Digital Commons Network^™

Human Gut Microbiome Composition Is Associated With Perceived Stress And Cortisol, Esha Parikh

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Recent research on the gut microbiome is calling attention to the role that the microbiome-gut-brain axis (MGBA) plays in influencing behavior. One particularly exciting, yet understudied, function of the MGBA is that alterations to the microbiome can increase stress susceptibility through increasing psychological vulnerability. While this notion is interesting, it remains largely unexplored in humans likely owing to the complex, multidisciplinary approach required to provide evidence for such a hypothesis. The current study sought to shed light on this uncertainty through connecting measures of stress and cognition in humans with gut microbiome composition. Seventeen male participants (mean age = 24, …

Metabolic Inactivation Of Angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7), Mahnoor Asif, Christy Abraham

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a role in the control of the cardiovascular system by modulating blood pressure. While Angiotensin II (Ang II) serves as a vasoconstrictor and is the most well-known of the RAS peptides, Angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) is a peptide gaining interest in its countereffects to Ang II and may serve as its antagonist. However, the rapid metabolism and subsequent inactivation of Ang 1-7 precludes its use in radioactive binding assays. For this reason, peptidase inhibitors were added to assays involving ¹²⁵I-Ang1-7 or an analog ¹²⁵I-alamandine. This study uses high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to …

Rate Of Phosphate Uptake By Periphyton In The Everglades, Kiersten Monahan

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Periphyton is an essential source of primary productivity and plays a major role in the removal and short-term storage of phosphorus in the Florida Everglades. In recent decades, runoff from the Everglades Agricultural Area has caused a serious nutrient pollution problem. In the oligotrophic wetlands, the increase of phosphorus leads to the growth of species that disrupts the ecosystem. In order to gauge the response of periphyton to these environmental changes, the rate of phosphate uptake by epipelon, metaphyton, and epiphyton mats are measured following spikes of either 150, 500, or 1000 ppb of potassium phosphate. The experiment was conducted …

The Universal Mass Function And Its Applicability To Non-Cosmic Objects, Kyle Hansotia

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The universe is full of mysteries. One of these mysteries is that all objects in the cosmos—from the smallest meteors to the largest galaxy clusters—are all connected with a single mass function. This mass function is a power law with a constant slope, f(m) = k m ^-2 where is m mass and k is a normalization constant (Binggeli & Hascher 2007, "Is there a Universal Mass Function?" Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 119, 592). This means that objects with low masses are much more common than massive objects, and that the fraction of low-to-high mass …

Vegf Induced Endothelial Marker Gene Expression In Periodontal Ligament Derived Stem Cells (Pdlscs), Shreya Patel

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Background: Establishing endothelial-cell mediated vascularization is crucial in bone tissue engineering, as blood vessels are key regulators for newly formed bone homeostasis and growth. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), derived from periodontal ligament tissue can differentiate into a wide range of cell types, including hepatocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. However, there is not much research focused on their ability to differentiate into endothelial cells. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of PDSCs differentiate into endothelial cells. Methodology: Human PDLSCs were harvested from impacted wisdom teeth from NSU clinics. The cells were cultured using standard protocols. …

Ibrutinib Inhibits Human Cd4 T Cell Proliferation, Marla Fortoul

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Ibrutinib, is an orally active agent, which works by covalent irreversible binding to the kinase domain of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK). The drug is of central importance in B cell receptor signaling and is currently used to treat B cells cancers like Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and B Cell Lymphoma. In addition to BTK inhibition, it has been hypothesized that Ibrutinib is a target of Interleukin-2 Inducible Kinase (ITK), which is an active agent in T cell malignancies survival and proliferation. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of Ibrutinib on human T cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells …

A Step Forward, Rolando Bolanos

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“A Step Forward” is a documentary about the personal journey about me, as I seek to become an officer of the Coast Guard to not only help pay for college, but to seek opportunities unique to that in the military in order to grow as an individual, begin an ambitious career, and to travel the world. I had encountered many challenges along the way, including a lack of confidence, being overweight, and lacking any titles or experience to help solidify my image as a leader. Despite the challenges, I have managed to not only overcome these obstacles, but I have …

Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Imaging Of Human Breast Cancer Spheroids, Elaine Ognjanovski, Heather M. Robison, Corryn E. Chini, Troy J. Comi, Seung W. Ryu, Lunan Li

