University Honors Theses

This thesis surveys the mathematical grounding of linear algebraic models of color. It aims to build from the ground up the framework by which additive color is broadly understood in the digital age. Primarily building on the work of Jozef Cohen, Eric Dubois, David H. Krantz, and Günter Wyszecki, it aims to chart the construction of a model of color that underpins most modern understandings of color. While the construction is certainly established in colorimetric circles, the construction is, in the thesis author's opinion, either obtuse or non-rigorous. Ideally, this thesis serves to make the construction accessible to an audience …

Small Molecule Inhibitor 3i-1000 Dosed During Bouts Of Anoxia Increases Survivability Of Austrofundulus Limnaeus Embryos, Connor Kime

University Honors Theses

The annual killifish Austrofundulus limnaeus possesses exceptional tolerance to prolonged anoxia, offering a unique vertebrate model for investigating cardiac resilience and survival under metabolic stress. This study tested whether inhibition of the GATA4–NKX2-5 transcriptional axis with the small molecule 3i-1000 enhances post-anoxic survival. WS40 embryos were exposed to 50 µM 3i-1000 during anoxia and early aerobic recovery. Outcomes were assessed across two independent experimental cohorts. Treated embryos exhibited higher survivability during reoxygenation: in the October cohort, survival increased from 76.0% in vehicle controls (n = 25) to 91.7% in treated embryos (n = 24); in the November cohort, survival improved …

Relapse Patterns Among Children And Adolescents With Kaposi Sarcoma In Malawi, Toni Chanroo, Allison Silverstein, Casey L Mcatee, William Kamiyango, Jimmy Villiera, Parth S Mehta, Erin Peckham-Gregory, Mark Zobeck, Michael E Scheurer, Carl E Allen, Rizine Mzikamanda, Nmazuo W Ozuah, Nader Kim El-Mallawany

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is a common childhood cancer in Malawi, but few studies have exploredclinical characteristicsofrelapsed disease. We aimed to characterize clinical patterns of relapse to improve treatment and, ultimately, long-term survival in patients with pediatric KS.A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients ages < 19 years of age at time of KS diagnosis in Lilongwe, Malawi between August 1, 2010 and March 15, 2020. Specifically, emphasis was placed on patients who had relapsed disease and excluded patients with refractory disease or those who died whilst receiving front-line treatment. Salvage therapy typically involved an intensified chemotherapy regimen compared to front-line therapy—namely nonliposomaldoxorubicin plus bleomycin/vincristine or paclitaxel monotherapy.One-hundred and ninety patients with pediatric KS were included in this analysis, 50 of whom experienced relapse (26%).Older median age was associated with occurrence of relapse (10 vs 6.7 years, p-value = 0.004). Median time from diagnosis to first relapse was 10.6 months (range 2.3–49 months). Three-year post-relapse overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 60% with a median follow-up time of 4.7 years after relapse.Survival was significantly higher for patients who relapsed with the woody edema clinical phenotype of pediatric KS versus those with visceral/disseminated disease—3-year OS 79% (95% CI 62–100) versus 29% (14–61).These data demonstrate potential for continued survival after KS relapse in the pediatric population and identify subsets of high-risk patients. The higher mortality observed in patients with visceral/disseminated KS highlights the need for improved therapeutic strategies.

Fold-And-Fuse Neurulation In Zebrafish Requires Vangl2, Jacalyn Macgowan, Mara Cardenas, Margot Kossmann Williams

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Shaping of the future brain and spinal cord during neurulation is an essential component of early vertebrate development. In amniote embryos, primary neurulation occurs through a "fold-and-fuse" mechanism by which the edges of the neural plate fuse into the hollow neural tube. Failure of neural fold fusion results in neural tube defects (NTDs), which are among the most devastating and common congenital anomalies worldwide. Unlike amniotes, the zebrafish neural tube develops largely via formation of a solid neural keel that later cavitates to form a midline lumen. Although many aspects of primary neurulation are conserved in zebrafish, including neural fold …

Comparison Of Psychological Data Between Populations, A Measurement Perspective, Ype H. Poortinga, Hester Van Herk, Johnny Fontaine

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

In cross-cultural psychology there is a strong tradition of psychometric analysis of bias and invariance (equivalence) after collection of data in distinct populations with identical instruments developed in one population. This implies a focus on measurement outcomes and an operationalist orientation to science. Here we explore how a focus on joint development and content validity of instruments combined with relaxation of the demand of item identity can provide an additional perspective. Three points are addressed:(1) Any comparison between participants from two, or more, populations presumes a common quality (property, attribute) and requires a common measurement scale, a “standard of comparison”. …

Implementation Outcomes Of A Patient Decision-Aid In A Diverse Population With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus In 15 Us Rheumatology Clinics, Jasvinder A Singh, Seth Eisen, Alfred Kim, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes during the implementation of a self-administered patient decision-aid (PtDA) for lupus.