Undergraduate Student Symposium

Endogenous lipid synthesis is up-regulated in cancerous tissue. The role of lipids in oncogene regulation, cancer progression, and tumorigenesis is mostly unknown. It has been well-established that culturing cells in three-dimensions (3D) is a more accurate representation of solid tumors in vivo than traditional 2D cultures. 3D cell cultures (spheroids) replicate gas and nutrient diffusion, gene expression, protein concentrations, intracellular interactions, and cell–extracellular matrix connections observed in primary tumors. Herein, we describe a desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry imaging (DESI-MSI) method for mapping the spatial distribution of phospholipids (PL) in human breast cancer cell (BCC) spheroids (<1 mm in diameter). This label-free chemical imaging method identified specific PL species and relative percent compositions that may play a role in biological processes occurring at the outer (e.g. invasion and metastasis) and inner regions of solid breast tumors (e.g. angiogenesis). We also compare the PL composition of BCC spheroids with PL profiles of 2D BCC cultures, identifying PL changes specific to the multi-cellular environment of the spheroid.

Entertainment, Dekel Nahum

Undergraduate Student Symposium

“Entertainment” is a short narrative film about a serial killer who finds his female victims through dating apps. The story will be told from the perspective of the killer, who films his interactions with his victims, as well as their deaths. The film will deal mostly with what happens when he unexpectedly starts to care about one woman he dates, who he ultimately ends up killing. This film is inspired by how much I hate dating apps and how creepy men on the internet are. Some of my influences are the male serial killers in the television shows “Bates Motel” …

Examining The Antibacterial Properties Of Placental Tissue Components, Sujad Younis

Undergraduate Student Symposium

As the use of antibiotics has increased, the rate of antibiotic resistance has grown leading to a pressure to develop new antibiotics. Placental tissue is known to exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria, making it a viable candidate for novel antibiotic development. With this knowledge in hand, various components of placental tissue were tested to determine the portions that exhibited antibacterial activity. Dried placental tissue were micronized and rehydrated. The goal of this project was to take the product and test them on multiple bacterial species, some of which are common to human skin. The bacterial species tested were Escherichia coli …

Have More, Stress Less: Relating Perceptions Of Stress To Accumulation Of Different Types Of Resources, Jazmin Bush, Austin Matthies, Avia Sutton

Undergraduate Student Symposium

The concept of a "resource" is central to research in evolutionary biology and psychology. The acquisition, accumulation, and utilization of resources determines an organism’s success in terms of both survival and reproduction, and is related to a wide variety of behaviors. Despite their obvious importance, however, "resources" remain ill-defined in the scientific literature. In some cases, the concept of a resource is captured in broad terms such as "resource accruing potential". In other cases, resources are measured in restrictively specific terms, such as parents' level of education, family income, perceived level of social support, group membership, and so on. To …

3 Cm Researchers Honored With Endowed Chairs, Children's Mercy Hospital

Our Story Continues

Susan Abdel-Rahman, PharmD received the Marion Merrell Dow/Missouri Chair in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology. Shao Jiang, MD received the Frederick J. McCoy Endowed Chair in Plastic Surgery and Craniofacial Research. Cy Nadler, PhD received the Josh Barnds and Stella Carlson Endowed Professorship for Autism.

Rees Odeil And Patti Mattox Bryant Papers, (1957-2007), Rees Odeil Bryant, Patti Mattox Bryant

Center for Restoration Studies Archives, Manuscripts and Personal Papers Finding Aids

Finding aid for the Rees Odeil and Patti Mattox Bryant Papers, (1957-2007).

Finding Aid For Rees Odeil And Patti Mattox Bryant Papers, Patti Mattox Bryant, Rees Odeil Bryant

Rees Odeil and Patti Mattox Bryant Papers

Finding aid for the Rees Odeil and Patti Mattox Bryant Papers.

Focus, 2019, Spring, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Book Review: Women In God’S Mission: Accepting The Invitation To Serve And Lead By Mary T. Lederleitner, Brit Redfield

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Humanitarian Negotiations & Humanitarian Principles: The Interaction Between Humanitarian Negotiations For Access And Organizations' Ability To Adhere To Humanitarian Principles, Gabriela Gil

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Aim: To examine how do humanitarian organizations apply, or fail to apply, the humanitarian principles through humanitarian negotiations in modern conflict settings.

Methods: A literature review identified relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature on international humanitarian norms and law, the landscape of modern conflict, and existing guidelines on humanitarian negotiations. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in humanitarian negotiations chosen on the basis of their relevant background. A coded analysis of these interviews was conducted to identify major themes and subthemes in responses.

Background: Multiple international mechanisms outline the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence and States, non-State …

Statement, Spring 2019, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Alumni Association Publications

Statement Magazine of Morehead State University from the Spring of 2019.

In These Cities Are Jewels: Lessons From Adventist City Missions—1880–1915, David J. B. Trim

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

"As Ellen White’s words of 1909 imply, urban-focused mission has a long history in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It goes beyond the work of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Chicago, the one exemplar which is reasonably well known but which comes with proverbial baggage, given what happened with Kellogg. I will touch on the Chicago mission, but it was not unique; in fact, our pioneers established many city missions. And while they stressed practical experience they also valued analytical approaches. For example, in 1910, the first two days of the annual council were given over to what was essentially a …

The Pioneer, Vol. 23, No. 2, Spring 2019, Illinois State University, College Of Education

The Pioneer (alumni newsletter)

Alumni Newsletter for University High School, College of Education

Putnam, Gary Oral History Interview, Roy Childs

Emeriti Society Oral History Collection

University Chaplain (1983-1990). Topics include: Religious life on campus, perspectives of "town and gown", specifics about Morris Chapel, and historic ties of Pacific with Methodism.

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - March 24, 2019, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the March 24, 2019 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's Newsletter - Watercooler.

Contents Include:

Dr. Om Jha wins international Mahatma Gandhi Expatriate Award

Med School Café now online - Technology in the Treatment of Diabetes

Mobile Ranked 5th Fattest City in America: How We Can Slim Down

April Med School Café to focus on melanoma prevention and treatment

Rwanda mission participants gain new perspective on medicine and life

University Urology welcomes nurse practitioner

Twin medical students compete in the classroom and in track and field

Host Country Responses To Non-Communicable Diseases Amongst Syrian Refugees: A Review, Chaza Akik, Hala Ghattas Ph.D., Sandra Mesmar, Miriam Rabkin, Wafaa M. El-Sadr, Fouad M. Fouad

Faculty Publications

Background:

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have hosted large refugee populations, with a high pre-conflict burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Objectives:

We aimed to describe the ways in which these three host country health systems have provided NCD services to Syrian refugees over time, and to highlight the successes and challenges they encountered.

Methods:

We conducted a descriptive review of the academic and grey literature, published between March 2011 and March 2017, using PubMed and Google searches complemented with documents provided by relevant stakeholders.

Results:

Forty-one articles and reports met our search …

Scientia: Spring 2019

Scientia

From the Dean; The Vatican, the U.N. and the Scientist; Physics Studio; Student Excitement Propels Neuroscience Major; In Search of Awe; 16th Annual Science, Technology and Mathematics Undergraduate Research Showcase; Lab Notes; Diversity Advocate Give Voice to the Underrpresented.

Preparing For A Short-Term Volunteer Experience, Beth Sullivan

Occupational Therapy Collection

Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioners who volunteer for short-term medical service trips in developing countries face many challenges, including gaining an appreciation of that country's culture (values, economy, political, and medical systems) and understanding how these factors influence provision of OT services.

As OT practitioners, we "contribute to the global health of society and individuals by enabling the right to engage in meaningful, purposeful occupations" (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, n.d., para 4). The frequency of short-term medical service trips (STMST) undertaken by persons living in high income countries to low income countries is increasing (Sykes, 2014). Despite this fact, systematic …

Gwu Physician Assistant Alumna Provides Medical Care In Underserved Community, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

The Gardner-Webb University Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program launched in 2014 with a mission to provide care to medically underserved people. Sarah McManus, a member of the program’s second graduating class in 2017, is fulfilling that goal. She works with her father in a rural family practice in Morganton, N.C.

Bringing Healing And Hope Through Song, Hannah Gallant

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Board Of Trustees Presents Annual Diversity Awards, Staff Report

University of Mississippi News

Medical Center administrator and former UM educator honored for service, statewide impact

Optimizing Patient Outcomes By Motivating Staff Through An Initiative Called B+, Shannon M. Mcdonough, Tabitha Sibel

Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE)

The B+ committee was established in 2014 in efforts to enhance staff member collaboration, and culture change in their work environment. The committee contributes to the mission and vision of the organization and can influence strategic goals for success such as improving patient and family satisfaction.

Global Surgery: Building Healthy Surgical Systems., Taylor Leposa, Bria Johnston, Sohail Asghar Dogar, Henry Rice, Tamara Fitzgerald

Department of Surgery Docs

Global Surgery (GS) is a movement that advocates access of every individual to safe and affordable surgery despite geographic location or socioeconomic status. It has recently received increased attention within the global health arena, but many patients are still without access to care because of geographical, social and economic disparities. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of surgical services, GS requires that a worldwide network of healthy surgical systems be developed and sustained. Healthy surgical systems have many components, and this paper will briefly address 3 of those components: Improved access to care, safety and quality, and multidisciplinary strengthening.