METHODS: We provided an effective computerized lupus PtDA in 15 rheumatology outpatient clinics 2019-2024 (including the COVID pandemic). We undertook Organizational Readiness to Implement Change Surveys (ORICs) and Team Learning and Psychological Safety Surveys (TLPSSs) at baseline. The primary study outcome objective measure, percent penetration/reach, was defined as the number of patients who viewed the lupus PtDA at the end of the study, divided by the total number of eligible patients (times 100). We used validated clinical …

Characteristics Of Responders To Interventions For Parkinson Disease: A Scoping Systematic Review, Sidney T. Baudendistel, Gammon M Earhart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

AIMS: The purpose of this review is to identify the characteristics of responders in interventions targeting motor function for individuals with Parkinson disease.

MATERIALS & METHODS: The primary search included, 'Parkinson' + 'responder.' A second, broader, search further included 'response' + 'responsiveness' + 'responsive.' Records were sorted by intervention: neuromodulation, pharmaceutical, physical, and placebo.

RESULTS: Thirteen studies were identified in the primary and 19 studies in the secondary search, culminating in 120 characteristics. For neuromodulation interventions, responders were younger at onset, more responsive to levodopa, and had more difficulties with activities of daily living. Responders to pharmaceuticals were younger at …

Barriers And Facilitators To Accessing Healthcare For People With Parkinson's Disease In Latin America: A Qualitative Study, Christine Jeyachandran, Catherine Spooner, Ana Margarita Rodriguez Salgado, Matthew Prina, Joel Rhee, Jorge Jesus Llibre-Guerra, Dani Kim, Juan J Llibre-Rodriguez, Mark F Harris

2020-Current year OA Pubs

AIMS: The aim of the study was to identify the barriers and facilitators to healthcare access for people with Parkinson's disease (PWP) in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries (LAC) in Central and South America, to understand their drivers and consider the implications for health systems in LAC.

METHODS: Four online semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 25 PWP who provide education and/or support to PWP. The study was designed and implemented by a person with lived experience of PD. Data were mapped to an existing model of access to healthcare that incorporates provider and consumer abilities.

FINDINGS: There were multiple provider …

Genetic Diversity And Expanded Phenotypes In Dystonia: Insights From Large-Scale Exome Sequencing, Mirja Thomsen, Joel S Perlmutter, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Dystonia is one of the most prevalent movement disorders, characterized by significant clinical and etiological heterogeneity. Despite considerable heritability (~25%), the etiology in most patients remains elusive. Moreover, understanding correlations between clinical manifestations and genetic variants has become increasingly complex.

METHODS: Exome sequencing was conducted on 1924 genetically unsolved, mainly late-onset isolated dystonia patients, recruited primarily from two dystonia registries (DysTract and the Dystonia Coalition). Rare variants in genes previously linked to dystonia (n = 406) were examined, confirmed via Sanger sequencing, and analyzed for segregation when possible.

RESULTS: We identified 137 distinct likely pathogenic/pathogenic variants (according to ACMG …

Found Poem By Abraham De Moivre, Richard Delaware

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Zero's Whisper By Tom Petsinis, Sarah Glaz

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Tom Petsinis is an internationally acclaimed Australian novelist, playwright, and poet. He also holds a Ph.D. degree in mathematics and works as a mathematical adviser at Deakin University, Melbourne. Zero’s Whisper, Petsinis’ tenth poetry collection, offers a rich blend of the literary and the mathematical. The collection, comprising of over one hundred fourteen-line poems, is divided into nine sections, each of which considers a different aspect of a world steeped in mathematics and poetry. This review aims to provide a taste of the poetry and the themes included in the book. To discover all its hidden delights, one needs to …

Compare Problems: Complexity In Content And Language, Gladys Krause

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

When learning to teach mathematics in elementary school, pre-service teachers (PSTs) spend considerable time studying word problems. Here I present a resource I have created for my mathematics methods course in order to engage PSTs in learning about these problems and to support them in identifying these problem types.

Let’S Teach More Accurate And Inclusive History! The Case Of Islamic Contributions To Mathematics And Science, Nuh Aydin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Schools commonly teach a history of mathematics and science that is Eurocentric. This selective version of the history of science, called Classical Narrative by some, is rooted in colonial times and mindset, and has reinforced certain negative opinions about other cultures. It ignores or downplays contributions to mathematics and sciences from non-western civilizations, and falsely attributes many scientific discoveries to European scholars. Medieval Islamic Civilization, which had strong connections to Renaissance Europe, serves as a clear example of how this narrative is distorted. Based on research on primary sources since the middle of the 20th century, we now know that …

From Shudu [Sudoku 數獨] To Dushu [Learning Of Mathematics 讀數]?, Man Keung Siu

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The puzzle game Sudoku has been popular for over two decades, and even at one time became a craze for the public. This paper will briefly describe what the game is, a little bit of its history, and how to play it, but will leave the details to the many published books about the game. Some interesting and difficult mathematical problems relevant to the game will be highlighted, again leaving the detailed discussion to specific books published on this issue. The main point the paper tries to focus on is a discussion on the cognitive and the psychological aspects of …

Examples Of Mathematics Personified, Amenda N. Chow

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Synesthesia is a cognitive condition in which multiply senses are stimulated at once. There are different types of synesthesia. For example, in a documented study [9], a person with synesthesia when considering the number three associates it as a male and a jerk. This association is persistent, always the same and automatic. Presented here are a variety of examples about mathematics in personified form. These examples focus on using personification as a way to better understand and appreciate mathematics.

On Gödel’S Incompleteness Theorem, David Pierce

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem is about the logic of mathematics. It is that a certain mathematical structure is so rich that its theory cannot be completely axiomatized. This means there will always be true statements about the structure that cannot be proved as theorems from previously given axioms. To give meaning to this conclusion, we review some examples of mathematical theorems, and their proofs, in geometry, algebra, and logic; we also give an example of a structure that is so simple (while still being interesting) that its theory can indeed be completely axiomatized. First we look at a couple of popular …

Exploring Commutativity In A Hindi Language Classroom, Kumar Gandharv Mishra

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Commutativity is an important concept in mathematics. However, not much emphasis is given to it in the elementary or secondary school curriculum, as there is a lack of interesting noncommutative examples at this level. Since most examples of binary operations provided deal with numbers, commutativity appears trivial. In this article we offer an interesting example of noncommutativity that is familiar to Indian school children from a different context. Students in India study a chapter based on the joining of vowels in Hindi grammar. This process is analogous to producing commutative as well as noncommutative operations. When we bring in mathematical …

Revisiting A 19th Century Vector Algebra Book, Olcay Coskun, Alp Eden, Ersin Karabudak

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Hidden gems of mathematics can be recovered when one digs into what might seem an obscure text. In 1882, military officer Vidinli Hüseyin Tevfik Pasha published a book on vector algebra titled Linear Algebra. In this article we revisit the second edition of this book, emphasizing the special multiplication that we call the ’v-product’. This product has both geometric and algebraic characteristics. We attempt to clarify its relationship with complex and quaternion multiplication both geometrically and algebraically. The resulting algebra is called the Vidinli algebra. This algebra admits a Lie algebra structure that gives rise to Heisenberg algebra. We introduce …

Graphical Timetables As A Real-Life Example Of Different Representations Of Functions, Olav G. Imenes

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper examines 203 pre-service teachers' reactions and learning when they were introduced to a real-life situation in which it is natural to publish officially both graphs and tables of a given function: the situation of operating a railway. I found that almost all the pre-service teachers managed the easiest tasks, like calculating speeds, distances, and time for train represented by graphs. However, the more complicated tasks, which required interpretations of the graphs and tables, such as planning for a delayed train, finding which trains were locals, freight trains etc., were more difficult for them to grasp. There were few …

A Practical Rule Of Divisibility By 7 In Uqlīdisī’S Kitāb Al-Fuṣūl Fī Al-Ḥisāb Al-Hindī, Müjdat Takıcak, Mertkan Şimşek

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

There are many known examples of divisibility rules in modern mathematics. However, some of these rules are far from being practical, such as the current divisibility rule by 7. A far more useful method can be found in the work of the tenth-century Islamic mathematician Abū al-Ḥasan al-Uqlīdisī (d. 980), who proposed a divisibility rule for 7 in his treatise Kitāb al-Fuṣūl fī al-Ḥisāb al-Hindī. Compared to modern techniques, Uqlīdisī’s rule is both simpler and more practical. This article (re)introduces this rule, and provides an exposition of the mathematical reasoning that underpins it.

Tax Trends, E. S. Linett

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.